I'm about to become a Woman in Nature--this Saturday is the all-day (free) Women in Nature near Syracuse. It's a day of workshops & demonstrations, sponsored by a sportsmen's club, for women. How I got involved is a long story, but it was through a connection between my work and the Wild Center in Tupper Lake. I'm going with a good friend from work--she & I have worked together for nearly 30 years and have traveled together, stayed together many times and always have fun. So we'll leave tomorrow morning, stay in Skeneatles overnight, learn fly fishing in the morning, and in the afternoon she'll do canoeing (which she already knows how to do) and I'll do nature journaling (how hard can that be? you see it, you write it down). Then we'll come home Sat. night. Although the day is free, it's costing a ton of money--I have to board the dogs, we're staying in a nice motel, there's gas, etc. But it will be fun. I am looking forward to it.
I'm boarding the dogs at a different kennel. Am I nervous about it? No, not really, it's just a hassle to take them over there and pick them up. This place has worse hours than most kennels I've boarded at, so I can't pick them up until Sunday evening. She wants them dropped off tonight because she has something going on tomorrow morning. So do I have to pay for the extra day? I bet I do. Oh well. It used to be so cheap to board, but now it's $19/dog (with a discount for 2) per day. Boy that seems like a lot. But then, it used to be $14 to see the vet and now it's $46. And it's certainly true that I make more money than I did when I paid those prices. Do I sound like an old fool? I feel like one.
I've been trying to walk more, per doctor's instructions. And I'm making the dogs stay in unless I'm with them. Twice I found Tess on the hard top, a mile from home, and I found Treasure near a trap in the field across the road from home (the trap had a live fox in it, poor thing--it was awful to see but I didn't know how to safely free the fox). So they got their wings clipped, and they're not very happy about it. I try to walk them for 20 minutes or so in the morning, and again when I get home from work. Didn't work that way this morning--it was cold and spitting snow and it was 6:30 and I sure didn't feel like walking, so we went to the end of the driveway and back. Huh? Tess was puzzled. Treasure is always happy to go home, where there's food.
Had book group last weekend. It was nice, always a good gathering of friends. I made Greek quinoa salad, which actually was eaten up. Our book was Louise Erdrich's The round house, and we all liked it. This month's book (thanks to a recommendation from Barb Neel) is The art of fielding. What's it about? they wanted to know. Baseball, but more. They weren't too enthusiastic but had heard of the book and were willing to give it a try. Or maybe it was just that no one else had a book to suggest. Anyway, it's a big book. We're not meeting until the first Sunday in June, and then we're scheduled to meet at Linda's. Yes, she'll be here by then. I think.
Haven't been too productive lately, at home anyway. I keep intending to cut brambles but then it's too cold or raining or snowing, or any excuse. I'll get it done. Yeah, that's right. I did plant a lot of cosmos seeds, and they're doing well. Have one flat of seedlings already and 2 flats of seeds that are germinating. Let's hope I can keep them all alive until late May.
Today is my brother's birthday--hard to imagine that he would have been 64. It's always hard to believe that he's gone, his memory is fresh still. Well, Hank, happy birthday. I think the ice will go out today in celebration. And guess who has the winning ice-out date? ME! I've never won before. I saw Jim & Pat yesterday--they're the official judges, and Jim thought the ice would be completely out today. It's mostly gone but there's still some behind the island, which is always the last place the ice hides.
Long videoconference today, from 10-4. Northern NY users group of our automated system, so it's relevant for sure and should be interesting. Then tomorrow I'm NOT COMING TO WORK. And I even get paid for that.
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