My latest acquisition. It's quite nice, a Montgomery Ward piece of furniture from the 20's. Has some veneer problems and needs stripping and/or painting. But it's pretty cool, and was free. Has shelves inside, shelves: something always crave.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 01, 2010
foot 008
How cool is this? Fred Flintston's foot. This is on the trail that goes beyond the bog boardwalk, up to the top of the bluffs at the end of the lake.
This is the trail that Tess loves to walk with strangers. I get phone calls from people, asking if Tess made it home OK. Pretty much everyone tells me what a nice dog she is, and how she stayed with them the whole way. I try to clip her wings by hooking her to a cable at home, but if I don't get to it before the first bog visitors, she's off like a shot. Not even the promise of a milk bone will bring her back. She looks over her shoulder to let me know she doesn't care what I want, then off she goes, barrelling down the driveway. She takes off when she hears a car door slam; I don't always hear it but she sure does.
When I drive back from camp, Tess always looks up the road to the bog parking lot. "Hah! No one in the bog," is what I like to say, but she perks right up if there are cars in the bog lot.
This is the trail that Tess loves to walk with strangers. I get phone calls from people, asking if Tess made it home OK. Pretty much everyone tells me what a nice dog she is, and how she stayed with them the whole way. I try to clip her wings by hooking her to a cable at home, but if I don't get to it before the first bog visitors, she's off like a shot. Not even the promise of a milk bone will bring her back. She looks over her shoulder to let me know she doesn't care what I want, then off she goes, barrelling down the driveway. She takes off when she hears a car door slam; I don't always hear it but she sure does.
When I drive back from camp, Tess always looks up the road to the bog parking lot. "Hah! No one in the bog," is what I like to say, but she perks right up if there are cars in the bog lot.
june bog 045
A lucky and prosperous balsam--look at the new growth (the lighter needles on the ends of the branches).
june bog 051
This is a special fern in the bog. It's different from the other ferns, which are cinnamon ferns. The other ferns grow to be huge, taller than I am (OK, so that doesn't make them very tall, but bear with me). I always thought this fern was called the Queen Elizabeth fern, but I recently found out it's a Royal Fern. Rats, I was hoping I would be forever linked to the bog.
june bog 053
I really like the effect of grass growing through a boardwalk. It reminds me of two things: our time on Cape Cod, and my mother's town beach.
When we were young we would leave our beloved, entertaining Adirondacks to drive to NJ to visit my mother's parents. They lived in a suburb, actually a very pretty place, but there was not much for us to do. Sometimes my grandfather would take my brother on field trips. My sister and I played with the coolest doll house, down in the basement. Mostly what I remember was that it was hot, humid, and boring. It was, however, the place I first heard what blue jays sound like. Maybe we didn't have blue jays in Ill., anyway I thought it was really cool.
One of the best things was watching television--they got all the NYC stations, and at home we were limited to the three networks. We'd sit in front of the set for hours, first fighting over who got to sit in the rocking chair that is now at my mother's (where there's still competition for who gets to sit in it). It's a nice, big, upholstered chair, very comfortable.
When we became teenagers we were REALLY bored in NJ and my grandmother wisely noticed this. She started renting a wonderful place on Cape Cod (Wellfleet). 9 acres of dunes, right on the water. A beautiful old house.
We loved the Cape--there were great beaches as well as beautiful freshwater ponds. We'd stop to swim in the ponds on our way home from the beach, rinsing off the salt from the ocean. I always wondered if those ponds got salty from so many people rinsing off in them. They were crystal clear, with white sand on the bottom. Although our lake is clear, there's silt on the bottom so it's brown. Seeing the white sand was way cool.
I also remember driving with my brother (I think he wanted to get away, having just gotten his driver's license) in my father's 1964 silver Buick, listening to the Doors. Even now the sound of Jim Morrison's voice transports me back to Rt. 6 on the Cape, cool air through open car windows, feeling lucky to be with my brother. Light my Fire, and Riders on the Storm. ahhh.
When we were young we would leave our beloved, entertaining Adirondacks to drive to NJ to visit my mother's parents. They lived in a suburb, actually a very pretty place, but there was not much for us to do. Sometimes my grandfather would take my brother on field trips. My sister and I played with the coolest doll house, down in the basement. Mostly what I remember was that it was hot, humid, and boring. It was, however, the place I first heard what blue jays sound like. Maybe we didn't have blue jays in Ill., anyway I thought it was really cool.
One of the best things was watching television--they got all the NYC stations, and at home we were limited to the three networks. We'd sit in front of the set for hours, first fighting over who got to sit in the rocking chair that is now at my mother's (where there's still competition for who gets to sit in it). It's a nice, big, upholstered chair, very comfortable.
When we became teenagers we were REALLY bored in NJ and my grandmother wisely noticed this. She started renting a wonderful place on Cape Cod (Wellfleet). 9 acres of dunes, right on the water. A beautiful old house.
We loved the Cape--there were great beaches as well as beautiful freshwater ponds. We'd stop to swim in the ponds on our way home from the beach, rinsing off the salt from the ocean. I always wondered if those ponds got salty from so many people rinsing off in them. They were crystal clear, with white sand on the bottom. Although our lake is clear, there's silt on the bottom so it's brown. Seeing the white sand was way cool.
I also remember driving with my brother (I think he wanted to get away, having just gotten his driver's license) in my father's 1964 silver Buick, listening to the Doors. Even now the sound of Jim Morrison's voice transports me back to Rt. 6 on the Cape, cool air through open car windows, feeling lucky to be with my brother. Light my Fire, and Riders on the Storm. ahhh.
june bog 054
Chances thought a picture should include a dog, for scale. Like when archeologists put their picks or pencils next to their finds.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
mouse 007
I know, I know--who wants to see a picture of a dead mouse--but here's proof that there IS a jumping mouse (aka kangaroo mouse). This one was neatly deposited, in a perfect pose, by Dot. Snotty Dotty the cat. How long can a mouse's tail be? you might well ask. I don't know why these critters have such long tails, but it's impressive.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
What a difference
I'm hiring the son of a good friend (as opposed to a bad friend) to do outdoor work for me. Yesterday he mowed the lawn, the driveway, the "field" I hadn't mowed this year. Wow does it look great. Thursday he's coming back to weed whack. I can't imagine what it's going to look like, but I'm thrilled to have found someone enthusiastic and YOUNG and STRONG who will do this stuff. When he & his mother came last night I said my place looks like Tobacco Rd. Forgive me, residents of Tob.Rd., but my deck looks sort of trashed right now. I haven't put my flower pots out in any order and there's spilled dirt on the deck, and a big pile of stuff that needs to go to the dump but has to be moved with a shovel. Getting rid of that will make a huge difference. Come on, girlie, get to it.
Water is no longer an issue--I heard the joyous sound of my sump pump running, meaning the water table is very high. We had lots of rain, which was a drag but was also fantastic. I stayed in the boat house one night during the weekend, and it was about 45 in the morning so I fled to higher ground. This morning it was exactly 40. A good temperature to walk the bog but wearing a jacket. Holly & I walked the bog last night while her son mowed--the 2nd time for the dogs & me that day, so this morning the dogs were very reserved in their walking. No running, no chariot-pulling, just trotting along slowly.
I'm heading to Keene Vall. later this week to start work on their map collection. Was supposed to go last week but didn't get there. It's a really pretty spot, tucked into the mountains.
Social life is humming. Dinner with friends tomorrow night, dinner with friends Monday night, trip to LkPlacid next Friday to meet a friend for dinner. And I'm trying to lose weight, counting my points. So far it's working but it's slow, very slow. Everyone says that's the best way to lose weight, so I guess I'm doing the best. Patience, lady, patience.
There was a joke told long ago and the punchline was "Patience, little jackass." The joke wasn't very funny, sort of like the knock-knock joke about "orange you glad I didn't say orange?" I always think of the phrase when I talk of myself, or want to tell someone else to be patient.
Must move along, have to come up with personal goals for the year. Work goals, that is. My own personal goals are pretty much the same every year. Where I used to work, if you didn't achieve your goal the first year, you could repeat it the next year, but if you didn't achieve it that year you couldn't carry it over. So far no one here has caught on to that. But, really, for how many years to I want to list unachieved goals?
Water is no longer an issue--I heard the joyous sound of my sump pump running, meaning the water table is very high. We had lots of rain, which was a drag but was also fantastic. I stayed in the boat house one night during the weekend, and it was about 45 in the morning so I fled to higher ground. This morning it was exactly 40. A good temperature to walk the bog but wearing a jacket. Holly & I walked the bog last night while her son mowed--the 2nd time for the dogs & me that day, so this morning the dogs were very reserved in their walking. No running, no chariot-pulling, just trotting along slowly.
I'm heading to Keene Vall. later this week to start work on their map collection. Was supposed to go last week but didn't get there. It's a really pretty spot, tucked into the mountains.
Social life is humming. Dinner with friends tomorrow night, dinner with friends Monday night, trip to LkPlacid next Friday to meet a friend for dinner. And I'm trying to lose weight, counting my points. So far it's working but it's slow, very slow. Everyone says that's the best way to lose weight, so I guess I'm doing the best. Patience, lady, patience.
There was a joke told long ago and the punchline was "Patience, little jackass." The joke wasn't very funny, sort of like the knock-knock joke about "orange you glad I didn't say orange?" I always think of the phrase when I talk of myself, or want to tell someone else to be patient.
Must move along, have to come up with personal goals for the year. Work goals, that is. My own personal goals are pretty much the same every year. Where I used to work, if you didn't achieve your goal the first year, you could repeat it the next year, but if you didn't achieve it that year you couldn't carry it over. So far no one here has caught on to that. But, really, for how many years to I want to list unachieved goals?
Friday, June 04, 2010
June
Hard to believe that May has ended and we're moving on to June. June is a great month here, if the black flies aren't too bad. Usually May is the best month of the first part of the year, but this year May had plenty of bugs--black flies, mosquitoes, punkies (no-see-ums) all at once. Those punkies are mean little suckers. They bite, nasty bites.
My water crises seem to have reared an ugly head again--while I was walking the bog this morning the pump refused to shut off. This usually means the well has run out of water (I prefer that phrase to "has gone dry"). Or there's a problem with the pump/plumbing. That would be the worst. When the well runs out of water it usually refreshes itself pretty quickly. Not much water at once, but some--enough to do the dishes, flush the toilet (maybe) and water the dogs. It's a terrible, terrible thing to begrudge your dogs a bowl of water.
This morning I washed in the lake, lucky to have that as an alternative. The water is, well, let's see: brisk? refreshing? too cold? Temp must be in low 60s at best. It's not that bad to swim in but it takes your breath away at first. I swam on Sunday with my friend Linda. We spent the afternoon sitting on her dock--our docks aren't in yet. Really, really nice. No one on the lake this early.
I'm going to have the son of a good friend do some work for me. I think I'm getting pretty clever in my old age. I'll pay him, plus give him gas money. I'm figuring he'll mow my lawn (how lazy can I get?), move firewood around (again, how lazy?) and maybe paint the trim in the living room. If I have him do that I'll have to pick out a color, though. oh dear. I really want to paint the whole living room, but that's a question of money. always money.
I've been sleeping in the boat house off & on. When it's 50 or colder in the morning I stay at home. I was almost asleep the other night when the loon started screeching. Scared the poop out of me. It's great to have loons every year, makes us all feel everything is right with the world.
There are some summer people here now, only a few of them. I'm trying to adjust to the change in the neighborhood. Getting ready for the real onslaught. The bog is still empty of people, and belongs to Chances and Tess. We walk it pretty much every morning, it's exactly a mile so I like that. There's no one around at 6 so we have it to ourselves. It's greening up quickly, some wildflowers in bloom now.
Supposed to rain all weekend. Excellent opportunity to sort clothes and PUT THEM AWAY. When I was in high school my mother told me that our house was "not the sort of place where we put clothes on the floor." All I did then was close my closet door. I have no closet in the bedroom where I'm sleeping right now, so I just have piles of clothes. I'm doing my best to keep them off of the floor, but the piles tip over. Dealing with clothes has been a goal for, oh, many months at least.
I had a nice long weekend--from Sat. through Weds. It was great. Every year I try to take extra days off around Mem. Day. I pretend to clean my house. Each year I get less and less done. More lists, longer lists, a new list every day, pared down to something reasonable (like, do the dishes). This year I got very little done and the house looks as if I didn't clear off a single surface. Which is pretty much true. I did make a dump run, though, and accomplished a few other things. Well, maybe one or two things. I spent a lot of time visiting with Linda and others, which is really nice.
My water crises seem to have reared an ugly head again--while I was walking the bog this morning the pump refused to shut off. This usually means the well has run out of water (I prefer that phrase to "has gone dry"). Or there's a problem with the pump/plumbing. That would be the worst. When the well runs out of water it usually refreshes itself pretty quickly. Not much water at once, but some--enough to do the dishes, flush the toilet (maybe) and water the dogs. It's a terrible, terrible thing to begrudge your dogs a bowl of water.
This morning I washed in the lake, lucky to have that as an alternative. The water is, well, let's see: brisk? refreshing? too cold? Temp must be in low 60s at best. It's not that bad to swim in but it takes your breath away at first. I swam on Sunday with my friend Linda. We spent the afternoon sitting on her dock--our docks aren't in yet. Really, really nice. No one on the lake this early.
I'm going to have the son of a good friend do some work for me. I think I'm getting pretty clever in my old age. I'll pay him, plus give him gas money. I'm figuring he'll mow my lawn (how lazy can I get?), move firewood around (again, how lazy?) and maybe paint the trim in the living room. If I have him do that I'll have to pick out a color, though. oh dear. I really want to paint the whole living room, but that's a question of money. always money.
I've been sleeping in the boat house off & on. When it's 50 or colder in the morning I stay at home. I was almost asleep the other night when the loon started screeching. Scared the poop out of me. It's great to have loons every year, makes us all feel everything is right with the world.
There are some summer people here now, only a few of them. I'm trying to adjust to the change in the neighborhood. Getting ready for the real onslaught. The bog is still empty of people, and belongs to Chances and Tess. We walk it pretty much every morning, it's exactly a mile so I like that. There's no one around at 6 so we have it to ourselves. It's greening up quickly, some wildflowers in bloom now.
Supposed to rain all weekend. Excellent opportunity to sort clothes and PUT THEM AWAY. When I was in high school my mother told me that our house was "not the sort of place where we put clothes on the floor." All I did then was close my closet door. I have no closet in the bedroom where I'm sleeping right now, so I just have piles of clothes. I'm doing my best to keep them off of the floor, but the piles tip over. Dealing with clothes has been a goal for, oh, many months at least.
I had a nice long weekend--from Sat. through Weds. It was great. Every year I try to take extra days off around Mem. Day. I pretend to clean my house. Each year I get less and less done. More lists, longer lists, a new list every day, pared down to something reasonable (like, do the dishes). This year I got very little done and the house looks as if I didn't clear off a single surface. Which is pretty much true. I did make a dump run, though, and accomplished a few other things. Well, maybe one or two things. I spent a lot of time visiting with Linda and others, which is really nice.
spruce tree
This little spruce tree is having a good year--if it were a human we'd say it had a growth spurt. It's hard to see in the picture, but the pale green on the tips of the branches are all new growth.
mouse
This is what Kitty brought into the house last night. These are jumping mice (we call them kangaroo mice). yes, they jump instead of walking or skipping. When Kitty dropped her prize on the floor I thought it was dead enough to sweep into a dust pan. Wrong, oh so wrong. Mouse hopped about 2 feet and hid under the dinner table. I quit playing the game at that point.
Kitty seems to like threatened species--her favorites are this kind of mouse and pygmy shrews. During the night she brought a vole into the bedroom. That one was dead, all dead, so I threw it out the bedroom window. And told her to shut up and go to sleep. She did.
Kitty seems to like threatened species--her favorites are this kind of mouse and pygmy shrews. During the night she brought a vole into the bedroom. That one was dead, all dead, so I threw it out the bedroom window. And told her to shut up and go to sleep. She did.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
casey
Here's what the Casey Road looks like these days. Sunny in the morning, with trees closing in on it. On some parts of the road there will be a canopy of leaves covering the whole road. When I lived in Conn. the dogwood trees did that on some roads. It was really, really pretty, driving through a tunnel of dogwood in bloom.
casey
An abandoned farm along the road. It's really pretty and sort of makes you wish you lived there. I said SORT OF.
The farm is slightly more than half-way along the road, so it's great to see it in the morning when I'm hustling to get to work. Not such a joy on the way home, though. Still, it's always nice to see it.
The farm is slightly more than half-way along the road, so it's great to see it in the morning when I'm hustling to get to work. Not such a joy on the way home, though. Still, it's always nice to see it.
la luna
A luna moth, which was attracted to my outside light while I was at he boat house. There were 3, and I guess they weren't dead because they disappeared during the day. They come around pretty much every spring and are always a special thing to see.
misty mountain 004
Pictures of the mountain practically take themselves. This was this morning's sunrise.
Big storm during the night but I only woke up to hear thunder once, then went back to sleep. Guess thunder & lightning don't mean much to me. I was just happy to have my plants watered.
The storm pushed our hot, humid weather away and now it's sunny and clear. ahhhhhh.
Big storm during the night but I only woke up to hear thunder once, then went back to sleep. Guess thunder & lightning don't mean much to me. I was just happy to have my plants watered.
The storm pushed our hot, humid weather away and now it's sunny and clear. ahhhhhh.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
laurel 004
Sheep laurel in bloom in the bog. I think it's called sheep laurel because it's poisonous to sheep. So why wouldn't it be called "sheepless laurel?" Anyway, it's one of the signs of late spring, along with the Labrador tea blossoms.
I'm trying to look up, skyward, when I walk the bog. Usually I stare at the ground, which often leads me to think deep, dark thoughts. That's not why I walk there, I do it for the exercise and to appreciate & notice what's there. So I'm looking up, losing my fear of tripping on the boards. It's great, a whole different view of the bog.
Summer's getting here, zipping right along. So far, 3 dinner invitations--one last night, one for Friday and one for Saturday. And it's only Memorial Day. Linda arrives this week & friends with a camp down the shore are coming too. My cousin and her 2 great kids are coming.. Whew! Population explosion. It's always busy Mem.Day weekend, then quiet during June. Bugs are bad in June. Sometimes.
I mowed my lawn on Saturday, the maiden voyage of my new mower. Poor thing, the grass was way too tall and it stalled a bunch of times. Sort of like taking a brand new car through 4' of snow.
Tonight I'm going to a friend's house to dig up perennials. She has a bunch that grow really well and need thinning. It's hot, very hot, so I'll burn energy digging and sweating. This year I'm planting a bunch of perennials. I bought some and have planted pretty much all of them. Quite an accomplishment. I also planted a stick from beach roses in RI. I'm not optimistic about ending up with a huge patch of roses--so not optimistic that I can't even remember where I planted it. I've made drawings to remember where the rest of the plants are. yikes--so conscientious! and organized! What's happened to me?
I'm trying to look up, skyward, when I walk the bog. Usually I stare at the ground, which often leads me to think deep, dark thoughts. That's not why I walk there, I do it for the exercise and to appreciate & notice what's there. So I'm looking up, losing my fear of tripping on the boards. It's great, a whole different view of the bog.
Summer's getting here, zipping right along. So far, 3 dinner invitations--one last night, one for Friday and one for Saturday. And it's only Memorial Day. Linda arrives this week & friends with a camp down the shore are coming too. My cousin and her 2 great kids are coming.. Whew! Population explosion. It's always busy Mem.Day weekend, then quiet during June. Bugs are bad in June. Sometimes.
I mowed my lawn on Saturday, the maiden voyage of my new mower. Poor thing, the grass was way too tall and it stalled a bunch of times. Sort of like taking a brand new car through 4' of snow.
Tonight I'm going to a friend's house to dig up perennials. She has a bunch that grow really well and need thinning. It's hot, very hot, so I'll burn energy digging and sweating. This year I'm planting a bunch of perennials. I bought some and have planted pretty much all of them. Quite an accomplishment. I also planted a stick from beach roses in RI. I'm not optimistic about ending up with a huge patch of roses--so not optimistic that I can't even remember where I planted it. I've made drawings to remember where the rest of the plants are. yikes--so conscientious! and organized! What's happened to me?
laurel 005
Boat house porch--ready and waiting. I've slept there a few times so far and the dogs just can't get used to the idea that we're in the WILDERNESS (which is where we live, but this is new territory that they haven't explored lately). Barking, barking, pushing through the screen, running off, pacing, panting. Hard to sleep through all of that, but waking up a few times during the night to see the lake isn't all that bad.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
mansion 006
I was in AuSable Fks yesterday, visiting the library, and I took a picture o this, "The Graves Mansion." It's an amazing building. I've never been inside, though long ago there were tours. It was built by the man who married the daughter of my great-great-grandfather. Family lore has it that the man, Henry Graves, wanted to marry the youngest daughter in the family. Since the elder daughter was not married, he wasn't given permission. He wasn't the most wonderful man, and he wanted into the family business, so--what the heck, he married the older sister.
Supposedly he had such contempt for his father-in-law that he built a chicken coop that was an exact replica of the father-i-l's house. Who knows if that's true.
It is true, though, that the couple both went mad in later years, dying at young ages. The cause of their deaths has always been reported as lead poisoning from the lead pipes in the plumbing. They didn't even have to eat paint chips--
Supposedly he had such contempt for his father-in-law that he built a chicken coop that was an exact replica of the father-i-l's house. Who knows if that's true.
It is true, though, that the couple both went mad in later years, dying at young ages. The cause of their deaths has always been reported as lead poisoning from the lead pipes in the plumbing. They didn't even have to eat paint chips--
mansion 003
Side view, where the porte-cocher is. A 2-story one, nonetheless. Maybe they had the servants stand on the upper level, waiting in -30 degree weather to announce that the carriage had arrived.
mansion 002
Labrador tea in bloom in the bog. Do you use this plant to make tea for Labrador retrievers? nah. I've never attempted to make tea from the plant. English Breakfast works fine for me.
apple blossoms
Here's what the apple trees are covered with now. It's funny that, some years some trees are covered with blossoms & produce plenty of apples, then the next year: nothing. This year the biggest tree, on the corner of the driveway, has hardly any blossoms, but this tree, farther down the driveway, is covered. This tree's apples are sweeter anyway. I don't eat many, but I use them for the pectin when I make jams or jellies. Which I hardly ever do anymore.
Friday, May 14, 2010
hords 008
They were really pretty this year, even if they didn't follow the sequence they were supposed to. They've pretty much gone by now, and they were really beaten up by frost and snow. Still pretty though.
hords 021
This is a very romantic Rogers shot. The small red cabin is called Dockside, even though that's no longer where we put the dock in. It's small and wonderful to sleep in, plus there's a great screened in porch right at water's edge. I used to stay there often, before we had the boat house rebuilt into the manse it is now.
Where we were kids the dock was wooden, put in and taken out by Eugene. He worked for my grandfather, but also pretty much for the family. He smelled deiciously like sweat and Lestoil. It was a lot of work to put it in, but it was always there when we arrived, just as if it had spent the winter there.
There was a light at the end of the dock, and a diving board that was a single, wide plank with plenty of spring. I don't know why the board never broke, we bounced on it a lot. In later years there was an ell on the dock where we put canoes, ready and waiting, upside down.
This is where I learned how to swim. The boyfriend of one of my cousins (we all hoped she'd married him, but she picked someone really worse) taught me. I was, maybe 6 or 7. One of the greatest achievements I remember, and I was so pleased when he worked with me.
The boat house is just around the point at the end of the shoreline.
Where we were kids the dock was wooden, put in and taken out by Eugene. He worked for my grandfather, but also pretty much for the family. He smelled deiciously like sweat and Lestoil. It was a lot of work to put it in, but it was always there when we arrived, just as if it had spent the winter there.
There was a light at the end of the dock, and a diving board that was a single, wide plank with plenty of spring. I don't know why the board never broke, we bounced on it a lot. In later years there was an ell on the dock where we put canoes, ready and waiting, upside down.
This is where I learned how to swim. The boyfriend of one of my cousins (we all hoped she'd married him, but she picked someone really worse) taught me. I was, maybe 6 or 7. One of the greatest achievements I remember, and I was so pleased when he worked with me.
The boat house is just around the point at the end of the shoreline.
spring
The apple blossoms are coming along. Part of my land used to be an orchard--like, 80 years ago or so. This means I have several very old apple trees, a few diffeent kinds of apples. Sometimes they're good enough to eat but mostly they fall on the ground and the deer, porcupines and dogs eat them.
There are a lot of orchards around the area (in the Champlain Valley where it's warm enough). The apple trees are all in bloom and I get to drive by one of the orchards on my way home. Rows and rows of blossoms.
There are a lot of orchards around the area (in the Champlain Valley where it's warm enough). The apple trees are all in bloom and I get to drive by one of the orchards on my way home. Rows and rows of blossoms.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
It started out nicely
I had a great early morning--up at 5:30 or so, long walk with the dogs, birds just singing and singing in the woods. My only complaint was that I couldn't identify more songs. There's not much that cheers me more than the sights and sounds of my dogs on the boardwalk in the bog. Well, OK, that's an exaggeration, there are plenty of things that cheer me. But at home, in my arena, that's one of my greatest pleasures. We walked a little way up the trial that extends beyond the end of the b'walk. I like to do that, it lets me think good things, making up stories about what I see along the trail. Mostly the things are pretty juvenile and would make mediocre children's books.
Everything fell apart, though, when I saw my doctor this morning. He and I have a good relationship, we understand each other and laugh together. I'm exercising like crazy and not losing weight. There are a couple of factors at play, but I'm now in an "at risk" group because of my cholesterol and family history. poopie butt. He gave me very precise instructions and will see me in 3 months to see how well I followed his mandate. After that I went to the car and cried. Being at risk makes me think of my father and my brother, both of whom were so at risk that they died. It's not that I'm afraid to die, it's just too discouraging and depressing for me. Oh well--chin up, as my father would say.
Last night I participated in a phone bank for an organization my friend Martha works for. I'd never done a phone bank before, just have made those icky calls asking for money. Once I worked with a friend who worked in a hospital library. It was a fundraiser & I sort of went because the food was good. Anyway, it was for a women's hospital so we were supposed to say "Remember what good care we took of you when you had your baby (your name here) recently?" What a sleazy approach.
Anyway, last night I sat at a phone & waited for it to beep. On the computer screen were all the details of the person we called. Automatic dialing, just like those really obnoxious telemarketing calls you get. Plus it was at dinner time so again, it was sort of sucky. Anyway, we were calling people to ask for support for a piece of legislation, telling them how their state senators felt about it. Mostly my people hung up, but I had a few good calls. One woman let me blather on and, at the end, said she knew all about it because she's an OB/GYN. Well thanks a bunch, I sound like an idiot anyway. Another time it was a person with an unpronounceable Greek name. I had to say, "Hello, is .... Spanikoliotias there? I hadn't a clue how to say the name, luckily the person didn't seem to speak any language and hung up.
My daffodils are putting on quite a show this year. The early ones have gone by and there's a riot of new cheer. WHEW! My computer just froze, threw me to the wind, and I had to shut down & turn it back on. Good old blog., though, it kept my post.
So I'd better quit before I lose more than just my post.
Everything fell apart, though, when I saw my doctor this morning. He and I have a good relationship, we understand each other and laugh together. I'm exercising like crazy and not losing weight. There are a couple of factors at play, but I'm now in an "at risk" group because of my cholesterol and family history. poopie butt. He gave me very precise instructions and will see me in 3 months to see how well I followed his mandate. After that I went to the car and cried. Being at risk makes me think of my father and my brother, both of whom were so at risk that they died. It's not that I'm afraid to die, it's just too discouraging and depressing for me. Oh well--chin up, as my father would say.
Last night I participated in a phone bank for an organization my friend Martha works for. I'd never done a phone bank before, just have made those icky calls asking for money. Once I worked with a friend who worked in a hospital library. It was a fundraiser & I sort of went because the food was good. Anyway, it was for a women's hospital so we were supposed to say "Remember what good care we took of you when you had your baby (your name here) recently?" What a sleazy approach.
Anyway, last night I sat at a phone & waited for it to beep. On the computer screen were all the details of the person we called. Automatic dialing, just like those really obnoxious telemarketing calls you get. Plus it was at dinner time so again, it was sort of sucky. Anyway, we were calling people to ask for support for a piece of legislation, telling them how their state senators felt about it. Mostly my people hung up, but I had a few good calls. One woman let me blather on and, at the end, said she knew all about it because she's an OB/GYN. Well thanks a bunch, I sound like an idiot anyway. Another time it was a person with an unpronounceable Greek name. I had to say, "Hello, is .... Spanikoliotias there? I hadn't a clue how to say the name, luckily the person didn't seem to speak any language and hung up.
My daffodils are putting on quite a show this year. The early ones have gone by and there's a riot of new cheer. WHEW! My computer just froze, threw me to the wind, and I had to shut down & turn it back on. Good old blog., though, it kept my post.
So I'd better quit before I lose more than just my post.
Monday, May 10, 2010
casey snow 006
This is what Whiteface looked like this morning. Can't see the top of it because there's a cloud in the way. Lots of snow in the mountains. Although I live in the "higher elevations" I didn't get this much snow.
casey snow 002
This is what my dirt road to work looked like last week. That snow melted, just in time for more on Saturday. Only a couple of inches on Sat., though, and it's pretty much gone. Heavy frost on my windshield, windows frozen shut today. Low was 23. I took all of my plantlings inside. So far so good.
Friday, May 07, 2010
casey spring 002
This is what the Casey Road looks like these days. An amazing difference from just a couple of weeks ago. Green, lots of bright green. Very pretty in the morning when the sun is bright. Twice i've run into (not literally) Fred on my way to work. He's working on opening his camp and hopes to move in next weekend for the season.
It'll be nice to have him in the neighborhood again. Last year he was busy being president of a community college and had no time for socializing. Now he's fully retired and we can spend more time together. We like to sit on his porch (screened in), sipping rum and watching hummingbirds and goldfinches at his feeders. Or sitting on the dock, commenting on how beautiful it is.
My mother used the word "rich" to describe things like a good life. Yes, I feel rich. poor, with no money, but rich in my life.
It'll be nice to have him in the neighborhood again. Last year he was busy being president of a community college and had no time for socializing. Now he's fully retired and we can spend more time together. We like to sit on his porch (screened in), sipping rum and watching hummingbirds and goldfinches at his feeders. Or sitting on the dock, commenting on how beautiful it is.
My mother used the word "rich" to describe things like a good life. Yes, I feel rich. poor, with no money, but rich in my life.
casey spring 003
This is how it looks with the sun shining through the leaves (LEAVES! actual leaves, tiny though they may be). It wasn't this dark, but I have a new camera and a slow learning curve.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
union falls 003
Here's the bridge I drive across every morning on my way to work. It runs over the falls of the Saranac River, on it's other side from Union Falls. It's just beautiful in my neighborhood these days. Spring is coming at just the right pace--slow enough to appreciate each change, fast enough to be spring.
How lucky am I?
How lucky am I?
union falls 001
The dam at Union Falls. U.Falls is a nice place, there's a 10 hpr limit, so no jet skis or water skiers.
Monday, May 03, 2010
may 2 2010 003
What I get to see on my way to the bog. It was clear cut and everyone suffered a lot, swore at the owner who did it, moaned about destruction of the planet. There's nothing much you can do about what someone does to their land, as long as what they're doing is legal. I ended up being happy it had been cut (sort of) because I have this view now. I get to see it every time I leave my driveway. Or drive into it, of course.
My house is on a rise (as opposed to on THE rise), a small hill. My brother once told me that, if you live on a hill you should have a view. When I told him he could cut down any tree he wanted to, and as many as he wanted to, he was thrilled. What a great time he had, and what a great view from my house I ended up with.
My friend Annie was here this weekend and brought her chainsaw to help me with some clearing. We got the driveway in great shape (now a circular drive again) and we picked out which trees she'll cut down today to help get my view back. Balsams grow really fast and take up a lot of room in the forest. My shade garden will no longer be a shade garden, which will be good news to the poor plants trying to grow there.
may 2 2010 012
This struck me as funny--like, who's bluffing and why do they have a special place you have to get to to hear their bluffs?
may 2 2010 004
Purple trillium. Also called Stinking Benjamin. I've never smelled it to see if it stinks. Or if it was named after some awful person named Benjamin.
may 2 2010 021
If you had a horse you could jump over this and it would look really cool. Much better than a dachshund jumping over a broomstick, whicih was what my sister and I had to work with when we were kids.
may 2 2010 020
This is what the woods look like. I tried to find a trail that goes a different way, but everything on the ground looks like a trail. I gave up pretty quickly. I've been lost in the bog before & it's sort of scary. My sister got really lost once, chasing our dachshund. She was a real huntress (the dog, not my sister) and would run off whenever she had a chance. She was one of the nicest dogs my family has ever known. She was my brother's because, according to my father, every boy should have a dog. Girls, I think, were supposed to have plastic horses and Barbie dolls. My brother used to tease us & say we couldn't pet the dog because it was HIS. nanny nanny boo boo.
may 2 2010 005
This was supposed to be a picture of Tess' new collar, but she didn't want to stand still. Lin said that, with her new collar Tess would be proud and would walk like a champion. Instead, she flies.
may 2 2010 011
She finally stood still long enough for me to take a picture. It's too flashy, really, but was way cheap because it was the last one.
may 2 2010 009
This is where we usually stop, sit for a minute, then turn around & walk out. Chances thinks there must be something interesting going on somewhere. Something in the air, I guess.
may 2 2010 027
Another nice place to sit. That's a small body of water--too small to be a pond, too big to be a puddle. It's not a vernal pool (look it up). Tess thinks of it as her personal dipping spot. If I were a Little Bill this would be an ocean. Or at least a great lake.
may 2 2010 029
Just a hint of green. That's my driveway, on the right at the end. We're just starting to see a little bit of green, but here in the city the trees have full-fledged leaves.
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