Friday, June 29, 2012

It is Friday and things are going well. I haven’t been able to get into writing—though I started two poems—but today I finished a draft of the second poem and wrote an ending to the first poem (about Tracy). I also started an essay about my hollow and how others perceive it. That should be fun and I have a couple more ideas for essays so I am in good shape for my trip, writing wise.
I took a walk this morning at about 9:30 and it was already getting pretty hot. It was at least 99.7 on my thermometer at 2:30. The air conditioner worked very well, keeping the bedroom and the kitchen/living room at about 72, which is great. I rode my bike and did the weights and yoga and actually practiced my sax for 20 minutes.
Yesterday I picked berries for Kate and dropped them off. She was real busy so she couldn’t talk. George came over at 6:00 with his son Owen and they basically fished together so I really didn’t get to fish much (although I did get a nice rainbow trout by the rocks). I think they both had a good time and I’m glad I could accommodate them. I put the netting in the truck and cleaned out the three crates. I could get ready to leave in a few hours, though I won’t be leaving until Sunday.
I did try out a couple of bikes at Eastcoasters and somewhat to my surprise, they also make some noise so I think I am just going to go with my Dick’s bike when it is fixed.
I talked to Kelly briefly today and she will call this weekend to catch up. It was a good visit and I hope there are some good pictures of me with Lucia on the pony.
I talked to Rob and Noah is staying over a bit so he is very happy. I am so glad that Noah is acting better.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Kelly’s return visit went well and the dinner with Jeff, Rachel and Benjamin along with Doreen and Brian also turned out fine. I didn’t have enough chairs or forks but at least I had plenty of food and I had a lot of fun playing tent with Lucia and Benjamin. I slept in my guestroom and I did sleep well, getting up around 7 and going out to prune the path up by the cabin. We had a leisurely breakfast and then just after 11 they left to meet Brian and Doreen for a hike and then to drive to Catonsville.
I went to play golf after I took the pony for a final walk, checking out the berries for tomorrow and there will be plenty. My golf game was awful (five penalty strokes and a number of three putts) and I shot a 55, though I did play from the white tees. I had an eight on the par three third, putting the ball in the water twice, and then another eight on the par five fourth.
On the way back I got a message that Kate can’t come, but Rhonda and Camry still can so that will be fun. Craig also called me and we are going to play tomorrow at 2 at the River Course but I am going to get there early and warm up a little.
I got rid of the pony and tomorrow I have to clean things up a bit but it shouldn’t take me more than a half hour.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Well, I did get the pony and the total cost with an enclosure and some hay (boy does that pony eat a lot) was 550. This proves I have very little sanity left but Lucia really enjoyed the pony on her visit on Wednesday. She saw it in the late afternoon and didn’t want to ride it right away but she fed it an apple and the next morning she rode it down to the orchard and back. It was fun to see Kelly and Alfredo and I think they were both impressed with how I have things set up. Kellly hadn’t seen the hollow in a long time so I think it was pretty new to her and she had never seen the house. We did see the copperhead up by the cabin—they didn’t want to go in after seeing it sunning itself by the entrance--and there was a bull in the pasture so we couldn’t get very close to see the calves. Kelly, Alfredo and Lucia are my third overnight visitors this year and I must say it is a lot of work to entertain.

Monday, June 18, 2012

I watched the Heat beat the Thunder over Jeff’s house last night and I had fun with Benjamin, who was a riot drumming and singing. He is very coordinated and I also read to him and built some block structures.
I have been hiking each morning and there are plenty of flower in my 6 tenths of a mile walk: Canadian anemone (I think new), viper bugloss, wild hydrangea, orange touch-me-not, narrow leaved housatonia, oxeye daisy, brown-eyed susan, black medick, heal all, bicknell’s cranebill, white avens, loosestrife, common milkweed, daisy fleabane, crown vetch, columbine (just one plant near the orchard, Deptford pink, yellow hawkweed, sulfur cinquefoil. I have been eating apples each day and picking raspberries and blackberries.
I think I have the mouse problem under control. I have trapped out five and the new wire mesh screens are working even though the mice ate through the regular screens again.
I played golf and I started on the back nine and was playing very well but then I hit the long (400 plus) fifteenth, I hit a wonderful drive then a terrific second shot that left me 75 yards away. I then hit a pitching wedge that bounced just off the green and rolled right into the cup for a birdie, which left me 8 under my goal. I ended up with a 39 so I had to play the front and I shot a 47 there for an 86, tying my best round ever.
I am trying to get a pony for Kelly’s visit and I think it will work although the whole thing may cost me over three hundred dollars. But this will be a very special surprise.

Friday, June 15, 2012

I got home yesterday (Thursday) after a big push on Wednesday (573 miles). It was a fine return, stopping to play golf at Packsaddle Ridge, a new course with a lot of challenge. I then rode my bike up the North Creek Road, which was closed because a flood had washed out one of the bridges. After that I drove to meet Rob for a walk, and he was pretty sick but I think the walk helped. I just wanted to record some flowers on the Ocean Path hike up in Acadia: yarrow, yellow rattle, common cinquefoil, wild rose, blue-eyed grass, narrow leaved housatonia, 3 leaved cinquefoil, yellow hawkweed. There were spruces and pines and striped maples. I heard a black-throated blue, a black-throated green, a hermit thrush, and a common yellowthroat.
I watched the first half of the Miami game, and the Heat looked pretty good. At the half I drove home and fortunately, there was no problem with the road. However, the TV wasn’t working so I wasn’t able to watch the game. I drove to the pasture and listened to it on the radio and it sounded like the Heat were ready to give the game away but they didn’t. Sunday’s game should be a lot of fun.
In the morning I took a hike and ate three tasty apples from the orchard. I then took some readings on the propane (36%) so I have used almost nothing for the past month (1%), on the humidity (66 degrees with humidity at 90%), on the batteries (1175 although the gauge showed 100%). Sam from Dodson came at 11:30 and treated the house and changed the mouse baits. Then I took the screen out of the cabin window (I saw that there was a hole in the screen) and replaced the screen with the hardware cloth and a new screen. The other screen looked okay. I put down one poison package and 4 glue traps so I hope I can get things in control pretty quickly. I oiled the new bike and I hope to go riding later after I watch some of Tiger’s second round in the US Open. I am glad to be home and my finances are stable but I have to be a little more careful. I guess I can always cut back my trip a few days if need be.

Monday, June 11, 2012

It is Monday, June 11th, and I am up in Bar Harbor waiting to see if my nature cruise is going to go at 4 pm. I had a fine lunch up in Northeast Harbor and then a rigorous bike ride around Eagle Lake.
I have almost recovered from last night debacle. I came back at about 11 from the Side Street CafĂ© where I worked on a poem and had coffee and dessert and almost immediately, I could tell that something was wrong with the room: it had an odd smell and it made me uncomfortable. I tried opening the window and then putting on the air conditioner but the smell was still there. I called the front desk and the guy there came over and couldn’t smell anything but I was sure it was in the sheets and the pillowcases. I called him later and he told me he could switch me but the other room has a smell though slightly less. I told him I was checking out and that I would sleep in my truck. When I got set up in the truck, I still smelled the smell so I thought that I was wrong, that it was a residual smell from the lotion that the fellow who gave me a massage for my troubled neck used. I called the front desk again and apologized to him, got dressed, picked up my key and went back to 224 where I showered and put all the old clothes in a plastic bag. I was ready for sleep but it was quickly apparent that it was indeed the room and the linen. I called the front desk again and told the fellow my latest news and he said the manager would take care of it in the morning. I slept for an hour or so but the smell woke me up and I had to drive off. Fortunately, a gas station was open and I got coffee and some pie and headed off to look at Acadia at dawn. It was lovely and after driving and walking some at Thunder Hole, I finally took a long nap at a picnic area.
The New York part of my trip was fine but carrying around my bags and sleeping on lousy beds caused my neck to really hurt. Still, I got to see Gabe, Francesca and Julian, my aunt Marie, cousin Tina and Herb and Susan. I walked through Chinatown and Little Italy, rented a bike and rode through Central Park, spent a half hour watching the crowd at Times Square, and went to the World Trade Center.
I left from Gyorgyi’s at noon on Saturday and I got up to a Motel 6 in New Hampshire after stopping to ride my bike and to play nine holes of golf near Sturbridge. I watched the Celtic/Heat game (with the Heat winning) at a TGIF.
The next day I stopped at Ogunquit and walked most of Marginal Way and that was very lovely.

Friday, June 1, 2012

It is Friday and my class is over except to see what Jaime Jackson is going to do. Other than that I head toward New York tomorrow with another year finished. I will get almost 500 a day for maymester and who can beat that.
I will see Gyorgyi, Laura, Andrew and Syvia on Sunday afternoon and that should be fun.
Another walk this morning: sulphur cinq, bicknell’s cranes, black medick, black snakeroot, basil balm, whorled loosestrife, narrow leaved housatonia. I had to cut a little more of the Virginia pine I cut last night when I returned home. Having the sawzall saved the day again.
I moved the strawberries out of the greenhouse so they can get some water during the summer and I am going to redo the greenhouse when I return from NY. I think I may just put a soaker hose in since I don’t really care about the summer or the winter. I need to cut the grass tomorrow but if it is rainy I will just have to wait till I get back.
My paper was accepted for the SAMLA conference.