rebirth in the hollow

2012-01-27T17:41:00.001-08:00

Ryan Klopf, of DCR, came out today to look at the property and that was very instructive. He couldn’t locate the smooth coneflower—it will be much easier in the spring—but he explained what he thought needed to be done to protect it and also what should be done with the Tree of Heaven. He is going to come out in the spring to work on that also. I am very excited, knowing I can move forward on protecting things soon.
I think I have a cold but I hope it is not a result of the new blood pressure medicine. I think I have a bit more energy but I am not sure since I may have the cold. I am coughing some (which could come from the bp meds) but a congested head seems more likely to be from a cold.
I fixed the greenhouse leak and pulled out the dying peas. I picked off the infected leaves from the other tray of peas and I think they will survive. I did open up the two doors and I think getting some air in there will help a lot.
I played golf this afternoon and it was very cool and windy so I had to wear my heavy jacket. I didn’t hit anything further than a hundred yards but it was my putting (two three putts and a four putt) that killed my chances to break 50. I shot a 51.
I graded six poems so far and read some journals and some of Sister Carrie. I am not fully back into teaching but I am getting there.

2012-01-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

I have been on the new blood pressure medication for four days and I had three tough and listless days. Today I think I feel slightly better but it will take many days to determine if I am really less tired.
I fixed the culvert with erosion control stones and some concrete. I bought 8 10 pound bags and they were very easy to handle. I wish they were 20 pound bags but it worked well. The problem I had was the day never got warm and sunny as expected so the concrete didn’t set quickly and I am not sure it ever will. I have the a hundred or so rocks there so resetting it won’t be too much of a problem.
I have been taking hikes even though I have to nap after them and riding the stationary bike even though a nap has to follow that. I need to fix the pipe that goes into the 1000 gallon tank (another gift from Tracy that I feel I have to maintain so when I sell the property both of us will get more money). I was worried that I would find some dead animals in the tank, but even though the cover had come off (it must have been a bear), there wasn’t anything dead in the tank and I cleaned and replaced the cover, screwing it in tightly.
I saw Jeff, Rachel and Benjamin on Saturday evening and it was fun, good conversation, nose rubbing with Benjamin, reading, block playing and a little bit of carrying him around.
I thought the football championship games were terrific and I am looking forward to the Super Bowl.
My first week of classes went well and since I have smaller classes I don’t think I will have any disruptive students sitting in the back and chatting.

2012-01-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

Things are okay but my blood level has gone down a little more. Rob has taken me off the two blood pressure meds and is hoping that the meds are what is causing my blood problem. It is a slim chance, but worth trying before more major tests.
I took a hike this morning, then a nap, some stationary bike riding, then a nap, weights and yoga, then a nap. I am really incredibly tired. I really have to push hard to accomplish much.
My shoulder is better, but I haven’t tested it because of the weather. No snow for the next ten days so that is good. Both Cathy and Kelly aren’t feeling very good so that worries me.
I started teaching on Tuesday and I think my classes will be fine. I have 25 students in 203, 25 in 321 and 15 in 310 so I shouldn’t be overwhelmed with grading, though my preps will be about the same. I could hardly walk back to my office after the second Tuesday class.
I am having someone out next week to guide me on protecting the smooth coneflower and give me some advice on the Tree of Paradise.
My money situation is about the same so I have to be careful.

2012-01-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

My mini vacation has gone well, although I have injured my shoulder playing golf yesterday. I knew it was tender but I played anyway and I am paying for such indulgence. I even took three advils to kill the pain and I used the heating pad for a couple of hours. My visit to Columbia went very well and I rode the bike out along the sims trail and then I hiked along the river trail. I haven’t been that far out for a long time. I biked alone the river and ate dinner at Motor Supply and the triggerfish was terrific. I drove back up to Charlotte yesterday and I will go back home tomorrow, on Monday. I want to get the generator early if I can and I don’t need the extra day. I got a nice e-mail from Kate about her inspiring me and I did e-mail a woman in Salem who was looking for a friend and that is where I am. Rob wrote Raechel a terrific letter about here responsibilities as an adult and I hope it has some effect. I started a couple of poems but they don’t seem to be going anywhere. We’ll see. My financial picture is not very good now. I have 116K on the equity line (the limit is 120) and I really have to be careful for a while. I was very generous over the holidays but I have to cut back.

2012-01-12T16:53:00.001-08:00

1/12/12 Well, I got back into writing humor. A few days ago I was in my office and I went to see Rhonda to say hello and Dean Kate was there and very friendly. She asked me into her office and we had a great chat. She told me about the cougars that are supposed to inhabit the experimental forest near Clemson and how students set out piles of cheeseburgers to attack them. That was very funny and after I left I got inspired to write and I made her the center of the story. It was a very funny essay and she loved it. She wrote back calling it genius, which is very flattering but untrue. I do have talent in writing humor and I would like to write more. Perhaps I should try a comic story, maybe this summer.
I am in Charlotte, having played golf at Birkdale and eaten dinner at Carrabba’s. I will walk around and watch the Duke-Virginia game.
I left the house in good order and I have cleaned up the attic and gotten rid of two garbage bags full of stuff. I am going to work on the cabin soon and get rid of more books. I am having the generator serviced and it should be back on Wednesday morning.
I haven’t heard back from Diane Green but I hope I get the extra 2K credit.
I have to start teaching on Tuesday so I am taking a five day vacation before I start.

2012-01-06T18:46:00.000-08:00

I have about 11 days left of my vacation and I wish I had more writing to do. I really want to write a humor piece but nothing seems very funny to me right now. Being two and a half pints low on blood doesn’t seem very funny and though the republican primaries and debates have their humorous moments, I can’t get motivated. I need something interesting to happen, like waking up and finding a 15 foot crocodile in my pond (rather unlikely since they like warmer climes and brackish water). I am very happy hiking each day out to the orchard, shouting to the trees that they won’t be cut and asking the big white pine for healing, for me and others. But what is funny about that? I am enjoying golf but that isn’t very funny. I know I will be funny when class starts again but I need something right now. I may go down to Columbia in five days and spend the end of my break down there but that isn’t funny. My friend Gloria is not feeling well but that certainly isn’t funny.

2012-01-02T14:08:00.001-08:00

The new year has come and gone and my writing is going very well. I have basically finished the CEA paper, sent in the Kaaskill Life piece, finished a poem about the easement and I am keeping my blog up to date.
Today is January 2, and I was very tired most of the day, even though I did take a hike to the orchard in the morning (it was just above freezing), did my yoga and weights, rode the stationary bike for 20 minutes, practiced for 20 minutes, and did some things around the house.
Yesterday after Jeff called I drove up to Roanoke and had dinner with Jeff, Rachel and Benjamin. Benjamin was particularly fun and he enjoyed rubbing noses together immensely. Earlier in the day I had gone for a walk with Rob around Pandapus Pond a couple of times.

2011-12-29T17:16:00.001-08:00

It is Thursday , December 29 and I am still at the status quo. My health seems about the same, but I got a good hike in the morning, shouting to all the trees the good news that they won’t be cut down. I e-mailed Kate yesterday about it and she wrote back a very supportive e-mail. It is my great accomplishment, perhaps the greatest of my life.
I was able to check the solar history yesterday and in the past 20 days I got very little sunlight, probably averaging about .7 kilowatts a day, not even close to covering my usage of over 2.7 a day. I have had to use the generator here and there but I am already getting more sun so things should get better.
Even though it was only in the mid 40s, I went to play golf and shot a 47, and my driver worked pretty well.
This evening I went for a walk with Rob on the Tom’s Creek Trail and caught up. Rob is now officially divorced and he is comfortable with that. Raechel and Noah both were thankful for my gift checks and Rob was glad of that.
My dinner yesterday with Cathy was a lot of fun. We met at 6 and finished at 9:30 so it was a good chat, mainly about Carla and Claire.

2011-12-26T14:54:00.000-08:00

I had a pleasant Christmas day visiting Rob and his relatives, then taking a nice walk along Tom’s creek. Later I drove toward Roanoke and stopped to ride my bike in the Food Lion parking lot. After a solid ride I drove on to visit Jeff and Rachel and had a tasty meal there and played a lot with Benjamin. I left about five, drove home for a nap and then went back to work on my article about the easement.
On Monday I did a few things around the house and after setting up and appointment with Diane Green, I had to drive to Radford to get some of the materials she needed. I am not exactly sure how my taxes will be affected but I know I will get about 46K in tax credits and I will probably have to sell some of them before I retire. Diane is going to charge about 500 and that is perfectly fine. I will also have her do my taxes next year.
I dropped my bike off at Dick’s to have the back wheel fixed and the entire bike serviced. It should be done next week.
I don’t feel any better or any worse so I am not sure what the test on the 11th is going to find out.

2011-12-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

It is the evening of my second day at Wild Dunes and it has been very relaxing and productive. I have worked on my Muir / Burroughs paper and I finally got a lot of information from the DEC. I should be able to work on the DEC article tomorrow and I have till January 3 to finish it.
Yesterday I rode my bike around wild dunes, went and played 18 holes of golf (just making it before dark) and shooting a 96. I took a quick walk on the beach and then had dinner at the restaurant in the Boardwalk Inn. Later I had dessert and started writing. I was exhausted and my feet ached but it was a great day.
Today I wrote in the morning and finished grading my exams, had a nice lunch, rode my bike, walked on the beach, napped, walked on the beach again, had a great dinner at the Boardwalk (crab crusted grouper), walked to sit by the beach, went to the weight room, and had dessert and coffee and worked on the Muir paper. It is nice to be able to write some and to not be bothered with medical tests and bothersome questions.

Saturday was another productive day, with writing in the morning and 18 holes of golf on the Links Course, which I had never played. It was more expensive than the Harbor Course, but I have to admit that the back nine was very impressive although not as stunning as Banff or Jasper. I played very well and ended up shooting a 93, which for me was rather an accomplishment. That night I had a gout attack in my right ankle (all of the rich food I had been eating surely contributed) and I had to take some ibuprophen to reduce the pain. I didn’t want to go back on the prednisone so I had a fairly rough night.
On Sunday, my ankle was a little better so after my writing I went for a walk on the beach and began to get ready for my Charleston visit. I planned to see Kelly’s half brother Patrick perform at High Cotton at six, but I wanted to walk around a bit and see the overhyped game between Denver and New England so I got into town around two. The game was a blowout by New England. Patrick has charisma and intensity, although his guitar solos are rather mundane and his singing rather scratchy.
Monday found me driving over to my Aunt Theresa’s house and dinner with her and Joyce and Marv. Marv had a great story of bringing a sailboat from Trinidad to Florida and I encouraged him to write about it.
On Tuesday I played golf with Marv and I shot a 44 on the front nine from the forward tees. On the back nine I shot from the gold tees and shot a 58. I was tired and it was a very hard course but I enjoyed myself.
After two more relaxed days (I saw three movies, Sherlock Holmes, Mission Impossible, and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the last the best of three good movies), I finally got word on Thursday afternoon that the easement was done, that the new deed had been recorded. I went to a mediocre sushi place to celebrate not knowing that there was a PF Chang’s a couple blocks away.
I got up early on Friday and stopped at a state park near Columbia to ride my bike and then, after a late lunch at PF Chang’s, played golf at an odd little course near Mt. Airy. I got to my office just before dark and finished one outline and three rules and copied them all. Then a took a nice walk around the deserted campus.

2011-12-16T18:33:00.001-08:00

2011-12-13T18:25:00.001-08:00

I have talked to someone at DEC public relations and I hope they will get me some solid info.
My two finals were done today and I will be off to Charleston tomorrow. I went home after playing nine holes (46) and got some stuff ready and it shouldn’t take long to pack the truck in the morning.
I had an uncomfortable incident with a student in my office. She wanted me to accept her late journal and I wouldn’t but she kept on about it even though I was giving another student the final. Later she e-mailed me a reasonable apology.
My tiredness continues and I think I am pretty much over the prednisone withdrawal. I guess it is my low blood. I hope the iron supplement helps a bit.
I made my Amtrak reservations for my month long trip in mid-July. I will be staying over a night in Chicago on the way out to Denver and I will be at Canyon in Yellowstone for three nights. It should be a fun trip.

2011-12-10T15:01:00.001-08:00

A good weekend even if it didn’t go exactly the way I expected. I had wanted Mark Burnette to come out and cut the trees by the orchard and the ones by the satellite dish, and then to clean the gutters, but he was a no show, hanging me up by the gate for a half hour. For some reason he emailed Lou to tell him he wasn’t coming and Lou didn’t get the message for several hours. I stayed calm and decided to cut the trees myself and though I twisted my knee a bit, I got all the trees cut and cleaned the back gutter. I called Mike and he agreed to come over on Sunday to do the front gutter. I was pretty happy with myself being able to do so much and I also saved at least 100 dollars.
On Sunday morning I finished up the last of my papers and then practiced and rode the bike. Mike came a little after twelve and he cleaned out the front gutter in about 20 minutes. I then showed him the will I had set up for him and explained what he needed to do. I also advised him to get a living will and he said he would.
I drove off to play golf (shooting a 48 on the front even though I three putted 3 holes), then I went to Applebee’s and watched Tiger Woods finally win again by a stroke over Zach Johnson. I felt really glad for him. Following that Rob and I took a good walk on the trail .
I am still having stomach problems but my stomach is better today. I hope it settles down soon.

I finally got the approval letter from Stellar One yesterday. It was only about 10 days late (Jessica Miller had told me the week before that the easement had been approved). I was getting pretty upset but there wasn’t much I could do except call Sanda Chaffin a few times and hope something would happen. I am leaving for my trip on Wednesday so there is no chance I will be able to meet with the CPA until after I return around the 24th. That means that I will not have the tax credits for this March. It shouldn’t make that much of a difference but I would have liked the chance to use the credits in March.
I charged the batteries all day and I want them pretty full before I leave so they won’t run down in case we get some cloudy weather. I also ran the farm tractor for an hour, getting the leaves off the road and evening out all the ruts from the big rain last week. I also dug out the big culvert which was covered with leaves but didn’t wash across the road. I also trimmed around the house with the shears, and got in a nice hike up to the orchard.
I went to see Dr. McCoy on Wednesday and he, thankfully, didn’t think I needed the bone marrow biopsy, at least right now. He said that if my white cells and platelets were down, he would have sent me for one, but since it is only my red cells, he wanted to wait. He did want me to go on the Prilosec since the endoscopy did show some irritation and there might be some microscopic bleeding which could explain my condition. He also put me on an iron supplement (hemaplex) and told me he wanted to check my blood in six weeks so I am free from any tests for six weeks. Rob wasn’t sure of McCoy’s diagnosis but he thought it wouldn’t hurt to wait the six weeks. He thinks I have some sort of inflammation that may be causing the bone marrow to not make red blood cells.
I picked up my citrus last night and I have eaten about 8 oranges in two days. I hope the acid doesn’t hurt my stomach.
I saw Jim Gray for the first time in a while and we had a good chat. I think he is going to quit Kronos in January and start his own business. I think he will do well.
I have two finals to give on Tuesday and then a difficult semester will be done. I have really had to fight the tiredness all semester.
My proposal on Burroughs and Muir was accepted at the CEA conference in March in Richmond, so now I will have to write it. I also have to write the fishing for people with disabilities article but Bill Rudge is not being helpful. I will have to press him on Monday.

2011-12-04T17:20:00.001-08:00

2011-12-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

I am having some stomach problems right now and they have caused me some rather extreme bathroom problems. I am supposed to go see Jeff and Rachel tonight but I am not sure that will be a good idea.
I heard from Stellar One that they have approved the easement so things should be finished within two weeks, I believe.
I played golf and shot a very nice 46 on the front nine after hitting very poorly on the first three holes (though I scored okay).
My classes are going well and I have ten papers to grade this weekend and that will be the major crunch, not too bad to be sure.
I have been hiking almost every day and that is a great comfort. I don’t know how much time I have left in the hollow so I am doing well to enjoy each hike.
The house is in very good shape, and Mark Burnette is coming tomorrow to clean the gutters and cut some of the smaller trees I can’t reach. It shouldn’t be too hard.
It is unclear what Rob is going to do with Rachel. She is not doing her work in High School and she may not be ready for JMU.
I am very tired but Rob attributes that to my withdrawal from the prednisone. I should recover within two weeks since I will be off the drug on Sunday. I want to have my energy back for the Charleston trip.

2011-11-27T14:59:00.000-08:00

I am back home and my trip went very well. I was a little frazzled when I got to Gyorgyi’s mother’s house and I thought I left the WTC memorial tickets and then my meds but I finally got in to the city and things went quite well after that.
On Sunday I got to see Rose and she didn’t recognize me. However I took Tina to a great sushi restaurant and that was a treat. She is a good woman to chat with.
On Monday I went back to the city and walked around until I met Gyorgyi at the memorial. I was moved by it but Gyorgyi thought it was too jingoistic. After that we walked down to Occupy Wall Street and it was a bit disappointing. There were more police and security than protesters and many of the people looked simply homeless. Then off to Herb’s reading and book signing and then dinner at a Turkish restaurant. I was glad to see Judith Gleason but she didn’t look well.
On Tuesday, it was time for a double walk through Central Park, a movie (The Descendants), and then dinner with Gabe and Francesca. Julian was almost walking and was fun to feed and play with.
On Wednesday, I walked and then went off to Gyorgyi’s mom’s house. Mrs. Voros was rather frail but it was good to see her. Then I followed G over to Andrew’s house and had a lot of fun playing with Laura, watching Howl’s Moving Castle and having an intense but reasonable discussion about politics till 12:30 AM.
On Thursday morning I drove to Patty’s house to have Thanksgiving with her and my Aunt Marie. Then we went to Longwood Gardens and that was spectacular. I chatted with Patty quite a bit and she seems like a very decent and intelligent person. I am glad I could accommodate Marie.
On Friday I drove to Kelly’s and had a lot of fun playing with Lucia (hide and seek 50 times at least). We then went out to lunch and more playing with Lucia and then over to K’s Mom. It was fun to see Liz and Theo and I spent a lot of time playing restaurant with Lucia. She is a wonderful little girl. After my visit I drove to Winchester for the evening.
On Saturday, I drove to JMU and rode my bike. I got home in time to play golf and then take a long walk with Rob. It seems he has reached a settlement with Fay and I hope it works. He seemed very happy.
I woke this morning really tired and after a hike and cutting the grass, I was done for. I napped and then I did some weights and yoga and had to nap again. I had to really push to go play golf but I played very well, shooting a 46 on the back nine.

2011-11-18T19:18:00.000-08:00

Another busy week with the highlights—or the lowlights—being my endoscopy and colonoscopy on Wednesday. Both came out negative as expected, so now I have to get the bone marrow biopsy late in December. I will be put under for that so I don’t think it will be that bad.
I did not like the drug they used to anesthetize me. I made me groggy after the procedures and I could heard them talking while they were doing it. The good part was that the procedures came off on time and I didn’t have to wait for six hours.
On Thursday afternoon I got a message from Jessica Miller and she told me that the bank wasn’t going to sign off on my easement unless I got another appraisal (the sixth!). I tried to explain to her that the property was still worth at least 200K but she wasn’t buying and I told her I would close my accounts and pay off the loan from my 403B account (which I really couldn’t do since I only had 85K in it, with the loan balance being 106). I was steamed.
I went to the Tech game with Rob and I was thinking about the easement much of the time so the excitement of the game was diminished for me. Still, Tech won in a game that ended up very close and we had a good chat.
On Friday morning I woke early and drove to my office to get the Lucas appraisal and it was as I remembered: the property was worth 311K and the loss would be 112K so my 120 equity line was nowhere near the 80% figure. I drove to the bank and talked briefly with Jessica, who said she didn’t want to be in the middle so I got her to call Sandra Chafin and after I showed her the Lucas appraisal she seemed satisfied and I could relax. They should sign off on the easement within 10 days and when I spoke to Josh at VOF he thought that would be fine. Now I can go up to NY relatively relaxed and enjoy my visits to Rose and Marie, Herb and Susan, Gabe, Francesca and Julian, and Kelly, Alfredo and Lucia. I did play golf this afternoon and shot a 46 on the back nine and if my putting had been better I would have shot a 43. That was my second straight 46 on the back so I guess my swing is better.
I am not on the graduate subcommittee and I am kind of glad about that. I am not sure how my health will be and I don’t think I need any more stuff to do.
The house is in very good shape and most of my stuff is packed so I should be able to get off quickly in the morning.

2011-11-11T16:53:00.001-08:00

I play catch up again as my last entry is almost a week ago. I remain more tired than usual but I am still very busy.
This morning I changed the oil in the generator so that should be good until spring. The greenhouse is doing well, with the peas flowering and the new strawberry transplants doing well. I have eaten a little lettuce already. I emptied the big tank in the orchard and took out the plug so it doesn’t freeze.
My teaching is going well and I have finished one evaluation and will do two more next week.
I have volunteered to be on the graduate subcommittee and I hope that won’t be too stressful. I will be teaching a graduate course in the fall for the first time in many, many years.
I found out today that if I sell my tax credits I should get around 32K. I am going to wait until I find out what is wrong with my blood and then I may have to since I would lose them if something happens to me.
I went down to Charlotte and Columbia last week and had a great time, visiting the Congaree National Park, riding my bike along the river in Columbia, playing golf, walking around Charlotte and the Vista section of Columbia, eating at Capitol Grill and at Motor Supply Company bistro. It was a needed break from all the medical stuff.
I played golf with Craig today at the River Course and we had a lot of fun. Our match ended in a tie and Craig won the playoff hole. I always enjoy playing with him and today was even better.

2011-11-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

My easement was approved on Friday and I got the news on Monday—which was also my birthday—and I was quite delighted, but then Rob told me he wanted me to get the endoscopy and the colonoscopy immediately because the blood tests showed further blood loss. That kind of ruined the rest of my birthday. Tracy sent me a birthday greeting so that cheered me up a bit.
On Sunday I had a birthday dinner with Jeff, Rachel and Benjamin and that was a lot of fun, eating Indian food and watching the Eagles trounce the Cowboys.
On Tuesday I felt better and Rob took me out to dinner and then we went for a walk. He thinks the procedures set for the 16th are going to be negative because I don’t have an iron deficiency. He thinks it my inability to make blood and that could be for any number of reasons. He is doing quite well with Rachel and he is seeing Noah a little.
I will be heading off for a three or four day trip to Charlotte and Columbia this afternoon. I need to just get away from all the medical stuff.
I finished treating the back porch with Thompson’s yesterday and it should hold up for a couple of years. I replanted some strawberries and cleaned up the greenhouse a little. I should have lettuce next week and peas in a couple of weeks.

2011-10-30T09:05:00.001-07:00

I still haven’t heard about my conservation easement, but I am still assuming things are fine.
I went up to Maddie’s performance at Lord Botetourt and it was great to chat with Cathy but it was pretty cold. My new jacket is excellent but my feet got a little cold after four hours (3-9). Radford High School won many awards and I was especially glad Cypress Beach won best drum major. Maddie was glad I could come and that is the important thing.
I went to Gyorgyi’s friend Bonnie’s reading on Thursday at VT and it was fine. Then Gyorgyi and I went and had coffee. I had been psyched about my new book project, this about protecting the land (starting with my Canadian Rockies experience, then moving to my Neversink experience then finishing with my Reese Hollow easement). Gyorgyi didn’t think much of it, but I think it is worth applying for a grant for. I won’t be able to apply for a professional leave until the fall of 2015 when I will be 64. I hope to be retired by then but I guess it is still worth considering.
I talked with Gyorgyi about driving up to Alaska this summer and she said she would consider it. I would much rather go with another person and Gyorgyi is a good traveler.
I hand sanded the sill which had two round stains on it and I got rid of them but then I used the electric sander to even the whole sill out and now it looks a little uneven. I think it will look fine with polyurethane on it.
My gout flareup on Thursday night (I couldn’t move my left ankle without intense pain) has calmed down with 20 mg of prednisone for the past two days and Rob will put me back on the Allopurinol soon and address the anemia in a different way.
I did my bike and some yoga and weights this morning and I hope my ankle doesn’t flare up. I am supposed to walk with Rob and Peggy later this afternoon, then I would like to go play golf. Golf may be too much.

2011-10-24T13:50:00.001-07:00

My stomach gave me fits on Friday and Saturday but I after Rob told me to stop the colchicine, my stomach was okay on Sunday.
I had the students out to my place at lunch time and after some cheese and bread and salsa and chips, we took a walk down to the orchard and that was quite nice. I think they were all impressed but I don’t think any of them would want to live there.
I played golf in the afternoon on Sunday and I broke 50, after several rounds at 50 or above. I shot a 46 and I could have shot a 42 with some good putting.
In the evening I walked with Rob and he was able to see Noah and he was very glad about that.
This morning I did my yoga and weights, rode the bike, and cleaned up the house from my students’ visit.

2011-10-20T17:34:00.000-07:00

My trip last weekend to Accomac was a successful although I must admit that Sandy can be a little overbearing. Ken was fine and we went bike riding, walking and chatting together, although we weren’t able to fish because the wind was up too high. On the way out I stopped to ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway right off I-64 and I did that on the way back also. I had stomach problems on the way there after taking the colchisine but on the way back the half dosage Rob recommended didn’t cause any problems.
The easement will be voted on next week but I don’t expect any problems at this point. I got the final appraisal figure and the loss will be 115 K, 5 K more than the draft. I hope that will translate into a bigger tax credit. I should know by the middle of November or so.
I am sure my blood level is still low because I am very tired and today my stomach doesn’t feel well. Still, I took a nice walk with Rob on the trail and we were back talking about everything. Raechel got an 1820 on her SATs with a 680 in writing. I told Rob that I couldn’t take much credit since I only worked with her once. Good luck to her.
I e-mailed Kate about my health and also sent her the heat in the office essay which she thought was quite funny.
I have finished with the new equity line and my total (after finishing the easement) should be about 109K. However, I am now paying 4 percent on the 68k mortgage money, quite an improvement from the 7 and a half I was paying.
I hope I am feeling better tomorrow.

2011-10-02T15:50:00.001-07:00

Mark Burnette came out yesterday and he took the two hardshell kayaks, along with the broken cargo box. Now I have more space in the tractor barn and he also helped me trimming the road to the orchard. I paid him 100 since he is really low on cash. We may go down to Charlotte again to kayak if a warm day comes up.
The easement moves along and the forester, Mike Skinner, came out, and he was very nice, knowing Gyorgyi and Lisa Norris. He should be back this week and he thinks the timber is okay in spots, but that the money figure should be fine. Josh Gibson sent me a revised copy of the deal with a few minor changes which I approved. VOF will be out to do their baseline study soon so I would imagine that they are pretty sure they will accept my proposal.
Rob and I went to the VT-Clemson game and it was an awful game on an awful night. We both had a good time anyway.
My greenhouse garden is doing okay, especially the peas, but the lettuce seems hesitant to grow much. We’ll see.
The student who came in late and used foul language hasn’t apologized yet so I may have to contact the Dean of Students tomorrow so they can talk to him before I let him back in class.
I am still tired but I guess I have to wait a few more weeks for my blood level to get back up.
I went to Maddie’s game on Friday and had a nice chat with Cathy. Status quo. I am planning to go to the Wake Forest competition.

2011-09-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

Another catch up blog since I have been so busy and a little tired due to my low blood level. Major happenings since my last entry include clearing the road to the orchard of a large Virginia pine that fell across it. I decided to use the tractor and it worked well even though the tree was about ten foot up in the air. I did get a couple of branches snapping back at me but nothing hit me.
My teaching is going well in three classes but one of my 200 classes is causing me problems. I had two chatty students at the start and now I have separated them, and students are coming late and that has to stop. One cursed me today when I sent him out of class and I want an apology before he reenters the class. The other three classes are going quite well.
I have the forester and the appraiser coming out tomorrow morning and that means I should be able to have the increased equity line by next week. I will pay off the 68K mortgage and I will have no mortgage and 96K on my equity line. By the time I get finished paying for the easement, the line will be over 100K, but that is no problem.
I went to Chilhowie on Saturday to see the Radford High marching band and they looked pretty good. I will seem Cathy, Lou and Maddie tomorrow at the Friday game.
I did send in a poem to the Appalachian anthology and I did send in an abstract for the CEA conference. I heard from Floyd County Moonshine that they will be using my poem about the copperheads.
I will be heading up to see Ken and Sandy in two weeks and that should be fun.

2011-09-22T17:46:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time and a lot has happened. The biggest events concern my health. Two Wednesdays ago I went for bloodwork and when Rob finally gave me the results the real concern was that I was a pint of blood low. Rob had me in on the following Wednesday to verify the tests and they confirmed that I was low on blood but the actual figure was two pints. This would explain my tiredness over the summer and on Sunday, Rob convinced me, after talking to his partner Chris, that I should have a CAT scan immediately. I set one up for Monday afternoon and Sunday evening and Monday morning were terrifying. I felt so scared and I was on the verge of tears when I went in to get the test. The technician in charge, a woman named Anne, was fabulous and she calmed me down and I left feeling much better. At a little after 4 Rob called and the results were negative and I was elated, giddy with joy. I must have thanked the earth hundreds of times that evening and the next day. Rob thinks the blood loss is from the allopurinol and has switched me to Uloric. I hope this solves the problem.
Teaching is going well and my easement is moving along. VOF votes shortly and that should be positive. It looks like I will spend closer to 7k rather than 8k. I should get more tax credits also and that will help on the money I will lose when I sell.
I have sent Don Devine a check for $1300 and that ends my relationship with the gorge. I am relieved that is over.
My greenhouse is going well and I have two trays of peas planted and two trays of lettuce, with three trays of strawberries. I should have a pretty good fall garden with one tray of peas up over four inches.
The solar batteries are checked and the power is doing fine, though I will have to start using the generator more as I get less sun.
I had Blue Ridge Propane out to service the vent free and I have a lot of propane left.
I have to call Stellar One to get the refinancing of the equity line going. The appraiser has disappeared.
Mark Burnette and I went down to the U.S. National Whitewater Center and had a lot of fun. I flipped three times on the first run and I was cold and scared but I tried again and made it all the way to the last wave before flipping. It was much more difficult than when I ran it before. Mark made it on this third try and I did the same so we were very happy on the drive back. My hands didn’t hurt too much and my belly wasn’t in much pain. I’d like to go back.

2011-09-11T16:35:00.001-07:00

My belly is feeling pretty good even though I hiked with Rob this morning, rode five miles on my bike, and played an excellent round of golf (44). I cut the grass this morning and many places needed cutting so it was a good idea. It was good just to start to lawn tractor. I fixed the road with the farm tractor yesterday and the road is much better. I rode on the new river trail yesterday near Allisonia and it was very pleasant. I did about 8 miles.
I approved the deed for the easement but I e-mailed Janice that I wanted Jim’s approval before we go forward. I should get that tomorrow.
I love the cooler weather and I think cutting down on one of the blood pressure drugs is helping my tired feeling. I don’t have my results back from Rob but I should get them tomorrow. They should be okay. If I can feel more energy I may try and do some volunteer work for the food bank. I am scared to commit right now.
I am hoping to refinance my equity line to 120K from 60K. That would allow me to pay off my mortgage at 7 and ½ percent and start paying 4%. The danger is that the equity line can change its rate and that would cause me problems if it went above 7 and ½, though I think I have at least 4 years before that would happen. It is a little risky but if I can do it I will.

2011-09-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

I went up to see Jeff, Rachel and Benjamin yesterday and had a lot of fun playing with Benjamin and watching the Tech game. I am back working so I had papers to grade and books to read and I will be busy until Thanksgiving, when I get a week off.
This morning I did my yoga and weights, then I went off to ride my bike in the pasture because the rain was supposed to come in this afternoon. I wanted to play golf but the course was packed and it was supposed to start raining at 4 so I may go to a movie.
I am worried about the economy and I don’t think Obama’s speech is going to do much to help things. I really don’t think he had done a very good job and I am not sure I am going to vote for him. I know he took on a really bad situation, but he hasn’t improved it enough for my taste.

2011-09-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

I finished the generator cover completely today, painting it with the Cranberry Red paint and I am pretty sure it will last five years at least. The moles or voles knocked down my clothes pin screens in two of the trays in the greenhouse (not surprisingly, the two with bigger seeds, spinach and peas). I bought some treated firring strips so I can build some frames tomorrow. I went into town to see Jeff and I did some work at Our Daily Bread first and then had a great massage. I worked some more at Our Daily Bread and then went for a bike ride up by the corporate research center that was curtailed by a powerful storm. The easement is coming along and I have to approve the final draft of the deed and wait for the VOF Board’s decision. I have given up on Carole Fraser. She is simply nuts and I can’t waste any more time trying to get information from her. I also talked to Alterra Power, the company which purchased Plutonic, and they have no plans for damming Freda right now and nothing in the works for at least the next five years. If I have to report back on my grant I have enough information to justify my trip.

2011-08-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

I guess Justin Craig is not going to call and I am not sure what to do. I guess I would like to perform again but dealing with Justin may be a problem. He acted in such an arbitrary way that there is no way to tell where his head is.
My classes have started and I am comfortable with them so far. It will be a busy semester but I should be able to handle it. I have finished my FAR and the house is in good shape (Mike helped me with attaching the generator box). I have planted some lettuce and by the weekend I want to plant spinach and sugar snap peas. I have to be careful since there are wasp nests in the green house and I have to get rid of them before I can clean everything up.
I am still too tired so I will get the bloodwork done later this week to see if something is wrong. I think it is probably the medications which are causing me to be so tired.

2011-08-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

This will be a catch up entry since so much time has passed since my last one. I drove straight home from Richmond and things at the house were fine. The water was clear and at full pressure. I had to use the trimmer around the house but the grass has stopped growing because of the heat and the drought.
Gloria was supposed to arrive last Thursday at 7:30 pm, but she didn’t arrive till 3:00 am. It was a real ordeal for her and for me. I ended up sleeping at the exit 128 truckstop and then at the airport. We finally got home around 4:00 am, both of us exhausted.
Gloria’s visit was very good and we had a lot of fun drinking coffee in the morning when she got up and then having a late breakfast. Rob liked her a lot and cooked an excellent dinner for us. I took Jeff, Rachel and Benjamin out to the Indian restaurant in Roanoke and they also liked Gloria. I took her up to the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Peaks of Otter and the views were very good because there was little haze. She was supposed to leave Sunday but with Hurricane Irene coming in, we both thought it best—especially considering her flight out—that she go back Friday, which she did and got home that evening.
On Thursday I went to the meetings and after Kate mentioned me to the new Provost Sam Minner, I was invited to read a poem at the convocation. I was pretty nervous but I did a pretty good job of reading “Directive” and I am so glad that’s over.
I will start teaching on Monday so I have one day of summer left and I am ready to get back to work. I am still a little more tired than I would like to be, but I am getting things done. I will have bloodwork done now that Gloria has returned to California. I think teaching three courses in a row is going to be tough.
David King came out on Friday and cleaned out the septic tank (and said I should be good for five years), raked the peat moss tank, and checked the controls for the drip irrigation. When I got back I got Mike to come up with his co-worker and they got the dryer out and the vent cleaned so that is done. I dug out the cattle guard this morning and I am rebuilding the generator box and that should be done by Monday.
I saw one of the waitresses I know at Gillies and I asked her to mention to Justin Craig that if he calls me I will be glad to play with him again. No word from him today.

2011-08-14T07:16:00.001-07:00

Thursday brought me to Whitefish after my morning yoga and Kripalu stuff, and I decided to do the bike ride first. I was able to get the bike shop to put on my good seat (which cost 10 extra) and the recommended ride along Whitefish Lake was really a ride along the road next to WL with almost no views of the lake and pretty heavy traffic. Still, it was a very good ride of at least 6 miles and after returning the bike I checked into the Downtowner and took a needed nap. After that I had to head out to the UPS store to send my stuff back to Virginia and that took over an hour (and I still ended up with a jar of fish oil). Next I vacuumed the Traverse and washed it and it looked much better after I was done. I set up a tee time on the Whitefish course for 6:36, but when I got back to the rood I wasn’t feeling 100% so I lay down again and figured I could cancel if I wasn’t feeling better later. When I awoke I was fine so I headed to the course and after waiting for a good half hour to start, I teed off with John and Aaron and Dan. Dan was very good, close to scratch, and Aaron wasn’t bad but John was not much of a golfer though we all had fun together. I shot a 47, even while shooting 7, 7 on the last two holes when I teed off from the blues with the other 3. We then played two more holes and that was also fun. It was now time to drop off the SUV and I did but I had forgotten to fill it up so I am sure Hertz will charge me plenty to fill it up. I then had a mediocre meal at the Mackenzie River Pizza restaurant and walked to the Downtowner to drop off my stuff and then return for a brief walk around town.
I called Amtrak at about 10:30 and they said the train was already 3 hours late and that if I called after 11:00 I would be given a better idea of when it would get to Whitefish. However, when I called I was told by Melinda, the supervisor, that they could give me no guarantee of when the train would be in Whitefish, but she was pretty sure it wouldn’t be there until 10am. I was very restless so I took ¾ of a valium and I slept pretty well until 7:30. I did my yoga and Kripalu stuff, then walked around town for a few minutes and was finally told by the station master that I needed to get to the station by 10:30, which wasn’t far off since we left around 11:30, over three and a half hours late.
Now my real concern is whether I am going to make my connection in Chicago. If the train stays 3 and a half hours late, then we will arrive in Chicago at 7:25, which would miss my connecting train by an hour and 15 minutes. I’d imagine if we were only that late they might hold the Capitol train. I was told by the room attendant that we will have a pretty good idea at Winona, MN. I really don’t want to stay in Chicago overnight, especially if they have to bus us to some motel in the suburbs. Staying in town has some attraction, but I would still rather be home on Monday.
I had a good talk with Rob yesterday and he talked with Fay and told her she wasn’t going to win (which I agree with fully) but he was upset because she said a ton of negative things. He has been doing things with Raechel and last weekend Noah stayed over so things are still pretty fluid. I hope to go for a walk with him on Monday.
With the stock market tumble (roughly 2000 points in two weeks), I thought about started Fear II, but the summer is almost over and I don’t think I want to commit to a project this late in the summer.
Overall, I had a lot of fun this trip even though I do feel a little guilty spending so much money (over 6000 for a three week trip) while others are having to cut back. I was happy that I was able to do a lot of biking, a lot of walking in cities (Vancouver was first with Victoria a close second, then Spokane and Coeur D’Alene), plenty of golf and a little fishing. I don’t think I will go back to Freda or the Eldred, but I did enjoy Kerr Creek and the St. Regis. I do love the West very much and I hope that I can travel out to Colorado next year, especially if Amtrak gives me a big voucher (I am really hoping for 1000).
I have been alerted by Josh Gibson that there are several questions remaining but most involve Jim Shortt, the lawyer. I should be able to take care of things rather quickly when I return. My big concern is whether the much more restrictive easement will really affect the price I sell the hollow for. I know I am going to lose more money but I do hope that the increased tax break will compensate for some of the loss.

By Saturday morning the train was 6 hours late so there was almost no chance of making my connection. I napped quite a bit since I didn’t sleep well the night before, and had some fun conversations with people at breakfast, lunch and dinner. By the time evening arrived, the train was almost seven hours late and a little later the staff told us that we not going to make our trains. I asked but no one could tell me if I was going to be bused out of town or given a room in town.
When we finally got into Chicago, I didn’t rush out but I ended up being first in line and got my voucher for a room in town at the Crowne Plaza Metro and 48 dollars in cash for taxis and food. The Crowne Plaza was fancy and the bed was wonderful, and I slept till almost 8:30.

2011-08-11T09:14:00.001-07:00

This is the bear I photographed up on Freda Creek.

On Wednesday morning after my yoga and Kripalu stuff, I drove to Coeur D’Alene and rented a bike and rode a number of times along the lake. It was not very crowded so the biking was easy and there was a stiff breeze on the lake so it was cool. After my ride I decided to head on and when I got to St. Regis, I was going to fish but I went to play golf at the local course. I struggled, particularly since I had rented some pretty bad clubs but with a great putt from off the green on 9, I ended up breaking 50. Then I went and got my license, drove to the next exit (2 mile) and drove to the left after I crossed the small bridge. It was a lovely spot and I caught 2 nice cutthroats, one on a spinner and one on a stonefly. It had been just a perfect day and I decided to drive on, and eventually I got to Kalispell, then ate at a recommended restaurant, Scottibelli, but it was not that good.

2011-08-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday’s visit to Spokane was terrific. First I rented a bike and rode for many miles along the river. I also got a look at Gonzaga’s campus. After that I drove downtown, parked under the mall so I didn’t have to worry about meters and went to have a quick bite at P. F. Chang’s. The shrimp dumplings and the hot and sour soup were wonderful. After that I went over to the Riverfront Mall and watched the new Woody Allen film, Midnight in Paris. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it did make me think about what period I would like to live in. I would guess the 60s and early 70s. Today with the economy and the bickering in Washington the US doesn’t seem such a great place.
After the movie I walked down to the falls, took some pictures, then walked through the park. I really enjoy downtown Spokane. I then had a chicken and broccoli dish at P. F. Chang’s along with a couple of spring rolls and then headed to the Motel 6 I had already made a reservation at.

2011-08-08T21:09:00.001-07:00

The Eldred was a disappointment and the drive up there—thirty five miles of logging road, with the last ten full of big potholes—was no joke, particularly in a Chevy Traverse without 4WD. I had to drive real slow the last ten miles but finally I got to an accessible spot after having to turn around at a big dip in the road. I fished a very impressive spot but nothing really happened. I started with a rooster tail, then a rapala, then a big bass rig and nothing. I finally got a few hits on a big stonefly and then I caught three cutthroats with a small nymph. Not what I expected. I did see two more bears but I think my days at Freda and the Eldred are probably over. Too difficult and not very good fishing for my limitations.
The next day I got up, had coffee at Starbucks then packed and decided to get the 9:25 ferry and spend more time in Sechelt. It was a good plan because the 9:25 filled, and the 11:40 would have been iffy. The ride was very beautiful. Just after I got off at Earls Cove, I stopped to play golf at a spectacularly hilly course with a father and son from the Netherlands. They were fun and despite an 8, 8 start, I ended up posting the best score (55) and we all had a drink together. I then needed a nap and after that I had a late lunch at Daphne’s in Sechelt, then went for a swim and a walk at Davis Bay. I got to the ferry about an hour ahead and fortunately my reservation allowed me to get on the 6:55 boat and many people in the non-reserved line didn’t get on. It was a very scenic voyage, and when I got off I decided to try for the border since my GPS was now working and the border wait time at I-5 was supposed to be 10 minutes. I got there just before dark and it took almost an hour to get through. Fortunately I made a reservation at the nearby Anchor Inn and got there a little after ten. I ordered a domino’s pizza and watched TV until 11.
Monday morning, after Kripalu and yoga, I drove to Seattle and rented a bike at Recycled Cycles and had a very scenic and fun 6 mile ride. I drove through the cascades and saw a golf course so I figured why not, and after opening with an 8 and shooting a 7 on hole 4, I played very well and ended up with a 48. I drove to Ellensburg but Lisa Norris was out of town, so I had dinner at the Valley Café after doing my laundry. I checked in to the Quality Inn (free room night with my points) and then walked around the very decent campus of Central Washington University. Tomorrow Spokane and the day after Coeur D’Alene.

2011-08-06T07:40:00.001-07:00

I woke up pretty wiped out so I decided to take it pretty easy today. I did my Kripalu stuff, my yoga and then drove out to Comox lake to see if I could find some of the rivers and streams on the other side of it. When I got there I found that the road was closed due to logging, but I could fish the river below the dam. There was a hefty release going on, but I walked down about 400 yards and found a decent spot to cast my spinning reel but had no hits. I was not too interested in going swimming (though there were several people in the water) so I drove back to town to take a nap. When I awoke I decided to play golf and called the Crown Isle golf course and they said I could come after 5 and it would cost me 60 bucks. It sounded okay but when I got there the snotty worker said it would cost 82 and that was just too much. I drove over the Glacier Greens and although the guy said he was going to charge me 60, he only charged 45 and it was a fun course. Because I was behind some real slowbos, I played two balls and did very well. I mistakenly thought I had a chance to break 90 (after I had a 45 for 4 and ½ holes, so I kept playing two balls through hole 8 and I realized I would only break 100, so I quit then, but well satisfied with my play. The proprietor suggested Billy’s tavern in town for dinner and it was very good for bar food. I went back to the room, dropped off for a half hour and then went to see Cowboys and Aliens, which I enjoyed quite a bit.
In the morning I did my Kripalu stuff and my yoga and then loaded the SUV and headed to the Ferry to Powell River. I was there in plenty of time, and the ride over was uneventful. When I got off I wanted to camp right away but the first place I stopped at had a decent room for 65 dollars so I figured I would just stay there for my two nights. I napped, drove into town for lunch, then went back to the room so I wouldn’t get on the logging road until after 3:30. That worked and I saw no logging trucks but I did get lost briefly twice but eventually I got on the Freda Creek road and drove just past mile marker 20. I was just crossing the bridge when I looked over and saw a black bear trying to cross the swollen stream. I took several pictures and finally got the bear to look up at me and once he did he took off up the hill. I parked, very excited to be the only one here, and got into my gear without rushing. I went upstream toward the bear for a couple of pools but then it would have been very hard to wade up further so I worked downstream and had a lot of fun, catching 12 cutthroats, mostly 6 inches long but with a couple of 8 inch fish. I worked down about 150 yards and I know the fishing would have been better if I could have gone down a few hundred more yards. My knee wasn’t too bad at all so I should be able to fish the Eldred tomorrow, a least a hundred yards or so. I drove back slowly since I didn’t want to ruin a tire, and had a decent meal at the Eagle’s Landing bistro. Following that I drove to Tim Horton’s for my first cup of coffee and a couple of cake donuts.

2011-08-04T09:31:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday I drove back into Victoria, found a good parking spot and then updated my blog at a Starbucks next to my SUV. I then walked over to the floating houses, expecting that the water taxis would be running by 9 but they weren’t going to start until 10 and the Museum didn’t open till 10, and my parking time ran out at 10:30 so I really couldn’t do much except head back to the SUV. I walked back, my knee hurting quite a bit and decided to head off since I have done the water taxis before and I have seen many Imax films. I drove to Goldstream, took a nap, then drove on to Nainimo which I had a falafel lunch at the Thirsty Camel, voted the best vegetarian restaurant in Nainimo four years in a row. Lunch was good, not exceptional. I spoke with Rob and he was doing okay, and then I called Marie and she told me about her trip up to Vermont with Patty. I told her I would try to come to Thanksgiving dinner at Patty’s in Delaware. I will drive down on Thanksgiving morning and see my friends on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. After lunch I drove to play golf at a decent course near Parksdale, and I had a chance to break 50 up to the 8th hole, a par three, where I hit my tee shot on the green and 4 putted. The next hole was a disaster but overall it was a fun time. I wasn’t sure what to do but I drove on to Port Alberni, stopping to take a very needed swim in the icy cold Cameron Lake. After that I drove to Sproat Lake Provincial Park but found it filled so I drove back to a private campground that was nice enough. After setting up my tent, I drove into town for supplies and for dinner at the Clam Bucket, a recommended restaurant that was pretty good. I went across the street and was instantly alerted that a black bear was across the river walking along the shore and later I saw another one. It seems fairly common to spot them. I learned that the Lady Rose, the boat I took from Bamfield many years before, had been sold and was going to be used as a floating restaurant near Tofino.
On Wednesday I was driving out to Tofino and Long Beach when I spotted several lovely little streams running into the Kennedy river. I stopped at one but it was too steep but I could get down to the second one, Kerr’s Creek, and I decided to fish it. At first I got a couple of tiny parr, but then I brought in a 9 inch native, then another parr, and then three more natives. It was very much to my taste even though my knee was shaky when I finished. I drove on to Ucluet, but it was foggy and misty and then rainy and after stopping briefly I drove on to Tofino to do my laundry and have lunch. Tofino was packed and while I did my laundry and ate a decent sandwich I just wanted for get out of there even though there were a couple of bike rentals shops. Fortunately, I found another one and rented a beach bike (large tires) that allowed me to ride on the beach (the weather still foggy but no rain. I then rode a couple of miles on the bike path and then quit with my knee hurting pretty much. I drove back to Port Alberni and had dinner at the Clam Bucket (again quite good) and then drove to Courtney and took a room at a Travelodge. I was going to go back out, but after my yoga and stuff I was too tired so I just watched some TV and went to bed. I will not be able to go on a whale watching tour since it was sold out for today.

2011-08-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

I drove in to Vancouver with no problem, the signage being fine, and I stopped at the River Rock casino to park for the Sky Train. I was in town in a few minutes and I decided to go to Stanley Park and rent a bike first. There certainly were no scarcity of bike shops over on Denham, and in a few minutes I was on a very comfortable comfort bike and pedaling along the eight mile bike trail through the park. That was a real treat even though some cyclists were fast and few announced themselves as they passed. I then had a terrific lunch at a Thai place recommended by the bike shop. I stopped at a Telus store and the fellow there helped me get the GPS and the internet working. I then went back to the downtown Sky Train station, headed back to my SUV and then drove to the Comfort Inn, one Tracy and I stayed in. I was able to check in early¸ and after a nap I had the pleasant surprise to find that Tracy had e-mailed me a kind e-mail thanking me for showing her how to drive through a boulder strewn road. I unfortunately took it too positively and sent her a long e-mail telling here what I was up to (and wishing she could have joined me on the Elk) and also detailing the hollow easement. I ended with a strong apology for ruining the relationship, but when she e-mailed back the next day she just wished me well in my travels.
I went into town my nap and yoga and I ate at a very nice place called Whet, then walked around Granville Island for an hour, particularly enjoying that amazing market they have. I took one of the aquabus tours of False Creek and then had dessert and coffee at a place on the water . I returned to River Rock and played the slots for an hour, winning 25 dollars.
On Sunday I decided to head back to Stanley to go bike riding and that jaunt was even more fun since I went a little earlier and it wasn’t as crowded. I had bunch at a little French restaurant (first rate) and then headed back to my room for a nap and yoga.
After that it was time to head to Yaletown for my dinner at the Fodor recommended C restaurant. It was very good but not top tier.
I then took the train to waterfront and walked around a little but I was too tired to walk much. I went back to River Rock and played some slots and broke even this time after played for 45 minutes.
The next morning found me very restless to get going to the ferry and despite calming myself I ended up near the terminal at 10:30 but fortunately they let me catch the 11:00 boat so that saved me an hour. I wanted to play golf and then get a campground but that plan wasn’t working since the golf courses were crowded and the RV parks wouldn’t take tents. Finally I drove to Goldstream Provincial Park and got a lovely campsite, set up my tent and then went to play golf at the Bear Mountain Resort. The Mountain Course has to be one of the most beautiful and most difficult courses I have ever played. I started from the much easier red tees for the first four holes but after that I tried to hit from where my three partners were hitting from and I ended up with a 9, an 8 and two 7s. Still Sid and his nephews were a lot of fun and though the whole enterprise (with clubs) cost me 90 dollars I did get a sleeve of balls, a few extra practice balls, and some tees to cover me on my next course. I drove into Victoria after that, but it was pretty late and I was tired so I decided to come back tomorrow morning so I can really enjoy the town. I had problems locating a good restaurant but I finally ended up at a highly recommended one, Il Terrazo and had a wonderful diinner of halibut, pasta and mixed vegetables. I walked around for fifteen minutes but I was worn out so I drove back to Goldstream and slept reasonably well in the fresh air.

2011-07-29T21:26:00.001-07:00

Thursday went well, with me driving a good part of the day through the incredible scenery of the Canadian Rockies, with a break to play golf at a nine hole executive course that was interesting because it had a lot of trees so it was a strategy course. I played pretty well and shot a 45, even though the greens were very bumpy and brown (because of the excessive ice this winter, I was told). I kept driving and traffic was heavy but I almost made it to Sicamous, eventually stopping at a KOA at a little past nine, totally exhausted again. I wanted to set up my tent but I didn’t and instead I slept in the truck, making the big mistake of shutting all the windows to keep the mosquitoes out. I dropped off at about 10 and at 2 I woke up in absolute fear, sure that my vehicle was rolling down a hill. I jumped in the front seat over the middle one and hit the brake before I realized that I wasn’t moving. My heart was beating at an incredible rate—I was scared I was going to have a heart attack—but finally it started to slow down and I climbed back into the back and got the key, got back up front and finally opened the door and the fresh air was like some elixir. I was so worked up that I had to have half a valium to go back to sleep, and I left both front windows cracked a inch so I wouldn’t die. What a horrid experience and all my own fault.
I felt much better when I awoke on Friday at 6:30, and after a hot shower and a cup of coffee and an egg and cheese bagel at Tim Horton’s I felt pretty good. The scenery was less spectacular, but interesting enough and I stopped at Salmon Arm to play golf. I walked, playing with a threesome who were friendly and I shot pretty well (46) considering I had a set of clubs that had two pitching wedges, two 2 woods, and no sand wedge, no 9, 7, and 6. The square head driver was terrific and all of my drives were pretty far. I drove on toward Hope and got off to take a nap and at the exit was a superb looking river, the Coldwater. I napped and then decided to fish the stream and that was a lot of fun, even though I only caught parr. I then drove to Hope and did my clothes and ate at a horrible Chinese buffet (good rice and noodles) and then drove on to Chilliwack so I wouldn’t have to drive as much tomorrow. I found a campground right near town and setting up the tent was pretty easy, taking perhaps fifteen minutes. I then drove to a Safeway to get some supplies and ended up at a Starbucks, catching up on this blog.
My phone problems continue with no GPS and internet but the phone is working fine so I guess that is okay. I really would like the GPS to work in Vancouver, and I am even considering buying a cheap GPS just for the rest of the trip.

2011-07-28T04:03:00.001-07:00

On Thursday, I went in to see Jeff and he worked on my jaw and my back, neither of which as feeling too tight, but the massage felt very good. After that, I called Gyorgyi to see what was up with her and she said to come up to visit if I wanted so I did. Her niece Laura is now six and a lot of fun. We immediately started fooling around on the hammock and then I suggested spraying one another with the hose and the real fun began. She was mainly in control of the hose and we stayed cool and had fun, using the hose for target practice and digging an eight inch hole with it. Our playing gave Gyorgyi and Lazlo a chance to go shopping and when they returned a couple of hours later we went to the Wildflour restaurant for dinner. Dinner was good but not great and then I went back to G’s place and read some of Lazlo’s writing and talked a little with G.
On Friday, after G invited me, I drove up to the Virginia Animal Safari and though it was brutally hot, Laura had a lot of fun feeding the camels (which stole your bucket of food if you didn’t hold on very tightly), elk, bison, lamas, and deer. There were ostriches, rheas, emus, zebras and in the petting zoo had some cute baby pot-bellied pigs, kangaroos, and giraffes, goats, plus some lorikeets that you could feed with a liquid mixture. Then it was off to Natural Bridge, which was pretty impressive and then to the butterfly room, which wasn’t. I took a break, briefly drifting off in my air conditioned truck, and then we headed for North Creek for a great dip in the big pool there. Lazlo didn’t want to go down the trail so G, Laura and I went in, and it was great, cool and a lot of fun. Laura was especially excited by sliding down a small rock slide and G of I caught her again and again. I drove back and had dinner with them at G’s house and then drove home totally exhausted.
On Saturday morning, I had little to do to get ready but I dumped the compost and rode the exercise bike along with yoga and weights. The grass didn’t need cutting so I left that alone, but I had problems with the water just before I was to shower up. I was going very slowly, and since I was just about to leave, I took a dripping shower and headed off. I hope I don’t have a serious problem with the spring but I will have to attend to it when I return home. I hope it is just the filter underneath the crawl space.
I called Rob on the way up and he was just 20 miles ahead of me so we met at an Applebees for coffee and tea. It was nice to see him after not being able to walk with him the last couple of nights. I was hoping to play golf but the weather wouldn’t allow it so I drove in to the Amtrak station and exchanged my ticket. I am very glad I did it because the ticket agent was a complete idiot and took over an hour to exchange the tickets. I was calm throughout because I was not in a rush. After getting a room at a Comfort Suites, I ended up walking quite a bit in the Short Pump Town Center Mall, a very well laid out shopping area. I had dinner at a Maggiano’s there and it was quite good, as usual. When I got back to the room I was too tired to even go in the pool, so after a few hours of TV I just went to sleep, getting up around 7 and having a quick breakfast before riding an exercise bike for 20 minutes. Then I rushed out worried about getting a parking spot at the station but when I got there there were plenty of spots and I ended up ready to go an hour before.
The train was about 25 minutes late but I finally got on about 10:20 and I had a comfortable ride, where I briefly drifted off, and got to Washington around 12:40. Union Station was well air conditioned and was full of restaurants and shops, but I wanted to walk around a bit so I headed over to the Capitol and walked around, past the Library of Congress and the Senate Office buildings. It was very empty since the Capitol was closed on Sunday, and very hot, but I enjoyed it and then walked back to Union Station for a late lunch. I had to stop walking since my knee really started hurting but I did a good bit of exercise and I did some yoga once I was on the train.

The train left Washington on time, and the only real problem was that I only had a roomette until 2:30 in the morning, at which point I had to move to coach in Cleveland. It was a long six hours and my attempts to sleep recalled some of my nightmarish Greyhound travels. But 8:45 came and we were in Chicago on time and I was quickly off to the Navy Pier. I took a cab over when I found I wasn’t near the right bus and when I got there I immediately decided to rent a bicycle, which was an excellent move as I need a long ride and the path along the lake was quite scenic. When I returned I walked to the end of the pier and realized that my knee was giving out so I bought a ticket (7 dollars) for the water bus to Union Station. It was a pleasant ride and the Chicago buildings maintain their interest. I had lunch when I returned at a sushi place but just after I ordered I saw that I had an e-mail from Rosemary that my schedule was not going to work and that I might only have one course in the books. It ruined my lunch but after it I called Rosemary and she worked it out so the 200 level courses (which I had already finished the rules and outlines for) would run but I would have to teach three courses in a row, a daunting task since I won’t get a chance to recharge with a nap after my first class as my usual schedule allows. I will have to drink more caffeine and I am sure my third class will be less energetic.
I went back to the station and the nightmare began. I had been sitting there for almost an hour (to rest my knee) when they announced that the train to Whitefish was going to be delayed and no one could tell me how long so I really couldn’t do anything (like going up in the Willis Tower (the name of the old Sears tower) or going to a movie. Finally we got off four hours late and I was already pretty impatient but I relaxed as the train began moving. I called the Downtowner to tell them that I was probably getting in around one or so, and they gave me instructions on getting a late key. But there was no way we were even close at one, as we kept losing time and finally stopped for hours just outside of the East Glacier stop. It was past dawn on Wednesday when we got going (the ten hour delay did have the benefit of allowing the passengers to see Glacier, which is fairly impressive even from the train). Finally we stopped about a mile from Whitefish and waited almost an hour to get in so my total delay was twelve hours, a new record surpassing my previous one of ten hours getting into Denver. I was a little tired but I wanted to get going and after picking up my Traverse, driving to the UPS store for my gear, and getting a 128 dollar receipt for the room I didn’t use but was charged for, I started to drive to Fernie about an hour later than I had originally planned. The weather began to look threatening up ahead so I stopped to play golf at a new course near Eureka and then feeling much better drove to customs and got through in about fifteen minutes. The weather continued threatening with bursts of rain and I tried to get my browser to work to check the weather (perhaps I would head back into the US) but it wouldn’t so I took a quick nap in the reclining driver’s seat and drove on to Fernie. The weather was much better so I exchanged some money (because of the US debt problems I only got 184 Canadian dollars for my 200 American, with the teller apologizing), bought a basic license (56 dollars for 8 days and found out that to fish the Elk or the Michelle (which I had originally planned), it was another 22.50 per day. That means fishing would cost me almost thirty dollars a day with money that was worth significantly less than Canadian. With the weather still promising, I went to the bike rental shop and rented a bike for a little over an hour, pedaling along the Elk and noticing quite a few good fishing spots over near the golf course. The fellow at the rental shop only charged me eleven dollars and told me that fishing the Elk in town was pretty good, and told me to talk to his girlfriend Leah at Elk River Fly Shop. She agreed that the fishing could be good and gave me directions to a small park by the river and sold me a license and three green drakes and three stimulators. When I drove to the park, however, I saw a fisherman there and decided to either find another spot on the Elk or drive up to the Michelle. I called the shop and a fellow there said that the spots near the golf course could be productive so I parked near the Canadian Tire and walked in about three hundred yards and started fishing. With some effort I caught a small cutthroat on a green drake and then I moved up and caught three more, two of them over 12 inches. I was totally exhausted but delighted with my success and I struggled back to the SUV with no energy left. I had planned to camp but I decided I was too tired and got one of the last rooms at the Travelodge, showered and then ate salad and pasta at Boston Pizza then went shopping for some need supplies. After that I bought a paper (since my browser and my GPS was still down) and drove over to the Tim Horton’s for a cup of coffee and a Danish. I was too tired to really enjoy my break so I read some and went back to the room exhausted and fell asleep by ten, a productive but energy draining day.

2011-07-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

A very good visit with Tamara and Andrew from VOF. We walked the right of way and they found no problem with it. They wouldn’t guarantee anything but I think there is a really good shot at the lawyers and the board approving my application.
I rode the stationary bike after they left (it was brutal outside) and did my weights and yoga in the 71 degree, air conditioned house.
I am very excited about heading out on Saturday and I have pretty much everything in order. I should be able to pack the remaining stuff in less than two hours so I should get off by noon or so.
My only real tasks left are to shovel out the one culvert and to cut the grass again, both of which I hope to do Friday morning before it gets hot.

2011-07-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

I was tired yesterday when I got home so I went to bed well before 11. Not surprisingly, I woke at 4:15 and couldn’t go back to sleep so I started my day and just at dawn I sat out on the porch and did my meditation. A cardinal started singing and then stopped and I sat out there waiting for a second bird but none started singing for 20 minutes. I am getting better at sitting still and that is a useful trait as I get older.
I drove into town around 11 after my practicing and yoga and weights and after stopping for a few errands I went to RU and Charley Cosmato, a former student, showed me how to use D2L for putting on outlines and rules.
I then headed off for golf and shot a 48 on the back nine. I played the last two holes from the white tees.
After that I went for a good walk with Rob and now I am almost ready to head home.

2011-07-18T13:51:00.001-07:00

I decided to run down to Charlotte on Saturday early afternoon. I really needed to get out of this area for a couple of days. I took a bike ride at the park I usually go to, and then I walked around before heading to dinner. I stayed at the Motel 6 at Carowinds and in the morning I stopped and walked around the Fourth Ward and downtown again. It was a very rewarding visit.
Today I rode my bike for six miles in the Sisson pasture, then I went back to the house and practiced, did yoga and weights and got my stuff ready to send to Whitefish. It seemed to take hours but I finally got pretty much everything together. I drove in to the UPS store and the sax alone would have cost 80 dollars each way so I passed on that. Even without the sax it was 174, which is quite a bit, but I did send a lot of gear, including fishing, camping and all my extra clothes and my boots.

2011-07-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did my usual practicing, yoga and weights and then I changed the oil in the generator. First I had to chase away a small copperhead that seems to have taken up residence there. Not what I want but I just have to be careful.
In the afternoon I drove up to see the Feed American Southwest Virginia and it is quite an operation. Amy was very nice and gave me a fine tour. After I figure out my finances following the easement, I will give them some more money and I talked to Amy about doing some volunteer work when I return in August.
Today I took apart the shed door and I have to replace some of the wood so I will pick up some today and finish the job in the next few days. I did my practicing, yoga and weights, and then headed to NRN to get the mirror replaced. I picked up some wood and some wood hardener at Home Depot. I am going to head up to the Blue Ridge and then maybe fish the Maury in the evening.

2011-07-12T18:14:00.001-07:00

A very productive day as I think I have finally got the batteries equalized. I got number one up to 1250, and six seven and eight were all around 1270. I tried to finish the equalization with the solar but it kicked out, telling me that the batteries were fully charged so I turned on the generator and set it very low and finished off the equalization.
I also got word that Tamara and Irv are coming out on the 20th to gps the coneflower and to walk the access. I am pretty sure they wouldn’t be doing that unless things were pretty much set.
I pushed a piece of the tractor barn sheathing out but I was able to fix it easily. I took the tractor out and ran it all the way to the gate to help level out some of the worse bumps and it helped.
In the afternoon I drove out to towards the peaks of otter and did a 2 mile plus walk along the road in the shade. The view was stunning as always. I saw a scarlet tanager there so that was a real treat.
I have e-mailed two women on match and we’ll see what happens.

2011-07-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

I am trying to equalize the batteries and I am getting close to getting them fully charged. After that I will equalize, perhaps for the very first time, according to the battery people.
I did my yoga and weights, practiced for 40 minutes, cleaned up a bit inside. I took the incredibly smelling compost bucket up to the garden and it was very funky. I guess it will bring in a lot of worms. After airing out my truck, I went and picked a bunch of wineberries, then put them in the freezer in 4 sealed bags. There should be enough until I leave on the 24th.
I then went for a six mile bike ride in the pasture. It was a real workout and pretty hot but I enjoyed it greatly.
My big concern now is how much I am going to have to spend on getting rid of the Tree of Paradise. It seems that VOF will accept my easement, so I should save 7000, but I don’t want to spend all of that on the eradication effort. I am 2800 behind on my bugeting right now, so if I spend 3500, I will still have a few hundred left over. Britt Boucher said that the Virginia Department of Forestry has a program to help landowners in my situation and I left a message there on Friday.
I will be teaching my 202 courses the same as I planned but they will be called 200 courses. I already have my outline done and I should have the rules done tomorrow.
I was driving back up to the house after picking the berries and I ran over a branch and it flipped up and broke my passenger side mirror. I was able to buy a small mirror at K-mart and duct tape it in place, but driving with it is a little iffy. I have to be very careful until Monday when I hope New River Nissan will be able to fix it.

2011-07-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a driving day that ended up well. I decided to head up to Lynchburg to change my Amtrak tickets, and after an excellent massage from Jeff, I began my drive. I got there just after the station opened at 4 and changed the tickets, finding out that there still wasn’t a roomette on the last part of the trip. I will save me 278 dollars to stay in coach and that is tempting since I will only be on the train for 19 hours but I will decide if a roomette opens up.
On my way back I returned Cathy Gallo’s call and she reminded me that it was Claire’s 18th birthday and I felt stupid for not remembering. I decided that I had to drive to Radford and give her a present and I did. I chatted with them and had a lot of fun joking, especially with Cathy, Maddie and Claire. I think Claire appreciated my driving in and I know Cathy did.
I slept poorly again last night (and it was rather warm) but in the morning I did my yoga and weights and practiced for 40 minutes. Then it was time to go play golf and I was terrific, shooting a 43 on the back nine from the red tees. I chipped very well and I missed three easy putts or I might have shot a 40.
The big news was an e=mail I got yesterday from Irv:

Thank you for spending time with me last week on your (Justin) property to investigate its potential to support natural heritage resources. Based on our observations and my photographs, staff here believe the property supports at least three natural heritage resources – smooth coneflower (Echinacea laevigata), montane dry calcareous forest/woodland, and rich cove and slope forest. Also, we have records for two rare aquatic species – Roanoke logperch (Percina rex) and spatulate snowfly (Allocapnia simmonsi) – within the North Fork Roanoke River fairly close to the property. Considering these factors, it would be very appropriate for the easement to not permit commercial-scale timber harvesting and to restrict future construction and land clearing to a small area around the cabin – ideally no more than the area currently occupied by the homestead – and a small area around the orchard on the northwest side of the property. We recommend the easement leave some flexibility to control invasive species and to manage habitat for natural heritage resources, following guidance from DCR. (For example, the smooth coneflower might benefit from some small canopy openings.) It might be appropriate for the easement to require a habitat management plan, prepared in coordination with DCR, before any habitat management activities are undertaken.

Hopefully, the right of way issue will be resolved soon. Please keep me posted. This is an important easement.

Irv

Irvine Wilson
Natural Area Protection Specialist
Department of Conservation & Recreation
Natural Heritage Program
217 Governor Street
Richmond, VA 23219
804-786-6745

I was delighted by the e-mail and I forwarded it to my lawyer and he wrote back to say, “You’re in,” and that is wonderful. I haven’t heard officially but it does look good.
I went for a walk with Rob and he cooked up some dinner and that was quite nice.

2011-07-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

My knee continues to be sore from the hike with Tamara and Irv, and Rob thinks I should try some advil to cut the inflammation before I consider another syn-visc shot. I will even though I haven’t taken any pain meds since Kripalu.
Yesterday I did my yoga and weights, practiced, and spent almost two hours greasing the tractor. My grease gun seemed to run out of grease about a third through and when I opened it it looked like there was still at least a quarter left. I figured that I would put a new cartridge in and I called Wimmer to make sure I would be doing it right, since I think the mice ate the grease gun instructions. With that information I put the cartridge in and the gun wouldn’t work so I called Wimmer again and they said that it had air in it and you just had to keep pumping it and it would clear. That wasn’t working but when I took the outlet tube off the tube, grease began to flow and I was able to grease the whole tractor including the one fitting which seemed jammed, but which filled up when I turned the wheels.
With that done I headed off to the Blue Ridge and the Maury and the walk in the pull out at Purgatory Mountain was excellent. I then dropped to the Maury and after wasting forty five minutes trying to find an accessible spot, stopped and fished a nice section but got no fish though I had several hits. I was ready to give up since it was almost 8 but I stopped at the bridge near Glasgow and caught two nice bass in the deep water under the bridge. I got to Carrabba’s just as it got dark and had a very good shrimp dish.
This morning I did some practicing (my jaw was hurting a little), then some yoga and weights. My big project for the morning was to find the deed and the plat and after searching in many places I finally found both so I can mail them to Tamara on Tuesday. On the way out I ate some wineberries and picked a few for Rob.
I then drove in for a walk with Rob and lunch and I hope to fish walker creek this evening near the funeral home.

2011-07-01T19:13:00.001-07:00

Another change in plans. I am now going back to Whitefish but I won’t leave until the 24th—the big assumption being that the waters will have gone down enough by then—and I will return on the 14th cutting the trip down by a few days. I don’t have a sleeper on the way back to Clifton Forge yet but I am first on the waiting list. I just got too freaked out by the extra 1600 miles I would have had to do if I went to Denver, so things seem settled.
My knee was really hurting this morning but I did cut the grass and I trimmed the road a little. I decided that I had to do weights and yoga and I did and I think it may have helped a little. I did my practicing and I left around 3 to head out to Floyd and then the Blue Ridge Parkway. I couldn’t find a good place to stop and write but I did a little in the Floyd Country Store, not a place to write unless you are desperate. I then drove south on the BR parkway about 20 miles, stopping at the Mabry mill and walking near a stream before heading to Chateau Morissette for dinner. Logan was my server and it was nice to chat with him a little. After an excellent dinner I stopped at one of the overlooks and walked a mile back and forth and really enjoyed the view.
I got e-mails from Tamara and Irv and they are both going to come out again. Tamara warned that the access issue is still key even though Irv did verify the Smooth Coneflower.

2011-06-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in Barnes and Noble having my first cup of coffee in over two weeks, and I will have to admit that it is a bit of a disappointment. I decided to have one to celebrate a productive if difficult day, and I don’t think I will have another one soon.
In the morning was the visit to the hollow from Tamara Vance from VOF, Irv from Natural Heritage, and Tamara niece’s Maddie, who was very sweet. We did not find the Addison’s Leatherflower, but we did find Smooth Coneflower and a lily that Irv photographed. My knee hurt but I was able to get Irv and Tamara up to see the big rocks up the side hollow. I am sure my knee will be a problem tonight. Tamara was very nice but she made it clear that even with the Smooth Coneflower, it was the access issue that was the problem. She seemed to think there was a chance and Irv said she is going to argument of inclusion in VOF. I thought Irv was a lot of fun and very smart. We’ll see. We picked some wineberries at the end of the visit and they were very tasty.
After they left, I checked my messages and John called and Amtrak called to tell me that my trip from Chicago to Whitefish had been cancelled because of the flooding in North Dakota. I was exhausted and hungry so after some food and a nap, I drove to the pasture and found out that Gyorgyi couldn’t meet tonight but will meet me for lunch tomorrow. I then called Amtrak and found out that the best I could do was to switch to Denver and change my Hertz reservation. It all worked out but I will have to drive an extra 1600 miles. Fortunately it will be through Colorado and I am pretty sure I will go up the Poudre Canyon and maybe pass through Yellowstone. No loss there.

2011-06-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today was a mediocre day. I need more things to occupy my time. I didn’t sleep well, waking up in the middle of the night and eating a sandwich and watching TV. When I finally got up around 8 I forced myself into my routine of the Neti pot, tridoshic oil, practice and doing chores around the house. Then I decided to try out my big pack on the New River Trail but that didn’t work well. The pack was too heavy with the waders and fishing boots in it and when I snuck down into a pasture to fish, I didn’t catch anything though I did get a couple of hits. When I got back to the truck I was exhausted and hungry so I stopped at a Bojangles to have dirty rice, spicy pintos, mac and cheese and mashed potatoes with gravy along with a biscuit, followed by a small blizzard at Dairy Queen, certainly not a Kripalu meal. I then took a nap in my office and did some work and then drove to Bburg to look at another condo. This was not as nice a setting and I didn’t like the entrance, so I will have Susan keep looking. I have to find out if the bank would even finance such a purchase. I then took a walk by the greenhouses at VT and the gardens were in full bloom. As I write this entry I am hoping that my creative juices will get going soon.

2011-06-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

A productive morning, cleaning out more stuff from under the house, checking the batteries (1185, 1205, 1205, kind of low but not desperate), practicing, meditation, yoga and weights, using the battery trimmer to finish trimming around the house. When I went to put the screen back on, I noticed that the copperhead in the corner was sunning him or her self. I don't bother it and I hope it won't bother me.
I decided to head for the river again to kayak and it was very good again. I was even more stable than last time and I had a lot of fun.
After a nap I went off to play golf and played well although I lost my swing at the end and finished with a 50 from the white tees.
I have resigned myself to teaching core courses this fall but Kate Hawkins’ memo was very supportive and I will try to do a very good job. I have the 321 outline and rules done but I can’t do anything else until I find out my schedule.
My weight has stayed at about 216, which is much better than it was but I really want to get it below 210, with a goal of 205. I am not eating snacks between meals and if I can keep exercising a lot I will lose more weight.
Tamara from VOF and Irv the botanist come out on Wednesday and I hope that goes well. I would love to save the 7K by doing the easement with VOF instead of the Western Virginia Land Trust but I am going to do the easement no matter what.
I should see Gyorgyi this week and it will be fun to catch up. She seems to be doing well.

2011-06-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, I got the power vent moved and they didn’t charge me even though I offered to pay some. It is much quieter in the bedroom now. I also was able to clear out some of the junk in the crawlspace, so that felt good.
I went kayaking for the first time since the gout hit this winter and I did very well. I paddled for about an hour, eventually surfed the big wave at Bluff City and helped rescue a fisherman who flipped over and got his anchor caught between both rapids. Heath, a kayaker I met, and I finally had to cut the anchor rope but the fellow was okay and we saved most of his gear.
Today I did some practicing, yoga and weights, then I decided to take the day off. I drove to the new river trail near Hiwassee and rode 10 miles. After that I needed a nap but I then drove out 100 to the Vest funeral home and dug some stairs and caught a dozen redeye bass. I did go further down than I had and the water was okay but not sensational.

2011-06-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

Today started out as a very good day. I woke up and did my peti pot and tridosha oil, did a meditation, practiced, did yoga and weights, started working on the outline of the 321 course, which already has enough students in it. The solstice was a 1:16 and I was pretty much done with everything by 12:45, and restless man that I am, I decided to try to move the old fan so Dodson could put in the new power vent on Thursday. I should have waited till after the solstice but I didn’t. The work was going okay when I slammed my head into a pipe hanging down and I really hurt myself. I started crying and bewailing my fate, yelling that I can’t do this anymore, that why is this happening, and realizing how much I missed Tracy. It was the first time I really cried about my situation and I just sat there weeping loudly for several minutes. I soon began to realize that I had overdone things a little, and I went back upstairs to wait for the solstice, my tears done and my psyche much calmer. My head has a long bump on it and I hope I don’t have a concussion. After the solstice passed, I went back under and finished up the job, duct taping some cloth to the pipe, and even purging the water filter. I felt much better but was unsure about going kayaking at Bluff City that afternoon, just in case I passed out.
I am still worried a little about the burning smell from my truck but it seems to only come at very high speeds for extended periods. My computer was also acting up so I thought to head to Radford on the highway and see if the smell came back. It didn’t and the computer people thought it might be a sticky key and not the word program.
I then decided to play golf while the weather was okay, and played in very hot conditions and still shot a 50 from the whites and it could easily have been a 48.
I did talk to NOC about hiring a private instructor and it will cost 160 for a half day, which is a lot. I am pretty sure I can paddle for an hour, but any longer will not happen so it will be a lot of money for an hour’s paddling.
I was able to help Claire yesterday at Quest and Cathy was appreciative. I also called Dolores and told her all the info I got from UC Davis, and she was very appreciative. I thanked her for suggesting the movie Bridesmaids, which was quite funny.
Overall a good day with a big lump.

2011-06-19T08:32:00.000-07:00

As I was driving home yesterday, the weather cleared and I decided to play golf at Vista Links, a new course near Buena Vista. I played from the gold tees and though it was a tough course, hilly with a lot of traps, I shot a 47, even with a 7 on the last hole. After that I drove into Lexington to have lunch at the Natural Food Co-op and it was quite good. After that I decided to take a nap near Acadia and that was needed. I was right by the stream so I put on my tevas and took a quick dip in the cold water. I stopped at Starbucks and had a green tea and did more work on my computer. Then it was time to drive home and when I got there everything was in pretty good shape. After unloading most of the truck, I made dinner of salad and a cheese and peanut butter sandwich and practiced briefly. The solar was 99% but the TV wasn’t working (I did get it fixed later) but the power vent doesn’t seem to have done much for the humidity. It was 91% when I left and two weeks later it was 90%. I will give it a chance but I don’t think it is going to do much. I then drove in to watch Green Lantern, which was entertaining enough.
In the morning I did more cleaning up of the truck and house and then when Rob called, I drove in to go for a hike with him to Pandapus Pond. He is doing okay with Noah moving to Fay’s and Rachel moving in with him. I told him Noah will be back soon enough.
My schedule for the fall is in question. I don’t have enough students in either 202 and my Environmental Literature course also hasn’t made. I may have to teach earlier and it is likely I will have to teach freshman at least next semester.
I should hear about the VOF decision by Thursday. I am not that hopeful but I will just have to move on to Western Virginia Land Trust.

2011-06-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

My last full day at Kripalu was intense. I went to three different sessions (one an Ayurvedic consultation with Lauren, one a sacral cranial session with Sandy, and another long energy work session with Sandra). I learned a lot but I was a little confused since Sandra said she would have evaluated me slightly differently than Lauren. I still think the main things about diet, yoga, spirit are all consistent and will be helpful. I have given up coffee and I am only eating three times a day with no snacks and I feel better already.
On Friday, it was raining so I decided to leave early and after using my petti pot and putting in my nose drops and then showering, I had my final meal at Kripalu and it was excellent. I drove and drove with the weather always threatening but I did get a bike ride in and then I was able to play golf at Monroe Valley near Harrisburg. I started out with a 7, 6, 6 and thought I would be lucky to hit 52 but I birdied the next par 3, and ended up with a 45, which is very impressive.
I talked to Rob and things are not so good so I will see him tomorrow for dinner and we can chat some more.
I made it to Wincester yesterday and got a room at the Sleep Inn there (I was pretty tired and I just wanted to relax, and I should now get a free night. The poem was nice and the room was very comfortable.
I got up pretty early and then started driving. When I got to JMU, I stopped for a 5 mile bike ride and that felt good. Home in a few more hours.

2011-06-15T19:12:00.001-07:00

I had a very good breakfast of oatmeal and yoghurt and then I got ready for the 9 o’clock lecture by Jim Conzo on maintaining a healthy gut. It had a lot of interesting facts, and I hope to employ some of the advice. At 12 I took the yoga dance class and it was pretty intense. I was doing okay early on but later I couldn’t go fast enough to keep up. I did about 40 minutes of a one hour session and I did finish up with everyone else. I took a shower and then headed for my positional therapy session, which was interesting as Sandra manipulated my legs around and my knee didn’t kill me. She did some energy work and thought I had a big blockage in my mid belly, not lower where I have had the most pain recently, and suggested I come back tomorrow to work on it some more. I think it will be worth it so tomorrow I will have an early massage, more energy work, then a sacro-cranial session in the evening.
After the session with Sandra I went back for the gentle yoga session at 4:15 and that was also pretty intense for a beginner. I tried to nap after it but couldn’t sleep so I headed for dinner (again excellent) and then to the Kirtan performance which was mildly disappointing. I then headed for the maze and it was a pleasant walk.

2011-06-14T05:10:00.001-07:00

On Thursday afternoon, I decided to keep driving toward the clear weather and by the time I got to Livingston Manor, it was sunny with storm clouds way to the east. I stopped at a pull out just before the state fishing access and I immediately got a hit from a small chub on a royal wulff. I hadn’t fly fished in a while, but my technique hasn’t suffered. I was putting the fly where I wanted it but I go no fish until I had waded up two hundred yards and was fishing a stretch just below a long rapid. I had several hits and I caught a nine-inch and a twelve inch brown. I got pretty excited and said this was fun. I drove on to Roscoe and found the Roscoe campground to be a decent place and after a bike ride I went off to dinner at an Italian place in Roscoe. The Mavs outplayed the Heat and now it could all be over Sunday. Lebron was a dud again particularly at the end when they needed him.
On Friday morning I woke early and decided to head up to Lew Beach and then over to the Pepacton reservoir. It was pretty and the east branch near Margaretville looked very nice. I practiced my sax for the first time in a week or so, and that felt good.
I was at Onteora Lake a few minutes early and when Carole and Dylan got there, I wasn’t sure if the photo shoot was going to come off. She was very aggressive and condescending and I thought she might call the whole thing off. However, things calmed down and once I got into helping Dylan catch a fish things were fine. His rod was much too short for jigging off the platform so I set up my spinning reel and Dylan caught one fish with the help of nearby fisherman Roy Kenyon. Even so I realized that we would do much better at Pine Hill Lake (which I had photographed quickly in the morning) so I convinced them to head for Pine Hill. Dylan couldn’t make it to the end of the pier but he was still able to cast far out and he caught perhaps fifteen bluegills and two bullheads. I baited his hook and took the fish off for the most part and both Carole and I got some good photos. We all left in good spirits. I wanted to play golf so I stopped at the lazy swan country club (very nice) and shot a 50 with a birdie on the last par 3. I drove up to Bennington and walked around for an hour before heading off for a campground a few miles east of Bennington.

Saturday’s weather was again a concern, and I spent most of the day driving around in the rain. I did fish under a bridge when the rain stopped momentarily but though it seemed like a good spot, I had no hits on dries, nymphs and wooly buggers. When the rain began again I stayed under the bridge and that was fine. I got a room at the Comfort Inn in Rutland, and I decided to go to the movies, catching Super 8, which was very entertaining.
It was not raining when I woke up so I headed to the nearest stream and started fishing. It was a lovely stretch of water but very rocky and I had to move extremely slowly. I went about 75 years and didn’t get a hit so I gave up. The weather was still grim so I decided to head toward Bar Harbor. I stopped to fish again and foul hooked a tiny trout and later broke my rod trying to get my Royal Wulff out of a branch. Fortunately, I have my 2 weight with me and I can use that in most cases. The rain returned and I finally stopped in Gorham, New Hampshire, getting a decent room at the Town and Country motel and then watching the Heat lose to the Mavs at a local pizza/sports bar. Lebron was a great disappointment.
When I woke up I was going to take it easy and slowly make my way to Bar Harbor, but when I checked the weather, the report now said that Tuesday and Wednesday were going to suck with rain all day. I had done a wash and I was getting the oil changed when I decided to head for Ogunquit beach, much closer than Bar Harbor and the weather there was supposed to be okay until the evening. I called Kripalu and they let me change my reservation from Sunday to Tuesday and stay just three days and that makes a lot more sense considering the weather. I drove straight through and walking the Marginal Way again was rather splendid. A very captivating sight as the ocean waves broke on the sharp rocks. After that, the weather looked threatening but I decided to play golf and I played nine at Cape Neddick Country Club, a bit pricey but a lovely course. I shot a 47 and was quite pleased. After that I went for a lobster dinner at the Fox restaurant and then took a nap before walking along the sidewalk overlooking Wells beach. I decided to drive for an hour and made it just past Lowell where I stopped at the minuteman campground and got in a good bike ride.

2011-06-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

My trip is going very well. On Saturday I played golf at Ingleside and shot a 46, then I stayed in Edinburg, VA at the Creekside Campground and it was very pleasant. I rode my bike around the campground and had dinner at Sal’s Italian Bistro.
Sunday looked like the weather was going to be bad but I got in a fine bike ride along the canal bikeway and I stopped to fish the Potomac twice and caught five fish. By the time I got to Kelly’s at about 3 the weather had cleared and I had a lot of fun playing with Lucia. Kelly, Alfredo, Lucia and I went off to the park by the Patapsco river and had a nice walk followed by a nice Mexican dinner in Ellicott city. I watched the third game of the NBA finals and it was an exciting victory for the Heat.
I drove to Newark airport and since parking lot 6 was closed, I had to drive back to parking lot 3, no mean feat in that mess of roads. I got a quick walk in up to Times Square then headed for Gabes, Francesca and Julian and my visit there went very well. They cooked up dinner and I had fun playing with Julian. On Tuesday I went to visit my aunt Marie and had a great visit with her. She cooked my favorite shrimp dish and then we had a walk through the park and stopped to chat in the cooling breeze on a bench near the water. I got back to Gabes around 6:30 and then along with Jose we all watched the 4th game of the finals. On Wednesday I went to meet Herb at the Popover café and we had a long and friendly talk. Then I went off to the Museum of Natural History and went to the frog exhibit, the brain exhibit and then watched Journey to the Stars in the Rose Space Center. All three were very entertaining and the live frogs were quite interesting. Back at Gabes Francesca and her mother cooked dinner and we all had a lot of fun. Francesca’s mother was very nice.
I left around 10 on Thursday morning and got to my truck around 12. The drive up to Monticello was fine but the weather has deteriorated and I wasn’t able to play golf and I may not be able to fish the river this evening.

2011-06-03T18:41:00.001-07:00

A very busy week but it is Friday and class is basically over. I may have to look quickly at 2 portfolios but that is it. It was a fun class and it went so fast.
Claire’s graduation was a very nice event, not too long and with speakers who lacked pretense and made some good points. We went to sonic after to celebrate a little and I really enjoyed myself.
The borax treatment with the renewal of the insulation was today and the two Dodson workers also installed a power vent, which should help keep the humidity down. I am going to turn the refrigerator off while I am gone just in case the vent uses more power than they told me. It cost almost 1200 but now the wood is protected and the wet insulation is gone.
The greenhouse has been very productive with lettuce and sugar snap peas every day. The orchard has also produced, with the sweet cherry tree producing a lot of fruit. The bear got to my cherry so I will have to pick a little sooner next year. I don’t mind that much; the bear needs to eat also. The wineberries should be in when I return and that will be a treat.
Things with Cathy’s sister have gotten even worse and I talked to her a couple of days ago and it may have helped the situation a little.
I will be on my way tomorrow after I drive in to have my final, scheduled for two. I can’t wait to get on the road and to see Kelly, Alfredo and Lucia, Herb, Gabes, Francesca and Julian, and Marie. I may see Tina if we can set something up. I hope it’s not too hot up in New York.

2011-05-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

My application to VOF was not approved. With a Republican governor, the board is much more conservative and my plan to protect 120 acres forever won’t fly. Josh is going to contact the Western Virginia Land Trust and see if they can work with me. He said he was pretty sure they would be able to do what I wanted, but it would cost 7000 extra. That is a big blow and will wipe out a third of the tax break I hoped to get but I don’t have a choice. I wish Josh had told me earlier and moved me toward a group that would be more likely to support my goals for the property. I am not going to rush anything right now so I will attend to this in August when I return from my second trip.
Fresh lettuce and sugar snap pea pods every morning from the greenhouse.
I hurt my stomach real bad last week from too much shoveling, walking, golf and biking, but it is now feeling better and I even fished a little yesterday in the New right by the Dedmon center. I got four fish and many hits and nobody else was fishing there. My new combo rod worked very well.
My Maymester class is going well but I will be very glad when it finishes on Friday. I do have a three day weekend to recover and that should help me for the final four classes.
I have been cleaning up the cabin and I have gotten rid of at least 300 books, putting them on the free book shelves at RU. I vacuumed a little today and cleaned out the old newspapers and it is really looking much better. I still have a lot of books in the house and the cabin, certainly over a thousand.

2011-05-22T14:40:00.001-07:00

I beat up my stomach with all my shoveling, biking, golfing and hiking so today I am resting. I did go for a walk with Rob this morning and that was fun. We caught up on things and had some laughs. After that I went to visit Lou and Cathy because of a crisis with Cathy’s sister and that was helpful I think. We also had some laughs and I do think it cheered Cathy up a bit.
I hope that Irv can find the Addison’s Leather flower since that would make it easier to protect the property in the way I want. I should know by Wednesday if VOF will accept the changed proposal.
I am almost done with my grading for my Maymester course so tomorrow should be pretty easy.
I dropped off ten copies of my chapbook at Tracy’s along with the magazine article which she figures prominently in. She thanked me for it in an e-mail and wished me well. I wish her the same.
I have turned the vent free heater pilot off and I don’t think I will need any heat again. It was a bit chilly at night for a couple of days.

2011-05-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

I am feeling much more optimistic, and I think my getting off the Colchicine was a big factor in my feeling down. Two days after I stopped the drug, my hands were very stiff and I was feeling rather depressed. That lasted for a few more days and now I am feeling better.
Teaching has been my main concern and I had to do a lot of grading already. The class is going well and I have the second poems to read this weekend. That shouldn’t be too bad.
The idiots at Finishing Line press sent me an unbelievable e-mail which was a standard announcement which had no relevance to the address I am having the books sent to. They have done this all along and it is very frustrating and time wasting. If Marina’s artwork wasn’t on the cover, I would never have finished this project. Even worse is that they don’t care about wasting people’s time. That is sad and unprofessional.
I have done some pruning on the road and up to the cherry tree in my orchard and it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The culvert that I cleared has filled in again and I will have to shovel it out this weekend.
I have been eating some strawberries, many pea pods and some lettuce. I should have good organic greens until I leave on my trip.
I have set up a photo session with the DEC for my disabled article and that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
I have been playing golf regularly and shooting pretty well. It is a nice break from teaching.
I looked at the deed for the VOF conservation easement and it allowed much too much to be done to the property. Josh didn’t seem to understand what “forever wild” means but today I cleared things up and I think I will get what I want (at least 120 acres that are not touched at all). If they can’t help me Josh said that there are other groups who are more amenable to wilder tracts.

2011-05-14T14:52:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, I drove toward Accomac, crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel, always an interesting sight. I wanted to play golf so I called Bay Creek Resort and they had room so I went there and played the front nine of the more difficult Nicklaus course and did reasonably well with a 51. Many, many sand traps and very tight fairways made it quite challenging. After that I went into Cape Charles to have dinner at Kelly’s Gingernut Pub and watch the Kentucky Derby. My horse lost but it was a close race. I drove back to Kiptopeke State Park and got a camping site and then went on a long bike ride before returning to Kelly’s to watch the Miami/Boston game.
Sunday looked menacing in the morning but I figured I’d best get up to Chincoteague so I could hike the beach before my knee gave out and the long wild beach at Assateague was stunning. I walked in about a mile, sat and meditated for about twenty minutes and then walked back. There were only a few people and none bothered me with their noise. The weather was getting better so I decided to go bike riding and found a wonderful trail that looped away from the road and offered beach access. I rode about 5 miles of it, stopping at a bench to meditate some more and to watch the herons, geese and red-winged blackbirds. I drove back to my room to watch the first half of the Dallas game (that was all I needed to watch) and then I went off to play nine holes on a tight water laced course that I shot a 48 on because I really played well at the end. Dinner was fair and then I watched Atlanta beat Chicago.

Monday brought a return to the bike trail at Assateague and I rode in and then to the beach access. It was perhaps 100 yards away and I walked to it and sat down for a few minutes. On my return I rode the trail all the way around the marsh and it was grand. I saw white egrets, snowy egrets, Louisiana herons, glossy ibis and heard common yellowthroats and prairie warblers. I saw blue-eyed grass
And when I stopped at the visitor’s center on the way out I saw that there is water oak, bayberry, sweet bay, dogwood, wax myrtle and of the birds, there were northern shovelers, green winged teal and plovers along with the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel.
After a fine lunch at Bill’s I drove out to Captain’s Cove and played that course again. I met Ken and Sandy for dinner at Ruby Tuesdays and then we drove back to the house to watch the end of the Miami/Boston game and saw the Heat win in overtime.
My breathing was bad and I had to use my spray and that caused me to wake up at 4 and I had to take half a valium to fall back asleep. I got up after 7 and had breakfast with Ken and Sandy and tried to help Sandy with her porch project but hurt my knee pretty badly. She felt bad but I should have told her I couldn’t do anything were I had to deeply bend my knee.
We then packed up and went fishing on the ocean side and caught 8 fish, the biggest being some rays and 5 flounders, all too small to keep.
Ken and Sandy prepared dinner and Ken’s perch fillets from Gilman Pond were delicious. We had Ben and Jerry’s ice cream (Chunky Monkey and Cherry Garcia) and blueberries for dessert then watched the yankee game. I had to use my spray but I slept till 7:30 and that was good.
Ken and I went off to fish on the bay side and after checking out Half Moon island (which had been recommended) we headed to another island which ken had fished before and after we fished the northern end (again recommended) we fished the southern end where the current was pretty strong and there as we drifted again and again in the current I landed 4 15 inch stripers and Ken landed one, mainly because he was in charge of the boat. It was a lot of fun and we stopped one more time by one of the channel markers but had no luck. The wind picked up quickly and the ride back was pretty rough.
Ken and Sandy took me out to pasta night at a local restaurant and the food was first rate.
When we returned we watched the end of the Miami/Boston game and Lebron scored the last ten points on some sensational shooting.
After breakfast and some chatting on Thursday morning, I decided to head out since my breathing was getting bad and I bid my friends goodbye, hoping to see them in October to fish for some big stripers.
I drove for an hour then took a long nap then drove on to the Royal New Kent golf course where I played the front nine with two balls and shot a 97. I was hungry so I drove back to Carrabba’s for a decent dinner and then went to the KOA for a nap and a bike ride. After the ride I went back to Carrabba’s to watch the Chicago/Atlanta game.

Friday found me driving back from Williamsburg and I decided to fish the Maury on the way back. I saw a section south of Buena Vista that looked promising on the map and when I got there I did find a spot close to the river—if I had driven a few more miles I would have found much easier spots, but perhaps that explained how productive the spot was. I struggled down and my knees really felt it and it was tough even getting into the water, but once I did, the fishing was terrific. I must have caught 20 fish, mainly small redeye bass, on the rooster tail and the dressed mepps. I didn’t even wade 100 yards downstream to catch that many fish. It was sensational and I have to get back to see if it is always as good.
I cleaned out the truck when I got home and then did some yoga and weights. I had some lettuce and snow peas from the green house, and then I drove into town to see Memphis upset the Thunder and force a seventh game.
This morning looked grim but when I looked at the weather forecast (rain for the next four days), I decided I should cut the grass. I finished everything but the cabin area when the mower stalled so I went back to the house, did twenty minutes of practicing, fixed up a few things there and went back to the lawn tractor, which started up and allowed me to get right to the shed before it stalled out. I was able to restart it and just get it in the shed. I have two trees full of apples and one cherry with a lot of fruit. I had some broccoli from the green house along with some sugar snap pea pods. Very good.
After that I drove in to see Thor and it was pretty entertaining.
I am spending a lot of time thinking about my spiritual state and I know the thing I fear is eternal damnation. This of course comes from my catholic upbringing but it is a real concern and it is why I went to confession before I had my colon resection. I would like to partake of a more gentle religion, like Unitarianism, but that wouldn’t address the eternal damnation question. I don’t want to do anything because I am fearful or lonely so I am not sure what to do. Perhaps I will call the Catholic priest to talk.

2011-05-09T05:22:00.001-07:00

2011-05-07T06:45:00.001-07:00

My trip out to Accomac has started very well. I got off early and by noon I was in Richmond. I couldn’t fix my Amtrak ticket but I did a nice bike ride by the canal and then I walked up to the state capitol and it was rather interesting. The governor’s mansion was large enough and the statues and other buildings were scenic.
I drove on toward Williamsburg and then stopped to play nine at Royal New Kent, where I played the back nine, which I had played before, and shot a 50, not bad for a course with a hundred sandtraps.
I decided to go to a campground and the place was quiet enough and clean if a little expensive. After a nap I went to Starbucks and did my grades and caught up on my e-mails.
Then I went to Carraba’s for dinner (excellent sea bass) and watched Chicago destroy Atlanta. I was tired but it was only nine so I went to Chili’s to watch the LA game and met a pretty and intense married woman who was trying to convert me to her form of Christianity (where there are three levels of hell, the top one total silence). I listened to her because I am searching for more spiritual comfort in my life. Jeff thinks more meditation will help but I am not sure. I am very skeptical of organized religion and I remain an agnostic, though I would like to believe in something eternal. Nature is still a great comfort to me but my Catholic background (judgment day and everlasting perdition) still resonates. I don’t want to commit to a belief system just because I am getting old and things like the gout make my mortality increasingly evident. I am truly not sure what to do.

2011-05-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

I had Josh Gibson out from Virginia Outdoor Foundation and the conservation easement process is very much underway. He was very pleasant and I gave him some asparagus and he thought my plans reasonable.
I went back to yoga and weights this morning after riding the stationary bike at a lower level. My knees hurt a little but feel pretty good. I am planning to play golf this afternoon if the weather stays nice.
With the sawzall, I cut the small tree which had fallen near the culvert, ten minutes of work, and brought the new treated gas up to the lawn tractor.
I graded some this morning and I don’t have much left to do. I should be done by the time my truck is finished with its servicing.
I redid my finances this morning because I was again unrealistic with how much I am spending. My new plan is much more realistic and really doesn’t change my retirement age, still looking solid at 64, with 63 possible with a buyout.
I had Dodson exterminators out and I have signed up for a borax treatment to protect the wood in the crawlspace and a power vent to get the humidity down. There are no signs of termites so that is good news. They are also going to treat the outside and the crawlspace for mice and ants, but I told them not to do anything inside. The debris below the ridgeline up in the attic is just from the wind, no insect activity going on there, more good news.
Still nothing on Match but I will keep checking.

2011-05-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

The semester is almost over and I am ready for a break. I have to grade the two 202 finals and that’s about it.
On Saturday, I over did it, hiking, biking, and playing golf and I paid on Sunday. Both my knees hurt but I decided to ride the bike in the pasture so by the time I went up to see Jeff, Rachel and Benjamin, I was in sorry shape. Anyway, the Heat won and I hope it will be a good series.
Today I felt better and my jaw is recovering from last week’s tooth cleaning and my knees feel slightly better. I hope my knees aren’t going to interfere with my visit to Ken and Sandy. I am taking it very easy for the next few days.
I have finished my outline and rules for Maymester and I don’t expect any problems with that course.
Still no prospects on Match. The woman I e-mailed didn’t respond.

2011-04-29T10:30:00.001-07:00

Not much left to do to finish the semester. I have to grade the finals in both 202 classes and read and comment on the 470 papers. I will finally be getting my money for the research grant over the next three pay periods. I had nice parties with my 310 and 470 students and in the 470 class we watched some funny videos on you tube.
I have eaten a few strawberries and more lettuce out of the greenhouse and I should have some peas and a lot of strawberries coming in.
I taped screening over the pipes that lead into the house, two for the heating system (which hasn’t been used in years and I think had an old hornet’s nest in it) and the one into the solar batteries.
I am almost done with the new door screen. I have to put the screen on after I put the hardware cloth this morning. I wish I had an electric staple gun but a battery powered one costs around a hundred and I don’t know how many uses I will have for it. The screen fits perfectly.
Spring is almost over and redbuds are ending along with the bluebells. I still have wild geranium and fire pinks but the amazing spring burst is over.
The big rain sent some soft earth into the culvert, but it is still open and I will fix it tomorrow.
No real prospects on Match but I keep checking.

2011-04-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

The last two days, Saturday and Sunday, have been busy but a lot of fun. Since Friday was rainy, I ended up grading most of the day and got a lot of stuff done, allowing me a lot of flexibility on the weekend. Saturday I drove down to Allisonia and rode the New River Trail for a total of seven miles. I could have done more but my hands were bothering me a little. After that I drifted off south and eventually ended up on part of walker creek east of bland. At my first stop, I caught one bass and had several other hits. The Mepps spinner worked best and the crankbait lure got a few hits. None on the popper. At my second stop near the correctional facility, I caught three fish, two bass and a bluegill. The raft which passed me had only caught nine so I hadn’t done too badly. After that I went and played nine holes of golf at the meadows and shot a 45 on the front nine.
This morning I got the tractor out and finished clearing out the collapsed bank. It took about 20 buckets and it really looks good right now. A heavy rain will be the test but with about 70 buckets gone, another collapse shouldn’t be too severe. After that I drove to Pandapus pond for a hike with rob. We saw windflower, wintergreen, chickweed, yellow violets. We met renata and her two daughters and I took them off to look for crawfish and minnows. They found two crawfish and rob told me renata said she appreciated the break. After a nap, I headed out to Walker creek again and fished about five miles from Perisburg just below the bridge where the river crosses. It was tricky getting down but the large pool there had a number of fish and I got three and one as I waded upstream. Getting back up to the road was difficult and next time I will try to find an easier access. Following this I went to play nine holes at Castle Rock, but with 4 holes left I was too tired and my score went up. Still, it was fun. I could hardly move after I got to the truck but after a sushi dinner at Poor Billy’s and now coffee at Mill Mountain, I am ready to do some work, though fortunately I only have a little left.

2011-04-22T12:33:00.001-07:00

Things are busy but well. The spring flowers are all over the place with new ones like wild geranium and fire pinks coming on.
I had a nice walk on Wednesday with Rob by Deercroft and while we saw lots of wildflowers (spring beauties, golden ragwort, chickweed, and about a dozen others), it wasn’t close to Wildwood.
I have finally gotten the galleys from Finishing Line and I will get to them next week.
My summer school class is holding at 16 so I will get paid in full.
I haven’t heard from Jeff and I hope Benjamin is okay. Jeff thinks it is a diet problem but Rob doesn’t.
My semester is still going well and I will be done in less than two weeks.
I went fishing yesterday on little walker and got one small redeye on a Mepps spinner. My line was getting tangled so I am going to replace it today. I may go biking and fishing on the new river trail tomorrow if the weather is okay.
Even though I have stopped performing I am playing a lot at home and learning new pieces.
I ate some broccoli from the greenhouse a couple days ago and today I had a big dish of fresh lettuce. Two of the trays of strawberries seemed to have suffered a shock and I hope they aren’t going to die.
I looked for morels a couple days ago but found none. I think the deer and the turkeys are having a fine time.

2011-04-18T10:33:00.001-07:00

A good weekend of golf, practicing, fishing, and projects. On Sunday I started digging out the bank that had collapsed by the first culvert, and I must have dug out 50 buckets. I got the tractor at a bad angle at one point but fortunately it didn’t tip over. I then had to dig out the actual culvert and after some hard shoveling, I finally found it.
This morning I went back to work and dug out another 25 buckets and it looks pretty good. I also dug out the leaves and debris and now the culvert is back working even though I should probably get another 10 buckets out. Let’s see what a big rain does. I checked the oil (fine) and the transmission fluid (it probably could use a pint) and the battery water (fine) so things are okay with the tractor. I should grease it again with all the work I have been doing.
Jeff and Rachel’s baby Benjamin has some health concerns and tests should be back today or tomorrow. I watched the Knicks game last night with them and we had a good time. They may come visit next weekend.
I finished caulking the lower part of the house after I found some bees going into one of the gaps in the caulking. I remember when Tracy and I had bees in the bedroom and that was no fun.
Still haven’t heard from Rob and I hope things are okay with him.
No luck on match but I will keep checking.

2011-04-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

A good Friday, with practicing, playing golf to beat the rain, cutting the grass to beat the rain, fishing the North Fork to beat the rain, caulking the lower part of the house to beat the rain, and taking a flower walk—to beat the rain.
The flower walk was grand. The hollow is so beautiful right now with all the bluebells and redbuds, and all the pale green leaves just coming out. There is no better place to live. Twinflowers are done, and toothwort is ending, but rue anemone is still strong along with star chickweed. The large flowered white trillium is starting as is wild geranium. Dogwoods are flowering and I saw spring beauties out by my gate. Wild Mustard and grape hyacinth out in the pasture and garlic mustard soon to start. Still some shepards purse, purple dead nettle and Persian speedwell. Large flowered bellwort on the big rock. You can’t really ask for more.
The Louisiana waterthrush has been back for a couple of weeks and I heard the winter wren almost daily a week ago. I have heard the rufus sided towhee and the Great Horned at night.
I am troubled by the budget battles and I hope the poor and the middle class aren’t screwed too bad.
The Coleman and Nan Lacy awards reading yesterday was fine with about 30 people in attendance.
I check out two of the match e-mails but none of the women listed appealed to me.
I did get another writing assignment for Kaatskill Life, this time an article on fishing for the handicapped. I want to also do another one on how my fishing has changed as I have gotten older.
I heard from Bill Rudge that the hatchery lease is gone and the DEC will be taking over. It might be a place where they allow handicapped fishing. Perhaps an article there.
No word still from Don Devine, so I will have to contact him soon.
My grading is going well, but I am pretty exhausted right now.

2011-04-13T13:27:00.001-07:00

Things are going well but very busy. I finished with the Coleman awards and now all I have to do is mc the reading on Thursday. I graded and graded so this weekend shouldn’t be too bad although I have to represent the department at the open house on Saturday.
The bluebells are almost peaking and the redbuds are coming on strong. Twin leaf is done and so are the bloodroots. Chickweed is out and rue anemone. I went up and looked at the fruit trees by the solar panels and four of them are doing fine. I think I am going to fertilize them and trim around them. No asparagus yet but I am sure by next week.
The mice are back but I went underneath yesterday and completely sealed around all the vents. I hope to trap out the remaining ones and end the infestation. Hard to say.
No response from the woman on match so I will have to keep searching.

2011-04-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

Today turned out very well. Rob put me on a steroid inhaler last night and I slept very well, almost until 9 am. I didn’t cough much at all during the day. I marked up some of the endless rewrites of the poems, practiced my sax, and then headed off to play nine holes of golf.
I shot a 47 on the front nine despite being rained on for the last three holes.
I then did more grading and headed home to watch the Masters. It looked grim for Tiger through the early holes but he had a fabulous back nine (31) with some amazing shots. He is tied for third and tomorrow should be very interesting.
I practiced some more, did my yoga and weights and then took a short walk because storms were coming in and I got back to the house just in time.
I built one of the new windows out of hardware cloth and it is working well, no squirrels.
Justin Craig has paid me back the money I had forgiven, but I am going to use it. I have had a lot of medical expenses and other costs and I am sure my truck is going to need some work shortly. I may send him some money back but I am not sure.
I e-mailed a woman on Match and I’ll see if she responds.

2011-04-06T15:36:00.001-07:00

A fine day, practicing and riding the bike and then off for a wildflower walk. Coltsfoot is just past peak, as is the bloodroot. Chickweed and cut-leaved toothwort are out along with rue anemone. The bluebells should be flowering shortly, and the trillium is up. Persian speedwell, Pennsylvania bitter cress, shepard’s purse out in the pasture, also purple dead nettle.
The greenhouse is doing fine and I should have some lettuce in ten days. No asparagus is up yet but it should be my next week.
I played golf and shot a 49 on the back nine even with a 10 on the par 5 where I hit my first shot way to the right and needed 5 shots just to get back on the fairway, hitting two bad shots and hitting two trees.
I went for a hike with Rob and his two students in Wildwood and we saw lots of things: purple dead nettle, ground ivy, toothwort, chickweed, hepatica, dwarf larkspur (just about to bloom), dutchmen’s breeches, large flowered bellwort, wild ginger, may apple (just about to flower), small flowered crowfoot, bloodroot, solomon’s seal (about to flower)¸ spring beauties, violets, persian and corn speedwells, marsh marigold. My leg is hurting.

2011-04-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

A bike ride this morning in the pasture. Coltsfoot is at peak, with bloodroot, rue anemone, violets, speedwells, cress, henbit, purple dead nettle, toothwort. Bluebells very soon and redbuds soon also.
David King will come out and pump the septic in a few months and that should solve the problem.
Things with Eileen didn’t work out, so I am back on Match to see who else is around.

2011-04-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

The past week has been very busy, with setting up the Coleman contest, grading midterms and poems and papers, fixing things around the house, and trying to practice my sax. My article in Kaatskill Life appeared and the photos look great. I should get the chapbook galleys next week, and that should appear by the end of the month. My NPR essay about the trout pond ran this week but I haven’t heard it yet.
I had lunch with Eileen and she was attractive and nature-oriented, and we are planning to take a hike in Wildwood on Sunday.
My hands are doing well (2 out of 10 on the pain scale and I am down to 4 mg of prednisone).
Justin Craig has kept pushing me too much in my lessons so I have decided to stop taking lessons. I offered to still play with him at Gillies on occasion.
I made up a new batch of gas mix for the chainsaw and ran it for a few minutes. It’s good to know that it is there if I need it. I fixed the blemish in the kitchen ceiling and it looks much better. I also rode the bike, did yoga and weights, graded a lot of paper and began reading Ethan Frome.
When I left the hollow, I went and played nine holes at the Meadows and shot a 48 from the red tees. It was pretty cold.

2011-03-25T10:19:00.001-07:00

Things are going well. My hands are feeling pretty good and I have finished up some more projects in the house. I bought a print and frame and I glued some soundproofing to the back of it to cut down on the noise from the circuit breaker box. I also treated all the wood that is exposed to the soil with the termite spray. I had to shut all the windows in the tractor barn because the squirrels were getting in through a tear in the screen. After I closed the first two, they torn up the screens in both in an attempt to get in. I am sure they were building a nest.
I took a hike yesterday and there is bloodroot out, coltsfoot, cress, speedwells, rue anemone, and toothwort. I have seen a lot of purple dead nettle outside the hollow. When it warms a little a lot more should be happening.
The greenhouse is doing nicely, and my first tray of peas are over five inches tall. The peas in the second tray are coming up, and I have about 30 blooms on the strawberries. The lettuce in one tray is up and I am hopeful about the second tray. The broccoli plants are doing fine.
Wimmer came and picked up the lawn tractor and the service fellow was able to grease the fitting by turning the connecting bar. I hadn’t tried that and he got plenty of grease in.
I have gotten a very positive response from the woman I e-mailed on Match and I hope to meet her soon. She sounds very nature oriented.

2011-03-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

I played golf at the Meadows today and shot a 47 from the red tees. I made some very good putts.
I have finished up almost all the projects at home. The greenhouse leak is fixed, and I cleaned out the cattleguard. I set up the 250 gallon tank so if we have some rain I will start storing it. I cleaned out the asparagus patch near the orchard and then I started the lawn tractor to charge up the battery but after idling for a few minutes it died and wouldn’t start again. I called Wimmer and they are coming out tomorrow to pick it up and also look at the problematic grease fitting on the big tractor. I cleaned out a couple more bags of junk from the house and cabin so everything looks cleaner.
The chair of the SAMLA committee wrote back and wants to see a proposal so I will send that in in a few days. My chapbook should be out in a month and my article in Kaatskill Life will be out soon. I have not gotten a poem accepted from this mailing so that is a bit of a disappointment.
My hands are doing well, and I am now off the colchicine and down to 4 and ½ mgs of Prednisone. I still have a slight cough and though Rob thinks it is asthmatic, I wonder if it might be some of the meds.

2011-03-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

The memorial for Liam was quite powerful and Kelly held up very well. I read my poem and got a good reaction from it, and I was able to chat with Paula Corson and Kelly’s dad Ray. He looked a little weak. Playing with Lucia was a lot of fun and I hope I can play with her again in June.
The teaching week was not too bad, and I have a lot of papers and poems to read and grade. My poety reading on Tuesday went well and there were about 20 people there. I have volunteered to host one of the admitted student days in April but that won’t be too hard.
Coltsfoot is up and almost at peak, and there is a cress and speedwells in the pasture. I sealed the rest of the vents in the foundation with the foam insulation and I put out more traps. I found a hole in one of the plastic screens on one of the vents, and I sealed that up also. I cut and installed the piece of 1 x 4 at the basement door and caulked it and painted it. No mice can get in there. So far my traps haven’t caught any mice so perhaps I have them all out. The solar panels are keeping the electricity up enough so I haven’t had to burn any gasoline all week. I hope I will be able to equalize the batteries when I get several days of full sun. The greenhouse is doing okay but I have had to replant the peas since many didn’t come up and I have yet to see any lettuce. This morning I planted 8 broccoli plants in one of the trays and I will see how that turns out. I planted another tray of peas and I put new soil in two of the trays and planted lettuce in both. I am not planting spinach because of the gout I have. I worked on the road and that is in reasonable shape but once things dry out completely I will have to move about thirty buckets of soil from the collapsed bank so that the top culvert will work again. The second and third culverts are much more important and they are fixed so there is no rush. I think the leak in the greenhouse will be pretty easy to fix since it looks like a plug has popped out. Replacing that may solve the whole problem. Nothing going on in the owl house yet. I cut back the butterfly bush and it is coming along well.
After grading a little this morning I decided to play golf even though I am supposed to perform this evening. The Meadows and Auburn hills were crowded so I drove out to Castle Rock and played nine. I made some nice shots and shot a 52. I will probably be a little shaky this evening when I perform at Gillies but Luke will be there so that hides me some.

2011-03-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

Today was very productive. I fixed the road some, shoveling and then dumping the rest of one load of crusher run on the middle water bar and one load of 357 in the big rut near the bottom. The scraper worked okay even though the ground was still pretty wet. The road is much better.
I then cut back the butterfly bush which was cutting out the sun for the greenhouse. It should grow back as a smaller bush and that will be perfect.
I replanted the peas filling in the missing spaces. I have about 15 plants up. I also reseeded the lettuce since none of it came up, perhaps too cold.
I have given up on equalizing the solar for now since I ran the generator at 13 amps for maybe ten hours after I got the batteries as full as I could (1240 in cell one, 1250 in cell two, and 1265 in cell three) and the batteries didn’t read any higher. I will try again next week when the sun is out and I can get more juice in. Even if I only get 7 or 8 years more out of them (as the guy at Rolls thought I should), I hope to be long gone by then.
The mice are definitely back in the basement and I am going to try to seal the spaces around the vents and I am going to put a piece of 1 by 4 at the bottom of the door even though it still looks pretty tight. I got some caulk and foam insulation and mouse traps and hand grenades. Let the second battle begin.
I figured out how much propane I have used since the last delivery on November 29. I have about 29 percent in the 500 gallon tank, and the 100 gallon tank is still full so I have used an average of 2.87 gallons a day. I have enough for another month and a half at least, so I have no concerns about running out for now.
I ran the lawn tractor to recharge the battery and it started after I gave it a spray of starter fluid.
I checked the owl house but I didn’t see anything going on.
I have all my work done for Monday, and yesterday I went to my office and cleaned up all my files so that is out of the way.
I will leave for the memorial tomorrow, and I think the poem is quite good.

2011-03-09T17:27:00.001-08:00

I spoke to Rolls and the batteries should last at least 6 or 7 years with how I am handling them, but Serge thought that there was a good chance that I had never really equalized them since the best I have ever done is to get them all above 1250. Serge said that I have to get the actual battery voltage above the equalizing voltage setting (now set at 64) before any equalizing will occur. He also said that I have to get all the cells up to 1265 or within 5 points of that before equalizing will start. I did some more charging today and it was interesting that when I started the actual battery voltage was 62.6 and by the time I finished, more than three hours later, the abv was 62.2, meaning the batteries lost some charge. It doesn’t make sense but when the sun comes out next week, I am going to do my best to equalize those damn batteries. Perhaps I am being severely punished for something I did in a past life.
My lunch with Gyorgyi yesterday was very pleasant, and then I went to play golf at Blue Hills and made a remarkable putt of over fifty feet to end with a 48 from the red tees. I actually started shouting I was so excited. After that I took a nap and went to Carraba’s for dinner and then a quick walk in the mall.

2011-03-08T07:15:00.001-08:00

The solar saga continues. I called Outback on Friday morning and spoke to one Katie and she was helpful. She explained how to reset the mate (which involves disconnecting it and the flex-net, reconnecting the mate, charging the batteries to full, then reconnecting the flex-net). She told me that I could equalize the hell out of the batteries and that is what I started to do. In regular charging mode, the amperage coming in was between 2 and 3 which meant that it would take me months to charge the batteries. Even in equalizing mode, I could only get 13 amps coming in before the generator kicked out. I called Bryan and he said that the instructions that Katie gave me were for the solar controller only, not the generator. I had to call Bryan back a number of times and finally yesterday morning I got the batteries bubbling like I have never heard them, this time from equalizing them from yesterday’s bright sunlight. I actually got scared they were going to blow up, so I turned off the equalization (which was coming in at around 17) and the rate dropped to between 2 and 3. The first three cells are at 1240, 1250 and 1260 and I am going to try to do more tomorrow. I called Katie back and she said that I have to follow the equalizing instructions from the battery company (Rolls batteries) but they didn’t return my call. I have to admit, when I finally leave the hollow, I won’t miss the solar system at all. I have paid more than my dues to be environmentally sane.
After my battery duties, and practicing my sax, riding the bike and cleaning up the house a little, I headed off to play golf and shot quite well from the red tees (55 for ten holes). I wore the winter gloves and the wrist braces and swung pretty well. After that I stopped at my office to pick up some books and I headed for Wolf Creek but when I got to the flooded Walker I saw that there was no chance Wolf would be down so I headed up to the Cascades and stopped just outside the entrance. Though the water was fast it was rather clear and there were some decent pools. I fished a number of them with a wooly bugger and though I didn’t get a hit, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
The wildflowers are certainly beginning, and coltsfoot is getting close to peak, and I saw the cress at the gate. I need to do a flower walk tomorrow to see if any hepatica is up and perhaps other things.
Kelly and Alfredo both liked the poem for Liam and I will be reading it on Sunday at the service. I spoke with her for a long time and though she has planned it well, I think it is going to be very emotional for all of us.
I am up to 100 mg of allopurinol (Rob thinks I may have to go up to 300 mg) and I think it is making my hands hurt a little more, which is to be expected. I don’t want to increase the prednisone past the 5 mg I am taking but if the pain gets much worse (it is 3 out of 10 right now) I may have to for a short time. It is great to be able to use my hands as much as I am, so a little more pain is a very cheap price.
Tuesday morning and my equalizing efforts continued. The batteries read slightly higher but I got some battery instructions online from Rolls and they hinted that the batteries might stay the same for a time. I did my practicing and bike riding and I am headed off to see Jeff and then have a late lunch with Gyorgyi.

2011-03-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

The teaching week is over for me and now I don’t have to be back till the following Monday since it is spring break. It has been a good week for my hands and though they are hurting slightly more (1.5 out of 10), I have no complaints. I was able to help Cameron with the ladders on Tuesday and I have done a few things around the house which require use of my hands. I have been able to practice quite a bit and my hands haven’t been stiff in the morning.
I took a nice walk with Rob this evening, and we are planning a flower walk this weekend. I know that coltsfoot and cress and speedwell are out and more should be coming shortly. I plan to go fishing tomorrow (I would have played golf but I am performing tomorrow night), and do some work around the house.
I have a pretty good idea about the solar system now, but the solution I figured out, to charge the batteries by equalizing them, is not a great idea according to Bryan. The sun was charging them rapidly this morning (19 Amps) but as soon as the Outback read 95% the controller cut down the juice to around 6 amps, even though the batteries were actually nowhere near full (1215). So I am wasting all that solar and I need to figure out a way to bypass the Outback so the sun can keep sending in more energy. I will have to talk to Bryan again.
I have made major revisions to the Liam memorial poem and I think Kelly will be very moved. I hope to send her a copy by the end of the weekend.

2011-02-27T15:41:00.000-08:00

Very good news. My hands are much better, to the point where I almost feel no pain. Rob thinks it is the allopurinol working on the Uric acid level, but for whatever reason, I am in much better shape physically and mentally. I played golf yesterday with my wrist braces, and I expected my hands to be hurting this morning, but they were not. Even yesterday evening, I didn’t have to take any Tylenol to sleep. I just hope that things continue to get better. If so I may even go take a look at Match.com again.
I got the batteries fully charged and somewhat equalized so that is a relief. I shouldn’t have to do anything until late April now.
Cameron is coming out to caulk the upper part of the house and to clean the gutters on Tuesday. With that done I only have a few small things to take care of. I have been cleaning out a bag of garbage here and there and I will continue that this week.

2011-02-24T16:52:00.000-08:00

A long week of teaching but I am finished for now.
I think the extra walk with Rob and perhaps the Monday golf have really injured my knee. I have rested it for three days and it is still bothering me. I hope it will heal back up as it often does.
I can’t shake the cough I have and I think it may have to do with one of the meds so I am going to ask Rob about it soon. It isn’t too bad but it is quickly getting old. My hands are about the same so that is reasonable.
My finances are stable but I am not sure if I should go down to Charlotte for a few days during spring break. Spring will be further along but I am trying to spend less, particularly since I signed up for the Kripalu seminar (5 days). I guess weather will help determine things. If it going to be awful up here, Charlotte or Columbia will seem more attractive.

2011-02-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

My hands were okay from my golf outing and I spent some time on Saturday working on various projects. I planted some spinach and sugar snap peas, fertilized them and the strawberries (which are starting to turn bright green). I also fixed the broken pole in the orchard, though it was tough on my hands, though I realized at the end that I would have to go back tomorrow to fix the charger which has started to slip down the pole.
Today I went back out to the orchard and fixed the charger, finishing replacing the screen in the barn window, and fertilized all the fruit trees. I also treated the gas for the generator and yesterday the solar panels put out 5.5 kilowatts, almost a record. I hope that by changing the settings I have helped in allowing more energy to enter the batteries.
I did all my practicing (hopefully, I will play better on Friday) and some grading and reading. The Ambassadors is an incredibly dense book and I have to read it very slowly. The Mill on the Floss is a much easier read.
Rob and I had a nice hike and I helped Noah with the new drill gun and tool kit I bought him. He does seem interested and I am glad to explain things to him.

2011-02-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

Everything at the house is in good shape and this morning I decided to head off and play golf. I haven’t played since late December when my arms and hands hurt so much that night that I couldn’t sleep. I had to play at Castle Rock because the other courses were crowded because of the good weather. I decided to hit from the 150 mark on the 10th hole, and with my wrist braces on over my thin winter golf gloves, I was able to hit okay. A solid hit with the hybrid went 100 yards and I hit a few good wedges. After I was done my hands hurt some but not too much and I thought I would be able to perform later.
I went home, napped, did some chores and then went into Blacksburg to play. I made a number of minor mistakes early on, but overall the performance was adequate and we got a lot of applause. I will not play golf on a performance day again, but it was a lot of fun to play.
Tomorrow or Sunday I am hoping to go fishing and that will be a nice return to something that my hands might prevent. Let’s see how tonight is and if I sleep okay.

2011-02-17T18:11:00.000-08:00

Kelly read the poem I sent her and she wants me to work on it. She also sent me a picture of her and Liam that Alfredo took and it was too powerful for words. I can’t imagine what she went through, and what she still suffers.
My classes are done for the week and I think things are still going well. My all female poetry class is working very well and the conferences have been very productive. I spoke with Rosemary and explained my treatment plan (to work to lower the Uric acid level and see if it affects things) and she said I could wait until late summer to decide on course load. I should have a pretty good idea of how I’ll be by then.
I practiced this morning, rode the bike, and took a hike up to the orchard.
This evening I took a long walk with Rob and I may see him tomorrow after my performance. He is going dancing and I hope that turns out well.
The plugged in refrigerator is going well, and I changed the setting for the Outback. It should allow the panels to charge the batteries for a longer period.

2011-02-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

Rob clarified the situation with my hands a little. While the first lupus test and the second, more refined test were positive, he is not 100% sure I have lupus, although I definitely have an auto-immune disease. He is going to call the specialist in Richmond tomorrow and if he can’t get him he is going to call the one recommended at Duke. I really want to know what is going on but I probably won’t know for several weeks.
I practiced, did yoga and weights, got the tractor out to even out the ruts in the dirt road, and then took a hike down to the pasture, stopping at my favorite white pine to thank it for another hike and to ask it for help so I can stay for several years in the hollow.
I then went into town and helped Noah move some furniture around in his room—which he really appreciated—and then took a long hike with Rob.
I got Kelly’s letter last night and I was amazed by it, and by the strength and courage she had through her terrible experience.

2011-02-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

The big news is that the second, more extensive Lupus test was positive so that is what I have. Not good news, but according to Rob, in some cases it is fairly easy to treat. He is going to get me an appointment with a good rheumatologist as soon as he can. He knows of a good one in Richmond and I wouldn’t mind going back to Duke. I just have to wait and see. I am on one 5mg prednisone a day and that—along with some Tylenol—is keeping me going for now.
I alerted my chair and she has been very understanding. I told her I want to keep teaching for now and it will be hard to predict if and when I will have to make changes.
The good news is that I dropped off the stuff for the easement at Stellar One and Sandra, the chief loan officer, thought the application and summary looked fine. I also mailed the application to John Eustis and the New River Land Trust to get that going. The equity line is approved and I should have access to the money on Monday. That is when I told my ex she can cash the 8000 check.
A lot of sun in the hollow so I am keeping the batteries up, and the propane is about 43% in the main tank so I should have no problem until April, at the earliest.

2011-02-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

I took the prednisone this morning at 6 and Rob thought I should take a second one at 10. I am at Mill Mountain and it’s a little past 7 and they should start kicking in.
My septic system backed up this morning and after talking with David King (who had installed the system and serviced it last summer) I got to work. I called Mike to help out but I was able to do it myself. The big problem was getting the concrete cover off the first collection tank. It was much too heavy for me to lift but I got the tractor out, attached a chain to the cover and lifted it up. The filter inside was, as David suggested, very dirty, so I cleaned it out with a hose and a screwdriver and in a half hour it was back in. I lowered the cover and the job was done.
After practicing and grading poems and journals, I headed out to Rob’s to take a walk and when I got there Rob and I installed a dimmer switch with Rob doing most of the work since my hands were hurting. We then took a nice walk and after I picked up some antibiotics for my chest cold, I met Rob and his friend Rick for dinner at Gillies, where I had played last night (Yesterday for the first time).
I think Stellar One is going to work with me on the conservation easement, but it is going to take some time and may cost me some upfront money. I would like to get the equity line going immediately but I am not sure that I can. My money will be tight for a bit, but my income tax refunds should get me through to May when the 403B comes due.

2011-02-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

The pain in my hands has returned to a very high level, even with going to Jeff and Dr. Cooley. The new diagnosis of gout is being questioned by the doctors since the medicines are not working. Rob thinks it might be an auto immune disease and that could be serious. I alerted my chair and my students but I really want to keep teaching and I hope things don’t get worse. I practiced this morning (my fingertips are still okay) and I am planning to play tonight at Gillie’s although my heart isn’t in it. The past week had been very difficult and I am pretty worn out. I have started the conservation easement process but I still have to get an approval from Stella One and I hope that will come soon or I may have to go to a different bank. Some of my friends are having problems and I have been able to talk with them and give them some support.

2011-01-29T14:17:00.000-08:00

The evening after my first session with Dr. Cooley, my hands felt better. The next day they were okay but toward evening they started to hurt again (8.5 out of 10). I went to Rob’s office in the morning and they drew seven vials of blood and I was hopeful that something could be figured out. The results came back on Wednesday and it seems like I have gout (unusual in both hands) since my uric acid level is 11 and it is supposed to be below 5. It also turns out that the blood pressure medication I was on contributes to gout so Rob put me on another medication and on Colchicine, which should help reduce the pain. I started it on Thursday and my hands were better on Friday, good enough to let me play at Gillie’s with Justin and Luke. We played quite well and got a lot of applause. I also went to see Jeff on Friday and he worked on my hands and that also seemed to help. We talked about alternative approaches and he suggested the Kripalu institute and I am going to get some info and see if such a place could help me. I certainly don’t like all the drugs I am on now and I would like to explore alternatives.
Today I rode the exercise bike and then after a couple of naps took a long hike but each step was difficult and when I returned I had to take another nap. Now, at Barnes and Noble, I am feeling better although I think my exercise for the day it over. My hands are okay, about 5 out of 10 on the pain scale, and I think a slight bit worse than yesterday.

2011-01-21T17:55:00.000-08:00

I got up and practiced, rode the bike and did weights and yoga. My wrists were okay, and then I drove into town, picked up the wrist x-rays, and went to see Dr. Cooley. He examined me and then did some electric stimulation, some manual manipulation, and thought I would see progress in a couple of weeks. I then went to my office and started reading Emma and checking the writing samples. More practicing followed and then I talked to Jeff Armistad about an easement on my property. I don’t think I can go back on my promise to the trees so I am going to do the easement even if I lose a lot of money. I will just have to work a few more years. Jeff also mentioned that my condition might be Lyme’s disease, and I am going to ask Rob about that tomorrow. In the evening I met Cathy, Claire and Maddie, and we figured out a good computer for her and also a carrying bag, photo shop, and an extended warranty that covers accidents. The Best Buy Geek Squad will come to their house to set up the printer and install Photo Shop. I must say that after my session with Dr. Cooley, my hands are killing me and I felt somewhat sick. He did say that might happen. I have to stay positive.

2011-01-20T17:53:00.000-08:00

My first week of teaching is over and everything is going well. My upper level classes are both 15, and my 202s are 35. I did a good thematic lecture in the James/Wharton class and I thought my 202 lecture was also pretty good.
I saw Jeff today and he worked on my wrists and that helped. He would like me to go straight to an acupuncturist but I am going to try Dr. Cooley, recommended by Justin Craig. He does a non-needle acupuncture with electric stimulus, and if that doesn’t work, I will try regular acupuncture.
I figured out my finances last evening and if I sell the hollow for 200K I will end up with 30 for myself, not a very promising figure. I am okay right now, especially if I stop travelling so much (I spend about 11K a year).
I spoke to Doug Sisson about selling the hollow and he referred me to Tom, the old office manager. Tom made it clear that they don’t want the hollow with any easements on it. That is a big problem but I am still waiting to hear from Carol to see if I can sell it on the regular market. I am hoping I can make a compromise with the Sissons but that seems unlikely.
I will be getting Claire her graduation present (a new laptop) on Friday, and I think it will be a good distraction for her, and it will be a big help when she goes to RU.
I e-mailed Rebecca and told her I don’t think I am a good candidate for a serious relationship (mainly my pantheism and my deteriorating physical condition). I would enjoy seeing her again but I don’t think it will go anywhere.
I had a nice walk with Rob and he thinks I should go for the cortisone shots right away, but I will try the other stuff first.

2011-01-17T13:26:00.000-08:00

I had lunch with Rebecca on Saturday but I don’t think it went too well. I think she was turned off by my lack of belief in Jesus and perhaps my liberal views. She mentioned getting together again but I think she was just being polite. It was fun to meet her and go out with such a pretty and smart woman.
My dinner with Cathy Gallo was a lot more fun and we chatted for almost four hours. I have decided that I am going to buy Claire an early graduation present, a new laptop to help with her art.
I charged the batteries up this morning and after five hours got them up to 1220. There isn’t going to be much sun for the next week so I thought it was a good idea to get them charged before I start teaching. My fingers were a little stiff at first but as I practiced they loosened up and my second session was fine. I also rode the bike and took a long hike up to the hay barn and then up to the top of the pasture. I haven’t done that in a long time and I felt good to be able to do it. It wasn’t cold enough to freeze the ice trays so I had to scrape up some icy snow in the morning to stock the refrigerator.
I am ready to go back to work and I think this semester is going to be a good one. I have poems out and the Kaatskill Life article is done and I have written a few new poems.

2011-01-14T18:24:00.001-08:00

My wrists hurt in the morning but after taking the new medicine, they felt better. I was pretty down, but I had to go to my lunch date with Rebecca and that added nervousness to my unhappy condition. Fortunately, I had a long talk with Kelly and she was very supportive and made me feel a lot better. When Rebecca came into the Metro restaurant, I felt more relaxed and I was very taken with her. She has a doctorate, is very pretty and very smart. Our politics are very different but I am no longer such a big fan of Obama’s and I am truly not sure what the government should do right now. We talked for over an hour and she said she would like to get together again, which made me feel quite good. While I was out in the hollow later, she called and left a nice message talking about getting together again. I called her back and left a message that next Saturday would work.
My next strain was playing with my wrists bothering me, but the Tylenol and the half Vallium worked quite well and I played pretty well and my mistakes weren’t major and we even did “Sunday Kind of Love.” A potentially bad day turned into a very positive one. Who can beat that?

2011-01-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

I went to see Dr. Gardner yesterday and after an examination and x-rays, his verdict was moderate arthritis in both my wrists. He switched my medication and said that I could try cortisone shots in the wrists but that might help for just a few days or it could help for years. I am glad to know what I have and I hope that my condition will stabilize and perhaps even get better (especially when the warm weather returns). I ordered a couple of good wrist braces and I hope those will help.
Today I finished the guiding piece, did my weights and yoga, rode the bike and then headed to my office because it was 22 degrees out in the morning. Winter is getting to me, but I just have to be tough. I did a lot at my office, including getting my syllabi ready, mailing the photos for the Neversink piece, talking to Nick Lyons, and now I am ready for Tuesday, the first day of classes.
In the early evening I took a long walk with Rob, and then I went to rehearsal at Justin’s and that was troubling. I couldn’t play “Bessie’s Blues,” our first piece, at our normal speed, although it was fine when we slowed down. Fortunately, the other songs gave me no problem but I wonder how much longer I can perform. That thought is definitely disturbing, and I have some trepidation about performing tomorrow at Gillie’s.

2011-01-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, after a long walk, I was able to put up Rob’s tie rack, and then Rob cooked dinner but I ended up leaving early when Noah wasn’t feeling well.
Monday morning was difficult. My hands were in a lot of pain and I couldn’t really practice. I drove down to the pasture and called Rob and he said I could take the naproxen again, and thankfully that helped a great deal. I made an appointment to see Dr. Gardner about me situation on Wednesday and I hope he can figure out the problem. I drove to my office and got a lot done there, finishing up the poetry submissions and mailing them out, taking care of a number of things in my office, including setting up a lunch date with Rebecca, who e-mailed me after not responding for two weeks. I then went for a long walk around campus with the snow just beginning to fall. I drove home and cooked dinner, then practiced and watched the National Championship game, which was a thriller, during which I did some yoga and weights.
Tuesday found my hands better, and after working on my Catskill life article, I practiced and then rode the bike. I had to start the generator and I decided to check the batteries when they got into the 90s and the batteries were very low, almost off the tester, way down in the red section. I think the only way to get an accurate idea is by how much juice is coming in. The batteries read 100% and the juice coming in was still high teens and I think that has to get down to mid single figures before the batteries are really close to full. I went for a long walk all the way to the hay barn and that was a good accomplishment.