Gas!

I am relaxing (having finished my Lumosity training for the day) and having ridden my bike on the Huckleberry Trail and played nine holes of golf (43) along with a fine walk this morning. Yesterday was awful. I waited all day for Suburban Propane to deliver and at 4 when I called to check I was told that the driver (who had gotten stuck before) had tried to deliver and couldn’t. I was beside myself and I gave it to Travis, the manager, and even sent him pictures of the road to show him that it wasn’t muddy at all. Anyway, on this morning’s hike I tried calling Suburban (to see if they could deliver since the road was rock hard) and I couldn’t get in touch with Travis so I gave up and figured I would try to get a delivery after I returned from Charleston. I was annoyed and frustrated and what happens but just as I start back from the orchard, I see a Suburban truck working its way through the pasture. I was more than amazed and though I couldn’t catch the truck until it was up at the house, I did see that the driver (not yesterday’s but one who had been up before) had no problem getting up. I was very happy to get 180 gallons even though the price was close to 4 dollars a gallon. Now I have enough gas to at least early September. No worries about gas this winter. I called Travis and thanked him immoderately and life was once again good. I made my reservations in Charlotte and Columbia and I will be off on Saturday for Charlotte and golf I hope. Tracy did thank me for my birthday greeting, so that made me feel good. I wish I could see her but that is unlikely to happen since she doesn’t seem to want to have anything to do with me.

enjoying my free time

It is Tuesday, December 17 and I had a good day, starting with a hike in the hollow and then some sorting of the cards and letters I have collected over the past 30 years. It was interesting to go through some of them, especially the ones from Kelly and from Beth. Kelly and I have a solid relationship and I am very fond of her daughter Lucia and I very much like her husband Alfredo. The letters are full of moments of tension but obviously there was a strong enough relationship to keep things going. The letters from Beth were more painful and I know that I should have handled things better with Beth. I wish I could apologize to her but I don’t think it would be a good idea to try to contact her. The other letters, from Dolores, Gloria, Sheila, Barbara were okay to read, although the ones from Judy Isacoff brought back some unpleasant memories. I have about half the box left to go through and I’m sure there will be more interesting moments. At my present pace I should have the cabin fully cleaned by the spring. I also fixed the cabin shed so no insects can get in. The bike repair class was pretty solid, although I don’t think I will do much out in the field. I had a great visit with Kelly and Alfredo and Lucia, and I will see her again when I give my paper at CEA in late March.

semester almost over

I have spent the whole day in the hollow because of the threat of a significant ice storm but I think that threat is lessened. Today there was some sleet and freezing rain but not enough to affect my two hikes to the orchard or my getting up to the cabin to continue cleaning it up. I got three more bags of garbage out and I have finished getting everything out of the loft. I did some work up in the attic in the log house last week and I really have most of the stuff I am not going to use cleaned out. It was a peaceful day, to be sure, with several naps and watching football and golf, but it made it clear to me how restless I would be with a steady diet of staying in the hollow all day. When I was younger I could do a lot more activity so the days went quicker, but now as I’ve passed 62, I can only do so much physical stuff (maybe three hours a day), perhaps an hour or two of writing, perhaps an hour or two of reading, an hour of biking on the stationary bike, some yoga and weights and still much of the day remains. I certainly wouldn’t want to have to be running around doing things for a partner, but being by myself is not ideal. I have about 20 weeks off a year so I already have more than enough time to travel. I think the solution will be to do some volunteer work after I retire or I will be very bored. I always liked volunteer work in the past and I think I will again. Perhaps I should try a little bit now but during the semester I am often very tired and I don’t want to feel overwhelmed. Since I am going to work 5 or 6 more semesters I will have more time to figure things out.

the end of the semester draws near

It is the 3rd of December and classes end on the 5th with a week of finals coming up. I have basically made it through, although I still have the 202 final to give and grade and I will have to look at some rewrites. My left side is hurting (probably from all the cleaning I have done in the cabin and the house). I took an easy hike this morning and rode my bike very gingerly after my 444 class. I have gotten almost all the stuff out of the loft (and the rest is right up front) and I got rid of a lot I took down. I bought a shredder and shredded a lot of old documents (getting three big bags full of shredded paper). The propane is at 62 percent so I can get a delivery soon (minimum 100 gallons) and that will guarantee me no problems until the spring. I have to put some tape on the leak in the septic but David thought that a small leak while purging would not be a problem. I have insulated the septic pumps. I covered the lettuce trays with 2 inches of hay and I won’t go back in until March. I stayed home through the break and that was a very smart move. I got all my grading done in a relaxed manner. I think this is the way to handle Thanksgiving. My finances are okay but it will be nice when Gabes pays me back the rest of the money. I can get by but January and February may be tight.

Thanksgiving break off to a good start

I decided to drive down to Charlotte on Sunday to avoid the bitter cold (in the teens) and it was a good choice. I got to play golf at Regent Park (45 for 9) and I rode my bike there also. It’s not a great bike trail but it is right next to the golf course. I had some pizza and then graded a couple of papers and then headed back to the Wingate for a nap and some yoga. I went off to P.F. Chang’s for dinner and it was excellent as always, though I had Buddha’s Delight and pan fried shrimp dumplings for a change. I watched the first half of the Denver/New England game and Denver looked unstoppable. The second half was much different and it was 31 all when Denver punted and a Denver player, because of Wes Welker’s mistake, touched the punt and New England got the ball and kicked the game winning field goal with 2 seconds left. I didn’t sleep very well but I graded a few papers and a poetry portfolio and I will go for a walk in Charlotte later and a bike ride before heading home at around 2.

Thanksgiving Break Begins

It is the 22nd of November, the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and it certainly brings back some somber memories. I was 12 back then and it remained the most powerful event in my life until 9/11. I have just started my Thanksgiving break and it is very needed. I have graded about half the poetry portfolios and now I have the tougher ones left. I have about 20 papers to grade so that is 2 per day and that should be manageable. I finished fixing the road this morning and it is in terrific shape. I also sanded the new stairway to the roof of the tractor barn and charged the batteries to 93 percent. After fixing the road I drove into town, played 9 holes of golf (46 from the white tees), road my bike and then headed home for a nap and a walk where I finished the waterbars. I talked with Kelly this morning and things are fine. I was a little down yesterday and I told her why and she cleared up a few things (she hadn’t gotten my second e-mail about visiting during Thanksgiving and she hadn’t gotten my phone message and I hadn’t gotten the birthday card from her and Lucia). I should see them in December. The greenhouse is almost done but the house is in terrific shape, the best in years. I hope to stay until 70 but who knows.

the last two weeks

It is Thursday night, the 15th of November and I only have two weeks of class left. I can’t wait. I got real sick last weekend and that threw me a curve. I felt awful on Thursday night and then Friday I had to take Hunter with Natural Resources around and then work with Mike. It was the hardest working day in a long, long time. However, the tiles are cleaned and sealed in the bathroom and kitchen. The radiator in the bathroom is painted. The guts in the toilet are replaced. I have an easy access ladder to the top of the tractor barn and I have sweep off all the residue and I don’t have to repair the other shingle. The house is completely stained (two coats on the back porch) and I have put the treads on with staples and caulk. I repaired the walking stick with a new tip. All the recycling is gone. The greenhouse is still producing some lettuce but the cold snaps have hurt output. I got the batteries almost full without using the equalizing charge so they are really changed correctly, from 1240 to 1270. My classes are going okay but I am ready to finish up.