It’s a rainy day. I
LOVE rainy days, especially when there is no place I have to go. Back in my office-job days, I thought loving
rainy days was my way of getting even with the rest of the world – you know, if
I can’t get out and enjoy the day, well at least nobody else can either. A year into retirement, I realize that rainy
days are just really nice, especially when one has a solid roof overhead and a
cozy place to hang out.
Someone and I are back from Myrtle Beach. Vacation was, well, just how it always
is. We go to the same places and do the
same things. We played golf on at least
six hot afternoons (the rates are lower and it’s almost like having a private
golf course). We played with Someone’s
dad on one early morning. Someone’s dad
loves to play golf but he can’t tolerate the heat. I am not a beach person. I don’t like intense sun accompanied with
sand and water. I walked on the beach in
the mornings and evenings, and sat out and read a book one cloudy
afternoon.
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| Great day for the beach |
Yesterday was a gorgeous day – sunny, and not too hot for
July. I finished grading student papers around
noon, and decided to get me and my kayak to the lake. A strong debate started in my head about
whether or not to go to Little Sandy as I backed out of the driveway, but then
decided to go to Greenbo. Probably this
was the best choice because when I drove past a visible part of Little Sandy,
it was muddy as hell. Just as I unloaded
at the Greenbo boat ramp, a bus-load of older ladies started unloading from a
bus in the parking lot. Most likely,
this was a group of church ladies. They
leased canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats, making an incredible volume of noise
as they set off on a group paddle – all talking and yelling to each other
across the water. I paddled fast and
furious to get away to the quiet – all the way to the back near the dam. Once enveloped in peace and quiet (my happy
place), I put the paddle down, dangled my legs out over the sides, slouched
down, and closed my eyes. Drifting like
this is marvelous. The water rocks the
boat ever so slightly; it’s easy to fall asleep (and I do sometimes). I could hear a hawk shrieking, turkeys making
their way over the hill, and one of my favorite sounds anywhere, a pilatead
woodpecker.
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| My grubby watershoe. |
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| Greenbo in July |
In the front of our house, we have a birdfeeder. I buy a mix that appeals to woodpeckers and
nuthatches. It’s more expensive than
regular birdseed so I don’t buy it every time, but pilateads come looking for
it. I think the squirrels eat most of
the birdseed regardless. I like the
squirrels too, but I wish they would leave the apple trees alone and stay out
of the garden. They are greedy.
In just a few weeks, fall semester starts at University #1. There is much to do before then. Also, it’s time to plan a trip to Indiana to
visit my dad. And, one more thing, I
told Emily I would go with her to visit Wake Forest University. Emily and Erin are starting to make plans for
graduate school. Also, I want to plan a
camping trip for a time before it gets cold.
Gee, where does the time go?
