Blog catch up day - AGAIN!

As the seasons turn through the year and come around once more - on May 25 it is fully and finally Spring in mid coast Maine - it is once again Blog Catch Up Day here.  Let's start with proof that Spring IS here:

False cherry tree in my backyard yesterday!

We finally got our garden planted this week, later than usual because we had 10+ days of rain.  I missed some of those days on a trip to Atlanta for my grandson's 6th birthday.  (In 1996 I was living in Atlanta and moved to Connecticut on Memorial Day.  On 20 of the 25 days before that Memorial Day it was 95 degrees in Atlanta!  But on my trip this year, it was 70-72 degrees with a lovely breeze every day.  Beautiful.)  Meanwhile here in the mid coast, rain rain rain rain rain ...

My trip to Atlanta was dominated by Pokeman.  Both of my grandsons are way into Pokeman, which made purchasing Cello's birthday presents a breeze - all Pokeman.  Here are the boys in their new Pokeman t-shirts...

And from our walk in Mason Mill Park (which their mother had to bribe them into taking - of course, once they got outside, they enjoyed themselves, but they 'thought' they wanted to stay inside and watch videos or play Pokeman)...















Back home, we have finally begun to see signs of spring, and possibly even summer.  The tourist trap lobster restaurant on Route 1 - Claws - has been expanding their seating and enlarging their kitsch.  They now have 2 mannequins garbed like fisherman, including this guy:

I didn't photograph it, but they also have a 6-foot long lobster wearing a blue leather saddle, I guess for the "kids" to ride?

The amazing thing is that when you drive by this place - which opened yesterday - most of the cars in the parking lot have Maine license plates!


* * * * *


Meanwhile at home, my right hip continues to be a pain-in-the-close-to-the-ass, so to speak.  I'm dealing with it by taking Tylenol only since the heavy duty NSAID the doctor prescribed - which helped with the pain quite a bit - also gave me scary stomach pain.  I am getting by, but I do find that the pain in the hip affects me almost unconsciously in that I find myself modifying my behavior, not doing certain things I would otherwise do - if they involve walking.  The next option says the doctor is a cortisone shot in the hip, which is apparently tricky to get right so it has to be done with some sort of imaging assistance so they know they get it in the right spot.  Doesn't sound particularly inviting.  But I'm thinking of doing it in June or July, hoping it might give me relief to enjoy more activity - kayaking, sailing, hiking - over the summer.

Still, Ella and I continue to rise early and take our morning walks - cut down to about 2 miles from 3 or 3-1/2, but still just about the best part of my day.  We generally make it to the Apprenticeshop's pier and sit for bit, noting whose visiting.  There's a local Common Loon who is usually present, visited by another Common Loon for a day or so, but now back to one lonely loon.  This past week we had a non-breeding female Long Tailed Duck visiting.  There's a pair of Common Eider ducks that seems to be sticking around.

And the Apprenticeshop installed their floating dock - a sure sign that Summer will come, eventually - and one morning this past week, we found that the first sail boat and arrived:

In other news, my peripatetic daughter is just back from 2 weeks in Egypt!  She was there as a volunteer to teach composting essentials to small farmers, even appearing on Egyptian TV.  Here's a link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_rjQYMUGis


I'm very proud of her - and also, to be honest, glad she's back closer to family.

David and I have signed up to attend "Fiddle Camp" at the end of June - David, to join those playing banjo and me, to join those playing ukulele.  Just a weekend, but sounds like fun - dozens and dozens of people, families, kids, old folks like us, who like music, getting together to learn, to play, to sing and to dance (not so sure how much of the last 2 I'll be doing, but still will be fun!)

Both David and I continue to volunteer with the Restorative Justice Project, I'm winding up my term as treasurer of the local synagogue, both of us continue to develop our friendship with the Congolese refugee families in our area and provide a little assistance - mostly transportation as the young man gets ready to take his road test and get his driver's license, I am working with Waste Watchers, a local volunteer group addressing solid waste disposal issues in our city - next on our agenda, considering drafting and proposing a ban on 1-use plastic shopping bags.   David finished making a beautiful gourd banjo and is working on making me a cigar box ukulele bass (electric no less!).  Second week of June we have a local election, filling a vacancy on our city council (see what a local campaign sign looks like - this one on our front lawn!) and I am volunteering to "count" votes at the end of election day.

So we stay busy!  (Are there really retired people who are bored?!?)

Well, this was a long catch up post.  I'm tired.  I think I'll take a nap.  What do you say, Ella?

Peace.