Conservation Area

 It has been a while since I have hiked through the conservation area near where I used to live.  After picking up my mail I visited part of the trail system today.  There have been some changes.  Trails now have names and there is an official looking 5K trail that people can take.  The maps are all updated and pretty.  

I did my own thing and looked for the bridge that Bel helped build back in the day with the Boy Scouts.  It was easy for me to find walking there, not so much when I tried to figure it out on the map, mostly because there are a few bridges in the same area and I totally forgot about the pond feeding it until I got there today.  I'm happy to say that it is still there.

Other things I am happy for today:

• There were a few things I wanted to see while visiting this area.  The bridge was one and the gnarly old oak tree was another.  According to the new updated map the tree is a red oak and is circa 1750.  The tree and the house I live in are close to the same age.  I think the house will last longer.  It was nice to see the tree still standing.

I see a graceful dancer.

• There was this collection of cairns that kept someone busy.  Perhaps while their walking companion used the bench beyond.  

• The following seems to be left over from Halloween.  Someone at the post office has a dark sense of humor...

This appears to be a postal worker crushed under an Amazon box--
Wizard of Oz style.

☮

Currently reading:  The Middle Ages: A Graphic History, by Eleanor Janega and Neil Max Emmanuel.

Currently listening to: Gilgamesh, translated by Stephen Mitchell, narrated by George Guidall.

    I finished listening to the story today but apparently most of the book is the history of the story.  I have another two hours to finish it.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Look to the Sky

 This morning Keziah and I took Aesop to a local dog park. ALL the dogs were much larger than Aesop. He would have fun, then seem a bit overwhelmed, have fun, overwhelmed. We brought him to the other side of the fence and he played with one of the big dogs through the fence. Eventually we took him for a walk on the trails near the park. They are brand new trails with big bridges near the river.  It is a beautiful area.

We let Aesop be on the long leash.

Deer prints!

Other happy things from today:

• Zed, Gideon and I got up before dawn to try to see the lunar eclipse.  The rain had stopped and the clouds thinned when we first went out.  We got occasional glimpses of the moon, mostly a dark orange color with a sliver of it bright and silvery.

As usual, the camera on my phone doesn't capture the moon well.
The batteries needed charging on the other camera.

• The moon had a magical look when thin layers of clouds would glide between us and the moon.
• The sky got clearer as the time passed.  We all saw at least one shooting star.  These were most likely part of the Leonid meteor shower that was at peak the previous night.
• The constellations were also big and shiney once the clouds went away.

Much of Orion.

• After Gideon went back to bed, Zed and I saw four different satellites.  I Googled where the International Space Station should be and it is unlikely that any of the satellites were it.
• While the sky was performing above, we performed a ritual below.  Zed decided to take an old shirt that he should have just gotten rid of and burn it.  So, I decided to burn something too.  There was a nightshirt of my mother's that I put into my rotation of night clothes after she died.  It was threadbare and tearing but still extremely comfortable.  I recently purchased some new nightshirts and was going to get rid of it then, but didn't.  It had a Halloween-ish theme, so maybe after that, nope.  Maybe it was more autumn and could wait until after Thanksgiving... I have a problem.  It is gone and before Thanksgiving because Zed wanted to burn his shirt.  These two items of clothing as well as some sticks and old mail are now ash.  Zed saved some of the ash, he has a plan.  The rest is for me and it will go to feed part of the garden.

Ash...

The nightshirt went up real fast.

Burn!!

• Another lovely sunset.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Back in a Cemetery

 This morning I was able to get out and mow a little bit of the lawn and thin the bittersweet a little before getting ready for the pre-hire event.  I'm glad I got outside and was a little productive.

This is the before shot looking towards the garden.

Slightly different angle only
about 15-20 minutes later.

What I got out before having
to pause for the day.

The pictures help me see how much I accomplished in a short time.  This might motivate me tomorrow.  Other snippets of my day that were happy things:

• I went to the pre-hire event and survived.  Now I wait to hear from them to find out if I officially have the job or not.  If I do, I'll start work on June 22nd.  
• After that, I met a friend and we walked through the Pine Grove Cemetery.  We walked through this same cemetery a few weeks ago.  The Find-a-Grave app is working on my phone now so we attempted to find some of the grave requests.  Turns out, this cemetery has over 24,000 monuments and we didn't happen to find any of the requests.

Heron.

This lovely cemetery has ponds and a fountain.

This holds plants now but it looks
like it could have been a fountain.

Last time we walked here we
somehow missed the road signs.

• On the way home I stopped for a short walk across the Merrimack River.  I love this area.

Train bridge.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Thanks for reading, stay safe.

Happy Easter!

 It would seem that I am going to have a hard time reintegrating myself with society.  It has been over a year since the pandemic began, but only about six months since I had a job and spent time with many people.  I've always been an introvert, but I could tolerate large crowds and found ways to manage them for myself.  Today we went to Zed's parents for Easter.  There were a total of thirteen people.  We stayed outside in a spacious yard other than to get food.  It was still difficult for me.  I went for a walk (1.4 miles) so that I could be by myself for a little bit.  Walking one or two people would have been fine, but it was easier to quietly go.  So I have learned that seeing people again will be a process and today was the first step in that process.  I know that this step had to happen.  It would have been harder with my family as it would have been a larger group.  It was hard, but I am glad I did it.  Other things I am happy about:

• On the walk, I went by a street with a bluebird perched on the street sign.  It flew away quickly, flapping that magnificent shade of blue.  The street name was Finch Circle.
• On the way home, I asked the family to stop at the walking bridge that goes over the Merrimack River and runs by the train tracks.  I didn't think that Gideon had been there before and it is a short walk over and back (.35 miles). 

• The cats missed us when we were gone.  

I missed the shot where Winston 
was rubbing his head into Zed's.

• Candy.

We edited and uploaded the last of the videos for downsizing during Lent.  I'm going to take some time to regroup and work in the yard and garden.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Stay safe.

International Day of Awesomeness

 It was my suggestion.  Whether it was a good idea or not will be learned tomorrow.  My friend Amy and I walked along one of the rail trails today getting a little over a five mile walk.  For some reason this seems like a huge amount today.  Perhaps because I am so tired now.  It was a good walk with awesome company.  We haven't seen each other since before Christmas.  We used to try to have socially distanced walks every few weeks.  Maybe I won't be too sore tomorrow.  Other things I am happy for today:

• There were plants that needed to be in larger pots.  I got that done.  Most of the soil Keziah picked up yesterday was still frozen.  Hopefully the temperature change wasn't too hard on the plants.
• Keziah has been working hard on making some new things for the cats to play on.  She put up a bridge and is in the process of making some hanging tunnels too.  

Folke trying to convince Winston that it is safe to cross.

Nanni, wide eyed, watching from the safety of a box.

Winston eventually went over the bridge.

• The sunset was lovely tonight.  

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead, by Carleen Madigan.

Currently reading:Currently reading: The Burgess Book of Nature Lore, by Thornton W. Burgess.

Stay safe.