Officially Geeked

I’ve got a long to-do list today. We are 48 hours out from the trip and today I’ll do most of the harder physical things that need to be done before we leave. That way, Thursday’s activities will have a smaller chance of throwing my back out. Such are the adjustments I’ve learned to make as I have gotten older. Driving 860 miles over a day and a half makes demands on my back, hamstrings, and nerves that were never a thing back in the day. Now, I have to get a massage the day before I leave. Grrr…

I will cut the grass today, the comprehensive deluxe package including trimming and gathering up sticks and pine cones. I have to leave the place spotless before I hand over maintenance to Cash-Man, my neighbor’s strapping boy who will be responsible for its care and feeding while I’m gone. Cash and his two adorable sisters have been my “practice grandchildren” and I their practice Grandfather for over ten years now. I must say that the three of them are getting harder and harder to buy presents for when we are in Maine. They’ve gotten so stinking big and their tastes have changed. 

Lucy heads to the groomers this morning. I’ve been telling her for days now and she is pumped. Nothing like a trip to the doggie beauty parlor for her special Maine cut.

I still have some last minute things to get buttoned up at the office, so I will go in this afternoon for a bit and say my farewells to everyone. Unlike the aforementioned practice grandchildren, the girls at the office are super easy to buy for. They all want blueberry jam, and maple syrup and anything else edible.

I will make one last visit to the Thrift store to bring treats to the saints who volunteer there every day.

I will then start packing my stuff, and trying really hard to look like I’m thinking it all through carefully instead of merely throwing a bunch of random t-shirts and gym shorts in my suitcase. I do this to impress Pam who has for days now been methodically laying out a variety of potential outfits all over several beds in our house. She packs for Maine like a NASA engineer making a flight plan to Mars. Although it should be noted that while I have on occasion forgotten things due to my ADHD packing style, it was my wife who left every single one of her bathing suits at home one year and her contacts the next year. Of course she would counter with something like—“ perhaps if I didn’t have to check up on your unorganized mess of a suitcase, I would have been less distracted.” Excellent point.

The time is growing short. The excitement is building. And I can hardly believe I am still this geeked up over a trip I have made at least 40 times in my life.

My Father’s Day Gifts

For Father’s Day, I got to video chat with each of my kids, who still insist on living in other states despite the manifold blessings to be had by living closer to their mother and me. Be that as it may, it was wonderful seeing their faces and catching up. Kaitlin called while her and Jon were driving somewhere in Columbia. Patrick called from his living room, sitting next to Sarah, only to have their Golden boy Frisco pounce between them when he first heard Pop’s voice. Adorable.

So, they both bought me special Father’s Day gifts. I dare say that no father out there got better gifts than I did. This is because my children know me so well. Why? Well, it’s basically the fact that I’m not very complicated. I’m pretty easy to figure out, I’m nobody’s enigma…just your basic garden variety Dad. Consequently, each of them gave me perfect gifts, both of which reflected the personality of the giver. First up…Kaitlin.

Cannot wait to read this since I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. Of course she took special care when sending this photograph to include the fact that Ms. Hannah’s book has 122,951 ratings, while mine has…8. Oversight? Coincidence? I think not. Then she included a gift card to Barnes and Noble with a special reminder to me…

This particular apple came to rest against the very stump of the tree.

Then there’s my only son, Patrick. His gift was uniquely satisfying since it includes some of the finest things on earth…

That’s right. This is exactly what it looks like…2 pounds of bacon, a pound of sausage patties, a pound of loose country sausage and a pound of loose Chorizo, all from a local Nashville meat store, shipped in dry ice directly to my doorstep. He knows full well my love of any kind of meat derived from pigs. He also loves nothing more than supporting local businesses while giving the finger to national chains—a chip off the old block! The only downside to this fabulous gift is that it will most likely arrive the same day we leave for Maine.

So, I hope all you dads out there had a wonderful time yesterday. I certainly did!

Like a Child…

This photograph was taken on July 7, 2019. It was 8:30 in the evening after a long delightful day of fishing, kayaking and lounging on floats in the cool water of Quantabacook. I was standing on the deck at Loon Landing, and took this picture with my cellphone. I remember walking out to that chair on the dock after I took the picture. I watched the sky travel through the stages of light until it was finally just an orange flame just above the tree line across the way. I watched the water bugs dancing on the water’s surface making it look like it was sprinkling rain. I heard the hum of insects high in the pines on the shore behind me, then the plaintive call of loons coming from the southern end of the lake. It was a cool night. I wore long sleeves

This is not an uncommon sight on Quanty. Happens all the time. It’s one reason we hesitate to make plans that involve leaving for too long in the evenings. We don’t want to miss it, even though it seems we have had a front row seat for this majesty hundreds of times. It doesn’t grow old. We never get accustomed to these sunsets. They always manage to leave us breathless. I never want to be the guy for whom looking upon this kind of beauty becomes passé. I always want to feel a bit like a child on Christmas morning when this happens.

Don’t you?

Sneaky Self Awareness

Sometimes self awareness sneaks up on you. This was the case a few minutes ago after I posted about the Independent Book Review I received yesterday. When I happened to scroll down through my feed it dawned on me just how much of a one trick pony I have become lately. Practically everything I’ve posted has had something to do with the book. I suppose it’s understandable but still a bit off-putting. So, I will seek to remedy this by switching themes. Instead of bombarding you with all things A Life of Dreams, I will begin very shortly to beat you guys over the head with all things Maine for the next six weeks or so.

Pam and I are in the home stretch of Maine-prep. Each day we are able to check more items off the to-do list. We have now officially entered the check Maine 10 day weather forecast every five minutes phase. (Hint: it’s cooler.). Pam’s car has been cleaned and inspected. The staging areas around the house have started to form. Meanwhile, over at the Friends of Quantabacook Facebook page we are getting teased with photographs.

Totally unfair, but what can you do?

So, consider yourselves warned. This space is about to be transformed into all Maine, all the time Blog. For this I make no apolgies.

Top Ten Things I don’t want to see on the inside of my hardcover books

I am told by informed sources that my long awaited order of the hardcover edition of A Life of Dreams will be delivered to my doorstep between noon and 2:00 pm today, Tuesday, the 11th of 2024. This delivery will kick off a fevered scramble to deliver them all before Pam and I depart for Maine on the 21st of June. When I open the boxes, my heart will be in my throat, since the last time I opened such a box was such an unmitigated disaster. What follows are my Top Ten List of things I DO NOT want to see between the covers:

10. The author’s named spelled incorrectly.

9. A 25% discount coupon for Donald Trump’s God Bless the USA Bible.

8. My 2013 tax return.

7. A product placement on the inside fly leaf from CoffeeMate with the tagline, A Life of Creams.

6. Right after the title page a note that says, “We’ve been trying to contact you about your car’s extended warranty.”

5. Poetry. Anyone’s poetry. Any kind of poetry.

4. A fund raising letter from Joe Biden.

3. Prose. Any kind of prose not written by me.

2. An invoice.

And, the Number 1 thing I DO NOT want to see between the covers…A language other than English.

A Hope Thrift Story

Pam and I worked the afternoon shift at Hope Thrift this past Saturday. Almost every time we work there something special happens. When we got into the car to drive home, Pam told me the following story.

Pam was working the checkout counter like she always does when a young lady came up with a shopping cart full of children’s books. Pam asked her if she was a teacher and the lady said yes. She would be starting her first year of teaching this coming fall in Chesterfield County. She was buying up children’s books for her classroom library. Pam, being a lifelong teacher herself, started telling her how glad she was to see her going into teaching, pursuing such a noble calling. The young lady seemed so thrilled that she had found such a large collection of books for only $66. 

At this point a middle aged man in line close by had been listening to their conversation and interrupted with, “Excuse me, are you a teacher?”

“Not yet,” she replied. “But I will be this fall.”

Then the man looked at all the books stacked on the counter and asked, “Does your school reimburse you for these”?

She answered shyly, “No, I don’t think so.”

Then the man removed a credit card from his wallet and handed it to Pam. “Well, these books are on me today.”

This brand new teacher was overwhelmed and at first had that What is happening? expression on her face. Pam thanked him for his generosity, and that new teacher had an experience she will never forget. A stranger had valued her and her chosen profession. It meant the world to her.

I’ve had several people ask me, “why does your church run a thrift store??” This is why. It’s a place for people to come to find great bargains on necessary items that people need. It’s a place where people can bring things they no longer need or have outgrown so someone else who does need those things can find them at very reasonable prices. But it’s more than that. It’s a place where connections are made, a place where people find blessings, an environment infused by the principle of joyful generosity.

You should come by for a visit. Better yet, become a volunteer. 

Curbing My Enthusiasm