Category: North Country Life
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Paying It Forward: More Late Night Thoughts on Greg
“And when I come to the dim trail-end, I who have been Life’s rover, This is all I would ask, my friend, Over and over and over: // Stars that gleam on a moss-grey stone Graven by those who love me– There would I lie alone, alone, With a single pine above me; Pine that…
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Into The Woods
“Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness of other people.” –Carl Jung In the rearview mirror of the last three weeks of my life, I see I’ve left behind many things and added many memories. I’ve left behind the heat and sand of Florida, the peaches and boiled peanuts…
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Dear Kristin
Your betrothed, Brian has no idea that I’m sending you this note. He is probably at his computer working out his next Bitcoin move. I will be quick with this note because my furlough from Dannemora will begin soon and the mini-van will be picking me up any minute to take me to my part-time…
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The Tragedy of the Commons
But the darkest scriptures of the mountains are illumined with bright passages of love that never fail to make themselves felt when one is alone. –John Muir There is irony lurking just below the surface of this blog. Irony, youth, pleasant times and not so pleasant times. There’s quietness and beauty sublime. And, dogs. It…
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Tracking the Elusive Michigan
It was mid-morning and time to begin thinking about lunch. Mariam mentioned the term MICHIGAN and my mouth began to salivate like I was one of Pavlov’s dogs. I love Michigans. If you’ve heard of Michigans but always wondered what they are, I’m your go to guy. A Michigan is a regional sandwich from the…
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The Toboggan
It’s not really a wedding gift…it’s a gift for the future beyond that. When I was growing up in Owego, NY we had a garage that my father built using spare lumber he had accumulated since the late 1940’s. I cannot locate a proper photograph because I, more than likely, never took one. The whole…
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My Way Home
This morning, about an hour after dawn (6:45 am locally), I was lying in bed, propped up by my three pillows, checking on the responses from my last blog. Beside me, Mariam dozed, probably dreaming of new mask designs. More than likely, she was exhausted from walking me around the living room to help alleviate…
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Dealing With It?
I’ve been through a lot of situations in my life thus far. I fell into a glacial crevasse, got lost in Alaska, got lost in the Adirondacks, capsized a canoe in the Susquehanna River and visited a grave on Cemetery Hill at midnight. But I could deal with it. I spent nearly a week in…
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Living The High Life In Manhattan
[I’ll take Manhattan. Source: Google search.] There was a time, back in the day, when most people would cherish, desire and even pay a small fortune to have even a few hours of free time to roam and marvel the world of Manhattan. Well, we are nearing the end of our stay. Tomorrow morning we…
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A Winter’s Drive
The elderly couple had the kind neighbor woman to help in loading their car. It was late morning and the temperature bounced around the zero level. When they first pulled the car down the drive, it was -0 F. Then it climbed to +0 F. What a difference. Their car was a Honda Fit, dazzling…
patrickjegan 