Category: North Country Life
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A Sad Good-bye
[“Old Paint”. Now a part of history…ready for its final ride] The white Casier truck backed down our driveway. It was 10:30 on a muggy morning. Before ten minutes had passed, we had brand new chairs in our living room. The old L. L. Bean pair of overstuffed sofa-like seats were showing signs of aging.…
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I Too Can Do Physical Labor
[Me on the steps…working hard.] As a blogger I get tons of mail. It’s mostly fan letters, notes of congratulations, invitations to weddings, birthday parties, fundraisers, dedications at mall openings and the occasional bris. But I also get questions. “Gee, Pat (I’m an informal kind of guy), what do you do when you’re not working…
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The Two Faces of the Summer Solstice
[Summer Sunrise over the Heel Stone at Stonehenge. Photo source: Google Search] A short time ago a friend posted this on Facebook: Hooray! Only 59 Days Until The Summer Solstice! Most of us know that the Solstice marks the first day of summer. It’s a moment when the sun rays are directly overhead at 23.5°…
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Languid June
[Languid June As Seen From Our Back Deck.] Languid June. Languid June. The name has a certain ring to it. Like Lay Down Sally, Calamity Jane, Black-Eyed Susan, Axis Sally, Typhoid Mary and Moaning Myrtle. I chose the title of this post with care. I do believe that I saw a Sad-Eyed Lady at the corner…
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The Robin’s Nest
[The nest after being moved from the lamp] [American Robin: Turdus migratorius.] I’m sure it was a Robin’s nest. Every time Mariam or I would use the front deck entrance (with a screen door that slammed louder than the front gate of Alcatraz), a bird with a rusty breast would scold us from a nearby branch…
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Staring Down at 72
[A post card image from Inkognito.] As I write this post the weather here at Rainbow Lake is unsettled. Windy with thunder in the distance. I fell asleep in the screened-in porch last night listening to heavy rains falling. I’m staring at a calendar (The kitchen wall calendar…this year: Japanese prints). I see that I…
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Smoke and Paper
Everyone knows about the effect smoke can have on…well, nearly everything. Smoke damage can be responsible for the loss of furniture, art, clothes and so many other objects. Cigarette smoke is truly an evil presence. Before the smoking ban in pubs of NYC, I would come home stinking of the left-over Marlboros. It was disgusting…
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All Things Must Pass
I’m profoundly glad that I wasn’t home alone when it happened. Most likely the sad event occurred when we were away for three months. No-one was present. Perhaps when our friend Nora came by to water our begonia named Rosie…perhaps it happened then. I hope so. It is not a nice thought that something so…
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Another Adirondack Tragedy
BREAKING NEWS REGULAR GUY GOES MISSING WHILE SHOVELING A PATH TO DRIVEWAY! AVALANCHE SUSPECTED [The Egan Cabin at Rainbow Lake at time of search. Aerial photo from Channel 7 News Drone7] [Photo credit: Google search] Rainbow Lake, NY (AP) Only days after a lone ice fisherman had turned, basically into a snowman, another winter-related incident…
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The Ring
My left hand is ringless. The wedding band lies on a tray on the dresser in our bedroom, along with assorted jewelry. Is this the sign of a marriage gone south? Hardly. The only thing that would be going south right now is my wife and I. Because outside the wind howls and the temperature…
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