Over to Madison to walk with Nik through Holy Wisdom—along with with Pax and Ari, too, of course. We all emerged from the ramble wise beyond our years, which is saying something.
Earlier in the day it was Whitewater breakfast and backyard.
The full range of possibilibies provided by a grandchild visit. (Renee is having a big Thirty-one meeting, so Bri, Ellie, Maddie, Becca, and Morgan came to spend the day and night.) Lots of underdogs on the big backyard swing, lots of time at the park, some projectile vomit (but no sickness), poop in the bathtub, pie making, much time in the "office" playing phone tag, and multiple games of "I'm thinking of someting." Ellie won the prize for thinking up subjects that were almost impossible in spite of extensive guessing: "ice bear" and "grain."
And, the birch tree in the front yard has almost completely dispensed with 2014's leaves, many of which are now in the eavestroughs and on the back patio.
Almost time to clean the gutters. But, neighbors to the front and side still have vast numbers of leaves aloft, and the "Gales of November" have not yet blown through. Gutter cleaning is on the agenda, whereas today was the perfect time to change the oil on the motorcycle, now 12 years old, but still looking good and running strong, if seldom used.
The day started out with the same miserable format as the previous three, but right about noon the clouds broke—and the light was dazzling after all the gloom.
This afternoon, back to treadmills, ellipticals, and the Aquatic Center pool. Okay, yes, but not quite so nice as rolling rocks, sawing logs, and swimming in a Great Lake.
Now reading a book foisted on me by Abigail—Eyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Headlines, by Paul Fleischman. Here is what I wrote to my professor friend who is in charge of social studies training in the School of Education at the U:
I’ve recently come across a great new book (2014): Eyes Wide Open: Going behind the Environmental Headlines, by Paul Fleischman. Remarkably well done, with a constant emphasis on critical thinking and making up your own mind. (Nice complement to Carl Sagan’s Baloney Detection Kit.) It’s aimed at the YA audience, but even as a somewhat sophisticated not so Young Adult I find it interesting and informative. I think it should be part of every social studies curriculum.
And here is a stem of Andropogon, or big big bluestem grass, otherwise known as turkey foot. In the Whitewater praire vast stands of it are taller than me.
....................................................................
" I learn a lot from TV. Whenever someone turns it on I go into another room and read a book."
—Groucho Marx
...or turtles. This little guy, a close relative of Mossy (of Oconomowoc fame), might be enjoying the fact that he is out and about in the dampness, but (word to the wise, little fella) winter is coming.
Pax did not consider today's mizzle or drist, or whatever you call it, true precipitation, so he didn't mind being out either.
Riverknoll in the morning—sewing, book-work, and library research in the afternoon.
Mostly gray day, with intermittent mist and drizzle. Glass low.
Finished The Forest, by Roger Caras. A series of vignettes of various predators—eagle, snake, mountain lion, and even the fisher, all quite believable, which suggests rather deep domain knowledge underlying the telling of each tale.
Pax got in a bath and long morning walk, but by afternoon it was raining pretty good, which limited his interest in the great out-of-doors. Sue has set up a sewing station in the lower level and is stitching away at Halloween costumes. What with working steadily on Anna and Elsa, I'm surprised she's not Frozen. In honor of the lackluster day I decided to make homemade chicken pot pie.
How domestic can you get?
The latest big band of rain is moving up from Texas across Lakes Michigan and Huron, and once again there is a rain advisory on Manitoulin. Which brings to mind this article:
http://www.mlive.com/weather/index.ssf/2014/10/michigans_great_lakes_water_le.html
I think this is the most interesting statement:
"Lake Michigan-Huron has never had its high water mark in November. If that happens, we really know we have a bizarre weather pattern."
Climate change, we hardly knew ya.
Hard to imagine more perfect fall weather. So, in the afternoon we headed to Riverknoll to se Abby and Tony, to play with Katy and Will, to have some fish tacos (Mexican again!) and to shovel some seaweed (Ab and I went to the city recycle center where we loaded about a quarter trailer full of composted weed dredged from Lac Labell, to be use a a garden soil amendment. Should be quite a crop next growing season.)
Here in Whitewater we are having furnace fun. The nights are frosty, but the days sunny and pleasant, which means we can live low on the grid, if not quite off it. Fire up for 10 minutes on arising and before showers, and then shut it off until the next day. Things get cool just before bedtime, but bedtime is when you want it that way.
Wind east all day, which is not a good sign, and by 7, and departure from Riverknoll, it was raining.
Over to Madison to visit Nik, and for a Mexican outing. Manitoulin having no concept of Mexican food, it has been a long time since the last tamale.
And, this morning, we we went to breakfast at little Parkview Restaurant in Milton, owned and operated by a family of Albanian emigres—and where the morning fare is beyond compare. Son Tim, whom we have known for years, is now a college freshman, and he is fun to watch. Being sharp, and having had so much experience, he moves with speed and grace and can clear and set a table with one hand while pouring coffee with the other—all the while discussing his academic pursuits.
An older house comes with certain requirements or obligations, not always present on more modern structures. In the case of Whitewater house, it's storm windows. While storm windows do help to keep out storms, such as blizzards, they also just snug up a house that has old fashioned single-pane glass. So it is screens in the spring and storms in the fall.
While doing the switchover is a certain amount of work, it is also a rather pleasant seasonal ritual. Today, operating as a team on a gloriously bright and cool fall day, we got the job done in a few hours. Of course, Enerty Star, argon-filled, triple panes are nice, but they lack romance.
And Pax helped...
