Spring: Summarized

Well, I've weaned myself off of Face Book. Family and friends have asked why and I do not have a simple or easy answer but here are some of the reasons.

• I found it to be very addicting. It almost became a "need" to check Face Book.
• Going "on" Face Book became the easy thing to do. Easier then reading a book, going for a walk, working in the yard, planting something, riding the bike, talking to Mary, listening to music, etc. etc.
• I was strangely and uncomfortably disappointed when I posted something and no one commented. Weird!
• Face Book "friends" are not a suitable replacement for face to face or voice to voice friends but I almost fooled myself into thinking they were.
• In some ways it becomes like television. I'm witnessing other people "living" while all I am doing is watching.

Anyway, I am not posting or checking Face Book on any regular basis and I find that I do not miss it. It has also made time for activities and projects and relationships that bring value to my life. That's the bottom line for me and it is probably not true for others but it is true for me. Face Book did not and does not add any value to my life.

I also thought that I would give up this blog also for some of the same reasons. On further reflection I realize that the simple process of writing and reflecting does add value to my daily life rather any one reads this or not. I am grateful for friend, Dewey, for helping me to realize this. Thanks, Dew!

May and June have been busy and exciting months for us. We have completed all the repairs and renovations on the house following our broken water pipes this winter. As a result we have a newly painted bathroom. new floor covering in Kitchen and Hall, and my old office is now my personal space. In modern jargon it is a "man cave" but I like the old fashioned term "Den". I have two bookshelves filled with my favorite books, a comfortable chair, a large screen tv on which to watch the Mets and the football Giants, and table space for the computer. I am also moving our turntable and records into the space. My plan is to cover the walls with photos of family and friends and pictures of the good times we've enjoyed in the past.

Two other projects were also completed. The first is a backyard fire pit inspired by the one at our winter rental in Florida. I made it fairly large using one level of large fire pit blocks from Lowes, topped off with some fancy brick from Dewey's backyard. The inside and out is lined with river stone. 

We had our first fire Memorial Day Weekend.

The second project, both projects possible because of a generous monetary gift from the children for Father's Day, is a raised garden bed. As I age I find it increasingly difficult to get down on my knees to work in the garden. We also have a wood chuck and a couple of rabbits who gnaw on everything I attempt to grow. The solution? A waist high garden bed. I haven't built many things in my life and this turned out to be a fun project. 

The yard looks the best it has in years and I also cleaned up the old canoe, the folding boat, and the pop up camper. As a result, we were able to sell both the canoe and the camper. I purchase the canoe 30 years ago for 200 dollars and sold it for 225! 

That's the folding boat to the left of the canoe with the pail on top of it. I am hoping to try the folding boat in the water soon. It has been many years sitting in back yard.

We've also made two trips to Vermont to see Josh and family this spring and Josh and the children will be here this weekend. Family celebrations of Mother's and Father's day, Memorial Weekend, and grandkids sports activities have all made this a busy and joy filled spring. And I even had the opportunity to go fishing a few times. I can't wait to see what adventures summer has in store for us.