September 30, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Home Again.

Do not stay for a hurricane. The winds are strong and the rain is hard and the electricity quits working. So you go from the 21st Century to the 19Th Century in one giant step. The waves were high and frothy and beautiful. The biggest impression on me from the hurricane was the wind. The noise was so strong and noisy that it gets spooky. The only thing to do to get rid of the sound was to go to sleep, which we did. We left home very early for our flight in Halifax, but of course the flight was cancelled so we were required to come home via Ottawa and then on to Dulles airport. It was a long day but a nice day, spent with Ken. We walked and read and ate, then repeated the process in both airports. Both airports are quite pleasant and modern, with good restaurants and comfortable chairs. Finally, in bed by just after ten o'clock, and very happy to be there too. We left a bit of a mess for Jackie, as I could not wash the dishes from our party Sunday evening, and with no washing machine I left the beds to launder. Mary reports that the electricity came back on today, so the freezer food should be fine. These hurricanes are not good.

One of the topics of conversation that Ken and I discussed during the day yesterday was about our future, or more accuraately, our 70s. In our 60s we spent a lot of time and energy and money purchasing, building and renovating our homes in Nova Scotia and Texas and at the farm. Now the question we are asking is "what are we going to do now?" We discussed every possible options, discussing the pros and cons of every course of action. Remember we were together all day with nothing to do. Nothing was decided yesterday, but tonight after a good glass of port and a fine dinner of vegetables we both agreed on our course of action for the next nine years, and here is the answer. I will work until I am 80, and we will wander from place to place. Ken agrees to walk with me five days of the week, and continue to cook. We will travel to one new place every year. And that is the plan for us while we are in our 70s. It seems like a good plan to me.

September 28, 2008. Western Head, N.S. Closing Up.

The surfers have been out in the bay since early this morning, and they are still there now at four o'clock. The waves continue to get higher, but it seems that the big storm is going further west, so all we will experience is strong wind and some rain. I hope so, because we have dinner guests tonight, ten in all, to welcome Susie and Jeff Bond and to say farewell to us. I still had chowder from the 50TH, which I froze, but it won't survive in the freezer until next year, so we are serving it to our friends. Now Betty told me that chowder freezes very well, but I am not so sure it will be as good as the first time. Betty makes the most wonderful chowder, so I guess it will be fine. My basic concept is that people come to visit and to talk, and that the food is incidental. Not everyone thinks that way about entertaining, but it works well for me. Normally I do not serve any appetizers, but tonight I am having shrimp and sausage rolls, so if the chowder is not so good, at least some food will keep people full. And with a heavy carrot cake for dessert I think the dinner will be fine.

Our checklist is complete. Ken has closed up the hot tub, I have left a cheque and note to Jackie, my clothes are all ready for the morning, the clothes are clean except the sheets and Jackie will do them after we leave, and we are ready for our next adventure. Our truck is in the garage with the battery on a slow charge and the fountain is out of the pond. I always like to have everything completed the day before we depart, as for some reason, I don't think very well on the day of a trip. When we return, the weather will be cold, but we will still turn on the old Victrola we bought at an auction on Saturday. It came with fifty records so we will have fun. We also bought another bike and a wicker rocking chair for the cottage, also an old steamer trunk. We enjoyed the day, as we usually do at auctions. The items we bought will all be waiting our return. Now we are ready to hit the road.

September 27, 2008. Western Head, N.S. Ike and Kyle

I knew it would be a mess, but the aftermath of Ike is even worse that I thought. My friend Alice Anne, who lives in the west end of Galveston sent us a report today. She and three friends are staying in League City, as their homes on the west can not be lived in, and there are trash and debris covering their yards several feet deep. A dock is in her pond, but it is not her dock. A roof is in her driveway, but it is not her roof. She reported that poking through the trash is similar to an Easter egg hunt, except it is more interesting. She has found jet skies, canoes, kayaks, propane tanks, life jackets. She also found her own canoe. Her barn was hardest hit.. The green house is gone. Her tractor died a Mariners death. Yesterday she hired a young man to help with the clean up. He expects it will take him at least three days of ten hours a day to get rid of the debris. Alive Anne has been back to her house three times. We wish her well.

Now here is the good part. She has been gathering objects that she no longer needed, and has been storing all this stuff in her barn, as she was preparing to have a barn/garage sale. Ike's surge cleaned her out. Everything in the barn has gone. No need to ask friends to help sort and price. It has taken her two years to collect all these treasures that she no longer needed or wanted, and in one gigantic wave, these treasures are gone. She should have donated them all to The Salvation Army, so she could get a tax deduction. She agrees with me that getting rid of all that stuff was a blessing. But she has a mess to get over now. Still no electricity or water, but soon all will be well. Again, we wish her well.

Kyle is coming into the Bay of Fundy. Folks here are not used to hearing that Hurricanes are coming to Nova Scotia. Five Years ago Juan blew into Halifax and blew down half their trees. We brought all the outside chairs into the garage and carriage house, so we are ready for the storm. The surfers were out in force this afternoon. We leave on Monday so we hope we can get up to Halifax and out of town. The storm is expected to go into New Brunswick, with winds and rains in Queen's county. For tonight, we will sleep well, but tomorrow will be interesting.

September 26, 2008. Western Head, N.S. Cream.

Everything tastes better with cream. I never buy cream. I don't use cream. But when I do, anything I eat is better. This morning we had breakfast at Lanes. At least once on every visit to Liverpool. we go to Lanes for breakfast. Their food is good, especially the breakfasts. This morning we slept late, because we stayed up late last night. We ate dinner watching another The Last Detective, then we watched the first disc of Foyal's's War Volume four. It turns our that the show was the first one we ever saw, years ago when we were flipping channels. But the plot was complicated, so neither of us could figure out how and what was going to happen, so we kept watching. I'm not sure what that says about us, but I am sure it is not a good thing. Then the best part of the evening was watching Oregon State demolish the Number One ranked team in the nation. I don't know how the game ended up, but for the better part of two quarters, I loved it. Then of course, we had to hot tub, so by the time we went to bed, it was almost One o'clock, which for us is very late. We woke up at seven and Ken, as his custom, went down to make the coffee. He brought me coffee at nine:fifteen, both of us having falling back asleep. It was a wonderful decadent evening and an even better morning.

I ordered strawberries and oatmeal for breakfast. The berries were brought first, all by themselves, along with a small pitcher of cream. My custom is to put the strawberries on top of the oatmeal, but as no oatmeal appeared, I started to eat the berries by themselves and on a whim, I added a little bit of cream. Now I mean to say, these berries were better with the cream. The oatmeal arrived along with Ken's French Toast, and by then I was on a roll, so I added the cream to the oatmeal too. Now I had ordered skim milk with the oatmeal, but of course, the only milk they had was one percent, so now I am eating the oatmeal with the cream and loving it. I drank the mild straight from the pitcher, so the waitress, who we know, does not think I am totally bizarre in my eating habits. But I decided right and there, that cream makes everything taste better, which everyone probably knows already. But I am still not going to buy cream. However, if anyone serves me cream, I have decided that it would be rude of me to decline the cream. I'll just have to walk another mile after every portion of cream.

September 25, 2008. Western Head, N.S. Canoe.

It is the most beautiful canoe we have ever seen. Today it was delivered to the cottage by Dan, the man who made it. Now it resides in our boat house, awaiting our return next summer. Today we closed the cottage for the season and brought all the supplies back home. The plumber will soon come and blow out the water lines and winterize the cottage, making it safe for the freezing winter weather. Now Dan makes a few canoes a year, and only to people he likes and appreciates his canoes. From now on, he will make one or two a year, so we are some of the lucky owners of a hand made canoe, made by Dan. Once he told us that a canoe was totally sacred. I was not sure what he meant by that, but I know that he is a wonderful craftsman and that his canoes are beautiful. He even weaves the seats himself. Every seat has a back too. He says that his canoes just knife through the water very quickly, but we will have to wait until next year to try it out. Ken suggests that the canoe is such a work of art that perhaps we will just look at it and not ever put it in the water, but I don't think so. We will use it and enjoy it. Now we just need Kate to name the canoe, then we will be ready for next season.

In addition to closing up the cottage, we are starting to organize to leave on Monday. The weather has been perfect, but a storm is out at sea. The waves are high and the wind is strong, so I believe we are due for some weather. Last evening I had an interesting conversation with Ross. I was asking him whether they go south during the winter, as almost everyone who is retired heads south for at least part of the winter season. His response was unusual. He told me that they do not like to travel at all, and especially hate to travel in the winter. I was so surprised with his comments that I was unable to ask any follow up questions. It is such a different response to my attitude to travel. We will return here in the winter, but I don't know when, because Ken is organizing our schedule and he has only gotten as far as January. Soon we will know I am sure and I plan on putting our schedule on my little web log. But not yet!!

September 24, 2008. Western Head, N.S. Village at sea.

We could not figure out what those lights were out at sea. We knew no town was there because there was no land any where around the lights. But it looked like a village had appeared right out on the horizon of the ocean. There were lots of light moving to and fro. Finally we decided it must be fishing boats. When we asked the next day about the lights out at sea we were told that the Mackerel were running and the fleet was out working. Now they are back. Ken noticed them in the middle of the night and they are back again tonight. Lots of lights moving around with the occasional spot light looking across the water. Even with the binoculars the individual boats are not visible, but you certainly can see the little village right out in the middle of the ocean.

There are so many lovely sites for homes here in Nova Scotia. I am impressed every time we drive the slow route to Bridgewater, right along the shore and then up the Lehave River. Today we crossed the ferry too. Many ships captains lived along this river, so the homes are large and old and beautiful. After we completed our business, we drove home the fast way, but it is not so pretty but does get you home quickly. We needed to get home because friends were coming to dinner and we needed to be ready. Connie and Ross moved to Liverpool two years ago from Frederickton, N.B. He is a retired Physician. He also plays the bagpipes and Connie plays the fiddle. They are fun. Frances and Kelly moved here from Edmonton where they were both teachers, or rather Frances was a Principal and Kelly taught high school Math. They rented a house just across the bay from us so we got to know them well. They purchased a home three years ago in White Point Estates and have been working on their five acres of land ever since. Today their yard is absolutely glorious. The Mitchells came too, so our dinner was lively and fun. The weather was so beautiful that we spent the cocktail hour out on the deck. The sunsets have been especially lovely these past few days. September is a great month to visit Nova Scotia.

September 23, 2008. Western Head, N.S. One Day.

Today Ken went fishing with Vinal, and I had the whole day to myself. Now this is not something that happens very often, in fact we have chosen not to have this happen too often. For two years, we elected to have Ken stay In Nova Scotia all summer, while I went back and forth to work, staying in Bethesda for two or three weeks at a time by myself. We did the same in the winter in Texas. Two years was enough, so now we go together. We can function quite well by ourselves, but we finally asked ourselves the question "why would we want to be apart?" Every now and then Ken goes fishing and I have the whole day to do nothing. I have always wondered how I can get so much done when I am alone. For instance, today I organized and put away in the album the pictures from the 50Th party. I phoned several friends and relatives. I read the whole New Criterion, visited with Mary and Walt, walked from their home to Fort Point Lighthouse, ate lunch at the Woodpile, walked the whole length of Main Street, bought a card for Bud and Mary, sat outside on the deck, purchased four candles and did a load of laundry. Also invited some friends for dinner on Sunday night, the last night that we are in town. So my day was pleasant and productive, but not dramatic. I think that my whole life has been like that... pleasant and productive but not dramatic.

My good friend Beverley wants me to write my legacy for my grandchildren in this small web log. The only thing I do well is to do the ordinary things that every one has to do, but I seem able not to feel put upon or anxious about doing them. And I seem to be able to have fun with everything I do. There is very little misery in my life. Perhaps everyone is like me. Today was a perfect example of a lovely day. Tonight Ken and I watched a DVD, The Last Detective. Not the best series in the world but we enjoyed it. Once again the day was glorious, a perfect Nova Scotia day. We are so fortunate.

September 22, 2008. Western Head, N.S. Night Sky.

Texas is not the only place where the stars at night are big and bright. On a clear night, with the absence of light here at the shore, the Milky Way feels as if you can reach up and touch it, it is so bright. The stars and planets are so bright and numerous that I feel stupid not to know every constellation. For the past several evenings we have gone out to the hot tub just at sunset and I must say that it a spectacular sight looking out at sea while watching the sunset from the hot tub. But tonight we took a hot tub in the dark and what a sight it was. No moon and no lights make for a very dark night. The stars were spectacular. There are a lot of things we like about our home here, but one of the best is the hot tub looking out at the sea and hearing the waves. We are very fortunate indeed.

Walt and Mary are our friends. They are also real estate agents here in Liverpool. They are unfailingly helpful to us here in Liverpool. They know everyone and everything. Mary is the Broker of their company and Walt and another agent constitutes their office. Mary looks after all the details of the case and keeps their web site current. She has also been active in the Nova Scotia Association of Realtors, was the President a few years ago and right now is the Chairman of the Real Estate Commission. So we have a lot in common. They are very hard workers too and always have a project or two on the go. Mary was born and raised in Chicago, so she is very direct and outspoken in her remarks. She calls a spade a spade. Walt's family over the generations has shuttled between Connecticut and Nova Scotia, so he has family in both places. When they first moved here from Chicago twenty five years ago they bought and ran The Quarterdeck, which is a motel and restaurant. Mary did all the cooking. The doubled the size of the motel portion, than sold them both and went into the Real Estate business, opening their own firm almost twenty years ago. Their business is such a different type of business than mine. Walt specializes in water front property so he has listings all over the Province. He is always in his car. They think nothing of driving to Wolfville for lunch and to check their flyer's. But they do well and we are grateful to be their friends.

September 21, 2008. Western Head, N.S. Whirligigs

I did not even know what a Whirligig was , but now I have seen several hundred. Whirligigs and Weather Vanes, that was what we are told, so down we walked to the waterfront in Shelburne to see them in action. Local folks make these at home and enter them in their contest at the Festival. They are all displayed along the waterfront and whirl around in the wind. Every one is different. The variety is astonishing. The only thing the same is that the wind turns the vanes that then turns something else, some simple and some complicated. We saw fishermen rowing boats and fish leaping out of the sea. The contest is for various categories by age and content, and prizes are awarded, but the most important thing was the fun. Lots of people there to see these whirligigs and weather vanes. In fact, we could vote on the one we liked the best, for the People's Choice Award.

Our beautiful custom made canoe will be delivered next week, so we needed to order paddles. The man who makes these beautiful paddles lives out side of Shelburne, in Lower Ohio. The day was beautiful, so we called Walt and Mary to see if they wanted to drive down to order the paddles and to have lunch. Lother is a new restaurant in Shelburne, so we ate brunch there, then went to see the paddles. This young man and his wife and two children live in a very modest home, but you should see his hand made paddles. They are works of art. He has a day job, but he just makes these beautiful paddles in his spare time. He is so proud of them, and rightly so. Of course we ordered six because we loved them too.

An ice cream cone ended our very pleasant day, which was full of whirligigs, weather vanes and paddles.

September 20, 2008. Western Head, N.S. County Fair.

The oxen pull is my favorite event. Every County Fair has one and I love them all. The animals are all dressed in their finery, with brass and red tassels. The men, some young and some old, are not dressed up, but wear the work clothes of a farmer. I wonder why the men do not wear fancy duds too? We left before the end, but the best pair and the highest weight was 5200 pounds, led by a young man named Matt. It was so impressive to watch their effort, both man and oxen. The team followed Matt into the ring as he led them around the outer circle and when they were in place in front of the sled, they stopped at his call. No flick of the whip, no yelling or pushing. They just looked at Matt the whole time. And they kept pushing or rather pulling with every extra weight, until 5200 pounds, when he said it was enough. What he really said was "they are done". And off they went out of the ring. Now I am sure no one could beat him because the next heaviest weight was 4800 pounds, so we just left the Fair, knowing that we watched the best team of oxen compete.

North Queens Fair is held every year in Caledonia in September, but this is the first time we have been able to attend. Lots of horses, lots of oxen, lots of rabbits and many many examples of competitions for the best of everything. 4H is alive and well in North Queens County. This Fair is the same as every other Fair, only smaller. And of course, everyone speaks like a country Nova Scotian, which is hard to understand. We have attended the Montgomery County Fair, The Bedford County Fair, The Cumberland Fair, The Bridgewater Fair and many more besides these. We enjoy them all, as long as I am not required to stay too long. As an added bonus, we won an owl, carved at a demonstration by Chain saw artists. We watched with our own eyes as these men, using a small chain saw, out of a block of wood, carved an owl. They donated the owl to the person who came the furthest. Ken said "Texas", and the owl was ours. Was this cheating do you think? Anyway, we enjoyed the Fair and we will enjoy the owl too. You can find it by the pond.

Actually, to be accurate, oxen are pushing against the wooden yoke in front or their shoulders, that is then attached to the sled. So the animals are pushing the yoke that pulls the sled that carries the weight. This is all true.

September 18, 2008. Western Head, N.S. Storms.

Ken was just dying to go down to see the storm in Texas. When we moved to Galveston in 1964, the storm Carla was fresh in every body's mind so we talked about it a lot with the folks who lived through it. Evidently, it was a mess. The decision was made to use the hospital as a safe building, and when the water failed, there was a building full of people with no bathrooms. The whole hospital reeked of urine, I was told. While we lived there we watched storms enter the gulf and go into land another place. For the first time, we observed the whole population monitor the weather map and track the path of the storm on charts they kept on their desk. Since Carla, no storm came directly into Galveston. When we first arrived I read everything I could about the history of Galveston, which included the storm of 1900. That storm is still the record storm for loss of life. Between the water and wind and waves and the flying slates, over 6000 people died in that 1900 storm. The most amazing thing to me was that after the storm, the good folks of Galveston, with no help from anyone else, built the seawall and raised the level of the island 15 feet, including all the houses. It was quite a feat, but was successful and Galveston flourished. At least it did until the ship's channel was put through to Houston. From 1900 to 1960, Galveston was the only city in Texas that lost population.

Ike has roared into Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula, but the Seawall has held. There is a big mess and lots of flooding, and many many houses damaged or gone, but nothing like the loss of life. Our friends Joyce and Robbie own a beach house on the Bolivar Peninsula. The are not yet allowed to go and see their house, but a friend took his boat to peruse the area and found their home still standing but the boat not there at all. The bridge to their area is damaged and the ferry from Galveston to Bolivar is not running, so there is no way to go there even if they were allowed. With no electricity and no water, staying there is impossible. Suzanne's parents live on the north side of Houston, and they elected to stay home and ride out the storm. They were fine, with no flooding in the apartment. They lost power early in the morning, and stayed home all day, as instructed by the officials. They reported debris everywhere on the roads and the lawns and on the cars. Dick reported several feet of pine cones in their patio. When the water stopped running, they decided that it was time to get out of town, so they went to Suzanne and David, where they had both electricity and water. Both great blessings.

Both Ken and Dick lived without indoor plumbing for most of their life, until they left home. If you ask either of them what was the best invention of the twentieth century they would say indoor plumbing. I think they are right.

September 17, 2008. Western Hear, N.S. Traditions

Every evening before going to bed, Ken makes us each a cup of hot Ovaltine. He brings it to me in the bedroom while I am reading before going to bed. Obviously we like the custom. Now we have had many many house guests, and no one ever wants a cup of Ovaltine, even though we offer it to them. I have never understood why the aversion to this drink. My Father often brought cinnamon toast to me when reading in bed. He would cut the toast into thin strips to make it easy to eat, along with a glass of cold milk. I liked it. This afternoon, Mary and I went for a walk across the causeway to the church and through our yard to their house, a walk we have taken many times. We like to see the same lake and the same ocean, but at different times of the day and at different times of the year. Ken and I have a tradition to be always on the move, but we take our traditions with us.

This was another beautiful day at Western Head. I did nothing at all productive except read. I am catching up on my magazines. So far I have read all the back copies of The National Review and The Weekly Standard and I am almost finished with National Geographic. I still have two science magazines, Commentary and The Wilson Quarterly. The reason I am behind is that, while away, three books arrived, so I read one immediately. I was by Reid Buckley, and it the story of his parents. It's an easy but interesting read. And I am behind every one else, but I am almost finished with Anne Tyler's "Digging to America". I feel so decadent spending the whole day reading. Tonight we watched the second part of the War of 1812. Now I studied the war when I was at school on Canada, and I studied the war when I studied History at the University of Houston, and I can tell you, the war was totally different from both places. Now I have watched the History Channel, so I must have seen the real deal!! Ken is working on his kayak. By next summer it will be in the water at the lake. It was a lovely day for me, lazy tho I was.

September 16, 2008. Western Head, N.S. Home.

I am like a child in the candy store. I am so excited to arrive at our home. The first thing I do is walk around the whole place to be sure that everything is in place. Then I admire the paintings and the photographs. Next I go into every room. Finally I go out on the deck and look out to sea, and I say a word of gratitude. When I am satisfied that everything is in order, I put away the stuff from my backpack, then head into town to buy groceries. On the way by the McDonalds I stop in to say a quick hello. It is always a pleasure to see them again. Memory Lane has finished the framing, so I stop there too to pick up the photographs, and upon my return, I hang the new pictures and re-position the old ones. That is fun too. After a walk over the causeway, my day is complete. Now soon we will go to the Mitchell's home for dinner. The McDonalds will be there too, so we can catch up with the news from Liverpool that we missed out on for the past two weeks. Everyone we meet always responds the same way and says, "welcome home".

My friend Beverley asked me last week how we manage to be vagabonds. She felt that she would always feel that she was on vacation and not totally at ease. The other question we are asked often is "what place do you like best?" I do not know how we do it, but I do know that we like coming and going, and feel perfectly comfortable right where we are. And the place I like the best is the place I am in. It is simple but true. I never pine for another spot. I like where I am just fine. Right now we will be in Nova Scotia until September 29, and we will enjoy every minute. Of course, today the weather is perfect. 70 degrees, clear sky, sun and clouds, blue sky. Just perfect. The forecast is supposed to be the same for the rest of the week. We will enjoy!!

September 15, 2008. Hammomds Plain, N.S.

My favorite dessert is Stilton cheese, pears and walnuts, served with a glass of port. Tonight I was in heaven. Bob picked us up at the airport at noon today in Halifax, and drove us to their new home in Hammond's Plain. Sandra and Bob are friends from Liverpool, actually they lived on the shore in East Berlin, but one year ago they moved up to this lovely home on a lake, outside of Halifax. We wanted to see their home, so they suggested that we stay over-night with them tonight and then as Bob still works in Liverpool every now and then, Bob would drive us to our home on Tuesday. So that is what we are doing. Sandra is a good cook, so the added bonus for us is that we have eaten lunch and dinner in their home, and what a home it is. It is a beautiful property up from the lake, where they have a dock and boats and paths and flowers. Their last home was wonderful, but this one works very well for them. Sandra swims in the lake every day, and they sit down on the dock every evening for cocktails. The whole place is attractive and I am pleased to have seen their new home. I especially loved the Stilton cheese, pear, walnuts and port. That is called living with style.

Bob and Sandra grew up in Quebec, in the Eastern Townships east of Montreal. Although they both speak French, the Townships were where the English folks lived. It is also a very old place, so they brought with them some of the most beautiful antique furniture, which we have enjoyed these last nine years. Bob is an accountant and moved to Liverpool thirty years ago to be the County auditor. Tonight at dinner he was saying that he does not feel a close bond with Quebec, but rather, now he feels that his new house in Hammond's Plains feels like home. They are good friends and I am delighted to see their new home, but I am anxious to see our home in Western Head. I will miss the good cooking!!

September 14, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Farmer Life.

"I still love my job, even after all these years." This was spoken by our friend Alan Jay. He is my age, and as he was brought up on the same farm and as all farm children work from the time they can walk, I guess he has been on the job almost seventy years. We were sitting around the butcher shop having a drink late in the afternoon on Saturday. The day was very hot and humid. Ken and I had just finished taking our meat over to our freezer from their freezer, which meant loading and unloading and arranging the meat. It took two trips so we were hot. Alan, Bryan and three men had been butchering hogs so their task was much more strenuous and tiring. Of course, Bryan and Tammy still had to milk, prior to attending their daughters' Volleyball game, and Alan still had to cut more hay before calling it a night. We were all chatting about the day and the politics and the real estate, in other words, we were jumping around and having a good time. I asked Alan which time of the year he liked the best, and his response was that one of the things he liked best about his job is the variety from one season to the next. He ended the conversation by saying, "I still love my job, even after all these years".

Now Helen and Alan are very interesting and hard working people. Very smart too. Alan can do almost everything mechanically, which is a good thing on the farm because the big machines are always in need of repairs. His skills include lumbering too as once in his life, in order to raise some cash. he worked in his own wood bush and sold the wood. In the farm area where we live, Alan is the one to call if you need help. Alan is the third Jay member to own and make their living from their farm. Yesterday he told us that he and his Father worked very hard together, where as Alan and his son Bryan work hard too, but they use the machines. He has had one day off work in the past twenty years. In the previous twenty years, he went hunting in Montana for three days, and that is the extent of his time off. He works seven days a week, except on Sunday afternoon he will watch either a football game or a car race.

Helen was also brought up on a farm, just north of Clearville, except her Father had a PHD and taught at the closest University, and farmed in the evenings and the summer. She learned on the job, after she made the decision to marry Alan rather than going to College. She is a skilled seamstress. She taught herself to decorate cakes, so now she makes a lot of money decorating these fancy cakes and delivering them all over the county. Of course she does all the things that a farmers wife is expected to do too. Both Helen and Alan are competent people and are both happy with their jobs. But for the life of me, it looks to me that many of us city folks would never apply for their job. I told Alan yesterday that we are very happy that they love his job, because that allows Ken and I do what we are able to do. We could not get the pleasure we get from our farm without the Jays working our farm. And that is the truth.

September 12, 2008. Bethesda, Md.

Every problem that is solved in turn gives another problem that now needs to be solved. Last weekend at the farm, Alan asked us about building a storage shed for all the big round bales. The season for hay has been wonderful, so we have hay everywhere. The barn is full to the top with square bales, as is the shed attached to the barn. The barn is a turn of the century barn, so when it is full it is an impressive amount of hay. Several years ago, the hay was so heavy that we had to shore up the center structural supports, so now it is full to the top. The big round bales we give to the cattle and those bales are stashed everywhere both in two other sheds and also in the open in three locations. Alan would like to have another shed for all these large bales.

He also told us how and where to put it. The location will be right opposite the pond, in front of the spot where for years we have taken stone and gravel to make the roads. But the best part is that Alan will cut down several pine trees, take them to the mill to be made into boards, to be used for the three sides of the shed. The floor will remain dirt. Now the good thing is that as the boards age and shrink, the sides will allow air though the cracks, which is good for the hay. The only thing we have to is to hire Keith, our builder, to install the foundation and the roof and the side boards. Of course, Alan is too busy right now, so this will be a winter project. I love the idea that we will build a structure using the wood on our land. My goodness!! We could pretend we are living in 1908, and live from the bounty of the land totally. Other than coffee, sugar and salt, our friends the Jays are self sufficient. Maybe with this structure we will start, or maybe we won't.

September 11, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Pictures.

Pictures remind you of things you had forgotten all about. This weekend, while sorting through stuff at the farm house, I found two albums of snapshots that I had not seen for many years. Each album is devoted to each child. Lots of those early pictures, were taken when my Mother visited us in Galveston. Ken had forgotten how thin I was back then. David was very very blond. Both boys were very very cute, even from this distance. At one time of his life, Ken's hair was long and curly. We had both forgotten that. One picture of me had me riding my bike, with one boy in front of me in a chair and the other behind. We looked very steady and secure, but actually I only took the both boys out once on my bicycle, because with Andrew in front of me , I was not able to steer very well. Now riding a bicycle in Galveston was wonderful because the whole island was flat, so I rode almost every day with Andrew behind in the secure chair. At least we did until David was born. The only thing to worry about was the wind. I always headed out with the wind in my face so riding home would be easier. I brought my bike to Bethesda, but the hills were killing me so I took up walking instead. You never notice the hills here until it snows or when you are riding your bicycle.

Now one of those pictures was of my David as a baby when he was just a few months old, with Norman , his cousin playing with him in the baby seat. Dave and Irene and the three children visited us in 1969 in Galveston. Norm was a teen. We four adults were all invited out for New Years Eve, so Norm offered to babysit for Andrew and David, then 19 months and 4 months old. Both boys slept well once they went to bed, so we were all happy with the plan. Our across the street friends were both going to be home, because the Dad was on call. Their two children were a bit older than ours, so the Mother was happy to come and help in an emergency. We four went of to the party, both boys sound asleep and Norm in charge. We arrived home around one o'clock to find everything peaceful. However, both boys cried almost all night. Norm changed numerous diapers and walked and sang and talked to those little boys but to no avail. He finally called my friend for help, but she was not able to help much, so she finally told Norm to leave the boys in their cribs and leave them there. He did and eventually all was quiet, just thirty minutes before we walked in. Now all these memories flooded back to us when we saw that one little picture. There is another chapter to this story too, but not tonight.

September 10, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Families.

There are worse things in life than being poor. Our friends, Fred and Phyllis have spent ten years trying to extricate themselves from Phyllis' brother. If there was no money, there would be no problems, but Her Father died and in his will, he left specific instructions. For the past ten years, they have spent a lot of time and money protecting themselves. The brother has lost every case, but he continues along with more legal mischief. It would be interesting, if it wasn't happening to them, but as it is their life and their anxiety, it is all a night mare. I had not gotten an update for two years, because they really do not like to speak of these unpleasantness, but I asked.

The brother is a PhD from Harvard, who has never held a job, because he thinks of himself as an intellectual. He has been living off the parents ever since school. He is divorced and has two very nice grown children. The Father, to protect the funds to last the lifetime of the grandchildren, divided his estate equally between the two children, Phyllis and her brother Marshall. The only difference was that the monies put in a trust account for Marshall were to be under the control of a trustee, so in order for Marshall to get at money, he had to ask the trustee, where-as, the funds held for Phyllis could be obtained at any time and in any amount. The brother is so angry at his Father, that he is moving heaven and earth to have these restrictions removed. It is a nasty and expensive operation. It certainly makes you loose faith in the legal system in Florida. And it certainly makes me pleased that my family had nothing to fight over when our parents died. As I said before, there are worse things in life than being poor!!

September 9, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Friends.

Tonight we had dinner with Fred and Phyllis, at their home. Fred is a good cook, and loves to make pasta, so we always eat a pasta as a first course. No, actually, our first course is to nibble on vegetables and cheese. Tonight Fred cooked Greek Risotto, which was delicious. Main course was T bone steak and chick peas, followed by salad. Peach crisp with ice cream for dessert. We were full. The food is always delicious when we eat at their home. On the other hand, at our home we almost never serve appetizers, we often serve soup, the main course is usually meat with one vegetable, with a salad to follow. Fruit and cookies are served for dessert. Fred always knows what he served to us in past years too. All very impressive. I must remind him to keep track of the meals we serve them in our home, so we don't repeat ourselves. Certainly Ken and I will never remember.

They have just returned from Switzerland where they spent the summer in a small village up in the mountains, right at the end of a long valley. The town is charming, and when we visited them several years ago, we got to know the town and their friends. It is always interesting to catch up with everyone in their town. When you are away for ten week, many things happen. While they were there, after one hundred years without a rock slide, a house was demolished by a rock the size of a room that came rumbling down the mountain. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but it was very frightening for all in the town. The homes are designated as a zone of danger, either red, yellow or green zones. If your home was designated in the red zone, and the house is damaged in the rock slide, the home can not be re-built again, so obviously, the houses designated as red zone are much cheaper. The homes are still sold though, because remember, one hundred years ago the rock slide demolished homes, so the designations were put in place. The house that was demolished was just purchased one year ago, fortunately for an in-expensive price. The good Swiss have rules for everything, even the color of your house.

The really interesting question is why Fred loves Switzerland? There is so much about the country not to like, especially their attitude and treatment of money in the Second Wold War. I have read a lot about it, but Fred will not hear of it, and no argument makes sense to him. I think he likes the stability and the sameness in the life style of the Swiss. Of course, he loves their little town with the mountain air and the Alps in all direction, but it is really the life style that he favors. I suspect, is he were not married to an American, he would live there all year. It is all very interesting, the choices people make.

September 8, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Meetings.

Some meetings I really do enjoy, and these are the meetings with the agents. It has been my habit to meet each agent twice a year. At these meetings I catch up with each agent concerning their systems for out reach, their goals and deslres, and anything else of concern in their business life. Several years ago I could not continue this policy, because talking so much was difficult for me, so we changed our systems to meet agents only for the first few years in the business. I always felt this was a mistake. Lots of good folks have told me to forget about worrying about these meetings, but I always felt these meeting brought value to the office and the agents. The advise from the Neurologist was to delegate all my tasks at work, and now that we have Carole and Ned on the job, I have followed his advice, so now I have nothing to do. I can return to the past and begin to meet all the agents, beginning with the A's and going straight through to the end.

Last week I started my plan. Today was the first full day of meetings. My routine is to make a date with the next two weeks meetings, and give the agent the opportunity to change the date, so even if I am not there, the meetings will be ready when I return. I met with agents today that I have not met with in a formal way for several years and I must say that I enjoyed the process. Now Carole and Ned are at the Realtor Convention in Ocean City, Md. so my day was long and busy, with many calls tucked in between the agent meetings. I felt that my time with the agents was valuable, and more importantly, the agents felt the same. Either that or they were humoring me, which could be a possibility. There is such a difference between the agent of one year in the business and the seasoned agent with twenty years or more. Fortunately, we have all kinds, but when it all comes down to it, the very experienced agent has to do the same basic activities as the brand new one. Sometimes even the very experienced agents forget to keep up with the basic business patterns. Anyway, I have enbarked on these meetings with the agents, and I will enjoy every one of them.

Sptember 7, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Hiking.

No one really likes to come upon a black snake basking in the sun, stretched out right across the trail. Ken was in front, and stopped to tell me what was ahead. We both watched him sleeping in the sun, totally oblivious to us. The only problem was he was in our path. The snake was about four feet long, but kind of skinny. Now black snakes are good snakes, in that they have no poison, also they eat rodents, so having a black snake around is a good thing, because they keep down the population of mice and rats. On the other hand, black snakes have teeth, and if cornered or threatened, they will bite. We gave him wide birth to get by. No response from the snake after a poke from a stick. Next, Ken threw a couple of stones at his tail, so he slowly moved toward the bushes. Ken walked by while he was looking away. Then he turned and coiled up tight, raised his head up high, and looked at me with his tongue flicking my way. He wanted me gone. A few more stones encouraged him to retreat into the bushes, so I was able to skitter by and continue on our hike. He was a pretty sight, all stretched out sunning himself on the trail.

In times past, Ken and I have gone hiking, exploring new trails every Sunday morning. Now we mostly hike on our own property, until now. We have decided to hike the trails in Buchanan State Forests. Ken found our old map, so after breakfast we drove along old roads to find a trail. Ken specifically mentioned that he did not want to go on the trail we took with Carol six years ago, because the trail goes straight up the side of a mountain, and we both recalled the trail well. Ken wanted to try some hills, but not too steep and not too long. We chose Smith Trail. On the map it appeared to be trail that went across, rather than up and down. We started along Smith Trail, but it was too short, so wouldn't you know, we ended on Ragged Mountain Trail, the same one as before. It took us a few minuted to realize what we had done, but we just laughed and made many stops to catch our breath on our way up to the top. The good thing is we will begin to hike all those trails, every Sunday morning. And we both did very well indeed, so we were pleased with our efforts.

September 5, 2008. Bethesda, Md. Children.

Wednesday night Ken and I went over to see Andrew and Christina's house. Ken put new flowers in the flower boxes and he wanted me to see them. Also, Gloria has re-arranged furniture and pictures, in order to make every room bigger and brighter, so of course, I wanted to see what she had done. Now, when our house was for sale on Franklin Street, Gloria did the same thing, and moved furniture around and re-hung pictures and put lots of stuff out of sight. Our house looked charming, but as a home to live in, it left much to be desired. The result for us was to distance ourselves from our house, and we got over pining for our wonderful home that we were not going to live in, but it was a house to sell and we got ahead to selling it. Now Andrew and Christina and the girlse were living there during the period of the sale, but once they moved to Mississippi, the house could be staged and it was done by Gloria. It looks great.

But I must say, I hated being there. Normally, we bring dinner and enjoy a short time with the children and catch up with the adults. We arrived at the house on Wednesday to find no children there, and everything changed in the house, and all I wanted to do was get out of the house and go home. Now I knew they were not there, but knowing is not the same as feeling. I was a good soldier, and Gloria and I took a bunch of stuff to the basement, to make the pantry and closets look larger and generally made myself useful to Gloria. But I did not like it a bit and I am ready to have the house sell, so they can get on with their lives and so I do not need to see the house many more times. Ken thinks the house looks very attractive indeed, and he knows that part of our life here with that part of the Family has changed. Now we are ready for the next phase, and have booked our tickets on Southwest for November 28, where we will visit them in Jackson. When I am there, I don't even need to bring dinner. We are going to take them out!!

September 4, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Meetings.

I do not know why I hate meetings. Perhaps it is because I sat in so many church services. Every Sunday, morning and evening we all went to meetings. Now they were not totally boring, so I don't recall objecting to them, in fact, during the sermon, I recall thinking through everything I had to do the next week, so I do not think that my early years are the cause of my dislike of meetings. Perhaps I am required to sit still and be quiet that makes me squirm. In the past, if the meeting was boring I fooled around and got in trouble, especially in school, but since I have been older, I try really hard to avoid any meetings. I often wonder if anyone really enjoys meetings. Now, if the meeting is really boring, I do some work, or I go out into the hall and talk. If the meeting is well run and moves along quickly I can be happy, even though I would always wish I were somewhere else.

At work, our sales meetings are thirty minutes long, probably because I can't stay at the meeting any longer, even when I lead the meetings. Perhaps I could blame my Father, who was even worse than me at sitting for long periods of time. He would complain about the length of the service or the length of the sermon. The Salvation Army held annual meetings for the Officers, usually for the whole area, so the meetings were large. Every so often my Father had enough meetings, and he would go off to a ball game, which did not make him popular. In fact, my Mother was always mortified that he would just leave these religious services to attend a ball game. His excuse was that he just had to get away, because he had come down with "religious indigestion". In his eyes, enough is enough, and he had had enough religion for the moment, so he would leave. I think that is the answer for my dislike of meetings. It is all my Fathers fault!!

September 3, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. A Cup of Tea.

It is so welcoming. Almost every where in the world, having a cup of tea together will sooth the feathers immediately. Even if the feathers are not fluffed up, the tone of the gathering seems easier, when a cup of tea is offered all around. When trouble is brewing, the first thing to do is to make a cup of tea. I don't know if it helps anything, but at least it gives everyone something to do. It is a lovely custom, serving tea in the late afternoon. Certainly, while in Nova Scotia, we have the habit of drinking an afternoon cup of tea. And while we are in Texas often Suzanne and the girls and I enjoy the custom. I think they really just like the whole ritual, with the fancy tea pot and the pretty cups and the cookies, all sitting around the coffee table, pretending to be ladies. They don't actually like the tea, but they certainly enjoy adding the cream and sugar. When Kate and Mary Frances and of course Christina and Andrew are at the farm, we always enjoy our cup of tea sitting on the porch in the rocking chairs. It is a very nice custom.

Now I serve tea at work to the agents every afternoon. At that time of day, everyone needs a bit of a boost, and it certainly is nice for me to get out of my office. My custom is to make the tea in a pot, fill the Styrofoam cups and then walk around the office using my tea cart. My tea cart is beautiful, given to me by my fellow Manager Carole Maclure. Now if I was asked whether or not I needed a tea cart, I would have said no, but that tea cart is the most useful piece of business. I keep extra cups and cookies in the drawers, and I push that lovely cart all around the office looking very elegant indeed, except for the Styrofoam cups of course. That cart is indispensable to me, and in addition, the wheels of the card make a bit of noise, so the agents know I am coming soon. I have taught many classes about management, and I have always spoken of the virtue of serving tea every afternoon. No one has adopted my custom, even though most other parts of my management systems are implemented. Never the serving of tea. I can not fathom what not? It is such a civilized thing to do.

September 2, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Home.

This time my car was in the garage at work, well away from the small creatures that chew hoses, and out of the burning rays of the sun. We arrived at the downtown airport and took the Metro to Bethesda to pick up my car. The car was ready and waiting and looked great, except, when we started for home, the air-conditioning would not cool. Now how could this happen? Today, after checking out the system, my good friends at Community Auto told me that the compressor has a leak , plus another leak that I did not hear. I figure that the season for cooling is almost over, so have decided to do nothing. Soon I will be needing heat and that system works just fine... so far.

Arriving home is always a pleasure but so much needs to be done that it is hard to focus on any one task. Last evening I seemed to go from task to task yet never finishing any one thing. I finally got a grip on myself and wrote down the list of chores I wanted completed prior to bedtime. It seems silly, because most normal person would leave everything alone and wait until tomorrow, but I feel compelled to put away all the clothing and shoes, sort the belongings I brought from Nova Scotia and stack stuff on my desk to another day, sort the pictures so they are ready for the framers on Friday in Everitt, write the addresses to send off to friends, and put the medicines ready for next week. And of course, I must have my work purse organized. After all those chores were completed, I went to bed. Ken gets right to the mail, and spends all evening sorting and organizing, and leaves his backpack on the floor, waiting for another day. But not me. I have to have order in my space, and I even like things done in their proper order.

Now I am ready to roll. My desk has been cleared of the clutter from last evening, all my magazines are in order beside my bed, waiting for me to read this weekend and now I can just enjoy my life and my work. Now the real issue is that Ken is not supposed to cook. He cooked tonight though, and I was glad he did as I was hungry.