Morning coffee with a friend (fellow soccer player) then home to make sesame salt pretzels with brown beer mustard (from Sunday Suppers cookbook by Karen Mordechai).
Morning coffee with a friend (fellow soccer player) then home to make sesame salt pretzels with brown beer mustard (from Sunday Suppers cookbook by Karen Mordechai).
I am reading The Covenant of Water (Oprah’s Book Club) by Abraham Verghese: Iām on page 84/724 and I know I will love this story. (Cutting Foe Stone is one of my favorite novels.) š
We seem to have survived the big storm. Rains snd winds have ceased and house is feeling calm enough to put a record on the phonograph. When sun is up will look for fallen branches.
Rain most of the day. When I woke from my nap, stillness, so I walked into town for coffee. Back home, I seeded pomegranates for the semiannual batch of homemade grenadine while listening to Peter Gabriel’s Passion album on vinyl.
This is a test. I am refreshing myself on how to send a post to Micro.blog from iA Writer.
Another book I finished reading this month: The Point by Steve Woodruff. I previously read Woodruff’s Clarity Wins book about clear and direct communication. Both are very instructive.š
I finished reading How to Know a Person by David Brooks. A lot of what Brooks focuses on, including pausing and deep listening, is what I’ve been working on this year. A longer blog post to come to reflect on what I’ve learned about myself in this. š
It took me half the year, but I finally finished reading Victory City by Salman Rushdie š
Woken early by young nephews so I took a pre-dawn walk on the wide streets of Fredericksburg, Texas. Yesterday we enjoyed good wine and family conversation at Signor Vineyards. Saturday was UT football win. Fun vacation so far.
Last night at soccer near Pittsboro, I noticed a marbled salamander walking through the grass toward the playing pitch. I moved it to a safe distance away. My phone was in the truck so I didn’t get a photo of the beautiful, moist creature.
A few nights ago, this copperhead snake was crossing the gravel road near the old house. I stopped to move it (with a long pine branch) back into the woods. I love snakes but I’ve since been convinced that I should have run over this one to best protect the people and pets in our area.
Went for a short walk behind the house and came upon two male Eastern box turtles.
Before: The photo I posted to Micro.blog in 2019 of the blackjack oak on the mobile sawmill. The slabs from that day dried for more than 3 years, then went to the cabinet maker working on our new house.
After: The cabinet maker crafted this table for the dining room. We’re very happy at the result and looking forward to many meals, drinks, and conversations with family, friends, and strangers.
This male box turtle was not happy at being bumped by the wheel of the lawn mower. He was hissing and moving away but stopped long enough for a photo.
Big rains and turtles on the hunt.
Noticed this delicate strand of flowers at the base of a tree on our property: naked-flowered tick trefoil (Hylodesmum nudiflorum).
Walking into town for coffee, observing spring blossoms, cottontail rabbits, caterpillars and millipedes. In the power company easement along the creek I locked eyes with a large coyote that then turned and trotted away.
How I am feeling on my birthday: I have watched this flash mob video of Ode to Joy 3 times and cried each time. I also walked into town for breakfast with my lovely wife, then we planted a dogwood in the front yard. Now cooking a meal for friends and family. A good day.
A photo of the red-spotted newt.
Have not been able to use Sunlit app in many months. Updated to latest. Still always get a snippets error when trying to post. Will jump over to @help pages to troubleshoot.
Still working to dig out the Chinese wisteria. Today dug up old oil jug and found this red-spotted newt beneath.
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