Back on St. Croix. Island is green, temperature is pleasant, air is hazy with Saharan dust.
Sitting beside my family and 200 others underneath the big shade tree in front of Carrboro Town Hall for the annual reading of the Frederick Douglass speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”
Second day in a row, another female eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) at our doorstep - this one appearing to be much older.
More rains this morning and, yes, turtles. Usually I find them out in the woods or down the gravel drive. Erin found this one at the doorstep!
Oliver and his cousin, both 11, are making a movie. They showed a preview just now. It includes a warning: “Curse word for movie purposes only.” Too funny.
After a nice Father’s Day breakfast inside with the family, now with cup of coffee and this Atlantic article about alcohol on the front sitting porch as heavy rains soak the property.
Hey @ron look what’s awaiting you!
I wish I could share with you all the delightful scents of this gardenia bush. Each June we get large flowers that smell so good.
Processed the sour cherries that I picked on Saturday: 3 quart jars of cherry pie filling, a cup of cocktail cherries, and 4 cups of sour cherry simple syrup.
After a trail run, returned home and with Oliver’s help rerouted the path through our woods to the neighborhood garden. Beautiful day here in Chapel Hill.
On orchard hillside
the sour cherries picked clean
bamboo distraction
Steve and I left Chapel Hill at 6am and arrived at the Levering Orchard gate at 8. Already a line of cars waiting. Because of two freezes this spring the sour cherry picking is going to be scant, and with competition.
Found this box turtle hiding in one of the flower beds behind the back deck. Been a week of rainstorms so I suspect I’ll see other turtles hunting for worms.
Finished the project, then worked up a sweat cleaning out the hen house and used the chicken poop for planting wildflower seeds in one of the backyard garden areas. Drank 2 Topo Chicos, now feeling better all around.
Sent my soon-to-expire passport in for renewal, and I feel uneasy and trapped. But maybe it was listening to On the Media explore cancel culture. Or maybe it’s this project I’ve not completed. Yet it’s also a U-curve. #saturdayennui
This novel belongs at the top of my Favorites and Re-reads page: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez 📚
Still thinking about how much I enjoyed reading: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel on my vacation on St. Croix last month. 📚
Champions League final on the screen here in our room at the Elmar Boutique Hotel in Lauderdale by the Sea. Erin remains at the pool. We each have our priorities.
Juggling multiple work priorities today in preparation for weekend trip with Erin. Heard the alarmed squawking of the hens, rushed out to see a red fox headed their way.