Today’s tasks: figure out who can make a 5-foot by 18-inch damper for the fireplace, get a second quote on trimming the big oak trees of dangerous, dead limbs, and find contractors for the front and side walkways. And find the septic tank hatch before the deck gets installed.
Sour cherries at our new home. I will srill drive the 3 hours to Levering Orchard foe the annual summer haul, bit how cool to have cherry trees here on our Chapel Hill property.
I like working at Duke University. We were doing a photo shoot with a couple of our internal medicine residents today, and Eric Schoomaker, a past surgeon general of the Army - and former medical resident in our program - walked up and chatted with us.
The picture of the green-and-purple leaf I posted earlier is of violet wood sorrel, Oxalis violacea. My friend Bora asked his online community to help us identify it.
Was worried about that turtle and the ant, but should have been focused on what might be clamped on me. In the shower tonight, found a lone start tick on my hip. Must be vigilant this summer, and spray liberally.
Walked the land at my new house and came upon a box turtle with a black ant clamped to its eyelid. Later noticed this interesting plant. Also found many cedar trees that will make good posts for the garden we will plant soon.
I voted.
These last few weeks of a major house renovation are insane, mostly for my amazing wife who is juggling most of the details. But she and the girls went to a weekend YMCA camp, and I took Oliver camping this weekend. Soon, maybe a return to saner schedule that will allow blogging, microblogging, microcasting, and more.
(Just noticed the way Micro.blog changed my entry to a blog entry after I hit the 280 limit. Smooth.)
Is anyone in the Micro.blog community living in Sydney, Australia? I’m taking my family there next month, and would appreciate recommendations.
Love the music that Arts & Health at Duke brings into the medical center. Today is the amazing Nathan Golub (http://nathangolub.com/about).
And now my 17-year-old daughter has joined me in the living room for this awesome Talking Heads music/film.
Watching Stop Making Sense and remembering the first time I saw it, with my father in the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois.
Oliver was mimicking me on our walk to the bus stop this morning. So I introduced him to Monty Python and Ministry of Silly Walks.
The Starbucks here in Duke University Hospital has a dark roast from Papua New Guinea, so I’m sipping that and listening to ‘Papua I Sisifo' by Te Vaka.
Out for a morning walk. Listening to microcasts. Noticed this heron.
2018-03-31
2018-04-03
Cherry blossoms
2018-04-16
Black snake under an old tent.
2018-04-21
It’s time to start planning the annual trip to Levering Orchard in Ararat, Virginia, to pick sour cherries. One day only, have to be there when they open the gate, find a ladder and climb high and don’t come down until the tree is bare.
Cleaned out the flower garden with its iris and peony, added zinnia, rhubarb, dahlia, and cana. This garden is in a perfect spot, with sun and water. Great placement by the family who built the house more than 50 years ago. My wife came by to pick me up for dinner, brought me a cold Fullsteam brew. Can’t wait to move up there next month when reno is done.
At work, I’m standing up a pilot of the Voices of Duke Health listening booth and podcast project, and on Fridays I test my equipment, try my voice through the microphone, and record a short message as a way to start building my audio skills.
NPR has the story behind my favorite podcast of the last year, Ear Hustle. Great stories by inmates at San Quentin State Prison.
Thanks to Tom Michael, general manager of Boise State Public Radio (and my brother in law), for the link, and the 30 minutes he just gave me for a conversation about radio, podcasts, and ‘sense of place.’