Tuesday 09.22.2009

Wow! I put the date on there and it hit me about the seasons changing. And putting it together with the smells and the sounds up here.

I've had fun watching the birds this summer. The juvenile birds are still speckled, but the darker, mature feathers are coming in. They are all molting and are very funny to watch as they float on the water with their heads turned all the way around, plucking feathers out. Then, they're sometimes very noisy as they turn their head back and forth on the surface of the water to splash the feathers out of their beaks. There are many feathers floating on the surface, drifting and washing up along the shore.

The duck, loon, and seagull offspring are nearing adult size, with the remaining speckles the identifier, and they are trying out their wings and their voices. The ducks, especially. They are near shore within 20 feet or so, and there are maybe 3 different "family" groups. They went back and forth several times today, splashing and pulling feathers out and gab-gab-gabbing about it. It almost sounded like children playing in the water, or a dog or two running in and out of the water. I had to look several times while I was working out in the back to see what was splashing around in the water!!

I had a good day today. I was awake frequently until 3:30 or so, then slept well and was surprised that it was 0930! I laid there and enjoyed the sounds of the lake. Before long, splashing noises occurred. And the acorns are falling all over. The squirrels are knocking them down, too, so they're up shaking the branches. Then, thunk, thunk, thunk--they hit the ground or the roof or the deck or the awning or the neighbor's aluminum boat that's upside down on the bank. The black squirrel was in the oak branches that overhang the water, and those acorns did a heavy plop in the water, or landed on the docks or rocks. They sound like gravel with the frequency they were falling from the trees. I was surprised at that, too!

I was going to run this morning, but that didn't happen. I was swept the walks and decks and put out the furniture. Then I walked around the house and swept it, too, where it needed it. And the garage. The spiders are coming back and there are lots of moths, big ones, and a few smaller ones. Weird.

It was just after one o'clock. I decided to shower before Krisana from Tru Exteriors comes at 2. I'm done with the shower, drying off, when there's a knock at the door. She was early.

I told her I'd need a few minutes, but to go ahead and look around outside and check out the project site.

She was very knowledgeable, and had drawn up an idea for what they wanted to do, from the photos I had sent. (thanks, Jim and Polly. Krisana said they were great pics) We talked through the entire installation of the product, a "roofing system" with panels composed of a core of extruded polystyrene foam covered with a painted finished aluminum skin. The 3-inch-thick piece of foam has a snow load of 50 lb/sq ft , and a cubic foot of it weighs only 2 pounds. She had told me it was the foam stuff last night when she called to set a time for today, and I had to look it up. I was concerned about the toxicity of the stuff. But, one of the manufacturers has a great site, www.icc-es.org/reports/pdf_files/NES/ner501.pdf , which mostly eased my mind about it.

We talked price, I wrote a check, and she's going to call in several weeks when the materials come in to schedule a time. Yippee!!

It's been a beautiful afternoon, mirror quiet and 70 degrees. I fixed food and ate, had a conversation with Daniel, and just when I was going to start on the garage, the neighbor called to say they were home.

Bob and Evelyn were coming over as I opened the garage and pulled the van out to pick up the boat trailer in the yard. We got it hooked up, and I had to take Bob for his boat ride before we pulled it out of the water. So, we all three went out on the boat.

We took a fast ride down to the boat launch, then back up to the west end. When we got back into "our" bay, Bob had asked about "doing the circles" like he's seen me do. Okay, I said, are you sure? Yup. He wanted to do those "spins". Okay. But you've got to hold on. I asked if it was okay with Evelyn, and she grinned. I showed them where to hang on and to brace themselves, then did a "kind of " one, not going as fast as I could have. After they got the feel of it, I did it again, pretty hard. They were both grinning.

I let them out at the dock so they could take the van/trailer to the launch. I wasn't ready to take the boat out of the water yet, but it feels like a relief, too, to have it out. We got it out no problem. Another fishing boat came in, and while the one guy went to get their truck/trailer, the other guy was kind and lended us a hand, making the actual trailering very smooth.

When we got back, I put the boat in the driveway and got the powerwasher out. I was hoping the algae would rinse right off. Wrong. Disappointed, I sprayed the entire hull of the boat anyway, removing stuff that did come off. It was becoming dusk, but I tried a product to see if it would work. It did.

I was just starting to wipe that stuff on the boat when the neighbor across the road pulled in. He had been out in his garden harvesting potatoes--"would you like some?" Hoo, yeah!! And they're pesticide free. Thank you, Marty. We visited a little, and as night fell, I realized I wasn't going to finish that tonight with the mosquitoes and all. I put things away and covered the boat until tomorrow.

I washed up. Done with outside stuff for today. I went out and sat on the deck, with a blanket, in the dark.

So neat. Those ducks are still at it, quietly chatting in their group, splashing the feathers out of their beaks. No stars yet tonight. And a rustling breeze is blowing on occasion.

Thank you, God, for letting me enjoy your world.

And thank you, Readers, for sharing it with me. Hugs.