Today, 7:45 a.m., out in the yard -- the start of an Indian Summer morning after a night of hard frost:
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Notes from the last week:
Last Wednesday (Oct. 1):
Bumpersticker in Montpelier, VT, seen on the car of a dog owner:
Dog Is My Co-Pilot
(which brought to mind a bumpersticker seen many years ago: DYSLEXICS UNTIE!)
Thursday:
Woke up at 7 a.m., rolled out of bed, began getting ready to drive down to New Hampshire, then Eastern Mass., where I'd be spending most of the weekend running from one place to another. The bird feeders at the dining room windows were wildly busy, between the local winged buggers and their migrating brethern/sistern. Some hairy woodpeckers have become regular visitors during these last months -- big, handsome, entertaining critters that have been nice to have around. Except that they've taken to pecking away on one of the eaves at this end of the house. Somewhere in the course of eating and packing for the weekend, I heard the sound of one of them tapping away on the house -- not music to a homeowner's ears. I scared off the bird, pulled on a jacket and boots, went outside to take a look at the state of the eave end. One board of which turned out to be riddled with holes. Bunches of holes, some small, some big and ragged. Damage getting progressively more serious, the kind that could not be ignored.
And as rain began falling, I pulled the extension ladder out of the garage, leaned it up against the end of the house. Found a piece of plywood, sawed it into a shape that would fit over the damaged area. Found a hammer and nails, climbed the ladder, nailed the patch down.
Not the kind of morning I'd anticipated, but this, sometimes, is life.
Packed the car, headed south.
The only two politically-themed bumperstickers seen en route:
in Montpelier: LIKE FATHER LIKE SON -- ONE TERM!
in New Hampshire: Anyone but Bush!
[this piece in progress -- more to come]
rws 8:12 AM [+]