Christmas week

Time off here at Ledge Hill. Taking Christmas week off and have 2 of 3 family Christmas get together done and one to go. Carol's side of the family was last Sunday here on Ledge Hill for brunch. Seventeen adults and kids plus two dogs and a cat. Pretty snug fitting everyone but all worked out great with enough room for chatting, munching and gift exchanging. Plenty to eat (too much) and toss in that brother-in-law Greg's 60th birthday was coming up on Christmas eve there was a huge chocolate layer cake half of which  half still resides here. As expected there was quite the cleanup job once everyone left.

Unfortunately Ali wasn't able to attend but on Christmas Day she and Ian hosted Carol, myself and her parents Victor, Mandy and grandmother Rosemary for brunch, gifting and dinner at their place in NH. We all took a bit of a break between gifts and dinner, Ali went for a run, Rosemarie a nap at her hotel and the rest of us with the dogs to a nearby trial system for a little exercise. Ali had cooked a goose as the center of dinner, the first both Carol and I had ever had. Enjoy it very much. Carol had booked us into a nearby hotel so we wouldn't need to drive home that evening.

Home for the day now, tomorrow It's my side of the family get together. Will have packed on a few more calories when this is well behind me, probably should pack a sleeping bag for an extended stay at the gym.

Catchup of some material I had written after the last post but hadn't finished to post
(didn't want to waste all that writing – read as looking back)

Thanksgiving day week.

Took the entire week off and with Thanksgiving Day there as been a few things going on. Saturday was dinner at Lois and Jim's as Carol's brother was down with one of his brother-in-laws Graydon were staying overnight on their way to Foxborough, MA to attend the New England Patriots vs. the Dallas Cowboy's football game. That turned out to me a rain-feast of a game. I watched in the comfort of my living room. Unfortunately the Green Bay Packers game played that evening was a crushing defeat so bad I went to bed long before it was over.

Monday after lounging around with breakfast and all I when to the gym, had lunch and began a small project to box-in the end of part of the kitchen counter. While examining the task at hand I noticed some damp flooring along the wall and traced it to the inside of the cabinet under the sink. Turned out that one of the fittings from the facet had loosen significantly and every time we ran water some of it was gushing onto to the cabinet floor and draining into the holes that the pipes come up through, the sound of the water in the cabinet was masked by the running water in the sink. No idea how long that was going on and no idea where the water was going with out taking apart some or all the counter. Add to that some of the water had dripped onto a waterproof electric wire from the dishwater. Now the original project shifted to the cleanup of the water and I decided I should run a new line between the dishwashers and the box where the power comes from. Took me the rest of the afternoon and a little bit of the next morning to finish that up. Back to the original project on Saturday.

Tuesday was Taco TuWednesday as we call it (encase we have to re-schedule to the next day) where several co-workers and I do a taco lunch at a place a couple of blocks from the office. I came into town to join in on that day off after which I decided to do a walk-in at the Red Cross to donate blood - been awhile.

Off hand don't remember what I'd done Wednesday but we were at Ian and Ali's for Thanksgiving Day dinner and a nice time with them and Rosemary. That's all a can put together of that time, days are flying by fast.

Early fall behind us, holidays ahead

So far a lot of chilly days leading up to now with a mixture of cold damp times and a couple of light snow skirmishes - no snow thrower required. So far so good.

In the scrum Ali is somewhere in the
 midst of the blue and green team

Looking back a little to mid-October Carol and I drove to Portsmouth NH to watch Ali and her rugby team play a match. Though we have seen several of Ian's matches this was our first time watching Ali and her mates. I wasn't sure what level of play we might see but with Ali involved. I guessed it would be good and we  were not disappointed. These woman were all in. Rugby is by no means a soft game and the game play was as intense as the men's. We enjoyed it as much.

After about 30 years having a two-bay two story garage one might expect to have collected a few things that end up being stored there. Of course a lot of it may well be useless junk that turns out to be usable in some capacity so we save it for another day... a year, maybe even another decade. A few weekends ago Carol and I began a clean out of the garage, first floor only and we made a lot of progress. Still a lot to be done but what has been done gives us room to finish the task over time. The second floor has a whole different collection of things to be reorganized, donated, tossed - another time for that.

Change is coming - faster then I know

Welcome to my 65th year. It's been a little over a month since my birthday and as most people about this age and older we have some issues to live with. On my part I'll defer to another time to dwell on those kind things if at all. Otherwise I've had my yearly checkup and received a clean bill of health leading into my final year of full employment - if they'll have me. Still a little early to make definitive plans but household/yard work would fit in there. Fix-up and new projects abound so initially there will be few dull moments though I don't mind having some now and then. No plans on working myself to the bone. There are expectations of traveling overseas and stateside extended RV trips. Regular daily life itself isn't such a bad thing either.

Quick camping

Last trip out for the camping season. A two night-er then back home where sometime in the next two weeks I'll winterize the camper before putting it in storage near end of the month. This is a return to Stoney Brook Campground in Hanover. Sort of a fallback choice when we want a simple place to go with easy parking, fairly quiet (not counting the nearby highway), a fair but not to long of a drive.

Mostly taking it easy today with a trip to Rumford just to step out for awhile and picked up a few items then back to the campground.

Campground photos

Rumford photos

Time flies when you're not paying attention

So I'm plotting along doing some of of what needs to be done and not getting to some other things I should also be getting done. Nothing unusual there. Maybe I'm a little over matched now that I'm in my mid-60s and besides life now is not only about the basics I grew up with but how with technology changing the playing field practically every day I'm not keeping up very well at work and at home. Computers that seam to be telling me what I need to be doing, gad even the refrigerator is in on that telling me to close it's doors and such. Streaming music from several different sources, video from Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube TV even my cable provider is creating content. Devices like Roku, Chromecast and others. There are times when it feels like some of these thing are conspiring to overwhelm me with malfunctions that need to be addressed and often takes up a time just connecting to providers and with "chats" that take upwards 30 minutes or more. There was a time I was considered a bit of wizard with this stuff. Those days are behind me. Probably should do a re-boot of my brain and see how that works out.

A little bit more of the extended weekend

Last full day at the campground presently just hanging out, reading, internet browsing, blogging and maybe a nap and/or cribbage a little later. Just finished a lunch of leftovers from the last couple of days. Scotia on my lap trying to get me to stop typing and scratch her ears. Lena, Jim L. and the kids packed up and headed for home earlier so things are pretty quiet between that other campers leaving at the end of a long weekend. Yesterday we did get a move on and drove to the town of Northeast Harbor. Not a lot going on there but some nice shops and eateries, a small historical museum, Great Harbor Maritime Museum and perhaps the biggest draws, the town marina and an abundance of beautiful houses and estates.

Labor Day Weekend 2019

Eagle Lake Beach

Good old Mt Desert Island again. Nice to make this a regular destination every year. We settle in quickly, know our way around and keep a "take it easy" pace. This year we added extra days to each end of the weekend for a five night stay. We have a camp site next to Lois & Jim and this year our niece Lena and her family who are occupying a tenting platform on Lois and Jim's site.

So far we visited the Woodlawn Museum a historic estate featuring an 1800s mansion with original interiors and grounds.

Yesterday we hiked Indian Point Blagden Preserve.

Today - haven't decided yet. Maybe just hangout.

Up ta camp, vacation week

A few road bumps but Carol and I made it to the camp. More tire troubles but with the truck as we left the camper home. Should have taken a picture of the loaded vehicle, quite the sight. Almost looks like we were moving to a new location. Brought Scotia our cat along. She had an opinion during most of the trip. For today we are all settled in. Took a walk before breakfast which on returning I cooked omelets with chopped red peppers, onions, kielbasa, toast and coffee. The day has started with sun and a bit of cloudiness moving into full cloud cover here late morning. Possible severe rain is forecasted for the mid-afternoon. If 6 counts as a hoard then the Bluejays are here representing, noisily!

Rutger Hauer, RIP

Sad news though we all have to go sometime.

My favorite scene from my favorite movie, Blade Runner, “I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.

”I'll be watching the movie again soon.

The demise of an old friend

Always there with a cold beverage after a tough day, Ice cream on a hot day? No problem. After 20 years the loyal old refrigerator road off into the mid-day traffic after being replaced by a new LG double door, bottom level refrigerator. Good bye old friend, hello our new friend. Thanks, I think I will have a beer!

Makes me wonder

Been getting frustrated for a while now, seems it's not all fun and games lately. Office life has been dismal for a while and other then generally quite evenings at home it's been mostly work and no play on weekends. Not quite the way summer should be. Yes, there always work to be done when you have a house and yard to maintain and we have taken on some things that have taken extra attention but recreational activities have for the most part taken a back seat. By the time evening arrives I'm too tired and brain dead to write a blog of any length to post or to manage recent photos to share here and with others. A bit of TV then off to bed, rinse and repeat. There have been some away from it all activities that I hope to catch up on here soon before they become ancient history. Up coming activities include our lake vacation and a couple of RV outings. Those will help balance the scales.

Mental health day - so cliche

Things have been piling up on my desk more or less for years. Most of it is just "stuff" I don't think I should throw out until I can either file it or digest it then throw it out or recycle. Mail, product boxes, headphones, device wires, pens/pencils, DVD disks, notebooks, sticky notes, power strips, thumb drives, cable ties... you get the idea. Some stuff though has a level of more importance then the rest and for those things I've taken the day off to sort through as a "get some things figured out" day that actually may help my mental and physical health. These entail actual health type issues. Getting older and in my case nearing 65 I've become eligible for Medicare and should (will) apply for coverage of some sort within a window of time determined by the federal health insurance program running it.

At this point I will need to sign up with Medicare and for coverage beyond what that agency provides I'll need additional coverage from a private company chosen by me with a little help. Now the funny part, at least for the last 6 months I've received a bunch of unsolicited informational mail offerings to help me through the supplemental plan selection process many without providing even a company name. I've also received many from what I consider legitimate companies that I'll look at closely. All in all it kind of feels like I'm being mail stalked.

Pollen, pollen everywhere

Yes I did consider getting out the snow brush to clear the pollen off the truck. Almost a measurable amount on the bed cover. Still beats winter and actual snow. It must be at least a month of this. Had to wipe the table on the deck and the grill cover. Some of the deck chairs are covered as well but it's suppose to rain tomorrow night so we'll see how that works out. Of course it doesn't help that we are surrounded by conifer trees - pine and spruce. Not helping is that the heavy rains coming out of winter has provided plenty of push for the trees and other plants to grow and bloom with an intensity not seen in some time but... it's a beautiful thing.

Follow up, what follow up?!?

Jest, its only been two weeks. Well I've lost whatever momentum I had when I wrote that comment. probably would have been something about a hike up Rattlesnake Mountain in New Hampshire before we left for home. Or my follies dealing with valet service at the high-end hotel we stayed at in Boston, quite the hick when it comes to things like that.

Carol, me and Victor, Ali's Dad with Maisie 

So long May (the month not the Brit PM)

A lot happening during the last month, right up to the final couple of days. Number 1 on the list was Ali's graduation from law school with her degree. Carol and I joined up with her parents, brother and grandmother in Boston for the ceremony followed by a bit of partying that evening at a nearby bar and grill then a couple of days later her parents had a get together at their place of family and friends. Everyone is proud of her achievement and looking forward to her new career.
Also over that time period that was also Memorial Day weekend we were able to get some yard work done including finishing of the demo of our old shed before the arrive of a mini-barn we had ordered in November. Unfortunately the weather had turned cold enough to freeze the ground and wouldn't be good for setting the base to place the barn though fortunately we were not even ready then for the barn to arrival as the old shed was still there. Whew. Regardless we were ready to take deliver of the mini-barn last Friday, it's a great addition to the compound.

A little more about that weekend in the next post.

Sox, sticks and whistles

Quite the time of the year with the (flailing) Boston Red Sox and hockey's Boston Bruins and basketball's Celtics in their leagues playoffs there is plenty of excitement and angst to go around. After the Sox winning last season's World Series then the New England Patriots winning the Super Bowl there has to be a hope for a sweep of all the major New England's sports teams grabbing championships. No idea if it has happened before. There is no sure thing with the Bruins and Celtics in the middle of their 2nd round playoff games both with tough opponents but a fan can dream.

Easter weekend

This has been a 3-day weekend for me, hadn't realized until Thursday that with my employer's new paid time off policy Good Friday is one of two mandatory days off and the office is closed down for the day unless there are client or proposal demands that need to continue though it all. As noted earlier I have pressing commitments but not considered of the nature to allow me to work Friday. I didn't ask, just knew it and I'd like a day off about this time. I was up early as most regular work days, had a relaxing breakfast, beat around the internet for a bit, went to the gym and had a good work out. Returned home for lunch followed by some yard work, then a nap. Got supper cooking while Carol went to the gym after she had returned home from work - steak and fries, bottle of red wine then watched a short film of a Philip K. Dick story, the first of a series on Amazon Prime - it was alright. Besides regular household things we went to the mall Saturday for clothes shopping and a few other things. Our evening movie was Jurassic World - Fallen Kingdom. I'd heard and read a few reviews on it, more "eh" then likes but I enjoyed it and found it fun rooting for the critters. Today, Easter Sunday we attended a Easter service with one of my sister-in-laws and her husband, then it was back home. Carol cooked up a batch of mac and cheese with ham chunks, close to a traditional Easter meal, then did a combination of things around the yard and in the house including watching some sports that were on all afternoon into this evening.

There, just thought I'd throw all that out there. How was your weekend?

So much for normal

Plenty to do at work this week as I described in my last post until... the office server crashed mid-day Wednesday. Our award dodging IT service had chosen to ignore (or whatever) our warning that the server was close to full and then 140 people were not able to access their files. Did barely anything the rest of the day while waiting for the latest status which turned out be nothing changed. Thursday morning still no server but forged ahead using draft PDF copies from email attachments that I had sent to clients I'm recently doing work for. Checked my office email and apparently everything is up and running and I'll be scrambling to update files and meeting deadlines that don't change for crashed servers.

Moving on into April

So April was able to generate a bit of snow with rains and make a bit of a mess but it feeling like a distance memory at this point. We've had spring mild temps and some plain rain and much of the snow has melted away. Time for some raking this weekend. Last weekend was the Celebration of Life service for my mother-in-law. It was all very nice, Carol and her siblings did a great job putting it together and it was very well attended. Now it's time to get back to regular routines and prepare for full spring. The intensity of my office workload has backed off some, that's a welcome situation. Best not to make too much of it, there's always tomorrow.

Spring brings changes

So spring has arrived and winter weather has wound down to the occasion dusting of snow and rain. Vast areas of bare ground with little or snow in sight. I still haven't let my guard down as over the years an April snowstorm is not unheard of. The snowthrower and shovels are readily at hand for the time being at least until the last of the month when the camper comes out of storage.

Since my last post my Mother-in-law Margaret had passed away a month ago due to failing health. Given at 91 years old she has had veriest aliments over the last decade to deal with but she made a good run of it during these last few years. She left us peacefully during the night at a wonderful hospice facility with her daughters in attendance. We had a local service for her at the church she had attended since moving in with Lois and Jim allowing local and those who had to travel aways to pay their last respects. The actual funeral service will take place soon in her hometown of Stockholm in upstate Maine. A wonderful woman, I was proud to be one of her sons-in-law.

Work at the office has been keeping me busy, sometimes confusingly so. I cannot figure out if it's just changes in what my clients are dealing with or my aging out for the level of attention I have to provide to what I'm doing. Yes, probably some of each. In addition to it all the group I work with frequently and the entire floor we occupy were moved up two floors for a reconstruction project that the present people of that upper floor will move into once completed. The whole transition was rather sloppily handled. It's been a couple of weeks and I'm still adjusting to the new environment. Just a clog in the machine though I'm a well payed clog.

Thanks for checking back in - be well.

Welcome back to Ledge Hill Weather Central

Not to dwell on the weather as several of my recent posts seem to have been but I will report that I will be seeing 4 to 8 inches of snow on the ground when I get up tomorrow morning. Que Será, Será

So not too much happening lately other than my mother-in-law who recently had her 92nd birthday is now taking up residency in a local nursing home which is all for the better. Her daughter's who all live in the general area pay frequent visits. I have yet to visit her there but expect to maybe as early as next weekend. Her memory has been getting sketchier over the last year and she needs regular attention in a variety of ways. This among other reminders sets me to thinking about my own path as I approach retirement and beyond. Plenty to do until then and I anticipate a lot to be done once I am retired to keep my mind on track.

Crunch time is over

That being producing what turned out to be 10 plus 1 yet to be finished 3ft x 8ft posters for a tech conference that begins this week. Took a lot of hours and herding of cats to get those laid out, reviewed, finalized, printed, laminated and shipped. Other than a late one that isn't need there until Tuesday afternoon I can put all this in the rear-view mirror.

Hype is not what it's hyped to be

Case in point, last Sunday's snowstorm I blogged about  prior to it's arrival. 18 – 24 inches in my region was the forecast. Ended up being maybe 8 inches. Not complaining I did snowblow the driveway twice and cleaned up other areas on that second pass. Happening on a Sunday worked out well also. Things stayed very cold with single digits early in the week afterwards until Thursday when the temps zoomed up to the 40 and 50s range and heavy rains dominated the day. Any fresh snow from earlier was washed completely away with some of the previously fallen snow. Since then temps have been rather seasonal in the teens. May get a dusting overnight with the possibility of snow-rain mid week. Waiting to see spring on the horizon.

Armageddon!?! the Apocalypse!?! could it be the Cataclysm!?!!?! No, just a snow storm

The most common meme running through FB the last day or so has been images of panicked shoppers stocking up on milk, bread and toilet paper because of a snow storm approaching. While there may be some truth to peoples behavior for such an event the weather forecasters and their news counterparts sure can ratchet folks up a few notches. Not that one should ignore preparing for the weather in these parts especially when you may be getting 18 - 24 inches of snow. Check your snowthrower, is there gas in it? Shovels handy, dressing warm when you go out... don't drive into a ditch if you need to be out and about. Now that the snow will be arriving in the next few hours certainly by midnight and projected to snow all day tomorrow then well into early Monday morning we are settled in. Though there will be plenty of clean up to do there is the aspect of watching snow falling and the wind blowing it around. The birds will arrive for quick bites at the feeders and I'll make a couple of forays into the storm to keep the end of the driveway cleared as the plow truck drivers will create one heck of a snow challenge to reach the roadway.

Better to be busy than bored

A busy day working on several proposals with a steady stream of edits, changes and such. I have at least five proposals I'm doing graphics for while some incoming projects lie in wait for the end of the week then into Monday. Did sneak out at lunch time for a walk around town, pretty brisk but nice to out and abouts. Huge storm on it's way from across the country to begen Saturday night run through most of Sunday. Snowthrowing in the dark. Gas up the beast before the storm arrives.

these things happen... too often

Woke at 3am, not a spec of light other than the stars that shine bright. The power is out. Little cool in the bedroom, not unusual as we keep the temperature upstairs set at 62 degrees year round. Set the alarm on my phone to 4:45 in lieu of the alarm clock not operating. Figured no sense in doing anything about the power until the usual time at which I got up, dressed, donned coat, boots, hat and gloves. Headed out to the garage and rolled the generator out to the deck, took a few tugs on the pull cord to wake it up, wired it up to the house electric system. Heat, fridge, toaster, running water. The wonders of modern tech using the cellphone to find outage resolution times from the power delivery company to be 6am, later it updated to 7am - ended up being 7:15. That's the routine - hope some day to have a standby generator installed, until then it's the old fashion way.

A happily at home weekend

The report of my cold's impending death was an exaggeration. It still lingers to this day and until further notice I'll have to live with it. In spite of that I made it to Saturday and Sunday where the forecasts of the weather people have been accurate, clear and cold. I'm good with that. Other than a shopping trip it has been a stay at home weekend capped off with NFL playoff football games, 2 each Sat. and Sun. Watched the most recent Mission Impossible movie, freed the ice encrusted truck and some other general to do tasks. Maybe try it again next weekend.

Two fur

OK, two crappy snow-rain storms in two days, doesn't sound like a bargain to me. Puts me in a similar situation as I had in mid December, more ice than I throw a case of Chivas Regal at. So today I celebrated a clear and cold day, the roads and highways are dry. Though icy the driveway is navigable and for the foreseeable week ahead more or less the same. For approaching mid-January I have no weather complaints. Even my cold seems to be receding but I won't hold my breath on that until I am 4 to 5 days cough and sniffle days free.

Good TV, don't bet on it.

The Prez followed by the loyal opposition are on tonight. After a good day's work and then clearing out the snow that fell earlier I think hitting the sack will win the day.

Go with the snow

Something to look forward to, now wondering how I'm going to manage it. Unfortunately it will be after it happens and then some. Starts in my location after midnight, should be 2  - 3 inches by the time I get up at 4:45am, add another inch or 2 before it changes over to rain then maybe a lull into the evening and then into Wednesday more snow. All told it may total 8 - 10 inches when all is said and done. As my sister in law Lois often says "just go with the flow".

Paperwork and football

A sausage breakfast Sunday to fuel up as I dug into information and other bits of stashed data. The real madness about it all is managing passwords that I thought were correct to find that websites didn't think they were on the money or the user was different and other goofy things. I thought I had a handle on it all but not the case. Definitely not fun. Moving on today was the second day of the NFL football playoffs. The games were kind of sloppy but entertaining none the less.

Crunched time

Glad it's Saturday. It might be a small consolation from the three days of work that felt like five days crammed into three. Not feeling good about one project that I promised a drafted version by Friday and all I had time for was a little doodling. A lot going on in the diagram my client wanted. Doesn't help that the client is in Australia which is 14 hours ahead of me. The things they want are very detailed and not that clear to me to be sorted out via email. I should look into arranging a Skype meeting if I could find a time that work for both parties. Otherwise beside this I have plenty of other projects that need to be advanced next week - a normal week.

More?

Yes, more snow, not much. Maybe 4 inches. The good thing, no rain and a freeze and it was light- fluffy snow. Still it was another long day at work so maybe a glass of wine and hit the sack. Oh, yeah, my cold has eased up some.

Waking dead

It wasn't pretty. My head was spinning and the rest of me felt like what the cat may have drug in and not a drink had been imbibed in the previous 48 hours. My cold had resurrected itself and that last thing I thought I should do was to go to work. Wasn't happening, too much committed that I'd be there to do. Fortunately after a bit of breakfast and an espresso, shave, shower and tooth maintenance I was able to dress properly, drive to the office and start reading and responding to emails then on to  getting as much work done as interruptions allowed. Looks like I have a couple more days of expectations to go. Hell of a way to start a year.

Over the threshold to 2019

No real intent to party in the New Year especially as Carol had been practically knocked out with a 24  hour flu bug and yours truly moving into the sore throat stage of a cold while continuing to toss in an occasional deep lung cough. We did venture to Lois and Jim's for a light late afternoon luncheon with a visit from their brother who was returning to his home in Texas. Hopefully there was no passing on our less then healthy state. Once returning home we collapsed into the couch for Carol and myself in a lounge chair for 2 hour naps. By then and after I could barely speak from the pain in my throat. Once awake and moving about we settled down to watch "Ocean's Eight"👍 and were in bed by 11:30pm. PARTY HARDY! Hardly is more like it. Overnight brought several inches of snow that as daylight arrived changed over to rain returning the yard to a potential ice impacted mess that I had recently cleared from a week or so ago. Now feeling better from the sore throat and still producing a deep cough now and then I disassembled the Christmas tree to be returned to the attic, a bite of lunch then out to at least clear the driveway and deck of heavy wet snow before a freeze hits overnight. Just the ticket for shaking a cold. All went well and a short nap I'm ready for supper, a little holiday bowl football before hitting the sack. Back to work and reality in the morning.