Space Three and November Goal Report

 

I'm amazed that the grass has continued to stand up despite heavy rain and the first snow. Consequently, space three is cleared!



I'm sure every place you'd attempt to whack weeds there would be one plant that was annoying. In this space it's the witch grass, which you can see being beautiful if you follow that link. However, for purposes of cutting it, what a pain! It grows in thick clumps with very soft leaves that just want to entangle the blade rather than get cut off short.

And what about ALL that cut grass? Dumped in a place that doesn't matter. But it's quite a pile.



There are two more spaces to whack. Will I get them done? Not likely, but if the weather holds out, I'll keep chopping at them. I do have to nip off all the baby autumn olive trees that spring up instantly.

And now, it's the end of the month, so here's my report on progress toward my goals. Not great, but I did some things, and have to allow myself some leeway because of all those extra work hours.

54 in 300, report on day 37
Number	Category	Item	November	Total
1	WRITING	begin working on North Country Quest again	nothing	nothing
2	WRITING	edit Kiss of the Butterfly, submit for publication	nothing	nothing
3	WRITING	100 NC History pages	did some preliminary planning	none
4	WRITING	blog about 8 wild foods	none	none
5	WRITING	finish Dead Mule Swamp Druggist	chapter 20	2 chapters added
6	WRITING	do 10 book promotion things	1, have an article in Aaron Paul Lazar's Write Like the Wind which will also be on his blog in Dec	2
7	WRITING	writing schedule day 50 times	4	5
8	WRITING	5 entries in Off the Sanctuary Wall	none	none
9	WRITING	pursue a contract I can't name yet	nothing	nothing
10	WRITING	talk to 5 bookstores about carrying mysteries	none	none
11	HOUSE	fix kitchen drawer	DONE	DONE
12	HOUSE	cut down 5 autumn olive trees	none	none
13	HOUSE	clean refrigerator twice	none	none
14	HOUSE	replace kitchen faucet	nothing	nothing
15	HOUSE	get lawnmower fixed	nothing	nothing
16	HOUSE	clean terrace	nothing	nothing
17	HOUSE	kitchen light electric box	nothing	nothing
18	HOUSE	replace faucet by washing machine	nothing	nothing
19	HOUSE	put away model railroad stuff	none	none
20	HOUSE	spend 10 hours sorting books	1	need to buy a new, brighter light bulb for that space!
21	FITNESS	increase to 30 pushups	16	increase of 4 this month
22	FITNESS	increase to 100 jumping jacks	50	increase of 20
23	FITNESS	increase to 2 min planking	70 sec	increase of 10 sec
24	FITNESS	walk, bike, ski or snowshoe 200 times	5	8, this is terrible, but I was just too tired after all those extra work hours to walk
25	HIKING	NCT Hike 100 Challenge for 2016	none	doesn't start till Jan 1
26	HIKING	visit 5 new MI counties to explore trails	none	none
27	HIKING	hike 100 more miles of the Buckeye Trail	none	next spring
28	HIKING	clear my trail better	5	have worked on it a total of 8 days, terrible
29	PERSONAL	Savings Goal	none	none
30	PERSONAL	Financial Goal #2	nothing	nothing
31	PERSONAL	lose 10 pounds	1	I think I can safely claim to have lost 1
32	PERSONAL	play music 50 times	3	5
33	PERSONAL	other #1 (200 times)	7	12, not on track
34	PERSONAL	other #2	1	1, not on track
35	MISC	make 21 quarts juice	4, made the rest of the apples into cider	7 total
36	MISC	try 10 new wild foods	none	none
37	MISC	some genealogy stuff	nothing	nothing
38	MISC	100 more pix on Shark Shots	none	none
39	MISC	2 photo cards documented	nothing	nothing
40	MISC	give 10 gifts from my kitchen	none	none
41	MISC	eat at Brenda's Burgers	nothing	nothing
42	MISC	eat at Country Critters	nothing	but I'd better, because it's for sale
43	MISC	take my trailer on 2 trips	none	none
44	MISC	finish monkey booties	nothing	nothing
45	MISC	get two programs NCT and Kitchen Sink	none	none
46	MISC	get rid of 100 things	7, sold some things on eBay	7
47	MISC	read or listen to 100 books	6, best one was Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson, set in the early 1900's when many lynchings happened in the south	6
48	MISC	move NCC from Josh's garage	nothing	nothing
49	MISC	short bios of 5 relatives	none	none
50	MISC	sort my fabric	nothing	nothing
51	MISC	do something inside my trailer	nothing	nothing
52	MISC	add 50 things to family heritage list	none	none
53	MISC	some VCR tapes to DVD	none	none
54	MISC	some cassette tapes to CD	none	none

	See Two-and-a-Half Plus See Changes and First Update
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The Lesson of the Strapper

 
Wanted to post this last week, but I ended up not blogging at all while we were so busy at work.

This is the strapper. It flings plastic strap around bundles of newspapers, pulls it tight and heat seals it. This picture is taken from where I stand when I do my usual task. As I work, the bundles come from my left on the conveyor- the one with the rollers. Then they are picked up by the solid belt on the strapper. An electric eye notes their presence, stops the belt, straps the bundle, starts the belt and sends it on to the ramp beyond. That narrow "garage door" can be opened and the roller belt lowered to send them outside to waiting drivers, or a helper can pull them off and place them in tubs. It depends on which publication we are doing.



However, if the strapper is not working properly, it's a total pain. Such was the case at the beginning of last week. Last week of the largest paper of the year week. I did everything I knew how to do on the ornery machine. Here are it's innards.



Several other people also tried things. It seemed to be not "reading" that a bundle was there and needed to be strapped. The papers would just roll through, and when loose papers start up the ramp, it's a mess. The temporary solution is that the strapper person catches each bundle and manually pushes the button to make it strap. Not a good option when things are busy.

So, Terrie, the manager, set about to try to fix the balky beast. She took it apart even farther than the picture above. I should have gotten another photo, but I forgot since I was mostly holding the flashlight.

Anyway, the problem was not the electric eye. The problem was not the mechanics or electronics of the strapping mechanism. The problem was that the belt which drives the conveyor belt was loose. Not an intuitive solution. The adjustment bolt was awkward to get to, but after tightening, the whole thing worked properly. (Well, until this past Friday night when it broke down again and now has a new problem for Terrie to take on... it won't feed the strap through correctly.)

Because the belt was loose, when a heavy bundle of papers went through it slipped and threw the timing of the strap off.

The moral of my story is... don't be quick to assume the cause of a problem or of someone's behavior is an obvious reason. There could be lots of unseen things going on that we can't see, and that don't seem related to what is observed.

Now, just for fun, here is my view of the whole crew feeding inserts into the machine for that big paper. Usually there are only two or three people over there. But it needed lots of babysitting for a paper with 20 inserts! We strapped them in bundles with only 10 papers in each, they were so big!

	See Strapping the Newspapers
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She's Back (or Did She Ever Leave?)

 
Like the kid who spoiled the fun for everyone, the adorable Riley Red Squirrel has forced us to stop putting out bird food. Can't afford to feed her too. That doesn't mean she has moved on. Oh no...

I heard her off and on, running across the roof, all summer, and caught glimpses this fall.

Today, she's sitting on the porch rail staring at the door and then the empty bird feeder. Yeah, right. Does she look like she needs more food?



What happened to my sleek young menace? She got fat!




Of course, it might not be the same squirrel, but I am pretty certain the little hidey-hole between the porch and house roofs has been continuously occupied. I don't think I've ever seen such a fat red squirrel. The fox squirrels tank up and become downright portly, but these little ones usually do too much running around to gain weight.

Wild red squirrels have an average life expectancy of under three years, although they have been known to live eight years in captivity. Since females usually don't mate till they are two, that would make Riley a mature survivor (she had a litter of two this spring).

She's certainly looking matronly.



She can continue to live with us, but she'll have to enjoy the pine seeds and other treats she finds on her own. Hopefully, she won't bequeath her "den" to someone else.

	See Alive and Well
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A Place to Call Home

 
I caught this picture last week, but hadn't shared it yet. It's a handsome muskrat lodge made of cattails. Sometimes they dig lodges in banks, but often they make a lodge something like a beaver but not from woody material.

I am thankful for a place to call home, and I spent part of the afternoon in a warm bed with no cattails. Worked 8-3 today, and am getting ready to head in for the night.

	See Furry Swimmer
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Weird and Wonderful

 
Yes, it's Thanksgiving. I'm just ending the longest run without blogging except perhaps when I was off hiking. Here's why.

The newspapers and shopper editions with the flyers for all the Black Friday and pre-Christmas sales are the largest of the entire year. I've just worked eight days in a row with a total of more than 60 hours. For that, I am truly thankful! But I'm also whipped. Everyone who worked on that project is; it's not just because I'm old (so they all assure me- and they look bushed, too).

So, when Omer asked what we were going to do for Turkey Day, I said, "I am going to be too tired to care. Surprise me." So he did.



He got House of Flavors fresh roasted turkey (if you are local, you know that is GOOD), pie from Big Boy, and several kinds of deli salads. The kale one is especially good. He made the cranberry relish himself.

It was perfect. I didn't do a thing except open a few containers. I've been in my pjs all day. We ate when we wanted to. It was quiet. I am happy. (PS- I go to work at 8am tomorrow again!)

Thanks, Om!

	See Thanksgiving 2011
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It's Orange Again

 
You'd think I like orange given how often I seem to feature it. It's actually third from the bottom of my list (purple and pink are below it). That said, I like color in general, and any color that displays itself nicely works fine for me.

This bush was growing at a house I surveyed yesterday. It's the horrible Japanese Barberry. But it's still often planted as an ornamental. You can see why. It's beautiful in the fall, and the red berries last all winter.



This was going to be featured alone, but the sunset tonight was amazing. It ended up with blue and pink stripes, but it began with orange flames.



Early bed for me... early work in the morning. And I got extra hours today too.

	See more about the barberry
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Step Around and Check a Different Angle

 
Out doing cases today. Went to Natahki Drive on Big Bass Lake. Actually, the lake's name was officially changed to Lake Natahki in 1907, but somehow that didn't stick. It is the name of an Indian girl who married James Willard Schultz, a popular explorer and author at the turn of the 20th Century. Here, the name survives only on this one road and a variant, Na-tah-ka, a very popular local bar, which is also on Big Bass Lake.

Anyway... I snapped a picture looking down the lake, even though it wasn't a day for attractive water pictures.



The next stop I had to make was around on the other side of the same lake, on Bluegill Drive. The timestamps on the pictures show that these were taken 22 minutes apart. I thought it was two sides of the same island, but looking at the map, I see that it is not. However, it's the same lake taken from another angle. What a difference!



Maybe if life is looking glum, we just need a different angle?

Right now, it's raining pretty hard. But I'm inside and warm and doing reports. All is well.

	See A Winter View from Natahki
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Who's Important? and a Family Mystery

 
While sorting some things today, I came across a leather 4-fold picture frame that I don't recall ever seeing before.



Judging from the age and three of the pictures that were in it, I'm sure it was my grandmother's. That said, there's a bit of a mystery...

The far left space has a picture of "Aunt Lucy." She's no relation at all, but was a friend of Granny's. She went on several vacations with us. To me, as a child, she was sort of a non-person. Just an adult who showed up for various things. Right at the moment, I can't even remember her last name. Clearly, she was very important to Granny. I never realized how much, if this collection of pictures means anything.

The next slot is filled with a photo of my grandfather, Granny's husband, Howard Meade Rowe. I never knew him. He died before I was born.

Next is, well... me. I'm about two. This was one of a set of professional photos that Granny had taken. There is another one that ended up being framed with Granny, Mom and me together (same dress, age, etc). I don't think I've ever seen this one of me alone.

Now comes the mystery part. Who was in the fourth frame? Clearly, there is a picture there of my mother. But it was not put there by Granny, and it doesn't fit the frame. The picture was taken after Granny was no longer living on her own. I'll show you the picture of my mom, in a minute. My guess is there was a picture there of "Jacques." (just say Jack- Granny had pretensions) Here's why I think that.

First of all, Granny never made any bones about it that Jacques and I were her favorites. She made a point of snubbing my mom regularly. Secondly, behind the too-small-for-the-frame photo is a letter written by Jacques that I've never seen before. Obviously something Granny really treasured. I'll treasure it too. Jacques (Merrill Fisher Rowe) was killed in a terrible accident when he was 26. We don't have many mementos of his life. Granny (her writing) has dated this 8/4/15. That's 1915. Jacques would have been eight. (In some ways, it's a little creepy to find something written a century ago, by an uncle I never knew.)

On the front it says "Dear Father, Uncle Lew put a saddle on Kate and I rode her around the yard. Love, Merrill."

On the reverse is a picture of a horse with a rider. It's labeled "Kate and me."

I think that Mom found this picture set at some point and removed the photo of Jacques. I know that she loved him dearly, but was naturally always hurt at Granny's favoritism. She couldn't keep it out of her voice when family topics arose. Then, she added her own picture, and three other letters to that last space. Those letters are two short notes I wrote to her, long after I was married and raising kids. Also, there is a thank-you note to her from Steve, our youngest, for a birthday gift. I would only classify one of those letters as anything significant, so I'm not sure why Mom chose to stash them there. She kept all my other letters, but I discovered them in plain manilla envelopes, long ago.

If Mom sort of commandeered the frame for people she cared about, I'm not sure why she left the photo of Aunt Lucy. I never had any sense of closeness between the two of them.

Do you think I'll come across a loose picture of Jacques that would fit this frame somewhere?

Anyway, here's Mom. Photo taken around 1965, my best guess anyway.

Families can be strange things, can't they?

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Staying Safe in the Cemetery

 
If you are in Michigan, you know that this is opening day of gun-deer season. I took a walk in the cemetery rather than be anywhere near where people are hunting. Generally, I think hunters are fine, but there are some who drink too much, or are a little crazy.

One maple has somehow held on to its leaves and whispers "winter's not here yet."



It was a peaceful walk. The residents don't bother me much.

	See How's the Cemetery Creek?
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The Auditon

 
Tonight I went to a one-act play put on by one of the local high schools. The title is The Audition, and it gives an insightful look behind the scenes as various students try out for parts in A Chorus Line.

The scenes I am sharing have more to do with which of my pictures turned out, rather than any particular attempt to cover the story.

First, all the interested students show up for the audition, with an odd assortment of ideas about what it is they are actually doing there.



Yuma is the crazy, athletic, extroverted student who wants to dance everything out.



Carrie wants to be cast in a love scene with Tommy, who is shy. She tricks him into reading a romantic part with her.



Soliel is the girl that doesn't fit in anywhere. She's different. The dim figures behind her are the other kids who are always telling her she's no good, that she doesn't belong, but she's determined to be OK, in spite of them.



I didn't get a good picture of these scenes, but two cast members are at odds with parents. The mother of one wants her to be in everything and be perfect, so she can get into Yale. Another girl is very good at dramatics, but her mother doesn't care at all. When the girl is cast in the lead role, her mother makes her quit so she can get a job.

Through the use of heavy stereotypes (the ones I mentioned and others, too) we can all find ourselves when we were younger. There were as many motives for trying out as there were auditioners. I'm sure this play resonates strongly with high schoolers.

But, of course, in the end, the show must go on.



I got extra work hours in the morning, so it's off to bed with me!

	See Theater
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One More Lovely Day

 
We are supposed to start getting a real wind event later tonight, and a real November storm all day tomorrow. But today was wonderful, yet again. It began with a foggy morning.



But cleared to blue skies and 50 degrees. Very nice temperature for working. I was out doing cases. This is the last remnants of a mackerel sky, an evidence of a change in the weather.



I was much farther east than I am usually sent, so I bring you a picture of the mighty Muskegon River taken from 50th Ave.



Work tomorrow, and I'm thinking I'll cook some squash in the oven in the afternoon. Sounds like it will be a day that could be improved by warming the kitchen.

	See another view of the Muskegon River
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