April 2023 Island Trip – Days 3 & 4

Day 3:

The rest of the plants and bulbs were put in today. We moved the Hellebores to a different location where they’ll be easier to care for and have a more prominent spot in the garden. They were hidden between the east walk to the back deck and a Rhododendron. Hard to get to, and not very visible. When I dusted off my hands, one of the tenants started watering in all the plants, as the weather was, surprising, no help in that department.

I hopped on the mower and did a first round, getting a fair amount done… Maybe a quarter of the total.

The tenants invited me to the Island Sailing Club Potluck. It was quite pleasant, with a program by a couple who, for 40-years, have sailed between here and the little islands far north of here. It takes them 11ish days to get to where they start the meat of their trip, and this after crossing notoriously dangerous waters. While canoeing is my speed of boat-ownership these days, I sure did enjoy hearing about their adventures and seeing slides of the places they love best.

After all things sailing, we went to the bowling alley, where I won the first game, and was happy to knock over pins the second game. Then at 9PM karaoke started. As usual, there were folks of all ability. We kept looking at each other saying, “I’ve never heard this song, meaning someone was doing their own unique rendition of a, usually Elton John, song. There was the gal who, with some coaching could be the next Janis Joplin cover singer, the guy who turned Circle of Life into something he could monetize on YouTube, because he was SO funny, the girl who sang about her detachable penis (also hysterical), and the Mayor who killed a late 70’s R&B number. I warmed up on the Dixie Chick’s version of Landslide, and an hour later brought down the house with 4 Non Blonde’s What’s Up. People were up on their feet dancing, singing, videoing, and screaming. I haven’t been on stage since before the pandemic. It felt amazing, and evidently I still have it going on.

Day 4:

Wind.

Errands went something like this:

Out to the west side to give Christie my glass perfume bottle. It’s dipper has been broken for over a decade. Christie is a glass artist. She’s also going to make me new glass buttons for my vintage wool coat, which currently sports not so attractive plastic ones. We shot the shit for a while while she worked a small burn pile.

Compost was next. I got to watch the landscape yard’s brand new truck dump a load of soil amendment before they could load my truck. This truck was the snazziest vehicle (of it’s type) I’ve ever seen, from it’s single collapsible hydraulic bed lifter, to the the bed being lined with some sort of slick as snot surface so everything slides out of it easy peasy. And WIND. While the yard guy was mixing the compost, before putting into the truck, gusts came up that had me ducking behind the truck bed 😳. Twice. Otherwise it was merely wretchedly windy. From there I went to the.

Bank, market, where the cashier complimented me on my singing (!), and the non-ethanol gas, gas station. I needed to fill the gas containers for the mower. Then back to the west side to stash money acquired at the bank for Christie, and to pick up two items she made for me… Y’all will have to wait to see what they are 😏.

Wind, WInd, WINd, WIND!!! 💨

Upon arrived back at the property, it was abundantly clear that spreading compost was out of the question. The wind was blowing so hard that you had to lean into them to get to where you were going, and then there were the gusts.

I unloaded the truck, but not the compost, retreated to Stella, had some lunch, and then my AM let me know he was in the pump room where we have a little leak in the filter house in. Long story short, we still have a leak in the filter housing, but now we know where it is. The fix is on his list. Next, the power went out, I took a snooze, the power came back on, the wind is still howling.

I checked in with the National Weather Service. They say we’re gusting to 50. I say BS! Try 70. Of course, I don’t know where their wind instruments are on the Island, but this former sailer, pilot, and current weather watcher knows that we’re, at the property (and stronger at the landscape yard), sustained at 35-40, and gusting to 60-70. My tenants want to put in a weather station! They also invited me down the house if I’d feel safer there. I replied that if trees start dropping, I’ll be there.

The power went out. I took a snooze. The power is back on. Stella smells like turkey stew because this morning I had the foresite to bust out the her crockpot for the first time.

Tomorrow the north side of the house gets insulated, and my DH and step-daughter arrive late afternoon!