June 2026 Island Trip – Day 1

The meadow grass is four feet high in places. I mowed for a couple of hours, focusing on the area surrounding Stella, below her slope, and the places where the tenant had created paths. The forecast, as of now, shows tomorrow as the only rain-free day in the next week. These prognostications seem to change every six hours. Safe to say, I’ll be riding the orange steed a lot in the next 10-days.

Upon my arrival, the new neighbor (who purchased our AN’s property) was here checking on his ground well. He eyed the tarped bolus in the back of the truck and asked if I’d like help unloading. The couch was out and in the lower barn in minutes!

Stella remains mouse free. 🙏 I saved putting her back together until I was done mowing, due to the threat of rain, and it did indeed rain while I mowed! 😏 Not enough to call it quits, but enough to pull a hard eye roll 🙄.

The neighbor to the east and I visited for an hour and a bit. She has coined a new term, “Grief Gardening.” And her garden is looking lovely. She’s in a better place than she was in April, knowing that keeping busy is key for her. On my way back, the tenant greeted me and invited me in for a visit. She is quite the story teller, and her husband has sly humor. I played the hunger card (for real), heading back to Stella for some dinner, and backgammon with my DH.

While there is always endless stuff to do, or I convince myself of the urgencies of all the things I want to accomplish, this trip will be a little more relaxed… The Island Artist Open Studio Tour is this weekend. I have a small group quit to bind. We have two social plans lined up… As Tim says, “Sit the fuck down and enjoy the fruits of all your hard work. Stop being so compulsive!” Gonna work on that this trip!