May Stay

Beautiful May columbine.

We stayed at Too Thursday evening and were up and around in good time. Himself took the breakfast duty. He scrambled eggs, fried up some bacon and we were on our way to III. The sun was out and the dire, cool forecast didn’t materialize here as it got up in the high sunny 60’s -- just right for working outside cutting brush. Himself pulled the easy tour and mowed half the day while still wearing his jacket and down-filled vest on top. Cutting brush, I took my jacket off, later the sweatshirt went and soon I worked in just a knit shirt. I cleared brush and overhead branches in the drive and hauled them down to the cabin clearing with the Mule and trailer. Himself said later when asked that, yes, he could tell I had worked up there. But when we rode up the lane later, I said, “you CANNOT tell that I’ve done a thing!” Too many trees and too many branches to even know I’d been there.

After a lunch of Salami sandwiches and Jalapeno potato chips (my turn to cook!) Himself went to mow the trails and I clear-stained the three screen doors and various wooden molding strips. Himself had been wanting this done and I hadn’t told him my plans so when he stopped back in for a break between trails, he was so glad to see that it was a fait accompli -- and I enjoyed surprising him.

We hadn't stocked up on groceries for III so our supper was make shift, just two brats each, with mustard and bread. We were hungry and, we reminded each other we were roughing it. We gulped them down; they hit the spot and clean up was easy.

We didn’t get such an early start the second morning but, again, after eating breakfast we headed to III about 10:00 a.m. I tarried just long enough to help unpack, review my shopping list and then drove back to town where there were city-wide garage sales. I stopped at four or five of them and spent a grand total of $1.55 while buying a half dozen things! I shopped the local grocery to buy stock for III and two rib eye steaks for supper. Next, came the big investment when I bought gas for mowing and filled the Jeep. Himself was back working on the shade room when I returned.

All weekend, the Phoebe birds scolded us the whole while we were in the shade room and Himself finally took pity (or gave in to their nagging) and moved the nest outside to a ledge under the eave of the screen room. He even went to the pond, the ol' softie, and got some mud to paste the nest down. The parents do that when they build the nest. There were 5 little perfect eggs in the nest. We are hoping the parents find the nest now and claim it.

Isn’t it such a coincidence that we have a nest here and one over the porch light at Too. And aren’t we fortunate to have two beautiful places, Too and III. . . . the other side