TheCapeBlog

We dropped off veg burgers and picked up a volume of poetry by Yeats.

Ron read “Song of Wondering Aengus”, his big opportunity to perform.

The band was terrific, three fine musicians from the Springfield area.

We dropped by Thunderfest yesterday and enjoyed a better than good rock band Midnite:30.

A tech from Insight was here today to do an engineering study for solar.

Preite delivered 100 gallons of heating oil. Good, we were almost out.

I’ve been doing more unpacking and offering things we don’t need to a Facebook group. Gifted a huge light fixture, some artificial flowers and a couple of little plug-in heating units. Two people came by today to pick up their goods.

More Warranty work. Received checks last week.

Managed to acetone-out the ring of yellow paint I’d left on the sunroom rug and squared away an overcharge by RentACenter.

Big laundry, seems like Rondromat skipped a day this week.

Found a red and white afghan in the sunroom; it washed and dried beautifully.

Made a Kevin recipe, sweet potato chili with tomatoes, onions and black beans. Good!

I’ve been working on the sunroom, the goal being to make space for the exercise equipment.

Have emptied a number of cardboard boxes and offloaded a few to Ron’s office. He does have a lot of fun things: even a second plush buffalo toy for a long-desired gifting to the boys.

Ron loaded a pile of carboard on the truck and brought it, along with trash, to the dump yesterday. He got there just as the place was closing.

Waved to the boys. Showed up for a 9 am appointment at the RMV in North Adams. Easy process to renew my license.

Drove up to Hairpin Turn and on the way back, stopped at Eclipse Mill. Gorgeous displays of resident artwork. Strolled the grounds a little to view the Hoosic River and waterfall.

Stopped at BigY for cannoli and veggies. Picked Ron up for lunch at the Berkshire Food Project, then back to Eclipse Mill so he could see the artwork. He met an artist who’s having an open house tomorrow and was enchanted. Maybe I’ll get to be single again, who knows?

We drove to Pownal to restock our liquor cabinet: wine, Irish cream, Prosecco, champagne, Hennessey’s.

Ron tied up the last of the stakes from the back yard and did some raking. We sat outside, greeted the kids and enjoyed the gorgeous weather and wine.

Ate way too much and planted myself in front of the tv, thus forgot about the open mic session at Studio 9. Next Tuesday, I hope.

Rented and watched “The Zone of Interest”. Ron was moved, thought it is a great film.

I’d put the Prosecco in the freezer and didn’t pull it out in time. It was part liquid, part slush. I drank almost the entire bottle.

Some do-gooders are annoying the rest of us and scaring at least one resident by plugging a Gaza resolution to the Select Board. Go away.

Reset the clocks.

Ordered OTC items from Optum and tomatoes and cukes from Holiday Brook Farm, renewed membership with AAA and changed credit cards.

Also completed the license renewal paperwork for tomorrow’s appointment at the North Adams RMV.

Spent part of yesterday going through the last stack of paperwork in the third bedroom.

Ron switched out the furnace filter a couple of days ago.

We changed sheets and transferred goods from the rental frig to the new one.

I debugged Warranty.

Gray and gloomy today but not too cold.

Our handyman was here for a few hours yesterday caulking and priming window trim. It’s one of those improvements that has a favorable cost:benefit ratio.

I picked up lunches at the Senior Center and filled out menus for March.

Afterwards, we attended our first Friday LOG lunch, which was great: all-vegetarian buffet menu – salad, roasted veg skewers, barley/veg soup, flatbread, yogurt/dill sauce, trays of baklava passed around for dessert.

An attorney with DOJ gave the presentation on prosecuting environmental crimes.

Did a small shop at Aubuchon. Spread varmint repellent on the tulip bed, which is starting to sprout.

This afternoon, did a transfer station run.

Sent a message via form to Williams College about the passing of one of their students last month. I’m disturbed by the lack of contrition and acceptance of responsibility on the part of the college’s administration for what seems to me a failure of stewardship.

This young person – age 18 – was in my view overwhelmed. He was involved in enough academic activities to fill a full-time schedule, yet he was also a member of the Berkshire Symphony, participated in a weekend long competition run by the college’s volunteer economic consulting group and worked on projects for the Special Olympics and a local restaurant.

I remember freshman year at an Ivy League school as a living horror.

I’ve been tired these days.

I’ve also been cooking more than usual.

Earlier this week, I/we made enchiladas – and they were good. Today I made a casserole from cheese, onion, used squash and a used pepper. Also good.

At this point, we have a couple of different proposals for solar. This afternoon, an engineer from SunRun spent two hours reviewing our attic, electrical panels and even the roof of the garage.

I am addicted to horiatiki Greek salad. Chopping but no cooking.

I did a lot yesterday: got the Corolla inspected, did a grocery shop (thus the used veggies), stopped at the senior center. We had corn chowder at the Berkshire Food Project.

I also checked in with Toyota on whether the scrape I inflicted on the poor Corolla would be covered by one of the policies I took out at lease signing. They said it would not, but I cancelled the appointment at Al’s for tomorrow anyway. The $3,000 that MRS sent is almost gone – already – and I didn’t need to spend $500 right now for a non-essential.

Set up a family group on Ron’s phone this morning so I could share his Apple News+ subscription.

Texted with Peter and with Em yesterday for Em’s birthday.

Signed us up for a veg lunch tomorrow (Friday) at the Log. Looking forward to the presentation on prosecuting environmental crimes in federal court.

After the January thaw comes the February freeze. Both are mythical events, really, or at least they are moveable events. The January thaw may take place in December or it may not take place at all, and the February freeze can put a stop to the quickenings of March. A late freeze will come this month in most years, though, and if you’re sick of winter this is the one that will break your heart.

The February freeze comes as you realize that the year at last is turning toward spring. You notice that the sun isn’t quite a winter sun anymore. It is warm these days, and it makes real shadows, which the sun of December never does. The sun gets into the trees, softening, limbering, awakening buds. At the ends of their gray branches the smallest twigs show softer colors: pink, yellow, green. The trees stretch their arms. The sun goes into the snow and begins to break it down. It gets into the frozen roads. They soften, and to a depth of an inch or so their surfaces turn to mud. The sun gets into you, too. It gets into your heart and tissues and into your thought. It prepares you for spring.

Comes the February freeze. The trees close up like traps. They freeze inside; their branches creak again. The snow that was softening goes as hard and tight as a concrete sidewalk; you can jump up and down on it. The roads that were going to mud freeze solid again, and taking a car on them is like trying to drive a train over the wrong-sized tracks.

It’s hard, when you had thought winter was ending, to have it all back again. Cheer up. You were right. The sun is warmer. The snow froze and the roads froze, but you didn’t freeze. The sun is still preparing you for spring, and soon it will be back at the snowbanks and the ice again. You were right to rejoice.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac 1983, page 53, author not given.