Greetings to all and happy June:
Well, after a series of miracle days in the 80s- we returned to earth this week with several days of heavy rains and then last night it sunk down into the 20s- sending everyone scurrying to put in their tomato plants –the growing season is about three weeks as it is- so no time for re-starts. Life in the mountains is tricky…
We have been fully reintegrated into our mountain life- hitting the trails regularly, going for long explorations in the car, getting out on the kayaks, community suppers, reconnecting with our new- old friends…..and projects…lets’ just say having four houses leads to a lot of projects (we will be down to three in few weeks as Jenn has her closing mid-month…now if we could sell the house of horrors to you or your loved ones….)
So we got the new –rebuilt tractor working and then it quit…had to take carburetor apart and rebuild- but now it is like a new Frankenstein tractor- with all the parts I excavated from the one I blew up. So- Jen gets out to mow and comes in breathless to tell me she is out of gas. After a few choice words, we decide it has to get into barn as we are expecting rain- so we go out to push it about 50 yards uphill. Jen assures me the rear end lock is off- so we push for 20 minutes falling down repeatedly, when I ask her again…and it turns out that the lock was not off- which is designed to keep the tractor from moving. . ..Suffice it to say we pushed the last ten yards and into barn using two fingers after the uphill locked rear end battle was resolved…and then went searching for a hot tub and a massage. The next day she picks up gas and I go out to make sure it will start and to prime the pump….and voila…it’s half full of gas…fortunately Jen is off the premises and after several drinks and a long walk, I mange not to attack her when she returns (she just assumed it had run out of gas when it stopped running-did not feel the need to look). So, that led to carb repair and now….good as new (the tractor not my back)-after another trip back to Brandon to get parts…apparently an hour drive is the requisite in Vermont to get any car or mower parts. Upside is that it led us to lunch in Middlebury and a fine hike on the way home. Costello’s in Middlebury is a little hard to find take out Italian deli/prepared foods joint. It is a legend on Yelp- so we hit it up. Walk in and Mrs. Costello is the spitting image of Mama Corleone….. I am naturally dumbstruck and cannot help but to order the “Don Barzini” sub…are you kidding me? This is a true find- unreal Italian and fish at unreal prices… and Mama Corleone to boot!
We got out for our first kayak of the season last week on a gorgeous 75 degrees cloudless day. Lucy was much less enthusiastic than last year and cried for the first half hour, so we pulled up by a grass lawn and let her out while we ate lunch in the boats…as we drifted away she spotted us and came frantically swimming out and then managed to jump into Jen’s kayak- covering her with water and whatever fragrant substance Lucy had been rolling around in…so we now have a Lucy life vest-see the picture…
Yesterday we got out on another fine day for a drive over to Hubbardton (famous battlefield site- you can look it up) where a 90 year old gentleman from Antioch College- Kit Davidson- has built a series of magnificent hiking trails on is 500 acre mountainous home site. Open to the public with well-groomed and marked hikes- it’s a short 30 minute walk to a series of wonderful views (Moot Point is my favorite). He’s built a huge Zen rock garden and dogs don’t have to be leashed- so Lucy is in trail heaven. I’m attaching a link to the website – check out about Kit- he was very famous Avant garde filmmaker in the 60s and colleague of Warhol http://homes.ottcommunications.com/~dsonder/beebepond_files/Mount%20Zion%20Trails.pdf
From there we went over to the Fair Haven Inn for the early bird dinner (they call it the Prudential dinner specials- which sounds a lot more dignified). Great place run by a family of Greek transplants- table-side cart service and all the fixings for the early bird price- it’s now on our official list to take visitors-along with the hike to Moot Point.
On Saturday mornings- we always got to the “transfer station” (The DUMP), which is a hub of social activity in town. Kevin ,the dump-master knows everything about everyone and everything, and never fails to give me some choice advice about keeping my woman happy…..plus he seems to know everywhere we’ve been in the last week, which is a bit frightening. In addition to the garbage bin and the massive no-sort recycling tank (all that is free), Kevin collects everyone in towns’ throw away junk in a shed and a heap…so we periodically “shop” there (“the Belmont Mall”) . Last year , we picked up skis, boots and snow boards- yesterday I finally found an old junker bicycle to keep me busy trying to re-assemble for the next month. Dump shopping is good sport.
With our diminishing income, Jen has decided we need to try being a bed and breakfast and has posted us on Airbnb, so I guess we are open for business. I’m hoping for visitors from France. See the attached link for our listing. If you come, we will give you the friends and family rate. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/6638465?checkin=06%2F24%2F2015&checkout=06%2F25%2F2015&guests=2&s=8DIF
So- back to the point, which is wet and musical. Water had dominated our lives since we returned. First we had leaks in the washer line and underneath the sink. Then, I started having rain drops fall in on me when working out in the barn. Now, we have a leaky roof over our sun porch (Jen is up there applying her handy-woman skills as we speak, doing a temporary fix until the cavalry arrives(see her workmanlike photo). As soon as we got it temporarily stanched, we found huge piles of mud slipping in to the basement, which is going to require us to dig out around the foundation and do some grading and internal repair- we knew this was an issue when we bought the house- but it had been patched over a bunch and had held up until now. So, Scott the Jewish pig farmer, has offered to come over wish his backhoe and help us overcome the water. Once that is done we have to deal with the basement mess and then deal with ripping out the wet drywall behind the washer, that is inviting black mold into our house. By the time, we get all this done, we can then go back to Ohio and wait for next set of leaks to occur.
Water is often offset by the great music we are around. I am back regularly at the folk club- trying to get them to emulate Bunty Station (where is the squeeze-box, Naven?) .Except for one woman there, who seems to think I may be sent from another planet to take her away, it’s a really nice group to play with. We’ve also started going to the Killarney Pub in Ludlow on Thursday nights for a Celtic music jam. Some really great fiddling and penny-whistle, and I get to channel my inner Van the Man. We went up last Sunday to the Silo Distillery (it’s in an old silo- you can look it up) in Windsor, with our friend ,Steve, the Jewish fish-monger, to see Gypsy Reel, our local favorites (their leader is the founder of the folk club). Great place, free food, idyllic setting, wonderful acoustics, and a good free show. We more or less hear music everywhere we go and are preparing for all the surrounding town’s “music on the green” series this summer ( we will play the finale at end of August for the Belmont series). And the farmer’s markets, all have good music while you spend a fortune of organic goods. The ghost of Jerry Garcia was back at the Ludlow market last Friday. I stepped out of the car to the sounds of Jerry singing Brokedown Palace and momentarily thought I was in the Haight in 1970….maybe something I ate? It will be a good music summer and fall. We are planning on a trip this week to the Burlington Jazz Festival, and I’m trying to figure a date to get over to the bluegrass jamboree which happens most Saturdays in nearby Shrewsbury.
Well- I should go see if Jen has fallen off the roof, so will shut it down for now.
Be well and stay in touch.
Love,
Ferlin’/Stu, Dad, Uncle, CUZ
