Comment-allez-vous, mon amis:
“You are not allowed to travel at night, but you must arrive by daybreak” ……………………… ZEN
“Life does not worry about Life. Only the mind does that” …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Mooji
“Don’t remind me of my failures, I have not forgotten them” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………Jackson Browne
Well, it’s been a longish week, starting with the end of Labor Day weekend, thru the determined march of change of season…………………… Into the feel of autumn’s quietude, and now facing a week of relative solitude, catch-up duties, full freedom of time and place………. the cat goes away………. Leaving mice -boy to play…………………………
Left the metropolis of Albany this morning in 75° sunshine……… to reach mountain gloom in early afternoon, creaking out at a chilly 5 5 and heading down………………… made for a cuddle and couch nap with Lucy-lou and various unwanted cats crawling on me.……………… After depositing The Queen at the Airport pre-dawn for a weeklong jaunt in Cancun, with Sister Jane……………………. guessing warmer there than here……
Left behind with the honey-dew, two needy cats whom I usually try to ignore, but for whom I need to play Florence Nightingale for coming week…. And see who survives……… But, generally…might be a rest time for Papi……so aiming for short and sweet on the blog front for this edition…….
Spent Monday, Labor Day, checking out Vermont’s newest dispensary, down in Chester, which despite neon lights and caviar, was nothing special……………………. But there was free lunch……. Returning from that, we finally tracked down Norm, the elusive paint –meister, to talk about more house painting without our taking on that full-time obligation again……………………… He was excited to see us, proclaimed having painted our house many times, and was eager to come take a look……………… Which he soon did, offering us great closure on this giant project, but he said he could start immediately and finish very soon for a quite reasonable price……………………. He showed up the next day, fully emulating one of the dwarfs from the hobbit, with his elfin wife……. only to let us know that he was not there to paint…. but…. that his wife had experienced great trauma with her parents (we need to know this why?) which we learned was Old George who occasionally has mowed for us……. and whom, they could not be around……. ever…. even for a minute…………………… So painting job out…………. How hard can it be to find someone to paint your house…………………. Apparently a rhetorical question here on The Mount……………………… Talk about deflating…………………
Mountain tradespeople……………………………. Can’t live with them……. Can’t live without ‘em……
Is there anything better than late afternoon autumnal light?
My self-image to the contrary………………………… I have become a huge fan of The Price Chopper…no shit….
And, what’s not to like about spending an afternoon on Rutland’s miracle mile for the weekly take the wagon to town-shop till you drop…………………………………. A little spaceship car wash………………………… A little Birkenstock at the Co-op, a quick stop at Ramuntos……………. a few catch up calls as I mosey along in the autumn sunshine………………. Oh, give me a home- where the buffalo roam……….
TQ was unable to hook in her favorite contractors for a variety of must do, before she leaves…. projects …………….so Papi quit working on Friday and got out the recalcitrant chainsaw, the circular and the Zaw….and the big –ass hybrid nail-screws and tackled the we-0have-to get-this dome last minute list ………………
So, Saturday completed the work week, dropped off the hound, let his Dumpmaster –self hug TQ goodbye and headed down the 7 to Albany- town for the night, to get The Queen off to the Tropics on the Sunday dawn-ish flight………………………… spent the night at the Marriott…which, as it turned out, was just what the Dr. ordered…………………… Bumped to a top floor suite in loyalty- royalty status (they know A Queen when they see one) ………………… We arrived there for a rainy Saturday afternoon and never left the room……………………. Napping, watched a movie, got a bit tipsy…. and ordering what may have been the best delivery Mediterranean takeout food in history for in room dining………………was it really that good…………. or you know, you know………………but, it was damn good………………….
Then the alarm goes off 4:00 AM, then the front desk calls 10 minutes later for the 4:30 shuttle ride …………. And then the moron calls again at 4:28 after she has left the room……………. Rousing an unhappy sleeping…. Recouped for a bit more Z’s, got out for a brisk run, hit the mediocre breakfast buffet……………. and hit the road………………. Picking up Lucy at the Masseuse trailer and arriving home to the crazed cats……………
And now, Papi done in……. now it’s time to say goodbye to all out family…. M…I…C …see ya real soon……………K…E…Y………why, because we love you…….
Back on the train now………………. Diners, Drives and Dive-ins…. we had it all, we had it all……………
Happy Trail’s……. Papi-Meister
