Greetings fellow travelers:
“What a long strange trip it’s been” Jerry Garcia
What were we thinking? We went back to the heartland in mid-August which usually may be the absolute worst tome of the year in the Midwest. and…it did not fail to measure up to that standard; in fact it far, far surpassed it. I know you don’t really want to read an “Ohio Blog”- so I’ll keep it short and illustrate with photos.
THE GOOD- we got to see our kids and our friends. Stu got to catch up with work in Toledo. All the usual familiar places abounded. We got to to have some relief driven medical appointments- back adjustments, earl unplugging, dental cleaning)…and we got to play the annual Pelatonia benefit show with the Bunty boys, which was great despite several rounds of pouring rain, equipment issues, and a relatively small (but very enthusiastic) crowd. Marcus and Jeff came out and we whipped the property into shape, and Lucy got to see all her best friends…Jackson, Zoe, Rosie and Big Lucy.
THE BAD- It was fucking HOT!!!!!!We don’t have AC. the house had been closed up for three months. The yard was a cornucopia of weeds and bushes. It was fucking HOT!!!! We have no internet, cable or much phone service at the house right now. The dam gym had its pool area closed the whole time for its annual “spruce up” (what a crock of spruce).
THE UGLY- well, it was really ugly. We arrived to find the construction of Sawmill Parkway in full bloom; like we came the worst week and the worst day of the year. We could not get to our house and had to wait while the road builders extraordinaire carved out a way for us to get through the cornfield just to get home after 12 hours driving. We then had ten days of having our yard and driveway torn up and massive earth movers outside our door every day from 7 to 6 p.m. Every getting in and out was an adventure…the noise… the dust…the destruction. Soon we will be the proud owners of a roundabout outside our kitchen window.
And that was only on the outside. On the inside, we walked in to our 100 plus degree shut up house to find the thrilling signs and smells of total squirrel invasion. Fuckin’ Heat…Fucking Squirrels. …everywhere we looked was squirrel poop and pee, picture frames broken, books chewed up and the band of critters having a party inside the walls and attic. Needless to say, we decided we did not want to share our space with them and spent ten days trying to get them out and keep them out. Apparently the squirrel who has lived in our attic on and off the last few years, and whom we tolerated, went and got married and had children while we were gone and found themselves a nice home in the country. Triple UGGHHH…
Ok- I’m bitched out. Pictures tell the story of the road and the music. We’re now safely back in Vermont where it was 55 degree last night, no unwanted animals living with us and no earth movers… and starting the excavation of our beloved POND today…the frogs are a jumpin’.
Back to the mountain story next week.
From the burnt out Midwestern expat, Stu/Da/Cuz
