Long Due Greetings mes amis:
“We sit together the mountain and me, Until only the mountain remains” …………………………………………………………Li Po
“Step by step, the early morning breeze” ……………………………………………………………………………………………………Hakuin Ekaku
“Honeysuckle vines cling to a fence along the land, fragrance makes the summer wind so sweet
On a distant hillside, eagle sings a song. Songbird on a fencepost, sings a melody” ………………………………Dolly Parton
Little Darlin’…it’s been along a long and lonely winter…. Little darlin’, it seems like years since its’ been here…………………good Sunday my fine friends, family and semi-acquaintances……………. we have returned to The Mount intact to full pond, few mice, overgrown garden and shrubberies…and sweet mountain May…just in time for the start of the short, but mighty Vermont summer…………good to be back in the dirt and Schmutz…. maybe I’ll be there to take your hand, maybe I’ll be there to share the land….
So…. still in the semi-chaos mode……so maybe short one this week? …. we shall see, nu?……..,
Leaving the Heartland pretty smooth though very bittersweet after regular weekend sleepovers with g-daughter #2 all winter log………Nana, Papi, Sloanie……Sloanie, Nana, Papi…. big adjustment to leave our girl behind…along with our other three GRAND- daughters………But need to see a man about a horse………………….Limped back across the southern tier of NY State with Jenn’s car creaking and croaking……. directly to the classic mountain repair shop. Where it has been resting for almost a week now……it will get fixed once our erstwhile mechanic-shaman finds it out on the back 40 with two dozen other cars since there is no room for a vehicle inside his garage…ever….so hit The Mount running with one car to share…….
After weeks of no carbs…immediately sought out a fix at Ramuntos for the cheese special (Two and a coke)..and back home to a throwback 35 degree first night…a bit of a shocker having left the 80 Ohio early summer behind….of course, we have no phone service ….again…..having had out lil’ cell tower deactivated and dealing with exigencies of WIFI calling in the mountains…..in the same realm of ground hog day style events…..our usual bright eyed plumber man-child did not show to open the house-but sent the Plumber Grinch…. a mighty supporter of The Donald and disliker of Flatlanders, to get us open, and leave us with the usual residual non-working pipe………
Our first morning cold and wet to find The Queen making an ill planned trip to Bennington for a dermatology checkup…. first morning back…. CHAOS…. four hour RT journey leaving at 7 am……. Only to arrive thee….and find she had already switched the appointment to July …precisely to avoid this…………………………… would anyone like to go for a ride in the country???…. Welcome back…. TQ……
After three days of nonstop working -like –dogs…..got out on a nice late Friday afternoon for 1st hike at Elfin Lake and a check in on the Jewish Pig Farmer (JPF), before hitting the major disappointment of finding our beloved Sal’s of Wallingford the permanently closed…..BUT….have now found Mama Tamara et Famiglia…a small Eye-talian takeout joint on Main St….that offers the unlikely combination of off- the- boat Sicilian fare with the cuisine of Philadelphia…..not great, but nice people , big menu, good price and ambitious concept….not Sal’s….but a dent on the despair scale…….
Saturday was our first massive property cleanup day, which went well, all things considered……POND is going to need the kayak and strainer touch……. but got the water pump going, cleaned it up and treated it….and it be FULL…. first machines up and running and outbuildings spiffed up…headed us over to a deluxe MEAT extravaganza at the JPF……meal consisting of seventeen meat offerings and…. Cole slaw……served up in a maelstrom as they sizzled off the Ninja smoker grill…. JPF and The Empress of Death still divorcing, but now engaging in regular confusing companionship…so it was a reunion of sorts………
And THE Belmont Store is newly owned and set to be remodeled/reopen in coming months after being shuttered last fall….taken over by local paparazzi who have A Vision…..The Dumpmaster Yenta stopped by on his four wheeler (no license for car driving for many years courtesy of state police) to fill us in on the store skinny…..”they are not as rich as they seem”…and to explain the demise of the previous petulant and unfriendly owner being based on having insult one member of the local Jewish Cabal……and thus being shunned out of biz by the entire Yid community….which I had always though amounted to a sum of three humans….but who knew?…….
Excited to say….and ecstatic to say, we have planned a time for Sloanie to come out for week in July…so we can all avoid jonesing paralysis…….
Off today for some wandering with the statewide Open Studio tour………. she how many ceramic mushrooms we can find…. Good for you? Good for me…….
Bonsai boys and Girls., till then….
Papi
