change in seasons?

Jeff paddling just after sunset.


Summer seems to have turned the corner into autumn this past week; we've all been bundling up in sweaters and using the fireplace in the boathouse to keep warm. Lake's colder, too (brrr), but I still try to get in a couple of swims a day anyway. One benefit of the colder weather is that there are far fewer bugs than when we first arrived.

Tonight Harry, Jean and Ginny arrive! Jeff and I are sleeping out in a tent to make room for all the people at the cottage this weekend. Should be fun if it's not too cold. :-)

Thanks to those of you offering ant problem solutions. I'm trying the detergent solution for now, and it seems to be helping (either that or the colder weather!). Must still figure out where the ants are actually coming from, but I figure this is going to be difficult since the nest is probably UNDER the cabin.

Congrats to Gary & Sheryl, and Rob & Larissa on getting married recently!



Wild raspberries we found on a hike.


And I've finally updated My Life In A Nutshell:

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letters to my brother

I took this photo yesterday morning.


Tomorrow (Friday), it will have been eleven years since my brother and his wife died in a car accident on the way to a camping trip. While browsing an old cottage guestbook, I found a short note written by Jim and Diane. I remember Jeff and I taking them to Adaskin's Bay, how we drifted in canoes and talked for a while.

Shortly after he and Diane died, I started writing letters to him on my computer. I knew he would never read them, but it was good therapy, or so I told myself at first. I cried a lot while I wrote them, and eventually realized that I found little comfort in the process. So I stopped.

I could write those letters now, I think, but I no longer need to. I don't think about Jim all the time but he's always with me, if that makes any sense. His life and death are both an inextricable part of my life now, have shaped me into the person I am...my tribute to my brother, and his gift to me.

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more confluence pics

Performing "Three-headed Woman" in Chris Conway's concert
at Confluence. Thanks to Dave Alway for the photo!


Not much time online (only one dial-up telephone line), hence the dearth of Blatherings.

The cottage seems to be good for my tendinitis, probably because I spend far less time on the keyboard. I'm able to type for longer periods at a time and did more paddling than last time during a canoe paddle to Adaskin's Bay tonight. As Jeff pointed out, it's a long way from me being able to do a canoe trip, but I still figure it's much better than I was able to handle a year ago. :-)

Spent a couple hours in the hammock this afternoon, listening to an audio novel ("Grass For His Pillow" by Lian Hearn) but fell asleep partway through; now I have to figure out where I dozed off.

Question: Does anyone out there have suggestions on how to handle a kitchen ant problem without chemicals?



Confluence photo: Jodi, Andrea, me, Allison, Michelle and Tom. Thanks to Dave Alway for the photo!

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cottage

Chris Conway took this photo in Greenwich Village, NY.


At the cottage. The water's warm enough for comfortable swimming (as opposed to "holy toledo, that's cold, get me OUTTA here" swimming), so I'm spending as much time in it as possible.

I do slow laps in front of the cottage, and when my arms get tired I float on my back, arms and legs outstretched, watching the clouds drift by. I find it one of the most relaxing activities in the world, with the water below, sky above, letting the gentle breeze take me where it wants. I usually wake up before it takes me too far.






Leaping into my German Verb Drill book again, spurred by the knowledge that we're going to Vienna (and a brief visit to Berlin) in a couple of months. Anita and Scott give me tips, and help me with vocabulary. I'm also reading slowly through my copy of "Amerikanische Liebesgeshichten", a book of romance stories I picked up in Vienna last December.

The English version is on the left-hand pages, German on the right. The first story is Morley Callaghan's "The Snob", a story I remember reading in school. Right now I can only pick out a few words in the German version, but I'm hoping that eventually I'll become more fluent. "Es war in der Buchabteilung des Kaufhauses, dass der Student John Harcourt plötzlich seinen Vater sah..."

If you didn't see my last entry, the big Urban Tapestry news recently is that ALLISON is going to be at OVFF, woohoo! Jodi and I are very, very happy about this. OVFF this year has Ookla the Mok as GoHs, Scott Snyder as Toastmaster, Heather Dale as Interfilk Guest, and Mary Frost Pierson and Elaine Richards as Listener Guests. It's going to be quite the party. :-)

NOTE: I only have a dial-up line here, so please don't send me any big files, thanks.

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