Mercy

It's been a sorrowful week. One filled with tragedy and close calls, far too close for comfort. An enormous tractor trailer towing half a dozen cars behind it careened into a favorite local restaurant at full speed, after its brakes failed coming down the hill. 

 

It destroyed the building and sent four folks to the hospital. Saddest of all, it killed a sweet young woman in her twenties who was at work, minding her own business, preparing the bar for opening. She had a husband and 14 month old daughter at home, and having just past her first tri-mester, had just announced her pregnancy the day before.

She never had a chance. The truck crashed through the entrance, went through bar and came to rest just inside the building next to it.

The mercy of it all if there is any, is that the restaurant had decided that morning NOT to open for lunch because of sidewalk construction just outside their door. Had they been open, the outdoor seating would've been filled with folks minding their own business, enjoying their lunch.

The mercy of it all if there is any, is that all of the restaurant employees save for the bartender, were safely in the back half of the restaurant at a staff meeting when it happened.

The mercy of it all if there is any, is that our sweet Lexi was safely out of the way, busy at her own restaurant job across the street. She was cleaning the glass on the front door and saw it all as it happened. She was minding her own business, getting ready for a long day tending bar.

Mercifully the construction workers saw it coming and were able to run for their lives. Mercifully many courageous men and women ran straight into the building and were able to put out the fire before the truck exploded.

As I go about my morning, minding my own business on another beautiful summer morning, I'm struck by the sacred ordinariness of this life. I know it will be a long time before the lump in my throat fades.

Goodness

It's the day after the FOUND FLEA and it's another perfect summer day.

We are taking very gentle care of ourselves today. My sweet husband, who's not had a day off in many weeks, is dutifully and cheerfully coding away in his upstairs office. Weeding, pruning, cutting asparagus, checking for strawberries and finally going grocery shopping are on my to-do list today.

We've been subsisting on bare-cupboard rations lately - take out from Thai Express and the Covered Bridge Market, and a LOT of brown rice. This morning leftover Wegmans rotisserie chicken was on the menu. If there'd been ice cream in the freezer I would've dished it up and called it breakfast in a heartbeat...

The house is a disaster BUT we can now walk through the garage without risking life and limb. 

The kitchen smells vaguely of rotting onions BUT the frig is cleaned out and the dishwasher is humming away, full of leftover containers. 

My feet are killing me BUT they feel much better when I stretch over the roses to do some pruning.

Life is good.

Purge

As of today I am 97% moved out of my office having packed up and removed all of my music and books. I would be zero percent along with this project were not for the efforts of my sweet Cassie, who plied me with chocolate, good company and youthful strength enough to move those heavy boxes. Surprisingly the process was not emotional for me. All that procrastination and angst for nothing! Instead the purge felt cleansing, as most do. Almost as good as cleaning out the closet in Spring. Cassie gets about half my library and any day now I'm sure I'm going to find the perfect spot for those fourteen boxes of music somewhere in the house. Now to find a home for the infamous green bench. Home to so many viola cases and backpacks over the years. If I can get it all glued up I might just sell it at the FOUND FLEA on Sunday.

I am once again grateful that the garden does not hold a grudge. We've been picking asparagus for six weeks now and there is no sign it'll stop any time soon. Strawerries have started to form and if I can stay ahead of the critters, we might just get a bowlful for ourselves. The peonies are plentiful, strong and sweet this year. So are the poppies,

 the Asian lilies, the rhubarb and the hosta. 

 

Some plants didn't fare so well this year. Our female holly is a goner. So are the two Andromeda bushes in the front and sadly, most of the blue hydrangea. Some how the oakleaf hydrangea we received as a wedding present looks unscathed,

and just today I swear saw what might be a flower bud on one of the few live green limbs of the blue hydrangea.

Since my last post we've set up and sold at the Funky FLEA in Syracuse, traveled to Rhinebeck to check out the Country Living Fair and somehow gotten ourselves ready to sell at this month's FOUND FLEA. Summer's officially in full swing now!

A Most Perfect Day

I haven't met an on-site country farm auction I didn't absolutely love.

When pickups outnumber mini-vans ten to one and the Methodist's are selling baked goods, you know it's going to be a great day!

Temps in the 70's clouds and sun, a spot under the tent and the most delicious rural location ever.

A most perfect day.

Life, Living and Love

Today is Ken's birthday and what a day it has been!

While he's been hard at work in the digital salt mines, I've been downstairs working on my first ever gluten-free brownie ice cream cake. We've seen clouds, rain and hail, and as if on cue, the sun's out just in time for dinner on the porch.

There have been phone calls, emails and a zillion facebook posts. The day has been filled with sweetness. I've learned more from this amazing man about life, living, love, honesty, integrity and courage than from any human on the planet.

 Happy Birthday sweetie. May there be many, many, many more! 

You've hardly changed a bit.

Relevant

I mean to post more regularly, really I do...

Recently I had the closure I didn't know I needed in the form of a reception honoring this year's Ivory Tower retirees. It was lovely. There was nice wine, tasty snacks and lots of good people. I put on my big girl pants, went all by myself, and even managed to hold it together (although not without some significant hand-holding by my sweet friend C).

Now that it's over I can honestly say I'm really glad I went BUT it wasn't without its weirdness.  In fact it was just a little too much like attending your own funeral. I'm glad I was there to hear all the sweet things folks said about my teaching, how they'll miss me, and how I influenced them way, way, way back in the day when they were students. I didn't know I needed that so thank you.

There were questions I expected..."So, are you at the shop like, all the time now?" and "OMG, when did you stop coloring your hair?".  And some I didn't..."So how DO you fill your days?".

The folks who answer the question "How are you?" by reciting their resumes, still do and they still gossip about their colleagues who are standing only a few feet away. Several people confided that they wished they could leave too and that they thought I had decided exit just in knick of time. I didn't inquire why. I listened to one resume-reciter wax on and on about how busy she was this summer, how she was working the entire time and how difficult it is to "remain relevant" as a full professor. I'm not sure what that means exactly, but it certainly has me thinking after the fact.

The Rites of Spring

Taking winter coats to the cleaners

Hanging sheets on the line to dry

Chasing carpenter ants

 

Washing wicker, painting metal porch furniture

Getting ready for the first FLEA

Excavating the garage

 

Watching every day for the first asparagus

Breakfast, lunch and dinner on the porch

Sleeping with the windows open 

Rhubarb, Lily of the Valley, Bleeding Heart

Daffodil, Hyacinth, Squill

Forget-Me-Nots

 

Planting peas and lettuce

Washing windows

Sighing...a lot

It's only now that I realize this past winter was a little hard on me. I didn't mind the cold, the heavy gray skies and that it snowed almost every day for six months. No, what got to me this winter was the fact that I was rarely outside. I realize now that the daily walk from my East Jesus parking spot to my office every day was actually good for something. It got me outside and all winter long. Okay, duly noted. Next year I'll do winter a little differently.

I've removed myself from almost all of the official college email lists and I'm pretty sure I don't see the ivory tower in my rear view mirror any more. I've got only a vague notion of where we are in the academic calendar these days. I know that Slope Day was yesterday because I saw it mentioned on Facebook and that Ithaca College graduation takes place during the first FOUND FLEA. But that's it. Now if I could just get myself moved out of my office...the thought of leaving a big FREE sign on the door and telling folks to take what they want is seriously tempting.