Endless Summer

I woke up this morning and dressed in shorts. Not that many years ago I could count on frost being on the ground this late in September. Didn't even close the windows last night. Of course, weather is fickle and it could snow next week. I've run my woodstove one day this month and really didn't need to.

Compared to much of the country we lucked out this summer. The weather was hot, but not too hot. While we had some mild drought conditions we did much better than the southern part of the state. There was just enough rain to keep the woodlands from going up in flames. I've friends downstate who had water restrictions in their town. Other friends in Maine had their well go dry. My well dropped about 5 inches but held steady after that.

The summer has blinked by. My days are full. Many projects are still not completed, but that's the nature of projects.

There have been a lot of get togethers this summer with friends and family. More are on the way. Tonight it's pizza and pool at my cousin/s. My in-laws are coming up from Texas on Thursday. We'll be joined by my oldest daughter and her family on Friday.

Last year at this time I was called to Florida to be with my dying father. With the exception of a short trip to bring his ashes home in November, we were down south until the end of March. With dad gone there is no hurry to head south anytime soon. In fact, we are needed here right now. A family member is going through a rough time and we want to be around.

Some years I could not wait to head south. The warm moist Florida air has been good for my firefighting damaged lungs. I've been feeling pretty good this summer, and have the lab tests to prove it. If I keep the humidity up in the house and take my vitamin D, I should be fine.

I haven't mentioned it on this blog, but my lovely wife has had a few medical scares. She had some normal medical screening while we were in Florida. Tests indicated that some things needed to be followed up on. Our copies of the medical tests were lost in the shipwreck. There was some difficulty getting the raw data from the Florida clinic. The local doctors wanted to compare current tests with the old. Turns out it was nothing to worry about. However, she had a biopsy taken for an unrelated problem. That turned out to also be fine. I am relieved.

With the political, economic and social state of the country right now, it makes sense to stay close to home. My lovely wife and I do plan on a trip or two into Canada, but we live so close to the border that Canada is a local trip.

-Sixbears