Not the best picture of my nesting martins. I was standing on a chunk of wood, balancing with only one foot when mama and papa birds swooped at me. They aren't at all friendly! See if I bestow names on them!
The babies all flew away today and I can clean up the mess they left behind. Just occurred to me that they are the reason my clematis is thriving so well. They fertilized it!
Applied polyurethane to the 22 site signs I have done. That mistake should have been 56, but the six was backwards. Had to repaint it.
Now, as I sit here watching people try to park, I wonder. I wonder why you would drive to the pool from your site near the pool. You still have to walk from the parking lot to the pool, why not just walk from your site? I wonder why everyone at that site chose to drive separate vehicles to the pool. I wonder why people come in separate cars to camp, then complain about the cost of fuel. I wonder why the lady in the red car thought it would be okay to try to drive into my garden and under the small maple in my garden.
I wonder why I am not more upset? I wonder why I wonder.
Check out my lilies. More have bloomed since I snapped this. Many things have happened since I took this picture .......
Last weekend I trudged out to the dog park, determined to mow it. The mower had other ideas. I mowed the perimeter and the mower quit. It does that sometimes. I checked the oil and of course I had just put gas in it. I flipped it up and cleaned all the grass stuck under it. Still, not starting. You just have to let it sit until it gets good and ready.
Not to be outdone by a mower, I attacked the weeds and the vines trying to take over the trees again. It was early and everything was still wet with dew. I got wet as I pulled and stacked up the debris, then loaded it on my golf cart to be disposed of. My time is short on weekends and it was time to open the store before I knew it.
Did I consider the fact that I was pulling VINES? Did I go immediately to the shower and wash myself as I should after a good weeding? No, I went about my business and did not shower until that evening. I apparently came into contact with poison whatever and now I have a rash on my right abdomen, right wrist, left foot and the top of my left hand. Insane itching. My own fault!
Since being in the sun intensifies the itching, I have been working on new signs for the sites. I made 22 so far. I was super busy with swimmers the day I painted the numbers on. I was laying them out to put polyurethane on them when I thought something did not look right ..... See it? Maybe I should re-do that one.
Now I must go mow that dog park again. I will ignore the vines this time and shower when I am done. Another weekend looms large.
This is the table on the pavilion next to the pool .... the designated eating/drinking/smoking area. I am always amazed at the number of young people who still smoke. But that is another story.
Are you wondering what else is on the table? Could it be grapes ....... No, it is tiny green apples that some one plucked from my tree. Why? I do not know. I have 4 apple trees, so I will not suffer the loss of the apples. I give them away. I certainly can't eat them all. But, why would you think it would be okay to strip the tree before they had a chance to ripen? Think it was kids? Not necessarily. I have seen adults plucking away. When I ask them what they are doing, they will look at me like I am on their property, defacing their tree. Then they will ask what kind of tree it is.
Trash cans are conveniently located right outside the pool fence a few steps away from the pavilion. One is designated for aluminum cans, the other is for all other items. You will see that someone did indeed make it to the cans. Lifting the lid and putting this aluminum can in must have been just too much.
I find items other than cans in that receptacle. Swim diapers, tiny green apples, half eaten sandwiches .......
Lest you think we profit from the collection of cans, let it be known that I contacted the local boy scouts and offered them up. I only asked that they come and pick them up. I made it clear that we did not mind collecting them and that they would be in receptacles lined with bags. I was told that the only way they would take them would be crushed, bagged and delivered to them! I declined. Instead, one of my campers gathers them into his truck every time he comes out and the sale of them goes to benefit disabled veterans. This brings me joy.
Speaking of veterans ........ last week I was honored to make the acquaintance of a young man who had served our country. He was looking for a tent site and I happened to be outside gathering my tools together, getting ready to call it a night as the light faded. He drove to me and I was annoyed at first. Then I saw the wheelchair on the passenger side of the car. He apologized for not getting out to register and grab a map, so he was a little disoriented with the lay-out of the park.
After I chose a nice grassy spot that would be easy for him to navigate he asked if he could just pay me, in lieu of going up to the office. I told him, "No, absolutely not." He looked surprised and I told him that he owed me nothing. He assured me that he intended to pay and was not trying to avoid it. I told him that I was old enough to be his mom and that he would just have to accept my generosity because I said so. His name was Max. He lost his ability to walk and it was my honor to host him for a night. That gave me joy.
My last post had a comment that has given me pause. The comment asks if my "job" brings me any joy. I have given much thought to that lately as I go about my days.
While it is true that a certain percentage of my daily contacts annoy, irritate, baffle and sometimes enrage me; most of my encounters are pleasant and do bring me much joy. We have met wonderful, generous and thoughtful people in the last 10 years. Some are part of our lives for a short time, while others have been with us for the duration and have become dear friends.
My friends get me through the rough times with their steady support and love. They inspire me to keep putting one step in front of the other when I am overwhelmed, as I have been lately. My sweet Nan cooked my dinner and Barb delivered it to my desk Saturday night. I have stuck my hand in the drop box before and found sweet notes with money tucked inside ....... always anonymous, leaving me to ponder who it may have been. Seems like every time I think about just giving up, my family of close friends or a perfect stranger will pull me back up.
Not extraordinary, these things, just life. That being said ......... it is the outrageous acts of those who enrage me that inspires me to write. I suppose it is a way to vent and get all those feelings out. For the most part, I enjoy doing what I do. Fatigue and the acts of idiots sometimes overwhelms me and I have to vent.
You have to admit, it does give you food for thought.
My joy is my gardens. Nothing quite so satisfying as walking out every morning and seeing the blooms I have worked so hard to make happen. So, in answer to that question; yes, I do have joy in my life.
Friday is here. It has been a miserable week for me. The only highlight being the two nests of Killdeer hatching and watching the babies run around on the ground. I held two of them, much to the dismay of the male parent. Hilde accepts my presence more than Henry does. The other set of parents are new and the male of that set was a little confrontational. He stood his ground and fussed at me the entire time I inspected his nest.
It has been hot and humid. This seems to bring out the less than favorable qualities in everyone ....... including me. My tolerance for stupidity is at an all-time low. Just because you pay to swim doesn't give you the right to destroy property.
My tree-stump wedge I cleverly painted to look like a giant slice of watermelon was defaced. I knew it would not last forever, but that doesn't mean it should fall victim to someone with a pointy object and vandalism on his mind. I say "he" because the chunks of the "rind" removed were then taken into the men's room and distributed all over the floor, the toilet (inside and out) and the weapon (a piece of 2 X 4, with a pointed piece jutting off) laying on the floor. Why would that be fun? If it was a small child, why was he not being supervised?
Late yesterday afternoon I knew I was at the end of my rope when I told the gentleman on the phone to "shut-up and listen to me". He had called for directions, but kept interrupting me to tell me what his GPS was doing. I was really surprised when he showed up and stayed.
Today is not looking good. I don't open until 11 am. I cherish that time in the morning when I can get some gardening done in relative peace. The phone is my constant companion, but that goes with the territory. People see me and people stop me. This morning a camper was sitting there when I tried to sneak out the front door. Before 9 am. Check-in is any time AFTER NOON. If you are traveling (as these folks said they were), you can't have gone very far by 9 am, can you? They even inquired about the check-out time and I should have told them 9 am, but I had consumed only 2 cups of coffee and wasn't at my sharpest. They wondered if they would be ready to go by noon.
It was supposed to rain yesterday and I needed the break from people, but we only had a brief shower. It was overcast and the sky was rumbling when I closed up shop and went out to finish my mowing. I saw lightning in the distance and then had to holler at some swimmers to get out of the water, though I have to admit I wanted to keep my mouth shut and tempt fate .......
Now as I sit here scratching ant bites on my back with a long handled serving spoon, I realize I am not fit to be greeting folks today. Tomorrow can't come soon enough.
Meet the newest resident of the kampground. Just hatched, this is one of the four new baby birds. There are more than just the one nest. I just met two more babies on the other side of the park.
The highlight of my week. Baby birds are popping up all over the park. Makes me happy.
Still finding a handful of strawberries and a random spear of asparagus in my garden. Some green tomatoes on the vine, too.
The forecast yesterday was for a major storm front coming through and rain off and on through Wednesday. Pushed myself to get all the mowing done in anticipation of this. Nary a drop did fall. Forecast is all new today. Sun and heat, no, intense heat. So, no rest today after the work of yesterday. The pool will be busy and I will be confined to my desk.
Another squatter appeared in a tent Sunday morning. Way in the back, barely visible from the office. I woke He Who should be the enforcer. "We have another trespasser ....." After a couple of "huh?'s" and repeats of the statement he finally understood what I had said. "Who is it?" he asked. Really, he asked me that. "Gee, they did not fill out a registration ......... that is what identifies them as trespassers."
He just looked at me through bleary eyes, then went back to sleep. I grabbed a clipboard, paper and pen and mounted the mighty golf cart. I pulled along side the tent being careful to make the brakes squeal as I stopped. I taped a note to the vehicle. A 1997 Honda Civic with expired temporary plates. I recorded all the information and left a trail of dust behind me as I blatantly disregarded my own rules and sped away. Oops, I might have awakened them.
I finished my morning chores, got the coffee on and went back to report my findings to He Who sleeps late. I made my presentation in a crisp clear voice (avoiding the "huh?"). Brows furrowed, he asked, "Did you go down there?" No, I used my super powers. He said "Oh." And went back to sleep. I am beginning to think his ability to go to sleep is his super power.
Coffee with my favorite people was loud and raucous. We tend to be enthusiastic in the morning. He Who never joins us, preferring to sleep. No coffee for him. Diet Coke is his addiction.
I was watching the semi-hidden tent as I watched my weekenders leaving. Everyone was pulling out early in anticipation of the storm threat. I spy a lone child in the playground and know the squatters must be awake. Once again, I awaken the master of my universe to see if he might want to try his hand at enforcing. It is nearly 11 am and he decides to get up and be my back-up.
The would-be squatters have found the note taped to their vehicle and they drive up to the front. I watch from my perch behind the tinted glass. I can see them, they can't see me. The woman is driving and a man is in the passenger seat, child in back. The woman finally exits the vehicle and comes inside, two five dollar bills in her hand.
She is apologetic saying that they have stayed here before and she did not know she had to register ...... My note said "You are not registered to stay here. Please come to the office and register." The "please" was not heartfelt. I do not recognize her as a former guest, so I take this to mean they have stayed without paying before. This time they got caught.
She offers me $10 and I tell her it costs $20 to stay, squelching the urge to tell her that this is not a swap meet where the price can be bargained. Didn't want to further confuse her, since the whole concept of paying to stay seems to have her baffled. She goes back to her car and returns with another $10, apologizing and repeating that she did not know she was supposed to register and pay .....
He Who is awake has joined me in the office at this point and decides to tell her that her plates have expired and that she needs to take care of that little problem, lest she get a ticket. I just figured that she did not know about registering her vehicle and paying for the plates. He Who is nice advises her to travel the back roads and wishes her a nice day ........ much to the annoyance of his mate.
Back outside I wave to my campers as they leave and encourage them to come stay again. One group had a birthday party for their daughter on Saturday. The grandparents camped next to them and came up a few hours after their arrival on Friday to inform me of a problem. The water is leaking on their site. Not the site they are hooked up to, but the site behind them. Their grandchild was pulling on the pipe and bending it and broke it. Both shrug and say, "you know how kids are". The two campers are leaving, one after the other and have stopped in the parking lot and the driveway, successfully stopping all the traffic behind them as they are all out looking at one of the campers. They seem to be inspecting it intensely. They final decide to pull up far enough to let others pass. The older couple wave at me and smile and I wish them a safe trip ........
Hours later a camper in the back decides to tell me that he heard them hit the water pipe as they left and that it is now leaking again. I need to cultivate better spies. He didn't call earlier because he didn't want to "tell on them", but decided to call then because the water was running. They didn't hit the water pipe. The kid must have messed with it again. He Who plumbs had done a temporary fix, wanting to wait until the campers were gone before digging (lest that 3 year old decide to fall in a hole and have to be rescued). No, they hit and demolished the post with the site number on it. Would have been nice if they had told me about the water and the damage to the post ....... and the picnic table, since they hit that, too?
See what I mean about Memorial Day setting the pace for the season? But, that is not why I am profoundly annoyed this morning. Father's Day was yesterday. I offered to cook whatever He Who is indeed a father wanted. At 8:45 last night I was cooking breakfast. Bacon, pancakes, eggs. I was very tired. Said so as we went to bed. Mentioned that I did not feel at all good because I realized I missed a dose of my BP meds. My hands were puffy and my joints were achy. But, I am always tired after a weekend of being confined to the office for 12 hours a day. I would rather dig a ditch!
At 6 freaking 30 am He Who sleeps through disasters got up because "I was just awake". He advised me to go back to sleep. Never mind the thumping of Toni Louise's tail on the mattress beside my head, or the cold nose of Cujo trying to snuffle my neck and get me up. Oscar was whining to get up, despite the fact that he was up at 1:30 to roam aimlessly in the yard searching out the perfect spot to lift his leg. Wall-E was watching. Just waiting to see if I would stay or go. He was agreeable either way. I lack the super power that would allow me to ignore my canine charges and fall back into blissful slumber. I have a feeling the day will not improve much.
