A Colorful World and Other Happenings

It has been a quiet week here at the homestead, with Rick on his bike hike. And sometimes, that quiet is good! I've enjoyed some walks and seeing how lovely it is now that spring seems to be setting in for real.

 

 There's a lot of pink in those trees but the green is coming in quickly.

The house is full of flowers, some from the garden. . . 

. . . some from the grocery store . . . 

. . . and a lovely arrangement from a dear friend that really brightened my day.

 

I got in a couple of walks. Mother Goose is still sitting, but it could be any day! And some of you asked about the green patch on the egret's face (I haven't seen him again. Alas -- he has moved on.)

I call the egret Ellie, which I think might now mean "Elias" or "Elwin." Why? Well, I looked up that green patch and found that the Great Egret dresses for the breeding season and a patch of the face turns a bright neon green. (Apparently, long plumes called aigrettes grow from the back, too.) So, there you have it!

Rick has been having a relatively jolly time on his ride, enjoying the beautiful Natchez Trace roadway in his trip between Nashville and Tupelo, MS. He traveled on tandem with his friend, Nino, and along the way met some fun people and enjoyed on-the-road time. (He's back home today, and thankfully, all in one piece!

One sad part of the trip, though, was learning that his friend and bike-hiking mentor, blogger George the Cyclist (aka George Christensen) was killed when his bicycle was hit by a Mack truck pulling a trailer in South Carolina. 

If you followed George's fascinating travel blog, you'll know he cycled on every continent (except Antarctica) and in some of the wildest conditions one could ever imagine. He cycled every Tour de France route during the tour and his writing about the event was insightful and interesting, focusing not only on the race itself but the people -- cyclists and those he met along the way. He was a hard core film fan, always attending Cannes, Telluride and our own Traverse City Film Festival, among others and always volunteered. George was truly a citizen of the world. (There is more about him here.) He visited us at the cottage more than once and it was always an interesting time. He will be missed.

While Rick was gone (apart from worrying) I started planning our trip to England in October. The post-ts below target things we want to do in England (blue), Scotland (pink) and Ireland (green). More has been added since this picture was taken. Dates aren't locked in but I'm getting things in order, trying to figure out how long to spend here or there. Truth is, we could be gone a year and it wouldn't be enough time.

The day before my cataract surgery I had friends Jane and Susie for lunch. Our lunches are long talk fests on all sorts of topics with the most interesting conversations and such warmth. I'm grateful for these two, as the three of us muddle through life's challenges with great humor and introspection. I made a quiche and Marie's oatmeal maple muffins; Jane brought dessert and Susie, salad. No one left hungry -- in fact, we were satiated in every possible way.

I have a week off till they do the second cataract surgery. The first is going well, though I haven't seen a lot of difference yet (and they say that is normal). 

But I've been rocking the oversized sunglasses they gave me -- I think I'll wear them forever (they fit over my glasses!)

And lest you should think that Rick's travels have left me lonesome... well, someone has helped out with that!

I can forgive a lot of litterbox issues for her sweet purr!

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