A Poem For A Friday

The Meeting
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

After so long an absence
      At last we meet again:
Does the meeting give us pleasure,
      Or does it give us pain?

The tree of life has been shaken,
      And but few of us linger now,
Like the Prophet's two or three berries
      In the top of the uttermost bough.

We cordially greet each other
      In the old, familiar tone;
And we think, though we do not say it,
      How old and gray he has grown!

We speak of a Merry Christmas
      And many a Happy New Year
But each in his heart is thinking
      Of those that are not here.

We speak of friends and their fortunes,
      And of what they did and said,
Till the dead alone seem living,
      And the living alone seem dead.

And at last we hardly distinguish
      Between the ghosts and the guests;
And a mist and shadow of sadness
      Steals over our merriest jests.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Simon, Kelly, and Merwin's tennis balls.

1 Merwin 'Til Christmas

Waiting for Santa.

2 Merwins 'Til Christmas

He doesn't mess around when he flies.

3 Merwins 'Til Christmas

Tasty stuffed toy.

4 Merwins 'Til Christmas

It's like his head is just too heavy or something.

5 Merwins 'Til Christmas

He relaxes strangely.

6 Merwins 'Til Christmas

Find the Merwin, Part 2.

7 Merwins 'Til Christmas

Find the Merwin.

8 Merwins 'Til Christmas

Rake supervising from his perch.

9 Merwins 'Til Christmas

"This is unacceptable."

10 Merwins 'Til Christmas

I generally hate human appearances in these things, but this is just too ridiculous to pass up.

11 Merwins 'Til Christmas

Yet another strange pose.

12 Merwins 'Til Christmas

Water dog.

13 Merwins 'Til Christmas

I don't even know how many legs this dog has.

14 Merwins 'Til Christmas

A special treat for the TWO WEEK mark!

15 Merwins 'Til Christmas

Fishing supervisor

16 Merwins 'Til Christmas

So comfy?

17 Merwins 'Til Christmas

When one of us is out of the house, you will find him watching the door. For hours. And hours.

18 Merwins 'Til Christmas

This is Merwin and his two friends passed out. Wild animals.

19 Merwins 'Til Christmas

He's a maniac in the snow.

20 Merwins 'Til Christmas

That's pretty close.

21 Merwins 'Til Christmas

Does not play well with others

22 Merwins 'Til Christmas

Sunset at Spy Pond in Arlington

23 Merwins 'Til Christmas

Merwin being Merwin

24 Days Of Merwin

Here we are again at my favorite time of year. Just like in 2011 and 2012, we'll count down the days until Christmas with photos of the dog. Just normal, usual, every day human behavior. Nothing to see here...

Our opening day features a staged shot of Merwin sleep snuggling his favorite new mouse toy.

Scenes From The Weekend

We took last Friday off of work so made the drive to Wakefield Thursday night. Here are the low lights:

• When we arrived at the house, it was 40 degrees inside. Luckily, there is a little Rinnai gas heater which I promptly switched on while my better half dealt with turning the water back on.
• Unluckily, the gas heater refused to actually create heat. 
• "No problem," you might say if you recall a recent post about the wood stove installation. But did you know that when you get a new wood stove, you have to light four "pre-fires" to set the stove's coating before you can actually use it for heat? Three pre-fires still needed to be set before the flames would be blazing.
• It was like indoor camping on an iceberg.
• When we woke up on Friday as little icicles, we gave the gas company a call. 
• Did you know that when you move into a new house, the gas company eventually wanders by and switches off the gas if you neglect to create an account?
• Did you know that a gas stove requires gas to cook on it?
• Luckily, we were rescued Friday evening by a nice man who reconnected our gas. And actually, by mid-morning Friday, the wood stove was hot as can be and we were toasty.

On to some actual highlights:

• Honestly, at the time, all of the above was like a big fat adventure to me. Simon mentioned afterwards that he was surprised at how well I did, which I sort of take offense to but also totally understand given that my reaction to adversity is generally to crumple into a small ball.
• We're in the midst of our big annual appeal at work, and let me tell you, folding and stuffing hundreds of envelopes ain't so bad when you get a nice view to coax you along.
• Lots of wildlife sightings! A bald eagle coasted around on the other side of the lake before swooping right above our heads. We spied a beaver at the water's edge on Sunday too as well as some hearty ducks still floating around.
• We stacked a cord of chopped firewood on Saturday. Whew. I discovered a) muscles I never knew I had and b) that a cord of wood is basically a billion heavy logs. 
• The stove got roaring Saturday and Sunday and it was soooooo nice. 
• It snowed!
• Looks like the dog has gotten quite comfortable at the house...

Happy Tidbit Of The Day

Well look at this! A poet who recently published a collection of poems about dogs! Mary Oliver's Dog Songs tops my Christmas list this year. After all, dogs, poems and Christmas are three of my favorite things.

The little blurb on Amazon describes the book as a collection of her "most cherished poems together with new works, offering a portrait of Oliver's relationship to the companions that have accompanied her daily walks, warmed her home, and inspired her work...Throughout, the many dogs of Oliver's life emerge as fellow travelers, but also as guides, spirits capable of opening our eyes to the lessons of the moment and the joys of nature and connection."

Sounds worth a read for many reasons. Might even be a good gift idea for all those other people I know that are (perhaps a bit more healthily) obsessed with their hounds.

A Poem For A Friday

  Nuthatch
  Kirsten Dierking

  What if a sleek, grey-feathered nuthatch
  flew from a tree and offered to perch
  on your left shoulder, accompany you

  on all your journeys? Nowhere fancy,
  just the brief everyday walks, from garage
  to house, from house to mailbox, from
  the store to your car in the parking lot.

  The slight pressure of small claws
  clasping your skin, a flutter of wings
  every so often at the edge of vision.

  And what if he never asked you to be
  anything? Wouldn't that be so much
  nicer than being alone? So much easier
  than trying to think of something to say?

Round Pond Renovation

We haven't had to do much large-scale renovation work to the Round Pond house. We purchased it furnished and added a few small pieces of furniture, but basically the interior was right in line with our "style." There were some outdoor DIY projects that we enlisted a hearty crew of helpers for like painting the deck, clearing some small trees, spackling this, drilling that and wrenching some other stuff (clearly, I am tres handy). We hired some local NH help to add a new roof to one side of the house and redo some insulation but other than that, things were pretty decent at closing.

The outstanding challenge by mid-October was the fireplace. When we first looked at the house, I was so incredibly pumped to see a gorgeous stone fireplace as a central feature of the main room. At the inspection, it became clear that it was pretty decrepit...no damper, crumbling masonry, etc. If we were going to legitimately use the house in winter, we'd have to do something to prevent all the warm air from doing a backward Santa up the chimney. So we went the wood stove route. Much to my delight, you can remove the door on this model and use it as a fireplace. I didn't get to experience the installation (that is the wood stove man, Ken, in the after photo below...little NH flavah for you) but I can't wait to get up there and roast my toes!

When Death Comes

It doesn't feel right to write anything. This has been the hardest thing we've experienced and I know eventually those feelings will shift and it will somehow be "better." It won't go away, of that I am sure, but I hope it will change. Eventually we will see the yellow butterflies and the glints of sun off the ocean waves, hear the leaves rustle in the trees and know she is with us in all of the natural beauty she took such pleasure in as she really lived. Of all people I know, MJ lived. She didn't just visit this world, she made it her world -- reveled in the moments and had such a great impact on those around her as a helper, a healer, a friend and a mom.

When Death Comes
Mary Oliver

When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse

to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes
like the measle-pox;

when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,

I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering;
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?

And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,

and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,

and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,
tending, as all music does, toward silence,

and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.

When it's over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it's over, I don't want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.

I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.

Farewell Summer

I guess there is no denying it now. Hasta la vista summer. Saturday really felt like the first day of fall so we drove over to Kelly's Orchard (bwa!) in nearby Acton, ME for some apple picking. We took a few hikes through the woods and canoed around the lake which was practically a ghost town without the motorboats, splashing kiddies, and summertime barbeques. Finally, we dragged our raft in, really sealing the deal that there would be no more swimming and sunning. But at around 4pm Sunday, we parked ourselves at the water's edge and literally watched fall arrive. It showed up at 4:44pm yesterday and the sun was still warm, the trees were just getting a little golden around their edges and it was perfect.

Simon took Merwin for a walk and while they were out, I placed a trail of treats on the floor...all roads lead to birthday cakes and it certainly wasn't difficult to get our food-loving hound to follow the trail. I think he liked it. He also received the cutest little homemade blanket from his grandma and grandpa. Here are some snapshots of MY INSANITY (the last picture says it all...).

HBD Merwin!

We've reached that crucial day of the year again...the one where I make a fool of myself staging an elaborate birthday celebration for a DOG. It's not even his birthday. We haven't a clue when he was born but nonetheless spend time and money to create a birthday-like fiesta in honor of his adoption day. As whacked out as it is, I'm embracing it because it plain and simple makes me happy. Past years have gone something like this:

September 19, 2012--Learning the joy of spoiling.

September 19, 2013--Got this birthday thing down pat.

So yeah, there is usually a cake-type thing, a toy-type thing and some idiotic birthday party element...a sign he can't read, a ribbon, a bow, a gift bag...you name it, I'll uselessly do it. After all, this is really a party for me since the dog has no idea that this day is any different than any other. Stay tuned for photographic (or perhaps videographic) evidence of the nuttiness. I've got a plan!

A Poem For A Wednesday

        A Monday in May 
        Ted Kooser

        It rained all weekend,
        but today the peaked roofs
        are as dusty and warm
        as the backs of old donkeys
        tied in the sun.
        So much alike are our houses,
        our lives. Under every eave--
        leaf, cobweb, and feather;
        and for each front yard
        one sentimental maple,
        who after a shower has passed,
        weeps into her shadow
        for hours.

Places To Travel - The Final Destination!

Whew, I'm glad we're reaching the end of this silly task as it is really making me restless. I saved the real kicker for last; we've been thinking about this potential trip to Argentina and Chile for quite some time. Ideally, it would be a three-week trek, including some time in Buenos Aires, Mendoza and Patagonia. I think I'll let some photos explain why this needs to happen. I'm giving myself a five year deadline for this to become reality!

This photo is rows of vineyards in Mendoza, a region in Argentina known for superb Malbecs and Temporanillos, some of my all-time favorite reds. So smack some wine together with some ri-dic-u-lous mountains and you have a happy Kelly.

But the clincher is Patagonia. It seems like Alaska on steroids. Glaciers, towering mountains, crystal clear green water, Antarctic (!!!!) seals, etc. At the risk of sounding creepy, it sort of makes me tingly even thinking about it. At the same time, I have no idea how best to tackle it, but Torres Del Paine, a national park in Chile, would top the list. And perhaps a lodge tucked into the mountains. I'll worry about the details later...

Living In The Moment, Illustrated Version

This, my friends, is pure perfection. As you may recall, this blog often highlights the predicament of trying to "live in the moment" (see Part 1 and Part 2). This little ditty, brought to my attention by Simon, is a wonderful illustrated rendition of this very question as manifest by a young woman and a wagging tail.

 "How To Live In The Moment"

(h/t- Wisebread)

Broken Knee, Broken Brain

I was walking home from work one night last week when BAM, it felt like someone stabbed my knee. I didn't fall, I didn't twist it, I didn't trip, and there was no knife. Just all the sudden there was pain. My knee has bothered me off and on for the last 10 years but never quite like that, where I really felt like something in there had shifted. So I headed to the doctor where they took some x-rays, tried to understand that there was no dramatic story to accompany the injury, and referred me to an orthopaedic specialist (read: surgeon) to address the "arthritis and bone spurs."

WHAT?! In all fairness, I should've known this was coming. In high school, the knee's cartilage was removed so naturally, one assumes that the bones have started settling onto each other. But I thought it would somehow be okay.

My meeting with the surgeon was yesterday. I'll explain what happened, but first let me tell you the thoughts that my brain created between the incident and yesterday's appointment. These. Are. Real.

• How on earth will I even schedule a surgery between work events and trips to the lakehouse and life?!
• This is the beginning of the end for my body...piece by piece, it is breaking down.
• How am I going to get to and from work? I won't be able to walk a mile to the train like I do now, certainly can't navigate steps, escalators or hordes of agitated commuters. And it's my right knee so I can't operate gas and brake pedals and can barely drive a car now much less when I'm impaired!
• It's too early in my life for a knee replacement, but clearly, they are going to need to do one. How many surgeries will I need to get me through life?
• Arthritis is for old people.
• I'm old!
• When they offered me the "cutting edge" cartilage replacement surgery in high school, I was such an idiot for not taking them up on the offer to be a medical guinea pig. All of this could've been avoided.
• Simon is going to have to walk the dog until the end of time. The dog will hate me if I don't walk him anymore.
• How will I ever work out again? (Okay, that is fake. There's nothing more that I'd love than an excuse to not move).

The bottom line is, of course, I don't need surgery. The dude was basically like, keep doing what you're doing. The knee is fine.

So yeah, yippee for the knee thing, but let's bring the attention back to the brain. I do this all the time. I come to a conclusion before waiting to see what actually happens. Then I weave this wild web of reactions. These range from medical self-diagnoses to determining that friends now hate me because they didn't respond to an email in 30 seconds to "I'm getting fired!"

If anything, the above INSANITY needs to be a lesson. Predicting then planning for the worst is not a good strategy and wastes energy that could otherwise be expended in numerous positive, self-enriching ways. Like clothes shopping, dog cuddling, or double deck solitaire.

I'm not sure if other people do this (anybody?) but I'm going to try to stop because the bottom line is we only get this tiny sliver of time here...what's the point of dithering around with fretting and worrying about fake stuff? Time to revel in the moments, savor the space we're in, and know we are doing the best we can no matter what comes our way.

Places to Travel - Part Four

I've hit a road block for Travel Destination Number Four. I already have my top spot selected but am really struggling with this one. Then this little feature from Trip Advisor landed in my email last week, officially making the decision even harder! I got a taste for glacier-carved landscapes in Alaska and definitely want more, so Norway's fjords would be pretty amazing. On the other hand, I haven't mentioned anything straight-up beachy and I do love idling around on beaches. Two friends have raved about their adventures in Nicaragua...

Something about the idea of a private island retreat is beckoning me to the Caribbean and a tiny little private island, Petit St. Vincent. We came across this place while honeymoon searching and it is um, a tad bit out of reach, but this is my fake travel life, so why not virtually go for it?

PSV is tucked away in the Grenadine Islands in the West Indies and includes 115 acres of tropical woodlands but only 22 guest cottages sprinkled throughout the property....perfect.

Their website describes the resort as "elegant, but unpretentious" and the photos back it up. The cottages are mostly natural stone with warm wood accents and plentiful ocean views. Very cozy yet luxurious. Exactly how I like it, ha! I can definitely get used to the idea of a week here...anyone have a few extra bucks?