The Laughing Wolf

I Am Back

Things will be slow at the start, but I have rested a bit, recharged, and taken a break from all things electronic. No television since Friday morning, no radio, no computer, no newspapers – and I loved it. The electronic DTs never did kick fully in, and I can tell the evil Cardinal Puppylieu that intervention might be fun. It was for me, as I got to spend time with a new acquaintance looking at leaves, then worked on a rock wall, hiked around a bit, dealt with some property issues and worked to encourage sale of a lot of mountain property, and also sat on a porch and watched the world go by. You know you need this when you go to sleep at 2030 hours (8:30 pm) and don’t wake up until 0715 (figure it out) the next morning.

I was adopted by a neighbor’s dogs for the trip, who were my companions and protectors even when I did not want protection. They were not bad for the most part, though my acquaintance and I had to mount an armed guard on the grill Saturday night while cooking the steaks.

The rock wall is actually a move and rebuild. I built it the first time about 20 years ago, but fire trucks, logging trucks, and careening relatives took a toll. We needed to change the drive a bit anyway, so I have moved it to a temporary location to let my Aunt look at it and check it out. If a go, I will take down and re-do right. The idea behind this technique is that you use the rock as is, only minor reshaping if any, and piece the wall together like a jigsaw puzzle. Once all is in place, it is strong and secure. Getting to that point can be interesting, however. To make it more of a challenge, the front and back use flat rock that are put in place vertically, so no cheating and laying everything flat. You fill with other rock, dirt, and use that to link it all together. Yes, I am sick in that to me this is fun, not work. Lots of hard labor, yes, but not work.

I almost stayed another day, but needed to get back to take care of some things. So, stay tuned as I am back and do have some posts to try to get done amidst all the “real” work that has come my way.

LW