I got an early start today.. I had an early-for-me 8AM meeting.. so I went out for a run around 6:30. I noticed the ferns along the river shore trail had grown about 6 inches since yesterday. The woods are exploding with life. I could help but be lifted by it As always, I stopped at my midway point to say ‘hi’ to Sam and draw his name in the mud.. Today I found a cute slug on the ground that kindly offered to form the crossbar on the letter ‘A’ in Sam’s name…  

    Chai and I ran back to the beach where the Huntington meets the Winooski. . That’s  where I usually do a little yoga stretching before going home. .. It was hot this morning, summer hot. (I stop functioning over 60 degrees).. so I was pretty  miserable by the time I turned around to go back home.  Chai dove right into the Huntington.. it looked like fun.. so I did too. I splashed across the river.. I got halfway across before I started to loose the feeling in my toes.. it was wonderfully cold. I though of how many times we’d come down here with the boys to splash around.. Sam, Gabe and I tubed down the Huntington from the gorge last summer.. it was a hoot…

   I got to work by 8 to help start the last day of the three day meeting I’ve been attending.. it was a relatively quite close to a pretty exciting set of technical discussions. I found the meetings really ejuvenating.. I think we figured out some good  stuff. I certainly learned a bunch and I really, really enjoyed working with this group of people.   .. I think we mapped out a way to keep working together for the next couple of years.

    I got home around 6 just in  time to catch men’s yoga with Diane.. she teaches a men’s yoga class on Thursdays now… she takes it much easier on us flexibly challenged folks than she does in her normal Monday afternoon class.. only 2 downward dogs tonight.. thank goodness.

    I came into the house after yoga to find a beautiful surprise. Our good friend Coco had sent us a painting she’d done from a picture of Sam.   The picture is of Sam as ‘Wonderboy’ in a skit at camp Abenaki last summer. I love the picture…. The painting is beautiful.. here’s a view of it and the original picture.. amazing.. I cried when I saw it..

Here’s the original photo

   The four of us had a nice quiet dinner… which doesn’t  happen very often.. it’s unusual to just have us in the house. After dinner Diane ushered me into the mudroom to show me  the latest home improvement.. evindently the chewing sound I’vc been hearing the last few nights has been a rat wth redecorating ideas.. here’s the nice picture window he/she has gnawed in the floor.. Note the poor thing had to chew through the carpet to do this. Now that’s industrious..

   I, on the other hand, am not feeling the least bit industrious.. I’m going to bed.. what do you think of that, Sam ?

-jc

ps. I hear the Rat again !