Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Spring Cleaning

It might be a bit premature to declare that spring is here in the northland, but hope "springs" eternal. At least it is a sunny day that looks warm from the inside of the house. The local ski season is over here. The hill closed last Sunday followed by the end-of-year party for the employees and volunteers. That means that I will have to find other ways of using my time.

I have a long list of vehicle related issues that I could work on, but I am having difficulty working up the proper level of enthusiasm. It's still too cold and not all of the snow has melted to do yard and garden work. There are a couple of inside jobs that I should get done and I am making lists in my head for those materials. The flower boxes need to be emptied and the hanging plant pots need to come down off the deck. I never got around to cutting the hop vines down last fall, so those need to go as well. Sigh, maybe on a warmer day.

I have gotten fat and sassy over the winter and am now vowing to myself to get back on my bike as soon as the first good rains wash the remains of old man winter's salt and gravel off of the roads. There are trails to hike as well.

One of the guys I patrolled with this winter has a sailboat that he races every Wednesday evening during the season and I hope to join her crew as a deck hand when things get going. I am going to try to try to explore some more volunteer opportunities too. There is a classic example of a great lakes bulk carrier - an ore boat to those of us living here - moored along side of the Duluth arena/auditorium/convention center. Volunteer staffers lead tours during the summer season and since I sailed the great lakes on ships just like this one, I would be interested in taking groups through the ship and introducing them to a lifestyle that most will never experience.

I have also volunteered at our local maritime museum. Hopefully this will help keep me busy over the summer.

In other news, we have a graduating senior lurking about and plans for his "mandatory" grad party are underway. Seems he invited everyone he knows on-line (roughly 1500 people) so the outcome will be interesting. Unfortunately, the day he picked coincides with Grandma's Marathon, where I will be working, which is only one of many problems with that date. Anyone coming from out of town will have to sleep in their car because all of the hotel rooms have been booked for months. More on this in a later post.

That's it for now. See ya.

4 Comments:

Blogger lime said...

sounds like you've got plenty to keep you hopping all summer. tour guiding for the ore boat sounds like an especially good fit for you!

i am damned sick of winter and the snow is falling yet again...sigh...

8:02 AM, March 31, 2011  
Blogger Kristie said...

Just reading all your plans tired me out!

My family took that ore boat tour years ago. The teenaged girl that was the docent was quite put out with my dad, because he was quietly giving his family his own tour, since (as you and I have discussed), he worked on the ore boats, too, as a young man. Evidently, he wasn't quiet enough, because other people started listening to his commentary instead of hers. She was pissed. I think that'd be an awesome gig for you. Nothing like getting the scoop from someone who's actually been there. (We got a tour of Glensheen after my brother's wedding from one of the grandkids...way better than the usual fare.)

8:37 PM, April 07, 2011  
Blogger Shionjin said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

3:16 PM, May 06, 2011  
Blogger Crunchy Mama said...

Pretty sure that your new profile picture is rather sexy. Your gal must be proud! Keep on keepin' on, one way or the other. The snow melts eventually.

3:18 PM, May 06, 2011  

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