October 13, 2002

• We’re back… did the water run.  The sunshine I caught around sunrise this morning was gone as soon as the sun rose above the layer of clouds.  Now it is raining again.

  
  

  Before going to the spring, we went to our old place across the highway, to check on the food and water supplies for the feral cats over there.

  
  

  I don’t enjoy going “home” so much anymore, now that the gardens are gone to weeds and the buildings are falling to ruins.  But I wandered around with the camera and got this pic of the dew still on this baby spruce tree.  The fire hydrant is a joke, a piece of junk from the dump, set up to mark our driveway, at least fifty miles from the nearest water main.

  
  

  

  
  

  The only green I found besides the blue-green spruce trees, was the yellow-green moss.  These LBMs (little brown mushrooms) coming up in a patch of moss, couldn’t have been here when the frost and snow hit last week.  They are such ephemeral, fragile little things, a stiff breeze can knock their caps off.

  
  

  Here stands Doug, beside the Scotch pine he planted when he was just a small boy and it was a wee seedling. 

  
  

  The state department of forestry gives away seedlings of exotic trees that are adaptable to our climate, each year in their cabin at the state fair. 

  
  

  I’ve planted dozens of Siberian larch and other things, and this one tree Doug planted is the last survivor.

  
  

  When we checked on it right after the snow went away this year, it was only up to his shoulders.

  
  

  On to the spring, with Koji.

  
  

  Mark, the owner of this place we are housesitting, had a watch dog and recommended we get one too.  When Mark was away, Leroy was usually on his chain out in front, to keep intruders away.

  
  

  Koji misses his pack members so much when we are away, even when only one or two of us are gone, that he would probably go off with any intruders who came around while he was here alone.

  
  

  Besides, it’s fun having him along, and he can really use some training and experience at riding in cars and behaving in social settings.

  
  

  

  
  

  So, evidently, could my kid.

  
  

  He was dutifully trudging up and down the trail with the water buckets, and gazing off into space as they filled.  I watched and hoped for a pleasant shot of him at work, but it wasn’t in the cards.

  
  

  That he would be rather sober of visage and plodding as he works is quite natural, considering that his parents both share those traits.  Work is what we do when we must, with as little fuss as possible.

  
  

  As he set down the last two full jugs by the rear bumper, I asked him, “Do you know how to smile?”  The tongue above was his initial response.

  
  

  Then came the expression at right, followed by a brief discussion of the difference between smiles and sneers and leers and grins and grimaces.

  
  

  Now we have water, and he has no excuse not to do dishes, but all that means is that he’ll have to be openly defiant and uncooperative, without an excuse.  Since he has gone right back to his absorbtion in the new game, after about 24 hours without sleep, I see little chance of his willingly setting it aside for kitchen chores. 

  
  

  We shall see.  I’ll keep you informed.

  • 5:49 pm
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