The Mount Will Trail

 Sunday afternoon I took a hike around the Mount Will Trail in Bethel/Newry.  I had hiked up the trail to the South Cliffs last year but never completed the full loop until now.  The trail has a parking area for about 10 cars and is located right across the street from the Bethel Transfer and Recycling Station on Route 2.  I headed up the North Ledges Trail deciding to travel counter-clockwise.  The terrain is steep in some areas so you need to be in moderately good shape to tackle this.  The overall length of the trail is 3.25 miles and along parts of the trail you’ll see some Trilliums growing this time of year. 

 There are nice views from the North Ledges looking out to Hanover and the Bear River Valley but I think the view from the South Cliffs is the best.  Here you can see John and Tim Carter’s Farm (Middle Intervale Farm) just on the other side of the river, Mount Abram and downtown Bethel to the south and the Mahoosuc Range to the west.  I sat on this cliff for ½ an hour enjoying this view while the warm thermal updrafts blew in my face and kept the bugs away.  It was wonderful. Click here for some addtional information about the trail from the Town of Bethel.

Cancer

On April 25^th Lauren had a portion of her lung removed (a lobectomy) to remove a cancerous mass which was growing within.  After testing the mass it came back as related to the cancer which she had in her kidney that was removed just 13 months earlier. This means the cancer has travelled from her kidney to her lung and for us….it is scary. Although she was scanned from head to toe and is now clear of any cancer….it still makes us worried.   

Lauren did fantastic during and after the surgery and was back at home in just three days.  Of course she is still healing and runs short of breath quicker than before but all in all she is progressing well.

We know that with some cancers people go through radiation treatments or chemotherapy but so far we’re being told there is no other treatment for renal cancer other than removal.  On one side of the equation this sounds good because we know what some of the side effects are to these types of treatment but on the other side of the equation; we’re asking if nothing further is done, isn’t there a greater chance of it returning?  So we are confused and are hoping to get another opinion from an expert in the field as soon as we can. 

In the meantime we have experienced, yet again, the love and support of family and friends who were able to visit and send good wishes our way and even deliver us some home cooked meals during this time. Thank you. 

Mini-Greenhouse

Mini-Greenhouse

I was planning to build a raised bed or two for a larger vegetable garden this year but as we rounded the bend in the river of life certain events called for a change of course.  I’ll just be planting a few tomatoes, carrots, and lettuce this year in the same spot I did last year which is not very big and not raised.  However unlike last year I’m starting the seeds early. So last Friday the 13^th I planted some seeds in plain old paper cups. I poked a few holes in the bottom of each cup, slipped in a piece of coffee filter that I had cut to size for the bottom, filled it with potting soil, and stuck in a few seeds.  I borrowed an idea Lauren had showed to me from her Pinterest board where you use a clear plastic tote as a mini-greenhouse.  I think it’s a brilliant idea and I can take it with me easily if we go away for a few days.

Yes that is snow in the yard on April 13th

House Projects

A $3,000 bed for $60

 Last weekend I started working on our entry hallway in earnest. You would think they would call it the non-entry hallway because no one ever uses the front door. Anyway this required scraping paint and loose areas of plaster then refilling those cracks and holes with plaster patch and joint compound. I still have plenty more to do so instead of showing you a work in progress I'll let you view a few photos of the guest bedroom (now furnished) which is the only finished room in the house.

We know the hanging wicker/rattan lampshade (below) is anything but Colonial in style but Lauren's parents bought it when they lived in the Philippines and surviving many moves thereafter without being at all damaged is quite an accomplishment. So it seems that after 40 years somebody should hang it up and use it. Also Lauren showed me a bed that looks pretty much like the one above available from Horchow for $3,000. She bought this one for $60 at Jackie's Used Furniture Barn. 
By the way, if you are reading this on March 29th then wish me a Happy Birthday. Thanks for stopping by.

Now you Tree it….Now you don’t

Yesterday I cut down one of the maple trees in the yard.   There was really only one way it could fall without damaging the house, the branches of another tree, or the power lines.  Fortunately it fell exactly where I wanted it.  As you can see the tree was only a few feet from the house and it was leaning in towards it.  I first climbed up the tree to cut off many of the branches that were growing out towards the house.  I have to say it felt good climbing up the tree because it reminded me of being a kid when I would climb trees all the time. Then I fired up the chain saw, made my cuts, and with a little help from a steel wedge and a sledgehammer I pounded the wedge toward the desired direction of impact.  Mission accomplished.  Now at Shady Acre Farm I’ll have just a bit more sunshine to offer my garden. 

I'll miss this hang out spot

Perfect Landing

The Volcano in Bethel

The annual Bethel Winter Fest was this held this past weekend and the big event was the snow volcano eruption on Saturday night.  A good size crowd showed up to watch this eruption of fire burning brightly atop of our mini-Kilimanjaro. Fortunately there were no lava flows reported and no need for a human sacrifice to please the Gods.  Hats off to all of the people and businesses that made it happen.

Thinking about Spring

Dusty and I were looking out the window last night and I think we were both thinking the same thing….how much longer before we see green grass and feel some warm air?  We both like summer more than winter.  Of course 99% of most living beings probably do. 

Making the best of the season I went cross country skiing yesterday.  It was actually very nice…bright sun, blue sky, and about 18 degrees which is cold but when your XC skiing you don’t feel it.  I met one other couple on the trail who both were skiing with classic old school wooden skis.  She inherited her skis from her mom and they were made of hickory. The hubby had upgraded his wood skis by installing the new style bindings on them. I wish I had taken a picture of them with their wooden skis.

The house project for this weekend was painting a small bookcase Lauren picked up at the dump.  We took off the backing which was crappy fiberboard and I cut a bunch of tongue and groove pine planks to replace it with which will be white whereas the rest of the case is grey. Lauren wants to put one more coat of grey on before I put it back together. By this weekend that project should be done. 

Of course I watched our beloved New England Patriots lose to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl yesterday.  Sad for most us New England fans but I can hear the cheers from here of all the other team fans who just wanted New England to lose.  Yep I hear those San Diego Charger fans cheering for the loss.  Yeah, we lost the Super Bowl again but you know what, at least we got to play in it again and that means we have a great team.