Some Random Notes

A Great Loss

Our community lost its most aged citizen on Monday. Mrs. Webb would have been 102 years young on her next birthday, if I am not mistaken.  Her memories will live on, but she will be missed.

Dry Weather and Other Things Autumn

Both October and November have been very dry months this year. We have had almost no rain so the risk of fire is pretty high. That is the down side of this autumn.  The up side is that we have had near perfect weather. We have had sunny days and clear cool and even cold nights. I have cut some firewood, but still don't have all we will need for the winter,  and it is these nights that bring that to top of my mind.


Last weekend was the first day of deer season for most of our state.  We, however,  spent the weekend on the coast at high school soccer matches.  The weather was fabulous and though the outcome of the effort wasn't as positive as the weather it was a great weekend to spend with our boys and our friends.

My first jug of mead is fermenting nicely.
You can tell this by the partially inflated
balloon (fermentation lock.)

We have three lizards that seem to be making their way into and out of our bathroom due to this cool weather.  I have named one of them. His name is Tom Rex.  He is very easy to recognize.  He is large for a green anole lizard and has scars on his back.  T. Rex lets me handle  him and is quite sociable as cold blooded, creatures go.  In the previous post's photo, T. Rex is the one highest on the sticks.

Mead Making Progress

I wrote about my first attempt at making mead, honey wine. It has been several days now and it seems to be going well.

Reading up on Our History

I just read something from BBC News about Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian Author.  I continue to be amazed by the level of cruelty some human beings are capable of inflicting on other human beings.  Solzhenitsyn is at least partially responsible for initiating the awareness of this cruelty and helping bring down the Soviet Union by exposing the Russian people and the world the the atrocities of Stalin and his regime during and after World War II. I have read some of his work, but will be picking it up again to remind me of what a real struggle is about.

Thanksgiving Soon

Carl Blundell

While we obviously should be giving thanks everyday, the official holiday is only two days away.  We will have our small family gathering but this year there will be a little twist.  We have invited our friend Carl Blundell...the keeper on the Belhaven Soccer Team and Logan's and Holden's trainer  and any other British friends who don't have previous plans to join us for Thanksgiving.  While this is not "their" holiday of thanksgiving we can only imagine that the campus is a pretty vacant place on a holiday and since our family is small we decided to open our home up to them.  Logan and Holden really look up to Carl,  for good reason.  He is a really fine young man and a good role model for them.  When he is around, Holden shadows his every move.   I know that this has to get old for Carl, but he never lets on if it does.  Carl is from York England and is a long way from home.  I hope we can provide him with a little of the home atmosphere that is often times missed when one is away at college.  We have only known Carl and his friends Tom and Tom and Dave for a while, but as we have grown to know Carl, he has become one of "our guys."

Until next time...John.

http://blazers.belhaven.edu/roster.aspx?rp_id=1738&path=msoc