Field
Notes - Dispatch 21 – The Cottage, Idaho
Wednesday,
May 20, 2015
Greetings
Fellow Adventurers!
Here at
the cottage, life continues at a leisurely pace. We are in our third
day of rain, which is unheard of for these parts and I am thinking of
building a raft just in case. The homestead looks very green and some
of our seeds are sprouting in the new raised garden beds. Following
more work than I care to remember, we now have nine raised beds, and
we only spent about ten times our annual food budget to build them.
No one ever said gardeners are rational. I made two of the beds eight
feet long and two feet wide so that if we lay on our sides our
funeral expenses can be greatly reduced. We will just be composted!
MR says she is sure I will come back as rhubarb.
The
other day I once again demonstrated that I should not be allowed out
of the house without a leash. I always buy shampoo by the gallon and
then I don’t have to think about it for years. Mary buys expensive
stuff in tiny bottles, but I don’t. That probably explains why my
hair looks the way it does. Anyway, I ordered a gallon from Amazon
with my selection being based on the four star rating the product
received. It arrived and after using it for a few days I read the
label and discovered it is designed for dogs! I ordered dog shampoo!
That might explain the low price.
Well, I
am too cheap to toss it out so I have continued to use it. I reasoned
that most of these fancy dogs are more valuable than I am so what the
heck. I have been very pleased with the results. That flea problem I
picked up in Palm Desert has gone away and my pelt has a very nice
sheen. The only unfortunate outcome has been that when the door bell
rings I bark uncontrollably and run in circles. I have also developed
a deep suspicion of all cats. I suppose I will get used to the side
effects; after all, I have two year supply to use up.
We are
in the planning stages for several summer adventures that will
involve kayaks, rucksacks, boots, and trail snacks. The mountains are
calling and I am ready to hear my yodel echoing down those canyon
walls. My yodeling is a point of contention with MR that is best left
unexplored. I hope you are all getting ready for some spring flings
and that this dispatch finds you healthy, happy, and enjoying the
sunshine.