I planted pink/red and white vincas everywhere around my house, and still had some left, so I brought them to work and gave them to Jerry.
I know that eventually I will break down and hire a gardener. I also know it will be expensive. I don't mind doing the lawn mowing but the weeding and flower maintenance takes time I don't want to give (though I love all of the flowers in my yard; I have several kinds of roses, azaleas of many hues, lantana, daylilies,
geraniums, gardenias, and a peony) because I am paddling pretty much every weekend.
I've made a decision, not quite consciously I think but nevertheless factual: I am paddling instead of caving this year. I expected, when I started paddling, to find myself less inclined to be on the river as the years go by, but it seems that I crave it more than ever. The tiniest events on class II can fill me with it - like a combat roll I had in the demo Project 52 this Sunday. There is a spot on the Nanty that has a river left rock in a bend/wave train. You can go left of the rock in a small chute between another rock/river bank, or right and skip down the little wave
train. I hesitated in my decision long enough to go into the rock instead and then I folded into a river right crease against the rock. I tried to roll up, carped, knocked back over and thought in my head, "Come on, you can do this" and rolled up just in time to be facing another rock, which I hugged and worked my way around with my left hand. I loved it.
Yes this is a feat that any first-year boater could experience, yet any time I get a handle on my old fears of injury it's exhilarating.
Like so much in boating, this scenario can teach me about something in real life.
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I also spent the weekend with the Geezers, which are a group of boaters I met through Boatertalk. We had folks from Ohio, N.C., S.C., Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama.
We kind of agreed that to be a Geezer you had to have one of the three following attributes:
1. be old.
2. have at least some gray hair.
3. have a boating related serious injury in your past or present.
Some of us had all three of those attributes; some were much younger (30's) than the oldest (62) and yet they had one or two of the other attributes. Many of us, me included, are in the kayaking shoulder dislocation/surgery club. I think only Jocelyn has none of the above qualities, and yet she is a Geezer too. A finer group of friends I have never met. We all share the same thing- a love of whitewater kayaking that has been so irrational sometimes, considering the punishment it can mete out - but so unquestionably right at the same time. I cannot describe it to you if you the reader have not had the experience.
Other things- I bought a ukulele, a Kala Ka-C concert sized, from a great vendor in Atlanta, ukerepublic.com. It was $122 with a setup, better strings added, an extra set of strings, a padded gig bag and shipping. I've had it at work during renders and I want to make sure I do not drive my co-workers crazy with it. Yet I am already driving myself crazy with it. I didn't expect to get obsessed with the little thing, but it is awesome. I've played it so much my hands are sore. So far these are the songs I've learned, either by looking them up online or just figuring them out:
1 If I Fell by the Beatles - one of my favorite John songs
2 Michelle by the Beatles - one of my favorite Paul songs
3 Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles - one of my favorite George songs
I guess I should learn a Ringo song . Can Yellow Submarine count? I guess I could learn Photograph.
4 Someone to Watch Over Me - Gershwin
5 Let's Call The Whole Thing Off - Gershwin
6 They Can't Take That Away From Me - Gershwin
7 Our Love Is Here to Stay - Gershwin
Are you seeing a pattern here? Beatles and Gershwin. It really doesn't get better than that.
See You On The River
J
p.s. when I'm 80 like my mom, I want to be like Aunt Margie:
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