Classic Glass Studios

2010-12-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

"The world breaks every one of us. And afterward many of us are stronger at the broken places. But those that will not break, it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially." — Ernest Hemingway
Children begin by loving their parents;
As they grow older they judge them;
And sometimes, just sometimes,
they forgive them.

Oscar Wilde

Now I will get on with what is left of my life, and it will be a mystery to the future.

The End.

2010-12-08T04:19:00.000-08:00

The Painted Bunting has returned to the feeder. Sherry called me into the studio at 10AM this morning. There on the feeder sat a male Painted Bunting. In 09' they showed up on the 27th of December. This is the earliest sighting since I began keeping track in 05.

Sun and clouds mixed today. We will have a High of 63F. We hit our Low last night of 28F. Tonight the Low will go only to 39F which is manageable. The Relative Humidity is 93% and our dew point is 30F. The Barometer continues to be steady at 30.14. The chance of rain is 0%, and our winds will be out of the North/Northwest at 5 to 10mph. The sunrise cam this morning at 6:58AM and will set this evening at 5:28PM.

Here is a 'Dragon Fruit". This exotic fruit is in the cactus family, and is very good to eat. We found this on a property near the Prevatts. We will go over tomorrow, and harvest it. I am really interested to see how it taste. I will also get some of the cuttings of the cactus, and start my own. I do not know how old they must be before they produce fruit, but we are going to try.
Here is a nice big Barred Owl that has been living in the Hammock behind the house. I hear him all of the time.
He is very large, and very tame. He was easily approached, and photographed. I am a little leery of seeing Owls. There is a notion that a visitation by an owl portends the death of a family member. An owl was sitting in the Pecan tree in front of the house in Abell on October 30th, 2010. That was the day my boy died. I noted the Owl in my posting that morning. It was not until two days later that I found out Blaine had died that morning, sometime very close to the time the Owl was sitting in the Pecan Tree, looking at me. I doubt I shall ever see an Owl again, that I don't think about that Owl, on that morning at the end of October 2010.

There is a thick frost on the plant covers this morning. I checked on the Papaya and Banana covers this morning and the heater had kicked off last night. I suppose it was pulling too many amps, which caused it to trip the breaker. We put a tremendous amount of effort into saving them, putting up the tent frame, wrapping the frame with plastic, covering the plants inside the tent, and installing heaters. All for naught. The next time this happens (next week) I am going to put the generator inside the enclosure. It will run on a tank of gas all night with no load. The exhaust is sufficient to keep the enclosure warm. It may not be necessary now, I will have to see when things warm up out there.

I got approval on the glass selection for the Bohannan project last night. I will jump on that this morning. The plant is to get that done before we head north, in order to get the money we need to travel. My poor wife is living like a refugee again. This business is feast or famine. There is no equilibrium. No matter what happens, I must continue working or we starve. There is no "Family" leave when you are self-employed.

Well, here we go. It is time to get started. I will write one or two 'Thank You' letters this morning, and then get outside, and get to work. First I must get the heaters out of the banana trees, and try to warm up the studio for Sherry.

We had a fairly productive day. We did glass. I set up the tent over my outside work area, as they are calling for rain tomorrow night. I am deep into my latest commission. I will try and finish at least one of the three panels over the next two days.

2010-12-07T04:01:00.000-08:00

The frost is on the citrus trees this morning. Today we will have sunny skies with some clouds. The High will only reach 58F. Our low tonight could go into the high 20's. The relative humidity is 91% and the dew point is 28F. The Barometer is 30.12 and steady. Our winds are out of the North/Northwest at 5 to 10mph. Our sunrise came at 7AM sharp, and will set this evening at 5:29. We have very short days now. The frost this morning was heavy. I was up before dawn, and recorded a temperature just at freezing. I checked the bananas and Papayas (which are under cover) and they seemed to have made it. I checked the raised beds (also under cover) and it was quite warm in side the shelter. I moved the heaters from the "banana house" into the studio, so Sherry will be comfortable when she makes her way out to work.

The citrus are pretty hardy, so I should not see too very much in the way of damage. We will see. Tonight, it is said to get colder. Next week, they say it will be even worse. How can this be? In December? An early winter, so it might play itself out before the new year. I am just happy to be here in Florida, and not up north, where it is really cold.

I have been notified the calendars for the BRW Memorial Scholarship Fund have shipped, and will be here next week. I will have to order more, as my first printing is already spoken for . I want to look over the finished product, so I can see what I have to do to modify them if necessary. Than I only need information as to where to send the donations. I will work on this during the week.

Time to start foiling. I have some glass work to do today. I am trying to limit my activities outside, as it is so very cold out there.

Sherry was in studio all day and I stayed in the house foiling. I got a lot done. The wind was blowing, and the temperature never got up to 60F, so inside was the place to be . I am not working on my outside deck (my work area) in this weather. I will limit my activities to the indoors.

Palmdale is all over the local news as the cold spot in the state. We were in the Mid-20's, and will be the cold spot in the state again tonight. We went for a walk at 4PM (the warmest part of the day). Blue caught a dillo, but we made her turn the poor thing loose. It must have been freezing to death. We completed our walk, covered up the plants, put the heaters in the veggie green house and in with the Papaya's and Bananas. They are in their own structure, covered with tarps and plastic, to try to keep them from freezing.

We ate out of the freezer and watched the News. Palmdale is going to be cold. Temperatures are going into the mid-to-lower 20's. We will pray for the farmers, the ones who lose more than just pretty plants and dooryard citrus. We will pray the damage is minimal.

2010-12-06T04:05:00.001-08:00

Although we will have abundant sunshine today, it is cold cold cold. This is no great news, as it is cold everywhere east of the Mississippi. The relative humidity is 81%. The dew point is 36F and the Barometer is 30.10 and raising. Our High today will only hit 64F and our Low tonight is 31F. Our sunrise came this morning at 6:59AM and will set tonight at 5:29PM. Winds are North/Northwest at 10 to 20 mph. The chance of rain is 0%.

The big news here in South Central Florida in general, and Palmdale in particular is the cold air mass moving in from the north. We will see severe crop damage from this one. Field crops that have been recently planted will certainly be burned. They are picking like crazy to get what is up (tomatoes mostly) in. There is citrus that needs picking, and some immature fruit that is still setting. Damages are predicted to be in the $ millions. Here is what the Ag Agent has to say:

A strong cold front will move into the region late today, ushering in cold air for most of this week. Late tonight and early Monday will certainly be much colder and blustery, but low temperatures will not yet be cold enough to support low wind chills. The center of the Arctic air mass will make steady progress southward on Monday, with highs mainly in the low and mid 60s. This sets up the first of two potential freezing nights.

Monday night/Tuesday AM:
Wind chills below critical values ALL areas as winds will remain NNW 5-10 mph overnight, except NNW 10-15 mph near both coasts.

Low temperatures expected for the following areas:

Glades/Hendry: 27-30. Three or more hours at or below freezing possible.
Western/Inland Palm Beach and Inland Collier: Near freezing 30-33 (Lake shadow will play a big role in Belle Glade/Pahokee areas).

We will continue to cover up our plants today. I detest this type of weather. It is so damaging.

We continued work on glass today. Todd and Nancy came by after noon to visit for a bit. They brought along little Gavin. He got his load of bananas. Nancy wanted to see the coop set-up and check out the 'green house' over the raised beds. It was a very pleasant visit. Todd returned one book on raised bed gardening, and I sent him off with three Mother Earth News mags from the 70's-80's.

We continued working on glass until about 4PM at which time we started covering up some of the many, many plants that are cold sensitive. The weather man (during the noon boradcast) stated this is the coldest December 6th since 1937. He also specifically mentioned 'Palmdale" as being the coldest part of the state! On top of all of this, he said next week will be worst than this week! Distressing.

I began notifying folks about the BRW Memorial Scholarship Fund 2011calendars. I have orders for six so far. I have only ordered 15, so I have almost filled my first printing.

Well, as soon as the wind lays down, I will finish up covering the remaining plants. Until, I will sit in the warm, and foil.

2010-12-05T05:46:00.000-08:00

Today it was generally clear, with a High of 75F. The relative humidity is 60% and the Dew Point is 55F. The barometer fell to 29.97. Our winds were out of the North/Northwest at 10 to 15 MPH. The sunrise came at 6:58AM this morning, and set this evening at 5:29PM. A cold front came through this afternoon between 2PM and 4PM. We had some rain with it, but the temperatures did not drop that noticeably. However our temperature tonight is predicted to drop to a Low of 39F. The coming week is to bring temperatures in the mid-20'sF. This is extreme for South Central Florida, especially in early December.

Today we cleaned up around the yard, installed tempered glass panels on the top oif the coop (for waterproofing) and built a platform for the coop. I sprayed the citrus as the bugs are feeding up in front of the cold front. We covered up all of the really sensitive plants. We built frames around the banana's and papaya's. We covered up the coffee tree, the orchids, the staghorn ferns, the star fruit, the mango, the pomegranate, and many other sensitive plants. We did not cover the citrus, although by tomorrow night we will probably have to, if the predicted Low of 30F is correct. This is a grueling process. We have over 25 citrus trees, plus many other tropical fruit and nut trees. This is in addition to the many Palms, Bird of Paradise, Dutchman's Pipe, Lilly's and other tropical and sub tropical species sprinkled throughout the yard. It is impossible to keep up with. However, we have so much time and money invested in these plantings, it is hard to stand idly by and watch as they all succumb to the cold. Mostly, they die down, and in a year or so they come back, much reduced from their original size. So, we will see what Old Man Winter has in store for us.
At 3:00PMn we headed over to the Prevatts for cake and ice cream, in celebration of Ethan's Birthday. The Grandparents, and Great-Grandparents were there, as well as Bill and his brother Mathew. Nancy makes a beautiful cake. We all jumped in and it vanished in no time. Nancy made Jess & John's wedding cake, and my birthday cake last year. I love her cake, and told her I was going to get married again, just to get the cake. Maybe in January...

We got back home and checked on the chickens. I had built a platform and placed it at the entrance to the coop about 6-inches off of the ground. The Frizzy's are unable to jump/fly to the coop entrance (I elevated the coop, 24" off of the ground, so Pinky the Pig had a manger to sleep in on cold nights), so a mid-level step was necessary. We watched as the Frizzy's tried, to no avail, to jump the 6-inches to the mid level step (they have a vertical leap of about 1-inch). I quickly threw together a couple of ramps and temporarily placed them on the coop. They worked! The Frizzy's made it into the coop on their own. This is a milestone in the flock's development. It is important the birds go to roost at night, and can get in to the laying boxes during the day, should the need arise. The one thing we do not want is to have the birds lying their eggs in Pinky's manger. This would present two problems; 1) it would necessitate crawling into the manger to get the eggs, and 2) Pinky the Pig would soon develop a taste for eggs, neither of which is a good situation if you want to collect eggs. So the hens must be made to go to the coop, and their laying boxes to lay their eggs. This is not difficult with 'normal' chickens, but the Frizzy's are vertically impaired, and so get special dispensation. Tomorrow, we will build a more permanent ramp for the Frizzy's, and, once the flower bed is complete, be done with the chicken coop. At the rate of $2.00 / dozen (the going rate for fresh eggs in Palmdale) we will need to collect only 176 dozen eggs, or 352 eggs per chicken to make the coop begin to pay. At this rate, the coop, pen, chickens, and all of the furnishings should be paid for by the time I am 70 or so. At any rate, it is all done now, and we are very much enjoying the experience. I have built a number of coops. It is always a great diversion. It seems I have always been fortunate enough to build them with someone I love. In this case, my wonderful wife Sherry. We really had great fun with it, and now that it is done, it was well worth the effort. This is something I have wanted for some time, was hesitant to do it, but with Sherry's encouragement, decided to go forward with the project. We did not need it, could not afford it, and really did not have the time to attempt it, but here we are, and I am happy we did it. It was a great diversion at a time I really needed to be diverted.

Tomorrow, Glass Glass Glass. It is time I get back to the busy business of life.

2010-12-04T15:19:00.000-08:00

Mostly clear today. Very cold this morning. We had our Low of 40F at 4AM. Our High today reached 71F. The relative humidity is 51% and the dew point is 39F. The Barometer is 30.08. Winds are West at 5 to 10 mph. Our sunrise came at 6:58AM and our sunset came at 5:29PM. The chance of rain is 0%.

We were up this morning at 4AM. We packed up and headed over to the east side to our show in West Palm Beach, and the PGA. We arrived at 7AM, right on time for set up. Except, we were one week early! Now that was funny! We laughed it off, and headed back across the bottom of Lake Okeechobee. We stopped in Clewiston to see the Bananna Hombre. Yes, he had no bananna's, but he did sell these two pitiful bunches for $6. They are excellent. He promised to have some next week, so we will be set with plenty of fresh bananna's for the Holidays.

We continued west, across SR80 into LaBelle, and went to the farmer's market. We picked up some fresh veggies, and headed back to Palmdale. We spent the rest of the day finishing up the coop/pen. Sherry painted the coop while I built Pinky the Pigs fence and gate. It really looks nice. Tomorrow we are going to plant a flower bed in front of the pen.
We are already getting eggs from the chickens. We got one blue egg yesterday, and two from the frizzies today.

We got the frame put up around the beds. It worked great last evening. We will see how it goes tomorrow night, when it is predicted to go into the low 30'sF.
We took our walk at the end of the day into the scrub and over to the homestead. The oranges are still not ready yet. We did get a nice Queen Palm. I think I will take the shovel over tomorrow, and get some plantings for the flower bed at the pen.

All in all, a good day.

2010-12-03T03:32:00.000-08:00

It is brutal here this morning. The temperatures went down to 35F last night, and I am worried for the vegetable sets getting burned. Some have not yet been hardened off, so damage is likely. I will have to replace some of the more delicate ones. My goal is to get the frame for my cover built today.

Weather wise, today we will have abundant sunshine with a 0% chance of rain. Our High today will be 71F and our Low of 35F. was already hit at 5AM this morning. The relative humidity is 75% and the dew point is 32 F. The Barometer is steady at 30.16, which is a pretty high "High Pressure". Our winds are from the North/Northeast at 10 to 15 mph.

Our Sunrise will come this morning at 6:57AM. Our Sunset will occur this evening at 5:28PM.

It is my intention to finish the coop today. I need to build a door to the coop, some laying boxes, and a gate for Pinky the Pigs' fenced off area. I have to get the last of the raised beds planted, and I have to build frames for them, so I can cover them on cold nights. We have another cold front moving in on Sunday, so I have to get this done, or continue to loose sets. Once this is done, I must pack for our trip to West Palm Beach tomorrow. Saturday will be a long day, but we need to try to sell some glass.

Next week I will start on the floor system for the "Todd Shed" I have coming. We can use the additional 200 cubic foot of storage space (3'X8'X8'). This will only take me a few hours.

Todd came by this afternoon. He lost quite a few plants this morning. He said he turned on the sprinkler at 4AM, but the damage had been done. Very discouraging, going to all that trouble, and loosing all in one night. He is dead set on doing a raised bed similar to ours, and building a cover.

Well, here it is, 7pm Friday evening, and we just finished a wonderful meal Sherry prepared of roast chicken, sweet potatoes and peas.

I got everything in the pen done, except the fencing necessary to segregate Pinky from the birds. Sherry got the raised beds filled, and we planted the center one in seeds (no black plastic mulch on this one) which included beets,carrots, spinach, kale, Swiss Chard, and Sherry's herbs.

The forth and last bed was planted in potatoes, broccoli, and red cabbage. After all of this was done, I built "A" frames, attached them to the beds, and stretched clear plastic over the whole works. This will keep the frost off, and we are getting frost. I received an email from the ag-extension agent this evening: Beginning Sunday, and through next Thursday night, we will be getting some very cold weather. I will leave the beds covered until this passes, and probably through the first of the year, as the plants need to be hardened off.

We had a nice walk at the end of the day, and stopped by Maureen's to collect some tangerines. She has a really good tree that is throwing quite a crop. I have to make it a point to get over to the Homestead next week, and collect those oranges before they start to drop in the cold.

I am happy to have the pen/coop completed. The chickens seem content. Pinky the Pig seems to be enjoying her new digs. The raised beds are planted and under cover.

The yard is cleaned up, and the platform for the Todd Shed is my next project.

2010-12-01T16:26:00.001-08:00

At the moment, it is 39F in Palmdale! Ouch! and it is only December 2nd. It may be time to begin looking further South for a place to live. 39F is too cold for December. We normally do not get those temperatures until late in January or early February. We may be in for a cold one. We will have plenty of sunshine today, but it will only reach a High of 70F. We hit our Low of 39F this morning right at Sunrise (6:54am). Our relative humidity is 81% and our dew point is 34F. The Barometer is steady at 30.18. Our winds will come out of the North at 10 to 20 mph. Our Sunset will occur at 5:28PM.

Yesterday, we began the day with a trip over to Todd's to look at the fiberglass shed he has offered us. I measured it up, and we headed to Sebring to get materials. Once we arrived at the Lowes, and I started shopping, it became apparent I was not going to be able to build the coop I had envisioned. The costs were prohibitive. I settled instead on a floor package for Todd's fiberglass shed, and headed south. We made a stop at the Habitat for Humanity and Tractor Supply. We got what we needed to complete the pen, and get a good jump on the laying box (as opposed to a 'coop', which I will build next year). We arrived home, Sherry made Pressed Cuban Sandwiches for lunch, and we started in earnest on the raised beds and varmint proofing the pen. I completed all of the repairs to the kennel, got it in place and everything bolted together. I sprayed undercoating along the bottom rail, and dug a 6" trench all the way around the kennel. Once the trench was dug, and the kennel placed in it, I replaced the dirt, and got started on the wire roof covering. Sherry was working away on the raised beds. She got all of the pole bean starts, tomato starts, squash starts, onion sets, peas, Lima beans, Egg plant, and corn starts, all planted in two raised beds. After she finished, she started filling the two remaining beds. She is quite the worker she is. I got the wire cover on the top of the pen (again, with Sherry's help), and all of the wood blocking done. I have a few things to do on the final varmint proofing, and then I am ready to start the laying box.

Today, I started the day by running over to Todd's to pick up "Pinky the Pig" (Sherry's name, not mine. I was going more for something like Jimmy Dean, as in Sausage). Todd promised he would tell no one of the name. After some time trying, Todd finally roped the sow and held her fast while Ethan jumped into the pen, and captured Little Pinky (which happened to be the first sloat he could get his hands on).

It was quite an effort to get the old sow roped, as she had been lassoed before, and managed to avoid the process for the better part of a quarter of an hour.

The old girl is protecting her litter. She continually rushes the fence, trying to keep us from her little ones.
Here is Pinky the Pig in her new home. She went straight for the chicken feed. Sherry fed her up on Papaya, corn and pizza, as well as the laying mash Pinky got to before the chickens found it.

She went right to the fence and tried to run through it. Once she realized she had no hope of excape, she started rooting around in the pen.
Here is the Donkey we met while collecting our chickens and a rooster at the Gateway Farm, which was little more than a trailer, a corral, and a make shift chicken coop. I was lead to believe I would be able to get some straight run poultry. No chance. We got an Old English Game Hen and Rooster, and two Cochin's. This was $30.00. Normally, you would pay no more than $20.00.
As soon as we got home, Sherry left for the farm store in Lake Placid to purchase the three chickens we saw yesterday. She got all three for $24. This bunch consisted of a Polish, and two Frizzy's (a cock & a hen). A much better deal then we got from the "Gateway Farm".

Once intact, the mixed flock got along surprisingly well. Pinky the Pig ruled the roost, chasing all of the chickens away from the food. The frizzy's and the Polish went straight to scratching in the dirt, as they had been confined to cages for quite some time. The Cochin's and Game Hen were still nerve shattered, having come from a stressful and confined environment. Once they figure it out, they will come to realize they have hit the Poultry Lottery.

Pinky the Pig even went at The Blue Dog. Before it was over, I was scratching Pinky's ears and belly. These razorback's get domesticated quickly.

Two feet in the trough, Pinky dined the entire day.

Once settled in, I went straight to work on the coop/laying box. Todd gave me a wooden shelving unit that consisted of 14-1X12X8 pine boards. Along with the 2X4's I picked up at the Builder's supply this morning, it was pretty much a cinch to throw together the coop.

I dug four holes and installed the landscape ties, attaching them at the top to the pen roof rail I installed yesterday to hold the wire. This served three purposes, 1) stabilize the top rails, 2) fence posts for Pinky's Pen, and 3) corner posts for the coop. After the post were in and fastened, I started on the floor. I installed the frame two feet off of the ground. This will give Pinky the Pig and good covered area to sleep in, should she so choose. Once the floor was on, I went to work on the roof frame. I followed this with the back and side walls, the roof sheathing and half of the front. Night caught up with me, so I was unable to build the laying boxes or the wire door front. Sherry and I collected up the birds, placed them in the box with some bedding, and secured them in.

While all of my work was going on, Sherry was filling the last of the raised beds, as well as making an exceptional meal of Tangy Baked Chicken in Guava sauce with baked sweet potatoes and peas. Wow, what a meal.

All in all, a very productive day. Tomorrow, I'll finish up what is left, and get ready for our show on Saturday.

2010-12-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we began the day with a trip over to Todd's to look at the fiberglass shed he has offered us. I measured it up, and we headed to Sebring to get materials. Once we arrived at the Lowes, and I started shopping, it became apparent I was not going to be able to build the coop I had envisioned. The costs were prohibitive. I settled instead on a floor package for the fiberglass shed, and headed south. We made a stop at the Habitat for Humanity and Tractor Supply. We got what we needed to complete the pen, and get a really jump on the laying box (not coop now). We arrived home, Sherry made Pressed Cuban Sandwiches for lunch, and we started in earnest on the raised beds and coop/pen. I completed all of the repairs to the kennel, got it in place and everything bolted together. I sprayed undercoating along the bottom rail, and dug a 6" trench all the way around the kennel. Once the ditch was dug, and the kennel placed in it, I replaced the dirt, and got started on the wire roof covering. Sherry was working away on the raised beds. She got all of the pole bean starts, tomato starts, squash starts, onion sets, peas, lima beans, egg plant, and corn starts, all planted in two raised beds. After she finished, she started filling the two remaining beds. She is quite the worker she is. I got the fine cover on the top of the pen (again, with Sherry's help), and all of the wood blocking done. I have a few things to do on the final varmint proofing, and then I am ready to start the laying box.

Today, Sherry will continue on the last two raised beds, and I will go collect the chickens, and gather up the last of the materials necessary to complete the boxes. By the end of the day

we should be done, and ready to move on with some glass.

2010-12-01T02:28:00.000-08:00

Today, and with luck, we will have some early morning showers, with an isolated thunderstorm arriving in the afternoon. It will be cooler as THE FRONT moves through. By tonight we will see a 20 degree drop in temperatures. Our High today will only reach 73F while our Low tonight will hit 40F. The relative humidity is 94% and the dew point is 63/ The barometer is steady at 30.04. Our sunrise will come in another hour and a half at 6:55am. Our sunset will occur this evening at 5:28pm. Our winds will be out of the Northwest at 5 to 10 mph. Directly over the front, we are told we will see winds to 25mph.

This Great Blue Heron has been hanging out in the creek. This is a very young bird.

This is an Angle Trumpeter Sherry planted last spring. It is one beautiful flower!

The Beds are in and being filled as time permits. Sherry planted two of the bed today, with starts we started on November 15th. The third bed will be completed tomorrow, and we will plant this one in cole crops and potatoes. While Sherry worked on the beds, I completed the pen. Tomorrow we get our piglet and our chickens.

This beautiful rainbow appeared on our way to Sebring this morning.

And here is Sherry's very first papaya! She has been trying for three years now to get fruit. This is the first, as all of the others fall prey to the coons or the cold. It was really very tasty, a cross between a melon and a peach. We hope for more soon! Sherry collected the seeds, as she thinks this strain is cold hardy.

I am up at 4:45am this morning, thanks in large part to a massive 'Charlie horse' in my calf that had me dancing around the bedroom, whimpering like a baby. Oh the pain! Fortunately, I could 'pound it out', which gave me some relief.

Two nights ago, we went to look at the new addition to our farming operation. The Shoats had escaped from the pen, and were running loose around the place. Todd said they liked to get out and eat the "a-kerns" (we have a great crop from the Oaks this season, and the acorns are everywhere in great numbers) and 'wall-er' in the creek mud (there is no water to speak of, as we have had no rain in a month or more). The sow is confined to the pen (a 16' square structure of heavy gauge wire with a kick board along the bottom which is designed to allow a toe-hold to 'jump out' should the hog come after you). Todd was explaining the construction of his pen when Bill L. showed up to ask Todd along on a hog hunt that evening. Bill L is a very large man who works for the local electrical co-op and lives on the outside of town. He and Todd are the same age, and are great friends. So there we are, examining the sow and watching the children chase the sloats around the yard. Todd comments on the fact that the sow pig is "mean as a snake". Bill made the observation that "...you can piss on their face... and they won't be so mean, seeing they got the smell of a Man on them...". Ethan ( who just celebrated his 12th Birthday), pipes up and says "...it don't work. I pissed on that sow a dozen times and she's still mean...". Bill, taken aback at being contradicted by a youngster, shot back "...I said Man piss. You ain't nothin' but a boy...". The exchange was interesting, if not humorous.

Well, I must get started on my coop this morning. It should be done by tomorrow, as I go to pick up the fowl. We hope the piglet will come tonight. I have much to do to prepare for the operation. I have learned over the years that the biggest mistake anyone can make with chickens and livestock is to 'put the cart before the horse' and not have the pens and shelters in place and ready to receive the birds/livestock. Varmints are a huge problem here, and building pens to protect against these pests is fundamental to successful animal husbandry.

Well, enough of this. It is time to get started with my day.

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2010-11-30T15:44:00.000-08:00

Today we had some clouds with a High of 82F and a Low of 63F. The winds were light at 5 to 10mph out of the East/Southeast. The Relative Humidity is 88% and the dew point 66F. The barometer stands at 30.11 and is still holding. The sunrise came at 6:54am and it set this evening at 5:28pm. The weather is changing. We are due for a cold front to come through in the next day or two. Temperatures are predicted to drop on average 20 degrees, with winds blowing 20 to 25 mph! I am looking forward to the change.

I was up this morning at 5AM. I wrote Mary a Happy Birthday message on her Facebook:

"It was, it seems, a long time ago, when I stood in Georgetown Hospital, and watched as you came into the world. You were a beautiful sight to me. I was greatly gladdened to see you arrive safely. You can not imagine the worry we had, waiting for you to get here. Other than the soap bars in the toilet (which caused me to dig up the entire septic system) and pulling the hat tree over on top of you and breaking it into 20 different pieces (this was the Christmas of your third year), you were never ever any trouble to me. You have been a great kid Mary, and I am proud beyond belief of the woman you have become. I love you. I miss you. I still worry after you. I hope your day is a blessed one. I pray for you always, everyday, several times a day, for your safety and your happiness. I hope you can be happy, and I hope you have a Happy Birthday! I love you.......Daddy" .

Than I wrote her a Happy Birthday email, and I sent her a Happy Birthday text message. She is a great kid, and I hope she had a safe and Happy Birthday. I will call tonight, at around 9pm EST to see how her day went. I am hoping to catch her before she goes out for the evening.

Last night we found a Kennel for sale on Craig's List. We called this morning at 8AM. The Kennel was located in Leigh High Acres, and the owner was willing to get off the price a little (we had priced a 10X10X6 at $450.00). We ended getting this 12 X 12 X 6 kennel for a buck fifty. So, I unloaded the truck, and off we went. We spent some time chasing down a chicken supplier (which we finally found), picked up some hog feed, and stopped for lunch and some shopping at Walmart. I got some sets for the garden, picked up some lime and a bag of fertilizer.

At around 1PM we got to the kennel. It required some disassembling, and some materials will be necessary to make the proper repairs, but it is a good kennel, and a good deal. We stopped and picked up most of the repair materials at the Tru-Value in Labelle, and headed back to Palmdale. Once here, I off loaded the kennel, made repairs, and assembled three of the four sides. I can not go further until I have two additional corner brackets.

Once finished for the evening on the kennel, I went straight for the raised beds. I fertilized utilizing some pot ash, lime, and 4-6-8 fertilizer. I mixed this in really good, installed the drip irrigation system, and covered with "black mulch". Tomorrow I will plant the starts I purchased today, as well as the starts I started when we arrived on November 15th. So this year, we will have our garden, our chickens, and our hog.

Tomorrow I have to build the coop, bury the kennel 6" in the ground. put on a wire top, and build a divider down the center of the pen (half for the hog, half for the chickens). I also have to get the 'hav-a-heart' live trap out, and get it up to speed. I will be trapping coons soon.

On Thursday we get our chickens, and our hog. I am really looking forward to this! We will have our own little Palmdale farmett. It is good to have projects, other than work, that allows me a distraction. I like chickens, and the resultant fresh eggs. I have never had a hog before, so this will be interesting. It should be an efficient use of our scraps, plus we have a huge acorn (or as they say here, A-kerns) crop this year, which is a good source of hog food. The build out of the coop will be fun. The last coop I build was with John Calvin last year. We threw one together over a two week-end period in the summer. It was a chicken coop and goat house all in one. Our coop is not going to get nearly as involved. We will only have two or three hens and a rooster, so we will have just a small nesting box, accessible from the outside of the pen. We will see. It is a project in progress. I have a structure at Todd's that will work, but it is so nice we are probably going to turn it into a garden shed. I will need to build a floor for this structure, so I will probably pick up the materials for this tomorrow along with the materials I need for the coop and the divider.

2010-11-29T16:11:00.000-08:00

Today we had some clouds. Our High was 82F and our Low tonight will go down to 63F. The chance for rain was only 20%. Our relative humidity was 88% and our dew point was 66F. The barometer is 30.11 and steady. Our winds were light out of the East at 3mph. The Sunrise came at 6:54AM. The sun will set this evening at 5:28PM.

Blaine with one of his first Chain Pickerel. This (for a short time) garnered him the nick name "Pike".
Here is the Bass Blaine landed on his Cotton Contrill top lure, fishing a Zebco 202 on a graphite rod. I was very proud of the kid on this trip. He really had it down my now.
Not even rain, wet and cold could dampen his mood. This guy was always smiling!
"Pike" with another chain pickerel. For some reason, he loved catching these things.

I was up before dawn, writing a letter to someone near and dear to me. Someone I care very much for. Someone who is some danger. I write a lot of letters I never send. This one goes in the mail tomorrow, and it goes off with a prayer. I started work on The Blaine Reynolds Whorl Memorial Scholarship Fund 2011 Calendar (s). I was partially through one when Ethan & Kylie came by for a visit. We gave Ethan the predator game call gift we picked up at the Bass Pro Outdoor World this weekend. It is his birthday gift. He seemed to be pleased with it, but he is hard to read. I do not think he likes to get as much as he likes to give. Todd stopped in for a visit. I paid him up for the shell pad, and he delivered a truck load of good top soil for the raised beds. We filled two beds while we stood around talking.

Todd left, and Sherry headed off for town to do the weekly shopping. I went back at the calendars. I completed two by the time Sherry returned. We unloaded the car, and went for our evening walk. I wish I would have taken along my camera, as there was much to photograph. We walked the woods through the bottom to Todd & Nancy's. The path is clear, as Ethan uses it for his 4 wheeler path. We looked over Todd & Nancy's row garden and inspected the Hog pen. The piglets (sloats) are really cute, and it would be hard to put one to the knife, although I doubt Todd would have a problem with it. We visited for quite some time, said our good bye's and headed back across town. I am determined to build a pen, and get one of these little beauties. I discussed with Todd purchasing a fiberglass out building he has laying around his lay down area. He is not using this thing, and, if I can get it at a reasonable price, I can turn it into a garden shed/chicken coop. We shall see.

I received a parcel from an old friend today. I used to fish Lake Heritage in Gettysburg back in the 80's. Blaine was just a wee lad at the time. I would take him with and we would spend the weekend fishing together. He was but 4 or 5 at the time. I would always take photos of Blaine fishing, and of what he caught. Afterwards, I would write a 'Thank you' letter to Kevin. Well, Kevin kept these things all these long years. He saved them in a journal. Well today I got the photos and the letters I had sent. It was a very touching to read the letters, and relive these wonderful memories. I have included some of the photos here. I have often (of late) told the story of Blaine and me fishing along a point where we had been hitting good bass. A boat pulled up and we were talking about fish we where catching, where and how. The fellow in the other boat asked Blaine's age. "5" I replied. "Can he fish?" asked the other boat. I turned to Blaine and said "...Son, hit that piling..." at which time he took his Zebco 202 push botton with a Contrill Top Bait and cast at the pole. The lure hit the pole and fell to the water, at which point a HUGE bass hit the lure. Blaine landed the fish next to the boat where I easily netted it. Man, was I ever proud. The buttons nearly popped off my jacket, my chest had swelled so from pride at my boy's fishing abilities. Really great memories. I will scan and load the photos here. I owe Kevin a great debt of thanks for these small mementos. I have so few. I always thought I would have plenty of time to gather up a life times worth, but I was shorted by time. These mean all the more to me.

Here is the Letter, in full;

"September 26th, 1988

Dear Kevin,

Thanks for allowing Blaine, Bill and me the use of the cabin. Even though we were unable to connect with any lunkers, we all had a really great time on plenty of pounders. Small fish are better than no fish at all, and it really gave Blaine the chance to "get his feet wet" on fresh water. By the time Monday came around, he was casting like Roland Martin. Now it seems like a day doesn't go by that he won't ask when we're going back to Kevin's to fish. I think you can see by the photos just how happy he was to be there.

I can't tell you how much I appreciated the opportunity to take my son on that fishing trip. Raising kids is a lot like raising bird dogs, and although I haven't taken to putting cigars out in his nose,when he hard mouths or shooting him in the ass for hunting wide, I hope that the more time I spend with him, the better we'll know each other. Remember when Bud was a pup? He'd mess up a bit, but you always took him. Now you wouldn't think of going bird hunting without him. I guess it's the same with me & Blaine. I'll let him mess up a bit now, and later, well, maybe he'll take me. and who knows, maybe he'll take you along too.

Thanks again Kevin. It really was a great trip!

Your Friend,

Steve"

I followed with a hand written PS, "Me & "Pike" Whorl, we'll be back up next month. Pike's looking to get a "wall hanger"! Hope he connects. See you than, S."

These are the memories that keep me going. These are the memories I cherish more than any possession.

2010-11-28T05:03:00.000-08:00

Today in Naples we will have partly cloudy morning skies giving way to clear skies in the afternoon. There is a 30% chance for a thunderstorm developing in the late afternoon. The High today is 82F. and the Low tonight will be in the 60F. The Relative Humidity is 77% and the dew point is 54F. The Barometer is steady at 30.10. Our winds are North at 5mph. The sunrise came at 6:53am and will set this afternoon at 5:28pm.

I slept in well past sunrise this morning. Sherry was up long before me, making coffee and getting ready for the day.

No great news this morning. Sherry called North. The weather is brutally cold. Judy got off, but is having some car problems. We are all to pray, and keep our fingers crossed she and her brood escape to

Georgia safely. Jess and John survived their fishing trip on the river. John lost an expensive umbrella rig, and caught no fish. This is why it is referred to as fishing.

Other than this, there is no more news from the cold North Lands. I have not heard from Mary Carrice since she landed at Dullas on Wednesday. I am beginning to get concerned. I will try her again today, and hope for the best. I pray she is doing well.

I am getting told it is time to get back to work.

Well, not exactly a stellar day for Classic Glass Studios. This is probably the worst Naples we have ever had. The crowd was down 50% and sales were off 90+%. Jimmy and Connie had a good day, and a flat artist sold at $6500 original, so some folks did all right. We did not. On the high side, Mary text me to let me know she was OK and was at the Redskins game. That was great news! Additionally, Richard Sullivan stopped by the show to say hello, and to extend his condolences. Richard is the Director of Boulderbrook Productions, and is a good friend. It was good to see him, and pleasant to spend a few minutes visiting.

We closed the show at 5PM and were packed up and on the road by 7PM. Connie left the show early to go and fetch her Mother Marge at the airport, and bring her back to the show for pack up. It was wonderful to see her. She is such a nice lady.

We passed through a number of heavy thunderstorms on the way in. We were hoping for heavy rains in Palmdale, but not materialized. We arrived home at 8:30PM, and are preparing for bed. Easy week this week. No inventory to replace, so I suppose we will begin work on the commission we took this weekend. For now, it is time to clean up and get in the bed.

2010-11-27T06:40:00.000-08:00

Cloudy with a few showers today. We will have a High of 82F. Our Low tonight will be 56F. Winds are West/Northwest at 5 to 10 mph. We have a 30% chance of rain. The Relative Humidity is 94% and the dew point is 68F. The barometer is steady at 30.03. The sun came up this morning at 6:52AM and will set this evening at 5:29PM..

I was up long before Sherry's alarm went off at 5AM. Bad dreams. I spent every sleeping moment looking for Blaine. The nightmare began with Blaine as a small child, about 4 or 5. We were at a Fair, or a Carnival. I am not certain. Blaine was wearing those bibbed coveralls that made his eyes look so blue. He was looking up at me, tugging on my pant leg, trying to get my attention. I was talking to someone, so I was ignoring Blaine. When finally I looked down, Blaine was gone. I had that "I've lost my child" panic in my chest. It was unnerving. I looked and looked and looked all night long and I could not find him. I was running here and there, looking looking looking and no Blaine. The distress was unbearable. I awoke exhausted, thankful it was just a dream, until I remembered...

Sherry and I started at it by 5:30AM. Set up was complete by 9AM. We took a nice commission order for delivery in January early in the morning. The three panels are very close to 9 square feet. Sales, on the other hand, are off 90% from last year. Wow, and we needed this one bad.

The show closed to abysmal sales. Anne Marie did point out two Frigate Birds high above the Naples Skyline though. That was the highlight of the afternoon. The evening was enjoyable. The Solomons, the Langfords, and Darrell all came over for dinner. Jimmy and Sherry cooked. It was excellent. The conversation was lively, the food was terrific and the night was beautiful. All in all it was great fun. Now, if I can have a dreamless night, and if we can sell some glass tomorrow, things might begin to be bearable. We will see.

2010-11-26T04:21:00.000-08:00

Today in Palmdale we will have some scattered clouds with the possibility of an isolated thunderstorm developing in the afternoon. Our High today will hit 84F, and our Low will go down to 55F. The chance of rain is 30%. Our relative humidity is 68% and our dew point is 54F. The barometer is steady at 30.09. Our winds are out of the North at 5mph. The sun came up this morning at 6:39am. I was still in the bed when this occurred, However, I do expect to be awake when the sun sets this evening at 5:34PM.

Jess called this morning at 4:30AM. She had a "Door Buster" TV and wanted to know if we wanted it. By the time we woke up and said "Yes", it was gone. Oh well. Maybe next year. We went immediately back to sleep.

Jimmy and Connie left last evening at around 7PM. It was a very pleasant day. I always enjoy their company. Sherry did a great job on the food. We took a nice walk around town after dessert. A really good time. We get to see them again this weekend. We will have dinner on Friday and again on Saturday. Connie's Mom arrives at the airport on Sunday, so we will probably help Jimmy pack up, so he can get home at a decent hour.

I received many many fine telephone calls last evening. Friends and Family checking in with me to make sure I was doing alright during the Holiday Season. It was very kind and thoughtful of them, and I thank them all. The calls continued into Friday morning, when George Bragg called to check on me. He is making sure I do not 'slip' and fall backwards, into aged old bad behaviors. It was very touching, his concerns. I received a very nice parcel from Jess in todays mail. She put together a photo album of Blaine, utilizing photos she got from Brinsfield, and others she pulled off of the internet. It was very thoughtful and kind of her. It made me cry buckets. It breaks my heart, to see him so young, so vibrant, so alive, and to think I will never see him again. If a heart could be re-broken, mine was. Heavens, how I miss him.

Sherry will do some Black Friday shopping today, on our way over to Naples. We will stop in Ft.Myers to accomplish this. Apparently, there are good deals to be had on this day. I do not know how I can compete with this, trying as I will to sell art glass the day after Black Friday. Having said that , we generally do well at the Naples show. I know we must stop at the Bass Pro Shop and pick up a predator call for Ethan's Birthday. This is, to me, priority number one.

Well, I am told we must be off. I still have packing to do and some studio housekeeping chores that must be completed. I am beginning to feel momentary jolts of happiness, just like before, when I was generally happy all of the time. They are mild, but I feel them. Maybe I am going to be alright.

We arrived in Naples at 1PM after an uneventful trip across the state. We stopped and did our shopping. First Walmart, and than Bass Pro. Ethan will get a very nice varmint calling kit for his birthday, and I got some much needed ammo (20ga Buck for Blaine's 870 Remington, and 410 Buck/BB for the Tarus Judge). Sherry was eying a Smith & Wesson 38 special (hammerless). She liked it but did not get it. Santa was taking notes. We arrived well in advance of everyone else, got Forrest set up and ready for the weekend. Jimmy & Connie showed up directly after we did. I parked Jimmy's truck for him across the way behind his booth so he did not have to make the long walk over and back (his foot is still giving him trouble). While I was doing this, Sherry & Connie went to the artist check-in. At 4PM we will begin our set up. Tonight we will entertain the Langfords with dinner. Good for them! They get to eat Sherry's Cuban Pork two nights in a row!

2010-11-25T02:38:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day, and we will have abundant sunshine with a High temperature of 84F. Our Low tonight will reach only down to 61F. The relative humidity is 94% with a dew point of 54F. The barometer is steady at 30.07 and the chance of rain is 0%. The winds are light at 5 to 10 out of the Southeast. Our sunrise will come at 6:51AM and will set this evening at 5:29PM.

I am up early this morning, to begin to craft a letter long overdue, and to try and complete the last of the four "9" 's. I had best get started, as time is short, and the Langfords are due over this morning. I still have to wax and polish the work from yesterday, so it will be difficult to get all done.

I am certain I will be haunted today by the ghost of Thanksgiving Days past. I hope I can maintain my composure, and not become a teary eyed old fool. No one wants to be around that.

So, let's go and see what the day will bring.

2010-11-24T03:51:00.000-08:00

The weather today in Palmdale is the same as it ever was. Mostly Sunny with a High of 83F and a Low of 59F. The chance for rain is 0%. The relative humidity is 94% and the dew point is 54F. The barometer is steady at 30.11. Our sunrise this morning came at 6:50AM and will set this evening at 5:29PM.

Woke up this morning to a violent argument between an otter and a coon. They were going at it under the bedroom window. Their vocalization are distinct, the otter being deeper and more dog like, while the coon twitters. They were fighting over something. When we get these spells of drought, when everything drys up, the wildlife comes out of the cypress swamps and invades the town. No trash can is safe, no fruit, no vegetable. They come looking for food and water. Natures way. I wish it would rain, and rain a lot!

I am back to work on the "9" 's this morning. No great shakes there, just same old same old. Let's see what this old world is going to throw at us today.

So I finished up 8 of the "9"'s. I will try and get up early tomorrow and finish the remaining 4. Sherry had to run into town for a wash tub faucet, and some Cuban bread. She returned to the studio, and went straight into her studio to continue work on her inventory replacement projects. No great shakes. Just regular stuff.

We stopped at 5 and went for our walk, a long one back through the scrub to an area we had not yet walked this year. It was pleasant. The air was fresh and clean with a few clouds in the sky. We returned home and Sherry fixed a meal of sausage, sweet potatoes, and a great salad with fresh avocado. Sherry has been cooking all day, in preparation for the big Thanksgiving dinner with the Langfords tomorrow. She has been slaving away on the main course and all of the fixings, plus salads, desserts, and hors d' oeuvre's. She is an amazing woman, who is a great hostess, chef and entertainer. I love her so much, and would be lost without her.

We got some very bad news today. Sheila Farrell

passed away yesterday. Very sad. She was only 52 years old. She was a friend from long ago. She leaves a young daughter, and will be greatly missed.

2010-11-23T06:20:00.000-08:00

Sunshine and clouds mixed today, with a High 84F and a Low tonight of 58F. The winds are East.Northeast at 5 to 10mph, so we will have a nice breeze throughout the day. The Relative Humidity is 83% and the Dew point is 64F. The Barometer is steady at 30.18. Our sunrise is 6:49AM and will set tonight at 5:29PM. Our full moon will raise tonight at 7:20PM. I will try and see if I can't get a good photo of a Palmdale moon rise.

Well, all of the biker boys are down from the cold north lands. These old boys stay at the Sable Palm Campground down the way, and every morning they ride their bicycles en mass to the post office next to the studio for the campground mail. These fellows are a riot! Vern from Virginia Beach, Al from Pittsburgh, Len from the U.P. of Michigan etc. etc. What a great bunch of fellows. It is good to see them again, year after year. You never know who will or will not show up. Most are Vets, Korea and Vietnam. All retired, and all pretty dammed funny. It is great to see them again.

Sherry is off to the big city today, to get her provisions for Thanksgiving Dinner. She has gone out to Joel Road and gathered up fresh citrus. Now she is shopping at the Winn Dixie. I am working on glass when I can get away from company. Harley stopped by with fresh bell peppers. He is getting windows, a roof and a central air system put in his house. This is a Department of Energy grant given to folks with older, energy inefficient homes. Harley is Happy with the Federal Government, for now. Tomorrow, who knows.

I am cutting and grinding "9"'s for inventory. I will complete a dozen by Friday, I hope. Sherry gathered up her supplies for Thanksgiving Dinner. She will fix her traditional Cuban pork, black beans and yellow rice, and all of the fixin's. It is one of my favorite dinners of the year! Today, as a special treat, she returned home with tacos al pastor y tacos al carne from El San Joaquin Taqueria. These are the BEST taco's ever, very authentic. She surprised me with fresh Flan for dessert. Wow! What a great treat for me. What a great wife I have in her.

Once we finished all of our glass work, we decided to take a walk at the Fisheating Creek Campground. The Campground is run by the same folks who own the Gatorama. They just did get the lease last year, and they have done a great job cleaning the place up, and improving the general condition of the camp. We had a very pleasant walk along the Depot Pond, and later, along the creek. We walked a stretch of creek Blaine & I fished last time he was down. I pointed out to Sherry where we fished, and what we caught. I could almost see him fishing, long lanky kid folded into the bow of a ganoe. Two poles in the water, one with a worm rig, one with a top plug. He hit a nice Bass just off of a cypress along the point, reeled it in and had that big goofy grin on his beautiful face, eyes lit up bright, just like when he was a little boy. It was here we spotted a Limpkin, my 194th bird on my life list (4/4/07). Three days later, on the 7th we spotted bird number 195, an Everglades Kite. We spied this fellow on Lake Okeechobee during a run out of the rim canal. Two new birds in just three days, and both of them spotted with my boy Blaine. That was great fun. My how I miss him.

Last Friday I was in the Port Charlotte Walmart where he and I picked up his licence, rods and reels, and lures for the same trip. I could see him standing there, checking out the action on the rod he selected, looking over the reels. Talking about the different lures. At the time, I took all of these things for granted. I knew this was just another fishing trip. One of many that had gone before, and one of many more to come. Although I am sad I will not get the chance to fish with him again, I am so happy to have had the chance to fish with him that last time. This is a memory that has to last me a lifetime. This is a memory I am thankful for.

2010-11-22T04:15:00.000-08:00

It is beginning to feel like Southern California. Same weather every day.

Today in Palmdale we will have clear skies, with a High in the mid to lower 80's F. Our Low tonight will fall into the mid to lower 50'sF. Our humidity is 100% and the Dew Point is 59F. The Barometer is 30.24 and steady. Our winds are from the Northeast at 5 mph. The sunrise came this morning at 6:48AM and will set this evening at 5:29pm. Our chance of rain is 0%.

Up at 5:30AM this morning, to close out the CraftArt show, and Unique Boutique. I did not have a chance to close out the UB, what with the travel, unpacking, and all. So this thing had to be done. The CraftArt was a huge disappointed, but UB cheered me up. I am hoping the CraftArt is not a sign of things to come, here in Florida. I think the crowd was a local crowd, as most of the snow birds do not make the migration until after Thanksgiving. Some not until after Christmas. The local economy is so depressed, it is difficult to squeeze a dollar out of them. There were some few people with money walking around, but no one was interested in what we had to offer. Of the mid level sellers, Sherry and I were a head of the pack, but this is not a show I would do again.

Todd did a great job with the shell pad. The Travel Trailer fits perfectly. Another improvement made. We have been thinking of this since last year, when we parked the KIA there. Now it is done. On to the next project, which is going to be the raised beds, and getting them filled with top soil, and bagged potting soil. Todd is scheduled to dump a load of dirt this evening. This will give me plenty to keep busy for the next couple of weeks. Now I will be able to start my gardens! And the next project? I am still flirting with chickens. I really love fresh eggs. Three layers, and a cock and we will have all of the eggs we need. The start-up costs are cost prohibitive, but I would really enjoy having chickens again. We shall see.

Today, I might get my hands on some glass, and then again, maybe not. I intend fertilizing the citrus trees, and I want to begin cleaning out the creek. Additionally, I have some other yard chores, as the yard is not yet in shape. We are supposed to get some company today, and we have the Jimmy L's coming for Turkey Day on Thursday. I really need to build some glass for the show in Naples this weekend, but I am just not motivated. I am afraid to do something mindless and mundane, and start again to relive regrets and sad memories of things that could have been. I will never get anything done, if I can't stop dwelling upon these things I can not change. It is just that, I miss him more now, then ever.

Citrus fertilized and watered, as is the star fruit, pomegranate, mango, and the bananas. I had transplanted three bananas last Friday, and they needed watering. I also transplanted Spider Lilly's from Maryland last week, and they also need watering. Once finished with these chores, I stopped for two hours and visited with Jeff G. and his daughter and three grandchildren. Jeff and crew came over from Lehigh Acres where they have property. They left at noon, and I went straight back to work on Sherry's welfare garage. That done, we took a walk around town. We hiked out to the creek via the shell road and got some good shots of two different gators, and a white Ibis. The cypress swamp is beautiful this time of year. It will be more beautiful once the rains come, and the water comes up.

On the way back in we visited with Gator and Evelyn. Milt came by to say hello. We chewed the fat for a minute or two, and then Sherry and I were off to the house to have dinner and get ready for bed.

I do not know what tomorrow will bring. It is time to get back to work on glass. I laid out my tables this afternoon, and Sherry is already grinding. It is time to get at it. Life must go on. I can not continue to "piddle" around, making work, and staying busy for the sake of staying busy. I need to focus, and seriously get back to my art. I need to paint, and I need to build inventory. I have to stop mopping, and get back at it.

2010-11-21T03:08:00.000-08:00

Today we will be partly cloudy with a High temperature of 83F. Winds will be out of the East/Northeast at 10 to 15mph blowing in off of the east coast, so maybe some rain will come with it. Our Low tonight will be in the high 50's F. The relative humidity is 100% with a dew point of 63F. The barometer is steady at 30.23 inches and steady. Our sunrise will come this morning at 6:46AM and will set tonight at 5:28PM. Our chance for rain today is 20%.

Today is to be the day for the Florida Guild of Craftsman, CraftArt. We have our fingers crossed. I am going to close out yesterday, gather up Blue, and probably walk down to the yacht basin for the sunrise. We shall see.

A nice 20 block round trip down to the yacht basin. The roads were blocked for the marathon race this morning. Another part of the festivities. I went alone this morning, leaving The Blue Dog with Sherry in the trailer. I got just a few shots, as there was a big cloud bank hanging over the east coast, preventing a really good sunrise. Back at the trailer we had some coffee, and than over to the show.

Slow sales all day, but I enjoyed visiting with Larry E and Jimmy L for the better part of the day. Sales were next to nothing. We started pack up at 5 and were done within an hour and a half. We stopped for dinner at fast food and were home, showered and ready for bed by 10PM.

Todd got the shell pad in for the RV while we were gone. He did a really good job. Tomorrow I fertilize the citrus, and get to work on replacement inventory. Our neighbor from Abell Maryland is coming by to visit tomorrow. Jeff G. purchased some property over in Leigh High Acres. It will be nice to see someone from home. This Thursday, Jimmy & Connie are coming over for Thanksgiving Dinner. I will be a busy week for all of us.

2010-11-20T02:53:00.000-08:00

Today in Tampa we will have a mix of sun and clouds with a High of 81F and a Low of 60F. The winds are light at 6mph our of the Northeast, and will clock around to the East and blow at 5 to 10mph before the day is done. Our relative humidity is 88% and our dew point is 57F. We have a 10% chance for rain. The barometer is holding steady at 30.21 inches. The sunrise will come this morning at 6:52AM and will set tonight at 5:34PM.

I was driven from the bed again this morning early by The Dream. He is getting closer. Soon perhaps, he will talk.

This morning I will complete our set up. I am toying with the Idea of going down to Tampa Bay for some early morning sunrise pictures. Maybe The Blue Dog and I will do this. It can't be that far. I will mapquest this, and see just how far it is.

About ten blocks down to the yacht basin, ten blocks back. Not too very bad. I had to run the gauntlet of homeless sleeping on the streets, all with their feet toward the road, heads on the sidewalk. It makes me sad to see all of these people with no place to go, no bed or bathroom, no kitchen or living room. It makes me thankful for what I have, but sad all the same for those who do not.

The park was beautiful at sunrise, with the sun coming up over Tampa Bay. Blue Dog and I hurried back to Sherry, made a pot of coffee, and headed off to the show.

The show was not that great, but they say it is a Sunday show. We had a good reception dinner, and awards ceremony, and returned to our RV for ice cream and some visit time from Jimmy & Connie and Larry E. It was fun.

When the evening ended, I opened up my email to find a video from my Nephew. It was a short, 25 second clip of Blaine doing the "I'm a little tea pot" drinking game. It made me very sad to see him. It made me miss him terrible.

I begin my day thinking of him. I end my day thinking of him. I spend my nights dreaming of him. What is ever to become of this? Will this pain ever stop? Probably not. It might become manageable, but I doubt that it will ever stop.

2010-11-19T04:47:00.000-08:00

We are mostly sunny today, with a High of 81F. Our Low tonight will only reach 55F. The Relative Humidity is at 100% and the Dew Point is 50F. The Barometer is at 30.17 and steady. Our wind is calm at 0mph. The Sun came up this morning in Palmdale at 6:46AM and will set tonight at 5:30PM. Our chance for rain is 0%

This morning I will work on Sherry's West Virginia Welfare Garage, which is one of those tarp covered tubular steel frames you see used as covers. I got it at the Legion Hall last fall and used it last winter. It keeps all of the sap from the Live Oaks off of the car, so it is not that bad. Actually, I am thinking about getting another one and covering it with a very durable clear plastic, for placement over my Vegetable Raised Beds. It would make a perfect temporary green house, for those short periods of freeze/frost we seem to get now every year. We are very dry here. We did not get a good soaking this year, as we had no Hurricanes or Tropical Storms. We need these storms to fill the Big Lake. The Creek is down, but it is flowing, as they are getting some rain up in Highlands county, but for the most part, we are getting nothing down here. The trees suffer.

We have to hook-up and head over to St.Petersburg this morning. We will leave at 11AM as we have a few stops to make. The Florida Craftsmen's Guild 'CraftArt' is reported to be a good show.

So, we departed Pamdae at 10:30AM and headed across State Road 74 to Punta Gorda. On the way we saw an American Britten crossing the road. This is a rather large upland bird, that frequents wet prairie habitat. I have never seen one before, so I think this is bird number 206. This sighting alone made the trip worthwhile.

We stopped and collected victuals on the way in at the Port Charlotte Walmart. This was very sad for me, as I ended up in the sporting goods department. This is where we go Blaine outfitted for our fishing trip on the Fisheating Creek. I cried, Sherry propped me up, dried my tears, and helped me work through the separation anxiety. We left, crossed over the Sky Bridge, and arrived in St.Petersburg at 1:30PM. We found a good camping spot on the main street, set up and got ready for unloading and setting our display. By 6PM we were finished and back at the camper, where Sherry fixed a wonderful meal of field beans and rice with chicken, sausage and sides. Jimmy & Connie brought along spaghetti. Larry the Potter and T-P Ken joined in for the festivities. It was a wonderful evening, and a great way to begin the winter show season, catching with everyone, discussing schedules and shows, and generally just having a good time.

Now it is off to the bed. Big Day Tomorrow.

2010-11-18T03:56:00.000-08:00

We have a fog advisory in effect this morning. This will burn off by 8am and we will end up this mostly cloudy skies with an isolated thunderstorm developing in the afternoon. Our High today will reach 83F and our Low tonight will dip into the low 50'sF Our chance of rain is 30%. The relative humidity is 100% and the dew point is 64F. The Barometer is at 30.09 inches and continues to be steady. The winds are calm at 0mph. Our sunrise will come at 6:45AM and will set this evening at 5:31PM.

This morning I must finish watering the fruit trees, and bait the fire ants. Then I will be free to get back to off loading the trailer of glass and the truck of odds and ends. Tomorrow we are off to the Florida Craftsmen Guild for a show in St.Petersburg, so this Thursday is not unlike other Thursdays', in that we must 'tag&bag'.

Well, I must get on it. It will not get done sitting here. Let's see what Florida in generally, and Life specifically, will throw at me today.

We got a ton of stuff done today. The glass is all stowed away, and the studios are all up and running. I built a new lay out / cutting table for Sherry. I moved my paint operations into the kiln shed to make room. Sherry got a lot of yard work. I got the ant bait out, the citrus watered and pruned, and my first application of volk oil spray.

Ethan and Gavin came by today on the 4 wheeler. Gavin is very cute, and wanted to know where his bananas were. I will make a special trip to Clewiston next week to get Gavin some bananas. Beverly came by at dusk. She has written two new songs, and preformed them for Sherry a cappella. She claimed Harley's cousin's stole the sheet music, and are on their way to Nashville to sell the rights. Finally, we got the satellite hooked up today, so we have good TV.

Todd came by, and Bill stopped in. Todd is going to get the pad in for the RV. Additionally, I need to get the raised beds filled, so he is bringing in a load of top soil. I will fill the boxes 4" from the top, and finish them with compro potting soil. They will be ready for planting soon. I started building them in last March, and it has been a long wait. All good things come to those who wait. My next project is the shoat pen. This is a thing I really want to do. Following that, I am going to start on a chicken coup. I may not get that done this year, but by next year I will have vegetable beds, hog pen, and chickens. This is the plan anyway. All in all, I knew it would take a week to get here, and get every thing unpacked and set up ready for work, so we are right on schedule. Tomorrow we are off to St.Pete for the show.

2010-11-17T18:35:00.000-08:00

We got plenty done today. And plenty of company throughout the day. It seemed at times as if the entire Town of Palmdale showed up to welcome us home, and to convey their condolences. Beverly showed up at 6AM to begin the reception line, followed closely by Ethan and sister Kiley. Todd showed a bit later, followed closely by Junior and a little while later Jim Sharky. It was hard to get done what needed to get done, but it was great to see everyone. Somehow we managed to finish most of the unloading and set up, in spite of my jabber jawing. We began the task at hand by getting all of the yard furnishings in place, the swing in the Live Oak, the rope chairs, the hammocks, the deck furniture, and all of the accouterments. The yard is shaping up. We went in town at noon to get the truck back from the garage. While in town, Sherry picked up potting soil, and planting pots. I had seeds from last year, and got my plantings started. Pole beans, bush beans, Florida spotted beans, lima beans, sweet corn, and sweet peas as well as a tomato plant and potato starts. I love getting my hands dirty, preparing starts. Other good news is the offer from Ethan of a shoat (or baby pig). The shoat was trapped along with its' litter mates last month. This will entail building a pen and shelter and trough. Sherry also agreed to a coup for chickens. It looks as if we may be in the small farm business. I am going to think this through, as it is a lot of work and money. However, once the infrastructure is in place, year after year we would be able to raise a little of our own food, and recycle some of the normal household waste we generate by feeding it to the hog and chickens. I would really like to do this, but we must see where this takes us.

We walked down to the old abandoned homestead in the scrub this afternoon, and than down to the shell road the whole way to the creek. The sweet oranges at the homestead are not yet ready, but there is a full crop. My guess is close to 10 bushels. The grapefruit on the shell road are making. It should be good fruit this season. Between the vegetables, the citrus, and (hopefully) the chickens and the hog, we should be able to go pretty far towards feeding ourselves this year. We returned home and continued to move the last of the glass. We should finish tomorrow. Sherry fixed a wonderful dinner; tossed salad, baked sweet potato, bratwurst, and sour kraut. Now it is time to turn in, and prepare for tomorrow. We have to start to get ready for our show, and yard work. I have to bait the fire ants, and tend to the fruit trees.

I got these shots of a Red Shouldered Hawk, and a Barred Owl. The birds out in the scrub and in the old growth cypress swamps are pretty tamed, as they have little contact with humans. The birds cooperated, and waited until I got some good shots.

2010-11-17T02:57:00.000-08:00

Today in Palmdale we will have a mix of Sun & Clouds with a slight chance for a stray thunderstorm. Least wise, we can hope for a stray thunderstorm, as we are once again in a deep drought. Our High will reach 85F while our Low will go down into the mid 50'sF Nice mild weather, although a little warm for a November day. Our relative humidity is 100% and our dew point is at 61F, so we could get a little water on our way up to 80F. The barometer stands at 30.01 and is for the most part steady. Our sunrise will come at 6:45 AM and our sunset will occur at 5:31PM.

Above are the last photos of our Newtowne Neck sunrise. We will see this again in December, if all goes as planned. I shot a photo of this string of geese coming in off of the Island. They flew straight overhead as they made their way up St.Clements bay. We will all head south together, I guess.

Sherry's pineapple is developing nicely. I hope we are able to get at it before the coons do. The papaya's also are making. Again, I need only to keep the varmints off of them to have good table fruit this winter. The younger citrus are not making much, but the established Valencia's and the wild sweet oranges are making a good crop of it. The grandkids will have plenty to pick and juice once they get down at Easter, if the fruit holds long enough. We have some "secrete" orange trees at an abandon homestead in the scrub that we will check on our walk this week. Naval's that are sweet and fat for getting little or no attention over the last decade. Amazing that, I moodle-coodle my citrus, and am always loosing one to this thing or that, while an established tree, out in the scurb, with no human to care for it thrives. Mother Nature is a wondrous woman.

It is time to get it, as the light is beginning to show. I am so looking forward to the start of my day.

2010-11-16T17:20:00.000-08:00

Today in Palmdale we had mostly sunny skies with a high of 81F. Our Low tonight will reach down into the mid 50'sF. Our relative humidity was 68% and the dew point stands at 54F. The Barometer stands at 30.09 and is steady,. The winds were out of the North at 5 mph. The Chance of Rain is 0%. The sunrise came at 6:39am and set this evening at 5:34P.

Last night we stopped in South Carolina at Lake Santee Cooper. We were kept up most of the night by the Freezer Semi's. We got up at 3:15 and were packed and ready to roll at 3:45. The trip was uneventful. I started getting 'idiot light' warnings from my alternator in Georgia. By Orlando the light had come on, and stayed on. We reached Sebring and the truck would not start. I had to call Sherry, and ask her to turn around and come back and jump me to start. By Lake Placid, the battery was used up. Luckily, I was able to switch out the truck battery for the RV battery. This was sufficient battery to get me to Palmdale, where we dropped the trailer, and deliver the truck to LaBelle to get the alternator replaced. I should be able to pick up the truck on Thursday, if all goes according to plan. We did some quick shopping, and then back to Palmdale to continue our work.

We returned home and began the busy business of unpacking. The yard looked great. We have plenty of fresh oranges (Valencia's, Satsuma's & Pineapple orange) and the Grapefruit Tree is full. I have a nice crop of sweet native oranges in the back, and papaya's a plenty. I need to prune and spray the citrus though, as they are neglected over the past six months and are in desperate need. Tomorrow, I think.

I got word from Jake today. He seems pleased with his meeting. Blaine's hand is fast at work in this thing. Least wise, this is what I think.

Well, I am tired, and it is time to turn in. I will take my first Florida shower out of doors. I love to shower under the stars. It is so dark here with little or no light pollution, the stars just jump out of the air. It is mild, and you can here the armadillo's scratching their living out of the dirt. The night insects and frogs sing their chorus. The Florida night seems so much more alive than in Maryland.

I look forward to tomorrow with great anticipation. There is much work to do, and I am looking forward to doing it. It is nice to go to bed tired, to think of the next day and all there is to do. It is nice to sleep, and not have to think.

2010-11-16T14:26:00.000-08:00

Where are the boot straps
To lift myself up?
Where is the well
Where I once filled my cup?
Where does this sorrow
All turn into joy?
And where oh where is my sleepy eyed boy?

2010-11-15T03:43:00.000-08:00

Today in Abell Maryland we get a mix of sun and clouds and a High Temperature of 61F. Our Low tonight will be 41F, but, with luck I will not see it. For today we head south to the land of the fire ant, citrus trees, alligators and deadly reptiles. But before I go, I must finish this weather, for it is the last time I shall do so. It is a most wonderful thing, when a Man realizes he is doing a thing for the last time. It adds import to the task. So, as I was saying, we will have mild temperatures for this time of year. The winds will be out of the South at 5 to 10 mph. Our dew point is 41F and our relative humidity is 71% . The Barometer stands at 30.12 inches and is falling. Our Sunrise will come at 6:41AM and will set tonight at 4:57PM. Our chance for rain is 20%. The next sunrise I see here will be the winter solstice on the 21st. of December, after which the sun will begin it's long march to the North, and bring us warm weather again.

But now for the important stuff. Palmdale's weather forecast: Sunny today in Palmdale, with a High temperature of 81F, with a Low tonight of 56F. The relative humidity is 100% with a dew point at 54F. The Barometer stands at 30.00 and is steady. The winds are calm at 0 mph. The sunrise came in over the town at 6:43AM and will set this evening at 5:32PM. The chance for rain is 0%, and that Ladies and Gentlemen is the long and the short of it. Weather in two parts of the country, one I will be leaving, one I will be going home to.

So I must now complete my packing and closing the house up. Just a quick note: I had a wonderful dinner last evening with my daughter Mary Carrice. It was great seeing her, and I hope I may be blessed to continued to do so. I love her so much, and have missed her greatly over these last years. My fingers are crossed.

We left Sala's and headed over to Jess & John's to say our "good-by's". Killian had a tear in his eye. I will miss them all, and can not wait to see them again in December.

HERE WE GO............

We were packed and ready to go at 11:30AM. We stopped for an air check on my tires at Jerry Hills, and headed off. We stopped 475 miles later at 8PM at the Lake Santee Cooper Welcome Center, exit 98 in South Carolina. Tomorrow, we should be in Palmdale by Noon, I hope. The weather has been great the whole way down. I have hooked up the generator, and have the computer plugged in to the electric. I am listening to the Redskins Monday night football game. I like to think one of the cheering crowd is my Mary Carrice.

2010-11-14T04:16:00.000-08:00

I have missed many posts over the last two days. We have been very busy, preparing for our last show of the season, seeing friends, and fulfilling obligations regarding Son Blaine, and his last good-by's. Odd as this sounds, I can feel his hand in so many things that are happening to me. I know some will say, this is all part of the grieving process. But I say this, process or not, I feel his hand is so many things. There is so much he needed done, and he has been actively working to see this through. His work through me has renewed and strengthened my faith. I thank The Lord always, for the short time I had with this exceptional young man.

I have been everywhere it seems, over these past days. Our visit to Blaines' work was a high light of my week. The people at Smartronix were just the warmest, nicest imaginable. It was a tremendous joy to see my son worked in a nurturing environment, with caring mentors to direct and show him the way. It was obvious from the number of senior professionals who took time from their busy day to talk to me about my boy, that he was well liked and appreciated in his work there. I was touched beyond belief, and have much to be thankful for in regards to Smartronix. They treat their employees like family.

Our set up for The Unique Boutique was a breeze on Friday night. Many took time from their busy set-up to stop and give their condolences. They are a thoughtful group of colleagues. Someone initiated a sympathy card, signed by all, and delivered by the President, Sandra. It was thoughtful and heartfelt and helped greatly to ease my pain. The Unique Boutique is a nice group, and a good guild to be a part of.

Friday night we were at Jess & John's for Steak dinner. Thursday night was ribs & stuffed ham. If they continue to feed us like this, they will have to claim us on their income tax as dependents. Saturday after the show, Sherry and I took pizza and dessert over. Big Deal, pizza compared to steak! Some return.

Jess & John are the best! Jess is so very giving. She made two photo scrap books for me (one for me and one for MC), and burned a dozen movie/slide show CD's of Blainers for distribution to family and friends. She is an amazingly giving person, really selfless in her motives. I would be afraid to tell her if I had a sore throat, as I am certain a tractor-trailer with "Smith Brother's Lozenge's" will show up in my door yard. You need only say the word, and she is there with whatever you ask. An amazing woman whom we love and cherish, appreciate and are thankful for. She does too much! And John is cut from the same cloth. He spent Veterans Day at his father's side (along with Jess), helping where he could. He is one of those rare individuals whom, when you say "would give you the shirt off of his back", well, John really would. We are so very fortunate and blessed to have him in our lives and, more importantly, in the lives of our Grandchildren! If I could have picked, I could not have picked better than John Calvin.

Saturday's UB was a stunning success. We had strong sales, and were able to capture some commission work. I am certain Sunday will be slow, as it always is. But I will take it, and be thankful for the successful Saturday. Heaven knows we needed it, what with being off for three weeks, and the unanticipated expenses of the past two weeks. Luckily, we had heavied-up on inventory in preparation for the move south, so we are ready for our next show in Tampa.

I am ashamed to say I missed my sister Poppy's birthday. She is a wonderful sister who was always there for me. As a kid growing up I could always depend upon her to cover my butt. I must make a note to send along a Birthday Greetings.

If all goes according to plan, I will meet Mary this evening, and say my sad good-by's. She has been at her mother's side throughout this trying time, and is to be admired for it. It is something I would not have wanted to do, as the pain would be too great to bear. She has stood by her side, absorbed her pain, held her up, and tried to protect her from this awful burden. In doing so, no one has reciprocated. Her pain must be deep beyond belief. It is an amazingly selfless thing she has done for Blaine's Mother. I am very proud of her, while at the same time, I want to remove her from this horrible nightmare. Sadly, I am inept, impotent to do so. I will have to trust The Lord will work his will, and bring some relief to my little girl. This is the focus of my prayers.

Our plan is to escape from Maryland on the morrow. We should have all of the last little bit done. I will flip my weather recordings from Abell to Palmdale. I will miss the river, and my birds. I worry after them, wondering who will care for them, who will feed them, who will make certain they go to perch with stomachs full. The Morning Dove will leave, and fly to a warmer shore. The Boreal birds will suffer through. Some will make the cut, others not. I will worry for them. I have left sufficient seed to fill the feeder when I return at Christmas. Between now and then my fine feathered friends will have to fend for themselves. Strange how they give me such joy.

Well, it is time to close. I have much to do today. Fingers crossed I get to hold my little girl for just a while.

Today in Abell we will have a mix of sun and clouds. Our High will reach 64F with winds light and variable. We have 100% relative humidity and a dew point at 34F. The Barometer is steady at 30.11 and our chance for rain is 10%. Our sunrise came this morning at 6:46 and will leave us this evening at 4:54.

And in Palmdale, it will be mostly sunny today with a High near 80F and a Low of 51F. The winds are 5 to 10mph out of the North/Northeast. The Relative Humidity is 94% and the dew point is 57F with a barometric reading of 30.08 and steady. The Palmdale sunrise came at 6:52 and will set tonight at 5:32. This sunset is 34 minutes later than Abell. This is good news, as I will have a half hour more to loaf each day!

2010-11-11T05:16:00.000-08:00

We will have abundant sunshine today, with a High of 60F. and a Low tonight right at freezing, although it will reach that right here on the River, it will get very cold. Our relative humidity is 57% and our dew point is 32F. The barometer continues to hold steady at 30.35 inches. Our chance for rain is 0%. The winds are light, out of the North/Northeast at 5 to 10mph. Our sunrise came this morning at 6:42AM and will set this afternoon at 4:57PM.

Yesterday evening was a wonderful gathering with Blaine's good friend Jake, his wife Beth and this little 2 year old daughter Ali-bear. She is such a pretty girl! Jake gave me many stories of a Blaine I did not know. Jake deeply respected Blaine as a young man of conviction, with good moral fiber and a great value system. I was very proud. Jake was kind enough to return a shotgun Blaine had left with him. It is the old 20ga. Remington 870 pump action Blaine's Mother and I had given him as a young boy. I was with him when he shot an 89 (out of 100) at sporting clays with the gun. We were with Kevin S. in Beltsville. Kevin was very impressed with Blaine's shooting ability. He really could do anything he wanted. I gave Jake two bags of decoys I was holding for Blaine. Hopefully Jake can make good use of them, as I can not bring myself to shot anything anymore. I got too old.

I have been packing the Work & Play. My studio is just about finished, just some painting supplies, a light box and my cutting systems. Sherry's studio is all packed and is ready to be loaded into the trailer. We have to pick up the truck today, get lumber to pack some panels and finishing the trailer packing today. I have inventory to sign, and load in the truck so we are ready to sell this weekend.

Tonight we deliver 'Blaine's Panel" and go see his friend Lindsey for a short visit.

Tomorrow I ship the Baroque panel, go to Blaine's place of business for a visit, and then set up for our last show of the season (in the Northeast).

Sell sell sell on Saturday and Sunday, and Monday by noon, it is off to Palmdale. I will miss Maryland and the river. I will miss being close to Blaine's spirit. I will not, however, miss the cold.

I am hoping Mary C. will have some time for a last visit before she heads back to her work and home in California. I know she is anxious to return to her kids, and is torn between her life as a teacher, and her devotion to her mother. We are all of us worried for her Mother. Mary must carry on with her life. I am sorry for her and wish I could do something to make the pain go away. But I know this is impossible. There is so much sadness in all of this.

2010-11-10T05:14:00.000-08:00

Time to start soldering up 'Blaine's Panel'. All of the cutting, fitting, grinding & foiling is complete. It is time to put this one to bed.

Today we will have a mostly sunny day. The afternoon will give way to some clouds. Our relative humidity is at 87% and the dew point is at 41F. The barometer stands at 30.10 and is steady for the moment. Our chance for rain is at 10%. The High today will reach 61F, and our Low will go down to 41F. The sun rose this morning under clear skies at 6:41AM and will set this evening at 4:57PM. The wind will be light on the river today, clocking out of the North/Northwest at 5 to 10mph.

I was driven from bed last night at 11:23PM. I will not go into details regarding the 'why'. Suffice to say I was awakened from a deep sleep and driven with great anxiety from the bed. I rumbled around for my phone, and finally in robe and slippers located the thing in my studio. I text Mary C. to inquire if everything was alright. She considerately text back, assuring me that all was well. I returned to the bed, relived. Silly, really. Looking always for a 'sign', attaching a 'meaning' to all things that are just the trappings of our daily life. Two weeks ago I would have shrugged this off and gone about my way. Now I am constantly looking for a thing, something that connects me. Silly, that.

The Netters are pulling the purse seine this morning. The Osprey are gone. The American Bald Eagle are gone. The Netters are going. The river is being put to sleep for the winter. It is time I go south also. It is time for me to finish the work I have here, and move on.

2010-11-09T01:54:00.000-08:00

This is hard. I have such a difficult time focusing. So much to do, and time is getting short.

Sunny to partly cloudy today with a High around 60F. Winds will be North/Northwest at 10 to 20 mph. The relative humidity is 61% and the dew point is at 32F. The barometer remains steady at 29.90. Our Low tonight will reach into the low 40'sF. I am waiting for the sun to come up at 6:40AM . It will set this evening 4:58PM.

I saw an Osprey on Saturday, November 6. This is the very latest I have ever seen an Osprey. It must have been a first year bird, with a late start south. The Eagles too have gone their way, for I have yet to see one for a week or more. I thought the 7 that stayed in the neighborhood would remain throughout the winter, but apparently not. They too are off to fish a warmer shore.

I was driven from the bed at 4AM (really, 3AM, but who's paying attention). Vivid dreams, and restless thoughts. Better to make my way to the studio and do something productive.

Mark M. sent along these shots of our panel, fully installed as a transom. The work is very nice, and makes and impressive presentation! I am very happy with it, and can't wait to show Sherry.

Speaking of which; Sherry has been a rock throughout this trying time. She has propped me up and held me while I was certain I would fall. She was a shoulder to cry on, an ear to talk to, a companion, a lover, and a friend.

She looked after me, doted over me, dried my eyes, and whispered loving reassurances in my ear. She made decisions I disagreed with, that in the end were the right decisions to make. She has been generous, and understanding. She is my best friend in the entire world, and I would not change that for anything, I love her all the more for the love and devotion she has offered up to me during this painful journey.

I stopped work on Blaine's Transom (really, Judy F's transom, but I refer to it as Blaine's, as I work on it, and through it during this trying time) and started loading glass and supplies. We took the truck to Jerry's for an oil change and service before we head south. Sherry has been, and is now packing up her studio. I have only to finish this one panel, and then I am done with glass for a week or more.

I spoke with Mary C. today, which was very nice. I hope she is OK, but she is a difficult one to read. I also called her mother, which was also nice. I wish her well and hope that she will be fine. I know she is suffering beyond belief. It is disturbing to see her in such deep, deep pain. I hope she is able, through the help of her friends and family, to pull out of this. I hope. Blaine would want that. He would not want to see her in this pain. There is nothing to be said. It is so sad.

2010-11-08T03:25:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Carrice Ann! Now you have a Brother to celebrate with in the presents of The Lord. Our two Angles in Heaven.

It looks as if we are in for a day of abundant sunshine. They say the High today will reach 60F. and the Low tonight will dip into the lower 40's. Currently, in is 32F outside, although it does not feel it, being this close to the river. Our relative humidity is at 87% and our dew point is 28F. The barometer stands at 29.99 and is steady. Our winds are out of the West at 5 to 10mph. Our sunrise will come in 10 minutes, at 6:39AM, and will set this evening at 4:59. I do not like daylight savings time. I am the big fan of standard time.

Much has happened in these past two days, most of it too painful to recount. Still, there is much to do and I must get at it.

I can not begin to thank all of the people who have given so much of their love for me, and My Boy. I can not express my gratitude to those who propped me up and held me close during this, the most trying time in my life. I can not now, or ever will be able to thank everyone who came to me and comforted my breaking heart. Thank you, one and all.

Life goes on. Within you, and without you.

2010-11-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

I awoke to an appropriately gloomy day. The Sun came late, and burned off the clouds to open up a sky as blue as Blaine's eyes. It will turn off to be a beautiful fall day, after all. I have spent most of the morning, from 5AM until now, sending off "thank you's" to Blaines' Facebook Friends. All of the many many people who posted condolences on Blaine's wall. Most of whom I have never met. They were all kind. It seems as if he had not an enemy in the world. I know now why he was not a warrior, a fighter. It seems instead, he might have been too loving a person, to exhibit the anger necessary to harm or even hurt anyone.

I felt moved, almost driven to respond to all of these postings. I know that he had left too soon to be able to tell all of those who loved him "Good-By". I felt as if, while responding to the many kind words, he were standing thee behind me, editing and critiquing my responses. Saying "yes Dad. This one is special. Tell them I'm sorry I was unable to say "Good-By". Tell them I cared...". and "... tell him he was a great friend to me. Thank him for all of the good memories...", "oh yeah Dad, and tell her I thought she was a sweetheart, and I will miss her and her kids...". I know it sounds trite, but I could feel him. It drove me to do this thing for him. Now I am thinking of the many many things that he has left unfinished, that he would want completed. The many things left unsaid, which he would want said. I can not complete all of these worldly thing for my dearly departed boy, but the few things I can complete, the few small things I can say for him, I will do my best to see it done.

So yesterday many sad and lonely people visited me. The day was half done when Sara S. called with the coroners report. She assured me Blaine had passed over to the Other Side in painless peace. This gave me a great comfort to know the exact "How", and a close proximity of the "When". I need only the "Why" and I felt I could begin to heal. The "Why" of course being the most elusive. John arrived, and took me then in the pouring rain to the Holy Angles chapel, where they gave me the key and let us in to Pray. It was good that I could Thank the Lord for his kind and gentle taking of my boy, and the way in which he allowed my Blaine to slip over to the other side.

We returned and the house began to fill. Cousins Matt and Timmy, Blaine's boyhood friend Justin, Blaine's cousin Tommy, his wife Nina and three children. Blaine's cousin Jess and her Husband David and their four children. Jess & John and the Kids, my brother Jeff's wife (my sister -in-law) Jennie, my sister's Sharon and Patty and Blaine's cousins Lorrie and Michael. My Brother-in-law Billy and his wife Kelly and later my Sister's-in-law Ruth and Judy. It was a busy day and I was, for the most part, in a fog the entire time. Sherry and Jess shuffled in and out plates of food, and we all sat and watch the children play, and spoke pleasantly of Blaine, and relived the many fond memories. I found this to be a great help to me, and aided greatly in my healing. At times I was overwhelmed, as I believe I was supposed to be. At times I felt serenity. At times I felt his presents.

And here is an important thing: My sister Patty (Aunt Poppy) pulled me close and recounted an story. She reminded me of the time Carrice Ann was lost, and the devastation visited upon the family at the passing of my beautiful little girl. She was, as were we all, deeply saddened by this tragedy. She told me of how our Father, Vernon took her aside and told her (and I quote) "...Patty, you don't know what pain and suffering lay waiting in that child's future. You don't know how much sorrow was in store for that baby. The Lord did. So the Lord, in all of his wisdom, took her before any of that pain or suffering, before any of that sorrow, could strike her. The Lord has a plan for each of us..." . This seemed to me to be my Father speaking from beyond the grave, and coming to me to let me know the "Why". The "Why" is, the Lord has a plan, and some unknown, unseen thing was going to happen that would cause much pain and suffering in my boy. And so, The Good Lord, in all of His Wisdom, took Blaine away from, not here, but took him away from a world of hurt, of pain, and ultimately, of great sorrow. Blaine's passing was a blessing, not a tragedy. And even thou this is a deep and dreadful hurt, it compares little to the great sorrow and pain that would have visited us all, had the Father not intervened on Blaine's behalf. This is my belief. This is my comfort. This is the "Why". Many, many thanks to my Dad, and his wisdom far beyond the time he left me here to carry on. Thank you Dad, for parting this healing knowledge at my most needy time.

And now I will move on with my day. It will be a painful day. I have taken a trip around the Rosary, and will do so again, asking please that the Holy Mother of God intercede on Blaine's behalf and allow's for his gentle soul to transition into Heaven.

2010-11-04T01:05:00.001-07:00

It is raining this morning, outside, and in my heart. I am fast coming to the stark realization that this is not a nightmare from which I will awaken. But rather, a reality that has shaken me to the very depth of my soul. I understand that, in life, there is suffering and pain, and that it is a natural course of things to have certain tragic events visited upon you. I understood that there could be no limit to these things, and that after a certain number, you are not necessarily immune. I did believe however, that if you conducted yourself in a certain manner, if you followed a certain code, and strove always to do that which was right, you would be protected to some extent from these things. When Carrice Ann died, on November 8, 1981, it was without reason. I wondered "Why?". Why would a Good and Loving Lord take from me this small and precious thing? There was no answer. Mary came along and helped to fill this terrible void in my heart, and I thought, "...well, this must be it, this might be the why...". And Mary was good. Less than two years later, along came Blaine. And this is the thing that I dreamed; Most children are born crying. Blaine was born smiling. And he really did. He was a good baby. Knowing we were only planning to have two children, it came to me that, this maybe was the reason for Carrice Ann to leave us, in order to make room for Blaine. And this gave me reason. It gave me reason to understand why my dear little girl had to leave. It was in order that Blaine might come into this world. I could live with that. I could understand that, and all things were balanced. But I was lulled into a false sense of security. I thought, "why, God would never ever take two". While other parents lay awake at night, worrying after their children, I rested peacefully, knowing that, I had given one. The Good and Gracious Lord would never take two. And for years I moved through life, laughing at the tragedies that would never again be visited upon me. What more could they possibly do to me? They had taken my Daughter, my little girl. What was left. All other things paled in comparison to that loss, and the pain it left. Mary and Blaine filled my heart, our hearts, with a love that healed all wounds, emotional and physical. They changed, they grew, and they were launched into this world to go and make their way.

Now it has come to this... My Blainey Boy. My Son. Taken so soon, so young, so much promise, so much love. How can I possibly go on, knowing he is no longer there. How tortured I am, at his last moments, and how I long to be there, in that place, holding his hand and telling him to wait, that I would go first, and prepare a place for him. How I wish he could know how I want that now, more than anything, I want that now. I want him to know that he has nothing to fear, because he was good, and loving and caring, and he will be welcomed Across the River. I just wish he wasn't alone when he left away from this side. I wish I could have been with him for the crossing over time. I hope he will wait for me. I hope he will be waiting for me when I make my crossing. I hope to God I will be able to see him again. I love you Blaine. Where ever you are.

It is odd to me, that one with such a good heart, a big heart, a loving and caring heart, should be taken from here, because his heart, in the end, failed him.

Broken hearts and dirty windows
Make life difficult to see.
That's why last night and this morning
Always look the same to me

Memories, they can't be boughten.
They can't be won at carnivals for free.
Well. it took me years to get those souvenirs,
And I don't know how they slipped away from me.

2010-11-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

Right Now

8:16

EDT

41 °
Mostly Cloudy

Feels Like: 41°
Relative Humidity: 100%
Barometer: 30.25
Dew Point: 41; °
Visibility: 10.00 Miles
UV Index: 0 Low
Wind Speed: CALM 0 mph; It is just another sad day. There is nothing more to say. I miss my Son, more then I could possibly begin to describe. The world is a much sadder place without him. I feel as if a huge hole has been ripped into the universe, and all that is good is being drawn in. How could one so promising, so loving, so full of life and humor, be taken from us at such a young age?

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High 54F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.

54 High

47 Low

0 %

Sunrise Sunset

7:34 AM

6:04 PM

2010-11-02T03:24:00.000-07:00

I have received the most tragic news imaginable; Yesterday evening, my Son Blaine passed away at his Mothers' home. He went quietly in his sleep. By all accounts it appears his passing was painless and very peaceful.

My daughter Mary is on her way home from California. I don't know what it is I should do. I miss him so very badly. I want him back. This is some horrible dream that I must awake from.

Oh my what a day, what an awful awful day. I could never have imagined a pain more deep than the lose I feel. Oh Blaine! My heart screams for you. All I own for just a moment with you again. All I own to assure you crossed over in peace, unafraid, and painless. How I miss your smile. I love you Son. I always have. I always will. You were my boy. My daughter Mary Carrice came by today, as did many, many visitors; Steve Scheide and his daughters Erin and Sara, my Brother Jeffery, Capt. Bill & Ms. Emmy, Jessica. Jessica brought along a car loaded with food. I do not know what this if for, but I am certain the woman will know what to do with. For me, I am in a fog. I go from a complete wreck, some sort of trance like suffering. I have had many many calls, and many many emails. These all help to dull the ache of a heart that will ever be whole again. The world has changed dramatically in a moment. It is not the same world I woke up to on November 1st. It is a much sadder place. I know I will never be the person I was just a day ago.

2010-11-01T04:54:00.000-07:00

A low tide, and clean beach beckoned me this morning, but I turned instead to my work in the studio. Too much to do, and time is getting short. Only 15 days until we depart for the Florida Studio, and there is much preparation required in order to make the transition smoothly. I am finishing up the second Lorrie R. panel (she will select one of the two, the other will go into inventory). I have modified the layout table to begin Judy F's transom. Once these are all completed, and the existing panels are polished and tagged & bagged, I can go back to my last push at inventory. Then the real fun begins; Pack! Pack! Pack! And more Pack! Sherry convinced me t0 walk the beach after lunch. We found two nice points and a beautiful pottery fragment. We are pretty well certain there was a substantial village here at some time in the past. The projectile points are in abundance, as are numerous flakes from stone working. We have found celts, axes, pottery, points, and knives. The Oyster midden is substantial, and appears to have been in existed for a very long time. The many different types of points makes me believe that the village went through many changes as the influences of style and type are numerous. There are large spears that indicate a paleo/archic influence, early/late woodland, and Lavanna quartz points.

We have a small raft of Loon that have moved into the river. They are making their way south of the winter (something I intend to do in just two weeks). I love to see the Loon. His call reminds me of the cold and desolate North Lands.

I have completed these two panels. The client has seen both, and will make a decision within the next week or so. She is contemplating a pick-up in Studio, but may wait until Unique Boutique.

Today we will have abundant sunshine. Our High will only go to 55F. Our Low tonight will go down to 36F. The Barometer is 30.32 and steady. The Winds will come from the North at 5 to 10 MPH. Our Sunrise came this morning at 7:32AM and will set this evening at 6:06PM.

2010-10-31T04:58:00.000-07:00

It was very cool this morning. 44F when I got up. This will not be our Low though. Our Low tonight will be 39F. Our High today will be 64F. We will have Partly cloudy skies with winds from the West Northwest at 10 to 15MPH. The relative humidity is 81% with a Dew Point of 41F.Our chance for rain is 0%. The Barometer is 29.86 and falling. The Sunrise came this morning at 7:31 and will set this evening at 6:08PM.

I was up at 5:30AM, came into the studio and pulled up some Barred Owl Calls on the computer. He/She came in and crossed the yard traveling North to South. I had hoped he/she would perch in the Osprey Tree, so that I might get a photo. No luck. I shot the sunrise and took a short walk looking for him/her. I could hear one quite a bit off in the distance, but saw no Owl. Maybe tomorrow.

Jess is going to collect the kids today. It is Trick-or-Treat tonight, so they must go collect their goodies. For me, noone ever comes down here. It is spooky down here under normal circumstances. No chance we will get any trick or treaters. Not since we had two little girls living at the end of the road back in 2002 have we had any Trick-or-Treaters. There are no children in this neighborhood.

Yesterday I pulled down the Martin House and did some change of season housekeeping. As I had stated, out of 14 compartments, 4 had nests. Of the four nests, one had a complete egg, infertile no doubt, and one had egg fragments indicating a successful hatch. Additionally, I cleaned, painted, and sealed up a Bluebird Nesting Box that had been attached to a Pecan tree, and relocated it to the Martin House Pole. Well, this morning Sherry came into the Studio and informed me the the Bluebirds were all over the Martin House and the Bluebird Box, going in and out of the compartments, and staking their claims. I went quickly to see, and lo-and-behold, indeed the Bluebirds were in fact all over the nesting boxes. It gave me great pleasure to know my hard work was appreciated!

Killian Scores Again! And so does Madison!

I was working away in the studio, and Killian came and asked if I would take him "arrow huntin' ". I agreed, and Madison asked if she could please come along. Off we went, Killian, Madison, The Blue Dog and me. As soon as we picked a line (the most recently washed tide line) we all

started down. First I found a rough blade, hardly worked. Madison found the twin to mine immediately there after. I than found a very nice black obsidian (or a black chert) and Madison found a broken bottom half. Killian was really getting frustrated. I reminded him he had the mother of all projectile points when, BANG! he hit a beautiful quartz bird point! I walked another two feet and found a very nice, very clean two tone granite. Unfortunately, a corner had been broken off. We continued to find chips, flakes, scrapers, and mother stones, but no more points. We went back to the house and showed Sherry, who immediately wanted to know the who, what, when, where, how of the find. I guess she will be off, as soon as her work is done. Together, we have found 9 nice points, in the past three days.

2010-10-30T04:49:00.000-07:00

Killian's Big Find! Wow, this Indian Arrowhead is Huge!

We had cold air move in over us last night. A frost warning was in effect inland. Out here of the river, we stayed above the mark. Today we will have a mix of sunshine and clouds. Our High will only reach 62F., while our Low will go down to the upper 40's. Our Barometer is steady at 30.24, and the wind has clocked around to the Southwest. Today it will blow at 10 to 15MPH which is much lighter than the last two days. I suspect the low tides of yesterday and the day before are gone for now, and we are back to our regular tide. Our Sunrise came at 7:30AM and our Sunset will occur at 6:09 PM this evening.

I was up before dawn, and checked the "osprey tree" to see if the Eagle had taken during the night. I should have taken my camera, because there was a Barred Owl sitting on a perch. I went for the camera, and just as I got back to the door, the owl swept down on an unsuspecting squirrel. The Owl missed, as did I. I am coming to understanb it is not so much the photos you get as it is the photos you don't get that are the most bothersome.

We have the kids. They came in last evening, after a ghost walk at the Point Lookout Prison of War camp. This morning Sherry fixed the best fresh eggs, country bacon, and jelly toast. The kids finished up breakfast and headed down to Elm Point Beach for some Indian Arrowhead hunting. Killian got The Biggest Point I have ever seen. He found this in an area that Sherry and I passed over no less than two times yesterday. Wow! What a point.

I returned to the house, and took down the Martin House, cleaned it out, painted it, and generally got it ready for the next generation of Martins. I did likewise with the bluebird house, and hung it up on the Martin House Pole. One year this house became home to a family of flying squirrels. I hope by cleaning it up it will become home to the Bluebirds.

Sherry and the kids went over to Capt.Bill's & Ms. Emmy. I am going to patch the roof.

2010-10-29T03:49:00.000-07:00

The cold came in last night, as I knew it would. You can't have mild temperatures in the 70's, followed by violent storms, and not have some really cold air behind it. Our High today will only reach into the high 50'sF. Our Low tonight will go down into the high 30'sF. The relative humidity is 61% and the Dew Point is 32F. The Barometer is 30.09 and raising. Our winds today will be gusty, out of the West/Northwest. Our Sunrise will occur at 7:29AM and will set this evening at 6:10PM.

Yesterday evening we took off early to go measure up a project for Judy F. She and her husband Gary live on Green's Rest Farm on the St.Mary's river, adjacent to Tippitty Witchity Island. This is the area of the river I grew up on. It is beautiful back there. Judy has loads of our glass, and wants a transom. We measured, visited, and, on our way out, stopped by The Raleys' for a quick visit. On our way home we stopped for dinner at Sala's for some Mexican Food. All in all, a wonderful day.

Today I have an early morning dentist appointment. After I get that out of the way I am off to LaGrange to collect the RV (finally after 10 weeks the low profile wheel cover damaged by the deer is replaced and repaired. I suspect the deer has healed from the impact, long before the RV was repaired.). Once these chores are completed, I will be able to get back home and get back on the table, and finish/begin my commission load (which is, once again, rapidly building).

Sherry is on the Arthur B. commission, a C-66 in Blue Waterglass. This is ready to ship now, to Mass., so we need to get this one done.

Well, I an going now to get a coffee, watch the sunrise, and maybe get some good shots of 'Eagle Antics'.

Just returned from the Dentist and collecting the RV. Dr.Mark is great! I left him with a book on Indian artifacts and a map of the Bushwood shoreline. He is a great guy, and his son has the arrowhead bug, so the book might help him to identify stone lithics.

Sherry grabbed me and took me on the beach to hunt for arrowheads. It was a very pleasant walk. We found lots of rocks, some worked, some oyster knives (we took these from the midden), and Sherry found two very nice projectile points. She has the Indian Eyes.

2010-10-28T03:57:00.000-07:00

I was up this morning at 5AM, having been driven from my sleep by a glass panel I was building in my dreams. I want to do a panel, taken from a photo of Mary sitting on my lap, feeding a squirrel a peanut. The photo was taken when Blaine was in the womb, and we were all anxiously awaiting his arrival. I have had this idea for many years now, and it is one reason I started painting/firing on glass. The photo had been lost for quite some time, and I recently discovered it, shut away in the back of my drawer. It has been haunting me, as I design and redesign the panel in my head. Soon I must put the thing into a cartoon, or I will certainly go crazy, and maybe never get a good nights sleep again.

We will have a brilliant sunrise this morning, the first in many days, and I am anxious to see it. Maybe the Eagles will be up to their antics this morning!

Today we will have a mix of sun and clouds. Our High of 77F is still mild for this time of year. Our Low tonight will reach into the mid 40's. Our chance for rain is 20% with a relative humidity of 100% and a Dew Point of 64F. The Barometer is rising at 29.94 inches. Our winds are light out of the Southwest at 5mph. The sun will rise this morning at 7:27AM and will set this evening at 6:11PM.

Classic Glass Studios

"The world breaks every one of us. And afterward many of us are stronger at the broken places. But those that will not break, it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially." — Ernest Hemingway

Children begin by loving their parents;

As they grow older they judge them;

And sometimes, just sometimes,

they forgive them.

Oscar Wilde

HERE WE GO............

Right Now

Mostly Cloudy

Today

I have received the most tragic news imaginable; Yesterday evening, my Son Blaine passed away at his Mothers' home. He went quietly in his sleep. By all accounts it appears his passing was painless and very peaceful.

My daughter Mary is on her way home from California. I don't know what it is I should do. I miss him so very badly. I want him back. This is some horrible dream that I must awake from.