The year is almost wrapped up

The year is almost wrapped up here at the marina. Doug, the other dockmaster, and I are down to just working weekends now. I am working today and tomorrow and then one weekend in December and then won't work again until June. Normally I would start back here in April, but I will be delivering a sailboat to Falmouth, England in May. There may not be work here anyway. The marina is for sale again, and the new owners may want a different crew.
Jackson Creek is beautiful this time of year. I saw a flock of swans pass over as I was walking the docks about 8:00 AM. I love seeing them. They make me think that maybe there still is hope for some of the wild places and creatures who live there. I surprised a loon which had the misfortune to surface along side of the dock as I passed by. He dove again rapidly. The sun is shinning brilliantly this morning and is rapidly melting the frost on the docks. The afternoon light is so beautiful here this time of year. It is so soft, and the water is so blue. I went kayaking yesterday. I left the dock at the house about 3:30 PM and headed up to the deserted end of the creek. I surprised some mergansers and some loons. I was the only person on the water yesterday as the sun set and the cold rapidly set in. There is still some colors on the trees and the soft afternoon sunshine displayed them in all of their brilliance. It was great to be there. I always feel a spiritual connection when I am out there all alone. The cold set in quickly as the sun dropped below the horizon and I turned on the gas logs when I regained the warmth of the house.

Good day
The Ol' Curmudgeon

Thanksgiving 2005

Big party here today. Pat has been working in the kitchen for two days. There should be fifteen people not counting two infants. The family is growing which is good, because the children are all being born into loving homes.
Yesterday was the eighth anniversary of Tommy's death. He would be thirty nine years old. Suicide; What a waste. I will never forget that Thanksgiving! We were in Michigan when we got the news on Thanksgiving morning. We called everyone which was a real problem because we couldn't reach most people as they were traveling. We learned that you can't have to many phone numbers in your possesion. We did eat Thanksgiving dinner that day because everyone was already coming to the house, but it was very quiet. I have made it through the last several years with the help of a loving family and friends, but still feel a pang on Thanksgiving day.
Changing the subject a little, I realized today how out of touch I am with what's happening in Holywood, which really concerns me!! (NOT) Jessica Simpson and her husband what's his name are getting a divorce!" Oh No!!" I screamed." Who in the hell is Jessica Simpson?" I plan on staying out of touch with Holywood for ever.

Good Day,
The Ol' Curmudgeon

Winter Respite

I have five more days to work this year and I will be free until probably next June. Normally I would start back to work at the marina about the middle of April, but this year I will be crewing on a sailboat headed from Deltaville, Va to Falmouth, England. The departure date is May first. The trip should take about five weeks. I may not have a job when I return.
I am looking forward to the winter down time. No grass to cut; No outside work that has to be done; and no work at the marina. I am hoping to hone some writing skills, and plan on organizing my poetry. Perhaps I will try to find a publisher for the poetry. We'll see.
December is the best time for Rock fish. They enter the bay to forage as they head down the coast. I haven't been fishing more than a few times this entire year, and would like to catch a couple of thirty pound Rocks to put in the freezer A guy at the marina gave me about sixty pounds of venison last year. He asked me today if I wanted some this year and I told him that I would take all that he wanted to give me. Last year I had probably forty pounds of Rock fish, sixty pounds of venison, and thirty pounds of Blueberries, as well as several bags of crab meat and assorted other fish in the freezer. I would like to do the same thing this year. Pat won't eat the venison which means that it is all mine! I cook it in the slow cooker with Lipton Onion soup, whole mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes. It doesn't get much better as far as I am concerned.
The Ol' Curmudgeon

A Trip To The Doc

I was sent by my optometrist (whom I hadn't visited in several years) to see a retinologist. The optometrist had seen something in the back of my eye that she thought needed a specialists opinion. I am sure that you are familiar with the feeling you get when a medical person is taking way to long looking at a particular area. That's how I felt when the optometrist spent an inordinate amount of time looking into my left eye. I was unesay to say the least! " I see something in the back of your eye that we refer to as a freckle." she said. " Now these things are quite normal, but once in awhile they can be serious." The word Malnoma was mentioned although she truly doubted that it was anything to worry about. I saw the retinoligist today, and he pronounced that nothing looked abnormal. He took several pictures; Made an appointment for six months so he can take another look; and sent me on my way quite relieved to say the last. I felt eleated! At sixty two years old I had escaped the knife once again. I also had the feeling that I probably can't expect to keep escaping for ever. Things wear out and break down. They need to be fixed or removed, and the older we get the more likely it is that we will be dealing with this reality. When I was younger I would see doctors always expecting that everything would be okay. I was six feet tall and bullet proof. Now I realize that I no longer will be leaping tall buildings at a single bound. Maybe that's why I was somewhat more elated today than I have been in previous doctor visits when the old doc pronounced me, " Okay!"