Spring

May 16, 2021 There is something about the color of spring… the fresh hues of the unfurling ferns, tender sprouts and budding trees…. the fact that it takes a few extra weeks for spring to arrive in NH makes it all the more special.

Right, lovely scenery. But wait, what’s that? A giant lobster claw? Indeed… they say that the best months for lobsters have the letter “R” in them, like September for example. Well, this is May, which does not have an “R”, and that lobster roll was spectacular! Birthday lunch at Mark Nadler’s favorite diner. And now we know why.

Both Bob and Sydney enjoy just hanging out in the sunshine! Work? What’s that? For some fun, we drove Lanu down to the Massachusetts-Rhode Island border to do a PCA gimmick rally. A long drive to get there and back, but a super fun and challenging rally. We were thrilled to find ourselves with the top score, and even happier with the trophy, a Porsche Design bluetooth speaker made from 911 tailpipes! Looks great and sounds even better. 🙂 Seen along the route… half a pink Cadillac…

Facing the “garden challenge”. You can hardly call this a garden (yet), but I am determined to reclaim it, and create some kind of order from the chaos. First task – before planting anything you must prepare the soil…and before you can do that, you have to rip up the horrible clear plastic that has been parching the dirt for a dozen years or so, and apparently doing nothing to discourage weeds!

You might ask, why are there weird clothes hanging on a line in the garage door? TICKS. 2021 is a banner year for ticks in NH, and I do NOT like ticks. Or mosquitos for that matter. To find a tick attached to your skin is completely gross and disgusting, and even after the little bastard is detached, it creates a welt that lasts for months! UGH. Never mind the potential for Lyme disease.

I am not a huge fan of using chemicals to treat the unpleasant facts of nature, but in this case I am all on board for tick prevention. My friend Michelle told me that her doctor used this product when traveling to the tropics on humanitarian missions. She relied on this treatment to prevent insect borne disease, and even though I am only tramping about the woods of NH, I can definitely get on board this concept. This product is Permethrin (btw, I am not getting any compensation for sponsoring this product, sadly!)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ANQVYU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It should be heavily sprayed on your clothing and shoes and allowed to dry before wearing. It then lasts for up to 6 weeks, or 6 washings of the treated clothes. Not only does it repel ticks, it kills them if they dare to crawl around upon yourself – and it repels mosquitoes too! This seemed almost too good to be true, and all you had to do was spray your clothes, let them dry, and voila! (Best of all, it actually works!!)

So, these are my “tick clothes” and what I wear when I’m out dealing with poison ivy or digging in the “garden”. It works.

Lastly, I present to you: “The Thinker”. Bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, Human child Scarlett, by Josh and Parker. 🙂