ACTIVITIES ON A CHILLY APRIL WEEKEND

The tax season is winding down, and Mike spends less and less time at the office. We’re anxious to get started with warmer weather activities, but it just isn’t warm yet – not really. 

Saturday afternoon we decided to walk through Hells Gate State Park again and pick up more of the caches placed along the Snake River levee parkway to commemorate Lewis and Clark. This time I wore a t-shirt and sweater instead of a sweatshirt. The temperature was in the low 60s but the breeze was chilly. I was glad I had my sweater.

The first order of business was to bathe Nellie, who turned up green sometime during the morning, obviously having rolled in the wet grass. Mike threw a stick for her to chase into the water, then shampooed her and threw another stick for the rinse off.

“Look how pink the inside of Nellie’s legs are,” said Mike as we moved along the pathway.

“The water is cold!” I exclaimed. 

We found all of the caches we sought, but walking through the park wasn’t really comfortable. There were lots of campers – even the “C” loop was open for some sort of special medieval-looking camp-out and exhibition. Women in long shifts belted at the waist were watching the men “joust” in the arena. (“Jousting without horses?” questioned Mike.) I overheard one man ask another where the showers were, and the aroma of fresh strong coffee wafted through the air. So, apparently these folks don’t entirely eschew creature comforts. 

Sunday morning dawned bright but cold after windy overnight conditions. Mike asked me help him place the drip system in the garden, and I stepped outside to find it deceptively cold despite a temp of 50. It wasn’t pleasant working in the wind, so our garden is still unplanted. Maybe it’s for the best since it was 32 when we got up this morning.

I started reading Jalna by Mazo de la Roche this weekend. My interest was piqued when I read that Ina recommended the series to Vance. Prior to its publication as a novel in 1927, de la Roche submitted it to Atlantic Monthly magazine and was awarded a prize of $10,000. She subsequently wrote 15 more novels over the next 30 years about the Whiteoak family, Jalna being the family’s Canadian estate. The copy I’m reading was reprinted by Fawcett in 1966. The cover reads, “one of the great romantic bestsellers of our time,” but I think it’s really more of a family saga than a romance novel.

And Mike’s reading? He finished The Brethren by John Grisham and since the local library is closed on Sunday and he had nothing else to read, he decided to borrow my copy of Winnie-the-Pooh, which was mentioned in a program we watched. I asked what he thought of it, and he said he would enjoy reading it to a child. He’ll doubtless get to the library soon, but I know Mike – he will have to finish Winnie-the-Pooh before he will allow himself to move on. 

Oh -- and I just want to mention here that Mike's son, Murray, at age 47 and 3/4, is running the Boston Marathon today. He has been working toward this event for months and has had his challenges as he prepared. Mike called excitedly a while ago to tell me Murray was halfway through the race. KW