We got back to the country acreage. My wife was busy planting
potatoes in our garden and the tarp on the old boat kept drawing
my attention. It seems time had come to remove the tarp, take
a good look at the good and bad and ugly things that needed some fixing on this old fiberglass boat. Its a good sixteen feet long and probably all of five or six feet across at center. It sat
awkwardly on the trail we used to use and my wife convinced me
it would be best to move it a little, at least closer to the forest
that is close to the garden. So with some metal rollers and a whole lot of determination, I proceeded a one man operation
of moving a good thousand pound boat. A few sore muscles later
the boat sits close to the forest, but still far from the water. It'll
take more work and more time, but yes, this is the magic moment to get the boat to the water. Hopefully it'll happen before our short summer season is over. In the distance I could
hear Jonas, the neighbors big dog yelping. Maybe coyotes?

And so it is, the seasons have turned the page. Mom would have
been 92 on May 18 had she lived. Still makes me very sad to
think of her dying in such a painful way. But she would be proud
of the progress we are making in the garden. In a sense, her
spirit was with us at the acreage, in the countryside, even by the
old boat, probably watching from afar how this old cowboy is
managing with this old boat. And a slow process it is. Perhaps
thats just how life should happen, slowly and with purpose. And
the big old crow paying a visit probably didn't take much notice
of the dry season, many fires in many places.

We come to this special place not nearly often enough to catch
our breath, try to remember and respect mother nature and
simply be busy trying to get caught up. Thats it. We are always
trying to get caught up, before the sun sets and the good Lord
reminds us of the brevity of our days.

So yes, I shall try to get that boat to the water. Will it be
seaworthy? Guess like all things - we shall find out.