Life on the Farm

I just paid a brief nocturnal visit to my cottage (I'm housesitting tonight) and was greeted by a

>>> bat. <<<

It was fluttering around the ceiling of the room I have designated to be my home theatre. I spent the better part of the afternoon hooking up components and balancing speakers and so forth, and I guess the bat was anxious for the premier.

I expect a certain amount of wildlife, even rodents, as there are some places where the interior of the cottage and the exterior of the Lost Coast are not strangers, but I wasn't expecting to find them on the ceiling. The anti-rodent expert (or experts) I soon expect to hire away from the local animal shelter should take care of the four-footed variety but may not have the ground-to-air weaponry for this new threat.

I suppose the bat came from the attic, which has been standing open for a couple of weeks; the large piece of plywood that is intended to separate homey cottage from creepy attic has been standing on end in the back bedroom awaiting, well, I'm not sure what. Tomorrow, when I hope my mosquito-eating companion is back up there and asleep, I may see about replacing it. I hadn't tried before now as I figure it's beyond my spatial abilities, but now I have a new and urgent motivation as I am supposed to sleep in the cottage tomorrow night.

Movin' on Up

I now have a firm-ish move-in date. After house- and pet-sitting for my landlord next weekend, I'll move 50 yards up the road to my cottage on Monday week (6/15). It's been cleaned (the last tenant kept turkeys in the pantry~~), and we've decided against painting the interior (because I don't care in the least about such matters), so all that remains is that a missing window get replaced and a new (used) refrigerator get acquired, delivered, and installed. Here's some quick photos taken this afternoon, which was just another day in paradise:
The exterior is going to be repainted one fine day.

Here is the view out the north-facing window, which is more or less in the kitchen/dining area:

The back yard has some garden plots, a fence line of wild berries, then descends down a bluff to the Eel River.

Here's the source of heat, of which I hope to need little: The table and chairs stay, alongside numerous other pieces of furniture.

There's two bedrooms, and someday soon two beds. Plan a visit.

Nobody ever said...

...that growing up would be easy. *sigh*

He Rocks in the Treetops All Night Long

I now "tweet." http://twitter.com/_fiddlesticks_

Looking Up

I've been on the Redwood Coast for a bit less than a month now, and I continue to be bowled over by how beautiful it is here. There's truly a bit of everything within just a few miles. Mountains, rivers, and forests (and such forests!) Cities (well, large towns, anyway), small towns, and farms. Sandy beaches, rocky beaches, and seaside cliffs. There's at least a little sun and a little fog nearly every day.

The city (Eureka) feels less like a seaport than any seaport I've seen. There's no seagulls, no salt spray in the air, and rather than nautical-themed houses there's Victorian gingerbread everywhere. It's compact enough that you can walk anywhere, and almost every walk is lovely.

The other day I needed to buy a couple of bolts, and that's when I discovered that I had to buy them at (gasp!) a hardware store. There's no Home Depot, no Lowe's, no OSH anywhere in town. If there's a Wal-Mart, I don't know where it is. In fact, I think you can count the "big box" stores on one hand. (Fortunately, there is a Costco!)

Maybe it's the change of scenery, or just getting up and out of the basement, but it occurred to me last night that, since I've been here, I haven't had an episode of grinding, despairing depression, the sort of day where you just can't pull yourself together. I'm accustomed to those days, and while three weeks is not a long time, it's a positive sign.

In the meantime, things are slowly beginning to happen. More on this later in the week.

Special Weather Warning!

This morning I log on to find that there is an active "Special Weather Statement" from the National Weather Service for "Redwood Coast, California":

Statement as of 5:33 AM PDT on May 12, 2009

... Hot daytime temperatures expected over the weekend...

A strong ridge of high pressure will build over the West Coast on Friday prompting daytime temperatures to climb well above normal over the weekend. Although uncertainty remains as to how hot it will get...coastal locations could see highs in the mid 60s ...with temperatures soaring into the mid and upper 90s across interior valleys.

These conditions may pose heat-related risks to individuals who will be outdoors for extended periods of time. If you plan to be outside... wear a hat and loose-fitting clothing... and be sure to drink plenty of water. More detailed information is available from the National Weather Service at weather.Gov/Eureka.

(emphasis added)

Ohmygawd...temps in the mid-60s? Whatever shall we do?!?

As my friend David likes to say, "just another day in Paradise."

This Summer I Hear the Drumming

Four Dead in Ohio.
Photo: John Filo (c) 1970 Valley News-Dispatch
Song Lyrics: Neil Young (c) 1970 Cotillion/Broken Arrow

Other people remember where they were when JFK was shot, or when the astronauts landed on the moon, or other events. This is the one I will always remember. At least Gov. James A. Rhodes, the man who compared the students protesting the April 30 expansion of American combat troops into Cambodia to brown shirts and night riders who were "the worst type of people that we harbor in America," and sent the National Guard in with loaded weapons, was subsequently thrown out of office and publicly vilified...

As if.

In reality, he was re-elected two more times, and this statue was erected in front of the state office building--the city's tallest building-- named for him in Columbus.

What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground? How can you run when you know?












(c) Dania Hurley; obtained from Flickr