"It was imprudent of us, in the first place, to become authors. We could have become something regular, but we managed not to.
We were lucky, but we were also determined." Roy Blount Jr

"I don’t change the facts to enhance the drama. I think of it the other way round, the drama has got to fit the facts,
and it’s your job as a writer to find the shape in real life."
Hilary Mantel

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

A Great Change

Did I mention that we had 7 inches of rain (or something crazy like that) from Friday to Monday? Flooding all over the state, roads washed out, road closures, trees down. The little seasonal creek that surrounds 3 sides of our property got very, very full. Too much water to flow under the road, so it jumped over the road to get to the lake, right beside our driveway.

The rain kept up until last evening...it stopped right before I headed home from a county delegation meeting at which we (unanimously) voted the county budget for the next fiscal year. Only a .0234% increase over this year--1/4 of 1%--so not bad considering the current economy. Superlative fiscal management by our department heads and county commissioners.

This morning the sun returned. I'd sort of forgotten what that looks and feels like. I had my Chairs & Vice Chairs meeting, then met our parish's former rector for lunch.

It's so warm--almost 60 degrees--that I needed to open up the sunroof to let the fresh air in. Only I couldn't remember how to do it, and had to check the owner's manual!

All the rain and warm weather during the rainfall means the ice is very swiftly receding on the little lake. The ice has completely pulled away from the shore all the way round.



All it would take is another windy day for the ice sheet to sink. However, we've had quite enough wind lately, as this photo shows:



That tree is larger than the photo indicates and only a short distance from the Lodge. I believe it came down sometime Saturday night, which was scary windy. Miraculously it fell into the pasture and not across the private road or the power lines, which would've been a major inconvenience for us and other residents. The thawed ground is so saturated, and below it the ground is still frozen, and this is but one of numerous trees in NH that have toppled over--in very destructive, and in one case deadly--ways.

The best thing about that picture: I raised my camera up through the sunroof to shoot it.

Ruth and Jewel are sunbathing outdoors. I've had the porch door open to let the warmth into our bedroom.

I say "our" bedroom but I'm the only occupant at present. The Chap is down in Washington, D.C. for a conference. Today he had meetings with practically every member of the President's Cabinet, and will bring back information to benefit our state and local governments.

The rest of this week will mostly be devoted to legislating. Crossover Day is getting close, and we have to vote out a ton of bills by the deadline.


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