I've Been Away: There & Here!

So, I've been gone thither to Maui, to my chicken coop, to my lake, to my ducks, to my garden and I almost forgot, to work early in the mornings!

The "there" was Maui and the refreshing was great. Although it was an insurance convention of sorts, the meetings were short and sweet leaving much time for relaxation. Nothing much changes in Maui, it is the same everytime we go. Even those born on the Island seem to never change. Mitch the bartendar is still at the Grand Wailea as happy as ever. Most of the islanders we meet are happy, contented and just good people. I am sure they have their worries but they seem disconnected from mainlanders. I think they are brought up that way and they protect their way of life.

There is not a whole lot of interest in what we do over here. They say that we sure have a lot of problems. I love their simplicity, the sun rises and the sun sets and for everything else just "hang loose"!

But now I am back, tackling the day to day with the same sun rising and setting. Nothing has changed. There is nothing new under the sun. God knows! Same struggles, same new/old news, problems come and go, eat, drink and be merry.

Chicken pen is almost complete, ducks are in the lake with the fencing company coming on Monday to surround it with 6' of chainlink. I will beat those pesky coyotes to the punch. Planted reed bushes in the lake, ducks uprooted and ate them the same day. Now I have pesky ducks, bought them when they were a day old all spray painted different colors for Easter, now they are just big white ducks bent on destroying my hard work.

Gardens begin and gardens end. My beginning this year was the start of the end. The weather was great and warm and it was time to put those tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in. You know, the ones that I have been growing indoors since February. All placed nice and neatly with loving care, just before the desert hurricane hit. It sneaked up during the night and the wind began to blow and the huskies began to howl and were all in a row when coming over the hill was Sam McGee from Tennessee where the cotton blooms and blows....sorry I got caught up in a Robert Service poem.
Anyway the winds fed on my plants and when morning arrived the wind was gone taking a full belly of vegetable stock with it.

Tomorrow looks like a possibility. Clear, warm and promising. Have to buy those commercially grown tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. Oh well, if I lose these at least there will not have been the love and nurturing that went into the last ones.

The plantation is coming together slowly but surely and soon it will be hot and the pool will be warm!

Good Times!