Archive for the ‘Chronicle’ Category
Project Successes
Lately, I’ve found myself tending to a variety of small projects, with varying degrees of luck in achieving the desired outcomes. One that felt the luckiest and, as a result, the most rewarding involved replacing the mechanism for the kitchen under-sink garbage pail slideout.
When the mechanism we’ve had for years quit working –it had been losing bearings for a while– we ordered a similar one I found online. When I removed the old one, I discovered the particle board was busted up around the back screws from when the trash pail was pulled out with too much weight in it, and it had popped the screws out.
I visualized a solution of mounting the replacement rails to a piece of sheet metal and then screwing that sheet metal into the wood in new, undamaged areas. I only needed two flat-head machine screws to attach the rail frame to the sheet metal, but I couldn’t find anything except wood screws lying around. I imagined I’d have to buy what I wanted from the hardware store, figuring that would be a frustrating search.
On a day when I would be driving past a store, I decided to make one last survey of the shop to look for screws before trying to buy them. That led me to two small cabinets of drawers on a bench in the back that I have no recollection of ever having seen before.
I methodically began cycling through the drawers and was rewarded with exactly what I wanted to find.
I have no memory of where they came from, but I’m happy to have them, and this allowed me to finish the installation of the sliding rig for the under-sink trash bin. Boom.
My less successful endeavor involved replacing a bathroom fan at Elysa’s house. Without being able to find an exact replacement, we were left trying to make something reasonably close work. I couldn’t get the old box out because it had been installed before the ceiling sheet rock was finished. There is no access to the tiny space above the ceiling, so it is going to be a bigger remodel project than I want to tackle.
My project yesterday had me dabbling in my first-ever tubeless tire change on a bike. I had purchased new tires that are more gravel-compatible to replace my road slicks. It has been a long time since I dealt with the challenge of stretching a tire bead over the wheel rim. It got easier with each attempt, thankfully, but my hands and thumbs suffered a beating from the exercise.
Based on the success that I ultimately enjoyed, I’m feeling like I’ve now got the hang of dealing with tubeless tires and the liquid sealant they require. That’s a dramatic difference in experience from a year ago.
Knowing what hardware is stashed in the shop and getting some practice with tubeless tires can surely improve the odds of small project successes.
.
.
Lazy Sunday
The ground cover in our woods is making impressive progress in spring growth. It has already reached the point where it’s almost impossible to find Asher when he wanders away as we walk through the woods. I have an obvious fondness for finding trillium, both where we have transplanted it and in surprising places it shows up organically.
Those flowers are probably carpeting the woods up at the lake place, or will be soon. Ours are few and far between at home.
The busy, energy-filled day on Saturday gave way to a very low-energy Sunday for me. A little extra time standing quietly with the horses and lying down with Asher outside in the shade. A short nap early in the afternoon. Some puttering in the shop to tend to long-neglected clutter before making a little progress on a project.
I ended the evening watching Stanley Cup Playoff hockey. That ended up being the most stressful part of the entire day.
.
.
Great Event
The usual calm and quiet has returned to Wintervale this morning. I think the horses sense that Cyndie’s and my energy has significantly changed, moving from the hyperactive tensions of preparation mode to a serene afterglow now that World Labyrinth Day 2026 is in the past. The beautiful weather with bright sunshine helped to create a perfect setting for visitors.
Asher kept me company while I set up the Wintervale flag near the road to give first-time visitors a sign they were at the right place. For some reason, my phone camera made that view look like our entrance is a U-turn from the road, which is not the case. The angle is much less than 180°.
Cyndie turned our storm door into a sign for anyone who arrived while we were both down at the labyrinth. I was too busy gabbing away with folks to take a picture of the spread Cyndie set out on the center island of our kitchen, but you can be assured that there were plenty of scones, cookies, vegetables, cheese & crackers, grapes, and a couple of versions of flatbread pizza square bites for good measure.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
We moved Cyndie’s precious door table down near the labyrinth with a tub of beverages that turned out to be very popular. She also provided cards with some guidelines for maximizing one’s experience walking the roundabout pathway into and out of the “not-a-maze.”
A mix of friends, family, and acquaintances participated in trodding during the appointed hour of meditation on all things peace-related. One of my favorite aspects of peace is joyfulness, and there was plenty of joy expressed in the congregating of like-minded souls.
I couldn’t help myself lamenting the event happening so early in our growing season that it looks barren compared to the lush growth that will be obvious in a few more weeks. It was agreed by a variety of others that my idea of holding our own local version of a meditative walk on the topic of LOVE could happen later in the summer, to allow people to enjoy the scenery at its best.
It would take us less preparatory effort if people just came to enjoy our sanctuary as their opportunity arose. I expressed that to everyone I spoke with in hopes they would take me up on the offer in the future.
Every time we have visitors, it clarifies the fact that our property is so much more rewarding when we get to share it with others. It’s a win/win when someone who experiences great joy being here ends up doubling our joy for being able to welcome them.
.
.
Labyrinth Day 2026
Never mind that the first Saturday in May is when the Kentucky Derby is run every year; this is also the day when labyrinth walkers the world over walk as one at 1:00 (in each of their respective time zones) to meditate on peace, creating a wave of energy that circles the globe.
I gave the lanes of our labyrinth a final mow yesterday and then steered the riding mower along all of the grass walking paths around our property. We’ll spend this morning tending to last-minute details and then become greeters for potentially a record crowd for Labyrinth Day on our property.
The labyrinth is looking as good as we could make it this time of year. The main thing missing is leaves on bushes and trees, and flower blossoms on plants that bloom. Early May is too early in the growing season to do our property justice, but folks will get the gist of how special this place is.
Cyndie is expecting quite a few people who have never been here before. We are looking forward to sharing the glory of our paradise with newcomers. I asked Cyndie if we should close off the hay field to limit the horses to the back pasture near the labyrinth. We decided that they are so beautiful to watch out front that we’d let them continue to have full run of their territory.
Do you think our horses are aware that the big “Run for the Roses” race happens in Kentucky today? That world is a long time ago in their lives. They might have a sense that other horses are running, but I’m pretty sure they are fully submersed in their lives of retirement, which has absolutely nothing to do with track racing.
At one o’clock this afternoon, all minds will be focused on world peace. I suspect the horses will be picking that signal up loud and clear.
.
.
Little Touches
Today is our last day to prepare for the guests we are expecting for World Labyrinth Day tomorrow. Cyndie and I put in some extra hours yesterday, primping the nooks and crannies around the rocks lining the circuitous pathway to the center of our labyrinth.
When we got to the boulders in the middle, I wanted to figure out a way to make it look more intentional and less like a hodgepodge of incidental boulders.
What better way than stacking a few balanced rocks on top?
There is no way those rounded stones will stay balanced against the frequent pressure of visiting birds, but I hope to have them reset before people show up to walk tomorrow.
There are still so many plants that haven’t sprouted leaves yet; it looks like they might be dead compared to the ones that have already greened up. Not that I blame them for being slow. Cyndie has been covering her sensitive flowering plants the last few nights to protect them from frost.
I’ve been keeping an eye out for evidence of trillium making an appearance. We have several spots where it has shown up organically, and one area where Cyndie and I have planted some we brought back from her family’s lake home. Yesterday, I found that the ones we transplanted are already about to flower.
We are still a loooong way from a virtual carpet of trillium flowers like happens up in the woods at the lake, but even the few spots where we have it showing up at home bring us joy every time we see it.
Just like our sprucing up the grounds and area around the labyrinth, it’s the little touches, like a trillium blossom in the woods, that set a tone that defines the specialness of our Wintervale paradise.
.
.
Spring Growing
The new green growth of spring is ramping up to top speed around here. The thing about mowing the grass is that the saturated ground is not solid enough to support the riding mower in most places. I almost buried the back wheels by pushing my luck in the ditch beside the driveway that I knew would be a risk.
Every time I make this mistake, I ask myself why I can’t keep from testing the inevitable. Just don’t. But then I do.
It’s such an affront to my sensibilities when certain areas of regular mowing are neglected and stand tall, looking hideous, while the surrounding grass has been freshly trimmed. You’d think it would be easy for me not to care, but my true lawn vanity seeps out in the end.
One place where the super-wet ground is making spring growth very happy is the willow tree in the small paddock that is supposed to be dead.
I’ve never before seen such a dead tree look so happy to be alive. Doesn’t make any sense to me. The horses continue to gnaw on the wood as if they are intent on making it disappear. It can’t continue like this indefinitely, but I am becoming fascinated by how big the new growth on top will get before the end finally arrives.
Moving indoors with the subject of new growth, our repotting of the ZZ plant got me thinking about our Bird of Paradise, so I sought out a picture of what it looked like when it first arrived from Elysa and Ande.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Look how many new leaves have sprouted on that in the 20 months it’s been here. It’s reaching for the sunlight, but we are hesitant to turn it because the tallest leaves are being supported by the cabinet. The main trunk leans enough that we fear it will topple over without support.
This afternoon, I hope to mow the grass along the driveway and the road. Tomorrow, I will mow the labyrinth. Even with so many trees, bushes, and ground cover growing rapidly, there are plenty of things that barely have buds yet. It leaves so much of the splendor of our spaces far short of its ultimate lush glory.
It has me thinking we should create an event of similar attraction all our own, later in the growing season. A Labyrinth of Love walk, maybe. All we would need to do is find a weekend in the summer when we aren’t away at the lake. Is that a thing?
.
.
Accepting Attention
There is nothing more satisfying for me lately than seeing the horses looking thoroughly contented. We started their day yesterday by closing gates to confine them to the paddocks in advance of an appointment with a farrier. Being suddenly restricted from the acres of fresh green grass didn’t appear to bother them much.
I noticed two of them napping on the ground and decided to wander out and scoop up a couple of fresh deposits that had recently been dropped. While I was out there, Swings decided to lie down as well. Light stayed on her feet, but was doing her own version of snoozing in the warmth of the morning sunshine.
Before the farrier arrived, Cyndie and I showed up to put halters on the horses. Only Swings showed some initial resistance to the idea, but soon cooperated. What followed had me a little surprised. Our contact from This Old Horse, Maddy, arrived, and she joined Cyndie in grooming away the hair the horses were shedding. The fact that none of the horses objected to the intensity of attention was very uncharacteristic of them.
After a bushel of hair carpeted the ground, Cyndie began brushing out manes, using conditioner to detangle knots. While she worked, we moved one horse at a time to the other side of the overhang for the farrier, Jamie, to take care of their feet.
Light was first, because she doesn’t always stand well for the procedure. Jamie was wonderfully patient and completed all four hooves with only minor noncompliance. Cyndie brought Swings over last, arguably the easiest of the four.
We then opened the gates to the fields and gave the herd of old Thoroughbred mares full run of the place again. They calmly made their way out into the sea of green to graze. Out there on a sunny day, they are the picture of bliss.
When Asher and I showed up to serve the afternoon feed, three of them slowly made their way, one by one, back to the paddocks as I was getting things prepared. Swings chose to linger on the grass. I know enough now not to fret over their timing. I hung out all four buckets and took Asher back to the house for his dinner.
Opening the app to view our surveillance camera, I could see Swings munching away at one of the buckets while Mix was taking bites from a hay net, and Light and Mia stood by looking perfectly satiated.
Having these rescued horses accept all this attention and then appear so wonderfully satisfied is incredibly rewarding. They’ve come a long way from the stressed condition we witnessed when they first arrived here.
I’ve learned a lot from them about allowing time to pass for deep healing to emerge. The process of reclaiming their fully deserved equine health probably never really ends.
.
.
Soaking Rain
There are a variety of ways our land is impacted by an inch of rainfall, depending on the time of year and how dry or wet it was beforehand. Yesterday, that amount of rain seemed like a lot more than just an inch. It rained for most of the day. Asher was about as reluctant to go out in it as I was. We made a trek down to the barn while it was raining rather intensely in the middle of the day to retrieve empty feed buckets from the morning serving.
Asher led me back to the house without hesitation after I was done down there, not even pausing to pee. We both decided the best course of action at that point was to nap.
When the appointed hour for feeding horses in the afternoon arrived, there was a pause in the precipitation, and Asher and I took advantage of that to first walk through the woods and around the fields. The trails were like flowing rivers. Water in the drainage swale along the south border of our property was overflowing its eroded ruts.
Water draining out of the hay field was running on top of the boards that keep the riding mower wheels out of a rut.
Soggy is an understatement for the conditions during our little walk.
The horses were split between interest in eating the feed pellets I was serving up and staying with the freshly washed green grass. Can’t say I blame them.
I inadvertently made a new version of a pitchfork the other day while turning the manure pile inside the large paddock.
I’m not sure what it would be good for in this configuration, but it looks interesting. Using a long-handled tool until it gives out due to metal fatigue serves as a marker revealing you’ve been at this game for a significant amount of time.
At this point, I suspect my body is going to give out before we see the replacement fork Cyndie brought home yesterday fail. I think my back was getting dangerously close to feeling like that pitchfork looked when it cracked on me.
It’s funny how robust physical activity can be a good workout for the body while also potentially putting it at risk of failure.
A little like how rain can be beneficial for all the growing plants and creatures, but can also be so soaking that it becomes too much of a good thing. In these cases, the adage “moderation is key” becomes the advice to heed.
I can control how hard I work my body. Too bad I can’t control how much or how little rain we receive on any given day.
.
.
Plant Rescue
We were given possession of a root-bound ZZ plant (zamioculcas zamiifolia) by friends who were reclaiming some space in their home. Our daughter, Elysa, and Cyndie separated it into 5 different pots yesterday.
I’m hoping we can make it a companion to our Bird of Paradise plant that Elysa and Ande gave us after having gone through a similar exercise of separating and repotting that beauty. They should make a great pair.
While we were at Elysa’s, I did my feeble best to rescue her 2-door fence gate. I can’t fathom how eight screws (4+4) in two hinges completely sheared off one of the doors. I was thinking I might be able to simply move the hinges on the door until I discovered they were part of a metal frame that spans the entire width of the door.
We ended up raising the whole thing half an inch and screwing it into the post. It is now reattached, but getting it to butt up against the other door requires a little extra effort with a lift and a shove.
Cyndie shifted her focus to pruning dead shoots from some very vigorous raspberry bushes along the fence.
When we were ready to wrap up our visit, my car was filled with the larger of the potted ZZ plants and multiple shoots of the raspberries. As I was driving home, Cyndie was reading up on how to take care of our newly repotted plant. We decided to put it in the front sunroom for now to give it time to settle in the new pot.
I’d like to see it turn toward the sunlight and have the soil firm up to give the stalks more stability before calling this a successful transplant. Then I hope to buddy it up with the tall Bird of Paradise on the sunnier half of the house.
I like the symmetry of our two rescued/repotted exotic plants growing alongside one another.
.
.
Love Energy
This morning, I received an email reminder of the 2nd anniversary of the passing of a man I feel extremely lucky to have known, even though I only encountered him a dozen or more times over a number of years up to the end of his life. It has me thinking about what a gift it is to have this kind of influence on others.
For far too many years from adolescence through my 40s, I felt more angst and bitterness about the world than I care to admit. I attempted to mask it from others to a reasonable degree, but that energy was probably always emanating toward people around me.
Being able to know the difference in my energy since treating my depression offers hope that any influence that might linger with people in the years after I’m gone will be a lot more loving than if I hadn’t addressed my mental health.
I asked Cyndie to review the people who have responded with intentions to come walk our labyrinth on Saturday, May 2nd, and learned it is a wide array of folks who likely won’t know each other.
We are looking forward to letting all the love energy of our property and animals give people a boost in ways they may not anticipate. I’m watching the weather forecast and plotting a goal of having the grass freshly mowed by the appointed hour of visitors arriving.
If conditions hold as the current projections suggest, this could be the first World Labyrinth Day with sunshine for us in years. That is a truly lovely outcome that I am looking forward to enjoying.
.
.
Relative Something 