All Tuckered Out

The hectic pace of this week never lessened. I don't know how there manages to be so much happening on an island of sixty some-odd people, but I do know that I am one tired woman. Now where was I? Moonlit hikes, tree climbing, clinging to my inner Yankee?

Yes, that sounds familiar. It has been a whirlwind. I believe that Tuesday night I stayed in. Wednesday I retraced my steps up Champlain, climbed the tree alone and in the light of day, then got down into the small bog and harvested about a quart of cranberries. While contorting myself to stay dry, I noticed a large tupperware box, a geo-cache stashed by sundry Greenlaws. I am so good I found it without looking it up or using a GPS. I got back down the hill before dark- which is to say I was back in the cozy confines of my kitchen by 4pm, and quickly set about cleaning and freezing the goods. Made some more tortillas for dinner, called my girlfriend to see about some us time. Just as I was about to head out the door, the guys of autumn showed up to invite me for a night hike later, since the moon is nearly full. I told them they'd know where to find me. In the meantime, they had to go to a meeting.

All was quiet at my friend's house, just a few of the local guys quietly drinking beer- her sons were in bed, but quickly made excuses to come downstairs when they heard me come in. Shy of appearing in front of me in boxers, they hitched across the floor to the bathroom on their bottoms, with their tee shirts pulled over their knees and legs. They lingered downstairs as long as they could get away with it- one of them hitching his way under the table, another trying to hide in a closet. I got a satisfying hair ruffle in on the one under the table. I am fairly certain he is squarely to blame for the amplification of my biological clock in the last year.

Eventually our quiet party of four became a mellow party of six, and the evening moved into later and later territory. At about 1:30 I began my walk home. That was the exent of my night hike, since the guys never materialized after the meeting.

I did see them this afternoon, however, when they led the school on a hike in the park. Three adults, seven kids, two and a half hours- not sure how many miles. It was a pleasant outing, and my kids were on pretty good behavior. Even so, both men asked if the students were normally so... energetic, and then gave me their condolences.

By the time we got back to the school, much of my body ached from the increasingly raw weather: at the school and store, I dodged issuing the dinner invitation the men were so clearly after. I went home, put a potato in the oven to bake, and drew a bath. Baking a potato and taking a bath are very compatable tasks. Draw the bath while you prep the potato; you soak, it bakes. In about an hour, you've got warmth back into your bones, aches out of your muscles, and dinner is ready.

I did some reading for book club, took a delicious nap, then grabbed my knitting, hopped in my car, picked up one of my students and drove to the meeting of the Occasional Knitter's Society. As of tonight I have the cuff and heel flap of one striped wool sock completed. Now it is time to embark on the turning of the heel. The Society meeting was a fertile one tonight, I learned important news- our local chocolatier announced that she and her husband would open the cafe on Monday nights for complementary tea and coffee, so that people could gather to play cards, etc... people will more likely than not bring baked goods as well as their shining faces, since this island seems to revolve around food.

Tonight I will contemplate what I will make for tomorrow night, when I go out- I have reason to suspect I will get rather hungry, and so I should plan something tasty.

When I finally got home, the light on my machine was blinking- Suitor #1, calling to pin me down for weekend plans. I have been meaning to get back to him, but the week has been so busy, and the scheduling for the weekend such a source of irritation (Sunday boast are no longer running, and I have to be in Rockland Monday morning- ergo I may have to go off Saturday, when I really don't want to go off at all), I have been avoiding the issue all together. I am a poor date- I hate phones, I do not respond to much of anything in a timely manner, and I am far and away too crotchety for weekly interaction. Not to mention I fiercely love being on the island, and will only leave it under some amount of duress.

Darkness has slipped over the world, and while I may not be content to stay indoors all the time, I am damned well content to just stay on the island.