Water Temple and Pumpkins

Anselm at the farm

Basil wore his plague doctor costume

I had my 90-day review at work tonight.  They said I am doing well and will keep me on.

Yesterday Anselm and Basil and I went to Bob's Pumpkin Farm over by Half Moon Bay and then to the Water Temple.  It was their first time at the Water Temple since they were little boys but we go to the pumpkin farm every year. Anselm says he is planning on moving to Texas or Alaska next spring when he turns 18 so I suppose this will be his last year to go to the Pumpkin farm with me.

We each got a pumpkin for carving and I got two for cooking.  I still have two out in the garden that are almost ready to pick.

Each each year since 2006

The Water Temple

Fishing at Coyote Lake

In the early 1990s my parents used to go to Coyote Lake in their motor home.  One summer, I remember, they stayed there for a couple of months with my two oldest sons, Billy and Devon.  (I miss them greatly.)  I went down and saw them at the lake several times during that summer.  I had to work but I got down there when I could.  Weekends.

This morning, about 20 years since the last time I at that lake, Anselm and I went fishing down there.  It was strange for me.  I loved being with Anselm (He caught a bass on a crawdad lure but it was two small to keep). but I was also sad because of my first two sons.  We saw three different flocks of turkeys (one was mostly Gould's variety but the others looked like Rio Grand variety.  I was surprised to see such sharp distinctions.) a covey of quail, several mule deer, and a bobcat.  but no coyotes.

Sometimes, it seems like I have had too many lives.  Everything and everywhere is full of memories.

Anselm and I are going to make a regular thing out of Thursday mornings, I think.  I am able to arrange my work schedule so that I don't have to be anywhere until 2pm on Thursdays, and that is fine for fishing.  I am very happy about that.

A Fourteen Year Old

Basil Wenceslas turned 14 today.  It is amazing.  I can hardly believe it. It seems like yesterday that I wasa driving his mother to Good Samaritan Hospital, that Fr. David was naming him, that Bishop Benjamin was baptising him, that he was going to his older brother's cub scout meetings, then becoming a Cubs Scout himself.  I loved reading to him.  Blueberries for Sal was one of his favorites.  It was given to him by an old woman who lived next door to us when Basil was still in a stroller.   For this birthday I gave him a Koine Greek curriculum.  I hope we get to read it together.  He is even taking a college class now.  He is doing so well compared to where he was a couple of years ago.  I am proud of him.

Nematodes, Tomatoes, and Hornworms

The good news is that the nematodes worked!  All the grubs are dead and the tomato plants are producing again. Cucumber and squash are recovering, too. We are very pleased.

The bad news is we now have tomato hornworms.  Kathleen has recruited neighborhood kids into an anti-hornworm task force.