Odds and ends

1) One reason I posted about Don Williams and "Good Ole Boys Like Me" is that the line about the smell of Cape Jasmine coming through the window screen reminded me of a remark Lee made recently about missing the smell of lilacs coming through the windows in the morning, something that is part of his childhood memory bank. We did not have lilacs or gardenias at my house, but an aunt and uncle had a Cape Jasmine hedge. Sometimes when I stayed overnight with my cousins during the summer, the attic fan in the hallway drew in the cool night air, laden with an almost overwhelming scent of gardenias. Today there is a large lilac bush outside the window of my bathroom. It is about to burst into bloom and maybe will refresh the air for a few days if I remember to leave the window open.

2) Lee mentioned once that he wondered why Tom and I went places on vacation where we would sit in the woods and look at nature when we live in the woods surrounded by nature at home all the time. I thought of that when I posted about Pine Point Cottage this morning. As Lee well knows -- and you do, too, I imagine -- one of the attractions of sitting around in a different set of woods in a different part of nature is that you are miles and miles from all the things that would keep you busy at home. And it is particularly nice to be miles from the land line. (Yes, we still have a land line. Don't ask.) Even if people reach you on the cell phone, you are too far away to be bothered by minor things and can just let it all go. Plus the fact that Pine Point overlooks Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands, which will be a nice change from our back yard, lovely though it is.

3) One of my roommates from my freshman year at Michigan State got in touch with me recently and we are catching up. This happens from time to time, although in most cases, after catching up we drift apart again. The major exception to this is Lee, who tracked me down via the blog and remains a regular correspondent, recommending books and encouraging me to keep writing. 

4) And a shout out to Rob and a wish that his operation goes well tomorrow. See, Rob, you made it into the blog, too.