getting things done

September 6, 2002


OK, I thought the woman in the yellow shirt on Bridge Rd. the other day was weird. Tonight as I was driving to the northern tip of the island to get a picture of the lighthouse with the sunset colors going on, a kid in a goalie mask leaped into the road waving what was either a hockey stick or a wooden sword at me. I continued on my merry way, got out of the car, crossed the street, and took the picture. Looking both ways crossing back to the parking lot I spotted out of the corner of my eye three boys advancing toward the parking lot. Two of the them were wearing gas masks. The third was the same kid in the goalie mask, still with his stick. Gas masks? Is Newburyport at war with Salisbury? Are these the dueling Salisbury harbormasters in disguise come to fight it out in the dunes across the river? Naw, they're too young for harbormasters. They don't look old enough to drive, but who can tell with the gas masks? Nbpt has certainly out-weirded Salisbury tonight. I scrambled into the car and hightailed it out of there.

It's been an all around weird day. I figured I'd get an early start on doing errands, all those things I promised myself I'd take care of this week while I'm on vacation. Things like mailing the new computer to Hungary, buying new shoes, getting a haircut, refilling prescriptions, taking the ugly green Honda to the car wash to remove the Plum Island dust and gull poop... Ha! I woke up with a stiff neck, got a flat tire on the way to the car wash, forgot to pick up the refills, and just plain never got to haircut or shoes. I did, however, ship the bleeping computer to bleeping Hungary so I can stop bleeping tripping over it in my study.

Once I got the tire fixed and the computer mailed, I realized I'd better exchange the dirty laundry for the clean laundry today instead of tomorrow because I have a date to watch back hoes knitting tomorrow morning in Providence. Yes, back hoes. Yes, knitting. Anyway, I ran into Tom at the laundry and invited him for coffee. We drank coffee, discussed movies and books, ran into Right Wing Anne who's been up 'til 2:00 AM recent nights reading the McCullough biography of John Adams, listened to her tell us all about the revolution (she grew up in Japan and knew nothing about American history until JoJo and Nadu started studying it in school), talked some more, and realized we'd been at it two hours and didn't want to get parking tickets. Tom wants me to be sure to photograph the back hoes tomorrow.

Set on birding Plum Island every day this week, despite having had the bird sighting of the day inches from my own driveway - a broad-winged hawk - I drove on up there somehow believing that I'd get there before sunset. I didn't. The refuge was closed. I saw no birds other than a lone cormorant flying over the PI Turnpike, and encountered the aforementioned oddly masked boys on the Nbpt end of the island.

Like I said, a weird day all around. No wonder I have so much difficulty getting things done.

Today's Bird Sightings
North Andover

broad-winged hawk (1)

This Year's Bird Sightings
Plum Island Year List

 

Today's Reading
Eccentric Islands by Bill Holm

This Year's Reading
2002 Book List

Today's Starting Pitcher
Tim Wakefield

Sox: 7
Bluejays: 1


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Copyright © 2002, Janet I. Egan