I’ve put the backyard homestead dream aside for the moment. Minor setbacks like missing the deadline to buy bees placed beehive project on hold. Egg laying chickens were nixed by the wife (“what will the neighbors say?!” she said. “Can I borrow some eggs” wasn’t the answer she was thinking). African pygmy goats suffered a similar veto.
Took down lumber surrounding the vegetable garden when I found out that treated wood leeches who-knows-what carcinogens into the lovely tomatoes. This year, through pure neglect the tomatoes are growing on their own. I’m not sure what Shelby is doing over by the garden, but I’ve been sniffing around to see if he’s fertilizing when I’m not looking. I think naming him Shelby is causing the poor lad to suffer from a bit of doggy gender confusion. I honestly can’t remember why we named him Shelby. He’s a good dog, addicted to bagels, a bit hyper, but what lab isn’t hyper for the first 10 years. Promised I’d take him swimming but summer just isn’t sticking this season in New England. Feels like fall around here with all the rain and cool evenings.
Sold what the wife called my “Sanford & Son truck” yesterday to a kid that will polish it up and more than likely never put any manure in the back 
(I know, I hear ya Fred). That pretty much seals it that I’m not going duck hunting in the fall – not in my new Yuppie Outback, waiting to be clowned by the spit-before-you-talk crowd. Haven’t given up on the trout though. Came back from a trip to Virginia and though I didn’t get a chance to cast some line up in Pembroke waters, it is beautiful country, with a generous people. Bought a nice March Brown travel rod and as soon as I marry it up to one of the dozen reels I’m following on eBay, I’ll be ready for a trip out west. Still eyeballing a used Bass Tracker…decisions, decisions…in the mean time, a stack of summer reading is piling up and there is the deck that needs to be sealed…mañana
