Progress

This past weekend a major hurdle was crossed in the on-going saga that is my yard. Ever since I bought my house almost a year ago I’ve been continually working to provide a bit more curb appeal by clearing out some much neglected landscaping (and I use the term landscaping very loosely). The previous owners of my home were, how you say, not the most conscientious when it came to maintaining the yard and the growth. One severely unruly area was my side yard.

The side yard consisted of a thick growth of plants, shrubs, volunteer trees, vines, leaf litter, and just about anything else that you can imagine. It was about ten feet high about 100 feet long, and about ten feet wide. It blocked out all the light from my backyard as it was too thick to see through. At first I started trying to prune it but decided it would be easier to cut it all down, which I eventually did. Of course, the site prep (including stump removal, adding soil to fill holes, removing rocks, killing off weeds, etc.) kept me occupied for the past 11 months.

This past weekend it was time to replant the space with more appropriate vegetation to provide interest, color, and some light screening. Of course none of it would have been possible without the help of my brothers who know a thing or two about landscaping and plants. I gave them full control to select plants and provide guidance on placement and layout. My role was to pay for everything and chauffeur them around to get everything they said I needed.

In one full days time we managed to take a blank canvas and convert it to what will hopefully be a manageable and lush bed of fresh plants and grasses. While I personally am superbly happy with the way things turned out and how everything looks, I was getting additional validation from my neighbors passing by. Now I’ll have the rest of the summer to work on the numerous other projects on my list.

As Old As You Feel

This past weekend I made yet another return trip to my boy-hood home. This time it was for the wedding of a family friend. I haven’t seen the groom or his family since his sister got married four years ago so I decided to attend. Also, the majority of my family was going too so I felt some degree of obligation.

The ceremony was as expected. It was an outdoor wedding and it was crazy hot but it was short and soon everyone retired to an air conditioned room for the reception. On the walk to the reception hall I heard a familiar voice calling my name. It was an old friend from high school that I probably haven’t seen in ten years. Apparently his wife was friends with the bride which is why he was in attendance.

For a little back story, after graduating from high school I split town and attended college at Iowa State University. It was as far as I could get away where I still knew people that could help me out if I needed it (I have relatives in Iowa). After graduating from Iowa State, I moved to Georgia for work. This little jaunt around the country took about ten years of my life. During this chapter of my life I didn’t get back to my old stomping grounds very often. Most everyone else I grew up with stayed close by the ‘burg or have moved back.

As we reminisced about old times, I also got an update on who was doing what and where people were. As it turns out, most of the people I grew up with are now married and have kids that keep them on the move. I began comparing this to my life: I’m still single, living by myself, and spend all my free time adventuring with my friends. At first I began to feel as though I had missed out on something or wasn’t being “responsible.” Then I realized it was quite the opposite.

I might be doing things differently but I'm enjoying myself just as much. The way he made things sound was that all my fellow high school classmates were all old married couples. The funny thing is, I don’t consider myself old even though I’m the same age. I guess it’s all about perspective and from where I’m sitting, things are going just fine.

Priorities

As I’ve said in the past, State College is a happenin’ town and this weekend proved no different. Not only was there a big music festival with some really solid local bands, there was a bonzer mountain bike race through Rothrock State Forest, and several parties in my neighborhood. Being a (relatively) hip, single guy in such a cool locale with all these choices to occupy my time, I decided to leave town to attend the birthday party of an unrelated three-year-old at a glorified petting zoo.

Now granted, this was the daughter of my friends Alex and Andrea (from a few posts ago) and she is a cool little girl. However, Andrea had also invited our mutual friends Lisa and Amos from Vermont and they decided to make the trip into town as well. When I heard they were going to be attending I figured I didn’t have any choice but to show up. After all, I don’t get to see them very often and I would have needed a seriously good excuse (severed limb, head on fire, stuck in a hole) for Andrea to allow me to stay away. See, Andrea has categorized Lisa and Amos as “sacred cows.” This basically means that everything else is secondary (including personal health, safety, and welfare) if there is even a remote chance to spend time with them.

To add some context, Alex, Andrea, Lisa, Amos, and I all met as Northerners in deep South Georgia. Andrea, Lisa, and I all moved there independent of one another for work reasons while Alex and Amos followed their wives (however neither couple was married at the time). None of us had ties to anything southern or in any close geographic proximity. Upon meeting each other, however, there was a familial bond that formed between us since we were all experiencing a similar degree of foreignness. Consequently, we all spent a lot of time together sharing in all the unique idiosyncrasies of the cultural situation we put ourselves in. Of course, over time, we all moved back north and continue a less frequent face-to-face interaction.

If Lisa and Amos hadn’t been in town I probably would have stayed in the SC and enjoyed all the activities that make this little slice of Central Pennsylvania so much fun. I would have gotten an earful from Andrea for disappointing her daughter (although she wouldn’t have known I wasn’t there) but that’s nothing new. Fortunately Lisa and Amos did show up and, as always, it was really great to see them again.

What Doesn’t Kill You…

Meet Brian. At first glance, you might think Brian is a mild mannered individual. After all, he’s an engineering professor at a local university (and therefore a bit nerdy), he’s tall, lanky, and has a relatively consistent “nothing bothers me” attitude. He’s also starting to grey a bit but that’s not really his fault. Brian is a classic case of judging the book by its cover. While the jacket may seem simple, the story is all about pain and suffering. Of course, he’s the one that inflicts the pain and causes the suffering.

While this may seem like an exaggeration, every time I have joined Brian for some kind of outdoor activity, it turns out to be a full-on sufferfest. Well, at least I end up suffering while Brian casually rolls along and pretends to be exerting some effort but that just adds insult to injury. Sunday was a prime example of Brian doing his best to try and rip my legs off via a mountain bike ride. Of course, I foolishly decided to join.

Like most mountain bike rides with Brian it starts out without a real ride plan. We decide to meet somewhere and then settle on a loop. This, puts Brian in the unique position to lure you in and then WHAM, you’re stuck. After all, you’re not going get all geared up and drive to the woods only to say, “No thanks, I’d rather not ride.” That’s just foolish. Instead, you begrudgingly go along and end up doing some ridiculous amount of climbing mixed with gnarly descents that leave you barely able to walk when the ride is done.

Brian typically tells me that rides like the one from this weekend are good for me. I’m still trying to figure out what good comes from being a few pedal strokes away from complete incapacitation. One would think the cushy university gig would make him soft but I think it just gives him time to figure out new and creative ways to bury me and the others foolish enough to join his cavalcade of misery.