Journal of a Sabbatical

March 31, 2001

Boswell's Boswell

Quote of the Day: "Every man his own Boswell" -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Bonus Quote of the Day: "Didn't we go to the mushroom last week?" -- Claire

Relevant hydrographs:

Shawsheen River - updated every 4 hours

Merrimack River

Concord River -- at the gage closest to Andover

Today's Reading: A Visit to India, China, and Japan in the Year 1853 by Bayard Taylor, The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes

No detours on the way to Priscilla's to meet the walking buddies. I guess we were lucky yesterday's precipitation came as snow even though there was a lot of it. We managed to find a walking route that dodged the major puddles, ponds, and slush piles. During yesterday's storm, Joan-east and her vehicle had a close encounter with a guard rail. There were a lot of those type of accidents yesterday so I guess she's a statistic. Anyway, she's not hurt so we inspect the damage to the car. It goes all along the driver's side from front bumper to rear bumper. I'll be repairs are pricey. She's revved up so we end up walking far and fast. We're somewhere on a side street when we spot Easter Lights. Easter lights? Since when do people hang up yellow and lavender lights on their houses for Easter? The lights are shaped like eggs and chicks. This is pretty darn pagan if you ask me.

At some point Joan-east becomes convinced that we walked this route last week, but Claire points out that we went to the mushroom last week. This leads to discussion of the fact that Rita has never seen the mushroom and she's not here today. Betcha next walk is to the mushroom. Yes, we are developing a cult around this mushroom.

Meanwhile Nancy is trying to score some tickets to the Ferron concert at Stone Soup tonight. We haven't seen Ferron in a dog's age. And just last night Nancy was asking "where have all the dykes gone?" We had our fifteen minutes of fame and became invisible again. I mean look around on TV and other public arenas, see any lesbians? Nope. Plenty o' gay men, but no lesbians. Some day we will all turn bright purple and people will be really really really surprised. Anyway, then she brought up this Ferron concert at the last minute. So like that's probably where the dykes will have gone at least tonight. However, Nancy phones to say she was unsuccessful. Well, at least that means it's sold out so there are some dykes left in Providence.

When I get to Providence I discover there is no snow. How refreshing. Just when the last flake of snow was almost about to be gone from my yard so I could start the spring cleanup, we got that nasty 6 or so inches yesterday and it is sticking around. Priscilla says it was 8 inches. Whatever. Anyway, Providence has none. They had flooding yesterday but the water has gone down. I don't feel like renting a movie so after dinner at Gourmet House we read aloud to each other from The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table. Holmes has this whole section on aging where he advocates rowing, the best exercise, as part of his anti-aging program. We laugh 'til our sides hurt. And I love that thing on the flyleaf: Every man his own Boswell. I am my own Boswell. I am aging fast. I'd better take up rowing.