Anniversary Celebration HHR Style

We celebrated our 8th Anniversary over the weekend in the garden raking, pulling up the remains of the Brussels sprouts, harvested leeks (turned into leek tart) and the first aspargus spear of the year.  It was sunny and warm (short weather!) so we planted peas and lettuces. The seedlings are moving along too, we are dreaming of garden delights already.

We shared the single spear for our anniversary dinner on Sunday night, content in knowing there was more to come very soon.

RIP: Bihar (after 14+ years)

Today our oldest cat, Bihar, passed away in his sleep after a brief illness.  He was quite possibly "the best cat ever", with a very affectionate and peaceful personality.  He will be very much missed by us and visitors to our home. 

Bihar was born in Montreal and spent his early weeks in a francophone Quebec home.  His adolescent years were spent chasing his sister (Orissa) and enjoying sunny windows in Kirland, Quebec. He and his sister made several cross-country moves, and he had been living with us in Connecticut since we arrived here in 1999.  After the passing of his sister we thought he wouldn't make it because he grieved so much.  However, he was a real fighter and he pulled through and found a new role as feline patriach and close friend to Haryana and Chatrapathi.  In the last few years he had slowed down considerably and preferred to watch his more active siblings play.  He also enjoyed sitting on our laps and basking in the warmth of the wood fired stove.  His favorite time was in the early morning when he loved to have his chest rubbed whilst he hugged you with both paws.

As a small tribute to his 14 years with us, we have posted a few pictures online that can be viewed here.

Everything Potent Is Dangerous

We had a lot of time to listen to the radio while cleaning the basement last weekend., and were taken with the "This I Believe Essay" by Wallace Stegner entitled "Everything Potent is Dangerous" that we heard (on NPR of course!) on The Bob Edwards Show . You can read or listen to Stegner's essay on the This I Believe website.

We are happy to report our basement is dry and we hoping for a continuation of the sunny, dry weather.

Historic North Stonington devastated by flood | News from southeastern Connecticut

A story with photos shows the loss of the Watermark Cafe in town:
The Day - Historic North Stonington devastated by flood News from southeastern Connecticut

Flood update from Hangman Hill

We are at day four of vacuuming water out of our basement after receiving a torrential 8" of rain earlier this week (see photo).  It is getting very old!

Our local landmarks have not faired very well in the deluge and a state-of-emergency has been declared in all the local towns.  Our road washed away in places (see below), and the bridge in North Stonington village was closed after its foundations washed away (see picture).  In addition, the town of Westerly has been without power after its main electrical substation was submerged.  We could go on, but you probably get the idea!  We're actually quite happy that we didn't sustain any structural damage, and we just need to dry out.  Fortunately the forecast is for a sunny and warm weekend, and we hope that we can start hanging our wet possession out on the washing line.

Flooding on the Hill

Despite living here, on Hangman Hill, we have a completely flooded basement for the first time.  After nearly 15" of rain in the last two weeks we lost the battle with the last 8" that has fallen in 36 hours.   Fortunately it is is only 2" and below the level of the "blocks" that most things sit upon in case this happens.  Even our friends Mark and Jen who claim to be even higher up on Hangman Hill are to be in the same "boat".  Flooding in the local area is severe, and many roads are closed.  We have a friend in Stonington, which is closer to the ocean, that had 12" in her basement before the fire brigade came to the rescue.  We are happy with what we have, so to speak.  The wet-vac is calling...

Telluride: Sun, Snow and Sleep

We spent a great week in Telluride, Colorado, which is located in the southewest corner of the state.  We arrived just in time for fresh snow, which gave us the chance to do some low altitude XC skiing and aclimitizing the first day. The rest of the week was bright and sunny.  We enjoyed excellent spring skiing conditions, excellent views and enjoyed exploring the surrounding area.  Our friend Gene has been telling us for years we should go to Telluride, we would love it.  As always, his advice was good.  You can see a few photos from the trip, click here.  We had a great condo with amazing views, and a hot tub that really helped after long days on snowboards.   This time around we rented a car with 4-wheel drive so we don't have any epic stories about rescues from Deputy Sherrifs. We did have a harrowing trip back to Montrose in a terrific snowstorm to catch a plane .  If only we had one more day for another powder day.  Great views, nice town, good food, and if you go the 2nd week in March, you will enjoy the company of a lot of Texans!