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Up early this Friday morning to take care of some lawn chores outside and await the arrival of the Stanley Steemer crew. Two of the carpets upstairs, my wife's home office and the TV room (where the Young Master spends time in the evenings) are in desperate need of cleaning. Since the Grand Duchess is on a 12-month appointment in her duties as a university administrator, and in her office on campus this morning, yours truly is handling the transaction.
The attire for today is more of the usual late spring-summer-early fall mix worn with a navy and peach ribbon belt. Skinny, pale legs are not required, of course, but it is entirely possible to hang around the house while looking relatively presentable.
A few pairs of chino shorts mixed and matched with several different shirts, plus a couple of casual belts along with a pair of casual shoes, and you've got a decent-looking summer capsule wardrobe that will work in many, if not most non-professional settings these days.
And no. You don't need to break the bank either. While I think both companies have taken a number of missteps in the last 15-20 years, Land's End and L.L. Bean nevertheless still have everything you need in the pages of their print catalogs and websites if you look closely and carefully. Watch for sales and end-of-season clearance for even more savings.
On an entirely different note, can you believe today is the last day of June? Where on earth has the month gone??!!
-- Heinz-Ulrich
Wearing the colors that I saw daily at my old YMCA summer camp between 1975-1981, when I attended for two weeks each July or August. The t-shirts for Camp Conrad Weiser were the very same dark green as this particular polo number, and there were certainly many pairs of khaki shorts in amongst the pull-on athletic shorts of the era that many of us campers wore daily along with our white tube socks with a stripe or three of color around the top just below our knees.
Hey, it was the 1970s!
At the time, CCW was all male although some of the senior staff had wives and small children with them for the summer, four two-week periods then along with week-long riding and tennis camps in August once the regular season was over. There were also two-affiliate international programs -- Voyager and ICEP -- for small groups of older campers, who enjoyed traveling with their counselors outside of the U.S.
Besides a number of camp friends who I saw, caught up with, and bummed around with each year, we also had a contingent of counselors from various other countries since we were a YMCA camp. College-aged men from Britain, France, Denmark, West Germany, Japan, South Korea, Australia, South Africa, and Nigeria routinely made up the camp staff to supervise campers. Among the numerous life skills we were taught, both implicitly and explicitly, were things like table manners, setting, serving, and clearing an eight-person table for fellow campers and counselors as well as considerate daily behavior PLUS more typical summertime activities like swimming, horseback riding, skeet and target shooting with live ammunition, archery, canoeing, sailing, soccer, trail camping, and the like.
Besides the United States, many of my fellow campers came from other countries as diverse as India (Chandra, or "Charlie" as he preferred), Puerto Rico (Carlos), Ecuador (Luis), and Canada (Pete). The was also a slew of kids from across the U.S., who I hung out with each summer for several years running (Stavely A., Tom K., Taub S., Peter A., Chris E., John B., Tim S., John R., Daniel G., Joel B., Mark and Jack G., Chip A., Daniel I., Michael H., Brian S., and many more).
The campers were sorted by age into six different villages, the Cubs, Pioneers, and Rovers for the younger boys, the Loggers, Trail Blazers, and Rangers for the older guys. And if campers arrived not knowing already how to keep their footlockers in order, and their cabins/tents neat, we were taught and expected to do so with daily clean-up of our areas/belongings and subsequent inspections by our counselors, usually the chief counselor of each village while the rest of us waited quietly lined up according to cabin/tent. These 45 to 60-minute sessions took place each day back in our six villages following breakfast and before we could disperse for morning activities.
The cabin/tent with the lowest score had to clean. . . THE KYBO (camp shorthand for village "facilities"). Oddly, there was one year where that fate became a strange badge of honor for the tent I was part of the year I was a Logger. We ended up with that particular morning chore two or three times in the same week. God alone knows why, but it still makes me chuckle whenever the thought crosses my mind.
But CCW wasn't all fun and games either. There was also my Officer of the Day experience in 1979 -- My name is burned onto a stylized wooden arrow for that year, which still hangs in the dining hall on one of the walls. -- when I learned, among other things, how to raise, lower, and (un-) fold the flag during morning and evening ceremonies outside the dining hall as campers and counselors stood to attention (with salutes) around the Big A field, answer the main camp phone and connect callers to various people in other offices using a multi-line switchboard, plus handle some other minor receptionist tasks like filing and helping the camp secretary. "Stacy," if memory serves me correctly, was an attractive young woman with that late 70s feathered Farrah Fawcett hairstyle, and she certainly made an impression on the 13-year old me by virtue of her patience and kindness during that day in the front office with her.
I wonder if campers in 2023 even do things like the chores described anymore?
Combine all of that with amazing camp facilities amidst the beautiful southeastern Pennsylvania countryside, and it made for a truly amazing and formative life experience. Why on earth I never opted for longer than the usual two weeks is anybody's guess
since I always had so much fun that the two weeks blew by each summer before I knew
it. There was never time to miss my family and suffer from homesickness. My parents, bless them, always offered the opportunity for longer stays, but I never took them up on it. I have kicked myself, mentally speaking, many times in the years since.
My sister attended the similar YWCA camp for girls, Blue Mountain Summer Camp, about an hour away by the way.
CCW went co-ed about two or three years after I stopped attending by about 1983 or '84, and continues to go strong as far as I can tell from the website and quarterly newsletter sent to me. But it's a different planet from the look and sound of things. Still incredibly nice and reasonably priced for everything offered to campers mind you. But the internet, technical gadgets, and societal shifts, not to mention the rise of hysterical helicopter parenting, mean that it is a radically different camping experience from the one I and my friends enjoyed 40+ years ago.
But the years I attended were magical.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
A very cool and calm day yesterday with only one brief trip out. Otherwise, the Young Master and I watched the grass grow from the back porch between various showers that moved through the area.
Another variation of fairly typical attire for May through late September here at Totleigh. Skipole legs not required.
It was almost cool enough for corduroy jeans, but I was too lazy to return upstairs to pull out a pair from the flat plastic tubs stored beneath the bed. This is where ski gear and other off-season clothing are stored once washed and folded each fall/spring depending on the garment(s) and season.
More rain today (Bring it on, say I!), so no work outside, which is kind of nice. Unstructured time is always welcome.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
The Grand Duchess and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary yesterday evening (We first met in late August 2000.) in a quiet way with cards, a necklace for her, and freshly sliced strawberries in cream. A delightful way to round out the day after lawn and garden chores, a shower, and a home-cooked evening meal. We concluded the evening with Episode One of the 9th and final series of Endeavor.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
Shuttling the Young Master to the dentists late this afternoon for a routine cleaning. What should have been a 15-minute trip took more than 40 minutes due to lots of roadwork and unexpected detours everywhere.
We had to double back and try alternate routes twice. A bit quicker coming home, but by that point it was late afternoon rush hour traffic, so the return trip took as long or longer. What's really annoying is that we live 15 minutes away, at most, as the crow flies.
Attire-wise, a not unpleasant combination of items although the tie knot and shirt collar are a bit more rumpled than I like, but we were hustling out the front door to the car with what I thought would be plenty of time to get to the dental office a few minutes early. Alas, it was not to be. Sigh.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
Following a 10am breakfast with the Young Master, yours truly spent a lovely 9o minutes or so watering flowers and taking care care of several inconsequential lawn and flower bed chores. This included hitting the front walk with the weed eater (some call it a string trimmer, others a weed whacker), followed by the battery powered blower.
The problem with brick walkways is that grass and weeds seem to sprout from almost every nook and cranny once the weather reaches a certain temperature. But it looks pretty good now even if I missed a few tiny plants. The trick is to do this about every 10 days before things get out of control and take much longer to whip back into shape.
This evening, I plan to finish laying down weed control "cloth" and mulching the large bed, formerly known as thistle, in from of the house along the driveway. I will plant a few perennials (large Hostas and the like), so the area is not simply an empty expanse of brown mulch lined by brick paving stones although anything is an improvement over the mess that was there before.
But now it's time to shower and dress before taking said child to his dentist appointment and then a quick stop at the supermarket for a few things on the way home.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
Heading to a midday meeting on campus. Who on earth schedules these things!!?? Many have already checked out, as it were, for the summer. No matter. It gives me an excuse to pull out a few things that haven't seen the light of day in about a month. Suitably seasonal I think.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
After a few very early lawn duties this morning, followed by the usual coffee and a shower, it was time to check the hanging baskets and various pots of Marigolds and Begonias out front and give 'em some water.
All fine and flowering except for a few along the front walkway that the blasted deer have sampled. Time to mist everything, hostas and day lillies included, with Critter Ridder or something similar that repels the creatures. Hasta la vista, Bambi!
The clothing for today includes typical warm weather items worn with a navy and orange ribbon belt. Tourist attire according to some, but just usual run of the mill stuff in my neck of the woods.
Hey, just because one is at home for the summer is no reason to look like a hamper of unwashed laundry. Right?
-- Heinz-Ulrich
It would seem that I own more navy and black polo shirts than I realize. Only one pair of Madras shorts however, work here with a navy and green ribbon belt plus the usual ski pole legs. Almost too cool for such attire today, but the chill is refreshing, and the overcast skies are easier on the ol' eyes. Happy Weekend everyone!
-- Heinz-Ulrich
Mowing and various other outside duties this sunny, cool, and breezy day along with a trip to Mathnasium with the Young Master (for some summertime tutoring) early in the afternoon. We concluded the day with dinner together at the dining table followed by a History Channel documentary on Ancient Rome (his choice), courtesy of Youtube.
Best of all, the Young Master took delivery of several new books that he purchased with some remaining Christmas money, which included titles on the Ancient Egyptians, the Renaissance, and some kids' fiction that he is fond of. A good day all around.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
A wonderfully cool, breezy, and partly cloudy day here in the Grand Duchy. Perfect weather for transplanting the last six Marigolds and final dozen Begonias to large pots in groups of threes and fours.
Attire for today includes the 9" inseam dark olive shorts pictured above (plain front and held up by one of the usual ribbon belts), a well-worn navy short-sleeved pique polo top, and the usual leather deck shoes, one of which is peeking out near the bottom of the photograph.
The great thing is that, after cleaning up and washing my hands inside, I was able to dash up the road to pick up a few things without the need to change clothes. It's entirely possible dress casually without looking like one has emerged from beneath Oscar the Grouch's garbage can.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
A wonderfully quiet Friday yesterday, filled with various outside duties. And enjoyably so given the sunlight, light breeze, and rather cool temperatures.
The sprinklers do not show up in the top photograph, but I amused myself with an after-dinner cup of coffee and simply watching the sprinklers go back and forth, back and forth (Mom always joked that I was easily entertained.) while the Young Master watched a little TV upstairs.
He and I have a date to watch another documentary, courtesy of Youtube, on Da Vinci after dinner this evening. Should be interesting.
The Grand Duchess has been away only for a couple of days, but already I miss her presence around the house. It's fun for about eight hours when she makes the occasional trip to Seattle where her family resides, or overseas, but then that initial novelty is replaced by a slightly odd and empty feeling.
It reminds me of when we first began spending time together outside of the graduate student office in early 2001, skiing, going to plays, having dinner out on the town (as much as poor graduate teaching assistants can do that), and so forth. We weren't even "dating" as the kids say, but I felt at loose ends during the 10 days or so of Spring Break Week in MArch that year when I didn't see her smile at the office each morning upon arrival.
That's when I knew. And here we 22 years later. Our 17th anniversary is at the end of the month by the way.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
Skipole legs included!
The Grand Duchess is away for a quick, eight-day research trip to Germany, so it's just "The Boys" at the moment.
Yesterday saw yours truly mulch a large bed across the back of the house where The Grand Duchess recently planted 36 Cleome, a few of which are starting to bloom. They do well in this bed, on the northern side of the house, providing some lovely color and visual interest along our screened in back porch where we spend a large amount of time each year between mid-May and late September.
Most important, the ever present white-tailed deer leave the Cleome alone, something we must always take into consideration with our annual and perennial plantings. I am not a hunter, and enjoy seeing the bucolic beasts walk though our front- and backyards occasionally, but when it comes to garden maintenance, the deer are pests. As destructive as moles in the lawn.
On a different note, the reasonably well-dressed Young Master (red short-sleeved polo shirt, jeans, and sneakers today) returns home midday following his last morning of 7th Grade. Haircut to follow at 4pm along with a quick trip to the grocery story on the way home to pick up a few things for supper.
Our son is a fan of hamburgers and vegetables cooked on the grill, so I thought we would celebrate with a special dinner before retiring upstairs to the TV room to watch another documentary on Leonardo Da Vinci, one of his current fascinations.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
The second-to-last day of 7th Grade! And it only took about half a dozen attempts to get a natural smile rather than a grimace, or a leer from the Young Master. His mother and I have always taken pains to make sure he learns how to present himself well to the rest of the world.
Firm handshakes, backwards baseball caps, and orange camouflage gear are not the issue.
Sadly, the khakis and cords have given way on the lower half to nothing but. . . jeans. Then again, I was the same way into my mid-20s, so hopefully our errant child will eventually return to the classics. However, I covet his Madras shirt for today. My own dresser is overstuffed with similar summer attire, though, so I'll simply admire the color combination without trying to squeeze into his men's 'small.'
Fear not. I will continue to make sure our son has decent stuff to wear as long as he lives with us. Hopefully, we'll avoid the 30-something part-time career barista living indefinitely in our basement after college!
Getting a bit shaggy on top there, so the Young Master will visit the barbershop late Friday afternoon. Good thing too, since he sneaked into my medicine cabinet a day or two ago to "borrow" my small sideburn and neck trimmer to tame a cowlick.
He now has a small bare spot on one side of his head (not visible here), which I hope the barber can blend into the rest of the haircut without too much difficulty. A "discussion" followed, needless to say, in which I stressed (yet again) the importance of not touching or using things that belong to others without first asking.
Sigh.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
A bit chilly here in Mid-Michigan this morning (it's 6:59am currently), so out came the 15+ year old rugby top from Land's End, or L.L. Bean, made and sold when they were still quite heavy material. It's beginning to fray a bit around the cuffs, but otherwise the shirt continues to hold up well, albeit a bit faded in places.
The Young Master finishes school for the summer -- He'll be in the 8th Grade in the fall and nearing his 14th birthday! -- so my early morning forays out into the world away from home will come to an end for a few months until my own academic year cranks into gear once again in late August. But, lots of interesting, even fun stuff will be happening there in addition to the usual teaching duties.
In the meantime, however, we've got the summer ahead of us with a couple of trips planned for Northern Michigan later in June and July. The Young Master has a week of overnight summer camp coming up (a first), the Grand Duchess heads off to Germany for 10 days later this morning for a quick research trip, and her parents visit in August with yet another visit to the Upper Peninsula in store for wife/daughter, grandchild, and grandparents.
Yours truly, will sit that one out and enjoy a week of absolute peace and quite at Totleigh-in-the-Wold with the cats.
In any case, a full couple of months over and above the usual lawn and garden games, which I actually kind of enjoy. Who would have thought? But when things finally begin coming together outside, the results are worth all of the effort necessary each spring to get lawn, beds, and pots into shape.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
The attire for a series of meetings/appointments on campus this D-Day anniversary. I felt relaxed, comfortable, and even a bit jaunty as I went about my business. Home again now and changed into yet another pair of khaki shorts, a tucked in long-sleeve black t-shirt, and the usual leather deck shoes for some small errands around the yard before shuttling the Young Master to his own appointment following ab after-school snack later this afternoon.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
Yesterday (Sunday) was one of those glorious days. Cooler temperatures, a breeze, and bright blue skies meant that I was outside all day tending to various things around the house and yard. It does not happen often enough, but once in a while the stars align, and you manage to tick off numerous items on the ol' mental "to do' list.
Sunday, June 4th was just such a day.
Among other things, I managed to pot numerous Marigolds, Begonias, finish lining a large bed with edging stones, and mow. Whew! Finally finished about 8:35 in the evening, after dinner, and followed with a second hot shower, pajamas, and an early bedtime.
Up and at 'em early today (Monday) for a few lawn duties early in the day, and then some college-related stuff in the afternoon and, possibly, a meeting via Zoom with my partner in crime and colleague, a man from Nepal of all places, who works closely with me on a joint research project.
The attire yesterday featured a seersucker shirt (tucked in), pleated khaki shorts, the usual leather deck shoes, and one more ribbon belt (navy and orange). People in the past have remarked that I dress like a tourist. I don't see it.
-- Heinz-Ulrich.
The attire worn to a lunchtime workshop on Community Engaged Learning mid-May.
Getting quite a bit of mileage out of those penny loafers, khakis, and sports jacket from J. Press it seems. Well, it's all stuff that's easy to mix and match, without much thought at all, yet one still manages to look pulled together when leaving the house to face the world.
Highly convenient attire for those few times each summer when I journey into campus (or appear on Zoom) for one kind of function, or another. Grubby t-shirts, fleeces, and cargo pants be damned!
-- Heinz-Ulrich
Up far too early this Saturday morning to run a few errands and take care of a few things before the rest of the day gets underway with the usual mowing and (hopefully) getting the rest of the annuals planted in our flower beds along the rear of the house. You know. The further adventures of. . . SUBURBAN. . . dad.
This evening after dinner, I plan to continue work adding edging stones to the edge of yet another bed in the front of the house that we are redoing after wrestling for several years with what was left by the previous owners. Back-breaking work, but the end result should be nicer to look at.
The attire for today -- more of the fairly typical summertime uniform, ski pole legs and all -- includes my absolute favorite Madras shirt, which, while beginning to show its age (12 or 13 years?), still looks good when pressed and tucked into a pair of camp shorts.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
Following our usual Friday morning breakfast out, after the Young Master departed on the school bus, I visited the local barbershop for a summertime clean-up. 3.5 guard on the back and sides with just enough left and layered in on top to part on the left side.
Fear not. Second shower for the day and a much needed shave (admittedly) to follow after a late afternoon mow in the back yard. Not visible are another ribbon belt, the new haircut, and my tired, aging face.
Far better to leave a little to the imagination, you know?
By the way, today's polo shirt is actually more of a mid-blue than is apparent here. The one work two days ago -- with the early morning sunlight splashed across the chest -- is midnight blue.
--Heinz-Ulrich
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