Maya and Owen are in Toronto for the weekend to attend the wedding of Owen’s cousin. They are pictured in front of Lake Simcoe, just north of the city.

On the home front, I replaced the 4×4 supports for our gong and installed it in our front yard atop a tree stump. I had to use a bunch of rocks to level the base and will probably want to revisit this with a more permanent solution.

Jeanine and I have thus far been unable to agree on pendant light fixtures for the kitchen island or the light over the dining room table. Today, we made another attempt to find something we could both be happy with. While taking measurements for the pendant fixtures, I noticed that the spacing of the ceiling boxes did not look right. When I checked their location against my plan (image above – the three large circles) I confirmed that they were properly centered but 16 inches farther apart than intended. It is impossible to build an entire house without making a mistake. Because I was on site every day I caught sub-contractor mistakes immediately. Corrections were easy when identified early. In this case, I was the one who installed the ceiling boxes and the mistake was mine. I placed the outside two ceiling boxes exactly one stud spacing further apart and did not catch my error until today. In the worst case, I will have to relocate the ceiling boxes. That will require plaster work and repainting. Not the end of the world but a real PITA now that we are living in the house. Alternatively, we could consider different lighting options that do not depend on the ceiling box placement. I will post our solution when we have agreed on one. MORALE OF THE STORY: Measure twice, cut once.

I decided to make a change to the electric meter pedestal surround I built a few weeks ago. The original roof was flat-topped. In retrospect, I should have used a sloped roof to provide drainage. I matched the new roof slope to that of the house and garage and added a slab of bluestone to the top for a very robust and water impermeable solution.

Our yard has several mature rhododendrons which have just started to bloom. So far we have pink ones, red ones, and white ones. With the warm weather forecasted, I am guessing all will have fully bloomed by the end of the week.

The stretch of the Sudbury River that passes our house is designated a Wild and Scenic River of Massachusetts. It is a favorite of kayakers, canoers, and paddleboarders who are drawn to the peaceful and nature-laden shores. Fishermen also ply the river and often arrive in small boats powered by electric motors or small gas outboards. Occasionally, we see recreational boaters who prefer going fast above all else. While they have every right to enjoy the river along with all others, I fear that one day there will be a collision between fast and slow. I am trying to determine if there is a speed limit for his part of the river. I remember reading somewhere that there is a no-wake rule and in another that the limit is 10 mph. If a limit exists, the next step would be to post it. Bridges across the river would offer the perfect place to do so.

A few years ago my website was infected with malicious software that inserted text and links for ED drugs into every single one of my nearly 9,000 posts. These only appeared when using the search function. This weekend I started the insanely tedious task of removing them from every entry. I was able to cleanse 5 years’ worth and expect it will take several weeks to complete the task.

On the soccer pitch, I pulled my right hamstring while stretching for a toe-poke goal after stealing the ball from the defense. I suffered the injury in the first ten minutes and will likely be out for a couple of weeks. The worst part is that we won the game 11-0 so there was no need for me to make such an effort. By the second half, we were down to 10 players so I went back on the pitch and played as a “cone” (target for the occasional wall pass, no running whatsoever).

Jeanine spent the afternoon with Maya and her niece Rachel for a belated Mother’s Day celebration. They toured the Arnold Arboretum, a 281-acre preserve designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the heart of Boston, one of the world’s most comprehensive and best-documented collections of temperate woody plants, with a particular focus on the floras of eastern North America and eastern Asia.

We enjoyed a visit from my cousin Gina, her husband, Vincent, and their son, Vinny this evening. They are in town for the graduation of her grandson, JD, from Boston College. Jeanine prepared a 5-course dinner to celebrate the occasion. Avid travelers, we heard wonderful stories about their recent exploits as well as learning something new about my father. Apparently, his family considered him a confirmed bachelor. It was not until he met my mother in his mid-thirties did he meet his match. The rest, they say, is history.

The clover we planted on our south lawn is starting to come in now. Hopefully, the tracks from the broadcast seed spreader will fill in over time. Growing conditions have been excellent and we are enjoying the changes we observe every day. Not visible in the photo but also starting to show up is the no-mow fescue that is also planted in this area.

I spent a good portion of the day working in the yard. While using an electric pole saw, I cut off a large and heavy limb which clipped my arm on the way down. Fortunately, it only resulted in a minor cut and abrasion although the impact hurt like hell. I post images like this to remind myself not to be stupid. Children, please take note. Please learn from the stupidity of your father.

It is hard to fathom, but today marks 19 years of making daily entries to this blog. That is 6,935 days and 8,943 posts (in the early days, every photo was treated as a separate entry by the hosting software). To be certain, it has been a major commitment of time and energy. Each entry takes 15-20 minutes if you consider both the photography and the writing. Even so, I do not regret the investment and feel I have created something of enduring value for our family. One day, I will feed the blog into an AI book generator and see what comes out on the other end.

We decided on a pedestal-mounted electric meter rather than one stuck onto the side of our house. It is located adjacent to the driveway and was not particularly attractive. I decided to use cedar siding I salvaged from the original house to enclose all but the components requiring access by the power company and fire department. I also added two security cameras (one is hidden on the far side) and a driveway motion sensor that triggers a chime in the house when we have visitors. It is still a little dopey looking but a huge improvement over what was previously there.

With Nico in Denver, it was down to Kyle and Maya to celebrate Mother’s Day in person with Jeanine. They treated her to a shopping spree for plants and herbs and a lovely dinner.

Due to a shortage of players, I was reassigned from my normal wing midfielder position to a striker during my soccer match this morning. I made the most of my attacking position and earned our team’s “man of the match” honor. Below is this game report.

Big thanks to everyone who showed up since we were short on subs, with
only three. At the end of the match, we had no subs with Fari injured,
and we were protecting Eric and Frank for the tournament this week.

Medfield conceded a goal today, so I think we are now probably the
only team in the entire OTHSL that has not conceded a goal this
season. Special thanks to Steve, Romulo, Eric, and Lou at the back
today. Nick had his first game for us and showed off some nice skills
in the midfield. Mick, Mark, and Frank dominated the midfield,
pouncing on every loose ball. Jerry and Matt played well on the wings,
and Fari, Carl, and Fabian hustled up top.

Man of the match goes to Carl for his goals and tackles and for taking a
few knocks.

Goals
After a great build-up from Nick, Matt opened the scoring with a header 1-0
Quick free-kick from Steve and Frank toe poked it home from tight angle 2-0
A slick pass from Eric found Lou, who provided the assist for Frank 3-0
Carl had a great shot from outside the box 4-0 at half-time
Carl got the scoring going again in the second half with an assist
from Fabian 5-0
Fari made a great run and pulled the ball back for Mick 6-0
Jerry had a far post tap in after the shocking miss in the first half
Finally, Steve headed in a Carl Corner 8-0

Witnessing the aurora borealis in person has been on my bucket list since I have had a bucket list. I always assumed this would require a well-timed trip to Norway, Sweden, or Iceland. Never did I imagine I would have a chance to see them in my own backyard. Late last night, Jeanine and I ventured out based on the predicted arrival of a G5 solar storm hoping to catch a glimpse of the ethereal lights. Fortunately, the weather gods were looking down on us and we had excellent viewing conditions. Although I was able to check this experience off my bucket list, I have now added a new item; to see them again.