Friday, August 8 10:23 am
It has been less than 9 hours since my last post – but, I guess, I want to give a glimpse of my new island life … to whomever wants it … in more than one posting.
As usual every morning, after letting the dogs out and tending to feeding tasks, I sit down and go through my emails. And, lately, each morning, I have 5-10 separate emails from the island’s version of Craig’s List … Drew’s List. It’s fabulous! And while I have yet to buy or sell something on it – it seems to work remarkably well. The south islanders all know about it and instantly you can sell or get what you want! This morning, had I been in the market for such items, I could have purchased (among other things) a pair of Muscovy ducks, a 2-year-old Jersey cow, a full leather biker outfit or a handmade oriental rug. I have to be honest – Dilly, the cow, was a temptation!
But the list is more than what is for sale – it’s community. There are postings on what is going on around town, what markets are open, who is playing their music where, who needs help, volunteer opportunities, family events, whether the whales are here or not … and it’s EVERY DAY!
Today I’m walking over to WICA – Whidbey Island Center for the Arts – (just down the road from me) and I’m helping with their annual mailing. Help wanted. I’ll go and help out, meet some people and share some time and come back home and continue with what I have to do here. Nice. Nice for me, nice for them.
I now know what markets are open and where the Flower Lady will be, who is playing their cello or drums at what cafes over the weekend and that some gentleman is leading a “Digging for Dinner” how-to clam adventure at a local beach early on Sunday morning.
If I want to participate in yoga at the farm, I can. If I want to learn how to play the didgeridoo (that wind instrument that Indigenous Australians developed) I can do that, too. If I want to help in a local beach clean-up, well, that’s available to do, as well … along with a myriad of other opportunities and events.
Thanks, Drew!
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“Ahh, I love the smell of asbestos in the morning!” Well, that’s not how the quote goes, and I know you can’t smell asbestos – but, we’ve got it! Yep … the house in CO had the entry/laundry room ceiling fall in and due to all the rain and frequent hail we’ve got roof damage/rot and well, we’ve got asbestos … and mold … and rotted wood … and a nice insurance claim going on, too. If anyone needs the name for special services or an abatement team or an insurance guy – I’ll be happy to pass my info along! They have been fantastic! And yes, it’ll be pricey, but it is what it is … nothing to do about it now other than FIX it up! And that we shall!
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Since my arrival on the island I have a new haunt … and I know my friends will be shocked when they hear this but … Starbucks – MOVE OVER – you’ve been replaced! This place is far better than ANY SB I’ve ever been in … and tastier, too! The place? WiFire Coffee Bar in Freeland, WA … about a 10 minute (or so) drive up the road from home. It’s an awful commute though … to get there I have to drive through the forest and see deer munching on the plants near the roadside or out in the meadows … or I drive through town and have to look at the Passage and the islands beyond and the boats as they sail or go past. It’s dreadful! (Sarcasm here people!) …
Anyway, WiFire is a tiny little cafe, nestled in town and housed in the same building as the telecom company. Inside there are tables and leather chairs, a big screen TV, a gas fireplace and plenty of computer/device-friendly counter space with charging stations galore – and free wifi. The baristas are all sweet and friendly (Hannah and Savannah are my favs) and serve up the menu’s items with flair and a smile … paninis, desserts and drinks are the offerings. (And the frozen blended soy latte with a large dollop of homemade whipped cream is … oh, so good!)
But, it’s not just the fare or the inside ambiance or the niceness of the owner/baristas and the people who frequent the shop – go outside and you are literally in Paradise. At least I am in Paradise. Every sense is delighted in this place … there are aromas and fragrances, the breeze is gentle and you can feel it in your hair and on your skin, the air is scented, the water feature and rustling of the gardens add delightful, soothing audio components and then there’s the coffee or treats your mouth is enjoying … Paradise.
There are tables outside by a small waterfall and the patio tables (in sun or shade, high tops or low tables – your choice) are surrounded by gardens. And not just any gardens – gardens fertilized by (apparently) some special concoction … or the gods. I’m not sure which.
There are Stargazer lilies … white ones with blooms the size of salad plates with 8-10 blooms per stalk. Each stalk is a good 6-8 FEET tall and there are 5 (or 6) groupings of them … and in each grouping there must be 30 or more stalks. We are talking 150 or more stalks … we are talking upwards to 1500 blossoms! I can’t tell you how good it smells in this area. I’ve driven by in the evening and know I’m getting close because I can smell the lilies from the road! And aside from smelling so fabulously – the flowers are insanely gorgeous!
But, it’s not just the lilies that are (basically, to die for) … it’s the cantaloupe-sized hydrangeas that cover the VW Beetle-sized bushes (just to give you size comparisons!) … and there are 8 of those bushes. There are perennial grasses, roses, daisies (deer do not like these!), tons of lavender and … I found out yesterday … BLUEBERRIES!
I was talking with the owner telling him how wonderful this place was and he asked if I had eaten the blueberries yet? Well, NO! I didn’t know that there were blueberries! So, on my way out he told me to grab a handful whenever I was around … and so, as I walked back through the garden to my car, I did just that! And nothing is quite as good as a warm blueberry, ripe off the bush, popped into your mouth when you are standing (apparently) in Paradise … or apparently in some little corner of the cafe garden called WiFire.
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I’ve been here now for a MONTH! Wow … how time flies when you’re unpacking boxes! My neighbors, on either side, are very nice and friendly. I’ve chatted more with the woman south of me – the one who has all the chickens and ducks – and she is chatty and nice. She told me that they only have females in their brood – because they didn’t want to deal with a rooster. I guess they are too grumpy/bossy and the whole crowing at dawn thing doesn’t necessarily go over well in a neighborhood – even one like ours.
Well, apparently you can have a chicken and not really know it’s a rooster for a while … until it starts its alarm-clock antics at daybreak. I thought maybe they had a “non-rooster” that was just feeling it’s oats and doing what chickens do! I don’t know! I know nothing about chickens – except that if they fly out of their coop they are really hard to corral and get back in – like nailing Jello to a tree! (However, I’m getting better at it as it’s usually Ethel that flies out and I just now talk her back in – usually by telling her Lucy needs her!)
After three weeks of being Cockle-Doodle-Doo’d out of bed each morning at 4:54 (or there abouts) I went a few mornings without my usual wake up call! Horrors! I was worried that the non-rooster had been … EATEN! Because, as is the “country way” … a noisy rooster usually gets a new name which is usually … “Sunday Dinner”.
But, I talked with my neighbor and the little non-rooster really IS a rooster but he hasn’t been waking up “his girls” lately because they have left the hen house door open. Apparently, if the girls can get out in the morning he doesn’t have to wake them up – but if he is “locked out” he feels a need to tell them to get up and out – hence his doodling days have been squelched. At least during the warmer weather. I have a feeling his days are numbered and well, if I’m invited over for dinner some Sunday – I think I’ll stay home!