Hilton Head Island: active; fall; a lock-in

 

A sunny windy day in the marsh welcomed after three days of solid low overcast.  The Spanish moss seems to be reaching out for me.  

Carol and I walked to GANNET this afternoon.  The little boat is fine and clean.  The birds have been remarkably polite.  I wiped up a little water in the bilge with a paper towel.

Fall has come to the island.  50ºF/10C when I woke and went to the factory at 6:15 this morning.  In the first draft I have just reached Darwin.  Shorts have been replaced by Levis and we wore jackets during our walk this afternoon.

Most of the trees here remain green year round, though a duller green in winter.  There is a quarter mile long line of maples along a nearby street whose leaves turn yellow and fall.  The flaming colors of New England and the upper Midwest are missed.

The stitches in my shoulder are not due to be removed until a week from today.  The ones in my temple and ankle are dissolvable.  I don’t know why they used the different types.  I will ask.  However I am tired of being inactive.  My ancient body wants to be used.  So yesterday I carefully did my standard workout.  I did not believe the stitches in my shoulder would be stressed by push-ups and they weren’t.  I think they might be by my weight workout and so will not attempt it until they are removed. I will do my standard workout again tomorrow.

Carol and I have not been much affected by the government shut down.  A few websites I usually visit are not being updated.  Fortunately the National Hurricane Center site is.  But the shut down is unconscionable, especially when members of Congress are still being paid when most government employees are not.  Clearly they are not doing their jobs and I have a solution:  a lock in.  Assemble them all in their capital chambers and lock the doors until they come to an agreement.  Provide mattress for them to sleep on the floor.  Provide food, but no drink beyond water.  I doubt the shut down would have lasted thirty days as it already has.  I doubt it would have lasted two.