Honeysuckle Season
Hello from my Pomodoro timer
May 17, 2024, 11:04
High 79ºF/ Low 59ºF, bright gray skies, pressure 1013 mb, waxing gibbous, luteal
Everything is green and the woods smell sweet.
It’s late spring, a little over a month of increasing light before solstice.
There are projects all over the tables and floors, objects cycling around as we continue to make a home for ourselves on land. There are remnants from the costume party we threw for Scott, supplies for our housemate’s brother’s upcoming wedding, and seedlings sizing up to bigger pots. It feels like the wheel of the year is rolling a little easier and that momentum is building.
Yesterday I loaded up my bicycle basket with my swim bag and lifejacket.
I met my neighbor at the pool to swim laps. We’ve done this on more Thursday mornings than I can recall. The pool has a big hot tub and we soak and chat for a bit afterward. The hot tub has an unpredictable maintenance schedule and its frequent closures make each opening feel like a treat. Yesterday after the soak, my neighbor headed to substitute teach and I carried on to RVA Paddlesports for a training run down the Falls of the James River.
In March and April, I completed a rigorous whitewater raft guide training. Four weekends of 8 AM - 5 PM sessions on the river learning to read a different kind of water, plus CPR and Swift Water Rescue training. In the early days, it was dipping down to 40-degree weather and I wore Scott’s wetsuit layered under my sailing foul weather gear, topped with a balaclava I knit over the winter for the walks home from the pool. Yesterday I wore my Speedo one-piece, shorts, and a long-sleeved sun shirt.
There were 16 of us in the class, including a former race car mechanic, a massage therapist, a firefighter, a nursing student, and several corporate-ish types like myself. I love getting to know a new constellation of people around our new city — those smart and crazy enough to send it down class IV rapids. In the fall and winter, walking along the river was my saving grace. Getting on the river felt like both a big push and a gentle liminal space in this transition from sea to land.
Here’s a little window into the training. I’m the swimmer in red:
Other Places:
I’m teaching a rag rug class at SCRAP RVA on June 4, 4-6 PM. Sign-ups coming soon via their newsletter. Here are my written instructions for DIYers.
Scott and I are giving a talk about the voyage at Encinal Yacht Club in Alameda, CA. Open to the public. June 13, 7 PM.
I’ve been leading an online mending circle for almost two years. Mending Monday meets May 20 at 8 PM Eastern. Reply for the link to join.
Due to some unexpected circumstances, this newsletter is currently my primary form of income. It is freely given, and paid subscribers are also greatly appreciated.