YES WORLD… THAT WAS ME ON THE GROUND FOR ABOUT AN HOUR YESTERDAY….IN THE DRIVEWAY… WITH HAMMER AND SCREWDRIVER… I WAS DIGGING A HOLE.. IT WAS BUD’S IDEA.. THE EDGE OF THE HOT TOP-Is getting very battered and breaking off .. we have a collection of our neighbors concrete patio BLOCKS cut up in blocks about 18 by 24 inches three or four inches thick and it BUDS idea to fit them at the end of the hot tOP to stop it from breaking off and maybe even dealing with a plow ripping up our expensive hot tOP, I put one of those blocks in already the other day took me over an hour with the tractor backhoe I made a mess and it really was not terribly successful .. so I opted to go back to my old screwdriver soup spoon method of hole digging which has proven easier in the long run you end up with just the size hole you want and if you get tired in the middle you can just leave it and come back.. many of the posts on the property done by me were dug down probably 2 feet mostly with a soup spoon and a screwdriver so that the post fits exactly in the hole I dig .. do it with the backhoe and you have about a 6 foot diameter mess … So I sent myself down and with hammer and screwdriver and that little plastic dishes for scooping I did get the job done eventually .. however and 83 when do you spend an hour sitting on the ground it's going to take another half an hour to get your legs under you so you can get up again but I managed -- that also explains why we have those traffic markers in the driveway I'm trying to get people to drive over those blocks and really get them planted .
Couple other things got done yesterday -- I have wanted for at least three years to get my pennyfarthing bicycle strung up or out of the rafters of the G TENT and now that they forklift has landed in the back and we have a permanent plastic Platt pallet it was possible to RaISE a volunteer up and attached a bicycle to the heavy duty piping which holds the whole thing up .. It looks terrific .
for those new people who may not know I rode that pennyfarthing bike 26 miles in the great race from Watertown to Marblehead . it was a wonderful institution that great race ,it started as an argument between two men in a bar in Marblehead would it be quicker to go by land or by sea to go from from Watertown to Marblehead .
and the first year it was done there was only a handful of people at 4:00 o'clock in the morning starting in Watertown . it grew within 8 or 10 years there were thousands of semi sober creative people pushing or peddling or paddling all manner of things all over Boston trying to get to Marblehead .. and I was certainly one of them many times so were my children .. For the most outstanding rule for this race is that whoever gets there first gets disqualified because they must have cheated somehow .
The race officially started at 4:00 AM .. and I usually started at 4:00 AM .. but it was not unusual to pass people pushing weird things back tord the starting line so they could officially start and get their T shirt .
some of the odd machines included what may have been the The first multi peddler bicycle where six people peddled bike frames that were welded to a beer keg ..
I rode that HIGH WHEELED bike the same year that that beer keg Bunch pedal that thing and I beat them .. It was nip and tuck for the last three or four miles because I could gain on them going up a Hill With less volume to pedal and they could gain on me going down as I tried desperately to control the bike which had no brakes .
my husband—and dr tommy nugebt ( as a kid then who you have heard of before in this daily doggy -) - was driving the horse trailer to the finish line to pick me up and bring me home .. and being the thinker that he was he park the trailer right in front of the sign that said turn here for the finish line and as that six person bike approached him they had so much momentum they couldn't make the turn and he jumped in front of me I turned the corner and I beat THEM .. I had suffered along the way because riding that monster machine without having any brakes s when you have a beer can on a string swinging around your neck was at one point terrifying as I lived in fear of a storm drain with the pipes running the other way ..
One of the other crazy machines in this race was a very simple--- I'm told --- 40 people with 40 two by fours with two holes drilled in them going from the seat A1 bike till the handlebars of the next and I'm told they did pretty well to start with until they fell off as they were strung across Massachusetts Ave which is the biggest Rd in Boston . it was very frustrating for the police to deal with they use 40 semi sober people trying to get back on this crazy string of bikes .all at once…. .I did not see that but it's kind of a famous story with the great race .. people pushed hospital beds with KALULd hanging upside down in the IV . There were many redone 55 gallon metal drums with and without propulsion or the bathtub or two in the water and it was not unusual to see several people running around Suffolk downs horse racing track AT 5AM with canoes on their heads as they portaged over ONE OF the neCKS of land you ran into when you tried to go by water … one of my more famous moments while drinking beer at the finish line was when a bunch of guys came racing toward the finish line -- they were pulling an antique fire Department hose carrier with 4 FOOT TALL heavy iron wheels
And as they squeeze their way over the narrow finish line their hosE carrier hit a Pebble and made an unexpected turn sideswiping a very good looking BMW ..
the policeman who had been there the guard whatever he's guarding turned around and very clearly said “how the hell am I going to write this up “ as the guys pulling the thing blended into the crowd and were gone .
it was the T shirts and the IRS which eventually did us in .. the few dozen people who started this race grew to many thousands .. and I believe the T shirts were $15
so some unfriendly soul The IRS figured out that the T shirts cost $3 each and were sold for 15 and with many thousands of people there was a lot of money to be reported .. so they asked who had it and nobody had the money .. so officials got involved and they had to get permits and people had to sign their name that they were in charge of this money etc and they tried re running it someplace besides Watertown in Marblehead and it really was never quite the same
I think it was one of the few times in my life but I drank beer--- I don't like beer but it was one of those things you were supposed to do when you participated in the great race… Lord knows enough other people drank it .
so i just googled it-- there are stories about it.. i did not read teh write ups... but i am sure i have the basics right..... i wll now go do that...
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Hi Carlene!
Here is a quickie update from Marnie and a request.
First the update. As you know, the pandemic has kept us from going many places. Marnie and I did travel to Lebanon for a doctor’s appointment where everyone was amazed by her (as usual). My rheumatologist enjoyed meeting her and was astounded how she “replaces the walker.” It was a long day for us but she made it like the trooper she is. Yesterday, we traveled to West Townsend, MA because I needed to pick something up at my favorite antique store, Antique Associates at West Townsend. This a huge 18th century house with coach house and barn attached to extend the store. It is literally packed with some of the best antiques in the country. The problem is that, like most big antique stores, it has so much that the aisles are blocked and it is difficult for any disabled person to negotiate. I knew that the owners wanted and expected me to go through the store to look (and purchase) and I was really dreading the trip—even though it is my favorite shop. Marnie was amazing! Whenever we came to an obstacle she said, “Come on, Mom, I’ve got this!” She devised ways around obstacles in rooms that I would have backed out of. The store is 2-story and both sets of stairs have landings on which the store owners have placed a sizeable piece of furniture which makes the walking area barely wide enough for a single adult to pass. Marnie did not hesitate to step up that landing step, pushing herself against the piece of furniture as tightly as she could manage, bracing herself and patiently waiting for me to manage. Marnie is really amazing with the way she figures ways around problems. I could not have made it through the store with my walker. I am so grateful to have her in my life! Thank you for making it possible!
Now to the request. I’ve just ordered two of your harnesses to be shipped to us. However, I also need another chain collar with the short rope lead but I don’t see how to order one. Can I order one to come with the harnesses? I’m happy to pay via PayPal as I did for the harnesses or mail a check if that is better.
We hope all is well with you and everyone is staying warm! Beware of those chimney fires!
Best from
Marnie and Peggy!
