My peas

Every year, I try something new in the way of trellissing my peas. In the past, I have used tomato cages, chicken wire and even nothing at all. Each method had a down fall in one way or another. This year, I got clever and used my disc golf basket and some twine. It was simple to set up (just jam the pole in the ground) and then when the peas started to take off draped the twine down to the ground to have the peas grab onto them.

Here's the before shot.

This is today! I have picked loads of peas so far this summer.

My life in Books by Lori

Newsweek has a section within its Periscope section that gives authors a chance to share five books that were most influential to them. I thought I would offer my own selections.

1. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. I've always liked Kingsolver and the messages she tries to impart within her writing, and this book was no different. I suppose the environmental aspect makes it my favorite among hers.
2. Candide by Voltaire. I read this in high school and read it again, and again, and again. It’s one of those books that I find something new every time. Or even if I don’t, it’s still damn funny.
3. Old Path White Clouds : Walking in the footsteps of the Buddha by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is a thick book that intimidated me at first, however once I got into it, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
4. Accordion Crimes by Annie Proulx. This is a recent book I read. I think Keith gave it to me. Anyway, this is some amazing writing.
5. The Brethren:Inside the Supreme Court by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong. I read this in high school government class and it taught me more about the judicial system than any text book. Thanks Mr. Baum.

A book on my bookshelf that I just can’t finish:
Underworld by Don DeLillo. It even opens with the classic scene of the Giants beating the Dodgers in the 1951 National League pennant race. Still, I couldn’t get through it.

I could go on (To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice…) but I won’t. There are so many great books out there and so little time. Feel free to post a comment about your favorite or most influential book.

Scenes from Pdays

A digital picture of Sean Lynott at the All Star Game. The All Star representative for Miller's Chicken was Bethann Borsz. She fared well with 3 catches for scores and a couple layout D's.
Mike Stapel. enough said.

Poultry Days!

With the emphasis on the P. PPPPpoultry days. The weather was perfect. Maybe a little hot, but what can you expect in June. The evenings and nights were cool and crisp. Good for sleeping even when there are loud jacka**es screaming all night long. This year wasn't too bad, though, because we put are tents out in the burbs and I had my trusty earplugs. I am sure I was asleep by midnight both nights.

We played pretty well. Despite being seeded second in our pool, we defeated all the teams, going 4-0 on Saturday. We had a close game with the number one seed (as expected) and the number four seed (not expected, but it's poultry days, and you just never know). In both of these games, we were down at half 7-6. However, we came out strong both times and took the lead in the second half. That always feels good. And in both games we remained positive and spirited. I'm really proud of the team.

On Sunday, we were placed in the A pool as a 13 seed. This means we had to play the number 4 team first game. We showed up early and got warmed up. We even scored the first point despite 3 turnovers between kent and I alone. However, we failed to put much together after that. It always feels bitter to lose the first game on Sunday because it feels like it just wasn't enough. You get all warmed up and ready to go and then your done by 11 AM. The smart thing to do would have been a cool down run or long stretching, but instead we shmooze and say some goodbyes.

I am happy to say that we escaped another tournament injury free. That feels good at my age and level of body decrepidness.

The other huge plus of Poultry Days is the chance to sit around and catch up with old ultimate buddies. We get to see not only OU alumni but other ultimate friends from all over the country.

Transition

So again, we are at the end of another school year. In Athens, that means we say goodbye to friends and teammates. This year we are seeing a large number of graduates. An especially noteable one is Adrienne, or shall I say Dr. Fehr. Yep, we have another doctor among us. Congratulations A, we are very proud of you. I remember when she first showed up on the frisbee field. I forget who brought her out, but I do remember her saying she was going to swim for OU, and I thought, damn it, that means we'll lose her to that. Now Adrienne is a tall athletic young woman and of course would be a total asset to the ultimate team. Lucky for us, she didn't get along with the swim coach (or something like that) and stayed in the ultimate arena. We've watched her grow from freshman year through med school. Now, she'll be off to North Carolina for her residency. Good luck Adrienne.

Other noteables leaving this year are Oli and Drew. Oli is getting his Ph.D in chemistry and is moving to England (as well as getting married this fall). Drew is getting his masters in counseling and moving to Colorado. Both have been in Athens a long time and we've enjoyed seeing them out on the field.

As for everyone else who may be reading this and is leaving Athens, good luck in your endeavors. Kent and I will likely be here so look us up when you come back for a visit.