05/13/2021
Don’t for a moment think we are just an old retired couple living in quiet Schroon Lake spending the days petting our dogs. Oh no. We live for adventure. We do our best to keep it edgy and we revel in meeting First Responders!
Let us begin with the morning I was headed to Plattsburgh for my second vaccine shot. Having proven in years past that I sometimes display evidence of having a degree in Advanced Stupidity, I prepared my Barry’s Irish tea to make my drive sweeter. Having poured the boiling water from the kettle into my yeti I then skillfully , showing great dexterity, used my right hand to pour said boiling water all over my left hand. This is not new territory for me sad to say. Years back I picked up the grate from our gas stove. I like things tidy. Somehow I had forgotten in the ensuing 3 minutes that I had just finished using the stove so the grate imbedded itself into my hand. A quick scream, some cold sink water and my children fetched the bottle of aloe vera for me. I poured the aloe into a large bowl and submerged my hand. I was certain a trip to the ER was in my future but in the meantime we went to a friends house to visit! Keep calm and carry on!
I digress.
The important take away here is the amazing power of aloe vera.
With my left hand covered in scalding water and traces of tea, I ran the cold water while my husband fetched a blue surgical glove from the bowels of our basement. I grabbed my “summer bucket” filled with sunscreen and- you guessed it - aloe vera! I put the glove on, held it “open” as Tom filled the glove with aloe. I smushed it around to be sure it got all the way down to my fingers. Mission accomplished; I made a new cuppa, popped on the cover and off I went to Plattsburgh! Returning home, I removed the glove and wha la my hand was not bad at all but had taken on an eerie bluish tint from the aloe vera coloring!!
I know what you all are thinking; how did she know about the aloe? Well, don’t we all see the commercials? Plus as a youngster I spent many a vaca in Florida with my best buddy, my grandmother. That’s when we began our night time adventures sneaking out with a large kitchen knife to cut large swaths of aloe plants to tend to my young burned skin!
Again, I digress.
Where was I.
Ah yes. Vaccinations, tea and aloe. All’s well that ends well!
Keep calm and carry on!
Some days passed without incident.
My husband must have been getting bored because now it was his turn to up the anti.
He is a skier. He skis every Monday thru Friday and often puts a few hours in first thing Sunday mornings. He loves being outdoors and growing up in the Berkshires he skied at Jimmy Peak throughout his life. So he doesn’t “just ski.” There needs to be a goal. 40 runs a day is the goal.
Mostly Tom skis at Gore; first on the lift, last to leave. Sometimes he heads to Whiteface in spring when it isn’t as icy. This day he was at Whiteface.
To spice things up he crashed into the race fencing/netting and that was how he got to meet the head of NYSEF New York Ski Education Federation, multiple Ski Patrol personnel and a helicopter pilot! Does it get any more exciting? He doesn’t recall meeting all of them ( or really any of them) but wow! What a day! Having graduated from UVM Tom was at home being flown to UVM Med Center. My mission was to head to WHITEFACE to retrieve Tom’s skis and boot bag. I was fortunate to meet many amazing Ski Patrol men and women, the lady at lost and found, the Head of Grounds and a woman working the front desk. I also got to meet the Judge in Wilmington because I was issued a parking ticket while there! Keep calm and carry on!! I didn’t get to meet the judge until the following Thursday am as that was when Court was in session!!
Once again, All’s well that ends well. Tom is home; his season was cut short but that’s ok. It’s BIKING SEASON!
But in the meantime….
Every year we kayak when the ice starts to go out. It has always been a peaceful and entertaining adventure. This year, 3 days ago, the ice was wide open from where we live out to the WOL Island. Around the shore was also pretty much open. We got the kayaks down to the lake and off we went. It was a beautiful sunny day. We paddled as close to the island as we could get and were mesmerized watching two sheets (hockey lingo) move towards each other, one slipping underneath the other. Mother nature is incredible. We started paddling back from whence we came and quickly realized that while we were watching the ice close in front of us it had also been closing behind us.
Keep calm and carry on!
We did our best to move forward. Tom grabbed a manageable piece of wood and was bashing the ice allowing himself to inch forward. I was trying just as hard but with much less luck! The ice, having joined forces with other ice was too thick for me to make any progress with my paddle. I began using the “scootch” method and bit by bit scootched my kayak forward on the ice. It was still a beautiful day and I had no doubt that we would get out of this predicament but it would take time. I suddenly head a man’s voice booming from the shore, “HELP IS ON THE WAY!” Now that was sooo nice but it had not yet dawned on me that we needed help! I was scootching! Tom was bashing! Anyone could see we had it under control!! (eye roll)
Now a voice came from a megaphone - did I not mention the sirens and arrival of an ambulance, a firetruck and miscellaneous first responders? “If you can hear me wave your paddles” I waved my paddle! I yelled to my husband “wave you paddle” The voice said “An airboat is on the way. We need you to stay very still. We don’t want the kayaks to capsize” I waved my paddle to acknowledge we had heard . It’s difficult to find yourself in an incredibly stupid position, through your own negligence, and then sit quietly and do nothing to try to help yourself. For about 5 minutes I obeyed. During that time Tom continued to bash the ice. Carl had arrived in his skiff and was trying to help break up the ice where Tom was. (a good distance away from me; no guilt by association for him) He chatted amiably with Tom and worked the ice as best he could. Wha la !!!Tom was free !!!!
Meanwhile more official vehicles had arrived as well as the local troopers and the Horicon airboat. Anyone with nothing better to do that afternoon had also gathered along the shore to witness the first 2 loons of the season. They were also watching the amazing response of all those who had come to our rescue. Sorry, my rescue. It must be said TOM WAS NOT RESCUED. HE GOT OUT ON HIS OWN. (I guess he felt he’d had enough attention at Whiteface!)
The airboat was started, hummed quietly ( you’ve heard airboats right???) and headed for me. Twice the airboat circled me breaking up the ice into manageable chunks so that I could paddle my way out to the shore. Now I must admit I would have liked to paddle home - or to someone else's home, so that no one would know it was me!!! However, there were a lot of people who had gone to a lot of trouble to help us and they deserved a huge THANK YOU. (I did not have a mask with me kayaking. I’m sorry) As we approached the old beach and exited our kayaks (thank goodness my knees held up and I was able to stand and not fall over into the water) the folks on shore began to applaud! We thanked the First Responders, gave the State Trooper our “information” and got back in our kayaks and paddled home.
All’s well that ends well.
Keep calm and paddle on.
Yesterday we went out for a paddle and came back sunburned! Mother nature is indeed awe inspiring!
Now this doesn’t take in all the news here in Schroon Lake. The Daily Bugle likes to keep track of what’s happening!! Pitkin’s opened the upstairs for Easter!! Yesterday they opened the patio!!!! The new church looks spectacular. Pine Cone Mercantile is doing block buster business! Every day I check the sign at Flanagan’s so that I will know when they reopen! There is a constant flow in and out of Nine Mile Coffee and 518 Nutrition. To my knowledge no one has purchased The Severance Store. Trail Break has put out their patio tables.
Two ferries have been running to The Island for the past two days.
Foot traffic has picked up in front of our house and into the village. (maybe they know we are famous?)
In a few days we will head to Colorado to see our grandson for his 2nd birthday! If we end up flying the plane or some such nonsense I will be sure to report.
For now though, that is the latest report from
The Daily Bugle
