road maintenance

The township did a chip and tar on our road. Once the surface was brushed, the tar sprayer came, followed by the chip spreader and the roller. We were free to drive on it.

West Eby School program

Tomorrow the school next door puts on its Christmas program. You want artisan, local, small carbon foot-print? They've got it. The hand-written, pencil-colored invitation is done on a folded piece of paper about 8 by 4 inches. Inside, besides the date and time, is written, "We hope to see you 'gliding' by!.."

I'm going.

the day after: digging out

West Eby kids had school today. One father returns from pulling the sled with his two children, and notices the milk truck stuck. When it finally makes it to our house it gets stuck again and a tractor pulls it away finally. It's almost 3 p.m. and our road is not yet opened to the west of us.

the sign at home

I asked the township road master if the school sign across the road could be moved farther east so the milk truck could leave without clipping our post. Later the same day he did it. Apparently road masters don't pound stakes in with sledge hammers anymore. The huge front loader pushed it down like a toothpick.

paw paw tree

Contractor John Thomas planted a paw paw tree on Friday, close to the cherry trees. That's his pickup in the driveway. Shortly after this shot the burlap was removed.

The paw paw is native to somewhere American. My mother planted one in about 1980 but it never bore fruit. Local people here, particularly Pennsylvania German types, think of it as a local wonder. It appears to be related to the plum. The fruit is tropical, as exotic as you can get in the temperate clines where winter freezes out fancy notions plants get in their heads at the end of a languorous summer of lavish living.

Having just listened to the audio version of the Stephen Ambroise book on the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1805, I learned that Lewis identified a plant west of the Mississippi as a paw paw. I'll let wikipedia sort that out for now. It is native. It is not hybrid fancy.

Notice freshely rototilled garden behind wheelbarrow--which is another wheel for my Eby Road catalog of wheels.

the wheels on Eby Road

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I have stood on busy city streets and saw hot dog cart wheels, bus, truck, rail, and carriage wheels. Remote Eby Road might have just as large a variety. You'd have to stand and wait several country hours.

Here's a neighbor, father of my childhood buddy and Monterey Gang fellow founder, burning up miles on his electric three-wheeler. I'd say the rig was doing 20 mph when I shot this. Notice huge battery on back and safety flag.

low mid-day January sun

Here's desk number two. There's the fax and telephone. There's the 1:04 p.m. mid-day sun coming in at such a low angle.

This is the office along Eby Road where I work and where the blogs come from.

I'm also trying out a new lens for my camera.

Christmas light contest

And the winner of the Monterey Christmas light contest is...

Our neighbors, next house east on West Eby.

Competition was practically nil. Amish refused to participate.