Welcome to Sunnyhill

It’s a week before my 73rd birthday.  I’ve been thinking about aging, and about the impact of moving from Palo Alto to Hartwick at 69, from Hartwick to Pleasant Hill at 72, and then Pleasant Hill to Cooperstown at 75.  I think these moves are good for me in a lot of ways.  Moving from…
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We’ve been in the house for a week. I still have five boxes to unpack and far too many clothes in suitcases and bins. But the all the rooms are functional and the floor is pretty clear except in the guest room. Jay was home last week, which made a huge difference in getting some…
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I hear voices.  I’m not losing my mind, there are just a lot of voices to hear.  On our lovely trail Charlie and I often pass people chatting, or we encounter someone alone but talking animatedly (and loudly) into what I hope is a cell phone.  Passing by the houses on our street I hear…
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We left our wonderful home in Hartwick just over a month ago on 6/11.  It was surprisingly not hard to leave, much as I loved that home.  I think that over the years I’ve made some progress on not becoming overly attached to things.  We had a wonderful run on our beautiful Sunnyhill, and there…
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The sale of Sunnyhill should close on 6/11, two weeks from today.  If things go as planned we’ll be at the closing in Oneonta in the morning and hit the road in the afternoon, going only as far as Erie, PA that first day.  Since it will be our first day on the road with…
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I’ve written so little this year, even with plenty of Covid imposed time on my hands. But in the last few months so much has happened that I want to record. As our fourth winter here was winding down and our plans to move to California for two years were taking shape, we came to…
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Here on Sunnyhill life is in full swing. I’ve seen 16 goslings poking their tender little heads above the grass. I should make a sign for our driveway – Slow, goose crossing. The grass on either side of the driveway is shorter, so the geese often congregate there. Most of the time we’re able to…
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The pond is still frozen solid, but there were geese on it anyway this morning. I’ve seen small groups and pairs flying over the last few days, but this is the first time I’ve seen them land. Almost all the snow is gone from the hill, except in the shady places near the wooded borders,…
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The eastern slope of the hill was white before dawn, bordered by the filigree of rime covered bushes, a lighter shade of pale with the dark statues of bare trees beyond. Between the ridges of hills in the distance there were pale clouds of mist. Beyond them, at the horizon, the sky was soft orange…
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On the west side of 205 heading towards Fly Creek, there are dried cattails standing stiffly in a frozen pond, each with its perfect cap of snow. We go to the Fly Creek General Store for breakfast, sharing a western omelet sandwich on rye. The General Store is warm in every sense. We’ve gotten to…
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