We took another dip (really fast one) in the cove after whacking weeds for a good part of the day on the north trail.  I got out the push mower too.  I even flew my kite for a little while.  There are still a lot of birds guarding nests.  Three Osprey hovered over the Light early this morning.  France has great binoculars and these are beautiful birds

Duane called today wanting measurements in connection with the lightning rod ground which came down a while back, I’m told.  Seems some of his seniors got him revved up to make a repair happen sooner than later.  Now I think he’s trying to make it a priority for the first work weekend.  Let’s hear it for senior power!

We’ve been thinking about Fred, our Wednesday replacement when we go ashore, who has kindly lent us the use of his truck each week to run errands.  (We’re probably the first caretakers who don’t own a vehicle, or a house, for that matter).  Since he hasn’t been here in fifteen years, perhaps the first time he comes up with Jaanna, the intern, or by himself, France will stay here with him to show him how we’ve been operating and I’ll shop on the mainland by myself.  If he’s alone, I’m not sure how he’d do a tour of the Light.  Perhaps that’s why the intern will be aboard.  If she’s only required to put in four hours a week we see there are details yet to be worked out.  We were thinking none of this would happen until after the fourth of July since there aren’t many guests in June and little reason for him to be here.  Friends from New York are now coming for the entire holiday weekend over the 4^th of July and staying the next week.  We’ll need all the help we can get expecting a lot of visitors, weather permitting.

David said he’d pick up a new belt (or order one) for the mower at the same time he gets a new breaker for the electrical box in the basement for the big heater in the living room.  We’ve been using the little one from the kitchen but that flipped a breaker once too, so we keep it on low.  It gets really cold here at night.  We’re filling up the cistern again.  David said just to turn the faucet on full and it came out fast at first. We got almost three quarters of it filled but it turned into a trickle again so we thought we’d give it a rest until tomorrow.  We did remember to flip the switch for the pump before we started filling again.

The pipes made funny noises when I showered this morning and washed dishes in the kitchen.  Did we flip the wrong switch in the pump house?

My mother is moving today from one assisted living facility to another to be closer to my sister in New Jersey.  She’s ninety and suffers only from dementia.  Wish I could be there to help.  She’ll be so confused.

Putting our kitchen scraps, which we’d like to compost, under the grass clippings in a big pile in the weeds just off the lawn wasn’t such a good idea.  There were gulls into it this morning.  I certainly don’t want to start feeding the birds around here.  Can you imagine the first picnic outside grilling tuna if we did?

However, adding seaweed to the grass clippings and spreading them in the garden, as ground cover (Ethan’s suggestion) was a great idea.  We’ve started to collect rainwater with pails under the drain spouts and consolidate it in a big brown plastic garbage bin we found in the Whistle House.  We’re using it to water the garden every evening.  I’m not sure what the iron and other minerals in the brown water from the hose would do to our plants.  Probably nothing but we’ll still give it acid rain instead and hope for the best.

It’s another drop dead gorgeous sunny day with cool breezes and clear views of Monhegan, and Portugal but for the curvature of the Earth.  The stars last night were magnificent, viewed through our canopy of light.