12/12-15/23 I went up to Camp Serendipity for four days: Tuesday through Friday.

There had been a major snowstorm since I left but the roads were clear and wet. I stopped at a few places to deliver some of Ellen's Christmas jam and didn't have too much trouble parking. I couldn't make it up the last 100 feet of Dickinson's driveway, but I walked to the house and then backed down the hill to proceed on my way.

Mike Tutino invited me in and I had a nice fairly long visit in his house. He told me about the unusual snowstorm that happened while I was gone. I was concerned about whether my driveway had been plowed and as I drove up, I was happy to see that it had been plowed and I was able to drive in, turn around, and park at the foot of the concrete staircase. I decided to leave the delivery of jam for Williams' for another day. Now I had to shovel off the heavy dense snow on the staircase. It was a hard job and took me two hours to clear the staircase. I got into the cabin at 2:00, long overdue for a drink of water and lunch.

After lunch, I hoisted the flag, and then made two trips to the truck with my Trapper Nelson backpack and hauled up most of the gear to the cabin.

Then I fixed the pendulum clock which I was apprehensive about. The spring had unwound all the way since it is only an 8-day clock and I had been gone for over a week. The clock smith had warned me that if it unwinds completely it could break. So, I expected it to be difficult to wind and get started. As it turned out I was able to wind it without a problem and get it going.

There was a little time to practice the piano and after that I took my shower, and the day was done.

On Wednesday the temperature outside was 30 degrees when I got up. The weather stayed overcast all day. After doing my exercises, I practiced the piano and then Robert called. He told me he might be over, but I told him I would be going for a walk, and he asked me to call him when I got back. I walked to Byron and Barb's to leave them a jar of Christmas jam. They weren't home so I left it on their stoop.

On my way back, I talked to Nancy for a while and when I got back to the cabin, I called Robert. He said he wouldn't be over after all.

After lunch and a nap, I stomped out a trail to the privy intending to check on the trees, but it was just too hard to make the trails with boots and I gave up. I plan to be back with snowshoes thinking that would be easier. Someone stopped in the driveway but before I could get their attention they left. I was pretty sure it was Shirley delivering a Christmas gift for us. Back in the cabin, I practiced the piano.

On Thursday morning it was 26 degrees and snowing. I practiced the piano and then Robert called. He said he wouldn't be over today either. Shortly after that, Dave called, and we had a great conversation. He told me about his experience of being hit by a car on his bicycle. I told him I was feeling some new aches and pains in my chest, and I was worried about possible pulmonary problems. But as I was describing my condition and my activities, he suggested that the aches and pains were a result of the unusually hard work I had done shoveling off the staircase. I was simply feeling the results of that. What a relief! It made perfect sense and I quit worrying about some new disease invading my body. Next, I walked down to the truck and got my snowshoes. While I was there, I retrieved Shirley's gift.

I snowshoed up to the privy over my stomped-out trail and then tried to proceed further. It was very difficult because the snow was so dense and wet. I made a trail up to Paul but the tree was buried in deep dense snow and there would be no point and trying to dig it out. I gave up on that idea and returned to the cabin. On the way I removed a very heavy load of snow from the top of the mixer.

After lunch and a nap, I practiced the piano, and then filled 12 water jugs and staged them in the utility room.

On Friday morning the temperature outside was 25 degrees and there was no new snow. I practiced the piano and then hauled the water jugs down to the truck. I carried 3 jugs at a time in the Trapper Nelson backpack, so it took four extra trips up and down the concrete staircase. On the last trip my feet slipped out from under me, and I fell backwards onto the snow trail. It took me quite a while to be able to get up. I had to take my backpack off and then it was still a hard job to stand up on that trail. But eventually I got all the jugs loaded into the truck.

I prepared to leave for home, had a small lunch, and then left for home at 12:50. It was a fun week but a lot of hard work.