Homed

We received good news yesterday afternoon, the application we filled out for this place was accepted. So that means we have a place to move to in Raleigh. It is a three bedroom place, and in the lower range of our financial requirements. It is roughly 1400 sq feet. The front yard is barren, but it looks out at a nice patch of trees. July 2nd we will be in our new home.

It has been cold and miserable here the last few days. Rain, cloud, cold. I have some hope that it will warm up by Sunday, but it is still cold this morning.

My writing has been quite pathetic lately. I am not sure if it is due to all the changes/anxieties filling me at the moment, or if it is simply summer doldrums. Hopefully, when I arrive at the new home, I can begin to work my way out of this dry spell.

Pre-Graduation Day

Tomorrow is the day I would cross the stage and get my degree handed to me if I were still in Edmonton. Strange day for a graduation ceremony. Instead, I will likely spend the day boxing stuff and packing it out to the POD. Or else I will be in Raleigh looking for a house. I need to go to the Chapel Hill Library sometime this week and return some books before I owe my future in fines.

Yesterday Carol and I went down to the Ackland Art Museum (http://www.ackland.org/index.php) and wandered around. The collection is small but considering the size of the town and the funding the museum receives it is impressive.

My award arrived in the mail Saturday along with a check for 600 dollars. I was surprised by the size of the prize, I thought it was only 300. Now I should have enough money to buy my books this fall.

A Short Week

This week has been going by very fast. I awoke this morning thinking that it can't really be Thursday already. And then I had a moment of panic thinking how soon school will be starting and I am not ready. Then I had another moment of panic, where will I be living.

I made some progress on the house hunt yesterday. I found a decent place with a decent rent in a decent neighbor hood not to far from school. The application has been sent, and I hope the result is positive. I am continuing the search, however. Today I have an appointment at 11:30 to see another place, though my expectations are not too great for this place. It is too close to the beltline, and the traffic noise was quite loud when I slipped by to check out the location yesterday.

I think I have figured out why things appear so lush here. It is because there are so many different varieties of plants in one place. Back home the woods are dominated by one species, but here that is not true. One plant my occur more frequently than others here, but they do not dominate.

Twice this week I have been wandering about town and thinking to myself that I am reasonably happy (knocking on wood, fortunately there is lots in this house). I am still in the process of learning about the area, and perhaps in another month my views will change, but I like what I have learned so far.

I need to download a countdown timer for the desktop and begin my count towards the first day of classes. I think I have 2.5 months until I begin my first day of classes.

Sarah P Duke Botanical Garden

This past week has been a busy week, but I am not sure I have accomplished a great deal. Monday was a holiday here (Memorial Day), and therefore most government and many businesses were shut down. I am not even sure what I did that day, other than the usual morning walk. I must have done something, but I do not remember at all.

Tuesday Carol and I went to Raleigh to look at a home we had high hopes for. Unfortunately it did not match our hopes. It might be made to work, but we both have reservations, though I am unable to clearly articulate mine. I did walk past the building I will be spending a few hours in over the next two years.

I was lucky with that photo, all the cars were stopped at lights on either side, and I was able to get a clear , car free shot. The building is right on Hillsborough street. Hillsborough is a busy street, though I suspect not the busiest in Raleigh. We stopped at the Whole Foods store on the way home and stocked up on veggies. It is a nice store, but the aisles are very narrow, and it is difficult to walk down them with all the traffic. Someone is always blocking the aisle (said with a blush as I was the biggest sinner, though it is fun to sin). Wednesday I stayed home and did some laboring. Thursday I zipped back to Raleigh to look at another place, but it was a real dump and set along frat row. The location was great, half a block to campus, the price was great, but it was a real mess. Friday I hung around waiting to hear from another landlord, but that is on hold until tomorrow or Monday.

I met two men on the bus coming home from Raleigh Thursday. One is a cook/limo driver. He was tired and babbled a great deal. I found his stories interesting, but I am not sure I like him as a person . The second man ( Mr. Odell) is a genuine Durham resident. Born in Durham 55 years ago he was on his way to see if he was able to get some dentures . All his teeth are gone, so he had high hopes. Dreaming of thick steaks and corn on the cob.

Today, Carol and I hopped on the TTA and zipped over to Duke University and visited the Duke Botanical Gardens. The photos that follow were taken during our jaunt. We walked a little more than we should have because my feet are feeling a wee bit sore.

This last image is of a Dawn Redwood. Very interesting tree, and relatively tall though it is only about fifty years old. Still a young tree.

As I was coming home I was thinking how green it is here. At times it feels like a physical assault, the plants reaching out and beating upon my eyes. It will be interesting to see if I am used to this opulent green in two years.

I am tired after all my walking, I think I will go have a nap.

Oh, one last thing. I have been here for 33 days now, and I have yet to get a sun burn. I am rather surprised at that for I have been out in the sun a fair amount, and as fair as I am I tan a bright red. I am enjoying the warmth though, it is soaking into my bones, I feel warm for the first time in years.

Link to Sarah P Duke website: http://www.hr.duke.edu/dukegardens/links_of_interest.htm copy paste the link into your browser.

For more Duke photos check out this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/mlingrell/DukeGardens

Cutting ruts

Walters Pine, the photo does not capture the tree's presence.

This last week has been quiet. I have begun to create routines. I no longer feel so alien when I walk into a store, or as I walk along the streets. There are still small things that are just a little strange, signs that I am in America and far from Cold Lake. Things like beer in drugstores and statues of confederate soldiers.

The days are not growing longer and longer either. They have appeared to achieve a stability, at least they do not seem to have grown longer since I have been here. 27 days now. I walked down to the Carrboro farmer's market yesterday with Carol. It is nearly 2 miles away, and the walk was pleasant. I have not lost any weight yet, but I am getting much more active.

The birds are still able to sound like teenagers having a huge party. The weather has been nice for me lately, almost made it to ninety yesterday, and likely today as well. It is not good news for the farmers who suffer through drought conditions.

The images on this page were taken from the Coker Arboretum. I will end my post today with the image of a Pond Cypress.

Southern Creek

The above image is from this morning's walk. The trees are really very interesting, and I wonder how they can survive during the floods that occur when it rains. My legs were resisting the walk this morning. I did not give them their say however. I walked down to Franklin Street and back twice today, a trip that is just under a mile round trip I would guess. The weather was nice for walking, low 80's and a nice breeze.

I received an email from a friend and a professor at the U of A this evening. They both congratulated me for winning a prize:

Ted and Charlotte Davenport Poetry Prize
Value: $300
Eligibility: Awarded annually to a student who has excelled in writing original poetry while at the University of Alberta. Undergraduate, graduating, or graduate students enrolled in one or more of the following courses are eligible: English 296, 394, 395, 494, 495, 584.
Application: There is no application form; eligible students will be considered automatically by the Department of English and Film Studies.

Hearing of this prize was a pleasant surprise.