It rained most of today, and it was cooler than we've become used to.  The weather people keep saying this is "about normal" for early June, and of course they're right, but it doesn't make it any easier to adapt to after the unusually warm and sunny weather we've had off and on this spring.  

When I was checking my weather gauge out on the back lawn this morning, I was thinking as I stood with wet, cold rain beating on my umbrella and fumbled with the cold glass tubes that measure the precipitation, how some years at this time I've found the water frozen in the tube.  It seemed not that far from those conditions this morning, but actually it was something like 50 degrees.  

The new boiler has been pumping out heat just fine, keeping the house at a very even temperature - no highs or lows.  It actually works best when the outside temperature is cooler, I think.  When we first got it installed, it seemed setting the thermostat higher didn't get much result - but then we learned it sort of has a mind of its own, and reacts to the outside temperature, not heating the water as much unless and until it gets colder outside.  The boiler is made in Germany and I told Fred it might help if he talked to it in German, but the truth is, it's a "smart" mechanism, designed to be very efficient and conserve energy.  It has us fully trained now.  


We learned yesterday that Jeff Downs, who owns the Joe's Pond Country Store in West Danville, has sold his little log cabin here on West Shore Road.  People by the name of Jenkins bought it, but we haven't met them yet.  Jeff has moved into the apartment over the store and told me today he's getting settled in.  I know he'll miss his home here overlooking the pond, and we'll miss seeing him and his dog, Gracie, as we pass by on our walks, but I'm sure there will be lots of advantages for him living over the store - like not having to go through mud season and having no lawn to mow.  


Fred did errands in Danville today and took this picture of the road project.  They are working on the east end now - looks like the west end is pretty well finished.  It looks pretty nice.  


Woody (our cat) just came in for the night.  He's mellowing as he gets older, we think.  It wasn't that long ago it was nearly impossible to keep him inside once it was dark outside and the weather was reasonably warm.  Now, he comes in almost every night by 10 or 10:30.  I understand that perfectly - the older I get, the less I like being out late at night, too.  Woody doesn't seem to mind the rain much, though.  Last week during some of those downpours, he was outside until it let up, and then came in drenched.  We wiped him off with paper towels and he had a bite to eat and wanted to go out again.  He went back and forth, getting wiped down each time, until we got tired of his game and didn't let him out again.  He needs to know we do the training around here . . . at least some of the time.