I had a good cry this morning about Max. I will miss the little guy.

Busy, busy day today. We dropped off Fluffles for grooming, then went to my appointment in Norwell. Ron treated to lunch at Strawberry Fair; this is their 35th year.

Showed Ron around Duxbury. We went to FarFar’s for dessert, Powder Point, Duxbury Beach and the Gurnet, the area around Standish monument, and stopped at the roadside stand on the way to Kingston, where we picked up a nice Bee Balm.

Dropped off some chocolate croissants from French Memories at Edgewater. Peter greeted us with his usual sarcasm, a big relief that he is getting back to normal. We are concerned about Robert and hoping to do a ferry ride or some other nice outing with him when he’s up to it.

We went to Rockland Trust to retrieve some of Ron’s jewelry, then I picked up Fluffles. We mowed the lawn, cleaned out the van and installed the two back seats. Ron had cleaned out Fluff’s litter box in the morning. I planted the three perennials from Emma Brennan and watered. Ron fixed the closet door.

Ron made a great supper of angel hair pasta and a garlic/oil/clam sauce – fabulous.

It’s been 5 days and I’m still sick – wet cough and sinus congestion. I’m afraid Ron may have caught it as well.

It’s been violently windy all day today, stormy and unpleasant.

I went out a couple of times, though, seeded the front lawn, covered the potato plants with a mixture of loam and compost, and picked up the brooding, sinister 2010 film “Black Death” at Redbox.

The moving company called; Ron’s things will be delivered first thing tomorrow. We’re hoping the weather improves.

We’ve driven through California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska and most of Iowa.

Iowa rules. It is so beautiful here – green, rolling hills; big, beautiful farms. It’s still early spring, so the trees haven’t leaved yet, but you can imagine how gorgeous it must be.

We drove through a part of Wyoming that is real high desert. The light at sunset was dramatic: pink. Nebraska is flat.

We visited Coonamesset Farm yesterday to pick up our membership card, some herbs and groceries.

Ron got a haircut and we brought the pile of leaves and brush to the transfer station. We stopped by Sweet Caroline’s on the way to Super Cuts.

I sprayed the inkberries with Fung-Onil, did some weeding and returned “Black Swan”, which neither of us liked.

Ron epoxyed the gazing ball to the cement base. Candy and John stopped by.

Ron put dinner together for us so I could sleep.

I have a deep, phlegm-y cough that started two days ago and a skin rash which has lasted for a week and a half. Picked up more OTC ointments yesterday. Fluffles woke me up this morning at 5 with his yelling.

I planted some forget me nots and lavender before the trip and completed it yesterday with seeds and bulbs: Shooting Stars, Windflowers, Delphs, Cosmos, Alyssum, Lupine, Blue Flax, Larkspur and Phlox.

Should be sprouting as follows. Fingers crossed.

Delphs: 14-21
Cosmos: 8-15
Larkspur: 14-21
Phlox: 10-18
Alyssum: 10-15
Flax: 9-15
Lupine: 10-15

We weeded, mowed the lawn, completed the front garden planting and resolved an issue with Ron’s bank.

We cleared a space for Ron’s hammock, bought the hardware to put it up and installed it. The detritus from the area almost filled the truck bed.

We also visited the farmer’s market at the Waquoit Congregational Church.

We made it, a day and a half early: landed in Mashpee at 10 pm on Thursday May 5, 12 states in 5 days. Everything looked great: the house, the gardens, Fluff.

Celebrated Ron’s birthday yesterday by moving him in. Got pretty much everything out of the van, did laundry, went grocery shopping and had the Cohens over for dinner.

I am bronchial and have had poison ivy rashes for the last week.

Fluffles slept with us last night. He’s been very talkative and cranky since we got back.

May Destination Miles Driving Hours
1 Wells, NV 542 8.25
2 Cheyenne, WY 620 8.75
3 Williamsburg, IA 718 10.3
4 Elyria, OH 552 9.0
5 Mashpee 714 12.0