Journal: September 14. Grading. Storage shopping. Solar Seminar. State Police

While George and the two Johnny's work on grading the hill on the side of the house, removing old siding, I head to the dentist for what I think is going to be my first root canal.  Turns out my tooth is still alive, so no root canal today (but other exciting possibilities like implants loom ahead).  Released from demands of dentistry, I buy apples at Windy Brow, go to the post office and library and spend a big chunk of the afternoon shopping for various storage systems for the piles of paper, linens, etc. that I've been swearing I'd sort and store.

Get home in time for a quick dinner, then off to a"seminar" at Home Depot, my new center of higher education, on solar installations.  Lots of data on financial incentives--here is a huge initial outlay (and I suspect the panels wouldn't work on my roof--I'd have to just have a great solar wall somewhere in the yard)--but the sales guy was quite convincing.  Aside from all the standard arguments (which he barely touched on) there is  a program in new jersey --well it is in many states, but also in new jersey called SREC--solar renewable energy certificates-I could be convinced, but it might not be the answer for such an old house.  We shall see.
 I'm thinking this might be  the kind of project my sister might be interested in a her house money into--and if the guy was speaking the truth--in addition to no electricity bills--we would be getting
cash money fr om the electric company--so we'd come out even?  Is that possible?

Back at home, I was cooking up a little chicken soup (it was after nine) and was interrupted by a knock on the door.  No-one comes to my house  unannounced at night.  Opening the door, clutching (quite inadvertently) my green ceramic paring knife, I faced two  State Policemen.   They wanted to know if I'd just come from Lousiiana.  I think that was what they said.  Turned out that another trooper had killed a deer with a bow and arrow near my house--and was out looking for his prey in the dark (when you use a bow and arrow--the deer might run off--then you have to find it--hunting ends one-half hour after sunset, but I guess you;re bound to pick up your fallen prey).  As he searched, he saw me returning from my late night at home depot--and thinking that the house was still "abandoned,"  and mistaking my california plates for louisiana ones he became  suspicious perhaps that I was a slow-moving Katrina refugee, he called his patrolling buddies.

Back hoe and trailer in repose

I sputtered about being a registered tax payer,  but eventually got my bearings and assured them that I did indeed live here. I would have thought the enormous  back hoe out front was good evidence that I was doing some maintenance and the house  was not abandoned, but in any case I  thanked them for their attentiveness to my property and bid them good night.  My neighbors at the end of the road then called--they'd been alarmed when the two patrol cars, lights blazing headed past their house-I assured them all was o.k., but despite the adrenalin rush, I am now feeling that I am in fact quite looked after, both by neighbors and the state.