For the first time this summer I had the "Yeah, this is it" feeling, sitting on the dock yesterday with my dogs, reading a book in the sun. It was windy, not the perfect dock day, but it was nice, the waves lapping against the rocks. Tess likes sitting on my lap while I sit in my green telescope chair, which makes it hard to read, but I like having a dog who likes me that much. She also can see much better than Chances can, so she barks and barks at sailboats that are far away, then continues to bark at them as they get closer...and closer...and closer. Apparently she doesn't understand how they can move without making the noise that powerboats make.

I've been staying in the boat house, have camp to myself but don't use main camp at all and am enjoying it immensely. I use my house, the shower at camp, the porch of the boat house--all of it as much or as little as I want, with a schedule that I want. It's grand. I had a meeting of the Hawkeye Conservationists Sat. afternoon that was ok, only lasted 2 hours. Yesterday evening was Ken's big 90th birthday celebration, a huge party at Fred's camp. It should have been a big, happy occasion for me, but I was on shaky ground before I got there, having been embraced and consoled by a friend before going down there, thus reminded that my dear wonderful brother died. When I got there I was faced with more wonderful caring people who wanted me to know how sorry they were that my brother died, then Jim and Keela showed up, and somehow seeing Jim just really was too much for me. We hugged hard and I cried a lot. Poor Ken. He looked at me and said "You've been crying, haven't you." He hates it when I cry. I have great friends, though, who took great care of me there. Anyway, the party was nice and I think not EVERYONE noticed I was crying like a fool. After that I went home and napped before going to the boat house for the night. Stood in the moonlight for a long time talking to Elsa (she tried to talk me into going skinnydipping with her but it was cold, too cold for me even if the water is warm). The motor isn't working but she's working on getting it fixed before the meeting on Saturday. Not my problem, I haven't even used it yet. As Jenica points out, it's not MY boat, it's CAMP'S boat.

So today I'm working in the morning (if you can call this work) and going to Placid in the afternoon to pick up my new glasses, then home to do whatever I feel like doing. Planting the last of the geraniums in the cemetery on the way home. Sitting on the dock if I want to. Then I have 2 weeks off. All I have to do is solve some union problems next week before I go to Rhode Island, put out a few fires hopefully. But my sister is coming this week and I get to be with her for a while, and Anna as well. And I'll get to see the Eldreds, probably my favorite cousins. They are really wonderful people and Cam is so caring and warm. Hopefully they'll spend the night.

The dogs have NOT been behaving well. They had a brief spell of being good but the other day they were delivered to me in a van by someone who was trying to drive down the road but couldn't because the dogs wouldn't move from in front of the van. Honestly! Yesterday the girls disappeared for 1.5 hours from the house and camp home soaking wet. Saturday they disappeared and Elsa discovered Tess playing with a Great Pyranees being walked down the road on a leash. It never ends. Jackson has been staying at the house by himself and seems quite happy with the arrangement. I love having 2 dogs with me and not listening to his incessant barking because he's not happy with what's going on or he IS happy with what's going on. It's a good arrangement.