Ah the New Year
I made it home from Rhode Island. Decided to return on Friday (New Year's Eve) rather than wait until the last possible day, which turned out to be great, since we had an ice storm on Sunday and the roads in Clinton County were closed to all but emergency vehicles (as in, you'd get arrested if you were caught driving on them). And so one. So I had the weekend at home in peace without Jackson because I didn't pick him up until last night. Two girl dogs and a girl. We had a nice weekend. Didn't get much done. Didn't buy a refrigerator: ran out of money (could charge it, most likely will ultimately) but more to the point, delivery truck cannot make it up my driveway, which is covered in ice ("it's like a bottle," according to Ken. I never heard that description used before). I can barely walk up it but did manage to drive up it after yesterday's mid-30's temps, driving in the crusty snow to the sides of the tracks in the middle.

Sunday Bill didn't make it to Sunday dinner and Ken was determined to have a noon time meal with me (he read off the contents of his larder, can by can). I finally consented to go there and we ate a bunch of Harry & David smoked salmon and summer sausage from some gift basket someone sent him sometime, ham that someone sent him from a famous smokehouse in Warrensburg, a can of creamed corn (his favorite) and a package of flavored pasta. He was very proud to have been able to provide such a diverse and delicious offering. Meanwhile, the whole 2 1/2 hours I was there it was sleeting and icing outside, so that when I left my car was encased in ice and I had to drive home peeking through an open door because I couldn't get my windshield cleared. When I got to my road I couldn't get up the tiny incline that can't even be called a hill at the entrance to the road. I spun around 360 degrees going so slowly it didn't even measure on the speedometer. I finally backed up and got a running start, made it to my driveway. Before I left Ken said, "I want you to sit down now and I'm going to tell you something. I want you to listen to what I tell you. I want you to do this: get in your car and drive home. Park your car at the end of your driveway, walk to your house, let your dogs out and don't leave your house again for the rest of the day. Call me when you get home so I'll know you got home all right. That's what I'm telling you to do." So I did as he asked. Everything was encased in ice, and he was right. I'm not sure I would have been smart enough to park at the end of the driveway if he hadn't instructed me to. That night I heard the town sander getting stuck on the road, trying to get up the hill after turning around in my driveway. It took him about 40 minutes to get gone. I called Ken to tell him about it, saying that I'd go investigate but I'd been grounded and wasn't allowed out of the house. He said I could stick my head out the door and listen to what was going on. I always tell him he takes good care of me and he always says this: "If I don't who will?" I love that man so much.

So now I'm back at work. I had a good time in Rhode Island. It was sad and we missed Henry very much. There were times when it was palpable. We had a very peaceful Christmas day. Liza, Mark and I opened our presents slowly, then Mark and I slept. I don't think Liza minded except that we hogged the good seats, the 2 couches, so there was no place for her to perch. We had good artichoke dip and fried almonds cooked the way my father used to make them, which Liza made especially for me, and shrimp. After all that food we opted to save the Christmas roast for the next day, when Jenica would be there.

Before Christmas I went to see my friend Linda, who used to share a duplex with me when I lived in RI. I hadn't seen her since maybe 15 years ago. It was so nice to see her, to be with her again and to pick up where we left off. She just retired (she's Henry's age, we civil servants can often retire at 55) and is working part time in a mentor program. She's great, still lives in Jamestown. We went to Newport and had a $70 lunch, which I was proud to be able to afford to pay for. We really had a nice visit and I was happy to still be her friend. She went through a lot of bad, troubled times, and I wasn't a very good friend to her during those times. I realize now that I was a troubled person myself, but didn't realize it at the time, and she was a very generous person in my favor. So we cleared the air about all that. The restaurant was on the water and it was nice to look out at the bay. There was a big sailboat still moored in the water, which reminded me of how much Henry loved Newport and the boat thing going on there.

Back to work yesterday, playing catch up. Cataloging, cataloging, cataloging. Then we had a negotiating session (ok, meeting). Things are going ok, not too contentious yet. We've only covered the minor points, haven't hit on salaries or health care yet--those will be the big ones. So far we've managed to be not only civil on both sides of the table, but actually conversant and even laugh a time or two. This is nice. We've had 5 meetings and are making some progress. Our contract expired 12/31 but we may get this settled in a couple of/few months. A record for recent times. Or maybe I'm not being realistic.

My refrigerator is not working right and runs all the time. I bet my electric bill will be outrageous. I'm on the budget plan but they will adjust it if it's not in line with my usage. So I'll be prepared for that. If I put things in the middle of the bottom of the freezer they will freeze, and the fridge part acts as a cooler, I can keep things for a little while but not for long. Produce won't really keep, nor will stuff like cheese, but I can keep milk and soda cool. I have a cooler on the deck with some frozen stuff in it, and it was fine until Jackson returned and discovered it. The girls had left it alone, but this morning he introduced them to it and they all were eating frozen diet dinners when I went to retrieve them to feed them their breakfasts. "Thai noodles for breakfast, Chances?" I can put it on the railing and I think it will be ok. It was funny when Tess trotted in (wiggled in is more like it) with a huge wad of frozen food in her mouth, taking it under the couch to her den, home of all sacred objects.

So I picked up Jackson last night and got the rundown on what's wrong with him. They didn't know he has a steel plate in his leg, having been hit by a car as a puppy and broken his leg. I thought they had done the surgery and knew this. They x-rayed him while he was boarded there because he has a weepy wound. Imagine their surprise. They were afraid it was bone cancer so were relieved (or, as David said, "Is this good news?"). One of the screws holding the plate in place is infected so he's taking a heavy dose of antibiotics for 2 weeks to see if we can avoid surgery to remove the screw. Ok, number 2: he has a lesion on his tail, which was never a problem at home, but apparently he wagged his tail so much in his cage there that it would bleed and he'd paint the walls with blood. Then number 3: his ears are very dirty inside. This I knew, and I try to keep them clean but I can't do as good a job of cleaning them as the vet can. So on top of the $200 to board him I paid $28 for antibiotics and ear cleaning solution. But he's a sweet dog and he was VERY happy to be in his car (bark bark bark), falling asleep immediately, then he was VERY VERY VERY happy to be home (no, I mean REALLY bark bark bark), falling into the sleep of the dead on the couch after drinking a gallon of water. I let him have the best spot on the best couch, which drove Tess absolutely crazy all night. She came to me 15 times, staring me straight in the eye with her huge, flying squirrel eyes--"He's sleeping where I should be sleeping. MAKE HIM MOVE!" No, Tess, he's been sleeping in a cage for 12 days, leave him alone. He snored loudly, oblivious. Reminded me of the old, old dachshund we had who wandered away from home when he was deaf and blind, got picked up for vagrancy and had to spend the night at the pound. When we returned him to his home he wandered around to the back door, barked to be let in as if the whole thing was just a bad dream.

So today I do more cataloging. Because it's been a long time since I've done any it's almost a novelty and I don't mind doing it. We need to set department goals for the year, however, and I need to set personal goals as well. One is to write a collection development policy for the adult collection. That may be my only goal, especially since the only other one I can come up with is to clean my desk and keep it clean and I can't really have that as an assessable goal. My real, true goal of getting to work on time so far this year has not worked out well at all. Yesterday and today I was 15 min. late. Both days I stayed in bed too late (I love lying in bed with my dogs, playing the "I'm getting up, stop sticking your snotty nose in my face" game with them. It makes me laugh out loud in the morning and I like to start my day laughing). Each day I said, NOT TOMORROW. So maybe, really, not tomorrow.