The day before vacation is a combination of "I'll never get this all finished in time" and "I don't have enough to do to kill the rest of the afternoon." Right now I'm debating whether to start cataloging the notoriously boring and complicated holdings of Port Henry's library or to find something less strenuous to do, like read book reviews. I should be checking authority entries--EEEEEWWWWWWW. That is totally mind-numbing but crucial to the quality of the data base and I never do it often enough so it just builds into this hugundous task that takes hours and hours of doing. Not to be started this afternoon, I think.
My sister is in America and I feel much better. I have access to her. I could call her up right now if I wanted to. Well, probably not now, she's probably swimming at the Salty Brine State Beach in Galilee, Rhode Island. It's a nice beach, but there are a lot of people at that beach, my only complaint about it. The sand there is very fine and white. When I get to Rhode Island, probably on Sunday, I'll settle into whichever sleeping area I'm assigned to, try to get my dogs to settle down, and heave a sigh of relief. There is much between me and that moment. I have to clean my house because my family will be using it, my mother will be staying there next weekend. I have to be secretary at the Conservationists' meeting tomorrow afternoon. I will probably go to Sunday dinner with Bill and Ken before leaving for RI. I have to stack at LEAST 15 wheel barrow loads of firewood. I'm doing a minimum of 6 loads a night. So far so good. And of course I have to pack. That takes about 20 minutes, and I'm half done because I never completely put everything away from Colo. Bought new t-shirts so I have lots to wear. Just bought another pair of shoes in my search for the pair of perfect summer shoes. Nope, these are not the pair. Time to give up Got good flip-flops, though--so now I can go to the White House.
Weather broke here and it's been cold at night. Turned on my mattress pad to keep warm. Tess is torn between sleeping under the covers and on top. Under, over, under, over at least 4 times before settling down. The bed is totally unmade before the 3 of us go to sleep. I think it's funny and am getting used to sleeping in a complete tangle of sheets and comforter. Why do we have to have our beds neatly organized while we sleep? I have to take both dogs with me to RI, since I now only have 2 and cannot ask Lin to stay at my house for only one dog and cannot afford to board Tess for the number of days I will be gone. It is not particularly fun to have both dogs there, but Tess and my mother's dog really do enjoy being together. At least the human population density will be relatively low, only my sister and I will be there this time. At Easter and other times when it's just Mark, Liza and me it works out pretty well.
I'm looking forward to going to RI. Ocean sun, good seafood, family tradition time in my mother's house. The three women together--what's left of the immediate SR family. Then it's on to Silver Lake, where things change drastically. Many, many Rogers and it will be hard on my mother. She does not enjoy the weekend of the family meeting, there are too many people to suit her, and relationships are complicated. I try to protect her, and spend a lot of time listening to and soothing her. I visit with my cousins a bit, and would like to spend more time in the boat house with my sister and Jenica--I've never stayed in the boat house with my sister. Meeting weekend I always stay at my house to keep my mother company. Someday, maybe. This year I'd like it if my sister had some time in the boat house to herself so she could enjoy it the way I've been enjoying it. Well, hell--there's just not enough time and there are too many people, but that's life. I may sleep on the front porch of camp, if Liza stays in the boat house with Molly after the meeting weekend. That's a great place to sleep. It's a huge screened-in porch so it's like sleeping outside. A little bit of privacy, not much.
And now I have to take care of the interlibrary loan books that came in the mail this afternoon--both my clerks are out today so I have checked in about 150 books, processed 40 ILL requests, checked out books for Monday's delivery, and done a bit of cataloging (opera videos for Lake Placid--UGH!). Then I will print out crossword puzzles to take to RI with me.
I have to go to the credit union, the liquor store (bourbon to take to RI with me), the grocery store (Diet Coke to have on hand and take with me), Seltzer (take with me), dog food (no explanation necessary), dog biscuits, batteries for my clock and flashlights. Last night I bought Ken's socks and had the oil changed in my car. Tonight I would like to vacuum it. I'm not hysterical about this trip yet, but there are 2 days between me and it.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Monday, July 25, 2005
Back from Colorado, where it was a different world, different me. I was Betsy for 5 days. How strange was it to introduce myself to guides, to strangers, as Betsy, and to have them call me Betsy? But that's who I was for 5 days, among people I've known since 3rd grade, from my former life. I had a great time, I really enjoyed it. I felt surrounded by really, really nice people, part of a group. There were lots of times when I noticed that there were conversations going on all around me, everyone was talking to someone except me, but it didn't bother me: that was how it was when we were young, that's what I've always been like. These people are very nice, caring, funny, clever, intelligent people whose company I have always craved. I feel lucky that they have included me in their circle. Last time I was with them I wasn't sure they wanted me there, I wasn't sure I was welcome and I didn't feel much part of the group. This time it was better, I felt part of the circle. There were two who had never been part of this ritual and one who had missed a few, so everyone was into the scene in a different, less ritualistic way. It was great.
And COLORADO! What a great place. I have always loved Colorado. I used to feel it was the second place I was meant to live, 2nd only to the Adirondacks. I still feel more at home there than in many places, but of course Vail is not a place I would fit in. It was beautiful and we saw places where there are few enough people living so that I would feel comfortable there. Big sheep farms, with small, round trailer-type things on wheels that our guide told us were what the sheep-herders lived in when the sheep were in the fields. Cool.
We had fun hiking, but it was really hard on my asthmatic lungs to keep up. Luckily there were a number of us who weren't interested in charging ahead so we all stopped and sat to visit while the rest of the group went on ahead. We had taken the gondola to the top of the Vail ski center. The view was spectacular, lots of snow-capped peaks (SCP's) and many more varieties of wildflowers than I'd anticipated. Kathy and I had great fun trying to see how many we could identify. I bought some seeds to plant at home. Wild irises, Indian paintbrush and something else I forget what.
We took fly fishing lessons that were just fantastic. I'VE FISHED THE COLORADO RIVER! We put on our waders at the foot of this steep incline, then clambered up (painfully and very tentatively) and back down again on the other side. I totally surprised myself with my bravery at walking along the edge of a drop-off. I can never, ever do that in the Adirondacks, but I had to do it to get where we were going. They weren't going to leave me behind! So we got to the river, which was nestled in the hills, very pretty. Some rudimentary instruction, then into the water we went with our guides. Priscilla and I had one guide to ourselves, a really cool 25-year old from college graduate from Wisconsin (whom we have much parental advice to during the 40 minute rides to and from the fishing site). He kept complimenting me on my casts--"That was perfect! Now you've got it!" What a great ego builder. I learned about the mend, rolling your line ahead of your flies. I finally caught what felt like a huge fish, set the hook, played it a little, but failed to land it. Priscilla caught one, which jumped out of the water, but then spit the hook out. She had the same problem I did in letting the fish play the line. But boy did we have fun. And I loved the way our guide "handled" us. Respectful but not overly solicitous. We walked back to the vehicles in hot, hot sun, but very happy. Long ride home.
HORSEBACK RIDING!! Rode up to a famous cabin/restaurant. Again, I was nervous. Last time I rode I was bucked over the horse's head at a full gallop and landed on my back. This horse, however, was very nice. He trotted voluntarily a couple of times but let me boss him around a little bit as well. Kathy had a huge black steed named Waylon. Priscilla, behind me, was on Rebel. I was on Santiago. Again we were on narrow trails with steep inclines and I was nervous. We saw Tom Hanks' huge house in Beaver Creek. This time our guide was Claus from Germany, probably the only cowboy who's also an interior designer. It was a lot of fun, and the dinner we had was delicious. Lots of wine, lots of food, and lots of laughter. I sat with Julie Anderson, who played the flute in 7th grade orchestra with me. Or I played with her. She was masterful, still is. It was really nice to have a chance to talk to her. These women are all remarkable in their own rite.
Saturday 6 of us went rafting on the Colorado. This was really great. Class II and III rapids ( out of VI). We had another wonderful guide, who was fantastic to us. At one point he stopped paddling and steering, sat back and said, "OK ladies, teamwork--I want you to get the raft between those two rocks." We tried, paddled like mad through the rapids, almost made it, but in the end got hung up and laughed a lot. At one point Priscilla and I jumped into the water and swam, floating down the river with the raft. The water was great.
Interspersed all of these activities was shopping, visiting, laughing, drinking, watching the moon rise, sleeping in bunk beds, talking about our lives, their children and feeling such a kinship with each other. Last time I felt completely different from all of them, as if I led a life that couldn't be more different. I am still the only one who has no life partner, but it doesn't make me feel different this time--that's just what my life is. I have no children, but there are 3 others as well. I find that immensely comforting.
I missed my brother terribly during this time, probably because these are people I knew from my Rockford days and it brought up memories of him. One woman wanted us to tell the best thing that happened to us since our last gathering, and the worst thing. I started to cry, knowing that Henry's death was the worst thing and knowing that I couldn't and didn't want to share this with them. The pain of losing him was so keen during these days, the tears always so near the surface. I wanted to be able to tell him about each of these people, to see who he would remember, knowing he would be interested in Kathy and some of the others, knowing he would tease me about some. And each recollection about Rockford, each mention of Rockford makes me think of him.
So I cried on the ferry last night, nearly home at last, the trip ending. I cried for Henry, I cried for my past. I miss him so much.
And today I'm at work, barely catching up and gearing up for the next phase of my summer: vacation with my sister, her daughter and my mother. Some time in Rhode Island and some time here. Many cousins will be with us here. yeow.
And COLORADO! What a great place. I have always loved Colorado. I used to feel it was the second place I was meant to live, 2nd only to the Adirondacks. I still feel more at home there than in many places, but of course Vail is not a place I would fit in. It was beautiful and we saw places where there are few enough people living so that I would feel comfortable there. Big sheep farms, with small, round trailer-type things on wheels that our guide told us were what the sheep-herders lived in when the sheep were in the fields. Cool.
We had fun hiking, but it was really hard on my asthmatic lungs to keep up. Luckily there were a number of us who weren't interested in charging ahead so we all stopped and sat to visit while the rest of the group went on ahead. We had taken the gondola to the top of the Vail ski center. The view was spectacular, lots of snow-capped peaks (SCP's) and many more varieties of wildflowers than I'd anticipated. Kathy and I had great fun trying to see how many we could identify. I bought some seeds to plant at home. Wild irises, Indian paintbrush and something else I forget what.
We took fly fishing lessons that were just fantastic. I'VE FISHED THE COLORADO RIVER! We put on our waders at the foot of this steep incline, then clambered up (painfully and very tentatively) and back down again on the other side. I totally surprised myself with my bravery at walking along the edge of a drop-off. I can never, ever do that in the Adirondacks, but I had to do it to get where we were going. They weren't going to leave me behind! So we got to the river, which was nestled in the hills, very pretty. Some rudimentary instruction, then into the water we went with our guides. Priscilla and I had one guide to ourselves, a really cool 25-year old from college graduate from Wisconsin (whom we have much parental advice to during the 40 minute rides to and from the fishing site). He kept complimenting me on my casts--"That was perfect! Now you've got it!" What a great ego builder. I learned about the mend, rolling your line ahead of your flies. I finally caught what felt like a huge fish, set the hook, played it a little, but failed to land it. Priscilla caught one, which jumped out of the water, but then spit the hook out. She had the same problem I did in letting the fish play the line. But boy did we have fun. And I loved the way our guide "handled" us. Respectful but not overly solicitous. We walked back to the vehicles in hot, hot sun, but very happy. Long ride home.
HORSEBACK RIDING!! Rode up to a famous cabin/restaurant. Again, I was nervous. Last time I rode I was bucked over the horse's head at a full gallop and landed on my back. This horse, however, was very nice. He trotted voluntarily a couple of times but let me boss him around a little bit as well. Kathy had a huge black steed named Waylon. Priscilla, behind me, was on Rebel. I was on Santiago. Again we were on narrow trails with steep inclines and I was nervous. We saw Tom Hanks' huge house in Beaver Creek. This time our guide was Claus from Germany, probably the only cowboy who's also an interior designer. It was a lot of fun, and the dinner we had was delicious. Lots of wine, lots of food, and lots of laughter. I sat with Julie Anderson, who played the flute in 7th grade orchestra with me. Or I played with her. She was masterful, still is. It was really nice to have a chance to talk to her. These women are all remarkable in their own rite.
Saturday 6 of us went rafting on the Colorado. This was really great. Class II and III rapids ( out of VI). We had another wonderful guide, who was fantastic to us. At one point he stopped paddling and steering, sat back and said, "OK ladies, teamwork--I want you to get the raft between those two rocks." We tried, paddled like mad through the rapids, almost made it, but in the end got hung up and laughed a lot. At one point Priscilla and I jumped into the water and swam, floating down the river with the raft. The water was great.
Interspersed all of these activities was shopping, visiting, laughing, drinking, watching the moon rise, sleeping in bunk beds, talking about our lives, their children and feeling such a kinship with each other. Last time I felt completely different from all of them, as if I led a life that couldn't be more different. I am still the only one who has no life partner, but it doesn't make me feel different this time--that's just what my life is. I have no children, but there are 3 others as well. I find that immensely comforting.
I missed my brother terribly during this time, probably because these are people I knew from my Rockford days and it brought up memories of him. One woman wanted us to tell the best thing that happened to us since our last gathering, and the worst thing. I started to cry, knowing that Henry's death was the worst thing and knowing that I couldn't and didn't want to share this with them. The pain of losing him was so keen during these days, the tears always so near the surface. I wanted to be able to tell him about each of these people, to see who he would remember, knowing he would be interested in Kathy and some of the others, knowing he would tease me about some. And each recollection about Rockford, each mention of Rockford makes me think of him.
So I cried on the ferry last night, nearly home at last, the trip ending. I cried for Henry, I cried for my past. I miss him so much.
And today I'm at work, barely catching up and gearing up for the next phase of my summer: vacation with my sister, her daughter and my mother. Some time in Rhode Island and some time here. Many cousins will be with us here. yeow.
| Your Hidden Talent |
 You communicate well and are able to bring disparate groups together. Your calming presence helps everything go more smoothly. People crave your praise and complements. |
My natural talent of interpersonal relations is something I've spent most of my life trying to figure out how to do! I do communicate well, however. My calming presence is a myth. Some people crave my praise but mostly just my dogs do.
| Your Power Color Is Gold |
 At Your Highest: You are engrossed in passions that mentally stimulate you. At Your Lowest: You seek thrills and neglect what's important in your life. In Love: You see dating as adventure and approach it with an open attitude. How You're Attractive: You passion for life makes others passionate about you. Your Eternal Question: "Am I Having Fun?" |
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
I've been staying in the boat house, and have had the most magical evenings. Sitting in the Saranac chair, which is like a chaise longe, only higher, and which is in the corner of the porch overlooking the lake and the mountains. There is no power on the porch so I do my crosswords by candlelight. This makes them more legitimate, somehow, although it makes the tiny numbers really hard to read. I like doing them and pretend I'm doing them to prevent the onset of Alzheimers or senility, but mostly I like doing them because they make me feel smart. Like playing Jeopardy against the person who make up the puzzle. These are ones I get from The Trentonian,off of the Internet. More challenging than most but I can still do them.
Anyway, there I sit at night, where it's as cool as it is anywhere, watching it get darker and darker on the lake. I interrupt myself just before it gets TOO dark and go for a swim. The water is totally black and all I can see when I swim underwater is the white sticks that are my arms. They're all blurry and ill-defined but look really cool. I love this. I look up to the porch, where I've only left 2 candles burning and the light, reflected against the red-brown of the siding, is very pretty. It's just really, really nice and I feel so lucky to have this experience to myself. And my dogs, of course. I have to let them share it with me or they sit on the porch and whine. Tess swims out to me in great panic, puffing as she swims fast. I'm teaching her to stay a certain distance away from swimmers--I push her away and say "WATCH OUT." It's not working very well. I tried splashing water in her face, which is what you're supposed to do. That didn't work at all. I can barely see her as she swims toward me, just the "V" in the water that she leaves behind her.
And it continues to be hot, so hot here. Unusual for the Adirondacks, and so many people are having bad sinus and lung reactions. Including me. I'm taking antihistamines and using my inhalers. I'm counting on my trip to Colorado to cure this problem, but first I need to mow my lawn, which will exacerbate the whole thing mercilessly. I need to clean my house for Lin. She is going to stay there and take care of Tess and Chances for the 5 days I will be gone. She doesn't need to feed the fish: Mr. Guppy died the other day, the last of the band of 4. I'll wait until after my August vacation to get any more, then I'll go back to the store and look at the whole array of fish before deciding who to get next (who will be the next victims?).
I'm off to Colo. tomorrow to be with about 17 friends from high school and junior high school. I'm nervous about the trip--have to make a connection in Newark going there, one in Cleveland coming back. Three people are meeting me in Denver to drive to Vail together, so the pressure's on not to miss my flight in Newark. I have a 7:00 a.m. flight from Burlington, so I think I need to leave home at 3 a.m. Won't the dogs be surprised when I wake them up? Won't I be surprised if I wake up? I'm looking forward to being in Colo. again, it's been many, many years since I was there. I like being with this group of people but I really don't have much in common with most of them. They are true suburban American wives and mothers, with lives so different from my own. I am one of 3 who has no children and the only one who has no partner. There is one other who is not married, but she has a boyfriend (or did the last time we were together, 3 years ago). They cannot relate to my life at all, but I lived in their worlds when I lived in Rockford. Except for the ones in Calif. and Oregon, I can't imagine what it's like to live in those places.
So off I go, hoping for the best.
Anyway, there I sit at night, where it's as cool as it is anywhere, watching it get darker and darker on the lake. I interrupt myself just before it gets TOO dark and go for a swim. The water is totally black and all I can see when I swim underwater is the white sticks that are my arms. They're all blurry and ill-defined but look really cool. I love this. I look up to the porch, where I've only left 2 candles burning and the light, reflected against the red-brown of the siding, is very pretty. It's just really, really nice and I feel so lucky to have this experience to myself. And my dogs, of course. I have to let them share it with me or they sit on the porch and whine. Tess swims out to me in great panic, puffing as she swims fast. I'm teaching her to stay a certain distance away from swimmers--I push her away and say "WATCH OUT." It's not working very well. I tried splashing water in her face, which is what you're supposed to do. That didn't work at all. I can barely see her as she swims toward me, just the "V" in the water that she leaves behind her.
And it continues to be hot, so hot here. Unusual for the Adirondacks, and so many people are having bad sinus and lung reactions. Including me. I'm taking antihistamines and using my inhalers. I'm counting on my trip to Colorado to cure this problem, but first I need to mow my lawn, which will exacerbate the whole thing mercilessly. I need to clean my house for Lin. She is going to stay there and take care of Tess and Chances for the 5 days I will be gone. She doesn't need to feed the fish: Mr. Guppy died the other day, the last of the band of 4. I'll wait until after my August vacation to get any more, then I'll go back to the store and look at the whole array of fish before deciding who to get next (who will be the next victims?).
I'm off to Colo. tomorrow to be with about 17 friends from high school and junior high school. I'm nervous about the trip--have to make a connection in Newark going there, one in Cleveland coming back. Three people are meeting me in Denver to drive to Vail together, so the pressure's on not to miss my flight in Newark. I have a 7:00 a.m. flight from Burlington, so I think I need to leave home at 3 a.m. Won't the dogs be surprised when I wake them up? Won't I be surprised if I wake up? I'm looking forward to being in Colo. again, it's been many, many years since I was there. I like being with this group of people but I really don't have much in common with most of them. They are true suburban American wives and mothers, with lives so different from my own. I am one of 3 who has no children and the only one who has no partner. There is one other who is not married, but she has a boyfriend (or did the last time we were together, 3 years ago). They cannot relate to my life at all, but I lived in their worlds when I lived in Rockford. Except for the ones in Calif. and Oregon, I can't imagine what it's like to live in those places.
So off I go, hoping for the best.
Friday, July 15, 2005
FIRST, you have to understand that this story is a sad story but I can see the humor in it. You have to understand that I cried for most of the day, but that I laughed when I regaled my friends with the episode I'm about to describe. You have to understand a lot of things about the dog involved, how I felt about him and about how I came to have him in my life.
Let's start with Wednesday night at 10:00. I let my 13-year old dog Jackson out for his nightly pee. He does not return. He has done this before, maybe 3 times. Each time he has been on my doorstep the following morning. We had a thunderstorm during the night, but still he did not return. He was not on my doorstep yesterday morning so I went to work, figuring he had found safe haven during the night. I looked for his body on the hardtop on my way to work and did not find it. At 10:00, at work I got a call from State Trooper Prichitt saying that my dog Jackson had been hit by a car and was injured, couldn't walk, and that he was being left at my house. "How did you find me?," I asked. "I've been tracking you down for a while." I called the vet, told them to expect an emergency visit from me. Vet is an hour from my house, house is 45 min. from work. I rushed home. Jackson was lying on the grass, took his last gasp of air as I knelt down next to him. He was already dead. Next to him was a shirt, Moore Construction Company on the left front, Mike on the right. So it was Mike who hit him, then covered him with his shirt. Jackson died of internal injuries, his belly was swollen and his gums were white.
I later discovered he had been hit at 7:50, so it took him a while to die, the poor old man. Several people got involved in this drama, my voice mail was full of messages, neighbors wanting me to know my dog had been hit. Mostly people I vaguely know or don't know at all. He had a tag on his collar with my name & phone number. I like it a lot that so many people cared. One woman called in the afternoon to see how my dog was.
OK, now the John Candy movie begins. I'm crying, feeling guilty, feeling sorry for Jackson, feeling sad. I call my 91-year-old friend Ken because I need help disposing of a 70-pound dog body. Ken has always told me that he will help me bury a dog body, he has a place in the woods that's a burial spot for dogs. I leave a message and an hour later he calls me back. Meanwhile Jackson lies in the sun, under a blanket. I let Tess outside. She runs up to him, wagging her tail madly, imploring him to get up an play with her.
Ken comes over and the only way he considers handling the body of an animal is to dangle it by its front and hind legs, like a dead deer. I can't stand this, but what can I do? At least I take the front, so I can cradle Jackson's head in my arms. With a 1-2-3 HEAVE HO we put him in the back of the truck and drive him to Ken's, where we transfer him to the small wooden trailer behind Ken's 1955 Ford tractor for transport into the woods. I sit on a cinder block in the middle of the trailer, next to the body. I cry a lot. It's a bumpy ride but the woods are spectacular, serene and beautiful. We get to the spot Ken knows is the right one. We start walking into the woods on mossy covered ground and he says "We're looking for a monument." I know better than to ask what kind of monument or how far into the woods we should go. I finally spot a red stone, shaped just like a headstone, blank but unmistakable. "Found it!" He explains that a camper, many years ago, had her dog die while she was there, and she wanted it buried in Hawkeye so he buried it there. This completely destroys my vision of a burial plot for beloved pets but it's sure too late to turn back now. "We'll put Good Old Jackson right next to her dog, right here," he says, tapping the moss with his boot.
The spot he's picked is about 75 feet from where the tractor is parked on the dirt path/road. I know we can't carry the body that far. He reads my mind. "I'll just skid him in here." Oh God I don't think I can stand that. We lower the body to the ground, he ties a rope around Jackson's rear legs and starts dragging the body. Drag, pause, drag, pause. I cry. We reach the spot and start to dig. It's 85 degrees and the mosquitoes are hungry. We sweat and dig. He's very methodical, I'm eager to finish this project. I can't stand it. Jackson is lying on the ground nearby.
Finally we have a hole big enough--about 2 1/2 feet deep, 3 feet long and a foot wide. We put the blanket I've brought in the hole and lower the dog onto it, adjust his position so he fits. Fine, the hole is deep enough. Only one problem: rigor mortis has set in and his front legs are completely stiff. Hind legs bend just fine but his front legs are sticking straight up, out of the hole about 3 inches (I said this was like a John Candy movie). Push them down, they pop up. "Um, Ken...we have a problem." I can read his mind--if I weren't there he could break the legs and tuck them in nicely. I push, push, push the legs down, hold them down long enough to make them stay, tuck them under the edge of the hole and finally, success! He fits! We cover him with the edges of the blanket, then a garbage bag, and finally the dirt and moss we saved when we started digging.
Ken instructs me to find a perfect, flat, square stone within the next while, and to write something nice on it. "We'll come back up and put it right here," he says, putting a birch log in the exact spot. "What're you going to paint on the stone?," he asks. God only knows. Throughout this whole afternoon he's been saying things like, "Good Old Jackson, your last ride in a motor vehicle." "Good Old Jackson, your final resting place." "If there's a heaven for you I'll bet you're there now, Old Jackson." Each time he says these things I cry some more.
At last we leave, me riding in the small trailer, enjoying the ride through the woods even as I cry for the dog, for my brother, for death. We ride through a blueberry patch full of ripe berries, we turn around over a lichen-covered rock, we ride through the meadow with the wonderful view of the end of the lake and the mountain. Finally we get to his house, put away the tools, unhook the trailer and go inside. "I think we deserve a touch of the creature, don't you?," he says. But first we each have a tall glass of cold, delicious water.
When I go home there is no big yellow dog barking a sloppy bark at my arrival.
Let's start with Wednesday night at 10:00. I let my 13-year old dog Jackson out for his nightly pee. He does not return. He has done this before, maybe 3 times. Each time he has been on my doorstep the following morning. We had a thunderstorm during the night, but still he did not return. He was not on my doorstep yesterday morning so I went to work, figuring he had found safe haven during the night. I looked for his body on the hardtop on my way to work and did not find it. At 10:00, at work I got a call from State Trooper Prichitt saying that my dog Jackson had been hit by a car and was injured, couldn't walk, and that he was being left at my house. "How did you find me?," I asked. "I've been tracking you down for a while." I called the vet, told them to expect an emergency visit from me. Vet is an hour from my house, house is 45 min. from work. I rushed home. Jackson was lying on the grass, took his last gasp of air as I knelt down next to him. He was already dead. Next to him was a shirt, Moore Construction Company on the left front, Mike on the right. So it was Mike who hit him, then covered him with his shirt. Jackson died of internal injuries, his belly was swollen and his gums were white.
I later discovered he had been hit at 7:50, so it took him a while to die, the poor old man. Several people got involved in this drama, my voice mail was full of messages, neighbors wanting me to know my dog had been hit. Mostly people I vaguely know or don't know at all. He had a tag on his collar with my name & phone number. I like it a lot that so many people cared. One woman called in the afternoon to see how my dog was.
OK, now the John Candy movie begins. I'm crying, feeling guilty, feeling sorry for Jackson, feeling sad. I call my 91-year-old friend Ken because I need help disposing of a 70-pound dog body. Ken has always told me that he will help me bury a dog body, he has a place in the woods that's a burial spot for dogs. I leave a message and an hour later he calls me back. Meanwhile Jackson lies in the sun, under a blanket. I let Tess outside. She runs up to him, wagging her tail madly, imploring him to get up an play with her.
Ken comes over and the only way he considers handling the body of an animal is to dangle it by its front and hind legs, like a dead deer. I can't stand this, but what can I do? At least I take the front, so I can cradle Jackson's head in my arms. With a 1-2-3 HEAVE HO we put him in the back of the truck and drive him to Ken's, where we transfer him to the small wooden trailer behind Ken's 1955 Ford tractor for transport into the woods. I sit on a cinder block in the middle of the trailer, next to the body. I cry a lot. It's a bumpy ride but the woods are spectacular, serene and beautiful. We get to the spot Ken knows is the right one. We start walking into the woods on mossy covered ground and he says "We're looking for a monument." I know better than to ask what kind of monument or how far into the woods we should go. I finally spot a red stone, shaped just like a headstone, blank but unmistakable. "Found it!" He explains that a camper, many years ago, had her dog die while she was there, and she wanted it buried in Hawkeye so he buried it there. This completely destroys my vision of a burial plot for beloved pets but it's sure too late to turn back now. "We'll put Good Old Jackson right next to her dog, right here," he says, tapping the moss with his boot.
The spot he's picked is about 75 feet from where the tractor is parked on the dirt path/road. I know we can't carry the body that far. He reads my mind. "I'll just skid him in here." Oh God I don't think I can stand that. We lower the body to the ground, he ties a rope around Jackson's rear legs and starts dragging the body. Drag, pause, drag, pause. I cry. We reach the spot and start to dig. It's 85 degrees and the mosquitoes are hungry. We sweat and dig. He's very methodical, I'm eager to finish this project. I can't stand it. Jackson is lying on the ground nearby.
Finally we have a hole big enough--about 2 1/2 feet deep, 3 feet long and a foot wide. We put the blanket I've brought in the hole and lower the dog onto it, adjust his position so he fits. Fine, the hole is deep enough. Only one problem: rigor mortis has set in and his front legs are completely stiff. Hind legs bend just fine but his front legs are sticking straight up, out of the hole about 3 inches (I said this was like a John Candy movie). Push them down, they pop up. "Um, Ken...we have a problem." I can read his mind--if I weren't there he could break the legs and tuck them in nicely. I push, push, push the legs down, hold them down long enough to make them stay, tuck them under the edge of the hole and finally, success! He fits! We cover him with the edges of the blanket, then a garbage bag, and finally the dirt and moss we saved when we started digging.
Ken instructs me to find a perfect, flat, square stone within the next while, and to write something nice on it. "We'll come back up and put it right here," he says, putting a birch log in the exact spot. "What're you going to paint on the stone?," he asks. God only knows. Throughout this whole afternoon he's been saying things like, "Good Old Jackson, your last ride in a motor vehicle." "Good Old Jackson, your final resting place." "If there's a heaven for you I'll bet you're there now, Old Jackson." Each time he says these things I cry some more.
At last we leave, me riding in the small trailer, enjoying the ride through the woods even as I cry for the dog, for my brother, for death. We ride through a blueberry patch full of ripe berries, we turn around over a lichen-covered rock, we ride through the meadow with the wonderful view of the end of the lake and the mountain. Finally we get to his house, put away the tools, unhook the trailer and go inside. "I think we deserve a touch of the creature, don't you?," he says. But first we each have a tall glass of cold, delicious water.
When I go home there is no big yellow dog barking a sloppy bark at my arrival.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
I had the most amazing swimlast night.
I was at Linda's, visiting, drinking (a little, only a little), relaxing and saying goodbye to our friend MaryKay. We decided it was a perfect night for naked swimming. It's not nearly as nice to swim at Linda's as it is at our camp because you never feel you're out very far: other camps are too close. But we swam pretty far out and I floated in totally dark water, dove into darkness so dark you could see nothing. It was cold and I never really got used to the water, unlike the swimming Jenica and I did the day before in the sunlight. The moon was a sliver but gave off good light. It was lovely and made me think of my sister, who swims several times a day when she's at Silver Lake.
I took Pus Head and her sister with the pus-y neck to the vet last night. They have hot spots, all right, and got shaved a whole lot. Diane, the vet laughed at them. They behaved very, very well while they got shaved, and Tess wagged her tail the whole time. I can't believe she did that and was sure she would struggle and be awful, based on the way she hides from me when I get out any kind of medicine. Anyway, they got shots, pills, salve and should be ok now. Their spots already look better. They also got their distemper/parvo shots and exams, as did Jackson. I discovered that Jackson has partial paralysis in his throat, which explains why his bark is so funny. It's not a problem, but I have to be careful with him in hot weather so that he doesn't over-exert himself and pant himself to death. Jackson? Over exert? It is to laugh. "Should I have him put down?," she asked optimistically. No, it's not that bad, but keep an eye on him. Total for all that was done last night: $335. Yikes. That's why I went to Linda's for drinks afterward.
Today the staff meets with the first of 2 candidates for the director position. We have a bunch of questions we've submitted to ask her but only have 45 minutes to ask them. Some of them are long and involved questions, but some dork wants to know what the last 3 books she read are. I don't think I could answer that one. Let's just ask her what her favorite color is.
I was at Linda's, visiting, drinking (a little, only a little), relaxing and saying goodbye to our friend MaryKay. We decided it was a perfect night for naked swimming. It's not nearly as nice to swim at Linda's as it is at our camp because you never feel you're out very far: other camps are too close. But we swam pretty far out and I floated in totally dark water, dove into darkness so dark you could see nothing. It was cold and I never really got used to the water, unlike the swimming Jenica and I did the day before in the sunlight. The moon was a sliver but gave off good light. It was lovely and made me think of my sister, who swims several times a day when she's at Silver Lake.
I took Pus Head and her sister with the pus-y neck to the vet last night. They have hot spots, all right, and got shaved a whole lot. Diane, the vet laughed at them. They behaved very, very well while they got shaved, and Tess wagged her tail the whole time. I can't believe she did that and was sure she would struggle and be awful, based on the way she hides from me when I get out any kind of medicine. Anyway, they got shots, pills, salve and should be ok now. Their spots already look better. They also got their distemper/parvo shots and exams, as did Jackson. I discovered that Jackson has partial paralysis in his throat, which explains why his bark is so funny. It's not a problem, but I have to be careful with him in hot weather so that he doesn't over-exert himself and pant himself to death. Jackson? Over exert? It is to laugh. "Should I have him put down?," she asked optimistically. No, it's not that bad, but keep an eye on him. Total for all that was done last night: $335. Yikes. That's why I went to Linda's for drinks afterward.
Today the staff meets with the first of 2 candidates for the director position. We have a bunch of questions we've submitted to ask her but only have 45 minutes to ask them. Some of them are long and involved questions, but some dork wants to know what the last 3 books she read are. I don't think I could answer that one. Let's just ask her what her favorite color is.
Monday, July 11, 2005
WHAT WAS IT LIKE, WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
Well, I went to my ex-husband's wedding and it was fine. The wedding took forever. Boy are they married, they are sooo married. This wedding could not have been more different from our wedding. Tuxedos, white dress with pearl baubles, bridesmaids in gowns, church vows and more vows, solos belted out in all kinds of languages, a long boring sermon, full communion. It took almost an hour and a half for them to get married. Us, it took about 10 minutes outside in the sunshine with leaves on the trees. It rained the entire day he got married this time. The entire day, poured. The wedding was at night. The reception was really nice, in a pretty spot with good food and plenty of it. Free wine and beer and plenty of it. I had a nice time, saw good friends and got to be part of their group. Saw nice cousins and got to visit with them. Evaded cousins I didn't want to visit with. Was told by enough people they were glad I had gone. Jamie actually hugged me. Not bad for a man who hasn't spoken to me in a long time. He did not, however, introduce me to his wife, so I had to do that myself. She seemed stunned and said nothing. Anyway, the whole thing was fine and I stayed at the reception for a long time.
Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day. Really beautiful. I had Sunday dinner with the usual crowd, then got to spend some time on the dock with Jenica. We did our usual chatting, one on the dock, one in the water. Library stuff, the wedding, our lives. Very nice. Then we went our separate ways. I went to my book group, which I thought started at 4 but really started at 3. Oh well, they were kind enough to talk about the book again when I got there. Running with scissors by Burroughs. Mixed reviews. We had a great time together, the full group was gathered for the first time in a long time. We talked about what's going on in our lives, especially Lori's life--she's getting a divorce and is living in a not-so-great situation right now. They're all going to Mirror Lake to swim laps Weds. night at 6:30. I may join them.
Friday night was the long-awaited 60th birthday party for Erdvilas. It was really nice. I had a nice time, saw lots of people I really like visiting with, ate plenty of food and didn't drink too much. They were smart and stuck to wine. What a difference that makes! Lots of people, plenty of conversation. I like being part of that extended group, they are really nice and wonderful people.
Tonight I have an appointment with my psychiatrist, who will be shocked that I went to my ex-husband's wedding. I haven't seen Dr. Rubin for 3 months. After that I rush home to pick up the dogs and rush them to the vet. The Brown Girls have the most disgusting hot spots. Chances has a huge oozing one on her neck and Tess' is now crusty and is huge on top of her head so she looks like a comic book character who was hit by radiation and is thus disfigured. My beautiful dogs! So unattractive! Not to mention that it will cost me a fortune to get them repaired! And they will have huge bald spots! Oh no!
Well, I went to my ex-husband's wedding and it was fine. The wedding took forever. Boy are they married, they are sooo married. This wedding could not have been more different from our wedding. Tuxedos, white dress with pearl baubles, bridesmaids in gowns, church vows and more vows, solos belted out in all kinds of languages, a long boring sermon, full communion. It took almost an hour and a half for them to get married. Us, it took about 10 minutes outside in the sunshine with leaves on the trees. It rained the entire day he got married this time. The entire day, poured. The wedding was at night. The reception was really nice, in a pretty spot with good food and plenty of it. Free wine and beer and plenty of it. I had a nice time, saw good friends and got to be part of their group. Saw nice cousins and got to visit with them. Evaded cousins I didn't want to visit with. Was told by enough people they were glad I had gone. Jamie actually hugged me. Not bad for a man who hasn't spoken to me in a long time. He did not, however, introduce me to his wife, so I had to do that myself. She seemed stunned and said nothing. Anyway, the whole thing was fine and I stayed at the reception for a long time.
Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day. Really beautiful. I had Sunday dinner with the usual crowd, then got to spend some time on the dock with Jenica. We did our usual chatting, one on the dock, one in the water. Library stuff, the wedding, our lives. Very nice. Then we went our separate ways. I went to my book group, which I thought started at 4 but really started at 3. Oh well, they were kind enough to talk about the book again when I got there. Running with scissors by Burroughs. Mixed reviews. We had a great time together, the full group was gathered for the first time in a long time. We talked about what's going on in our lives, especially Lori's life--she's getting a divorce and is living in a not-so-great situation right now. They're all going to Mirror Lake to swim laps Weds. night at 6:30. I may join them.
Friday night was the long-awaited 60th birthday party for Erdvilas. It was really nice. I had a nice time, saw lots of people I really like visiting with, ate plenty of food and didn't drink too much. They were smart and stuck to wine. What a difference that makes! Lots of people, plenty of conversation. I like being part of that extended group, they are really nice and wonderful people.
Tonight I have an appointment with my psychiatrist, who will be shocked that I went to my ex-husband's wedding. I haven't seen Dr. Rubin for 3 months. After that I rush home to pick up the dogs and rush them to the vet. The Brown Girls have the most disgusting hot spots. Chances has a huge oozing one on her neck and Tess' is now crusty and is huge on top of her head so she looks like a comic book character who was hit by radiation and is thus disfigured. My beautiful dogs! So unattractive! Not to mention that it will cost me a fortune to get them repaired! And they will have huge bald spots! Oh no!
| Your Career Type: Enterprising |
 You are engertic, ambitious, and sociable. Your talents lie in politics, leading people, and selling things or ideas. You would make an excellent: Auctioneer - Bank President - Camp Director City Manager - Judge - Lawyer Recreation Leader - Real Estate Agent - Sales Person School Principal - Travel Agent - TV Newscaster The worst career options for your are investigative careers, like mathematician or architect. |
Auctioneer, yeah, I like being an auctioneer. We all know I can talk fast and loud. Real estate agent? At least they make a lot of money.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Back to work and it seems like a strange place to be. I came in this morning, completely forgetting I was due in Burlington for my mammogram. I got back in my car and made it to my appointment in time, no problem. Ferry ride was a bit rough and it was hazy, no view. After the 'gram I went to a department store I like and found a good pair of shoes to wear to Jamie's wedding on Saturday. They are Clarks and will be good to wear for other things too. They are $70 shoes that were on sale for $40. Yea me!
I had a good weekend but it almost feels as if the whole thing happened to someone else. My eye appointment went well, my small cataract is no worse and my vision is only marginally worse. I ordered bifocals with the lenses that have no lines so had to pay $225 for them myself. This sucks and I am now broke. I was very late to the meeting that started at 5:15 because it took 1 1/2 hours for my appointment, then there I was, at 5:00, in Lake Placid, and I had to get to Silver Lake for the meeting. Didn't seem as if much got accomplished at the meeting anyway.
Saturday morning was the road clean up and I got paired with the loony woman who lives in her parents' camp over by the island year-round. This is her 2nd or 3rd year there. She lives with her 9 year old daughter and does batik stuff for a living. Guess what she's discovering? You can't make a living doing that. I love these people who don't have to pay $600 a month for housing, and must be getting child support or something for enough income so they don't have to work. She admitted that she may have to go back to work. She's a counselor, amazingly enough. Anyway, she brought along this man who insisted we put a dead porcupine in our garbage bags, triple-bagging it. Everyone was totally grossed out that we did it (including me). After the cleanup we had a cookout and I talked Ken into going, which turned out to be a nice thing for him, a little socialization with people he hasn't seen in a long time. One of the women from Baltimore went too, which she found very exciting. People who don't normally hang out with this group think it's an exciting group. Those of us who do know better.
Saturday night was, of course, a big drinking party at Linda's. Many people and many drinks. It was nice to be with that group again. I had a chance to talk to Joe about his cancer, his surgery, his attitude about life, plus he told me that Steve has OCD, which explains why it's taking SOOOOOO long for him to finish my deck. Steve is Joe's sister's son. Linda's friends from Mich. were there, and Chris is a devoted fisherman. Unfortunately he got his triple-barbed lure stuck in his hand so badly that Joe had to use pliers to yank it out. I was holding Chris' hand steady, and in the process got two hooks stuck in my fingers so badly that then Joe had to use pliers to yank them out of my fingers. Much blood, some pain. Too much alcohol. All is fine now, wounds are healing and don't interfere with my ability to type or weave baskets.
Sunday we had dinner at Joe and Martha's a huge group of us. I stayed after dinner to visit with Martha and Pat (Pat is Joe's sister, Ken's niece, who I seldom get to see even though she lives next door to Ken). That pretty much killed the day. Sunday night I had dinner with Rush & Annie and Annie's son, his wife and her son. We had a lot of fun playing cards after dinner. We played "I Doubt It," which I hadn't played since childhood. Annie's son is a psychiatrist and we talked about things psychiatric a lot, including Tom Cruise and Scientology at great length. Michael (the son) is really remarkable.
I stayed in the boat house Sunday night and slept well. There were really cool fireworks across the lake that I had a great view of, sitting on the porch. The lake was still and beautiful. I got up at 5 on Monday and took pictures of the sunrise, fed the dogs and went back to sleep until 7:30. Then I got up, sat on the porch and drank tea for 2 hours. It was really great. I put my chair on the dock, put my suit on and set up my sunning station. The water is warm, 72 according to Rush. I swam, the dogs swam even more. They had a great day, running along the shore, swimming, then napping at the end of the dock. They were great. I got to swim with Jamie's sister, whom I have always liked. She was there with his parents, cleaning like crazy in preparation of the rehearsal party Friday night. They're planning on a crowd of about 60. I won't be there, or if I am it will be for a short time only, Erdvilas' birthday party is that night.
I went home briefly to start Erdvilas' basket, did quite well with that, then went to Linda's for the evening. Another big crowd, another dinner. Delicious food. I took Chances, who ate 8 of the buttermilk scones Linda had made. She made 16 so had just enough for dessert, since the crowd didn't really grow until after dinner. How truly embarrassing for me, though, to have such a poorly behaved dog. She ate them off the plate, which was on the kitchen counter.
Today I have to meet Ken after work to take him to the doctor. Sometimes this doctor has a big crowd, sometimes not. It's taken anywhere from 1/2 an hour to 1 1/2 hours when we've seen him. I'll stop at Ken's before going home, but then I'm going home to vacuum the floor and do some cleaning. Having a social life is fun but my house is more of a mess than usual. My flowers look like hell, completely neglected since I don't really have a deck to put them on. I have tiny tomatoes and cukes, though.
Now I should probably get a least a little bit of work done.
I had a good weekend but it almost feels as if the whole thing happened to someone else. My eye appointment went well, my small cataract is no worse and my vision is only marginally worse. I ordered bifocals with the lenses that have no lines so had to pay $225 for them myself. This sucks and I am now broke. I was very late to the meeting that started at 5:15 because it took 1 1/2 hours for my appointment, then there I was, at 5:00, in Lake Placid, and I had to get to Silver Lake for the meeting. Didn't seem as if much got accomplished at the meeting anyway.
Saturday morning was the road clean up and I got paired with the loony woman who lives in her parents' camp over by the island year-round. This is her 2nd or 3rd year there. She lives with her 9 year old daughter and does batik stuff for a living. Guess what she's discovering? You can't make a living doing that. I love these people who don't have to pay $600 a month for housing, and must be getting child support or something for enough income so they don't have to work. She admitted that she may have to go back to work. She's a counselor, amazingly enough. Anyway, she brought along this man who insisted we put a dead porcupine in our garbage bags, triple-bagging it. Everyone was totally grossed out that we did it (including me). After the cleanup we had a cookout and I talked Ken into going, which turned out to be a nice thing for him, a little socialization with people he hasn't seen in a long time. One of the women from Baltimore went too, which she found very exciting. People who don't normally hang out with this group think it's an exciting group. Those of us who do know better.
Saturday night was, of course, a big drinking party at Linda's. Many people and many drinks. It was nice to be with that group again. I had a chance to talk to Joe about his cancer, his surgery, his attitude about life, plus he told me that Steve has OCD, which explains why it's taking SOOOOOO long for him to finish my deck. Steve is Joe's sister's son. Linda's friends from Mich. were there, and Chris is a devoted fisherman. Unfortunately he got his triple-barbed lure stuck in his hand so badly that Joe had to use pliers to yank it out. I was holding Chris' hand steady, and in the process got two hooks stuck in my fingers so badly that then Joe had to use pliers to yank them out of my fingers. Much blood, some pain. Too much alcohol. All is fine now, wounds are healing and don't interfere with my ability to type or weave baskets.
Sunday we had dinner at Joe and Martha's a huge group of us. I stayed after dinner to visit with Martha and Pat (Pat is Joe's sister, Ken's niece, who I seldom get to see even though she lives next door to Ken). That pretty much killed the day. Sunday night I had dinner with Rush & Annie and Annie's son, his wife and her son. We had a lot of fun playing cards after dinner. We played "I Doubt It," which I hadn't played since childhood. Annie's son is a psychiatrist and we talked about things psychiatric a lot, including Tom Cruise and Scientology at great length. Michael (the son) is really remarkable.
I stayed in the boat house Sunday night and slept well. There were really cool fireworks across the lake that I had a great view of, sitting on the porch. The lake was still and beautiful. I got up at 5 on Monday and took pictures of the sunrise, fed the dogs and went back to sleep until 7:30. Then I got up, sat on the porch and drank tea for 2 hours. It was really great. I put my chair on the dock, put my suit on and set up my sunning station. The water is warm, 72 according to Rush. I swam, the dogs swam even more. They had a great day, running along the shore, swimming, then napping at the end of the dock. They were great. I got to swim with Jamie's sister, whom I have always liked. She was there with his parents, cleaning like crazy in preparation of the rehearsal party Friday night. They're planning on a crowd of about 60. I won't be there, or if I am it will be for a short time only, Erdvilas' birthday party is that night.
I went home briefly to start Erdvilas' basket, did quite well with that, then went to Linda's for the evening. Another big crowd, another dinner. Delicious food. I took Chances, who ate 8 of the buttermilk scones Linda had made. She made 16 so had just enough for dessert, since the crowd didn't really grow until after dinner. How truly embarrassing for me, though, to have such a poorly behaved dog. She ate them off the plate, which was on the kitchen counter.
Today I have to meet Ken after work to take him to the doctor. Sometimes this doctor has a big crowd, sometimes not. It's taken anywhere from 1/2 an hour to 1 1/2 hours when we've seen him. I'll stop at Ken's before going home, but then I'm going home to vacuum the floor and do some cleaning. Having a social life is fun but my house is more of a mess than usual. My flowers look like hell, completely neglected since I don't really have a deck to put them on. I have tiny tomatoes and cukes, though.
Now I should probably get a least a little bit of work done.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Today is Friday, the day before 4th of July weekend. The lake will be covered with boats, the shoreline full of people. Our camp will be empty except for tomorrow during the day when there will be a work party of the family of my ex-husband, prettying up camp for his rehearsal dinner party, to be held next weekend. I did my part, mowed the big grass strip down the center of the road last night. I offered to do it for his parents, who seem to be freaking out about what kind of shape camp will be in. They always freak out when company comes to camp, and I knew it would help if I mowed for them so I offered and they seemed pleased so I did it. It was HOT and I SWEATED. I hate to sweat.
After I mowed I dug in my garden for an hour. That made me sweat some more and I was a little greasy from the bug dope I sprayed on myself. I hate to be GREASY. I planted 30 snapdragon plants and 20 lily bulbs. No, wait, the dogs ate one of those, I only planted 19. The garden now has 2 spots where it looks like a garden. I uncovered some of my perennials, which are getting ready to bloom. SURPRISE! I found some I'd forgotten I had. A nice treat.
While I was working so was Stevie. He now has most of one side of the deck completed. He made a little bridge so the dogs could walk onto to it but only Jackson was brave enough to use it. There's a space of about 2' between the two deck sections and you look down the 4' to the ground below. The Girls absolutely refuse to cross the bridge, not even for Milk Bones. Jackson: no problem. The Girls ran inside, danced around, put their front paws down and their butts in the air, wagged their tails, did everything but cross the little bridge. Sissies.
Tonight I have a quick meeting with the shoreowners' association to plan the summer's events. They've got me and our camp committed to an August event. Swell. I'm the secretary, have been for years. Tomorrow at 10 we gather to do the road cleanup and spend the rest of the day together. I must remember to buy myself some beer to drink at the cookout.
This afternoon, in an hour, I leave to go to the eye doctor for my annual visit. I will order new glasses, bifocals this time. Right now I have a pair of bifocals and a pair of trifocals. I need glasses to see in three zones: up close to read, mid-point for the computer, and far away to read. Sucks, yes? So now I want a pair that will see up close to read and far away to drive, so that I can read the speedometer and the road signs as I drive. I have to wear the tri-focals for that and they turned out to have just too many zones on them. Too confusing. My doctor competes in the Ironman in Lake Placid every year. 13 hours of activity: a 2-mile swim, then a 112-mile bike race, then a 26-mile marathon. My friend Howard does the same thing in Madison. I cannot comprehend that much physical activity in 13 hours. The race course comes very close to Silver Lake. My doctor rides his bike to Silver Lake often so we always talk about how nice it is where I live. That's about all we talk about, plus how nice chocolate Labs are, since he has one of those too.
Tuesday morning I go to Burlington for my mammogram. Wish I could think of something fun to do there besides that. I used to shop at Banana Republic, back when their clothes fit me and they had a good sale section. Then I moved on to the Eddie Bauer store, but they don't have a good sale section anymore either. Now I order everything online anyway.
Last night I finished a beautiful basket, a Shaker cat's head. It turned out pretty well and I'm very proud that I can still make nice baskets. I have to make 2--I for Jamie's wedding present and one to give to Erdvilas for his birthday, both by next Friday night. I ordered more supplies so I can make baskets for those I owe baskets too, as well. I had a really nice time making this one, I hadn't made one weaving in this style in many years and it was a lot of fun to do. I just hope the dogs don't chew it up while I'm at work! I put it in what I think is a safe place but you never know.
After I mowed I dug in my garden for an hour. That made me sweat some more and I was a little greasy from the bug dope I sprayed on myself. I hate to be GREASY. I planted 30 snapdragon plants and 20 lily bulbs. No, wait, the dogs ate one of those, I only planted 19. The garden now has 2 spots where it looks like a garden. I uncovered some of my perennials, which are getting ready to bloom. SURPRISE! I found some I'd forgotten I had. A nice treat.
While I was working so was Stevie. He now has most of one side of the deck completed. He made a little bridge so the dogs could walk onto to it but only Jackson was brave enough to use it. There's a space of about 2' between the two deck sections and you look down the 4' to the ground below. The Girls absolutely refuse to cross the bridge, not even for Milk Bones. Jackson: no problem. The Girls ran inside, danced around, put their front paws down and their butts in the air, wagged their tails, did everything but cross the little bridge. Sissies.
Tonight I have a quick meeting with the shoreowners' association to plan the summer's events. They've got me and our camp committed to an August event. Swell. I'm the secretary, have been for years. Tomorrow at 10 we gather to do the road cleanup and spend the rest of the day together. I must remember to buy myself some beer to drink at the cookout.
This afternoon, in an hour, I leave to go to the eye doctor for my annual visit. I will order new glasses, bifocals this time. Right now I have a pair of bifocals and a pair of trifocals. I need glasses to see in three zones: up close to read, mid-point for the computer, and far away to read. Sucks, yes? So now I want a pair that will see up close to read and far away to drive, so that I can read the speedometer and the road signs as I drive. I have to wear the tri-focals for that and they turned out to have just too many zones on them. Too confusing. My doctor competes in the Ironman in Lake Placid every year. 13 hours of activity: a 2-mile swim, then a 112-mile bike race, then a 26-mile marathon. My friend Howard does the same thing in Madison. I cannot comprehend that much physical activity in 13 hours. The race course comes very close to Silver Lake. My doctor rides his bike to Silver Lake often so we always talk about how nice it is where I live. That's about all we talk about, plus how nice chocolate Labs are, since he has one of those too.
Tuesday morning I go to Burlington for my mammogram. Wish I could think of something fun to do there besides that. I used to shop at Banana Republic, back when their clothes fit me and they had a good sale section. Then I moved on to the Eddie Bauer store, but they don't have a good sale section anymore either. Now I order everything online anyway.
Last night I finished a beautiful basket, a Shaker cat's head. It turned out pretty well and I'm very proud that I can still make nice baskets. I have to make 2--I for Jamie's wedding present and one to give to Erdvilas for his birthday, both by next Friday night. I ordered more supplies so I can make baskets for those I owe baskets too, as well. I had a really nice time making this one, I hadn't made one weaving in this style in many years and it was a lot of fun to do. I just hope the dogs don't chew it up while I'm at work! I put it in what I think is a safe place but you never know.
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