This is the view you get on the way from Silver Lake to Wilmington. It appears when you go around a certain bend. It's the Whiteface Range and Mt. Esther. My summer-visiting friends always say "Oh! Look at the mountains!" They seem to say this every time they see this view so Fred and I say it as a joke to each other when we come round the bend. "OOOOH! Look at the mountains!" I try to appreciate it, though and remember just how pretty it is. I don't want to forget that I live in a beautiful place--not just around my house, but all around me as well.
Monday, February 26, 2007
This is an Easter/Christmas cactus I've had for a long time (at least I think it's a long time). Some years it has lots and lots of blossoms, but so far this year it only has one. How strange is that? I like red flowers, especially in winter because they present such a stunning contrast to the white snow. The sun was very bright this weekend and although my icicles dripped a lot and melted a bit, my ice dam just wouldn't let go. The ceiling only dripped in one place but boy am I getting tired of it!
I like the hair at the base of this blossom.
And here's my little flower. The sun gets really hot in the living room once the sun starts getting higher in the sky, in February. We put the house on the site with perfect southeastern exposure to take full advantage of the sun.
The dogs follow it across the floor, starting at one end of the room. They love lying in the sun, even when it gets so hot it makes them pant. Their favorite place for sunbathing is the bed but I keep the bedroom door closed and the bedroom is very cold during the day, to save money. Sorry, Tess.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Sound of silence
The sound of silence in your head is sort of a lonely thing, if you haven't experienced it for, say, 25 years. It's very spooky. I find that my feet still move to an imagined beat, but there's nothing going on in my head. When I stopped listening to my book in the car this morning, there was nothing to replace it. Imagine my surprise.
And on to something amusing--
Steven Colbert to Lance Armstrong:
SC: Let's see...retiring from riding a bicycle. Isn't that sort of like retiring from recess?
I haven't seen anyone stand up so well to SC in a long time. It was so much fun to watch that I watched it for the second time last night and laughed all over again.
payday today, and Friday as a bonus. Three people have already mentioned it to me and I've only been here half an hour. I need to transcribe the 2 articles I taped for the newsletter. Linda has offered (I guess) to edit the newsletter (other people always think they want to do this, and sometimes they do it for a couple of years, which is great for me, since I did it for a long, long time. It just feels strange to pass my stuff along).
Colder today but still balmy compared to what we've had for the past several weeks. If it's February, can April be far behind?
My sister's birthday this weekend. I will call her so that I can hear her voice and let her know I love her. She knows this already, but I like to remind her of it once in a while.
The sound of silence in your head is sort of a lonely thing, if you haven't experienced it for, say, 25 years. It's very spooky. I find that my feet still move to an imagined beat, but there's nothing going on in my head. When I stopped listening to my book in the car this morning, there was nothing to replace it. Imagine my surprise.
And on to something amusing--
Steven Colbert to Lance Armstrong:
SC: Let's see...retiring from riding a bicycle. Isn't that sort of like retiring from recess?
I haven't seen anyone stand up so well to SC in a long time. It was so much fun to watch that I watched it for the second time last night and laughed all over again.
payday today, and Friday as a bonus. Three people have already mentioned it to me and I've only been here half an hour. I need to transcribe the 2 articles I taped for the newsletter. Linda has offered (I guess) to edit the newsletter (other people always think they want to do this, and sometimes they do it for a couple of years, which is great for me, since I did it for a long, long time. It just feels strange to pass my stuff along).
Colder today but still balmy compared to what we've had for the past several weeks. If it's February, can April be far behind?
My sister's birthday this weekend. I will call her so that I can hear her voice and let her know I love her. She knows this already, but I like to remind her of it once in a while.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Number one hit
After a painful but fruitful deep muscle massage yesterday I went to Best Buy and bought a small tape recorder (boy are those hard to find--what you can get these days are digital recorders--tape recorders, not so much). I recorded 2 stories for the neighborhood rag on the way home. I'm amused by myself because I talk as if I'm telling a fascinating story, adding emphasis to words like the THUMP! that the ice and snow make when they fall from the roof. So it turns out these things would sound better aloud than they probably will read on paper. Well, let's hope someone finds them vaguely interesting to read anyway.
I took the recorder to Ken's house. I've taped him before with very limited success, partly because the machine I had was not very good and partly because of the way he was talking. This time I told him my idea of putting together histories of the families and early settlers of Hawkeye. He knows a lot about who was there when his family settled there, and who was there while he was growing up, from 1914 on, and especially who was there while his father and grandfather were farming there. This seemed to please him, so after dinner we sat in our usual spots, him in his rocking chair and me on the "davan" next to him, with the recorder running. I prompted him a bit, asked a few questions, added a word or two to get more details out of him, but it was really neat. The only problem was that I had the recorder on the arm of the sofa so my voice is loud and his is faint. I need to put the recorder closer to him. It was fun, though, and he was great at ignoring the recorder and telling stories he's told me before. It'll all have to be rearranged before being written down, he scatters things around a lot, and it won't be a complete history but it's really fun (so far).
I'll have to get information from other people (like everyone's arch-enemy, Leroy, since his family was there before anyone else's). Well, who knows how far I'll get with this project, but it does seem worthy because this is the history of my home and it seems as if there's no other handy way to record it. It also makes it easier for me to listen to the same stories over and over and to guide Ken's stories in a direction that's productive, for me at least. We spend hours and hours and hours together--3 nights a week now, and I'm reaching the point where I zone out, the way I did with my grandfather, so I'm losing the details of what he says. I wish I had the stories and details my grandfather told me so many times when I was a teenager and was bored sitting next to him as he showed me pictures of the mills, the log flumes, the log jams on the river, the nail factory, etc.
It feels like March out there today. A hint of things melting, snow heavy with moisture. This is really nice, full of hope and good cheer (better than Christmas!). Soon we'll be able to smell the earth thawing. Can't wait. Sometimes as the frost leaves the ground and the birds change their songs I feel as if this is really what we wait for all year--summer is nice, yes, but spring is really the best part of the year. Let's see if I feel that way in March--I seldom do because March is the cruelest month. Give the slightest hint of spring, then take it back.
Now on to Billy Graham--The journey: how to live by faith in an uncertain world. In large print so that EVERYONE can read it. Then Spike vs. Dracula. Let's hope that's a graphic novel.
After a painful but fruitful deep muscle massage yesterday I went to Best Buy and bought a small tape recorder (boy are those hard to find--what you can get these days are digital recorders--tape recorders, not so much). I recorded 2 stories for the neighborhood rag on the way home. I'm amused by myself because I talk as if I'm telling a fascinating story, adding emphasis to words like the THUMP! that the ice and snow make when they fall from the roof. So it turns out these things would sound better aloud than they probably will read on paper. Well, let's hope someone finds them vaguely interesting to read anyway.
I took the recorder to Ken's house. I've taped him before with very limited success, partly because the machine I had was not very good and partly because of the way he was talking. This time I told him my idea of putting together histories of the families and early settlers of Hawkeye. He knows a lot about who was there when his family settled there, and who was there while he was growing up, from 1914 on, and especially who was there while his father and grandfather were farming there. This seemed to please him, so after dinner we sat in our usual spots, him in his rocking chair and me on the "davan" next to him, with the recorder running. I prompted him a bit, asked a few questions, added a word or two to get more details out of him, but it was really neat. The only problem was that I had the recorder on the arm of the sofa so my voice is loud and his is faint. I need to put the recorder closer to him. It was fun, though, and he was great at ignoring the recorder and telling stories he's told me before. It'll all have to be rearranged before being written down, he scatters things around a lot, and it won't be a complete history but it's really fun (so far).
I'll have to get information from other people (like everyone's arch-enemy, Leroy, since his family was there before anyone else's). Well, who knows how far I'll get with this project, but it does seem worthy because this is the history of my home and it seems as if there's no other handy way to record it. It also makes it easier for me to listen to the same stories over and over and to guide Ken's stories in a direction that's productive, for me at least. We spend hours and hours and hours together--3 nights a week now, and I'm reaching the point where I zone out, the way I did with my grandfather, so I'm losing the details of what he says. I wish I had the stories and details my grandfather told me so many times when I was a teenager and was bored sitting next to him as he showed me pictures of the mills, the log flumes, the log jams on the river, the nail factory, etc.
It feels like March out there today. A hint of things melting, snow heavy with moisture. This is really nice, full of hope and good cheer (better than Christmas!). Soon we'll be able to smell the earth thawing. Can't wait. Sometimes as the frost leaves the ground and the birds change their songs I feel as if this is really what we wait for all year--summer is nice, yes, but spring is really the best part of the year. Let's see if I feel that way in March--I seldom do because March is the cruelest month. Give the slightest hint of spring, then take it back.
Now on to Billy Graham--The journey: how to live by faith in an uncertain world. In large print so that EVERYONE can read it. Then Spike vs. Dracula. Let's hope that's a graphic novel.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
One of our favorite--really, really favorite games is to write our own obituaries. Bill, Fred and I read obits in the Plattsburgh paper and point out the ones we DO NOT want ours modeled after. Here's one of the best we've seen in a long long time. In fact, this may be the all-time best:
Seiden, John W.
PLATTSBURGH — On Feb. 14, 2007, Big John left town to move on to his next big adventure. He left quietly and peacefully in his sleep. He was a very kind, polite, gentle man and those he touched loved him dearly. He lived his life on his own terms right to the end of his 86 years.He was born Jan. 9, 1921, in York, Pa., to Walter and Mabel Seiden. He graduated from James Madison High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942, where he served aboard the USS Intrepid CVII as an aviation ordinance man all through the Pacific Campaigns during three different cruises. He earned the following medals: the Navy Code of Conduct, Pacific 6 Stars, Philippine Liberation Campaign and American Defense. He married Isabelle Tremblay in 1953 in St. Jean Sur Richelieu, Quebec, and they made their home in Plattsburgh in 1956. He worked for New York Telephone Company as an installer repairman and retired after 39 years. He was a proud member of the American Legion Post 20 and the Telephone Pioneers.He leaves his wife of 53 years, Isabelle Tremblay Seiden; his son, John S. Seiden and companion Soraya Richardson of Plattsburgh; his daughter, Hazel Seiden Miller and son-in-law Andrais Miller of California; daughter-in-law Bucky Seiden and fiancĂ© Rod Driscoll; three grandchildren, Jonathan and Nicholas Seiden and Isabella Miller; and brother Walter and Fran Seiden of Georgia; sister Pauline Parker; and nephews Jack and Kathy Connelly and Jim and Donna Connelly of California.He loved country western music, puttering in his garden, fishing, the ocean, reading, genealogy, his grandchildren, his dogs and OTB. But most of all, he loved creating gourmet masterpieces from week-old leftovers.We will all miss his late night calls, spontaneous late afternoon visits, extremely loud TV, his handyman fix anything skills while holding his pants up with one hand and his driving through town at 10 mph. And how could we forget his swearing in front of the grandchildren, telling old Navy stories and playing his harmonica after a few touches of the brush.His spirit lives on in all of us and we will miss him dearly.In lieu of flowers and donations, the family would encourage you in the spirit of Big John to gather with friends and have a cocktail.Please join the family to raise a toast and share a story to celebrate Big John's life on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2007, at the American Legion Post 20, 162 Quarry Road, Plattsburgh, N.Y., from 7 to 10 p.m.
Published in the Press Republican from 2/18/2007 - 2/19/2007.
Seiden, John W.
PLATTSBURGH — On Feb. 14, 2007, Big John left town to move on to his next big adventure. He left quietly and peacefully in his sleep. He was a very kind, polite, gentle man and those he touched loved him dearly. He lived his life on his own terms right to the end of his 86 years.He was born Jan. 9, 1921, in York, Pa., to Walter and Mabel Seiden. He graduated from James Madison High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942, where he served aboard the USS Intrepid CVII as an aviation ordinance man all through the Pacific Campaigns during three different cruises. He earned the following medals: the Navy Code of Conduct, Pacific 6 Stars, Philippine Liberation Campaign and American Defense. He married Isabelle Tremblay in 1953 in St. Jean Sur Richelieu, Quebec, and they made their home in Plattsburgh in 1956. He worked for New York Telephone Company as an installer repairman and retired after 39 years. He was a proud member of the American Legion Post 20 and the Telephone Pioneers.He leaves his wife of 53 years, Isabelle Tremblay Seiden; his son, John S. Seiden and companion Soraya Richardson of Plattsburgh; his daughter, Hazel Seiden Miller and son-in-law Andrais Miller of California; daughter-in-law Bucky Seiden and fiancĂ© Rod Driscoll; three grandchildren, Jonathan and Nicholas Seiden and Isabella Miller; and brother Walter and Fran Seiden of Georgia; sister Pauline Parker; and nephews Jack and Kathy Connelly and Jim and Donna Connelly of California.He loved country western music, puttering in his garden, fishing, the ocean, reading, genealogy, his grandchildren, his dogs and OTB. But most of all, he loved creating gourmet masterpieces from week-old leftovers.We will all miss his late night calls, spontaneous late afternoon visits, extremely loud TV, his handyman fix anything skills while holding his pants up with one hand and his driving through town at 10 mph. And how could we forget his swearing in front of the grandchildren, telling old Navy stories and playing his harmonica after a few touches of the brush.His spirit lives on in all of us and we will miss him dearly.In lieu of flowers and donations, the family would encourage you in the spirit of Big John to gather with friends and have a cocktail.Please join the family to raise a toast and share a story to celebrate Big John's life on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2007, at the American Legion Post 20, 162 Quarry Road, Plattsburgh, N.Y., from 7 to 10 p.m.
Published in the Press Republican from 2/18/2007 - 2/19/2007.
She's so popular
That's what Peter Gabriel says. For the second time I've been asked by another library system if they can borrow something I've written. This time it's something I don't even remember I wrote: a training document on databases available through the state's big free bunch of databases. They found it posted on our website, but they must have had to dig pretty far, I think. The other time it was my article on Wikipedia, which was published in our newsletter (imagine anyone reading our newsletter) and it was another library system wanting to publish it in their newsletter. Add to that the several reviews I've had published in Library Journal and wowie! I'm on my way. not.
I have to write something for our lake shore association newsletter--our first winter edition. I was composing it this morning on my way to work. I used to have one of those little tape recorders you could use at times like that. Must get another one--the article I composed was a beauty. I'll do my best to recreate it but make no promises.
Angelina Ballerina awaits. As does White Fang to the rescue.
That's what Peter Gabriel says. For the second time I've been asked by another library system if they can borrow something I've written. This time it's something I don't even remember I wrote: a training document on databases available through the state's big free bunch of databases. They found it posted on our website, but they must have had to dig pretty far, I think. The other time it was my article on Wikipedia, which was published in our newsletter (imagine anyone reading our newsletter) and it was another library system wanting to publish it in their newsletter. Add to that the several reviews I've had published in Library Journal and wowie! I'm on my way. not.
I have to write something for our lake shore association newsletter--our first winter edition. I was composing it this morning on my way to work. I used to have one of those little tape recorders you could use at times like that. Must get another one--the article I composed was a beauty. I'll do my best to recreate it but make no promises.
Angelina Ballerina awaits. As does White Fang to the rescue.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Life is good
I guess part of being bipolar is that you really do have good days and days that just aren't good, even when you do all you can to even things out. Anyway, yesterday and today have been good days, and it's only 10:30. Yesterday it was -17 when I got up at 7:30 (it was a day off, Presidents' Day--or maybe we were having a day off to celebrate/mourn the loss of Britney Spears' hair. Lots and lots of speculation on the morning shows about the poor girls' motive for shaving her head) and the high for the day was 7. I spent half and hour outside, enjoying the bright, warm sunshine. It was really nice, and so cold that my ceiling wasn't leaking drip, drip, drip because of the ice dam on my roof. I'm having a very bad year with that and it's driving me crazy with worry. The insulation and plywood sub-roofing have to be soaked in order for the water to have reached the ceiling inside. Well, there's only so much you can do about taking care of a house, and I can't reach the roof of a 2-story house without an extension ladder, which I don't own yet.
Anyway, I had a long list of things to do yesterday and I got them all done. Saints be praised. That never happens. Last night I did my taxes over and discovered I'll be getting a $1200 refund from the feds instead of paying $11 as I first figured. I also discovered that I made a mistake in 2004 and am owed $600 so must file an amended return for that year. Must figure out how to do that. Must is a word we don't like to use, it has really negative connotations, doesn't it. Leftover from childhood, no doubt.
Today it's 20 and amazingly warm. I didn't wear my down coat but celebrated by wearing my spring/fall jacket. And was warm enough. Well, not to be outside for any length of time. I'm working 9-5 today so went to the dump on my way to work. Stopped for coffee and talked to David, Barb and met up with Ricky, my plowman--had a long visit with him and his beagle Boomer. A beautiful dog. I felt as if my day should be half over by the time I got to work.
The Town of Black Brook Planning Board meeting scheduled for tonight has been postponed until March--hooray! so I don't have to rush home, do the dogs and the fire, pick up Ken and get to town by 7. Instead, Ken of course suggested I stop by for a visit anyway. Seems I now stop there Tuesday, Weds. and Friday, plus of course for Sunday dinner. This will change when it's light later because he'll be working outside and won't want to come inside so early. Then it will be hard for me to adjust to the change in schedule and I won't know what to do with my time, getting home so early. For about two weeks, that is.
Now it's on to catalog a bunch of stuff for Akwesasne, the library on the Rez. Lots and lots of Scholastic eds. of children's books. Plus I have to finish the authority work I didn't get done on Friday. Plus I absolutely must e-file my taxes today. Don't get your money back unless you ask for it.
I guess part of being bipolar is that you really do have good days and days that just aren't good, even when you do all you can to even things out. Anyway, yesterday and today have been good days, and it's only 10:30. Yesterday it was -17 when I got up at 7:30 (it was a day off, Presidents' Day--or maybe we were having a day off to celebrate/mourn the loss of Britney Spears' hair. Lots and lots of speculation on the morning shows about the poor girls' motive for shaving her head) and the high for the day was 7. I spent half and hour outside, enjoying the bright, warm sunshine. It was really nice, and so cold that my ceiling wasn't leaking drip, drip, drip because of the ice dam on my roof. I'm having a very bad year with that and it's driving me crazy with worry. The insulation and plywood sub-roofing have to be soaked in order for the water to have reached the ceiling inside. Well, there's only so much you can do about taking care of a house, and I can't reach the roof of a 2-story house without an extension ladder, which I don't own yet.
Anyway, I had a long list of things to do yesterday and I got them all done. Saints be praised. That never happens. Last night I did my taxes over and discovered I'll be getting a $1200 refund from the feds instead of paying $11 as I first figured. I also discovered that I made a mistake in 2004 and am owed $600 so must file an amended return for that year. Must figure out how to do that. Must is a word we don't like to use, it has really negative connotations, doesn't it. Leftover from childhood, no doubt.
Today it's 20 and amazingly warm. I didn't wear my down coat but celebrated by wearing my spring/fall jacket. And was warm enough. Well, not to be outside for any length of time. I'm working 9-5 today so went to the dump on my way to work. Stopped for coffee and talked to David, Barb and met up with Ricky, my plowman--had a long visit with him and his beagle Boomer. A beautiful dog. I felt as if my day should be half over by the time I got to work.
The Town of Black Brook Planning Board meeting scheduled for tonight has been postponed until March--hooray! so I don't have to rush home, do the dogs and the fire, pick up Ken and get to town by 7. Instead, Ken of course suggested I stop by for a visit anyway. Seems I now stop there Tuesday, Weds. and Friday, plus of course for Sunday dinner. This will change when it's light later because he'll be working outside and won't want to come inside so early. Then it will be hard for me to adjust to the change in schedule and I won't know what to do with my time, getting home so early. For about two weeks, that is.
Now it's on to catalog a bunch of stuff for Akwesasne, the library on the Rez. Lots and lots of Scholastic eds. of children's books. Plus I have to finish the authority work I didn't get done on Friday. Plus I absolutely must e-file my taxes today. Don't get your money back unless you ask for it.
cloud
This is a cloud that was hanging over Plattsburgh Friday evening. It reminded me of the film Independence Day and the huge meteor that Bruce Willis ended up blowing up. I saw this cloud above the Petsmart parking lot, an unlikely place to find something so pretty.
confluence
This is a repeat shot of the confluence of the east and west branches of the Saranac River, only the west branch is now frozen. The east branch has pushed small (by our standards) chunks of ice up against the edge of the other branch and continues to flow. Some parts--the shallow parts--of the river are frozen over and there are channels flowing in other parts.
jam
This is what the beginning of an ice jam--or a mini-jam looks like. This is the blocked off part of the west branch of the river where chunks of ice have been pushed up. Later on, when the ice goes out chunks like this will be huge and thick.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Yard sticks
Last night was Ken night (we postponed it because Weds night was Blizzard Night). I truly wasn't in the mood to hear the same stories of his past, but I tried and finally convinced myself to be pleasant and cheerful. I reminded myself that he may be old but he can still tell when I'm bored and I need to put on a happy face ("I've got something in my pocket that belongs across my face, I keep it very close at hand in a most convenient place...it's a great big Brownie smile"). Anyway yesterday was the 70th anniversary of the day he started working at the prison. I pointed out to him that this means he's been retired for exactly as many years as he worked for (he likes to make a point of the fact that he worked there for 35 years). He said he could retire from being retired.
Anyway, I was really struck by the way he keeps track of memorable dates in his life. Not just things like Betty's birthday, their wedding anniversary, the date Betty died, etc., but dates like the date of his infant son's funeral, the date he started working at the prison, and dates that are memorable and yet most people wouldn't keep track of. Especially not for 70 years.
This made me think of my life (naturally) and dates I've kept track of. We all know birthdays of our loved ones, wedding anniversaries, death dates of loved ones, things like that. What other dates do we remember? I remember that I started working as a librarian in January of 1977, but I don't remember the date. I started this job on Oct. 30, 1984. I was supposed to marry Howard on June 9, 1972. I graduated from college on May 20, 1974. The 70's are as far back as I have memorable dates for, though. I feel as if I should have more dates to mark my life with, but I guess it's pretty good that I can remember these. Will I have something that I remember for 70 years?
Who else has significant dates--like, speaking of Brownies, who remembers the date they flew up to become a Girl Scout?
Last night was Ken night (we postponed it because Weds night was Blizzard Night). I truly wasn't in the mood to hear the same stories of his past, but I tried and finally convinced myself to be pleasant and cheerful. I reminded myself that he may be old but he can still tell when I'm bored and I need to put on a happy face ("I've got something in my pocket that belongs across my face, I keep it very close at hand in a most convenient place...it's a great big Brownie smile"). Anyway yesterday was the 70th anniversary of the day he started working at the prison. I pointed out to him that this means he's been retired for exactly as many years as he worked for (he likes to make a point of the fact that he worked there for 35 years). He said he could retire from being retired.
Anyway, I was really struck by the way he keeps track of memorable dates in his life. Not just things like Betty's birthday, their wedding anniversary, the date Betty died, etc., but dates like the date of his infant son's funeral, the date he started working at the prison, and dates that are memorable and yet most people wouldn't keep track of. Especially not for 70 years.
This made me think of my life (naturally) and dates I've kept track of. We all know birthdays of our loved ones, wedding anniversaries, death dates of loved ones, things like that. What other dates do we remember? I remember that I started working as a librarian in January of 1977, but I don't remember the date. I started this job on Oct. 30, 1984. I was supposed to marry Howard on June 9, 1972. I graduated from college on May 20, 1974. The 70's are as far back as I have memorable dates for, though. I feel as if I should have more dates to mark my life with, but I guess it's pretty good that I can remember these. Will I have something that I remember for 70 years?
Who else has significant dates--like, speaking of Brownies, who remembers the date they flew up to become a Girl Scout?
Frozen water
This is my standard Saranac River shot. There's only a small channel right now. It's been really cold for 3 weeks. We had -19 the other night, and it's been 0 or well below that every night. One day the high was -1. Right now it's really windy and the wind chill is something like -20. I don't pay much attention to wind chill--cold is cold. The wind today makes it really, really cold though: I had to get gas this morning and man oh man was it cold. It's been like that for a few days.
Blizzard Dog
We had a blizzard--an actual meterologically diagnosed blizzard on Wednesday. It snowed for a whole day and we got something more than 2 feet in Hawkeye. Neither Ken nor I measured it, which was strange, but I think we just don't really care how much it is when it gets to be that much. We already had at least a foot on the ground. It's just really, really inconvenient when there's that much snow. The dogs broke trail to the birdfeeder but not to the wood shed or the wood pile. This is what Tess looked like when she came in from the blizzard. The library was closed so I spent the day at home, letting the dogs in and out. And in and out. About 50 times during the day.
At least it was cold, -7 in the morning and only up to 5 during the day, so the snow is a fine powder and therefore easier to shovel.
At least it was cold, -7 in the morning and only up to 5 during the day, so the snow is a fine powder and therefore easier to shovel.
Blue snow
My mother had a thing for blue snow: she liked the time of day, just at dusk when the light turned the snow blue. That's when this picture was taken. This is Tess, included for scale. That's the pile of snow on my deck that I've made so far this winter by shoveling part of the path to the steps. I don't like it when I have to throw the snow UP while I shovel.
All bundled up
This is what my car looked like whan it was all over. There was about 6 or 8 inches of snow on the ground when I parked it here and I brushed it off beforehand.
Safely tucked in
This is what it's like by my house now--barely enough space for me to turn my car around. If there weren't a big pile of wood in the middle of the driveway it would be a lot better, but having all that wood is a GOOD thing. I'm not sure who's plowing my driveway these days--during the blizzard I know my neighbor plowed because I talked to him once, then the second time I recognized his truck. Yesterday it was plowed again but it was like that when I got home, so I don't know if it was Donnie again or my plowman. I suppose I'll find out when I get a bill. In the meantime, I have to do something really nice for Don and his wife, he's been a wonderful neighbor to me. There's no place to put the snow now, however--my driveway is too narrow.
Monday, February 12, 2007
A blurry picture of my friendly chicadee. They are incredibly curious and friendly birds and don't go far from the feeder when I'm filling it. I can get within a couple of feet from them and they chirp at me as I pour the seed out. As Molly can attest, Jamie was able to call them in to him in the woods by sitting still and making a certain sound because they are so curious. Everyone likes chickadees. They have a certain song they sing in the early spring, different from their usuual "chick-a-dee-dee-dee," and I wait to hear it around March.
Beatles reference which not many will get.
This is one of the fat sassy bossy jays I have. There is a flock of them which Ken and I are convinced we share. His house is a mile from mine and we always wonder if the birds travel back & forth between the two sites.
When I put seed out the jays sit in the trees like vultures and watch me but they won't come close the way the chickadees will. No one really likes blue jays because they are bullies and make all the other birds leave. If you study them, though you can see what beautiful birds they are.
This is one of the fat sassy bossy jays I have. There is a flock of them which Ken and I are convinced we share. His house is a mile from mine and we always wonder if the birds travel back & forth between the two sites.
When I put seed out the jays sit in the trees like vultures and watch me but they won't come close the way the chickadees will. No one really likes blue jays because they are bullies and make all the other birds leave. If you study them, though you can see what beautiful birds they are.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Palatial digs
I didn't take this picture, it's from the Plattsburgh paper. This is the ice palace in Saranac Lake, half an hour from my house. They make it out of blocks of ice cut from the lake. It's just about the most beautiful man-made thing around here in winter. I'd go look at it this weekend but it's the last weekend of their Winter Carnival and the place will be crawling with people. I'll wait--as long as it stays cold the ice palace will be up for a while. When it gets warm they knock it down before any chunks fall & hit someone in the head. The blocks weigh like 200 lbs or something each.
So this ice palace is amost two stories high and has colored lights inside of it. There are rooms inside and you can walk around. It's just beautiful. One year I saw fish frozen in two of the blocks. Stupid fish: aren't they smart enough to get out of the way before the water freezes?
So this ice palace is amost two stories high and has colored lights inside of it. There are rooms inside and you can walk around. It's just beautiful. One year I saw fish frozen in two of the blocks. Stupid fish: aren't they smart enough to get out of the way before the water freezes?
Sellin' Chevies
John Mellencamp was on John Stewart last night. I had to stay up until 12:30 waiting for my cheesecake to cool enough to go into the refrigerator because I didn't cook it until late, very late. Anyway, he's got his great new album out. John Stewart said, "Did you know that John Edwards stole your song? (John Edwards is using "This Is Our Country" as his campaign song) Did you know Chevrolet stole your song? Did you know John Edwards is selling Chevies using your song?" Mellencamp is getting old. And he smokes too much. He's had one massive heart attack already and I figure he'll die of another one. He looks old and still can't figure out what to do with his hair. But he's pretty great anyway. He says yes, this is a great album but no, he never feels any album is great. He says he's Sisyphus, always pushing that rock. Imagine John Mellencamp knowing who Sisyphus was. Imagine me knowing what he was referring to. Knowledge is a marvel, no?
-4 this morning plus 3" of new powder. I cannot complain about snow if I do not live in Oswego County. We get snow every day but it's only 3" and our lives are not interrupted by it.
Big staff luncheon today. Theme=soup. Several different kinds of soup. 2 desserts. Last time we had a staff luncheon I did not make my cheesecake, I made an overcooked but still tasty coconut cake with delicious coconut frosting. Complaints about no cheesecake, so this time I made cheesecake. This recipe I got about 30 years ago from Jenica's mother. It's a famous recipe and the key to success is to beat the batter at every step for a long, smooth time. Also add a layer of sour cream, sugar and vanilla to the top and cook it for an extra 10 minutes. Also add 1 Tbs lemon juice. Other than that it's incredibly simple. And everyone adores it. Fred, who once won a stove in a cheesecake-making contest says it's the best (next to his) cheesecake he's tasted.
So am I looking forward to lunch time? Yes and no. Pretty much no. I am focused on losing weight. Eating soup with staff and eating dessert does nothing to further this.
My neck is better but the cold, biting wind it was exposed to as I pumped gas this morning really aggravated it. So did the tension caused by driving 12 mph (really, no exaggeration) behind a snow plow, making me 13 minutes late for work. But now here I am, ready to face Royalty's strangest characters and the privately published Recollections of an old-fashioned lady. Not surprisingly, I did not finish Lake Placid's classical CD's yesterday.
John Mellencamp was on John Stewart last night. I had to stay up until 12:30 waiting for my cheesecake to cool enough to go into the refrigerator because I didn't cook it until late, very late. Anyway, he's got his great new album out. John Stewart said, "Did you know that John Edwards stole your song? (John Edwards is using "This Is Our Country" as his campaign song) Did you know Chevrolet stole your song? Did you know John Edwards is selling Chevies using your song?" Mellencamp is getting old. And he smokes too much. He's had one massive heart attack already and I figure he'll die of another one. He looks old and still can't figure out what to do with his hair. But he's pretty great anyway. He says yes, this is a great album but no, he never feels any album is great. He says he's Sisyphus, always pushing that rock. Imagine John Mellencamp knowing who Sisyphus was. Imagine me knowing what he was referring to. Knowledge is a marvel, no?
-4 this morning plus 3" of new powder. I cannot complain about snow if I do not live in Oswego County. We get snow every day but it's only 3" and our lives are not interrupted by it.
Big staff luncheon today. Theme=soup. Several different kinds of soup. 2 desserts. Last time we had a staff luncheon I did not make my cheesecake, I made an overcooked but still tasty coconut cake with delicious coconut frosting. Complaints about no cheesecake, so this time I made cheesecake. This recipe I got about 30 years ago from Jenica's mother. It's a famous recipe and the key to success is to beat the batter at every step for a long, smooth time. Also add a layer of sour cream, sugar and vanilla to the top and cook it for an extra 10 minutes. Also add 1 Tbs lemon juice. Other than that it's incredibly simple. And everyone adores it. Fred, who once won a stove in a cheesecake-making contest says it's the best (next to his) cheesecake he's tasted.
So am I looking forward to lunch time? Yes and no. Pretty much no. I am focused on losing weight. Eating soup with staff and eating dessert does nothing to further this.
My neck is better but the cold, biting wind it was exposed to as I pumped gas this morning really aggravated it. So did the tension caused by driving 12 mph (really, no exaggeration) behind a snow plow, making me 13 minutes late for work. But now here I am, ready to face Royalty's strangest characters and the privately published Recollections of an old-fashioned lady. Not surprisingly, I did not finish Lake Placid's classical CD's yesterday.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
I got a new drug
Just like Huey Lewis. We're weaning me off of Lexapro and trying Paxil to try to get rid of the radio loop in my brain. I'm really hesitant to do this because, as in all SSRI's weight gain is a side effect with Paxil. I cannot afford to gain any weight, I'm already technically obese and am struggling to lose weight. I have lost 10 pounds and there's no discernible change in my appearance, barely a change in how my clothes fit. So anyway, cannot afford upward trend, must have downward trend. But am game to try something new. Not enthusiastic, but game. I have had this disorder for at least all of my adult life, it got much worse when I was weaned from Topamax, now I'm back on Topamax and am back to being Radiohead, back to my "normal" level. But wouldn't it be fun not to have constant sound in my head? Interesting, at any rate.
Neck is not good today, but I can look straight ahead and managed to get to work without having to look behind me or to either side too much. If you don't pass anyone or merge much driving is pretty straightforward (pun intended). Last night I was so much more comfortable that I fell asleep on the couch. I asked massage man how to watch television on couch while keeping spine straight--he told me to keep my spine straight--he doesn't have the same sense of humor I do and didn't laugh much. Clearly not a couch potato, so I said, "I know, don't watch television on the couch." He nodded. I'll be he's a reader.
Did anyone see Jon Stewart's coverage of Prince's performance at the Super Bowl? Silhouette of Prince and his completely phallic guitar behind a curtain? Really, really funny.
Am finished with first draft of performance characteristics, now I have to review and tweak them, then review review them with appropriate employee, give them to director, review them with director and employee simultaneously, finish my own write-up of annual goals to give to director, write my personal goals for 2007, get goals from staff, review 2007 goals individually with staff, with director and staff, then tuck folders away until December. And we thought this was a good process when we designed it 3 years ago. It is preferable to having the director decide whether you look nice enough or not, though.
Other things to do: catalog rest of classical CD's for Lake Placid; figure out how to deal with periodical Zoobooks, which Peru wants cataloged individually because each issue covers a different animal (there are about 100 issues, and everyone who walks by picks a couple up and says, "Isn't this a periodical?", or "We used to subscribe to this."); put together a book order; catalog Hydrology & vegetation sampling in wetlands, figuring out appropriate subject headings; catalog Slocum and hot lead, a western reputed to be very racy (what is HOT LEAD a euphemism for?); and be surprised! by items to cataloged in backlog folders for member libraries. Yahoo! Oh yeah, send my mother a check for $600 for the sale of her mother's dolls on eBay that my friend Julie arranged for through her cousin's husband. Liza was very pleased to hear of this.
Dream last night: Evil man tried to drag me away when Mick Jagger and (a very healthy looking) Keith Richards took him off to jail. Evil man told me he was going to get me and I'd pay! but he was going to sail to Caribbean island the next morning. I had to find a place to hide and hoped my house was isolated enough. Ken and I walked the perimeter of my property and discovered a bunch of apartment buildings in the back. I laughed when I remembered that it's not really so isolated there. This no doubt was prompted by proposal by Evil Landowner at foot of lake who is planning to subdivide piece of property into 9 lots and sell each lot for $250,000, claiming through his attorney that this subdivision is non-jurisdiction by the regulatory agency of the Adirondacks. I've been working on this all week (many phone calls and emails) and will attend Town Planning Board hearing on the 20th. Not thrilled to be involved in all of this but I am the resident One Who Knows About These Things and Represents All.
So there's both turmoil and relative peace in my life. Weather has warmed a bit--above 0 this morning and still very nice. Due to be -10 or more but so far I'm not sick of it and still have firewood. Life=not bad.
Just like Huey Lewis. We're weaning me off of Lexapro and trying Paxil to try to get rid of the radio loop in my brain. I'm really hesitant to do this because, as in all SSRI's weight gain is a side effect with Paxil. I cannot afford to gain any weight, I'm already technically obese and am struggling to lose weight. I have lost 10 pounds and there's no discernible change in my appearance, barely a change in how my clothes fit. So anyway, cannot afford upward trend, must have downward trend. But am game to try something new. Not enthusiastic, but game. I have had this disorder for at least all of my adult life, it got much worse when I was weaned from Topamax, now I'm back on Topamax and am back to being Radiohead, back to my "normal" level. But wouldn't it be fun not to have constant sound in my head? Interesting, at any rate.
Neck is not good today, but I can look straight ahead and managed to get to work without having to look behind me or to either side too much. If you don't pass anyone or merge much driving is pretty straightforward (pun intended). Last night I was so much more comfortable that I fell asleep on the couch. I asked massage man how to watch television on couch while keeping spine straight--he told me to keep my spine straight--he doesn't have the same sense of humor I do and didn't laugh much. Clearly not a couch potato, so I said, "I know, don't watch television on the couch." He nodded. I'll be he's a reader.
Did anyone see Jon Stewart's coverage of Prince's performance at the Super Bowl? Silhouette of Prince and his completely phallic guitar behind a curtain? Really, really funny.
Am finished with first draft of performance characteristics, now I have to review and tweak them, then review review them with appropriate employee, give them to director, review them with director and employee simultaneously, finish my own write-up of annual goals to give to director, write my personal goals for 2007, get goals from staff, review 2007 goals individually with staff, with director and staff, then tuck folders away until December. And we thought this was a good process when we designed it 3 years ago. It is preferable to having the director decide whether you look nice enough or not, though.
Other things to do: catalog rest of classical CD's for Lake Placid; figure out how to deal with periodical Zoobooks, which Peru wants cataloged individually because each issue covers a different animal (there are about 100 issues, and everyone who walks by picks a couple up and says, "Isn't this a periodical?", or "We used to subscribe to this."); put together a book order; catalog Hydrology & vegetation sampling in wetlands, figuring out appropriate subject headings; catalog Slocum and hot lead, a western reputed to be very racy (what is HOT LEAD a euphemism for?); and be surprised! by items to cataloged in backlog folders for member libraries. Yahoo! Oh yeah, send my mother a check for $600 for the sale of her mother's dolls on eBay that my friend Julie arranged for through her cousin's husband. Liza was very pleased to hear of this.
Dream last night: Evil man tried to drag me away when Mick Jagger and (a very healthy looking) Keith Richards took him off to jail. Evil man told me he was going to get me and I'd pay! but he was going to sail to Caribbean island the next morning. I had to find a place to hide and hoped my house was isolated enough. Ken and I walked the perimeter of my property and discovered a bunch of apartment buildings in the back. I laughed when I remembered that it's not really so isolated there. This no doubt was prompted by proposal by Evil Landowner at foot of lake who is planning to subdivide piece of property into 9 lots and sell each lot for $250,000, claiming through his attorney that this subdivision is non-jurisdiction by the regulatory agency of the Adirondacks. I've been working on this all week (many phone calls and emails) and will attend Town Planning Board hearing on the 20th. Not thrilled to be involved in all of this but I am the resident One Who Knows About These Things and Represents All.
So there's both turmoil and relative peace in my life. Weather has warmed a bit--above 0 this morning and still very nice. Due to be -10 or more but so far I'm not sick of it and still have firewood. Life=not bad.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Pony, Hedgehog and Chances
A quiet trio on the couch. Yes, I'm sure you're tired of pictures of sleeping dogs, but that's about all that's going on at my house and I had to check the batteries to see if they were the live ones or the dead ones. Live, I guess.
Spilled a huge cup of coffee on the floor in psychiatrist's waiting room this morning. Receptionist had me get paper towls from bathroom & clean it up (not very successfully--a large cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee is a LOT of coffee). Psychiatrist was very fussy about it--well, don't call ME neurotic! You can pour stuff on my rug any old time--heck, I poured a whole bottle of wine on the floor of my car when the bottle froze & the cork popped. Man, it still stinks even frozen now. Anyway, coffee spill seemed to be a big event.
Went from there to massage therapist. No, insurance company will not pay but I can get reimbursed by flex spending. That's something, at least. My own money but I can pretend it's not. I am only doing half an hour. I have damage to my trapezius muscle, scarring along my nerves, tight muscles which are pinching nerves in my neck & back. Well heck, who doesn't? Anyway, he suggests 3-5 sessions, once a week. Since it hurts so good and I can work out the money I'll do it. Last night my neck was tortorous and incredibly uncomfortable. I wrapped myself in a cocoon of the down throw--of course, the house was 58 and rose ever so slowly to 65. I was really miserable, though. He suggests a heating pad and that just sounds so good.
Tess kept me compnay--all she really wants after about 8:00 is to go "under covers" and on top of me, or spoon with me on the couch. No, no, I'm not obsessed with my dogs or insisting on unnatural physical contact with them. No, no, no. Actually she's decided where she likes to be and as anyone who's met her knows, she's very stubborn about what she wants. I have trained her not to stand on top of me anymore, now she lies on me and stares at me when she wants something. Much better, no? And they are behaving commendably by sitting obediently in front of the door when they want to go out. Good dogs, calm submissive state.
Still subzero nights, -7 this morning. Not a big deal and very, very nice in the morning. I really like this. Not much snow, a real bonus.
Off to Ken's. Spaghetti tonight, unless we have the frozen halibut that I found on sale, which I may or may not introduce him to.
I may make it through the night without codeine. It hardly helps anyway--I was hoping the good doctor would give me something more interesting (I am, after all, my brother's sister) but that's the best he came up with.
Spilled a huge cup of coffee on the floor in psychiatrist's waiting room this morning. Receptionist had me get paper towls from bathroom & clean it up (not very successfully--a large cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee is a LOT of coffee). Psychiatrist was very fussy about it--well, don't call ME neurotic! You can pour stuff on my rug any old time--heck, I poured a whole bottle of wine on the floor of my car when the bottle froze & the cork popped. Man, it still stinks even frozen now. Anyway, coffee spill seemed to be a big event.
Went from there to massage therapist. No, insurance company will not pay but I can get reimbursed by flex spending. That's something, at least. My own money but I can pretend it's not. I am only doing half an hour. I have damage to my trapezius muscle, scarring along my nerves, tight muscles which are pinching nerves in my neck & back. Well heck, who doesn't? Anyway, he suggests 3-5 sessions, once a week. Since it hurts so good and I can work out the money I'll do it. Last night my neck was tortorous and incredibly uncomfortable. I wrapped myself in a cocoon of the down throw--of course, the house was 58 and rose ever so slowly to 65. I was really miserable, though. He suggests a heating pad and that just sounds so good.
Tess kept me compnay--all she really wants after about 8:00 is to go "under covers" and on top of me, or spoon with me on the couch. No, no, I'm not obsessed with my dogs or insisting on unnatural physical contact with them. No, no, no. Actually she's decided where she likes to be and as anyone who's met her knows, she's very stubborn about what she wants. I have trained her not to stand on top of me anymore, now she lies on me and stares at me when she wants something. Much better, no? And they are behaving commendably by sitting obediently in front of the door when they want to go out. Good dogs, calm submissive state.
Still subzero nights, -7 this morning. Not a big deal and very, very nice in the morning. I really like this. Not much snow, a real bonus.
Off to Ken's. Spaghetti tonight, unless we have the frozen halibut that I found on sale, which I may or may not introduce him to.
I may make it through the night without codeine. It hardly helps anyway--I was hoping the good doctor would give me something more interesting (I am, after all, my brother's sister) but that's the best he came up with.
Monday, February 05, 2007
What do you suppose she's looking at? She's not even the one with the bad eyesight. These pictures were taken through the storm door, so they have a screen in front of them. Goofy. It was a slow weekend. Slept most of the day on Saturday (took muscle relaxer for my back, waiting for doctor to make prescribed appointment with massage therapist so my insurance will pay for it). Spent yesterday with women from Balto, visiting with them at Ken's.
Watched Little Miss Sunshine, which I really enjoyed. A wonderful film.
Anyway, this is what Tess spends a lot of time doing.
Look to the left
Here's Chances the Viscious Watch Dog. You wouldn't want to get even close to the house with this dog sitting at the top of the steps. as if. She spends a lot of time looking out the living room window, barking at our car. I tell her it's her car but she can't see very well and wants me to know there's A car out there, just in case it's marauders. She has my best interests at heart.
Look to the right
Stand up, sit down, fight fight fight. Was that a universal cheer or just what we did at Guildford High School when we cheered our Vikings on?
Anyway, here she is checking the other side to be absolutely sure the coast is clear. You'd think her butt would get cold. Or her hoo-hoo would.
Anyway, here she is checking the other side to be absolutely sure the coast is clear. You'd think her butt would get cold. Or her hoo-hoo would.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Rush hour traffic
This is who was in the middle of the Silver Lake Road last night on my way home. Sometimes the cows get out, but this one was so peaceful, going about her business and not upset about the truck that went past her ahead of me. Just beautiful, so serene.
Best salt lick ever
She's licking the salt left behind by the plows. I could hear her licking from far away--slurp, slurp. It sounded like sandpaper, even from about 25 feet away. When I drove up next to her she lifted her head and looked at me with the gentlest eyes, then went back to her licking. Makes you want to get a cow, except she's just HUGE.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Biggest skating rink
This is Lake Champlain in Rouses Point, a far northern part of the lake. The lake sometimes freezes over where the ferry that runs from Plattsburgh is, but it almost always freezes over at it's narrow spots, like this one. That's Vermont on the other size. The mountains are hidden by clouds. To the right, out of the picture are 2 snowmobiles and a fishing shanty on the ice. Later this month there will be more shanties and probably a truck or two.
At the southern part of the lake, in Port Henry there's a Shanty Town where there are usually 1500 shanties. FIFTEEN HUNDRED shanties. It's really something to see. Trucks a-plenty parked next to each shanty. The people are mostly fishing for smelt, as opposed to the perch they fish for farther north. Smelt are small fish, the largest about 6". I can't imaging fishing for smelt with a hook, it's so much work to catch very many.
The times I've been smelt fishing we used nets and caught at least 50 at a time. Jamie and I went to a relative's place in the Finger Lakes, where they have a stream where the smelt spawn. The stream is alive with fish in April when the smelt are running--it's an amazing thing to see.
When we went one year, many years ago I had a big, beautiful black dog who was a big fishing dog and she was in hog heaven. She'd stand in the midle of the stream and grab one fish after another, for hours on end. She didn't eat them all, but she feasted on quite a few. It was nice to see her enjoy herself so much, since she could never catch a single fish anywhere else.
That weekend we caught about 2000 smelt and stayed up nearly all night cleaning them and freezing them in packets. We fried plenty and ate them. They really do taste good. That was one of my favorite ever fishing experiences.
At the southern part of the lake, in Port Henry there's a Shanty Town where there are usually 1500 shanties. FIFTEEN HUNDRED shanties. It's really something to see. Trucks a-plenty parked next to each shanty. The people are mostly fishing for smelt, as opposed to the perch they fish for farther north. Smelt are small fish, the largest about 6". I can't imaging fishing for smelt with a hook, it's so much work to catch very many.
The times I've been smelt fishing we used nets and caught at least 50 at a time. Jamie and I went to a relative's place in the Finger Lakes, where they have a stream where the smelt spawn. The stream is alive with fish in April when the smelt are running--it's an amazing thing to see.
When we went one year, many years ago I had a big, beautiful black dog who was a big fishing dog and she was in hog heaven. She'd stand in the midle of the stream and grab one fish after another, for hours on end. She didn't eat them all, but she feasted on quite a few. It was nice to see her enjoy herself so much, since she could never catch a single fish anywhere else.
That weekend we caught about 2000 smelt and stayed up nearly all night cleaning them and freezing them in packets. We fried plenty and ate them. They really do taste good. That was one of my favorite ever fishing experiences.
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