At least somebody missed me
I guess I forgot to water my plants before I left work last week. The big unattractive one is lying down. I just noticed it. I've read all of my emails, mostly offering me things I can't refuse and lots of posts from the public library listserv (those people always have something to say). The Maricopa Library in Arizona is moving into their new 22,000 foot building and is not using Dewey or any classification system to arrange their collection. They will be organizing their collection by topic, like a bookstore. One subscriber commented: "Isn't Dewey organized by TOPIC?!" Duh, yes. Everyone who's not an employee of the library seems to agree it will be difficult to find an individual title among the topics. Lots of luck with that one.
I'm having either a severe allergic reaction to some airborne particles or a chest and head cold. Take your pick. Lots of barking coughs and plugged ears & sinuses. Steroid inhaler helps, allergy pills help. Being back at work, not so much. I miss my dogs. I whined to Tess this morning that I really liked our routines from the past several days and that I will miss her very much today. I could leave the door open so they could wander inside and out at will. They love that. Dogs don't get to control very much of what goes on in their lives. They were very good during the whole week, I think having that much stimulation during the day is really great for them. And having so much freedom and flexibility during the day is grand for me.
Yesterday I finished painting the bedroom ceiling. No more greenish tint color to paint. Now it's just the trim so theoretically I could put the furniture back the way it was. This would be a good thing, one would think. I've been sleeping upstairs in the big bedroom with big windows looking out over the woods. I like it up there and I like the change. The dogs seem ok with it. The woodpecker that's hammering away at the beam on the corner of the house is VERY loud there, however. He's muffled and much quieter in the downstairs room. Anyway, I hope to start on the trim this weekend. For some reason it looks like a big job. I'd also like to strip the mirror that hangs in the living room so I can paint it burgundy/brown too. That project didn't get very far. I did, however, install a new light fixture at the foot of the stairs. Did that while I had the cellar ladder out. Great to have that chore done, it's been years of staring at a bare bulb after I broke the globe there. Got some gardening done but there's plenty more to go. Planted 12 tomato plants yesterday: 2 varieties, will see who does best--Early Girl or Mountain Spring. I never have much luck with tomatoes, the dogs generally pick them when they're green. I'm stubborn and optimistic, though, and will keep trying every year. I measured the level in my well. Not bad, more water in it than there was in the winter but it's not exactly a deep, deep well. I'm not sure what maximum level is so I have no benchmark. Sump pump continues to run periodically so I may be at max. level now. Have been tying knots in the twine tied to the rock I lower into the well to measure distance to water surface. You have to love my life.
The public hearing held by the Town Board, ostensibly to discuss the Development Law was a nightmare that upset us all very, very much. Lots of verbal abuse and character assassination of seasonal people, lots of mocking those of us who favor regulations about development. Everyone was to get 3 minutes to speak but it was another shouting match and the morons didn't limit their comments to development in Black Brook at all. Linda said she'd never felt as unwanted as that ever before. All of us who attended felt depressed, saddened and disgusted. It was a miserable experience, an example of government by buffoonery, mob action and class discrimination. I'll have to keep going to the open meetings that will follow to maintain a presence of those of us who believe there should be regulation of development in the town. Hopefully the miserable wretches who were there had their 15 minutes of fame and will not want to spend their time doing that again.
Tomorrow I go to the Saranac Lake Library to start cataloging their Adirondack Collection. Must wear white gloves (I kid you not) and write only in pencil. Can't start work before 10:00. Don't know if I'll come here to work for an hour, then go there or if I'll go there from home and try to figure out how to make a 7.5 hour day of it.
What awaits me today? Christmas in cross-stitch, A kitchen full of Christmas, LinguFun!language learning card games and assorted CD's. Still haven't touched the inflatable frog or the rain gauge. Must water plants now.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Sunshine on my shoulders
Closing in on the end of my days off, sadly. I've had a really nice and relaxing time. Amazing how stressful (it turns out) being with my work people is, how much I enjoy spending time alone in my neighborhood. Lots of social activity with great people is an added bonus. Linda and Erdvilas are here, Jenica was here, my cousin Elsa was here and I saw her very briefly (VERY briefly) and today Dennis is putting the water in at camp. Docks will go in last weekend in June, which is Rogers work weekend. That means the same 2 cousins will show up to do the chores that need to be taken care of and everyone else will come up with reasons they can't possibly come that weekend, even though the date was announced months ago. At any rate, the season is in full swing.
Jenica's visit was great and we got a lot done. Finished the first coat of paint in the bedroom Sunday morning before Sunday dinner, which was so great. I finished 2nd coat yesterday, which took no time at all. Today I attack the ceiling, hoping to do both coats so I can work on the trim tomorrow. Jenica also helped me seed the potential lawn of my friends' camp, which was more fun with her. We set up different test areas because I didn't have enough peat moss to cover both sites. Not telling the owners which site got which treatment, will just observe the success (or lack of). It rained the next day, which is crucial to the success of seed germination, but then it poured, which makes me fearful that the seed was washed away. Hoping the peat moss anchored it down. Time will tell.
Friday was incredibly productive--a long list of accomplishments. Saturday I went to the Big Dump and got rid of my old TV, old vacuum cleaner and a broken chair, as well as lots of garbage (there's a distinction between trash and garbage). That was incredibly liberating. Not to mention how proud I was to join the parade of vehicles at the Big Dump, even if I did feel pretty stoopid in my Honda Civic nestled in among all the pickups. Luckily there was a Pontiac Sunbird a few pickups ahead of me. Anyway I stopped at Lamoys and bought some annuals on the way home. Their selection is not so great this year so I was less enthusiastic and may not fill the deck as I usually do. This will be good in terms of money, but how will I like it? I'll certainly survive, and I should be focusing on my perennials anyway. Grass is a real problem in the garden under my living room windows. Besides, I grew lots of annuals from seed and even though they're only 1-2" high right now they may bloom later on. I planted my picklebush cukes in a pot with best wishes for their fruitful success.
Lots of visits with Linda and Erdvilas, as well as a nice visit with Joe (Ken's nephew) and his family--new grandson and his parents. That was nice, he's a beautiful child who looks like a Laundry, all right. Sunday dinner was nice, Jenica helped a very insecure Bill cook shrimp and garlic, rice pilaf and baked asparagus. There were 8 of us, including Ann and Kathy (from Baltimore) to celebrate Kathy's retirement from 30 something years from Social Security. We heard the story of their removal of the Norfolk Island pine she took there when she first started. It's now 7 feet tall (of course Erdvilas had to have one that's 10 feet tall) and they had to rent a truck to remove it. They donated it to some place that could accommodate it. Moral: do not get plants that grow too much for your workplace.
Today is gorgeous and sunny. Black flies will make their presence known as there is no real breeze. I have my list. I must read the Development Law of the Town of Black Brook so I can speak at tonight's meeting in Town Hall. Silver Lake people will be a big presence, even though there is great doubt as to just what this meeting is about. If we sign up half an hour prior to the meeting we get 3 minutes to speak. This meeting may be about abolishing the Planning Board, or getting rid of the Development Law and the Planning Board, or a general meeting about Leroy's Silver Lake development: it's anybody's guess. I'll know what to say when I find out what the meeting is. I will mention the importance of an access road to a development road being on property owned by the developer, that's for sure.
On to more coffee with Matt Lauer. I seem to spend a lot of time with him.
Closing in on the end of my days off, sadly. I've had a really nice and relaxing time. Amazing how stressful (it turns out) being with my work people is, how much I enjoy spending time alone in my neighborhood. Lots of social activity with great people is an added bonus. Linda and Erdvilas are here, Jenica was here, my cousin Elsa was here and I saw her very briefly (VERY briefly) and today Dennis is putting the water in at camp. Docks will go in last weekend in June, which is Rogers work weekend. That means the same 2 cousins will show up to do the chores that need to be taken care of and everyone else will come up with reasons they can't possibly come that weekend, even though the date was announced months ago. At any rate, the season is in full swing.
Jenica's visit was great and we got a lot done. Finished the first coat of paint in the bedroom Sunday morning before Sunday dinner, which was so great. I finished 2nd coat yesterday, which took no time at all. Today I attack the ceiling, hoping to do both coats so I can work on the trim tomorrow. Jenica also helped me seed the potential lawn of my friends' camp, which was more fun with her. We set up different test areas because I didn't have enough peat moss to cover both sites. Not telling the owners which site got which treatment, will just observe the success (or lack of). It rained the next day, which is crucial to the success of seed germination, but then it poured, which makes me fearful that the seed was washed away. Hoping the peat moss anchored it down. Time will tell.
Friday was incredibly productive--a long list of accomplishments. Saturday I went to the Big Dump and got rid of my old TV, old vacuum cleaner and a broken chair, as well as lots of garbage (there's a distinction between trash and garbage). That was incredibly liberating. Not to mention how proud I was to join the parade of vehicles at the Big Dump, even if I did feel pretty stoopid in my Honda Civic nestled in among all the pickups. Luckily there was a Pontiac Sunbird a few pickups ahead of me. Anyway I stopped at Lamoys and bought some annuals on the way home. Their selection is not so great this year so I was less enthusiastic and may not fill the deck as I usually do. This will be good in terms of money, but how will I like it? I'll certainly survive, and I should be focusing on my perennials anyway. Grass is a real problem in the garden under my living room windows. Besides, I grew lots of annuals from seed and even though they're only 1-2" high right now they may bloom later on. I planted my picklebush cukes in a pot with best wishes for their fruitful success.
Lots of visits with Linda and Erdvilas, as well as a nice visit with Joe (Ken's nephew) and his family--new grandson and his parents. That was nice, he's a beautiful child who looks like a Laundry, all right. Sunday dinner was nice, Jenica helped a very insecure Bill cook shrimp and garlic, rice pilaf and baked asparagus. There were 8 of us, including Ann and Kathy (from Baltimore) to celebrate Kathy's retirement from 30 something years from Social Security. We heard the story of their removal of the Norfolk Island pine she took there when she first started. It's now 7 feet tall (of course Erdvilas had to have one that's 10 feet tall) and they had to rent a truck to remove it. They donated it to some place that could accommodate it. Moral: do not get plants that grow too much for your workplace.
Today is gorgeous and sunny. Black flies will make their presence known as there is no real breeze. I have my list. I must read the Development Law of the Town of Black Brook so I can speak at tonight's meeting in Town Hall. Silver Lake people will be a big presence, even though there is great doubt as to just what this meeting is about. If we sign up half an hour prior to the meeting we get 3 minutes to speak. This meeting may be about abolishing the Planning Board, or getting rid of the Development Law and the Planning Board, or a general meeting about Leroy's Silver Lake development: it's anybody's guess. I'll know what to say when I find out what the meeting is. I will mention the importance of an access road to a development road being on property owned by the developer, that's for sure.
On to more coffee with Matt Lauer. I seem to spend a lot of time with him.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Hey, this is fun
And so begins my time off. Up at 5:30, wish I could say I was productive but all I did was add things to my list--plant carrot seeds I bought yesterday, wrap Linda's birthday presents, mulch garden with cedar mulch I bought yesterday, get cards to post office because I have no new stamps, plus a few more boring things. Highlighted the things I think I can do today in the 85 degree heat. It was really hot yesterday, and I really hate the heat. No, I really hate the heat. It reminds me of my youth in the Midwest, baking on the plains. At least here there is relief at the lake shore. I may need to set up the b.house porch late this afternoon for some sitting/napping around 5.
Annual meeting was a bit of a disappointment yesterday--programs were not great and I had trouble with heavy eyelids (after the post-luncheon program Fred, sitting at another table asked me how my nap was). Went grocery shopping after the meeting, spent way too much money I don't have, but then rewarded myself by spending more money on plants at a new plant place on the way to Saranac Lake. That was fun and they had some stuff I don't usually find, including million bells that are close to the color of the blossoms next to the outdoor table we sat at once in a restaurant in Naples, overlooking the sea.
Fred called in the early evening, longing for a gin-drinking partner so I went there and we sat on his porch, rocking in the chairs and sipping away. Had our usual grand time.
Home for a quiet evening--got a funny phone call from a woman whose friend wants to paint a picture from one of my photos she saw online. For some reason she asked this woman to call me (the woman who called lives on the Silver Lake Road, so I think her friend thought she must therefore know me. We knew where each other lived but that was the extent of it). I thought it was all pretty entertaining and said sure, the woman could call me. Have no idea which picture it is. Sometimes I send pictures to the NPR website and they post them as their Photo of the Day. I'm guessing it was one of those.
Another hummingbird in the living room this morning. A girl this time and I managed to get a dish towel over her (man did she scream!) and free her before she flew very high. Turned out that yesterday's upstairs bird had not left so after my shower I spent 20 minutes chasing her with a broom. She was incredibly stubborn and exhausted. I'd get her to land on the end of the broom, then walk slowly over to the open window, to within 8" of the window, then she'd freak out and fly away. Poor thing was truly traumatized and I was afraid she was going to have a heart attack. Can you imagine how fast her heart was beating?
OK, on to productivity. Start with area next to bedroom door. Goal: be able to open bedroom door, packing up coats I haven't worn in years to take them either to dump or Salva Army.
Lady, start your engine.
And so begins my time off. Up at 5:30, wish I could say I was productive but all I did was add things to my list--plant carrot seeds I bought yesterday, wrap Linda's birthday presents, mulch garden with cedar mulch I bought yesterday, get cards to post office because I have no new stamps, plus a few more boring things. Highlighted the things I think I can do today in the 85 degree heat. It was really hot yesterday, and I really hate the heat. No, I really hate the heat. It reminds me of my youth in the Midwest, baking on the plains. At least here there is relief at the lake shore. I may need to set up the b.house porch late this afternoon for some sitting/napping around 5.
Annual meeting was a bit of a disappointment yesterday--programs were not great and I had trouble with heavy eyelids (after the post-luncheon program Fred, sitting at another table asked me how my nap was). Went grocery shopping after the meeting, spent way too much money I don't have, but then rewarded myself by spending more money on plants at a new plant place on the way to Saranac Lake. That was fun and they had some stuff I don't usually find, including million bells that are close to the color of the blossoms next to the outdoor table we sat at once in a restaurant in Naples, overlooking the sea.
Fred called in the early evening, longing for a gin-drinking partner so I went there and we sat on his porch, rocking in the chairs and sipping away. Had our usual grand time.
Home for a quiet evening--got a funny phone call from a woman whose friend wants to paint a picture from one of my photos she saw online. For some reason she asked this woman to call me (the woman who called lives on the Silver Lake Road, so I think her friend thought she must therefore know me. We knew where each other lived but that was the extent of it). I thought it was all pretty entertaining and said sure, the woman could call me. Have no idea which picture it is. Sometimes I send pictures to the NPR website and they post them as their Photo of the Day. I'm guessing it was one of those.
Another hummingbird in the living room this morning. A girl this time and I managed to get a dish towel over her (man did she scream!) and free her before she flew very high. Turned out that yesterday's upstairs bird had not left so after my shower I spent 20 minutes chasing her with a broom. She was incredibly stubborn and exhausted. I'd get her to land on the end of the broom, then walk slowly over to the open window, to within 8" of the window, then she'd freak out and fly away. Poor thing was truly traumatized and I was afraid she was going to have a heart attack. Can you imagine how fast her heart was beating?
OK, on to productivity. Start with area next to bedroom door. Goal: be able to open bedroom door, packing up coats I haven't worn in years to take them either to dump or Salva Army.
Lady, start your engine.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Humming along
I'm sharing my living room with a male hummingbird this morning. He's either incredibly stoopid or very stubborn. I like to leave the door open so the dogs can come and go as they like and inevitably a hummer or two will fly into the living room. They usually find their ways out and leave with an indignant chirp. This guy's been here for half an hour, though. I have my feeder stuck on the outside of the window and he continues to try to feed from the inside. At one point he was flirting with his girlfriend through the glass. She was as puzzled as he was and chirped even more loudly than he did. Earlier I had TWO male hummingbirds in the house, but #2 cleverly navigated his way out without my help. I have several tactics: throw a dishtowel over them, wait until they're exhausted & grab them with my hand, try to get them to land on the broom. So far none of these has worked. He gets sooooo close to the door, and at one point he ventured to the opposite side of the living room. He even stuck to the wall to rest once. He flew right past the open door. The poor little thing just keeps swinging back & forth in front of (back of) the feeder and won't let me near him. Last year Tess actually caught one in mid-air and another got its beak stuck in the screen door and died. I thought I was running out of males but more showed up. I'm not sure we want this guy to procreate but I sure would like to have him out of my living room, pooping the tiniest poop on my computer.
Up at 5:30 and had the nicest walk through the bog. The sheep laurel is in bud, the bracken (which looks like prehistoric, giant ferns) unfurling. Very peaceful, very pretty. Doug, the guy from Nature Conservancy has been there and the boardwalk is clear of blowdowns. I almost forgot that I have to work today but then remembered I have to be in Lake Placid at 9:30. That means leaving home around 8:15 or so. Guess I'd better start at least thinking about showering and what I'll wear. Extra Paxil seems to be going right to my tubby tummy.
I'm using free trial of Earthlink to access the internet. It pretty much sucks. Not a fast connection, even though it was a good connection when Molly used it at Liza's last summer. Anyway, my address at home apparently is woodsrun at earthlink.com, but I'll still be checking my cefls.org address periodically. god forbid I should enter the void that is normal life in Hawkeye without email.
Matt Lauer awaits, Mr. Hummer frustrates.
I'm sharing my living room with a male hummingbird this morning. He's either incredibly stoopid or very stubborn. I like to leave the door open so the dogs can come and go as they like and inevitably a hummer or two will fly into the living room. They usually find their ways out and leave with an indignant chirp. This guy's been here for half an hour, though. I have my feeder stuck on the outside of the window and he continues to try to feed from the inside. At one point he was flirting with his girlfriend through the glass. She was as puzzled as he was and chirped even more loudly than he did. Earlier I had TWO male hummingbirds in the house, but #2 cleverly navigated his way out without my help. I have several tactics: throw a dishtowel over them, wait until they're exhausted & grab them with my hand, try to get them to land on the broom. So far none of these has worked. He gets sooooo close to the door, and at one point he ventured to the opposite side of the living room. He even stuck to the wall to rest once. He flew right past the open door. The poor little thing just keeps swinging back & forth in front of (back of) the feeder and won't let me near him. Last year Tess actually caught one in mid-air and another got its beak stuck in the screen door and died. I thought I was running out of males but more showed up. I'm not sure we want this guy to procreate but I sure would like to have him out of my living room, pooping the tiniest poop on my computer.
Up at 5:30 and had the nicest walk through the bog. The sheep laurel is in bud, the bracken (which looks like prehistoric, giant ferns) unfurling. Very peaceful, very pretty. Doug, the guy from Nature Conservancy has been there and the boardwalk is clear of blowdowns. I almost forgot that I have to work today but then remembered I have to be in Lake Placid at 9:30. That means leaving home around 8:15 or so. Guess I'd better start at least thinking about showering and what I'll wear. Extra Paxil seems to be going right to my tubby tummy.
I'm using free trial of Earthlink to access the internet. It pretty much sucks. Not a fast connection, even though it was a good connection when Molly used it at Liza's last summer. Anyway, my address at home apparently is woodsrun at earthlink.com, but I'll still be checking my cefls.org address periodically. god forbid I should enter the void that is normal life in Hawkeye without email.
Matt Lauer awaits, Mr. Hummer frustrates.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
We all have our moments
And mine was today on the way to work. I have one friend whose emails always wax poetic about the "healing waters" of Silver Lake and the magical nature of where I live blah blah blah. She sent me a meandering email yesterday that just fried me. Yes, I live in a wonderful place. No, the waters of Silver Lake do not heal anything. Being there makes most people feel better emotionally. But get this: it's my home, it's where I live. We all live somewhere. This is where I live, and it's a harsh life at times. It's hard work to live where I live. It's incredibly wonderful and I'm a really, really lucky person to have the life I do, but it comes at a price. I have a heavy weight that I carry--I am responsible for a big house, cords and cords of firewood, a yard, pulling brambleberries, a septic system, getting to a work in a place that's 30 miles away, and I have the same responsibilities in life that everyone else has (not to mention 2 dogs and 6 fishes).
I'm not whining (or maybe I am), but this morning on the way to work I just felt overwhelmed and I started to cry. Maybe I gave myself permission to let my guard down because I have 6 days off starting tomorrow so I can breathe. Or maybe I've set my standards for that time off too high, having made a huge list of things I hope to get done. Who knows. Anyway, I'm feeling vulnerable (yet again). I always feel responsible to that house, as if I've been entrusted with this thing and I owe it good care and maintenance--and I'm not always a good caregiver. It rewards me every day.
Ken has instilled in me this great sense of responsibility toward machines and equipment, which has reinforced something I already sort of felt. If you take care of them (i.e. treat them right) they will reward you with good service (i.e. treat you right) and many years of service (i.e. be faithful to you). No, I'm not anthropomorphizing--I'm very careful not to do that (especially with animals and cars), but I think of machines and houses as things that deserve respect and should be taken care of. Thus my sense of betrayal towards my house. My car, well Tess trashed that before I made the first payment. I continued to abuse it cosmetically but mechanically I try my best.
In preparation for this wonderful, proposed productive time off I visited Lowe's yesterday and spent a lot of money I don't have. I bought paint for my bedroom. Big project is to paint my bedroom. People who are obsessive, as we know, latch on to something and hold on for dear life. This came to me weeks ago and I've not wavered from it. I'm planning to paint the trim around the windows a brownish-maroon (Martha Stewart color) to look like a frame around the wonderful vista I see from my bed. Anyway, I had to buy everything--brushes, roller, pan, pole. Did you know paint costs $25 a gallon? When did that happen? It's been 13 years since I've purchased paint. Anyway, I'd better paint the bedroom first, before I get distracted or lazy. Then I can at least be proud of a completed project. Biggest obstacle is moving the bed that Jamie made (proudly) held together with nary a nail. It's held together precariously with pegs and when Lin and I moved it downstairs and reassembled it we came out with an extra peg. It's not a stable bed and I've no idea how I'll move it. But I'm really looking forward to having a bedroom that's White Scallion. Like White Stallion only an onion. Vaguely green. I showed all my paint chips to Bill and Fred and we selected this one. Poor Bill is colorblind and they all looked pink to him.
Today is my last day of work. Wrap things up. Tomorrow is the annual meeting of our umbrella system, in Lake Placid. Workshop on Google something, luncheon, speaker, HOME. Off until Thursday. I'm entering the great void of dial access. I'll try to keep in touch but it's not easy. Happy Memorial Day. Use lots of bug spray. With DEET, it's the only thing that works.
And mine was today on the way to work. I have one friend whose emails always wax poetic about the "healing waters" of Silver Lake and the magical nature of where I live blah blah blah. She sent me a meandering email yesterday that just fried me. Yes, I live in a wonderful place. No, the waters of Silver Lake do not heal anything. Being there makes most people feel better emotionally. But get this: it's my home, it's where I live. We all live somewhere. This is where I live, and it's a harsh life at times. It's hard work to live where I live. It's incredibly wonderful and I'm a really, really lucky person to have the life I do, but it comes at a price. I have a heavy weight that I carry--I am responsible for a big house, cords and cords of firewood, a yard, pulling brambleberries, a septic system, getting to a work in a place that's 30 miles away, and I have the same responsibilities in life that everyone else has (not to mention 2 dogs and 6 fishes).
I'm not whining (or maybe I am), but this morning on the way to work I just felt overwhelmed and I started to cry. Maybe I gave myself permission to let my guard down because I have 6 days off starting tomorrow so I can breathe. Or maybe I've set my standards for that time off too high, having made a huge list of things I hope to get done. Who knows. Anyway, I'm feeling vulnerable (yet again). I always feel responsible to that house, as if I've been entrusted with this thing and I owe it good care and maintenance--and I'm not always a good caregiver. It rewards me every day.
Ken has instilled in me this great sense of responsibility toward machines and equipment, which has reinforced something I already sort of felt. If you take care of them (i.e. treat them right) they will reward you with good service (i.e. treat you right) and many years of service (i.e. be faithful to you). No, I'm not anthropomorphizing--I'm very careful not to do that (especially with animals and cars), but I think of machines and houses as things that deserve respect and should be taken care of. Thus my sense of betrayal towards my house. My car, well Tess trashed that before I made the first payment. I continued to abuse it cosmetically but mechanically I try my best.
In preparation for this wonderful, proposed productive time off I visited Lowe's yesterday and spent a lot of money I don't have. I bought paint for my bedroom. Big project is to paint my bedroom. People who are obsessive, as we know, latch on to something and hold on for dear life. This came to me weeks ago and I've not wavered from it. I'm planning to paint the trim around the windows a brownish-maroon (Martha Stewart color) to look like a frame around the wonderful vista I see from my bed. Anyway, I had to buy everything--brushes, roller, pan, pole. Did you know paint costs $25 a gallon? When did that happen? It's been 13 years since I've purchased paint. Anyway, I'd better paint the bedroom first, before I get distracted or lazy. Then I can at least be proud of a completed project. Biggest obstacle is moving the bed that Jamie made (proudly) held together with nary a nail. It's held together precariously with pegs and when Lin and I moved it downstairs and reassembled it we came out with an extra peg. It's not a stable bed and I've no idea how I'll move it. But I'm really looking forward to having a bedroom that's White Scallion. Like White Stallion only an onion. Vaguely green. I showed all my paint chips to Bill and Fred and we selected this one. Poor Bill is colorblind and they all looked pink to him.
Today is my last day of work. Wrap things up. Tomorrow is the annual meeting of our umbrella system, in Lake Placid. Workshop on Google something, luncheon, speaker, HOME. Off until Thursday. I'm entering the great void of dial access. I'll try to keep in touch but it's not easy. Happy Memorial Day. Use lots of bug spray. With DEET, it's the only thing that works.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Just to torture me
Black flies have arrived, only just. I sat on the deck yesterday morning for just the briefest time, enjoying warm sun and nice breeze. As soon as there was the slightest break in the breeze the flies landed on me, one at a time but I knew if I stayed there I'd soon be buzzed on disagreeably so I went inside. This is the time of year when you sit inside, looking longingly out the window at the perfect spring day, knowing if you set foot out the door there would be a cloud of bloodthirsty black flies waiting to glomb onto you.
Saturday I got up at 5:30 and really enjoyed the morning, drinking coffee and talking to my dogs. I left the screen door open (you can do that in the coolness of the morning--black flies only like it when it's warm). Tess discovered someone walking the bog at 6:30 so she disappeared. The couple she found brought her back at 7:15, concerned that they'd found the right house. I told them they sure were the early birds at the bog and they said they have 7-month old twins and had the morning free so were enjoying themselves. The son's name is Jesse James Snow and I forget the girl's name. They said the boy was really living up to his name (I said to myself: why would you name your son that, anyway? oh but wait, his grandfather is Jimmy Snow, my former mailman).
I mowed my lawn on Saturday but guess what? it didn't look any different when I was finished. Ken's reaction: of course it didn't, it's too early. I thought it looked too long but I had the mower set high to avoid rocks & stumps so I lowered it a bit--even that didn't make a difference. Once I got over my pissed-offness I laughed.
I had company in the afternoon--the first of The Invasion of The Campers. Three people who own a really nice camp down the road, formerly owned by an elderly couple (she was the one who never had dinner cooked when you got there so you had to watch & help her cook it). I only had part of 1 bottle of wine, which I divvied up carefully into 4 portions. They gulped theirs right down & I figured they'd leave soon after, but they ended up staying a really long time. I like them a lot but wasn't really in the mood to receive company. I like lazy Saturdays.
Lin came after they left, just in time to watch the Preakness with me. It was really nice to see her--we don't get to see each other much these days and have a lot of visiting to catch up on. The race was fantastic and we had a great time. Watched the post parade, one of my favorite parts. We commented on the ponies, marveled at the horses, knew a lot about racing culture because we just read Horse heaven by Jane Smiley. At the end of the race we were shouting for Street Sense, who won the Derby and would have been a possible Triple Crown winner had he won. But no, lost by a dramatic nose in a photo finish. It was an amazing race, way cool.
Sunday I slept a bit later, then spent a leisurely morning cleaning the house. Never did get the boat house set up--will do that this week so I can be down there next weekend. Jim (cousin/former father-in-law) and his grandson (cousin/nephew) came for a brief visit because they had delivered the pump to camp so my friend Dennis can put the water in. Just as they were leaving book group! arrived. We had a great time. We ended up listing all the books we've read and talking a little bit about most of them. It was a lot of fun but we did hit on one that no one could remember anything about.
I only have to be at work 3 days this week--Thursday is the annual meeting of our umbrella library system, based in Canton. The meeting/luncheon is in Lake Placid and lasts pretty much all day so I'm not coming in. I'm off Friday through Tuesday--this is my time to be at home. I am sooooo looking forward to this! Linda will be here on Friday, lots of others will be here for the weekend, Fred will move in for the season, and away we go!
My friends sent me grass seed and asked me to plant it in the top soil from the water project they had done last fall. As a reward they also sent a Jane Austen action figure and a box full of atomic fire balls, wax lips and nickl-nips. I've shared it (wow--I saw a lot of people over the weekend. I gave Mary Lou and Martha a lot--turns out they love atomic fireballs). My favorite pastime over the weekend was giving Tess a fireball and watching her play with it. She'd suck on it for the shortest moment, toss it in the air, pick it up and repeat. She always ate them, but it was like a cat with a mouse--great game. Chances had one in her mouth for about 1.2 seconds, shook her head and spit it out with incredible force. These were atomic fireballs, incredibly hot.
As Vonnegut said "And so it goes."
So much cataloging, so little time. Celtic dance music, anyone?
Black flies have arrived, only just. I sat on the deck yesterday morning for just the briefest time, enjoying warm sun and nice breeze. As soon as there was the slightest break in the breeze the flies landed on me, one at a time but I knew if I stayed there I'd soon be buzzed on disagreeably so I went inside. This is the time of year when you sit inside, looking longingly out the window at the perfect spring day, knowing if you set foot out the door there would be a cloud of bloodthirsty black flies waiting to glomb onto you.
Saturday I got up at 5:30 and really enjoyed the morning, drinking coffee and talking to my dogs. I left the screen door open (you can do that in the coolness of the morning--black flies only like it when it's warm). Tess discovered someone walking the bog at 6:30 so she disappeared. The couple she found brought her back at 7:15, concerned that they'd found the right house. I told them they sure were the early birds at the bog and they said they have 7-month old twins and had the morning free so were enjoying themselves. The son's name is Jesse James Snow and I forget the girl's name. They said the boy was really living up to his name (I said to myself: why would you name your son that, anyway? oh but wait, his grandfather is Jimmy Snow, my former mailman).
I mowed my lawn on Saturday but guess what? it didn't look any different when I was finished. Ken's reaction: of course it didn't, it's too early. I thought it looked too long but I had the mower set high to avoid rocks & stumps so I lowered it a bit--even that didn't make a difference. Once I got over my pissed-offness I laughed.
I had company in the afternoon--the first of The Invasion of The Campers. Three people who own a really nice camp down the road, formerly owned by an elderly couple (she was the one who never had dinner cooked when you got there so you had to watch & help her cook it). I only had part of 1 bottle of wine, which I divvied up carefully into 4 portions. They gulped theirs right down & I figured they'd leave soon after, but they ended up staying a really long time. I like them a lot but wasn't really in the mood to receive company. I like lazy Saturdays.
Lin came after they left, just in time to watch the Preakness with me. It was really nice to see her--we don't get to see each other much these days and have a lot of visiting to catch up on. The race was fantastic and we had a great time. Watched the post parade, one of my favorite parts. We commented on the ponies, marveled at the horses, knew a lot about racing culture because we just read Horse heaven by Jane Smiley. At the end of the race we were shouting for Street Sense, who won the Derby and would have been a possible Triple Crown winner had he won. But no, lost by a dramatic nose in a photo finish. It was an amazing race, way cool.
Sunday I slept a bit later, then spent a leisurely morning cleaning the house. Never did get the boat house set up--will do that this week so I can be down there next weekend. Jim (cousin/former father-in-law) and his grandson (cousin/nephew) came for a brief visit because they had delivered the pump to camp so my friend Dennis can put the water in. Just as they were leaving book group! arrived. We had a great time. We ended up listing all the books we've read and talking a little bit about most of them. It was a lot of fun but we did hit on one that no one could remember anything about.
I only have to be at work 3 days this week--Thursday is the annual meeting of our umbrella library system, based in Canton. The meeting/luncheon is in Lake Placid and lasts pretty much all day so I'm not coming in. I'm off Friday through Tuesday--this is my time to be at home. I am sooooo looking forward to this! Linda will be here on Friday, lots of others will be here for the weekend, Fred will move in for the season, and away we go!
My friends sent me grass seed and asked me to plant it in the top soil from the water project they had done last fall. As a reward they also sent a Jane Austen action figure and a box full of atomic fire balls, wax lips and nickl-nips. I've shared it (wow--I saw a lot of people over the weekend. I gave Mary Lou and Martha a lot--turns out they love atomic fireballs). My favorite pastime over the weekend was giving Tess a fireball and watching her play with it. She'd suck on it for the shortest moment, toss it in the air, pick it up and repeat. She always ate them, but it was like a cat with a mouse--great game. Chances had one in her mouth for about 1.2 seconds, shook her head and spit it out with incredible force. These were atomic fireballs, incredibly hot.
As Vonnegut said "And so it goes."
So much cataloging, so little time. Celtic dance music, anyone?
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The times they are a-changin'
Spring is such a tricky time for me. First I feel really good: happy, productive, full of energy and enthusiasm. Then I feel as I do now: obsessive, sad, not interested in doing much of anything. My psychiatrist's notes say "Depression, April-June." So at least I'm prepared. We'll make some adjustments (he'll call me back today) and things will improve. In the meantime I latch onto things and it's pretty gloomy. The slightest bit of negative event or comment sends me into a tailspin and I obsess over it, sure I'm worthless and a bad, nasty person. Of course we all know I'm not, and then I spend a lot of time lining up lists of people who like me, in defense of myself. A worthless, wasteful exercise.
This is always precipitated by an event, and I guess it's an event of my own doing, most likely at work. Was this year as well. I have to take responsibility for it--you think I'd learn, but this was a really stupid e-mail mistake, sent to the wrong person ohboy be really careful people there's no privacy and you don't own your emails. Anyway, I can charm myself out of almost any situation and ended up having a good laugh with the director. Not about the email, that's for sure, but at the end of the "session."
Other than that work is fine. I'm doing systematic authority work, which I really enjoy but which, let's face it, makes me drowsy after a while. It's sort of slow as far as other things go. I have to spend $4500 on professional materials--books only by 5/31. Have lists from 3 other people but those only total about half the amount. It's not so easy to find recently published stuff, and it sucks to build a collection this way because of course everything will be outdated at the same time in a few years. But we'll take what we can get when we get these grants. So the search continues. Am really running out of places to look for information for small public libraries about construction, ADA compliance, administration, budgeting, collection development--focusing on cooperative collection development, service to special populations, and oh the list goes on.
This weekend is supposed to be rainy and dismal. Must ready the boat house porch anyway in case our book group really does want to meet there. Supposed to be 57 but maybe sunny in the afternoon. We'll see.
I had a great time last Sunday, went kayaking with a friend. That was a real highlight and made me feel great. We paddled up to the head of the lake, about a mile or so from our camp. I got into and out of the kayak without incident. It was a beautiful sunny day but pretty cool with a cold wind. I loved it that there were people on top of the bluffs as we paddled by. It's always fun to be the person doing the thing you wish you were doing when you're looking down at the inviting, deeply blue lake. Anyway, what a great time we had.
Am doing some weeding this week--bookmobile has been off the road for a month and the 2 clerks are extremely restless so the driver is helping me, checking on # of circs and last time circulated. This is a great system.
On to better things, I hope.
Spring is such a tricky time for me. First I feel really good: happy, productive, full of energy and enthusiasm. Then I feel as I do now: obsessive, sad, not interested in doing much of anything. My psychiatrist's notes say "Depression, April-June." So at least I'm prepared. We'll make some adjustments (he'll call me back today) and things will improve. In the meantime I latch onto things and it's pretty gloomy. The slightest bit of negative event or comment sends me into a tailspin and I obsess over it, sure I'm worthless and a bad, nasty person. Of course we all know I'm not, and then I spend a lot of time lining up lists of people who like me, in defense of myself. A worthless, wasteful exercise.
This is always precipitated by an event, and I guess it's an event of my own doing, most likely at work. Was this year as well. I have to take responsibility for it--you think I'd learn, but this was a really stupid e-mail mistake, sent to the wrong person ohboy be really careful people there's no privacy and you don't own your emails. Anyway, I can charm myself out of almost any situation and ended up having a good laugh with the director. Not about the email, that's for sure, but at the end of the "session."
Other than that work is fine. I'm doing systematic authority work, which I really enjoy but which, let's face it, makes me drowsy after a while. It's sort of slow as far as other things go. I have to spend $4500 on professional materials--books only by 5/31. Have lists from 3 other people but those only total about half the amount. It's not so easy to find recently published stuff, and it sucks to build a collection this way because of course everything will be outdated at the same time in a few years. But we'll take what we can get when we get these grants. So the search continues. Am really running out of places to look for information for small public libraries about construction, ADA compliance, administration, budgeting, collection development--focusing on cooperative collection development, service to special populations, and oh the list goes on.
This weekend is supposed to be rainy and dismal. Must ready the boat house porch anyway in case our book group really does want to meet there. Supposed to be 57 but maybe sunny in the afternoon. We'll see.
I had a great time last Sunday, went kayaking with a friend. That was a real highlight and made me feel great. We paddled up to the head of the lake, about a mile or so from our camp. I got into and out of the kayak without incident. It was a beautiful sunny day but pretty cool with a cold wind. I loved it that there were people on top of the bluffs as we paddled by. It's always fun to be the person doing the thing you wish you were doing when you're looking down at the inviting, deeply blue lake. Anyway, what a great time we had.
Am doing some weeding this week--bookmobile has been off the road for a month and the 2 clerks are extremely restless so the driver is helping me, checking on # of circs and last time circulated. This is a great system.
On to better things, I hope.
Cold, very cold
This is what my chilled pansies looked like this morning as it snowed. It wasn't much snow and it melted as soon as it hit the ground. Ken and I had a snow bet of 50 cents a few weeks ago. Of course I bet it wouldn't snow again and he wisely bet it would. I called him at 7:15 this morning to tell him I'd have to pay up. He said he'd be expecting me to drop by with the money. We had a good laugh. He's very cheerful these days, which is really different from even 2 weeks ago and makes a big difference in my life.
No contest
This is a pretty pathetic bunch of seedlings. It's where I planted asters, then morning glory seeds on top of them. Lots of the morning glories got damping off and dropped dead. My sister sure wins (by far) the morning glory spectacular this year. I'm all over with envy. Her patio is going to be really pretty.
Painted trillium
This is a painted trillium--more common than the purple trillium. There used to be tons and tons of them blanketing the forest floor but I'm not sure we have so many anymore. In different parts of the North Country, where it's a little warmer (like the Champlain Valley and the St. Lawrence Valley) white trillium grows. That's very pretty too.
sunrise
I think I took this on Friday but I'm not sure. Whenever I took it, anyway, it was very pretty. This is the sort of picture that takes itself.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Here's my version of the shortest personality test:
You are elegant, withdrawn, and brilliant.Your mind is a weapon, able to solve any puzzle.You are also great at poking holes in arguments and common beliefs.
For you, comfort and calm are very important.You tend to thrive on your own and shrug off most affection.You prefer to protect your emotions and stay strong.
Is there anyone who doesn't want to stay strong?
Having a bad day. Was supposed to have DirecTV guy come between 6&8 a.m. (so they said) so got up at 5:45, alert, ready. Called them at 8:45, no one knew what was going on but DirecTV credited me with $100 on my next bills because he hadn't shown up on time. Meanwhile the real service people in Vt. called to say he'd be there at 10:30 and he was there at 10:15, a very nice guy. Fixed me all up & told me there was no such thing as a service call between 6 & 8 a.m., that was a malfunction in their system. They work 8-12 and 1-4. duh. So I got to work at 1 and all hell had broken loose because of a few things I don't know about but my clerk didn't like something I said to her on Friday so she complained to the director. Also I made a big mistake and hit reply instead of forward so an email went to the wrong person and the shit has hit the fan 12 times over. At least it only went to 1 person! He of course trotted it right in to the director and she didn't understand it was tongue in cheek so I spent a whole lot of time going over that. messy, very messy. Improper use of email. Anyway, bad afternoon. Hope Ken is home. need to have someone tell me I'm not an evil buffoon.
You are elegant, withdrawn, and brilliant.Your mind is a weapon, able to solve any puzzle.You are also great at poking holes in arguments and common beliefs.
For you, comfort and calm are very important.You tend to thrive on your own and shrug off most affection.You prefer to protect your emotions and stay strong.
Is there anyone who doesn't want to stay strong?
Having a bad day. Was supposed to have DirecTV guy come between 6&8 a.m. (so they said) so got up at 5:45, alert, ready. Called them at 8:45, no one knew what was going on but DirecTV credited me with $100 on my next bills because he hadn't shown up on time. Meanwhile the real service people in Vt. called to say he'd be there at 10:30 and he was there at 10:15, a very nice guy. Fixed me all up & told me there was no such thing as a service call between 6 & 8 a.m., that was a malfunction in their system. They work 8-12 and 1-4. duh. So I got to work at 1 and all hell had broken loose because of a few things I don't know about but my clerk didn't like something I said to her on Friday so she complained to the director. Also I made a big mistake and hit reply instead of forward so an email went to the wrong person and the shit has hit the fan 12 times over. At least it only went to 1 person! He of course trotted it right in to the director and she didn't understand it was tongue in cheek so I spent a whole lot of time going over that. messy, very messy. Improper use of email. Anyway, bad afternoon. Hope Ken is home. need to have someone tell me I'm not an evil buffoon.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Whiskers
I took yesterday (Tuesday) off. I had to come to work first, though because we had a substitute van driver and he picked up a box of books at one of our library's during the delivery and discovered COCKROACHES in it. Did he take it back inside and say we couldn't accept it? No, he was too stoopid--he put it in the van, where there were about 10 other boxes and 15 canvas bags full of books from other libraries. Anyway, I had to deal with telling 30 libraries that their books might be infested with cockroaches, and trying to kill off any that might have been in the box that came back. So that killed part of my day off.
I stopped at my nursery, though, and bought my pansies. This year I bought Whiskers Red and Gold. They look as if there's a butterfly in the center, and when there's a mass planting of them it's really pretty. I planted them yesterday and they don't look too pretty yet, but just you wait, once they fill out and are all blooming it's going to be extra special.
I stopped at my nursery, though, and bought my pansies. This year I bought Whiskers Red and Gold. They look as if there's a butterfly in the center, and when there's a mass planting of them it's really pretty. I planted them yesterday and they don't look too pretty yet, but just you wait, once they fill out and are all blooming it's going to be extra special.
daffs
I picked a nice bouquet of daffodils for my house. Almost all varieties are blooming at once, which is sort of a shame. Usually I have early, mid- and late season bloomers so they're spread out over several weeks. The weather has gone from snow & cold to very warm (80's this week) very quickly so everything's pretty screwed up. There were even a few black flies out yesterday and this morning. TAKE COVER!
bored
This is how the dogs spent a lot of time yesterday, so early this morning we went on a bog walk. It was very nice. Lots of birds singing, but I forgot my binoculars so I didn't see any of them. Plenty of warblers. There's a poster of Roger Tory Peterson's "Confusing fall warblers." I think ALL warblers are confusing. I have a warbler (or its relatives) that returns to my woods every year--it's either a black-throated green or a black-throated blue warbler, I can't tell their songs apart. Sounds lilke a made up name but there really is such a thing. I used to listen to bird calls on CD on my way to & from work. I think I'll start doing that again, I've forgotten a lot of them. I have a winter wren around my house, which I don't remember having before. Lots of thrushes, too. Robins are thrushes, which explains why they have such nice songs. You know, the robin's rain song.
Street Sense
Here's Street Sense winning the Kentucky Derby. It's hard to get a picture of Tess in motion. Love those ears. And that ID tag flying in the wind.
Reddy
This is how Chances moves. I had a plastic horse named Reddy that looked almost exactly like this. Reddy was a quarter horse and was my all-time favorite. Giddyup, Reddy.
eft
Here's a red eft we found on our walk. Not very red yet. I don't know what they do during the winter, whether they bury themselves in the mud or what. I thought they were like tadpoles--I've seen salamanders swimming underwater in the lake in early summer (and boy is that every yucky). This one has really blue eyes and is moving pretty slowly.
trillium
I was really surprised to see this--a purple trillium at the bog trailhead. It seems early for trillium, but as I say, spring is coming on fast this year.
guests
These are some cartoons by someone named Guindon. I don't know what he's up to now, if he's even still alive. He did stuff during the 70's and Molly and I thought he was pretty funny. A lot of his stuff dealt with humor of the time, like stuff about leisure suits and referrals to events and trends of the 70's. Some of them were just plain funny, though.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Who's keeping track
It was a beautiful weekend, 50's and sunny. Warm spring sun, getting pretty high in the sky. There was a cold wind, though, which kept me from sitting in the sun reading on my deck. I spent the whole weekend (embarrassingly) indoors. I "should have" worked outside, moving firewood, pulling brambleberries (#1 enemy) and cleaning out gardens (I use the term gardens loosely). I was most unproductive on Saturday but had a really wonderful time. Fred called late morning, suggesting we go to Wilmington for lunch in celebration of summer. Our first foray into summer territory. Off we went to a diner for lunch and a nice visit. I truly enjoy his company--I know few people who enjoy life as much as Fred does, and when he's at Silver Lake he's incredibly cheerful. I'd like to be that cheerful when I'm at Silver Lake. Which would be all the time. I suppose I cheer up a lot when I'm staying at the boat house--in fact, I know I do.
Anyway, shame on me when we went to the famous candy maker store I bought too much (any is too much for me) candy: choc. covered raisins and coconut patty. Ate them too quickly and had my sugar crash when I got home, slept on the couch for a long time. At least my dog was lying next to me so it was really, really nice. I should have been cleaning my house in prep. for Sunday dinner, which I hosted this week.
I cleaned Sun. morning instead, which wasn't too bad. House is cluttered but not dirty (Ken has provided me with this description) so I did a little de-cluttering, vacuumed and cleaned a bit. I cleared out the corner of the kitchen counter, then put some things back because I had no other place to put them. I did pack away my nasty collection of travel mugs, however--I never, ever use them and must weed the collection down to 1 sometime. I don't like travel mugs.
Sunday dinner was pork. I went shopping on Friday and asked the butcher for bone-in pork shoulder. He didn't laugh out loud, but he said he had pork butt, the only thing like shoulder with a bone. Yeah, that's what I mean (duh) I pretended. How big do I need for 4 people, 2 of whom eat a lot? At least a pound for each person. Then give me the biggest you've got. Only 4.75 pounds. So home I went, jiggedy jiggedy jig. First a stop at Lowes for something I've wanted for a very long time: cordless circular saw. WOWIE JET! I bought one! I'm thrilled and can't wait to use it on my lumber pile. Cut it all up for kindling, as my brother demonstrated several years ago. It would be so great to whittle down that pile, and I'm out of softwood kindling. Plus it has a 6.5" blade, and I thought they only came with a 5" blade so I'm in hog heaven.
Anyway, Sunday was really nice. We had pre-dinner treats on the deck in the sun, very cheerful. I borrowed Linda's covered pan to cook the pork in (slow cook, low heat, 3 hours) and all went well. Broiled asparagus, mashed potatoes, gravy that wasn't very flavorful but there was enough of it. Bill brought a dessert that was indescribable. Ken was in good form. At one point after dinner Fred was walking around outside, Bill was dozing on one couch and Ken was sound asleep on the other, while I tidied up a bit in the kitchen. What a wonderful group we are!
But did I avail myself of the beautiful day after they all left? NO NO NO! I took a long nap. I've been wondering if all these naps mean depression or if I'm just not getting enough sleep during the week. Have not found the answer. Some think you cannot catch up on lost sleep, some think you can. It seems I do sleep long hours on weekends, napping on Sat. afternoons. My naps are much longer these days, though, and I slept hours and hours both days this weekend. I'm nervous because spring is a bad time for me and I've already had my mild mania, which is always followed by my annual spring depression. We're tracking me, though, my Good Doctor and I.
Now Lake Placid's CD's beckon me. I haven't opened the box yet--what wonders await?
It was a beautiful weekend, 50's and sunny. Warm spring sun, getting pretty high in the sky. There was a cold wind, though, which kept me from sitting in the sun reading on my deck. I spent the whole weekend (embarrassingly) indoors. I "should have" worked outside, moving firewood, pulling brambleberries (#1 enemy) and cleaning out gardens (I use the term gardens loosely). I was most unproductive on Saturday but had a really wonderful time. Fred called late morning, suggesting we go to Wilmington for lunch in celebration of summer. Our first foray into summer territory. Off we went to a diner for lunch and a nice visit. I truly enjoy his company--I know few people who enjoy life as much as Fred does, and when he's at Silver Lake he's incredibly cheerful. I'd like to be that cheerful when I'm at Silver Lake. Which would be all the time. I suppose I cheer up a lot when I'm staying at the boat house--in fact, I know I do.
Anyway, shame on me when we went to the famous candy maker store I bought too much (any is too much for me) candy: choc. covered raisins and coconut patty. Ate them too quickly and had my sugar crash when I got home, slept on the couch for a long time. At least my dog was lying next to me so it was really, really nice. I should have been cleaning my house in prep. for Sunday dinner, which I hosted this week.
I cleaned Sun. morning instead, which wasn't too bad. House is cluttered but not dirty (Ken has provided me with this description) so I did a little de-cluttering, vacuumed and cleaned a bit. I cleared out the corner of the kitchen counter, then put some things back because I had no other place to put them. I did pack away my nasty collection of travel mugs, however--I never, ever use them and must weed the collection down to 1 sometime. I don't like travel mugs.
Sunday dinner was pork. I went shopping on Friday and asked the butcher for bone-in pork shoulder. He didn't laugh out loud, but he said he had pork butt, the only thing like shoulder with a bone. Yeah, that's what I mean (duh) I pretended. How big do I need for 4 people, 2 of whom eat a lot? At least a pound for each person. Then give me the biggest you've got. Only 4.75 pounds. So home I went, jiggedy jiggedy jig. First a stop at Lowes for something I've wanted for a very long time: cordless circular saw. WOWIE JET! I bought one! I'm thrilled and can't wait to use it on my lumber pile. Cut it all up for kindling, as my brother demonstrated several years ago. It would be so great to whittle down that pile, and I'm out of softwood kindling. Plus it has a 6.5" blade, and I thought they only came with a 5" blade so I'm in hog heaven.
Anyway, Sunday was really nice. We had pre-dinner treats on the deck in the sun, very cheerful. I borrowed Linda's covered pan to cook the pork in (slow cook, low heat, 3 hours) and all went well. Broiled asparagus, mashed potatoes, gravy that wasn't very flavorful but there was enough of it. Bill brought a dessert that was indescribable. Ken was in good form. At one point after dinner Fred was walking around outside, Bill was dozing on one couch and Ken was sound asleep on the other, while I tidied up a bit in the kitchen. What a wonderful group we are!
But did I avail myself of the beautiful day after they all left? NO NO NO! I took a long nap. I've been wondering if all these naps mean depression or if I'm just not getting enough sleep during the week. Have not found the answer. Some think you cannot catch up on lost sleep, some think you can. It seems I do sleep long hours on weekends, napping on Sat. afternoons. My naps are much longer these days, though, and I slept hours and hours both days this weekend. I'm nervous because spring is a bad time for me and I've already had my mild mania, which is always followed by my annual spring depression. We're tracking me, though, my Good Doctor and I.
Now Lake Placid's CD's beckon me. I haven't opened the box yet--what wonders await?
Expressway
This is Route 374, also called The Cadyville Expressway. The first big part of my trip to work is the Silver Lake Road, which I call the Clayburg Road, because that's what it used to be called, and it goes to Clayburg. Soon no one will remember that's what it used to be called and I'll have to call it by it's real name, the Silver Lake Road. Anyway, then I turn onto Route 3, which has no other name. Long drive on Route 3, which goes through a few small towns that have no town attached to them, they're just settlements, sometimes with a convenience store or a gas station. Then Route 3 splits and continues on to Plattsburg, and you can take Route 374, which is also called The Cadyville Expressway (although, like the Clayburg Road, fewer people now call it that). It was built in the late 60's as a faster, more direct way to get to P'bg. I remember when it was brand new and we drove on it to get to Expo 67 in Montreal. It differs from Route 3 pretty much only in that people drive 60-65 on it and people sometimes go 45 on Route 3, presumably so they can look at the houses as they drive along. There are no houses on Route 374, just woods.
Squirrels ears
Here's a poplar tree. They're also called popples by lots of people, myself included. This is what's going on in the Champlain Valley. Where I live there are no leaves, not a one. The soft maples, as I've said, are starting to bud, as are the tamaracks (I noticed yesterday). No sign of life anywhere else except for my daffodils, and they're domestic plants. Won't be long before wildflowers will start popping up. The hepatica is probably blooming in the woods, along the trail to the bluffs, but I never go up there. I noticed the marsh marigolds blooming along the road on my way to work, which is pretty amazing when you realize there was no sign of them on Friday.
And this is Vermont, looking across Lake Champlain as I drive down the hill into Plattsburgh. That's Mount Mansfield, which my father really liked when we lived in Vermont. I guess he had a few favorite mountains, didn't he. This view is always a good barometer for what kind of weather there is in the Champlain Valley. Sometimes in the winter, before the lake freezes or after it thaws, the lake looks like a huge steaming vat.
Friday, May 04, 2007
bill's table
This is a cute table cut for Bill from a big 'ole pine tree he had taken down this winter. The tree was leaning toward his camp and it was dying, so he had someone cut it down before the wind blew it down.
I went for a walk this morning, a little shorter than some walks, but I inspected the camp owned by some friends along the way. It was 28 when I left the house so my hands and nose were cold. What a pretty morning, though. I sure am enjoying this routine, but it's dependent on having the world to myself, the silence of leaf-bare trees and having it get light at 5:30. Everything must be perfect for me. As I say, I'm pretty spoiled. When I walk with the dogs and people are in camp I spend a lot of time whisper-yelling at them to get away from the camps. It's not very much fun. I'll be limited to the bog then, if I want to keep walking. Maybe that's when I'll use my special double-leash thing. Don't think about that, dear, just live in the now.
I went for a walk this morning, a little shorter than some walks, but I inspected the camp owned by some friends along the way. It was 28 when I left the house so my hands and nose were cold. What a pretty morning, though. I sure am enjoying this routine, but it's dependent on having the world to myself, the silence of leaf-bare trees and having it get light at 5:30. Everything must be perfect for me. As I say, I'm pretty spoiled. When I walk with the dogs and people are in camp I spend a lot of time whisper-yelling at them to get away from the camps. It's not very much fun. I'll be limited to the bog then, if I want to keep walking. Maybe that's when I'll use my special double-leash thing. Don't think about that, dear, just live in the now.
ken's task
This is the rest of the tree. Ken's self-imposed task is to split all of these pieces. The dogs are there for scale. At least Ken is using his chain saw to split these. A few years ago he would have done it with a wedge, a maul and an axe. With age comes wisdom, but sometimes you have to wait until you're 93 to get it.
blue heron
This is the camp owned by my friends. It's called the Blue Heron. Each building of the boys' and girls' camps was named after a bird. Thus Rush's buildings are Whippoorwill, Flicker and Barn Swallow (which no longer exists: his house sits on the site). Bill's camp is The Owl. The dancehall was the Loon. The really great camp the owner kept for herself is the Eagle. The cook lived in Bluebird. The cabin Ken tore down a few years ago (after the weight of the snow on the roof flattened it like a pancake--if just folded like a house of cards) was Screech Owl. The stairs of my deck are from Screech Owl wood. The only other cabin I know is Goldfinch, but there are probably 5 or 6 little sleeping cabins scattered around the grounds.
I thought (and I guess still do) it was pretty queer to have all those buildings named after birds but it's second nature to me now, and I guess camps have themes. Birds are better than the camp further up the lake that had Peter Pan themed-names and had a cabin called Wendy until it was sold to someone. of course, they changed the name to Bunchberry.
I thought (and I guess still do) it was pretty queer to have all those buildings named after birds but it's second nature to me now, and I guess camps have themes. Birds are better than the camp further up the lake that had Peter Pan themed-names and had a cabin called Wendy until it was sold to someone. of course, they changed the name to Bunchberry.
mystery cabin
I forget the name of this cabin--oh wait, I think it's Robin's Nest, it just came to me. maybe. Anyway, I reallylike this. It's very pretty, partly because of the color of the wood and partly because of the design of the cabin. Wouldn't it be fun to sleep on the top floor? If it were screened in, that is.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Bog view
This is a view of Duncan Mountain from the bog, taken a couple of days ago. This was one of my father's favorite mountains. The trail up it was never very good and I can remember basically bushwhacking our way up it as a child. I don't remember what the view was like from the top. The trailhead was marked by a nice old house, which is no longer there. I always like seeing Duncan because it reminds me of my father.
May rocks
The obligatory "rocks underwater" shot. This was taken on this morning's walk. I walked past our camp, down the road we used to drive in on. This is about the only time you can walk that road because the grass gets really tall it gets really hard to even find the road. Why we don't use the road is a long story that involves the neighborhood bully and a legal battle. People in the neighborhood use the road as a nice walking path, though, so there's sort of a deer path worn in it.
The dogs and I found a dead porcupine lying in the road. Tess was smart enough not to stick her nose in the quills (or else obedient enough to listen to me when I screeched at her not to). Dogs can get quills from dead porkies stuck in their snouts. I wonder if the porcupine died of natural causes or was killed by a fisher. I think a fisher is about the only thing in my neighborhood that can kill a porcupine. I'm afraid of fishers, they are very mean.
I also discovered where Tess' deer carcass is--thanks to Chances. She came out of the woods proudly carrying a leg. Tess promptly took it away from her ("That's MY leg!") and carried it home. Another leg to toss from the car. At least she didn't insist on dropping it in front of the door. It's in the woods next to the driveway, though, so I'll have to wait until it surfaces out in the open to grab it.
The dogs and I found a dead porcupine lying in the road. Tess was smart enough not to stick her nose in the quills (or else obedient enough to listen to me when I screeched at her not to). Dogs can get quills from dead porkies stuck in their snouts. I wonder if the porcupine died of natural causes or was killed by a fisher. I think a fisher is about the only thing in my neighborhood that can kill a porcupine. I'm afraid of fishers, they are very mean.
I also discovered where Tess' deer carcass is--thanks to Chances. She came out of the woods proudly carrying a leg. Tess promptly took it away from her ("That's MY leg!") and carried it home. Another leg to toss from the car. At least she didn't insist on dropping it in front of the door. It's in the woods next to the driveway, though, so I'll have to wait until it surfaces out in the open to grab it.
Dockside sunrise
That's our cabin next to the small point of our property. Beyond that is our boat house which you can't see from this neighbor's shorefront. The two docks are visible from each other, though. The cabin is called "Dockside," even though one year Jamie and I decided to move the dock to another spot because there was too much dock traffic next to the cabin (we thought). Jamie was always making executive decisions like that, and I thought this was a good one. I still do.
Past the point is the little bay you see from our boat house. It's very private and you can't really see any sign of anyone else except now you can see part of the neighbor's dock up past the bay. Yuck.
Past the point is the little bay you see from our boat house. It's very private and you can't really see any sign of anyone else except now you can see part of the neighbor's dock up past the bay. Yuck.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
SLOW DOWN
Spring is bearing down upon us in Hawkeye. To some I suppose it's coming along slowly, but to me it seems to be arriving with breakneck speed. I've been hearing spring peepers at night from my deck (though just the early few, it's still quite cold at night, cold enough for frost). The soft maples have swollen buds and show the red tint that means they will soon have leaves. The pussy willows have gone to seed and the fuzz has turned to funny, alien-looking yellow things. I missed the fuzzy stage--we had too much snow covering the trees then. The mud has mostly dried up and the roads are all passable now. The grass (even in my neighborhood) is greening up. It'll soon be time to mow it. Early daffodils are starting to bloom. Early crocuses are going by, late ones are in bloom.
I've been walking a lot lately now that my foot is feeling better. I walked almost every day last week but by the end of the week it hurt too much. This week it's much better so I've resumed my walking. Walked the bog last night. I'd love to say that I notice something different each time I walk it but that wouldn't be true. I sound like a spoiled brat, but it gets pretty monotonous, walking it every day. I do like to walk it because it's exactly a mile and it's a boardwalk so it's even terrain. And the dogs love it, they can run full bore, plus they can go off into the woods and circle around to come out way ahead of me. Tess especially loves to crash through the woods, making me think there is something exciting like a deer there.
A bit of a lull at work these days. Am caught up with my cataloging and have big projects to start on. Do not want to do this. Director wants me to get going on cooperative collection development project with our 30 member libraries. This is like a masters thesis to me. Must come up with an outline, then a plan, then a survey, then must contact those who don't return survey, then contact them all for more information than their vague answers to survey (no matter what sort of survey you create, people never provide enough information when they fill it out). Must also get them to agree to the principle of cooperative collection development (with no money attached). Must first get them to understand the concept. First I'm trying to get automation consultant to show me how to generate reports from automated system that will show Deweys of collections of automated libraries. She either doesn't want me to know how to do this or she's too busy. May be the latter because we've got 4 libraries coming online this spring.
Other project is to start cataloging really extensive Adirondack Collection of Saranac Lake library. This will actually be good project--I'll have to do on-site work so will go there from home and spend one day a week there. Drawback is that I think the director wants me to mingle with her staff and all I really want to do is get my work done. Anyway, again I'm waiting for the automa. consultant to install software there so I can get started on the project. Director is nagging me about this too. NAG NAG NAG. What I really need to do is clean my desk. I'm down to a 8" X 8" space with nothing on it (well, there's a Post-it pad and pen there). Pardon me while I crank up the Allman Bros. and fly back to 1974, hanging out with my friends in spring sunshine.
Can't even put together book order, did that on Monday. Sigh. Will write 2007 goals, will write items I want included in contract negotiations, will catalog few items for Plattsburgh's local history collection. will then work on small area of desk. maybe. At least I'm feeling cheerful, motivated and relatively happy. Planted flower seeds, most of them have good germination rate and are cute little plants. Stupidly forgot I planted zinnias in one flat and planted morning glories in same flat so there are now 2 sets of seedlings in each six-pack. laughed at self. Am sleeping fairly well but wake at 5:30 each morning as light creeps upon the horizon. Love this time of year, as it gets light early, but find sleeping in to be a challenge.
Jenica and Molly write of Henry. He is so often in my thoughts, especially as I spend 1 1/2 hours a day alone in my car, plus I spend at least 6 hours a day listening to music with earphones on, alone in my world. It's an astonishing feeling to have someone in your life for 50 years, then suddenly have him gone. I can picture his hands, his face, his jeans, can hear his voice as if he were sitting next to me. I cry at random moments, sometimes when I hear songs from my past that we didn't even share. I took away the picture of him that was on the shelf atop my desk here because it made me too sad to look at it all day every day. It's at home now, where I feel more secure (I guess) and happier, or more distracted, or something. Embraced? I don't know. I love being in my house, maybe I can cope with my loss because I spent so much time there with him--wouldn't you think it would be the other way around?
Spring is bearing down upon us in Hawkeye. To some I suppose it's coming along slowly, but to me it seems to be arriving with breakneck speed. I've been hearing spring peepers at night from my deck (though just the early few, it's still quite cold at night, cold enough for frost). The soft maples have swollen buds and show the red tint that means they will soon have leaves. The pussy willows have gone to seed and the fuzz has turned to funny, alien-looking yellow things. I missed the fuzzy stage--we had too much snow covering the trees then. The mud has mostly dried up and the roads are all passable now. The grass (even in my neighborhood) is greening up. It'll soon be time to mow it. Early daffodils are starting to bloom. Early crocuses are going by, late ones are in bloom.
I've been walking a lot lately now that my foot is feeling better. I walked almost every day last week but by the end of the week it hurt too much. This week it's much better so I've resumed my walking. Walked the bog last night. I'd love to say that I notice something different each time I walk it but that wouldn't be true. I sound like a spoiled brat, but it gets pretty monotonous, walking it every day. I do like to walk it because it's exactly a mile and it's a boardwalk so it's even terrain. And the dogs love it, they can run full bore, plus they can go off into the woods and circle around to come out way ahead of me. Tess especially loves to crash through the woods, making me think there is something exciting like a deer there.
A bit of a lull at work these days. Am caught up with my cataloging and have big projects to start on. Do not want to do this. Director wants me to get going on cooperative collection development project with our 30 member libraries. This is like a masters thesis to me. Must come up with an outline, then a plan, then a survey, then must contact those who don't return survey, then contact them all for more information than their vague answers to survey (no matter what sort of survey you create, people never provide enough information when they fill it out). Must also get them to agree to the principle of cooperative collection development (with no money attached). Must first get them to understand the concept. First I'm trying to get automation consultant to show me how to generate reports from automated system that will show Deweys of collections of automated libraries. She either doesn't want me to know how to do this or she's too busy. May be the latter because we've got 4 libraries coming online this spring.
Other project is to start cataloging really extensive Adirondack Collection of Saranac Lake library. This will actually be good project--I'll have to do on-site work so will go there from home and spend one day a week there. Drawback is that I think the director wants me to mingle with her staff and all I really want to do is get my work done. Anyway, again I'm waiting for the automa. consultant to install software there so I can get started on the project. Director is nagging me about this too. NAG NAG NAG. What I really need to do is clean my desk. I'm down to a 8" X 8" space with nothing on it (well, there's a Post-it pad and pen there). Pardon me while I crank up the Allman Bros. and fly back to 1974, hanging out with my friends in spring sunshine.
Can't even put together book order, did that on Monday. Sigh. Will write 2007 goals, will write items I want included in contract negotiations, will catalog few items for Plattsburgh's local history collection. will then work on small area of desk. maybe. At least I'm feeling cheerful, motivated and relatively happy. Planted flower seeds, most of them have good germination rate and are cute little plants. Stupidly forgot I planted zinnias in one flat and planted morning glories in same flat so there are now 2 sets of seedlings in each six-pack. laughed at self. Am sleeping fairly well but wake at 5:30 each morning as light creeps upon the horizon. Love this time of year, as it gets light early, but find sleeping in to be a challenge.
Jenica and Molly write of Henry. He is so often in my thoughts, especially as I spend 1 1/2 hours a day alone in my car, plus I spend at least 6 hours a day listening to music with earphones on, alone in my world. It's an astonishing feeling to have someone in your life for 50 years, then suddenly have him gone. I can picture his hands, his face, his jeans, can hear his voice as if he were sitting next to me. I cry at random moments, sometimes when I hear songs from my past that we didn't even share. I took away the picture of him that was on the shelf atop my desk here because it made me too sad to look at it all day every day. It's at home now, where I feel more secure (I guess) and happier, or more distracted, or something. Embraced? I don't know. I love being in my house, maybe I can cope with my loss because I spent so much time there with him--wouldn't you think it would be the other way around?
Watching
This is one of the things Hugo does when he rides in the car with me. We were on the way to book group on Sunday here. Mary Lou very generously let Hugo join us in her living room while we discussed the book (as well as life in general). He slept through most of it all, hogging a good part of the couch.
Hugo has now returned to his real home and my dogs think that is just fine.
Hugo has now returned to his real home and my dogs think that is just fine.
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