A few weeks ago I went to Burlington (VT) for doctors' visits. From Plattsburgh you take a ferry across Lake Champlain. At this crossing they run 3 ferries during the day, down to 1 at night. The ferry runs 24 hrs. a day, 365 days a year. Winter crossings are cool because the boat makes a channel through the ice and the channel closes behind the boat. The ice makes a bump bump bump noise as it hits the hull. I love it but it scares some people. Sometimes the lake is so rough that waves splash high enough to wash over the cars.
I took the scariest ride ever one March with Julie. The boat couldn't go straight across because of the wind and waves so we went way up the lake. When we got to the other side my car was encased in ice. Right after we came home they stopped running the ferry. I thought the Coast Guard was going to have to rescue us. It was totally scary. Only once that I remember has a ferry sunk, and only cars were lost, no people. That was at least 30 years ago.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Who'll stack this?
Here's the firewood I bought the other day. It's 4 cords, cost $280. We used to pay $35/cord, now we pay $70. Supply and demand--the American way.
lonely blossoms
This is all that's in bloom in my yard right now. Lemon lilies that I stole from a camp down the road.
Plant cruelty
You can see why Fred has founded the Silver Lake Society for Plant Protection. He and I feel strongly that you should never be cruel to plants. Apparently I don't feel as strongly about it as he does. I took this picture earlier this week, though, and last night I spent a long time planting annuals. Almost all of them, in fact. Now I have a bunch of perennials, which are harder because you have to find them a permanent home. I also have more annuals, but they will go in the ground.
I fall for the same thing every year--high hopes that THIS year will be the one I'll be a good gardener, a conscientious one who plants things as soon as she gets them home. Being a cataloger, though, seems to mean that I have to have them all together in one place before I decide what to do with each one. Must see them as a group before dealing with individual ones.
I fall for the same thing every year--high hopes that THIS year will be the one I'll be a good gardener, a conscientious one who plants things as soon as she gets them home. Being a cataloger, though, seems to mean that I have to have them all together in one place before I decide what to do with each one. Must see them as a group before dealing with individual ones.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Who's weather is this?
It's been hot and humid--Midwesterly hot and humid--for about 10 days here. This is so atypical and unwelcome. A couple of days, sure, but for this long? Just not right. Last week the black flies were so thick you really couldn't do any outdoor chores without appropriate coverage. I have a great bug shirt--fine mesh, long sleeves with elastic at cuffs and waist, with a hood. It's not comfortable, but I can plant, mow, function outside for short periods of time. Too hot in it to stay out long, plus you have to wear long pants. Anyway I mowed my lawn last week, and kept on going to the side part that I'd decided was too much work to mow. Wow it looks great.
Black fly season has ended but mosquitoes are fierce. I like to keep the door open at night but just can't. Dogs have a great time when I get home from work because they go in & out, in & out. Cat does too. We have a good life at Woods Run. Yes, in our neighborhood we name our houses and camps. Linda's is Trail's End. Fred's is Pinewood. Bill has The Owl and Morningside (he has two). Neighbors have Rappahannock Lodge. And Cammoosie (which makes me laugh because that's what we called out outhouses, saying it meant "little house in the woods")--we think those people are sort of jerks, they have solar lights lining both sides of their driveway so it looks like a landing strip at night. Very un-camp like. And on it goes.
Today I go to West Chazy, one of our smallest libraries. Really tiny. I'm weeding their adult non-fiction. Two trips of 2 hours each and it's done. A surprisingly good collection, built mostly from donations because they hardly have a book budget. The board recently agreed on a $200/month book budget, not bad for some of our libraries. That's adult & juvenile.
Tomorrow it's Saranac Lake again. I'm making progress on the collection--have worked up to the N's, but the S's will take a long time (Robert Louis Stevenson).
I have my big booger goldfish on the shelf above my desk. I brought him back from RI at Easter--he was bullying the other fish in Liza & Mark's tank, had grown much bigger so they were happy to get rid of him. He's big, more than 4", and in a small tank. He goes back & forth, up & down all day. When I get stuck or bored I stare at him. Do I feel cruel, keeping him in such a small tank? yes, pretty much. But that's all I really have room for. He's waiting for me every morning when the lights come on, in the corner where I feed him. I don't think he's a very nice fish, and I don't think he appreciates the nice life he has here.
Must catalog DVD of The return of Rin Tin Tin and graphic novel Diary of a wimpy kid. I hate graphic novels. Whose idea were they? Oh yeah, blame the Japanese.
It's been hot and humid--Midwesterly hot and humid--for about 10 days here. This is so atypical and unwelcome. A couple of days, sure, but for this long? Just not right. Last week the black flies were so thick you really couldn't do any outdoor chores without appropriate coverage. I have a great bug shirt--fine mesh, long sleeves with elastic at cuffs and waist, with a hood. It's not comfortable, but I can plant, mow, function outside for short periods of time. Too hot in it to stay out long, plus you have to wear long pants. Anyway I mowed my lawn last week, and kept on going to the side part that I'd decided was too much work to mow. Wow it looks great.
Black fly season has ended but mosquitoes are fierce. I like to keep the door open at night but just can't. Dogs have a great time when I get home from work because they go in & out, in & out. Cat does too. We have a good life at Woods Run. Yes, in our neighborhood we name our houses and camps. Linda's is Trail's End. Fred's is Pinewood. Bill has The Owl and Morningside (he has two). Neighbors have Rappahannock Lodge. And Cammoosie (which makes me laugh because that's what we called out outhouses, saying it meant "little house in the woods")--we think those people are sort of jerks, they have solar lights lining both sides of their driveway so it looks like a landing strip at night. Very un-camp like. And on it goes.
Today I go to West Chazy, one of our smallest libraries. Really tiny. I'm weeding their adult non-fiction. Two trips of 2 hours each and it's done. A surprisingly good collection, built mostly from donations because they hardly have a book budget. The board recently agreed on a $200/month book budget, not bad for some of our libraries. That's adult & juvenile.
Tomorrow it's Saranac Lake again. I'm making progress on the collection--have worked up to the N's, but the S's will take a long time (Robert Louis Stevenson).
I have my big booger goldfish on the shelf above my desk. I brought him back from RI at Easter--he was bullying the other fish in Liza & Mark's tank, had grown much bigger so they were happy to get rid of him. He's big, more than 4", and in a small tank. He goes back & forth, up & down all day. When I get stuck or bored I stare at him. Do I feel cruel, keeping him in such a small tank? yes, pretty much. But that's all I really have room for. He's waiting for me every morning when the lights come on, in the corner where I feed him. I don't think he's a very nice fish, and I don't think he appreciates the nice life he has here.
Must catalog DVD of The return of Rin Tin Tin and graphic novel Diary of a wimpy kid. I hate graphic novels. Whose idea were they? Oh yeah, blame the Japanese.
Friday, June 13, 2008
At last!
Hey--where've I been? Nowhere, really, just busy. I spend one day a week in Saranac Lake so my days at CEF are full of more cataloging and book selection, etc. My time in Saranac Lake is getting to be very nice. I used to sort of dread it--hated to leave my regular work behind. Now I look forward to seeing Michele, to cataloging the stuff there, to our little lunch club. The stuff I catalog runs the gamut, sometimes NYS Museum bulletins about the geology of specific quadrangles (blech), lots of times reminiscences of tuberculosis patients (vaguely interesting), sometimes family histories (full of tributes to ancestors), some biographies of famous people who have a connection to Saranac Lake. I finally figured out Bela Bartok's connection--he composed several works while staying in a cottage on the lake there. Anyway it's peaceful, stimulating and entertaining work. Michele and I have worked out a good arrangement--we talk just enough, not too much but enough to keep each other company and awake.
The bugs are especially bad this year--black flies are voracious and plentiful. No-see-ums especially fecund. Mosquitoes are everywhere. Bats are dying like crazy, from some disease they can't figure out, so there's speculation that bugs have no predators. I think it's just one of those years, and we've been lucky for the past several years. The no-see-ums are so bad that, sitting in my living room at night they're all over me and I even have phantom bugs biting me. There's one! No, nothing there. Aha! got one. yes, that was one. On and on.
We had a horrible hot spell that kept me inside and inactive but it finally cooled off. I spent most of my time at Linda's--she's here for the summer, newly retired. We're seeing each other just about every day, and talk on the phone when we don't see each other. Fred joins us most evenings. He's started his new job as college president so the 3 of us talk about our days. Very companionable. Bill's been around a lot so it's really pleasant. Last night Linda "encouraged" me to leave early and I was motivated enough to mow the lawn and plant some flowers. Fred says the Silver Lake Society for Plant Protection is watching me closely to make sure I take good care of the dozens of plants I bought and must get in the ground. He and I have the same feeling, that plants shouldn't be neglected and it's awful to see them suffer. Apparently I don't have the same intensity of feeling that he does, though, since my plants continue to sit in their 6-packs and pots, miserably waiting for attention. Bad, bad me. I'll do work on them this weekend. yes.
Firewood delivery tonight. Must be home by 6. This morning I spent 10 minutes staring into space, reliving the year after I graduated from college (some good memories, some bad) so I didn't leave as early as usual. Luckily I was home to answer the phone when Lee called to tell me he'd be there at 6 with the wood. Sometimes he just shows up, but tonight is a Ken night, then probably a follow-up trip to Linda's, so I wouldn't haven been home.
Spent some time in the boat house, got to spend the night there once. It has to be around 60 at night for me to stay there--any colder and I suffer. It was almost 70 that night and hot. I spent that evening and most of the next day on the porch reading. What a luxury. I'd hoped to stay there this weekend but the butthole husband of the butthole cousin is supposed to be in camp so I'm self-banished from there. He screams at my dogs and kicks them. But he screams at everything, he has to be the center of attention at all times. (guess what? spellcheck doesn't include butthole). The idea of walking my dogs on leashes around the boat house makes me think it's probably not worth it. My bedroom sticks out into the forest and there's usually a nice cold breeze from the woods so it's not too bad. I have to leave the door open to generate a breeze, though, which Tess loves. She pushes the front door open and goes outside, then barks forever until I get up to let her in. High sport. The idea of being outside during the night gives her a real thrill. In Rockford when we were kids there was a curfew for kids, 10:00 I think. We were always afraid the police actually patrolled the streets, looking for kids out past curfew. Once Molly and I got up really early, before curfew was lifted (or so we thought), climbed out of our windows and walked around the neighborhood. We were young and brave.
I just finished writing a review for Library Journal. For some reason they've decided I should review cookbooks and memoirs of cooks that have recipes in them. Anyway, this one is called Cuisines of the Axis of Evil. I had such a hard time writing this review because I wasn't too crazy about the book--but the recipes seemed pretty good. The guy writes all this stuff about the politics, history and culture of 10 evil countries (including the US), then describes their food, then writes recipes for a dinner for 8. I guess you're supposed to educate yourself so you can bore 7 friends telling them how imperialistic America has been and how evil Israel is. The book is amazingly biased. Anyway I wrote a crummy review. I've done better.
Haven't been swimming yet--no docks. Almost went last weekend, it would have felt so good. The water is cold but not unbearable. Hard to get in from the rocky shore. Especially at my age and lack of limberness. I fall a lot when I'm getting in and out. Never get hurt, just end up in the water. The dogs have been having a great time swimming.
I read David Guterson's new book. He wrote Snow Falling on Cedars, which was excellent. The new one is The Other. It's really good, just as I expected. Today I was talking books with a member director--we agreed that Lonesome Dove is one of the best books ever written and that The Kite Runner was fantastic. She said I must, must read The Book Thief. Then she said Death is the narrator. I moaned but she insisted it was one of the best books she's read. OK, maybe I'll bring it up at the next meeting of our book group. Last month we read Emma and none of us could stand it. Only M'lou finished it, brave soul. So what is the big deal about Jane Austen, anyway? I really couldn't stand reading her. Is this a fundamental character flaw? Have I missed the critical period in my life when I would have enjoyed reading her?
Must wrap things up so I can get out of here posthaste. Hardware store for bolt to fix wheelbarrow. Liquor store for wine for Sunday dinner. Grocery store for soy milk, milk for yogurt and apples. Will I really limit myself to that? A test of willpower. I will not pass.
Hey--where've I been? Nowhere, really, just busy. I spend one day a week in Saranac Lake so my days at CEF are full of more cataloging and book selection, etc. My time in Saranac Lake is getting to be very nice. I used to sort of dread it--hated to leave my regular work behind. Now I look forward to seeing Michele, to cataloging the stuff there, to our little lunch club. The stuff I catalog runs the gamut, sometimes NYS Museum bulletins about the geology of specific quadrangles (blech), lots of times reminiscences of tuberculosis patients (vaguely interesting), sometimes family histories (full of tributes to ancestors), some biographies of famous people who have a connection to Saranac Lake. I finally figured out Bela Bartok's connection--he composed several works while staying in a cottage on the lake there. Anyway it's peaceful, stimulating and entertaining work. Michele and I have worked out a good arrangement--we talk just enough, not too much but enough to keep each other company and awake.
The bugs are especially bad this year--black flies are voracious and plentiful. No-see-ums especially fecund. Mosquitoes are everywhere. Bats are dying like crazy, from some disease they can't figure out, so there's speculation that bugs have no predators. I think it's just one of those years, and we've been lucky for the past several years. The no-see-ums are so bad that, sitting in my living room at night they're all over me and I even have phantom bugs biting me. There's one! No, nothing there. Aha! got one. yes, that was one. On and on.
We had a horrible hot spell that kept me inside and inactive but it finally cooled off. I spent most of my time at Linda's--she's here for the summer, newly retired. We're seeing each other just about every day, and talk on the phone when we don't see each other. Fred joins us most evenings. He's started his new job as college president so the 3 of us talk about our days. Very companionable. Bill's been around a lot so it's really pleasant. Last night Linda "encouraged" me to leave early and I was motivated enough to mow the lawn and plant some flowers. Fred says the Silver Lake Society for Plant Protection is watching me closely to make sure I take good care of the dozens of plants I bought and must get in the ground. He and I have the same feeling, that plants shouldn't be neglected and it's awful to see them suffer. Apparently I don't have the same intensity of feeling that he does, though, since my plants continue to sit in their 6-packs and pots, miserably waiting for attention. Bad, bad me. I'll do work on them this weekend. yes.
Firewood delivery tonight. Must be home by 6. This morning I spent 10 minutes staring into space, reliving the year after I graduated from college (some good memories, some bad) so I didn't leave as early as usual. Luckily I was home to answer the phone when Lee called to tell me he'd be there at 6 with the wood. Sometimes he just shows up, but tonight is a Ken night, then probably a follow-up trip to Linda's, so I wouldn't haven been home.
Spent some time in the boat house, got to spend the night there once. It has to be around 60 at night for me to stay there--any colder and I suffer. It was almost 70 that night and hot. I spent that evening and most of the next day on the porch reading. What a luxury. I'd hoped to stay there this weekend but the butthole husband of the butthole cousin is supposed to be in camp so I'm self-banished from there. He screams at my dogs and kicks them. But he screams at everything, he has to be the center of attention at all times. (guess what? spellcheck doesn't include butthole). The idea of walking my dogs on leashes around the boat house makes me think it's probably not worth it. My bedroom sticks out into the forest and there's usually a nice cold breeze from the woods so it's not too bad. I have to leave the door open to generate a breeze, though, which Tess loves. She pushes the front door open and goes outside, then barks forever until I get up to let her in. High sport. The idea of being outside during the night gives her a real thrill. In Rockford when we were kids there was a curfew for kids, 10:00 I think. We were always afraid the police actually patrolled the streets, looking for kids out past curfew. Once Molly and I got up really early, before curfew was lifted (or so we thought), climbed out of our windows and walked around the neighborhood. We were young and brave.
I just finished writing a review for Library Journal. For some reason they've decided I should review cookbooks and memoirs of cooks that have recipes in them. Anyway, this one is called Cuisines of the Axis of Evil. I had such a hard time writing this review because I wasn't too crazy about the book--but the recipes seemed pretty good. The guy writes all this stuff about the politics, history and culture of 10 evil countries (including the US), then describes their food, then writes recipes for a dinner for 8. I guess you're supposed to educate yourself so you can bore 7 friends telling them how imperialistic America has been and how evil Israel is. The book is amazingly biased. Anyway I wrote a crummy review. I've done better.
Haven't been swimming yet--no docks. Almost went last weekend, it would have felt so good. The water is cold but not unbearable. Hard to get in from the rocky shore. Especially at my age and lack of limberness. I fall a lot when I'm getting in and out. Never get hurt, just end up in the water. The dogs have been having a great time swimming.
I read David Guterson's new book. He wrote Snow Falling on Cedars, which was excellent. The new one is The Other. It's really good, just as I expected. Today I was talking books with a member director--we agreed that Lonesome Dove is one of the best books ever written and that The Kite Runner was fantastic. She said I must, must read The Book Thief. Then she said Death is the narrator. I moaned but she insisted it was one of the best books she's read. OK, maybe I'll bring it up at the next meeting of our book group. Last month we read Emma and none of us could stand it. Only M'lou finished it, brave soul. So what is the big deal about Jane Austen, anyway? I really couldn't stand reading her. Is this a fundamental character flaw? Have I missed the critical period in my life when I would have enjoyed reading her?
Must wrap things up so I can get out of here posthaste. Hardware store for bolt to fix wheelbarrow. Liquor store for wine for Sunday dinner. Grocery store for soy milk, milk for yogurt and apples. Will I really limit myself to that? A test of willpower. I will not pass.
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