Hard to believe we'll be in 2012 soon. I like having winter be so much over but it sometimes scares me, how quickly time passes. So far the winter has been OK but (and I can't believe I'm saying this) we need snow. There are only a couple of inches on the ground right now, which won't be good when spring comes and there's no snow to melt. Although the ground hasn't frozen down very far--my sump pump is still pumping, so the water table is high. This is good news for someone with a shallow well.
I had Christmas in Rhode Island, and it was very nice. Drove there last Thursday, had good Christmas with Mark & Liza. We always have a good time, and Christmas is special for us. Quiet, and we know each other very well so always have good presents. Mark gave me 2 roof racks for my car, so now I'll have no excuse and will have to be kayak-mobile in the summer. That should be good. The other roof rack is a basket, so I can pack it up to take more stuff to the dump. He knows me well.
I visited my friend Linda, who lives in Jamestown, half an hour from my mother's. Linda & I have known each other for more than 35 years. Wow. She used to live in the other side of the duplex I rented for 9 years. And I thought THAT was a long time to live in one place. I've lived in my current house for 20 years, have been in the Adks for 27 years. Amazing. Never lived anywhere else that long. Anyway, Linda and I had a nice visit, lunch at her house.
Christmas Eve dinner was lobsters, which I now cook instead of having Liza wrestle with them. Wish I could say I mind dropping living things into boiling water, but it doesn't seem to bother me. No, they NEVER make any noise.
My trip home was fine, some blowing sleet in the Berkshires, which always happens. Not a big deal, didn't last long. House was relatively warm except for the bedroom and laundry room. Apparently it got pretty cold here because 2 pipes in the laundry room burst. I always turn the pump off but didn't realize the pipes were split and turned the pump on when I got home. Took a little while to figure out why there was not much water pressure. Duh. Big fountains spraying into the laundry room and bedroom. Yuck. Now I have no washing machine, which means I either impose on friends or go to the laundromat. It's across the street from work so that's really no big deal, and the machines are huge. Why is it always winter when I have to do this? The laundry soap freezes in the car during the day.
Back to work today. Busy day, lots of catching up, plus doing Kim's work so she could take the day off. Put up my new 2012 Chocolate Labs calendar, which my friend Doug sends me every year for my birthday. This year he couldn't decide between Choc. Lab Puppies and just Choc. Labs, so I got both.
What will I do for New Years Eve? Probably not much. I went to a neighborhood party the other night, mingled and visited with people and had a good time. I have great neighbors, both the seasonal ones and the year-rounders. I've been invited to another neighborhood party Sat. night but don't know if I'll go. I'll definitely stop to see my friends Pat & Jim around 5 to toast the new year.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Jamestown vista
Not a fascinating shot, but that's what a lot of the landscape in southern RI looks like. It's very pretty.
Newport Bridge from Jamestown
That's the bridge that goes from Jamestown (one island) to Newport (another island). Lots of jumpers off of that bridge over the years. I think if I climbed to the top of this, I'd have to jump just because I'd be too scared to climb down.
Mark and his electronic coin sorter--a big hit
Liza gave Mark an electric digital coin sorter, which offered hours of constructive entertainment. Once we figured out how to turn it on. He has to divvy up the tips at work so this is a really grand present for him.
Tess likes her new squeaky ball
A new toy from Jenica. We now have: Squeaky Ball, Woodland Creature and Big Dog. Tess played with them all.
No one on the beach
Pretty beach, nice day. The beach to ourselves. Except for some town workers in the parking lot, who made Tess think it was LUNCH time and they must have something to eat. They did not.
Tess behind the fence. Can you find her?
There's a dog on the other side of that fence, running along and trying to figure out how to get to this side of the fence. Reminds me of a chicken crossing the road--like, why did Tess go behind the fence in the first place?
Treasure--who is Tess's half-sister
My new dog. I picked her up yesterday at my breeder's. She's one & a half years old and is very, very nice. Why would ANYONE want 3 dogs? And why would ANYONE get a 1.5 year old to go with her 12 and 8 year olds? So far so good, but Tess is too submissive around Treasure. They did play run around the car yesterday, and do well together but Tess is jealous (no surprise--maybe once the novelty of Treasure wears off I'll be better). I try to pay attention to Tess every time I pet Treasure, but there are only so many hours in a day.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
BIG catching up
Wow it's been a long time since I wrote anything. December is going fast. First it was hard to believe it was December, now it's even harder to believe that I go to Rhode Island next week for my Christmas visit. I'll be there from Thursday to Weds. Have to come back Wednesday because on Thursday the 29th I PICK UP MY NEW DOG. Yes, I'm crazy. I still have Chances, who is doing pretty well. She stands up much more now, and can walk more steps. Still tips over easily, but she's trying. So why am I getting another dog? Oh such a good question. Because my breeder has a 1 1/2 year old female black Lab that's perfect. Dog is named Treasure, which is what Tess' name (Tesoro) means in Italian. So how could I not? I don't know how this will work out as far as Chances goes, and I know I've said vehemently many times that I'll never have 3 dogs again, but oops, here goes. This is a nice and special dog.
I turned 59 yesterday, which is startling to me. Even more startling is that I'll be 60 next year. How did this happen? I celebrated the day with lunch with my good friend Barb, lots of phone calls and emails and cards, then a visit with Jim & Pat on the way home. Sister's present is coming in the mail, Barb's presents were great and very tasty. Mother sent new slippers, which she always does for my birthday. P & J gave me cash, which was a nice surprise, even though I don't think they should give me anything.
It's been pretty cold, mostly at night. Days aren't too bad, climbing into the 40's at times. Nights have been in the teens so I've been keeping my fire going. Wow is it hard to get into that routine. I'm getting up earlier so I can get a hot fire going before leaving for the day. Which means I sit around waiting for the fire to get hot, watching stupid people on television. But it's the right thing to do. I got my electric bill for November and it was HUGE. I have electric back-up heat. Because we couldn't afford to buy a furnace when we built the house. Something I pretty much regret every winter. Even with the wood stove (and $$$ firewood) the house doesn't get very warm when it's really cold, and the heat is on all winter, chalking up huge bills. When my ex husband moved out I ended the winter with a $1000 electric bill, but it was in his name. When I called the electric company to change the account to my name the woman told me I wasn't liable for the $1000 in his name. Shockerooni. I felt bad (briefly) but ended up sticking him with the bill. "We'll get the money from him eventually," she said. Which was more than I could do. I don't know what happened but I suspect there was a lien against him, which he never knew about. Maybe still doesn't. who knows. More, though, who cares?
I'm looking forward to my trip to RI. Nice to be there for such a long time. I'll see my friend Linda--we always have lunch together (as opposed to separately) during Christmas week. I have most of my Christmas chores finished, except for making a few things and finishing up my Christmas cards. Not bad for the 13th. I have to find something for the director, as I'm her Secret Santa this year. Swell. I have to buy vodka, candy and dog biscuits for my plow man. I have to mail the Italy presents, but that will happen this afternoon. I have to wrap & mail presents to my niece and do the same for my cousin and his family. Plus ... I have to put up my tree. Traditionally I had it up by my birthday, but I'm 59 now so things are different.
I cut a tree on Sunday, maybe 20' tall, then took the top off. Not a great looking tree so I tromped through the woods in search of another one. I cut 2 more small trees, and if I put all 3 together it would make a barely respectable tree. So I have to decide whether to have a tree that's too small for all of my ornaments, or buy a tree that will be big and harder to deal with. Better hurry up and decide, no?
Tomorrow I get snow tires. I'm proud of myself for planning this before my trip. I insist on buying the most expensive snow tires ($900 for 4). Why? Because that's how I am. These tires are good in snow and keep me from sliding around the road, which makes me feel more secure. Would I have been able to get out before Thanksgiving if I'd had my snow tires? Who knows. Mute point. I know, it's moot, but I like mute better.
I just finished reading Jeffrey Eugenides' The marriage plot, which was a nice read. He won a Pulitzer for his last book, so I knew the book would be well written and it was. Story of young college graduates. From Brown, so there was lots of Providence stuff in the beginning. Vaguely entertaining. Now I'm reading a Julian Barnes book that is very, very funny. Terribly British, but the humor is good. Like, "mantra sounds like the name of an automobile. The Oldsmobile Mantra." I thought that was cute. And true.
I turned 59 yesterday, which is startling to me. Even more startling is that I'll be 60 next year. How did this happen? I celebrated the day with lunch with my good friend Barb, lots of phone calls and emails and cards, then a visit with Jim & Pat on the way home. Sister's present is coming in the mail, Barb's presents were great and very tasty. Mother sent new slippers, which she always does for my birthday. P & J gave me cash, which was a nice surprise, even though I don't think they should give me anything.
It's been pretty cold, mostly at night. Days aren't too bad, climbing into the 40's at times. Nights have been in the teens so I've been keeping my fire going. Wow is it hard to get into that routine. I'm getting up earlier so I can get a hot fire going before leaving for the day. Which means I sit around waiting for the fire to get hot, watching stupid people on television. But it's the right thing to do. I got my electric bill for November and it was HUGE. I have electric back-up heat. Because we couldn't afford to buy a furnace when we built the house. Something I pretty much regret every winter. Even with the wood stove (and $$$ firewood) the house doesn't get very warm when it's really cold, and the heat is on all winter, chalking up huge bills. When my ex husband moved out I ended the winter with a $1000 electric bill, but it was in his name. When I called the electric company to change the account to my name the woman told me I wasn't liable for the $1000 in his name. Shockerooni. I felt bad (briefly) but ended up sticking him with the bill. "We'll get the money from him eventually," she said. Which was more than I could do. I don't know what happened but I suspect there was a lien against him, which he never knew about. Maybe still doesn't. who knows. More, though, who cares?
I'm looking forward to my trip to RI. Nice to be there for such a long time. I'll see my friend Linda--we always have lunch together (as opposed to separately) during Christmas week. I have most of my Christmas chores finished, except for making a few things and finishing up my Christmas cards. Not bad for the 13th. I have to find something for the director, as I'm her Secret Santa this year. Swell. I have to buy vodka, candy and dog biscuits for my plow man. I have to mail the Italy presents, but that will happen this afternoon. I have to wrap & mail presents to my niece and do the same for my cousin and his family. Plus ... I have to put up my tree. Traditionally I had it up by my birthday, but I'm 59 now so things are different.
I cut a tree on Sunday, maybe 20' tall, then took the top off. Not a great looking tree so I tromped through the woods in search of another one. I cut 2 more small trees, and if I put all 3 together it would make a barely respectable tree. So I have to decide whether to have a tree that's too small for all of my ornaments, or buy a tree that will be big and harder to deal with. Better hurry up and decide, no?
Tomorrow I get snow tires. I'm proud of myself for planning this before my trip. I insist on buying the most expensive snow tires ($900 for 4). Why? Because that's how I am. These tires are good in snow and keep me from sliding around the road, which makes me feel more secure. Would I have been able to get out before Thanksgiving if I'd had my snow tires? Who knows. Mute point. I know, it's moot, but I like mute better.
I just finished reading Jeffrey Eugenides' The marriage plot, which was a nice read. He won a Pulitzer for his last book, so I knew the book would be well written and it was. Story of young college graduates. From Brown, so there was lots of Providence stuff in the beginning. Vaguely entertaining. Now I'm reading a Julian Barnes book that is very, very funny. Terribly British, but the humor is good. Like, "mantra sounds like the name of an automobile. The Oldsmobile Mantra." I thought that was cute. And true.
The Westport library
I went traveling last week, down to Westport, which is on Lake Champlain south of Plattsburgh. Here's their library. They have to wind the clock in the tower every day, and they have a fire in the fireplace during cold weather. There's a new director there so I went for a consultant visit. I like those visits. I'm going to Elizabethtown next week. I went for a scenic drive on my way back to Pbg from Westport, enjoyed the day.
Geese on Lake Champlain in Westport
This is down the street from the Westport library. Nice view when it's clearer.
Mountain views
These are mountains you see from the back roads of Wadhams/Lewis. Very pretty. Not much snow.
The Wadhams library
This is the tiny Wadhams library, which is actually very nice inside. They finally got heat so she no longer has to stoke the wood stove. They almost doubled the size of the library a few years ago with the addition.
The Boquet River falls in Wadhams
This is the river next to the library in Wadhams. The director of the library runs a hydroelectric plant here. Our directors are talented people.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Thanksgiving
After a hellacious trip to RI, I had a great visit and really nice time. It snowed on Weds., the day I drove down, and by the time I was set to leave (8:00) there was at least 8" of heavy wet snow. My road hadn't been plowed yet and I tried driving out but didn't get far--just past the end of my driveway, by the bog. Swell. The car was stuck, stuck, stuck. Lousy tires, deep snow. New tires, but lousy nevertheless. I walked home, called my plow man, called the town Highway Supervisor (who told me they were "coming to me"). Plow man showed up (my hero), plow never did until after I'd left. Donny towed my car to the hardtop, then to the top of the hill there. I had waited in the car for more than an hour, but that was OK because I just listened to my book (Thousand splendid suns--depressing Afghan story).
So by 10 I was on the road. The roads were terrible, including the Northway, so I went 45 until about Lake George. It was not pleasant driving but I survived. I've sure driven through worse. I got to RI around 4, happy to be there. Jenica arrived later at night--her trip was much better than mine, she went a different way through the mountains.
Thursday I made the Martha Stewart pumpkin pie we have every year (secret ingredient, as I've reported=chili powder). Liza cooked the turkey & stuffing, but it's getting harder for her to remember how to do things like that. "What, is this the first turkey you've ever cooked?" I helped, mostly just encouraging her.
We had our celebratory breakfast of bagels, lox, capers, cream cheese, bacon--the Eat Like a Pig Event. We did well, snort snort.
Mark & I walked Tess in the park. I took Chances to RI but she stayed home when we went anywhere. She's doing all right--she did better at Liza's because Liza has more rugs. I'm still not sure what to do about her. She survived the trip just fine but was having more trouble this morning, not walking well--but last night she went under the house on her own. not that I like it when they go there, but it was a good thing to see her do.
Thanksgiving dinner was great, as it always is. Good food and plenty of it. Quiet night after that.
Friday we went shopping, but only to a couple of local places. I wanted to look for earrings like the ones I bought in the summer (and promptly lost one of)--didn't find them but managed to find a couple of cheap pairs I liked anyway. After shopping we went to the beach for a really nice walk. Even Liza went. Tess did very well on a leash, after she had a chance to run full bore for a while. My dogs are not really used to leash-walking so I'm always impressed when they behave well on a leash.
After the beach we went to Champlin's for our lobsters and clams--took them home and cooked them for dinner. Delicious.
Saturday Jenica left in the morning, then Liza, Mark & I went shopping for Liza's new vacuum cleaner. This was a big deal, but we finally found one at Sears, good enough but not the biggest or best. After Sears we hit a couple more stores, then stopped at the pottery sale by URI. An annual event. Both the sale and our going there. Just when I think I don't need any more pottery I find a nice little bowl for $8.
Sunday morning I left--it was a drag there because my mother's dog fell down in the kitchen & couldn't get back up. She's a cross dog and growls, has bitten my mother, so you can't really help her up. She stayed splayed out on the floor for hours. So I left at 9, got out of the way. My trip home was fine, a bit of traffic here & there. I stopped at the outlet stores to do some shopping, found a few things like socks, etc. Nothing dramatic.
It was good to get home. The house was chilly but warmed up when I built a fire. Most of the snow had melted and Donny had plowed so I could drive to the house. Kitty was fine but is still pretty clingy. She doesn't like to be left alone, and she hates being left indoors. She survived just fine, but managed to throw up in 3 or 4 places. She didn't quite finish the huge amount of food I left for her (the dogs cleaned up the bowl).
Back to work yesterday, staff luncheon. Command performance. I made a cabbage salad, and the dressing spilled in the front seat on the way to work. Of course.
So by 10 I was on the road. The roads were terrible, including the Northway, so I went 45 until about Lake George. It was not pleasant driving but I survived. I've sure driven through worse. I got to RI around 4, happy to be there. Jenica arrived later at night--her trip was much better than mine, she went a different way through the mountains.
Thursday I made the Martha Stewart pumpkin pie we have every year (secret ingredient, as I've reported=chili powder). Liza cooked the turkey & stuffing, but it's getting harder for her to remember how to do things like that. "What, is this the first turkey you've ever cooked?" I helped, mostly just encouraging her.
We had our celebratory breakfast of bagels, lox, capers, cream cheese, bacon--the Eat Like a Pig Event. We did well, snort snort.
Mark & I walked Tess in the park. I took Chances to RI but she stayed home when we went anywhere. She's doing all right--she did better at Liza's because Liza has more rugs. I'm still not sure what to do about her. She survived the trip just fine but was having more trouble this morning, not walking well--but last night she went under the house on her own. not that I like it when they go there, but it was a good thing to see her do.
Thanksgiving dinner was great, as it always is. Good food and plenty of it. Quiet night after that.
Friday we went shopping, but only to a couple of local places. I wanted to look for earrings like the ones I bought in the summer (and promptly lost one of)--didn't find them but managed to find a couple of cheap pairs I liked anyway. After shopping we went to the beach for a really nice walk. Even Liza went. Tess did very well on a leash, after she had a chance to run full bore for a while. My dogs are not really used to leash-walking so I'm always impressed when they behave well on a leash.
After the beach we went to Champlin's for our lobsters and clams--took them home and cooked them for dinner. Delicious.
Saturday Jenica left in the morning, then Liza, Mark & I went shopping for Liza's new vacuum cleaner. This was a big deal, but we finally found one at Sears, good enough but not the biggest or best. After Sears we hit a couple more stores, then stopped at the pottery sale by URI. An annual event. Both the sale and our going there. Just when I think I don't need any more pottery I find a nice little bowl for $8.
Sunday morning I left--it was a drag there because my mother's dog fell down in the kitchen & couldn't get back up. She's a cross dog and growls, has bitten my mother, so you can't really help her up. She stayed splayed out on the floor for hours. So I left at 9, got out of the way. My trip home was fine, a bit of traffic here & there. I stopped at the outlet stores to do some shopping, found a few things like socks, etc. Nothing dramatic.
It was good to get home. The house was chilly but warmed up when I built a fire. Most of the snow had melted and Donny had plowed so I could drive to the house. Kitty was fine but is still pretty clingy. She doesn't like to be left alone, and she hates being left indoors. She survived just fine, but managed to throw up in 3 or 4 places. She didn't quite finish the huge amount of food I left for her (the dogs cleaned up the bowl).
Back to work yesterday, staff luncheon. Command performance. I made a cabbage salad, and the dressing spilled in the front seat on the way to work. Of course.
009
The beach. We had a nice beach time. Liza sat in her chair and looked at the water, Mark, Jenica and I walked with Tess to the end of the beach & back. It was a warm day--me in a t-shirt and no coat. Everyone else bundled up, but I'm in no hurry to start wearing jackets.
Tess
Tess hates to have her picture taken. We spent a lot of time trying to get a picture of her "looking like a dog." This is about the best I could do. She looks very skeptical.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thanksgiving trip
I think my road trip to RI tomorrow will really suck--snow in the north, heavy rain in the south--but once I get there it should be great. Sunny and 50's. Ahhhhh. I guess we're supposed to get something like 4" or so, which I guess shouldn't be a surprise. We've only had a tiny bit of snow here & there so far. It's hard to believe that some years the lake freezes by Christmas, we're so far from that right now. The lake freezing, not Christmas.
I'll leave tomorrow morning--nothing more fun than packing a car in the snow, then return on Sunday. I'm looking forward to being there and visiting with Liza, Mark and Jenica. Relaxing, good food (lobsters, of course) and plenty of restful time. I don't have a great bunch of books this time; I usually take a pile of books for people to read (sometimes librarians just can't help being librarians) but this time I'm without great inspiration. I looked over a zillion books here at work yesterday without finding much. I do have a bunch of paperback discards for Jenica. The author shall remain nameless, but Jen has a favorite mass market author and I try to provide her with books from time to time.
I think I'll go to Burlington tonight to visit my friend in the hospital there. I talked to her yesterday & she said she was feeling better but was depressed. I offered to stop on my way to RI (which would mean going the long way, through Vt and NH) but she said her daughter will visit her on Weds., so I offered to go tonight. Will finalize plans later today. Not thrilled with the idea of going, but it so much sucks being in the hospital that if I can offer distraction and maybe cheer I'll go.
I stoked the stove before leaving this morning, plus left the heat on. It was cold--15, and frosty. Don't think it's supposed to get higher than in the 30's today, though the sun should help warm things. I have errand to run before leaving for RI--must buy all the stuff to make the pumpkin pie (Martha Stewart recipe) plus wine plus must get meds at drug store. Whew. I could have done some of this last night but had to work until 5 and just felt like getting out of town. So now I deal with that.
Chances is doing well. She seems to stand more than she used to, and does a pretty good imitation of walking on rugs. She still slumps down sometimes, her hind end just sliding out from under her. And she's very tottery. Pretty depressing but I think she's improving. I'm not very optimistic about a full recovery but she's so sweet and brave.
Had book group on Sunday night (Chris Bohjalian's Secrets of Eden) and we had Thanksgiving dinner at Marylou's. It was great, delicious food and a really nice time. I made gallons of rice and mushrooms, not sure why I made so much but it was tasty and was dinner last night. The turkey and stuffing (by Andy) were fantastic. We skip a December meeting and will meet in January at my house so everyone can admire my Christmas tree, which will go up after Thanksgiving sometime. We're reading Erik Larson's In the garden of beasts, which is Berlin in WWII but is supposed to be really good.
I went Christmas shopping with Lin on Saturday, didn't get much more than groceries but we had a good time. Had lunch out, checked out a few stores without much luck, made plans to shop in Saranac Lake and maybe Lake Placid after Thanksgiving. My it sounds as if there will be a lot of activity after Thanksgiving, doesn't it.
Happy Thanksgiving to all--
I'll leave tomorrow morning--nothing more fun than packing a car in the snow, then return on Sunday. I'm looking forward to being there and visiting with Liza, Mark and Jenica. Relaxing, good food (lobsters, of course) and plenty of restful time. I don't have a great bunch of books this time; I usually take a pile of books for people to read (sometimes librarians just can't help being librarians) but this time I'm without great inspiration. I looked over a zillion books here at work yesterday without finding much. I do have a bunch of paperback discards for Jenica. The author shall remain nameless, but Jen has a favorite mass market author and I try to provide her with books from time to time.
I think I'll go to Burlington tonight to visit my friend in the hospital there. I talked to her yesterday & she said she was feeling better but was depressed. I offered to stop on my way to RI (which would mean going the long way, through Vt and NH) but she said her daughter will visit her on Weds., so I offered to go tonight. Will finalize plans later today. Not thrilled with the idea of going, but it so much sucks being in the hospital that if I can offer distraction and maybe cheer I'll go.
I stoked the stove before leaving this morning, plus left the heat on. It was cold--15, and frosty. Don't think it's supposed to get higher than in the 30's today, though the sun should help warm things. I have errand to run before leaving for RI--must buy all the stuff to make the pumpkin pie (Martha Stewart recipe) plus wine plus must get meds at drug store. Whew. I could have done some of this last night but had to work until 5 and just felt like getting out of town. So now I deal with that.
Chances is doing well. She seems to stand more than she used to, and does a pretty good imitation of walking on rugs. She still slumps down sometimes, her hind end just sliding out from under her. And she's very tottery. Pretty depressing but I think she's improving. I'm not very optimistic about a full recovery but she's so sweet and brave.
Had book group on Sunday night (Chris Bohjalian's Secrets of Eden) and we had Thanksgiving dinner at Marylou's. It was great, delicious food and a really nice time. I made gallons of rice and mushrooms, not sure why I made so much but it was tasty and was dinner last night. The turkey and stuffing (by Andy) were fantastic. We skip a December meeting and will meet in January at my house so everyone can admire my Christmas tree, which will go up after Thanksgiving sometime. We're reading Erik Larson's In the garden of beasts, which is Berlin in WWII but is supposed to be really good.
I went Christmas shopping with Lin on Saturday, didn't get much more than groceries but we had a good time. Had lunch out, checked out a few stores without much luck, made plans to shop in Saranac Lake and maybe Lake Placid after Thanksgiving. My it sounds as if there will be a lot of activity after Thanksgiving, doesn't it.
Happy Thanksgiving to all--
Plenty of apples for the deer ... and dogs
It was a banner year for apples & other fruit. The other apple trees on my land (an old orchard) are pretty bare, but these apples are haning on. I interrupt deer grazing beneath the trees, and Tess has had a great time eating apples this fall. My friend Lin made the best-ever grape jellly from grapes she picked this year. I ate too much of the jelly, but it was sooooo sweet and delicious.
Pitcher plant in winter plumage
I can't say pitcher plant are ever really attractive, but here's what they look like in the off-season. They're pretty cool carnivorous plants, though.
squirrel track, which would be really cute if squirrels weren't such rodents
squirrel track, which would be really cute if squirrels weren's such rodents, a photo by woodsrun on Flickr.
Bun-bun tracks
Front feet of a snowshow hare/varying hare. Hind feet are big, hence the name snowshoe hare. They're dappled right now, turning white for winter, hence the name varying hare.
Just a bit of snow in the bog Saturday morning
Nice peaceful but chilly walk in the bog with Tess. It still seems strange to walk with only one dog, and Tess seems a bit puzzled too.
The mountain from across my road
I just need to cut down that clump of pines, and I'll have a good view--
Friday, November 18, 2011
Must be time
It must be time to write something. I write a lot and lose track of what I've written for what or to whom. I write a letter to my mother every week, I write a Friday email to a bunch of relatives and friends, I write to my friend in Illinois who had a stroke (or something close enough to that to debilitate her), and I write in my journal every day. Pretty much every day. I make sure there's an entry for each day, even if I have to back peddle and fill in the days. Like last night, when I had to recreate 3 days worth of activities. Entries like that are brief and not particularly noteworthy. Of course, not much in my journal is noteworthy--my family and I use it as a reference tool sometimes. Which Christmas was it that ...? Check my journal. I used to use it to settle arguments with my ex-husband, which gives you an idea of what kind of marriage we had. Being right was very important to him. Probably still is.
I had a fairly quiet week. Went to Burlington last week, nice trip to see my friend in the hospital there. Very pretty ferry ride, full moon in daylight. Called a children's moon, because (supposedly) it's the only kind of moon children can see before they go to bed. Or so.
I had a quiet weekend, didn't accomplish a whole lot but felt ok about it. On Sunday I joined the neighbors for the weekly gathering at noon and ended up staying for lunch. That was nice. It was a light meal, nothing like the Sunday dinners I always shared with Ken. I still managed to gain 3 pounds this week, but it's the same three pounds I lost last week so it's not a big deal.
Wednesday night I met Fred and Bill for dinner here in Plattsburgh and we had a good time. Good food, good company. Poor Bill is having terrible back problems but he showed up in spite of it. I ate like a pig and still had plenty to take home. burp.
The dogs are doing all right. I can't really tell if Chances is getting better, the improvements would be slight and slow to show up. She still can't walk more than a couple of steps, and sometimes just gives up and sits down. She sort of hops with her hind legs sometimes. I think she's at least as frustrated as I am but at least she's learned to bark when she needs help coming up the stairs to come inside. Clever girl.
I walked the bog on Saturday, when it was chilly and there was a bit of snow. We got more snow last night, not more than half an inch by morning. Heavy snow on the way home from work in the dark--just to remind me of what's to come.
I worked 10-5 today, which was really nice. I have to use up a little time so decided to stay home an extra hour this morning. Very peaceful, and it gave me a chance to build a good fire to warm up the living room. I stoked the fire, a good habit to get into now that it's colder. I've been having fires but have been lazy about keeping them going, which means the electric heat is on more. $$$$
Tomorrow I'm planning to go Christmas shopping with my friend Lin. We'll come to Plattsburgh, shop, visit, have lunch, shop--she never buys much, but I always spend plenty of money. Sunday is our book group Thanksgiving dinner. I finally figured out what I'll take (rice and mushrooms) but don't have the energy or drive to buy supplies tonight so I'll make poor Lin go to the grocery store tomorrow. I've been buying odds & ends of presents for a while, but have nothing much for anyone. Nor do I have ideas. I'll talk to Liza and Mark next week about what we'll do for Christmas. Not much I'm hoping.
I'm off to Rhode Island on Weds., will stay there until Sunday. I'm looking forward to the trip--Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday, since it's straightforward and mostly about a meal. And of course we'll have lobsters one night. Jenica will be there, which makes it more special. I'll be interested to hear what everyone there has to say about Chances and her situation. I'm so uncertain about it. Sometimes I think I can last a long time with her struggling like this, other times I don't see how much longer I can stand to deal with it. A normal response, I think.
I had a fairly quiet week. Went to Burlington last week, nice trip to see my friend in the hospital there. Very pretty ferry ride, full moon in daylight. Called a children's moon, because (supposedly) it's the only kind of moon children can see before they go to bed. Or so.
I had a quiet weekend, didn't accomplish a whole lot but felt ok about it. On Sunday I joined the neighbors for the weekly gathering at noon and ended up staying for lunch. That was nice. It was a light meal, nothing like the Sunday dinners I always shared with Ken. I still managed to gain 3 pounds this week, but it's the same three pounds I lost last week so it's not a big deal.
Wednesday night I met Fred and Bill for dinner here in Plattsburgh and we had a good time. Good food, good company. Poor Bill is having terrible back problems but he showed up in spite of it. I ate like a pig and still had plenty to take home. burp.
The dogs are doing all right. I can't really tell if Chances is getting better, the improvements would be slight and slow to show up. She still can't walk more than a couple of steps, and sometimes just gives up and sits down. She sort of hops with her hind legs sometimes. I think she's at least as frustrated as I am but at least she's learned to bark when she needs help coming up the stairs to come inside. Clever girl.
I walked the bog on Saturday, when it was chilly and there was a bit of snow. We got more snow last night, not more than half an inch by morning. Heavy snow on the way home from work in the dark--just to remind me of what's to come.
I worked 10-5 today, which was really nice. I have to use up a little time so decided to stay home an extra hour this morning. Very peaceful, and it gave me a chance to build a good fire to warm up the living room. I stoked the fire, a good habit to get into now that it's colder. I've been having fires but have been lazy about keeping them going, which means the electric heat is on more. $$$$
Tomorrow I'm planning to go Christmas shopping with my friend Lin. We'll come to Plattsburgh, shop, visit, have lunch, shop--she never buys much, but I always spend plenty of money. Sunday is our book group Thanksgiving dinner. I finally figured out what I'll take (rice and mushrooms) but don't have the energy or drive to buy supplies tonight so I'll make poor Lin go to the grocery store tomorrow. I've been buying odds & ends of presents for a while, but have nothing much for anyone. Nor do I have ideas. I'll talk to Liza and Mark next week about what we'll do for Christmas. Not much I'm hoping.
I'm off to Rhode Island on Weds., will stay there until Sunday. I'm looking forward to the trip--Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday, since it's straightforward and mostly about a meal. And of course we'll have lobsters one night. Jenica will be there, which makes it more special. I'll be interested to hear what everyone there has to say about Chances and her situation. I'm so uncertain about it. Sometimes I think I can last a long time with her struggling like this, other times I don't see how much longer I can stand to deal with it. A normal response, I think.
Bog on Saturday: snow on Duncan
If you look closely you can see snow on top of the mountain. The mountain is Duncan, which is north of Silver Lake. There never was a very good trail going up the mountain but that never stopped my father from taking us to the top. It was one of his favorite mountains, though who knows why. Not a particularlly good view from the top.
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Chances Are update
Went to the vet last night to see what's up with Chances. She walked for him and he was impressed with her progress. He said it could take up to 6 months for her to recover fully, or maybe she'll never recover fully at all. Nerve regeneration is what's up. And atrophied leg muscles. So we wait to see how much and how quickly she improves. Right now she's walking pretty much but is very tippy and has no strength in her hind legs. Slippery floors at home are a big issue so I'll be buying some cheap runners with rubber backing to put on the path from the bathroom to the front door. Vet said I could build a ramp for the deck stairs, but I think not. Right now that's the trickiest part--she can go down the stairs unassisted but can't climb up them. Unassisted means that she goes down really fast, sort of pushed by gravity and her hind end. But she's a sweetheart and is game. Wags her tail all the time. She tires easily but David (vet) said her walking is like physical therapy, which is a slow process. He was more concerned about me, really, and how I'm holding up. If I decide I can't wait 6 months, or that she's not recovering more, I'm not a bad person. That was a nice thing to say. I'm holding up pretty well but this is really a drag. Pun intended.
I had a nice weekend. Saturday I drove to Dannemora for an open house at the new library there. The views were spectacular--High Peaks to Lake Champlain and the Green Mtns. It was a clear sunny day and I drove partway up the mountain just to enjoy the view. Really, really pretty, and me without my camera.
Sunday morning I took Tess for a nice long walk. Good November weather, temp not quite 30 but warm sun. We walked down to a friend's camp along the road, then home along the shore to check on other camps. Everything was in good shape, nothing going on. One year when I made the rounds like that I discovered that one of the camps had been broken into and a bunch of stuff was stolen. So I'm sometimes leery when I check on things.
I painted the small chest from my bedroom. I've switched from yucky green to glossy black for my furniture. Anything that can be painted has been painted. Pretty much. But wait, I'll find more. The chest turned out well and looks so much better. Maybe partly because I took the huge pile of stuff off the top of it.
Tomorrow I'll go to Burlington to visit my friend in the hospital there (chemo for leukemia). It's supposed to be a beautiful day so the trip will be nice. I have to get a couple of books for her, so I'll go to the book store there. What will I get? Geez, who knows. Sometimes I hate picking out books for other people, it feels like a big responsibility. Sometimes I really like it. Hopefully this will be one of those times.
I had lunch with my good friend (well, I have no BAD friends) Barb yesterday. Always nice to be with her. I've been trying to make a specific basket for her daughter's wedding present (let's not go into when the wedding was) but cannot, absolutely cannot shape it right. I can still weave well but my shaping skills are gone. So it's going to be a square basket instead. I can do squares.
I started knitting again, out of boredom mostly. I found a blanket that was 2/3 done from several years ago & have almost finished that. Then I decided I was tired of knitting the seed stitch so I bought yarn & a pattern for a sweater. I never finish sweaters, but this is a vest so maybe I'll actually make something I can wear. I hate armpits and sleeves--I always make the armpit openings too small.
We have Friday off. Yippee!!! Weather not supposed to be too great, maybe rainy and cold, but it will be nice to be home. Maybe, just maybe, I'll start getting ready to paint my living room. Which will be an interesting project, considering scaffolding is required to paint the top parts of the wall. Guess I'd better pick a color that looks good with what it is now.
I had a nice weekend. Saturday I drove to Dannemora for an open house at the new library there. The views were spectacular--High Peaks to Lake Champlain and the Green Mtns. It was a clear sunny day and I drove partway up the mountain just to enjoy the view. Really, really pretty, and me without my camera.
Sunday morning I took Tess for a nice long walk. Good November weather, temp not quite 30 but warm sun. We walked down to a friend's camp along the road, then home along the shore to check on other camps. Everything was in good shape, nothing going on. One year when I made the rounds like that I discovered that one of the camps had been broken into and a bunch of stuff was stolen. So I'm sometimes leery when I check on things.
I painted the small chest from my bedroom. I've switched from yucky green to glossy black for my furniture. Anything that can be painted has been painted. Pretty much. But wait, I'll find more. The chest turned out well and looks so much better. Maybe partly because I took the huge pile of stuff off the top of it.
Tomorrow I'll go to Burlington to visit my friend in the hospital there (chemo for leukemia). It's supposed to be a beautiful day so the trip will be nice. I have to get a couple of books for her, so I'll go to the book store there. What will I get? Geez, who knows. Sometimes I hate picking out books for other people, it feels like a big responsibility. Sometimes I really like it. Hopefully this will be one of those times.
I had lunch with my good friend (well, I have no BAD friends) Barb yesterday. Always nice to be with her. I've been trying to make a specific basket for her daughter's wedding present (let's not go into when the wedding was) but cannot, absolutely cannot shape it right. I can still weave well but my shaping skills are gone. So it's going to be a square basket instead. I can do squares.
I started knitting again, out of boredom mostly. I found a blanket that was 2/3 done from several years ago & have almost finished that. Then I decided I was tired of knitting the seed stitch so I bought yarn & a pattern for a sweater. I never finish sweaters, but this is a vest so maybe I'll actually make something I can wear. I hate armpits and sleeves--I always make the armpit openings too small.
We have Friday off. Yippee!!! Weather not supposed to be too great, maybe rainy and cold, but it will be nice to be home. Maybe, just maybe, I'll start getting ready to paint my living room. Which will be an interesting project, considering scaffolding is required to paint the top parts of the wall. Guess I'd better pick a color that looks good with what it is now.
58OHR on a cold November morning
Here's what my house looks like these days. The last of the color on the left is from the tamarack tree growing next to the house. It's a beautiful tree and I've been watching it grow for at least a decade. One year it got all tipped over from snow so I tied it to another tree to straighten it out. That pretty much worked, but it still has a pronounced tilt. It's a favorite tree.
Where's a kitty? Find a kitty.
Dottiekitty showed up at the end of our walk. Don't know how far she wanders or how often she goes for her strolls. I always assumed she was bringing dead things into the house from nearby, but it could be that she's picking them off from other people's homes.
The other day she left me a vole, which is a BIG version of a mole. Flippers for front legs, disgusting long ratty snout. And about 6-8" long. Really gross. Thanks, Kitty.
The Holts' house, showing Rush's observatory on 3rd floor
This is what Rush & Annie's house looks like from down the hill. The tower effect is a sleeping porch on the 2nd floor, and a nifty observatory-type office for Rush on the 3rd floor. Pretty views from the 3rd floor, especially when the leaves aren't on the trees. It's a nice house and sure has served me well in times of water crisis.
Tess enters the water tentatively
Tess always feels compelled to try the water, no matter what the air or water temp might be. She didn't really "swim," it was more of a couple of strokes. That perked her right up, though, and she did a lot of rolling afterward.
Nice view of the mountain from someone else's shorefront
I like this veiw of the mountain. It's from a huge flat rock that's out in the water up the shore from our camp. I like the shadows & details you get from this vantage point.
Friday, November 04, 2011
Friday
Don't really have much to say, but I could give a Chances update. She's doing marginally better, really tries to walk but tumbles over easily. Like, when Tess nudges her. Chances walks a little, sort of staggers. The vet said I should help her by doing physical therapy with her hind legs, but I have yet to start. Her legs are weak, I guess. It'll be 3 weeks on Sunday. Hard to remember what she was like before. I tried taking Tess for a walk but Chances dragged herself to the door & tried to push it open. That was sad. I finally did take Tess for a quick bog walk but felt guilty so didn't stay long. Why do we feel guilt about our animals?
I had a good week, temps made it not unpleasant at least. Ice and frost this morning at home, with a report that it was snowing not far from home. Supposed to be 19 tonight so I'll have a fire for sure. This morning was bright and sunny--I didn't have to be at work until later so I got to drive in bright sunshine. A nice change.
I spent Tuesday afternoon in Saranac Lake, cataloging some goodies in their Adirondack Room. That was a nice change, and a good chance to visit with the people there.
What's up for the weekend? Not much. Going to the open house at the Dannemora library on Saturday--they moved into the old elementary school, which is really nice and a huge improvement over their former winidowless digs. That won't take long. Hopefully I'll finally paint the little chest of drawers in my bedroom, it should be warm enough to paint outside. We once had a beagle named Chester Drawers. My father liked to play with pet names. We had a cat named Pitney Bowes. Dog named Fanny Allen (when we lived in Burlington, of course), dog named Natty Bumpo (small puppy, hit by a car & died young), dog named John Humperdink Stover (Dink--horrible dachshund who lived for 18 years and even then refused to die), and a dog named Cindy. Cindy? She was a fat little doxie who was very sweet.
I had a good week, temps made it not unpleasant at least. Ice and frost this morning at home, with a report that it was snowing not far from home. Supposed to be 19 tonight so I'll have a fire for sure. This morning was bright and sunny--I didn't have to be at work until later so I got to drive in bright sunshine. A nice change.
I spent Tuesday afternoon in Saranac Lake, cataloging some goodies in their Adirondack Room. That was a nice change, and a good chance to visit with the people there.
What's up for the weekend? Not much. Going to the open house at the Dannemora library on Saturday--they moved into the old elementary school, which is really nice and a huge improvement over their former winidowless digs. That won't take long. Hopefully I'll finally paint the little chest of drawers in my bedroom, it should be warm enough to paint outside. We once had a beagle named Chester Drawers. My father liked to play with pet names. We had a cat named Pitney Bowes. Dog named Fanny Allen (when we lived in Burlington, of course), dog named Natty Bumpo (small puppy, hit by a car & died young), dog named John Humperdink Stover (Dink--horrible dachshund who lived for 18 years and even then refused to die), and a dog named Cindy. Cindy? She was a fat little doxie who was very sweet.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Moving along
Things are going all right. Chances is improving, now takes about 3 steps before losing her balance & falling down. This is a huge improvement, but isn't enough. She's gotten way better in the last week, and goes to the vet tonight for her follow-up. Don't know what the vet will say, but I'm figuring to bring her home after the appointment, giving her more time to heal. She's doing really well, her desire to walk is powerful. She moves really quickly, walks on her hind knees if I don't grab her hind end quickly enough. She can really motor and seems very cheerful. I don't know how much better she'll get, but I'm willing to wait a while.
I closed the boat house yesterday, finally. It wouldn't be right if I weren't wearing a down vest--I don't think I've closed it in recent years much before November 1. So I was early this year. It was very pretty and not terribly cold. It doesn't take much time to close (if you do it the way I do), just strip the beds, take the towels home, take the garbage home, empty the fridge, move furniture in off the porch., shut off the power & lock up. Bingo, all done. I sat in the sun a while, drank a bit of Wild Turkey and enjoyed the scenery. It was incredibly peaceful. Even Tess lay in the sun with me.
I visited a friend in Burlington last week, she's there for chemo for her second case of leukemia. This is very sad and difficult. She's in good shape so far but has just started her chemo. She's very discouraged at having it again, after 8 years. My trip was not particularly interesting, I just took the ferry, drove to the hospital, visited Betsy, then came home. No, no shopping or anything interesting. I was tired when I got home, around 8.
Had a good weekend, all told. Saturday I came into town for lunch with Fred and my friend Donna. We last saw each other last November, so it was a nice reunion. We visited for a couple of hours, I bought some flowers for Pat's birthday, got some birdseed, then went home. I stopped to see Pat (her birthday) for a bit, then on home to set up the bird feeders. Only blue jays so far. I don't know how they figure out so quickly that there's food in the feeder, but there they were.
I took some stuff in off the deck, getting ready for winter. The dirt in the pots was frozen, though, so I have to keep them in the living room for a few days to thaw out before I can dump them. I wouldn't know how to do it any other way. I should have emptied the wood stove but I kept it going all day Sat., then it was still hot yesterday. So I put that off. Lazy.
I resurrected a blanket I started knitting a few years ago, had the urge to knit. Everyone should have a project like that, something that's simple but pretty and can go on forever. And when it's a blanket, you keep yourself warm while knitting. Kitty likes to sit on my lap when it gets cold, which complicates the knitting process.
I watched the Martin Scorsese documentary on George Harrison, which was excellent. The Beatles were amazing, and it was fun to see the decades of changes they went through. How cute were those boys?
Back to work today. Halloween. Means nothing to me. This year I bought no candy--I haven't had a trick or treater for more than 25 years, no reason to believe this year would be different. I always buy candy and eat it before Halloween. So no this year. I still need to love the 5 pounds I gained during the summer. I'm struggling but haven't put forth my full effort yet. I keep putting it off. Something comes up. Like, now I'm stressed out because of my dog. And Saturday I went out for lunch. And this week, well, I have no excuses. Back to cottage cheese and olives. And pickles. Lots of pickles.
Tomorrow I get to go to Saranac Lake to catalog stuff in the Adirondack Room there. Always a treat. I'm setting up a plan to visit or at least speak with all 30 member library directors in the next year. Yikes, that's a lot of traveling and talking. I need to find out what types of "special" collections they have. This is a project near & dear to the director's heart, and I like visiting the libraries so it's a good mesh.
I closed the boat house yesterday, finally. It wouldn't be right if I weren't wearing a down vest--I don't think I've closed it in recent years much before November 1. So I was early this year. It was very pretty and not terribly cold. It doesn't take much time to close (if you do it the way I do), just strip the beds, take the towels home, take the garbage home, empty the fridge, move furniture in off the porch., shut off the power & lock up. Bingo, all done. I sat in the sun a while, drank a bit of Wild Turkey and enjoyed the scenery. It was incredibly peaceful. Even Tess lay in the sun with me.
I visited a friend in Burlington last week, she's there for chemo for her second case of leukemia. This is very sad and difficult. She's in good shape so far but has just started her chemo. She's very discouraged at having it again, after 8 years. My trip was not particularly interesting, I just took the ferry, drove to the hospital, visited Betsy, then came home. No, no shopping or anything interesting. I was tired when I got home, around 8.
Had a good weekend, all told. Saturday I came into town for lunch with Fred and my friend Donna. We last saw each other last November, so it was a nice reunion. We visited for a couple of hours, I bought some flowers for Pat's birthday, got some birdseed, then went home. I stopped to see Pat (her birthday) for a bit, then on home to set up the bird feeders. Only blue jays so far. I don't know how they figure out so quickly that there's food in the feeder, but there they were.
I took some stuff in off the deck, getting ready for winter. The dirt in the pots was frozen, though, so I have to keep them in the living room for a few days to thaw out before I can dump them. I wouldn't know how to do it any other way. I should have emptied the wood stove but I kept it going all day Sat., then it was still hot yesterday. So I put that off. Lazy.
I resurrected a blanket I started knitting a few years ago, had the urge to knit. Everyone should have a project like that, something that's simple but pretty and can go on forever. And when it's a blanket, you keep yourself warm while knitting. Kitty likes to sit on my lap when it gets cold, which complicates the knitting process.
I watched the Martin Scorsese documentary on George Harrison, which was excellent. The Beatles were amazing, and it was fun to see the decades of changes they went through. How cute were those boys?
Back to work today. Halloween. Means nothing to me. This year I bought no candy--I haven't had a trick or treater for more than 25 years, no reason to believe this year would be different. I always buy candy and eat it before Halloween. So no this year. I still need to love the 5 pounds I gained during the summer. I'm struggling but haven't put forth my full effort yet. I keep putting it off. Something comes up. Like, now I'm stressed out because of my dog. And Saturday I went out for lunch. And this week, well, I have no excuses. Back to cottage cheese and olives. And pickles. Lots of pickles.
Tomorrow I get to go to Saranac Lake to catalog stuff in the Adirondack Room there. Always a treat. I'm setting up a plan to visit or at least speak with all 30 member library directors in the next year. Yikes, that's a lot of traveling and talking. I need to find out what types of "special" collections they have. This is a project near & dear to the director's heart, and I like visiting the libraries so it's a good mesh.
002
Waiting for rain. I've always heard that, when cows lie down like this, they're expecting it to rain. This was before the big snowstorm, which missed us entirely. This was a false alarm--it didn't rain at all. These cows are outside of Peru, near the orchard where I stopped to buy a whole bunch of apples. Half a bushel for $10, mix & match a zillion different kinds. Yum.
003
Tess has no patience for any animal that lies with its head upside down. These two were lying next to the wood stove in the sun. Two of their favorite environmental conditions. First being a bowl full of food.
007
Boy it looks cold, doesn't it? It wasn't really that cold, sunny and 40's. No leaves on trees, no color in the hills. Pretty anyway.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Chances Are update
Many thanks to all of you who have been so supportive and interested in my poor dog's plight. I picked her up at the vet's last night & brought her home. She's incredibly cheerful, wags her tail ALL the time and was very, very happy to be home. Tess was thrilled to have her sister home, wiggled & wagged, licked her, then sat on her. Chances can't walk by herself, I have a sling to hold up her hind end with. She's strong and can move quickly--this morning, when it was DARK and RAINING she ran around the yard looking for the perfect pee and poop spots, I ran after her, which must have looked great. Anyway, she can't use her hind legs but is starting to move them a little. She's got great spirit, ran through the house (again, with me following) to get to her breakfast bowl this morning. She slept in her cage last night, wasn't interested in going into the bedroom. She's in her cage today, and I have a second cage set up for Tess so that C. can have more room. I left the door to the cage open so we'll see where she is when I get home. In the cage, will be my guess. She rarely drags herself around but is capable and doesn't seem to mind.
All else is well. We're supposed to have snow later this week, which is inevitable, but maybe the north won't get as much. or any. I'm leaving work early tomorrow to load up the car at home & head to the Big Dump. I put down a new kitchen rug and need to get rid of the old one, plus there's plenty of stuff that can go. Broken chair, crap on the deck, old glassware I cleaned out when putting down the new rug, just odds & ends. I'm feeling good about cleaning out stuff these days, just wish I had more time (when I felt motivated) to do it. I got some cleansing done over the weekend, getting ready to attack the upstairs in case people really do come visit me this winter. yikes, a daunting thought.
All else is well. We're supposed to have snow later this week, which is inevitable, but maybe the north won't get as much. or any. I'm leaving work early tomorrow to load up the car at home & head to the Big Dump. I put down a new kitchen rug and need to get rid of the old one, plus there's plenty of stuff that can go. Broken chair, crap on the deck, old glassware I cleaned out when putting down the new rug, just odds & ends. I'm feeling good about cleaning out stuff these days, just wish I had more time (when I felt motivated) to do it. I got some cleansing done over the weekend, getting ready to attack the upstairs in case people really do come visit me this winter. yikes, a daunting thought.
Tamaracks in the bog
Very pretty, every fall. The last hurrah. Lots of tamaracks (larches) getting ready to drop their leaves.
Cold morning, 28 degrees and very frosty & foggy.
This was yesterday (Monday). Today it was too dark, way too dark to take any pictures. And it was raining. And so dark.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Friday
It's Friday of an upsetting week. My dog Chances is not doing well. On Sunday she got in front of my car when I was moving it, and I hit her. Not hard, but hard enough to damage her back. She can't use her hind legs now and has been at the vet's since Monday. She showed slight improvement on Tuesday and the vet & I were hopeful, but there's been no progress since then. I went to see her yesterday--the vet and I talked about having me take her home, but we agreed she was probably better off there, where there aren't stairs she has to be carried up & down. It was hard to see her but also really nice. She's in great shape, very perky, wags her tail a lot, eats like a pig and has control of her bodily functions. He's not sure what's wrong, maybe something blocking the blood supply to her hind end. We're going to wait 2 weeks before making any decision, but it doesn't really look very good.
What does Tess think? She thinks her sister should be somewhere in the yard or in the car, and she runs around a lot, then sits on the back of the living room chair staring out the window. Very touching, very sad. I wish I could explain it to her, but maybe she suspects something, since she saw Chances before I took her to the vet. Tess wants my attention all the time, which I suppose is not surprising. She's very sweet but it's hard to see her being so puzzled. She still has her Kitty, and she likes her Kitty.
What else happened this week. Well, must have been SOMETHING. Yes, we had a negotiations meeting on Monday, which resulted in a declaration of impasse by labor. The board rejected our settlement offer 3 times, so our labor relations specialist feels we'll be in good stead with a mediator. We'll see.
Work has been ok. A little slow, not as interesting as it sometimes is, but I'm probably just distracted. I had an appointment with my psychiatrist this week & told him all about Chances Are. I told him that I no longer think of our appointments as sessions, or of him as my therapist, so it never occurred to me to call him in my time of crisis. I think he wished I still needed him that way. He told me basically the same thing my sister told me: take care of myself. Don't do anything or make any decisions right now. So I'm not. Well, I bought myself a new pair of shoes. That would make my friend Ralph laugh--his partner Lin and I used to go to town every Saturday and I was always buying new shoes. I guess it's what I do when I'm not feeling great, a way to cheer myself up. Pretty much all the shoes I buy look the same, just trail shoes.
Yesterday I went to Wilmington, and I had plenty of time to get there so I went the back way, past the house we bought and sold many years ago, then past the Jay Mountain Range. It was all very pretty and a nice experience. Didn't make me feel bad or sad, I just appreciated how pretty it all was. What I did in Wilmington was weed their non-fiction collection, which, it turned out, is heavily used so we couldn't throw out much stuff. That was both disappointing and encouraging. Good for her to have a collection her community uses. Not very rewarding as a weeding experience.
After that I drove to Westport because I thought I would take Chances home. The drive was pretty but long. An even longer drive home. But I had a nice visit with Chances, who was happy to see me. Tess didn't seem to smell her sister on me when I got home. Was I disappointed or relieved? Yes. Mostly I was just really sad that I didn't get to take her home. Not so much because I want her home, but more that it would mean she was improving.
This weekend I will put down the new rug I bought for my kitchen. No small task, means unloading sets of shelves and moving things around. But I must do it--or why did I buy the rug? I also hope to paint a small chest in my bedroom. My signature black. And Saturday night I'm having dinner with friends from across the lake. I don't know them very well but am getting to know them in recent months. Do I want to do this? Not particularly, but when a neighbor issues an invitation it's polite to accept. What DO I feel like doing this weekend? Not much.
What does Tess think? She thinks her sister should be somewhere in the yard or in the car, and she runs around a lot, then sits on the back of the living room chair staring out the window. Very touching, very sad. I wish I could explain it to her, but maybe she suspects something, since she saw Chances before I took her to the vet. Tess wants my attention all the time, which I suppose is not surprising. She's very sweet but it's hard to see her being so puzzled. She still has her Kitty, and she likes her Kitty.
What else happened this week. Well, must have been SOMETHING. Yes, we had a negotiations meeting on Monday, which resulted in a declaration of impasse by labor. The board rejected our settlement offer 3 times, so our labor relations specialist feels we'll be in good stead with a mediator. We'll see.
Work has been ok. A little slow, not as interesting as it sometimes is, but I'm probably just distracted. I had an appointment with my psychiatrist this week & told him all about Chances Are. I told him that I no longer think of our appointments as sessions, or of him as my therapist, so it never occurred to me to call him in my time of crisis. I think he wished I still needed him that way. He told me basically the same thing my sister told me: take care of myself. Don't do anything or make any decisions right now. So I'm not. Well, I bought myself a new pair of shoes. That would make my friend Ralph laugh--his partner Lin and I used to go to town every Saturday and I was always buying new shoes. I guess it's what I do when I'm not feeling great, a way to cheer myself up. Pretty much all the shoes I buy look the same, just trail shoes.
Yesterday I went to Wilmington, and I had plenty of time to get there so I went the back way, past the house we bought and sold many years ago, then past the Jay Mountain Range. It was all very pretty and a nice experience. Didn't make me feel bad or sad, I just appreciated how pretty it all was. What I did in Wilmington was weed their non-fiction collection, which, it turned out, is heavily used so we couldn't throw out much stuff. That was both disappointing and encouraging. Good for her to have a collection her community uses. Not very rewarding as a weeding experience.
After that I drove to Westport because I thought I would take Chances home. The drive was pretty but long. An even longer drive home. But I had a nice visit with Chances, who was happy to see me. Tess didn't seem to smell her sister on me when I got home. Was I disappointed or relieved? Yes. Mostly I was just really sad that I didn't get to take her home. Not so much because I want her home, but more that it would mean she was improving.
This weekend I will put down the new rug I bought for my kitchen. No small task, means unloading sets of shelves and moving things around. But I must do it--or why did I buy the rug? I also hope to paint a small chest in my bedroom. My signature black. And Saturday night I'm having dinner with friends from across the lake. I don't know them very well but am getting to know them in recent months. Do I want to do this? Not particularly, but when a neighbor issues an invitation it's polite to accept. What DO I feel like doing this weekend? Not much.
This is what our old house looks like now. VERY different from when we lived there.
This is what our old house looks like now. VERY different from when we lived there., a photo by woodsrun on Flickr.
Our house on Green Street, outside of AuSable Forks. It was a junky little house that we bougt for $20,000. Jamie had visions of grandeur, of demolition and fixing it up. He got the demolition part right, but the fixing it up never took place. He took the heater out of the bedroom without telling me he had no intention of putting in a new one. I used to wake up in the winter with my hair frozen, stuck to the window. Oh, weren't those just the good old days.
It is actually a nice little house, on 3 pretty acres. We had some good times there but mostly I conclude (in hindsight) that we didn't really like living there, because we spent as much time as we could elsewhere. We went out for breakfast & dinner every chance we got.
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Just a pretty scene. This is from the bridge I used to drive across every day--that's the AuSable River.
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