I went to the dentist this morning to have a crown replaced. The old crown apparently wasn't tucked into the gum quite well enough and there was some decay under it. It was a root-canalled tooth, so it didn't hurt, but he messed with my gum a whole lot so that will probably be sore later on. I have to go back to have the permanent crown put on. That will take a long time, though not as long as today, which was nearly a 2-hour marathon. Right now I'm so numb I dribble soda when I try to drink. And today is our staff luncheon. Doubt that I'll eat much. I made my usual cheesecake, which you would think these people would be tired of, but they always ask for it, so I make it. Boring.
Went to Keene yesterday to continue barcoding their collection. There were 4 of us, and we had a good time and got a lot done. I stayed after the others left to clock time. During the entire day (10-4) only 4 patrons showed up. We'll need to go back at least one more time. I don't mind the work, and it's a nice change of scenery. Pretty spot, in the mountains.
I had dinner with Fred and our friend Donna last Friday, which was very nice. Donna has decided to retire (she's my age), which is great news. I hate to say I wish I could retire, but it would be nice not to have to work 5 days a week and still be able to afford my life. That time will come, they tell me.
Had a good time last week in Willsboro--the director there and I feel the same way about weeding--we're both merciless, so we withdrew a whole bunch of "rare" books--not relevant to life in the North Country, just books people donated that were old. The books, not the people. Though the people were probably old, too.
Tomorrow I'm having dinner with a friend from Saranac Lake--the curator of their Adirondack Room. I worked with her for a couple of years, cataloging the book collection there. Went every week and loved it. Then my director decided that was too much time for me to spend having fun so my wings were clipped. I suppose she was right, and I shouldn't have gone there every week. Now I'm supposed to be doing the same thing at Plattsburgh Public, but I never seem to get there (next door). Anyway, Michele & I will have dinner and a nice visit.
Not much going on. Work, home, work. The dogs are doing well but that Treasure sure does throw up a lot. She swallows socks (whole) and is surprised when they come back up hours later (whole). Truly disgusting but harmless I guess. I've heard of dogs who swallowed things like socks and had to have them surgically removed from their intestines, so I guess this is the lesser of 2 evils. Why she eats them I do not know. Tess has always been sock-obsessed, but she only carries them around, she never chews on them or eats them. Oh that Treasure, she's such a treasure. Chances is doing well, but I need to walk her more. And I need to walk myself more while I'm at it. 15 minutes a week on the treadmill will not lower my cholesterol.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Cold crocuses
This was yesterday morning at 58OHR. There are a few tentative crocuses in bloom. We had snow yesterday (barely a dusting) and today (another dusting). It's cold but sure not like winter. I don't care how many people say "ooooooh, it feels like winter," it DOES NOT feel like winter.
ICEOUT looking across the lake from Ruders'
On the way to the Keene Library yesterday morning I stopped at my friends' house to take pictures of the lake sans ice. This is looking toward my friend Linda's camp (you can't see her camp behind the cedar trees). There were 2 mergansers on the lake, looking very peaceful.
The mountain here is Duncan, which was one of my father's favorites. I have no idea why he liked it so much, but we climbed it a few times when I was a kid. There was no real trail up the mountain, sort of a trail but we used to bushwhack up the mountain. I don't remember the view as being particularly good but you must have seen Silver Lake.
Road trip to Keene from home
I took a back road to Keene. It was very pretty, in an early-spring-it-coulkd-be-November sort of way. That's a snow-covered peak in the background. Or foreground. Or whatever.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Early spring
And it's more than spring, it's summer. It's too hot to suit me, I'm not acclimated to warm weather yet. It's been in the 70's, due to be near 80 today. Back to reasonable temps on the weekend, down to 50's. That's better, I can deal with that. The snow at 58OHR is pretty much gone, just some piles from the plow. Amazing to have this happen so early. Mud season is short and not severe. I drove to the house last night, which I probably shouldn't have, but I get itchy in the middle of mud season and feel obligated to rut up the driveway.
Not much going on. Had a nice weekend, though wasn't as productive as I'd hoped. Did not do any laundry, guess I'll let it pile up and bring it to town to the laundromat--amazing how much cleaner clothes get in hot water than in cold.
I went to Pat & Jim's on Sunday, had a nice visit with Bill et al. All are doing well, no big developments. Sunday night was book group, which was a nice time. I made a quinoa salad (curry--trying to imitate a delicious curried quinoa salad I sampled last summer, but not nearly as good and gummy as well), and Martha brought a really delicious Greek quinoa salad that was 100 times better than mine. I had recipes all set to follow, but left them at work so had to wing it, and didn't do very well. Quinoa is my latest kick. Clearly I need to refine my preparation technique. Anyway, we had a good visit and discussed the book (Ha Jin's Nanjing requiem), which was very dark and depressing and not (according to us) very well written.
Today I go to Willsboro to work with the director on her local history collection. "Work with"=I don't know what we're going to do. I'm supposed to visit each of the 30 libraries this year, evaluating their local history/special collections. I'm getting a little behind and need to get out more. I've been to each of the libraries before, but some I haven't been to in a long time, and I've not evaluated their local history collections yet, with a few exceptions. Anyway, it's a nice day for a drive, and Cheryl and I will have lunch somewhere. And a nice visit, she's a good friend.
Lunch with Barb tomorrow, dinner with Donna and Fred Friday night to celebrate Donna's 60th birthday, which was last week. Talked to Fred a couple of times this week, he's doing well but is busy with peoples' taxes. I got mine straightened out (have long since spent the federal refund, am waiting for the state refund) and all set.
I got my new couch last week. It's not nearly as comfortable as I thought it would be, is smaller than the old one and narrower as well. I'm just so happy to be rid of the old one that anything is an improvement. Though the dogs don't agree--all 3 don't fit on this couch, and Chances has trouble getting comfortable because it's so narrow. Too bad for them, my corner is just fine. I have a cover on it to keep muddy paws off, and that's working very well. The cover is filthy already.
Went to the dentist yesterday, something I have a real aversion to. He discussed sedated dentistry with me, which I thought sounded great, but you have to have someone drive you home, and I have no driver. Oh darn. Anyway, this is my new dentist and he really believes in numbness before procedures. This means numbing the gum forever, then shooting up, then waiting for 15-20 minutes for the novacain, or whatever it is, to take full effect. Though this is certainly preferable to un-numbed drilling, it means you have to chat with the hygienist for a long time while you wait. I can tell you ALL about her 2 Siberian huskies, 2 rescue cats, and snowboarding son. But I'm sure she thinks I'm just about as interesting as she is. Does she repeat the same conversation all day?
I also went to the doctor this week, and he was disappointed and suspicious. Disappointed because I've gained 4 pounds since I saw him in August, and suspicious because I always get depressed in the spring (as does he). "How's your mood?" Well it was fine until you asked-- Actually I'm doing quite well, no sign of my reverse SADD so far, but it's early spring yet. April to June are my bad months, which, according to my psychiatrist, is not uncommon for bipolars. Oh the joys of mental illness.
So let's see...weather, doctor, dentist. Work is fine. I'm mostly spending my time weeding the fiction these days, my nonfiction activity is on hold for a bit. It's amazing to select and purchase books, have them circulate for years, then decide they're not necessary to the collection anymore. Pretty much all of the books I'm weeding are ones that I purchased. I've been here a long time.
Dogs are doing well. Chances joined us for a short bog walk on the weekend--if she trots and gets up her momentum, she can motor on for long distances. I should walk her more, it's good for her hind legs. She's gaining strength and doing well but her hearing isn't grand. The other two are fine, have a touch of spring fever and were deep in the woods when I was trying to leave this morning. "LADIES!! PLEASE!! I have to go to work!" They come when I honk the horn, though who knows why. All it means is that they have to get in their cages and spend the day without me.
Not much going on. Had a nice weekend, though wasn't as productive as I'd hoped. Did not do any laundry, guess I'll let it pile up and bring it to town to the laundromat--amazing how much cleaner clothes get in hot water than in cold.
I went to Pat & Jim's on Sunday, had a nice visit with Bill et al. All are doing well, no big developments. Sunday night was book group, which was a nice time. I made a quinoa salad (curry--trying to imitate a delicious curried quinoa salad I sampled last summer, but not nearly as good and gummy as well), and Martha brought a really delicious Greek quinoa salad that was 100 times better than mine. I had recipes all set to follow, but left them at work so had to wing it, and didn't do very well. Quinoa is my latest kick. Clearly I need to refine my preparation technique. Anyway, we had a good visit and discussed the book (Ha Jin's Nanjing requiem), which was very dark and depressing and not (according to us) very well written.
Today I go to Willsboro to work with the director on her local history collection. "Work with"=I don't know what we're going to do. I'm supposed to visit each of the 30 libraries this year, evaluating their local history/special collections. I'm getting a little behind and need to get out more. I've been to each of the libraries before, but some I haven't been to in a long time, and I've not evaluated their local history collections yet, with a few exceptions. Anyway, it's a nice day for a drive, and Cheryl and I will have lunch somewhere. And a nice visit, she's a good friend.
Lunch with Barb tomorrow, dinner with Donna and Fred Friday night to celebrate Donna's 60th birthday, which was last week. Talked to Fred a couple of times this week, he's doing well but is busy with peoples' taxes. I got mine straightened out (have long since spent the federal refund, am waiting for the state refund) and all set.
I got my new couch last week. It's not nearly as comfortable as I thought it would be, is smaller than the old one and narrower as well. I'm just so happy to be rid of the old one that anything is an improvement. Though the dogs don't agree--all 3 don't fit on this couch, and Chances has trouble getting comfortable because it's so narrow. Too bad for them, my corner is just fine. I have a cover on it to keep muddy paws off, and that's working very well. The cover is filthy already.
Went to the dentist yesterday, something I have a real aversion to. He discussed sedated dentistry with me, which I thought sounded great, but you have to have someone drive you home, and I have no driver. Oh darn. Anyway, this is my new dentist and he really believes in numbness before procedures. This means numbing the gum forever, then shooting up, then waiting for 15-20 minutes for the novacain, or whatever it is, to take full effect. Though this is certainly preferable to un-numbed drilling, it means you have to chat with the hygienist for a long time while you wait. I can tell you ALL about her 2 Siberian huskies, 2 rescue cats, and snowboarding son. But I'm sure she thinks I'm just about as interesting as she is. Does she repeat the same conversation all day?
I also went to the doctor this week, and he was disappointed and suspicious. Disappointed because I've gained 4 pounds since I saw him in August, and suspicious because I always get depressed in the spring (as does he). "How's your mood?" Well it was fine until you asked-- Actually I'm doing quite well, no sign of my reverse SADD so far, but it's early spring yet. April to June are my bad months, which, according to my psychiatrist, is not uncommon for bipolars. Oh the joys of mental illness.
So let's see...weather, doctor, dentist. Work is fine. I'm mostly spending my time weeding the fiction these days, my nonfiction activity is on hold for a bit. It's amazing to select and purchase books, have them circulate for years, then decide they're not necessary to the collection anymore. Pretty much all of the books I'm weeding are ones that I purchased. I've been here a long time.
Dogs are doing well. Chances joined us for a short bog walk on the weekend--if she trots and gets up her momentum, she can motor on for long distances. I should walk her more, it's good for her hind legs. She's gaining strength and doing well but her hearing isn't grand. The other two are fine, have a touch of spring fever and were deep in the woods when I was trying to leave this morning. "LADIES!! PLEASE!! I have to go to work!" They come when I honk the horn, though who knows why. All it means is that they have to get in their cages and spend the day without me.
009
The view from the boat house. Ice is very dark, which means it's going out--or at least starting to. It's so warm this week that I could sleep in the boat house, if I were so inclined. 50s at night, which is warm enough. It would be fun, but I'd have to walk down there, open the place up, make the bed, etc. And I'm just too lazy to do that. At this rate, I'll be down there within a month.
001
Mrs. Neel will recognize this. It's Bill's camp, The Owl. This was last week--there's no snow now.
004
Tess went in the water, but Treasure has never swum before so we'll have to take it slowly this summer. She just lapped at the water, not knowing what a thrill it really was.
Monday, March 12, 2012
WOW SUNSHINE
Bright sunshine today, feels great. Yesterday was magnificent in Hawkeye, brilliant sunshine, blue blue sky and warm temps. If this trend continues, we'll have spring very soon. There's still a lot of snow at home, but it's melting pretty quickly. We got almost 6" of snow Friday night, but a lot of it melted yesterday.
I had a good weekend, spent time with the dogs--Chances seems to be perking up a bit, and this morning she was looking (longingly) down the deck stairs, so maybe she'll start walking on the ground, getting off the deck soon. She can get up on the couch by herself, which is pretty impressive. She's still very shaky but sort of trots through the house in the morning.
Last week was busy enough. Long day on Tuesday, went to Albany and had a good trip. The ride home was endless but I didn't have to drive so I could stare out the window. The legislators were fine; one is retiring and doesn't care much about libraries, one doesn't care at all about libraries, and the third one is a great supporter of libraries. Did our visits make a difference? Probably not, but it's always good to show up.
I went to the dentist on Friday, my new dentist. Very expensive. They just moved into a fancy new office with a lot of new equipment and many more exam rooms, so I can expect to pay a premium for dental care from now on. Anyway, I need a new crown ($1000) and a new filling ($200). They were really eager to corral me into appointments for those 2 procedures right away, so this week I have the filling replaced and next week I have the old crown removed and a temporary crown put in. YUCK. I hate going to the dentist. And I have good teeth: I can't imagine what it would be like if I had soft teeth. No, I always hear that I have "beautiful teeth." Lucky me.
Tomorrow is my mother's 86th birthday. I talked to her twice on the weekend. I seem to be talking to her a lot more often these days. Something comes up that I want to share, or she has a bad experience (chimney fire) or is depressed (not REALLY depressed, just depressed). Her chimney fire was really dramatic and caused some fine cracks in the chimney liner, but no damage to the house. Two big firetrucks down her driveway and 2 more parked on the road (she called 911 & the volunteer fire dept. is just down the road). Neighbors came to see how she was, which reassured her (and me). She's OK and is deciding what to do about a new stove. She seems committed to burning wood, though she doesn't like doing it. It's the only way she can get warm in the winter--her electric heat doesn't get it warm enough and is expensive.
I saw my friends the Holts Saturday and again yesterday. They were here from Thurs. through this morning, which is a long visit for them. They had a great time--skied around Taylor Pond, then skied up the road up Whiteface. Yesterday afternoon we walked the bog together--Rush likes to move at a brisk pace so it didn't take long. Treasure seems to always want to be at the end of the line, clinging to the heels of the last person. She's pretty skittish around other people, has led a pretty quiet and sheltered life so far. She sort of cowers when she meets new people, but relaxes soon enough and then is affectionate. Don't think I can do much to change that behavior. I took her for a long ride in the car on Sat. and she did well. She doesn't get in the car voluntarily, even when Tess zooms in like a jet-propelled pup. There are a lot of things this dog needs to learn! At least she doesn't get carsick and so far she hasn't chewed anything. Can Tess say the same? With this car, yes, so far.
I had a good weekend, spent time with the dogs--Chances seems to be perking up a bit, and this morning she was looking (longingly) down the deck stairs, so maybe she'll start walking on the ground, getting off the deck soon. She can get up on the couch by herself, which is pretty impressive. She's still very shaky but sort of trots through the house in the morning.
Last week was busy enough. Long day on Tuesday, went to Albany and had a good trip. The ride home was endless but I didn't have to drive so I could stare out the window. The legislators were fine; one is retiring and doesn't care much about libraries, one doesn't care at all about libraries, and the third one is a great supporter of libraries. Did our visits make a difference? Probably not, but it's always good to show up.
I went to the dentist on Friday, my new dentist. Very expensive. They just moved into a fancy new office with a lot of new equipment and many more exam rooms, so I can expect to pay a premium for dental care from now on. Anyway, I need a new crown ($1000) and a new filling ($200). They were really eager to corral me into appointments for those 2 procedures right away, so this week I have the filling replaced and next week I have the old crown removed and a temporary crown put in. YUCK. I hate going to the dentist. And I have good teeth: I can't imagine what it would be like if I had soft teeth. No, I always hear that I have "beautiful teeth." Lucky me.
Tomorrow is my mother's 86th birthday. I talked to her twice on the weekend. I seem to be talking to her a lot more often these days. Something comes up that I want to share, or she has a bad experience (chimney fire) or is depressed (not REALLY depressed, just depressed). Her chimney fire was really dramatic and caused some fine cracks in the chimney liner, but no damage to the house. Two big firetrucks down her driveway and 2 more parked on the road (she called 911 & the volunteer fire dept. is just down the road). Neighbors came to see how she was, which reassured her (and me). She's OK and is deciding what to do about a new stove. She seems committed to burning wood, though she doesn't like doing it. It's the only way she can get warm in the winter--her electric heat doesn't get it warm enough and is expensive.
I saw my friends the Holts Saturday and again yesterday. They were here from Thurs. through this morning, which is a long visit for them. They had a great time--skied around Taylor Pond, then skied up the road up Whiteface. Yesterday afternoon we walked the bog together--Rush likes to move at a brisk pace so it didn't take long. Treasure seems to always want to be at the end of the line, clinging to the heels of the last person. She's pretty skittish around other people, has led a pretty quiet and sheltered life so far. She sort of cowers when she meets new people, but relaxes soon enough and then is affectionate. Don't think I can do much to change that behavior. I took her for a long ride in the car on Sat. and she did well. She doesn't get in the car voluntarily, even when Tess zooms in like a jet-propelled pup. There are a lot of things this dog needs to learn! At least she doesn't get carsick and so far she hasn't chewed anything. Can Tess say the same? With this car, yes, so far.
State Capitol building
We went for a long walk through the NYState Capitol building to pass the time before appointments with legislators. Lots of stone pillars, very medieval looking. pretty, I guess.
NY State Capitol building--more like cathedral than capitol
Sort of like a labyrinth, reminds me of that Umberto Eco book that they made a movie out of.
Friday, March 02, 2012
Busy week
Lot going on this week, a bit of traveling, a bit of visiting. Had a pretty good weekend, got some chores done--dump trip, cleaning a bit, did laundry. Kept the fire going. I went to the calling hours for my friend Betsy on Sunday afternoon. It was very sad--lots of great pictures of her, plus her curling equipment and golf clubs in the corner. I had nice visits with friends who were there, and we talked about Betsy and how much we'll miss her. Monday was the funeral, in Lake Placid, and some of us from work went together. It, too, was sad. Nothing particularly moving about the service, I just felt sad. Saw some people I haven't seen in a while (and maybe would rather NOT have seen at that time)--former director, Keela, and of course ex-husband. It was OK seeing them all, everyone is on good behavior at funerals. Jamie and I had a brief conversation--he doesn't have much to say to me, it seems. I guess that's all right.
Wednesday I worked in Keene, barcoding the collection there (again, and still). That was a nice day. When to Plattsburgh after that, then drove to Malone with a colleague to the retirement party of the director there. Yikes, he'd been there since 1957. I was 5 then. He needed to retire a while ago, but finally, at 80, was getting frail so had to leave. This leaves our 3 largest libraries with no/new directors, which will be a big adjustment for us here at the System.
Yesterday was quiet, just catching up on work and doing some cleaning. I have 2 full file cabinets behind my desk, and am trying to clean them out so I can use them for storing things I might actually want. One is my vertical file, full of files on things like spontaneous human combustion, dowsing, making maple syrup, wine making, etc. I used to get asked lots of reference questions, but my job has changed so dramatically that I never need this stuff now. The Internet has had a huge impact on the way libraries serve their patrons, and the way I do my job. So I can ditch most of the contents of those drawers, and maybe clear off my desk a bit. Will have to get file folders and get organized. I keep pawing through the piles of papers & periodicals on my desk, sorting and tossing, but always putting the piles back on the desk. Not a good habit.
This weekend is the Big Burn--every summer some people in the neighborhood have brush hauled up to the burn pile behind Ken's house, and in March or so some of the people have a big burn. The pile is 10' high, so it's impressive when it burns. Last year I had planned to go but there was too much snow to tromp through so I didn't attend. Maybe this year I'll be the first woman ever to show up.
We were supposed to have a huge storm yesterday, much fuss made about it, but it only ended up bringing us about 4" in Hawkeye. Which is fine with me. We have more than a foot on the ground right now, and it's due to rain tomorrow. That will make it interesting. I'm so happy to have it be March, even though March is always the cruelest month weather-wise. Someone told me it is supposed to be -8 on Tuesday night. Swell. I got the house really warm last night, up from the 55 degrees it was when I got home. I have a ton of firewood left, which isn't really a good sign, it means I've been pretty lazy about keeping fires going. This means I owe the electric company a ton of money.
What's up for today? A training session for member libraries on how to use our e-readers. Guess I'll sit in on that. Then what? Cataloging some DVD's ("My brother the pig," "The magic dog," etc.). We now have a book budget, so perhaps I'll put together an order. I ordered some e-books yesterday and should do more to build that collection, so maybe I'll give that another go today. Random House has raised its prices for ebooks to outrageous levels--$70 or $80 per title, so that leaves out a bunch of titles. I'll not spend that much for a single title. Or so I say now.
Wednesday I worked in Keene, barcoding the collection there (again, and still). That was a nice day. When to Plattsburgh after that, then drove to Malone with a colleague to the retirement party of the director there. Yikes, he'd been there since 1957. I was 5 then. He needed to retire a while ago, but finally, at 80, was getting frail so had to leave. This leaves our 3 largest libraries with no/new directors, which will be a big adjustment for us here at the System.
Yesterday was quiet, just catching up on work and doing some cleaning. I have 2 full file cabinets behind my desk, and am trying to clean them out so I can use them for storing things I might actually want. One is my vertical file, full of files on things like spontaneous human combustion, dowsing, making maple syrup, wine making, etc. I used to get asked lots of reference questions, but my job has changed so dramatically that I never need this stuff now. The Internet has had a huge impact on the way libraries serve their patrons, and the way I do my job. So I can ditch most of the contents of those drawers, and maybe clear off my desk a bit. Will have to get file folders and get organized. I keep pawing through the piles of papers & periodicals on my desk, sorting and tossing, but always putting the piles back on the desk. Not a good habit.
This weekend is the Big Burn--every summer some people in the neighborhood have brush hauled up to the burn pile behind Ken's house, and in March or so some of the people have a big burn. The pile is 10' high, so it's impressive when it burns. Last year I had planned to go but there was too much snow to tromp through so I didn't attend. Maybe this year I'll be the first woman ever to show up.
We were supposed to have a huge storm yesterday, much fuss made about it, but it only ended up bringing us about 4" in Hawkeye. Which is fine with me. We have more than a foot on the ground right now, and it's due to rain tomorrow. That will make it interesting. I'm so happy to have it be March, even though March is always the cruelest month weather-wise. Someone told me it is supposed to be -8 on Tuesday night. Swell. I got the house really warm last night, up from the 55 degrees it was when I got home. I have a ton of firewood left, which isn't really a good sign, it means I've been pretty lazy about keeping fires going. This means I owe the electric company a ton of money.
What's up for today? A training session for member libraries on how to use our e-readers. Guess I'll sit in on that. Then what? Cataloging some DVD's ("My brother the pig," "The magic dog," etc.). We now have a book budget, so perhaps I'll put together an order. I ordered some e-books yesterday and should do more to build that collection, so maybe I'll give that another go today. Random House has raised its prices for ebooks to outrageous levels--$70 or $80 per title, so that leaves out a bunch of titles. I'll not spend that much for a single title. Or so I say now.
Whiteface from Norman Ridge
Pretty picture. Sometimes I go to Norman Ridge, which is between Saranac Lake and Hawkeye, just to look around. Pretty views from there. Big fields on top of the ridge, used to be used for growing potatoes. Now used for growing houses, it seems.
Alder Brook winter scene
My sister often paints this view, though not as a winter scene. I named my basket making business Woods Run Baskets, but had considered naming it Alder Brook Baskets at one time. If I'd known I was going to end up in Hawkeye I might have come up with a better name...
Whiteface in the background, looking across Union Falls
I always like this view, the way the foreground and background are in sync. It was a pretty day.
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