So I had my trip to Wisconsin last week. I got home Sunday (Monday a.m.) at 1:30, after spending a day at O'Hare and almost missing my flight because I was at the wrong gate. Honestly. It was a fine day but I did get tired of wandering around, pulling my little red suitcase. When I got to Burlington at midnight, I couldn't find my car in the garage--so there I was again, pulling my little red suitcase and wandering aimlessly. I found it, of course, right where it was supposed to be--I was in the wrong place and didn't think to click the lights and/or horn. Duh. I just don't think in those terms. Remote stuff. Anyway, I got right on the ferry and had a fine trip home.
The trip to Wisconsin was to gather with friends from Rockford--from elementary school, junior and senior high schools. There were 17 of us and it was great. A huge effort on the part of those who organized it and set it all up. We came from Calif., Oregon, Virginia, Boston, Wisc. and Illinois. And me. Surprising how many of us ended up in California. Anyway, this is a wonderful group of women and I had a good time with them. They're all moving along in their lives--some are grandparents, some are retired, and some of us still work. Oh how I'd like to retire. Anyway, we had plenty of activities and fun.
We went on a dinner cruise one night--had the boat to ourselves so it was great. The boat went around the lake so we could see lots of summer homes. There are strict zoning regulations in Lake Geneva so it's pretty and pristine. The lake was beautiful, water very clear ("gin clear" as one of us put it) but it seemed very strange not to have mountains surrounding the water.
We did lots of walking--there's a great foot path around the lake, though the full perimeter is 26 miles so we didn't come close to that. The path goes right along the water and is like the Cliff Walk in Newport. Very pretty.
We went to the beach one day. Some swam, but I'm too fat to wear a swimsuit in public so I just sat and visited. It was nice.
We went to the local museum, which was OK but the docent talked too much. She wouldn't let us into the exhibits until she finished her lengthy presentation. Plenty of stuff to look at, though.
One of my friends had a stroke a few years ago and is in a wheelchair. She's wonderful and is working very hard on her speech, so we all learned how to listen to her and have normal conversations. She's a peach, and the group was devoted to the idea that Joanne would join us everywhere we went. It worked out really well.
Weather was fine--80's and sunny. It was humid when I got there but not later on. We were really lucky to have such good weather--some shopping, lots of walking, sitting on our balconies and visiting.
What was it like to be in the Midwest again? It's always a bit strange. Hard to define what's different about it, aside from the obvious geography. The people are nice, always friendly. They pronounce some words differently, which I always find entertaining. Route (root) is rout (rhymes with about). Chicago is Chicawgo. But the beer is good and so was the cheese.
It was a really nice, nice trip.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
017
The Scooter Parade went right past our place--this is the front lawn.
Some scooter people wanted to break the Guinness record for the largest number of scooters in one place. They needed at least 842 to break the record, but only got 660 or so. Or at least that's what we heard. They had a big parade to show off. Very entertaining.
034
Fish in the fountain. Whitey was the hugest, most disgusting fish of all. He reminded me of the giant Koi Mark & I saw once at a garden center. Those fish would swim up onto the beach, out of the water, and make big fish lips at you, begging for food. Whitey did something similar, swimming to the surface and lipping away. Gross.
053
Former summer home now turned into condos. There were huge, huge homes around the lake. Apparently the money from Chicago found its way to Lake Geneva in the old days. They used to call it The Newport of the Midwest. Or so our tour guide said.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Time goes by
The days seem to take a long time to get through, but the weeks seem to fly by. How strange. It's already Thursday, and next week I fly to Wisconsin for my Gathering of Midwestern Women. I leave Weds., only working Mon. & Tues. Tuesday night I have to find my way to a new kennel I've never used before. First I have to go home from Pbg to pick up the dogs, then back toward Pbg, to Chazy or someplace. This trip is expensive for me, but I like these people. These are friends from Rockford--some I've known for 50 years. Yikes I'm old. We're gathering to celebrate our 60th birthdays. There will be 17 of us this time, and we're meeting in Lake Geneva. From Weds. to Sunday, when I fly back at night to Burlington, then have to get home. Whew I'll be tired. But happy.
Things are going well. It was a really busy weekend last weekend--many gatherings and meals with friends. Friday Linda cooked a pot roast using her organic beef (delicious). Saturday I had drinks with friends, then went to a Belmont Stakes party at J & M's, which was a lot of fun even if my horse didn't win. It was a good race--I always watch horse races with great trepidation, fearful of injury to the horses. I know it's a brutal business and they're not always nice to the horses, but boy it's fun to watch them.
Sunday was dinner with other friends, a nice time at the other end of the lake. They have a nice view looking up the lake, which includes Duncan Mountain. Pretty evening. Boy do they have a nice dock!
I had Monday off and made pretty good use of my time. I made a dump run, got rid of 2 bags of rotten clothing and another bag of garbage. Sorted through a bunch of old photographs--put aside some in case Jamie wants them. Dogs, young nieces, family. I gave him a shoebox full of pictures last year, and still have more to sort through. I threw out a bunch of pictures (why do I make prints of wildflowers? What do I expect to do with them?) and all the negatives from my 35 mm days. I've cleared the upstairs hallway and living room area--YIPPEE. This is a huge accomplishment and I'm really proud of having done it. Don't let things get so out of control again, Elizabeth. The master bedroom is still a mess but I've started going through that stuff. It's not as urgent because no one will be using the room. I don't know if anyone will be staying in my upstairs bedroom, but it's in good shape if that happens. I'm really excited about Anna's upcoming visit, had a nice conversation with her on Sunday. She's a peach and I'm so proud of her.
Tuesday I worked in Keene, our final foray into barcoding that collection. Uneventful trip, back to Pbg to work until 5. Weds. I stopped at P&J's, had a good visit with them. Last night I stopped at Linda's, where she fed me delicious stir fry with her organic pig. Boy was that good.
I woke in the night with terrible heartburn--since I take med. for that I'm surprised when I get it, and distressed. Was up for a couple of hours then finally went back to sleep. It puzzles the dogs when I do these things, they think any time you get out of bed and go outside it should be followed by a bowl of food. Sorry, ladies, didn't happen that way.
The cat is still missing, and I think she's gone for good. My mother had a scenario she liked, that someone came across Kitty and liked her, took her home to a nice place where there are no dogs. I don't think that happened, and I hope the end was swift if that's what happened. No body on the road, so she didn't get hit by a car. No body in the house, so I think maybe a predator got her. I've been surprised that she lasted as long as she did at my house--we have at least one fisher and plenty of foxes and coyotes. Too bad, kitty.
The Holts are here for a few days, so I'll see them this weekend. They're bringing their new dog, a Gordon setter, so I'm looking forward to meeting him (Milo)(I like the name Milo).
Tonight after work our negotiating team is meeting to go over proposals and minutes from meetings, getting ourselves ready for impasse. This is a stupid exercise (impasse) because there's so little at stake, but management is not willing to negotiate anymore. So on we go.
Don't know what the weekend holds--weather is supposed to be wonderful so I should do some outdoor work. I have my containers planted, and they're looking pretty good. Took one down to the boat house. There are blossoms on the tomatoes, which is great and unusual for June.
I stayed in the boat house 2 nights, had a nice time there. Loons a'plenty. I need to do some cleaning there, mostly just picking up stuff and putting it away. Still have no docks in, though the water was put in at camp.
Life is good. Uneventful. I'm happy.
Things are going well. It was a really busy weekend last weekend--many gatherings and meals with friends. Friday Linda cooked a pot roast using her organic beef (delicious). Saturday I had drinks with friends, then went to a Belmont Stakes party at J & M's, which was a lot of fun even if my horse didn't win. It was a good race--I always watch horse races with great trepidation, fearful of injury to the horses. I know it's a brutal business and they're not always nice to the horses, but boy it's fun to watch them.
Sunday was dinner with other friends, a nice time at the other end of the lake. They have a nice view looking up the lake, which includes Duncan Mountain. Pretty evening. Boy do they have a nice dock!
I had Monday off and made pretty good use of my time. I made a dump run, got rid of 2 bags of rotten clothing and another bag of garbage. Sorted through a bunch of old photographs--put aside some in case Jamie wants them. Dogs, young nieces, family. I gave him a shoebox full of pictures last year, and still have more to sort through. I threw out a bunch of pictures (why do I make prints of wildflowers? What do I expect to do with them?) and all the negatives from my 35 mm days. I've cleared the upstairs hallway and living room area--YIPPEE. This is a huge accomplishment and I'm really proud of having done it. Don't let things get so out of control again, Elizabeth. The master bedroom is still a mess but I've started going through that stuff. It's not as urgent because no one will be using the room. I don't know if anyone will be staying in my upstairs bedroom, but it's in good shape if that happens. I'm really excited about Anna's upcoming visit, had a nice conversation with her on Sunday. She's a peach and I'm so proud of her.
Tuesday I worked in Keene, our final foray into barcoding that collection. Uneventful trip, back to Pbg to work until 5. Weds. I stopped at P&J's, had a good visit with them. Last night I stopped at Linda's, where she fed me delicious stir fry with her organic pig. Boy was that good.
I woke in the night with terrible heartburn--since I take med. for that I'm surprised when I get it, and distressed. Was up for a couple of hours then finally went back to sleep. It puzzles the dogs when I do these things, they think any time you get out of bed and go outside it should be followed by a bowl of food. Sorry, ladies, didn't happen that way.
The cat is still missing, and I think she's gone for good. My mother had a scenario she liked, that someone came across Kitty and liked her, took her home to a nice place where there are no dogs. I don't think that happened, and I hope the end was swift if that's what happened. No body on the road, so she didn't get hit by a car. No body in the house, so I think maybe a predator got her. I've been surprised that she lasted as long as she did at my house--we have at least one fisher and plenty of foxes and coyotes. Too bad, kitty.
The Holts are here for a few days, so I'll see them this weekend. They're bringing their new dog, a Gordon setter, so I'm looking forward to meeting him (Milo)(I like the name Milo).
Tonight after work our negotiating team is meeting to go over proposals and minutes from meetings, getting ourselves ready for impasse. This is a stupid exercise (impasse) because there's so little at stake, but management is not willing to negotiate anymore. So on we go.
Don't know what the weekend holds--weather is supposed to be wonderful so I should do some outdoor work. I have my containers planted, and they're looking pretty good. Took one down to the boat house. There are blossoms on the tomatoes, which is great and unusual for June.
I stayed in the boat house 2 nights, had a nice time there. Loons a'plenty. I need to do some cleaning there, mostly just picking up stuff and putting it away. Still have no docks in, though the water was put in at camp.
Life is good. Uneventful. I'm happy.
Friday, June 08, 2012
And the season hasn't even started yet
What a busy week! Lots of people in Hawkeye, lots of things going on.
Started the week with a trip to Burlington (doctor) for me and a trip to Keeseville (vet) for the dogs. Busy day, pretty trip to Vt. Nothing now wrong with either the dogs or me. Yippee! Let's hear it for good health.
Tuesday I got to work in Keene Valley in the morning, helping the director there (who's a good friend) weed her non-fiction. We have a good time working together, and she finished up the project this week so I'll have to come up with another reason to go there.
Today I leave work a little early to take the car to have it's summer shoes put on. "WHAT??!!! You still have your snow tires on?" Yes, indeed I do. But today I'll take care of that, as well as have the oil changed and have the car inspected. Then I'll be set for a while. I put at least 20,000 miles on my car each year. So much driving to and from Plattsburgh--some mornings I just hate it, most days I just do it. Driving home is never bad, of course--I'm looking forward to being in Hawkeye.
Last Saturday night I had dinner with Jim & Judy, a really nice time. Good visit with them, but they left for home on Sunday. They were only here for the weekend to open camp. They'll be back, then we can sit on their wonderful porch and watch the water.
Sunday I visited with Pat & Jim & Bill, then went to Linda's for a quick visit with her. That night Fred & I tried to go to a restaurant in Wilmington, one that's now opened under new management. Well heck--call ahead, you dolt. It was closed, so we ended up at a mediocre restaurant, but we had a good time together, as always. Always? Well, yes, or else we don't get together.
I talked to my mother a couple of times this week--she's doing much better but says she still looks too terrible to go out in public. Poor thing, her bruises are taking a long time to clear up. She's feeling good, though, but spends a lot of time lying down. I think when you're 86 that's an OK thing to do.
Work has been good, pretty busy this week. Lots of managing data in our data base, cleaning it up, and some weeding.
Last night I went to Ann's for a really nice gathering. Lots of people there, good food (no, excellent food) and nice visits. I also saw Joe & Martha this week, as well as Pat & Jim. And the season hasn't started yet!
What's up for the weekend? Going to the Master Gardeners' perennial sale in Lake Placid with a friend tomorrow morning. Dinner with Linda tonight. Organic beef/pot roast. Belmont Stakes party tomorrow, after visiting with other friends who will be here for the weekend. And on and on it goes. I'm taking Monday off, probably to recover from the weekend. I have been getting a little done upstairs here & there, mostly piling old rotten clothes in prep. for taking them to the dump. I'm feeling less harried about it as a project, knowing that it will get done, all in good time.
Kitty is missing--I haven't seen her since Monday and I fear she's not coming back. I'd like to know what happened to her (if anything)--it's doubtful that she's found a new home, she could barely stand living with me.
Dogs are fine. Treasure is working out well, and Tess finally got her to play Fierce Mean Fighting Dog last night. Plenty of aaaargh noises and clacking of teeth. Very cute. Chances is fine, no change there. They're all healthy and happy. As am I.
Started the week with a trip to Burlington (doctor) for me and a trip to Keeseville (vet) for the dogs. Busy day, pretty trip to Vt. Nothing now wrong with either the dogs or me. Yippee! Let's hear it for good health.
Tuesday I got to work in Keene Valley in the morning, helping the director there (who's a good friend) weed her non-fiction. We have a good time working together, and she finished up the project this week so I'll have to come up with another reason to go there.
Today I leave work a little early to take the car to have it's summer shoes put on. "WHAT??!!! You still have your snow tires on?" Yes, indeed I do. But today I'll take care of that, as well as have the oil changed and have the car inspected. Then I'll be set for a while. I put at least 20,000 miles on my car each year. So much driving to and from Plattsburgh--some mornings I just hate it, most days I just do it. Driving home is never bad, of course--I'm looking forward to being in Hawkeye.
Last Saturday night I had dinner with Jim & Judy, a really nice time. Good visit with them, but they left for home on Sunday. They were only here for the weekend to open camp. They'll be back, then we can sit on their wonderful porch and watch the water.
Sunday I visited with Pat & Jim & Bill, then went to Linda's for a quick visit with her. That night Fred & I tried to go to a restaurant in Wilmington, one that's now opened under new management. Well heck--call ahead, you dolt. It was closed, so we ended up at a mediocre restaurant, but we had a good time together, as always. Always? Well, yes, or else we don't get together.
I talked to my mother a couple of times this week--she's doing much better but says she still looks too terrible to go out in public. Poor thing, her bruises are taking a long time to clear up. She's feeling good, though, but spends a lot of time lying down. I think when you're 86 that's an OK thing to do.
Work has been good, pretty busy this week. Lots of managing data in our data base, cleaning it up, and some weeding.
Last night I went to Ann's for a really nice gathering. Lots of people there, good food (no, excellent food) and nice visits. I also saw Joe & Martha this week, as well as Pat & Jim. And the season hasn't started yet!
What's up for the weekend? Going to the Master Gardeners' perennial sale in Lake Placid with a friend tomorrow morning. Dinner with Linda tonight. Organic beef/pot roast. Belmont Stakes party tomorrow, after visiting with other friends who will be here for the weekend. And on and on it goes. I'm taking Monday off, probably to recover from the weekend. I have been getting a little done upstairs here & there, mostly piling old rotten clothes in prep. for taking them to the dump. I'm feeling less harried about it as a project, knowing that it will get done, all in good time.
Kitty is missing--I haven't seen her since Monday and I fear she's not coming back. I'd like to know what happened to her (if anything)--it's doubtful that she's found a new home, she could barely stand living with me.
Dogs are fine. Treasure is working out well, and Tess finally got her to play Fierce Mean Fighting Dog last night. Plenty of aaaargh noises and clacking of teeth. Very cute. Chances is fine, no change there. They're all healthy and happy. As am I.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Bog walk
I walked the bog over the weekend, and here's how it looks. Amazingly green and dense. Very, very pretty.
Blackberries a'plenty if the weather holds true
Although I try hard to rid my yard of blackberry bushes, this year I have a huge number of older bushes full of blossoms. Holding the promise of a good crop this year, around my house even.
Keene Valley lupines
I spent a morning in Keene Valley this week, which is always a pleasure. Just outside of town is a field of lupines, which is absolutely beautiful. It reminded me of the lupines my sister, mother and I saw when we took our famous trip to Nova Scotia. It was 1981, the year my father died, and my mother wanted us to take a trip together. Where to go? I'd always wanted to see Nova Scotia, so I suggested that and away we went. We had a great time and saw wonderful sights, ate Digby scallops and looked at the ocean.
One big decision you have to make if you travel the Cabot Trail is which way to go: clockwise or counterclockwise. We opted for clockwise, and came upon a small Honda (like there's another kind) full of tourists at one gas station, only to come upon them later in our trip, going the opposite way.
We spent some nights in b&b's, some nights we camped out. It was the year of Diana and Charles' wedding, and I wanted to watch the festivities on Canadian television so we made sure we were in a motel that night. It was broadcast live, so it was on around 4 a.m. Those were days when it was hard for me to be awake early in the morning, so I missed a lot of the ceremony, but my sister sat, bolt upright in bed and watched the whole thing. Good for her! There are plenty of images of that event, but she watched the whole thing as it happened.
Friday, June 01, 2012
Summer season begins
We had Memorial Day weekend, and it was busy. Lots of comings and goings, seeing people and doing things. I walked the dogs a few times, checked out the bog, slept in the boat house, saw loons, went to the dump twice, did some organizing upstairs, and got sick, very sick. Intestinal flu, lasted about 2 days. I take my days off after Memorial Day to concentrate on cleaning the house, but that didn't work out well this year. I spent one whole day lying on the (uncomfortable) couch, and got nominal cleaning done the next day. I've still got much to do but feel good about the progress I'm making in the master bedroom (aka storage unit). I need to hit the upstairs hall hard this weekend, which shouldn't be too hard because it's supposed to rain all day Sat. That at least keeps me indoors.
I planted a bunch of flowers, killed a bunch of seedlings, had a good time playing in the dirt. I went to the cemetery and planted geraniums and portulaca on the dead people. Got good geraniums this year for Spaulding and Henry, they look pretty good. I took Tess and Treasure, letting them roam while I planted, and roam they did. They disappeared, which upset me; then Tess came back without Treasure. This never happens--it's always Treasure who shows up first. So I sat in the car a while, started to drive around the cemetery, and she came running down the hill. Turd monkey. It was nice to get the planting there done before black flies showed up. Which they did this week. They're thick this year, which is what I expected. I still have planting to do--in the dirt, not in containers, so that will be a challenge. The back of my neck is already peppered with red bites.
We had book group at the boat house, which went well. No one liked the book, which meant we talked about it more than we usually do. I cooked a chicken and others brought goodies. Lin, Martha and Eva came early, M'lou and Lori arrived a bit later. It was a really pretty afternoon, and the loon showed up just for kicks.
I slept in the boat house two nights--Treasure's first foray there. She did well, slept through the night peacefully. Kitty missed us but not enough to wander down to find us. That will come later, when I stay consecutive nights there. Too chilly right now to sleep there.
Linda arrived, which was great. We have yet to have a real visit, but I'm stopping there tonight on the way home. Women from Baltimore are here and I visited with them a bit. The Hord camp is occupied. Last night the Nadals arrived, and I hope to see them this weekend. I saw Annie and Rush on Saturday, dinner there with Joe & Martha. Very nice time. A & R will be back SOON, which is very exciting.
I spent yesterday morning in Keene Valley, weeding their extensive art collection. Art books, not art. They have a huge art collection and it's a challenge to weed because they're committed to developing the best collection on that in the system, so we have to keep more than we usually would. I had lunch there with some volunteers and the director's mother, who is 93. She just got back from a trip to Africa, which is amazing to me. She's great, having a good time in the Adks.
My poor mother fell down in the grocery store this week, which was terribly embarrassing. Her foot got stuck in the wheel of the cart and down she went. She did fine, but it meant a trip to the emergency room and lots of phone calls following. She's good but apparently looks like hell, bad bruises on her face. She has good bones and nothing broke.
What's up for the weekend? Well, cleaning, walking the dogs, washing windows in the living room. Geez they're disgusting. I'm trying to do a window a day but some have to be done twice. I have plants to put in the ground and seeds to plant as well. Weeding? What's that? Who does that?
I planted a bunch of flowers, killed a bunch of seedlings, had a good time playing in the dirt. I went to the cemetery and planted geraniums and portulaca on the dead people. Got good geraniums this year for Spaulding and Henry, they look pretty good. I took Tess and Treasure, letting them roam while I planted, and roam they did. They disappeared, which upset me; then Tess came back without Treasure. This never happens--it's always Treasure who shows up first. So I sat in the car a while, started to drive around the cemetery, and she came running down the hill. Turd monkey. It was nice to get the planting there done before black flies showed up. Which they did this week. They're thick this year, which is what I expected. I still have planting to do--in the dirt, not in containers, so that will be a challenge. The back of my neck is already peppered with red bites.
We had book group at the boat house, which went well. No one liked the book, which meant we talked about it more than we usually do. I cooked a chicken and others brought goodies. Lin, Martha and Eva came early, M'lou and Lori arrived a bit later. It was a really pretty afternoon, and the loon showed up just for kicks.
I slept in the boat house two nights--Treasure's first foray there. She did well, slept through the night peacefully. Kitty missed us but not enough to wander down to find us. That will come later, when I stay consecutive nights there. Too chilly right now to sleep there.
Linda arrived, which was great. We have yet to have a real visit, but I'm stopping there tonight on the way home. Women from Baltimore are here and I visited with them a bit. The Hord camp is occupied. Last night the Nadals arrived, and I hope to see them this weekend. I saw Annie and Rush on Saturday, dinner there with Joe & Martha. Very nice time. A & R will be back SOON, which is very exciting.
I spent yesterday morning in Keene Valley, weeding their extensive art collection. Art books, not art. They have a huge art collection and it's a challenge to weed because they're committed to developing the best collection on that in the system, so we have to keep more than we usually would. I had lunch there with some volunteers and the director's mother, who is 93. She just got back from a trip to Africa, which is amazing to me. She's great, having a good time in the Adks.
My poor mother fell down in the grocery store this week, which was terribly embarrassing. Her foot got stuck in the wheel of the cart and down she went. She did fine, but it meant a trip to the emergency room and lots of phone calls following. She's good but apparently looks like hell, bad bruises on her face. She has good bones and nothing broke.
What's up for the weekend? Well, cleaning, walking the dogs, washing windows in the living room. Geez they're disgusting. I'm trying to do a window a day but some have to be done twice. I have plants to put in the ground and seeds to plant as well. Weeding? What's that? Who does that?
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