Nearly frosty

It was cold at home yesterday morning--38 degrees.  Guess they had frost in other areas, but we just had cold.  And it felt SOOO cold.  Which makes me laugh because there will be much of the year when we'll think 38 would be great, nice and warm.  I made a doctor's appointment for 6 months from now and it's in MARCH.  In onlly 6 months it will be nearly spring-like.  Time is a funny thing. 

The weather is September-ific.  Sunny, warm but not hot, nice breeze.  I sat in the sun and read last weekend, really enjoying myself.  I started reading Await your reply by Dan Chaon.  I like him--book group read You remind me of me last year or so and some liked it, some didn't.  I like Stuart O'Nan better, Richard Russo really more, Richard Ford some.  It's hard to narrow down any "favorites" or authors/books I like best.  We just finished Cutting for stone for book group.  Long book but good.  I like the ending.

Social life is settling down.  I was busy last week, dinners & cocktails, but this week I'm less committed.  I had dinner with Linda & Erd. on Monday--delicious organic beef burritos.  Wow they were good.  Last night I went straight home, which was a pleasnt thing.  I walked the dogs to camp to move my kayak closer to shore so that Duncan & Sue could use it, and to check on my supplies.  Liquor, that is.  I am lacking some key ingredients so will re-stock this week.  Gin & rum, pretty much.  What I had got all drunk up.

I'm having company for dinner on Saturday night--at my HOUSE.  This is very unusual.  I can't remember having anyone other than Ken, Bill & Fred come for dinner in recent years.  We used to entertain a lot but it's hard for me to do it alone.  And my house is arranged in such a queer way that there's not really that much room for company.  So I'm having Duncan & Sue plus Linda & Erdvilas.  Where will we all sit?  I moved one chair upstairs so I could put my great-grandmother's desk in its place next to the couch.  I'll figure it out--I do have enough chairs, they're just not in the living room.  And I have to move the dog cage that dominates the dining area.  Which will probably make Treasure very nervous.

I have some cleaning to do, of course, but it's not too bad.  I've mostlly got clutter to clear, vacuuming, bathroom cleaning and lining up dinner supplies.  I bought new dishes in RI, which sort of frustrated my mother, who wants to be getting RID of things and hopes my sister and I will take them.  I needed to have more than 4 matching plates.  So now I do.  What will I serve?  Linda & I are sort of splitting up the meal--she'll make the sauce, I'll cook the pasta.  And I'll make cheesecake.  And there will be other things.  And yes, I think we'll all fit around the table.  Wouldn't it be great if I cleared out the area behind the wood stove?

Work is fine--we got a grant for $10,000 to come up with a bunch of information on diseases & health, including e-books and streaming videos.  We're gearing up to get started, will be partnering with the local hospital and health department.  I've been staring at videos for a couple of hours, trying to identify what topics the vendor has to offer.  And I started cruising e-books but that's way more intensive surfing.  First we have to pick the diseases.

Dogs are doing well.  Treasure loves to go for walks and whines as she bounces around next to me, in front of me, behind me when we start out.  She's really pretty easy to please.  Tess is doing well.  She spent some time with bogwalkers a while back but was pretty good over the weekend.  I chained her up on Sat.; on Sunday she stuck around.  No one but me seems to notice that there are only 2 dogs now.  I think of Chances often; I miss her but it's nice to have just 2 dogs.  Wonder what it might be like to have ONE dog?

Tonight is dinner with Duncan & Sue, which will be nice.  A good visit.  We dined together last weekend, in a crowd, so we didn't get to visit much.  Last Saturday night I had a nice dinner with Jim & Judy plus a friend of theirs from Cape Cod.  Boy did we laugh a lot.  It was extremely nice.

I ran out of water on Saturday, but the well refreshed itself sufficiently by Sunday so that I've averted THAT crisis.  I'll do laundry at the Holts' now.  Spoke to both of them over the weekend, they had a good time at the DNC.  Rush said he came home feeling inspired, which was good to hear.  I'm an unrealistic optimist and do believe we'll re-elect our President in Nov.  Color me stoopid.