It was a good weekend, I relaxed and did a few chores, went to the dump, bought some more flower plants, planted a couple of containers, cleaned JUNK out of the laundry room and managed to give some stuff away to Lin and her son Jay.
I left work early on Friday, using up some time. Ran errands, then went home--to discover that Steve found a fire in the woods below my house. Yikes. It was dramatic, flames 8' high and lots of crackling. A power line came down & started the fire. I called the Fire Dept., they came, they brought tankers, they extinguished the blaze before any camps were affected. Very efficient. The firemen (volunteers) were fantastic--took it very seriously, acted quickly, were really polite. I thanked them profusely, and plan to send a contribution to the Fire Department with a note of thanks. Following my mother's example: when she had a chimney fire last year her volunteer fire dept. showed up right away and put it out, so she sent them money. I think that's an appropriate response, since these are volunteer fire depts.
After the excitement of the fire died down (which took a few hours for sure) I had a quiet time. Saturday morning I visited with Fred at his camp--his hip surgery is this week so he's trying to get everything ready. We had a really nice visit, then I went to the dump + to Lamoy's for plants. Bought a few more flower plants, not too many. I planted some, will take geraniums and portulaca to the cemetery (probably not until this weekend). I was sitting in my living room yesterday, pondering things, knowing it would be a good time to go to the cemetery, but just couldn't drag myself out of the house.
The black flies are out in full force, which is one of the reasons I couldn't drag myself out. I did some outdoor gardening--you have about 10-15 minutes before the flies find you, so you can get some things done quickly.
Friday night I visited with J&M, who arrived last week and are settling in for the summer. They're both great.
I had a quiet Sat. night, went to bed extremely early--it's light until quite late, so I'm getting good at sleeping while it's still very light out. This meant I got up at 5:30 on Sunday, which was fine. I waited a while, then went for gas (discovering that my gas place doesn't open until 7 on Sunday, but they were kind enough to turn on the pumps for me before then). Lin & her son were cleaning at Linda's and I offered them lunch before discovering that I had nothing much to feed them. So back to the store I went, bought bread & turkey & drinks. They came for lunch at 11 or so and we had a great visit.
My cousins came this weekend--they have a camp across the lake, which they opened as well as putting in the docks at our camp. Very nice of them. They fixed the gate, which the power company made a mess of a couple of years ago. I like having engineers in the family--though my brother was very scornful of engineers as a group--because they can figure out how to fix things easily. I never would have figured out how to put the gate back up, but they knew exactly how to do it. duh.
Did a bit more outdoor work in the afternoon, trying to get rid of the horrible and mean blackberry bushes that are taking over my yard. I assessed the situation on the back of the southern side of the house: trees! Many, many trees are getting quite large and are very close to the house. I'll ask Annie to cut them with her chainsaw when she next comes (in June). I cut down one but it was too small to count. The cherry trees are very pretty, all in bloom. I have a lot of them, and they're a favorite tree of mine, but some of them will just have to go. The apple trees are also blooming.
Restless night last night--early to bed, then up at midnight, then back to sleep around 2, then up at 6:30 for work. Dogs find this routine puzzling but they go back to bed easily. I made arrangements to board them later this week. I'm going to Alexandria Bay for a meeting, will spend the night there, so the dogs go back to Dapper Dog kennels. Complicated arrangements to drop them off & pick them up--which is interfering, my job or the kennel's hours? Anyway, they conflict so it's complicated.
Poured rain this morning, which is good. I have a lot of seedlings and some seeds I'm trying to get to germinate. Hope the water wasn't too much for the little darlings.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Whew
I'm bushed. And it's only Wednesday. Two of my co-workers were on vacation, one came back today and one returns tomorrow. In the meantime I've been 3 people. That makes the day go by fast but boy do I get tired. Things will settle down tomorrow. I've piled a bunch of work on my co-worker's desk--very unfriendly. When I'm out people put work stuff on my chair, which seems slightly hostile to me--I mean, can I please sit down first? So I don't do that.
Tomorrow night I have to go to Lewis to a meeting of a bunch of people who want to set up a library there. They are slowly (very slowly) learning that there's more to a library than stamping date due slips. They don't have a location yet, or a name, but they have 3 book trucks (one needs wheels) and feel that's a righteous start. Well we all come from humble beginnings, I suppose. Anyway, my director doesn't want to encourage them but sends me to work with them. So I'm charming and don't discourage them, just keep telling them how complicated it is and that FIRST YOU HAVE TO HAVE A LOCATION before you can have a library.
It's been cold, too cold at night. Had fires + turned the heat on, just couldn't stand to be cold. It's been in the 20's in the morning, heavy frost. I took all of my plantlets in and they're waiting to go back on the deck. Tonight, maybe, though it's raining now and I don't know if it'll rain too hard for the little darlings. Oh the complexities of life.
Dogs are doing well but I've been too lazy (and cold) to walk them so they've been entertaining themselves in the neighborhood. Must stop doing this! People will soon be arriving and I can't have them wandering around the way they do all winter. I've been getting a little exercise on my own, but do need to combine that with keeping the dogs company.
Summer people start arriving this week--Joe and Martha come tomorrow, Linda next week. All hell breaks loose after that. I have my 5-day break Memorial Day weekend, with my usual high hopes that I'll get the house in better shape while I'm off.
I had lunch with Fred today. He's a wreck, trying to arrange his life for the next post-surgery month. Too many things to attend to, too many issues to deal with. And he can't take anything for the pain for the next week (his surgery is on the 22nd). That can't be fun.
Tomorrow night I have to go to Lewis to a meeting of a bunch of people who want to set up a library there. They are slowly (very slowly) learning that there's more to a library than stamping date due slips. They don't have a location yet, or a name, but they have 3 book trucks (one needs wheels) and feel that's a righteous start. Well we all come from humble beginnings, I suppose. Anyway, my director doesn't want to encourage them but sends me to work with them. So I'm charming and don't discourage them, just keep telling them how complicated it is and that FIRST YOU HAVE TO HAVE A LOCATION before you can have a library.
It's been cold, too cold at night. Had fires + turned the heat on, just couldn't stand to be cold. It's been in the 20's in the morning, heavy frost. I took all of my plantlets in and they're waiting to go back on the deck. Tonight, maybe, though it's raining now and I don't know if it'll rain too hard for the little darlings. Oh the complexities of life.
Dogs are doing well but I've been too lazy (and cold) to walk them so they've been entertaining themselves in the neighborhood. Must stop doing this! People will soon be arriving and I can't have them wandering around the way they do all winter. I've been getting a little exercise on my own, but do need to combine that with keeping the dogs company.
Summer people start arriving this week--Joe and Martha come tomorrow, Linda next week. All hell breaks loose after that. I have my 5-day break Memorial Day weekend, with my usual high hopes that I'll get the house in better shape while I'm off.
I had lunch with Fred today. He's a wreck, trying to arrange his life for the next post-surgery month. Too many things to attend to, too many issues to deal with. And he can't take anything for the pain for the next week (his surgery is on the 22nd). That can't be fun.
Monday, May 13, 2013
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Green, very green. This was on my way home from buying plants (which all had to come in the house last night). A nice back road. We used to call it the North Hill Rd but now it's the Turnpike Road. It just goes from point A to point B. Lots of woods.
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Dark, cloudy and cold. I wore a jacket. That's shad blooming. This was taken from the HTC boat house.
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My friends' camp (Kokosing). I like this picture because my black dog is posing so nicely. She looks good.
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Turning into my driveway. There's a lot going on in the woods these days, with plenty more to come. Trillium is blooming, shad & cherry trees are almost done, tamaracks are greening up quickly.
That's not frosting-- we had a bit of snow last night
I mean, really--was that necessary? I do remember one Mother's Day when we got a foot of snow. So I guess I shouldn't complain.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Friday (and PAYDAY)
I seem to be blogging a lot, and I know that I'm taking a lot of pictures. Winter is slow in terms of changes in nature or goings on in my life. Spring is NOT. Every day brings something new and different, which is why May is one of my favorite months. Last night I walked the bog with the dogs and there were a few black flies. Not unusual for this time of year, really, but it reminded me that I should enjoy my walks now because soon enough I won't be enjoying them at all because of the flies. This morning, though I had plenty of time, I didn't have the motivation to walk the dogs so I let them out on their own. OH NO!! They were only gone for half and hour and came home uneventfully. I stuffed them full of dog biscuits for being such GOOD DOGS who come home. As if that really makes a difference to them.
We've had some rain but I think we need more. We need a few days of good, soaking rain. Yeah, that's right, that's what the black flies really like. Well rats, you can't have everything. The forest is dry.
I had a great time in Keene Valley and cataloged like crazy. Interesting stuff, not in any of our other 29 libraries, which is always a pleasant discovery. My friends and I are very scornful of people who want to work in libraries because they "love to read and love books." That's not what libraries are really focusing on. It's INFORMATION, and we have plenty of it. I just purchased $300 worth of e-books on health topics because we have a grant and the money has to be spent on that and spent soon. How do I feel about e-books? Well, librarians have many things to say about e-books, mostly things focusing on publishers and what a crappy deal libraries are getting with e-books. Sure, there's stuff that costs $20 or less, but the good stuff, the stuff people want to read costs $80 for each title. $300 doesn't go very far at that rate.
What's up for my weekend? I was going to help my friend Julie out by driving with her to Saranac Lake to retrieve one of her cars--her husband had surgery there & left the car. Today Julie had to take her son to an oral surgeon to have NINE teeth pulled. His baby teeth haven't given up yet and his mouth is too crowded. Poor guy. Anyway, that's over and they got the car thing settled without me. So that leaves me pretty much wide open. Sunday noon is Brousseau's, as is tonight after work. It's Mother's Day, but my mother doesn't seem terribly interested in that. I sent her some morning glory seeds (she said she bought the wrong color--everyone knows her favorite color is blue) and a nice card, and a long letter. I'll call her but that's about it. Do I feel guilty that I'm not in RI with her? Vaguely, but giving up a weekend in May is really, really hard. And I don't have that much vacation time, really.
Lots of meetings coming up, network meetings and system-wide meetings. Always a lot going on in May--people come out from under the snow cover and look around.
Life is good.
We've had some rain but I think we need more. We need a few days of good, soaking rain. Yeah, that's right, that's what the black flies really like. Well rats, you can't have everything. The forest is dry.
I had a great time in Keene Valley and cataloged like crazy. Interesting stuff, not in any of our other 29 libraries, which is always a pleasant discovery. My friends and I are very scornful of people who want to work in libraries because they "love to read and love books." That's not what libraries are really focusing on. It's INFORMATION, and we have plenty of it. I just purchased $300 worth of e-books on health topics because we have a grant and the money has to be spent on that and spent soon. How do I feel about e-books? Well, librarians have many things to say about e-books, mostly things focusing on publishers and what a crappy deal libraries are getting with e-books. Sure, there's stuff that costs $20 or less, but the good stuff, the stuff people want to read costs $80 for each title. $300 doesn't go very far at that rate.
What's up for my weekend? I was going to help my friend Julie out by driving with her to Saranac Lake to retrieve one of her cars--her husband had surgery there & left the car. Today Julie had to take her son to an oral surgeon to have NINE teeth pulled. His baby teeth haven't given up yet and his mouth is too crowded. Poor guy. Anyway, that's over and they got the car thing settled without me. So that leaves me pretty much wide open. Sunday noon is Brousseau's, as is tonight after work. It's Mother's Day, but my mother doesn't seem terribly interested in that. I sent her some morning glory seeds (she said she bought the wrong color--everyone knows her favorite color is blue) and a nice card, and a long letter. I'll call her but that's about it. Do I feel guilty that I'm not in RI with her? Vaguely, but giving up a weekend in May is really, really hard. And I don't have that much vacation time, really.
Lots of meetings coming up, network meetings and system-wide meetings. Always a lot going on in May--people come out from under the snow cover and look around.
Life is good.
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Greening up in the morning light
Douglas Mtn. from the boat house. It's getting green. I went back in the afternoon but the sun wasn't behaving and the pictures didn't turn out well--I was trying to show how much greener the mountain was at the end of just one day. There are a ton of shad trees blooming along the far shore--very pretty.
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I love this view, even with the cemetery. I take pictures from here often, during different times of year. This is at the bottom of Spruce Hill, between Keene and Keene Valley. I heard about an even better view a little farther up the hill, so on my next trip to Keene Valley I'll shoot from there.
Mystery wildflower--
I can't figure out what this is. I haven't seen it before and can't find an exact match in my books. It's along the road to Sonci.
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
Oh the little darlings are so cute
Cosmos seedings which have been left outside for a week! Not usually what happens this time of year. I have 3 flats of seedlings, all thriving on the deck.
What a difference a day makes! Poplar tree with leaves
I can't believe how different the woods look this morning. There are actual leaves on some of the trees! Wow it's amazing--I think we've passed spring and are zipping right into summer
Monday, May 06, 2013
Nice weekend
I had a really good weekend, though of course not as productive as it should have been. I read a LOT while sitting in the sun on the deck--finished Gone girl, which turned out to be a pretty good book. Read a lot of The art of fielding, which I'm really enjoying. Reminds me of John Irving's work. I cut some brambles (I love my new lopping shears) and cut some of the RI rose bush, hoping it wasn't too late in the spring to be effective. It actually looks pretty good, with lots of new growth. I'm not sure how many blossoms I'll end up with but it looks a lot better now.
Julie & I went to an estate sale in Keene Valley early Sat. morning. The good stuff was gone--they said most of it went on Friday, but that was truly a good thing. Both Julie & I KNOW we have too much stuff already. I bought a bowl and a serving bowl for $1.50. On our way home we stopped in Upper Jay, where there was a huge neighborhood sale. Boy was that fun! I bought some t-shirts for 50 cents each, a nice planter, and a small vase. Very satisfying. Julie got a lot of clothes for her son, plus a nice dart board. Where did I ever play darts? I don't know, but I do remember throwing darts at some point in my life. Probably a bar. No, I think my brother must have had a dart board.
Spent most of today at the Willsboro library, weeding the non-fiction. I always start slowly, hesitant to toss anything, but pick up momentum as I go along. Boy did I throw out a ton of stuff. They don't really have a space problem so it was purely my judgment that the stuff hadn't circulated or was of no real value to the collection. I had lunch with the director (a good friend) and came home to Plattsburgh.
Tonight I'm going to a co-worker's house to dig up perennials she doesn't want. She bought the house in the winter and doesn't know what's coming up, just that she wants to get rid of things. Hope I can recognize the plants! I think I'm in for a lot of lilies, which is fine. I can always stick those someplace.
Tomorrow is a staff luncheon. ugh. The theme is luau so I'll make some coconut cake dessert tonight. As if I'll feel like doing that. But I said I would. Apparently we'll be eating a lot of pineapple tomorrow.
Wednesday I get to spend the day in Keene Valley cataloging their archives. YAY! That will be nice. And maybe, just maybe I'll get to have dinner with Fred at Big Daddy's. We made tentative plans. Why is eating at Big Daddy's such a thrill? I guess just becuase it's a rite of spring/summer. Certainly not because we adore the food! I did have an exceptionally nice breakfast there during the winter, with the Berry/Jacks.
The weather is grand. Maybe getting a little hot. My cosmos seedlings are doing very well--they're on the deck now in their flats, getting strong and leafy. I have 3 flats and am hoping there will be some survivors when they're big enough to put in the ground. Which means I will have to prepare the ground yikes that will be a hard task--there's well-established grass in the spot where I have planted flowers in the past. Oh I hate having grass in the garden.
Julie & I went to an estate sale in Keene Valley early Sat. morning. The good stuff was gone--they said most of it went on Friday, but that was truly a good thing. Both Julie & I KNOW we have too much stuff already. I bought a bowl and a serving bowl for $1.50. On our way home we stopped in Upper Jay, where there was a huge neighborhood sale. Boy was that fun! I bought some t-shirts for 50 cents each, a nice planter, and a small vase. Very satisfying. Julie got a lot of clothes for her son, plus a nice dart board. Where did I ever play darts? I don't know, but I do remember throwing darts at some point in my life. Probably a bar. No, I think my brother must have had a dart board.
Spent most of today at the Willsboro library, weeding the non-fiction. I always start slowly, hesitant to toss anything, but pick up momentum as I go along. Boy did I throw out a ton of stuff. They don't really have a space problem so it was purely my judgment that the stuff hadn't circulated or was of no real value to the collection. I had lunch with the director (a good friend) and came home to Plattsburgh.
Tonight I'm going to a co-worker's house to dig up perennials she doesn't want. She bought the house in the winter and doesn't know what's coming up, just that she wants to get rid of things. Hope I can recognize the plants! I think I'm in for a lot of lilies, which is fine. I can always stick those someplace.
Tomorrow is a staff luncheon. ugh. The theme is luau so I'll make some coconut cake dessert tonight. As if I'll feel like doing that. But I said I would. Apparently we'll be eating a lot of pineapple tomorrow.
Wednesday I get to spend the day in Keene Valley cataloging their archives. YAY! That will be nice. And maybe, just maybe I'll get to have dinner with Fred at Big Daddy's. We made tentative plans. Why is eating at Big Daddy's such a thrill? I guess just becuase it's a rite of spring/summer. Certainly not because we adore the food! I did have an exceptionally nice breakfast there during the winter, with the Berry/Jacks.
The weather is grand. Maybe getting a little hot. My cosmos seedlings are doing very well--they're on the deck now in their flats, getting strong and leafy. I have 3 flats and am hoping there will be some survivors when they're big enough to put in the ground. Which means I will have to prepare the ground yikes that will be a hard task--there's well-established grass in the spot where I have planted flowers in the past. Oh I hate having grass in the garden.
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58 OHR in all her glory. There are daffodils all over the yard, blooming. Other than that it's pretty stark.
If you look closely you'll see a hint of green
Boy this mountain looks big when you zoom in on it. There's just barely some green here.
now THIS is a pretty dog
FINALLY a nice picture of Tess. She must not have realized I could zoom in.
Friday, May 03, 2013
It looks not too bad from this angle
I like this view of Sonci--makes the building look pretty. It was a nice morning, not too warm & not too cold. The dogs & I walked to camp and Tess went for a quick swim.
Saranac River--there's GREEN in the hills
It looks a lot like spring in some areas. A couple of warm days has made a huge difference. It doesn't look like this in Hawkeye yet, but the trillium near the bog is up.
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