The color in the mountains is coming along nicely (comin' good) though it's not as brilliant as it has been other years. We can't help comparing each year's color to past year's, it's a form of great entertainment.
I had a busy weekend and enjoyed it all very much. Friday I stopped at P&J's, where I was joined by "the boys": Joe, Bill and Fred. What a nice group! We had an excellent visit. Fred was eager to get on to his camp, where he spent the night. I was eager to get home to the dogs, who haven't had the best of care in recent days. Sometimes I walk them, sometimes I just don't. I did walk with them to camp yesterday, just a quick trip.
Saturday I went to the dump--Dump Man knows me well now and always gives me 2 dog biscuits for The Ladies. I stopped at Linda's on the way home and she suggested we have a Dock Day Royale. Which we did. Boy was it nice. The sun is low in the sky but very hot, and the water is COLD, very cold. We got hot enough to swim, though "swim" would be a generous description. Mostly we dipped. We read a bit and visited a lot. What a lovely time it was.
Saturday I showed off my new stove to Duncan, Sue, David & Maryanne. I had them come for wine & snacks in the evening and they were duly impressed with my cobalt blue enameled Jotul. It IS a pretty stove.
Yesterday morning was chilly but warmed up quickly. Temps at night have been in the low 40's but daytime temps have been in the 70's, with good sunshine. We had our autumnal brunch at Duncan's--Linda cooked delicious pancakes and there was a ton of other food. Great time, lots of good company and nice visiting.
After that I struggled with my choices: should I spend the day on the boat house dock, or should I return to Linda's? Boy that was a tough one. I opted for Linda's--she'll be leaving in a couple of weeks and I like being with her. The day was warmer than Sat. and the water was more bearable. We actually swam and floated around. Brrr. But very refreshing. I read some of the book group book, we visited a bit, and we spent a lot of time watching activities on the far shore through our binoculars. There wasn't much of interest happening, but we're easily entertained.
I had a restless night, was up for hours. I went to sleep but woke up and couldn't get back to sleep so I watched Stupid Television for a while before finally getting back to sleep around 3. The dogs are puzzled by this but enjoy their night travels in the wee hours. Tess did run off yesterday afternoon, ostensibly to join bog walkers. She wasn't gone long.
This will be a busy week. Weds. I spend the day in Albany for training. It's a 3-hour trip, and the training is scheduled from 9-4 so it will be a long and tiring day. I can't imagine spending that many hours being trained on the new interlibrary loan platform, but who knows.
Thursday I'm having dinner with the Ruders + Linda & Erd. Friday Bill is hosting an extravaganza at M'side, and Saturday is Bill's birthday turkey dinner at Linda's. Whew! Easy to get fatter with a schedule like that. I tried to go to a yoga class in Keene last night but it was canceled. I don't think I was really disappointed.
Work is fine, busy and entertaining. I am tired of driving to and from Plattsburgh, but I enjoy my job. That counts. A lot.
Monday, September 30, 2013
The view from Linda's dock, where I spent 2 fantastic afternoons
I had the most wonderful weekend. I spent 2 afternoons with my friend Linda, sitting on her new (and very fancy) dock. We read, visited, spied on the other side of the lake with our binoculars, and, yes, we swam. The water is freezing cold but the sun was very hot and it felt wonderful. It felt more wonderful when you got out, but it was really nice. This is what September in Hawkeye is supposed to be like.
Looking at the neighbors from Linda's dock
This is looking up the lake, toward the boat house (which you can just barely see). Near perfection.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Ahhhhhh.
I took a day off yesterday to clean and organize my house. It worked out well and I was pleased with my progress. I had a nice, relaxing morning, got up early & walked to the boat house to check on the lake (it was windy) and color (coming along but not yet peak). I cleaned my deck of a lot of debris, which was just wonderful. Took 2 bags of garbage to the dump + got rid of my old (35 yrs.) propane camp stove that no longer works. The deck looks much better now. I also emptied some of the skankier-looking flower pots. I couldn't bring myself to throw them all out, though, so still have some mediocre-looking pots on the railing & deck.
I walked the bog in the afternoon, my first walk to the end of the boardwalk in many weeks. I like going in the off-season--not only is it less crowded (like, you get to have the place to yourself) but the colors are always different. It's very pretty in there now, unless you're the type of person depressed by signs of autumn. I like autumn--isn't that why we live in places with 4 seasons? To watch the seasons change?
It's been a pretty busy time--a flurry of late-season activity. Dinners with Linda & Erdvilas, Duncan & Sue, Joe. All very nice and delicious. I'm not gaining weight, thankfully, and have lost 3 pounds. I'm really hoping to walk more regularly and lose weight. Hoping to lose some SERIOUS weight this winter.
I've kept a fire going in my stove pretty much every day, but haven't kept it going all night yet. I know how to set it to keep it burning low and steady but have yet to get it really hot. It is a determined stove, does not like to shut down. I've already emptied the ash pan (just for practice, while the stove was cold). It's a wonderful stove and I feel so lucky to have it. Does that mean I think I don't deserve it? Well, not, it's just that it was a luxury that I couldn't really afford but really wanted. So I have it, and I admire and appreciate it regularly.
Dogs are fine. They're busy eating drops from the apple trees along the driveway and looking for deer. I don't think they know what deer are, but they're sure there's SOMETHING out there in the woods. They bark and fuss when we see deer from the car but I'm not sure they connect THOSE deer with the deer we have around the house.
Oh I had such a nice day yesterday. I love this time of year. Weather is expected to continue to be sunny and warm. Saturday looks like a wonderful day. I need to start working on the boat house--emptying the fridge, tidying up. And I need to get to the fridge in main camp, which has flotsam from summer visitors in it. I already ate the marshmallows that were in the cabinet.
We're getting some good color but of course there's much discussion about just how good the color is this year. Is it as good as usual? Isn't it duller, not as bright? But wait, that's what we said last year and it ended up being beautiful. There definitely is not as much red as we usually have, probably due to some weather activity. Lots of yellows and oranges, though. We haven't reached the time when walking in the woods feels as if there are bright lights everywhere because of the yellow yellow yellow leaves. That will come, though.
I walked the bog in the afternoon, my first walk to the end of the boardwalk in many weeks. I like going in the off-season--not only is it less crowded (like, you get to have the place to yourself) but the colors are always different. It's very pretty in there now, unless you're the type of person depressed by signs of autumn. I like autumn--isn't that why we live in places with 4 seasons? To watch the seasons change?
It's been a pretty busy time--a flurry of late-season activity. Dinners with Linda & Erdvilas, Duncan & Sue, Joe. All very nice and delicious. I'm not gaining weight, thankfully, and have lost 3 pounds. I'm really hoping to walk more regularly and lose weight. Hoping to lose some SERIOUS weight this winter.
I've kept a fire going in my stove pretty much every day, but haven't kept it going all night yet. I know how to set it to keep it burning low and steady but have yet to get it really hot. It is a determined stove, does not like to shut down. I've already emptied the ash pan (just for practice, while the stove was cold). It's a wonderful stove and I feel so lucky to have it. Does that mean I think I don't deserve it? Well, not, it's just that it was a luxury that I couldn't really afford but really wanted. So I have it, and I admire and appreciate it regularly.
Dogs are fine. They're busy eating drops from the apple trees along the driveway and looking for deer. I don't think they know what deer are, but they're sure there's SOMETHING out there in the woods. They bark and fuss when we see deer from the car but I'm not sure they connect THOSE deer with the deer we have around the house.
Oh I had such a nice day yesterday. I love this time of year. Weather is expected to continue to be sunny and warm. Saturday looks like a wonderful day. I need to start working on the boat house--emptying the fridge, tidying up. And I need to get to the fridge in main camp, which has flotsam from summer visitors in it. I already ate the marshmallows that were in the cabinet.
We're getting some good color but of course there's much discussion about just how good the color is this year. Is it as good as usual? Isn't it duller, not as bright? But wait, that's what we said last year and it ended up being beautiful. There definitely is not as much red as we usually have, probably due to some weather activity. Lots of yellows and oranges, though. We haven't reached the time when walking in the woods feels as if there are bright lights everywhere because of the yellow yellow yellow leaves. That will come, though.
Tess dozes while Treasure keeps an eye on things (namely me)
My but they're shiny, aren't they? They're very pretty girls.
I went to the dump yesterday and there was a man who couldn't stop petting them or talking about how perfect they were. His chocolate Lab just died. He thought mine were the perfect size, were beautiful and sooooo sweet. They thought he was pretty grand, too, but not as grand as Dump Man, who always gives me biscuits for them. Oh they love a trip to the dump.
Tamaracks are lightening up...
The tamaracks in the bog turn a fantastic color at the end of the fall--they're about the last bit of color we get. They're starting to turn.
Ferns turning in the bog
They turn gold, then brown, then they sort of drop off. They're very pretty.
Looking for the perfect leaf
Not so many red leaves this year, and lots of leaves are falling before we've had peak color. Hold on until Columbus day, leaves!
How it looks at 58OHR these days
Oh it's getting pretty. Very pretty. A sunny, warm, clear day yesterday and I spent it at home.
Monday, September 23, 2013
023Treasure's treasure--a deer skull and spine. yum.
Treasure found this the other day and proudly brought it home for Tess to play with. YUCK.
017Bog walkers enjoying the color
It's really getting colorful. This is from the end of my driveway. Bog is busy.
014
It's an amazing year for wild apples. Part of my land is an old orchard so I have a few different kinds of apples. These are very sweet and the ones on the next tree over are very tart. These apples are huge. The deer and the dogs are enjoying the falls.
003Pretty gaudy, but beautiful on Sat. morning at 6:30 a.m.
Amazing color--even more amazing that the camera caught it so well. Timing is crucial, since colors change by the minute. Not a bad image to wake up to on a Saturday
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
And WOW
What a beautiful day today--bright, strong sunshine, clear and cool. Perfect autumn weather. Or at least it looks that way from my desk...
We had our first real frost yesterday morning--temp was 30 at 6:30 a.m. and there was scrapable frost on my windshield. My flowers didn't seem to mind, however, I don't think I lost anything. Darn, that just means I have to deal with the pots on my deck with live plants still in them. Dump them out, girlie, they're not going to get any prettier. They all look pretty skanky right now anyway.
Had a quiet weekend, which was nice but not productive. I did have a nice time Saturday morning with Duncan and Sue, traveling to Paul's bakery in Upper Jay for food & visit with Linda & Erd., then we stopped at the Wilmington festival and poked around there a while, then home. It was a bit cold but a very nice fall day. I went to the dump in the afternoon with Stephanie, who was eager for social contact. Uneventful dump run except that I got to dump my old microwave into the metal bin. Very dramatic effect, tossing it in and hearing a big crash. I like my new (cheap) microwave--it heats food as quickly as a microwave is supposed to. And makes popcorn with all the kernels popped.
Sunday was quiet, just a quick visit with P&J at noon then home to do...what? Not much. I got laundry done, did dishes, tidied a bit but still have much left to do. Joe came to get my great-grandmother's desk to fix. That's a huge deal to me--I hate it when I can't figure out how to fix things or get things done, so it was wonderful that he agreed to take care of it. It will be nice to have a desk with a drawer in it again. And now I promise to use it as a desk instead of a storage unit.
Ravi came to mow on Sunday, and we had a long visit. He's just out of college and has an interesting attitude about life, work, etc. He just visited relatives in Calif. and was really wooed by their lifestyle and income levels. Very impressed by their expensive cars, wants that life for himself. Well I guess we're all impressed by SOMETHING when we're 22, but my friend and I had a long conversation this morning about what young people's expectations are these days. Does life own them something? We just went to college and got jobs as a matter of course (although my only reason for going to college was to kill 2 years until I got married--that all changed when I decided NOT to get married at 19). We've had jobs since we were 16, and knew that, when we graduated from college with our shiny history degrees that we'd have to find something to do for a career. So we turned to libraries. That was sort of where those of us with liberal arts majors ended up. There were 250 people in my lib. science program, at a relatively small school. Lots of sociologists, historians, English majors, etc. All wondering what we would do and not knowing much about libraries. At least we didn't get our degrees because "we like books." That reason drives me crazy, especially now when libraries are so much less about books than ever.
So life goes on. Big unanswered questions. What is the meaning of life, anyway? Why is the sky blue? Actually Rush answered that one for me.
Dogs are fine. They're very playful these days, lots of roughhousing in the living room. They're full of joy and I like it when they chase each other around and play big mean fighting dog. I started walking the bog the other day but got bored and turned around. Even Tess seemed bored so it was a bust. I have been walking to camp on the weekends but that's not really much of a walk. I went to the doctor this week--my numbers are all good (except for the one on the scale) so he and I had little to say to each other. Which is fine. See you in 3 months.
Work is good. Busy. I've been doing a lot of the interlibrary loan work, which is always interesting. What are people reading these days? Well, inmates like to know how to make $1 million in real estate by investing $25, how to fight off zombies, how to cast spells and place curses, how to make fancy tattoos, and one of them has come up with a game app that the CEO of Yahoo! absolutely MUST know about. He needs to get in touch with her directly. Her contact information is on the Internet so I don't mind sending it along.
We had our first real frost yesterday morning--temp was 30 at 6:30 a.m. and there was scrapable frost on my windshield. My flowers didn't seem to mind, however, I don't think I lost anything. Darn, that just means I have to deal with the pots on my deck with live plants still in them. Dump them out, girlie, they're not going to get any prettier. They all look pretty skanky right now anyway.
Had a quiet weekend, which was nice but not productive. I did have a nice time Saturday morning with Duncan and Sue, traveling to Paul's bakery in Upper Jay for food & visit with Linda & Erd., then we stopped at the Wilmington festival and poked around there a while, then home. It was a bit cold but a very nice fall day. I went to the dump in the afternoon with Stephanie, who was eager for social contact. Uneventful dump run except that I got to dump my old microwave into the metal bin. Very dramatic effect, tossing it in and hearing a big crash. I like my new (cheap) microwave--it heats food as quickly as a microwave is supposed to. And makes popcorn with all the kernels popped.
Sunday was quiet, just a quick visit with P&J at noon then home to do...what? Not much. I got laundry done, did dishes, tidied a bit but still have much left to do. Joe came to get my great-grandmother's desk to fix. That's a huge deal to me--I hate it when I can't figure out how to fix things or get things done, so it was wonderful that he agreed to take care of it. It will be nice to have a desk with a drawer in it again. And now I promise to use it as a desk instead of a storage unit.
Ravi came to mow on Sunday, and we had a long visit. He's just out of college and has an interesting attitude about life, work, etc. He just visited relatives in Calif. and was really wooed by their lifestyle and income levels. Very impressed by their expensive cars, wants that life for himself. Well I guess we're all impressed by SOMETHING when we're 22, but my friend and I had a long conversation this morning about what young people's expectations are these days. Does life own them something? We just went to college and got jobs as a matter of course (although my only reason for going to college was to kill 2 years until I got married--that all changed when I decided NOT to get married at 19). We've had jobs since we were 16, and knew that, when we graduated from college with our shiny history degrees that we'd have to find something to do for a career. So we turned to libraries. That was sort of where those of us with liberal arts majors ended up. There were 250 people in my lib. science program, at a relatively small school. Lots of sociologists, historians, English majors, etc. All wondering what we would do and not knowing much about libraries. At least we didn't get our degrees because "we like books." That reason drives me crazy, especially now when libraries are so much less about books than ever.
So life goes on. Big unanswered questions. What is the meaning of life, anyway? Why is the sky blue? Actually Rush answered that one for me.
Dogs are fine. They're very playful these days, lots of roughhousing in the living room. They're full of joy and I like it when they chase each other around and play big mean fighting dog. I started walking the bog the other day but got bored and turned around. Even Tess seemed bored so it was a bust. I have been walking to camp on the weekends but that's not really much of a walk. I went to the doctor this week--my numbers are all good (except for the one on the scale) so he and I had little to say to each other. Which is fine. See you in 3 months.
Work is good. Busy. I've been doing a lot of the interlibrary loan work, which is always interesting. What are people reading these days? Well, inmates like to know how to make $1 million in real estate by investing $25, how to fight off zombies, how to cast spells and place curses, how to make fancy tattoos, and one of them has come up with a game app that the CEO of Yahoo! absolutely MUST know about. He needs to get in touch with her directly. Her contact information is on the Internet so I don't mind sending it along.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
006Late season swim for Tess
I can't believe she lets me take her picture these days. The new camera makes a noise when you turn it on and she usually hides when she hears it. I guess this was just the magic of the moment. She had a nice swim.
Monday, September 09, 2013
Sunny and frosty
No real frost at 58OHR this morning, temp was 36 around 6:30. I had a restless night, having put a different comforter on the bed--I woke at 1:30 sweating and uncomfortable. Finally got up, watched stooopid television and knit for a while, then dozed. I think the dogs are getting used to this sort of night time routine, they're pretty calm after their initial "we're getting up" excitement. Anyway, it was cool but not frosty at my house but there was frost a-plenty on the way to Platts.
I've pretty much given up on the plants on my deck. It wasn't a banner year for my flowers--maybe too much rain, I don't know. The geraniums are just starting to recover and bloom, and most of the other annuals did quite poorly. I'm hoping they all die a gentle, frosty death soon. I caught the dog eating the only cucumber of any notable size that I grew, and there were plenty of green grape tomatoes for the dogs to eat. Why do I try growing cukes and tomatotes? Because I'm an optimist, I think ("this year it will be different"). Or else just a fool.
It's a bit quieter in the neighborhood, but there are still summer visitors. Friends arrived at their camp yesterday for a 3-week stay, Linda is still here, Joe is still here, though mostly that's it. I stopped at P&J's on Friday and had a nice visit with Jim's sister and Joe. We're all enjoying September weather and everyone is pretty cheerful. Pat & I like autumn--Jim doesn't, because it just means that winter is coming. Two of my favorite months are September and May--everything is in transition from one season to another and there's always a lot of activity. Right now the leaves are just starting to turn (though slowly) and the goldenrod is in full bloom everywhere. Tess' reaction to ragweed is under control, wild apples are plentiful and huge, deer are starting to move around, there's morning mist on the water, and it's very peaceful.
I walked to camp both Sat. and Sun., picking up a few things to take home, getting ready to close for the season. I think I'll have at least another night down there this week, when temps are suggested to hit 80. I don't like staying there when it's cold at night.
I had fires in my new stove. Apparently it's crucial to break the stove in gradually, so I had one fire at 100 degrees, a second fire at 200 degrees, then a third, hotter fire and now it's all set. This stove is very different from my old stove (well, duh, I hope so). It burns the wood slowly and gives off excellent heat. And it's pretty to look at as well.
Oh I love a new toy.
Saturday morning Linda & I went to a local bakery that is just a wonderful gathering place with delicious treats. We had a nice visit and saw some people we knew, relaxed there for quite a while.
Yesterday morning I had coffee with Fred and Linda at Fred's camp, which was very nice. Days of sitting on porches are dwindling down as it gets colder. We had book group last night at Linda's and sat on her porch. It was chilly but nice. We actually had some good discussion of the book (The widow of the south) and all agreed it was a worthy read. All. Well, there were 4 of us. We lost Martha to Montana, so the group is smaller. We're not sure who, or if we'll add another member, maybe we'll just have 3 or maybe 4 winter members. It's a tricky thing, to invite someone new to a book group.
What's up this week? Work, a meeting, more work. Looks pretty quiet from here. I think I'll look for a new comforter. But maybe not. My friend's 10-year-old son ordered $150 worth of Star Wars DVD's, using their Amazon account without his parents' knowledge. Yes, they cancelled the order and learned a valuable lesson.
I'm trying to walk regularly again, having become quite portly and pretty much out-of-shape. The dogs really deserve walks, and I'll have to reveal my weight gain to my doctor next week so hope to be able to report increased activity by then.
I've pretty much given up on the plants on my deck. It wasn't a banner year for my flowers--maybe too much rain, I don't know. The geraniums are just starting to recover and bloom, and most of the other annuals did quite poorly. I'm hoping they all die a gentle, frosty death soon. I caught the dog eating the only cucumber of any notable size that I grew, and there were plenty of green grape tomatoes for the dogs to eat. Why do I try growing cukes and tomatotes? Because I'm an optimist, I think ("this year it will be different"). Or else just a fool.
It's a bit quieter in the neighborhood, but there are still summer visitors. Friends arrived at their camp yesterday for a 3-week stay, Linda is still here, Joe is still here, though mostly that's it. I stopped at P&J's on Friday and had a nice visit with Jim's sister and Joe. We're all enjoying September weather and everyone is pretty cheerful. Pat & I like autumn--Jim doesn't, because it just means that winter is coming. Two of my favorite months are September and May--everything is in transition from one season to another and there's always a lot of activity. Right now the leaves are just starting to turn (though slowly) and the goldenrod is in full bloom everywhere. Tess' reaction to ragweed is under control, wild apples are plentiful and huge, deer are starting to move around, there's morning mist on the water, and it's very peaceful.
I walked to camp both Sat. and Sun., picking up a few things to take home, getting ready to close for the season. I think I'll have at least another night down there this week, when temps are suggested to hit 80. I don't like staying there when it's cold at night.
I had fires in my new stove. Apparently it's crucial to break the stove in gradually, so I had one fire at 100 degrees, a second fire at 200 degrees, then a third, hotter fire and now it's all set. This stove is very different from my old stove (well, duh, I hope so). It burns the wood slowly and gives off excellent heat. And it's pretty to look at as well.
Oh I love a new toy.
Saturday morning Linda & I went to a local bakery that is just a wonderful gathering place with delicious treats. We had a nice visit and saw some people we knew, relaxed there for quite a while.
Yesterday morning I had coffee with Fred and Linda at Fred's camp, which was very nice. Days of sitting on porches are dwindling down as it gets colder. We had book group last night at Linda's and sat on her porch. It was chilly but nice. We actually had some good discussion of the book (The widow of the south) and all agreed it was a worthy read. All. Well, there were 4 of us. We lost Martha to Montana, so the group is smaller. We're not sure who, or if we'll add another member, maybe we'll just have 3 or maybe 4 winter members. It's a tricky thing, to invite someone new to a book group.
What's up this week? Work, a meeting, more work. Looks pretty quiet from here. I think I'll look for a new comforter. But maybe not. My friend's 10-year-old son ordered $150 worth of Star Wars DVD's, using their Amazon account without his parents' knowledge. Yes, they cancelled the order and learned a valuable lesson.
I'm trying to walk regularly again, having become quite portly and pretty much out-of-shape. The dogs really deserve walks, and I'll have to reveal my weight gain to my doctor next week so hope to be able to report increased activity by then.
Tuesday, September 03, 2013
Whew!
Well we made it through Labor Day weekend--it was busy but nice. Weather was OK with some exceptions. Huge storm last night but Linda had already grilled the steaks before torrential downpour and high winds arrived. One of those dramatic Silver Lake storms, which I enjoyed watching with friends. Everyone loves to see those wind "waves" across the surface of the lake.
I went to Jenica's wedding on Saturday. Dropped the dogs off at 7:30 at the kennel, went home for a few hours, then left for southern Vermont at 10:30. Easy trip, it turned out. I checked a ton of map sites, plus my print map (which I love, and which I find much easier to follow than print-outs of online routes). I ended up going down the western part of the state, which was an easy trip, then over to Rte. 7. Went to Manchester because I got to the wedding park too early. Bought my mother socks for Christmas (don't tell her) and myself a pair of shorts that are too tight but are really nice anyway. I can hang them on the wall as incentive to lose the weight I'm planning to work hard on losing. Wedding pictures on Facebook show just how tubby I look. Well, wait, I LOOK? No, I AM. I gained 7 pounds over the summer, mostly during my 2 weeks in RI, eating delicious seafood and the Italian cooking of my sister. So now I must get into a routine of eating better and walking. Yes, get out there and WALK.
Anyway, the wedding was fine. It was in a very pretty state park and was a nice, relaxed affair. The "ceremony" was short but lovely, and both Justin & Jenica were sooooo happy to get married. I had good visits with Deb, Jenica's mother, whom I hadn't seen in 9 years, and with some Potsdam friends of J&J's. All good. I left a little early, not really worried about my trip home but apprehensive. The trip was fine but a bit rainy. I took a different route home, which turned out to take just as long but not longer than the route going south. So now I've mastered western Vermont and southern New Hampshire, after these 2 weddings. And now I'm home.
I had dinner with friends on Friday night, hosted a cocktail party on Sunday night, and had dinner with friends last night. See? It's all about food and drink. It's lovely to see all of these people, I truly enjoy being with them. Now we settle in to the end of the season, with only Linda and Joe still here, while we watch the already-turning leaves light up the air.
I'm back at work after what seemed like a long, long break but was only 3 days. I picked up the dogs on Sunday and heard about Treasure's antics ("she showed her true colors"--uh-oh). Deb (kennel owner) separated my 2 dogs because Treasure was playing too hard with Rocket, another visitor, and Tess was getting bumped around too much. It's very hard to think of Tess as The Old Dog, but she is 10 and starting to show her age. Treasure needs to SETTLE DOWN. She really is full of energy these days and is very active.
This week I have a few things going on--appointment with my psychiatrist this morning. I'm on a 6-month schedule now, which is sort of like graduating from a very long and intensive program. This means I'll only see him twice a year, oh my we'll have so much to catch up on. Weds. I'm having dinner with friends, tonight I'll see Jim & Pat, but really it looks pretty quiet.
I had a colonoscopy last week with great results--no polyps or abnormalities. The doctor spoke to me--well, really just waved at me after the procedure, telling me all was well and he'd see me in 5 years. Hah!
Dogs are fine. Tess has been suffering from her annual ragweed allergy attack but is now on Prednisone and doing very well. That stuff makes the dog pretty perky but mostly it's benefit is that she no longer itches and wiggles every time you touch her. Treasure seems to think peeing on the floor INSIDE the house is the way to go. Not sure how to deal with that, except shut both bedroom doors and hope it doesn't get too hot. There's only 1 window that opens in my bedroom--one wall is pretty much all window, which is why I stay in that room, and we put very few windows on the north side of the house.
So now I think I'll have a quiet spell in my life, which will be pleasant. We'll have a busy Columbus Day weekend, as always, then Jim, Pat & I settle into our winter routine. Joe will be here longer than usual and that will be a treat.
I went to Jenica's wedding on Saturday. Dropped the dogs off at 7:30 at the kennel, went home for a few hours, then left for southern Vermont at 10:30. Easy trip, it turned out. I checked a ton of map sites, plus my print map (which I love, and which I find much easier to follow than print-outs of online routes). I ended up going down the western part of the state, which was an easy trip, then over to Rte. 7. Went to Manchester because I got to the wedding park too early. Bought my mother socks for Christmas (don't tell her) and myself a pair of shorts that are too tight but are really nice anyway. I can hang them on the wall as incentive to lose the weight I'm planning to work hard on losing. Wedding pictures on Facebook show just how tubby I look. Well, wait, I LOOK? No, I AM. I gained 7 pounds over the summer, mostly during my 2 weeks in RI, eating delicious seafood and the Italian cooking of my sister. So now I must get into a routine of eating better and walking. Yes, get out there and WALK.
Anyway, the wedding was fine. It was in a very pretty state park and was a nice, relaxed affair. The "ceremony" was short but lovely, and both Justin & Jenica were sooooo happy to get married. I had good visits with Deb, Jenica's mother, whom I hadn't seen in 9 years, and with some Potsdam friends of J&J's. All good. I left a little early, not really worried about my trip home but apprehensive. The trip was fine but a bit rainy. I took a different route home, which turned out to take just as long but not longer than the route going south. So now I've mastered western Vermont and southern New Hampshire, after these 2 weddings. And now I'm home.
I had dinner with friends on Friday night, hosted a cocktail party on Sunday night, and had dinner with friends last night. See? It's all about food and drink. It's lovely to see all of these people, I truly enjoy being with them. Now we settle in to the end of the season, with only Linda and Joe still here, while we watch the already-turning leaves light up the air.
I'm back at work after what seemed like a long, long break but was only 3 days. I picked up the dogs on Sunday and heard about Treasure's antics ("she showed her true colors"--uh-oh). Deb (kennel owner) separated my 2 dogs because Treasure was playing too hard with Rocket, another visitor, and Tess was getting bumped around too much. It's very hard to think of Tess as The Old Dog, but she is 10 and starting to show her age. Treasure needs to SETTLE DOWN. She really is full of energy these days and is very active.
This week I have a few things going on--appointment with my psychiatrist this morning. I'm on a 6-month schedule now, which is sort of like graduating from a very long and intensive program. This means I'll only see him twice a year, oh my we'll have so much to catch up on. Weds. I'm having dinner with friends, tonight I'll see Jim & Pat, but really it looks pretty quiet.
I had a colonoscopy last week with great results--no polyps or abnormalities. The doctor spoke to me--well, really just waved at me after the procedure, telling me all was well and he'd see me in 5 years. Hah!
Dogs are fine. Tess has been suffering from her annual ragweed allergy attack but is now on Prednisone and doing very well. That stuff makes the dog pretty perky but mostly it's benefit is that she no longer itches and wiggles every time you touch her. Treasure seems to think peeing on the floor INSIDE the house is the way to go. Not sure how to deal with that, except shut both bedroom doors and hope it doesn't get too hot. There's only 1 window that opens in my bedroom--one wall is pretty much all window, which is why I stay in that room, and we put very few windows on the north side of the house.
So now I think I'll have a quiet spell in my life, which will be pleasant. We'll have a busy Columbus Day weekend, as always, then Jim, Pat & I settle into our winter routine. Joe will be here longer than usual and that will be a treat.
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