Well, I have the best intentions about this blog. I want to post more often but it just doesn't seem to be happening. Yes, I'm busy, and I'm not spending much time at home, but it doesn't take long to write something (if anyone's out there reading this).
I've had a busy week, a hot and muggy week. Sunday was all about food--an extravaganza of food for Bill's contribution to Sunday dinners. A catered affair with many things. That lasted for most of the afternoon, and at 6 we had book group with a bit more food (delicious) and a nice time. We talked about the book (!) and visited. Did we like The orchardist? Yes, for the most part. I thought it was very well written but we all had issues with some of the plot twists.
I spent a hot Tuesday morning in Plattsburgh--doctor's appointment and haircut. Going to town in this weather makes me feel sooooo fortunate to have my home where it is. Oh yes. I've spent most of my time on the boat house porch this week, with an occasional spell of dock time and swimming. There's a cousin in camp with her friends, all of whom are very nice. I keep to myself mostly and it all seems to work well.
Wednesday I had a hot dock day, then went to Linda's for a farewell visit with MaryKay and Sheila. We ended up at the Beach House for burger dinners and a good time.
Yesterday was another dock day--there's really not much else you feel like doing in this weather. I went to the dump with Annie, then had a good visit with her. I'll see her for dinner tonight. Last night was dinner with my cousin and her friends on the porch at main camp, where there was an occasional breeze.
What's up for today? Not much. I think I'll have to go to a store for bread, maybe I'll go to the post office in AuSable to say hello to my friends there. I haven't seen them since Duncan put up my mailbox and I resumed home delivery.
The dogs seem fine with sleeping in the boat house, splitting days between my house and camp. They got new collars this week, probably the most exciting thing to happen to them for a while. Aside from some porcupine quills in Treasure's chin.
I'm so very happy these days, truly enjoying retirement. I've wanted to spend a summer home/at camp/with friends for so many years and I'm wallowing in this. It is so wonderful.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Summer: full speed ahead
Last week was busy--summer busy. Lots of dinners with friends, all very nice visits. How did I spend my days? It was hot and humid and I didn't do much. I stayed at the boat house a few times, have slept there for the last 3 nights because night temps were too high at home. I was there this afternoon when a big thunderstorm came through, which is a grand thing to watch from the boat house porch.
I've been reading a lot--there's not much else to do in the boat house if you don't want to swim or paddle. I read The orphan master's son, which won a Pulitzer Prize. Yes, it was good, but did it stay with me the way some really great books do? I don't think so but time will tell. It's a novel about life in North Korea, so you can tell it's a real pick-me-up. Well it was good.
Yesterday my cousin John (my only cousin on my mother's side), his wife and a former Hawkeye Trail camper came for the afternoon. The camper (Josh) was interested in seeing how the camp looks these days so we walked around the buildings and he really, really enjoyed it. Listening to his stories was funny because I could follow along, having been listening to camp stories for the last 20 or so years. After the tour we had lunch on the boat house porch, they swam, then they climbed Silver Lake Mtn.--the boys did--while Annie (wife) and I visited and had a nice time. It was good and I'm glad they came. Funny I wasn't nervous or hyper about their coming, I just felt fine about having company. Is this retirement? Maturity? Old age?
I got to spend a lot of time with Duncan and Sue while they were here, which was a real treat. They'll be back at the end of August and will stay at least through September. Yay!
I've been in touch with a second cousin, one of my favorite people. We were close friends as kids and now he's in California trying to figure out what he wants to do and where he wants to do it. He's a peach but has heart problems so has, I think, a very different feeling about life than I do. We enjoy our emails, comparing lives and interpreting the past together. I watched the lunar landing with him all those years ago.
I now have 8 healthy, active guppies. They're very pretty, all males. The man I got them from, who posted on FreeCycle, was very intense about these fish and the water they would be moving to. I didn't scream at him "THEY'RE JUST GUPPIES!" and was very respectful of his wishes. Until I got in the car to come home. Anyway they seem pretty hardy and are fun to watch.
The dogs are fine. Tess rarely limps but she sure does like to walk slowly, very slowly when we come home from walking to the mailbox. Yes, thanks to Duncan I now have a mailbox by the road and get my mail delivered daily. This was a big deal for me. I appreciate his help sooooo much, hating as I do to ask for or receive help. Some things I sure can't do on my own, though, and this was something I wanted desperately to have done.
This week is a quiet week. Spent a short time with Linda at her campfire last evening, then home for dinner. Tonight I'll stop by Pat & Jim's for a short visit then will eat at home. Tomorrow I'm having dinner with friends who are up for 2 weeks, along with Pat. Thursday Jim & Judy return so maybe I'll see them then, or else for sure later on. Sunday is busy with Bill's version of our Sunday dinners, followed by book group in the evening. Well I guess that doesn't sound too quiet, but it does leave me with a lot of time to do things like mow the lawn and get my house in order. I have 2 closets upstairs and haven't looked in them for years so I'm hoping to empty at least one of them. I know the dress I wore at my wedding is in one of the--a size 2 from Talbot's, and that can be tossed.
It's summer and it's great. I love this life. This thing called retirement is exceptional.
Tuesday, July 07, 2015
Dog day of July
It's hot today, and was hot yesterday. There's a cool breeze, every once in a while. The sun's out right now but it's supposed to rain hard this afternoon. I have a friend coming for lunch, or after lunch, or sometime today. I cleaned the living room (YAY) but it was more work than I was interested in doing so there's still dog hair on the floor and dust on some surfaces. It's endless, this housekeeping thing.
It was a busy week, now is quieter I think. Thursday Linda & I went to Platts. to run errands and have some fun. Thursday night I had dinner with Annie Holt, always a treat. Her brother + cousin plus wives were there and it was a nice occasion.
Friday morning I had coffee with Fred and Linda on Fred's porch, looking out at the lake. It was cold, well, cool, not cold, and the no-see-ums were out but that didn't stop us and we went out to breakfast after visiting a while.
Friday Jenica came with her family and summer visitors, staying in the boat house for the night. We visited and had dinner at Hot Dog Man. Food there is not good except for the ice cream but it was a simple solution to eating something, and we got to sit in the shade at a picnic table. Very nice. Gwyn is very cute and reminds me a lot of Jenica at that age, walking around and interested in so many things.
Saturday morning was coffee with Fred yet again, after which was the annual family meeting. A lot of cousins in attendance, 4 generations represented. It was peaceful, which it mostly is these years. We made no major decisions, really, and determined that things at camp are pretty much OK except for the roof and the post supporting the porch. Those things need attention. One cousin brought his tractor from Syracuse and, with others did a huge amount of work on the road to camp. It had washed out in a lot of places so this was a great thing to have done. Road is now in good shape. I'd love to have the tractor make a visit to my driveway but I don't like to ask.
Lunch after the meeting with lots of visiting, then rest time and I came home. Linda had a nice 4th of July party, lots of good food and company. Holly and Chris are here and I really like being with them. I didn't stay long--was tired from the family time.
Sunday morning we had Holly join us at Fred's, which was nice. We couldn't stay long because it was the morning of the road clean-up that the shoreowners' association does each year. I got teamed with Fred and we had a good time and collected enough garbage to make it worth doing. After the clean-up came the meeting and that was fine and didn't last long.
I stopped at Joe & Martha's, came home and got a call from Duncan. It was the women's WORLD CUP and he & Sue were going to watch it at Linda's so I joined them. That was great fun, with of course a great outcome.
Yesterday I had a really nice time with Duncan and Sue on their porch. We visited a long time, which was really nice. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and peaceful. I went to Plattsburgh after that, had to pick up some things. Nothing much of interest there. I picked up prints of pictures I took of the cousins, none were noteworthy, really, but I'll send a bunch to my mother (labeled). I had a quiet night, sitting in the house sweating and cleaning the living room. Early to bed, slept very well in spite of the heat and humidity.
Tomorrow is Erdvilas' 70th birthday and Linda is having a party. It will be nice, with a campfire and delicious food. Good company. Thursday Jenica & Justin arrive, here for the weekend with Justin's family at camp. Hoping for good weather.
Things are good. I am happy and rested after taking a bit of a break from family and friends. This morning I cleaned and lunch is ready for my company (if she finds the house OK). No plans for tonight so maybe I'll just relax. The dogs went for a long walk just now and only Treasure came home. I'm expecting a phone call from someone, telling me where she is. Or maybe I'll get lucky and she'll find her own way home. A girl can hope.
It was a busy week, now is quieter I think. Thursday Linda & I went to Platts. to run errands and have some fun. Thursday night I had dinner with Annie Holt, always a treat. Her brother + cousin plus wives were there and it was a nice occasion.
Friday morning I had coffee with Fred and Linda on Fred's porch, looking out at the lake. It was cold, well, cool, not cold, and the no-see-ums were out but that didn't stop us and we went out to breakfast after visiting a while.
Friday Jenica came with her family and summer visitors, staying in the boat house for the night. We visited and had dinner at Hot Dog Man. Food there is not good except for the ice cream but it was a simple solution to eating something, and we got to sit in the shade at a picnic table. Very nice. Gwyn is very cute and reminds me a lot of Jenica at that age, walking around and interested in so many things.
Saturday morning was coffee with Fred yet again, after which was the annual family meeting. A lot of cousins in attendance, 4 generations represented. It was peaceful, which it mostly is these years. We made no major decisions, really, and determined that things at camp are pretty much OK except for the roof and the post supporting the porch. Those things need attention. One cousin brought his tractor from Syracuse and, with others did a huge amount of work on the road to camp. It had washed out in a lot of places so this was a great thing to have done. Road is now in good shape. I'd love to have the tractor make a visit to my driveway but I don't like to ask.
Lunch after the meeting with lots of visiting, then rest time and I came home. Linda had a nice 4th of July party, lots of good food and company. Holly and Chris are here and I really like being with them. I didn't stay long--was tired from the family time.
Sunday morning we had Holly join us at Fred's, which was nice. We couldn't stay long because it was the morning of the road clean-up that the shoreowners' association does each year. I got teamed with Fred and we had a good time and collected enough garbage to make it worth doing. After the clean-up came the meeting and that was fine and didn't last long.
I stopped at Joe & Martha's, came home and got a call from Duncan. It was the women's WORLD CUP and he & Sue were going to watch it at Linda's so I joined them. That was great fun, with of course a great outcome.
Yesterday I had a really nice time with Duncan and Sue on their porch. We visited a long time, which was really nice. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and peaceful. I went to Plattsburgh after that, had to pick up some things. Nothing much of interest there. I picked up prints of pictures I took of the cousins, none were noteworthy, really, but I'll send a bunch to my mother (labeled). I had a quiet night, sitting in the house sweating and cleaning the living room. Early to bed, slept very well in spite of the heat and humidity.
Tomorrow is Erdvilas' 70th birthday and Linda is having a party. It will be nice, with a campfire and delicious food. Good company. Thursday Jenica & Justin arrive, here for the weekend with Justin's family at camp. Hoping for good weather.
Things are good. I am happy and rested after taking a bit of a break from family and friends. This morning I cleaned and lunch is ready for my company (if she finds the house OK). No plans for tonight so maybe I'll just relax. The dogs went for a long walk just now and only Treasure came home. I'm expecting a phone call from someone, telling me where she is. Or maybe I'll get lucky and she'll find her own way home. A girl can hope.
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