It's up to 28 today but boy does it feel colder. There's an icy wind, with bright sunshine. Almost my favorite winter weather, I love the calm, clear, sunny days when it's in the 20's and there's a blue, blue sky. Not today. I think it's supposed to snow this afternoon. That would be OK, we don't have much snow on the ground. It rained hard the other day, then it froze so there's not much snow but there's thick ice. So far I've only fallen twice this winter, didn't get hurt either time, luckily.
I spent yesterday in Burlington. I took the car to the dealer to have the passenger seat sensor replaced (warranty work)--they had to put in a new seat bottom so it's very spiffy and nice now. They also vacuumed the car (how embarrassing--dog hair city) so it is way cool. I'll buy a cover for the passenger seat--Tess digs into the seat bottom in her quest for comfort when I'm not in the car.
It was a long day yesterday--I spent hours in Barnes & Noble, then went to a fancy store & cafe for lunch, then looked at the lake and Adks, then finally returned to the dealer. At least I had a loaner car so could go places, they had said it would take all day. I went back to the dealer at 2:30 and the car had been ready for some time. I had given them my new mobile phone number, and they called, but the call didn't come to me and my mailbox is full. I can't figure this out and should have gone to the Verizon store that I drove past at least twice during my time-killing travels. Oh well.
There's not a lot going on with me these days. Lunches with friends, doctors' appointments. I have an 8:00 appointment in Plattsburgh Monday morning (why do I schedule these things for early in the morning? I suppose it's so I won't have to wait, but geez, I have to be out of the house early for them). I think that's it for next week, except for lunch with Julie on Weds., oh and wait lunch with Barb on Friday. That will be nice.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Quiet life
Not a whole lot going on these days. Lots of ice on driveways, in yards, on some roads. I've fallen twice at P&J's, my feet went right out from under me. Once I smacked my head fairly hard, boy did that hurt. I just fell the other day but Gentleman Joe helped me get up and into my car. Man that hillside is slick, I park in their driveway now.
Sunday was P&J day, I visited with them, with Bill and Joe for a while, having a nice time. I didn't do much else that day, but I guess I can say that for most of my recent days. Yesterday I went to Saranac Lake to the eye doctor (optometrist? ophthalmologist? I don't know which she is). I have dry macular degeneration, which I already knew. It's slightly worse than it was 1 1/2 years ago, and there's calcium buildup somewhere in my eye but I can't remember what she said. Anyway, there are vitamins to take which may halt the progression and in the meantime my vision hasn't deteriorated and my prescription doesn't need to be changed. I thought that was pretty impressive. Did not get new glasses. I get my glasses online, where they are cheap but don't last very long but are much more fun to buy. If I had a good picture I could load it to the site and try on the frames, but that doesn't happen so I just guess, with some success. Some.
Last night I had dinner with the Holts, a nice evening. It was very slick walking down but coming home was better, with the combination of bright moonlight and a flashlight. We had a lot of fun together, as we always do, lots of laughter. I had a beautiful walk home, a bit chilly at 7 degrees, but brilliant moonlight and moonshadow. Love that.
Today I had coffee with Joe, P&J before going to Plattsburgh for a haircut, just my regular (hairdresser: "It's already short enough") trim. Joe left today, sad departure but I'll see him again in May. I ran a few errands, came home to find my satellite dish receiver was not working. I messed with it for an hour, called Dish and finally got to speak to an "advanced" technician, who could actually figure out what the problem was. I need a new receiver. But, wait, I unplugged it and plugged it back in just ONE MORE TIME, and bingo! it works again. They've shipped the replacement receiver so I'll have to decide whether to install it when it comes. If I do that I lose all of my recorded programs. Is that a bad thing? Yes and no. I would hate to lose the 85 episodes of The Larry Sanders Show, but it would be good to have a more reliable receiver. This one has been a problem before. Oh the complexities of life in Hawkeye.
Tomorrow it's back to Plattsburgh for lunch with Julie and getting a few groceries. We're under a winter storm watch, sleet and freezing rain and snow are expected in the morning. I tend to be pretty calm about these things, always have been relatively calm even when I was commuting. You have to drive when you have to drive, or you stay home. It's really that simple.
The dogs are great. They walk themselves every morning when I come back from getting the newspaper, don't stay out long and come home exhausted. Tess will be 13 this year but is in very good shape. She gets her anti-inflammatory med every day and has lots of energy. Her ACL doesn't seem to be a problem as long as we keep to the routine. So she & I take our meds in the morning. She gets hers with peanut butter, I get mine with water.
Sunday was P&J day, I visited with them, with Bill and Joe for a while, having a nice time. I didn't do much else that day, but I guess I can say that for most of my recent days. Yesterday I went to Saranac Lake to the eye doctor (optometrist? ophthalmologist? I don't know which she is). I have dry macular degeneration, which I already knew. It's slightly worse than it was 1 1/2 years ago, and there's calcium buildup somewhere in my eye but I can't remember what she said. Anyway, there are vitamins to take which may halt the progression and in the meantime my vision hasn't deteriorated and my prescription doesn't need to be changed. I thought that was pretty impressive. Did not get new glasses. I get my glasses online, where they are cheap but don't last very long but are much more fun to buy. If I had a good picture I could load it to the site and try on the frames, but that doesn't happen so I just guess, with some success. Some.
Last night I had dinner with the Holts, a nice evening. It was very slick walking down but coming home was better, with the combination of bright moonlight and a flashlight. We had a lot of fun together, as we always do, lots of laughter. I had a beautiful walk home, a bit chilly at 7 degrees, but brilliant moonlight and moonshadow. Love that.
Today I had coffee with Joe, P&J before going to Plattsburgh for a haircut, just my regular (hairdresser: "It's already short enough") trim. Joe left today, sad departure but I'll see him again in May. I ran a few errands, came home to find my satellite dish receiver was not working. I messed with it for an hour, called Dish and finally got to speak to an "advanced" technician, who could actually figure out what the problem was. I need a new receiver. But, wait, I unplugged it and plugged it back in just ONE MORE TIME, and bingo! it works again. They've shipped the replacement receiver so I'll have to decide whether to install it when it comes. If I do that I lose all of my recorded programs. Is that a bad thing? Yes and no. I would hate to lose the 85 episodes of The Larry Sanders Show, but it would be good to have a more reliable receiver. This one has been a problem before. Oh the complexities of life in Hawkeye.
Tomorrow it's back to Plattsburgh for lunch with Julie and getting a few groceries. We're under a winter storm watch, sleet and freezing rain and snow are expected in the morning. I tend to be pretty calm about these things, always have been relatively calm even when I was commuting. You have to drive when you have to drive, or you stay home. It's really that simple.
The dogs are great. They walk themselves every morning when I come back from getting the newspaper, don't stay out long and come home exhausted. Tess will be 13 this year but is in very good shape. She gets her anti-inflammatory med every day and has lots of energy. Her ACL doesn't seem to be a problem as long as we keep to the routine. So she & I take our meds in the morning. She gets hers with peanut butter, I get mine with water.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Rainy burn
It rained all day--rain, not snow. It was in the 30's, still is at this hour. The burn started this morning before I got there at 10, was huge flames and a conflagration. By the time I got there the burn pile was almost half gone. Still plenty of flame, and very hot. I stayed for 2 hours, standing in the rain, but got chilled so went home. I was so chilled I couldn't get warm for a long time, finally ended up taking a nap on the couch, which did the trick. Now the living room is 73 and I'm more than comfortable.
I watched a PBS show with Carole King and James Taylor singing songs from the 70's. Boy did I find that depressing! Sad songs, beautiful melodies, but they reminded me of sad times. I thought I enjoyed the 70's but I think maybe I didn't. I was in college until 1974 and lived with the same roommate all 4 years. Our relationship got very complicated when another person put herself between us and our friendship ended up being tenuous at best. This hurt me terribly but I moved on. My former roommate died when she was in law school, and I have always regretted my failure to renew our friendship. Of course I didn't know she was going to die, and when she did I was very involved in my life and relationships in Rhode Island. Anyway, we listened endlessly to James Taylor and Carole King--along with lots of other music, of course. She liked Jackson Browne, and I found him incredibly depressing in his early years (when his wife killed herself--well, who would expect him to make cheerful music then?). I had kept in touch with a few college friends over the years, now I'm in daily contact with one (email) and off-and-on communication with another (she lives in Hawaii. Why haven't I ever visited her?). That seems sort of sad to me, that was 4 whole years of my life and I only have 2 people to show for it. As I say, I thought I was happy and having a great time, but maybe that's not really the truth. I did enjoy college, loved learning so much and had friends. I just left it all behind, carelessly, I think, when I moved to RI for graduate school and the beginning of my career. I made life-long friends in RI, people I'm in touch with and visit with. I had a rich social life there and have good feelings about the 9 years I lived there. Does everyone have sad feelings about college?
I watched a PBS show with Carole King and James Taylor singing songs from the 70's. Boy did I find that depressing! Sad songs, beautiful melodies, but they reminded me of sad times. I thought I enjoyed the 70's but I think maybe I didn't. I was in college until 1974 and lived with the same roommate all 4 years. Our relationship got very complicated when another person put herself between us and our friendship ended up being tenuous at best. This hurt me terribly but I moved on. My former roommate died when she was in law school, and I have always regretted my failure to renew our friendship. Of course I didn't know she was going to die, and when she did I was very involved in my life and relationships in Rhode Island. Anyway, we listened endlessly to James Taylor and Carole King--along with lots of other music, of course. She liked Jackson Browne, and I found him incredibly depressing in his early years (when his wife killed herself--well, who would expect him to make cheerful music then?). I had kept in touch with a few college friends over the years, now I'm in daily contact with one (email) and off-and-on communication with another (she lives in Hawaii. Why haven't I ever visited her?). That seems sort of sad to me, that was 4 whole years of my life and I only have 2 people to show for it. As I say, I thought I was happy and having a great time, but maybe that's not really the truth. I did enjoy college, loved learning so much and had friends. I just left it all behind, carelessly, I think, when I moved to RI for graduate school and the beginning of my career. I made life-long friends in RI, people I'm in touch with and visit with. I had a rich social life there and have good feelings about the 9 years I lived there. Does everyone have sad feelings about college?
Friday, February 19, 2016
Cold but warming
Yesterday morning it was -2, today it was -3 (which was warmer than I expected). Now it's 17 and warming, supposedly to 30 today. Very strange. It's the weekend of The Burn, so Joe is here, staying at Pat & Jim's. Tomorrow morning they'll set the brush pile on fire and we'll have a nice time watching it burn. I'll make brownies, Joe has hot dogs, and we have maple brandy. All very nice. I can't ever stay as long as the men do, sometimes it's too cold and sometimes I just have to get home. It burns all day and into the night, sometimes still going Sunday morning. My mother found some pictures of a Burn that I sent you one year--she said she looked at the pictures and tried to figure out what party that was, finally saw a picture of the fire and figured it out. Maybe I don't need to send her pictures this year...
It's been a good week, as all weeks are in my retirement. I had frozen but never burst pipes so that was all fine. It was cold, yes, cold, but now it's warmer with bright, warm sunshine. I got the house in good shape for company but Annie and Rush had to go to visit a sick relative in Syracuse so they're not here yet. I'm not sure when they'll arrive, but they won't stay at my house at all, so now I have a clean shower and living room and what good does that do me? I do think it's funny how I never clean just for myself, I always need an excuse of company. NO, it does NOT mean I don't think I'm worthy of a clean house--it just means I'm lazy and apparently don't mind dust and dog hair and wood chips all over the house.
I had lunch with a friend yesterday in Plattsburgh, that was nice. I went to Plattsburgh twice this week, needed prescription filled and had errands to do. Today I'm going back, lunch at the seafood restaurant with friends, which will be really nice and fun. I think I'm all set for groceries, should be after 3 trips to stores. I went to the dump on Wednesday, then to AuSable and in the afternoon I went to get eggs from my friend in Wilmington. She won't take money for her delicious fresh eggs, she says I have to give her something in trade. The pressure's on. I can't just clean my house and find something miscellaneous to give her, I have to come up with something worthwhile. A basket? I found one that I never use, a nice swing handled cat's head basket but it's flawed so I can't pass it on. I'll think of something, maybe even make a new basket, that would be fun. Would it? Well, yes, I seem to be finding it fun to make baskets again. I don't have my book of patterns, which makes it a lot harder because I have to recreate the patterns I've always used. Should have taken better care of my book.
Not much else going on, but I think there's plenty for the weekend. Sunday is book group. We're reading The Martian, which I'm enjoying but it sure does have a lot of science and detail in it. I keep picturing Matt Damon as the astronaut on Mars, which isn't bad. I should try to find something for us to read next month. I'm reading The girl who saved the King of Sweden, by Jonasson, which I'm enjoying more than The Martian, but I'll finish Mars by Sunday.
Dogs are just fine. I let them take themselves for a walk every morning when we get home from getting the paper. They didn't go far when it was -17, but today they were gone for an hour or so. I know not where they go, I've only ever tracked them down the hill or out to the bog parking lot. Sometimes they cut through the woods, sometimes they stay on the road. What would I do if I didn't have dogs to wonder about?
It's been a good week, as all weeks are in my retirement. I had frozen but never burst pipes so that was all fine. It was cold, yes, cold, but now it's warmer with bright, warm sunshine. I got the house in good shape for company but Annie and Rush had to go to visit a sick relative in Syracuse so they're not here yet. I'm not sure when they'll arrive, but they won't stay at my house at all, so now I have a clean shower and living room and what good does that do me? I do think it's funny how I never clean just for myself, I always need an excuse of company. NO, it does NOT mean I don't think I'm worthy of a clean house--it just means I'm lazy and apparently don't mind dust and dog hair and wood chips all over the house.
I had lunch with a friend yesterday in Plattsburgh, that was nice. I went to Plattsburgh twice this week, needed prescription filled and had errands to do. Today I'm going back, lunch at the seafood restaurant with friends, which will be really nice and fun. I think I'm all set for groceries, should be after 3 trips to stores. I went to the dump on Wednesday, then to AuSable and in the afternoon I went to get eggs from my friend in Wilmington. She won't take money for her delicious fresh eggs, she says I have to give her something in trade. The pressure's on. I can't just clean my house and find something miscellaneous to give her, I have to come up with something worthwhile. A basket? I found one that I never use, a nice swing handled cat's head basket but it's flawed so I can't pass it on. I'll think of something, maybe even make a new basket, that would be fun. Would it? Well, yes, I seem to be finding it fun to make baskets again. I don't have my book of patterns, which makes it a lot harder because I have to recreate the patterns I've always used. Should have taken better care of my book.
Not much else going on, but I think there's plenty for the weekend. Sunday is book group. We're reading The Martian, which I'm enjoying but it sure does have a lot of science and detail in it. I keep picturing Matt Damon as the astronaut on Mars, which isn't bad. I should try to find something for us to read next month. I'm reading The girl who saved the King of Sweden, by Jonasson, which I'm enjoying more than The Martian, but I'll finish Mars by Sunday.
Dogs are just fine. I let them take themselves for a walk every morning when we get home from getting the paper. They didn't go far when it was -17, but today they were gone for an hour or so. I know not where they go, I've only ever tracked them down the hill or out to the bog parking lot. Sometimes they cut through the woods, sometimes they stay on the road. What would I do if I didn't have dogs to wonder about?
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Wow
We had a rude arrival of REAL winter weather: it was -17, -26, and -18 the last 3 days. Yes, I had frozen pipes but this year, as a special treat no pipes burst. Yay, that was impressive. The laundry room pipes froze, as usual, but the hot water pipes also froze (for a change of pace). I heated and heated the laundry room and finally, after 2 days I had success and they thawed. Here in the North Country we call that "unthawing" your pipes. No one seems to understand what unthawing would really mean. Like, my pipes were unthawed until I heated them. well duh. We all say things that don't make sense.
I'm watching the Westminster Dog Show, one of my favorite-ever events. I recorded it last night after I went to bed. Just watched a shar-pei from Foster, RI. I skipped the Toy Group, I don't care much for those breeds. That's the luxury of watching a recording. Now we're into the Non-Sporting Group, which is sort of all the left over breeds that don't fit in any of the other 6 groups.
Aside from keeping warm I haven't been up to much. Stoking the stove, pacing around the house, that's about all I've done lately. I did clean my refrigerator, washed the shelves and everything, because my friend Annie might be staying here tomorrow night. She's coming north from DC and will either stay at her house (if she comes Thursday) or my house (if she comes Weds.)(she has company staying at her house here). It's great to have an excuse to do some serious cleaning. Why don't I do that for myself? It's NOT because I don't think I deserve a clean house, let's not read too much into this. It's simply because I'm lazy and don't like to dust, sweep, vacuum, clean my shower or clear the dinner table. I will do all those things today and tomorrow.
The weather made a quick transition from yesterday's -18 to 28 degrees today, with sleet and snow but nothing serious. I already drove out to get the paper and the roads are fine. We got a few inches of new snow, now covered with a crispy crunch. The dogs went out and I saw them actually playing with each other. Must be Tess is feeling pretty great, she usually tucks herself in the woods when Treasure starts running around. Today they were chasing each other, aw, how cute. They were fine in the cold weather, only when it was -26 did they feel they couldn't stay out more than a few minutes. Yesterday's sub-zero didn't phase them.
I went to Plattsburgh yesterday, had some errands, it was great because there was no traffic and there were no people in the stores. I do love being retired. I can clean what I want to during daylight hours. It's sure easier to dust when it's light out, isn't it?
Oh, they just announced that one of the breeds to watch is the shiba inu. I came close to buying a shiba several years ago, I saw one on the ferry one night and was really taken by it. My then-kennel woman said they weren't good pets, were like miniature akitas. Then I met my Lab breeder, who was also breeding shibas and she said they made great pets. I chose to believe neither of them and stuck with Labs. With no regrets.
I may spend the entire day without seeing another person. Annie just called to check in, but I haven't talked to anyone else yet today. I don't have plans to go anywhere or see anyone. Do I mind? NO! I used to spend entire Saturdays without talking to another soul and always felt that was a special treat. I don't think it's so much a treat any more, I just don't worry about myself much. I leave that to other people.
I'm watching the Westminster Dog Show, one of my favorite-ever events. I recorded it last night after I went to bed. Just watched a shar-pei from Foster, RI. I skipped the Toy Group, I don't care much for those breeds. That's the luxury of watching a recording. Now we're into the Non-Sporting Group, which is sort of all the left over breeds that don't fit in any of the other 6 groups.
Aside from keeping warm I haven't been up to much. Stoking the stove, pacing around the house, that's about all I've done lately. I did clean my refrigerator, washed the shelves and everything, because my friend Annie might be staying here tomorrow night. She's coming north from DC and will either stay at her house (if she comes Thursday) or my house (if she comes Weds.)(she has company staying at her house here). It's great to have an excuse to do some serious cleaning. Why don't I do that for myself? It's NOT because I don't think I deserve a clean house, let's not read too much into this. It's simply because I'm lazy and don't like to dust, sweep, vacuum, clean my shower or clear the dinner table. I will do all those things today and tomorrow.
The weather made a quick transition from yesterday's -18 to 28 degrees today, with sleet and snow but nothing serious. I already drove out to get the paper and the roads are fine. We got a few inches of new snow, now covered with a crispy crunch. The dogs went out and I saw them actually playing with each other. Must be Tess is feeling pretty great, she usually tucks herself in the woods when Treasure starts running around. Today they were chasing each other, aw, how cute. They were fine in the cold weather, only when it was -26 did they feel they couldn't stay out more than a few minutes. Yesterday's sub-zero didn't phase them.
I went to Plattsburgh yesterday, had some errands, it was great because there was no traffic and there were no people in the stores. I do love being retired. I can clean what I want to during daylight hours. It's sure easier to dust when it's light out, isn't it?
Oh, they just announced that one of the breeds to watch is the shiba inu. I came close to buying a shiba several years ago, I saw one on the ferry one night and was really taken by it. My then-kennel woman said they weren't good pets, were like miniature akitas. Then I met my Lab breeder, who was also breeding shibas and she said they made great pets. I chose to believe neither of them and stuck with Labs. With no regrets.
I may spend the entire day without seeing another person. Annie just called to check in, but I haven't talked to anyone else yet today. I don't have plans to go anywhere or see anyone. Do I mind? NO! I used to spend entire Saturdays without talking to another soul and always felt that was a special treat. I don't think it's so much a treat any more, I just don't worry about myself much. I leave that to other people.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Balmy
Positively balmy at -11 right now. The high today was -6, it was -11 when I got up. This is what we do for fun in Hawkeye winters, measure how cold it is every few hours.
I went to the dump this morning, cleaned out the refrigerator and tossed a lot of stuff. Old apples, old carrots, mystery stuff. Now I have to wash the shelves, which are sticky from an exploding cider jug.
I've had an otherwise quiet day, hauling in firewood, dozing, pedaling and petting the dogs. Oh, I took a shower and did some laundry to make sure the pipes hadn't frozen. All is fine so far. Predictions are for -20 or more tonight, with a wind chill so cold it can't even be measured. I mean, really, they're predicting a wind chill of -50. The coldest I remember living here is -40 and that only happened once. We used to have -30 or -40 every once in a while but that sure doesn't happen any more. You don't really expect your car to be happy when it's that cold. When it gets to -20 I lose the programming on my car radio. I always have a newish car so my cars will start (I hope) no matter how cold it gets.
Squeaky snow is what we have now--we all recognize that sound. I didn't spend much time outside today but the tires sure make squeaks. The dogs have been well behaved all day. They took themselves for a walk but weren't gone long this morning. Treasure doesn't like weather this cold (now it's -12) but Tess is oblivious. Me? I can be outside for a little while before I realize how miserable it really is. When we lived in Illinois it would be miserably cold with a biting wind. I was a patrol girl in elementary school--we wore white belts, stood on corners and stopped traffic to help kids cross the street. Each of us had an assigned corner and I shared mine with my good friend Kathy. We had a lot of fun but took ourselves pretty seriously. Back then girls wore skirts and snow pants in really cold weather. When it was below zero we'd get hot chocolate delivered by room mothers. Boy do I sound old. Well, hell, I AM old. But I was a proud patrol girl.
I went to the dump this morning, cleaned out the refrigerator and tossed a lot of stuff. Old apples, old carrots, mystery stuff. Now I have to wash the shelves, which are sticky from an exploding cider jug.
I've had an otherwise quiet day, hauling in firewood, dozing, pedaling and petting the dogs. Oh, I took a shower and did some laundry to make sure the pipes hadn't frozen. All is fine so far. Predictions are for -20 or more tonight, with a wind chill so cold it can't even be measured. I mean, really, they're predicting a wind chill of -50. The coldest I remember living here is -40 and that only happened once. We used to have -30 or -40 every once in a while but that sure doesn't happen any more. You don't really expect your car to be happy when it's that cold. When it gets to -20 I lose the programming on my car radio. I always have a newish car so my cars will start (I hope) no matter how cold it gets.
Squeaky snow is what we have now--we all recognize that sound. I didn't spend much time outside today but the tires sure make squeaks. The dogs have been well behaved all day. They took themselves for a walk but weren't gone long this morning. Treasure doesn't like weather this cold (now it's -12) but Tess is oblivious. Me? I can be outside for a little while before I realize how miserable it really is. When we lived in Illinois it would be miserably cold with a biting wind. I was a patrol girl in elementary school--we wore white belts, stood on corners and stopped traffic to help kids cross the street. Each of us had an assigned corner and I shared mine with my good friend Kathy. We had a lot of fun but took ourselves pretty seriously. Back then girls wore skirts and snow pants in really cold weather. When it was below zero we'd get hot chocolate delivered by room mothers. Boy do I sound old. Well, hell, I AM old. But I was a proud patrol girl.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Icy ice palace
The ice palace in Saranac Lake is a bit smaller this year. There wasn't enough ice until shortly before the beginning of their Winter Carnival so they put it up in a hurry. They did a grand job.
Temp right now is -2, due to drop throughout the night. The high today was 16, tomorrow's high in single digits and on Saturday the high will be below zero. Welcome February: it's about time. I'm so happy we're having this weather now, which gives me hope that winter will be when it's supposed to be and not in March (when I'll be in RI).
I haven't been doing much. Pedaling my new exercise bicycle, only 20 minutes a day but I'll increase that soon enough.
I went to Plattsburgh twice this week, lunch there both days. Today I went to AuSable but just to meet a friend who is borrowing my sewing machine. I know, it's a surprise that I would have a sewing machine. I learned how to sew in junior high school, when the entire class had to make a jumper from the same pattern. We had to actually wear the jumper to school once, too and man was that ever awful. The teacher measured the hemline to make sure it wasn't too short. I understand the value of learning how to use a pattern, and how to make clothes, but surely there could have been a different approach. We had one semester of sewing and one semester of cooking. In cooking I learned a lot, but that included how to file my finger nails. I guess these teachers felt they had a captive audience and it was their one chance to turn us into young ladies. We were not ladies by a long shot.
It will be too cold this weekend and I'll worry about the dogs. I'll also worry about frozen pipes. Which will concern me more? Probably the dogs, I have a great fear that they will wander off into the woods and decide it's too cold to have all 4 paws on the ground at once and I'll never find them. They don't really spend much time outside when it's below zero, but sometimes they stop in their tracks and refuse to take another step. Why is sitting down better than walking? Tess does this more than Treasure--she'll just sit down and wait. Wait for what?
Tuesday, February 09, 2016
Primary night
I'm watching the news, all about the NH primary election. We in the North Country like to take ownership of the NH primary because we're nearby. We also own Bernie Sanders because he's from Vermont. Tom Brokaw just asked "What does an uncle have to do with the campaign?" when Trump boasted that he has an uncle who's an important professor at MIT. Give me a break.
I've had a quiet couple of days, even though of course I ran the roads. Yesterday I went to Saranac Lake to see the ice palace. I saw it, wasn't terribly impressed and felt bad about that. They didn't have much time to built it this year because the ice wasn't thick enough. It's not as tall as it usually is but is magic nevertheless. I also bought birdseed, where I met a 4-month old puppy named Winter who was cute enough to die for. Wow was that a sweet pup. Shepherd mix with something, maybe Lab maybe Rottie. Sweet, oh so sweet. But no, I don't want a puppy. Oh yes, I do, but no I don't.
Today I went to Plattsburgh, had lunch with Julie and another woman. We went back to the Thai restaurant, where Julie & I used to go every week, until the Japanese restaurant opened. They were happy to see us and said to come back soon. The food in both restaurants is good, it's just that the Japanese restaurant is closer to CEF so takes less of Julie's lunch hour. So tomorrow Julie & I will have lunch again, probably Japanese. I just realized that I wrote an entire paragraph about the restaurants we have lunch at. Forgive me.
It's snowing a bit, nothing serious but maybe a couple of inches. We got about an inch last night, fluffy stuff. It's 20 right now, was colder this morning and up to 30 during the day. The subzeros are on the way, will be here by the weekend. The high on Saturday is predicted to be 7. Yikes. I'm so lucky to be at home all the time to keep the stove going. What a wonderful difference it makes in my life. The house is always warm. When I worked it would get down to the low 50's and once in a while the 40's in the living room because I couldn't keep the fire going. Now it gets too hot too often, such a nice change. I still have plenty of firewood, nicely stacked by the Holts.
I talked to my mother this morning, wanted to find out how much snow they got in southern RI. About 5 inches, she thought. She's getting excited about coming events in March. My sister, her husband and daughter are going to be in RI to celebrate Liza's 90th birthday (I probably already reported this but wow is it exciting). I hope it warms up enough for Molly & Paolo, who sure aren't used to cold weather. I won't go to RI until the week before they arrive, am skipping travel in February. March is a RI month: a week for Liza's birthday, then a few days for Easter at the end of the month. April is ROCK AND ROLL.
Last night I dreamed that I was building a telephone out of sticks and moss so I could call my brother and ask him to bring me my camera. Well yes, I can't build a phone, and yes, my brother is dead. I often dream about him and he's always happy. Sometimes we know he's going to die but we laugh and are cheerful. I like those dreams of a happy brother.
Not much going on, really. There are no tracks going down the road past my driveway. There were 2 bog cars today. There was a flock of turkeys in the road, which was exciting for the dogs. I let them loose when I got home and they took off, but not heading toward the turkeys. Oh I would like to know where they go sometimes (the dogs, not the turkeys). They take off every morning, running down the driveway, tails a-wagging, and I follow their tracks until they go into the woods.
No big plans for the rest of the week. I have 2 baskets to stain but was waiting to have enough newspapers to cover the floor. I think I have nearly enough now. I bought 2 small books of basket patterns because I lost the notebook that had all of my patterns in it. Boy does that suck, that was a crucial tool for me. Now I have to measure and count every time I make a different basket. Will I make more baskets? Yes, I will, but what for? I guess I'll give them away. I enjoyed making the 2 I just made and that was sort of a surprise. Maybe enough time has passed since my basket making burnout at the turn of the century. That would be OK.
I've had a quiet couple of days, even though of course I ran the roads. Yesterday I went to Saranac Lake to see the ice palace. I saw it, wasn't terribly impressed and felt bad about that. They didn't have much time to built it this year because the ice wasn't thick enough. It's not as tall as it usually is but is magic nevertheless. I also bought birdseed, where I met a 4-month old puppy named Winter who was cute enough to die for. Wow was that a sweet pup. Shepherd mix with something, maybe Lab maybe Rottie. Sweet, oh so sweet. But no, I don't want a puppy. Oh yes, I do, but no I don't.
Today I went to Plattsburgh, had lunch with Julie and another woman. We went back to the Thai restaurant, where Julie & I used to go every week, until the Japanese restaurant opened. They were happy to see us and said to come back soon. The food in both restaurants is good, it's just that the Japanese restaurant is closer to CEF so takes less of Julie's lunch hour. So tomorrow Julie & I will have lunch again, probably Japanese. I just realized that I wrote an entire paragraph about the restaurants we have lunch at. Forgive me.
It's snowing a bit, nothing serious but maybe a couple of inches. We got about an inch last night, fluffy stuff. It's 20 right now, was colder this morning and up to 30 during the day. The subzeros are on the way, will be here by the weekend. The high on Saturday is predicted to be 7. Yikes. I'm so lucky to be at home all the time to keep the stove going. What a wonderful difference it makes in my life. The house is always warm. When I worked it would get down to the low 50's and once in a while the 40's in the living room because I couldn't keep the fire going. Now it gets too hot too often, such a nice change. I still have plenty of firewood, nicely stacked by the Holts.
I talked to my mother this morning, wanted to find out how much snow they got in southern RI. About 5 inches, she thought. She's getting excited about coming events in March. My sister, her husband and daughter are going to be in RI to celebrate Liza's 90th birthday (I probably already reported this but wow is it exciting). I hope it warms up enough for Molly & Paolo, who sure aren't used to cold weather. I won't go to RI until the week before they arrive, am skipping travel in February. March is a RI month: a week for Liza's birthday, then a few days for Easter at the end of the month. April is ROCK AND ROLL.
Last night I dreamed that I was building a telephone out of sticks and moss so I could call my brother and ask him to bring me my camera. Well yes, I can't build a phone, and yes, my brother is dead. I often dream about him and he's always happy. Sometimes we know he's going to die but we laugh and are cheerful. I like those dreams of a happy brother.
Not much going on, really. There are no tracks going down the road past my driveway. There were 2 bog cars today. There was a flock of turkeys in the road, which was exciting for the dogs. I let them loose when I got home and they took off, but not heading toward the turkeys. Oh I would like to know where they go sometimes (the dogs, not the turkeys). They take off every morning, running down the driveway, tails a-wagging, and I follow their tracks until they go into the woods.
No big plans for the rest of the week. I have 2 baskets to stain but was waiting to have enough newspapers to cover the floor. I think I have nearly enough now. I bought 2 small books of basket patterns because I lost the notebook that had all of my patterns in it. Boy does that suck, that was a crucial tool for me. Now I have to measure and count every time I make a different basket. Will I make more baskets? Yes, I will, but what for? I guess I'll give them away. I enjoyed making the 2 I just made and that was sort of a surprise. Maybe enough time has passed since my basket making burnout at the turn of the century. That would be OK.
Sunday, February 07, 2016
Gray Sunday
Up early today, can't say I've made good use of my time. I visited with the neighbors for a couple of hours, had a nice time with P&J + Bill. All are well, Jim is 81 today. Whew. We celebrated last night with dinner at Plattsburgh's seafood restaurant. It was a nice party, 11 of us and very festive.
I went to Burlington on Friday with Lin. Back to the dealer where I bought my car for some basic servicing ($114) and identification of the sensor problem with the passenger side airbag (it's a sensor problem, duh). I'll have to go back to have a new sensor installed, of course they had to order one.
We had a good day but waited a long time for the car. They have a nice enough waiting area with wifi but I can only read and entertain Lin for so long. After that we were both really, really hungry and it was 3:00. We went to The Shanty and had some clams, very tasty. It was late--Lin likes to get home to Ralph pretty early, as a rule--but we made time for a quick stop at Trader Joe's. Then we came home. Uneventful ferry rides. The lake is open this year, no ice in the ferry lane or even nearby.
Yesterday I had a really nice time with a friend at a coffee place in Keene. We met, talked for 2 hours, then went home. We covered plenty of things, as one would hope in 2 hours. I came home and did what? Boy I've not been very productive lately. I did go to the dump, then I drove our team to dinner in Plattsburgh.
Last week I watched some episodes of both Homeland and The Americans. It was good to see them, Homeland is far too graphically violent for me and The Americans is entertaining but kind of monotonous. Good acting in both, and good entertainment. This afternoon I think I'll watch The Newsroom, with Jeff Daniels. I saw much of the series when it was on but missed the early episodes.
I'm reading the new Chris Bohjalian book, which is good and moving right along. It's an unpleasant story but reads well, as most of his books do. I've put aside The Martian, our book group book, and will pick that up soon enough. I have 2 weeks before we meet again.
My big achievement for the week was assembling the inexpensive and simple exercise bicycle I bought. Wow is it nice! I'm only pedaling 20 minutes a day, will increase that next week. It's in the middle of the living room and that's fine as long as no one else comes to my house. It's pretty portable and light so I can move it if I ever have company. Which I will soon enough, I have a pork shoulder roast that Linda left with me to cook for Bill and Fred. That will happen sometime soon.
The dogs are great. They take themselves for a walk most mornings when I get back from getting the paper, don't generally stay away long and get a treat when they come home. What that means is that Tess wants to go outside 50 times a day so she can come back and have a treat. Sorry, missy, it doesn't work that way. I think what I'm really teaching them is to run away so they'll get a reward.
This week looks pretty good. The weather is supposed to be more like winter. That's a relief to me. I fear that, since February has been more like March so far, then March will be February and that will be a drag. It's supposed to snow this week, then get below zero and be appropriate weather. That will be fine.
Joe comes for The Burn soon, then it will be March and my mother will be 90. She doesn't want to be 90 but does want to see her family, who are gathering to celebrate with her. That will be nice.
I went to Burlington on Friday with Lin. Back to the dealer where I bought my car for some basic servicing ($114) and identification of the sensor problem with the passenger side airbag (it's a sensor problem, duh). I'll have to go back to have a new sensor installed, of course they had to order one.
We had a good day but waited a long time for the car. They have a nice enough waiting area with wifi but I can only read and entertain Lin for so long. After that we were both really, really hungry and it was 3:00. We went to The Shanty and had some clams, very tasty. It was late--Lin likes to get home to Ralph pretty early, as a rule--but we made time for a quick stop at Trader Joe's. Then we came home. Uneventful ferry rides. The lake is open this year, no ice in the ferry lane or even nearby.
Yesterday I had a really nice time with a friend at a coffee place in Keene. We met, talked for 2 hours, then went home. We covered plenty of things, as one would hope in 2 hours. I came home and did what? Boy I've not been very productive lately. I did go to the dump, then I drove our team to dinner in Plattsburgh.
Last week I watched some episodes of both Homeland and The Americans. It was good to see them, Homeland is far too graphically violent for me and The Americans is entertaining but kind of monotonous. Good acting in both, and good entertainment. This afternoon I think I'll watch The Newsroom, with Jeff Daniels. I saw much of the series when it was on but missed the early episodes.
I'm reading the new Chris Bohjalian book, which is good and moving right along. It's an unpleasant story but reads well, as most of his books do. I've put aside The Martian, our book group book, and will pick that up soon enough. I have 2 weeks before we meet again.
My big achievement for the week was assembling the inexpensive and simple exercise bicycle I bought. Wow is it nice! I'm only pedaling 20 minutes a day, will increase that next week. It's in the middle of the living room and that's fine as long as no one else comes to my house. It's pretty portable and light so I can move it if I ever have company. Which I will soon enough, I have a pork shoulder roast that Linda left with me to cook for Bill and Fred. That will happen sometime soon.
The dogs are great. They take themselves for a walk most mornings when I get back from getting the paper, don't generally stay away long and get a treat when they come home. What that means is that Tess wants to go outside 50 times a day so she can come back and have a treat. Sorry, missy, it doesn't work that way. I think what I'm really teaching them is to run away so they'll get a reward.
This week looks pretty good. The weather is supposed to be more like winter. That's a relief to me. I fear that, since February has been more like March so far, then March will be February and that will be a drag. It's supposed to snow this week, then get below zero and be appropriate weather. That will be fine.
Joe comes for The Burn soon, then it will be March and my mother will be 90. She doesn't want to be 90 but does want to see her family, who are gathering to celebrate with her. That will be nice.
Thursday, February 04, 2016
Feeling blue?
New color, no significance, just something different to look at. I'm not one for fancifying or making use of everything that's available, I just like to write. Especially about myself, apparently.
I put together my new inexpensive exercise bicycle and pedaled for 10 minutes. Boy do I feel self-righteous. It's my goal to lower my cholesterol levels and exercise, sadly, is the key to that. Diet, too, but that won't do it unless I add moving around. I was hoping to get into the habit of walking to the mailbox every day but no, it's oh-so-easy to drive instead. Bad girl. The disadvantage of the bike, of course, is that the dogs get no exercise on it. They exercised themselves this morning by chasing a flock of turkeys. That went well until the turkeys discovered they had wings and could fly. Dogs came home without even a feather.
I put together my new inexpensive exercise bicycle and pedaled for 10 minutes. Boy do I feel self-righteous. It's my goal to lower my cholesterol levels and exercise, sadly, is the key to that. Diet, too, but that won't do it unless I add moving around. I was hoping to get into the habit of walking to the mailbox every day but no, it's oh-so-easy to drive instead. Bad girl. The disadvantage of the bike, of course, is that the dogs get no exercise on it. They exercised themselves this morning by chasing a flock of turkeys. That went well until the turkeys discovered they had wings and could fly. Dogs came home without even a feather.
Warm weather
It's still warm here, 33 right now. That's down from our overnight temps, but still too warm for this time of year. It rained and rained yesterday, melting snow and revealing the thick ice underneath. That is SO typical of March. Are we really just a month ahead in weather? I wish I could stop fixating on the weather, but that's what we do (especially in the winter) here in Hawkeye. We can't fuss about each other, there aren't enough of us, so we study the weather.
Duncan and David reported that there was open water along the shore--not open water on top of ice, but free and open water. That is very strange. Someone told me that the ice on a nearby lake was 13" thick, so he thought our ice was probably 10" or so. Wrong, I guess.
They're leaving today, the end of Winterfest or Extremefest, their annual winter visit. I had such a great time with them this year. I spent a lot of time with them, many meals and lots of laughter. They are very dear. Would they like being called "dear?"
Yesterday I was in Plattsburgh for lunch with a friend. She's having a troubling time so I hoped I could lend her some strength through my support. There's not a lot you can do sometimes to help people, but she likes having me to talk to and knowing that I really do listen to her and offer soothing comments. Anyway, it was a quick trip to town in the rain. Lunch was good. Today I'll go to AuSable to pick up a package at the post office. The mail carrier usually delivers packages to my door but I'm sure she didn't want to deal with the icy slope that is my driveway, so today I travel to the Forks. That's fine with me, as everyone knows I love to run the roads.
Tomorrow I'm taking the car to Burlington for work at the dealer there. That's where I bought it, and I have confidence in the work they do so off I go. Lin may go with me, I'm not sure what we'll do while we're there but I bet it will involve a meal. I started listening to a book, something I haven't done since I retired. I chose The little Paris bookstore, or some variation of that. It's OK, too soon to tell, really. I've been listening to Darius Rucker CD's, I watched a concert of his on VH1 and liked his music. He switched to country music a long time ago and some of his songs are a bit too country, and they mostly all deal with lost love. I like them anyway.
I'm watching young girls pick up toys on the Today Show. I'm not sure what they're supposed to learn by picking up as many toys as they can in 30 seconds, and I'm really not sure why I'm watching this. I watch too much TV, pretending to keep up with American culture and news. Really I'm wasting an inordinate amount of time. I started watching Homeland the other night but wow is it brutal and violent, so I doubt I'll keep up with that. Prior to that I was watching The Americans, mostly because of Keri Russell. It, too, is good, but maybe a bit monotonous. What to watch, what to watch. How about turning it off? OH NO. That won't happen.
We're having a big celebration in March for my mother's 90th birthday. My sister, her husband and daughter are coming to America and that's really exciting. Jenica and her family will be there, and a cousin from California is pretending he'll be there too (I seriously doubt he'll make it). My mother is freaking out and had refused to plan for it but is now much more excited and planning where we'll all sleep. Maybe she has figured out that it's next month. I have the same problem of realizing that March is a month away. Yikes, can this really have been winter?
The dogs are fine. Tess is old, 12, and is not the same dog she used to be. The thing about old dogs is that they are so different from the younger dogs we used to have. Their behavior changes, their personality is different, and of course their bodies are problematic. Tess is not exactly grumpy, but she really does want things her way. She moans and groans a lot and snores very loudly. She's insistent when she decides she wants something or wants something to happen. I find it very sweet but it sometimes is truly annoying. She sleeps a lot and can't run very fast but gives it her best effort when she & Treasure take off down the driveway.
I'm happy. I like my life. I'll be more productive one of these days.
Duncan and David reported that there was open water along the shore--not open water on top of ice, but free and open water. That is very strange. Someone told me that the ice on a nearby lake was 13" thick, so he thought our ice was probably 10" or so. Wrong, I guess.
They're leaving today, the end of Winterfest or Extremefest, their annual winter visit. I had such a great time with them this year. I spent a lot of time with them, many meals and lots of laughter. They are very dear. Would they like being called "dear?"
Yesterday I was in Plattsburgh for lunch with a friend. She's having a troubling time so I hoped I could lend her some strength through my support. There's not a lot you can do sometimes to help people, but she likes having me to talk to and knowing that I really do listen to her and offer soothing comments. Anyway, it was a quick trip to town in the rain. Lunch was good. Today I'll go to AuSable to pick up a package at the post office. The mail carrier usually delivers packages to my door but I'm sure she didn't want to deal with the icy slope that is my driveway, so today I travel to the Forks. That's fine with me, as everyone knows I love to run the roads.
Tomorrow I'm taking the car to Burlington for work at the dealer there. That's where I bought it, and I have confidence in the work they do so off I go. Lin may go with me, I'm not sure what we'll do while we're there but I bet it will involve a meal. I started listening to a book, something I haven't done since I retired. I chose The little Paris bookstore, or some variation of that. It's OK, too soon to tell, really. I've been listening to Darius Rucker CD's, I watched a concert of his on VH1 and liked his music. He switched to country music a long time ago and some of his songs are a bit too country, and they mostly all deal with lost love. I like them anyway.
I'm watching young girls pick up toys on the Today Show. I'm not sure what they're supposed to learn by picking up as many toys as they can in 30 seconds, and I'm really not sure why I'm watching this. I watch too much TV, pretending to keep up with American culture and news. Really I'm wasting an inordinate amount of time. I started watching Homeland the other night but wow is it brutal and violent, so I doubt I'll keep up with that. Prior to that I was watching The Americans, mostly because of Keri Russell. It, too, is good, but maybe a bit monotonous. What to watch, what to watch. How about turning it off? OH NO. That won't happen.
We're having a big celebration in March for my mother's 90th birthday. My sister, her husband and daughter are coming to America and that's really exciting. Jenica and her family will be there, and a cousin from California is pretending he'll be there too (I seriously doubt he'll make it). My mother is freaking out and had refused to plan for it but is now much more excited and planning where we'll all sleep. Maybe she has figured out that it's next month. I have the same problem of realizing that March is a month away. Yikes, can this really have been winter?
The dogs are fine. Tess is old, 12, and is not the same dog she used to be. The thing about old dogs is that they are so different from the younger dogs we used to have. Their behavior changes, their personality is different, and of course their bodies are problematic. Tess is not exactly grumpy, but she really does want things her way. She moans and groans a lot and snores very loudly. She's insistent when she decides she wants something or wants something to happen. I find it very sweet but it sometimes is truly annoying. She sleeps a lot and can't run very fast but gives it her best effort when she & Treasure take off down the driveway.
I'm happy. I like my life. I'll be more productive one of these days.
Tuesday, February 02, 2016
Confusion
I just had a moment of total confusion about what day it is. Is it Monday or Tuesday? There's no way of knowing unless I reconstruct yesterday. I don't really enjoy this aspect of retirement, especially since I'm used to leading a very strictly scheduled life.
OK, I've got it. Yesterday I went to the Blue Heron for breakfast with Duncan and David. While we were chatting the power went out so cooking French toast was not possible. We sat in front of the fireplace for a long time, visiting and solving the world's problems. The power finally came back on and breakfast went ahead. David made delicious French toast and we had a grand time. More conversation after breakfast, and after many hours of being there I came home. What a good time I had.
The weekend was pretty quiet except for dinners with the Blue Herons. John was here until Sat. afternoon, so I had dinner with the 3 of them Friday night, and Saturday night I had dinner with Bill and the Herons. Lots of laughter and conversation, a lovely evening. Tonight I'm having dinner down there. Duncan and David are undecided about their departure date, it will be either tomorrow or Thursday. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be basically dismal but warm. Rain, maybe snow but probably rain because it's supposed to be in the 40's. Today is gray and cool, temp is 33 but it feels colder because of the dampness.
I went to AuSable this morning, mailed some things and got a few groceries. I'm taking dessert to dinner so I'll make brownies and I bought ice cream. The trip to town was quick and uneventful. I skipped the bank. I had a check from Jim that I'd left in the car: Treasure ate it so I'll have to report that to Jim, how embarrassing.
I'm watching Groundhog Day. It's not as good if you turn it on halfway through, but I adore Bill Murray. I've done 3 things today but will go to the Holts this afternoon to make sure their generator shut off when the power came back on. And I'll water Annie's African violet. I had a long talk with her on the phone this morning, we've been out of touch for a while. She and Rush are just fine and she's adjusting to life in DC.
Dogs are fine, they take themselves for a walk pretty much every morning when I get back from getting the paper. I guess it's OK for now--there's no one in the neighborhood and no traffic. I'm lazy and like to have them exercise themselves.
Not much else going on. I still feel very insecure about winter. Is this all there is to it? I just have the feeling that winter is coming and will be hard and long once it arrives. I should be thinking that every warmer day is one less frigid day, but I guess my glass is half empty about the weather. Oh dear, must work on that.
OK, I've got it. Yesterday I went to the Blue Heron for breakfast with Duncan and David. While we were chatting the power went out so cooking French toast was not possible. We sat in front of the fireplace for a long time, visiting and solving the world's problems. The power finally came back on and breakfast went ahead. David made delicious French toast and we had a grand time. More conversation after breakfast, and after many hours of being there I came home. What a good time I had.
The weekend was pretty quiet except for dinners with the Blue Herons. John was here until Sat. afternoon, so I had dinner with the 3 of them Friday night, and Saturday night I had dinner with Bill and the Herons. Lots of laughter and conversation, a lovely evening. Tonight I'm having dinner down there. Duncan and David are undecided about their departure date, it will be either tomorrow or Thursday. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be basically dismal but warm. Rain, maybe snow but probably rain because it's supposed to be in the 40's. Today is gray and cool, temp is 33 but it feels colder because of the dampness.
I went to AuSable this morning, mailed some things and got a few groceries. I'm taking dessert to dinner so I'll make brownies and I bought ice cream. The trip to town was quick and uneventful. I skipped the bank. I had a check from Jim that I'd left in the car: Treasure ate it so I'll have to report that to Jim, how embarrassing.
I'm watching Groundhog Day. It's not as good if you turn it on halfway through, but I adore Bill Murray. I've done 3 things today but will go to the Holts this afternoon to make sure their generator shut off when the power came back on. And I'll water Annie's African violet. I had a long talk with her on the phone this morning, we've been out of touch for a while. She and Rush are just fine and she's adjusting to life in DC.
Dogs are fine, they take themselves for a walk pretty much every morning when I get back from getting the paper. I guess it's OK for now--there's no one in the neighborhood and no traffic. I'm lazy and like to have them exercise themselves.
Not much else going on. I still feel very insecure about winter. Is this all there is to it? I just have the feeling that winter is coming and will be hard and long once it arrives. I should be thinking that every warmer day is one less frigid day, but I guess my glass is half empty about the weather. Oh dear, must work on that.
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