Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Snow, no wait, rain, no wait, sun

I went to the thrift store this morning, leaving the car windows down because the dogs were in the car.  It rained really really hard for a long time, then sleeted, then hailed--what a mess and the car was soaked when I left.  Poor Bear got wet.  I stopped on the way home to walk the dogs a bit on a trail in the woods but I got pretty bored so it was a short walk.  Much to Bear's disappointment.  I went grocery shopping in AuSable, I seem to be kind of out of food and am not planning a Plattsburgh trip until probably next week.

Yesterday was quite a day--it was 3 degrees when I got up and I had stupidly forgotten/neglected to turn on the cellar heater so of course the pump froze.  There's nothing more disappointing than turning on the faucet at 6 a.m. to make coffee and having nothing come out.  Rats.  I knew what to do, it's easy to warm up the cellar except when it's cold for long periods of time and I'm not home.  It only took a couple of hours to "unthaw" the pump and now all is well.  Laundry has been done, I have been showered, dogs have water and I have filled jugs with water for my next mistake.

I had my first day in the archives yesterday.  There's a wonderful--REALLY wonderful woman who works there but her last day is tomorrow.  Rats, oh really rats.  She is a goldmine of information about the contents of the archives and I'm afraid no one else is.  The previous Archivist died suddenly recently so there seems to be a vacuum and I guess that's why I've been brought in.  I'm still pretty unsure what I'm supposed to do but I think I can figure it out and make it up as I go along.  I'm working again tomorrow morning, looks as if Tuesday and Thursday mornings will be spent in Keene Valley and Weds. and Sat. mornings will be at the Wilmington thrift store.  That should keep me feeling productive for the winter at least.  Of course I'm going back to RI in 3 weeks for a week of Christmas.  Then we have a long dry spell of January and February.

It was a warm morning, 40 degrees but now it's windy and 32 with temps dropping to teens tonight.  I got my first Christmas card in today's mail.  Oh dear, that's something I'll get to soon enough.  I have to make a basket for Mark's Christmas too.  Did not get Barb's baskets made.  Those baskets are complicated and don't look like fun to make but I'll take a stab at it some time this winter.

Monday, November 27, 2017

Post-Thanksgiving post

I got home this afternoon, an uneventful trip from Rhode Island.  Not much traffic, clear roads, all was fine.  Four inches of snow when I got here and a temp of 15--sooo different from the 40- and 50-degree days of RI.  My house was warm and all is just fine (always a relief).  I had laid a fire before I left so that was pretty nifty.

Bear is so so very happy to be home!  He sat on my lap for a long time on the couch but now is curled up at the other end of the couch.  I fear that every time I take him somewhere he wonders if we're moving, or he's moving, or whatever.  He likes it at my mothers (got to swim in the ocean on Thanksgiving) but he is always so surprised and pleased when we get home.  Poor boy.  But now we are home and all is just fine.

Thanksgiving was very nice but we had a plumbing crisis that wasn't resolved until Saturday when the plumber came to find the clog in the kitchen drain (at the septic tank, meaning the tank had to be pumped today).  That had minimal impact on our holiday but it was a little too traumatic for my mother.

Mark and I took the dogs to the beach on Thanksgiving, a sunny warm day perfect for a short walk.  Big loud surf and very high tide.  We bought lobsters on Saturday and looked at the ocean again.  I cooked the lobsters, clams and mussels which were delicious.  We sure did eat turkey a lot of times.  My Martha Stewart pumpkin pie was as good as ever though slightly undercooked this year.  oops.  Mark called it pumpkin pudding.

I did a little Christmas shopping on the way to RI and a little more while I was there.  We went to the art sale we always go to by URI but it wasn't very good this year.  We usually go on Friday or Sat. and this year we didn't get there until Sunday, maybe that was the problem.  It was too much for my poor mother though and she declared that we don't need to go next year.  She's old.

Tomorrow I'm going to the library in Keene Valley, I've agreed to try being the Archivist there part-time.  VERY part-time, I'm hoping.  There are 2 staffers who work there so I don't have to do much.  I'm still unsure just exactly what I'll be doing but I guess I'll supervise projects and get the archives organized or something.  I'll find out tomorrow.  And Wednesday I'll volunteer at the thrift store.  Is that too much?  Time will tell.

Monday, November 20, 2017

Travel eve

It was 14 this morning with a hard cold wind.  Now we have about 3 inches of snow and the temp is 22.  Supposed to be 40 tomorrow but I won't be here to enjoy that, I'm leaving for Rhode Island in the morning.  Going to my mother's for the week, Thanksgiving visit.  I've got the turkey (as long as I don't forget it) and the fixings for pumpkin pie (Martha Stewart's recipe).  I have the car partially packed but haven't packed my clothes yet.  It's too hard for me to pack any time before the morning of my trips, it's just a thing about me.  I have packed most of the other stuff though.

I've been getting to the gym every morning, doing a brisk 30 minutes.  So far so good but now I'll be gone for a week so my friend will have to treadmill without me.  We're planning a morning bog walk before I leave, that will be good for us (humans) and the dogs.  It's a 6-hour ride to RI and the dogs have always been good but Bear has only been on the trip once, long ago and he talks a lot in the car so I'm anticipating some stress for me.

I'm still volunteering at the thrift store and am about to look into a part-time position at the Keene Valley library as archivist.  I'm stopping there on my way out of town tomorrow to talk it over with the director, who's a friend from my working days.  Do I want to do this?  I don't know but will talk it over, it's a possibility.

What will RI be like?  Same as ever I suppose, warmer than here with no snow or ice.  We'll go to the market, drug store, bank, wherever my mother needs or wants to.  Mark and I may take the dogs to the beach.  We'll eat a lot.

I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving.  I'm looking forward to mine, I enjoy my mother's company very much.

Friday, November 17, 2017

New machine

I just bought a new laptop (not enthusiastically), the old one was have dying hard drive issues.  I haven't emptied the old one yet (yuck) and am still installing and learning about this one.  It's Windows10, swell, just swell.  I was assured that this OS is easier to use than the 8 I have on my other machine.  Geez I hope that's true.

Anyway it's a cold wintry day, temp at 3:00 is 24.  It's been a windy day but seems quieter now.  I went to Plattsburgh this morning, errands and lunch.  Boy did I have a lot of errands, yikes.  Anyway now I'm home and my house is so very warm.  I finally talked to the man who installed my new electrical panel in the spring and we worked out that the breaker he had noted as "untested" was only untested because he didn't know which heater it was connected to.  Well wowie jet am I thrilled to have heat at the back of the house now!   For the first time in years because I live in misery before asking for help.  What a huge difference (duh) and great comfort now.

It's been a fairly busy time for me.  I still work at the thrift store on Wednesdays and Saturdays, only in the morning though.  Yesterday I took a bunch of Christmas ornaments to the Upper Jay library for their holiday sale.  I got rid of 2 boxes and am thrilled.  None of the ornaments would embarrass me if they knew they were mine.  I only have tabletop trees these days so don't need as many ornaments.  I'll get that master bedroom in better shape yet, now there are 2 fewer boxes there.

I got a collar for Bear that glows neon green.  Man is it ever cool but he of course doesn't like it--it tattles on him.  I put it on him at night and all you can see out the window is a bright green circle moving around the yard and into the woods.  Hysterically funny.

Haven't been to the gym lately but I have been walking the bog pretty much every day with the dogs.  Not today, though.  They're both exhausted from our trip to town and are snoring peacefully at the moment.

I finished closing the boat house.  All that needed doing was to bring in the porch furniture.  WHY oh why do I put things off? 

Hard to believe next week is Thanksgiving.  I'm off to RI on Tuesday, looking forward to seeing the people there.  Not a great time for the dogs because they're confined to the pen but maybe Mark and I will go for a beach walk.  I don't think Bear has been to the ocean.  But of course I don't know that, there are 4 years of his life unknown to me.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Not quite November weather

It's not quite what I like to have in November weather-wise.  I like 40 degree, sunny and windless days.  So far we haven't had that.  Today is gray and 32 but at least it's not windy so it's easy to get the house (too) warm with the fire.

It was 8 Sat. morning with plenty of wind to make it feel very very uncomfortable.  I can get the house warm enough but who wants to go outside in THAT??  Anyway it was fine and I went to the thrift store and did some work there.  I was promoted to bagger!   I had been working in the Christmas loft but was needed as backup at the checkout to bag.  Turns out I have a great talent for putting other people's treasures in bags.  Who knew?  It was nice and I did enjoy the interactions with lots of different people, all (mostly) cheery and happy.

Friday night I had dinner with friends from Albany who have a camp here.  They stayed in their cabin without heat or insulation but they do have a wood stove so insisted on staying there even though I invited them to stay here.  We had a lot of fun at dinner but man was it cold.

I did the boat house laundry at the laundromat on Friday.  Boy there were some odd folks there that day but it was all fine.  Now I have the bedding here--should I make up the bed down there so it would be all set in the spring?  or should I keep the bedding here, handy to be used if/when I have company?  I have enough for both but it's cold enough for me to want to spend as little time down there as possible.  I still have to bring in the porch furniture but did empty the fridge and take garbage to the dump.  I went to the dump yesterday, too, got rid of mass quantities of recyclables that I've neglected to take my last few trips.  Wow my kitchen seems almost empty!

Yesterday I was in Plattsburgh to have my snow tires put on.  Talk about being efficient--there's only a little snow on the ground now but there was black ice on Friday.  Of course snow tires don't do a thing on black ice, staying home is what I did in the early hours.

I had dinner with friends from across the lake on Sunday.  It's relatively rare to have the north shore and south shore mingle but these are long-time friends who are year-round residents so we try to keep in touch in the winter.  I realize I need to reciprocate and have them come to my house but oh boy that seems complicated and like a lot of work.  I will, though, I will.

This is a pretty quiet week for me, tomorrow I'll work at the thrift store in the morning then on Thursday I'll find something entertaining to do.  Friday I'm having lunch with a friend in Plattsburgh.  Saturday is the thrift store again and Sunday night is book group.  I'm making a squash dish for that, we have a Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of the hostess every November. 

Next week I'll be in RI, driving down on Tuesday and staying until the following Monday.  I bought the turkey yesterday (Have Turkey Will Travel), I think I've got pretty much everything I need to take there.  Got the wine Mark & I like yesterday.  Pie fixings all set.  We have our traditions, boy do we have our traditions for Thanksgiving.  It's just Liza, Mark and me but we do it up big and have a really nice time.

I've been taking the dogs for  bog walks every day. My walking partner is away while her husband has surgery in NYC so I'm on my own.  This means I don't go to the gym (except when Annie was here, we went together a few times) so the dogs get the benefit of that because I walk with them instead.

It's November.  I usually like November but this year it's been pretty dreary.  There's a bit of snow on the ground but there's no ice on the lake yet.  That will come.

Wednesday, November 08, 2017

Cold getting colder

I can't really claim it's COLD, it was 18 this morning and is now 27.  Never got to 40 today but it wasn't bad, a very still and sort of pretty day.  There was some sunshine but mostly not, just very still.  I like weather like that.  Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer, in the 40's and sunny until late afternoon.  Temps then will plummet, down to low teens and maybe single digits.  Well hell it IS November.  I turned the heat on for a little while this morning but mostly I'm happy with the heat the wood stove shares in the living room.

I've had a good but pretty uneventful week so far.  A fair amount of gymming, that's always good.  My friend from DC was here and we spent a lot of time together.  I sped up the treadmill which felt great.  I conclude that our outside walks of the summer were better exercise than the treadmilling I was doing by spring.  Yesterday I voted (of course), proud to be number 31 at my polling place at noon.  My candidates won!  A bit of a surprise in one case but good news.  We had local races which I think are important when it's such a small town.  We know our local officials personally most of the time.

I walked the bog yesterday and today (though today's walk was brief, more of a boglet walk just done to entertain and run the dogs).  It's pretty unremarkable this time of year, no blossoms or fall color but it's a very very nice place and soooo handy for running Bear and Treasure.

Today I volunteered at the thrift store for a couple of hours in the morning, leaving early to run errands in Lake Placid before meeting my "exercise" partner for lunch.  The thrift store was busy and I did a lot of Christmas work.  Miraculously some of the things I put out and priced actually sold.  The small purple Barbie Christmas tree with light-up Barbie high heel ornaments sold because I lowered the price from $3 to $2.  SOLD!  That was a victory I savored.

Tomorrow is a Plattsburgh day, giving a friend a ride to pick up her truck.  What else will I do in town?  Not much, I got my errands taken care of today.  I didn't get to the dump so maybe I'll do that on my way home tomorrow.  The dump will be closed on Saturday and on Monday I go to Plattsburgh to have snow tires put on the car.  I'm quite pleased with myself for taking care of that before winter actually arrives.  Can't say before snow because we're supposed to have snow on Friday.  Cold.  Wind.  Snow.  I guess it's about time.


Monday, November 06, 2017

Warm but getting colder

It's still been warm here but now temps are dropping from 50's down to 30's today with a cold front coming in at the end of the week with highs in the 30's or 20's and lows in the teens.  Guess I should really really finish up my outdoor work and boat house chores!   I made an appointment to have my snow tires put on next week.  Yay for me, being prepared.

Today I had a silver filling replaced at the dentist's (as if I'd have it done somewhere else).  Of course I was hysterical, our childhood dentist was not kind and didn't believe in numbness.  Anyway this was PAINLESS and easy and quick and man was I relieved and surprised.  All was fine, a mere $283.  Again, preventive, the filling was cracked but not broken or missing.  Good girl, good girl.

It's been a pretty busy time for me.  I've been volunteering at the thrift store Weds. and Sat. mornings and that's going well.  I got promoted to the Christmas Loft where I get to be my own boss and work alone and it's not jam-packed with people.  On Saturday they bused in a minibus of senior citizens and man oh man was that insane.  I went upstairs to the loft, up steep stairs that the seniors couldn't climb.  Oh I'm mean, I am a senior citizen.

Yesterday I went to the movies with friends--we saw Victoria and Abdul.  That was fine and we all enjoyed it but wondered how much is true and how much was movie.  Not sure there's any way to know but there is a book written about it.  Doubt I'll read it.

I've started going to the gym again, it's too dark in the morning to walk outside and my walking friend has been sick so I missed a bunch of days.  We seem to be back to our routine, and Annie is here and has been treadmilling with me.  We just got back from a quick bog walk with our 3 dogs.  I was worried that Bear and her dog Milo might have some conflicts but the only problem was that Milo did NOT want to play run really fast and bark with Bear.  Bear minded that, he can't find anyone to play that game with him.

Tomorrow I'll vote.  We're electing Town Councilmen (no women of course) and a county legislator.  At least this election I have some idea of why I'll vote for the candidates I'm voting for.   That's my only plan for tomorrow but I need to finish closing the boat house so may work on that.  Wednesday is thrift store day, then lunch in Placid with a friend.  Thursday?  Nothing planned.  Friday?  Keep the fire going and warm up the house.  Sunday is dinner with neighbors across the lake, that will be very nice.

Life is good.  Retirement is fantastic.  I have to sign up for Medicare, well actually because I have the special state insurance I don't have to do anything, my signing up is automatic.  I'm extremely fortunate.  Excellent insurance all round.

I'll go to RI for Thanksgiving--can that really be 2 weeks from now?  I'm planning to go there on Tuesday, stay until Monday.  I'm foolish to think that will help with the traffic but at least I'm not traveling on Weds. or Sunday.  Will my pipes freeze while I'm gone?  Doubtful but not certain.  It has to get below zero really for that to happen.  That won't, absolutely will not happen.