Sunday, December 31, 2017

Farewell to 2017

I'm home in Hawkeye, the holidays were good and all is well at -6 here.  This morning's early temp was -13.  This weather is almost enough to be depressing but I'm just happy my house is operational and not freezing or having a problem.  I have a cold and am spending the day watching 80's music videos from the couch with my dogs in front of a warm fire.  Nothing seems to help ease the symptoms of this head cold but I feel fortunate that it's only a head cold and not even a very bad one.  Geez I sound goofy, my glass is always half full isn't it.

I went to the neighborhood holiday party last night, that was lovely.  I didn't stay long but did visit with everyone there.  There were probably 35 or so people, people I like and am happy to see.  We are neighbors, after all, and we need to keep each other in mind.

The Holts have been here since Christmas and Annie and I have been to the gym every morning.  You'd think that would have some impact on my weight but apparently I eat enough to keep it in balance.  I don't do resolutions, really, but am hoping to get back to my Weight Watchers routine in January. 

It's sunny and bright outside.  Soon I'll go out for more wood but that's about it.  I'm drinking hot lemon-honey water (blech) because that's what 2 friends told me to do.  Mostly I'm just doing nothing and that feels so good!  I didn't go to the thrift store yesterday and will have another idle day tomorrow I hope, but return to my routines after that.  Work Tuesday and Thursday mornings, thrift store Weds. and Sat. mornings.  A good life.

I think 2018 will bring good things.  A girl can dream.

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Holiday time

I guess I've been busy!   My intent was to post to this blog regularly but I see I've neglected to do that.  Must do better.

I am busy, I volunteer at the thrift store 2 mornings a week and I work in the Keene Valley Archives 2 other mornings a week.  That doesn't sound like much but somehow the days get away from me.  No, the weeks get away from me.

Now it's almost Christmas.  I'm leaving in the morning for RI, will be there from Thursday to Thursday.  I'm hoping I've found a house-sitter for that week because it's tradition that my pipes or pump or SOMETHING freezes while I'm away in the winter. 

The lake has frozen over, sometimes that happens before Christmas but not always.  It's been cold although yesterday was LOVELY and rainy.  We lost some snow but have plenty left.  I liked the brief thaw because it gave me a good chance to shovel my steps and a path on the deck.  I'm notorious for neglecting that until there's a thick hard pile of snow in a path from the stairs to the door.  One year I had to slide down the pile of snow to get inside the door.  That made me feel as if maybe regular shoveling would be wise.  And now that I'm retired, do I really have an excuse?  I can't say "I don't like shoveling in the dark" because I have plenty of daylight hours at home.  Geez I do love this life.

I'm still hitting the gym most mornings.  My friend and I have been having a great time doing our treadmill half hour then visiting over coffee at Stewart's.  That will come to an end soon though because she'll have to go back to full-time work.  Rats.  There was a strange man at the gym this morning (!) but we included him in our chatter and found him to be politically sympathetic so that was a relief.  No, we don't like the tax game being played in Washington.

The dogs are doing well but maybe they think they spend too much time in the car.  I usually take them with me wherever I go but Bear starts whining on the way home.  Sometimes I stop at a trail in Wilmington on the way home and let them run but I tire of that walk long before they do so it's not a great success.  Haven't walked the bog in weeks, it's covered with snow now.

Life continues to be wonderful for me.  I'll have a good Christmas with my mother and Mark, then more company arrives on the 26th so it will continue to be festive.  If I can get this man to stay in my house while I'm gone I will really enjoy the trip.  If not I'll worry about my house too much.  But I'm happy either way and feeling very lucky.

Saturday, December 09, 2017

What did I say about December?

OK, after much declaring that I like November and December weather because there are no extremes we got 6" of snow last week and temps are supposed to be in single digits this week.  Actually it must have been 5 1/2 inches of snow because my plowman plows at 6" and he didn't plow.  It's surprisingly fluffy snow so getting around is no problem.  Also no problem because no one else got this much snow.  I bundled and booted up to go to Keene yesterday and was surprised to see bare ground when I got there.  Felt way overdressed. 

I've been my normal kind of busy, volunteering at the thrift store and working part-time in Keene Valley.  Yesterday I helped stuff envelopes for the Adk Land Trust.  How did I get roped into that, I wonder.  Someone asked me if I would help and I don't know how to say no.  It was fine, I enjoyed being with the people there and it felt like something worth doing.  And how else would I spend my Friday?

Untangled about 20 strands of Christmas lights at the thrift store this morning, they sold as quickly as I labeled them and put them out.  Quite a bargain for 50 cents.  But really, who gives strands of lights that do NOT light up to a thrift store?  There were only about 6 or 7 of those.

I met a friend for coffee in Keene after thrifting, that was nice and we had a good visit but I was happy to be home (so was Bear, he only whined from around Upper Jay to home.  OK, OK, so you have to pee, zip it and be patient).  Tonight is dinner with Annie, she's here for a few days.

There was ice on the lake this morning, not all the way across but along the shore at the foot of the lake by the Beach House.  The lake used to freeze over by Christmas but not lately.  Maybe this year will be different.

Things are moving along Christmas-ly.  I don't have my tree yet but have scouted out a few possibilities.  Buying one, not cutting one this year.  I'm hoping to get one tomorrow morning.  I have 2 free days, tomorrow and Monday so maybe I'll get a tree up and decorated.

We're having a semi-storm, not like the rest of the East.  I talked to my mother this morning and she refused to believe they would get much in coastal Rhode Island.  I hope she's right.  Our snow is here to stay, no warm weather in sight.  We might get an inch or two tonight, so they say.

Dogs are fine.  They like the snow just fine, it doesn't seem to excite them or bother them.  Bear does do some snowplowing with his snout but Treasure just walks around.  It's nice to be able to track them in the snow.  They don't seem to wander too far from the house, just down the driveway and sometimes all the way to the bog.  They don't seem to like a bog walk without me.  Unless there are strangers there to walk with.

Monday, December 04, 2017

Liking December so far

I'm reminded that I always say how much I like November and December weather, today it was in the 30's and sunny in Hawkeye.  Bright sun here but clouds and fog in the Champlain Valley.  That was pretty strange.

I had a good weekend, treadmilled and walked with my friend, worked at the thrift store, went to book group, talked to my mother, all good things.  The bog walk yesterday afternoon wasn't great, it was icy and slick so we walked a little too slowly for it to count as exercise.  My friend MADE me carry in some of the last of the firewood that didn't get stacked in the wood shed this fall.  She made me by carrying in a bunch of it herself--I hate, really hate watching people do things to help me.  She knows me well and knew that would work.  There are still maybe 15 pieces of wood on the ground.  They must be moved before it snows, Donny will not like hitting frozen firewood with his plow.

The thrift store was busy.  A good friend was volunteering there too and we had a quick visit.  I spent most of my time in the Christmas Loft and finished putting out all the stuff that's in storage.  There is NO MORE Christmas stuff in the storage bins.  Valentine's Day yes.  Easter yes.  Leftover Halloween and Thanksgiving yes.  But Christmas no.

Book group was nice, we always have a good visit and delicious meal.  I was going to try stuffing acorn squash but ended up just slicing it thinly and roasting it.  Lazy girl I am.

Today was  Plattsburgh day, I had a haircut and ran errands.  I got some Christmas shopping done but did not get a Christmas tree.  It seems early but most of my friends have already got theirs.  Oh woe is me I feel so left out!

I saw a dear friend at the hairdressers', it was lovely to visit with her.  We worked together at the library system many many years ago and her daughter was a very close friend of mine when I first moved here.  Brook died 3 years ago, a sadness I still feel.  Her mother is older now, much older and that's a shock.

Tomorrow is a library day after a 7:15 meet at the gym with my friend, followed by coffee at Stewart's.  We're becoming regulars there and that makes us both laugh a lot.  She is home from work for a month to care for her husband as he recovers from surgery.  Boy have we made the most of that time!  We spent the winter and summer meeting at 6:30 or 7:00 each morning to walk or treadmill.  Now we've backed it up and are used to later times.  That will have to change when she goes back to work next week.  YIKES, it's so dark at 6:30!

I bought some outdoor lights today (WHY???) but of course haven't put them up yet.  I always used to have lights in the woods but that sort of went by the wayside.  I thought I'd like to see that again (in a weak moment).  Let's see if I do anything about this...

Friday, December 01, 2017

Dreary but warm out

It's sort of sleet-y and rainy today but it's not cold, temp is 33.  Too warm for snow.  I need to lose that notion because yes, it will snow and yes, it will get cold.  And yes, no doubt I will have frozen pipes some time this winter.  Just because it's already happened does not mean I'm now immune.

I've had a good week, my time in Keene Valley was good and productive.  It's very intimidating because the woman who knows most about the Archives had her last day there yesterday so now I'm on my own.  There is another part-timer there but Anna (who left) was the Assistant Archivist and was a wonder.  So now I dig in and figure out what to do and how to do it.  It's a fantastic resource.  There is a great vertical file (outdated library thing--I LOVE vertical files) and a card catalog for the collection, both of which need updating but not digitizing (at this point)(maybe ever).  The subject headings are NOT those that I'm used to but I should be able to figure things out.  We don't know how to generate catalog cards so adding new things to the collection is a problem.  Meanwhile we clip relevant articles from the newspapers (sports team reports only get clipped if there's a picture; obituaries must be closely read to see if there's any geographical connection).  I like clipping articles (duh) and there's another woman who makes copies and files them.  Not the most challenging work I've ever done but then I'm RETIRED so I don't want challenging.

I promised the dogs I would give them a long walk today.  They got cheated out of 2 long walks this week, I shortened the walks dramatically because I got bored.  I've been to the gym with my friend 3 days so far (and have plans to go again tomorrow) and that makes me less inclined to go for a long dog bog walk.  Not fair to the poor critters, is it.

Christmas seems to be coming.  A friend and I agreed that some people seem to be rushing the season a bit this year.  I got my first Christmas card in the mail the other day, making me think "uh-oh, there's something I'll have to get going on."  But wait, today is only the 1st of December so there's time, yes plenty of time.

Nearly all of the snow has melted and I'm enjoying the view of bare ground.  Again, don't get used to it, girlie, it's not lasting, although weather predictions look pretty darn fine for the next several days.