Thursday, June 20, 2019

Summer arrives, pretty much

We're finally having summer-like weather.  And the pine pollen has been bad but may be abating.  I've been busy but not tooooo busy.  I've dined with friends a couple of times, hosting one friend one night.  I've been walking in the mornings with friends, followed by coffee, often at the boat house.  The other morning the lake was like glass and the air was still, totally still.  Wow what a treat. 

I was going to sleep in the boat house last night but a sighting of my ex-husband deterred me.  Oh well, my loss, I missed a nice night on the water.

I went to the doctor yesterday and discovered (big surprise) that ice cream is good for bad LDL cholesterol and good for gaining weight.  I have a friend who likes to go to AuSable for ice cream in the evenings, as we did last night.  OK, per the doctor I can have sherbet or sorbet but not ice cream.  Drat.

Work has been good, we had a grand unveiling of the grant project we've been including images from the Archives for.  Wow we have some great and amazing photos.  Today I'll be in the Archives finishing an application for an assessment--I hope, really hope we "win" a visit from a consultant from the Documentary Heritage Program.  Why?   It's not that I'm at all insecure about our collection or accommodations but I would like guidance on what to do next and where we should be heading.  I'm not really an archivist but I pretend to be one every Tuesday and Thursday, and sometimes in between.

It's supposed to rain today.  That would be nice, my deck plants are very thirsty and I'm not being conscientious about watering them.

Life is good.  My sister arrives in America on Saturday, I pick her up in Montreal and we'll spend a couple of days in the boat house before heading to Rhode Island for a long visit there.  Her daughter, one of my favorite nieces (I have but two) will be there and we'll get to be together with her.  That's always a source of joy for me.

Then it's back to Hawkeye for the annual Rogers Family Meeting.  It makes me nervous just thinking about it though I'm not really sure why.  Those people stress me out.  Too many cousins, but I always say it's nice to have family.  It is?

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

A taste of near-summer

The weather has been nice, temps in the 70's and even up to 80 recently.  Today was gorgeous but started chilly (44 this morning when I walked the bog).  I got to spend some time on my deck relaxing and doing NOTHING.  Loved it.  I was at the thrift store this morning but knew it was time for me to leave when my knees ached and I was getting short with the shoppers.  Cannot do that!   We have a shortage of volunteers so it gets hectic and unpleasant when we have too much coming in to be processed in receiving.  Which has happened for the last 2 weeks.  I'm not going there on Saturday, have to do work work with the Archives.

Bear took himself for an extended walk/swim this afternoon, the ratpig.  I was under the WRONG impression that he wouldn't wander if he were out alone and not cabled.  I got a call from a summer neighbor--she ratted him out, he was at her camp so I went to get him.  Oh he was happy to see me but happier to play with the tennis ball there.  I repeat, ratpig.

I've been busy--have got my planting mostly done, just have small zinnias that need to grow up a bit more plus some nasturtiums left to plant.  My deck has a lot, no really, a LOT of pots with flowers on it.  A few are for a friend who is coming in 2 weeks but there are more that are mine.  One will go to the boat house--I've taken one down there already, along with a very heavily-used hummingbird feeder.  I've started cleaning there, have brought home laundry and dishes, not I have to finish up and take everything back down there.  The bed is made, my sister's bedding is ready--she arrives next Saturday, late at night to Montreal.  We'll be staying in the boat house for a few days before heading to RI.  She'll be in America for 3 weeks and we'll be here and there, returning for the family meeting on July 13th, then she returns to Italy on the 15th.  I'm looking forward to being with her, we do enjoy each other's company.

Work in the Archives has been fine, a big push to get ready for a grant project, the reception is Saturday afternoon and I'll probably go.  This is a busy week, tomorrow I go to work, have lunch with a friend and eventually end up in Plattsburgh at the airport to meet a friend who's flying in from DC.  Friday I spend in Burlington with a friend, waiting for the front seat upholstery to be replaced.  Thank you Bear for ripping it, at least it's covered under warranty.

Busy busy busy, and it's not quite summer yet.  Dinners, lunches, coffees, ice cream runs. 

Thursday, June 06, 2019

We might see the sun!

It's a rainy (sort of) morning but is supposed to clear and be warm and sunny for the next few days.  WOW!   My plants aren't thriving because they long to see the sun--sort of like me.  I planted geraniums in the cemetery yesterday, that was a task I've been putting off for a long time.  The black flies weren't bad but they were there all right.  I came home and did some planting here and the flies were worse than at the cemetery but they still weren't as bad as they've been.  Maybe, just maybe the season is ending.

I went to the thrift store yesterday, did a couple of hours there.  There's still a big backlog of stuff that people have dropped off--piles and boxes of things that need to be processed and priced.  I did that for a while then worked with the 3 huge, overflowing bins of books that people "donated."  Fly-specked, dusty, water-damaged cruddy books.  I threw out at least half of them.  I'm ruthless when I go through books, lots of people can't bear to throw books away but having worked with books for most of my life I have no problem chucking them.

Today is a work day.  I'll have to put my computer back together, they were to lay the new carpet, they got started on Tuesday and hopefully finished by yesterday.  There's a grant project requiring some of our images and I haven't been able to get to them  so the pressure's on to get that taken care of.

Short walk with the dogs this morning, we usually walk for 20-30 minutes but my friend couldn't take that much time because she has a morning appointment.  She said we should just take the dogs for a short walk to make them think they got a walk and that worked!  They're both (the dogs, not my friend) sound asleep as if they'd walked 10 miles.

I've got almost all of my planting done--that feels great.  I still have some nasturtiums and zinnias to put in the ground but it's been so cloudy and wet that they're not growing fast enough, plus the ground has been too cold. 

Life continues to be good, very good.  The apple trees are in bloom, the leaves in the forest are so very very green.

Monday, June 03, 2019

Weather, still

It refuses to warm up much outside.  This is getting tiresome but man oh man is it ever green out there.  Lots of rain and cool weather has resulted in obscenely bright greens in the woods.  Very, very pretty.  BUT...I would like to see the sun for more than just a few minutes at a time.  Rumor is that will happen later this week, maybe, perhaps, possibly.  The black flies are liking this weather--they don't like sunny warm days.

I've been busy planting my deck containers and I'm pretty happy with the results.  Now I need to plan the seedlings I have, in the ground, and mow the lawn.  Yes, my grass likes damp cool weather and all of a sudden it has grown at an alarming rate.  drat.

Things at the thrift store are out of control--people are bringing in more stuff than we could possibly process so there's a huge backlog.  I get frustrated, tired and hysterical when it's like that so don't enjoy being there as much.  I only worked a couple of hours on Wednesday and again on Saturday.  I feel bad leaving when it's so busy.  Not bad enough to stay though.  Bad me.

I hosted book group last night, we were going to be on the boat house porch but it was cool and rainy so we ended up in my living room.  That was fine.  I made stuffed shells, which sure are not worth the amount of work (at least the way I made them).  Tasty but I think I'll stick with lasagna for a mix of ricotta, etc.  We had a good time anyway.

Summer people are slow to arrive, not many have shown up yet.  I've been going out for ice cream with a friend, WW be damned.  Must get back to counting points and weighing in.