Autumnal nights

We're having a bit of autumn here, chilly nights and clear cool days.  It's absolutely lovely.   Some of the maple trees are starting to turn but mostly it's still quite green (with a bit of yellow here and there).

I did go to RI after all, went last week for a few days to see my mother.  She wasn't keen on having me come but we ended up doing well together, as usual.  I was helpful to her, did grocery shopping for her and bought extras of things so she wouldn't have to go for a while.  She seems to be reaching a point where she doesn't really want to go to the store again.  An hour after I left to come home she fell from her chair and landed on the rug.  She wasn't hurt but it was upsetting (for me and for her).  She couldn't get herself up, couldn't reach Mark so she pushed her magic button on her wristband and the EMTs and police came and helped her up.  All was fine but I found this to be terribly TERRIBLY sad.  I think I need to get used to this sort of thing, as much as I'm able.

Other than the trip I haven't been doing much but seem to keep busy enough.  Work is going well, we're still scanning photos, have about 1000 left to do before we process the bunches we have that have yet to be added to the collection.  Those are a problem because mostly they don't have any information or identification of people or places, they're just photos people have donated in recent years.

Summer friends are still in residence, some will be until Columbus Day then we'll switch to winter mode socially.  I'm going to the Midwest next weekend, spending a week with friends I've known since childhood.  There are about 16 or 18 of us, we'll stay in a house we've rented in Lake Geneva.  We get together fairly often, every few years.  It's all women, friends of mine from my ancient past in Rockford, Brownies, junior high school, high school.  I'm the only one who's single and only 3 of us are childless--most of the rest now have granchildren, yikes.

The dogs have not been very good recently, they ran off the other day and showed up in a friend's kitchen.  She called me, I went to retrieve them but they'd moved on by then, on to some other friends' camp.  Back they went to the first place, she called me again, again I missed them but that time they were on their way home.  The other morning they ran off at 6:00 while I was waiting for my friend to walk with me.  We walked the bog doglessly and the dogs met us as we were coming out of the bog.  BAD DOGS.  Now they're snoring on the couch beside me, dreaming no doubt of their freedom.  I have to board them while I'm in Wisconsin.  I have a good kennel, the people raise Siberian huskies and my dogs have been there before and done well so I'm not worried.  It's expensive but they're well cared for there.

My sister has been scanning photos from our childhood.  Here's what my sister and I looked like in the early 50's when we lived in Turkey (that's my brother in the background)--that's me on the right.

Oh it's busy all right

August is busier than July was, both for me and for the Adks in general.  Traffic is way different, so many more cars!

I've been having good times visiting with friends, walking every morning with the dogs and a friend or two.  Bear didn't think that was good enough one day, he went to a friend's camp at 7 (the dogs ran off while I was getting dressed--well EXCUSE ME for wanting to get dressed in my bedroom instead of the living room.  He showed up at my friend's (she doesn't get up until 9:00), banged on the their door and barked a lot, a LOT.  OK, so he got let in, I was called and while he was waiting for me to get him he got 6 treats.  Oh that will keep him from doing that again, for sure.  Treasure came home, grinning and saying "Bear's in big trouble."  Of course he didn't get in trouble, he got treats.

I still haven't been back to the thrift store, I guess I'm taking the summer off.  It's great to have all this free time but right now I'm wondering what I should do next.  Deadhead the flowers?   Cut some tall grass with the weedeater?  Read the library book I checked out (yes, I actually checked out a book)?  Vacuum dog hair in the living room and bedroom?  Replant the geraniums?  No need to pick cucumbers, Bear has eaten them all, even though they were infants only 2 inches long. 

I'm not going to RI this month, those plans were changed.  I may go in October, I would like to see my mother--but then I'll be going in November and December so why go in October too? September is out, it's busy and beautiful here.

Weather has been good, some gorgeous August days.  You can tell autumn is coming, there's something in the air and the nights are cool.  One day my friend and I swam in very cold water, yesterday I swam in water that was just the right temperature, boy was it great.  I'm sure the water in the lake doesn't change temperature that much but the difference was notable.

A gorgeous and bright moon last night--someone said it was called the sturgeon moon.  I should look that up.

No big plans coming up, breakfast with friends yesterday, perhaps a trip to Plattsburgh tomorrow, a trip to a farm stand this afternoon.  Work is good.  Home is good.  Dogs are, well, they are good.  Mostly.

Rain. Sun. Clouds.

We've had some great rains, my deck plants are well watered now.  Yesterday was cold--OK,not COLD but chilly.  I was with friends for coffee in the morning, came home chilled so built a fire.  I'd say it was the first of the season but the season hasn't started yet.

I've been walking every morning still--Bear now expects to see the bog at 7 each morning, he sits by the door waiting.  Today I went to the farmers market that's on Sunday mornings--went with friends and bought not too much stuff but enough.  I bought some sheeps milk yogurt to try it out.  Boy I'm strange.

Dinner with friends tonight, a quiet day tomorrow with maybe a dump run.  Dinner with friends Tuesday night then a whole lot of empty squares on my calendar.  Whew!

I've been reading the book group book, The book woman of Troublesome Creek, which is more than slightly depressing but also sort of interesting.  It's about Kentucky in the 1930's, full of poor people and about some blue-skinned people, one of whom is a library person who rides her mule around delivering books and magazines to people in the hills.  Do I want to be reminded of bookmobile-style service?   Not a bit.  I looked up the blue-skinned people and they really did exist.  So did the mule-riding library service providers.  I'm halfway through the book and not terribly interested in finishing it because I know, just KNOW that bad things are going to happen.  I just checked with a friend who's read it, though and she told me the mule does not die so at least I can stop worrying about that.

The dogs are fine, they sure do like their morning walks.  They eat dropped apples along the road.  There's one tree that's loaded with apples but they're still small and very tart.  My apple trees aren't offering much fruit this year.

Life is good, as always.

Change of plans

Oh I love having other people made decisions for me (not).  My trip to RI has been postponed until Labor Day weekend.  I was set to go this weekend, whatever scheduling I had to do was done but Mark's plans changed so--mine change too.  Oh well.  I'll have dinner with friends tomorrow night, stay away from camp mostly for the next week or so while my ex-husband and his friends are occupying it.  I can still use the boat house but why would I want to?  I do need to get down there and do some cleaning.  Many empty wine bottles...

I've been busy, busy enough without being overwhelmed.  Visits with friends, a shoreowners' assoc. meeting and social hour that was quite nice.  Work.  Dump runs.  Walking every morning, which has really pleased Bear.  My friend's Gordon setter Milo is here for a few weeks and Bear just ADORES Milo.  Milo does not feel the same way about Bear but he is tolerant.

I took my car to the dealer to have brake work done while it's still under warranty but that was a waste of time and a fruitless expedition.  Brakes not bad enough yet.  Drat.  I went back to the dealer another day, gave a friend a ride home after she dropped off her car.  Long live the Subies!  It's a popular car.

It's supposed to rain hard today but so far all we've seen is a light sprinkle.  I'm tired of watering my deck plans so they're looking quite ratty and are very thirsty.  I haven't mowed my lawn and it looks bad, very bad.  I vacuumed some of the living room and kitchen this afternoon but then of course the battery died so now I wait.  I could do boat house dishes while I wait.  or I could do a crossword puzzle while watching music videos.  Yes, I think I'll do that for a while at least.