Almost August

Hard to believe we're saying goodbye to July but tomorrow will be August, wow.  I'm having a good summer, maybe a little too busy but full of people I enjoy being with and things I enjoy doing.  My friends from DC were here for a while and we walked every morning--Bear felt that's the way life should be lived, Treasure was less interested in a daily walk but she went along.

I slept in the boat house earlier this week and it was very hot so I slept poorly--VERY poorly.  Finally got up at 5:30 and came home.  Yes, it's nice to be there but it sure is more fun when my sister is there with me.  Lately I've been spending a couple of hours on the porch there, relaxing in the cool breeze, reading and doing crosswords.  I did have friends come for dinner the night before they left for home in Minn., that was nice.  Yesterday I drove them to the airport in Burlington and treated myself to a trip to Trader Joe's on my way home.  Oh my I can always find things to buy there!  There was a big storm on my way to the ferry but the ticket seller said they got nothing like that at the ferry landing.  That was a relief, I envisioned a bouncy, wet ride on the boat.

I made my plane reservations for my September trip to the Homeland, maybe I already posted that.  Anyway I'll fly to Minneapolis on Sunday, Sept. 8 and will return on Saturday the 15th.  Meanwhile I board the dogs for a long time, will drop them off on Saturday and pick them up on Sunday.  They'll be fine, this is the kennel they always stay at but it's been a long time since I've boarded them.  I don't worry about them, I just feel bad that they're not sleeping on my bed every night.  And it's expensive.  Oh well.

I'm watching a Cream concert, their last concert I think, a reunion from 2005.  They all look and sound wonderful.  Man that Ginger Baker can tap the drums! 

What will August bring?   My trip to RI next weekend, a nice visit with my mother.  Some friends' birthdays.  I don't have anything big planned for the month, my calendar looks forlorn and empty.  Friday I take my car to the dealer in Plattsburgh, hoping they'll replace the front brakes under warranty (car now has 35,400 miles on it).  Saturday night is dinner with friends, Sunday is a shoreowners' association social at the bar/restaurant at the foot of the lake.  Those evenings are nice, it's good to see everyone.

Work has been fine but a little dull--we're not scanning the most interesting images lately, and many are repetitive.  Ice storm.  Forest fire.  Where are the photos from the early 1900's?  Those are the most fun to do.  Well hell maybe we've done them.  We've scanned 5000 of the 6000 in the collection.  More projects are coming up so we have job security for the rest of our lives I think.

I still haven't returned to the thrift store.  Do I feel guilty?  Slightly but mostly I'm enjoying the time not spent there.  Today I have no obligations and have paid bills, done laundry, done dishes and will soon go to camp to collect more dirty dishes and a huge number of beer bottles I promised to make disappear.  Cousins galore arrive tomorrow, will stay until Tuesday I think.  These are the "youngsters," in their 20's or so, the newest generation.  Good to have them interested in using camp.

I may go for a swim with a friend this afternoon, if it doesn't rain.  I do need to take stuff to the dump (always) so may take a run there too.  or instead.  or not.

Hey, where did she go?

OK, so it's been a month--a very busy month.  My sister arrived in Montreal on June 22, I met her at the airport and we spent 3 1/2 weeks together.  It was a wonderful, wonderful time.  We were here for a couple of days then went to my mother's in RI for 9 days.  That, too was wonderful.  We had some of the best beaching we've ever had there, bright sunshine with clear clear ocean water and small surf that was easy to get through.  My mother is fine and was happy to have her daughters visit so it was all good.  We came back here and spent the rest of our time at the boat house with a few nights here at my house.  I got to see my great-niece quite a bit and that was a treat, she is a very nice and special young person.  I saw both of my nieces--my sister's daughter was in RI for a conference and it was a rare treat to spend days with her plus she had a good visit with my mother.  That meant a lot to both of them.

Now I'm home and almost settled into my summer fervor of a life.  I went back to work last week, scanned more images and dealt with an application for an archival assessment project.  I haven't been back to the thrift store in more than a month, oh dear will they recognize me?  Yes they will but they've been well-staffed I hear.  I don't enjoy being there in the summer as much, it's too busy and gets hot and hectic.

Many summer friends are here and around, I've visited with a few of them but haven't spent as much time socializing as I usually do.  That's OK, it's still July, but oh my! it's nearly August! 

I had to have my water heater replaced (and trained myself to call it a "water heater" instead of a "hot water heater"--what other kind of water heater would one have?).  That was high drama after it leaked half an inch of water in the laundry room and hallway.

I need to take my mower to be fixed, it's missing a vital part that holds the top on the engine and when I try mowing with it it sprays oil all over the place.

I took my car in for its almost-final-under-warranty work.  It's fine.

The dogs are well but Bear has a lump I need to have the vet look at (OK, not look at, but rather feel and palpate).

I had my wood for next winter delivered, only bought 4 cords this year because I still have 2 cords left from last year.  I used to burn 8 cords a winter but now it's more like 6 cords.  I love my stove.

Life is good.  Weather is not.  It's been hot here but I can't really complain because hot is a relative term and I live in the woods and near a lake so I have access to cooler places.

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?

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. 

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.

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.

Car is fine, weather is not

It's been a busy week.  I did get my car cleaned, then got the brakes fixed--now she sparkles inside and out (for a while at least).

I spent most of last week cleaning, resting and getting ready for a visit from a good good friend, someone I worked with in Providence in the late 70's and early 80's.  Yikes, we've been friends for 40 years.  She now lives in Pittsburgh and was able to fly into Plattsburgh on Friday.  It was so very very nice to see her and spend days with her.  We had a grand time--walked up the bluffs, bushwhacked our way down.  Dinner with friends.  Walked up Silver Lake Mtn. but didn't quite make it to the top.  Walked around Mirror Lake in Lake Placid and had a nice lunch there.  Went out for breakfast.  Lost power.  Lost phone for 3 days.  Spent hours on the boat house porch, reading.  Laughed a lot.  No, really, a LOT.  We are good friends.  We went to Stewart's for ice cream--she was surprised to find out that, after much discussion about "Let's go to Stewart's for ice cream" was followed by a trip to a gas station.  OK, I corrected her, it's NOT a gas station, it's a convenience store.  She thought Stewart's was an ice cream parlor.  Close, but not close.

The dogs were wonderful with her but were terrible at staying home.  Both dogs disappeared one day.  Bear disappeared another day.  BAD BAD DOGS.  Is it because it's spring?  It can't be hormonal, neither dog has any hormones.

Flight from Plattsburgh this morning was cancelled so we went to Burlington.  That was a relief and a nice treat for me--we shopped at Gardeners Supply, I got a few things I absolutely needed.  I dropped her at the airport then went to Trader Joes and spent some more money on groceries and wine.  A fine time was had by all.

Sun, yes, car? not so much

We have had some very nice weather, some good sunshine along with thunder and rain.  Good spring weather.  My car, not so nice.  On Thursday while I was at work Bear threw up all over the front and back seats (after moving the seat cover out of the way).  I couldn't get it clean so ended up having it cleaned all day Saturday.  That was fine, I got a ride home from the place in Jay, had a day with no car that was uneventful, got a ride to pick it up that evening.  OK, all was fine.  Yesterday I went plant shopping with a friend in my deliciously clean car and the brakes started grinding and growling.  HONESTLY!   Will it never end?   We had a good time and got some good plants (though I now have maybe more plants than containers to put them in) but I freaked out about the noises.  This morning I called lots of repair places, all of whom convinced me the rotors were damaged (most likely) and would be covered under warranty so they didn't want to fix the car.  I took it in to AuSable, where the nice and helpful people took the wheels off to show me the damage to the rotors and need for pads in the front.  OH NO.  I'm not driving the car until that is fixed, so I had another day at home.

I finally found a solution and will take the car to the dealer in Plattsburgh tomorrow, though they can't guarantee they will get to it.  It can spend the night and all day Wednesday there.  Service maven says I have an 80-90 percent chance of getting it fixed.  Please, please please help me.  I have good friends, one will meet me there in the morning, bring me home (inconvenient) and pick me up Wednesday afternoon (again, inconvenient) to retrieve the car.  I need the car this weekend, my friend is coming and I have to pick her up Friday and take her to the airport on Tuesday, plus wouldn't it be nice if we could actually GO somewhere while she's here?  I don't think she'll want to watch distraction television.

I did get some plants in containers, that is always nice.  The black flies are out and boy are they hungry and thriving.  Bloodsucking little creeps.

What's that? It's raining?

I don't remember when we last saw the sun but I think it was last week.  It snowed this morning, just a dusting for the effect.  I can remember 6" of snow in May other years so it's not really that unusual.  May and October have snow just for the hell of it, it doesn't usually amount to much and seldom lasts long on the ground. 

I've been walking with friends in the morning, chilly times but nice.  Bear sure appreciates it but Treasure gets rooked towards the end of our walks because she's on a leash.  Although it seems counter-intuitive based on behavior patterns, Treasure is the ring leader when they go for their "long walks" to places far away.  She'll start to run off, stop and look back at Bear--you'd swear she was winking at him.  He'll join her and I won't see them for hours some days.  Bad dogs.  I can prevent it just by putting her on a leash.   Why does Treasure get punished?  Because she's GOOD on a leash and Bear is so NOT good on a leash, he pulls and suffers mightily.

Work has been fine, we're still scanning images and laughing a lot.  At what?  At the costumes from the 1800's, at the poor quality of photographs, at our inside jokes.  It's enjoyable and nice.

It's been busy at the thrift store, enough shoppers but lots of people dropping off as well.  The weather hasn't been conducive to thrift-storing but people have their agendas so they come in the rain to drop and to shop.  We've been a little short-handed and that will continue but we're not in crisis mode yet.

We still don't have leaves on trees in Hawkeye though there is a hint of green on the poplars.  The shad and cherry haven't bloomed yet, it seems late for them.  I suppose the cool weather is responsible for the delay.  My daffodils are a little confused but most of them are in bloom right now--there's usually a gradual bunch of blooming but not this year: most of the varieties are blooming at the same time.

Hard to believe next weekend is Memorial Day!   My friend is coming from Pittsburgh and I have much to do to prepare.  I've been concentrating on getting the house ready but tonight it occurred to me that I should be getting the boat house and Dockside cabin ready in case we decide to sleep there.  I had planned to open the boat house this week but then I forgot about it.  oops.  I'll get some double bed sheets for the cabin at the thrift store (I hope).

Life continues rolling along in a good way--a very good way.

And rain

Hard to believe we had a sunny day this week but I guess we did.  I remember sitting on my deck reading the newspaper in the sun.  Just a vague memory now.  Boy did it rain today, heavy rain mixed with showers.  Last night's rain was loud on my metal roof.  On it goes.

I went to Plattsburgh today, switched over my car tires (as if I had another kind of tire) and ran a couple of errands.  Best errand by far was plant shopping but I showed remarkable restraint, mostly because I didn't use a cart and couldn't carry more than half a dozen pots.  I've made plans to go plant shopping with a friend on Sunday but tonight I feel more like going tomorrow--suppose all the good plants are gone by Sunday?   Hah.  As if.  Anyway I should work at the thrift store tomorrow because I suspect they'll be short-handed and it might be busy.  If the sun comes out.  That's a big if.

This weather is tiring and discouraging.  I've planted several varieties of flowers in peat pots indoors and they're all germinating nicely.  That's optimism, something I'm not always known for.  My co-worker in the Archives says I always see the good in people (little does she know...) and that I always assume the best.  I don't feel that way about myself, maybe that's good, to convince others that I'm an optimist who looks for good things.  I grew up with people who did NOT see the good in things but had pretty dismal outlooks so maybe I AM cheerful as a reaction to that.  Anyway, the weather has not helped me be an optimist.  We had thunder and lightning last night.

My bird feeder is the hottest place in Hawkeye these days--bright yellow goldfinches, purple purple finches, white-crowned sparrows, chipmunks, blue jays, juncos.  In the woods I hear white-throated sparrows, ovenbirds, drumming grouse and I've seen flickers so spring is here.  I have a friend who can identify warblers and reported seeing some this week at his camp.  I can only recognize one warbler's call, the black-throated blue warbler, which nests around my house every summer.

Life is good.  No, really, it is.

SUNSHINE

Although it's a tad cool at 54, the sun is warm and bright and there are no clouds.  Wow, what a gorgeous day.  There are just the tiniest of leaves on the poplars now, hinting at a green tinge in the hills.  Very pretty.

My hummingbirds are back.  Goldfinches are brilliant yellow.  Purple finches brilliant purple.  Rose-breasted grosbeak hanging around.  White-throated sparrow singing away.  I heard peepers outside a restaurant in Wilmington the other night, that was a treat.

I've been doing the things I do.  Went to Plattsburgh on Monday, my final visit with one of my doctors (he's retiring) after 24 years of being treated.  It was nice to say farewell, we talked about how well we have worked together.  blah blah blah.  Next up is a visit to the vet with the dogs (there goes $500).  No, wait, next is taking the car to Plattsburgh for tire switching and oil change, that happens on Friday.

Yesterday was a work day, I went to the gym first and spent 25 minutes on the treadmill.  Not a lot but not bad.  I've been walking outside with friends most mornings,which the dogs appreciate but it's never really enough for Bear.  MORE!  He needs MORE!

I've planted lots of seeds indoors, that entertains me.  Morning glories are up, nasturtiums just starting to come up, zinnias are slow to appear but there's slight "movement" in the soil.  I should be outside today cleaning up the yard, getting the mower out, uncovering the hostas (buried under ashes dumped from the wood stove this winter).  Should be.  But not.

Yes, it's still raining

It is starting to seem a bit like spring here (the first week of May).  I have some daffodils blooming but not a lot, I don't think it's going to be a good year for them.

I had a good week, yesterday was a nice day for the most part.  Work on Thursday was fine, uneventful.  I have to work 3 days this week (or is it next week?  which is it when it's the one coming up?).  I also have to be in Plattsburgh Monday afternoon and again on Friday.  Monday is a doctor's appointment, Friday is a car appointment (having my snow tires removed!  if that's not a sign of spring, what would be?).

Yesterday was going to be a nice relaxing day with no commitments.  My friends and I walked the dogs to camp, checked on all the cabins and main camp--everything survived the winter.  The dogs, of course took off while we were there, OK, that's stressful but not too bad.  My friends went home--their house is 4 miles away on top of a small mountain.  Of course the dogs showed up there, the second time (we know of) that they've done that.  Oh was I stressed about that!  Bad bad dogs!   I went to get them and ignored them for 2 hours.  Did they notice?  What does a dog notice when it's eyes are closed and it's snoring? 

I went to AuSable, came home and planted some zinnia seeds in peat pots.  That was a nice exercise, it felt good to do something akin to gardening.  There is outdoor work to do but there's no good weather for it.  Now is the time to get things in good order, to deal with the bramble bushes that always want to take over, to spread the ashes I've dumped in one spot all winter, get the mower out to see if it will start and pretend to be a gardener.  But nooooo, it's wet and cool (temp is 46) so I'm not interested.  Instead today I'm meeting a friend at a big yard sale (as if either of us needed more stuff) then I'll work at the thrift store for a couple of hours.

It was lovely to be at camp yesterday, the lake was like glass with a heavy cloud hanging over it, so peaceful and quiet except for the wailing of a loon, who was sitting off the boat house.  Really nice.

So much NOT like spring

It rained, sleeted, snowed and then we had hail today.  There was the most spectacular red sunrise, which I guess I should have heeded (red sky at morning...).  Luckily it was clear for our morning walk at 6:30 with the dogs, that was chilly but pleasant.  So pleasant we're repeating it again tomorrow.

I worked at the thrift store this morning, was asked to work in receiving because there's a huge backlog of stuff to be processed.  I like being a bagger but mostly I just do what's needed, work wherever people need help.  I do like that, doing different jobs there.  A good friend came in to the store and we went to lunch together.  That was a special treat.  During my darker times we used to go to Plattsburgh together every weekend to shop and have lunch and Kahlua Coolattas from Dunkin Donuts.  Those were nice times that got me through some complicated years.  Anyway we both have good lives in retirement now and are happy to be together.

It's almost 10:30 and I can't sleep.  I started reading Wallace Stegner, the print in the book is incredibly small and the prose is dense but wow it's well-written.  I ordered The angle of repose, which won the Pulitzer Prize decades ago, let's see how it compares to this one (Crossing to safety), which is about 2 couples and their long friendship.  Right now they're just getting to know each other in Madison, Wisc., so it's got some good Midwestern stuff in it.

It made me think of reading all the Pulitzer Prize winners as a goal.  But since I'm so NOT goal-oriented I doubt I'll do that, plus I have a zillion other books in my house that need to be read.  I started reading an old Anne Tyler book, one I don't remember ever reading.  I didn't finish it but haven't given up on it yet.  My mother read it while I was with her at Easter and she didn't remember that we read pretty much every Anne Tyler book at one time and I have her collection--she thinks she doesn't remember reading them so I'll send them to her.  It's hard to find the right things for her to read these days.  Her taste has changed a bit, she doesn't so much enjoy the well-written, "deep" books that she even recently liked reading.  She is an avid reader and I have tried keeping her in books but it's getting harder.  I take 10 books to her and she summarily rejects 7 of them, keeping 3 that she "might try to read."  Oh well, I'm happy if I can offer her 3.  She still amazes me.

It's raining hard right now.  I would so much like to have the sun shine and was hoping for a sunny Saturday, supposed to go to a couple of yard sales with a friend but the forecast is a bit vague, seems there might be rain in the morning.  poo.

Early spring late this year?

Is spring on track this year, or are we slow to spring up?  I'm wondering.  The ice went out this week, on the 25th--that was the last day of ice at the foot of the lake.  That's not really late so maybe I'm just looking for spring in the wrong places (like, leaves on trees).  The maple trees are fully budded but leafless.  Lilac leaves are tiny but noticeable, barely.  The alders have small (very) leaves.  The woods are not even close to being green, the pussy willows have gone by and are very yellow.  Maybe that should be considered the North Country's version of forsythia, it's almost that bright.

Anyway life goes on and is good.  I had a meeting with the construction crew and board members who are all working on the alcove to the Archives.  They included me after the plans were made, which didn't offend me but they had no clue as to the importance of the card catalog and were going to treat it pretty much as an afterthought.  I explained that, as archaic as it is, it is the ONLY index to the contents of the collection, so maybe it could be placed prominently in the alcove with easy access for people doing research.  Ahhhh, yes, they got it.  "Thanks for pointing that out, we're glad you were here."  Dodged a bullet on that one.  I laugh at myself for thinking the card catalog is so important, but it is.  Until we figure out a way to digitize it or develop and online index or something, the card catalog is our key and the only way we have access to the contents of the collection, short of pawing through 6000 photos (well, bad example, those are being scanned) and the manuscript collection and the still-valuable vertical file.  There's so much that could be done with that collection--will I live long enough or remain interested in it long enough to accomplish much?   The scanning of the photos is huge, we're closing in on the end of that project, have done more than 4000.  They still need to be mounted on the Web somehow, that's the next part of the project, right now they're still only accessible from within the archives, on the computer there (and of course indexed in the card catalog).  Oh well, these are intense things to ponder at 2 a.m.

Meanwhile there's the weather, rainy and dismal though the temp is 42 so it's not miserable.  We're expecting snow this weekend but that's not a drastic event, it won't be much and it won't last long.  Just a reminder that no, this is not always a friendly environment.  We don't have tornadoes or hurricanes or tsunamis, we're lucky.  I heard a red-winged blackbird in Keene Valley the other day.  The purple finches have shown up and are very purple.  There's at least one loon on the lake, I heard it's wail this week.

Life is good.  Spring is happening.  And I still have 2 cords of firewood left.

Very springy out there

I'm home from RI, got home Monday afternoon to a nearly-all bare ground.  The driveway is almost all dried up, just a couple of wet muddy spots.  I did an amazing job of avoiding rutting it up this year, adding that to my not getting stuck in the snow at all and I think maybe I've learned how to be mature about weather-related driving things.

I had a nice time with my mother, she is in good shape.  We didn't do much, I took her to town one day and the rest of the time we spent at home, mostly reading, dozing and visiting.  And eating.  I skipped the lobsters this visit, it just seemed like too much work.  We had a delicious bagels & lox Easter breakfast, then lamb for Easter dinner.  Those were the food highlights.

It's definitely spring here in Hawkeye.  The woods are absolutely silent except for wildlife noises.  I love this time of year, those pesky leaves make so much noise in the forest once they emerge, it's just a hushed world right now.  I have fewer birds at the feeder but a greater variety.  Wow has the chickadee population declined.  I assume they're getting food elsewhere.  There's a rumor of a loon sighting but the ice isn't out yet.  There's just open water along the shore, it seems really early for a loon to show up here.

The ice is really dark so it's getting ready to go out.  I was surprised to see how much melted while I was gone, I guess it rained a lot and was warm.

My good good good friends were busy at my house while I was away, they finished painting the living room (except for the cathedral ceiling part, we still haven't quite figured that one out).  They painted the ceiling, finished the walls and did the trim.  It looks absolutely wonderful.  They cleaned and cleaned the tile floor and rugs.  Wow am I lucky!  I'm inspired to do cleaning and purging.  I did take down all the artwork before we painted (duh) and didn't put everything back up, it looks worlds better with just a few pieces on the walls.  Now I need to find places for the paintings and prints I didn't put back up in the living room.  Freshly painted walls sure do look better without the clutter of a pack basket, keys and the odds & ends I had put up. 

It's a rainy night.  We tried to walk the bog in the morning but there was too much ice on the boardwalk so we didn't get far.  This morning we're walking at Taylor Pond then I'll go to the thrift store for a few hours.  I felt bad leaving--I think Saturday must have been really busy and they were going to be short-handed.  Now things will settle down a little bit but not for long, nice weather brings out shoppers and droppers, receiving is a busy place when the weather gets nice.  It will be an adjustment after the relatively peaceful pace of winter.

REALLY bare ground

Most of the snow on the ground has melted but it's snowing hard right now.  I think we might get a couple of inches overnight but nothing serious.  I hope.

It's full-blown mud season now, I've been very disciplined about parking at the end of my driveway.  except for today.  I couldn't resist--had to load up for the dump, then drove to the house again for cleaning.  It will freeze tonight, temp is 33 now and due to be in the 20's so at least damage will be minimal in the morning.  I'm going to a workshop/training session in the morning.  Am I really interested and excited?  Vaguely.  It's training for developing a plan for conservation in Archives.  Yawn.  Well I always learn something from these things.
My living room is an exciting place these days.  Friends and I have been painting the walls--2 have been painted and look fantastic.  I chose a very light gray with dark brown trim for the windows and around the door.  Boy does that look great!  Today I cleaned the 4 tall windows in the living room (plus the door).  So much dog snot, Treasure, really!  It looks wonderful.  We still have the ceiling in the dining area to paint and have to develop a plan for the cathedral ceiling in the living room.  The walls look wonderful without artwork on them.  I developed the habit of driving nails into the walls and sticking stuff up to get it off the floor, like the broom, a pack basket I made, a key holder, on and on it goes.  I'll find another place for some of those things, not where I have to stare at them all the time.  I hope.  Of course "finding another place" is a challenge.

Buds on the maple trees are turning a little red!   This is a huge sign of spring.  Of course they're covered with snow right now.  There were chipmunks at the bird feeder this morning.  I don't have many spring birds, but juncos and song sparrows.

The neighborhood is relatively quiet.  It won't be long before life will liven up, summer people will be coming in a month.  I'm going to RI on Thursday for Easter, will come home Monday.  It will be strange to be there and NOT worry about frozen pipes.  We'll get pansies for me to bring home.  We don't make a big fuss about Easter except for food.  Plenty of food.

Bare ground, a little anyway

The ground next to my house is bare and there are daffodils--SURPRISE! coming up.  The rest of the yard is still under 6-8 inches of snow.  And the driveway is still mud mud mud.

It's 63 today with a slight breeze and there was some sun but it's clouded over and I think we're supposed to have a lot of rain tonight.  That will be OK, rain melts snow.  Doesn't help mud  but you can't have everything.  Tomorrow it's supposed to be even warmer.  I'll be at the thrift store in the morning, maybe for a few hours.  I expect it to be busy with shoppers and droppers, and we're short-handed right now because some of the volunteers are away.  YIKES!  Well we do what we can.

I had a good week, not terribly eventful.  Did go to Plattsburgh and get paint for the living room and that was exciting.  Now I have to go back for paint for the trim, the sample I got first wasn't right at all.  I need to get lamb to take to Rhode Island for Easter anyway so a trip to the big city won't be for naught.  And I need to get floor cleaner, I started cleaning the tile floor and man oh man will that be a tough job.  Not that huge an area but dirty, very dirty tile and grout.  Gross.

Life is good, pretty quiet all in all.  Work was fine except someone called wanting information on a woman photographer who spent time in Keene Valley.  WHAT????  Someone wants to use the resources in the Archives?  How dare they!   I found a few tidbits but will sic my assistant on the research while I'm gone.  I leave Thursday for Easter in RI, returning Monday.  I think I'm repeating myself.

Still snowing

We didn't get much during the week but it's snowing again tonight.  Just a little, enough to keep the daffodils from being exposed.  It dawned on me tonight that it will soon (enough) be May.  That's a month when I usually have daffodils in bloom but there's still a ton of snow in my yard.  There are bare patches in the neighborhood but not in my yard.  My driveway, however is a mud pit.  I could host mud wrestling matches.

I'm into a good quiet routine with a big exception: we're painting my living room.  I have a wonderful friend who helps me with projects around my house.  She worked miracles in my mud room and library, now we're getting the living room painted.  I'm really excited, I'm so tired of the color we originally painted the room in 1992.  I'd love to paint pretty much every room but let's start with the walls I stare at most.  I painted my bedroom with my niece's help about 15 years ago, it's a shock to me to realize now that maybe it could stand to be painted again.  NO!   Not yet!  Anyway the pale gray I've chosen for the living room will be wonderful with the dark brown trim around the windows.  Ahhhhh.  Nothing beats a freshly-painted room.

Work is going well but it's mostly monotonous right now.  My co-worker is in Texas visiting her family so I'm editing and labeling the images we scanned before she left.  It sure is quiet in the Archives without her, plus the 40 images of rustic furniture I worked on today are less than exciting to work with.  Sticks and branches.

My volunteer work at the thrift store is good.  I like being a bagger but it's getting busy as the calendar marches toward spring.  More shoppers, more droppers.  It was busy in receiving on Saturday, we have a backlog of stuff and will be short of volunteers this week because some are traveling.  Anything interesting come in?  We had a Magnalite saucepan come in, which I snatched right up for $7.  My mother cooked with Magnalite when I was growing up so I mostly wanted it for sentimental reasons but wow it is really nice to cook with. 

Temperature right now is 28, the highs lately have been in the 40's.  I think it's supposed to warm up next week, just in time for my Easter visit to Rhode Island.  I'm leaving next Thursday, will stay until Monday.  We have nice Easter traditions, including buying pansies for me to bring home.  Pansies?  Really?  Won't they look nice against the snow.

Snowing again...still

It's snowing right now but we're not supposed to get more than a couple of inches.  The weather here has been pretty crappy, the warmest it got was in the high 40s one day this week, now it's cooler.  It was 10 this morning.  At least I saw some turkey vultures, that's a sign of spring for sure.  Also had a sparrow on my deck.  Wow, the birds sure have been fooled.

I had a good week, pretty quiet.  Went to Plattsburgh on Monday, picked up meds and had coffee with a friend.  Someone made a mistake in the prescription on one of my meds--instead of a 90-day supply I'm getting a 9-day supply.  Of course a simple phone call would fix this but I never remember to call during the day, I only think of it at night.  duh.

Work was good this week, scanned a lot on Tuesday then spent my hours on Thursday editing and labeling the scans.  Actually had a phone call (RATS!) from someone who's doing research on her family and will be here in June to see what we have.  She called from Mass. and I was charming and led her to believe we would actually help her.  HAH!   My assistant had better be there in June!  I'm not so great at digging through the Archives to find what people want.  Margaret is fantastic at that.   I'll get better.  maybe.

Boy did I waste time today, I had coffee with a friend, talked to my mother for an hour then went to the gym alone.  That didn't work out well, I only did 15 minutes on the treadmill because it was so boring.  There's a TV there but there wasn't anything worth watching so I stared at the timer on the treadmill until I couldn't stand it.  Came home and took a long nap.  LONG nap.  Boy did that feel good.

Tomorrow I'm meeting my friend at the gym, we'll go for coffee after that then I'll do some work at the thrift store.  It's been busy at the store, people are coming out to drop things off as well as shop.  We couldn't keep up with the drop-offs on Wednesday so there was a lot of stuff to deal with.  Other volunteers work there when the store is closed but I don't have a key (that's OK, thanks anyway) so I only work when the store is open.

I had great visits with friends last weekend, they were at their camp for their annual winter FreezeFest.  Getting to their camp was tricky though because the snow was (and still is) deep and punchy so we had to post-hole our way from the driveway through the woods to the camp.  Not fun.  But great fun once I got there.

It's supposed to rain for the next several days.  My driveway is muddy and will sure be a mess if it does rain but the snow may actually melt.  We're getting into mud season now.  I drive to the house sometimes, if it's going to freeze overnight.  That won't go on much longer, I'll be parking at the end of the driveway.  I bought a big bag of dog food, enough birdseed and lots of groceries this week so at least my hauling up the driveway should be limited.  I hope.

And later on...

Well it's not that I was too busy to keep up, I just was doing other things.  I had to clean my house for book group and we all know that's a BIG project.  I have a new vacuum cleaner, cordless Dyson and it's absolutely magic.  I love love love it.  It sucks, truly sucks dog hair.  And it's so portable!  I even vacuumed the bedroom, which made my friend Lin laugh and laugh.  She knows me perhaps too well.

The weather has not been representative of spring, barely early spring at that.  The sun is high in the sky and very warm but temps remain low.  Right now it's 13 and dark, but then it's not yet 5:30 in the morning.  I slept well and for a long time--straight through the night!--so got up at 4 and have been entertaining myself.  I'll head to the Archives this morning, probably to scan photos and laugh a lot.  I still have to figure out how to get the scanned images online, I was successful at doing that for some images but sort of dropped out of that project.  oops.

I had a good week, nothing out of the ordinary but was feeling pretty good.  I did drag myself to Plattsburgh twice, one too many trips but such is life.  I worked at the thrift store on Wednesday but skipped Saturday.  We were expecting a big storm with more than a foot of snow but ended up with a mere six inches.  I was up early when it snowed hard and fast with big rapidly-accumulating flakes.  We got 4 inches but then it slowed way down and the flakes got smaller.  I didn't think I'd have my driveway plowed for a mere 6 inches but I was wrong about that.  Just put it on my tab please.  Boy will my plow bill be high this year!  He never gets around to sending out bills until May, I'm hoping this year will be no exception.

Friends are coming this week for their annual FreezeFest visit at their camp.  These men remind me of my late brother, their lifelong friendship is so funny and sweet.  I'll spend evenings with them but they're here to hike and have good outdoor time.  Lots of luck, boys, it's supposed to rain later this week.  Oh dear.  Highs have only been in the 20's and 30's but of course while they're here hoping for cold miserable weather it's predicted to be in the 40's and maybe even 50.  Sorry about that but man oh man am I looking forward to those temps!   We still have so very very much snow.

Life continues to be really grand.  I'm a lucky girl.