daily Notes for Saturday, December 20th. Sunshine here in Maine. 30 degrees and no hurricane yesterday.

 Well, the Hurricane we were expecting....no show (we thought maybe we would get to see and hear the whole house generator work)...but we did get RAIN and now we have green grass.. finally- was brownish green all Summer but now- at the end of December a bright healthy GREEN.  What a strange YEAR...

These cards may or may not be going out today with the bills.  Three bills.  I think...nope four.   Lots of Sunshine today.. And a late Christmas Card is still okay, I think.

I found a recipe from the NYT for a Blueberry Breakfast Cake....I was watching Hallmark and quite a bit of baking was being done on the shows so I checked my supplies.....I can definitely make the Blueberry Breakfast Cake...if I want to..frozen berries in the freezer.  This recipe was from months and months ago...not recent.  And oddly enough I have eggs.

I might jack the furnace up another notch- chill on the back of my neck... I woke up at 5 am...Was awake thinking- not always the best thing for me to do....and then I woke up a second time and it was 9 am.  So I got out of bed and started my day......Oatmeal in the microwave and hot water in the pot for instant decaf coffee... paper, sigh......always dismal.....Suduko not as dismal but still unfinished.

My instant coffee is on it's third warm up...very very icky... I gave some serious (vaguely) thought to asking Santa for a small counter top Nespresso machine.  But always have second thoughts regarding one cup per day and not really picky about coffee....thought I did REALLY enjoy European Coffee. When I lived in Europe...it was very strong and excellent... I liked eating lunch at nice restaurants....I liked day drinking wine......I thought the men were so well dressed and so very friendly....of course I was so much younger and minimally attractive.  Then...... now I am old and often forget to comb my hair.

Good Morning....Friday December 19th... Almost 50 degrees and raining here in Maine. Hurricane.on it's way.

 Image of a few of MY Favorite Things....... on this Very Windy, Wet Friday in Maine... We are expecting a Power Outage, Strong Wind etc Trees falling across roads and power lines.... We have Oil to warm up the house...and we have a Whole House Generator which will be having its first official opportunity....to power the entire house for longer than the 20 minute weekly "test".

We will purchase grocery items for Christmas Dinner...closer to the day... I have what I need for grilled cheese sandwiches and canned baked beans.  And pickles...I wanted to buy some- Son showed me the  pickles I have in the cupboard.  I also have soup...in the fridge.  I had a big bowl yesterday.  

We WERE going to drop off books at the Library but I decided to keep them for another week.. for Hurricane Reading.  

Worst thing to happen here in Maine is Strong Wind...the trees here have shallow roots and the soil is sandy,....things will happen... Trees will fall on houses, cars, power lines and people.. After all the years- hardly ANY interest in underground power lines.... unbelievable.

So, I have a nice warm ( re-warmed) cup of coffee and my chair and my TV and eventually my books and my hand sewing..... I didn't ask Santa for anything but I might ask him to rethink the hurricane.

Daughter covered the twin couches with their cheerful red covers.. been in the attic a long long time... We also have curtains over the large door openings.  We have the furnace cranked up a few degrees now that we have oil in the tank- all the way to the top.  64 degrees.....I know- not much different form before but actually feels like a lot  WARMER.

The only phone calls I am getting are related to Medicare....I hang up..

Daily Notes for Thursday, December 18th. Sunshine and 33 degrees...

 My Winter Project.   I don't remember where this came from but it's been around for quite awhile...Some of the fabrics have decomposed.  And I began replacing them.... the red is replacement strips.In the lowest section to the left you can barely see the batting strips that will also replace missing batting.

This quilt like all the quilts made  decades ago- is quite heavy...  Keeps me and my old knees warm while I spend days on the couch.....reading, watching Hallmark Movies,  sewing strips to the quilt, listening to the boiler chug along...waiting for the Oil Delivery Truck...so I can get the temps above 62.

It's suppose to warm up into the high 40's today and tomorrow so..that will warm us up a bit more than usual.  I've gotten used to the very low 60's-inside the house. Back when we first bought this house...we hardly had money for food...let alone oil.  At that point....moving to Maine was actually a monumental MISTAKE.  Both of our children were in college.  Our life outside Chicago was secure and comfortable- we had food.  My husband had a JOB.  I had a JOB.  What were we thinking moving here????????

Daughter arrived yesterday looking for something to do- she ended up watching (for a second day) a Hallmark Movie with me and winding floss thread around clothes pins   My entire collection of floss.

Which goes back to my theme of the early days in Maine....I would visit the local 5 and Dime and go down the stairs to the spot they had for embroidery floss.  And I would take all the time in the world to  select 6 skeins.   My only personal purchase for the week.  Perhaps a dollar???? Early 1990's.  Daughter is winding some of them......around clothes pins...the ones I used in the garden when I covered rows of seedlings on cold nights.

Well, I have nothing more to type....I have read the paper and will make a strong effort not to watch any NEWS programs...I have British Soccer recorded......and a dozen or so Hallmark Movies...and this old quilt.....more than enough...

Daily Notes for Wednesday, December 17th,,, 34 degrees now and 40 later in the day... Sunshine.

 In the picture file....seemed cheerful..

I read the Vanity Fair  story in the morbid paper... laughing....... morbid paper- MORNING PAPER. Boy that's was an amazing typo....still laughing.  Great start to the day.

1.  Sun is shining brightly today in Maine...not warming us up but we are headed toward 40 today..

2.  Coffee is a bit stronger than I like it- so I am going to step away for a few minutes to fix it.  Needed a warming up and some extra sugar.  Not much because I have gotten used the bitter taste of this brand of instant coffee.  From the Health Food Shop.in Town.

3.  Daughter and I watched a Hallmark Movie while she stapled an iced curtain over th e doorway facing the front door.... a cold area even with a heater on the wall.  

4.  Snow is hardening into crusty ice.....the sidewalks and roads are clean and dry.

5.  Ventured into the Cloth Room several times yesterday for old looking pale pastels.  For a Vintage Quilt Repair.  Not sure just how old this quilt is but was and still is in very bad condition on the surface... Back side is great...the quilt  keeps me warm as I add patches to all the places that are worn thru or just shredded..... 

6.  I am having trouble with my iPhone....it  doesn't have enough juice to send a n image tot he computer. I will have the engineer see what's what.... picture of the quilt tomorrow....after I charge the MOUSE....