Daily Notes- September 30

Well, here's a first.  No picture.  I just don't have much in the way of anything to show and tell right now.  I went thru the picture file I have for the blog and put the pictures I have used into the trash- a regular job- nothing sudden-- and then looked at what was left and you've seen all of those- more than once but I keep them because I love them.

I guess "Job Number One" over here will be new pictures for the blog.

I did manage to sew a few more components yesterday while watching Football and the PBS with new Durrells and new Poldark.  I managed to lose my sewing needle twice and had to get out the vacuum as I didn't want the dog or man to get it stuck in their foot.  And then I went to get a pincushion to stick the damned things into.  I usually use the arm of the couch.

I also made the Football Pepperoni Pizza.  I am getting damned good at it. No need for any carry out pizza.

The house needs cleaning.  Really really needs cleaning.  So that will occupy my Tuesday and Wednesday and probably Thursday.  Our son arrives Thursday evening.  Staying the weekend.

G is working on sifting the soilless mix out of the Grow Boxes and into the 30 gallon garbage cans I store the stuff in over the Winter months.  Means he'll also be emptying the planters.  I don't do mums so there will be no flowers when the leggy petunias get composted.  I don't do pumpkins either. But I did bring the Halloween Quilt I had made for the Library down from the Attic and will hang it by the front door.  I don't know if we will bring the Spooky House down.  I think not.

And I have to make a plan to call the local moving company for boxes to load up all the crap I have in the two bookcases and the cupboards under them for the painter who shall arrive in November.  I think they sell boxes and the wrapping paper.  I loved doing my own packing when we moved.  I wrote specific things on the boxes which made it easy to find things.

I am reminded of moving to Germany and the movers unpacked all the dish boxes.  The entire dining room was wall to wall very short piles of dishes, glasses, cups etc. No furniture.  Not one space to walk.  I remember standing in the doorway and laughing at first and then crying.  Downstairs it was piles of books.  And no bookcases.  We just didn't go into the dining room for a couple of weeks unless we needed a glass to drink from.  But it all got put away. And added to.

When unpacking ---one, first, needs to decide where the item will go.  Where it will go and be found.

My husband puts things away where they will not be found.  And then asks me to find the items for him.  I do.  Because I look for the last place on Earth I would have put that particular item.  And it's there that I find it. Every time.

Daily Notes- September 29

My new dish towels from Trader Joe's.  They are whiter and more blue than in this picture.  I had them ready to go into the washer so the lighting in the basket- not the greatest.  Their label mentioned washing and drying TWICE before using them to make them nice and soft and absorbent.  From Tunisia. Let hope they don't shrink too much.  I looked for but didn't find flour sack towels.  I love them for everything. Including jelly and pickle making.  Hoping Santa Claus brings me some.

I was handsewing little scraps of fabric together to make little component rectangles while watching Hallmark yesterday.  And in the midst of one of my favorite mysteries with my favorite Hallmark actor- I realized I had lost my sewing needle.  Big emergency as I looked for it.  Found it but lost some of the plot. Which just means I get to watch it all over again--Bonus!!

Football today and I have all the stuff needed to make halftime pizza or after the game pizza.  It is not often that I am prepared for anything these days.

It's very sunny out today and looks like it might be pretty warm as well.  I have a hat to wear to keep sun out of my eyes.

Busier than usual days ahead.  Tomorrow a friend and I are going to see Downton Abbey at 12:15 and  I have much cleaning and clearing up of things in the guest room (I have my in progress cloth works all over the bed) and I have general house cleaning and wood floor washing.  Son arrives Thursday evening.  Monday the 7th of October my annual physical-- always an excruciating experience-- I have hoped for some weight loss to make the doctor slightly more pleasant but it's moving up after being down for months.  Football Pizza.

I have to remember to not eat breakfast that day so they can take blood for the lipid test etc.  The results of which always make my doctor just stare and say "how is this possible"?  I must be the only fat person in her practice with excellent lipid numbers.  I don't eat fatty foods.  I'm mostly a vegetarian but do eat meat once a week usually.  Sometimes more if I have pulled pork in the house. And that is on top of a very large mixed greens salad.  The Pulled Pork Salad.  Which I adore. And Chinese steamed fried pork dumplings.  And Pot Roast once a year.  Can you tell it's lunch time?

Daily Notes- September 28

The fruits of my day yesterday.  And the fruits of my garden (the grapes vines).  My dishcloths and clothing is dotted with pale blue grape stains.  A pretty blue.  Maybe I should have wiped out the juice containers with some cloth for sewing?

I was ONLY intending to make one batch of three pints.  Then....I said to myself--- I have all that juice made and strained etc--so I washed everything and started in on group two.  I had the canning kettle of boiling water going the entire time.  First to sterilize jars and then to do the 5 minute processing of the jelly.  The recipe states to use half pint jars.  I have some but where??? so that meant finding them washing them etc.  And, really, half pint jars are so tiny.  There was extra and I filled two of my washed and recycled Bonne Marie jelly jars with grape and tucked them into the fridge.  I can give those away to the five year old twins.  Or G will start with those.

I was very happy to get on with the final wash dry and put away of all the stuff.  It takes so many items to do canning.  And everything must be clean.  And hot.  The boiling water.  OMG.

The jelly itself is deep in color. Garnet comes to mind. Dense in flavor.  Sweet. Tart.  Very good stuff.

G wants to go pick the rest of the grapes still out there.  Wants me to make more jelly in case we never get grapes again or have a bad year or locusts or any other disaster. What do you think?  I'll abide by the consensus of my Readers.  My son is visiting at the end of next week- perhaps he will want to make grape jelly with me???  We often cook together while he is here.

I have a book to read-- I got it off a list-- Mary Alice Monroe- The Summer Guests.  I don't know the author and don't know if I want to read it.   Sounds like a bunch of rich people stuck in a house during a hurricane.  But then I had no idea what I was getting into with the other books either.  Time travel and robots.

I have in front of me-- just noticed it-- an index card (how I adore them) with Meditation Notes.  I went online to get suggestions.  1. Start the day slowly  2.Walking meditation (which is why I am going on the dog walk again)  3. Short breaks to just sit in the sunshine, look at clouds etc. Counting Blessings is number 4.  Gratitude for good people, good health (sort of), good things, good grape jelly.  5. Reading  6. Community (blog readers)  7. Celebration of Small Things like my little cloth components.

I also copied a quote "You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes unless you are too busy...then sit for an hour"

Daily Notes- September 27

Returning Home From The Walk.  Looks sort of Beatrix Potter.

The trees around the house are so tall.  Way up above the house.  Which is why I can never see the horizon.  The Moon.  I am surrounded by tall trees.  This little section with the garden-- 32 trees were knocked down for that.  Grace is emitting one long eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Grace I don't know how many went down for the house to be built.  But that was years before me.

Yes, a tractor and one man from the organic grocery/pet store came and just pushed them down-they had few if any deep roots. Then he dragged the trees into the woods with the tractor.  And we made a garden over several years.  Piling up organic matter and covering it with a tarp-- to cook.   That soil is now in the raised beds. Under it all the same lifeless yellow brown acidic sand. No organic matter.

I have walked three days now.  It's getting easier.  My hip is loosening up.

I have just now finished the last few pages of another weird book, The Psychology Of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas.  The story and the characters go forward and back in Time.  It takes some patience to keep going but I'm glad I did.  The book was published in New York but is very British.

G has done something to the computer and I don't even know if what I am writing will "go" anywhere.  Riley had a bad evening yesterday and is not his charming self right now either.  The constant panting and pacing and slamming the door (only to want it opened immediately) is making me want to thrown stuff in the car and drive away and not come back.  

I think I will just put on my apron and make grape jelly and then clean the kitchen.  My fear of becoming an alcoholic keeps me from having a very large gin and tonic.  Perhaps---when the jelly is in the canner kettle.  A small one.

Daily Notes- September 26th

I have a large ottoman next to the chair where I watching  Law and Order with Riley, sew and read.  A small sewing box with thread, needles, pins and my tiny stork scissors.  There was also a small pile of random pieces of cloth.  The class I am taking with Jude Hill suggested we make a collection of "components".  The two in the middle of the row to the far left is where I started.

I work on them when the Law and Order is not interesting.

I made the grapes we picked into juice last night.  I'm not feeling like making jelly today. Once I get going it goes pretty nice so--we'll see.

The walk today was nice- fewer bugs-- and I found three nice leaves to work on.  I want to attempt to paint the leaves.  Just practice so really no stress.  Just paint, water and paper.  Learning by making mistakes.

The News Programs got lots to talk about today.  It's like Nixon but so much worse. My Banker called minutes ago and wanted permission to move my IRA into safer investments.  Because things look like they will NOT be.....Stable.  Or Safe.  It's .......well,  like the tipping point, I guess.

Well, on that note-- I am going to watch Law and Order and Trust in ..........something.

Daily Notes- September 25

Our Grape Arbor. It's everything I wanted it to be.  Fruitful and a shady spot to rest under when weeding the beds.  It's starting to need serious repairs.  There are many many grapes. My big kitchen sink is full of grapes and cold water. We picked two very large bowls of them and I sent G off to deliver a paper bag of grapes to our neighbor across the street and to the twins (Noah and Isak) down the road.  Seedless grapes so nothing for either household to choke on. Perhaps a visiting spider.

I went for the walk with Riley and G.  I kept losing my direction.  I would be a complete mess if lost in the woods. It didn't help that G and the dog were going in the opposite direction (to the way I know).

The Robotic book ended okay.  I was going to go into details but would ruin it for--even one person- who might have wanted to read it themselves.  So no details.

We watched FX and The Atomic Blonde last night.  I recorded it on TiVo so I could fast forward thru the commercials.  And TiVo will keep the recording until I delete it and then permanently delete it. G will most likely want to watch it again.  We watched NCIS because-----Ziva. And we've watched all the previous many years.  So they are like family.

I haven't started a new book.  I haven't done much of anything.  It's very dark in the house and I hate turning on lights at 12:30 but I just did.  Next thing up for me is picking individual grapes off their stems to make grape juice--I wish there was a tv facing the sink area.  I purchased a ten pound bag of sugar.  Gonna make a ton of jelly.

So I went for the walk.  My hip wasn't thrilled.  The bones feel like they are rubbing.  So much padding on me and none where it would be most appreciated.

Ah!  I very nearly forgot the IMPORTANT thing I wanted to share with you!!  You remember that I was very happy not to be dreaming much anymore???  Well, I had a doozy of a dream last night.  I was washing windows with help and comments from none other than Mayor Bill DiBlazio and Rudy Guiliani.  Yep.   The two of them had all sorts of suggestions on the best way for me to wash my windows and they were arguing amongst themselves as well.  I just stood there ......speechless. I hoped I would wake up.  I didn't.  They never shut up.  Right there in my house by the window in front of Riley's dog bed.  My house.  Holy crap as my daughter likes to say.

I know people do dream interpretation but this one........I can't fathom what it could possibly have to do with me.

Daily Notes -September 24

Yesterday.  After writing the Daily Notes I went out and picked grapes off the trellis in the fenced garden.  I picked enough to fill and sort of overflow the lid from my birthday cake.  I like to reuse plastic items once or twice before recycling.  I only picked what I could reach.

Then I pulled all the ripe grapes off each little- what do they call them- bunch?  Yes. and then added a  half cup of water and boiled and then simmered and then used the jelly bag to collect the juice. I managed to collect 6 cups.  Now the juice has to sit for 24 hours and then I can strain out the tartrate crystals and move on to making grape jelly and then use the big canning kettle to seal the jars.

I think all that work and mess will result in 4 to 6 half pint jars of jelly.

I need to go buy a really big bag of sugar.  I think I need 5 cups of sugar to make 4 to 6 half pint jars.
Jelly is just flavored sugar.

I am reading the Plus One.  Geeky Tech Engineer girl needs a plus one for her sister's wedding.  Can't find one so she builds one in a weekend (at work using parts stolen from work)-- really hard to even think it's possible and he can even eat food and--ah......dispose of it with a "special unit" installed inside.  Yes, all this in one weekend.  She even painted his eyeballs a "dreamy" aqua. The robot is also connected to Google. So he can constantly update vocabulary and social skills.  The "inventor" has also given him a credit card so he can do errands for her.   Really--  I am not kidding.  I was getting sleepy but last thing that happened while reading last night.... is they went to a Mall in Silicone Valley and she bought him some snappy clothing and introduced him to someone she had gone to high school with.   I was laughing..........once you get the hang of the sloppy way this author writes-- you can start laughing.   But this robot is smart.  He seems to be modifying and upgrading himself.  She hasn't noticed yet.  Let the games begin.

I mention all this because this is so NOT the kind of book I read.  Somewhere in my local library there is a "new" person buying books for the fiction section.  A person with a really wacky sense of things.  This is not the first strange book I have selected.  And I go looking for them now.  And I am never disappointed when I find one.  I read the last one twice and look forward to reading it again.

Riley has developed a nervous "tick" of barking.  Just little yips.  He doesn't seem to have any control over it.  Each little yip startles him.  Other than that and the sundowner's anxiety at around 9 pm- things are much better with the two big blue liver pills. He's rather "spunky" and demanding. Sleeps all night.  Is eating.  Drinking water.  Going for his walk.  Just like a well rounded 87-88 year old.

I only hope G and I do as well at that age.

Daily Notes- September 23rd

This piece was started in Jude Hill's first online class this summer.  Her piece has three trees.  Mine has this plaid thing going on.  There was a black "eye" at the top but it's on the table now-- keeps trying for a comeback--- never works out.  I thought, today, I might be better off with some "white space" and this little strip was jumping up and down saying "me, me".  The "me-me" strip does make contact with the lower edges in "fortunate" spots.  But the upper edge brown/gold spots do not.

One thing we (I) have learned in this class is that nothing has to stay.  So I could actually turn under the top edge.  This whole thing got started as a sort of a "Prayer Flag for Climate Change" so the oranges and reds (carbon) would outweigh the color blues and greens (oxygen) in that context.

My husband explained something to me.  The trees ABSORB carbon and give off OXYGEN. I had it the other way round in my head.  So all the trees on my property are making oxygen.  Absorbing carbon.  And the burning of the Amazon and Indonesian forests means less oxygen. I am happy my property is making oxygen.

The Pot Roast got made.  Was browned on both sides and into the oven yesterday before the Patriots kickoff.  Was enjoyed (delicious) after the game.  I had made mashed potatoes, green peas, gravy and coleslaw.  Later, we each had birthday cake.  One piece left--for me.  Lots of pink frosting.

I am reading a fluffy romance.  I read this author years and years ago but nothing in the story is ringing any bells.   And I did two loads of wash this morning and no water spilling over onto the floor. The first time I washed a load- I watched the entire time.  Today I ran back every so often. No. I did not run.  I woke with my back all seized up.  It's loosening up as the day goes on but walking slowly is about all I can manage.  But walking is good for a bad back so I will walk back down to fold the second load after reading blogs for awhile.

Pork is on sale this week so I will be buying Southern Style Ribs and perhaps a Butt (for pulled pork). I do this thing with cayenne pepper, brown sugar and cider vinegar with the ribs.  Let them roast until browned and sticky.  Very Very Good.  Each time I make them I add less and less water as I really enjoy the spicy vinegar kick.  My mother fried pork chops and always had good rye bread handy to mop up the crispy greasy bits in the pan.

There was a good bakery four long city blocks away.  I would ride my bike there with money and a list of what she wanted.  When we lived with my grandmother there was a shop on the corner that sold delicious loaves of rye bread with a little paper stamp on the heel.  I was sent with a few coins to buy bread when I was school age but not for long as I often nibbled one of the "heels" as I walked home.  It was worth the slap I got on arrival.

Daily Notes- September 22nd

I painted this blue fabric a long time ago.  I didn't know anything about dyes or eco prints back then. But I did know how to paint and had lots of cheap acrylic paint.  So I painted fabric.  And on this one came back much later (years later) and added a few "moon" circles using a jar or glass.  The feather is real.  The Crows and the Wild Turkey leave me feathers.

A Possum is visiting the yard at night.  Near the tool shed.  Riley now has a new urgency to the Final Call at night- to go out and see if the Possum is there.  And then to pee on the spot the possum occupied.  It's nice to know the Dog still takes an interest in current affairs.

Riley is feeling much better.  He's still old.  We can't change that.  But to see him be joyfully eager to go pee on a spot the possum occupied is pretty great.  And on the walk he stirs up the crowd of wild turkey.  They rise up out of the meadow and fly away-so slow.  The same meadow where the Monarchs eat and make cocoons.  It may be cool enough for me to join the Man and the Dog on the daily walk.  It's a little over a mile round trip on narrow deer paths.  There are water features which are sometimes full enough for the dog to swim. Log bridges.  When I am along we go the long way which is almost 1.5 miles.  Later, we'll have to wear things on our boots with sharp points so we don't slip and fall on icy patches.  And later still the snow will be too deep for a walk.  Up past our knees. G will wear snowshoes.  Which is exhausting.

 In Winter and Spring, I cover my mouth with a wool scarf so I don't get cold air into my lungs. We carry two rescue inhalers.  All three of us have breathing problems.  There is no phone service back on the paths. I never walk with them in Summer.  I hardly go outside in Summer any more.

So not much else to write.  But I do want to express my deep and abiding gratitude to all who wrote long emails to me regarding my troubled post.  Your words have helped so much to lift the weight from my heart and mind. To know others have walked (are walking) the same or similar paths- well, it means I am not alone in this.  And Grace, your words have touched more than just me. Love and more love to you all.

I am quite startled to see how many "like minded women" come to this small, insignificant, unadvertised blog..... in the beginning it was just me writing to myself and somehow I have collected all of you and that is just so- and I'll use Grace's signature eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! to let you know just how exciting that is to me.  Thank you.

Daily Notes- September 21

A daily occurrence.   The Walk.  This one in the Winter.  I have this thing about having a picture up top but have not taken any new ones this week.  So, an old one.  It's the same as today only the snow is grass and the man didn't have on snow gear and boots.

I taught a class today at the greenhouse.  It was in the 80 degree zone outside and inside-- the heat took my breath away- literally.  My head was swimming.  I had to do the class sitting down and sipping cold water.  I am still a bit fuzzy in the head.  Exhausted.  I keep wondering if I made any sense? I think they were happy they had come for the class and some might return next month for the Pruning class.  I made them laugh.

One older woman was perplexed that I had given my Chinese Tree Peony a name?  Wu Peng is the variety of Tree Peony.  I was so ready to pack up and go out to the car and lay down across the seats. They were all nice people. Only one signed up and 20 showed up.

So there was that.  Riley and G were out on their walk when I got home so I turned on the ceiling fans and collapsed onto the couch.  We had taken the AC units out of the windows during the week. So, no AC.  It's okay now.  I've rested but I still have an ache in the frontal lobes.

I remember why I decided to retire.
No Law and Order today.
Antonio Brown is no longer a Patriot.
Riley knows to the second when it's Time for another set of pills.

I made homemade pizza dough and the pie just came out of the oven.  Pot roast tomorrow.  Just not enough time today.  I was going to have wine with the pizza but things are still sort of spinning inside my head.  Heat Stroke?

Daily Notes- September 20

The bobbin case (internal) in the Bernina is...well, not working correctly.  I need to be very calm and methodical when doing the work in the machine.  By feel not sight. And it takes much TIME. The inside bobbin parts are really very difficult to get back in correctly.

I'm leaving it.

The dialogue from yesterday has been enlightening.  Grace has opened me up to what is really on my mind.  A lack of trust in other people.  My childhood was not trustworthy.  I was always getting myself prepared for the next eruption of angry words, shouts, breaking of things, getting hit.  The root of it all.  I learned not to trust the people who said they loved me.  And I have carried it for 73 years.

Wow.  There it is.

I cried my way thru the last part of Where the Crawdads Sing.  What a beautiful book.  It will be an amazing movie if they get it right and I hope they do.  G and I had birthday cake.  Was delicious. No candles. I read and he watched the Hitman's Bodyguard.

Down into the high 30's last night.  Summer comes late and leaves early here in Maine.  Time to get out the corduroy pants and sweaters and put away the summer cropped pants and cotton shirts. Time to do the heavy lifting in the garden.  Empty the Grow Boxes. Sift the roots from the soil in the boxes. Get ready for the leaves to turn and fall.  The very tips and edges of the Maple trees have started to turn but 99% of the leaves are still green.  I think last night's cold will change that quickly.

Too cold for eating the ripe tomatoes.  Which is very sad indeed.

It's Time for me to get out the big aluminum kettle and my cloth and do some eco printing.  I have read that peach tree leaves print well.  My daughter will try to collect the larger deeper colored Purple Smoke bush leaves which printed very nicely last Fall.  My smoke bush has small leaves with little pigment.  My plumber has left a pile of copper pipe for me.  My jar of iron water waits.  And perhaps some black walnuts will come my way.  G has collected sumac for me.

I usually do my alchemy in the evenings.  After dark.  The kitchen is quiet and the man and dog are  sleeping in front of the tv.  This year I will leave the steamed cloth overnight and wash it out in the morning.  See if that makes a difference.  But today I will wash cloth and soak it in soy milk.  I have not used soy as a mordant yet.  This will be the first time.  Not the months or even years of soaking the Japanese do.  I have no indigo.  But have seen that avocado pits do well with soy.  I have a bag full in the freezer --gifts saved for me by my walking friend.  I hope to get good "wrinkles" this time.

It is possible that I will make a small fire outside and settle my Goodwill cast iron kettle into the coals and place some cloth into the kettle and cover with the lid.  Let it cook.

It is also possible I will cut watercolor paper into strips to fit the iron stained blackened tin cans  I have.  Roll the paper and plant material around the cans. Tie tightly with string.  Steam.  Then when the paper is dry again, use a fine black ink to draw on the printed surfaces.  I have seen it done on the internet.  I want to try it.

Thank you to all who have commented here and sent private email.  I cherish your friendship and kindness.

Daily Notes- September 19

I feel like those people in the Depression Meds commercials.  Holding up the happy face picture to cover their sad faces.  I spent some of the morning crying.  And my Morning Pages are tear stained. So it's been a hard start to the day.

My birthday cake is still in the fridge.  The candles on the counter.  Never got around to the cake or the candles.  And while writing the Morning Pages I realized I never got around to my Birthday Dinner of Pot Roast.  Something is very wrong here.  With me.  With everything. I am not happy.

I am trying to read Where The Crawdads Sing.  But keep getting interrupted. Everything I try to do gets interrupted. By someone else's needs and wants.

Thank you to all who sent birthday greetings.  They were VERY much appreciated. And many thanks to ml for the beautiful images she sent.  I love learning about new (to me) artists.

Daily Notes- September 18th

Before I got the red frame glasses.  I took a "selfie" of myself.  But since it's my birthday- a picture of myself here seemed like a good thing for today's post.  Not much has changed.  Well, there might be extra weight around the jaw and chin.  But you'd be able to pick me out of a line up.

Phone calls from the two children.  Early this morning.  I'm going to set out after posting this to pick up the birthday cake I ordered.   Chocolate cake with fudge frosting and pink lettering and flowers.  I think I will buy a container of ice cream to go along with the cake.

The Painter came to check out the living room--it was a total mess with dog toys all over the floor-- for painting.  G still has to do the baseboards.  Sigh.  And then there will just be the kitchen to remodel.  And the house will be done. Painter says "maybe?" for November 1st.  He's at a house nearby and has repainted the kitchen cabinets 5 times already.  I think the owner just likes having company.

Riley remembered him and ran to the door barking like a crazy dog.  Painter was happy to see Riley. Riley happy to see the Painter.  So....we are moving forward.

We could go back in Time-- 28 years and have a couch in the "kitchen" area.  And the tv.  It's more of a "great room" thing and when we first moved here it was the warmest room in the whole house that first Winter and so we stayed-- watched tv there and had our Christmas trees- 12 footers-- in the corner by the bookcase.  I wouldn't mind doing that again.  It was cozy.

Now that I think about it- I think I will do that.  Change things back to how they were that first few years.  Pack up everything in the huge living/dining room and-- well start over.  I would be really really happy to have another 12 foot tree in that room this Christmas.  We'll just have to figure out the TiVo connection.  But our son is coming in October-- so we'll have him help with that.

I am just EXCITED about this.  And whenever the Painter comes  November or December or January (or all of them).......the room with be completely empty-  Like the Best Birthday Present EVER.   A Fresh Start!!!!!

Now to buy moving/packing boxes and packing paper from the local moving company.  And pack everything and store it all in the Attic.  Or Goodwill.  Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Daily Notes September 17

For Grace.   The Earth and Plants.  I plant things by first digging the hole for the plant or seed with my hand.  No tool works better.  My hands always look like this when I garden.

Grace is collecting rocks. Wonderful rocks.  Maine has no rocks.  They all got moved to New Jersey when the ice age pushed things South.  We have boulders.

We have great huge rocks along the ocean's coastline.  But to walk here and find a good rock? No.  I once took Riley to the ocean. When he was brand new. He ran breaking- the leash. In the water, chasing a protected bird.  Endangered bird.  Everyone on the beach had their mouth in a big O shape as they watched in horror as the dog gained on the bird.  Even in water to his chest- that dog could run.  The bird lifted off the water- finally- and flew away.  We all, except Riley, let out a sigh of relief.

Today is a bit overcast here in Maine.  Sun comes and goes.  I have dressed for going.  I have books to return to the library and a few items needed from the grocery-- Brussels Sprouts for sure. I cooked for G yesterday after he cut the grass.  I made the sausage and mushroom ragu that he likes on pasta. The same as I made after his heart attack when "nothing tastes good".

Riley and I watched Law and Order.  Detective Green was shot. He'll live.  Detective Fontana is not my favorite.  I don't think I watched any of this season for that reason- Detective Fontana.  But, for Riley, I will watch it.

Riley surprised us yesterday.  He went out and came back inside the house with just a command -no lengthy begging and dragging.  Which was enough of a "good thing" these days.  He also went for "ride in the car" which does not happen easily.  But then came the most amazing thing....... Riley played with his toys.  All of them.  He squeaked the squeaky ones, bounced the ones that bounce and threw some up in the air to catch them on the downside.  Like old times.  It sort of brought tears to my eyes.  We'd been missing him so much.   He looks more alert. His coat is very shiny.  He's eating. For however long this lasts-- we'll enjoy it.

We are missing G's brother today.  His birthday.  He passed quite unexpectedly just after Thanksgiving last November.  A very good man.  With the kindest heart.

Daily Notes- September 16th

Here we are.  Mid September.  Oil prices were supposed to be at an all time low for this winter.  Boom! now they are surging to an all time HIGH.   I don't see this as "random, I see this as planned. The Saudis might have bombed their own fields to raise prices.  A two-fer.  Cash plus Iran gets the blame.

Today was bill paying morning.  The installation of radiators was much more that the cost of the radiators. Much. More.  But I am happy to be rid of the filthy, cheap old rads.  G was talking of installing new baseboards.  Well, I'm okay with them in the living room.  The flooring is staying and only "upgrade" needed will be paint.  Which will be expensive.   Ceiling and all the walls.

Nothing needs doing in the kitchen dining great room.  That will all be demo'd when I finally get a new kitchen.  Don't hold your breath.  I don't really see it happening.  Too few workmen.  Too many jobs.  New Money keeps arriving in the Land of Maine.  New Money likes New Everything.  It took 2.5 years to get radiators installed. Old Maine Money never gets anything new. Old Money Houses just collapse into themselves over Time.  They compost.

I think the mishap with the washing machine might have been my fault.  I was doing a test load this morning and......honestly, I stood and looked at the buttons and had no clue as to which ones to push. Total Blank.  It came back but makes me wonder if I walked away without pushing the last button? I may have to make an index card with instructions going forward.  We all worry about G--but what if I am the one who will be losing her mind FIRST?????  This morning it seemed like a distinct possibility.

Total Blank on how the washing machine works. Total Blank on my postage stamps.  Where did I put them?

So, I paid the bills, G and Riley had a very good walk. Riley was very "bouncy" this morning.  Running around on the back grass like old times.  He's eating less food but I am wondering why he would eat as much as he did when he was super active.  He wouldn't.  So we should give him less food and just be happy he eats.

G remembered the anniversary because he had the date in his iPhone calendar.  Today he is transferring his iPhone calendar to the wall calendar.  Writing everything down. There is little chance it will remind him of anything.  That's why he has me.  He declares.  To remember for him.

Well, that might not be a good plan going forward.

Daily Notes- September 15th

Anniversary is almost over.  Nothing much happening, just another day.  We just keep on keeping on.

Patriots won the game and we both enjoyed watching- Riley slept thru it.  G went into the fenced garden while Riley used the facilities outside and picked some grapes.  Very nice. Good taste. Just a few more days (weeks) and they will be ripe enough.  G wants homemade grape jelly.

I planted "seedless" Concord grapes.  So, in the jelly making, I can skip the removal of the seeds portion of the process.  Last time the vines made grapes- only a handful-they were small and not juicy.   So---I sort of thought the vines would be "ornamental" rather than edible.  Nice to know I was wrong.

We've gotten thank you notes and small thank you gifts from the neighbors who received peaches this Summer.  To rave reviews.  They were beautifully shaped and colored and they were juicy and delicious.  It will be difficult for ALL of us to go back to eating grocery store peaches.

What a Summer it turned out to be.  Late-- yes, everything is very late....but so wonderfully good to eat.  Fantastic tomatoes, peaches, the small amount of plums were very good, and now the grapes. The jury is still out on the figs.  They have weeks yet to go before we pick and make preserves.

Bountiful.  Life can be such a gift.  Unexpectedly so.  I am also thinking of yesterday's teaching experience.  How that is such a gift for me.  Being a Master Gardener and in order to fulfill my volunteer hours--teaching.  Seventeen years of teaching garden classes.

So, on the anniversary of my life changing marriage I declare that Life is a Mystery.  But one that has many surprises, twists and turns.

Daily Notes- September 14

Another line drawing from the museum.  Getting the person on paper in the fewest number of lines. Making a copy is easier than trying to do this yourself.  I would like to draw faces.  Another item for the Life List.

Today--up early (for retired people) dressed and out.  I was teaching a class of one at the Greenhouse.  Ha! All the seats were filled.  And I talked for 2 hours straight.  And in school I never would say a word. To anyone.  I amaze myself every time I stand in front of a room of expectant strangers.  And talk.  And actually do a decent enough job.

I just now finished my breakfast peanut butter sandwich.  I somehow thought to have time before the class to eat.  No.  I stopped at the library to see if it was my lucky day.  No Crawdad's book.

I made pizza for supper last night.  It came out great.  We had planned to have it for the first Patriots game but a start time of 8:45 pm precluded pizza at halftime.  The dough waited in the fridge.

I slept well.  I took my Tylenol PM and my Pepcid.

Yesterday when I walked into the master bathroom to get something.......I stepped into water.  Something occurred.  We don't know what.  We wiped up all the water and then I did a Hail Mary and set the machine to "spin" to empty it of water (still in the tub with the clothing).  It spun and and drained and then stopped just like it was supposed to and I put the nicely spun clothing into the dryer.

I will eventually need to wash another load of clothing and will stay in attendance to see what might have gone wrong.  I know there was too much water.  So that might be what happened.  Only Time and another try will TELL.  I might have to stop using the medium selection.  We are two people. Not all that much to wash.  A "disturbance in my continuum".

Well. I am going to have a good cup of coffee (work coffee was/is terrible) and then my banana and I'll be finished with my packed breakfast.

Tomorrow is our 51st Wedding Anniversary and I don't think my husband remembers.  We have not celebrated it much in all those years.  Nothing to celebrate other than us stubbornly staying married.

Daily Notes- September 13

I was clearing out the bookcase --looking for something I have misplaced.  Came across this page from a drawing journal.  Sunflowers.

Season one of Law and Order Criminal Intent.  I came late to this series on tv.  So, I have missed quite a few of the early ones.  Riley and I are enjoying them.  He's gone on his walk with G.  He used to walk way ahead of us and we had to blow the whistle to "recall" him back to us (like our children when they were small).  Now he walks behind G.  They both amble.  But at least they are both able to walk. I continue to have trouble with my right hip.  Makes walking any distance painfully slow. It hardly bothers me during my day.  Just if I have to walk purposefully.

It got down into the 40's last night.  Winter comes early to Maine.  Stays a  long time.

I have only one very thin idea for another house square.  I may do a sunflower in-between.  I made a long list of things: House Fly- House Coat- House Dress- House Keeper- On the House- House Work.
And also another list using Home.  Homeless- Homemade - Homesick-  Home run.  The trick is to make the word and the house work together.

The peaches are all gone.  The plums went soft before I could eat them all.  I am still picking tomatoes.  I have three large flat boxes of them on the floor in the vestibule.  With a sheet of newspaper covering lightly.  I think the tomatoes I put in freezer bags last September are still in the freezer.  They come too late.  They ripen when it's cold here in Maine.  I want to eat them when the weather is hot and summery.  July.

I am thinking about long pants and socks today.  Not a juicy tomato sandwich.

I did not sleep well last night.  There was something else present.  Their dreams.  Not mine.  Waking me up.  I know it sounds very strange to write these things-- but it's how it felt.  A disturbance of some sort.  I am still feeling slightly off center this morning.  I did forget to take my bedtime Benadryl so that might be all it was.

Daily Notes- September 12

If you have seen this already- sorry.   It's a cut away segment from a larger piece that failed miserably.
Deb Lacativa's cloth and thread.  She's in my sidebar under More whiffs etc.  The cloth scraps come in a stuffed full scrap bag and the thread is sold also.  You won't be disappointed if you buy some -of everything.  I am "auditioning" the little strip of green.  And then I need to make the top left area into a house.  Needs a more defined roof but it already has the look of a house.  The bottom might turn into a garden.  Just a very small one.

So, out early this morning to get my haircut (and dropped off two really full pints of Sungold cherry tomatoes for the gal who cuts my hair).  The salon is across the street from the greenhouse where I worked.  So I stopped in to say hi! and drop off the pages I want copied for the class on Saturday.  Customers were actually asking when they would be putting out their Christmas stuff.  Geez!!!

I also stopped in at the library and picked up two books and ordered a third.  Connie they have 350 people waiting on the Crawdad's book.  I may have spelled that wrong.  My library might have two copies. But it's also on the 7 day shelf- but it wasn't there when I looked.  That's just dumb luck but I will check next time I am in Town.

I am trying to write the titles and authors of books I read in a journal just for books.  So I know what I have read and can then read more of an author who is new to me.  That's the plan.  I've had this sort of "plan" before and it always goes along pretty good for awhile and then it stops.  I stop.  Not reading, but adding to the page lists.  And it really helps if I make little comments.

Yesterday we were surprised by a very heavy rain in the early evening, just after dark. It was warm and humid all day.  G had the AC on.  Today we have sunshine.  I need to go out and collect tomatoes.  The Snow White's have finally started turning yellow.  They never actually look white. But they are so MUCH larger than last year.  Certainly not the size of a cherry tomato.  And they are super delicious.  I hope September stays warm so they can ripen.

Riley is panting so we will have a Law and Order or two before going outdoors.

Daily Notes- September 11th

Reminds me for some reason...of Parcheesi.  A board game my brothers and I played when we were children.  I'm sure it has nothing at all to do with that board game but the name came to mind as I was drawing and painting this.

Law and Order is back.  It goes away on Tuesday.  Makes for a long day for Riley.  I just turned the tv on and he went right to sleep.

Read Thayer's Surfside Sisters.  A Nantucket Romance.  But not really.  More of a coming of age book.  Figuring out how to be an adult.  I found this author quite by accident when I had read thru Devereau and another author who shall remain nameless as I can't remember the name.  I know where her books are located.  She wrote the Shoe Addict books plus about 10 more.  I really liked reading them.  And after that I just walked the library stacks until I got to T.  And found Thayer.

There are quite a few really bad romance authors.

I found my library List Book and I need to update it and keep lists of the books I have been reading. I had been writing on slips of paper and on index cards.  Those are in the wind as they say.  But if I find any I am tucking them into the book.   I have to get more organized. Write things down in one place and not on little scraps of paper that get lost.

Next book up is Scrubland.  Author is Chris Hammer.  No idea what it's about but something on the book jacket got me to take the book home.

It's cold and dark here in Maine this morning.  And still.  I hope the big church in Town will ring the bells today.  I remember them ringing on 9/11.  I remember crying.  I remember the total absence of any sounds that day.  I worked my shift at the library that day.

It seems like Fall is coming too soon.  I feel like it's time to wear socks again and a sweater.