Last Ice Cream Cone In 2009

Tomorrow is the last day of August. Then it's September. And we start counting down to my birthday. Yay!!!!. Bravo is having some kind of Georgia O'Keeffe movie on the 15th and Survivor begins on the 17th. I'm making a chart of all the stuff that's happening. And my haircut is on the 3rd. I could even pick out new eyeglass frames this month. That would be amazingly exciting if they were "cool" frames. I'll wait to see how amazing the new haircut is. Or isn't. I should plan on a new and exciting lunch for the month of September. Today is the last day to get an ice cream cone until next year. Butter Pecan or Strawberry?

I'm working on two of the Friend of Twelve by Twelve pieces that I missed the deadline for in June and August. I'm hoping to post them tomorrow. Identity and Passion. They are much different than what I would have made at the time they were due. I like them. I may even remake Water. I'd like to frame all 12 and hang them somewhere. Like a coffee shop or library. It's a thought. The last one is Twelve. Should have seen that coming!!!!

I finished one disc of Season One of Mad Men. In one episode, two women are sitting in the kitchen, in dresses, stockings and heels, smoking. One is pregnant. Their kids, in another part of the house, are getting noisy so Betty calls them in. They are playing "Spaceman". Wearing dry cleaning bags over their heads. Betty says to the 8 year old daughter, "if I find the dry cleaning that was in that bag, on the floor, you are going to be in big trouble young lady". 1959. And we survived! And, of course, no seat belts in the car. Betty sent Don out to get the 8 year old daughter's birthday cake (big party at the house) and Don had been drinking all day (and smoking) so he went and got the cake and drove home but didn't want to go back inside, so he drove off with the cake and never came back home until very late. No birthday cake. Jeez. It brought back cozy memories of my childhood. Don could have made everyone happy by leaving the cake box on the lawn and THEN driving away. I'm always trying to "fix" the things that went wrong.

This is WHY I always baked MY OWN CAKE for my birthday. Even as a child. I was never disappointed that way. A survivor. Mad Men may be too brutal for me. We'll see.

I need to take a shower, finish the laundry, put clean sheets on the bed and figure out something to cook for dinner. G has walked the dog and vacuumed the floor. I have two more discs of Mad Men to watch before Tuesday. Six episodes. And Ice Cream. We have Chinese Dumplings in the freezer to sample for lunch or not. Busy Day. :-)

See you in September!!!

Just For Myself Wednesday

Today the dog went to day care and I went out looking for a good time. It wasn't easy. I'm not used to having a good time by myself. All of my activities were predicated by the showing time for Julie & Julia at 1 pm. It was PERFECTION. In fact, if they allowed such things, I would have stayed in my seat and watched it all over again. It was that beautiful to watch. The colors, clothes and food in such pretty blues, reds, and creamy yellows.

I wish I had had time for a better lunch. I wish I could have had lunch at 111 Maine. But I did get the new Sharpie pens I wanted with a $6 coupon at Staples so they cost $1.04. And I found a lovely silk tie for G at Goodwill for one dollar. And I got the lovely white with graphite gray stripe Calvin Klein men's shirt that I had wanted, for ten dollars on clearance. I look very nice in gray.

The weather was decently cool last night but warmed up and got humid again today. I'm contemplating turning on the A/C as the sky continues to darken (4:30) this afternoon. I need to turn on the house lights. And if it starts to rain, I will have to close the windows.

No West Wing today. Bravo showed a movie this morning instead. My DVD of the first season of Life arrived. Pretty thin. And I noticed that there have been two seasons of Mad Men and I got a very late start. Anyone out there know the best solution to seeing the seasons I have missed? I don't think I want to buy them at $49 each. The Life season one was only $18.99. Probably because there are only 8 hours on the disc.

Time for an iced coffee.

Sunday "white" Biscuits

I have been getting up earlier than G for the past few weeks. And I get the biscuits ready to this point, while we (Riley and I) wait for G to get up. Then I mix the milk into the dry ingredients and pat out my dough and cut biscuits. I usually get eight. Two cups of flour, scant teaspoon of salt and three teaspoons of baking powder with 1/4 cup shortening cut into the mixed dry stuff. Then I add 3/4 cup milk. Some times a bit more if I haven't fluffed the flour well before scooping. 425 degrees for about 12 minutes. I check for a bit of browning on the biscuit bottoms. I have used this recipe for about 40 years and just this year (please don't laugh too much) memorized it. For 40 years I had to go find the recipe card before I could make the biscuits. And for 35 of those 40 years, these biscuits were known by everyone who ever ate them, as "white" biscuits because they never even get tan or beige or any color on them. Now I use the "butter" Crisco sticks and they get some color to them. I have also used buttermilk or soured milk instead of plain milk. Then I need to add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.

Yesterday was a slow day at work. Not many customers in the morning but later in the day we had quite a few "anniversary" purchases. Husbands indulgently purchasing plants, fire pits and bird baths for their brides. One husband, after running his credit card through twice for two separate expensive purchases, was heard to say, "does this mean we can skip dinner out?" Another was calling around looking for 12 white, double peonies.

The six of us working yesterday did Suduko puzzles up front. The plants were well watered and it was hot. So we were all up front where we have a fan and available (at least I was) to answer questions and solve problems. I sorted through a bunch of deceased leaves, bugs and self made problems. One guy had scrubbed paint off his shingled house with baking soda. Which is caustic in large quantities. So his grass, peonies and shrubs were burned. And all I could suggest was something to acidify the soil in hopes of changing the chemistry.

I'm tired today. It's hot and humid. Tough sleeping. And I keep waking up at around 1 or 2 in the morning and not being able to fall back to sleep. And I forgot to put the pork I bought yesterday into the crock pot over night for pulled pork. I did remember to make pizza for dinner last night. And we had tiny slivers of the lemon ricotta cheesecake I made. I scatter fresh blueberries all over the cheesecake. So I have to think of something to eat today.

We went out to eat (using a gift certificate) and it wasn't a wonderful experience. For $100. I could prepare better food myself. I really dislike going out for a special, upscale meal and being so very disappointed by the food. Even the mussels were bland and needed to be salted. My Cuban Shrimp were so over seasoned and sauced that they ruined the rice. And the black beans were truly disgusting. And I had to ask for iced water. They gave me warm tap water.

Time for biscuits. Only seven today.

Stranger Things Have Happened

Riley & Me:
Dog owners seem to purchase, adopt, bond with dogs who strongly resemble themselves. I didn't think that was true of Riley & I because Riley is such a beautiful animal and neither G or I could be described as beautiful. But last night, while brushing my teeth, I looked into my mirror and saw a lab's eyes looking back at me.

My Journal:
I decided to read what was happening in my journal last August. I was upset about an 8 pound weight gain and set to "diet" it away. Guess THAT didn't go very well as the weight gain is now 25 pounds. My garden was cloudy and wet with few zucchini and no tomatoes. Just like this year's garden. Eventually, there were tomatoes. Not many. So I will be patient. I also found that I was tired from working 39 hours a week. That came as a surprise.

My Summer:
I decided to have "summer", finally. Reading books on white slipcovered couches, eating apricots, drinking iced coffee, eating Parmesan Chicken with sliced, vinegary cucumbers from the garden and steamed Jasmine rice. Going out for ice cream (our Cote's closes on the 30th of this month), sitting outside with the dog. I can't wrap my hips in a long piece of batik this summer as the hips are too large. All my regained weight is in the "saddle bags" area. But I am wearing baggy linen shorts and no shoes in the house.

My Attitude:
I have had to adjust and re-adjust my emotional balance since my dad died. I think I'm arriving at a good place, finally. I have come to terms with the sale of the house in Ohio and the fact that it is a buyers market and if I want to eventually sell the house, I must give away most of my imagined profit in radon mitigation, a new power box and a new roof. "As Is" doesn't mean anything. G has agreed to give up the stuff he has in the Ohio basement and not drive all the way there and back to get it. I am relieved. I am giving up my maple dresser. There's one for sale in the local paper. Listed the day we decided not to go get the one I grew up with.

My Work:
I may use my winter furlough to look for another job or I may just set a schedule for myself (with doggie daycare) to work on my art and household projects for a period of time. I was very happy to work at the greenhouse. And there are still moments when I enjoy it quite a bit. But mostly, I am bored and eager for time to go home. Time to move on.

My House:
The sale of the Ohio house has been a wake up call on my house in Maine. We have lived here nearly 20 years and have done very little to keep the house "current" with the housing market. Now that I see what will happen when we try to sell this house, I can see the amount of work required and changes we need to start making. Even the garden beds have suffered because of my going back to work in 1997. The house has a great coat of paint but needs a new roof, new windows and the driveway needs a make over. We need to modernize the bathrooms, replace the carpeting and paint the walls, ceilings and trim. We become complacent. Your home is a major investment. G and I should have taken better care of our home.

My Body:
I don't want to be over weight. So instead of dieting, which is SO NOT working for me right now, I decided to just make better decisions, whenever I decide to eat something. To stop and decide if eating something is what I really want to do. To be more conscious of every time I want to eat something. And to drink more water. And seriously consider going to an gym. I think I'd like the rowing machine. Or I could just carry a few large rocks to the back yard and then carry them back to the front yard every day. Or have the chimney knocked down and haul the bricks and cement rubble to some low area in the side yard. I need more physical labor. Walking the dog is bad for my hip bursitis.

My Art:
Seriously unhappy that Art Club isn't a good fit for me. I could use it to network but that concept doesn't feel good to me right now. And Art Club won't get me to make art. I need to be with artists who are making things, having problems with the work, learning new things. I need the stimulation of creative exploration. I had always thought it would be fun to return to art school. I have the money to do that now. Do I really want to? And I know workshops aren't of any use to me.

My Day:
G is home and is now out walking the dog. I want to do something on my own. Don't know what.

Veggie Burgers

I had this recipe and wanted to try it out. Grated sweet potato, carrot and onion bound with one egg, one cup flour, teaspoon of baking powder, salt and pepper and garlic. Divide into 6 burgers and fry in hot oil four minutes on each side.

They are crispy and sort of candy like on the outside and still unfinished on the inside. But I have eaten two and enjoyed them a great deal. I think a lower temp in the frying and longer on each side and the center may get solid. It's amazing how wet one egg can be.

My friend Patty gave me the recipe and she brought her version one evening for dinner. She had added more egg and some leftover rice and cheese to hers.

Even with it's squishy center, these burgers are 100% better than the frozen ones at the grocery. Very tasty. Even better with bacon and fried onions, I bet.

It's hot and sunny today and I have the a/c on and only walked the dog one mile. It was too hot out there. He did all his business and is now laying flat out on the tile floor in the sunroom with the overhead fan cooling him off. I have the hose running in the veg garden and need to do a bit of weed pulling when I go shut the water off. I got some beans, 2 zucchini and a few misfit cucumbers. There are tomatoes on my plants but also evidence of blight.

Already we are seeing shortages of produce in the grocery. No spinach or tomatoes. Plenty of cucumbers and squash. From somewhere else. Lots of corn. Maine blueberries. Five dollar small watermelons.

We are having Mexican Casserole tonight with guacamole made with the two avocados I bought last week. They still look okay. I may or may not make my own enchilada sauce. I'm on the fence and may go to the store in a few minutes and pick up a can. Along with a package of pitas. I promised a co worker a veggie burger tomorrow. I think I will bake them for awhile in the lunchroom toaster oven before serving with lettuce and cucumbers.

I also need to buy more ice pops for the work freezer. Little treats for hot days.

Dog Days

Of summer and in my life right now. Riley and I are doing "morning" and letting G sleep in on his first weekend off since starting his new career. I don't have the "play time" thing going yet so Riley is a bit unsure of his morning routine. He does know that when I turn on the television to watch cooking shows or West Wing that nothing dog related is going to happen so he just sighs and takes a nap. Okay with me.

Riley likes to go out and relax on the back stoop and watch over the back yard. Even in 90 degree sun. YES. We are having summer weather, finally. I don't let him stay out there very long. If I go out with him, (which he likes very much), he will go out on the shaded lawn and chew his sticks. But only if I am also out on the lawn.

So, I was up and dressed by 7 am. And I have made the coffee and mixed and am baking a Kahlua Chocolate Cake for my daughter's birthday today. Later today, she and I will drive to Augusta to do some mall shopping and have a birthday lunch. Sam was born on the same weekend as the huge Woodstock event. Not at the event. But still, our very own little hippie rocker baby. She even had her own little love beads. Until I realized she could choke on them.

I read an entire book yesterday starting at about 3 pm. "Die For You" by Lisa Unger. Her first book "Beautiful Lies" was so exciting but this one, while it had a very interesting plot idea, just fell flat about 3/4 the way through. Where ARE the book editors? Really! Where are the editors. Nearly every new release I have read this year starts out great and then completely goes to crap at the 3/4 mark. Sometimes even at the halfway point. I guess the editors figure you "bought" the book and if you don't get a good read, so what. They have their money.

A friend gave me her copy of "Olive Kitteridge". A good, depressing read. I am so NOT going to read that. And she gave me "The Tattooed Girl" about racism and hate. Not going to read that one either. The books I do want to read are stalled in the library waiting game.

Some of the college kids have worked their last days. The schedule is in flux. We, the more senior employees, are waiting to see how things shake down for the fall season. We only have three "boys" right now. And our leader has promised "full time" to a few employees who are only getting 28 hours a week right now. I continue to be scheduled for two days a week (14 hours) and sometimes I get the 8 hours on Saturday also. Like next weekend.

I'm right on the edge of not wanting to continue working at the greenhouse. When we are busy, the days fly. But when business is slow, it's a LONG day. But Christmas is coming (isn't retail strange?) and Christmas was very exciting last year and it smells awesome. Then I get laid off for 3 months. I wonder what Christmas 2009 will be like? Will people buy things? We see a lot of "sale only" shopping at the greenhouse but still have quite a bit of full price buying. This may be the true test of whether the economy has turned the corner.

My cake is done and I poured the melted butter, sugar and Kahlua over it. And now all the cake has to do is cool for four hours. It's a very moist, dense, fudgey chocolate cake. Excellent with best quality vanilla ice cream. And birthday candles.

Happy Birthday Sam!

Wednesday, August 12

I like posting on Wednesdays. Wednesday's Child and all. Only one month and six days until my birthday. I love my birthday. You know that!

I am having a very lazy day today. I had the most puzzling dream and then remembered that on Monday I watched about 6 episodes of Mad Men. Which explains the dream. In the 60's, in a strange hotel with a strange man wearing suits. And a large amphibious creature working the front desk. And it was always twilight, never day time or night. The world of advertising.

Still watching episodes of West Wing. I am liking the President less and his staff more as the episodes go on. He's running for reelection. And the guy from NCIS was on the 2002 episode I watched this morning as a Secret Service guy protecting CJ from something. NCIS is my second favorite thing to watch this summer. Mainly because there isn't much Law and Order to be seen.

I visited the library this morning. We have had a shut down of the intra state library loan system whereby we borrow books from any library in Maine and a courier service shuttles totes of books around, sorts by library and delivers them to the borrowing library. The courier service quit. The state signed with another. After two weeks, they quit. The volume of books traveling is quite large. And my library is a huge borrower and lender. So we are left with only the books we have on our shelves (unless they were borrowed by another library before the couriers quit, in that case, they are still "somewhere" else). I want the new books I have ordered. Whine!!!! So I had to look on the shelves for something for me to read and more importantly, something for G to read. I have been selecting his books for years now. And he reads a lot of books. We are trying two new authors for G.

Then I went to the grocery and got onions, bell peppers and jalapenos to go with the zucchini from the garden to make more zucchini pickles. I have everything sliced and salted. In three hours I will be boiling water and cooking the vegetables in 3 cups of vinegar and 5 cups of sugar along with various spices. Canning time. Because it's hot and humid today. I sliced all the zucchini I had so that I can fill more than five pints today. I also bought vegetable sushi for my lunch. It was too much. I couldn't finish it.

My real estate agent left me an email message very late on Monday evening saying they were having a home inspection on Tuesday and she hoped the water had been turned back on. I called the water department in Ohio in the morning and left two messages and numbers for them to call me back. They didn't. And I haven't heard from the agent. I'm going to assume everything went well. It takes awhile to get the home inspection report.

The nervous tick in my eye has disappeared. My spider bite is healing. No redness or swelling. I'm trying to make an appointment for a haircut with a new stylist. No luck so far. I don't think anyone cuts hair on Wednesdays. I haven't walked the dog yet. Don't really want to but he's very sad about it so I guess I'll have to go out into the humid bug infested world and walk him.

G called me on his cell and then gave up, only the call connected already and didn't disconnect. I could hear the noises from the restaurant and I could hear him talking so I just kept yelling "HEY" and "HELLO" getting progressive louder each time and finally he noticed his phone had a voice inside it. That had to have been the most interesting thing that happened today.

Orange Hot

Another sunny day. I can't complain. After all that miserable cold and rain. We steamed lobsters yesterday for dinner. A co-worker is related to a lobsterman and she was selling lobsters for $4.50 each. So I bought 4. And then learned how to steam them. I know we over cooked them. Kind of. But they were nice and red and went well with the melted butter. Later, after washing the kitchen down and spraying room freshener, we drove out to see if we could get ice cream before Cote's closed for the evening. We made it.

On either Wednesday or Thursday I got a spider bite at work while I was washing down the greenhouse floors. I didn't think much of it until it started itching, leaking and until my ankle and leg started getting red and hot. Then I thought maybe I should pay attention. Friday evening I went to bed and my ankle hurt and was very hot. I promised myself a visit to the ER if it looked the same or worse Saturday morning. It looked better. It was still puffy but not red or hot. Today, it's still leaking but no swelling and no heat. Spider bites can be dangerous. This spider bite seems to be just like all the other bites I've gotten since moving to Maine.

I signed and returned the contract to sell the Ohio house. Tomorrow I have to call and have the water turned back on. And, of course, the BMV has rejected my application to transfer the Ohio title to a Maine title. Essentially, they want me to fill out a form that says I am selling the car to myself. Even though I gave them the probate release.

In other news of Maine stupidity, the road work on Maine street is coming to an end. Parts of a long stretch of Maine street were dug up for new sewers and rain water sewers. Now that they have done all this nice, new work, they are laying down a 3 inch layer of asphalt OVER repairs, potholes, repaired potholes and whatever else is in the street. First big snow and EVERY one of the underlying repairs will POP UP as the plow goes over and take the 3 inches of new asphalt plus more with it. They could have taken a week or so and ground the roadway down to a good surface and then put the asphalt down. But NO. That would be smart and they aren't smart. And if they had ground the surface down they wouldn't have to spend the next few weeks and months RAISING the curbs. Job security for government employees. Town government. My taxes.

Lunchtime here, at almost 3 pm. I was vacuuming the floors (dog hair) and need to finish some laundry and iron G's white work shirts. I watered the garden and should check for cucumbers and zucchini. G brought in a peach off my tree and it was full of bugs (worms). Some raspberries are getting ripe and Riley is eating the ones outside the fence. Should be blueberries also. I saw some flowers on my eggplant and a few on the tiny tomatoes, peppers and beans. Not much time left for them to grow.

We're having reheated pizza.

Good News & Big News

Well, August might not be as awful as I said last time. I'm beginning day five of the new 42 day diet and things are going along very well. I have lots of energy and enthusiasm for all my endeavors, even though I lose steam by 7 pm. Which is okay.

Big News : Last night at 10 pm I accepted an offer on the house in Ohio. I had "put" a number out in the Universe for the house. Not the list price, but the price I was willing to accept to get the house sold before winter. Next afternoon someone who had looked at the house before and thought it was too high, came back for a second visit. We never had gotten a second visit before. And yesterday I got an email saying an offer would be sent over in the evening. The phone calls began around 7:30 or 8 and by 10 pm it was done. We just need to sign things and then let the bank and the inspections begin. Closing is set for September 18. My birthday.

I slept very well last night and instead of the huge tax check I was going to have to write--I only have to write a small one to cover the months till the closing.

I know my father would not be happy with the sales price but he should have had some inside painting and improvements done over the 20 years he lived there. There is so much work to be done in that house. I know how much. We were getting estimates to have some of it done. And I am VERY happy to not be paying for that!!!

Theres a lot to be said for "just" getting a property sold in this market. We have a signed offer. Life is good this morning. And it's not raining.

Update

I have gotten through the first two days of my 1200 calorie diet successfully. I even participated in a long walk with a friend (sans dog) which made me feel good. My calorie levels for the first two days were under 1200 by 200 or 300 calories. Yes, I'm hungry.

I'm following the directive of no food after 8 pm. And since we eat dinner at 6:30 or 7 this isn't hard to do. The afternoon is the hardest time for me. And lunch. So I haven't eaten lunch the first two days. Just a piece of fruit and an ounce of cheese.

The realtor called and we have a "potential" interested buyer. This is because I wrote an email saying that I had listed the house "as is" hoping to get an insultingly low offer, which I would accept and the house would be sold. So. Let's see if they can make the insulting offer this week. In Ohio, buyers don't have the bloodthirsty pirate mentality of Maine, Florida and Illinois, all places where I have bought and sold houses with gusto and spirit and several insulting offers. The listing price was only a "suggestion" never a reality. In Ohio, the buyers take the list price as reality. I guess. No wonder they have a 40 month backlog. And no wonder they elected Boehner as their senator in Congress. Pronounced correctly as Boner. Not Bayner.

My happiness/ sadness ratio is more on the happy side today. My son demands that I be happy so I'm trying to be happy. He reads this blog. In fact, he is the reason I blog. He thought it would be a fun thing for me to do. And he was correct. My Blog-O-Versary is coming up soon.

Eye doctor. Bank to deposit paychecks. Work for three hours. Dinner with friends this evening at the local Memphis Rib place. Top Chef Masters when I get home. A GOOD day. A BUSY day. And I think the sun is supposed to be shining and it's gonna be HOT!

I watered my garden while I was on my walk yesterday. Ever the optimist. At least where the garden is concerned.

In the Weeds

While pulling weeds, I noticed I had onions. Not the large onions promised on the package I bought, but little 2 inch firm ones. They will taste good I hope. Right now they are out in the sunshine drying off.

I also "weeded" some baby carrots, cucumbers and a few large zucchini. Not the mammoth ones as big as watermelons. Just bigger than I usually let them get. I also cut the flowering stalks off my parsley (which I never think to cut for meal prep), tarragon and chives. And uncovered my basil which was doing well on it's own. Tomatoes and fresh mozzarella are going on my shopping list. I harvested, and promptly ate, the handful of blueberries.

My tomato plants have yellow flowers but no fruit yet. And the best, and healthiest plant, is the one in the compost bin. As usual. I should just plant them there. Everything looks spindly. I think all the rain has washed the fertilizer I added at the beginning, right out of the soil. Into the paths. Where the weeds are exuberant.

I tried to take a picture of myself when I was done gardening an hour ago. Dirt everywhere. In my hair. All over my face, knees, feet, arms. So dirty that my shower ball is now gray instead of pink. Perhaps I should have spritzed myself with Simple Green?

And then I weighed myself. Give me strength. This battle I must wage is so very difficult. I have been trying, but giving in to the "wants" and "needs" far too often. Comforting myself and rewarding myself with food. I truly detest the weighing, measuring and counting of the diet. It takes up so much of my time. But if I don't do it, every extra 10, 50 or 100 calories adds up.

I like having a bowl of cold cereal with milk in the summer for breakfast. 400 calories. My lunchtime salad 480 calories because of the dry cranberries and crispy Chinese noodles. I can continue to eat this way as long as my dinner is 320 calories minus my afternoon apple. So dinner is 200 unless I skip the apple. You can see where this all goes wrong can't you? Who eats a 200 calorie dinner? I have to stay at 1200 calories in order to lose ANY weight. And it's far better if two or three days a week I barely touch 800. I either skip breakfast or lunch.

When I was on the "diet" I had oatmeal and tea everyday for breakfast. No lunch. Just a 70 calorie low fat ounce of cheese and an apple. Usually, just the cheese. And the rest of the calories were spent on dinner. I got down to 800 by having a salad for dinner a few times a week. 265 plus 200 plus 400 equals 865 for the day. I got used to eating that way. I wasn't happy about it. All day long, it was negative. It was always about what I couldn't have. And I still was cooking regular meals for my husband, including chocolate chip cookies, brownies, pizza and pasta. Add a new puppy to the mix and I'm surprised I was successful.

But I was very angry most of the time. No wonder I lost my job. And now I have to do it again. When I had promised myself that if I did the diet for one full year, I would never have to diet again. I actually thought I would have learned to BE THIN. Instead, I learned to wait for the diet to end and then slowly began eating a few more calories each day. Anything over 1500 is a problem for me. 1500. Pitiful after 365 days of 1200 or less.

So here I am at 185 instead of 160. Here I am wearing size 16 pants when I have size 12's in the closet. (all the weight came back and settled on my hips and butt) Here I am facing another 3 to 6 months of NO NO NO NO NO NO. Actually, here I am facing TWENTY YEARS of NO NO NO. A lifetime of "no you can't have any of that". A bowl of shredded wheat with milk. No. I have tears running down my face as I type this.

In restaurants, the chef says they are "in the weeds" when things are going very badly. I'm in the weeds dear readers. Things are going very badly.

Disgusting August, 2009

Let me count the ways the first days of August disgust me. Mosquitoes. Horse and Deer Flies. Humidity. Itching. Weeds. More Rain. Tomato Blight. Failure to get a good night's sleep. Wearing socks and having hot feet. Not wearing socks and having stones in your shoes. Wanting to eat. Not wanting to cook. Wanting ice cream. Long lines to buy ice cream. Traffic.

The traffic thing gets out of control here in Maine. Vacationland. Every freaking idiot in the other 49 states and various foreign countries has decided to come to Maine, in August, and drive erratically, in the car in front of mine. They are also clogging up the lines at all my favorite restaurants and ice cream stands. And I have to got to get to work, appointments and buy groceries, while trying to "work" around their crazy vacationing lifestyle.

So I'm testy. And I scream "asshole" a lot while driving. My dad's favorite word.

The little blaze orange Fit is now registered in Maine and has Maine insurance. I sent a large four figure check to the insurance broker to cover 6 months of vacant house coverage for the Ohio house. We are having estimates for painting and new carpet in the Ohio house. In case you were wondering what I was spending my inheritance on. Ahem.

Today, G is cutting the grass (because he didn't want to cut it yesterday) and we are going to eat lunch at the Mexican place in Auburn. I'm planning on spending some of my inheritance on a large salted Margarita. I might be happier with more ice cold beer, salty Margaritas and icy Tom Collins. Prime Suspect on public television tonight. A/C installed in the window here at home to keep us dry and chilled.

I worked four days last week. I was hot, dirty, itchy and smelly. And there were no free ice pops in the lunchroom freezer. I even had to go down cellar and carry the 5 gallon water replacement bottle up the rickety stairs and install it into the drink machine. So we could have drinking water. And there were mosquitoes in the lunchroom. And a nerve in my left eye keeps twitching. God. I sound like a psycho.

I get my teeth cleaned this week and my eyes checked (the twitch).

I invited Sam (my daughter) to attend Art Club with me this week. So, of course, an invited guest turned out to be one of those "talking head" Me&Me&Me people. She glues crystals to shoes. But in her mind she studies the "architecture of the shoe and creates intricate and one of a kind designs that should cost $5000 per pair of shoes etc." Yes, indeed. A line of crystals around the top edge of a shoe is a departure from any known design, as is a snowflake on the heel or a toe covered in crystals. And we had to hear about the trials of her shoe size. And the cost of the undecorated shoes. Ferragamo. $500. At least. My daughter told her to contact some drag queens and sell her shoes to them. And then we drifted away, as far away as possible, to work on projects. Sam won't be returning.

Art Club. Just not working for me. And I so WANTED it to WORK for me. I need some artistic help here, people! Or, at least, a really GOOD LAUGH!