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.