Saturday, November 30th. Sunshine and 35 degrees

 Someone wanted to "see" my work....well, this is an old piece I found in the subterranean picture file.  I don't think I own it anymore...a gift to someone...ten by ten inches.  I sort of wish I still owned it. I think I still have a scrap of the pink flower material- I painted the flowers on white cotton then cut out shapes added the yellow stars. The leaves were cut from another piece of painted fabric.

I decided I had white cotton on a bolt (still do), a closet full of paints and brushes...why not make my own fabric.  I set the wet white washed fabric on a large restaurant sized sheet pan... painted with water based cheap bottles of paint and let it dry on the pan. Added details with a black Sharpie pen.  I will admit to mixing paint to make my own colors.   I did study art in college...I can mix colors.

I think I mentioned son got my TV working again...like a miracle. BUT, it's after Thanksgiving and tons of crap on the tv...so I had to sort thru a large box of paper and magazines to keep myself occupied.  Most of it is now in the recycling box on the porch.  Still, I got something done.

I am resting after having breakfast, reading the newspaper and attempting to Swiffer Damp Mop my wood floors BEFORE eating breakfast.  My floors are filthy. But doing that before breakfast---huge mistake.

I also rotated the flowers on the low table in front of the low window... sunshine equality. The glass vase full of pebbles and paper whites needed more water and the Amaryllis needed water also.  

Out the front window the birds are having seeds and swinging on the bamboo perch we set up for them.

I think Son and I are making OUR Thanksgiving meal this afternoon...so we have leftovers for a few days.

I don't have much else to write.  My intensions for the day are more Swiffering of floors...a load of wash...and hopefully my blood pressure gets high enough for a shower.  So NOT interested in fainting in the shower.

Friday November 29th. Snowed and was pretty slippery driving here in Maine after 5 pm.

I think this is a new to YOU circle.  With the change over to the new iMac and all that's going on here I have lost track- sending mail from the old desktop to the new one.  Sort of like talking to oneself.

We had a lovely dinner at the neighbor's house yesterday afternoon...I chatted quite a bit with the host family's neighbor- lives one street over....about my age.  We have even lived in the same states and towns but not at the same times.  She is not as feeble as I am.  Sent me some items on her cell (to mine) while I tried to recall if the number I gave her was correct...it was.

On the way out, it was dark, raining and had snowed so of course I slipped on the grass and fell.  I didn't break anything- a bit of stiffness in my right shoulder but other than that.....okay. Our host drove us home- down the street four houses.

Today is usually grocery and Library... but Library is having a heating problem.  I bought the BIG container of oatmeal and am already 3 quarters done with the contents... 

The transition from the old computer to the new has been quite good.  

I sit here at the first dining room table of Married Life with the new iMac... our first purchase (the table) after moving to Georgia.  We had a table, ironing board, vacuum, and two lawn chairs. (when the owner of the table dropped it off- saw no chairs- he went home and brought over four chairs (on credit)). The chairs actually went with the table but we couldn't afford to buy them....the vacuum and ironing board were wedding gifts.  We had to go out and buy a bed.  We had been living in furnished rentals at college.  Had been gifted sheets and pillows as wedding gifts. Thank goodness.  I had a frying pan, a one quart saucepan and a Dutch oven.  Oh and a Betty Crocker cookbook.  That I still use.  Very very humble beginnings.

Anyway......the sun is shining and all the snow etc from last evening is gone. sidewalks etc are dry.

I am going to see if the tv works- yesterday when we got home from dinner...the tv had no images..no sound.  just didn't work...but the TiVo worked so I watched something I had recorded. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving To All.

 Yesterday my son went out for an already cooked Turkey Breast from the grocery deli... for our after the big day meals...we also baked sweet  potatoes and a very very excellent Pumpkin Pie.  He used a very intricate pie dough recipe...new to me but it turned out spectacularly. I got to roll it out..crimp the edges.

We are doing all this cooking because we are having dinner down the street with the Twin's family today and wanted leftovers for the weekend etc. for ourselves.  We like Thanksgiving to last.....as we do the Christmas meals as well.  Leftovers are so fantastic.  We'll make the stove top stuffing and the gravy and mashed potatoes tomorrow.  Oh, I can't forget the green bean casserole.  We did this last year as well. We ate leftovers for DAYS.

Daughter has had MEN in her house for two days I think...one day taking her very very old furnace apart and carrying it up the stairs and out the door.... her house is tiny and they had to--I'm guessing "'chop" the thing up in moveable pieces....the new furnace is in and working and she thinks the house is 'too warm" at 57 degrees... The men figure the furnace was put in before they built the house.  Only way they could have gotten down into the basement in one piece.  They all used her bathroom...so..I feel her pain.

It's a dark and dreary day.   Sad too as this was my husband's favorite holiday. He liked turkey.

My tea needs more sugar and a re-heat....back in a minute or two.

Investigating my new computer I discovered a file holding images from years and years ago. I moved some of them to the picture file and deleted the rest.  Long time readers will recall the series of chair drawings...One  perhaps two fabric things.

I'm reading the Getaway Girl by Tessa Bailey..  favorite author. I found it on that last visit to the bookstore.. It's different and interesting. I need to turn on a few lamps- a very dark outside today. I think it rained overnight.  Have a wonderful day all of you......

Sunshine here in Maine but 41 degrees 0n Wednesday November 27th

 Almost back to normal... now that I have an image for the daily notes.

Slowly but surely. Step by step.

I slept well but had so many things to think about when I woke up...sorting thru them all- using my inner delete button on things I no longer need to worry about.  But now I'm up and dressed and have "sorted out" the images- can you tell I was reading a British author's newest book????  I made a cuppa tea while reading also.  (laughing)

So....images are here...text is here...chair is here....what's old is new again.

Tomorrow is a holiday and we have been invited to dine with the Twins and their parents... Son and I will make a small holiday meal for the weekend and have leftovers for next week's meals. We are both looking forward to it.

Heat has been turned up from the overnight low.  Chugging along.  Tomorrow I will take a photo of the large glass container and my paperwhite bulbs.  They are enjoying having their new roots in the pebbles and water.  Seemed to have grown overnight.  They also have Sunshine by the window and heat from the radiator beneath the table they are sitting on.  Me, too.  Sun, water and heat.

Library has sent a notice that they are closed....a heating issue that needs repairs... I still have books to read and pages to color.....a new TiVo and a new TV are in my future plans.  Neither is working correctly. One might be messing up the other- I don't know...but they are connected.  I will watch some tv in the dining room on the old tv my husband watched.....see if it also has troubles...if so-- call Comcast.

I am reading a book I purchased at the bookstore....not what I expected...not sure I will finish it.

I watched a whole season of Vienna Blood on the TiVo last week.  Recorded a while back... I have two different Pride and Prejudice movies recorded...so that will be wonderful to watch.  Then delete. And a dozen or more Hallmark Christmas Movies....watch and delete or just delete as Hallmark shows all of them again year after year..  

Thirty Three Degrees this morning- Tuesday, November 25th, Sunshine

 Still no images here but working on it.  It's ME and not the new desktop.  Mail is arriving to the little box at the bottom of the "new" screen so images should arrive as well.  I just need to send them...

I continue to color the circles-not every day as I had hoped but...yesterday I found more circles in the notebooks but very simple designs so I had to do some "additions;" line drawing in the large spaces. And I drew a few loose designs....not as perfectly round as the ones I had been coloring. I have to find the circle making tools.

When I figure out how to get them here- email-- I assume. You will see them.

When you do something over an over you can actually forget how it happens, it's just muscle memory.

The tv continues to pixelate the images...so watching certain channels has become tedious. I was watching the Ravens (I typed Saints-Son will get the joke) and Chargers last night,  Images were perfect until the last half of the last quarter and then the pixies started up.  I don't even remember who won but it was a very good game to watch. I have two sets of stations --the three digit and the four digit.  I watched on the 4 digit hoping that only the three digit ones pixilated.  I was 85% right.

I did my "job" yesterday and bagged up garbage and topped off the recycling bins...Son's job is to haul it all out to the street for pickup.   My other job is to wash dishes.  So few of them that I don't use the dishwasher and just hand wash them.... I sort of enjoy doing it.  I also- might have already mentioned this- got the paperwhite bulbs settled into a glass vase- very tall and large with pebbles.  Overnight the shoots on the bulbs have gotten longer.  I will watch their progress from the sink where I wash dishes.

The cross the street neighbors have their roof top Security Lights on yet again....the lights shine into my living room and the "dining room" area where I have a couch, tv and my desk with computer.  We had no need for a formal dining room.  I have scotch taped typing paper to the areas on the front windows- two of them- where the security lights shine in and blind me.  I am not doing a great job of enjoying the new neighbors.  The lights stay on all day. And I assume all night.

I finished Mr Perfect --Linda Howard and started The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers.  British Author. So Pub drinking and tea drinking with biscuits. I'm a third of the way in.  So I HAD to go looking for cookies (biscuits).. but we don't have any.....so I had some mini Kit Kats with my cup of tea.

Daily Notes on a Brand New Computer. Monday... November 25th.

 I don't have images on this one as yet...so you get what you get.

This is actually a 'test drive" to see if my son got everything he managed to transfer in the right place etc. The type looks tiny to me... I like the size up in the header better.  (Daily Notes) but I am possibly just looking for Trouble... I never really like new things right away.

No image as I haven't loaded any of that here...and I am having to look at the keys and not at the page. He says the keyboard is the same size but I wonder if that is true.

The screen looks big and the type looks small....he rolled my desk chair over here and now things look sort of normal.  But NEW.

Watched football and the Washington Quarterback tried a last second in the game Hail Mary again but the other team caught the ball.  Fool me once...gonna be difficult to pull than off on any other team.

Read Mr Perfect by Linda Howard yesterday.  This computer finishes typing for me. Reading my mind. Mr Perfect was something I had obviously read many years ago...took me a while to figure that out...and when I did I remember liking the book very much. I wonder, once this New Age Mac figures out my patterns...if it will just finish my sentences?????

Little bell signals an incoming email....needs to turn that off.

Next new things are TV and Tivo.  I recorded Tracker and the images were all fractured with colored blobs flashing as well.  The feed from CBS was clear.  I should have just watched it live.

Nothing more to write about and sorry no image of yesterday's coloring page. This new set up will take some getting used to on my part...I am looking forward to seeing what it looks like after I hit publish... seeing it on the old Mac. 

Everything Old is New Again

Anonymous.:  thank you for the list of Deaver/Colter books- I ordered two immediately.

Still Here--- the new desk top is still in it's box- arrived home in the evening hours.

 Another circle... 

Yesterday I read the Jeffery Deaver book on which the tv series Tracker is based.  The tv show is exactly like the book....right down to the bottle of beer at the end of the story.

If you like Tracker on tv- check out The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver.  Sadly, I think there is only one such book.  But this book goes into Tracker's family history... I read it straight thru only stopping when the Apple Store called to check on my ID- in case someone -a stranger was using my credit card to buy a new Apple Desk Top.  I could here my Son in the background saying- "sorry, Mom".

I'm glad they checked.

So, this is the last post from this keyboard...from this desk top.  Next up is either a new cell phone- to send photos to the blog- seems "not worth the money" or well.......... there is nothing else. I am using the touch pad to delete etc as the mouse "has died".  Very tricky business.

I didn't want a laptop....I only use the computer right now to write a blog post.... I know most of you travel  around the house with your laptop....not me...once and done...well, occasionally I look something up but I don't sit and look at the screen for hours.....well, the tv screen...yes. But because I don't have any streaming services-- I don't have much of interest to watch TV either.

Sorry I had to go flush the drain cleaner in my bathroom sink....seems to be clogged. 

That's about it for today...the Deaver book was a big surprise and I enjoyed every moment. I have no idea what happens today... the Sun has just come out and the sunporch is filled with  bright light.  But I know it's not warm out there....I have no idea how today will go.  But Tracker is on after 60 Minutes... late as usual because of the Football Game....so I can't TiVo.  

It's almost tomorrow

 I won't be here tomorrow at the regular time......I'm letting this iMac go and getting a brand new one.

a new mouse as well as this one no longer works.... see when the dust settles..... all is well.

Saturday, November 23rd. Clouds and Rain in the forecast.

 Another Crayola circle.  

I am at a loss as to any fabric work to show here...but I will keep looking.  I thin perhaps I stopped hand sewing when Riley passed (my black lab) and then did mending but not much else.  

There were a few fits and starts that never amounted to anything.  I see them when I sort things or do some sewing machine area cleanup.  Mending work pants...I've done  quite a bit of that.

I can't truly say I've lost interest in fabric art....possibly I have moved on in what I like and the cloth in my closet or storage tubs no longer fits those ideas????  I don't know....but I think perhaps going backwards to Baltimore Style hand appliqué might be where I end up- back to where I began.

Did I mention here I found the hand appliquéd blocks I was looking for?  I did and don't really like them very much anymore. They are the same....I am not.

Watched almost all of the TiVo recorded Vienna Blood (PBS).  A few more hours and that entire series will have been watched and deleted.  I already deleted all of Fargo...I was never really going to watch that. Last to be deleted will be the Hallmark Christmas Movies.  Only because I like to watch them and fast forward thru the commercials.  Hallmark repeats everything endlessly.  I might have gone below 30%.

Nice to have goals....the Daily Colored Pencil Circles here and the TiVo deletions. And my oatmeal and banana for breakfast.  My sweet hot tea is waiting and my small dish of daily vitamin and assorted pills. It's Saturday (I thought it was Sunday) so I will settle in to watch the cooking shows when them come on.

Son reports the "Future Weather" includes SNOW........sigh. His iPhone is very very informed. Mine is not.

Notes- Friday, November 22nd. Cloudy with rain overnight...

 

today's post will be short an hopefully sweet. My oatmeal is ready to eat and I am starving.

Daughter and I went to the big box store and bought shelving for the sewing room..so I can slide the plastic containers of fabric -sorted by color- onto the shelves and be able to "Find Things" which has never been possible BEFORE.  Well, I did have shelving in the upstairs closet- by color...but son has take over the upstairs....and I ended up with tubs full of cloth.

As to what I am making with ALL that cloth...the answer is...one small typing sheet sized piece. Which I stitched from a few scraps nearby- but I will take it's picture for you...if I can find it.  My sewing room is a real disaster area right now.  I also generally make something for Christmas Sending to a few family members and friends.... limited to 8 or 10 finished objects....once it was potholders.

The image above has a shadow on the bottom side...me.

Well, the brand new microwave has a function that continues to beep so one doe not forget they have something in the microwave.....and it is very annoying....but the oatmeal is ready to eat and I am hungry.

Daily Notes- Thursday, November 21st- Chilly with a chance for much needed RAIN

 You may have had this one already but the desk top and the computer are acting up...I wrote everything and it wouldn't publish.  So I am trying yet again..

It's dark and chilly here in Maine even if it's not actually cold.

I have a load of wash in the washing machine- unattended...so that's first for me.  You all recall the Washing Machine Pages as I sat there with the machine to make sure it din't off load the water all over my hardwood floors.  I ran down and checked one time so far.... no water... knock wood.

I am reading the second (actually the first book) of Women in STEM.  Science professions. Love Hypothesis.  Second was better... this one drags a bit.

Daughter and I sorted storage tubs of fabric, art supplies and size 14 clothing yesterday.  Took all the unwanted things- more than we kept to Goodwill.  Then we went to the large chair grocery store and got Hot Food Bar and remembered to buy oatmeal.

I looked at all the colored pencils and decided to buy the inexpensive Crayola set.... I just wanted something new not actually something better....we might drive to Portland and the Art Supply Store --they have a large cabinet with single Prismacolor pencils....  I could select only the colors I want...which would be very nice.  Last time I went I bought square drawing and painting papers....still being used and enjoyed.

Son says yes to Thanksgiving Dinner with the Twins and their Parents...happy days.

Wednesday, November 20th. Dark and damp here in Maine but unseasonably warmer than usual. Oh, now there is Sunshine.

My coloring page from yesterday while watching a recorded episode of High Potential (it's quirky and interesting).  Using my set of 49 Prismacolor pencils... I am wanting the larger set of pencils. I can't JUST watch TV...I have to be doing something else..used to be hand sewing but now it's coloring. You asked and I am happy to give my "Prime Readers" samples of my work.

I watched Leonardo on PBS last night.  He was really something.....amazing.  I have it recorded and will watch many times more- the music was...gosh.  So good. I wish we had had something like this to watch  when I was in college studying art....I would have been more scholarly. Instead we had lazy, half asleep professors boring us to death....if they said anything at all. I did get a 4.0 in watercolor. I already knew how to do that.

Ohio University is known to be a Party School.  I just found that out. Explains so much about my four years there.  I had no clue.  One night, recently, when I could NOT fall asleep I rewrote an English Paper...I had actually read the book-by now, not then. It still makes me laugh. That I wrote it in my head before falling asleep. Better 60 years too late than never.

We are going to Staples today to see what they have in the way of colored pencils and I will venture into another Hannaford grocery store and "finally" buy oatmeal... we keep forgetting.  I do much better thru the day when I have oatmeal......a bit off center without it.  I had shredded wheat this morning....... 

Yesterday at the grocery self serve Hot Bar I was asked for assistance with the way it goes...by two women not speaking English as a first language.  I explained how they could put anything in the box- I used my hand s to say "mix" and then pointed to the front of the store to say that is where they pay. One had a very good idea of what I said and told the other in their language...

While we were at home eating my daughter and I wondered why I am always asked for help by foreigners.  We think it's because I look approachable....I once helped a Japanese man...he showed me pictures of the food he wanted on his iPhone and I took him to where that food was shelved.  He bowed and I smiled.

I can admit to feeling very happy that I could help.

Bob and Rowena just came to my door to share words of God's whatever... I said no thank you. They seemed very nice.... I am now imagining my Son coming down stairs if I invited them in.....wow that would have been something.....not that I have anywhere for them to sit...boxes are piled everywhere. Being sorted... We did Quilting Tubs yesterday....oh, my. Letting Go. Hard Work.  I wonder at night, if I will miss any of it....but daughter and son are good- if I hesitate- they keep whatever it was......no questions.

Daily Notes--Tuesday, November 19th. 48 degrees and Sunshine. Highs in the 50's later today.

 I'm going with no image today...the file is almost bare. And what IS there looks like Christmas.

Today I am going out with my new Assistant--(daughter) and we are stopping at the grocery to pick up my prescription and a box of Oatmeal.  My son has retired from the Assistant-ship Position he has held for one year.  I would have to wait till Friday (regular shopping day) to go to the grocery store........with him.

Then she and I are going to shop for colored pencils. A larger set with more variety.

There is somewhere else we are going- oh, Reny's to look at stuff and perhaps buy something. Or not. And possibly a book store-- to just look around..

The Oil Truck arrived and filled the tank in the early part of the afternoon....oil was way less expensive than it was on the previous delivery. I turned the thermostats up to their normal setting...and the house was nice and warm....in about an hour. The Account is now in my name.....I guess I passed the "credit check".   

This "credit check" bothered me- as a widow.  My signature is on all the checks written to pay the household bills and it's been on the checks for over 30 years here in Maine...but suddenly with husband's death- I had to have MY CREDIT verified in order to get Oil Delivered.  What if I hadn't had a generous balance in my Own Checking Account?????? Would oil have been delivered yesterday- would the house be warm this morning?????  The Joint Account means nothing after your husband dies....because my name is the only one on it.........

I think my Bankers thought I was okay and didn't talk to me about this.....I have my own account and checking etc. And I was okay. But the questioning of my resources was a surprise.  A direct hit.

But all is well that ends well.

We might eat lunch at a fast food place....get French Fries.  I'm pretty excited.

I've noticed that no one is commenting any more....is it because I have gotten boring and you stopped reading the Daily Notes?  Or is it because NO ONE is actually reading the notes anymore....sigh. I know the blog posts aren't very interesting...but right now...I'm not doing much more that eating reading and sleeping.  I took a shower today and am still recuperating from it.  I even have on fresh clothing and my red sweater.....I think I combed my hair.  I might have forgotten to moisturize my face.

Monday yet again. November 18th. 40 degrees, cloudy and damp.

No image today.  The desktop of images is bare....

I am awake but haven't had breakfast as yet. No newspaper on Monday. I have a short stack of unfinished sudoko puzzles to "puzzle" over after breakfast.

Yesterday I watched three football games...I actually cheered when Buffalo scored in the last two minutes and made it impossible for Kansas City to win..  Then I watched 60 Minutes for the first time in so many years.... about the DNA from victims of the Trade Center.....they are still trying to identify the remains.

Next up was Tracker....and then it was bedtime.

My book for yesterday was the newest book from Christina Lauren the two friends who write together. The title Tangled Up in You...Has something to do with Disney's Tangled. I know less than nothing about Disney Movies.  Pizza time kept me from the exciting conclusion of the book.  I won't spoil it for any of you that read the books I mention...

My son encouraged me to stop reading and do some coloring on my project to finish the pages my husband left undone.  So I did...my only problem was sharpening the pencils and having the lead break off.  Is it possible for the colored pencils to get too old??????  Brittle Pencil Syndrome.

Well, yesterday's pizza was as wonderful as usual...we subbed mushrooms for the red pepper strips. 

I keep saying I'm going to make a pot of vegetable soup and I don't do it....one of these days I will do it. I used up the last of the oatmeal and forgot to buy an new box.... so Cream of Wheat today.  Which means Stove Top Cooking of my breakfast.  It's more than I want to do but I do love Cream of Wheat spread out on a dinner plate with butter, sugar and cinnamon toppings.  Like my Grandmother made for me.

Grandma didn't "understand" boxed cereal like corn flakes back in the 50's.  1950's.

Today the Oil Truck is supposed to come and deliver oil.....we are almost out. I am worried.
 

Sunday, November 17th. Sunshine here in Maine- 48 degrees supposed to get into the 50's later.

 Baked Potatoes...One of my Favorite Foods.  I don't eat them often enough. I ought to have a special day of the week for baked potatoes....... those are bacon bits on the right top side of the potato. Yum.

Football Pizza today.  I have plans to watch a few of the many games... record Tracker at 9pm.

I'm reading the newest Christina Lauren book- Tangled Up in You.  Not sure where it's going....100 pages in.  There is a Road Trip.  Husband and I made many of those (road trips) visiting friends in other states.....I do NOT miss them....the only conversation revolved around where and when to stop and eat.  When I say my husband rarely spoke to me....I MEAN it.

My Atomic Clock circled around to get to what it thought was the correct time.....Weird. According to the computer, it's still wrong. ....over a minute slow.  Needs a new Battery....I've had it a long time...husband messed with the prior wall clock and we had to buy a new one....he did that in the last year of his life.. before he was too bad to do anything---screwed around with anything mechanical and messed it up.... it's why I hardly ever left the house.  I needed things like my cell phone, refrigerator and the computer to work.

Okay enough of that....instead of "just" (I do not like that word) reading all the time....yesterday evening I colored one of the designs my husband left unfinished.  I also watched the PBS Cooking Shows in the afternoon.  Some variety to my Life.  Sharpening the pencils was difficult as the lead kept snapping off....inexpensive pencils....

That's it for today....I'll admit to being sad and slightly depressed today..... it's okay.....I need to find something good to look forward to.......but nothing has come to mind as yet....

A Very Cloudy Saturday in Maine. November 16th

 We might have had this before....seems like my picture file is mostly Christmas....how that happened is always a mystery and it's not even Thanksgiving.  The"Feeds" coming in with images must already be doing Christmas.   

I just ran out to the ice cold garage to visit the Oil Tank Gauge....looks like we will make it to Monday. I get hyper nervous when things get too close to the zero line ...of anything.  Even milk in the fridge. My mother did not manage the groceries and we often went to school with no money and no lunch.  And no breakfast.   So...I was trained early on to worry. About everything.

Today seems like we won't be having ANY sunshine.  "Oh, seconds before I hit publish- The SUN comes out"

I have one portion of oatmeal left. I thought I had more in the box...I did not...I do have cold cereal (shredded wheat) and I have a box of Cream of Wheat if I want to cook my breakfast cereal.  Poor planning.  I could also make pancakes.  But I won't.

I may or may not finish the book I am reading...

Move on to the next book.  I have to think about my sock basket....sort out the ones I like for Winter. I have to get my thermal shirts arranged in a stack...find out which corduroy pants fit.  See if I can find a new sweater to wear...the red and gray are getting thin.......There was one I tossed into the closet- need to see if it fits.  I like them loose.   I think it's time to start wearing the grey cashmere with so many elbow patches.  It's actually my favorite sweater....has been for almost 20 years. It has a collar that warms my neck.  60% of the sweater is patches held together with sock yarn quilting.  When i go out in public I wear a coat so no one sees it.  But I think mending is "IN" right now...or was last time I noticed it.

Friday, November 15th. 56 degrees and sunshine.

 This has the title of Christmas Hotel.

Well, my sunporch has been reorganized, cleaned and scrubbed and is now looking very inviting. The garage is in progress with several of the really large garbage bags full....the poison stuff (Round Up- etc) is waiting till Spring when the Town Collects Hazardous Waste.

I called the Oil company...they were NEVER coming...when I ordered the Propane Tanks for the "still not here" Generator- they cancelled my Oil Account (never told me)....so my Boiler that heats water and the house wasn't going to have any oil.....We had a chat that wasn't going anywhere and I actually started crying....I'm really stressed out....and hung up....I might have said something else....which I regret.

She called back and said the "opinions expressed" were NOT her own but were "the way the company was run"NOW-   I waited.....she then said my account was back to Automatic Delivery and Oil would be delivered on Monday... Prior to me being rude.....I wasn't getting anything.  I said Thank You Very Sincerely.  And resumed crying.

Then we went to the Grocery Store.  I wanted crackers but didn't get any.  Because I have crackers. I was reminded that I had crackers. I did buy a small container at the Hot Bar...Fried Food. I will reheat in the Toaster Oven later and enjoy the Deep Fried Goodness of Fried Food.  I might make a small serving of slaw to go with it-- with one of my Soup Cabbages (getting OLD in the Crisper Drawer).

I have been asked to actually "get out of bed" when I wake up instead of laying around awake for a few hours.  I'll give it a try.  I think.....I'm sure....I am depressed.  Total lack of interest in almost everything except the book a day and I am real close to being done with that as well.  Getting really really picky about what I finish reading.  I start them all....but finishing isn't 100% a sure thing anymore. 

When we lived in Germany I actually didn't get out of bed until it was almost time for the kids to get home from school.  Super Depressed......then American Women's Club People started arriving one at a time and honking their car horns till I appeared...and then took me places. Volunteered me for stuff. I stopped sleeping.  I had so many jobs..

Bones and that other show I was watching Missing Without a Trace....I'm done with them. I lack interest in Law and Order....I know...it was a real standard show for me and the Dog.  That leaves Hallmark and I gotta say...I lack interest. Totally.  I often turn to the Weather Channel.....And of course the Sports Talk Show.  Which my daughter got to see and listen to while she ate lunch yesterday.  I told her it "takes up space" in my day.  Sad but true.

So, I cried on the phone and now I'll get oil for the Winter....geeez..what a Life.

Good Morning From Maine......40 degrees, sunshine

 Delicious  Pie.  Next time my daughter and I go out- we'll be looking for one of these. Or the next time my son and I bake... We'll make a Pumpkin Pie at the end of the month.

The house feels really cold, a draft on my leg while sitting here... not the usual. Just checked the temperature- normal.....so it's me...the sun is shining on the back of the house- lots of windows so it warms up the kitchen dining room really well.  The front of the house is usually more chilled. No sun. It's where I am sitting.

My daughter has emptied and cleared out the Sunporch (warm side of the house)...can see the floor.  It's dirty.  The cupboard in there is now holding my vases etc.  In case I buy flowers. She moved the standing shelf over to the window facing the new generator pad- still no generator.  I now have a larger view of the back deck and lawn.  We are going to add a Wicker Chair.... for when I sit out there... to put on my boots or just look at the yard.

She has now gone to her house as the Chimney Doctor is coming to measure for her new chimney liner which she needs before she can get a new furnace....hers has outlived it's Purposeful Life. She dropped off a letter this morning at his place of work.....he had not returned any of her phone calls.  He called.

So she is feeling pretty good about getting things going...

There is a cold draft in here.... I can feel it on my leg....temp of the furnace is as usual...but it's in the 41 outside.  And she has been in an out the front and back door since she got here- letting in lots of cold air.

I slept well.  I've eaten breakfast and read the paper....I haven't gotten to the point of using a fat black Sharpie to color over faces of Political People as yet.....any day now...I'll begin. And enjoy every moment.

I think today might be a good day to chop vegetables and make SOUP.  I have promised myself soup for weeks now...but haven't been motivated to actually make it.  Today might be the DAY.  

My book is Crusie's Bet Me... another Life Long Favorite.  Almost to the end....sigh. I'll need to dig deep in the bookcase to find something delightful......for today.

Daily Notes on Wednesday the 13th of November. In the 40's but Sunshine.

 Marcella Hazans Bolognese.....

Well, fewer and fewer people are reading these words (that I write) and I wonder...should I just stop.????

Yesterday Daughter was working in the garage- we found 6 unopened large gallon sized bottles of Round Up. Husband must have forgotten he already bought some....bought more.....never used any of it..

So the memory loss goes further back...he wasn't shopping the last few years (because he got lost driving). We have to wait for Spring when the Town Hazardous Waste Department Opens.  Drop off all the dangerous products he had on the garage shelving. Quite a bit.

Daughter kept asking if I wanted any of it....I never used pesticides.....there are better natural ways to discourage pests from your gardens......I taught classes about those ways.  Little did I know my husband was...well, it's past now. He's gone.

Yesterday daughter drove me to the Greenhouse where I worked.....I wanted Paperwhite bulbs to set on stones in a glass jar.... watch them grow and make little white flowers... we got very lucky...almost everyone I had worked with was working.....I got to visit and chat and get hugged. One of the young guys was making hot chocolate for everyone....I always get sad when I visit and see all my old friends...and recall the happy days of working there....have tears in my eyes typing this.

We stopped at the bookstore and I found 8 books and a 2025 wall calendar....so a good time.

When we got home my daughter alphabetized by bookcase. It was interesting to watch her method. She just put the books in piles on the floor by alphabet and then into the bookcase...easy.  I'm not sure I would have thought of that....perhaps years ago but not now.

Well, that's it for now...I enjoyed seeing my old co-workers and getting hugged and hugging them...it was a VERY GOOD DAY....now to see if the crack in the big glass jar leaks water........yes, it has a crack.

Another Tuesday- the Sun is shining.and it's 50 degrees here in Maine.

Okay....I had some difficulty getting here today....I worked in a greenhouse that looked like this for Ten Years. I was rather frustrated with my fellow employees for quite awhile and they felt the same about me. Eventually...it all settled down.  I was a hard worker...I did the heavy lifting....rarely complained  

In that environment.....that's important.  Doing the heavy lifting. I went home caked in dirt every single day. 

Daughter (personal assistant) has started in on the garage today.  The Sun is out but is not all that warm.

We are making another trip to Goodwill today....and then the Greenhouse to buy Paperwhite bulbs.... I want to start some for winter... in a glass vase. A large rectangular glass vase.  Like the old days. Something familiar that I lost contact with years ago......I went looking for it- my husband had a habit of keeping his own things and throwing mine away.  Now we are packing up his things.

That says something about our relationship doesn't it. It might tell you everything you need to know. 

(I found the rectangular glass container on the Sunporch Shelving.)

There is a vast empty place in my Life Trajectory.  Retiring from the Greenhouse left an open spot that I didn't even try to fill.  And then husband filled it with his needs. And now.......I need to fill it with my own wants and needs.  Perhaps for the first time.....I won't be doing things for someone else.

Just back from the garage: daughter is cleaning out the POISON Shelving...my husband loved Round Up even after it was pointed out to him that Round Up causes cancer in humans and animals- like our DOGS. Maybe 6 large containers of it....unopened thankfully.  We did break a very large glass item that was scheduled -years ago- to be a very nice Terrarium for me. Or Dish Garden.  Neither is of interest to me at my age.

The Sun was out and it was warmish but now it's cloudy and there is a chill.  

We are going out later....daughter and I.....and we will stop at a bookstore.  I need a wall calendar for 2025. Something pretty...

 

Daily Notes for Monday, November 11th. Sunshine and 55 degrees. Rain last night.

 Image of someone's dog.  If it's yours let me know and I will identify it as yours.  He has his toys. My big Lab had a large collection of toys...some of them are in my closet- I see them when I go looking for something. Mostly rabbits and squirrels.  His favorites. Heavily mended. I pat them just before closing the door.

It's sunny but chilly and I am guessing it rained overnight.  Daughter is coming over to help load up the Goodwill things and take them to the donation site.  I might or might NOT go with her.  I am being encouraged to get out more.  Do things. She said they have "books".......I would go but I get tired fast and there is no where to sit down at Goodwill (and she likes to browse).  One of the reasons I don't take a walk...starting out I am fine but what if I am not....on the way back? No where to sit.

I am trying to think of something to say when they ask me if there is something I want to do. Or someplace I want to go.........husband and I went no where in the last years of his Life, other than doctor appointments.  I had him remain in the car for Library and Grocery.  Easier than trying to find him. 

Yesterday I moved a few things after my Son vacuumed....and accidentally found the box containing the pieces of a quilt I was making...the one I may have written about...I found it.  Not sure I like it as much as I thought I did........laughing....absence does make the heart grow fonder. (is that spelled right).

Yesterday's pizza was quite the best one yet....I say that every Sunday.

No newspaper today....I realized the daily pills I take are either vitamins or a Tylenol.  Only one is a prescription..the smallest size of a Statin.   So...no Medical Conditions.  Just OLD.

A newspaper cartoon " in order to be happy you need three things.......Something to do...something to love ...and something to hope for."

November 10th...sunshine and 47 degrees

 The only words traveling with this image - "albert2"

Here in Maine we hardly see anything like this. 

Well, until Football Time I have the choice of........reading, sitting, vacuuming.... and at 4 pm- PIZZA

I've eaten breakfast, read the paper and filled in TWO boxes on the Sunday Sudoko.  No Formula One Racing today.  Just Football.  Sigh.

We noticed a small black mouse near the wall behind the tv yesterday...Our attempt to catch him didn't work...so he's still in the house....he/she didn't look real healthy. But could still outrun us.

Son put the driveway edge marking sticks out.....so the plow guy knows where the driveway is.  It curves so it's not the standard straight to the garage type. I am not sure I will be allowed to shovel the sidewalks- my usual participation in Winter Snow Shoveling.  I also used to shovel the plow mess left at the end of the driveway.  I scooped and shoved it across the road into my neighbor's lawn/ditch.  New neighbors now. Might not like it.  Old neighbor was fine with it.

My daughter came over yesterday and gave me an armload of short sleeved white cotton tee shirts .. brand new...she said she was working on "not hoarding" stuff....I am guessing stuff she bought and then never wore....I can understand that feeling.  But I like the white short sleeved tees...the ones I have now have gotten really old and look old.....so fresh white ones---I'm Very Happy I Could Help Her With This New Start. 

Getting rid of things is really difficult for us....we get attached and don't let go...case in point my red cardigan that is more Patch than Original Sweater.  I try NOT to wear it outside the house. In Case People think I am homeless.  Well, that's it for today....Football and Pizza and then trying to record or watch Tracker this evening.  With football running late- everything after is also late....

Saturday, November 9th. Sunshine and 42 degrees here in Maine. Farewell to 60 degrees

 This is titled Wild Raspberry Leaves. (I don't get it)-- I had to stop typing and turn up the furnace temp.

I've eaten my oatmeal and read the paper and gotten four numbers in the Daily Sudoko puzzle in the newspaper.  We are moving toward ranked choice in one election spot.  There are times when I think the sides here are not that close but then we go to ranked choice and it seems like we are evenly divided.

I am reading an old favorite- Jennifer Crusie's Fast Women.  Perry Mason meets that HBO series of office men.  I can't recall the name. (Mad Men)  The women are getting ready to rescue the "Little Faking Dog". This book never lets me down. I gave up on the other book.  

I had by Chunky Potato Soup yesterday.  Salty.  I used to loved salty things...now, I don't.

Dentist next month- one of my molars feels funny.  I think when we get old our teeth get old and give up.

The spray my hairdresser sold me...is working.  I spray and comb and ZERO POOF. Hair stays nice: as flat as I want it.  I don't like looking like an old woman with a big white cotton ball on her head.  Sigh, because I lost patience with the long wild curly mess which needed only a rubber band. Now POOF.

Because I went to the library yesterday- TODAY they notified me that books I ordered have arrived.

In Maine Harris got 52% and Trump 45%.  So I am feeling better about the election in Maine. We did OUR part....others did not.

Okay, today..what am I doing today?  There are some Saturday Cooking Shows I like to watch (even though I no longer cook)... I have my book to read....I already made my bed......I could drag out the Central Vac......floors are dusty. Not enough in the laundry basket for a load of wash....I could always peel and chop and make a pot of Vegetable Soup with Beans.....I could also pan fry some frozen dumplings and eat those.  Son is taking his morning shower...so I can't run water and wash my breakfast bowl.  I think I will go find my red sweater and put it on.....a bit chilly in the house (temp is set at 64).  Why we have sweaters.

My library didn't have the Deaver book that the TV show series Tracker is based on..so I ordered it from another library.  I had also ordered- (when the show first aired)- the book another TV series was based on...(it's no longer on tv). I can't recall the lead character's name...but in the books he was  six foot four and could lift a car....the actor they hired was five foot seven (on a good day) and had trouble opening doors..and he wore the same brown suit in every single episode.  Karen Slaughter was the author. I felt at the time...she must have been embarrassed by the choice of actor for tv.

Son bought postage stamps yesterday......and then some group wanting me to send them money sent me address labels...so now my Bill Paying will be energized by fresh new colorful stamps and address labels.

Not that paying bills and writing checks is my FAVORITE THING.....it is NOT.

Daily Notes for November the 8th.

I'm tired of trying to get this edge over to the left.  Somedays it's just not worth the effort.

I asked a question (son) and I guess I had forgotten I had already asked... now I have "memory loss".

I think it's easier to deal with older people if you just put them in a "category".

Not my best day...I am actually quite tired.  My sleep was okay but I woke up feeling like I wanted to sleep longer...so I might start going to bed earlier.  See if that helps.  I did select a large number of books for the week, mostly ones I have read before and enjoyed..  I ran out yesterday...I had read everything I had checked out... a few I ordered haven't arrived as yet.  But I'll have a head start next Friday.

The New Books shelving was pretty bare.  So I wandered the stacks and.....found an entire bag full of books for the week. I plan to do a bit of appliqué as well this week...Pretend the dog is sleeping next to me (Law and Order?)

I continue to NOT watch or listen to any news...this morning I didn't read any of it in the newspaper. I went directly to the tv listings and the Sudoko (did not do well).

That's it for today...excuse the borders.

I have to go "eat something" --obviously I am starving to death.

 

Daily Notes- Thursday, November 7th. Seriously considering a move to Canada.

 This is what I think America looks like.  

So....I am sitting here wondering if my neighbors on the street where I live- voted for him. If they did, can I still live here.  I know Maine runs Republican...always has. And not the Margaret Chase Smith kind of Republican.  The other kind.  He lied to them last time...he didn't make America great...he made us a JOKE.  A very very bad joke.  And now he can fill the rest of his bathrooms with top secret documents...

My oatmeal is getting cold.  While I sit here with you. Tears in my eyes.

I mended the collar of one of my son's fancy outdoor jackets yesterday.  Very enjoyable process. Took my mind off things. I need to find something for today...to keep me occupied.  I've run out of books. Library visit tomorrow.

He suggested I ACTUALLY learn how to play bridge...so I would be asked to sit in when I enter one of the Senior Living Spaces.  I try and understand the Bridge bidding thing in the daily newspaper.  I think it's similar to bidding in Poker.  Lies, clues and fakery.

I said I would rather move to Canada.  He said I would like it...he lived there for a few years and really liked it..reminded him of our six years living in Europe.  I could do that also- Europe.

Well, my blood sugar is low and I need to eat my oatmeal (reheat it first) and read everything BUT the first section of the paper and try the Sudoko....take my vitamins.......reheat my tea or better yet- make some instant coffee......I moved things around in the sewing room yesterday....not that anyone would notice any difference.  And I plugged in the iron and ironed something..I also did laundry and changed the sheets on my bed......I might vacuum today.   I have a can of Campbell's Chunky Soup for later.

Wednesday, November 6th. Day of Infamy.

I have nothing to say here...absolutely nothing.  Well, I do wonder what is wrong with the people.

November 5th Notes- Haircut...57 degrees and cloudy.

 Something dark and mysterious.  Like Voting. I will worry all day and into the night... they say they might not know until morning.

I got up and stripped my bed and need to get the sheets in the washer....then make the bed with fresh sheets.  I had an appointment to get my hair cut.  Less poofy....

I now own "product" which will keep my hair "less" poofy.

We already voted.  I already voted.  He did not.

It's dismal outside.  I have on Winter Clothing..already. But my neck is chilly.  I think at my age I am having trouble keeping myself WARM.  Up to temp.  I seem to be running cold. I think a scarf around my neck would be a good idea........

I had one of the jars of my homemade FAKE ONION SOUP yesterday- my own creation.....it's salty and I did not add salt..  I think next bowl I will add some cooked pasta to it...perhaps soak up some of the salty.

I am enjoying Tracker....based on a Deaver book....I'll look for it..on line- my library HAD all the Deaver books (once upon a time) but might have tossed them all.  I'll look elsewhere.  They have the actor (good looking by my standards) walk in a straight line in every episode (at some point) wearing jeans and a white short sleeved tee shirt. He walks and walks....so we have enough time to look at him.  The point of the show, I am guessing. At the end he sits next to his Airstream and drinks beer out of the bottle.  Every week.  Count on it. I just finished reading the Lost Husband... there was one of that with the Goat Farmer. Walking around...and he had an Airstream....but that was the last five pages of the book.

Well, My neck is cold-- I need my black scarf......see you tomorrow.

Monday, November 4th. 37 degrees. Cloudy with a chance of Winter.

 Julian Yuslin-- Fibonacci-Blue Circles. I'd like to try this with hand applicated circles on a base fabric. Perhaps fabric circles from the Dye Deck of Deb Lacativa.  In Georgia.  And her divine thread. Which I hoard......rather than use...I know....I should use it. But it's so delightful to touch and sort and tuck away. Like treasure.  Yes...Treasure.

I can see frost on things outside the windows.  I turned up the furnace.  My Son says it's going to be in the 70's again in a day or two.  Crazy weather.  But anything other than snow and ice is WELCOME.

I watched nearly every televised football game yesterday plus the Formula One Race in the RAIN. Very Sporty New Joanne.  The Viking game was brutal, I think....I looked away a lot.

We also made a very very nice Sunday Football Pizza yesterday and it was delicious......best one yet. We both agreed on that.  I finished a book...The Lost Husband. Katherine Center.  One of her earliest books. Rom-Comers is her newest and is very good.  I have enjoyed all her books- some more than others.

I haven't selected a book for today as yet...Library or Book case... I am slightly more in the mood for bookcase today.  An old friend......read many times is always comforting.

Well, I'm hungry and I need to get my oatmeal in the microwave.....make some tea.  It's Monday so no newspaper......an unfinished sudoko from last week- several actually.  I need to turn on a few lights. I remembered to put on my socks......Hair cut tomorrow -- last cut lasted only 4 out of the six weeks so she needs to make it shorter tomorrow.  I already voted and am sick of the commercials on tv.  Of the pockmarked orange face.... want some lies with that????

Sunday, November 3rd. Frost over night and 32 degrees in Coastal Maine.

 Well, Frost and wool socks....must be getting close to Winter.

Son made meatloaf yesterday....the Joy of Cooking recipe.   Very delicious. He also roasted green beans.

I slept well.  I have on a wool sweater and wool socks.

Found a good home for the many Christmas Cactus. Most in bud but two in bloom.  The Library Plant Swap.  I will not be bringing any plants home.  And I might include the stands that the plants are situated on.  Not depressed......just moving on.  I have to remind myself to water them.  The plants are not a high priority.

Nothing much...other than the Friday visit to the Library for books...is a high priority for me. Oh, and the November 5th hair cut.....shorter....it's gotten very wild and poofy and I actually despise POOF.

Well, I have breakfast cereal (hot oatmeal) and the newspaper and then coffee or tea and my little dish of vitamins.  That's the only kind of pill I am taking......vitamins.  So...not a medical emergency if I forget.

Watched Tracker episodes  (mostly repeats) last evening.......can't figure out what's happening on regular ABC,CBS and NBC  these days.....programs switching times, days, repeating episodes  etc....Today is Football and Pizza.  That hasn't changed.......

Saturday, November 2nd. Sun is shining and it's back in the 40's (47)

 A photo by Annie Bank.

So.....the unseasonably warm weather has passed us by.....But 40's in November??? I'll take it. I have my winter sweater on.

The reason for the sweater is that....I am always cold.  No matter what the temperature outside or inside...I am cold. My hands have always been cold since birth...and they are still cold in old age.

Took a long survey from my bank this morning..... they had been sending them for the past few weeks and I had been ignoring them.....this morning I felt like answering.

My son is making meatloaf today- He has the Joy of Cooking book out- 4 inches thick.  Lots of Joy. I don't recall using a recipe for meatloaf........well, that's me not him.   He also preheats the oven. Again, that's him and not me.  

I made him very happy yesterday and had leftover Chinese food for lunch... Like, I actually ATE lunch.

Cold hands.  Lack of appetite.  Fatigue.  The lack of appetite leads to being dizzy from lack of food. I can't do much about the hands.....but I did eat yesterday and will be having a nice bowl of hot oatmeal after I hit send.  I checked the furnace...it's the temp I usually am comfortable and warm with...so it's me. Being cold.

Not much more to write...I enjoyed the final book of three on the Merry Meet Cute series by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone.....It's a Christmas Holiday series....three disreputable members of a rock band....and the women they meet in Christmas Notch while making dirty movies for the Hope Channel--- think Hallmark gone crazy......after dark.   I have said this before....it would work.

November Notes- Sunshine and 75 degrees here in Maine. Outrageous Weather. I don't mind at all.

 The photo deck is nearly empty. I think this one has been here before. Didn't get deleted.  I emptied the trash and deleted files yesterday.  Computer Housekeeping.

So...I voted yesterday...and while waiting for my son to come pick me up (he had gone to lunch), I watched people coming and going...I also watched the Election Workers empty the outside Ballot Box... It was PACKED FULL.  No one had set fire to the contents.  Which is a thing these days. Guess which candidate is being supported with burned ballots?????  Worried Much?

No Trick or Treaters...zero..so all the candy is mine. Twix.  Very delicious. New to me.

I have two items in the fridge I have been told are mine to eat....so I will be eating them. He's right to make that a priority.....I am not eating enough food.  I think it's because we don't eat at the same time....He eats on his schedule which isn't mine and I actually have no schedule. Zero Schedule. Winging it.

I am not the only one forgetting....he forgot we made Thanksgiving Dinner last year. We did and had leftovers for several days- and it was quite wonderful.  I personally don't recall making pie.  He can look up the posts for that week. to check that I am right.

Okay- I have lunch to eat (Chinese Leftovers).....then books or sports talk show....I am not watching Bones.  I am not watching Law and Order. I am not really watching much Hallmark.  I am watching recorded stuff off the Tivo from Public TV.  Series I recorded. Right now I am waiting for Complete Sherlock Holmes to begin and all of the Wolf Hall episodes before watching any. I finished Van derValk. I was looking for the books- but my library has ZERO.

I watched all the Tracker I had recorded.  And they changed the date and time for the show so that makes things more difficult....usually after a football game which runs late.