Tuesday July First- Cloudy with a really good chance of humidity.

 Finished and Not...... in the same pile.  Of cloth strips.  I sewed two entire squares together yesterday- without trimming them square.  They are not square or rectangular...they sort of tilt. Like me. 

1.I learned something from the Gee's Bend Quilt Books....I ran out of one fabric- nothing in any of the color sorted scrap fabric boxes to match what I had used for three side strips-   so I sewed the leftover stub to another fabric scrap in sort of the same color family  and then sewed it onto the square....  it looked fine. It actually made the square more interesting.

2. Weather is working on being cloudy and HUMID today in Maine...unless a breeze off the Ocean changes things up.  Not counting on that happening but some rain would be nice. Increase the mosquito population.  Not serious....

3. I finally dealt with the Brown Tail Moth Blisters on my arm...... extremely hot water....Nothing is itchy. I had forgotten that simple remedy. Very Hot Water.  ... and the red bumps are flat not raised welts.  Fantastic.  The itch is actually from the hairs the moth leaves on our skin....I think I get them putting the covers on the ornamentals out front and then uncovering them in the morning.  Otherwise Deer eat all the flowers.

4. I ACTUALLY watched an episode of Bones I had NEVER seen before...I might have actually watched more than one but I was sewing and not paying complete attention to the tv....

5. Goodwill called for the VIN number of the Jeep.  I was asleep and then the nice lady said she would call back later as I had not one clue as to where to find that info for them...they haven't called back. I have the vin number on an index card next to the phone.  Black sharpie in big letters and numbers.

6. July has never been my favorite month... but, honestly each of the other summer months have not been my favorites either depending on what's happening.  Or NOT happening.  

7. The Homemade Frozen Strawberries and Rhubarb Jam- while a bit too runny- tasted really wonderful with the vanilla yogurt and Bran Buds.  I could have cooked it longer to get it thicker...but it was an "experiment" and a "learning experience".  No recipe to follow.

8.  We have a family birthday this month and the next two months....perhaps one of those events will benefit from a birthday cake.???????? 

June 30th. Halfway Point in 2025. Sunshine here in Maine. 77 degrees. As it should be.

 You get Pears today.  Son said publishing pictures of dirty dishes in the sink was not a great idea. I was seeing it as ART but I was alone in that opinion, I guess

I also have a news story "Goats Captured after escape onto Maine Turnpike."  Fifteen goats were finally corralled by police after escaping from a trailer on the Maine Turnpike.  The goats were gathered up by the Maine State Police Troopers of G squad (why we need to know that?) with assistance from Southern Maine Towing, Cumberland County Emergency Management, Cumberland Police Animal Control and the Maine Turnpike Authority Maintenance crews.  Traffic was slowed for 45 minutes.

Maine.....gotta love it.  The Tourists coming to Maine or leaving after the holiday did not love it......as much. July will be another huge traffic month- minus Goats?????  Lobster Rolls for everyone.

Fridge- the only appliance we haven't replaced- is making a very strange noise....just started as I was typing the goat story.  Might be getting a new fridge.

Gold Cup Soccer is coming to an end.... yesterday's game ended in penalty kicks- No one likes that.

I haven't actually finished the book I was reading a few days ago......odd for me not to read-so wondering what's going on with me?  I didn't sew.  I didn't color.  I didn't draw anything.   I did cook some frozen rhubarb with some frozen strawberries and sugar.  To mix into my Vanilla yogurt and Bran buds. Sunday pizza was very good as usual and I had a Big Salad with my slice.

I don't seem to be losing any weight...in fact I feel like I have gained weight even though my clothing doesn't show that.  Stuff is loose.  Well not the LL Bean stuff of Winter and Spring because it's all misfit clothing with the waistband not actually being the right one for the pants. Either way too big or much too small.   I loved getting the pants with one short leg and one long leg returned to my register when I worked at Bean One Summer into Fall.   

I still have what looks like mosquito bites all over me.  Just from going out to uncover and cover the ornamental potted flowers.  I do spray myself for the 5 minutes I'm outdoors.  They seem to like my arms this year and are ignoring my ankles.

Cooler but Damp here in Maine this morning.....Sunday June 29th

1. You get to see my flat oatmeal bowl today.....I got the flatware- silver mat black with dots on a trip to Sweden or Denmark with my husband...the "once a year take your wife to work trip".  Everything else in the photo is USA.

2. Sunshine today but must have rained a bit overnight...sidewalk was still wet when I went out to uncover the flowers.

3. We stopped filling the front porch bird feeders and I noticed my Son had taken them down.  It was getting to be a real MESS.  I suggested this time period so the birds could find another source of food...three months of warm weather should do the trick..  I have berries going to rot in the fenced garden so I hope some of them are getting eaten.  The wild blackberries are not for the faint of heart as they have horrendously sharp  things on the branches.  I transplanted a few from the woods out back and they have  gone crazy in the past ten years or so.  My plan was to stop deer from visiting the yard and eating my flowers.  A plan that was quite "laughable" in retrospect.,  The grapes are looking quite happy- covering any standing structure left in the garden.  One in the center of the garden and the back fence.

4. Maine - away from the ocean is really a thicket of brambles, sand instead of soil, wild animals and ticks.  Also a few snakes- I have one who slithers around when I turn on the hose to fill the watering bottles.  The deer come at night. Which is why I cover my ornamentals.

5. Pizza today.  I'll have mine with a salad.  I'm taking over the counter allergy tabs so NO WINE.  But I would love a nice Gin and Tonic with lots of lime wedges.

6. I slept well.  Meaning I have no memory of sleep or being awake.

7. Still the same book I am reading - Love at First_ did NO reading yesterday at all- sat quietly with my eyes closed... Some TV noise but not much after the cooking shows on PBS so TV got turned off..

8. My itchy rash continues to be a GREAT ANNOYANCE but seems to be less each day.  I guess that could be one thing that brings me joy- number 5 on this list I have,

 

Saturday, June 28th. Still Cool....Damp from overnight rain. Both arms are itchy now.

 One Bowl and Three Spoons.  White Slash of Cloudy Sky.

1. I calmed down the itchy red spots- now both arms----with Aveeno Itch Ointment.  I might need it on the right side of my neck as well.

2. Cooper Flagg on front page two days in a row....(basketball if you are wondering).  17 years old, I think. And the Dallas Team got him in the NBA draft.  He has a twin brother...also plays basketball but not like Cooper.  Six foot eight --possibly.  Massively TALL.  Decided to skip college ball at Duke. His MOM played college basketball....... 

3. We needed rain- the grass looks very happy.

4.  House is getting chilly so I might close a few windows....I may only have one window open...my bedroom.  Or turn off the ceiling fans.  That seems more likely to happen.

5. Still reading Love at First from my own bookcase.  At the Library I listened to soft spoken disappointment (patrons like me) in the books on the new releases shelving.  And the new fiction..... I had actually noticed that books I like re-reading are "no longer in the collection".  It has become quite puzzling to me.....what is chosen for the library and what people like to read.  And meanwhile the discarded book shelving stays full..........I used to pick up a free book or 2 or 3.... every visit.   Now in my bookcase.

6. House down the street (my side) is getting WHOLE HOUSE covered in som New Siding.  I am going to email my Lunch Buddy to see if she has heard what......is going on.

Sunshine and a bit of Maine Chill in the Air but that warmed up pretty soon after I typed the word Chill.

 1. Another sink photo.....we are preparing for the Library Grocery Store.... (and now we are back).

2.  I have the book bag packed and need to carry one additional huge quilting volume by hand.   

3. I have bug bites on my right arm.  My neck.  My right hand.

4. Ready to go- talk to you later

5. Returned books and picked up three I had ordered (I forgot I ordered them)......found nothing interesting in the New Books Section.  The three people also looking...didn't seem to be finding anything either.....this season's best sellers have been..  unreadable.

6. I'm tired and Fussy.

7. Yesterday and today I am reading Love at First.  An all time favorite.  No one is in love ..yet. No one is admitting it yet.

8. Temps are warming up here....not 100 degrees and not hot enough for AC units.

9. I have a few uncolored index card drawings I could color....I have the cloth square that needs borders....I have the book to finish.........I could make a second cup of decaf coffee......I'm not turning on the tv. I bought four pears and THIS TIME I intend to do a line drawing....of them.  I noticed I have drawings and paintings of pears....all around the house....it must be a "thing" so why not make more?

Cooling off a bit this morning- 68 degrees.

 Bowls in the Sink.  Summer Still Life.

1. The AC units are off (right now)...and the ceiling fans revolving....hard to say if it's actually cold in here as my Internal Thermostat doesn't match up with the actual room temp.  I'm running cold in my old age.  My mom said I was ALWAYS cold as a baby.  Perhaps I am reverting??????

2. I didn't sleep well.....the AC unit sounds bother me.   I woke up tired.

3. Re-reading (been years since I read this book)  Love Lettering.  It's a long time favorite of mine. It reads differently this time...I'm different this time.  This might be the first time I am actually experiencing the difference (in my inner self) since my husband died.  I need to sit and consider .......

4. Cable TV yesterday was a mixture of very old series starting with season one.....and Breaking News. this is why I am reading books out of my bookcase.

5.  I am going to get up from this office chair--make a bowl of cereal and a mug of instant coffee and read the morning paper and try to get more than five numbers for the Daily Suduko Puzzle.. And call it a Win.

6. I might venture into the depths of my two closets (took over husband's) and search for Summer Things That Fit Loosely.  And take a picture for tomorrow's post...I missed taking a picture of the snake that slithered out when I went for the hose to water my containers.  We both jumped back.

7. I envy Deb L and her pool out behind her house in Georgia...I would be floating out there all day every day just like I did on Florida vacations long ago.  Or not as I no longer have a bathing suit. Disappeared with a number of camp shirts I think.  Do not envy her the snakes....had enough of those in Florida.

Daily Notes. Almost hit 100 degrees here in Maine. 81 and muggy and damp early this morning.

 1.I have a very itchy, wet spot on the right side of my jaw....I have it covered with a bandaid to keep myself from touching it....getting it infected.  It's also got a special ointment on it.

2. I finished a book, watched tv commentators discuss the "news", watched the end of a soccer game, sorted out my underwear drawer and have a bag full of black athletic wear to offer to daughter and if she says no to take to Goodwill.  Found two more white short sleeved LLBean Camp shirts....Fantastic!!!!- They were under a bunch of stuff I never wear at the bottom of a closet- on the floor actually..  I am in no shape to be pulling on tight black sporty under garments. Just thinking about it exhausts me. Square cotton camp shirts for the win.

3. Up top is one of my index cards- I make a line drawing and then...do nothing...later I color them in. Not all the way as I lose interest in the coloring pretty darn fast....why I like painting...it's faster.  I also stop before I ruin the thing........I'm best at the very start and love that lower right area quite a bit..  After the book and during a news program--I drew designs on a few more cards.    The top and bottom brown areas are the table they sit on.

4. If Son goes out for lunch today- might not as he went out yesterday-----I'll ask for ice cream.  Or frozen yogurt bars.  Or those plastic tubes of fruity ice pops  Even though I only like two of the eight colors in the package...they all disappear.....

5. So hot yesterday I hauled hose and watered the stuff that had been weeded by M.  Mostly the three hydrangea that are making a GREAT EFFORT to produce flowers for the very first time. I wore myself out and spent the remainder of the afternoon recovering.  I do not like HEAT. 

 AND it occurred to me......we STILL have July and August......UGH.  I had forgotten those two months.

6. I have the center square sewn and the edging strips ready to sew around the edges of A square.  Might actually be the best one of all of them.......that's what happens when you make multiples...one of them is actually worth the effort.  Perhaps today I will talk myself into hand sewing one strip to one side.....while watching World Cup Soccer.

Daily Notes--- Tuesday June 24th.. Window AC units in...Short sleeved linen LLBean Camp Shirt ON.

 I drew this a long time ago.  A Self Portrait.   That is my impression of our CAT. 

1. New neighbors across the street put their two AC window units in yesterday and a few hours later, ours got installed.....we had to wait for Daughter to finish work.... the two units take the moisture out of the air and cool it just enough...we might need to replace them later this year or for sure- next year.  Ceiling fans in living room and dining room....both areas had light fixtures in ceiling....I wish there had been a ceiling fixture in the bedroom-  new AC units next year.

2. If I still live here.  I'm counting on long waiting lists for ALL senior living in Maine. Six year wait is typical right now....for the good places.

3. The front porch steps and columns have been repaired....painted and look very very nice (brand new).  I also have a "real" mailbox post (husband stacked cement blocks and set the mailbox on top)......the stick on polka dots have fallen off so...if I can find some white paint in the art closet....acrylic- I'll paint dots on the box...but not when it's sticky hot outside.  Mosquitos are vicious.

4. I might be wrong but I think today would have been my younger brother's birthday.

5. World Cup Soccer continues to occupy my TV watching.

6. I am really comfortable and cool in my vintage thrifted linen camp shirt. May the (few) shirts I have "Live Long and Prosper."  It's like the PERFECT summer wearable.

7. Yes...FARGO and the Chipper!!!!!!!  Son corrected me- it's a comedy not a horror movie.  I recall it being very funny the one time I watched it........and I often get it confused with the Billboards movie. I really need to get Netflix or Prime so I can watch movies.  Old ones.

Daily Notes: Muggy News here in Maine. 80 degrees

You get a drawing I found in a notebook.  I have a few more.....reminded about being artistic in the past..not so much now.  How did that happen?   I assume it was the caregiving I didn't notice was taking up more and more of my Life.  As he was loosing more and more of his.  Decades.

1.I have an itchy rash along the ENTIRE right side of my face.. (one spot is very itchy and most of the skin is bumpy)..Calomine Itch Relief is doing a bit of good. I think I have some tiny allergy pills as well.  Pink also.  This rash might occupy my thoughts and actions most of the day.  If it spreads.  It's also on the inside of my right arm along with two large mosquito bites....I swell up with mosquito bites..

2.  I brought the AC units up in conversation but no one did anything about it...so they are still in the garage.  ( I suggested buying newer more effective ones..).. I have the two ceiling fans going-slowly.  All doors and windows closed. Takes two strong younger than me people to get them in the windows. Daughter is at work...sweating and covered in bugs for sure.

3. Son shared his interpretation of what is going on with Iran.  I recalled - when we lived in the Chicago area and both kids were in college- someone bombing Iran or Iran bombing someone.. or just firing off rockets,.  This might be a repeat performance- but way more dangerous if they have actually made a bomb.  Son says that is MUCH more difficult....... trying not to blow yourself up, I guess.

4. Yesterday's Sunday Pizza was very very good...we get better at it each week.  We discussed various other toppings for Future Summer Sunday Pizza.   I am also being encouraged to bake something with the rhubarb in the freezer.  My fallback position is always a pie.  He suggested some sort of Bundt Cake. I will look for a recipe.

5. No newspaper today....I think I will have cold cereal today- Shredded Wheat and milk.  I have books to read and perhaps catch up on the World Cup Soccer matches. Or just sew....a few more squares... I did have to go into the sewing room and dig thru boxes of "sorted by color" fabric.  What I was looking for was that center square in each of a "special" fabric".... a small 2 inch square...well, I would have to cut it. I was NOT finding it...so I finished reading the Love Haters for the third time. and I also cut out pictures for the desktop calendar under this keyboard.   Most of the space on the calendar is now filled...drawings, newspaper headlines and a big orange and yellow SUN.

6, More World Cup Soccer for today....More calamine lotion on the itchy bits.  And just now the BIG TREE CUTTING WOODCHIPPING TRUCK across the street.  They brought the BIG CHIPPER. What was that movie??????

 

Daily Notes- Sunday June 22nd. What is Actually Going On Here?????

 1. I'll just start with the Five Things.   Mosquito bites....because I hauled the hose out of the weeds and watered things....won't do that again.  (was ten but ..that's too many) Son reports in regards Brown Tail Moth Hairs- extremely itchy.  Hot shower works best on them.  Very HOT.

2. Above is an index card with a Gee's Bend Quilt drawn and colored.  When things get too intense on TV I walk over and draw on a card or two and color them in.  Which leads to sharpening pencils.  Fills TIME. (the missing blue wedge?--wow.)

Instead of seeing a Therapist.  Or taking tranquilizers. Not watching the NEWS is a big help also.

3. Bombing Nuclear Sites--three of them---... just when I thought he'd hit the max on mental weakness.  It Rained On His Parade. so- BOMBS.  Dictator Complex.  Daddy Issues.

4 .I am on the Cusp of Art Work....Drawing and Painting.....not this week as I ate all the pears and didn't buy more...... but I checked the cupboards and I have three kinds of paint, I have paper, the brushes were put away clean.  I have art crayons.   And I can always draw "imaginary pears". I can actually draw imaginary anythings.  I really wasted those years in college thinking I couldn't do ANY of those things.

5.  I sewed strips of cloth around a postage stamp sized center....Two of them so far.  None of them go with any of the others I did years ago. while watching Law and Order.....   Completely random. It's a very pleasant thing to do while watching World Cup Soccer.  A game I do not understand.  But it's busy. and if I mute the sound....not annoying.  I do like the big drums people beat during the games.  

Daily Notes for a Dismal Dark Friday.....June 20th.

 My NEW (to me) mailbox is up....Grocery Shopping was okay......I think we got everything on the list.

I was interrupted while typing and never came back yesterday.... Weeding got done in the bed with the newish hydrangea (M) which might actually flower in a few weeks or a month.   The Carpenter (J) installed the new mailbox......looks like everyone else's now.   He also misplaced his iPhone- perhaps at Home Depot.

1. He was NOT having a Good Day.

2. I am exhausted from all the Emotional Turmoil here...much of it focuses on the Jeep.  Being popular with everyone needing a car.  I keep saying NO but that hasn't stopped anyone........lots of mechanical stuff not working correctly on the Jeep.....we had one (Jeep) like that decades ago- could NOT be fixed. Went straight to the Jeep Chipper.

3. And that's about it other than a few new mosquito bites.....I did sew cloth in the late afternoon into evening....one full square and a second underway but stalled until I find a scrap more of the border fabric. Which is a GOOD THING.  Searching for fabric keeps me busy.

4. "We will see in Two Weeks".   A commentator of News said that every time Trump has said this...exactly nothing happens.  Trump figures the public forgets in 2 weeks just like he does.  I might start saying this to my Son- I'll get to that in 2 weeks.   He says it about the Jeep.  Laughing.

5. My oatmeal is beeping....time to eat.....I also have Baked Chicken, Mayo and Honey for later today. son remembered the honey while grocery shopping....I got the little Bear shaped bottle...

Daily Notes (of little to no significance). Dark and cloudy here in Maine- supposed to continue raining.

 Image of a Black Hole Storm.   Feels like we are already lost in one...via "He Who Shall Not Be Named" I've stopped watching news completely.  I read it....easy enough to skip sentences and whole paragraphs when the news is in print....hearing it..seems to STICK in my mind.  Making me anxious.

My oatmeal has beeped... and my son helped me print out the invoice for the Lawn Guy...I found envelopes to mail the payment.....I remembered where the stamps and checkbook are located. 

This is what Life is going to be from now on.....being happy that I find the envelopes, stamps etc.to pay bills. Remembering how the shower works.  Doing laundry in the new machine that takes 75 minutes to complete one wash.  Not sitting with it to make sure it doesn't over flow onto the floor.

1. It is raining here in Maine and possibly where you are as well.  Better than getting so hot the grass catches on fire.

2. Found four more black flies- this time near the couch where I sit.  Three were dead already.

3. Imagining having to turn on the house lights at 8:43 in the morning.  I do have to- I am typing by the light of the computer screen.

4. I am having to purge the TiVo of recorded International Soccer Games.  I've actually seen all the ones I recorded.  Bones has started to bore me....so repetitive. Well, I have watched the entire series of 8 years or more- more than once.  Law and Order was recorded but another program was on the recording- not Law and Order- when  I tried to watch.

5. My Son helped me print out the invoice my Lawn Service sends to email.....I used to have the WORD Print in the left hand side bar....on the old Mac....the new Mac, I guess no one prints anything these days. He showed me where it was hidden but I have forgotten already.  The words over to the left do not include print.  And he did it so fast....I have no memory of it... Nothing sticks anymore.  Unless it'a already in my head.

6. My oatmeal is ready,  And the newspaper waits.... And my coffee .... same as yesterday.

Daily Notes from Maine-where it is raining, chilly and very wet. House lights are on.

 My Paper Shredder...dead.   

1. I treated it very badly over the years..decades..stuffing too much in the chute and then having to try and pull it all back out.  I could usually get it to start up again and then I would forget and put something thru that should not have gone in....too thick, etc.

2. Dark and raining here...I need the house lights- be right back.  There was another black fly yesterday. Half asleep so easy enough to hit with the fly swatter....

3. The book I mentioned reading yesterday.....OMG so DULL.  How do these things get published????? I think it takes place in the 30's or 40's (so poorly written I wasn't SURE for 20 pages).   People just wandering around.  Traveling Salesmen knocking up 14 year olds....wasn't a "crime" then, I guess.  Not finishing it. Author dwells on the color of one character's hair.  Perhaps this is a "clue"????? 

4. Soccer on FX match last night.  It felt like neither side was going to win.

5. I don't know how long it's supposed to rain this time...but very very wet outside.  The one empty birdbath is full to the top with rain water this morning.   Wind ruffling the leaves of the taller shrubs.

6. I excelled in Domestic Production yesterday....two loads of washing & dry.....fresh sheets on my bed. Making the poster bed is WORK....It 's very high and very wide.  Do one side...walk around, do another side, correct the first side etc etc etc.

7. Had yogurt, bran buds and strawberry rhubarb jam (all mixed together) for lunch ....I like the combo and enjoyed eating it.  I didn't have any Corn Chips.....I am considering having a Toasted Cheese with Pickle sandwich later, around 3 pm, while watching more Gold Cup Soccer Matches.

8.  I have on a cotton men's work shirt and a thermal long sleeved shirt under it...I am COLD.

9 I had a number nice but was political and I swore not to write anything political. Mike Lee.

Daily Notes for Tuesday June 17th, Cloudy with perhaps some rain in the forecast????

A picture from my front porch yesterday...between the curved sidewalk and the post- a deer.  Eating weeds.  Or my plants.  Hard to say as there are so many weeds.  M. had cleared it all to the ground in anticipation of the mulch I had ordered......but the mulch never arrived... so the weeds set up housekeeping in the beds again......Not sure what the deer was eating but...nothing much there I would want to keep.

Flies and Deer..... 

1. to balance my day, I tugged all the bedding off my high poster bed and put it into the washer while I made and ate my oatmeal breakfast and read the newspaper.  It's all in the dryer now.  I can contemplating putting the newly washed sheets back on the bed OR folding them neatly and dragging something else out of the linen closet.  There is plenty to choose from in the linen closet.

2. Lunch yesterday was Vanilla yogurt, Bran Buds and strawberry rhubarb jam all mixed together into a lumpy delicious mess.   Dinner was toasted cheese sandwich with pickles and the package suggested portion of exactly 11 corn chips.  I don't think I covered the five building blocks of daily meals.  Not one vegetable and strawberry jam isn't considered "a fruit".

3.  It's fun matching my food to the suggested portion size on the containers of food.  I'll have that as the one thing that brought me joy.

4. My son informed me that the military parade went on as planned but the stands for the people were all empty.  Hardly anyone showed up.  Or not many showed up. And it rained on his parade????  I wasn't paying attention....seems like no one else was either.

5, The Daily Suduko was difficult this morning....I added it to the pile of other puzzles....all unfinished. 

6. the book for the day- unless I decide to try something else is. "Lost Souls at the Neptune Inn" by Betsy Carter......I read the last 10 pages in the previous book and was correct in NOT reading the book...The Other Side of Disappearing."   I do not recommend it.

7. the guy working on the front porch.......has not returned.  The Lawn Guy mentioned mulch- I mentioned weeds and declined the mulch.   Life in Maine....

Daily Notes for Monday, June 16th. Sunshine here in Maine.

1.  Nice day for Fruity Drinks on the Front Porch---except for the Brown Tail Moth worms- very very itchy. I like the striped straws very much...... with the fridge ice maker disconnected....no ice filled glasses of anything here.  No puddles of ice water on the floor anymore either.

2. Smushed up eight black flies on the inside of the large front living room window......then looked over and saw more- five more.  I had trouble with them during the early Winter months in years past...and they were FATTER.  These are small and slow moving.   I taped up the one opening to the garage in case that is where they are living.  It's the cabinet where you keep wood for the fireplace....

 3.I don't do well with indoor smoke so we have NEVER used the fireplace....and now with the whole house generator-- I don't need to EVER have a fire in the fireplace.  Just flies.

4.  I'm reading The Other Side of Disappearing.  Kate Clayborn.   I have read and re-read two of her earlier books. Love Lettering and Love at First.   I am NOT enjoying this book so far.   I wasn't a real fan of Georgie at First either.  And never purchased it.  It was okay at the very end but getting there was hard work.  The Other Side book is already a hard slog and I'm only on page 34.  No connection to ANY of the characters..ZERO.... My library doesn't even have it on their shelf.

I might put it in the return book bag and try something else. You wonder who decided to publish it????

5. Today is Recycling and Garbage Day.   My job, here at home, is to collect and put things in the containers ready for my son to haul them out to the street tomorrow morning. I had quite a bit last week so this week will possibly be just the small garbage bag. 

6.  When my mom was living alone and losing her memory, she felt compelled to fill the garbage can every week and started putting things from the closets, the kitchen cupboards, curtains, bedding etc in the can... even lamps.  When she was finally put into Memory Care the house was quite empty and all of the things her children and husband had left in the house (for safe keeping) were long gone.

7. I am going to watch news to see how they caught the guy pretending to be a police office who shot two people dead and put 7 bullets in the wife of the second couple and 8 into her husband.  That, Reader, shocked the hell out of me.... must have had the gun on automatic...... both are in bad shape but ALIVE.

Daily Notes for Sunday June 15th. Happy Father's Day. I love the flowers in this vase.

 The Sun is shining here in Maine.....if I happen to see a BEE I will let you all know...Bees are in short supply this Summer- well, it isn't actually Summer as yet, is it.?

I watched MSNBC regarding the shooting that took place in the early morning hours yesterday.  The Shooter is still at large I am guessing....nothing in the paper here in Maine.  I did see some of the California Protests.  I did NOT watch anything that might have happened in Washington DC and my morning paper had ZERO to report.  No photos- no nothing in the Maine Sunday Paper.

That's something that either bothers you or not about living in the Maine Information Bubble.  If it doesn't happen in Maine- It doesn't happen. At all.

1. I spent most of the day, yesterday, with the TV OFF (after I realized they were not going to find the  Shooter) and re-reading the Love Haters, finishing the chicken salad, and moving on to #2 on the list..  

2. I did a large load of wash...folded it all and put it away when it was washed and dried.

3. The weather here in Maine has a bit of a chill to it this morning but the Sun is shining.  Should warm up a bit.  If not I have my wool socks  and a sweater.  (mid June)

4. Not much is brining me JOY right now. But I am quite happy with the newly repaired front porch steps.

5.  Also happy today is Sunday and we will be making PIZZA.  Watching the Open Wheel Race/

6. I keep finding things I thought I had lost............getting old is really confusing...some days you remember every little detail and the next day wonder where you left your cup of coffee and why you don't have socks on.   Like right now...where are my socks????

Daily Notes on Saturday June 14th.

Words want to be in the center.  And it's too early for me to figure  out why.

So we will just do it this way today and be done with computer mysteries. I did watch a few minutes of news yesterday and have been regretting it ever since.

Today is the Massive Parade. And here in Maine the weather looks dark and wet.  I have my fingers crossed for a downpour of rain on someone's Parade. It would be the right thing to do. I will NOT be watching...I still have recorded World Cup Soccer matches to watch. And two PBS cooking shows.

The Box I mailed last Friday at the post office made it to Georgia yesterday... Friday to Friday. And the contents will be on DebL's Dye Deck next time she has a good day for it.  And to celebrate that happy event (Post Office things defy intelligent thought)  I am looking at beautiful images in the Gee's Bed book I ordered from the VAST Interlibrary Loan Services of Maine and ALL of New England.

This book arrived from Washington County Community College.

Thank You.

And I am wishing I had Gee's Bend Postage stamps to put into a frame.

I am continuing to draw the quilts and color them with my colored pencils.  

Especially today..

The Baked Deli Chicken with Mayo and sugar (to replace the forgotten honey)- was delicious and  actually having PROTEIN for dinner was a very nice thing. Today I might add a salad. I also have cherries in the fridge for my Daily Fruit Allotment. I also bought Pears.

I also bought Dark Chocolate.  I binged a bit too much on it last week so this week I am trying to do much better.   Only one or two squares a day.

The guy (working) got my porch steps in EXTRA FINE SHAPE and is now working on the rotted wood on the two columns on either side of the steps. Been needing work for quite awhile.

That's all from Dark, Cloudy Damp Maine on a Very Sad Saturday in June.

 

Daily Notes for Friday June 13th. Sunshine nd Warm here in Maine- I prefer it being Chilly.

This looks nice.  Except the gravel or sand around those large stones moves around...And Ants like to built in there.

One of my books on reserve was Large Print (becoming Jane Eyre) so it went back...the other ones were fine.  .  I like books written with a modern spin on Jane Eyre...the print in the original is far too tiny for these old eyes and the large print version was about 40 pounds in weight.  And for some reason- the large print is actually too large for me to read comfortably. I did look at the books on disc.   I will look harder to see if Jane Eyre is on that sort of thing.  Then would need to find the disc player.  Ah, it's over by the front window......

I'll need to do a search for next week's books today or tomorrow to be sure they arrive from other libraries by next Friday.  I kept two from last week.  One I wanted to read again and one I am half way into- about a woman who is allergic to other humans.....can't touch anything they have touch ed or other people's skin. ..Title is "Close Enough to Touch". .  Her mother died and now she has no income so needed a job- got one at the Library.  Wears gloves but rescued a small child who fell into moving water...gave him mouth to mouth and was then taken to the ER along with the small boy. 

They had baked chicken breasts at the Deli...still warm- two large ones in a package.  I shredded both and added mayo and then discovered I had no Honey.......so I added sugar.   Will be eating the chicken (protein) with a large green salad.  I have lettuce for two I think.....Salads.

The recent incident of that big plane catching FIRE and miraculously one person surviving....  My son told me he had read that pilots that survive a plane crash never recover from the guilt......the safety of the passengers was the pilot's responsibility. I understand but sometimes it's really no one's fault.

Road Trip Day with Excellent Company. Thursday, June 12th.

 1. My hair got cut very very short yesterday,   We were visiting the Peony Gardens and remembering our Dear Classmate Wallace..  We also visited Trader Joe's and the Freeport Thrift Shop and a Wonderfully Old Fashioned Diner in Portland for a late breakfast after Patty's Medical Appointment.. 

2. Haven't done a Road Trip since our Master Gardener Classes.  Traffic was EPIC.  We passed three large Fire Engines- Three Alarm Fire. (Patty had some Firemen in her family) Lights, Siren and Horns....going north and we were in the South Lanes.  

3. I purchased Snack Items...at Trader Joe's...there were Freezer Case Items I was interested in but hadn't brought a Cooler and Ice with me.  And I had lots of frozen Chinese Dumplings in the Freezer at home.

4. Grass is being cut- 8 days......between cuts.  I was getting worried as I really MUST have something to get myself worried about these days.  

5. Porch Repaired Rebuilt Steps are sturdy and quite wonderful. And EVEN at the top so no one can now catch a toe and go flying down to the sidewalk.  Someone = Me. I am getting a new Mailbox Stand....for my new-ish Black with White Polka Dotted Mailbox.

6. I remembered Things, People, (NAMES) and Experiences today while with Patty (from years and decades ago even names of people we didn't  know well and food we ate.)....so my memory isn't as bad as some think...it's the very new not very interesting stuff I cannot retain.

7. I set and used my little alarm clock....all on my own. To wake me this morning.

8.  I discovered I had two pairs of wearable (for today) pants and not much in the way of a top to wear with them.  I have on a patterned rose pink capri pants and a faded red cotton long sleeved cotton shirt- very old mended rips "at Home" wear..  On my adventure I wore a long sleeved  linen shirt...sleeves rolled.  Pale Peach. With dark capri pants.  I do need new shoes.

Wednesday June 11th. Sunshine here in Maine and as far as I know- no demonstrations planned.

I did find two images of chairs.

I'm sure this chair is comfortable but I doubt I could get out of it once in it.  The knees don't work the way they should anymore.  And my center of gravity is heavier and lower than it once was.

Haircut today.  It's time because the "curl" is coming back.  Yuck.

We have steps out front but they haven't been screwed tight as yet....the guy is still adjusting things. And neither of us has ANY idea why the steps were made the way they were made......even though my husband was."okay"  or seemed "okay" when he did the work.  The guy repairing them is doing his best to  figure it out.  And the mosquito situation is intense,

LA.  I wasn't aware of anything and then watched the news and well, I am just left......stunned,

That might be my fall back position- stunned........for the next few years.  It was accidental- catching the  LA news images....I try NOT to watch the news.--I will try HARDER from now on to "just"... read the newspaper and leave the TV News in the OFF position.  

I did watch a guy with one mechanical foot climb a huge rock hill.....National Geographic....with a Saudi Chief driving the Jeep over the sand.... starting the vehicle with two bare wires brushed against each other.  Sparking.   Always a good time.....reminds me of my years at home as child.   The two hot wires sparking.

Which is why I stay FAR AWAY from excitement.  
 

Construction Site in the Rain. Tuesday, June 10th.

The dark area is where the three steps off the porch were  located they ran the full width of the sidewalk area..  The red tape is to remind me NOT to step off the porch.....muscle memory still thinks there are steps.  It also stopped the Sign this Petition People from ringing the doorbell.  Super Fantastic.  They annoy the crap out of me.

The dark area was under where the stairs used to be and the long deep crack was caused by the water under the stairs...... freezing and thawing.   James did an excellent job cleaning everything up before he left. Now he has to build a new structure for the still in perfect condition stair tops.  They were not made of wood. And fix the Porch posts which also rotted out from water damage. And climb the ladder to remove the "diverter" from the roof....I think it will be difficult knowing my husband....and how he did things.  

It's been raining so watering the big planter box and its little sister on the far sidewalk isn't a problem. I have to exit out of the garage to cover the two containers with netting every night and uncover in the morning..  I'll get used to it.  There are cracks in the driveway as well....big enough to trip on and fall. So that will be an added danger to my health and safety going forward.

I've had to get used to quite a few new things in the past two years.

I chanced upon the treasured DEBL dyed scrap cloth....It's gonna BE SOMETHING and that will be AMAZING to work on.  As soon as World Cup Soccer is over (in the rain)...so much rain.

Need to reheat my coffee-again- I paid my bills this morning ...checked them twice and then again to make sure I did them correctly.....My AGE is slowing me down finally.  Without my consent.........

 

Monday June 9th. I actually thought it was June 12th,,,,, Cloudy with a Good chance of DAMP. or Rain.

 Dining room. Somewhere.  The table seems a bit too wide for the space.  I don't see any chairs.

I found a few images on the Internet.  I'll try and recall why I selected them.

I thought today was the day I was going into Portland with Patty and getting to shop at Trader Joes.  It is NOT That Day.....it's Monday....and that day is Thursday.   I had thought it might be a sunny day but looks damp and cloudy.

I found my scissors....been looking for them since well Friday?  Or ALL of last week?

Have done some coloring and need to sharpen my pencils....I usually had to sharpen these same pencils for my husband each day so he could color in his books.  I am coloring my own drawings on index cards.... I bought a large stack of them at Goodwill.  I'm still not half way into the first package and have three more Perhaps a Lifetime's worth??????   I cover the cards with book titles, recipes, drawings, LISTS

1. The weather today is damp and cloudy.  No sunshine as yet...I think it's going to RAIN.  

2. Something to commit to today....oh..nothing comes to mind. Putting on Socks????

3. One thing that turned out well yesterday.... Sunday Pizza and my large bowl of green salad with carrots.

4.  What I could do better: Not set the alarm clock for the wrong day. Let's call it a "test".

5. One thing that brings me joy- I woke up this morning to my little alarm clock ringing. And then I knocked it onto the floor.....but I did NOT fall out of bed.

6. What am I reading:  Danielle Steele's Impossible.  1/3rd in...might not continue. I was also reading the last 20 pages.   I am considering reading Bet Me by Crusie. The couple in Impossible had ice cream and I was trying to recall which book had the guy buying the girl ice cream....Bet Me. That girl had no clue how much he loved her......same thing in Impossible.  I am also considering NOT reading anything....

Daily Notes for Sunday June 8th... Sunshine, Wet Grass and Mosquitos

 Whenever I find an image of pasta I WANT PASTA.   This one looks fantastic and I like the shrimp. I had pasta with fresh caught  shrimp (scooped out of the water in a net) while vacationing in Florida- decades ago. This image  reminded me of driving the boat while the guys scooped up shrimp out of the Intercoastal Waterway . It was dark and the moon was full..  And I had never steered a boat.....before or after.

It rained quite a bit yesterday....TONS of MOSQUITOS.   

Today the Sun is shining.

I watched the Men's Doubles Tennis Final yesterday.  I always enjoy the Men's Doubles Matches. Not a clue WHY.  Zero interest in the Women's Doubles.

I am Still Reading the Deveraux book.  I tried to stay up and finish but there were too many pages... I have a pretty good idea how it ends.....but am enjoying the book.  Bungalow Number 2.  The lead character (married with three kids in college) is writing the screenplay for the movie.  The Director invites her to his house on Sunday afternoons to sit by the pool and listen to him play the piano.  Sounds wonderful to me. He also makes dinner.  Every Sunday afternoon.  I am starting to see why the books are so popular..... Never would happen in REAL LIFE.....

Well, I have the book to finish, my coffee to reheat. etc etc.  Have a great day all three of you reading this...

Another Damp Wet Day here in Maine...But we all need water........to Live.

 Mandy Russell has an Art Studio here in Town and I get invited to join the "Group" .......I believe they are making mosaics with broken glass and china this month.  The address if interested..The Painted Dog Studio@gmail.com.   I sort of am enchanted by the Toad or Frog in this bright watercolor she sent with the invite.  I like saturated color. A lot.

My oatmeal has beeped.  

I have uncovered the two ornamental planters and been swarmed by mosquitos.

The newspaper looks..foreboding.  The Suduko....too difficult.

I am wearing  a voluminous pink linen shirt from the closet (imagine Ina Garten)...the "good stuff".....time is running out for me to wear the "good" clothing.... feels nice.  Pale pink linen.  

I need to turn on a few lights...oh...my husband's High School Reunion Committee Chairwoman called yesterday early evening.  They hadn't heard from my husband.   

My five things:  Weather- Raining, chill in the Air.   Watching World Cup Soccer Eliminations.  I bought lovely stamps at the Post Office yesterday.   I am stumped by "one thing I could have done better"- eaten a real dinner?????  The pretty new postage stamps did bring JOY for number five.   I added number six- what am I reading: I'm going to give Danielle Steel's Bungalow 2 a try.  I finished the Love Haters by Katherine Center and intend to buy the book....The Helicopter character-the "Swimmer" (ocean rescue) was so well written.  Also the author has had movies made of two books I really like...one is The Lost Husband.    I might have to get Netflix. Just to watch that ONE movie.   Is that possible??????

That sort of evened out the phone call from the Reunion Committee Chair regarding my husband coming to their High School Reunion. I got to listen to her cry........tell me about the guy she had known- not the one I had known...  Life is really a roller coaster....I wasn't expecting to ride yesterday.

Good Afternoon- Friday June 8th. Cloudy with some sun. 77 degrees. Could rain

 It might also be having that effect on Mr. T himself..... I had to check and see if I had already posted today...I had not.

Grocery shopping went well.  Post office went well- I go a sheet of nice Stamps.  American Indians. The Box arrives Monday they said.  I have a receipt with numbers I can use to track the box's travel.

I am reading Katherine Center's newest book The Love Haters today.  Takes place in the Florida Keys. I visited the Keys on Spring Break when I was in college.   Later we lived in Florida.....for a few years. Not the happiest times of my Life in either case.  But the people in the book are getting along.

I bought a bag of sweet cherries....to put in my yogurt and Bran Bud bowls.  I also have Toasting Bread for Toasted Cheese Sandwiches....with sweet pickle chips.   Not much "cooking" going on here...other than Sunday Pizza.   I have tried to suggest Chinese Takeout but......nothing happens.

The Deli didn't have baked chicken breasts...I like them shredded up and mixed with mayo and honey and scooped on top of a nice green salad.  Been a long time since I had that meal.  And won't be having it this week either.  Well, I have reheated my coffee twice....I should actually drink it....and also water to stay hydrated.   

Sunshine here in Maine and warmer temps- 70 out front in shade and 78 out back in the sun.( #1 the list)

 I had planned to have my own photos for you this month....I'll try to take some picture s today for tomorrow and the weekend.   Pink Bee Balm...Leading Lady.  Covers an area nicely the photo.

I packed up box number four of linens and ancient cloth for the DyeWorx.  I'll carry it to the postoffice on Friday.  Before Library and Grocery.   It's nothing to get "real" excited about Deb.. 

The packing up of the box checked off #3 on the list of Five things... # 6 is to tell you what I am reading and that is Emily Henry's Great Big Beautiful Life.  7 day book.  I am less than half way...been two days. so my Reading has slowed considerably.   I also set the TiVo to record the European Soccer games. I may not have them in order so I could be watching a team that has already lost. #4 -thing I could have done better.

I have watched zero Tennis.  Used to be something I enjoyed watching.  Used to be.........not anymore.

I watched  Bones episodes....possibly two.  One was Finder and I always love watching that episode. That would be #5 -thing that brings me joy.

I remembered to wrap my ornamental outdoor containers in netting before it got dark...I also went into the garage and found the Blood Meal....keeps the deer away from my container plants as the deer smell blood and stay away...but haven't seen much evidence of deer.  I think there is too much auto traffic on the street that borders on the Town Commons behind my house.   It's become a street people are NOW using to get away from the four way stop.....meant to slow traffic.  Possibly the deer have gone somewhere safer.

Number 2 is to commit to doing something today.....stumped as to what that might be.

Well, I have oatmeal to eat and coffee to drink and the news paper to read.  And several unfinished Suduko to give a second look to......or third or fourth or fifth look before tucking them all in the paper shredder..  I am not doing well on the puzzles.

I also do not have socks on today yet....but do have on a long sleeved thermal shirt.  I haven't opened any windows so the inside of the house is nice and cool....eventually we have to install the AC units in the two windows or buy new ones and install them in the windows.  Might take awhile..... good thing my body is running cold these days.  Still using the big down comforter at night.

Tuesday, June 3rd.... Sunshine and 70 degrees. Still much cooler in the house.

 My Master Gardner Pal and I had lunch by the river ....Maine at its very very best.  She was watching two guys catching a really big silvery fish...taking pictures with it and then releasing it back into the water. That's them- the little white spot middle right side.  (Patty just texted- Massive Fish)

A fantastic lunch and dessert...then she did a Boston Traffic move as we left- going left in a long line of traffic she just pulled out in the other lane and they let her cut in.....and wow.  Otherwise we would have sat waiting forever.   Always an Adventure.

I got my reserve book at the Library...and picked up a thousand pound Gee's Bend book of Quilt images. I am drawing and coloring them on index cards.....My Art Project for the Week.  Hoping to form some ideas using the simple designs and the solid fabrics.  I do NOT have solids in the fabric tubs..(very very few)... so the images on the index cards might be as far as I can go....JoAnn's is closed and there are no Quilting Shops....well, there weren't many to begin with....I was interested for a full year in doing plant matter dyeing of white cotton....some of that is still available.   I can also PAINT fabric the colors I want and that is actually WHAT I will do.  Easy and everything is already available to me in the closet.  The paints might have dried up in the bottles but...I can add water and put the results thru a sieve to get rid of lumps. 

I DO NOT intend to BUY anything for this project...like the.REAL Gee's Bend- I will use what I have. Old clothing, rags etc.  And paint those things in colors I need (with the few bottles of paint I have here).  I might have the energy to make one complete item....I am not thinking further ahead.  I want something I can frame and look at while I still have my eyesight. I have a frame (with glass) that I plan to use. So the size is already decided.  The book I brought home weighs about 50 pounds..(it seems) and I have it on the table by the front window.... and I have colored pencils and index cards next to it.  Ready for the project.

But first...the containers out front....and those little annuals waiting on the Sun Porch.  Patty hadn't planted her's yet either!!!!!  We are both ridiculous Master Gardners.

She says if you enlarge the image you will see the size of the fish the two guys caught... I don't know how to do that.

Monday June 2nd. Sunshine here in Maine. 65 degrees

 I have a book that needs picking up at the Library TODAY.  So far no takers on getting it for me. I also have a haircut on Wednesday.  After doing nothing for 5 weeks my hair has suddenly decided to get wild and wide.

The Sun is shining....but it also gets cloudy and looks like it might rain.

Well, now it looks like Rain...

Sunday JUNE FIRST.......Sunshine but cool here in Maine. 61 degrees.

Firefly.  I wish I had some of this.

Last year Megan worked very very hard in the front and rear of the house...clearing the beds down to just soil....the one in front of the porch has a few weeds and ferns.  The OTHER BED out back is packed fuller than it ever was...everything is BACK.  Tall...Wide....Thick..Healthy..   It's like A Magic Trick Gone Wrong.  But it always makes me smile. When I look out the back windows. The Peonies in the center bed also look better than EVER.  And Wo Peng made nine flowers...which as usual didn't last more than a few days.  I always expect Wo Peng to die.  He was a very very frail young peony.  I moved him several times until I actually found him a spot he liked.  Nine flowers.

The things in that back garden bed are actual plants not weeds.  The Peony my husband set on fire with the riding mower and a gas can.......tall, full of flower buds.  Stranger than Fiction.  The False Indigo came back as well. tall and thick. I need to do something with the daffodils- tie them up or cut them back.  Any Garden Advice?????

It rained so the chemicals on the grass got watered it- a few days late but chemicals are forever,  Right?

The Lawn Guys NEVER measured for mulch and NEVER spread mulch.  They NEVER did Spring Clean Up either.  Wasn't just me...my Lunch Buddy called her Old Landscape Company and they actually showed up and did work.  I don't have an "Old Landscape Company". So another year of weeds minus mulch. But I do get excellent lawn mowing.

It's not like I'm on some Garden Club Visit listing.....I live on a street with huge DEAD END sign at the entrance. No one is driving down here to SEE ANYTHING.

So far my fresh desk top calendar has  "double down on CARROTS" pasted to the upper right edge. And a bunch of colorful parrots below that.  Also a thick black lettered warning- Get Ready For Years of Killer Heat.  Son and I think it might be time to replace the old AC units with something environmentally better.   And perhaps less noisy.

My Master Gardener Buddy is bringing over some red dahlia tubers....some one gave her a bunch. This usually happens when an old gardener dies and family want to give the over wintered bulbs away.  This has happened to me twice...both times red dahlias...possibly the same ones.  Daughter will give them away when I am gone.  I'll make a note in the Estate Notebook.  

 

New Post for Saturday, May 31st- New Calendar Page Tomorrow.

I am giving up;  I tried to get over to the left side but- nothing is working and I could keep doing the same thing over and over again- expecting a different outcome but...that's the definition of insanity.  And I already know all about that.

Ah...look at that.  I did nothing and it decided to revert to normal operational procedures.

It's raining... a few days later than Tru Green specified in the comments section of my bill...regarding watering in the product they had applied to the yard.  The grass hasn't been mowed.  Those guys have disappeared YET AGAIN.. I'd mow but husband bought a complicated walk behind....he had to start it and then I mowed....I do not know how to start it....and eventually he forgot.......so I hired guys to mow. This is how my life ends....I forget how everything works.  

I was puzzled by the sewing machine a few weeks ago.  Happy that I bought the simplest one they had. On -Off- Forward- Back... I cannot recall how to wind a bobbin but was NEVER any good at it...which is why I buy the black and white pre-wound ones.  Black and white go with everything....sort of.

I had a shower this morning...something I try not to do in the morning- having to do with a drop in blood pressure if I haven't had breakfast.  It's why I have a chair in the shower with me.  But nothing out of ordinary happened and I shampooed my hair and even did a conditioning treatment.  Hair looks exactly the same. Feels the same. Clean or dirty.

Yesterday's book- I have 80 pages to go to finished Shipped by Angie Hockman.  It's the Library copy- I have another copy in my bookcase.  I forgot to pick up my reserved book at the Library yesterday. And it's one I really want to read.

I have a soccer game to watch.  3pm on CBS.  Tracker episode on CBS at 8pm and Hallmark has two additional Love on the Danube episodes..... One of the three long long River Boat Cruise Romances.. Sort of why I am reading Shipped.  Also on a Boat Cruise.  

Thunder....oh my.   Well, that's it for  today.  I don't imagine anything exciting will happen...hopefully the Soccer will be interesting........?

Better Late Than Never. Friday May 30th. Sunshine here in Maine

 Pie.   Sigh....I really would like to bake a Pie.

I think people can be divided by liking Cake or Pie.  My mother always preferred to be making and baking Pie for a  Holiday Dinner.  We never had more than one pie- so I always liked the Quilting Group Potluck Dinners......Many Pies.  I actually LOVED the Quilting Group Potlucks.

Seems there are troubles with the comments part of MY blog.  Either here or with the sender. I offer my email address to whomever has had problems. So far....but actually Dear Readers-- the number of comments I get in a week would be ZERO most weeks.  I do NOT generate conversation.  These days.

The posts are more like Journal Entries.  What I did or didn't do etc.

I forgot to pick up my reserved book at the Library.   Sigh.  I forgot. And the gals at the desk did not remind me.

I also forgot to look at the books on tape (discs)...I was considering listening to a book being read to me while I sewed on my squares.   Now that I am taking the squares down to the sewing room and slicing the edges into even-ness- the finished work looks more "controlled".  More enjoyable and I only sew for the time it takes to add four side strips and then I stop.

That's it for now....I won't worry too much about the comments...hardly any one writes one these days... But the one Reader with comments now has my email address. If any of you need it- just ......well, you can't comment..so I have no idea what to tell you....and I am laughing.

Good Morning- on Thursday, May 29th. Tru Green has been and gone.....the Lawn Mowing Guys have NOT been.......

 I keep being invited to send $100 to Flax and get a random pile of clothing in my size from them in exchange.  All from the way back shelving of the Flax Barn.  I have Flax clothing but not in the regular rotation.....and none of it has been rotating in quite a few YEARS....decades??????  I don't like any of the colors in this pile (the blue looks okay).  I also regularly cycle thru the LLBean clothing from the Employee Store (in MY closet).

I wouldn't mind a few more pairs of the BEAN black knit pull on Capri  pants I love a lot and if they still made the Camp Shirt- Square BOX Shape with two small squares sewn to the top and sides- aka......short sleeves I would love to have a few more XL or XXl.  To wear ALL SUMMMER LONG.  Plain WHITE. NO DARTS.  No Fitted Shape.......that was the updated version.  Awful. Just awful. Not Camp.

Today I have on a lovely blue (so many blue shades are not lovely) stripe shirt- I own two of them- LLBean.  If I had a way of taking photos of myself I would.  I am going to lunch today and wanted to look nice.  

My hair is a bit out of control...hair cut next week.  The curl is trying to overtake my head. I am "naturally curly' when my hair feels like it wants to be.........It has to get to a certain length and then goes a bit wild.   When I let it grow longer- that ends the curl.  The weight straightens it out.

Well, this has been a strange post....and it might be the lack of eating breakfast before typing.  So- Oatmeal, Newspaper Reading, Suduko Puzzle Failures, and Vitamins.....My day begins. Ah, and instant coffee.  My one cup per day......

If you are having trouble commenting here...... use my.... email.... jsuley@comcast.net.  I know...I am opening myself to getting all sorts of trashy mail......I delete just about 99% of what comes in- unread.  Just be aware of that and be clear about WHO you are.

Daily Notes for Wednesday, May 28th. Sunshine here in Maine. 69 degrees at 9am.

 Yesterday's Square.  Not finished as yet...  and crooked.  (something I had not noticed).........but the strips are not being "cut" so. yes, they would be odd sizes.  When tearing strips they do sometimes have one straight side and one uneven CUT side.

I MIGHT pull out the gardening tools and fill the two planters out front and actually plant my annuals in them....get started on SUMMER.  Which ALSO means wrapping them at night and unwrapping them in the morning.  I don't SEE deer like I used to but I am certain they will be visiting if I have edibles out on the front walk.  Everyone likes a free Salad Bar.

My Lunch Buddy and I will be having lunch at the old place (in a new location) tomorrow......I will be having eggplant parm and a gin and tonic. (not driving)... we have had enough of the new restaurant for the time being.  And I can actually get take out as it's just a few steps away from the Library.   If I EVER start driving.......and I am thinking about it..... I only go to a few places and they are mostly next to each other... or just a very short walk.

I was doing the hand sewing on the above cloth while watching season one or two of Bones...before they decided (the directors)  to have the two become romantically involved.  At this point in the series no one is involved with anyone and both are irritated by the other...... I might want to actually go back to reading the BOOKS.......like Will Trent...the books are 100,000 percent BETTER.

I think I might like the shared friendship aspect of the series more than the dead bodies and bones.

I watched 5 minutes of news and am very very sorry I did that.  And we haven't had the Birthday Parade as yet.......gosh...I never thought this sort of crap would happen- or be ALLOWED to happen.

Maybe Two Gin and Tonics with Lunch Tomorrow!!!!!   Sounds like the lawn guys are here.

Tuesday, May 27th. Sunshine and 54 degrees here in Maine. I woke up before it was even 7 AM.

 Different colors. I am trying to take a photo of what I am working on each day- we'll see how long this new thing lasts.  Going looking for matching fabric wasn't part of the plan but....now that the fabric tubs are available.... why not?????  Son helped me get the BLUE tub down off the shelving.  Really dead weight heavy tubs.....too much fabric????????  I found what I was looking for and added two borders yesterday.  More today of a different color- different TUB.

So far the iPhone is co-operating with picture taking and sending.  Or I am. Co-operating with iPhone.

As I find a fabric that will play well with the others....I add strips to the already started items.  I do the sewing by hand so it takes longer....I need things to fill my day.  Hand sewing is nice.

The book I am reading has gotten scary (Linda Howard)...I don't like scary....so I stopped reading. I actually am sort of tired of reading....I know...how could that be true of "book a day" Joanne? But no reading yesterday. Zero. I had a slight flash of something- a book I thought I might read that wasn't scary but....can't recall what it was. Reading Danielle Steel has upset my book reading....I don't like the books but I keep reading them...

I DID find a fabric to use on one OTHER rectangle/square....wow, I had thought I had NONE of that green left..  Now to actually get that going--happiness!!!. I will continue to add strips to the four sides until I feel they are at maximum potential and then I will STOP. At least I hope I know when to stop.   NONE of the squares or rectangles will ever "work" together.  So hopes of a larger finished piece- NOT HAPPENING.  But I am pleased they are no longer potholder sized. Getting past that size is a real victory for me. I am now moving toward placemat size and hope to jump past that as well.  Like rocketing into space with square shapes..

Yes, mismatched squares or rectangles could be sewn into a Modern Crazy Quilt.........but if I wouldn't like looking at it- pretty much anyone else would not like it either (and I like some really weird stuff).I have been known to make things that quilters do NOT enjoy looking at...but this is Maine and they are Traditional Quilters and I am Insane.

But such a Loveable Insanity....No..that's not even close to who I am.  I am Friction. 

I still HAVE NOT made anything with the Rhubarb....but it's safe in the freezer....not going to waste.

addendum to last post

 The green with the circles...undercloth- I go searching my green tub looking for it...Feels  like I had some. Feels like a NEED it...but no there is none.

Daily Notes- Sunshine here in Maine...on May 26th. 57 degrees at 8:30 am. I need to put on my socks. No newspaper Monday.

 Fabric.  Handsewn pieces- one to another.  From a bin of scraps.

Eventually nothing will match anything else and the pieces will be totally random and messy.  The ones tied with a bow- visited the neighbor one street over (with me)....

If my daughter visits I will ask her to pull the green tub down off the shelving unit...too high and way too heavy for me to lift and move....  There has to be some green in the tub I can use.......right now I am using scraps from the scrap bin.  Nothing goes with anything so this could never grow into a "useable" item. I need to search the blue bin as well.

Dark Matter continues to bother me. My son says worrying about is futile.

I am reading Linda Howard's Dying to Please.  It's going where I do not want to go.  And that's when I stop reading.  Move on to recorded British Soccer or French Tennis.  I may have outgrown tennis, Actually gotten bored of it.  The way my single digit daughter explained things to me long ago. Bored of it.

I have some plans for today...which might include making pie crust (spell check wrote a different word twice)..........I have everything I need for the Rhubarb Pie Filling.  Just need to thaw it out.....I found my scribbled recipes (ha) for Microwave Cake in a Cup.  Mix a few tablespoons of assorted things plus an egg and into the microwave and et viola....cake in a cup.  I was working then- at the greenhouse- so ten or more years ago...possibly close to 20.   I was happy then....hard to believe.

My desktop calendar has only a few narrow spaces unoccupied by art or newspaper headlines.   In a few days it will be June and a blank calendar page....hopefully less rain.  And warmer- I am still wearing wool socks and a sweater here at the end of May.  In Maine...But the Sun is shining.  I watched Anderson Cooper last night on 60 minutes...Roman Emperors.   Yes, it sounded very familiar.

Semi sunshine and cooler Sunday....59 degrees. Watch Open Wheel racing from Monti Carlo.

 You get to look out the front window.  Birdfeeders, mid lawn garden spot, driveway and cross the road neighbor's roof.  The grass isn't as smooth and green as it has been in previous years... when Tru Green visited the correct house........

I decided to wake up the iphone and use it a bit.   Two photos.

It's cold in the house but perhaps my own fault for NOT having a sweater on....65 degrees.  

I finished the Danielle Steel set in Paris and New York City.  A bit in the country side of England as well. I can see why they might be very popular....escapism.  Room Service.  

Pizza later today....I waited till the race was over and then had my breakfast oatmeal...  I think I am going to find a sweater - I'm cold...  And I leave you on this note...I watched PBS yesterday -Black Holes.  I got the impression we (on Earth) could be sucked into a black hole at any time....no one knows what happens after that.   I feel pretty certain.......we die.

What's On My Mind for Today- Saturday, May 24th. Chilly and very WET here in Maine.

 An image from the internet-- no flowers growing here. Zinnias.

I walked out to get the newspaper.....I woke up before my Son did...that's a first.  Oatmeal was good.  Coffee is bitter but..that's okay.... reading the one Danielle Steel book I got yesterday. Also bitter.

I selected four Bosc Pears for my "Fruit of the Week" and was arranging them on the counter-- like Life Drawing Models.......tempted to do a drawing today if the tv offerings are AS dismal as the weather.

I must be getting "over" whatever......has been bothering me and making me morose.  I went looking for green fabric yesterday- one I remembered....didn't find it.  I found something else and thought- "is this what I remembered and got it wrong???"  I didn't want to use the green I found. Felt "wrong".

I have a feeling that Quilting has used up all the oxygen and will now go into hibernation until it's next re-birth... in ten or twenty years....with new fabric patterns, colors etc.  I might tea dye my colorful stuff and make it darker and well, darker.  Like my mood.   I let go of the wildly colored juvenile stuff..  though I keep finding a riot of red, orange and gold in the storage boxes.......and I am wanting mossy green......

I seem to have a haircut appointment next week....I doubt I need one as my hair is very very short. Still. It seems to have stopped growing.....does that happen as we get closer to 80????  I know my ears have kept growing and are getting very large.

My hands are cold....I need to turn on the house lamps...it's very dark in here....very wet outside. Very still as well...not a breeze to move the leaves.  I need to finish the Danielle Steel and move on to something else.  I doubt my choice of books this week was a success.....More likely "I just don't want to read"...... a new experience for me at 78.   Not wanting to read.  I returned half the books from last week- unread and didn't venture into the bookcase either to try an old favorite........I hope it's a passing fatigue with books... I have always enjoyed reading.....which fills my Life when I have nothing else............

I filled the recycling box on the back porch...we have enough plastic bags.....I got rid of the ones the daily newspaper arrives in....365 of them??????  Or More.  Would be nice if one or two of you wrote me a paragraph of your own news????????  Like a typed conversation??????