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A View From the Field |
September, 2012
September 30 My goodness, September is over. I keep wondering where the time goes.
I made it into bed by 9:30 last night, and I slept quite well, but not nearly long enough. When I was awake during the night, the Harvest Moon was incredibly bright, and as I thought I might, the camera caught the setting moon over the harbor. I'm sorry it's a little blurry, and I'm really sorry the window is so dirty. I'll have to do something about that before it gets cold. Anyway, it was a pretty sight when I got up.
I got off to church about on time, and there wasn't any traffic in my direction going south. Church was great - since it was another fifth Sunday, we used the service from the old hymnal, which I love. I still know it by heart. One of the hymns was "How Great Thou Art", which is one of the ones I can't sing. I was thinking it's a good thing I don't want a funeral, or they'd be there all day singing all my favorite hymns that I can't sing. Like a couple of others, this one makes me tear up even when I'm thinking about it.
Coming home was a bit slower, because there were a number of people meandering up the road looking at the scenery. I wouldn't say the color is exactly at peak yet, but it's close. There are still pockets of green, but most of the maples have turned and most of them seem to be orange or red this year. It's really pretty looking across Lake Medora to the hills and Brockway. The covered road is pretty, too, especially up near the Mountain Lodge. In fact, I almost ran into a couple of tourists who had stopped their car mostly on the road as I was going south, and they were wandering around with cameras. I don't know why - the place they stopped was by far not the prettiest.
It was a great day to enjoy the color. It was mostly clear and sunny. The temperature got up to 57º and there was hardly any wind at all. It did cloud up a bit early in the afternoon, but that didn't last long. When I left this morning, the humidity was around 95%, and especially around Lake Medora, the outside of my windows kept fogging up, but as soon as the sun got up and the temperature rose, the relative humidity dropped to more reasonable levels.
It's a shame that the covered road is prettiest early in the morning - well, not really early, but like between 9:00 and 10:00. Except on Sunday, I'm not up early enough to go out then, and on Sunday I'm in a hurry to get to church. So probably no pictures.
Nothing to report on the cats. All is about the same.
I spent most of the afternoon working on my ledger, and now I can see where all the money went and why my credit card balance has ballooned. Some of it was unavoidable, like the glasses and the car repairs, but I seem to have bought a whole lot of yarn this year. I am going to have to try to control my urge to have some of everything. I now have enough yarn to keep me knitting for at least ten years...and that doesn't include what I already had before the first of the year. There were a lot of books, too, and unfortunately, most of them were the kind I need to have in hard copy. And I think there are probably a few more I should have sent back, but oh, well. Somehow, I'll get through this.
So now I will read a bit before I totter up to the north end. It's a clear, cool night in the field, and I think the Harvest Moon will be just as bright again tonight.
September 29 Ooh, this is fun! I'm writing this on the laptop, using LogMeIn. I've been wanting to try this, because it will make my trip to Detroit a whole lot easier. Besides, right now, the sun is shining directly on the screen of the other computer, and that makes it rather difficult to see anything. There are a few problems, mostly having to do with the place I have the laptop, but I want to get used to it. Neat.
I read last night again, and it was midnight before I got to bed, but I slept very well. I finally got up around 10:00, and I knitted two repeats, as well as petting a cat.
Today was washday, so I got right at it, and while that was going on I finally (!) got all the clean clothes put away in the closet. Now all I have to worry about are the ones I washed today. It was a little hard on my back, but it's really nice to have all that stuff put away. It was a lot of stuff. I don't think I've done that all summer - well, maybe once. Now everything is where it belongs and I'll be able to find things again.
It was another beautiful day. It was almost completely clear all day, and the temperature got up to 57º. There was no wind. Really pretty!
For most of the afternoon, there were a couple of seaplanes buzzing around over Lake Fanny Hooe - I didn't realize today was the Splash-In. They couldn't have had a better day for it! I do wish I could get a ride in one of those, but I'm not sure I could even get into one, with my gimpy legs.
Grayson was wired this morning, and both cats felt good, but they were both very loving all day long. I guess they like me. I don't know where Grayson has gone, but Louie is zonked out on the navy blue chair now. It's partly in the sun, and he likes that. Since He's white, his fur doesn't absorb heat quite as much as Grayson's does. I think they're both happy cats.
Now it's early, but I have to fill the pill dispensers tonight. I also filled two more, with the pills I have to take with food, because I keep forgetting to take the one with dinner. I'll get it straightened out eventually. I think I'll read for a while anyway.
It's a clear, cool evening in the field.
September 28 I read for far too long last night, and then I stared at the floor for a while, so it was very late when I got to bed. I didn't get up until 10:30 or so. Grayson got some loving and I knitted one repeat on the scarf.
I had a serious accident after breakfast, so I had to wash, and I went to the post office. I'm looking for a particular bill, and I'm somewhat worried that I haven't gotten it yet. I guess that was about all I did.
The weather was nice. The temperature got up to 62º briefly, but there wasn't a lot of wind, so it was nice. It was partly cloudy all day, but there was some sunshine. When I was out, it was nice.
Louie bugged me for a while before I went out. He wasn't sleepy and he was bored. Grayson eventually woke up and they played for a while. It bothers me that Louie keeps having scratches on his nose and holes in his head, but they're both boys and they play rough. Evidently Louie doesn't know about scratching noses, but Grayson has had a couple of holes in his head, too. Now I think they're asleep again. For a while, Grayson stopped talking, but now he has started again, I'm glad to see. Louie talks a lot, which is nice. He lets me know when he's around. Grayson was talking when I woke up this morning, I think to ask me if I was planning to sleep all day. He still has the habit of coming and going like a shadow, much more than Louie does. I think things have stabilized around here. I'm sure there will be some problems when I go away, but after I come back, we can really get settled in.
Now I think I will read some more before I go up to the north end. Tomorrow is washday. Ugh. I think it's a fairly clear night, but the moon must be behind the corner of the studio, because I can't see it yet. Night comes early to the field now, and it's only going to get worse.
September 27 Well, I got one very nasty email in response to my rant, which was fewer than I expected. It makes me feel good that most of my readers are willing to allow me my opinions even when they don't agree with yours. If everybody felt like that, things would be much better in this country.
I think it was around 11:00 when I got to bed, and I didn't sleep very well. i was up any number of times, and I couldn't get the temperature right. I finally did get a few hours in after 4:00 am, and I got up a bit before 10:30. Since I was so late, I only knitted two repeats on the shawl. I petted a cat a bit, too.
I didn't do a lot. I unloaded the dishwasher and began to reload it. I was so late that I didn't do anything else. While the talking was on, I did a couple of rows on the hat, but I'm having a hard time getting into it. I like the look of colorwork, but I don't much enjoy doing it.
The weather was beautiful. It was clear for the most part, and the temperature got up to 59º for a while. There was a little north wind for a while, but it didn't last long.
The cats didn't spend as much time as I thought they would looking at the birds flying after insects. I think they spend most of the night awake, so they sleep during the day. Grayson got the south windows today.
So it was a quiet, nothing day and I think I will read a bit before I totter up to the north end. It's a clear, cool night in the field.
September 26 I was late getting to bed last night. I wrote a bit on Trine 12, and I stared at at the floor for a while before I took my bath. So it was 10:00 or so before I got up this morning. I knitted three repeats on the scarf.
It was another nothing day. I did get to the post office and the store, and I paid some bills online. That was about it. Blah.
The weather was rather nice. It started the day cloudy, but it cleared up a bit and most of the day was partly cloudy, with a lot of sunshine. The temperature got up to 52º, where it stayed all afternoon. The winds were light from the north. I was nice when I was outside. You wanted a jacket, but it was a good day to be outside.
The cats were - the cats. Louie sat on me this morning and drank out of my glass of milk. Grayson sat on me before dinner, and I had to move him because dinner was done, then he just got back on my lap for a minute or two and lapped up some of the herbed butter from my chicken Kiev. Snots. I'm sorry that Grayson has discovered butter, but I habitually keep the butter dish covered anyway. I will have to remember that Louie likes milk, even non-fat milk. Maybe Grayson would, too.
I keep forgetting to knit on the hat, but I hope I have a little time before I'll need it. It's cranberry and black and it goes with my parka. I am hoping for a snowy, cold winter, but I do hope it's a month or so before I might need my parka! In the meantime, I should really carry out my plan to make a hat that will go with the heavy fleece jacket I wear most of the time. It's dark gray with navy blue trim, and I think I have enough leftover navy and gray yarn from a couple of afghans that I can make a hat to go with it. I'm a "go with" kind of person, which, by the way, has been noticed in Copper Harbor. It's left over from my training by my mother and father, who were both fashion plates. Even though I wear jeans all the time except on Sunday morning, I like the rest of my costume to coordinate...although those bright blue Crocs are a bit jarring sometimes. I have a new pair, which are black, that I can wear sometimes. See? Go with.
I want to make a comment that may not endear me to some of my readers. I have resolutely avoided speaking about politics in this forum. In fact, I have resolutely avoided speaking about politics anywhere, anytime, ever. Those are discussions I just don't want to have. However, lately I have been getting emails from a few sources saying the most terrible things about President Obama and the Democratic Party. They really make me angry. So I would like to ask any of you who naturally assume that, because I am a Christian and a member of a rather conservative denomination, I must necessarily be a Republican, to please refrain from sending that junk to me. I think I've said before that as I've gotten older and seen and heard more, I've gotten more liberal. I have my own opinions about the current political scene, which you won't see here. I know who I'm voting for, and I know what I'm praying for every night. but I won't be writing about any of that. So please follow my rule and don't send me any of that stuff. Rant over.
Now it's a clear, cool evening in the field and I will take another look at Trine 12 before I toddle up to the north end.
September 25 I knitted a repeat before I went to bed last night, so it was nearly 10:30 when I turned out the light. I slept well. Very well. Around 7:00, I was awake and the guys were romping around the house and sliding on the rug, but by the time I got up, around 10:00, they were all asleep again. Grayson came in and got petted a bit, but he didn't sit on my lap for long, so I knitted while he slept on the rug. He is the only cat i have ever known who will start purring when he's just looking at me. I guess he knows when he has it good.
I didn't do much. I cleared off the counters a bit and I got the dishwasher almost completely loaded, except for tonight's dishes. I spent a couple of hours working on the credit cards, but I'm not through with that. It's really hard to match up the prices to the orders, especially since some of the orders were shipped in two or more batches. I'm getting most of it, although there are one or two I have no clue what they were. I suppose if I could gather up the invoices that came with the shipments, I might be able to do it, but that would mean filing and I have over two years of that to do now. Ugh. Anyway, I'll get it eventually and get everything in the spreadsheet.
The weather was cool but nice. The temperature only got up to 54º, with not much wind. It was quite sunny for most of the day, although the clouds increased as the afternoon wore on, and it was quite cloudy by sunset. It was sunny enough that it got quite warm in the studio, which nobody but me seemed to mind.
The boys were full of energy around 7;00 this morning, as I said, but for the rest of the day, they mostly slept. Louie did sit on my lap for a few minutes this afternoon, so I guess I'm still all right. Grayson sometimes follows me around and jumps on something so I can reach him without bending down. I guess he's gotten the idea that bending over isn't always easy for me.
A day or so ago, I started my little hat on bigger needles, but I honestly forgot about it this afternoon, which would have been a good time to get some done on it. I think this one will be big enough. I have a large head, and the pattern seems to have been written for a child or somebody with a very small head. So I'm using larger needles. It won't be quite as warm, but since it's a Fair Isle pattern, it is almost double and I think it will be warm enough. I want to make a pair of mittens, too, but I think I'm going to have to do those as I go along.
Now it's a cloudy, cool night in the field, and I don't think I'll be up very long.
September 24 I went up to the north end early last night, and I knitted one repeat on the scarf before i went to bed, I was in bed by 10:00 and I slept quite well, except for the first wake-up, when I had to turn over and I had a coughing fit. i ended up sleeping mostly on my back, for some reason, and I had some strange dreams. I woke up around 8:30, and I did not want to get up, but I had to walk, and I knew if I went back to bed, I'd never get up in time for my massage, so I got up. I turned the corner on the scarf, and now I have only something like 36 more repeats to go. Whew!
I got my massage, and it made me feel very nice and very sleepy, so I came home and sat. Not that I did nothing. I got my ledger sort of up to date...at least the main part of the ledger. I haven't started on the details of the credit cards yet. That will be the big job, since I've been living off my credit card for most of the year. That's for tomorrow. One big trouble is that I buy a whole lot of stuff in many categories from Amazon, and somehow I have to figure out what are books and what is pills and other stuff. It usually takes quite a while, and I have the whole year to go through. I had entered two months worth of the checkbook data, but I didn't do anything with the credit cards. Oh, dear. Well, it has to be done. One thing I use the ledger data for is my taxes, and I like that data to be mostly correct.
It was a good day to stay in. The winds were quite calm overnight, but around 7:00 this morning they started to rise, from the west. When I was out, around noon, the gusts were up to 31 mph from the west. As the afternoon wore on, the wind started to shift around to the north and rise, and we had our peak gusts (a special report) at 6:06, 21 mph sustained and 34.5 mph gusts, from the northeast. Not nearly as strong as everybody was predicting, but strong enough. It was really quite warm. It got up to 60º for a couple of hours around noon. It was mostly cloudy all day, and while it got rather dark and threatening a couple of times, it didn't rain.
I just discovered that the camera hung up around noon, so whatever happened this afternoon, we didn't see it. It's clear right now, at least in the west. There were definitely whitecaps on the harbor all afternoon, which is always fun. Of course, the lake is singing.
The guys were sleepy again today. Grayson slept on the desk and Louie slept in the navy blue chair. I don't know that they like each other very well, but they seem to be getting along all right. Grayson didn't want to sit on me this morning, so he got petted a bit on the floor, and he got petted when I got home. Louie hasn't been to see me today, but that's the way he is.
Now there is a gibbous moon shining in the south windows, and the sky seems quite clear, at least for the time being. It's a nice, cool evening in the field and maybe I can be in bed early again.
September 23 I made it into bed by 9:30, but I didn't sleep very well. I was thinking about Trine 12, which needs to be rewritten, and I was coughing a lot. Finally, I did sleep some, but I woke up about 5 minutes before the alarm went off - an old habit from when I was working.
I did my thing and got off to church on time - the first time in many months that I've had to wear a coat. And that's weird. I have (or had) two jackets that were identical except that one was navy blue and the other was royal blue. They're sweatshirt fleece lined with ripstop, and they're at least 25 years old. The fleece is a bit pilly, but otherwise they look OK and they're a great weight for this weather. Or, I should say I used to have two. The navy blue one seems to have disappeared. It should be in the cedar closet with the other one, but it isn't. I have no clue where it might be. Sometime when I go upstairs, I'll have to cast around for it, but the two of them should have been together. Oh, well.
Church was great, with communion, but my 91-year-old friend has apparently had something happen. She wasn't there and she was on the prayer list. I guess when you get to be that age, you have to expect things to happen. Pastor says she's OK, so I hope I'll see her next Sunday.
When I got home, I changed clothes and did nothing for the rest of the afternoon. I'm tired.
The weather has mitigated a bit. The wind is down to 25 mph gusts, and the sky was partly cloudy all day - blue skies and sunshine alternating with puffy gray clouds. We did have a little rain, but not much. The high temperature was 51º. I'm not used to the chill yet. Tomorrow, we are supposed to have more sun and warmer temperatures but very high winds, so that will be fun. I enjoy these days with all the clouds coming through. The sky is always fun to watch.
The cats were quite sleepy again today, although Grayson came and sat on my twice. Now Grayson is in his box on the floor and Louie is in the navy blue chair.
I took note of the color on my way to and from Calumet. I would say that the change is between 20% and 40%, with more green areas than red. It's still very spotty, but it's going, and by next weekend it should be even prettier. It looks like it may be a very orange and red year this year. I hope we have some sunshine, because it's always prettier that way.
I finished reading First and now I am going to go back and read the original Trine 12. Most of it is crazy, but there is a plot there that I want to bear in mind when I rewrite it. I don't think I'll be up very long tonight. I get a massage tomorrow, so I will have to be up at a reasonable hour - not 10:00.
Now it's a breezy, partly cloudy evening in the field.
September 22 - Autumn Equinox Another lost day. I think it was about 11:00 when I got to bed, and I slept well. There were a few stars when I was up, but nothing very interesting. I woke up about 8:00 thinking today was Sunday and I was very late for church. Then, when I got to the bathroom, I said, "Wait a minute!" and looked at the clock-calendar. So I went back to bed and slept for another two hours. The cats were someplace else, so I knitted a while, but I was still a bit confused even then.
I had a lovely breakfast of blueberry pancakes and sausage, with coffee, and I did my surfing. I had an accident, so I had to wash a couple of things. By the time I finished my surfing, it was too late to do anything, so I read. I'm rereading First.
The weather was the story. The past few days have been just the prelude. The real storm hit overnight. The wind has been in the 25-40 mph range, mostly from the northeast, since about 5:00 this morning. There has been rain off and on all day, although this morning there were a few patches of blue sky and sunshine. The lake has been roaring in the alto to tenor range. With the wind from the north, I don't get hit too hard from it, except at the top of the second story, but it's been a hairy day. I didn't see any ice pellets, but the temperature has dropped from 50º at 9:00 this morning to 46º now. Maybe in the interior, away from the lake, there was something other than rain. I was just looking out the east windows, and the clouds are flowing by at a great rate.
When I got up at 8:00, the sky was so pretty, although I can't see to the east. There were big, puffy rain (or snow) clouds, and the rising sun turned them apricot. It was gone in about 5 minutes, but it was so nice to see. Now the setting sun is turning a few of the edges the same colors, but most of the clouds are those fluffy gray ones that mean rain, or a bit later in the year, snow.
So now it's the equinox. Sigh. I'm afraid there won't be an equinox picture from the camera tonight - we're not seeing the sun. Almost above the deck post there is a little indentation in the slope of Brockway, and that's where the sun will be setting tonight, hurrying on its way south. Time goes so fast these days!
Nothing to report about the cats. They seem to be getting used to each other, although Grayson wants to play sometimes when Louie doesn't. They were quite sleepy today anyway. I still have the window in the bedroom cracked, and they spend some time looking out of it.
So now it's a windy, rainy, noisy night in the field, and I will be going up to the north end shortly, because I will be going to church tomorrow.
September 21 I don't know exactly when I got to bed last night, but it was probably sometime between 11:00 and midnight. I slept well, with a couple of wakeups and some interesting dreams. I got up around 10:30, I think. First I had to pet a very loving cat. Every few days, Grayson realizes he hasn't had a love-in in a while and he was waiting for me when I got up and he jumped right up on my lap when I sat down. He finally went away when I had to blow my nose. Then I knitted for a while, and I'm almost at the last corner.
I didn't end up doing everything I was planning, because I was going to go to the compactor, but it was pouring rain when I was ready to go, so I didn't haul out the bags. Oh, well, they'll still be there Monday. Actually, when I got to the post office, it stopped raining, but I didn't know it was going to do that. I did get my mail and returned the tee I got last week.
The weather was yucky again. It was dark and cloudy and we had 0.26" of rain so far. The high temperature was 52º, just a while ago, and then at the last hour, it had plunged to 45º. It was cloudy all day, but after the last rain shower, it cleared up a lot, and there is a nice little not-quite-quarter moon shining in the south windows.
This is the reason why, 40 years ago or so, we started taking our vacations up here the middle two weeks of September, instead of the last two weeks. It's true, we missed most of the color, but we also missed most of the nasty weather, which seems to cluster around the equinox. Twice since 1964 I have been snowed on on September 22. Hopefully, there won't be any snow tomorrow, but they are predicting we might have "ice pellets," whatever they are, or sleet. When the seasons change around here, they change abruptly and nastily.
The cats were sleepy again today but also very loving for some reason. Grayson got his this morning, and again just a few minutes ago, and Louie got his early in the afternoon. I think there are two shrews under the dining room table, which I need to clean up and I forgot about. I don't want shrews in my house, either. I've never seen a live shrew, but I've certainly seen my share of dead ones, since even cats that eat wildlife won't eat them.
I was going to start on my ledger, which I have neglected for almost the whole year, but I didn't have time, what with the surfing and the mail. Tomorrow. I am just not a clerk-type, and I hate finances and filing, but every so often, I will just have to take myself in hand and do something.
Now it's a surprisingly clear evening in the field, and there may even be a star or two. There certainly is a moon.
September 20 I made it into bed by around 11;00 last night, and I slept quite well. My sinuses are still draining, but less every day, so I can usually get to sleep as long as I pick the right side to lie on. I got up around 9:30, and I knitted for a while.
I didn't do anything but empty the dishwasher and read. Sigh. One of these days I'll have to start doing something.
The weather was miserable, and I stayed in. It was cold, windy and rainy. The temperature did finally make it to 55º, but for most of the day it was in the lower 50s. The wind peaked with 33 mph gusts from the north. The lake was singing quietly and there were whitecaps on the harbor. It was dark and dreary all day and altogether, we've had 0.47" of rain so far. It was yucky.
The cats slept for most of the day. I don't blame them.
So that was another nothing day, and I will read a bit more before I totter up to the north end. I have to say, though, that I'm becoming convinced that a whole lot of my knee problems were caused by gout, and now that it seems to be getting more under control, I haven't had a lot of problems. We'll see how long that lasts. Of course this weather isn't good for the arthritis, so I'm not running around, but I don't feel nearly as bad as I would have expected to.
It's a dark, damp, windy night in the field.
September 19 Another nothing day.
I read much too long last night, but I slept well. I didn't get up until around 10:30, and I knitted a couple of repeats on the shawl. Grayson got some petting, but he wouldn't get on my lap. I was minding my business after I ate when I had one of the worst accidents I've had in quite a while. Yuck, what a mess. It didn't help that I kept forgetting to get some toilet paper in the powder room. Well, now I've done that, too.
I had thought about going to the post office and the compactor, but after that I decided to bag it. It took most of the time until the talking started to do my surfing, but I did finish Trine 10a and start reading Trine 11. It's 10a because I split a very long story into its two logical parts sometime ago. I need to renumber, but that's a future.
The weather was - eh. I guess I should be saying "meh" since that seems to be the word du jour. I wonder where that came from. Anyway, it was quite windy around noon, but not as bad as Environment Canada was reporting. The wind was from the south, and it got up to 27 mph gusts. The temperature got up to 57º for a couple of hours this afternoon. Now the wind has died down a bit and shifted back toward the west. There was a very little rain between 1:00 and 2:00, although mostly what I noticed was dripping off the roof. It wasn't cloudy all day, and there was a bit of sunshine this afternoon, between 2:30 and 5:00. Now it's dark and cloudy again. We may or may not have our gale.
The guys were mostly sleeping again today. Nobody has sat on my lap yet today. Last night, when I was reading, Louie came and not only sat on me, he tried to go to sleep on my lap. Unfortunately, when somebody lies where he was on my thighs, I start to get twitchy, so eventually I had to make him move. Buster did the same thing, but Louie probably weighs half again as much as Buster did, so I got twitchier sooner. This afternoon, he zonked out on the navy blue chair, and Grayson was sound asleep in the box on the floor.
That's about all I have to report. It was a nothing day, and I'm tired again, although I'm going to read a bit. Now it's a dark, cloudy, windy night in the field and autumn is certainly upon us.
September 18 I guess it had something to do with staring at the floor, but it was 11:30 before I got to bed. I slept about as well as I have in over a week, and it was refreshing. Of course, I was up several times. I was surprised to see stars in the middle of the night. That wasn't supposed to happen. I got up around 9:30, and i knitted, although I had to stop in the middle and love a cat. He went away when I had to blow my nose. I'm still blowing and coughing at intervals, but the intervals get longer all the time. I wonder where all that glop comes from?
Let's see. I didn't do much but my surfing. I was going to go to the post office to return something, but it was too cold, so I didn't. Before dinner, I got all the trash (I hope!) off the counters and loaded the dishwasher, which has to run tonight. So I accomplished something, for the first time in quite a while.
The weather was more like late October than mid-September. The temperature was almost steady at around 50º, plus or minus a degree or so. The wind was from the northeast, more or less, and quite strong. The highest gusts, at 1:00 this afternoon, were 31 mph, and the wind has been in the 15-30 mph range all day. It's now shifting more toward the north. There were some rain showers all around us, but none got here, and in fact, we had some sunshine occasionally. But there are those big, steel gray clouds that look more like snow than rain... I guess, if Environment Canada knows what they're talking about (and they've been right lately), this is the lull before the storm. For the next couple of days there are going to be high winds, and although the temperature will be a tad warmer than it was today, it's going to be cold and windy and rainy. Ah, the equinoctial gale! We are going to get it. Maybe this bodes well for the winter. I hope so!
The guys are telling me that the barometer is still low. Louie slept until around 3:00 this afternoon under the east windows. I don't know where Grayson was, but around the same time, he levitated onto my lap and said "pet me!" so we had another real love-in. A while later Louie sat and he got loved, too. The next time I looked out into the great room, each of them had chosen a patch of sunshine to sit in and wash a bit. Now they've gone off again, and I don't know where they are. Things are settling down between them, I think, but I don't know what will happen when the barometer gets up again.
I just discovered that the camera hung up around 10:00 this morning. Fortunately, it was a pretty picture, but it sure didn't look like that all day! I've fixed it now, I hope. See why I have to keep after it? I don't know why those things happen, and I hoped they wouldn't, but oh, well. I guess I'll have to check my USB connections.
So it was another quiet day, and I'll read some more before I totter up to the north end to set the dishwasher and take a bath. It's a gloomy, cloudy, windy night in the field.
September 17 It was about 10:30 when I got to bed last night. It wasn't a very good night, although I did sleep some. I coughed a lot, and since the cough was mostly the result of stuff dripping out of my sinuses, cough drops and medicine didn't do much, if any, good. I'm still coughing. I got up around 9:30 and I knitted three repeats. I got around the corner and I'm doing the other end now.
i didn't see hide nor hair of the boys, even when I put down the dishes of food, and when I finally made it to the studio, I saw why. Grayson was curled up in a ball with his paw over his eyes on the desk, and Louie was sound asleep leaning against the patio door. Zzzzzzzzz... They finally did get up, but they were very somnambulant all day long. Zzzzzzzzz...
The reason was the weather. The temperature slid down all day long, from 63º at midnight to 53º now. The wind picked up from the northeast, and the lake started to sing. The NWS station reported 20-27 mph, but I don't trust it. I don't think the lake would be so agitated unless it was stronger. It's nice to hear the lake again. It was cloudy all day, and it drizzled off and on all day - a total of 0.07". Yucky.
I went to the post office, where there was a lot of stuff, including my pointy needles, at last! I stopped at the store because I was running out of eggs. And that was all I did. I've been reading since the talking stopped.
I don't have much to report about the guys. They slept for most of the day. My little four-footed barometers.
The barometer has risen a little bit, but not much, and I think this weather is supposed to last until Thursday. Well, this is our equinoctial storm. It's not really a good gale, or at least not yet, but we almost always have something like this sometime around the equinox. Autumn is certainly here. I think the last day of summer was yesterday.
So now I will read a bit more and hope to get a better night's sleep tonight. It's a dark, damp, noisy evening in the field.
September 16 I made it into bed by 9:30, but it was another bad night. I did get to sleep a little longer between coughing fits, but not a lot, until this morning. I didn't get up until after 10:30. I would like to have slept longer, but my hips wouldn't allow it.
I knitted and Grayson got petted a little bit. I am now half done with the edging. I really don't like this edging very well, and I'm toying with the idea of putting the other one on the outside edge, but we'll see about that. I still have 54 more repeats to go before I'm done.
The weather was really nice. The temperature got up to 72º for a while this afternoon, and it was sunny all day. The wind shifted from the north and picked up to 22 mph around 3:00, but it wasn't too bad. Around sunset, it began to cloud up, and there is supposed to be rain tonight.
The guys spent a lot of time today looking out the windows at the birds hawking bugs and the critters in the grass. They actually slept together under the south windows for a couple of hours - not facing each other, but on the same throws. Grayson, particularly, is just fascinated by the birds going after the bugs.
I didn't do anything. After I finished my surfing, I read - and that was it. I'm reading Trine 8, which is a fun one, if rather long. I may see if I can split it into two parts, to get it down closer to the size of the other parts. It splits logically, but I may have to do some work on it, and I want to read it through first.
I have continued to cough and blow at intervals, but they have been further apart than yesterday, so I think I'm coming along. I feel a bit better, but that could just be because I got a bit more sleep last night. I hate these minor things; they make you feel so lousy, and they hang on much too long.
So that's all there is to report, and it's a rather warm (for September), cloudy evening in the field.
September 15 Well, half of September. Sigh.
I got to bed around 10:30 last night, and I slept a little better, although I was up about every two hours. I didn't cough and blow quite as much, thankfully. I got up around 9:30, and I knitted a bit. I'm nearing the halfway point. The long side is turning out to be longer than I calculated, which puzzles me, although I don't mind it. At least it seems to be an even multiple of twelve rows, more or less.
Grayson came in while I was knitting and got petted, then when I put down the knitting, he got on my lap and we had a real love-in. It looked to me like maybe Louie had come close to his left eye, but it seems to be OK now.
I didn't do anything. I don't feel like doing anything. Every so often - ever hour or so - I explode and cough and blow for a while before it settles down again. I am blowing out glop, which means I'm progressing, but I'm not over it yet. I will go to bed early and set the alarm, but I don't think I'm going to church tomorrow. It would be embarrassing to have to get up in the middle of the sermon and go out. I don't feel all that good, either, although getting more sleep helped.
It was a lovely fall day. The Temperature got down to 46º overnight, which made me glad I'd closed up the house, but it got up to 63º this afternoon. It was nearly clear all day and there was a light south wind. It was beautiful.
Louie was asleep on the desk when I got to the studio, and he stayed there for quite a while before he woke up and wanted attention. He got sme, but I finally chased him away, because he was getting into the stuff on the desk. When he went away, Grayson came and went to sleep under the south windows until the sun went away. They were both interested in the outdoors. The warblers are stoking up for their flight south, so they were chasing bugs around on the east side of the house. I didn't see most of them, but I did identify one yellow-rumped warbler - not that it would be hard, once it turned its back on me. Now, that's yellow!
Lately, I've had to open the window in the studio, because with all the sunshine it was getting really warm in here - close to 80º. I will probably leave the window open overnight to cool it down.
I read for most of the afternoon. I'm on Trine 6, which is a fairly long one, but not quite long enough to split into two parts. I will try to get up to the north end early, because even if I don't go go church tomorrow, I need to take a bath.
Writing this, and reading, are getting hard now, because the setting sun is starting to shine right on the monitor. That will last a while, but it's so nice to see the sun and the blue skies!
Now it's a lovely, clear, coolish evening the field, and there should be stars tonight.
September 14 I still feel lousy. I think it was around 10:30 when I went to bed. I didn't sleep well again. I was up about every hour or hour and a half, partly because when I started coughing I was afraid I would wet the bed. I did leak once, but it wasn't bad. I finally got up around 9:30 because I had to walk again. I knitted and Grayson came and got petted and went to sleep beside my feet. What a sweetie he is! At least to me.
That was all I did. I just felt lousy, and I wasn't hungry. Still aren't. I don't think I'm running a temperature, but everything else is messed up.
The NWS station came up just before 11:00 this morning - yeah! The temperature was almost steady around 58º, and there was a north wind in the 15-20 mph range. It was partly to mostly cloudy all day, but there were some pretty clouds. I closed the windows in the great room, even though there wasn't any wind coming in. I was cold all day, and I figured there was no point in trying to heat the great out of doors. The window in the window seat is still open a bit, but I like it cool in the bedroom.
The guys were sleepy today again. Grayson went off to wherever he goes and Louie slept under the south windows, where he still is. He woke up during the afternoon and rustled around to make me pay attention to him. They ran around after each other for a while, and I noticed when I was petting Louie that he has a hole in one cheek. Not a serious one, but Grayson got him. Somebody urped this morning right after he ate a whole lot of dry food. I think it was probably Louie, and it probably has something to do with all the fur he swallows. He is an amazingly clean cat, and that's amazing in this house.
So that's about all I have to report. It's beginning to look like I won't get to church on Sunday. I'm not coughing and blowing quite as much tonight, but I'll have to feel a whole lot better before I can go out.
Now it's a cool, partly cloudy night in the field, and I don't think I'll be up very long.
September 13 Well, I made it into bed by 11:00 last night, but I didn't sleep very well until this morning. I had a headache and I was coughing and blowing and I had to get up frequently. Yuck. I got up around 10:30, with a serious headache, but while I was knitting and petting a cat, suddenly I coughed up a big glob of stuff, then I blew out a big glob of stuff, and my head felt better. It's getting sore again, but I need sleep now.
I knitted three repeats, and I'm not too far from the end of the first long side, which is longer than I had calculated. At the same time, Grayson was lying on the rug at my feet and sometimes he let me pet him. although he didn't want me to touch his tummy very much. He is such a sweet cat.
That was all I did. Thursday is a day when there is a lot of email that I have to check out, so it took a long time to do my surfing. Then I read, except when the talking was on.
The NWS station is still down, darn it. My thermometer read about 64º this afternoon, and there was a little wind, from someplace sort of westerly, maybe northwest. It was cloudy, except for between 1:30 and 5:00, when there was some sunshine and blue skies. Then it clouded up again, just like Environment Canada said it would. It was evidently a pretty sunset, but I didn't go out to look at it.
The cats were sleepy all day, except that for a while in the middle of the afternoon, Louie woke up and did everything he could think of, including chewing on a piece of paper, to get me to pay attention to him. I finally chased him out. If he can't come and sit on me and be petted, he can go away. Grayson got his this morning. When I went into the kitchen to get dinner, they were both sitting on the window seat, looking out the window that's open there. So Louie will go into the bedroom, as long as I'm not there. I'll be interested to see how long it is before he starts to sleep there. Maybe when it gets cold.
So that was my day. I finished Trine 3 and started the next episode, but my head tells me I'm going to crash tonight. It's another cloudy, coolish night in the field.
September 12 I've come down with a cold. It started yesterday afternoon with a cough and some dripping and a sore throat, and that's what I still have, and I feel lousy. In part, that's because I was very late getting to bed last night, but I don't think I would have slept anyway. I didn't really get much sleep until after 6:00 this morning.
I was up around 5:45, and something was gleaming in the glass blocks in the shower. When I got up and looked out, there was the very thin crescent moon and Venus, side by side. Venus itself is so bright it makes the glass blocks glow, and the moon made it just that much better. Venus was to the north of the moon, but they were level with the horizon, and I don't think I've ever seen a much closer conjunction. It was sooo pretty!
Anyway, I got up around 10:30, just because, and I knitted a little bit before I got dressed. I didn't do anything much today, except to unload the dishwasher while my dinner was in the microwave. Unfortunately, this kind of ailment makes me more hungry, rather than less, so I will have to watch myself.
It was a cool, cloudy day. The NWS station is still down, but my thermometer got up to about 64º. It was very windy overnight, and while the wind died down somewhat today, it was still breezy, but the wind seems to be from the south or southwest. It was cloudy all day, and as I was walking back to the studio with my dinner, there were some raindrops.
The guys were affected by the weather today, and while they just had a short interaction, mostly they slept. Louie has usurped the spot under the south windows, and I think Grayson has been sleeping upstairs, where there is a comfortable couch. I filled the dry food bowls and I think they were happy about that.
Now I think I will go up to the north end and try to get to bed at some sort of reasonable hour. It's a cool, cloudy, breezy night in the field.
September 11 - Remember I ended up reading for a very long time last night, so it was very late when I went to bed. I slept well, but I didn't get up until after 10:30. I only knitted two repeats, and I petted the cat, although he wouldn't get on my lap. It's so nice to have a cat who will start to purr anytime you put your hand on him. I'm not sure how intelligent Grayson is, but he has one of the sweetest personalities of any cat I've ever had. Only DC was better.
I didn't do anything, although I do have to get the dishwasher ready to go tonight, because I'm out of clean cat dishes. I talked to the insurance agent and got that straight, I think. Saved myself some money on the car, but I will have to pay a bit more on the house.
The weather warmed up quite a bit. My thermometer got up to 81º, but I think it reads a bit high. The NWS station is still down. There was a little wind this morning, but it has gone almost calm. It was clear early this morning, but by 9:00 it began to cloud up and it was cloudy for the rest of the day. It appears this may be the last warm day, so it may be the last time I get to wear my shorts.
I didn't see much of the cats today. Louie is timid enough that when the UPS guy came, he ran away. I think Grayson has begun to sleep in the loft during the day, where he can be alone. But that can change at a moment's notice.
I am still thinking about fobs, so today I went through the high chest to see what I have in pink. I knew I had some beads with awareness ribbons on them, and I wanted to see them before I order anything. I found them, eventually, as well as some other pink beads and some silver findings. Now, when I get the time, I will have to put in an order for the rest of the stuff. Placing an order at Fire Mountain Gems is always a long task, because they have an incredible amount of stuff, and they don't have the best search engine. Well, I'll manage somehow.
Now it's a warmish, cloudy evening in the field and I have started reading Trine again, so I will do that for a while before I totter up to the north end.
September 10 Well, it was another quiet day. I think I was in bed about 10:30 - more staring at the floor - and I slept fairly well. In spite of what the Weather Underground is predicting for pollen counts, my nose tells me it's high, and when I lie down or roll over, my sinuses drain into the back of my throat and I have to cough up glop for a while before it settles down.
I was awakened at 8:00 by a call from UPS about a package with only a post office box in the address. When I thought about it, I got up - had to walk anyway - so I was up early and I knitted three repeats with some difficulty. Grayson came and got some petting, but not on my lap, and he also scratched up my thumb pretty well, for reasons I don't understand. If he didn't want to be petted, why was he lying there like that?
I didn't do very much again. The UPS guy came early, so I took my taxes to the post office and got my mail - several bills and a bunch of junk, and a ball of sock yarn. There was one piece of good news, though - my gas bill will be much lower this winter, and I don't think it's a spurious number this year, although, believe me, I'll be keeping an eye on the balances, especially if it gets cold after the first of the year. I made the reservations for my motel rooms for October. I called the insurance agent, because my car insurance bill came, and somehow the collision coverage got in as a $250 deductible, which is too expensive. She didn't call me back.
Oh, yes, and I also called the bead estore, because they have some really nice breast cancer awareness charms, and I'd like to make some cell phone lanyards (AKA zipper pulls), and scissors or key chain fobs. I wanted to get some lanyards, but I didn't know what they call them, so I had to call and find out. Oh. Now I know. I didn't put in the order, because I want time to think about it, but I will. It would be fun to do some beading that isn't with seed beads, and I need at least four fobs with the nice charm that has a ribbon in a circle with "survivor" on it. They also have some nice angel charms and sets of beads that would go well on fobs. It's nice to be interested in doing something creative for a change. More later.
The weather was nice, but I still don't have any actual figures to report. It was chilly and a bit windy this morning, but the wind died down and the temperature rose, probably to around 70º. It was partly cloudy all day, with mostly high cirrus clouds, a lot of which looked like contrails. Nice. I sent an email to Marquette about the NWS station.
The guys were relaxing again today. I don't think there were any confrontations. Louie slept under the south window all afternoon, so Grayson went elsewhere, darn it. I hope eventually they'll feel OK about sleeping together. I mean, they're both its, and having a warm body nearby is comforting when it gets cold.
Now it's a calm, warmish night in the field, and I will read a bit before I go to bed. Part 5 of Voyages is the unfinished part, so it isn't very long.
September 9 Another non-report. I think I am going to throw in the towel and just get up at 6:30 on Sundays, since I seem to wake up around then anyway and have to walk. I got to bed around 9:30 last night, and I slept fairly well. I think I've said before that I don't like to get up before sunrise, but even if I had waited until official sunrise, it would have been quite a while before the sun got above the trees. I had to turn on the lights in the kitchen. First time this fall.
There was almost no traffic on the way to church, and it was a nice service, with communion. Either there were more people there or there were some hymns they liked, because there was some pretty loud singing. Of course, we sang "Onward, Christian Soldiers" for the last hymn, and everybody likes that one.
Then I had to go and get gas, and I stopped at Pat's for a few things I couldn't get last week. Few things, hah! Oh, well. They were things I'll use.
Driving home was harder. It seemed like there were an awful lot of people out for a nice Sunday drive. I even had to pass three people on Cliff Drive, and I passed the fourth one right after we got back onto US-41. And there were more...
It was a pretty day, but I can't give statistics, because the NWS station is still down. It was partly cloudy for most of the day, with nice blue skies above, and there was a rather stiff wind from the north until late in the day. I don't think the temperature got over 62º. Now it's cleared up and the wind is calm. The sun is setting over Hunter's Point now, hurrying its way south. The days are less than 13 hours long. Oh, sigh.
Not much to report on the cat front, either. There was less fighting today, and Grayson actually slept under the south windows near Louie for a while. He finally sat on my lap this afternoon and got some loving, too. I wish I knew what's in his little head. Louie has calmed down at least enough so that he was washing himself in front of me today. It has never ceased to amaze me how clean white cats can keep themselves.
I read for most of the afternoon, and I'll do a little more - maybe finish part 4 of Voyages, since I'm almost done. Then it will be off to bed again. It's a clear, calm and coolish evening in the field.
September 8 I don't have much to report tonight. It was a quiet day. I read, instead of going to bed, and it was very late when I finished part 3 of Voyages and I was really tired. I finally got up at almost 11:00, I think, and I was still tired. I hope to get to bed early tonight.
I knitted one repeat on the stole, I tidied up the kitchen a bit, and I brought in some more canned cat food. Otherwise I read.
It was a cool day. The NWS station stopped reporting at 5;00, but up until that time, the high temperature had been 64º. The wind was out of the north in the 10-15 mph range. It was mostly cloudy, although there is a little sunshine now. There was some rain south of us, but it didn't come close to getting here It was another one of those bands that come in from the west and go due east, and it's mostly gone now.
The cats were sleepy all day. Louie slept under the south windows all afternoon, and Grayson wouldn't sleep there with him. I hope he gets over that.
Now I am going up to the north end and try to get to bed as early as possible. It's a cool, mostly cloudy evening in the field.
September 7 Well, I read for too long last night, and then I stared at the floor for long enough that I didn't take a bath and it was 1:00 before I got to bed. I slept fairly well, with some dreams, including one I've had before, although now I've forgotten what it was about. I got up about 8:45 because I had to, and I decided not to go back to bed. I knitted three repeats and Grayson got some petting, although he didn't get on my lap.
I had a bad accident after breakfast, and except to clean up after myself and wash my clothes, I didn't do much.
I did spend some time researching gout and uric acid on the Internet, and I found it very frustrating. There are all kinds of sites , some authoritative and some not, and every one has different information - except for the ones that just took the NIH page and copied it - and none of it is thorough. I found one site that explained that uric acid is the byproduct of normal cell breakdown and the stuff that gets into my joints isn't uric acid but the salt - and then I lost the page and couldn't find it again. I found the write-ups on diet particularly frustrating, because no two sites agreed on what was safe and what was not, and if I tried to follow the most restrictive, All I could eat was non-fat dairy, eggs and rice. Well, there are some fruits and vegetables, too, but even there nobody agreed. And besides, several of the sites said that it isn't possible to control gout with just diet anyway.
Then i went off and started looking at various drugs that are used - and drugs that I'm already taking - and I have a lot of questions for my doctor, when I see him again. I have a bit of kidney damage left over from my shingles treatment and several of the drugs I am taking are supposed to be hard on kidneys, as is one of the main drugs that is used to control gout (which I'm not taking). So I have a lot to talk to the doctor about, if I can remember it all.
Things were much nicer when the final authority was the Encyclopedia Britannica and you could be pretty sure that their information was thorough. Now, who knows? The only thing they seemed to agree on is that gout is hard to treat and drinking lots of water (2 to 4 quarts!!!!) is helpful. Geez, if I drank that much water, I'd have to spend the entire day in the bathroom!
The weather was cool. The high temperature was only 64º and there was a brisk north wind. It was a pretty day, with blue skies full of fair-weather cumulous clouds. The forecast was for rain, but all the rain was far south, down around Lake Michigan. Just a while ago, we got an off-hour report, because the wind picked up to 19 mph with 27 mph gusts, and radar was reporting a rain cell just northeast of us, but I don't know if it will get to us. Very autumnal.
There was another mouse this morning, and possibly two, although I'm not sure about the second one. Both guys were sleepy today, but Louie sort of took over part of Grayson's spot under the south windows - that was where the sun was - and Grayson didn't want to share. So they're still negotiating. I finally had to close the window in the studio, and probably tomorrow I will have to close the other ones, too, although it's supposed to warm up again next week, so I'd like to keep them open for a while. They like windows, but they prefer open windows, I suppose because then they can hear the parade as well as see it.
So now it's a cool, breezy night in the field, and I think I will try to take my bath tonight.
September 6 The mouse brigade got called out twice last night. I knew about one - they cornered a mouse just as I was heading up to the north end, and when they shooed it out from behind the powder room door, it ran between my feet. It was a cute little gray thing with a white underside, but I'm not fast enough to catch a mouse anymore. Anyway, this morning, there was one in front of the powder room door and another in the great room. Grayson had to come and stand beside the one in the hallway to be sure I saw it, and Louie went and stood beside the one in the great room. I disposed of both of them and praised the boys. They are clearly both very good mousers, and the advantages of two working together are obvious. I was a little put out that they didn't eat the mice, but this afternoon, Becky told me that she had a cat who ate mice (around here) and kept getting worms or tapeworms. Well, in that case, I'll just make a face and dispose of them myself.
I guess it was about midnight when I got to bed and I slept all right. I had a couple of vivid dreams, so I'm not really sleeping deeply for as long as I should. I got up around 9:00, I think - or maybe 9:30, I forget. Grayson came and got a tummy rub but he wouldn't get on my lap right then. He was very sleepy after his active night. I knitted and I did four repeats, so I was very late getting dressed.
I did accomplish two things. I went to the post office, where there were two packages of pills and my birthday present from Debbie - a very pretty nightgown and robe. There was also a lot of other stuff, including magazines and catalogs. They filled my propane tanks a while ago, and I haven't used very much gas over the summer, I was glad to see. I was also glad to see the price has gone down quite a bit. I'm not looking forward to seeing what my monthly payment will be this year.
The weather was lovely for most of the day, but it was cool. It got to 70º for a while this afternoon. There was a north wind in the 15-20 mph range for part of the afternoon, but it has now dropped to nothing. It was mostly clear for most of the day, with just a few fair-weather cumulus clouds occasionally, but around 6:00 it clouded up and got dreary.
That didn't keep us from having the first nice sunset of the year. In fact, the clouds helped. I suppose I should have stayed outside a while longer, but oh, well. it was pretty.
After their active night, both cats were very sleepy all day, and for a while they were both sleeping in the studio with me, but they moved when I went away. I imagine they will be up all night again, just in cast some dumb mouse decides to come in. It seems like one mouse was in the studio, because the thistle feeder got tipped over - I didn't see that until I went out to take the pictures. Now I have that to clean up. Sigh.
Now it's a cloudy, coolish evening in the field, and I will read a bit more before I toddle up to the north end and take a bath.
September 5 I stared at the floor for quite a while last night. so it was midnight before I got to bed. i don't know why i do that, but I think it's so that i can get all the thoughts out of my head before I go to bed. i slept well, with only two wakeups. The last one was at 7:30, which was too early, so I went back to bed and I didn't get up until 10:00. Grayson got loved a little bit, although I had to lift him onto my lap. Then I knitted three repeats, so it was late when I got dressed.
And that was all I did. I was going to go to the post office, but it was pouring rain at the right time, so I decided to wait until tomorrow.
The weather was stormy, but the rain didn't start until 1:00 this afternoon. Before that, the temperature had gotten up to 72º and it was getting uncomfortable because it was so humid. Then the rain and some thunder came, and we had a total of 0.52". Ahh, we needed that! The temperature plummeted to 62º and I got so chilled I had a cup of chai. When the rain stopped, around 4:00, the temperature rebounded a bit. Then the skies cleared very abruptly and now it's clear, calm and lovely. For the sake of the tourists, I wish those things would happen at night, but I wish we would have rains like that more often.
The cats were somnambulant, given the weather. Louie slept under the east window for most of the afternoon, and I don't know where Grayson was. Apparently he will only sleep under the south window when it's sunny outside, or else he doesn't want to sleep in here anymore when Louie is here. Grayson got loved twice and Louie got his, too. Grayson has a wonderful, loud purr that will start almost any time I touch him. Louie's purr is more raspy and softer and it takes a bit of petting to get him going. I haven't seen much change in their interaction, and maybe it won't ever change much. It would probably have been better for each of them if the other cat had been a kitten.
Now I will read a while and try to get to bed earlier tonight. It's a clear, calm lovely evening in the field.
September 4 i ended up staring at the floor for quite a while, so it was around 11:00 when I got to bed. It was a so-so night. I was up a lot. I finally got up around 9:00, I think. Grayson was lying on the mat in the bathroom when I went in, but he left when I sat down, so I knitted. I had a couple of problems, so I didn't get as much done as I hoped.
I didn't do very much, but I got all the wash folded, except for the underwear, and some of it put away. It's been a long time since I've done that and there were more clothes in the laundry room than in the closet, it seemed. Tonight I have to prime the dishwasher and take a bath.
The weather was not bad. the temperature went up to 78º, and then the wind seemed to shift and it went down to 74º. The winds were very light and somewhat variable. It was mostly clear until lately, but now it's clouding up and there is a big blob of thunderstorms off to the northwest. Oh, goodie! Lightning at night!
I discovered that one of the cats had pulled a packet of catnip onto the floor, so I poured some of it into the shallow box on the floor and Louie immediately appropriated it. Catnip doesn't make him crazy, but he sure does like it. Grayson wanted some, too, and that resulted in some wrestling and running around. I finally poured some on the newest scratching pad, and I hope one or the other of them will use it. After that, Grayson went away, but Louie curled up under the east windows and went to sleep. He has the habit of putting his paw and his arm over his eyes, and he looks so cute when he does that. It never ceases to amaze me how clean he keeps himself. In this house, white fur should get rather gray rather fast. Grayson was off someplace else for most of the day, although he did sit in the open windows for a while.
Now I will read for a while before I do the dishwasher and try to get to bed at a reasonable hour again. It's a cloudy evening in the field, and we're probably going to have some rain.
September 3 I got to bed shortly after 10:00 last night, but I didn't sleep very well. I started out very warm and it took me a while to cool off. I guess I should have opened the porch door. When I finally got to sleep, I was apparently lying on my back and I had a very vivid and very weird dream that lasted even after I woke up again. After that, I did better, but I still didn't get enough sleep. I got up around 8:30 and I didn't knit, because I was hungry and I wanted a big breakfast.
I did that, and while I was reading my email, I had a nasty accident and had to change everything below the waist, so I started off in a bad mood. My massage went well, however, and I felt much better for it. It left me feeling very sleepy, though, so I didn't do anything after I got home except wash my dirty stuff.
Between 6:00 and 9:00 this morning, we had a nice, violent thunderstorm. We had 0.44" of rain, most of it between 7:00 and 8:00. It poured, there may have been a little hail, and there was one humungous crash of thunder over the lake that echoed off the hills. After that, I went back to sleep. That meant it was extremely humid, and the humidity lasted all day. Around 1:00 the wind shifted from the west to the north and the temperature got up to about 75º. It wasn't a very nice day. It was partly cloudy all afternoon,
We've had some nice sunsets lately, and the sun is now setting over Porter Island. It's moving south at a great rate.
Last night, I head some kids coming down the road on bikes, and when I looked over toward the road, a doe and her fawn ran across the yard. I didn't get a good look at them, but I guess they were eating some of the grass in the backyard. I'm glad to know we still have some deer.
I didn't see much of the cats today. Grayson wanted to cuddle just about the time I had to leave for my massage, and I guess he was mad at me because I had to hustle him off my lap. He was around for most of the afternoon. I think Louie slept for most of the afternoon on the first step into the basement. I could see him through the cat hole. He came out tonight and got a good brushing. I don't know how I can get so much fur out of him and still leave him with so much. He seems to be getting used to the brush, which is a good thing.
I don't have much else to report. It's a partly cloudy, warm, humid evening in the field.
September 2 I made into bed by a little after 10:00 last night and I slept well. It was another good night to sleep. Unfortunately, though, after I was up at 5:30, I didn't get back to a deep sleep. Maybe it was a good thing. I am still having trouble with the alarm clock. When I checked it, it was set to go off at 9:00. I don't know how the time got changed, since it takes pressing on two buttons to change it. Anyway, once I reset it - to 7 am, not 7 pm, evidently I forgot to turn on the "set" button. I could swear I did, but it didn't go off. Fortunately, I had to get up shortly after 7:30, so I wasn't very late and I made it out the door on time. I did have to go in through the garage to shut the door and out through the breezeway. It's time to get out the WD-40 and spray the hinges and rollers, I guess.
Church was good, and since there wasn't any communion, we got out early. I went off to Pat's and ended up being surprisingly modest, although part of that was because they were out of a couple of things I wanted. I did get OJ and JD and plenty of frozen stuff, as well as a chicken. They were almost out of good pasta salads, though.
Then I had to come home and unload the car. Sigh. That's always a chore. The other thing I did, sometime later, was to fill the dry food bowls. Both my guys seem to prefer dry food. We are now out of their favorite, but there were two new ones - well, one of them was one Louie was eating - and both of them went over well. That made me feel good, because their favorite apparently isn't being made anymore. Now they have five choices and we'll see which ones disappear soonest.
The weather was glorious again. It didn't get as cool overnight - only 60º - and it warmed up quickly once the sun rose. The high was only 75º, though. It was nearly calm this morning, but there was a south wind with gusts up to 20 mph this afternoon. It was nearly clear, although there are some clouds in the sky now, and there might be a rain shower either tonight or tomorrow morning. I don't think we're going to get any backlash from Isaac. That seems to be down in Illinois now and heading more northeast. Everybody was commenting on how nice the weather is.
When I got home, I went up to the north end to change my clothes and sat in the bathroom, and Grayson (I just wrote Grrayson, and maybe I should call him that, even though he doesn't growl much) came and sat on me and we had a good love-in, with lots of scratching on his head and under his chin. He spent most of the afternoon around me, too, but evidently there was an extremely interesting parade going on outside. At one point, a bird flew into the screen to get a bug, and he was so fast, he might have caught it if the screen hadn't been there. Louie was around, too, although he didn't come to be petted. He was interested in the parade, too, but he wasn't as intrusive as he was yesterday. They did have a little altercation after I got to the studio, but Grayson backed up without turning his back to Louie - an interesting thing to watch. I don't think Grayson really wants to fight, but he won't be cowed, either. I'm not sure about Louie yet. Clearly, they're still negotiating.
I sat and relaxed and read this afternoon, and even though it's early, I am going up to the north end shortly. My drink went to my head more than usual, which means I'm really tired. Among the things I got was half a watermelon and I cut it up tonight. Oh, my, how I love watermelon! Actually, I love all melons, but watermelon is the only one we get up here that is really good. The last really good melons I got were back in 1998 when I was doing chemo, and they saved my stomach. I bet this year was a good one down in southeastern lower Michigan, but unfortunately, I can't get any of them. and none of the good ones ever get up here.
So that was my quiet day, and it's a warmish, partly cloudy evening in the field.
September 1 So now it's September. Sigh.
I got to bed before 10:30 last night, and it was a good night to sleep. I was up several times, of course, partly because of my fish. I was up around 7:30 again, but that was too early, so I went back to sleep and I didn't get up until 10:00. Oh, well.
Grayson got a short tummy rub and a short head rub. I knitted, but I didn't get very much done, because something odd had happened on the previous repeat and I ended up having to unknit about six rows - well, that's half the repeat. It's all right now, though.
Today was washday, and I got right at that. The last loads are in the dryer, and I think they're done. When I go up to the north end tonight, i have to fill the pill dispensers, too. It didn't used to be that I did both things on the same day, but somehow they came together a while ago.
It was another beautiful day. The temperature got down to 55º overnight, which made for good sleeping, but it warmed up quickly when the sun rose. The high was 77º, but it was 75º for most of the afternoon, and it has now gone down to 72º. It was a bit humid this morning, but the humidity went down drastically in the afternoon and it was lovely. It was clear all day, although now there are a few clouds. The wind was under 5 mph all day, and it came from all over. Lovely.
I don't have much to report on the cats. Louie was someplace asleep all morning, and Grayson was wondering where he was. He came out after noon and sat on my lap for a long time. He even got brushed. His fur is so soft and fluffy, it would make a wonderful sweater - and the way he sheds, it wouldn't take very long to get enough. However, I think that's sort of weird, so I threw out the handfuls I've gotten out of him. He doesn't much like to be brushed most of the time, but he does like to sit on me, so he tolerates it.
While the wash was washing, I read and spent some more time looking for my #7 needles, which I still haven't found. I know they're in this room, but if you saw it, you'd understand why I haven't found them. I was using them last winter when I was working on the hat that is too small, and I have no idea where they went. Certainly not back where they belong. Grr.
Now I need to go up to the north end and do my chore and try to get to bed early again. It's a nearly clear, warm, beautiful evening in the field.
Last updated 10/01/13 09:08 PM |