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A View From the Field |
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June, 2013 June 30 It's hard for me to believe that half of the year is over. Wow! Where did the time go?
I managed to dawdle around for long enough that it was 9:30 before I got to bed. I slept well, with the usual wakeups, and I was not ready to get up at 7:00 when the alarm went off. I did, though, and I got off to church about on time. Then I got behind a slow driver on our road and another one on the way to Delaware, and it was almost 10 minutes later than usual when I got to church - late enough that somebody else had parked in my parking place. Poo.
Church was nice. Pastor's sermon was a good one, and there was communion and we used the old service, which I like. There were some good hymns, too. Mary Ann had her granddaughters, who were antsy, and there is another family with three little boys, all of whom need to be in cages. Even Eleanor was muttering about them when we left. Having never had kids, I don't know what the answer is to keeping little kids, especially boys, under control in public places, but believe me, no kids of mine would act like that. When I was small, I was a docile, quiet child, so my parents never had such problems, but they would have figured something out if they had.
With everything that was going on, including a rather long thing from synod about the Supreme Court decisions of last week, it was after noon when we got out. I had toyed with the idea of shopping today, but I decided I didn't really need to, since I have OJ and I can get JD and eggs locally, so I came home. There was one slow driver on the way back, but from Mohawk north, I only met one car going in my direction and he turned down toward Lac LaBelle. I got home about 1:00.
The weather was interesting. It was clear this morning, but cool, at least here, but it was warmer in town, and even warmer yet when we got out of church, like in the 70s. By the time I got back here, it was 55º, and we barely made it to 60º for a brief moment. It has been at least 15º warmer in town. There wasn't much wind, but it was from the north, which is why it was so cool around here. It started out quite clear, but by about 3:30 there was that high, featureless cloud cover we so frequently have, and it just got thicker as the afternoon wore on. Drat. I'd like to see a star or two for a change. it has been a little less humid today.
The guys were remarkably sleepy. When I came into the great room, Louie was curled up on the kitty condo with his paw over his eyes, and I couldn't find Grayson at all. He didn't appear until I got home, then both of them went right back to sleep, Grayson on the desk and Louie in the great room, although he would have preferred to sleep on my lap. I had to move him because my legs were getting twitchy. I guess I hurt his feelings. Now they are both sleeping someplace else.
Me, too. I need to go to bed and sleep long and hard again. I'm really tired. I have numerous mosquito bites all over, including one that feels like I got bit through my compression hose. They used to call our mosquitoes "Keweenaw eagles," and they are ferocious. With all the high humidity we've had, they're out all the time, and wow!
So now it's a coolish, cloudy evening in the field, and I won't be up long. And half the year is gone. Sigh.
June 29 I turned out the light around 9:45 last night and I slept well until around 2:00. After that, though, I didn't sleep well at all. I was up any number of times and I never got into a deep sleep, so I'm tired again. I got up around 9:00, I think, and I knitted four rows for the first time. if I can continue to do that, the rest of that shawl will go fast.
I didn't do much else. After I did my surfing, I read for a while and played games for a while, and I finally wrote a little on Bolin - about 1,600 words. I'm still fishing around a bit for how it's going to go.
Late this afternoon, Trevor came running up in his truck and loaded on the rest of the orange bags. He was afraid the people at the trash collection wouldn't take a second load of the stuff they had, so he filled up the truck with my stuff. I finally got rid of the power supply that has been lying around for the past couple of years. So that's nice. Now all there is are the six bags of kitty litter in the basement, and I guess I can wait on that.
The weather was blah. The temperature rose slowly through the 50s to 60º at 5:00, and it has now fallen back. The skies were cloudy all day. There wasn't much wind. Mercifully, the humidity has dropped a lot, to around 53%, and that's good. It wasn't a very nice day.
The guys were very sleepy, although Louie wanted to sleep on me all day and I finally had to get firm to make him go away. Grayson has sort of rolled with the punches, but clearly, Louie was not happy with all the rustling around for the past few days.
Now it's a cool, cloudy night in the field, and I am going up to the north end now and try to get to bed early and hope I sleep better.
June 28 I was in bed by 9:00 last night, and one nice thing about it being foggy is that I didn't have the sun in my eyes. I slept exceptionally well. I was up around 7:30 and that was just too early, so I went back to sleep, and the next time I woke up it was almost 11:00! Geez, why do I feel so tired again?
I knitted, and i am now down to 271 stitches, and I have moved down to a 24" needle, which is much easier to manage. Yesterday I copied part of the instructions so I won't have a problem when the main pattern is on the next page. That was part of the reason I had an accident yesterday. Anyway, I'm all ready for the final push - about 48 rows plus the borders. I'm at the place where, if I want to, I can do four rows, too, so that will help it go faster.
I didn't do anything much else, but I was so late that it took most of the afternoon to do all my surfing.
I went to the post office and I found out the reason why that one clap of thunder was so loud yesterday morning. Apparently a bolt of lightning hit either the new house out there or the lighthouse, and zapped the power at Ron's house. No wonder it was so loud and bright! It also may explain why I had to reboot the computer yesterday, even though there wasn't a power failure here. Probably there was a surge or some back-pressure when the bolt hit. It didn't do me any harm, but it sort of confused the camera. Oh, we live in the wilderness, for sure!
The weather today was just about like it's been for the past two days, except cooler. The temperature was around 50º, plus or minus a couple of degrees, until just a while ago, when it went up to 55º briefly. The humidity has been just about 100%, although the fog finally went away, if only briefly, around 7:30. There wasn't any wind and there wasn't any rain. The barometer is rising a bit, so maybe it will be nicer tomorrow and next week. I hope so. I like to watch the fog, but geez! We've been socked in for a week!
The guys were socked in, too, although they made it clear that they are happy we are alone and back to our normal routine again. Louie got his tummy rub and he went to sleep on my lap twice. Grayson sat on my lap briefly, but he has slept around me all day. He's now moved over under the east windows, for a change. We all feel like the weather, for sure.
Sometime yesterday (when was i outside yesterday?) I acquired four more mosquito bites on my hands and arms. One got into the breezeway when I came home, and it was one of the biggest mosquitoes I have ever seen. That's another reason it would be nice if it got a bit less humid. They love this weather, and they certainly love me!
I ran into Trevor at the post office this afternoon and put him on to fill his truck with a lot of the orange bags in the garage, so now there are maybe half a dozen left to haul, and maybe I can do that. Well, besides the ones in the basement, but that's another problem. At least most of them are gone. He is a nice kid. Ron has done a good job, raising him alone, but then, Ron is a nice guy, and all Trevor had to do is watch his dad.
I may not go to bed at 9:00 (probably not, because it's 8:45 already), but I won't be up long. I'm still tired, amazingly enough. Now it's a cool, moist night in the field.
June 27 There was a problem with my Internet connection last night, I suspect due to the storms, so doing the journal was hard, and then I decided I needed to take a bath, because I was so sticky and icky, so it was 12:30 before I got to bed. I slept, of course, although I was up a couple of times. Around 6:30 i woke up to hear thunder, and about 6:45 there were two enormous cracks very close by, and we had a short, heavy rain shower - about 0.16" of rain.
I went back to sleep and didn't get up until nearly 9:00. I didn't hear any noises, so I did my knitting before I got dressed. We ate breakfast and I did my surfing, but i had an accident, so I had to wash my clothes and myself. Ugh.
I was so creaky from my exertions yesterday and the weather that I couldn't do much today, but Bettyann continued and I now have a wonderfully clean kitchen, including the floor. The floor in the great room where I dropped my tray back in February or so is also clean, and the powder room is pristine. It's so nice to have the kitchen clean I'm almost afraid to cook anything, but I will have to do something about the microwave and the toaster oven, both of which are not very good. Oh, yes, and the fridge.
Anyway, we had the rest of last night's dinner tonight and she finally left around 7:30. In the meantime, the fog came and went all day long, and late this afternoon, the fog had rolled in when she noticed something swimming in the harbor, quite close to shore, and it turned out to be a pair of loons! How wonderful and amazing! I'm sure they wouldn't have been there if it weren't for the fog, but it was so neat to see them. Bettyann said she had heard them early this morning, too, but I don't know when.
The weather was weird, but mostly it was cloudy and foggy. It was also very cool. For most fo the day, the temperature was in the low 50s, and once it went down to 49º. It's now up to 63º. although I had to close the windows because it sure didn't feel that warm here. All the time we were socked in, with fog horns and loons, it was warm and sunny down in Houghton, although now that it's clearing up here, it's cloudy down there. There wasn't any wind.
We didn't see much of Louie today. He was apparently too tired, and he slept almost all day. Grayson was around, but he slept a lot, too, and he is socked out under the east windows right now. All the excitement of yesterday was too much for them, and now they're used to Bettyann. They are funny.
So now I can go back to my usual schedule, which will be nice, and try to keep my house clean. Bettyann said she will be able to come back around the end of July, and we can do some more stuff. There's a lot left to do.
Now it's a partly cloudy, cool evening in the field, and I'm tired. I don't think I will be up very long tonight. But I have a nice clean kitchen.
June 26 I think it was about 10:30 when I got to bed last night, and I slept well. I woke up around 7:30 and decided to get up so I could do my knitting, which I did, and I got some of my surfing done before Bettyann arrived.
Then we worked. She worked a whole lot harder than i did, but i worked, too. We started by clearing out the breezeway, and getting all the boxes and orange bags out of there, then we came in and she started on the powder room while I did some stuff in the kitchen and then I worked on the boxes in the great room. I had to sit down. My legs and my feet were so sore I couldn't stand anymore. So she did the kitchen. She isn't done yet, because there's a lot stuff that needs to be moved or removed and I couldn't help her by that time, but it looks a whole lot better than it did. There is still the floor, though, which she will probably work on tomorrow. We ate dinner at Mariner. She is staying overnight, so that she can get that much more done. That's fine with me. Already my house looks more like a home and less like a pigpen.
The weather was not the best for such work. For a while this afternoon the temperature went up to 81º, which is a tad warm. Then, around 6:00 the line of thunderstorms moved in, and we had 36 mph winds with 47 mph gusts, 0.74" of rain in about 2 hours. It really poured. The thunder mostly went out over the lake, but the wind and the rain hit us hard. With the rain came fog, which we had until about 8:30. It was so much fun to see the rain come across the harbor! The temperature dropped from 73º to 53º between 5:51 and 6:12. I know that because the wind caused the weather station to make two off-hour observations. Such fun! The temperature recovered after that, but the humidity has been 100%.
I had opened the window in the bathroom, and i forgot about it when it started to rain, so everything got wet, including all my knitting stuff, and I doubt it has dried out at all.
The cats were funny. Grayson was delighted to see a new person and even Louie didn't spend as much time in his hole as usual. They both seemed to like Bettyann, although Louie was rather suspicious of her. So many different things happened today, including both of us sitting on the porch for a while, that they were too interested to sleep very much. I imagine they'll make up for it tonight. I've cleaned a bit, but nobody has done the floors since they've lived with me, so this was all new and different. Grayson particularly was very interested in almost everything we did.
So that was a busy day, and I'm tired and sore. It's a dark, cloudy, humid night in the field.
June 25 I was in bed shortly after 9:00 last night, and after I turned over, I slept well until about 7:00, but with a number of wakeups. Then my right hip got so sore I couldn't sleep on either side anymore, so I got up shortly after 8:00. I did my knitting and after I got to the studio, my surfing.
I didn't do a lot, but I filled a couple more orange bags and put some stuff in the dishwasher. Bettyann comes tomorrow, and I hope we can get some of the stuff out of the house. I called the glass company to get my patio screens redone, since I can't seem to get anybody else to do them. I won't get any help with the stuff in the garage, unfortunately. The people Johanna suggested are too busy. Sigh.
The weather was interesting. The high temperature, 66º was at 4:00 AM this morning, and then by 5:00, it was 52º. It stayed under 55º until just a little while ago, when it went up to 58º. For most of the day, the wind was calm, and around 10:30, the fog moved in. At first, it was just a cloud or two, but soon I couldn't see anything, Around 6:15 this evening, it started to clear up, and by 6:40 it was all clear again. Now the wind seems to be picking up from the east, and it's a mite cool with the window open, but since the temperature in here is still 79º. I think I'll leave it open.
The guys were very sleepy again today. It must be the humidity, which has been over 90% for most of the day.
Now I think I will totter up to the north end and try to get to bed early again. I have to wash my hair, so that will take a while. It's a cool, clear evening in the field, and it's still very humid.
June 24 Well, I did it. After I uploaded this, I started reading Special Forces and I just couldn't stop. I like it as well as I did when I finished it, but it needs some more time to percolate. Anyway, it was ridiculously late when I finally got to bed. Of course, I slept, although I was up a couple of times. I got up around 10:45 and I did my knitting before I got dressed.
I was so late that I didn't do much, but I did get some of the trash out of the kitchen. Not all of it - I need help getting it into the garage - but at least I can sort of walk around in there again. i don't think I'm going to be up very long tonight.
While I was reading last night, the big full moon swung into view in the south window. It was low in the sky, of course, and it was sort of cream colored, but it was bigger than usual. It was really pretty, even though I couldn't see it very well. My eyes, you know.
So it cleared up after sunset last night, and I suppose it was clear all night, although nautical twilight had just about started when I went to bed. It was a beautiful day, but it's clouded up a bit lately. The temperature was weird. At 7:00 AM it was 46º, then by 8:00 it was 66º - 20º in an hour! At 9:00 it was 69º, then at 10:00 it was 57º. I can't see anything in the rest of the statistics that would indicate why it all happened, and after that, the temperature rose more normally, although it was stuck at 67º for most of the afternoon. Lately, it's risen to 75º. There was almost no wind all day.
The guys love having the east window in the studio open, and they took turns looking out of it. For some time this afternoon, Grayson was asleep under the south windows - in the sun - and Louie was sound asleep under the east window. Every so often, Grayson would jump up and look out and smell the outdoors, then Louie would look out. I've always known that there is a parade going by outside that window - Buster and DC told me that back in 2001 right after I moved in.
So now I am just exhausted, so i will be going to bed soon. I will read a bit, but what I'm reading now (one of the Voyages, Part 3, about my favorite) isn't so super-exciting that it will keep me awake for very long. It's a partly cloudy, warm evening in the field.
June 23 I got to bed about 10:00 last night. I went up to the north end early, but I spent some time staring at the floor, as I frequently do. I turned over about 10:30 and slept well until around 4:00, when I woke up having had a very vivid nightmare - it's been a very long time since I've had one of those. It took me a long time to put myself back together after that one - I woke up terrified - and I didn't sleep very well for the rest of the night. Oh, sigh.
I got up when I intended to, though, but I spent some time in the bathroom before I got my breakfast and did the important parts of my surfing. I started out at just the time I wanted.
Then, just before Central, I got behind three cars that were exceptionally law-abiding. Gaak! I finally passed them all, and when I got to church, while I was listening to the news, they all pulled into the parking lot! Oh, dear - it was the Finns, coming down from Copper Harbor for church! I hope they didn't recognize my car.
Church was nice, and there were so many people there that we made a lot of noise, although Jan was playing the organ so loudly on the hymns it was hard to hear. They sang "Be Still My Soul," which is to the tune FInlandia, and it is another one of the hymns they'll have to sing at my funeral. I tear up just listening to it. Pastor's sermon was a good one, but long, and there were lots of prayers, and then all those people had to greet and talk to Pastor, so it was noon before we got out. I was afraid the Finns would be going back north ahead of me, but I guess they went back down to Hancock for the end of FinnFest.
I talked to Bettyann, and she is coming Wednesday. I hope to do a few things before then, but I'm not counting on it. I certainly didn't do anything this afternoon when I got home. I was too tired.
The weather was not very nice. It was cloudy and foggy almost all day, and the temperature got up to 75º. It was a little, but not much, less humid. Between 6:00 and 8:00 this evening, a line of thunderstorms moved through, and although the worst of it went north of us, we had 0.23" of rain and it's warm and dampish now. Even during the rain, there wasn't much wind, although between 1:00 and 4:00 we had gusts up to 28 mph. Now the sun is sort of out again and the clouds aren't nearly as thick, but oh my, is it humid!
The guys were very sleepy today. Grayson got to sit on my lap twice, which he liked. I didn't see Louie at all this morning, until I worried about him before he appeared, and they were both sleeping most of the day. Now Grayson is asleep in the open east window. Zzzz...
Me, too.
When I went in the bathroom after I woke up this morning, I looked out and there was a mom deer - a very large mom deer - and her little fawn right out on the lot line under the trees. I wonder if it's the same mom deer I had in my garden a week or so ago? The fawn looked a little bit large to be just born, but it was still spotted and it had very large ears. But mom went in one direction and the little guy went in another. I hope they met up again in my neighbor's woods. LIving in the woods is such fun. You never know what you might see.
Now I am very tired and I don't think it will be long before I totter up to the north end. Actually, I wasn't very tottery today, and I have to believe it was the temperature, since the humidity would normally have done me in. I didn't have nearly as much trouble standing up in church as I've had lately, and it's nothing I've been doing.
So now it's a warm, humid, partly sunny evening in the field. While we are on the downward leg, so far the days are only getting shorter at 15 seconds a day, so it will be a while before we notice it.
June 22 Well, last night, I was in bed a little after 10:00, and I realized pretty quickly that I had to turn over to get to sleep. I was up several times, as usual, but in between I slept pretty well. It was so foggy that I couldn't se the lighthouse all night.
I got up a little before 9:00 and I did my knitting. It's beginning to go fast now, even though I still have nearly 300 stitches on the needles. I worked two rows in about 40 minutes, so I was early getting to the studio. Not that it did me any good. I didn't do anything at all. Sigh.
The weather was foggy and cool. At least it was cool until recently, when the temperature went up to 62º. It was more like 50º until around 3:00, when what little wind there was shifted to the south. The humidity was effectively 100% until lately, when it went down to 90%. Besides thick fog, it was dark and cloudy all day. There was a little rain overnight but none to day. Not a nice day at all. Yuck.
The guys felt like the weather, and so did I. Sometime this afternoon, I heard an altercation from the great room and when I went to get my dinner, Grayson was sleeping in the pink chair without the throw and Louie was sleeping on the floor on the throw. I wish they'd move - that throw is there for a reason. The fabric on the pink chair attracts cat hair and keeping it covered helps a lot.
Now I will read a little more before I go up to the north end and take my bath. It's still a foggy, dreary evening in the field, but the temperature is a little warmer.
June 21 - Summer Solstice I was in bed by 9:30 last night, but it took me a while to get to sleep. Once I did, however, I did good. I was up around 8:00, and I just decided I wasn't ready to get up, so the next time I woke up was 10:00. I should have had enough sleep, but I'm still recovering. I did my knitting, and while I did, it was raining. Goodie!
I was so late getting to the studio that I didn't do anything again. It was so dark and dismal I couldn't do anything anywhere that I couldn't turn on some lights. I was finishing my breakfast when I had a really nasty accident, so I cleaned myself up and washed what I was wearing. Yuck.
The weather was dark and dismal and wet. While I was knitting, we had a thunderstorm, but the real bulk of the rain was between 12:00 and 1:00 this afternoon, when we had 0.43" of rain. Overall, we had 0.88" for the day. Yea! We really needed it. Between and during showers, it was quite hazy or foggy, although the camera hung up this morning, so there isn't any record of what the seeing really was. The highest temperature all day was 61º. and it has now dropped off from that. It was really dismal.
Today was Louie's morning in the bathroom, and he didn't want me to knit - he wanted me to pet him. Sorry, Louie. When I went toward the bathroom later, both Louie and Grayson were in the pink chair, with Louie, as you might expect, taking up most of it. Grayson isn't too concerned by thunder, but Louie clearly doesn't like it very well, and he needs company. When the UPS guy came around late in the afternoon, he disappeared, but he came back later.
By the way, this is \ the longest day of the year - 15h 58m. I've always been happy that the nights in the winter aren't quite that long. Now we start down the other side, unfortunately. I love the long days, even though it means I sometimes go to bed while it's still light out. It does mean I don't have to get up in the dark, which I hate.
Now the fog is rising from the surface of the harbor, and the humidity is 97% with no wind. It's a very dark, dull, yucky night in the field - not what you'd like to see on the first day of summer - and I think I will read a bit before I go back to bed.
June 20 I read until midnight, but when I got to bed, my legs were twitchy and my feet were cold. At 2:00 AM I actually walked down to the studio to make sure I had taken my pills - I had - and the walk warmed up my feet and got the blood circulating enough that I finally got to sleep. I was up a couple more times, and I got up around 9:00, shortly after Louie landed on the end of the bed like a ton of bricks. So I'm really tired tonight.
i finished the reading, though, so I don't have much of an excuse not to get to bed early, although I do have to wash my hair.
I knitted - 299 stitches! And I was so tired that I didn't do anything else.
The weather was blah. The temperature zigzagged up and down all day and it has finally risen to 65º. It was mostly cloudy, although it hasn't rain yet. It's raining at the airport, though, so it may be on its way. I hope. There was a bit of sunshine, but not much, and there was a bit of fog a while ago. There wasn't any wind. Blah.
The guys were sleepy. Grayson slept on the rug all the time I was knitting, but he got some petting, too, which he liked. He wanted his chops rubbed. Louie got his tummy rub and he went to sleep on my lap, until my hand went to sleep and I had to move him. Grayson was asleep under the south windows and Louie got up on the desk, I guess to bug him, but I wouldn't let him. I think they are asleep again. They are up early in the morning, and by the time I usually get up, they're back to sleep.
So now I am going up to the north end right now - no reading! - and take my bath. I'm so tired I have a headache, and only lots of sleep will cure that. It's a dull, cloudy, warm night in the field.
June 19 Well, last night, I only read until midnight, and I didn't have to take a bath. I slept well, with just three wakeups. I might have slept longer, although I did have to walk, except that Louie started talking and jumped up on the bed, over my head and onto the nightstand, and that annoyed me enough that I came to. It was 9:00, so I got up and knitted my two rows. Pretty soon, I'll be able to go on to four rows, but not quite yet. 303 stitches.
I had time to do my surfing before I was off to see Johanna, via the post office. I had a card to mail to Eleanor and I thought there might be packages, which there were. My watch batteries came, so now my stainless steel watch is operating again. I tightened the back of the case as much as I could, and i hope it's enough. I was rather annoyed to have to buy the opener tool, but when I looked at my good watch (the last present from my mother), I discovered it has the same kind of back as the stainless one, so now I'm prepared to replace all the batteries in my watches and I won't have to pay for anything but the batteries. I find my fingers are getting stiff enough it's hard to work on those little things, but maybe as I do it more, they'll become more nimble. And maybe not - they've been stiff for a very long time.
Anyway, I had my massage and I feel much better for it. My back had tightened up a lot and now it's back in shape again. Eos got her cookies, but she just barely made it over to where I was. She was out at Horseshoe Harbor yesterday and her poor paws got cut up on the rocks. so she was rather sad today, but she wanted those cookies! She is such a nice dog. Well, I've always said you can tell a whole lot about the owner by the dog. She could hardly be other than nice.
I didn't do anything for the rest of the afternoon, but I didn't get home until nearly 4:00.
The weather was nice. It was clear until around 5:00, when it clouded up. The temperature was around 60º until then, too, and then it went up to 68º. where it's been ever since. Nice for a change. There wasn't much wind again. i opened the east window, and all of us enjoyed that.
The guys were sleepy again. Nothing to report there.
I have been forgetting to mention that it's lilac time in Copper Harbor, and all the way down the peninsula. I haven't gotten to smell any close up, but there is a sort of perfume in the air that makes it nice to have the windows open. I love lilacs, and it's so nice to have my neighbor's along my lot line. I saw a yellow swallowtail sipping nectar from one this morning. I'd love to have a white one, but I probably won't ever. Most of the ones around here have been here forever and they're all shades of purple.
So that is about all I know. I am going up to the north end and read some more (ahem!) but I don't have anywhere to go tomorrow. so I can sleep in. It's a warm, cloudy evening in the field.
June 18 Wow, am I tired! I went up to the north end early, and I decided to read for a while and I really got into the stories, so it was 1:00 before I got to bed. I was only up a couple of times, and I got up at 9:00. My idea was that I would have time to do my surfing before I left for town. Then I had a nasty accident, so I didn't get to do all my surfing anyway. Sigh.
The car is now oiled and full of fluids for the summer. The bad news is that my exhaust system is finally failing (after 12 years) and it will cost either $500 or $900 to replace it. The cheaper one is with aftermarket parts, and the guy says they don't last long. If I use genuine GM parts, I will pay more, but I may never have to replace it again. It's not so bad I need to do anything right away, fortunately, but it's another thing on the horizon. Well, there goes my Kindle again.
After that, I wanted to stop at the eye glasses people to get my frames adjusted, and they aren't there anymore! I meant to call them when I got home, but it was too late when I remembered. I hope they didn't go out of business. Sigh. So I went to Pat's and did some damage there, although a lot of it was JD. I got a nice wrap sandwich and a couple of those salads I liked so much, and a rotisserie chicken as well as a nice piece of fish. That's for tomorrow. I was hungry enough that I ate early so I can go up to the north end anytime.
On the way down, a nice tourist pulled off at Frimodig Park to let me pass, and I didn't run into any other traffic until Kearsarge. On the way home, I got behind some slow drivers, but I lapped them when I turned off at Cliff Drive. There aren't many tourists around now, probably because they've all heard about the bugs.
I guess (according to John Dee) that most of the black flies are already gone, and the big problem is mosquitoes - oh, boy is it! I haven't gotten any new bites, I don't think, but there were some in the breezeway when I came through. I didn't mention that sometime, Saturday or Sunday, I got one on the fourth toe of my left foot, and it hurts as well as itching. Those monsters are hungry!
The weather was pretty nice. It was cloudy early, and when I got to the studio I discovered that the camera had hung up around 8:00 this morning. For a while it was just beautiful, but it clouded up around the time I got home, and it is now clearing again, but there is that high haze in the sky so it won't be so clear tonight. It was another day of zigzag temps. The high was 66º for a little while, but on either side of it, it went down to 53º or 54º. It has now recovered to 64º. It was warmer in town. There wasn't any wind here, although it was quite windy when I was at Pat's between 2:00 and 3:00. It never ceases to amaze me what a difference 40 miles can make.
The guys were sleepy again, at least while I was here. Louie came and looked at what I was bringing into the house, and then he went back to sleep. Grayson just stopped by for a minute and got a short pet. They crack me up, though. If I'm sitting here reading or at the north end reading, after a while they start wandering around, as if to say, "Isn't it time you went to bed?" They like consistency and as you know, I'm not very consistent. One night I'll go to bed at 8:00 and the next it will be 1:00 AM.
Now I think I will go up to the north end and possibly read for a little while (if I can stay awake) before I crash. it's a clear, warmish night in the field.
June 17 I was in bed by 9:00 last night, and I slept, although I was up at least four times. The last time was around 7:45, but I went back to bed, and I didn't get up until nearly 10:00. I think that should be enough sleep, but I'm still tired. One reason I slept so well was that I put Adolph's on my bites (except the one on my toe) and that helped enough that they didn't keep me awake. They're getting itchy again, but I have to take a bath tonight, so I'll have to wait until after that.
I did my knitting, and I'm down to just over 300 stitches now. The only problem is that the finished part of the shawl is getting big enough that it's bulky and hard to get out of my way. And that was all I did. I was late enough, and there is enough to read on Mondays that it took me most of the afternoon to do my surfing.
The weather was a lot cooler than they predicted. The temperature finally got up to 51º at 6:00, and then it immediately dropped back. It was around 45º for most of the afternoon, which is about our average minimum. So it's still cooler than normal. There wasn't any wind. It was cloudy when I got up, then we had a couple of hours of beautiful sunshine, before it clouded up again. I just discovered that the camera hung up around 4:00 - sorry about that. It cleared up again sometime after that and it's quite clear now. I'll probably see the moon tonight.
The guys were remarkably sleepy all day. They slept on the rug while I was knitting and they slept on the furniture - Grayson on the pink chair and Louie on the navy blue chair - all afternoon. Now that it's warmer in the house, they don't sleep on the floor as much. Grayson is beginning to wake up a bit, but Louie is still asleep. I wonder if my problem is that it's catching?
Tomorrow I have to take the car in for its spring maintenance, so I have to take a bath tonight. In the meantime, I will read a bit, I think. Now it's a cold, calm, clear evening in the field and there should be stars.
June 16 - Father's Day Happy Father's Day to all you fathers and grandfathers out there. Try to talk to your children and grandchildren. I still regret that I didn't get to know my father better. He was always a very inwardly directed person, but I strongly suspect he had PTSD from his service in the Navy in WWII - in an LST in the Pacific - and while he could interact on a superficial level, it was hard to get to know him well.
When I went up to the north end last night, I read far too long, and it was 10:30 before I got to bed. I didn't sleep very well. My bites were horribly itchy and I was up any number of times. I briefly thought about staying home when the alarm went off, but I didn't. I got up and got myself out and got to church early. There wasn't much traffic.
They sang one hymn I can't sing. It's on the list of hymns to sing at my funeral (if I was going to have a funeral).
While I was waiting to use the restroom after church, I had a nice chat with the woman who brings Eleanor to church (Eleanor will be 92 next Friday), and next week I think she is going to come and help me with the disaster I have in the house. She is a lovely person who feels her calling in life is to help people. She is tall and large, and I'm sure she can help me. It will be a relief.
After church, I ran by the post office to mail some letters I forgot to take with me on Friday, and then I had to get gas. I am very pleased to report that the price of gas has come down to $3.86. That's a 34¢ decrease since last Sunday. And they deny they're gouging us!
I was so tired that when I got home, I didn't do anything but sit. Johanna called to say she can't make our date for tomorrow, so I will go for my massage on Wednesday. Otherwise I did nothing.
The weather was, well, interesting. When I got up, it was cloudy here and clear in Houghton, but by the time I left for church, it had cleared up. The temperature went up and down here, with 62º for a high. It was a lot warmer in Calumet, in the high 60s, I guess. It was still clear when I got home, but around 4:30 it clouded up, and we had a nice little rainstorm. We really needed the rain, and we got 0.28", which is respectable.
The guys were a bit rambunctious this morning, but by the time I got home, they were asleep somewhere and I didn't even see them until I went out to the breezeway to bring in some dry cat food bags. Yes, I filled the bowls. Grayson was happy about that.
While I was sitting in church, I discovered two bites on my face, and there are now a couple of others on my arms. I do not know where those critters are coming from, although there may have been some in the car while I was driving down to Laurium. Anyway, I now have two big red marks on my face and my hands are so itchy I almost itch all over. I haven't gotten chewed up like this for a couple of years, and I just can't figure out how it happened. Aarrgh!
The rain has now stopped, but it's cool and damp. i will not be long out of bed tonight. I'm really tired. Now it's a cloudy, cool, damp evening in the field.
June 15 Oh, well. Last night it was Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto and Sibelius' Symphony #2, which are particular favorites of mine, so it was midnight before I got to bed. I slept all right, but I was up any number of times - partly the fish, no doubt - and I woke up a couple of times with sore hips. I got up around 9:15, I think, and I did my knitting.
And that was all. I felt sort of blah all day, so I did nothing at all. It made me feel a little better that the cats felt the same.
The weather was blah. It was dark and cloudy all day. The temperature got up to 65º at 4:00, and then at 5:00, it was 51º. Geez. If you come up here, be sure to bring clothes for all seasons and be prepared to wear them. There was a mostly light wind from the west. It was very dull and gray. Blah.
The guys were blah, too. They were up when I was this morning, but they soon went to sleep and slept all day. Grayson got a long time on my lap this afternoon and then Louie got a long tummy rub. And then they went back to sleep. The dry food bowls are nearly empty, so that was no doubt part of the reason they were so loving. Tomorrow, guys.
There was at least one mosquito in my bedroom last night, and she bit the heck out of my hands. I have four bites on my right hand and two on my left and they are itching like crazy. I can tell already that they aren't black fly bites, and besides, when I woke up this morning, she was whining around my head. I'm not quite as allergic to mosquitoes as I am to black flies, but they do leave large welts. They will only itch for three or four days, though, and most times they don't blister. It's the bug season, folks. I will put some Adolph's on them before I go to bed tonight and hope that keeps the itching down. What I don't understand is where they came from. All the screens seem to be intact, so maybe I brought them in from the garage with me?
So that is all there is. It's a cool, cloudy night in the field.
June 14 I forgot to mention last night that yesterday morning when I walked into the kitchen and looked down into the garden, there was a rather large deer sitting in the garden bed, right over where the poppies are, if there are still any poppies. I don't know how long it had been there or when it left, but it looked quite comfortable. It was on alert, but it didn't seem nervous. Amazing.
I think I was in bed by 10:30 last night, but I didn't sleep all that well for some reason. The moon was shining in the front windows when I went to bed, but it was too high in the sky to show in the camera. I was up several times. When I was up around 2:30, I looked out the bathroom window and not only could I see Polaris, I could see the two end stars in the Little Dipper and all the stars in the Big Dipper except for the one that connects the handle to the bowl. It might have been there, but without my glasses and through the screen, I couldn't see it. And when i went back to bed, there was Arcturus shining in the front windows. It's been a long time since I've seen such clear skies.
I got up around 8:30 and I did my knitting before I got dressed. And that was almost all I did. I went to the post office, where there was something I ordered just a couple of days ago, much to my surprise. Usually those people are slower. Unfortunately, the bills for all my doctor visits in March came through, too. There is a deductible on my insurance, and now I'm having to pay. Otherwise, I didn't do much of anything that I can remember.
The weather was nice. It was cold overnight - down to 42º - but it got up to 63º and it was around 60º for the whole afternoon. It was clear and lovely for most of the day, too, I could see the clouds starting to move in while I was out, and around 6;00 the sun went away. So no moon or stars tonight.
The guys were sleepy this morning, but I think they were probably up and outside all night long. They got petted, and Louie got a good tummy rub. I haven't seen them lately, but I suspect they are resting up for tonight. Heaven knows what parades go by while I'm asleep.
The early flowering bushes are done with now, and the leaves are almost fully out on the trees except for the oaks. so spring is progressing even though it hasn't been very warm. We need rain; it's been a while since we've had any amount and it's dry.
So that was my day, and now I think I will read a bit before I go to bed early again. It's a cloudy, nearly calm evening in the field.
June 13 Sometime after I posted last night, I looked at the last picture from the camera and started to wonder what that white spot was up toward the top of the frame, and then I realized it was the moon. I checked, and the last two pictures showed it, although the earlier one wasn't as obvious. So here they are - we shot the crescent moon! It was also a rather dramatic sunset, I thought.
I was late getting to bed. I was about to go shortly after 10:00 when they announced that they were going to play a Haydn symphony within the next fifteen minutes, so of course i had to stay for that. Then there was some other nice music, and well...it was 11:30 before I got to bed. Sigh.
I slept well, and I got up around 9:30 or so, I think - I don't remember. I knitted, of course, before I got dressed. The shawl is getting cumbersome to handle.
I was trying to do my surfing when I had an accident for the second time in two days. It gets old. So I changed my bottoms and washed what I had on. It gets old.
When I got to the studio, things were weird. I could get out into the internet, but I couldn't access my own website. Huh? So I called PastyNet, and I learned there had been a fiber break around Marquette. I didn't know what that had to do with me, but it turns out that the server farm for PastyNet is over there. So I could get anyplace but my website. It also meant that there was a hiatus in camera updates from 10:30 to around 2:00, I think. I did my thing, and I kept checking the camera software, because it knows before I do when the connection comes back. I'm sorry for anybody who was trying to access the site during the time it was down
I didn't do much of anything except try to make some sense of the disaster on my desk. If I ever get through playing with the sewing machine, I want to do some real sewing, and I'll need the desk to be clear so I can cut, although I've been toying with setting things up on the dining room table. The trouble with that is the dozen or so very heavy bags of magazines and other stuff I have in there, leaving not enough room to open up the table. Well, I'll figure it out eventually.
The weather was so-so and not nearly as nice as they had predicted. It was cloudy until almost 2:30, when it cleared up some, but there is still that high haze that makes it hard to see stars. The temperature actually did peak at 57º, at 6:00, but it just spiked and it has fallen back since then. It was in the low 50s for most of the day. the wind got up close to 15 mph from the north for a while. Meh.
Louie came into the bathroom while I was knitting and settled down in the washbasket until I was done. Grayson came in much later and settled down outside the basket. When I was done knitting, I had to dump Louie out of the basket so I could fold my underwear, which he was not very happy about. They were mostly sleepy for the rest of the day.
So it was a quiet day. Besides the underwear, I got the dishwasher mostly unloaded, but it's unsanitary in the kitchen, and I shall have to do something about that soon. Maybe tomorrow? We'll see. It isn't going to go away.
Now it's a sort of clear, sort of cool evening in the field, and I wonder if we'll shoot the moon again.
June 12 So I was about to call it a night when there was a message that the Microsoft monthly updates were ready to download. I was afraid I would forget about them, so I started installing them. This time, it took three reboots to get everything installed on the desktop, although it only took one on the laptop. For some reason it lost track of the software for my nice mouse, so it downloaded that, too. Then I had to take my shower, so it was 11:30 before I got to bed.
I slept well, with several wakeups. When I went to bed it was foggy again, but it cleared up some later, but not enough to see Polaris. I could see Arcturus, but that's a more then first magnitude star. I finally woke up for good around 10:00, and i had been dreaming about my first little house in Grosse Pointe. It's been a while since I did that. As usual with those dreams, the later owners had sort of trashed it in a weird way. Well, it's always strange what bubbles up from the depths of my unconscious.
I knitted my two rows, and now I have put point protectors on all my projects, so with any kind of luck, I won't be dropping stitches off the ends of the needles again.
I ended up not doing much. I never got to play with the sewing machine. There were a few things I needed to do, I thought - and now I can't remember what they were. I looked into a bunch of boxes and baskets and made more room around the sewing machine, and I cleaned a couple of rulers Buster desecrated. i looked at a couple of mending projects, but one requires zigzag and the other is a knit (in an odd shade of blue), so I didn't do those.
My last Amazon order came and with it my watch opening tool. I tried as best I could to get my stainless steel watch open and I couldn't do it with pliers, so I ordered a relatively cheap watch opening tool. After a couple of tries, that opened the watch - and of course, it uses a type of battery I don't have. So I had to order that. I was most annoyed by how the watch opener arrived. It was in the same box with some pills and stuff I need for the bathroom, and the box had been tossed in upside down with no packing, so all the little gizmos that screw into the opener had come out of the places for them and a couple had dropped into the bigger box. When I inventoried them, one seemed to be missing, but when I got up, it dropped on the floor and I had to sweep to find it. That was OK, because I also found the battery I dropped when I was changing the one in another watch. There was no excuse for the bad packing, though, and when Amazon asks me about it in a couple of weeks, they will get an earful.
So now I could almost go into the watch repair business, but the number of batteries I'd have to have is enormous. In my opinion, that's something else that should be standardized, like USB connections are. I mean, what's the difference between a 377 and a 384 battery? Probably nothing, but I'd like not to ruin my watch, in case there is. I have three more watches that are still working, and what do you bet each of them has a different battery? One I'm pretty sure does, because it's an extremely small watch, but I'm not sure about the other two, and I'm not going to check until they stop.
The weather was not bad, but the temperature was weird. Around 10:00 it went up to 70º before it dropped back to 57º, then it stayed right around there until 4:00, when it dropped off to 51º. I can't see anything with the wind, which was minimal to calm, so what caused the variation, I do not know. It was clear this morning, but it began to cloud up later and after 5:00, it has been fairly cloudy, at least to the west. I didn't go out.
The guys were themselves. Louie got a long love this morning, and I only booted him off my lap because I wanted to type. This was Grayson's morning in the bathroom, and we had a love-in, too. I have left the porch window open a bit, and they really enjoy that. Not that there's much to see out there, but it's fresh air.
So now I am going to read a while and run the dishwasher, and then I am going to bed, hopefully early. It's a partly cloudy evening in the field.
June 11 I made it into bed by 10:30 last night, and I slept well after I turned over. I guess I've gone back to the habits I had 20 years ago, when I would lie down on my left side to say my prayers, and then I had to turn over to go to sleep. Only lately I've been forgetting I have to do that.
I got up around 9:00, so I felt much better today. I knitted my two rows, and I was very tempted to do a third row, but it's not quite time yet.
I am happy to say that the new sewing machine is in its place - which it just barely fit - and it works. I haven't done much with it yet. I wound a bobbin, which is incredibly cumbersome, and I sewed a couple of straight seams. I'm not happy with the tension, but I didn't want to fiddle with that today because I was having a problem seeing. The machine is remarkably quiet, which is nice, and it has very bright lights, which should make seeing easier. After that, I set up the boxes for the feet - I had to separate all the separators and carve off the tabs between them - and I labeled the sections, so I have some hope of finding the right foot again. In the course of packing up the accessories for the old machine, I discovered that I have two of several feet, including some that will fit the new machine. There were several feet for the old machine I was sorry not to have, except that in most cases, I found an even nicer one for the new machine. I have a lot of feet. There was one I bought from Singer, which is supposed to be a quilting foot and is the nearest thing to the old Singer straight-stitch foot, which really tickles me. The right-hand part has toes on the end of it! I don't know how they got away with that, because Singer seems very hidebound, but every time I see it, it makes me laugh. And there are several I had thought about getting that I won't have to, because I either have them or I have something better.
Tomorrow, I will make marks on my doodle cloth and start stitching out all the stitches. I did find out how to lengthen the stitch, and I'm happy with how that came out. However, everybody has gone over to metric stitch lengths, whereas I'm still thinking in stitches per inch. So when the length is 5mm, I guess that means 5 per inch, which is better than the old machine could do. It will exercise my brain to do all that math in my head.
While I was packing up the old machine accessories, I went through a lot of drawers and boxes and now I know some of the stuff I have there again.
My worst problem was unplugging the old machine and plugging in the new one. The outlet is under the counter, and while I could just reach the old plug, I had a horrible time plugging in the new plug. I was even toying with the notion of plugging it in someplace else, but I decided I wanted to put it in its permanent position. That meant reaching way under the counter, and it took me six tries, I think, before I could wedge myself under there far enough to not only get the plug in the holes but push it into them. Then, of course, I had to get up. I had to lower the chair all the way, which I think is about 15" off the floor, and that was hard, especially the second time. Whew! Hopefully, I won't ever have to move that plug.
The machine has a foot pedal, and it's weird. It presses down backward, which means I'm going to have to relearn the reflexes of a lifetime (I think my mother let me start using the Featherweight when I was eight or nine). This machine also has a way to start and stop it by pushing a button, but the pedal has to be unplugged. I may use that if I'm doing embroidery designs, but most of the time, I prefer the control the foot pedal give - if I can learn how to use it.
So now my new toy is ready to play with, and I'm anxious to press on, but I need to get some stuff out of the way and I had done enough for this afternoon. I discovered a whole pile of fat quarters of quilting fabrics I succumbed to some time ago. I have always had a great love of fabric (and thread and notions) which has led me to have an incredible stash, even though I downsized at least three times. I think possibly there are a couple of cuts of pants-weight in the basement, but in the meantime, I have to learn to use my new toy and clean off the desk so I can cut (I think I've said that before).
The weather was interesting. When I got up, we had thick fog, which came and went all day. I would think it had cleared up, and then I'd look outside and I couldn't see anything again. Now it's clear again. Needless to say, it was very humid all day. The high temperature was 63º at 9:00 AM, then it plunged to 44º at 1:00 PM, which was the low, and then it recovered a bit. It's 56º now. I think the lows correspond to when the fog rolled in. There was hardly any wind all day. Above the fog, it was nearly clear, which made for some interesting effects.
The guys felt the humidity, and besides, they didn't like it when I started rustling around. I don't know what they'll do when I start sitting at the sewing machine all day.
Now it's clear, but humid and not very warm. At least the sun is shining, so it's a pretty evening in the field.
June 10 First, I want to thank the people who wrote about my rant of last night. I appreciate your support. Curiously enough, I only got emails from people who agree with me. Maybe that means some other people should step back and rethink their attitudes? Enough of all that. I've always gotten upset with people who think the universe runs by their rules, but only lately have I had a forum to voice my disgust.
I think it was around 9:30 when I turned out the light, and I slept well, although I was up several times. I got up around 10:00, so I should have had enough sleep, but sometimes it takes me a day or two to recover. I felt sort of blah today. I did my knitting. The new needle points are working out well, although they aren't as slippery as the dark ones were. I suppose they will shine up as I use them. It is much easier to see what I'm doing with the dark yarn against the light needles. The dark ones will be good for light colored yarns - if I ever do anything that requires size 7 needles again.
Mostly I caught up on my emails and surfing. There was a lot to read this morning and a lot of links to follow. However, I've done a bit more toward getting the sewing station ready for the new sewing machine. The rolling cabinet is now cleared off so I can use the pressing station, and just now I got into the drawer and the cabinet I haven't seen for several years. There wasn't much of interest there, except that I discovered that I've managed to buy three 8" square quilting rulers. Well, I have friends who quilt, or next winter I can donate the extras to Dawn's garage sale. I found some cross stitch kits I'd stashed there and some stuff for beading. Nothing amazing. I seem to collect sewing tools, and there were a lot of neat ones in the drawer, things I'll need if I do any sewing. Maybe tomorrow I can get the bags off the chair and the stuff off the top of the sewing machine, and then I can begin to pack up the old machine and get it out of the way. Maybe. We'll see.
The weather was nondescript. It was cloudy all day, but it didn't rain. The temperature got up to 68º briefly, but now it's dropped off to 46º. There was some wind early this morning, but it has been calm all afternoon. Blah.
The guys were blah, too. Mostly they slept.
So now I will probably read for a while. I am having trouble getting back to writing Bolin. I think it's the same trouble I had with the Rim Shark episode: I know what happens, and it's just a matter of sitting down and putting my fingers on the keyboard. Besides, if I start, it's likely to be late, and I want to go to bed early again. I really do want to get that new sewing machine going.
So now it's a cool, calm, cloudy night in the field and I won't be up long.
June 9 I filled the pill dispensers and replaced the needle tips on the shawl with light-colored ones and I took my bath, and I was in bed before 9:30. I had a little trouble getting to sleep until I turned over, then I did good. Around 3:45 this morning, I unplugged the new nightlight and plugged in the old one. The new one was so bright I couldn't see the sky outside the window, and that's not acceptable. I'm thinking about covering about 3/4 of the light with tape and see how that works, but for the time being, I'm happy with my old light. As an old astronomer, I'm used to walking around in the dark, and if a cat gets stepped on, well, they should know better than to get under my feet. I was able to see Arcturus when I got back in bed, but it's out the front windows. I don't think I could have seen Polaris anyway, because it wasn't really clear.
Of course, since tonight there may be northern lights, it's cloudy and it may rain.
I made it to church, although my knees were really bad and I had a terrible time getting up and down. One of the disadvantages of sitting down in front is that I feel I have to get up when everyone else does. Church was good, and there were summer people there as well as our new members and we made a joyful noise. Pastor commented on how nice it was to hear all the loud singing.
Since there was communion and we had a lot more people, we got out late, and when I got to Pat's, all the handicap parking places were taken, so I had to park about seven places back. It didn't do my knees any good at all. And I kept running into a couple who summers up here and whom I met at the Copper Harbor services. In fact, it was funny, I ran into them so many times.
I didn't think I got that much stuff, but I spent a bundle. Well - almost $50 of that was for my JD, so I guess it wasn't so bad.
I got home around 1:00 or so, but I sat around and it was 3:30 when I ate my lunch - a packaged salad I found that turned out to be very good. I was so full that I had another one for dinner, and my fish will have to wait until tomorrow.
The weather started out sunny and warm. It was only 50º at 7:00, but by 8:00 it was 59º. By noon it was 68º here and I think it was warmer in town. The temperature peaked at 70º here and it was warm enough that I opened the east window, which the guys liked a lot. I have the porch window open now, too, but we'll see if I leave it overnight. It began to cloud up before I got home, and by 4:30 it was cloudy. There is some light rain around and it might be drizzling here.
The guys felt good this morning, but they slept all afternoon, except when they were looking out the open window. Louie saw the yellow bags come in and he kept trying to take a bite out of one. That is not good for him, and I had to chase him off several times. I wish I knew what caused his taste for plastic grocery bags.
Something occurred this afternoon that I feel I have to comment upon - again. For some reason I don't understand, some people seem to assume that since I am a member of a conservative Christian denomination, my politics must necessarily be on the far right end of conservatism. Let me say it plainly: that is not the case. As I've grown older and seen and heard and experienced more, my politics have gotten less conservative. I don't talk about politics in this place (or any other place) because I feel your politics are your business and mine are mine and they don't need to interfere with our being friends, but evidently a lot of people don't feel that way, particularly in our sadly polarized country today. I feel particularly strongly about the emails I keep getting that denigrate the President of the United States. You may not agree with him, but he is our president, we did elect him, and he deserves our honor because of his position (and so does his wife). That's the nature of our democracy. If you get those kinds of emails, please, do not forward them to me. They only change my opinion of you - for the worse. If this angers you, then I'm sorry, but nobody is forcing you to read my journal. I believe we can have meaningful conversations even though we don't agree on politics or religion, but maybe you don't.
By the way, back when I was becoming a "management" person (although I never managed much of anything except hardware) a lecturer pointed out the true meaning of the word assume. Break it up this way: ass/u/me. In other words, it makes an ass of you and me. Do not assume. Anything. Ever.
There. After going over those two paragraphs at least a dozen times, I think I've expressed myself about as well as I can.
See what happens when I'm tired? I get bitchy.
And I am tired. I may read a bit, while I finish my JD, but then I'm going to crash. It sounds like it will be a good night to sleep long and hard. Now it's a dark, dull, cloudy night in the field, but it's fairly warm.
June 8 I listened to some more nice music last night, including Beethoven's 8th, and it was around 11:20 when I turned out the light. I slept fairly well, although I was up a number of times. I woke up around 8:00 and decided that was too early, so the next time I came to was 10:30.
I did my knitting, and I have finished the third repeat of the main pattern - 341 stitches, so I've worked off 200 stitches. There is still a long way to go, but from now on the rows get shorter and shorter, so it should go faster in the vertical direction. I still don't like the color very well, but I started it, so I should finish it, and it's something that might be useful if i can ever get it blocked.
Today was washday and fill-the-pill-dispensers day. I also decided that at least I should fold the piles of laundry that have been sitting in baskets for months, although my back was bad enough that I couldn't put anything away. While I was folding, I found several things from last fall that still had grease spots on them, so I have just finished re-washing them, and I will put them in the dryer before I go to bed. Nothing I'm likely to be wearing except a tee, but I don't want to put them away dirty. There are few things that annoy me more (clothing-wise) than picking out what I want to wear and finding that it has spots on it. I have filled the pill dispensers in the studio, and when I go up to the north end, I'll fill the rest.
The weather was just about like yesterday. There were a few clouds overnight and into the morning, but it soon cleared up, and the afternoon was lovely. The high temperature was 55º, and there was almost no wind at all. One nice thing about having the sun out is that I can tell when the camera hangs up.
The guys were very rambunctious this morning, including before I got up, but they slept all afternoon, mostly in the sun. Louie is mostly white, so I can understand how he can sleep in that hot sun, but Grayson is dark gray, and I think he gets hotter faster. They both like the sunshine, though. While I was folding clothes in the laundry room, they were both sitting in the hall watching me, and they both looked longingly out the window onto the porch. They don't get the idea that just because it's sunny and warm in here, it's not like that outside. I don't know where Grayson was when I got up, so Louie had the bathroom to himself, and he got a lot of petting, which made up for me not letting him on my lap later on. Grayson did finally appear, and he got a nice pet, too, but that made Louie jealous, so then they had an altercation.
I ate rather early tonight - the fish I should have had last night - and I think I will read for a little while before I go up to the north end. I have Bolin open again, but I want to reread it before I start writing again. I just reread First and tweaked it a bit, but I'd like to write some more.
Now it's a sunny, calm late afternoon in the field, and maybe tonight a cloud won't cover up Venus and Mercury just when I want to look at them.
June 7 Oh, well. I read and listened to the nice music for far too long last night, and I took my bath, so it was 1:45 before I went to bed. I slept, of course. It was all I could do to stay awake long enough to finish my prayers. I was up three times, and when I woke up around 9:45, I decided that, oh, well, I might as well get up. Not nearly enough sleep, for sure! I did my knitting and got dressed for going out. Then before I really finished my breakfast, I had an accident, so the jeans are in the washer (need to be dried) and I had to change everything from the waist down. Sigh.
I went to the post office, where there wasn't that much stuff, except for several bills. I never got to the dinner, because it was almost 7:00 when my Schwan's guy came. If I'd known he was going to be that late, I would have gone early, the way I planned, but I didn't know when he would get here. So I had something for dinner that I didn't like very well and won't buy again.
I was so tired and so late getting to the studio that I didn't do anything. Sigh.
The weather was pretty nice but cool. The temperature finally got up to 55º briefly, but it was in the low 50s for most of the day. It was clear and beautiful, with copious quantities of lovely sunshine, and there wasn't too much wind most of the time. Lovely, but a bit cool.
I was talking about the cherry bush yesterday, so I saved a picture from this morning, to try to show you how lovely it is. You can see just the top of it to the right of the deck post. So pretty! You can see what a pretty day it was, too. The camera did hang up this morning, though, so we didn't get to see the whole movement of the sun.
The guys were pretty sleepy, considering how lovely the weather was. They were rather active when I got up, but they slept for most of the day. I think they're awake for a good part of the night, though. They particularly like the time between the start of astronomical twilight (which is now 3:00 AM) and sunrise. Fortunately, I spend most of that time asleep. When I came back from the post office (and I was gone less than half an hour) Grayson was sitting in front of the door waiting for me. They don't like it when I go away, even for a few minutes.
So now i will read for a little while, and try to get to bed early tonight. It's a lovely, calm, clear, beautiful evening in the field.
June 6 I'm not sure why, but it was 10:45 before I got to bed, and I had some trouble getting to sleep. Once I did, however, I slept well. I think it had something to do with a sore toe and some toes that felt cold but weren't. I did take my pills, so it wasn't that. I was up around 8:00, and that seemed too early, but I couldn't get back to sleep, so I got up around 8:45. I knitted my two rows, and I'm making good progress, although it will be some time before I can do more than two rows in an hour.
I had hoped to do something today, but I haven't felt like doing anything, so I didn't. I had some trouble with the camera, where the top got all smeared, and there was an Internet outage for a while, so I rebooted the system. I'd like that not to become a habit. It's been so nice not to have to worry about constantly rebooting. Anyway, apparently the second glitch in the camera never got uploaded, which was good. Everything seems to be all right now.
The weather was not exactly what they were predicting. It was cloudy and dark when I got up and it didn't even begin to try to clear up until 2:30. It's still mostly cloudy, but clearing. The temperature bounced around some, but the high was 51º, briefly. For most of the day it was in the upper 40s. There wasn't any wind.
The guys were active this morning, but then they got sleepy. Louie got his tummy rub, and Grayson is sleeping under the east windows now. They have full tummies, because I filled the dry food bowls.
I did move a few things around in the studio, but I'm still not at a point where I can swap out the sewing machines. Maybe tomorrow - maybe. The Copper Harbor VFD fundraiser is tomorrow night, but I may not go, because I have a Schwan's order coming. I am vastly reluctant to go to those things by myself, so I usually go early, and my Schwan's guy may not have come by 5:00. So we'll see. I probably shouldn't be eating spaghetti anyway. I don't like marinara, so I will eat meat sauce, and that's beef. So we'll see.
I think I will go up to the north end soon, because I need to wash my hair. I've been using my oily shampoo, which means I need to wash it every other day. I was hoping that shampoo would help my frizzies, but it hasn't, so I guess I will try to get rid of the oil. Besides, I'm tired.
Ever since I've lived here, I have had a kind of neat night light in the bathroom that has a square, bluish area that is lit. Over the years, it has gotten dimmer (and the dimmer switch stopped working), so yesterday I got a new one. I tried it last night and I'm not sure I like it. I can see better, but it's rather bright and it doesn't do my night adaptation any good. I may just put a piece of tape over part of the light. It is a LED, and it's surprising how bright it is. Hmm. Decisions, decisions...
I noticed, when I was getting my dinner, that the cherry bush down by the lake is in full bloom. When I first saw that bush, back in 1985 or so, I wasn't sure what it was, and the previous owner had hacked it down. Now it is growing nicely, and it is really pretty when it's blooming. It's probably a chokecherry. It does obscure part of the shoreline, but I can stand that for all the lovely white blossoms.
So now it's a cool, partly cloudy night in the field.
June 5 I made it into bed by 10:30, and oh, my did I sleep! I was awake around 8:00 and decided that was too early, so it was 10:00 before I got up, which meant I had to move to eat and get out of here in time for my appointment.
It is so pretty to drive along US-41 and Cliff Drive these days, with all the pale green and bronze leaves and the white flowering trees and bushes and grass (or some kind of weeds) that are so green they almost don't look real. I had a good trip south, because for some reason around noon today all the traffic was going north.
I got my teeth cleaned and they didn't find anything wrong, which is all good. Then I was off to Wal-Mart, where I mostly got cat stuff - food and litter - and not much to play with. I was hot and tired by the time I got out of there and a bit annoyed, too, because of the four places I looked for things three of them had empty shelves. It was too years ago that I got upset and complained, and they haven't done much about it since.
By that time, it was late enough for an early dinner, so I was off to Bambu, where I had the place to myself for most of my very good meal. I brought a lot of it home with me, and I'm undecided whether to eat the rest of it now or wait until tomorrow. They have such good food.
There was a little more traffic coming home, but I was back by 5:30 or so. I was most disappointed to see that gas has gone up to $4.20 a gallon, even at Wal-Mart. It used to be that they were cheaper, but no more. Only the new supermarket in Calumet had it for $4.00, and it wouldn't surprise me to know that's a loss leader. There is no conceivable reason why it should have gone up 60¢ a gallon in the past four weeks. They are gouging us again.
The weather was actually good for traveling. It was mostly cloudy, but it didn't rain, and the temperature was in the middle 50s. There was almost no wind.
The guys were not pleased to see me go away. Grayson pushed a bunch of stuff off the counter onto the floor, which I don't appreciate. He was sitting at the door when I came home, but with his back to it. He did come and get petted, though, when I sat down in the powder room. Louie showed up a while later and I have been chasing him away from the plastic bag I brought in with me. He just loves to eat plastic grocery bags, which I don't think are good for him.
So that was my day, and I'm tired again, so I don't think I will be up long. I may read for a little while, but not long. It's a coolish, very cloudy night in the field and there may be some rain overnight.
June 4 I was in bed by a little after 10:00 again last night, and I slept well, but I was up a number of times. At least I could get back to sleep after I was up. I was awake around 8:00 and that was too early, so I got up around 9:30 and did my knitting.
I actually accomplished something today, although not as much as I should have. I swept the floor between the two desks, and I worked with Rubbermaid barrels. One of the ones I had put the stuff from the desk in a couple of years ago turned out to be defective, so that another one wouldn't sit on top of it, so I transferred everything in it to another one which stacks fine. Then I put all the filing I haven't been doing into barrels - almost three. I haven't filed in a couple of years, and it's a mess, but I don't want to get into that now. I still have a lot to do before I can set up the new sewing machine, but at least I'm making some progress, and I think I can walk over to the patio doors again.
The weather was so-so. It was clear overnight - or at least I could see Polaris at least once and my summer star, Arcturus, was just visible in the front windows around 3:00. By the time I got up, however, it had clouded over pretty much and most of the day was cloudy. The temperature got up to 59º just a little while ago, but for most of the day it was around 50º, plus or minus a few degrees. The wind was nearly calm all day. Some sunshine would be nice, but I guess it might rain tomorrow.
The guys felt good this morning, but then they got sleepy, as usual. Louie got a long time on my lap, and I only had to boot him off because I had to type something. Grayson was around for most of the day, and he was interested in what I was doing, but he went away because the radio is transitioning to its summer mode and it's been rather loud for a while.
So now i have to go and take a bath, because I have to go to see the dentist (or actually, the hygienist) tomorrow and I want to be clean. I'm sorry to have to make another trip, and this one is to Houghton, but I should go to Wal-Mart (ugh!) and at least I should get a good dinner out of it at Bambu. Yum.
So now it's a calm, cloudy night in the field and I'll be going up to the north end shortly.
June 3 I took my bath and I was in bed before 10:00. I slept well, with the usual wakeups. I was up around 7:30 and I decided that was too early, so it was 9:00, I think, before I got up. I did my knitting before I got dressed, but that meant I didn't have time to do all my surfing before I was off to town.
I keep forgetting that I walk more around the hospital than I do in my own house. I saw the doctor and I got my blood test, and when I got up to radiology, almost an hour early, they were able to take me at once, which was nice. I had toyed with the idea of going to Pat's, but I was tired by the time I got back to my car, and besides I needed gas. So I got that and I was home by 4:00. So the mammogram thing is over with.
In my chat with the doctor, I discovered that not only had he never gotten the results of my echocardiogram, he didn't have the results of the previous one, either, or the results of the blood test I had in May. I hope he raises hell, but I'm not sure he's assertive enough to do that. Anyway, it was all in the computers, even though they aren't completely computerized yet, so we got to talk about that. There have been some changes for the worse in my heart, but he agrees with me that most of it is probably due to all the chemo. The blood work was pretty good, all things considered. My liver is fine, and my kidneys are as good as they ever are. We were both happy about the uric acid, and even he noticed that my tophi seem to be getting smaller. Not a lot, but smaller. So that was all good.
Sometimes my mammograms hurt more than other times, and this was one of the more times, and besides, she took a second picture from the side. I wish I didn't need those, but it's a necessary precaution, since I've already had breast cancer once.
I have been disheartened to see that the price of gas has gone up to $4 a gallon around here. I swear they're gouging us. just when the tourist season has started.
The weather was lovely, if cool. It was clear or nearly clear until around 7:00, when it started to cloud up. Drat. I probably will never see the conjunction of Jupiter, Venus and Mercury. Oh, well. It's always cloudy when something of interest happens in the sky. The temperature got up to 53º here, and maybe a little warmer in town. there was a little wind, up to around 15 mph from the north and it is humid. It was a pretty day to be out.
The trees are leafing out nicely, and they are a combination of pale green and reddish-bronze, which is nice. The early flowering bushes are out: serviceberries, chokecherries, and probably apples. I can come and go along Cliff Drive again, and there was one place where there was a whole huge patch of marsh marigolds, although they looked like they were just coming out. Even though my neighbor's forsythia is done, I saw at least one down in town, so they don't all bloom at the same time, either.
That drive always makes me tired, even though there was hardly any traffic, so I was glad to get home.
The guys were glad to see me, too, and Grayson is sleeping under the east windows now. I sometimes wonder what they do when I'm gone. Sleep, probably.
So that was my day, and I'm tired, so I don't think I will write or anything tonight. It's a cool, partly cloudy night in the field.
June 2 It was another horrible night, so horrible that I didn't go to church this morning. I didn't get into a deep sleep for more than a couple of hours, and I was up about every hour. I was miserable, and frankly, I didn't trust myself to drive that far. I was sorry to miss church, but I decided I'd rather stay home than risk not getting home. I got up around 8:30 and did my knitting, mostly because I felt like I'd been lying in bed too long, since I got to bed not long after 9:00 last night. That was amazing, because my Internet connection went south right as I was trying to upload last night's journal, as well as last month's. It came up long enough for me to do the upload, thankfully, but I couldn't get my home page to load. Finally I just left it and went up to the north end. It was fine when I finally got to the studio this morning.
I didn't do much, but I did get the boxes and bags out of the studio. It's amazing to be able to move my chair around the east end of the room. Now, the other end is another problem, and I will be working on that over the next week. Mostly, I did nothing. I petted a couple of cats and I wrote about 1,600 words of Bolin. I'm not very happy about the way it's turning out, but I will forge on and see how it looks in a couple of months. Typically, once I finish a story, I let it sit for a while before I reread it for the first time.
The weather turned out to be pretty but cold. Overnight, it got quite cold. The temperature got down to 37º. When I got up, it was cloudy, but the clouds were beginning to break up, and by noon almost all the clouds were gone, and it turned into a beautiful clear day. Cold, but beautiful. The temperature finally made it up to 49º an hour or so ago before it began to fall back. There was a brisk north wind, in the 15-20 mph range that at one point when I checked made the wind chill 31º. Brr! This is June, guys! There were whitecaps on the harbor for a while.
The guys were mostly sleepy, although they both sat on me and got petted and Louie wanted to keep sitting. Too bad, big guy. I had other things to do.
Tonight, when I have to take a bath so I'm clean for my mammogram tomorrow, the backup program decided this was the night to do a complete backup. Aarrgh! So I will have to sit and wait until it's done. I can see creating a new backup every six months, but the last one was on 12/16, not 12/2. Things like that are among the reasons I was so frustrated all the time I was working. Programmers can be so stupid!
Anyway, I'm tired, and I do have to shower. I don't think I will be long out of bed, however. I'm really tired. Now it's a beautifully clear, blue evening in the field, but it's cold out there!
June 1 I don't remember what I was doing last night, but I didn't get to bed until about 12:30. Heaven knows why. As a result, I didn't get up until 10:30. I did sleep well, but I had some very weird dreams. I knitted my two rows. And that was all I did.
I felt sort of like the weather today, so the bags and boxes are still in the studio and they're in my way, but oh, well.
The weather was not nice. When I got up, we had thick fog, and it didn't lift until around 5:00. Evidently, it rolled in between 9:00 and 10:00, and the temperature dropped from a nice 55º to a not nice 45º and it's been dropping off ever since, until now it's 41º with humidity of 96%. Needless to say, it was dull and gray and yucky. I don't mind fog too much, but I don't like temperatures in the low 40s in June.
In spite of all that, the serviceberries and the chokecherries are in full bloom, so it's rather pretty around here. I'm looking forward to my trip down to Laurium tomorrow.
The guys were very sleepy all day, no doubt because of the weather. So was I.
That's all I have to report and I will be going up to the north end soon. It's a cold, dull, gray evening in the field. Last updated 07/01/13 09:32 PM |