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A View From the Field |
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August, 2014 August 31 So August is over. SIgh. It would be nice to have had some summer.
I read too long last night, then I had to fill the pill dispensers and wash my hair, so it was around 11:00 when I finally got to bed. My sinuses were draining - allergies, you know - so it was a while before I turned over and went to sleep. I was up several times, the final time, unfortunately, at about 6:30, but I couldn't wait any longer, and I had just gotten back to sleep when the alarm went off. I got up, even though I didn't want to, and I was efficient enough that I got off to church almost when I wanted to.
It was a good thing. On the covered road, I got behind a guy towing a trailer with two ATVs who refused to go more than 40 mph, mostly slower, and there were other slow guys on the way to Laurium, including somebody who was driving about 20 mph down School Street. That's the street that ends at the CLK schools, where the stop light is, and it's the way I get to church. Grr. I was a little later than I wanted to be, but I did have time to stop at the restroom.
This was the fifth Sunday, so there was communion again, but it was one of the newer services, since we'd used the old one for two weeks in a row. There weren't a lot of people there, either, undoubtedly because of the long weekend, so we got out right around noon.
Then i had to get gas, and that was frustrating. The gas station was very busy, and more than two pumps were out of order, so the one I ended up at, which dispenses both regular gas and diesel, turned out to not have a display of gallons and cost, and then it couldn't print a receipt! So I don't have any idea how much gas I pumped or how much it cost me. I could have gone inside to get a receipt, but I am so creaky that I just didn't want to go. Grr. Anyway, for the past couple of weeks, gas has been $3.56 a gallon at the stations I can get to easily. I'm sure it's cheaper in Houghton, but the extra 30 miles I'd have to drive to get there and back again just isn't worth it.
So I got home around 1:00 and I took my time about changing my clothes and having a little lunch, and I didn't do much of anything for the rest of the afternoon. I hurt all over, so I just sat. I need to go downstairs and get something to eat - chicken or maybe pork - but I didn't feel like I could do that today. I need to go upstairs, too. I think there are a couple of pairs of pants up there that might fit me and would look better than the ones I'm wearing - the pair with all the elastic out of the waistband or the other three pair I have to pin closed with a diaper pin because the waistbands are too small. So I guess I will be getting some exercise this week.
The weather was nicer today than yesterday, but it was still very humid, and that is doing a number on my joints. The high temperature today was 68º, but that was after I got home. When I left this morning, it was 57º and extremely humid, so I wore a jacket that I took off before I went into church. It's a commentary on how cool this summer has been that when I got home, and it was 66º it actually felt warm. There wasn't any wind until about 4:00, when it picked up from the southwest, into the 15-25 mph range. There are a lot of thunderstorms way west of us, around Minneapolis, but whether they will get here is another question. It was clear for most of the night and most of the day, although there were some puffy clouds this afternoon.
The guys were mostly sleepy, as usual, although Grayson almost made a pest of himself. He wanted to sit on me, and he did, three separate times. He didn't want me to leave this morning, and he was very glad I came home, but I think part of his problem is that I didn't give him any new canned food today. Not that he always eats it, but he likes to know it's there. Louie got some lap time, too, but he didn't want a tummy rub, for some reason. I frustrated him. He wanted to light into Grayson, who was sleeping on the desk, and I could see enough reflected in the monitor that I knew when he moved and I kept turning around and telling him not to do that. They are funny little critters.
So that was a quiet Sunday, and I'm tired. I went through a pile of stuff on the desk next to the sewing machine, but after I organized it a bit, I put it all back. I still haven't figured out what to do with all the odd pieces of paper I seem to accumulate. Or all the other stuff that's piled up there.
Now it's a breezy, partly cloudy evening in the field and it might rain again.
August 30 I managed to make it into bed by midnight last night, and I slept quite well. I was up several times - fish, you know - and I finally woke up about 9:45. Eek! I had just time to get dressed and have a fast breakfast before I was off to my massage. I think it helped.
When I got home, I started the wash - today was washday - and the last loads are in the dryer now. See? I can get it done in a timely manner if I keep my mind to it. It's taking a very long time to dry, because it's a very humid day, but it should be all right by tomorrow. That was about all I did, though.
It was not a very pleasant day, which is too bad because there are some bicycle doings going on this weekend, and it would have been nicer to have better weather. The high temperature for the day was actually at midnight, but for the daylight hours, it was now, at 58º. it's extremely humid, and between 3:00 and 8:00 this morning, we had 0.44" of rain, including a while around 5:00 when it poured so hard I had a hard time figuring out if it was wind or rain that was causing all that noise. There was hardly any wind. Well, just now, the setting sun has come out under the cloud deck, and much to my surprise, it apparently reappeared in the camera view some time ago. I haven't been paying attention.
The guys slept, although Grayson tried to keep me from going away this morning, first by sitting on my lap and then by sitting behind the door. He got another love-in this evening after dinner and he is now asleep on the desk again, with Louie beside him. They know what to do in nasty weather.
So that was a quiet day, but I did accomplish something. The pill dispensers at this end are full, but I have to do the ones at the north end, so I won't be staying here much longer. It's a cloudy, cold evening in the field, but it looks like it may be clearing up a bit.
August 29 Well, I didn't. I sat and listened to the nice music - including Mozart - until my legs got twitchy, and I just couldn't seem to move. I finally did go to bed, and then I couldn't sleep. I'm not sure why, but I had any number of night sweats last night. I've had a sort of scratchy throat for a couple of days, so I suppose I'm fighting something. I think it was about the same time last year that I had my first bad cold. Maybe I can avoid that this year, but I'm going to have to try to go to bed!
I got up around 9:30 anyway, and I knitted. I think the yarn is starting to turn mauve. When I look at it all in a heap, it's still a pretty thing, and it will be even prettier if I ever finish and block it.
I actually did a few things today. I started by having an accident I could have avoided, but I ignored the signs until it was too late. Dumb.
I went to the post office, where there were a couple of things i ordered and a real shocker. Chase is cutting its retirees loose from its medical insurance. They have set it up with some organization that can help us find some acceptable insurance, but I predict it will either not be as good or it will be a whole lot more expensive. I suppose I should have seen it coming, with all the changes there have been in health insurance over the past couple of years, but it's a real disappointment. The bank I worked for would never have done anything like that. So now I have to find new insurance before the end of the year. I hate the very idea. And I'm very glad I'm getting the cataracts out of the way this year. I have to read the stuff they sent me more carefully before I act, but this is a trauma I didn't need. I need the kind of insurance I have now, and I'm afraid it's going to be much too expensive. Sigh.
I also got the dishwasher almost ready to run, so I will do that tonight. Tomorrow, I have a massage and it's washday. Maybe I can get the first load into the washer before I leave tomorrow.
The weather was better off ignored, but since I was out in it, I couldn't. The temperature was nearly steady, between 60º and 63º, and there was a rather strong south wind that was quite gusty at times, with gusts up to 25 mph. It was cloudy and very humid, and there was some fog this afternoon, as well as some fine mist that later turned to heavier mist. We didn't get much rain that appeared in the rain gauge at the NWS station, and the deck never really got wet, but it was cool, humid and nasty. Yuck. Not what we hoped for Labor Day weekend (geez - is it Labor Day already!!!).
The guys did what they always do when the weather is like this: they slept. Grayson spent a whole lot of time on my lap this morning, which is one reason for my accident. Oh, yes, and when I came out of the bedroom this morning, the door to the breezeway had come open and Louie was looking out the breezeway door. Eek! Fortunately, the door to the garage was more tightly closed. He came when I called him - amazing - although he didn't want me to close the door. Grayson was down in the basement when I discovered that, but I have to believe he'd been out there, too. There are mice out there, and I'm sure there are lots of interesting smells and sights. Well, so now they've been able to check out that room thoroughly, and I won't have to worry about it again.
I looked for the story I want to read and possibly transcribe and I couldn't find it, so I have some more hunting to do. That's one good reason to transcribe those things - then they're all on the computer where I can find them. So I began reading First again. I keep dreaming about publishing these things, and I'm thinking about self-publishing again. If I were to do that, First and Erlon would be the first ones I'd do, First because it is the foundation of almost everything else, and Erlon because it's a fantasy and unrelated to all the other stuff. I wish I could come up with a better title for First, but so far I haven't. Well, it's probably just dreaming anyway. I only hope somebody would want to read them.
The weather has made me achy all over - or is that what I'm fighting off? - and the concert isn't that interesting tonight, so I think I will totter up to the north end as soon as i finish this and try to make it to my massage on time.
It's a cool, humid, nasty night in the field.
August 28 After saying that I wanted to get to bed early, I sort of forgot about going to bed at all, so it was around 1:30 when I finally did. I still don't know why I do that, except that sometimes it's such an effort. I didn't get up until around 10:30, so I got enough sleep, I think.
I knitted, and I twitched again, but this time I was able to get things back together, and then I looked back at the results of the last twitch and figured out, I think, why it didn't look right. Then I discovered that I seem to have lost a double pointed knitting needle (size 7, I think) and my size D crochet hook. They aren't in my knitting bag or in my tool box, so where they are is a mystery. I know they were there some time ago. Anyway, I think I have things fixed up pretty well, although there are still some holes and stitches that are pulled out of shape. I started chart B again, so I'm off and running, but now I have nearly 300 stitches (It varies by 20 or 30 stitches, depending upon how many are in each repeat) and doing two rows takes a long time. The yarn is turning from turquoise into pale blue, I think, so I want to keep knitting just to see what the next color will be.
I was so late that I didn't do anything but my surfing. I was off to choir practice, and it's disconcerting to come into church at 6:45 and discover that everybody else is already there. Well, two people and the accompanist weren't, but most of them were there. So maybe we're going to start at 6:30 now? Anyway, Pastor keeps throwing things at us that we've never seen before, and there's one piece that's really hard, so we practiced that a lot. If we can ever learn it, it will be lovely, but now - wow! I got home around 9:00, and it's getting dork at that time now. Sigh.
It was another nice day, although there were a few more clouds than the last few. the high temperature got up to 68º for a while, and the winds were from the southwest and not very strong. By the time I got home tonight, though, it was clouding up and we're in for some rain, I guess.
The guys were their usual sleepy selves, although they did get a little rowdy about the time I was getting dressed.
So that was a truncated day. Maybe I can get to bed before midnight tonight, although it will be close. I still haven't found anything I want to read or write right now, so i mostly play games. It's sad to see how short the days have gotten - down to about 13½ hours now. Well, when I get my eyes done, maybe I can see some stars. I guess I'd rather drive home in daylight, although tonight it was mostly that it was so cloudy. Now it's a cloudy, cool night in the field and the rain is coming.
August 27 I'm doing this early tonight in the hope that I can get to bed at a reasonable hour and get caught up. I did not get to bed at reasonable hour this morning. i'm not quite sure what happened, except that I was looking around for something to read - didn't find it - and I wrote a bit, although I'm still very dissatisfied with Trine 4, as far as I've gotten. I just didn't seem to want to get up and do my chores.
It seems I was right, too. While I was bagging up my rice, my right knee got so sore I couldn't stand on it for a few moments, and then I had to make a fast trip to the powder room. Eventually, I got everything in the fridge or the freezer, but when I got to the bathroom, I spent a long time staring at the floor. So it was a ridiculous hour when I finally turned out the light.
I got up around 10:30, even though I hardly had enough sleep, in the hope that i might do better tonight if I was really tired - which I am. I knitted, and for the first time in a long time, I twitched and dropped about a dozen stitches off the needles. It took me a while to get everything back together, because when I twitch like that, I usually pull out several rows below what falls off the needles. I think it's all right now, although the yarn overs have gotten quite enlarged. I hope blocking will take care of that, or I can work with the stitches later. I finished the second of the two fudged rows, and now I have only two more rows before I can start on chart B again. I'm sure nobody will notice where I fudged, when the shawl is blocked, and it will be a much better size. I say again, this is the weirdest pattern I've ever worked, and frankly, I think the designer could have done a better job on the edges, where the new stitches are added. Only I wasn't interested in redoing the entire pattern, so I've just worked with it as it is. I do like the yarn and the colors in this colorway are really pretty.
I didn't do a whole lot, other than my surfing, but i did determine that my Social Security had come through and I paid a couple of bills.
The weather was cool again. The low for the day was 55º overnight and the high today was 62º, although it may go a bit higher. It was clear or nearly clear all day, and I was surprised to see that we had a very little bit of rain between 5:00 and 6:00 this morning. I wouldn't know - I was dead to the world at that point. The wind has died down, and it only got up to about 15 mph, out of the north, during the day. I didn't go out.
The guys slept, but Grayson got a little lap time this afternoon. Right now, he's asleep on the sewing chair. Louie got his petting in the bathroom this morning. Last night, he got on my lap, and I started combing his flanks, which he doesn't like, but he doesn't wash there, and after a while there is a buildup of loose fur that looks ratty and will mat if I don't comb it out. If I was so inclined, between the two of them, I could have saved enough fur to spin enough for a sweater. I've always thought that was sort of creepy, though, and besides, I don't spin and I have no desire to try.
So that was my day. I'm really tired, because I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night. I have been thinking about an old story and thinking I might try transcribing it, if I can find it. I'm not sure it's in the same binder that Bolin was, and then I'm not sure where those other binders are. The last time I read it, it seemed pretty good, even though it was based upon a book I'd just read when I wrote it, but we'll see. The stuff that is in the computer is boring me right now, and I can't get myself really interested in Trine, I don't know why. Episodes 4, 5, and 6 all need complete rewrites and I just don't feel up to it right now. Maybe when the snow flies - or maybe not.
I need to wash my hair tonight. Yesterday morning, while I was brushing my teeth, I got toothpaste in my hair, and it's still stiff and sticky. I still wonder why there needs to be sugar in toothpaste, but maybe if I tasted it without, I'd see. I guess maybe some people need nice tasting toothpaste as incentive to brush. I don't, although I keep remembering the stuff they came out with a number of years ago that had baking soda in it - that was the grossest stuff I've ever tasted. My grandmother brushed her teeth (whatever remained of them) with baking soda and even at age 8 or 9 I thought that was gross. These days, I'm just trying to do whatever I can to keep all my teeth, so the taste of the toothpaste doesn't bother me much. I wouldn't want to eat any of it.
Now it's a clear, cool evening in the field and I'm really tired.
August 26 i took my bath and turned out the light around 11:45, and it was a good night to sleep, nice and cool and dryer than it's been lately, but I had a hard time getting to sleep every time I woke up. My legs were twitchy, for reasons I don't understand. Besides, my toes felt like they were cold. They may have been cool, but the neuropathy seems to make them feel much colder than they are. Eventually, by turning over enough, I managed to find a comfortable place - turning onto the twitchy leg seemed to help - I got to sleep. Fortunately, while my shoulder was a bit sore, it wasn't too bad. I was awake around 8:30, but after all the time I was awake overnight, I decided that was too early, so I went back to sleep and I didn't get up until 10:30. When I was awake, there were stars. I sure hope I'll be able to see them better after my surgery.
I knitted, and I think this time I got the chart right, so I can forge ahead. Otherwise, I didn't do very much at all, but I had sort of an accident, and while I didn't change anything, between that and all the interesting emails, it was after the talking started before I finished my surfing. I made a double batch of brown rice, and it interests me that the amount of rice I get is apparently mostly determined by the amount of water its cooked in, so I got much more than I did of the royal rice. I need to put that away before I go to bed.
The weather has turned cool. The temperature went from 57º to 63º. The wind was from the northwest to north and there were gusts up to about 30 mph. It was much less humid. The skies were mostly clear, although at intervals there were some fair-weather cumulus. Nice. I had to close the porch window, because with the strong winds coming in, I was trying to heat the great out of doors, and I can't afford that.
It didn't matter much to the guys, although they were a little more active this morning. They slept, mostly in the sun. For a while they slept together on the desk, but eventually Louie tried to go after Grayson and I chased him away. Their dry food bowls were all empty, so I filled them all up, and they seem happy about that.
So that was our quiet day. I hope to get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight and sleep better. It's a cool, clear, breezy night in the field.
August 25 It was an unsettled night in the field. I finally got to bed about 1:30, and as soon as I turned out the light, I could see the lightning. It was out over the lake, which is why I couldn't see it from the studio. I slept, and pretty well, but every time I was up, there was lightning, and around 4:00, it got close enough that I could hear the thunder, too, although it was still out over the lake. As it turns out, it rained, too, from around 4:00 until 8:00, and we had about half an inch.
I got up around 10:30, and I knitted. I soon realized that I hadn't done the chart right, but fortunately, I had a few rows to do before it got serious, so this afternoon, I got at it and I think maybe it's right now. This is going to be a really pretty thing, although I'm not sure how much the colors will show when it's blocked. I've been knitting with green and it's trending toward turquoise now, all very pale. Looks good enough to eat.
I didn't do much else but work on the chart because I had a nasty accident and had to clean myself up after that. However, I did finally get the trash off the counter. How many times have I done that! I wish I could make myself take that stuff right out to the breezeway. Anyway, it was a whole orange bag full, and now i can work on my counters again. I had to do it, because I wanted to have pork chops tonight and I had to have room to set the food processor on the counter to slice the onions. I did that, and I made a double batch of royal rice so I can freeze some. It's clear that I'll have to go down to Econo Foods one of these days, because I'm running low on royal rice, and Pat's doesn't carry it. Maybe tomorrow I can make some brown rice and freeze that, too. Anyway, the chops may have been a bit overcooked, but they were good and I have at least two more meals, maybe more. Only I have to put all that stuff away before I can go to bed tonight.
I also realized that cooking is hard work. I was tired and sweating before I finally had everything ready. So is putting everything away, but it's worth it.
The weather started out very humid but quite warm and as the day went on, it got less humid and more warm. The high temperature was 77º, and just lately the humidity has fallen way off - down to 49%. What a relief! Maybe my aches and pains will fall off, too. It started out cloudy, but it soon cleared up, and while there were a few clouds late in the afternoon, it's cleared up again now. We'll see stars tonight.
I think the guys were sleepy today, but it was warm enough that Grayson didn't sleep on the desk, which was in the sun. He did spend some time on the sewing chair. I didn't see much of Louie after I got dressed. Grayson actually jumped on my lap while I was knitting this morning - the first time he's done that. i didn't want him sitting on the shawl or on my chart, so I held him and petted him for a few moments before I put him down. And while I was sitting at the dining room table during the cooking (the chair has arms and it's a little higher than the folding chair in the kitchen), he laid down and ended up with his tail right under my feet, which made him complain when I got up and apparently stepped on the end of it. I don't know why he's so loving lately. Cats are weird.
Tonight I decided to try to attack Trine 4 again, but I'm still not happy even with the beginning of it. It needs to be much longer, but it's hard for me to do that without making it sound like padding. Well, we'll see.
I was eating when Johanna called. I was supposed to get a massage tomorrow, but her schedule changed. I had the feeling it would, so it's all right. It will be Saturday, and that's OK, too.
Now it's a clear, breezy night in the field, and it's supposed to cool down overnight, so I need to shut the windows and turn off the fan. It will be nice not to have all that humidity for a while.
August 24 Oops. Journal.
i was finishing Yarn Woman (the Kindle book I bought a few days ago) and I lost track of the time. It has three stories in it, all of them good, but the writing is rather quirky and, since it was self-published, the author could have used a good editor. There are a lot of typos and a few places where the writing doesn't make much sense. However, I enjoyed it in spite of that, and I will be interested to see if there are more stories to come. The yarn is an interesting thing to hang a story on.
Anyway. I got to bed around 10:30 last night, but I had a terrible time getting to sleep. My shoulder got very sore - probably it was the humidity - and I had to turn over three times before I finally dozed off. So I wasn't ready to get up for good when the alarm went off, although I woke up a minute or two before it did. i did, and I got off to church when I wanted to.
That was good, because I had time to visit the restroom before the choir congregated in the basement to learn the song we had to sing. All but two of us had seen it before, very briefly a couple of weeks ago, but none of us could remember it, and the other two had never seen it at all. Fortunately, they're good musicians. And fortunately, it was an easy song. We did fine in the crunch.
It was a nice service, with communion, and we used the old service, or the version of it in the new hymnal. One of the hymns sort of threw us, though, because it has words we all know set to a tune nobody had ever seen before. I don't know why they had to do that - the old tune was a great one. Oh, well.
I got home around 1:00, and I didn't do very much for the rest of the afternoon. I did rebalance my checkbook. When I checked my balance against the bank, it was an even $10 off, which confused me, but I discovered it was because I can't read my own handwriting sometimes. It's all right now. And I got at the chart for the shawl and fixed up the transition from chart C to chart B. The only problem may be that I might be beyond the point where I added the two stitches I need. If so, I'll just have to fudge a little more. I actually think it should have started at the beginning of chart C, but I'm so far beyond that that I didn't want to go back. And the edges are fudged enough already that nobody will notice after it's blocked. So I can forge forward.
The weather started out very dull and humid, and on my way to Laurium, there were even a few raindrops. There is something about the landscape on Cliff Drive that causes it to rain there when it isn't anyplace else. By the time we got out of church, it had warmed up quite a bit and the sun was mostly out. The high temperature here was 73º, which was warm enough that I could open the windows a bit. There was a strong wind from the southwest - still is - with gusts that have risen to 35 mph this evening. A while ago, there were some rumbles of thunder way off in the distance, but no rain here, and no lightning that I could see. For a while there were a couple of lines of north-south showers, but they've dissipated. It's still humid, but it's cooling off a bit.
The guys slept, sometimes on me. Grayson spent a long time on my lap, using my gut as a pillow, and then just a while ago, Louie slept while I read, with his head pillowed on my arm. This is good sleeping weather.
It's also very hard on the arthritis. I have been so creaky all day that walking has been difficult, and my shoulder is bothersome.
I was reading one of my own things in the middle of the afternoon when I heard a sort of clunk and the computer and the printer rebooted - a power glitch. I hate it when that happens, mostly because it takes so long to get things back the way they were when it went down, but the good thing is, the camera driver was refreshed, so it should be good for a while longer. After the computer has been up for several weeks, the driver gets corrupted and the camera stops working. Geez. Now I'm complaining because there's a problem every few weeks! I remember when I had to reboot every night or the whole system would hang. How easily we get spoiled!
So that was a quiet day, and I enjoyed reading something other than my own work. Now it's a dark, windy but fairly warm night in the field and I think I'll go to bed.
August 23 More nice music, and I was finishing reading a story, so it was ridiculously late when I finally got to bed. Sigh. I got up around 9:30, so I didn't get a lot of sleep, but I decided it might make me get to bed earlier and sleep better tonight. I knitted, and I really have to work on my chart, because I'm getting to the place where I will have to begin to fudge in order to make the two charts fit together right. Maybe tomorrow I can work on that.
Today, I didn't do much but read. I had an accident, not a bad one, but I managed to get stuff all over my pants. When I checked on the ones I washed the other day, I discovered that they had never gotten completely dry, so I spent the afternoon in my underpants. It was OK - nobody came.
The weather was so-so again. The high temperature got up to 73º, very briefly when we had a little sunshine, but for most of the day it was in the upper 60s - better than upper 50s! - and cloudy. It was foggy this morning, and hazy all day and very humid. Not very nice.
When I got up this morning, both guys were socked out in the bathroom, so that it was hard for me to get to the toilet. I was really afraid I would drip on them. They were both sleepy all day. Grayson sat on me twice, but Louie had his chance and wouldn't, for some reason. I even put a towel on my lap this afternoon so he would sit on it, but he wouldn't.
So that's all I know. I will read for a while longer before I totter up to the north end and try to get to bed early. It's a cloudy, coolish, humid night in the field.
August 22 There was some nice music last night, so it was midnight before I got to bed. i had a problem getting to sleep, because by the time I turned out the light, my shoulder felt like somebody was sticking a knife into it. I finally turned over onto it, and then I was fine, and it was all right by the time I woke up for the first time. I got up around 10:00, and I knitted, and I am indeed knitting with very pale green. I love these very pale colors.
I didn't do a lot again. i went to the post office, where there was a lot of stuff, including some packages, and I stopped at the store, where nobody knew if my lemonade had come, but I did get some JD.
The weather was marginally better than yesterday, but that isn't saying much. It did get into the 60s for a change, and it actually got up to 68º for a moment. That didn't last long, and it's back into the 50s already. It's still very humid, but there wasn't any fog until around 7:00, and we actually had a few rays of sunshine for a while, enough to make it rather warm in the studio. Now it's 55º and humid and there is fog down the harbor again. And my shoulder is sore.
The guys did their usual thing, although I had to discourage Louie several times. He has gotten very jealous of Grayson again. I let him sit on me this afternoon, though, so he was a little happier.
Now they are playing Vaughn-Williams' Fantasy on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, which is on my faves list, so I will listen to that, and then I think I will go up to the north end early and sleep. It's a cool, humid, foggy night in the field.
August 21 Last night there was no must-hear music, so I got to bed about 10:45. It took me a little while to get to sleep; I had to turn over first, but then I did good. I was up the usual number of times, including around 8:15, but it didn't feel like it was time to get up, so I didn't, and it was 10:30 before I did. I knitted, of course, and the light was just right to see that I was knitting with pale yellow, almost cream, and I think the last row was mostly very pale green. Pretty. I love rainbows and I love pastels.
I didn't do much of anything, actually. My bank has converted all their MasterCards to Visa, and I've been sitting on the cards until most of the outstanding charges went through, which appears to have happened, so today I validated the cards and spent some time modifying all of the websites I buy from who send me stuff automatically. There aren't a lot of those, but I've run into a problem with them a couple of times before when a card number changed. It's always a pain, but I think I got it done.
I'm a little sorry to see my MasterCards go away. I installed the old original Cirrus ATM switch, which is now the MasterCard switch, and I have friends who still work for MasterCard. How they ended up doing that is another sad story, but i won't go into it. Anyway, I'm conflicted, because MasterCard was another company I swore I would never work for, and fortunately, I had retired before I had to make that decision. But still, there are my friends. When my bank bought out the successor to the one I worked for, I knew they were partial to Visa, and I was actually a little surprised that they didn't switch over right then, and it didn't surprise me much that they did so now. I hate to change card numbers anyway, so this was a real pain, but maybe it will be a while before I have to do so again. And before I was done, I was getting used to the new number.
The weather improved, finally. It was foggy all night and into the morning, but by the time I got to the kitchen, I could actually see the Lighthouse Overlook for the first time in a couple of days. It continued to clear and there was even a little sunshine (I also just remembered that somebody jostled the camera again, but I'll take care of that tomorrow). There may be some more rain and fog, but it was nice to see the mountain and some patches of blue sky for a change. The high temperature actually got up to 64º briefly, and while it is still very humid, it was less so than it has been lately - it actually got down below 90% for a while. There was no wind. It wasn't the nicest day, but it sure was better than the past couple of days.
The guys didn't notice. They slept. Louie is finally getting the idea that I do not want him to go after Grayson when he's on the desk, and the minute I turn around, he leaves. I thought this morning that Grayson has taught him a couple of other things, too. If he walks under my leg while I'm on the toilet and leaves his tail between my knees, I will pet him, usually. And if he jumps up on the tub surround and sits there, he'll get petted there, too. Louie is not stupid. It's just taking him a long time to get used to the rest of us. But of course, he was at least 6 years old when he came to us, and I'm sure he was set in his ways. He's learning, though, and I know he likes me, even though he isn't so sure about Grayson.
So that was our quiet day. I was thinking about washing my hair tonight, but I think I probably won't. I'll just be oily tomorrow. As soon as the Mozart sonata finishes, I'll be off to the north end. It's a partly cloudy, cool, humid night in the field.
August 20 The problem last night was that at about 11:20, they played Beethoven's Seventh, which (along with the Sixth and the Third) is my favorite Beethoven symphony and has been for 60 years. It's been a long time since I've heard it - the CDs are all someplace in the 6 boxes of CDs in the basement - so of course I had to listen. By then I was reading, so time just passed. On my way to the north end, a couple of hours later, I had an accident that was so messy that I had to wash everything I had on (today) and I would have had to take a shower even if I hadn't had to wash my hair. So it was ridiculously late when I finally got to bed. I slept, of course, with a couple of wakeups, and it was after noon when I finally got up.
I knitted, and today it looks like I might not need to fiddle quite so much to get chart C to fit into the bottom of chart B, but I'll be fiddling with it just to make sure. It depends upon how I twiddle my eyes. The yarn has gone from turquoise (a wide band) to blue to lavender and it is now tending toward pale yellow. I love color, and I love rainbows, so I like the way it's coming out, and it's fun to see what color is next. I think green follows the yellow, but I'm not sure of that. Too bad I can only do about four rows a day, and soon I'll be down to two rows in an hour.
I was so late that I didn't do much, but I did, wonder of wonders, manage to get the dishwasher mostly loaded except for some odds and ends and my dinner dishes. I will run it tonight. I am running out of cereal bowls again. I actually should have washed a day or two ago, but it was a matter of unloading what was there and getting the dirty stuff into it. I don't know why that's such a chore. It rarely takes more than five minutes to unload and another five to reload, but I seem to hate to do it. Weird.
The weather was better ignored. There has been thick fog in the harbor all day yesterday and all night and all day today - so thick I couldn't even see the lighthouse light! It's still foggy. i can't see the harbor at all. There has been a little light rain at intervals - only 0.11" today. The temperature was about steady at between 53º and 55º. There was almost no wind. The lowest humidity of the day was 93%, It's not good weather for those of us with arthritis. Fortunately, I think I'll be able to sleep through it.
The guys certainly slept through it. They did get up with me and go to sleep in the bathroom while I was knitting, and later, I heard some thumping as they chased each other either upstairs or down, I'm not sure, They're asleep again. Grayson is on the desk, dead to the world. Ah, to be a cat!
I was thinking about why I have such a problem going to bed, even when I'm really tired, like I was last night. One reason is certainly the music, but that's not the whole answer. I think it's that I keep thinking about the things I have to do to get ready for bed, and i just don't want to face it, especially when I have to shower. And haul myself off the toilet. And I think I've gotten afraid of whether my shoulder will keep me awake. It's still sore, but I seem to have found a couple of ways to keep it from bothering me a lot when I'm lying down. I just never know, however. Anyway, I am going to have to try to talk myself out of staying up so late. It truncates my day too much and I get into the habit and then I have a hard time getting up for church. I hope I can take myself in hand.
Now it's a cold, foggy night in the field, and I hope to get to bed at a sort of reasonable hour.
August 19 I think I got to bed about 10:30 last night, but I didn't sleep very well until around 5:00. That frequently happens when I crash the way I did the night before. Anyway, after that, I was fine, and I got up around 10:30, although I misread the clock when I first looked at it. It's sometimes hard for me to read the clock with a cat in the way.
I knitted, and after looking at my charts again, it seems like I'm going to have to do more work than I thought to fit the top of chart C into the bottom of chart B. I will work on that. I still have 32 rows to go, and they're getting long now.
That was all I did, except that I finally got all the stuff out of the dishwasher. I just didn't feel like it. I had an accident, but not a bad enough one to make me change my clothes. Today, Grayson waited until I came back from the bathroom before he sat down on my lap. I hope he's finally wising up.
The weather was horrible. Just plain horrible. It apparently started raining after 6:00, and we had 0.4" of rain before noon. Not only was there rain, there was fog - thick fog so that for most of the day I couldn't see down the harbor at all. The temperature dropped all night, and for most of the day it hovered just over 50º. There wasn't any wind, though. Yuck. I ignored it, but I really feel for people vacationing here this week. At least tomorrow it may warm up a bit, even though it's supposed to stay cloudy. Yuck. Even in Copper Harbor, we don't expect 50º in the middle of August!
The guys did the obvious: they slept.
And so will I. While my shoulder didn't bother me much overnight, it was sore today. So I will run hot water on it tonight and try to get to bed at a reasonable hour again. It's a cold, cloudy, very foggy night in the field. Yuck.
August 18 Well. I actually did what I intended last night. I went right up to the north end, I didn't dawdle around, and I was in bed by just about 8:30. It took me a little while to get to sleep - I think it took a while for my Neurontin to kick in, and in the meantime my feet hurt and my legs were trwitchy, but once that was over and I turned over, I was out. My shoulder didn't seem to bother me. I was up several times during the night, but that didn't keep me awake. I got up around 8:30 this morning, and I feel much better, although I'm getting tired now.
Sometime, I think last night, I realized that if I fudge the ends a bit, I don't have to completely redo the charts for the shawl. Since the edges are fudged already, a stitch or two isn't going to make much difference. So I will forge on. i finished the second chart this morning - it only took me nine days to do 38 rows! Of course, the rows are getting pretty long now - 207 stitches at the top of the chart. I will probably have to stick in a decrease someplace in order to get Chart C to fit into the bottom of Chart B, but that's a whole lot easier than trying to figure the whole thing out. I think it will work.
I sort of hoped I could do something today, but I didn't. I always feel rather groggy when I sleep that long, so I did nothing much except pet a cat or two. Grayson sat on my twice - once long enough that I had a nasty accident - and Louie would probably have spent the entire afternoon on my lap if I hadn't asked him to leave.
The weather was nondescript, cloudy and cool. The temperature hung at right about 60º all day, with not a lot of wind. I didn't notice any rain, but it apparently did rain a bit, 0.05" for the day so far. I thought it got a bit dark a couple of times.
Except when they were sitting on me or Louie was trying to bother Grayson, the guys mostly slept. I don't blame them. Louie got chased off the desk a couple of times. I don't know why he keeps wanting to bother Grayson when he's sleeping on the desk, and I haven't been able to discourage him, although I can see mroe then he thinks I can and I chase him away. They are funny little critters.
So that was a mostly nothing day, and I don't imagine I am going to be up very late tonight. i would iike to read a little, but I want to get to bed early. I had so much time today I didn't know what to do with it, and I like that. Now it's a cloudy, cool, damp evening in the field.
August 17 I'm doing this early tonight, because I'm really tired. It's partly my own fault; I read for too long last night,and even though I didn't spend a lot of time staring at the floor, it was 11:30 before I turned out the light, and then my shoulder was bothering me enough that I had a hard time getting to sleep. So I expect to be in bed early tonight.
I got up when the alarm went off and I got out of the house pretty much when I wanted to. Last winter, I had to set the alarm for half an hour earlier, though, and I guess I'll just have to do that again. I just move too slowly these days.
I made it to church and I didn't stop for the bathroom, so I was the first guy in our cluster of pews, and I picked the wrong pew, so we were all a pew closer to the front than usual. I apologized, and I will try hard not to be first after this - or count my pews more carefully. Heh. It was a nice service. The order of service was Matins, which I was delighted to discover uses the chants from the old hymnal that I know nearly by heart. Well, they did some things right. We didn't chant the Te Deum, though. We sang some good old hymns instead. Pastor's sermon was a good one, too, and in spite of all that, we got out before 11:45.
I was so happy to find my friend Eleanor in church today. She is the 93-year-old lady who still lives by herself, although she came down with pneumonia early in the summer and spent a couple of months in a nursing home. She is back home now, and while she is shaky and her mind isn't as acute as it was - I swear those places would freeze anybody's mind - she is ambulatory and she's doing all right. She is such an inspirational person! Nice, and funny, too.
So I got home before 1:00, even though there was some funny driving going on. if I'd wanted to go to Art in the Park, a guy in a SUV pulled out of a parking place right in front of the community center, and I could have. I didn't want to - I would undoubtedly have spent money I don't have.
I didn't do anything for the rest of the afternoon. Around 6:00, I got so sleepy I actually almost fell asleep. One of these days I will do that, and then I'll know I've reached old age for sure. Anyway, instead of having what I thought I would for dinner, I pulled a TV dinner out of the fridge and had that. As soon as i post this and the weekly backup finishes, I think i will toddle up to the north end and crash. I am really, really tired. 7½ hours of sleep is just not enough for me. I may have some problems tonight, too, because it was so humid that my shoulder is bothering me already.
The weather was, frankly, cold. The high temperature was only 57º. There wasn't much wind, but it was cloudy and humid all day and it wasn't very nice out. The skies have finally cleared for a while, but that's only for a little while. It's supposed to rain Monday and Tuesday. Yuck. I discovered, when I got to the studio this morning, that the camera hung up around 5:00 yesterday, so we missed sunset and sunrise. Sorry about that. I will have to be more careful about checking the camera before I go to bed. It took a while for me to get it running again. That driver is a piece of junk - I think I've said that before.
The guys slept, although I had both of them on my lap (not at once) during the day, Grayson twice. They don't like this weather either.
While I was sitting here this afternoon, there was a flock of blue jays outside. I guess their nestlings must have fledged. They don't sound off at this time of year, but evidently they were finding something to eat in the driveway and they kept flying in to the pines. I don't know how many there were, but there were a lot of them. Blue jays are pretty, but they're a nuisance.
I tried to start the charts for the extension of the shawl pattern, but I screwed up the entire thing and deleted it. I just didn't' have enough of my mind about me today. It's a crazy pattern, but I think the reason is that the repeat is 18 rows, which means that the half-drop doesn't work quite right. In fact, most things about the pattern don't work quite right. I guess I knew that, but I didn't know how bad it is. I will have to do another 72 rows to get it to fit into the edging right, so it's going to be quite a big thing. Well, maybe I can work on that tomorrow.
Now it's a partly cloudy evening in the field, and I can barely keep my eyes open.
August 16 I think I turned out the light last night at about 10:30, and I hoped to get up at a reasonable hour this morning. Well, it didn't happen. It was raining when I went to bed, and my shoulder was so sore that it took me three tries before I could lie on my left side at all. I know, it's my right shoulder, but it's more comfortable when I lie on it, and even when it's not really bad, I have to get it in just the right position to lie on my left side. Last night it was like a boil, and I couldn't lie on my left side at all until around 5:00 this morning. That meant I didn't sleep all that well, and it was 11:00 before I got up. Oh well. I'm tired again tonight. I'm hoping it will go away eventually, like my hip did.
I was so late that I didn't do anything except wash a load of pants and jeans, after I had another accident, in part because Grayson was sitting on me. I wish he'd pick another time, but he wants to get on my lap the moment I get to the studio in the morning, and I want to eat my breakfast first, without dropping it on him. Cats are strange.
Around the time I was going to bed, we had a small thunderstorm, but it didn't rain a whole lot. It was very humid all night and for most of the day, and that is no doubt why I was so creaky. It was a cloudy, cool day. The temperature during the day was between 55º and 59º. There were light winds from the north, but I had to close the window in the studio - just as Grayson was about to stick his nose out of it - because of the cool breeze, which does not do my shoulder any good at all. Now there is some color in the west, like possibly it's clear over the lake while it's cloudy over the land, a situation we frequently have around here.
The guys were like the weather. When I went back up to the north end after my accident, I found both of them sound asleep in the middle of my bed, curled up where I usually lie. I don't know where Grayson spends the night, but he doesn't usually turn up until he hears me rustling around after I finish my knitting. So Louie and I seem to have the north end to ourselves in the morning. I was on my way out of the bathroom this morning when Louie looked up at me and said "Mrw?" He is now the more talkative of the two of them, although sometimes I think it's actually Grayson. Their voices are near enough in pitch that it's hard to tell them apart until they start to sound off. Then it's clear it's Louie.
This afternoon, I started reading the ebook I bought the other day, but I stopped, because if I kept at it, I'd probably never get to bed. While it may not be as good as Clara Parkes said it was, and it could certainly have used an editor (it's self-published), it's an engrossing story and I'm not sorry I bought it. There are some really quirky characters.
Now it's a cool, cloudy night in the field, and maybe I can get to bed at a reasonable hour, so I can get up tomorrow.
August 15 Wow, it's the middle of August already. Where does the time go? But even when I was a kid, it seemed like summer was over after my birthday. Time flies, and having fun has nothing to do with it.
It did last night, too. There was some nice music. Right after midnight there was Grieg, and then right before 1:00 there was a Beethoven piano sonata - "Les Adieux," one of my favorites, so of course I had to listen to that. Then I stared at the floor for much too long, so it was 2:00 before I got to bed. Sigh.
I got up at 9:00 anyway, in the hope that I could cycle my sleep back toward what I need for tomorrow night. We'll see if it works, but I'm tired, so I guess maybe it will work.
i didn't do a lot today. I went to the post office, where there were bills and my box of probiotics. When I got home, I remembered that it was time to do a Windows update, so I started that, and it was a white-knuckle experience. There were 16 separate updates, and when it tried to install the 11th, it hung. I mean, really hung, no response, no way forward. So I tried rebooting, and while it was trying to shut down, it hung again, trying to install the update. Eek. At last, after I had almost the same problem with the laptop and worked around it, I took a deep breath and turned the computer off. I know it says not to do that, but I didn't want it to churn forever, either. It took a couple of reboots, but finally the updates completed, and now it thinks everything got installed correctly. Or I think so. At least it seems to be working all right. For some time, Microsoft has been pretty good about its monthly updates, so I guess it was about time there was a glitch. I kept having visions of either not being able to reboot or having to do a massive system restore from safe mode to get things back together. At least that didn't happen. And yes, I believe in installing the updates in a timely manner. I always did, when I was the system administrator of large systems.
Speaking of large systems, I didn't get all of my Schwan's order, because their mainframes have been down for 36 hours with some kind of problem. I don't know about them, but when I was in the business, that was just not acceptable. Tsk. Probably the main guy is on vacation and nobody else knows what to do. So no Beef Mongolian for the next couple of weeks, and that's one of my faves.
The trouble is, the more we rely on the computers, the more things like that are likely to happen and the more havoc they cause. Makes me all the happier that I got out when I did.
It was a nice day, a warm one for a change. The high temperature was 75º, but only for a little while. It didn't get above 70º until 4:00. There wasn't much wind, so it was - and still is - very quiet. There weren't any clouds until late in the day, but I think it is cloudy now, and there is some rain up in Canada that may come in our direction.
I hope it gets it out of its system tonight, because Art in the Park is tomorrow and SUnday. There were signs all over around the community center, from one saying "No vehicles on the grass" to a long one on the door saying, don't assume anything, because the layout is all different this year and you need to live with it. Johanna says some of those artists are prima donnas, so I don't envy her tonight and tomorrow.
The guys were sleepy, probably because the barometer is taking a dive, although they were awake this morning. They didn't like it when I got up so early, and they really didn't like it when I went out this afternoon. They are less willing to go with the flow than any of my other cats, but I suppose it has to do with their backgrounds. I doubt they'll learn.
Oh, yes, and I got the problems with my eye drops figured out. Evidently, it was the clinic that screwed up the orders. So the pharmacy will send me the other bottle of stuff I need, and that's nice. I wonder why the guy I talked to the other afternoon didn't suggest that? Grr.
So that was my day. The radio is off. I was just not inspired by the program for tonight (sorry - programme; it's a Proms concert from London), so I decided not to try to listen. I will probably read for a little while longer, maybe one more chapter, and then I'm going to bed. I forgot, also, that I bought a Kindle book the other day that I want to read - a mystery called "Yarn Woman." Tomorrow.
Now it's a cloudy, and possibly rainy night in the field, but it's fairly warm.
August 14 Well, I went up to the north end about midnight, but between staring at the floor and having to take a bath, it was nearly 2:00, I think, when I got to bed. Then, for some reason my toes felt cold, so it was a while and I had to turn over before I could get to sleep. I got up around 11:00 and I knitted four rows. I think the yarn is turning blue, but it's hard to tell for sure, since the colors are mostly very pale pastels.
I decided that I didn't want to have to go to town two days in a row, so I left about 5:00 this afternoon and I got to the pharmacy in time to get my eye drops. Well - I guess so. There were only five bottles, not the six I expected, and there were some weird instructions on the labels. So tomorrow I have to track that down. I don't know whether the pharmacy misunderstood or the instructions they got were wrong. Well, I never thought everything would go right. Maybe it's better that there is a glitch now, rather than during the surgery. Then I got gas, but I was still early for choir, so I sat and knitted and listened to the radio until it was time.
Pastor and Marcy are going to Ohio, where his parents live, on Sunday after church, so we had to practice for two Sundays, and there were a couple of things we just haven't sung much before, if at all. As it was, those things were all we practiced, so we actually got out early. I got home about 8:45. It's really too bad Pastor has to be the choir director, too. He has so many other things on his mind that sometimes he forgets about the choir. Well, that's one of the disadvantages of a small church, but the advantages are better, I think.
The weather was nice but cool again. The high did get to 70º, but only briefly when I wasn't here. For most of the day it was in the mid 60s. There was a little wind from the north. It was clear for most of the day, until late in the afternoon, when there were some clouds in the west. They seem to have gone away now, mostly.
Grayson sat on me after breakfast and caused me to have an accident. Louie got some lap time, too, and he wanted more, but i was busy. They are feeling pretty good, but that's because the barometer is high. They did sleep for most of the afternoon. Grayson didn't want me to leave, and he was right there when I got home. He got spoiled over the winter, when I never went anywhere.
So that was my day. My shoulder is bothering me, so I hope I can leave off reading at a more or less reasonable hour and get to bed. It's a clear, cool night in the field.
August 13 Today is my mother's 97th birthday. I still miss her. But I know so many people who are struggling with parents who are too old to take care of themselves anymore that I guess it was for the best. She didn't have to suffer very long - only about a year.
I was late again last night. I think I started for the north end around 1:00, but I diddled around, so it was 2:00 before I turned out the light. I slept well, with the usual wakeups. I got up around 11:00, so I guess I got enough sleep.
i knitted, but only four rows, because there are so many stitches in a row now. It's a pretty thing, but it's already clear that I will have to make it a whole lot longer in order for it to be a reasonable size. These teensy "shawlettes" (another bastard word) just don't turn me on. That is going to be a problem, because the pattern repeat varies from 30 to 36 rows and the way the chart is, the edges apparently vary about the way the designer felt. Sometimes there are several rows that don't seem to increase at all, then there will be one row with 16 increases in it. Geez. I guess I will just have to do it the way I think it should be done and hope the difference between the original chart and my additions aren't too obvious. Well, probably nobody will ever look at it that closely anyway. But I will know. This is another pattern like the last one, where the original was created for fingering weight yarn and later they realized there was no reason it couldn't be done in very fine - cobweb weight, which is finer than lace weight - yarn with the proper needles, but it would be much smaller. I'm not sorry I am knitting it, because it's going to be pretty, but it's been a trial almost from the beginning. We'll see how it comes out.
I was so late that I didn't do much of anything. I did call the Aspirus pharmacy and determined that my eye drops are there, but I don't know exactly when I will be down to get them. It was too late to go today. I told them It might be Friday before I get them, so I guess that will hold them. I was toying with the idea of going down late tomorrow (they're only open until 6:00), getting them and getting my gas before choir. Hey, that would work. I might try to eat down there, too, but I'm not sure it's possible.
I cooked tonight, an old recipe with chicken breasts and broccoli cheese soup. It's incredibly simple, but it's good, especially if the broccoli is crisp and it's served with rice. I realized, while I was eating, that I've missed eating chicken in a reasonable quantity. The frozen stuff I've been subsisting on has less meat, but it makes up for it by having a whole lot more sodium and other noxious stuff. Anyway, this was good, and I have two more meals - one for tomorrow and one for Saturday. One of these days, I must try to make it with just plain cheese soup, because I do not like the flavor or smell of overcooked broccoli. Boy, I'm getting really picky in my old age. At least about some things.
It was a cold day in the Keweenaw. The temperature finally got up to 60º, but for most of the day it was in the high 50s with a fair north wind. It was mostly cloudy this morning, but it cleared up this afternoon and it was nice and blue. It's supposed to get cold tonight, maybe under 50º. Well we usually have a cool spell in August right around my mother's birthday. With as cool a summer as we've had, that means cold.
When I finally got to the studio today, I discovered that somebody had jostled the camera and it was pointed sort of at the end of the great room. I think probably somebody saw or smelled a critter, since there seems to be a hole at the south end of the patio door where a mouse might try to get in occasionally - that's where, years ago, Buster and I saw the baby mouse running up and down the track waving its arms, one of the most amazing sights I've ever been privileged to see. You never know what you might see in the field.
The guys were sleepy, as usual, although Grayson felt pretty good this morning, trying to beat up on the bathroom rug. Louie got some lap time today, although Grayson didn't. They liked the sunshine and while I was making dinner, Louie was sitting on a table on the porch enjoying it. With the wind from the north or slightly northeast, it was probably pretty comfortable out there, if you had a fur coat.
So that was another quiet day. I have to wash my hair tonight. I used the wrong shampoo Monday when I washed it, and it looks like I overturned an oil jug on my head. That's all right, I might get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight.
It's a clear, cold night in the field.
August 12 I was late again last night, and I think the reason this time was that i was so creaky I just didn't want to try to get up. It was easier than I thought, though. I slept well, and I got up around 10:30. I knitted, so I was late getting to the studio. I'm going to have to go down to 4 rows, though. I have almost 200 stitches now, and even though I seem to be knitting fairly fast, it just takes a long time to knit that many stitches. Not to mention when I goof and have to re-count something. Anyway, it's coming along, and I really like the colors.
And that was all I did. It took me until after the talking started to finish my surfing, and I didn't follow too many links in the emails, either.
The weather started out partly to mostly cloudy, and it was cold. It got down to 54º for most of the morning, and the high for the day was only 64º. There was a strong north wind, with gusts up to 25 mph. The afternoon was mostly to completely clear until right before sunset, and it was lovely to have the humidity nice and low and the sky so nice and blue. Now it has clouded up again, which wasn't supposed to happen, but maybe it will clear up later.
The guys enjoyed the sunshine. This afternoon, I found Louie asleep on the sofa and Grayson lying on the footstool for the ugly chair, both in the sunshine. They were rather full of energy while I was getting dressed, too, which is always a good sign that the weather is getting better. Grayson got some lap time. Louie got some last night, too, but I haven't seen him yet today.
The confirmations for my eye surgery came today, so now I can make some reservations for a motel room. I have some questions, but I suppose they will eventually be answered. So it's on for sure now. Sigh.
So that was my quiet day, and I hope not to be as late tonight. Last night, the 1:00 changeover of announcers passed without me noticing until much later, mostly because they were both women, and I'm used to there being a man on overnight. Well, it's summer and people are taking vacations. I will have to take more notice tonight if I'm still up then.
Now it's a suddenly cloudy, cool night in the field, and I hope it clears up, although I have no plans to go outside to see the meteors.
August 11 Well. Last night I got to bed by 11:00. I was so sticky and icky that I had to take a bath, but I didn't diddle around. I slept quite well, although my shoulder gave me some problems. Louie was with me for part of the night and when I woke up this morning, I rolled over and my head was on Grayson - on the other side of the bed from where Louie sleeps - until he got up and went away, I suppose because he was afraid more than my head would roll on him. They seem to prefer the sheepskin to the down comforters, but probably that's because when they're up by my head I'm less likely to kick them, although I do roll onto them sometimes.
I got up around 10:30, I think, and i knitted. And that was all I did. There was church tonight, and it's the last vespers service, which is too bad. It was good, and we had a nice showing, not like last week, but good.
The weather was miserable. It was raining when I got up, and it rained all day, particularly hard right before 7:00 when we were going into the community center. As of 10:00, we've had ¾" of rain. The temperature was right around 60º all day, and it has now gone down to about 55º. Of course, it was dark and gray all day. Yuck. This weather is horrible for my creaky joints and I had a terrible time trying to stand up during church.
The guys did the obvious thing - they slept. Grayson couldn't wait until I finished my breakfast this morning, which was good, because i made it to the powder room, but late this afternoon, he came and sat on me and purred for a very long time. He will be very happy when I don't go anywhere the next couple of days. Louie came to be petted when I was in the bathroom, but he hasn't come to sit on me in a long time. I don't know why.
Oh, yes, and I finally got to have my bilberry pancakes, and oh, they were good! I will have to do that again. I have enough bilberries for at least two more batches, as long as I don't wait too long to have them. Bilberries are tart, but they are very tasty and I like the contrast between their tartness and the sweet syrup. Yum.
So now it's a dark, rainy night in the field, and for the first time in a long time I can hear the lake singing. The wind is from the northeast and it's up to 29 mph, so we're having a modest little blow. It will be good to sleep to. This isn't very coherent, is it? I don't feel very coherent tonight.
August 10 I read for a while, so I was late getting to bed, and it was 10:45 before I turned out the light. That would have been tolerable except that I didn't sleep well. I think it was because it was hot in the bedroom and I'm not used to that. I got up when the alarm went off, and I even finished my surfing in time to get ready.
Or so I thought. When I was getting dressed, I pulled out one of my fashion watches, which I like to wear in the summertime, since the band is four braided lengths of various sized and shaped beads, most of which are clear. Well. The watch said it was 8:45, and I believed it, so I took my time - and when I got in the car at what I thought was 9:15, I discovered that it was 9:30 and I was going to be late. Arrgghh!! Fortunately, the traffic wasn't too bad and I was able to pass the slowest drivers, except for the one I got behind in Kearsarge, so I made it to church, although I didn't get to stop in the restroom.
Church was nice, and we sang well. The Gospel was Jesus walking on the water, and so was Pastor's sermon, and all the hymns were golden oldies about trust. The congregation sings louder when they really get the hymns. I didn't notice that, though, because Pastor wanted us to sit altogether right in front in front of the lectern and it was hard to hear.
Then I had to shop. It's been a month at least, and I was running low on OJ and some other things. Now the fridge is packed and I will eat well for the next month. The melons are coming in, so I got lots of watermelon, which I love. I also got some fish and i had that for dinner. I was slow, because I was very creaky, and I didn't get home until after 2:00 and it was 4:00 before I had everything packed away.
I sat quietly and read and Grayson came and sat on me for a long time and purred even when he was asleep. I guess he really does worry when I go away. Anyway, I started gurgling, but I ignored it, and when I finally got up, of course I had an accident. By the time I cleaned up from that, I was hot, and by the time I finally finished cooking my dinner, I was wet all over. I think I will have to take a bath tonight, just to wash off all the sweat.
It really wasn't that warm, except in the house. The high temperature was officially only 72º, but there was no wind for most of the day. It was quite humid. There was a lot of sunshine, although the skies were hazy, and it got very warm in here, even though I had the windows open and the fan on.
The guys were mostly sleepy. They tend to do that even more than usual when it's warm. Louie only came around once and he didn't stay, but Grayson sat on me twice. He has developed the uncomfortable habit of kneading my gut when he's sitting on my lap, and his little needle claws go right through my shirts and it hurts. Buster's claws were like sabers, and I have tears in a lot of pants to prove it. Grayson's are like little needles - and they are small - and they are the sharpest claws I have ever felt. Ouch. Louie is much more careful with his claws, so I don't know for sure whether they are sabers or needles. He surprises me, because he is very aware of what I might not like and he doesn't do those things...except go after Grayson. Well, then Grayson sticks his needles into Louie, although it doesn't seem to bother him much. Every so often, he will have a scab on his chin or a hole in his nose and I know he's been bothering Grayson again. However, Grayson can jump up on the bureau in the bedroom or the counter in the bathroom and Louie can't, so most of the time that solves the problem. Louie cornered Grayson in the shower this morning, though, and he does that every so often. Grayson doesn't seem to know what to do to avoid being cornered.
So that was my day. I should have stopped and got gas, but I didn't, so I guess I will have to do that after choir on Thursday, unless I have to go down to Calumet some other time.
Now it's a warm, calm night in the field and I hope we'll be able to see at least some of the big old full moon tonight. No, it's not a "supermoon". That's nonsense.
August 9 So I almost didn't go to bed last night, too, but I took myself in hand around midnight. However, I seem to have spent a long time staring at the floor in the bathroom, because it was 1:00 before i finally got to bed. I didn't wake up for the first time until around 6:00, so I really zonked out. I got up around 11:00, I think.
I knitted, and while I only did six rows, it took a long time. The pale green is beginning to turn to pale sky blue. The colors in this one are really pretty. The pattern is all right, but it's weird and I'll have to see it blocked before I'm sure I like it. Extending the pattern to the size I want it will be very difficult, too, but I mean to try. If the edges don't come out quite the same way the printed pattern does, well, too bad.
Let's see. I actually did a few small things. I finally got two pairs of jeans washed and into the dryer, although I just hauled the stuff that was in the dryer out without folding it. I did, however, try to clean up the vent, which apparently I haven't done in a long time. I really need to get the vacuum in there, but I think I got most of what I could reach cleaned out. The problem is, the vent starts at the front of the dryer and goes around to the back where it exits, and it is not possible to reach that long run along the side of the cabinet. And the lint trap just has a piece of screen over it, which doesn't trap anywhere near all the lint. Very stupid design.
I finally got the dishwasher ready to run tonight, except for my dinner dishes. I should start doing that when I get low on my dishes, instead of waiting until I run out of cat dishes. It's packed, mostly with cereal bowls and small (bread and butter) plates. I should know better. Anyway, it will run tonight and then we will all have clean dishes.
It was another beautiful day. it was nearly clear, although there was a line of clouds right up the center of the peninsula, according to the MODIS pictures. The high temperature was 72º, but for most of the afternoon it stayed right around 71º. There was almost no wind.
It is so quiet around here that it's a delight to have the windows open. I heard my neighbor to the south, quietly, and just a little while ago, I heard something that I think was a loon, although I didn't see it. That warble is unmistakable.
The guys were sleepy. Louie stayed with me as long as I was in bed, and then he moved out onto the porch and when I went down to the kitchen, probably after I had my accident, he was asleep between the screen and a chair, in the sun. I guess he got hot later, because he moved into the great room in the shade. I don't know where Grayson was for most of the day. RIght now he's sitting on the beading tray, which is on the desk - yes, the one that got knocked onto the floor the other day. They are wakeful for part of the night and early in the morning and otherwise, they sleep. Nice life. I guess my habits are beginning to be like theirs.
So that was my day and now I have to prime the dishwasher and then wash myself. It's a sort of partly cloudy, warmish evening in the field.
August 8 Well, let's see if I can do what I say tonight. Last night, instead of going to bed early, like I planned, I ended up pulling an all-nighter again. I still do not know why I do that, except that I just didn't feel like getting up and trundling up to the north end. Sigh. As a result, I only got about seven hours' sleep, and that's not enough. I knitted for quite a while, too, and I finished the first chart. I was wrong about the stitch count; the first chart ends with 153 stitches.
I was so late that I had to eat a fast breakfast in order to get to the post office before it closed, although there weren't any packages. I stopped at the store and got some JD, so I had a full-sized drink tonight. That was all I did. It was all I had time for. I did my surfing while the talking was on, and it was frustrating because there was a slowdown (to 175kbps) while I was reading my funnies. I called PastyNet and things are OK now, although there have been a few more slowdowns. Evidently there was (or is) a problem at the Mountain Lodge. Well, things have been so good lately, I guess I'm not surprised. I don't know how Charlie and Jon feel about it, but when I was working, when things were going well was when I got the most suspicious.
The weather was really nice. Still is, actually. The temperature for most of the afternoon was 71º, although it has now risen to 75º. Again there has been almost no wind. It was mostly sunny, although there was that high haze in the sky that we have had so often these last few years. Perfect weather in my book.
Louie slept with me for most of the time I was in bed, but he didn't try to get me up this morning, and in fact, when I moved to the bathroom, he laid down on the rug and went back to sleep, where Grayson joined him after a while. They were sleepy for most of the day,although Louie was going after Grayson again.
So that was a quiet, truncated day, and I really do plan to get to bed at a semi-reasonable hour tonight. I'm exhausted, and as soon as I get cooled off from having made and eaten my dinner, I will try to go to bed. I should wash dishes tonight, but nothing is in the dishwasher, so I think I will just postpone it until tomorrow. Now it's a lovely clear, warm evening in the field.
August 7 For one reason or another, I didn't get to bed until around 11:00. I slept hard and long, though. It was 11:30 and Louie was walking around behind my head and whispering at me before I got up. I don't know if he was afraid there was something wrong with me or what. Perhaps he remembers what happened to his previous person.
Anyway, I did get up and I knitted for quite a while, until it was too late for pancakes, so maybe tomorrow. Other than that, I didn't do much during the day. I had a nasty accident - time for more rice - and that made me too late to go to the post office, so I ran out of JD tonight. This evening was choir practice, so I went to that and I ran into a bunch of people driving strangely in both directions, but that's tourist season. It will be better after Labor Day.
The weather was nice and quite a bit warmer than it has been lately. The high temperature was 77º for a couple of hours, although it went up fast and back down fast. There was almost no wind. It was clear to partly cloudy all day. I noticed when I was looking at the camera archives that our days are about an hour and a half shorter than they were six weeks ago. We are losing sunlight at a rate of almost 3 minutes a day. Oh, sigh. I can start changing the start and stop times of the camera now. Sigh.
I didn't see a lot of the guys today, after Louie tried to rout me out of bed. Grayson came around and thought he wanted toast, although he didn't eat it. I haven't seen Louie lately. I think all my comings and goings have confused them - and then I didn't seem to want to get up this morning.
I felt all right when I got up, but I'm tired again now, so I will be off to the north end without reading a lot more and maybe I can get up a little earlier tomorrow. I will have to start doing fewer rows on the shawl, I'm working on well over 200 stitches now and I'm not too far from the end of the first chart. It's going to be a pretty thing. It started out sort of fresh pink then shaded to beige and it's now very light green. I love to work with multicolored yarns, especially when I pull the thread from the center of the ball, because I never know what color will come next. I know there is blue and possibly aqua and lavender, but I haven't seen any of them yet, because the color runs are very long. So even though it's a weird pattern and it's almost impossible to get a good count of stitches, it's fun to work on.
Now it's a partly cloudy, warmish night in the field. I'm tired.
August 6 Thanks for bearing with me. Even though I didn't do a journal, it was 2:00 before I turned out the light. Then I woke up and squinted at the clock over the cat and thought it said 9:30, but after I got up and got started, I checked again and it was only 8:30, so i am just exhausted tonight.
So, yesterday. I didn't get enough sleep, but I got up with the alarm and I left at about 9:00. Traffic was light to nonexistent. I stopped at the Indian reservation, where gas was $3.31 a gallon, and then I was off. Finding the route Google Maps suggested wasn't hard and I saw parts of the country I've never seen before. I thought roads in Michigan weren't very good, but they're like glass compared to secondary roads in Wisconsin! Yikes! The route went over two (well, actually one, but that's another story) county roads (N and U) and they were just terrible. Not only was the road surface like a washboard, in one area there were a bunch of very poorly marked 90º turns that I nearly wiped out on. I had several very interesting driving incidents, including one that was extremely illegal.
Anyway, once I got back to US-141, it went well, except that almost the entire length from the time it became 4-lane divided was under construction. It has apparently been one of those interesting 4 lane highways like the one over by Marquette, where one enters and exits side roads by making direct right and left turns, and it looks like they are beginning to replace some of the most heavily used ones with overpasses. Then for probably 20 miles from where I exited, where it is a freeway, it looks like they are completely rebuilding the entire highway. It was a mess. I made it to the clinic before my appointment time (although I first went in the wrong entrance) but it took me a solid 5 hours, even though I drive fast. I wasn't sure how they do it in Wisconsin, but from what I observed, they drive even faster there than they do in Michigan. For future reference.
When I got to the clinic and parked, I was hot, even though I had the A/C on, and then I discovered that not only was there a lineup to check in, one had to stand at a thing that looks more like a bank to do the check-in - and they were taking their time. By the time they sent me down the hall and around a corner, I was sweating like a horse and every piece of clothing I had on was wet - so wet that I left a spot on the chair I sat in after I got back from walking down the hallway to the restroom.
Eventually, I got called by a technician, and we spent the next two hours or more together while she entered all my medical history into the computer - they are in the process of converting to an electronic records system - testing my eyesight and doing several other tests.
Eventually, after a couple of false starts for some more tests, I got to see the cornea doctor. She was all right, and she said that probably my corneal problem won't interfere with my sight too much and if it does, there is a new procedure that can probably fix it. She acted a little upset, and I think it is because she does cataracts, too, but my optometrist wanted another doctor to do that. However, she is very young, and I suppose he thought it would be better to have someone with more experience. I agree. One of the tests they did was a digital map of my corneas, and with the computers, by the time I got back to the examining room to see her, the pictures were on her screen - really neat. She didn't explain them to me, but I could tell that there is a considerable difference in the depth, which would certainly cause me problems. However, upon thinking about it, I think she is over-eager to work on patients, to make their vision "the best it can be" and I would be very surprised if I can't get along quite well without that. After all, I've had this condition all my life.
Then, finally, not half an hour before the clinic closed, I got to see the guy who will be doing my cataracts. I am not too happy about his bedside manner, and i told a couple of people that. I think he spent all of ten minutes with me, and that included looking at my eyes and explaining the procedure and the pros and cons - and then he asked me if I wanted the surgery! I was tired and trying to be nice, but what I should have said was, "Doctor, that's why I'm here!" Do i want it! Geez! You think I want to go blind? I was happy that he offered me a choice of distance lenses or close-up lenses (of course, I chose close-up. I don't want to fight my eyes to do my needlework or work on the computer. Glasses work fine). And, as it turned out, he decided to do the right eye first, which is what I'd decided, even though we didn't talk about it.
After that, there was one more test, in which they measure the entire size of the eyeball using ultrasound. It wasn't exactly fun and it was messy - lots of water sloshing all over my face and my hair - before I got to talk to the surgery scheduler. That was inconclusive, but she is a very nice person, too. I wanted to wait to talk to Marcy before I committed us, Then, finally, it was back to the desk, where they checked me out, right at 6:00. Whew!
By that time, i was getting hungry - really hungry. Right next door to the medical facility, it turns out, is a Mexican-American restaurant that has been around for a long time, they said, so I decided to try it. Oh, it was good. I had a chimichanga - my experience with Mexican is severely limited - which was very good, but not something I should eat often, since it's deep fried. This one was so crisp and nice that it was lovely. And I discovered that while I don't like avocados alone very well, guacamole is wonderful. They also had nice, spicy salsa, which I got all over my front, although I was able to wash most of it out. I didn't have any alcohol. I decided that wouldn't be a good idea. But I left feeling quite well-fortified.
Then it was the roundabouts - traffic circles, we used to call them. Oh, how I hate those things! I first encountered them when I was living in the east, and I think they were invented by dropouts from Civil Engineering school to bedevil drivers. If you are a foreigner or can't read the signs, the other drivers will run you down. That's where I did my extremely illegal thing, but fortunately, a couple of drivers realized what had happened to me and helped me out by stopping. I sure am glad it was after the peak of the rush hour! And that there were no police around. They do have police in Wisconsin, don't they?
Anyway, after that, I managed to get back onto US-141, and it was just a matter of driving for five hours to get home. The sun went behind a cloud in the west before it set, and my eyes were beginning to readjust, so they were the right size that I could see a little, although I had a hard time reading road signs until I was right on top of them. There was even less traffic than there had been going south, until I got to Houghton. I was very surprised by the amount of traffic leaving Copper Harbor, but I managed to handle the glare of the headlights pretty well. However, I was disgusted by the number of people who won't dim their lights when they encounter oncoming traffic. I was probably gulty a number of times, too, because it's hard to remember when somebody suddenly appears around a curve or over a hill. Please, people, try to remember!
I got home right around midnight, but I didn't get to bed until 2:00, because I wanted to relax a little before I went. I slept like the dead, with one wakeup, and like I said, I misread the clock and got up at 8:30.
That was all right; I got to do my surfing before I was off to see Johanna. I needed her. Not only were my back and my shoulder bothering me, I discovered when I ate breakfast that apparently I was clenching my jaw all the way home last night, and the joint on the right side was so sore I could hardly eat. She helped that, too.
I was going to take a nap, but that didn't happen, which is why I'm trying to do this pretty early tonight. I need a bath, and I need lots of sleep. Pastor called to see how everything had gone, and so I talked to Marcy, then I called the scheduler back. My surgery is going to be on September 24 and October 8 in the middle of the morning. We will have to go down the afternoon before, which is fine, but we will be able to get home that day. One question was whether the optometrist here could do the day-after checkup, but I verified that, and so everything is under way. I should be getting stuff in the mail pretty soon. I need to do some looking with Google Maps to see where the best place to stay is, but I will be making reservations pretty soon. Evidently when there are Packers ballgames, the town fills up. That's for tomorrow or Friday.
When I got home last night and turned on the lights in the studio, I discovered that during my absence something had happened on the desk and my beading lap tray was upside down on the floor with tools strewn all over the place. Uh-huh. I didn't do anything about it until I got back from Johanna's. It was nearly miraculous, though. There were tools all over and my embroidery toolbox had come open and those tools were around, too, but evidently the lap tray turned right over, and the beads ended up on the cloth I use to cover everything up. So while the beads are mixed up (blue and silver, for Snowflake Bracelets) they were all in one place! I was so relieved to see that! It made the cleanup so much easier.
I saw Sawyer, Johanna's son today, too. He is so cute and so big! He is another happy baby and he is not quite crawling. He smiled a lot and he was busy with his hands. Johanna may have to stop wearing earrings for a while. I understand everything is going in his mouth, which is normal for his age (7 months or so).
Oh, yes, and on my way home from Johanna, I stopped and picked a few more bilberries. I didn't get quite as many because the bushes were further from the road and I was trying to hang onto the car door as I picked. But now I probably have enough for three batches of pancakes. Maybe tomorrow?
The weather yesterday was nearly clear except after sunset. The high temperature here was 69º, briefly. It was probably in the middle 70s in Green Bay. It was still hot in the car, with all the sunshine, but it cooled down fast once the sun set. Today was another pretty clear day, with a high that has finally reached 64º and almost no wind. I was hot when I got home last night, but that's because when I'm exhausted, my body can't control my temperature very well. I was sorry to see that the camera hung up right about the time i left yesterday, so we didn't see the sunset, but that happens. I think the driver gets corrupted after a while and I will probably have to reboot, but the monthly update should be available soon (if it isn't now) and I will undoubtedly have to reboot for that. Such a pain.
I have no idea what happened while I wasn't here, but I imagine there was some sort of altercation. Louie is still bothering Grayson every so often. Anyway, I kind of ignored them for most of the day, so they might know I was not pleased. Today was quieter and they slept most of the time. Tomorrow maybe I can be nice to them and tell them I really do still love them even if they are bad.
So that was my eventful two days, and I am exhausted. No reading tonight. I will be going up to the north end and taking my bath as soon as I post this and then I will crash, and I expect to be late getting up, too.
Now it's a clear, coolish night in the field.
August 5 Well, I went and I'm back again. I left at 9:00 this morning and I got home at midnight. I'm too tired to write more tonight. More tomorrow.
August 4 This is early tonight, because I have a few things to do and I need to get to bed early.
I turned out the light around 11:00 last night, and I must say I slept well. As soon as the Tylenol kicked in, my shoulder didn't hurt so much, although I was tired enough that I probably would have slept anyway. I got up around 10:00 (maybe 10:30? I'd hate to think I knitted that long!) and I knitted. I have over 100 stitches on the needle now, so it's taking longer to do two rows. On these things with plain purl rows, I always count in groups of two rows.
I knitted longer than I thought, and then I had to rush to get stuff together and off to the post office, but the bills and the bracelet got mailed out, although the bracelet isn't in a little bag. If I find them, Dave, I'll mail you one.
I noticed yesterday on my way home that the bilberry bushes along the road between my driveway and my neighbor's seemed to have a lot of berries on them, so on the way home today, I grabbed a bag (I carry a roll of gallon plastic bags in the car) and opened the door and stepped out and started picking. Hey, berry picking, even when the berries are all right there, isn't exactly easy. I stopped three times, about six feet apart, and by the time I got through most of the ripe berries in the third patch, my legs were wobbly and my back was killing me. However, I have probably ¾ of a pint of luscious bilberries - enough for at least two, possibly three, batches of bilberry pancakes. Oh, yum!
Bilberries are much tarter than blueberries (they look similar, only bilberries don't have the whitish bloom on them) and much more flavorful, and they make the most delicious pancakes and jam. I'll never get enough to make jam (unfortunately), but oh, my, do they make great pancakes! I can hardly wait until I can have them. It won't be Wednesday, because I have an appointment with Johanna at 11:00 (maybe I can pick some more on my way home?) but maybe by Thursday things will be settled down enough that I can whip up a batch. Oh, yum!
I know I took some pictures of bilberries years ago (the last time I picked them), but I can't find them now, so maybe I can remember to take some on Wednesday. The bushes look similar to high-bush blueberries, but the berries grow out of the crotches between the stems and leaves, one at a time, unlike blueberries. Blue gold.
Anyway, when i got home, I verified that I can still use my credit card (whew!), postponed the shipment of my most expensive prescription until next week, and printed off a bunch of directions and maps from Google Maps, so I know where I'm going. Sort of. When I first looked at the directions, I was confused, but it turns out that they routed me via a shortcut (Road H and US-25 out of Florence, WI) that is much shorter. US-141 sort of wanders around between Florence and US-25, and the way they routed me will be much shorter and faster. It's still close to a 5 hour drive, so I will be leaving pretty early, and I"ll be getting home late, since I expect to eat before I leave Green Bay. I guess I can find my way. It's not the driving itself that bothers me - driving never did - it's that I don't see very well, especially after dark. But I will make it, and there will be a journal tomorrow night.
there was church tonight, and there was a mob. I didn't stay, even though the goodies were cheesecakes, because I needed to write this, finish my JD and take a bath. I will miss the fellowship, but that's the way it goes.
The weather was nice, if cool. The high did get to 68º, but only briefly. It was partly cloudy, the wind was under 10 mph from the east. It was clear overnight, and I managed to see Polaris, but not much else. Oh, I need my cataracts removed!
The guys were sleepy today, for some reason. Grayson got a couple of lap sits, but I was busy when Louie came by, so he hasn't gotten any. I believe that they can read my mind, and although it doesn't bother Louie, apparently, it bothers Grayson a lot that I'm going away. A lot of my cats have felt that way, and I guess it's because they never know if I might not come back. I'm planning to come back, guys. Really.
Oh, yes, and i got my birthday cards today. It was so nice, and as usual, Arthur has saved my butt - thanks, Arthur! And thanks to Cheryl and Deb. I'd just as soon ignore it, but it's been a very nice birthday anyway.
So that was my day, and since I can't find anything, including the thing from Arthur and the small bag I keep my cell phone and stuff in, so I think I will call it a day as soon as I finish my JD. It's a partly cloudy, coolish night in the field and the half moon is shining in the south windows.
August 3 I was a little later than I planned last night, but I got to bed before 11:00. I had some problem getting to sleep. My shoulder was extremely painful, and until the Tylenol cut in and I turned over onto my right side, I couldn't sleep. It seems strange that I can sleep better on the sore shoulder, but it's true. Of course, I can't spend the whole night on my right side; my ear and my hip won't let me, but by the time I woke up and had to turn over, it wasn't quite so bad. One of the things that messes it up most is fiddling around with the covers when I lie down, and I haven't figured out what to do about that yet. It felt some better this morning, but there is a dull ache there now, so we'll see how the night is.
Anyway, I got up when I wanted to, but for some reason, I was moving slowly and I was late getting away...and then I was moving slowly, because there were people towing things in front of me and they didn't want to pull over and let me go by. So I got to church a bit later than I wanted, and then I had to go back out to the car. I was too late to get a handicap parking spot, so I had to walk all the way across the parking lot to the other side (not far, but far for me) because I had forgotten to get some Kleenex. I didn't have any with me because I forgot to bring the stuff up to the closet to fill my purse - and I've lost it again. It has to be around here someplace because I got my checkbook out of it, but I can't find it. I can't find some other stuff, either, so I finally gave up.
Church was nice, with a low-key celebration of the congregation's 135th anniversary. The building isn't quite that old, but the congregation is. That's an impressive amount of time. We sang "I Am the Bread of Life" and a hymn, and I don't know if it was my ears (which are still plugged up) or real, but we didn't sound like we were in tune. Oh, well. I doubt anybody much noticed. We actually got out before noon, because there was no communion. There was cake and coffee in the basement, but I came home instead. Coming home was easier than going down, because everybody was going in the other direction.
I moved slow for the rest of the afternoon, but I marked my absentee ballot (not a big deal, but there were a couple of ballot proposals I wanted to vote on) and I paid a few small bills. I also realized that I'm going to run out of money before I pay all this month's bills. Not a pleasant situation. I was hoping not to have to tap the savings until I pay my summer taxes, but no such luck. I also filled out the paperwork the eye clinic wants, although there were a couple of places where I just said "see attached sheet" and attached the one-page summary of everything I take, everything that's wrong with me and everything that's been done to me. I highly recommend that everybody create such a sheet. It makes everything sooo much easier when seeing a new doctor!
I got some of the stuff together to send off the bracelet someone ordered from me last week, although one of the things I can't find is the little organza bags I put them in. I certainly hope that after I get my eyes done, I will feel more like beading, because the list of things I need to make is getting longer all the time. I hope I can get that sent off tomorrow.
When I checked my online bank balances, I discovered that the bank has changed both of my account numbers (and changed the MasterCards into Visas). I don't have the new cards yet. I sure hope they're in my box at the bank, or I could be in serious trouble on Tuesday. I know my bank has always been more inclined to Visa than MasterCard, and I've always wondered when they would do this, but it certainly is inconvenient. Well, I can hope.
The weather was okay, I guess. It was partly to mostly cloudy all day, and the high, 69º happened just a little while ago. For most of the day, it was in the middle 60s. There was almost no wind. Sort of meh.
The guys were their sleepy selves, although Grayson spent a very long time on my lap this afternoon, purring himself to sleep. I didn't see much of Louie, except when he laid down in the middle of the floor and didn't move until I almost stepped on him. He wasn't going after Grayson quite as much, so maybe that phase is over for a while again.
So that was my day. I'm tired and I need to get to bed at a reasonable hour so that I'm not messed up for Tuesday. I was glad to get as much done today as I did, so tomorrow I can put my attention to getting to the post office before the mail gets picked up and printing out some maps of where I'm going on Tuesday. There are a few things I'm confused about that. Evidently while US41 and US 141 diverge a bit south of the Canyon Falls rest site, they must converge again before Green Bay. I guess I will have to haul out my printed road maps. Google Maps and Mapquest are all right, but I like to have a better idea of where I'm going than they give - and they can be wrong, too. Even though the eye clinic sent a map, it isn't a good one, and since I'll be doing my own navigation, I need all the help I can get. Geez, I hate to travel.
Now it's a coolish, calm, partly cloudy night in the field.
August 2 It was another late night, of course. The music was nice and I was reading. I got up around 11:30, and I knitted, with some difficulty at the start. It's a weird pattern, and even though I can see how it develops, actually knitting it isn't easy.
Today was washday and pill dispenser day. The last loads of was are ready to go into the dryer and the pill dispensers at this end of the house are filled. Of course, I dripped my dinner down my front, so there is already something dirty to wash. Sigh. I folded a couple of small loads I did a week or so ago, but I didn't put them away. My shoulder is so sore that I didn't think I could reach up to the shelves. Gee, I hope I get over this soon! It's a pain more ways than one.
It was a nice day for a change. It was mostly sunny, although there were clouds, and the high temperature was 77º, at least 10º than it's been for a while. That only happened for a little while, but it was in the middle 70s for most of the afternoon. There wasn't a lot of wind - around 10 mph - from the southwest. I had to open the windows, because otherwise it would have gotten too hot. It almost did anyway, I guess there may be some rain overnight and tomorrow, and it's mostly cloudy now.
I don't know what has gotten into Louie the past couple of days, but he has really been going after Grayson again. Louie was asleep when I got up, and when I went to get dressed, he was right where I left him in bed, and Grayson was stretched out in front of my pillow, so comfortable. He got up when I started rustling around the kitchen, so I fed him, and after I ate, he sat on my lap and purred for a long time. I wish I could figure them out.
Now I have to put the wash in the dryer, fill the pill bottles and take a bath so I'm ready for tomorrow. I will probably be late getting to bed. It's a warmish, cloudy evening in the field.
August 1 Of course I was late again last night. I didn't feel like writing, so I started reading Special Forces again, and you know where that leads. Sigh. I had to wash my hair, too, so I was quite late. Ahem. Extremely late. Not quite an all-nighter, though.
I didn't get up until after noon and I knitted some more. This is a weird pattern, but I think it will be pretty when it's done. It will need blocking even more than most shawls, though, because the stitch count varies so much. It's debatable if I will ever wear it, but that's a long way off, so I don't need to worry about it now. it's a fun knit.
I was so late that I didn't finish my surfing until after the talking started, so I didn't do anything else, even go to the post office. I was going to do that, but then first I tipped over my orange juice, and while I was attempting to clean that up, I dripped it all over my pants, and then I had an accident, so I had to change everything from the waist down. By that time, it was too late to go to the post office, and anyway, I didn't have what I was going to take with me. Oh, yes, I did get the tab glued to my license plate. For once, I won't go around violating the law.
This evening, I met Johanna at Harbor Haus and we had a nice dinner - especially nice since about halfway through, who should show up but Chip, whose wife passed away about this time last year! It was so good to see him, so we invited him to join us and we had a long and wonderful conversation. He needed to talk about Nancy and we all had some catching up to do, so we didn't leave until 10:00. I'm sure they weren't happy with us, but I've done that to them before. So I had a very nice birthday, even though it was a day late. Such nice people!
The weather turned out nice. It was partly cloudy all day, but there was a lot of sunshine. The high temperature was 70º, briefly, and there wasn't a lot of wind. It had nearly cleared up when we left HH, and the crescent moon was shining brightly in the west. It's so good to see the moon! We've had a lot of clouds this summer.
The guys were not pleased when I went away, and Grayson met me when I got home, but mostly to say he was glad I came back. I don't know where Louie is.
So it was a very nice day, I had a very nice dinner, and I guess I'm resigned to being officially a year older. It's a clear, coolish night in the field.
Last updated 09/01/14 09:00 PM
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