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A View From the Field |
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July 2017 July 31 Well, there. Now I'm officially a year older, and I've outlived both of my parents. The next milestone is 79, which is, I think, how old my grandmothers were when they died. I just got off of a nice long conversation with Debbie, who called right after I got home from Harbor Haus.
Otherwise it was a quiet day. I was in bed before 11:00 and I slept well until sometime after 9:00. I haven't been paying too much attention to times today. I knitted. I've decided not to make the shawl any bigger and I think I can get it done with the two balls of yarn I already had. I only have about four rows more before I start the straight part, so it's coming well. I'm getting awfully tired of leaves!
The weather was nice but a little more humid than yesterday. The high temperature spiked up to 81º at 8:00, but for the rest of the day it was in the middle 70s. It was fairly clear, although there was that high, white haze in the sky for most of the day. There wasn't a lot of wind. Nice.
The guys were sleepy, but when I went to change my clothes this evening, I discovered that they had left me a birthday present - a very small, very skinny field mouse that had been rather mangled. I like it that they catch mice, but I wish they could figure out something better to do with them. People who think cats aren't very good mousers don't know the same cats I know.
So that's all there was. The last year has been a rather interesting one, and I hope the next one will be considerably quieter and less exciting. But I've made it this far and I will press on.
Now it's a clear, warm evening in the field and it's time for bath and bed.
July 30 I had several things to do before I went to bed last night, so it was close to 10:00 before I turned out the light. I slept well, although I was up several times, and I was in the middle of a weird dream when the alarm went off. I got up, though, and I did my thing, and I left the house around 9:00.
It was good that I did. I got behind two very law abiding drivers on the covered road, so I had to go at 30-45 mph until I got to some of the straight stretches and I could pass them. I appreciate that visitors don't know the road the way we do, but I still think the least they could do is pull over (there are plenty of turn-offs) and let us pass them. I've run into several people this year who have done that, even when I didn't think I was so close behind them, but most people never think about it...if they think at all. I'm sure most of them never look behind themselves.
Anyway, I got to church early, but it was just as well, because they had called a rehearsal they didn't tell me about. All the people who were missing on Thursday were there, and while some of them weren't in their best voice, we sounded good.
Pastor had a good sermon - except that he was mumbling at the end - and the only problem was that it was hot in the sanctuary. I mean, really hot, like probably close to 90º. We were all sweating by the end of the service. You have to remember that until now this has been a cool summer, and none of us are accustomed to even warmish weather.
I had to get gas, with all the flying up and down the peninsula I've been doing lately, but I had a 30¢ coupon (That's 30¢ a gallon off the first 15 gallons), so I didn't break the bank. Not this time, anyway. Maybe next week.
I got home around 1:00 and immediately took off all my clothes, although it was nice and cool in the house. It's only the second time this summer that I've had shorts on. This time I wore my knit shorts, which are extremely comfortable, although I'd never wear them off my property.
I didn't do anything for the rest of the afternoon. Well - not much. I ordered the pills I'm running out of (this order wasn't quite in the donut hole, thankfully) and the shoes from Amazon. I was shedding pieces of the soles of my white shoes all morning, so I guess it's time to pitch them. The new ones are leather, which should stretch and be much more comfortable. I hope. The old ones are better since I lost the weight, but when my feet swell (which they certainly do when it's hot!) they pinch. Having man-made shoes is wonderful in the winter (when I wear them)< but at other times of year they are hot and since they don't stretch, they pinch.
Oh, yes, and there was a small system update that I installed on both computers.
The weather was summer all over. The high temperature here was 82º, and it was in the upper 70s all afternoon. There was a little north wind for a while (15 mph or so), and the humidity varied, from low 60% to low 50% depending. It was clear in the morning, but there are some clouds now, which was not exactly in the forecast.
The guys were sleepy, mostly. This morning, Louie went after Grayson, and I had to go out onto the porch and break it up with my cane. I don't know what got into Louie. Grayson got a lot of lap time this afternoon, and after he got off my lap, he sat down on the desk beside the lap desk. I don't know why.
While my dinner was cooking, I began loading the dishwasher, and I will finish that and run the dishwasher tonight. I'm running out of bowls again.
Now it's a warm, calm and cloudy evening in the field and I'm tired.
July 29 It was a very quiet day, just what I needed.
I got to bed around midnight, I think, and I slept fairly well. I got up around 9:30 and I knitted four rows. I never did look at the clock again until after my trip to the powder room, and then it was 1:00. My ideal way of living is to never look at the clock at all, but one can't live in the real world that way, so I only do it every so often.
Oh, last night before I went to bed, I took another couple of pictures with the camera. The moon was setting over the harbor and it was sooo pretty! I'm sorry I don't have the picture pages set up, but I think if you look tomorrow morning, right at the 99th or 100th picture, you might see them. And when I went up to the north end, the moon was hanging just over the hill, very pale golden and leaving a lovely glitter trail on the harbor.
It was clear all night, too, but I missed seeing Arcturus setting, and between it and Vega, which is still too far overhead for me to see in the west windows, there aren't very many stars over 3rd magnitude. However, I can see them, and after next Wednesday, I expect to see them even better.
I finally got the last load of clothes dried, but that was about all I did. Oh, I did fill the south pill dispensers, at least as much as I could, since I'm running out of a couple of things (including the expensive one). When i go up to the north end, I'll fill the other ones.
It was another perfect day in paradise. The official high temperature was 74º, but whether it was right depended upon where you were. It was a lot warmer here, with the sun and all. There was no wind. The humidity was around 60%, which is tolerable. However, I'm sweating, because it's 85º in here. I really need to open up the house, but it's a chore and it's even more of a chore to close everything back up when it gets cold or rains.
The guys slept. They were active overnight and this morning, but by the time I got up they were asleep. Louie got a little love up in the bathroom, and he wanted to sit on my lap, but he has so many knots in his fur that I started combing him and he does not like that at all. I can understand it; it must pull horribly when I pull them out, but I have to believe it pulls when they get so matted. What he needs is to have his flanks and his behind shaved, but I can't do that and we're too far from a vet to even think about taking him to get it done. So we have a difference of opinion. Grayson got some lap time, but I had to rush to the powder room, so he didn't get nearly as much as he wanted, and it was too hot for him to come back. In the winter, that warm pad on my legs is lovely, and he thinks so, too, but not when it's hot.
My cold is slowly going away. i have only had a couple of coughing fits today, and none at night. I drip, but now it's an allergy drip, and most of the coughing is because my throat is so dry at night. I still don't feel great, but slowly that's getting better, too.
Now it's a clear, warm evening in the field and it's time to totter up to the north end, fill the pill dispensers, wash my hair, and get to bed early.
July 28 Since it was a Thursday, I was late getting to bed last night. I think it was about 12:30. I went right to sleep, but I was wakeful during the night. Some of it was coughing but some of it was whatever. I finally got up around 10:00, which was a bit later than I hoped.
i hied myself around as quickly as I could, but right before I was going to leave, I had an accident and had to change my jeans. I left about 12:15, and there was no traffic in my direction. It was all going north.
Well...that was until I got to the top of Quincy Hill and stopped. Traffic was backed up from there to the bridge. They have been rebuilding the road approaching the bridge all summer, and now they are in the paving phase. Otherwise, I have no clue what might have caused such a horrendous backup. There was a broken down RV on the way down the hill, but that's a 3-lane road. And of course there were cars entering from side streets. I must say that in general, people were much more tolerant and much more courteous than they are south of the Big Mac.
About the time I got stopped, I realized I was going to be late, so I called the eye clinic to warn them, and they said come ahead, so I did. I actually was only 15 or 20 minutes late, but still. My appointment was at 1:30, so I should have had plenty of time!
As it turned out, two other people also got stuck in the traffic and bailed out, so I got to have my appointment. This wasn't much - she just dilated my eye and inspected the whole thing, so once she got to me, I wasn't there much longer. What did we ever do before cell phones?
There was only one other problem - I had a Schwan's order coming, and they said it would be here between 2:00 and 5:00. I knew it wouldn't be 2:00, but I sped home as fast as I could go. I had left a note on the door and my insulated bag just in case, but nobody came before I got back. I think it was about 3:45.
Then nobody came. Finally, just before 7:00, I called Schwan's to find out what was going on, but just as I was talking to them, my driver arrived. He hadn't gotten caught in traffic, but he had had truck problems, and besides, he has many more deliveries in the summertime. Hey, if I was at my camp over the summer, I'd buy Schwan's, too. I am, and I do.
Oh, and my eye is fine. I get the other one done next Wednesday. I expect to be very early for that appointment, but I am going to leave here a good two hours early, just in case. On a good day, it takes about an hour to get to Houghton.
The weather was summer. The high temperature here was 72º. although it was a bit warmer here, I think. The official temperature in Houghton was 78º. but it was warmer where I was. I used the a/c. There was almost no wind. It was clear. There were a few clouds down the spine of the Keweenaw, but not very many. What a lovely summer day! I wish I could have stayed home.
I think the guys slept. Nobody got very much loving, because I didn't have time. I got a couple of knots out of Louie, but he hates it, and he bites.
So that was my day. I'm tired but content. I can see and by next Wednesday I should be able to see even better. Now it's a clear, warm night in the field and I won't be up too much longer.
July 27 i guess it was about 11:00 when I got to bed - I didn't notice. I slept fairly well, with the usual wakeups and one coughing spell. I got up around 9;30 and knitted four rows. I'm making progress.
I went to the post office today, where my yarn was waiting. The dye lots are different, of course, but the color is about the same, and I think I can figure out a way to make the differences as unnoticeable as possible. As soon as I got back, I wound the balls.
I started the last load of clothes, but I got sidetracked by yarn, so it's not ready to dry yet. I'll finish it up and dry it tomorrow before I leave. That was a huge load.
Tonight was church. There were only five of us. I'm not the only ones who have been sick - Stuart and Nancy were sick last weekend and Ted and Barb seem to have pneumonia now. Well, we'll cope. We're just singing a hymn, so it was easy. I can sing, but I sound sort of strange and I had quite a tendency to go flat tonight. I got home about 10:00.
The weather was cooler and not quite as clear as the past couple of days. The high temperature was 66º and the lowest the humidity got was 61%. There was no wind. It was clear in the morning but only partly cloudy in the afternoon.
The guys didn't get much loving today, for some reason I don't understand. I think possibly they were up all night, so they wanted to sleep today. Or they're mad at me. Or something. Strange.
So it was another quiet day, and now it's a coolish, partly cloudy night in the field. I'm going to bed. I may not even wait until the Schubert ends.
July 26 No rabbit holes last night, and I got to bed before midnight. I slept fairly well, too, with only one short coughing spell that turning over stopped. It was lovely to be able to sleep with the door to the porch open. When the wind isn't from the south, the air smells so good it's intoxicating, and the temperature never got below 70º. It's supposed to be cooler tonight, so I'll probably have to shut the door. High 50s is a bit cooler than I like to sleep.
Oh - wind from the south. When the wind is from the south or southwest, it blows the wood smoke from the campgrounds in my direction. Whatever wood they're selling to use there stinks, and I've always been sort of allergic to wood smoke anyway. A couple of nights, it's been strong enough to almost keep me awake, even when I'm tired and the windows are all closed.
I got up around 9:30 and knitted four rounds. I have over 300 stitches on the needle now, so it takes a while to do one row, even plain knitting. It was so nice to sit and knit and smell the air. It smells sweet and a bit spicy. I wish I knew which flowers were scenting it.
I did a couple of things today. I washed another load of clothes - the light colors. I emptied the wastebaskets in the bathroom and the closet. And I got my hamburgers put away. I'm tired again, though.
The weather was perfect, as far as I'm concerned. It looks like it was cloudy early in the morning, but it cleared up by around 9:00 and the rest of the day was clear and blue and beautiful. The high temperature was 78º. at 6:00 PM. There was a north wind with gusts up to 27 mph. Just lovely.
The guys were full of energy this morning for some reason. Louie kept tromping around on the porch and singing while I was knitting. I don't know what was in his fuzzy little mind. Grayson was more subdued, but he was feeling good, too. They both got some loving.
So that was another quiet day in the field. It sounds like it may be cooler and more humid tomorrow, but it will still be clear. I was sorry to see that the sun is now setting around 9:30. Sigh. it was so nice while it lasted!
Now it's a clear, rather warm evening in the field and I'm off to the north end to take a shower.
July 25 Oh, I went down a rabbit hole again last night, and I was much too late to even think about my hair. I slept fairly well, with only one coughing spell and I got up around 10:30, I think. i knitted, and i finished the first repeat of Chart C. I think that means I won't have to decide on making it bigger until after I get more yarn.
I actually did a few things today, strangely enough. I washed the second load of clothes - the dark colors. They were almost all tops and almost all of them had spots on the front, so while the spotting spray was working, I decided to look through some of my jewelry that I haven't even taken out of the shipping box yet. That turned out to be another rabbit hole. I was looking for a particular cloisonné pendant, but I found a whole lot of other stuff that I moved into the closet. I have an amazing selection of cobalt blue bead necklaces, all of them very pretty. Some of them have silver beads, which are, of course, very tarnished. i also found the rest of the summer jewelry, including my chalk white necklaces. Anyway, that took a long time. Besides, I was sitting on my tail, which now hurts.
I love jewelry, as i think you know, and when I was working, I wore a lot of it. The last few years I worked, I had a number of knit dresses with long sleeves and turtlenecks that lent themselves very well to a long necklace or two. I also wore earrings most of the time, and I have dozens of those. I don't have pierced ears, so I also have a whole lot of single earrings, when I lost one. I don't think I will ever wear earrings again. With my hair so long, you couldn't see them anyway.
It got warm in the bedroom, so on my way to put the stuff away, I opened the door to the porch, and in about 30 seconds, both cats were out there and Louie was chewing on something, I think some dried leaves. Curiously enough, when I went to get my dinner, neither cat was on the porch, but when I went out to wait until my dinner finished cooking, they both had to come and see what in the world I was doing. I don't sit out there very often. Too bad, too, because when the sun isn't blazing, it's very nice out there.
It was a lovely summer day. It started out clear and blue, and by the time I got to the studio, it was over 70º. The high temperature was 76º. There was a southwest breeze, but except for a couple of hours in the middle of the afternoon, it was around 10 mph. By about 3:30 it was clouding up, but it stayed warm. The really nice thing about it was that the dew point was under 55º, which has given us a relative humidity of around 50% for most of the day. I can handle that!
Until the porch got open, the guys slept. They both got their loving. They did have to come and see what I was doing when I was sitting on the window seat looking at jewelry, but they aren't very interested in that sort of thing. It's just that when I do something different, they have to check it out.
So that was my day. Not exactly what I was planning, but oh, well. Tomorrow maybe I can do the light colored wash. That will be harder, because most of the tops have spots on them. In reading the directions on my spotting products, I see that they should sit for a few minutes to do their work, so I will have to find something to do - ha!
Now it's a cloudy, breezy, warm night in the field, we may have a thunderstorm or two, and I really will be going to bed at a reasonable hour. Really.
July 24 I was in bed before 10:00 last night. I started out well, but after I was up around 1:00, I had a hard time sleeping until after 6:00 this morning - coughing and blowing. I didn't get up until around 9:30. The only nice thing about being up so much was that I got to admire a pristine, clear sky. Even without my glasses on, I could see 3rd magnitude stars and occasionally get a glimpse of a 4th magnitude one. The first time I was up, the Big Dipper was dropping toward the north, as big and bright as I've seen it for a long time. Some of that was the skies, which haven't been the best, but a lot of it has to have been my eyes. Even with one eye I can see better than I have in some time.
It doesn't look like it will be so clear tonight. There are some fuzzy clouds in the sky now. It may clear up after dark, which it sometimes does, but I'm glad I saw it last night.
i knitted, apparently for longer than I thought I had, but I'm making progress on the shawl. I did drop something, but it was only one stitch and it didn't involve any decreases, so all I had to do was pick it up for about six rows back. That was right after I started, and I was more careful afterwards.
I did do one load of clothes - the jeans - today, but that was about all. We'll see about tomorrow.
I still don't feel very good, and I am still having occasional explosions of coughing. And particularly in the morning, I have to blow and blow and blow to get all the glop out of my nose. So it's progressing, but I'm not over it yet.
The weather was beautiful. The temperature has finally gotten to 65º and the humidity has gone down. It was mostly in the middle 50s, and it was quite humid for most of the day. While we didn't have any fog in the harbor, I did hear foghorns on the lake and both Sunset Bay and Eagle Harbor showed some fog around noon. There was a bit of wind, up to 15 mph for a while this afternoon, but it has now gone calm and it's a lovely evening. This is what summer in Copper Harbor is all about.
The guys slept. Louie didn't get much love this morning because I discovered some knots on his behind, and he got rather upset when I tried to comb them out. I know it hurts, but it would hurt more if I left them in. He doesn't understand that. Grayson slept on me for quite a while. He wanted some of my dinner, too, but I don't think pork is good for cats.
Oh, yes, I finally made barbecued pork chops tonight. They're good and I enjoyed my dinner - there's more than enough for Wednesday - but pork is too lean and dry these days. I try to get the sauce into them, but it doesn't seem to work. Anyway, it's a change from chicken and fish.
So that was my quiet day, and now I will go up to the north end and take a bath. I'm still trying to get my scalp back in condition after last week. It sure is nice to have hot water.
It's a nearly clear, calm, rather warm evening in the field.
July 23 Ugh. I'm tired. Since I didn't have to get up early this morning, I was late getting to bed. I slept better than I have for several days, but I did have a couple of coughing fits. At least I didn't try to wet the bed, but it meant that when I started coughing, I had to get up.
I finally got up around 9:45, and I knitted. For the most part, it went well, but on the last pattern row, I managed to drop half of a knit-two-together, and as I've mentioned, the alpaca is so slippery that before I realized what had happened, it had raveled six rows back. I got it back together correctly, but figuring out which rows were the pattern rows and which rows were plain was difficult, as well as figuring out exactly where I was. I was in no way going to rip back that many rows, so I just fiddled with the part that had the ravel in it. However, I did do quite a few rows, and I may be at the point where I have to decide whether to make the shawl bigger before I get the yarn to decide whether I can or not. We'll see when the time comes. Provided I don't drop anything, this part of the pattern is easy knitting, so I can sit back and relax my hands and have at it.
I didn't do anything else. I still don't feel very good, so I just sat.
The weather wasn't the greatest. When I got up around 6:00, we were fogged in. Geez, I thought we were over that! The fog didn't go away until around 11:30, but it was cloudy and dull for the rest of the afternoon. Then, between 5:45 and 6:00, the skies cleared and the sun came out and now it's very pretty. It's still cool, though. The high temperature was only 59º, and that was just a couple of hours ago. There wasn't any wind, though. Needless to say, the humidity was very high.
The guys were mostly sleepy. Grayson slept on me for a lot of the afternoon, and he is now behind the monitor again. They were a bit more wakeful than usual, though, and when I went out to the kitchen, I discovered that their food bowls were nearly empty. So Grayson sat with his back to me while I was in the powder room, and then he sat around and watched while I filled everything. Then, instead of going to a bowl, he proceeded to pick up the couple of little pieces of kibble I'd dropped on the floor and eat them! He does that, and it always makes me laugh.
So it was a very quiet day, and tonight I'm going to be early to bed. I'm sorry the morning was so yucky. I wonder if they moved the picnic indoors? That's one reason I don't like picnics.
Now it's a cool, clear, calm evening in the field and maybe we'll see some stars tonight.
July 22 Well, I was late again last night, and I'll probably be later than usual for a Saturday tonight, but it doesn't matter because I'm not going to church tomorrow. Picnic day, you know, and I don't do that.
I think I slept better than the night before, but it wasn't good and i was up more times than usual. I didn't get up until nearly 10:00, i think (I don't remember) and I knitted for so long that it was 2:00 before I ate. I finished Chart B and started Chart C. From here on out, except for two rows and the bottom edging, it's all leaf stitches with no beads, and I know that pattern. It's an easy one. The first row of Chart C decreased a lot of stitches, but I still have over 200 and by the end there will be 300...or more. What I counted and what the pattern says aren't the same, and I haven't figured that out yet.
I am still coughing, and I still don't feel good. I was going to do some wash today, but I was so late that it never happened. I have a humungous wash. Now that I have lots of jeans I can wear, I just throw the dirty ones in the laundry cart. Last week I decided to try to fold some of my tops, and when i started looking at them, half the ones I looked at have various spots on the fronts, grease and otherwise, and need to be treated and washed over again. That's to add to all the ones I slobbered on. However, I still have a lot of underwear, so it's not critical. I'd like to get it done before next weekend, because then I have to refill the pill dispensers and that always distracts me.
So I didn't do anything today. There was a lot of stuff to read, so I did that, and I found the book that had gotten buried in the papers when I took them off the desk. Oh, yes, and I found the insurance certificate I'm supposed to be carrying in the car, which I didn't remember last October when I got it. I figure I still have a few months to go so I'd better dig it out. Curiously enough, in churning through the past year's papers, it came right to the top. Sometimes things work out.
I had to reboot the computer. The camera picture was totally broken up and my usual fixes didn't work, so I rebooted. It occurred to me that since I did the last Windows updates, I haven't had another hangup (or I think I haven't). That suggests to me that the problem was software and Microsoft screwed us again. I hope that's the case, because I don't want to even think about new hardware right now. Considering all the other unethical things MS did in the rollout of Windows 10, it wouldn't surprise me at all to know that they are still trying all sorts of underhanded ploys to make us upgrade. Or somebody just screwed up a necessary security fix. Either way, it's annoying. I'm just glad to know I haven't had a hangup in the past few weeks.
The weather wasn't very nice. The high temperature was 67º, but that was between 5:00 and 7:00 this morning, and it went mostly down from there. It did get back up to 66º around 4:00 PM, but mostly it was in the low 60s. There was a little wind early in the morning, with gusts up to 28 mph, but then it died down and it was almost calm all afternoon. It was cloudy and quite humid - over 70% - but there wasn't any rain. Not so good.
the guys slept. Louie got some love this morning and Grayson got to sleep on my lap for a while this afternoon. When I've been knitting for such a long time, Louie always decides it's time I stopped long before I'm ready, and he wanders around and makes a nuisance of himself. He seems to have learned not to try to go after Grayson, who has been sleeping on the tub surround, up against the wall of the shower, where the sun shines when there is sunshine. He is content to wait until I'm ready, but Louie isn't. Louie is remarkably impatient, and remarkably vocal about it. Funny little critters.
So that was my day, and now I'm off to the north end. I am going to wash my hair, just to try to keep up with it, but I am not going to set the alarm clock and I am going to knit tomorrow morning.
Now it's a sort of cool, calm, cloudy evening in the field.
July 21 I was late getting to bed, but I have - or had - clean hair. I had to use the heavy duty grease control stuff, but it worked. I slept better than the night before, but not really very well. At any moment I might start coughing or blowing or both, and I was wakeful.
I didn't get up until around 11:00, I think, although I may have read the clock wrong. I knitted for quite a while and i only have about 10 rows left on the second chart. This is not a difficult pattern. I've found, though, that I seem to attune to some designers more easily than others. The Shetland Garden was hard because I didn't attune to it. This one is the same designer as the lavender shawl, and I get her. It doesn't hurt that this one is actually just a riff on the lavender shawl, with the top of that one extended to a square before it turns into a V-shaped piece. So I've done this, or something a lot like it, before. Maybe I wouldn't have done it if I'd realized that before I started it, but maybe I would have anyway, since I like the shape and it has beads, which I already had in that color.
I went to the post office, where there wasn't much mail. I have several small packages outstanding, none of which had arrived, and I'm taking appropriate action on them.
Otherwise, I didn't do anything. I still don't feel good, and every so often I will start coughing or blowing for no apparent reason. I do seem to have my appetite back, which is a good sign that I'm getting over the worst of it.
The weather was sort of nondescript. The high temperature was 69º and there wasn't much wind. The humidity was over 60% all day, but not excessively high. It was bright-cloudy. Meh.
The guys slept, I guess. I didn't see much of either of them. Grayson got some lap time and Louie got brushed.
So that was another very quiet day, but I need that. Now I need to go to bed, but they're playing Dvorak, so I guess I will stay up to hear that. It's a warmish, cloudy night in the field.
July 20 Well, I feel marginally better, but that's not saying much. At any moment, I may start coughing or my eyes will start running and I start blowing. It's gotten my innards all messed up, too, and I'm not hungry. I am eating, but not much.
I got to bed about 10:00 last night. I just felt too awful to shower. Tonight I have to, regardless, and I think I'm enough better that I can do it. I'm greasy and sweaty and yucky and I may even sleep better. I slept better than the night before, but not very well.
I got up about 9:15 and I knitted for a long time. I'm getting to the point where the needle really is long enough, and I've started with the beads. There aren't a lot of them in this pattern, but they will add a little bit of bling, and since a lot of them are on the edges, they will help with the drape.
That was about all I did. I had to make one change to the bulletin, but it was a small one. Otherwise, I just sat. I still don't feel good. Needless to say, I didn't go to church. I can't sing, and I didn't think it was fair to spread my germs around to the other people.
The weather was nice, and I'm sorry I couldn't be out. I did finally open the south window in the studio. It had gotten up to 81º in here, and I was still sweating. Still am, but it's cooling down a bit. The high temperature was 73º, but it was at 10:00 this morning and then it went back down into the upper 60s. There was some wind, up to 17 mph from the north. Of course, it's died down now, as it always does around sunset. The humidity was around 70% for most of the day, which is a little higher than I like. It was clear last night and until about 5:30 this afternoon, when it clouded up a bit. It's supposed to be clear overnight, but we'll see about that. I did get a good view of the handle of the Big Dipper when I was up during the night. And to think, when I moved here, I could see the whole thing in the summer! Trees grow.
The guys were sleepy, of course. I knitted so long that Louie was getting agitated, like he can run my life or something. He got some petting and Grayson got to sleep on my lap for a while. They like to sleep in the sun, so they were happy today.
So that's about all I have to report. I'm hoping to feel a bit better tomorrow. Now it's a warm, cloudy night in the field, and I'm off to take a bath. Or will I stay for the Brahms? I don't know.
July 19 Ugh. I haven't had a cold this bad in years. I'm pretty sure it's a cold and not the sinus thing, but even so, it's pretty bad. I got to bed around 9:30 last night, but i didn't sleep at all well. I was coughing and blowing and all the rest of it, and in between, I didn't have time to get to sleep. So even though I didn't get up until around 9:00 this morning, i didn't get nearly enough sleep.
I hope it will be better tonight, but I don't know. Besides the coughing and blowing, today I've been sneezing, and my innards are upset the way they usually get when I'm sick. Yuck.
I did get some knitting done. I finished the first chart and the first row of the second chart, but then I discovered that the symbol I couldn't quite see is a bead, and I hadn't brought my crochet hooks up to the north end yet. I don't have anything small enough to get through the hole of a bead, even a size 6/0 bead, so I had to stop.
I got the bulletin put together, I think, but then when i sent the email, I forgot to attach it. I realized that a while ago and sent it, but evidently everybody is out doing summer stuff, because I haven't heard from anybody.
Otherwise, I did nothing. I started loading the dishwasher, and I'd like to run it overnight, but I'm not sure I will. I have to wash my hair. I've been sweating into it long enough that it's all greasy and yucky.
The weather was nondescript. There was some sunshine this morning, but it clouded up early and it was sort of calm and gray all afternoon. The high temperature was 69º. around 9:00, and it went down from there, into the lower 60s. There was a little wind this morning, but it's been calm for several hours. It was clear for a while last night, and I saw stars, including Polaris and Arcturus, but I could tell that there were some high clouds even then. Blah.
The guys were mostly sleepy. When I got up, they were sleeping in the sun in the bathroom. Louie got brushed, which he is finally getting used to. Grayson wanted to sleep on me all afternoon, and I kept having to remove him. They will be happy when I don't go away tomorrow.
No way am I going to church tomorrow, unless there's a miracle. This thing is still developing, and I think the best thing I can do is stay home and rest. I don't think I could sing anyway.
So that was my quiet day, and now it's a cloudy, calm evening in the field.
July 18 i went down a rabbit hole last night. The stream I listen to played Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor in the symphonic arrangement, which I don't like, and since I haven't heard it on organ in a long time, I went searching for it. Of course, YouTube had it in a couple of versions. I picked the first one, and I didn't like the mixtures the organist used because it mudded up the end completely, and besides, there were no views of the organist. So I tried another one (this takes 12-14 minutes, mind you) with a guy named Gert von Hoek, who used a much better set of combinations, and besides, he's a real showman. He also had two guys assisting him - one just pushing and pulling stops and another doing that and turning pages. Later, I found the score, but after looking at the first few bars, I decided that was not something I need in my library. Talk about too many notes... Sometime I'd like to listen and follow the score, though.
Then, instead of going to bed, I started searching for one of my other faves - the "Little" Fugue in G minor, although believe me, that is not little! It's about 12 minutes long and has even more notes. I found a video by Ton Koopman, who is one of the organist/conductors I admire very much. Since the captions were in Japanese (I think), I assume that the performance took place in Japan, and wow, what an organ! All the pipes are visible in neat ranks over the console. It's also a great organ. And a great performance.
If you know YouTube, you know that they list other stuff on the right side of the page, and one of them was the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, which is another favorite, but it's over 15 minutes long, if I remember correctly. Ton Koopman again, but this time on a different organ. I wish they would put more information about the organs on those pages. Anyway, I love that thing, but I confess I have a hard time figuring out where the Passacaglia ends and the Fugue starts. The video was wonderful, because there is a lot of extremely fancy footwork in that one (ever see somebody do a trill with their feet? WOW!) It was another great performance.
I think all those organs are tracker action, and they were all wonderful. I wish I knew where they are.
Anyway, by that time it was after 11:00, and I just had to stop. I could listen to Bach organ music for days.
I also had a very scratchy, sore throat. Well. I was at the hospital...And this morning, I got up with a full-blown cold. I don't think it's the sinus thing, but it's just developing, and whatever it is, I do not feel good. I need to go to bed soon and sleep long and hard.
This morning, I got up a bit before 6:30 again, and sure enough, Thomas appeared right about 8:00. He wasn't here for very long, and I now have both heat and hot water - and another big bill. Shudder! We had a nice conversation before he left - he is a nice guy, and after I listen to him for a little while, I can cut through the accent pretty well - and he showed me a picture of his house, outside Lake Linden and very handsome. So he sympathizes with me when I tell him I can't afford to get him to track down my leak right now.
After he left, I got partially undressed and went back to bed. I don't think I slept for more than an hour and a half, but I felt a little better when I got up, and I knitted for a while. Starting this project is proving difficult, but for different reasons than usual. The pattern is a really easy one at the beginning, but it's in the round and that means a lot of manipulation of needles and stitches. I only have 10 rows left in the first chart, though, so tomorrow I should be over that.
I didn't do anything else, and I'm not going to. I need to wash dishes, but maybe I'll feel more up to loading the dishwasher tomorrow. I'm going to bed.
The weather was, um, summery. The high temperature was 72º, but it was at 9:00 this morning, and then it went down a bit, into the upper 50s before it recovered. There was a bit of sunshine this morning, but the clouds moved in soon, and around 2:00 it started to get very dark and ominous, and the thunderstorms moved in. Actually, we missed most of the action - it was out over the lake or south of us. We did have 0.32" of rain and just enough rumbles of thunder to send Louie downstairs and upset Grayson. We also had a lot of fog, and of course, now the humidity is up over 90%. Tomorrow is supposed to be nicer.
I think Louie spent most of the day in the basement. First there was Thomas, and then there was thunder. Grayson didn't mind Thomas, but he does not like thunder and he wanted to sit on me until i got tired of it and chased him away.
So that was my day and now I am going to bed. It's a sort of warm, very humid, foggy evening in the field.
July 17 Oh $%&*. The repairman just left, and the last pump (the one for the hot water) and another zone valve failed. He will be back tomorrow to replace the pump. So I have heat (which I don't need) but I don't have hot water yet. So no bath tonight.
I got to bed around 10:00 last night, but I didn't sleep very well for some reason. Well - maybe there was a reason. My feet were so cold from walking on that cold tile that they didn't warm up until I put on my bed socks, and I can't sleep if my feet are cold. Anyway, I got up at 6:30, which I didn't need to do, and I got all my surfing done before I left for my doctor's appointment.
That came out well. All my tests were good, and I don't need to see him until this time next year. At least something is working right.
I stopped at Pat's for my hamburger and I got home just before 2:00. I had something to eat (I had taken a snack with me, but I was still hungry) and settled down to wait for the repairman. He didn't get here until around 7:00 (what a long day he has!) and he did a lot of work downstairs even after he got the boiler working again. At least I may not have cold floors tonight.
It was a lovely day. It was clear all day, although there were some clouds coming up in the west after about 6:00 PM. The high temperature here was 73º (it was warmer in town) and the humidity was actually under 50% for most of the afternoon. Nice.
I think the guys mostly slept. Grayson wanted to sleep on me before I left this morning and he slept on me for a while this afternoon, too, although I kept moving around and he got upset and moved over onto the desk. Louie was asleep on the table until Thomas came (he's a Swede, and he pronounces it Toomas). I assume he went downstairs and I'm sure he was quaking when Thomas started pounding on things. Poor Louie.
So that's all I have to report. i have to get up early again tomorrow. Sigh. Now it's a warmish night in the field and it's clouding up.
July 16 I had a cold shower last night. Fortunately, I got my hair washed before the hot water quit, but the rest of my bath was frigid. Sigh. I think there is no heat, too, but it's hard to tell about that. I have a call into the repair people, and I hope they will call me tomorrow before I leave. I am not a happy camper. in fact, I'm pissed. I am only glad that it didn't happen in the middle of winter. I decided it wasn't an emergency, so nobody called me back.
I got to bed just about 9:30 last night, and for the most part, I slept well. Unfortunately, I woke up about 5:30 and had to pee, and I was just getting back to sleep when the alarm went off...on the wrong station. The night my station was offline, I guess I was fooling with the dial and I got some horrible so-called "Christian" station that came in at two different spots before I found the right one. How to wake up on the wrong side of the bed! I think I got it right, but we'll see tomorrow.
However, I was moving fairly fast today. My only glitch was that it was so cool that I decided to wear a cotton sweater instead of what I'd planned to wear, and when I pulled my pretty pale pink sweater off the shelf, it had spots on it! I haven't had a walk-in closet for a long time, and I never had problems like these before.
I left the house right around 9:00, and it was a good thing. I got behind some motorcyclists on the covered road who were not going any faster than 40 mph (even though the limit is 45). I managed to pass them, though, and the rest of the drive was easy. I was glad to be early, because most of the choir was, too, and we practiced our song - and decided to do it in parts.
Church was good. We were visited by a group who has a reunion up here every two years - three whole rows full - as well as some other visitors. I can't tell you how inspiring it was to hear all the very loud singing, and we had the old service (service 3 in the new hymnal), which everybody knows and most people love, at least at our church. And Shannon said there were 77 people served communion! We thought we were doing well when we had 55 a couple of weeks ago! Oh, that we could have that many people every week!
Then I had to shop. I wasn't feeling too bad, so it wasn't much of a chore, and I thought I did pretty well, until I remembered - on my way home - that I forgot to get ground beef again! Geez! This time I need to get it, so I will have to stop at Pat's on my way home. I don't know what it is about that stuff, but I just can't seem to remember that I need it, and I do like my burger on Thursday nights. I even got cheese and I got buns the last time. My mind...
I did get a couple of quarts of local strawberries, which are really yummy. I like the strawberries that are red all the way through, and only the local ones are like that, but the season is so short, I don't get a lot of them. Since I once had an allergic reaction, I decided that if I was going to eat strawberries, they were going to be the best ones I could get. These are.
I got home about 2:00 and sat for the rest of the day before I finally got everything in and put away. I just sat and read or played games for the rest of the afternoon.
The weather was nice but cool. The high temperature here in the Harbor was only 59º but there was almost no wind. The humidity went down all day, but for most of the day it was over 70%, which is too damp. It was clear and beautifully blue all day.
The guys slept. Louie was at the door when I came home, oddly enough, although he went away and Grayson was watching while I unloaded the car. They both got some loving, but not as much as they might have wanted.
So that was my day. I am not looking forward to washing my face in frigid water again tomorrow, but maybe I can get things fixed by tomorrow afternoon.
Now it's a clear, cool, calm evening int he field and I am going to run away and try to get to bed as quickly as I can.
July 15 I can still see. I had a few little gritty feelings in my eye, and some little black things floating around - not many - but nothing to worry me. My eye feels a bit sore, and the drops (prednisone, of course) sting, but that will pass. I only have to use them for three days.
When I fished out the yarn for the next project, I discovered that I had wound it into balls, but I only have two balls, and I'm afraid that won't be enough. I'm hoping I can get some more and the dye lot won't be too much different, but I have only the color number and the place I got it only has the color name, so it's hard. I wish I could get it now, because it's on sale, but I can't - or I don't think I can. We'll see.
Somehow I didn't get to bed until around 11:30 last night, but I slept very well. In fact, I slept so well that I didn't get up until 10:00 this morning! I feel much better now.
I began the next shawl, and I had a terrible time. This one begins in the middle and works in the round for quite a number of rows. It's been a long time since I've started a piece of lace in the middle, and the pattern suggested a new (to me) way to do the start. Well, I'll never try that again! it's called "belly button start" and you begin by making a length of I-cord which you arrange on four double points and knit a few more rows before you start with the regular yarn. Well! After getting totally screwed up in two stitches on each of four needles, I got out my 32" needle and started it using the magic loop. That worked better, but it was still horribly hard. I worked for over two hours and only got 12 very small rows done. This part is just increasing every other row, so it should be easy knitting, but I sure made hard work of it. Maybe the next time I knit (Tuesday, I think) it will go faster. I hope I can smooth out the stitches after it's done.
So I was late eating my first meal and I didn't do anything but my surfing.
The weather started out very cloudy and only cleared up late in the day. I can't say for sure, because the camera hung up again. I think it's working now, and the sky is mostly clear. The high temperature was 73º. very briefly around noon. There was quite a wind around then, too, with up to 27 mph gusts from the north. There was actually 0.04" of rain between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM - couldn't prove it by me - and it was very humid all day, mostly over 80%. I was glad i didn't have to do anything.
The guys were sleepy, but they keep telling me their food dishes are getting empty, so I guess I'd better fill them before I go to bed. Grayson slept on me until I started moving around. Louie didn't get brushed, but I did manage to run a comb through his hind end a couple of times and get out some knots, which he hates. I still wonder about people who claim they can do things to their cats. I've never had a cat I could do anything to.
So that was my day, and now i have to go and fill cat food bowls and take my bath. It's a warmish, clearish evening in the field.
July 14 I can see! I can see!! Not as well as I used to, but so much better than this morning! Wow!!
I got to bed around 10:00 last night, I think, but I just discovered that I didn't take my pills, so it wasn't a very good night. I actually didn't do badly until around 6:00 AM, although I had some weird dreams, but between 6:00 and 8:00, when I finally gave up and got up, I tossed and turned and dozed and had some really weird dreams! The only good thing was that I got a handle on the next episode in Trine 14. I'm just beginning to frame it, and it's not ready to be written yet, but I can see where it's going.
I got up about 8:00 because I had to pee and I couldn't stand it any longer. I had so much time that I finished the shawl! Wow! Now to block it. It's a pretty thing and I want to wear it. I didn't have time to wind the balls for the next project, but I may try to do that now so that I can start it tomorrow when I have time to sit.
Anyway, everything went all right and I got away in time to stop briefly at the post office and get my mail, although something I was looking for wasn't there yet. I left early, because I didn't know what the traffic would be like, but except for one touron who was going down the covered road at about 30 mph, it wasn't bad. Negotiating the construction area isn't easy, and I wonder about those big RVs going through it, but there wasn't any particular backup, so I got to the doctor's office early.
That turned out just fine, and they took me early. The procedure isn't much. Of course, there were lots of eye drops, but then there is a piece of equipment that I had to put my head in and several very bright lights. She put a lens right on my cornea to focus the laser, which felt funny, and then every few seconds there would be a click. My right eye was tearing in sympathy with the right one because of the light. It only took 15 minutes or so, I think. And as soon as I sat upright, I could see so much better! Now my only problem is that my right eye bugs me because I can't see clearly out of it. Well, it's so much better that I can wait. It will be so nice to really be able to see again!
I had to stop at the hospital pharmacy to get some eye drops - which I had to pay for; I'm in the donut hole - but driving home was so easy. I got home about 5:00 and I immediately tried to read everything. I think she said there might be a little blurriness for a couple of days, but not much, and I can read again! WOW!
It was a beautiful day. There were a couple of clouds when I got up, but they soon went away and the rest of the day was clear and blue. The high temperature here was only 59º, but it was over 70º. I think, in town. There was a little wind, up to 15 mph from the north. The only thing I can complain about is that the humidity never got below 70%, which is a bit high for my taste. However, it was lovely not to have it 50º and foggy!
The guys slept. Grayson slept on me while I did my surfing this morning and the minute I sat down when I got home, he came and went to sleep on my lap again. I guess Louie was asleep someplace else, because I haven't seen him yet this evening.
Well, now I will see if I can get that yarn wound and then I'll be off to bed. I am tired. It's a clear, not too cool evening in the field. And I can see!!
July 13 I was late last night, for various reasons. I did have to take a bath, and I guess I read too long. I slept fairly well, in part because it was cool enough that I could cuddle under the comforter. I was up around 7:00, I think, but that was obviously too early, and the next time I woke up it was nearly 10:00.
I persisted anyway and I got my three repeats done. I should finish this thing tomorrow - and I don't have any yarn wound! Gaak! We'll se what happens. i might just do two repeats and finish on Saturday, although I would really like to start the new project.
There was no choir practice tonight, but we went to Bible Study anyway, and it was nice. We still don't know what we're singing on Sunday, but we'll get there early and we'll decide then. I didn't get home until 10:00, but it's worth it.
The weather was absolutely miserable. The temperature was about steady at 50º, except for a short time in the middle of he afternoon when it went down to 48º. THe humidity was essentially 100% all day and besides the fog, we had 0.55" of rain. There wasn't any wind, but that didn't matter. It was horrible.
The guys slept. I don't know where Louie was, but Grayson spent most of the day on my lap. I had to pee around 4:00 and I know he expected me to leave, but I didn't so he got back on me and I had to shoo him away when I did leave. And he was rushing around with delight when I got home. Funny little cat. They both got groomed, and they both needed it. They shed all the time, and until lately, I haven't been paying attentio to that.
So it was a quiet day, and now I need to go to bed. It's a dark, cold, rainy night in the field.
July 12 Again, I got to bed around 10:30 and I slept pretty well, although I had some rather confused dreams early in the morning. I didn't get up until around 9:00, though. I knitted three repeats. I dropped something on the last repeat, but I only had to rip back a couple of rows. That alpaca yarn is so slippery it's really easy to drop a stitch or two. Anyway, now I only have six repeats to go! Whoopee!
I didn't do a lot today. There were some changes to the bulletin and I installed this month's software updates on the desktop I'm doing that now on the laptop, but it seems to be taking a long time. I finally got around to repairing the pull in the lavender shawl - that I didn't discovered until I was about to put it on on Sunday. Some claw caught a thread and pulled about 3" out of a spot close to the top. It took a while, because I originally thought it had pulled in only one direction. So when I discovered that was wrong, I had to move the thread back to the other end. I did it, though - I was seeing fairly well today - and now it looks like nothing ever happened, and I can declare that one done.
On the subject of my seeing, I am so looking forward to Friday! I think I've discovered that I have less trouble with my dry eyes when the air is humid. That's too bad, because that's when my arthritis is the worse. So i guess I'll just deal with the sore joints as long as I can see. Sometime in the next month, I will discuss with the ophthalmologist if there's anything she can suggest I try for the dry eyes. I am NOT going to give up my crafts and my computer and sit quietly with my hands folded looking at TV. Never!
The weather was abysmal. The temperature went steadily down from midnight, and now it's about 51º. The humidity was over 90% all day. The wind was from the south and lately there have been 28 mph gusts. We had 0.12" of rain and a lot of fog. Not my favorite kind of weather.
The guys mostly slept. Louie got a good brushing this morning, and when Grayson got on my lap, i combed a whole handful of hair out of him, mostly on the back of his back. He was not pleased, because it pulled, but he really needed it' He wasn't going to groom himself, and I can't blame him. Now I think he's gotten rid of his winter coat, finally. I will have to comb him regularly. Like Louie, he doesn't like it very well, but he will tolerate it as long as I don't pull him. This evening, while I was making my dinner, he started rushing around, so maybe the barometer will be turning up. I hope so. This is not our favorite kind of weather.
So now it's a cold, humid, nasty night in the field, and I'll be going up to the north end to take my bath soon.
July 11 I was in bed by 10;30 last night, and for the most part, I slept very well. I had a little trouble the first time I tried to lie on my left side, but once I turned over, I was fine. I got up around 8:30. I knitted three repeats. I was doing well today and I only have 9 more to do now. I'm anxious to get done with this thing, like I always am at the end of a project.
Of course, I still have to wind the yarn for the next project, and in order to do that I have to clean off the desk, but I have time to do that.
I didn't do anything else today. There was a lot of reading, for some reason, and since I can hardly see to read, it took a long time. I was doing better today than yesterday, and I could actually see something for most of the day, but it's hard. I've noticed that the latest fashion in websites is to use a very light typeface, and that makes it very difficult to read sometimes.
Oh, that's wrong, I did do something. I got the bulletin together and sent it off for proofing. I guess there won't be any choir practice on Thursday, so I won't have to worry about that, although Pastor wants us to sing a particular hymn on Sunday. We'll see what happens there.
The weather was not the best. The high during the day was only 58º and the humidity was over 80% all day. It was foggy all night and until about 2:30 this afternoon, and then after 6:00, it started to rain lightly. Oh, my achin' joints! Please, can't we have some nice summer weather?? Of course it was cloudy all day.
The guys slept. Louie got a good love-n and a good brushing this morning and Grayson spent a lot fo time on my lap, and a good tummy rub. Actually, he doesn't like his tummy rubbed. He likes to be scratched on his chest ond up underneath his front legs. He was very happy.
So kt was a nice, quiet day, and i enjoyed it. Now it's a dull, rainy night in the field and I'm off to the north end soon.
July 10 Oh, I started reading and fixing Whatsername's name, so it was much too late when I got to bed. I got up around 7:30 anyway, but I really, really didn't want to, and I was tired and headachy and stiff all day. My knee was marginally better, though.
I got out of the house when I wanted to, and Ron got to the hospital when they wanted him. It was two hours before his procedure, and I do not know why they wanted hin so early. IT wasn't busy or anything, and he had to sit - and I had to sit - for two hours before they took him into the OR. At least this time, they were on time. This procedure - a scope down his esophagus - didn't take very long and he came out of the anesthesia much faster. i think we got home around 3:00. He's fine.
So all I did was get some work done on my sock. Not my ideal day, but it was for a good cause.
Thw weather was lovely. It was cool and foggy this morning, but it warmed up fast and the fog was gone by 9:15. There was still some around Medora, but not a lot, and we had a bit more between 4:00 and 5:00 but it didn't last long, and the camera got one picture with just a cloud right along the surface of the water. The high temperature finally got to 71º a while ago - much higher than was forecast. It was extremely humid, over 80% except right when the temperature jumped up, which is no doubt one reason I was so sore. It was clear or almost clear all day, and it was a very pretty day.
I guess the cats slept. Grayson was at the door when I got home, and he tried to scratch on the blocking board tonight. He got screeched at. I haven't noticed Louie. He was asleep on the couch when I left
So that was my day, and now I am going to bed before I fall asleep right here. IT's a clear but sort of hazy evening in the field and there should be stars tonight, if we can see them through the moonlight.
July 9 Well, I made it into bed by about 9;00 and apparently I was tired, because I slept very well, with only two wakeups. I woke up about 6:15 and got up. It was good that I did, because my knee is driving me crazy.
I ate breakfast and read my funnies, and on my way through the great room i took the shawl off the blocking board. I also took Louie off the shawl, with the end of the yardstick. Grr. And when i went to put the shawl on, there was a huge pull right at the top center. Double grr. It's something that can be fixed, but it will require some time and a small crochet hook, so I didn't work on it today.
I got to church about when i wanted to, even though there were some idiots on the road. I hate this time of year more than the depths of winter.
I was greeting this morning, as well as doing Alter Duty, and a very nice lady offered to do it for me, so she stood with me to greet everyone as they came in. We had a fiarly good crowd today. I made it up to the front to sing and to go to communion but I was moving extremely slowly. Both my knees hurt, and I didn't know when my right knee would give out, so I moved at a snail's pace. It was a lovely service. Pastor had programmed some of my more favorite hymns, including "Just As I Am, Without One Plea." I know all five verses of that one by heart.
Then we had to clean up, but that isn't too bad a job. However, Pastor stopped by to talk to us, nd I ended up having another long conversation with him before I left. And Sue gave me a little package to open when I got home, and it has a back scrtcher on an extendable handle as well as a knitted dish cloth. I had mentioned yesterday that I needed to go upstairs to get my back scratcher out of the box it's in, but this one is much nicer than mine. So nice of her! It works great, too.
I had to get gas so I can get through the week, so it was quite late when I got home. I got some lunch and sat for the rest of the afternoon. My knee i still bothering me a lot.
The weather was not good for joints. The high temperature was 68º and the humidity never got below 65%. There wasn't much wind and it came from all over. I guess there has been a tiny bit of rain in the past hour. It was dark and gloomy all day.
The guys slept like the weather. When I went toward the studio with my breakfast, Grayson was sitting on the table, but very pointedly not on the shawl and with his back to it. When I went back, however, Louie was right in the middle. Grayson is a lot smarter than Louie. Grayson knows just how far he can push me, and Louie doesn't. Grayson got a lot of lap time this afternoon. I think he knows he was a good boy.
So that was my day.
I forgot to mention that a week or so ago, I finally found out what Whatsername's name is. i have been sitting on it for a while now, and it still feels right, so tonight I began putting it into the story. It's such a relief to have that name that I haven't been thinking about the rest of the story. Maybe if I get her name into all the places it needs to be, I'll be able to go on. This is the first time I've ever had a major character whose name didn't come to me almost immediately, and I didn't l ike it. Now that's over with and I can go on.
Tomorrow I have to take Ron down to Aspirus for his procedure, so I have to jump into bed.
It's a sort of cool, very humid, cloudy night in the field.
July 8 Again, I didn't notice when I got to bed, but I think it was around 10:30. I had to load the dishwasher and start it and I had to put the wash in the dryer. And eat my ice cream cone.
I slept well - I was really tired - and I got up about 8:00. I knitted, and today I didn't have very much trouble at all. I think it's the amount of sleep I've had.
After I ate breakfast and visited the powder room, I washed my lavender shawl and blocked it. I think it took me the better part of two hours to get it pinned out. Note to self: don't knit any more shawls with scallops on the bottom. Well, I probably will, because I got a new book and one of the shawls I really like has a scalloped bottom. Anyway, I had to pin out every loop on the bottom. I used every T-pin I had readily available (I think about 70) and every fork pin H had and I still had to hunt around to find a few more to steal from one part to pin out the end. It is a very pretty thing. There are big petals at the top, a bunch of leaves, and a really beautiful scalloped border on the bottom.
Then i went off to church and with Sue's help. we got everything ready for tomorrow. It seems that even though she coordinates the schedule, and she is on the Altar Guild, she doesn't ever set up, so I had to direct her. That's all right. I think I know pretty much what to do now. It did take a while, buy neither of us minds: it's one small thing we can do to make worship good for everyone. But then we got to talking and I didn't get home until 4:00.
Unfortunately, we were standing outside while we were talking and when I finally got home, my right knee was so sore again that I could hardly stand on it. This has been happening for the past week, and I can only hope it doesn't last very long. I either need two legs to walk on or crutches and I don't have any crutches.
The traffic wasn't as bad as I'd feared. Everybody was going north. I did get into a caravan on the covered road, but two of us passed the RV and the other people weren't going that fast. However, there was a line of 9 cars at the blinker in Copper Harbor! Good for the town, but bad for me. I was glad to get home.
The weather was lovely. The high temperature at the weather station was 77º, but it didn't get that warm here, and there was a little wind between 5:00 and 6:00 that caused the temperature to drop from 77º tp 59º. It was clear until around 4:00, when the clouds began to move in, and weather radar is showing rain, but nothing is hitting the ground or anywhere near it. Just lately,the wind has gone calm, so whatever was going on (there was glitch in the barometer, too) has passed through. Ah, summer! It is completely quiet right now.
The guys were themselves. Louie got his loving nd Grayson slpet on me when got home. When I got hom, Louie was lounging in the middle of the shawl and sort of petting it with his paw, and I had to shoo hima way, and then when I went to get my dinner, Grayson was lying in the middle of the shawl and I had to shoo him away, too. They know they're not supposed to sit on the table when there's something on it, but they keep pushing the envelope. My nice shawl will probably have cat hair all over it tomorrow.
I hope to get up early tomorrow, because it's going to take time to remove all those pins.
So that was my day, and now I am going up to the north end and try hard to get to bed early. I'm tired, and I want to get up early, because I need to be at church by 10:00 and there are all those pins...
Now it's a warm, calm cloudy evening in the field.
July 7 I'm not sure exactly when I got to bed last ngiht, because the power glitch had zapped the clocks and Iforgot about it until I was lying down. I was too tired to get up and get the clock calculator, I think it was probably aorund 1:30. I did set the clock when I was up around 3:00, because I like to know what time it is.
I didn't sleep well, except for the first two or three hours. I don't know wny, except that I hurt all over, and I suppose that kept me out of deep sleep. I got up around 8:30 because I hurt too much to lie in bed any ,longer.
I knitted my two repeats, but with a whole lot of difficulty. I did something on the outside edge of the last increase row that ended up making me rip out everything I had done. I should have ripped two more rows, but I just decided not to do that, so there is a larger hole than there should be right there. The second time through, it worked and I got the second repeat done with no problems. I think it was because I was tired.
I didn't do much. I did put a load of bottoms in the washer, and they need to be dried. I was going to block a shawl, but until after I went to the post office, my legs were so bad and I was so tired when I got home that I didn't. I even had to park across the road to get my mail and I had to wait while a whole lot of cars went hither and yon.
THis morning, I glanced out the doors in the studio and discovered thht the wind yesterday had knocked over my geraniums, so before I started dinner, I went out and righted the pot and I also put the temperature remote sensor back where it belongs. It began transmitting readings right away, so that's all right. While I was working on the pot, I deadheaded the geraniums, being very careful where I put my cane! I am going to have to call the window company. I almost could not open the sliding door in the great room. Something has to be done about that, even though I don't have any money.
The weather turned out to be rather nice today, although it was humid, which no doubt contributed to my aches and pains. The high temperature was 64º, and there was a north wind around 11 mph all afternoon. The humidity was down around 60% before the temperature dropped. The skies were cloudy this morning, but they cleared up after about 2:30, and it's nice and clear now, although there are a lot of aerosols in the atmosphere. I was glad I got out.
The guys were their sleepy selves. When I went to the powder room before I went outside, Louie was sitting on the rug by the back door, which is a weird spot. Grayson got a lot of lap time and Louie got his loving - and a brushing - this morning.
Now I am tired. I think my knee is finally back in shape, which is good, because overnight, I could hardly put any weight on it, and I don't have any crutches. I would like to stay and hear the Dvorak 7th, but I'm so tired I think I will just toddle up to the north end and hope I sleep better tonight. It's a clear, breezy, sort of warm evening in the field.
July 6 I thought I went up to the north end at a reasonable hour, and I was getting ready to take my bath (which I really needed!) when I remembered that I hadn't put the rice away. So I trundled down to the kitchen - with nothing on - and did that chore. It turned out that I didn't completely close the fridge door, but I didn't find that out until today. I decided that going around barefoot in this house is not good. There is so much stuff on the floor that my feet were sore before i finally got back to the bathroom. I took my bath. I was so wet that I really needed it. It was hot around here and I sweat.
I got .got ot bed around 10:30 and I think I slept. I woke up about 1:30 (or was that the second time? I can't remember) and when I looked up, I was seeing almost continuous lightning, but far enough away that I only heard an occasional rumble of thunder. I had left the window in the studio open, so I decided I'd better close it, since I didn't know where the storm was and where it was headed. So I shuffled down to the studio - this time with slippers on - and closed the window. It was clear that the lightning was south of us, but I decided to check the radar map to see where it was. As it turned out, there was a rather ferocious storm right over Lac LaBelle and Bete Gris - and it stayed there for longer than i sat watching it. We didn't get a measurable drop here. Of course, if I hadn't come down and closed the window, we would have gotten hammered. That's the rule.
So I went back to bed, but I don't think I slept very well. I think it was too warm again, even though I wasn't much covered up. I had te ceiling fan on and that may have been part of my problem. I don't like wind blowing over me while I'm trying to get to sleep. I know, I know, I'm horribly picky about things like that, but that's how I am. Anyway, there wasn't anymore rain.
I got up around 8:30, which should have been enough sleep, but it didn't feel like it. I knitted, but that was about all I did. There seemed to be a lot of stuff to read today.
I was doing my surfing about 10:30 this morning when all of a sudden the wind began to blow hard. I looked off to the west and the sky over the mountain was like lead. The wind blew and blew - with gusts up to 34 mph - and finally, the rain came. right around noon. It was strange, because it got about to a line between the range light point and the lighthouse point and stopped for almost 10 minutes before it finally got here. then it rained for about 45 minutes before it stopped and pretty soon the sun came out. That storm amounted to about ¼" of rain.
We also had a power glitch, so all the clocks are screwed up again. The UPS beeped five times, but I guess that means it was working for few seconds - not enough for the generator to even see it. I didn't realize it at the time, but now I know. It's when it starts beeping every few seconds that I know it has absorbed a surge and needs to be reset. Oh.
i forgot to look at the radar before I left for choir, but when I looked off to the west, it looked rather ominous. However, we got down to Laurium, sang, went to Bible Study and started home with no problems. When we got to the covered road, all of a sudden, the road got wet, and the further north we got, the wetter it was. There was water dripping off the trees, lots of puddles and even a handful of raindrops. It looked like water had been running down First Street when we turned down there. Well. It seems like between 9:00 and around 9:45 (which is when we came through), we had 0.78" of rain! Whoosh! I'm actually glad we weren't any earlier, even though I didn't get home until 10:00. I was happy that evidently it came in from the west and there was no water in the south window, which would have messed up a whole lot of paper things.
I came home to two very upset cats. Louie came up out of the basement as I was coming in the door and Grayson was not a happy camper.
The high temperature for the day was 80º, between 4:00 and 5:00 PM. There wasn't much wind except during that storm this morning. Except during the storms, the dew point was almost steady around 57º, which means that the relative humidity was acceptable when it was so hot. Now, of course, it's up around 90% again. No wonder my knees are sore!
Poor little Grayson did not like that wind this morning. Louie, of course, was hiding in the basement, but Grayson kept wandering around and he finally sat on the bookcase until the rain was over with. I don't know what they did tonight, but they were not happy when I came home. Most of my cats have been afraid of all that noise.
So that was a rather interesting day, and now it's late. When we turned into Copper Harbor, the almost-full moon was shining about the cumulus clouds. IT was a pretty sight, with the lovely noon and the tops of the clouds all pink and apricot from the setting sun. Now it's a warmish, humid, calm night in the field, and I don't think there will be much more rain tonight.
July 5 The fireworks were lovely, although I don't think there were as many unusual ones a there have been in the past. I took my bath and was in bed by 10:00. I wasn't in a deep sleep when they started, but it was deep ehough that I missed the very beginning while I sat up and got my glasses on. Anyway, I enjoyed the show. I think it went on for about half an hour.
I didn't sleep as well as I'd hoped, probably because it was warm. I got up around 8:30, I think - I don't remember now - and I knitted my two repeats, but with some difficulty. Some days I can concentrate more than other days. There were no major problems, just a lot of recounting.
I got to do most of my surfing, but I had an accident and had to change my bottoms before I was off to the hospital. someplace after Delaware, I got behind about eight other vehicles including a couple of RVs several cars and I think a logging truck. Yikes! RIght at the Cliff Bar we slowed down to almost a stop. I suppose somebody about two cars ahead of me was thinking of stopping there, but I don't think they were open. I took CLiff Drive and lapped them all, but it was still a long, frustrating commute. I like it better when there isn't any traffic, even though the amount of traffic there is leads me to believe it will be a good summer for Copper Harbor. I always have to remember that if it weren't for these tourons, we wouldn't have much of a town. I only wish our county commissioners would remember that, too.
Anyway, I wasn't late, and my fovorite technician did my echocardiogram, and then she passed me right off to the very nice mammogram technician, so instead of being late, I was out before 2:00 (which was when my mammogram was scheduled). There are some nice things about living in a sparsly populated area. The technicians are as good as any I had in the big city and a whole lot ncer.
I had to get gas. All this running up and down the peninsula takes a toll on my gas, but even so, I was home by just after 3:00. So that is over with. I didn't hear from Ron, so I don't know when his procedure will be, but I will be down in Laurium tomorrow and Saturday, so I will have to get gas again on Sunday.
It was a warm, sunny day. It got to 77º here, at 11:00, and it was warmer in Laurium. iT did cool down here, and it was betweein 68º and 71º all afternoon. I really don't think that high temperature was right - it certainly never got that warm out here. It was mostly clear, and there was no wind. it was quite humid, which meant I was moving slow.
The guys slept. Grayson has spent quite a while in the south window in the studio, which is open. They were both laid out on the table when I went to get my dinner.
Dinner was a bit late, because I remembered that I had to make rice tonight, but now I have that done. I am going to take another bath tonight. I was sweating enough that I need it, and if I don't do it tonight, I'll have to do it tomorrow,which would make me extremely late.
I have been very surprirsed by the amount of traffic going up and down US-41 in the past couple of weeks. From the way they're driving, I can tell they're not locals. It makes it hard for those of us who live here and just wnat to get where we're going. But like I said, they're paying our way, so I guess we just have to cope.
Now it's a warm, calm, clear night in the field and I'm tired.
By the way, if you see any typos, please tell me. I'm having enough trouble seeing clearly that I'm not sure I get them all.
July 4 = Independence Day My Independence Day celebration was to listen to the reading of the Declaration of Independence as read by the announcers of NPR. Even if it was a bit overblown, our forefathers certainly had enough grievances to merit the step they took. In spite of the current climate, which saddens me, I have always thanked God that I was born and live here. And I thank Him that now I live in a place where a lot of the stupidity that's going on in our country doesn't affect me personally. But that's selfish, and I wish there were a way to heal the terrible factionalism we live with. End of sermon.
I got to bed around 10:00 last night, but I don't think I slept very well. At least it felt like I was awake or dozing a lot. Part of it was that I was in some pain, and I don't know any other reason for it. I got up a bit after 8:30 and I knitted. I have now finished half of the edging! Wow! Of course, it's taken me two weeks. I keep hoping I can do more each day that I knit, but it took me an hour and 15 minutes to do two repeats today, so I'll have to keep at it a lot longer if I want to speed it up. And there are days when I can't knit at all because I have things to do in the morning.
I didn't do anything else. I was thinking about a couple of things, but they never got done. Well, that isn't true. I had to reboot the computer twice and remove a piece of software that somehow got installed on my computer without my agreement. I still don't know how that happened, but I discovered it in the course of the reboots, and I didn't want it there. Fortunately, it seems to have uninstalled properly. About the reboots, I'm not sure how the second one came about, except that I think the game I was playing hung up. This is all beginning to get annoying, especially when stuff gets put on my computer that I don't want.
The weather was perfect, as far as I'm concerned. It was perfectly clear, and the high temperature was 75º! O jave tje south window open and it feels so good! There has been a very light breeze from the south or southwest for most of the day. Now this is what summer in Copper Harbor is all about!
The guys celebrated by sleeping in the sun. Grayson spent a while in the open window, but I think he likes it warmer. Louie was content to be in the great room, although I had to shove him out of the way when I brought my dinner to the studio, because he wouldn't move.
So that was it. I am going to wash my hair early tonight and go to bed. They set off a bomb about five minutes before the fireworks start, and that should wake me up. I discovered last year that my best view of the fireworks is from my bedroom, so I don't have to do anything but sit up and put on my glasses. I Have to go down to Laurium tomorrow for my tests (mammogram and echocardiagram) and gas, so I will have to be up fairly early.
Now it's a clear, warm night in the field. So lovely!
July 3 I got to bed about 10:00 last night and I slept fairly well. I woke up around 4:30, having had a very vivid dream about people I do not know doing things I've never done, but after emitting an incredible amount of gas, I wet back to sleep. I got up at what I thought was 8:49, or at least that's how I read the clock. I knitted my two repeats with no particular problems and I was washing my face when the Isle Royal Queen sounded off.
Hmm, I thought, she's leaving late this morning. Then I looked at the calculator clock and it said 8:08. Now, you understand that I Had looked at it when I began to knit so I would know how long it was taking me to knit one repeat. How I ever mistook a 6 for an 8, I do bot know. I can still see better than that! Geez!
So i got dressed and ate and did all my surfing and it still wasn't time to go to see Johanna. Then I had an accident and had to change my panties, so I was a bit late, but she was even later. The only problem was, I hadn't taken my knitting. Oh, well. She did a good job on me and I feel much better. I've found that the pain in my joints causes the muscles to tighten up and after a while I'm in pain even when the joints are all right. That's why I see Johanna.
I didn't do anything for the rest of the afternoon. I always feel tired after a massage.
The weather was nice, but not as nice as yesterday. The temperature has finally gotten to 62º and the humidity has gone down to 67%, but it was cool and humid all day, although not humid enough for fog, thankfully. We've had enough fog. There was almost no wind, and now it's calm. There were a few clouds overnight and for a while today, but most of the afternoon was clear and sunny. I could take a lot of his weather. I do remember fondly the summers when I could open up the house and leave it that way for weeks, but I guess I'd rather it was cooler. For one thing, there are fewer bugs.
The guys were sleepy. Grayson wanted to sleep on me, and he did get some lap time, but not as much as he wanted. I must mention Eos, who is Johanna's wonderful Belgian Malinois. I'm her favorite client, because I always bring her treats. She is old and sick now, with cancer, I think, but she is still a wonderful pet. She is extremely intelligent, and when she was younger, she was so beautiful when she ran and jumped when she was playing. She doesn't have much time left, but she is still with us and I enjoy seeing her when I go to Johanna's. I will miss her when she's gone.
So that was my day, and now I am going to wash my hair. Debated doing it tomorrow - and I might, it depends upon how I feel when I get to the bathroom - but tomorrow will be a difficult night anyway, and I have my tests on Wednesday. We'll see. The way I've been typing, I think I should just go to bed right now.
It's a mostly clear, sort of warmish evening in the field.
July 2 Well. I was in bed before 9:00 (yes NINE) last night, and I went right to sleep. I won't be quite that early tonight, because it's 9:00 already, but I don't expect to be later than 10:00. I slept fairly well, except for a while in the middle of the bight when I was trying to sleep on my left side. I woke up shortly after 6:00 this morning and decided, well, why not?
I still didn't get away until after 9:15. I started out early ehough, but I was walking toward the powder room for my last pit stop when I lost part of the sole of my white shoe, so I had to make a quick trip to the studio and get out the E6000 and glue it back together. I need new shoes, and i need white ones more than the other colors I have some in my Amazon cart, but they're $60 even from them, so I couldn't get them last month. Maybe this month? I hope so. I like to wear white shoes in the summertime.
Anyway, I got to church just about when I wanted to. There was a lot of traffic north but nto a lot south. I did get behind one slow driver, but I took off down Cliff Drive and lost him.
Church was good and I think we sang pretty well. We sang "Lift Every Voice And Sing," which I was surprised to see in the hymnal, but since it is, we figured we could sing it. Pastor had a good sermon. All his sermons are good, although some are better than others, and he has extremely good terminal facilities, which I appreciate. When ht sounds like he is wrapping things up, for sure he is.
I had to shop for food. I had to wait until I got my money for the month, so I couldn't do it last week. Pat's was a zoo. When I got there, there were only about 6 carts left in the store. I had to choose another one, because the first one had a bad wheel. I had some things I needed to get, but would you believe that while I got hamburger buns, I didn't gte any hamburger! Geez! My mind... I will be down there on Wednesday anyway, so I will get it then. I don't eat a lot of hamburger (or a lot of any beef anymore), but I Like my Thursday night splurge. I had to get whole wheat Kaiser rolls, because they didn't have any onion rolls, but it will be nice for a change. And today they had my bread! Wow! I was about to get very huffy, but they had a lot of it, so I got three loaves, just for contingencies. I freeze it, so it will stay fresh, even though it's till out in the breezeway. I'll pack it away tomorrow. However, they didn't have any whitefish today. That's all right. I've been eating a lot of that, and I can stand to have something else on Tuesday. I have I think I have five different kinds of fish in the freezer, so I'm set there.
I got home around 2:00 and I didn't get most of the stuff put away until 7:00. The bread is still out in the breezeway. That's for tomorrow. I got half a watermelon, and while it's nice, it's not the best. However, I love watermelon and I'll enjoy it.
The inside of Pat's was a zoo; there were rso many people wandering up and down the aisles trying to find what they wanted! I;m sure they were all from out of town and had no idea where anything was located. I was glad to get out of there!
The weather turned out to be very nice. It was cloudy when I got up, but by the time I left for church it was clearing adn the afternoon was beautiful. The high temperature was 68º, much higher than was forecast. There was a bit of wind, up to 18 mph from the north. It wasn't exceptionally humid, but it has just gotten down to 60% now. Nice.
As far as I Know, the guys mostly slept. Grayson got some lap time both before and after I left. Louie socked out on the sofa for most of the afternoon, but he doesn't move around very much usually.
So that was my Sunday, and now I'm going to bed I have a big week coming up, starting with a massage tomorrow. I felt so good for most of the day today that I want to do it again. One of these days maybe i will get my schedule under control.
Now it's a clear, warmish, breezy evening in the field. There will be starts tnoight,for sure.
July 1 So we start on the second half of the hear. Sigh.
I got to bed by 10:00 last night, and while I slept well, I was up any number of times - the fish, I think. I got up around 8:30, and I'm happy to say I'm knitting faster and with fewer glitches than I was. It still isn't fast and there are still glitches, but I did two repeats in just over an hour this morning.
I didn't do anything else much. I filled the pill dispensers in the studio and I'll do the same in the bathroom as soon as I get there. There were a couple of things I was thinking about doing, but there was a lot of reading in my emails and PastyNet had a glitch of some kind around noon, so that slowed things down. I'm enjoying my last day of rest for a while.
The weather turned out a bit better than they were forecasting. The high temperature so far is 62º and the winds were mostly under 10 mph - they've gone calm now. It's still humid, 84%, but there hasn't been any fog in the harbor. From the foghorns I could hear out in the lake, I guess it was foggy there. Here, it was partly sunny for most of the day. It doesn't snow in the camera, but we have had a lot of sunshine, which is nice for a change.
The cats thought that. When I got up tihs morning, they wre both in the bathroom, and Louie was laid out flat on his back but with his front feet both on one side. He looks so funny that way! He got some loving and a brushing, which he didn't like very well, and Grayson got to sit on my lap for a while, but he wanted to sit when I wanted to do something, so he didn't get all the time he wanted.
And that was all there was. Oh - my friend Phil pointed out that this is a numerology day: 7.1.17. We don't have a lot of those anymore, and this is a neat one.
so now it's a sort of warmish evening in the field, and I'm off to the north end. And it's July. Sigh.
Last updated 08/01/17 09:59 PM
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