March, 2020
March 31
Aahh! March is finally over! I think I've said many times before that March seems to be the longest month. I've always wished we could revise the calendar so all months were the same length. In my dreams...That's one reason I write science fiction. Then I can create my own universe where things are a bit more rational.
I think part of it is that the weather is usually lousy in March. We only had 19.5" of snow, but there was rain and wind and clouds. And the coronavirus.
I was in bed by midnight last night, and I slept well, because I was exhausted and I took my pills. I got up around 9:30 or so, and I knitted on sock #1. I wanted to work on the shawl, but I couldn't see, so I gave up on that after about two repeats. I'd like to get it into the rotation, but that will only work if I can see what I'm doing. It would be easier if it was a light color, but it typically takes me a couple of hours to get the glop out of my eyes, even if I use drops.
I wanted to be early because Mike came today to wire up the PastyNet equipment - and mine - and I procrastinated long enough that I had to get the stuff out from under the desk. I managed to do that before he got here, and it was nearly an entire medium bag of trash. He got here and did his thing, and cleaned some more. Then, bless him, he got rid of my old speakers, fished the wires from the new ones through the hole in the desk, replaced the light bulb in my closet and the ones in the basement that burned out last fall - turns out there were three of those. Besides, his wife, who works with Ron at the post office, had given him all my mail! It's so nice to have such lovely neighbors!
Then around 5:30, Debbie called and we talked for a couple of hours, I think until her phone died. I was concerned about her, because she isn't used to being confined to home and she doesn't have any creative hobbies, but she is managing to keep herself busy. It was good to hear from her.
The weather was nondescript. The temperature was nearly steady around 34º, with no wind, and it was cloudy and gray. Yuck.
The guys slept, at least until Mike came. Grayson was extremely interested in what Mike did under the desk, and in fact, at the end, when he wanted to take some pictures to prove what he'd done, Grayson got in a couple of them. Louie hid, of course, but he hid just inside the basement door and when we opened it so Mike could go downstairs, Louie ran down in front of him, so he got to see the fat white cat. I think Louie hides there most of the time when I have visitors he doesn't recognize. He's too timid to come out and be recognized, but he wants to know what's going on. They are such funny little critters.
When I look under the desk, I can hardly believe that's really my desk, it's so clean and orderly. All the cables from my equipment are unbraided now. I'll be interested to see how long that lasts. It was an unbelievable mess when I looked at it, and I swear, I haven't touched those cables! Mike agrees with me that every computer installation has cable trolls, though, who braid the cables when you aren't looking. You who can get away with a laptop are lucky. Oh, and I now have a UPS for my equipment, so I should be safer from losing files and other nasty power problems. This one is a new one, so it should be good for quite a while.
So that was my rather active day and now it's a cool dark night in the field. Ooh - they're going to play Sibelius. So I can't go to bed yet. And March is over, finally.
I just looked at the camera pictures, and I had to show you this one. See? It will get better,
March 30
Oh, I had a horrible night last night, but it wasn't until this morning that I realized why. I could not get to sleep and my feet felt cold even when they weren't and my legs were twitchy. Yup, I forgot to take my pills. Every time I do that, it seems like the results are worse. So I'm exhausted and I'm going to crash. Oh, yeah, and I was having hot flashes all night long, to the extent that I had to take a bath, even if I hadn't intended to anyway. Yuck. I've had a few more hot flashes this evening, which may be because I'm so exhausted, or it may mean I'm getting my virus again. My nose has been running, too, so if it is, it's my virus, not coronavirus. i keep hoping as spring begins to come, I'll get over that.
Anyway, I don't have much to report. I knitted on Sock #4, but not very much. This is the same kind of yarn as the off-white ones I made a year or two ago, and it's not my favorite. It's rather hard and hard on the feet, but it does have more cotton than most, as well as wool and nylon. This colorway is rather amusing. It works up in stripes of 1 or 1½ rows of three shades of blue - dark blue, medium blue and teal - with equal rows of gray and white dots in between. While Sock #3 seems to work up pretty much exactly on the number of stitches I'm using, this one is clearly meant for quite a few fewer than I have to use, so it's not quite as regular. Since nobody but me ever sees much of my socks anyway, I'm the only one who will know.
There was the inevitable email from Pastor this afternoon. The councils of both churches have determined that worship services are suspended, so there won't be any more for the the foreseeable future. That means Sue and I won't have to be bothered with bulletins. I think Pastor is going to try to continue to post something - prayers and sermons - as video on Facebook, which is very nice of him. We might even get some organ music for Holy Week and Easter, since he will be at one end of the church and Jan or Kathleen will be at the other - safely apart. Sigh. I'm sure it will come out well, but it's a sore trial.
The weather started out cloudy and windy and ended up clear and nice. The high temperature got up to 39º and the wind has died down to about 10 mph from the northeast. It was rather noisy around here overnight. It was still rather humid, although not like yesterday, and I hurt. It was nice to see the sunshine again, and maybe I can see Venus tonight, although of course I didn't get to see the conjunction with the moon or the Pleiades. I've said many times that if something is going to happen in the sky, it will be cloudy until it's over.
The guys slept. They both slept in the bathroom after I got up, until I took my bath. Neither of them like water. Grayson got to sleep on my lap for a while this afternoon, even though I had to try to type over him. He got shouted at, though, because he ran by me as I went into the kitchen tonight, and I'm tired enough to be cranky. He does that a lot - runs by me while I'm walking. One of these days either I will cream him or he will trip me up and I'll end up on the floor in a heap.
So that was my day, and now I think I will wait until the Mendelssohn is over before I crash. There's some nice stuff coming later in the evening, but I must sleep. It's a clear, dark night in the field and if March wasn't such a long month, it would be over with.
March 29
Well. I made it into bed by midnight last night and I slept well, although I was up several times, of course. I got up a bit before 10:00 and I knitted on sock #3.
I worked on sock #2 yesterday. That one is medium blue and green, in interesting stripes. It's cotton, wool, nylon and elastic and I'll be interested to wear them. I had another pair with elastic, the red pair I lost, and they were nice on my feet.
Sock #3 is the white pair. They are cotton, wool and nylon. Most sock yarn has 20-25% nylon in it for strength. The red pair I made last year was 100% wool, but I knitted in a thread of nylon in the heels. Anyway, sock #3 is turning out very interesting, at least at the top. I've always thought that if I could find the right number of stitches for some of these printed yarns, I could get vertical stripes, and I seem to have found the sweet spot for this yarn. The ribbing was sort of jumbled, because ribbing takes more yarn than straight stockinette, but now that I'm into the leg, I have wavy vertical stripes! It looks really neat. I have no hope that the entire sock will look like this, because they use fuzzy logic when they print the yarn, and I'll be interested to see when the pattern disintegrates. I hope it doesn't.
That took a while, and then I got sucked into the Google Discover rabbit hole again, so I was late getting to the studio. I was so late that I didn't get to do anything but my surfing. Now my internet speed has gone to pot, to the extent that I can't even stream music, so I might as well go to bed. So there.
The weather was nasty, and I was very glad I didn't have to go anywhere. The temperature went down all day, from 43º at midnight to 36º now. The wind was from the east, with gusts up to 37 mph, and it rained. We had 1.56" of rain between midnight and 2:00 PM, about 4 hours without, and another 0.08" since. I hurt all over. The lake has been singing loudly all day, and since the wind has been rising, I'm sure it's louder now. Ah, spring.
The guys did what they always do. They slept. They got some canned food today that isn't their favorite, although Louie ate it. Grayson preferred his kibble, the rat-fink. Louie got some loving while I was at the north end and Grayson finally did get to sit on my lap for a while, although he was restless and he finally left when I had to do a little typing. He wanted some of my dinner, of course.
Well, it seems we're going to be in lock-down for longer than I'd hoped. I have a dentist appointment on April 15, and it doesn't seem like I'll get to keep it, but we'll see. By that time, I will definitely need to shop again, virus or no. The virus is in the Copper Country now, so we all have to be careful. Pastor has been videoing devotions, which is really nice of him. I wonder how many people went to church this morning? I don't think our governor has issued a new order yet, but I'm sure it's coming. This is a difficult time and I'm praying we get through it.
Now it's a dark, rainy, windy night in the field, and I'll be going to bed soon.
March 28
Almost forgot. Nothing happened. I inverted big time, so I wasn't up very long and I'm going to bed early.
The weather was dull and gray and the high temperature was 41º, with no wind.
The guys slept. Last night - or this morning, rather - the first time I tried to go to bed, Louie was lying right across the floor where I had to walk to get to the bed, and he wouldn't move, so I walked into and over him and he tried to beat up on my feet before he finally moved. Today, every time he sees me walking toward him, he runs away. I guess he must forget or something. At that hour of the morning, there was no way I was going to be able to step over him or around him. Grayson sat and watched.
I got into bed and had to get up again right away, and I had to change my bottoms. I don't know what happened, but as a result, I was about an hour later than I thought I would be. It was getting light.
So now it's a dark, cloudy night in the field and there is going to be rain and/or snow for the next 36 hours or so. Yuck.
March 27
Oh, it's so late, but I was reading again. I was late last night, too, so I was late getting up. Then I knitted on sock #1 for an hour (timed), and I got quite a bit done, even though it's on #! needles. This one is bamboo and wool, and it's sort of mottled dark blue, magenta and blue-green, with a pop of pale orange every so often (not so much that it bothers me). It's going to be pretty, and unless a pattern shows up as I get further down the leg, I'll be able to work a flap heel. Some people think flap heels, with gussets, fit them better than short-row heels, but I've never been able to see any difference with my flipper feet. So if the yarn has no particular pattern, I use a flap heel and if it has a stripe or some other obvious pattern, I use a short row heel, with the yarn taken from the other end of the ball, so I don't interrupt the pattern at all. Just my way, but I've always been rather picky about my socks, from the time I was a kid and wore Adler's sweat socks all the time - none others would do. It was when my Adler's got so worn that I was going to have to darn the darns that I got into sock knitting.
So I was too late to do much but my surfing, but I did embroider while part of the talking was going on. I finished the second half tree. That is a weird feature of the bottom row of motifs. The first big one has two half trees, each of which is different, even though they almost meet. All I can figure is that the original stitcher had more patterns than she had room for so she decided this was a good way to solve her problem. I don't like either motif very much, so I was glad to only have to do half. Maybe that was her problem, too. I knitted yesterday, but I'm finding that all this knitting plus all the time I spend surfing and playing games is doing a number on my hands, so it was good to do something else. The arthritis in my hands isn't as bad as in some other places, but it's there and I have to try not to overuse any one set of motions.
The weather was very nice again and I was sorry not to get out. The high temperature was 49º and there wasn't much wind. It was clear and blue all day. Very nice. Of course, it's supposed to start raining or snowing tomorrow and last through Sunday, but hey, this is still March, right?
I had to adjust the start time for the camera. Our days are 12½ hours long now and getting longer at 3¼ minutes a day, which I think is about as fast as they ever do. It's nice to have longer days, but the sun is shining right in the studio in the late afternoon, which makes it hard to face the front windows, and unless I eat at some ridiculous hour, like I did tonight, I have to eat in the dark so the inside of the studio doesn't show up on the images. There are (or were) some people who haunt PastyNet who don't like the way the inside of my studio looks. As for me, I've always been very suspicious of people who have neat offices. To me, it means they aren't doing anything.
THe guys slept, as far as I know. They got another of their favorite canned foods today. This can had a lot of juice in it and Louie immediately sat down and licked up all the juice, just like he does with the shredded kind. Grayson likes that variety, too, so it was mostly gone by tonight. And I filled two kibble bowls. I have to bring in another bag of kibble in order to fill the fourth bowl and I haven't done that yet.
So that was my very quiet day, and it's a warmish, clear night in the field.
March 26
Well, I wasn't quite as early as I thought I might be, but I was in bed by about 1:00 AM, which seems to be early for me these days. I slept very well, with the usual wakeups, and I got up around 10:30. I knitted on sock #3, which is the white one (with blue and green spots) and I got the ribbing done. Tonight I finished the ribbing on the fourth one, so now I can charge ahead with a rotation. I hate to knit ribbing, but socks need it.
I was so tired last night that I just could not take my bath, so I did it this afternoon. I seem to be getting used to showering during the day, and it works fine, especially when it's as light in the bathroom as it was today. I still like to bathe before I go to bed, because it warms me up, but frequently I'm so tired (or it's so late) that I just can't. That took up most of the afternoon, since i fiddled around for quite a while before I did it. Surprised the guys, too, who were snoring on the rugs.
The weather turned out rather nice. The high temperature was 36º and there wasn't much wind. It was cloudy this morning, but it cleared up over the afternoon, and it was lovely at sunset. There was a little crescent moon in the last couple of pictures from the camera.
The guys slept. While I was sitting in the bathroom, they were both lying on the rug, snoring. It always makes me chuckle when I hear that. I can understand why Louie would snore, since he's so fat, but Grayson does, too. He also got some lap time, but not much, because he couldn't decide how he wanted to sit and I finally booted him off after he kept turning around and around on my lap.
So that was my day. Now it's a clear, cool night in the field and maybe I can remember to upload this and go to bed.
March 25
First, please forgive my mental lapse. I just plain forgot to upload this thing for the past two days. There's nothing wrong with me, except for my head. And thank you to the people who emailed me and the one who actually called the store and asked Staci to call me and check up on me. You are all so nice! Maybe I can do better from now on.
I wasn't as late last night as the night before, but I wasn't early. I had planned to sleep long and hard, but I got a phone call around 10:30 this morning that I felt I'd better answer, and after that, I decided to get up, because I had a lot of things to do today, at least for me. And since I did them all, now I can't remember all of them. Oh, it's interesting to get old.
I had some work to do based on that phone call. and I had to do the bulletins. The bulletins got out, and there wasn't apparently anything much wrong with them. I had to make my pork chops today. I defrosted them and I couldn't freeze them over and they were getting old. They turned out very nice. I see why people like slow cookers. Pour everything in, set the time and go away...nice.
The weather was blah. It was dark and cloudy all day. The high temperature was 46º and there was almost no wind. Blah.
The guys thought so, too. Louie came out for breakfast, but I haven't seen him since. Grayson sat on my lap for a long time until I got tired of typing over him. He wanted some of my dinner, of course, but I know he wouldn't eat it, and besides, pork and tomatoes aren't good for cats.
I didn't get enough sleep last night, and I have to wash my hair tonight, so I hope I can get to bed at a semi-reasonable hour.
The PastyNet people finally got the UPS they need for their gear and they would like to install it, but not only is the space under my desk full of bags of trash, since I'm self-isolating, I don't know that I want them around for a while. I'm not paranoid about this thing, but I want to be prudent, and all the real authorities say that people in my condition should be extremely careful. I didn't hear about anymore COVID-19 cases in the UP today, but that doesn't mean anything except that there isn't enough testing. I would really like to get that UPS installed, because they are going to give me the one they're using now, and I'm getting really tired of all the reboots every time there's a power glitch. But still... We'll see how it goes.
Now it's a warmish, dark night in the field, and I'm tired.
March 24
Oh, I inverted again. I was reading and time just passed. So it was late when I got up and I didn't get enough sleep, but oh, well.
I didn't do much of anything, but I was late again. I cast on the white (and blue and green) sock after I got up and I cast on the Sockotta sock, which has colors not too much different from the last pair I finished, oddly enough. It's shades of blue, gray and white and I think there are some gray and white dotted areas as well as a row or two of several shades of blue. I can't really tell what it will look like, just like all the others. Ribbing uses more yarn than plain stockinette stitch, so I have to finish the ribbing before I can tell what I'm going to see. Now I have all four socks on the needles, so I can begin the rotation, unless I decide I like one pair better than all the others. We'll see how it goes. I have at least 15 rows of ribbing (which goes slowly) before I can start the plain knitting.
The weather was nice, although it wasn't as clear as it was yesterday. The high temperature was 42º and there was a light south winds. There was a lot of sunshine, even though the sky wasn't blue. See? Spring will come. It's going to have to get warmer before the snow all melts, though. The deck is nearly clear, but there is ice on the harbor and only my driveway is beginning to clear.
The guys slept. I didn't see much of them after I got up They both got some loving, although I had to make Grayson go away because I had to type something.
So it was another very quiet day. The church as decided to continue holding services, although they aren't going to have any food events. I'm not completely sure that's a good idea, and I'm not sure it's in agreement with the latest executive order from the governor. And why isn't it a country-wide order? Oh, I won't get into that.
Anyway, it doesn't change my decision to self-isolate. As I've said many times, I'm at risk at least twice, and I think the most prudent thing I can do is stay home. I would dearly love to get to church on Easter, and I have an appointment with my dental hygienist on the 15th, but we'll just have to see about those things. The first case in the UP was reported in Marquette today. It's not under control yet.
So it was another quiet, truncated day, and now I really must get to bed. It's a sort of warmish, dark night in the field.
March 23
I wasn't all that late last night - maybe 1:30? - but I was up a lot, so it was noon before I got up for good. Then I cast on the first sock and did the first five rows...and then I fooled around for a while. As a result of that, I didn't do anything much else, except that I cast on another sock while the talking was going on and started a third. Four socks worked so well with the last pairs that I thought I'd do it again.
The weather turned out nice. It was cloudy this morning, but it cleared up as the day went on. The camera hung up around 9:45, so I don't know exactly when the clouds rolled away, but it was sunny and nice later in the afternoon. The high temperature was 40º and there was almost no wind. Nice.
The guys slept. Grayson sat on me for a while, until I had to type something. Louie hung out at the north end, of course.
Well, since our governor has locked down the state, I guess we won't be having church - or anything else - until after Easter. It makes some sense, particularly in the southern lower. I still don't think there's much COVID-19 up here, but it isn't possible to test that, since there aren't any tests. There was some conversation about that among the leaders of the congregation today, but Pastor is trying to get some clarification and they will make a decision tomorrow. I'm sorry. I had hoped to get back to church one of these Sundays, but not if there's a chance of being infected or infecting someone else. I may have to do some food shopping, and I have a dentist appointment on the 15th, which seems pretty iffy now. We have permission to shop for food, but the dentist appointment, which is with the hygienist, could be canceled. All one can do in these times is stay loose. It doesn't bother me too much, because I don't go out much anyway, but I feel bad for people with kids. It wouldn't have bothered me when I was a kid, because I was always a loner and I could always amuse myself, but most kids aren't like that. And there is this thing I've observed for a long time: it's when you can't go out that you really, really want to. I'm over that now, but when I was younger it was always a problem.
So it was a very quiet day and now it's late but I'm reading again...It's a clear, dark night in the field.
March 22
Ugh. Another nasty night. I got to bed about the same time as the night before, but just before 6:00 AM, I woke up with rather severe abdominal cramps. So I sat in the bathroom and hoped it would go away, but it didn't, and eventually I had to fetch the barf bucket out of the closet. That helped, and running off some more helped, but it was over an hour before I got back to bed. I'm afraid it was something I ate.
I slept then, but needless to say, it was after noon before I got up, and I still don't feel very robust. So it was a very quiet day and I didn't do anything much.
It was a nice day. The temperature got up to 38º, but there was a strong southwest wind, with gusts up to 40 mph. It started out clear and lovely, but around 5:30, the clouds moved in and by sunset it was completely cloudy.
The guys slept, of course. They got there very most favorite canned food, and most of it is already gone. Louie got his loving, and Grayson got to sleep on my lap for a while. He left on his own, too.
I finished the sock, so now I have another new pair to wear. I hauled out the big bag of sock yarn. The summer yarn was right on top, and unfortunately, I ended up with four different yarns I want to make. Two of the most interesting work on #! needles, so I'll have to decide which one to make first. The other two are on #2 needles, and they go faster. I passed up all my lovely Tofutsies, but I'll get to that, too, sometime. Since I have so many wool socks, I can work on summer socks for quite a while.
So that was my very quiet day, and now it's a cool, cloudy night in the field and it could snow overnight. It's not over yet.
March 21
I was sort of late again, which would have been all right, except that I had a terrible night. I went right to sleep, but I only slept for a couple of hours before I woke up with a hot flash, and once I got back to bed, I couldn't get back to sleep. For one thing, my feet were cold. I don't think it's fair that I can be having a hot flash and my feet are so cold I can't sleep. So I thrashed around for the rest of the night. I did get a couple more hours early in the morning because I put on my bed socks, and of course I dozed, but I didn't get nearly enough quality sleep.
I don't like those hot flashes. I feel OK - not great, but OK - and until last night, it had been a week or more since I had any. In the past, they usually meant that I was coming down with something. I was out Thursday and Friday, but only in my car, and I wasn't very near anybody. We'll see how it goes tonight.
I've decided that under the circumstances, the best thing I can do is shelter in place, so I won't be trying to go to church tomorrow. It's a disappointment, but since I'm at risk two ways, I think it's the safest thing to do. There haven't been any diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in the Copper Country, but nobody seems to believe it's because it isn't here. Since the UP is so rural and there is apparently such a lack of testing kits, it will be a while before we get very many here. The Health Department said only 50 people have been tested so far, and anecdotally, there may have been mild cases that weren't tested because there were no tests available. So I will stay in hibernation. I would dearly love to get to church on Palm Sunday and Easter, but we'll see how it goes. The situation is so fluid, there's no way to make any plans.
I didn't do very much, but I finally began to get the stuff for my taxes together. I know the filing date has been pushed back, at least for the Federal, but I would like to get it done and over with. I just did the easy part today, the part from my checkbook. Nothing balances, though, so I'm going to have to do some research. I'd forgotten it was May or so before I finally began to get all the automatic payments switched over to my new account, and that may be why the totals look so weird, but I'll just have to look at it and see. By the time I got everything in, though, I'd had enough of that stuff. Oh, there is a reason why I hate to do that exercise.
The weather was nice. It was clear all night and all day, and the high temperature was 31º. There wasn't much wind. It was so pretty, and the sunshine warmed up the house very nicely. Oh, by the way, I'm sorry the camera picture got scrambled. It happened right before I got up, and I wasn't going to come running down here just to fix it, so it looked nasty for a while. When I went out to get my dinner, finally, Venus was shining in the windows over the lighthouse, so pretty.
The guys were sleepy, of course. I filled most of the kibble bowls - one of them is for a new bag that is still out in the breezeway - and I think everybody was happy about that. Grayson got to sleep on my lap for a while, until I had to type. Louie has a big scab under his chin, but he's been going after Grayson again, and I think that's why.
So that was my day and now it's a clear, dark night in the field.
March 20
I was late again. I must try again to stop this. I slept well, and I didn't get up until after noon, but I knitted and Googled, so I had just sat down with my breakfast when the Schwan's guy called, and he had to wait a few minutes for me, because I had to stop in the powder room.
I got my order and packed it away - it wasn't very large - and that was all I did besides my surfing.
By the way, Debbie just sent me a cute picture of a black cat and the saying:
Stay inside, practice self-distancing, clean yourself constantly...OMG, I've become a housecat!
Feels like that, doesn't it? It doesn't bother me much, because most of that is my usual MO, but I really feel for people like Deb, who is a social animal. Well, hopefully it won't last forever and we'll get over it. I've been laughing at the things I get on Google Discover about ways to use canned tuna, and there was one that said, "If you have to learn to cook..." Sheesh. If you don't know that, whichever sex you are, it's high time you did. Hot meals don't grow on trees.
I got tired of washing my hands with Dawn, so I brought in a bottle of liquid Dial, and I'm pleased by how much easier it is on my hands. Of course, it was so cold, it was more like jelly, but it worked just fine and I tried to get some in the soap dispenser in my sink. My thought is, it's not only COVID-19. I've gotten any number of nasty things from dirty hands on my face.
The weather started out with more snow, but it stopped around noon and in the afternoon, it cleared up, but the high temperature has only now risen to 24º. It's still windy, but the gusts have died down to 28 mph and they were as high as 45 mph this morning. The wind is still from the northeast, though, so it isn't too bad for me and it didn't cause any drifting. We didn't get very much snow accumulation anyway - I'd say maybe 2".
The guys slept. They are still put out by the kibble situation, but they got canned food today, so that helped. They both got some loving and Grayson got to sleep on me for a while this afternoon, until I had to type something. He is so cute when he's asleep.
So it was another quiet day and I'm going to try again to get to bed at a reasonable hour, even though it seems I just can't. It's a clear, cold night in the field.
Oh, and this time I'll try to remember to upload, too.
March 19
I was late again, but I got my bath. I slept well, with one wakeup, until around 10:30, which I didn't think was enough, but when I went back to bed, I couldn't get back to sleep, so I got up. I knitted on the sock and I now only have about 16 rows left on the foot. I really must choose some new yarn (from my stash) for the next socks.
I got to the post office and the store and I now have enough rice for the next six months. Since it's a 30 lb box, I had a horrible time getting it out of the car and onto the hand truck. I don't know what I would have done without that hand truck. I can't lift 30 lb anymore. I sort of rolled it out of the car and let it drop onto the hand truck and rolled it into the breezeway, where it's on the floor. I have an empty box from the last batch, and I think I will just move the bags into that. It comes in 5 lb bags, and it will take me about 6 months to eat. I know, that's almost hoarding, but it's much cheaper that way, especially if I set it up as a recurring buy. It's about the only thing that works. I also got some new greens, which I'm looking forward to.
Speaking of hoarding, my Google Discover pointed to a new website that purports to calculate how long your toilet paper will last. Sheesh. I figured that out ages ago, when I started buying it in bulk. The more I learn about what's out on the internet, the more I realize people will try to get you to look at anything. Oh, and the answer to the TP problem depends on the size of the roll, too, and I doubt they take that into account.
I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get my money out of PayPal. It turns out that, without warning me, they changed the way they work, and I have to open an account with them. Why none of the CSRs I texted with over the past two weeks didn't realize I don't have such an account, I do not know. I had to send them my driver's license, but I don't think I will have to give them a utility bill and a credit card statement, like they were demanding when I wanted to add my middle initial the other night. If they do, I'm not sure what I will do. Sheesh. All I want is access to my money!
The weather wasn't good. It snowed a bit early this morning, then it sort of drizzled until 3:30, when it began to snow lightly. According to the weather station, it's been doing something measurable since noon. The high temperature was 36º and there was no wind. It was dark and dreary and humid enough that my joints weren't doing well. I guess we may have some significant snow overnight.
The guys slept. When I came through the great room with my breakfast, they were both curled up in the pink chair, with Grayson's back up against Louie's tummy. They both got some loving, but they were acting out, because they don't like the kibble that's still down. I will probably have to fill the bowls tomorrow, when I give them their canned food, but there's plenty for them to eat overnight. Grayson, particularly, was acting like a real pill. He still wants to run this place.
I have to go to bed. I didn't get nearly enough sleep and I don't feel good. Now I can shelter in place again for a while. I know I lead a weird life, but all the hand-wringing about self isolation and sheltering in place and quarantine and all that just mystifies me. I think part of it is that we're fine staying home and staying away from people when we want to and we know we can go out, but when we know we can't, it drives us crazy. I remember several instances when I was living in the east and we had blizzards. I wanted to go out because I couldn't. People are weird, aren't we? I'm content to be alone.
So it's a dark, snowy night in the field. Be careful and stay well.
March 18
So I was later than I wanted to be getting to bed last night. Sometimes I think I should leave the phone in the studio, but I like to check the weather and the camera when I get up. But it's a trap, and I fall into it more often than I wish. I must try to be more disciplined about these things.
Anyway, I got up at a fairly reasonable hour, and I knitted on the sock. I'm doing very well on the foot, and I must choose some more yarn for the next pair. I think they will be summer socks, and I have a number of interesting possibilities.
I had an accident after breakfast - of course - and I was going to go to the post office and stop at the store to get my rice, but when I called Staci, she said she didn't have any salad greens, so it would be better if I could wait until tomorrow. All right with me. We had a nice conversation about my rice. She likes Jasmine rice, too, but evidently it's not easy to get the brown kind. She was happy to find where she could get it. I would not be at all surprised to find that some of the things a small store like hers carries are things she gets from Amazon or Walmart and resells. Why not, after all? I'd certainly do it.
The information for the bulletins finally came in - around 11:30 this morning - so after I tried and failed to get my money out of PayPal, I got right at the bulletins and got them out. I think Pastor was rushed. I got the info and our organist, Jan, got it, but Sue, my proofreader, didn't. Well, a lot of things are screwed up right now, aren't they?
On the PayPal front, I was able to add my birth date using their automated system, but they don't have anybody in their call center because of COVID-19, so I have another query into their message system, but I tried it around 2:45 PM, and it's now 10:00 PM and I haven't heard anything back from them. I know this is an emergency situation, but I need my money! Sheesh.
The weather was nondescript. The high temperature was 41º and there wasn't much wind. It was cloudy and dull all day.
The guys slept. They had an altercation while I was in the bathroom, but it didn't last very long. They got something for breakfast that they like, so that made them happy and they've eaten most of it already.
So it was another very quiet day. I just remembered that I want to wash my hair tonight, so maybe I can do that. it's a warmish (for this time of year) dark night in the field.
March 17
I imagine COVID-19 has been putting a crimp in the St. Patrick's celebrations, which is all right with me. I don't like beer at all, let alone green beer.
I was a bit later than I intended last night, for the usual reasons, but I slept well once I got to bed. I woke up feeling just as lousy as I did when I went to bed. I had a rather vivid dream right before I woke up, which included some of the people in the choir, although the church was more like the one where I was confirmed. I guess I really am missing it.
It was a quiet day. I was going to go to the post office, but I felt so lousy that I didn't. In the afternoon, I finally got my access to my local checking account back, thankfully, but that took a bit of time, too. Then I began to try to get access to my PayPal funds, but it was at least 5 hours before I got an answer to my query, and it turns out that I am going to have to call them on a telephone and I can't do that until tomorrow, since it was so late when they finally got back to me. I'm in my usual mid-month state, and I need those generous donations i got around the first of the month. I'm working up to the tax thing, but I haven't started it yet.
The weather was nice. The high temperature was 33º, and there were some high winds this morning, with gusts up to 35 mph at noon, but they died down in the afternoon. It was partly cloudy for most of the day and there was an interesting sunset. The sun is setting right about in the due-west notch in the mountain. I twiddled the stop time of the camera, because I like the last picture to be black. I still don't understand why it's still so light out so close to nautical twilight. I don't have that problem in the morning.
The guys were sleepy. Grayson was acting up again. He still thinks he owns this place.
So that was another very quiet day and I still feel lousy. Now I am going up to the north end and try to get to bed by midnight. It's a partly cloudy, cool night in the field.
March 16
I actually got to bed around 1:00 AM, but then I didn't get up until noon, so I was just as late as if I'd gone earlier. It's disheartening to wake up feeling just as lousy as I did when I went to bed.
I knitted a couple of rows on the shawl, but then I fooled around for a while. I had to change my bottoms after breakfast - I just didn't have time to make it to the powder room - but I finished the load of bottoms I washed yesterday, so I had some clean ones to put on. I need to put a load of towels to soak, but I didn't get to that. There wasn't enough time to do much besides my surfing.
The weather was wintry. The high temperature was 36º, and this morning there was a gusty wind from the southwest. It was snowing when the camera woke up, and it continued until around 2:30 PM, but I don't think there was much accumulation. It was dull and dreary. I do think I've got the camera end points set now, so we should be able to see both sunrise and sunset, at least until it hangs up again.
Speaking of things hanging up, the power glitches we had at the end of last week got the ovens beeping again, and they're still doing it. By the time of the last one before this, they stopped after a couple of days, but now it seems to be back to what it was before, so I expect to have beeping in my kitchen for at least the rest of hte week. I'm only fortunate that it isn't loud enough for me to hear in the bedroom!
The guys slept. Grayson sat on me for a while after I got back to the studio, but I had to type something, and besides, he was picking me. He wanted to come back, but I'm busy now. Louie and I had a nice love-in after I got up.
So it was another very quiet day. I haven't heard from Pastor, and in view of the directives coming down, I wonder if they're discussing calling off church. I wish he would send me the service information on Sunday every week, but that rarely happens, so I'll just have to wait and see. As far as I'm aware, there have been no COVID-19 infections in the UP, but one can't be too careful. Since I'm in a high risk group for more than one reason, I don't expect to be going out more than is absolutely necessary. I hope it will be settling down by Easter, but I think I've missed that service before now.
So it's a dark, cold night in the field and I'm going to try to get to bed at a reasonable hour again.
March 15
So I almost inverted last night, but I got my bath. That wasn't the reason I was quite so late. I just fooled around. I had to take my bath because I had a nasty accident and had to wash myself off, but then I kept dribbling off, and I dribbled when I got up, too. It gets old. I am getting very tired of brown rice, which it seems like I have to eat in order to keep things in check.
Anyway, I got up late and knitted on the sock for a long time, and then after I got up to wash, I had to sit down again, so it was very late when I ate and I didn't do much but my surfing. I washed a load of bottoms, which are ready to put in the dryer.
The weather was OK. The high temperature was 30º and there was almost no wind. it's actually getting sort of warm in here, except for the studio. It was partly cloudy for most of the day, so we had some sunshine. The camera hung up so I can't be more specific, and I guess the software has finally become aware that we're on DST, so it didn't shut down at the right time, either. I reset things, and maybe it will be better tomorrow.
The guys slept. Grayson slept on me while I was doing my surfing, and I haven't seen Louie lately. He's asleep someplace.
So it was another extremely quiet day, but under the circumstances, that's a good thing. I still feel lousy, so better I self-isolate (new buzz words). Now it's a cold, dark night in the field.
March 14
Oh, it's Pi Day - 3.14.
I wasn't too late last night, and I got up around 10:30, but I knitted the heel on the sock and then after I washed my face, I had to sit down again, so it was very late when I finally got dressed. All I did was my surfing.
I won't be trying to go to church tomorrow again. I still have a headache and a runny nose, and I just got over a sneezing fit, so even if it wasn't so late, there's no way I'm going to get up at 6:00 AM. One of the discouraging things about being old is that it takes me so much longer to do everything, including getting ready to go out. Too bad, too, because the weather is supposed to be good.
It was pretty good today, too, although it was cloudy for most of the day. The high temperature was only 28º, but there was almost no wind, so the house is beginning to warm up a bit, or at least the north end is. It began to clear up around sunset, so I suppose it will get cold tonight.
The guys mostly slept, but Grayson is in the doghouse again. I was sitting and reading when he evidently jumped up on the desk behind me and pushed the electric ball winder on the floor. He has to have pushed it, because it wouldn't have fallen down and bounced across the floor otherwise. It seems to be OK, but it seems like he's getting to feel like he owns things again, so I have to let him know I don't like it. I haven't seen Louie, but he's probably still up at the north end.
So that was my very quiet day, and now it's a dark, probably nearly clear, night in the field.
March 13
Last night, I didn't have any excuse, and I was marginally earlier than the night before. The wind has been blowing almost a gale since around 8:00 PM last night, and my heating system just can't keep up with wind chills below 15º, so it's cold in here and not very comfortable, I was content to hunker down in my warm bed.
I got up at a semi-reasonable hour this morning, but then I knitted and fiddled around for three hours, so I was too late to go to the post office. Maybe tomorrow, but it's not vital, since I was there on Tuesday.
I don't feel good. My throat is only marginally scratchy, but my head hurts and my nose is running like a sieve, so I guess I have it again. Yes, I do wash my hands, and I've always tried to keep my hands off my face (long story), so it's probably something inside me that keeps coming back.
Like I said, it's windy and cold. The high temperature was 33º, and that was this morning, but with the wind, the wind chill has been down around 15º. The wind has been from the north, and the highest it's been was 30 mph with 48 mph gusts, earlier this evening. It was cloudy and dreary.
The guys slept, and Grayson has been wanting to sleep on me, i think because I'm so much warmer than any other place in the house. I didn't embroider because he was there during all the talking. I haven't seen Louie, but I think he's up at the north end. At least the floor in the bedroom is warm, even if the air isn't.
Something went through my mind that I wanted to write, but it's gone now, so it couldn't be too important. If it was, it will come back. Now it's a cold, windy night in the field and winter isn't over yet.
March 12
It seems like something always happens to keep me from getting to bed when I'd like to. Last night it was mostly the bath - which I did - but I sort of sat after that. I got to bed about the same time as the night before, but I didn't get up until around 1:00 PM, so I had a good sleep. Only I woke up with a sore throat. It went away when I had my tea with lemon, but I've been headachy and runny all day. Geez, for the past couple of days I didn't feel bad, so I had some hope all that was over with. We'll see how it is tomorrow.
I knitted on the shawl and got sucked into Google Discover again, so it was late when I ate. I had a cat on my lap for most of the rest of the afternoon, but after he went away, I embroidered until the talking was over. I finished a diamond shaped motif that started in the tier above. It wasn't very big, but it had some of those lousy three-leaf clovers I hate so much. At least it's done, and I put the first stitches into two little birds.
Then I could not decide what I wanted to eat for my second meal, so I sat and read - the music has been pretty nice - until very late. I had a really weird combination for dinner, which I frequently do on Thursdays and Saturdays. I am getting very tired of chicken and fish and rice, but it will take some doing to make changes to my diet. I do have a couple of pork chops, but I put them in the freezer because I can't decide how I want to cook them. Barbecue is nice, but I've had that a lot.
Then, right after I finished my dinner (such as it was) we had a power glitch that bounced two or three times, so the computer had to reboot and I had to get everything set up the way I want it again. Oh. sigh. I wish I could get my UPS, but so far, I haven't been able to do that. And now I have to set the clocks again...ugh.
It's been snowing. It started around 12:30 PM and it's been snowing steadily ever since, although I don't think there was much accumulation. The high temperature was 39º. but that was this morning, and it has been going down slowly ever since, although it's still just over freezing. Of course it was dark and dreary and I couldn't see down the harbor.
The guys slept, mostly. Grayson was being a pill. The kind of kibble he wanted isn't available, so he was acting out. He felt better when I let him lick the tray my dinner came in, even though he didn't more than try it. I think Louie has been socked out in the bathroom all day.
So should I be, and I will try, but I'm getting to the end of what I'm reading, so I may just stay up and finish it. I shouldn't, because I'm tired and I don't feel very good, but we'll see. It's a cold, dark, snowy night in the field.
March 11
I didn't invert last night, but I was late, so it was late when I finally got up and even later when I ate. I had thought to take my bath this afternoon, but I was so late I decided to try for it tonight. Maybe. I didn't do much but my surfing.
I may be a bit late tonight, too, because I was surprised to get a message that there were system updates. Hey, I thought Windows 7 was out of support? Maybe they're quietly thinking about that? Anyway, this time, I need to reboot, so we'll see what happens. After the problems MS has been having for the past three or four months, I trust them even less than I did before.
The weather was nondescript. It cleared up for a while this morning, but it was mostly cloudy this afternoon, and I guess we're in for some rain/sleet/snow tomorrow. The high temperature was/is 38º and there is almost no wind. Blah.
The guys slept, of course. Grayson slept on my lap for a long time and he might have come back except that I was about to get up. I found Louie under the table with his tail out where I would have rolled over it if I'd been rolling my cart. I think he's gone back to bed.
So it was a very quiet day, and maybe I can be a bit earlier tonight. It's a warmish, cloudy night in the field.
March 10
I had to reboot twice, the second time after I turned the computer off, before I got a good load. Internet Explorer came up in a small square and would not enlarge or connect to the internet. It took so long to do that and check it out that I completely forgot to start the rest of the apps I usually keep running. And I had trouble with the camera software, too. It doesn't want to recognize DST, so i had to fiddle with the start and stop times. I don't remember stopping it the last time, but I never restarted it, so I'm sorry to say you didn't get to see most of the lovely day. Sorry about that.
So it was late when I finally went up to the north end, and then I went into zombie mode and I inverted. I slept for about four hours, I think, but after I got up to pee, I didn't ever get back into a deep sleep, so I didn't get enough sleep. I got up around 1:30, but I was moving slowly, so it was around 4:30 before I finally got to the community center to vote.
It was nice to see the ladies, although there are a different bunch this year. At least Mary Ann and Vickie are still there, and I got to see Amanda in person for the first time in a long time. And after I voted, I had a nice long conversation with Mary Ann. It's been a long time since I've really gotten to talk to her, so it was nice.
That was my day. I didn't get to do anything else because I was so late. I have to try some more to stop that.
The weather was very nice for this time of year. It was sunny at least until late in the day. The high temperature was 31º. There was a little north wind this morning, but it died down and it's been calm for several hours. Nice.
The guys slept, mostly in the sun, I think. When I got back from voting, Grayson came and went to sleep on my lap.
So that was my truncated day, and I'm tired. Only they're going to play Vaughn-Williams' Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, and that's one of my all-time favorites, so I guess I'll have to stay up a bit longer. It's a dark night in the field, but I can't tell if it's clear or not.
March 9
Well, while my last update downloads, I'll write this. I've been holding off because I don't trust Microsoft at all anymore, but a bunch of things have gotten screwed up, so i have to reboot anyway.
I'm feeling snakebit. I had to reboot the iPhone today because it was screwed up, and over the past few days, I've had to reset two GRDs, neither of which should have tripped. Aarrgghhh...
I was very late this morning, but I didn't quite invert, so it was late when I got up and even later when I ate my first meal. I've been saving that one - it was toast with butter and peanut butter and bananas. It is sooo good, and I wanted to have it before the banana got too ripe. It was my last banana, unfortunately, so I'll have to start on the frozen fruit. I'm eating grapes, too.
Anyway, finally I got all that out of the way and I did the bulletins for next week. I got the information last night, and I'd rather get it done as soon as possible. It seemed so easy, I'm suspicious, but things slow down during Lent anyway.
The weather was cold, dark and breezy. It was very cloudy and the high temperature, 28º. was early in the morning. It was between 22º and 24º for the rest of the day, and there was a brisk wind from the northeast which has gotten stronger as the night has worn on, with gusts up to 30 mph or so.
As far as I know, the guys slept. Grayson slept on me for a long time and he left of his own accord. I haven't seen Louie since this morning, but he sleeps 23 hours a day anyway...and the rest of the time he seems to lie at my feet and purr.
Now I have to reboot the computer and then I have to pay some bills. It's a cold, windy night in the field.
March 8
I'm still on standard time. And I've been reading that the medical experts are finally admitting that Daylight Savings Time is bad for us. It screws up our circadian rhythms and people have more heart attacks, strokes and atrial fibrillation, among other things. So there. I know it's always screwed me up. Only since it's the golf courses and malls that are in favor of it, even though most people aren't, it will take some doing to repeal it.
It didn't help that I inverted, so it's been a topsy-turvy day. I finally got my hair washed, and I guess I'm just going to have to begin to schedule that during the day and forget about doing it before I go to bed.
Otherwise, I did nothing but my surfing. Except that I finally got the extension cables on the speakers. They work fine and the next step there is to fish them through the hole in the back of the desk so they don't run down the front. And if I can figure out a place to put them, I can move the speakers further apart, which might give me more stereo sound. I really doubt it, though, because the stereo is pretty good already. Next, on the computer front, I'm going to have to attack the laptop again. Ugh.
The weather was very spring-like. The high temperature was 53º (!) and the winds were quite light. It was clear until around 4:00 PM, when it began to cloud up. I guess there is something nasty going to happen tomorrow, but Tuesday should be OK for the primary. We had a nice sunset again. i'm going to have to try to resurrect the camera so I can try to capture a few of these things.
The guys slept. They didn't like their canned food, but they got it quite late, and that may be the reason. Grayson slept on me for a long time.
So that was my quiet day, and now it's a cloudy, cool night in the field.
March 7
Well, obviously I'm not going to make it to church tomorrow, even though the weather is going to be good. I couldn't figure out how to get done what I have to do and still get enough sleep.
I did last night, I think. I got to bed around 12:30, and I didn't get up until after 10:30, so that should have been enough, even though I was up several times. I was up around 8:30, and I thought about getting up then, but when I felt how I felt, I decided against it.
It was a fairly active day, actually. I went to the post office, where my rice cooker liner had finally arrived, as well as the FedEx package I thought they had left at the store. So I stopped at the store and got some JD. Then Ron came (he was the one who moved the boxes) and between us we got the boxes into the breezeway and unpacked, so now I have lots of kitty kibble again. I filled the pill dispensers at both ends of the house, so that task is done. For at least one month this winter, I didn't fill the dispensers, and it was so unhandy, I decided I won't do that again.
The weather was nice. It wasn't quite as clear as it was yesterday - there was a little cloudy right over the Keweenaw - but there was enough sunshine that while I was talking to Ron at the post office, I actually got quite warm from that sunshine falling on me. It was wonderful. I must try to get out more this summer. The high temperature was 49º, briefly, and while it was very windy this morning, with southwest winds gusting as high as 37 mph, it was nearly calm this afternoon. It was nice. A little teaser of spring.
The guys were mostly sleepy. After I moved one of the bags of kibble into the house, I filled the last bowl and they both sat down and ate out of it, which was funny, because it's not that big a bowl. And after I finished the pill dispensers, Grayson came and slept on my lap for quite a while. Louie is still up at the north end, I think.
Last night when I got up to the north end, I didn't have any wi-fi, which annoyed me, but it took me until late in the afternoon before I resolved the problem. This time the router is OK, but for some reason I don't know, the breaker in the plug where the extender is had tripped. Once I fixed that, everything appears to be all right again, although I had to shut down and reboot the iPhone, too. We'll see when I get up to the north end and transfer from the router to the extender. If I ever thought this thing was going to be seamless, I know better now. I'm only a little concerned that the breaker tripped. I hadn't been less than three feet from the extender and I certainly hadn't done anything to it, so it's weird. Sometimes I think we were better off when I was a kid and the height of technology was the wired telephone.
When I went to get my dinner, I looked out and there was Venus, shining so brightly in the northwest, and the moon overhead making it look almost like dawn was breaking. So now it's another fairly clear, cool night in the field.
March 6
Late again again. I was reading, but not that late, but I had another accident and when I got up to the north end, I just sat. I didn't get enough sleep, so I'm going to try to be earlier tonight. We'll see - the music is pretty ince.
I didn't do anything. I sat around at the north end before I got dressed until it was too late to go to the post office (it's only open until 3:00 PM) and then I had to go and get my Schwan's order. I was grateful to discover that when Walter cleared my driveway he moved the boxes out from in front of the garage door, so I could get out without moving them. They're still outside. I know I have to move them, but I didn't feel up to it today; not enough sleep. Anyway, I got my order and packed it away. The freezer is bulging, but I can eat for quite a while now.
Oh, and the basket at the bottom of the freezer that was frozen in place since I had the leak is now free, thankfully. I figured that the ice would sublime eventually, because the rest of it did. The last part did today and I now can pull out my basket again, which is nice, because that's where I keep the frozen meat and it has been a pain to try to get the bags out.
I finally washed the load of bottoms (and other things) that I've been collecting. After last night, I was out of winter bottoms, so I actually had to wear a pair of jeans today. I waited too long, and the washer told me I overloaded it, but it seems to have washed properly. I will put it all in the dryer when I go up to the north end and tomorrow i can have sweats again if I want them. I actually got a pretty comfortable pair of jeans today, so that was all right.
The weather was beautiful. It was a bit cloudy this morning, but it began clearing up around 10:00 and the afternoon was beautiful - so much lovely sunshine! The high temperature was 27º and there was almost no wind. A big change from yesterday, for sure! According to the Road Commission, we only had 6.5" of snow yesterday, which I guess is probably right, from what I saw on the road. It sure seemed like more! But it was wet, heavy snow, and I guess that made the difference.
The guys slept, I guess. I didn't see either of them after they had their canned food. Grayson finally came around while I was eating dinner and he sat and got petted for a while before he went away.
So that was another quiet day, and now it's a clear, dark night in the field, although there should be a pretty bright moon someplace up there.
March 5
Late. I just don't seem to be able to get it under control. I was reading again, and then I had an accident. I think it was around noon when I got up. I knitted four rows on the shawl and finished the fifth repeat, so that's done, but then I just sat. The worst part of that is my meals. I eat my first meal so late that it's really late before I'm hungry again. I was so late that I didn't do anything but my surfing.
Well, that's not true. I forgot I was supposed to wash my hair last night until after I was in bed, so I did that this afternoon - it's one reason I was so late eating.
The story is the weather. It apparently started snowing in some measurable way around 4:00 AM, and it didn't stop until 7:00 PM, although it may still be coming down lightly enough not to register at the weather station. The temperature has been nearly steady at 31º. The wind started out from the south and is now from the east, sustained at 29 mph with gusts up to 44 mph. The lake is singing loudly.
The guys slept, of course. I had to kick Louie out of the bathroom when I got up to take my bath, but when I was back up there - yup, another one - he was back on the rug so sound asleep I had to push him away. Grayson got his lap time, but he heard something, I guess, and left on his own. He sat and looked at my dinner all the time I was eating - why he would want channa masala and rice, I don't know - and I grabbed the phone and got a couple of pretty good pictures of his pretty green eyes. Oh, he knows he's beautiful!
So that was my quiet day, and now it's a cold, windy and probably snowy night in the field, although they've canceled the winter storm warning, so I guess it's mostly over.
March 4
Late again, but this time it was mostly because I had one of those really messy accidents and I had to take a half-bath to get cleaned up. So I was late getting up. i started to knit on the shawl, and that didn't feel right, so I surfed a bit and knitted on the sock. Before I got dressed, I finally got all my soiled bottoms into the washer and through a soak cycle, although I had another accident later and had to do most of it all over again. It gets tiresome. It seems to be cyclic, though, so I just have to endure through this.
I was so late that I didn't do much of anything but my surfing, although I embroidered while some of the talking was going on, after I got the cat off my lap. I'm working on the lower left corner of the sampler, and I finished a sort of strange looking diamond, several very small motifs, and a "B." There are a few letters and numbers down on the bottom. Nothing like a whole alphabet, but they look like somebody's initials, maybe, and a date or two. it's hard to believe I'm really on the last part of this thing. It's big, and I've been working on it for a long time.
The weather was nondescript. The high temperature was 32º. It was quite windy this morning, with gusts up to 32 mph from the north, but the wind died down after 6:00 PM. It was cloudy and gray. We are under a Winter Weather Advisory for all day tomorrow. Sigh. It's not over yet.
The guys slept. Grayson slept on me as long as I'd let him, and as usual he contributed to my morning accident. I haven't seen Louie lately.
So that was another very quiet day. Now it's a cold, dark night in the field and the snow is coming...the snow is coming...
March 3
Oh, I did it again. I didn't invert, but I was too late, and I'm not sure why, except for the usual reasons. I don't know why I do that - I certainly was tired enough and I like to sleep. Anyway, I got about 7 hours' sleep, so I'm tired again now. I knitted on the shawl, but just two rows.
I wanted to start washing a load of bottoms today, but I hurt all over so bad that I all I did was get the clean underwear into the bathroom and the dirty bottoms into the laundry room. Tomorrow. I run the worst ones through a soak cycle before I wash them, just to get as much stuff out of them as I can, so it may be a couple of days before I get the load done.
I managed not to have an accident today, amazingly enough, but I ate rice last night and I had more tonight. I think I have discovered a way to make the overcooked, mushy rice more palatable - put a herb blend on it - and that will help. I won't be getting any more rice until next week, and while I still have part of one bag left, I don't like to waste any. I get my spices from Penzey's and they have some really nice blends. Tonight, I used Southwest, which masked the flavor of the rice enough that it actually tasted good. I like a number of their blends, so I will be experimenting, even when I finally get the rice cooking properly.
The weather was totally nondescript. It was dark and dreary for most of the day. The high temperature was 37º and for most of the day there was hardly any wind. It cleared up a bit at sunset, and since I was embroidering at the time, I got to see a very nice sun pillar, the first I've seen in a number of years. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture of it. Neither the camera or the iPhone could see it and the batteries in my camera are dead...I think there's another problem with it, too, but I don't know what. So I couldn't save it for posterity. It sure was nice to see, though.
The guys slept. Grayson slept on me as much as he could, and I haven't seen Louie, so I suppose he's up at the north end. It was a good thing to do on a day like today.
Oh, Pastor sent the information for next week's services early, so I got both bulletins out, and apparently I did it with no mistakes or changes - a first, i think. So I guess I'm a bit more with it than I thought. Usually, I miss something or forget something that Sue has to catch.
So that was it, and now it's a cloudy (I think), dark night in the field and the snow is coming...the snow is coming...
March 2
So. I managed to get to bed just after midnight last night, but I didn't sleep particularly well and I was awake for almost an hour between3:00 and 4:00 AM.
Believe it or not, I was researching the nutrition of peaches and strawberries. Sheesh. Oh, and nectarines. I've always liked them better than peaches. I was curious, because one list I saw of potassium in fruits said nectarines are high in potassium and peaches aren't and I found that sort of weird, since they're nearly the same fruit. Well, at least what I saw last night seems to say those lists were wrong, and the nutrition of peaches and nectarines is just about the same. I really hate the way they report those numbers, though. They say "one medium fruit" without giving any weight. Well, my medium fruit and your medium fruit could be entirely different. Anyway, I answered my question and I went back to bed and back to sleep. Just goes to show you can't believe most of what you read on the internet, either. I keep hoping to one day get some good information about some subject that interests me, but I haven't yet.
So i think it was around 10:30 when I got up, and I knitted on the sock. I got the ribbing done and started the leg. I haven't usually had the problem some people do, where they never do the second sock, but maybe that's why I like these printed yarns so much - they're never exactly the same and it's fun to see what they'll look like. The pink and purple ones are the most different that I've knit lately, but this pair isn't exactly the same. I'm only sorry the colors are so boring, but it goes fast, so pretty soon I can go on to something else, probably a summer sock. I have a whole lot of wool socks, but not so many summer ones. And I have to get back to that shawl, too. That's turning into a problem.
The weather was sort of interesting. They were right when they said it would be windy, but they got the timing wrong and the highest gusts, 46 mph, didn't happen until after the wind advisory had lapsed. It was between 5:00 and 6:00 AM, and it began abating some after that, although it didn't really die down until after 2:00 PM, when it shifted from north to northwest. The high temperature was 34º. It was very cloudy and dark until around 4:30 PM when it cleared up, and it was still clear at last light. This is the time of year when it's difficult to embroider in the afternoon because the sun is shining right in my eyes. I think I figured out a way to do it and use the sunshine to light my work, but we'll see.
The guys slept. Grayson slept on me twice, and I had to make him move both times, the first when I had an accident and the second when I wanted to turn on the radio and embroider. He would like to make me his pillow any time he wants, and that doesn't work. Louie has been up at the north end all day, but I've just heard him grunting from out in the great room.
I did get to the post office and the store. And I now have 64 lbs of kibble sitting outside the garage, but when the FedEx guy came, I was not feeling very good, especially in the back, so I left it. Tomorrow, maybe. One reason my back hurt was that I had to get into a box that can't have box cutters used, and it was glued so tightly I almost couldn't get it open and I bothered my back before I made it. So now everything I ordered has come, except for the rice cooker liner, and I can decide whether I can get anything else this month or not.
Oh, I was sitting in the bathroom undressed after my accident when Debbie called, but it was a short conversation because I had to get dressed and go out.
So that was my day, and now it's a dark night in the field and they're predicting snow for tomorrow.
March 1
Well, we made it through February, finally. Good riddance, although it wasn't as bad as some prior years. This is going to go down as the warm winter, though.
I was late, but not quite as late as some other nights. I was so tired, though, that I didn't take my bath. I think I got up around noon and I finished the sock and cast on the second one before I took my bath, so I was very late getting to the studio and about all I did was my surfing. And clean up after a rather nasty accident, of course.
The weather was nice, and I was sorry I didn't get out. It was partly to mostly sunny all day, and the high temperature was 43º. The winds went from calm to 28 mph gusts to calm again, and now it has switched around to the northwest. According to the forecast, it could get extremely windy overnight. I'll be interested to see. It was nice to see the sun. It's setting in the notch to the south of Brockway now, and in the next 20 days it will move over the mountain. See? Spring will come!
The guys slept, mostly. Sometime before I got up, Grayson jumped up on the bed and went to sleep with his back plastered up against mine. I enjoy that when it's cool, because he is nice and warm. I was sitting in the bathroom when he gave out a sound that was something between a cry and a gag, which concerned me, but it doesn't seem like he has a problem. Of course, Louie slept, although he was not happy when I opened the shower door and made him go away. They were both happy because they got their very most favorite canned food today.
So it was a very quiet day, and now I AM going to bed. It's a warmish, windy night in the field. And it's March, which is a good thing.
Last updated 04/01/20 08:51 PM
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