j2007

A View From the Field

July 2020

July 31

It's turned out to be a pretty nice birthday with only a couple of glitches.

I think it was around 11:30 when I got to bed last night, but I didn't sleep as well as I hoped, and I was sore and restless in the early morning. I think it was around 10;00 when I got up. I tried to knit, but I dropped something and I couldn't see well enough to fix it, so I just stopped. I will work on it tomorrow.

I got some nice birthday greetings, for which I thank you and I had a nice but rather short conversation with Debbie because her phone is dying. Then it was off to Harbor Haus. It was another day when I should probably not have been driving. I almost ran over some bicyclists on my way to town and almost hit a deer on the way home.

Dinner, however, was great. It was so good to see Johanna again. I haven't seen her since last September so we had a lot to catch up on. She has been here since the end of May, but she's mostly been working at the resort (Minnetonka) and hasn't been doing much massage. I hope to see her a couple of times before she shifts south again and we want to meet for dinner again. She is so nice. We got to see what I guess was a seaplane, some kayakers and a couple of geese.

It was a lovely day, which I appreciated. So many times my birthday has been miserably hot and humid that having a high temperature of 73º with not much wind was a delight, even if it was quite humid. It was clear and lovely all day and the sunset was very pretty for a clear sky. Nice. I could take a lot of this.

The guys were not too pleased when I left, but they'll have to get used to that. When I came home, Grayson was at the door and might have scooted out except that I waved my cane at him (that cane has so many uses besides holding me up!) and Louie was lying on one of the scratching pads in the great room. Grayson just went away with a thump, but if he'd really wanted to sit on me he wouldn't have just sat on the cart anyway.

Oh, and I should mention that my potassium is right in the middle of the normal range. I checked it too late to call the clinic, so I guess I will take the four pills over the weekend and consult them on Monday. I hope they will want another test on Wednesday when I go for my echocardiogram, but we'll see. Anyway, it's higher than it's been in a long time and I do feel better. So now we have to figure out how to keep it the way we want it.

So that was my nice day and now it's a clear, calm night in the field and the nearly full moon is shining very brightly in the south windows.

July 30

Well, one more day when i was 78.

I was late last night, of course, because I had to wash my hair, and I slept fairly well, but not nearly long enough, so I'm extremely tired now. Once Beethoven's First is over, I can go to bed and I hope I will.

i got up around 10:30 and I knitted two rows with much less trouble than I had yesterday. I finished the first motif - a single flower with two sets of leaves - and I'm now working on a larger version of the triangle that was in between the lozenges in the center. It's somewhat tedious, and there is one decrease in each repeat that is really hard, but I'm used to it by this time.

I didn't have any particular time I had to go, but I needed to stop at the post office. I think I left around 1:30. The gate was closed and I almost fell getting back into my car after I opened it. All there was at the post office was junk, a birthday card and two bags of meds.

Then it was off to the hospital and it was clear that I should not have been driving today. I made two bad decisions that were dangerous, but they weren't until I was well on my way. There was a lot of traffic and there was a crew brushing out the roadside around Medora, but eventually I got to the hospital and got my blood test. I'm insisting they use a butterfly now and so far I haven't had any more bruises. Then it was home. I had to follow some slow drivers back on the covered road, but I wasn't going to take any more chances. I got home about 4:00. I was the first of three cars coming in the road, so while I had to open the gate, I didn't have to worry about closing it.

I am tired. I was sort of tired when I started and now It's really bad.

The weather was beautiful. The high temperature was 75º and there was about a 10 mile wind from the north. It was clear, at least until 2:30 when the camera hung up. There is a cloud bank in the west now, but the moon is shining brightly in the south. It was humid, though. The dew point is steady around 60º, which means the lowest the humidity got was 57%, and now that it's cooling off, it's getting more humid. However, it was a lovely day.

I guess the guys must have slept. L didn't see much of Louie, but a while ago I turned around and there he was on the floor in the doorway. I think Grayson may be behind the sewing machine, where the window is open. They don't like it when I go away, but they're always glad when I come back.

So that was all there was. Tomorrow I'm a year older and I guess I can be thankful to still be here. I am now older than any of my immediate ancestors were when they died, as far as I can determine, and I guess that's a good thing.

Now it's a mostly clear, warmish night in the field.

July 29

Well, writing early last night didn't help with getting to bed early, but I got caught in the game trap again. Maybe I can avoid that tonight, because I have to take a bath. We'll see. And I didn't get enough sleep, so I'm tired.

I got up around 10:30 and I knitted four rows. I would like to knit six, and I'll try that soon. I've gotten so I can do two rows in half an hour, so if I get an early enough start, I think I can do that. It won't be tomorrow, though. I have to go to town to get my blood test and I have to stop at the post office on my way, so I will be busy. Tomorrow is choir night, but I won't stay for that. If I make it to church on Sunday, they will probably practice beforehand anyway.

Oh, and I got a call from the podiatrist - yes, they have a podiatry section at the clinic! Wow! - and I will be making an appointment for that, too. I don't think I've mentioned my toes in quite a while; they are too gross. I have large cysts growing on the first two toes of both feet. The one on the second toe of my left foot is particularly awful - about the size of a ping-pong ball (flattened). I don't think I could find any normal shoes that I could wear, and looking at it grosses me out. I mentioned that to Trish and she referred me to the podiatrist at the clinic. I don't know if he'll do anything, but at least I want to see what he says.

Otherwise, I didn't do much, except that i just finished voting. That is why I have to go to the post office, but I think I have a package of pills that I need, too. And Sunday I got a call from Amanda, who is working for the clerk, and from now on, I will be getting absentee ballots automatically. I'll miss seeing the ladies, but I won't have to trundle around the community center and stand up while I vote. That makes me laugh. Back in the old days, when I first started voting, everybody stood up to vote, because that's how the voting booths were. But standing at a table that is supposed to be sat at is difficult. Easier than sitting down and having to get up, but difficult. So anyway, I've voted. The primary wasn't much - half the county and township offices had no candidates in either party - but there were a bunch of millage proposals, and I always like to vote on those.

The weather was nice again. It was nearly clear all day. The high temperature was 72º and there was a north wind in the 10-15 mph range. The dew point was around 60º, so the humidity was over 70% and my knees told me so, but it's more tolerable when it's not hot.

The guys slept, mostly, but they are still fighting. Louie starts it most of the time, but he goads Grayson until he fights back and then it gets nasty. They both got some loving and Grayson got to sit on me as long as he wanted to.

So that was my quiet day and now i must go and wash my hair. IT's a clear, cool night in the field and the moon is shining brightly in the south windows.

July 28

I'll write this early tonight and hope that I can get to bed a bit earlier tonight, but I just remembered that I had decided to do the bulletin tonight, so I'll be at that after I do this.

I slept well. The temperature is down enough that I can cover up in bed and I always sleep better with something over me. I think I got up around 10:30. I knitted four rows on the shawl. I wanted to do more, but I got into a mess with one repeat in the last row I did yesterday and had to reknit the whole 18 stitches. I think it's all right now, although if I look carefully there is a difference between that repeat and the ones on either side of it. I'm sure nobody will notice. Then I went down the game trap and played until the phone died.

Then there was breakfast and surfing, and Debbie called before I was through with that. We didn't talk long - just an hour and a half - because her phone is on its last legs. So I missed most of the talking, but I got to hear the end of it while I finished my surfing. And then there was dinner and I kept forgetting the bulletin.

The weather was my kind. The high temperature was 76º, but the dewpoint was below 60º, so the humidity was tolerable and there was a nice wind from the north with gusts up to 24 mph for a while. It was partly to mostly cloudy and it got quite dull for a while before it began to clear up. I can see the half moon in the south window now.

The guys were mostly sleepy. I didn't see Louie after this morning, but Grayson spent most of the day on the cart again. While I was talking to Debbie and hearing her cat sound off, Grayson put out his little paddy paw, all nice and soft, and tapped my elbow, and when I turned around, he came onto my lap for a while. He can be very gentle when he wants to be.

So that was my day, and now i can do the bulletin and then I can go to bed, I didn't get enough sleep again, and with this nice cool weather, I'm going to sleep a lot.

Now it's a clear, coolish night in the field.

July 27

I got to bed at a more reasonable hour last night, although, of course, not as early as I wanted, and i got a solid 10 hours' sleep, so I felt much better today. It was cooler and a bit less humid today, too, which helped.

I knitted four rows on the shawl and I wanted to do two more, but I had some trouble, so i stopped. When I thought about it, I realized that while I could have made the first end transition into the center seamlessly, the second end, which works off the other end of the center, wouldn't have worked at all, so I left it the way I did it. I put two plain rows between the center and the end, so it won't be so obvious at the other end.

I fiddled around some, too, but I didn't do anything useful. I'm still eating everything in sight, which concerns me some, so I'll have to try to watch it.

The weather was nice. The high temperature did get up to 78º, and the humidity was mostly around 60%. That's a bit higher than I like it, but it was so much better than the last two or three days that it felt good. There was a strong north wind for most of the day, with gusts that got as high as 30 mph. It was mostly clear, with a period between 5:00 and 8:00 PM when it clouded up. It was clear when it got dark.

The guys slept. When I went up to the north end, Louie was asleep on the rug with is paw over his eyes. They look so cute when they do that. Grayson apparently had - or has - a tummy ache and he spent most of the day on the cart right beside me. Every so often, he would get up and turn around and mew, just so I'd know he was still there. He had a coughing fit, but nothing came up.

So that was my very quiet day and now I must go to bed again. It's a clear, dark night in the field, although the moon is about half full.

July 26

Oh, I was so late last night, but I was clean and dry, or sort of dry. i slept well, but not nearly long enough and I almost fell asleep in my chair this afternoon - would have if I hadn't had to get up to pee.

I got up around 10:30 and I knitted four rows on the shawl end. After I'd knitted three rows, I realized that if i'd done it differently, I could have made the transition from the center to the end seamless. I'm thinking about it, but I don't think I want to unknit four rows of 219 stitches. So it won't be as nice as it could have been, but I've made enough mistakes in this one that I don't think it will matter. I've made so many changes to the pattern as it was written that it's hardly like the original anyway.

I was glad to see that I wasn't as hungry today as I was yesterday, when I could have eaten everything in sight - good thing there wasn't anything in sight.

the weather was marginally better than yesterday. The high temperature was 79º, late in the day, but the dew point was between 68º and 70º all day, which means that the lowest the humidity got was 82%. That was all right when I was sitting quietly, but I nearly melted down when I went out to get my dinner. There were light breezes from the north, which was also nice. it was much warmer in town. It was cloudy and dull this morning, and around 1:30 the fog moved in for a couple of hours. It began to clear up after that, but there was more fog later. Now it's clear again.

I haven't seen Louie since this morning, but he is very grumpy and he keeps taking it out on Grayson. Grayson spent most of the afternoon on the cart right next to me, but he made no move to try to sit on me. That's too hot for both of us right now.

So it was another very quiet day. I will be going up to the north end as soon as the Vaughn-Williams ends. It's a piece of his that I like.

It's a warm, humid, but clear night in the field.

July 25

I got to bed around 11:30 last night and I'm going to be a lot later tonight, because I really have to take a bath. I am so sticky and icky that I can't go to bed like this.

I got up around 9:30 and the temperature was already almost 80º with humidity around 75%. I sat quietly and I was able to finish the last four rows on the center of the shawl, although my hands were getting rather sweaty before I was done. I fooled around a bit and then had a light breakfast - or I thought it would be. I wanted peanut butter and bananas on toast, and I decided to have iced tea. That might have worked except that the casters on my cart had gotten all screwed up and the first thing i did was dump tea out of the teapot onto my toast. I have been eating peanut butter with nothing else in it, but I had to much trouble with the oil that I have been storing the jar upside down - and the top of the jar got clogged with butter that was just about solid, so I got more on my toast than I wanted. I don't like soggy toast, and there was too much peanut butter, so it wasn't a very satisfactory breakfast. The tea was nice, but my beautiful Rockingham teapot holds more tea than I wanted to drink, especially since the ice kept melting really fast. Oh, well. I think I have enough tea left for breakfast tomorrow. It will be quite strong, but that's all right.

That was all I did except sit in front of the computer and sweat. I petted a cat every so often. And I had an accident tonight. I was so hot and tired that I didn't want to move, which is why I'm still here. Sigh.

The weather was awful. the high temperature was 89º and the dew point was nearly steady around 75º, which means it was horribly humid. Between 6:00 and 7:00 PM, we had a short, violent thunderstorm, where we got 0.21" of rain in about 10 minutes, I think. That just made it more humid - so humid that i was having some trouble breathing. Oh, how I hate this kind of weather! There was only a little sunshine; most of the day was dull and gray with rather dramatic clouds. It was partlally clear after it got dark, so the camera shot the moon again. It has cooled down a bit - to 78º - but the humidity is over 80% and the nice west wind we had earlier is gone now so it's very uncomfortable.

The guys don't like this either. When I went up to the north end, Louie was laid out full length on the rug by my bed. Grayson spent most of the day on the cart beside me and every so often he would turn around and mew, so I would pet him a little.

So it was a quiet, useless and very uncomfortable day, and now I suppose I need to go and take my bath. It's a hot, dark night in the field.

July 24

I got to bed right at 11:00 last night and I got up at 8:30. That should be enough sleep, but I was wakeful in the middle of the night, so it wasn't quite as much as it should be. By the way, I was awake around 1:00 AM, when I could still see the whole Big Dipper, and I didn't see the comet. Unless it was behind the tree. I'll try to look again tonight. I doubt I'll be able to see anything for the next few days and by then it will be gone.

i had time to knit and I will finish the center of the shawl tomorrow. What a relief! That has been an alternating frustrating and boring project. I still have the ends and the edging to do. The edging is really boring, but the ends are two repeats of 64 rows, and most of those rows are different. I will be glad to be done with this one. And I have no plans to ever knit another shawl in dark yarn!

So I had a nice breakfast and had to change my bottoms, but then I left for the hospital. There wasn't any road work, but there was quite a lot of traffic. It seems like everyone who didn't make it here in June and early July is here now and it's crazy. I discovered that the NP's office hadn't put in the order for my blood work, but they did it anyway. Then I flew home, not that it mattered.

The gate was open when I left, but it was closed when I came back, but before I could get it closed, someone pulled in behind me. So I yelled at him and went on my way. Before I could get into the house, he pulled in the driveway and it turns out that it i someone I've wanted to meet. We had a nice conversation. I also talked to Ron when I got my mail, and i guess I was wrong about the traffic. It seems that people at Harbor Haus and the Adventure Company were telling people they could get to the lighthouse on our road. They think they've turned that off, mostly, but there is still more traffic than usual, according to both of them.4 OK, I was wrong. I think they understand my problem, too, although there isn't any solution to it. It would be great if we had cell service; I could call someone. But we don't. Going out is no problem, but coming back is. so I sort of have permission to leave the gate open when I come in, which I will do. Still makes me mad.

The weather was lovely, but warmer than lately, and it was hot in town. The high temperature was 80º and there was a southwest wind with gusts up to about 20 mph. It was a little less humid for a while. You know, the dew point is steady - about 60º - while the temperature goes up and down.

When I got home, after I changed my bottoms again I got back to the kitchen just as the Schwan's guy arrived, which was nice, and I told him about the gate. Then I put the frozen stuff away and chipped out all the ice in the bottom of the freezer. It turns out that I had the door open long enough to begin melting the ice in the ice maker bin, so when I wanted ice for my drink, I had to do some more pounding before I could get it. I think the ice is fine and the freezer is packed again with all sorts of good things. I will eat well.

The guys were sleepy. When I got home, I went up to the north end and Louie sat and purred at me, and when I got back to the studio after my work in the kitchen, Grayson sat on my lap for a while, but i think it was a little warm for him. Maybe we won't have to go anywhere for a few days.

I had to call the clinic about my test results, which were disappointing. So I will be taking lots of pills for the next few days. it was difficult because the NP wasn't in today, but I got someone who was willing to do a lot to help me out, and that was nice. Most people at that place are very nice and helpful even when they can't actually do anything.

So that's all there is, and I'm tired again. I think, from what I've read, that once my potassium gets to where it should be, I won't be so tired. I know I feel better already and it's still lower than it was at the end of May, so I have some hope. For the time being, I still need to sleep a lot. I'm not having palpitations anymore, though, which is good.

Now it's a partly cloudy, warm night in the field.

July 23

Oh, I was late last night, but I didn't get up until around 10:00. That wasn't enough sleep, so I'm tired again. I knitted four more rows and I only have eight left on the center of the shawl. Unfortunately, I won't be able to work on it tomorrow, probably.

When I returned the call from the NP, they wanted me to take a lot more potassium today and tomorrow and go back tomorrow for another blood test. Geez, can't you just install a shunt? My levels had come up a little, but not a whole lot, so we'll see how it is tomorrow. Anyway, I got that taken care of and my other questions answered.

Otherwise, it was a very quiet day. I paid my credit card bills so they will send my my meds and I emailed the Secretary of State to get my hang tag renewed. That was about all I did.

The weather was nice. The high temperature was 70º and there wasn't any wind. It was clear all day. The only thing that wasn't so nice was, the humidity was over 70% all day.

The guys did their thing. I was trying to sleep when Louie jumped up on the bed, walked all over me and attacked Grayson and made him go away. He settled down with his back to me and proceeded to wash himself. I am not a pillow! Anyway, I was mad at him, so he didn't get any petting, Grayson slept on me for quite a while, but I can't type when he's on my lap.

I am still recovering from yesterday, but I expect I'll feel better tomorrow. I will have to make a fast trip to town, because I have a Schwan's order coming, but I figure if I can get out of here by 11:00, i should be able to be back in time.

So now it's a lovely, clear night in the field and I'm off to the north end.

July 22

I think it was around 11;30 when I got to bed last night and I slept very well. I was awakened this morning by a call from the hospital about my echocardiogram. She apologized for waking me and called back later, but I was awake by then, so I got up. I knitted four rows before I got dressed and ate and I did my surfing, although I ignored all the emails. Second day in a row when I've just deleted all the ads.

Anyway, it was around 1:30 when I left. The gate was open, because I almost ran into the UPS truck coming down the road. I got to the hospital and got my blood test, and had to pee. It must have taken me nearly half an hour to get off the toilet, but I finally made it and went on my way.

I did a lot of damage at Pat's but not as much as I thought I would. They had the honey I like for a change, but they didn't have any of the bread I like, so I guess I'm stuck with eating cardboard bread for the next month. At least it's whole grain. I got some avocados, but they aren't ripe so I can't have my avocado toast/poor man's egg salad sandwich yet. I'm looking forward to that!

I had to get gas, and I was astonished at the price. I think it was $2.249! I can't remember the last time it was that cheap. When I wish I had a 500 gallon tank! I didn't need a lot, since I haven't been driving.

I've always liked driving and it felt good to be in the car again. The people brushing out the covered road and the tree killers were out again today, but I didn't have an appointment, so it didn't bother me much. I have to admit, the tree killers need to do some work down on US-41 below Lac LaBelle Road. The power lines are almost buried in the trees again and that doesn't bode well for storms.

I didn't get home until about 5:30 and after I moved everything to the platform, I came in and sat for a couple of hours before I got everything inside. Of course, the cat went out, but I ignored him, so he sat in the middle of the breezeway (he can do that now!) and I ignored him. it made it easier. Louie was nowhere to be found, so I could leave the door open.

I moved the desk chair into the kitchen and sat down to get everything put away. I didn't have much that didn't need to be put in the fridge, which is packed now, but I got everything in. The potatoes and the honey went out.

Oh, I forgot to talk about the potatoes. I forgot them until I was almost checked out and the lovely checker actually turned her station over to someone else and went and got them for me, then she showed me how to use the self-checkout station, of which they now have four. So nice! So I got my potatoes. I don't think I would use the self-checkout for a $250 order, but for smaller amounts, it's great. And everyone was wearing a mask. I like my fellow Yoopers.

So I have a whole lot of good food, which should last pretty much until I have to go to see the oncology people next month. I have my echocardiogram on August 5, so that will be good.

When I finally got to the studio - at 9:00 - there were two urgent messages from the hospital, so i will call them back when I get up tomorrow, unless they call me first. They seem very concerned about this potassium thing. It's just as well, because I have some things I need to discuss with them, too. They are out of control.

So that was my day and I finally got some dinner - a very nice one - and now I'm exhausted. Twice, when I was getting into the car, my left knee collapsed and I had to haul save myself by clutching the steering wheel. And I had to open and close the gate on my way in, except that after I closed the gate, I looked up and there was a person waiting to go out, which really mad me mad. it's so stupid.

The weather was meh, but there wasn't any rain. The high temperature was only 64º and there wasn't any wind. The lowest the humidity got was 78%. It was cloudy this morning, but by the time I left, it was clear here. The clouds were almost stationary over the lower part of the Keweenaw, though, so it was cloudy in Calumet and I drove out of it on my way home.

I haven't seen Louie since this morning, but i suppose he's up at the north end. Grayson was being naughty again, but when I finally went out to serve my dinner, he was sitting at the door looking in. I think he likes it better when I get mad at him.

I discovered that my "Disability Parking Placard" a/k/a hang tag, is expiring, so I spent a long time trying to find out how to renew it. There wasn't anything about ti on the Secretary of State's website, so I had to email them. it turns out, I can renew it online, but I have to reply to their email, and I need the tag number, so I will get that tomorrow. It's a relief. I thought I was going to have to go down to Mohawk, since that's where the office is, but they are only taking appointments, and not for hang tags. I suppose I should apply for a disability license plate, but I've always been suspicious of cars that have them. It always seems like the disability is in the driver's head.

I had planned to go to the bank if I went down there and deposit my Benjamins, but that's not vital. It will be nice to stay home for a change.

So that was my busy day, and now it's late on a dark, cool night in the field.

July 21

I am so tired, I almost forgot.

I was a bit late last night and I got up around 9:00 AM, so I didn't get enough sleep. I knitted, and then I got caught in the game trap, so I didn't even have time to read my funnies before I left.

First I had to open the gate, but I was tottering around trying to close it when somebody came up behind me, so I left it open, and I don't think they closed it, because they were right behind me, Then there were two road crews on US-41 clearing brush and the tree-killers were cutting back around the electric wires, so I just about made it to the hospital.

I got my blood drawn and had my visit. I was a bit annoyed, because the NP didn't seem to remember ever having seen me, and she's seen me twice already. We were going through the Medicare questions when a nurse stuck her head in and pointed out that my potassium levels were alarmingly low. No wonder I felt so lousy.

Anyway, we had some discussion about that. My plan was to food shop, but they were so adamant that I had to come home and take a pill that when they said they wanted me to get it checked tomorrow, I said, fine. I'll shop tomorrow.

Driving home was easier because there weren't any one-lake roads, but it had started raining lightly, so the road was wet. Well, at least I think my car got washed off, finally.

when I got to the gate, it was open. My rule is, if it's closed, I will close it behind me, but it it's open, it will stay open. This gate thing has made me so angry that I'm having heart palpitations again. It is just so stupid.

Anyway, everything else seems to be all right, although my uric acid is up a bit, for some reason I don't know. I had an ECG, which showed a few changes from the one two years ago, but nothing alarming, and she wants me to have an echocardiogram, which is fine, if I can do it at a convenient time.

Anyway, the weather wasn't very nice. The temperature got to 67º, but once it started to spit rain, it dropped back to the low 60s. There was almost no wind. It's been mostly drizzling, but it's been pretty steady since about 3:00. OF course it was dull and gray. Yuck. I hurt.

I'm sure the guys slept. I haven't seen Louie but I've heard him. Grayson has been mostly sitting on the cart beside me. They hate it when I go away, even if it's only for a few hours.

So that was my day and I'm exhausted. It's a dark, drizzly, yucky night in the field.

July 20

I was later than I wanted to be last night, but not too late and slept well. I got up around 9:30 and i knitted four rows.

I had finished my breakfast and of course I had to run to the bathroom just as the people I was expecting arrived, but we got that taken care of and they are nice people. I'd had some econversations with them before, and it was nice to put faces with the names.

After that, I did the bulletin, and I've revised it twice since. Since I'm going to be out tomorrow, I wanted to get it done today, even though my proofreader won't be around until Thursday. I think it will be all right.

The weather was blessedly cool. The high temperature was only 68º and there was a wind from the north. The skies were a mixture of sun and clouds, but it was clear at sunset. I may have missed the comet, but I'll try to peer out the bathroom window. My visitors said they saw it Friday night and it's impressive.

The guys slept. Grayson slept mostly on me and he got a good tummy rub. Louie has been around, and he got some loving this morning.

So that was my day and now I have to wash my hair and me. It's a clear, cool night in the field.

July 19

I was late last night, but my excuse is that we had a very loud thunderstorm that lasted for over an hour with copious lightning and thunder. We didn't have much rain here, but they did down in Calumet. We did have a power failure, and the generator was going when I went to bed.

I slept quite well, because I was exhausted by the time I got to bed, and i got up around 10;00. I knitted the first four rows of the last repeat in the center section of the shawl. I hope to get this one done in less than a month! Then I played games. My excuse was that PastyNet was down, but it came up around 2:15, I think. Then I had to disengage from what I was doing and get dressed. I didn't do anything else.

The weather today wasn't too bad. It was mostly clear for most of the day, but around 5:00, it suddenly got very cloudy and it was cloudy and dull for the rest of the day. The high temperature was 79º, but it dropped off quickly after that. There was a strong northwest wind all day, with gusts up to 38 mph. It's still windy now. We didn't get to see everything because the camera hung up twice. The second time, I unplugged it and plugged it back in, and we'll see how that works. If it doesn't, I'll have to reboot. The last reboot was after I pulled out the power cord, and frequently that results in a flawed load. We'll see.

The guys mostly slept. Grayson got some lap time and he spent some time on the cart, but then he went away. At least once, I caught him sitting outside the door fo the studio with his back to me, which usually means things are not quite to his liking. The last time I came through the great room Louie was asleep on one of the dining room chairs.

So that was my day. I've lost another couple of pounds, and my bottoms are getting very loose. Much as I'd like to lose weight - if it's not a sign of another problem - if I do, I will need new pants, and that's a problem, because I can't afford it. Well, one day at a time. I think it has something to do with not being hungry and not eating a lot, but I don't know, and I don't know how they can check on me except with blood tests.

Now it's late again, but they're playing Brahms. It's a cool, windy, cloudy night in the field.

July 18

I didn't sleep as well as I'd hoped last night, but I didn't get up until around 10:00, so it was all right. I won't be going to church tomorrow. It's too late now and the weather is iffy.

I finished the eighth repeat on the center of the shawl. Something that should, theoretically, take me seven days, took a month. I have one more repeat to go and then I can start on the ends. I will be glad to be done with the center. I made so many mistakes, but I think anybody would have to look hard to see most of them.

I unloaded the dishwasher before I ate, because I decided that today was the day to boil up the dozen eggs I've had in the fridge for a while. I wanted to see if I could make soft-boiled eggs, and I think the answer is yes, but I have to plan ahead a bit more. So instead of soft-boiled, i had jammy eggs, which are also good. Now I can have lazy woman's egg salad. Yum. I only think the hard-boiled eggs are cooked right, because in the middle of timing, my timer quit. I thought it was the battery, but when I picked it up and shook it, it was all right again, except that it had lost the time. Well, maybe they're a bit overcooked, but they'll be all right. Now if I had some avocados, I could really have a feast. Tuesday.

Other than that, I didn't do anything. It was so humid that I hurt, so I just sat.

The weather wasn't good. The temperature got up to 78º before the wind shifted north and the humidity was over 75% all day. Everything feels wet, including me. It was very cloudy and dull this morning and there was a little rain, but then it cleared up some for a while. Unfortunately, the camera hung up, so I'm not sure exactly when. Late this afternoon, we had half an hour or so of fog and it clouded up again. I guess there are going to be thunderstorms either overnight or early tomorrow. Yuck. I feel like I'm growing mold.

Speaking of thunder, we had a power glitch early this morning, and I'm happy to say the UPS worked just fine. It's so nice to have that thing!

The guys slept. Louie made a second pile of poop under a table in the great room. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that. Grayson spent most of the day on the cart beside me and he sat on me twice, until I think he got too hot.

So it was a very quiet day. I'm still getting used to having a kitchen instead of a garbage dump, but it sure is nice. Now it's a dark, humid night in the field and as soon as the Beethoven finishes, I will go to bed.

July 17

I'm writing this early because I suspect I may crash.

I didn't get to bed until nearly midnight. When I got home, I discovered that the camera had hung up, and in the course of getting it restarted, I pulled the power cord out of the CPU, so I had to wait until the computer booted up. Then there were emails and the blog. Sigh.

Once I got to bed, I really crashed. It was 4:00 AM before I woke up the first time, and I clearly hadn't moved, because my neck was so stiff I could hardly move it. I was up again around 7:00 and I got up about 10:00. I felt much better today, mostly, I think, because I got enough quality sleep.

Debbie and her friend were walking to the lighthouse when I ate breakfast, but I was through when they came back. the friend attacked the boxes in the garage and Debbie and I attacked the kitchen. Oh, what a mess! The piles of trash on the counters were only the beginning. There were a lot of other things that needed to be moved or put away. I moved the chair into the kitchen so I could mostly sit down and I got all the empty tea envelopes and boxes put where they belonged.

She asked about the dishwasher, and I didn't know if it would work or not, but when we opened the door, the bottom was full of gross water, so I decided to run it through a cycle with soap but no dishes. That was very educational. I was putting away things that had been on the counter for years and beginning to try to get the dishes and flatware ready. It seems like I had never sat around to see how a whole cycle worked.

Well. I noticed, when the exhaust pump started, I couldn't hear any water running in the waste disposer, so I looked under the cabinet and finally - FINALLY - after 19 years, I understand all the plumbing under my sink! Wow! Anyway, I could see the exhauxt hose vibrate when the pump started, but I still couldn't hear any water running, so finally, after the third cycle, I stood up to see what was going on. Boy, am I glad I did! It seems that there was stuff in the bottom of the waste disposer that was clogging it - this one has a bad problem with that - and my sink was within a couple of inches of overflowing. So I turned it on and everything was fine.

In the meantime, I began to try to get the stuff in the sink ready to wash. I thought maybe I could just put the flatware in and let the dishwasher wash it. Wrong. There was too much glop. I knew I had to try to get the iron stains off the dishes, and I thought I'd sort of done that, but when I finished the next load, a lot of it was still there. I filled the dishwasher with mostly cat dishes, my bowls and small plates, so that part of it is done. IF there are still rust stains, I will have to attack them later. The next load, which has just about finished, I think, was the rest of the small plates and all the big plates. Remember, I have two complete sets of place settings for eight, so I have dishes for 16, not to mention the good china and grandma's china in the basement...I could feed half my church.

Anyway, when I unloaded the flatware, i discovered that it was not clean. It ranged from just cloudy to gross. Debbie came back while I was doing that, and she cleaned the sink counter and the stove counter from the stove to the end. There is still a lot of work to do. There are all kinds of dirty pans, the cooktop is gross, and the other side of the counter isn't clean, but we did a whole lot. I did as much as I could while sitting down, but I had to stand a lot, and fortunately, I was feeling strong today. About tomorrow, I don't know.

After she had to leave, I scrubbed the flatware - and I do mean scrubbed! - filled the dishwasher with the last load, which included, as I realized later, all the big plates, and started it again. It should be done now, but I'm too tired to try to unload it tonight. That's for tomorrow.

I can't tell you how good it feels to have my kitchen even as clean as it is now! I know there is still a lot of work to do, but oh, my, things are so much better! There are no piles of black or orange bags in corners, the counters are nearly clear, and there is almost nothing in the sink! The sink is still gross, but I won't attack that until I get the last stuff out of it and get the pans clean. It feels like I live in a home again and not a garbage dump.

I should also mention that In the middle of this, I got a call from the lady who upset me so last Sunday and she was able to assure me that my neighbors who decreed that the gates should be closed have come up with some plans that should make it easier for me and they seem to understand my situation. She also said there are people who are available to help those of us who need help, so I'm hoping to talk to someone who has a truck soon. My garage is sp full I'm going to have a hard time getting in and out of it.

So I am exhausted, but I'm content. And I had the rest of my dinner from last night, which is enough to put me in a good mood regardless.

It wasn't the best day, weather-wise, to do this. The high temperature was only 79º, and it was much cooler for most of the day, but the humidity was over 80% for most of the afternoon and it felt much hotter. It's been a beautiful, sunny day, though, so that was nice. Tomorrow isn't supposed to be as nice.

The guys were still terminally curious about what was going on and while Louie had to go off to sleep, Grayson had to supervise most of what we were doing. He found that by sitting in one of the dining room chairs, he can see a lot of what's going on in the kitchen and still be out of the way. And when I walked my chair over to the bags of kibble to fill the bowls, he had to be right there to see what I was doing.

So it was a very active day, and I'm exhausted, but once I get this posted, I can crash anytime. I think I need it. My right and left fingers are out of sync again. If you see any "fo" that;s what's going on. I tried to catch them all, but I'm not seeing very well now either.

I would love to stay up long enough to try to see the comet, but I doubt I'll be able to do that. And now it's a clear, warm night in the field.

July 16

I'm happy to say my hip thing seems to have eased off for the time being. i got to bed around 11:00 and while I slept better than the night before, it wasn't good. I was up several times and I Had a wakeful period in the middle of the night.

When I went back to bed after the first time, there were beautiful stars in the west - Arcturus, Vega and Deneb, I think, and when I went into the bathroom, there was the whole Big Dipper lying parallel to the horizon. It's been a long time since I've seen it so bright...but by the time I got back in bed they were all gone, so I guess it was partly cloudy. Oh, that dipper, though! It was so nice to see it! It's cloudy tonight, though, so I still haven't seen the comet. Maybe tomorrow? It's in the northwest, so I may have to crane my eyeballs to see it, or go outside (not with those mosquitoes!!) but I'll try if it's clear.

I got up around 9:00, and I knitted four rows after I fixed the dropped stitches, then I played a bit and then I took a bath, so I was late eating. It was just as well. The timing was good for dinner.

I didn't do much else. The nice lady from the hospital I've been talking to called me back to say that in fact, I had gotten some good information when I called the insurance company in June, but it was presented funny and it wasn't complete. It seems it takes 30 to 45 days to issue a new check in a case like this and then it may take two weeks to get to the hospital, so it will be mid to late August before I find out if it came. Sheesh. Oh, but I have to pay yesterday.

We met for dinner at Harbor Haus, and it was as good as always, although the menu is a bit smaller this year. Debbie's friend is very nice. They had a busy day down the peninsula. So we had a nice time. Getting through the gate was difficult, but I managed somehow. It will be harder in the dark. Damn gate. Harbor Haus is open for reservations only and they aren't taking very many. They seem to be leaving about every other table empty, which is fine. You have to (or should - you have to outside) wear a mask, but only until you sit down. I've been wondering how I was going to eat while wearing a mask.

The weather started out nice, but it clouded up by 3:30 and there was a short shower while we were eating. The high temperature was 82º and the humidity was quite low until it started to rain. No wonder I don't hurt as much. There wasn't much wind, but what there was came from the southwest.

The guys are still not sure what's going on. Grayson spent most of the day near or on me and Louie actually came down to the studio and yelled at me until I petted him. They were both waiting when I got home, just to see if it was me, I think.

So that was my day and it ended well. How I love that restaurant! When I first moved up here and I had money, I was eating there twice a week. I don't think I'd want to do that again, but I wish I could go more than once or twice a year.

Now it's a warmish, cloudy night in the field and there might be another shower.

July 15

Oof! What a day!

It started out badly. I always take Tylenol when I go to bed, so I went to sleep as soon as it kicked in, but around 3:00, I woke up and I hurt so bad I couldn't go back to sleep. Since I had gone to bed around 10:30, I figured i had to wait until at least 4:00 before I took any more. I did, and I got another three hours' sleep before something else woke me up, and while I wasn't in agony like I was earlier, I was too uncomfortable to do more than doze. I got up around 9:30 because I hurt so much, and while I was in bed for a long time, I didn't get a lot of quality sleep. So I'm so tired now that I couldn't even eat most of my dinner.

That's just one of the strange aftereffects of the stem cell thing. It never would have happened before then. and I can't eat when I'm exhausted, I can't eat when I'm sick. On the one hand, it's good that I've lost weight, but on the other hand, it's a problem. And I can't lose too much, because I would have to buy new clothes and i can't afford that.

Anyway, Debbie arrived around 1:30 and she worked like a horse until 7:30. Most of the garbage and recyclables are out of the house, except for the kitchen. I can walk in the bathroom and I can walk into the powder room without stepping over stuff. The powder room is still a mess, because it has all those magazines in it as well as a ton of paper recyclables, but it's so much better! She is going to take tomorrow off and do some exploring, but she will be back Friday, and we simply MUST do the kitchen.

I was so tired and sore today that I couldn't be much help. I hope I can do better on Friday. She's not set on leaving Saturday, either. We'll have dinner at Harbor Haus tomorrow and see how it goes from there.

I've discovered that my INFJ personality means I want to plan ahead a whole lot more than she does. I mean, if I have a task to do that requires walking around, I will even plan ahead what my path will be. Seriously. I've always known I'm weird.

Anyway, even though I couldn't do much to help her, I am extremely tired now, but I have to take a bath tonight or tomorrow. I will see how I feel when I get up to the north end. I may just crash again and hope I have a good night.

The weather was lovely, and Debbie and her friend (she doesn't like to drive long distances alone) walked around town this morning to enjoy it. The temperature did get up to 80º briefly, between 4:00 and 5:00, but it was in the middle 70s for most of the day. The wind started out from the north, under 10 mph, but in the middle of the afternoon it switched around to the southwest, which is no doubt why it got so warm. It brought in some clouds, too, and it was cloudy at sunset.

Too bad, too. When I woke up in the middle of the night, it was beautifully clear and I could see all sorts of stars - Vega and Deneb in the northwest. Polaris and the end stars of the Big Dipper in the north. I have not seen the comet yet. I would like to, but I think I would have to go up on the mountain before dawn. Although I saw one post that said it was visible in the northwest in the evening. I can't check that tonight, because it's cloudy.

And wow, my right and left hands are really out of sync tonight!

Grayson ran right up to Debbie and got made over and he followed her around for a long time. She went into the upstaird, and he got in there, but she got him out easier than I could have. And wonder of wonders, Louie came out and got petted and waved his gracious tail at her, too. I expect things like that of Grayson, but I'm so glad to see Louie not hiding in the basement anymore. Well - he never actually hid in the basement. He would go through the cat door and sit on the first step down to the basement, where he couldn't be seen and he could hear everything that was going on. Anyway, they were both glad to see Debbie, and they both had to supervise her work in the bathrooms. Stuff like that doesn't happen very often. They are so funny. They've known something was up, but I think they were afraid it meant I was going away. I hope they know that isn't going to happen.

So that was my busy day and now I must go to bed. It's a warmish, cloudy night in the field.

July 14

Isn't this Bastille Day? I know it's a French holiday, but it was all about freedom, and we need that.

I hurt. My hips are so sore I can hardly walk and even sitting is painful, on the pot especially. It's the weather, of course, which is lousy.

I actually made it into bed at midnight last night and I slept fairly well, although I was up having to pee a lot. Or my hips were so sore they woke me up. I think I got up around 9:30. I started to knit, but I began dropping things, and I couldn't see well enough to pick them up, so I stopped and played games a little - not much. I like to do a little, just to get my mind in gear, but I intend to try to be very moderate about it.

I folded all my panties (for the first time in ages! It's so nice to have neat stacks in the drawer!) and i sort of cleaned the toilet. My water is so terrible that the acid in my poop interacts with the iron and calcium carbonate in the water and the result is a horrible mess. Now it's so bad that it will take scouring powder and a lot of elbow grease to get it presentable. I have scouring powder (my grandmother, who was not well educated, always called it "scowreen") but I can't bend double for the length of time it would take to scour it clean, and I can't get any chair I can get out of into the bathroom. Sigh. Oh, and I changed trash bags. The one that was in the wastebasket was overflowing. It's not clean in there - there's still the sink and counters - but it's better and I getting my panties will be a lot nicer.

I had to go out into the breezeway to get rice and barley, but I hurt so much I only moved the bags a little bit down. You still can't get into my house without moving bags. Maybe I can do something about that tomorrow, but it depends on the weather. If it's as humid as it was today, no way.

While the talking was going on, I embroidered for the first time in a long time and it felt good. I finished a diamond that started on a previous row and did a date - 1816. I find it impressive to be reproducing something that was originally done 200 years ago. The next step is the other half of the last tree I worked on. I have about three pages and the border left, which isn't a whole lot. Maybe I can finish this soon. i have two new pictures to work on - a black cat that looks very much like Buster, and a bouquet of roses that just arrived and I haven't seen yet - but I have always tried to discipline myself to finish one project before I go on to the next. That doesn't always work; I have never finished that nativity Christmas stocking (the one where Mary looks stoned), but I got fed up with that. Maybe I'll finish it someday, just to say I did, but I doubt I'll make the stocking.

Anyway, now I'm exhausted again, in part because I hurt so much.

The weather, like I said, was lousy. The high temperature was 75º, but the humidity was awful all day. We had 0.11" of rain between 5:00 and 7:00 AM this morning and another 0.13" between 2:00 and 6:00 PM. It's so humid that everything feels wet. Of course it was dull and gray and sometimes a bit foggy. Ugh. No wonder I hurt.

Louie got some loving this morning, but he was frustrated because I had washbaskets and open drawers and trash bags and he couldn't get as close to me as he wanted. He came and mewed at us this afternoon, but I don't know why that was. Grayson spent the better part of the day under the east windows. I guess i didn't realize how much he likes it there, and I'm glad I cleaned out that area. He can walk from there onto the cart and sometimes onto my lap, too, which he did a couple af times - or he can walk around the pile of books and onto the laptop and then onto my lap. He likes that. Right now, he's sound asleep there.

I need to be sound asleep, too. I'm very tired again and I need to crash, but they're playing Dvorak, and I must hear that, but then i'm gone. Not only my back hurts - my head hurts enough that I'm not seeing very well.

So that was a rather active day for me, I guess. Now it's a cloudy, wet evening in the field.

July 13

I must take myself in hand again. This late to bed late to rise is just not working. I did finally get my bath, and it felt good.

I didn't do much of anything. The undies are in a washbasket, ready to be put away and I sorted and put away a bunch of compression hose and socks. Two sets are missing, and i found one of them, but what happened to the other, I don't know. I'm sure they will turn up, and it's just my backup hose anyway, but I like to keep track of these things.

I was so late that I ate late and ate dinner late - just finished - but I can go to bed anytime after I finish this and Brahms 4th finishes. There are some things I just have to hear all of.

The weather was just my kind. The high temperature was 78º, but only briefly, and at the time the humidity was under 45%. Aahh!! There was a light south wind and it was partly cloudy most of the time. i just discovered that the camera hung up around 4:30, so we didn't get to see the sunset. Sorry. I guess it's time - it's been good for a couple of weeks, I think. Anyway, it was a lovely day. Unfortunately, we're in for rain and thunder tomorrow. I could take a lot of this. I still remember the summer of drought, when we had three solid months of nice temps, low humidity and no clouds at all. Not good for the flora and fauna, but great for us.

The guys mostly slept, of course. Louie got some loving this morning and Grayson sat on my lap twice.

I have two aches: my right hip and my right wrist and hand. The lower humidity made both of them feel better, but now they're bothering me again. My wrist hurts when I do some things, like use the mouse or try to lift. Thankfully, it doesn't bother me so much when I knit (which I did) and when I type. I think I could embroider successfully, too. However, getting those bags out of the breezeway could be a problem. I have to do that, because I need to bring in a new bag of rice and, if I can find it, the rest of my barley. My hip hurts when I lie down, on either side. Sometimes it keeps me awake when I'm lying on my other side, even with the body pillow. And I'm not walking very well right now.

Oh, well. Getting old isn't easy.

Now it's a warmish, dark night in the field and I must go to bed.

July 12

So I didn't take a bath and I didn't go to bed, and even though I didn't get up until after 1:00 PM, I'm exhausted, but I really do have to shower tonight. Really.

I wasted time until I wore down the battery on the phone, and then I got a very upsetting phone call, so my day wasn't very pleasant. I did have avocado toast for my first meal, and it was lovely. The last avocado was very ripe and very tasty. I guess I like it, and I'll continue to eat it, especially since I can get the avocados from the store.

Oh, and I threw a load of underwear in the washer. It's ready to dry now, so I'll do that on my way north. There were a few pairs of panties in my last load of bottoms, but at the rate I seem to be using them up, they won't last long.

The weather was cool but pretty. The high temperature was only 71º and there was a north wind around 10 mph. It's still too humid - over 70% - but the lower temperatures make it more tolerable. I was sweating when I finished my dinner, though.

The guys slept, of course. Before I got up, Louie was hacking enough that I think he gave up a hairball. I hope so. I had to fill the kibble bowls on my way north last night, and I gave them their Sunday canned food late enough that they haven't eaten a lot of it, even though it's their favorite. Grayson spent most of the afternoon on the cart when he wasn't sitting on me. I had to move him, finally, because he was resting on my left arm and it went to sleep.

So that was another lost day, and now it's a clear, dark night in the field.

July 11

I did it again, and time just escaped me, so I won't be getting up at 6:00 AM tomorrow. I do think I will take my bath tonight, though.

I was so late that all I did was try a bunch of new games, none of which impressed me very much. I did finally find one I'm familiar with - the old Bejeweled has been rewritten for iPhone, with some nice enhancements. That one is a keeper, for sure.

Oh, and I did toss one of the bags down to the bottom of the breezeway steps. I still can't get out, but I can move around on the platform again.

The weather was cooler today. The high temperature was only 71º, due to a north wind that was around 12 mph all day. It's still much too humid. I hate it when everything made of cloth feels wet when I touch it. It was mostly clear until around 4:00 PM, when it clouded up. They say it's going to be sunny tomorrow, but I like to see the stars, too.

The guys slept. Grayson got some lap time, and he pulled a piece of toast off my tray onto the floor, the little snot. I don't know why; he doesn't really like toast. Louie slept, but he has been talking a lot lately and I don't know why. I hope there's nothing wrong with him.

So that was another lost day, and I really must go to bed. It's a cool, cloudy night in the field.

July 10

So I was ridiculously late last night, and I will be tonight, too, since it's already ridiculously late. I don't know why; it just happened. I must claw my way back to a more reasonable schedule.

Anyway, I didn't get enough sleep, because after about 5 hours, I had a hard time getting back to sleep. My right hip was almost too sore to lie on, and it was sore enough to keep me awake. So I got up and did my thing.

Since I went out yesterday, the only task for the day was to get my Schwan's order and stow it away. I did that, and I chipped two weeks' worth of ice out of the bottom of the freezer. I set the thermostat lower, so it doesn't leak all over the floor, but I had to back off a bit. When I set it as cold as it goes, My milk froze. It's been better lately, but the ice is about a half inch thick after two weeks. Since I can't get under the basket to get that out, I can't move the basket, which is difficult. I fish things out with the long reach tool a lot.

And then... The floor had gotten so bad in the kitchen that my next task was to work on the trash and recyclable bags. MY trash bag had overflowed, and I filled a new one with half a bag of stuff from the old one and from the floor, and I filled almost three bags with recyclables. That isn't nearly all there is, but it has made it much easier to get around in the kitchen. Of course, I didn't do anything about the counters. Maybe I can do something about that before Debbie descends on me.

I pitched a trash bag and two recyclable bags out the door while fending the cat off with my cane, but the bags are still out there where I have to move them before I can get to the car. Then I sat down and rested and I rested so long that I didn't eat anything until after 1:00 AM. Of course, that was so late that I didn't have my usual Friday dinner, so I expect to be having elimination problems tomorrow. I love lasagna but it does not love me.

The weather was much more tolerable than it has been lately. It was warm; the high temperature was 79º, but there was a little breeze while it was hot and the humidity got under 70% for a change. It was cloudy this morning and partly cloudy this afternoon, A tolerable summer day.

The guys did their thing. I was a bit worried, because Louie didn't turn up when I opened the can of cat food. That was all right - Grayson got to eat something without worrying about him. Then Louie appeared and chowed down. It was a fish day and they like fish. They also seem to like the new flavors of their cat food, which is a good thing, since I have a lot of it.

So that was my day and now I really must go to bed. I'm exhausted. I discovered that sometime this week I didn't take my evening pills, but I don't know if it was last night or earler. I didn''t have my usual leg and foot problems, so I don't know. Well, I do that occasionally.

Now it's a late night in the field.

July 9

Ugh again. I was really late last night, for reasons I don't know. I fell into the game trap, but I think it was because it was thundering and I guess I don't feel comfortable taking a bath during a thunderstorm. If the power should go out, I would be standing in the dark with no water pressure for at least 90 seconds before the generator came on, which would be at least interesting.

I slept well for about 6 hours, and then it was iffy, so I got up and drained the battery on the phone and then I took my bath. I felt better for a while, but it's 80º and extremely humid in here, and I just finished eating, so I'm all hot and sweaty again. I do NOT like this weather!!

I didn't have anything on the agenda today, so I didn't do anything much. I went to the post office and the store and when I looked at my mail, I realized there was one bill I had forgotten to pay, so I did that. Of course, it had to be one of the two that doesn't flow through the ACH, but I'll only be about a day late. I do not understand why an insurance company wouldn't accept payments through the ACH. Oh, well. Most of those things have a grace period.

The weather was miserable again, but it didn't rain. Maybe it should have. The high temperature was 78º and the humidity was over 75% all day. There wasn't any wind. It was very uncomfortable around here. It was cloudy and dull all day, although we did have a sort of nice sunset. I hate this weather. This is what I moved here to get away from.

The guys don't like it, either. I suspect Louie spent the night in the basement, but Grayson doesn't like the thunder very much either. We didn't have any explosions like we did the other night, but there was a lot of thunder out over the lake. They both got some loving, but Grayson decided it was too hot to sit on me, so he sat on the cart and mewed at me. He's there again right now, settling down and making enough noise on the bags that I know he's there. Oh, and Louie has finally learned how to stomp. When I'm doing something, like in the bathroom, sometimes they don't know if I know they're there, so most of my cats have learned how to stomp on the floor so I notice them. I've always thought it was pretty funny. These guys were used to padding around like ghosts, but Louie was stomping on the tile floor this morning. Grayson's idea of stomping is what he just did - either scratching on something or settling down on something that crinkles when he moves. They are funny little critters.

So now it's stupidly late again. When my music feed turns into Music Overnight, I know I'm too late. I do like the announcers, though, although I'm not too fond of some of the music they choose. Anyway, it's a warm, humid night in the field and I need to go to bed.

July 8

Ugh. i was at least as late last night as I was the night before - maybe later - but I had enough to do today that I had a hard time sleeping very long. So I got up around 10:30, but I fell into the game trap, and I was late eating anyway. Sigh. I'll never be any different.

I had a fast breakfast, and then I got right at my tasks for the day. It didn't take long to get the bulletin together and out, and I haven't heard back from anybody yet.

Then I attacked the taxes, and I think it took me at least three hours, but the website I chose made it as easy as possible. The only thing is, they wanted all the itemized deductions, so among other things, I had to find all last year's credit card statements and try to find the relevant entries. I don't think I got all of them, but it didn't matter anyway. Along about 6:00 PM, I filed both my Federal and Michigan tax returns. Whew! I sure am happy that's over with! I've already gotten confirmation from the Federal.

I hope next year it won't be as bad, but I must try to get my ledgers back up to date so I'm not scurrying around at the last minute again. Last year was hard because I changed checking accounts in midyear, and I seem to have misplaced some of my credit card statements. I think I may just go out to the bank and print them off and be done with it. I suppose they're someplace in some box, but trying to find them would be a chore.

THe weather was not very nice. The high temperature was 82º and it was about that for most of the afternoon. The wind was variable, but mostly from the southwest, and sometimes it was calm and sometimes we had 20 mph gusts. There is some rain headed our way, I think. It's been mostly cloudy all day. It was extremely humid again and I was extremely uncomfortable, especially when I was sweating the taxes and there wasn't any breeze except for the ceiling fan. I don't like this weather, when the temperature and the relative humidity are both 80. I keep having to remind myself that it would be worse if it was 30º cooler. At least I could sort of move around. This is the time of year when they report a heat index (as different from a wind chill) and it was at least 3º higher than the temperature all afternoon. Yuck.

The guys don't like it, either. I think Louie was up at the north end all day; I didn't see him. Grayson is pouting, because I was too busy to have him sit on me, not that I would have wanted him there when it was so warm and sticky.

So that was my day. I started out with a sinus headache, which turned into a stress headache and is now a fatigue headache. I am looking forward to my bath tonight. This is the kind of weather when I really enjoy a nice, tepid shower and drying off in the breeze. I only wish I could have the porch door open, but I'll cope. It's a warm, humid night in the field and it may thunder.

July 7

I was much earlier to bed last night, although it wasn't early, like it won't be tonight. I slept well, with several wakeups, and I think it was around 11:30, maybe, when I got up. There was a damn spam call at around 10:15 that actually left a message, and it turned out to be a collection agency. I had about six months of those several years ago, and I guess they got me again. I logged it later, and I will be monitoring it. I know collection agencies are exempt from the do-not-call lists, but I don't owe anybody anything (well...more about that later) and if they keep calling I will report them to the FCC. I'm particularly suspicious because the phone number on my caller ID and the number they said to call back are completely different. I don't understand people like that. And I'm sure if they did get people to pay something, it would never get back from the business they say hired them, Grr.

Today was phone call day, and it took all afternoon. I had to call the clinic to get them to issue a new prescription for one of my meds. Suggestion: if you can avoid it, do not EVER start taking a controlled substance! When I started it, it wasn't, and now I have to have it, because it's what I take for my neuropathy and there isn't anything else. It's been a continuing hassle.

Then I attacked the bill from the hospital. First I called the insurance company, and that was frustrating. The person I talked to was working from home and she had not been completely trained, so I had a very hard time getting the information I needed out of her, and I don't think I did. Then I called the hospital billing department, and there I got a very nice, helpful person, but what she told me was completely different from what the insurance company said. So I am confused. But the nice lady said to call back on Friday and see if the check had cleared and then we can go forward. If It hasn't and we can't get it straight with the insurance company, her advice was to pay the bill (It's small). I don't want to do that, but I don't want it to go to a collection agent, either.. I will keep after them all, on principal. I should not have to pay that bill. Period. End of sentence.

Then I did my usual stuff, and just about the time I was going to get some dinner so I could go to bed at a reasonable hour, Debbie called and we had our usual long conversation. She is bound and determined to come next week (!) and "help" me, and you don't argue with Debbie about things like that. While I will be happy to see her, I wish she wouldn't come. Oh, well. I'll get through that,too.

The weather was better than yesterday, I guess. It was clear and lovely all day, and the high temperature was 71º, but the lowest the humidity got was 76%, which is ugly. There was a little north wind for a while before it went calm again. This is not my ideal kind of weather. I was hot, but I had to close the south window because it was blowing a cold, damp breeze on my arm.

The guys mostly slept. I don't know where Louie was for most of the day. Grayson was with me. He sat on me for a while, but it's still too hot, so mostly he sat on the cart. I don't know where he is now.

For some reason I can't fathom, I had to pee about every two hours today, so of course I got wet. After the second time I was wet, I changed my bottoms, just to feel more comfortable. I can't figure out what the problem is. I didn't eat anything diuretic yesterday, but my bod is weird anyway. I got my exercise, walking back and forth to the north end.

So that was my day, and now it's a clear, cool night in the field and It's time for bed.

July 6

So after saying that I had my schedule under control, I blew it. Maybe not tonight. I'm tired. I went down the game trap, but I've deleted a couple of the games - again - and the only ones I don't find terminally boring are the ones that I don't have to play fifty times in order to win a level. I don't think they have to make them so hard.

Anyway, I slept well. I knitted two rows on the shawl, and I sort of fixed the problem I was having yesterday. It's not right, but there are so many mistakes in this project that I'm sure one more won't be noticed. One memo to self: do not ever again try to knit a difficult pattern in very dark yarn. I'm sure I wouldn't have had nearly as many problems - and maybe i could have done it on a stockinette ground - if it had been a light yarn. Lesson learned.

I was late enough that I didn't do anything else. I did get another dunning letter from the hospital, so I guess I will have to call them again tomorrow. Sheesh. They wait a year before they notice a bill (for $14.46) hasn't been paid and they want to give it to a collection agency after three or four months - in the middle of a pandemic. I know I fixed the problem last month, but I guess I should have called the hospital back then. I will do it tomorrow. Oh, and I'm sure having a collection agency try to collect the bill would cost them at least 1000 times the amount of the bill. I do not understand the mindset of people like that.

The weather was extremely unsettled. The high temperature was 75º and it was extremely humid. In fact, the humidity came down in big drops several times. In the middle of the afternoon, we had some thunder, and then sometime later - I'm not quite sure when - suddenly there was an extremely loud explosion that sounded like it was further out toward the end of the point. it was obviously a bolt of lightning, but it sounded like something exploded like a bomb. I guess it wasn't anybody's house, because there were no fire trucks. I wonder what it was. It made both Grayson and me jump. It was very cloudy and dull all day and with the humidity so high, it was very uncomfortable.

I think Louie was probably in the basement. I know when the first thunder started, he headed in that direction. I tried to assure him, but he is so timid that I hope he was down there when the explosion happened. Grayson spent most of the day on the cart behind me, except when he was on my lap. Every so often he would move and start mewing. He's braver than Louie, but they do not like this weather.

Neither do I. It's very uncomfortable and it makes my joints ache all the more. So I think I will try to put them to bed at a more reasonable hour tonight. It's a dark and stormy night in the field.

July 5

Ooh, it's late and I'm tired. But oh, well.

I got my bath last night, but it was after 11:00 before i got to bed...and then I had to endure about two hours of consumer fireworks. The township fireworks were canceled, of course, to avoid large crowds, but somebody at the fort decided to set off about 15 minutes worth of consumer fireworks after 11:00. I couldn't watch, because it was behind a tree from the bedroom and I wasn't going to totter down even to the great room. And there was somebody who had some big bombs that they kept setting off all day and until about 2:00 AM.

So I was late getting to sleep, and a couple of hours later, I woke up with about as severe indigestion as I've ever had. I took some Rolaids, but I ended up having to sit upright for quite a while before it finally went away. Whew! For a while I thought i might be having a heart attack it was so acute. But it went away and it hasn't come back and that part of my body feels fine now.

Anyway, with all that, there was no way I was getting up at 6:00 AM, and in fact, I didn't wake up until 7:30. I went back to bed and got up around 10:00, I think. I tried to knit on the shawl, but I dropped something - several somethings, actually - and I didn't feel up to trying to get it back together, so I fell into the game trap again.

I was finishing my breakfast when Mary Ann called. I had called her on Thursday, and she didn't call back, so I figured she was busy, and that was right. Bill had a procedure at the end of the week, so she was busy with that. He is in really bad shape now, so she has to be around him all the time or out walking the dogs. I don't know about those dogs. They seem to need to pee about every three hours, which I don't think is usual, but then, I don't know anything much about dogs. Sp we had a nice conversation about our common problems and concerns. That's one thing about not going to choir practice with her that I really miss. I like her, and I enjoyed spending time with her every week.

That was all I did, although I did begin the process of getting someone to do my taxes. I will pursue that tomorrow. It's not going to be easy. I am still working off the capital losses I incurred back almost 20 years ago, and I don't know exactly how to fill out those forms. The iRS does have a list of places that will do taxes for free - at least the Federal Taxes - and that will help, but I am still very angry with the guy who bought the accounting practice who had been doing my taxes and then decided he didn't want to do that...but never even sent a letter saying that. Grr...

The weather was about the same as it has been. The high temperature was 81º - briefly, thankfully - and the humidity was over 70% all day. There wasn't much wind. It was mostly cloudy. Not my favorite kind of weather, and Mary Ann said the same thing. We don't like the humidity.

Neither do the guys. Grayson was around me or following me all day, and Louie finally came out from the north end a while ago and just said "meow" to me. Grayson did get some lap time, but it was while it was quite warm and he didn't' stay long. He also thought he wanted the last little piece of my avocado toast, but I wouldn't give it to him. I ate it.

So that was my day. It was another one of those days where I didn't eat until tomorrow because I couldn't decide what I wanted to eat. Nothing in my packed freezer sounded good. I finally did eat something, but it was hard to decide. Now it's a warm, humid night in the field...so humid that we had a shower, but it was after midnight.

July 4 - Independence Day

I hope you're enjoying your day, even though it's much quieter than a normal 4th.

I thought I got to bed at a semi-reasonable time last night and I thought I got up at a semi-reasonable time this morning, but I have had a splitting sinus headache all day, mostly right behind my eyes, so the plan is to crash. I don't think I'll be going to church tomorrow; it's going to be extremely warm in Calumet and I can do without that, but we'll see. I won't be quite as early getting to bed as I would like, because it's after 7:30 already and I'm not done here yet.

Anyway, I knitted on the shawl without much trouble, I'm glad to say. I was seeing almost as good as I did yesterday and that helped a lot. That was about all i managed to do.

The weather is miserable. The temperature has been going up and down like a yo-yo, with a high of 84º. There was a bit of wind earlier in the day, but it was from the southwest, so that was when it got hot, but then it shifted to the northeast and even though it was very light and sometimes calm, all that cold water cooled things down as low as 66º for a while before it bounced back. It's very humid. The dew point is around 62º, which means that when the air temperature is down, the humidity gets up to 80%. I do not like this weather. There was a lot of sunshine, but there were high, thin clouds for most of the day. I hate this weather,

So do the guys. Louie slept, probably up at the north end. Grayson followed me around all day long for some reason, and he got some lap time with it was cooler, but I had to shove him off my lap to make a mad dash for the potty. I don't know what his problem is, although I thought I heard him coughing this morning.

So that was it. My head is so sore I won't be up for very long. It's a warm, calm partly cloudy evening in the field.

July 3

I got caught in the game trap again last night and I was quite late - not as later as the night before, but late enough. I slept fairly well, not great, and I got up around 10:30 maybe? I knitted four rows on the shawl, and this time I didn't make any horrible mistakes that I had to repair.

I was so late and I felt so bad that I didn't do anything else. I've concluded that some of the bites I've gotten, especially the ones in weird places like the inside of my elbow and way high on the inside of one thigh, are black fly bites. For one thing, mosquitoes don't bite in places like that, and for another, they are so itchy they keep me awake sometimes. i have another day or two of that, unfortunately, but at least I don't get those horrible blisters anymore. I don't think I have any black flies in the house, but I've been out in the breezeway several times lately and I'm sure they're out there - delivery people come in and bring them along. I know I have mosquitoes inside, though; I killed one ih the bathroom last night. It was cool enough that it was moving slowly.

The weather today was sort of like yesterday. The high temperature was 75º, briefly, there was no wind at all and the humidity was very high. In fact, we had thick fog from 9:00 until noon and it didn't leave completely until after 1;00 PM. Oh, my aching joints! Otherwise, the sky was mostly clear until 5:00 PM, when it began to cloud up. The late afternoon has been sort of gray, but the mountain was reflected in the harbor all day

The guys mostly slept. They got some of their new kind of canned food today and Louie liked it - it's fish - but I'm not sure Grayson did. Somebody ate it. Grayson got some lap time, but it was too hot for him and I didn't let him come back. He spent some time under both windows, but I'm not sure where he is now or where Louie is. We do not like this weather!

So that was my very quiet day and now I must go to bed. I'm so tired my head hurts. It's a sort of clear, warm, calm night in the field.

July 2

I was so late last night. I sat for a while, then I took my bath and sat some more. It was cooling down, so I was quite comfortable under all four layers. I slept fairly well - not great - and I got up around noon. i had drained the battery on the phone and I didn't want to knit long enough to work on the shawl, so I knitted on sock #2 for about half an hour before I got up and did my thing.

I had to shut the front window in the bedroom. A strong north wind had sprung up and the temperature was only 66º at that point, and the heat came on. It didn't bother me, but it is sort of a waste of gas.

I spent most of the afternoon doing my surfing, I guess. I don't remember, so that must be what it was. I had to change my bottoms and I have a load of clothes in the dryer and the white stuff in the washer. My laundry station has two bags full of something - who knows what/ - that I have to get out so I can get the thing out of the laundry room and maybe make some room in there so I can work.

The weather was all right. It only got up to 72º because there was a light wind from the north and that lake is still icy cold. It was very humid, and we had some fog this morning and some haze this afternoon. While I was in the bathroom, I heard at least one laker sounding its foghorn. I don't know why they need to do that anymore, since everybody has radar, but some still do. They're not the old steam horns I used to hear when I was a little girl, but it's still fun to hear them. Other than the fog and haze, the skies were relatively clear. It was extremely humid, over 80% and now it's 90%. The barometer is slowly, slowly rising. I hurt and it's no wonder.

The guys slept. Grayson got a little lap time, but Louie came close to the door to the studio and meowed and Grayson went away. He did spend some time sitting on the cart.

The night before last, when it was so hot, I had another infestation of mosquitoes (yes, they were mosquitoes and not black flies) and I got chewed to pieces. They particularly attacked the inside of my left elbow and that area is so itchy I almost couldn't go to sleep last night. There must be at least half a dozen bites and they all seem to be running together. It will be another couple of days before most of the itch is gone. I still don't know how they get in. As far as I know, there are no gaps in the screens or anything, but every time I have the windows open, I get chewed up.

So that was another quiet day and I keep forgetting that tomorrow is the official holiday, so I won't be able to get my mail until at least Monday.

Now it's a coolish, very humid but clear night in the field and i should go to bed.

July 1

I was a bit late last night - only about 15 minutes - and I slept fairly well, considering how hot it was. I opened one of the front windows in the bedroom and that helped a lot, because my ceiling fan is broken. I don't understand it. I used it all one summer, and the next summer when I turned it on, nothing happened. I sort of wonder if maybe some critter got into the attic and chewed a wire, but I have no way of checking that. And my other fan is in the basement, and well...

Anyway, I got up around 9:00 and I tried to knit. I wanted to knit at least three rows, maybe four, but I had a terrible time, dropping a lot of stitches. That was partly because I couldn't see anything even though it was very bright in the bathroom with the sun shining in.

I didn't do the task of the day. I guess it was partly because there was a lot of stuff to read, but I also spent a long time on the phone with Schwan's. I never got a receipt for my order of last Friday and it was never charged to my credit card. The person I talked to had no reason why. It was a confusing conversation anyway because i was looking at the wrong order and I thought there was something I didn't get and didn't order. We got that straight eventually, and they've finally debited my credit card. I still haven't gotten a receipt.

That was an interesting fifteen minutes or so. I got an email that said some charges had been attempted to "my account" and of course I panicked and followed the link, but then I got to thinking about it (after I put in my account name and password, of course) and when I looked at the header information, it was clearly a phishing attempt. Sooo...I have just spent several minutes changing my login ID and password for the bank and updating it in two browsers. I think it's safe now, but I'll be checking very carefully for a while. It's what I hate about the internet.

Two browsers? I use both Firefox and Brave, since Chase doesn't support IE anymore. I think I like Brave better, but I'm still not decided. I won't use Chrome because that's Google and I don't think Edge runs on Windows 7, but I understand it's the least private of all the browsers, so I wouldn't use it, either. Brave is supposed to be the most private, but it's sort of clunky for someone who has been using IE for 25 years. Anyway, onward.

It's hot. Well - it's hot depending upon where the wind is from. At noon, the temperature was 85º, but then the wind shifted north and at 1:00 it was 69º and it got down to 61º before it began to recover and it went up to 85º again at 6:00 PM. It's cooling off some now, but it's still warm. There wasn't much wind at all, actually, but it was mostly from the southwest. It was sort of clear, but there were thin high clouds. The humidity was tolerable - under 50% for a while - but the barometer is still quite low.

it was a shorts and tank kind of day and I had iced tea for breakfast. Actually, I had a whole pot of tea. I have a lovely blue Rockingham teapot that I haven't used very much - I rarely make that much tea - and I filled it up and added a little honey. It was wonderful, but I spent the afternoon walking between the studio and the powder room. What goes in must come out...

I also had to go out to the breezeway because I was running out of incontinent pads, but I wasn't out there for long and I still haven't opened the box with the hall thingie in it. It's just too hot to be working in the hallway right now. I'll get at it as soon as it cools off, which I hope it will.

The kitties are walking around slowly with their tails down and lying stretched out on the bare floor. They don't like this weather any better than I do. Grayson spent a few minutes on my lap, but mostly he's been sitting on the cart behind me.

So now I'm later than I wanted to be, because I have to take a bath. When it's this hot, I much prefer to take my bath at night so I'm as cool as possible when I go to bed. I am thinking about just wearing panties and a vest to sleep in, instead of a nightie, but I'll see how I feel when I get out of the shower. Oh, shower sounds so good! I'm so sticky and icky. Any time I do anything, I sweat and it leaves me so sticky.

IT's a sort of clear, warm night in the field, and it's July. Sigh.

Last updated 08/01/20 11:37 PM