Gadabout

Town twice in two days...I'm absolutely giddy (and exhausted).  Both visits were for medical examinations, first me, then Michael.  Through a staff faux pas, my visit took over two hours.  Aaargh.  Then I miscommunicated time frames to Florence and Dan and they were here to pick us up for Michael's visit to the vet two hours early.  That turned out okay because we went out to lunch.  That's twice in a year for me!  Due to Michael's calm demeanor, he's allowed to go into restaurants.  Aside from the fact that he is a Certified Support dog, he goes under the table and is never seen.  His examination went well, and he got a much-needed pedicure, to boot.

The drive to town is absolutely gorgeous this time of year.  Trees along the way are turning color, reds and golden yellows sprinkled among the green pines.  If you have to go, it certainly makes the trip more enjoyable (as does the company I keep).

Hopefully, all this gadding about is over for awhile.  I'm more than ready to retreat into my hermitage.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Nicer Than The Next

Nature has been her usual capricious self.  After the worst storm I've ever seen, the last few days could not have been better, warming up to the 70s, with just a light breeze.  Michael and I have spent a good deal of time on the porch, and when Florence and Dan came by yesterday, we stayed outside for the pure enjoyment.

There will be no such lollygagging today.  I have an appointment in town, and tomorrow Florence will ferry us to Michael's vet visit for his annual checkup.  After being home so long, it's getting harder and harder to leave, said the self-proclaimed hermit.

Ah well, things to do, places to go, and not much else going on.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Made It!

It got pretty dicey here yesterday.  I've been through some storms, but nothing like the unrelenting wind and pounding rain like we just had.  I'd be lying if I said there weren't times I was scared, and my thoughts were always for the trees.  Michael asked to go out several times, but once out, he wouldn't step off the porch.  Finally in late afternoon, it was either find a bush or burst.  I'm sure he felt better, wet or not.  Thankfully, we kept power until last night.  When it did go out, I was drained from the tensions of the day and just went to bed.  Obviously, it was a short outage.

It's raining still, but without those hellacious, damaging winds.  I can deal with this.  I'm just grateful we made it through intact.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Can't Get There

Just doing a little proactive investigation yesterday, I called to see what the possibilities were of "public" transportation.  I haven't driven since before the Caldor fires and don't even know if the truck will start.  Florence has been so generous with her time, but I don't want to take advantage.  What I found out was, "You can't get there from here."  The biggest service in the area, Dial-A-Ride, does not come out as far as Fair Play.  If I could get a ride as far as the little bridge on Bucks Bar, they could pick me up there.  If I could get a ride that far, I wouldn't need them at all, now would I?  The only other service, a private concern, would charge me a measly eighty dollars! for a round trip.  Personally, I find that rather prohibitive.  It would behoove me to get out there and check on Truck, and to stay in Florence's good graces.

It was a blustery start yesterday morning, and today is a rerun.  By afternoon, it was warm and the sky was blue.  Michael and I spent quite a bit of time out on the porch.  The forecast is not so good today, nor for the days ahead.  It's hard to imagine, but we're supposed to get five inches of rain in one day soon.  Yikes!

True to form, not much if anything got done yesterday.  The day before wore me out.  I'm starting to think about lighting up Stove, if not for warmth, to take away the dampness that seeps in during a rainy stretch.  It's pretty obvious I'm not going anywhere.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Day On

I don't know where it came from, but yesterday morning I was hit with a wave of ambition.  It's been so long, at first I didn't know what it was.  I tried to ignore it, sure it would soon pass, but that was a no go.  It kept niggling at me until, fine!, I'll get up and do something.  Hmm, let's start with something easy.  Maybe if I put in a load of laundry it will go away and leave me alone.  Two loads washed, dried, and folded later and the itch was still there.  How about if I do a quick clean up in the kitchen?  Nope, I tried that.  Everything got put on hold so I could watch The Great British Baking Show, but my eyes kept straying to the dust-covered coffee table.  Starting with the furniture in one corner, I had worked my way, dust rag in hand, halfway around the room when I was saved by the arrival of Florence and Dan.  Believe me, they got a heartfelt welcome, and it wasn't just because of the groceries they brought.

It remains to be seen whether there will be any residual effects today or if it was just a 24-hour bug.

Stay safe.  Be well.

A Poe-m

The writings of Edgar Allan Poe made a tremendous impression on me when I was young, due in part to a high-school English teacher with a flair for the dramatic.  Hearing him read 'The Tell-Tale Heart' sent shivers up my spine.  We had a good, long, steady rain last night, enough to bring out the rain beetles and Poe once again came to mind.  Sitting alone with the cats and dog, a tapping at the darkened windows...here, then there, is enough to bring up 'The Raven.'  "...suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door."  Turn off the sound on the tv to better hear what I thought I'd heard.  Yes, there it is again.  Even now, after thirty-odd years, that random tapping at the window out in the dark quickens my heartbeat.  Rain, tapping, ah yes, the beetles are back, and I return to my program.

Who says there's no drama here.

Stay safe.  Be well.

One Day

A pattern has been developing...one day on, one day off.  A day of ambition is followed by a day of recuperation.  Yesterday was a day off.  As long as something gets done, I'm not complaining.

There have been more sightings of bears in the area lately.  That only makes sense.  After the fires, they are out of their habitat and looking for food.  I have only seen deer.  A gorgeous buck came by the other day with his harem, a wonderful perk of living here.

Nature favored us with a lovely, almost-warm afternoon yesterday.  It was one of those days when Michael asks to go outside, not to piddle, but to just sit on the porch and enjoy being outdoors.  I'm a willing partner.

It's a warm, sunshiny morning.  We'll see if Nature switches gears for the afternoon.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Blow Hard

Boy, did we ever have some wind the other day!  It was one of those days when the constant thought was save the trees, save the trees.   Up here on the crest of the hill, we get wind especially hard so it wasn't an idle thought.  Luckily, no damage was done and we didn't lose electricity, another concern.  Let's just say Michael and I didn't spend much time out on the porch.

We've also had a tremendous drop in temperature, enough that I've had to hunt up the bean bag to heat in the microwave and wear an 'outside' jacket indoors all day.  I'm not complaining!  The cats are once again piled on my lap and on each other and Michael seeks patches of sunlight.  Acorns are dropping like mini-bombs.  If Michael and I weren't confined to the porch, we'd have to wear safety helmets.

I've unexpectedly had a burst of housework ambition and have been busy with that which should have been done, and wasn't.  Dusting, of course, has been saved for last.  As I've said, aversion to dusting is an inherited trait.  My mother said that was the reason she had girls, so they could do her bidding for that chore.  My boys weren't so lucky.  I was an equal-opportunity mother.

Nature is stretching her seasonal muscles, what with the wind and the cold.  It's light enough now to see that it's going to be a grey, overcast morning.  Who knows what she''ll come up with for the afternoon.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Hot Stuff

During hot weather, I attempt to keep cool (a relative term) with a glass of ice water by my chair.  I drink the water, then crunch the ice cubes.  This summer I drank enough water to float a battleship and crunched enough ice to sink the Titanic and still sweat like a horse.  Oh well.

The onset of cooler nights has sent me in s different direction.  After sundown, the doors that have stood open for months get closed and I head to the kitchen to make a cup of cocoa or hot cider to sip and warm my hands.  Cats that had the sense to lie in front of doors hoping for a breeze once again pile on my lap for warmth.  The bedtime battle for blankets has begun.  If I don't get settled before they do, the fifty-pound behemoths weigh them down and I don't get my share.

We got a good steady rain last night.  There is still standing water on the deck, and that's a good thing.  If nothing else, the rain might help the firefighters on the line at the Caldor fire.  My robe and long-unused slippers feel good this morning.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Not My Style

I am an avid fan of 'The Great British Baking Show."  I am in awe of these amateur contestants who work against time to create fantastic bakes and create such works of art.  Presentation is the end-all, be-all for the winners, and that would be my downfall.

Feeding a family of six, the main goal was to make as much as I could as fast as I could and get it to the table before there was an insurrection.  Everything was served family style and did not require the niceties of a decorative sprig of basil or artistic placement on the plate.

To me, cakes were boring and pretty much reserved for birthdays, six spread out across the calendar.  Pies were more my forte, and I say with some pride that my Kids never took bought cookies in their lunches during all their years in school.  I passed on cookie recipes for a measly couple of dozen.  Those would have been gone as soon as they came out of the oven.  I needed recipes that could easily be doubled or tripled, and I remember the one for molasses cookies that started with five dozen.  The goal was quality and quantity, and little to no decorating involved.

No, I'd never make it on TGBBS.  I might win Star Baker in the pie category, but would fall flat on my face in the artistic arena.  That's just not my style.

Stay safe.  Be well.

Food For Thought

I am surrounded by extra-special nice people.  Florence and Dan quite literally kept me alive during and since Caldor with food and good company, as well as rides here and there.  Cousin Sandy calls frequently to say hi and spread cheer.  Chuck came yesterday and voluntarily vacuumed my carpets, something I've not been able to do in some time and they were deplorable.  I am grateful for one and all.

It took Ralph a while to recover after his terrible experience in the great outdoors.  He didn't come out of the bedroom for two whole days, and he's just now starting to run zoomies through the house and torment his sister Celeste.  I'm glad to see the old Ralph back again.

Michael is a perfect host, greeting guests, sitting by their side for awhile, and then retiring to leave the grownups to talk.  Yesterday was a bit different.  Chuck, when he visits, sits on the loveseat.  Because he was moving furniture and giving the rug a good cleaning, he would periodically sit and rest...on the loveseat.  Michael became uncharacteristically territorial and jumped up to take Chuck's space.  "My mom, my couch, my space, Dude."  He was polite, but firm, and would not move, leaving Chuck to perch on what was left of the edge.

We're due for a twenty-degree drop in temperature in the next few days.  I can't say it won't be welcome.  Summer is not my favorite season.  Florence was inspired by an offhand comment of mine about lima beans and, don't you know, made a big pot of beans and ham hocks, and was kind enough to share.  Ahh, fall is here for sure.

Stay safe.  Be well.

The Great Outdoors

While it may hold great allure, Ralph found out yesterday that the outdoors is not all it's cracked up to be.  I can only assume that he snuck out while Michael and I were going out for one of Michael's potty breaks.  All I know for sure is that I was on a phone call when I saw a panic-stricken cat running frantically back and forth in front of the screen door on the outside.  Leaving my caller waiting, I opened the door for a cat who bolted inside, headed for the safety of the bedroom, and wasn't seen again for the rest of the day.  I double checked for any other ways of egress, and found none.

I am ever so grateful that I was in the right place at the right time to see my little red-headed miscreant, because up here there really are lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Ralph spent the rest of the day repenting.

Stay safe.  Be well.