friday does me a big favor and swings around at last

It's been a busy week of long days. I'm glad for the weekend.

I did not ride my bike to work yesterday. In fact, when I went out at 11 to walk to the bank, I changed my mind. Most unpleasant weather with high winds and flying garbage. I know flying garbage is not technically part of weather, maybe more climate, but it added to the suck of the weather day.

I ran around Mankato like a crazy person at the end of the day. I got home about 7. Ugh.

I'm going to my last performance class this morning. It's been hard but I have enjoyed it. Who knew I could put my hands and feet on slidey discs and pull myself across the floor.

A few weeks ago when we were on the slippery slope of home improvement, we bought six of these to replace the really cheap and ugly ones we'd had for years.

They are very nice and very well-made but they have to be assembled. Help. I want this done. I don't want boxes stacked all over my living room. What were we thinking?

I have a bit of a crank going this morning. I'm not viewing the world with my usual sunny disposition. I'll do what I can to correct.

grilling for friends

We had Sam and Jessica over for dinner last night. We met Sam when he worked at Cedar's Grille in town. They are very nice young folks and we had a good time. Phone photo and not the best quality.

Here's a funny thing. After we went to Lake Cochrane this summer, we mentioned it to Sam and it turns out his grandpa has a cabin there, they often go to the State Line Bar for beer and pizza, and he has relatives in Ghent, right down the road from Canby. His family name is Maerten.

Regis made the most delicious ribs with is own barbecue sauce. We've gotten fussy about our ribs and can rarely find any out and about that are as good as we make at home. I contributed to the meal by making stuffed poblano peppers, a salad, and by bringing home bread and cookies from the coffee shop.

We ordered some shelving from Ikea that will be delivered by some kind of truck today. The shipping was sort of costly but we figured it was better than driving to the cities to pick it up.

The information from Ikea said they would call to schedule delivery. What happened is that I got a call from a robot yesterday telling me that it would be here between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. and that we should be here to accept delivery. Really? A 13 hour window? Regis said it's like going back to 1964.

I'm moving slowly this morning. Regis is asking if I'll be riding my bike to work today since there will be 45 mph wind gusts. I think I will. Not like I'll blow away.

I ordered some rugs online, too. I'm not especially happy with them but they'll do for now. Gus has taken a shine to the round one for some odd reason. It's a nice background for his color...maybe he senses that.

This weekend: Planning to finish my painting and curtain hanging and shelf assembly. Have two hostas yet to plant. No more plans than that as I hate to fill up a weekend before it even starts.

Thinking of Annie as she has surgery today in Rochester. Jill and Larry are there with her so we're thinking of them, too. Waiting is hard. Poems and songs for you, Annie.

this day whizzed by holy cow

I went to exercise from 5:30-7:00.

I got home and had a cup of coffee with Regis. I decided to make use of my neighbor's dumpster and recycler since they are in Ireland and asked us to move them to the curb...both only half full.

I went down to Peter's old room, loaded up a half a dumpster full of crap to throw away...old skateboarding helmets, old shoes, stereo speakers, and junk.

I loaded up two bags of clothes that can go on Thursday when the little white truck comes down the street. Observation: Peter must have changed his "look" after he left our basement. The clothes that were left looked a lot like skateboarder, small town low-hanging pants kind of stuff. Regis and I took out a couple of those soft, waffle-weave long sleeved shirts. The rest is gone.

I loaded up the dumpster with Peter's paper from his graphics production program at SCC...which generated a ton of paper.

It's a good thing I had a place to go or I could have kept going...ruthlessly.

This was a half day of work before I even went to work.

I had to come home at 2 o'clock and take a nap.

We had left-overs for dinner (The flank steak...we get about 8 meals out of one piece of meat.) Now, we're having a cup of coffee and a glass of wine before Regis goes to teach his last class.

I have an Action for Healthy Kids Team meeting tomorrow morning at 7 o'clock. Something I need to let go....tired of it. Then I'll go exercise and head to work.

We invited some young friends for dinner tomorrow night. I started to get nervous because there is so much to do around here yet, but they won't care. We're making ribs and a big salad.

Gus went to dog school today. He had to stay after school to be tutored. He and the dingo are the EBD dogs in the class. Regis said when they see each other they make giant arcs at the ends of their leashes like big kites. Oh, boy. Parent teacher conferences will be fun. I think I'll send the dad.


Oh, well. That's enough for today. I have three pieces of woodwork to paint barn red with an oil-based paint. I hate that shit.

sunday in pictures

Regis and Gus working on obedience in the yard.

A pile of laundered curtains waiting to be ironed.

Me painting. My favorite job.

Regis and Gus observing the action. Gus has paint on his ear.

Gus can't quite figure out what the deal is here.

Beautiful mum from Travese des Sioux.

Regis cooking peppers and onions for the flank steak.

We love fall grilling.

Firefinch...lovely sauvignon blanc.

Bill grows Honey Crisp apples. Delicious.

End of the weekend and end of the day. Good night, friends.

finishing the weekend

It's been a great one.

I had a fun day at River Rock on Friday. Everyone was happy and much laughter was heard from employees and customers. I love my job.

We met school friends for happy hour at Patrick's. More stories. More laughter.

Saturday, I started and finished the big switch in summer clothes to winter clothes in my closet and drawers. Not like I have so many but my closet is small and I have little space to accommodate them. It was driving me crazy...short sleeved t-shirts mixed in with sweaters. Sandals and boots.

We met friends at the OK Corral for dinner. They live in Eden Prairie so it's about 30 for each of us. The last two times we've met, we've gone to Suzette's for dinner and then to the OK for a drink. I think we'll go back to that. The food was expensive and only mediocre.

Kathy and Jack are going to Africa next week to spend two weeks on a safari. That's one of those things that is so far outside my circle of possibility that I almost couldn't comprehend. I like to see wild animals on Wild Kingdom. Mutual of Omaha, remember? Marlin Perkins would say, "I'll stand behind this tree while Jim wrestles the bear."

We're on the last 20% of our home improvement project and we've stalled out. Here's what we have left to do:

1. Finish the last coat of paint on half of the north wall.
2. Paint the woodwork on two walls in the living room. And around the windows.
3. Wash and rehang the curtains in the living room.
4. Paint the woodwork in the kitchen (some of it) with the barn red paint like the cupboards.
5. Lay the new rugs.
6. Put together the new IKEA bookshelves when they come.
7. Unpack the boxes in the back porch: books, glassware, CDs, decorative items...some of which may end up in a box at the curb.

We have a flank steak in the refrigerator to cook for dinner with some hot stuffed and grilled peppers. It's one of our favorite meals any time of the year but especially in the fall. The colors are so autumnal. I have a bottle of Firefinch, my favorite sauvignon blanc that I've been hoarding, too. It will be delicious on the patio in the warm afternoon sun. Ah, Sunday in the fall, we love you.

We have to get some pictures of Gus today. He is so smart. When he goes out first thing in the morning, the grass is wet. When he comes into the back porch, he stops on the rug, rolls over on his back with his paws in the air, and waits for us to wipe them off. We didn't teach him that, he just figured it out. He's got giant paws so he can drag a significant amount of debris in on them.

Regis has been working with Gus so he is better behaved at dog school this week. God knows, we don't want him left behind. No dog left behind. Get it? Just to remind you, he was the worst behaved dog in the class except for a dingo. A dingo. How embarrassing is that? A wild dog that eats babies and Gus can't behave better than that. Oh, man.

They're having a big wine sale at MGM this week so it's time to stock the winter wine cellar. Two of my favorites are Root One pinot noir and OKO:

How will I decide?

Well, Regis is starting to move around and accomplish something which means I better make a plan. I have a few things to do before the hardware store opens at 10 and I can buy more paint. Whoopie. I told Regis last week that Rose was seeing more of him than I was. If you don't know Rose at Ace you really should make a point to get to know her. She is a no-nonsense but very funny woman who knows more about hardware than most men ever thought of knowing. It you have a what's-it and want to know where to find another one, she can tell you. Always happy, too, which is a nice quality in a person who works in a store.

More later. Maybe a Sunday in pictures.

these are the guys who started it all

This is Steve and his son, Ryan. They were such nice people to work with and actually made the process less painful that it might have been. Funny, easy-going, and hard workers. They did a nice job on our floors.

We painted today until almost 5 when the boys showed up to move the furniture around. By the time they were done, so were we. No more paint could be applied. Done. Toast.

So, now we're relaxing and rug shopping. We had left-over ribs for dinner and we're having a glass of wine. I could go to bed right now.

last day of this mess

I took the day off from the coffee shop so I can stay home and clean and paint. Doesn't that sound like fun? Actually, it does. The idea of having my stuff back (mostly) in its places sounds very inviting.

Regis took Gus to his first dog obedience class yesterday. I was expecting such a good report since Gus is smart and well-behaved at home. Alas, Regis said that aside from a dingo, he was the worst behaved dog in the class. Ah, misery. We are determined to practice with him so he improved next week. It's like taking your kid to pre-school screening and they won't say their colors.

River Rock did an event in the back room yesterday which I attended in my fall apron so I could talk to people about the food. Honestly, the food there is so good it makes me feel proud to work with those women. They are amazing. They talk about how produce changes daily and they have to work to maintain a flavor profile. Amazing. At this event, they had spicy squash soup, tomato and basil cream cheese puff pastries, buckwheat bread, roasted pear and cranberry tarts, and whole wheat thumbprint cookies. So pretty.

We took a picture of Steve O'Malley who did our floors. We try to take pictures of everyone who works on our house. We tuck the pictures and stories in a bag and poke it into a hole in the wall behind the bathroom mirror. Someday, when major remodeling goes on or there is another tornado, they'll find it and maybe think it's interesting. We get a kick out of it anyway. It was a pleasure working with him.

Well, here I go. Wall washing and painting and cleaning and putting away will be the order of the day. Maybe I'll have Regis take some pictures when it's over. Wish us luck. Bring beer and food.

i hear raindrops

Gus and I are sitting on the sofa in the kitchen. We've threaded our way through the house a couple times to shut off my alarm clock and to get him into the back yard. He's fascinated by rain and likes to walk around in it, taking his sweet time. I would prefer that he tend to business and we get back where it's dry.

Our workers didn't leave until almost 6 yesterday. They are almost done. As much as it will be nice to have them finish, I will be sad to not see them anymore. Such pleasant and hard-working guys to have around the house. If they say they are coming at 8, they are here at 8. That's not typical of my experience with independent contractors. We might have to invite them over for a beer once things are put right so they can admire their work.

We managed to cook a couple steaks on the grill last night even though we got a late start. I sliced up a pan full of onions and hot peppers, too. Oh, so good. Regis made some of Emerill's Creole seasoning so we had a flavorful dinner. So much better than anything you can eat out, which we have been doing a lot lately only having limited access to the stove and refrigerator.

Gus has had some new experiences in the last week. His house has been torn up and it's probably more stressful for him than it is for us. His water bowl and food dish keep moving! He went to Kind's for a grooming yesterday so he had a bath and a haircut, he went with Regis to get a haircut, and today he's going to dog obedience for the first time. He's a good dog.

I have neglected my exercise again this week because most days, I have been unable to find either my bag or my shoes or my clothes. It's enough to get to work. I'll make it today.

Enjoy the rain!

busy sunday...no pictures

Ella came over late yesterday with her dad to move some things from one room to the other. She asked about something and I said, "Everything in our house is lost." It's true. There was some hope when we had one room torn apart but now that both rooms are torn apart and scattered over the remaining areas of the house, there is no hope. Ah, well. Here is what we accomplished yesterday.

• I wiped down every inch of wall and cupboard in the kitchen.
• We put another coat of paint on all the gold in the kitchen and dining room which means one wall behind the stove and a cubby hole where the previous folks put a hutch.
• We painted all the dark green and red trim in the kitchen and dining room with Rosemary Sprig. I found a picture online of a room painted with this color but I decided not to post it as it would be deceptive. That room was way too designed and way too clean.
• We painted the edges of the cupboards over the refrigerator, a project begun in the summer of 2004.
• We moved all of the living room furniture into the dining room so the floor-laying in the living room can commence today.

I told Regis if that floor guy starts up with the saw today, he might want to warn him to be out of here before I get home from work because I will kick his ass. All of the sawing last week was done with my curtains up and the porch door open so every inch of everything is covered in sawdust. Damn.

For a person who does not do well with this kind of project, I think we've done pretty darn ok. Painting was an impulse that occurred me Friday morning. I picked out paint in one day with the advice of Rose at the hardware store and Amber, a barista at River Rock. It actually works with the other stuff we have which is amazing. It's not how I roll. I usually give no thought to what's already here but just pick out a color I like. Three colors that compliment each other...who'd have guessed it was possible.

I already have plans to paint the hallway, the living room, and the bathroom. There is no end and this is why I prefer to procrastinate and never start.

We have a busy week...haircut at Nate's for Regis, grooming for Gus, Business After Hours (my first hosting gig at River Rock), a community ed class, dog obedience, and an Action for Healthy Kids meeting. The last is a funny story. I agreed to continue doing this meeting this year but most of the information has drifted out of my head...like most things from my past life. I think I can remember where I put the folder and I hope I can access my email account so I can notify people of the meeting. If not, oh well. Life goes on.

I have to mention that a dear, sweet woman we know from the Bothy and from Rock Bend, Rose Bixenman, died yesterday from complications after heart bypass surgery. Very, very sad loss for her family and her friends. We have been going to the Bothy for years and she was always at the door. As with any sudden death, it makes us feel lucky to be healthy and glad to be able to enjoy each day. 

Enjoy some time in the sunshine today. Winter's coming...we need to recharge those batteries.

here's how life is...in pictures

Our new bathroom floor.

The start of the mess in the living room. That's the ugly green carpet that will be leaving on Monday.

In the midst of the mess in the kitchen. Today, we need to match the red paint on the cupboards, paint the woodwork behind where the stove will go, give the gold another coat, paint all the green in the kitchen with a paint called Rosemary Sprig, and then clean the floor and move everything from the living room into the kitchen. Oh, joy.

We took the day off Saturday to go on the semi-annual Govenaire's Drum Corps recruiting trip to the vineyards. Our first stop was Indian Island. They just won the Governor's Cup for their Frontenac Rose.

Jen and Sarah

Joanne, Kathy, and me at the tasting at Indian Island.

Enjoying the patio. It was a cool fall day but nice to be outside.

We had a mystery stop in the middle of the trip...bus driver's choice. John picked the Oleander Saloon in Mankato which made an interesting contrast to the elegance of Morgan Creek. Kelly and Dolores on the left, Ben and Trent on the right.

Dolores bought nose cups which entertained us all no end. It was a hoot seeing everyone on Morgan Creek's patio drinking out of nose cups.

 

I love this about the patio...people just start visiting together and pretty soon it's one big party.

A lovely couple from Chanhassen we met.

It was a crazy dancing scene at the Cabin Bar on our way home. As my friend Mary said, there aren't too many times you can grind with twenty-five year olds. Ha!

These ladies are dancing on the bar. I did not partake of that activity, fearing I would fall and break a hip.

A more complete photo montage is available at this link if you think you can stand the debauchery.

After a day of eating nothing but cheese, pizza, and popcorn, I think it's time to get in the groove and have some decent victuals. I took steak out of the freezer, we'll grill it and make an arugula salad at the end of our working day. Something to look forward to.

Wednesday or Thursday, all of this mess should be done. I am anxious for it to be over.

performance class

I am going to an exercise class at 5:30 a.m. on Friday mornings with a young fellow from Mankato. There are four of us in the class...between 35 and my age, I would guess. He must lie awake at night and think of ways to torture us. Today he had us in plank position, lifting one arm at a time to touch the alternate shoulder. I asked if he wanted us to lift the opposite leg at the same time. He laughed. He is a tough one. Last week when I got a mat to lay on the floor, he called me a delicate flower in a sort of sarcastic voice. I asked him once if the point of these exercises was to keep me out of the nursing home. He said it wouldn't hurt.

I think I am recovered enough to be able to get in the shower now so on with the day.

in the end

I came home yesterday to a terrible mess. The kitchen/dining area floor is half done. There is sawdust covering everything everywhere.

Regis and I had gone to Mankato to pick up River Rock's payroll so we stopped and got a bottle of wine and some dinner at Tav on the Ave. When the floor guys left, we pulled up a couple of folding chairs and ate from our laps.

We had the happy thought that we could paint some more but there was no way. You know how you feel when your stuff is scattered and you can't find anything.

We stopped at MGM where a young woman named Emily works. She used to work in St. Peter and she knows a lot about wines. Because we're going on the vineyard trip tomorrow, I was thinking about a wine I had two years ago that tasted like green pepper. I started describing it to her and she remembered these details: I loved it, Regis hated it, and it was South African. Then she walked right to it. We figure she is a wine savant. Ha! What a wonderful memory.

We have a wine trip tomorrow and I have been irresponsible about the details for which I am responsible. I just now remembered...cheese, bread, water in a cooler. I can't do this anymore...I'm too lazy.

Every once in a while, I'll get caught up in reading old blog posts. This has been a great chronicle of the last few years and it's fun to read and remember.

I suppose tonight, if the floor guys are done with the kitchen, I'll be cleaning and painting and preparing for the next mess where we move everything from the living room into the kitchen. I think there will be less sawdust involved in this phase. Oh, it will be nice to get that stinky carpet out of there.

I'm going to an exercise class this morning. Better get moving...

these things snowball

We started out with a floor project which was plenty. But when you pull your furniture away from the walls, all of a sudden your walls look like shit. So, painting ensues. Then you sit back and look at your furniture and it looks like shit. So, shelf shopping ensues. You see how this goes.

Before you know it, we'll have new cars and Regis will have a new wardrobe.

Sanity is difficult to maintain under these circumstances. If you live close, deliver wine. Me in the picture below...diving for a paint brush.

it's either this or work

I am almost done with the packing. At least everything has been moved from its original position which makes it more visible. It won't take long to finish my part.

I just read back through the posts about the floor project. You really have no idea how much I loathe this kind of thing. When he finished the bathroom today, Regis sent me a text with a picture. I said, "Is that what I picked out?" and I had no idea. It could have been purple shag. This guy has seen more floors than I have (and paid way more attention) so I trusted his judgement.

Is texted a real word? Blogger puts a squiggly line under it but that's true of the word internet, too.

Regis went off to teach a computer class to people whose first language is not English. It's not what he expected nor what he was prepared for but I admire him. He adjusted his while lesson plan and he's ready. There seems to be a market for this kind of thing...and we should be surprised? He said the last class went well. He was doing research today on the settings for gmail and Facebook in Spanish.

Gus went to see the vet today for his third (?) puppy visit. He weighs 25 pounds, he got a few shots, and Dr. Denny said he is a "pleasant little fellow". He encouraged the breeder family of Gus to try doodles so he was pleased. Gus was a gentleman, apparently.

I walked across Minnesota Avenue today with a young man and we both observed a truck full of turkeys going south. He said he had been behind one a few cars one time and due to an open window, got turkey feathers in his mouth. Oh, man. I said it sort of turns me off to turkey for a while after I see a truck. I like to think of my turkeys as, you know, pecking the bare ground and strutting around in the grass.

I had two weird coincidence experiences today. First, I was emailing a young woman in St. Paul about getting copies of some grow local Minnesota thing. She wanted details so I told her about River Rock. She said she had been there once with a young woman who worked at Open Arms in Belle Plaine. I was there that day and met her because she was with a neighbor of mine. Ha!

The other, not quite so strange...I was visiting with a woman in the back room. She from North Mankato...eventually learned she is the aunt of my friend Vickie. Such a small world.

That's why it's a good thing to never flip someone off. They could be in line behind you at the grocery store tomorrow.

As I was informing Regis of my intention to rid our house of clutter, I mentioned the many beer glasses we seem to have acquired. Yes, he said, and what about the 24 wine glasses you just bought at the garage sale? Chagrin.

the willies

So, our home improvement project.

We decide to get new floors, a project long over-due. We find a guy we like, he brings samples we like, and we're off to the races. I thought we would have a few weeks to get ready (packing up two rooms full of crap) but he stopped by yesterday and wanted to start today with the bathroom.

The bathroom is no problem because it's the size of a large postage stamp. The other two rooms are a different matter. We live in the kitchen and dining area so there is a lot of stuff in there. A lot of stuff. It took me several hours to pack up the hutch because I like glassware and I have a lot of it.

But I'm starting to get the willies. I feel like my stuff is all over the place. My original thought was to pack up one room until the other floor was done, unpack the boxes and pack them up with the stuff from the other side. Not good.

I think I have enough boxes to pack up everything but where am I going to put the boxes? My stove and refrigerator have to fit in the living room.

I don't manage this kind of thing very well. I like to be organized about it but it's hard. I'd like to haul all this shit down to the curb and write FREE on the boxes. This right here is how I want to live.

The bathroom floor looks nice. The previous flooring was chosen by some employee at the floor store because after the tornado, I couldn't make a decision about paper or plastic bags at the grocery store and it might not have been the best quality. It curled up right away. I'm sure we got better flooring this time because it's going to cost as much as a luxury car. Well, not quite.

I am most anxious to see the living room floor which should be done by Tuesday. I suggested to Regis that we get rid of the sofa and the television and get a huge dining table. We could even keep the television, I suppose, but we like to entertain and we never sit on the furniture that's in there. We could use more table area. I thought it was a good idea but he's not buying it.

I have several bookshelves to pack up now. At least the books don't have to be wrapped in newspaper as the wine glasses did although I ran out of newspaper and had to use paper towels.

I should just put in a stock of nice red wine and relax. No heebie jeebies. No willies. No screaming fantods. Just relax.

we assemble and disassemble

We got together for burgers on the grill, sweet corn, big tomato slices, fruit salad, and a disgusting chocolate and peanut butter dessert. It was wonderful. The weather was perfect but we spent a lot of time indoors + aphids. Ack. Good food, good friends, good wine, good times.

saturday i sit here

Gus and I woke up at 6:30 and went outside. He's a good dog. Now it's 8:30 and here we sit...same sofa we were sitting on two hours ago. A little bit has happened in the meantime but it's been minimal.

I am retired but I still have a job and one concession I have made is that I refuse to give in to the early rising and frantic pace life used to have. I wake when I feel like it most days and I wander out the door when I feel like it most days.

I'm getting dressed soon to go out and finish planting the hostas. The ground in most places was too dry and hard to plant much last night so I put the sprinkler on the garden and will resume today.

I'm leaving Regis in charge of the inside mess...dishes from last night and getting a chicken ready for dinner. We're going to ride our bikes down to Rock Bend later. Some years we have spent the entire day there...maybe not this year.

We're having the family over for a cook-out tomorrow so there is a lot to be done outside and inside. Busy weekend. I'm sure there will be pictures.

Moving on...

wednesday was a good day...we have pictures

We cooked chicken on the grill and the smoke was so pretty in the late afternoon sun coming through the birch tree.

I took a gift card to Drummer's in the afternoon and bought a ton of hostas for my garden. Here they are lined up by potential size...shorter on the left and taller on the right. Hoping for some sense of order as they get planted...as opposed to my usual random way of doing things.

Gus is studying something on the patio. He's gained more than ten pounds since he came here three weeks ago. He's up to 25.5 now and he gets stuck under things he used to like to crawl under, like the bed. He's quite a little dust mop.

I love the patio in the late afternoon and evening. Lots of neighbors go by walking or on bikes and people like to stop and gab for a minute. When the snow comes, we won't see these people again until April.

We had a little fire in the chimnea. Regis was not in favor of it but did it to make me happy. It did. Beautiful evening to be outside.

We have discovered the secret to barbecued chicken on the grill. We we cut a whole chicken into pieces, use a recipe for Chesapeake Bay seasoning, and cook it gently on the grill. I don't think I've enjoyed chicken so much ever. It's so moist and the seasoning goes all the way through the meat, not just on the skin.

This is the Rockbend Folk Festival Weekend which we usually love. We won't be able to leave Gus alone all weekend so we plan to go Saturday for a while to hear John Gorka especially and my old favorites, City Mouse. I've been listening to City Mouse since they played at the Comfy Bar in Mankato in the early 70s.

We realized the other day, with regret, that we haven't had many patio parties this summer. Sunday, we have invited the whole gang of usual suspects for a blast on the patio...burgers and hot dogs and sweet corn and the whole shebang. I think I'll make peach cobbler since it's seasonal. Ha!

Shaping up to be a great weekend.

I have friends who are good writers. I love these pieces. Mike Callahan in the first paragraph....Sharon Robinson in the next.

New first in comedy for me last night at Fat Daddy's in SD last night. Had them pumping so hard that the guy at the front center table starts to LOSE it. I started laughing cause of his laughing. The whole room broke down. For what seemed like 5 minutes the whole room just wept with laughter for nothing more than the joy of laughing. It was heaven. I could quit today a content man. A room full of strangers in tears laughing over laughter. Nirvana.

In my sadness I want to run out & hug the world, & all the people I love, very tightly. Although I try, like Emily said in Wilder's Our Town, it is difficult to "realize life while we live it, every, every moment." Frost said it best, "the present is to present to imagine."

hahaha

The last post post made me laugh when I read it.

what the internet will and won't do for you

I like the internet. I like the social network thing except for twitter....which I don't fully understand. What frustrates me, though, is that when you really want to talk to someone, nobody is there.

I guess young people understand that. I wonder what we did in those circumstances. Nobody now seems to want to talk to you....ever.

Deb and I called it "the old boyfriend syndrome". I think now it's called "drink and dial".

So, the internet will hook you up to people in some weird way but  you can't really talk to someone like you would on the phone.

I'm not even sure how you would call a person on the phone now-a-days. Don't you love that expression?

I tell you what....the flies this time of year are horrific.

There are three flies in my life, one here and one at home and one at River Rock that are driving me insane. They get in your hair just enough to irritate....

Gus wants to go on a walk so that's the end of the blog. See ya'....

year in pictures

I had to send pictures to a reunion of my high school girl friends that I cannot attend. Here's what I came up with. (Click slideshow after you get to the right page.)

Edit: I decided this was easier...



It was fun to look through a year's worth of pictures and choose the highlights. There was a theme...hats, lights, costumes, parties.

We had a nice day today. I went to work for a couple hours to do the banking. Came home and did a minor constructive thing: ironed all my linen napkins, most of which are not linen but cotton and they wrinkle horribly. Ah, well, I have a supply for a season now.

We sat on the patio as we always do on nice afternoons. Bill and Jean came over for a glass of wine. Nice to visit with them. They love Gus and he was happy to lick their ears.

So, fall has officially started so I bought pinot noir and wore black. A girl has to have seasonal structure, you know. You can't just go around wearing patent leather and drinking margaritas any old month of the year. It's time to get rid of the red and blue table linens, put away the flowerdy stuff, get out the orange and rust table napkins and think about the pumpkins.

I'm a little worried that with the installation of the new floor, October will sneak up on me and all of a sudden, I won't have time for Halloween decorating. Scary.

sunday in pictures

Teresa's new boots

Gus takes a nap

Stuffed peppers for dinner

Great summer meal

Flank steak and grilled vegetables

Fresh tomatoes and basil

Celebrating Vickie's birthday

Good friends and good food = good times!