The Blog: Spellbound by our own imperfect lives...

I keep having these revelations like I am coming out of a big, gray fog. I hope it's not untoward brain activity and I'm identifying it as something wonderful. Work is settling down. They have taken duties away as part of the separation of one job into three and it keeps making things easier and simpler. I'm all for that. My work life is good. We have been enjoying gorgeous days on the patio. Yesterday was drizzly and cold but we sat out there anyway because we had prepped a whole tray of peppers and scallops and had three giant prawns to cook. You can't do that on the stove, my friends. The poblano peppers were stuffed with Andouille sausage from Prairie Pride Farm, a chopped yellow pepper, onion, and some very hot peppers. Then I covered them with a layer of smoked provolone. The scallops were wrapped in prosciutto. We used Emerill's creole seasoning on the prawns. It was a delicious meal and we licked our fingers. We had a very nice local contractor come ov

I'm reposting this as new because somehow, I got highlighting in the background, and I couldn't fix it. It was driving me insane. We had Ella come over yesterday so we could celebrate the start of her school life Wednesday. We had lunch at Patrick's then came home to spend time on the patio. We had a little present for her, Vickie stopped for a visit, Ella helped me water plants and do some weeding. Later, Regis made a fire in the chimnea and we cooked wieners, smoked sausages, and marshmallows on long sticks. It was great fun and a fitting start to Ella's school year. We joked a couple times that she has no idea she's in for a long haul of education. Of course, she was disgusted with that and said yes, she did. Ha! Such innocence. We were a little worried about Ella and Gus, her being an excitable five-year old and him being a huge puppy. She did a great job, though, and learned to grab his leash, push on his butt, and tell him to sit. We called her the Dog W

For a lot of reasons, Thursday is my favorite day of the week. It's almost the weekend so we're thinking of things we can do for fun on Saturday and Sunday but the weekend hasn't started yet so there's no pressure. It's usually a busy day at River Rock so I get to put on an apron and hang around the front of the shop gabbing it up with folks. Ah, Thursday. I had to pick up some stuff from the accountant yesterday so Regis and I motored to Mankato and did that right before 4 o'clock. Then we stopped at Neighbor's and had a happy hour glass of wine and an appetizer. Way good for half price. We had Prosciutto Wrapped Scallops with Garlic Cream and Mushroom Duxelle and Beef Carpaccio with Garlic Dijon Aioli. Nice place and good food. Tonight we're going to experiment with a little table-top grill Regis found at a garage sale in Iowa for a quarter. We've seen them for $150 dollars so if it works, it's a great deal. We're going to cook little

Regis and I are cooking tonight. The River Rock crowd is coming over to see the movie Black Gold , we're making suffed poblano and jalapeno peppers, and bread cheese . Our house smells like onions and peppers and Andouille sausage. I came home yesterday after a ten-hour day and went to bed at 7 o'clock. I slept all night and felt great when I got up this morning to work out with Rachel. That TRX is a killer but it was a good killin'. There is almost nothing like a good night's sleep. I think I got jalapeno on my hands and rubbed my nose. Must have nicked the glove with my knife. Not good. I came home today to find a new pet fence keeping Gus out of the living room. I had to laugh. I wonder when the bear is arriving that this fence is designed to enclose. It's enormous. I could step over the one we borrowed but this one...a moose couldn't step over it. Regis says I will be glad when he is fully grown and we are able to contain him. Here's a picture but

We had such a nice day yesterday and I think we're going to repeat it today. I went to exercise early and then had a cup of coffee outside at River Rock with my friend, Kris. Even with the highway noise, it was pleasant. I did some paperwork at my computer...you know...bills and such. Ugh. Regis and I went to the patio about two o'clock. We had a plate of cheese and olives for lunch and gabbed the afternoon away. Later on, we cooked steaks on the grill and had a big salad. Delicious. We made a fire in the chimnea and burned up old cards and letters that we've been intending to dispose of for years. It was a beautiful night and the fire made it sweet. Days like that one are just not as common as they should be. Today will be full, too. Regis got up early with Gus and I slept until 7. He got the laundry started and I made a big omelet for breakfast. He is going to mow the grass and I am going to buy a few groceries and go for a long bike ride. Tiffany and Peter ar

In attempting to arrange another vineyard tour, I call an establishment in the neighboring town. I ask if it might be possible to bring a group of 30-40 people in for lunch and a wine tasting on a Saturday in September. These are people who like wine and like to spend money. Do the math. The woman was so unenthusiastic that I asked to speak to a manager. Turns out, she is the owner and was still really not interested in accommodating us. Well, she was so rude, now I'm not interested in going there. Ever. Ah, people are funny. Regis and I have learned in our somewhat limited restaurant and bar adventures, that the experience is important. I don't care how good or bad (to a degree) the food is, if you don't have fun, you aren't interested in going back. One of our favorite places has a bar tender who is less than a good time. We almost take a big wide turn to avoid him because part of the fun of going there is the people who know us and are happy to see us. If people

I went to Penney's yesterday because one night when I was in there, the saleswoman told me she was a bra fitter and I thought that was a service of which I could partake. The woman I met was not there but the current woman said "Honey, we're all bra fitters here. Want me to take a look?" I thought that was a hilarious beginning. The bra fitting did not go quite as I imagined. It involved being measured and then handed bras through the door. If I knew whether they fit or not, I wouldn't need a bra fitter. Oh, hell. What I brought home looks better than what I had. I also got a hair cut which is always a hoot. Patrick makes getting a hair cut fun and I told him that. It's an idea that works for lots of things. I saw my recently retired physician's assistant in the coffee shop yesterday. I loved her and always looked forward to seeing her because she seemed to be interested in many things and she liked to talk. She made going to the doctor about as much

Gus is taking his first nap of the day under the bench. I'm drinking my second cup of coffee after having done the dishes. Regis is at the grocery store. I told him yesterday if we had small children, someone would call social services because we are out of everything...eggs, bread, peanut butter, and blue cheese. How can we survive? Thank God for kale. I feel like I am half-way getting my head around my new job. Everything doesn't feel new anymore...at least I can find my way to the bathroom without a map. Ha! Someone asked me one day if I would be sad when school started. I laughed. Regis reminded me that for more than fifty years, every fall meant going back to school. Yeah, I know. But I do not feel sad. I feel delighted to have new things to think about and new things to work at and new problems...like where to get farm-fresh eggs instead of how to structure a professional learning community. The last egg guy I talked to was a dang hoot and really liked his chickens.

Regis officially resigned from his job today. Now, this may seem like bad news to some of you with the economy and all but he did it with not only my blessing but my encouragement. There is only so much of Crazy Town, its Mayor and the various crazy Council people that a person needs to tolerate in one lifetime. When that insanity starts to bleed over into your personal time, i.e. early mornings and weekends, it's time to pull the plug. Good-bye cheap Halloween costumes and hello peace and contentment. Life is just too short for that kind of bullshit. You wonder where some people get off. It's either they are socially maladjusted or inherently evil. Doesn't matter. Nice to have a choice of whether or not to put up with their crap. He's heard from the nice people who appreciated him and that's a good thing. Regis went off to the vet clinic with Gus for his first check-up and his third round of shots. Probably will get scheduled for the neutering, too. Ouch. We&

I think I could do a night like this every night of the year. Cooking on the grill, visits from neighbors and kids, puppy playing, wine drinking, good food, beautiful summer evening...and the dishes are done. Gus is taking a nap because he played so hard in the back yard after dinner. He gets the zoomies and it's a hoot to watch. He also visited Ella and Alex today and the Kwik Trip so Regis could fill up his car. He spoke with Chloe, Maggie, and Roscoe next door and had a visit from Waldo. He is officially welcomed to the dog neighborhood. I can't believe he is happy to pee on the grass outside. That other dog we had was prone to peeing on Christmas tree skirts and my pant legs. Those were some good stories. P.S. In case you need a reminder of what a shit Bert really was, check out the Blasts from the Past on the right side of this blog. Six out of eight are about Bert. That tells you something.

Since October, we have been dogless but Regis has recently started yearning for a dog. We read up on different breeds, explored shelter dogs, and talked to lots of people. The folks across the street have a dog, Zoe, that we love. She sits regally in the yard and never runs away. Zoe is a golden doodle and I want a dog like that. We looked for a doodle but they were either too far away or too expensive. Then on Friday, Regis found a website for a nearby dog breeder and we went out to look at a puppy. I knew...look at a puppy = buy a puppy. We went to a farm near LeSueur called Island Farm Goldens . I knew when we drove in that the dogs had good care there. The two puppies were romping in the grass and there were lots of happy dogs in a fenced area. We bought our dog Friday night, then went to Mankato to stock up on the dog stuff we needed. When Kramer died, Regis was heartbroken and he gave away everything we had. They were very happy to help us spend our money at Pet Expo. W

On my way to work on my bicycle. Laptop and a clock in my basket. Stopped at the corner of Minnesota Avenue and Nassau. When the light turned green and the little man said I could walk, I started out. A car came whizzing around the corner and nearly hit me. I dismounted the bicycle in a surprisingly graceful leap considering I was wearing a long skirt, clock and laptop went flying. I remained miraculously upright but the bike went down. Car kept right on going. Bastard. On my way home, I saw a man get out of a vehicle at the PO wearing the absolute worst wig I have ever seen. It looked like someone made a wig out of a shiny brown blanket. It was so bad I thought about riding by and snatching it off his head. (the bad wig bandit) Really, is bald worse than this assault on the eyeballs? We met friends for dinner at Whiskey River. Delicious meal and good company. I'm glad it's Friday. We have no plans to do anything except maybe some yard work and a little bookkeeping. and s

Saturday night, Suzie was telling us she'd had a bad year. Her dog, Steve, died. She had surgery on her back. She had a run-away car incident and slammed into the PO doing 50 mph. She had to give away her bird, Herbie, because he got aggressive. And she retired. I said, "Suzie, you are one relationship away from being a bad country song." If you knew Suzie, it would be funny. We went to a consignment auction last night. Vickie has been telling us what good deals she gets there and how much fun it is. We got there about 4:30 so we could look over the stuff. That took about 30 seconds. Unless you were interested in moldy old bed sheets or railroad memorabilia, there wasn't much to draw to. We stayed for about an hour because Regis had a mild interest in an old camera but then we hightailed it outta there. Some of that old crap went for almost 300 bucks. WTF We sort of understood what was going on when the woman was "calling" if that's what you call it.

I have a clear memory of standing in the bedroom and thinking, "Oh, dang! I wanted to write about ...on the blog!" But do you think I can remember what is was NOW? At one point over the weekend, Jane and I had a conversation like this: Me: Did I tell you about our birthday party next summer? Jane: No, you didn't! Regis: She told you last night. Me: I don't remember doing that. Jane: What did I say? Is this how conversations go as you get older? Aw, hell. I thought I would remember by the time I got to the bottom but I didn't.

The last six weeks have been so busy that we are very glad to have a weekend coming up with nothing to do. I spent some time this morning picking up the trail of crap we leave around the house and putting away things like the 4th of July decorations. I know, I know. I packed them up the end of July but there they sat. So nice to have it cooler this morning. Almost gives a person some energy. I wish I could be home all day. I forgot that we're going to an auction in Mankato tonight. What we want to do that for is a mystery to me. All we need to do is be tempted by cheap junk of which we already have a houseful. Regis has never been to an auction in his life and he wants to have the experience so here we go. I started reading the most hilarious book: It Looked Different on the Model . I was reading in bed and thought I would wake Regis up. Well, actually I wanted him to wake up so I could tell him about the chocolate stars on the pillow. Hilarious. Got to get more of her books.

Regis, Vickie, and I mounted up the Honda and headed to Iowa for the weekend on Friday. We were going to see old friends from my early days of teaching at the Children's Home, their families, accumulated friends along the way, and some old stompin' ground. It was sweet, bittersweet, and memorable. Here are some pictures. I'll have to ponder it some more to get at the emotion of it all. Saturday morning, we stopped at Gwen's in Lisbon for breakfast. It's a tippy old building where you feel like you just might be walking crooked. Good food, though. Vickie and I studying the decor of Gwen's. Interesting place and interesting clientele. It was the weekend of the Lincoln Highway garage sales (all across Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio) so the place was full of characters. We took the town tour on Saturday morning and Regis thought this was a hoot. On the campus of Cornell College, the Stoner House. You need to have spent some time in the 60s to follow that one. Vic

I am very careful about not revealing personal information regarding my whereabouts on most social media but I think my blog readers are of the non-criminal mind and will not be making plans to break into my house and steal my valuables. Regis and I are packing up the car and taking a road trip to Iowa this afternoon to see old friends in Mt. Vernon where I started my teaching career. Vickie is coming along because she wants to see the world's largest frying pan in Brandon, Iowa. And she loves road trips unlike yours truly who starts to get anxious days before the impending trip. I don't know why. It's not that I don't enjoy being away from home...I just don't enjoy the getting there. I feel a sense of urgency to get there and then a sense of urgency to get home. No joy in the journey. I don't know if this is a character flaw or just a characteristic. Some of my friends and family poke fun at me about it and encourage (more like berate) me to be different.

I can't believe it's Wednesday. On Monday, Regis came into River Rock on his way home. It was two o'clock. I looked at him in amazement and asked if he had gotten off work early. I couldn't believe it was two. I couldn't believe it when it was almost six when I got home either. I was tired but at least I wasn't weeping like I was last Monday. So, my post-retirement job is definitely keeping me busy. There is a lot to learn about the intricacies of a business...how they do this and that and why and where things are and when things have to be done. Like today, payroll has to be done or people don't get paid on Friday which makes them very unhappy. There is also lots to learn about the dynamics among the people in a new job. I do a lot of observing and asking and not much revealing yet. I like all the people I work with very much...they have all been extremely patient and understanding as I try to get my old head to grapple with all this new information.

I only woke up two times during the night. Thanks to Ambien, went right back to sleep. I've changed my schedule so I don't work out with Rachel on Monday, but on Tuesday instead. Monday is a killer day at the coffee shop with three days of deposits and all the ordering. Last Monday, I went to work at 7 and didn't get home until almost 5. I was a wreck. Today, I am going in about 9 o'clock and will try to have a more reasonable pace to the day. I ordered a new cookbook with a gift card I got for retirement. It's called Heartland . More farm to table stuff you know. I roasted beets yesterday and Elliot and I thought they were great. I also ordered this book: It Looked Different on the Model . The review in Book Pages was hilarious so I'm sure I will enjoy it unless the reviewer is funnier than the author, which sometimes happens. Regis made two of our farm chickens on the grill last night. We've learned that cutting them up, as opposed to cooking them