Music to fill the vacuum

I have been living in a total vacuum lately, and I'm sorry I haven't been blogging. I hope to dig my way out soon. In the meantime, enjoy something totally different, and totally beautiful.

Winter clamps its ruthless hands down on Owl Creek

I used to like winter. I don't much anymore. I guess it's primarily because everything costs money. Fuel oil, wood, electric, snow tires. It's always dark, so I tend not to go out at night. It's dark when I go out to take care of the cats in the morning; it's dark when I go out after work at night.

I celebrate when the first day of winter arrives---not for the sake of winter, but because from then on, the days get longer, and each day is one day closer to spring.

I fired up the woodstove for the first time tonight. I've been holding off so that the wood I have lasts through the coldest part of the year. It's much more bearable in here with the fire going. The temperature stays more constant, rather than going up and down with the furnace. The bedroom is above the den where the stove resides, so it is warmer.

The cats and the dog, of course, are happy because they can bask.

I broke out the Christmas cards, and I've been learning Silent Night on the mandolin. I still can't bring myself to put up a real Christmas tree, but I have my two little artificial trees up.

It's Friday night and I face two days that will go far too fast. But I'll do what I can with them. We all do.

Things always look better when the sun shines.

Hallalujah Chorus Flash Mob

I love these things!

Honoring the holidays

I have so much to get done, and using a precious hour to carve a pumpkin seems like an poor way to spend time, but I knew that if I went outside tomorrow and saw that uncarved pumpkin sitting there (the one that was given to me as a gift when I was snagging barn kittens) I would feel like I was letting every tiny bit of fun slip away. So after running into town for an order of wings and watching all the kids in their costumes on the street in Spencer, I came home and carved my pumpkin.

I take no credit for the design, as I totally stole it off a coworker's Facebook page. :)

Then I was about to toss the guts outside to go to the compost and recalled another Facebook post from another friends mentioning that she roasted the pumpkin seeds from her pumpkin yesterday. Mom used to roast the seeds for us when we were kids. So I went online for instructions, and now I'm drinking tea and munching away on seeds as I answer some work mail...and blog.

I'm quite content. Happy Halloween!

Communing with the homestead.

Today began here with Gillian's passing.

I hope people realize when I write about my angst here, it is no more than the usual human struggle for existence. I realize there are days when we are all miserable, so please suffer me to whine, without worrying.

I find it hard, sometimes, to think back to what the house was like when two of us lived here. It seems like I've done a lot of work on the inside of the house, and yet still there seems to be so much to do. The upstairs has languished for so long. Then I ventured back up (after sleeping downstairs for two years) and took over the guest room. Well, that didn't work out. The guest room is as silent as a tomb and I feel remote from the rest of the house. So I finally moved back into the bedroom. The thing that made it tolerable was pushing the bed right up against the window, like I used to do as a teenager (which is hard to do as a couple, because someone ends up crawling over the other person).

At night the moonlight streams in, and now and then the cats will watch out the window with great intent, and I'll sit up and watch the skunks and deer wandering out around the front yard. No bear yet, though. :) I actually love my bedroom now, and some semblance of "bedtime" has now come back into my life.

When I start boarding cats in the two upstairs bedroom, responsible cat owners would want to see the rooms, which means they will need to tromp through my upstairs as well. This means it's time to prettify the upstairs. So the pile of summer clothes got stored; the tv/dvd was moved from the dresser to the stand behind the bedroom door. Etcetera.

I moved the daybed into the bedroom as well, and the cats now like to hang out there, instead of all sleeping on me. It's quite comfy in here now.

"Doing something" about the house kept me from dealing with the baggage about Gillian. I actually really glad that I got to know her end. It's the best I (or sadly, she) could have hoped for. Every time she has disappeared for a bit, I always wondered if I would see her again, of if that was it. Poof...gone, always to wonder. If the cats were ultimately gone from the compost facility that would end one more source of stress between me and my ex, since he has been left to feed her during the week. So of course, the loss of Gillian is also tied up in the loss of my marriage, and working on the house makes it only so obvious I'm working on it alone. And then I end up reminding myself that it all really is so much better this way.

A mental "blah, blah, blah."

The longer I live here, the more certain I become that there are things I will never ever use. So on to Craigslist they go. Yet sometimes I let the oddest things linger on. The old cat tree is still up against the window in the hallway upstairs, even though a brand new cat tree sits right next to it. I just need to pull the old one out, and bump bump bump it down the stairs. Fifteen minutes max.

Oh well.

At any rate, it was a melancholy day. It almost became a terror-stricken day when Tyler ZOOMED out the front door, straight into Molly. Molly chased him, and Tyler ZOOMED off the porch around the house into the darkness -- smack into the half finished cat enclosure, where I was able to scoop him up before he darted away into the night.

Then once Tyler was safely in--both our hearts pounding--I went out calling for Bear, and immediately heard an animal scream up on the hill. Fox? Cat? I grabbed my coat, shoes, and flashlight, but Bear immediately showed up. I locked out the night with relish, once everyone was safely in.

My phone has been ringing off the hook with political auto-dialers to the point where I want to unplug the damned thing. I thought I was on the do-not-call list, but perhaps I need to do that again. It feels like there is some monster in my kitchen, ringing and ringing and ringing.

The only blessing has been this wonderful weather. I need to force myself to step outside during the day when I am working, or darkness and chill will creep in by 6:00 pm when I'm done, and I'll feel like the last of the warmth of the year has been stolen from me.

Welcome to the garden of mediocre carpentry

Sometimes, especially when I've had sort of a lousy week, I get kind of numb, take a good hard look around myself and think "Whoa...how did I let that happen?" I'm more likely to kick out a lot of work when I'm sort of down and out. I'm not quite sure why. Probably because my mind is numb too, and the body just says "pick this up; paint that; fix this"...sort of on autopilot.

I have people coming over to see kittens, and I've been cleaning out the upstairs of the house as well, so the porch has become a catch-all. I was walking up my path on Friday and suddenly saw it all with a critical eye. My ex and I had set up our garbage cans in a wooden crate by the door. Who wants their garbage right next to the door? Especially that nasty orange recycling bin. Little bits of this and that were stuffed down inside the slats of the crate.

When my ex moved the front steps to the side of the porch, we never got around to building a rail. He tied the old one onto the side of the steps so our parents would have something to hold onto. And there it stayed. He put artificial turf on the new steps so Sadie, our lame senior dog, wouldn't slip. The carpet looked quite nice at the time. However, Sadie has long since passed on, and the carpet has grown threadbare and holds pine needles, mulch, etc. Molly is quite nimble even on bare steps.

I stopped and stared at this old mess and said to myself "My God, does this not just SCREAM 'cat lady'?" Single old woman in a run-down house. Today I went after all the outside projects I've been putting off. The shutter on the front of the house is too stiff to knock back together, but at least I pulled off the slats that were sagging until I can bring it down and put it all back together again. I got rid of the garbage cans and the old crate, bought four bags of mulch, ripped off the old railing (what were we thinking when we did that?) and put up just a simple rail out of two by fours. I pulled the carpet off, swept the dirt off the boards, and stained the whole thing.

Then of course the heavens opened up and now I need to stain it all again. But at least it doesn't look like hell.

Then I tackled the cat enclosure that has been lying half finished in the grass.

I've been putting it off because I discovered I needed to build a base to make it high enough to clear the window I want it to butt up against. I'm not much of a carpenter, and having to measure and use the circular saw just doesn't thrill me. In my numb mood, the base became "no big deal." I ran out of daylight however, and the screwgun ran out of juice, so I'll have to finish it later. All it needs is some well placed screws, a roof, and shelves, and my indoor kitties can enjoy the sun...er...snow.

I'll post photos of it once I have some daylight.

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Moving indoors with the Sunday paper

It is officially too cold to sit on the porch in the morning with my Sunday paper. A heavy blanket of frost lies over everything. It is supposed to warm up to 70 today, and I'll open up the windows to the cat facility so the felines can enjoy fresh air for these last warm days of the year. Then it's back to winter, electric heat, and dust. Yick.

But yesterday it was beautiful. I have discovered soybeans in the pod. One of the girls ordered them at an Asian restaurant when we were out. I stopped at a tiny farm stand last weekend and there was a quart of soybeans for two bucks. So I took them home and have enjoyed them all week. Basically you just scrub them with salt, throw them in boiling water for 4 minutes, rinse them quickly with cool water (not long, because they are best warm) and then sprinkle the pods with salt. Sit, open them up, and enjoy the beans inside, and the salt on your fingers. For those on a no-salt diet, go on ahead without the salt. Actually, I was eating them in the car after I bought them, raw. But the pods are a bit hard to open without the quick boil.

The first round of kittens who have not been adopted yet are growing rapidly. I got an inquiry on Allie, and it was hard to get her to sit still for a good shot.

I have finally had to admit that my current income will not support the farm and cats. Gretchen is coming over today to help me rip out the carpet in one of (or maybe both? we'll see how it goes) the small bedrooms in my house. These rooms are never used. Until this spring, I never even used them for cats. I'm going to put down vinyl, finish painting the walls, paper the ceilings, and board pet cats. The rooms are entirely separated from my living space (and my cats) by a hallways, and they are nice sunny rooms. Each is 12x14. I'll need to put up ledges on the windows and make them otherwise cat-friendly. Each cat would get an entire room so she would not need to be cages while boarded.

This also means joining a pet boarding association, getting insurance, etc. etc. etc. The nice thing about pet sitting is that--unlike wildlife control--there are affordable software programs to manage them. As long as you input everything, the bookwork takes care of itself.

Each room also has a closet, so I can keep different kinds of cat litter, towels, etc. all close at hand. Funds raised from the cat boarding would go to the cat rescue.

I hope to get just a few regulars--people like myself who travel. Booking would be somewhat limited by the fact that I won't be able to board cats while I'm traveling myself.

So that is today's plan of action. I did manage to get the lawn mowed yesterday, hopefully for the last time. The frost destroyed all the flowers in the flower pots, so I may as well rip those out and put the pots in the barn. And maybe Gretchen and I can stop by Iron Kettle Farm today and I can pick up corn stalks for my window boxes on the cat facility.

If you are thinking "Maybe you wouldn't be so broke if you didn't buy roses for your porch," we'll, you'd be right. But the roses were on sale in Owego for three bucks and I couldn't resist.

Back from Rhode Island

Fall travel begins. I have a relatively light schedule compared to previous years, because most of my destinations are within driving distance, with the exception of a trip to Texas.

This week I was off to Rhode Island -- a state I must sadly admit I had not visited until now. I think I'll make it a vacation destination someday, since it was easy to get to and the people were so nice. I was spitting distance from the ocean but needed to get home, so alas, I did not put my toes in water.

I did have a great time both at the Adoption Options held at The Potter League for Animals, and out on the town Thursday and Friday nights with our speakers.

One thing I try to do each time I travel with great people, is to buy one affordable but remarkable item that I can fit into my everyday life, to bring me a smile. Smiles are very important to people who live alone. Well, I suppose they are important to all people, but when you live alone, you rely pretty heavily on memories. So in my house I have a prayer flags I got in Virginia, a tiny bowl that holds my coffee spoon each morning, from a local artists' store in Augusta GA , toe-rings from Key West, shell wind-chimes from Jekyll Island--things that tend to cost around $20.

After dinner on Friday we were wandering around the shopping district in Newport, and stumbled into this little boot store. Pia loves her boots, so in we went. There was one affordable pair I would have been happy to wear to Texas, but unfortunately my toes objected. Paul and I wandered over by the door to wait for the others. Some rain boots in abstract colors adorned a rack. Paul is pretty tall and pulled down a short western plastic boot from the topmost shelf. He said, "What about this?"

OK, these were definitely boots that would make me smile, especially since Paul picked them out. Pia walked over. Luckily she has a smaller foot size than I do, because she fell in love as well.

We both walked out laughing with loud, artsy, fun, vinyl, western rain boots (soft and comfortable as can be) and gave all the credit to Paul.

When people's eyes fall to my feet in Ithaca (or in the airport when I travel), I will smile and smile and smile. Maybe I'll even wear them for the next AO.

Thank you Karen, Paul, Steve, and Pia for a wonderful workshop and a great time with friends.

Discovered a new place in Owego

The rooftop "beergarden" at Tioga Trails in Owego (photo from their web site)

A little brain-dead from two days of adoptions, I wandered down to Owego to meet Gretchen, but our usual watering hole was closed. The Parkview was also closed and dark, so Gretchen suggested Tioga Trails. When we got there, the proprietor started to seat us but then asked if we wanted to "visit the roof now or after" and since I'll take any opportunity to visit any roof at any time, I said "now."

We entered a street-side door that we had previously passed, and climbed up four stories of brand-new steel stairs to a new wooden fenced deck with a covered bar overlooking Owego. The woman behind the bar told us it had only been open two weeks.

It was a beautiful place to spend a September evening, sipping Mojitos ($4, or $2 for a half-sized drink--cute!). Dinner could be ordered from the restaurant below via cellphone (Order "to go" and they'll bring it up. Although you'll ended up eating out of stryofoam, at least your wonderful leftovers were already boxed. The food was excellent - $11.95 for the pasta dishes we had).

Then the crowning touch arrived -- "Ted" the dog, who played dead when you pointed your finger at him, would "shake," and also gave double-pawed "high-fives." Ted scored lots of sweet potato fries off me (I broke them into small pieces as treats) and I got my big-dog fix for the week.

So, all of my local readers, before the cold weather rolls in, I suggest you watch the sun set from the roof of Tioga Trails this month. They are open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Maybe you'll get to see Ted.

"Ted" at the Tioga Trails rooftop garden (Photo by Gretchen)

New home for the wedding bench

The summer before Mark left he brought the bench down from the top of the hill so that it could be sanded and repainted. He used the tractor, and I no longer have one, so taking it back up again isn't really an option. I already replaced the bench with two chairs, so I can still watch the horizon with a friend.

But what to do with the bench? It was a wedding gift from our good friends Mike and Teresa. Mike officiated at the wedding. Having it perched on the hill was a perfect place for a Mike and Teresa gift. Just having it sit around the yard like an ornament didn't seem right.



So I sanded and stained it, hauled it into the back of my truck, and drove it down to the road to a little place by the creek where there used to be a log bench that has rotted away. Now our many walkers can sit and enjoy the quiet stream, and I can too.



This seems like a Mike-and-Teresa type place, too.

How to beat the "I-want-to-eat-fresh-vegatables-but-I-always-let-them-rot" blues

At the store, buy carrots, celery, broccoli, a few onions, a small bag of potatoes, a small package of sausage (Italian or sweet, your preference) and a cake of bird suet (because you ought to, but seldom do). Total, $12 at the Big M in Spencer.

When you get home, throw a load of laundry in the washer. This only takes a sec.

As you unpack your groceries, get out a pot, knife, and a cutting board.

Fill the pot with 3-5 cups of water and put it on "high" on the stovetop.

Peel three of the carrots. Cut them lengthwise, and then chop them into small pieces. Throw them in the pot. Put the rest of the carrots away in the fridge. If there are old carrots in the fridge, pull them out, cut them into a few big pieces, and throw them in a plastic grocery bag or a bowl for compost.

Wash the broccoli. Cut off the tough end of the stems and toss them in the compost bag. Slice off the rest of the stems up the the floral part of the broccoli. Throw the good stems in the pot of water. Break apart the broccoli florets and put them in a ziplock bag so they are ready to munch on them when you are hungry. Put this in the fridge. Look for more old veggies in the fridge to pull out and throw in the compost bag/bowl. Old bread, etc. are also fair game. Don't ask "Is it expired?" Ask "Will I really eat it?" If the answer is "no" throw it out now.

Cut off the entire top of the celery bunch. Throw the top in the compost bag. Wash the whole remaining bunch. Chop off about a cup in small pieces. Throw these in the soup pot. Wrap the celery in foil and put it in the fridge. Pull out the old grody celery you'll find in the vegetable drawer.

Pull out a few of your new potatoes. Hopefully you got some in good enough shape that you don't need to peel them. Wash and cut three potatoes into bite sized pieces. Put the rest of the potatoes away in the cupboard. Look for old potatoes to toss. Throw these in the compost bag. You may need to cut the old potatoes in half so they will rot faster.

Peel and chop up an onion. Throw in the pot. Put the rest of the onions away. (ditto discard old onions you may find...)

Rinse off the cutting board. Take the sausage and cut into 4-5" long pieces. Slit the skin on one piece and put in a small frying pan. Wrap the remaining pieces individually and put in the fridge for future cooking options. Fry up the sausage, breaking it into little pieces.

Put half of the sausage in the soup pot and keep the rest in the pan. By now the soup should be boiling. Turn it down on "low." Don't let it boil over or it will just piss you off, ruining the whole exercise.

Immediately wash up everything you used, wipe down the counters, throw away anything that needs to be thrown away, and put away remaining groceries.

Take the old vegetables and trimmings out to your compost tumbler, compost pile, etc. Bring your suet with you. If you don't have a composter, take the scraps as far from your house as you can and throw them out for the critters. Scatter them, don't dump them in a pile.

Don't do this if you have bears. :)

If you don't have compost or a country back yard, I guess you have to throw the trimmings out. What a pity.

Put the suet in your suet feeder. Fill your bird feeders if they need filling.

Wash your bowl/throw out the plastic bag.

When the soup has been boiling about 45 minutes and the veggies are soft, take it off the heat. Take a smoothie wand and put it in the soup and turn it on for about 10 seconds. This will puree about half the soup, making it thicker. Throw the rest of the sausage in. Turn the soup off if dinner is an hour or less away, then warm up right before dinner. Don't overcook. Freeze the leftovers in dinner-sized portions or save some for lunch the next day.


How will this keep you from wasting your fresh vegetables?

It won't, but when you discover they have rotted in your fridge or cupboard in a few weeks, you can console yourself that at least you got one batch of soup out of them, did your laundry, fed the birds, cleaned your fridge and your pantry (so you won't encounter future nastiness), ate at least part of the broccoli if you remembered it was in the little ziplock bag, picked up your kitchen, and had sausage to use for spaghetti or breakfast.

Your house will also smell good for a day. You will have gotten a nice feeling of accomplishment once everything is done.

Then the future-forgotten veggies won't seem like such a waste.

And it only took a half an hour.

Unless you blogged about it. Then it added another 20 minutes.

How to be alone

Couch finds second life at Grassroots Festival

Anyone recognize this?



I'll try and find a photo of it when it was at my place.

Grassroots volunteers were looking for furniture to give a new life to old furniture in a cool way for their musician's lounge. They came and rescued the poor orange couch from my barn. I don't know how much furniture they ended up with, and what the whole lounge looked like, but the couch sure came out great.

I hope it goes home with someone or they use it again next year.

They are looking for similar (ornate wood frame) furniture that needs a second life. If you have any in the Finger Lakes region, let me know and I'll send Stephanie's email address.

Thanks for sending the photo, Stephanie. And I hope everyone who went had a great time at Grassroots.

Blueberries

I'm not a big fan of blueberries from the store--even so-called 'fresh' ones. It seems like they are always bruised and warm, not to mention expensive. Today I was coming back from Ithaca with a load of cat litter. It has been raining all weekend and I've gotten very little done in the line of house projects. At the "BLUEBERRIES" sign I paused and turned right. I'd been meaning to check this place out for years and today seemed like a good day.

I drove up the hill. And up. And UP. AND UP! I finally found the place, and I was the only one there. The owners came out on their deck and when they heard I only wanted a pint, waved me toward the bushes. "Just go anywhere." I guess if I'd been after gallons they would have sent me to where the most berries were ripe.

Oh, it was beautiful. Rows and rows of blueberries about 1/4 ripe. It was raining just a little bit, the paths were all mowed, and the blueberries just rolled off into my hands. I only had five bucks on me and didn't know how much they were, so I only got about a pint and a half. I came back out to my car, tapped my horn, and the owner came out to weigh my berries. He was only charging $1.85 a pound, and I had less than a pound. I gave him two bucks and told him to keep the change.

If anyone wants lots of blueberries, I'll be happy to help you pick on some cool and cloudy day. I forgot to put a hat on (yes, there were a few deerflies) but picking would go fast.

When I left, I discovered that if I continued to follow the road, it dropped me right at the end of my own road, and it was only three miles home.

I'll be going back.

Dog days of summer

Literally. Summer and Jack have come to stay for the weekend. They are easy-care dogs (Jack slurps up his four pills along with his dry food). I can't walk three dogs at one time, and Molly has been surprisingly patient about being left clipped on the porch. No barking, no whining.



It's a lousy weekend to have dogs. Hot, humid, rainy. Luckily there have been enough pauses between the showers to walk them, although we had to wait quite awhile yesterday evening. They are good dogs, and it's almost no bother at all to have them here.

Bear doesn't think too much of my impromptu porch gate, made out of a screen door laid on its side. Molly did a classic header right into the screen (bonk!) when I let her run around in the side lawn unclipped and then called her back over. Even though she'd been on the other side of it all day, I guess it didn't occur to her that it was also there when she came back up the steps at full tilt.

That's gotta hurt. But it's hard not to laugh. Don't worry Molly, even humans do it.



Speaking of Bear, he went in for his post-fight-with-Skinny Bear FeLV/FIV test, and (happy days!) was negative. So he got his first FELV vaccination and I'll take him back each month for a retest. I'm sure my vet thinks it's overkill, but I can't imagine what it would be like to wait six months, discover he's positive then, and wonder at what point he started shedding the virus in my house among my other cats. Nope--I'd rather pay $40 a month now with one cat, then drag five of them in later on.

I'm not going to even try to plan what I would do if he tested positive down the line. I guess he'd live in the Great Room or the downstairs of the barn. But at this point it's just not worth wasting brain cells on a future that may not happen.



I watched The Bucket List last night. I should watch more movies. They jerk my brain out of my day-to-day rut. Fiction quite often has good messages. I tend to get down on "media" because TV is so incredibly bad, in general. I don't mind fiction when it is clearly fiction. I do mind contrived "reality" that encourages people to compromise reality in search of a "better story." So when I pop in a movie and get to watch something like The Bucket List that is entirely contrived (you aren't being asked to believe it happened) but has good messages (friendship, discovering yourself and the world, having to go away to learn your greatest gifts are often home), it's sort of a relief. A little mini vacation right in the living room.

I have books to read (thank you Kathy, if you ever do get a chance to read this) but I haven't cracked the open yet. I really should.

On that note, it's Sunday morning and I have lots to do. The birds are impatient for their feeders, and Owlie is yowling his head off in the barn (so glad I have no neighbors!) asking to be released from his quite-spacious run into the nonetheless-much-larger cage room.

He'll have to wait until the kittens romp, first, and I go to Ithaca for cat litter. Oh, poor Owlie!

Reunions, friends, fires

I am totally tuckered out after a trip back to Norwich for my 30th high school reunion. Sometimes I wonder how the majority of kids survive high school. Now, with most of us safely on the far side of 45 and closing in on 50, so much of the high school angst is gone. Facebook had brought many of us up to date, so it wasn't like walking into a room full of strangers. And then I had a slumber-party-catch-up with Lisa and Sandie, wine glasses in our hands, until 2:00 am. It wasn't nearly long enough, but I do get through DC at least once a year and must make an effort to stop in and see them.

Before the dinner I stopped in for a short visit with Mom, and this morning before I left I picked up my sister Kathy and we had breakfast. I made it to Ithaca around 3:00, fed the Fast Food and South Hill ferals, and then came home and jumped on the lawn tractor. Then it was up to the cat facility to clean and play, and then off to the kennel to get Molly. The house is a wreck and it's been "clean as you go" tonight, grabbing the vacuum cleaner and scooping up loose items to stuff them back where they belong. I rely on my weekends to get things in order for the upcoming week, and that didn't happen!

We have rain coming in again, just as the wood had finally dried out in my firepit, so I treated myself to a fire, bear or no bear. I don't want winter to roll around and feel regretful that I never enjoyed the summer. I started blogging out there, but Molly kept making me nervous by going on the alert, so I finally blew out the torches and left the fire to burn out (yes, dear family, I am keeping an eye on it and will water it out before bedtime)





I think I really need to revisit high school, and my high school friendships. Dig through the yearbook. I was out of touch with everyone in the 90s, and while they were hashing out our high school years, I put them entirely on "hold"---basically I just stuck them in a memory box where I expected them to stay. Therefore I learned far less from high school and those friends than I might have. I guess it's never too late to catch up.

Holiday are good for...things you should have done months ago

I have today (the Monday following the 4th of July) off. There are of course the tasks that can't be put off - taking care of the cats, mowing the lawn, doing some laundry.

Then there are the tasks I've been putting off for months. July 4 is the Summer Wake-Up Call date. It's all downhill to winter from here. Finishing the paint on the house, doing remedial work on the roof and my unused chimney are summer "to-do-list" items that had better be attended to now, or they won't be attended to at all.

Worse yet are the tasks you actually spent money on months ago because you perceived them as urgent, and then never completed.

On this list I can include the auto-powered air compressor (to fill my truck tires, bike tires, wheelbarrow tire, and two-wheeled cart tires). I purchased this many moons ago because it was VITAL that I have these things to complete my summer tasks.

I never even took it out of the box.

Today I wanted to wheel some wood in my wheelbarrow but the tire was too soft. I wanted to move some pallets out from the barn to the house to start work on the cat enclosure, but the two-wheel cart tires were soft. And I caught sight of my somewhat-squishy silhouette in the mirror today and resolved to get on my bike but...you guessed it.

I dug the brand-new compressor out of my blue truck today, all set to finally fire things up.

Of course, the battery needed to be charged first. 16 hours.

Sigh. The new battery charger is now plugged into the great room outlet, charging, and all my tasks requiring the wheelbarrow, cart, and bike will remain undone another day.

My second purchase was a pair of jackposts for the house and barn, since both are sagging. Bear has pushed the still-boxed post--intended for the house--off the porch rail at least three times. I fish it out of the grass and hoist it back up on the porch rail...but don't install it. The spidery basement may be the cause of my avoidance.

I've tripped over the post in the barn countless times. My excuse there is that I don't want to scare the barn swallow babies out of their nest too soon.

They left their nest today, so that excuse is gone.

Fall is coming, people! What's on your list that you've been putting off?

The rebirth of a happy cat

As I've mentioned before, since Norma, Nellie's buddy, passed on, Nellie has been including herself in the household instead of remaining upstairs glued to Norma's side. She made Norma's lonely scared-kitty life much better, but it's quite nice to see Nellie get to live a normal pet-kitty life now.

She's a tubby cat (as she wanders over right now with her tail in the air). While she does wrestle with her brother, with everyone else she is affectionate and remains a great hot-water bottle for any cat who wants someone to cuddle up to. Every encounter with another cat usually begins with her walking over and planting a good solid lick on their forehead. In the rare situation where this results in a swat, she just gives them an offended look and stumps off to find someone who will appreciate her ministrations.

She also wants to squeeze into bed with me at night, but she manages to do this while I'm asleep and don't notice, and at least it doesn't result in kitty tiffs, as it did between Ivan and Ditzy.

It's good to see her comfortable.

Visiting an old friend....

...my dentist.

When a chunk fell out of one of my teeth that had previously had a root canal, I finally sucked it up and called the dentist. I had not been to one in 8 years.

As I he peered at my xrays, I wondered if I might get a small miracle, but it was not to be.

"I expect you know you won't like what I have to say," he mused.

"It's a lost cause, right?" and he said yes, the tooth had to go. I said "Well, it's my own fault."

So I had my first tooth pulled.

Let's just say it's a lot faster than a root canal, and a hell of a lot cheaper, too.

Let's also just say it's good none of you are here, because I am quite tired and grumpy. Excedrin migraine formula works quite well, by the way, but the ups and down as it kicks in and then wears off every six hours is a real bummer.

I can't whine much though, because Sara's husband had three teeth pulled at the end of last week, and I had dinner with a friend who has had three pulled in the past.

However, I will whine a little, 'k?

"The Checklist" revisited

Some of you may recall that awhile ago I set up a checklist to maintain a sort of minimal functioning sanity. It worked fairly well for awhile, but like all rigid things, fell by the wayside. Fortunately it did pass on a certain rhythm to my days, which was the whole point.

I have since acquired a desire to finish (REALLY finish) my job by 6:00 pm each day (Apologies to colleagues who have now alarmed their mates and pets by guffawing loudly over their morning coffee). I don't mind starting two hours early, but I don't want to continue two hours past quitting time. So the list is coming out again for a major overhaul.

There is a notable difference between the last list and this list. The last list placed "things to do" one at a time. This list recognizes that "one-at-a-time" isn't going to cut it. So it starts out with "Make coffee/wash dishes/pick-up," moves onto "laundry/bathroom," progresses to "birdfeeders/fetch paper" and ends up at "Break on porch/check work messages."

Alas, I'm at "break on porch" and as I try to check my messages, the voice mail system thwarts my good intentions by ringing busy. I now waste five vital minutes calling my work phone from my home phone (and vice versa) to make sure the issue is indeed the voice mail system and not my phones (it is indeed the voice mail).

Curses!! So I shall blog instead, since that also needs to be included on the checklist somewhere.



Post Note: Gremlins at large. The laundry didn't spin out! Oh well. Moving onto "save faxes/take a shower."

More later...

Discover your impact day...

This week was Discovery's 25th anniversary, and today was a company-wide day of service. Working from home in the frontier called Central New York, I wasn't near any of the volunteer projects that people were doing around the globe. Discovery had some projects for people who were needed at their desks, so I signed up to make happy cards for kids at The Children’s Inn at NIH. At the main offices they had supplies set up for people to use, but I raided my craft drawer.

Believe it or not, for once I did a simple project and I actually owned everything I needed! Seriously---that never happens. Can it be that I have become organized? Well, I could have used a hole-punch, but I can pick one up tomorrow before I put these in the mail. I even had little kitty charms and tassels.



I printed the kittens off adoptable pets on Petfinder. Here is the real miracle: I didn't even run out of printer ink. Amazing! I even had glossy photo paper. I nearly shocked myself.

I hope my disorganized readers will understand why this was such a pleasant surprise.

Sometimes you can almost feel guilty doing something so simple and enjoyable and calling it "community service." Maybe "community fun?"

If you work with an organization (from work to Scouts) and want to help the Children's Inn, you can learn more here.

Post-note: I now own a $1.99 single-hole punch.

Oh Home Depot...bait and switch...not you?

Oh yes. There was some sort of pile of tools, or a grill, or something at Home Depot by the door--sign up to win, you know. So I dropped my name in. Today I received this little card. I noted immediately that it didn't say I won anything and figured it was a marketing ploy, but I gave a call.

I did not, of course, get Home Depot. I got some "mumble fast mumble Consulting" whatever. "Mrs. Burke" put me on hold to "look up my information" and came back and asked me how often I shopped at Home Depot. I told her I would be happy to answer her questions if it were only going to take a few minutes, as I was at work. I figured it was just marketing research. Annoying, but necessary for businesses, now and then. She assured me yes, just a few minutes. And she asked if I were familiar with Home Depot's "water mumble mumble." She wasn't really mumbling, but she certainly wasn't telling me about the grill I'd won. She was telling me about a water test. I'm thinking "OK lady, put it in the mail," then she said, get this...

"Would there be a time we could set up where you and your husband, or significant other, would be available so a team could come by...."

...and I realized Home Depot--or whoever had bought the opportunity to plunk a pile of tools down on a table to get the phone numbers of homeowners--was trying to string me in to buy a water filtration system.

I told her thank you but no, I don't let unsolicited strangers into my house and she said, get this "Oh, well you could have a neighbor there if you wanted..."

Wow.

I told her no, and thankfully she said OK so I didn't have to spoil my day by hanging up on her. And of course I stepped to the computer and discovered I was right.

How sad. You think you maybe are in line to get a cheap pack of screwdrivers (and wait all day for 4:00 to call, knowing it's a scam, but maybe...) and your instincts were right. Scam.

Today's recipe

Ravioli with Spinach Pesto

In the interested of eating better, I've been writing down the very rare recipes that sound good to me when they pop up on Yahoo.

This is one. I hope to make it soon.

Creamed corn pancakes

I was sulking through my cupboard and refrigerator this evening, grumbling. Nothing to eat. Nothing to eat. Unless I wanted to eat chicken soup -- again (on sale, 50 cents a can last month at the Shur-Save, so I bought about 20). I cast an eye at the cans of creamed corn I had purchased to make scalloped corn. I was just too weary to deal with baking.

I seemed to me I should be able to fry something up, but all the recipes on the internet for "creamed corn pancakes" seemed far too involved. I was able gather some ideas of what, in general, was needed to make corn pancakes stick. I threw together something quite simple:

One small can creamed corn
two eggs
about twelve crackers, crushed
That's it!

I used Multi-Grain Club crackers.
I think next time I would use unsalted saltine crackers.

Mix, spoon onto a medium-hot frying pan, add a tiny bit of pepper while cooking, and there you go.

It made seven small pancakes, which would be enough for two people if you had something else along with it. I didn't, so five of them became dinner for me, and they were quite good. I may throw in some diced fresh tomato next time. Probably all sorts of things could go in there (a bit of spinach, etc.).

The one pancake in the picture looks like it has a bit of tail. In fact it's the cat on the plate. :)

The cats and the dog all requested a bite of the last two pancakes. I gave them a small amount. They would have eaten them all up, but it didn't seem to me that corn was a great option for feline and canine digestive systems.

Memorial Day

I was driving into Ithaca to feed the cats today, and I slowed down to look over the improvements at Nichols Park in Spencer. While I was idling, I noticed the memorial could use a weeding and some more mulch. I'm woefully under-involved with the Spencer community, so I stopped by Home Depot and picked up a couple of bags of cedar mulch. I spent a very nice hour in a very beautiful park, weeding, mulching, and chatting with the woman who runs the hot dog stand on the sidewalk.

She gave me a free root beer. :)

Here's wishing you a Memorial Day of sunshine and good friends, and please take a moment to attend your local service if you can. It will only take a few moments of your day, and there's no better way to say "thank you" to your local veterans.

Justifying buying a new car...

Anytime I make a huge purchase, I always suffer buyer's remorse---well, not so much "remorse" as justification. I always worry the day after I buy something I'll learn it cost too much, or is the worst car on the market, etc., especially since I buy sight-unseen.

I was happy to see a couple of articles that indicated (so far!) that I hadn't screwed up buying my Kia. This article rates it as one of the top ten least expensive cars to own.

This one really made me laugh. This article tells you which affordable cars will make you look rich, and the Kia Soul tops the list.

I haven't yet seen another Soul on the road since I bought this one. I have been approached twice by people who are thinking about buying one, and wanted my feedback. I had to admit A) I love the car but B) don't hit any potholes or you'll break a tooth, and C) the stripped-down version is great. In fact, I find it a lot classier that some of the "upscale" models.

Of course, then there is the Best Automotive Ad of the Year" award.

Silly dreams, quickly made, quickly dashed

When I was in Ithaca I took a quick drive around Taber Street to check Nancy's parking lot to see if maybe she were grooming a Sunday dog. I came to an immediate halt when I saw the For Sale sign in front of this old place.

Back in the 80s I picked up a hit-by-car toy poodle way down on Elmira Road by the car wash, with tags that gave this address. I was met by an elderly gentleman who insisted his dog was in his fenced yard. He went out into the yard calling and calling while I stood there in tears, because his dog was in my van, dead. He finally came out to look, and he totally broke down. When he asked for me to take her because he could not bury her, I gave him the poodle's collar, said I was sorry, and drove away. That old gentleman's grief has always haunted me.

I stopped and walked around the house. What had, back then, been a front porch was now a glassed in extension. The lot was fairly large (there was a second house there back when I visited in the 80s) with a shed just like the one I used to have for a cat facility in West Danby. The yard sloped down to one of the inlet channels, and the water was dark and quiet, shaded by trees. It was a suitable spot for a dock, if legal. It was clearly in the flood zone, but the house itself was up on a four foot high foundation. There was more than enough room for another building for the cats.

I began wondering what it would be like to sell the farm, invest in this little place, and be able to plop a kayak in the inlet anytime I wanted, bike to stores, visit friends for lunch, take care of the ferals without a two hour time-investment, etc.

After wandering around, checking the foundation, and peeking in the windows, I called the Realtor. Sadly, the house is part of a four parcel bundle in the seven digit range.

4. 812-814 Taber Street 1,058 sq. ft. This white stucco two story 3 bedroom, 2 bath home is on a double lot with wonderful green space ideal for outdoor meetings. It also has waterfront access. It would be possible to install a dock on this parcel. The house is cleaned out and could be leased as office space for a variety of small businesses. Future development possibilities when combined with adjacent lots.

There is another matching house around the corner for $80,000, but while it looks out over the inlet, it doesn't have water access right on the property, which is all of the charm of the other house. It is a cute house, but I'm not in the market for a cute house. I'm in the market for a lifestyle.

What a pity. Nonetheless, it's always fun to dream.

But then I came home and, sitting on the porch, listened to the birds off in the woods, and was actually quite glad the house was not available. I won't be able to stay here forever by myself, but I can enjoy it for a long while.

Comfort food of spring -- Rhubarb

I ran into Alice in Wegman's today ("mom" to Elvis and formerly-Lulu, whose adult name I am spacing on). I offered her a rhubarb plant, as I have three on the flat I need to move, and I don't really need five producing plants and can easily spare one. She reminded me of the rhubarb crumble recipe she had sent me last year. Of course, I have lost it, but I found one on the internet.



Sadly, I took two large bunches of rhubarb over to my mom and my sister last week, and then forgot it in the car. Maybe I can get some more over to them before the season ends.

Rhubarb crumble is like a crisp, made with chopped rhubarb, orange juice, cinnamon, butter, and oat-butter topping.

Cook Time: 40 minutes, 375F
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

* 3 cups chopped rhubarb
* 2 tablespoons orange juice
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 tablespoons butter, cut in small pieces

* Crumble Mixture:
* 1/4 cup melted butter
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 2/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 2/3 cup quick cooking oats

Preparation:

Arrange diced rhubarb in a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with orange juice, 3/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, then dot with the 1 tablespoon of cut up butter.

Combine melted butter with brown sugar. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda; mix with oats. Combine the flour oat mixture with the brown sugar and melted butter mixture. Spread over rhubarb. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve warm, with ice cream or whipped topping.

Gardening, our personal metaphor for life.

I was wacking away at my garden the other day, wondering why humans are so addicted to the pastime. I remember when I put in my first massive perennial garden. It was gorgeous the first year. It was gorgeous the second year. The third year, it needed to be divided and reorganized---requiring more work than putting it in to begin with.

My flower garden in this house consists of a long hedge of lavender (flowers twice a year, has pretty gray/green foliage, and you can chop the heck out of it almost any time) and spring bulbs. I have window boxes on the cat facility that I dote over. That's it! A small amount of effort for an effect that gives me great joy.

Then there is the vegetable garden. Wowee zowie, what a mess.

First of all, however, let me sing my ode to Rhubarb, nature's freebie. You can neglect the hell out of this plant, and it will give and give and give. Some day, I long to be as generous as rhubarb. Bless this plant, it will provide enough for you and all your friends. All of my plants came from Mark's dad.



I have had a veggie garden ever since I've been a part-landowner. The first year we had the Station Road house, we put in a great little garden, but I really don't recall what we ate out of it. The garden here at this house in Spencer has never been that productive, primary due to the devastation of deer and weeds (i.e too many working/business hours, not enough home/garden hours). I do recall a lovely Saturday morning when we shelled peas from his garden--just enough for one dinner, and for snacking as we shelled.

Nonetheless, while I don't remember anything I ate out of the first Station Road garden (although I know it produced), I specifically remember eating one thing out of the current garden The Year The Husband Left, and that was kale. I think the kale plants, which churned out leaves for me even as the snow fell, kept me alive that year. Not so much because the plants gave me nourishment, but because they kept on giving even though they were entirely neglected out there.

The first year sans husband, I was determined to keep the garden going, but that fell flat pretty quickly, since I was managing the entire place with a push mower. The second year I was going pretty well until I accidentally slaughtered a family of baby bunnies trying to keep up with the grass inside the fenced area.

This year NYS brought us an early spring, so the weeds really got going. However, I am out of my desperation mode now and into a Victory Garden (i.e. Austerity Budget) view on life. I'll grow kale next to burdock if I have to.



I carved out one spot at a time in the raised bed, to get the kale in. Then I slowly got rid of all the rest of the weeds to plant seeds. In the gap between each of the frames I planted sunflowers.

The grass is an ever-present enemy, but now I have a working John Deere tractor in addition to the push mower.



There once was a time when, if the garden hadn't been "perfect," I would have felt it was a failure. But after picking kale out of the snow--the only plant that lived, but LIVE IT DID!--I'll gladly carve bits of success out of the the Great Wild Lands. Maybe one day I'll have a big beautiful garden, but right now I'll be happy with a little bit of kale and whatever else makes it.

We all have reasons why we garden. Our gardens--or lack of one due to our dedication to other things--are ourselves.

I'm a big girl now...

...and I have moved back to an upstairs bedroom rather than sleeping downstairs in the den. This is mostly prompted by my back, that has decided to object to a squishy twin bed full of cats and rather impatiently demanded a firm double bed. It is also partially prompted by the need to move on.

The cats do not much like the front bedroom. The only cat that has seen fit to join me is Wiggles. Hopefully Ivan will find his way up.

I may fall asleep posting this...

I got a bit farther on the cellar door. To work on it I had to venture into the section of the barn I inherited, and finally begin tackling the creation of a real woodshop. Boy, do I have a long way to go.





Mostly I need to just clean, and create places to store tools, which shouldn't be too hard since I hardly own any at all. I have all this SPACE!



I also found this platform rocker up in the haymow. It was left behind, I assume on purpose, so I guess it is mine now. Now it will be a place where I sit on the porch when I take a break from projects this summer.

But now it's time to sleep... I'll fix the typos in the morning.

Recognizing frustration in others....

...and trying to keep your own attitude in check.

On Easter Sunday I was early for our family rendezvous at a restaurant near Greene, so I stopped at a Big Box store to walk the pup. After causing a racket of frantic barking when every car-bound dog noticed another of their clan was FREE (albeit leashed) in the sunshine, I put Molly back and wandered into the garden center. Which was a mistake. I figured I was safe because I already had pansies for the cat facility window boxes (and I don't invest in any other annuals anymore) but then I noticed the bleeding hearts. It occurred to me that I didn't have any bleeding hearts at all on the farm, and they would be perfect for the cat garden, which is damp and shaded.

The plants were a little under-watered. They weren't entirely dry, but given that most were in bloom and they are a fairly delicate plant, water is pretty much what gives them any rigidity at all. I carefully picked out two plants that had buds rather than flowers. As I used to manage a greenhouse and have some gardening experience, I'm fairly familiar with what plants are best to get in bloom, and which are better to purchase while they are still growing, if you wish to enjoy them.

I cheerfully paid for them and because the plants were facing ten hours in a warm car, asked if I could water them before I left.

Oh, mistake.

The cashier gave me sort of a surprised, guilty, and almost offended look. Oops! Even though I had been pleased and smiling (how can you not smile when you have just gifted yourself with plants) I realized I apparently had made a mistake. I discovered quickly that there was no spigot and hose I could quickly step to myself to water my plants before I left. Instead, the garden center has a water cart, which luckily was close by.

The cashier called out to the woman manning the water cart, announcing that "this lady would like her plants watered." The water cart person also straightened up with just the slightest flash of affront, and then quickly cast her eyes around the garden center.

Then I "got it." By asking for water, I had insinuated the plants were dry and they were not doing their jobs. And this was something they had apparently been reprimanded for, many times, by someone. Even, it was likely, when the plants were not dangerously dry, but were just between waterings.

It was clear that a customer suggesting a plant needed water, no matter how politely, was not a good thing.

I walked over with my two plants and the water cart person took them from me and said "They aren't really dry." She started scooping soil out of the plants. Almost violently, down about four inches into the pot. "See? They are moist. See?"

I realized we also apparently had a group of employees who probably were managed in a rather heavy-handed manner. I could just hear the "don't get me in trouble, lady" tone in her voice. The soil-scooping seemed not to be for my benefit, but for some other audience. I began to wonder if there were video cameras somewhere.

She clearly wasn't a rude person, but something about her was giving off paranoid vibes that began to make her seem rude.

She watered the plants. And then, loudly, she said "These don't have many flowers. There are plants with far more flowers started than these, you know." Again, that tone. The tone of a woman who perhaps had been ordered about by customers demanding help picking out forty marigolds with as many blooms as possible? ("No, not that one. THAT one!")

I wasn't hearing "Here, is this helpful to you?" I was hearing "See everybody? I'm being HELPFUL!" And I began to wonder what it was like to work there everyday if this is what it did to you.

I instantly knew that saying "Actually, with delicate perennials that are going to be stressed by travel, it's better not to choose a plant with a lot of mature flowers" would probably not be a good idea. So I just smilingly said "These are fine. Thanks for watering them. They are going to be in the car while visiting my mom for awhile so I wanted to be sure they didn't dry out if it got too warm."

Surely if anyone was around to overhear, that would take care of the "customer thinks the plants aren't properly cared for" vibes?

She came back with "Really. How long ARE you visiting your mother?"

Interpreting human conversation is always such a joy. Had she said "How nice! How long will you be visiting? Would you be able to set them outside the car if it gets too hot?" she would clearly be communicating her concern for my plant investment. But instead I was still getting the "you'd have to be driving for three days for this plant to really dry out" vibrations off her.

She finished watering the plants, hoisted them up and opened her mouth and I said "And it's fine if they drip. I have a plastic bag I can put them in in the car" (even though I didn't) and her mouth immediately snapped shut. Apparently I had correctly identified her next concern for my watering decision.

For those who have been behind me in Walmart while I mutter angrily to myself after having my receipt checked to be sure I haven't shoplifted eight bags of cat litter (you know who you are!) I am proud to announce that my outlook on life has improved such that I did not make any parking-lot comments when the plants failed to drip at all during my walk to my car -- evidence that they indeed needed their extra shot of water. Instead I continued to experience that mild curiosity about what would make those employees so paranoid that their customer service was worse--not better, when confronted with a simple request.

Sadly, I failed to keep my mouth shut at the crowded buffet later that day, when people headed back and forth between the buffet line and their own tables got backed up because the restaurant had placed one large table right in the traffic zone. Because I have this problem with letting things that run through my mind spill out my mouth, I said aloud to myself "well, THAT table should go"--right behind an overworked server, who sort of turned her overworked head back toward me and said "Well, when you are serving 600 people, you need all the tables you can get."

(This is probably the kind of comment I would have made in the same situation)

Oh HOW I wanted to say "Well, perhaps you shouldn't be trying to seat 600 people if your restaurant won't fit them" but instead realized that probably 700 people had called for reservations over the past two months, and probably at least 50 of them had whined rudely about not getting a seat so I said "Yes, and I'm sure it's hard to tell how the traffic pattern is going to work out until people actually get here and start serving themselves" instead of a snarky "How many years have you guys been having this Easter buffet? Shouldn't you have it down by now?"

She smiled, recognizing that I was trying to cool down my unwise comment. I smiled, recognizing that she was accepting my unspoken apology. Kindred spirits.

Besides, the food was excellent, the location was convenient, the servers were wonderful, and who the heck really cares if you spend an extra ten seconds letting people through a bottleneck? It's Easter! Smile, say "Hi!" and keep your lip buttoned, Susan!

Really, my friends, I'm TRYING to get better! Someday I shall be one of those wise old women who just nod their heads knowingly, but who manage to also have a look on their face that accurately but somehow politely communicates their approval or disdain.

I'm not there yet. I may need a couple more decades to get even close.

Spring.

Come the first warm day of spring when I have a few free hours, what is the first task to be done?

Start preparing for next winter.



I stacked the "green" wood I had delivered last fall, now that the dry wood in that particular stack has all been burned. In a month or so I'll order three more cords, and I'll be set for next year. The pile was covering daffodils that were desperate to come up.



Other unrestrained daffodils opened up today for Easter.

I had all sorts of plan for a "ant versus grasshopper" sort of post today, but I received word via Facebook that Jack is lost from his home in Ithaca, so the joy is really off this day now. The photo of my instruments below was going to be the "grasshopper" part of my work versus play post. But frankly, I started playing again because to play an instrument means you can't think of anything else. I love rescuing cats, but it wasn't enough to detach myself from thinking about my ex. While cleaning, driving, trapping, combing, etc. I was always thinking about it. You can't think about such things when you are playing. And the cat rescue itself brings pain, at unexpected times. And because I won't let myself cry anymore over being abandoned, I do find I cry about other things (more worthy things). So I need something else that is simple in itself, but takes every bit on concentration, and takes away any kind of grief, for a little while at least.



Come home safely, Jack, and all cats that are lost or abandoned.

Just me, my mandolin, and my mutt

...and my netbook, and my digital camera, and a cat or two...

What a beautiful morning! After weeks of travel and generally not-feeling-relaxed, I have this gift of a Saturday before Easter that is sunny and warm. Two guys stopped by during the week asking to pick up all the miscellaneous metal in my fields, and did such a good job I have this vicarious feeling of accomplishment as I sit here on my porch gazing over a junk-free (mostly) property. They took every teeny-tiny piece of crap--not just big piecesthat have a lot of weight value. Before coming to my door, they even crawled down into the gorge up Morfit Road and hauled out all the old hot water heaters, etc. that people have dumped down there. They were smart young men to not ask permission first, since I would have had to tell them "no" for liability reasons. I took a walk up yesterday with Molly (too bad old tires aren't worth money) and could not believe what they managed to haul out. I guess now I have no excuse not to fish out all those tires on my own.

After my cup of coffee and some doodling around on my porch with the mandolin, it's time to go spend some serious hours with the cats and fill their window boxes with pansies I scooped up in a hurry when I was in Ithaca picking up Faith yesterday. The goldfinches have joined the chickadees at the birdfeeders. I can hear the blackbirds and the phoebes.

I so love living out here.

Can you say "stupid"?

So you are a Responsible News Reporter and are a role model for young and old. And you do something like this to report on the flooding in RI:



I'm never quite sure what is supposed to be accomplished by this. Is there anyone who doesn't think "That has to be one of the most stupid things I've ever seen?" Did he really want to be in there or, as he strode out the door with a camera crew, did a boss yell out "Hey, don't forget your waders. It would be great if you could get soaking wet and put yourself at risk by wading in the flood waters when you give your report. Maybe you'll also teach people it's OK to wade through waist-high floodwater when they absolutely don't have to"

I wonder what emergency response folks think when they see something like this.