journal

A View From the Field

April 22

I was later than I wanted to be last night, but I got to bed before midnight. I didn't sleep very well. I had a bunch of night sweats and I hurt. I'm hoping the hurt is because of the weather, but we'll see. Anyway, I did get about 4 hours' good sleep before I got up around 10:30.

I knitted on the red sock. I started out on the plum sock, but I'm still concerned about the red one, so I worked on it. I might have enough yarn and I might not...I still don't know. However, I think I can take a few yards from the other one if I need them.

That was about all I did, except to try to get a couple of magazine subscriptions straightened out. I don't know if you've had this problem, but I seem to be a target for some companies that somehow find out when my subscriptions expire and get me to renew through them. They aren't the publishers, and I think they're scam artists. The one this year sent me some very slick postcards, but I got very suspicious when I discovered they weren't the publishers and they wanted to charge my credit card a good six months before the expiration dates. I called them around the first of the month and said I didn't want them, but then it looked to me like they were the only way to renew - and the ones they had are two of my favorite magazines. So I called them again and discovered that no, they are not affiliated with the publishers, and yes, there are other ways to renew, and in fact, they gave me phone numbers. So I called both publishers and got that straight, or I think I did. They will send me renewal reminders sometime in the summer - much more reasonable - and I can renew then, for as long a period as I want. I hope none of my other subscriptions have that problem, because it really annoys me.

I see no reason why I should renew a subscription six months before it expires, and I see no reason why it should automatically be renewed without my approval. True, they did send me the postcard, but all it did was confuse me more. I regard this as a scam and it annoys me very much. I hope I can keep out of their clutches from now on. I don't subscribe to too many magazines anymore, but I want control of those I do.

Otherwise, I read and petted a very loving cat.

The weather was lousy. It didn't rain after about 5:00 AM until 1:00 PM, but it was dull and gray and threatening. It's been raining ever since, and so far, we've had 0.69". The high temperature was only 38º and there wasn't any wind. Only the humidity was over 85%, so I can't tell if my sore joints and muscles were the pills or the weather. I think I'd rather have snow.

The guys slept. Grayson slept on me as much as I'd let him. Louie came around late in the afternoon and started muttering around out in the great room. I don't know what his problem was. They don't like this weather either.

So it was a slow day, and I think I'm going to forgo the shower and just have greasy hair. I'm tired and I think sleep is more important.

It's a cold, dark, rainy night in the field.

April 21 - The Resurrection of Our Lord

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

I actually got to bed around 9:15 last night, which was close to my target time, but I didn't sleep well. I had a hard time getting to sleep, in part because I hurt, and I was up several times, no doubt because of what I ate for dinner. I did get about four hours' quality sleep before I got up at 5:50 AM, but that wasn't enough, and I've been tired and hurting all day.

I was moving slowly, but I had enough time that I actually left right about 9:00. It wasn't raining and the roads were good - and empty - but I got to church about 9:50. I thought about having breakfast - they said it was excellent - but if I'd gotten something to eat, I would have had to sit down, and then there would have been the problem of getting up again. Getting out of a chair with no arms is practically impossible for me these days. So I went upstairs and had a nice conversation with Stuart.

Church was good, as always. I sit down in front, in part so it's easier for me to get to the altar rail, and when we started singing "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today" I could hardly believe the noise behind me. There were a lot of people in church today and everybody loves that hymn. I think the choir did all right, although I don't like the thing we sang very well. There were extra hymns and there were so many people at communion that the service ran long, of course, and it was after 1:00 when I got home. I couldn't sing "I Know That My Redeemer Lives," of course. That's one of my funeral hymns. Jan fired up the trumpet stop that's in the front of the church for the postlude, and it was in tune and sounded great.

I practically fell asleep in the bathroom, so I didn't do much of anything for the rest of the day.

The weather was miserable. The high temperature here was only 40º, although I think it was a bit warmer in Laurium. There wasn't much wind. There was spotty rain all day, but we've only had about 0.2" here. It came down fairly hard in the usual spots on my way down, although there wasn't any on the way home. it didn't start in earnest until after 5:00 PM here. No wonder I hurt.

The guys slept, as usual, but even more because of the weather. Louie spent the day in the bathroom, I think. Grayson kept coming to sit on me, going away and coming back until I finally chased him away.

So it was a quiet day and now it's a dark, rainy night in the field and I'm very tired.

Christ is risen! Alleluia!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

April 20

Another late night, but not quite as bad as the night before. This time, I think I was just too tired to move, until I started dozing off in my chair. And I was so tired that I fell asleep on my back - very unusual - and when I woke up, four hours or so later, I couldn't understand why my body pillow was still on the other side of the bed. I got up around 9:30, which wasn't nearly enough sleep, and I'm very tired again now, but that's all right. I need to go to bed early, and I should sleep well.

I worked on the red sock, and I'm still not sure I have enough yarn, but if I don't I'll just have to rip it out again and take some rows out of the leg. I hate it when that happens, but I still like the yarn and the pattern, so I'll do what I have to. Otherwise, I was too late and too tired to do anything, so I read.

The weather started out relatively clear, but it soon started to cloud up and after about 4:00 PM it was cloudy. The temperature got up to 57º for the first time this year and there was a gusty wind, up to about 25 mph, mostly from the southwest. No doubt that's why it's so warm. I didn't poke my nose outside. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler and possibly rainy.

The guys know the weather is changing again, and they slept. Grayson slept on me for a while, but I was moving around too much. I don't think Louie has moved from the bathroom all day.

So that's all there is and now it's a warm, cloudy night in the field.

April 19 - Good Friday

Oh, I was late again. Instead of going up to the north end like I said I would, I wrote the rest of the episode I was working on, which took a while. I haven't read the whole thing, but I think it's all right, so I can go on or go on to something else. I'm still wrestling with the Trine 14 story, and I'm rereading that now.

So I got to bed late and I didn't get up until around 11:30. I cast on the second Z-sock and knitted two rows, and that took a while. Then I realized that I had to get moving, so I went off to the post office before I ate. I had to stop at the store, because I had a package there that I need. I need to report (I don't think I have) that Staci Gibson has bought the store from the Coltases and they've retired. They owned it for a long time and they deserve their retirement. Staci is making some changes, of course, but I think they will be good ones. She says she is stocking more things like cheeses and other stuff like that. I need to get in there and take the tour, but I'm waiting a bit. Getting in isn't the problem, even with the steps. It's getting out that's almost impossible. I think it's a balance thing.

Anyway, I got my mail and I got my package and my JD, so I'm set. Then I got my Schwan's order, which wasn't as complete as I wanted because I couldn't afford it, and now I'm good for a while. I wouldn't have ordered except that I was running out of veggies and my Friday salmon, both of which I would miss.

The weather was lovely, if cool. It was clear and blue all day. The high temperature was only 44º, though, but there wasn't any wind. It was lovely. I guess Sunday isn't going to be so good, but at least we'll have a couple of nice days.

I just discovered that we shot the moon this morning - three pictures. When I saved them, I discovered that the last time we did that was in February, at about the same phase, and then the moon set over the end of Lighthouse point. This morning, it set over the mountain lodge. That's how much it's moved in two months. The sun is now rising north of the glass block window in my bathroom, I think - I haven't been there - and it isn't shining right on the toilet anymore. So spring is coming. The next two days are supposed to be very warm, so there will be a lot of melting. The drifts in the culverts are still 4' or 5' high, but the west end of Lake Lily is ice-free. There isn't any water down in the culverts - yet - but up by US-41, it's a mess, and the rough places are very rough. It makes you drive very slowly.

The guys slept. I haven't seen much of them since this morning, but I think they ate some of their breakfast. Grayson slept on me for over an hour when I got home.

So it was another very quiet day, but I did get some writing in last night, and that felt good. Now it's a clear, cool night in the field, and maybe I won't be up all night tonight. I hope not.

April 18 - Maundy Thursday

All right, enough. Time for bed.

I was stupidly late getting to bed, but I had my usual problem anticipating the shower, and then I had to do it. It wasn't easy. The weather was changing enough that I hurt all over and reaching my hair was difficult, to say the least. I slept, of course, because I was exhausted, but I didn't get up until noon and then I knitted on the blue sock, which is going to get done the next time I work on it.

Then after breakfast, I had an accident, so I knitted some more, a couple of rows on the sleeve of the sweater. Oh, yes, and I had another accident just a while ago. Some days aren't easy. I still hurt, although I took some Tylenol this afternoon, which helped. I don't like to get in the habit of doing that, because too much is bad for my liver, but I hurt all over. The weather has gotten better, too, which no doubt helped.

I didn't go to church. I was too late and too tired and I hurt too much. I was sorry, but stuff like that happens, especially at this time of year. I spent the evening writing (!), which is part of the reason for the second accident. I didn't want to leave it, because I might have lost my train of thought. I've just reread what I wrote, though, and it sounds pretty good. I didn't get to the crux of this scene, though, and I'm so tired that I'm not going back to it tonight. It will have to wait until tomorrow or so.

The weather was so-so. It rained most of the night, until about 5:00 AM, and we had 0.31" of rain. After that, it was just gray and cloudy, until after sunset, when it began to clear up. The high temperature was only 38º and the wind was from the northeast in the 10-15 mph range all day, except that lately it has gone calm. Blah.

The guys slept. They both got some loving, and Grayson got to sleep on me a couple of times and he left of his own accord both times.

So it was a very truncated, quiet day, and now it's a clear (I think) cold night in the field.

April 17

I think I made it into bed by 12:30 last night, which is pretty good for being as late as I was. I was so tired I slept hard, although I was up a couple of times and I hurt, pretty much all over. I think it has something to do with the weather. The Tylenol only lasts at most six hours, and I don't like to take a lot of it, because it can affect the liver. I got up around 10:30.

I knitted on the plum sock until i finished the gusset and then I went back to the red sock. I'm still not sure I have enough yarn to finish the one I'm working on, but I'm going to try before start ripping it out again.

I was late enough that I mostly did my surfing. I was just about to fire up my iFrogs and call Debbie when she called me, and we talked until the cordless phone battery began to die - a bit over 2 hours. She had lots of news to share with me and I had lots of news to share with her. Besides, her birthday is Friday. She is still planning to come back this summer, which is nice to look forward to.

The weather was nondescript. It was dark and cloudy and dull all day. The high temperature was 50º, around 2:00 PM, but it fell off after that, and it's been raining since about 8:00. There wasn't any wind. Blah, and now yuck.

The guys knew the weather was changing, too, and they slept. Grayson slept on me for a long time this afternoon. I haven't seen Louie.

So it was very quiet. I haven't decided whether to go to church tomorrow or not, but I need to be prepared in case I do. In part it depends on the weather, but it's going to be a very long service, and I don't relish coming back in the dark even if it isn't raining. So we'll see.

For the time being, it's a dark, cool, rainy night in the field.

April 16

Oh, I was late again. It's such a chore to take a shower that I keep putting it off. I did it, though, but it was after 2:00 when I got to bed. I didn't have the best night. I'm not sure if it was because I was thinking about having to do several things today - including driving 100 miles - or the temperature or something else, but after I woke up the first time, I had trouble sleeping. I guess I did between 6:00 and 9:30, but I didn't want to get up when i did.

I did, because it gave me enough time to knit a bit, have a nice breakfast and do my surfing. I got away just about when I intended, and I got to the dentist's office in time to visit the restroom - and I didn't even have to wait, and in fact, I think they were waiting for me. It was a nice change. Very seldom have I known a hygienist who was on time for her appointments, and this one (who is a very nice woman) is usually worse than most.

Everything was fine. It seems like they are watching a spot at the back of one of my last molars, but it doesn't seem to be decayed yet. I'm not looking forward to the bill, because this time it was x-ray time, but everything looked fine. So that's over for six months.

So then I trundled over to Bambu and ate Chinese for the first time this year. Oh, it's so good! I brought some of my lo mein home with me, and I just finished it, and it was just as good the second time. Yum!!

I was way, way early for choir practice, of course, so I sat in the parking lot and listened to ATC until I simply couldn't wait to pee any longer. Then Nancy came and we had a nice conversation. She has gotten the Service Guide book for this year, and I was so interested to see it. It's something I've wanted to buy, but it costs lot, so I have been shelving it in favor of the journaling Bible, which I hope to get sometime soon.

Choir practice was great, even though we were missing a soprano. I hadn't sung any of that stuff before, but it's all easy and we did well. It went long, though, and it was 9:30 before I got home. I'm tired.

The weather was lovely. If I had to drive all that way, this was a perfect day to do it. The high temperature here was 50º, although it was higher in town, and there wasn't any wind. It was clear and blue, at least until around 7:30, when a fog bank began to move into the harbor, and there were some really weird pictures from the camera. I was still down in town at that time, so I didn't see any of it, although from the state of my joints, I could tell it was getting more humid.

As far as I know, the guys slept. I haven't seen Louie. He probably raised his head, thought "Oh, she's home" and went back to sleep. Grayson watched while I was out in the breezeway because I had a bunch of stuff to move to the platform, and he sat and squinted at me all the time I was eating. I don't think he would like Chinese, even though it smells good.

On my way out this afternoon, I passed our little flock of turkeys just a bit past the waste management building, which I think is where they hang out. There was a tom and five hens. The tom was all puffed up with his tail all fanned out - very handsome - and the hens were picking at the gravel and completely ignoring him. My hygienist and I had a good laugh over that. I didn't see any other wildlife except for a skunk that looked like it had been hit a glancing blow and died at the side of the road, which always makes me sick. I know it's sometimes not possible to avoid a critter, especially at night, but I think a lot of people just ignore that and hit them without even trying to slow down. Barbarians.

So that was my day, and now I'm really tired. it's apparently a clear but foggy night in the field.

April 15

I don't remember exactly when I got to bed, but I think it was about 11:30. I slept so hard that the first time I woke up I was so stiff I felt like I was cast in concrete and it took me a while to be able to move at all. I was up once more before I got up, around 9:30, I think, but it was a good sleep.

I knitted on the Z sock and I've started the toe. That's only the first sock, of course, but I'm making progress.

The task of the day was to get the last bulletin put together. The info landed in my inbox after I went north, but as I said yesterday, I got everything but the service order put together yesterday. So it didn't take long - a bunch of copying and pasting, then a few changes to the formatting - and it was done. My editor says they all look great, so I'm going with that. I'm not completely satisfied with the graphic I chose for the front cover - the open tomb with three crossed behind it - but I guess it will do. I was disappointed in the available graphics for Easter. I don't want to start doing a different cover every week, but I think festivals should have a little something. The other churches I've gone to buy special folders for festival services, but we can't afford that.

Anyway, that and my surfing took up most of the day.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I ran across - and almost into - a bunch of turkeys while I was coming and going. On my way south, there was a whole flock, ten or more, down by Phoenix, out in the middle of the other lane of the road. I've seen them before, but this time, two of the toms were displaying and they looked just like the pictures of Thanksgiving turkeys, all puffed up with their tails in fans. Then, on my way home, a couple of hens ran across the road right at the waste holding ponds east of Copper Harbor, and I almost ran over them. I always thought wild turkeys were smart birds, but the ones we have around here aren't.

The weather today was sort of nice, I guess. I didn't go out. It was clear overnight, and the moon was very bright, but it started to cloud up late in the morning and the afternoon was cloudy. The temperature was nearly steady, around 37º, and there was no wind.

The guys slept, of course. Grayson got to sleep on me for a long time. Since most of what I was doing on the bulletin was with the mouse, I didn't have to get him off my lap during that. He went away and came back a couple of times, but I think he got his lap time today.

So that was my day and now it's a dark, cloudy night in the field. Tomorrow I will be off to Houghton, and then to church for choir, so I'll be late.

April 14 - Palm Sunday

I got to bed late last night - about 10:15, i think - and i didn't sleep particularly well. I was wakeful until after midnight, and then I was up about every two hours. I was sort of dozing when the alarm went off, and I would rather have gone back to sleep, but I got up. I thought I was doing good, but it was still after 9:00 when I left the house. It didn't matter - the choir didn't practice until around 10:00 anyway. It turned out to be a song I've practiced before, so that was good.

Church was good, too. I had things to say to both Pastor and the woman who takes care of the flowers, so I was a bit late leaving. Pastor calls this next week "hell week" and I think he's right. He has four services to do before next Sunday afternoon. Of course, the ones on Sunday are the same at the two churches, but still. I don't have the information for the Sunday service yet, but it seems like Sue won't be printing until Wednesday, so maybe I can get it together.

Then I had to get gas and mail my taxes. The price of gas has gone up ridiculously in the past couple of weeks. My tank was about a quarter full and it took more than $50 in gas for the first time in over a year, I think. Makes me angry, especially when I hear that they have determined that there is much more crude down in Texas and New Mexico than they thought. There aught to be a law...

I got home a bit after 1:00 PM. I had something to eat and sat down at the computer to read my email and finish my surfing.

Actually, most of what I did this afternoon was work on bulletins. I got the service for Friday done and made the changes Pastor wanted to both Thursday and Friday - mostly wording changes - and I put together a bulletin for Sunday minus the particulars (readings, hymns and the sermon), so when I do finally get the information, it should be just a matter of plugging things in. Thursday and Friday are done, but except to run Friday's by Pastor, I haven't sent them out yet. I wanted to get Sunday's started because I wanted to make sure I had all the Easter flower donors listed. This year, I decided to list them in alphabetical order. There were only six at St. John's, but there were 14 at St. Paul's, so I had to check things and I'll have to do it again before I finish.

That took most of the afternoon. The Friday bulletin was most difficult, but Good Friday always is, since it's a service where there are often a lot of non-churched people. That Thursday service is going to be a long one, with communion and the several new members to be sworn in. I would like to go, but it seems like it's going to rain that night, and I don't want to be out in it.

There is going to be choir practice on Tuesday, too, but it's at 7:00 and I can probably get there, maybe even very early. I will have my knitting with me.

The oncologist recommended that I take Vitamin E for my hot flashes, but I wanted to check that out, even though I sent for the pills. So I did, and I discovered that I can't take it. It seems that taking vitamin E with a blood thinner could possibly cause excessive bleeding, including into the brain... No way am I going to do that, and my estimation of the oncologist just went down several notches, since he's the one who said I had to take the blood thinner forever. I also emailed Vitacost (which is a great source of stuff like that and all my probiotics) and asked if I can return the bottles and get my money back. Grr. The days of implicit faith in doctors is long gone.

Of course, I've said that one should never assume doctors know everything, and one should never assume that a backwater like the Copper Country would have the best doctors anyway. I keep seeing more instances

of that.

The weather started out all right. It was even sunny enough that I wore my sunglasses to church. However, then it clouded up, and around 4:00, I looked up and realized that we were socked in - the fog had rolled in. That was not predicted. The rest of the afternoon was a combination of sun and fog, and the fog didn't lift until it got completely dark. The last camera picture, at 9:30, was clear. The high temperature was 37º, around 3:00 PM, but it was all over the map, from 31º to 37º. I don't know why, because there wasn't any wind. The weather here is so wonderful!

The guys slept, of course. Grayson slept on me as long as he could, but I had work to do. They were delighted when I fed them canned food after I got up this morning. It makes sense - usually I'm so late that they've already eaten when I give them their canned food, and it doesn't interest them as much. Not even Louie will eat very much when he isn't hungry, although when he is, wow! He can wolf down half a can of food at one sitting. Poor Louie. Grayson is more moderate.

So that was my day, and now I'm tired again. It's a clear (I think), dark night in the field.

April 13

I fiddled around and got to bed late, then I did not have a good night, so I got up late. I was knitting on the blue sock foot but thinking about the red sock when I decided how to fix it, so I put the blue one away and ripped out the red one to before the heel. Picking up was hard because I couldn't see anything (a problem I've been having lately - my eyes are so dry in the morning before I start to tear up) but I persisted and started the heel. Later, when I had to sit for a while and I could see better, I finished the heel (short row heels go fast) and started the foot. I think I will have enough yarn to finish this sock, then I can rip out the other one and redo that, too. Oh, I hate to do that! But I love the yarn and I love the color and I don't think it would look nearly as good without the knit pattern, so I'll continue. If I don't have enough yarn, I'll go back and rip out a few more rows of the leg and try it again, but I think it should work now.

That and my surfing took most of the afternoon, so I didn't do anything else.

The weather has calmed down some. It was actually warmer overnight - 34º - than it was during the day, and it has finally gotten up to 33º. It's breezy, with gusty winds that have shifted from north to northwest, gusting up to 32 mph. It has been cloudy all day, although later in the afternoon, the clouds began to break up. Sorry, but the camera was hung all afternoon. Even so, the snow is slowly going away.

The guys slept, of course. When I finally got back to the computer, Grayson got on my lap and slept almost until I got up to make my dinner. Louie was sleeping at the north end, mostly in the bedroom, I think. I haven't turned down the temperature in the bathroom yet, and I think he gets too warm in there.

So that was a very quiet day, and now I must get ready for tomorrow. It's a cold, breezy, mostly cloudy evening in the field.

April 12

It seems like no matter when I get to bed, I get up at 9:30, or at least that's what's been happening lately. Of course, I don't if I go to bed at 4:00 AM, but you know what I mean. I was in bed before midnight last night, and I slept well - no particular night sweats, thankfully - and I got up at 9:30.

I started to knit on the red sock, and I've decided to abandon it until I can decide what to do. I'm not going to get near the toe the way it's going now, so I will have to redo the whole pair. So I worked on the plum sock instead, and I got most of the gusset done. I'm going to have to rethink my basic sock pattern, I guess. I like the leg to be long, but my feet are so big that a long leg takes too much yarn. I will have to experiment some more. It seems like every time I make a new pair, I refine my pattern a bit, and this will just be more of same.

That was about all I did. I ran up to the post office and got my taxes and emailed the release to the accountants.

I began to work on the mess around my desk. I have been putting my trash in one brown bag and the recyclables in another, but both were overfull. The recyclables are still there, but I got the trash into the wastebasket. The problem there is that a certain person I live with has been going through the bag at night to see if he can find any cracker crumbs or other yummy treats I'm too mean to give him. The result is that I come into the studio in the morning to find stuff all over the floor, and I finally had enough of it. He came in tonight and couldn't figure out what I'd done. Too bad for him. I've never had another cat that did this, but he was a stray long enough that he picked up a few bad habits I doubt I'll ever change. Going through the trash is one of them.

The weather wasn't good. The Road Commission hasn't posted the amounts yet, but it looked to Ron and me that we got between 4" and 6" overnight, and it was wet and heavy. I ran into Tom with the plow on my way to the post office, and he had a huge lump in front of him. There was some more precip today, but I think it was all rain. The high temperature was 38º and while there was some wind this morning, with gusts up to28 mph from the south, this afternoon it went nearly or completely calm as it began to shift west. It was do dark when I got up this morning that I should have turned on the lights, and while it lightened up later, it was dark and dreary all day. Not nice. It should be warmer tomorrow and Sunday, and I'm hoping the new snow will all melt. Enough, already!

The guys slept, of course. Grayson slept on me after I ate my first meal, and I was sitting and listening to the talking when Louie actually jumped up on the counter and came and sat down on me in such a way that I understood I wasn't to argue. I did argue about him laying his head on my right arm, but when we got that straight, he got a nice tummy rub before he went off. Usually he's content with what he gets, so when he asks for a real love, I try to give it to him.

So that was my day, and now I'm going to try to get to bed early tonight, in anticipation fo tomorrow. It's a dark, probably rainy night in the field.

April 11

Late, but I went to bed clean. I slept well, and I got up around 9:30 again, with only one wakeup. I guess I can get by on less than 8 hours' sleep as long as I'm not up too many times.

I knitted on the Z-sock and I'm getting to the end of the foot. I need to do some weighing to make sure I have enough yarn, both on that one and the red one. I'm pretty sure I don't have enough for the red one, but i need to check. Late this afternoon, the information for Maundy Thursday came in, and I just got the bulletin sent out.

There was an update to the iPhone that didn't go last night, so I did that this afternoon, too. i guess that was all. I had already decided not to go to church, and Mary Ann agreed, but then Kathleen called it off anyway. I'm not sure when we will practice, but there's time to figure that out. They are leaning toward Tuesday at 7:00, which would totally screw up my schedule, but I will try to go if they have it then. I have to go to Houghton to get my teeth cleaned on Tuesday, but that's early enough that I could eat at Bambu and be home before practice starts. We'll see what happens (I'm getting to hate that phrase, by the way).

The storm was late, but it finally arrived around 6:45 PM, and by the time I went to get my dinner, around 9:00, there was maybe an inch of stuff on the deck. There wasn't much on the railings, because the wind was so strong. I spent some time looking at the camera software, because I don't recall ever seeing the snow whirling around outside like that. Neat. The high temperature for the day was 32º, and that was after the snow started. It was nearly steady. The wind has been from the southeast all day, but so far the gusts have only been about 28 mph max. Of course, it was dark and gloomy all day.

The guys slept. While I was not taking my bath last night, Grayson particularly was full of ginger, running around and attacking the rugs in the bathroom. He is a funny little cat. Louie just sleeps, except when he decides he doesn't like where Grayson is and tries to make him move.

So that was my day, and now it's a cold, snowy, windy night in the field. One more time...

April 10

Late again, of course. I got up to the north end and just sat for a long time. I got up around 9:30, which wasn't enough sleep, but I'd slept well with only one wakeup. I'm still having a hot flash occasionally, but not nearly as often. I worked on the blue sock today, and I finished the gusset and started the foot. That one will be done soon.

I was late enough that I didn't do much. I tracked down my taxes, which should come Friday. Fortunately, I can send the release by email, but I have to pay something, which makes me very angry, even though it isn't much. I finally remembered that I have the information for Sunday's bulletin, so I just did that, and then I searched a bit for a graphic to put on the Easter bulletin. I found some nice palms for this week, but I'm not completely satisfied with anything I found for Easter. You'd think there would be more.

The weather was sort of nondescript. There was some sunshine, but it was cloudy at sunset. The temperature got up to 32º briefly, and there wasn't much wind. I guess we're not going to get as bad a storm as they originally thought, but we are going to get it - snow, rain, sleet, wind...the whole thing, tomorrow and Friday. Yuck.

The guys slept. Grayson slept mostly on me, until I started moving around. I haven't seen Louie since this morning.

So that was another quiet day and now it's a cloudy, calm, cold night in the field.

April 9

Of course, I was late last night, but not too late - about 1:30. I slept well. The only night sweats I had were when I had to get up, and that's more normal. I got up around 10:30, I think.

I knitted on the plum sock for a long time. I completed the heel and started the gusset. Of course, that made me very late, so the only other things I did were my surfing and I paid a couple of bills. The money situation is dire, but I think I can see a way to make it through the next couple of weeks. My problem is, there may be enough money - just - but it's in the wrong places, so I'll have to scramble some.

The weather was yucky. I think it was snowing last night when I went to bed, but it stopped and didn't start again until after 7:00 this morning. It snowed and/or rained off and on until around 2:30 this afternoon. The temperature was almost steady right at freezing and there was a wind from the northeast at around 15 mph with gusts up to 26 mph. It was dark and cloudy all day. However, that's nothing compared to what is going to hit us Thursday - another winter storm. I guess we won't be going to church this week, unfortunately.

The guys slept, as usual. Grayson slept on me as much as I'd let him, but Louie came around late in the afternoon and started complaining about something, so Grayson got up and left.

So that was all. Now it's a dark, cold night in the field, but I don't think anything is coming down. I will be going to bed as soon as the Mendelssohn stops.

April 8

Ah, much better! I was in bed by 9:30 last night and I didn't get up until 9:30 this morning. Of course, I wasn't sleeping all that time - I was up three times, I think - but I slept well and I feel much better today. I don't think I had any but the tiniest of night sweats and only once, and that made all the difference. I'll be late tonight, but not excessively so.

I knitted on the red sock. I'm still pretty sure I'm going to run out of yarn, but I want to see how far I can get before I decide what to do with it. It seems pretty clear that if I want to wear the socks, which I do, I'm going to have to do something. We'll see what.

I didn't do much else. While i feel better than I did yesterday, I still feel fatigued, so I just sat. Tonight I had am accidental dinner. I thought one thing was on the top shelf of the freezer, but after I cut the bag opened, I discovered that it was something else, so I ate it. Chairman Tso will just have to wait. I've had that for at least six weeks, but cooking it is so fussy that I haven't done it. Maybe Wednesday. Or even Thursday, since it sure looks like I won't be going to church.

The weather today was sort of yucky. It was dark and cloudy all day, but as far as I know, it didn't start to rain until around 4:00 PM, but we've had about half an inch of rain since then. I'm glad it got dark, because I didn't have to look at that. The high temperature was 44º, at noon, and there wasn't much wind. I was glad to stay in

So were the guys. They slept. Grayson wanted to sleep on me all day, and he did get a lot of lap time, but after he got off the first time, Louie got his loving, too, and he slept for most of the day, but late in the afternoon, he came down to the studio and started complaining. I don't know what his problem was, except that I'm sure he's frustrated because I don't understand him.

I still hurt, especially my knees, but my shoulders are better. I'm sure that's partly the weather and partly because I couldn't possiby have gotten rid of all the drug so fast. That I feel so much better has given me hope. We'll see what tomorrow brings, besides snow and sleet. April is an ugly month in the Keweenaw.

Now it's a dark, rainy night in the field, and I'll be off to bed as soon as the Sibelius finishes.

April 7

I managed to get to bed by 9:15 - with all the pill dispensers filled - but I had another really bad night. About every hour and a half I had a night sweat that woke me up and caused me to get up more or less briefly. Then, I woke up around 5:30 and I just could not wait for the alarm to go off, so I got up at 5:45.

You would think that meant I would be early, but I was moving very slowly and I didn't get to church until almost 10:00. Then the choir practiced and I greeted for a while and by the time I sat down, my legs were shot. Getting up and down was a real chore, but I managed. After church, we cleaned up the communion stuff and changed the candles, and after that, I had another long conversation with Pastor. He likes to talk and so do I...

So it was 1:30 before I got home. I changed my clothes and had something to eat and read for the rest of the afternoon. I ate dinner around 7:30, and after I do this, I'm going up to the north end and crash. I haven't had as many hot flashes today, so I hope maybe I will have a better night tonight. I am tired, and I'm disgusted by how poorly I've been sleeping.

The weather was just plain miserable. It was pouring rain when I left for church. The only good thing about that is that after driving 37 miles in it and parking in it for a couple of hours, all the salt has washed off my car and it looks much better. There was a whole lot of fog, too. When I came home, the rain had stopped, but the fog was much worse. It took me a while go get home. They say we had 0.62" of rain between 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM. I think most of it was after I got to church. Of course, it was dark and gloomy all day. The high temperature here was 44º, but I think it was a bit warmer in Laurium. There wasn't a lot of wind, although it's picked up a bit lately. The worrisome thing is that they are predicting snow for two or three days this week including, of course, Thursday. I hope not. I'm tired of white.

The guys slept. They were wise. Grayson finally got to sit on me and he did, for a long time before I started twitching and he left, and after that, I was doing other things. Louie came out around dinner time when I had to go out into the breezeway to get some stuff. He got some love before I left for church and some more when I got home. I read an article in Science News online that says they have finally determined that cats know their names. Duh. I could have told them that. Every cat I've ever owned has. I'm sure they understand a whole lot more than that, but I doubt it will be possible to prove it until we can read their minds. I know my guys know "No!" and "Don't do that!" and "Come here" and a whole lot of other things I say to them, because I talk to them. I've always thought that the people who claimed cats don't understand us don't like or understand cats. The study I read was done by a women who has a cat.

So that was my very quiet afternoon, and now I'm off to the north end. It's a warmish, foggy evening in the field.

April 6

I'm not quite sure when I turned out the light last night, but it was before 11:00. It wasn't a very good night. I was having night sweats about every hour and a half, so I was up a lot. Then I woke up around 7:30 and had to walk so bad that I had to get up. So I was a bit ahead of my schedule, which was good.

Curiously enough, I did not have an accident today. I don't know why, considering what I ate last night, but I'm not complaining. I made and ate a regular breakfast, except that I didn't have my tea, and I did most of my surfing. I visited the powder room like I usually would on my way out, except that I was early enough that I could sit a while, which was good.

The roads were good and traffic was light, and in fact, I drove a bit more slowly than I usually do, and I got to church right at 11:00 - to find that Deanna was early! She assured me she hadn't been there very long, and I don't think she was, because she had just gotten the communion ware out. We worked as quickly as we could, and it was before noon when we left. It doesn't take long to do what's necessary when there are two people.

When I got home, I had my tea and some cheese and crackers and I just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. I didn't take that pesky pill this morning, but I'm sure it's going to take a while to get it out of my system. I didn't get enough sleep last night, so I have been tired all day. I hope to do better tonight.

I went out into Internetland to look at the new med. I discovered that there are three, and they all have the same possible side effects, so I guess it's just a matter of seeing which of them affects me the least. At least I should have a couple of weeks' respite. If they are all the same or worse, then I will have to have a serious discussion with the doctor. Since I'm now sure my recent problems are caused by that med, the question is, what happens if I don't take it? I'm supposed to take it for five years, and I'm not sure I can handle that with any kind of equanimity at all. Even leaving out the hot flashes, the diarrhea and the joint pain are very difficult. So we'll see.

The weather was dreary. It was very cloudy and dark all day. The temperature was between 36º and 42º sort of randomly and there was no wind. It didn't rain. Yuck. The only good thing is that the temperature will cause the snow to continue melting. While it's still white around here, everywhere else it's gray or black and very ugly. I'm getting tired of it, like I do every year around this time. But the harbor is still iced over and there is still ice outside on the lake, so we're not there yet.

I think the guys slept. The canned food I gave them late yesterday is gone - they like that kind. Grayson got a whole lot of lap time this afternoon when I got home, and I just heard Louie muttering in the great room. I'm sure he was asleep at the north end.

I filled the pill dispensers at the south end and now I have to go up to the north end and do the same there, then take my bath and try to get to bed very early. I'm sure I'll go right to sleep. The question is, what will happen overnight? We'll see.

Now it's a gray, dull evening in the field.

April 5

I managed not to get to bed until around 11:00 last night. I don't remember why. I slept fairly well, but I was up three times. The last time was about 6:30, and that was too early to get up, but the next time I woke up was 8:45, so I had to rush. I didn't knit and i had a fast breakfast - bless the kindly microwave!

Then as I was about to leave, I had an accident, so I had to go up to the north end and clean up. It wasn't too bad, but it meant that I didn't leave at 10;15 when I intended.

When I was up at 6:30, I was not pleased to see snow on the garage roof, but when I got up, the temperature was already over freezing, and since it was only half an inch at most, I knew it would be going away soon. The roads were wet but there was no snow on them, so I got to Laurium earlier than necessary.

That was all right, and I got my blood drawn. I was left thinking about how habitual things get. I gave the tech my left arm, which is the one I've used since 1984 and the first mastectomy. Of course, with the new surgery on that side, I shouldn't have done that, but it doesn't seem to make any difference and the veins on the left side are better. I had to wait a while to see the doctor - he was on time and I was early.

The results of that are that I am going to stop taking the anti-hormone stuff for a couple of weeks and then start something different. It seems like besides hot flashes and diarrhea, two other common side effects are muscle and joint pain and fatigue. Oh. No wonder I've been so tired and so sore. We'll see what the side effects of the new stuff is, but maybe I can tolerate it better and I'll feel better.

After that, I went off to Pat's and did much more damage than I expected, and I suspect there may be something wrong with my debit card, but I'll have to try it some more to be sure. Anyway, I have enough that I shouldn't have to shop again for another month, which is a good thing. I got home around 3:00 and moved the stuff to the platform...and the package from Walmart inside. That's just laundry stuff and I don't need it yet.

I had a snack and fed the kitties - they aren't used to food that late in the afternoon, but they found it and they like it well enough that it's going away. Then I sat down and read my email and listened to the talking until I remembered that I undoubtedly had a voice mail from Deanna. I did, and she wants to meet around 11:00 tomorrow, so I'll be doing the same thing I did today. That's fine with me. It won't disrupt my day as much, especially since I shopped today.

The weather wasn't very good. The high temperature got up to 45º briefly when the wind died down. Otherwise it was in the upper 30s and there was a bit of wind from the north. The only precip was between 3:00 AM and 7:00 AM, and it wasn't much. However, it was dark and cloudy and humid all day, which would have made me hurt independent of the pills. I was grateful that it didn't do anything while I was out.

I presume the guys slept. Grayson got some lap time, but I haven't seen much of Louie since morning. Grayson has been following me around and sitting beside me while I'm working in the kitchen, why, I don't know. I have to try to break him of that habit or he's going to get stepped on. I even threw some drops of water at him to try to make him stop. I didn't have anything for him after I put down his canned food.

So that was my day, and I'm hopeful that this change in meds will be helpful. Now I must go to bed so I can get up and out tomorrow. It's a dark, cloudy night in the field, but it isn't raining yet.

April 4

I read for a while and then I fooled around for a while so it was around 2;00 AM before I got to bed. I slept well, with only two wakeups. When I was up around 8:00, I had a sneezing fit. I've had those regularly lately, and I have no idea why. The house isn't any more dusty than it ever was and there can't be any pollen yet, but maybe it's time to start taking antihistamines again. I have to fill the pill dispensers on Saturday, so I'll do that.

I got up around 10:00 and I knitted on the Z-sock. I'm doing well, but I still have quite a way to go before I finish it. I didn't do any more on the kitchen. I was late and my back was bothering me.

I talked to Mary Ann and she has family here, so she wasn't going to church. I decided not to, because I'm going to have to get up early tomorrow to get to my doctor's appointment. It's going to be nasty out there - snow and rain and all that - and since it's been postponed twice already, I don't want to do it again. It's only a checkup, but it's hard to get an appointment with that doctor. If I got home at 9:30 or later, there was no way I could get to bed as early as I need to. I felt really horrible when I got up, so I need the sleep. So I stayed home.

i played with my new toy and oh, I am so happy to have a microwave that has all its working parts. It's been two or thee years since the turntable motor quit on the old one, and it really does make a difference. Besides, the inside light is brighter and the LEDs on the outside that say what's going on are brighter and the whole thing is so nice! I had burritos for dinner. That's a really light dinner - they're only about 3 ounces a piece - but they're easy and good.

Oh, I had another package come today, but I noticed the truck in my driveway and opened the garage door. so they left it in the garage. I went out anyway, because I had some more packing materials to take out. While I was there, I moved a couple of boxes which inexplicably have ended up in the middle of the garage floor. It was nice out, if a bit chilly. Now I have lots of teabags.

The weather today was nice. It started out clear but it got progressively cloudier and after about 4:00 PM it was cloudy. It was cool; the high temperature was 33º. There wasn't much wind and it came from all over. I guess we're supposed to have snow/sleet/rain/freezing rain overnight and tomorrow morning, but I'll just have to deal with that. Of course, if there's ice on my deck or I can't see down the harbor, I'm not going anywhere, but that's a given.

The guys were sleepy. Grayson was very interested in what I was doing out in the breezeway when I was unpacking my tea. He got a lot of lap time. Louie got his loving, too. Grayson apparently gave up a hairball while I was in the bathroom, so I think he has a tummy ache. Speaking of that, I wonder why all the comics I read always show hairballs as balls. I've never seen a cat cough up a ball. It's always a long thin thing like a fat worm. Unfortunately, they're all over my house, since I don't bend over very well. Poor Grayson. I think he tries to wash diligently, and with his soft, fuzzy coat, he eats a lot of fur. I have been trying to comb him when he sits on me, and he likes it. I wonder if he remembers the first spring he was here, like I do. He had an incredibly thick, outdoor coat that was shedding like I've never seen a cat shed. He would jump on my lap in the bathroom and I would brush and brush and brush...and the next day I'd do it again. Since he's been an indoor cat, he doesn't grow such thick coats, so the shedding isn't as bad, but there's still a lot of it. He is the only cat I've ever known who doesn't have an overcoat of guard hairs. All he has is the soft, fine undercoat. I call him my gray velveteen cat.

So that was my day. Tomorrow I have to see the doctor, and unless the weather is too bad, I think I will shop. I am on altar duty this week, but I haven't heard from Deanna yet. I presume that means I'll have to go back on Saturday, but if I can get the shopping out of the way, it will be easier.

Now it's a cloudy, cold night in the field and I'm off to bed to be able to attack the doctor tomorrow.

April 3

I'd better do this thing before I forget everything I wanted to write.

I think it was about midnight when I got to bed last night, and I slept very well. I think it was 10:30 when I got up. I needed that. I worked on the blue sock and accomplished my goal - I finished the heel and started the gusset. I also rewound the rest of the red yarn, and it seems pretty clear that I'm going to run out. I don't know exactly what I'll do about that, but the toe of the second sock is probably going to be an entirely different yarn.

The task of the day was to get the kitchen in such shape that Ron could help me get the microwave installed. I got everything off the stove side of the counters and everything off the floor, although I didn't sweep yet. There is still a mound beside the sink, but I was too tired after we finally got everything else taken care of.

The microwave fits, very well, in fact, but getting it unpacked, in place and going was a pain. There is a lot of excess packing, and the box had partly disintegrated in the rain last night. The worst thing was to get it positioned exactly in the cabinet and we fooled around for quite a while before we got it right. Then we tested it - with water. After that, Ron took out the packing material, the old microwave and the three black and two orange bags I'd filled. It's really strange to be able to walk around in the kitchen without stepping on or around some trash, although there is still one black bag and two orange ones that I haven't finished filling. And I was able to have something besides steamed rice and veggies with my dinner tonight. So far it's working great, and very nearly the same as the old one. There's one exception, though, that I'm sure I'll get used to. If you put something in the oven but don't start it right away, when you do start it, it thinks there's nothing there and it won't start until you open and close the door. I know why they did that, but it puzzled me for a moment before I figured it out. It's nice and clean and the light is much brighter than the old one. There are a few buttons that are missing, but I never used them anyway. It's nice to have a working turntable again.

When I looked at the paperwork that accompanied it, though, I got annoyed. There was a bill from Lowe's for a different company than the one I got it from - and it was $60 cheaper. So when I sat down, I complained to Amazon and we got that straightened around. It seems like the company I got it from gets the units from Lowe's at wholesale and the bill should not have been shoved into the box that was sent to me. They did offer me a slight discount, though, which, if I get it, will be nice. I think there's a Lowe's in Marquette, but I don't know if they have a web presence. i wouldn't have gotten the lowest price anyway, because that's wholesale. I'd never thought about them, and GE didn't list them as a source.

The weather was rather nice but cold. The high temperature was only 33º, and there was a brisk north wind that gusted up to 36 mph. It was partly cloudy to clear and there was a lot of sunshine.

Grayson almost got out into the breezeway, but Ron caught him and made him come back in and he didn't try that again. Louie, of course, was nowhere to be seen while Ron was here. When Ron went to say hi to Grayson, he actually meowed in reply, which is most unusual for him. I think they both got their loving. I know Louie did. They got canned food today, too, so they were happy about that.

So that was my day and I'm tired. I have to wash my hair tonight - and me, too, because I was sweating. I am toying with the notion of not going to church tomorrow. I will have to leave around 10:15 on Friday, and the weather forecast is not a good one - rain or snow or freezing rain or something. I would rather go to bed early tomorrow. We'll see, but I think I'm going to bail.

Now it's a cold, party cloudy night in the field.

April 2

Well, that was a stupid thing to do, but it happens every so often. It's one reason I don't read very many books anymore. I tend to get so engrossed I don't want to eat or sleep...or pee or anything else. These stories are really good, even though the writing certainly isn't. But then, I keep forgetting that I did some heavy editing when I transcribed all the ones into the computer some years ago, and I keep editing. I started doing some of that on the first of the three stories - the third one isn't finished - but it was a lost cause. Since i don't see ever even considering publishing them, I probably won't ever transcribe them, so they'll stay bad. I finished reading the last of the three just now. I still don't see where it's going, ultimately, so I'll just leave it.

I had time to do a little on the blue sock, although I haven't finished the heel yet. I may just work on it tomorrow and see if I can at least get it set up for the gusset.

I had two tasks for the day, and I accomplished both of them. I hadn't sent my 1099s with my tax information, and they wanted to see them, so I scanned them into the computer and emailed them off. The auto-feed doesn't work as well on odd sized sheets as it does on regular ones, so the output was a bit wonky, but it was readable. This printer is, so far, working very nicely except for my problems with the ink levels. Actually, that annoys me. I had been getting low ink warnings for a while, so I broke down and bought new ink, and I haven't had a warning since. So now I have $70 worth of ink I don't apparently need yet. Grr.

The other task was the bulletins, and I got them done and sent out. It sort of stuns me that a week from Sunday is Palm Sunday and then Holy Week.

Oh, yes and when I looked out the back windows, there was a huge package sitting beside the garage door...my microwave is here! I managed to get it into the breezeway late in the day, after it started raining or sleeting or whatever, but I couldn't get it any further. I guess I'm going to have to get help to get it into the house and installed, which means I have to bag up the trash in the kitchen. Tomorrow. Before 3:00. What a good excuse. It was too late to start today, and besides, I'm too tired. Tomorrow will be fine.

The weather got worse all day. It actually wasn't bad until around 6:00 PM. It was cloudy and dark, but the temperature got up to 48º between 2:00 and 3:00 PM, with moderate winds that were wavering between northwest and southwest. Then the temperature dropped quickly to 35º and it started raining (or whatever it is), and it's been nasty ever since, although I'm not sure it's raining now. Well, rain and snow happen around here.

The March snow totals are in, and we had only 25". Not that I'm complaining, you understand. I only hope that doesn't mean we're going to have a snowy April. I remember one year when Easter was right around when it is this year that we had 22" Holy Week. Let's hope that doesn't happen this year! And of course, last year, I couldn't get to church on Easter because of the snow, but it was on April 1, which is early.

The guys were sleepy, of course, except that Grayson has been bothering me all afternoon. I have no idea why. He got his lap time. Louie came out briefly when I started moving the hand truck toward the back door, but he went away again. He seems to be hanging out in the bathroom. They don't like this weather.

So it was a very truncated day, and I'm going to bed very soon. It's a dark, cool, probably rainy night in the field. April Showers...

April 1

This will be short because I pulled an inversion.

I slept fairly well last night and I got up around 9:30. Today was the plum sock, and I only have about six more rows to go before I start the heel. I'm making progress... I hope my next socks will all be on #2 needles. These fine ones are nice, but they're very boring to knit.

The weather was more cloudy than they predicted, but the temperature got up to 40º.The wind was from the north until about 6:00 PM, and for a couple of hours before that, it was sort of gusty, up to 21 mph. Then it went calm for an hour and picked up from the southwest, but not very strong.

The guys slept, mostly. They both got some loving. They get confused when I invert, though.

So that was it, and now it's an early morning in the field.

Last updated 04/22/19 10:08 PM