journal

A View From the Field

August 3

I was going to be late anyway, but just about the time I was planning on going up to the north end, the computer keyboard stopped working. I fiddled a while and then I rebooted, but it wasn't until I followed the cord to the back of the CPU and ended up with the plug in my hand that i realized what the problem was. It was OK anyway - the camera hung up and I couldn't get it to work, either, so I needed to reboot. Anyway, that added time, even though the reboot worked faster than usual (Why?? Experiments should be reproducible - they should fail in the same way.) and then I fiddled around for a while longer, getting everything set up the way I wanted it.

So I was really late getting to bed and really late getting up and I didn't do anything today. I got my nine hours, but it didn't seem like it and I've been tired all day. I'll be a little earlier tonight, but these things seem to accumulate.

The weather was rather nice, although the smoke was thick again. The interesting thing was that while the temperature went up and down a bit, as low as 68º, the high was 74º and it never got higher. There was a light north wind until around 8 PM, when it went calm for a couple of hours before it switched around to the southwest, also light. Without the smoke, it would have been clear.

Grayson slept mostly. Debbie gave me a couple of cans of the food she feeds her spoiled brat cat, and he thought they were pretty good, but i expect they're expensive.

So that was a lost day and it's a warmish, smoky night in the field.

August 2

I was a little earlier last night, but not a lot. I did sleep a bit longer, and I knitted a couple of repeats of the edging. I hope to get it down well enough that I can do at least three an hour, but we'll see how that goes.

That was about all I did, except that I FINISHED the sampler! Wow! For a while there I was thinking I'd never get it done. When I unrolled it and held it up, I find I really do like it, so all my hard work was worth it. I started my next project, which is about as different as cross stitch can get. This one is 3¼" square and it has 21 colors as well as three blended colors. I did some leaves - there are three families of green - and it isn't going to take very long, but it's fun to work on something like that. It's something I found when I got into the cupboard the other day and it will prepare me for the two big Redoute-style pictures I have in the queue.

I had noticed that the contractor who built my house still has a website, so I called the number on it...and it was disconnected. I wasn't surprised. Philippe isn't as old as I am, but he's not that much younger and he retired some time ago anyway. It's too bad. I felt much better about dealing with him than I do with the guy who came out here. I'll keep looking.

The weather is warming. It actually spiked up to 80º between 3 and 4 PM. That was when the smoke moved in. It had been clear and blue until around 3 PM, but then the smoke got so thick I couldn't even see the mountain. If you looked at the camera page this afternoon, that wasn't fog - it was smoke. Looking at the NOAA smoke map, it seems like most of northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan are on fire. So sad. Anyway, here, there was a light north wind for a while, but it's died down now. It was quite humid for most of the day, but it's going down to a comfortable level now.

Grayson is just happy things have settled down in his house. I had to try to clean his tray today and that did not go well. He has been peeing in it, instead of in the shower, and it's been so humid it hasn't dried. He pees a whole lot, too. I think I got it under control, but it was hard. He was a bit put out with me because I was late getting his breakfast, and all of his kibble bowls were nearly empty, and then I decided they should be washed before I filled them. Once he got them back and I gave him his canned food, he was much happier and he slept somewhere near me for the rest of the day.

So things have quieted down. Cheryl insisted upon running a load of miscellaneous dishes and things through the dishwasher and I still haven't done anything with that except for what I need. Too much waling around.

Now it's a late, warm, smoky night in the field and I guess I'd better go to bed.

August 1

Well, I was ridiculously late getting to bed. Mary Ann had called twice, I think, when I got home and she called me back right as i was about to save last night's journal and go to bed, around 11:00. We talked for three hours. Debbie isn't the only one I talk to forever. We hadn't talked for three or four weeks, though, so there was a lot to catch up on. She is fine but Bill is still doctoring heavily. His problems just seem to keep multiplying.

So I was only up once overnight and I was late getting up and then I just sat for a long time. I got dressed to late for a real lunch and too early for dinner, so my schedule has been rather off today. I did have the rest of both my fish and Debbie's fish for dinner tonight, and while it was a bit overcooked, it was still as wonderful as it was last night.

The weather wasn't too bad. The temperature got to 68º late in the day and the wind was from the north, under 10 mph, all day. Skies were cloudy until around 1 PM, then white for the rest of the afternoon and clear when it got dark. it's still much too humid for my taste, but it got down to the low 70s late in the afternoon.

Grayson was impatient with me. He wanted his breakfast, which he inhaled, and he wanted some of my fish, which he didn't get. He did fall asleep on my lap for a while late this afternoon. I think he's glad all the rustling around is over.

I discovered that the ladies didn't get to the floor in the hall, which has spots on it, so I will have to see if I can take care of that. I also discovered that they were using my barf bucket when they were working in the breezeway, Fortunately, I had come across a little green bucket - I think it was supposed to be a paint bucket - that will make a much better barf bucket. I will only have to get it up to the bathroom.

i also discovered that it seems like the builder who built my house is working again, so I am planning to give him a call tomorrow. I hope he can help me. I am just not comfortable with the guy who was out here. He may be a good builder, but he clearly has some mental problems. I mentioned that to Johanna last night and she agreed with me, and she knows just about everything that's going on around the Copper Country. Let's hope.

So it was a quiet, rather truncated day and I don't intend to be nearly as late tonight. It's a cool, clear night in the field.

ast updated 08/04/21 12:39 AM