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A View From the Field |
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May 28 I diddled around too long last night, and it was after 10:00 when I finally turned out the light, but then it was at least 5 hours later that I woke up the first time. That's partly because I was tired and partly because I didn't drink enough water yesterday. I must get back on track with that.
i got up when the alarm went off, but I was moving slowly. My hip hurts when I first get up, and this morning, the knuckle joint in my big toe hurt. It still does. I'm afraid I'm having another gout attack, although this one is diffuse enough that I'm not completely sure. Then, after breakfast, while I was curling my hair, I had to sit back down on the pot. And then, when I got dressed, I forgot my watch, so I had to get that, too. All that is saying that I didn't leave until 9:30, which is far too late, especially when I'm supposed to be a greeter!
It also meant that I couldn't get my usual parking spot, right beside the door, and I had to park across the lot. Oh, sigh.
It was dark and dismal here, but it started to rain on my way south, and that didn't help either, although the traffic in my direction was not nearly as heavy as in the other. While it drives me crazy, I'm so glad to see so much tourist traffic so early in the season! After all the years when gas prices - or something - kept the traffic to Copper Harbor low, it's so nice to see that it's picked up again. I guess the Harbor Haus people, who are building a motel adjacent to the restaurant, are right after all.
Church was nice. I didn't sing. I wasn't sure what they were singing, and besides, I was having a hard time seeing. I had practiced the song they sang, but I'm not sure I could have seen the words. Even though theoretically it shouldn't matter, I have a much harder time seeing when I'm tired.
Oh, and I did get there to greet some of the people. And I didn't have too much trouble getting into the sacristy. I filled the trays yesterday, and today, I counted and emptied the trays and Deanna washed. Whatever. Maybe eventually we'll decide what each of us should do, but so far, we've just divided up the tasks and whoever was available did what she could. Since I can't go up and down the stairs, she does the things that require that and I pick a spot and do what there is to do there. It worked this time, and i think it will continue to.
By the way, she and Joe have two absolutely adorable little boys, 3+ and 1+, who are some of the nicest, best behaved kids I've met in a long time. We went out together, and as we went to our cars, I said, "See ya!" and a few seconds later, when they were at their car, a little voice said "See ya!" I've never been much into little kids, in part because I never knew very many, but these days, I know several and they're wonderful.
I got home around 1:00 and I didn't do anything. I had some more of my pasta salads and just vegged. I am very tired, so this is early and I AM going up to the north end after I post it. I need sleep.
The weather was, um, "unsettled," as they say. The high temperature was 60º, there was almost no wind, and we had 0.05" of rain, between 10:00 and noon. The humidity othewise was only around 80%, which is why I hurt, but why I didn't hurt more. It was dark and gloomy and yucky all day. Bah.
The guys slept. I think Louie was on the couch all day. Grayson was on me twice, but I was doing things and he couldn't' sit as much as he wanted. When that happens, he sits on the laptop with his back to me. So there!
So it was another quiet day, and now it's a sort of warm, cloudy evening in the field. I like sunshine better.
May 27 I was later getting to bed than I'd planned, but that happens, and I don't know where the time went. I slept well, with only three wakeups, I think I got up around 9:00 and I knitted my two rows. This part of the pattern is really easy, and I did the two rows in only about 50 minutes. Maybe next week i can knit longer each day. I was just glad to get as much done as I did this week.
I was to meet Deanna at church at 2:00, and when I thought about it, I decided to go down early and shop and get gas before rather than afterwards, so I was off before noon. I was amazed by the amount of traffic. I knew the birders are in town this weekend, but evidently there's a mountain biking event going on, too. There were bikers all over Copper Harbor (the town) and I passed car after car going north with bikes on their backs. Other people, too, but mostly bikers.
When I got to Pat's and headed for the handicap parking, there was a small pickup with no handicap tag or license plate parked at an angle almost over two handicap slots. You know, some people...There was a sort of space on his right, but it put me right at the edge of the spot, almost in the aisle way. You know, some people...
Anyway, I did a lot of damage in Pat's. I decided to have a deli picnic for dinner tonight, and I needed cat food and some other nonstandard stuff. Oh, well. I don't think I got anything I didn't need. The deli stuff is good.
I got home around 3:00, I think, and by the time I got unloaded (the cat food is still in the car) and packed away, it was after 4:00, so I started my picnic. It was good, except for the sandwich. Every time I buy one of their sandwiches, I wonder why. I will have to remember. I can make a nice meal out of deli salads.
Then there was the mouse. It wasn't working when I got home, so I rebooted...and it quit almost at once. So, reluctantly, I plugged in my backup mouse, which only has three buttons, and I have a new one on order already. I checked the old one by plugging it into the laptop, and it doesn't work there, either. I'm sure what happened is that the cord frayed right where it enters the mouse (bad design), but upon reflection, I decided to get another corded one anyway. Wireless mice (mouses?) have batteries, and I have enough hassle with things with batteries already. I should get it Wednesday, and I hope I like it. I didn't want a super-deluxe model (some have as many as 10 buttons! Talk about another keyboard...), because I'm not a gamer, but I do want the 5 buttons. I use those extra buttons all the time, especially the one that maps to "back" in my browser. I think I will wait until I get it to plug everything into the back of the computer again. If you notice that the cameara pictures aren't exactly 15 minutes apart for a while, that's why.
The weather was what I'd call summery. It was cool here; the high temperature was at 9:00 this morning, 64º. Then the fog rolled in and by 11:00 it was down to 47º. It recovered somewhat, but it has been around 52º all afternoon. There wasn't much wind until lately, when it went to 10-15 mph from the north. It was and Is parlty cloudy, except when the fog came, between 10:30 and 12:30. It's a little more cloudy now. In town, however, it was up over 65º. And when I passed the Mountain Lodge, my car said it was 71º, and it was 51º at the bottom of the hill. That's what I love about living right on the shores of the big lake! The humidity has been over 80% all day.
My massage did more good than I realized until today. I haven't been nearly as stiff and sore (although I did take some Tylenol) as I had been. That's a real relief. I could even get up into the chancel and down into the sacristy without too much trouble. Getting out of the sacristy wasn't easy, but those steps are particularly high, and I didn't have as much trouble as usual even doing that. Thanks, Johanna!
I think the guys slept. Grayson got a bit of lap time this morning, although it meant I had to change my underpants. He just doesn't understand.
So that was my day. It's really early, not 7:30, but I think I will begin to move up toward the north end soon. I have to put away my salads, but that shouldn't take long, and then I can take my time about my bath and get to bed at a reasonable hour. Normally, I wouldn't want to eat so early, but I was hungry for a change, and I will be up early tomorrow, so I won't be too hungry in the morning.
Now it's a coolish, sort of cloudy evening in the field.
May 26 I was in bed by 9:15 last night. i was a bit disappointed that I didn't immediately go to sleep, but I think it was because the gabapentin hadn't completely started to work. Eventually, I did get to sleep, although I didn't sleep as well as I'd hoped, probably in part because it was hot. I had set the alarm for 8:00, and it was good that I did, because I was just beginning to wake up then.
I knitted two rows - it took me an hour - and went on my way.
Then the computer hung up, so I had to reboot it, and while I was getting ready to do that, I found the other two USB ports and moved both the mouse and the keyboard to them. They are on the top of the CPU cabinet but in the back. We'll see how that works. So far, it's been fine, but I thought that last night, too. Of course, the reboot took a very long time, because it had to reinstall the software (so, so dumb!!), but that gave me time to go to the powder room.
Then I was off to see Johanna, for the first time this year. We had a lot to talk about. I had to tell her all my adventures, and she had to tell me about her back surgery - not what I thought she had - and she had to work on me. She is not completely back to normal yet, but she is so much more comfortable that I'm sure it will come. I was only her second paying customer. She did a good job, though, and I had much less trouble getting into my jacket than I had when I left the house. I came home and didn't do anything for the rest of the afternoon, but I'm still tired. So as soon as i finish this, I will be off to the north end - well, maybe after the Beethoven sonata is over.
The weather was amazing. It was clear all night, and I could see all my favorite stars, but it was clouding up when I got up and it was cloudy and rather dull all day. The high temperature was 66º. about the time I was out, and it was amazing to feel the wind and not feel a chill. I know that later in the summer, 66º will feel cold, but right now it feels wonderful. See? Spring is coming! The wind was under 10 mph all day. The humidity got under 60%, which is no doubt another reason I felt better. It's rising now, but still it's less than it's been lately. Nice.
The guys slept. They both got some lap time.
So that was my day. Now it's a warmish, cloudy evening in the field, and I may not see any stars tonight.
May 25 - The Ascension of Our Lord Ugh, what a horrible day! It was my own fault. When I took my pills after dinner last night, I forgot to add the important ones - the blood thinner and the gabapentin. And you know what happens when I don't t take my gabapentin. I never got into a deep sleep last night, and all night long my feet and ankles felt cold, even when they weren't.
I did wash my hair, and I got to bed around 11:30. I got up around 8:30 this morning, because I was so sore and uncomfortable I simply couldn't lie in bed any longer. I knitted 4 rows, and at least that went all right.
I got the dishwasher ready to run before I went up to the north end last night, but I didn't unload any more than I needed today. I did finally get my ground beef put away in 6-ounce packages, so I will have seven more burgers before I have to do that again. I had to do it, because I'd eaten all the frozen ones and tonight is burge night.
One of my problems, and part of the reason I was so late last night, is that I was having increasingly more problems with the mouse and the keyboard hanging up, so I decided to see what would happen if I moved the mouse to the USB connecter on the front of the CPU. I don't like it there, but it does work. Of course, when you do that, you have to wait - an almost interminable time - until the driver loads for that device. In some ways, Microsoft is SO, SO, SO stupid. The driver is there, and they know what the device is, so why does it take so long?
Anyway, my original idea was to move both the mouse and the keyboard, but the mouse took so long that I decided not. At one point, I had to reboot, and in the course of doing the reboot, I accidentally nudged the power cord. I might add, that none of the connectors are really solid on this system. The motherboard and the CPU are top quality, but the rest of the system is junk.
Anyway, if you know what happens when you accidentally stop a reboot, you know where i was. I got that black screen that said it was doing a CHDSK. Ugh! From sad experience, I know how long that takes for a 1.5 TERAbyte disk. So at that point, I left it and went away.
Of course, while I was sitting in the bathroom, I realized that I hadn't fixed the title on the front page of the bulletin. I was too tired, and I wasn't sure that the CHKDSK would be done, and I figured Sue would catch it, so I went to bed. Bad idea. If I'd come back down here, I might have checked to be sure I took my pills (maybe), and that would have saved me a lot of grief.
Anyway, about the computer. When I got here this morning, the computer was fine, and I haven't had any more problems all day. My guess is that putting six devices into that 6-port USB hub is too many, so reluctantly, I will keep the mouse in the other hub until I learn better. I do think, however, that doing the CHKDSK was a good thing - I thought so at the time, or I wouldn't have done it - and everything seems to be working much better today. I've had to power fail enough lately, with my mouse problems, that the disk may well have gotten messed up, although some of my problems may have been retries on the USB hub. At least it seems to be fixed, and I can go onward and upward.
OK, I just took ALL of my pills!!
i was so tired that I almost fell asleep in the middle of the afternoon - before I went out to the kitchen to do the burgers - and I knew when I got up this morning that I was too tired to drive down to Laurium, so I've missed another Ascension Day service. I was sorry in a way, because it was at St. Paul's this year, but I wasn't too sorry, because they release a whole lot of balloons at the end of the service, and I don't think that's necessary.
I am so tired, that as soon as I finish this, I am going to bed. Period. I have a massage scheduled at 11:00 tomorrow, and I really need it, so I want to make sure I can get there.
The weather wasn't too bad. When I was up in the night, it was clear, and around 4:00 this morning, I could see Polaris, the Big Dipper was straight up and down west of the pole, Jupiter was setting in the southwest, and I could just see Arcturus at the top of the bedroom windows. Nice. It had clouded over by sunrise. It's getting light at 4:30 AM already now, but of course, we're within a month of the solstice. It cleared up later, and now it's completely clear. (Wow, am I ever having trouble typing!!)
The forecasts were wrong again. The high temperature here was only 48º, not into the 50s like they forecast. There was no wind. The wind graph made me laugh. The top wind was 5.5 mph, and it never got there. I don't think that's necessary, but that's what WU does. It was fairly humid again, the lowest being 77%, and that's no doubt part of the reason I hurt so much. It was nice to have all the sunshine, and it's very warm in the house. All that lovely, free solar heat!
The guys slept. Grayson got some lap time and Louie got a bit of love this morning.
So that was my day, and I can't tell you how anxious I am to get my head on that pillow! When I'm as tired as I am now, I can't see and I can't control my temperature, so I'm hot and sweaty. That pillow looks and sounds sooo good! It's a cool, clear, calm evening in the field.
May 24 Well,
it was nice to have a quiet day for a change! I got to bed by10:30 last night, and I was even more tired than I thought, because I didn't wake up for the first time until 4:00 this morning. That hardly ever happens, but it sure was nice. I did have a little trouble after that, because I wasn't completely comfortable on my left side, but I turned over and I didn't get up until 10:00. I'm feeling - and seeing - much better today.
I knitted four rows. This pattern is a fairly easy one, so it should go more quickly. I've always wanted to do something in the Rose Trellis pattern, but it seems a bit much to do a whole shawl in it, so this is nice. I still have to choose or create a pattern for the edging, but I have a way to go before that, because I intend to do two repeats of the trellis, rather than just one. I have the yarn, so why not?
The other task of the day was the bulletin, which is late, but I think I got it right the first time this week. it wasn't Pastor's fault this time, it was my other life.
While my dinner was cooking, I finally got the dishwasher loaded, except for my dinner dishes. I've been wanting to do that for a week and it just never seemed to happen, but now I'm out of clean dishes, so it's time.
The weather was not too bad. The temperature has taken a jump up in the past hour, to 54º; for most of the day it was around 45º. The humidity has finally gone down' for most of the day it was over 80. It was partly to mostly cloudy, and there wasn't any wind. Not at all bad. I was thinking it was time to open the shutters on the porch, but I didn't get to that. Maybe tomorrow.
The guys were sleepy and nobody got much love. I don't know if they're trying to say they're mad at me or what. Whatever. i expect we'll be back to normal tomorrow.
Now it's a partly cloudy, sort of warmish evening in the field, and I need ot wash my hair again.
May 23 I didn't get to bed until 10:30 last night, and unfortunately, the last time I had to get up to pee was about 6:15, so I was ready to get back to a deep sleep when the alarm went off. I got up anyway, and shortly thereafter, Ron called to say that the hospital had called him and rescheduled him for about half an hour later. That was all right with me, because it gave me a little more time to wake up.
We got off in time and got to the hospital a bit early, but they took him in. And we waited...and waited...and waited. It was well over two hours before they finally took him to the OR for his procedure, and that took longer than advertised, too, although they didn't find much. Then it took him just forever to come out of the anesthetic. I'm spoiled, because I snap out of anesthetics right away, but I guess most people don't.
Around 4:00, I called Mary Ann and told her the situation and that I didn't think I would make it to choir practice. I was right. I didn't get home until 5:45, and by that time I was exhausted and headachy. I think that was because I was hungry, but no way could I have gone back to Laurium, even though they rescheduled choir for 7:30. I made my dinner right away, and I feel better now, although I'm still tired.
Good thing, because they're going to play Beethoven's 6th between 9:00 and 10:00, and that's one of my most favorite Beethoven symphonies. And I can sleep forever tomorrow.
The good things were that the weather was good for driving - overcast and dry - and while I was waiting I read one of my Sky & Telescope magazines, so I'm now caught up with May, and I knitted on my sock. I have to confess, I had a lot of trouble reading. Part of it was that the lighting in the surgical lounge is horrible, but it's also because my eyesight is not very good, especially for fine detail. Well, with any kind of luck, I'll get that taken care of by the end of June.
The bad news was that I had to reboot the computer three times because the keyboard and mouse hung up. I'm beginning to believe it's a problem with the USB cluster that everything plugs into. The third reboot was because the second one came up wonky and I wanted a clean reboot. At least this time, I was able to use the on/off switch to force a shutdown. Hey, computers should work. Period.
The weather wasn't bad. The high temperature during the day was/is 45º and there was no wind. It's still quite humid, around 90%, but it doesn't look to rain. It was overcast all day. The daffodils are out and so are the dandelions, and there is a pale green haze around the aspens and birches. There was one picture, from not long after sunrise that showed the sun shining on the mountain, and it's mostly pale green, too. Ah, spring! At last!
I'm sure the cats slept while I was gone, but they were both there to meet me when I got home, and Grayson got to sleep on my lap for a little while before I ate. Louie will get his later.
So that was my day. Not exactly the way we planned it, but Ron is OK and that is over, and I'm OK, too. So now it's a cool, cloudy evening in the field and I will be going to bed right after the Beethoven is over.
May 22 I was later getting to bed than I wanted to be, but that's normal. I slept, but I was up any number of times, so my rest was not very quiet. I got up a bit before 9:00.
I knitted, and the four plain rows went so fast that I did the first two rows of the last chart. That went fairly well, too, except that way on the left hand side, right at the end, I managed to drop something and it took some work to get it fixed. I had to transfer to a longer needle, but I did that on the first plain row. There are just too many stitches for a 24" needle.
I didn't do anything else. I must wash dishes, but not tonight, since I'm already too late. I had an accident and had to clean up after that, and it was exhausting enough that I just sat for the rest of the afternoon. Sigh.
The weather is getting marginally better, It was cloudy and dull all day, but the high temperature was 54º. There was a little wind early in the afternoon, which has died down now. The barometer is rising and the humidity is falling, so I guess that's about all we can ask.
The guys were sleepy. Grayson slept on me for most of the afternoon. I haven't seen Louie lately. He did get his love in the morning.
So that was a very quiet day. Ron is doing his prep, and I will have to get up at 7:00 again (sigh), but I'll get him to the hospital in time. Now it's a clearing, warmish evening in the field.
May 21 I got to bed around 9:45 last night, but I didn't have a very good night. The only reason I can think of is that it was extremely humid - over 90% (as it still is) and i hurt. I hurt when I got up, too, and I still hurt. Sigh.
I got up anyway and did my thing, but it took me a lot longer than usual, so I was a bit late getting away. It was drizzling in the Harbor, but between Lake Medora and Delaware, I ran into a very heavy rain squall, and then when I got up the hill outside Allouez, there was fog so thick I could hardly see anything. I could hardly see anything anyway (a frequent problem when I'm tired) and the fog just made it worse. I got to church safely.
Church was good, although the choir didn't do so good. I like having communion every week, but there weren't very many people there today. I suppose it was the weather.
I had to wait for Pastor to give me some things for the bulletin, but I got home before 1:00. I changed my clothes and had a little lunch and did nothing for the rest of the day. I almost tried to write - the next episode of Trine 14 is bothering me - but I was too tired for that, although I wasn't tired enough to fall asleep. So I did nothing.
The weather was terrible. The high temperature was 50º, just a little while ago, and the humidity is still 93%. I don't think we had much rain here, but it was so dark and dreary that I had to turn on the lights in the kitchen. There was a bit of a breeze this morning but no wind at all this afternoon. Yuck.
The guys did what any wise cat would do in weather like this. Grayson wanted to sleep on me, but I kept having to type something, so he finally went away. Louie tried to mix it up with him a couple of times, but he knows I don't like that, and Grayson wasn't about to move from his position just inside the studio door.
I finished reading Trine 2 and I thought I saved it, but I can't find it anywhere. I know I made changes, but the last version I have is from late October. Heaven knows where it went. Sometimes Windows and Word just drive me crazy. So now I have to reread the whole thing and hope i can remember what modifications I made.
Now, though, it's a dark, dank, cool night in the field and I think I'll go to bed.
May 20 I was surprised by how late I got to bed last night, but I zoned out both here and at the north end, I guess. It was before midnight, though. I slept so-so. I had a harder time than usual sleeping on my left side, and I was up several times.
About 3:30 or 4:00 when I got up, I looked out toward the north and it looked like dawn was breaking. Well, dawn doesn't break in the north, at least in this world. So we had northern lights, the first time in quite a while that I"ve seen them at all. They were very bright, but close to the horizon, so I didn't get a good view, but I checked myself when I got back into the bedroom and I had a little better angle, and yes, indeed, we had northern lights. I don't think I'll ever get bored with them, even if I can't see them very well.
It was quite clear then. I could see Polaris and the pointer stars of the Big Dipper, and Jupiter was so bright it was leaving a glitter trail on the harbor. Slowly, early in the morning, my summer star, Arcturus, is coming into view of my front windows. Now it will be with me for the next three months or so.
I got up early, shortly after 8:00. I had to pee, and I knew if I went back to bed, I wouldn't get up until noon, so I got up then. I'm tired. I knitted for most of the morning, and I did six rows. I have now finished all the pattern rows in the body of the shawl. There are four plain knit rows, and then I can start the rose trellis pattern. Yesterday, with all my problems, I got the basis for this chart done, so today's knitting was easy. I did have one place where I had to fix a few stitches, but it wasn't extraordinarily hord.
That was about all I did. I finally got the load of clothes I started a couple of days ago washed and rinsed, and I will put them in the dryer on my way north. Well - it's hardly a "load," just jeans, two pairs of underpants and a pair of compression hose. I only washed them because I didn't want that yucky stuff sitting around the laundry room, but since I started them, I want to finish them. And sometime next week, I'll need the compression hose, probably. If I don't I won't have to wash clothes for another week. Oh - that will mean pills and laundry on the same day, and it seems to work better if I don't do that.
The weathe was blah. The temperature has finally risen to 54º; it wavered around 50º for most of the day. Fortunately for me, the humidity was low. Now the barometer is taking a dive, and there is some rain showing in tthe radar map, so tomorrow isn't going to be very nice. The wind was from the south, and earlier it got up to 24 mph gusts, but now it's gone nearly calm. There was some sunshine early this morning; with my compromised eyes, it was a bit hard to see when I started knitting. It soon clouded over, and most of the afternoon was gray and dull.
The guys slept. They aren't used to the traffic on the road; the summer people are coming back. The little yappy dog to the north didn't seem to bother them, though. They've heard him before. I'm the one who is annoyed.
So that was a very quiet day, which was nice for a change. Now it's a rather warm, cloudy evening in the field. It's going to rain, but I'm going to bed, via the shower, of course.
May 19 Ugh! I'm tired. I think it was 2:00 before I finally got to bed, and while I slept very well, I got up around 10:00, i think, so I didn't get nearly enough sleep.
I tried to knit, but it was a disaster and I only did two rows in two hours. First, I had screwed up the tip of the last fern (oh, how happy I am to be done with those ferns!!), and that took a long time and effort to fix. Or I think I fixed it. Then, I'm coming to the end of the skein, and I ended up with one blogger has called a "frankenskein" - a tangle of thread that is a real pain to get straight. That occupied me until noon. I got it done, but I didn't want to sit anymore, at least there.
That was all I did besides going to the post office, where there were mostly bills. I think I got straight the schedule for Tuesday, but Ron will have to let me know the final plan. Then I got my Schwan's order and had to put that away. And I'm tired.
The weather was considerably nicer than yesterday, although it was quite cool for this time of year. The high temperature was 46º, but the humidity has gone down into the low 60% range and there was no wind. It cleared up overnight, and there was a heavy frost all over everything this morning. It was partly to mostly cloudy but bright. The dandelions are out, as are the buds on the aspens. I think perhaps I saw a field of marsh marigolds last night, although we passed it a bit too fast for me to be sure. So spring is progressing.
Lake Lily is still over the road, but it's not running anymore, and it is running out the culvert, although not as fast as we might want. Now it's just muddy and messy, but it's only 5" or 6" deep, so it's not a danger. Ron can't remember it ever being that way, but I'd like to talk to some of the old-timers. It's nice to iive on a pebble pile.
The guys were sleepy, and I didn't see much of Louie. Grayson wanted to sleep on me, of course, and hen he wanted to sleep in the doorway from the studio. He feels good again, so he's over his tummy ache. Louie is still limping, but that may be partly because it's been so humid. We'll see how he is when it gets warmer, if it gets warmer.
So that was my day, and I'll be off to the north end real soon. I don't care for Ravel's piano concerto, and he stuff I do like is too late to night. it's a partly cloudy, cool ngiht in the field.
May 18 I didn't get to bed until midnight, but I made up for it by sleeping very well. I got up about 10:00, with only two wakeups. Wow! I didn't feel that tired, but I guess I was.
I knitted, and I finished Chart E. There are only two more to go, but I will repeat Chart G twice and add an edging, so I still have a way to go. I'm almost done with the first ball of yarn, finally, so I will have plenty left to enlarge the pattern. I guess it has something to do with using a thinner yarn and needles, but I have frequently had problems with yarn amounts specified in the shawls. I don't know wny, because if I use the yarn and needles specified, I get a piece that blocks out to the right size, but I use a whole lot less yarn than the pattern calls for. I haven't figured that out yet.
I didn't have a lot of time to do anything today. There were some changes to the bulletins, but that didn't take long. Tonight was choir and Bible Study, and that was nice. My day was particularly truncated because I had an especially nasty accident and had to change all my clothes from the waist down. I hate this so much, but I'll be living with it for the rest of my life, I guess. It seems to be cyclic, and I'm going through the bad cycle right now. I would have had an accident anyway, but it happened right about the time Mary Ann called me.
When she called me to find out when I'd pick her up, she warned me that there was water in the road. Ha! She also told me what they did this morning, but when i walked out into the garage, I couldn't believe it was actually my garage. It's completely clear of trash, and besides, they tidied it up. It hasn't looked like that since it was built! WOW!! That can't be my garage!
Then I started out, and when I went down the hill and around the corner, I was amazed. Lake LIly and the Harbor are now connected for about 50 feet around the lowest part of the road. There is only 4" - 6" of water over the road, but it was pouring over the west edge and down to the harbor. Somebody (I didn't recognize him) was trying to open up the culvert, but it couldn't help a whole lot right now anyway. There were a couple other low spots in the road where there were large puddles, too.
The reason is that we've had a little more than 3" of rain in the past two days, on top of all the snow we had over the winter. I read that the lake is already about 8" higher than normal and will get higher as the runoff continues, not to mention the rain. That is great for the shippers, but not so great for those of us who live on the edges. We haven't seen it so much here, but where the shore is sandy and low, there has apparently been a lot of erosion. I'm sure there was some overnight, since we had northeast winds witn up to 37 mph gusts.
It was a hairy night and not a very nice day. The lake was singing loudly and Mary Ann said it looked like November out there. The high temperature today was only 43º and it is still very humid, although the humidity did go down a bit this afternoon. The rain stopped around noon, but it was raw and unpleasant, as well as being dark and gloomy. The wind finally dropped off around 5:00 this afternoon, and now it's nearly calm.
The guys were mostly sleepy, but when I got home tonight (at 10:00, by the way), they started bombing around and making a great noise. I think cats like bare floors because they can stomp on them and sound like lions. I think the reason is that the barometer has risen sharply, and that makes them feel better.
On the way home tonight, we came across a bear in the middle of the road at one of my least favorite set of curves on the covered road. We were glad to see it - there haven't been very many bears around these parts lately. It went over the barricade when we came up to it, but we were glad it wasn't completely dark and we could see it and slow down, even though I always slow down on those curves. Keweenaw County isn't domesticated yet!
So that was my day, and I'm tired. I didn't eat dinner until almost 11:00, and I like to digest a bit, but I'll probably be off to the north end as soon as the Mozart finishes. It's a dark, cloudy but clearing night in the field.
May 17 I was a little later getting to bed last night, so I was a little later getting up this morning, about 10:00, I think. While I was sitting in the bathroom, there was a rumble of thunder, not very close, which startled both cats. I don't like seeing poor Louie staring up at the ceiling with his eyes all big and dark. It was only one rumble, though. I guess it rained for most of the night, but mostly I noticed that the fog was so thick that I couldn't see the lighthouse light at one point. It was still foggy this morning.
I knitted my four rows, and now I only have four more to finish the chart. It's a pretty thing, but so far, it isn't nearly big enough, so I will have to add rows, and that means adding stitches, too. Well, I haven't finished the first ball of yarn and I have two more, so I should have enough.
Mary Ann and Bill came back today, and now i have a very clean garage. I'm not sure quite how to act. There are still piles of boxes, but they're neat piles. It was raining, and the people who collect the cardboard don't like wet boxes, so they decided to wait. They will be back tomorrow, probably before I'm ambulatory, to get the last little bit done. They had a truckload of bags, all full of the packing materials that were in the boxes. Shippers who put all that stuff in their boxes don't realize what they're doing to us.
I tried to help as much as I could, but my back was bad, so I had to sit down. I broke down boxes and stacked them, and I think that helped. You can now get out my back door. Whoopee!!
I didn't do the bulletins until after dinner, so they're late, but they went out. I had to do two, because there is a service for Ascension Day, which is a week from tomorrow. And there were the usual changes to make. I hope I got them right.
It was a horrible day to be working outside. The temperature took a dive after midnight, and during the day, it was mostly around 45º. There was no wind, but the humidity was 100% all day. It was dark and dreary and very foggy, and we had 1.74" of rain - and it isn't over yet. Nasty, in the extreme. But we got the work done.
Grayson had an upset tummy today, and all he wanted to do was sit on me. Louie slept. It was a good day for that.
So that was it, and I'm tired. I have to wash my hair tonight, so I'll go, although they're playing the 4th movemnt of Beethoven's 9th right now, and I might stay for that. It's a cold, damp, foggy, rainy night in the field.
May 16 Well, I got to bed around 10:30 last night and I got up about 8:15 this morning. I slept fairly well. I knitted my four rows. but pretty soon I'm going to have to cut back to two, because it took me almost an hour and three quarters. I'm making good progress. I've decided, though, that since I'm using a smaller needle, I'm going to have to do more rows. The bottom part is called "rose trellis," and it's a pattern I've wanted to knit for a long time, since I originally saw it in one of Barbara Walker's books. So instead of doing one repeat I think I'll do two. I will have plenty of yarn, since I haven't even finished one ball yet.
The task of the day was trash. Mary Ann and Bill arrived around 12:30, and not only did they get all the trash out of the garage - it took two trips - they got at least half of the cardboard out, too, and they think they'll be back tomorrow to get the rest of it. Oh, my. I'd forgotten how big my garage is!
I couldn't work along with them, but I did what I could, filling the trash bags in the house. And after Mary Ann got some of the boxes in the breezeway unpacked, I did the rest while they were gone. Now all I have to do is get the raised toilet seat into the house and onto the toilet. I know I'm going to like it. The only curious thing I found was that while there was a bunch of warnings and a warranty in a little booklet, there were no instructions at all about how to put it together or install it. Sheesh. Oh, and it came inside three boxes! Good grief! I know Amazon wants to be very careful about things (like my incontinent pads) that people might find embarrassing if someone saw them, I think this is carrying it to extremes.
Anyway, since they hadn't come back by the time I finished that, I sat down - I had to sit down! - I looked through a barrel that I brought up here in my final trip from the old house - and I discovered a whole lot of stuff I'd forgotten. There was my collection of bookmarks, which I wondered about, and there was a whole ream of printer paper. At one point, a very long time ago, I bought a 10-disk set of clip art, and I found that, too. It's so old, I'm not sure I'll be able to read it, but I mean to try. It had some good stuff in it, and some stuff I may be able to use in the bulletins.
Speaking of bulletins, I don't think I've gotten this week's information from Pastor yet...
While I was outside, they called me from the doctor's office, and they're going to have to change my appointment in July. I will call back tomorrow morning and see what I can set up. I was just as glad. It was on a Thursday, and I couldn't get my tests that day, I would have had to make two trips on the same day, and I don't like to do that. So we'll see. I hate to postpone it too long, though. Medicare won't pay for a physical unless it's a year from the last one, and that has meant that it's been pushed forward several weeks every year. That's okay for now, but eventually it would mean the proper time would be in the winter, and I am not going to make any appointments except for emergencies between November 1 and March 15. Or maybe March 30. Not with our weather.
The weather was warmish. The high temperature was 61º, and there wasn't much wind. It was cloudy, and in the middle of the afternoon, we had a few drops of rain and some rumbles of thunder, but it didn't amount to much. It wasn't too humid until around 2:00, which was when it began to get ready to rain. Ah - ahem. The first mosquito of the season was flying around while we were talking. Bill loves to talk.
The guys were sleepy. Grayson had to greet Mary Ann when she came in, and after she was in for a little while, Louie actually came up out of the basement and she saw him! He really has calmed down a whole lot, and we weren't doing anything very noisy. Yea, Louie!! He'll never be as gregarious as Grayson is, but he tries.
So that was a rather strenuous day for me, and I'm tired. Now it's a warmish, cloudy night in the field, and they keep saying it's going to rain.
May 15 I can't believe it's the middle of May already!
So I got to bed around 10:30 last night and I slept fairly well until around 7:00. It was around 9:00 when I got up, and that was a good thing.
I had just gotten to the bathroom when Ron called to tell me the procedure had been aborted and it would be next Tuesday. Apparently he got confused as to which bottle of apple juice he had put the laxative in and didn't take enough of it to clean himself out. I suggested that the next time, he try mixing it a glass at a time, which is what I did. He hadn't gotten Miralax, but a cheaper one from WalMart, and the directions (and, I think, the ingredients) were different. I know the name brand is more expensive, but sometimes it's worth it.
So i had plenty of time to knit and do at least some of my surfing before I left for my eye doctor. The news there is not very good, but some of the things I've been dealing with are explained. Apparently over the last year, I have grown some serious secondary cataracts, especially in my left eye. I knew that the vision in that eye had deteriorated markedly in the past four or five months, and I suspected that might be why. Fortunately, that doesn't require more surgery, or a trip down to Green Bay. It can be fixed by laser and there is now an ophthalmologist in Houghton who should be able to do it. I have an appointment for the middle of June. My right eye has some secondary growth, too, but it's not as bad as the left eye. Evidently this is a common problem.
We also talked about my dry eyes and the problems that's causing, but there isn't much that can be done about that except to try several kinds of eye drops and ointments and use them more. I have been only using drops as a last resort, and I guess I'll have to do more. I think probably some of the problem is due to my vision problems, too, but we'll see.
So I was home shortly after 4:00, even though I stopped for gas. It had clouded up before I left Calumet, and that helped, but I didn't have as much trouble with the dilation as I usually do. I don't suppose my eyes are back to normal yet, but I didn't have to wear my sunglasses after I got home. I wonder if they're using a different drop that doesn't last as long.
The weather was quite nice. The high temperature was 62º here, which felt quite warm, and it was at least 65º in Calumet, which was warm. There wasn't much wind. The humidity was down around 50%, too, which helped. It was clear in the morning, but it began to cloud up around 2:00. There may be some rain for the next several days, but I can't get the forecast from WU, so I'm not sure.
I sure hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. After I got off the phone with Ron, who wanted to talk, Mary Ann called. She wanted to come out today to load up their big truck with my trash, but I had to tell her I couldn't do it and I suggested tomorrow. I would really like to get some of that trash out of the garage and all of the trash out of the house. It's piling up again. So I hope it's dry at least for an hour or so after noon.
I think the cats slept, as usual. Grayson didn't get to sit on me this morning, so he would hardly leave me alone after I got home. I haven't seen Louie lately.
So that was my day. While It wasn't as hectic as I had anticipated, it was enough. Now it's a cloudy, warmish night in the field, and it might rain.
May 14 Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. If you have a living mother, give her a hug for me today.
I was later than I like to be last night, and I think it was after 10:00 when I turned out the light. It was warm in the bedroom, but I managed to get my temperature right. I was up more times than I like, and I actually woke up before 6:30, although I didn't get up until about ten minutes before 7:00. I did my thing, and I'm sorry to say getting up a bit early didn't make me any earlier getting away. It wasn't a problem, since traffic in my direction was nearly nonexistent, although there was a whole lot in the other.
Church was nice, with a good sermon. communion, and some hymns I like. We actually sang rather well for a change, but then, we had everybody back except for Fay, who is still recovering from some nasty surgery.
I had to stop at Pat's for some things I was running out of, and unfortunately, I did more damage than I hoped, even though I didn't buy much more than I had on my list. Yes, for the first time in a while, I actually had a list. I got home around 2:00.
Late in the afternoon, I talked to Ron, and he is having the usual problems with his colonoscopy prep. He is a very thin and wiry person, and that prep is particularly hard on him. I was able to assure him that some of his symptoms are normal, like having chills. I keep hoping that sometime they will figure out a better way to do that kind of exam. I'm only happy that I don't need another one until I'm 82 or so, and by that time, I'll be too old, if I'm still here. But that's selfish, and I can't tell you how bad I feel for my friends and acquaintances who have to go through it.
Speaking of being here, last Thursday, I exceeded my mother's lifetime. She was about 75 years and 9 months old when she died, and now so am I. My next milestone, God willing, is 79, which is how old both my grandmothers were when they died. It would be ironic, with my medical history, if I outlived all of them. Well, we'll see about that. I don't concern myself much with when I'll go, it's how I'll go and how long it will take that bothers me. RIP, mama, on this day.
I remember, 24 years ago today (near enough), sitting in the roof garden of the hospital with my sweet mother and deciding that, if she lived, I would move in with her to take care of her. Of course, that didn't happen, and a couple of weeks later, she was gone.
The weather was nice, but quite bit cooler than they forecast. The high temperature is now, and it's 46º. The wikds were almost calm and from the north. It was cloudy this morning, but the afternoon was gloriously clear and so, so blue, until around 7:30, when it began to cloud up again. Rats. We never shot the moon this spring. The only thing is, it was humid, above 75% humidity all day, and could tell that without looking; I was very stiff and sore all day long. Sigh.
Grayson got some lap time when I got home, but not as much as he wanted. I didn't see Louie after this morning, but I heard him. He was in the great room making noises this afternoon. I don't know what his problem was, but probably it was that i wasn't available when he wanted me.
I just finished doing the Windows updates on both computers. Not that I'm too worried, but after all the ransomware fiascos in the world this week, I decided not to wait anymore. I would probably do it sooner if it wasn't such a clunky process, and from what I hear, it's even worse with Windows 10. I do not want to go to Windows 10. My only fear is that Microsoft is screwing up the earlier versions in an attempt to get everybody to do it. After what they did a year ago, I wouldn't put it past them. I wish I could go to Linux, but I'm too invested in apps that run under Windows. Oh yes, and I have no assurance that this app. FrontPage, would work under Windows 10. Not to mention that I can't afford it. Mutter, mutter, mutter.
So that was my day, and I'm going to go and crash, both because I didn't get enough sleep last night and becuse I want to get up early tomorrow. It's a cool, cloudy evening in the field.
May 13 I was much earlier to bed last night, but I didn't notice exactly when. I slept well and I got up around 10:45. I think the last part was almost four hours long. and I had been lying in the same position for so long that I hurt all over when I got up. I knitted, and thankfully, by the time i was through with my four rows, I wasn't stiff anymore.
I was late enough that I didn't do anything useful. Ron did hear from the hospital, and he has to be there at noon, which is a relief. I'm going to call the eye doctor on Monday, though, and see if I can move my appointment to an earlier time, so he won't have to wait so much for me to pick him up. We'll see how that goes. While for me, the time is good, I feel for him. I know when I had my colonoscopies, I wanted them as early in the day as possible. Well, it will work out, one way or another.
The weather was nice again, but a bit humid. So far, the high temperature is 51º. but it's been rising slowly for the past couple of hours, and it may go higher. The humidity has gone down, too, which is no doubt another reason I don't feel so bad. There wasn't any wind. There were almost no clouds, and none at all this afternoon, so it was a beautiful, blue day.
The guys slept. Grayson wanted to sleep on me longer than I wanted him to, and he wanted to clutch my shirt for most of the time. I haven't seen Louie since this morning, but it wouldn't surprise me to find him socked out on my bed. When I turned out the light last night, he got up on the bed and sat down on the edge of the pillow so close to my face that I could feel fur. Not that I was so close to the edge of the bed or anything. So I had to shove him out of the way. People who say cats don't love their people are just stupid.
So it was another quiet day, and I must go up to the north end and do my thing early tonight, so I can be bright and cheerful tomorrow. It's a clear, calm and rather warm night in the field.
May 12 So I was really late last night. I sort of went to sleep with my eyes open, I guess. I got up around 10:30 anyway and started Chart E. I'm getting used to the pattern, finally, and it went well. I finally figured out where I could put another couple of sanity markers, and that helped with my counting.
I didn't do anything much else except go to the post office. Ron needs a ride into town on Monday for what sounds like an upper and lower GI - ugh!! - but they haven't yet told him when the procedure is. I wouldn't put up with that, but I learned a lot when my mother was sick and more when I was sick. I have an eye doctor appointment at 2:30, so things could get interesting. Stay tuned.
There was so much to read this morning that I didn't get to look at my funnies until after the talking started, and then I found one of the websites down, so I didn't get my usual funnies fix today. I wonder if by any chance they were afflicted by that hack that has taken down so many sites around the world.
The weather was rather nice. The high temperature was only 46º, but there wasn't much wind, and it was clear and pretty after about 10:00. (I just wrote "all day," which wasn't true, but it was all of my day). It was quite humid - over 75% - but my joints were telling me that. When i looked out the bedroom windows this morning, the forsythia in my neighbor's yard is in bloom. That's my sign that spring has really come. And there are daffodils and things blooming, too. I expect the arbutus is out in the woods. Ah, spring!
The guys mostly slept. Grayson was playing with a scrap of paper on the kitchen floor tonight, so he feels good. Louie is still limping now and then.
So that was my day, and now it's a clear, cool night in the field.
May 11 Of course, I was late last night - about 1:30 - because I had to wash my hair, but I slept well, and I think I got up around 10:00. I knitted, and I finished the next char - I can't remember its number. So I'm making progress, and I have over 300 stitches on the needle now. That makes it somewhat bulky, but not enough to make me go to a longer needle. I'm looking for a nice, fairly wide edging, since it seems clear I'll have plenty of yarn.
I didn't get to do anything besides my surfing and cleaning up after an accident. This seems to be cyclic, and I should really begin to write down when I have these things, because until yesterday, I wasn't having much trouble getting to the powder room in time. Well, today, I didn't. I hate it, but that's what happens.
There was choir and Bible Study tonight, so Mary Ann and I spent the evening in Laurium. Bible Study went really late, so I didn't get home until 10:00 and I just finished eating, so I won't be early tonight, either. We are looking at some of the hymns in the hymnal now, and it's very interesting. Tonight's study was on three hymns with words written by women, and that was particularly interesting, because they were all written when women weren't considered capable of doing things like that. Ha! Be Still My Soul. Children of the Heavenly Father. Just as I Am, Without One Plea. Ha! In fact, ha, ha!!
The weather was all right. It was mostly cloudy, except, of course, while I was driving south. The high temperature was 48º during the day, and the wind was at most 15 mph from the north. We had a bit of rain overnight, but only 0.02", and that was between 3:00 and 6:00 AM. Or that's what the weather station reported. I was in the bathroom around 3:30 when there was a short, sharp squall that apparently didn't register. I know it rained, because the drops were hitting the window I was sitting beside, and I know it was before 4:00 AM. Humph. Today was better, with a mixture of clouds and sunshine.
The guys were sleepy, of course. Nothing to report there, except that Grayson didn't want me to get up and he was partly responsible for my accident. I had to tip him off my lap, and that took time I didn't have.
So that was another quiet day, and now it's a cool, partly cloudy night in the field.
May 10 Oh, it was a much better night last night! I got to bed around 10:45, and while I was up several times, I had no trouble going back to sleep, I didn't hurt, my feet didn't feel cold, and I slept very well. I got up at 8:45, and I knitted, but only four rows. I was tempted to do two more, because it was going well and my wrist wasn't popping very much, but I decided not.
I hoped to get something useful done today, but no such luck.
The weather was actually rather nice, although it was cloudy for most of the day. The temperature got up to 62º, and the breeze was light from the southwest. The humidity was well under 50% for most of the afternoon, which is no doubt why I felt better today. It's supposed to be cooler tomorrow, but not a lot, and it might rain just about the time we head for church, but it seems like spring is finally beginning to come to the Keweenaw. There is some green showing under the brown on the ground, and there are buds on most of the trees. I mentioned the catkins. I took an antihistamine last night, and my nose didn't start running until just about now. Well, there are bad things about the warmer seasons here, but after how long the winter seemed, I can bear them. Even the bugs, which, thankfully, aren't out yet.
I just took a look at the snow totals, and evidently Delaware had an inch of snow on May 2, which brings our season total to 276". We didn't get any snow here that day, but they did in the higher elevations, apparently. I think most of it's gone now, although there are still some patches on the north sides of the hills. I'll know better tomorrow. So it was a hard winter, even though it wasn't the worst I've seen since I've been here. At any rate, I'm glad it's over, and it doesn't seem likely that there will be any more snow this season.
The guys were their sleepy selves.
So it was another useless day, and now it's a warm, cloudy night in the field and I have to wash my hair.
May 9 I got to bed about 10:30 last night, and I went right to sleep. However, after the first time I got up, around 1:00, I couldn't get back to sleep, so it was an awful night and I don't feel very good today. I began to wonder if I'd taken my pills, and when I finally got to the kitchen this morning, no, I hadn't. I've forgotten them a couple of times lately, and I'm going to have to pay more attention. I should have checked during the night, but I just didn't want to trundle all the way down to the south end in the middle of the night. I should have. Tonight should be better.
I got up about 8:45 and I knitted, but only four rows. That seems to be a much more reasonable amount now that the number of stitches is so large. And besides, after about two and a half rows, every time I reach to hook my yarn around my needle, my right wrist pops. I can't figure out just what the motion is, or I'd try to change it. After a while, it begins to get sore.
Another reason I was wakeful was that my nose was running. I admit, I wondered, since the birch catkins are out, even though we haven't had any dandelions yet, so tonight I will take an antihistamine and hope that helps. Altogether it was a really lousy night.
The only task I completed today was the bulletin, and I just did that. I was sore all over, so I just sat. I'm too sore to fiddle with the toilet seat, but I really need that toilet seat. I have that kind of problem a lot. Maybe tomorrow?
The moon was bright last night, and there was some sun on the mountain when it came up this morning, but for most of the day, it was cloudy and dull. In fact, I had to turn on the kitchen lights when I made my dinner tonight. It was cold overnight - down to 30º - but the high this afternoon was 46º, a much more reasonable temperature, even though it was below average. There wasn't any wind.
The guys slept, mostly. Louie slept with me for part of the night, but I was too restless for him. He is still limping, but not all the time. I still don't know what the problem is. Grayson feels good. He was playing with a piece of trash on the kitchen floor tonight.
So it was another quiet, useless day, and now it's a cool, calm, cloudy night in the field. And I'm going to bed.
May 8 So I was in bed before 10:00, I got up a bit before 9:30, I was only up three times, and I still feel lousy. What gives?
When I was up, the moon was shining brightly, and the last time, I could see it, and it was south of Jupiter. It's going to be too cloudy tonight to see all that, and the sky wasn't very transparent last night, but it was pretty. And looking at the archive, I'm going to have to reset the camera again. We're still gaining time at 2m45s a day.
I knitted my six rows, and from now on, it's going to be four. I knitted for 2½ hours, and that's too long. I'm coming along quite well, though, and I think I'm halfway down the shawl. That's not halfway through, because I've been doing the shorter rows, but I've done half of them. I think I'm finally getting the hang of the pattern.
I
didn't do anything much today. I had all sorts of plans, and I really need to
get that toilet seat installed, but I hurt all over, for some reason - the
humidity wasn't that high for most of the day - and it hurt. I feel better now,
but it's too late, and I'm tired. The weather was still cold. The high temperature here was only 44º, but there wasn't much, if any, wind. It was clear and lovely until around 4:00, when the clouds began to loom up in the west, and it's now cloudy. I noticed that the sun seems to be setting over the lighthouse now, although it was hard to see from the picture, which was overexposed.
The guys slept. When I went into the bathroom this morning, they were both laid out along the vanity, where the sun was shining on the floor, and they moved as the sun moved. I imagine it's nice to lie on the warm floor with the warm sun on top.
So that was another quiet, useless day, and I will be going to bed soon. It's a cloudy, cool night in the field.
May 7 I was a bit later getting to bed last night than I wanted - about 10:15 - but I had to wash my hair (and, as i always say, "my me") and I had to trim my fingernails. i have to do that about every three weeks. They grow about a millimeter a week, and when they get 3mm long, they begin to interfere with my typing and some of my crafting. Some of the crafting is better done with fingernails, but it's so awkward to type that I put up with it with the other crafts.
I didn't have a very good night, for some reason. Maybe it was because it was warm in the bedroom, although it wasn't that hot and I didn't have all the covers over me. Who knows? I was up when the moon and Jupiter were setting over the mountain, and that was pretty. It was clear, but with the moon and the aerosol haze in the sky, I couldn't see any stars.
Unfortunately, I was up about 6:15, but I went back to bed, and I was asleep - or nearly so - when the alarm went off. I got up (ugh!) and did my thing. I tried a pair of khaki slacks today, and they fit, too! I doubt the other pair does, but I'll try them with an open mind and see. These were a wee bit tight in the waist, but they didn't pinch very much, and it's so nice to be able to button the waistband!
Church was good, although we screwed up our song. I like having communion every week.
I had to get gas and I had to run by the post office to mail my tax stuff and a bill, so it was about 1:00 when I got home. I didn't do much of anything for the rest of the afternoon. For some reason I don't understand, my shoulders were achy, so I spent most of the afternoon trying to ignore that.
It wasn't the weather. It was cold; the high temperature was only 39º, but the humidity was mostly under 60%. It was rather windy, with a 15 mph or so wind from the north. i particularly noticed that when I was pumping gas. Oh, for the good old days of somebody to do that for me! It was clear and beautiful all day, and when I came down the hill into Copper Harbor, there was a line of bright white breakers across the gap, against the intensely cobalt blue lake. I never get tired of coming back to the Harbor.
The guys were sleepy. i haven't seen Louie since I've been home, but Grayson spent a good amount of time on my lap this afternoon.
So that was another quiet day, and now it's a clear, cold evening in the field. And I'm tired.
May 6 Not much to report. Down at 11:15, up at 9:15. Six rows without too much trouble, although the top row of the fern pattern continues to bedevil me.
The task of the day was pills, and the dispensers at this end of the house are filled, or as filled as they can be. I need to put in an order, but I think I may need some north-end pills, too, so I will wait until tomorrow.
i also paid some bills and got the taxes ready to send in tomorrow. I wanted to make copies of some of those things, but first I couldn't get the printer to feed paper, and once that was sort of fixed, I discovered that I am completely out of ink. I have another set of cartridges, but they're out in the breezeway, so I will do that tomorrow, maybe.
The weather wasn't too warm, but it was nice. I didn't stick my nose outside, though. The high temperature was 44º for several hours this afternoon, and there was a 15 mph wind from the north. It was beautifully clear and blue all day. When I was up around 4:30, the gibbous moon was setting over Porter's Island, and it looked like an orange slice. At the same time, Jupiter was setting over the mountain. It's near opposition now, and it's very bright. I think there were some clouds overnight, and the sky wasn't very transparent, but what I could see was pretty.
The sun is rising before 6:30 AM and setting after 9:00, so we have days that are 14¾ hours long. Nice, especially when it's clear. And a good sign that, temperature notwithstanding, summer will eventually come.
The guys slept. They both got their loving.
So that was it. Now i have to go up to the north end right away and do the pill dispensers there before I take my bath. It's a clear, cool evening in the field.
May 5 I made it into bed around 1:00 last night. That's early for a Thursday, and besides, I was able to set the bathroom clock, finally. I was up twice, and I got up around 10:30, I think. When I was up around 5:00, it was getting light, which I love to see. Pretty soon the sun will be rising then.
I knitted six rows without any problems, so I'm making progress, and I finished Chart C. I have decided that if there is any way I can do it, I'm going to put an edging on this thing. The pattern says to just knit six rows and bind off, but that's just plain ugly, so I will do what I can to make it prettier.
I had some ideas of something to do today, but I was late, so I didn't. I did go to the post office, where there were a bunch of bills and my taxes, finally. I actually owe something this year - a combination of taking too much out of my IRA and not being able to pay my winter taxes last year - but it's not much. I will send everything off on Sunday.
Otherwise, I did nothing.
The weather was nondescript. The high temperature was only 39º, but there was no wind, so it wasn't bad to be out. There were a few minutes of sunshine but mostly it was bright cloudy. They said it might rain this afternoon, but even though radar showed rain for a while, it didn't ever reach the ground. It was quite humid, but my joints were telling me that.
The guys slept. Grayson slept mostly on me, when I would let him. Louie got his loving this morning. they got some canned fish stuff this morning that they both liked and ate a lot of. I keep trying things, because they haven't settled on canned food that they like, although Grayson is expecting canned food about three times a week now. Louie is more or less indifferent to food as long as there's enough of it. He'll eat some of the canned stuff, sometimes - he liked the fish - but he goes back to his same old kibble.
So it was a quiet day, and I expect to be in bed early tonight. It's a calm, cloudy, cool night in the field.
May 4 I was late again last night, even though I tried not to be. I had to wash my hair. I slept well, with two wakeups, and i think I got up around 10:30. I knitted, but I stopped after four rows. The rows are long enough now that it takes a while to do two. As much trouble as I've had with this thing and as much as I've had to edit the pattern, I like it and it's going to be pretty.
I was late enough that I didn't have time to do much of anything besides my surfing. I did finally make the appointment for my yearly physical, and it won't be until the middle of July. It had to be after June 27, because Medicare won't pay for it unless it's a year from the last one, and my doctor is apparently curtailing his hours, because he's Chief of Staff at the hospital. Well, I don't have any pressing problems, except to try to keep my weight steady until then. We'll see how that goes.
Tonight was choir and Bible Study, and we actually did get to go! It was nice to come and go in clear and dry conditions, and it was not quite dark when we got home. Everybody agreed that last week was the pits and everybody hopes it's over for the season. Fingers crossed.
The weather was better than they predicted, or at least it happened earlier than they predicted. We did have a bit of rain between 9:00 and 11:00, but then it cleared up and it was clear and blue until around 6:30 PM, when it clouded up again. The high temperature was 48º, which is chilly but quite acceptable. There wasn't much wind at all.
The guys didn't do much of interest, except that they were both around the doorway when I got home tonight.
When I left for church, my toilet seat riser had been delivered - I didn't open the package - and when I got home, my toilet paper had arrived. So I guess I need to spend some time in the breezeway, opening packages and breaking down cardboard boxes. A couple of other things haven't been delivered yet - mostly pills - but now I am set for a while. I'm anxious to get the toilet seat riser installed. After waiting for a number of months, I finally decided not to wait anymore and I ordered it. I have th suspicion that one reason my left shoulder isn't healing as it should is because I have to put so much strain on it getting off the pot, and I'm hoping the raised seat will help. I only got one, so I can test it, and then I'll get the other one. Fingers crossed.
I made it through the winter with the toilet paper I ordered last fall, but I was running short, so it was time. I couldn't get the kind I got then, so we'll see how the new stuff works, and how long it lasts. You know, toilet paper isn't like mascara, and I keep wondering why, every time I order it, either the roll size or the packaging, or both, have changed dramatically. I mean, toilet paper? Clearly, marketing people live in another universe, and it is not very closely connected to the one I live in.
Geez, what next? After I closed this file, I decided I wanted to add something to it, and when I opened FrontPage, Journal wasn't there!!??!!! So I looked around, and I found it - on my DESKTOP! How the @#&$#@% did it get THERE????????? I think I've gotten it back where it belongs, but for heaven's sake! This i don't need! Aarrgghh!!
So that was my day, and now it's time to go up to the north end and crash. It's a cloudy, cool night in the field.
May 3 I got to bed around 12:30 last night, which is a lot earlier than lately. The moon was shining brightly, and when I was up around 3:00, it was setting over Porter Island, but I didn't get a good look at it. I got up around 9:30 or so, I think.
I forgot to mention yesterday that we had one of those power glitches that only affects the east side of the house, so now the bathroom clock is blinking again. Sigh. I never saw it, of course, because either I was at the north end and the lights were off or I was at the south end and the UPS was working. i almost got it reset today, because I was on the phone, but I forgot about it until it was too late. I have to be ready to set it on the hour, because the minute button doesn't work. It's a real pain, but everything else about the unit works (I suppose I couldn't set the alarm for anything but an hour, but I don't use the alarm), so I find it hard to justify a new one.
I knitted six rows. I have 250 stitches or so on the needle, but that's so many fewer than I had with the last one that it doesn't seem too bad. I did screw up a couple of stitches, but they were easy to fix, and the rest of the knitting went easily.
I also forgot to mention one odd problem with the weight thing, not that I expect to have it. If I were to lose another 30 pounds, most of my pants would be too big, and I am not in a position to buy any new ones, and I don't have any fabric stash to make any. It would be really nice to get down to that kind of weight, for health reasons, but if I did (I'd have to have another sick winter), all my clothes would be too big and would hang on me. Well, it probably won't happen, so I don't worry about it.
I finally got most of the groceries packed away, and the other task of the day (besides making changes to the bulletin) was to get the dishwasher ready to run. It is, and I'll run it overnight.
The weather today was nice - really nice. I should have poked my nose outdoors. The high temperature was 57º, for several hours this afternoon (they flubbed that one, too), and the humidity got down below 35%. It was clear and sunny until 6:00 or so, when those medium-high nondescript clouds began to move in. The wind was from the west, and occasionally there were some 15 mph gusts, but mostly it was pretty quiet. I really have to reset the camera. It's supposed to be cooler and maybe rain tomorrow, but after that, apparently we will be in for some really nice spring weather.
The guys slept anyway. Grayson didn't get any lap time because I kept thinking I was going to get up. He did get something good to eat this morning. Louie got some love in the bathroom. Sometimes he limps and sometimes he doesn't, so I wonder if his problem is arthritis. He seems to get along anyway, and he can still put some weight on his leg.
So it was another very quiet day, and now i have to take a bath, because it was so hot in here I was sweating for most of the afternoon. It's a cloudy, sort of warmish night in the field.
May 2 I was late again, for no apparent reason. I slept well, and i got up around 11:00, I think. I knitted, with some difficulty. I had made a goof yesterday, which I thought I fixed, but then I managed to repeat a row in the center rather than do the next row, and when I realized that, I had to fix it, too, so I didn't make much progress. I think things are right now, but one never knows. I timed myself, too, so I wouldn't spend the entire afternoon sitting and knitting. After the huge project I just finished, it's taking me some time to get used to a normal sized one.
The task of the day was the bulletin, but I was so late that I just finished that. I'm still trying to recover the prayer list, but I think it's getting better.
I don't think I've ever said much about my weight. it's been a sore point with me, so I don't talk about it much. I've been overweight or obese for my entire life, with the exception of a few glorious years in my late 20s when I managed to get down to my "ideal" weight by taking Dexedrine (prescribed). That's called "speed" on the street, and I don't think you can get it at all anymore. I had to stop taking it when I started having little blackouts (not good when driving a car) and I could not keep the weight off without it. I'm hypoglycemic, and I get very sick when my blood sugar crashes. I gained weight at the rate of about 5 pounds a year, but that was a long time ago. I lost some when I was going through the stem cell transplant, but I gained it all back and then some after I moved up here. For the past few years, I've been at my highest weight of all, but it has been pretty steady, just too much.
I think you all know I was sick for most of the winter with that community sinus infection, which I had three times, although the last time might have been the flu. Around the end of January, I discovered that I could button the waistband of my black slacks, which I haven't been able to do since I got them, so I weighed myself - and discovered that I had apparently lost about 30 pounds since October! WOW!!! I knew I was eating less when I was sick, and I had started eating mostly Schwan's frozen chicken and fish, which are pre-packaged in 3.5 - 6 oz portions, but I was still startled. In fact, I was so startled that I began weighing myself every couple of weeks. I still have the feeling that it might all be a mistake, and at any time, I would step on the scale and those 30 pounds would be back. Well, so far, they haven't. Not only can I button the waistbands of my black and one pair of navy pants, I can get into the jeans I haven't been able to wear for nine or ten years. Everything fits better, including my jackets.
I still keep thinking I'll wake up and it will all be back again, but so far I'm holding.
The only thing about all those jeans is that they are almost all bleached - very pale blue. That was in style when I bought them, but of course it's very out of fashion now. They're all right for summer, but I'd like some dark ones for winter - assuming that i won't gain all that weight back. I've been thinking about trying to get some indigo fabric dye and dye two or three pairs dark blue. I've never dyed anything before, and I have lots of questions. I'm not sure how colorfast that dye is. The one I would probably use is done in the washer, and I wonder whether it messes up the tub, or whether rinsing or washing the stuff that was dyed gets rid of the color on the tub. Anyway, it's just a thought. I still am not getting any cold water into the washer, so I have to solve that problem first.
The weather is getting better. It was rainy and windy all night, with nearly 100% humidity and winds gusting around 34 mph from the east. The lake was fussing loudly. However, it didn't snow, and it didn't freeze, so the weather forecasters blew that one. By 8:00 AM the humidity and wind were going down and the temperature was going up. it was beginning to clear up a bit, and there was some nice sunshine this morning. The high temperature was 45º. Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer and sunny. There may be some rain on Thursday (of course!), but the temperature is supposed to stay above freezing and mostly in the 40s. So maybe spring is coming at last? I hope so.
The guys were sleepy, of course. When I got up, Grayson was sound asleep on the tub surround, in a spot that was in the sunshine. Looked like a little angel cat. Louie is still limping off and on. I think it's his left leg, but it's not clear what part hurts. He was more subdued today, and he didn't get into it with Grayson quite as much.
So that was my day. I was going to wash dishes tonight, but they aren't in the dishwasher yet, so I think I will just go to bed instead. It's a cloudy night in the field, but it's not cold, for once!
May 1 Geez, how to get off-schedule!
I was so tired last night, I almost couldn't move, and I was falling asleep in front of the computer before I finally managed to get up to the north end. So I was very late.
I was late getting up, too, and I knitted for too long. In part that was because I screwed up the last right-side row I knitted and had to fix it. I was having problems counting as well, so it was a long session and I knitted for most of the afternoon.
That made me late having something to eat, which made me late having dinner and...well, it just escalates. Obviously, I won't be washing my hair tonight. Now I'm listening to Beethoven's Fifth, and maybe I can go to bed after that.
It doesn't help that the weather has been so miserable that I hurt all over, even though I took some Tylenol. The temperature was just about steady all day, at 38º, and so was the dew point, so the humidity has varied from 97% to 100%. That is not good for my joints, and they were telling me so. The wind has been from the east all day, and just in the past couple of hours, it has risen to 24 mph with 34 mph gusts. So far, we've had 0.95" of rain. Oh, yuck! Trouble is, not even lying down helps much, but I'm tired and maybe I can sleep.
Louie was moving a little better today. I was concerned last night, because he was limping badly, but it seems a little better today. He slept with me most of the night. Grayson slept on my lap as much as I'd let him. It was that kind of day.
So now it's May, although you certainly wouldn't know it from the weather, but it's all downhill from here. Days are 14½ hours long now, and it's beginning to get light at 5:00. On the other hand, they are predicting snow or sleet or a mixture for tonight and maybe tomorrow morning. That looks to be the end of it, though, and we can hope. It's gotten pretty tiresome.
Now it's a dark, cold, rainy (or snowy) night in the field and the lake is fussing. But it's May.
Last updated 05/28/17 08:19 PM |