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“Hopefully my bad luck is over, and I got it all out of the way. I’m looking forward now. I’m not looking in the past.”

June 9, 2011

I am going to run away from home. I am living under a dark cloud, both literally and figuratively. Earlier there was thunder, it rained a bit and the clouds are still gray and a bit ominous. That’s the literal. I went down the cellar to see why my irrigation system didn’t work this morning, and the cellar, on one side and seeping to the other, is flooded. Right away, from the constant dripping, I found the source, another pipe with several leaks. That’s the figurative though it also has literal written all over it. On my way over to the pipe, I slipped on a sopping bag and went to my knees. Luckily, I wasn’t hurt: I just got wet and a bit indignant. I couldn’t get to the pipe with the storage stacked around it so I called Skip and he arrived with a pump just as the plumber arrived. Walter, my plumber, tightened a few screws and the dripping stopped. He’ll be back later to check, but he thinks it was just a loose valve. Skip is now pumping out my cellar. (P.S. He pumped out 20 and 1/2 gallons).

This morning I had great plans. I was going to the once a week farmers’ market then on to Hyannis for a bit of shopping. Not any more. Now I’ll wait for Skip to finish and my plumber to return then I’ll punish myself further by grocery shopping. I liken it to self-flagellation.

My sister said at least I wasn’t dead. She has a point.

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“And since all this loveliness can not be Heaven, I know in my heart it is June.”

June 7, 2011

Okay, enough is enough. I backed into a car yesterday, moved to get away from it and hit something else. The collision place says $700 to fix both areas. Why not, I say. I’m getting used to living under a dark cloud. I’m now extra careful going up and downstairs, throw salt over my shoulder and avoid ladders.

I refuse to get my hopes too high, but today has started a bit better. Here’s the good news: it’s not the water heater but a corroded copper pipe which is now being replaced. All my flowers got planted, the backyard was weed-whacked and the front garden was weeded. The irrigation system started today so I don’t have to hand water the flowers any more. Tonight I will take my first outside shower of the season and will bring my phone with me as I have been locked inside the shower before when the latch stuck. I will take no chances!

It’s a deck day, beautiful and warm so I’ll be heading out when I finish here. Showers are predicted for tonight, and that’s a good thing as we haven’t had rain for a while. I hope for a bit of thunder and lighting.

My trip is well over two months away, and I’m already getting excited. My passport has been sent to the embassy for its visa, my yellow fever shot is scheduled, I ordered new sandals, have bought some new clothes, a new suitcase and plenty of travel toilet paper. My iPad is set for recharging on Ghanaian voltage, and I’ve started downloading some books. While I’m there, I’ll have a dress or two made and buy plenty of cloth for other projects. I figure I don’t need a whole slew of clothes as I can have them washed while I’m there. We even had our washing done during training when we were living on a small per diem as it was pretty cheap. I have a place to stay, and all I need is to find a car and driver. The one I found quoted a far too expensive rate so I have to keep looking. I’m hoping at the place where I’m staying they might have a connection or two.

I am so excited about summer, about deck movies and the theater and nights outside with friends. It will hit the 70’s later this week. A day that hot sounds like the start of summer to me.

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“Every man’s memory is his private literature.”

June 6, 2011

Yesterday all was well and today looks like a great day. The sun is so bright it’s almost blinding. I have an errands, but I’m putting them off until later so I can loll on the deck with a cold drink and my newest book, The Jefferson Key. My irrigation guy came by this morning and turned on the lawn system and my outside shower. My landscaper, who lives next door, was with him, and I asked him to have a few things done in my yard. The last of my flowers are waiting for planting, weeds in the front need to go to their heavenly rewards and the backyard has to be weed-whacked. Tomorrow, he said.

Today is D-Day. My mother once had a D-Day party and put up maps of the landing sites, played WWII music and had The Longest Day playing on the VCR. My dad used to tell us about when he was in the hospital in England during the invasion, and the wounded never seemed to stop coming. They told him our troops were getting slaughtered by heavy resistance. Most of the soldiers were pessimistic about our chances to defeat Germany. That, of course, was at the beginning. We visited a few sites on one of our trips to Europe. The Ardennes was the spookiest with its ground fog and its silence. In the woods were tank traps looking like dragon’s teeth. We passed signs for Malmedy, and my dad told us about the massacre of American prisoners of war by the “bloody Germans” as he called them. All the sites we saw and visited were new to my dad as well. He had been a sailor whose ship had been sunk by the Germans in the North Atlantic. We followed signs along the same route the Americans had taken as the army made its way inland; we visited WW II museums and stayed in Bastogne. It was a remarkable trip.

Memories of events grow dim and finally disappear over time. Each new generation loses something as the previous generations age and finally disappear. I grew up hearing all my mother’s favorite songs including her World War II favorites. I know all the words to them. My niece and nephews don’t know them, no reason why they should. The songs aren’t played any more. I remember all my dad’s World War II stories, and they have been passed down, but I suspect they’ll end with the generation behind me. They have no connections the way we did.

I am a child of the 50’s and 60’s, and I have so many memories of growing up then, memories of the things I did and what I believed. They are still vivid to me but only to me. Soon enough, they too will fade and finally disappear, and the next generation will fill the void with their own memories.

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“There are good days and there are bad days, and this is one of them.”

June 5, 2011

I woke up cold this morning. The sheet, spread and Gracie beside me weren’t enough. The house was 61°. Outside was a bit warmer so I stood in the sun awhile. This time of year is so odd with all sorts of days: hot, cold and once in a while, just right.

Yesterday was a day I’d rather forget. First, I was on the computer just finishing Coffee when I heard a loud bang and a nanosecond later my computer died as did all things electrical. I figured it was a transformer. Having no phone book, I called on my cellphone to my sister for the Nstar number and gave them a call. The woman told me it was a downed lined and would take a few hours to fix. I asked about the bang and the transformer, and she said she had no idea so I knew she had been giving me a line, so to speak. I decided a nap was a good idea. While I was sleeping, the electricity came back, and when I woke up, I went around to correct the time. The VCR always presents a problem as I have to use 3 remotes, and I always forget how to do it. Later, I went upstairs to get something and noticed the clock radio was dead as was the digital readout on my converter box. Everything else still worked. I went down to the cellar to the electrical box and turned the switches labeled general lights. Once there, I noticed the floor was wet and I heard dripping. It was my water heater. I went back upstairs for my cell phone, then back downstairs for the phone number on the heater and I called the company. They had me turn off the hot water which didn’t do anything as it still dripped. They said they’d be here on Tuesday with a new heater. The other was isn’t even two years old so it is under warranty. I then went back up two flights to check the outage in my bedroom. They were still out. I called my friend Shane the electrician who said you never know what is connected to what, and I should turn off and on all the switches, and I did. That worked. I came upstairs to have a cold drink, turned on the baseball game and then the phone rang. I noticed the number didn’t appear on the TV so I called myself from my cell phone. It didn’t appear either. I went to the live chat on line with Comcast and explained the problem. The woman had me to do a couple of things, neither of which worked. She told me that her diagnostic tool showed no problems with my line. I suggested her diagnostic tool was wrong. She kept leaving and coming back so the time on line with her was endless. She made inane comments like, “Great job,” when I told her I had done what she’d asked. I wanted to strangle her. The last thing was I had to disconnect my modem for five minutes then reconnect it. It would take 2-5 hours before we knew if this had solved the problem. If not, I was to get back to Comcast. Lo and behold, when I checked this morning, the problem had been corrected.

Nothing is more frustrating than out of my control stuff needing fixing. Yesterday gave me a headache, and I want a redo, a better yesterday with no drips.

Did I mention the tick on my arm?

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“If you’re gonna to use that gun, you better start on me.”

June 4, 2011

The morning is beautiful with a bright sun and a blue sky, but that pesky cool breeze is still with us and will bring the temperature down to the high 40’s tonight. Standing outside in the sun is warm and cozy, but the shade is a might chilly.

When I went to get dog food yesterday, I brought my list of flowers so I could buy a couple more and be finished buying for the season. Well, that was a mistake. I bought one or two of each flower on the list. My trunk was filled and some of the taller plants went in the back seat. I have never heard of most of these flowers. I found their names on line when I read about making a country garden. The author said add herbs so I have some Russian sage and hyssops. I bought blanket flowers and I don’t remember what else, but they are lined up on my walk waiting to be planted later today. When I went to get the papers, I noticed the garden is dry so I hauled out my watering can and watered a few which looked a bit wilted. I’ll have to get my irrigation system turned on as I’d hate to lose any flowers, and the grass too is looking a bit needy.

Matt Dillon died on Friday. I know he was really James Arness, but for years and years he was the marshal of Dodge City, and that’s how I remember him. I can still see in my mind’s eye the opening of Gunsmoke when Matt shoots the bad guy with that long pistol. That was in the heyday of TV westerns. I think we watched one every night. I had some favorites and Maverick topped the list, but the The Wild, Wild West wasn’t far behind.

We sat around the small black and white TV and watched Have Gun Will Travel, Yancy Derringer, Wagon Train, Cheyenne and so many others. I learned what a paladin is by watching TV. I also learned that good guys win though that truth has weakened over time. I, however, still keep hope.

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“The cowgirl faces life head on, lives by her own lights and makes no excuses.”

June 3, 2011

Both Fern and Gracie huddled beside me in bed this morning, one on the left, one on the right. From the opened window I could feel a cool breeze blowing. I nestled deeper, got warmer and slept a little longer. It will be sunny and in the high 60’s for the next few days going down to the low 50’s at night. I love this sort of weather though I could do without the chilly breeze.

I remember being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I was really young, I toyed with cowgirl for a while impressed as I was with Dale Evans, her horse Buttercup and her great wardrobe. I think that was my fringe stage. Later, when I was older, I wanted to be Nellie Bly and travel the world writing as I went. A library book was what inspired that choice, but Nelly Bly went the way of Dale Evans. I was a candy striper for a while and that turned me off nursing. Luckily, though, as I got older, people stopped asking, and I was off the hook for needing to plan my future. I finally figured out the growing up question was merely a way for adults to make conversation with a kid, and nobody really cared though cowgirl did get a few laughs at my expense.

I did wonder what I was going to be. I never gave president a thought because I was a girl, but I figured just about everything else, except a priest, was an option. I decided to be a teacher and planned college around that choice, but I changed my mind. I decided to be Perry Mason, the female version, so I took the lsat, did well and applied to law school. I got in, but I didn’t go.

It seems a bit of Nelly Bly and even some Dale Evans and Happy Trails had stayed around. I went to travel the world. I went to Africa. I rode a camel though I didn’t wear any fringe. I would have liked to though. Fringe would have been just about perfect.

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“Health food may be good for the conscience but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better.”

June 2, 2011

I sort of know how Dorothy felt when she left Kansas and landed in the wonderful land of Oz. Yesterday was dismal, cloudy and damp with periodic rumblings of thunder. Today is gorgeous, warm and sunny, with a lovely breeze. Right away I hauled out my cleaning supplies and cleaned off the layers of pollen from the deck table and chairs then I brought out my coffee and papers. It was my first morning this season on the deck.

I noticed the birds aren’t around. It seems they’re not liking the new seed I bought so it’s back to Agway later today. I’ll put blinders on as that’s also my gardening store. I watered the deck plants while I was out there and rearranged a few candles on the trees. Gracie was with me a while then came inside for her morning nap. Fern is in the sun by the door, and I have no idea where Maddie is.

The one constant in my life has always been Oreo cookies. They have never let me down. When I was young, I could always count on my mother buying them every Friday night when she grocery shopped. My sisters, sitting together on the back steps, used to open them carefully so as not to break the wafers then they’d scrap off the cream with their teeth, the best method of all for eating the cream. The wafers went to the dog. I can still remember how the cream looked with teeth marks across it, almost like ruts on a wintry country road. I am an original Oreos fan though I do like the double stuffed. The orange ones at Halloween just don’t seem right. I know they taste the same, but my eyes tell me differently. I found a drink that tastes just like an Oreo cookie and a cookie on the rim is the garnish. It’s a bit of heaven here on Earth.

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“Health food may be good for the conscience but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better.”

June 2, 2011

I sort of know how Dorothy felt when she left Kansas and landed in the wonderful land of Oz. Yesterday was dismal, cloudy and damp with periodic rumblings of thunder. Today is gorgeous, warm and sunny, with a lovely breeze. Right away I hauled out my cleaning supplies and cleaned off the layers of pollen from the deck table and chairs then I brought out my coffee and papers. It was my first morning this season on the deck.

I noticed the birds aren’t around. It seems they’re not liking the new seed I bought so it’s back to Agway later today. I’ll put blinders on as that’s also my gardening store. I watered the deck plants while I was out there and rearranged a few candles on the trees. Gracie was with me a while then came inside for her morning nap. Fern is in the sun by the door, and I have no idea where Maddie is.

The one constant in my life has always been Oreo cookies. They have never let me down. When I was young, I could always count on my mother buying them every Friday night when she grocery shopped. My sisters, sitting together on the back steps, used to open them carefully so as not to break the wafers then they’d scrap off the cream with their teeth, the best method of all for eating the cream. The wafers went to the dog. I can still remember how the cream looked with teeth marks across it, almost like ruts on a wintry country road. I am an original Oreos fan though I do like the double stuffed. The orange ones at Halloween just don’t seem right. I know they taste the same, but my eyes tell me differently. I found a drink that tastes just like an Oreo cookie and a cookie on the rim is the garnish. It’s a bit of heaven here on Earth.

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Comments: 14 Comments

“I have sporadic OCD cleaning moments around the house. But then I get lazy and I’m cured. It’s a very inconsistent personality trait.”

May 31, 2011

The day is perfectly lovely, the sort of day I dreamed about when the ground was covered with snow and the air was so cold it froze my nose. The morning has been strange: one small task has led to another then another. When I went to get the papers, I took down the red, white and blue buntings from the front fences and gate then saw the one off the deck and made a mental note to get that one too. I came inside, read the paper and drank my coffee then went to get another cup for drinking with my second paper. When I walked into the kitchen, I noticed the kitchen floor needed sweeping so I took out my broom and swept the dust and such out the back door. I noticed the bunting and went outside to bring it inside. Once I’d gathered it, I went to sit for a minute on the deck to watch the birds then I noticed the spawns of Satan had knocked down the glass candle holders from the chandelier hanging from the tree. I went down to the yard to retrieve them and saw where my outside living room light was disconnected so I connected it. In the process I saw gifts from Gracie in the yard so I dug a hole and buried them. I also found two big, flat rocks, just what I needed. My umbrella stand wobbles even though it weighs 100 pounds, and it makes the umbrella stand crooked which drives me crazy. When I got back to the deck, I put the rocks under the stand and righted the umbrella then sat for a short time and watched the birds. It was then I noticed the cardinal’s untouched grape jelly feeder was covered in pollen so I took it down to be washed. While I was at that side of the deck, I saw the three Japanese lanterns hanging from the tree branches just didn’t look right so I played around with moving them until I found the right combination. By then I was ready for my coffee and paper. I left the bunting outside.

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“I believe it is the nature of people to be heroes, given the chance.”

May 30, 2011

Memorial Day

A handful of old men walking down the village street
In worn, brushed uniforms, their gray heads high;
A faded flag above them, one drum to lift their feet—
Look again, O heart of mine, and see what passes by!

    There’s a vast crowd swaying, there’s a wild band playing,
The streets are full of marching men, or tramping cavalry.
Alive and young and straight again, they ride to greet a mate again—
The gallant souls, the great souls that live eternally!

    A handful of old men walking down the highways?
Nay, we look on heroes that march among their peers,
The great, glad Companions have swung from heaven’s byways
And come to join their own again across the dusty years.

    There are strong hands meeting, there are staunch hearts greeting—
A crying of remembered names, of deeds that shall not die.
A handful of old men?—Nay, my heart, look well again;
The spirit of America today is marching by!

                                                                   – Theodosia Pickering Garrison

I went to my town’s parade this morning. It lasted about five minutes, but that didn’t matter, only the occasion did. An old soldier and an old sailor walked in front of a WW II jeep to the music of bagpipes. A newer jeep carried two of their comrades, too old to walk. The middle school band played well. Boy scouts and girl scouts carried small flags and waved at the people along the roadside. It may have been small, but it was heartfelt.

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