too short? too tall? just right

So, we decided to get a new mattress. Not that there was anything wrong with the one we had, mind you, but we had a brass bed frame given to us which we want to use as a guest bed. It is a full size, which is why no one else wanted it probably. Since we needed a mattress, I was not about to buy a new one for the guest bed when we have been using the one we bought in 1987. Yeah, I know- no one keeps a mattress that long apparently. We haven't had any problems with ours- it isn't lumpy or saggy and will do fine for guests that we have 2 or 3 times a year. We won't dwell on the fact that it's 3 years away from being technically an antique.

I'm back- I just had to Google antique to find out if there was an age range for the definition. I found this:

Motor vehicles, power tools and other items subject to vigorous use may be considered antiques in the U.S. if older than 25 years.

Not going there.

Our wooden headboard/footboard was made to fit full or queen size mattress, so we were told. The posts do have two slots for the slat hooky things,we measured the length too and seemed all set and decided to upgrade from our full to a queen. We settled on the store and mattress and bought one "in stock" which in salesman terms means we can get it from our warehouse and deliver it in a week. On the day I was going to RI and pick up my parents for their visit, during which they will sleep on the guest bed which currently had no mattress.

Wednesday morning I lugged the mattress and upstairs and got the bed ready for my folks, switched our rails to the outer positions, widened the slats and got the little extra leg supports all set. Delivery was between 1 and 3, and they said they would try for 1- 1:30. J got home at 2, no bed in sight and I left for RI, jokingly telling him not to touch the bed upstairs.

We got back the next day to find a note saying "It didn't fit the bed" and the slats lying on the floor along with a hammer. The 'good' news was that poor J slept on the couch rather then messing up the guest bed. Since our rails were too short, we laid the set on the floor last night and bought new ones today. The new mattress sets are so much bigger than the old ones that it comes up to my waist now. We need those little bed steps!

So. Too short on the floor, too tall in the frame. Do we go back again to the store and get the bed frames that will attach only to the headboard and be lower? I guess we do. What a pain in the kazoo this has been.

I must say the mattress is comfortable but I hope I don't fall off it tonight. Not that I usually fall out of bed. Just saying.

Eyes in the back of my head

All parents have them, right? Those mysterious eyes in the back of your head that see what kids are doing, even upstairs or in the way back of the car? Well, you can see mine now.

That's what it looks like anyway. I was cutting my hair this morning and the attachment came off the clipper at the back of my head. First thought, "that probably doesn't look good". The mirror confirmed that it was indeed a very visible patch of extremely short (as in not there) hair and very white skin. Bummer.

I have always told my kids, "Hair grows back". This was my response to any botched haircut, bad perm, or bad decision. But, family reunion in 4 days- even my hair doesn't grow that quickly. So, I mowed the lawn today, hoping to tan the spot so it doesn't glare quite so much. J says it's still white.

Some of the relatives going to this reunion I have not met, or if I did, I was too young to remember. Not that first , and probably only, impression I was hoping for. Oh well, that's the way it goes. I can wear a cap, I guess. At least I have my sparkly earrings to show I am a girl.

Speaking of earrings, I figured I'd remove them to make sure they were healing alright. They seemed to be, but one was a little swollen, although that could be because Rosie jumped up and hit it the other day. Removed them just fine, looked good, and went to put them back in. Memories of helping the girls had prepared me for a little difficulty and I managed the right ear. However, I could not get the left earring at the correct angle, and couldn't see it in the mirror so kept jabbing around the middle of the lobe. Yuck.

J, like many men his age anyway, had very little to do with any icky stuff with the kids and to this day I get to clean up the dog barf and/or poop. So, he was not happy when he had to poke the post through for me. He did it, and walked out saying "Don't ever take them out again". Okay, hon.

Closed Captioning for the Curious

Wouldn't it be nice if people would post a sign informing passersby what they are doing in their front yards? Back yards, inside houses, I don't care- I don't see any activity so no problem, you can keep that private. But in a small town, where Main Street is just that, the main drag, I want to know what they are doing when I keep driving by!

One house to the south of us had been vacant for some time, and we kept an eye on it's separate garage/barn as we drove by, to see if leaning was going to develop into collapsing. It was sold a couple of weeks ago, and the hayfield lawn was mowed. Then, the barn was burned down(on purpose) and cleaned up. Yesterday, we saw forms in place, but couldn't figure out what for, and we looked going and coming home again. There are two large openings in front, which could be garage doors, or windows, as in a split level. Since the walls appear to be going up 3 or 4 feet, we are unsure if it is a garage or barn replacement, or are they building a new house, and will tear down the little old one when they move in? I told J that a sign should be out front, like when a bank is built, so everyone knows what's coming.

Then, today THREE separate, interesting but ambiguous activities were spotted. All within a one mile span, no less. First, a young man was setting up a video camera on a tripod outside a front door where nothing was going on. There were several vehicles in the drive, with, I assume, their drivers watching and waiting for the action to begin. 45 minutes later, home from grocery shopping, still people out front, and what looks like a telescope on the tripod. Hmm. Something celestial going on tonight that we don't know about? Later still, while going to the transfer station, we see the young man is now standing in the back of a pickup with a microphone on a boom(that's the pole thingy, right?) Still no apparent reason for recording.

Second item: Older man in a gray coverall standing in a hole which presumably he has dug. It is grave shaped and sized, although only knee deep. Nice sharp corners too. On the way back, he was out of the hole, gazing down into it. Deep enough, was it sir?

And thirdly, a window has been removed from the end of a house, and the framing is gone down to the sill. J got a glimpse inside and said it looked like their kitchen had older metal cabinets like ours did when we moved in. Interesting. I can't remember if there was one or two windows there, but the opening is big enough now for french doors, although there would be quite a drop once you stepped out. Perhaps they are planning a small deck too? Or maybe they had a leaky window and had to remove rotten wood and will just replace it with a picture window now. Are they redoing the entire kitchen?

We don't know any of these people so will not be able to relieve our curiosity except by keeping up the peeping as we drive by. Maybe when we start our workshop later this year, we should post a sign.

YES, WE ARE BUILDING A WORKSHOP.

NOPE, NOT A GARAGE ALTHOUGH YOU'RE RIGHT
WE DON'T HAVE ONE AND WE SHOULD.

YEP, WE ARE DOING IT OURSELVES, SO IT
WILL TAKE AWHILE BEFORE YOU SEE IT
COMPLETED.

WELL, WE ARE THINKING OF WHITEWASHING IT,
SO IT WILL LOOK LIKE OUR CURRENT SHED AND
CHICKEN COOP.

IF YOU SEE LEGS STICKING OUT FROM UNDER
SOME WOOD, PLEASE CALL 911.

All the pretty horses

Exciting finish to Thursday. Another horse escape, this time both got out and away. Once again, a kind lady knocks on our door, I stumble through three barking dogs to answer it, and I can't turn the knob because she is holding on to it so tightly. Probably afraid that my dogs will leap out and go the way of the horses, after trampling her to the ground. (We have a sliding screen door to separate the cat from the dogs, and she could see me pulling them back).

Here's a picture- of course the cats are supposed to use a little door at the bottom, not climb over it. And I see J's little skeletons hanging from it, so it must have been Halloween. Which is probably what drew the cats up in the first place!



Anyway, back to the horse roundup. The nice lady points a quarter mile down the road to where she last saw them. We call the owners, grab two dog leashes and set off. Further down, we see a car with it's hazard lights on, so we pull into that driveway, where we find our neighbor, our computer guy. He says the horses headed down to a field,(which has not been cut this year, so the grass is waist high, and soaking wet). Another nice neighbor lady- they're everywhere!- calls down from a second story window that the horses went that-a-way. Apparently she was enjoying the show.

So I slog into the grass, and the guys head back to get the cars and drive to the 3rd point of the triangle. Thank goodness the horses headed back towards me and not away. We met in a very nicely landscaped yard, and I clucked to them- I think they were glad to see someone they knew and came right over. We paraded out to the road, where owners had bridles and grain buckets, plus a policeman who looked about 14 and relieved that he didn't have to take any action. J and I quickly drove home, leaving the horse owners to do any apologizing or explaining.

A Three Dog Night

Actually, it will be a three dog week since Anna is staying with us while Ameranth goes off to San Diego Comic-Con with Sectaurs. We stopped by to pick her up yesterday on our way home from RI, and so far, so good. A little snarling and pushing as the pecking order was established, with Anna pouting a bit outside by herself. ("No, I won't come inside where I'm not wanted. I 'll just lie down way out here by myself until some one misses me and calls me in- by name-several times") But we're all one big happy family now.

And, since Ameranth gets home Monday, but has to get back to work immediately, I offered to deliver her dog, rather than wait for her to get a free day. I'll drop off the dog in MA, drive down to RI, spend the night with my folks, then bring them back to ME with me. We will go to a family reunion on Saturday, then I will drive them back home again. Might as well take advantage of not working!

Speaking of not working, I got a call today from my former employer asking if I wanted to work this fall as seasonal help. They always ramp up for the fall/holiday season and lots of people around here count on that for extra spending money. In these times I am sure that for many it will be money for necessities, not extras. I said I would, and have an appointment in a week or so to fill out paperwork, and find out when they want me. I am thinking October. So, feeling less guilty and can enjoy the time off again.

Let's see, last note to make is that I have finally found a new computer chair that works for me. I think I have bought and returned 4 over the last year or so, never finding one that will fit my desk and has arms that are where I want them. We saw a monitor for sale at Staples, and I lucked out with the chair as well. The monitor was for J, since I had received a new flat screen one for Christmas last year. J still had the huge CRT style that we both used for the large screens. Nice to have some available real estate on the top of the desk again.

A bizarre thing at Staples- All of the monitors on the display shelf had the normal desktop icons, as well as a large drawing of a rooster. They also had the words "I (heart) cock. What?!? I thought some kid must have come by and fooled around with it, but then the salesman says to us, "like my drawing?" Um, what to say to that? Lucky us, he was the chair salesman too.

Now to give him the benefit of the doubt, he did have to wander around the store to find his glasses, and maybe he didn't know what a heart meant, and maybe the C looked liked an L and he thought someone liked a lock. And then I think, do I just have a filthy mind? It bothered me all the way home, so I called the store to let them know about it. The nice girl was very apologetic and said she would check on it. Weird.

Who's your Mama?

No, my children know those are their aunts, but strangers are having a problem telling us sisters apart. At the wedding Saturday, one very friendly man came up to shake my hand and introduce himself as an uncle of the groom. I reciprocated with the info that I was an aunt of the bride.

"Oh, you're not the mother?"

Apparently he had been told to look for a woman with very short hair, and chose the wrong one of the 3 of us. Perhaps he was told to look for the good looking one. HAH, as Alf would have said.

We had a very good time: the ceremony was very nice, and very short; the weather cooperated; the food was good, the beer was free, and the dancing was energetic.

Ameranth and her Dad during an Irish jig:


Ameranth gave us several options for her hair- we chose the pulling-back-hiding-the shaved-parts , but she modeled the dread mohawk the next day. I particularly like the juxtapostion of her hair, and the "nature" shirt.



Ms M always looks lovely, and so well put together. She was consulted via cell phone about the shoe selection, since Ameranth does not buy "fancy" shoes. Ms M is a shoe expert and has the collection to prove it.



And a final one of the two of them and another cousin, trying to ignore the fact that my elderly camera takes awhile to actually take the photo.



We were all disappointed that Sectaurs didn't make it down, as he was under the weather. I was looking forward to seeing his dress-up clothes (and him, of course) since Ms M had advised him as well.

What would a wedding post be without a bride picture? Here's E with her stepfather and her dad, who walked her down together. Very touching, especially since her dad suffered a head injury years ago, and has some difficulty walking.

The day before

Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary, 32 years and I have been reminiscing- about the damn hot weather we were cursing that day! What I wouldn't give for some of that now.

Thank goodness it was a very short ceremony, in a Catholic church, but no mass, since I'm a heathen ie. non-Catholic.

Anyhoo, 15 minutes in church and then a reception in my grandparent's backyard. My father stayed in his tux for a picture or two, then changed to shorts. My mom was still recovering from getting locked in the bathroom while we were getting dressed. As I recall, we passed her a screwdriver through the window, she removed the hinge pins and we made it to the church on time. Did you sing that last bit? I did.



We went camping in Maine for our honeymoon, so tomorrow we will reverse the drive, as we travel to RI for my niece's wedding.

Our families are slightly out of the ordinary (ha, we sure are!) as far as marriage statistics go, which is nice. Both J's and my grandparents and parents were married once, and for life. Happy or stubborn? You decide.

One of my grandfathers was a pretty intimidating man: large, loud, opinionated and always right. "My way or the highway" could have been coined by him. He also loved practical jokes, could play the harmonica and could empty a glass bottle of Coke in one go.

Papa O. was a farmer, and drove a school bus- ours, which is a whole other story. Mama was a small woman with a wicked sense of humor. Theirs was a typical marriage for their generation, she stayed at home with the 4 kids, and Papa seemingly making all decisions. But when she developed multiple myeloma, he took care of her, did the cleaning and cooking and laundry.

My other set of grandparents were schoolteachers, and by the time I was in junior high, Papa B was principal. They were the quieter ones, and Papa is responsible for the ton of pictures we have of us kids. He developed his own film and apparently loved evergreens as a background. This grandmother was the kind you said 'sugar beans' in front of.

J's parents had 10 kids and a pretty small house, and still stayed together! Way to go. Of course, when any couple gets married, they hope and believe it will be forever. I certainly did, and it looks like it will last- knock on wood. I think it helps that we each had good examples and expectations, and hope that our marriage had positive influences on our kids.

This post has rambled a bit from my beginning, but what else is new? All I want to say is that I'm happy to celebrate 32 years with J. And many more to come.

July 17, 1977


Yes, those are ruffles on the men's shirts, with yellow or pink edges. It was the 70s!
My mom made my dress, good job, eh?

What a day!

This was my lucky day at the library. Our small town (pop. 3900) library is open just 25 hours a week, alternating mornings and afternoons. Remembering not to run out of reading material on Wednesday night is crucial, since Thursday is a closed day. Plus, since we have a seasonal swell in population of close to 1000, new books can be hard to come by in summer.

Jackpot today. First I nabbed Lee Child's latest Reacher novel, Gone Tomorrow, then saw John Sanford's Wicked Prey, the new Lucas Davenport book. Checking the new young adult books on the next shelf, I spotted the 4th in the Fablehaven series. I just read the first 3 last month. Yippee! With Always Looking Up, by Michael J Fox, I am all set for the next week.

To finish off my luck, I went to fill up the van, and found the price had dropped .11, to $2.44.9. [ Why do gas prices always end in .9? I realize the psychological value of not rounding up to the next whole number, but really. Do they think we don't notice what they do?]

A fruitful day

Pretty successful day today, in my world anyway. I managed to find G's house after venturing down the wrong dirt lane, and having to back out and turn between trees. Then I made a trip out to get not-so-last-minute items needed for our trip to R.I. on Friday. I remembered all the stuff I wanted, and found just the sort of top I had hoped for.

So, now I don't have to sew the button on the jacket I was going to take! I found skinny blue ribbon to replace the dead elastic inside the pretty little straps on Ameranth's frou-frou dress she's taking to Comic-Con, so that's all good. And, on that subject, sort of, she found a dress to wear to the wedding, but no hat or scarf.

Did I say that she had decided to cut off her dreads, making her sister and me cautiously excited? Our caution was well-founded, as she cut off most of her dreads, leaving "the best" ones on the top, which she has been pulling back in a pseudo-ponytail. Ms. M trimmed the cut part for her, then Ameranth cut it off shorter, and finally shaved her head. Two weeks before the huge family gathering. Yeah, that's what I thought too.

Ameranth: We tried but couldn't find anything to cover up my head that didn't look creepy. So, I guess I'll just rock the dread mohawk.

Me: I have a blue scarf, I'll bring it, just in case.

Ameranth: Okaaay. But at least the dreads are pink, so they'll go with my dress.

Back in the day:
Shoeshine, Ameranth, Ms M and Sectaurs

Well, at least they pay for their own clothes now.

Clean dogs- worth the trouble?

We have two clean and excited dogs now. It was Boomer's first bath, here anyway, and he just froze, which made it easier. Usually as soon as we hold his collar, he is twisting and leaping to escape, or mouthing(biting). It's not like he is trying to hurt us, he just uses his mouth anytime he is excited, which is whenever he is awake.

I was relieved to not see any fleas dropping off in the tub, because Boomer's been scratching lately. The hand-held shower came in very handy as well. Afterwards, we applied the anti-flea and tick stuff, so they should be good to go for visiting next weekend.

We also finished up the gate to the doggie time out yard, so yay for us! J is vacuuming the van and then we are having shish kebabs for dinner. I'm not supposed to eat after 8 tonight, for a cholesterol test tomorrow, so we shall see how that goes. No Coke may make it an early evening.

Slowly I turned, step by step

The past two days have been pretty non-productive on my part, due to lingering effects of my burst of cleaning and socializing. Fibromyalgia can be unpredictable in that any given day can be painful and achey, and the next one pretty much fine. I don't do well in wet, cool weather (hello June) but on good days I can get going then feel it the next few days.

I don't know if it's typical, but my major aches tend to settle in one part of my body for months, then migrate to another for an extended stay. Maybe because I end up favoring the hurtful part? Who knows? Anyway. my elbows hurt now. I asked the doctor about arthritis, and he said that's about the last joint to be affected, so no, I guess it's just the FM. It's hurts more if I try to pick up, say, a glass, so it does get in the way.

And then there's my back. I along with millions of others, have had lower back issues for years. Periodic visits to a chiropractor usually gets it back in place and life goes on. Last November, when I developed the trigeminal neuralgia in my jaw, I also threw my back out of whack, or so I thought. After months of painful sitting, standing and lying down- which covers about all I do with my body- I realized it was not my sacro-iliac, it must be FM, and this is the biggest pain in the butt ever (yes, pun intended).

Before that, I was happily walking Rosie every day, and had even progressed to jogging for short distances so she could lope along. Now, on a very good day I can sort of go faster than a walk, but not often, What a bummer.

I should just delete this post, but I won't for now. The sun is out and we need to wash dogs and put up a little shelter for bikes, which I don't know now if I will be able to use! I got a 3 wheeler from my father, so maybe that will work out. We'll see.

Ouch- sudden mental picture of me slowly pedaling along on a tricycle. I thought originally that I could use that to let Rosie run and I could keep up. Well, we'll see.

Hey, on the plus side, I did get an outfit together for the wedding, found shoes, and we even bought a new belt and tie for J.

It's sunny, and that's a good thing

I was able to use my clothesline yesterday. It's a bit of a pain, since I walk around instead of going through the dog yard to get to it, but I always feel deep satisfaction when I hang something out, instead of using the dryer. Ha, I think, .30 saved, or whatever. It just feels good.

Big doings yesterday, well, in this household anyway. I had company, which means that all 4"public" downstairs rooms, as well as the bathroom, were clean at the same time. Well worth it.

When we moved to Maine in 1987, the kids were 5, 6, 8 and 9, and we knew no one. Of course, we soon met other parents through school, but I am not outgoing by nature and the acquaintances remained casual. Then we met a family who had also recently moved from out of state. The four of us hit it off, and our kids tolerated each other well most of the time.

G and I were both stay at home moms, and it was wonderful to have another adult to talk to. We shopped together, went to school events, volunteered at school and ran the PTC for a year. We were close until life events gradually found me curtailing any activities but work and home. Economics dictated that I get a part-time job, then two when I started working at L.L.Bean during the fall seasons. When that became a permanent job I was working second shift, and J was laid off. Not much socializing going on.

Then teenage children issues, combined with the fibromyalgia and continuing shift differences made conserving time and energy a real priority. Another couple we were close to moved after their son completed high school(he was Sectaurs' best friend) and for the last few years, our "social life" has been extinct.

Then, G and I were in the library Monday at the same time. G saw me and we arranged to visit. I didn't know J was going in early Thursday, so would be home when she came over, but that was okay. He had missed seeing her as well, and we were both able to get caught up with all the family news. It was just as comfortable as it always had been. She and I are both not working now, so are looking forward to renewing our friendship, playing Scrabble, and the 4 of us playing cards. If we can figure out a night where J and P both don't have to work the next day!

Now, I have to go try on clothes to be sure I'm all set for the wedding next week.

same old, same old

You know what? It's raining. And about 55 degrees outside right now.

So, on July 8, 2009, I turned my freakin' heat on! Yeah, that's right, you heard me. The heat is cranked up to 65. And I am wearing a sweatshirt with the hood up. Did I mention it is JULY?!

Okay, okay, I know that if I were up and cleaning my house, I would not need the heat on, so that is what I will do. Bah, humbug.


Remember this? I thought so.



That's what I have ^

This is what I want:

Just another day in paradise

Well, even though it is raining again, it's okay since it is supposed to end tomorrow and we'll resume our regularly scheduled summer.

J came home with a lovely surprise for me yesterday. He led me outside to the back of his truck and whipped aside the lumpy cover to expose.....potting soil! He got a pallet full of broken bags for $4.00-about a dozen of potting soil, 6 of garden soil, and 2 each of mulch and topsoil. What a great deal. Picture me chortling and rubbing my hands together in glee. Wait- I just pictured Rumplestiltskin, did you? Not the image I was going for.

Anyway we stashed it away in a shed, and I am all set for my repotting needs for quite awhile.

Since I knew I wouldn't be able to work outside today, I planned on clothes shopping for my niece's wedding in two weeks. I had a top but need pants, or a long skirt, since I don't like wearing short ones. So, all the dressy slacks were not the right size, and the dresses I tried on, um, just no. What's with the mirrors in dressing rooms? They're terrible, so close to you that there is no way to squint your eyes and say, "oh, not too bad". And the light! Totally too bright.

I think most of us have a mental picture of how we look and it's not always entirely accurate. I mean, I am surprised(why I don't know) when I try clothes on and I look shorter and dumpier than when I get dressed at home. My mirror is across the bedroom, and many times I don't have my glasses on, so I look okay. Not up close and personal though! Bless him, J always thinks I look good. Not very realistic, but good for the soul! And the marriage, lol.

So, I decided that the look I needed is 'acceptable'-not stunning, not lovely, (ha- as if) just something that will not attract attention in a negative way. I should be able to do that, right? I did find a pair of black slacks with a slightly flowy look that should do. I didn't want black- it is summertime, after all- but white would be asking for trouble, and that was my other choice. I like pretty, colorful clothes, but this years colors seemed to be mostly shades of brown and/or yellow/green. Who decides these things? Brown is not a spring/summer color. Maybe other people got all the pinks, blues greens, and the browns were all that is left.

Now I just need to figure out the shoe part. I had a pair of dressy shoes that I wore to a wedding in April, but they killed my feet, which puts a damper on partying. Oh well, I still have 10 days to solve that problem. Part of the problem with shopping is that I hate to pay full price, so kind of look only at the sale items. I may just have to bite the bullet, but jeepers, I don't wear this stuff often enough to warrant that.

new quote

Sectaurs told me of an addition to a familiar quote, which makes it sound much better:

Jack of all trades, master of none,
offtimes better than master of one.

I really like this because J is certainly a jack of all trades, which is very handy to have around. He does all of our electrical and plumbing work, can do carpentry, painting and window glazing, maintains the mowers, saws and tools, and can name the size and type of a screw at a glance! A true renaissance man.

The only thing he doesn't do anymore is cars. Computers are more complicated than carburetors were. Although he has done emergency repairs with success, he does not enjoy automotive work.

The couplet came up because I used it in reference to Sectaurs- just the jack of all trades part- because he is used for different things in his job. In the computer gaming industry, it is usual to be a specialist, I gather. As in modeler, animator, UI, effects or environment artists, etc. Sectaurs was self-taught, did some free-lance work, then was plucked from our home for a job as a result of his networking on various artist's forums. Not the usual tale.

So, when a recent interviewee asked what each person's role was, Sectaurs was stumped. He's working on particles now, so she said"oh, you're the effects artist?" No, just doing that at the moment. He has designed and modeled weapons, user interfaces and landscapes. Making monsters is what he likes to do. He did some concept art and they even had him working on the time line schedule. He can jump in and help with almost every art department, and that, in my opinion, makes him a very desirable employee, and definitely a chip off the old block!

Actually, since I am bragging to myself, I think all of our kids are excellent employees- they work hard, don't need to be micro-managed and make themselves useful outside of their position. Way to go, offspring!

(Not to mention that of course they all know the best way to do something. I must admit that is from my side :/)

Tricksy weather

I don't believe this! The sun came out a couple of hours ago and it finally felt like summer. July 3rd. Well, I figured I should make up for my grouching and post a happy thought. I went to the kitchen to get a decongestant, and looked happily out at the flowers. Walked back to the computer and gazed out at the backyard, awash in sunshine....and rain! It is raining in my backyard, defying the sun! It has been a good five minutes and the west side is the only place it is raining- talk about scattered showers. My house is not that big, people. I feel like that guy in the comics with a black cloud over his head. Oh well, at least the sun is still shining.

In other good news, I found my bank account had an extraordinary amount of money in it this morning! For us, that is. My pension made it to me, so I spent a short period of time paying off bills today. That felt nice. Now we have some money in the bank, and no more credit card bills at all. The car and the truck are both paid for, and hopefully will last quite a few more years.

Plus the new water conditioner is paid for. Oh, didn't I mention that? We have a lot of iron in our well water and had to get a whole house conditioner so that we could drink it, not to mention be able to have white clothing that stayed white. We bought one in 1996, and it died two weeks ago. It went quietly, no fanfare, just an off taste creeping into the water. J and I took it apart and found the motor was kaput, so called the company, hoping they were still in business. They were and sent a repairman last week, the day I went down to MA. After Sectaurs and I looked at houses, he mentioned that Dad had called and bought a new conditioner for $2600. I thought he was joking, until he mentioned that Dad loved the remote.

I called home and sure enough, J had indeed committed to that much money(half again the price paid originally) and his first comment was "But, it comes with a remote". It did make a lot more sense to buy new technology, and I have to say, that remote is pretty cool. It tells us when we'll run out of salt, how much good water we have left, and how much water we have used each day. Plus the water tastes good again. But it was a relief to know we had money coming. And going.

The shower moved north without ever getting the driveway wet, and the weatherman says we should have mostly sun for the weekend. After a wet start, the week should get better, and we should be in summer mode in no time. Yay.

I'll change my rainy picture to a better one for July.

Shopping

We went out and bought a new grill, and a gas powered weed whip today, even though it's much too wet to use the latter. Lowe's had them on sale, plus a free exchange tank of propane, as well as giving J a 10% veteran's discount. J is happily assembling the weed whacker and even reading the manual!

So, when the rain gods decide to play elsewhere, he will be ready to go. It has rained in Maine 28 of the last 30 days- writing that makes it seem even worse than it is. We inadvertently brought along a huge yellow slug with the tank, but we left that in the parking lot.

Not much else happening today so I'll stop before I descend into whining again.

I'm melting, melting....

Or at least I'm feeling moldy. We may get some sunshine on Saturday. Woo hoo.

This is getting as bad as winter- I am sinking into a morass of despair and depression. Well, maybe not, but I am disgruntled, disgusted and disinclined to do anything.

So, I am pushing my chair back, getting off the computer and going upstairs to do some sewing.... now, I mean it......ok, I'm going.