Week 37 - Dude Settling In

I was feeling fully back to normal at this point and so it was a pretty boring week. Laundry, cooking, taking care of the shelter cats, a bit of shopping... that kind of week. Labor Day was a non event except for the fact that the library was closed so no knitting.

Little Dude was settling in nicely and I took his cage down on Tuesday and loaded it in my car to give to Anne, who would return it Becky. My cats were still unhappy, of course, but Dude was having fun exploring the house, especially after I took all the Chewy boxes down giving him full access to the house and basement. My cats were coming in at night without me having to drag them. Small but I'll call it progress.

I made tetrazzini and blueberry muffins Wednesday night because I was heading to Lincoln on Thursday after a talk at the lake about leaves. I had an Emeriti/Retirees Association board meeting then went to Helen's to hang out. She was doing much better and was able to eat again so we had muffins with tea while chatting the afternoon away. I left the tetrazzini for her supper so she wouldn't have to cook. I did an Aldi run on the way home.

After a few nicer days, I had to turn the AC back on on Friday, which I hoped would be the last hot day. Fall weather was finally due to arrive on the weekend and I was thrilled. On Saturday, I opened a long unused cabinet in the laundry room and found a bunch of ancient, unlabeled, homemade jam so brought them up to dump and save the jars. That lead me to my upstairs cabinets and a few more went down the garbage disposal - 11 jars in total. Note to self - label and date jam when I make it. Duh.

I was a lovely cool day on Sunday so I got busy cooking. I made squash soup, 3 bean salad and prepped zucchini for zucchini/pineapple jam. It's a British thing and I love it. You peel and seed zucchini then shred it so that when you mix it with crushed pineapple, it soaks up the flavor and being just the flesh, you can't see that it's even in there. I'd let it soak for a couple of days then make the jam. It's a favorite of mine.

Anne and I were watching the Friends of Grand Circle Travel group on Facebook and it wasn't looking good for our cruise. With the Danube and Rhine so low that they aren't navigable, people on the same cruise were reporting being in a hotel in Vienna, on one ship for a few days and being bussed around for day trips then a long bus ride that bypassed all the castles on the Rhine and meeting up with another ship in The Netherlands. Since we were just in Amsterdam in April and in Vienna last summer, the part we were most interested was the part that we'd miss. I was all for cancelling but Anne was back and forth between cancelling and wanting to go. I was a stressed out mess waiting to hear anything from Grand Circle. Anne and I even discussed driving to Canada if we cancelled the cruise. It was just a waiting game to see what the company would do.

So that was my week. Mostly normal with a new kitty to enjoy but stress over the trip. At least the weather cooperated and finally cooled down. I'll take it.

Week 36 - Ribbons and Kitty

What a week! I went to the state fair for the first time since it moved from Lincoln to Grand Island and more importantly, I got my new cat. Yay!

I started the week getting things done on Monday. I picked peppers from my driveway pots, dropped a thank you gift for watering while I was in RI at my friend Lorri's, hit the hardware store for a part to fix my hose and a picture hanger for my HUGE auction win painting then stopped at the shelter to love on Louie (not keeping that name). When I got home I cleaned up the kitchen and mended the hose so I could water out back. All that done, I finished a pair of socks for my friend Darla and ended the day sharing yarn at knitting. I call that a good day in my retirement life.

Tuesday was state fair day. Anne, Rene and I were making the drive, instigated by me because I wanted to check my ribbons in situ. Of course it was blazing hot and humid so the best part of the day was the drive in AC. Rene did a pro job of fitting into a street parking spot right near the gate and it was only $2.50 to get in that day. Our first stop was the 4-H building where open class was displayed. I was shocked how few entries there were and they were very unorganized. That done, we went in search of the quilts, which required walking outside in the blazing sun to get to that building. The quilts were great and we perused the vendors (bought nothing) in that building. We then decided to take the shuttle to see if there was anything else we wanted to see. We got stuck behind a marching band so it took ages but we were done. We got a cinnamon roll to go, paid through the nose for a sandwich in the Beef Pit only because it had AC, got ice cream and left. Never need to do that again. We had parked at Buresh Meats so shopped there before splitting up. 

Anne had brought me a big cage to set up for Louie until he got comfy in my house so I set that up when I got home then made celery/date salad and brownies to take to Helen's on Wednesday. Then it was time to do the monthly tally for my sock group and since it was the first of the month, I cast on my September socks. I was only able to do all that because I had 2 recuperation hours in the air conditioned car between the ride home from the fair then home from Lincoln.

I was spending the day with Helen on Wednesday so finished setting up for Louie before heading to Lincoln via Raising Cane's for chicken fingers to go with my salad and brownies. Helen had been home for a week after having surgery but couldn't eat so watched me eat lunch. Worrisome. We chatted the afternoon away and I stopped at Sam's for a chicken and some gas but the lines were so long that I filled up elsewhere before heading to the shelter to pick up Louie. I went straight home and put him in his cage while I set up a Chewy box barricade so he couldn't get out of the back room. He was unphased by his new location.

I spent the rest of the week inside with Little Dude (testing out different name options) and he acclimated pretty quickly. Sirens on the TV scared him at first and his safe place was under the couch, where he barely fit. He was fascinated by the outside world, especially because my other cats, who were totally bent out of shape by him, were outside all day, only inside when I had to battle to get them in at night. When I wasn't cuddling Dude, I was streaming, knitting and cooking. I gradually moved the barriers so by the end of the week he had full access to the back of the house, keeping the bedrooms and front room off limits. I did get some chores done eventually. 

At least the blazing heat and humidity (in the 90's with feels like >100 every day) coincided with kitty acclimation time. The Sam's chicken I'd bought fed me for days and I had Acorn to stream and plenty of knitting for when the kitten was sleeping. Because growing kittens have 2 speeds - full on and full off. He's going to be huge too so has lots of growing to do for his body, which is already as big as 2 of my adult cats, to catch up with his feet. And he's only 5 months old! Maybe I should name him Bruiser.

Week 35 - Happy Being Home

I don't know what made me spend so long in Rhode Island. Maybe it was because I was using points to get a free ticket? Anyway, Monday was day 12 and I was already ready to go home.

I saw a message on Facebook that my sister's dog had died so I called her from Deanne's front porch, where I was knitting while she was dealing with something for her mom. She had an appointment at her mom's that she needed to be at so I called my cousin Bette, who was back in town, and we went to lunch at Cracker Barrel then she drove me to Deanne's after the appointment was over. Better than sitting in another room during the appointment for sure. After chatting with Mrs. for a bit, Deanne and I visited Mrs. Bassett, our old girl scout leader, then drove around East Greenwich for a bit sharing memories of growing up there. We went out to dinner at Deanne's favorite restaurant and I was happy that it'd be my last restaurant meal for awhile because I was flying home on Tuesday.

Deanne needed to talk to her brother on Tuesday morning so I was back on the front porch knitting, which was fine by me. We ate leftovers for lunch and I packed a sandwich to eat for supper and Dee dropped me at the airport. The lounge was not full and when I asked if they were looking for volunteers to check luggage, they said they weren't. Clearly the flight wasn't full but awhile later they came over and asked if I wanted to check my luggage and I happily handed it over. Then there were plenty of empty seats on both flight so I had room to spread out. Both flights were uneventful and I walked into my house at 11:05. I let the cats out and unpacked then showered. I was happy when they all came right back inside so I could go to bed. I guess they missed me. I was happy to be sleeping in my own bed surrounded by my cats. It's always good to get home no matter how much fun a trip is.

Wednesday was a catch up day with laundry, emails, tallying for my Ravelry sock group and trying to make food with what I had in the house. Grilled cheese on old bread from the fridge hit the spot. I picked peppers from my driveway pots and made sausage and peppers on Thursday and went to a talk at the museum on the New Deal in Saunders County. Then I hit the rummage sale at St. John's in Weston and found a few goodies. For supper, Andrea joined me for the BOGO burger special at Chip's. The last thing I need to feel back to normal was a grocery run and that was next.

I chatted with Lori on Friday morning and then went to the shelter to do the cats. Deb, who's in charge, was there and I talked to her about adopting Louie, having told myself that if he was still there when I got home from RI then it was meant to be. She said she'd prepare the paperwork and I could sign it Sunday. Yay! I went to Lincoln that afternoon and met up with Anne for some yarn shopping and ice cream at Zesto. I loaded up on produce and a few other things at the market and headed home for the weekend, happy that I could do some cooking. I checked the state fair website when I got home to find that 10 of the 12 things I'd entered had ribboned. My winnings were $104 and I'd be donating $100 for my cat so he's my ribbon kitty. I won't be keeping the name Louie but isn't he cute? That face!

I had a lovely, relaxing weekend cooking, cleaning a bit and the like. When I did the cats on Sunday I signed the paperwork and paid for Louie, arranging to pick him up Wednesday evening after he was done with his last meds. I ordered a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut and got an offer for a month of Acorn free. I took the offer and settled in to knit and stream the day away.

It felt great to get back to my regular routine and now I'd have a new kitty to look forward to. My first male cat in decades and he's such a sweetie but more about that next week. Until then....

Week 34 - Fabulous Beach Week

Are the beach weeks every not fabulous? Relaxing with a view and friends visiting every day - what's not to like?

John went out for breakfast with friends on Monday so I happily sat on the deck  knitting the morning away with the awning keeping me dry from the misty rain. I also made calls or texted friends and had visits all arranged before John got back. After a lunch of spinach pies from the farmers market, we did a Job Lot run, which we'd saved knowing the weather wouldn't cooperate. I made zucchini butter pasta for supper, which was an aberration because John usually does the cooking.

Janice came over on Tuesday morning and brought my favorite donuts - lemon filled chocolate covered, which Dunkin no longer makes but Market Basket does. Yum! Lunch was just turkey sandwiches and we played Boggle, with Janice winning every single game. John joined us and I beat him but Janice was still the champ. Kate, who was in John's class and was the owner of the cottage when we originally rented it, came for supper. It was a lovely time, as usual.

Cornelia came for lunch on Wednesday and we had saugies, which are a RI hotdog, for lunch. We talked all afternoon, which is easily done. We rarely talk beyond the beach week visit but boy when we do! John's Uncle Tom and Aunt Gail came for drinks and nibbles that night. It's always fun to see them too.              

I had called my cousin Bette about having lunch on Thursday but she was out of town so I called her brother, David, and he was free so we agreed to meet at Aunt Carrie's for lunch. David is as close to a brother as I have so it was great to see him. Our food had just arrived when John got a text. He was supposed to meet his friend Nancy for lunch, which he'd never mentioned to me, and had completely forgotten. He felt bad but we enjoyed lunch. We bought swordfish in Wakefield then hit the local farm stand for sweet corn before heading home. Deanne came for supper that night. More fun with friends.

Just like that, it was our last full day. We had planned to go to the beach with Carolyn and Matt but it was rainy and cold, meaning we'd been there all week and never set foot on the beach. Oh well. We met halfway between us at Providence Wood Fired Pizza. After a delicious lunch, we did Job Lot again (they're all have a few different things) then I hit the local yarn store for a skein of thank you yarn for Andrea taking care of my cats. And just the one skein - how adult of me was that to not get one for myself? We went back to the cottage for our last evening. We snacked on some of the leftovers and John made us burgers late then we had huge helpings of ice cream to finish it up. For the first time in my life, I had horrible acid reflux. I couldn't lay down so was up sitting on the couch chewing tums until 3:30 in the morning. Yikes! If this is what people put up with, holy crap! It was brutal.

Check out time is 10:00 so we were up and packing first thing on Saturday. We pretty much have it down to a science and since we'd eaten most of the leftovers, there wasn't much food to pack. Our first stop was Tom and Gail's for John to offload because he'd be staying there that night. We hung out for a bit before heading to Carolyn's. We were all going to Bob's retirement party that evening so we hung out all afternoon. Bob's party was fun, hosted by Michelle and planned so John and I could be there. How nice was that? I got to talk to some of Bob's friends and his brother, none of whom I'd seen in ages. John dropped me at Deanne's, where I'd be staying until I'd fly home on Tuesday.

Deanne has been going through tough times as she's taking care of her mom who has terminal cancer so it was good that her brothers were taking care of her mom while I was there to give her a break. We started with going down to the beach to get lobster rolls for lunch on Sunday. Delish but $86 for 2 - yikes! We then went to Wakefield where Dee got a manicure while I sat outside knitting. We hit the chocolate store for goodies for Mrs. Bassett - our old girl scout leader who we visit every summer. We tried to stop by but she wasn't home so we went back to Dee's and she made yummy Italian sausage and potato bake for supper. I'm sure we streamed something but couldn't tell you what. It was a fun day and I'm sure it took Dee's mind off her mother.

So, another beach week in the books - our 7th. While I didn't so much as dip my toe in salt water, I wasn't bothered by that. It's about being AT the beach not ON the beach and mostly spending time with friends relaxing and catching up. I got lots of knitting done, of course, and even had tan stripes on my feet where the evening sun got under the awning. Life is good!

Week 33 - To the Beach

Another beach week was here. I was flying on Thursday and had things to get done before then, of course.

I was still dealing with leftover yarn from the sale but moved it all the front room so it was all in one place and took empty totes (yay!) to the basement. I'll deal with the rest later. I had decided to enter things in the state fair and went big, prepping 12 items and getting them entered online, printed tags Tuesday night when I was the library for a board meeting and all attached and packed to drop in Omaha on the way to the airport on Thursday. There was packing too and getting the cats ready to be inside for 13 days, which meant there was no point in doing any cleaning.

Of course I had a jam packed Wednesday. I was having lunch with Dana, Lana and Cindy to start then had the slow leak in my tire fixed so I wouldn't come home to a flat tire in the airport parking lot. Then it was Zesto with Anne for the first peanut butter soft serve of the season (it's their fall flavor) and then I dropped donations at Stuff. I did the final laundry and finished packing and was pretty much ready to go.

I was worried about the Southwest flight, which would be my last since they no longer do free luggage so what's the point? Anyway, I had seen posts about their passenger of size policy and was worried they'd give me grief. I lost sleep over this. At least I had an assigned seat on the flights there (I used almost all my points for a free ticket but didn't have enough to get an assigned seat on the way home.) It wasn't an issue but my first flight was delayed enough that I wouldn't make my connection in DC so my only option to get there on Thursday was to rebook through Midway with a 3.5 hour layover. They were asking for volunteers to check their luggage for free because the flight was full and I jumped at the chance. Nice.

I was fine with hanging at Midway and found a nice table to sit at in a food court where I could see the flight board. I streamed and knitted then walked to the big food court for a Chicago hotdog for supper. Then the gate fiasco began. I was back and forth between the A and B terminals 3 times as they changed gates. I was a hot mess by the time I got on the plane but had a row to myself. Good thing I wasn't dragging my suitcase that whole time. I got in after 9:30 and stayed up chatting with Carolyn until midnight. I had made it to RI and was ready for fun.

Carolyn and I hung out chatting in her dining room on Friday morning. Matt was out and about so after he got back home, we went to a bakery near Carolyn's for croissants. I treated and $20 didn't cover 3 pain au chocolats! RI is super expensive compared to Nebraska. Anyway, from there we went to a burger place in East Greenwich (the town I grew up in) and got the best fries I've ever eaten. Carolyn agreed. The burger was tasty too but those fries were amazing. We went back home and hung out all for the rest of the day, having our pastries late afternoon, mine with tea, of course. Much to Matt's dismay, we weren't hungry so skipped dinner then streamed something and went to bed. It's been a long time since I've had face time with Carolyn so it was a great day.

Carolyn makes the best scrambled eggs and knows I love them so made them for breakfast on Saturday. We hung out until John picked me up at noon then we headed right to The Crow's Nest for my favorite fried clams. Delish! With full bellies, the next stop was Trader Joe's for some groceries then it was time to check in a the cottage. By the time we unloaded the car of luggage and groceries, unpacked it all and made beds, it was time for supper. Good thing John had some Thai leftovers because we hadn't bought anything at TJ's that would work for supper. Ha!

We remedied that Sunday morning with our first stop at the farmers market across the pond near Galilee. We got some fresh produce then hit Stop & Shop to fill in all the gaps in our groceries. The remote for the awning over the deck wasn't working so John drove back to town for a battery, which didn't solve it but he googled how to reset it and got it going again. The deck knitting with tea and hermits (a New England molasses cookie with raisins) began then we played scrabble on the deck (John smoked me, as usual) and had steak and date/celery salad for supper.

We were all settled in and it was time to start planning for the week ahead. The weather was going to be perfect and I was looking forward to seeing all my RI friends. Let the visiting begin!

Week 32 - A Recharge Week

This was not a super productive week for me. I was out and about a bit but also spent lots of time recharging after last week's yarn sale. And that's OK.

I woke up at 4:30 on Monday and there was no falling back asleep so I got up and made pancaekes. I was heading to Helen's to hang out, which is always fun, and stayed so long that I didn't have time to cook so ordered a pizza for supper. I then grabbed yarn and headed to knitting, taking the yarn that I'd decided to donate so my knitting friends could have first dibs, of course. They took a few, which made me happy.

Tuesday was a catch up day. I cleaned out the fridge (long overdue) and cleaned up the kitchen. That done, I always want to cook so made chicken and rice for supper. I had time in there to read and was enjoying Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng that Carolyn had recommended.

I had driving duty on Wednesday morning taking Anne to get a cortizone shot. It took longer than I thought but I was knitting in the waiting room so it didn't matter. Anne was loopy and almost fell off the curb but I got her settled at home and then met Dodie for lunch. I made a beeline home afterwards without doing any stops and spent the afternoon reading, finishing Our Missing Hearts. I highly recommend it.

Thursday was a social day. I talked to both Carolyn and Deanne then went to pick up a couple of book club books that needed returning (long story) and ended up talking to Jackie, a new member of the book club, for 1.5 hours. I went to the shelter to love on Louie since I was out then went home and finished all the work with the yarn, ending with even more to donate. It won't count until it's out of my house but at least it's sorted.

I spent a ridiculous amount of time on Friday dealing with an attempted hack of my Fidelity retirement account. I had gotten a text saying I'd requested a dual authentication code and I hadn't so I called Fidelity. But they wanted my account number, which I didn't have because everything is electronic and I couldn't sign in. I finally got authenticated and they confirmed that nothing was gone and reset my account and locked it. They wanted me to call Verizon and have them figure out who called and to block that account. Verizon had no way to figure that out but I still spent an hour on the phone with them. Then I called Huskertech because Fidelity wanted my phone "cleaned", which made no sense because I've never logged into Fidelity from my phone. They were super nice and helpful - gotta love the UNL phone gurus. I was on and off the phone all day and figured it was 4.5 hours total. I did go out to do the cats at the shelter and moved all the yarn totes to the basement but what a day! The good news is no one got to my money.

I ran Wahoo errands Saturday morning, picking up The Correspondent at the library to prepare for the rainy afternoon. We got .6" (every bit of rain is a gift this summer after it was so dry for so long) and I enjoyed reading the afternoon away. The zinnias in my garden are loving the rain too and they're attracting some nice butterflies. I'll take it.

My neighbor a few doors down was working on my next door neighbor's yard on Sunday and had a chainsaw for the weed trees. I asked if he'd be willing to cut a limb off my crapapple that was hitting my roof and blocking light from my front room. He did it in 5 minutes and then took the limbs away. I made some banana bread as a thank you and delivered it while it was still warm. Goodwill towards neighbors is important. I finished The Correspondent that evening. Another fabulous book that I read in 2 days.

So a busy enough week with the yarn all sorted and mostly put away so the sale work is done. I had some socializing and got lots of reading done, which I'm enjoying this summer. I think of reading in the afternoon as a winter thing and look forward to that this winter but it also works when it's blazing hot outside so I'm hiding inside in the AC. Fall cannot come soon enough for me this year.

Week 31 - Fair and Sale

The week started out with blazing heat and humidity but a storm came through on Wednesday with 1" of rain and a temperature drop. Not that I got to enjoy the cooler temps because it was all about the county fair and prepping for another yarn sale on Saturday.

I spent Monday morning prepping my entries for the county fair. I had lots of socks, of course, but also my temperature blanket and my huge crocheted granny's daughter afghan. I had room for one more entry on my sheet so decided to make a peach crumb pie since they only need 1/4 of the pie so I took the rest to knitting, where it was a big hit. Heidi was fresh from her trip to Alaska via Canada so brought the President's Choice mac & cheese boxes that I'd requested and had OMG's to share, which are my fave Canadian candy. Yum! Then Andrea offered to take my fair entries so I didn't have to leave early. It was a good day.

Tuesday was another scorcher but I was busy inside. I finished sorting the yarn I'd already pulled and moved it to the front room, all ready for the sale. But I wasn't done so pulled sock yarn from my Ikea to sell. Yes, selling indie dyed sock yarn since I have more than I can ever knit. There was more pulling, pricing and packing on Wednesday, which was a rainy day. 1 inch! It was done raining by the end of the day when it was time to check my ribbons. At long last, I won best in county! My temperature blanket won! I was pretty happy to have finally won after 2 years of getting runner up best in county. My thrown together peach pie also won best of division, which means best baked good in the county. That was a surprise.

Thursday was a full day. I had a scheduled phone call about the Emeriti/Retirees Association membership data then met Lorri at Chip's for the BOGO burger special, after which I hit the bakery and The Warehouse. I always go to the bakery so close to closing that there's very little left but I got a handpie and had it with tea before heading to Lincoln. Anne wasn't swimming but had given me some cone yarn she didn't want so I added some of mine and dropped it at Stuff before going to the pool. Of course I found more sock yarn there. Good thing I'd been culling my stash for the sale, right?

I loaded the car in the cooler weather on Friday, worried that all the totes wouldn't fit. Well, not only did they fit but I had more room. Of course I pulled more yarn and still could have fit more but I was done. I got pizza for supper and made blueberry/chicken salad to take for lunch at the sale. I went to bed confident that I was ready for the sale.

Andrea was going with me again so I picked her up at 7:00 and we headed to The Bagel Bin to get breakfast and were unloaded and set up with time to spare. Based on the many requests I had for acrylic when I did this sale in February, I had brought pretty much all the acrylic in my house, which is bigger and sells for cheaper, so I wasn't expecting to make as much money (I made $900 before). Well, I broke $700 in profit so was pretty darn pleased with that. I dropped a bagel at my friend Lorri's before getting home and collapsing. It was well worth the effort because as I always say, gone is good and the kind of gone where you make money is even better.

After chatting with my friend Dee Sunday morning, I ran to the fair to pick up my entries and then went to scoop poop at the shelter. Then it was time to unload the car and decide what to do with all the yarn that didn't sell. I had to figure out what sold and mark it as such in my Ravelry stash but I also went through everything that didn't sell and marked lots of it as gone and put it in the donate bag for Stuff. I figured that if it didn't sell at two sales (mostly single skeins of very nice yarn), it was time for it to go. I talked to my sister on the way to Lincoln and swam for the last time this summer.

So, what a great week! I finally got my best in county rosette and the sale was a big success. The fact that the ridiculous heat had broken was icing on the cake. Now to deal with the yarn that didn't sell or get donated and get ready for my next adventure - my annual Rhode Island beach week. Life is good!

Week 30 - Dehydration for Yarn

I was looking forward to this week because my calendar was relatively clear and the heat was going to break. I hate the unrelenting heat of Nebraska summers so any reprieve is wonderful.

It was 101 on Monday. Ick! It was wonderful to start the day with a zoom catch up with Cindy and then I got busy in my bedroom, which was the only room I didn't clean in preparation for Connie's visit. I went through lots of clothes and loaded up some donation bags. That felt good. Andrea brought lemon meringue pie to knitting - a nice end to the day.

Tuesday was the day Kinetic was supposed to come fix my internet but when I checked the app, it showed them coming Wednesday instead. I called to confirm and they assured me they would not be coming on Tuesday. I had passed on two fun things thinking I'd be waiting at home for the tech but was able to reschedule one at the last minute. Lori and I were going to The Odyssey in Omaha. Did I love it? No but it was worth seeing. I went to Imagiknit on the way home because they were having their inside sidewalk sale. I only bought 2 skeins and neither was sock yarn so I called that a win. I got home to find that my internet was back on at half speed. They were going to send a line tech on Thursday to get it up to full speed but at least I didn't have to use the hotspot on my phone anymore.

The Thrifty Artist Garage Sale where I'd be selling yarn again was a week from Saturday and it was about time I started sorting the piles of yarn in the front room. I ran some Wahoo errands in the morning, stopping at the shelter to love on the kittens (one of them - Louie - is just the sweetest thing) before picking up a personal pan pizza for lunch. All that done, I started sorting but got distracted after not very long. I have had a box on the bar for ages of letters I wrote home during my junior year abroad. I'm not sure what got me going on that but I went through them all and sorted then in date order, which took some time. I was looking for a letter about my time in Devon at Christmas time but didn't find one. I made a nice dinner and called it a day.

I was going to Lincoln on Thursday to take Dodie to a belated birthday lunch at Green Gateau so had a list of many, many stops to make both before and after lunch in the order I needed to do them. We had a lovely lunch and finished with our favorite lemon cream cake. I dropped Dodie back on campus and proceeded to go through the stops, ending at Stuff dropping donations and, of course, finding some yarn to buy. I was nearly home when I realized that I'd forgotten to pick up the book club books and book club was that night. It was on my before lunch list but I'd run out of time and only did the after lunch list. Damn! I was 25 miles away from Lincoln and turned around to go back when I remembered that someone from Wahoo works at the Library Commission. I called them and they tracked Gabe down. He was willing to bring them to the library, which saved me 2 gallons of gas and an hour. Yay! At book club, we had a good discussion about The Forgotten Home Child, which I'd thoroughly enjoyed. It was another good day.

The weather had been mild since storms broke the heat wave Monday night and I'd happily opened my windows. It was only 76 on Friday but the humidity was crazy and since I was sorting yarn, I gave up and turned on the AC. It was going to have to go on on Saturday anyway because the heat was coming back. I got lots of sorting done in comfort and joined an AARP movie night after supper. The movie was called Lonely and was a total downer. Enough of that!

Earlier in the week, Andrea had sent an email about an auction in Fremont that had lots of cone yarn. I forwarded it to Anne and she wanted to go so I went along. We got there just after 9:00 for the 9:30 auction start. I should have taken pictures because there were insane amounts of yarn, fabric, knitting machines, sewing machines... anything you could think of to craft. It was blazing hot (101 but felt closer to 120 with the humidity) but luckily the craft stuff was under the shade of a huge sycamore so we were out of the sun. Still, the facecloth I took to mop my head was soaked through within a couple of hours.

Most of the people were quilters bidding on the fabric so the yarn wasn't going. There wasn't much sock yarn there and I'd consolidated some of it when I found stray skeins in other boxes. I won all 4 boxes. Anne was bidding on cone yarn and when the high bid was $1, I scored several boxes of Brown Sheep yarn. 28 skeins that retail for >$400 plus a tote for $1. Can't beat that. It would go right to the yarn sale next week. Anne scored a tall storage rack for cone yarn, also $1, and not a single knitting machine sold. Her CR-V was loaded to the roof and between us we'd only spent $66! We left just after noon and were super hot and dehydrated. We got an ice cream cone at Zesto on the way out of town. We unloaded my stuff into my front room and I immediately drank 3 huge glasses of water and kept drinking. I was super dehydrated and felt like crap for the rest of the day. Anne did too. Was it worth it? I'd say yes and Anne would agree.

The actual temp on Sunday was 103 again with the feel like temp near 120. I went to do the cats before lunch and was there longer than usual because the kitten cages, which are in the quarantine room, needed cleaning so I did those too and then loved on Louie, who was doing better but now has ringworm. Poor baby. I sorted yarn all afternoon and blocked all the socks I'd be entering in the county fair on Monday. With the blazing heat they dried quickly at least. I drove to Lincoln to swim that night and it felt great.

So much for my quiet week! I was out and about a lot and was sorting yarn whenever I was home. The dehydation was a drag but all the yarn was great. The cooler weather was nice while it lasted. Just a couple more weeks until I'll be at the beach in Rhode Island, where it will hopefully be cooler. I can make it.

Week 29 - Hanging with Connie

This week was all about Connie's visit. She was coming for her daughter's 50th birthday party, which was a catered affair at Robber's Cave and I was her plus one. She would arrive Monday night and leave Friday morning to drive to Toronto to see her daughter and family. That's a shorter trip than her usual.

Despite having cleaned like a banshee for days, I still had more to do on Monday. Vacuuming and bathroom I think plus it was laundry day, which I hung outside as usual. Connie left her house super early so arrived at 5:00 despite losing an hour between mountain and central time. I had made tetrazzini for supper and she brought all the produce from her fridge so I made brocolli to go with it. Yum and great chat over supper. Connie wanted to go for a walk since she'd been in the car all day and I thought the path from the park to the lake would have more shade. It was hot but OK in the shade but even at 8:30 at night, it was too hot when we were in the sun. We walked for maybe 30 mins and gave up. 

We had registered for an election event in Omaha on Tuesday with Pete Buttigieg stumping for Denise Powell, who is the Democrat running for Congress in Nebraska's second district. The doors opened at 11:15 so we headed to Omaha and waited in line in the blazing sun, only to see a sign at the entrance that there was a clear bag policy. We went back to my car to drop Connie's huge purse and my wallet and by the time we got back, the line was gone. It was standing room only but they had some seats saved and they asked us if we wanted to sit. Yes please! The event was great. We knew Pete was a great speaker but so was Denise. I will be voting for her and hope she wins. We were in southeast Omaha so headed further south to hit a thrift I used to love when I was buying Corelle, hoping we'd find somewhere for lunch on the way. We didn't so headed further south, which put us in Bellevue and I know nothing of that area. We ended up at Applebee's for lunch and it wasn't bad. We went home from there because Connie was going to Lincoln for dinner with her daughter while I'd be at a library board meeting.

Rachele's party was Wednesday night and Connie's car was loaded with decorations, which meant we'd be on the set up crew. With nothing else planned for the day, we went and got pedicures at the nail place in Wahoo. After a tea break at home, we headed to Lincoln. There were others on set up duty and we had fun putting up bunting, posters, balloons (had to blow those up) and such. Rachele has a diverse bunch of friends, some of whom came from far and wide. We hadn't planned to stay until the end but we had so much fun that we did, which meant we were on take down duty too. It was a great time.

Connie had committed to meeting in Lincoln for breakfast so we were up and out first thing on Thursday. I sat next to someone I'd enjoyed chatting with at the party and had breakfast nachos, which was a huge portion, even half was too much but I took it home to eat again. We went straight back to Wahoo and in an attempt to entertain Connie, who doesn't seem to be able to just veg, we did the stores in downtown Wahoo. I even took her to pet the kittens at the shelter, which she didn't seem to enjoy. We went back home and she made salmon for supper, which we had with all the salads I'd made that we hadn't eaten much of all. Connie tried to take a walk in the neighborhood after supper but was back almost immediately because it was just too damn hot. We watched a movie that night and of course I had troubles with my hotspot because I was still 6 days out from the service call to fix my internet. Ridiculous. We didn't stay up late because Connie was leaving the next morning to drive halfway to Toronto.

I made bacon (yummy cherrywood smoke maple bacon from the Wahoo Locker) and eggs for breakfast on Friday so Connie would have some protein to start her travel day. She set off and I got busy stipping beds, organizing the fridge, which was full of half eaten salads and such, etc. Then I sat down to enjoy some alone time in my house without worrying about entertaining anyone. Nice.

Saturday was Christmas in July for spinning group, which had been moved from a park to Nan's house because of the blazing heat. I made some tortilla roll ups, using up various things from the week, then wrapped my present for the gift exchange - a yarn bowl filled with unspun fiber from the Brown Sheep factory. I got a lovely skein of Malabrigo, which will make a beautiful hat. There was lots of leftover chicken so I grabbed a couple of pieces for later and hit Aldi before heading home. It was a fun day.

On Sunday, I had cat duty at the shelter in the morning and drove to Lincoln to swim in the evening and did not much else in between. I did chat with a couple of friends and knitted, of course, and I'm sure there was streaming too. I was happy to have a normal week coming up and after one more blazing hot day on Monday, the forecast for the upcoming week was much cooler with highs in the 70's. Can't wait for that.

Week 28 - Finished Temperature Blanket

I didn't have much on my calendar this week, which was a good thing because my focus was doing major cleaning in preparation for Connie's arrival next week. I also managed to finally finish my temp blanket, which was huge.

First thing on Monday, I cleared the table my laptop sits on and ended up with lots of admin from it - paying bills, making calls, etc. That done, I ran Wahoo errands and potted up what I hope are the last plants for the season. I pulled out my 2025 temperature blanket and took it to Monday Night Knitting to weave in ends, which is easier on the big table there. I got about half of what was left done at the library and decided to stay up late to finish. It was way past my bedtime but I did it! Now for the border.

I had put the chicken bones and bits in the crockpot overnight so picked that Tuesday morning and made tetrazzini that night. Delish! I also did laundry and hung it out, finished cleaning the spare bedroom and started the border on the temp blanket. That's a good day in my retirement life.

It was blazing hot on Wednesday so I stayed inside, cleaning the kitchen after my cooking then neatizing the spare room bureau so the room was ready for Connie. I started the book for book club and was instantly sucked in so knitted and read for a chunk of the day, which is always nice. I finished the socks I'd cast on for the drive to Rhode Island for Auntie Margaret's funeral. Another productive day with some chiling too.

I finished my temperature blanket on Thursday while watching my favorite knitting YouTubers. Isn't it fun? It's now ready for the county fair. Yay! I also started the actual cleaning in the rest of the house, starting with cobwebs, chunky dust on the fan blades and I organized the front room. Then I was off to Stuff and swimming. Stuff is only a mile from the pool so it's easy to stop and donate on the way to water aerobics. Of course I found a skein of Lazy Bee sock yarn that's self-striping for $4 (retail is $38). Score!

I had a doctor's appointment on Friday so of course I loaded up the day, starting with breakfast at Cook's with my new(ish) friend Mary, who is the sister of my friend Kate who died. Someday I won't feel the need to explain the connection. Promise. We chatted for hours and then I headed to the cancer center for yet another appointment with my oncologist. Afterwards, I picked Anne up and we went to a thrift shop I've heard great things about that's in an old doctor's office in Syracuse. It was lovely but I didn't find much, which was OK. We hit a couple more thrifts out that way and I had Anne home for soccer by 2:00. I stopped at the market for produce and got home to no internet. I called Kinetic and they couldn't get anyone out to fix it for 12 days! Ridiculous and I'd be using the hotspot on my phone. Not cool.

After that full day, I was home for the weekend. There was more knitting and cleaning plus some cooking so we'd have easy meals the next week - sloppy joes and potato salad. I did the cats at the shelter on Sunday and spent extra time loving on the 2 kittens. 

I was ready for Connie, who would arrive Monday evening. It was a good week of productivity (mostly long overdue cleaning), cooking, knitting, reading.... all good. Now for some fun with  Connie.

Week 27 - Neighborhood War Zone

It was another blazing hot week. So hot that all the knitters cancelled for Monday Night Knitting. Welcome to summer in Nebraska. At least it meant the house was shut up to limit the noise from the war zone that was my neighborhood. So many fireworks. Hate them. I got out of town as much as I could. 

I went to Omaha on Tuesday to see Disclosure Day with Lori. Loved it! Tuesday is $6 movie day and you get free popcorn so I hope this is the first of many movies. When I left the theatre, I drove across Omaha to get a rotisserie chicken at Sam's. I've been wanting one for ages so it was worth the trip. It's a lot of chicken for one person though.

Wednesday was a Lincoln day. I had lunch at Cultiva with Lana, Dana, Cindy and Philippe (the computer guy). It was great to catch up and I went to Buresh Meats then Dairy Sweet for a lemon soft serve to kill the time until a talk on US/Iran relations, which was very interesting. After supper, my last book club on Common Sense went well and we talked way past closing time. Unfortunately Tot was spooked by all the fireworks and didn't come in that night. I worry less about her than the young ones but it still made for a bad night of sleep.

I had lunch with Lorri at Chip's in Wahoo on Thursday and other than swimming, the only other thing I did was water at my neighbor's. She always goes away for the 4th. Other than continuing to water there, and a bit of weeding by the retaining wall, I spent the weekend holed up, knitting, streaming, talking with friends and reading while trying to ignore the noise.

I was thrilled when the 4th was over but there were still stray fireworks on Sunday. Have I mentioned how much I hate fireworks? I hate the noise and trash of it (I will be picking up fireworks debris in my yard for months) and can't help but think of how much money is being spent that could be feeding hungry children. Rant over. And so are the fireworks. Until next year.... As usual, I swam Sunday night in Lincoln, which is my favorite way to end a summer week. Enjoy a picture of Goodie on the deck during the day, which was the only time it was quiet. : )

Week 26 - Last Cool Weather?

The cooler weather was still here and even cooler than last week. I made the most of it while it lasted.

As usual, Monday was laundry day and it dried super fast outside. I also ran local errands and my new friend Lori, who I met when working the polls, came to Monday Night Knitting. I'm glad I had a nice day at home to start the week because the rest of the week was busy.

As a new and reluctant member of the Emeriti and Retirees Association board, I had a 4 hour stategic planning session on Tuesday at East Campus. At least they were providing lunch, which was protein free unfortunately, and it wasn't too painful. I had made an appointment to pick up my laptop from Philippe on city campus for an excuse to leave early but it didn't go the full 4 hours so I didn't need to ditch early. I picked up my laptop, found bunches of marked down yarn grab bags at Goodwill, which with the senior discount were only $.80 each (score!), and then did a big Aldi shopping before heading home. I finished a super complicated pair of socks that night. I'll call that a productive day.

I had some online training for the American Conversation Project Wednesday morning then headed outside to garden. I edged a couple of beds and then went to the farm store to buy yet more annuals. I put impatiens around the birds nest spruce and more pinks around the clothesline pole. Now when the heat sets back in and I'm stuck inside, I'll have some color on the 2 beds I can see when I'm sitting in my favorite chair. The first actual discussion of Common Sense went well that night. Just one more session to go.

Thursday started off well. I put a loaf of banana bread in the oven and then found a bunch of bedroom furniture on an online auction that was perfect for my friend Darla, who was redoing her spare room for her mother-in-law's visit in August. She was interested so I big on it for her and left for Lincoln. I drove by a yard sale on the way to the ATM and scored some fabulous vintage tablecloths, which made it tight to meet Dodie for lunch but I made it. We had a great lunch at our favorite Bison Witches and while we were eating, I got an email that I'd won all the auctions, which was $46 for a double bed with new mattress, 2 nightstands and a dresser. Score for Darla! Then I was off to Anne's because we were going to her friend's house, who is a full time reseller on ebay, so I could pick her brain and see her set up. I gave her the banana bread as a thank you and got all her best tips. I had already decided not to swim because it was only 71 degrees and overcast so headed home. I went out at dusk to water at my friend Lorri's on the way. Another good day in the books.

Friday was a day at home, which I was happy with. It was city-wide garage sales so I spent the morning shopping them but didn't find much. That's OK. I did some gardening - weeding and planting some veggies Lorri gave me and more flowers plus I replanted zucchini since the old seeds I'd planted didn't germinate. I enjoyed tea on my bench and made sheet pan pasta for supper. It was time for the weekend.

Saturday was the last cool day but I spent most of it inside, only venturing out to water at Lorri's and hit The Warehouse. I started The Other Bennet Sister on Britbox and knitted. Totally enjoyable day. 

Sunday was our annual lunch with Jessica, our old water aerobics instuctor, and her family. She is now a professor at St. Lawrence University in Upstate New York but comes back every summer and makes time for lunch with her Campus Rec gang. Her partner and their twins plus her mom, who lives in South Sioux City, Nebraska, were there. It was a great time and her girls are so cute. I had planned to hang in Lincoln all afternoon but after hitting every single thrift, dropping donations at Stuff Creative Reuse, failing to find a movie worth seeing and even attempting to hang with kittens at the Humane Society, which was closed for some reason, I still had 2.5 hours to kill. I had brought a book and knitting but the thought of sitting in a coffee shop for hours just so I could swim sounded dismal so I gave up and drove home. Bummer to miss swiming but still a good decision. Did I mention that it was 98 degrees? Yeah, I stand behind not swimming.

This was a good week with a nice mix of socializing and productivity but the gorgeous weather was the icing on the cake. It could be a long time before we have highs in the 70's. I hate summer heat and it's even worse with the estrogen blocker taking me back to hot flashes. Just a couple of months. I can make it, spending time knitting and streaming in the AC, which isn't all bad.

Week 25 - Absolutely Perfect Weather

The weather was absolutely gorgeous all week - low 80's and no humidity. I finally was able to get some gardening done and enjoyed every minute of it. If only it would last.

My friend Lori had a meeting in Wahoo on Tuesday so brought Chinese food and we ate on the deck and chatted for hours. Again, perfect weather. I made a nice dinner that night of steak, potatoes and green beans but puked it all up before bed. I instantly felt better and was fine the next day. Must be something going around.

On Wednesday night, I was doing the first session of the library's book club on Common Sense by Thomas Paine. This was loosely affiliated with the American Conversation Project. Carrie, the librarian who was taking care of it, had prepped a presentation and we'd be handing out the books and planning for the next 2 sessions. Well, she had a family emergency and had to jump in the car to Colorado that morning so I had nothing. I asked the people who came if they'd be willing to do the program for the actual American Conversation Project, which is a set of questions to spark conversation that is recorded. They were in and I stumbled through it. Now to figure out how to upload it and make it official.

I was in Lincoln on Thursday to take my work laptop in for a software upgrade and ended up leaving it there. I went upstairs to see who was in and chatted with Lana and then Layton, talking so long that I had to bolt to get to swimming on time. Considering we had lunch every Friday for decades and now rarely see each other, it was great. Swimming was almost chilly but was better than roasting.

I was supposed to hang with my cousin on Friday but she'd been up all night being sick so cancelled. Same bug I had maybe? Anyway, we talked for almost 3 hours instead. I was supposed to have lunch with Darla but she graciously allowed me to cancel. I still went to Lincoln that evening for the pottery class Anne, Rene and I had rescheduled from a winter snow day. It was lots of fun and I made 3 pots, which the instructor will glaze and fire so we can pick them up after the 4th. We all want to take another class.

I decided to skip spinning on Saturday and had a nice, relaxing weekend. I did some weeding, cooking, reading and knitting. It was a wonderful week with gorgeous weather, which was inspiring after awful heat. I know the blazing heat will be back but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Week 24 - Fun Being Home

It was my first full week home and since I was totally recovered from the road trip to Rhode Island, I was ready for some fun and this week delivered.

The week started out hot with 3 days in the 90's so the AC was on and I'd be staying inside as much as I could. I started with cleaning up the kitchen and took down the baker's rack that lives in front of my slider during the winter to hold plants, which lets in so much more light. I made bread pudding to take to knitting. I find that I'm willing to put the oven on when the AC is on to take care of the heat. Is that just me? I did plant eggplants and peppers in pots on the driveway and started working on the spare room, which lead to sorting yarn and casting on a pair of cotton blend, scrappy, shortie socks. Not surprising. I also knitted a couple of charity hats. I had a library board meeting but otherwise hadn't left the house on Tuesday.

I was venturing out on Wednesday to have lunch with my friend Nancy, who is moving to California in July. We sat and chatted for 3 hours, past the lunch crowd and only left because Nancy had a load of donations for the thrift store in town and they close at 4:00. We had such a great time! I should have been seeing Nancy more these past few years. I will miss her for sure.

I woke up to find .8" of rain in my gauge on Thursday morning but more importantly, the storm had broken the heat. Yay! I was up and out early for a talk at the lake on wetlands and after lunch, I pulled all the dead roses out of one of my veg beds and was happy to see that one of them had survived. They all came from the east side garden and I had dug them up in November but had trouble getting much root since they came with the house so were decades old and had been planted right against the foundation. So one living made me happy and it may end up back in the new east bed below the new retaining wall. Anyway, I planted tomatoes, which had grown in their little pots while I was gone, then went to the salon for a haircut then to Lincoln. I had books to return at the library commission then was meeting Darla for nachos at Tico's before swimming. Way to pack it in, right?

Friday was a super fun day. My friend Becky had told me she wanted to antique in Wahoo but there's only one shop that has any antiques so I suggested we go to Fremont for the Estate Dispersal Store weekend. I've only ever done lunch or tea with Becky and didn't know what she looked for when antiquing and how she felt about thrifting so I took a chance and made our first stop the Habitat Restore, which is more thrift store than antiques. She LOVED it! She found all kinds of goodies and took photos of all the granny rockers. Her entire box was $14 so she was thrilled. From there we went to Mel's Diner (recommended by the cashier at the Restore) for lunch and both of us ate yummy food from the senior menu for $13 total! We did go to the Estate Dispersal Store and an antique mall downtown but bought nothing. We ended our Fremont day with soft serve at Zesto - yummy pineapple sherbet for me. Becky may be my new thrifting buddy.

Saturday was World Wide Knit it Public Day and Found & Flora, the florist/gift shop in Wahoo, was hosting. I took some show and tell and spent the morning knitting with friends and a new person, who we invited to come to Monday Night Knitting. We went to Mocha C's for lunch and I got my favorite chicken salad croissant from my grab and go Tuesdays while I was still working. I went home to plant yet more tomatoes.

After so many days out and about, Sunday was finally a day at home. I made - French toast and bacon for breakfast, talked to Carolyn, did the shelter cats and  planted squash and cukes. I also started listening to Common Sense for the book club at the library. I put on my suit, ate PB&J in the car and went to water aerobics in Lincoln. It was pretty chilly but I'm glad I went.

So much fun in one week! To me this was a perfect retirement week so I hope this summer brings a few more like this one.

Week 23 - Funeral and Home

The week started off with a chilly day, which seemed appropriate for Auntie Margaret's funeral. We'd be busy all day on Monday and then start back the next day. It was going to be a long week.

After breakfast at the hotel, we headed to St. Luke's - the church we grew up in and where the funeral would be. We got there at 9:30. The visitation was at 10:00 and the funeral at 11:00. Auntie Margaret looked nothing like herself and there were fewer people there than I thought there'd be but it was a very nice service that Aunt Margaret had planned herself. The new priest, who was new to St. Luke's and new as a priest too, was great. We went directly to the cemetary for a small service in their chapel and then we found Nana and Papa's grave to take a pic for ancestry. The funeral lunch was at a nice Italian restaurant, where I got to visit with my cousins, which was lovely, and the food was delicious. We said our goodbyes and headed out.

Dottie and I went to East Greenwich and did the obligatory drive through the old neighborhood on the way to my oldest friend's mother's house. She has cancer so I wanted to make sure I paid her a visit. We then went to Deanne's so I could see her new house, which was lovely, and we chatted for a bit. We had made plans to meet Janice at The Newport Creamery for ice cream and closed it down, with more chatting. I had only been in Rhode Island for mere hours but I'd managed to fit lots in besides the funeral. We'd be leaving first thing the next morning so went back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep.

After another hotel breakfast, we started driving. Having enjoyed Budd Lake Diner, we stopped at another fave place of Dottie's in Mt. Arlington - Davey's Dogs. I love a good hotdog so was happy with it. We drove around her old neighborhood and found her condo before getting back on the road. We drove through Pennsylvania all day, stopping at an Applebee's somewhere for supper and staying in Youngstown, Ohio, found with an app my friend Ana recommended - hoteltonight. It was a much better experience than on our way to Rhode Island.

The hotel breakfast was pretty lackluster so we went to Starbuck's across the street and hit the road. Our goal was to not take the toll road but smaller highways and hit some thrifts along the way in Indiana. It took us a few hours to get through Ohio and we found a great mom & pop restaurant for lunch and had time to hit 2 MCC (Menonite Central Committee) thrifts and found some treasures at both. We ran out of time for the last thrift but got back to Dottie's in time for pizza for supper. We then went out for soft serve followed by porch time. I went to bed happy to know it was my last night not sleeping in my own bed.

My intent was to leave at 9:00 to miss Chicago traffic but I woke up at 4:30 when my nephew, who gets up early for work, was yelling at the dog outside my room. I read until 5:15 but when it was clear I wasn't going to fall back asleep, I got up, ate breakfast and headed out. I didn't want my brother-in-law to wake my sister up (I'd just spent 5 days 24/7 with her after all) but he didn't listen and did. Oh well. I was so early that I not only missed Chicago traffic but the construction workers weren't at work yet so I sailed through Illinois. I stopped for a break in Grinnell, Iowa and was almost to Nebraska before it started raining. It was an easy ride and it felt great to be home. I unpacked, sorted laundry and went to bed early.

I spent the next 2 days doing laundry and cooking. It was wonderful to have healthy, homemade food after eating on the road for a week. My cats were happy I was home, although not so happy when I put on the Bravecto flea stuff, and I was happy to see that all my plants and newly planted things all looked great. I planted my dahlias, which I'd already potted up a month ago, into window boxes and called my flowers done. 

By Sunday, things were back to normal. I did the cats and was sad to see that my favorite cat, Gracie, who was a skinny old girl, had died the day before. I showered and headed to Lincoln, dropping off some donations at Stuff Creative Reuse before meeting Anne and Rene for lunch to hear all about Rene's 2 months in Europe. We all went to Sam's together and then split up. I scored some super cheap yarn grab bags and went to 2 supermarkets to restock from being gone. I made French toast and bacon for supper and called myself recovered.

What a week! Spending 6 of the 7 days I was gone driving all day was tiring. I didn't get as much knitting done as I thought I would despite being the passenger for 4 long days (chalk that up to my sister's driving style, which stressed me out). It was wonderful to get home afterwards but I'm glad we went. Auntie Margaret was the last of that generation and I loved her so much. Totally worth it. Here's a rose that was growing outside the church to remember her by.

Week 22 - Rhode Island Bound

Well, I'd be leaving on Friday for the drive to Rhode Island so I had things to do and plans to make. Otherwise it was a lot of waiting and then a lot of driving.

I had some decisions to make about veggies. To plant or not to plant, knowing I wouldn't be there to take care of them for a week. I decided to throw caution to the wind and planted potatoes and some flowers in one of the veg beds and green and wax beans along my neighbor's chain link by my driveway. I also transplanted all my tiny veg seedlings and set them up in a tray that could be easily watered and tucked them under the deck bench where they'd be shaded. Gardening done.

The rest was getting ready to travel. I ran to Lincoln for gas, a few groceries, kitty litter and got my tires checked. I was madly working on a complicated pair of socks for the Supersock World Championship in hopes that I could get them done before I left and I'm happy to report I got them done. I bought my plane tickets for my beach week and started piling things I'd take, including loading all the yarn for Dottie into the car. I was also taking a tote of things I'd need this summer for the beach week and leaving that at Carolyn's so packed sheets, towels and a few clothes too.

Thursday was a busy day. I made banana bread, did laundry and finished packing that morning and then the rest of the day was jam packed. I had a dentist appointment at 2:00, online training for the American Conversation Project (something for the library) at 3:30, went to dinner with my friend Anna, who was in town for a couple of weeks and would be leaving while I was gone at 5:00. I went straight to the library from there for book club. I set up extra cat boxes and with that was ready to leave.

I had originally thought I'd leave at 9:00 to miss Omaha traffic but that would put me in Chicago traffic at the end of the day so when I woke up early, I left at 7:30 instead. I took a break in Iowa City, which is the halfway point between Wahoo and Dottie's, to hit the MCC thrift shop Dottie and I had discovered when we met there 2 years ago. I also stopped at the yarn shop that had been closed that day and scored a skein of West Yorkshire Spinners Christmas yarn that I'd looked for locally and failed to find. Yay! Unfortunately, there was so much construction on I-80 in Illinois that I was smack in the middle of rush hour traffic outside Chicago so the trip took 11 hours instead of the usual 8.5. Dottie had made one of my favorite dinners - smothered steak - and after enjoying sitting on the porch and chatting, it was time for bed.

We ate a hearty breakfast and headed out for the long drive. We chatted all day and stopped for a late lunch in Mercer, Pennsylvania. We drove all the way through Pennsylvania (if you've ever done it, you know it feels endless) and stayed in a pretty skanky yet expensive hotel in Delaware Water Gap, which is in the Poconos, and almost to New Jersey. We'd eaten lunch so late that we just ate snacks in the room and called it supper.

Dottie suggested we get McDonald's and hit the road but since we were so close to where she used to live in Mount Arlington, New Jersey, I asked if there wasn't somewhere she'd like to eat near there. She was thrilled with the idea and we went to Budd Lake Diner and had a delicious breakfast. And then we were off to a cemetery just over the New York line where Dottie wanted to look for a grave from my mom's father's side of the family. We lucked out that the president of the cemetery was working on a Sunday because he was headed out for summer vacation the next day. He was very helpful but the grave she was looking for wasn't in the database yet (they're working backwards and are 10 years away yet) but we took some pics of other Seeley graves and then headed to Rhode Island.

We arrive at 3:30, which was too early for supper so we went to Job Lot and did some obligatory shopping. Since we had the car, I was hoping to find something big but only managed a welcome mat. I didn't think to load up the truck with my favorite Polar Diet Orange Dry soda, which is only available in New England. I got one box but missed the opportunity to buy lots. Oh well. We met Carolyn and Matt at The Crow's Nest for an early supper and I thoroughly enjoyed fried belly clams and an in person chat. We drove from there to the hotel we'd booked near the airport, checked in and went to bed early after a long couple of days of driving.

The next day would be the funeral. It was a long drive to get there and would be a long way back but it was good that we came. I was hoping it wouldn't be super sad but only time would tell.

Week 21 - Goodbye Auntie Margaret

It was a weird week with storms, cancellations, clinic runs and some fun but ended with the death of my dear Auntie Margaret. Here we go.

My cousin Richard's grandaughter had died from a horrible disease and the visitation was on Monday night. They recently moved to Omaha and I felt like I should go because they have no other local family besides their daughter's. But the weather did not cooperate. There were huge storms with hail forecast for exactly when I'd need to drive so I didn't go. knitting was cancelled too so I stayed home and made a nice dinner while the rain poured down.

It was chilly Tuesday morning, which was perfect because I was making a strawberry/rhubarb pie for dessert since -Lori was coming for lunch. She lives in Omaha now but comes for lunch when she has appointments in town. She was due ~12:30. When it hit 1:15, I texted her only to find out I'd screwed up the date and she'd be coming next month. Sheesh! Totally my fault so I made a quick lunch and went through a cabinet that afternoon. There was knitting too, of course.

Wednesday was the long awaited cinnamon bun trip with Darla. She had seen a reel of a truck driver who does routes in eastern Nebraska who raved about the cinnamon buns in the tiny town of Pilger, which was about 80 miles north of Wahoo, and we were going to get some. Darla picked me up early and we were there by 9:00. Luckily I'd called ahead and had 4 buns put aside because they were already gone. We shared one and then headed out to thrift our way home. Pender had one of the best thrift stores I'd ever been in and we found another great one in Scribner, where we ate lunch in Mel's Bar (delish burger and my favorite tots). We stopped in Hooper for ice cream and then hit the Goodwill in Fremont. It was a totally fun day and ended with the Surivor finale. Here's a pic of some of my favorite thrift scores from the day.

I had nothing beyond taking care of my neighbor's cats on Thursday's calendar. I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth and when I took a perfectly normal step, something twisted just above my ankle like something I'd never felt before and I was instantly in pain. I limped to take care of the cats and it hurt so much that I called the clinic and got an appointment for 10:00 with a doctor I'd never seen before. She sent me for an x-ray and nothing was broken, which was a big relief. She put a brace on and told me to go home to ice and elevate so that's what I did. I spent the day knitting and started watching a Great Course on the Pacific theatre in WW2. That evening when I took the brace off to take a shower, I had zero pain. It's like it had never happened. What????

There was still no pain Friday morning but I put the brace on anyway and got busy. I had to do the shelter cats that morning and ran some errands in town then spent the afternoon planting containers. Then the phone rang. My dear Auntie Margaret, who was 104, was near death. She's recently fallen and was failing fast. I talked to my sister about whether we would go to the funeral and we decided to go. We got the call Saturday morning that she had died.

I loved my aunt so much. We grew up with Auntie Margaret and my cousins Bette and David at every holiday, event - we even vacationed together. She was always there and such a hoot. After I moved to Nebraska, I would fly into Rhode Island on Thursday mornings so I could crash my dad's weekly lunch with her. She was there for every milestone in my life. She had been housebound for the past few years and couldn't hear to talk on the phone so I feel like I lost her a few years ago. I definitely needed to go to the funeral.

We didn't know when the service would be but I started making calls to make sure I had cats and plants covered. I also had to make decisions on my garden. I planted the rest of my containers but decided to wait on planting my veg beds. There was lots of waiting to hear so the weekend dragged. I finished the WW2 thing, which was also a drag, and we finally heard that the funeral would be a week out on June 1st so we booked a room in Rhode Island. I'd be driving to Dottie's in northern Indiana and then we'd drive to RI from there, which would take a couple of days.

So, what a week, huh? Auntie Margaret was the last of her generation, outliving them all, and the sweetest, funniest aunt I could ever have wished for. Rest in peace, Auntie Margaret.

Week 20 - My Civic Duty

When I retired, one of the things I wanted to do was work at the polls and this week was my first time. Besides that 13 hour day, I had several other full ones too. All good.

Tuesday was going to be a long day and since I was working in Yutan, I needed to take all the food I'd eat all day with me. I prepped that on Monday afternoon and made a pan of blondies to split between knitting and the polls. Unfortunately something had reset on my phone so my texts were messed up and not getting through. I was alone at the library so messaged Andrea only to hear that all the knitters were at the school for the year end concert and I'd missed the texts. I went home and went to bed early.

I got up at 5:30 Tuesday morning and made an omelet for breakfast figuring protein would last longer. I packed up my lunch and dinner plus many craft projects and headed to Yutan. There were 5 of us there and I spent the entire 13 hours writing voters' names in the book after they signed in. I instantly hit it off with the woman doing the sign in book and we chatted the hours away. We only had 128 voters all day and none in the last hour. By then I had my temperature blanket spread across my knees and was weaving in ends. We started packing up early and I was out of there by 8:15 and home by 8:30. It was a long day but didn't drag and I made a new friend, Lori, who is going to start coming to Monday Night Knitting.

I needed 000some recharge time on Wednesday but did get out in the afternoon to plant my driveway containers. I found Goodie's hidey hole in the shade under the wheel barrow while I was planting. I also cleaned up the kitchen, finished a charity hat and talked to both of my sisters plus had tea on the deck. I was recovered and ready for more.

I was going to Helen's on Thursday and decided I'd get bbq ribs for supper so scrambled to put together potato salad before I left. As usual, Helen, Debbie and I chatted the day away and I left in time to get to the library commission before they closed to drop off book club books then hit Stuff (found some sock yarn - yay!), pick up the ribs and get gas at Sam's before heading home. Shortly after I got home, Andrea stopped by to drop off some cookies for me and helped me hook up my hoses too. They snake under the deck so it's much easier with 2 people. It's good to have friends.

It was 95 degrees on Friday so I spent the day inside. I cleared the coffee table and bar (I'd cleared the desk earlier in the week) and cleaned the bathroom and floors before settling down to weave in more ends on my temp blanket. Since the house was clean and I had ribs and potato salad, I called Ana and she came over for supper. She's back in town for a couple of weeks so it was nice to catch up.

Saturday was spinning but not until the afternoon so I had a long chat with Carolyn and another with Dee before picking Andrea up for the usual run. We hit the Restore before spinning then the Estate Dispersal Store, Goodwill and Aldi afterwards. We got a soft serve at Zesto on our way out of town - lemon sherbet, which was way more lemony than the Zesto in Lincoln has. I started Outlander, having waited until all the episodes were out. We had a storm that evening and got 2" of much needed rain. Nice.

I did the cats on Sunday morning and spent extra time with Frito, the cat who was being bullied so is now in the quarantine room. I had been hemming and hawing about getting the new Runza burger and finally caved, spending $12 and it ended up being not worth it. Oh well. I miss BK, which closed recently. I finished Outlander and called it a day. We had a bit more rain - .2" this time. Every little bit helps.

So working the polls was new and fun. I got some things done in the house, planted more containers, had fun with Helen and Debbie and had fun in Fremont. I'll call that a full and nice week.