hurricane irene

I've been waiting for Husbear to post a blog but he hasn't in a week so I guess I will do.

There is a hurricane on its way. We are not on the coast but there will be a big wind/rain situation around the gfield area. People are nuts about the storm and we did do a little shopping for it and some preparations:

I brought in the this, brought in the thats, worried the wind and water will ruin my lovely flower garden. I hope its just a lot of rain and plants will stay put.
I should probably pick all the tomatoes off the vines.
It's really humid. We just walked the dogs and we were all sweating and panting by the end.

I would like to start on my next zine but not sure I can settle down.
I keep remembering hurricane bob when I was living in a small house in the middle of edgartown, ma. It was a rental with a tiny yard which we never used so we didn't need to really batten down anything. We just eventually feel asleep and woke up to a load of debris strewn about the town/island.

more news later

dog gets stalked

I've lived in the bricker since 2002 and walked Pickles up Wells street since June, 2003. Pretty much ever since then I've seen this dog hanging around the corner of Wells and Allen Street. I don't know his/her name but I call her Snowball.



Today, when I was walking him, there she was, on the other side of the street, following us, not only on her side of the street but at a distance down the block.



I'm pretty sure its the same dog, but we didn't get close. Pickles was half interested in her but only because I kept pausing to take her photo. I was bemused by her checking us out, as ever. This is not the first time she's watched us. It's kind of cute, probably because there is no chance for them to mix it up.

first time for (almost) everything

Yesterday, I really needed to clean the bathroom at the Bricker. It looks great, except now there are little ants invading but we'll deal with them later. While cleaning the bathroom, other areas nearby suddenly became adjacently cleaned and I found these.



I've had these for years, I'm not even sure where I did get them-- could have it been Hampshire College? I have many odds and ends from doing the end of the semester clean up back when I worked at the school store. Anywho, I've held onto them and just for a giggle, and because I've always intended to, I decided to put them on ebay to see if I can get a dollar or two.

I've purchased from ebay but I've never sold. First, I looked up to see if there were any for sale already, there wasn't. Then I searched for them on google and found an old listing of someone selling them on ebay on March 30 and they got 35 pounds. That seemed like a good deal. So I listed them.

I've gotten 10 views and one question: "How much would it cost to ship these to argentina?" answer $20, but no offers. Is that the way it goes, will I get all the offers at the end of the 7 days? Will I get my 35 pounds sterling? Should I have waited until Paul does something like play at the royal wedding or get married or divorced again before listing these? I would like to get that money and relieve my house of just one thing it doesn't need. Stay tuned.

holiday

Usually the town of g'field picks up my trash on monday morning but today was a holiday so it was put off until tomorrow. This morning I was driving away from my house around 8:20 and the neighbor's recycling was out and a bag of newspapers had gotten loose in the wind and was blowing across the street where there was a loose pitbull mix (he looked like a cross with a roddy and was a tawny brown) running about within the paper whirlwind. It was a curious sight.

Later, while walking my dog I noticed that the papers were all gathered up and ready for tuesday pick up. it was then I remembered the scene I had witnessed this morning.

no longer a honeymoon..

David and I have joined his parents and his brother+brother's gf in a small compound inland from kailua bay. Kitchen counterspace is miniscule and the sink is a single. There are only three "glasses" and none very interesting or cocktail-worthy although 2 match and can be tolerated. There is no shotglass nor can i find the black garbage can outside, as is advertised.

However, my bed is comfortable and there are 2 bathrooms. Close by is Kailua Bay which was the best swimming I've had since September at Cape Cod and that vacation had turned out rather dreary at times, for swimming purposes. So yesterday, when David, his parents and I arrived at Kailua Beach Park, after finding no parking at the closer by Kalama Beach Park, I found myself ripping off clothes and tossing possessions aside to thrust my body into the gentle, welcoming and playful waves that folks were already enjoying. The water here covers the most wonderful cream-colored sand and I found only exultation at this swimming location. It was religious. David, Jim and Shirley also were swim-happy.

Afterwards we went to Rai Rai Ramen, a nearby noodle joint and found satisfying bowls of soup, except for Jim who only had shumai. After he and I tasted David's chicken curry soup, we both vowed we would get that next time, although my spicy pork and tofu soup was damn fine.

David fetched his brother and the neighborhood suffered a brown out. This morning the newly arrived Texans woke me while suffering from their jetlag. At 6 am or so they were escorted to a sunrise location by the Russells. I cleaned up the kitchen and cut up the pineapple in anticipation of their return. Also made another pot of coffee for David if he ever emerges from his separate 'snore quarters'. Listening to the new Radiohead, per Sal's tip.

swimming swimming swimming swimming swimming

here in honolulu, we rent a hotel room just for one night before decamping to the Kailua compound. in front of the new otani Kaimana Beach Hotel is a lovely beach just east of waikiki beach where David loves to swim. it lies just inside a reef and is mildly more private than the city beach. this is good and bad. good because its more mellow and spacious and close to our hotel room. bad because there are no surfers or townies to stare and gawk at rudely.

yesterday after checking in we went immediately to the beach and it was hot and it was lovely and we swam, floated and grinned. later, after dinner, david wanted to swim again and we swam in the darkest twilight before the huge moon honored us with her presence.
this morning after attending the mad and lovely farmers market at diamond head we came back to hotel room and changed, heading straight back down to the beach. the water was lovely and different today at 9:30 am than it was yesterday at 2:30. the low tide showed off the coral reefs we stayed away from, happily floating about in the deep sandy shallows. I saw a large school of fish hanging out with us humans in the same area. These fish were about 4-7 inches long. they were shiny and silvery, psychedelic to behold.

New Best Friend

Esmerelda, or as Peter calls her, Oggie, as in "Oggie the doggy"

Later that day..

ate a great buffalo burger at Bullshead and felt like a million bucks afterwards. We hung around Peters freakhouse for a little while then he drove us around San Fran and it was beautiful. Going down Market Street in his vw toward the east side scared me a lot, even when I was sure of his good driving, all I could do is fret and think things like, "what if the brakes go?" I related my nervousness to everyone by recounting the many scenes from the movie "What's up Doc?" when during car chases through San Francisco, large plate glass windows being walked across busy streets get run into incessantly.


But with Esmerelda at attention between me and Tanya in the back seat we cruised happily around, finding Bay Front Park an industrial wasteland and hail on top of Crissy Field. Very pretty as the sun tried to break through during a walk around the beaches of and here we are back at Tanya's looking out on South Ocean Beach pre-pie time and the sun is trying to reassure.

San Francisco, February 2011

Fun. Yesterday we flew into SF and it was like summer. After this Hard Winter, that was a pleasant paradise. Today is crazy stormy and wet, but maui wowie is a happy treat as is Peter, Teresa and Emerelda. Fun.

new blog

http://cookiesfromasource.blogspot.com/
I'm inspired by cookies and a book from gourmet. I am going to blog about cookies I am making from this book's recipes. I thought it might be amusing.

Adventuresome Humpday

Things which have happened to me so far today:
I wore a white shirt and looked really great with a vest but after I got to work and sat with myself quietly for a time I could smell old BO on the shirt which I have had for a while and wash as frequently as any other neatnick like myself. I then sprayed myself a little bit with CVS lemongrass and grapefruit scented body spray and now I cannot stand myself. yuck.

I corrected a co-worker who had sent out a company-wide email with misspellings IN THE SUBJECT LINE, causing her to unsend the lot and write a do-over.

I referred to myself as "small potatoes" and kvetched about a co-worker's arrogance.

I had a nice hotdog and greens plate at Hope and Olive for lunch. Read the police reports aloud to Val and had a good ol' time. Then drank a double espresso which was not at all bitter.

Looking forward to watching some more dvd episodes of West Wing tonight.

This Makes Me Happy

sunday oct 3

i cut myself washing dishes and david turned on the heat.
it was a big day.

postscript

I was able to get a little more beach time in with some friends yesterday.
The water was super great, the swimming buoyant and joyous. I can say goodbye for now.



Meanwhile, Fall goes forth. There is a guy I know as an aquaintance who used to live in Northampton. Since that time (2003 +/-) he got married and moved to G'field. I often see him riding his bike to and from work and around town, sometimes with a tie on which is super cute. I just saw him go up Wells on his bike with his wife on another bike looking fit and futur-istic (if the future is full of green-minded bike riders that is). Just before they went by an older guy rode by the Bricker on his old bike, going considerably slower and on the sidewalk. Funny.

I never get enough

GOOOD




BETTER




Like a drug, I can't get enough.

Me and the Hood

I'm on vacation right now and I'm hanging with my family. DbR uploaded this pic which was taken when we were almost on vacation. I really like it.



Pickles is wearing a hood I made for myself last Halloween which didn't fit. It was a throwaway. Recently I cleaned behind the couch and I found it. It is pretty cute.

i like this and i like that

Today I did some relaxing in a hammock and although it was hella pleasant, I kept thinking of things that made me a bit sad and regretful. Overall, though, it was a lovely weekend and I don't mind the next week. I really want to get a lot of work done at work this week before I take my birthday week off. I am happy to anticipate the vacation and would like every minute before it commences to drag slowly so I can enjoy the birthday lead up. Soon it will be over and I won't be able to look forward to the birthday vacation for a while. at least until February, when i will be able to happily anticipate DbR's 40th birthday vacation week. whoo hoo.

I saw this and stole it from Cooper's fb page. I really like it, it makes me happy to see my son doing the music recording. He is living the life I am pleased to have him live. He seems to be pleased as well and I think that is all very good.



so, to sum up, life isn't so terrible as we begin to enjoy this, my favorite month.

back in greenfield

i walked pickles for a long time today. we both enjoyed it.



I miss my buddy, Beaver, from Maine.

Last Day of Vacation

It always comes, the last day. DbR and I leave Maine tomorrow in the morning early enough to pick up Pickles by 5 pm.

This week has been full of middle class summer adventures including some rental unit problems. We find that there is only one real bed in this place with a bed frame, etc and Husbear found himself on that. I took the kids' room across the hall which had two twins and his parents took the loft, also with two twins. Early in the week when Jim got up and sat on the edge of his bed to put on his shoes and socks he fell past the mattress into the depths of the wooden box which was supposed to hold up his mattress. That was humorous and seemingly a mild silliness.

A day or two later I was lying on one of the beds in my room when I beckoned to DbR to come lay on top of me. He complied and the bed collapsed underneath us. We picked up the thin mattress and saw that the mattress-shaped wooden board underneath had dropped into the wooden frame. We saw that the slat or horizontal twobyfours were thin, just extra wooden pieces and nailed together with, not wood screws or anything sensible, but just common nails. It seemed absurd. Poor motherinlaw fretted for days about calling the landlady about this and we had to coach her on what to say. When she did finally call, she left messages on four different phone lines and when we got home that night the repair had been done with screws.


The thing is, that very night I was eager, very eager for a hot shower and there was nothing but lukewarm water. I suffered through and complained to DbR about how cold I was. He started to look at the breakers and the hot water heater's thermostat and fooled around with it for a long time to no avail. He went to bed without a shower.
This morning we tried the hot water and it came on readily.

What's next, I wonder, before we leave?

vacation on mt desert island

today i went kayaking. i never seem to kayak anytime besides when i'm on vacation.
i saw this lovely dragonfly. S/he seemed to preen for me.