TheCapeBlog

Figured to put together one of the planters but Ron insisted on taking over, then discovered that two of the four foot boards have flaws.

Gardeners sent us a box of parts but they are for a different model. I emailed them again and told them we appreciate the effort and could they please send the right size boards.

We tried to drop off the mulch gift certificate but no one was there. Meanwhile, they delivered the mulch early and were so quiet we didn’t realize they’d come and gone.

We went to Norad Mill so Ron could check out the toy store. He ended up adding to the gift certificate for Ben.

While we were there, I was able to pick up the restored photo of Nonna from Computer Bug, which made me happy if $129 poorer (ouch).

K-M’s machine for state inspection has been offline so they were too backed up today to inspect the truck. I will try tomorrow either before or after my appointment at the hospital.

Have noticed the Frigidaire air conditioner in the third bedroom doesn’t seem to be producing cold air very well. Looked for a user manual in my pile of filing but I have a feeling we didn’t receive one. It’s available online, which is actually better.

The filter was a mess, not a surprise given the amount of construction in this room. I cleaned it and am hoping for the best. The filters in the other a/c’s seem to be fine.

While I was looking for the Frigidaire manual, found a bunch of repair orders for the truck. No exhaust work has been done in the last year so the source of the flaws in the tailpipe remains a mystery. Maybe mice, haha.

Get out the hats and hooters, Candidate Harris will be in Pittsfield for a fund raiser this Saturday.

First meeting of the writers group at the Senior Center, and enjoyed it. Good group leader and very congenial women who are quite good writers at that.

Squared away our application for HMLP funds.

Ordered mulch with the Mountain Home Landscape gift certificate.

Picked up a gift certificate for Ben’s birthday.

Muggy today, G&T weather.

The boys “invaded” after Ding Dong Ditch.

We enjoyed veg burgers at the Senior Center – thoughtful bunch, it helps that the director is also veg – and a talk by the director of Remedy Hall.

Ron cut up the substantial felled tree branch with his electric saw, which amazed me. He’s good at figuring out how to do this without putting himself in harm’s way.

I finally got my new Rudbeckia in the ground, a three day process, but I’m happy with the placement. The poor thing was pretty badly rootbound. Sprinkled more deer repellent around the new transplants.

Long conversation with Ron tonight about why I didn’t resent him for leaving me and Peter when he was little but felt he shortchanged us by not wanting to know us when Peter was a teenager.

I figure even if we’d gotten together in our fifties we would have been better off financially and equally importantly, shared experiences that he squandered with other women.

Ultimately, he has no good explanation for why this didn’t happen; rather, the same old saw about alcoholism, guilt and the Catholic Church. As if the Catholic Church doesn’t offer redemption.

Got an annoying email from the people who administer the home improvement grant I applied for. Depending on their reply, I may forget about it.

There seems to be a run on calcium supplements. Yesterday we went to the Walmart in North Adams but they were out of the 220 tablet option so I ordered some along with socks, to be delivered tomorrow.

Yesterday was not good for me. The doc called to report that I have “severe” osteoporosis and am at risk for fractures; thus, the search for calcium. He’s scheduling me for an infusion. Sounds like not a lot of fun but if it helps prevent a broken hip, it’d be worth it.

We stopped at the Food Project for lunch, which was as always very good. Brought home bread and a zuke.

Although he’s promised not to when we’re together, Ron got involved in several long conversations at the Food Project and Walmart.

I went ballistic, partly from irritation with Ron, worry about my new diagnosis and tiredness from the activities the day before. Ron’s snotty insistence that I don’t understand his chattiness because he loves people and I don’t infuriated me even more. I think he likes to show off, be the center of attention and stage-manage interactions.

Turns out this is only partially true. Living a very small town, his parents were in the habit of chatting with friends when they were out doing errands. Since both parents had their own groups of friends, neither would feel left out or neglected if one of them started a conversation; there were always friends around for the other.

While we were watching the news, the little boys decided to play Ding Dong Ditch on us. Instead of running away, though, they stuck around, laughing merrily. Love them!

Between one thing and another, we stayed up late last night, 10:30 for me and midnight for Ron.

It is raining right now and I’m grateful. Didn’t water yesterday, Nature is helping at the perfect time.

I bought a huge Rudbeckia at Chenail’s yesterday and decided to plant it in the left side of the center garden.

After pulling weeds, I started digging and hit a rock which turned out to be a small boulder.

Ron wanted to rent a chain fall hoist. Instead, he found two metal poles and braced the rock with the poles, creating a ramp of sorts. We started propping the rock up the ramp with big stones. Luckily, Alyssa’s parents dropped by to let Millie out, and her Dad easily rolled the rock out and across the yard. I was amazed he was able to do it!

I watered the new transplants, fingers crossed that the deer will leave them alone.

Made a salad with a gorgeous romaine lettuce from Chenail’s, the rest of the tomatoes from the farm, an English cuke, radishes, celery, yellow pickle rings.

Planted the six that I bought yesterday and do they ever brighten things up.

Mailed Robert’s birthday gift.

In a burst of creativity, made two meals from Farm vegetables while they were still good.

Grilled bok choy and squash and pan-fried mozzarella sticks, pea pods and a package of silken tofu with a Best Buy date in April (it was fine), crumbled and seasoned with soy sauce.

In the evening, I made a pie of tomatoes, steamed kale, sauteed onion and peppers and two kinds of cheese with a superstrate of milk, eggs and Bisquick.

Brought the truck in for an a/c recharge and was told that the muffler and tailpipe joint needs to be rewelded. Brought it to L&G today. They repaired the joint in two places and replaced a hanger.

Ron repaired the extension cord that I wrecked the other day.

Bob from Madsen came by to get our garage doors working again after the power outage. He gave us advice quite different from what I found online, so I hope we can fix it ourselves if/when it happens again.

The RNC Convention is over, thank goodness.

Ron’s computer was giving him grief. I restarted it without a problem this morning.

I did almost nothing yesterday besides shuck and boil corn and grill veg burgers.

We watched “Hillbilly Elegy” last evening, then the news. By that time it was 9 pm but Ron didn’t get to sleep until much later.

Took a break and attended a pizza lunch and lively cornhole contest at the Senior Center.

On the way back from the second trip to L&G, stopped for coneflowers and a gorgeous red daisy at Artesian Gardens in Hoosick Falls. Fastened the gate on the deck in a modest hope to protect them from deer and a bear that are reported to be wandering around this area.

Ron worked on restoring the extension cord that I cut. I unclogged the shop vac, cleaned the sunroom floor and unpacked the raised bed. Back was killing me.

Fierce storm came through early evening. We lost power around 6:30.

The house was uncomfortably warm for me and having enough of “sticking it out”, I finally left around 9.

It was extremely fortunate that the tech from Madsen Door had repaired our garage doors the day before. I was able to get the right side door open and manually locked. Dragged Ron out around 9 so we could at least enjoy air conditioning in the Corolla.

There were lights at the College and on Cole and Main Streets but hardly any open businesses. Our neighbor’s restaurant was one of the few and she invited us in for pizza and wine. We kept them, delayed their closing by an hour.

We drove around for a bit after that and took the back road home. There was a crew working on a downed tree on Mass Ave; incredibly, it had happened where the road splits so we were able to go up and around to get past it.

The bedroom still had a bit of residual coolness. The sound of the mini split kicking in woke me a little after midnight.

Ron did the lawn yesterday, but the lawn mower barely made it. He tangled it in some fence wire and had trouble restarting it. Luckily, no human was hurt.

I took on trimming the front shrubs this morning and once again, cut the extension cord. Can’t believe it.

Madsen Doors sent a great repair person who fixed both doors. They now open when we don’t have power.

The right door was missing three giant screws. One of the wheels had gone off the track, which was out of place.

He adjusted the motor track for the left door and increased the “pull” of the motor. In typical screwed up DIY fashion, the former owner had cut a chunk out of the door rather than adjust the track.

We went to Walmart for vitamins and supplements. On the way, up we gave a ride back and forth to a woman staying at a hotel who picked up supplies at Stewarts.

We stopped for ice cream at the Apple Barn and had a delightful conversation with another Williamstown resident and his friend.

We had a rousing game of tossing balls back and forth with the little boys. Vegged afterwards in front of the TV with guac, hummus and chips.

Ron has been working all day on his bike tires. Something about replacing the tubes.

He road to Spokes and back but had a spill on Main Street. Thinks it was because he wasn’t wearing his glasses and/or because the derailleurs need to be adjusted.

The other day, he was putting a big piece of wood on the truck and fell. His glasses frame cut him behind his ears.

I did some garden cleanup and sowed Bellflower seeds. I ordered Campanula rapunculoides, hoping they were the same as my Dixon flowers. The seeds do not look familiar, so I have doubts. In any event, it’s considered an invasive, so maybe just as well if they fail.

I did more scraping and sanding. The deck railing was/is a mess. I dread to consider how bad the deck must be.

I shopped at Tractor Supply yesterday for mousetraps and picked up a “100-water balloons in 60 seconds” kit for the boys. Their Mom is clever, she awards a prize to whoever gathers the most spent balloons.

Picked up meds at Walmart, too.