TheCapeBlog

I’ve been cooking: charred broccoli (Ron) in spaghetti sauce from a jar of Mutti tomato puree, roasted red pepper, onion, garlic and Italian seasoning; eggplant casserole; egg salad; corn and potato chowder.

We really low-keyed it for New Year’s Eve and day. Brought grapes to Edgewater around noon yesterday after getting a virtual bunch from Peter. Mailed Jen’s card and wrote birthday reminders on the new calendar.

We brought the lights in and put them away today.

Lousy news from Edgewater. Not about the house, for once. Sending healing thoughts. It’s in the doc’s hands.

Mark Galli, the editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, is retiring after 200 evangelical “leaders” condemned his call for Trump to resign.

Among them was Ralph Reed,  Jack Abramoff’s Indian lobbying scandal partner, founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition and “political influence merchant”.

“Sadly, political operatives have worked for 40 years to craft a “pro-family” and “pro-life” narrative that would persuade white religious voters that the Republican Party was their defender. While this strategy of religious mobilization was always about uniting white voters in a coalition that was not explicitly racist, it appealed to fears of white identity and the loss of cultural power associated with America’s growing diversity. By claiming to be about culture, not politics, this distorted moral narrative prepared the way for a Christianity that would not only tolerate Trumpism but also embrace it as a defense of faith.”

https://www.thenation.com/article/religion-faith-rebuke-trumpism/

https://www.capecod.com/newscenter/aaa-northeast-offers-winter-weather-driving-tips/

As it happens, the truck is up to date for all 3: oil, battery, coolant. Surprised AAA doesn’t mention tires, though.

Got a message from John about his check. We scrambled but got it together. Dropped off two checks to his son, also John; he and two other people were working on the living room wall.

On the way back, I asked if we could drive by the True Value. Ron (grudgingly) agreed to go in, and found a pair of plastic folding sawhorses that he couldn’t live without.

I picked up a fabulous grill cover for our Weber and painting supplies for Edgewater, including a mixing tool, a gallon of Zinsser ceiling paint, brushes and rollers.

Earlier, I’d spilled part of a bottle of Resolve on the kitchen mats. Washed them off in the tub. They clean easily; got out a fair amount of sand.

Got a call from Battles around 1:30 as we were finishing lunch. Picked up the truck, very happy it’s back before the holiday, although I likely won’t be using it until Friday for transfer station.

Edgewater reports that they are at least boarded and tarped up until the work starts again on Thursday.

Ron got through to his local and (finally) mailed in his dues for 2020.

It’s been about 55 in the cellar, so I plugged in the space heater yesterday.

Meanwhile, Peter and Bonnie have been sleeping in a bedroom with a hole in the wall and 73 decibel blowers running 24×7.

Pete the mason has been working at Edgewater since Saturday to remove the chimney and button down the house before today’s storm, expected to last to Tuesday. He found the problem was an improperly installed flue; who knows how long ago that was.

Peter would like a window installed in the living room where the chimney used to be. Good idea and another good reason to demo.

I got into trouble with Ferg because he’d promised the work to a friend of his, but didn’t let Peter or me know.

My truck is leaking radiator fluid. Ron and I ventured forth in the rain and sleet to get it to the shop today after Ron topped it off with antifreeze. The engine behaved beautifully, didn’t overheat as I feared it might. Ron picked me up and we did some little errands on the way home. I borrowed the van to drive Robert to work this morning. We made great time: little traffic.

Ferg came by yesterday to check out possible work for his electrician and mason friends. He gave me the name of his auto mechanic; turns out Ed is the mechanic’s landlord.

Pizza leaked all over the oven last evening. I’ve got most of it cleaned up but a little more to do. Also roasted a pile of vegetables: zucchini, summer squash, red pepper, eggplant.

Did laundry and changed sheets yesterday.

Progress is being made at Edgewater. Ferg got the first order of supplies today at Home Depot; the chimney is down; the blowers are gone. I put off the delivery of the dumpster until tomorrow.

Thank goodness for help from my credit union and the Falmouth Service Center. We got a personal loan that allows us to pay the mortgage and get John started on the repairs at Edgewater. Ron and I picked up produce and canned goods at the Pantry yesterday.

Ron had an exam on Thursday and I used the opportunity to get my finger checked out at the Falmouth Drop-in Center. They couldn’t find anything wrong with me, but he’s been hurting since his visit.

Peter and Bonnie got prices from Empire for flooring. Still no word from the insurance company.

My new pinking shears arrived yesterday and I like them a lot. Got to work on Ron’s robe; we’ll see what he thinks when he puts it on this morning.

The True Value in town is going out of business and liquidating their inventory at 50% off. I bought a 6 foot level for Ron and some staples: OxyClean, Krud Kutter, Lysol. Ron poked around, found some little things.

Nice email from Christine. Checks may be arriving soon. Nicole found another bug due to removing gift certificates from the app.

Magnificent sunrise yesterday.

We applied for and received a loan from First Citizens to pay John while we wait for the insurance company to come through with a settlement.

I’m getting pushback all around, from Peter, John and Ron. I don’t blame Peter, he and Bonnie have been enduring the fans for days now, and it’s going to continue until tomorrow.

Ron pushes to make himself feel better. I’m his biggest problem: large-boned, blond, coarse-featured. He feels competitive with me, not nurturing. Is that typical of husbands of homely women?

John is another matter. I think he sees this project as the gravy train.

I need to push back myself.

I made two quiches and cooked chocolate pudding today. Trying to get in the mood and failing.

We had pizza and prosecco last night. I overate, 3 pieces, after a late afternoon gorge on leftovers and a peanut butter sandwich.

Oatmeal for breakfast this morning.

Yesterday, we dropped off the lads’ Christmas gift cards and cleaned the front and back yards at Edgewater. We piled and raked all the leaves next to the shed. It was a heck of a lot of work, much more than I’d anticipated.

I’m going back and forth on the chimney. Have it repaired: it’s an asset but it could still be a liability. Take it down: lose a potential selling feature but be done with it.

Heard from Gail, Elaine and missed a couple of calls from Sandy G. in Australia.

The moral relativism displayed on the Mashpee Message is disturbing and enlightening.

The insularity in this area seems – seems – to lead people, especially those who grew up here, to define right and wrong in their own way.

Someone isn’t guilty of a crime if he’s likable. Maybe as in Trump. Certainly as in a bad cop who’s just left the Mashpee PD.

I dropped off a basket of fruit to the police station today, with thanks for getting rid of a bad apple.

How can you have a civilization if a small group of people don’t respect social norms, as defined by our systems of laws?

Darned if I know.

Em pointed me to a fine recipe for tofu “crumbles”, and I used them in a casserole with mushroom soup, rice, carrots and red pepper.

I baked the Christmas tree cookies, too.

We figured it would be better to do the transfer station run on Sunday since workers were expected at Edgewater on Monday. Gave Russ, who’d been on vacation, his tip; Ryan gave us a scratch ticket!

Ron drove us to Walmart in the early evening for water filters and OxyClean.

I figured out the issue with the MRS mobile-friendly calendar and uploaded a test page for the brain trust to review.

Couldn’t be more delighted to read in this morning’s Cape Cod Times that the self-important cop who showed up at our door on August 19, 2017, is no longer with the Mashpee police.