Month: August 2017

We got to share pizza and ice cream with our niece Jen, her kids and her charming friends this past Tuesday.  It’s been three years since we last saw them.

Met them at Zia’s.  Alpha came with us, and Peter joined us later.

Topped the evening with a visit to Sundae School.

It started to rain on the way back, and we got more rain Tuesday night.  Yesterday (Wednesday) was cool and sunny in the afternoon.

I harvested corn this morning.  The tops were rotted off and had earwigs.  What a disappointment!

Lots of beans, though, and I picked a couple of zukes and tomatoes as well.  I think we are past peak for tomatoes, and if the weather stays this cool, we are probably close to done for the season.

 

The Bakers had an open house yesterday, and we got to have a long conversation with our Selectman John Cotton.  Great spread and lots of cheer.

We were on the road Saturday and ran into traffic around notorious NYC.

Before leaving Maryland, we stopped at a local farmstand/gourmet food store for corn, peaches, cantaloupe, honey, pickled watermelon rind and blueberry jam.

Laura came over to deliver our mail.

Sunday, after breakfast and the papers, Ron did laundry and we did the transfer station run.

August 30 is the Feast of St. Fiacre, an Irish monk who established a shrine and garden in the French province of Brie.

Residents of the village that developed from his land, Saint-Fiacre in Seine-et-Marne, celebrate by parading and decorating his statue with flowers and herbs.

It’s advised to keep the stems of flowers and herbs intact to retain fragrance and flavor.

 

Yesterday morning, I met with the records manager and a Sergeant at the Mashpee Police Station and with executives from the County about the Saturday altercation at the High School.

Ron drove us to the County to support me and to babble about his life as a lab tech.

Actually, the meeting was quite interesting. The County Administrator, former Mayor of Brockton, is knowledgeable about water treatment, reverse osmosis in particular.

Ron drove to South Dennis to pick up an EZ-Pass transponder at AAA. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of walking into Edgewater on the way back to tell Peter he was there to do the lawn. Peter was understandably upset, and Ron was well-intentioned but should have known better. Peter’s been feeling punk, not sleeping well, and was up early to bring Robert to the airport. Lousy timing all the way around.

Email was out for a while at LaMotte. Didn’t seem to matter, everyone was either traveling or watching the eclipse. I didn’t bother to look, except to notice that the light was similar to a monitor backlit on low power mode, but did find it interesting to track what the eclipse did to the solar output for about an hour and half starting around 2:15.

I was able to set up the Spin Touch over the weekend. Yesterday, the android phone arrived, along with Alpha’s rainbow bracelet and flag. Fortunately, a good soul had posted instructions on getting around Verizon activation, so I have a working device that doesn’t need a calling plan.

Made a heavy vegetable stew for supper; it was good! Corn, tomatoes, basil, garlic, two kinds of squash, green pepper, kale.

Smokey was waiting on the deck at 7:30; he greeted Ron nicely and loudly!

Disorderly Conduct? Disturbing the Peace? I’m facing charges via a couple of Barnstable County employees.

Thinking about counter-suing for harassment.

Been busy this week, both of us.

Today I fertilized the corn and the geraniums at the front door.

Ron has been doing a ton of watering. He’s also did food shopping yesterday and laundry today.

Harvested vegetables and made a good casserole with mushrooms, tomatoes, squash, soup and pesto. Steamed a pile of green beans from the garden. Lots of multi-tasking today.

Made arrangements for our trip to Chestertown. We are getting two distinguished escorts. Looking forward to seeing the company.

I ordered an Android phone today. About time.

Decided to do a balance transfer; had to be done by mail. Sent it today.

Got some reassurance from Lynn at Soares that the drooping hydrangeas are fine. We tied up the paniculatas so they look a little neater.

Have been watching the brilliant “Comrade Detective” this week. Hilarious.

This is the time of year when it’s tough to keep the gardens from looking like an unruly pile of gone-bys. I did some cleanup in the corner garden. I was feeling that I haven’t done the plants justice, but Ron thinks things are going well, especially with the vegetables. Picked some corn the other day; too early, but it was being attacked.

Smokey has been by, every day except one when it rained off and on most of the day.

We’d planned to go to the Braves/Brewster Cape League camp, but it was packed, so Ron suggested we take the scenic way home through Bourne.

There was a yard sale at 5 Corners, and I noticed a desk as we drove by. It’s an Ethan Allen and marked only $25, and it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for.

We took out the drawers and put them in the back of the van. The desk itself fit nicely into the back seat.

Talk about luck!

Laura finished sewing pleating tape on the drapes. I spent an hour inserting drapery hooks while we watched the last episode of “Crossing Jordan”.

Made a giant stuffed zuke and salad for supper. Zuke was from the corn garden, salad makings were mostly from Pariah Dog.

Rain this morning.

The MPIA inspection happened as planned yesterday at Edgewater.

We brought the last truckload to the transfer station, but not before retrieving, from an open box of books, a first edition that’s selling for over $100 on Amazon.

All in all, we saved about $200 worth of collectible books which Ron had given the kids. Needless to say, he was quite downhearted that they valued them so little. It made me wonder how many other usable things were discarded earlier this week.

Before making the trip, we called around to see if Bourne is sending trash to be converted to energy, but they aren’t. Ron vowed to approach this at the next Selectmen’s meeting. It disgusts us to see trash “disposed” of in landfills.

I had a good workday yesterday and some positive and helpful feedback from Jon and Mark this week.

Pasta and pesto for dinner last night.

Ron put together a nice spread for us last evening: olives, cheese, hummus, crackers, strawberries. We set up a table and chairs and listened for two hours to the Wicked Trio at the new amphitheater in Mashpee Commons.

My friend Burt, who is the lead guitarist and vocalist, likes the venue because they provide a sound guy. Makes life a lot easier for the musicians.