Month: September 2023

Didn’t win any raffles but enjoyed cookies, a donut, herbal tea and coffee while perusing.

Made fried “pancakes” from cabbage, onions, eggs and bread crumbs for lunch.

Watched “Banshees of Inisherin”. When Jenny the miniature donkey choked to death on Colm’s severed finger, it upset Ron so much he switched to a “normal” murder and mayhem TV series where only human beings are killed. Fortunately, the real Jenny not only survived but retired after filming.

New “try before you buy” slippers arrived yesterday; I’m keeping them, paid for them this morning.

Painted another coat on the upstairs hall trim and the wall with the little shelves in the kitchen. Put some pretty things on them and now that corner looks very cheerful.

Attended a very good presentation/Q&A at the Senior Center this afternoon on the Charter commission progress to date. Lots of good questions, engaged crowd.

Picked up some good deals at Dollar General and Wild Oats. Saw Butch and the boys.

Peeled and sliced apples for a dessert, maybe will make tomorrow.

Leg is not yet 100% but much improved.

Day six and my left leg feels a bit better. Talk about a long recupe.

Ron started sanding the long baseboard in the third bedroom.

I finally ordered bedroom slippers, looking forward to tossing the “Friends” scuffs.

Also ordered blinds for the kitchen and living room windows, three in all.

Taped and primed the unfinished trim in the hallway.

Grateful that the furnace has been running. Should be able to get the new tank installed soon.

Brought back some of yesterday’s produce after Ron refused to help prepare it. Tired of trying to cook with a bad leg. Kept the stuff that I like, including some adorable mini cauliflowers and shallots.

Picked up a case of Narragansett in Pownal. After he dry mopped the floor, the store owner carried it to the car for me!

Attended a fine presentation by a Williams College Stats major on “A New Linear Rank-Type Test for Interval-Censored Survival Data Based on A Proportional Odds Model”.

I bought myself a smoothie and an apple cider donut for Ron at Lickety Split, then a half dozen ears of corn at Chenail’s. Very Williamstown.

We brought three containers of shredding for a small contribution to North Adams on Saturday. Followed with a stroll around the farmers market, featuring real farmers and lots of beautiful produce and a shop at Big Y.

We chilled on Sunday, changed sheets and watched an afternoon Patriots game. They won but it was by a hair – the Jets receiver dropped the ball in the end zone seconds before the end.

A “friend” of 22 years is mad at me for writing the obvious about the game, and claims we put her in financial peril – nine months ago.

I guess it takes time to gestate a grudge.

Meanwhile, I was scammed $30 by someone claiming to have concert tickets. Oldest trick, I fell for it.

They say never discuss politics or religion, but it seems sports is also a prohibited topic of conversation.

I’ve celebrated birthdays and Christmases, experienced ups and downs, for 22 years with a person who is angry with me over my opinion of a Patriots football game (great Defense, too many costly penalties, lucky break in last seconds of the game, lackluster second quarter Offense: pretty similar to what others think).

She also texted that I “put (her) in a terrible position” 10 months ago over (I guess) a misunderstanding about money. This was the first I’ve heard of it.

I’d be happy to send her whatever she thinks I/we owe her, but how to do that now that she’s written “LEAVE ME ALONE”?

Looking for suggestions….

My left leg hurt all day and a reaction to the inoculations caught up with me, so I did very little. I ate poorly and the result was not good.

Ron on the other hand drove to Walmart for our meds and met with a Williams student to solve his email problems.

We attended a horrible lecture that should have been excellent. The speaker developed a GIS application to track the migration of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohawk community.

Unfortunately, she didn’t use the mic, in spite of being asked to do so (“I’m short”) and spent half of her time talking about her family rather than the tribe. We left at the beginning of the Q&A.

On the plus side, the people who organized the talk put out a nice vegetarian spread which Ron who had not eaten lunch enjoyed. Also, this was a new venue for us, Griffin Hall, and we now have its coordinates for the future.

In the evening, we watched a documentary about a British Everest expedition in the ’70’s. It occurred to us that this particular journey would be difficult if not impossible nowadays because of climate change – this year’s floods in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal – and geopolitical hostilities in Iran and Afghanistan.

I finished painting kitchen walls, the inner side of doors and the stairway yesterday.

We attended a Chamber of Commerce event last evening at Williamstown Plaza. Ron bought a Bordeaux and the pharmacists at Walgreens administered flu and COVID shots to both of us. They are skilled, we are feeling fine today.

Ron is on his way to Walmart to pick up meds.

The designer never showed.

Leaves are starting to turn in the back yard. Waiting for the asters to pop.

Almost forgot to pick up the produce, again. Got bagels but not to my liking.

Got the first coat on the second sides of three doors and both sides of the stairs. Tired afterwards but went quicker than I’d thought.

If I’m up to it, will try to second coat the stairs and the doors tomorrow. Then second coat in the kitchen. Then third bedroom and hall baseboards. Then first coat the south wall in the living room. Figure to do the living room trim and the big wall in the kitchen a little later. Maybe much later. We’ll see.

It’s pouring rain right now and Ron is headed to a guitar repair shop in North Adams to buy pegs. Guess I won’t need to water today.

I ordered meds for myself. Incomprehensibly, Walmart thought my doc had cancelled one of my scripts. Never happened, so they had to call it in – again.

Made a summer appointment, the earliest I could get, with a new dentist. We are due for cleanings now. Oh well.

We hung the big painting on the new living room wall yesterday. Attached a new filter to the furnace; I hope it stays put. Got tiny screws for the outlet covers.

Picked up a few things at Stop & Shop, including Peet’s. There were two or three bags jammed into the back of the bottom shelf. I couldn’t kneel to retrieve them so borrowed a mop from the cleaning aisle and pulled them out.

I’d been back and forth to hardware and grocery stores all week. Thinking about the pioneers who maybe made trips for hard goods only once every 3 or 4 months. They must have been extremely well organized.

Made a nice supper last night with cabbage, a green pepper and tempeh.

James is here to install the third bedroom door, trim and baseboard. Jake is hunting.

I realized yesterday that the furnace wouldn’t turn on. Got in touch with electricians about checking things out some time this coming week, but in the meantime, found the Mirabito service agreement paperwork.

The tech arrived around 11:30 this morning, discovered that I’d turned the thermostat to “off”. The stupid control is on the bottom of the thermostat; who knew?

Had a rough day with Ron on Thursday, but it may have been because he hadn’t taken his meds. Found them this morning in the glove box of the Corolla.

I’ve been painting walls and doors. Hate it.

We did a substantial food shop yesterday. I was able to transfer my share of the bill to Ron on the phone with Greylock this morning. We did a compost run to the transfer station.

Wanted to go to the Jazz Stroll in Lenox, but it’s late in the day and it would mean a schlep through Pittsfield. Was more important to stay here and talk with James about the house.

James got a lot of work done, including the door framing, the big baseboard and most of the hallway. He also figured out a spot for the big painting in the living room. He’ll come back to shave some of the door before hanging it.

It feels that way when you recover from feeling punk and a bonus to have the house to myself this morning.

Kept the a/c on all night and only got up once.

I didn’t have to schlep my computer downstairs and I don’t have to make nutritious meals that no one but me will eat.

By end of day, I’d started painting the kitchen and primed the rest of the staircase.