Another Slightly Frustrating Day...

This Sunday morning I woke up at 7:30 AM. I posted the Blog after turning on the sprinkler out back. I was in my robe, so it was cool out there (53 degrees F. according to my thermometers) and the coffee I'd warmed up tasted good when I came back in.

So, we are definitely on the slippery slope to fall around here. Which is a shame, really, as we haven't had much of a summer yet. There was no bumper crop from the raised bed garden (although the cabbage is looking good). And the people I know with unheated pools (Amy, Jake and Carla and my next door neighbor, for example) have only been able to use them two or three times this year. You divide that into the cost of pool maintenance and that's a pretty damn expensive swim!

And then there are the trees. My black walnut (which is always the first) has been shedding leaves for the past three or four weeks. I see the occasional red leaves in the maples out back, and there's a maple tree across the street that really starting to turn (I'll take a picture when the sun isn't directly into the camera).

After I shut off the sprinkler, I realized I'd completely forgotten about the load of clothes in the washer yesterday. So I ran them through the final rinse again to wake them up. Then I put them in the drier and set the timer.

I did a little of this and that but wasn't really inspired to do much of anything today. I noticed that the date on the last posted (on the fridge, that is) ToDo list was 8/29/09! So, it is as I feared. Staying at home for long periods of time without the normal structure of weekdays and weekends, times at work and times off work is playing havoc with my regular routines.

I ate some warmed up Spam for brunch and went in to watch the Sunday cooking shows. My friend B___ called to see how I was doing and, a little while later, so did my brother Carl. Carl's doing better (he kicked out his houseguests) except for a deep ache in his knee. I told him the truth that, with me, it did lessen but never really went away. Whenever I'm very tired, it's humid or raining, it comes back.

I went out to make my planned Sunday dinner (chicken pot pies) but found the zucchini I'd bought for it had spoiled. Why didn't I take it out of that stupid plastic-wrapped tray? Well, I sure don't feel like running to the store at this time on a Sunday!

So, I warmed up a can of chili. Since this is my Sunday dinner, I topped it off with some sliced scallions (green and white parts) and a topping of finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese. I grabbed a beer from the fridge (oh, the cats will be hating on me later tonight) and went in to watch my Sunday night shows.

My cousin Diane called about 8:30 PM. They had been at yet another art fair and she just got my voicemail. I explained Mom had entrusted me with her father's canoe about 20 years ago. Mom asked me to replace the whole canvas and repaint it, but I was daunted when I discovered just how much you had to take apart to replace it. I didn't want to be the one to destroy a 100 year old antique canoe!

She said they'd recently bought a cottage on a nearby lake and a canoe. She said at first glance, she thought I should just keep it. But she would talk to her husband (and hopefully her sister) and get back to me.

I went to bed, burping occasionally, at 11:00 PM.