random thoughts – Day 2,264 (Friday) – progress and rewards

Progress continued. This morning the five Lowell-themed photos with new mats were set into frames and all six are now ready for delivery to the gallery on Monday. One by one, the current residents of the frames were evicted, set into clear sleeves, and stored on a shelf with dozens of others (I’m afraid to count them). The framing glass was cleaned and not a drop of blood was shed. The new artwork was set into the frames. A few small photos were set into mats and await labeling for sale in the gallery. Victory was declared.

The framing process miraculously led to a small organizational effort in the art/sewing room. A couple boxes containing random items were pawed through and the contents were redistributed and consolidated. Future efforts may involve the destruction of a slew of the old photos. That was today’s thought anyway.

New favorite ice cream.

Momentum carried to the kitchen. Three photos of recipe cards from Mummu that hung in the Lowell kitchen were hung. A pound of brussels sprouts and the rest of the broccoli was tossed in olive oil and roasted and made a delicious supper with a cheeseburger. 

It may be because I rarely eat red meat, but right after supper, I felt like I needed a nap. Instead, I went to out to buy some ice cream for a reward for the day's successes, and later crowned my new favorite Ben and Jerry’s flavor. Karamel Sutra has officially bumped Cherry Garcia out of the #1 spot on my B&J ice cream hit parade.

random thoughts – Day 2,263 (Thursday) – stress relief

With three dance performances on the calendar (May 31, June 13, June 16) and all the preparation work involved with practice, gathering costumes, planning hair and makeup, etc., I really had to question my sanity after accepting an invitation to be part of a photography exhibit with work due June 1. It added an extra level of planning and activity to what felt like an already full schedule, but the busier I am, the more I get done. Generally, anyway.

There was the review of photos, which began with 100 images on the theme of the show. These were reduced to 25 and test prints were done and used to reduce the count to six.  Full-size prints were made of these.

In the frame shop.

Back in the days when I exhibited frequently (a lifetime ago), I had a reserve of pre-cut window mats, backboards, and frames always at the ready. It turns out that inventory of window mats either no longer exists or is tucked away in some unexplored corner since moving. This was confirmed on Monday, after going through boxes and shelves of photos and already having been to the framing shop the previous Friday for mats for one odd sized photo. A message was sent to the frame shop on Tuesday to see if they could help with the additional need.

Today, my new friends at the frame shop hooked me up with five crisp white window mats and back boards. The relief I felt walking out of the shop this afternoon was immediate and it was a surprise to realize just how wound up I had been about it. Most people find relief at massage therapy or in a hot tub. For me, today anyway, relief happened in the frame shop.

I will get everything into the frames Friday and packed and ready to deliver on Monday as planned. It feels good.

random thoughts – Day 2,262 (Wednesday) – asphalt and costumes

The morning's view.

The morning's view from the couch included equipment for the final step of the neighbor’s driveway. Beyond the rhododendron that is now blooming, the business end of a dump truck rose from behind the red dumpster that has been in my own yard for the past month. The final operation of the driveway paving was relatively quiet and suddenly the crew was gone.

The new driveway looks great – like a swath of rich, black velvet. The only thing protecting its pristineness from potential damage is a thin strip of yellow plastic caution tape stretched across the edge adjoining the street. Meanwhile, my driveway looks like a faded, grayish, lumpy scrap quilt with long lines of patching. Driveway envy has definitely set in, but one thing at a time, please.

It was a mostly quiet day, meaning I cannot account for how I spent most of my time. Later, my dance partner and I practiced our duet choreography for Sunday’s show and two of the four group dances we are in for the June show a few weeks later.

Costumes in a row.

It’s hard to believe the shows are now so close. The costumes have been collected (mostly) and are hung on a rack in the spare room (jewelry and accessories still need to be gathered). There are a few costume pieces needing minor adjustments for the June dance show, and those items are over by the sewing machine. 

The costumes for the June show weigh a ton and will be a challenge (potential nightmare!) to stuff into a bag for transport. I can focus on all those moving parts next week. I just need to get through this weekend first.

random thoughts – Day 2,261 (Tuesday) – cemetery and clouds

Memorial Day may have been yesterday, but today was the day Mom, my sister and I went to the cemetery and did the family grave decorating. I grabbed my gloves and flimsy gardening tools and Mom and had hers, and we stopped to get flowers at a small greenhouse she likes. The selection was still good, even the day after Memorial Day. My sister met us at the cemetery in Fitchburg.

Bleeding heart.

We thinned the bleeding heart at Mummu’s stone and added yellow snapdragons because Mummu’s favorite color was yellow. At great-aunt Julia’s stone, we planted pink petunias and red snapdragons. Mom’s grandparents (John J and Wilhelmina) got white petunias and marigolds.

We checked on the graves of Mummu’s three siblings who had died in childhood – John W – aged 7 months, Lilja – aged 10, and John E – aged 16. John E’s grave is thickly overgrown with day lilies but we didn’t have the proper tools to thin them because the original agenda was planting, not thinning. We plan to return with the proper tools for the task.

The dug out bleeding heart came home with me and was promptly planted in the back yard. It originally came from either my sister’s yard or my yard in Lowell (which had come from my sister’s yard). It’s one of several plants I regret not having thinned from Lowell before I moved, but once the house sold, I ran out of time for things like gardening.

Evening sky from the passenger side.

Tuesday means dance night, for another couple weeks anyway. On the ride home, for which I was the passenger (my favorite automotive role), I took lots of photos of the clouds with the setting sun while chatting with my friend who was driving. I haven’t seen many sunsets lately. The trees at home usually block the view, and I’m not usually out anywhere else at the appropriate hour so I was glad to see it tonight.  

random thoughts – Day 2,260 (Monday) – books and such

The day, which began with rain, redeemed itself later with sunshine and humidity. This did not stop me from wearing a sweatshirt while taking a walk or pruning the azalea in front the house. It was on brand. I am also the person who once sat poolside in Florida summer heat and humidity wearing long jeans and a hoodie, while my family enjoyed swimming.

Neighborhood library box.

The walk was to return a book to the Little Library box near the mailboxes at the end of the street. So far this year, I have read 14 books, and 10 of them have come from the Little Library box. My neighbors have been putting in some great books that I likely never would have known of. There was no intention of getting another book until I finish the one I'm reading, but one caught my eye and is now on my kitchen counter awaiting its turn.

The book currently underway is a collection of short stories in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Technically, I guess it’s fan fiction by modern writers and the stories are really good. The morning rain left me unbothered as I went on some reading adventures with Holmes and Watson. Worked for me.

Later, I got busy and made fruit salad with cantaloupe, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and grapes, then later still, brought some over to Mom’s house, along with about a third of the bag of mandarins. A three-pound bag of tiny orange treats is a lot of tiny oranges, and the last bag I bought saw about six of them end up in the trash after getting gross and mushy. This time I brough Mom some before the same thing had a chance to happen again. I like mandarins, but I can’t eat that many of them.

Tiny toad hedge tenant.

The improved weather got me outside to trim the recently flowered and now sad looking azalea. I consulted some sources before beginning to cut, and took out the obviously dead branches, and cut back some wildly gangly ones. 

While working on the azalea, I spotted a cute, tiny, grayish-brown toad on top of the neighboring hedge. It was calmly sitting there while I carefully cut from the neighboring plant and made every effort to not disturb it. I guess now I know the source of the recent evening serenades that sounded like they were right outside the bedroom window.

random thoughts – Day 2,259 (Sunday) – wet one

A little steady rain and chilly temperatures didn’t spoil the Memorial Day weekend gathering and we still gathered a family member’s home. Despite all the rain this month, and what felt like a lot of snow this winter, I was told the water level is still six inches low and "we need the rain." Ok, cool. But could it maybe just rain overnight when people are sleeping? Please and thank you.

Instead of sitting on the deck, we sat in the living room/dining room area.  There were still burgers and hot dogs, just cooked inside. There was toss salad, potato salad, pasta salad, fruit salad, bean and veggie salad, chips and salsa. Then there were brownies, and after eating a huge one, I learned there was cake. Oy.

Final score - Twins 5, Sox 5.

The Red Sox played (after a delay) and we watched the game They lost to Minnesota again, for a three game sweep. I did not envy the die-hard fans sitting under plastic ponchos in Fenway Park in the rain, but I do admire their fortitude and willingness to do so.

My guess of the black blob in the yard being bear poop was confirmed by the relaying of a tale about a neighbor who lives one street over from me recently seeing a bear in their backyard at 5 a.m. Now I will be tempted to get up and look out the windows when I first wake up instead of rolling over and going back to sleep. I kind of would like to see a bear (from a safe and protected distance).

The overeating made me very tired. When I got home, I sat on the couch like a zoned-out blob scrolling through social media and playing Words with Friends and Duolingo Chess for a couple hours. Now, it’s time to go read some Sherlock Holmes stories written by modern crime writers (Murder in Baker Street – New Tales of Sherlock Holmes).

random thoughts – Day 2,258 (Saturday) – prepping

Cowboy caviar. Or Texas salsa.

It was a domestic day at home. After much deliberation and reviewing of recipes and the contents of the pantry, a big bowl of bean and veggie “Cowboy Caviar” (aka “Texas Salsa”) was made for a cookout on Sunday. The other main contender was a fruit salad, but the pantry contained nearly everything needed for the bean and veggie mixture – pinto beans, black beans, canned corn, diced tomatoes, plus chopped grape tomatoes, onion, and vinaigrette dressing. The only missing item was green pepper, so I mixed everything and added the green pepper later. The taste test was a success. I forgot how much I like that salad/salsa/stuff.

There was nothing on hand to make the fruit salad and it might have taken multiple stores to gather the items, depending upon what Aldi had in stock for produce. The Cowboy Caviar  felt like a good decision when I arrived at Aldi to get the green peppers. They had some of the fruit I like, but not enough variety for a decent fruit salad for a party.

In the effort to consume more calcium from food sources, I spent a disappointing amount of time at the dairy case reading labels because online articles about the type of yogurt with the most calcium are very contradictory. One claimed that Greek yogurt (my favorite) has more calcium, another said low-fat regular yogurt had the most. My label reading at Aldi revealed that of the yogurt they carry, the regular yogurt has more calcium per serving than their Greek yogurt so I bought the regular stuff. And also, some cottage cheese which I will try my best to consume, although my track record with it isn’t good. There are some recipes involving eggs and cottage cheese baked with some stuff that sound promising.