random thoughts – Day 2,289 (Sunday) – a day in the life

It was a quiet day at the house. Kiki did her thing, I did mine. There was food. There was reading (another book finished!). I went to a store and endured yet another too-common retail interaction. 

This time, instead of non-helpful attempts at help, the issue was over an item on sale that didn’t ring up at the sale price. When I pointed it out, the cashier made some lame claim that the sale price would show up when he hit “total.” It did not. I noted the continued error, he repeated the incorrect total, and for a long moment he seemed to expect me to just pay the non-sale price. Finally, he fixed the error. I hate that customers have to watch every price ring up at every store to avoid being overcharged, but that seems to be the situation.

Too close to the house.

In the evening, I walked around the house to check the plants. There is a remaining need for hedge trimming out front. In addition to general shaping and pruning, there is a need to cut the backsides of everything because it’s all grown too close to the house and the siding crew needs to be able to access the house. Maybe tomorrow (procrastination rules!). 

There is no set date for the new siding project to begin, or even when the correct color will deliver, so there is no time pressure there. I'll need to set an arbitrary date to get myself to finish because I do love a deadline. 

Basically, it was mostly just another day in the life.

random thoughts – Day 2,288 (Saturday) – art and solstice

It was a lovely day for a drive, and the drive was already planned, which means it happened. I’m much better at executing firm plans than with a spontaneous seat-of-the-pants approach (shocker!).

Today’s plan was to attend the reception for the Lowellscapes exhibit at The Brush Art Gallery and Studios. The invitational show features photography of scenes in Lowell by nine artists (including me). It was the perfect kick in the butt to get me off the couch and engaged in something I love.

One photographer talking,
another one filming.

The show looks great and the reception was well attended. It was fun being back in the art world and seeing a former colleague, former fellow board members, and patrons in the arts community again after a strange and busy year away from it. There were refreshments and beverages, and three of the photographers took turns talking about their process and photos.

After the reception, I headed back home to change from indoor art reception clothes (black ankle pants, white tee shirt, pink floral patterned bomber jacket with black trim) to outside solstice fire ensemble (camo patterned pants, black shirt, white and black hoodie) and drove to my friends house in the woods of a nearby town.

Fire for the solstice.

We spent the night before the longest day of the year with a fire in their big yard. We roasted marshmallows and ate s’mores, told stories and laughed. I burned my mouth removing a toasted marshmallow from the metal skewer which is a very different experience from when the marshmallow is toasted on a stick. Trust me when I say it hurts (in four places!). Zero stars, I do not recommend.

A few fireflies twinkled in the woods. The neighbor’s cats passed through the yard a few times, and once, one of them had a chipmunk in its mouth. After dark, the clear sky shone full of stars. We wrote wishes for the coming season and tossed them into the fire. It was a perfect night after a great day.

random thoughts – Day 2,287 (Friday) – restless

Some days (like today), I wander around the house like a ghost. No real intent, just vaguely moving about. There was a feeling of restlessness, like maybe I wanted to be doing something, but I didn’t know what. Early in the day I considered hopping on the commuter train at Wachusett Station and riding it all the way to North Station. Or maybe jumping off one stop earlier at Porter Square in Cambridge. Anything was possible. The schedule was consulted and I learned the train runs about every two hours, providing me with several opportunities to launch the idea.

I did not do this.

Needs paint.

I read. I moved a painting from one living room wall to another and hung a photo in the newly vacant spot. I made a grocery list and went to Aldi. I went to Aubuchon Hardware for a few things, most importantly, paint for the housing for the oil tank because I want to paint it before the new siding goes on so that I don't need to worry about getting paint on the new siding. The trip was not as straightforward as I thought it would be.

Upon entering the store, a clerk near the door asked if they could help. I responded in the affirmative, explained my paint mission, and showed a photo of the item in need of paint. The clerk began to rattle off every type of paint available. I did not want a full menu of options from which I had to choose. I wanted to know, from someone who ideally knows more than I do, the single best option for the project at hand. It turned into a fresh new level of hell.

After some discussion (too much), it was decided spray paint was probably best. They then showed me four or five versions of silver spray paint in stock in the store (all by the same company), but couldn’t really tell me anything about what made any can  different from the others beyond the price. What in the actual hell. I could have gone through the exercise alone and not had to politely deal with nonsensical interaction. 

I ended up buying two cans with a metal mailbox depicted on the label, which I interpreted as meaning it was good on metal. By then I couldn’t wait to get out of the place. There was no way I was going to endure going through the rest of my list (new house numbers, potting soil, sanding block, privacy film for windows, ceiling fans).

Maybe the next time I’ll say I’m just looking. I bet there are dozens of cool things I would buy if I knew they existed, but as part of the Ace network, the sales people pounce to offer service and get you back out the door. I get the impression that browsing is frowned upon. Maybe I’ll go to Lowe’s where you can browse in peace and good luck to you if need help.

Kiki watching the birds.

Back at home, I settled in to watch World Cup matches. For this, I blame Tartan Army and the Boston fan hijinks that led to them dominating my Facebook feed for the past week. First, USA played Australia (we won), then Scotland was beaten by Morocco (and I felt badly for Scotland). Games after that were on for background noise while I drained the battery in my cell (twice) playing a dumb arrow game. 

When it was still light out, Kiki sat on the window sill making funny little noises. The subject of her attention was two crows (or maybe they are ravens) that were walking on the lawn and driveway. 

Kiki was fixated on them. I was fixated on her and wondered if she was offended by the yard intruders, was taunting them, or maybe is hoping for friends. I wish she could tell me.

random thoughts – Day 2,286 (Thursday) – house guest

Credit to the Frigidaire folks for jumping on my refrigeration issue. This morning at 8:20, a call came in from the service department of the appliance store in town to set an appointment for 11:00 to 12:00 for the technician to be here to check out the freezer issue. They are the local service partner to the store in Worcester where I bought my refrigerator. The instructions were to leave everything in the fridge and freezer and keep it running so the tech could check it all out in use. The ice cubes had all melted so I took the trays of water out and I ate a big bowl of semi-frozen blueberries with Greek yogurt, but that was it.

Dining room overlord.

A delivery crew with a loaner fridge was scheduled to arrive between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. today (arranged yesterday). At 10:10, two guys arrived and by 10:25 they were gone and I was completing an online survey about their delivery. Meanwhile, Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of Frigid Air was lodged in the dining room. For the arrival I had rolled the rug back, moved the buffet down the wall a couple feet, moved Kiki’s personal cabinet a foot or so in the other direction, packed up the sewing machine and moved the dining table closer to the windows, and the couch was moved a few feet for clearance at the entry way. Basically, the dining room is now unusable, but I got a nice workout.

At 11:00, the tech arrived. Pleasantries were exchanged. I learned that the ice cubes, ice cream, and bread are the first casualties in a freezer failure. Once the freezer has lost all coldness, the contents of the refrigerator below are then affected. My collection of Nordic packs from my Misfit Market days (permanent residents of the freezer) likely helped maintain the temperature.

He looked in the fridge and freezer and then we emptied the freezer for further inspection. Almost everything was still in a state of frozenness and I set it into the now quite chilled Darth Vader. The tech checked all the components of my refrigerator, made a phone call, and then told me all the major stuff was fine, using lots of technical terminology from which I heard “compressor blah blah,” “heater blah blah,” and “fan blah blah”. The issue was determined to be the timer gadget thingy (not his words) for the defroster, which had recently become an issue systemwide. The units were getting stuck and not cycling properly. He told me it began about six months ago, and they were replacing as many as 20 of them a week (or day, I was spacing out, whichever, it was a lot of them). He had one of the replacement units in his van and took care of it on the spot. Now, everything is running normally again in my freezer.

As for Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Frigid Air – well, it is my house guest and dining room overlord for the weekend. The service rep from the appliance store checked to see if the truck could come back today to collect it, but they had “a long route” and there wouldn’t be time. Friday is the Juneteenth holiday and the service rep couldn’t promise Saturday morning for pickup and I have an event in the afternoon, so Monday morning it is. I can live with that. Having two functional refrigerators in the house is definitely better than none. Maybe I’ll plug Darth Vader back in and have a massive ice cream feast for the next three days.

If the delivery guys hadn’t been so efficient, or if I had been a later stop than number four for the day, they probably could have been intercepted and wouldn’t have had to unpack and set up the thing at all. If I had called on Monday or Tuesday instead of first not wanting to be an alarmist, and then waiting to get through the stress of prepping for the show Tuesday night, this might have been resolved days ago. 

But, like X2’s dad (Ducky) used to love to say, “If ‘if’ was an ass, we could all go for a ride.” (Stay tuned for more Ducky-isms.) Anyway, everything worked out. Even when my life goes sideways there is often a soft landing, and I'm glad for that.

random thoughts – Day 2,285 (Wednesday) – flowers and stuff

It was the day after the show the night before. The show was great, I got home late, and I was tired. The morning air was cool and perfect for sleeping, but the morning light and the cat conspired to prevent me from doing so. The light was pricking my eyes open and the cat was licking my forehead. It was time to flee the bed.

Two tote bags crammed with costumes from the show occupied the kitchen counter. They greeted me in the kitchen as I headed to the coffee maker. After setting up the machine, I headed to the couch to start the morning email and games. After the usual amount of time, I realized it was just hot water because I had forgotten to add the coffee. Clearly I was still tired and definitely in need of the coffee. The situation was fixed.

Once awake, it was time to get things done. The freezer was checked. No miracles had occurred overnight and it wasn’t fixed. Things were cold, but not solidly frozen. I contacted the store in Worcester  I bought it from last August via online chat. The rep opened a service ticket and suggested turning the fridge off for 30 minutes to recycle some thing or other. That was easier said than done because the plug is low on the wall behind the fridge which is crammed between a counter and a wall. I figured I would try the electrical panel and turn off whichever lever controlled the fridge. The switches are labeled, but the handwriting is so terrible that I can’t make out most of them. I popped next door and StepDad came over to help me figure it out. He flipped switches, I watched the light in the refrigerator and when it went out, we knew which was the magic switch and it was labeled accordingly and legibly. Thirty minutes later, I set the panel switch back to the “on” position.

The online chat was quickly followed up by a call from someone in the service department who arranged for a service call and a loaner refrigerator to be delivered Thursday between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Effective tomorrow, there will be a refrigerator crammed into the dining room for an as yet undefined length of time to be determined by the availability of any replacement parts needed. It would have been today if the local service partner in my town wasn’t closed on Wednesdays. 

Halloween flowers at Dollar Tree.

Costumes were unpacked, hung, and crammed into the already full costume closet. Hair flowers and makeup were returned to their homes in the bathroom closet. Later in the day, I went out to buy paper towels and toothpaste. This just in – Dollar Tree has Halloween flowers on display (some with plastic eyeballs!), so now is the time to get your black fabric roses edged with orange glitter before they sell out. 

Although Wednesday is often grocery shopping day, no perishables or frozen items were procured in light of the current freezer situation. I'm already a bit nervous about the viability of the current freezer contents. 

I bought a basil plant and a hanging flower plant (20% off) from Tractor Supply. The basil was immediately repotted into a purple pot and set on the front door landing. For now. The hanging plant was intended for one of the two empty chains hanging from the carport, but the hook on the pot is too big to fit in the links so it was hung on one of the bigger iron hangers on the shed. I very nearly also bought a two-foot white metal rooster painted with flowers for the yard (30% off!) but talked myself out of it. For now, anyway. I make no promises that it won't happen tomorrow or the next day. 

Flowers for the shed.

Around 5:00 I headed to the hedges with the big cutters and did some shaping and trimming. The second rhododendron was also trimmed. There is still a long way to go with both overgrown monstrosities. And the poor forsythia, which was basically flattened by the roof replacement, needs some love and protection, not that I know what to do. That can be a problem for another day.

random thoughts – Day 2,282 (Tuesday) – show time

The final performance day of the belly dance season blew in on a cool, gentle morning breeze. It was another comfortable morning for sleeping and I dismissed the alarm in favor of more rest. The house, with windows left open overnight, was the perfect spring comfort level that I wished would linger for more of the year.

Despite it being performance day, I was calm, except for growing angst about the freezer. This wasn't something I wanted to start calling about. I didn't need extra stress before the performance nerves, which usually kick in until closer to showtime. The ice cubes aren’t as solid as usual, and the bread is feeling less than frozen. On Wednesday the freezer can be dealt with.

Setting up for the show.

My dance sister and I (and her fiancé) arrived at the venue at 5:00 so we could help set up for the audience and our costume changes. There were costumes to be hung in order of need, floors to be swept, tables to be moved, chairs to be set out, oscillating fans to be placed. The activity was a good way to work off nerves.

The show went by in a blur. Everyone was in the opening number, which was followed by group dances, solos, and duets. Then we had two dances and a belly dance hand movement lesson for a complete costume change into our second costume. Then two dances for a complete costume change into our third costume. Then two dances for a complete costume change into the fourth costume. Then three dances and some chair relocations for the fifth and final costume. Suddenly, it was over. It went like clockwork. At the end of the night, I had a jumble of balled up costumes crammed into zipper bags. I hope there are videos of the show because I’d love to see all the dances that happened while I was changing.

And now, the belly dancing is officially done for the summer. I have several ideas for the new free time, and oddly, three of them involve dance, just a different flavor.

random thoughts – Day 2,281 (Monday) – peaceful, yet weird

It was a mostly calm and peaceful day with not a lot going on. The weather was a perfect sunny, dry, and breezy spring day and a welcome relief from all the heat. It rained overnight, which in my opinion (not that anyone asked), is the ideal time for rain. I made it to the credit union to deposit checks. Laundry was done. Vacuuming occurred. 

It wasn’t all sunshine and breezes, though. There were entries posted in the not so idyllic side of the life accounting books.

Waiting to file a complaint.

The evening walk to the mailbox was weird. The past few evenings of walking have been kind of eerie. I have been the only person out and about in the neighborhood at 7:00 p.m. No cars passing by. No people tending gardens or sitting under carports chatting. No dog walkers. Nothing. Just me. It’s unnerving. Spooky, like in a creepy movie.

Earlier in the day, I tried to put Kiki’s collar on her. Previous attempts were a disaster. Today, as soon as she realized I was attempting to violate the fragile peace agreement we have been working under, she bolted from the bed and disappeared under it for several hours. When she re-emerged, she was meowing up a storm at me in her “I’d like to speak to a manger” tone.

Also, there was an odd sound this morning. I couldn’t tell if it was coming from the water heater or the nearby refrigerator. It wasn’t especially loud, it just seemed different than the normal house sounds. 

Tonight, when it was too late to do anything about it, I realized the freezer may be malfunctioning. This is the refrigerator/freezer bought last September that is not even one year old. The ice cream, which is usually hard as a rock, was very soft. The ice cubes in the tray, which are usually hard and brittle and shatter upon removal, felt more wet than usual. The English muffins were not the usual level of frozenness. I moved the setting from “recommended” more towards “coldest” and crossed my fingers. I hope there are no morning surprises like a freezer full of thawed food because I will likely lose my sh*t in a very unpeaceful manner.

random thoughts – Day 2,280 (Sunday) – staycation day

The weather was much kinder today than it was yesterday or Friday, but that doesn’t mean it inspired me to do much. Earlier in the week and as recently as yesterday, I had thought I might go to Rietta Ranch, a big outdoor Sunday morning flea market near me. I haven’t been to this flea market in at least a decade.  

It opens early (6:00), and the advice is to “go early” because the good stuff goes fast. This morning, the bedroom window was open and the air was cool and perfect for sleeping, so instead of my usual 6:30 extraction from bed, it was a little past 8:00. By the time I fully woke up, it might be creeping way beyond “early” for Rietta. I decided to skip to the flea market for the same reason I skip most out-of-the-home activities – I hadn’t made a plan to go with anyone and doing stuff alone feels like too much work. Instead, I shopped online for yard decor and ceiling fans and read about plants.

Backyard view.

Around 11:00, I popped out the back door to put something into the big recycle bin. That’s when I noticed my car. Even living under the carport, it is currently crusted with gross greenish-yellow pollen that I’ve been aware of for several days and haven’t made getting to a car wash a priority. That isn’t the part I noticed. What I saw this morning was that the back cargo door was raised in the open position. This means that Saturday, at around 4:30, when I took the emptied yard waste barrels out of the back I didn’t close the door and it was open all night. Oops.

There was a flashback to my Honda CRV and the button on the remote that popped open the back window on the cargo door. Once, a friend hit the button while moving my car after I broke my leg. After a couple weeks of recuperating on the couch, I needed something from the car and learned the battery was dead, drained by the rear cargo light that turned on weeks earlier on when the window was popped. I don’t know if the Jeep cargo area has a battery-draining light because I rarely go back there, but I figured I was going to find out soon enough.

Later in the afternoon, after I had finished reading a book, I decided to try starting the car. It worked, so I took a ride to drop the just-finished book back at the little library at the end of the street and then onward to the local credit union that isn’t my credit union. The closest location for my credit union is a couple towns away, but with the magic of technology,  I can withdraw money from my credit union’s account at other institutions’ ATMs and  make deposits in person, but today I wanted to know if I could deposit checks into my account using the not-my-credit-union’s ATM. I now know that is not a transaction option available to me and I’ll have to go tomorrow and visit the humans.

The evening air and temperature (in the 70s!) were comfortable and I thought about continuing the trimming of the overgrown hedges and rhododendrons. Then I thought about driving down the street to dispose of the trimmings before the rain that is predicted for tonight turns the contents of the trimmings barrel into a wet mess. The refreshing breezes, the absolute quiet of the neighborhood, and the view of the lush woods of the backyard conspired to remind me of a long-ago vacation cabin as I sprawled on the couch, reading a book as if I were on a vacation. Instead of yardwork, I did the next most logical thing and stayed in vacation/staycation mode reading a book. It was perfect.

random thoughts – Day 2,279 (Saturday) – slow motion

The day’s performance was at a small-town festival under a sunny, cloudless sky. There was a light breeze and it was slightly drier and less oppressive than Friday. but overall the word of the day was still “HOT.” There were hiccups, which usually happens.

There was no amplification system set up for our music when we arrived. Luckily, we arrive at least an hour before our stage time, and there was time to sort out the situation with the event organizer. Speakers appeared and were set up on the church steps behind our designated performance area on the hot pavement.

Baby donkeys!

We had a couple minutes to ooh and aah over the baby donkeys, baby goats, and larger goats with an alpaca. There were also bunnies in the pens with the young goats. So cute! The smell of the animals hung in the air. 

We learned the band scheduled to play before us hadn’t arrived yet and we were asked to take the stage earlier (this happens). That worked for us, as we were eager to get out of the heat as soon as possible. As we checked our placement on the pavement, the band finally arrived and parked in front of where we were planning to dance. Maybe they missed the seven of us standing in a cluster with our costumes sparkling in the blazing sun.

The organizer got the band vehicle moved to another location to unload their gear. There were a couple tents at the edge of the common right in front of us for a built-in audience. One of those was staffed by people in colonial period clothing including a woman in a dress, apron and white cap and a guy in colonial dress with a tricorn hat.

For two of our four dances, I was in the front row and during one of those dances, the guy in the colonial ensemble had a mishap that unfolded behind the guy taking video for the event as we were dancing. Somehow, the guy and the lawn chair he was sitting in tipped over sideways in prolonged, comical, slow motion. I saw it happen and it seemed like forever before anyone in his group came to his aid as he lay on his side on the ground, still in the chair. While dancing, I wondered if I shouldn’t leap to action to help him up because nobody else seemed to be moving. His crew finally mobilized and came to his aid. 

Later, our music cut out during the last dance. We learned the tablet it was playing from overheated. Yikes. After the dancing, I dropped off some stuff at the car, took off the spangles and returned to civilian life to visit the vendor tents. 

Back at home, despite the curtains and shades blocking the sun, the house temperature had crept back up to 83 degrees, almost the same as outside. I sat on the couch under the ceiling fan set on high speed. As I thought about the poor guy falling over in freakishly slow motion, I started laughing and couldn’t stop.

Bunny and trimmed tree.

Several hours later, I ventured outside to explore trimming the rhododendron and the tree out front with long, dangling branches. It was cooler outside than inside so the windows were opened and then the trimming began in an unhurried manner. The cargo area of the car was loaded with a giant flowerpot and a cardboard box filled with new trimmings, plus a trash can with yard waste that had been collected weeks ago. It was all brought to the neighborhood yard waste drop area. 

The next stop was WalMart to buy some ice cream. The store brand pints are quite good and cost a mere $1.87. One serving provides 25% of the daily recommendation of calcium, so as a reward for the yard work and to cover the calcium bases for the day, I ate the whole three serving container. A bunny meandered and dined in the front yard under the just trimmed tree.

random thoughts – Day 2,278 (Friday) – melty

It was melty again today, and a steady 85 degrees inside the house, even with windows, shades, and curtains closed. I really miss the central A/C at my former homes in both Lowell and Tennessee. It’s on the list for this house and moving up the ranks quickly. Historically, I haven’t been very bothered by heat, but so far, this year is killing me already.

Turkeys in the neighborhood.

I walked to the mailbox early in the afternoon and a faint breeze was perceptible and kept me from keeling over. Seeing two turkeys in a yard one street over from my house was a treat. They seemed unbothered by the heat and humidity.

Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 80s by noon when the dance troupe takes to the unshaded stage area at an outdoor festival. In preparation, today we changed our costuming from the heavy long skirts to lighter fabric skirts and cut the dance list from five dances to four. We like what we do, but aren’t really interested in heat stroke while doing it.

The contractor stopped by today to pick up a check and while he was here, still sweating from the job site he had just left, he installed the window A/C unit in the bedroom for me. The room is currently chilling at a more comfortable 75 degrees for overnight, while the rest of the house continues to hold steady at 84 degrees. Kiki is puzzled about the bedroom door that has never before today been closed as the room chills.

A decision will need to be made about the overnight bedroom climate control. Keeping the door closed and the A/C on will require Kiki to be on one side of it or the other. Any restrictions on her mobility and access have been imposed by her. For example, she refuses to walk into my bathroom. She only goes about two feet into the kitchen for food and water and scoots back out. She hasn’t seen a closed door since Lowell. This new development could be interesting.

random thoughts – Day 2,277 (Thursday) – socializing

The steaminess of the day made me glad I had the option to be indoors, at least until it was time to head to an outdoor event in Lowell. The City of Lowell hosted an event recognizing non-profit organizations, and I attended as part of the contingent from The Brush Gallery, one of the honorees.

The traffic heading east on Route 2 was lighter than the volume heading west, but I-495 was the usual crap shoot with congestion at Route 2 and even worse at the Lowell Connector. The A/C was blowing chilled air, the radio was playing alt-rock music, and I wasn’t on a tight timeline, so it was all okay as far as I was concerned.

I went to The Brush Gallery before going to the event, and was able to look at the Lowellscapes show, which opened last weekend as part of Lowell’s bicentennial celebration. It looks great. Each photographer has a wall of work, and the images cover varied scenes in color and black & white. Some of the images are from several decades ago, so it’s a nice mix of old and new.

Entertaining the kids.

From the gallery, three of us headed to JFK Plaza outside City Hall. The sun was blasting full force and it felt like a concrete sauna. Areas of shade and a periodic light breeze kept the crowd from keeling over. I saw a couple former bank colleagues and more fellow board members from my time with The Brush and it was fun to catch up a bit.

Long lines formed at the food trucks serving ice cream and chicken on one side of JFK Plaza, and the grill setup with hot dogs and hamburgers on the opposite side. Two jugglers in hot pink pants (that I now want) roamed the crowd and were a hit with the young kids in attendance. 

The group of teens standing nearby was not as impressed as the youngsters and I could hear their commentary about the tragedy of the little kids who will now grow up wanting to be jugglers. As I see it, there are worse things. And they kept the people in the long food lines entertained/distracted, and there is value in that. It was pretty impressive when one of the jugglers had a bowling ball, a big knife, and a bowler hat in motion.

There was a recognition ceremony for 65 or 70 local non-profit organizations. I must have spaced out somewhere along the proceedings, because when The Brush was recognized with a banner and a photo, I was not with my people in the photo tent next to the podium. Oh, no. I was at the ice cream truck ordering and then consuming a cup of cold and creamy “berry spice” ice cream (blueberry and black raspberry).  It was delicious, but I felt dumb when I looked over and saw the artists and board members from The Brush grouped for the photo. Oops.

Library book sale treasures.

Next door to City Hall, The Friends of Pollard Memorial Library were having their spring book sale. It was steamy in the room crammed with tables piled with books. Floor fans were a popular stop for a quick breeze during the shopping.

I went there in search of The High Calcium Low Calorie Cookbook. My target may have been too specific and I didn’t find a copy of that title, but I did find The Deliciously Cheesy Cookbook. My deli drawer is full of cheese and I can’t wait to get busy. I also got a couple paperbacks to continue my reading frenzy without interruption, so it was definitely a success. And a fun night overall.

random thoughts – Day 2,276 (Wednesday) – revisiting popularity

Type in a search term for pretty much anything on your mind, play a game on your phone, or inquire about a service, and you may soon become the recipient of a stream of ads (or worse, unsolicited phone calls) for said item and similar items. Oh, you like W*rds with Friends? Let us show you 1,000 ads for other games that are nothing like it. Dare to think about maybe getting some new eyeglasses or sandals and the ads will appear before the thought is completed. 

The digital ad onslaught is the updated technology version of the old junk mail printed on paper and filling the mailbox, and it can be even more annoying (just, no!). The junk postal mail could be tossed in the trash and you were free of it for a week or two, but the digital ads are nonstop.

The recent assertiveness of online ads and unsolicited sales calls has me remembering the good-old days of junk mail delivered by the postal service and the days when the national do not call registry actually worked. And because I value efficiency, here we go with a blast from the past.

From June 26, 2011: 

Suddenly Popular

I am suddenly popular. It doesn’t feel good.

This isn’t the high school “dramatic save to win the big game for your team and become the homecoming hero” type of popular. Neither is it the “get the broken front tooth capped, feel unselfconscious enough to finally smile, and suddenly the cool kids notice you” brand of  popular.  Nor is it the “work on an award-winning professional project and people take notice” popular.

It is more of a flashback to darker days of eventual enlightenment. 

My recent newfound popularity began shortly after accepting an offer I couldn’t refuse -- a one year subscription to W magazine for some ridiculously low price like $10. My introduction to that publication occurred during one glorious semester luxuriating at a junior college in Boston’s prestigious Back Bay, where our dormitory was once a hotel and W, the consumer publication from fashion industry cornerstone Women’s Wear Daily, was required reading for my fashion merchandising class. Even in the olden days of the 1980s when I was in college, the average W reader’s income was in the $50,000-plus range, and I gladly handed over a full week’s worth of minimum-wage, part-time retail salesclerk earnings for the joy of studying the pages, worshipping the designers, then carefully scissoring out images for collages to adorn the walls.

Upon my return to the Burg and the four-year institution I had taken brief leave of, I proceeded to paper my bedroom walls with fashion images from W and confound my mother with attempts at conversation about designers, super models, diamond jewelry, and high-end watches and automobiles that cost more than the combined incomes of everyone in my family. These things had no relevance in her world and she told me as much every time I tried to discuss with her the classic tank watch by Cartier, iconic wrap dress from Diane von Furstenburg or night club escapades at Studio 54. It felt like we were from two different planets.

Recently, a mailer arrived for a “special professional discount rate” W subscription. I don’t know what profession they refer to, but I don’t work in fashion, modeling, retail or publishing. Whatever. That was unimportant. It was my favorite magazine at a rate I could afford even in junior college!

Past experience with magazine solicitations (and those for credit cards) taught there is room to play hard to get. And if they didn’t play along, it was one less thing to feel guilty about not reading. I ignored the offer for a free tote bag with subscription and procrastinated until it was too late to get the red mock-croc purse. Ultimately, thinking they’d stop courting without some payoff, I succumbed to the lure of the ivory scarf, spread open the checkbook, and sent the subscription order.

Around the time the first issue of W arrived, so did an invitation to subscribe to Vogue, followed in turn by more subscription invitations -- Elle, O, Allure and Lucky.  Even Architectural Digest suddenly wants me, the owner of a circa 1958, 1,200 square foot brick ranch (they must be really desperate). Architectural Digest has fascinated me since the glamorous days of my 20s when I possessed dreams, aspirations, an inflated sense of myself, and drank on the periphery of the same social circle as someone whose downtown apartment was featured in that magazine. 

My 20s and 30s were heady times of shopping in the best stores and sewing garments from patterns by the prestigious designers featured in W to create a wardrobe that (I hoped) announced to the world I was successful (or at least on the way). Cocktails and pricey dinners at beautiful (non-chain) restaurants were weekly rituals where my friends and I dropped a cool $100 each on a Friday night meal and drinks. It felt like I was on my way to, well, someplace. It was exciting, and almost how I had once imagined my life would be, back when I thought about such things.

Life is so different now. These days, my primary goal is to get through the day and make it out the other side alive. Cocktails and fine dining are memories from the past not worth dwelling upon, because the contrast to today -- where I panic after spending $25 on a meal that provides leftovers for three days -- is just too depressing. Wardrobe shopping occurs almost exclusively in thrift stores, thanks to an annual income significantly less than it was ten years ago, before I gambled on a dream of love, cashed in my chips, and walked away from a well paying career in New England to marry and relocate to a place with limited opportunity and maximum sense of entrapment.

The magazine subscription of my past, the freshly revived (bittersweet) memories of a lifestyle gone, and the ensuing onslaught of attention from other magazines reminds me of something else from my history. 

There was a time when I was better-versed in the fine arts of flirting and the male gender actually acknowledged my existence (to my face) on a semi-regular basis. One starry night, while a student at the hometown college to which I defaulted (another story for another day), I made out with a certain guy upon whom I had been crushing -- a high school classmate, home on leave from the military. In those days, I was naive enough to believe that what happened between two people stayed between them, and also that he would call me, because he said he would. He never called, but his friends started ringing me up. Even the ones with steady girlfriends. 

After a couple weeks of the sudden, puzzling attention, I got the scoop from one of the guys by asking, “It sure does seem like all of [name omitted to avoid potential lawsuits]’s friends are calling me up lately. What’s going on?” He told me, and what I heard made me kind of mad. And ill. Apparently, my crush had not only shared, but embellished the facts of that one drunken night after Happy Hour at the Buttercup, and now the friends wanted a piece of some major action, which they had been told was me. 

Likewise, now it seems the W subscription database server is sharing with its peers, with the logical conclusion being, if my checkbook opened for W, it will also open for them. How adolescent. And erroneous.

random thoughts – Day 2,275 (Tuesday) – sunshine mow

It was another sunny, warm day and I could get used to this.  But it’s New England, so I know better.

The morning was spent organizing the five dance costumes for dress rehearsal tonight. Parts for each costume had been gathered in 2.5-gallon zipper bags which were jammed into two tote bags because one just wasn’t large enough. One skirt filled one big tote. A couple dancers had packed their costumes in suitcases, which might be the best approach, except for the part where I don’t think I have one the right size.

The grass was in the general zone of approaching shaggy and needing a mow. It could have waited another day or two, but I decided to get it over with. The back yard was shady at 2:00 this afternoon and the mowing went quickly, as far as I could go with the 50-foot extension cord.

It's a lie. I'm not.

The front yard was sunnier and had me in a full body sweat and swearing every time the plug liberated itself from the outlet behind the hedge at the front of the house. I finally went next door to get another extension cord from StepDad and the swearing stopped, but not the sweating. I was wearing a tee shirt declaring “Wicked Smaaht” and I definitely did not feel at all smart killing myself on the lawn in the heat, but I was in too deep to bail. It was 84 degrees, and if had had the sense to check the temperature then instead of just now, I would likely have waited for a cooler part of another day to mow the front yard.

I felt bad mowing the clover patch in the back yard and tried to mow around it but the effect was shabby and quite awful and it ended up being mowed. The front yard had no such concerns. By the time I finished mowing, I was drenched in sweat and my face was bright red, a color which lingered even after a refreshing shower and a couple hours had passed. There was no point going full-face makeup for rehearsal because I would never get it right over the redness. There will definitely be no lawn mowing for me next Tuesday, but once the show is done, it’s open season on the outdoor adventures.  It might be time to make some plans, which would actually be wicked smaaht.

random thoughts – Day 2,274 (Monday) – lovely day

It was a lovely spring day. The sun was shining. The sky was blue. The air wasn't too humid. The sun, which blasts with vigor through the kitchen skylight, is now tamed by the new skylight with a shade installed Sunday. Drawn halfway, it kept the blasting sunshine out and still provided lots of natural light. What a difference! It’s currently my favorite kitchen “appliance.”

Adding a few more embellishments.

The morning was spent fine tuning the purple velvet dance vest with the addition of more appliques made from the scrap fabric from the big skirt. The previous less is better philosophy felt lacking. Later, various costume components for each dance were grouped into zipper lock bags for dress rehearsal Tuesday.

The afternoon saw a walk to get the mail and then loop around the neighborhood. I saw some newer-than-me neighbors from three houses away. She was planting in a flowerbed, he was watching her. We had a nice conversation about a variety of topics. It’s fun living in a neighborhood where people chat with those passing by.

My dance partner came over and we went over some costuming stuff and practiced four of our five dances in the show. The fifth is a piece with nine dancers and a lot of precision, and it’s pretty hard to practice with only two people.

random thoughts – Day 2,273 (Sunday) – the roof

Sundays have a different flavor on weeks with no dance group. With the exception of a dress rehearsal on Friday, June 12 and a performance on Saturday, June 13, we are off for the summer.

Today was an even more different flavor of Sunday. A roofing crew arrived at 7:15 a.m. under a sunny sky to remove the old roof and put on the new one. The crew of three operated like a SWAT team as they piled out of the van and immediately began unloading equipment. 

A ladder was set up outside one of the living room windows. Materials were schlepped up to the roof. The roofers cast shadows on the back lawn.

Soon, tarps were lowered around the house to capture the debris. They created a strange lighting situation inside and an odd view of nothingness beyond the windows. 

Goodbye old roof.

The actual work was a little noisy, but not quite as loud as I expected. A generator hummed in the yard. The banging and ripping off of the old roof jiggled the living room ceiling fan and things in the kitchen cabinets rattled. The nailing seemed to come in bursts and had an interesting rhythm that I wish I had recorded. 

When I wasn't looking at the action out the windows, I read a book on the couch. Kiki sought refuge deep under the bed and stayed there until noon when the noise stopped for 20 minutes while the crew took a break. When the work resumed, she disappeared again.

The crew busted butt and by 3:30 p.m., as the clouds appeared to be graying and gathering and looking like they might be gearing up for rain, they were finished, the yard was cleaned, and they were pulling out of the driveway.

The new skylights have remote controlled shades, which will be a huge help with summer cooling and comfort in general and especially when working in the kitchen. The sun beats in full force for several hours around midday, and while the natural light is gorgeous, the sun can be brutal. I thought the shades would be more translucent like the honeycomb window shades, but they block a lot of light.

Tiny peek of new roof.

Next up is the siding. New exterior light fixtures are scheduled to deliver tomorrow. The hunt is on for new house numerals because the current ones are too small to be easily read from the street and the house numbers are at irregular intervals so there is potential for confusion. 

Later, I took a walk up the tiny hill to try and admire the new roof and get a picture. The roofs aren't steep, so it's hard to see most of them, including mine, but I did get a glimpse. It's so pretty. The shingles are black, but photographed more like gray. So weird.

random thoughts – Day 2,272 (Saturday) – more sewing

Before: mock wrap top.

It was back to the self-imposed ball and chain of the sewing machine today. The borrowed green top for one dance in the show in a couple weeks was test driven in class last Tuesday. The green over top and the rose and gold vest below it both were both problematic and shifted when I moved, which is kind of a big deal for a dance costume.

Friday, while on an errand, I passed Salvation Army Thrift Store. I set a budget of $5 and entered. The clothing was browsed in a relaxed manner with hopes for inspiration for a replacement green top and/or possibly something to wear under it instead of the currently shifty vest. 

On the blouse rack hung a perfectly colored dark green satiny mock wrap top. It miraculously fit. The tag read $3.99. Under budget, so even better. The top was bought.

After: wrap top.

After 24 hours of mulling the alterations needed to transform the mock wrap into an actual wrap top, I was ready to begin. The top was laundered and hung dry. Once dry, the side invisible-style zipper was removed and the side seams were opened up to release the pleated panels and the wrap ties. 

It was quick work stitching the ties to the already pleated edges and then sewing the side seams. And boom, it was done. Thank goodness for an easy win.

Costumes are nearly finally all set. Today, the coin bra neck strap fasteners were done and the final adjustment of the hook closure on the dark pink velvet fancy dance bra was made. It is now the home stretch. Dress rehearsal is Tuesday. 

random thoughts – Day 2,271 (Friday) – what a year

One year ago.

One year ago today (June 5, 2025), my house in Lowell went on the market. Listing day capped off a couple months of downsizing, decluttering, and making a few minor interior updates leading up to the optimal time to list. The year since has passed at a blistering speed. My head has been spinning for most of it.

On June 30, I had been officially laid off, the Lowell house was under contract, and my realtor and I were preparing an offer on what became my next residence. All of last summer was spent packing, moving, and unpacking. Two months after listing day, I was dodging moving boxes and clutter in a house in another city in another part of the state.

There are a few things I miss about the old place and old life. I miss the lily of the valley, irises, columbine, lilac, bleeding hearts, day lilies, and evening primrose in the yard and wonder if the new people kept them or ripped them out. In exchange for the flowers and city noise, I got a quieter wooded setting and more privacy, and I can always plant stuff, so it was a good trade. There are some Lowell specific sites and events I miss, including LaLa Books, The Brush Gallery, Warp & Weft, Fuse Bistro, and St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop.

I miss the easy access to the National Park Service Saturday morning historical walks, the annual Folk Festival, the Summer Music Series, the Kinetic Sculpture Race and Merrimack Repertory Theater. If I had known in 2024 it would be my last time at many events, I might have approached them differently. I miss seeing the rowing teams gathering on the Merrimack River for the regattas and the Southeast Asian Water Festival. I miss representing the bank at community events (free food and entertainment!).

It’s been a year of adjusting and baptism by fire. The plan was to work full-time for two more years and during that time, figure out what retirement would look like. The bank had other ideas, sold out, and put a significant number of us out of work. It was miserable and depressing being unemployed and cast into the purgatory of “too old to hire and too young to retire.” It is weird not having colleagues and a paycheck.

After a diligent nine-month search and submitting hundreds of applications, I conceded defeat and stopped looking for another job. I granted myself permission to relax and stop feeling guilty about every minute not spent combing through job descriptions and customizing cover letters and resumes that are likely never seen by human eyes. After a few months cool-down period, it’s time to set some new priorities and draft the next act of this life.

random thoughts – Day 2,270 (Thursday) – adventure day

My sister has the week off from work and I got to spend time with her (and Mom) again today. The adventure du jour was a trip to Market Basket in Rindge, NH. This is another new stop on my Market Basket world tour for which I have been woefully negligent in making notes to document my successes.

The transportation plan had been based on the criteria of largest cargo area and functioning A/C. My car has A/C but a miniscule cargo area. My sister’s car has great cargo space but no A/C. Mom’s car met both requirements. We piled in and buckled up. And the car wouldn’t start.

StepDad had just arrived home and was waiting for us to exit the driveway before he pulled in, except we couldn’t get out. He assessed the situation and determined it was a dead battery. After a quick strategy session, we exited Mom’s car and headed into my sister’s. Some stuff was removed from her trunk and set in my driveway and we were on our way. The absence of A/C didn’t bother me, but Sis was warm. This is nothing new and it’s possible I have ice water in my veins.

It was a nice ride to Rindge, but I can’t claim that Market Basket to be my favorite. My list of needs was short (11 items) and was made using the flyer.  The stuff I wanted the most (goat cheese crumbles on sale for $3.99) was out of stock, but I got the 99-cent English muffins, the last package of cheese ends, and they had my favorite ramen flavor (creamy chicken) so that was good.

It was the kind of day I’ve been longing for. One that had activity but still felt was long and leisurely like the summer days when I was around 10 years old. I started a book this morning, went shopping with Mom and Sis, then came home and finished the book (it’s only 177 pages). It felt like it was 5:30 or 6:00, but it was only 3:15. Nice!

A trip was made to Tractor Supply to look at yard ornaments and to Aldi for the produce items I knew cost less than the ones I didn't buy at MB. TS had more of their never-ending stock of metal roosters, both big ($200) and small ($50). I was amused but not fully tempted. I must have been hungry, though because I ended up with a cart full of tempting stuff in Aldi.

Veggies baked with sliced feta.

At home, I decided to try a recipe I’d seen for sheet pan baked veggies and feta cheese so I got busy chopping. I should have consulted the recipe before shopping because I didn’t have all the ingredients (no fresh lemon, onions, garlic cloves, or orzo) and improvised.

Green beans (not in the recipe), broccoli, and grape tomatoes were cut and drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Feta cheese was sliced and placed in with the veggies and the whole thing was baked. The tomatoes took on a more intense flavor, the feta browned a bit and it was really good plated with ditalini. There will definitely be more iterations of that dish.

Paving season continues.

After supper I took a walk around the very quiet neighborhood and dropped three books off at the little library box and took two out. Asphalt paving equipment is parked again by the mailboxes so paving season may not be fully done yet. 

Yesterday, a section of the main entrance road was dug out and patched. Today I noticed a couple smaller street patches and several more homes with fresh driveway pavement. Two houses on my walk have roofing company signs planted in the yards. ‘Tis the season for upgrades in the neighborhood.

random thoughts – Day 2,269 (Wednesday) – full day

Some days are not busy, others are. Today was busy. It kicked off with visiting Salvation Army Thrift Store with a friend to source items for costume making. We got there right before they opened and got the last parking spot. I got a few things that had interesting trims and that can easily be reworked, keeping in mind how much I already recently acquired and that Mom has a box of fabrics she wants me to take off her hands. My friend found some really cool stuff.

Next on the fun slate was a trip with Mom to my sister’s. It’s my sister’s birthday today and we picked up a red velvet cake on the way over. It was a nice visit with pizza, cake, and chatting with Sis and my two nieces who still live locally.

The evening included a DIY video class on removing popcorn ceilings. My house has popcorn ceilings throughout and they don’t bother me (now, anyway), but I thought it might be interesting to learn about what is involved in changing them. A free webinar is a convenient and easy way to find out. Two minutes into the video and hearing the word  "popcorn" many times, I suddenly wanted popcorn to eat but there is none in the house. If only I had planned better. Sigh.

This looks fun.

Of course there are a bunch of supplies needed, all available from the orange store presenting the video. I know from a marketing standpoint, highlighting and selling product is a major reason to do educational videos, and it was nice to see the correct use of the tools in the video. It looks like it is fun and satisfying scraping the stuff off. 

Will I remove any of the popcorn ceilings? Who knows. But even if I never do it myself, now I know the 99 steps and the supplies involved, so that could be helpful, especially if someday I’m getting quotes for the work.

random thoughts – Day 2,268 (Tuesday) – explosions

Rhododendron explosion.

The rhododendrons in front of the house are exploding with big pink puffs of color. I love them. I also can’t wait for them to be done so I can trim the overgrown beasts. They seem to have not been cut back for ages – much like the one at the house in Lowell when I moved there. That’s where I learned about the timing of the buds setting. You know, after I had cut them all off with my major late summer trimming and then had no flowers the first spring I was there. Oops.  Live and learn. At least I didn’t make that mistake again.

While pacing like a panther awaiting an update on the roofing project which I thought was happening today but then learned a few hours later was not, I decided to channel my impatience in a more productive manner. I had been seeing videos on FB of “The Long Lost Steps” of Cecchetti with Diana Byer, who has been resurrecting the technique with short reels.

When I was a teenage dancer with Marion Rice Studio of the Dance, part of our center work was the “Cecchetti Arms” series. The new reels feature the six port de bras (French for “carriage of the arms”) in the Cecchetti series, which I loved doing then and it turns out, love now. So, instead of pacing and to avert an outburst, I ran through all six sections of the arms series with the videos.

It worked and I felt less like my head would explode. It was so much better that I started doing final checks and tweaks on costume parts for the June 16 show. Unfortunately, this got me aggravated all over again. Tops I thought were finished are suddenly too loose. New adjustments done today kept falling short. Others just caused new problems.

Duo and I were having a day.

The length on one top was fixed, but now the neckline is doesn't sit right. The straps on another top were checked, rechecked, trimmed shorter, and had Velcro added for the closure, and after all that, they are still too long and need more work. Another top that just needed a bit of velcro for a more secure closure is suddenly too big. Even one of my tops in Sunday's show suddenly wasn't fitting right after being perfect a week earlier. 

So frustrating! Seriously, what the blankety bank? The icon for the  Duolingo app had an expression that matched what I was feeling, so that was at least amusing. 

Tonight, while dressing to go to dance class, a toe cap on my least old pair Converse All Stars was chipping off. Another pair that is several years older does not have this problem.  I took the top and overlay for one of the dances to class to give it a real-world test drive. It was not good. I really need a class in alterations because this has become too much. 

In a veil sequence that is part of a large group number, despite my best effort to not step on my veil, it kept happening. Any minor foot movement seemed to suck the veil under my foot and the corresponding arm movement would rip the veil from my hand. 

To my credit, I did not actually explode as a result of any of the noted and still unspoken annoyances of the day. I will take that as a win and move one.

random thoughts – Day 2,267 (Monday) – delivering

Mess from dance night.

The photos for the Lowellscapes Show (open June 6 to July 26) were due today. The mess from the costume bags being dumped in the kitchen upon arrival home last night needed to be dealt with because the magical gnomes or fairies or sprites or whatever that are supposed to tidy up overnight keep blowing me off. It was a busy morning.

I got caffeinated and ready to get busy. The costumes were pulled from the bags and rehung. Hair accessories were returned to the designated storage in the bathroom closet. Makeup was returned to its rightful place in either the everyday makeup drawer or the stage makeup storage box.

Once the dance stuff was dealt with, I moved to the photos. Gallery paperwork needed to be completed with image titles and emailed. The six framed pieces were set into a tote bag, where they all fit, but it was too heavy to manage. I envisioned missing a step outside the gallery and having a bag with smashed glass and damaged photos. A second bag was found and the load was split into a more manageable configuration.

The ride to Lowell was after the morning rush and therefore reasonable. I finally parked in the no-longer-so-new Hamilton Canal Innovation District (HCID) garage at Dutton and Canal. It opened in 2020, but until last year, I had a work parking pass at another garage and always parked there or in the bank parking lot. The level of the garage I parked on was practically vacant, which felt a little like the setting for a scene in a suspense movie.

Delivered.

The work was safely delivered. I was the first one to arrive with pieces and I had a nice chat with the gallery executive director. While I was there, two other photographers in the show arrived with their pieces and I got to meet them. 

It was fun hanging around in the gallery for a little while. I miss the atmosphere and am looking forward to the exhibit’s reception in a few weeks. Being laid off from work and then moving removed me from more than just a job. It’s like I was laid off work then I laid myself off from some several once-nourishing aspects of my life and I need to reclaim that territory.