Lullaby of Dreamland

So if you happen to be one of those individuals who thinks discussing dreams is boring or self-indulgent, read no further! Although this post is not exclusively about my dreams...

The above drawing is to (sorta) illustrate an image from a recent dream. I won't go into all the various details except to explain that I was staying at some beach-side resort and was called outside two different times by two different family members to view the very odd clouds that were forming in the sky. One of the family members was my/our long deceased father (aka "Daddy"). He was pretending to hold the clouds up by extending his arms high into the sky. I attempted to photograph my father and the clouds but the camera wasn't working... maybe because Daddy is/was dead? Who knows! But in this "waking life", I tried drawing them but they were hard to capture. They were vaguely geometric and superimposed over the conventionally cloudy sky.

But this leads to a brief consideration of several quirky dream comments. The first is that I have dream motifs that reoccur frequently... and no, they're not your classic like flying or being naked in a odd setting. I often dream about trying to locate something to wear in a huge heap of clothes. I mean, I have this image really often. No idea what that's about.

The second frequent story line is my having to pee but either there's no bathroom available, or there's some weird issue like there is no door on the bathroom, or there's a whole bunch of people hanging out, interrupting my need to piss. Or it's out of order and only a hole in the floor. Not sure where that comes from...

And the last one is setting. I am often at a school or college. Lots of classic brick dormitory buildings or cafeterias. And then I dig through a pile of clothes and need to pee but the bathrooms been moved...

Hahhahaha! I made you read all about my dreams. But the last thing I'm going to mention is how Bob and I frequently have dreams that have the same things in them- not identical, like we've changed the locations but have some piece of the dream the same. I mean, we are sleeping with our heads only a foot or two apart. F'rinstance, Bob will say, "I was wearing a bright red jacket in my dream". And I'll say, "I saw a person wearing a red jacket". Or I'll say, "I was in a small boat on a pond in my dream". And Bob will say, "There was a person painting a boat in mine!" You get the idea. I asked a friend if this ever happened to her and her husband. She replied, "All the time". So I guess it's not out of the ordinary, but just strange if you think about it.

Dear Rita Valley...

It's always lovely to find an award-winning cow with your name! This is what happens when you google yourself... be prepared for the results. (*1) I also have a number of vineyards in California bearing my name. On that one I'm a saint. (*2)

In any event, besides being a heifer, I'm a bit behind blogging as our monitor on the desk top computer decided to blow a fuse or shit the bed or whatever accurately describes a computers self-immolation. I turned on the computer the other day and !!SNAP!! there was a sharp crackling noise and a weird smell of burning electronics as the screen went black. Granted the monitor (and keyboard) were a million years old. We had replaced the tower several years ago (oh sure, that's probably "old" now too in computer years!) but I guess we weren't prepared for screen meltdown. It being the weekend- and the Xmas holiday shopping season- we opted to wait until a weekday to buy a new one. We also purchased a new keyboard as the letters were all wearing off, leading to many accidental typos. But the one we bought had strangely pale letters on it that made it effectively no better than the old one so that one's going back to the store when we get a minute.

So what else is new? My pony is on a diet as she looks fat to my farrier and others. (*4) I am supposing that having a month off work because of Lyme disease (*3), loosing her pasture mate Maggie (and therefore not moving around as much) and the weather being so terribly wet and muddy (*5), she's chubby. My friend Sabina (a one time riding instructor but general horse mentor) said she thinks it's fine that Neko is going into the winter a bit rotund, but I don't want Neko suffering weird equine health issues. 

And speaking of weather, a little Climate Change anyone? It's December and the ground is not frozen and it's been relentlessly raining- not snowing- and I have flowers blooming! Yes, our mutant primroses are blooming in the shade border. Really?!? Additionally, bulbs are sending up leaves... they should be dormant. Gardening is really becoming a gamble. Looks like we'll be harvesting something in time for Xmas. 

 (*1) Fortunately, she IS a lovely cow!

(*2) Santa Rita Valley: there are a number of vineyards offering a Pinot Noir. We should try it.

(*3) I just read a study where 25% of horses tested in Pennsylvania were positive for Lyme disease or anaplasmosis and  another tick borne illness! Ugh! They live outside, they roll in the grass; what are you supposed to do?!?

(*4) I saw a picture of Neko when I first tried her... she looked so much thinner! I was shocked.

(*5) Too slippery to actually ride; all you can do is plop around in the muck.
 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

I wonder if anyone else's mother made a pineapple into a turkey every year?!!? Mommy did, and I inherited the felt turkey head that she constructed. I will never know if she "invented" this pattern or if it was in some woman's magazine of her day. All I know is that it was a feature on the dining table every year. (*1) I was so traditional this year: I located the turkey head, made a note to secure an actual pineapple and I even rested it on a bed of Easter grass. As I mentioned to Bob, there are few displays that aren't improved by neon Easter grass.

 Here's our real turkey:

 Of course it is/was frozen and they take days to thaw so we're already working on that. This picture is expressly provided to alert certain family members (they know who they are!) that we are proceeding forward with Thanksgiving celebrations whether they attend or not. The weather looks good- sunny and in the 50's!(*2)- so we are accepting no excuses. Be there (or here) or be square.

We also have cranberries and pumpkin and potatoes and all sorts of food in the works. And we have weird food surprises like the classic butter truck seen here, fabricated by Bob.

Yes, holidays are fun here at the BobnRita Ranch.

(*1) Last year, I forgot to get a pineapple so I jammed the head on a lump of wood. Or maybe it was an odd squash. I don't remember. The year before that, I couldn't find the felt turkey head and Thnaksgiving just didn't feel like Thanksgiving.

(*2) But our family being our family, we are NOT celebrating Thanksgiving on the actual Thanksgiving Day. We are entertaining family on Saturday (as my sister Cathy works on Thanksgiving). We often push holidays around. Whatever. On the actual Thanksgiving, Bob and I are having a non-traditional meal and entertaining a friend.

Dressing for Success

 

I realized as I was going out the door to ride my pony that I had a LOT of clothing/equipment or gear on me. Getting strapped in to go riding is several degrees more complicated now that the weather has turned cold and now that I am making more accommodations to safety.

When I was a kid, going riding was as simple as throwing yourself on your horse bareback with nary a helmet or even a "correct" pair of boots. We rode in shorts and sneakers and sometimes with only a halter to guide the horse. But then we were kids: we bounced if we fell off (thought it was fun!) and our horses were saints.

This is Neko. She is a very good horsey, but she is no saint. Sometimes, being a chestnut mare (*1) she has strong opinions about what I am asking her to do. We have interesting discussions with her voicing her opposition to my riding choices with much swishing of her tail and flaring of nostril and becoming "strong". Fortunately, she has a good brain and is not prone to spooking or bucking or rearing up. But she does get excited and sometimes wants to go fast. This is alternately fun and sort of like being on a little red dragon. 

Hence the above mentioned equipment. I wear a helmet- no one with half a brain refuses to wear a helmet. Like football players, many riders (some very good!) have suffered head injuries and helmets are now required for all equestrian pursuits. Because it has suddenly gotten cold, I am wearing a jacket and full suede chaps over insulated pantaloons. (Additionally, the chaps offer another level of "gripiness", the better to stick to the saddle if one's horse decides to catapult sideways at 90 miles an hour.) Over my jacket is the latest addition to my get up. I now am the proud owner of an inflatable vest. (*2) Such an interesting invention!

The vest actually plugs into a strap attached to the front (pommel) of the saddle. If you should (ahem) part company from your charging steed, the cable snaps and hey presto! the canister inside the vest discharges, causing the vest to inflate and protect your neck, ribs, internal organs and hips. Fortunately, it doesn't weigh much and I soon became utterly used to it. 

Here is Neko and myself in warmer weather. She is pretending to enjoy my silly affection and has no doubt just sighed (deeply), hoping our riding session is thankfully over with. I have no illusions: she'd most likely rather be eating.

(*1) There are all kinds of stories and legends regarding chestnut mares. They are reputed to be "hot" (in the sense of spicy), and given to stubbornness and a certain intensity. Neko is a pretty good egg, but she is at least partially your typical chestnut mare. Sometimes a challenge but definitely an interesting equine partner. Some people prefer geldings for that reason, but give me a mare any day!

(*2)Thank you Bob for wishing to keep me alive to ride another day. He insisted he buy me this vest after my trainer showed him a short video of her being "yeeted" from another horse she rides. Persuasive stuff! Bob was impressed at how fast one comes off a determined horse!

(*3) You may also have noticed that I am carrying a riding crop in my right hand in the first picture. Occasionally, Neko wants to play pokey little pony and requires "encouragement". Not often, though, as she's typically what is referred to as "forward". And it is certainly worth mentioning that the riding crop is not used to beat or bludgeon the horse with. It is an extension of one's arm and hand and typically all the rider has to do is show the horse the crop and off we go!

Preaching to the Choir

 

Amen to that, right? Above, my latest vote piece. I have a history of these; it continues to be a necessary message. Although- correct me if I'm wrong- it seems many of our countries weirder elements take this more seriously then choir to whom I preach.

It seems- according to polls(*1), so-called young people aren't turning out in large numbers for early voting so far. Do they ever? I seem to remember young people adoring Bernie Sanders and then simply not turning out to vote for him in presidential primaries. And they have so much at stake! I am old enough (ahem) to know that I may not have to personally worry about the death of our planet. Fuck it: I may not be around 20 years from now. But aren't young women concerned about losing autonomy over their bodies? Aren't young people- particularly in southern states worried about gerrymandering and the stacking of the Supreme Court? Or LGBTQ+ rights? Younger people can't all be white incels who cherish gun rights uber alles!!!

See? This one's from a coupla years ago. Still beating that same old drum...

Here's another early one:

Hey! I even SOLD that one!! You never know: maybe my message will actually get through somehow.

(*1) And we all know how reliable polls are! (NOT!!)

 

Farewell Maggie!

 Farewell sweet Maggie! She had a long and- hopefully!- happy life. She was a good friend, a funny, opinionated mare, a nice companion to Neko (who loved telling Maggie what to do and when to do it...) We all loved Maggie (aka "The Magster", "Magatini" and so many other nicknames!); Robin the Good especially had a lovely friendship with Maggie. They'd touch noses through the fence and lick each other's noses. Maggie was so gentle with Robin when she was a puppy. Maggie had obviously had foals and knew what a baby animal was- they forged a deep bond.

But as you could see in that picture above, Maggie was very old and very tired. She knew what was coming. I often saw her standing with her head low, soaking up the morning sun as if the weight of her own head was too great. 

Here's the two of them last week- always hungry! They hear the back door open and are at the fence like, "Hey! Isn't it meal time?!!?!?" (Maggie wasn't really a small as she appears above; somehow my perspective made her look so tiny, like a pony!) 

Maggie was a real character. Due to her chronic lameness, I only was able to ride her for a couple of years after she arrived here.  But that was fine: she was a delightful member of our herd. She loved to pick her food dish up when it was empty and shake it around and the toss it as if to say, "Fill this thing up again, dammit!". She often had a mischievous twinkle in her eye and liked to try and bite me, especially when I attempted to put one of her blankets on her. The funny part of that was she had few teeth and made a weird clacking noise. She also had no sense of personal space and enjoyed walking directly into you. (And her eyes were fine, believe me!) 

Here's Maggie busy at another one of her "hobbies". She was really good at getting super dirty. She rarely used the barn and stood outside in whatever kind of inclement weather. Maggie loved to get down on the ground and roll- which was fine when she was younger (in the picture above) and could right herself easily. In the last few years, however, she would get down to roll and was frequently unable to get herself back up. Imagine attempting to lift a piano; she was that heavy. We called upon friends to come and assist in righting her but the danger was in her hurting herself (or us trying to help her). 

Here's on of my favorite pictures of Maggie. What could be better than a horse and sculpture?! We used to let her graze on the lawn in the backyard. Look at that nice round butt! Anyone who has seen Maggie in the last couple of years will remark on just how skinny she'd become! It was her time...

Her departure to the Great Pasture in the Sky was peaceful and dignified. She is missed; Neko is very sad and missing her pasture mate. I know we'll get through this but we're all mourning our beloved Maggie.

34 Big Ones!

Yup! Frost killed the basil on Saturday night and that means it was time for Bob and I to celebrate 34 years on non-anniversary. (I'm considering asking, "Where did/does the time go?" but it's rhetorical and a cliche so I won't.)

Savvy blog readers will notice that the basil is in a small plastic pot. Out basil did so badly that- as noted in a previous posting- we did not have pesto this summer... not even once! One day while at our local supermarket, I happened to spy herb plants (and organic no less!) and purchased the above victim. Pretty sad that this plant was born to be offered up as a sacrificial avatar of our anniversary. But it did its job and here we are.

 

We also bought a nice cheerful little chrysanthemum to celebrate our 34 years of un-married adventures, along with sushi and tempura and seaweed and teriyaki. It was a pleasant evening until we accidentally attempted to watch a comedy which was describing the relationship of two women (one of them ostensibly an asshole artist!!) who would spend much of the next hour and a half beating each other into bloody pulps- and comas- multiple times. Be careful of what passes as "comedy".

And then there was this:

Yes! An amazing full moon (Hunter's moon) that I just couldn't do justice to in pictures. The whole sky glowed and the abundant clouds were tufted and rippled and rumpled. It was pretty spectacular!

Hope everyone got to enjoy it and thanks for the anniversary good wishes!

We Went to the Animal Fair...

 

Yes, the birds an the beasts were there! As well as some pretty awesomely scary rides!! Take the freaky Pharaoh above... please! (*1) There was a terrified child being tortured on that Egyptian nightmare; the mother looked totally unconcerned. The child has no doubt been scarred for life by his/her experience!

A big hit with us fair-goers was the hall of fruits and vegetables. Rows of multicolored Swiss chard and plates and plates of peppers, beans and eggplants, each more splendid and appetizing than the last. Cathy was searching- in vain!- for some vegetable dish to consume and Bob remarked how ironic it was that for all the fruits and veg on display, there was none to eat. He thought it was a missed opportunity to have a giant farmer's market. But honestly judging by the girth of many of our fellow fair attendees, vegetables were NOT what they were chowing down on. (*2)

Look at that lovely rainbow of peppers! Clever display!

And award-winning apples, attractively arranged into diamonds. Oh! the produce... what a fair should be. We saw some pretty heroically giant pumpkins, too.

The flowers were a big hit, too. Lovely dahlias and exotic coleus and zinnias and hydrangeas and celosia: all looking pretty good despite four days of being on display. We had an altogether super time, and were an appreciative audience.

There are a few things we missed. We never did make it back to see the many chickens on view. Somehow skipped right past the pigs and cows and missed the bunnies... Also we never made it to the marketplace tent where we would no doubt have been able to purchase cheeses or maple syrup, all locally produced. We were too busy being seduced by the terrifying marvels of the midway, (*3)

I also missed having fried dough topped with tomato sauce; probably a blessing. But as it was Bob's first time to the Durham Fair, we did our best to sample a bit of everything. As we boarded the shuttle bus which would deliver us back to our cars, we spied a Monster Truck demonstration that was enthralling a vast crowd, seated on the hillside. Alas! Maybe next time...

(*1) All of the photos in this episode of my blog were taken by my sister Cathy, who did a marvelous job of documenting the fair. I was too busy stuffing deep fried apple fritters in my mouth to take pictures!

(*2) Unless humongous paper platters of ketchup soaked greasy french fries count as "vegetables".

(*3) Who thinks these rides up? Not one of us appreciated the allures of rocketing upside down in a metal cage- it all looked like barf-inducing torture to us! (Especially after piles of greasy french fries and chocolate covered bacon. (an actual offering...))

NuTruk!

 

Hooray! Look what landed in our driveway! A new truck for Bob (and Rita) to drive and enjoy. No, it is not brand new, but it's the newest vehicle (2014) we've ever gotten- even newer than our beloved Red Rover (2010? I think?) Anyway, we're pleased as punch... and relieved.

Do you know how hard it is to find a good used truck?!?! With an eight foot bed? (practically unheard of in this day and age!! They're all those weird stumpy long cab, short bed fiascos. We NEED the long bed- think sculpture and hay bales and gravel...) Believe me, used trucks fall into two categories: really old, decrepit- (suitable for "total restoration), with 200,000 miles or really new and costing major $$$.

So I think- WE think- we got lucky, especially as (what were the chances?!?!?) this crazy truck was located in our town. We were even able to have our mechanic check it out. He loved the truck; he was very impressed and said, "Except for needing two front tires and wind shield wipers, it's a great truck". That made us happy and reasonably certain we wouldn't regret buying it.

All we need is a new "Bernie" sticker for that naked bumper! We took a field trip and looked at a pretty much identical truck out in Willimantic last week. It was good to have a comparison in cost/mileage/color/year but there was no comparison. That truck handled oddly and even made a loud clunking noise when we tried it (universal joint?) But the dealership sales man (who looked like a character out of Twin Peaks) and the greasy young sales "closer"keep emailing and asking "what's it gonna take to get that Ford into your driveway?" I informed them we bought another one...

Anyway, between the new car and the new truck we should be happily motoring for years. And as was "helpfully" pointed out by a friend, accelerating the Climate Crisis.

When It Rains, It Pours

 

We all know that we've been suffering through a drought: well, no more! While I welcomed the much needed rain, the fact that it was delivered in a monsoon-like one day event was pretty stunning. I heard four inches in some spots; a month's worth of rain in one day! And some of that decided to inundate my studio.

The site of the worst leak was right above my woodstove. I entered my studio last Tuesday to find the floor wet, the stove dripping and the ceiling drooling. As witnessed above, I placed buckets and waste baskets and towels to mop up and collect the deluge. I'm still drying out today, two days later.

Fortunately, nothing of import (read: my artwork) got wet.

I emptied this tub three times! To bad all this water wasn't available a month ago... The grass and parts of the garden are recovering but face it; it's already September and how much time do we really have left to garden. Now there's a grim thought! We all waited all winter for the gardening season, it starts out really nicely with a mix of sun and rain and then we were thrust into the driest two months in who knows how long. Hahahahhaha!! The "joys" of gardening!

To take our minds off all that watery mayhem, here are a few delightful pictures of our morning glories; erupting into their own heavenly blue cascade of waterfall-like loveliness. Here's another shot:

This variety is called "Flying Saucers' and is so interesting as each flower is striped and sotted in a different pattern. At least the flowers enjoyed all the rain.

Things have been busy and distracting, the ceiling leak was only part of it. In the last week alone, my poor horse Neko showed symptoms of a new infection (or recurrence) of Lyme disease and is unrideable and on antibiotics for a month, we're discussing have Maggie (the ancient Mexican pony) euthanized, our favorite pizza place went out of business, two friends got sick with COVID, we're driving around looking for a new(er) truck (*1) What else? Hey! isn't that enough? Oh yeah, the queen just died.

(*1) Much much harder than you'd think! We need/want a long (eight foot) bed and they're all short and stumpy. We don't want all that extended cab nonsense and guess what? That's what 95% are. And every truck out there is either really old with like 220,000 miles on it or really new and waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much money. We are in process of checking one out right here in our town. Stay tuned: it may be the one.

Re-Tire

 

What are the chances? Twice in one week!!!! Sometimes, the universe just likes to mess with your head...

Neither tire puncture was due to lousy driving habits or faulty cheesy tires. Both incidents were apparently caused by driving over something sharp...

Last week I was tootling back from Stop and Shop when I noticed an idiot light was on on the dashboard. Investigation proved it to be a low tire pressure sensor... what won't they think of next! (sorry: we're used to driving very old cars that don't have such new fangled instruments as back up computers and automatic transmissions...) Anyway, I checked the air pressure when I got home and lo! the driver's side rear tire was very low. Bob added air, but the next morning the tire was really low again. As luck would have it, I had an eye doctor appointment that morning but our local garage squeezed us in and was able to patch the tire- and not charge us! Thank you Jimmy!

So yesterday, I announced my intentions to drive to Trader Joe's in Danbury. Bob agreed to accompany me as he needed roof tar at Home Depot. This turned out to be fortunate in the extreme. As we tooled along towards Danbury, traffic on Rt 84 came to a crawl and we decided to get off the highway a couple of exits early and run our errands in the opposite order. As I pulled into the exit lane, that damned low air pressure light came back on. I suspected the patch had failed and as we rolled off the exit ramp, the noise of a flopping definitely flat tire became louder. We pulled into a gas station (*1) and yup! Flat tire! But on the passenger's side rear!

Lucky for me, Bob was present and "we" changed the tire (Bob doing most of the work). It really took only a few minutes and donut installed, we returned to Southbury to drop off the tire for patching or replacement. We suspected- and had it confirmed- that whatever we rolled over had punched a nice, really big gash into our tire. Heigh ho! New tire. I am hoping we have reached tire-max and don't need to have another flat for at least a couple of years! What were the chances! (*2)

(*1) Not a REAL gas station- do they even exist?- but a convenience market. At least it had a large, flat parking area! And air! But there was a dopey guy parked right in front of the air dispenser... do you think he'd move? Hahahahahaha!

(*2) And other than that, the car is really great: runs quiet, handles nicely, is comfortable, gets good gas mileage... exactly what you want. And the car now has a name! Beatrice ad John's car is Great White, Cathy's Corolla is the Silver Vortex. So, in keeping with a sort of family color motif, I christen our car Red Rover.

Eye Spy

 As some of you know, I messed up my left eye a number of years ago. No need to go into the grim details here but let this serve as a reminder to always wear eye protection when doing almost anything. My eye looks pretty normal, but what I see when I look out of it is anything but normal. (*1) And no, nothing is going to make it okay again as my cornea was sewn back together and I have copious scar tissue through which to view the world. But it's alright: I've gotten used to it!

Anyway, my regular eye doctor had noticed in the past couple of regular eye exam visits that it was noticeably blurrier. She recommended a laser procedure as a secondary cataract had formed behind my eye. I put it off last year as COVID prevented me from wanting to do a lot of things. But this year, after my exam,I decided to go for it.

Last Friday I had an experience that felt pretty sci-fi. I know that this laser technology has been the medical standard for quite some time now, but I don't undergo procedures often so it was novel. The cornea doctor is very relaxed about this procedure as she's doing it hundreds of times a year but I was a bit unnerved by the odd red light and strange clicking noises and her space-age helmet. It certainly didn't hurt while undergoing the procedure as my eye was numbed and it only took a couple of minutes. Afterward, on the way home, it felt (briefly) like someone had rubbed my eye with sandpaper and then put salt in it. That sensation passed quickly. Although my first application of the steroidal eye drops reinforced the salt-in-wound feeling. It was fine after that...

So two days after the procedure I can report no pain (good), no discomfort in applying the eye drops (also good) but I do have a few big black honking  floaters. You know how floaters are usually translucent and wiggly? There are two of these black spots that look like flies have come into view. I want to swat them! This is supposed to resolve soon... kind of annoying but normal. Other than that, I think that color seems to be a bit brighter but I'm not sure I'm "seeing" any less fogginess. I guess I'll have to wait a few days to really know what's up!(*2)

(*1) If you want to sort of approximate what I see out of my left eye, take a small piece of plastic or plexiglass and sand it. When you hold it up to your eye and close the other eye; it will be weird and foggy. You will still "see" but it will not be clear, distinct or articulate. It is like everything has been "generalized". Yes, you see the book shelf or the computer screen or the dog, but it will be as forms with no specific details. 

(*2) I reiterate: no, I will never see totally normally. Medical science cannot do that. I think the best my doctors and I hope for is less cloudiness. Too early to tell!

 

More Medieval Farm Fun!

 

Isn't it amazing that this lovely, halcyon woodsy vision is on our property? Is it any wonder that our friend the bear chose to stroll through, no doubt enjoying the view? This break in the trees leads to our stream which we are so fortunate have because it's now how we're watering our gardens. As I referenced in an earlier post, our well was presenting with low water pressure and we are being conservative with the hose watering.

Here's Bob down by the stream ready to dip in and fill the buckets. It's really quite pretty here... if one scares the bears (and coyotes and bobcats and probably a few stray mountain lions!) away. (*1) Anyway, this has become a daily event in our modern efforts to re-create how our medieval ancestors lived. Some things never change!

Fill those buckets! Tote that weight! And then we schlepp them up the hill to the awaiting water cart and pour the water into the bigger buckets. Bob is much stronger than me so he carries a couple of buckets at once; I can only manage one. But who's counting? It's all in good, clean medieval fun!

And then we push that cart up the hill (of course it's a hill!) and through the gate and away across the lawn to the various containers and vegetables that need refreshment. But all our hard work is paying off as nothing has died despite the continued drought. In fact the vegetable garden is really productive, serving up a bounty of Swiss chard, okra, lettuce, parsley, squash, peppers and the first tomatoes. (Soon to come: hazel nuts, grapes and beans.)

(This is a picture from earlier this year because I'm too lazy to go out and re-photograph the vegetable garden. It's too hot and I'm hungry. And I guess too honest.)

(*1) Not to mention watching out for ticks and leeches and variously infected mosquitoes... scary world we live in!

The Bear Went Over the Mountain

 

Or at least across the driveway! Our neighbor Meagan shot this image of a "large"(her word, but is there any other kind??!!?) black bear, spotted ambling across her yard directly to our yard. Yikes! 

I had just come back in from riding Neko when Bob came down the stairs expressing just how glad he was that I was inside as Meagan had called to warn of the above bear. I'm very pleased that I did not encounter this mid-morning visitor while riding. Neko is a brave and level-headed horse, but I wouldn't want to test her on a bear!

Another shot of our friend, taking his time, out for a stroll while terrorizing the neighborhood. All day long when having to go outside for anything, I was apprehensive and worse, Robin the Good kept sniffing the air sensing something or someone unusual about.

Meagan sent over three shots of the monster. He looks fat and sassy! I am hoping that he was simply on his way from here to there and not thinking, "Gee! What a lovely area! Perfect place to raise a family!" I know they're around but this was a bit too close and in broad day light!! Move along my friend!!

How Dry I Am

 

Well that's an unattractive picture to start out with! We are in the midst of a drought, which I think snuck up on us. Two weeks ago, our gardens looked pretty great... and then wowser! Everything is shriveled, crackling and dying. 

Bob and I were merrily watering away, keeping plants happy until one morning while I washed dishes and Bob watered the vegetable garden, our water pressure dropped rather alarmingly. We realized that with no rain at all in the forecast and how luxuriously we'd been watering the various containers and shrubs and vegetables all while doing laundry and taking showers the well's water level had probably fallen to new lows. You get the picture: suddenly we realized that we'd better be frugal for a few weeks. 

Things I've never seen wilt are wilting, like the Eupatorium above. We've been saving rinse water from doing dishes and Bob's been schlepping bucketfuls of water from our stream (also low) but it's no substitute for lavish watering or a day of rain. Forget the lawn: it crunches under foot. That I can live with as it's only temporarily dormant. But I feel awful about all those tender little seedlings that we started indoors- only to consign them to the eternal flames of hell. Gotta love Climate Change, right? at least we're not on fire. Yet.

So I just did an even stupider thing. The deer who are usually pretty well-behaved around her, actually consumed some of my daylily buds yesterday. (Ironically, of course, the daylilies were among the few plants that didn't seem to mind the heat and dryness.) So I announced my intention to spray the shade area with our homemade deer spray. I gloved up as it does smell pretty rank and proceeded to a through dousing of all likely deer delicacies- rhododendrons, daylilies, hosta, impatiens; I hit them all.

(The Long Border in better days. Notice green lawn.) When I came back into the house, Bob helpfully points out that I hadn't taken the deer spray after all, but the container marked Poison Ivy Killer. (I should learn to read.) Hahahahahaha!! So I went back out and re-sprayed with deer repellent, thinking maybe it'll dilute the poison ivy spray.  It's actually a mix of salt and vinegar and takes a few applications to actually kill the poison ivy but with my luck, it will kill all my plants in one shot as they're already weakened by the dry weather. 

So... Goodbye Garden 2022!!

Toe Jamb

 

Ouch! This posting starts off with a clever pun for a title. While moving barefoot from the bedroom, where I had finished a pleasant yoga session, to the bathroom- a distance of approximately eight feet- I succeeded in ramming that awkward space between my little toe and it's neighbor (ring toe?) into the jamb of the doorway. (*1) Two days later, I'm still limping. It is somewhat better, but my plans to ride my pony were hobbled by my inability to get any pair of boots on my hoof with causing excruciating pain. My old sneakers are the best I can do. I am resigned to sedentary indoor activities.

We do have a new(er) car, however, which is big news and good news! It was shockingly debilitating to be transportation-less and although helpful friends volunteered rides to stores and Insta-Cart-like experiences, we succeeded in locating a likely car rather quickly.

Hooray! We're very happy with our new red rocket, although temporarily I am unable to drive it as my right toe is part of my right foot which is required to depress the gas and brake pedals. That causes pain! But it looks good sitting in the driveway and Bob can drive it. 

In the meantime, I am eagerly awaiting the start of the seventh January 6 Select Committee hearings. It was supposed to be on at 10:00 am but got moved to 1:00 pm. At least this is something I can do while incapacitated by a swollen and painful toe. Lock him up!!!

(*1) I am aware that "toe jam" is a nasty, smelly substance that develops between the toes of unclean individuals. Fortunately, I am not one of these sufferers! And on that note, do you know anyone who admits to toenail fungus? Is this really an epidemic? Because I see all kinds of ads in magazines and on-line that want to cure it!

Remembrance of Trusty

 

This tribute is several days overdue. There is an empty spot in the driveway and in our hearts. Trusty the Accord is no more. 

Trusty was a trooper. My sister Beatrice who, with her partner John, bequeathed us Trusty several years ago, always maintained the Trusty had the quietest, most dependable engine of any car she'd known.  He always started, he ran smoothly and comfortably and had provided them with years of reliable transportation. They, in turn, took good care of Trusty and kept him running like the proverbial top. His only downfall was the inconvenient fact that people seemed to like backing into him, leaving Trusty with a curiously dented driver's side. His passenger side was unblemished. You will remark on the steel straps holding Trusty's headlight in place; Bob rigged this after we inherited him. I think Trusty viewed it sort of like an eye patch: it lent him a rakish, devil-may-care air.

 

(Oh and someone stole my WTF sticker off his bumper. Really!!?? Of all the nerve!) Trusty came to us and seemed to enjoy the change. He experienced new adventures he could never have dreamed of: transporting artwork and hay bales and an amazing assortment of plants. He always performed whatever automotive task was asked of him with good grace and humor. He did have a surprisingly impish sense of fun and was quite the joker. Beatrice had warned me that the radio was "unpredictable" and that his doors locked and unlocked with a random impertinence. He continued this practice until the day he departed.

Despite being warned by Beatrice and John's mechanic to, "Not drive to Atlantic City" (I guess he meant don't gamble or take chances...) we drove Trusty for almost four years, with only minor troubles. We recently took Trusty to Massachusetts to a friend's memorial and he performed beautifully, humming along the highway as if he'd rolled off the Honda production line yesterday. Many mechanics and auto parts salespeople attempted to buy him, remarking on just what great cars these older Accords were. But put a price on Trusty... never!

But time caught up with Trusty and his timing belt proved to be his down fall. He got us home, rolling into the driveway, delivering us safely before expiring in a billow of black smoke. As I laid a hand on his front fender one last time, I bowed my head and whispered, "Farewell Trusty! You were a good car!"