04/01 I’m thinking I can take the down sleeping bag and other winter survival gear out of my car now. There are 9 houses on my street, two have “For Sale” signs out front and someone is obviously moving out of a third. What gives? It’s the mailboxes! Had dinner with Tony and Ashley at Mom and Dad’s.
04/02 Such a nice gentle rain, I decided to set my plants outside for a bit rather than water them at the sink. Still raining. Perfect! Hanna and I curled up on the chaise and completed my assignment to watch “Under the Tuscan Sun”. Thanks, Kristen, I needed that! Dinner time and it’s still raining.
04/03 The dogs were all sound asleep when the alarm went off this morning. I neglected to tell them about daylight savings time. They poop scooped my yard today!
04/04 It’s beginning feel like spring!
04/05 Dentist this afternoon. The good news: No new cavities. The bad news: An old filling they’ve been watching for a few years needs to be replaced soon and the first tooth that got a root canal a few years back needs to be crowned. I ordered a lawn tractor this afternoon!
04/06 I had the nicest seatmate on my flight! I can’t believe how dismal this place is, all boarded up. I’m thinking it’s going to get worse long before it gets better. I’ve moved my return flight up a day.
04/07 I will be done packing tonight or tomorrow. The truck is scheduled to pick up the boxes on Tuesday morning. I’ll drop one last box off at FedEx on my way to the airport and that will be that. Window Contractor stopped by to let me know he’s going on vacation. No one will be here Monday, but Tuesday looks good. This morning when I took the first bunch of boxes to the truck a Guy in the parking lot says, “You look like you could use a hand!” and starts to clap. Nice, huh? The boxes stacked in the foyer were just too much added depressing stuff, so I decided to lug them to the truck and the UPS Store myself. I encountered a Plumber doing some work on a unit a few doors down and he let me use his cart! The bulk of it is gone. I took my bike to the bike shop. Vacation, such as it is, starts tomorrow! There’s a music festival in town, I may have to take a walk tonight and check that out. Gelato?
04/08 135 minutes, 6.92 miles, 3.1 mph, HR=127. Heart rate still higher than it should be. I’m sure the loose sand and wind contributed some, but obviously there’s still some extra adrenaline. They are pumping sand onto the beach. I’m not sure if that’s why there’s all the hairy red stuff that’s rotting and smells really bad. It’s odd there wasn’t a single seagull on the beach nor pelican on the pier. There were at least a half dozen fish caught the short time I was on the pier, I’ve never seen that before. There were also a lot of dolphins. I never did make it up town last night. I took my dinner and wine out on the dock instead. I’ve finished the last of the wine. I won’t be opening another. At least I don’t think so. A measly 250 ml of red wine with my dinner pretty much renders me useless for the rest of the evening, but I’m well rested, so it’s not a total loss. The plywood and the stinky beach are making this all easier for me, for that I’m grateful.
04/09 A dreary day. I want to go home.
04/10 A friend spent a lot of this morning offering support, encouragement and a different perspective. I think I’ve used as many cell phone minutes in the last 10 days as I have in the last 10 years and I’m thankful for each and every one. No food to be had here so I had lunch up town, managed a successful shopping mission on the way home. Remotely connected to my office and did a bunch of work. Took stuff to FedEx and UPS. Got a few groceries. There’s severe thunderstorm warnings for today and the wind is really picking up. I sure hope that plywood stays put. And, speaking of the plywood. Another Contractor Guy stopped by to measure for the beam that needs to be fabricated. Something tells me if they are measuring at 2:44 this afternoon it’s not likely they’re going to be working here tomorrow either.
04/11 They showed up and replaced the little window in the entryway. I’m not sure why that job required a jackhammer. I’m avoiding the beach. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m afraid of getting rained on or because this is no longer my life and I’m anxious to be home and get on with what is my life. Received a gentle reminder as to what’s important.
04/12 Happy Birthday to my Brother! 137 minutes, 7.33 miles, 3.2 mph, HR=109. I’m feeling much better today and my heart rate confirms that. I won’t be saying good bye, there remains something special about this area and I know I’ll be back. Home sweet home!
04/13 I was able to do so much of my work remotely that by the end of today you’ll not be able to tell I was gone for a week. I signed up for golf lessons. I’m finding Angie’s List to be an invaluable resource. Today of all days the UPS Man leaves my nine huge boxes at the neighbor’s house. Drat! It seems my two little ivy plants died while I was gone. I’ve replaced the ivy plants. I noticed the pothos from the dining room does not look as good as the one from my bedroom and I’m wondering if that’s because the plants on the dining room table never get any direct sunlight. I may want to consider moving those.
04/14 Avery didn’t want anything to do with the jogging stroller today. Let’s hope she changes her mind. We celebrated Brother’s birthday at Mom and Dad’s.
04/15 85 minutes, 5.82 miles, 4.1 mph, HR=138. I’m now the proud owner of a set of golf clubs. Can you believe it? Me neither.
04/16 84 minutes, 5.86 miles, 4.1 mph, HR=103. Easter celebration at Mom and Dad’s.
04/17 I’ve got my ankle bracelet on, that makes it officially “No Socks” season! Today I created my Christmas Shopping List. I ran across a great idea for someone on my list and I ordered it. Next week you’ll read I wrapped my first gift. I bought another plant today and split it into three, only one of which I could plant as I have no more pots. Though I’ll take one more look around the house to see if there’s one I missed. I also put big pots of pansies by my front door. Tomorrow I’ll pot the other two pieces. Then I quit with the new plants and it’s back to planting bed cleanup. I also purchased a rake with a handle, as clearing out those dead leaves with a hand rake is way more work than it needs to be.
04/18 I got one cart full of plant bed debris before it started to rain. I potted those last two plants. I’ve also added a “Plants” page with basic care instructions. This is mostly for my information but you might find it interesting. Or not. I’m using “The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual” by Barbara Pleasant as reference.
04/19 The bike shop in Florida accidentally sent my bike to New York. I came home for lunch and to let the dogs out because I have to be at my office from 1 to 5 this afternoon. A huge thank you to Carol, I’m going to have fun with this! It’s too nasty outside for yard work, but there’s more than enough to do inside. I found some plant food and two pots in a laundry room cabinet!
04/20 Somehow I never find the time to call the Dentist and make an appointment for that new crown and filling replacement. First golf lesson tonight. Towards the end the tornado warning sirens were going off. We just kept hitting balls. This week’s homework is to practice my swing and if it works to hit tennis balls down the lawn, the dogs are going to be real happy.
04/21 Housebound by the weather. Bummer! It’s 8:43 pm and Avery is asleep. In the crib! Shortly I’ll tip toe in there to turn off the music and grab the monitor. 04/22 Mother Nature; having trouble making up your mind? It worked pretty well to hit tennis balls with the golf club. Though it’s something of a miracle all the dogs still have all their teeth. While I had a whole basket full of tennis balls, we only used a half dozen. They’re going to sleep well tonight! Last week I was counting the days until I could be out of here. Today, not so much.
04/23 Coco: 85 minutes, 5.43 miles, 3.8 mph, HR=136. Tony power raked my yard! Yard work goals having been met, I got in my boat. No gas. Gas dock closed. Most unfortunate. Hanna ate my dinner. I went to town for ice cream, ended up with a hamburger. All in all, a most excellent evening.
04/24 Too nasty out to be doing any yard work and still more than enough to do inside. The Gardener was here when I got home, I should receive her proposal shortly. I was asked to quit stirring up the mulch as it’s not nearly as deep as it should be and I’m bringing dirt to the surface which encourages the weeds. Good to know!
04/25 34° and while I broke out the cashmere and long underwear, I did draw the line at socks. Worked on my golf swing.
04/26 95 oh, how I’ve missed you! But, we better not be seeing too much of each other as I really don’t need another one of those ticket things. Yeah, I got out the little car today! Installed Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 on the Precision M70 this morning. The Stucco Guys are here finishing up the porches! I told them to keep an eye on their lunch and they obviously didn’t take me seriously as Coco just brought me a bag of sunflower seeds. The alarm system has been reinstalled, recoded and tested. You have no idea how it pains me to be wearing socks.
04/27 A bit unnerving to see Tony’s truck at the clinic when I went to the post office. I haven’t seen him yet, but the receptionist reports he’s got some stitches in his pinkie. Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 is gone, too many compatibility issues. I find I’m skipping my snacks and have to absolutely force myself to eat meals. What’s up with that? I weigh myself almost every day and am careful to track what I eat so I know I’m consuming enough and not losing any weight, so don’t be worrying. I’m fine. Really. From the Gym Shrink this morning; “There are only two emotions: Love and Fear. Absolutely everything boils down to one or the other.” Something to observe and think about. Golf lesson this evening. Next week we get to actually “play” outside! I don’t think much of the golf dome, though I’m sure in January it would be more appealing.
04/28 I startled a bunch of deer in the pine trees when I rolled my trash can out to the street. I’ve never heard them snort like that, it was kind of spooky. Housebound by rain. Not a total loss as my spring A/C service is done and the filters have been changed in the air exchanger. Now if only the Gardener would call. There’s more piece of mind in a working security system than I thought there would be, especially at night.
04/29 It rained all day yesterday and looks like it’s going to do the same today. 96 minutes, 15.28 miles, 9.55 mph, HR=114 and “Nine Months” on the Wave this morning. Rain, all day long. Made cookies in an effort to at least warm up the kitchen. If I’m going to unpack any more boxes from Florida, I’ve got to go to town for hangers. I really don’t want to go to town, but since I won’t like the idea any more tomorrow, I might as well get it over with. The Wagon stalled at a stop light. Weird. It died, started, sputtered and finally ran. Seems fine now. Rain? Today the security system is a royal PITA. Operator error, mostly. Can’t give up in frustration, I’ll get the bugs out eventually.
04/30 It’s still raining! At this rate I’ll get all the Florida boxes unpacked. 9:32 am and I’ve only got three boxes left! Time for a break, I’m thinking puff pancake, coffee and Sunday paper. 12:17 pm and all the boxes are empty! Yay me! Everything from Florida smells funny and must be washed, there are five laundry loads left. I may or may not be able to finish that today and it really doesn’t matter. It feels good to have all the pieces of me in one place. I went to check my rain gauge, only to find it broken. Every time I think it’s stopped raining, it starts again. 6:25 pm and I’m done! DONE!! Every last thing; unboxed, washed and put away. I can’t sleep. Blondie couldn’t make it up the stairs on her own tonight. Her back left foot was curled up like a club foot, I had to help hold up her hind end. I didn’t have the heart to make her sleep alone in the dog room. Though I don’t know why that seems less cruel when I know darn well she’s going to fall down the stairs again tomorrow morning. It’s time. Damn!
