Friday to-do list

Good morning! Today my list is more like a normal one, with one little exception. But it has pool, it has crafts, it has chores – life is good, because it has SUNSHINE ALL DAY. 🙂

Without further ado, here it is!

*In the garden:
*Pick last beans and peas, first tomatoes.
*Pull a few weeds

In the yard:

*Wander around with the grass clippers, and check on flowers, weed and water, clip here and there.
*Start gathering first blackberries, and last raspberries for freezer, future jam and jelly!
*Scoop pool

In town:

*Grocery store for a few things (as opposed to a killer trip to restock)
*Doctor’s office to get that annoying spot off my back – fingers crossed that whatever nastiness it is, they get it all. I’ll know in a week or so.
*Book store to pick up the book for this month’s book group – dangerous stop! There is no telling what else I will pick up there. We are reading the Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout. We have read her novel Olive Kittredge, and I really liked it, so I am glad to have this one on the list.

In the house:

*Clean the bathrooms
*Change the guest room bed
*Never-ending laundry
*work on art project left over from C’s visit
*knit
*blog last week’s CAL rows!
*rest and recover
*play with the cats (Tigger caught her first basement mouse, I am so proud! Allie and Zumba watched, so maybe they will pick up this skill.)

Then if I feel up to it, I will head back to Ellsworth for a volunteer appreciation supper with the good folks from Down East Aids Network. It is put on by the board of directors, and there are some amazing cooks on that board, so it is very tempting… even if they weren’t a fun group to spend time with, which they are. 🙂

This seems like a full day, doesn’t it? I’d better get moving.

Down East Aids Walk for Zero

A, L and I went down to Bar Harbor yesterday for the DEAN walk.  It was a bit cold and cloudy, but we got warm walking!  Together, A and I raised $460 for DEAN – thanks very much to all of you who contributed to us!  The walk raised over $7,000 for DEAN – I am not sure, but I think this might be a record.

After the walk, we all gathered at the YWCA for some snacks and prize drawings.  I was happy to win a gift certificate to Cadillac Mountain Sports – we walked over there on our way out to lunch, and I got some new sox.  Very exciting.

A was craving a burger after a week of rigorous dieting, so we found a good place for lunch – A and L tried some fried mac and cheese – don’t ask me how they make it, but it looked like they batter dipped mac and cheese and then fried it.  Over kill, if you ask me!

We walked through town and then headed back to Ellsworth – went to the new ReStore – very nice space, some good deals on used furniture.  Too bad we don;t need any.  🙂

Finished up the day with a trip to the “big” store for a few things we can’t get here, and of course, got a whole lot more than we thought we needed going in.  What is it about grocery stores that makes us pick up things not on the list?  I guess we are a marketers dream customers.

finished E’s hat

I think she will love it, but of course, she is almost 6.  As far as writing the pattern down, I think it came out well enough to make that worthwhile, and it knit up very quickly.  So that is a weekend project.  I did remember to take photos of it!  I think the spiral rib is hard to see in these busy colors, I will try it again in colors that have less contrast.  The stitch is one I found in a sock book, the sock (made for niece N) showed the pattern better, so I will see what I can do to keep it fun but not too busy. The original sock pattern wasn’t striped, but the ones I made N were, and I like how they came out.  So, keep experimenting, it will work out. The braided I cord and pompoms are to celebrate being 6.  No beads in this hat, have to change it up for her, keep her interest!

Speaking of busy… this weekend I am going to tackle a few projects from the vacation list – it is supposed to be a beautiful weekend – and warm enough to swim, too.  I’ll be the one doing carpentry projects and yard work with my swimsuit on under my jeans, so I can hop into that pool if I get hot.  Won’t be too many more pool days, I know.  Nights are in the 40’s now… when I got in to scoop today, the water was definitely chilly. But the sun was warm, so it was still quite pleasant.

Saturday morning we head off to Bar Harbor to do the Down East Aids walk – a good cause, and not JUST because I am on the board.  🙂  It should be fun, if you are in the area, stop by and walk. We are meeting up at 9  near the Bar Harbor Inn, by the water.  Anyway, after that, we head to Ellsworth to shop in the “big” grocery store, and get all those environmentally friendly UNSCENTED things we can’t get locally.  Lots of fun.

E’s spiral ribbed striped cap

AIDS walk

A and I will be walking on the Down East AIDS Network  Walk for Zero walk in September raising money for a good cause.  The walk for Zero is to reach the goal of zero new cases of HIV, zero deaths from AIDS, Zero stigma.  A lofty goal.  If you would like to sponsor us, get in touch and I can tell you how.  If you would like to join us on the walk, ditto!

There must be a thief around here

Because someone stole July, and maybe June, too!  I can’t believe how fast the summer is going.  I keep a 2 month white board calendar in my office, and I updated it today.  It now goes to OCTOBER.  That is just wrong.

So anyway, that’s what I am thinking about. Here is what I am doing.  Writing my blog.

Oh, OK, here’s what I did.  🙂

This weekend was a nice one, although, as usual, too short.  However, given what a hideous week last week was at work – way too emotional – the down time was exactly what was needed.  I actually went to work for a bit, but then headed over to Down East AIDS Network for some more training so that someday they will trust me alone in the office. I think I am getting comfortable with their walk-in programs, and I got to spend some serious time cleaning a database.  I know that liking to do that type of thing makes some people think I am strange, but they are wrong.  I like it that it takes a little bit of deductive reasoning, some real skill with a mouse and google, and not much other brain power. It’s relaxing.  I followed this scintillating work up with a trip to the grocery store, then home to… you must know… if you have been reading anything I posted ever… you know that I…

Went in the pool!!!! Oh, how I love my little, shallow piece of paradise.  I skimmed the bugs and leaves, swam a bit and then – heaven – lay on my float, sipping iced tea and reading my book until I FELL ASLEEP and eventually woke up because I was COLD.  It was heavenly.  Simple pleasures, I know.

Saturday, A and I took our bikes over to the Down East Sunrise trail, and rode for a couple of miles, but it was hot and buggy, so we left, and went to the farmers market instead.  Iw as looking for blackberries – next week, they say, so I got a whoopie pie and some garlic to tide me over.  We stopped at the hardware store on the way home to get a few odds and ends that can only be found at the Bucksport true Value – they truly have everything except food.  Ran into one of my very favorite ex-bosses, and so hung out in the parking lot chatting for a bit.  Then home to vacuum the pool before floating.  No sleeping this time – chores to do, Olympics to watch.

A did some household chores and played with the kittens (she thinks I am fooled that this is a chore) while I worked away in the craft room (and I think I have her fooled that this is work.)  I am slowly but steadily plugging away at the roman shades for that room – got all the tapes sewn on – now have to hand sew the rings.  Then, I think I do a little hemming and we are ready for tools.

Two sisters-in-law came over Saturday late in the afternoon, and we saw L’s photos from her trip to S Korea and the Philipines.  It looked beautiful and interesting, but she kept telling us what she ate (things like squid, gag me!) and so I think I will stick with looking at photos rather than going there.  Unless they have PB and J to get me through it.

Sunday A made tons of strawberry jam and jelly with all the berries we had frozen a few weeks ago, while I did my usual chores of pool skimming and crafting.  Honestly, though, I did go to the dump and back to the hardware store for more jelly jars… then we watched Olympics until bedtime.

Like I said – low-key, too short, and just exactly what I needed to face this week on an even keel. Gotta love the weekend.