Two Weeks

The standard contractor answer when asked when something will be done. Remember "The Money Pit?" Well, we should get our three computers in "two weeks." HA! How come when I sign onto Blogger with my Google account and I always check "remember me," it never remembers me? How can I do an interesting window treatment without blogging (I mean blocking) out the light for the plants?

Went for a massage yesterday, but it didn't help much. I need one every day for, uh, TWO WEEKS! The clunking is back in my neck. I think I have to keep seeing the osteopath. I think whatever she did helped.

Tommaso is back. I took him to Home Depot to get another bookcase, one of those extremely heavy particle board monsters. And he lives in a fourth floor walk up! Couldn't help him get it up there, tho. I'm sure he managed somehow. It was so great to see him. We laughed and laughed.

Got a set of white dishes on Freecycle.com. Now to recycle the black ones. I'm done with my black phase. Still don't have the tv hooked up. Miss watching movies.
Babysat for S. last evening for a couple of hours while her mom went to a parents' thingie at school. S. and I went to All Pets Club and looked at the puppies. There must have been 30 or so, all different kinds of breeds. Way too cute.

Dr. Noys' Pet Toys

Hey, I hit the snail mail jackpot today!! Three personal pieces of snail mail in my new mailbox! One from O. in Wisconsin, one from my naturopath and her assistant, and Bindi got the best new toy from her cousin Trinka Deu. It's a squirrel stuffie with a REPLACEABLE squeaker inside a small pouch which closes with velcro. She had seen/played with/chewed Trinka's when we went out to Illinois in August, and now Bindi has her very own. Bindi likes the small toys with squeakers but always rips the guts out and chews on the plastic squeaker within minutes, and sometimes I sew them back up with the squeaker if it's not destroyed, and sometimes I just throw them away. Anywho, it was great getting the snail mail.

Killer day at the Yale office. Non stop. Everyone had a crisis. Tell me this: why does a private university with many BILLIONS in its endowment give me a hard time when I need three new computers? And we need them now. I try to not get too furious about this, except it makes my job harder cause the people who need the computers come to me to do what they cannot. I asked over five weeks ago, and they are gaslighting me by saying someone will come around to do an INVENTORY! An inventory!?!?!?! I already DID an inventory!! I need three computers!!!

On the good side, I called the Cheshire community pool and found out that it's only $250 for the full year to use the pool which is a very good deal, so I'll sign up. The bubble will be in place in a week, and the pool will have been cleaned, so I can get started. An unexpected bonus of moving here.

And finally, Freecycle.com rocks! I got a very nice small computer table this afternoon which is exactly what I need. I didn't want something big and honking, and this is perfect.

We need rain. Badly.

Nap Day

Being at the beach yesterday was nice. We were there from about 3.30-5.30, took a dip, and munched on snacks. We noticed on the drive that THE LEAVES ON THE TREES ARE ALREADY TURNING! Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh! Where did the summer go? Oh yeah, looking for a place, going to Italy, my father dying, moving. I remember now. R & F came over later and helped me move boxes and think about the placement of furniture.

I spent a few hours this morning planting the hostas. Each clump could be separated into several individual plants by soaking them in a bucket of water and twisted apart the roots. That was I was able to plant about twenty in a row with a plain one, then a variegated one, then a plain one . . . I still have more out at M's to dig up.

You know how I'm always looking for an outdoor pool wherever I am? Found one in Cheshire and went there today for a long slow lap swim. It wasn't great but it was outdoors, and they will put a dome over it for the winter. Cost me $11 just for the one swim, which seems quite a bit, but oh well. It's only five miles up the road. Have to find out if they are open for just lap swims during the winter. Seems to be part of the Cheshire High School, cause it has lots of lap lanes and bleachers and such. Is very convenient for me, however. After the swim I went to DQ and had a chocolate oreo blizzard, then came home and took a nap, the first one in a very long time. I was sooooooooooooooooo tired. Camilla was all cuddly and that was nice. Made some dinner but all I want is ice cream. Can't get on that bandwagon again. No, m'am. No sirree. Nada.

Figured out how to set up my high speed internet, so am not mooching off the neighbor's network any longer. AT&T gave me a free 30 day trial with Vonage download movies, and their selections are the worst! No bargain there.

Monday morning looms. I just don't have enough time to do everything I need to do. Well, I would if I was one of those high energy people, but I'm not. The planting of the hostas was quite a production and lapswimming was necessary. I need to be compassionate with myself and know that moving in will be a slow process, and I need to respect my limits and my own pace.

Kitchen

Here's Laura in my kitchen. We were cleaning before I moved stuff in and she helped me immeasurably. I need her again to help me unpack. I spoke too soon about Camilla. She's still having "issues" so I'll put her back on and keep her on the xanax for a while. Perhaps she is reacting to all the mess and boxes, and thinks we're back in Guilford getting ready to leave. I've had a couple of hard days, trying to unpack, going to my Yale job, seeing clients, getting the little things I need here and there. Been crabby at work. Ate donuts and ice cream yesterday, something I haven't done in weeks and weeks. Went to collect some perennials from a woman who had listed them on Freecycle.com and spent a long time trying to find out where she lived. Now to plant them. Got a beautiful housewarming gift from C & D in the mail yesterday, a stunning dark blue bowl with red accents, like my front door. My knees are hurting. It's 5:45am and I'm up cause Camilla had one of her "issues" out of the box and had to clean it up. It's so worrysome with all this carpetting. Rachel suggested we go to the beach this afternoon and I think that's just the ticket. We'll take a picnic, and chill by the water. I still need a dining room table. I'm resisting going to Ikea and just buying one, don't know why. Well, I do know. A lot of their stuff is crap, but for expediency's sake I just might. Have been receiving the local paper which is just really bad. Trying to find tag sales nearby and so far nothing. I'm still not getting any forwarded mail from the last place, even though I submitted the change a week ago. Could it really take this long? I think most people underestimate the toll that stress and tiredness take on a person.

But I have a nice new student assistant who is working for me at Yale. Unfortunately, the provost is giving us a hard time about the three new computers we need for our faculty and staff. How can that be? Yale has billions and a small program like ours gets treated like dirt. I try to not let it infuriate me, but sometimes I can't help it. They're going to send someone to do an "inventory" of what we need computer wise but, duh, I already told them!! Two years, four months and then I'm out of there.

New Home

That's my front yard. That's the front of the house. I'm extremely tired and overwhelmed by boxes of stuff, but glad to be there. It's quiet, and feels so luxurious to have a whole house to myself. My first piece of personal snail mail came from my niece and that made me very happy. Lurkers, send me more! It's quiet at night, and I just put food in the existing bird feeder in the front yard, and the birds are arriving. My animals seem quite content, although Camilla is iffy. She's been hiding in the closet. She is so attuned to my states of stress. Still have a bit more stuff out at M's which I must get, and am hoping to get some free hostas from someone who listed them on freecycle.com. Lots of shade, so lots of shade loving plants will be introduced. Dish tv guy came this morning and announced that I can't use dish 'cause there are too many trees, so I guess it's back to Comcast and the cable hookup. Yuk. Been exploring the neighborhood some and it is very nice. Nice nice nice.

Tomorrow

Out of clever titles. Dreamed of DillBoy last night, that he was alive and well. I still miss him every day. I'll probably dream of Dad soon.

Worked at the Johnson Road house today with Laura, washing out cabinets, cleaning the bathroom, being there for the carpet cleaning guy. The carpets had already been cleaned, but I wanted them cleaned again, just 'cause, and he put some anti-bacterial and some scotchguard stuff on it too. Left all the windows open to dry the carpet when we left ; hope it doesn't rain. Found a few minor repairs that need to be made, like, the landowners left me a garbage can that was supposed to have wheels, but had none. For instance. Rob was there for a bit, brought some stuff over in his car, and went up to the attic and found some minor treasures, along with some junk left by the previous tenants. There's a black and white cat that lives in the house in back, with the angry dog named Pudge. Hopefully Pudge and Bindi will learn to get along.

Took a drive out to Ocean State Job Lot this evening and got a new piece of astroturf for the garden shed, for ten bucks. And bought a light beige rug to cover the ugly mauve rug in the smaller bedroom. Bought Bindi a new dog bed for the new house. The kitchen has tons of storage cabinets.

Tried to go to sleep earlier but couldn't. Will try now.

T Minus Two Days

I don't even know what that means. Or if it's the right wording for two days left till I move. I'm pretty much packed, and I met the landowners and picked up the keys today. Bindi and I went over for a look, and I think the place will work out fine. There are a few minor things that need tending to, but nothing major so far. I hate the carpeting but guess I will cover it with rugs of some sort. Met the woman who lives next door; she is the mother of one of the landowners. Her other son lives in the house behind me. The house was built in the 1940s, and oddly, but to my pleasure, has a bright red door. The landowners have given me permission to plant perennials around the house, so I am looking foward to that as the landscaping is sparse.

Photo is a wavy day at American Beach near Maria di Pisa in Italy. No one was supposed to go into the water as the riptide was very strong, but you can see how well that worked. There is a U.S. military base nearby, hence the name of the beach.

Taking some plants to the new house tomorrow, to make it feel more like mine.

Dogy: A variant of dogie

n. pl. do·gies Western U.S.
A stray or motherless calf.
dogie etymology
[Origin unknown.]
Regional Note: In the language of the American West, a motherless calf is known as a dogie. In Western Words Ramon F. Adams gives one possible etymology for dogie, whose origin is unknown. During the 1880s, when a series of harsh winters left large numbers of orphaned calves, the little calves, weaned too early, were unable to digest coarse range grass, and their swollen bellies "very much resembled a batch of sourdough carried in a sack." Such a calf was referred to as dough-guts. The term, altered to dogie according to Adams, "has been used ever since throughout cattleland to refer to a pot-gutted orphan calf." Another possibility is that dogie is an alteration of Spanish dogal, "lariat." Still another is that it is simply a variant pronunciation of doggie.

Well, the Italians didn't know this when they put this sign on the dog poo box near the beach in Marina di Campo. Don't you just love how the doggie's butt just sparkles! Maybe the can is filled with motherless calves. Okay, enough.

Went thru boxes of saved useless papers today, getting ready for the move. Found some little gems that I didn't remember were there. The move is set for next Friday in the morning. I sign the lease and get the keys on Wednesday. Laura C. has been coming over to help me back; without her I wouldn't be doing a thing.

Had dinner with Jim and Rob last night, as Jim left CT to move to California this morning. Boo hoo. Another friend transplanted. I am happy for him making this brave move, but will miss him too.

Grief

Rainy, rainy day. Started the day with Dr. Artemis, my naturopath/acupuncturist. I was lying on the treatment table with a bunch of needles sticking out of me, and a song came over the sound system that struck a deep cord in me. A woman was chanting or speaking/singing something in English, and while I couldn't catch all the words, something about her voice and the melody and rhythm of the music made me start to cry. Dr. Artemis came in a few minutes later to take out the needles and I was still crying. I sat up to get ready to leave and began sobbing and sobbing. My nose began to bleed. And bleed and bleed. Dr. A came back in and said I had broken a blood vessel in my nose by crying so hard, and gently attended me. There was blood all over my mouth, on my t-shirt, on the treatment table.

I was releasing grief, and I had the thought that I didn't have enough time with my dad. I didn't have enough time with him in a good way. Not enough time with him as a child, not enough time with him as an adult before his car crash, and too much time knowing he was unhappy. When Dr. A was dealing with my bloody nose, I remembered that I used to get bad nosebleeds as a kid. One memory was of sitting in the bathroom with a nosebleed and my dad was there, telling me to put my head back, and I could taste all the blood running down my throat. I said to him, "I can't stand that taste." He said, "You can't stand anything." Ah, the oversensitive child.
And the insensitive parent. He was not a giving man. I don't remember him ever telling me he loved me.

I left the doctor's office and decided to go buy a candle to light for him, and for me, at a shop where I knew they would have the one I wanted. An unusual candle with the scent of Fresh Tomato Leaf. It was given to me by a friend a couple of years ago, and everyone liked the scent. I went into the shop and saw a beautiful black shop cat milling about. I said hello to him and tried to pick him up, and he bit me on the hand, and I bled again. I bought the candle, two actually, and realized when I was about to leave that I had left my keys locked in my car, with Bindi in the front seat. Fortunately, the day was cool and she was in no danger of overheating. I called the Geico people, and went next door to my optician's office. We had a nice chat and he proudly showed me his beautiful collection of antique optician's instruments. He wondered what their value was, and I said I'd do an internet search for him. He was so appreciative.

The Geico guy finally came, and when he got the door open, he immediately took Bindi by the leash and brought her to me. And as I was leaving, the woman from the candle shop came out and gave me a beautifully wrapped bag of candy, just 'cause. It was a very sweet gesture.

Tomorrow I will commit to renting a 5 room house in Hamden. It's in a very quiet neighborhood, set back from the road which is not heavily travelled, so the cats will be safe to go outside. It's a plain house, but has what I need: everything on one level, no steps at all, and big enough for all my stuff. It's more than I can really afford on my salary, but I will tighten my belt. I am so tired of looking, and this house will be near some of my friends which is what I need right now.

Resurrection Lily

Lycoris squamigera.

Today I was in Edgerton Garden for a work party, talking to Matthew and April as we weeded and pruned the herb garden. When I walked back to my own plot, I was astonished to see that my Resurrection Lily had bloomed. This plant is also known as Surprise Lily, Magic Lily, and Naked Lady. It grows from bulbs, and the foliage appears in spring and after a few weeks dies back to nothing. Then, miraculously, a flower stalk emerges from the ground in late summer and blooms with light pink flowers.

I had transplanted these bulbs from my mother's garden back in East Peoria, probably 5-6 years ago. They have never bloomed before. And now, twelve days after my father's passing, they bloom for the first time. It was so sweetly moving that it occurred to me that a fitting memorial to my parents might be a dedicated bench in the community garden. They had been to Edgerton Park only once, but the community garden is such a beautiful lush place that a bench in their memory would last a very long time, and have great meaning to me. I have written my siblings about this.

The Prospect house is out. The landowner has shown himself to be unreliable, and while I am disappointed in many ways, I shall move on. I have three places to look at tomorrow and one on Monday. I feel somewhat less stressed about the move; not sure why.

Visited a new faculty member today in Hamden, to pick up some moving boxes she had. Their house is on a stunning piece of land. Took Bindi to the dog park after for a while, but she was not too keen on running with the other canines. She did a bit, then we went home, but only after a stop at the Stony Creek beach where Bindi walked into the water and lay down first on one side, then on another, to cool off. It was not a hot day but she is getting more and more comfortable with being in the water. I hope to see her swim sometime soon.

Frances stayed over on Thursday night. As soon as she went to bed, I let Misty in the door and she brought in the tiniest baby bunny. She dropped it from her mouth, I picked it up, Frances wanted to see it, then I let it go. That same night around 1am, Camilla decided she did not like the fan I had blowing on the bed, not my usual setup, and she proceeded to pee about a quart right next to me! The wetness woke me up, and I spent the next half hour stripping sheets and mattress pad and nightgown from the bed, and replacing with clean. She has never done that before. Her stress level is sky high, and even with the xanax she is on she cannot be trusted. Misty is catching mice, voles, bunnies, and I don't know what else. This evening both she and Camilla were chasing a tiny mouse around the bedroom. I rescued that little creature and put it back outside. Life in the country.

The pain in my foot is less, after treatments from the acupuncturist and the osteopath. I don't know what they do that works, but it certainly seems to.

Received sympathy cards from two of my favorite men friends. Lovely.

I also noticed today that the butterfly pea I planted this year for the first time from seed had bloomed.

Dad

My father died today. Around three thirty. My older sister Carolyn was with him. It is what he wanted. He was not happy with his life.

I was in Edgerton garden around that time, a fitting place. I was weeding, and planting. Things my father did, which instilled the love of gardening in me.

I had a dream last night about a cobalt blue glass goblet. It was etched with names, or dates, or something else, I cannot remember. It broke in the dream, and I knew it could not be repaired, it was so precious. I may have been passing it to someone else, perhaps one of my sisters, when it broke.

I will go to Illinois tomorrow for a few days.
Rest in peace, Daddy.

Pisa at Night

This is a photo of Tommaso and his friend Francesca in front of the Keith Haring mural in Pisa. I was surprised to come across it there, and T said he painted it just before he died. The shadow in back of T and Francesca is a glass wall to prevent people from touching it or defacing it.

That night in Pisa was really hard. It was very hot, we had to walk a long way to see the leaning tower, it was crowded and dirty, and many of the small alleyways we walked thru smelled of piss. Yuk. We stopped for gelato, and I didn't even want to finish mine, which is unheard of. We met up with another friend of theirs, Riki, who was very pleasant, but I was complaining so much that I can't image I made a very good impression. I'm twice the age of these kids, and they were not bothered by the walking or the throngs of people or even the grimy streets, and they were very tolerant of my whining.

The leaning tower was underwhelming. I've seen better photos of it. It's on a small plot of ground with a cathedral, and perhaps because it was night I did not see all the "glorious" details, but it didn't seem like a big deal to me. None of the Italians sweat there, but I was just dripping with it, but I long ago decided I would not be embarrassed by having inherited my father's sweat glands! Tommaso kept commenting on it, tho. Bad boy.

***********

I'm going to go look at three more apartments today. Then have to be home for the first load of M's stuff to arrive. And Kip has gone missing all night! I just want to sleep, but the anxiety is too great.

Tuscany

One photo of the beautiful dry hot landscape in the Tuscan hills, where I spent two days with Tommaso's parents. I have many stories from the trip and will share them gradually.

Right now I'm in the middle of trying to pack and move, still with no clear idea of where I'm going, and my brain is scattered. And I'm a bit jet lagged.

There are four cats in the house now: Camilla and Misty, and Kip and Pippa, M's kitties.

Ciao!

Tommaso and Roberto, his father, have just gone off to the dentist. I am in their lovely apartment by myself, as his mother is at work. She is a nuclear physicist, and has a very important job of dealing with the safe disposal, as it were, of nuclear waste. They are lovely people, and Miranda, T's mama, is so warm and welcoming. She tries very hard to use the English she knows, and does very well, although last night she was so tired she could not keep trying. I showed them the wedding photo of Ginny Anselmo and Augusto Campanella. Miranda said by the way they were dressed in the photo it looked as if they had money. Roberto said I have my grandfather's mouth. I also showed them a 1942 photo of Walt and Fifi, and Roberto remarked that my mother was "il bambino," looked like a baby in the photo. I said she was 18 when she got married.

Last night for dinner we had stuffed zucchini, salad, fruit. So delicious and healthy. For lunch Roberto made pasta with small shrimps and fresh mussels, and the most ripe flavorful sliced tomatoes from their garden. I cannot remember when I have had tomatoes so good. I mixed some of the tomatoes with the pasta, and Roberto in Italian told T. something about "these Americans, mixing everything together," good naturedly. He said, "You will ruin the taste of the pasta!" Yesterday T. and I went for a swim at a beach in Terrino, then to a private pool club that one of his friends belongs too. It is so hot here, and so nice to be able to dip in water at will.

Miranda told me about her cat Rufus who died ten years ago, and how much she loved him. She cried telling the story. She said, "I always told people I have two sons: Tommaso and Rufus." She is deeply sensitive, and I like her very much. She told me about all the plants on her window sill, and was perplexed about why her very old rosemary plant is not doing well. A bonsai was a gift from a colleague, and she admitted she does not like it, as she sees the constriction of the plant in its pot as being cruel. She is hoping to retire in April, if the Italian government does not change the minimum age of retirement from 57 to 58. Roberto is retired from the postal service, I believe. They were very interested in my retirement options at Yale. Miranda is also suing the government for wages due her, as her salary is way below what other workers in her position make. Tommaso did not say it was gender discrimination, but I think it is, as there are very few women in her position. The married women here do take their husbands' names at marriage, but then continue to use their own surnames in daily and work situations. So all the married names on the buzzers' labels to the apartments here have two last names. And guess what the first one was that I noticed on the list? BINDI! Turns out Bindi is a very common surname in Italy. Who knew? Certainly not I.

We visited a man down the street who has two dogs and two cats, including a black miniature pinscher, very very very cute named Jotti. The dog and one of the cats were puppy/kitten together, and get along so well.

I am off to the American beach near here, as there is a huge US military base nearby, and I know almost no Italian.
Ciao, ciao!!

Italy Bound

Ok, all you lurkers, I've got my sitemeter installed and can tell people have been reading or looking at my blog, but not leaving a comment. How 'bout just leaving your initials so I know you've been here? Want to make it as easy as possible.

Got before-the-trip stress. I always wait till the last minute to pack. Went and bought a new pair of sneakers and a rain jacket for the trip. Expennnnnnnnsive! Oh, well, it's only money.

If I have a chance while I'm away, I'll blog a bit from my trip, but otherwise, see you on July 27!

OutFoxed

Isn't this photo that Rob took of one of the local foxes stunning? He's such a good photographer, and he caught this gal in such a great pose. He told me he was just driving on Route 146 one day, saw her, and took the photo from inside his car.

Went out to the Prospect house last night with DF, and she made some good suggestions. Bad news: my cell phone doesn't get reception at that house either!!! I can't stand it! DF said it was because there was a mountain right in front of the house, not a big mountain, but a hill that was probably blocking reception. The price of living rurally I guess. Met the next door neighbor, who was very chatty but seems very nice. Has lived there for 30 years, and knew the woman well who lived in the house I am considering. Into gardening, has a golden lab not seen during our visit, and has a big pond on her property. I'm still hoping for something along the shoreline, but it will take a miracle.



More bad news: I might have lyme disease again. Thought all these symptoms were just stress, but am going to see my doc this afternoon, get her to order some blood work, and get her to give me some antibiotics to take on my trip. I think I should start taking them prophilactically as the lab tests won't come back till early next week. Here's a list of my symptoms that can all be associated with lyme, for your information:

muscle/joint aches and cramps
clunk in neck/maybe jaw
vomiting, diarrhea
decreased appetite
sensitivity to cold
depression
eye redness

I've no rash or hives or anything -- wait. That's not true. I have a rash on my very low back, right above the butt cleavage. Didn't connect it till just now. Oh, drat.

Swim Little Fishy, Swim

Ok, so I got myself to go to the pool and swam and swam. It was SO hot here today, and humid. How can I possibly move to Florida? The transplants down there say you get used to it. But I dunno. I feel so down and depressed. Nothing is getting through this cloud. Exercise is supposed to make one feel more alive, but not me, which is why I try to avoid it at all cost.

Tommaso called today to say he and his dad will pick me up at the airport in Pisa. His mom he said was all apologetic that she couldn't come to the airport, too, but I said that was not a problem. He said I could have his room and he would sleep in the study, and that it was cool there. I have no idea what to expect. I've got my Italian phrase book, and that's about it. I've been told that if you make an effort to say a few Italian phrases, the people are very pleased, even if you don't speak fluent Italian. Have to remember to bring some photos of my Sicilian ancestors to show Tommaso and his family.

Tried to do the directory update for Yale today, and ran into so many problems. Rachel and I will tackle it tomorrow.

My garden is doing well. The tomatoes love this hot weather.

Phooey

This blog on blogger made me change to an upgraded template in order to install a site meter, but I can't figure the darn thing out. And it screwed up my last post, and the edit thingie won't work. Bleecchh. On the topic of bleecchh, I threw up last night. Rather early this morning. Woke up at 3am filled with worry, about the trip, about moving, about work, about money, had a headache, took some ibuprofin, and . . . hurled chunks. Rachel thought it was cause we were at the beach yesterday, and I got too much sun, but I was under the umbrella most of the time. I didn't even want to go in the water; stress makes me colder I think, and the water was just too cold. I usually love jumping in salt water, but I'm just a wreck these days. Did a bad junk food binge last night, too, which I'm sure contributed to me being sick. Ate better today. Overeating never solved anything.

Have to take Bindiloo to the vet AGAIN tomorrow to get her kennel cough shot. Her eye still does not look right to me, but two vets have said it is fine. The darn surgeon still hasn't called me back, after two calls. Television sucks. I want a crewcut, but better keep it a bit long since I'll be meeting people I've never met before, and don't want to freak them out. Have to go buy a pair of good sneakers before I leave. The teardown before the rebuild has taken place at the house I'll probably be moving into, and JA said he would really like me to live there. Nothing else has panned out near the shore, and I really don't want to move back into New Haven. Need a yard for these guys, these critter guys of mine. Gals.

I have to remind myself that nothing I'm facing is as bad as what many other people endure. Like the Iraq war. The major media doesn't even focus much on it anymore, which is abhorrent to me. Have to go to online sources to find out what is really happening. One thing's for sure: things are not getting better.

070707

Photo of the Grand Lunar and Gark at a Loons baseball game. They look happy.

Tried to go to my pool today but someone had hurled chunks and the pool was closed. Reached Rachel and went with her and Frances to their pool, which is not heated, and was very refreshing. Had dinner at a Japanese restaurant after, then talked to Rachel's neighbor who does the most gorgeous garden in his small yard. Flowers, plants, perennials, herbs. Had a blooming yellow clivia. And black bamboo. Very beautiful.

Went to Edgerton garden after and did some weeding and watered my garden there. Dahlia's are coming up, and cannas, and four o'clocks, and the patty pan squash that reseeded itself from last year is covered with flowers so the fruit should be coming in soon. Probably while I'm away.

Greece (and Italy)

Photo from Tommaso from his trip to Greece. I mean, the place REALLY looks like this. It's just astonishing how beautiful these whitewashed stucco buildings and narrow street town pathways are.

My friend RM from The Hague has been visiting all week, and we've had much fun. Had a small gathering of folks over for a cookout yesterday, then RM and I went to the video store and he was telling me a story about his dad, a funny story, and when we walked into the store we were both laughing hysterically. I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard. What a relief. He played the accordion for my guests and has been my helper with many small tasks around the house. He's such a great guy. Wish he lived closer so he could give me piano lessons.

Went to look at a condo on the beach in Milford with RM on Tuesday. Yuk. Two flights of cement stairs down to the water which was gross, and the condo only had windows on one side. Can't do that. Prospect is still looking like the best bet. Would like to get out there and clean up some of the gardens, but the temps are supposed to be above 85 degrees for the next week, when it isn't raining. Still trying to track down people who live in that area. So far, two. Rachel says she already sees herself out there, sitting on the deck, overlooking the overgrown pond.

Finally went to my accountant and had my 2006 taxes done. Getting a refund which will go to paying off my Master Card bill. She said if I reduce my 401K contribution by 15% I should be able to afford a $900 rent. I'm lucky I get a pension, I guess, cause I would never be able to live on the amount I have managed to save. I'm starting to understand what the economists mean when they talk about the "disappearing middle class." Either you are so poor that you get government assistance, or you are so wealthy you don't have to worry that much about money. The rest of us sort of live paycheck to paycheck. Something is wrong with this picture. I shouldn't have to have another person's income combined with mine in order to find a decent place to live, but that's the state I find myself in. A single income isn't enough.

Been swimming at the pool a couple of times. They have that awful thunder policy: after the last sound of thunder is heard, everyone has to wait one half hour before getting back into the pool. They've been keeping the water temp at 90 degrees, a little too hot for me, but good for the little ones who take lessons there. It's on the Branford harbor so sometimes the breezes make it kind of cool. Where will I swim in Prospect?

Off to Italy a week from Sunday. Have I started packing? Of course not! Gonna try to take carry on bags only. I remember I did that when I went to Greece. Found a couple of things I'd bought in Greece which no longer fit me. May send them to IKA.

The Indiana Jones madness is supposed to be over tomorrow. Good.