Janna's handiwork

Well, yeserday I was pretty excited about our trip. I had to work most of the day--I usually work later on Thursdays anyway and had to do as much as I could before I left--groceries, bank, etc. I managed to squeeze in lunch with Becky and she wished me Bon Voyage. She was looking forward to a visit with her daughter too. Ray and I had some errands to do. We went to the bank and picked up a few things at Kroger as well. At the bank we went to get my passport out of the safe deposit box. Ray had been carrying his around with him since he came back from Oslo a year ago! Unfortunatly, that turned out to be a bettter plan than mine--it wasn't in the safe deposit box!! I couldn't believe it. I really had no idea where else it could be.

When we got home, I began looking through piles of paper near my computer. I tried to imagine what I would have done with it when I came back from France last year. The most likely scenario seemed to be that I had it in the car and just never got around to taking it to the bank--or I had given it to Ray to take care of for me and he had left it in a "to do" pile. He looked in the car, the garage, the study, through every pile he had. Although I began to panic, I thought it must be in the house somewhere and I would find it. I began sytematically to ransack the house, starting in my closet, looking through all my piles of clothng, checking every old purse. I opened every drawer and made sure there was no place something the size of a passport could be hidden. I moved all the books on my bedside table. All the while I knew there was no way it could be any of these places. Ray looked through all the suitcases in the basement. My mother made a great dinner, but I refused to sit down and eat. My father suggested if I took a break, I would be more functional. I began to go through every piece of paper in the area, putting them in boxes and bags when I was sure there was nothing in there. I looked behind furniture, took things out of drawers. The area began to look like a tornado or a burglary. At this point, I was convinced it had somehow gotten taken to the dump and it started to hit me that there was nothing I could do, I was not going to be able to go. In this climate, there was no way I could talk my way into letting me travel without my passport--never mind that a few years ago, it would not be a problem to go to Mexico that way. Well, if I could have gotten into Mexico, I certainly couldn't have gotten back into the US. (A friend of Ray's 12 year old daughter's name was spelled differently and it held them up for 4 hours!) You can't get a passport, even in a rush, overnight. (it turns out you can--for $300, Ray looked on line, but it was probably too late in the day). Anyway, I turned over a piece of paper and there it was, between two random things, campaign literature from last fall, no rhyme or reason to it. I kissed it, I was so relieved. Moral of the story: don't give up. I was planning to keep looking all night until it was time to leave for the airport. Ray said he wouldn't go without me, which was pretty dumb, but kind of touching. Expensive...Actually, the moral of the story is, keep your passport in a safe place, check it well before your trip.

Like hitting your thumb with a hammer because it feels so good when you stop, we were all very happy that it "turned up." I was exhausted and sore. I enjoyed my dinner and a little wine, packed some and tried to relax. But I could not fall asleep for hours. Adrenaline, I guess!

This is how the garden looks from upstairs, at least it did about 10 days ago.

Now, my stress is more like excitement. I talked to molli and amelia about our trip (tomorrow!) and we are going to do some fun things!

Yesterday I worked until 1, but never heard from Alison. She was supposed to have a board meeting last night, so I suspect she was getting ready for that. Today I have to do everything I can't do for the next 10 days. Except that I don't know what will be needed while I'm gone.

Ray and I got a swim in, so that was really good. Then I had a brief meeting with the nominating committee to see who has applied to be on the search committee. Our job is to pick 10 people and the congregation will elect 7 of them.

Then we took some cucumbers and tomatoes to potluck, where there were about 6 of us, but we had a great dinner. They were glad to see us; no one else had brought salad.

Started packing and paid my bills.

No wonder we eat tomatoes every day. And we have had some really tasy melons, too. Last night, we ate two of the most beautiful eggplants I've ever seen--long, light purple, almost fluorescent (Ping-Tung?).

I have been feeling really stressed. I was looking forward to these few days before we go to get things done and not have to do class work, but other stuff is crowding out my pleasure. It is a little cooler this morning, which has been one of the things making me cross. Over 90 again yesterday. Ray has been sleeping in and not coming to town with me (which he is of course entilted to, since it's his vacation). That means I don't go for a swim before I come home. Plus there has been lots to do at work, which is good, because it means more hours and more money. But it eats up the time I thought I had to get ready for my trip to Mexico. Last night was a board meeting at UUFA. I have to go as past president, but I don't get to vote, so it was with reluctance that I went. On the whole, it is usually energizing and last night's was pretty enjoyable and got over before 9, so that's good.

More cucumbers every day

The plan was for me to sleep really well last night and get caught up from the weekend, so I can get everything done before my next trip, without having to be stressed and panick-y.

Yesterday I worked until almost 3, with no break, not a good plan for me, but it was Payroll day, so I had to stay until it was done. I depend on Alison to finalize and approve the time cards before I can actually pay everyone. Then I went to ALPS because Gloria was anxious for me to meet with her. There was drama camp going on, lots of noisy small children, making it hard to balance the checkbook, etc. I finally got home about 5. The Captain was grumpy for several reasons. The pump had broken and he wanted to know if we would spring for another one. I said we should wait a while, as long as we were allowed to water, and buy a soaker hose instead. I told him I thought we should be able to get away with watering once a week, and we could probably put away most of the rain barrels. They had contacted a cleaning lady, Denise, and she was here at 3:00, but I was not. Ray showed her around and she called in the evening and said she would come for $100. Captain said he would do it for that.

Vanessa made whiskey sours and Ray made dinner, so that I could relax, but I am still feelig a little stressed. It was somewhat cooler last night and not too humid, so Ray opened up the windows.

I am sad because I have decided not to take any more classes. It is $1200 for one class this fall.

I am so tired! Yawning, achy, stuffy...We went to bed about 11, but it took me a while to fall asleep. Carpooling with other people is hard. We didn't leave as early as I would have liked, and then we looked in Augusta for a place we wanted to eat, that would be good but fast. We finally ate at Five Guys (is that the name). It's a hamburger place. They serve burgers, fries, and drinks. Hot dogs, too. You can have all kinds of toppings on your burger--like grilled onions and mushrooms--no extra charge. We didn't know, but they are 2 patties, unless you order the little ones, which I would do next time. Ray and I split a small (regular) order of fries--it would have been plenty for four! They were really good burgers, too.

We went to the beach in the morning. I played some more Spider. I mad pancakes for the crew with blueberries. When Ray and Becky went shopping (while I was on line Friday in Beaufort), they were supposed to get buttermilk for the pancakes, but there wasn't any. So they got this powdered stuff--you're supposed to add one cup of water and 4 T. for every cup of buttermilk. My pancakes were too thin. And then trying to cook on someone else's stove, with their pans. They were not beautiful. Some were not cooked enough and some were almost burned. But they liked them and we ate them all up!

The beach and the ocean were wonderful and it was practically like The Big Chill--or being in college. We all had so much fun. We already made another date in September.

but I am really glad to be home. Sleeping in my own bed. Even driving our own car from Becky's to here. It smelled like cookies!

Sunday

Yesterday I stayed here while Deb, John, and Ray went to walk the dogs on the beach. Then we all had breakfast. Then we eventually all went down to the beach, with chairs and umbrellas and books....Ray and I spent a lot of time in the water. The tide was too high for bocce. I came back a little before the others, had a nice shower and dressed in my new skirt and a t-shirt. I played several games of Spider during the day. I had a delicious sandwich, with bread from Big City and garden tomato...but no cookies! I read some and most people went back to the beach. Then we went to dinner at a great new place in Beaufort, Wren. It was delicious and really fun. We walked a little in Beaufort and by the time we got home, I could not stay up any later, so was again the first to bed.

Saturday

I woke up at 8:00!! I couldn't believe it. I did stay up after 10, I think. Most of the group was sitting around, laughing at Ray's jokes. He didn't come to bed until midnight. They were drinking bourbon--Maker's Mark. I lay on the couch and finished a really bad mystery novel--Stephanie Plum between the numbers--until I was dozing more than I was reading. I already heard all Ray's jokes multiple times, but I enjoyed the ambience.

Yesterday I didn't get up until almost 7, went to work in the morning. After the first couple of hours, I didn't have that much to do. I will talk to Alison about taking on more, once I get back from my travels and get caught up. Ray picked me up, and we went to get some lunch from Ike and Jane's (where Black Forest Bakery used to be). It's a nice little place and had a steady stream of business. They have lots of great looking cupcakes, as well as donuts, but I resisted. We called Becky and got a sandwich for her, too. She wanted a large iced tea, but hadn't tasted theirs yet (and it wasn't large enough), so we stopped at Wendy's and got one for her. I had to get a Coke float while I was there. When we got to the Silvers', they were not quite ready (WAINS?). We (mostly Ray) moved our things from our car to theirs. Ray drove most of the way down. Becky and I sat in back and Kent rode shotgun. It is a very comfortable car, although Becky had meant to bring a movie and forgot and I told her not to go back in. We had an amazing amount of stuff for 2 days. We brought cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden, as well as a loaf of Luna bread we got at Ike & Jane's, and the pancake fixings.

We got to Beaufort about 5:15. I had contacted the Chamber of Commerce there to find out where I could access the internet. My last class and a chance to see what the other groups had done was at 5:00 (on Friday!). The Common Ground Coffeeshop was great, right on the water and very funky. I had a raspberry-peach smoothie (have to be a customer) and logged on with no problem. They were in the middle of one of the group presentations. After it was done, they had another group presentation. There were only 9 of us "in" the class. Becky, Kent, and Ray were supposed to leave me there and Ron and Janna were supposed to pick me up. They were going to be another hour, and they still had to buy groceries. Meanwhile, Becky had been at the grocery store while I was in class, so I just had them come back and get me, instead of waiting around for Janna.

We got to Deb and John's about 7, put away groceries, had some wine and cheese and snacks. Then we went for a long walk on the beach with the three dogs: Barney, Joe and Beamer. Ray and I went in the water a good bit. It was really warm, a little windy, but didn't feel cold when you got out. When we got back to the house, Ron and Janna were sitting on the porch. They had put the groceries away. We went to work making supper. John had marinated some grouper (caught locally that morning and bought that afternoon from the Gay Fish Company) with herbs and cooked it on the grill. We had some rice, Becky had bought green beans, which Janna steamed (not long enough imho) and then mixed with garlic cooked in olive oil. We also had cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, oil and vinegar. It was great. Ray asked for seconds on the fish, but it was all gone. John said he was not a Jewish mother, so he made enough and served it all. Some people had peaches and ice cream with basil, but I resisted. I had ice cream earlier in the day. I did have some of Ray's though; it was really good. Then they started with the drinking and jokes.

The day before (Thursday) was of course the day to finish my project. I worked, then I met Sara Ruth at the library. Then I came home. I worked on putting the parts together, sending it to her now and then. We had to cut some to get it down to 12 pages, the maximum. Then there were a bunch of appendices, charts with the data, etc. Meanwhile, she worked on the power point presentation and sent it to me for comments. I recorded the narration and she timed the slides so it fit. And then submitted it. I went to bed before 1, but it was done!

Ray made spaghetti with tomato sauce for supper.

Molli took this a couple years ago.

Woke up hot and sweaty, turned the AC down. Got up early because i went to bed before 9:30.

Worked, met with Sara Ruth, worked on class, ate dinner, taught budgeting class, watched TV. I am looking forward to my travels, starting with the beach this weekend. I have to get this project done and pack by tomorrow night. I can do it.

I got my bill for next semester. It is over $1200 for one class! I don't think I am going to do it. I have to work more than a month to earn that much and it is due August 7. And I am not getting paid for my vacation time, of course.

Well, yesterday I slept until almost 7, so no time to post. Not much time today either. It is hot and humid, so not great for sleeping. We had the windows open last night, but the AC came on this morning, meaning it is at least 78 in here, so I closed it all up again.

All day Sunday was heavily overcast, a little cooler, and threatening rain. In the end, it started to rain a few times, but never managed it. The Captain even had to water everything yesterday. It is still overcast, but only a 20% chance of rain.

We had an enjoyable day, going to church to hear people on the top of why I love my country? Interesting stories from children of immigrants, especially, and a summary of Thomas Paine's life and writing Common Sense. I'll have to read it.

We made some tomato sauce and a great dinner. Vanessa made blueberry pie! We also managed half a game of Oh Hell. And I got some school work done.

Yesterday, I worked 6 hours, went to lunch with Ray, went swimming with Ray and worked in the library with Sara Ruth for 2 1/2 hours, then worked some more at home.

Another old picture, from a trip to Cape Cod, a great place to be, especially in the summer.

It is not quite as cool this morning, and a little damper. It is supposed to rain this afternoon. I certainly hope so, even if it is just a thunderstorm.

We got the strawberries in the ground yesterday, with a 6 ft. fence around them. Hopefully, they will live and prosper safely there. Ray started putting the fence around the fruit trees too. He gathered up the peach pits for me, in case we want to plant them. (I don't know if they might be hybrids).

Yesterday started with a disappointment. Our trip to the blueberry farm was something of a bust. We were there before 10:30, but he said the berries were mostly gone. He had so many people there, he had to close the gates for a few hours. There were some berries, but mainly they were soft and dried up, perhaps from not enough rain. There were also green berries that fell off the bush when touched. We did manage to find a few good ones, mostly Ray and Vanessa. I picked probably less than a pint. Vanessa is promising a blueberry pie, so I don't think we'll freeze any. Pancakes this morning! Deb Brenner said she went to a new place around the corner from there, called Whippoorwill Blueberry Farm, and they were good. Apparently they have early varieties--sounds like it's more expensive though. Miller Blueberries (where we went) has new owners, so maybe they are not managing them as well. They told us yesterday they water 16 hours a day, but still can't do without rain.

We had a lovely Fourth of July evening. After a little school work, we went first to Alison's, where we met Chris's family and ate some great holiday food, and then to Janna's. She grilled turkey kielbasa and some real beef hot dogs. She had grilled onions, French bread as well as hot dog rolls, red, white and blue fruit salad (berries and bananas) with just a little lemon juice, Mom's potato salad, John's green salad. Bertha was there, looking good (she may have lost some weight?), John and Debbie, Kent, and the four of us. We had a lovely time, talking about anything and everything. My parents have gotten to know most of them quite well, and the Captain especially likes talking to Debbie and John, who seem to have the knack of relating well to all different kinds of people. Debbie had been helping Jaime pack up and get rid of stuff before moving to Lake Tahoe to take an AmeriCorps job for a year.

We had brought the ice cream freezer and the mix for lemon sherbet. We stopped to get ice for it. So after supper, we churned on the back deck for almost an hour. Kent took a turn and so did Deb. It was delicious and there is even a little bit left in our freezer now. Janna and Ron took a small taste each. They seem to be doing well.

We talked about our trip to Fripp next weekend. Debbie was coordinating the menu. I was talking about my realization that my class meets for the last time next Friday. We came up with a plan to drop me at an internet cafe of some sort in Beaufort (which I have to research) and Ron and Janna will pick me up when they come through.

None of us (except Kent) actually watched the fireworks. The four of us came home and watched some on TV. Barry Manilow was in DC and Neil Diamond on another channel in Boston. They both can apparently still sing and the crowds were singing along with them. I knew all the songs and was a little jealous, although it was comfortable to be home. This morning, when I woke up, I had been dreaming that I was somehow backstage with the Neil Diamond show, talking to his family and being helpful in some way. It was very amusing.

It's cool and lovely again this morning. I need my slippers on. With the windows open, there are birds twittering, a rooster now and then and a neighbor's dog barking. It's definitely morning at 6 am and I wouldn't want to waste this pleasant time of day. But I went back down to watch the rest of I am Sam (even though I had seen it before) after I tried to go to bed at 10--it wasn't over until 11:30 and I thought I could sleep a little later today. Ha! If I don't have a little nap this afternoon, I won't make it to the fireworks.

We (mostly Ray) worked some on fencing the strawberry patch, so I will set them in this morning and hope for rain. There's only a 10% chance forecast.

After lunch, I spent some time on my plan for my budgeting class. I made some progress, but like so many things, there is as much work to do as I am willing to put in time. I realized that my last class is Friday night and I had been planning to go to Fripp Island with our friends Friday afternoon. I emailed Sara Ruth to see how she felt about doing the presentation without me.

Then I made supper, we ate it, watched 4 hours of TV and went to bed.

Another lovely cool morning--and I don't have to go to work! Ray's grades are entered for the summer semester and he doesn't teach again until mid-August. Yesterday was a little wild for me. I worked in the morning, with the usual pattern. A little bit of activity early (the residents are supposed to leave by 9) and then a good quiet stretch when I can get some hard stuff done, and then it gets crazy again with the case manager and Americorps volunteers arriving, and then Alison. The residents can come back for lunch, too.

The thing that I do that takes up most of my time is submit expenses for reimbursement by grants. There are 7 main grants. One reimburses the shelter case manager's salary, up to a certain amount. Three reimburse Job TREC expenses, with slight variations. One pays for all of some salaries and a percentage of others. Some require copies of reciepts to be attached. Alison has to sign all of them before they are submitted. Anyway, keeping track of what can be reimbursed by whom, making copies and mailing them off is my biggest job. After I get it down, it may take a little less time, but at the moment, it's pretty intense. Five of the grants run from July 1 - June 30, so the grant years just ended and we have to submit everything we can to use them up. There was $28.50 left in one that covers child care, so that is only part of one bill. Some things can't be reimbursed, like buying dish soap, so individual donations cover those.

Yesterday, I had a quick lunch with Janna, picked Ray up to take him to his doctor's appointment and then go back to work. He figured out it made more sense for him to take the car and come back for me. So we were home by 4. Vanessa and the Captain had made vichysoisse, with a lot of cream and homemade chicken stock. It was really yummy. She had also made blueberry muffins. I think they were a little offended that I suggested some pasta as well. He peeled some tomatoes for me and I made a tomato-garlic sauce to go with pasta and sliced up some cucumbers with a dill dressing. Also fresh oregano in the tomato sauce. It was a lovely meal.

Some who know me know that Overboad and The Matrix are two of my favorite movies, while quite different. They were both on last night, so I had to switch back and forth for a while!

I have chiggers again--I think I had them about this time last year. The way for me not to get chiggers is always take a shower after I have been outside in the grass at all. The other night Ray and I looked at where the fence will go for the strawberry patch. At first, I thought it was mosquitoes, but now I realize they are concentrated behind my knees. They will eventually go away.

I've been working for over a month!

I woke up with cold feet. They are right under the fan. Also I seem to have a million mosquito bites. Captain thinks gnats come in through the screens and bite him. I wonder if they get me at the pool and I don't notice. They especially like the backs of my knees and other delicate areas.

Work was okay. Swimming was okay. Carol Meyers has been at the pool the last few days, so that has been fun. I worked some on a UUFA project I am responsible for. And then we went to potluck for the first time in a while. It was a small group (no choir or drum circle), but the food was very good. Homemade bread pudding and chocolate cake, as well as a variety of good main courses and salads. I made cole slaw with cabbage from our garden, as well as pepper, cherry tomatoes, scallions, and parsley. And store bought carrots and celery. It was good.

Another pleasantly cool morning, which should have been really good for sleeping. Instead I was lying awake for about an hour before I got up. Maybe there was a noise outside that woke me (since the windows are open). More likely, I am feeling guilty because I made a mistake in my work that has caused someone suffering. One of the night staff had asked me to discontinue direct depositing his pay check. Last time (mid-June), I was able to do that. This time, I failed to notice that the program had automatically reverted to direct deposit. He came by yesterday to get his check (which he needs to pay his rent) and there was not one. My boss called it "an honest mistake," which doesn't really make me feel better, although I am glad she is not angry at me. Apparently, his account is overdrawn, which means his paycheck will be eaten up by all those bounced check fees. There is nothing I can do to make it better at this point. Obviously, I will make sure it is right next time.

Or maybe I am worrying about the class that I have to design and teach and write about before July 10. I finished most of the reading and other preparation before last night's online class, and there won't be any more until the 10th, when each group will make a ten-minute presentation of their project. Sara Ruth and I are planning a class on budgeting for the residents at the homeless shelter. As uaual, it sounded like a good idea when I came up with it a few weeks ago.

It has been about a month since I started working. I am still very happy to be working there. I mostly like the people I work with and the work I am doing. I love getting paid. But of course, I am beginning to wish I could make more money. I am making a living wage ($15/hour). That means it will take about a month's earnings to make enough to pay for the plane tickets to Mexico. That credit card bill is due soon, and Ray doesn't get paid in the summer. The mortgage has to be paid today too. I know I am very lucky, though.

I worked in the morning, went to the pool, and bought $200 worth of fencing for the peach tree and the strawberry bed before coming home to work on my class, eat dinner, watch TV and go to bed.