well. The weather was beautiful. It was a great turnout. We had a lovely time. But...

Yesterday morning we had a nice breakfast of bagels and cream cheese and chatting. Tom and I went to the grocery store and bought bread and meat and came back and made sandwiches. J. works at the Justice Dept. and therefore can park near the action, so she drove us down. We could see lots of people walking, some carrying chairs, many in costume, lots of signs. We joined the crowd (the 4 of us) and ended up in the midst of a standing room only massive number of people at 7th street. We could not see the jumbotrons or hear what was being said. We could not easily move in any direction. Eventually the sound was made louder and we heard Jon Stewart, Colbert, and many others, but we still couldn't see anything and couldn't always follow what was happening. Much of it was the silly pretend bickering that Jon and Steven do. There was Jusif (formerly known as Cat Stevens), Ozzy Osborne (I'm told) and the OJ's, singing Love Train. After about an hour and a half, we began to make our way out, having a desire to sit down and a touch of claustrophobia. It was not easy and we got separated, but we knew where we were meeting up, so it was not a problem.

We set up our chairs in the sculpture garden, ate our lunch and watched the people going by, admiring signs and costumes. Jocelyn had to go, to take her daughter to the airport to visit a friend at Smith, one the places she is applying for college. Tom decided to head to Reston to visit his brother and nephews. Ray and I wandered around the ages, occasionally catching a glimpse or a sound, but not getting into it again. We decided to visit the Museum of Natural History and stood in line there to have our bags checked. The guard found my nail file, which is over 3 inches and said I would have to give it up if I wanted to go in. I decided I didn't. We wandered around some more. We wanted a place to sit and have a snack and a drink, but downtown DC is not good for that. It has always annoyed me. You can buy things from vendors on the street, you can go into a museum and eat there, but no cafes or coffee shops or restaurants within walking distance of the mall.

We went into the Museum of American History, first secreting the offending nail file in a flower bed. We stood in line to get in, we stood in line a long time for the cafeteria, but eventually we sat down with a quite tasty cupcake to share and a hot chocolate and a root beer float--for $12. Everyone we saw was from the rally, some still in costume, some with signs, many talking about it. After a good break, we decided it was time to head to Vienna on the Metro. The crowds were still everywhere, gradually moving away from downtown DC. On the platform, we had just missed an orange line train, but we could see that it would have been impossible to fit on it anyway. After a while,  a Yellow train showed up. The announcer clearly repeated, Orange Line to Vienna, so we crowded on, not quite as close as on the mall, but standing room only. As we got further along and people got off, we were able to sit most of the way. The train was slow, with people trying to get on at every stop and a delay because someone in the previous train was sick and had to be taken off the train. I thought maybe she had claustrophobia.

When we got to Vienna and got off the train, later than we had thought, there was a crowd trying to get out, filing up the stairs and waiting to go through the turnstiles. It was another 20 minutes, I think, and then I began to get a bit claustrophobic...trapped in the subway station. The train behind us arrived and people streamed out, merging with us and all trying to get through the same four or five gates. An attendant opened a gate and we headed that way, but he wanted to take our tickets, which still had money on them, so we went back to the massive amount of people and did finally get through, even though one of the turnstiles apparently stopped working.

Paul met us and we drove a few minutes to his house. He told us that he usually rides his bike, about 17 miles, to work, unless it rains and he takes the train. He also teaches OWL--sex ed at the Unitarian Church in Fairfax! Ah, yes. We had a nice chili dinner with Paul, Maureen, and Linden, who is 15. She played the cello beautifully for us and they talked about their trip to Ireland in August, where they lost a day because their flight from DC was delayed enough that they would have missed the connection to Shannon in NY and so they went home and came back the next day, only to be sent to Laguardia instead of JFK, and then take a taxi with their luggage. Another harrowing story of air travel. The trip sounded lovely other than that and we admired the photos.

Paul drove us to Bethesda, something that would have made me quite hysterical--traffic, construction late at night. His mother lives in Bethesda, though, so he planned to stop by after he dropped us off--only another 20 minutes away. His new Prius is bluetooth enabled, so the phone rang, it showed on the screen who it was and we could all hear his mother talking. The stuff of sitcoms, but pretty handy.

We got home about 10 and watched a little Jon Stewart on TV, then went to bed and slept well.

Great to be in DC (actually Bethesda) with old friends Jocelyn & Tom and daughter M. So so fun.

Yesterday we got up and ate breakfast and put things in the car and headed to Toccoa, where we parked at the train station. It was around 8 and there was no one there. After a bit, Elizabeth arrived in her green Prius, just a year younger than ours, absolutely identical except no GPS. She drove for a while, until we stopped at a McDonald's for coffee and the bathroom, near Kannapolis, NC.

Soon after Ray started driving, we hit a major slowdown and were stuck for about 30 minutes. Turned out there was an RV on its side in the median, and one lane in each direction was blocked. After that, all went relatively well for the rest of the day. We had lost some time, so we ate lunch quickly at Wendy's and got back on the road. Elizabeth was happy to have Ray do the driving and he preferred it to being a passenger. He went pretty fast, but not any faster than the traffic flow. We were in Richmond just before 5 and it was a little slow, but we got out the other side just in time. Coming into DC was pretty backed up, but we have seen it worse. Elizabeth left us at the Smithsonian Metro stop and they headed on to Baltimore, where they are staying with her niece. Jocelyn and I had communicated by phone and we knew to take the blue line to Metro Center. A gentleman generously helped us with the ticket machine and showed us where to go, just missing his train. One guy asked Ray for money. We waited quite a while, but eventually a blue line train appeared and we got on. I even got a seat. At Metro Center, Jocelyn was waiting at the top of the escalator. She gave us big hugs, we were so glad to see each other.

We walked to the house with our things--so great to see their house again. Their little girl is now a senior in HS and thinking about college. They have added a guest room in the basement, so we have some privacy. We went to a Thai restaurant not far away and had a lovely time, telling them all about our lives and our children, and vice versa.

And in bed by 10:30.

Hello, stress. Well, I asked for it. and the weather is not helping. It was in the 80s yesterday, with off and on downpours. You may have heard that there was a 2000-mile storm in the eastern United States. Sounds like the end of days to me--or global warming--or both.

Work started out pretty routine. As it's nearly the end of the month, I am getting a head start on the reimbursements I'll be submitting next week. I had to go pick up the quarterly tax form from the accountant and got lunch at Panera while I was out. good food.

I got an email from Meredith, who was at a meeting in Atlanta, to prepare a YTD budget comparison for the board meeting last night. QuickBooks does the work, so it wouldn't take me very long. but I study it before I print it, to see if there is anything that doesn't look right. I can adjust the categories on an item if need be, so that took a while. She had also asked for a very preliminary budget for next year, so I started working on that and wanted to leave it for her before I went. I was heading out at 3:40 when she walked in, so I had to chat briefly with her before heading out.

Ray and I headed home in the rain, a little later than planned. I made supper, which turned out pretty mediocre, and made brownies for the memorial service. My Mom made oatmeal cookies too. That was all I had time for, before heading back for rehearsal.

Rehearsal was fun, except I am tired and sore today. I am not on stage much, and nothing I do is very strenuous, but I do have to go up and down stairs and stand around in ouchy shoes. And I have been getting not quite enough sleep for a while. There was one place I nailed the high note really well. and afterward the music director told me not to sing it. He said there weren't enough people in that scene and we should all sing in unison. Oh, well, my moment in the spotlight...gone. It's really fine.

Crossing over the line into being too busy.

Monday, work included payroll. Had lunch with Ray at Five Star Day and enjoyed talking to Alice Kinman, who was there. We went home at 3:30 ish and I dressed for my second interview at 5. It was four staff members and the boss. I did a 3-5 minute presentation on the organization and answered questions from the staff--it was a pretty challenging process and in one case, the boss disagreed with my answer, which may not be an issue.

Anyway, after that, we went downtown for rehearsal, found a good parking spot and dashed over to Casa Mia for a quick supper. Rehearsal was good. Home for ice cream and TV and bed.

Yesterday, it continued hot and humid--it hit 90 degrees! Not much actual rain, but heavy overcast and damp. Not much exciting at work. Got a reimbursement from DCA and started on the next one. Picked up lunch at Schlotzky's and spent a little time at CCDC HQ. In the afternoon, listened to a webinar from our insurance company about what to do if you need to make a claim. I nearly fell asleep.

Went to counseling and then home. Had a phone call from the boss I interviewed with. Very hard decision; I was second choice. Interestingly, I felt somewhat relieved. The job would have meant I would have less free time.

My Mom had made beef stew, which meant I could have a relatively calm hour and pleasant dinner. She seemed really exhausted though, so I felt bad.

We got another good parking spot as someone pulled out and were at rehearsal early. It was fine. Lots of down time for chatting with the other cast members.

Ice cream, TV, bed. I am pretty tired.

iPhoto crashes now every time I try to download pictures. Sorry.

Walked the dogs, made blueberry pancakes, went to the Fellowship. Sang and enjoyed the service, which included the idea that wishing someone good luck was a sort of prayer. Stayed for lunch and enjoyed talking to some new people. Ray helped with the dishes, so we were there until the bitter end. Tied up some details for a couple of UU things we're planning. We drove to Thomas's and bought apples and a few plants. They have fall vegetable plants, as well as a couple herbs.

We had volunteered to help with the Priests' sustainability showcase at 3, so we didn't really have time to go home, but drove over there and killed some time at PeachMac admiring the iPads and other things. Ray stayed in the parking lot to drive shuttles, while I rode over to their house in another Prius to help there. I was assigned to worm composting, so can tell you all about that. Chatted with others about solar clothes drying and water collecting and other good topics. They have a 3000 gallon cistern that irrigates their garden, including blueberry bushes. My parents came out and enjoyed some aspects of it. My father can now state that all three of his daughters have Priuses.

After that, we stopped by the Kenney Ridge meeting and potluck, which was just about over. We didn't even bring any food, but were urged to stay and eat. Bill S. had made a crab and artichoke pasta dish, which was tasty!

I spent the next couple of hours perfecting a 3-minute speech I will make as part of my second job interview tonight, taking information from their web site and practicing on Ray and my parents.

Then we watched a little TV, but I had trouble falling asleep. Too much going on and not enough sitting with chickens, maybe. And now I am up again, ready to start a Monday morning.

Another beautiful day. Cool in the morning when I walked the dogs to get the paper. My Mom made me bacon and eggs (and raisin toast). Yum.

Ray and I went to pilates. There was just one other person. As usual, an excellent workout and I am still sore. One of the things we did (and have done before) is roll on a roller. On my back, it feels good, like massage. On my legs, ouch, ouch, ouch. Ray was complaining too. Amanda (the teacher) did not let him out of it. Then a visit to the farmers' market, always fun. We always see people we know. Still lots of good food. No frost around Athens yet. Then we went to Kroger for a few things--kind of a madhouse on Saturday at noon. We stopped by Democratic HQ too. I have charged myself with keeping them in reusable cups and washing them regularly.

In the afternoon, I let the chickens out and sat in the sun, mostly reading a novel: the Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton. The chickens stayed under the porch most of the afternoon---too sunny I think.

I took a bath and headed to UUFA at 5. We were hosting a Harvest Dinner fundraiser and I had offered to serve. Apparently I never got the email that told me to wear a white blouse and black pants. Some people had been working since 8:30 that morning, cleaning, decorating, and setting up tables. As I often do, I thought, "I could have organized this better." It wasn't really clear who was in charge. Different people offered ideas and discussions about when to do what and how. Apparently the same people who had been working all day were also staying to do clean up. I called Ray and he came to help with the dishwasher. I helped serve and clear (and enjoyed eating afterward), but I left about 9. He was right behind me. I am working on being agreeable, but not taking on other people's issues. I did a lot and the fact that other people did more (and must be exhausted) is not my fault and I am not responsible. I am responsible for making sure I don't overdo and wreck my back. I enjoyed the company and wanted to be part of it. And I was.

I fell asleep on the couch and missed part of the Vicar of Dibley Christmas episode where Alice played Mary.

Another incredibly gorgeous day. I couldn't wait to get home, but there was too much to do. Work was frustrating. I couldn't get QuickBooks to print a report the way Meredith wanted it. Finally, Maureen came through with a way to modify it to reflect the Source Name instead of the name. I even wen to the QB website and posted a question on their forum and had someone trying to help me (she came up with the same suggestion minutes after Maureen did).

At lunch time, Ray and I went to vote early. There was a wait, a good sign if you ask me. Then we went across the street to the restaurant where Basil Press used to be. It is now a little grungy, Red's Tavern. With 7 TV's. But we figured we'd give it a try. It was mediocre. The sweet tea was pretty good. A thin young woman came in wearing tiny white shorts and boots with fringe...I had to smile, but I'm sure she was not paying attention to me, but the 3 or 4 young men around her.

I talked to Meredith a little in the afternoon. She is still very nervous about our cash flow and the lack of strong board leadership to come up with a strategy for the next few years. But she authorized me to pay all the pending bills. So I did that. Left about 3:30 and met Ray at the Ramsey Center. I had lots of energy and beat him the first game. We left about 5 and it was still pretty nice at home. Let the dogs out and fed them. Let the chickens out, watered the garden some. Then fed them and shut them up for the night.

Dinner was pretty much as disaster. I was trying to used dried beans, but they were still pretty hard. Also cut up some jalapenos and still feel it on my hands and my lips. I had a tortilla with some tomatoes lettuce and cheese. And lots of eggplant dip and crackers.

Went to Nancy H's house to meet with her and Suzy about the reception for Jim's memorial service next weekend, when I will be in Washington. I feel bad. Nancy H. said Nancy S. asked for people to invite her over for dinner, rather than bringing her food.

Got home about 9:30. Had a brownie with ice cream and fell asleep watching TV. Ray stayed up, untangling my yarn for me. I heard Captain and Vanessa come home at some point, from my bed. They seem to be fine.

I must have slept pretty soundly, because yesterday seems very far away. I know I was making work for myself, going through old files and throwing things away. When i left for lunch, it was so gorgeous, I didn't want to go eat anywhere except my house. It's about 15 minutes each way, if the traffic's not too bad, which it wasn't. A few minutes visiting with the dogs and the chickens (and Molli via Skype) and a few minutes to eat some eggplant dip, some chicken, potatoes and lettuce with dressing...and a brownie...and hop back in the car. It was worth it.

After lunch, we had gotten a check for a sponsorship from Silver and Archibald. Yay! And Meredith asked me to start working on the CDBG application for next year. I started on it and it is pretty routine. Copy what we did last year...

At 3 ish, I headed back home, decided on supper, let the chickens out, and sat on the porch reading. I have a library book due tomorrow that can't be renewed, so I had ot finish it.

Dinner was okay, Ray helped, but the recipe was a little odd. We zoomed downtown for rehearsal--and found a parking spot! It went okay, still pretty fun. I haven't yet hit the point at which I say, "Why did I think I wanted to do this?"

We were home before 10 and now it is Friday. No rehearsals until Monday--but then four nights in a row of running the whole show.

Ray dropped me off at work on time, no mean feat when it is dark so late, not to mention raining. I had little to do, but looked through our financial records (QuickBooks) for items that we might want to include in an inventory, which was mentioned in an article I read on line about being prepared for disasters. There is always a certain amount of "background" bookkeeping to do--checks to write and mail, deposits tp record, phones to answer. Meredith emailed me that she was home sick, looking for a doctor's appointment, but it's a challenge finding one who will take new patients. I referred her to my new doctor, Jeanne Martin, and she was able to get an appointment at 1:30. I didn't see her, so don't know how it went. I suggested to Kerri that she meet with the Early Childhood people at the school district about getting more of our young ones served by their programs and she thought that was a good idea.

Ray and I had a lovely and inexpensive lunch at Casa Mia--South American food. I had empanadas and he had enchiladas, if I remember right, with salad and rice and beans. Plantain chips. We even splurged and split a piece of cake. Chocolate-raspberry; yum! It did take a little more than an hour, by the time I took him back to his office. No checks to deposit, sigh.

At 3:30, I left and picked him up and we headed home. Another sunny and pleasant afternoon. Apparently, it didn't rain much at all. I could still see the darker places where I had watered on Tuesday. I opened the chicken coop door and picked some more green beans. Amazing! There are peppers too--in fact there is a blossom on the eggplant, but I don't think it will possibly turn into anything this late. Also basil. I spent time looking at recipes, deciding what to make for supper and changing my mind 2 or 3 times. It was too warm for the stew I planned. And we had a big lunch and had to eat an early dinner. I settled on potatoes and green beans with simple dressing. It was tasty, I must say. We had a little grilled chicken, left over, with it.

Fed the dogs and the chickens and headed to rehearsal. We did all of Act I, with costumes, and it was pretty fun. I had planned to go to choir rehearsal, but felt like I needed to work on the play more. Apparently, the choreographer quit early on and the dance numbers are pretty up in the air. As the apple seller, I was added in between scenes for a distraction while they change the set behind the curtain.

The kids, naturally, totally steal the show. Terry was smart in casting lots of them--you can hear their singing really well. At one point, Miss Hannigan is drinking from a flask. One of the little girls stands there looking at her. She says, "What? It's medicine." The little girl's reply? "You must be very sick." Hysterical. And when she sings, "Little Girls," the tiniest child, can't be more than 4, mimics all her actions. Too cute. I share the smallest, farthest dressing room with four other women, but that's fine. At Town & Gown, all the women share one dressing room all the time and it is pretty hectic. This will work fine. We sing from the wings on some numbers to increase the sound. It's fun to be part of it and we can read the music. However, Sandy is tied back there and we all have to step over her or around her, every time we go on or off. It's going to be chaos!

We left about 9 (we're not in the last few scenes) and were home in time to watch some TV and eat ice cream. I had a little trouble falling asleep (adrenaline?) and then woke up before 5:30. Still have some minor cold symptoms--sore throat and occasional cough.

It is raining when I wake up this morning. yay! I have watered the garden some by hand this week, but this will be much better. I close the windows in the bedroom, which have been open overnight for sleeping. In cold, rainy weather it is important to keep all the heat in and dampness out. If we were going to be home all day, we might start a fire--or put the heat on. But it's still warm enough in here for now. Who knows if it will clear by tonight? I do not look forward to walking the dogs in the cold, dark, rain, but it is not really light before 7:30 and I must leave here about then to get to work by 8.

Yesterday I did a couple things Meredith asked for, like trying to print out the child care costs in a certain format for a grant she is applying for. QuickBooks is not always easy to use.

I went to lunch early (11:15) to meet with a UGA student doing a paper on UUFA for an anthropology of religion class. It's always interesting to try to answer questions about one's religion. I do not envy her, trying to write it, as UU doesn't always fit neatly into the questions asked--what is the creed? etc. I had a good roast beef sandwich at Big City Bread meanwhile.

At 3, I drove to UUFA to talk about the directory. Chip forgot the meeting, but came when I called. We didn't resolve much, but it looks like a bit of work for me. Surprise!

Then I went home to feed the dogs and chickens and myself. When I opened the door to the coop, they did not come out. I don't know if it was too late in the day for them or they know something I don't about the dangers of being out in the yard, but I didn't make them come out.

I took one of the basic soup batches and followed the directions for minestrone, adding half a cup of beans and half a cup of pasta, a little Parmesan and basil. I ate the whole thing. It was okay; I have other minestrone recipes I like better. I felt pretty full for a while, but was ready for a hit of ice cream a few hours later.

Ray had a meeting that went until 5, so he wandered downtown and got something to eat before meeting me at the Morton for rehearsal. It seems like this play is not as far along, in terms of being ready to open, as others I have been in. I believe the choreographer quit, and there seem to be some cast members missing as well. But we are enjoying it.

It seems a long time since yesterday morning. Ray stayed home while I went to work, dropping off clean cups at Democratic HQ on my way. Not much work, but I stayed until 1 or so, going home for lunch. It was pleasant at the house, but not the same as staying home in the morning. I was already tired and it was hot out for sitting on the porch.

At 3:30, we drove back into town. Ray had a faculty meeting at four. I went to the bank and then to a job interview to be Associate Director of a battered women's shelter. The interview lasted 1 3/4 hours! The director is a very deliberate person and I talked a lot. Most of her 'questions' were scenarios which I had to respond to. Unfortunately, Ray and I were supposed to be somewhere at six, so he had gotten a ride with friends to their house, which was on the way to where we were going. But, we had to be back at the Morton at rehearsal by 7:30, so we just went there when I was done, without any supper! Rehearsal was fun.

Then we drove out to Ashford Manor, found our friends in the dark, ate some delicious dinner and helped Ron celebrate his birthday. I had made the brownies, so they were very happy to see me. In about a half hour, the concert was over and we packed up and came home. Isn't that just the way? Most of the time, any of those three activities would be lovely (interview, rehearsal, concert)--why did they all have to be at the same time?! Even two would have been more manageable.

Sigh. The trouble with nice days is it makes me dread the next day. It has been so pleasant here, with things to do, but some down time too. And this week will be very busy. I just want to stay home and let the chickens roam and work in the yard and cook.

We got up late and had to hurry to walk the dogs, make and eat the blueberry whole wheat pancakes with maple syrup, take a bath and get dressed, pick up Don, and get to church by 10:15 in order to warm up before singing. but we made it. There was a reception after the service because it was the end of the stewardship campaign. Catered food and the drawing of names to win prizes. I talked to people and ate. quickly, because Don wanted to be back at Kenney Ridge in time to go to yoga.

It was great that we didn't have to eat lunch at home. I was getting ready to make some brownies, but didn't have enough brown sugar. Spent some time on the computer, paying bills. Ray made Schwartze Teivel, eggplant dip, for Ron's birthday party tonight. Eggplants were one of the things there were a lot of at the farmers' market. Then we drove to Farmington, where David Sweat was having a pig roast. It was a beautiful day and there was a large contingent of UU's. I also saw others that I knew. The Hog Mountain Boys played bluegrass and gospel music. It was really nice, but I was a little anxious to get home. So many things I wanted to do (let the chickens out) and the beautiful Sunday was slipping away. The pigs weren't ready as early as predicted. The food was good, but that was a lot of styrofoam plates and disposable plastic ware to throw away. There were three pigs and they were thoroughly picked over. I am sure there were more than 100 people there. Baked beans, cole slaw, and banana pudding! Lots of sweet tea.

On the way home, we had to pick up some groceries (including brown sugar). The Kroger in Oconee County was on the way, so we stopped there. It is not very familiar and I don't like to spend money in Oconee County if I can help it. Plus the sun was setting.

It was pretty dark when we got home. I felt kind of like a farm girl. I had promised myself to water yesterday, so I did, even though it was dark. I checked on the chickens, but they were up on their perch, so I didn't disturb them. Ray fed the dogs and brought in the laundry. We put away the groceries and I made my brownies. Then I put vanilla ice cream in the batter bowl and ate it. Yum. And watched TV and went to bed.

My notes about my life seem unimportant in the face of my friend and neighbor Nancy's tragedy. Her second husband is dying of cancer. As we speak, her daughter and his brother are there and Hospice caretakers are coming to the house. Her first husband died slowly and horribly over 10 years or more. She and Jim have only been married about two years. I am so sad for them. I was looking forward to having him as a neighbor for years to come. She has asked me to inquire about a service at the Fellowship, which I am glad to do.

The weather here has been incredibly beautiful lately. It is another sunny, clear morning--a little chilly in the house, but the sun will soon warm it up. Later in the day, it will be too hot to sit on the porch, which we tried to do yesterday for lunch, but had to come in because we were sweating. The chickens are smarter and stay under the porch until it gets cooler. Ray was splitting wood and I was puttering around the garden a little and they began to spend more time in the open. Some neighbors came by and they said they had lost chickens to hawks, so they thought their self-preservation instinct and having a place to hide were good things. I tried to introduce the dogs to them (one at a time, on leashes), but it didn't seem like that will ever be a possibility. I would love them to protect and defend the chickens. Paul has lost most of his to dogs (his own) and Karen F. loses a lot to the neighbor's dog. In both cases, the chickens fly out of the enclosure and are instantly attacked. Paul has now built a fenced area near the house for his dogs and is buying some more chicks from Karen.

Ray and I went to the Farmers' market, Kroger and Democratic HQ in the morning. After supper, we went to the Contra Dance. It was really fun (even though I didn't want to go). We were a little late picking up Muhterem, but they hadn't even started the lesson yet. It was a smaller crowd than usual, at least at first. Louis Wild, who used to call dances for us years ago, called about half the dances--very old square dances, with interesting "figures", like one I remembered: duck for the oyster, dive for the clam...I really liked them. He talked about his family and the history of the dances. One, the Grand March, is descended from a quadrille of the court of Louis XIV.

We didn't get to bed until midnight--gasp! and now we have to hurry to get everything in before going to sing.

Yesterday, I wrote a few checks and deposited a few. We got a refund from the IRS for $1.06. Pretty funny. I was about caught up and didn't have much to do. Meredith was not in all day, but didn't call or email me, so I don't know what that was about. I did get an email about something else from her, but no explanation. Ray and I had lunch at Lindsey's; it was good but involved meat and potato chips, not as many veggies as I would like. We dropped off some books that had been left at the Shelter to the Whatever It Takes book project. And went to the Food Bank for milk. They had some children's cough medicine, too, so that was awesome.

I didn't feel up for racquetball, so came home pretty early. Spent some hours outside with the chickens, who did come out from under the porch for a while. Dug a little in the garden. Radishes and some other things coming up. Cabbages thinking about becoming heads. Still saw several large grasshoppers. Sunny, but cool and windy. Not very warm in the house either. Ray split some wood, so if we need to build a fire, we can. We will need to gather some more. What we have is about a month's worth, depending on the weather.

Made bean snap, but ran out of time, so the beans weren't cooked enough. We went to see a play at the Town & Gown theater with Becky & Kent and their friend Dory (the researcher who works with Capuchin monkeys). It was very silly, Epic Proportions, about making a movie in the desert, involving the Queen of the Nile, building pyramids and other cheesy ancient times, as well as two brothers and a woman...the primary gag was reshooting a scene over and over involving a tortured death and pretending the audience members were extras. I didn't fall asleep though. I turned down a chance to go for dessert and slept in the car and in front of the TV.

It looks like a beautiful morning. I woke up several times in the night, sore throat, achy, stuffy nose, but the last time it was 7. 

It's official. I have caught my father's cold. I'm not sure that is why I have been awake since 3:30 ish. Maybe it was the iced tea I drank for lunch. Or the Annie songs stuck in my head. Or the cold weather. I am thinking maybe I'll stay home today. There is nothing much I need to do at work. I feel a little dreamy and out of it, maybe from reading for an hour or so in the bed in Molli's room, since I didn't want to wake Ray.

Yesterday was quite nice, nothing really stressful at work. We had a good rehearsal and were home before 10.

Good morning! I had a good night's sleep, it's a pleasant temperature, and we even had a a little rain last night--maybe about a quarter of an inch, but that's still good. My parents are in a motel near the Atlanta airport, getting ready to fly to Seattle to visit my sister's family for a week. Unfortunately, my Dad announced he had a cold a couple days ago--not good for flying and not good for giving to Polly and Jim and their children. I might be getting it too; I'm a little stuffy and my lips are dry, but it may be just a mild one.

It was pretty quiet at work yesterday. I did some bookkeeping and transferred some more old data into the mailing list program. M. asked me to prepare a chart of child care costs, month by month. I did it since January 2009, and you could see it was pretty level, about 5000 a month until last August or so, when it began to climb. I hadn't done anything like that in a long time. I exported the child care costs to Excel, subtotaled them by month, and then figured out how to turn it into a graph.

She went to lunch just before I did--her husband came and got her. Kerri & Greg were visiting the child care centers and McKenzy was alone. Mickey had just locked her keys in the car as I was leaving. Ray and Mutherem and I went to the Last Resort. We had to wait a few minutes for a table and it was as usual very noisy, hard for us to talk to Mutherem and help her understand. But the food was very good. I had a chicken enchilada with some beans and roasted veggies on the side. Ray had the chicken tortilla salad. We traded off near the end. Muhterem had the veggie grill with pasta that I love and have had almost every time. As we were eating, I heard my father's voice and looked up. They had just arrived for lunch before their drive to Atlanta. Introductions ensued.

Ray and I split a piece of cake and then I took them back to UGA and went back to my office. It was closer to 90 minutes than an hour. I felt bad--McKenzy was still alone there. She had called a locksmith and they were going to bill us. Mickey tried several places, but they all wanted money up front, which she didn't have. This place agreed because they had done work for us before. Shortly after I got there, Kerri and Greg arrived and then Jaron. But I didn't see Meredith again before I left at 3. I went by the bank and then picked Ray up (well, I had to wait a few minutes).

We headed home and I spent some quality time with the chickens. Well, it wasn't the best quality time. The weather was  a little warm and humid. The chickens went under the porch and stayed there. We have been talking about whether to staple chicken wire up so they can't get  under there. It is hard to get them out when I want them to go back in the coop. It's possible they will start laying eggs any day now and if they lay them under there, we won't even know--I'm not crawling under there for an egg if I could see it. Mainly, we want them eating grasshoppers and I don't think they are under there. Plus, it's fun to watch them in the grass. When I sit on the porch and they are underneath, I can sometimes hear them making their little chicken noises and scrabbling around. As somebody pointed out, it will begin to smell like chicken shit on our porch.

I puttered around a little, tidying up some things in the yard and garden, picking a few cherry tomatoes and some surprisingly good beans. The plants don't look very good, eaten by bugs and falling over, but there are a lot of excellent beans on them. I sat on the porch some, looking through Mark Bittman's book, until about 5:30, when Ray came out and helped me shoo the chickens home. They are mostly cooperative, once you get them started in the right direction. They all go together; you can't shoo one and then the rest.

We were supposed to have sandwiches for supper--Ray did, but I wasn't hungry. I ate an apple and took along a hunk of bread. We drove downtown and found a parking spot and arrived at the Morton right on time for our singing rehearsal from 6:30 to 7:00. The costume lady wanted me to try something on as we were leaving, but we had to rush to the Fellowship for our choir rehearsal. It was fun, but hard work. The choir seems more unruly lately--could it be Ray's presence is enough to tip the balance? There were several people there that haven't been lately and I felt for Amber. We are singing Sunday and she shouldn't have to be telling them the same things she's been saying for weeks. I was hungry, not surprisingly, and had eaten my bread on the way over. I popped a couple mini-chocolate bars I had been saving. When we got home, I ate ice cream and cookies while watching the Vicar...and went to bed. Only a few pages short of finishing my book, but I couldn't stay awake to do it.

Yesterday, I worked, went to Democratic HQ for my lunch break and half an hour after work. At 4, I had a counseling appointment, which always takes a lot out of me. Fortunately, my mother had made one of the soup variations and it was extremely good. She added potatoes and fish and a little dill to the basic soup recipe.

Ray generously agreed to go with me to UUFA. He worked on his laptop while I did my thing. Well, be careful what you volunteer for. Chip and I have worked to make the new UUFA photo directory a good one. We arranged everything and they told us they didn't need volunteers. People can come in and follow the directions without anyone greeting them. But we decided it was nicer and better to have someone there. She has been there from 2-6 or so and I take over for the evening appointments. But I didn't realize I would have to stay until the last person had come and gone, to make sure the lights were out and the doors were locked. Last night it was 10:30 because the photographer had to pack up everything. You know I am not great that late. Then we came home and had ice cream and watched one episode of 3rd Rock before going to bed. So now I am tired.

Monday I did payroll and a lot of bookkeeping (writing checks, keeping track of money in and money out). We got one of the reimbursements and a $1000 sponsorship, so that was good, although since the banks were closed, I will deposit them today--and paychecks will be a day late. Direct deposit takes two business days. I prepared a summary of the Job TREC grants for Nora and where we stand on them right now and went over it with her.

I brought leftovers and went to the Fellowship at lunch time to be sure everything was ready for the photographer. I enjoyed my interactions with Shaye and Chip.

I was really sleepy after lunch and didn't see how I could make it to 3 o'clock, let alone play racquetball. I entered a lot of old data from Quick Books into GiftWorks. At some point in the past, all the Customers had been entered as Vendors. They can't be changed or deleted, but I can manually enter the data in GiftWorks and make them Inactive.

Promptly at 3, I went and picked up Ray and we played a couple games of racquetball. Then we came hom and I spent a little time outside and put the chickens up. I threw together a quick supper and took it with me to the Fellowship (making it two meals I ate there yesterday). Chip had been acting as "hostess" since 2, greeting people coming to get their pictures taken and making sure everything went smoothly. One person had canceled. I realized I needed to change my appointment, so I called the 800 number. I was able to cancel, but not reschedule. They said all the appointments were full. I called and left a message for my rep. We were a little ahead of schedule, so I called the remaining people and said they could come early. Two of them cancelled. Darn. I left when the last couple arrived about 9 and drove home, ate some broccoli, ice cream and cookies and went to bed about 10. Didn't read a page before I was asleep.

Sigh. I spent most of yesterday trying to get my photos transferred from my phone to my computer. So frustrating! I finally did it and you can see them all on Facebook.

The choir wasn't singing yesterday morning, but Ray helped with the Sunday school. He had a good time. I volunteered to lead the hymns, so had to stand in front and sign confidently and smile at the congregation. It was not too stressful.

After church, came home and ate leftovers. Then drove to Democratic HQ to meet with Erin and go over the volunteer schedule. Did some email and calls to fill some of the gaps. Mailed off my resume and cover letters. We'll see.

Made supper, watched a little TV. Didn't sleep too well, although it is lovely and cool. The weather has been hot during the day and cool at night, pretty nice, although a little too sunny for working in the yard and garden.

Friday morning Ray and I packed up and ate breakfast. I took the day off from work. He dropped me at a Whatever It Takes meeting, where I saw a lot of my favorite people, including Andy L. The meeting was a little aggravating. How many times have a I been in a room with lots of other caring and talented people, and been asked to break into groups and list the things I think need to happen to eliminate poverty in Athens? Twenty? It's all rah-rah, exciting and upbeat and earnest, but nothing much has come of it yet--except keeping Tim and others employed...We'll see.

Andy dropped me at Kent's office, where Ray met me. We waited a while for Becky. Then we transferred things from their car to ours and headed off, stopping briefly at our house, because I had forgotten my hiking boots. It was mostly on the way. We stopped in Gainesville for lunch and wandered around the square where there was a fair of some sort. I bought a neat thing to hold my hair up. I was really impressed by this young woman (and her male assistant/partner), who stood with her back to us and undid and redid her hair over and over. I didn't actually buy the fabric covered giant twisty she invented, but a more attractive (by my lights) contraption of wire and beads, the Flexi-8, that she sells as well. It did not seem like an easy way to get rich, but her enthusiasm did not waver.

We drove on to Amicalola Falls State Park and it was very beautiful. The Georgia State Parks cabins are lovely and well cared for. This one had two bedrooms with king beds and private baths and a big public dining and kitchen and living area, as well as a rocking chair screened porch with a view. It was sunny and warm, but not too warm, a perfect fall day. We walked a lot, including going down and up the 425 steps to the bottom of the falls. I had brought what I thought was lasagna, but turned out to be chicken and rice casserole (the same thing we had thawed for dinner Thursday night). It was still pretty tasty. Becky made a complex chopped vegetable and fruit salad...including pomegranate from her yard. She wanted my help with a knitting project and I was able to get her started and read a little of Barbara Kingsolver before totally crashing. I have not been so tired in years. I left my clothes on the floor and barely got my teeth brushed before falling into bed and sleeping for a good solid 8 hours.

When I woke up, it was dark and no clock, so I wasn't sure if it was morning or not...a car went by and I decided to get up--lo and behold, it was 6:30. No internet access, which was fine. I still spent some time on my computer. I am polishing up a couple job applications. Ray got up, Becky got up, Kent got up; we walked up to the lodge for breakfast--an amazing food but quite mediocre food, but the price was good. The sausage was pleasantly the best thing. Spent a little time in the gift shop, went back to the cabin and packed up. Stopped at the visitor center on the way out, where they had snakes on display. We drove toward Ellijay and passed a million places to get apples, with a million people there. Bought apples and some other produce and had to pack them around ourselves. Maybe we should have taken Becky's van...we were trying to be good environmental stewards, and it was mostly pretty comfortable. Becky and I were kind of in a giant nest in the back seat, knitting and food and other stuff packed in around us. We got out and walked around Ellijay, where I loved the antique stores. We didn't actually pay the $5 to go to the "Apple Festival" craft fair. Ray and Kent were patient enough as it was. Found a pretty good place for lunch, but it was awfully slow, maybe because of the crowds. Drove through Blue Ridge--lots of nice-looking shops there and along the very northernmost part of Georgia, looking for fall colors, that were just starting to be seen in spots.

We stopped again at Vogel state park, maybe my favorite. We talked some about hiking the Appalachian Trail, in pieces. We rented paddle boats on the lake for a half hour and it was very pretty. Walked some. Got back in the Prius and drove toward home, stopping for dinner at a fun diner in Cornelia. We really packed in the fun in less than 2 days! Looking forward to another outing in the future.


All was well at home and we again slept like zombies (wait, maybe zombies don't sleep well...). It was hot in the house when we got home, but we opened it up and it was pleasantly cool this morning.

We got some generous checks in the mail, sponsors for the upcoming fund-raising event. I had lunch with Becky and Janna, sitting outside. It was very nice, except they somehow lost our order and we sat for about 30 minutes before realizing they were never going to bring our food. I saw Libby W., whom I hadn't seen for years and Caroline W. and her mother. She is apparently married...I suddenly realized I needed to go back to work...The bank statements had come and I spent some time working on reconciling them, not totally successfully. They will be waiting for me on Monday. I spoke to M. about being more or less caught up on work and offered to work on some grants, but she said no. The only thing she wants me to do is teach her how to do the reimbursements, which I understand and agree with, but it also makes me nervous.

I went by the bank, but they closed while I was waiting in line, at 4:30. I'll go by this morning. I picked Ray up and we headed to Democratic HQ. I asked if they needed anything and Erin said, "paper." I went and bought a case and kept a couple reams for us. The executive committee started at 5:15. We talked about HQ and then there were several other items. We are having some trouble getting enough volunteers for everything we want to do.

I had taken a chicken and rice casserole out of the freezer and Vanessa baked it, so we ate as soon as we got home. It was a pleasant evening, but too late for chicken-watching. There is a new program in Athens, called Whatever It Takes. We got one of 21 planning grants approved nationally and they are hiring some people. I am trying to decide if I should apply and who to put down for references.

When I got to work yesterday, I was the only one there for a while, which I kind of like sometimes. The phone rang a lot though, and there was a high-pitched beeping sound coming from the computer in the night staff office across from mine. When Jaron got there, he said it was the alarm system. We studied the map and tried to figure out where zone 21 was. I went into a couple rooms before we figured out which window it was. There didn't appear to be anything that should set off the alarm, so I took out the battery and went and bought some replacements when Kerri got in about 11. And we pushed bypass on the keypad, which made the beeping stop. The new battery didn't fix the problem though (so I threw away a perfectly good battery maybe).

I had lunch at Panera while I was at Batteries Plus and it was really good. Later, Greg and I went to the Food Bank to get milk. The other thing I did was move some things and throw away some old papers so there wouldn't be anything on my floor today when the tour group comes. What to wear??

Ray and I were home by 4 and it was another lovely day. I spent at least an hour sitting in the sun, leafing through a cookbook to no purpose and occasionally checking on the chickens, who seem to like staying near the deck, under the big rosebush. When it got too cold, I tried to call them to come into their coop, but they said, "no thanks, we like it out here." Fortunately, they are not really ornery and when I got behind them and shooed, they headed into the coop. If they really wanted to put up a fight, there is no way I could make them. They can fly a little and it would be impossible for me to catch them. We are checking every day now for the first egg.

Ray made a pasta salad and we had a nice supper at UUFA potluck and a good choir rehearsal. Amber got a little testy, which is Ray for her, because people were talking too much when she was trying to talk. Ray is one of the guilty parties, because he was asking Stu questions all the time.

Slept soundly, starting in the car on the way home.

I finally got a response from DCA, so I could submit over $20,000 worth of reimbursement requests, which I did the same day. I also finished up the CDBG request. One of the most time-consuming parts is photocopying every check stub and receipt. I had a quick lunch, but my phone was dead and I have already lost my new reading glasses. I had to order from memory and couldn't read while I was eating or waiting.

In the afternoon, there was a staff meeting at which Meredith announced that there was going to be a group touring the Shelter on Thursday. Nothing is allowed to be on the floor. Well, I have a box of old documents that has been there since she decided to clean out the closets. They have to be kept for 5 years. She said the offices have to be dusted. Fortunately, I did that a few days ago. In addition, she said that job descriptions will be changed effective January 1, with no specifics yet. I left right after the meeting and have been worried ever since. I had trouble falling asleep and slept really badly.

I stopped by the Democratic HQ. Lots of bustle. Erin says not all the volunteers are showing up for their shifts.

It was a beautiful afternoon with the chickens. The Captain planted some more things in the garden. Ray and I made a yummy supper. We watched TV, spent some time on line, and went to bed.

Lovely and cool here yesterday. Since I spent some time shopping for the Shelter on Sunday, I went in a couple hours late. Got to walk the dogs in the light and have breakfast with my parents. Ray and I played racquetball at Ramsey. I couldn't believe I was so groggy. I really had no energy at all. We used to play in the morning all the time, but now I am used to the afternoons.

Funny thing, when I got to the Shelter, everybody had been so worried about me because I wasn't there at 8. (even though I had talked about it with Meredith on Friday). Next time, I will call to check in. It was kind of nice to know they missed me.

Saved a few hundred dollars by shopping around for a new maintenance contract for our copy machine and researched companies that provide payroll services. It would cost us something, but it would ensure that we never had to pay penalties and late fees for taxes.

Had a late and good lunch by myself at Big City Bread.

Left at 3 and ran a couple errands with Ray, ending with picking up some carrot seeds at Cofer. Captain was in the garden planting things and planting them immediately. The chickens were happily roaming around close to home. Spent about an hour outside enjoying the day. Our sweet potatoes appear to have been harvested by a critter--maybe a vole. So sad.

Made supper, but had to rush off to rehearsal downtown at the Morton. Parked ad waited an hour reading my iPhone and watching 20 little girls on stage, to get my blocking for one 5-minute scene. Oh, well.

After that, TV and ice cream and bed. 

It was downright cold last night. I haven't been down to check the temperature yet, but we slept under the quilt! Before you know it, we'll need some firewood...

Yesterday's highlight was that Ray mowed the lawn, so it looks much nicer and might last awhile. The chickens were out again some of the afternoon and we all enjoyed interacting with them. They are quite docile, although about as smart as you would expect, so they don't really come when you call them. But I think we will get better at it--like other animals, you can train them with food rewards. Ray was trying to get them to go to a certain part of the yard, where he thought there were more grasshoppers. We called and shooed, but they did not want to be herded. The three of them stay together pretty much and they are quite "chicken," not wanting to venture very far from their coop, which is good. They don't like the hot sun and will stay in the shade, even though it was only in the 70s yesterday.

Ray and I sang some great music yesterday morning, including Standing on the Side of Love, for a service of the same name. Also a terrific version of Kumbaya, arranged by the Soweto Gospel Choir--you should hear their recording of it!

After the service, we drove downtown and joined the Captain and Vanessa at the Melting Point for a soup cookoff competition. Eleven members of the Classic City Chefs Association prepared soups. For $1, you could have a taste; for $2, a bowl. There was music too. The weather was gorgeous and we saw people we knew, including Joan Prittie. It was a benefit for Project Safe, but they were approached by the chefs and didn't have to do any work. My favorite was a potato soup, but there was a great lobster bisque and a really good butternut squash soup. Free rolls and tea or lemonade or you could buy alcoholic drinks. A great idea.

In the late afternoon, Vanessa and I went to the mall. Belk had a sale and I was looking for pillows and sheets for the Homeless Shelter. They gave me 10% off. I bought a dozen Ralph Lauren pillows for $7 each. I hope no one thinks Ralph Lauren pillows are too good for our residents. I bought 6 new bath towels that were about $6 each, in all different colors. The Prius's back seat is full. But the thing I really needed was twin sheets, just the fitted ones. They only sell sets. Kerri told me we have plenty of flat sheets, but need the fitted ones. We walked to J. C. Penney's, at the other end of the mall, but it was almost 6, closing time, when we got there.

On the way, we stopped at Lady Foot Locker because Vanessa was looking for some new walking shoes. It is a little hard to find the kind she wants; most of them are too big and clunky for her taste, but we found some on sale for $50, more than she wanted to pay, but she got them because they were the right kind. At J. C. Penney, they didn't appear to sell bottom sheets any more than Belk did, but I couldn't find anyone to help me to be sure.

Vanessa was also looking for a new travel kit for the Captain. On his last trip to Boston, apparently the Pepto-Bismol leaked all over everything including the travel kit. They didn't have them at Belk, and they didn't appear to have them at Penney, but there was a line at the check-out counter and no one to ask.

Then we went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, where they did have bottom sheets, but they were $20. You could also buy a sheet set for that price. I bought a few, but will need to keep my eyes peeled for sale sheets. They did have a travel kit, though, so I bought that.

We hadn't been home long when Ray was shouting my name. "I broke the faucet and the water is just spurting up--call the water office." So I did; they were going to send someone out, but he got it shut off. Of course, he also shut off the water to the whole house. He had stepped backward onto it while mowing and he was really angry because the Captain leaves the hose around and doesn't keep the cover on the faucet. It's a wonder he didn't break his ankle...We called our neighbor Paul, who would have come fix it for us (by now it was getting dark). Ray bailed some water out and figured out there was a shutoff valve half buried there. He was able to shut off the water to that faucet and not the whole house. So he was very pleased with himself (and glad to be able to shower). It's funny how happy you are when you avert a crisis--much happier than if the crisis had never happened.

Old-fashioned and snack, plus leftovers for supper. TV and bed.

It is lovely and cool here this morning. Time for my bathrobe and slippers. The fans are turned off. The sliver of moon is casting light on the east end of the house and there are some bright stars too. When I close my computer, I can see a hint of brightness around the horizon that suggests morning is coming.

Unfortunately, I am afraid I may be getting sick, perhaps as a result of the changing weather. I have had a headache since yesterday. I even took some Tylenol in the night. And I have a stuffy nose. Also I have very dry lips and am thirsty. We'll see.

Ray and I spent most of this gorgeous day driving to Dahlonega and singing at a choir retreat. We took Don M. and Aleta and left about 8:30 and were back by 4:30. It was a lovely ride. You could see the mountains clearly from a long way off. And I thought what I always think, "How beautiful it is here. It makes me happy. I should come more often." But do I? It is only a few hours away. Dahlonega less than 90 minutes, the mountains a little further.

On Friday, I worked, but met Ray for a pleasant lunch and left again at 2:30. We went to Ramsey and played 2 games of racquetball and swam a few laps. At home, we had leftover linguica soup that my parents had made for lunch, after freezing most of the giant pot of soup I made Thursday night. We picked up Muhterem and went to the contra dance, which was very fun. They had to leave because I was asleep in my chair at 10:30.

Then of course, yesterday and today, I was stiff and sore from my neck to the bottom of my left heel. Riding and sitting did not make it better.

When we got home, it was in the 70s and sunny out. Vanessa had made beef stew, at least the beef part. My Dad was working on his column. Ray went upstairs and I went out and pulled up some weeds, while I let the chickens out of their coop to roam freely. I was nervous, but they did great, going after bugs and strutting slowly in a cluster. Eventually, they wandered back into the coop. I gave them a cup of feed and closed it up for the night.

I went in and peeled the potatoes and carrot. We also put in a bunch of green beans from the mostly defunct garden. We chatted pleasantly during dinner and watched some TV before heading up to bed. I woke up when Ray took my book out of my hands.

It was pleasantly cool all day yesterday and rained again in the afternoon. I worked on reimbursement requests and the mailing list and began to feel a little dissatisfied with not having anything more interesting to do. I had lunch with Becky, so that made a break. I left right at 3 and went to Kroger to buy groceries, including the ingredients for a big pot of soup.

I don't plan to keep to this diet. I would starve if I ate nothing but soup and the small amounts of other foods they list. But I like the idea of having the soup base and being able to make a variety of soups from it. The information is here, in case you are interested. I went to pick up Ray up at 4:30, but had to wait almost 30 minutes with the groceries.

When we got home, we made supper, chatted with my parents some and ate it. Then they watched TV while I worked on the soup. I used the food processor to chop the onions and slice the other vegetables and cook them for a little while. So it was done before bedtime. I haven't tasted it yet, though.