I am not doing much all day every day, but I get pretty tired.

Polly and Jim left yesterday morning, after the kids were at school. They drove to Walla Walla, where it would generally be warmer and dryer than Seattle this time of year. Unfortunately, the forecast was for rain. They called last night and arrived safely, and even took a bike ride in the rain. They are staying in a nice little well-appointed apartment, which, thanks to Google, we can actually see (the roof of).

Ray and I hung out here in the morning, bathing and dressing and doing computer stuff. We ate lunch and then walked to Lidet's school (in the rain). We walked with her to Goodwill (in the rain) and I bought another pair of jeans, a warm hoodie, and a winter coat. We also bought a pair of shorts for her, but they are too big. She seemed to enjoy it, spending a lot of time looking at the shoes. Ray dozed in a chair and kept an eye on her while I shopped. Then we walked home (uphill) in the rain. We had three umbrellas and it was not bitter cold. When we got home, we changed into dry clothes and started cooking. Ray worked on his computer.

I made onion-potato soup (a little too oniony and not hearty enough, imho) and bean and tomato salad (good but not appealing to kids) and cheesecake bars (a big hit with the kids, a little bland for my taste). Lidet helped a lot, and she even put away some of the clean dishes for me. Ray walked down to get Nate at 3; the walk back up was pretty hard. He played Spider on the kitchen island while we cooked. They ate lots of my homemade bread. We ate a little after 5, as a way of forestalling the constant demands for cheesecake bars.

Sometimes, when Lidet and Nate have down time, they run and scream and rough-house, which is a little loud, but I guess perfectly good entertainment for them. They did some of that after supper, as well as playing on the iPad, looking at places on Google, for instance. We watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, except I fell asleep, leaving Ray to put the children to bed.

We are in Polly's room now, a beautiful room with lots of windows--and no shades. This gives a lovely view, looking down on the lights of Seattle, but it gets light here very early these days, close to the summer solstice. I woke up at 4, partly becuase of the light, and partly because I am not completely on Seattle time yet.

I'm wearing my new jeans and hoodie and thinking about what to cook today and what to do. I just heard Nate's feet hit the floor--he's in the top bunk. It's early for him to get up; school doesn't start for 2 or 3 hours.

Ray and I got up and ate and got to Winterville by 7:45. Laura and Danielle were there, as well as Christy and her family. We set up all the materials, registered about 5 more people, gave out bags to the pre-registered ones, and the ride started. Kate, from the Land Trust, had driven the van, but left it parked at the Marigold Festival somewhere. She gave me the keys and set off on her bike. I sent Nancy to find the van and we packed things up. She came back saying she couldn't find it. Eventually, four of them were looking for the van and I was sitting in the cool morning sun waiting. It took about 45 minutes, but they did find it. Then it was tricky to get back to the Todds' without running afoul of the festival and parade. We did all head down the road before 10. I drove the route, following the directions, and I was a little unsure, pulling off to check, but I did end up at Stop 1 as the last few riders were finishing their break. Ray was there. After a bit, they left and we packed things up. Ray drove the truck with the coolers and all in it and I followed him. We quickly caught up to the last riders (Nathan and Kate), followed closely by the First Aid van driven by Mike R. We carefully went around them and all the other riders as we caught up to them. It was a beautiful drive, although getting hotter quickly. The van's AC doesn't seem to work very well.

As we got near the second stop, vehicles with sirens and flashing lights passed, and I said to myself, over and over, "Please, God, don't let it be a rider..." but of course it was. When we got to the second stop, Christy had just gotten a phone call. She sent us ahead to the third stop, but we soon passed the scene. Nancy's car was there, a few cyclists, and many emergency vehicles. We just drove on by, since there was nothing we could do that wasn't being done. We couldn't really see how the person was. I felt terrible, like I wished I had nothing to do with this event, because without a bike ride, there couldn't have been an accident. My prayer changed to, "Please don't let him be badly hurt..." Perhaps this prayer worked better. It was a while before we heard that, although badly bruised and in pain, the 25-year-old man was released from the hospital that afternoon. I hope that this incident will not cause him or the friends riding with him to give up on cycling. It did cast a bit of gloom over the other riders.

In general, feedback was very good. Things went well. Ray was a trooper. There was plenty of food and drink. We had a couple of guys cramp up, probably from not drinking enough Gatorade. Water alone will quench thirst, but riding in the heat requires lots of electrolytes. The first aid man was awesome too, bringing up the very end (Nathan, Kate, and two others). After a suitable period of drinking beverages (and eating), we packed up and brought the last few riders back to Winterville.

We drove home, showered and dressed, and headed to dinner with Janna, Ron, Francesca, and Kent at Farm 255. We had a good dinner and a fun time, although their hard seats were uncomfortable, especially for Ron, and Ray did not like his steak much. We stopped by my parents briefly, and headed home to pack.

Not sleeping very well and my back is still bothering me. All will be well soon.

Yesterday morning, I dropped Ray off and went to EarthFare to pick up the cups they were donating. The woman who got them for me asked, "just the cups?" I said, "if you have any fruit you want to get rid of, we'd love to have it." She came back with the manager and the produce manager and they packed up some bananas and oranges for us and carried it out to the car for me. Then I went to Kroger on College Station and bought some other things we needed: individual packs of cookies, gatorade mix, sodas, napkins...I only spent $50, so felt pretty good. It was a little after 12 when I got to the Land Trust, and Heather said she had already bought everything we needed. Darn! I didn't realize she said she was going to do that. She didn't even have a list. So, now we have plenty, some left over for the future, or to return.

I had a few email inquiries and details to take care of. The shirts were ready a little after 3, and several of us put everything in them. I put the right size shirt in and put a sticker on for the ones that preregistered. There are 30 of them. We'll probably have a few more and we won't lose any money. I was kind of excited for a while. Now I just want it to be over. The shirts and bags are really nice.

I left a little after 5 and picked Ray up. We went to a graduation party for Dusty in Oconee County. Ray had bought a book of advice for college students and we stopped at Add Drug to buy a sheet of tissue paper to wrap it in. It was a nice party. We ate barbecue and talked to Ray's friend John and a couple others, notably Paul's Uncle Rob, who grew up in the northeast.

It was 90 degrees late in the day and it was a little hard to fall asleep. Then I woke up too early. Now to thrash around and get over there.

One community service worker called earlier in the week begging for volunteer hours. She had to get 20 hours right away (I think she wants to leave town). I told her of a few opportunities and signed her up for Saturday. I hoped she would work Friday, too, putting the bags together. I called her yesterday and she said she should have called to tell me she found someplace else that she could get the 20 hours in a row, so she won't be helping us on Saturday. I didn't say, "well, fine, then you can't have the t-shirt I ordered for you!" No music, except Pandora and an iPod docking station. Apparently, the crowd is so small we don't even need a PA system. The t-shirt place said would Friday be okay and I said yes, what time?" At 3 o'clock today, we should be able to put a t-shirt and a few pieces of paper in a bag with our logo on it. Also a sample of Axe and a mini-Lara bar. And a map of the route. Weather still looks good, if a little hot. It'll be cool enough in the morning. Aside from Ray, I have 2 or 3 volulnteers who are supposed to help out. We'll see if they show.

My back is still wonky; good thing I am not planning to ride 48 miles tomorrow. EarthFare is going to give us 50 cups. Laura brought by the Fuze and Monster drinks she got donated, as well as cereal bars. Christy stopped by and we talked about a few details. I need to buy some things, particularly nutter butters in individual packaging. and make a few signs.

Had lunch with Ray and Becky and her parents. Fun. 

My left hip (or lower back) is giving me a lot of pain this morning. It started last night and I was hoping it would be better this morning.

We took a long walk yesterday morning. Then I stopped by Hendershot's to ask if there were any bands he knew of that might want to play on Saturday. He is supposed to email me if he has any ideas. Two more registrations came in the mail, but I was disappointed not to have any new ones online. Talked to the ShirtWorks people and I think the shirts are ordered. I hope they will be ready on Friday. Found some goulash I had left in the fridge, so didn't have to go out for lunch. Left about 3, got Ray, went to Kroger, went home. Made the salad, picked peas. I had started some bread in the morning, so had to knead that and put it back in the fridge while we went to choir. When I got home, I took it out of the fridge and made it into loaves, but it didn't get to bake until after 10 and then it took a long time. I fell asleep and Ray had to take it out.

Dreaming of the ride and feeling unprepared. 

I woke up at 4:30 feeling stressed about this stupid bike ride on Saturday. Unless it was the moonlight shining in. Or the weird dinner we had.

Yesterday morning, my parents came by before we left. They were surprised to see us going, since Ray is not teaching right now.

I went to try to get some beer donated, but no luck. We have 22 people registered now. I have to order the t-shirts and hope that they are ready before Saturday. I am working on getting some vounteers lined up. One has to be picked up Saturday morning. We talked about borrowing my Dad's pickup, so we can cart bicycles around as needed.

I was a little late for the writing workshop and I didn't have any writing to share. Next week is the last class for this session, and I will be in Seattle.

Ray and I went to EarthFare, where we saw Kalindi. We bought a few groceries and I talked to the woman who is supposed to donate $100 worth of things for us, but says she can't right now.

It was very cool and breezy all day. I picked a few peas and watched Gladys, the chicken, in the garden, until I got too cold and went in. I made some unusual dishes for supper, both involving using up sweet potatoes and Indian spices. The soup was not great, but the Indian sweet potatoes were pretty good. Ice cream, TV, early to bed.

Good morning! I was dreaming I was sick; I think it was cancer. Mary Jean was a teaching assistant in a class for young children, like preschool. Other people were sick too. Maybe it was a futuristic epidemic. When I woke up, I felt achy and congested.

Yesterday morning, I baked muffins (apricot) and tidied up some to get ready for the Small Group Ministry coming here. We had decided two weeks before to do a field trip, so I didn't have to plan a topic for a discussion. As people arrived, we gathered outside and I showed the gardens and the chickens. Everything was a big hit. When we were all here, we went in for a few minutes, while everyone went to the bathroom. We lit our chalice and headed out. We walkted through the meadow to warm up, and then down past the giant poplar, around which we held hands. The mountain laurel was pretty much past blooming, but we went by it and admired. At the trail, I asked if people wanted to go back or go on past the river and they all wanted to go on. So we walked around half the outisde of Kenney Ridge (the easy, level half), and came out Nancy S.'s driveway. It was about 11:45, so we were walkling for over an hour. We admired a lot of trees and Victoria looked one up in particular. She had been somewhat mystified, but it turns out the Southern Red Oak has many different shapes of leaves, on the same tree! Everyone seemed really pleased and no one was exhausted or hurt. The weather was perfect: cool and overcast, but not raining.

Ray and I had a little lunch and dawdled a bit. Then we headed in to town. He dropped me off at ALT. There are now 20 people registered for the bike ride, which is nice, but I hope we get a lot more. It's time to finalize the numbers of bags and t-shirts (I ordered 50 bags) and line up the volunteers to assemble them. He picked me back up about 4:30 and we came home.

It sprinkled a little, off and on all day, so I didn't work in the garden. Thought about what to make for supper. It was cool enough to want to bake something and warm up the house, but I had used up all my flour on the muffins: white and wheat. There were a couple of zucchini I had bought that needed eating, so we ate them with pasta and cheese--yum! Ray surprised me with an iPad for my birthday! I love it, but it's quite extravagant of him. Partly, it is because he wants to use my laptop while we are traveling. It is lovely, like a giant iPhone. It comes with no instructions, except hook it up to your computer and follow the directions. It is set up now for most things, but not use as a phone yet.

I played with that some and we watched a little TV. Ended up staying up a little late. Molli is home safely in Mexico, tired but fine. I miss her, but still feel her with me, like an echo or shadow.

A lovely birthday went by. We had pancakes and maple syrup, a short walk on the trail, and went to the Fellowship to sing and have people greet Molli. Then we went home and had Salade Nicoise and strawberry daiquiris. It was a beautiful day, cool and sunny and breezy.

After lunch, Molli and I drove to the rehab center to see Bertha. Janna was there, too. It was very hard for Molli and she found the whole visit hard, in that time is going by, and people are getting older and less healthy. People at the UUFA that used to be children are grown; people she knew are not here any more. Life is kind of sad, sometimes.

We came home, picked and shelled peas, and she ate some more of them! Ray and Molli made macaroni and cheese and we headed to the choir party, where there were lots of people and good food and drink. She got to visit with some people she likes (and so did we). We left about 8:30 and came home so Molli could pack and we could all go to bed early. We did have to spend a little time sitting together and watching TV.

At 2, Ray and Molli got up and drove to the shuttle, which took her to the Atlanta airport and back to Mexico. I was awake off and on, but generally got to sleep while Ray did the work. It was a lovely visit and I already miss her a ton.

birthday dinner at NONA

My birthday! I was quite depressed in the morning, which is a little peculiar, since I was looking forward to a visit from Molli. Perhaps my emotions got mixed up. I was crying eating breakfast, crying on our brief walk, even crying in the car on the way to the airport.

I have been thinking a lot about aging and health care and money. Biologically, our usefulness is over once we are finished reproducing. From a societal point of view, our usefulness is over when we are no longer adding anything. Perhaps (even if I weren't working), I should stick around to advise my children on raising their children. But when I get to a point that I am not able to care for myself, or add anything to the world (like writing an inspiring or helpful book), we shouldn't spend any more on keeping me alive. We have only a finite amount of resources; shouldn't they better go to someone struggling at the beginning of their life? Of course, we pay some people tons of money (sports and other celebrities, some CEO's)--they will probably have excellent care at the end of their lives. Is that a reward for the good they have done? Is everyone entitled to a pleasant end-of-life, because of their previous good (maybe not everyone)?

Yesterday's rain was actually negligible, but there was kind of a misty shower some of the morning. Ray and I walked when nothing was coming down. We headed out to pilates and the Farmers' Market and got the Captain a loaf of the bread that he likes: Rosemary and Salt Epi from Luna. My parents were here when we got home; they had brought some cold cuts for lunch.

My Dad was watering the garden extensively. He was starting to pick peas and I said Molli and I would do that later in the day, so he was glad to stop.

small salad

Ray and I headed out for the airport about 1:15. All went well, but Molli still manage to arrive before us. I don't know if she has incredible luck or all flights are arriving early these days. She found a working pay phone (on the 4th try) and called to tell us where to meet her. The traffic was pretty bad at the airport, but we pulled into the lane further away and walked over to meet her. It sure is wonderful to have her around. We have such a good time together.

When we got home, Ray took a nap. Molli settled in a little, called Adrian, and then we picked and shelled peas for a while. We cooked some and ate them and froze the rest. We all got dressed for dinner and headed back to NONA. My parents were already there, at an upstairs table by the window. Janna, Deb, and John joined us. This time I took pictures of some of the food to send to my editor.

moon out the window

There was a somewhat abbreviated menu for graduation weekend.Several people had the scallops and they were still wonderful.  Molli and I split a 14 oz ribeye and we each had a lovely small salad. We had a ton of desserts and everyone sang happy birthday to me. Oh, we had 3 bottles of wine, as well as drinks. And I didn't pay. We left about 11 and Ray and I both had some trouble sleeping and a little indigestion. Ah, well. It was fun.

I may have heard rain in the night. When it is light in a little while, I'll be able to tell. It's cool and I hear crickets.

Yesterday, I did not go to the Land Trust. I don't know if they did anything about the bike ride, which is a week from today. The day  before, we were up to 11 riders and people were disappointed to think we might not make any money. I feel like I've done pretty well without much help. And hopefully, more people will register next week. In the meantime, we have to make decisions about how many t-shirts, etc.

misty morning walk

Ray slept unil 8 or so, we had a brief walk, I started some bread, and it was 9:30 before we were ready to leave to pick up my parents. It was warm, but not unbearable yet, and there were lots of people, but the strawberries were abundant, and over-ripe. Vanessa sat on a folding chair we had brought at the Captain's request, and the rest of us picked about 3 1/2 buckets. We had to stop ourselves, because it would have been easy to pick more. At Washington Farms, it is $10 for a bucket (their bucket, you're not supposed to pick into your own containers), which you can heap full if you want. The young man said it was about 5 pounds of berries, but I didn't weigh them when I got home. I had brought lots of yogurt containers to put them in, but we had about twice as many berries as would fit. You can buy the buckets for $1 and use them year after year, so we bought one.

apparently, I sat in some strawberries

at the phone store, after strawberry picking

Then, of course, not having really thought ahead, we had to immediately freeze the majority of them. We filled the kitchen sink and I hulled while my Dad and my Mom sliced. We filled a lot of freezer containers and labeled them and stuck them in the freezer. We took a break about 12:30 and ate some lunch, did a little more, and then continued with the plans for the day. We went to the AT&T store and got my parents (and Ray) new cell phones. I don't know why it takes so long to do this. I have ordered them on line, and I think that is what I would do again. The young woman was nice, and seemed pretty on top of it, but it took a long time to do the setup. My parents did not have their phone with them, so Ray drove them home and got it. Then, when it was ready, I drove it back to them. Ray had decided to get a bluetooth headset (which either of us could use), as well as a case that clips on his belt. Happy Dork! My parents phone is the simplest they had, with large, clear keys. I called them and my Dad was upset because he could not figure out how to plug the charger in. I will look at it today, when they are here. It has 3 keys that can be programmed with the three numbers they call most. Ray's has a little keyboard built in that he likes.

Then I picked Janna up at the rehab place where her Mom is. Here is what I did not know about Medicare. It will pay for 20 days in a rehab center/short-term care. It will pay 80% of another 80 days, if the diagnosis warrants it. Then you must leave. If you are not able to feed yourself and move around by yourself (assisted living), you have to go to long-term care (a nursing home). If you need more rehab within 60 days, even it is a completely unrelated event (broken hip), you are out of luck, unless you can pay for it yourself. So, Bertha will have to move when her 100 days are up, and if she is not ready for assisted living, she will need to go to a nursing home. Janna has visited two nursing homes in Athens and they are horrible (she says and I trust her on that). Apparently, there is more moeny to be made in short-term care (since Medicaid will pay), so there are not as many places available and they are not as nice. This is what happens when market forces are in control of our health care. I think I should move to another country before I need a nursing home.

She heard about one in Crawford, so we drove there to see it. Someone had advised her not to call and make an appointment, but just to show up. It is called Quiet Oaks and has 61 beds. They are all full and she will get on the waiting list. It was a little sadder than the rehab place, but seemed clean and well-run. The rooms are a little bigger. The woman who runs it is a character, but seems authentic. It costs $150 a day, including meals, but not doctor's visits or medicine or therapy. Janna says they can afford that. It is less than having round-the-clock care in her own apartment, which she cannot afford and will have to give up. The problem is she doesn't realize how sick she is somehow, and seems competent in some ways, so it will be difficult to deal with and sad.

After returning Janna to her car and her mother, I went to pick Ray up. The campus was becoming a zoo, with graduation at 7. We gave Ron a ride to his house. He had surgery on his foot and it is still very painful and hard for him to walk. He hasn't driven yet. This allowed Janna to spend a little more time with her mother, as she tries to do twice a day.

As we neared our house, it was about 6 o'clock, and we decided to stop at Transmet and have supper there. It cooled off while we sat on their rooftop dining area, and the wind blew like it might storm soon, but it didn't. We enjoyed our food and it wasn't outrageously expensive.

There was one egg and appear to be two broody hens now. I also picked asparagus, and we sliced up some more of the strawberries for the freezer and to eat with vanilla ice cream, while we watched a little TV.

Molli is coming! On one of her crazy, work-related visits, she will be here for my birthday! Nothing but good times for 24 hours. We drive to Atlanta to pick her up at 2:42 Saturday (if she is on time), drive back to Athens, go out to dinner for my birthday, sleep, go to church and sing in choir, come home for a few hours, go to the choir party, go to sleep, get up and on the road by 3 am in order for her to make a 6 am flight Monday. But it will be so worth it. Fortunately, we do not have obligations this weekend, other than ones she will enjoy.

Yesterday, Ray met with the retirement counselor at UGA. He could retire (without penalty) in a year and a half. He will investigate some things and decide what he wants to do. If he waits longer, he will get more money. He is concerned that I will have enough to live on when he dies. We will be talking about it a lot.

I went to the Land Trust for a few hours, talked to Nancy some about my job, worked on the bike ride mainly. Went to Earth Fare for a few groceries, took Ray to the doctor. He has a sinus infection and amoxicillin will clear it up. They also prescribed medicine for his blood pressure. Must get back to exercising more.

We were home by 3, he went to bed. It was over 90, but the AC was fine. I finally ventured out about 5:30, cut some lettuce, pulled some radishes, watered the drooping cucumbers a bit. It is dry. Off and on over the last few days, we hear a few rumbles of thunder, I think surely a storm is coming, but nothing. Made a little salad, woke Ray up, went to potluck and choir. Brought Bill home, watched TV, fell asleep by 9:30, opened all the windows. Cool and damp this morning.

It's back to the weather pattern of hot and humid, but no rain. It was a great spring and I knew it wouldn't last forever. Last night, it was cool enough to open the windows. but even with the fans going, it was still 78 upstairs. Ray got up about 4 and opened the windows downstairs, and that made it surprisingly cooler. His side of the bed is wet and smelly from sweat, even though we changed the sheets 3 days ago. He sweats a lot more than me and is hot at much lower temperatures most of the time.

Yesterday morning was pleasant. We have been trying to clear a path in the woods to the giant poplar, because I have the small group coming here on Monday for a "field trip." Cameron races around us, very excited. Ray breaks branches and clears things. One time he even brought a rake. I carefully study the lay of the land, trying to find the "natural" clearings. So far, it has been different every day.

I had an 11 o'clock meeting at the Land Trust with a woman from the Athens Banner-Herald. They will have an article in the paper on Sunday about the bike ride, so we are changing our early registration deadline to May 17 to give them time. Hopefully, hundreds of people will rush to register. After that, I was going to go talk to someone about beer, and have a leisurely lunch, but someone pointed out that ther was a staff meeting at 1, so I rushed to McDonald's to get something to eat, which give me diarrhea later in the day.

The writer's workshop was amazing, with people writing about their mother being taken away and committed, and their grandson being missing from their life because his mother decided she wanted him back. Very emotional stuff.

It was hot when we came home, so I didn't go out for a couple hours. The Captain had picked peas, thank goodness. Ray made some goulash for supper and it was tasty. Nothing more to report, unless you count watching the end of Fifth Element for the 100th time (not really). Ray was chuckling away and I love it too.

I was at the Land Trust for almost 5 hours yesterday and for some reason I'm feeling better about the bike ride. Not that we have any more riders. The Tour d'Oconee was a big success this past weekend, though, with 250 riders, and the vast majority of them registered in the last two weeks. A lady is coming from the paper today, so hopefully that will generate more interest. And we got another $250 sponsor, directly due to my efforts. Still looking for music and beer, though. Nancy and Nathan were at a training about finances all day. Kate and Laura were working off site. So I got to sit at the front desk and answer phones and talk to Heather from time to time.

And Ray is more relaxed these days with a more flexible schedule. We were home before 4. The Captain was here watering. It's pretty hot and dry and the garden is not doing as well as we would like. The deer are eating anything they can get to. I waited until 5:30 or so to go out and pick some more peas, a few awesome asparagus stalks, and a head of broccoli. But I was still hot and sweaty and miserable when I came in. I shelled the peas on the porch. Also, there was only one egg yesterday and another of the hens is broody. I took a nice shower and Ray heated up the taco filling from yesterday. It was tasty. Also, we ate the asparagus--fresh-picked an hour before--yum.

Watched a couple shows and fell asleep. Slept pretty well and feel pretty cheerful this morning.

Yesterday I was at ALT a little after 10. Ray gave his last exam of the semester, although he has papers and tests to grade. I did some work in the office, arranging to get information about our bike ride to organizers of another ride today. I met him at Jittery Joe's at one, then went by a couple possible sponsors, and picked Ray up about 3. He had bought pizza for his class and I held the leftovers on my lap. Unfortunately, I felt obliged to eat two pieces cold on our way home.

We were home pretty early. It was warm but breezy. I felt a little uncomfortable from eating the pizza and neither of us did much. We sat on the porch and admired the chickens, the dog and the gardens. Eventually, I picked some chard and a few beet greens, thinning them some. No eggs at all today. A different hen is broody now and won't leave the nest box, except when I pick her up and put her on the ground.

Ray and I worked together to make noodles with Swiss chard and mushrooms (yum), and a small omelette with a few stalks of asparagus. It's still pretty fun to eat what you grow yourself. Bought things do not have as much appeal for me right now.

We had a quiet evening watching TV, and went to bed about 10. I slept well, not waking up until 6:30, when the sun was about to show over the horizon.

I have continued to get positive responses from people to my Letter to the Editor/poem, although I am not as euphoric as I was.

I spent some time at the Land Trust yesterday, arriving about 9:30, calling potential sponsors and either getting nos or leaving messages. Went to see Mr. Carter for the last time and enjoyed it quite well. Ray and I were home a little after 4, but he had to leave again for the Democratic Committee meeting. I went to the Kenney Ridge Cinco de Mayo celebration, a fund-raiser for the stained glass window for the community center. I refused to purchase one of their drinks for sale, because they were using disposable plastic cups! Man, if we can't get the environmental community to understand the importance of this, where is the hope for the rest? They told me they would recycle them. I said, "please let me know next time, I will be happy to wash glasses for the whole community."

Then we went to dinner at the Hilltop Grille, for Janna's birthday. It was fun, although not as fun as the week before. The food was good and cost much less, but the service was pretty bad. Ray and I were home by 9:30 and watched one or two shows before we went to bed.

I've been awake since before 5, but didn't let myself get up until 5:30. This is supposed to keep me from eventually falling asleep at 4 in the afternoon and waking up at midnight. It has been awhile since I woke up so early. I could be excited about being a Writer. Or I could be worried about this d**n bike ride.

My poem on Anger was published as a Letter to the Editor yesterday. I was nervous about doing it because of the negative responses I might get. I am carefully not reading the online comments. So far, the only comments I have gotten in person have been positive.

I was at the Land Trust a little after 10 yesterday morning. I did some work relating to the bike ride. At 12:30, I went and had lunch with Janna. It was a pleasant cool and sunny day, just about 70 degrees, and we ate outside. It was lovely, except for our conversation, which was in part about our parents, especially her Mom, who apparently doesn't realize she has had a life-threatening stroke and then almost died of pneumonia. She seems to be quite sharp in other ways and making progress in caring for herself. Janna (and her sister) is thinking about getting rid of some of her things (cooking and clothing items particularly) and moving her to a smaller apartment within Talmadge Terrace, so that she could afford around-the-clock care, if and when she is through with rehab. When she discussed it with her Mom, she said she didn't think that was necessary yet. Big question: at what point do your parents' wishes no longer govern your decisions about their lives? Janna has power of attorney, and therefore a legal right (and obligation?) to make decisions for her Mom. If she follows her mother's desires (and does nothing), and her mother is discharged from the rehab center, where will she go? Who will care for her? Who will pay for it? Fortunately, not my problem at this point. Although we may help with some of the packing and moving. I wish my back were stronger.

At 2, I went to a training on Volunteer Management for a couple hours. It was mildly useful, in particular, the handbooks used by other organizations that we had as samples. I had to go back to the Land Trust at 4 to meet with Mr. and Mrs. Todd, who are the ones who came up with the idea of a bike ride and are doing a lot of the work. However, as Heather pointed out, the bulk of it ends up falling on the staff, so they can't do their "real" jobs. They have not followed through on some of the things I mentioned to them. But I think we will be okay, except for the fact that the ride is two and a half weeks away, and we have three riders registered. We have no volunteers signed up; we have only a few sponsors. Nancy says if we have 50 riders, she'll be happy. I am really supposed to be working on volunteers (for yard work), but the ride is mostly what I am doing.

Ray went home, made macaroni and cheese, and came back to get me and  take me to potluck and choir. Singing was fun. We left early, because we will miss one Sunday, so don't need to learn that music. Watched a little TV and went to bed about 10.

Yesterday morning, Ray slept late and we didn't get to town until 11:30, when I met Becky for lunch. I got to ATL about 1, in time for the weekly staff meeting. Then I went to the writing workshop at 2. People really liked my piece about peas, which surprised me. It seemed on the boring side to me. The class was enjoyable. Some people wrote about more serious things, like the loss of childhood friends. 

Ray and I headed home; I visited the garden a bit, spent some time on the computer, made supper, and watched a little TV.  We let Cameron out to chase something and he didn't come back until this morning. I was worried.

Finally, just before we went to bed last night, there was a hard rain. I'm not sure it lasted long enough, but it's cooler this morning (48) and the garden looks happy for the moment. I slept pretty soundly and woke up when it was already light, from a dream involving teaching in an elementary school with Harriet. It took me a while to really wake up and I still feel a little muzzy.

Kick-Ass Radishes

 I went to Deb's for Small Group Ministry, where we talked about Change and Transformation. Interesting and personal stuff. Then I went by the hospital, where my Mom was having arthroscopic knee surgery. I didn't see her, but my Dad was in the waiting room and we went to the cafeteria so he could have some lunch. It was pretty bland, but he did eat.

I went on to the Land Trust for a couple of hours, working on the upcoming bike ride, looking for a band. There is a band that a couple of people liked, but its name is The Welfare Liners. We can't very well have an event and publicize that! We have leads, but would like to get that settled. How many riders have registered? Two. Trying not to be discouraged. I was still kind of tired and sore from the weekend and anxious about my Mom, so I left. I went to the t-shirt place, which is worth writing about in itself. Run by two sisters: Kathy and Jackie. Jackie made me eat ice cream and gave me a hug when I left.

When I got to the hospital, my Mom was just leaving. She was fairly alert and showed me her giant bandaged knee. I talked to my Dad later in the evening as he was making her bacon and eggs. She is supposed to walk on it a lot, oddly enough.

I bought a few things at Kroger and Ray met me there and we went home. Ah! The chickens, like pets, seemed to be mad at us for being gone all day (my parents weren't there either because my Mom had surgery). They had laid three eggs, but two were on the ground, dirty, and one had a cracked place. And the strawberries are getting smaller and fewer, sniff, and something is still eating some of them.

Harvest: mainly peas with broccoli and strawberries

A pound of peas

Last night I picked a pound of peas. It took me 45 minutes and I worked up a sweat. I was proud and elated. Then it took about an hour to shell them all. When I was done, there was just a pound. To grow your own peas, a whole pound of them, is amazing. Previously, we had about a mouthful each and froze three batches of half a cup.

Like any garden vegetable, the ground must be prepared and the seeds planted, weeds pulled, water applied regularly. These peas are a variety named Knight. They are the best we have grown here so far. Oddly, there are two types that came from the seed packet, a short earlier type and a taller one. Most of the small peas have been picked now, and we are starting to get the big ones. Some of the pods have as many as 9 or 10 peas in them. They are fascinating, like so much of Nature, in their variety. One pea in a little pod makes a funny bulgy short thing to pick. An overripe pod can be so full, the peas are square to fill every space. Some pods have small undeveloped peas, as well as normal-sized ones. Were they not fertilized? How does that work, since every pod develops from a flower that must have been pollinated (thank you, bees)? I am sure someone at the university could tell me. There are signs of a fungus or some other sort of infection in just a few of the pods, some crystalline growth that affected only 2 or 3 peas.

Here's the sad part. They were delicious, and I love growing my own. But was it worth it? A pound of frozen peas costs less than $2. Somehow, all their peas are the same, picked at the peak of perfection. Some of mine are a little gone by, dry and starchy; a few were too small to be really good.

There are lots of great things about growing peas. They are one of the first crops to be planted, as early as February, and ready in late April, when not much else is. Bugs don't usually bother them. Although something, maybe a cutworm, killed some of the mature plants at ground level. Not all the peas in a row, about 5 chosen at random. The tops suddenly came loose and died, and the pods didn't finish filling out. Kind of odd. They don't need a lot of fertilizer or care, compared to some things. And they're fun to watch growing, with their grasping tendrils. They will attach themselves to weeds or each other, as well as the fences my Dad put in place for them.

But I think, if I had to live on what I could raise myself, I might skip the peas.

After supper (one of our favorites, noodles with peas, and some delicious simply fried flounder), we froze a half pound of broccoli I had also picked, watched a little TV, read some, and slept pretty well until daylight.

Yesterday was a relatively quiet and calm day, even boring, but we didn't have much energy to do anything anyway.

In the morning, we were running late. My parents came by, but I didn't have much time to talk. I was ready before Ray, so we went in two cars. I hate being late, especially when other people are depending on me. We sang folky songs about justice...Let Peace Roll Down Like a Mighty Stream...and others. If you had an index card to write about race in 6 words, what would you say? Here's mine: there is no race but human. One person listed 6 black leaders like Parks and Obama.

There was a bake sale afterward to benefit the choir. I had made the brownies, but they still had to be cut up and put in baggies for sale. They did not cooperate. Although very yummy, they would not be cut in squares...but there was lots of other good stuff. In fact, it was the first time (I think) that we didn't sell everything. I brought most of it home and put it in my freezer. I bought $10 worth myself. The rest will come back to the Fellowship for some future event, like a choir party.

When I got home about 1:30, my parents were still there and we talked some about our weeks. Ray and I made salade nicoise for our lunch about 3 or so. (linner?) It was pretty warm out; I checked the garden and picked a few things, but didn't want to work in it. We actually took naps, which is pretty rare for me. I felt a little groggy when I woke up about 5:30. Then I did some weeding and a lot of sitting around watching the chickens and the dog until dark. There was a baby bird--maybe from a nest under the porch. Once I realized what Cameron was chasing, I told him to leave it alone and he did. I hope it is doing well. Ray said it was nearly fledged. Lots of birds and anoles (chameleon-like lizards) help keep our bug population down. There were lots of fuzzy caterpillars, but I don't see them any more. Still many small grasshoppers, although I am sure the chickens are helping. The first evening I was bothered by mosquitoes (they were huge).


Things to be eaten: peas, asparagus, lettuce, broccoli, radishes, many herbs...and of course, eggs.

I cooked the last of the baby bok choys and some brown rice for supper, which we ate about 9 and watched a little TV and went to bed.

I woke about 3 from a dream in which I couldn't breathe. My head ached and I suspect I really wasn't breathing. Not sure why, but I remember a roommate that I didn't know telling me that I was stopping breathing in my sleep and should tell a doctor. Maybe I will.

Yesterday was hard--how do I get myself into these things? I'm sore and going on 6 hours of sleep, but glad to be alive.

The good news is my parents showed up at the house a little after 9, seemingly in quite good health. My Dad thinks some medicine he was taking made him sick (so he stopped taking it). It was a great relief to me to have him better. We talked some about the garden and a few other things.

I made a double batch of brownies and ate breakfast. Ray and I took a walk, not too long, with Cameron. We showered and got dressed and left the house about 11 to sit all day at a table at the Twilight Criterium, selling raffle tickets on a cool bike, and telling people about our upcoming ride (in three weeks). You can see it on the Land Trust website.

It was a long day, but mostly pleasant. The temperature didn't hit 80 and we were under a tent, although it felt pretty warm late in the afternoon. I went in to Ben and Jerry's and got some black raspberry frozen yogurt (which entitled me to use their bathroom). We finished the sandwiches that we brought first thing. And I had a big cooler of water and cups. We raised about $100 in 6 hours, okay but not great--about the point at which you are not sure whether it is worth it. There was some boredom, relieved partly by having iPhone, although I stayed alert and paid attention to the potential supporters for the most part.

The hard part of the day came at 5:30. Remember how I was supposed to have 7 or 8 volunteers? It ended up being just me and Ray, although Nancy and Heather from the Land Trust staff and Laura-the-intern staffed our table while we became marshalls. This is sort of a cool thing. The Twilight Criterium is a really big deal, a professional bike race that comes to Athens and goes around and around the downtown area--about 12 blocks maybe. Really fast. Tons of people line the route and there are lots of opportunities for drinking in temporary sidewalk bars. It is kind of a cool thing, although I am not a big fan of large drunk crowds late at night. We have been several times, but not every year.

Ray and I and another woman were assigned to one particular crossing. We let people come and go when it was safe and blocked the way when it was not. Ray had a radio and they were supposed to tell him when they rounded the corner that we couldn't see, so we could stop traffic. It was pleasant enough and not too difficult up until the last (and biggest) race. The men zoom around so fast, there wasn't much time to let people through. The crowd backed up and they were ugly, almost like a riot. I began to be afraid someone would be killed. There were small children and one guy in a wheelchair. The people trying to cross blocked the people trying to come from the other side and it was a nightmare trying to keep them from hurting themselves or the riders. I could see the national headlines: Bike race will no longer be held in Athens after fatalities... We finally added another volunteer and three policemen to our crossing and cleared a space and made some order.

Personally, I don't see why they have to get across during the time the race is going. If you come downtown during a major event like that, you should know you can't get into that area. The interesting thing is that most of the people (especially the most obnoxious ones) were not there for the race. Not being a person who spends much time downtown late on Saturday nights, I did not realize (although I have read about it) the extent of the young people drinking. Why did I think there were so many bars? They just had to get through to meet their friends at such and such a place. They were swearing and pushing and said they didn't care if they got hit (of course we didn't care either, we just wanted to protect the cyclists). It was pretty scary and unpleasant. The other young volunteer who joined us, Kaitlyn, tried to keep me from getting too worked up. "It's not worth trying to engage them," she said, as I was explaining over and over why we were doing this.

In the end, we survived and no one was hurt (much) on our watch. The policemen are my friends... We got back to the headquarters in the parking garage and turned in our radio and our yellow vests about 11. We went up to our car on the third floor and drove it down, only to find we couldn't get out. The person we asked said it would be one o'clock before we could leave. Boy, were we mad! That was the final straw. We really wanted to go home and go to bed, maybe eating something first. Fortunately, it was only about half an hour before somebody moved aside one of the sections of fencing and we cautiously made our way out.

Almost home and my cell phone rings at nearly midnight. That was a surprise. Well, Nancy, our neighbor and director of the Land Trust, had her car die on the way home, only a mile away. So we went back to get her. Funny how things work out. If we hadn't been trapped in the garage for that extra time, we probably would have been already in bed. As it was, it was not a big deal to go back and get her.