My computer is very slow and now my Twitter account has been hacked! I changed the password, but hope it's not a sign of bigger problems.

Good rain yesterday will keep the garden going for a few more days. I stayed home all day while Ray went to work. My Dad was here briefly, but you can't garden in the rain and there's not much to do right now anyway.

Ate leftovers for lunch. Made quesadillas for supper and a little bit of strawberry-rhubarb sauce on ice cream for dessert. Also made some oatmeal-cinnamon-raisin bread for today.

Pretty hot and humid yesterday. Early in the day, my Dad was here to garden. He set in a couple of sorrel plants that a neighbor gave me. They like shade, so I asked him to put them out back behind the deck. The soil there was hard and dry, so it was a challenge to get the holes made. I will have to work at keeping them watered. The deer have been getting more adventurous, eating the shrubs close to the house and the ends of the vegetables that stick through the fence.

It is too hot to bake and we still have plenty of leftovers, so no need to cook. I was not feeling that energetic anyway.

Becky and Kent and Ray and I were planning to go to the outdoor Beatles concert at Ashford Manor and bring a picnic supper. We could use up the salads I had left. We invited Deb and John and my Dad and a friend of Kent's and his wife. Unfortunately, they cancelled the concert because of the thunderstorms. There were two or three bands coming through--Ray was tracking them on his computer, but we didn't get any measureable amount of rain. We did invite everyone to bring their picnic food to our house, so Ray and I rushed around picking up and cleaning.

My Dad came first. He had put bourbon in a watermelon and we made room for it in the fridge. Becky and Kent and their friends arrived a little after 6. Ray was vacuuming. He finished up, cleaned the bathroom and put on a clean shirt while I stalled them outside, showing off the chickens and the garden. They had several coolers and a picnic basket to bring in.

I started making simple syrup so we could have mojitos. At that point, it was pouring and I couldn't pick the mint! Soon it let up and of course there is plenty of lovely mint. I just made up the recipe. My Mom and I had worked on it other years, but I didn't remember where we had written it down. I don't have a muddler, so I chopped up some mint and put it in a glass and then poured in some syrup. Someone had brought lots of ice, so I added rum and ice. It tasted pretty good, but it needed something. Oh, right, lime! Only one lime in the fridge, so each drink got one slice of lime. We filled it with club soda or 7-up. Not sure you can call it a mojito, but we drank them and enjoyed them--at least I did. Other people had beer or wine. We put out roasted nuts. Benna brought veggies and dip (in a plastic tray from the store). Deb and John arrived; he has just finished the last chapter of a textbook he has been writing!

We had roast chicken and pork ribs, from the store. Potato salad that Becky made (almost as good as ours). Deviled eggs. Leftover bean salad and rice salad. Old rolls. She made iced tea too. Benna also brought store bought cake and strawberries, plus I had a little chocolate cake left and some meringues. We all enjoyed it and there was lots of good conversation. It was only a little after 8, so I suggested we play cards. Benna said she liked games, but didn't play cards. I pulled out Bezzerwizzer and put every two people together--except Ray. There was a lot of explaining, but eventually we had a pretty good time. Some of the questions were very easy and some very hard. Becky and I did the worst and the Captain and Kent won by a mile.

Everyone started packing up after that, about 9:15. There wasn't a huge mess and we cleaned up a bit before watching some TV and going to bed. I started a new book that Molli gave me for my birthday: Most Good, Least Harm. It's not fiction, but it's written quite simply and I find it inspiring.

Even though it hit 90 yesterday, it was cool enough overnight for Ray to open all the windows and it's pleasant right now, if a little humid. I slept almost 9 hours, so I'm caught up.

Yesterday morning, it was about 7:30 when I woke up and the chickens and my Dad were outside. I made blueberry pancakes and homemade bacon for the three of us. It doesn't taste like commercial bacon. For one thing, the slices are thicker and smaller. It is saltier and fatter, but it's kind of good and fun to eat. And we know it has no nitrites.

Ray and I went to the Fellowship and sang with the choir. Among other things, we sang, "the ants go marching one by one" as we processed, in honor of Memorial Day weekend, I guess. We brought leftover salads and ate lunch with a few other people before the Leadership Council meeting. Ray went home with Karen P. and I stayed until almost 2.

It was hot and the air conditioning was running when I got home. I rested most of the afternoon and had a headache by suppertime. I remembered I needed to check on Nancy's chickens, so we went over there. They needed water, so it was good I came.

We ate pork chops and things from the garden: asparagus and peas.

By the way, I weighed myself one day last week, concerned that I have been eating too many cookies and baked goods, not to mention bacon and sausage. I have lost weight since the last time I stepped on the scale! Some of my clothes are loose. It's the cookie diet...Ray says he hopes I don't have some incurable disease.

We had some internet issues yesterday--no service when I got up. I spent most of the day with the UUFA Board at a retreat--which was held here at the Kenney Ridge Commons (where the wedding was). I was nervous in the morning, as well as the day before. I made rice salad and bean salad, cooked the mini-rolls from the freezer (left from the wedding), sliced a loaf of wheat bread that I thawed, and cooked muffins I had made and frozen, but not baked. The food was very much appreciated, and I collected $29 in donations toward the cost of ingredients. Alison said the Fellowship would give me money if that wasn't enough, but I think it's fine.

I asked for fruit salad. Someone bought cut-up fruit from the grocery store, which was fine, but honestly. There wasn't one person who could cut up fruit? One person answered my request for hard-boiled eggs and several brought ice, as well as coffee and tea and bagels for the morning. I also served mocha cake and meringues.

When I got home, the internet was still very weak. Ray was on the phone with Bell South (in India?), diagnosing for about an hour or so. Then we went looking for a new modem. At Radio Shack, they were out of stock, but called their store in the mall and they had one. We tried the AT&T store--they don't carry them, but recommended Wal-Mart and Office Depot. We went to Peach Mac; they don't sell modems, but we saw Molli's friend Steven, who works there now. He has a master's in public policy and is hoping to get work with the government--he is also getting married in the fall. We called Office Depot, they were out of stock and we finally went to the mall and got one there. The store had moved within the mall, last fall, so I went to the wrong place first...by now it was almost 7.

We had told Becky and Kent we would meet them at the movies, so we were pretty late, but only missed the trailers. We saw Avengers and I have to say it was a lot of fun! Great special effects and fast-paced action with good characters. Really. Then we went out to dinner and didn't get home until 11:30 or so. Ray stayed up and got the new modem working, requiring more time on the phone. I had trouble sleeping--excitement, humid hot weather, etc. Wore my mask off and on.

The day before, Friday, I went to Victoria's house and helped her with her will (and her husband's), filling in a template she had from Nolo. She emailed me the template, so I can do ours. I also helped her pack some books because she's moving to Mississippi, sadly.

There was more retreat Friday evening, 7-9, involving some fun team-building games. I am fond of those things. We also had a quick dip in my Dad's pool, when I picked up Ray about 5. I spent most of the day cooking for the retreat.

I felt a little stressed and out of sorts yesterday. Could be the weather. I wanted to do some baking and didn't have any more sugar, so after some sausage and eggs with my Dad, I jumped in the car and drove to Publix, the closest open grocery store. It was really nice, practically deserted, and the staff were very pleasant. I ended up buying some fruit and vegetables as well as flour and sugar.

At home, I made mocha cake and meringues. Then i spent a little time outside in the garden with my Dad. I took my bath and ate lunch: I cooked some pasta and ate it with the leftover sausage-tomato sauce from earlier in the week. I had two helpings; it was good!

I went to UUFA at 1:30 for a lay ministry meeting. We are trying to hash out exactly what our responsibilities will be. It is looking like a lot of work. One thing is to help with memorial services. Ray M's is June 9 and I will coordinate the reception. We are afraid there will be more people than the Fellowship can hold. I let Alison read my poem and we talked a little and before you know it, it was 4 o'clock.

Ray was already home when I got there, washing the last few heads of lettuce I had picked from the garden, and the dishes.

I went to potluck at KR, while he went to the Democractic committee meeting. It was birthday night. Once a month, we celebrate the birthdays of community members born that month--and last night was mine, as well as Adah's (she's 5) and 3 other members. It was fun. There was pizza and pot-stickers and broccoli with cheese sauce...and tons of desserts. I brought the mocha cake and meringues (they're gluten-free and went like hotcakes). There were angel-food cake (my mother used to make for my birthday) and strawberries and ice cream and much more. It was fun.

I was tired and sleepy by 10 after a little TV, but I could not fall asleep. The weather, my breathing machine, worrying about cooking for Saturday...Ray's death? It was probably 2 or later and nowmy back hurts and my neck aches.

Lisa making me pesto for lunch

her amazing kitchen

Yesterday was really busy and mostly fun, but I was exhausted when we got home. I didn't sleep that well and woke up feeling vaguely unhappy. I have a lot of cooking to do to get ready for the Board retreat on Saturday and the weather is due to get hotter--in the 90s starting today and for the next week or so at least.

I went to a training to do some volunteer work this summer, delivering lunches to children. There were only 5 of us and I felt a little like I would be able to do this better than the young man who is in charge, not surprisingly. And, I often feel a little jealous--how come you're getting paid and I'm not? But, in general, I look forward to it. It's also a little obnoxious to have to get (and pay for) a background check, but anyone who has contact with children these days has to do it, even to deliver lunches twice a week for a few weeks.

onions drying in the barn

Then I had a visit to my friend Lisa's farm. She made me lunch and I brought cookies. I had to bake them before we left the house at 9:30. Not a problem; we had time for a walk too. I loved Lisa's house and farm and felt like I was able to suggest a couple things to her. I took lots of pictures of her gigantic kitchen for Amelia, because she has black counters and white cupboards and that is what Amelia wants in her new (remodeled) kitchen. She built a lovely square white farmhouse that looks like a classic midwestern prairie house to me, sitting in the middle of the land. It has lots of giant windows on all sides, and a wraparound porch, including a screened-in part. Her husband Geoff was working while we ate lunch. She said he rarely stops in the middle of the day. We agreed we could not do that. He was harvesting onions. I admired everything and asked a million questions. I am really interested in their operation, but the amount of physical labor is overwhelming to me, especially in the heat of summer.

moveable chicken coop

I left a little late and was late to the last writing workshop until fall. I brought cookies for everyone and they were enthusiastic. Cowboy cookies. Everyone was there (sometimes attendance is sparse). I waited through the whole class to read my poem about Ray M.'s death. It was well received.

with moveable electric fence

Then I went to get Ray F. and we picked up my Dad. He and I protested in front of Georgia Power. There was no one else there at first. Then Rick came and the three of us walked up and down on the sidewalk. Eventually there were 7 and then they started to taper off. We left just before 6. It was hot and my ankle started bothering me. Sometimes my Dad and I sat down at the bus stop for a while. Mostly I was discouraged that there were so people willing to come out and publicly oppose nuclear and coal. There were an executive and a security guard standing at the building the whole time we were there.

Georgia Power protest

We took my Dad home and went to UUFA for potluck and choir. I let several people read my poem.

Went to bed about 9:30.

Once again, I woke up early, got up and found the yellow blanket on the floor and pulled it up over me and slept some more until the birds and the light woke me. Today it is cool inside even though the windows were not open. There was another thunderstorm lat night--not much rain, but it cooled everything down nicely and was too damp to keep them open. Hotter days are coming, but yesterday was still good.

I stayed home during the day. My Dad came just after Ray left and did some gardening, although we find there is not that much to do right now. He brought me my birthday present, which he ordered from Williams- Sonoma after not finding it in a few stores here. It is an asparagus steamer. Part of me thinks, oh, no, where am I going to keep it, and why do I need one more piece of specaialized kitchen ware. But, it's pretty cool to grow your own asparagus and cook it in your own aspaaragus steamer. Ray says it's really a present for him...

For lunch, I had no choice, but to eat a sandwich--no leftovers hanging around. But when you have homemade bread and fresh homegrown lettuce, it is quite a treat to add some salami and cheese. And surprisingly filling. The bread is wheat bread and delicious.

As usual, in the afternoon, I was on the computer, and I'm not sure what I "accomplished." By the time Ray got home, I was very happy to get up from my chair and move around some more.

I took another pass through the garden and cut a few asparagus spears and a small bolting lettuce. I had started some spaghetti sauce in the morning by sauteing half a pound of our sausage and a few small (homegrown) onions. I didn't dare add any seasonings, because I wasnt' sure how strong the sausage would be. For instance, since the freezer smells like garlic these days, I didn't want to add garlic. Then I just added a large can of crushed tomatoes. I tasted it a few times and added a 1/4 cup or so of fresh chopped parsley and some ground pepper. We don't eat pasta much anymore, but enjoyd this, with a little grated Parm of course. And steamed asparagus--about 3 spears each.

Then we had a lovely treat. My Dad got an invitation to an event at the UGA Performing Arts Center. They decided to have a free evening to announce their upcoming season (and hopefully sell tickets). It featured a man named Franc D'Ambrosio, one of those minor celebrities I never heard of. He grew up in the Bronx, over the Italian bakery where his parents worked, hanging around Broadway whenever he could (at least to hear him tell it). He was the son of the godfather who sang operat in Godfather 3, and then he was the Phantom on Broadway for a long time, followed by national tours and working in San Francisco for a while. The show he did for us, with an accompanist/musical director, featured music from years ago ( mack the knife, for instance), and To Dream the Impossible Dream, Bring Him Home from Les Mis, and the two biggest hits from Phantom. Incredibly difficult music that requires really high notes held for a long time that must be exhausting to sing over and over in cities around the country.

They showed snippets of the acts scheduled for next year on a big screen and had cookies and water and lemonade in the lobby, where we picked up packets of information. At least they will save mailing costs. We saw lots of people we knew and had a lovely time. Ran into Brenda Poss, who said she had to hire someone to stay with Tom. Apparently he has dementia or Alzheimer's. She just had her children grow up and move out and now her husband is turning back into a child. Heartbreaking!

We were home a little after 9, time enough to watch our game shows before bed. Finished Janet Evanovich and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

Yesterday, I baked a few apricot muffins (from the freezer) to take to my Small Group. I also cut some oregano and mint and dug up some lemon balm. Wilma had made pound cake and lemon curd, so I didn't really need the muffins. Rosemary and Marguerite are in Ireland, but everyone else was there. It was Victoria's last time, and I was feeling a little sad about saying goodbye to lots of people.

I drove him (with my lemon balm) and my Dad was at the house. I had some lunch--beans and lettuce. Did some minor computer stuff, like paying bills and answering email.

Ray came home. I sprayed the garden to make sure that no squash bugs eat our lovely cucurbits. Made chard frittata and veggies for supper.

Picked up Karen P. and drove to UUFA for Green Sanctuary meeting. Hard to keep people on topic, they have so many ideas for projects we could do and so much information to share. My job is to try and get our application written...

There was a lovely thunderstorm, although I don't think we had more than a quarter of an inch. Still a lot better than nothing. We (Ray) has been watering, but it's not the same. The garden likes rain a lot more.

Watched a little TV and ate ice cream with strawberries from the freezer. Yum!

Reading and bed.

Yesterday, my Dad brought some of the bacon he had smoked and we had it with pancakes. A little salty, and not sliced as thin as we're used to, but tasty.

We walked a little and then went to UUFA, where we sang, Everybody's Got a Seed to Sow. I had another small solo, along with about 8 others. The service was intergenerational and thanked RE teachers and volunteers.

After the service, there was a congregational meeting. The budget is not good. Ray went to pick up the dresser, but the woman who was supposed to clear it off and get it out wasn't even there yet. I had to wait awhile after the meeting, but Ray brought me food from Agua Linda--a veggie quesadilla. It was delicious, even cold.

We got home a little after two and left the dresser in the truck. Mike Conroy showed up and we got him to help carry it upstairs for us. Then we gave him some dill.

At 4, I went to Nancy H.'s house and picked up some food a neighbor had given her for the MacNairs. I went to say goodbye to Ray, who is dying of ALS. Each breath is a challenge. His family is there. We thought he knew me, although he cannot talk and his eyes were closed. I am very sad.

We watered the gardens after picking a few peas and one stalk of asparagus. Ray and I ate them with some curried chicken from the freezer and plain brown rice.

I made bread while it was cool and we watched an old Neil Simon movie, Max Dugan Returns. It was just what I wanted.

When I was waking up this morning, I dreamed I was helpig Barack Obama and his friends/advisors. They were much younger, like just out of college. Things like keeping track of where they were meeting and making sure he was eating.

good-looking baby yellow squash

Ray slept very late, not getting up until almost 10, so we were not able to go to hear a speaker on health care that I was very interested in. I should have gone myself, but didn't know he would be that late.  I made some muffins and froze them to bake later. Garden is good, morning was cool, we walked a little.

Went to run some errands and ate lunch at Quizno's. We had to wait a long time becuase the women's tennis team was in line ahead of us. Each of them ordered one to eat there and one to go. Ray enjoyed chatting with the coaches. He had two of the young women in his class earlier in the year. I picked up a birthday present from Avid Bookshop. Molli had ordered a book and had them call me when it came in!

We looked at dressers at a couple used furniture stores and found one we liked that was only $150. The owner said she would reduce the price--I would never have asked her, but I guess she saw we were wavering. She sold it to us for $110 plus tax. We will pick it up today, after she has time to clear everything from the top. My Dad wants a second dresser, so I will give him mine. This one is long and low, so it will theoretically replace two in our room. In reality, we will have to get rid of some things to fit everything in 7 drawers instead of 10. It will look nicer, though, under the window. Ray will take the pickup truck.

We spent several hours at home. I made a lovely stew from the veggies we had and we ate it with orzo. Then we went downtown to an Occupy Athens event. It was a lovely evening, but there were only a few people there--maybe 10 or 12. Maureen, Erin's Mom, was the stage manager for a lineup of bands. We didn't stay late enough to hear the music, but did get to see pictures of Erin's baby. She is living in China, and the father is in New York. Maureen is going to visit next month.  Also saw Vicoria H., who is gratduating high school soon. She was wearing black lipstick. Her sister Hannah was going to be playing in one of the bands.

We finished up the brownie pie wih ice cream and watched a couple game shows, before going to bed a little after 10.

The squawking of a guinea cock woke me this morning and there is the sound of a cardinal bashing into our windows downstairs. There are lots of other birds out there and I would like to figure out which ones they are--it's on my bucket list to ID bird calls.

We had a good time yesterday. Ray went to teach, of course, My Dad came for breakfast and we ate eggs and "bacon." The guinea cock was back and this time he was clearly chasing my hens. My Dad came up with the theory that he is trying to mate with them (which we don't think is biologically possible). He was definitely chasing them. Cameron seems to be afraid of him. We picked some more peas and a few stalks of asparagus. The Captain replaced on end of one of the raised beds that was rotten and we have half a bed ready to plant something. Beans, peanuts, I would try corn, but he says it is not going to work. Other than that, it's too hot for most things until fall. It's acttually still quite pleasant, hot in the middle of the day, but cool enough morning and evening (60s). I don't expect that to last much longer though.

I rendered a third batch of lard--the best yet--and froze it. I have containers full of the little fat chunks that are left, which I give to Cameron every now and then. He sticks pretty close to me these days. I have eaten some bits myself--they don't taste like much and are surely very bad for me, unless I needed to gain weight. I hate to waste them.

I sliced and baked the nut cookies I had mixed and chilled the day before. That's the other great thing about cool mornings. I can do some baking before we close the house up to keep it cool. I also made a brownie pudding, which is a version of pudding cake. It was in the oven a little later than I wanted, maybe until about 11.

I went walking with Ray without my ankle brace, a little further than I had been since I hurt it. It felt fine at first, but started to ache and I went home before he did.

For lunch, I had leftover pork chop and leftover salad and shared the asparagus with my Dad. Plus, I found Macintosh apples in the grocery store on Wednesday, so I had one of those.

Ray left the car at CVS and got the bus to his office, so I rode with my Dad and got the car. I had an OLLI class at 1:00 about end of life health care. The teacher was an interesting woman named Toni Miles. She is a medical doctor and a Ph.D. and the director of UGA's Gerontology Institute. One of the things she is interested in is having Athens be a Compassionate City. Sounds good to me. Her entry point is improving sharing information about death and dying. The people that came to this class told stories about their relatives--several from Alzheimer's, but other causes as well. Hospice is a really good thing--I've never heard anything negative. Often, though, surgeries are performed on people who have a limited time to live and mean that the end of life involves unnecessary pain and medication and confusion. Not a fun conversation, but an exciting discussion. There are people who agree that we need to talk about death and prepare for it. Almost everyone in the room had a Health Care Directive.

After that, I went to Earth Fare and bought a few groceries. Then I went to campus to pick Ray up. We headed over to the Fellowship to help set up for the going away party. It was done and there was no one there, so we ran an errand (picking up some things at the hardware store--they are such fun), and headed home. Unloaded groceries, admired the garden, let the chickens out again and picked up eggs.

At 6, we went to Debby and Peter's for a hootluck--a potluck supper and sing-along. We had to leave before the supper, but we brought cookies. My Dad brought a watermelon. Amber's children were very entertaining. There was a hot tub, but we didn't get in.

At 7, we were at UUFA for the going-away party. There were a few people there we knew. It was fun. Ray did some dishes, but we left before everything was cleaned up. I hope someone took care of it, I'm afraid it might be the guests... We stopped back at the hootluck just as my Dad was leaving and brought in the brownie pudding, which was a big hit. We got to sing a few songs before people left.

Then we stopped at the KR community center a little before 10. The community was providing baby-sitting for the kids, so any parents that wanted to could go out. Even at that time, there were more adults than kids and we heard that more had stopped in through the evening. Nancy S. was playing go fish with Soli and Sophia and I joined them for a bit before the parents arrived. Ray was helping other adults "walk" Ruby around, holding onto his hands. Pretty fun stuff.

Home and to bed, with a very small amount of reading.

I slept until after 7 and the sun was shining. Ray said the chickens were squawking, but I didn't hear them.

Yesterday I stayed home, gardening, cooking, attempting to write my story. My computer was slow, but I loaded some photos finally. Made a lime-cilantro dressing and marinated a can of pinto beans. Cut some more lettuce; I am so pleased to be able to use them up before they bolt--only 6 heads left and I may use them all! They still taste great.

Woke up to the sun and birds again this morning. My feet were cold! It is still cool enough at night to open the windows--and not too humid yet. If it would stay like this, I could make it through the summer, but it is only mid-May after all.

The clear liquid is lard in the making. The remnants are for Cameron.

Yesterday's cooking project was making lard. I have lots of fat that needs to be cooked down. I did one batch yesterday. It's not really hard, but I think I overcooked it. My "lard" is brown, I think maybe it burned, even though it was on the lowest setting. There are chunks of cooked fat left that look delicious but taste like...chunks of cooked fat. The dog will get them for treats. I will try another batch today, hopefully I will do better with it and turn it off sooner.

I marinated some more garbanzo beans and we made another salad to take to potluck--the one we had Monday night with cheese and carrots that we liked so much.

It tastes better than it looks.

My Dad came for breakfast. I cooked up some more of the "proto-bacon" and made fried eggs for all of us. I am trying to use it before it goes bad.

We did some work in the garden--him more than me. Ray went off to work. I had the last of the leftover ziti for lunch. When my Dad went home, I packed up my things and put away the chickens and drove into town as well.

First, I went by the post office and mailed a couple things. Then I went to the bank to close Molli's account. Lo and behold, when the "personal banker" looked me up in the computer, she offered me a waiver (they are going to start charging $10/month for anyone who doesn't have a minimum--I think it's $1000--or at least $500 direct deposited). I told them the situation and she assured me there would be no fees, because I have been a customer for a long time--20 years, I think. So, I didn't close it. But, as I left, I was thinking that I am really opposed to having my money somewhere that keeps poor people (anyone who can't afford to keep $1000 sitting around or doesn't have steady income that  can be direct deposited) for having a checking account. So I should really take my money out anyway. That took longer than I thought, so I didn't have much time at the grocery store. I got some things, but not everything, and I was late for my writing workshop.

I walked in as quietly as I could because they were doing their meditation, that they always start with. I got to read right away, because I didn't have time last week (or the week before). Always a pleasure to have a supportive audience. One of the most common responses is that people want to know what happens next, a good sign, I think. There is never any negative criticism in this group, which is good for two reasons. One, I am really bad at taking criticism. Two, it keeps me going. But I do need some objectivity as well, and some feedback as far as what to do more of and what to do less. Should I include more description or does it slow down the action? Should I try to write for young adults or make it more sophisticated? I also enjoyed Deb's writing in response to a "prompt" about her mother's closet, which was a way to learn more about her mother, who died several years ago.

After that class, I met Ray and we drove home. We finished the salad--I cut up the carrots and cheese, he washed some more lettuce--and we drove to potluck to eat and sing.

At home we watched a little TV and went to bed. It took me a little while to get to sleep. It was a little warm, but I just seemed to have too much energy.

It was my birthday yesterday, my 57th. I had calls from both daughters and both sisters, which was lovely. I think some times the gift of time is the nicest of all--time and attention.

We had a surprise visitor, a guinea fowl from somewhere had shown up overnight and was hanging out with our chickens. They were not pleased--they even looked flustered and came up on the porch twice. Cameron chased him half-heartedly. I fed him corn. He made interesting noises and looks like a dinosaur. I would love to have him stay, but he was gone by evening.

Ray and I had yogurt and toast and a little walk. My Dad arrived as we were leaving. It was in the high 60s and low 70s and pleasant. I did a little gardening. Ray went off to teach the first day of Maymester, 15 days of class from 12:30 to 3:15. I spent most of the time on the computer.

Cameron and the guinea cock

He came home really tired and took a nap while I went back outside for a little while. We had pork chops again and a few pieces of asparagus. I opened my presents and ate ice cream with strawberries from the freezer. We watched TV and read and went to sleep.

Even the cactus are blooming!

I remember how much we enjoy this time of year, especially when my Mom first came to stay with us. It is light early, before 6, and the birds are singng their little hearts out. The windows are open overnight, because it is cool enough and not too humid. I even needed a blanket on my toes toward morning. It gets hot in the afternoons, but if we close up, not hot enough to need the air conditioning, not up to 78. It stays light long after supper--a little more than one month to go until the longest day.

I picked another lettuce and we ate salad again--with marinated garbanzo beans, cheese and carrots. The garden promises lots more goodies soon. I will pick peas again today, but they are near the end of their production. Not much asparagus either. I wanted to dig up some baby potatoes, but Ray said we should wait until they are as big as they can get. We haven't been to the grocery store in a while. We had eggs and "bacon" for breakfast--at least my father and I did. Ray says it tastes like pork chops. But I think it's fine. we will have to buy yogurt, some fruit, flour and a few other things. I don't know if we want to eat pork chops 7 nights a week or not. Alternating with sausage and pork roast...

Why are there cacti at Kenney Ridge?

Yesterday I went to Janna's and picked up some things from her firdge--a butternut squash, a red pepper, 5 apples...she is in Europe and will throw them out if they are still her when she gets back. I went to UUFA and met with a representative from UUSC (the UU Service Committee) and several other members of UUFA: Rosemary, Heather, Herb and Myrna, Tammy Webb, and Morgan (the RE Director). Tammy talked about her trip to Haiti and I want to go. Rosemary went to Uganda...not so sure about that, although it's probably safer than Haiti. Maxine was there mainly to try to raise money. We are perhaps the wrong audience. What I'd really like is to work for UUSC! They have a staff of 41, but almost all are in Boston. One in DC, one in California. We had lunch; I cut up some of the apples from Janna's house and shared banana bread and chocolates (Easter candy). I brought my own sandwich: salamii, lettuce, mayo on homemade whole wheat bread. Heather got Subway sandwiches for the rest of the group, but I said no thanks.

I wonder how hard it would be to make salami? I will have to buy some sandwich meat soon.

Not sure what I did in the afternoon--caught up on emails? marinated garbanzo beans. When it got down to 78, I went out and let the chickens out and checked on the garden, pulled a few weeds.

After supper, lots of TV, reading, and bed.

We had a lovely short trip to the mountains. I do love driving around, looking at views, stopping now and then. And western north Carolina is really beautiful. I missed my Mom some; we were in that area a few times with my parents. I missed my kids, who also used to have adventures with us.

Friday was the sausage-making, which was fun but hard work and took about 3 times as long as we had thought, mostly from the process of putting it in casings, which I decided not to do (fortunately). But it was a group effort and some of the group used casings. We prepared the seasonings, mixed them with the meat, ground it up, and then put it in casings. We got several batches ahead of the casings group, and then we just put the ground meat in freezer bags. There was a goodly amount of serious cleanup, too, not wanting to leave bits of raw pork for small children to find and put in their mouths. My Dad was a trooper, preparing thyme, grinding meat, and walking back up to my house three times for more herbs.

I think it was after two by the time we finished, maybe closer to three. We put our meat in the freezer and ate some lunch. Ray called to say he was done with court (yay!), so I jumped in the shower and finished packing. I was shutting down my computer when he got home, and then we packed up a few groceries and put it all in the car.

We stopped for dinner in Greenville (or Greensboro, I get them confused) at a drive-in, fast food, but not a chain, I believe. It was good and quite entertaining, watching the "flower and chivalry" of the area. It was after 8 when we got where we were going. The cabin was behind a security gate and the owner had mailed me a card to use, but it didn't work! She had given me her phone number and answered right away. She was very apologetic and sent someone over to let us in, but before they could arrive, someone else pulled up and let us in. There is a huge maze of gravel roads all over this mountain (it's called Riverbend, not sure why), sprinkled with homes, some very nice. The one we stayed in was probably at least 10 minutes from the entnrance, near the top, but with no view.

Amazingly beautiful mountain laurel in bloom

It was twilight, but we found the key and carried everything in. We put food away. It was somewhat challenging finding the light switches. There was a giant bed that was pretty comfortable, and stone showers. Beautiful, but not particularly comfortable, and surely very expensive. Also a row of stoen flooring along the kitchen wall, hard on the back and causing a bump in the floor where you could stub your toe.

Amelia and Kevin at the marina, mountains behind

There were tons of informational literature and the next morning, after eating our usual breakfast, we drove out to take a little walk. On our way, we saw a turkey. Later we saw more turkeys, deer, and two hawks (or the same one twice). We stopped at the gate and the gatekeeper fixed the computer so our card would work. The owner had called her and she was very nice--and chatty. Ray commented on her bumper stickers, which were liberal.

one of the newest homes on Lake Lure

wedding in the park

tour boat

We took a short walk (with ski poles, Ray's idea) and then drove into Lake Lure and Chimney Rock. We admired some of the homes along the lake and investigated renting a boat. Renting a canoe was as much as taking the tour.

We went "home" and I showered while Ray called his Mom and talked to her for awhile. Then Amelia and Kevin arrived. It was really fun to have them join us, even just for a few hours. They had brought me Mother's Day and other presents: a dwarf Meyer lemon tree, something I've had on my list for a while, new gardening gloves, German chocolates, and a few things from the Scrap Exchange that Amelia got for free. Meanwhile, I gave her some old mail (insurance bills) and some books to read up on landscaping and designing kitchens.

Buffalo Mountain behind driver

We drove to Chimney Rock for lunch at the best place around. We had to wait quite a while; I can imagine what it would be like in high season! Maybe I need to open a restaurant there...lots of vacant buildings...The food was good, nothing to write home about. We sat outside and it was pleasant. I admired Amelia's plans for her kitchen and garden. She carries a notebook with her and keeps lists of everything--on paper! She was very tired; she had gotten up to bake donuts (for money) very early. In fact, she had brought us some day-old and they were good.

Kevin also was tired, having to get up somewhat early on his day off to drive 3 1/2 hours or so. So we took the boat tour, which was very relaxing and pleasant. The driver was really competent, telling us a lot about the houses on the lake and the history of the area--and making a few bad jokes that Ray enjoyed. It is a beautiful (man-made) lake, with mountains surrounding it. Sleeping Lady, Buffalo Head...Some of the houses are huge and some are gorgeous and some are pretty hideous and ostentatious. There are a few small ones left from the thirties, when they had first filled the lake. Ray and I enjoy critiquing them and deciding which one we would want. What is the ideal lake house? There is also an inn that was built in 1927, where I might consider staying another time. It is not much more than the cabin. We walked around in the lobby area, where there was a display of antique music boxes, the size of furniture! There was also a wedding reception getting under way.

We drove around the lake some, admiring the views, and across the dam. We tried to get into our "development" the back way. There was a gate, but our card did not make it open. Kevin and Amelia and I got out and crossed behind it, trying to trigger it, but no luck. So we drove back around and came in the regular way. We ate ziti and salad, even though we weren't that hungry yet, and sent them back to Durham. Ray and I went to bed pretty early.

I did a lot of reading in a short time, finishing Catching Fire, reading some good but depressing short stories that were at the cabin, and an entire book by Anna Quindlen, Black and Blue, about a woman who takes her ten-year-old son and leaves her husband because he beats her. So I spent several hours yesterday morning finishing that--excellent but not happy.



We ate breakfast, packed up again, and drove around some more, up to Chimney Rock park, turning around when we got to the gate where you had to buy tickets. It was raining and misty and not a great day for walking around on rocks, plus my ankle isn't quite back to normal yet. We drove on toward Hendersonville and had lunch at an Italian restaurant with tons of ambience, but the food was somewhat mediocre. They gave me a free cupcake for Mothers Day. I wondered how you would feel to get a cupcake by mistake if you weren't a mother--most people would be happy, I think.

wild turkey tracks

We drove to Jump Off Rock in Hendersonville, where you would have a great view if it were clear. Then to Whitewater Falls, the highest east of the Mississippi. I dozed a bit in the car. It was raining pretty hard when we got there, but I was happy to pay the Forest Service two dollars to use a nice rest room. It's that system where you put money in an envelope--I doubt anyone will come after you if you don't pay, but I like the idea of it. I put on my raincoat and pulled up the hood. Ray took the umbrella and we walked on the half-miled paved walkway to the lookout. It was spectacular and i can't wait to go again--about 100 miles from where we live and we had never seen it. There were also steps down to an even better vantage point, so we went down (150 steps?). Coming up was much harder.

my Mother's Day present: a Meyer lemon

I fantasized about organizing a trip for OLLI or some other group for the next hour or so. We drove around the wilds of South Carolina in the rain and finally got on Highway 85 and came home. It was about 7 o'clock and we cooked the pork chops we had taken and brought home. Pretty tasty. By now I was pretty exhausted and not much use. Ray did a lot of the preparing and cleaning up, as well as bringing things in from the car. I don't think I was awake through all of Wheel of Fortune and I slept pretty well. A trip like that is so hard on my body, it's really sad. Sitting in the car a lot, sleeping in a strange bed, walking? I enjoyed it and I am glad to be home again.

My Dad arrived at 7; I was, unlikely as it seems, still in bed, having gone back to sleep. This was due mainly to reading the second book of the Hunger Games trilogy, catching fire. I jumped up and threw on some clothes and came down.

I made fried eggs for us, after cooking some proto-bacon. The meat that comes from the sides of the pigs is about half fat. We sliced it and cooked it; it doesn't really taste like bacon, more like fatty pork chops. With a little salt and pepper, it's still very good--and no nitrates! With home-raised eggs, and home-made bread toasted, it was a fine breakfast.

We headed next door to Paul's a little after 9. Mike was there; they were setting up the grinder. He had the recipe he had printed off from the internet: Alton Brown's sausage recipe. For two pounds of sausage, add 1 1/2 tsp fennel seed, toasted in a small frying pan and ground in a mortar, 2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1 T chopped fresh parsley. I set to work on cooking the fennel and my Dad ground it. He also ground fresh pepper for us. I measured out the spices and mixed them together. Meanwhile, Mike had opened the first pack of meat,
...

Yesterday was rainy off and on, great weather for the garden. I didn't have any cooking to do, really, and it wasn't that cool. I slept in anyway, because I had been up the night before reading The Hunger Games.

After lunch, Ray dropped me at the Writing Workshop and went to his office. Deb read a nice piece about riding the subway in Brooklyn when she was a child.

At home, I picked some lettuce (in the rain) and Ray washed it. I made a dressing and tore it up, plus the last of the spinach from the fridge, a big tomato, and some pieces of cheese and a can of beans. Took it to potluck. Enjoyed choir.

TV, bed, reading Catching Fire.

I woke up to lovely rain about 6:30. Yay! for the garden...and I know my Dad will not be arriving soon for breakfast. I stayed up too late reading the Hunger Games...so I find I can go back to sleep, waking to rain now and then, and getting up finally about 8:30.

Monday I went to my Small Group--it was okay, not my favorite meeting. Ray and i had a quick lunch at Gryo Wrap before he had to report to jury duty. I went to pick up his meds and then to my sleep apnea doctor, who once again scolded me about not using my mask. He gave me a new kind to try. He is quite nice, but somewhat patronizing. I picked up Soli at school and we went home to play Save the Whales. Lately, he loses interest, not surprisingly, since it is quite a long and often dull game. Just another week of school, so he seemed a litle more distracted that usual. It started to rain and he went out and played in the mud, building dams on Paul's drive. I sat on the porch and looked at cookbooks while he did that.

When his mother came to get him, I drove to pick Ray up at the gas station at the end of the bus line. For dinner, we joined Janna and what Ron calls "the usual suspects" at Five and Ten. It was Janna's birthday and they are leaving for Europe today or tomorrow. We had a lovely time. I had a drink called a Bourbon Smash to start with. I thought about ordering oysters, or maybe just one, for my Mom. There were some on the menu from the Bras d'Or. But I had a clam special appetizer instead and it was really good. John and Deb had some too and they raved about it. I went wild and had the steak, with asparagus and mashed potatoes. We had a bottle of white and a bottle of red for the table, so I could have white with my clams and red with my steak! It was very fun.

Yesterday morning, Captain came early, before 7. Ray was still asleep; he had been up in the night. We had breakfast and then headed off to Cedartown, Georgia, where my Dad had paid for a skydive. Why he chose this place, I don't know. I suspect there was some sort of discount, but as Ray pointed out, if he saved $50 and has to drive 2 1/2 hours each way, that's not much of a deal. From the road, my Dad called to check on the weather. It was 8:30 before he could do that, and, sure enough, the weather was too iffy. We turned around and came home, arriving a little after 9. My friend Kent had expressed interest, so we are trying to arrange a time to go there on a Friday night and they can both do it the next morning.

My Dad worked in the garden. I went to do some Kenney Ridge banking business, involving closing out our bank accounts and opening credit union ones. This involved some waiting and when I got back, my Dad was a little upset. Our friends and neighbors had brought the pork from the processor and put it in our freezer. I was sorry I missed it and let them do the work for us. Ray was giving an exam. But now we have a freezer full of pork chops, fresh hams, and roasts. I haven't actually looked yet. The organ meat is in the fridge; Karen will get it to feed to her dogs, I think. Then there are two packages of something that could be turned into bacon, if I was willing and able. At the moment, it is more like pork belly. I can freeze it, but not sure why. It's great, even better than money in the bank. Although we must be on guard against power failures...not likely to happen, at least for long periods, in this day and age.

I picked Ray up again and we had a quiet late afternoon and early evening, eating peas and salad with lentils or garbanzos. I am giving lettuce away left and right in an attempt to eat it all before it bolts. My Dad harvested 44 heads of garlic, so as long as I don't eat more than one every two weeks, we have a lifetime supply. We are running the ac very little, as it is cool enough overnight to opent he windows, even though it was rather humid last night. The rain has kept it cool so far today.

Saturday, I did some gardening early in the day with my Dad, after eggs for breakfast. I picked peas and froze about half a pound, with Ray's help. I had my bath and got dressed and was ready to go when Deb and Janna arrived. It was Janna's birthday and I drove us to the Mall of Georgia.

The thing that I really wanted to do was return a couple dresses to Nordstrom and a broken wedding present to Williams-Sonoma. First we had a ladies' lunch at a chain called Mimi's, sort of faux French bistro. Janna said we ate there with my Mom when we were looking to buy a couch, but I didn't remember the restaurant. It was fine. We had salads.

There is something to be said for shopping at expensive stores. At Nordstrom, they scanned the tags on my dresses, found them in the computer, and credited back my credit card in no time. at any sales terminal, with no waiting. At Williams-Sonoma, it took a little longer, but they replaced the item. She told me the company would have sent a replacement if I had called; I probably wouldn't have had to send the old one back. After I had done those errands, Deb and I were there mainly to keep Janna company, while she picked out and tried on clothes for her trip to Barcelona this week. She lost a lot of weight with her illness and surgery and most of her clothes are too big. she bought 3 pair of pants, a skirt, 3 or 4 tops, a jacket...Deb bought several things too. I was pretty restrained (Nordstrom is expensive). The only things I bought were on sale: 2 t-shirts for $9.90 each, a fun casual skirt for $17, some pajama pants about $20. I didn't really need anything, but there's the psychology of having money to spend because I returned some things. We had three big dressing rooms in a row and no one else around, and a young woman running back and forth checking on us and getting new sizes.

Driving home, there was some traffic. Fortunately, we had some chicken curry we had taken out of the freezer. Ray heated it up and cooked some rice, plus we had a salad. Must eat lettuce before it all bolts, can't freeze lettuce! We have to eat things from the freezer to make room for the pig that is coming tomorrow or the next day.

Sunday I sang a solo and read a short speech about becoming a lay minister, so it was a little bit stressful. I had a little frog in my throat when I started to sing, unfortunately, but otherwise it went well. There were six of us that were "installed," so the service went long, which is something I gnerally object to, but my part was about 4 minutes, as instructed. My Dad came to the service and afterward the three of us went to DePalma's for lunch. I had shrimp and asparagus and bacon with risotto. It was good and Ray and I split a chocolate dessert.

After lunch, I pretty much goofed off. We watched a movie that we had seen before, Moscow on Hudson with Robin Williams. One of the fun things about it was that I can still understand a lot of the Russian. Kind of sad, though, that I never used it at all for any job.

At 6:30, there was a dinner at the Community Center, made by other people than me! I did bring some cookies, but I didn't have to. They were dedicating the stained glass window that Jim S. made and there was a good turnout. They paid a sitter, so I didn't have much young company.

We had to stay up kind of late, because I forgot I had started bread. This time of year I like to bake it at night, so the house can cool off overnight. But if I start it rising and then get sleepy watching TV, I often find myself having to stay up really late to get it baked!

I did manage to sleep six hours with my mask on, so that's good.

Too wet and muddy in the morning to do any outside work. Went with Ray at 11 and spent time at the credit union, arranging to open an account for KR. Picked Ray up at his office and we went to lunch at Stuffed Burger. Surprisingly lively, with lots of customers and loud music. Burgers were good, milkshakes were very good, tater tots were a tad overdone for Ray. No salads on the menu that I saw. I spoke to the manager about desserts and he said they would be moving to a bigger space and might be interested. He gave me his card. He seemed very young, but they are clearly doing something right. Lots of staff. Not used to eating that much and that kind of food, felt pretty sleepy in the afternoon. Researched places to go for the weekend in North Carolina, mainly on homeaway.com.

Cooked, peeled, and ate beets and beet greens in a salad, as well as an old winter squash and a bowl of kielbasa soup. Picked a head of lettuce and some potato beetles. Garden looks good. TV, bed. Started The Hunger Games, but stopped and went to sleep.

I woke up to rain about 30 minutes ago, which made me very happy. I went around and closed the windows (upstairs, anyway) and by then it had stopped, sadly, so I don't think there was a measurable amount.

I am doing well. My ankle was wrapped most of the day. It is kind of achy now, and I can't wait to get back to my regular walking. No exercise for over a week!

My Dad arrived before 7:30 and had breakfast, so we got some gardening in while it was cool and pleasant. I picked a lot of peas again.

Ray and I left. He dropped me off at a long OLLI class on choices for living at the end of life: Talmage Terrace, St. Mary's alzheimer's unit, Skilled Nursing care, and how to pay for them: Long Term Care insurance, Medicare, and VA benefits. Lots of good information, although not particularly entertaining. Free lunch and two notepads and a key ring. I have the latest rates for Talmage Terrace and have a clearer understanding of Medicaid and VA benefits, as they might applly to my Dad.

At home, I shelled the peas and ate them and some asparagus, as well as the leftover shrimp and potatoes and spinach. I think we have finished the spinach now. Lettuce is bolting too.

Ray went to the Democratic Committee board meeting and I left for a 7:00 meeting at the Fellowship. Six of us are being "installed" Sunday as lay ministers, but we aren't sure what that involves because it is a new program here. We have to make a statement about why we chose to become lay ministers. At the moment, mine starts with, "I have no earthly idea. Honestly..."

It was about 9:30 when I got home and we watched one TV show and went to bed, but it took me a while to fall asleep.

Happy and unsuspecting (but hungry) pigs in their yard

Big pig waiting for food

It was a very entertaining morning; I wouldn't have missed it for anything. There were 7 of us: 3 women and 4 men. Paul was kind of in charge. He had built the trailer and he and Karen had done it last year.

The women found it hard not to feel a little sad; no sign of that among the men. The pigs had been raised by us to become food. We gave them a good life. Several of us solicited scraps from restaurants in town and brought them to the farm every week. They loved the cheese grits from Sunday brunch and some of the leftovers looked good enough for us to eat: asparagus, baby arugula...

I know you brought me something good.

Now it was time for them to go to the "processor." (my favorite new eupemism). No reason for me to feel bad: I would be as guilty if I went to the grocery store and bought pork chops, and I wouldn't know how they had lived and died. In this case, I knew a lot about these pigs.

It was quite entertaining when Paul brought them home in the back of his small pickup truck, with the cap on and lots of hay. They were very cute, small and black, heritage breeds, not the pink ones raised commercially. We carried them and they squealed blue murder the whole time. Paul had prepared a spacious yard fenced with electric wire. We just had to set them down inside it. One of the pigs immediately escaped. It took several people, but we were able to catch it eventually and Paul quickly added another strand of wire to the fence. They were small enough to slip through at that point, but they got bigger and bigger.

Last bath

Paul and the Captain, ready for pigs

We had to drive a ways to buy the special mix of feed that Karen decided on: hog chow, calf manna, rice, oats, and several other kinds of feed. Not to mention all the garbage that any of us produced in our homes or picked up from restaurants. She specified no peppers, eggplants, or tomatoes, and no onions, so sometimes we had to paw through the restaurant donations to remove the stuff they shouldn't eat. After a few weeks, we discovered that they would eat around it anyway.

Is it big enough?

Ray was in charge of food, for some reason.

Now it was their last day. We arrived at the farm before 9 in the morning. Paul backed the trailer down as far as he dared, but there was still a field we had to coax them through to get to it. We spent a lot of time trying to rig a ramp for them, with an old door and some stones to brace it.

No one had fed them the day before; we had held onto some leftover cake from the last restaurant run to lure them into the trailer. Unfortunately, Karen's dogs had gotten it. So, when the pigs saw us, the biggest one broke through the electric fence and waited at the next fence for us to give her something to eat. Meanwhile, all the guys worked to get the ramp ready. Paul is not particularly good at delegating. He mostly just figured it out and then did it. When he had it arranged, it was time to get food to lure them into the trailer. I went down to the field to get the bowls we use, that would be familiar to them. Karen brought what she could scrounge up--garbage and dog food and things they might like. We put those in the trailer and encouraged the pigs to come in, but they had trouble with the ramp. Their little hooves slipped on it. It didn't seem very steep to me, but I guess it was enough to make it hard for them. They don't see very well at all, and there were a lot of people around and a tiny box with no way out. Occasionally, we would try to push one of them. They weighed a lot! That just made them go away for a minute.

Paul got more stuff: a tarp, some fencing, Karen even brought her yoga mat! Ray kept sprinkling food along in front of them and even got into the trailer trying to lure them. Everyone was giving opinions. Sometimes the pigs were wandering away and threatening to get outside the fence, in which case we could lose our entire investment!

Karen's yoga mat didn't work

They wanted to climb up the side of the ramp, but couldn't.

plan B: steps

moving the door to close them in!

Paul decided to build steps instead of a ramp, piling up pallets with plywood on them. I have no idea how we finally did it, but we got all three pigs inside that trailer and the guys closed it up and cinched up the straps to hold it. Now they should be on their way to the processor. I didn't have any interest in going, but Ray and my Dad did, as well as Paul and Mike and Rebecca, Karen's daughter. I very much enjoyed reviewing the videos from this experience this morning. It's appropriate to be a little sad and appreciative.

View from above: 3 happy pigs in a box.