Crazy morning

Amelia is here again. It was an unusual morning for us, with Ray getting up at 6 am and me not until 7:30. He wanted to go to HRB to meet virtually with a client, so set his alarm. No explanation of why I didn't wake up when his alarm went off, or before, as is my usual habit. I don't feel like I was really tired. A minor mystery. So, three people eating breakfast in a slightly chaotic fashion. The house is great, but I can't imagine trying to live here with 5 people, including 3 young children. Or 4 college students, who were here last summer. One shower/tub. Although, I lived with 4 other people from the time I was

Cameron didn't get his walk but went out in the yard 2 or 3 times, and wanted his breakfast, so I gave it to him. He says, "I'm so confused. My family is behaving strangely. They smell like everything's fine, but they are not following the procedures. I like being outside, sniffing, but I worry about them, so I have to go back in. And no treats today, hmm?" 

I baked some ginger cookies I had mixed up yesterday. They are nice and soft, but not quite right. Maybe I left out salt? I will add a little to the rest of the batter before I bake it. 

Apple Pancake Breakfast

 It's 28 degrees out! I've been cheated! Didn't I come here to be warm? Although in my house it is not uncomfortable. In my bed under the covers, it was more comfortable, but I'll be good for a little while until it wears off. Then I'll make Amelia's breakfast. She is staying with us because K flew to NJ yesterday for a work-related event that was rescheduled from before the holidays because one-quarter of the employees had COVID. 

Her favorite breakfast is a special pancake that is cooked in the oven. Our version has apples in it and comes from Vegetarian Epicure, a cookbook I got many years ago. I am not a vegetarian any more, but she is. Although I don't think there is a non-vegetarian version of this recipe, sometimes called Dutch Baby and made by the Pennsylvania Dutch. Maybe they would serve it with sausage. 

It's still early to put my contact lenses in, because I'm not very awake. I woke up a little after 4. The heat was running. Now it s a little after 6 and the heat is still or again running. I'm yawning and typing without looking at whaat I've written. I'll have to go back and fix the mistakes, after I put in my lenses. And make some tea. 

That's better. Tea made and some consumed. I had a brief visit to the puzzle table, where I opened the shades. Our neighbors on that side are just a stone's throw away, enough room between us for their cars and our strip of lawn wide enough for a blueberry bush (at this point in its life). Mug warms my hands, but I am not cold yet. If I sit here for an hour without moving, I will be cold. Then I can either take a nice warm bath or shower or put on my clothes from yesterday and work some on the pancake. Moving makes me warm and turning on the oven will make the house warm. 

I like to cook in a very relaxed frame of mind. One thing is I have made this lots of times, so that's less stress. I usually get the ingredients out first. Sometimes I do this when I am not really in the mood to cook. I trick myself. I'll get out these things, I can always put them away if I decide not to go through with it. Also, it warms the ingredients (in this case, eggs and milk) to room temperature--usually they do better then. Also, if I don't have something I need, I can do something about it, decide to ignore it, or change my plan to a different recipe--before I'm irrevocably committed. 

LIttle Things

 Hello,

I have a bruise on the side of my finger. No idea how I got it. Banged it on the bedside table while I was asleep? Also, it's getting harder and harder to take out my contacts. I think my eyes are getting squintier. The right one is not a problem, but I have trouble getting the left one open enough to take out the lens every night. I've worn them for many years, since I was 18? Eye doctors used to tell me I would have to stop wearing them at some point to give my eyes a rest, but nowadays they don't. I've known people who said, "I have to take my lenses out now," and switch to their glasses. I can't see properly with my glasses. I only have them because my current doctor insisted that I get an updated pair. I wear them between taking out my lenses and getting in bed and vice versa. When I read in bed (on my little cell phone these days), I hold the phone close to my face and don't need them. My father used to tell me it was bad for me to read in bad light, or read so much. I thought it was a myth that it would weaken my eyesight. Maybe it made me squint too much and now my old muscles can't hold my eyelids up. I'm sure there is surgery for that. The idea is amusing and terrifying. 

Yesterday, I engaged a lawyer to help with the closing on our house. His name is Sherf. Do you think that's a real last name? We met him when he helped Molli add Michael to the deed for her house. She is a lawyer, so I trust her judgement. I hope he is not sketchy. I guess there are sketchy lawyers out there. The inspection is scheduled for Sunday. I told Tamara on the phone last night. She seemed genuinely happy for us and appreciative that she has 2 months to save and plan to get her own place. 

Polly Face-Timed me. She was with Declan and he wanted to talk to me and say happy Patturday. He may call this morning to figure out how to play a game online, although by now I would have been at his house for an hour. I talked to Polly and Dad and Molli. Dad was pretty exhausted from his 3 days with Polly. Molli had made roast chicken, but she said the weather was too warm for roasting a chicken--she opened a window. It was a few degrees warmer there than here. I was wearing a hat and they teased me about it. I got that habit from Amelia. She is always bundled up, with hats and cowls. It's not really that I was cold, it's just nice to feel cozy. 

Circles, a modern still life

I spent an hour or so yesterday working on my bathrobe. I realize the fabric is almost exactly the same as the shirt I made a few years ago--plaid cotton flannel. I am not as careful with my sewing projects as Amelia is. She is a little obsessive, like her father, which serves her well. They say you should wash your fabric before cutting it--such a pain in the neck. Hopefully, it won't be a problem and it's kind of a loose garment, so it won't matter if it shrinks. My favorite part is the choosing, so I already have several more sweaters I want to knit and things I want to sew. First I need to finish this one. LOL. 

After our brief Face Time, I was really sad the rest of the evening. I miss them all, even my Dad. Of course, if I were there, I would not spend any more time with them than I do now with Amelia. I love her dearly, but she and Kevin are pretty quiet compared to the raucousness of the Lynn crowd. Not that Michael is really rowdy either. I guess it's just the difference between Molli and Amelia's personalities. Lots of up and down drama with Molli. Come to think of it, Amelia is pretty stressed too. Maybe we all need to take up meditation. (I misstyped at first and put medication). 

Exciting news from yesterday? I found a salad spinner in a second hand store (New and Nearly New) for $1.50. There was one I liked better for $2 more--it was exactly the same except it had a green top. After he used it for the first time, he discovered it has holes in the bottom. It's meant to be used over a sink or something. Never saw one like that before. No biggie, just had to clean up a small puddle of water on the counter and floor. I also bought a medium-size glass canister. Not exactly what I was looking for, but might hold most of the oats. I didn't want the plastic ones they had. I'm sure I'll find some one of these days. 

making connections

Ray was very hesitant and reluctantly drove us to Eno River UU Fellowship for choir rehearsal. It was certainly great to sing, to learn new music, to meet a lot of people. It's such a big congregation; they have more than one choir. I picked Thursday night because Tuesday I like to take a yoga class. While we have been in Beverly, choir has been a little different--and we haven't even been in a few years. Robert didn't do warmups; we didn't do a lot last night, but it was good. A song with words by Langston Hughes was great. We will see. Shall we go in person this Sunday? Shall we sing in church the next week? We sing masked and the congregation is masked, although speakers are not. 

Being retired means holidays have no meaning--no work Monday? I haven't worked on Monday for a month or so.

I spent an hour or so at Amelia's shop, looking around, studying the pattern I chose to make a bathrobe and getting to know the variations and making some choices. Step One: cut the fabric. Amelia (and other people) say to wash it first. Naah. That would be an extra step. There was a "rep" there from a fabric company, showing the new fabric for Amelia to decide what to order. Halloween glow-in-the-dark fabric was one option. She said nice things about Amelia, naturally. 

Pouring down rain when we were driving home from the choir rehearsal. Dark and rainy, glad I wasn't driving. I'm guessing the things I planted will have liked the rain, though. Nice to have a carport to pull into when we got home. 

***

One thing at this house that is not at our house in Beverly is a yard. In the front, there are two large oak trees near the street. They have been pruned or damaged so their shape is not really natural, and now all the leaves are gone, so they look especially odd. They are home to squirrel nests and drop leaves and branches every day. If we wanted to put solar panels on our house, they would reduce the amount of gain. They also keep other things we might want to grow in our front yard from getting enough light. Still, I wouldn't want to have them cut down. They also must provide wanted shade on summer days. 

Every day, sometimes twice a day, Ray walks a mile and a half. He goes to the end of our street, turns left and walks to the end of that street, 2 blocks, where there is a funny small park with a track for bicycle riding, ugly artificial hills that provide fun and exercise for lots of children. Turning left there, he walks a few blocks downhill to get to the Ellerbe Creek Trail. He turns left on that trail and walks along the banks of the creek, in a protected natural area in the middle of the city. At the end of that section, he turns left again, walking up the street, turning left, and arriving at our street again. I find it boring and tiring, so I usually go with him for only 15 minutes or so. Today it is cool and breezy, with sunshine, so a great day to stay inside! 

Scattered thoughts

Well, my mind is in a very different place now. We have an offer to buy our house in Beverly, which is great, but definitely burst my bubble of calm contentment. I am all over the place. They will inspect the property Sunday. They also need to sell their house. Closing is scheduled for end-March. Do we arrange to have all our things moved to storage for now? Or try to find a house we want to buy by then? Then we will need to visit Massachusetts for at least a few days to look at houses and pack more stuff to store, move or get rid of. Even here in Durham, I already have more clothes than I need. Or the wrong clothes. We would have to arrange to have someone take care of the dog while we are gone. I hate to leave him alone after bringing him here, but he will mostly sleep all day whether we are here or not. 

Today is much warmer, but very overcast, so not warming up in the house the same way as when it's sunny. I made blueberry muffins this morning, so that heated it up plenty, no need for the heat to run. I went out with the dog wearing tights and a long shirt and short coat, a hat and no mittens, but my legs were cold. 

Still cold, but...

 We got an offer on our house in Beverly. It is bursting my bubble here, the calm contentment I have been enjoying. An offer is a great thing. It is the first serious offer (we had two that were very low) and from someone who loves the house. We have made a counteroffer, which may or may not be accepted. If it is accepted, it will be contingent on them finding a buyer for their house. It happened late in the day yesterday and I did manage to sleep pretty well, but now I am all kerfluffled (or whatever that word is I'm looking for). 

If the counteroffer is accepted, we will have a month or two to empty our house. Then the question is, move everything into storage or buy another house. If we want to buy, we will need to visit to see the house "in person." So, arrange for a trip, make a decision about buying a house (offer, financing, etc.), arrange for movers. With the possibility that everything could fall apart or have issues along the way. And T, having made the move to live on her own, will need to figure out where to move. It's possible that we will buy a house with a place for her to stay, but not necessarily part of the decision-making process. 

At the moment, though, it is a waiting game. And we will do what we always do: take it one step at a time. Look for flights, look for movers, look for houses. 

It's cold in Durham

Yesterday was my Mom's birthday. She died 11 years ago, but we usually celebrate her birthday as we would have when she was alive, by going out to a nice restaurant. I think we missed one year of the pandemic, but this year I really wanted to go. Amelia had a 7:00 appointment, so we needed an early reservation. We didn't want to eat inside, either. The restaurant had to be open on Mondays, which a lot aren't, especially now with staff shortages still an issue. We settled on Bleu Olive, a Mediterranean restaurant in a shopping center. The outdoor tables were on the sidewalk next to the parking lot, so not a super elegant setting, but they were under a roof in case of rain. I think the sidewalk retained some warmth from the sun earlier in the day. 

The sun sets a little later in Durham, but it was still mostly dark by the time we sat down. The host looked at me a little strangely when I said we wanted to eat outside. I think it was in the 40s and I was wearing my big winter coat with the fake fur-trimmed hood, and fingerless mitts. Even Ray had put on an extra layer. I was worried that we would not be able to enjoy the food and the occasion because it was so cold, but that wasn't the case. 

The men scanned the code on the table and pulled up the menu on their phones. We ordered cocktails--I had an old fashioned that was delicious. I had asked for a hot toddy or a hot buttered rum, but they weren't available. Then I suggested a hot chocolate with a little something added, but they didn't have that either--the waiter said they had varieties of Irish coffee, but that is not my thing. Kevin ordered Bordeaux, but they were out, so he settled for Shiraz, which was tasty. Ray had a pomegranate mule, which he enjoyed. I tried it, but thought it was yucky.  

Ray suggested a variety of spreads and breads--pita, of course, and a dried bread like a giant crouton, as well as a soft warm bread. Baba ganoush (eggplant), humus, tzatziki, and something else, maybe red pepper--they were all delicious. Ray also had a giant Greek salad and shared some with us. It had beets in it, oddly enough. I don't think they're Greek, but I like them a lot, and no one else does. 

I had local flounder with veggies--spinach, red pepper and others--on orzo. It was excellent. I saved a little for today, since I was getting full. Amelia had polenta, which she liked. Kevin had moussaka--there's a success story if there ever was one. He and Amelia became a couple in high school, and he did not eat much. No veggies or fruit, only the plainest simplest "American" food, like hamburgers or fried chicken. Now he is ordering something like moussaka, without even knowing if he'll like it! I've forgotten what Ray had, but I think it was on orzo, similar to mine, probably chicken? Anyway, Kevin got a box for some of his, but Amelia and Ray cleaned their plates. 

The highlight of the meal was meant to be dessert--Mom's favorite, although she enjoyed seafood too. We had an excellent creme brulee, and we are creme brulee connaisseurs (I can't seem to spell that right, a rare problem for me). I didn't really like the orange chocolate cake. It seemed dry, but maybe on purpose. The cheesecake was very good, too, almost like a mousse, with pistachio crust. Kevin had some grand marnier and Ray a decaf coffee, but we did not linger and were ready to leave by 6:30. A very successful Mom's Day feast. I am repeatedly surprised by how many great restaurants there are here. We will have to try more of them, if the weather gets warmer. 

It is below freezing here this morning and the heat is running steadily, but not uncomfortable inside--I do wish I had grabbed some socks before I snuck out of the bedroom about 5:15. I was in bed early and slept well. Ray has "extravagantly" purchased some streaming services, including Paramount, so now we can go back to watching all the Star Treks. We were working on that until they went off Netflix and we would have had to pay for them.