It's raining again this morning. Funny how it seems to go from one extreme to the other. It's lovely and cool now and soon I will be baking.

Yesterday, more tedious mailing list stuff for the most part, although not stressful. Ray slept in and I came home at lunchtime to eat and bring him in. It takes about 15 minutes for me to drive home and 15 minutes back, so I have a half hour to eat. But we have had healthy leftovers and I don't spend anything for lunch. It is pleasant and relaxing at home.

Went to the bank to deposit some donations, picked Ray up, and went home. Made supper for potluck and went to the Fellowship. Good dinner--I ate too much. Enjoyed singing. Came home, Captain and Vanessa were here, went to bed.

Another nice cool morning. If only it were light a little earlier--or I didn't have to be at work at 8! Have to walk the dogs and feed the chickens in the dark...

More mailing list work yesterday for the most part--after payroll. Starting to work on reimbursements for September. I want to get them in as early as possible, so that we can get the money back as soon as possible. We were okay for payroll this week. The next time we have to worry is in 2 weeks.

I came home for lunch, because I realized I had forgotten to feed the dogs. It was a beautiful day, sunny but cool. I think the high was 81. We had leftovers, so I had a healthful lunch, without even a cookie. This was great until I started feeling hungry a couple hours later.

I had a counseling appointment at 4. Ray took the bus and met me afterward. We only had about 45 minutes to make and eat supper. We had a nice frittata with bok choy and other veggies and some leftover rice. We were 15 minutes late for our rehearsal. They had just asked someone else to stand in for us, when we walked in. And 30 minutes later we could leave. So we were home again before 8.

No internet connection this morning. Temperature below 60 degrees! yay! Dark and moony while walking the dogs.

Played racquetball yesterday-won one game. Swam afterward. Felt good.

Ate dinner at Speakeasy and enjoyed it. They have great drinks. I hate spending the money though. Raspberry creme brulee. excellent food. then went to Memorial Park for rehearsal, but they didn't get to my part.

Vildan and me at square dance

Mutherem and me at square dance

It was raining steadily when I woke up this morning and still is a half hour later, as well as off and on all day yesterday. Ray just woke up enough to mutter that he is not going in today--he doesn't teach on Mondays. A great day for sleeping, but I delegated him to feed the chickens and walk the dogs. It is still pitch black and that will give me a calmer, dryer, morning.

Ray and me at dinner at John's house

We went to sing at church and stayed for Fourth Sunday lunch. I took the money, Ray washed dishes, so it was more work than fun, but fine. We went to Watkinsville and bought apples from North Georgia at the peach stand--no more peaches this year. Sigh.

Gave the downstairs a cursory vacuuming. Made humus, washed strawberries, made chocolate pudding cake. Ray made the stir fry for our company. Kent arrived about 30 minutes late, followed by Janna and Ron and then Becky, who brought the pita for the humus. We had a pleasant enough dinner and they left a little after 8. I had taken chicken out of the freezer, in marinade for grilling. Because of the weather, we decided to stir fry instead, but apparently grilling marinade is not that good for stir fry. It was fine, but not as good as it should have been. The cake was a big hit; Ron, Kent and Janna had seconds.

Asleep by 10.

Pilates class made it hard for me to get up off the couch the rest of the day. It's my waist. Then we went to the farmers' market, but bought nothing. We got gas, money, and Ray's prescription. We also stood in line at the post office to mail Nate's birthday present! Stopped by HQ to see how everything was going. And finally went to Kroger and bought a few things.

All afternoon, looking at recipes and cooking off and on, wishing it were just a little cooler. Had supper, watched TV, went to bed.

Cameron is a good dog, but he won't always come when called. So I don't like to let him out unless he's on the leash. In the mornings when we walk, it's okay. He is racing off after things, stopping and sniffing, catching up with me and running away again. But he comes back and has breakfast. Any other time I let him out,  he is liable to go down to the neighbors. They have two or three dogs and a fenced area. Paul sometimes lets Cameron in to play and this naturally makes it hard for him to come when I call, if he wanted to. So last night after supper, I didn't dare let him out, since I didn't feel like walking him on a leash. So, it wasn't a complete shock that he was whining enough to wake me up at 4 this morning! I wandered down sleepily in my nightgown and let them both out. He was back before I knew it, but Zoe was slower. By the time she came back, he was off again, tearing around the yard and into the woods, chasing deer maybe. I gave her a half a biscuit and threw his half in the crate. He didn't come and he didn't come. Then she thought she would go in the crate and eat his biscuit, with some justice. So I was trying to block her and call him at the same time. I had about given up when he showed back up. The  minute I tried to get him in the crate, he bounded out the door, as if to get me to chase him. Fortunately, when I said, "No, Cameron" in my sternest voice, he came and went right in docilely.

Before I was able to fall back to sleep, it began to rain, complete with thunder and lightning. This was a great source of joy, but did keep me awake the rest of the night. Now the AC is running again. Maybe this is the last time this year. Probably not. I look forward to baking again sometime in the next month.

Yesterday morning (and every morning), I walked the dogs out to the road to get the newspaper. This time of year, I head out when it is dark, although I wait until it is almost light, as long as I can, because i have to be eating breakfast at 7 and in the tub at 7:15 in order to leave the house at 7:30. It is interesting to leave the house in grayness. The solar light (the one that still works) is a small spot of brightness. I can't see the chickens in their coop. Sometimes the dogs want to stop there, but I encourage them to leave the chickens alone. Sometimes I hear their soft chirrups as they shift on their perch. Cameron ranges around me, disappearing and reappearing. Sometimes I hear Zoe panting behind me, sometimes I don't see her again until we get back to the house. On this occasion, there was a moon still up, casting my shadow as I walked along the path. At the end of the street was a brightening sky, so that as I headed back, it began to compete with the moonlight and my moon shadow to the right was replaced by a fuzzy shadow to my left. The grasses and trees began to take on some color. When I got home, the solar light was out and I could see Ray in the lighted kitchen working on breakfast. I gathered the dogs in and fed them and gave them water and returned to my indoor life.

We worked on getting an appeal out. Instead of the third quarter newsletter, Meredith decided to send a mailing to all those individuals we have not received money from, asking if they want to update their contact info and stay on our mailing list--and send us a contribution. We are hoping for enough money to help out with our cash-flow crisis. We will also purge our mailing list based on the information we get back. The new software is supposed to make it easier and save us money. It didn't this time, but I learned enough talking to the man at the bulk mail center to help me next time. If we create bar-coded envelopes or labels, we can save half a cent per letter. That's $5 for 1000, so I don't feel too bad that I didn't get it right this time. I ordered 3 new twin mattresses for room 6, which has been empty for a couple weeks. It had to be professionally cleaned and exterminated and repainted. The curtains are washed, the beds need to be repaired. I need to buy pillows and sheets on Monday.

This morning I dreamed of a homeless family, someone who used to work for the Shelter. Usually I don't. The news of the economy and the difference between the haves and have-nots is really pervading our lives. I have read about a coming revolution; I hope we can change things without killing people.

I went to the bank and picked up some fish tacos for Kerri and me. The traffic was crazy, the Friday afternoon before a home game.

I picked Ray up before I went to the bulk mail center to help me carry the trays. My back did not like sitting and stuffing envelopes. Then we went to play racquetball, got all dressed and ready, but no courts. We waited for a while, then decided to swim. The pool was crowded too, but we got a lane. The water was really cold and my foot cramped up. We swam for 10 minutes and then went to take a warm shower. They were getting ready for a kids' swim meet in the big pool--brought back the memories.

We were home before 6, feeding chickens and dogs and lugging water from the rain barrels to the really dry plants. I did find some nice-looking beans to pick, as well as peppers. Looking forward to some time in the garden this morning and cooler weather and rain tomorrow and next week. Yay!

We had watched a couple of hours of TV by 9, so went up to read and fall asleep. Very peaceful and calm.

It's Friday and all my obligations are behind me (for the moment). Nothing planned for tonight or this weekend, unless you count pilates, the farmers' market and the Fellowship. Sounds good at the moment.

It's been a little cooler--didn't reach 90 yesterday. Not cool enough to sit outside or keep the AC from running, but getting there. And the moon has been lovely all week. Full moon at the equinox must be pretty rare. 

Yesterday, I worked a long time, doing more of that back accounting tedious work and getting ready for stuffing envelopes and doing mailings today. Ray and I had lunch when we traded off the car, at the Georgia Center cafeteria with John D. and Muterem (not the right spelling of her name). She is very homesick and missing her daughter.

We had a complicated schedule because of the Democratic meeting at 6, followed by rehearsal at 7:30. We rushed  home about 5, with traffic, to feed the animals and grab some supper--leftovers for Ray, a sandwich for me. The meeting was okay, but sparsely attended. The rehearsal was more fun, but a little long (ha, just wait a few weeks). Then we watched the first episode of Big Bang Theory for this season--maybe not my favorite episode ever, but Ray had to stop and rewatch one part--twice--because it was so funny. And then to sleep.