July 28, 2009

7:39 a.m.

7/26 or so

I brought my computer to the house even though I have no internet connection yet. I have so little time to check email right now, and forget puttering around on Facebook � lucky if I can scan a few updates and get outa Dodge. But I thought I could just write something, quietly, thinkingly, before going to bed here in my upper room.

My upper room, with sheer curtains on all four windows. Four windows this room has, and three doors, and a jog out where the chimney goes up. It�s hard to know where I�ll end up putting the bed. The mattress right now is against the bathroom door, since that room is unusable anyway. I chose this spot because the ceiling was in the best shape above my head. There is little other furniture; a metal plant rack with one plant and some work clothes on it, a wooden crate with a lamp and white noise machine, a chair I found in the attic that I like, with a jug of water and a cup on it. Another small stand with the incense bowl. I added the sheers today. The late afternoon light is spectacular in here, dappled, moving. Each window has just one white panel on a spring rod, tied in a loose knot at the bottom. They dance a bit when the window fan is on, as it is now.

I awoke really early again for some reason. It�s so muggy that my eyes are sandy at first; I can hardly open them. I made my way downstairs and realized that I�d left the bulkhead door open last night and the fan on down there that is supposed to help dry out the basement. It had rained, of course, and while I don�t think much actually came in the bulkhead (it�s protected by trees), there was some more water in places. So at 6:15am I was wet-vacuuming the basement floor again. We will remedy this soon by re-grading outside and rerouting drainage pipes. Meanwhile it�s a little depressing to go into the basement.

But I made coffee and had fresh cherries for breakfast! My makeshift kitchen setup is great � a big counter space on two metal sawhorses. I did not get around to steam cleaning the pantry today but I can function with what I have for the moment.

A lingering breakfast with Tony Bennett on the CD player and then I got a text from Rose saying they were going to the flea market and farmers� market. I opted out, but would like to go next week. Meanwhile I had a superlative bath and shampoo in my enormous, clawfooted bathtub, with the $8 hose sprayer I bought at a hardware store that fits onto those old fashioned nozzles. Fabulous. This tub is the realization of a life�s DREAM.

During this time I discovered that I had been bitten many times by mosquitos or other sucking bugs in the night. It�s warmish up here, can�t wear much to bed. They got me while I slept. However, they don�t itch, and I am simply counting my blessings because I have had enough itching lately and I know the difference between a benign red spot and a pack of trouble.

I had some big errands to do today, and I got just about everything accomplished. I found a cheap set of flatware � can�t find mine to save my life yet � a couple of other small ruggy things for key standing areas, a paring knife, the sheers, ultra-cheap light switch covers to put up in place of the brass ones which, though authentic, are sticky, tarnished and gross. Marc was very keen on my restoring them � it�s several steps � and I confessed that I didn�t really like them in the first place. Stark, dark metal against all these nice light colors. And black light switches inside them. The outlets are the same. They don�t blend in with anything. I�ll find covers that I really like, maybe even vintage ones, but if someone else wants to restore these grungy brass ones I�ll be glad to take them to the auction house.

In the afternoon Marc spent some very frustrating time connecting my landline phone here. What should have taken 15 minutes took a couple of hours. There are very few places where there used to be phone jacks here, and now they�re either wires sticking out of the wall or wires cut at the wall which are now unusable. In addition, my phone has to plug into an outlet, and most rooms in this house have ONE outlet. The kitchen has one outlet. The bedrooms have one outlet each. There was no outlet near the one phone-wire-sticking-out possibility. Marc said he�d run a wire up from the basement near the outlet of my choice.

He drilled into the molding and down. The molding is being replaced anyway so that�s perfect. However, the drill kept going through beam when it should have come out the bottom.

We went downstairs to find that that particular supporting wall is not ON the beam. The beam is a few inches to the side of the wall. There is no beam supporting the inside wall of my dining room, which also happens to support the second floor of the house. That explained why the floor took a little dip just as it got to the edge of the room. It goes over the beam right there.

We found a place just around the corner to put the wire down, and still were able to use the same outlet. At that point I went out to start weed-whacking the front yard with the big, industrial weed whacking machine. Marc got me started with that and went back downstairs � to find that the wire he was taking from the aborted kitchen outlet, and restringing to the back of the dining room�

�had been cut in the middle of the basement.

I don�t know what he did because I was swinging the grass-chopper loudly in the yard, but he managed to route the wires the right way and voila, now I have a home phone.

I cut the meadow out to the stone wall, and by then I was really sweaty and tired and uncomfortable and there were motes of grass ALL over me. I went in to bathe (two in one day!) and when I came out, my phone was set up and Marc had moved on to whatever was next in his day.

So tired by then� so weary from all the hauling this weekend, the clearing out of the shop, the dump runs, the sucking of water and shoveling of sludge out of the basement. I lay down for ten minutes and then Rose was here, asking if I wanted to go see the town historian and show her the pictures we have of the house being moved. We went but the lady wasn�t in, so we ordered pizza instead and ate our fill out in their yard, in the lovely early evening air. I spoke with James, who just returned from a 6-day Quaker retreat and is suffering re-entry shock into the real world. I hardly have time to catch up with my friends these days. But I always have something interesting to report when I do.

Sleep now. Deep and soundless sleep, without mosquitos. Can�t� hold� head up� any more�

Tuesday the 28th

The mistle thrush has gone. Perhaps it couldn�t find a mate; perhaps it was just stopping on its way to New Hampshire, where there are many.

I�m bitten to pieces but at least the whine of mosquitos didn�t keep me up last night. I had the fan on, which not only creates white noise but also mixes up the air so maybe they can�t figure out where I am.

I�m running a little late this morning. I still have to wash my hair but here I sit, enjoying the birds that did stay, seeing that it will be a sunny day after all. So much rain last night, again. I don�t even want to look in the basement but I�m sure I�ll be sucking up water tonight. Meanwhile I ought to be gathering some trash to take to the dumpster this morning, or Marc will call me a slacker.

Last night I was yanking on the back door, the one that is so stuck you have to lift and put your whole body weight into getting it open or closed, and the door knob broke in my hand. It was one of those glass ones, and I got just a little bit cut but it was okay. One tiny chunk of glass out, and I found my alcohol and sterilized it. It just means there�s no door knob now, and one must open it with the crowbar.

My makeshift kitchen did see its first dinner last night: green beans, sweet potato and a boca burger. Complete success except for when I couldn�t find my wine opener yet and had to drive next door to get the bottle open. I also don�t know where the can opener is.

That�s it; must get moving.