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Mid-January, Rain - January 13, 2012
Almost Midwinter - December 14, 2011
Saturday, Noonish, Sunny - November 05, 2011
October, White - October 31, 2011
October, 2011 - October 04, 2011


September 14, 2009

10:17 a.m.

Morning Break

Yesterday was a big-ass day. I kept working long after I was worn out. Chris and Carol showed up for a whole afternoon of volunteer paint-scraping on the house. Yikes... there are some rotten clapboards and other things that need looking into. We scraped and sanded and chipped and tried not to gouge wood. It's an awful job, really, scraping an old house with several layers of paint -- which have previously been only partially scraped in between coats. Poor thing. I can't believe how long it's been neglected. Marc wants to remove some clapboards under the downspout to see if water has gotten in there and rotted anything. Also he said we'll have to reglaze the windows before Winter, even though someday I'll be replacing them. I'm cowed by the scale of this project, but it has to be done if I want insurance.

Tonight I get the quote on the roof. Dar was very leary about employing the scraggly-bearded, rough-around-the-edges friend of a friend who puts his used up cigarettes in his pocket. Get references, he said. Of course I ought to. I'll tell you though, I'm getting really tired of getting quote after quote for things.

Dar is being so good about all the unexpected expenses. He hasn't fainted once.

Meanwhile I took out the trundle mower in the morning -- one of those that isn't motorized, but has the clackity rotating blade assembly -- and redid the lawn. This is still quite an aerobic workout, but not as horrible as the gas mower. As long as the grass hasn't grown too much, the trundle mower will work fine. It leaves random long blades of grass, which is kind of funny. I did it in stages, going inside to do something less strenuous in between. Later on I took my new grass shears and trimmed around steps and bushes and so forth. The lawn looks stupendous! For the first time I feel I've gotten a handle on it. And the grass I seeded is growing in. And birds are coming to the feeder. By golly, it gets more homey all the time.

C&C assisted me in taking the entire inventory of CDs (mine and ours) to the attic, plus all my scrapbooking/bookmaking bins, plus two air conditioners, plus the Christmas stuff, plus many boxes of pvc coils for the coil binder. THAT cleared a lot of space in the Salon (my new writing room, formerly known as the Piss Room) and the living room. They also helped clear brush from several saplings I'd cut with my new loppers. These are some of those that have grown right next to the house and were encroaching on windows, and on part of the roof that has to be redone. The new loppers are nice and sharp.

I got to use a palm sander yesterday, and today at work I get to employ a drill / electric screwdriver. I am mildly macho.

Bolstered by our rehearsal and attendant discussions, I am working on a new song. It's based on a poem I wrote at MacDowell just before I left. I found it in my folder; I'd completely forgotten about it. Nice surprise.

Okay, break is over and it's time to assemble speaker boxes again. Glue gun: check. Drill: check. Caulk: check. Go.


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