Today Started Strangely

I got out the coffee cups & turned on the coffee maker.  Normal morning activities.  Except...The coffee maker just sat there quietly and did nothing.  Oops.  I checked it was plugged in, had water & coffee in it, turned it off & on again. No luck.  When Gordon and Casper got back we went through it again.  Then boiled some water and poured it through the grounds.  That worked -- for this morning anyway.

After breakfast, we gathered up our newspapers for recycling, went to the library and gathered theirs and took all to the high school as today is paper recycling day.  Then we went to WalMart to send MoneyGrams to Honduras for salaries and other expenses.  After that, we went off to McKinley Mall and the Sears store and came home with a new coffee maker.

This afternoon I started cleaning up/out the refrigerator.  I had some rhubarb that needed cutting & freezing for later use.  We ate up some left-overs for lunch.  Dinner was stir fry (always a good "clean the fridge thing" and steamed garden greens (weeds - lambs quarters. Yum).  Since we're leaving for Chicago on Wed, I want to be sure there isn't much in the fridge or what there is can be frozen for when we come back.

Tonight we took care of loading the Go Chicago card with a couple of attractions and making a reservation at the parking lot near Midway airport.

This and That

We got a bunch of little things done, which really adds up to a lot I guess, just in small steps.  A little bit of grocery shopping, a little bit of reading, a little laundry, a little bit of cleaning out a few more things in the basement -- just enough for one trash bag for tomorrow & two recycle containers full of old plastic milk bottles, old large salad containers that were either #1 or #2 & recyclable.  The basement is coming along slowly, though it will take quite a while before it looks "good."  Still, little bits add up.

Now it's time to turn to thinking about what we are packing for the trip to Chicago & make sure all goes through the laundry & will fit in.

Tomorrow we will be going to Lois Yauczy's 90th birthday party in the cabin in the Arcade Park.

A Very Interesting Morning

We were headed out to do grocery shopping when Gordon told me the A&A was receiving the flatbed car (minus wheels) that goes under the coal tender they received last week from Baltimore, MD.  This had been a deal. The A&A fixed up & painted an older tender they had & shipped it to Baltimore where it will be used for a Baltimore & Ohio display.  In return, they sent us a larger tender that was too big for them, but will (some day) go behind the old #14 Steam Train the A&A has.  First, much fundraising needs to be done & both the engine & this "new" tender need work.

Anyway, we went to the train yard and watch as the tender arrived on a flatbed truck.  It took two forklifts to get off the truck.  Then they had to maneuver it over by old tracks at the back of their property.  The top part had been sitting in the grass for a while, uneven with nothing under it.  So, they then managed to maneuver it over to put on top of the car.  We watched & took pictures.  I videoed various parts of it.  It was quite an operation. 

We finally left to do our grocery shopping around 1pm.

Our 50th Anniversary -- July 27, 2018

What a great day!  I put up on Facebook that it was a Golden Day for Us and we got very many people "liking" that post all through the day & into the night.

 We exchanged cards at breakfast & Gordon gave me a second present -- dangly earrings with the tree of life inside a circle.  I decided I would wear them for our dinner at the Glen Iris Inn.

   The other present for us (maybe mostly Gordon) was a new laptop computer.  We can't pick that up until Saturday.

   Late afternoon we drove over to Letchworth & stopped at several of the look-out points to look at the gorge & watch the birds flying around, many of them vultures. 

When it got closer to 6 we drove to the Glen Iris & stood looking at the Middle Falls for a while.  I really enjoy watching & listening to the falls.  We also discovered The Glen Iris has an herb garden out back planted in gutters on the side of the building.

Library's Cookbook Club

Tonight was the Cookbook Club at the library.  About 12 of us gathered at the library to share what each made from the cookbook of the month.  I made Black Eyed Peas and Greens which I had never tried before, but I'm so glad I did.  It had 2 cans of black-eyed peas, a can of diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin & a pound of collard greens.  I also had to cook 6 strips of bacon (to cook everything else in the bacon grease) & crumble over everything at the end.  It turned out quite well & I think everyone liked it.  

My List Got Upended

I need to learn to be flexible when I make a list (mental or physical) of things I want to do in a day. Things don't always work out the way I plan.

My plan was to finish cutting the rhubarb & blueberries in the fridge so I could make jam early this afternoon.  It didn't happen that way.  We got caught up in computer things. Among other things, we made flight reservations to visit Kim, Geoff & Calvin in the middle of Sept. 

Then Margaret called to see if I could come to take pictures of the Women's Fellowship's newest quilt.  Of course!  It is, as always, beautiful.  Margaret invited us to have coffee & visit with her, which we did and had a very nice visit. 

Then we sent to the jewelry store in Springville to have the band on my new watch adjusted so it fits.  While we were there, Gordon bought me new earrings which have the tree of life on them.  Very pretty.  A stop on the way home to get collard greens for tomorrow's Cook Book Club dinner at the library, then Arcade Center to get corn for tonight's dinner as well as a quick stop at Stangteck to check on a new laptop we ordered (also Anniv present for Gordon &/or us).  It was almost 3 before I got to make the jam, but it is done now!

Today was for Finances

We had a  phone meeting with our financial planner today & will be having them more often now that we are retired I think.  This was to see where we are and plan for the future, starting with the rest of this year.  We were reasonably pleased with the evaluation and seem to be doing okay.  The next thing was to get our checkbook reconciled.  That hadn't been done in a while & Gordon successfully did it, with the help of Quicken.

I got everything together to make another batch of Bluebarb Jam but decided to put it off until tomorrow & instead took a bit of time to sit & read a library book.  It's supposed to rain all or most of tomorrow, so that will be a good time to make jam.

I received an early anniversary present today.  We had ordered a new watch for me, as my present one started acting "funny."  It wasn't just a battery problem, as it still ran, most of the time, but just didn't keep good time & stopped altogether now & then.  So, Gordon got me a watch that doesn't need a battery.  It's a Citizen Eco-Drive.  It has a rechargeable battery that is charged by exposure to light -- sunlight or fluorescent (or perhaps other light).  We do have to either get the band adjusted or get a new band, which we will try to do tomorrow.  Other than that, I am thrilled with it.  It has what I like in a watch -- real numbers, instead of dots and a second hand.

Trying a New Bread Recipe

This afternoon I decided to try a bread recipe I have had for a while, but I don't think I have ever made it.  It's called Maple Wheat Bread and it makes 3 loaves.  It uses ½cup of maple syrup in it.  Sure smelled good baking!  I have been having a bit of trouble with my bread not turning out as tall as it used to. It rises, but then during the baking process, it seems to go down a bit.  I don't know if my yeast is old, or I need to adjust the rising time, or what.  It doesn't affect the taste, however!

Sunday in church our Coffee Hour is Toast Sunday, since it's the fifth Sunday of the month.  I'll take one of these, and a Buttermilk Bread I made and some jam. 

Tomorrow I plan to make another batch of Bluebarb Jam.

Early Anniversary Celebration

We were invited to meet Carol & Sonya Christensen (who were our best man & maid of honor at our wedding) at the Roycroft Inn in East Aurora at noon today.  This was to celebrate both our 50th anniversaries! Our actual date is next Friday & theirs Sept 22, so this was close enough to both to celebrate together!  We had a great lunch and then sat and chatted until nearly 4pm.  It was nice to sit & catch up/reminisce about the past and near past and folks from our college days.  We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Next Fri the two of us have reservations at the Glen Iris Inn for a dinner on our actual anniversary.  Celebrating more than once is always nice.

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers -awent to Bisons Game

Last night many of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of the Buffalo area met at Coca ColaField in Buffalo to take in a Bisons game.  It was quite a good game, except the Bisons lost at the end.  I like the field because it is small & so easy to see everything that is going on.

After the game there were fireworks, which was fun also.  

 We had not been to a Bisons game in more than 20 years, so it was fun.

Tonight we met Dona & Harvey Roll to share a fish fry at the Arcade Vets Club. We enjoyed the company and the fish.  We'll have to do this again.

Finally Our Phone Works!

Nearly a week ago Verizon said they fixed our phone (from their office).  And it did work -- for 24 hours!  We had been having trouble with it for a week or two.  We could call out, but no one could call in.  If we were standing in front of the phone & heard a little half-ring & grabbed it quickly, we could talk to whoever called.  But most of the time it would do one or two half rings & that would be that.  The person calling would hear a half ring perhaps followed by a fast busy signal.  Today, after trying from the office again, the Verizon repairman came to the house & spent some time in the basement figuring out the problem.  I don't know how much they will charge us since it was our phone line inside the house that was giving the problem, but the important thing is that it is now working!  Yeah!

I attended my first session of the Book Club that meets monthly at the library.  I could not before, as it met during my work hours.  There were 8 of us & we discussed the book we'd read over the last month, Firefly Island by Lisa Wingate.  Some said it wasn't as good as one of her newest books, but this one was about 6 years old.  The one for next month is Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.

Tonight, as we were watching the last episode of Loch Ness, we had a bit of a thunderstorm.  It's been dry so the rain is needed.  It's also been extremely warm, so the cooldown is needed as well.

No Rain Until After the Book Sale

I would say the book sale was a success.  We thought we would be there for a couple of hours in the morning & then go back to help pack up the left-over books.  But, that's not what happened.  There were 7 volunteers total and we stayed all day AND helped with packing up the books at the end, along with a family of 4 who came to help pack boxes.  Most of the very hot day I sat on the library's porch & cashed for the paperback books on the porch.  Someone took orders & ordered lunch from Marcos around noon or so.  At 3 there was a "BagSale" when people paid $3.00 for all the books that would fit into a bag (plastic bag we had, or a bag or box they brought).  That went well & helped sell many more books.  However, at the end of the sale, it still looked like we were ready to start the sale, rather than finishing it -- except for the huge pile of empty boxes that were previously full of books!  The money hasn't been counted yet, but we should know soon.

We were so tired (or I was, & didn't want to cook), we decided to go to Theos for Soluvaci dinner & Greek salad.  One of my retirement presents was a coupon from there, so today was a great time to use it.  And we have enough for tomorrow's dinner too!

Off to the BPO

This morning we were among the volunteers who  helped with the set-up for tomorrow's Library Book Sale (9-4).  The tent was already up, but we helped bring up box after box after box from the basement.  Wow there were a lot.  We have more childrens' books than previously.  There were also oodles of hard back fiction & non-fiction to put under the tent on tables.  The paperback books ae on the porch.  Those that seems exposed were covered with plastic as it's supposed to rain in the morning.

Now we're eating an early supper and headed for Kleinhans Music Hall for their annual Donor's Concert.  It is free to all those who donate money to them.  Among other offerings tonight, is a world-wide group of doctors who also play instruments.  Earlier in the week they played at the Children's Hospital in Buffalo.  We expect to enjoy this tonight.

Partial Cleaning of Basement

This is the result of our first go at getting things out of the basement.  We started with all the discarded planting pots and other gardening things that found their way down to the basement.  We emptied the pots (hanging & other) of their potting soil & put the plastic pots into the trash.

Some of the other pots we kept, but if they don't have a use soon, they will go also.

After Gordon cut out the grapevine that was trying to take over the railing & cover the clematis, they look much better.  The mint is very hardy this year also.  It really likes to grow up around and through the steps to the deck!

 We also got a picturethis morning from yesterday's special day for Calvin!   He is TWO!!  He's looking at a train book we sent him from the A&A.

Garden Weeding, etc

It was past time to weed the garden, and the best time was in the morning before it was too hot.

 

While I was weeding, Gordon was trimming our "volunteer" black raspberry bush that was trying to take over the steps to our deck.  After that, he got rid of a grape vine (also volunteer) that had taken over the small round table on the deck & was intertwined with our clemitis climbing in the same area.  He let the mint alone, however.  It is coming up through the wood steps leading up to the deck.  It's been there quite a while, but I've never seen it grow so well!  In the past, I tried digging some up & transplanting it elsewhere, but it's never worked.  Oh well.

We spent the day waiting for Verizon to come to fix our landline. They said between 11 and 3. They neve did come, or call or email, but sometime after 3 we tried calling the phone & it worked.  Then I asked Barb to call & it worked (sometimes in the last couple of weeks it would work for a short while, but then quit again).  Around supper time Verizon called & pronounced it fixed.  Yeah!

Listening to Hamilton

Sunday after church we listened to disc 1 of Hamilton, while reading the words in the music book we bought.  It s=doesn't have all the songs in it, but most of them.  After reading while listening to several of the songs, it was then easier to understand the words of those we didn't have the written words for.  Hopefully, we will do disc #2 soon.  Than, of course, we need to do it again, several times.  Hopefully, after a while, we can just listen without needing to see the words.  Yeah!

Earlier, we changed the church sign-board for the week.  I'm trying to take a picture each week when we put up a new one.  Easier to keep track.

Thinking Toward our Family Gathering in Chicago

We went to AAA to get some "real" maps of the states we will be going through in August.  We also picked up a tour book for Chicago.  GPS is fine, but sometimes nothing quite takes the place of a paper map.

We went to Barnes & Noble to see if we could find the lyrics to Hamilton.  The CD they had I was told did not include lyrics, only lots of info about the production and all that sort of thing.  There was a book that probably had them, along with much much more, but it was quite expensive.  Then they showed me the musical score.  All the lyrics (along with the score if someone wanted to play it).  We think that will do.  It will help Gordon when we play the CD if he can read what he is listening to.  We will try it out this weekend, hopefully.

Finally a Little Cooler

Today the high was in the low 70s.  It actually felt cool!

I made a batch of strawberry jam before breakfast and went off to get a haircut right after.  Wow, it felt better. I should have gotten it cut a week ago just before the extreme heat.  Oh well, it's good now.


Gordon did some trimming of our trees, out front & along the side.  The Mock Orange was getting out of hand.  It looks better now.   Tomorrow I plan to do some work in the garden -- weeding and picking some lambs quarters.







Late in the afternoon, we went to Beaver Meadow for a walk.  It was nice by the beaver pond & walking in the woods.

Strawberry Pie and Jam

Later Tuesday, I made a strawberry-rhubarb pie for dinner.  First one this year.  Yum.  We also went to Tops for things we needed (& because "senior citizens" get 6% off on the first Tuesday of the month!).

July 4th we did not do a whole lot.  Put the flag up of course.  I processed & froze two of the quarts of strawberries. The others will be for jam.

I found a new recipe for potato salad in a book I had out of the library.  I usually make my mother's recipe, which I can do out of my head, but this sounded good & it looked easy.  It's Creamy Dill Potato Salad.  I'll include the recipe later.

Today I made a batch of strawberry-rhubarb jam & would have made a batch of strawberry jam, except it was just too hot for me to want to be in the kitchen that long.  I did process the berries & put them in the fridge waiting for tomorrow morning.  I also made a broccoli salad.  Between that, the potato salad & a leftover bean salad, I didn't have to do much to fix dinner.  Great for a hot day.

Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler & less humid.  Maybe I'll have more energy for doing things, rather than taking it easy.  I did,. however, finish the library book I was reading & started on the one the Book Club is going to be talking about later this month.

Now for a British mystery movie & then to bed.

Strawberrys!

This morning 9am or so found Gordon & me at Hen-Hawk Acres.  For a number of years, I've said I would not pick anymore due to the bugs which just love me.  However, the strawberries for sale were gone & the only way to get any was to go pick them. So, dressed in long pants, shirts with sleeves, socks, shoes, hats, bug spray we ventured out! 

 It was a case of "hide & seek" as the strawberries were down among the weeds along the rows.  But the bright red berries showed up for the most part.  When walking back along the row with a full quart, more of them showed their faces that were missed on the way down the row the first time!

In less than an hour, we had picked 5 quarts.  We could have picked more, but we were both hot, tired, had filled the containers we brought with us and needed a break.  We could go back tomorrow.  Will we?  Who knows.

Still a Heat Wave

This morning we bought some small flowers for the barrels in front of our house.  What we had planted there never came up, so it was. time.  We also stopped to see about getting strawberries, but all they have now is the U-Pick & we didn't have the time & weren't dressed for it -- had, bug spray, etc.  Hopefully tomorrow morning -- more prepared.

Tomorrow I will make more inroads into "GG's Retirement Book my wonderful daughters & families sent me.  Lots of possibilities & I've already started writing in it.

This afternoon there was a fast-moving thunderstorm that ran through.  While it was around, I spent an hour cleaning out my sock/underwear drawer -- and enjoying it!  I found things I hadn't seen for a while & thought were lost.  I also weeded out a large bag full of items that were either too worn or too small.  In any case, I have lots more room now & know where everything is!  I just never seemed to find the time before so I was very pleased with myself.

After supper, I'm looking forward to a root beer float at the caboose!  The storm only cooled it off for a very short time.  Gordon can have one too since all the vanilla ice cream served at the caboose is lactose-free!

RETIREMENT AND BEYOND

At the beginning of my last week of work at the Arcade Free Library, after 17½ years, my library director arranged an Open House for me. She also made many baked "goodies" she is so good at producing. I enjoyed talking with many friends and library patrons who'd been there over the years.  I will miss being at the library, especially all the people I've met & talked with over the years.  I will also miss seeing new & interesting books come across the desk that led me to want to check them out for myself!

So, now I need to find new & different things to do.

June 30, my first day of retirement, Gordon & I signed up to attend a rally and march in downtown Buffalo called Families Belong Together! We amassed at the Federal Court House on Niagara square.  People had a variety of signs expressing their belief that children should not be separated from their families at the US border.  After speeches and songs, we all marched a few blocks along Delaware Ave to the I.C.E. building and held a rally there.

It was orderly, if noisy, and calm.  Just before it ended extra police cars began to assemble at the intersection where the I.C.E. building is.  Perhaps they were just hoping to keep things calm?  Perhaps they wanted to let us know that it was time to end and let traffic use the intersection again?  Whatever, there was no trouble and shortly it announced it was time to go back to the Court House.   

            

Tonight, July 1, we will go see the Sardinia Carnival fireworks.  But, we will not go into the park.  Rather we will view them from halfway up Bixby Hill Rd.