Having a lovely long weekend so far

The Chief & I are having a lovely Fourth weekend at the cabin.  The weather is so cool that I actually put on a (light) sweater this morning - it was only about 65 degrees when I left for an early-morning grocery run.  That's at least 15 degrees cooler than usual for this time of year, and not a patch on the years when the highs were regularly in triple digits (and no a/c at the cabin!).  It's lovely - we've got the windows open and are enjoying the birdsong.

Our huge rhododendron bush is in bloom and is very popular with the eastern tiger swallowtails.  Birds also love to hang out (and hide) in it, and this year we have new visitors, who have built a nest atop the bend of a nearby downspout.  So far I've only seen a glimpse of nestling wing or head; with luck, we'll get to see an actual baby bird before we leave.  I haven't figured out yet what kind of birds they are, but I'm sure the internet will help us identify them.

At the Chief's urging, I packed up my electronic keyboard and schlepped it out here so I could practice my fingerings more than once or twice before my next piano lesson.  I was also "encouraged" to do so by the knowledge that I'll be out of town again next weekend, for the first of two family weddings this year, and won't have access to a keyboard for the 5 days I'll be gone.  I sure hope my piano teacher doesn't dock my grade for that. ;)  It's actually kind of nice practicing here.  I set the keyboard up in the upstairs bedroom, where I have a decent amount of space, plenty of light, and am right under both the ceiling fan and a window, so it doesn't get too stuffy.  I can also close the bedroom door so I don't disturb the Chief if he's trying to study (yes, he brought his exam prep materials) or watch tv.

We're having 4 friends over for dinner tonight and some neighbors over for dinner tomorrow.  In both cases we'll be grilling; we also grilled chicken for dinner last night, so the grill is definitely getting a workout this weekend.  I enjoy standing in the kitchen fixing whatever side dishes we'll be having while the aroma of mesquite or hickory floats in through the open windows.  Yummm...

My husband, friend to turtles

The Chief & I were out at the cabin last week.  One day, as we were heading out to run some errands, we spotted something in the road.  Turned out to be a box turtle with its head stretched out toward the side of the road.  The Chief stopped and we waited while our reptilian friend made its way to the vegetation on the side of the road (more quickly than we expected).  Traffic coming the other way slowed to see why we were stopped.  One driver gave the Chief a thumbs-up when she realized why he was stopped.

We still wonder how that turtle is faring, hoping it hasn't encountered a less patient driver.

Happy 10th anniversary to me (a bit late)

I've now had my blog for 10 years as of last month - April 11th, 2005, saw my first-ever blog post.  I don't cover certain topics (I try to avoid politics, for example) but if you're interested in theater, gardening, or cooking, I hope you've been at least mildly entertained.

Since playing Pitti-Sing, my first lead, I've done 2 more G&S leads (Ruth in Pirates of Penzance and Dame Carruthers in The Yeomen of the Guard) and nice, meaty roles in several plays (biggest were Sara Lee Turnover in Daddy's Dyin', Who's Got the Will? and Veta Louise Simmons in Harvey).  I'm still taking voice lessons and working on my technique, and am now looking to become a Theater major this fall and a Voice major next fall.

The Chief and I still have the cabin and are looking forward to longer, mid-week trips there now that I'm retired.  I also have spent a larger percentage of time in the kitchen trying new recipes.  My issues of Cook's Country will now get a closer reading. :)  Today I spent well over 3 hours out in the garden planting most of the flowers we bought yesterday and Sunday.  So lovely to have the whole week for that, not just Saturdays & Sundays!

The toadlilies are spreading

Last spring I really had to wrestle with my toadlilies to separate them and they seemed to take the rest of the year to get over the trauma.  They did bloom, but not as profusely as in the past.  This spring, however, they're coming back with a vengeance, having spread a few inches to send up an outlier under the downspout, and a bit further to send another outlier where I had some begonias last year.  I may put just one begonia in that spot this year, and let the toad lilies fill in the rest.

The foliage isn't particularly noteworthy, but when it blooms in October, the flowers are well worth the wait - like stems full of little orchids, lavender with tiny purple "freckles".  The fact that it likes shade and damp is a bonus.  If I thought the deer would leave it alone, I'd take some out to the cabin and plant it in the beds with the hellebores.  Actually, given that the deer find something in the hellebores to be an irritant, maybe I could plant the toadlilies behind them and let the hellebores "stand sentry" over them.

Unwanted excitement

The Chief and I spent Veterans Day weekend at the cabin.  When we arrived, we started the usual cold-weather opening routine: bring in the groceries, turn on the water and heat.  The propane heater gave him some trouble; first the pilot didn't want to light, then the blower didn't want to start, etc.  The capper was when smoke suddenly started billowing up from the back of the thing, and it's mounted on a wood-paneled wall!  That's when things really started getting exciting - the smoke alarms started going off, as did the alarm system, then the phone rang - the security company checking on us - while the Chief called the gas company to get some "immediate" help.  After we opened all the windows, it took several ear-splitting minutes to dissipate enough smoke for the bells, whistles and sirens to quit, and now it's only 54 degrees in the great room.  Brrr!  Me, I retired to the bedroom, where the baseboard heater slowly warmied the room (64 degrees sure beats 54!) while the Chief showed the gas company guy where everything is.

Turned out the problem was the new siding, or rather, its installation.  The installers didn't account for the additional thickness, so the heater vent no longer fit properly, causing all the problems.  The gas company ordered & installed a new vent pipe, the siding company redid the siding around the vent (it started to melt in one place!), and now we're keeping an eagle eye on that heater when we use it!

Goldilocks weather

In other words, just right!  One advantage to being furloughed is that I've been able to take advantage of the gorgeous weather 2 days running so far and take a nice, long walk through the neighborhood.  Yesterday it was at home, today at the cabin.  Saw a lot of deer, or at least a lot of tails as they took off upon hearing us approach.  We did see one 4-point buck with a small entourage of 5 or 6, but they headed into the trees as we got closer.

Perfect!

The Chief and I headed out to the cabin Friday.  I had to come back yesterday and almost decided to stay home; I am SO glad I didn't!  When I woke up yesterday morning and wandered into the great room, my eyes still half shut, I turned to the window wall.  The view immediately opened my eyes fully - the sun was streaming in through nothing but trees, their dewy leaves sparkling in the sunlight.  The trees always look best at that time of day, when the sun is still low enough to be shining through as much as on them, but yesterday morning the trees were fairly glowing!  The temperature was very comfortable, the humidity too low to be worth mentioning - the kind of day that makes you rejoice in God's creation.

That sort of morning not only makes you glad to be alive, but makes you feel more alive.  That must be the origin of the exclamation "Great day in the morning!"

A surprise hit

Again tonight, the dinner menu includes green beans from the farmer's market, cooked in sauteed onions & garlic.  Prepping the beans made me think of the last time I served these - out at the cabin, when we had some friends joining us for dinner.  (Went with the "drunken chicken".)  I was surprised at the way our guests raved about the beans.  The woman next door wanted to know exactly how I'd fixed them, as it was the first time she'd seen her husband and son eat fresh veggies willingly, not just out of politeness.  "Um, easy - sautee some onions & garlic in a little olive oil, add the beans, let 'em cook for half an hour or so, until the beans are no longer crunchy."  You can add any seasonings you like, or other vegetables; it's one of those recipes it's easy to improvise with.

Jonathans!

My favorite apple variety is the jonathan but they're virtually impossible to find in grocery stores anymore.  Fortunately, there's a family-run orchard near the cabin that grows a wide variety of apples, including my beloved jonathans.  We were out at the cabin last weekend and I ran over to the orchard Saturday morning.  They had only just picked the first jonathans - they were still sorting the earlier apples, and didn't even have that variety listed on the chalkboard yet.  I came home with 2 pecks - half a bushel - and the Chief and I have already gone through about half that.  I'd forgotten how much I love these, and when they've been allowed to ripen before being picked, well - ambrosia, thy name is apple!

The original plan was to make a BIG apple pie, but now it's looking more like applesauce, since that freezes well and is better for us, since I make it without sugar.  That'll be a project for the weekend; the house is gonna smell SOOOOO good!

Vignettes from a family visit

1. The Chief was teasing our 2 youngest nieces (5 1/2 and almost 7), asking if they'd like to come home with us.  The older one wasn't quite sure; her little sister declared, "I'll go pack!"

2. My godson came over to discuss some paperwork with the Chief, including a reference.  (Godson is planning to go into the Navy.)  The Chief came down kinda hard on him but J was smart enough to know why he was being so strict and appreciated it.

3. I think we managed to persuade a few more family members to come visit us at the cabin - hurray!

4. A cousin who hadn't seen me in over a year was quite vocal about my "new look".  She admitted she'd never really liked my hair long and that the new cut frames my face so much better.  Overall, in fact, she declared I look "fabulous!"  Does one ever get tired of hearing that? ;)

Finally getting caught up

My, but we've had a busy month or so! The Chief & I were at the cabin over the 4th of July weekend and hosted several visitors for parts of it, as well as having some fellow part-timers join us for dinner. We loved having so much company, and our guests seemed to have a good time too.

Then came the marathon:

L&K converged on the cabin the 3rd week of July; first time the three of us had been together for more than a flying visit since K moved away several years ago. It was lovely to have so much time to chat, even if we did have to wait until K's two girls (ages 7 and "10 slash 11") were in bed. The heat set records, and the portable a/c unit could barely keep up (got the temp down to 85 and the humidity down to about 55%), so we weren't terribly active, but that wasn't really the point.

They left on a Saturday; the next day, my sister3 and family arrived at the house so they could do the usual tourist things. I had to work and the Chief ended up leaving Tuesday to go to the dentist, then continue west, but I did get to see them briefly when they came back at the end of a day, hungry, tired, sweaty, and dehydrated from walking all over town in triple-digit heat. They ended up leaving a bit early so they could stop at a Civil War site on the way home. That gave me a whole day between their departure and my own departure to join the Chief (who had driven) in the Midwest for a week.

We spent the week hanging out with family; stayed with mom's sister & her husband, had dinners with different siblings and at Dad's place, hosted those who could join us for a lovely seafood lunch, went swimming w/ several of us, including my 2 little nieces, and generally had a nice, relaxed time. Hard to believe we were there a whole week - seemed like we'd barely opened our suitcases when it was time to go home again.

I got back Friday afternoon, went home from the airport by way of the commissary, was home for all of about 3 hours before heading back out to the cabin. Saturday was the annual block party out there - couldn't miss that! The Chief was still on the road and couldn't make it, but I did save him a piece of the peach cobbler that one person had brought.

We were back out at the cabin last weekend, where friends joined us. This time the highs were only in the 80s and the humidity was low, at least for August, so we had a very nice time indeed. The Chief had to stay and accompany the window installers while I played tour guide for our friends, but we didn't leave him alone all that long. In fact, we managed to time our return so that we got back barely half an hour after the installers left.

Here we'd been trying for years to get people to visit us and they all arrived practically at once! That's OK, though; we're glad they made it.

Has it really been that long?

I can explain. Really. First there was that week-long training trip - all practical exercises, so no computers in sight (what a refreshing change!), and very little down time. Thanks to belt-tightening, seems like all the training is getting fewer days to cover the same amount of material. Makes for long days and, in this case, an exhausting week!

Then of course I had to get caught up at work after being out of the office for a week. What would your inbox look like if you hadn't been able to do any "weeding" for a whole week? Yep, that's how mine looked. All I did my first day back was submit my travel accounting and kill e-mail.

Just got back from a lovely 5-day weekend at the cabin. We hosted 3 overnight guests and 4 local folks who joined us for dinner. The weather wasn't quite as hot as July can get - certainly none of the 3-digit temps we had over the 4th last year! - so we were comfortable with the windows open most of the weekend. We might have had even more guests; that's certainly what I shopped & cooked for, lest I commit the ultimate hospitality crime of not having enough food for my guests. The Chief rather got on my case about that, but at least we'll continue to eat well for the next few days, or until we polish off the last of the grilled chicken. (Wonder how much of that stuff we can eat before we need to worry about sprouting feathers and starting to cluck?)

And now I'm back, to find that H and family will be coming for a visit the between L&C's visit and when the Chief & I visit most of my family. This is shaping up to be a very busy summer indeed! Aside from wishing for a little space between the next few visits, though, I wouldn't have it any other way.

New grill

The Chief & I bought a new grill for the cabin last weekend. We hadn't planned to, but it seems they're ALL on sale the weekend before Father's Day, and the one we have out there now is a good size for two but inadequate for the company we're expecting this summer (his cousin & her family, my friends & daughters, another couple, friends w/ their toddler, maybe my sister and her family). The new one is another Weber, but this one has a whole cart arrangement, not just the grill, so we now have a convenient place to put things instead of pressing a folding chair or other non-grill furniture into service. We even bought a cover for it; it's what all the well-dressed grills are wearing this year. ;-)

The new ferns and their neighbors

A few pictures of the bed my oldest nephew engineered and which he & the Chief built. I've got my fingers crossed that we don't lose more plants this winter, since our nurseryman is going out of business. :(

Big plans for the weekend

Now that Thebes has closed and my weekends are my own again, I've got big plans for this weekend:

• First of all, I'm making the long weekend even longer - I'm taking Friday & Tuesday off work.
  
• Friday I plan to hit an outlet mall to replace the summer sandals that gave up the ghost last year, and maybe find a dress to wear for my voice teacher's studio recital next weekend.
• We're getting a new storm door installed at the cabin. This one will have a full-door screen for more ventilation; I'm looking forward to sitting in "my" chair and enjoying the additional breezes.
  
• The Chief & I will go window shopping, as in shopping for windows to replace the contractor-grade junk in the bedroom.
• I'm getting a massage! Maybe J can work her magic on my arthritic shoulder and get it to leave me alone.
• The Chief & I will probably hit the gym at least once or twice over the weekend, maybe more.
• I need to visit our nurseryman to pick up some ferns and hellebores, maybe a few other shade-loving plants.
• Tuesday I've got an appointment for a consultation w/ a hairdresser to decide what to do with my hair. After wearing it long and straight for 25+ years, I'm overdue for a change (and Locks of Love will get another donation).

Now to draft the list of "provisions" for the Chief to take to the cabin this weekend...

Things to get excited about

In getting ready to head out to the theater yesterday, I noticed 2 little purple crocuses, still tightly furled, under the little boxwood near the front door. I'll have to patrol the yard tomorrow (won't have time today between church and leaving for the matinee) to see where the other early crocuses are making their appearance.

And KL confirmed that she and LC will be coming out from KY and OR for a WHOLE WEEK in July!!! This will be SOOO great! Poor Chief won't see much of me, and when he does, he won't be able to get a word in edgewise, the 3 of us will have so much to get caught up on. We'll probably spend most of that time at the cabin, but I'll try to bring them to the house at least overnight so they can see the results of the 7-month remodel they've heard so much about (and LC can see how much her room & bathroom have changed).

Oh. what a beautiful weekend!

The Chief & I got out to the cabin this weekend; first time I'd been there since the beginning of October. We had unseasonably mild weather - highs in the 60s! - and sun. Still a few leaves on most of the trees, with some sugar maples & burning bush retaining enough leaves to look spectacular in direct sunlight!

I treated myself to a much-needed massage on Saturday. I hadn't realized how knotted up I was until my favorite massage therapist started untying them; some of my muscles still ache a little from holding those knots for so long. I'm hoping to get out to the cabin again sometime in December, in which case I'll definitely try to book another massage. And maybe I'll get another one to get the new year off to a good start...

I also stopped by our nurseryman out there to get some more compost and have a bit of a visit.

The Chief & I did a bit of antiquing before evening mass, then ended up going out to dinner instead of having left-overs. He enjoyed his bison burger and I had a very good portobella cap sandwich with melted goat cheese and fried (!) spinach on it.

Today I headed home early enough to go over to DB's and help him get 250 spring bulbs into the ground; housewarming present for his new house. He said narcissi remind him of his mom, so it's a good thing we had more of those (63, assorted) than about anything else. I had also bought him 60 assorted crocus bulbs, 20 assorted mini-irises, 17 red tulips and 10 snowdrops. I told him I'll probably want to swing by several times during the spring to see how everything comes up. Several of the narcissus bulbs were doubles; as I told him, those are two-fers.

Still had plenty of daylight left when I zipped home to get a shower and some lunch before rehearsal. We sound pretty darn good already, and it's fun to watch our MD's face when we hit a particularly meaty passage - he lights up at the richness of the sound. Helping that is the fact that another show he's directing, which is in tech this week, has a much smaller cast and therefore a smaller sound.

I got home to find the Chief starting dinner (the leftovers we passed on last night), so we had a nice, cozy dinner a deux and a quiet evening at home. Lovely end to a lovely weekend.

"A weekend in the country"

The Chief and I spent the weekend at a festival out in the hills - mild temps, sunny & gorgeous! Perfect day to inhale the aromas of apple butter, funnel cakes, brats and other "fair food" while browsing a few vendors, checking out the local history museum, and buying my usual apple butter & baking pumpkin. Added a twist this year, though; I let the pumpkin vendor talk me into buying a couple of butternut squash too. One will be for a soup experiment, the other will be for pie - she and her mother both swore they make better pumpkin pie than pumpkins do.

We spent Thursday night at the cabin on our way out. Friday morning was the kind that makes us SO glad we have the place: just a touch of chill in the air, sun streaming through the leaves which are just beginning to turn, birds flitting about - the kind of day that must have inspired the psalmist to write "This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it!" Glorious!

"Running hither, running thither, runing running who know whither..."

The past coupla weeks have been a bit crazed. We spent Labor Day weekend at the cabin and had absolutely glorious weather for that Saturday's cook-out. We got home to a phone call from the daughter of one of the Chief's college friends - the daughter & her 2 sisters were planning a surprise 40th-anniversary party for their parents on Sept. 11th and could we make it? Our "absolutely!" meant a 2nd busy weekend - voice lesson after work on Friday, then home about 1/2 hour before the Chief & I were off to usher a semi-staged concert version of Sousa's El Capitan. (The March King was aptly named - an awful lot of his operetta music seemed to be trying to become a march.) Saturday we hit the road for the 2-hour drive to our friends' party, then home Sunday all of an hour before we had to leave for the airport to meet Dad's plane. Which put us on the "visiting parent" schedule. Tune in to my next post if you want details...

Get me to the church on time

A friend I've known since grade school is getting (re)married this weekend! I'm so looking forward to seeing her parents again, and all 3 of her siblings (now that they're so far-flung, this will be the first time they've all been in the same place at the same time since the last family wedding). Wedding festivities Saturday, 4th of July fun on Sunday, then she & her new hubby will head out to the cabin, which they're using for about a week before continuing east and south to the ocean.

The Chief was back out at the cabin yesterday taking care of last-minute checks - water on, clean sheets & towels, cobwebs chased, instructions, keys, info on things to do, maps... I think he's more excited than I am that they're taking us up on the offer.