After thatching

After raking; ready for seed, fertilizer and water

Ron and I have been working since 10:30 this morning on the front lawn. It’s now almost 8 hours later, and he’s just finishing up.

We rented a power rake and while I went hunting for starter fertilizer, Ron thatched the front and side yards and the “town” grass in front of the fence.

We filled up the truck 1 1/3 times with the thatch and made two runs to the transfer station. Came back to seed, fertilize and water. We hope for rain tonight.

David Cobb, Move to Amend, at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Conference, September 22, 4C’s

Last Friday, Ron aerated the front and back lawns. I did some deep raking, not as potentially damaging as thatching. Yesterday, I seeded and watered the right side of the back yard, the one with the hot spots.

We got to see Emme a couple of times this weekend, on Saturday for a conference and the Bourne Scallop Festival, and on Sunday for transfer station run, card games and supper. I loved it! While we were playing poker, Ron reminded me a little of Ed Cohen, sweetly avuncular. God bless him, he’s the best.

What a difference good cookware makes. Calphalon was on sale, so I (finally) bought a griddle and broke it in this morning for French toast. The difference between this and the old Revere Ware frying pan is remarkable. Helpful that it’s non-stick as well.

We haven’t been to the Cass House Inn in Cayucos, CA, I just like this picture from today’s New York Times travel magazine.

I was disappointed in Elizabeth Warren but I’ve liked Scott Brown from the start, so am not unbiased.

The good news for us is that we were able to see the debate without television. It was streamed on CBSBoston. I hooked up the laptop, monitor and speakers in the living room so we could watch the debate together. It worked out fine.

I’ve been wanting a stovetop waffle iron for a while and after reading some reviews, bought a vintage Nordic Ware model with temperature gauges from an eBay seller. They don’t make this model any longer. The new version is also heavy cast iron, but doesn’t have the gauges.

The waffle iron arrived yesterday and after a little cleanup, I tried it out this morning. With no spray-on shortening and no waffle mix on hand, this was a from-scratch trial. By the third waffle, though, I pretty much had it down to Ron’s satisfaction. The reviewers are right, the temperature gauge is an enormous help, and from what they wrote, this device should last a very long time: some have had theirs for 30 years.