Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day is observed annually on August 28th to honor and remember pets who have passed.

I’m thinking about Paula, Teddy and Lizzie as well as Andi and Dan’s Rugby, but especially Teddy.

Teddy was part or possibly all Chow. We had no idea of his former life so a person with normal empathy would have treated him with special care and gentleness.

Unfortunately, Ron did not respect Teddy’s boundaries. Teddy bit him in the face a couple of times, the second ruining a pair of glasses.

At that point, I made a terrible mistake. I trusted the Animal Rescue League of Massachusetts to advise us of the right course. They decided Teddy needed to be murdered, i.e., euthanized.

So, we brought Teddy back to the shelter. Because Ron had signed the original paperwork and was the one who’d been injured, I left the decision to him. I will regret that for the rest of my life.

Teddy was not a bad dog. He needed probably more skillful care than I knew how to give him, and the sad thing is that one of our neighbors who described himself as “part dog” probably could have taught me/us some handling strategies.

I sobbed all the way home from the shelter and mourned for months afterwards. I finally called one of the managers at MSPCA to discuss their decision. She tried to console me. I hasn’t worked, years later.

Today I made a beautiful zucchini lasagna and a big salad for lunch. Ron sat through the meal with a look on his face like he was crouched on rocks.

Ron invited old friends of his to visit us tomorrow. I’ve been noticing how foul-smelling our garage has become because of a compost container that should have been emptied a week or more ago. It was covered with maggots, inside and out. It weighed at least 45 pounds, I didn’t measure it.

I’ve asked Ron to do two things in preparation for his friends’ visit: clean off a little table on the deck and bring the compost container to the transfer station, which has a compost shed.

Of course he wouldn’t do either thing so I did.

So let me ask you: which would you value more, a good dog or a poor husband?

Not a trick question.

Lots of fine tributes to Dolly Parton. What a life well lived!

I was disincentivized to do anything this morning.

Showered, dressed, Ron and I made the bed.

Met with a nice woman from Home Depot about replacing the two garage windows. $2,560.

On a better note, got quotes from a local insurance agency for homeowners and auto insurance that are $600 less than what we are paying this year.

Grilled veg burgers, squash and eggplant. Disappointing. I overcooked the burgers and the eggplant was awful.

Vacuumed the living room after putting down some borax and baking soda.

Picked up a book by Roxane Gay on hold at the library.

It’s thundering right now, as predicted.

Clayton, the tradesman who knocked out two major home maintenance tasks for us yesterday, also moved here from Mashpee. His reasons were the same as ours: too crowded and didn’t care for the people. Interesting because he lived in Mashpee Center, which is home to a number of Wampanoag families. I guess he was talking about everybody else, the people who wouldn’t piss on you if your hair was on fire. “Too expensive” was another one of his reasons, which didn’t apply so much to us since we owned our home and the mortgage was affordable.

I miss being near Woods Hole and Falmouth Heights. I miss the trails in Barnstable, Town Neck and Sandy Neck Beach, Scorton Neck and Scorton Creek.

I miss the salt marshes, Long Pasture, the Knob, the Canal.

We need to leave the mountains for banking business, so who knows, maybe we can plan a trip back there next month and not tell anyone about it.

Today I talked with Reynolds Plumbing about adding a sediment filter to the water line. Told the boss how much we appreciated Clayton’s work and his great personality. Sounds like the boss thinks highly of him, too.

Roasted potatoes, cauliflower and green beans. Steamed the rest of the corn from Chenail’s.

Did 30 with Jett. Gorgeous day today but bugs were killing me, afternoon and evening.

Set up the Sonos speakers. Update failed on one, will try again tomorrow.

Cancelled the WSJ. Too expensive to renew.

Made an appointment with Home Depot for an estimate on replacing the garage windows and troubleshooting the window in the sunroom, i.e., the ill-fitting pivot bars.

Ron and Jett played outside at least twice.

I have subscriptions to two event announcement email lists. Rarely find anything worth attending. Either too acoustic guitar-y or even at the usual modest prices, not worth the expense.

I always have to look these up:

Bought house in December 2022

Roof was put on January 2023

Furnace was built in 2006 and should be good for 30 years with care

Water heater was installed in January 2023 and flushed August 2026

It all got done today: furnace and mini-split cleaning and hot water heater draining.

The hot water heater was so filled with calcium sediment that it clogged the craftsman’s pump. He recommended installing a sediment filter.

The furnace craftsman brought his family along, including his 11 year old daughter who helps him on jobs and is learning the trade. He said the furnace is a good one, 20 years old and would last another 10 years. He replaced a part – might be a rollout switch or a high-limit switch. They found that a pipe had disconnected from the vent. We had aluminum tape so he was able to fix it.

It took quite a while to clean the mini-split because of how it had to be mounted: it couldn’t be pulled in one piece from the wall. At least I think that was the case. In any event, the innards were green with mold so it was due to be cleaned.

Jett stayed in my room for part of the time and was very good once I let him out. Except when he ate a huge block of cheese while we were watching the news.

Confirmed with Rockland that we need to visit a branch to sign the beneficiary designations.

Had to postpone the work on the water heater and furnace to tomorrow, the tradesman had to help out a family member. Sounds like farm work so of course we agreed, a priority.

Just as well, we got a notice that Ron’s new glasses were ready.

We stopped for corn at Chenail’s on the way to pick up the glasses which he likes, thank goodness. And he’d already paid for them for a modest fee, no threat of bankruptcy which had been scaring him for months. What an odyssey!

Very impressed with Maselli & Field. The optician who helped us is kind and has a good sense of humor. When she was done with Ron adjusted my glasses as well: much appreciated!

Did a shop at Walmart. Seems I am never cognizant enough to remember everything we need at once.

Ron mowed the back yard, thus completing the cycle for now.

I changed the sheets and put supper together: corn and salad. Microwaved a bag of frozen edamame which we pretty much devoured.

I sent copies of our auto and homeowners policies to a local agent for review. Renewals coming up soon.

Changed my WIRE subscription, thus saving $60 which they refunded.

Booked an appointment for Ron’s consult with the surgeon. They’d left him a message on his phone (mistake because he never checks) a week ago.

Jett vomited on the rug and part of the small carpet. I managed to get most of it with an enzyme cleaner.

He ate breakfast and is much less lethargic than yesterday. I thought he was doing well, so this is not great news.

He eats things that are off limits, like a veg sandwich yesterday that he stole off the counter.

I made a fairly cheap lunch – sauteed zuke from the garden, tomatoes, onions, pasta all from the food pantry, even the olive oil, with feta and mozzarella cheese.

Got to get back to Aldi for their herb goat cheese – delicious!

This morning baked cinnamon rolls, I think also from Aldi. This was to defeat a craving for coffee and croissants at the Williamstown Coffee shop. Would have been about $25 for both of us with tax and tip.

I’ve spent the last couple of days thinking about things that need to be done in the house. Nothing major, just chores that I don’t feel comfortable doing myself until I watch a pro do them first. One of the HVAC people is coming over tomorrow to clean the furnace and drain the hot water heater, so that’s two jobs that will be out of the way. Good reference.

The composter fell over when Ron tried to add many days/weeks of vegetable leavings. He cleverly rolled it down the hill using the stands for handles and we were able to upright it once he’d emptied part of it. I figure to add the compost to the garden/s when the season is over, let it age a bit longer.

Did 30 fetches with Jett.

We listened to a YouTube lecture by Maggie Haberman that was sponsored by Temple Anshe Amunim in Pittsfield. There were few surprises. One was that she thinks Republican lawmakers are afraid to cross Trump because they don’t want to be humiliated. She used Joni Ernst as an example when Ernst hesitated to support Hegseth. Haberman offered no predictions about the midterms.

Worked on the carpet and the rug with the Green Machine. Cleaned up trumps from the yard.

Ron did transfer station and Stop & Shop runs.

We worked off and on for most of the day cleaning the rug and hauled it to the truck bed to dry. By evening we were both hurting.

Too scattered to go to the Brien Center food distribution.

Found a possible spray for the mini split, ordered it for delivery from Home Depot along with Miracle Gro to make up the delivery minimum.

Left a voicemail for an HVAC/Plumbing company in Williamstown. Waiting to hear from an out of state person for furnace servicing.

Ordered a half pint of Ben Moore paint from Aubuchon to touch up the bedroom. Ron picked it up on his way back from the credit union. Tried it out.

Made a good lunch of Ron’s choosing: orzo, shredded cabbage in broth with parmesan cheese and lemon. Put a salad together for later.

Booked appointment for Corolla maintenance with Carpinello.

Office 365 renewed.

Poor Jett threw up in the hallway next to my office door. I didn’t realize until we sat down to watch the news at 6 that he’d also defecated in the living room, on both the carpet and the rug. I put cleaning fluid on the carpet, leaving it overnight. Put the rug outside, will deal with it tomorrow.

Messaged Mountain One for a Safety insurance quote on auto and homeowners.

Watched an episode of The Practice called “Human Rights” and am furious with David E. Kelley for such a poor research job. There were grounds for granting the young girl’s request for amnesty to spare her legal rape in the form of a forced marriage and appeals are in fact available for amnesty requests that are refused. While this episode was not based on a real case, I am still sick about it. That girl could be our great grandchild!

Signed up with Kroll Monitoring following a data breach at an unidentified medical provider or medical data collector.

Ron is off to the transfer station.

Did laundry. Boiled eggs. Transplanted the white geranium. Tried to get a coffee stain out of the living room carpet. Cleaned off the big bureau in our bedroom.

Left a message for Purple Valley about an appointment for the Corolla’s 200,000 mile checkup.

Dropped off Ron’s Pendleton robe to a seamstress at Savvy Hive. She recommended a patch.

Watched several YouTube videos about protecting assets from Medicaid seizure.

Ron and Jett have been in and out all evening. Ron reports that it’s been raining steadily. Found out too late that there was entertainment at the Coffee Shop.

I signed us up for a lecture by Maggie Haberman to be streamed on Sunday at a synagogue in Pittsfield.