Muggy; NEEM

Glad the air conditioners are in.

Ron fixed my fan! I received the fan blade kit yesterday ($13 with shipping) and he put it together this morning. It works perfectly: good to have it in the third bedroom.

I vacuumed the living room. Ron vacuumed the kitchen and sunroom.

We went to Pittsfield for three errands. Unfortunately, my meeting with a representative from Congressman Neal’s office was cancelled; she left due to an “emergency”. She never contacted me. I made arrangements to send our paperwork to the Springfield office which has a person experienced with IRS and sorting tax issues.

Ron’s iphone is fixed! The superb techs at Mad Macs helped him again.

Finally, I picked up Jett’s prescription at his vet’s office. I mailed it at the Lanesboro post office. The vet’s office also squared away Jett’s new contact info after Susan gave her permission over the phone.

Had a good conversation with the farmer at Red Shirt Farm about our Brandywine plants. He urged me to not lose heart and selected a gorgeous tomato for us. I also bought us some treats.

Very nice store, we’ll be back.

Picked up a couple of groceries at Stop & Shop, including Ron’s grapefruit juice and my half and half.

I NEEMed the hibiscus this evening.

A/Cs Are In

We just finished changing the sheets and putting the last A/C in the third bedroom. Put the big A/C in the living room earlier today. It’s heavy and always a challenge. Cleaned windows, lost count…..

I did a big watering last night and this morning. It’s hot and muggy: 84 and “feels like 89”.

Sandwiches again for lunch. My stomach is a wreck, though. Maybe it was seeing these photos from the old house that upset me. I love my gardens here but miss my old flowers!

Toolbox

Picked up a used but useable toolbox for relatively cheap in Pittsfield yesterday. Nice ride back.

Stopped at Walmart on the way home for meds.

Pam suggested a regular schedule to separate the dogs and thus, keep Millie from barking at Jett and/or us. Smart.

I slept for 12 hours last night.

Organized tools in the new toolbox. Works fine, room for about everything.

Watered the front and back gardens. Steamed corn and made egg salad sandwiches for lunch and salad for supper.

Fourth of July

Fine weather.

We parked behind our dentist’s office and enjoyed the parade.

We drove to Bennington Home Depot for mouse traps and picked up groceries at Winchester on the way back. I made cheese and vegetable sandwiches for lunch.

Ron worked on organizing his coin collection. Said it was one of his best days, and if he could, he’d repeat it.

I drove up Stratton and watched the fireworks. Great view with the hills in the background, easy in and out, and the reverberation off the hills and mountains was stunning.

Officially DOGE’d

So IRS wrote another demand letter, essentially ignoring the documentation I sent about Ron’s payment for 2024 taxes.

I need to send a written request to Congressman Neal for assistance.

We did a transfer station run this morning with trash, recycling, compost material, wood and leaves/grass.

Met Mary Summers who owns Tommy’s Compost Service. She was loading her truck as we pulled up with our bucket. She invited us to take the new bucket that was left there and to leave our old one with the leaky bottom.

I continued work in the sunroom, put together two containers for Remedy, which is not collecting donations until Monday, and two for storage.

We discovered that Jett responds to the English training whistle. When he heard Millie, he ran to the end of the deck but returned when I blew the whistle. Great!

Food, Mowing, Deer Damage

We brought home groceries from the Food Pantry and bread from the Food Project.

Good thing: between the transfer station annual fee and stickers and the electricity and water/sewer bill, both our household checking accounts are almost demolished.

Dropped books off at the library.

Terrific lunch of pasta primavera and salad at the Food Project.

Ron found honing oil at Carr!

Looks like Williams is giving Remedy Hall a laptop! We should know details next week.

Ron mowed the back yard.

Deer are eating my flowers. I put out more deterrent and NEEM oil on the hibiscus.

Jett likes yogurt in his kibble.

Twenty Years in Two and a Half?

Well, I haven’t done twenty years of gardening work here, but still, it looks pretty good for less than three seasons’ worth.

Andi and I just submitted a request for donation of a laptop from Williams College. I was lucky, she was available to fill it out with me on the phone.

Ron and I changed the sheets and shoveled mulch on the areas I planted yesterday.

We also got Ron enrolled in the Berkshire Patient Portal and read the results of his June and May blood tests. Turns out, his primary left him a message to call them the day after the blood draw, but he ignored the message because it was on his cell.

I asked them to please call the house phone in the future.

Turns out, he has been exposed to Lyme disease in the past but the most recent bite was negative. There are other concerns with the March test results, and I’m hoping he’ll get a call from his primary some time this week.

It’s hot out but pleasant in the house with the fans on except for the kitchen which has no fan.

The Senate passed that abominable bill with JD Vance casting the deciding vote.

I’ve decided MAGA wants to take away everything we’ve worked for. Up to us if we’re going to let them.

Ron mowed the front and had to stop because it started to rain. It’s been pouring for a while now. Our timing for mulch spreading couldn’t have been better.

Gorgeous sunset.

Daylilies and Daffs

I planted the daylilies and daffs given to us last week by the generous woman from Bennington.

I cut down the daylilies to about 6 inches of foliage and planted everything in the new garden. I hope it’ll fill in nicely. Found more dead bulbs and roots, so it seems there was a garden there before.

Glad I got that done, it’s supposed to heat up later.

Finally cleaned out the gone-by forget me nots from the below deck garden.

The new daylilies arrived, bare root and dormant. I planted them where the gone-bys used to be. Meanwhile, Ron fixed the hose so I was able to give everything a good soak.

Same with the veg garden, good watering.

Made a salad for lunch.

It was over 90 degrees but a pleasant surprise, with the mini split working and the fans on in the other bedrooms, it is quite comfortable upstairs. In fact, quite a beautiful day in spite of the temperature.

In between garden tasks, played a little Fetch with Jett.

I’m tired.

Lenox

We met some of Jett’s old family today at Ventfort Hall in Lenox.

We were there for a summer marketplace and they recognized him.

He made quite a hit with many attendees.

We brought home some first-rate bakery items: raisin sourdough bread and blueberry/lemon scones.

Good weather and a pleasant trip, especially the way back because we avoided downtown Pittsfield.

I did a deep watering of the lilac.

Delicious corn for supper. Actually a late lunch after Lenox.

Cellar Door; Ron Found the Mouse

Nasty, horrible smell of dead rodent in the cellar. Ron found what seems to be the source: a dead mouse and trap behind the big piece of plywood.

Yesterday, we kept the cellar door open after Ron installed a screen and cardboard device to keep out bugs.

Ron is going to try to fix the door. He is also going to fix one of the soaker hoses.

Jett was very restless last evening.

Nostalgic for favorite places on Cape like Four Seas, Osterville Center, Town Neck Beach and Boardwalk, Sandy Neck Beach, West Barnstable.

I moved the soaker hose from the azaleas, which don’t need it, to the new garden by the driveway. Finished mulching both areas.

Ron did a transfer station run.