M.B. Age 16

SUN

When children see you in the summer,
Sun –
they like you.

They swim, laugh and play,
Sun-
under your warmth.

But in winter,
sun –
they lose their affection for you.

You melt their snow
sun –
they dislike you.

But why
sun-
must I always have winter?

The truck is at Midas for an oil change and a repair.

I picked up water pitcher filters and a stand for the hose carrier at Walmart.

We got another check, this one a refund from Mass DOR.

Received and deposited interim payments for NEPS work today; most welcome.

Received another check, the result of a settlement agreement with United Wholesale Mortgage.

Lizzie recovered from her bad stomach and ate well for the rest of today.

I picked up treats for her and she is really enjoying her Milk Bone biscuits. Noticed lots of empty shelves.

Drank a lot of wine at lunch. Put a salad together.

Lizzie’s stomach rebelled on her this morning, so we’re taking it easy on feeding her for now.

Ron wanted to cook a package of ravioli last evening, and I offered to make sauce with the Brandywine tomatoes that escaped squirrels and mold.

We collaborated very well. Ron is especially good at seasoning. I’m not sure how he does it with his semi-working sniffer, but his sauce is always better than mine.

We sauteed the remaining Gilroy garlic from last year along with basil from the garden. Added tomatoes, the rest of the dreadful red wine from Job Lot and a little sugar to counteract the bitterness of the wine. We used Italian and Tuscan seasonings, salt, pepper, a little cinnamon and (per Ron) chili powder.

Sauce turned out great and the ravs were as well. Good supper.

Took Lizzie for a walk in the field and aside from that, can’t say I did much else worthwhile today, unless you count running and emptying the dishwasher.

I did create an account for Ron on the MassTax website and received $15 from Venmo – nice!

Come to think of it, I did try to clean the carpet in the van with the Little Green. Ordered cleaning fluid and a new brush that they say detaches for washing.

Ron picked up his prescriptions from Walmart.

It’s been 3 weeks and 3 hours since Lizzie moved in here.

After taking an evening nap, Ron has been staying up until midnight or later to let her out for her final leaks.

I’m pretty much done with NEPS, at least until the group has a chance to look at it. Finished Plaistow and Central Mass today, just need to double check the links before uploading it.

I stopped cooking for a few days but made a really good zucchini/lemon/white bean soup this morning. Waiting for Ron to get back so I can finish dessert, oatmeal/coconut/peanut butter/chocolate bars. I’ve been cooking on impulse based on what we have on hand and what sounds good to me.

We mowed today, front, back and sides.

Fence is up next door. I love it, just wish it were longer, to the street. Something to think about.

Did a transfer station run and stopped in to In Good Health yesterday. Loaded up on Animal Blues and a trick grinder which I like very much. Stopped for treats at Chocolate Rose on the way back.

My proto pipe arrived last week. It’s quite a different smoke than joints.

I’m tired of the gardens. Picked a few tomatoes that hadn’t gone rotten. Threw a bunch away.

I’ve signed us up with Geico for both auto and homeowners. Excellent savings, hope we don’t have to see how they do with claims!

Ron has been staying up, or napping then getting up, to let Lizzie out close to midnight.

I made the switch to Geico for homeowners as well as auto.

A perfect day would start with a fine breakfast, even if only a scone and good coffee, and include a tour of estate gardens with lunch or tea.

Even though Ron was up at 10 and midnight and I was up at 3 am or so, Lizzie wet her waterproof blanket last night. She seems frightened today, tail between her legs. She did eat a whole can of food for breakfast, though.

I washed the blanket and Ron took care of a good-sized regular laundry.

I made an Iranian-inspired zucchini and tomato sauce recipe from WaPo and spaghetti sauce, also from our tomatoes.

Ron went to Beltone yesterday and was advised to have his ears taken care of at an urgent care center. He’s probably in a waiting room in Falmouth as I write this.

I bailed on the cardiologist this week. Will ask DvH at my next visit if she thinks my test results call for an appointment.

Lizzy had a series of “accidents” on Saturday night.

Ron washed and dried the two rugs. This meant hauling out the water blaster and the shop vac. I cleaned two wood floors and spot-cleaned the bedroom carpets.

After laundering the mattress cover, we changed sheets as well. Ron finished the mowing I’d started the day before, left side and the back. Glad that’s done.

Lizzy’s new bed and waterproof blanket arrived and she’s putting them to use.

Ron stayed up until midnight to take her out last night. I got up at 3:30 this morning to do the same. She is still restless. At one point in the early hours, she was whimpering and I had to help her get on her feet.

The bank repaired all of our accounts.

I shut down Ron’s Act Blue account, saving him over $73 with every scheduled withdrawal. Insane, these weren’t even for local pols or causes!

Speaking of which, WCAI and APCC used a FOIA request to pry some damning emails from the Base to Keating’s office in which they admitted that if EPA reviewed their machine gun range proposal, it would probably fail.

We had a great breakfast with one of Patrick’s zukes, our tomatoes, celery, potato, onions, cheese and poached eggs. No seasoning.

Ron took Lizzie for a walk at 4 am.