2 January 2008 Three questions are to be settled: How far can I get into 2008 without yielding to my addiction to Spider? What does semolina do for bread? Having run out of semolina, I'm making a pizza-and-a-loaf with just yeast, salt, lecithin, one pint of water, and five cups of whole-grain, stone-ground white-wheat flour. Seemed to make a tough-enough dough. 3 January 2008 I never did remember the third question, but "How long will it be before I date an entry 2007? would be good. There is snow all over the lake, so it must have frozen during the night. But I never looked out that way after supper time, so I don't know that it didn't freeze yesterday. It's supposed to start warming up and raining Saturday, so it probably won't provide any skating. Bread came out all right. I asked Dave whether the pizza was different from the previous one, and he said it tasted as though I'd added corn meal. When we ate the heels of the loaf, the crust seemed to have a cornbready texture. We had Martha's cinnamon butter on the heels. 11:17 -- the snow is thawing around the mouth of the creek. 6 January 2008 Another pizza-and-a-loaf today. Neither as brown as I like, but quite edible. 7 January 2008 Washday, and I have a blanket-committee meeting tonight. Dave plans to go shopping. Dave opened the curtains when we got up, and remarked that the ice is all gone and the lake is wrinkled again. I commented that the birds were also all gone, then the dime dropped and we checked the Wildman's tree: there was *one* bird out there: a bald eagle. Also, we soon noticed, a flock of coots being very close-knit and inconspicuous, but they quietly paddled away. The juvenile showed up later, and the adult flew away for a while. Don't know who is out there now; without using the telescope, it's hard to be sure it's a bird, let alone see the white head. 9 January 2008 Dave put his windsock and rain gauge out by the lake, to get readings undisturbed by the eddies around the buildings. This morning, both are out *in* the lake. The creek is about as full as I've ever seen it, but I've seen the lake a tad higher. Wow! When I got up from my nap, the creek had spread all the way to my garden, which puddle is continuous with the one over the point; the lake is back up to where the shoreline was when the folks moved in. The puddles in the front yard, though, are slightly smaller. I was mistaken about the blanket committee meeting, and it was raining so hard yesterday I decided not to go to Handwork Circle. And I'd finally remembered to print out new posters, too. The lake is still higher -- I don't think I've seen it cover the windmill platform before. The puddles in the front yard are still shrinking. 11 January 2008 I dated everything I filled out yesterday "11". Oops. Had an annual physical yesterday; everything fine, but I have to come back to have some blood drawn -- Monday or Tuesday, depending on the weather prediction. We were having a warm, non-raining day, so I went by bike. On the way out, I stopped at the church to put up posters, then realized that the church secretary was in, and remembered that I'd never registered my key. It turned out that I'd been given a pastor's master key by mistake, so I now have an A key for the outside doors and a B key for the sunday-school rooms -- I've no idea what I could have gotten into when I had the master key! After the exam, I dumped some magazines at the emergency room, then went out to see whether the Beyer Farm boardwalk was flooded. Much to my surprise, it wasn't. At first I was saying "it hasn't even changed the swamp into lake!" but at the walkway's lowest point, the water came halfway up the stringers supporting the boards. So I got through the swamp high and dry, and rode through the park -- to discover that the exit from the park was most definitely part of Pike Lake. There was a truck and a trailer that had obviously come through the other way parked beside the road, but I was less cheerful than who-ever had driven in about what might be under the water -- particularly about what might *not* be under the water -- so I rode back, grumping more seriously than usual about the necessity of keeping all the gates into the cemetery locked. Where the Beyer trail leaves the park, I noticed that the gate into the park-maintenance area was open, and reflected that they might well have another exit at the top of the hill for just such an emergency. But halfway up the hill, I noticed that they had left a gate into the cemetery open, and took it. Also took the wrong road trying to find the front door -- I hadn't realized that it was at one edge, rather than in the middle. Then I exchanged books at the library and bought nuts and berries at Warsaw Health foods with no further incident. Did discover that two oatbread flatcakes made a very nice lunch; I think I'll bake some on purpose Real Soon Now. It started raining soon after I left the health-food store, but never quite enough to get me wet. It did make me warmer: I rode faster! Today was devoted entirely to getting my teeth cleaned. Another clean bill of health -- sometimes it's very nice to be boring! Another Living in the Future moment: X-rays have gotten so inoffensive that the hygienist took two extra to check on whether she'd gotten all the tarter off. Interesting to see the pictures pop up on the monitor as soon as they are taken; I keep forgetting how many of my teeth are fake. The bridge is the only one that ever calls attention to itself. When Dave read his rain gauge yesterday, he stuck a thumbtack into the post at the surface of the lake. When he read it tonight, the tack was two inches above the water. During our walk, we noticed that the rocking chair with a dictionary under it is high and dry, and checked to see that water is no longer running through the culvert under the Greenway. A tad of half-melted snow fell on the windshield on my way to the dentist; I don't remember precipitation on the way back, but we drove to the town hall to get a document notarized even though it's a very short walk. Pleasant weather for our after-supper walk, except for the stretch where we get the wind off the lake. 12 January 2008 The lake is down a lot: the pier isn't floating, the thumbtack looks as though it's about six inches above the water, and there is drained ice around the edges -- looks as though it's gone down about half an inch since the shallows froze. But the shore is still where it was when the house was built -- there's a ridge in the lawn there -- and there are ducks swimming around on the point. And the creek still looks like an arm of the lake almost to the cottage by the bridge. 16 January 2008 The creek is all in the creek. Still appears to be flowing straight out into the lake, rather than curling around to dump sand under our pier. There was a picture of frozen flood on Prairie Street in today's paper. Looked a lot bigger than what I drove around on the way home from the dentist, but I probably didn't see all of it. 19 January 2008 The lake was steaming vigorously when I got up, but despite a brisk wind, none of the fog made it to shore. It's still misting some at 11:19, but fading as I look. Went to Aldi's after supper yesterday -- the first time I went there other than in the morning -- but spent only forty dollars. I don't think I'm as into this shopping lark as I used to be. At noon, the temperature has gone up to 20F, but the geese are still huddled in the creek. 21 January 2008 The lake froze the night before last, but the ice still looks very thin. 22 January 2008 Snowed 1.8" last night. Lovely day, but I didn't go out into it. Before Handwork Circle, I searched the Lost and Found bucket and the ladies room without finding my pocket comb. Mentioned it to Dave, and he said to go through the pockets of the suit I wore last Sunday for the fifteenth time -- and there it was! I left it there, as I'll probably wear the same suit next Sunday. [It turned out so warm that I wore my dress.] 24 January 2008 Finally got forced out of the house today -- we were completely out of cat litter and lettuce. Luckily, Al says that ground corncobs are as good as real dirt. There was a clearance on slipper socks by the entrance at Big R, but no cold-weather gloves at all, only work gloves. I did find wool socks, but only in men's large. Also made a loaf of red-wheat bread, and four hamburger buns. Should have followed my original intent and divided the dough into six buns. (But it's so hard to break something into three equal pieces!) A hamburger -- even a cheap frozen patty -- is really good on a fresh, crunchy bun. And I ran a load of wash, because Dave's only pair of corduroys was dirty. 25 January 2008 There being two slices of fresh-baked bread on the table -- I'd frozen the rest -- breakfast was a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. Dave has a doctor appointment today. Since it's with a neurologist who plans to shoot electricity through his nerves, it's a bummer that he went yesterday. Now he has to work up to it again. [And it turned out that the doctor wants to do that particular test a couple of weeks from now.] He said it was the first time he's done something like that; I said he'd been hanging out with me too long. Prilosec comes in convenient fourteen-day packages consisting of two seven-day sheets. Real handy for people who are taking it for heartburn, a nuisance for people who are taking it because they *don't* have heartburn. (My ulcers had no symptoms, and *could* have perforated before being noticed, so I'm on antacid forever.) This morning, after picking and picking and picking to get the childproof paper started to peeling off so that I could push today's pill through the foil, I peeled the paper off the whole sheet of next week's pills. Whereupon I discovered that without the childproof paper, the sheet wouldn't separate into individual pills. Scissors took care of that. A few years ago, I bought a huge pill stick at Toto and gave it to Dave as a joke. Turns out it's just right for holding pills still in the foil pack together with calcium chews and fish-oil capsules. Dave came by while I was loading it, and laughed. 28 January 2008 I was croggled when I realized that that huge pill counter *stacks*, but Dave pointed out that the large compartments allow you to reach in and take out one pill. I later realized that they can also control my daily ration of chocolate. Not to mention that you can read the SMTWTFS labels without your glasses. Dave spotted some ice fishermen yesterday; it may be the only day they get -- the snow has melted off the Buick, and more warm weather is predicted. Forgot to pick over beans Saturday night, so I made a pizza and seven white-wheat hamburger buns Sunday -- then forgot to pick over the beans again. Perhaps I'll serve rice and left-over pork-chop gravy tonight. And maybe I'd better get a pound of beans out of the freezer *now*. 31 January 2008 It was good bean soup when I got around to making it. I'll serve it again tonight, with frozen cornbread thawed in the toaster. I goofed and put in half again as much flour and meal as I should have, but the bread is edible. I think the next time I make yeast cornbread, I'll mix the corn meal and water when I put the beans on to soak, and leave it in the fridge overnight. The lake is frozen again, including what I can see of the creek without putting shoes on. I don't see anybody walking on it yet. I played a game of Spider last night, but just the one. I'm often tempted to sniff second-hand smoke, so to speak, when Dave is playing. I've quit mixing semolina with white-wheat flour, but I put a cup of semolina into the last batch of red-wheat bread. I completely forgot Handcraft Circle last Tuesday. I'm thinking of dropping a token into the Tuesday compartment of my pillbox. I really should have sliced all those hamburger buns before freezing them. But they were still crunchy from the oven, then. I wonder whether a bagel-slicer would help. By the time I get my two front teeth, not biting things will have gotten to be a habit. A tooth *would* break on a Friday night. Well, I noticed it in the evening; I presume it flaked off earlier. Left a message on Hollar's machine Saturday, then called again on Monday and made an appointment for Tuesday. According to that marvelous little camera the break isn't nearly as big as my tongue reported. But the other front lower incisor also needs veneer, and the incisor above the broken one needs a filling. That notch came of smashing my face on the back of a theater seat about thirty years ago (it had been repaired once before), but the lower teeth are just plain worn out. Dr. Steve thought he had time later in the week, but the earliest the receptionist could find was March 3rd. Then the follow-up is on the 25th. I didn't ask what was to be done at each appointment. There goes the corn money. I came back by Prairie Street to make it convenient to stop at Marsh & pick up a few things. Upon entering the store, I remembered saying "maybe we can get it at Marsh" -- but couldn't remember what "it" was. But lo and behold, when passing through the beverages, I recalled that I hadn't been able to buy Pepsi Max when I went to Owen's. Also found a small football display of the exact glove that I regretted not buying at Big R before it got too late in the season to buy gloves. The price was twice what Big R wanted for it -- though just the same if one ignores the revolting pair that was packaged with the pair I wanted -- one whole dollar. (Just checked: $0.99) I never liked my pink gloves *before* they got stained and snagged, so I'm downright excited to have a new black pair. I must remember to buy them when they first appear next fall. 1 February 2008 Snow all over everything. The road crews are jabbering, but seem to be keeping up. We're promised a good day to drive to Alice's tomorrow. [Comment on first rising.] We saw some ice fishermen during our evening walk. -- Joy Beeson http://joybeeson.home.comcast.net/ http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/ http://www.timeswrsw.com/craig/cam/ (local weather)