E:\LETTERS\SEPBAN11.TXT 3 September 2011 Last day of EmCom course, and I have not yet submitted any homework. But I did buy a spare pill-stick yesterday, and intend to practice keeping one full stick ready to grab, just as though I expected to be dispatched. Bought corn, beets, cooking onions, and banana peppers at the Farmer's Market. And a sweet potato. 4 September 2011 We just got back from Alice's, well stuffed. I was getting groggy in the car and thinking "That second cup of tea didn't have much effect." Of course it didn't -- it was still in Alice's microwave! 5 September 2011 Sometimes it works: Me: What do you want for supper? He: Something delicious. Me: Okay, I'll get dressed to go to the Great Wall. He: It has been a long time . . . Alas, they were closed for the holiday, so we went to the China Buffet and repeated yesterday's performance. Well, I was comparatively restrained, but Dave had three desserts. (I only had two -- plus an egg roll and a piece of sweet-and-sour pork without the sweet-and-sour sauce.) Dave came home to a pile of dishes. There had been little on Sunday and he'd left it, then I made corn fritters for breakfast -- dirtying my twelve-quart bowl -- and we'd had plate food for lunch. I put two slices of colby jack on a mini-sub roll, covered the cheese with left-over spaghetti sauce (including a slice of yellow squash, but no meatballs) and zapped the sandwich fifteen seconds per side. On a plate. I washed a load and a half of wash today -- and hung out two and a half. I had the first load on the line before I remembered that I hadn't rinsed it. At least I did remember -- it was mostly underwear, and would have been really itchy. Also advanced my sewing a little. 6 September 2011 Breakfast: one slice of bacon and an egg each of corn fritters. Haven't steamed any of this batch of corn yet. Lunch was another mini-sub roll with colbyjack cheese and the rest of the spaghetti sauce. I think Dave had a hot dog. I baked bread in a kettle today. Third time this summer, I think, and it may be the last. I built the fire entirely on the hearth this time, and used the fireplace only as a place to stash partly-burned sticks when I was done. When the ashes got cold, I swept the hearth so that I can see where the bricks and the concrete tiles are. I need to re-set two of the bricks. Hrm . . . I got up to put a packet of dough in the fridge to thaw, ate a chunk of kettle bread, and sat down again. I should have bought more red-wheat flour. There's only one more bag after the canister is empty, and the other available flours can't stand on their own legs the way Bonneyville Mill red-wheat flour does. So I checked the website: they are open through October. I hope they are still grinding the same variety of wheat. (They have trouble finding pre-washed grain in bags.) I'm nearly done making a linen do-rag to wear under my helmet. (Just in time to switch to scarves for the fall.) Making one of white linen is an entirely different experience from re-cutting a bandanna. There were a couple of moments when the shape of what I was flapping around made me think I was making a nurse's cap. But the pattern is more like a surgeon's cap -- the one worn with scrubs before they switched to the showercap- shaped disposables. I wonder whether the do-rag owes anything to the surgeon's cap? Probably convergent evolution, as surgeon's caps had been out of style a long time when do-rags came in. While I was hunting for some braided tape to suggest to a person on the Creative Machine mailing list, I found a catalog entry designed for the Lackey girls: ----------------------------------------------------------- Body Rite The Posture Pleaser PH251 Enjoy all the crafts you love to do - without nagging back, shoulder and neck pain. The Body Rite is an adjustable shoulder strap device with a counter-balance system that helps to equalize your center line of gravity in the upper torso, thereby relieving some of the muscle strain. ----------------------------------------------------------- In other words, it puts boobs on your back so you can stand up straight. 8 September 2011 I made two squash-and zucchini pan pizzas for supper tonight. Dave's went over like a lead balloon. I ate half of his share as a midnight snack. And his ear of corn was defective, too. Few of the kernels had developed, and he said it tasted funny. Min was unripe, but edible. 12 September 2011 We went to another softball game yesterday. Or, rather, Dave went to a softball game and I went for a walk. During the walk, I discovered that the other concession stand had brats. Didn't buy corn Saturday, but did get other vegetables. Later I went to see the family safety day at Central Park Pavilion. It was very large and very crowded. Today was washday. One load of whites and blues, one load of everything else. I thought I'd finish my new drawers, but after pinning the waist casing, I realized that I'd have to press it before sewing or I'd sew in rumples, and that meant basting the hem in place because you can't iron over pins. Well, they are glass headed so I *could*, but it wouldn't have the desired effect. Tried them on after basting, and was saddened to note that the elastic will gather the waist hardly at all. I need to walk more. Torn tomorrow: I would like to take the Taco Bell trip I gave up to see the festival, but my book is due at the library. But I did downtown Saturday. Went to the courses website and was much surprised to be let in: EmCom ends on the 17th, not the 3rd. 14 September 2011 Came by the fairgrounds on my way home today -- the Farmer's Market meets on Wednesday, I could see by the folks setting up. But the sign said that they don't open until 2:30 and it hadn't been quite two o'clock when I left the library, so I came on home -- arriving about a quarter past. Busy ride: I stopped at the church to do the work I forgot yesterday, then at the teller machine because I was out of twenties, then at the emergency room to drop off magazines, then at the "wholesale" store where the Salvation Army used to be, where I spent seventy-five cents for a dog- collar pouch and attached it to my saddle. Don't know what to put in it that's small and unimportant -- I don't trust it because the snaps *should* be designed to break away easily if the dog gets the pouch caught on something. Then to the China Express, where I ate a huge plate of chow mein and a big bowl of rice, which may be why I felt tired after dropping _Cyclecraft_ and checking out _Magic Below Stairs_ and _Magician's Ward_, and came straight home. I'm still kinder sleepy. I've been cleaning out the cupboard where Evelyn kept toys, and finding all sorts of stuff I'd forgotten having. Including a batch of wooden blocks from Edmund Scientific -- could those have hung around ever since I was a math teacher? Got a basket of stuff to take to the Goodwill, mostly small plastic animals and bugs, and the floor is covered in small balls that Al is studiously ignoring . A bunch of calendars with a pair of toy scissors -- I suppose I'll throw those out. The only thing dating to Evelyn was the alligator that I sent to Audrey a few weeks ago. I've also found a plastic tomahawk that might have been in the cupboard when we moved in. I plan to keep the dominoes and the tinkertoys. Knocked off writing at that point to finish the job, and found something to put into my new dog-collar bag: a loud, shrill whistle. The stuff in the basket will easily fit into a pannier the next time I go by Goodwill, but that may be a while because I made that loop yesterday. Visited Sprawl One, bought J.C. Penney's last short- sleeved cotton shirt for Dave (pure white, unfortunately), and had a taco salad at Taco Bell. Pretty much gave Sprawl Two a pass, left off some stuff at Goodwill and bought a jello mold, went into Staples because Dave and I had been discussing the shabby state of my typing chair. Lo and behold, the only secretary chair there was just perfect, and on sale for $29.99. Light and easy to roll from the sewing room to the sewing machine and back again. And, I learned last night, easier to find in dim light than my old black one even though it's a fairly dark gray. The back is mesh stretched over a narrow frame, which Al won't like, but he doesn't get a vote. So I got to thinking about it that evening, and went back in the truck -- should have taken the Versa, as I ended up putting the boxed chair in the passenger seat! I'd thought it twice as big as it was because two boxes were pushed together on the top shelf. Given enough bungee cords, I could have carried it on the bike -- though I'd ruther not. Thence to Aldi, where I spent fifty dollars without loading the bike down much -- the space between the rumble strip and the roll down the steep ditch didn't look nearly so narrow this time. Then I went to the restaurant supply place, but the egg rings were all gone. Since I was already on that side of 250E, I went to Aunt Millie's and bought two bags of english muffins. 15 September 2011 Read _Magic Below Stairs_ yesterday evening. An excellent example of its kind, but nothing new. Stayed home to sew today, and finally finished my new drawers. Uh, except for the hems. I tried out my new jello mold this morning. A batch of jello *almost* all goes into it. Three packets of gelatin was definitely too many. But it will probably unmold beautifully! Didn't stop to think, when I bought it, that I don't have an oval plate. Well, there's the wee little one that goes under the gravy boat, and the great huge one that goes under the soup tureen. 16 September 2011 Naptime -- Now I've read _Magician's Ward_, but I still haven't hemmed my drawers or unmolded the gelatin. 19 September 2011 When I went to bed last night, I had three plans to choose among for today: Return my library books, then ride back streets to the Mexican supermarket on Lake Street and buy tostadas. Finally ride around Pike Lake and have lunch at the Wong place. Wash clothes, bake bread on the hearth I built beside the outdoor fireplace, and pick up fallen branches. When I woke up, it was raining. I'm washing whites and blacks and coloreds all together, and still don't have a full load, and the thermostat is set on "heat", so drying on racks won't be any problem. I think I'll open out the table and try to remember what I was doing with my linen-print suit. We've eaten a quarter of the gelatin, and the drawers are finished. But I couldn't wear them yesterday because my black dress is only knee length. I wasn't at all happy with the cotton pantihose I wore instead -- when *will* stocking makers find out that thighs are bigger around than ankles? Perhaps everyone running stocking factories has a ferocious case of dropsy. But that wouldn't explain why stockings have no heels. I finally got around to fixing my flat yesterday -- only to discover that I need a new rim strip and a new tube. I'd better go to the Trailhouse today, even though it's raining, because there is no telling how long it will take him to fetch the required articles from Tarkio Road. I rode by Tarkio the last time I was downtown; it was in operation, but there was no hint that walk-ins were welcome, not even a sign to say what the place was. (A courtyard filled with bicycles waiting to be repaired was a pretty broad hint.) I'm not looking forward to putting the casing back on the wheel -- it was nearly impossible to get it off. I'd better take a really-close look at it before walking to the Trailhouse. 20 September 2011 Liverwurst may not be the only exception to the rule that human food is disgusting. Dave caught Al sniffing at the butter dish this morning. Promises to be a sunny day with a high of 74F. ----------------------------------------------------------- And it was a beautiful day. But I'm blowing off Handwork Circle on purpose tonight. The walk would be good for me, but my get up and go has got up and went. Besides, I don't want to put shoes on. I went to the library by way of the Trailhouse and the teller machine and the emergency room -- I had sorted magazines I'm not ever going to read out of the pile yesterday. Dropped off the Wrede and the Stevermer, picked up an anthology and _Cyclecraft_, ate two food bars, and wended my way to Avilla's, where I bought a quart of mayonesa, a bag of tostadas, a bag of tortilla chips, a box of Baggies, and what I thought was annato powder to make seasoned flour, but on closer inspection, it's a block of paste you are supposed to mix with vinegar or oil to make a marinade. Then I went down to inspect the construction. The roundabout isn't blocking Lake any (though you can't get onto Fox Farm), but a little past there the entire road is dug out for a block or so. Doesn't look connected to the roundabout -- they appear to plan to put it back no wider than it was -- so I suppose that stretch of pavement needed replacing and they figured that while the traffic was already detoured was a good time to do it. Drat. I meant to tour Little Hawk after going through General Dollar, but by the time I'd found my way out again, I'd forgotten. Also forgot to stop at Penguin Point for a snack. But I went into the nursery despite the time of year, and picked up a parsley plant and a marjoram plant on clearance at a dollar each. I set the parsley in the left- hand strawberry bed -- since that is where I wash cat boxes and coffee filters, I won't have to worry about watering it -- and intend to plant the marjoram in my hanging basket. I made a point of going by the new taqueria where the hot-dog stand went broke. There were two signs saying "open", and it was within the posted operating hours, but nobody was inside and the door was locked, so I came on home and ate some of my tostadas with provolone, kraut, kim chee, peanut butter, and jelly. Not all on the same tostada. As the package suggested, tostada is much better after ten seconds in the microwave. Couldn't find my lipstick when I suited up, so I picked up a package of two lipsticks and a package of paper plates at the dollar store, and while I was feeling around in my candy pocket for the dollar coins Dave had left on my dresser, I found the lipstick. Weird place to put it. I'd meant to carry my Kenwood set on "scanner", but the battery was dead. 21 September 2011 Tried the other battery this morning, and I think it's permanently dead. Put the first one on the charger, will try it tomorrow. I'll need at least one, and both batteries are the same age, so I might as well buy a pair. I hope there's enough life left in the battery that's charging for me to see whether I want to use this transceiver. I think I'm getting used to being able to see through the back of my new chair. Pushing away from the keyboard and drifting onward until I hit something may take a little longer. I had been able to lean back in the old chair. This one says it will, but has no handle to push all the way in or pull all the way out, and has no parts that such a handle could affect, so I think the instructions were for another model. It's getting close to time to take the old one out to the road with a sign that says "free". Sudden thought: this is the wrong time of year to switch to a chair with a ventilated back. 22 September 2011 The new chair is apt to roll under the ironing board after I get up -- but it comes out as easily as it went in. The back of the old chair is a tad higher, so it would fit under the ironing board only when leaned back. And I tended to lean back when pushing back to get up; sometimes the chair would wedge under the ironing board and it was a pain to untangle them. Stayed home to sew today, and never even looked at my sewing. I did give a passing thought to the ironing. I'm marinating a chicken breast in olive oil, malt vinegar, and annato paste. I plan to fry it. ----------------------------------------------------------- Dave has verified that the charger isn't charging. 25 September 2011 So he cut the connector off and put it on another charger. Now the radio is working, but I forgot to take it with me to play with in the car. The shoot-out was kind of dampened -- Alice and I spent the whole time watching it through Darryl's picture window. I wonder what I'll do tomorrow? I need to go north to buy milk, go west to buy thread, go east to buy cheese, and stay home to wash dish towels. There never seem to be any errands to run south. Though sometimes I ride around the south side of the lake to get to the dentist's office. The annato paste was great, and Dave wants me to try again with pork tenderloin. I used only a sixteenth of the cake, so I don't have to go northwest to buy more. And I can get pork in all three directions. ----------------------------------------------------------- Just checked the National Weather Service. Looks as though I can scratch "wash dish towels" off my list until Thursday. We may end up drying dishes with paper towels. I'll have to wash shirts and underwear somewhat sooner, but those can dry in the house. ----------------------------------------------------------- I was all nerved up to call my dermatologist tomorrow, but the scab on the sore that wouldn't heal fell off today and left a little white scar. I'm planning to shop tomorrow, in the car. I'm taking the blue cooler and some ice so I can buy milk early in the expedition if I want to. 27 September 2011 Forgot the cooler, but went directly from Owen's to Aldi, so it didn't matter. The skies cleared soon after I left, and the weather was gorgeous all day. Grump. Cloudy today -- I'm washing clothes anyhow. I hung out the king-size sheet, but I'm drying the rest in the parlor on racks, except for what goes on hangars. I'll move the sheet to the shower-curtain rod before I lie down. I'm reading the Times-Union Online between loads: Dear Marlita Swindell: You can say that somebody said "It's not all about the money" all you want to, but that doesn't change the simple fact that you are a deaf and blind nutcase. Have a nice day. I should be sewing the shoulder seams of my new linen suit (started last fall or the fall before). I did buy a spool of matching thread before going to the grocery stores. The prediction of sun for Thursday has changed to 30% showers. I've half a notion to put the whites in to soak tomorrow night anyway. ----------------------------------------------------------- The sheet was dripping wet before I noticed that the heavens had opened up. I should have seen how hard it was raining and left it out there for an extra rinse, at least until the load that was washing came out so that I could have put in directly into the machine instead of letting it drip all over the bathroom. And I wouldn't have gotten soggy bringing it in. Began raining again while I was cleaning the fridges at the church, but lightly so the umbrella sufficed and my scarf and nylon poncho stayed in my bag. Didn't even get my socks wet. (Though that took some careful stepping here and there.) I forgot to plug in the pork loin I've been marinating in annato and olive oil in the rice-cooker bowl. Fortunately, I'd cut four slices off instead of curling it to fit the bowl, so I dug out the meat axe and pounded them out flat -- a surprisingly small number of surprisingly gentle blows did the job -- fried them in not-enough corn oil, and served them on mini-sub rolls. I was caught off guard when pork that had been soaking in olive oil more than a day soaked up all the corn oil -- and *before* I'd turned it. I've set the electric part of the rice cooker on the counter so I'll remember to put the bowl in it when I first get up tomorrow. Also set out my big mixing bowl, because I want to see whether five cups of flour and a pint of water make as good a bread when it's baked in the oven. I'm not at all sure which loaf pan to use. 29 September 2011 Did make the dough today. Tenderloin was good, but rather dry for something that had been marinated in oil. I had a mini-sub featuring thin slices of the leftover piece for lunch today. Next time I'll marinate pounded pork. Having read in a newspaper column that caffeine can disturb your rest ten hours after you take it, I'm eschewing chocolate for a few days to see whether the same is true of theobromine. 2 October 2011 Didn't help. I use the fob to lock the new car a lot more often, because it goes "bip" instead of !HONK! And the other day I walked away without locking it, then turned and pushed the button -- I could hear the "bip" quite plainly, so there's no need of the chandelier-grabbing noise the old car made. I missed the Farmer's Market yesterday because of a conducted nature walk in the bike trails. It was totally worth it. Even though I came home with doggy-do on my shoe. Probably picked that up on the way home afterward, as it hadn't any trail dirt stuck in it. I'd better sew faster on my new fall suit. ----------------------------------------------------------- I baked bread in the oven on one of those rainy, rainy days. My long loaf pan was about right, and the bread tasted pretty much as it did when baked in the kettle. Took a good while longer, and there was less crust. I put the jello mold in with the stuff to take to Goodwill. The design doesn't show on jello, and oval is a deal-breaker. And it isn't quite big enough. The weather forecast for tomorrow is promising enough that I'm putting the dish towels etc. in to soak overnight. Still haven't bought flour, and I'm running out of time.