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It Is Getting Cooler

Posted on by Sandy Webster

You can feel the crispness in the air. The meadow is dying back.

The colors and patterns call for attention.

Butterflies seem rushed to get what is left in the drying blooms. They are hard to photograph but I get enough to look them up in the Information Center where I now keep the Audubon and Peterson books. I might have to put a sign on the dictionary saying, “I am not a bible. I am a dictionary!” All these years and no one ever assumed it was other than a dictionary. Could be I have moved to an area where open bibles are common and/or necessary.

I had a nice chat with a new neighbor this morning. I think she is the only other one to brave walking up the hill to town…of course she had a dog on a leash to help out. I just pause half way up and take in the scenery while I catch my breath. She says she never misses a day…365 a year! She also says that it does not get slick with snow and ice. Good. I will keep at it!

New drawings in the Meadow Book. Trying to keep up with the insects flitting along my path.

Friday morning at 7 am I will be having breakfast out with the men and MaryJo. It was nice to be invited…maybe they will have pecan waffles. Lee and I always had Sunday breakfast out and waffles were my favorite. He is 85 today.

The shower door is finally in.

Now it is just the grab bars and I think we are finished with the house. The tile man told me he would install them today but I have learned not to expect too much from these busy fellows.

Best to keep your expectations a bit on the lower side and the level of satisfaction adjustable.

Til later….

Still Adjusting

Posted on by Sandy Webster

I like wandering in the meadow. Occasionally someone from the subdivision is walking their dog but mostly I am alone trying to find interesting things for me to sketch. I like this pipe. Not sure what its function was or is but it is beautiful.

It has interesting lichen on it.

And just beyond….trees near the river.

I found more butterflies…

And one whose life was over…

The meadow is getting browner…

Looking at my house building book, I noticed there were so many more pages to fill and now I am moved in. So it occurred to me that I am still unpacking.

So using two pages to show how that unpacking is going, I came up with the following pages…I am showing all five of them and how they work together to tell a story. Later in the book I will place some things on shelves and in closets as I get more firmly moved in and the book ends.

First the screens getting put in and a list of what needed to be done. (Most of that has been taken care of).

Now the boxes!

The box on the left is how it looked sealed and then on the right it is being opened.

And there are the pots and pans!

Lots of bubble wrap in this one.

Of course I painted all my cartons with the earth pigment watercolor made from the soil under my house.

I might go back and pile up the cartons on the left as they are opened. SO many boxes! And more to go. Notice how I poured myself a glass of wine after I opened the wine glasses box. Anyway, it was fun doing these pages.

Today I am going to brave a social event here in town. Beginning at four this afternoon there will be Wines and Steins. Local wineries and breweries come to town and set up on the square with various food venders. I can sample their goods and hopefully bring home a dinner. The walk up the hill can be a bit hard, but the more I do it, the easier it gets.

Earlier today I tried to get the red clay stains off the porch and front entry…but to little results. The porch now has an overall reddish tinge to the concrete.

I painted the old bench Lee made for our house years ago black because the new porch table and chairs will likely be black. And ordered a nice rug for out there that is a blend of those colors, will look nice, and give a place to wipe the feet before coming into the dining area.

Tomorrow it is back to writing and drawing.

Til later…..

A Little Bit Late But Loads of Pictures To Catch Up

Posted on by Sandy Webster

The meadow is exploding with goldenrod!

So yellow!

Walking along a newly mowed path I was briefly seeking shelter from a quick shower in this covered picnic area,

Just off to the left is my new house.

Then on with the walk…

Past this lovely tree and following the creek by the Indian Mound entrance…I found where it meets the river behind the corn field.

And more interesting trees.

And wildflowers…

On the way back to the house I talked to a man flying his remote control airplane. I took a picture of it flying around me.

The following day I returned to the river behind the cornfield.

My house is one of those roofs on the opposite side of the corn field.

I gathered moss for my moss gardens by the front door where there is no sunshine.

My remaining fish bottles with wires and rocks will hang over this bench when my son and Marla return for Thanksgiving.

While walking through the meadow I saw many butterflies and added some to my Meadow Book.

It was nice to have time to catch up with my book and what is happening in the meadow.

And one more thing. At the end of the kitchen cabinets sits the Information Center. It never occurred to me how easily it would be mistaken for a Bible open on a podium. The movers were the first to ask if it was a family bible. No, we never had one of those in my house. We had dictionaries.

Perhaps it is an assumption of where I live…that this would be a bible. It is not. And when I looked over to see what page it was opened to I found this sweet little drawing….illustrating a quintain.

A quintain is a mounted target for jousters when practicing. Interesting, right? A good scrabble word if nothing else…doubtful it will come up in cocktail conversations, but I might just share it anyway before opening the dictionary to a new section. And the word “quirk” is a good one for Wordle. I will check out that word, “quirt” before I change the pages. The fact that the acid content in the pages causes browning of the edges, gives it even more authority and the wisdom of age. It was published in 1983.

So that is all for now.

Til later….

 

More Settling

Posted on by Sandy Webster

New light fixture is now hung in the dining area and dimmers added to switches.

That was Monday at 7 a.m. And that evening I invited other neighbors who are just moving in if they would like to take a break from unpacking and come for a drink at five. Cheese, crackers, fruit and wine. was laid out.

It was an enjoyable evening exchanging moving experiences and what we liked about our new houses.

I took some time off to just draw birds from the meadow.

Early this morning the shades man came and now all the windows have their shades.

I have ordered more shades for the porch because the afternoon sun makes it very hot out there.

This sign caught my eye at the gym the other morning.

Speaking of the gym, last week a young man and I passed each other in the hall and then both turned around quickly. He used to work out with Lee and I at another gym a few years ago. He was a nurse at the hospital and when things became hard for all the changes needing to be done for Lee, he offered to help and gave me his phone number. I kept it stuck to my sun visor but never called.

When Covid came I quit going to the gym there near the hospital and did not start again until a year ago here near the new house. Now almost a year later I run into this dear man and it turns out he works at the care center where Lee is cared for and even feeds him on occasion. Because Lee has changed so much in appearance and this is miles away from where we had met before, he never connected the name.

Anyway, I reminded him that a few years ago I had told him when I needed him, perhaps he could come over to have a scotch and just talk. Tonight when he finishes work and working out at the gym, he is coming over for that drink and a good catch up on our lives. He has moved from where he lived before and now lives not too far from me. He is a very kind and generous nurse and I am so happy that he likes his new position at the care center.

Isn’t life surprising?

So I picked up a pizza because he will likely need dinner after our scotch.

Now I am going to take another walk through the meadow to find more changes to draw. Crows are gathering over that way…..

Til later….