You should see the house now

I am more than pleased actually, I am thrilled with the way the house is shaping up.

On Monday, Chris and I got a lot done. He finished hanging pictures, hung the three heavy mirrors, and installed curtain rods in the apartment. I cleaned the refrigerator in the apartment and started going through bins to see what I want to keep and what I want to give to the Peace Committee's Attic Treasures Sale. It feels so good to purge more stuff, though I know I won't finish before I go to Maryland next week. There's always next year's sale.

Tomorrow and Friday, we are going to start painting the basement. The walls will be yellow (officially Sherwin Williams' Compatible Cream) and the floor will be brick red. There are not many colors to choose from when it comes to concrete floors. The cinder blocks on the outside walls will be white, they won't be seen, but they need to be water proofed again. They look like it has been years since it was last done.

We also are going to paint the bi-fold doors of the storage cabinets chalk board black and we are going to paint a rug on the basement floor. Those were Chris' ideas and why not? It'll be such fun.

I hope my friends and family will come to visit soon.

Production Potter

I am going to be selling my pots at a local craft fair the first weekend of December, so I have increased production of my little soap dishes and now I have zillions to glaze. We will be firing a kiln load in two weeks in the gas kiln. I am hoping to get some pieces in. Fortunately, my little pots fit nicely between bigger pots and under the rims of bowls. That's one secret of getting pots into a firing, make them small and they take up space that would otherwise be wasted.

I also am working on some vases that combine handbuilt bodies and thrown tops. Once I get the method down, I want to work on making pitchers using the same basic technique.

I am thoroughly enjoying being in the pottery co-op--the other potters there are so helpful and so not threatened. It is heartening and amazing.

Ah, Vanity

On Sunday, my friend Judith and I looked at pictures of David and Virginia's wedding celebration here in July. My goodness, why didn't somebody tell me I looked like the side of a very big barn in that blue dress? Lord, love a duck, I was bloated.

Oh well, what can I really say? That is how I looked, so be it.

One good thing, though, I am taking better care of my health now and have lost 10 or 11 pounds. So, maybe David and Virginia would like to have another wedding celebration and I will look better. Wouldn't that be something? As if I was all that important, ah, Vanity!

Well, anyway, everyone had a great time at the wedding and that is all that matters.

God Sleeps in Rwanda

My advisor Joseph Seberenzi spoke last night at school about his autobiography titled God Sleeps in Rwanda. He is such a peaceful person it is difficult to believe how much he and his family suffered in the Rwandan genocide.

Joseph said that God travels all over the world, but comes home at night to sleep in Rwanda and that is why he called his book that, with the subtitle of "A Journey of Transformation."

He told us a story of a teacher who asked his students if they could tell the difference between night and day. One student said day was when you could see two animals in the distance and could tell that one was a goat and one was a dog. No, that's not it. Another student said day was when you could see two people in the distance and could tell that one was a man and one was a woman. No, that's not it. The teacher said day was when you can see two people and know that one was your brother and one was your sister. Then night was over.

Joseph also talked about the three pilars of his life. One was peace, one was spirituality, and one was physical health and emotional well being. After all he and his family have experienced, he knows that peace and reconciliation are the most important things to live and work for. He is a Christian, but believes that whatever a person's faith, the human race is all one family. And he takes care of his health because if his body is not healthy, he won't be able to do his life's work and he will not be peaceful.

Joseph is such an inspiration. I look forward to reading his book.

It's snowing! It's snowing!

But it won't stick, darn it. But it is the first snow of the winter. Yay!

And the painter is almost done in the apartment, he just has another half hour to do some finishing touches, he says. And the contractor still has one or two things to finish up today.

So, a friend came by yesterday to help haul furniture back into the apartment. I still have a ways to go as far as making order in my home, but this is a great step in the right direction. Already I am so relieved.

On a more personal front, I am to remain on the anti-candida diet and regimen for another month, just to make sure we have gotten every last one of those yeastie beasties. I've lost 10 or 11 pounds and feel great. And not eating sugar has made the inflamation in the muscles around my knees disappear. What more can I ask for?

After the next month is up, I will first go off all anti-candida meds (I'm now on something called Alli-Cin, which is a garlic cinnamon combination. The cinnamon also helps curb any sugar cravings I get.) and then I'll start reintroducing good sugars (fruit) into my diet. The doctor says I'll be surprised by how sweet an apple will taste now that my taste buds are not numbed by all the sugar in my diet. Imagine that.

Well, I best go, I've still got a lot to do, plus homework.

And, now for the good news ...

I must apologize for the delay in posting, I have been having computer challenges. My local geek won't be able to fix what the problems are until early next week, so I am slogging along as best I can. I seem to have installed some software that I shouldn't have, but how was I to know? I am no computer person and don't plan on changing any time soon.

But the good news about that is that my friendly geek now knows what the problems are and he can fix them. Thank goodness.

And there is other good news as well. The painter is almost finished in the apartment! He has a couple of more days and then I can move stuff back and unclutter the rest of my house. What a relief that will be. The restorations have taken seven and a half months! My poor house was in dire need of tender loving care and now it and I are happy.

Ooops, it got away

Lily just came in from a hunting expedition, but whatever it was got away.

I love the way cats move when they are hunting, sort in stop action.

She spotted her prey (a nice fat chipmunk) going under the deck, went to take a closer look, and waited. The next thing I knew, she was scampering across the deck. After the chipmunk? I think so. But whatever it was got away, so she came in.

That's enough exercise for today, thank you very much. Time for a nap.

Busy, busy, busy

Oh, my goodness, yes.

The renovations to the apartment are almost finished, just a few more things to do and the walls to be painted and then, whoosh! It will be done. So the worker guys will be out of here in a week and I can put furniture back and artwork on the walls and the plants can go back on the window sill.

School is very challenging, intense, but I am enjoying it. And I am making lots of new friends from all over the world.

I will be in a craft fair in early December so I am making pots like crazy now so they can be fired before the fair and I will have something to sell.

I'm doing some freelance editing, volunteering, working out regularly, and I have been learning to knit, starting with a very simple hat pattern. I'm making the first hat for me, but I am going to try to make some others for holiday gifts.

Early morning

Here I am again, it's early morning, the sun is shining and there is a slight bite to the air, nothing uncomfortable, just a little bit cooler than last month. The leaves are starting to turn, Fall is here. And I love it!

Lily just came in from her morning romp around the yard. She is settled on my lap now, thwapping me with her tail. I guess I am supposed to give her some lovin', but she's going to have to wait a bit.

In a few minutes, I going to leave to spend the morning volunteering at the Brattleboro Community Justice Center and then I'll head over to the studio to finish up some soap dishes, bowls, and mugs. I switched to handbuilding recently. Throwing on the wheel became tedious, so I began making some three-legged soap dishes and bowls. I also am trying some mugs and larger bowls, to see what I can do. It feels good to stretch my creative mind.

Loving life and laughing loud

What can I say? I am enjoying myself. Retirement is great, I'm so busy with school, working out, making pots, and working occasionally at editing. And then, of course, depending on the season, there are things to do in the yard.

Winter is for clearing snow and hauling wood; mud season is for getting through it; spring is for clearing up winter's leavings, stacking wood for next year's heat, and preparing the flower beds for their new growth; summer is for mowing the lawn and weeding; and fall is for raking leaves.

Yeasty Beasties and Other Fun Stuff

Back in July, I had oral surgery and was given a powerful antibiotic that, I was told, would probably give me a yeast infection. Okay, I've had them before, they're uncomfortable but treatable. But, how was I to know that the yeast infection the periodontist was talking about was in my digestive system and not the other usual place that women get them?

The antibiotic worked, there was no infection as a result of the surgery. However, in August, I began to feel queazy in my gut and to have other uncomfortable experiences with my digestive system. I won't go into details, you'll just have to imagine the outcome (pun intended).

So, I went to a naturopathic doctor and she ran some tests that came back showing I had 2 kinds of nonpathenogenic yeasts and 2 kinds of slightly pathenogenic bacteria encamped in my digestive tract. Yummy. They were having a lovely time, I was not.

How do you get rid of these guys? The protocol is to "starve 'em, kill 'em, and replace 'em." I have been taking acidophilous (to replace the yeasties and bad bacteria with good bacteria) and some anti-candida (yeast) meds for almost 3 weeks now and I have been on a strict diet (no sugar, no fruit (it has sugar), no vinegar and other foods that have been fermented in their making, no cashews and peanuts because they mold, no foods that have yeast in them, but I can have lots of lovely vegetables, whole grains, and nuts, other than peanuts and cashews). I have lost 7 pounds and I like this diet, except for the no fruit and no vinegar part. It is very healthful, very good for you.

Another bonus to not eating foods with sugar, including sorbet, rice milk, and butter, is the aches and pains in the muscles around my knees have disappeared. That means, the sugar was causing inflamation in my joint muscles there and the inflamation is gone. Wow!

That is a great reason not to eat sugar.

Butter has sugar in it, but ghee does not and ghee is the golden liquid that happens when you melt butter. The white particles are sugar. You can make ghee yourself or you can buy it at the natural health food store.

I'll just have to give up sorbet, but I have found dry roasted almonds and pistachio nuts help when I have a sugar craving, so I can find ways around needing sorbet. And, instead of drinking rice milk, which has sugar in it, I drink organic soy milk.

Who knew what I was eating had so much sugar in it? Now I know and I can and will do better.

Down at the KOA

Yes, that's right, Lily and I are staying at the local KOA campground in a rental trailor, which is quite nice. Who knew?

We've been kicked out of our home for a few days and nights while the wood floors in the apartment are being stained. The fumes are overpowering, so we moved out.

Some of the young guests at David and Virginia's wedding stayed here in July and I overheard them saying it was decent, so, when I knew we would have to be out of our home, I called and made reservations. There are a lot of folks staying here these days, the leave peepers come north to see the beautiful colors of fall.

Speaking of beautiful fall colors, the leaves have started changing and the colors promise to be spectacular. This is a good reason to visit and a better one to live here. I love it.

Big Bang

Hi, hello again. First, I will apologize for the long, long delay in posting to my blog. I have been incredibly busy this Spring and Summer--more about that later.

But, the title of this entry is about something that just happened. Lady Lily climbed up on the sill of my bedroom window and was investigating a bug or something interesting on the other side of the screen when bang! she fell off the sill but did not go far. She was saved by the drape and the dresser that sits right under the window. Still, she made a big noise that puzzled her for a few minutes. Now, she is back hunting things on the other side of the window.

She is starting to be an outdoor cat. Tonight, she insisted on going out onto the deck. She would not come back when I called and went up the hill behind the house. I could see her exploring. When she was ready, she meowed to be let back in. Of course, I obliged and told her what a brave and wonderful kitty she is.

I am tired, so I will have to do a recap of the Spring and Summer another time.

We're Vermonters now

Yeah, that's right Poppy Sox (my red Subaru Forester) and I are official residents of Vermont, as of two days ago. I keep trying to figure out if I feel any different--nope, no different. The only way I do feel different is that I do not have to go to work every day, now THAT is different. Of course, I like it.

Well, things are moving along with my ice damage problem. I finally filed a claim with the insurance company and an adjustor is coming out tomorrow to evaluate the mess. Thank goodness.

And a roofer is going to come soon to do a temporary fix and then again in a few weeks to put up a brand new standing seam metal roof, on the house first and then on the other 2 buildings. Instead of picking burgundy red, I think I will choose charcoal gray, so that, if we want to, we can have options when we paint the trim. If I chose burgundy red, I would have to stick with colors that go with it. Plus, reds fade fast and are not guaranteed as long as other colors. Who knew? The roofer, of course.

I went for another visit with a staff person at the School for International Training on Wednesday. I have decided to take the summer peacebuilding program (June 1-19) and then continue with the graduate certificate in conflict transformation in the fall. If I want to go on from there, I can the following year.

So, my days of being a hermit are drawing to a close and winter is beginning to turn to mud season. When we have warmish days, the foot of my drive becomes muddy, so I get a taste of what is coming. But I am looking forward to what comes after that, spring and all the surprises in store for me as the flowers in my yard wake up and the birds and other wildlife come wandering through. That will be fun to see.

Snowing again

Nothing new there, it's snowing again. We're supposed to get 6 to 8 inches. It just means that I get up and clear snow off my drive instead of going to workout. Oh well.

I've been busy this week. I spoke with a financial advisor about rolling over my 401(k) stock investments into a safer IRA. I am particularly interested in socially responsible investments. My investment strategy is kind of conservative. I don't feel I need to make a lot of money, I just do not want to be losing as much as I have in the past 6 months.

I will be refinancing my home in Vermont, now that I have sold the place in Maryland. I will be lowering my interest rate 1.5 percent to 5 percent. I think that is pretty good.

I visited the School for International Training to check out what courses I would like to take. I think I will start with the certificate program on conflict transformation and possibly continue in the master's program on intercultural service, leadership, and management.

I also visited the Brattleboro Clay Works, a local pottery co-op. I think it would be better for me to join this group than to try to make pots on my own. It will be less expensive ($80 per month) to belong than to build my own studio (at least $15,000 to renovate the workshop/barn). It will be good to have company, to be inspired by others.

I will be meeting with a couple of architects tomorrow to discuss improvements to my house and property. I want to have new roofs on all 3 structures, plus new wood floors in the house, a screen porch to replace the deck, and have all the walls painted. I want to know if the windows are double paned and I would like to have new toilets (ones that are taller so that older people can use them comfortably) and have a few things repaired.

So, all is well.

Been Busy

I'm getting better at building fires in my woodstove, I just needed to read The Woodburner's Companion and practice.

But the ice in my gutters still confounds me. I was out on my deck yesterday afternoon chopping away at the ice, got a great upper body workout, got soaking wet, had to take off my glasses so they wouldn't get smashed by flying ice chunks, and had to wear my bike helmet to protect my head from same.

I think I'll try drilling the ice at strategic points and then chopping again. After all, if the people who ice fish can drill the ice, why shouldn't I try it? It might work, at least I'll get more ice out of the gutters, but I don't know what to do about the ice inside the eaves, which is melting and dripping down the wall in my living room. So, I've put big plastic bins up against the wall, to catch the dripping water.

I've been checking out my neighbors' houses, to see what they do about ice dams. It looks to me that the most successful prevention strategy is to have a standing seam metal roof. So, when I meet with the architect, I'm going to ask about having standing seam metal roofs installed on all 3 structures. I've heard it's expensive, but worth it in the long, long run.

My brother and his family are coming for a visit today. So, in addition to chopping ice in my gutters, I tidied up the place, vacuumed all the floors, lugged wood inside and downstairs, etc. The place feels good, like a home, at last.

Of course, I still have lots to do, but all the junk is no longer in my way. So, I have started doing some encaustic painting. Did 4 paintings and like 2. I'm thinking of cutting up the other 2 and repositioning the pieces into collages, maybe combining them with other things. But I am pleased to be creating again.

Kindling and ice dams

Well, I admit it, life in southern Vermont involves a lot more physical work than working and living in the DC area.

Before, I was a bureaucrat, I worked in an office. Before, I lived in a townhouse, I didn't have many concerns about my home.

Now, I live in a single-family home, with Lily, my calico cat; a hungry woodstove; and a gutter full of ice, also known as an ice dam.

The woodstove and I are becoming good friends. I am getting better at feeding it, though I still don't know how to damp it down at night so it still has embers in the morning. Embers in the morning are good, they would make firing up the stove a lot easier every day. But I am learning. I am getting closer. And I have realized I need more kindling, so, where do I get more kindling? I had been thinking I would call the woodstove store and ask where I could buy some, but decided I could do better than that. So, I bought a good ax and have been chopping up bigger pieces of wood, making little pieces of wood. Homemade kindling!

As for ice dams, they suck. I now know what I should have done each time it snowed. I should have gone out on my deck and raked the snow off the roof and I should not have let the ice accumulate in the gutters because when ice collects in gutters, it also collects under the eaves and any snow that melts under the eaves cannot run off, so where does the water go? Inside, down the wall. So, I've got buckets lined about along the wall, collecting cold, dirty water that drips off the rafters.

That's a good solution for this winter, but not for the longterm. I'm going to get a new roof put on, I'm thinking I will have standing seam metal roofs for all 3 structures. This will be a major expense, but, in the long run, it will be worth it.

So, not only have these few weeks of winter been good for getting things accomplished, like the unpacking and sorting I have done, they have been good for learning what needs to be done to make this place more comfortable, more livable.

Loving life

Yeah, you bet I love life, retirement is great.

I knew January and February would be kind of slow months, I knew I would not get out much. I viewed them as fallow months, but busy just the same. I planned on unpacking and going through all the boxes of my stuff from my parents' house and I did it! All done, all organized, now I know where things are. All the photos from our family, about 100 years' worth, are in one place; I've gone through all my books and notebooks and have chosen which I will keep, which I will try to sell or toss. I've gone through lots and lots of pots I made years ago and decided which I will keep, which I will smash. I've gone through my clothes and have decided which I will wear and which I will consign or donate.

Oh, I still have plenty of projects, but this first layer is gone and it was a big impediment. Now I can breathe, now I am free.

And I have begun to meet people. I've been to Meeting twice, I have a new dentist, I have joined the Brattleboro Food Co-op as a working shareholder, which means I have to work 2 hours a month to get a 10% discount. I help by bagging groceries and I meet lots of neat people.

I've been spending lots less money. I only shop at the Co-op. And I have learned to plan ahead mostly according to what the weather forecast is for the week.

I am learning to work my woodstove, fire is a harsh teacher, like clay. And, now that I have gotten through my unpacking challenge, I feel I have time to devote to clay. The unpacking had to come first, before everything.

So, you see, all is well with me. I still have to learn how to upload photos, but maybe I'll get David to help with that.

It's been a while, sorry

Well guess what, it's snowing, coming down hard. But I am snug as can be in my hillside home in southeastern Vermont.

I was down in Pennsylvania for the weekend and then in Washington, DC on Monday. I had lunch with Rafael and then stopped over to visit with my former colleagues at NEA and got grief for not keeping up with my blog and my Facebook page. So, mea culpa, my friends, mea culpa. I will try to do better in the future.

I was going to go out and take some photos of the snow that has piled up around my house, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Today, I am going to take it easy, do laundry, and read by the fire.

By the way, just to rub it in, I love retirement. :)

Time expands

One thing I have noticed in retirement--time expands and is fluid.

I used to adhere to a fairly rigid daily timetable but I don't have to anymore. I used to have a "To Do" list that said what day I would do what on, but not anymore. And it does not matter either. Incredible. I love the freedom.

I'm back

Happy New Year.

I am back. I have been incredibly busy moving--I made 2 round trips from Maryland with the rest of my stuff. I had no idea how much I have. But, as Audrey has pointed out, I don't just have my stuff, I have stuff that belongs to her, to David, to my mother and father, and to my brother. That is stuff from 6 people. Yikes! But, I am slowly getting it all organized and the process feels like an onion, with many layers.

The trips up were mostly uneventful. Audrey and Santiago were unbelieveably helpful packing the big 17 foot truck. Audrey kept saying, "Don't worry, Mom. I have a plan." And they kept shooing me away so they could concentrate on getting the monster packed. When we got up here, they unpacked fast and efficiently. They were miracule workers.

Then, we had the fun of putting things away. Santiago put together some of the big pieces of furniture, such as the trundle bed and David's platform bed, which is officially in storage here, but I am using it anyhow.

Audrey and I would discuss placement of things and, before I knew it, changes would be made!

After Christmas, I made a trek down to Maryland to get the rest of my stuff and my friend Lynn came back with me. We got everything and then had several days to recuperate. We had fun just reading and chilling and she went home January 3. She promises to return when it isn't so cold, maybe after mud season or in the fall.

I've spent most of this week hunkering down. It has snowed a couple of times but I did get out to the Brattleboro Food Co-op and to the fitness center to work out, as if shovelling snow and moving boxes around aren't working out (silly me). The chimney sweep came on Tuesday to clean my wood stove and teach me how to use it.

And I decided I have neglected my blog long enough.