Happy Halloween

I took Jace for a walk around the block tonight. I didn't see a single trick-or-treater. One house on Fairview was playing light, somewhat scary music. I saw an outline of Michael Myers--with a knife in his hand from a second story window in a second house. Back on Prospect,  I saw some people gatherer around a meager bonfire. A woman was standing on the sidewalk drinking a White Claw seltzer. A door or two down, three women were standing in a driveway--one was holding a scythe. 

This is my favorite of the neighborhood Halloween lawn decorations. I've posted another photo before. I still get a kick of it. 

I've been disappointed in the Halloween movie selection this year. I'm sure I just missed some on other days. We watched a stupid devil movie this afternoon and gave up on a weird vampire movie over the weekend. I'm a fan of the classic 1930s horror films, though I also like the Hammer films. 

The Latest Domestic Drama

A few weeks ago, I noticed that one of the kitchen cabinet doors wasn't closing completely. I planned to get it checked out, but was busy with packing for our Alexandria getaway among other things. Last Thursday night, the cabinet started separating from the wall. This cabinet is part of a wall of cabinets over the counters, sink, and stove. I emptied the hanging cabinet as well as the double cabinet next to it. I also removed everything on top of the cabinets (vases, glass bottles, candles, etc.) I left the two small cabinets over the stove and the narrow cabinet next to the stove and microwave as is. I also moved the small bookcase with teas so the worker could have easy access.

Now I have glassware and foodstuffs all over the credenza and dining room table and bookcases in the living room/dining area. It makes me realize that we have too many things--especially wine glasses. So as part of this cleanup, I will wash and wrap up some glasses and take them to Goodwill. This also gives me a chance to reorganize the cabinets. This was something I was planning to do, but kept procrastinating about. 

Luckily the cabinets are covered by a lifetime warranty (as long as we own the condo) although we do have to pay for labor. 

It's always something.

Back to the Gym

It's been two-and-a-half weeks since I've been to the gym. That's a long break for me this year. First, my car was in the shop. Then the engine light came on in Jeff's car. We didn't want to drive it unless necessary. Then we were away for a few days, then my neck hurt, then I was lazy. Maybe the last two were reversed

It's so much harder to return to a good habit than to abandon it. Today I did bent over rows, chest presses, angled leg presses, and ab crunches, plus a half hour on the elliptical. It was hard, but I already felt improvement in my butt muscles as I walked up Maple Street tonight. I'll skip the gym tomorrow and go back on Thursday.

In other news, today is Jace's second month anniversary with us. We love him.

Rainy Days and Mondays

It's both today, so I thought of this song by the Carpenters, even if I don't agree with the theme ("nothing to do but frown".) 

Jace and I avoided rain for the most part; it was mostly just damp on our three walks. I don't mind walking in light rain. Jace seems to agree based on our rainy walks to date. We need the rain--we're still in drought conditions. I'd love if it just rained at night. 

As for Monday, I haven't done the "five day grind once more" (from Friday On My Mind by the Easybeats) for a long time. I've lost the feeling of dreading Monday. 

For four years I've been taking Monday morning writing classes through the Norwalk Library. We've gone from meeting in person to meeting via Zoom. Some of our topics were paintings, photographs, Norwalk's WPA Murals, and flash fiction. 

It can feel a little tense if I don't have a story or if I'm frantically finishing one on Monday morning, but the class is so good, it outweighs any anxiety. We look forward to Monday mornings now.

Onto to Tuesday.  

Norwalk Library Book Sale

Do I have a new addiction...to used books? Norwalk hadn't had a book sale in three years: I had to go. Here are my choices:

1.    Training Your Beagle by Kristine Kraeuter--a timely purchase

2.    American Brutus John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies by Michael W. Kauffman--another book about John Wilkes Booth--I wish I could discuss all this with my dad.

3.     The Sookie Stackhouse Novels True Blood Omnibus II by Charlaine Harris--this volume includes books Four through Six. I previously read one and two in the series. 

4,    My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem--I picked this one up immediately.

5.    Killers of the Flower Moon The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann--I've wanted to read this book for years.

6.     Edward Hopper--Edited by Maria Costantino--should I keep this or give it to my brother?

I think I need to stop going to book sales. I have 29 books here to read. 

Book 28: Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler

My friend lent me this book. She described it as fun and I liked that it was around 200 pages. I have never read an Anne Tyler novel (though I had heard good things about several of them.)  

I enjoyed the story of Kate Battista. Kate's life is in a rut. She works as a teacher's assistant at a preschool, and keeps house for her father and younger sister Bunny. 

Now her scientist father wants Kate to marry his lab assistant Pyotr, so Pyotr can remain in the country. What will Kate do? 

I enjoyed the vivid, quirky characters. I expected a happy ending, but was never sure what would happen.

The subtitle of the book is The Taming of the Shrew Retold. I'm not familiar with that play, but don't care for the idea of praising the most obedient wife. Here, Kate makes a speech about how hard it is to be a man that felt unnatural to me. 

Still, a fun book.

Alexandria: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I've been to Washington D.C. several times with my family, plus once with the Safety Patrol in the sixth grade, and once with Jeff, but never made it to Alexandria before. 

I went to attend a baby shower for our niece Lindsay. Jeff and Jace accompanied me on the road trip.

The Good:

Old Town Alexandria is charming: cobblestone streets, old buildings (among modern ones) shops, and restaurants. Our hotel was a block off the main drag of King Street. I did a lot of window shopping while walking Jace. I loved an oval dining room table with curved legs, but that's not in the cards for us right now.

The shower was fun. I didn't know many people, but everyone was friendly. The setting at The Chart House on the water was beautiful. 

Jace was well-behaved, except for a visit to a bookstore when he was borderline rambunctious. He was great at an outdoor dinner Friday night, though I have to admit, no other dogs were there. He only barked once at a dog on our walks. Jeff says he was great during the "Ugly" experience below.

We stopped in Annapolis to visit my cousin Deb on the way home. It was nice to see her again.

The Bad:

We hit a lot of traffic on the Inner Loop to Alexandria. I know it's to be expected traveling around Washington on a weekday, but it was still frustrating. A bigger issue was that Jeff didn't feel well during our visit. Unfortunately, that happened on our last visit to his family as well.

The Ugly:

Jeff called during the shower to tell me that there had been a fire on our floor in the hotel. He and Jace were outside the building waiting for the all-clear from the fire department. Someone had started the fire while doing laundry. I don't understand how. 

I don't have the uber app, so the Chart House called a cab for me that never showed. I waited for almost a half hour, panicking as the minutes passed. Eventually, my sister-in-law called an uber for me that arrived promptly.

In the meantime, Jeff was assigned another room, but people were already there. As I arrived, he had been given a second room (without other people.) The manager escorted me with a luggage cart to our previous room, apologizing for the wet hallway carpet. I told him I would take the luggage upstairs myself. I started to pack up our stuff in an organized way, but soon abandoned that to just get settled upstairs. I didn't see Jeff's computer at first, so that was nerve-wracking, but all worked out. 

I was hoping for an easy ride back, but no luck there. When we got home, we had Thai food delivered and vegged. 

We need to take more time when we go on getaways. Otherwise, it's not worth the drive time and fatigue hangover. 

Home Again

Been home for about an hour-and-a-half after a long drive home from Old Town Alexandria, Virginia with an hour stop in Annapolis, Maryland to visit my cousin who I haven't seen in at least 12 years.

The ride was draining. We hit Annapolis Boat Show traffic, Delaware Memorial Bridge traffic, a few random jams on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, and then at the Tappan Zee/Mario Cuomo Bridge. So, I'm tired--too tired to blog about the highs and the lows. Last night I journaled about the evening, but I'm still processing things, and want to do more journaling tonight.

Glad to be home. 

Thursday Thoughts

To say this hasn't been a good week is true, but it's also an understatement. My Monday misery morphed into Tuesday troubles and then Wednesday woes. At least my Thursday thoughts are more optimistic. (Why yes, I do love alliteration.)

Tomorrow we're taking a road trip to Alexandria, Virginia. This will be our first getaway with Jace. I don't expect any problems in the car; he slept most of the time when we picked him up in New Jersey. We'll see how he does in the hotel.  

I'm going to a baby shower Saturday for our niece. Jeff will get a chance to visit at Friday dinner. On Sunday, we'll visit my cousin.

Should be fun.

Monday Misery

The Mets won 101 games this season, their second best season record (the best was 108 wins in 1986.) Second baseman (and sometimes outfielder) Jeff McNeil won the batting title--the second Mets player to do so. 

But, it's hard to be happy about those successes right now. Last weekend, the Mets lost the division by not securing one win in a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves. This past weekend, the Mets lost the Wild Card series to the San Diego Padres--a team that only won 89 games in the regular season. Somehow the Mets find another way to lose.

Today, I found out that my car will cost $3,400 to repair. The one thing I was worried about--a water leak--cost around $300. Things I didn't even know were wrong cover the rest of the money due. Oh well, at least the car should be in good shape for our road trip to Alexandria. But, it's hard to be happy about that either. 

Book 27: Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World by Alison Weir

This is the book I put on pause to read Book 26. Over the years, I've read several books on the Tudors; this is the first I've read focusing on Elizabeth of York. I did watch The White Princess miniseries based on Philippa Gregory's book of the same name. I don't trust Gregory as a historian. In the miniseries Elizabeth believed that the Pretender Perkin Warbeck really was her brother Richard, the Duke of York. It made for good TV--watching Elizabeth try to save her brother's life while worrying about what it would mean for her husband and children--but that theory has been disproven. 

 

Here, Weir is writing as a historian, and not as a author of historical fiction. Frankly, the book gets boring in parts--listing family members Elizabeth aided financially, alms given to individuals and institutions, fabrics she bought, etc. I skimmed through some of these details as well as some poems. There's a fair amount of speculation about important events in Elizabeth's life: when she learned about them and what she thought about them. Weir spends some time defending Henry VII from charges of stinginess.

Elizabeth's bloodline as daughter of King Edward IV gave her a stronger claim to the throne than her husband, yet her right to succeed was ignored. A generation later, both of her granddaughters Mary I and Elizabeth I ruled in their own right. 

How times change. 

Here Comes the Sun

and I say it's alright.

We've had six dreary, chilly, damp, sometime rainy days. I don't think I've seen or felt the sun during that time.

Finally, a break--sunny today with temps warming to the 70s. We have one more day of this before going back to normal--a nice interlude. 

Jace and I went on two long walks. He looked so happy as we walked around Oyster Shell Park. Tomorrow we're meeting friends at Taylor Farm dog park. Anyway, while I was enjoying the sun, I got thinking about sun songs.

Here Comes the Sun, I'll Follow the Sun, and Good Day Sunshine--all by the Beatles

Sunny--Bobby Hebb

Sunshine of Your Love--Cream

Good Day Starshine---Oliver (close enough)

Ain't No Sunshine--Bill Withers

Sunrise--Simply Red

Soak Up the Sun--Sheryl Crow

Sunny Side of the Street--Ted Lewis (?)

You are my Sunshine--Paul Rice (?)

House of the Rising Sun--Animals

Sunshine Superman--Donovan

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me--Elton John

Walking on Sunshine--Katrina and the Waves

And the Sun Will Shine--Bee Gees

Sunshine on my Shoulder--John Denver

I had a little help with Google, but only listed songs that I know. 

Monday Musings

The week did not start off well because the weekend was a disappointment. We're on our fourth dreary, chilly day with rain. I spent most of the time inside. It could have been a good opportunity for me to get some things done. I didn't finish cleaning the kitchen. Partly because I did a few other things such as clean the bathroom and make chicken orzo soup. I also started my cleaning by going though everything on the small kitchen bookshelf. It primarily houses Jeff's tea collection. Bags of tea were starting to drop off the shelves. I couldn't stand it anymore. At least it's now in some kind of order. 

Jeff and I both had trouble sleeping on Saturday night. I don't feel that I've caught up on my sleep yet. At least I fixed the coffeemaker Sunday morning and had three cups of coffee with breakfast. (I drank tea on Saturday.)

I couldn't get myself to sit down and write my story for today's class, even though I had the first few lines since Monday afternoon. I wrote the first half last night and the rest this morning. Total word count is 357. It was shorter than I had planned, but I stopped at a point where I could. 

I also had some kind of Mets hangover today. If they had won one game in their series with the Atlanta Braves, it could have been enough to secure a division win. Instead the Braves swept them. Theoretically, the Mets still have a chance for the division, but the Mets would have to sweep the Nationals and the Marlins the Braves. Unlikely.

I've been taking care of some health issues. I made an appointment to get the latest Covid booster and a flu shot. Unfortunately, my bone density scan last week showed I'm at risk of broken bones. I made an appointment to discuss this with my doctor. 

Jeff and I are going on a road trip to Alexandria, Virginia in two weeks. The main reason for Alexandria is that our niece's baby shower is being held there. This will be our first trip with Jace. I'm a bit nervous about it. We'll have to see how it goes.