Vernal equinox 2006- delayed gratification

Last Friday was the Jewish New Year, 5767. May it bring health and happiness to all. We had a big family dinner here ( what was I thinking?) mainly because the kitchen is finally functional and we wanted to have a party. Oy, it was fun but too much work and unseasonably hot, too.
We were in Cape Cod earlier in the week to see Rosie & family in from Israel, Mel from NC and her parents ( in their 80's) who drove up from Fla.
The leaves are already starting to change in Mass and it was gorgeous. Hmmm, lobster rolls and ice cream. It seems that New Englanders are positively obsessive about ice cream AND the Red Sox. Truth or myth? Wherever you go you find shops selling T-shirts with rude messages about the Yankees, " they stink" and worse. A National league fan, I laughed at them twice as hard cause the The Mets have clinched their division; there is joy in Mudville!The barometer is playing nasty games with my head and body- another sign of autumn. The streets are quiet and empty cause the kids are back in school.It's also time to take in all my houseplants as the nights are getting cool. And so it goes- the beautiful, golden days before winter comes along and going out is a major clothing production.I will need a new coat as I will be dog-walking for the first time this winter. This will be Carmelita's first winter in the north so she will need a coat too.

I wrote this last month and apparently hit save instead of publish. Life is hectic and confusing and I have cut down on current events in favor of domestic insanity, boring to any but those involved. Still, these entries will someday allow me to look back and laugh. Ha.
A lot has happened in a month. Carrie got her coat, a traffic-stopping pink ski jacket but still shivers in the cold. She is very fond of my shoes and placing them on beds and furniture- without ever chewing them or anything else since the 6 months we've had her. But today she managed to get the orthotic of of my shoe and chewed it up. They are expensive and require a podiatrist visit. Grrrrr.
My contractor is seemingly never coming back- he told me not to call him while he's working (?) and hung up on me and will not return my calls. Our shower door is unusable, there are still black marks on my new kitchen tile and the outside work he said he would do isn't going to happen. As I did a lot of the general contracting anyway, we decided to look for contractors on our own and there has been a steady stream of masons, chimney sweeps and wood re-finishers.
Our contractor ruined our maple dining room floor but will will wait to fix it- I can't stand the thought of packing up another room again. We needed the new window stained and sealed, but the guy only did one coat and must come back. We hired someone to clean the inside of the house to get rid of the pounds of reno dust- she avoided tops of furniture, beneath furniture and the blinds which was the only specific I asked for and she came back. I am not experienced in hiring folks to do stuff for me and it makes me very uncomfortable to correct or critcize, but this is something I 'm getting over. Unfortunately, I do not have the strength or energy to maintain the level of cleanliness/organized chaos to which I am accustomed so I must adapt to someone else doing it.
A visit to my new doctor for a sinus infection was very disconcerting as he does not listen to a word I say, but told me I am too sick and am taking too many meds. ( Surprise! I have a chronic pain disorder, what to do?) Also, my cholesteral is high so he put me on a diet to avoid things I never eat anyway like fried food and fast food. Hello in there!
So to recap the events of last week, I learned I am: too sick, too clean, too picky, too need- to- complete- what- we-started, too intolerant, too dependent and altogether too trusting, but I knew that one already.
And in other biting-off-more-than-I can chew news, we are planning Steve's 50th birthday party which will be rather large. (If you can make it, email me!)
Jane L was nice enough to have a 25th anniversary party last week and we got inspiration from her Fairway-catered food. It will be a blast.
And lastly, the Mets are 2-2 with the St Louis Cardinals ( what a game last night! 11-5!) and Glavine is pitching tonight. I am too excited!
And, as usual, too long-winded.

9/13/06 Part 2

Mercy, It's been so long since I've blogged that I forgot I could post pictures.Better pix to come, I promise.
You who have endured the telling of the story deserve it!
Anywho, as I was saying, Jane L is fellow tree-hugger I used to work with at the environmental center and who I hadn't seen in over 2 years. We had a lovely time and I had chicken with walnuts for lunch.
Several weeks ago we went to New England for the quasi-annual reunion of the folks from Steve's school in Israel, many of whom now live in Mass for some unknown reason. So we all barge in from every corner of the globe. (Now what kind of globe has corners?) and congregate at Dennis and Amy's on Cape Cod. This time around lots of peeps punked out but the indomitable Susan, and Toni and Ilene, and the intrepid Julie who came all the way from Texas showed up and the 8 of us made a holy pilgrimage to Provincetown for lobster rolls, fried clams and obscenely good sundaes. Amy made waffles the next day I made this homage to the lovely queens of P-town. We are actually going back to the Cape to see Rosie and family who are in from Israel. She and her brother Mel lived on the same block as Steve in both NY and Haifa and went to the same schools in both countries. Wierd, huh? I wonder if Amy will make waffles again?
So yesterday was Election day, we voted for the nominee for NY gov - a choice of weasels, re-elected Sen Hilary and some other stuff too. We had gotten mail informing us that we were to have new-fangled voting machines and I for one was psyched, even going so far as to return home to fetch my glasses, just in case the screen was too small. Oivavoi! T'was not to be, sadly.
You know, I never got to the main reason for this entry which was the anniversary of 9/11. It was a bad, sad day altho I read no papers nor watched TV, trying to avoid thoses images again. I took Caramel for her evening walk right after sundown. As I turned the corner to come home, I caught a glimpse of the blue beacons of light coming from Ground Zero. At that moment, a last ray of light illuminated a cloud right above so that the blue beams shot up into burst of white light. It only lasted a minute but it was amazing and awesome and I mean awesome in the old-fashioned way; it gave me the shivers. And somehow I felt slightly calmed too. My neighbor saw it too and shouted out, did you see that?
It's as if we both needed confirmaton for something we saw but didn't quite believe- a process I'm becoming all too familiar with. Peace, brothers and sisters.

9/13/06

I'm too tired to come up with a clever title today but shall blog on doggedly nonetheless. That is, with dog. I write in gratified response to the my many loyal readers, all 3 of you who requested more; or specifically said, what the hell is up with you? Oh children, it pains me to say that still, after all the dust and travail, the loss of my garden not to mention my privacy and the very theft of our summer, the damn " touch-ups" are not done and Jerry is AWOL, having taken other jobs.
A pox on him and his ilk!
Also, the boxes that were packed 2 years ago before I broke my arm, as well as the boxes with my Mom's stuff, have to be unpacked, sorted, washed and stored. I feel as if I'm curating my own life. So everything we own needs to be washed ( see entry re: dust) including Miss Carmelita. Her beaus down the street, Casey, Hunter and are a big slobbery golden retreivers that drool all over her and make her stinky. C'est la vie, who am I to stand in the way of love?
So I have been working hard, have burnt out my meager supply of energy and not been feeling so good. I am taking a rest today and am having lunch with Jane L. Yay!
More later; I'm cleverer after I've eaten.