all that's past is prologue...

We both drive older cars (because we buy used cars for cash and drive them for a long time), and Patrick's Volvo is in the shop for two weeks while they order parts and fix an issue that sprung up. This follows a time when my Audi was in the shop for two weeks after what should have been a day-long issue, but they kept on forgetting things (yes, I am looking for a new car repair place). My shop had loaners, but Patrick's (a tiny, awesome place that specializes in Volvos) does not. So we are juggling schedules and needs and let me tell you, it's a PITA. If we always only had one car, Beatrix would probably have to take the city bus to school, which would entail either a walk and 3 buses or a walk, 2 buses, and another walk. She would need to leave the house by 6:00am, and let me tell you, her morning routine is long enough that means she would be up before 5:00. When she's up until midnight studying, I want her to get all the sleep she can. It also means she would have t...

Heh! Patrick praises my stockpiling ways ! (Just as I am in the middle of cleaning a ton of stuff out).

So the other thing that our unfortunate guest this summer did that she should not have was to put a bunch of things that should not go into the dishwasher...into the dishwasher. This led me to a massive cleaning of the cabinet that our dishes are stored in. A take-no-prisoners adventure that tossed out a ton of items (including the Aas Beer glasses I got from a liquor distributor before we were married) and all the chipped dishware.  Of course, I had to get a set of gorgeous highball glasses from the free board today to replace the 16 faded pint glasses I had tossed, but that's normal, right? We got new shelf liner and Patrick got it set up while I was in a zoom meeting tonight. The new glasses are in the top middle. Please admire them to prove I was right. There was enough liner left over to redo the super-greasy cabinet by the stove. That also involved some major de-accession, including a bottle of paprika oil I believe I bought in Slovakia in 1991. I even packed away my beloved ...

In the spirit of "Fun Fall" yesterday was pretty much a day off. We were back on the mat at yoga, went to the Picnic Operetta's FAUST with the Chelimskys at Alexis Bailly Vineyards (and also got a hug from Nan), and hung out more with the Chelimskys that night. It was much needed. Today was harder work because we had to move back to the other house, which meant loading up lots of stuff (how did all that get over there?), plus dogs and cats and such, while running a few errands since there was no food or anything at Ashland. The kitchen is in disarray because we cleaned out a couple of cabinets, including the dish cabinet, and are waiting for new shelf paper to be delivered. There's a lot more space in there when you throw away things you don't use... On that same theory, we also cleaned out the china cabinet. We packed up some of the crystal we don't use but don't really want to get rid of, which left more display space. This summer Patrick had gotten me s...

Normally, I get my finds off the free boards on Facebook. But when someone was selling this lamp the other day, I knew it would be perfect for Summit, and would be a good investment too. So I got it, and I love how it makes the front chair area look. That allowed me to move the lamp and table that had been there to the side of the room. And why would I want to do that, you may ask? Because it balances out the light in the living room, and FINALLY we have enough light there at night. But it does not hide the mural too much. Then, we cleaned out the bookshelves in the den (sorry to my mom's old 1950s textbooks that we finally got rid of, or the many other copies of books I pored over for hours when I was young. Yes, even The Last of the Mohicans .) We loved in my friend C's books, in case he wants them in the future, and an old chair of his as well. Three new cozy spots at Summit — just as we get ready to move out until next summer... Someone else looks cozy here too:

This picture honestly does not look like much. A "before" picture would have horrified you. When you consider how bad the laundry area gets after a full year of rentals, the "after" is a miracle. Patrick re-did the dryer pipe and took the rug out to be cleaned (by the storm!). I cleaned out the insides of the machines — including bleaching, cleaning up liberal gallons of lint and dust from behind/between the machines, putting up some plastic tile, and generally organized.  It's so much better!

We called the NY trip the "Sleep No More Tour," not only because we (finally) saw Sleep No More, but because we didn't get a lot of sleep.... We hit the ground running on Tuesday by arriving, getting our car, and driving down the edge of Manhattan to reach our friend Julie's place in Brooklyn.  After a nice lunch with her at Hamilton's , we headed into the city and wandered around Rockefeller Plaza, where Beatrix bought the Kate Spade ring of her dreams: Then dinner at Gayle's Broadway Rose , where Beatrix got to meet someone she has followed on TikTok for years (so cute!). The show that night was Water for Elephants, which was very good and nicely integrated circus well. I did not exactly go home with the soundtrack as an ear worm, but I was glad to see it. And we got to stay after at stage door and meet the actors and get autographs. The next night, after a day of college visiting, was dinner at the Mermaid Inn — so good, and the Happy Hour is alive and we...