Seeing Clearly

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood ... and I should wash the 13 cabin windows! Each one has 6 panes. One is filled with the A/C. That makes it only 12. Oh well, now I will have to have 'someone' do it this Spring. It is a tricky procedure here. First of all you can only clean the storm windows from the outdoor side. To get the inside of the storm windows you have to open the inside window. Sounds easy, right? NOT! Furniture has to be moved. Curtains have to be taken down. The nails that hold the latches tight have to be removed. The sliding latches have to be unlatched - sometimes with a hammer. Then, sometimes the window still won't swing inwards and you have to take a large putty knife and pry the frame to get it to open. THEN... you can clean the inside of the outside storm window, clean the outside of the inside window, shut it and secure it and clean the inside of the inside window. Then put everything that you moved or took down, back! It is a fun job that the Mister always did every year and both 2020 and 2021 it has not been done. 

It really didn't used to be so hard but traffic has picked up on the dirt road making terrible dust over the years here and we have sealed the storm windows with putty. The windows are never opened anymore except the inside ones to clean the glass. Enough dust seeps in the old cabin anyway. For fresh air, the front and side doors are equipped with screen doors. Besides all of that, the settling of the logs has made window opening and closing very difficult.

Of course my dad and mother could never have realized that being so very close to the road would be a dust problem sixty years later. It would have been better to have had their summer retreat cabin set back about fifty feet, right next to the cow path that ran all along behind at the property edges. Of course, at that time it would have caused different problems!

So, here I am, looking out through sunny and hazy windows hoping for a seasonal change that I know will come - in its own time. It could be worse, right? I love my home and I'm lucky to have one! 

Plan

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Last night as I was drifting off to sleep, my mind formed plans for today. Today was to be the day to dust - as I must! Well, I got diverted this morning and just plain do not feel like dusting! I looked around me, saw what I have in my quarters and that made me happy enough to say, "What the heck! I'll dust another day."

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Maybe it all is because another mouse was trapped. Maybe it is because I can just look out the windows and see the lake and the birds and the large old pine tree blowing in the winds. Maybe it is because I don't have to put on shoes or go anywhere.

Then my brother called with a request for a printing of a project I made for him about a month ago. He's on a roll! Now I have to get to work.

FINALLY got my appointment for my booster Covid shot. Called the local drug store and was told I HAD to do it online! HAD to fill out many questions. At least it is local and a friend can take me. It should be easier to schedule one though. No wonder people are reluctant and/or don't have the ability to schedule online. IMOP they should just be able to walk in and get their booster! Maybe being in a rural area is the reason for online pre-scheduling??

Just Dust

There was quite an accumulation of dust on the stone mantel with all of the ducks and miscellaneous other things there. The complete chimney of bricks all needed to be vacuum brushed and the dust that clings to them removed. It took us all morning. Piece by piece each was taken to the sink for either a bath, a wiping down or a polish. The Mister was able to use the small shop vac to help when I was taking care of the items. We do this once a year. Only once a year! At our age it seems to be more labor-intensive every time. I take pictures to establish just when it is done and how I like it arranged. They really don't do the individual items justice but I'm not showcasing them, just cleaning. That's OK. It's a good feeling to have completed the project. 

"Why Dust?"

Dust if you must, but wouldn’t it be better

to paint a picture or write a letter,

bake a cake or plant a seed.

Ponder the difference between want and need.

Dust if you must, but there is not much time,

with rivers to swim and mountains to climb!

Music to hear, and books to read,

friends to cherish and a life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world’s out there

with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,

a flutter of snow, a shower of rain,

this day will not come ‘round again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,

old age will come and it’s not kind.

And when you go, and go you must,

You, yourself, will make more dust!

       ~Author unknown to me~

Here and There....

In spite of all the rainy days and overly wet fields and lawns, the dirt roads are very dusty now. It's not fun to ride along and have someone pass by leaving you in the dust. Darn! I had just washed my hair too! Oh well....

It is Iris blooming time here. My patch on the beachfront is covered with weeds (it's too steep for me to even think about trying to pull them out) so I hobbled down there with my scissors and cane and cut me a few to bring up to the cabin. My mom and dad planted these many many years ago and they are still producing beautiful blooms.

The neighbors' flowerbeds have Iris in bloom as well. One has an abundant bed of yellow ones. No picture of the yellow for you today.

As for critters, there is a groundhog living under our shed again. 

2018 portrait

2018 portrait 

My brother just stopped in and told about an orphaned baby opossum that he is rearing. I am not seeing the usual rabbits or chipmunks on my rides around here and wonder why. There are way too many flocks of Canada Geese present now (they leave messes on lawns) and they all have families. The duck families are not evident yet. That is strange. The Great Blue Heron visits our beach often and he is gorgeous as he struts along looking into the shallow water edge for a meal. We have seen both mature and immature Bald Eagles fly over often. An Osprey has been fishing here with good success lately. Of course the hummingbirds are busy, both at the feeders and swiping through the air with their beaks open to catch the tiny swarms of flying bugs. It is all interesting and  wonderful to see.

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Dust

I had to scour my old computer to find this poem. I KNEW I had saved it (about 20 years ago) but had misfiled it and the search drove me nuts! I finally found it. I have way too much old stuff that I have transferred, first from an Apple LCII to the Y2K model, and then to the very large screen 2009 tabletop iMac. The last transfer was to my laptop. This poem was really lost in all of those transfers that I did the "long way." No trickle uploader or any other file transfer was ever used. The main point here is that it wasn't on the laptop and I wanted it!  Silly me. My brain is slowly turning into dust!

"Why Dust?"

Dust if you must, but wouldn’t it be better

to paint a picture or write a letter,

bake a cake or plant a seed.

Ponder the difference between want and need.

Dust if you must, but there is not much time,

with rivers to swim and mountains to climb!

Music to hear, and books to read,

friends to cherish and a life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world’s out there

with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,

a flutter of snow, a shower of rain,

this day will not come ‘round again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,

old age will come and it’s not kind.

And when you go, and go you must,

You, yourself, will make more dust!

Dust if You Must was written by Mrs. Rose Milligan from Lancaster in Lancashire, England, and first published on September 15th, 1998 in the 21st edition of The Lady ("in continuous publication since 1885 and widely respected as England's longest running weekly magazine for women").