Of Course It Needs To Rain On My Day Off.

Hi all,

I just hope this weather stops soon. I still need two coats of paint on the bottom of my planter, plus my tomato plants are starting to look slightly unhappy. But they're hanging in there (ha ha ha). Anyhow, I managed to sleep in this morning but still ate breakfast with the house around 9:30. I got my room tidied, and managed a load of laundry. I walked around the neighborhood, hoping to find a co-worker who also had the whole day off. No dice. So went off to Great Barrington on my lonesome.

I'm becoming quite the social-seeker recently.

I think it's because I'm dreading the fact that everyone will be leaving. If I must have an excuse, that's it.

Anyhow, I did a Kmart run for house stuff and then ended up going to a restaurant called "Naji". I'd initially spotted the coffee shop behind it, but the menu was hung up enticingly, and they had a roasted eggplant panini. I walked in, and was promptly handed a chunk of freshly baked baguette. I soon learned that the smiling man who handed it to me was the owner/operator/chef Naji himself. And I must say, he makes quite the dish. They're having a special for the rest of the month, so I've already started to organize group to go back to the restaurant next Saturday. Very excited.

I then popped over to the cafe, mainly for a place to read the newest Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse novel. Literary crack cocaine at its finest. Need I say I already finished it tonight? Anyhow, the smoothie I had was also quite good.

Oh, I've also officially become my father. Now that I'm on about 5 supplements plus allergy medicine, I'm overwhelmed and caved: I now have a pill organizer. I'm also pretty sure that no 22 year old should have one. At least mine is kind of cool looking.

Right.

Because you totally believed that for a second.

Anyhow, I'm off to sew some more tomato planters, in the hope it'll be warm enough to inspire me to transplant some more tomorrow.

Hope all is well,
Steph

Karaoke Strikes Again

Hi all,

By now, you'd think Karaoke would be hardly worth mentioning, right? I have to say though, every time I go up my hands shake a little less and less. I did the right "Breathe 2 A.M." with Julia (co-worker next door) again and mixed it up with "Don't You Want Me Baby" - which Flo was fantastic in. Plus there were several people present would could acutllay really sing - which is always great, unless you go immediately after them. I did not. We were going to leave at 10:30, but didn't end up leaving until 11:30. But let's rewind...

Thursday morning I looked over my medicine giver's notes quickly and then conked out and dreamed about seizures. Pleasant. I got a few wrong on the test, but still passed with flying colors. With all the hype surrounding the test, I was surprised at how easy it was - although I can definitely see how it would be much more difficult for a non-native English speaker. And then I got a nap. : )
The afternoon was a short one-hour crash course in anthroposophical meds. It lasted a confusing hours and then was done. So then Schmee and I ran to the nearest grocery store and I got some pictures printed off for Maria from the zoo. I made it back in time to get everything set up for dinner, and made some especially potent pesto. Then I worked on another hanging tomato planter, which looks like this:

(They're looking better as I'm making more, this one is too long...)

Then we had karaoke. Housemom said she'll come next week (and she can sing, although I don't know if we can convince her to sing), and so hopefully that'll work out!

Today was pretty much a blur. I didn't have even Franklin this morning, there was a special meeting about a relationships course that will be happening. So I did the veggie/meat market run, made yogurt, started laundry, dropped off the milk pail, did a huge co-op run, vacuumed, emptied the dishwasher, set the table, made salad dressing, made a salad (wash greens, roast/chop walnuts, add craisins), thaw and reheat meat sauce, cook noodles, prepare meds, helped the substitute neighbor cook, grated cheese while keeping the youngest with me and amused, prepped cheese quesadillas, washed up all the dishes. All by 12:20.

The afternoon went by pretty quickly as well. With only one villager in the co-op (and she was in a very slow mood), I managed to get the Friday order list done and some restocking. A second one came in to give her family members a tour, although I ended up closing early to help out at the house for the picnic. Got the quesadillas fried just in time. The softball game was as fun as ever (and Beau had a wonderful time - he's a real crowd-pleaser!), although the Germans are still really struggling with the rules. (Have to explain that lapping people just isn't allowed...but they're so earnest that it's great.). I jokingly suggested a session during orientation that covered the rules...

And so, now I have a cake that needs a orange ganache and chocolate buttercream frosting...and I have a walk to the co-op to accomplish first. It's going to be a loooooooooong day tomorrow...

Hope all is well,
Steph

A Monday Tuesday Sort of Affair

Hi all,

So, I did technically post yesterday, but since it was for Sunday, I suppose it doesn't count. All together then. Monday was relatively laid back. We did a simple breakfast and then some chores around the house. We had a very simple lunch since we were having a picnic with one of the other houses in the neighborhood. Housemom was getting a little frantic, but it's not as though things ever really start on time, we had plenty of time before the game and we were 1/2 of the crowd. So how much could happen without our house? Housemom said that I'm very level. Although she's seen me melt down over tofu, so I'm not sure how seriously I should take this compliment.

Anyhow, I made a green salad and we brought meat and cookies that housemom made (double chocolate with walnut...mmmm!), a tea/fruit drink, meat condiments and chips. The meal was very laid back and I had fun talking with the people there. The new houseparents (who are staying off-site right now) were also there, but I didn't actually talk with them at all. It's weird enough as it is, and I don't want to have to force an awkward conversation. Which, yes, is probably only awkward in my mind. I want to enjoy the time I have left with housemom and the kids. I can pretend that life as I've grown accustomed to (and love) will not be changing drastically in 3 weeks. Not for the worse, necessarily, but I'm sure it'll be different.

Afterward we went to the baseball(softball) game. It was late (of course), and the teams were heavily tilted. But my team managed to stay ahead most of the time and we ended up tying. Unfortunately, Beau wasn't back yet and missed out. However, it's a special weekend coming up for the families/siblings to come, and so there will be another game on Friday. This weekend I may not get a day off...

Today was a bit harried in the morning, getting cafe money set up and other small things - I still need to turn in my timesheet...But I got to the glass workshop on time. Soldering is definitely much different with an electric component and where you want to have a raised area of solder. With the jewelry making you wanted as little solder showing as possible, as you had to painstakingly file and sand down the seams of whatever was left. My highest compliment (from the male workmaster, who's pretty gruff but hilarious) was "Well, it isn't as bad as I expected", for which he earned a swat from his wife. It's a fun work environment. I also soldered my fingers (twice...talent...), which leaves a nice blister immediately. I shall try to refrain from repeating this in the future...

My piece needs a frame and a chain now, although I probably won't make the chain for a bit. We had 4 people at Stitch 'n Bitch tonight, and while the other two knitted, Bean helped me try to make my tomato planters. The burlap sewed up well, although I didn't know how heavy the soil (and water) would make it, so I half-expect to find my poor plant crushed tomorrow on the patio. Plus, the burlap lets all the water straight through, so I may need to double-line them? I will try to take a picture tomorrow...

Anyhow, I went out to lunch with Flo today, and we had a nice time at a Chinese restaurant in Millerton.We even got it MSG-free, always a plus. We had hoped to have some time to do other things, but they weren't exactly speedy. At least the food was pretty good. Always a fun time with Flo though.

Anyhow, that's about it...
Hope all is well,
Steph

Continuation

Hi all,

I'll just jump right back in to Wednesday evening: Cinco de Mayo. Earlier in the morning, Summer (the co-worker next door) had come over to borrow something and asked if I'd heard about the outing planned for the evening. She said: "You know, for 'something spanish'". I'd never heard the event before, and she said: "You know, it's Brazilian!".
"Oh, well, I know it's Cinco de Mayo...is it the equivalent in Brazil??" (Did they also win independence from France? Which I totally got told, so don't get too impressed!).
Summer's eyes widened as she did a mental slap.
"Ohmygosh. That's totally what I meant...what did I even say?"
I'm not sure, as I don't speak spanish or portuguese, but it was pretty funny.

Fast forward.

So, I'm piling into the 15-seater, and it's announced that we're going to a restaurant/club, but that it's a secret. The 10 dollar cover also turned out to be a secret. We ended up in Great Barrington in an authentic Mexican restaurant who were hosting an authentic Mexican band. The music was fun, the announcements in spanish (catching only "chicas...viva la Mexico...Americanos...senoritas...") and I enjoyed just sitting and taking it in. Have we mentioned Steph can't dance? (Well, a little waltzing and swing, if I haven't forgotten it...) Not that it stopped most of the rest of the group, who couldn't either. However, after being hounded by a determined Mexican (who was refused, as sobriety was questionable) and Polo, I finally caved. Humbling, as he refused to believe that I couldn't salsa and couldn't pick it up through osmosis. He then declared he'd bring in music on Friday. Thankfully, he forgot!

It was a later evening, but not too bad, and I did have a nice time.

Thursday I spent in the "Medicine Giver's" certification course. It's almost as thrilling as it sounds. Most of the terms were either already known to me, or obvious once explained. I'm sure it's a heck of a lot harder for non-English speakers though. We got out an hour early, and I snuck up to my room. I then spent the time before lunch with the youngest on the hammock talking about clouds: chiefly what they might taste like (coconut cotton candy??) and what would happen if he had a button on his knee that let him float: he'd climb up the tree and drop things on people. Very cute.

After lunch and rest hour I had to be back for the course, which lasted a mere hour. Because Polo was stranded at the co-op by himself, I took mercy on him and came by. Apparently, no one from the gardens came back - so Sam was a bit miffed to hear this. I certainly don't blame them though!

Friday came and I was super-busy in the kitchen. Yogurt, honey mustard dressing, a salad, from-scratch spaghetti sauce, bread, a rhubarb apple crisp (not planned...but impossible to pass up, right?!?), and noodles all got cooked within the 3 hours. I have to say I was pretty impressed with myself. I think our lunch guest was more impressed with the fact that I spelled his name right on the blackboard. (Poor German co-workers...).

During the rest hour, I drove out the library to pick up "Serenity" as I'd gotten Polo hooked on the dvds and I had also never seen it. It was great to watch, although I'm pissed that they killed off several of the major characters.

We got a delivery of about 900 dollar's worth of toilet paper = many trips up and down the stairs. So that was fun. Even more fun was the 60 pounds of honey that had crystallized in the container that was meant to pour out. So it got stuck in there after being neglected for several months by the workmaster and Polo. My artifact tool was highly effective for slicing it open most of the way, but it took some muscle work and Polo with a knife to get it 3/4 of the way open. Then I got to take the sludge out with a scoop and spoon - super sticky business that took me a good 45 minutes to get only 10 of the pounds out. Thankfully I have orientation on Monday!

Today was my day off and Bean knocked on my door at about 10. We'd made plans to go to a book sale at one of the local libraries. The books were priced good, and I picked up some favorites and a few new ones. Also a cowboy picture book for Beau, because he's been jealous of Franklin's books recently. That's what we're assuming, as he keeps taking them and ripping out pages. Not so cool, and Franklin gets really upset, as would I.

We got back at about 12:30 and I had the van at 2. Bean and I went to Hudson and made stops at one of the coffee shops where I picked some up for the house (the co-op orders through them, but we were out of a few types) and also got 15 burlap coffee bags. The lady behind the counter didn't seemed at all surprised by my request, and was intrigued to think I was going to try to use them for the tomatoes. The owner showed me their pile that was free to take from, and asked me to tell him if it worked. Though I think they'll slowly biodegrade, they should make it through the summer. Now I have a lot of work ahead of me with cutting them in half and making them into the bags. Plus hanging them somewhere...

Yeah. I'll let you know how that goes...

We made a few other stops and got home about an hour ago. All the villagers were out to dinner, and I ended up wowing Sam with my incredibly fattening "Eggs in a basket" which I turned into a sandwich version with sliced turkey and cheddar. Yum.

No plans for tonight except folding some laundry and a little room cleaning (yuck. day off fun?) and maybe some reading. A very nice day off.

Hope all is well,
Steph

Delinquent

Hi all,

I suppose it doesn't help to say that I feel a little bad when I don't post for several days? Anyhow, here's a conversational gem from tonight at supper:

Me: So, I took the children out today...and one died."
Sam: "Which one?!" (Staring pointedly at the 2 empty chairs at the table)
Me: "Oh. Not those children..."
Sam: "Ahhh."
*Hysterical Laughter*
Housemom: "Well, I didn't find it to be particularly funny..."
*Inappropriate Hysterical Laughter*

Of course, the children I meant were the plants I've been keeping in the "nursery" upstairs, with the running joke that they're ours. I'd completely forgotten that the two girls were still out catching sunnies and the slightly stricken and confused expression on Sam's face was priceless.

I hope that came across as funny.

Moving on.

Wednesday I had Bean and Indi (a co-worker I sadly don't get to see much, except in passing usually) for lunch. Wednesday is a vegetarian-friendly day in the house and I made mexican millet (of course - and on Cinco de Mayo - how fitting!) and some fried breaded tofu. We also had our two regular lunch guests (although one had told us he wasn't coming...whoops). However, Sam was out to lunch and housemom and the kids were late, so it was a manageable crew. It did become evident how much houses do things differently when, after the blessing, both Bean and Indi jumped out of their seats. It threw me for a second, and I had to pose a question. Apparently, most houses have more than one person dish up at a time. I suppose it would go faster. However, we serve out of a 70's style counter window, and so things would get a bit squished I think.

Lunch was a fun affair and both Bean and Indi left with Roma tomato plants. It was very sweet too, my favorite recurrent Wednesday lunch guest took great interest in my transplanting so I eventually asked her if she'd like a plant as well. Her face lit up and she came and rested her head on my shoulder for a moment, truly delighted. She proceeded to take the plant with her to the neighborhood meeting, and brought her co-worker into her room to show it off. Just one little plant...

The neighborhood meeting/support meeting were a lot more low-key than last week (boy, what a difference a week, sleep and no coffee and rooster make!). Afterward, the co-op was a nice and lazy afternoon.

Anyhow...I hate to cut this short, but I have an unrelated friend crisis that requires some support. I will continue this tomorrow.

Hope all is well,
Steph