Maggie and Deborah

These are my friends Maggie and Deborah. Maggie's the poodle. Deborah is a former colleague from Mount Vernon College, who now teaches at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. I stayed with them (and Deborah's husband Steve and son Luke) when I went up to speak at the College about GGRF. Maggie enjoyed taking us for walks.

Deborah and I also enjoyed ourselves at the talk and then hanging out at the Yoganine Studio, Store and Cafe for a couple of hours with Deborah's friend and RSCNJ colleague Laurie Greene, who owns Yoganine and is displaying GGRF art for us for a few weeks. It was all quite lovely.

On top of that we made some new connections, friends and money for GGRF.

On top of THAT, today is Deborah's birthday.

Happy Birthday, Deb!

Construction Update, Living Room

Sofa, rocking chair, Jim's chair and carpet all cleaned; coffeetable fixed and cleaned, bookcase fixed and cleaned; books, photos, small works of art, mementos, etc., returned to bookcase; several books, however, donated to the library...cleaned out the "stuff" as long as I was at it. No paintings rehung yet, but that's about all there is left to do. Whoo hoo!!

Construction Update, Diningroom

Furniture and several photos, etc., back in place; back door (finally!) varnished, two paintings rehung. One chair still needs fixing and the rest of the paintings need to be rehung.

Egads, I've Been Busy!

Developed a hand problem - palmar fasciitis - from all the cleaning we did after the big crash and had to get an MRI before I went back to NYC on the 28th to meet Carey, take down the exhibit at the Phoenix on the 29th and be with her for her tests and doctor's appts on the 1st and 2nd. We wore ourselves out and didn't get to do a lot of extra stuff, but managed a very nice Sunday at the J.P. Morgan Library and Museum so were happy about that.

We got back here by dinnertime on the 2nd, Jim picked us up from the Van Ness subway and we went immediately to dinner at the Parthenon. Wednesday Carey and I went to see the Hopper exhibit at the National Gallery and Thursday we saw "Wack" at NMWA. The Goofyone headed up to the cabin very early on Friday morning and Carey helped me start to get things back in order around here, most specifically carting books and chochkies for the bookcase back upstairs. We also rehung a couple of my paintings and then went to the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center in the afternoon. Sadly, I had to put her on the train back to Montana late Saturday afternoon. :(

Sunday was our annual Jocelyn Street Block party and it was a bit of work for me because I'm a block captain, but it was also a very lovely one so well worth it.

Trying to get more things back in order again today and get caught up with GGRF as well, but also had a long telephone interview with a reporter for the Richard Stockton University college newspaper about my talk there on the 18th and the simultaneous GGRF exhibit at the Yoganine Studio, Store and Cafe; and then with brother Charles about maybe coming out to do some of this other ceiling and plaster work for us. And Jim called to say he was leaving about 1:30, so will be home about 8 or so, I guess.

In the middle of all of this other stuff, I hurt my back again so that's bugging me and the old car needs to be taken in for its annual physical and to have either a new muffler or tailpipe installed....it's been sounding like a tractor again for a few days....so I'll drop it off tomorrow afternoon for its Wednesday appointment. Hopefully the check from the insurance company of the woman who rearended me in the Safeway parking lot a few weeks ago will cover it.

Everything seems to happen at once. I'm a little tahhred...