My Ruby

Don't ask me why, but I am trying to keep finger nail polish on my nails since my first ever manicure 3 weeks ago. For someone like me this is near impossible which explains why I have never done it before. My so supportive husband is very doubtful that I will be successful. "You scratch rubies!" was his comment.

TANGENT ALERT: a few years ago, we both noticed a scratch on the top of my engagement ring. While it was getting checked out by the jeweler, he told Rod that this could not be a ruby and that it must be a rubellite. Rod freaked out and had it assessed. It is a ruby. "Your wife is very hard on jewelry." said the jeweler.

BACK from the tangent: Both of my also supportive children independently said with questioning in their voices, "You are wearing nail polish, I don't think I have ever seen you with nail polish . . . "

Rod and I were walking back from town yesterday, and looking for the earring that Bethany might have lost the day before. "If we can find your ruby at Wilson's Farm, we can find anything." was Rod's comment

Twice is 2 years I lost my ruby. The first time, I knew where I lost it and the facilities engineer at Polaroid, ripped out the Sheetrock in the bathroom, where it had dropped, and brought it to me. The second time, I was on the phone, reached down to touch my ring and ONLY PRONGS. I had just been to Wilson's Farm (their old smaller farm stand) on a busy Saturday. Rod arrived home just at that time and Bethany ran down the front walk saying "Mommy is very upset".

We drove to Wilson's. I did not want to go in to look, since I knew it would be impossible to find it, so parked in front while Rod went in. He came out a few minutes later with the ruby cradled in his hand, just like the Polaroid engineer the year before. He found it just in front of the register I had used, just lying there on the floor. At that time, because I didn't want to be disappointed again, I said "I don't want to wear it anymore, because I don't want to lose it." BUT I cannot not wear it. We had it reset a few years ago, with higher prongs.

I am very lucky and very hard on my ruby. BTW, I also lost one of the diamonds in my ring, and found it as well. LUCKY!!!!!

Trip to the Library makes me laugh

So here is the ENFP version of a trip to the library which is very similar to another post on grocery shopping.

I am taking a trip and was there to get airplane reading. I had reserved the latest Nora Ephron, so was picking it up AND I had recently finished a book "Loving Frank" about Frank Lloyd Wright so I wanted to read more about him and when I walked by the children's section I realized that I have never finished the Lemony Snicket series, so took a detour through that section to find it and while there picked up a children's bio of Frank.

I also thought I would try the adult bio of Frank and it was near the travel section, where I wanted to pick up a travel guide for San Diego. While in the travel section I spotted a small book on Lake Champlain. With our recent purchase I figured this was good reading.

So, I left with 4 books, none related but all neurons that fired as I was wandering through the library. The picture of those 4 books on my front seat really makes me laugh, like the picture above of me, that kind of laugh.

Short and Long Goals on the Minuteman Bike Path

Yesterday on the bike path, I came across this thought. Some days I can set a very long goal for myself and know that I will have no trouble accomplishing it. For instance, today it is to the Bedford end and back. Other days I need little tiny milestones/goals. For instance, to Bedford Street, and then to Dow Ave, and then to Bedford Street again.

I was trying to figure this out last night as I was in the middle of a "little tiny milestones" bike ride. I always worry that I will get a flat and be stuck, and BTW, I have never gotten a flat, so this is just needless worry. When I am time constrained, I do the little tiny goals

I think some of this is that my iPod is broken, and that is such a nice distraction and makes me feel like I can ride forever, because the music will never stop.

So it is like life; isn't it all like life. Yesterday my little tiny goals were to get a birthday card, check out the pay tool, and remember to ask Esther to sign the 3 new hires in on Monday. And my long term goals for yesterday were to continue progress on virtual work project, get ready for all of the calibrations that are coming up, and patiently wait until I can get up to Coniston.

The Food Project in Lincoln

Bottom Line - GO VOLUNTEER



Today, a group of us from work, as a "We Care and Give Back" project spent the morning in Lincoln volunteering for The Food Project. You can read their mission on the website so I won't repeat it.



Whenever I do a WCGB project, I return to work with a new perspective. Priorities are seen in a clearer light.



Some of the statistics they told us about are pretty depressing:

• US has more prisoners than farmers


• Less than 1% (I think that was the number) of US are farmers

When did we lose this connection to the land? Why do we need to have food shipped from California, or worse, from Asia of Europe? Do we really need to eat strawberries all year round?

So many question, so few answers.

Anyway, go volunteer at The Food Project. You will be glad you did.

Vermont here we come . . .

OKAY, the excitement in our house is unbelievable lately. We drive up on Thursday night to go to our closing on Friday.

Both Rod and I are so ready to move there permanently that I wonder if we can condense the time period. In the meantime, we are going to spend every spare weekend minute up there.

I have been riding my bike every night up and down the bike path, getting myself in shape to ride the Burlington bike path, we have packed 20 boxes to take up there, we are planning which weekend to take the beds and couches up, bought new silverware, etc.

Some key questions around milestones will be:

• When will we be there enough to buy sheep and chickens?
• Will this be our Thanksgiving / Christmas house?
• Where is Rod's tree house going to be?
• What yarn and fabric stash should "live" in Vermont (already made the decision to bring my Featherweight up there)?
• Should I have 2 piles of books that I am reading, one in Vermont, one in Lexington?

Oh, the never ending questions??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Why Coniston?

It is unbelievable to me how connected Rod and I are on some things, and how disconnected on others.

I proposed a few weeks back, that we name our house in South Hero. I always love driving on Long Point and seeing on the name's of the camps. Gardiner Island was where we spent summers from 1964-1976 on Lake Champlain.

So after a few minutes, I said "How about Coniston?" to which he replied "That is what I was thinking."

He ordered a Vermont slate sign for the house already, which we don't own until Friday. I don't believe in jinxes . . .

Coniston is the name of the street that his house was on growing up in Heworth. It is also the name of one of the lakes in the Lake District.

It just fits!!!!!

Planting Petunias

So for a few years I have planted petunias. I am not a green thumb at all in fact I am a brown thumb. Plants die as soon as they reach our threshold. Once we were given a plant as a thank you from church and we tripped with it coming up our front stairs.

But, despite all of that, I buy petunias and plant them. Yes, I am an extreme sentimentalist. Mom always called me Petunia. I don't know where the nickname came from, and in fact don't even know if she is the one who started it, but when she was really affectionate with me, it was Petunia she used. Why did she call Ted, SAM? Why do I call Bethany, Bee or BEES?

So I bought them yesterday, along with some PINK geraniums, and they are sitting on our front patio, in the rain waiting to be planted. Sue is an artist, and when I told her the story about Mom, she painted me a picture of a single petunia. Should I take that picture to Coniston (The name of our house in South Hero, and material for a later post), or leave it here?

When I walk into the house, all summer, I see the petunias and they remind me of MOM.

This year, I picked out purple and pink varieties. They are a really cool range of colors.

Happy Spring!!!!!! Happy Petunias!!!!!!

Sally or Bethany?

This picture was taken in Colorado in our playroom. We put it recently in the album for Mummy's 77 birthday and every time I look at it I laugh again. Every time Rod looks at it, he marvels at how much Bethany looks like me. My aunt, who knew me at this age, always replied to our Christmas card, with "How is Ditto?"

Other exciting news, is that brother Mike and I are attending a deGanahl wedding the end of this month. George and Judy have been so good about attending these weddings but they are at Sarah's graduation from Madeira that weekend, so Mike and I decided to go. It is in Memphis Tennessee.