Purling Oaks

Friday's focus

I'm taking a day of vacation today.  Whoop!  Don't get too excited...today is full of chores and a massage (well, that's okay to be excited about) so my Saturday will be free to spend all day at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival!  I've signed up for a spinning class so I can learn to use my lovely Margaret Rose, um, more efficiently, yeah, that's the word.  I've signed up with Beth to help with the pre-ravelry Afterparty set up over in Rome.  Then it is fun at a fiber party!  I am looking forward to a very fun day and evening.

One of today's tasks is to take these garden lovelies and make them into sauce.   It will just be a basic sauce that I will bag up and freeze for use throughout the year.  I like to add shredded carrots to the sauce.  They add a bit of natural sweetness and other vegie goodness to the sauce.  I also have boatloads of basil to turn into some pesto but I'm not sure if I'll make my way into the basil patch today or not.

The drywall is being delivered right now.  After the rain we had all day yesterday, the ground is very mushy, so the big truck/semi is staying on pavement and the guys are hauling the drywall over the lawn.  All before 8 AM.  I know one trade that I'm not suited to, for sure.  I'm still enjoying my morning coffee. 

Reality check, please

I have to vent and maybe get a reality check. 

My contractor informed me on Tuesday that he discovered the electrical supply to our septic system was cut.  It has been for several weeks.  (okay, collective gasp)  However,.........he ran an extension cord out there and the tank that holds the liquids was pumped back down to normal level.  He told me he would take care of it.  His electrician won't be back on site for several weeks but he would run a cord.  It is a good thing I had started a temporary eating plan (a.k.a., diet) where sugar and other simple carbs are not allowed.  But I did find that my comfort foods include milk chocolate, big time.  End of the day, the electrical cord was disconnected since they were running it from the basement.

Wednesday, he and his crew were here working (doing great things, really) but no electric for the septic.

Today it is raining.  It is Thursday.   I haven't done any laundry or ran the dishwasher since Tuesday.  Fortunately, it is just me and the cats at home.   Yes, I know the tank held on for several weeks without the pump operating but that was when I was not aware of the problem.  Once burned, twice shy.  Besides, septic overflows are expensive and horrible when it is your house.

So, I called the contractor this morning.  I asked him when he thought he would get the extension cord run to power the septic.  His first answer was "Angie, you really have a lot of capacity left. You really don't need to worry about it."  (I'm still peeved when I type it.)  I conveyed to him that I believe the DH will not approve of this situation.  DH is a nice guy and very calm.  DH also has a lot on his plate right now and I don't want another item to fall in his lap.  I know he would resolve the situation himself without nagging the contractor.  He would just take several hours out of his weekend, drive to the big city to buy a humongously long extension cord to plug in.

So, at this moment, the extension cord is powering the septic tank from an outlet on the front porch. 

I'm very annoyed.  Should I be?  Was I right to nag follow-up with the contractor?  If the contractor would have failed to act today, I would have been obtaining the extension cord so it would be in place before my spouse returned home.  Was I worrying without reason?  I need a reality check.

To balance this out a bit......the construction/reconstruction really is coming along nicely.  Insulation of the addition and the basement was finished yesterday.  Now, they need an inspection and then the drywall guy can do his thing.  I think things may be a bit tight for the schedule but they look workable.

Holiday recap and a F.O.

What I did over my summer vacation Labor Day Weekend:

DH and I had a very nice four-day weekend.  On Friday, we both got haircuts, ate at the Indian buffet (YUM!!!), and shopped for ceiling fans and lights for the new construction and re-construction.     

On Saturday, I worked out, did a few productive things, then read for the rest of the afternoon.  Bliss with a book that required no brain cell bending.  I love to read and will read just about anything but this was perfect for the afternoon.

Sunday, the electricians showed up at a pretty early hour to start their part of the construction.  Sigh.  So, after a bit of breakfast and blog-reading, I took the Jeep down to Madison to do some grocery shopping and obtain things we cannot find at our local Piggly Wiggly.  Once I was back home, I started a new project and completed it today. 

The fabric is a dark red tencel that was 20% off at Gayfeather Fabrics a few weeks ago.  A simple top and a straight skirt were pretty basic to sew.  I pulled out my Featherweight sewing machine and tried to remember where I put my sewing skills.  *g*  No formal pattern but I copied an outfit I paid quite a bit for then had one of those V-8 moments.  *Hey*  I can make this myself!  And I did.  It will look great with a black jacket or the red shawl Stacey and I plan to knit together sometime. 

Today I also worked on the garden and divided the Florentine Iris.  For those of you who put your name in the hat earlier this summer for some rhizomes...expect a package within the next week or so.  For those of you who were too shy to speak up, let me know if you are up for some iris to add to your garden. 

For the week's *e* recap, I visited Curves three times this week, once in Ladysmith and twice at my "home" Curves. 

Fuzzle says......

.....you did what?!?!!!  (Isn't she cute?  DH says she looks a bit scary in this photo.) 

I'm definitely feeling better now that my work back-log has been dealt with today (finally!) and now there is just my normal to-do list.  No bets on whether the situation that led to it won't happen again.  However, now that I know the signs, I'll be watchful and try to head it off at the pass, so to speak.  I have no desire to repeat the mental malaise that accompanied the back-log.  Yes, it appears I have OCD, to some degree.  I'm back on the road to almost northern Wisconsin then home again for the long holiday weekend.  Once again, I'm looking forward to the drive, which often proves to be relaxing. 

The construction crew has been busy today but there is no photo-worthy progress.  A plumber did nick a water pipe with a drywall saw this morning but he took care of that situation very quickly.  So, I'm pretty happy NOT to have water photos to share this evening. 

Sunday's brat fry was fun and it was nice to see family even though it seemed impossible to have a good long conversation with everyone.  I am posting tonight since Aunt Jane needs new reading material.  (Hi, Aunt Jane!!)  You should have a blog, Aunt Jane, of your own.  Then I can read about your exploits.  I played a new game, Baggo, on Sunday.  It is certainly addictive, easy, and fun.  I'll have to put it on my wish list.  Anyway, I didn't get any knitting done on Forest Canopy since DH and I found time to just talk on the drive to and from the family event.  I cannot knit, count stitches in excess of 100 and talk at the same time, so I settled for the talk.  :D  

August scenes

To me, this scene illustrates late August.  The lawn is a bit crunchy under your feet, the sky is clear and blue, and if you look long enough, the humidity can make you feel cranky.  Okay, that last part isn't true about the photo, but it certainly is true about late August.  The weather, actually, has been quite nice for August since it has not been scorching hot and the plagues of bugs (box-elder) haven't started yet.  We could use a bit more rain, maybe an inch or two a week.  I'm trying to be careful in my request after June's record wetness and the results we are still recovering from. 

Speaking of, here is a recent photo of the outside construction.  The framing is finished and waiting for approval from the inspector.  After that, the electrician can start the wiring and the chimney for the wood stove can be installed.  I imagine some drywall should be starting soon, too.  The jack-o-lantern effect isn't quite so strong in person.  *g*  I'm thinking a tall trellis with a vine up the left side would be nice.  What do you think?

One of our apple trees didn't flower at all this year.  It was distressed last year and dropped lots of leaves.  This year the leaves look great but no flowers, so no apples.  That's okay, though, there's another apple tree in the orchard.  We don't spray nor did I remember to put out containers of my mother's recipe of vinegar and water in spring to catch the bugs before they found the apple blossoms.  However, there are a few good apples for us and plenty for the wildlife.

This week has been a bit much for me, physically and mentally.  I haven't been feeling 100%, I traveled to DC and back, and work has been piling on.  On the bright side, I did work out yesterday at Curves and I think I'll be caught up with the majority of the excess work by the end of the day on Monday.  I also made it through three rows of Forest Canopy on the plane Thursday before I fell asleep. 

Today we are heading east over to Pleasant Prairie for a brat fry with DH's side of our family.  I'll have some knitting time and it will be great to catch up with family.  Happy Sunday!

Quick update and a tummy

Just a quick post on the construction, etc.  Here's the view just a few minutes ago. 

There were a few cats hiding under the bed this morning with the saws started cutting into the roof.  DH and I considered joining them. 

Here's a gratuitous tummy shot:

Blue's tummy.  He's such a sweetie.

Exercise-wise, I went to Curves three times last week and on Saturday was certified for my little card key that will be my personal coach.  It will tell me if I'm working too hard or not hard enough and store all the information so I can compare my workouts over time.  Very cool.  I think.  (just kidding....it is cool but there can't be any loafing around with no accounting for it.)

No surprises

You Are 60% Boyish and 40% Girlish

You are pretty evenly split down the middle - a total eunuch. Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes. You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don't actively fight them. You're just you. You don't try to be what people expect you to be.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

Well, that is interesting.  (I found it at Teresa's blog.)  I'm not too surprised.  My parents encouraged me to be the best at any challenge, regardless of whether it was traditionally a male or female task.  Pretty forward thinking for raising a teen-ager in the 70's.  Thank you, Mom and Dad.

I'm certainly a tomato fan and my plants are just beginning to produce ripe fruits.  This morning I had garden tomatoes with a scrambled egg.  It was really delicious.  

I've had some requests for some, err, good photos of the construction.  Opportunities for, umm, good photos has been thin due to yesterday's rain as well as my absence from the construction site but here are a few photos of the current construction progress.

A full weekend ahead!

Whew!  Saturday, finally, but it will be a busy weekend.  In an hour or two, DH and I will be traveling up to the Fox Valley for a family reunion/Christmas in July August gathering at my aunt and uncle's.  The gathering was partially inspired by a visit from Oregon by my Great-Aunt Madolyn, the youngest of my paternal grandmother's sisters.  Her daughter, Kathy, is traveling with her.  Kathy is a weaver so I'm especially looking forward picking her brain seeing her at the gathering.  I'm bringing this dish to pass.  I used corkscrew pasta shapes and added some celery for crunch, an extra tomato, and, for the onion, I chopped half of a small red onion and three large scallions.  I love this salad but can't make it at home or I'll eat it ALL.

Sunday will be full of chores, packing out the basement, and some work-work, if I can stand it.  I know the work pace will slow a bit in about 2 weeks when I have a week-long conference in D.C.  I may even be able to catch up with the excess stuff, if I plan it right.  /sigh.  My scheduler (an actual real person) is new at the job and is still getting the hang of it.  Too many things to do, too few people.  Something has to change or my level of sanity will change.  heh.

We have progress on the construction.  Permits were secured.  Footings have been poured.
 

The next day more concrete was poured.  Yesterday, they back-filled so the hole in the ground is gone.  I imagine the actual floor will be poured Monday.  Pretty soon....framing!

Basement packing and a summer Sunday dinner

Thank goodness for meals that require very little effort!  This afternoon, DH and I started the packing and hauling of our basement stuff to our garage.  We need to do this to give the construction guys room to work in the basement and to keep our "stuff" relatively clean and dust-free.  Yes, Artemesia's fleece is safe and sound.  We'll be working on cleaning out the basement for a few more weekend days.  I hope we have enough room in garage for everything!

Dinner was Willy Street Co-op spinach dip with corn chips as an appetizer/vegetable course.  Then we had smoked salmon with vinegar cucumbers (the first recipe at Amy's) The smoked salmon meal is an assemble it yourself dish.  I placed some salmon on a sesame cracker with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of sour cream and horseradish mixed together.  We like it a bit heavy on the horseradish.  Yum.  We first had this appetizer/course at a bar in Houghton, Michigan (in the Upper Peninsula.)  DH asked me to point out that freshly smoked lake trout is especially outstanding for this dish but this salmon was very good.  The cucumbers are very crisp, simple, and delicious, as well as a very nice compliment to the smoked fish.

Our third and last course will be was beef filet chunks sauteed with whole garlic cloves and fino.  The last recipe is from Penelope Casas.  All of the servings are relatively small for each course.  (I had to mention that since I'm going to talk about exercise in the next paragraph.)

I'm going to summarize my exercise efforts every Sunday and spare you all the rest of the week.  This week, I worked out at Curves every week day (skipping the weekend).  Two workouts were at my "home" Curves in a nearby small town and the other three workouts were in West Bend which has a larger Curves facility and is a bit more professionally decorated.  On Friday I heard that the "home" facility has been sold to a new owner.  I'm hoping the overall atmosphere will improve.  Of course, the atmosphere really shouldn't matter, should it?  I'm there for the workout.  Just for the workout.  I have to remember that and not let other matters interfere with my goal. 

Ack.  I said goal.  It is a reasonable goal but not an easy one either.  It is also an interim goal.  I won't be devastated if I don't reach it by my birthday but I hope I am relatively near it by the time November shows up.   I would be quite happy to weigh what I weighed when I was married a bit over eight years and two dress sizes ago.

Thursday's status

It turns out there *is* a frost wall after all.  Progress is paused for a day or two to wait for the building permit to arrive.  Yes, my eyebrows are raised.  However, this is the country and I'm not yet in tune with the flow of administrative documents. Overall, things are going well and we are ahead of schedule.  ::knocks on wood::

Passing clouds.  I thought some rain might appear but so far, no wetness.  I'll have to water the garden tomorrow after I pick the beans.  Speaking of vegetable gardens.....my tomatillo plant is not setting fruit.  Do I need two plants or am I just being impatient?  The little Fairy Tale eggplant plants are working hard.  I plucked one lovely little fruit and there looks to be many more in my dinner future.

I was a bit on the crabby side this evening but playing in the garden helped relieve the mood.  I did work out before driving home.  I'm beginning to feel some fatigue but that is okay.  I think the fatigue is more work/mental rather than physical.