6/29/07

Wednesday, June 27, 2007—looking out my back windows to the Tunk Stream pond –a HOT hazy day in Maine—RARE!!


Dear family ones all---

Whoohoo!! On Merm’s computer at last!! The cretins with 2-digit IQ’s sent the missing powercord pronto…(for those of you who don’t know, Andrew Bennett picked up the computer from repair last week and sent it to me, but the store did not give him the power cord that goes with the computer…..duh…so I called them yesterday and said I was a doctoral student without a computer and they had better send it ASAP, which they did.)

Although I am loaded with work to do, I have been waiting to be on this computer to be able to write a letter to you all to catch you up on Maine.

I arrived here the 8th, after three long days of driving in my PACKED Honda with cat and Lily crammed in the front passenger space. I had with me a very cute drop-leaf table and 4 leaves, a gorgeous vanity and large round mirror (fully 36” in diameter), lamps, rugs, pillows, bedding ( two eiderdowns, covers, electric bedpad and blanket), table linens, pots, pans, books, dishes, dishes and more dishes and decorative items, five folding chairs of different kinds, 4 tote bags of clothes and one of shoes (no room for suitcases) and 7 ( count them SEVEN) briefcases and bags of files and references. Plus jammed in the back I had camping “e-qvipment” –inflatable mattress, bedding, single burner camp stove, tent, and minimal food and prep stuff.

After leaving my pretty apartment in Wausau with newly planted gardens all around in the hands of neighbors and Anna G’s friend Jan, I drove from 1 PM to 9:30 and got as far as the Sault Ste. Marie (known to all in Michigan, Canada and Wisconsin as simply the “soo” (Sault is pronounced soo). I found a gorgeous state (Michigan) run camp ground that cost $8/ night and was on the shore of Lake Superior and had only camping trailers besides me. I gleefully figured out how to put up the tent and mattress etc., took a walk in the dark with Lily to explore a bit—and then it started to rain—there went plans for a hot dinner. I stuffed cat and dog and food and clothes in the tent—poor animals were FREAKED out by rain pounding on the tent—Lily –a tick anyway—would not even let me go to the car right next to the tent without barking wildly—in a campground that was quiet as a proverbial cemetery… sigh.

I kept my chin up and set up the bedding—but found I did not have enough—and shivered in the damp and cold all night. Lily was wild to go out at 6 AM –so I gave up and decided to strike camp and get on with my trip. Everything was wet ( not bedding –except damp from surrounding air)—but rain held off for a couple of hours and I was able to partially dry the tent while I tried out my little burner and my Italian coffee pot, which worked like a charm.

Whether or not the border would be easy to cross had worried me for literally weeks—and I made the large tactical error of applying for a Wisconsin driver’s license just a few days before I left—only to find out that TSA has made our lives even more complicated by delaying delivery of licenses by 10 days while they check you out. I argued like crazy that I was going to be crossing the border and driving all over and the receipt they gave me for a license would not be enough, but of course it is like arguing with a bronze statue. I also had the foresight to get the animals vaccinated and get the appropriate papers, and to find out from Geico that the papers I had telling me I had insurance was sufficient for Canada. To my pleasant surprise, the Canadians were happy enough with my passport (still in the name of Lovrien Schwarz) , looked at my papers for the animals and waved me on with a smile.

Driving in Canada was both wonderful and awful—wonderful because I had never been in that part of Ontario and found it enchanting—rivers and lakes and mountains in the distance—very pretty—and lots and lots of gorgeous waysides—everyone on a beautiful body of water of some kind. Awful because highway 17, which is pretty much a straight shot from the Soo to Montreal, is 2-lane—with the addition of passing lanes every 8- 10 KM—and plagued with trucks and it passes through every GD town in central and eastern Ontario, too.

We got to the west side of Montreal, bypassing Ottawa, and again it was very late—I had stopped often to let dog AND cat out—cat on a harness and leash, though she is too arthritic to do much running—and to eat and get coffee because I was dead tired from stress and not much sleep…..I had decided after a rough night of camping to bag camping and find a motel—easier to let out the animals and get a hot shower without Lily going wild outside the shower house.

I had gotten AAA travel information on Ontario, but it was not much help with motels where I was, so I turned off the road and went to the first thing I saw—the Hotel Capri—Capri it was NOT……an east-Indian run dump of a place—but I asked the manager if he took animals and he hesitated a minute and said, “Sure, why not? Can I put you in a smoking room at the back?” It was—location wise—perfect –just a few feet from the back door of the hotel, which opened to a weedy parking lot and empty lot next door—Lily heaven.

But the room—let’s see—two beds of different sizes with different covers, two TV’s on a Home Depot folding table—one for games one for snowy local stations—IF you could match remotes and plug in the right TV…huge mirror in bathroom—5 feet by 3 at least—coming off the wall and wedged in behind the sink counter at a scary angle, one bulb of 5 in the lights over the sink, rusty toilet….but he took animals…and we all slept much better.

The third day was much easier—for having slept-- I still had cereal and milk and made my own coffee on my burner in the bathroom—greatest idea since I don’t know WHAT!! Off we headed through AWFUL roads and construction around Montreal to a gorgeous highway in high hills in southern Quebec Province and then headed past lovely little towns to New Hampshire. I stopped in one town in Quebec at what looked like an ordinary IGA to get some lunch stuff—and it was at least as good as Whole Foods—only with French/Quebecois goodies like paté, unusual yoghurts, etc. I loaded up! (no veg, though—border ahead…) Once again getting knots thinking about the border, I was seriously surprised—I crossed at a TINY little station with one lady in charge—she glanced at my passport and said “Welcome back” and did not even look at the animal papers……if anyone wants to smuggle in anything—might want to try there……

Now we were on seriously 2-lane roads winding, and I do mean winding, through a corner of New Hampshire and then on into Maine—passed Dixon Notch then Grafton Notch and miles of rivers, lakes, and deep, remote forest. It felt like a foreign country—soon arrived at Route 2, which comes to 95 below Bangor and finally were on the home stretch—arrived at 8:30-still broad daylight—to a yard with waist-high grass and things just as I left them—so many familiar things!!

I had already made arrangements to meet my friend Anne at the bakery first thing Sat. AM—so Lily and I walked down there – about ¼ mile—and then to the bakery-another ¼ mile—where we met the whole neighborhood and had great coffee and organic blueberry squares. Everyone knows the Fishes, so saying I was Jason’s mother-in-law always brought smiles. One man told me Jason had worked for him for several summers.

Then it was off to Milbridge—the next sizeable town up the highway—to the organic farmers’ market. How to describe the little gathering of about 6 vendors—in tie-dye, overalls, long hair, unshaven arm pits, children with blond dreads or just plain unkempt hair…..named Oceana and Blue and Sky —selling EXPENSIVE goat’s milk cheese and yoghurt, maple syrup, handmade castile soap, rugs made from hand raised sheep—(rugs started at $1,000…..) organic herbs and vegetables, etc. …It was hard not to imagine that these were all children of solidly middle class homes in Boston, NY, Chicago, etc who chose to “live natural” –it was 1968 in the flesh….not one was a native Mainer and the natives do not buy there—but there are enough people “from away” now to support them.

As Mormor would say—“each to his own, said the old lady as she kissed the cow…”

On to the newly expanded Bayside Supermarket—which puts every Wisconsin super market to shame with its variety and carefully chosen selection of goods—also chosen with the people from away in mind—great wine, organic fruits and vegetables, great cheeses, premium meats, etc—and lots of choices of high fiber bread, to my joy.

Needless to say, once I got the groceries home, I pretty much collapsed! Lily and I went down to dinner at Anne’s—she is yet another splendid soup maker (how do I fall on them—Mary, then Laura, then Anna Gresch, now Anne??) --and enjoyed fresh corn, my bread from the fancy store in Quebec, goat’s milk mozzarella balls in oil with basil and garlic, and some soup sort of like pho—yum!!

The next few days were spent getting stuff out of the car and getting a room ready for Anna and Jason, who were due the 14th on their way to Jason’s sister’s wedding. I had to go shopping at Marden’s—remember Marden’s you guys????? (it’s one of those job lot stores—we shopped there in island days) Heaven—got all kinds of things on my list for the house—tools, kitchen stuff, pint, garden tools, and a new mattress-=-the one here is pretty awful. Then it was off to Providence, where I stayed with Lisa and she took in Lily while I continued on to DC—that chapter you all pretty much know about. The best part—other than Babbo’s and my outing to a wonderful production of Pirates of Penzance—was that the school where I have been consulting reported that they were extremely pleased with my work and the effect of it and they want me back for next year, which puts me in DC about every two months.

I drove to Providence because Lisa had offered a futon for the house—but once I looked it over, I realized it was huge and gainly and there was no place for it, really. So back to Boston, where, as I had privately plotted, I hit the big three in Brookline: Clear Flour Bakery (got about 2 weeks worth of bread and morning buns—and some of that fruit spread I had longed for and never tried) then on to Cheap Chic, the best second hand furniture and furnishings store in the east, on Harvard at Brighton Ave, where I found a great bookshelf, ironing board and blender—not having the futon was the key here!!—and then to TJ’s on Beacon—the HOME TJ’s. Passed Dwight with great longing—what a great apartment.

Got in late Sat the 16th and realized Anna and Jason had never made it—turns out there had been an air traffic controller slowdown on the 14th and they sat for hours in three different airports and spent the night in Portland instead.

It has been a busy time since then—ALL the Fishes—well, all here in Maine—6 plus Anna--came for dinner for Yassa---got to use my cute new table—except that when I went to open it, one half fell over because it was not fastened to the leg mechanism… spent 45 minutes on my back putting it together—but later had to redo the entire mechanism. But I got to use all the Hadley and Babbo’s stem glasses he gave me, and the Dansk silver ware and candle holders from Anna Gresch—it was great!!! I did the yassa the day before—something like 6 pounds of chicken—and there was not an onion piece left!!

I had dinner at the Fishes twice, too—lots of fun to have the big family meals. Anna and Jason spent one night here—Jason was too long for the antique bedstead—Anna stayed one more night and then moved to the Fishes. She enjoyed the gorgeous vanity and she and I got to do one day of junking together--- we went further north to Cherryfield –about 20 miles from Steuben-- and found a pretty, tiny antique and art shop in an old bank building. The shop was being minded by an elderly gentleman who turned out to be a neighbor here in Steuben along with his partner—he was Frederic, the other is Richard—of course they have one of the cutest houses and by far the most beautiful garden!! Transplants from Virginia. Anna and I found two other wonderful junkier shops, where, Jules, we can find many dishes etc. for your future store!!

Last week, the new friend Agnes- the one who has property near me and whom I met in New Jersey when there with Laura in Feb. 06 and with whom I came to Maine last summer and found my house—came up last week with her daughter, Annette, to their new house—a prefab cape cod –cute as a button—which sits out on the point of the wharf road. Agnes is 80+ but a ball of fire—runs a literacy program in Ocean County, NJ—her daughter is in her 50’s—very nice 5th grade teacher who works in a greenhouse in the summer. We hung out all last Saturday—bakery, then booksale in Milbridge supporting the library, then antiquing—I introduced Agnes to Richard and Frederick—then lunch and they came for dinner here—chicken korma with that amazing sauce from TJ’s.

Other neighbors, Steve and Linda, are from Maryland—Frederick—and have had us ( me, and then Agnes and Annette) in twice for wine and cheese and a look at their amazing 200 yr. old house with original fireplaces, double staircases and views to kill for down the cove. They are redecorating in high “rich” style—deep reds and creams, oriental rugs on dark floors, library lined with fancy books and leather furniture. They have two of the unruliest dogs imaginable—a boxer and a setter—both just 6 months old—Lily HATES them!!

And last night I had Anne and her two little kids, Hattie (6) and Beckett (9), in for more yassa. (Dad was at a school board meeting.) They ate like there was no tomorrow—corn and salad and rice and chicken—ice cream and nectarines for dessert. They are cute kids—even if they have been raised in full “natural’ style- never disciplined, never apart from parents—literally—and Beckett and three other 4 year olds were present at Hattie’s birth… in a tub of water in the middle of their living room. I paled….Beckett is in public school this year because they couldn’t afford the Waldorf-type program where he had been—he was not, says his mother, “introduced to reading yet” at the Waldorf school—which caused considerable consternation at the public school when he started second grade essentially illiterate…..their house is built entirely of recycled material and they have their own solar power-they are entirely “ off the grid”—in more ways than one…. Anne now has a conventional job running the adult learning program in Sumner, down the coast—she has lived all over—a long time in Sri Lanka, where her parents were educators, I think, and in eastern Europe. She is really interesting—and a fun friend.

(WOW—here I sit in the middle of nowhere in downeast Maine and in three days I have had three special deliveries from UPS and FedEx (computer, its cord and a contract)—the neighbors must be puzzled….)

(And more Maine-only news—three people killed when they collided with a moose—and another vehicle attempting to avoid it….I have yet to see a moose—Linda ( neighbor) said she saw a moose cow and calf last week across the cove from them)

So--- Maine is FUN—social and gorgeous. Every morning Lily and I walk down to the wharf road, past Agne’s house, and observe the state of the tide—dead low in the days when we first arrived, now high-- the shore is muddy here so it is hard to walk at low tide, but the bubble sea weed is everywhere, and the sea lavender is just getting ready to bloom ( remember Jane Braun collecting it on the island?)

Yesterday I heard a lot of laughing and screaming just below the house and Lily and I went down to see what was going on. The wonderful family next door, the Martins, were all ) Mom, dad, 12 yr old son, 14? Yr old daughter, 6 yr old daughter) down at the stream and pond—son Tylor and littlel girl and dad were swimming and throwing sticks for their gorgeous big black lab, Tunk. Mom and older girl sitting on huge wonderful rocks in the rapids. It was a lovely afternoon and the view down the cove was amazing. The bald eagle was hovering in the tree near by ( I am just listening to a report from Maine Things Considered that the Maine bald eagle is about to be taken off the national endangered species list—429 nesting pairs were sighted this year) – right out of Norman Rockwell

Today Lily and I walked around on Roger’s Point, which is the point past the Fishes—it sticks out facing east and west and has little satellites which are islands at high tide—I love to walk around them at low tide because they are so reminiscent of the island—tall pines and grass surrounded by rocky beaches and ledges of granite covered with that bubbly seaweed,- beaches crunchy with mussel shells and snails and broken clams and those little conch-looking shells the seagulls eat--boats everywhere—it is a fun place. There were several people there today because it is so hot—everyone was cooling off. Three ladies were up to their knees in the water—I asked if their legs were numb—one said, “Well, if you stand in one place a few minutes you can stand it” – remember that feeling at the island??? Only the crazies swim in the ocean!!

Needless to say I have been gardening, too. I have discovered a few plants here—but have had to re--dig beds—I did the one in front of my house and put in hostas, which I harvested in DC in March—poor things flew to Wisconsin in a suitcase, then sat in bags for weeks and weeks and then got sent to Maine in a box because they couldn’t go to Canada—they are slowly recovering. I painted the window boxes fresh black and put in impatiens and put boxes of flowers on my little deck along with rail pots with herbs—it is even better than Wisconsin in being so handy!! I have wonderful new friends from up the highway toward Milbridge who come to mow and they are going to help me rototill the gardens because I am sick of sod busting. Then I will transplant irises, daisies and roses—LOTS of roses. I have so many plans for here—but will do like the island for now—plant things that will survive on their own. Lupines grow wild all over here, so I have several already—and a fat bed of blue flags –small irises – I used to gather them with golden daylilies for grandpa’s birthday bouquet—never missed a year while they were on the farm—except when I was in Africa.

Moving in completely is taking a long time—I keep opening boxes with more treasures in them. The egg cabinet is all arranged—but seems twice as full as I remember. I decided to paint the little room that will be my office and another guest bedroom—it has planets around the top of the walls—not my taste—and I got a piece of indoor outdoor dark red carpeting, so furniture will sit more easily—the whole house leans this way and that,--the office sinks to the middle, so the office chair rolls downhill—will have to move the secretary…;) I am also working on the mudroom, which is quite spacious—but now full of gardening tools and camping stuff—I got plastic shelves for storage and will put up hooks. I gleaned two porcelain door knobs off an old door in the hopes of creating a coat rack like I saw in Santa Fe—all made of old door knobs—very chic.

–Oh, and Babbo—tell Mohammed that the sideboard he rescued for me is up and functioning and looks VERY nice. I was able to replace one leg and put a square of wood under the corner that is not visible in the room. I got shelving and brackets to put up the Robin Lovrien memorial shelves, that I have in every house I live in—over the sideboard. Anna and Jason can attest to the way everything seems to fit right in and look great in this house. Everyone has commented on how homey it looks already. I polished one brass table and am contemplating the other……and the wooden box shelves—Julie,, do you remember those from your childhood at Farragut Street? --look great in the living room/ In the interest of the shabby chic look, Anna has forbidden me to stain them so they would look newer---they are full of the usual artifacts—shells, boxes, iron pieces, the Haitian angel, that iron candlestick thing, books, games, African pottery….you know….

I have been going to the local libraries to get on the computer—Steuben has a nice, tiny library literally up the street from my house—it has only one computer but free wireless, so I will be there a lot now that I have Merm’s computer. I have also gone up to Milbridge, which has a tiny library in a terrible, run down crowded building housing the town offices among other things. It has four computers that are hardly ever in use so I can stay there a long time (Lily permitting). I asked the librarian why they were there, and as any librarian can relate, I am sure, she told me the whole long sad story of Milbridge locals basically not wanting to pay for a library because they don’t think they need one. Beatrice Fish told me the Steuben library suffers from the same attitude—it is the people from away who are increasingly supporting the libraries.

I also went down to Ellsworth yesterday—it has a grand, newly renovated library in a beautiful old house on the Union River—but limited time on the computers…Ellsworth reminds me of Georgetown—shops like “ Seaglass Creations, The Plot Thickens ( garden shop, of course) The Bookshelf and Cleonice—a FABULOUS tapas bar—plus one of the world’s BEST kitchen shops—money is a wonderful thing.

Speaking of money--- I have three –no, five—wonderful contracts (haven’t heard from the dissertation grant application yet) and will be able to pay for my credits as soon as I can submit them!!! AND < I will be able to buy myself a laptop at last—One of my contracts is to create and facilitate an online course!! I am so excited about that—and I have an invitation to a conference in Dallas in early August—I HATE Dallas in early August—but it is good money—and I will get to see the Lovrien boys, I hope. ( I am hearing that Texas around Austin is about to float away—poor people—they don’t know what water is……)

But to get this $$ I have to spend a lot of time writing and researching—thank you MOOMIE, for letting me use your computer to get started. It will give me good focus to be able to work at home—then run up the street to connect to the internet and send things and check e-mail. I have to balance work and house stuff—my carrot. I work 4-6 hours and then launch on some project or other.

Kitty Baby is loving this house—she sleeps in the sun and climbs the stairs to perch on my feet. Lily loves Maine a lot---she gets to be out a lot—though there is no fence yet—we can walk in lots of places where she can be off leash. The only hard part is that she will not be apart from me without hysterical barking. I finally decided to leave her at home rather than leave her in her cage in the car—it is cooler and she might as well suck it up. I am missing a water dog, though, and may decide to get her a spaniel companion. I miss Tessie to this day.

Well—I am trying your patience, I am sure—but it is hard not to have anyone to share all the fun with. Write me---all of you—and come when you can. I was due for visits from the Bennetts, but they didn’t come and Lisa can’t come because she is waiting for hip replacement surgery. Gresches ARE coming at the end of July. Except for this week, it is usually cool and lovely here—have only slept WITHOUT a duvet one night!! The huge bullfrogs across the street in the tiny pond croak me to sleep…

Oh –forgot to tell you about the newest suitor—a navy veteran in the assisted living house next door—he is so lonely—Lily and I stop and talk and now he says he is looking for a mate, should I be interested……he is fat and unkempt ( I am talking dried snot on the nose…) but may clean up nice—I promised him we could go to eat somewhere sometime—no cost to being nice to him. He brought me a lobster last week—made great lobster salad…..:))

Love, Mama.

6/12/07

Merm-- so glad you sent this-- this is my first chance at a computer ( at the local library down the street from my house-- god bless libraries!!) and I haven't read the blog yet, but will do so. NO I have not heard from the Apple people-- will call before I go down to Provi tomorrow.

To all: Maine is beyond sublime. I will have a very hard time leaving here, for sure. I have already spent great time with my friend Ann, who lives down the road 1/4 mile and who runs a county literacy prorgram nearby. We have been to the local organic bakery for breakfast with the entire wider community, shopped at the local organic farmers' market( read seriously HIPPIE and expensive farmers of wool, goats, beef and pigs who turn those things and their by-products into wildly expensive "natural" products while looking like they are living in 1968-- no lie. Needless to say they are ALL from away, and none of the locals actually shop at that market....) and had dinner with her adorable 6 year old Hattie while husband Bob and son Beckett were away fixing up rental cottages Bob's family owns. Then I had wine and snacks with another neighbor closer==she and her husband moved here from Marlyand last summer. All these people are of course PLU in the sense of being connected to outside affairs and not being flaming right wingers, which some of the locals are. However, the locals have been great too--particularly my next door neighbor Joan who gets the Angel of the Year award for looking after my house and sending her kids over to help me carry things. etc.

My house it just perfect-- now sort of topsy turvy as I try to place the newest load of candles, dishes, linens, lamps etc --most from Anna Gresch--

Yesterday I shopped at Mardens-- oh bliss oh joy-- and found many wonderful things I had on my must have list-- such as can opener, measuring tape, level, kitchen scrub brushes and a MATTRESS. The one that was left to me would be less comfortable than an Alpine slope....

We have had hot weather interspersed with the usual Maine showers=-- it is a lovely time of year here-- green and full of wildflowers. Lily and I take regular walks down the wharf road nearby to look at the beach at high tide low tide and inbetween tides. We also go to the point of the peninsula--about 3 miles down--where the little coastal islands look JUST like our island area.

I do hope you can one by one come and enjoy the house soon-=Merm, it will be more than ready for you and a crowd to enjoy in the fall.

Jules and Babbo--doesn't Moomie's message make you want to see East Africa? I just can't imagine how interesting it must be. Sounds like the adjustment time has been good, Moom. I mean getting used to a so much slower pace and type of life-- THAT is pretty much the same all over Africa, from what I know and hear about.

It is wonderful you are staying with M'Kaya's aunt--what a great set up. I wish like crazy I was there with you.

Must get to my work for now --don't want to hog this computer. More very soon all-- Love you Mama.

8/6/08

Hi fam--- just thought I'd catch you up on some Mom news and hope I get a couple e-mails in reply. Mir and I have talked, but Jules is thin on news and Babbo must be awfully busy-- I have listened to the sublime CD three times and LOVE it-- I LOVE how great it LOOKS too!! Karen reported you had sent one to them and maybe they listened to it last weekend before Davey returned to Qatar--but maybe not....this weekend is the big move for Chris--out of Boston, back to Pittsburgh. I was thinking this morning how all of that has meshed nicely with Miriam's needing a place to stash stuff and to inherit some furniture/stuff for her apt.

THe Scottie tile is up in my kitchen, and the Greyfriars Bobby card is on the bulletin board over my desk. Thank you SO much!!!

Laura has been out of town for a full week and we are struggling to figure out how our working relationship will actually WORK, so meantime, I have decided to have more of an non-Laura-focused life. ( ha, you all say, but it is true)

Two weekends ago Lily and I went to Newark, OH, where there are some of the oldest and biggest earthworks of prehistoric peoples in the US-- we climbed around on the one that has public access--the other, more magnificent one is actually an f---ing golf course-- so public can only look at it from afar-- we are talking circles fully 1500 feet in diameter with walls rising 50 feet above the bottom of the moat on the inside of one-- the other, at the golf course, is two very large structures--one a circle that from above looks like a balloon with a neck-- where the neck of the balloon is, there is a barrier mound whose purpose has never been determined, but some time ago, someone figured out that the orientation of the neck is to where the moon rises in midsummer. The other structure is called an octagon-- it is about two city blocks long and one and half wide -- the octogon part comes from the fact that the long sides are made up of two parts that are pushed slightly outwards at the middle of each long side- like as if you made a rectangle with matchsticks--two to a short side and four to a long side and just pushed out the ends of the match sticks at the middle of each side -- it makes eight sides, but not in the usual shape of an octagon. The purpose of that one is not known--- These earthworks were part of a complex that was FOUR MILES SQUARE originally-- or at least the remains mapped in 1837 were still 4 miles square. They were built around 2,-000 years ago!!!!

(((OMIGOD I JUST DISCOVERED A WONDERFUL THING!!! i ACCIDENTALLY ERASED ALL OF THE ABOVE AND HAVE NEVER FIGURED OUT HOW TO RETRIEVE IT--THEN THOUGHT THERE MUST BE A KEYBOARD COMMAND FOR UNDO TYPING==AND THERE WAS!!!!! WHew!!!)))

In the white man's usual wonderful respect for native cultures, there was a GD canal built RIGHT THROUGH the mounds that made long roadways into these earthworks in the mid 1800's--and now most are gone --first into farms, then into suburbs. Friday Lily and I were walking along a gorgeous trail along the Olentangy River, (known to students as the Olendingy) and there was a huge sort of serpent mound at the edge of the park between a neighborhood and the playing fields-- not labelled, but once you see them, they are unmistakable.

There is something awful to me about how little attention these get--they are as magnificent as any prehistoric structures we've ever clambered over anywhere---I am on a mission to see as many of them as possible. Lily loves that ,too!!

And speaking of Lily. -- LILY SWAM!!! She wades right out into streams and rivers--no plunging like spaniels do, but she LOVES water--and when she slipped off a rock the other day, she actually swam a little ways back to where she could stand in the water...Housetraining is coming along-- almost always outside==but she doesn't yet ask---I have to be sure to run her out.

She is SO full of puppy energy-- playing is a serious undertaking. The house is a total mess of toys-- plastic bottles ( they crackle nicely) big plastic cups ( ditto) , shoes, her gorilla from Julie, rope toys, a lobster hook ( from a lobster claw she found in Maine) etc.-- she will NOT eat dog treats of any kind. Her best treat is Baby's cat food-- the wet stuff-- and if I am not fast, instead of standing in the kitchen to eat it, where she will get yelled at and spanked, she now grabs the bowl and runs into the dining room or outside-- little so and so. She is VERY leggy now ( I know, I know--pictures-- soon--this week-- I promise) -- and looks like a colt that is half grown-- she has little size-- just legs-- and the cutest little goatee you ever saw!! NOt much poodle as yet-- still looks pretty Pom--but it is coming-- she is shedding baby hair like crazy-- I am hoping she will be sort of curly like "Tunia was.

Last weekend we went to Pittsburgh-- Karen LOVES Lily ( but Chris says no dog with Poo or Doodle in the name!!) so we have good time there. Karen and I saw two movies -- Inconvenient Truth and Lady in the Water(which is weird, but interesting if you give yourself over to it) -- and ate lunches out and Davey cooked dinner. He was pressed to convert the computers in the house before Chris returned--and I got a cast off Mac Tower and all component parts-- G 4 with updated hard drive. I got a new table for it and it is now my doctoral work computer only. YAY!!

This weekend I went to the Ohio State Fair--nothing like what I remember the Wis.State Fair as being-- a major event in my childhood years--but fun-- there were lots of shows of various kinds-- rodeo, dogs ( Babbo there was a two-year old Basset female who was a demo dog in the obedience show!!!!), comic, bands, cloggers-- the latter were the doing in of me. I sat there looking at these mostly out of shape senior citizens in too-tight navy shorts and T-shirts from their club who clog in white shoes to blues music--- many had serious CRS issues--never quite in step--and I was GRATEFUL that my daughters were not there next to me or we would all have wet our pants. It was just CLASSIC midwest--the whole scene.

I dragged up and down the midway past fast food that would kill off healthy elephants-- fried everything in giant sized portions-- and gave in only for kettle popped popcorn ( I have lost 7 pounds in two weeks and am not about to interrupt that!!) -- but I was really beat-- it wasn't too hot, but my right leg is killing me--( I pulled a hamstring skating in Providence after Julie left town and it has been getting worse instead of better-- I have an appointment Tuesday to get a referral to PT. ) Anyway, the fair was nice-- the only thing I bought was a super deal on ........OXYCLEAN!! Girls, you may not know or remember that state fairs are one of the prime sites for hawkers like you see on infomercials-- and they always offer a " right now at the fair only" deals-- so I got Miriam laundry supplies for a year!!

Doctoral work was my goal for August and I have made excellent progress on sorting out sources I had lumped in crates when I moved so I can finish revising my long paper on phonological skills and submit that and then write two others. Now I have my bibliographic program on the new Mac, I can accumulate my library on the computer-- without that I am unable to manage the sources--and when I transferred the library from my jump drive, where it was living from when Miriam took it off Julie's old I-book, which I gave her, it synched immediately with my program. YAYY!!. Also, I told Mir, I was asked to present a research overview of LD/ESOL at a research conference in Sacramento in December--that will be an excellent goal for getting a huge lit review done for my dissertation and/or one of my qualifiying papers. I will submit the paper I did for my Texas research project for credit as well, so things are really moving-- and now that Julie is done with school, and I can pay for my own courses, I can put in for independent studies.

I had hoped to have a contract in Texas in early September, but that isn't going to happen, so I will probably come to Boston several days early both to see people and to help you , Mir, with any thing you need related to moving in. I think I will ask Bennetts if I can stay there, as I will have Lily with me. I then go to VA to do some PowerPath training on the 11th or 12th--unless they change the dates, which is possible. Lisa (from Providence) is coming with me to that training, and will bring her dog, too, so we will find a motel that is pet-friendly.

I am also making a few moves to get politically involved-- will do some passive campaigning on Tuesday (wearing a T-shirt, handing out pamphlets) and may do more. Our block is having a block party on the 28th, and I am doing petition signing for that so we can close the street-- and making apple tarts for the neighbors-- my apple trees are an endless supply of apples-- and the peaches may also be worth eating.

Reading and movies are taking up a major part of my summer-- I finally finished Dorothy Dunnett's King Hereafter-- which is the story of MacBeth-- GREAT history-- then read About a Boy and Light on Snow ( Anita Shreve) in short order--both very good-- the latter gripping, though simple in its story.
I just started Wonder Boys, by Michael Chabon. All thanks to Julie's great bookshelves!!

Movies-- I just watched Memoirs of a Geisha--which I LOVED-- and Capote, which I loved, too--Whatshisname was fantastic-- also saw junk-- Prime--which was terrible, Red Eye, also terrible, and Flight plan-- scary but shallow. Re-watched AirForce One-- stupid movie --but I love Harrison Ford reminding us what a real president is supposed to be like....I am doing Blockbuster on line-- which I hate-- movies come so slowly-- how is it with Netflicks-- do more than three come at a time?? By the time I watch mine and send them back, more have not come. Drives me nuts. I complained to Blockbuster and they sent me a coupon to rent for 2.99 but I am already paying the online service-- probably will ditch it. I saw Wordplay--but I told you all that-- don't miss it-- it is fabulous. I think I will go see Night Listener in the theater--- looks great- and Toni Collette's other new one-- Little Miss Sunshine.

So Babbo-- how are the tenants? Long term, you hope?? and music?? Your present has not come yet== Amazon screwed me yet again-- so will need to get my money refunded and try again. two out of three tries on Amazon-- order is recorded but never comes.

jules-- tell us how your job is --where, doing what??? and any other junk about the apartment, or SD or anything-- I miss you all a LOT.

Family notes: Aunt Reba turns 70 on Tuesday-- mail card to Betsy's address if you want----139 Buckboard Rd, Tijeras NM 87059--- Uncle Bill turns 70 on the 18th (2814 Euclid AVe, Alb. NM 87106) -- I heard Drew and George are both coming in for that. Robert Lovrien is 39 on the 18th, too-- many family birthdays this month--Janet Sue ( jr.) and Sumiko and Abigail, too--

Much LOVE-- and WRITE BACK__ ( my computer system all of a sudden is screening the porno spam I used to get-- now I get hardly any mail--who'd have thought I'd miss the junk???)) Mom