Back in the Substitute Saddle

Great! I was up at 5 yesterday and found my internet fully functional because the guy I am stealing... I mean 'borrowing' from ... is apparently sound asleep. Obviously this relationship can't go on too much longer.

You may have family responsibilities that you cannot avoid today, but you could get a second wind later in the day and end up doing something special that you enjoy. If it's been a struggle lately to express your feelings about a complicated domestic matter, you might finally find a way that works now. Your new positive attitude can lighten and brighten your evening. Don't waste energy worrying about your upcoming deadlines; instead, use your optimism to motivate you to do your best.

(Later) And in fact it didn't. I hiked my self over to Office Depot and found a cheap router and hurried home to install it. Wouldn't you know that it isn't compatible with my current operating system which is based on a chisel and a block of clay, but I guess I should have figured that out before I bought it, Whatever is happening on my blind install, I DO have internet service and I am getting a full signal on my fancy laptop across the house. I really don't want to replace this stone-and-chisel model because it basically works OK, has the old printer installed, and I only use it now and then when I'm here for short weekends, Whatever, now I am routered and modemed and away I go.

We got in late Saturday night after three days of hot driving (though it was beautiful in Florida when we left, we hit the wave of hot weather and sweated our way up the coast. We took a new route through the Shenandoah valley and it was beautiful, but not quite as direct a route, the 'direct' route being I-95 which goes into gridlock in Richmond VA and stays that way until we get past Hartford CT! So this new way we at least kept moving. Our last day we decided to go through Amish country in PA because TY had never seen that area. He loved seeing the beautiful farms and insisted at stopping looking for an Amish doughnut, but at 5 AM the Amish even don't have their oil boiling yet so we contented ourselves by doing some grocery shopping and he did some eaves-dropping on the young women in the store who were speaking their own brand of German and probably making fun of the big guy lurking about! I got some raw honey for the kids, some pickled beets and pickled tiny corn for me, and some hominy for whatever. I love hominy, probably a relic from my dad selling farm seeds and hanging out with 100# bags of stuff like that. We probably had more hominy than fresh corn growing up, and now all I can find is the mooshy canned kind.

So we were back on the road in 15 minutes, of course behind a couple of young men out strutting their stuff in their buggy drawn by a simply beautiful and spirited horse. TY was in love and decided right there that he wants to BE Amish. Oy. He thinks they have a great life, simple and controlled and family oriented. And then he said, "All they do is plant their crops and then wait for them to grow." OK, so my husband simply does not 'get' farm life- he is strictly a city kid who was shocked when he found out meat doesn't only come shrink-wrapped and ready for the grill. And he can be very obtuse even about chores around our house, in fact was taught early by his own father, to let his 'fingers do the walking' when something needs tending to. His modus operandi is to hire people.

In fact our first big fight was over a roof leak we had in a bay window. He found me on a ladder up looking at it to see if I could identify the problem. I had a Fix-It book with me and was poking around making a list of things I needed to get at it. I was brought up to do it myself- and there you have our ongoing differences in a nutshell.

But back to the Amish- he has decided he IS Amish now so I made him an Amish dinner last night- boiled chicken and some noodles I also bought there. No pepper, no seasoning but hell on being 'filling'. Thought I'd call his bluff but he loved it. Looks like we will be trekking through PA from now on. Maybe some trip I can leave him there as an overage apprentice. I'll take his laptop and cell along with me on my way back to civilization. Hope he finds a nice Amish women without any buttons to call his own because he'll sure need someone 'splaining why he can't watch Fox news or take his car to the cigar store. This story, as you can well imagine, will BE CONTINUTED!

This is industry in Chambersburg PA, just out for a digestive ride after dionner because I guess we didn't get our fill after only 8 hours in the car. Cool silos, eh? Actually I am not sure if they even are silos...

Today I'm making a non-Amish meal to take to my friend who is recovering from surgery. I'm hoping I can haul her to crit group so we can all be there, but it's up to how she feels by tonight. Regardless I am going and really looking forward to it. I missed the few meetings I was up here for this winter because of hideous snowstorms timed to cut off any socializing I had planned. I also have to pick up my Hus=dson River quilt that I left in their care for the QC show that I didn't make it back in time to see. I notified them that I am not renewing my membership since I am not participating, and the best way to support them is to make room for an active member to be let in. This was a tough decision, but I've held on for too long clogging the system and its time to move on.

Next I am going to load my pictures from the trip- I think I took three. Sigh, the car wouldn't stop and let me out so it will be an exciting array of thru-the-dirty-window shots. Typical. So I have much to do. Maybe I'll take pictures of the dinner I'm making- Imam Byaldi, Roasted chicken with Pomegranet syrup, small purple potatoes, and cherry clafoutis. It's a purple theme...

Speaking of purple themes, here is my own version of a quilt-kit! I made it myself, packed it all up to bring back with me to work on. And that, friends, is my PROCESS REPORT for the week, 'cause that's all I've done.