Day Two

After a terrible night’s sleep I woke up just before 6 am.

As feared, the mattress was not good. I woke up several times with my back stiff and hurting. At times, during the night, I contemplated leaving early to go home. Yes. For the first time in my life, I was homesick. Is it because I’m getting older? or is it because I love my new home and surroundings so much? Either way, I’d better get over it. ☺

Back to the mattress problem…I have stripped the bed I slept in last night and made up one of the twins. Considering how the other mattresses looked and felt to the hand, this is my last option.

The day is starting sunny and chilly. I am about to get dressed and ride my bike over to the Eastham Superette, about 4 miles from here, to get the Sunday paper.

Right now, it’s 7:20 am and I put the little space heater in the livingroom/diningroom/kitchen area and it has warmed up nicely. This is where I will get dressed.

While riding to get the Sunday paper Paul D called (he owns the cottage) to let me know the Dunkin’ Donut in Wellfleet (new…on Rt. 6 next to the Post Office) was a wi-fi hot spot. I will check them out tonight and post yesterday’s journal. Will also take care of email and FB.

That was a round trip of 8.59 miles. Once I got out on my bike my feelings of homesick vanished. Ah! The freedom of the open road! ☺

While riding on the Rail Trail back to the cottage, I was thinking about the lousy mattress I slept on last night, when it occurred to me that our service men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan (including my grandson, Joe) probably would welcome that mattress. Who knows what they have to sleep on. I guess I won’t be complaining about my lack of creature comforts.

By 9:30 I was having breakfast. No toaster, so I used the toaster oven. It made better toast than the toaster I have at home. Maybe I should try my toaster oven! Breakfast was toast, 2 eggs over easy, and 3 heat ‘n serve sausages (that I bought at the Superette).

At 11 am I left on my bike and rode to Nauset Light Beach. Just like yesterday there was a line of cars moving slowly, but there was no one on the bike path. Ha, ha! You can’t stop me.

The surf was up, but I’ve seen it worse. If the outer beaches are going to have anything from Hurricane Igor, it will have to be tomorrow.

From Nauset, I went back to the rail trail and rode over to the National Seashore Visitors’ Center and picked up the bike path that goes to Coast Guard Beach. Today, just like yesterday parking was for handicapped only. But, here again, the bike path could not be stopped. Of course, bikes did not take up parking spaces.

I took pictures at both beaches, but will have to wait to post them…probably on face book.

I took the rail trail back to the cottage. 15.4 miles. Add that to the 8.59 I did earlier and I put some nice mileage on my bike…to say nothing of my body! ☺

Some frozen yogurt, a shower (outside shower), and a nap and I’m ready to go again. Found the Dunkin’ Donuts with no problem and posted yesterday’s journal. Because I was dropping battery power something fierce, I opted not to post pictures. Tomorrow I will bring my power cord. Also was not able to send emails. I received fine, but could not send. I have two in the hopper waiting. I’ll see if they go tomorrow. I may have to use my Yahoo email account to see if that will send.

And another day is coming to an end. I hope I sleep better tonight!

(I will post a photo narrative after I get home. You will just have to wait! ☺☺)

Day One

And so it begins
Up at 5 a.m. with the alarm clock. (And I remembered to shut it off so it won’t go off at 5 a.m. every morning I’m gone.)

It is now 8:15 and almost everything is packed. I have to make one more sweep around the house to make sure everything is as it should be…the ‘on’ things are on and the ‘off’ things are really off. My bike still has to be racked, but that’s minor.

I expect I will leave here in about 15-20 minutes and be on my way. I haven’t been to the cottage since 2005 and I’m looking forward to the quiet and serenity. Hopefully I will get inspiration for some new poems.

And away I go………

8:40 am
30,857 beginning mileage

I start out by bringing my potted strawflowers to Alice to take care of…just needs water every couple of days or so.

9:20 am … on I-84

9:50 am…stop at Charlton rest stop. Exactly 50 miles.

10:02 am…back on the road.

No problem going over the Bourne Bridge or going around the rotary.

Getting closer
11:40 am…stopped at the Midway Recreational Area on the road that connects the two bridges (runs along the canal itself). Wanted to check the bike. I don’t like the way it’s riding on the rack. This is the 3rd time I’ve checked all the bungies. This time I did some rearranging and that did the trick. While I was there I used the facilities. I thought the toilet was never going to stop flushing. I thought I broke it. I’m not even on the mid-Cape Highway yet. Very S L O W. Why? Traffic is heavy and I decided to ease up on the gas pedal.

12:30 pm…at the Stop & Shop in Orleans. Wow! Has that place changed since the last time I was here. I used to be the first store; now it’s at the other end where either Caldor’s or K-Mart used to be. I can’t remember which. There is a TJ Maxx where the S&S used to be.

31,042 on the odometer…185 miles

Almost there
After leaving the S&S, I went to Coast Guard beach (as I always do), but today I could not get in. Weekends are for handicapped parking, only. I was welcome to go back to where the shuttle run begins or try Nauset Light parking lot…which I did. There was a long line at the gate house. What? It’s after Labor Day and they are charging? Huh! They finally figured it out…people don’t stop coming after Labor Day. The season really doesn’t end until mid to late October. I had my Golden Ages Pass so I wouldn’t have to have paid anyway, but… I decided to forget it for the weekend and I went to the cottage.

Hi Cottage! I’m here!
1:16 pm and 193.9 miles.

Unloaded the car, put some stuff away and made lunch. I bought a cooked ½ chicken, half a butternut squash already pealed and a potato. Once the chicken was warmed in the counter top oven and the veggies were cooked, dinner was served!

While the veggies were cooking I checked the coffee pot. Thank goodness I did. The last time it was used, Whoever forgot to take out the filter. Gross is all I’ll say. You don’t want any description.

Got that all cleaned and sterilized and I’m ready for my morning and afternoon coffee.

Now I really need to go make my bed and put my clothes away. I brought warm weather and cool weather clothes…that’s a lot of clothes.

As soon as I can find an internet connection I’ll post.

Bed making
Making my bed was exciting. The room I always choose is the one with two windows. As I prepared to put the sheets on, I noticed the mattress looked a bit lumpy. I tested it…and it was.

So I went from bed to bed (2 full size and 2 twins) trying the mattresses. I ended up choosing the smallest room with one window. I never liked this room because it was small and had only one window. But this bed had the best mattress. At home I have a memory foam mattress, so this will be a great adventure.

But I’m not a big person
It’s a good thing I’m here alone. The two-windowed bedroom has all my clothes. The other room with the twin beds has my bike, biking gear and empty bags and boxes. The small bedroom has me. So that means I take up as much room as 6 people. Hmmmmm.

An old friend stops by
The owner of the cottage stopped by to catch up on what’s been happening in both our lives in the last five years. We both worked for the same utility company years ago. He stayed a couple of hours and I bet he really hadn’t run out of stories to tell. ☺

Another beautiful sunset
Once he left I hustled down to South Sunken Meadow Beach to watch the sunset. It did not disappoint.

Basic Cable!
Back at the cottage, I try to get the Red Sox game. Bummer. The cottage has only basic cable…and I didn’t bring a radio. I think I’ll be doing a lot of reading this week. ☺☺☺

And so ends Day One.

I am in a Dunkin Donuts wi-fi in Wellfleet. Pictures will follow. I just hope this will post. My emails did not send.

Happy Day

While I was checking things out on Facebook, I got a chat message from my grandson, Joe, serving with the Marines in Afghanistan. How sweet is that?! It didn’t last long…but long enough for me to tell him I had brought stuff over to his mom and dad for a future care package. He wanted to know if it contained any tobacco. I told him that it was all stuff to keep him clean and smelling good! ☺☺☺

The Universe must have approved too, because after we finished our chat the sun came out. ☺☺☺

After exchanging 'I love you's' he signed off.

Where Were You on 9/11?

The day those planes flew into the Twin Towers in New York City is imprinted on humanity’s Soul Memory. It’s a day like the day President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas. Events so unthinkable, so horrifying, that it took days or weeks to assimilate.

The Monday morning that will live forever as 9/11, was a sparkling, blue sky, upbeat feeling day. I came in from hanging a load of laundry to see, over the shoulder of Greg Gumbel on TV, the first plane crash into the World Trade Center building.

As I screamed for my mother to… “come quickly, a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center…” I watched in horror as the second plane approached and crashed. It all happened in what seemed like slow motion. I spoke softly, “Oh my God! This is a terrorist attack!”

We watched in numb disbelief as news coverage became totally the attack on America. We watched as those on the ground tried to get away, or tried to help those at, what will forever be known as, Ground Zero. The smoky images of building parts and rescuers, ash covered fire and rescue trucks. Firemen coming out of the haze of ash, and when they spoke, ash being exhaled from their lungs. We watched as the smoke and flames began consuming the buildings; watched as large objects fell from the upper floors…learning later that these were people who opted to jump to their death rather than be burned alive. Oh my God! This can’t be happening.

But it did happen.

Now what?

During the 9th Anniversary of this tragedy, there are factions in these United States who have forgotten, that our country was founded on a principle of religious freedom. It seems some Americans are hell-bent on punishing an entire religious body for the acts of a few radical militants who claim to be part of that religious body.

This is wrong. We can condemn the act. We can condemn the people involved in that act. We can condemn the people who are still involved in terrorism around the globe. But we must not condemn all Muslims.

This raises the question: how do we tell the good Muslims from the bad ones? I’m sure they asked the same question during the Crusades: how do you tell a good Christian from a bad one?

The simplistic answer is: all of us need to be a ‘good’ member of whatever religious group we belong to.

I pray to God, please let this insanity end.

The Day of the Chairs

Chair on the left is the one being reupholstered now in the fabric I posted a few days ago. The chair on the right is the one I picked up today at Kathy's and will eventually have reupholstered in denim. This chair may wind up costing me the least...which makes it the biggest bargain.

This morning I took a pleasant ride down to the shoreline to see a good friend who will reupholster my delicate wing chair. I missed her house on the first pass and got all the way to the river. Thanks goodness for cell phones! I had been to her house only once before and I was riding a bike that time. Found her driveway on the second try…with good directions on the cell.

Once I got home it was time for lunch and a nap. The nap was only a ‘half-cat’ so I guess I’ll be going to bed early tonight. ☺

When I awoke, it was cold. I mean COLD. I had doors and windows open and the wind coming in off the river was COLD. Do you get my meaning here? I was COLD. So I put on long pants (hadn’t done that in 4 months) and a turtleneck. A cup of coffee was welcomed.

Then it was time to hustle up the road to Kathy’s to pick up another chair…this one is FREE. Now we’re talking Bargain. I will go back to Affordable Fabrics to see if they have any dark blue denim…that’s my choice for this one. It will go downstairs in the ‘library’ area.

Speaking of the downstairs, I do believe I’m going to wimp out and have someone do the painting. Yah, yah, yah! I know, but I can use my time for other things like getting ready to go on vacation and thinking about what I want to put on the floor…carpet squares or a large area rug that will essentially go wall to wall. I’m a long way from finished, so if I can get out of doing the painting and concentrate on other things, I’m good with that.

A Busy Week Ahead

Yesterday was a quiet holiday. I walked in the morning, tore the living room and dining room apart and cleaned. Visited my mother and gathered her laundry.

Today the central air people have already been here to replace my crazy, 25 year old thermostat. Now maybe the temperature in the house will show correctly on the thermostat, and not 6 degrees off. Basically I can set what I want for cooling and heating temps and forget it. Down the road, when the current central air system gives up, I’ll have another zone put downstairs, which will create greater savings.

The insurance adjuster is also due sometime today between 9 and 1. Another thing I want over with, so I can get on with my life! I really don’t want to go on vacation with a torn up bumper. The guy who hit me finally reported the accident to his insurance company. This afternoon, I’ll go visit my mother again and bring her clean laundry back.

Wednesday the decorating consultant from Sherwin-Williams comes to help me decide on a color for the basement. I can see the colors I want in every other room in the house…but not the basement. Once I have chosen the color then I get the paint and primer tinted and away I go…probably won’t paint until after the weekend. Maybe, just maybe, the painting will be done before I go on vacation.

Thursday I take my bargain (not so bargain any more) chair down to Deep River to be reupholstered. Now all I have to do is remember to get the chair out of Paul’s garage. ☺

Hopefully, somewhere in between I’ll be able to get in some bike riding and/or walking. Probably won’t get to the pool for water aerobics until Saturday.

Chair/Hissy/Paint

My Wingback Chair
This is the fabric I picked out for my bargain chair. First I went to a store where the fabrics are only $1.99 a yard. Do you think I could find something there? NO!

Then I went to another store and thank goodness they were having a 50% off sale. Did I find anything there? OF COURSE! Now my bargain chair is becoming less of a bargain. By the time I have it reupholstered I probably could have bought one new. HOWEVER, something new didn’t have the pattern fabric I wanted. By reupholstering I will have what I want!

I’ll take a couple of the pillows that came with my couch and have them covered in the chair fabric. NICE! Covering them will be doing them a favor.

Hissy’s Hit and the Insurance Company
Last I heard the other guy had not reported the accident to his insurance company yet AND they have been unable to reach him by phone. Hmmmmm. I immediately called my insurance company and gave them a heads-up. I just want my car fixed before I go on vacation. The adjuster is coming on Tuesday.

Painting the basement
Since I can’t make up my mind what color to paint the basement, I’m going to rip it all out and say to hell with it! NO, NO. I’M JUST KIDDING!!!!! ☺ ☺

Because I got Sherwin-Williams paint, a decorating consultant comes with it…free. She will be here next Wednesday to help me out of this dilemma. I bought the base paint while it is on sale and if I ever make up my mind on color they will tint it at no extra charge.