9-29-13 Sunday

Today is a beautiful sunny fall day in the 70's.  It was like this yesterday when Ann and I went into Town.  First, we went to the Farmers' Market to say hi to Phyllis and the Gillens (Sunset Farm).  I always try to patronize as many farmers as possible.  Here's what I got  for $20.

I was thinking potato leek soup, eggplant parm, and the rest will go into a crockpot pot roast (except for the cuke, of course).

After the Market, we walked onto the green of the Common and looked at the crafts for the Apple Harvest Fall Festival.  That's the festival, that if you buy a soda, you have to look before you drink -- the bees and wasps are preparing for winter and swoop toward anything sweet.  Yearly there's an ambulance run for someone's having been stung on the mouth.  (I'm thinking it's newbies to the area who are used to the city where the bees are few and far between.)  We followed up our heavy shopping and trooping in the (by then) very hot sun with lunch at Chilis.

After that, it was nap time, big time.  That morning before Ann and I met up, Miguel had come by and together we hacked down a LOT of bushes and overgrowth.  He did most of the hauling of the cuttings to the back and it was about 6 lawn carts full to the brim.  I did my fair share of using the hedge clippers and picking up cut branches while he was using the clippers.

For some reason, I had gotten up at 6 a.m. on Saturday -- and had decided to stay up.  After putting in laundry, doing dishes, and eating breakfast, I was waiting when Miguel showed up.

So today, although I didn't get up as early, I sure had a sore back.  What else is new?  I guess it's nature's way of telling me I should bend over more!

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Oh, I may have told you about the jam and pickles that Tomi and I made.  I'm supposed to save the jam for Christmas presents, but I don't think it will make it.  I have some more jars, but here's what they look like.

The pickles did eventually settle so the jar doesn't look so empty.  I opened one and they are pretty good bread and butter pickles.  (I only got 2 jars of pickles.)  The peach jam is fabulous -- my only other big jar is almost gone.  I gave one of the big jars to Sharon (my boss) and she returned it empty saying, "Now it's tradition that you're supposed to fill it up again, right?"  I had to instruct her on that one.

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Speaking of Sharon, she gave me a gift certificate to a hairdresser that she couldn't use.  She said, "It's an Italian salon and they will be great with your curly black hair!"  I said thank you, but my hair is brown.  She wouldn't believe me and went around the Library asking people.  Everyone said black.  We called my mother in California who, naturally, said brown.  We laughed a lot.  But when I got to Sei Bella (the salon), Alison, my stylist, said, "I can settle this."  She returned with a card with six hair samples on it.  Aveda hair colors said my hair is MEDIUM (can you believe it?) brown #3.  After that is dark brown and then black. Ha!!
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So I got a new phone last weekend when I was with Emily.

Those are dandelions gone to seed on the screen.  The cover is an "Otter" which Emily helpfully bought for me online.  It's like having a rubber bumper on your phone.  The guy at the Verizon store really wanted to sell me a case and he kept saying, I've seen people drop their phone before they even got out of the store!  He said it so many times, I said, "Are you going to trip me?"  He didn't but he messed up and didn't give me a receipt so I had to go through many hoops to get the receipt.  It's necessary because the buggers overcharge you and you have to mail in the receipt for a "rebate."  They should just not charge that in the first place. I wonder how many people forget to mail in the rebate forms?  It's $50!!

Meanwhile, it's a lovely phone, but I can't figure out how to get my voice mail.  My friends at work are still torturing me because they can't text me.  I was going to add texting ($7 more/month) until I found out that even when I hit my limit, people (and spam) can still text me and I have to pay extra.  That killed that.

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So a while ago, I got a cd of "Learn Japanese in 10 half hour lessons."  Needless to say, I was terrible and haven't been back to it.  What did show up, however, was a set of 12 cd's (and no bill).  Now, even I know that you can't get that many cd's for $10.  I call Pimsleur up and get a very nice lady who informs me that the $10 cd allowed me into their gold program.  I had to ask several times, but if I had kept the cd's, the charge would be $69 -- per month!!  There would be more deliveries.  Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.  She said, 'Just UPS it back.'  I told her I did not want to pay for shipping and she promised to send a label.  Two weeks later (last Friday), still no label.  Of course, you can't reach a person, but they said to leave a voice mail.  So I said, "I need to know what address to use to return your bait and switch product. Nisa promised to send a label." Guess what? The return shipping label was in my email today.  Remember that phrase: bait and switch.

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The delegation from Kanegasaki, Japan, has arrived today.  Tomorrow I and the Committee meet them at Applewood, a retirement community.  They will have a tour, but I will have to go back to work after a short meeting.  On Wednesday evening the Library is hosting their Farewell Dinner.  Before that, there will be a re-signing of the Library to Library Sister City Agreement.  The Town's agreement is 20 years, the Library's agreement has been in place for 10 years.  I didn't know there would be a renewal ... I may even find a dress to wear. I'm not sure anyone at work would recognize me in a dress, however ...