"It was imprudent of us, in the first place, to become authors. We could have become something regular, but we managed not to.
We were lucky, but we were also determined." Roy Blount Jr

"I don’t change the facts to enhance the drama. I think of it the other way round, the drama has got to fit the facts,
and it’s your job as a writer to find the shape in real life."
Hilary Mantel

Friday, October 20, 2006

Shopping and Birdwatching

When the Going Gets Lonely, the Lonely Go Shopping....

Yesterday, which would've been my first day Home Alone, I busted out and headed for retail world.

My purchases:

1. Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen, which I last read twenty years ago. Her latest novel, Dark Angels (mentioned a few weeks ago) is the prequel to it. I found a trade-sized edition of TAGD on the "3 books for 2" table at Borders. But I couldn't find two other books I wanted, so I just bought the one.



2. A new bed for Ruth. At night, she happily sleeps in the bed formerly occupied by Shadow, a comfy round dog nest covered in the McCallum (my clan) tartan. She's a wee dog in a big dog bed. For travel purposes, and kennel stays, she needed something more portable. I found it at LL Bean Outlet, in the markdown area, among the catalog returns. For a very good price, you can get canvas dog bed covers already stitched with somebody else's dog's name. Yesterday, I pawed through returns from "Shamrock," "Trixie," and "Patches." Then I spotted one that hadn't been personalised, which also had a nifty fluffy top. Basically, it's a roomy pillowcase. So when I came home, I stuffed a pillow inside it and tossed it onto the sofa in our downstairs sitting room to see what would happen. No prompting necessary.

I've got a new bed


3. A very cute skirt.

4. Fresh food. Because I'm making Caesar salad for a candidates' strategy meeting tonight.

The Commuter, aka The Chap, met me at the new town library. I shrieked with joy when I went inside and saw all the recent changes. The carpet is laid, the stacks are in place, the light fixtures are up, the chairs for the meeting room are delivered. He and I sat together on the window seat of the Porter Adult Reading Area, holding hands, and imagining what it will look like when there's a sofa and chairs and a table. The wi-fi circuitry is already there....The committee decided on a moving date (December) and a date for the dedication/official opening (January). Be still my heart....

Today, my first full day Home Alone, is rainy. But I've got canine company, and the chipmunks. And the busy birds.

Just now I darted out to capture our resident pair of pileated woodpeckers. On is on the tree trunk, near the top, the other in silhouette on a branch to the left. These conditions aren't the best for photography, but the red head markings definitely show up.

Our Pileated Woodpeckers


A flock of robins and some sort of thrush are eating the winterberries like mad today.


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