Mon. afternoon, 03/30/09

Hello

Late last wk. I prepped the floor in my lg. bedroom for paint. I filled cracks between floor boards with caulking. An orbital sander removed loose paint & rough spots with 60 grit sandpaper. Next I mopped the floor with a sm. amt. of TSP in water & mopped again with plain water. I let the floor dry overnight.

Yesterday a.m. I applied the first coat of "terra brun" mixed at Sherwin Wms. The color is chocolate brown. The paint contains primer & is for porches. This a.m. I applied second coat of paint to the floor.

Today I drove to Highgate Ctr. with household trash & recyclables. While out with my car I shopped for lg. items like a 5# bag of w.w. flour, a gallon jug of bleach, 5# bag of russett potatoes, 3# bag of carrots, & a head of cabbage.

Before heading home I parked my car at beginning of Missisquoi Rail Trail & walked on the four-season recreation path. Empty bottles & cans litter the trail. Returning to my car I heard a cardinal before I saw him at the top of a tree.

Thanks for visiting. Now I'm tired of sitting at the computer. Mine rests atop a bureau. There isn't a space for my knees & legs.

Bye

Mon., 03/23/09

Hello

Fri., 03/20/09 I saw a woodchuck emerge from a tunnel on the hill behind my house. There are two or three tunnel entrances on the hill which were behind an old chicken coop I dismantled spring 2007. Because I didn't see him last summer & fall I thought he probably moved to an abode that afforded him more privacy & quiet. I'm so glad he is still in residence on my property!

The weather today is sunny & cold! I returned from Sherwin Wms. with a quart of white interior paint & a red face. Brrr! It occurred to me yesterday to buy beauty supplies at a locally owned pharmacy instead of Rite Aid. Today I bought shampoo, toothbrushes, notecards, lip balm, t.p., & envelopes at the family-owned shop. The next time I'll look for bar soap.

Sat. a.m. I found enough empties to fill two bags & a $5 bill folded on a stream bank. I feel like a lottery winner. Five dollars equals 100 empties.

Today I applied a coat of paint to woodwork/trim in my bedrm. Tomorrow a.m. I'll apply the second (final) coat. Yesterday I applied primer. Next I want to paint the floor "Terra Brun" which is a glossy chocolate brown.

Before today ends I want to buy a gallon of milk & play the piano.

Bye

Tues. afternoon, 03/17/09

Hello

Publishing these posts is therapeutic.

Writing requires me to organize my thoughts. I can put the clutter in words which are easily erased & edited. Typing relaxes me because I don't have to focus on hitting the keys accurately. Already I am familiar with QWERTY keyboards.

This a.m. I wrote & mailed notecards to my brother Mike & brother-in-law Mike. Hopefully both of them will hire me to do some old-fashioned work.

The temperature outdoors must be around 60 degrees Fahrenheit today. After lunch I wore shorts & a short sleeved shirt outdoors to gather lg. branches to put on a fence row I am building. On the lawn I jumped rope & did jumping jacks to increase my heart rate. My jump rope is a thick piece of twine I found on South Main Street.

I should play the piano now. Last night I watched "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" on a video cassette.

Can driving be an addiction like cigarettes & booze? It's something I think about while 24/7/365 traffic rushes by my house.

Thanks for reading.

Bye

Fri. afternoon, 03/13/09

Hello

Because the weather reminds me of spring I decided to use my wheelbarrow after lunch to collect some red bricks down the street. All winter I walked by them. They were stacked at the base of two trees growing between the sidewalk & South Main St. I am certain the real estate between the sidewalk & the street belongs to St. Albans City.

There was heavy traffic & gawkers. Nobody yelled "Stop, thief!" After I filled the wheelbarrow I realized the tire was flat. At home I removed the bricks & filled the tire with air at the convenience store across the street. Then I collected the remainder of bricks.

I might build a fire pit or a small patio to hold an outdoor table & two chairs.

Early tomorrow a.m. I'd like to walk through an industrial park to collect bottles & cans for redemption.

My tax preparer didn't complete Part I Form 8606. When I expressed my concern today she said the information is on my 1040 & Part I doesn't apply to me because my distributions are deductible. I have a headache.

Today I mailed two letters & borrowed a video, a book, & a magazine from the library.

I'm glad it's Friday.

Bye

Sun. a.m., 03/08/09

Hello

Today I'll write a few notes to let acquaintances know I'm available to work. Too, I have to tackle tax forms again. I might have to revise 2007 forms. My premature Roth IRA distributions might be qualified which means I don't have to pay a 10% federal penalty & an almost 3% Vt. penalty.

A walk through the industrial park will hopefully yield empty cans & bottles for redemption. I'll buy celery & honey in a grocery store soon. In a hardware store I'll buy wire to hang Florence Shattuck's framed painting of jeans & shirts drying on a clothesline. This morning the existing wire became two pieces in my hands. Fortunately the frame with glass wasn't hanging when the wire dissolved. This morning I hung two frames my mother gave me last week. One is Nancy Stone's acrylic painting of my maternal grandmother. Two is an A, B, C . . . and 1, 2, 3 . . . sampler I finished in 1982.

Tentatively on tomorrow's itinerary are VDOL, post office, library, Food City, & hardware store if I don't drive to Labor Ready in Burlington for 5:30 a.m.

I hope the sun makes an appearance today.

Now I'll publish this post & turn off the computer until tomorrow.

Bye

Thurs. afternoon, 03/05/09

Hello

Before bkft. today I played the piano.

This a.m. I walked to VDOL to update & print my resume. At the library I borrowed three videos.

This a.m. the sun was bright & the sky was blue. The city contained the sound of birds. This afternoon the sky is overcast.

Early this afternoon I drove to Arrowhead Industrial Park to learn about a data entry/customer svc. job. An administrative asst. said all three positions had been filled. The bldgs. in this industrial park are situated close together & identical.

I left a phone message at a local rehab center. I said if it has a piano I would like to play it for residents. It would allow me to meet residents & employees, & I might be able to use one for an employment reference.

Tomorrow a.m. I have an appt. to register with a staffing agency in Burlington if I pass a survey. While in Burlington I might buy notecards & visit Kohl's.

Tomorrow afternoon I should print a Century Arms application at VDOL to complete & mail this weekend. After VDOL I'll visit St. Albans Co-op & Store to learn about job opportunities & buy milk & cheese.

This weekend I'll recalculate federal & state tax forms.

Thanks for reading.

Bye

Mon. afternoon, March 02, 2009

Hello

This a.m. snow began to fall tentatively in northwestern Vt. Now fat flakes bombard St. Albans. Before lunch I walked gingerly to the bank & library because there is ice under snow on sidewalks. The weather two yrs. ago was BRrrrr cold. Tomorrow there are elections in Vt. towns & cities.

Snow provides jobs for truck drivers with plows, ski resorts, & nordic centers. It gives me an opponent. I attack it with a shovel & on snowshoes.

This yr. I think I'll be able to complete my own tax forms. Where is Pub. 564? The USPS has delivered all the other forms & publications I ordered in January.

This eve. I'll watch one of two movies I borrowed from the library.

Now I'm going to watch the snow accumulate, play the piano, & try to calculate a basis with the help of IRS.com.

Bye

Sun. a.m., 03/01/09

Hello

Early this a.m. I read some pgs. in Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles." I like the author. He wrote "Fahrenheit 451" which I read recently.

After hanging clothes outdoors to dry I walked on a railroad bed. Behind a South Main St. bldg. is a barn which houses a horse & a field for exercise.

Yesterday afternoon I tried to write a poem with rhymes. This is what I penned.

"My geranium with white blossoms & scalloped leaves

is growing too big for its pot.

The houseplant with felted foliage is a hedge.

Motorists & passersby can't see me watching them."

Now I'm tired & will publish this post.

Bye