Rocky Start

My vacation got off to a rocky start. When I arrived home Friday night (actually Saturday morning, 1AM) there was a message on the answer machine.

My Inlaws were at a local hospital. My dear MIL was having severe abdominal pain. Mindful of my problems with MSG and other additives, they wondered if she was suffering the same.

Actually, her appendix had ruptured. I stayed with them until Husband RJ could arrive. She had emergency surgery later that morning. We have all been visiting, off and on, since then. She's going home tomorrow, and already she's bored and sick of the food.

By a very strange irony, I actually got a touch of MSG poisoning at a wine, cheese and chocolate party Saturday night. That had the effect of mostly keeping me home these last two days.

So Josephine's Journey got another chapter. Some people are just lightning rods for trouble. Some people like it that way. Josey does.

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Little Pond

So this is December

Tried to take Ellie to the River. Too cold and biting for her to really enjoy. We trudged through the snow a while. When she seemed a little distressed by it all--keep in mind that a few inches comes up to her neck--I threw her in the back of the car. We returned home to a warm sofa with cuddly throw, hunkering for a nasty ice storm.

And I had another disturbing dream.

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Little Pond

Josephine is at it again.

Another trip to another tavern.

You know what they say: Fools go where angels fear to tread. But she does learn a bit more about her roots.

This is the long-awaited Dragon Lady symbol. It is the work of the man behind the Sebastian Cyan character in the story.

Here are links to his sites: At Deviant Art and Xanthia. And now Josephine is off on her own adventures that should take us right up to the New Year.

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Little Pond

All gone...

It took a day or so, but the snow is gone. Our world is brown and green and tan right now. Not a pretty sight.

More photoblogging on T-day.

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Little Pond

Got Clobbered Last Night

Looking down on Guinnip Avenue, Elmira New York November 19, 2007

Before the holidays

One of my last posts for Downtown Elmira, just as the last post for RiverDogging was sort of penultimate.

I leave wiggle room for some festive holiday shots, though.

Winter weather is just gorgeous around here, and I hope to treat readers to some Christmasy stuff. Frankly, though, a few of my trips during bad weather were very nearly catastrophic. I would like to think I'm smart enough to learn from them.

We'll see.

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Little Pond

(You can click on the picture for detail.)

Still readjusting

...after all those seven-day weeks. Now I am almost fully rested and most of my to-do list has been cleared. Posting will begin again, just as soon as the HuggaMutt returns to her owners' house.

Yep. Been busy walking her and taking pictures. The RiverDogging blog is nearly complete, and the new year will find a new blog dedicated to Newtown Creek.

Right now, allow me to crow a little, as my favorite Super Hero takes one more step towards his inevitable apotheosis.

Ahem. One step closer to his being declared a local patron saint.

Good to know I'm not the only one who feels this way. This guy was seen as just a local well-to-do citizen. I especially love the way the researchers are looking into his choice of wallpaper!

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Little Pond

Go for walk?

Go here to see (finally) the Southside post in River Dogging. It was such a beautiful day.

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Little Pond

Outskirts of Hell

Tuesday we cruised to Eldridge Park. It's a good place to lead a dog on leash.

We walked the bicycle path that issues east from the park proper. The bike path looked lovely at first, but we decided to hang a left onto a dirt road.

Uh, oh. Mistake.

First clue: piles of abandoned construction materials.
Second clue: stagnant, dirty runoff ditches.

It was a long, depressing trudge through muck and trash.

Even in Hell there was beauty enough. Tangled vines and branches hid wildlife, and dirty water came alive with muskrats.

Ellie was busy smelling everything, and we both got plenty of exercise.

But honestly, I felt as if I’d escaped Purgatory by the time we were safely back at Eldridge.

We lost the leash along the path, but no way would we return for it.

Josephine Begins Anew

So marital bliss wasn't quite.

Quite what, she still doesn't know. Only thing she does know is that she can't face the others after being played for a fool.

No matter.

There's a whole Planet out there for consolation and a Road Trip for amusement.

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Little Pond

I dyed yesterday.

Update: The black, done with RIT dye, was wonderful, five pieces colored to perfection. The indigo, done with some stupid stuff from Spain, was not the right blue for denim today, was really thick on the first item, blotchy on the second and nonexistent on the third. The second item will need to be redyed with a liquid dye. I give up on the third, no big deal. Guys, I recommend that only RIT (or maybe some other American dye) be used. Quality control is apparently lacking elsewhere.

And I will dye again today.

Yup. Dye. As in cloth. Not hair: too allergic.

But yesterday I had a successful stint with deep black for my husband's work jeans, a silk camisole and my "dragon lady" undershirt.

Today it's indigo, as in denim. A straight-leg pair of men's cut, my everyday work
"uniform," and his "lookin' good" jeans.

Total spent: less than $10.00 for all the dye. A few hours work over a hot stove, followed by gentle, warmwater laundering and cold rinse. Usually extends the life of my things a year or more. We'll see how long it affects his.

Good work for a rainy day, too.

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Little Pond

New post to RiverDogging

This new post is simply a set of photos recording some work done on the Chemung River to upgrade sewer pipes.

Turns out they may be the only ones available.

I was asked to retrieve them for a local government agency.

But I have some pretty ones coming soon, I promise.

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Little Pond

The Layoff Denouement

Not only are we not laid off, but we can expect a raise!

New policy dictates that the positions be posted, and we must vie for them, but we've personally defined them over the last decade. In fact, our counterparts at the other papers mostly come from our department right here!

Of course, a promise of a raise, coming from some sort of district manager, means little until it shows up in a paycheck. But there is hope of more help. Before, we were expecting layoffs, until we lost three people, all of whom jumped in the face of layoffs.

Losing the jumpers left us in position to hire, but that would have been for Advertising Graphics, not for us Paginators (soon to become Production Service Specialists). We had been "granted" a part-time person, but his loyalties were to the AG side.

When they learned that I was working 7.5 hours overtime to fill in the weekends, everything changed. (Never mind that my immediate boss has been essentially donating his time and gasoline to work the other weekend night!)

The district manager was very surprised to hear it, and suggested we needed another full-timer. That means that whoever works the weekends will be receiving the commensurate night-time differential, i.e., raise. The AG people are now scrambling to see if they can cash in, only without working the weekends.

Fortunately, we have been assured that we get will get a weekend-specific worker. It's a wonderful entry-level position that essentially comprises less than a half-day's work, and the rest of the time just facilitating page flow.

Good thing the manager understands that. It will be nice to have more help around here.

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Little Pond

Ready for a Road Trip?

There's just no Calming the Angry Planet.

Vincent and Josey cut short the honeymoon.

Right about now, she's thinking, "Maybe it's me..."

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Little Pond

New Brakes

Lesson of the week in Little Pond: Brakes are good. Almost no brakes, bad.

Because I had guests coming to town over the weekend, I scheduled the repair for Monday.

Wrong move. Not only did I not have a car to use for my guests, but I also drove around on pins and needles, waiting for the darned things to fail.

My guests had to provide the transportation, and my nerves were shot by Sunday night. I can feel my neck tightening even as I type.

After diagnostics and a new brake line to the back drums, I had the pleasure of speaking with the mechanic on the Yellow Team (Don't you have a team color? Oh, you must get one...) who discussed how they felt to him. We compared notes and chatted a while, and I left feeling a little smarter and completely relieved.

And about $250.00 lighter. Geos are cheap to run, but expensive to repair in these parts.

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Little Pond