9/22/10

Nice fall weather but I'm still stuck at home. Kelley got to go to Acadia Saturday with Mary . Sunday we wheeled around the neighborhood and then watched football and ate some popcorn--she loves it. Monday and Tuesday she went to the nursing home and today she is over playing with Grace so it's been not too bad for her.

I'm still documenting peppers, freezing them, and saving seeds. I have squeezed in a few more pepper plants in anticipation of coming frost and brought in some more basil.


I also made this Photo Story of some pepper blossoms from over the years. The music is by John Field - Nocturn No 5 by Monica Alianello Pepper Blossoms

9/17/10

One positive thing about being stuck at home is that I am catching up on documenting this years peppers.Also brought more plants inside: peppers, rosemary, Mexican Oregano, Kefir Lime. Still need to bring in the ginger-pot is too heavy for me- and some columnar basil plants and a couple more peppers. Once I am mobile I will use hanging baskets to pot up thyme, oregano, and sage for winter use.

Kelley is not too excited by this activity but yesterday I wheeled over to another neighbors so she could play with Sarge and today she got to visit Grace for a few hours and had super with her. Tomorrow Mary is taking her to Acadia which is her favorite place to go.

Golden Marconi

Peperone Friariello

Strizanka- a Serbian variety

Splendid

9/15/10

Still hobbling around with my cast. Kelley has got to spend time over at Grace's house and that has been good for her. Today they are off to the neighbors camp on MDI and will get a chance to run in the woods which will make Kelley really happy. I"m bringing in plants in preparation for winter and continue to document the peppers I have growing, freeze the peppers , and save seeds.

Some of the late flowers

C. parvifolium- a somewhat rare species


Cumari Bolinha, Wild- not sure of the species of this one yet


Ulupica x pubescens- a cross I started experimenting with a few years back.

9/11/10 With Grace

A nice day so I took my camera over to Grace's house to get some pictures of Kelley and her new best friend. The light was contrasty and the dogs were mostly in motion so I didn't get what I wanted but will post a couple anyway.

Grace and Kelley doing their 'fight' thing


Grace actually sitting still


This duck was soon destroyed

9/10/10

It has been raining on and off for several days which has made it hard for me to get out in the chair because I can't let the cast get wet. Luckily for Kelley and me a neighbor with a chocolate lab about the same size as Kelley has been coming over and getting Kelley so the dogs can play in her back yard. The dogs play well together and have had several hours together which is very good for Kelley. She was on a lead out front this morning when I heard her mournful cry ( the one that sounds like she just lost her best friend) and suspected Rene and Bessie were passing by accompanying her son to the school bus stop. I was correct and they picked up Kelley on their way back home. She was actually jumping for joy.

9/7/10

Decided, yesterday, to try a little longer trip in the wheel chair and went by the house that Sarge lives in and when Kelley saw Sarge in his yard she got so excited she pulled me half way across their lawn. They play well together and had about an hour to do so. On the way back a neighbor came out to greet us and told us he had got Kelley in the morning and took her for a walk which I had missed ( she had been in back on a long lead and I was inside).

Today it has been raining, lightly, off and on and when it seemed to be clearing we headed off again but it soon began to sprinkle and since I can't let the cast get wet we turned back ( Kelley was very disappointed) . Luckily another neighbor came over and offered to take her for a walk and she perked right up- she isn't bothered by rain.

I have been lucky to have neighbors helping me with all sorts of chores and Sunday night other neighbors came over with pasta, salad, bread, and apple pie and good conversation.

9/5/10 Neighborhood

Comfortable weather again. Kelley was looking so sad I decided to try taking her around the neighborhood with a wheelchair. This was a first attempt by someone who has not used a wheelchair until now.Worked pretty well-not as fast as she is used to but better than hanging around the house. There was a small garter snake in the road and Kelley was pretty interested in it but I managed to get her to move on without damage to the snake. She knows where her dog friends live and stopped in front of their houses in hopes they were outside but they, alas, were not.

9/4/10

The heat finally broke along with lots of rain. Yesterday my toes looked funky so I went in to get checked out. Discoloration is just bruising but cast was a little loose due to reduced swelling so they replaced it.

Today I got back to documenting peppers and then de-seeding and freezing them. Here are a few of them

Palanacko Cudo--A Serbian sweet pepper

Spanish Spice--A hybrid sweet

Peperone Rosso Marconi --an Italian sweet

Paracinka--Another Serbian pepper

Ulupica x eximium--a cross of mine-the third generation

9/1/10 Day Six

Another hot day. Plan to process the peppers I photographed yesterday (9 varieties)--make notes on size,thickness, taste, etc. and then freeze them. A neighbor is getting me books from the library and supplies from the grocery and the afternoon will be spent quietly surviving the heat.

Here are a few early hiking pictures of Kelley

At Sand Beach, Acadia 4-6-09
Summit of Sargent Mountain 4-15-09

With a friend at Little Long Pond 5-3-09

Great Long Pond 5-5-09