Search This Blog

Saturday, November 30, 2019

November Goes out Like a Lion in Maine

Cold outside, cold inside. Saw this movie with Punchy today. 
It was 21 degrees here in Belfast when Dan's brother John last checked. It is frigid and the wind is whipping.

I'm so glad to be warm inside this old farmhouse.

We plan to hit the road tomorrow at 9:30 am. Punch, Fig and I are stopping at Sis's in Stamford, Connecticut on the way home, to have supper and get our fluffball, Sugar. Sis has been so good to watch Sug with her Buttercup. Then we four females head home to Montclair. We have to rise Monday 6 am for work and school.

It's just after 11 pm and I'm about to work for an hour or a bit more. It's the only time I could carve out up here, between seeing Dan's four brothers, his mom, our niece, etc.

I would love to just curl up in the corner bedroom with the flannel sheets and the space heater and read David Sedaris stories [Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls]. But even though my manager didn't pressure me at all, there was an editing/revising task I had hoped to do the one day I was at work this week [Monday] or Tuesday, when I was home, and didn't. So I want to do it now, so he has it by Monday morning.

Maine memories:
  • Bundling up to walk on the Belfast Rail Trail yesterday afternoon with Martha and Punch. It was sunny and very brisk. We saw some ducks on the water.
  • Thanksgiving dinner for 23; it would have been 24, but my sister-in-law, Sheila, who always does the toast, was feeling ill. We missed her, but still, the homemade dinner was ample and delicious--from John Hurley's bright cranberry sauce, spooned into round white bowls, to the mashed potatoes Punch proudly made, with a little help from me and Aunt Martha. Ingredients: One big sack yellow-flesh potatoes; butter; salt; pepper; milk; and a little of the water from the potato boiling pot.
  • My mother-in-law. I marvel at how Mary can still do so much at age 90--like travel to see her family, live on her own, focus on her sons and daughter and grandchildren, look put together. She didn't have it in her to bake this year, but she brought an excellent, oversized pumpkin pie from the well-known truck stop, Dysart's. I loved that they gave her a take-out soup container of freshly whipped cream to go with it. Because you definitely need a nice dollop on your wedge of pumpkin pie.
  • Figgy. She is so happy to be back up here. She had planned to get a tattoo of the Maine state flower [the pinecone, believe it or not] with a Maine friend, and they did. It's nice. I said maybe I will get a mini version of it one day. Not sure. She said this one hurt a lot.
  • Belfast Co-op, of course. But our funds are tight, so I did not overshop. Still, I loved being there. So. Much.
  • Stephen King's house. In the 32 years I've been coming to Maine, I had only heard my mother-in-law talk about seeing the author once in the supermarket. But then my cousin Lin and her husband, Joe, came to Maine in the summer, and they went to see the house. It was only 8 minutes out of my way, since I was driving Figgy to Bangor anyway to see two friends she has known for years.
  • Colonial Theatre!!!! Movie theatre owned by Dan's brother Mike and his wife, Therese. Punch and I caught their 25th annual Free Family Matinee series that runs weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Such a generous idea for the community, and so popular. My brother-in-law's John Hurley Painting, Inc. is a triple sponsor, on the list with Left Bank Books and the Belfast Co-op. So many shops pitch in on the double and single sponsor list, too. I love how they all come together for this gift to the town. We saw "Dora & the Lost City of Gold," then stayed for the regular 2:55 pm show of "Frozen II," which was really good....the empowered, beautiful sisters, Elsa and Anna; their family heritage; Olaf and Sven; the breathtaking forest and sea; the style--boots, leggings, dresses, capes, braids, bangs, their mother's scarf; and of course, the songs by Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. I will add a couple to my Spotify playlist. 
TCOY
  1. I slept really late, til 10:45 am. Both Wednesday and Thursday nights, I was up til nearly 1:30 a.m. due to different circumstances. Sleeping late felt great.
  2. Water.
  3. Martha's homemade French toast, Pat's coffee.
$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET
  • Belfast Co-op, natural PB to make sandwiches for trip home, dinner rolls and Maine bread to have with Martha's turkey noodle soup for supper tonight, $13.87.
  • Wednesday, Subway at rest stop, 3 sandwiches [me, Punch, Fig], bag of Sun Chips, bottle of soda, $22 plus tip, $23.
  • Wednesday, Dunkin' Donuts at same rest stop, highway robbery, medium coffee, $3.70.
  • Wednesday, blowout plus tips, $45.
  • Wednesday, turkey, lettuce, tomato and mayo on bagel, $8.10.
  • Wednesday, CVS, nuts and small Pringles cans for car drive, baby powder, etc., $20.28.
  • Wednesday, Thanksgiving bowl to bring Martha, $21.27.
  • Wednesday, donation to Glenfield PTA fund drive, $20.
  • Friday, Co-op, burger plate for Punch, drinks for me and Martha, round up to nearest dollar for good cause, $13.41 and some groceries for our hosts' house and us--dry cat food, dozen eggs, sesame stick snacks, half-gallon organic milk, pint heavy cream, cookies, etc., $24.
  • Friday morning, Co-op again, peppermint liquid hand soap, 2 dark chocolate bars, tofu, corn tortillas, 4 Clif bars, small bag Parmesan crisps, reusable grocery bag [$2], half-gallon raw whole milk from a farm, melatonin for Punch [1 mg. tablets--we ran out, about $9], Dandies vegan vanilla marshmallows, Waleda rose body wash/rose oil set [$3.99], I forget what else, $47.
  • Friday, Yo Mamma's shop, Christmas ornament for Sis/thank-you for watching Sug, with tax, about $13.
Total spend Wednesday through Saturday: $252.63.
Total spend for month as of November 30: $2,979.03. ⬆️
Average daily spend: $99.30. ⬆️

The numbers are up but I say again--back to commuting to an office in NYC [since Oct. 21] and all that entails. 


COMPARE TO 3 PRIOR MONTHS:

TOTAL SPEND FOR OCTOBER (31 DAYS): $2,495.36.🍎 ⬆️
AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $80.49.🍎 ⬆️
_____________________________________________________________________
TOTAL SPEND FOR SEPTEMBER (30 DAYS): $2,214.43.🍎⬇️
AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $73.81.🍎⬇️
___________________________________________________________________________
TOTAL SPEND FOR AUGUST (31 DAYS): $2,895.06. ⬆️

AUGUST AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $93.39.  ⬆️






2 comments:

  1. I wish us both luck in our travels. I am in Boston and just got word of a flight delay, and a storm expected. Fingers crossed!
    Liz

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liz--it's Alice! Did you get home without too much delay? When we drove through Mass yesterday, the roads were very bad....slick and slippery. But wait a minute....you had Nan at your Thanksgiving table, right? So you flew to Boston after that? Love Alice

      Delete