In Stowe, Slow Comforts

Stowe Community Church in this historic village. Meg and Greg belong to

the congregation and I will join them for Sunday morning service.

I drove up to visit Meg and Greg for a Friday to Monday trip. Dan has to work at a party tomorrow night in Manhattan, writing 60-Second Novels, and Ice Spice has school, so it's just me. I didn't sleep enough last night and the night before. I was tired and fought to keep my eyes open on part of the 7-hour drive. I didn't get an iced coffee when I had the chance (Starbucks) and then the desperate coffee detour I took on an exit off Route 91 North led me to a small supermarket where the only coffee was in tiramisu or ice cream, no bottled cold brew or hot java, not even a coffee-flavored chocolate bar. I got an extreme dark bar and that caffeine seemed to kick in.

Meg treated us to dinner at the Green Mountain Inn, a fixture on Main Street in Stowe since 1833. It was a generous splurge. I had an ample slice of old-fashioned, fork-tender, perfectly seasoned prime rib au jus with baked potato and veg. Little basket of warm bread with foil-wrapped butter pats. Hot apple cider.

Slow comforts. Sitting here in the living room talking. Finally seeing, in real time, the beautiful new desk Meg showed me on FaceTime. Presenting the royal house cat, Sami, with a gift of little stuffed toy mice. Being grateful for old friends. Meg and I met at age 18, first night of college.

Good night from a nurturing place under beautiful skies and mountain peaks. #gratitude 

Newport News

I rose at 6, got Punch to school and worked hard all day, with a vet appointment for Sug in between. Then I boarded the 6:45 pm bus to NYC, worked on my laptop at the Starbucks in the Port Authority [some pressing deadlines] and walked across town to catch the 9:06 pm express train from Grand Central to Stamford. Sis was waiting at the end of the taxi line at 9:56 pm.

Tired now, and rising around 6:30 because Sis, Buttercup and I are driving to Newport, Rhode Island! We will dine at the historic Yacht Club there, walk around, relax. I first went there decades ago with Moey. I remember the mansions, and taking a ferry to Block Island but missing our stop on the way back.

I love road trips, especially to New England. We were going to try for the Cape this weekend--I was hoping to meet a Cape Cod Life Magazine editor for coffee. I had reached out and looks like I will get to write for her, but she is away this weekend. So Newport fell into place! Sis has gone there many times, for both Jazz Festival and sailing friends. My friend Celia goes there, too, because her Dad and his brothers grew up there.

I do have to write articles in between, but Sis is concerned about Columbus Day Weekend traffic, so we might leave by 8:30. I will try to make a dent in the next article I have to file before we take off. It's pretty short.

Good night to you.

TCOY

1. Relaxing hot bath with Epsom salts.
2. Applied makeup, including brightening eye cream, which I like.
3. Ate healthfully. Coffee as treat, smoked salmon, sourdough bread, roasted cauliflower, chicken cutlets, roasted peppers and squash, turkey Sis made.
4. Walked across NYC from Port to Grand Central.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET [not listing vet, high bill of $215 for blood work to check for heartworm; one shot; steroid injection to ease Sug's shot reaction; and eye area trim/cleanup.]

• Trusty, kind mechanic, money owed for oil change, $45.
• Post office, card plus postage for 3 items, $8.44.
• Round trip bus to NYC, about $15.
• Round trip train to Stamford, off-peak, $23.
• Roasted cauliflower side dish, about $8.50.

TOTAL DAILY SPEND: $99.95.

Ongoing spend for month as of October 11: $815.54.
Average daily spend: $74.14. Danger, Will Robinson: That avg daily spend is higher than last month's as of now. Watch it, which might be hard when traveling to Newport, with gas, food etc. But today's spend does count bus and train fare back home for Monday.

COMPARE TO TWO PRIOR MONTHS:

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.  ⬆️

We Drive to Maine Tomorrow!

Our nephew, Matt, is getting married to Lauren at 1 pm on Saturday! I'm excited, and it's also a pretty time of year up there. Must sleep so can get up early and finish packing. My Sis packs days ahead; I usually finish day of. Still have room to change that in the future. Hope to. Good night.

TCOY, Day 4 off Sugar Road

1. Blowout.
2. I've been missing 7 am Tuesday/Thursday support group and 8 am yoga. This abrupt change to 6 am wake-up for middle school has thrown me for a loop. I've been too tired. So today I asked Fig if she would switch to do Tuesdays and Thursdays. I can then get up and get myself to 7 am meeting. She said sure! It does mean, tho, that I would then be rising early for up to 4 mornings a week [Dan does the 5th school morning].
3. Nice mushroom barley soup at Marcel, where I went with my laptop. None of those delicious dainty, buttery cookies.
4. Caught up with Rach.
5. Also had green salad, chickpeas and carrot-ginger soup.
6. Walked about 40 minutes, home from town, around town, etc.
7. Long chat with Sis.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Uber to salon, plus tip, $8.
• 212 Salon & Day Spa, shampoo by Ani and blowout by Christina, $35 plus tips, so $46. We are leaving with Punch tomorrow morning and returning Monday, which is, conveniently, a school holiday for Rosh Hashanah. I highly doubt my hairdo will survive today's rain, tonight's and tomorrow night's darn CPAP head straps and tomorrow's 450-mile car drive, but I had to do it. Christina used a flat iron in the hopes that it might hold longer.
• Kings, Stumptown Coffee! [Freshly roasted in Brooklyn, $3 off, so $11.99. I generally resist these pricey beans at Whole Foods and Montclair Bread Co. The 12-oz. bags are $15 to $16 on stumptowncoffee.com, plus shipping.] Bags of mixed nuts and walnuts for car ride; good rye bread [plan on bringing tuna salad sandwiches]; 2 Super Dark, low-sugar chocolate bars; Thai salad kit from produce aisle; slim box of milk chocolate Schoolboy cookies for Punch [back-seat property, I don't want any]; big bunch bananas; Wicked Joe Coffee; fresh spinach; dozen cage-free eggs; quart half and half, $63.13.
• Marcel Bakery & Kitchen to meet/talk to my friend Rach until her parking meter ran out, large bowl mushroom barley soup, $1 reward, plus $1 tip, $6.76.
• Same, iced coffee plus tip, about $4.

TOTAL DAILY SPEND: $127.89.
RUNNING SPEND FOR MONTH AS OF SEPT. 26: $,1942.43.
AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $74.70.