Meredith Kendall's Blog, page 64
July 9, 2013
that old broken air conditioner
the one I set out on the curb? Fan worked, but no cooling?
Yeah, someone picked it up.
Gone.
Yeah, someone picked it up.
Gone.
July 6, 2013
hot
It was hot today and I remembered hot nights in Illinois.
I was a kid. Two parents, 4 kids. We had one air conditioner, in our rec room. Recreational room. It was at the back of the house, with windows out to the backyard. Winters, we used to roll newspapers in the rec room, roll them up and tie them, then burn them for heat. My hands got black from the newsprint.
Out past our yard and garden was an alley. Beyond the alley: a strip of fast food places, hardware stores, and grocery stores. The Dairy Queen where my little sister used to beg for ice cream, we found out years later.
Hot nights in Illinois I used to have trouble sleeping. Too hot. I'd get up, trudge around past the stairs and into the old bathroom. I ran cold water over my wrists, trying to cool down. Cold water.
School field trips. I remember the shrine in Nauvoo, the place where Joseph Smith died, the leader of a cult. There was a piece of glass over a bit of floorboard, with his blood beneath. I squinted, couldn't really see the blood.
And the town where Abraham Lincoln grew up. That was cool. I liked thinking of him reading and studying by firelight.
All enveloped by corn fields. Rows and rows of green spikes.
Those hot nights in Illinois.
I was a kid. Two parents, 4 kids. We had one air conditioner, in our rec room. Recreational room. It was at the back of the house, with windows out to the backyard. Winters, we used to roll newspapers in the rec room, roll them up and tie them, then burn them for heat. My hands got black from the newsprint.
Out past our yard and garden was an alley. Beyond the alley: a strip of fast food places, hardware stores, and grocery stores. The Dairy Queen where my little sister used to beg for ice cream, we found out years later.
Hot nights in Illinois I used to have trouble sleeping. Too hot. I'd get up, trudge around past the stairs and into the old bathroom. I ran cold water over my wrists, trying to cool down. Cold water.
School field trips. I remember the shrine in Nauvoo, the place where Joseph Smith died, the leader of a cult. There was a piece of glass over a bit of floorboard, with his blood beneath. I squinted, couldn't really see the blood.
And the town where Abraham Lincoln grew up. That was cool. I liked thinking of him reading and studying by firelight.
All enveloped by corn fields. Rows and rows of green spikes.
Those hot nights in Illinois.
July 5, 2013
hot night
Almost 10 o'clock. Almost 80 degrees. Hot, humid, still.
Summer night in Maine. Air is thick with moths and moisture.
Summer night in Maine. Air is thick with moths and moisture.
My name is memory
Reading a good book about remembering past lives.
The story resonates with me. These memories I have, these same people over and over; these lessons I must learn.
Love, learn, serve. Forgive, feel gratitude, tune in to joy.
The story resonates with me. These memories I have, these same people over and over; these lessons I must learn.
Love, learn, serve. Forgive, feel gratitude, tune in to joy.
Mercury retrograde
It's hot in Maine. 80, maybe 90. Humid and still. Quite uncomfortable.
So of course I turned on my air conditioner, the big box in my kitchen window. For 3 years it's cooled my kitchen and living room, for those 2 months/year of a Maine summer. Yeah, July and August. Summer in Maine.
The room wasn't cooling as usual. The AC unit was moving air, but it wasn't cold air. Did this have anything to do with the gush of water on the floor last week? So much it warped the floor boards. Hmm.
It was too hot to move so I bought a room AC for $288. A colleague recommended it, "I can lift it myself! It doesn't go in the window!" Bought it, brought it home, assembled it. Had to rearrange room and didn't care for that.
Stuck a hose out a window and jammed a pan under the outlet that "might drip when interior collection unit is full." Had to empty that foil cake pan 3 times in 3 hours. The unit put out cold air in front and hot air in the back. The hose was hot. Overall, no change in room temp.
I hate to return stuff. How could I get rid of this room AC unit? Who would like it? Could I put it on the street?
This morning I called around to see about AC repair for the expensive (over $300 3 years ago) window unit. No answer, leave a message, closed, OH finally: a real person. Yeah, "A service call starts at $300," Dawn told me. "You should just go out and buy a new one." Ok, a definitive answer is good.
So I called Home Depot to see if they would take back the room unit I bought yesterday. Took half an hour, talked to a few people. They would, and it would be helpful if I had the receipt. I probably had the receipt. Dragged my sweaty self across the room and found the receipt. Oh. bought it at Lowe's. I always get those 2 stores mixed up. Called Home Depot to confess. Called Lowe's. Got the same answer: bring it in for a return, no prob. Love that.
Disassembled, packed back in box, hot & sweaty, loaded into car. Returned room AC and bought a new window unit. Back home I managed to drag the old window unit out to the street. Free! Maybe someone will take it home. If not, hopefully the trash guys will pick it up on Tuesday. Assembled and installed the new window unit. It was blasting cool air before 11 am.
90 in Maine is too hot.
So of course I turned on my air conditioner, the big box in my kitchen window. For 3 years it's cooled my kitchen and living room, for those 2 months/year of a Maine summer. Yeah, July and August. Summer in Maine.
The room wasn't cooling as usual. The AC unit was moving air, but it wasn't cold air. Did this have anything to do with the gush of water on the floor last week? So much it warped the floor boards. Hmm.
It was too hot to move so I bought a room AC for $288. A colleague recommended it, "I can lift it myself! It doesn't go in the window!" Bought it, brought it home, assembled it. Had to rearrange room and didn't care for that.
Stuck a hose out a window and jammed a pan under the outlet that "might drip when interior collection unit is full." Had to empty that foil cake pan 3 times in 3 hours. The unit put out cold air in front and hot air in the back. The hose was hot. Overall, no change in room temp.
I hate to return stuff. How could I get rid of this room AC unit? Who would like it? Could I put it on the street?
This morning I called around to see about AC repair for the expensive (over $300 3 years ago) window unit. No answer, leave a message, closed, OH finally: a real person. Yeah, "A service call starts at $300," Dawn told me. "You should just go out and buy a new one." Ok, a definitive answer is good.
So I called Home Depot to see if they would take back the room unit I bought yesterday. Took half an hour, talked to a few people. They would, and it would be helpful if I had the receipt. I probably had the receipt. Dragged my sweaty self across the room and found the receipt. Oh. bought it at Lowe's. I always get those 2 stores mixed up. Called Home Depot to confess. Called Lowe's. Got the same answer: bring it in for a return, no prob. Love that.
Disassembled, packed back in box, hot & sweaty, loaded into car. Returned room AC and bought a new window unit. Back home I managed to drag the old window unit out to the street. Free! Maybe someone will take it home. If not, hopefully the trash guys will pick it up on Tuesday. Assembled and installed the new window unit. It was blasting cool air before 11 am.
90 in Maine is too hot.
July 3, 2013
action
So I covered the blueberries.
The purpling ones I'd been watching were gone. Birds. The doves, cardinals, robins, or sparrows. Gone.
I needed a net. But I wanted to go to the beach. I worked all day, starting at 6:30 am. 6:30 am! Who starts then? We did. Worked hard til 1 pm. Sunny and hot. Beach! But the berries.
I searched the attic for a net bag. I use them to store fleeces, until I can spin them into yarn. Found one. A net bag. Covered the precious bush, bursting with green berries, then off to the beach. Summer in Maine.
The purpling ones I'd been watching were gone. Birds. The doves, cardinals, robins, or sparrows. Gone.
I needed a net. But I wanted to go to the beach. I worked all day, starting at 6:30 am. 6:30 am! Who starts then? We did. Worked hard til 1 pm. Sunny and hot. Beach! But the berries.
I searched the attic for a net bag. I use them to store fleeces, until I can spin them into yarn. Found one. A net bag. Covered the precious bush, bursting with green berries, then off to the beach. Summer in Maine.
birds like blueberries
Three of the blueberry plants were cheap. Splurged on one, $28, with flowers and tiny berries.
The cheap plants are coming along. Perhaps berries in 2016. I like to plan ahead.
The expensive one has berries. I've been watching the berries, and giving them Reiki. Giving Reiki to all the plants. Really looking forward to the berries this season. Some of them were slightly purple. Large and ripening.
Today I noticed that those big purple berries were gone. Birds. I have lots of birds in the backyard, and enjoy their presence. Sparrow, red-headed sparrows (what are they, again, Tony?), doves, and cardinals. Love the cardinals. What a change, what a treat, what an indication of global warming. Oh dear.
Anyway. The berries. The birds. The birds got the purpling berries. Perhaps I needed to cover them.
The cheap plants are coming along. Perhaps berries in 2016. I like to plan ahead.
The expensive one has berries. I've been watching the berries, and giving them Reiki. Giving Reiki to all the plants. Really looking forward to the berries this season. Some of them were slightly purple. Large and ripening.
Today I noticed that those big purple berries were gone. Birds. I have lots of birds in the backyard, and enjoy their presence. Sparrow, red-headed sparrows (what are they, again, Tony?), doves, and cardinals. Love the cardinals. What a change, what a treat, what an indication of global warming. Oh dear.
Anyway. The berries. The birds. The birds got the purpling berries. Perhaps I needed to cover them.
blueberries
so Maine. Anti-oxidants, deep blue, beautiful and healthy. You know.
A few weeks ago: less lawn, more garden. I bought 4 blueberry bushes, 100 pounds of stone, and 3 bales of hay. I covered the lawn with hay and settled the blueberry plants. Sunk them into the pit of stone. Covered a wide swath with hay.
A few weeks ago: less lawn, more garden. I bought 4 blueberry bushes, 100 pounds of stone, and 3 bales of hay. I covered the lawn with hay and settled the blueberry plants. Sunk them into the pit of stone. Covered a wide swath with hay.
Marco. Polo.
It was too hot at the beach. Never thought I'd say that. But it was.
There were 5 school buses of campers. Each group had their own colored T-shirt and customs. Example: WHISTLE. BUDDY CHECK! Or: Marco! Polo!
In the game of Marco Polo, one person is in the middle with eyes closed. This person shouts, "Marco!" The surrounding people shout, "Polo!" The eyes-closed person attempts to tag one of the others. If successful, that person goes to the middle.
This game is incredibly annoying to crotchety old women who like to read, reflect, and watch loons.
Buddy check is where everyone stops, grabs his or her buddy, and the pair raises their hands. It is an attempt to prevent drowning and sex on the beach, I imagine. Also annoying.
All those people left. Ahhhh..... I could hear the loons.
The sun and air were too hot, but the water was frigid. Our Maine water is cold. Instant relief. Poland Spring water. We swim in it.
There were 5 school buses of campers. Each group had their own colored T-shirt and customs. Example: WHISTLE. BUDDY CHECK! Or: Marco! Polo!
In the game of Marco Polo, one person is in the middle with eyes closed. This person shouts, "Marco!" The surrounding people shout, "Polo!" The eyes-closed person attempts to tag one of the others. If successful, that person goes to the middle.
This game is incredibly annoying to crotchety old women who like to read, reflect, and watch loons.
Buddy check is where everyone stops, grabs his or her buddy, and the pair raises their hands. It is an attempt to prevent drowning and sex on the beach, I imagine. Also annoying.
All those people left. Ahhhh..... I could hear the loons.
The sun and air were too hot, but the water was frigid. Our Maine water is cold. Instant relief. Poland Spring water. We swim in it.
thunder and rain
in the southern sky. Gorgeous here with breezes and dramatic clouds.
