Scammed!

Okay, so Mrs. Wu is a bad person. She contacted me three times to tutor her darling son Zemin, blessed me each time and then fell off the face of the earth. Forgive me if something bad has happened like a plane delay or lack of funds.

Marty said it sounded ridiculous but hey, nothing ventured nothing gained. (Confucious?) I wasted some email time and showed up at the library today but other than that I'm unscathed.

Maybe she found somebody cheaper. Maybe she's delusional. Maybe she's part of the Chinese mob and they're going to get me while I'm sleeping snug in my apartment. I did divulge my address and cell phone number although not my banking information! I only give that to my Nigerian friends who beg me for money.

Fortune cookie for Mrs. Wu: Progeny who speak other tongues like English fare well in Amerika.

To all my Chinese blogging fans: Please keep Mrs. Wu off the Internet.

Back to the Woods

I arrived at the old homestead Friday noonish and started sorting through the wheat and the chaff. There was much more of the latter. This was exhausting labor so it was most fortuitous that Sue arrived to help me. I needed to make a stop at Hilltop Creamery to get my soft-serve fix. It was not an ice cream day, but that doesn't matter to a true afficionado. By this time of the season, the nuts and brittle topping is finally fresh since they've used up last year's stock. I was in creamery heaven.

Patty Sidor was happy to see me and started fussing over me immediately. I was really tired, so I took a shower and a power nap. We had a delicious dinner and I crashed around 9:30.

Saturday was a test of my organizational skills. I returned to the Moose and hauled trash to the curb. Then I jumped in the Mini and went to the Resource and Recovery Center to dump some electronic devices. On my way back to EG, I stopped in Providence to pick up Mariel's and my race packets for Sunday's 5k. Then I got the van and took it to be serviced and went out for lunch with my friend Susan. I returned the cable box to the provider, picked up the car and headed back to Patty's, stopping off for a quick coffee with Lisa Ross.

Reinhardt made wiener schnitzel for dinner, which was fabulous. I slept really well, and prepared to go to the race. I met Mariel at her apartment and we walked downtown. It was a pretty hot day for a race.

Rhode Island Moment: the woman lined up in front of me was swishing her pony tail in my face, and when she turned around to apologize, she said, "Patricia?" She looked familiar. Turns out it was Dianna Glass, Mark's Team in Training Coach four years ago when he ran the San Diego Marathon for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The race was true torture. I felt like my head was going to explode from the heat. The rest of me was generally numb. I did my personal worst, something like 45 minutes and change. I think had I walked it, I might have gone faster.

We went out for lunch at a cute little place called Duck and Bunny. I had the Eggs Buniduck. We finished the meal with yummy cupcakes. Then it was back in the car for me for the drive to NYC. It gets so tiresome. 95, my nemesis, made sure it wasn't easy, but I made it in just over 3 hours. Marty had a martini waiting for me in the freezer, which I desperately needed. We went out for Chinese food after that, really good Chinese food. The peking duck appetizer was superb.

This will be a social week, capped off by a trip up to the country house and a weekend at Vassar visiting Harry. Sunday night we have tickets to the Yankee-Red Sox game at the Stadium.

All good things.

See The Plog Blog

Please see The Plog for the latest word news, which I posted on the wrong blog by mistake. The storm rattled me, I guess.

No word yet from Marty.

Word on West

I'm blogging from Manhattan where women glow and men plunder.

I'm no longer a RI resident. You can find me in the Big Apple. No fresh air. Times Square!

What I did today:

Jogged

Shopped at Gristedes

Went to the library

Met with Turbo's sitter

Got hopelessly confused with the massive amount of paperwork spanning 2 states and 3 locations

Had a manicure & pedicure

Tried to fill a prescription

Got a tutoring gig

Am imbibed red wine awaiting M's arrival

Had a ball

A First

Last night, after we'd packed up and moved to Manhattan, after Stuart and Emma (old friends from Costa Rica) dropped by, after we tried to return the moving truck and couldn't, parking it on the street, after realizing we had no time to treat our friend Steve who helped us move to a nice dinner because he had to catch a train in 40 minutes, after having a delicious meal at Gyro II, after whisking Steve off to Penn Station, and finally, returning to our apartment in the minivan, Marty made me an ice cold martini, the most exquisite I've ever had, I became so zombified (not drunk), I couldn't finish the drink.

This has never happened before.

I stumbled off to bed, where I quickly went unconscious. Thing is, I only slept for two hours. I got up and joined Marty in some unpacking. I finally called it a night at 1 am.

The rest of the martini sits in the glass in the freezer. I plan to finish it later.

One more thing. This is hardly word in the woods anymore. My friend Sue asked me if I planned on changing the name of this blog. I'm thinking about some possibilities. I live on West Street, so I though word on west might be good.

Any ideas?

House Still for Sale

We thought we'd be out of here by now and in many ways we are. Marty has been living in NYC since the end of January and we just settled into our Catskill retreat last weekend. We haven't moved much there but you can spend the night comfortably.

Starting this weekend the three little birds fly away. Harry leaves for college Sunday; Mariel moves into her apartment next Saturday; Mark returns to campus next Sunday. Nest closed. It's been a wonderful, chaotic, challenging run but every show closes and this one is about to.

Then it'll be me, the dog and 3200 square feet to rattle around in. We had an open house over the weekend which seemed to generate some interest. My realtor says that when he gets a bid he'll announce it by skywriting.

I know it will sell eventually. It's a really nice house, in good shape on a bucolic piece of property. Please make an offer. You can move in just to watch the leaves change color. That's already starting to happen.

Driving to Barcelona

Van Gogh, Anyone?

Sagrada Familia

Old Town

Toes in the Mediterranean

The train wasn't available and the plane cost too much, so I rented a car and drove to Barcelona. Sounds easy, right? The drive was easy and fun, until I tried to locate my hotel, which was tucked off the main road and you couldn't get there from anywhere. I finally had to have the concierge talk me through it. I was never happier to dump a car in a spot and head into a luxurious hotel.

My room was on the 11th floor. The bathroom was the best feature. The toilet closet had a bidet. There was a huge tub and a separate shower--always appreciated. After freshening up, I went walking in the area, only to discover I was starved. But it was way to early to dine in Barcelona, so I went to an outdoor cafe and ordered tapas and a caipirinha. Then I walked some more, window-shopped and found a cute little place where I had a delicious pizza margarita. I would've preferred a Spanish restaurant, but I was beat from the driving, and the next day would be filled with touring.

The next morning I jogged and stopped at a cafe for an espresso and a croissant. After showering, I hailed a taxi and went to Las Ramblas and the Old Quarter. I won't bore you with my purchases. I had lunch at a small restaurant where paella was the specialty, although not very good. The highlight of the day was walking to the Mediterranean sea and sticking my toe in. Then I sat at a seaside cafe and had a sangria.

I dined al fresco at a nice restaurant with excellent food. I wrote a little note to the chef, who came out to see me to see to receive his accolades in person.

The drive back to France would have been a breeze except I put the wrong gas in the car and had to be towed to a garage somewhere on the border of France and Italy. It's a good thing I speak Spanish, a thing thing my French is so rusty. I took a cab to the airport and rented another car and drove to Toulouse where Peter picked me up. Mecca waited back at the chateau with dinner and champagne. I needed both.

Sunflowers fill the fields around the Ross Compound. It's easy to see where Vincent got his inspiration. I was inspired while in France to buy a bikini. When in France ... I'm not posting a photo here because I want to get a job in the near future. I don't know if it would hurt or hinder my chances.