Beaver:

Still, or again, on break. Wangled second shot on 10th, have read most of books but a couple left. Hoping thrift shops will be open, maybe are but I lost yesterday somewhere. Today's #1 effort was to find out what a pottery "bat" was made of - a wood product of 25 years in age, or more. First lumberyard did not have a clue what it was! Went to Freymond's. dealing in wood for over 50 years - good Swiss immigrants! The office guy named it - "MDF that they used to make at GP Flakeboard" (up the road 5 miles but not longer in existence!) They had none - they deal in real wood. Next lumberyard yard showed me a piece of plywood! The "MDF" in stock was painted trims. My super bats for potting, cut out by a friend, have lasted about 25 years, compared to the current ones from pottery supplier lasting less than a year and falling to bits in the clay!

No wood for new bats BUT I realized they have my Air Miles number on my account and quickly gave it to me in writing! (The account is mainly for when Dan is doing work for me - he uses it.) I came home and a new card is enroute to Dupont! I will add the number to my lists of passwords/pin #s... One problem solved/de-cluttered. One still hanging. Somewhere in some workshop or garage, someone has left over pieces of real MDF... The sample, washed as well as I could, will stay in car for a while.

Happy not to have neighbours who start mowing at 6:30! On any day! I abound, however, with memories of basements I have known. None here at Beaver; barely above ground! Hence the useful back sheds.

It finally rained last night, for about 12 hours! Not terribly hard but good and steady. Today is glorious - breezy and sunny, low humidity.

And my energy level is zero. Maybe I need a jump start! On Sunday, I noted the wood pile on one side seemed to be shifting - had pushed against a lid on a bucket of glaze. I spent an hour or two re-organizing the whole shebang. Critical not to lose a bucket of glaze! That was definitely a "jump start"!

My reaction to the second Moderna, Thursday, was serious chills and fever. Sue came by, and kept in touch with text - I can manage texting if I am in bed, by holding the phone up as high as I can so it catches a signal. On the shelf at that height, they come in OK.

But I started losing energy before the shot and am letting go of goals - "the world will not stop turning if I do not... get everything done... get some done... get anything more done..." Meanwhile, the baker's rack is loaded with drying plates and outdoors in the breeze but not direct sun. Hoping for tomorrow to bisque... I have at least two loads that could be glazed and fired - last week!- but simply cannot get to it.

Pulled another batch of rhubarb this morning; will not not to overcook this lot. Two small lots frozen to take to R. This one will also be frozen. And maybe another before I leave on Sat. Strawberries should be happy after the rain! If they start ripening before I leave, I may stay a couple more days. I want to be at Dupont when R has his second shot - 24th - in case he also had severe reaction. Phoned DIL on Sunday and she had one like mine - horrible chills! (She does not generally overstate things!)

And I am sitting here looking at a Clivia getting ready to bloom! A friend came on Thurs and we had a good visit. She brought me a large pot of growing lettuce in several varieties (master gardener), the plant from one she had divided into 11!, and a large bottle of maple syrup her partner produced this Spring. I do not generally care for orange but the Clivia is special and it looks perfect in front of the Mexican rug/wall hanging I brought back in the mid-80s. Little girl (me) in orange dress greeting orange sun (with face!) and her little dog,walking into the green hills. I delight in it. The critters removed the fringes a few years ago! An improvement actually! They did a great job!