Today I bit the bullet, so to speak, and bought a new phone. My old one was on its last leg.  After numerous drops into toilets and on the ground, it finally was starting to rebel. In fact, now when I turn it on, it has these squiggly lines going through the center of the display making it near impossible to read the numbers.

     Palm has come out with a new phone called Centro. Pretty cool. It has a touch screen just like my Palm so I didn’t have to learn a lot of new software.  That in itself is a real time saver.  It’s easy to use. Easy to read the display and has more features that I think I may every use – at least today.  It has email, internet. Bluetooth, calendar, and it all syncs to my laptop, which is even better. In fact, my Palm can sync to my phone as well as my laptop. That is just way too cool.  In fact, my 4G memory card allows me to store 1000 songs or 9600 images or 1280 minutes of video AND it all can be downloaded to my laptop.  Of course, if I’m going to have all this new technology, I might as well go all the way and get a Bluetooth headset. Again, new technology. It is so small and unobtrusive, you can hardly feel it in your ear. Plus now my phone can use the Bluetooth in the car, too. And it can beam and print.  In fact, with all the rebates from Sprint, this phone was actually affordable.

     Welcome to the 21^st century. Embrace it. It’s not going away!

     Do you remember when I told you all about getting caught up in Duma Key by Stephen King? Well, today I’m nearing the end of the story and I just can’t wait to finish. But I have so much to do around here that I can’t just stay inside and listen to this story. Ah, I have an idea! I’ll listen to the CD on my car radio. What a thought! So out I go, move my car to the garden where I will be working, and get all my tools and garden equipment. I open the cargo hatch, put in my CD, and crank it up. The story takes me away to another time and place as I rake the leaves and clear the paths. The story continues to hold my interest and I’m not even aware of the time slipping away and the afternoon sun moving across the sky.

     Right in the middle of a very fascinating part, the reader abruptly stops reading. Hmmm… why could that be? I return to the driver’s seat and fuss with the radio. The clock stills shows that time, but when I turn the key… nothing… just a click, click, click. Aha! Battery! What was I thinking? Leave the radio on long enough without the car running and Viola! No battery. Dumb, very dumb. 

     So off I go to get the other car to jump start the truck. I called Richard to whine and complain and ask him if he’ll walk me through a jump. I’ve read about how to it, but I’ve never in my 57 years had to actually do it. RJ reassured me that the battery was probably going anyway since it’s the original battery in my 2002 truck. It didn’t really make me feel any better. I still felt dumb.  Step-by-step, RJ told me how to hook up the cables and charge up my battery. I was so excited that I was able to do it that I cried. He laughed over the phone and to told me I should really make arrangements to get a new battery installed so I don’t get stranded somewhere when I’m out and about. The good news is that by RJ empowering me, I now can take care of myself if something should ever happen with my battery again. And that is a very good feeling.

     Okay, I stopped at Home Depot on my way back from dinner with Linda and selected several sage greens that are more to my liking. I knew when I got up this morning and peered out at the Inn from the little house and saw that color, I knew that it was not going to work and I would need to choose something else.  I swear, it looked like track housing.  Too light, too green. It had no contrast with the stone part of the Inn and looked, well, it looked pitiful.  I’ve decided to use a pure white for the trim, dark green on the back door and rustic red on the front door amid the stone entrance way.  I think tomorrow I’ll run out in the morning and pick up the right color.

     The weatherman said it will be in the 70-75 – good day for working outside. I have a bit of writing to finish and then I’ll have some time for myself.  I finished making my notecards this morning.

     Oh yea. Remember I said I had this new recipe to try out? Well, I made it this morning knowing I would share with my committee members and hopefully get some honest feedback. It sure smelled good. Everyone said it good. Then I took a bite and said I didn’t care for the taste. I felt it should have been a bit sweeter. Others started to agree and I finally got to the bottom for what was missing.  I think no one wanted to hurt my feelings. Actually no one did. The criticism was constructive.  The tea cake was good but not my best.  It’s nothing like my Cranberry Nut Bread.  So I think I will have to revisit this recipe and see what I can do to make it better.  I know I’m on to something. It’s just not quite right yet.

     The flowers are coming into bloom now in front of the Inn and filling in the front walkway and the scent is heavenly and fragrant.

     I started painting the exterior of the Inn today. A soft sage green. I wasn’t sure I would like it, but after the second coat on a section of side clapboard, it looks like the color will blend quite nicely with the stone exterior and the stucco on the second floor. Tomorrow I’ll finish the side before my meeting at 3:00 PM. That should be the deciding factor. I think once I see the entire side, I’ll be able to make a decision. The worse case scenario, I’ll need to select a darker color and it will cost me a can of Behr paint.  Better to make that decision now rather than after I’ve bought gallons of this stuff.

     The weather today was gorgeous…perfect day to work outside. I cleaned inside after my guests last night, but headed outside as soon as I finished.

     By 6:00 PM, I was finished with my outside work and decided to move my efforts indoors at the little house.  I finally got to updating my calendar for the events in the area and Michael linked it to my site so now I can update it myself whenever.  My press release is almost finished (about time) and then I’ll move on to my newsletter. I found a template I really like. Most of the stories are already written along with a couple of recipes. Once I send this one out, the rest will be easy to do. It’s always the first one that is difficult.  Fortunately, they get better each time.

     Tomorrow will be pretty busy. I have baking to do in the morning for my afternoon meeting. The Inn is ready. It’s just the refreshments and set-up, so I will have time to paint in the late morning after my breads come out of the oven.  I broke down and brought a set of new cookware. Since I’ve been doing more dinners, I bring my cookware from the little house to the Inn and then back again.  It’s just getting crazy. When I was out shopping the other day, I found a complete set out of the box that the manager was willing to sell to me at 50% off. Needless to say, I scooped it up before someone else decided they had to have it. Now I have to decide if I want to keep it at the little house or move it up to the Inn. Oh my, decisions, decisions.

     I am so frustrated with myself. I’ve been listening to Duma Key by Stephen King and am totally enthralled with the story. In the middle of disk 3, my phone rings and I grope for my CD player to “Pause” so I can take the call. Unfortunately, I turn and the CD player crashes to the tile floor. Need I say more?  A crack, a spring, a case that won’t close, and a weird sound when I attempt to press “Play” greets me. Damn… Now what? The radio with a CD player read “ERROR” when I insert the disk. The CD player in the living room is attached to other equipment and is too complicated to work and I certainly can’t carry around my laptop to hear the rest of the story. I’m crushed. My husband bought me that player because he knows that when I can’t read because of other work I’m doing, my CD player allows me to hear the unabridged books that I don’t always have time to read. I’m afraid that if I did actually read all the books I listen to, I probably wouldn’t be doing anything else besides read and write.

     So now I’m at a loss – stuck in the middle of a story and craving to hear what happens next. This book reminds me of the King of old. The Shining King or The Stand King. The King that really told a good tale. I care about this one and I can’t hear anymore of it until I figure out a way to play the rest of the disks.

     I really can’t go out and just buy another CD player. That is not an option right now, so I’ll have to see if I have a CD player at the Inn I can bring over so I can listen to the story while I work over at the little house.

     It’s not the first time I did something this stupid and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I just feel bad for being so clumsy.

     I was out in the garden today raking. The paths were covered with dried pine needles and memories of vibrant leaves and brilliant flowers.  I raked over the bed and gathered a pile together. As I stuffed the pile into a plastic trash bag, popping through the soft ground were the heads of my rhubarb. This year’s crop looks promising. The budding red stalks with their baby green leaves are thick and plentiful.  I swear the cluster has doubled in size from last year. That means more strawberry-rhubarb jam and pies this year.

      The beds need a lot of work to get them in shape for spring plantings. I managed to fill three 30 gallon trash bags and it looks like I will probably have nine more before I finish with these beds. The storm last night really softened the soil, so it was really easy to rake and pull weeds to prepare the soil.  The path will need to be mulched after I finish clearing it, but it shouldn’t take too long to do that, probably an afternoon.

     Last night a well-known young adult novelist and his wife, a children’s illustrator, stayed with me. David Kherdian wrote The Road to Home: A Story of an Armenian Girl. What a really nice couple. I’m sorry they couldn’t stay longer. It was so much fun to talk to them about their work and the writer’s life.  The words of advice Nonny Hogrogian, his wife, gave writers is “Just do it!” Words to live by.

     Debbie sits in the sunroom overlooking the pond. The sun shines in and warms the room. On the round butcher block table is spread out a variety of colored paper. Next to the paper box are blue scissors with yellow interchangeable blades. They lie open on the table with tiny scrapes of paper nearby.  She picks out a vibrant blue color paper and carefully places it in front of her. Taking her scissors, she clips pieces of the paper away from one side of the blue paper. She reaches into her scrap box and pulls out a bright yellow rectangle and a purple square. Debbie places them on the bright blue piece that has been trimmed, removes them, and replaces them until it looks right to here eye. 

     She takes out her Photo Memory Fix and attempts to run the tape along the one side of the yellow before adhering it to the blue. One side of the tape sticks to the yellow scalloped paper. It does not rewind. More and more the sticky tape comes out and it does rewind. Debbie opens the blue tape holder and looks inside. The mechanism that should pull the used tape strip back into the Photo Memory Fix and affix the sticky tape to the colored paper does not rewind.  The used tape strip has slipped off the wheel and is blocking the gears.  She pulls the cog off the spindle and removes the used tape, cuts the strip, and replaces it on the spindle. Fidgeting with the case, Debbie lines up the cogs and the carefully snaps the case back together. Proud of her accomplishment, she continues to “tape.” The cog that rewinds does not work. The used tape line does not rewind and remains outside of the case again.

     Sighing, Debbie looks at the case, the workings of the simple machine beyond her comprehension. She slips her nails into the side of the case and once again opens it up. The 2 cogs pop out and unwind on the table and almost fall onto the floor. Debbie bobbles the tape and cogs. Her fingers feel thick and uncooperative. Struggling, she rewinds the used and unused tape on the cogs and links the teeth of the cogs before replacing them into the Photo Memory Fix. She takes a scrap piece of paper and works the wheel along the side to see if it works. It still does not rewind. Too much time has been spent trying to fix something that should not be this difficult to do. By holding the used tape, she can apply the tape to the paper even though it will not rewind into the case. That’s it! Forget the replacement tape. She throws it into the box and say, “Forget it! I’ll just by a new one.” Fifty-six minutes have past and she has not finished her card.

     I so need a place to write. I need my own space. I’ve tried writing in the office. No go. RJ usually watches TV in there and I can’t really keep my mind on writing. Usually I use that space for work, so that’s where I go to do bookkeeping, reservations, or phone calling. 

     I’ve tried writing in bed.  Not comfortable.  My laptop sits on my lap and gets too warm. Sam comes into bed with me and walks all over my keyboard (15 pounds is a lot of cat to walk on a keyboard). I usually read in bed, so I get distracted and want to read whatever is sitting on my nightstand. I’m almost finished with The Ruins by Scott Smith. I already have several books waiting on my desk for me.

     I’ve tried using the kitchen table. It’s a high table with tall chairs and not conducive to writing. Because it’s in the kitchen, I’m usually cooking something at the same time. No very good for trying to immerse oneself into the process of putting words to paper.  For instance, today was spent boiling down my next 5 gallons of sap (I still have 35 gallons out on the front porch waiting the pot!), I baked a cranberry nut bread, fixed dinner, and cleaned up the kitchen. The dog finally got clipped this morning (in the kitchen for easy clean-up) and the floors were vacuumed (because the dog fur got everywhere!). So there goes my writing space.

     Speaking of sap, my last 15 gallons of sap produced approximately 40 ounces of maple syrup. That makes 160 ounces of maple syrup or 1.25 gallons! Wow!!! I have arrived!

     I attended a committee meeting this afternoon for the Greater Rochester Visitors Association on web 2.0 applications. By the time I got back to the Inn, RJ had finished the Stewart’s bathroom and returned to the little house to see if I could get a few things finished before dinner.

     Now it’s going on 10:00 PM, and I’m just sitting down now to write. I have travel article deadlines to meet; I’m getting emailed from the contributors for our book that need responses and well as the day-to-day email; and I still have a newsletter and brochure to finish. Michael (oh, wonderful webmaster) said he will put my brochure and newsletter on the web so anyone can download it from the site. He is so clever. What would I do without him?

     It looks like the dining room may be my space. It’s quiet, spacious, good lighting, a large sliding glass door that overlooks Spring Creek (I have the some of the water going over the falls – very inspirational) and close to the kitchen so I can get my tea. I think I may just move my reference books into the bookcase in this room along with a few “my things” to help me focus and write. Hmmmm... This may actually work. I think tomorrow after I finish my Inn work, I’ll try out this space in the afternoon and see how it goes.

     Today I finished another batch of maple syrup. The whole house is filled with the sweet smell of sugar. It makes you want to eat pancakes! Speaking of which, I think that is exactly what I will make tomorrow for breakfast: pancakes smothered in homemade maple syrup with bacon on the side and fresh strawberries. Can’t beat it!

     Cooper got a bath today. I couldn’t stand him anymore. He keeps running off into the creek and comes back a mess! Between the muck and burrs, his coat was in a terrible state of disarray. So today was the bath and brushing; tomorrow is the clip. I’m thinking of really trimming up his feathers. They just get so matted this time of year – mud season.

     RJ finished the dining room windows and ceiling today. That rich library oak stain makes the room look so warm and inviting. He said on Sunday he’ll do the baseboards after our guests check-out and before our new guests check-in on Monday.  Tomorrow he’s working in the Stewart to finish the bathroom. We bought a gorgeous pedestal sink for that room and a cabinet with vanity top for the Skivington. What a makeover!

     Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary…37 years! I am just the luckiest girl around to have such a wonderful husband. We celebrated this evening with our favorite foods and a quiet time together (at least for an hour or so).  I know tomorrow will be busy with guests checking in and breads to be baked. I’m planning on spending most of my morning writing. I have several deadlines creeping up on me and need to get my butt in the chair and words on paper.  I figure I should be able to finish one article, start another, and finish my brochure and newsletter. By then, I’ll have to get over to the Inn and prepare for guests before I head out to my committee meeting for Visit Rochester (Greater Rochester Visitors Association).

      I’ve been reading The Ruins by Scott Smith (The movie is being released this week). I’m anxious to finish. So many books… so little time.

      It’s getting late.  Time to call it a night. Morning comes pretty early around here. Till later…

      One hundred gallons!!! Unbelievable! I spent yesterday and today boiling down the sap into syrup. So far, I managed to boil down another 15 gallons. This has got to be the best New York syrup ever! Beautiful amber color, clear, and sweet!

     The process is actually quite time consuming but very rewarding. The boiling process is the longest part. A good gentle boil will evaporate the water out of the sap and create syrup. Once syrup is created, the next step is to filter the syrup through cheese cloth. The syrup is then returned to the pot to be brought back up to a boil. Now is the time to clarify the syrup by poaching an egg in the syrup. Just like in the 1800s, the egg will act as a clarifying agent. Any impurities in the syrup will be drawn to the egg, making the syrup clear. (The egg tastes good, too.) This is so neat! Once the syrup cools, it can be stored safely in a container in the refrigerator. I figure with the amount of sap we collected. I should be able to make about 2 ½ gallons of syrup. That should carry me until next season (I hope).

      Who would have thought we would be making maple syrup?

     What a wonderful day! The weather was perfect – the air crisp and the sky blue. After our guests checked out and I cleaned up the kitchen, RJ and I headed up to the Genesee Country Village and Museum for a day of “Sap, Syrup, and Sugar.”  We started with a pancake breakfast and sausage with homemade New York maple syrup. Then we headed out to the sugar shack to see how maple syrup and sugar was made back in the 1800s.

     We have tapped 5 sugar maple trees on our property and have already collected over 50 gallons of sap. The sap has really been running well this season and the sugar content is around 2.7%, which means instead of needing 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, we can use 32-35 gallons to make 1 gallon.  New York Maple is so sweet and rich. I swear it’s because we have really good water. Our inn is right on Spring Creek. This spring fed waterway follows right through our property, which I’m sure doesn’t hurt.

     We visited two of the historic houses at the museum where RJ and I sampled maple baked beans (got that recipe) and maple cinnamon bread (got that recipe, too). I just love walking through the museum. There are about 65 historic houses to tour in season and the village is beautiful even in the winter and early spring.  We walked through the gift shop (never know what one may find) before we left.

     From the museum, we headed into town to check out new fixtures for the Stewart’s bathroom. We got lucky and found exactly what we were looking for. RJ said tomorrow he’s going to finish staining the dining room windows and ceiling. I finished painting the Stewart’s bathroom Friday (I love the deep sage color on the walls and the white trim). As soon as RJ finished the dining room, he’s going to install the fixtures in the Stewart’s bathroom for me. Then all that will be left for me to do is clean the floor and tile before installing the blinds and curtains. That bathroom will be just gorgeous when we are finished.

     By then RJ should be ready to leave with the catastrophe van again. He’s leaving the second week in April, heading out to Lexington, Kentucky. I’m not exactly sure when he’ll be back this time. At least we’ll be together to celebrate out 37^th wedding anniversary.

     We decided today was a pizza day, so I make pizza dough, chopped up my pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes, and then headed outside to collect sap while my pizza dough was rising.  I collected another 15 GALLONS of sap. Can you believe it?! So when I got back into the house, I made our pizza, popped that baby into the oven and started boiling down sap.  It takes a while so I only managed to boil down about 2 gallons of sap this evening. While we ate dinner, we watched Two Weeks Notice with Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock (loved it – light entertainment) and then answered email and wrote.

     What a great day! Man, do I love my life! See you tomorrow. It’s going to be another great day… I can just tell. Till later… Good night.