Darren came to work in the garden for the last time this winter. In mid November he, Jean and Aliyah are going to the Philippines. The plan is for Darren to stay a month and for Jean and Aliyah to stay longer. While here he planted bulbs and cut down dead plants.]]> Simon did various things while he was here.]]> Jose and Junior came over to install the carpeting on the prop stairs that Catherine (Murphy) is going to use for a painting.]]> Tim came over to install the brace on my new sculpture to correct some warpage and to keep it from warping anymore.]]> These three young women came to canvas for Delgado for congress. I had done the same thing the week before.]]> Simon came to work.]]> In 1996 I completed a commission, "Four Houses" at Rockland Community College. Emily was on the committee for choosing the work and was teaching art history at that time at Rockland. She has lately been in communication with me about damage that the work has sustained. The damage seemed to be both plant incursion and weather related. A few years ago the college and arts counsel did some repairs on the sculptures, it seems that the repairs were not very good. Now the work needs to be better repaired or taken down. Neither the college nor the arts counsel has any funds for the repairs. I told Emily I would ask the foundation grants person at Vassar if he might have any leads for funding. Emily was up in Red Oaks Mill to buy a computer. She had also wanted to visit the Vassar Campus ( where she had gone to school.) She had not been to the campus for quite some time. I invited them to come visit while they were so close. So they did and amongst other things we discussed the possible future of "Four Houses".]]> Darren and Jean worked in the garden.]]> Maria came to clean.]]> Simon stopped at the supermarket on the way here to get some stuff we needed. When he got here he first did his regular chores. The three of us (Catherine, Me, and Simon) spent a few hours cleaning out my closet. I kept putting off doing this because I hate doing this. Cathy (Murphy) is at the beginning of working out a new idea for a new painting and needed transparent garbage bags full of clothes and figured we would be ditching some of my clothes from the closet. Simon sharpened some pencils before we had lunch. After lunch Simon Vacuumed my studio in the Dutch Barn and removed the plastic coverings. Emily Harvey is coming over on Sunday and I plan on showing her the studio. When that was done we got to work here on the site.]]> Maria cleaned the house.]]> Referencing Mary Ping's talk and dinner at Vassar College.]]> It's 10:52 am, and since Simon gets here at 10, we haven't accomplished that much yet. So far he has done his regular morning chores, including making coffee, which I'm drinking right now. Clearly we are also working right now on this site. Our plans for today are not settled, but I did ask Simon to throw away the bat that died in my Dutch Barn Studio. The reason I am waiting for that to be done until after lunch is because that's when animal control opens.]]> Geri Wilboutt (I am not sure of the spelling for her last name because I could not read my handwriting.) came by to canvas for Antonio Delgado, Karen Smythe, Didi Barrett. Coincidentally I had gotten home from canvassing for the same people. This was the first time I had done this. I had to go to Karen Smythe's campaign office in Hyde Park to get my instructions. It didn't start out all that smoothly since it took me a while to find the office. I was given a special app for my phone which had on it the list of addresses and people that I was supposed to talk to. Also on that app was a place to indicate whether they were home or not, as well as rating their responses for voting for these candidates. There was also a place for notes for each person which I took full advantage of. I started out from the office and immediately couldn't find the first address, but soonish I did. I went to a couple of addresses before I decided I should go back home to get my asthma spray since I needed it and couldn't concentrate on what I was doing with the possibility of an asthma attack looming, So I restarted and managed to visit about half the people on my list before I pooped out. The app also has the capability of letting campaign headquarters know who I had seen. The experience was reasonably interesting, but I am not sure accomplished very much.]]> I called Simon and asked if he was available to come over for a couple of hours because Tim Sheesley was coming to pick up his Litho Stones. Because they are rather heavy I thought Tim could use Simon's help. So Simon came over, the stones were moved, and he went home.]]> Tim drove down from Oneonta, NY to pick up the two litho stones that we've had for a number of years. We showed him around since he hadn't been here for quite a while. It was good to see him and we had a nice visit. (See next entry)]]> They came to mow the tall grasses at the top of the "great lawn".]]> She came to clean.]]> Tim came over to look at the last sculpture we made and he and I figured out how to correct the warp, we also talked about the porch roof leaking again. We visited and had a cup of coffee together. He brought us a delicious bread from Bread Alone.]]> I called Simon when he was on his way here and asked him to stop by the supermarket, and get paper towels and bottled water. Right now we are working on this site. Billy Finn called a little while ago to see if Cathy (Murphy) and I could meet him and Arthur for lunch. They are on there way to Pittsfield from NYC. Simon is going to have leftover Mushroom Risotto for lunch (earlier). When Cathy and I are out meeting Billy and Arthur, Simon is going to work on recording messages from our phone.]]> Catherine (Murphy) is working on a set up for a new painting. There is a short staircase (which we have been holding onto for years) in the painting. Catherine after much decision making decided that the stairs and the floor at the bottom of the stairs should be carpeted. We had sent away for some rugs, but they didn't work out. Later on we went to heritage rug and carpet and picked out carpeting for the stairs. Kurt came to assess the situation.]]> When Simon first got here he did his usual stuff. Then he sharpened pencils for Catherine (Murphy). After which he recorded phone messages. The phone messages will be put in appropriate places on this site.]]> John from Sterling Pump came to blowout the water from the pump in the pond, as well as from the hose connecting my studio building to the Dutch Barn. He also added an extra faucet to the side of my studio building.]]> Andrew came to cut down the long grasses at the top of the field.]]> Referencing Catskill Art & Office, Poughkeepsie, NY]]> Simon and I are sitting at my computer entering data onto this website. It is too early to know if we will spend the whole day doing this or move on to other things.]]> When Simon got here I was out doing errands, so he did some stuff on his own and sharpened pencils. When I got back, we took the packages out of the car and ate lunch. Now we are working on this site. In a little while he is going to go out back and do some work with Cathy, after which we will do some more work on the site.]]> Alec Levinson ( our tenant) had called to tell me that his boiler wasn't working. Patrick from Bottini Oil came and fixed it.]]> Cathy (Murphy) was cooking dinner. It seemed that we would have a good amount for 3 people so Cathy suggested we inviter Judy for dinner, which we did. We had Blue Fish (which we bought that morning at the Rhinebeck Farmers Market) with potatoes. The photograph is Judy reflected in the dining room window.]]> Simon dragged a staircase, we had stored in the far end of the chicken coop and brought it into Cathy's (Murphy) Studio. Then he helped set it up in order for Cathy to make some drawings for a painting she is thinking about. We also mounted drawing paper on a board and helped her set up for a drawing for another painting. Which she decided in the end not to do.]]> Wyatt came to do some weeding and dredging in the pond.]]> Martin was in Scandinavia when we had our anniversary party. Jeanne came on Sunday instead of Saturday, so she missed the party. It precipitated inviting them and Tom and Joyce to dinner.]]> Aaron delivered salt to us and filled the water softeners. The reason Aaron's last name is in parenthesis in all the entries except for this one, is because this is the first time I asked his last name. So the others were added later.]]> Simon worked.]]> Referencing Vassar College]]> I was sitting in the kitchen and see Gabrielle walking surreptitiously toward the table on the patio. She was just putting an envelope on the table, when I said "Hi!" which some what startled her. She was dropping off an anniversary card and thank you note for the party and didn't want to disturb us. So we got to visit for a bit.]]>