Including other things Simon wrapped drawings for shipping to Sweden.]]> We had Will's number on a scrap of paper for a couple of years and have lost track of who gave us his name. He did know a couple of people at Vassar, so possibly thats how we found out about him. There were a few small jobs to be done, but the main issue was unreliable water pressure. He had an idea and is going to bring a tank for us to try out and see if the pressure improves.]]> We met at Adam's Fairacre Farms, Poughkeepsie, instead of at the house. I started shopping and Simon went off to the Post office to mail the plastic framing clips to Sweden. He mailed them to John Rasimus for my upcoming drawing show in May. From the post office he came back to Adam's. When we finished shopping Simon headed home with the groceries and I went to CVS to pick up some medicine. After we were done unpacking the groceries, Simon and I helped Cathy (Murphy) with cooking. The three of us ate sandwiches for lunch that Simon and I brought back from Adams. Simon and I went out back to Cathy's studio to hang up her painting, "Begin Again". We also measured and found wood to extend the step between the higher and lower part of her studio, so she could move her easel and painting more to the left. We were going to build the step extension, but the track saw needed to be charged. We came back to the house and went to work on this site. If the saw chargers early enough, we might get a chance to build the step extension, before Simon goes home.]]> Simon arrived here after picking up 6 bags of san from Adams fairacre farms. The sand is for spreading on ice and mud to make it less slippery. As soon as he arrived we had him come up to Catherine's (Murphy) studio to help move her painting. He did his regular morning chores. He did some sanding. Then he packaged the clips for shipping to Sweden. The clips are for hanging the drawings up for the show. We had lunch. Simon had Chile I bought and froze from Babette's Kitchen in Millbrook. Catherine and I had that for lunch last night. I had the lefter fruit salad Catherine made for breakfast this morning. After lunch Simon and i went over to my studio, we took photographs of the drawings (in a box) to be shipped to Sweden . So I could send them to Joanna at the Peter Freeman Gallery to get some advise on crating. While I was emailing information to John Rasimus (about the show in Sweden) and working on the site, Simon was measuring the mounted drawings so I could send the sizes to Rasimus for the glass to be cut. I am not exactly sure what we'll do for the remainder of Simon's day. possibly work together on the site.]]> Ben came for a visit on his way from Sherburne, NY to College Park, MD. He arrived wearing a Spartan helmet from the movie "The 300". He told me he wore it all the way from Sherburne to here, and that getting gas and stopping at lights was pretty interesting. I ditched the photograph I took of him by accident, Thus a spartan helmet I got from the internet. I had gone out earlier to buy Mexican sandwiches for lunch, at La Cabineta. Ben and I brought our sandwiches and one for her, up back to Cathys (Catherine Murphy) Studio. She was working on her new painting "Flight". After lunch Ben and I went to Catskill Art & Office to pick up our drawings that were mounted on foam core for my show in Sweden. He left in the mid afternoon to continue his journey.]]> First thing Simon did a bit of shoveling and sanding. We worked on the site for a little while before lunch. We had leftover Chinese food. After lunch Simon did some errands while I did some other errands. We went back to work on the site when the errands were done. Next Simon and I cut a piece off the rug for Cathy's (Murphy) painting, provisionally titled "Flight", and moved it to a different position. She started this painting about a week ago. Simon ordered some inks for the printer and with the time we have left we are working on the site.]]> We called Tim with a minor emergency. Catherine's (Murphy) new painting, "Flight"? was set up in a way that blocked getting to one side of the studio as well as making it impossible to maneuver the painting. So Tim came over and took the newel post off the balustrade. We also had coffee.]]> Simon came back today to work (see last entry). It was a complicated day. He picked up bags of sand at Adams on his way here. Three of the five bags went into my studio and two up to Cathy's studio (Catherine Murphy). He did some regular chores that he didn't get done yesterday morning. Simon and i went up back with Catherine to her studio to help set up lights and get things settled for her new painting. I left for school at 1:00pm to hear a lecture and then to go shopping. I left a list with Simon for things he could do while I was gone. He would also be available if Catherine needed more help in the studio. He tried to mail back the pajama bottoms we bought for Catherine' new painting but didn't work out. He sharpened pencils, change a light bulb and did some other things. Mark Briscoe called mw while I was shopping about coming over to bring my styrofoam from my studio in school to here. (explained in next entry). They got here a little after I got home. Simon helped me in with the groceries and helped me put them away. When mark and Jonah Parker arrived Simon helped them put the styrofoam away in the coups. After they left, Simon went over to my Dutch Barn Studio to check on my sculptures - bats and squirrels - and the sweep.]]> Mark and then I received an email from Jim Kelly telling us that we had to remove the styrofoam from my studio at school since it is flamable. So, Mark and Jonah brought the styrofoam to my house. Simon was her so he helped them put the stuff in the coops.]]> After Simon did his regular morning routine we asked him if he could come to work tomorrow as well. He said he was due at Jason's tomorrow (Jason Fox and Huma Bhabha, who he also works for). Then he suggested if Jason could work with him today he could go work there and come here tomorrow. He called Jason who said today was fine. He left here to go there (pretty close to where we live). So he left to go there. I forgot to take his photograph. (see next entry)]]> Maria came to clean.]]> Jonah met me at Betsy's (Elizabeth Howe Bradley) office. We also met the carpenters there (Josh and a new woman). We took down the larger folded plywood sculpture of mine and added the smaller set of four. I had forgotten one of them. This did not matter all that much since I had to glue a small connection on it. I received an email from Betsy (who wasn't at her office for the installation). She was wondering if they were hung too low. I came back with the last one and we decided 6" higher would be fine. The carpenters were to return and move them up. Jonah came back home with me to bring the larger Folded Plywood sculpture back. he also sharpened pencils for Cathy (Catherine Murphy).]]> Jonah came over to do some work for us. He sharpened pencils for Catherine (Murphy) and helped me carry up and hang up her painting (Begin Again) to her studio up back. He came in a Uber and I drove him home.]]> Maria got here to clean at about the time I was ready to head to NYC. I paid her, took this photograph and left. Cathy (Murphy was in her upstairs studio working on BEGIN AGAIN.]]> Judy called last night and asked if she could come by the next morning to see Cathy's (Catherine Murphy) new painting. A painting, "Begin Again", that she finished earlier in the week. Judy was coming to Poughkeepsie to pick something up at Vassar that she left there yesterday. First she went to Cathy's upstairs studio (in the house) and looked at the painting with Cathy. When they came downstairs we had coffee and tea with cookies that Judy had made and brought for us. They were delicious. These were very thin oatmeal cookies, in addition to oatmeal they contained pomegranate molasses, coconut and a small amount of cumin. I ate many too many of them. Then Judy and i walked up back so that Judy could see Cathy's new drawing that was very far along but not done.]]> Simon got here his regular time, 10am and did his regular first chores. In the morning Simon sharpened pencils and I went out and did some errands. When I got back we had lunch. Next Simon did a couple of things for Catherine (Murphy). After that Simon traced on brown paper and cut out four small folded plywood sculptures. I am bringing them on Monday to Betsy's (Elizabeth Howe Bradley) office to exchange the larger sculpture she borrowed with the four small ones. Simon and I are now putting these entries onto the site.]]> Simon shoveled snow the whole morning. Ben Keddy arrived at lunch time. We all had lunch and then Simon and Ben, sanded. Simon stretched canvasses with Cathy (Catherine Murphy), Benjamin watched and took some video, because he wants to learn how to stretch canvases.]]> Steve brought our mail up to the house because there was a large envelop in the mail. I asked him if he was the new mail carrier and about Victor. He said yes, and that Victor hadn't been our mail carrier for over a year.]]> We finished working on the taxes today. I have a few more things to do by myself before I go see the accountant.]]> I was at Tim's shop yesterday and he realized he needed to measure something from the last sculpture for the one we are working on now. He came over early this morning to measure it. We also had a cup of coffee.]]> I was at Tim's shop yesterday and after I left he realized he needed to measure something on the last sculpture for the one we are working on now. So he came over to do that and we ha a cup of coffee and I gave him a check]]> Today after doing his regular morning routine the day got divided up into three parts. Simon worked on the taxes, He and I worked on this site and he sharpened some pencils.]]> She came to clean.]]> He came to work.]]> Simon mostly shoveled today.]]> This past summer I bought a gallon of cold pressed sunflower at the farm market near Vassar. Cathy (Murphy) really liked it so when we were near out I went on their web site and ordered another gallon. One of my choices for shipping was to have it hand delivered for free if we lived within 30 miles of the farm in Pleasant Valley, which we do. So Jeff came by in the morning to deliver the oil. We chatted a bit. When going over the spelling of his name I said like in Haight Ashbury, then he told me that the man that the Haight was named after was a distant relative and that he had been born in Poughkeepsie. I was also told that their farm was open sometime during the summer fo people to come and pick and buy sunflowers. I imagine we will try and do that.]]> We hadn't called pest Tech for quite some time to refill the mouse traps with poison. I called them a few days ago and they sent Megan to fill the traps. She has not come here before.]]> Benjamin came stayed over so he and I could work on my chronicle website. The site has many mistakes and omissions. He has worked at home and had a list of issues. We go some things done and I came to understand more fully how we should proceed. I was able to get access to the old site before that site was separated into the two sites that are now in play. This will be very helpful because we can compare entry by entry the old site with the newer chronicle site. Something that I should have done as soon as the site was split into two sites. This is what I am going to have Ben do from home and it will be very time consuming. While checking on the differences we will be able to see what might have gone wrong technically in the split as well as check on what mistakes I had made initially. Also the way data was entered on the old site can be updated to the way it needs to be entered on the new site. Ben will make these corrections and changes as well as write down questions that he will ask me periodically. I, in the meantime will be entering new data with Simon Tosky's assistance when he is here (he is not here now). He is helpful mostly because he types so much faster than I do. I am also going over older CDs of scans of photographs for the site. I am making the files of photographs that were originally put on the site larger so when you click on the images they will come up somewhat larger than they do now. I am also doing some clean up of the older images. There are some photographs on the CDs that were not included on the sites so I am uploading those.]]> Simon worked on a number of things, he worked with me on this site as well as helping me fix a footrest for Cathy (Murphy) that she uses while drawing. When getting a skill saw out of the cabinet in the my Dutch Barn studio he discovered that the cabinet was crammed full of squirrel nests, so he got rid of most of that stuff.]]> Chie and Josh came by to drop off a Christmas Present.]]> Ben got to work about 10:10 am because he hit a bit of traffic. First, he did the trash, then made coffee. Catherine and Ben discussed various cakes Ben could make for Sarah's birthday. Afterwhich Bern went to work on my China Project.nToday he is working on the image of the entrance to the pool hall turning itto night from day. I spemnt the day working on this website as welool as on China. I am iusolating the sky from the image of the palm trees and large rock in the front of the swan hotel. The trees make this a particular painstaking operation. After we all had lunch the three of us went up toi Cathy's studio to do a simple temporary set up for a possible new painting. Ben and I spent the rest of thye day working on the China project,]]> Ruperta came to clean the house.]]> Josh and Chie came for a visit. Josh had to be at Vassar to teach by 11:45 am. Catherine (Murphy) made a cake for them, so we served it along with mint tea (mint from the garden). The brought a whole box of great looking pastries. We visited and looked at work in the studios.nChie was going to drop Josh at Vassar, go home to Beacon and then pick him up at 5:00 pm.]]> Tim and Dana worked on the replica of our patio in Catherine's (Murphy) studio.]]> They worked in the garden. When we are far apart they don't wear masks.]]> Tim came to modify the facsimile of our patio that he built in Catherine's (Murphy) studio. The facsimile is for a painting Catherine is going to start soon. He cut off 3 feet from the back end and with a lever pushed the structure back to the balustrade. He did this by himself and rather speedily. We thought he would need another person and that it would take longer.]]> Judy Linn had some business at Vassar. She came to see Cathy's (Catherine Murphy) new paintings. Judy called and said she would bring lunch and we looked up the Thai Restaurant near Vassar Brother's Medical Center to tell her what we would like. She treated us to lunch.]]>