Awoke to rain and wind, but took my full walk. Got a little wet, but that won't hurt me. After, went to the clubhouse to vote, got Pat situated, put in a load of wash, and made applesauce.
Alison got here about 11:00. She likes to dive right in--so do I--and we didn't waste any time, immediately starting on the garage. What a job! For a little size 8, she's very strong, moving the high bookshelves and desk parts (from the study) to other areas so they can be used. I put all my indoor plant stuff on one, along with some gardening implements; the other is still empty, but will definitely be used. We got rid of a number of items, some to the curb for pick-up (the wicker loveseat and table that's now unraveling)*, some to my car to take to the thrift store (lots of frames, candles, "decorative" pillows, etc.), and some directly to the trash (an old garden hose and assorted other stuffaroni).
We broke for lunch (20 minutes or so), then started in again and worked for another few hours. Boy, it looks great! It isn't quite the way it should eventually be--I want to go through my Christmas decorations (I have enough to open a store) to see what I want to get rid of--but it's vastly better than it was before. Alison said she'd come back to get Pat's things (tools, birdseed, broken items he means to fix, and you-name-it) sorted and--we hope--make the desk his workbench. We like to kid ourselves that he's ever going to be able to use a workbench.
Pat went to the bay and Alison and I swept up, then drove to the Sherwin-Williams in Manahawkin and she bought paint. I blanched to hear it cost almost $700, but Alison said it would have been $4000 if they had had somebody else do it, so she and Mike paint themselves. I kissed her goodbye with many thanks, so relieved to have the garage so much better than it had been.
Best news of the day, though, was a call from Betty to tell me the doctor's office had called and her PET scan showed no abnormalities. Good, good, great news!
Note: Just went out to get the paper and the wicket set is gone. That's good--I hope somebody can repair and enjoy it.