It's being said that the election today will be "one to remember"...we'll see. I voted early this year on the 18th of October...much easier that way and should anything happen between then and now my vote would still count!
My msn email account has been hacked. I can't even go to it, the password has been changed and I'm not sure just what to do. I've opened a new account at google on their email, but have no addresses to use to send my new address to folks...damn! What a mess!
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Friday, October 01, 2010
A trip to the beach
Last week my sister and I borrowed our step-father's house in St. Teresa for about a week...actually he said we could stay as long as we wanted. We went down on Thursday, the 23rd and got back on Monday, the 27th. As we were wanting it to be a true vacation, we each boarded our animals and it was just the two of us.
On the way down on Thursday we stopped at Iris Anne's in Crawfordville. Wow, what a shop! My sister had been several times, but this was a first for me. Years ago Mother gave me a really cute purse she bought there, with a dog on it that looks like Shirley. The store was having a 75% off sale and for next to nothing both of us got some really cute things!
Then, when we hit Panacea we stopped at the Funky Fiddler another really neat shop. I bought the gaudiest tri-fold screen I've ever seen in my life! I love it! Sister got a salmon pink desk and chair set. They just marked them paid so we could pick them up on our way back.
Then it was on to the house. It seemed to take us forever to unload our cars, we had to take everything including gallons of water. As it turned out we both really overpacked on some things and hit it just about right on other things. We each took a lot of cold cuts and cheeses and breads and salad fixings...you know, that sort of stuff. Except for two meals we ate at the house...Thursday night we went back over the bridge and had dinner at the new Angelo's. Wonderful broiled bay scallops...to die for. Then Sunday morning we went back to Panacea for breakfast at the Coastal...$2.49 for a pretty big meal!
We walked the beach a couple of times each day except for Sunday as it was just too stormy. It rained off and on all day Saturday, but with enough time in between to walk. I found the most exquisit piece of bright orange coral floating on the crest of a wave on Saturday.
Sunday after breakfast at the Coastal we went on to the Funky Fiddler and picked up our purchases. We were able to get everything into my car with a little packing room left over and when we loaded up mid-morning Monday we were able to get the remainder of my stuff in sister's car...thank goodness, we actually talked about maybe taking two trips to get everything home!
When we got back to the beach house from shopping and breakfast on Sunday we were rather at loose ends...what with the storm and all. I taught my sister to play backgammon on Friday, but 3 games seemed to be her limit. We read a bunch and played crazy eights, but needed to do something else............soooooo, we rearranged the house! Our step-father build the house 60 years ago and I do believe that every stick of furniture had stayed in the same spot for ever! We probably started working on the living room around 1pm and thought it was about 3 when we decided to break for lunch. I checked my watch and it was 10 to 6! Boy were we bushed! Everything really looked good, we didn't throw anything away or hide anything, but it really made a big difference!
On the way home on Monday we were stopped in Tallahassee for a procession escorting the body of a young man home from Afganistan and back home to Thomasville. Both of us stood out by our cars in the drizzling rain as our way to say thank you and how sorry we were.
We went to sister's house first and unloaded her purchases from my car and emptied her car...it seems so much easier with two people doing it. Then it was on to Monticello to unload the rest of the things at my house. We were pooped!
First thing Tuesday morning I picked up my 2 dogs and 4 cats. That was a riot...I took them to the vet's in two trips, but brought them home in 1. The noise inside my car was so loud that I couldn't hear the radio! We were all so delighted to be back home!
On the way down on Thursday we stopped at Iris Anne's in Crawfordville. Wow, what a shop! My sister had been several times, but this was a first for me. Years ago Mother gave me a really cute purse she bought there, with a dog on it that looks like Shirley. The store was having a 75% off sale and for next to nothing both of us got some really cute things!
Then, when we hit Panacea we stopped at the Funky Fiddler another really neat shop. I bought the gaudiest tri-fold screen I've ever seen in my life! I love it! Sister got a salmon pink desk and chair set. They just marked them paid so we could pick them up on our way back.
Then it was on to the house. It seemed to take us forever to unload our cars, we had to take everything including gallons of water. As it turned out we both really overpacked on some things and hit it just about right on other things. We each took a lot of cold cuts and cheeses and breads and salad fixings...you know, that sort of stuff. Except for two meals we ate at the house...Thursday night we went back over the bridge and had dinner at the new Angelo's. Wonderful broiled bay scallops...to die for. Then Sunday morning we went back to Panacea for breakfast at the Coastal...$2.49 for a pretty big meal!
We walked the beach a couple of times each day except for Sunday as it was just too stormy. It rained off and on all day Saturday, but with enough time in between to walk. I found the most exquisit piece of bright orange coral floating on the crest of a wave on Saturday.
Sunday after breakfast at the Coastal we went on to the Funky Fiddler and picked up our purchases. We were able to get everything into my car with a little packing room left over and when we loaded up mid-morning Monday we were able to get the remainder of my stuff in sister's car...thank goodness, we actually talked about maybe taking two trips to get everything home!
When we got back to the beach house from shopping and breakfast on Sunday we were rather at loose ends...what with the storm and all. I taught my sister to play backgammon on Friday, but 3 games seemed to be her limit. We read a bunch and played crazy eights, but needed to do something else............soooooo, we rearranged the house! Our step-father build the house 60 years ago and I do believe that every stick of furniture had stayed in the same spot for ever! We probably started working on the living room around 1pm and thought it was about 3 when we decided to break for lunch. I checked my watch and it was 10 to 6! Boy were we bushed! Everything really looked good, we didn't throw anything away or hide anything, but it really made a big difference!
On the way home on Monday we were stopped in Tallahassee for a procession escorting the body of a young man home from Afganistan and back home to Thomasville. Both of us stood out by our cars in the drizzling rain as our way to say thank you and how sorry we were.
We went to sister's house first and unloaded her purchases from my car and emptied her car...it seems so much easier with two people doing it. Then it was on to Monticello to unload the rest of the things at my house. We were pooped!
First thing Tuesday morning I picked up my 2 dogs and 4 cats. That was a riot...I took them to the vet's in two trips, but brought them home in 1. The noise inside my car was so loud that I couldn't hear the radio! We were all so delighted to be back home!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Things
The dining room is coming right along! Today the trim work will be installed...crown molding, base moldings and door/window trim. They'll probably paint it this weekend! Yeah! Then I can get the table/chairs out of the funny room and the chest and wing chair out of the living room and the rug down. Oh what a relief that'll be!
Friday I met my sister at the Greek Church in Tallahassee for their monthly spaghetti dinner. As always it was wonderful and we had mega left-overs! We each got 2 bakalvas to take home!!! After eating as much as we comfortably could we sat outside and smoked and visited and even with that I got home a little after 6. I actually got 4 more spaghetti meals and 2 salad meals from my left-overs! Not bad for $8.00!
While I was in Tallahassee my contractor came and put another coat of paint on the ceiling and walls...looks really good!
Sunday my sister, stepfather and I went to the coast. I drove us in my new car and we all had a blast! Bert took us to a place I'd never heard of, Spring Creek. The restaurant there is over 50 years old and just wonderful! Great food, I had fried oysters...the salad is brought out unassembled and you do it yourself. There were mason jars of croutons and bacon bits, etc. on the table and a wine bottle with the house dressing. It was quite different and fun! We got desserts to go and went on to Bert's house at St. Teresa and sat on the big screened porch in a blazing thunder storm and pigged out on pie! Good time!
Yesterday was catch-up day. I cleaned bathrooms and began laundry (I'd ignored it for several weeks). With my 2nd load in the dryer I filled the washer with my third load, measured in soap and turned the knob...well, the knob turned and turned and broke off in my hand! The washer is 22 years old and never given me any problems so this was completely unexpected! While I was pondering what to do the lawn mowing folks came and I asked them who to call about the washer. After finding the number and calling I just waited for a call back which finally came an hour or so later. The fellow is coming this morning to look at the washer and said he'll probably have to order the part.
Just got a call from my contractor...they'll be here in 15 mins! Earlier than I expected! They are going to set up in the carport, so I just ran out and backed the car out.
Got my flu shot yesterday. This year it includes H1N1. No charge this time for me! Yeah Medicare! Make sure to get your shot early this year...they say it may be a bad year.
Friday I met my sister at the Greek Church in Tallahassee for their monthly spaghetti dinner. As always it was wonderful and we had mega left-overs! We each got 2 bakalvas to take home!!! After eating as much as we comfortably could we sat outside and smoked and visited and even with that I got home a little after 6. I actually got 4 more spaghetti meals and 2 salad meals from my left-overs! Not bad for $8.00!
While I was in Tallahassee my contractor came and put another coat of paint on the ceiling and walls...looks really good!
Sunday my sister, stepfather and I went to the coast. I drove us in my new car and we all had a blast! Bert took us to a place I'd never heard of, Spring Creek. The restaurant there is over 50 years old and just wonderful! Great food, I had fried oysters...the salad is brought out unassembled and you do it yourself. There were mason jars of croutons and bacon bits, etc. on the table and a wine bottle with the house dressing. It was quite different and fun! We got desserts to go and went on to Bert's house at St. Teresa and sat on the big screened porch in a blazing thunder storm and pigged out on pie! Good time!
Yesterday was catch-up day. I cleaned bathrooms and began laundry (I'd ignored it for several weeks). With my 2nd load in the dryer I filled the washer with my third load, measured in soap and turned the knob...well, the knob turned and turned and broke off in my hand! The washer is 22 years old and never given me any problems so this was completely unexpected! While I was pondering what to do the lawn mowing folks came and I asked them who to call about the washer. After finding the number and calling I just waited for a call back which finally came an hour or so later. The fellow is coming this morning to look at the washer and said he'll probably have to order the part.
Just got a call from my contractor...they'll be here in 15 mins! Earlier than I expected! They are going to set up in the carport, so I just ran out and backed the car out.
Got my flu shot yesterday. This year it includes H1N1. No charge this time for me! Yeah Medicare! Make sure to get your shot early this year...they say it may be a bad year.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Again, the dining room
The dining room is coming right along! Tuesday of last week they tore out all of the remaining wallpaper and paneling! Underneath is the most wonderful old siding on all 4 walls! Then they took out the ceiling tiles and uncovered an old bead board type ceiling! Then on Thursday they came over and patched damaged places and spackled holes. The next step will be sanding and then painting. I'm having the ceiling and trim done in a semi-gloss white and the walls a sort of a paprika color. I'm thinking it'll be quite striking...if not, I can always repaint!
The animals are going to hate when the dining room is put back together! The dogs romp in the empty room daily and at any given time you can find 1 to 4 cats lounging in it. Oh well, I'm looking forward to getting everything out of the rest of the house and back in place! It's mighty cramped in the living room and funny room!
My sister and I had brunch at Ruby Tuesday's yesterday. It was her treat for my birthday! It really was yummy and I actually got 4 meals out of it...1 at the restuarant and 3 here at home from my left-overs!
Today is my oldest grandaughter's 19th birthday! Where did all of that time go? It really seems like it was only yesterday that she was 5 years old and we took her to Disney World! Thursday I'll be 65! Ouch!
The animals are going to hate when the dining room is put back together! The dogs romp in the empty room daily and at any given time you can find 1 to 4 cats lounging in it. Oh well, I'm looking forward to getting everything out of the rest of the house and back in place! It's mighty cramped in the living room and funny room!
My sister and I had brunch at Ruby Tuesday's yesterday. It was her treat for my birthday! It really was yummy and I actually got 4 meals out of it...1 at the restuarant and 3 here at home from my left-overs!
Today is my oldest grandaughter's 19th birthday! Where did all of that time go? It really seems like it was only yesterday that she was 5 years old and we took her to Disney World! Thursday I'll be 65! Ouch!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The Dining Room
The fellow who's doing my dining room came over Monday to check the room out again and give me a cost estimate. This house has been added onto and modified many times in its life time and the dining room at one time was a back porch. One of the things my contractor asked was did I know what was under everything...I didn't. He asked had I considered that there could be old siding...I hadn't. All I knew was there was the most awful wallpaper, a wallpaper support paper and wood panelling.
A few years back I ripped out the wall to wall carpet and pad, but only took the tack strips up from the doorways (3) and not from around the walls and there was still a large chunk of it under the hutch. Then a couple of years ago I tried to strip the wall paper out...what a mess! Uncovered a very heavily adhesive underlay and then paneling. That all came to a screeching halt and I've just been living with this horrid mess since then.
After he left I emptied the dining room of everything but the hutch, but did empty the hutch. Then my curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to know what was under the paneling...so I ripped out the trim from around all three doorways and pulled out the paneling and lo and behold there is old siding. It's in wonderful shape, dirty and stained and painted many times, but in wonderful shape! Pretty! So, I've opted to keep it!
Yesterday Rick and his helper were here from 10 until 3 (they were gone for about an hour and a half to go to the dump and to lunch). They got the hutch out, took up the tack strips from the perimeter of the room, ripped out the remaining carpet, tore out the ceiling tiles (pretty bead board underneath), and took out the paneling. It's absolutely amazing how wonderful it looks! The ceiling and walls will be scraped and sanded and painted and since the floor has also been painted many times I'm just going to have it painted also.
Now comes the hard part, color! I had thought of one color when I was thinking the walls would just have drywall, not sure that will be what I want on the siding, so last night I tacked up empty Meow Mix bags all over the dining room and I'm thinking I want the walls some version of the main part of the bags, the ceiling white and the floor a rich chocolate brown...sounds good to me.
They won't be back today as they were waiting for cement to dry on a rather large job they have...they'll be fitting me in and that's okay. I need to get paint, more chain for the light fixture as it's hung much too high and something else...can't remember what right now...it'll come to me. This is all much more exciting than the kitchen was because I'm not as disrupted as I was then.
The dogs go for grooming this afternoon...I wish I were!
A few years back I ripped out the wall to wall carpet and pad, but only took the tack strips up from the doorways (3) and not from around the walls and there was still a large chunk of it under the hutch. Then a couple of years ago I tried to strip the wall paper out...what a mess! Uncovered a very heavily adhesive underlay and then paneling. That all came to a screeching halt and I've just been living with this horrid mess since then.
After he left I emptied the dining room of everything but the hutch, but did empty the hutch. Then my curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to know what was under the paneling...so I ripped out the trim from around all three doorways and pulled out the paneling and lo and behold there is old siding. It's in wonderful shape, dirty and stained and painted many times, but in wonderful shape! Pretty! So, I've opted to keep it!
Yesterday Rick and his helper were here from 10 until 3 (they were gone for about an hour and a half to go to the dump and to lunch). They got the hutch out, took up the tack strips from the perimeter of the room, ripped out the remaining carpet, tore out the ceiling tiles (pretty bead board underneath), and took out the paneling. It's absolutely amazing how wonderful it looks! The ceiling and walls will be scraped and sanded and painted and since the floor has also been painted many times I'm just going to have it painted also.
Now comes the hard part, color! I had thought of one color when I was thinking the walls would just have drywall, not sure that will be what I want on the siding, so last night I tacked up empty Meow Mix bags all over the dining room and I'm thinking I want the walls some version of the main part of the bags, the ceiling white and the floor a rich chocolate brown...sounds good to me.
They won't be back today as they were waiting for cement to dry on a rather large job they have...they'll be fitting me in and that's okay. I need to get paint, more chain for the light fixture as it's hung much too high and something else...can't remember what right now...it'll come to me. This is all much more exciting than the kitchen was because I'm not as disrupted as I was then.
The dogs go for grooming this afternoon...I wish I were!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Astonishing hair!
I probably won't recognize myself when I wake up tomorrow...I now have the most astonishing hair color! It's sorta a cross between fire engine red and sunflower yellow. It is, however, growing on me!
Ann came to town for a few days and we've done a lot of eating and visiting. She's staying with Leah Jane and will be going back to Carrabelle tomorrow. I really wish she hadn't moved.
Night before last I got up at 3am and sat on the patio until 5am watching the Perseid Meteor Shower. It really put on quite a show this year! One came over that seemed close enough to need to duck and it was so big and lasted quite a while! I tried it again last night, but only saw a few small ones. I really went out at the wrong time, about 11pm, the peak is between midnight and dawn. I'll meander out again tonight, but Thursday was the peak.
I started a jig-saw puzzle today. It's been years since I've done one...had forgotten how much I enjoy them! This one is an old ad for Winchester shotguns with two of the prettiest bird dogs I've ever seen in the ad. It's 1,000 pieces and I still am working on getting the edges done. This may take a while! I got one of those things that you can roll up while you're not working on the puzzle...I hope to save it from the cats!
This past Monday I went to Thomasville. I needed to go to Walmart for pet food and stopped at the Goodwill store on the way. I've been wishing for a lamp for the bedroom...found the cutest elephant lamp for $4.99 and the shade for $1.99! So for $7.00 I have just what I needed...you really can't beat the prices!
The weather's still a major topic of conversation around here...guess it is everywhere right now. The temp has moderated a bit, instead of the high 90s and low 100s it's low to mid 90s. Of course the rain is keeping the humidity very high. It's like being slapped in the face with a hot wet towel when you walk outside! This too shall pass! Next we'll all be moaning and groaning about how cold it is!
Ann came to town for a few days and we've done a lot of eating and visiting. She's staying with Leah Jane and will be going back to Carrabelle tomorrow. I really wish she hadn't moved.
Night before last I got up at 3am and sat on the patio until 5am watching the Perseid Meteor Shower. It really put on quite a show this year! One came over that seemed close enough to need to duck and it was so big and lasted quite a while! I tried it again last night, but only saw a few small ones. I really went out at the wrong time, about 11pm, the peak is between midnight and dawn. I'll meander out again tonight, but Thursday was the peak.
I started a jig-saw puzzle today. It's been years since I've done one...had forgotten how much I enjoy them! This one is an old ad for Winchester shotguns with two of the prettiest bird dogs I've ever seen in the ad. It's 1,000 pieces and I still am working on getting the edges done. This may take a while! I got one of those things that you can roll up while you're not working on the puzzle...I hope to save it from the cats!
This past Monday I went to Thomasville. I needed to go to Walmart for pet food and stopped at the Goodwill store on the way. I've been wishing for a lamp for the bedroom...found the cutest elephant lamp for $4.99 and the shade for $1.99! So for $7.00 I have just what I needed...you really can't beat the prices!
The weather's still a major topic of conversation around here...guess it is everywhere right now. The temp has moderated a bit, instead of the high 90s and low 100s it's low to mid 90s. Of course the rain is keeping the humidity very high. It's like being slapped in the face with a hot wet towel when you walk outside! This too shall pass! Next we'll all be moaning and groaning about how cold it is!
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Old friends
"Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver the other gold".
Yesterday five of us from the class of '63 (and one husband) met for lunch at Sage here in Monticello. Betty Hodge, Rachael Ward, Colleen Capps and her husband, Gene, Charlie Walker and I met, ate, talked and laughed for hours. We all just picked up as if yesterday was our graduation...such fun! You know, sometimes the smaller groups are better than the big ones, for one thing, it's much easier to hear each other! I, of course, forgot to take my camera, but all three of the girls had theirs and plan to post on FaceBook.
I roasted my Angle Foods chicken yesterday morning. I really needed to get it out of the freezer so I could tell what's in there! I made a rub with brown sugar, Kosher salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, Cajun seasoning, fresh garlic and olive oil. Stuffed the cavity with fresh rosemary and onions...it was so big I had to roast it for 2 hours! Once it was cooled I cut it in half and put 1/2 in the 'fridge and 1/2 back in the freezer. Supper was a nice salad with cubed chicken breast...yum! This morning after feeding the animals I made a curried shrimp salad, ended having that for my breakfast, so good!
Our weather continues to be really hot and awfully muggy. We are back in our daily storm pattern (thank goodness), but that just adds to the muggy! The grass is so high that I'm afraid I'll lose Shirley in it...she runs and hops through it so I am able to keep an eye on her. She's escaping from the fenced area at will! I've crawled the length of the house and can't find where it's happening. She's so unstreet savy and that really frightens me!
The power bill came this week, $201.70! Wow! The water/sewer/garbage bill also came and the base charge has dropped $5.00, that's better!
Yesterday five of us from the class of '63 (and one husband) met for lunch at Sage here in Monticello. Betty Hodge, Rachael Ward, Colleen Capps and her husband, Gene, Charlie Walker and I met, ate, talked and laughed for hours. We all just picked up as if yesterday was our graduation...such fun! You know, sometimes the smaller groups are better than the big ones, for one thing, it's much easier to hear each other! I, of course, forgot to take my camera, but all three of the girls had theirs and plan to post on FaceBook.
I roasted my Angle Foods chicken yesterday morning. I really needed to get it out of the freezer so I could tell what's in there! I made a rub with brown sugar, Kosher salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, Cajun seasoning, fresh garlic and olive oil. Stuffed the cavity with fresh rosemary and onions...it was so big I had to roast it for 2 hours! Once it was cooled I cut it in half and put 1/2 in the 'fridge and 1/2 back in the freezer. Supper was a nice salad with cubed chicken breast...yum! This morning after feeding the animals I made a curried shrimp salad, ended having that for my breakfast, so good!
Our weather continues to be really hot and awfully muggy. We are back in our daily storm pattern (thank goodness), but that just adds to the muggy! The grass is so high that I'm afraid I'll lose Shirley in it...she runs and hops through it so I am able to keep an eye on her. She's escaping from the fenced area at will! I've crawled the length of the house and can't find where it's happening. She's so unstreet savy and that really frightens me!
The power bill came this week, $201.70! Wow! The water/sewer/garbage bill also came and the base charge has dropped $5.00, that's better!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
$70.00
Well, I just got back from picking up my first Angel Food order and I'm here to tell you that it's the best $70.00 I've ever spent. For those of you not familiar with Angel Food Ministries, it's a national organization that's non-profit and distributes food to anyone...absolutely no qualifications necessary. One dollar of each order goes into a pot to feed the hungry. The food is top-notch and very affordable!
I'm going to give you a brief (sorta) run down of what my $70.00 got me. 1 doz. eggs, a whole large chicken, lasagna, meat loaf, Polish sausage, 2 split Cornish game hens, 4 rib-eye steaks, 4 sirloin steaks, 6 cheese burgers, a package of hot dogs, frozen carrots, frozen mangos, a large pizza, a box of cereal, hamburger helper, baked beans, 8 sweet rolls, a lb. of ground beef, a bag of split chicken breasts, a large cabbage, frozen mashed potatoes, frozen corn, a quart of shelf stable milk, country fried steak with gravy and there's more that I can't remember. This will last me longer than the month of August! I'll need to get pet food and that's it!
You owe it to yourself to check out http://www.angelfoodministries.com/ and find a location in your area. I had to drive to Tallahassee, but it's well worth it!
Leah Jane and Norma came over last night for hamburgers, slaw and baked beans. It's good to see Leah Jane healing from the loss of Max, but she still has a way to go. Bless her heart, at the end of last week she was stung by a wasp on her ankle...the swelling was immediate and just awful, but she was pretty much over it by Tuesday of this week. Then on Thursday another wasp stung her on her right thumb and she looks like she wearing someone elses hand and arm. She's swollen from the tips of her fingers to her shoulder!
I started a painting this week. It's been years since I've painted anything other than furniture or walls, so getting back to a canvas is sorta exciting! I'm doing a painting of Leah Jane and Max. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't insult her and turns out okay!
I'm going to give you a brief (sorta) run down of what my $70.00 got me. 1 doz. eggs, a whole large chicken, lasagna, meat loaf, Polish sausage, 2 split Cornish game hens, 4 rib-eye steaks, 4 sirloin steaks, 6 cheese burgers, a package of hot dogs, frozen carrots, frozen mangos, a large pizza, a box of cereal, hamburger helper, baked beans, 8 sweet rolls, a lb. of ground beef, a bag of split chicken breasts, a large cabbage, frozen mashed potatoes, frozen corn, a quart of shelf stable milk, country fried steak with gravy and there's more that I can't remember. This will last me longer than the month of August! I'll need to get pet food and that's it!
You owe it to yourself to check out http://www.angelfoodministries.com/ and find a location in your area. I had to drive to Tallahassee, but it's well worth it!
Leah Jane and Norma came over last night for hamburgers, slaw and baked beans. It's good to see Leah Jane healing from the loss of Max, but she still has a way to go. Bless her heart, at the end of last week she was stung by a wasp on her ankle...the swelling was immediate and just awful, but she was pretty much over it by Tuesday of this week. Then on Thursday another wasp stung her on her right thumb and she looks like she wearing someone elses hand and arm. She's swollen from the tips of her fingers to her shoulder!
I started a painting this week. It's been years since I've painted anything other than furniture or walls, so getting back to a canvas is sorta exciting! I'm doing a painting of Leah Jane and Max. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't insult her and turns out okay!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Max
Yesterday Leah Jane had to have Max put down. He was 15 years old and fighting kidney failure for several months. I was with her when she buried him in her back yard and then stayed for several hours. Many of her neighbors (including our mayor) and family came by. She's a wreck, of course, but I feel sure that she'll be okay. The next few weeks are going to be awful for her (she's 75), but everyone is concerned and will rally for her.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Good stuff
Tuesday evening Leah Jane and her dog Max and Norma and her dog Maggie came over for wine and visiting. We always have a good time when we get together and when you add their two dogs into the mix with my four cats and two dogs it's usually a riot! We laughed so much watching the interactions of the animals that our sides ached!
Wednesday I hosted bridge here at my house. We didn't play in May or June as my sister and I were so overwhelmed with dealing with Mother's things and frankly couldn't wrap our heads around doing anything else. Everyone arrived around 5pm and I think it was around 9 when we broke up. As usual, I was low and my sister was high, but I play so poorly that I'm never surprised! It was so nice not having to drive to Tallahassee to play...I just hate driving home at night! I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all.
I got up yesterday morning, drove to Tallahassee and bought a car! This is the first new car I've ever bought and it was exciting. I was shocked at how long it took, hours! I got a sage green 2010 Subaru Forester. She's just beautiful and handles like a dream! She even has a moon roof! It'll take me a while to figure out all of the bells and whistles, I guess reading the book will help! I drove home the long way just to drive! I'm so looking forward to really driving somewhere!
Last night we had an unbelievable storm! My patio, driveway, carport and porch are all covered with shreaded leaves and small (thank goodness) limbs. From the reports that I'm getting from tv, parts of Tallahassee had it even worse than we did with some pretty major flooding, fires and power outages! The forecast for today and tomorrow is more of the same!
Wednesday I hosted bridge here at my house. We didn't play in May or June as my sister and I were so overwhelmed with dealing with Mother's things and frankly couldn't wrap our heads around doing anything else. Everyone arrived around 5pm and I think it was around 9 when we broke up. As usual, I was low and my sister was high, but I play so poorly that I'm never surprised! It was so nice not having to drive to Tallahassee to play...I just hate driving home at night! I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all.
I got up yesterday morning, drove to Tallahassee and bought a car! This is the first new car I've ever bought and it was exciting. I was shocked at how long it took, hours! I got a sage green 2010 Subaru Forester. She's just beautiful and handles like a dream! She even has a moon roof! It'll take me a while to figure out all of the bells and whistles, I guess reading the book will help! I drove home the long way just to drive! I'm so looking forward to really driving somewhere!
Last night we had an unbelievable storm! My patio, driveway, carport and porch are all covered with shreaded leaves and small (thank goodness) limbs. From the reports that I'm getting from tv, parts of Tallahassee had it even worse than we did with some pretty major flooding, fires and power outages! The forecast for today and tomorrow is more of the same!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Three's the charm
You know how "they" say that things happen in threes, well since my two falls last month I've been so careful and waiting for that third shoe to drop. It dropped this morning (I think...I hope).
Funny how things work. I've been wishing for a bicycle for a long time, but haven't found one that fits my criteria...it needs to be rather small/short, has to have coaster breaks and it has to have a basket.
Yesterday Ann came to town for a vet appointment and she, Leah Jane, Norma and I met for lunch at Sage. At some point during the conversations and laughter I said to Ann, "Well, I guess that since you've moved away I can stop wishing for a bike, because the main reason I wanted one was to ride to your house".
Around 7 last night my next door neighbor's mother, Anita, came over to bring me some recipes and we sat and talked for a couple of hours. Funny, I gave her twirling lessions when she was 5 and I was 15! I walked outside with her as she was leaving and out of the blue she asked me if I'd like to keep her bike over here and use it whenever I wanted to. Said sure and walked next door to look at it. Wow! Rather small/short, coaster breaks and a white wicker basket! It's old and a little rusty, but so am I!
I was so excited about riding the bike that I had trouble sleeping last night and got up this morning at 5:30. Fed the animals, had breakfast and checked my e-mail. Then the sun finally came up and out to the bike I went! Well, when I sat on the seat my feet didn't touch the ground and that made me a little nervous, but I managed to get it going and went down the driveway a bit. I remembered all of the times I snickered inside at little old ladies who talked about being afraid of falling again, well, I'm here to tell you it's not a very funny fear! All I could thing about as the bike and I wobbled down the driveway was "please don't fall, please don't fall"! And, I didn't! I got off the bike about half way down, walked it back to the carport, parked it and came inside. Phew!
Of course as I sat here playing around on Facebook I was chastizing myself big time. I was so angry with me!
So I gave it about an hour (long enough for my shaking to stop) and decided I had to get back up on that horse! I moved her into the fenced area and used 409 to clean the seat and wipe down the fenders, etc. Then I WD40ed the kick stand and looked at the tires. Couldn't think of anything else to do, so I got on the bike off of the patio and actually rode her around a bit on the grass, circled the back area and headed back to the patio and fell, kerplunk! This really excited the dogs, they had been so proud of me and now there I lay bike and all! I slightly skinned my right elbow and sorta turned my right ankle and the seat hit me in a funny place, but all in all I'm okay and have almost stopped shaking.
I keep thinking about everything I did wrong. #1. had on flip flops (can't wear closed toe shoes because of my stupid toe). #2. I was afraid. #3. I was afraid. #4. I was afraid!
It's been over 30 years since I've been on a bike and that last time I got hurt pretty good. Went over the handle bars and tore up my left knee...it gives me fits to this day.
I remember the exileration of riding bikes when I was young. There's such a feeling of freedom and abandonment...where did all of that recklessness go? I want it back. I'll try again tomorrow. It's too hot now.
Funny how things work. I've been wishing for a bicycle for a long time, but haven't found one that fits my criteria...it needs to be rather small/short, has to have coaster breaks and it has to have a basket.
Yesterday Ann came to town for a vet appointment and she, Leah Jane, Norma and I met for lunch at Sage. At some point during the conversations and laughter I said to Ann, "Well, I guess that since you've moved away I can stop wishing for a bike, because the main reason I wanted one was to ride to your house".
Around 7 last night my next door neighbor's mother, Anita, came over to bring me some recipes and we sat and talked for a couple of hours. Funny, I gave her twirling lessions when she was 5 and I was 15! I walked outside with her as she was leaving and out of the blue she asked me if I'd like to keep her bike over here and use it whenever I wanted to. Said sure and walked next door to look at it. Wow! Rather small/short, coaster breaks and a white wicker basket! It's old and a little rusty, but so am I!
I was so excited about riding the bike that I had trouble sleeping last night and got up this morning at 5:30. Fed the animals, had breakfast and checked my e-mail. Then the sun finally came up and out to the bike I went! Well, when I sat on the seat my feet didn't touch the ground and that made me a little nervous, but I managed to get it going and went down the driveway a bit. I remembered all of the times I snickered inside at little old ladies who talked about being afraid of falling again, well, I'm here to tell you it's not a very funny fear! All I could thing about as the bike and I wobbled down the driveway was "please don't fall, please don't fall"! And, I didn't! I got off the bike about half way down, walked it back to the carport, parked it and came inside. Phew!
Of course as I sat here playing around on Facebook I was chastizing myself big time. I was so angry with me!
So I gave it about an hour (long enough for my shaking to stop) and decided I had to get back up on that horse! I moved her into the fenced area and used 409 to clean the seat and wipe down the fenders, etc. Then I WD40ed the kick stand and looked at the tires. Couldn't think of anything else to do, so I got on the bike off of the patio and actually rode her around a bit on the grass, circled the back area and headed back to the patio and fell, kerplunk! This really excited the dogs, they had been so proud of me and now there I lay bike and all! I slightly skinned my right elbow and sorta turned my right ankle and the seat hit me in a funny place, but all in all I'm okay and have almost stopped shaking.
I keep thinking about everything I did wrong. #1. had on flip flops (can't wear closed toe shoes because of my stupid toe). #2. I was afraid. #3. I was afraid. #4. I was afraid!
It's been over 30 years since I've been on a bike and that last time I got hurt pretty good. Went over the handle bars and tore up my left knee...it gives me fits to this day.
I remember the exileration of riding bikes when I was young. There's such a feeling of freedom and abandonment...where did all of that recklessness go? I want it back. I'll try again tomorrow. It's too hot now.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
You just never know!
Well, you just never know what's gonna happen next!
Sister started setting up for the estate sale at her house on Thursday and actually made the first sale then! I arrived on Friday morning and Sharon was already there helping with the set-up. The sale was advertised for Saturday, but folks were out in force Friday and we sold quite a bit! Come Saturday morning things were really popping and we were very thankful that shoppers come in waves...it's really interesting that there are mad rushes and then restful lulls! Lots sold and we couldn't have done it without Sharon! We had either hot direct sun or downpours...very little inbetween. Even with a hat I got too much sun...Sunday we had planned to pack up, but were actually too tired and just sat outside with a 1/2 price sign at the bottom of the driveway...we were hoping to sell everything and not have anything to pack. Sold a bunch, but not all.
Monday we started packing things for Wag the Dog. Got hungry and decided to go to lunch. Of course it was raining 'most all day. We had to park in the back parking lot of Marie Livingston's and walk through the rain to get to the front of the restuarant. With my first step up to the tiled walkway my feet flew out from under me and I took quite a spill. Managed to grab something and didn't hurt myself too much, but my right shoulder felt awful. We had a fantastic lunch with enough left overs for each of us for supper. Then it was back to sister's house to continue packing in the rain. A couple of hours into the packing I had another fall, much worse than the first one...I was carrying a big black garbage bag full of holiday decorations to the garage and my foot hit a slick black patch of slime and, frankly, it all happened so fast that I'm not sure just what happened. I hit the cement face first and remember feeling my teeth hit and thinking "oh, please don't let them break" and then I had stars and blackness. Somehow I scraped the side of my left leg and broke a toe on my right foot. I have a very small chip on one of my front teeth, a swollen nose and a bruised and very sore chin. Both of my shoulders hurt like all get out and my back and hips are giving me fits. All in all however, I'm doing quite well. It could have been a lot worse. Managed to drive home and to the vet's to pick Jazzy up...I'd picked Shirley up before going to Tallahassee that morning.
Yesterday, except for filling and emptying the dishwasher, cleaning the litter boxes and taking out the kitchen trash I did nothing...stayed in bed most of the morning and slept in fits. Hobbled out to my chair around 3 and other than bringing in the mail and letting dogs and cats in and out did nothing. Didn't even get on the computer. Today is looking like it'll be very much the same, I'm much sorer today for some reason. Feel sure that tomorrow will be better.
Sister started setting up for the estate sale at her house on Thursday and actually made the first sale then! I arrived on Friday morning and Sharon was already there helping with the set-up. The sale was advertised for Saturday, but folks were out in force Friday and we sold quite a bit! Come Saturday morning things were really popping and we were very thankful that shoppers come in waves...it's really interesting that there are mad rushes and then restful lulls! Lots sold and we couldn't have done it without Sharon! We had either hot direct sun or downpours...very little inbetween. Even with a hat I got too much sun...Sunday we had planned to pack up, but were actually too tired and just sat outside with a 1/2 price sign at the bottom of the driveway...we were hoping to sell everything and not have anything to pack. Sold a bunch, but not all.
Monday we started packing things for Wag the Dog. Got hungry and decided to go to lunch. Of course it was raining 'most all day. We had to park in the back parking lot of Marie Livingston's and walk through the rain to get to the front of the restuarant. With my first step up to the tiled walkway my feet flew out from under me and I took quite a spill. Managed to grab something and didn't hurt myself too much, but my right shoulder felt awful. We had a fantastic lunch with enough left overs for each of us for supper. Then it was back to sister's house to continue packing in the rain. A couple of hours into the packing I had another fall, much worse than the first one...I was carrying a big black garbage bag full of holiday decorations to the garage and my foot hit a slick black patch of slime and, frankly, it all happened so fast that I'm not sure just what happened. I hit the cement face first and remember feeling my teeth hit and thinking "oh, please don't let them break" and then I had stars and blackness. Somehow I scraped the side of my left leg and broke a toe on my right foot. I have a very small chip on one of my front teeth, a swollen nose and a bruised and very sore chin. Both of my shoulders hurt like all get out and my back and hips are giving me fits. All in all however, I'm doing quite well. It could have been a lot worse. Managed to drive home and to the vet's to pick Jazzy up...I'd picked Shirley up before going to Tallahassee that morning.
Yesterday, except for filling and emptying the dishwasher, cleaning the litter boxes and taking out the kitchen trash I did nothing...stayed in bed most of the morning and slept in fits. Hobbled out to my chair around 3 and other than bringing in the mail and letting dogs and cats in and out did nothing. Didn't even get on the computer. Today is looking like it'll be very much the same, I'm much sorer today for some reason. Feel sure that tomorrow will be better.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Overwhelmed and Pooped!
The past couple of weeks have really been rough! My sister and I finally just quit going through Mother's things and called it done for now. The weekend of the 5th we had an estate sale here at my house. The response was amazing!
Sister made many, many trips back and forth from Tallahassee all week with loads of things and thank goodness was unable to get everything here! I went to the local police station and told them what we were going to be doing and asked for their help with security. They said they'd increase their patrolling, but we didn't see them!
On Wednesday, the 2nd, a friend of my sister brought 6 6' tables and several card tables. I had 1 6' table, a card table and 2 smaller tables. 2 other friends of my sister each brought an 8' table and a card table and my sister had a couple of card tables along with 2-3 card tables of Mother's. Even with all of these surfaces we still had things on the ground and things we didn't put out!
We had ads in the local paper here and the Tallahassee Democrat and folks started driving by when the tables were set out on Wed. By Thursday folks were stopping by, so I put a sign at the end of the driveway saying Estate Sale Saturday 8-4, laughable now that I look back at it. We made sales Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday! Wow! I packed the last of the things on Tuesday and got the final table out of the yard and onto the front porch. That was a relief!
The main things that made it so hard was the weather. It was unseasonly hot and each day we had 3-4 downpours/storms! We got so good at tarping and untarping tables that at the end we didn't even think about it, just did it.
We were also extremely tired by the time Saturday finally rolled around. We stayed on my front porch until 3:15am Friday morning just to keep an eye on things and finally couldn't take it any longer. My sister and her dog (mine were boarded) slept in her car until 6:15am and I slept in my bed until 6:15am and then we started again. A retired antique dealer that my sister met the weekend before came over from Tallahassee early Friday morning to help us price things. By about 10am she was so overwhelmed that she call her husband, daughter and 2 friends to come over and help! and Sharon came on Friday to help also!
Friday night we were so tired that we decided we had to lay down and try to get some sleep/rest, but we were both too tired and too keyed up for any rest to be restful! I made a dummy in one of the chairs on the front porch and with the back light from the living room it looked real. Sister and Maria started the night (@ midnight) in her car, but ended up on the sofa in the living room and once more 6:15am came mighty early!
The sale went quite well on Saturday and we were relieved when the last of the shoppers left and we tarped the tables for the final time. We both agreed that neither of us could worry about what was left out and sister went home and I went to bed.
We packed up Sunday and Monday...but we still made so many sales on Sunday that we stopped packing and just sat on the porch until rather late. Sister went home and was back again first thing Monday morning. We finished our packing, but also made a few more sales.
We each took a car load to sister's house on Monday and I took another load on Tuesday. Either Sat or Sun, I can't remember which, sister came over and we had breakfast at the Rare Door and each took another load to her house and I think I took another load over another day...wow! The brain is gone!!!
The good thing it I'm on my way to reclaiming my house. I know it'll take a while longer, but it's much better. Yesterday I took a car load of empty boxes to the dump and that pretty much cleared out the carport (at least of the extra stuff!).
A few things of mine are missing. The big pot and dipper I keep on the front steps for rain water are gone along with a couple of big boxes of candles...things I'll get over. But dang it, the big pot was Murr's!
Well, we are doing it all over again this weekend at sister's house. We think it should go smoother as most things are priced and we are more seasoned. Wish us luck!
Sister made many, many trips back and forth from Tallahassee all week with loads of things and thank goodness was unable to get everything here! I went to the local police station and told them what we were going to be doing and asked for their help with security. They said they'd increase their patrolling, but we didn't see them!
On Wednesday, the 2nd, a friend of my sister brought 6 6' tables and several card tables. I had 1 6' table, a card table and 2 smaller tables. 2 other friends of my sister each brought an 8' table and a card table and my sister had a couple of card tables along with 2-3 card tables of Mother's. Even with all of these surfaces we still had things on the ground and things we didn't put out!
We had ads in the local paper here and the Tallahassee Democrat and folks started driving by when the tables were set out on Wed. By Thursday folks were stopping by, so I put a sign at the end of the driveway saying Estate Sale Saturday 8-4, laughable now that I look back at it. We made sales Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday! Wow! I packed the last of the things on Tuesday and got the final table out of the yard and onto the front porch. That was a relief!
The main things that made it so hard was the weather. It was unseasonly hot and each day we had 3-4 downpours/storms! We got so good at tarping and untarping tables that at the end we didn't even think about it, just did it.
We were also extremely tired by the time Saturday finally rolled around. We stayed on my front porch until 3:15am Friday morning just to keep an eye on things and finally couldn't take it any longer. My sister and her dog (mine were boarded) slept in her car until 6:15am and I slept in my bed until 6:15am and then we started again. A retired antique dealer that my sister met the weekend before came over from Tallahassee early Friday morning to help us price things. By about 10am she was so overwhelmed that she call her husband, daughter and 2 friends to come over and help! and Sharon came on Friday to help also!
Friday night we were so tired that we decided we had to lay down and try to get some sleep/rest, but we were both too tired and too keyed up for any rest to be restful! I made a dummy in one of the chairs on the front porch and with the back light from the living room it looked real. Sister and Maria started the night (@ midnight) in her car, but ended up on the sofa in the living room and once more 6:15am came mighty early!
The sale went quite well on Saturday and we were relieved when the last of the shoppers left and we tarped the tables for the final time. We both agreed that neither of us could worry about what was left out and sister went home and I went to bed.
We packed up Sunday and Monday...but we still made so many sales on Sunday that we stopped packing and just sat on the porch until rather late. Sister went home and was back again first thing Monday morning. We finished our packing, but also made a few more sales.
We each took a car load to sister's house on Monday and I took another load on Tuesday. Either Sat or Sun, I can't remember which, sister came over and we had breakfast at the Rare Door and each took another load to her house and I think I took another load over another day...wow! The brain is gone!!!
The good thing it I'm on my way to reclaiming my house. I know it'll take a while longer, but it's much better. Yesterday I took a car load of empty boxes to the dump and that pretty much cleared out the carport (at least of the extra stuff!).
A few things of mine are missing. The big pot and dipper I keep on the front steps for rain water are gone along with a couple of big boxes of candles...things I'll get over. But dang it, the big pot was Murr's!
Well, we are doing it all over again this weekend at sister's house. We think it should go smoother as most things are priced and we are more seasoned. Wish us luck!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Hot, hot, hot!!!
Gracious it's hot down here! 92, 93, 94 degrees during the days and not cooling off much at night...and this is just MAY! Imagine August! Also, we're not getting the rain we need, we're having 5-6 days in the 90s and then just enough rain to raise the humidity and you know how that feels.
I got outside before 8 this morning to do some work that I've been putting off because of the heat. By 9 I was soaking wet and the color of a beet. Thank goodness I got the front bed by the porch semi-weeded and the major limbs picked up from the yard and out to the street. Toward the end of last week I cut back my 2 pink Knock Out roses at the back door and just left the cuttings on the patio to dry...they're so much easier to handle dry. Got those out to the street this morning, too.
I'm really having trouble keeping my two big herb pots. They're drying out practially before I finish watering them...perhaps I'll put them in the shade.
I'll be so thankful when the estate sales are done! Now, because of my things I've pulled out, the living room is almost as bad as the dining room and guest room! At least I still have a clear shot from my chair to the tv!
Leah Jane's home. She was gone for 3ish weeks to her cousin's house in central FL. She said the weather wasn't as severe there as it is here...go figure! She's having Ann, Norma and me for supper and a movie one night this week. That'll probably be the last time the four of us get together, but Ann and her 2 dogs will be staying with me for a couple of nights before her closing. That is sure to be interesting as Jazz is really not too good with dogs other than Shirley! We'll just have to see how it goes...
Well, it's almost 4 o'clock and the sun should be pretty much off of the patio, so I think I'll take the garbage out to the street and then water out back...I can almost hear everything begging for water!
I got outside before 8 this morning to do some work that I've been putting off because of the heat. By 9 I was soaking wet and the color of a beet. Thank goodness I got the front bed by the porch semi-weeded and the major limbs picked up from the yard and out to the street. Toward the end of last week I cut back my 2 pink Knock Out roses at the back door and just left the cuttings on the patio to dry...they're so much easier to handle dry. Got those out to the street this morning, too.
I'm really having trouble keeping my two big herb pots. They're drying out practially before I finish watering them...perhaps I'll put them in the shade.
I'll be so thankful when the estate sales are done! Now, because of my things I've pulled out, the living room is almost as bad as the dining room and guest room! At least I still have a clear shot from my chair to the tv!
Leah Jane's home. She was gone for 3ish weeks to her cousin's house in central FL. She said the weather wasn't as severe there as it is here...go figure! She's having Ann, Norma and me for supper and a movie one night this week. That'll probably be the last time the four of us get together, but Ann and her 2 dogs will be staying with me for a couple of nights before her closing. That is sure to be interesting as Jazz is really not too good with dogs other than Shirley! We'll just have to see how it goes...
Well, it's almost 4 o'clock and the sun should be pretty much off of the patio, so I think I'll take the garbage out to the street and then water out back...I can almost hear everything begging for water!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
We're finished for now!
Yesterday my sister and I worked at finishing up as much of Mother's things as we're going to do for now. We finished the kitchen, garage and the last of Mother's closets. We were both totally wiped out, but done for now and it feels good! Of course, when Bert moves into a retirement center or whatever, there will be a ton of work to do, in fact, if you were to walk into the house you wouldn't realize at all how much we've taken out. 'Most all of the decorative items are still in place and all of the furniture. The kitchen is still quite usable with dishes and pots and pans, etc. My sister followed me home yesterday. First we stopped at Wag the Dog and gave them the last of Mother's clothes and then came here. We unloaded her car into my guest room and dining room...what a mess! I still haven't unloaded mine, not sure where I'll put everything as there isn't room in the dining room at all and the guest room is quite stuffed!
We've set the dates for our yard sales. Mine will be June 5th and my sister's June 19th. Once that's done it will feel much better. Except for the really good pieces, we'll donate to charity what doesn't sell. The good stuff we'll market another way...the way still to be decided.
Friday, the 7th of May my sister and I went to the spaghetti supper at the Greek Church in Tallahassee. Greek spaghetti is very different from Italian spaghetti, the herbs and spices used are intirely unique to Greek cooking. Delicious!!!! They give you so much that I can't imagine being able to eat it all in one sitting. I got 4 good meals and 2 snacks out of mine, plus I ate the salad for breakfast one morning! We'll certainly do that again!
My first tomato is ripening in the garden. I didn't plant in the ground or in the hay bales this time...I've had such bad luck with that here...this time almost everything's in pots and looking good (as long as I water!). When my sister and I got back here yesterday everything was looking pitiful. We've had several days with temps hovering around 90 (yesterday it was above 90) and we've had no rain for a long while. Thank goodness rain's in the forecast for the next few days, but I did water heavily yesterday just in case!
My friend Ann has sold her house and is moving to the coast the middle of June. Sure will miss her. Am having supper with her tonight, probably not again for a long while. Sorta sad isn't it? But, good for her...
I've really gotten into the Patricia Cornwell books lately...I've read 10 or so of them so far and have 4-5 more in reserve. I just hate the thought of finishing them! But I am enjoying James Patterson, too and have several more of his to read. Will have to find someone else to read soon, as I've really gotten back into reading. Funny, I haven't read much of anything for the past few years and reading was such a passion for me all of my life. Feels good to be doing it again!
We've set the dates for our yard sales. Mine will be June 5th and my sister's June 19th. Once that's done it will feel much better. Except for the really good pieces, we'll donate to charity what doesn't sell. The good stuff we'll market another way...the way still to be decided.
Friday, the 7th of May my sister and I went to the spaghetti supper at the Greek Church in Tallahassee. Greek spaghetti is very different from Italian spaghetti, the herbs and spices used are intirely unique to Greek cooking. Delicious!!!! They give you so much that I can't imagine being able to eat it all in one sitting. I got 4 good meals and 2 snacks out of mine, plus I ate the salad for breakfast one morning! We'll certainly do that again!
My first tomato is ripening in the garden. I didn't plant in the ground or in the hay bales this time...I've had such bad luck with that here...this time almost everything's in pots and looking good (as long as I water!). When my sister and I got back here yesterday everything was looking pitiful. We've had several days with temps hovering around 90 (yesterday it was above 90) and we've had no rain for a long while. Thank goodness rain's in the forecast for the next few days, but I did water heavily yesterday just in case!
My friend Ann has sold her house and is moving to the coast the middle of June. Sure will miss her. Am having supper with her tonight, probably not again for a long while. Sorta sad isn't it? But, good for her...
I've really gotten into the Patricia Cornwell books lately...I've read 10 or so of them so far and have 4-5 more in reserve. I just hate the thought of finishing them! But I am enjoying James Patterson, too and have several more of his to read. Will have to find someone else to read soon, as I've really gotten back into reading. Funny, I haven't read much of anything for the past few years and reading was such a passion for me all of my life. Feels good to be doing it again!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Friends
Yesterday Ann, Leah Jane w/Max and Norma w/Maggie came over. We sat on the patio and had wine and cocktails and shrimp and veggies w/pesto dip and we ate, drank and laughed for several hours. It was so much fun. The weather was perfect and the yard is really looking nice. Can't ask for more!
After 2+ weeks of dry weather the rains we've had lately are really welcome! It looks as if we may finally be getting into a pattern of alternating days with sun and rain and that's a good thing! I'm going to put out zinnia and sweet alyssum seeds today. As I'm such a lazy gardener I usually only broadcast flower seeds, so the rain we're expecting tomorrow will help seat them. I really enjoy the random look of flowers that have been broadcast and generally have remarkable luck. Cross your fingers that this holds true this time, too!
Last night I was reclining in my new chair dozing while watching tv. Suddenly I woke just sweltering hot. Turns out I was covered from ankles to chin in animals. Shirley, Goodness and Mercy had managed to catch me unawares and very creatively drape themselves all over me! Now, we're talking roughly 45-50 pounds of sneakiness and that's quite warm! Thank goodness Jazz, Smokey and Bandi didn't join in or I may have smothered!
After 2+ weeks of dry weather the rains we've had lately are really welcome! It looks as if we may finally be getting into a pattern of alternating days with sun and rain and that's a good thing! I'm going to put out zinnia and sweet alyssum seeds today. As I'm such a lazy gardener I usually only broadcast flower seeds, so the rain we're expecting tomorrow will help seat them. I really enjoy the random look of flowers that have been broadcast and generally have remarkable luck. Cross your fingers that this holds true this time, too!
Last night I was reclining in my new chair dozing while watching tv. Suddenly I woke just sweltering hot. Turns out I was covered from ankles to chin in animals. Shirley, Goodness and Mercy had managed to catch me unawares and very creatively drape themselves all over me! Now, we're talking roughly 45-50 pounds of sneakiness and that's quite warm! Thank goodness Jazz, Smokey and Bandi didn't join in or I may have smothered!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Not too much to say
My sister and I are maybe 2-3 days away from finishing up with Mother's things. That sounds quite close, but in actuality it isn't. We are only doing it on Saturdays as my sister really can't take more time off from work for this and it's something neither of us want to do alone...and since we're both exhausted from everything we're not working on it this coming weekend. That's not to say we're doing nothing, just not the clearing out. We're taking things to a cosignment shop and researching silver/china/crystal prices at an antique shop or two.
Yesterday I did 6 loads of laundry. It's amazing how much had piled up as I hadn't done any since the week before Mother died. I got all of the clothes washed, folded and put away along with some towels, pillow cases and dish towels. There is still a big pile of winter bedding that must be addressed at some point, but it sure does feel better getting the stuff done that I did! I was so suprised that the majority of the clothes were winter things!
I've spent most of my time and energy in the yard...the patio area inside the fence to be more exact. It is really looking good and it feels so good to go out there! My first iris of the year opened Monday. It's an unusual color, a deep wine with a gold throat, beautiful! Two or three more are almost ready to open!
The dogs just went crazy with their barking and it took me a bit to get them in. I just found out what it was about...my yard cutting guy is mowing and his aide is weed eating. Thank goodness! It's almost knee-high in spots in the back yard and was really beginning to look ratty! This will make everything else I've done look even better!
Enough for now, it's hard to think and type as they're mowing under my window now.
Yesterday I did 6 loads of laundry. It's amazing how much had piled up as I hadn't done any since the week before Mother died. I got all of the clothes washed, folded and put away along with some towels, pillow cases and dish towels. There is still a big pile of winter bedding that must be addressed at some point, but it sure does feel better getting the stuff done that I did! I was so suprised that the majority of the clothes were winter things!
I've spent most of my time and energy in the yard...the patio area inside the fence to be more exact. It is really looking good and it feels so good to go out there! My first iris of the year opened Monday. It's an unusual color, a deep wine with a gold throat, beautiful! Two or three more are almost ready to open!
The dogs just went crazy with their barking and it took me a bit to get them in. I just found out what it was about...my yard cutting guy is mowing and his aide is weed eating. Thank goodness! It's almost knee-high in spots in the back yard and was really beginning to look ratty! This will make everything else I've done look even better!
Enough for now, it's hard to think and type as they're mowing under my window now.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
What happened to Spring?
Wow, we went from almost Spring to SUMMER! Yesterday the temperature actually got up to 89 degrees! Of course, the nights are still in the 50s and we have a front moving in tomorrow (I think that's what they said) and we should be back to the 70s for daytime highs. That will be nice, I mean, my heavens, it's only early April!!!!!
I came home from Tallahassee Sunday with the trunk and back seat of the car stuffed to the brim with things from Mother's closet. At first when my sister and I were loading everything I didn't think much about it, but then it hit me that Wag the Dog doesn't open until Thursday and both Shirley and Jazzy have an appointment for grooming on Wednesday. There wasn't room to stuff a match book in the car much less two dogs! I called the Humane Society first thing yesterday morning and got no answer, so I called my vet's office. Told them my delima and they said to just bring everything there and leave it and they'd have Wag the Dog pick it up. Nice, huh? Well, when I got there the receptionist told me I was in luck, the Wag the Dog folks were there picking up their dog! I talked with them and met them at the shop and unloaded everything! What a relief! There will be lots more as we've not finished with either of Mother's closets and haven't touched the kitchen or garage!
I took advantage of an empty car and went to the hardware store and got 5 2-cubic ft bags of natural cypress mulch, would have gotten more, but they didn't have it. They should have some in Thursday and I'll get more. You know these past 2 years with Mother caused both my sister and me to ignore so much of our own stuff. Managed to get 4 of the bags spread before the heat became too much, I'd like to get the last one out this morning before it gets too hot.
Oh, you should see my hair...you know how I tend to do stuff to it when I'm stressed, well, the night before Mother died I cut it quite drastically, actually I cut it three different times that night. Then this past week I bleached it pretty good. Now it's quite short and a really odd color, sorta a light red or gold or something. I meant to get some dye yesterday while I was out, but forgot, so maybe I'll remember when I drop the dogs off tomorrow. I only think about it when I catch sight of it in a mirror and I really try not to look in one of those things very often! I think one of the blessing of aging is the eye sight dims a bit and unless you look in a mirror with your glasses on or in a magnifying one (shame on whoever invented those!) you can't really see the results of the years.
My house is a mess. Not only have I not cleaned it much in a while, but there are all of these bags of stuff from Mother's house everywhere. You can see the problem I'm sure, I can't do much cleaning with all the stuff around and I can't do anything with all of the stuff until we finish up. My sister and I plan to have yard sales both here and at her house. I guess we'll donate what doesn't sell as neither of us want more stuff, in fact, we're planning on putting lots of our own things in the sales, too. I hope to sew up the sofa one last time and put it out to sell along with my chair and the other dog chewed easy chair in the living room.
I do know that this will all get sorted out and fixed in time, it's just that I'd like it finished NOW! The only two places here at home that I can go that are clean and ordered are the kitchen and the back patio...well, my bathroom, too (I try not to go in there too often as there's a really big mirror!). It'll be nice to reclaim the house!
I came home from Tallahassee Sunday with the trunk and back seat of the car stuffed to the brim with things from Mother's closet. At first when my sister and I were loading everything I didn't think much about it, but then it hit me that Wag the Dog doesn't open until Thursday and both Shirley and Jazzy have an appointment for grooming on Wednesday. There wasn't room to stuff a match book in the car much less two dogs! I called the Humane Society first thing yesterday morning and got no answer, so I called my vet's office. Told them my delima and they said to just bring everything there and leave it and they'd have Wag the Dog pick it up. Nice, huh? Well, when I got there the receptionist told me I was in luck, the Wag the Dog folks were there picking up their dog! I talked with them and met them at the shop and unloaded everything! What a relief! There will be lots more as we've not finished with either of Mother's closets and haven't touched the kitchen or garage!
I took advantage of an empty car and went to the hardware store and got 5 2-cubic ft bags of natural cypress mulch, would have gotten more, but they didn't have it. They should have some in Thursday and I'll get more. You know these past 2 years with Mother caused both my sister and me to ignore so much of our own stuff. Managed to get 4 of the bags spread before the heat became too much, I'd like to get the last one out this morning before it gets too hot.
Oh, you should see my hair...you know how I tend to do stuff to it when I'm stressed, well, the night before Mother died I cut it quite drastically, actually I cut it three different times that night. Then this past week I bleached it pretty good. Now it's quite short and a really odd color, sorta a light red or gold or something. I meant to get some dye yesterday while I was out, but forgot, so maybe I'll remember when I drop the dogs off tomorrow. I only think about it when I catch sight of it in a mirror and I really try not to look in one of those things very often! I think one of the blessing of aging is the eye sight dims a bit and unless you look in a mirror with your glasses on or in a magnifying one (shame on whoever invented those!) you can't really see the results of the years.
My house is a mess. Not only have I not cleaned it much in a while, but there are all of these bags of stuff from Mother's house everywhere. You can see the problem I'm sure, I can't do much cleaning with all the stuff around and I can't do anything with all of the stuff until we finish up. My sister and I plan to have yard sales both here and at her house. I guess we'll donate what doesn't sell as neither of us want more stuff, in fact, we're planning on putting lots of our own things in the sales, too. I hope to sew up the sofa one last time and put it out to sell along with my chair and the other dog chewed easy chair in the living room.
I do know that this will all get sorted out and fixed in time, it's just that I'd like it finished NOW! The only two places here at home that I can go that are clean and ordered are the kitchen and the back patio...well, my bathroom, too (I try not to go in there too often as there's a really big mirror!). It'll be nice to reclaim the house!
Sunday, April 04, 2010
It's Easter
We buried Mother a week ago today. Even typing that doesn't seem real. My sister and I have spent countless hours going through her things and find that very depressing. Going through 84+ years of someone's personal stuff is just awful! It seems that she saved everything...every scrap of paper, every letter, every Christmas card, etc. We've not made great headway, but know we'll finish at some point. We plan to give most of her clothing to Wag The Dog. This is our local Humane Society's thrift shop. They should bring in some good money for them. The silver and crystal we hope to sell along with her jewelery. Mother left everything to our stepfather (the house and the place in the mountains), so if we are to realize anything it will be from the crystal, silver and jewelery. With the economy in the state it's in I don't know if there's much of a market for that sort of stuff or not. Neither of us want any of it.
Spring is just beartiful this year. Everything is now in full bloom and is breath-taking. I spent 7 hours yesterday putting out some colorful annuals and that felt good. All of the rain we had earlier this year really brought out the weeds, some totally unfamiliar ones, too!
I want to build some raised beds for vegetables, not sure how to go about it though. Wish I had someone to help.
Spring is just beartiful this year. Everything is now in full bloom and is breath-taking. I spent 7 hours yesterday putting out some colorful annuals and that felt good. All of the rain we had earlier this year really brought out the weeds, some totally unfamiliar ones, too!
I want to build some raised beds for vegetables, not sure how to go about it though. Wish I had someone to help.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Mother April 23, 1925 - March 26, 2010
Mother died at 3:35 Friday morning...she was less than a month shy of her 85th birthday. Even though I know in my heart that this was for the best and expected, it came as a shock and it hurts.
On Wednesday of last week the nursing home called my sister at work and told her that Mother had taken a turn for the worse, they were unable to get a pulse, blood pressure reading or an oxygen reading. She called me and I met her at the nursing home. Mother was alive, but comotose. We met with the Hospice nurse and the nursing home nurse and they told us it wasn't looking good, but that you never know... We stayed most of the afternoon. Mother was unresponsive and had no idea we were there. We were told that there was no reason to stay and that they would call if there was any change.
Because my sister had jury duty on Thursday and was out of pocket I called the nursing home early Thursday morning to see how the night had gone and to see if I needed to go to Tallahassee. I was shocked when her nurse told me that Mother had roused in the middle of the night and hollered and made a general ruckus that woke several of the folks there and that she was sitting up and having breakfast. Sounded much better!
When my sister finished with her jury duty she went by the Nursing home and found Mother in the same state that she had been in when we were with her on Wednesday, but there was a cup of broth on her tray.
Friday morning before 5 (I'm not sure exactly what time) I woke to the dogs barking their heads off and my doorbell ringing and ringing. It was my friend Ann. My sister had called her because she couldn't wake me by phone (I sleep on my good ear). Anyway, Ann told me that Mother had died and I needed to call my sister at the nursing home, which I did. I met her at our step-father's house.
To make a long and rather boring story a bit shorter I'll just say that Thursday I made 2 trips to Tallahassee and that in between there were countless phone calls, etc. Yesterday was filled with same. Today we bury her.
On Wednesday of last week the nursing home called my sister at work and told her that Mother had taken a turn for the worse, they were unable to get a pulse, blood pressure reading or an oxygen reading. She called me and I met her at the nursing home. Mother was alive, but comotose. We met with the Hospice nurse and the nursing home nurse and they told us it wasn't looking good, but that you never know... We stayed most of the afternoon. Mother was unresponsive and had no idea we were there. We were told that there was no reason to stay and that they would call if there was any change.
Because my sister had jury duty on Thursday and was out of pocket I called the nursing home early Thursday morning to see how the night had gone and to see if I needed to go to Tallahassee. I was shocked when her nurse told me that Mother had roused in the middle of the night and hollered and made a general ruckus that woke several of the folks there and that she was sitting up and having breakfast. Sounded much better!
When my sister finished with her jury duty she went by the Nursing home and found Mother in the same state that she had been in when we were with her on Wednesday, but there was a cup of broth on her tray.
Friday morning before 5 (I'm not sure exactly what time) I woke to the dogs barking their heads off and my doorbell ringing and ringing. It was my friend Ann. My sister had called her because she couldn't wake me by phone (I sleep on my good ear). Anyway, Ann told me that Mother had died and I needed to call my sister at the nursing home, which I did. I met her at our step-father's house.
To make a long and rather boring story a bit shorter I'll just say that Thursday I made 2 trips to Tallahassee and that in between there were countless phone calls, etc. Yesterday was filled with same. Today we bury her.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
updates
Lunch yesterday with two old friends was delightful! We picked up friendships where we left off years and years ago as if the years inbetween had never happened! It was all too brief however. I hope we'll do this again before too long!
I had dinner with Leah Jane...we had left-overs from Ann's birthday dinner last weekend. Everything was still delicious.
Mother is now under Hospice care. They will augment the care the nursing home is providing and do periodic reevaluations of her condition. No drugs or invasive care will be used. As the Hospice lady pointed out to my sister some people live for years under Hospice care, some don't.
I'm sitting here listening to Mercy snore. Not only is she a master purrer, she's a master snorer!
It's a little chilly this morning...the furnace has cut on a couple of times and the thermostat is set on 58!
I had dinner with Leah Jane...we had left-overs from Ann's birthday dinner last weekend. Everything was still delicious.
Mother is now under Hospice care. They will augment the care the nursing home is providing and do periodic reevaluations of her condition. No drugs or invasive care will be used. As the Hospice lady pointed out to my sister some people live for years under Hospice care, some don't.
I'm sitting here listening to Mercy snore. Not only is she a master purrer, she's a master snorer!
It's a little chilly this morning...the furnace has cut on a couple of times and the thermostat is set on 58!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Changes
Thank goodness, Spring does seem to finally be here! We are still in the high 30s to low 40s in the early mornings, but it's warming up to the 60s in the day time. I have had to use the little heaters a bit, mostly in the bathroom when I shower, but mainly I'm not using heat and it's so nice!
The first few azaleas are starting to bloom. They are always spotty at first and then seem to just all burst open at once. I love that! The Japanese magnolias are still blooming as are the red buds. Bulbs are blooming everywhere and everything looks so festive! Oh, and the blueberry bush is just covered with blooms!
Yesterday I got just a bit of Spring cleaning fever. I cleaned the front porch and back porch as well as the French doors inside and out. It's amazing how much better that make one feel...then I Swiffered the ceiling and walls in my bedroom. It looks like it has a fresh coat of paint!
Today I'm having lunch with two old friends...one of whom I see fairly often because she moved back to town right after I did and one I haven't seen in 42-43 years! We were majorettes together a hundred years ago! This should be fun.
As of Tuesday I no longer have a job. That's good news and not so good news...I don't feel like going into it too much, just that I was told to "take early retirement". Will be paid for 6 weeks with insurance. The first few days have been sorta odd, but it'll be fine.
The nursing home has called for a Hospice evaluation of Mother. When I find out the outcome I'll let you know.
The first few azaleas are starting to bloom. They are always spotty at first and then seem to just all burst open at once. I love that! The Japanese magnolias are still blooming as are the red buds. Bulbs are blooming everywhere and everything looks so festive! Oh, and the blueberry bush is just covered with blooms!
Yesterday I got just a bit of Spring cleaning fever. I cleaned the front porch and back porch as well as the French doors inside and out. It's amazing how much better that make one feel...then I Swiffered the ceiling and walls in my bedroom. It looks like it has a fresh coat of paint!
Today I'm having lunch with two old friends...one of whom I see fairly often because she moved back to town right after I did and one I haven't seen in 42-43 years! We were majorettes together a hundred years ago! This should be fun.
As of Tuesday I no longer have a job. That's good news and not so good news...I don't feel like going into it too much, just that I was told to "take early retirement". Will be paid for 6 weeks with insurance. The first few days have been sorta odd, but it'll be fine.
The nursing home has called for a Hospice evaluation of Mother. When I find out the outcome I'll let you know.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Oh, a hint of spring!
The past few days have been glorious! The nights have been in the 20s, but the days have been sunny, clear and beautiful! I've turned the heaters off and opened the back door several days in a row come around noonish! Lovely!
Yesterday Leah Jane and Max (her dog) and Norma and Maggie (her dog) came over for a visit. We sat outside on the patio for around 3 hours and noshed and drank wine. We had such a nice time visiting and laughing...the wonderful weather made it so special! All of the animals got along quite well, but Maggie wanted to chase cats. Jazzy was having fits every time Maggie went after one of "her" cats and would shoulder bump Maggie and growl at her. They finally worked it out and the cats were none the worse for wear!
No change in Mother. Bert's doing remarkably well, can drive again starting tomorrow!
Yesterday Leah Jane and Max (her dog) and Norma and Maggie (her dog) came over for a visit. We sat outside on the patio for around 3 hours and noshed and drank wine. We had such a nice time visiting and laughing...the wonderful weather made it so special! All of the animals got along quite well, but Maggie wanted to chase cats. Jazzy was having fits every time Maggie went after one of "her" cats and would shoulder bump Maggie and growl at her. They finally worked it out and the cats were none the worse for wear!
No change in Mother. Bert's doing remarkably well, can drive again starting tomorrow!
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
A Bert report
Bert, my 92 year old step-father had a (aortic?) stent put in today. I didn't know about it until it was all over. My step-sister called a little while ago from the hospital and told me about it. It seems Bert was having extreme pressure in his chest and shortness of breath and went to the hospital today about it. His doctor was on call and opted for the stent. I talked to my step-sister, my step-brother-in-law and to Bert tonight. He's doing extremely well and will be going home tomorrow. I asked him who would be staying with him and he said either he'd stay at his daughter's house or she would stay with him for the night, but that after that he'd be on his own. I asked what I could do and was told that tomorrow was when he was going to see Mother at the nursing home, so I'll be doing that for him...doesn't seem like a lot of help to me.
The only thing in life we can be sure of is change!
The only thing in life we can be sure of is change!
A little bit of nothing
There's really nothing to blog about right now, but I just didn't want you to think I'd fallen off the face of the earth!
The 2 major earthquakes recently have truely been horrible! I was listening to NPR this morning and Diane Reems had two experts on her show. They were talking about the world-wide effects these major quakes will have. The one that stuck in my little one brain cell was that this latest quake (8.8 on the Ricter scale) was large enough to affect the earth's rotation! The amount of affect and resulting consequences have not been calculated or published yet, but will be! And, we thought global warming was a problem!
I was in Tallahassee Saturday and breakfasted with my sister. That was nice! Then I went to Walmart to do my monthly pet food shopping. While I was there I decided to get 2 new litter boxes as the 2 I had were quite old and one had a bad crack in the bottom and I had it sitting in a cardboard box! Well, I'm here to tell you that cats don't make changes too well! After throwing the old boxes away and cleaning the area well I put the two new litter boxes down in the same spots and filled them with new litter. The cats (dogs, too) had watched what I was doing with great interest and I had no inkling that there would be a problem. Well, you'd have thought I'd cut their tails off or something! Those 4 cats walked through the house yowling and carping and being generally pitiful! Finally after about half an hour of this I tossed 3 of them outside and left Mercy in. Finally she very grudgingly used one of the boxes and declared it good. Later the other 3 came in and made friends with the boxes, too. Whew! That was an ordeal!
Yesterday was absolutely beautiful! Sunshine and a light breeze with the temp in the high 60s. I left the back door open all day and, of course had no heat on. Well, today it's raining and overcast and dark and chilly. Do you think Spring is really just around the corner? Our town's beginning to look a little like Spring. The Japanese magnolias (the white and pink and purple ones) are all blooming. Redbuds are blooming and bulbs are blooming everywhere. Just enough to really hint at Spring! And then it'll be Summer...ouch!
I didn't watch the Olympics. There was enough on the news and on the computer to keep me as informed as I wanted to be. The good ol' USA did good! Now that they are over my regular tv programing can go back to normal, thank goodness! The Biggest Loser is tonight. Since we missed two week of it because of the games do you think the contestants will have lost even more weight or maybe gained from sitting around watching the Olympics?
As I said, not much news. Will post again when I have a bit more to say.
The 2 major earthquakes recently have truely been horrible! I was listening to NPR this morning and Diane Reems had two experts on her show. They were talking about the world-wide effects these major quakes will have. The one that stuck in my little one brain cell was that this latest quake (8.8 on the Ricter scale) was large enough to affect the earth's rotation! The amount of affect and resulting consequences have not been calculated or published yet, but will be! And, we thought global warming was a problem!
I was in Tallahassee Saturday and breakfasted with my sister. That was nice! Then I went to Walmart to do my monthly pet food shopping. While I was there I decided to get 2 new litter boxes as the 2 I had were quite old and one had a bad crack in the bottom and I had it sitting in a cardboard box! Well, I'm here to tell you that cats don't make changes too well! After throwing the old boxes away and cleaning the area well I put the two new litter boxes down in the same spots and filled them with new litter. The cats (dogs, too) had watched what I was doing with great interest and I had no inkling that there would be a problem. Well, you'd have thought I'd cut their tails off or something! Those 4 cats walked through the house yowling and carping and being generally pitiful! Finally after about half an hour of this I tossed 3 of them outside and left Mercy in. Finally she very grudgingly used one of the boxes and declared it good. Later the other 3 came in and made friends with the boxes, too. Whew! That was an ordeal!
Yesterday was absolutely beautiful! Sunshine and a light breeze with the temp in the high 60s. I left the back door open all day and, of course had no heat on. Well, today it's raining and overcast and dark and chilly. Do you think Spring is really just around the corner? Our town's beginning to look a little like Spring. The Japanese magnolias (the white and pink and purple ones) are all blooming. Redbuds are blooming and bulbs are blooming everywhere. Just enough to really hint at Spring! And then it'll be Summer...ouch!
I didn't watch the Olympics. There was enough on the news and on the computer to keep me as informed as I wanted to be. The good ol' USA did good! Now that they are over my regular tv programing can go back to normal, thank goodness! The Biggest Loser is tonight. Since we missed two week of it because of the games do you think the contestants will have lost even more weight or maybe gained from sitting around watching the Olympics?
As I said, not much news. Will post again when I have a bit more to say.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Mother, etc.
My sister and I met at the nursing home at 1pm yesterday. Mother was having lunch in the small dining room with an attendant assisting her. She didn't know me. My sister and I went out to the garden and had a cigarette while waiting for lunch to be finished. When we got back inside Mother was asleep in her wheelchair. We didn't wake her, but did talk to some of the staff about her and they were getting ready to put her to bed when we left.
The weather seems to be moderating some. Yesterday was the first morning in a long time that the temperature wasn't in the 20s or teens when I got up. This morning it's a balmy 34...really it's amazing that that feels better, not really warm, but better. The afternoons are getting up to the mid to upper 50s and that's actually spured me into doing some yard work. I'm planning on cutting back all of the crape myrtles this afternoon. This seems early in the year to me to be cutting them back, but it's being done all over town and this town does have the MOST beautiful crape myrtles in the world!
Shirley's better.
I got 2 (buy one get one free!) of those Emory Cats you see advertised on TV. The cats LOVE them! Goodness often lays on one and drools and at any given moment you can find Mercy clawing away on one. The two little cats haven't gotten much of a chance to use them, but I suppose they'll work it out.
Monday Jazzy turned 2 years old. She really has matured so much this past year, but she still has a long way to go. A few months ago I recovered the arms of my recliner because the puppies had chewed them down to the wood. Tuesday Jazzy opened one up and unstuffed it!
Damn animals!
The weather seems to be moderating some. Yesterday was the first morning in a long time that the temperature wasn't in the 20s or teens when I got up. This morning it's a balmy 34...really it's amazing that that feels better, not really warm, but better. The afternoons are getting up to the mid to upper 50s and that's actually spured me into doing some yard work. I'm planning on cutting back all of the crape myrtles this afternoon. This seems early in the year to me to be cutting them back, but it's being done all over town and this town does have the MOST beautiful crape myrtles in the world!
Shirley's better.
I got 2 (buy one get one free!) of those Emory Cats you see advertised on TV. The cats LOVE them! Goodness often lays on one and drools and at any given moment you can find Mercy clawing away on one. The two little cats haven't gotten much of a chance to use them, but I suppose they'll work it out.
Monday Jazzy turned 2 years old. She really has matured so much this past year, but she still has a long way to go. A few months ago I recovered the arms of my recliner because the puppies had chewed them down to the wood. Tuesday Jazzy opened one up and unstuffed it!
Damn animals!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Global Warming?
It's mighty cold here, but expected to get colder with snow actually in our forecast for tomorrow! I have the thermostat set on 58 degrees at night and the furnace ran all night last night! I sure hope this newest cold snap doesn't empty the propane tank...I can't afford to fill it again this year!
Financially this month is one of my most challanging. I pay my car insurance twice a year and this was the month! Anytime I have to fork out over $400.00 it almost kills me, even though I try to put some of the Social Security aside each month for just that sort of thing. You know, you can only stretch $719 so far!
Luckly I don't need to lay in supplies for the snow tomorrow! That's something else I try to do right along. I will stop and get kitty litter (as I'm out), bread and some ground beef...I'm thinking a pot of chili would hit the spot!
This "global warming" thingy is something, isn't it?
Financially this month is one of my most challanging. I pay my car insurance twice a year and this was the month! Anytime I have to fork out over $400.00 it almost kills me, even though I try to put some of the Social Security aside each month for just that sort of thing. You know, you can only stretch $719 so far!
Luckly I don't need to lay in supplies for the snow tomorrow! That's something else I try to do right along. I will stop and get kitty litter (as I'm out), bread and some ground beef...I'm thinking a pot of chili would hit the spot!
This "global warming" thingy is something, isn't it?
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Baby sister's birthday!
Yesterday my baby sister turned 61! Can you imagine? I'm not sure just how that happened...
We played bridge last night at my sister's house in Tallahassee. For supper she created a major spread of cold cuts and cheeses for sandwiches and had a big pot of bean and bacon soup. I ended up bringing half of my sandwich home and just ate it for breakfast. I made sure the others knew it was her b'day and everyone brought gifts and we had cake and ice cream and it was quite festive! For the first time since I began playing with the girls I didn't have the lowest score, in fact this time I was HIGH score! It was 10 to 10 before I got home and I had a horrible time getting to sleep, I guess I was keyed up from winning! And it's off to work this morning. Ish!
Rain overnight, warmish temps.
We played bridge last night at my sister's house in Tallahassee. For supper she created a major spread of cold cuts and cheeses for sandwiches and had a big pot of bean and bacon soup. I ended up bringing half of my sandwich home and just ate it for breakfast. I made sure the others knew it was her b'day and everyone brought gifts and we had cake and ice cream and it was quite festive! For the first time since I began playing with the girls I didn't have the lowest score, in fact this time I was HIGH score! It was 10 to 10 before I got home and I had a horrible time getting to sleep, I guess I was keyed up from winning! And it's off to work this morning. Ish!
Rain overnight, warmish temps.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Yet again
I woke up this morning around 4:30 with the wind howling, maga thunder and lighting and rain coming down in buckets! I huddled under animals and the cover until around 5:00, but then the power started flickering on and off, so I got up and dashed to the kitchen to turn on the coffee pot, just in case it went out completely. It's always nice to have coffee in a storm even if it's cold! After feeding the animals I made a pot of spaghetti sauce and cooked up some pasta, I can always eat cold spaghetti!
By 7:00 this morning things had let up a bit and the power seemed stable so I put on a load of laundry. Funny how storms seem to make me much more industrious!
It's 11:16 now and the wind is calm with occasional gusts and it's only drizzling rain. I feel like I've already done a full day's work, so I may spend the remainder of it in front of the tv with a book! Sounds like a plan to me!
By 7:00 this morning things had let up a bit and the power seemed stable so I put on a load of laundry. Funny how storms seem to make me much more industrious!
It's 11:16 now and the wind is calm with occasional gusts and it's only drizzling rain. I feel like I've already done a full day's work, so I may spend the remainder of it in front of the tv with a book! Sounds like a plan to me!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Storms
This past Thursday was a really wild weather day! Officially we got 8.52 inches of rain in about 4 hours. As luck, or lack of thought, would have it I was out driving in my little Honda during the worst of the storm. We lost power at work and since there was nothing for my to do I made my run to town, to the bank and the post office. I waded through running water up to my knees at the post office and even though I had an umbrella both the mail and I got soaking wet. When I got back to the office I was shaking so badly that it was hard to distribute the sloppy mail! I'm not sure if I was shaking from being so wet and cold or from the absolutely wild drive back from town! Probably a combination of both! The trip back to the office was really a knuckle whitener with water above my headlights in a couple of places and sheets of water from one side of the highway, across the median and over the other side. On hind sight it might have made more sense to wait until the next day for the mail, but the storm wasn't so bad when I left for town! I stayed at work as long as possible, but did leave a little after noon. I was so cold and so wet!
When I got home (it was still storming) the first thing I did was get out of my shoes...I actually poured water from them! Today is Monday and as of yesterday my shoes are still wet, I've not checked them today.
Yesterday we had another storm, nothing as wild as Thursday, but really windy and rainy with tornado watches until after 1:00 this morning. We lost power several times, but the longest was only about 30 minutes, just long enough to gather battery operated things and light candles! I waited until this morning to reset the clocks.
When I got home (it was still storming) the first thing I did was get out of my shoes...I actually poured water from them! Today is Monday and as of yesterday my shoes are still wet, I've not checked them today.
Yesterday we had another storm, nothing as wild as Thursday, but really windy and rainy with tornado watches until after 1:00 this morning. We lost power several times, but the longest was only about 30 minutes, just long enough to gather battery operated things and light candles! I waited until this morning to reset the clocks.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Thankful
I was thankful when I woke before dawn this morning covered in sweat. My fever had broken and I was still alive. When I turned my bedside lamp off last night I wondered if I'd wake up today...I felt that bad. Today is much better, I'm still achy and very tired, but much better. Thank goodness! I even left the back door open so the animals could get out if something happened to me and, for that matter, so anyone who happened to check on me could get in.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Forgivness
The rain is lightly batheing everything that the cruel freeze of two weeks tortured & browned, as if asking forgivness. For many things it's too late. Some of the plants are probably gone for good, but some, the rosemarys, lavender, irises and azaleas are reaching tall and appear to be saying "yes, yes we forgive".
It is quite mild today. The themometer registers 54 degrees on the carport and compared to the past few weeks it feels warm.. The space heaters are unplugged and the thermostat for the furnace is set very low so as not to kick in. The back door is open and the clean smell of rain is replacing the stale smell of a closed up house filled with animals and illness.
I'm still in bed with 2 dogs and an asmaticly purring cat. My temperature isn't as high as it's been the past few days, but perhaps running a fever is contributing to the feeling of warmth today.
I'm longing for ginger ale. I feel well enough that I could go out and get it, but as long as I have a fever I could infect someone. That's probably how I got this, someone trying to take care of themself and not thinking about passing it on to someone else. I know that Leah Jane would go out in this mess for me, but she's 75 years old and I can't ask that of her. My sister would bring me whateve I need, but I can't have her drive from Tallahassee in this messy weather for ginger ale!
I think I'll make a pitcher of sweet tea. That should slake this yearning. We'll see.
It is quite mild today. The themometer registers 54 degrees on the carport and compared to the past few weeks it feels warm.. The space heaters are unplugged and the thermostat for the furnace is set very low so as not to kick in. The back door is open and the clean smell of rain is replacing the stale smell of a closed up house filled with animals and illness.
I'm still in bed with 2 dogs and an asmaticly purring cat. My temperature isn't as high as it's been the past few days, but perhaps running a fever is contributing to the feeling of warmth today.
I'm longing for ginger ale. I feel well enough that I could go out and get it, but as long as I have a fever I could infect someone. That's probably how I got this, someone trying to take care of themself and not thinking about passing it on to someone else. I know that Leah Jane would go out in this mess for me, but she's 75 years old and I can't ask that of her. My sister would bring me whateve I need, but I can't have her drive from Tallahassee in this messy weather for ginger ale!
I think I'll make a pitcher of sweet tea. That should slake this yearning. We'll see.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Sick
I've been sick for several days. H1N1....how 'bout them apples? Cough, running nose, headache, body aches, chills and fever. Today I'm breathing better, but still achy and chills & fever.
SE Propane filled my tank after 6:30 Monday evening. I still had 30% in the tank...I'm truly miserly with the heat. $255.00...thank goodness I've been anticipating this and had socked some money aside for it.
Read a good book yesterday, Roses by Leila Meacham. 609 pages, but had nothing else to do. Good read, I recommend it.
Can't type much longer...arms ache and head hurts. Cold right now, will be sweltering soon.
SE Propane filled my tank after 6:30 Monday evening. I still had 30% in the tank...I'm truly miserly with the heat. $255.00...thank goodness I've been anticipating this and had socked some money aside for it.
Read a good book yesterday, Roses by Leila Meacham. 609 pages, but had nothing else to do. Good read, I recommend it.
Can't type much longer...arms ache and head hurts. Cold right now, will be sweltering soon.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Records right and left!
This is our 10th day in a row of record low temps here in North Florida. It's 15 degrees right now and that's down right cold! The Dawn dishwashing liquid under the sink in the kitchen isn't liquid! It froze last night, no telling what else is frozen under there, but it's just too chilly to worry about right now.
The animals are staying in most of the time. Mercy hasn't been outside in days and days. The dogs have on both their sweaters and their jackets and usually stay huddled with each other or the cats or both! The two youngest cats just can't stand to be inside and yowl to go out, but are back inside in record time!
Yesterday afternoon a neighbor came over needing a lever to close off his water main, he had a pipe burst. I don't have what he needed. I'm dripping the outside pipes and have the water inside dripping too. I'm hoping that's enough.
While sitting in my chair in the living room yesterday, dressed in multiple layers and a cap and scarf with a wool lap throw and 2 cats and a dog in my lap, I was COLD! I could feel a cold breeze coming in from the French doors in the funny room and through the large living room windows. The lr windows had wooden blinds and purple shears over them, but it felt as if they were open and uncovered! Last year I bought some purple velvet drapes (everytime Ruth and I talked she'd ask if I'd hung them yet). I didn't hang them because I didn't have the rod, etc. and frankly didn't think I could do it myself. Well, I'm here to tell you that I now have them hanging over the living room windows (took me a bit of awkward effort and still don't have the rod, etc) and the relief was immediate. I took the purple shears and threaded them onto a bamboo fishing pole and nailed 4 nails in the trim over the door between the funny room and the living room and hung those puppies up there. Again relief. I wish Ruth were still here so I could tell her that I hung the drapes, she'd be so proud!
Today Southeast Propane is suppose to fill the propane tank. I think there's still about 25-30% in there and I've really tried not to use it. The thermostat is on 62 (I'd been keeping it on 58, but that's too cold for me) and I am using 2 space heaters that don't really make it warm, but provide little pockets of warmth that are greatly appreciated by the animals and me! Anyway, back to SE Propane...I think they aren't nice folks. In fact, I think they are cheaters. I called them last Tuesday to get propane and they quoted one price to fill the tank and another to just get a partial tank...that doesn't seem fair. Then she asked how much I have in the tank and when I said about 30% she did some figuring and said they couldn't fill it until today. I think that's so I could use up the gas in the tank and they could fill it to the brim and make more money! On Friday they filled my next door neighbor's tank and also filled Leah Jane's (she lives right down the street) and she didn't want her's filled!...hadn't even called them and doesn't have an agreement to have if filled reguarly. Now, they were all over me and didn't fill my tank...something's wrong with this picture! Leah Jane's bill is right at $500! Oh God, that'll wipe me out!
The animals are staying in most of the time. Mercy hasn't been outside in days and days. The dogs have on both their sweaters and their jackets and usually stay huddled with each other or the cats or both! The two youngest cats just can't stand to be inside and yowl to go out, but are back inside in record time!
Yesterday afternoon a neighbor came over needing a lever to close off his water main, he had a pipe burst. I don't have what he needed. I'm dripping the outside pipes and have the water inside dripping too. I'm hoping that's enough.
While sitting in my chair in the living room yesterday, dressed in multiple layers and a cap and scarf with a wool lap throw and 2 cats and a dog in my lap, I was COLD! I could feel a cold breeze coming in from the French doors in the funny room and through the large living room windows. The lr windows had wooden blinds and purple shears over them, but it felt as if they were open and uncovered! Last year I bought some purple velvet drapes (everytime Ruth and I talked she'd ask if I'd hung them yet). I didn't hang them because I didn't have the rod, etc. and frankly didn't think I could do it myself. Well, I'm here to tell you that I now have them hanging over the living room windows (took me a bit of awkward effort and still don't have the rod, etc) and the relief was immediate. I took the purple shears and threaded them onto a bamboo fishing pole and nailed 4 nails in the trim over the door between the funny room and the living room and hung those puppies up there. Again relief. I wish Ruth were still here so I could tell her that I hung the drapes, she'd be so proud!
Today Southeast Propane is suppose to fill the propane tank. I think there's still about 25-30% in there and I've really tried not to use it. The thermostat is on 62 (I'd been keeping it on 58, but that's too cold for me) and I am using 2 space heaters that don't really make it warm, but provide little pockets of warmth that are greatly appreciated by the animals and me! Anyway, back to SE Propane...I think they aren't nice folks. In fact, I think they are cheaters. I called them last Tuesday to get propane and they quoted one price to fill the tank and another to just get a partial tank...that doesn't seem fair. Then she asked how much I have in the tank and when I said about 30% she did some figuring and said they couldn't fill it until today. I think that's so I could use up the gas in the tank and they could fill it to the brim and make more money! On Friday they filled my next door neighbor's tank and also filled Leah Jane's (she lives right down the street) and she didn't want her's filled!...hadn't even called them and doesn't have an agreement to have if filled reguarly. Now, they were all over me and didn't fill my tank...something's wrong with this picture! Leah Jane's bill is right at $500! Oh God, that'll wipe me out!
Monday, January 04, 2010
Brrr!
Boy howdy, it's cold! Low 20s and the prediction for Wed. night is 9 degrees with snow! How 'bout them apples? And, this is Florida, North Florida, but Florida never the less!
I knocked the temperature on the thermostat back a bit to 57 degrees...just can't afford the propane, but would like to keep the house above freezing! I'm afraid to leave the little space heaters plugged in while I'm not home and when I'm in bed for that matter, but I can't let the temp drop too far!
I knocked the temperature on the thermostat back a bit to 57 degrees...just can't afford the propane, but would like to keep the house above freezing! I'm afraid to leave the little space heaters plugged in while I'm not home and when I'm in bed for that matter, but I can't let the temp drop too far!
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