GrannyDani, une femme d'un certain age

Almost That Time Again!

2012-03-01T19:17:00.001-08:00

Yup, May is creeping up on me....and I am not in shape!

Leap Year almost did me in...totally forgot that with Leap Year our weekends are different. Luckily remembered in time to get Mother's Day Weekend off for The Bras For The Cause walk on May 12th (www.trivalleysocks.org).

Trying to come up with a team name - any suggestions?
Also trying to come up with a bra decoration idea....kinda dry....would love to hear any suggestions anyone has!

But what has me so very excited - we may not have the name of the team, or how to devorate our bras....our team might be smaller this year - BUT we already have 4 - count 'em, FOUR - donations for our fundraising raffle! Isnt that awesome!!!!!! I still have a bunch of emails out there that havent been answered - guess I should follow up on them....altho I hate to feel like a pest.

Other new - the crazy neighbor is still crazy. Hubby's cousin works for the water company - wish I could come up with an idea of how to doctor his water supply with meds! I really am thinking the guy is bi-polar. Recieved an email Monday - addressed to Mr and Mrs - remember, this guy went to school with my husband and graduated with him - and he addresses an email Mr and Mrs????? We responded to it - he called - hub called him back and they talked about an hour. 10 minutes about the email and the rest of the time jsut shooting the breeze.

The next day we get a letter from the city that we did NOT fix the dirt in the backyard the way the city said. So hub called the Building Guy he had talked to before....long story short, yup, our neighbor apparently called them again LAST WEEK!

Screaming and carrying on. And they had to respond to the complaint, which we understand. So the deal came down that we would call 'our' contractor who would meet the Building guy at the yard, work out EXACTLY what had to be done, do it, and get signed off.

Luckily, because of weather, the contractor was able to do it that day. Minutes after the building guy and the contractor left - with only his crew there to do the work - guess what....yup, Crazy Man appears and starts in.

So the guys call the Contractor, who drives by City Hall and picks the guy up and they head back to the house. By that time the guys pretty much had the work done and the Building Guy said it was fine and he was signing off on it....as the Crazy Neighbor was screaming and carrying on and telling the Building Guy (the head of the department none the less) that he (neighbor) knew the code and apparently Building Guy had no idea was the code was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Building Guy signed off on the job and went back to work....meanwhile Crazy Man called City Manager.....then a City Council Member....and then the Mayor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and he complained to the Building Guy about a handful of wood chips that were on his front lawn - see! see! I told you they would be coming into my yard! Probably from the cat I see around his yard that I am thinking is his.....

Will this never ever ever end?????????????????????

Got my car back on Tuesday - looking as good as new. Am so happy!

But looks like our May trip to the Grand Canyon is a no go.....not a single motel room to be had in the GC for the entire month....with the price of gas I guess it is just as well....but now what are we going to do for my 2 week vacation? Ideas???

Let Me Introduce You To The Neighbor From Hell....

2012-02-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

Yep, it continues. Today the 'Chief Building Official' went by the house to explore the complaint of dirt being dmped in the back yard. And he got there before the workers got there. And he did say that the dirt had to be graded out and not against the fence.

The tenants sent photos of what it looks like now that the workers had been there. And the dirt has been graded out and is nowhere near the fence - and how can we tell? From the weeds that are growing near the fence and they are not covered by the dirt....

Interesing - while looking on the city site ran across some old meeting minutes.....did not look at all of them but several popped up with said neighbors name being at the meeting and complaining about issues in the neighborhood.

Would be nice to know that the City is responding to his complaints because they know him and just want to SHUT HIM UP......otherwise it must be that things are pretty damn boring in that city that they respond so quickly!

But this harassment is really taking a toll on both of us. I think we are going to go talk to some lawyers. We are trying NOT to escalate things....which I think we can prove in that we have responded to his requests and can show that.

Now my granddaughter is sick.....woke her parents up by yelling her bed was on fire!!! No, it was her. Took her to the MD and put her on steroids and cough medicine for croup. That poor family....they are loving Chattanooga so much but the kids have been sick more in the 6ish months they have been there - of course, this is the first time Little Missy has been in daycare - and the have moved from high desert area to moister areas....but still - enough is enough!
Feel better Kaia!

Heard Jack went to school today so guess the bathroom issue is resolved!

PS. Heard that - after how many years? - son finally moved some things out of our house! Only because he decided to go snowboarding today.....LOL!

Will It Never End?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2012-02-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

So, in addition to the extra $600 we were having to pay to have someone finish the job - add another $582 to that.

Some of it is due to extra bark needed, but mostly due to delays.

Yep, he was out there harassing the new workers today. So the majority of that is labor over rides, because a job that should have been finished today will have to be continued next week.

We tried called the City Manager's office again to speak with the man we spoke to before but they are closed on Fridays.

He went so far as to call the Police, who then called the Code Enforcement Officer out. The CEO stated that there was nothing wrong with the way the job was being done.....and then the Crazy Neighbor proceeded to tell the CEO that he didnt know what he was talking about!

I jsut wish the workers had gotten his ranting and raving on video.

So, lie number one in hs email today was that he had been trying to call us all morning. Well, we were in and out all morning and he never called - there is nothing on our answering service- or on our phone which records who all has called thru out the day.

Now he is bitching about the dirt being put in the back yard (which the workers are also going to grade out and keep away from the shared back fence) saying it is going to damage the retaining wall and fence back there and be quite costly. REALLY??????? Well hey CN, I think the first $1100 is on you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The parts that really kill me - he complained about the ancient shed in the backyard was pushing the dirt up against the fence (not sure how since the shed wasnt mobile!!) so we paid to have it removed.....he complained about some randome seedlings in the front yard possibly sometime in the future damaging the concrete retaining wall in the front yard, so we paid to have those removed (by the very first crew he scared off)..... and better yet, the last time the fence between our properties was fixed - THE WORK WAS DONE BY HIM (and partially or totally financed by my father) and at the time HE CHOSE not to improve the retaining wall below it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He bought the house knowing that these retaining walls had been put in by the builder in the 1950's.

Wish I had a good photo to post about the crappy half dead front yard he has - and here we are trying to make ours look nicer without spending a boatload of money (HA!) since for right now it is only a rental.....

Hubby keeps looking at me and asking: Are you sure you want to move down there someday???????????????? Maybe we could sell it to someone when we can find someone who will be a total slum lord and totally ignore his demands......

The good news is....grandson is doing fine - came home last night - eating and putting up with his brothers, and quietly playing - YAY!!!

Do you have one of these neighbors?

2012-02-02T17:32:00.001-08:00

You know the kind, they watch and observe and know EVERYTHING that is going on in the neighborhood.

It is a good thing - right? Yes, I think it can be. But it can also be a very bad thing.

When I was growing up (in the house we have been working on) it was our neighbor on the right - Mrs. Maxwell. She even had binoculars at her chair in the front room in front of the window. I know wonder if she had a police scanner - I want to say yes, but they are much more popular back East than they are out here.

Now it is our neighbor on the left. Dont get me wrong - he was a great neighbor when my parents were getting older and we were living far away. He was especially great when my dad was living alone and we were an hour and a half away. And even my husband knew him because they went to HS together.

But now he has become a royal PITA.

Remember the front yard that was getting dug out? All those over grown junipers (they were lovely when first planted - a yard of rocks with nicely spaced junipers - and my parents took such good care of them - but over the decades they grew from a carpet into a jungle - and the roots will [and did!!!] grow thru the sewer pipe which we had to replace). Well, all the junipers are gone, and all the beer bottles are gone.

And this week the guys were over there ready to rake and level the dirt - put down the weed guard - and cover with bark. But nooooooooo.....our neighbor decided he needed to monitor them. And tell them what they couldnt do.....and then scare them totally away because for two days he kept getting in their face and threatening them with the city.

So they quit. Yup. Quit. All this went down yesterday while I was at work. Poor hubby took the brunt of this - the phone calls from the workers and the phone calls from Mr. Busybody (for want of unprintable name!).

Then, coming home, I get a text from my daughter....our 6 year old grandson is in the hospital....had to have an appendectomy last night. We waited up until we heard he was out of surgery and doing okay - at midnight!

Meanwhile, hubby calls me over to look at one of his teeth - and a filling had fallen out!!!!!! Ok, that is 3 things right ..... all should be over.

Got up early today and headed back to the house (we were supposed to go, see the finished yard and pay the workers so we left some things down there to bring home cause our truck was pretty full on Sunday). So we went down.....and we have someone else that will hopefully finish the yard tomorrow - for $600 more than we originally would have spent!!!!!!!!!

I personally said leave the yard as it is - pray for lots of rain - and let all the dirt pour into our neighbors yard.....hubby veto'd that. But if the fence betwen our houses ever needs to be fixed - damn if I'm not going to say that the first $600 is on him since that is what he has cost us today!

Update on grandson - he was doing well and could have gone home today but he couldnt pee! They tried everything they could think of - then finally medicated him enough that he fell asleep, relaxed, and pee'd. But now they have to wait to see if he can keep pee-ing......so best news is home by 8 PM tonight....worst case will be tomorrow morning....

What A Way To Start The Year

2012-01-16T20:20:00.001-08:00

Hubby did allow me to play with this machine - got to do one of the bedrooms with it. It is a monster! You can see the sanded vs the old floors in this photo.

All sanded!

Why does fixing one thing lead to three more things? Sanding the floor led to taking the bar down...which led to painting the wall it was attached to...which led to painting the ceiling....

10 doors - TEN DOORS - that I carried from the house to the garage, sanded, cleaned with orange oil, and then stacked out on the patio....they got to be pretty heavy after awhile!

We called it camping....see our chairs??? And that box was our table....this bottle of wine helped a lot Friday night....also the night we discovered the joys of Tylenol PM!!! Pain and sleep treatment all rolled into one!

The first of 3 coats of polyurethane....still wet... As I said on Facebook, one of the joys of an older dog....and one of the drawbacks...she was fine with everything going on - probably because she couldnt hear 1/2 of what was going on!

Our first 'camping trip' down there - this is what we slept on! Not a good thing for older people - especially older people who ar working hard and in pain - very difficult to get up out of bed in the mornings! So prior to our 2d trip, we bought cots....slightly better...slightly easier to get out bed....but I have to tell you, after 4 nights on a cot, I cant wait to sleep in my own bed tonight!!!!

And now the back story.....

So, when my dad passed away we decided to keep my parent's house with the idea that we will eventually retire there. Small - paid off!! - cheap property taxes - and in the area where hubby was born and raised, and where I spent about 1/2 of my growing up....

As soon as hubby's great aunt heard we would be renting it - we had it rented to his cousin and wife.....as soon as they moved out, our neighbor heard that it was empty, and it was rented to his daughter and son-in-law.....and when they moved out it was immediately rented out to friends. So now they have moved out and our new tenants dont move in until Febuary 1. So we have a month to do all the work that we have needed to do for the past 14 years!

It is midway thru January and a lot has been accomplished.....instead of fixing the roof, we replaced it and the gutters (it was the old fashioned tar & gravel roof, which we discovered was more expensive than a new roof!)......trees trimmed...old shed torn down....side gate fixed....and then we wanted to save the beautiful original hardwood floors. So we decided to sand them and refinish them ourselves.....and in doing so we decided to take down the bar my dad built decades ago, which meant we then had to paint the wall it was against, and then that made the ceiling look so bad we had to paint that....also decided to take out the ancient wall heater in the bathroom and had to repair that....took all the doors in the house down and cleaned them up with orange oil.....We still have a window that needs replaced (on order) and to paint the bathroom now. And then little details.....so we will be back down there two more times this month and then maybe, just maybe, in February I can actually get back to the gym and start getting in shape for the Bras For The Cause Walk in May!!!!!!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T17:09:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all - Happy Holidays - a belated Happy Hannakkuh - whatever you celebrate!

RIP Jack 199? - 2011

2011-12-10T21:29:00.000-08:00

Many years ago we got suckered in by this crazy dog at the TriValley Rescue. Didnt know how crazy he was. He was - according to them - literally on the table to be euthanized when this group - who is a non-kill group - rescued him from the shelter he was at (which wasnt a non-kill group). He was then adopted out twice - and flunked both. Turns out he liked to chase cows - and people running or biking by! The first one is something that is really nt good when you live on a ranch!!!
He was not a huge swimmer like son's dog (see next photo) but he would swim if someone was in the pool. And when the kids were there, I think he thought he was the lifeguard...

He was patient and accepting of other dogs....except for that little little dog my daughter had - Rufus weighed just a couple of pounds and when he entered a room, Jack ould turn tail and run out the other way! Very hilarious!

If I was home alone - he was at my side....he was my buddy....he loved to run and jump and skid...we called him Jumpin Jack ...Jack-the-Dog once we had Jack-the-boy (grandson) ...ADHD...lots of names....
(I wont mention the ones hubby sometimes called him!)

He was patient.....he may have growled a few times over the years but never bit anyone.

In April he was diagnosed with rectal cancer. We discussed and read up about surgery/chemo. Found out that IF the surgery went perfectly, he would probably have another year after the surgery....

So we chose quality of life. And in the past week or so, he started going down hill. Incontinent of urine and stool. Not eating. Sleeping to the point that he wouldnt even notice if someone came into the house. But when he was awake, he was running around like always....

But he was giving me what I call the 'thousand yard stare". And when he dirtied his 2d bed, we decided it was time to talk to the vet. I cried most of the night before - and almost all that day....I didnt want to do this too soon, but I also didnt want to wait and let him suffer too much.

The vet was the one I really dont like but he was fine and he said two things that made it so much easier....He said that if we had noticed enough of a change just over the past 4 days that we were there asking, that hewould probably be going down hill much more quickly.....And the reason he would act so much like himself is that dogs are pack animals....and as such, do not like to show their weakness/illness/injury to the rest of the pack ....

My buddy.....I will miss him.....and I need to stp grieving caus realistically HE WAS JUST A DOG! But he was my companion and one things dogs have is unconditional love for their people....He joins a group of good dogs on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge....

Weekend Roundup

2011-12-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

Nice weekend - even if it took days more for the wind to finally die down.

Went to some of the wineries around town yesterday for the Holiday Wine Tour, or whatever it is called. 'Bottled' 2 bottles of wine at the lovely El Sol winery for Christmas gifts....bought some fancy salts and some rub....and some more champagne splits - yum! - from Chouinard.

Today drove down to Monterey with oldest daughter and her 4 boys for hubby's family reunion - the Russo side - his grandfather's side. He learned some stories he had never heard before - and said he came away feeling old - cause now he is part of the older generation!

This is a barn out on Palomares Canyon Road that I always have wanted to photograph. Didnt have my good camera with me this time - but had the time. Also didnt get the best photos because of the dratted sun! LOL

Wind Wind Go Away

2011-12-01T17:49:00.000-08:00

Actually, we live in a windy region. It is always windy/breezy here....but these last few days have been horrendous. While hubby was out last night I kept my cell phone at my side in case the lights went out - it has a flashlight app to!

I made 3 of these scarves. SO CUTE! SO EASY! And yet I did not remember to take a photo before I wrapped the other two. They each have a different button - I didnt realize it would be hard to find 2" buttons but it was! Actually my favorite one was the garnet colored one on which I put a white button. I think I might have to make a few more of these...

And see, I still know how to cross stitch! Arent they adorable? I might have to get few more sleds and make some mor up for next year!

Hubby is working on his Village - the one he wasnt going to put up this year. He is redesigning the landscape - something he also did last year....

Cashed our recycing in today....and took a large bag of presents to Sleep Train for their Foster Kids Secret Santa program...

Now hubby has a chicken in the pot cooking and it is smelling pretty good....think a glass of wine will go well with it? I do!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T17:04:00.001-08:00

Yes, I know I am a bit late with the message.....but it has been a long long week.
I ended up working 3 days in a row - because someone wanted to work my Thanksgiving! YAY!!! Well, I dont know.....they tried to kill this old woman.....3 looooooooong days, on my feet all day, no lunches, barely any bathroom breaks.....not sure why so many women decided they had to have their babies in the 3 days before Thanksgiving! Thank God for extra strenth tylenol!

Thanksgiving was lovely. A little wierd tho. First time in over 30 years that hubby and I have not cooked it. We went to daughter #1 house......she did the turkey and most of everything. We did a salad, the relish plate, an pies. Her MIL brought over some things too.

Went with the boys to see The Muppets - it was cute - the boys were good. But it was a long and noisy day....probably because I was still tired.

Yesterday we drove to San Jose to the Harvest Festival. We go every year. This might have been our last year. Smaller than usual.....mostly same old stuff....except for what we went for, and it wasnt there! I spnt less than $30 which is amazing....

Today was Small Business Saturday. We went to the donut shop for breakfast (small business), the Farmer's Market (many small businesses)....ok, had to go to Joann's to get some buttons and things and I know that isnt a small business, and neither was Safeway....then we were going to walk around downtown but there really wasnt anything there that we hadnt seen recently....so we hit some of the local thrift shops - the hospital one and the shelter one, not the chain ones.....

And at the hospital one I found:

a piece of the Balleek china I collect - for $10!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Better yet, it was 50% off!!!!!!!!!

Also got some yarn for the teddy bears, a couple of Christmasy serving plates, a book I have been wanting, and a wine bottle gift box.....not a bad day at all!

Then came home andfinished digging out a corner that turned ito storage way back when we painted our room and we just hadnt gotten around to clearing it out. Thought it was going to be the area for the Christmas Tree but then Old Scrooge decided - after all his bah humbugging about it - that he is going to put up his North Pole Village after all.....so we brought in the tables for that.

Been packing boxes to ship to daughter #2 in TN.....and I jsut know remembered something I havent wrapped! Glad I only sealed up one of the 2 boxes!

I really want to get all my boxes mailed this week and then I can work on cards....but I am waiting for a couple ofthings to come that need to go into the boxes....

I work tomorrow and I am achy again.....and mixed up since I usually dont split weekends...what day is this??? I work Sunday and Monday and I am sure I will be convinced that they are Sat and Sun all week long!

Just as long as I dont forget my haircut on Tuesday....and work on Wed and then 4 days off!!! This weekend is the Wine Trails which should be fun - have only done that about 3 times cause it is usually on my w/e to work....and then a family reunion for hubby's side on Sunday. That should be fun....but boy, time is starting to fly by - still need t get to Monterey, and San Francisco before Christmas - work really interferes with life sometimes!

Photo catch up - Blogger finally cooperated!

2011-11-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

These turkeys are smarter than I have ever been led to believe - they crossed a busy road in the cross walk ...ok, they didnt have a crossing light, but they still stayed in the cross walk. It was a flock of aout 6 or 7 of them.

Boys never grow up do they? Yup, hubby just had to play with hs food...

Not the est example, but the one I could get. There are some glorious trees out there right now - who says we dont get fall folliage in California????

A lovely hand crocheted doily or hot pad that a friend brought back from England

Isnt this a lovely tool box? All rusty and glorious? Got it for $1 - and it is now filled with plants

A tea party baby shower for one of the nicest people at work. Thought I got a photo of the tri level tray full of goodies but didnt....that 'pillow' was filled with sweet potatoe pie filling....to die for! Their cream scones were also delectable!Co workers at the tea party....there were about 5 or 6 tables full....

The same friend who brought me the crochetted goody from England, supported my Balleeck addiction with a belated birthday present - isnt it lovely?

Interesting Day

2011-11-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

Ok...I give up. For some reason I cannot get any photos to load.
So will have to try them later.

Woke up to a grey, cold, drizzly day.
Hubby had to get labwork done...then we went and had breakfast...and hit up some garage sales. A couple of books, 2 puzzles for grandson, a ceremic Nativity set, a very cute little duck creamer, a piggy pitcher, some Christmas flowers, and a rusty ole tool box that is going to be awesome for a planter....

Then to the market and then to gym to work out.

After that a memorial service for a colleague who passed away a few weeks ago. Old time L&D nurse. Had been around since , well, you fill int he blanks. She could predict almost to the minute, when a delivery would happen. This the second nurse I have worked with who died within a year or two or retiring.....maybe I should never retire?????

It was lovely to see so many old friends and co workers....ones who have retired or jsut quite and moved away. Sad to catch up on some - one co worker who had to retire way before she was ever ready - always sad to see her - and hear about her dad dying....another one who moved away and is younger than me but has colon cancer...OB docs (working and retired), anesthesiologists, nurses, XRay techs - so many people from work.

You know what? It is going to be a WINE night!

Got a lovely over due birthday present from a friend - the most beautiful Balleeck vase (just wish you could see it!!) and a hank made crochet dishcloth that she brought home from England!

Hubby has to get up very early tomorrow - going to be at the firing range ALL DAY tomorrow in this cold weather! And I will wake up leisurely and do some errands....including picking up a raffle prize I won yesterday at the shopping we did downtown after we went to the lovely Craft Sale at a local Church.

I love those craft shows....they have some of the BEST stocking stuffers....lovely hand made things...and some of the tackiest things you just have to laugh at!

Couldnt get my phone out of my bag quick enough (another photo that wont load) but watched a flock of turkeys - about 6 - 7 of them - walk across a very busy street - walking in the crosswalk!

He wasnt Uncle Walter - but he was always fun to watch and listen to - RIP Andy Rooney...

Thoughts at the Gym

2011-10-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

You have to time it just right at the gym we go to....you dont want to be there during Squatters Time.....that is when the elderly come in to "work out"...AKA sit on a machine and talk to all their friends without actually ever doing any of the exercise the machine is made for.

What is up with the couple who dresses alike? Older white man with younger Asian? Filipina? woman....they wear matching white tshirts, khaki colored cargo pants, and desert boots. They come in and do the treadmill and some of the machines....

I thought exercise energized you?! Today it just tired me out. Maybe because we went later than usual cause of an appt to clean our pellet stove.

Catching Up

2011-10-23T15:25:00.001-07:00

Just have to throw in a Hawaii visit photo - cause a friend is there this week and I am soooooo jealous!So this is Waikiki and Honolulu as seen from Diamond Head.

Spent the weekend filled with football.

Saturday went to watch my 8 year old grandson play. It is funny - cause they BARELY understand what they are doing - and it really doesnt seem as tho the coaches have much more of a clue! I was amazed to find out that refs are refs are refs no matter what age group they are working with. All of a sudden one of the boys on the front line of the other team sucker punchs one of the kids on grand son's team - closed fist, purposeful punch. And do you think ANY of the refs saw it???!!! Of course not. But I have to say this about his coach - he either saw it or hears enough about it, that he pulled the kid out of the game since the refs didnt evict him!

Then today was the Festival at the boy's school - and my daughter is co-chair. It was also football practice and the first scrimmage for my 6 year old grand son. So we drove over and took him to football - and then delivered him and his brother to the Festival.
They got their flags today - took a while to get them on all 9 of the team members cause they are such small kids! They were wrapping around them twice!

Here he is warming up and actually listening to the coach! Not too much dancing or not paying attention. Altho it was very obvious that the attention span for this age is about 1/2 hour.....and they were practicing for an hour and then had a scrimmage game! Yeah, none of them had an idea what they were dong - even the kids whose father's apparently work with them - they could (somewhat) catch and (somewhat) throw but the idea of plays and defense and offense....just a wee bit too much! But it was fun (and funny) to watch!

AND, I got to talk to my other daughter and my other 2 grandkids! Combined with the lovely hugs from Luke - the I love you's from Kaia and Owen - it was a pretty good weekend all around!

Too bad we were so tired. The dogs were ready to be turned into dog meat last night. They totally ignore each other during the day (except for food and water time!) but last night they decided it was time to double team and drive the humans nuts.....they wanted OUT every 1/2 hour or so..... I kept waiting for a big earthquake to hit. (Yeah, I dont think they were 'feeling' the one that occurred over in Turkey). They have been told they are no longer my favorites and since I work tomorrow, this better not happen again or they will be shipped out to the dog food factory...

Speaking about work, it is really interferring with my life. Or maybe it is because I over commit myself to projects????? Nah, cant be....

So I am trying to finish some ***** for my daughter for Christmas, and some little ******'s for kids, and hubby, and friends.....and I need to start on a really special (and as of now, undecided) project for my swap partner for her Christmas present....someone at work wants some teddy bears knit to take to Africa in March and I am itching to try one but that will just have to wait....and the baby blanket I am almost 1/2 done on - yeah, they decided to have the baby shower tea on November 10 so I need to get that done (and I am now worried I did not get enough yarn for that...) Whew.....why do I do this to myself??????

The other good part of the weekend? (Besides the weather which is undescribably beautiful!) Hubby is filling the freezer with stuffed peppers and saving the leftover filling for some stuffed cabbage when we get to the store to get some cabbage!

Etcetera

2011-10-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

These are just some sayings I ran across in a catalog today and thoroughly enjoyed...

they know me in a way no one else ever has.
they open me to things I never knew existed.
they drive me to insanity and push me to my depths.
they are the beat of my heart, the pulse in my veins, and the energy in my soul ~
they are my kids

Children are often spoiled because no one will spank Grandma.

Lack of planning on YOUR part
Does not constitute an emergency on MY part.

I laughed so hard the tears ran down my leg!

Do what makes you happy
Be with those who make you smile
Laugh as much as you breathe
Love as long as you live.

NURSES....Here to save your ass, not to kiss it!
(dang, if I could only put that on a shirt and wear it EVERYDAY to work!!!)

And I have saved the best for last:

The best things in life are the people we love...
the places we've been...
and the memories we have made along the way.

Vacation

2011-09-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

Altho I love being on vacation - who doesnt? - it is stressful....will somehing go wrong with the flight (I hate flying)? Will something happen at home while I am far away? Will my son really remember to take care of the dogs - especially since one has a disease and the other has a "condition"??

Once I get to where we are going I am fine....

What is the worst tho is packing.

Not the actual act of packing, but deciding what to take. And hoping we dont forget anything vital. Non essentials - those are easy to replace wherever you go.

And I ALWAYS start off with - "I know I pack too much, so this time I am going to whittle it down"......and it never happens.

Even when we go somewhere that has a washer/dryer.
Cause you just never know what the weather is going to be like or what you will feel like wearing...

And shoes! Hubby is easy - sneakers and sandals. But this time he is also taking water shoes and golf shoes....hee hee hee, he will pack as many as I will! Cause I need my sneakers if we go hiking/walking/exercise....and I want my beach sandals....and I will take my water shoes (last time we were in Oahu the beach we were at was rocky and we didnt have them - this time we will have them and not need them!) and of course my sandals.....and you know what? My sandals are just going to have to do it for day and night (but.......)

And then there is my knitting.....books and magazines and kindle (cause you know you cant have the kindle on for take off and landing - STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!).....and my cameras.....no tripod....no walking sticks....oh and a hat and swimsuits and....and...and...

...I am not packing light after all.

At least it will be lighter than the last trip when we packed for walking and touring and beach. But still.....I envy those people who can pack a backpack and be set for the week....Oh, and my emergency glasses and the binoculars.....

sigh....This time tomorrow I will be much happier camper (I hope!)

Happy Anniversary!

2011-08-31T16:36:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our 38th Wedding Anniversary!
Look at that young and innocent couple (and skinny!) in that photo up there!

It has been a helluva ride - and I hope it continues for a lot longer!

There are things I would change - but it all has made for quite a story.....and I definitely would not chang my life partner nor my family!

Happy Anniversary Honey!

To Catch Up

2011-08-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

So I was a work last Sunday when hubby called.....and when he starts off with "Now don't worry, everyone is all right" I immediately break down.

Son was supposed to drive the Uhaul trailer to TN for his sister (sometimes they just boost my faith in family!!) but the trailer didnt wok so he was driving a Uhaul truck, towing their (packed) Matrix. In Wyoming a passing semi lost a tire which bounced over, bounced off the very end of the Uhaul and hit the tow trailer and hit the Matrix.

Spun him out of control - but thank goodness, if it had to happen to anyone on this trip it happened to the one driver with the most experience like this. Guess it blew out the tire on the trailer. So he had a delay getting all this taken care of.

BUT HE WAS OK.

And, after the misunderstanding of my husband, the car was even driveable.

But - and this makes a mom very nervous - the adrenaline kept him going and he drove allt he way thru. Got into Chattanooga Monday ..... checked into a motel and sleptsleptslept (after his first priority which he said was a shower!).

He then was still able to drive the Matrix to visit a friend - and flew home Wed.

Now yesterday we got the other reassuring news - not only is DD and family safe and sound in Chattanooga - they even have an apt. Today they are supposed to be unpacking the uhaul and moving in. Tomorrow they will be looking for some replacement furniture (anyone know of any nice consignment shops in the Chattanooga area???)

So now my worries can ease off....about the travel...for now!!

And we are adjusting our lives to include DD 14 year olf baby girl - her Althea.

Last Trip to Fallon Nevada

2011-08-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

Funny, makes me think of the song Last Train to Nashville and they are moving to Chattanooga....Afterwe left Fallon to come home, me crying 1/2 the way home, the first song as I was scanning thru radio stations was dedicated to someone in "Chattanooga TN".

Hot and tiring days getting them packed up. Breaking my heart seeing my daughter get to that point we all get - when you just sy, if we cant fit it, throw it away.....

They made a few $$$ on an impromptu yard sale and I am sure the pickers were happy when they finally left so that they could come back and get some of the things for free! We ended up bringing some items back here to try and sell.

So the original plan was son was going to tow a UHaul trailed to TN for them and they were going to drive and tow their other car. That fell thru. Son drove a UHaul truck towing their car (with a Princess jeep strapped to the top! LOL! And the ar itself fully packed too!). In Wyoming he was in an accident when a tire flew off a semi going in the other direction and hit the tow car, and spun him around. Lukcily he was not hurt (in a way I am glad it was him driving then cause he knew what to do - and none of the grand kids were with him). But that ate up time. Apprently the car and tow trailed took the brunt of it but the car is still driveable (which I found out just a little while ago when he called to say he was safe in Chattanooga - thank goodness!).

So now we are trying to find/book a flight for him back home. Anyone know anyone flying their own plane home from Atlanta that could bring him home?

So one worry out of the way.....just have to worry now about daughter and family getting there.

This sucks big time! And yet we (hubby and I) did it to our parents....and my parents, and his dad, did it to their parents.....but I dont like being on the other side of it at all!

My Hero

2011-08-15T14:04:00.001-07:00

He is my hero is so many ways, but I am o proud of my husband. Late spring he was told her had pre-diabetes.

Scared him to ...well, to checking his sugar 4x/day as the doc wanted him to. Now, this is a man who will not even look at a needle ON TV! And here he is checking his blood sugar by pricking his finger 4x/day, 7 days a week.

And the worst part - this all occurred right before we went on vacation to areas where we talked as much about the food as the activities we planned to do there! On the other hand, while on vacation we visited an uncle of his and found out that diabetes is very prevalent in that side of his family which I think made him ever more determined to beat this!

And even tho we both knew we needed to be on diets, and he is on meds for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, it was this diagnosis that motivated him.

He walks in the neighborhood for an hour each morning. One day a week he plays golf. Almost every other day - sometimes 7 days a week, sometimes only 6 - he works out a the gym for 1 hour - 1.5 hours.

And in Approx 2.5 3 months, he has lost 28 lbs!

His blood pressure is down - his labs are so good he was REJECTED for a clinical study on cholesterol + diabetes....

Now, I dont walk like he does, and since I still work I cannot get to the gym as often as he does. But we go on my days off. My eating habits have changed to match his - after all, it wouldn be fair would it, to eat like I want to and he cant....And the most amazing thing is - I dont miss the junk as much as I thought I would.

The downside tho is my weight is creeping down, unlike his. But I can feel a difference in my clothes, so I am slimming in some ways. Yes, honestly, it does make me jealous...

But it all makes me so proud of him!

Phase 2 Has Begun

2011-08-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

Moved the plant stand with the yellow watering can out from the backyard. You cant really see it but on the second level of the stand is this beautiful rock. Found it about a foot+ under the ground when hubby was planting a plant - the big lavendars out near the front. Beautiful rock. Not sure how it ended up under there.

So at this point we have the blueberry plant, 3 grasses, 2 lavendars of of type and one
of another; 3 verbenas; a salvia and a black eyed susan. Hopeully they will all live. Plenty more to go but now we need to work on Phase 3 and get the drip irrigation lines out there.
See the beautiful hand made, one of a kind Native American pottery to the right and in front of the flag? LOL. Bought it for $1 at the Lions Club rummage sale in Fallon the last time we were there. The guy who priced it was a crack up - had to buy it no matter what after that sales job!

Planted that really pretty rust colored grass in it and placed it to hide the water faucets from the street.

That antique iron firebox we got at a garage sale in Walnut Creek. It is iron and heavy as can be and still smells of smoke.

Phase 1

2011-08-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

Dang it, these are out of order and I dont feel like playing with them to fix it. So just bear with me.

When we first moved into this house, the front yard was rocks, with the 3 palm trees. They weren't too high yet. Unexplicably the one in the center had a circle of cement around it.

Eventually we replaced the rocks with lawn. Twice. And fought the battle of all hot and dry places to keep the lawn alive. And we lost.

So we said - we are done! And decided to go to a drought friendly/native plant solution. So we finally got a deal on taking out those godawful palms (which meanwhile had grown taller than the house and were havens for squirrels, birds, and probably rats) - and the cement circle around the middle one. Covered the whole yard with cardboard and then topped that off with mulch we got from a tree service.

Let it sit a month or so....meanwhile the neighbors think we have totally gone off our gourd and we still have a small pile of the mulch on our driveway.

This weekend we started some planting. Replanted the blueberry bush from a contianer (I want to getat least one more) and a lavendar from a container. Then we planted 2 more, but different types, of lavendar, a salvia, and 2 grasses. We have only begun! This is a work in progress and may take a couple of years to get done. I want more salvia and some agapanthas next...hubby wants some succulents/cactus.

Will get some current photos soon and post them.
(Original pile o mulch on the driveway with some of the work in progress)

(Middle mound built. We had looked at several yards on a special garden tour this spring. I did not like the small yards that had these big mounds; altho we know these will compact down, we wanted rolling and not hilly)

(Bare and ready to go as soon as we can gather enough cardboard; get some topsoil; and find a tree service willing to drop off their mulch - why not? It saves them dmp fees!)

(Getting rid of the palms - before they were ground down; you can see where the concrete circle was)

I dont understand...

2011-07-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, that could be the title of a very lengthy post couldnt it? Cause there are so many things I dont understand.

But right now it is finances - financial institutions especially. You have a couple who have paid their mortgage monthly and they come to you with an issue. The issue being that they are being relocated because of their job - hey, a couple who both are employed! What a concept!
And what they would like to do is the responsible thing - they would like to rent their house - keep making their mortgage payments! Another unusual consept in this day and age - they have accepted responsibility and want to keep up with it. All they are asking for is a little help - to refinance so that they can make the house payments with the rent payment and yet still have a little extra money put aside for when/if the house needs something done to it.

Whew....dont know if I can handle this type of responsibility. I dont see much of it around me any more. People deciding not to meet their obligations and just walking away from the debt that they occured willingly.....and here is a couple who is embracing it but saying - can you help me out.

And guess what - you got it - they are turned down...
Why?
Well, let's see...
1. Because even tho both people are employed by a company who is not only continuing thier employment but also promoting one....they cant help them because they are NOT employeed by the military.....
2. They also cannot help them because they are NOT in financial hardship.....even tho helping them out could PREVENT hardship and yet be beneficial for the bank cause they will still be collecting monthly payments.....you know those payments, when they are strungout over a length of time and the bank walks away with 4 times what the original amount was....

So instead of rewarding RESPONSIBILITY the banks are rewarding those who chose NOT to accept responisbility....oh yeah, so sorry, you dont want to make those payments any more, ok....we'll just rack up one more mortgage loan loss to our account...add one more empty house to the area...decrease property tax income to the area...and hey - dont worry about it, you can EASILY get another mortgage in just months to years - WITHOUT EVER LEARNING A LESSON about it.....

But you want to keep that house out of the market? You want the area still to be able to collect property taxes? You want the bank to still collect monthly payments on a loan they gave you? Well, folks, basically, you are f**ked.

Like I said, I just dont understand finances...

Home Again Home Again, Jiggedy Jig

2011-07-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

For once I did not grossly over pack. Came home with 2 clean tank tops, one clean pair of jeans, a new tshirt, one clean pair of underwear.....and all that means is I am doing a ****load of laundry today!

Just before we left I said to hubby - what are these shorts doin on the bed? To which he replied - oh, they need to go back in the drawer, I already packed all my shorts. I know all the ladies can see where this is going - yup, 1/2 way thru our trip we made a stop at K Mart to buy more shorts. Seems he only packed 2 pairs of shorts and left all the others home. And one of those pairs? Developed a potentially embarrassing hole in them....

Got in the house at 11:30 PM last night and we were wid awake by 6 AM today. Now I can barely keep my eyes open so am not the least bit able to download all the pix - those will come in a day or two!

It's The Little Things...

2011-06-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

...in life that bring joy. The artichokes are all eaten (3 of them - I didnt even think we would get one this year), the birds got the majority of the blueberries, but the strawberries are still producing & our dwarf orange tree has teeny tiny itsy bitsy round green things on it....
Our eggplant has pretty flowers....

Our corn is growing!!!

All 3 tomato plants have tomatoes on them....

AND WE HAVE BEANS!!!!! Our beans last year had a few sparse flowers on them....this year they are growing and flowering and making beans!!!!!!

Our odd little pepper has peppers.....no photo but our maybe it is a cucumber plant is growing and so is our other what the heck plant is it out front - it is either a watermelon or a pumpkin (I am thinking pumpkin but we will see)

And our zuchini is flowering and making squash!!! YAY!!!!

County Fair

2011-06-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

OK, I admit it.....I love the County Fair. And the Alameda County Fair is an awesome Fair - 99 years old this year! My only complaint is....the food. Not so good....

Grew up attending the Monterey County Fair. It was always so awesome to me. But sadly it has grown smaller and smaller over the years. USe to have the Horse Show with it - lots of big names appeared there - it was big (ok, so I was a little girl and it probably wasnt as big as it seemed to me). But the food was awesome and still is - altho I miss the Castroville HS fried artichoke trailer! Yummmmmmmm

So here are some shots from the Alameda Fair this year...

This is kinda how I felt at the end of the day. Done in. But it was a great day - the weather was perfect - the kids were great.

So I am partial to hairy animals cause I am a knitter. But ya gotta admit these area a great looking trio!

The baby goats in the Petting Zoo were so much fun. They were soft to pat. And this one kept falling asleep in the oddest positions!

Kaia got to feed a bottle to a baby!

And so did big brother Owen.

Actually got to pet a Wallaby - there were two and this one was the most shy but the most photogenic.

The llama was awesome. So patient. I dont think he ever moved more than open andshut his eyes (they don't drug them, do they???) I found something out. Right between the ears is THE softest lace to pat them. In the background you can see Connor, Owen, and Jack. Didnt have time to take many photos when I was in there alone with Luke.

Gosh - dont we often feel like everyone is just walking all over us??? All the baby goats seemed to think this pig was sleeping there just for them to play King of the Mountain on! And it was ok with him, all he did was open his eyes occasionally!

Luke wanted to "see a cow - see a cow - see a cow". So, shhh, dont tell him she wasnt real. As soon as he saw her and rang her bell, he was satisfied!

Saw this shortly after we got there. Meant to go back later and check to see if anyone was buying. I was disappointed - never did see the fried butter or the tacos on a stick (didnt look too hard either) and was curious to see what deep fried peaches were like but resisted...

They always find the lego table.... I had fun watching the solar powered cars and bugs!

Is this cake awesome or what???!!!! Kaia told her mom this is what she wanted for her birthday.....dont hold your breath Kaia! LOL

As always, lots of awesome quilts. And I didnt take photos of them all! Loved this one - if you look closely enough you will see the flower petals are actually embroidered words.

No prizes this year....sigh, I am slipping....well, except for the free fair ticket you get for entering! I wanted to spend more time looking cause I only saw one other pair of hand knit socks (and that one - rightly so - won a prize but not first prize). I am not sure about the judges this year. I saw a lot of things that justly won prizes but a lot of things that did not win. There were everal AWESOME knit hats - and the one that won as a plain stockinette knit but was kool aid dyed yarn - the ones that didnt win had cables, lace etc. Whats up with that????

This was what you saw as you walked in the front door. The sock monkey display with this huge monkey which appears to be hand knit!!! Kinda scarey.....

Blather

2011-06-17T17:08:00.000-07:00

See this man? I am so proud of him! And aggravated too. He knew I have hated the color of our bedroom since it was last painted. I have been saying "let's repaint" for years now.....This spring he said ok, lets do it. Took a month but we finally found a color. Then we were going to get going but he got some respiratory crud that hung on forever. So finally this week we (he!) has been doing it. He gave me the respiratory crud somehow - weeks after he got rid of it. But till, we cleaned out and prepped the bedroom on Monday and Tuesday. Then I worked on Wed and he did the ceiling and he was ready to quit it killed his shoulders and neck so much. But - ah hem! - not too badly to play golf on Thursday!

So today I took a class and he has been finishing it up. It is a lot lighter than we both thought, and now he is kicking himself for not priming it as he knew he should but letting the people talk him into primer + paint in one....but it is getting done.

Now, I didnt think of this...but when he went to paint the ceiling he encased our closet doors in plastic. Which meant Thursday I had no way to get clean socks for work (thank goodness for my emergency pair in my locker) or any shoes except my decrepit house/yard birkies for class today!!!! Oh welll......

A week ago he was diagnosed with pre-diabetes. He was very suspicious for some time....Anyway, the MD has him checking his blood sugars 4x/day. Here is a man who is so deathly afraid of needles he cannot even watch them on TV...but he is manning up and sticking his finger 4 x every day!!! I talked to a dietician at work - and because of that talk we are watching our carbs, and since he is feeling better he is working out to the max. A week after his diagnosis - he has the majority of his blood sugars in the 90's!!!!!

The doc had already ordered pills for him but I told him not to take them with his sugars that low - he needs to talk to the MD about it first.

On our way to Nevada - did we take a wrong turn somewhere and end up back in PA???

My other handsome guy in my life....on our trip to (or from - I am not sure) to Nevada.

They Say Its Your Birthday....

2011-06-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to YOU!

Happy 6th Birthday Owen!!!!

Blah Blah Blah

2011-06-10T17:56:00.000-07:00

So today I dropped off my 2 lame projects for the County Fair. Oh well, it is all good cause it gets me a free ticket into the Fair! I scrapped the vest. I really hate knitting with cotton and dont know why I tried it.It came out to fit a short but very wide kiddo...

Hubby has been diagnosed with what is probably pre-diabetes. Even the dietitian wasnt sure why the MD has him testin ghis lood sugars......but he is. The MD also was supposed to call in some drugs - one of which I am curious to see cause I do not understand why for that - but there were none at the drugstore. So we are following the advice of the dietician - and we are counting carbs. I figure it cant hurt me since I so obviously need to lose weight too. Plus I cant pig out in front of him - just not fair. I will save my "cheating" for when I am at work! LOL

It was time that I could upgrade my phone. Remember, I drowned mine and was using hubby's. He convinced me to get a fancy one - I think he wants to use it too!!! So we talked and talked and talked with the guys at RadioShack.....and decided there is no way in hell I am spending several hundred dollars on a phone - utterly ridiculous. So decided the iPhone 3G was the way to go.....but turned out they did not have any in stock...neither did the other store or any around. So I got an Android.

They are Called Smart Phones for a reason - this one is outsmarting me! I have gotten phone numbers installed. And I discovered the calendar is much easier to use than any phone ones I have ever had before. Now I jsut need to sync my hands free device (finally found where to do it - had found it before and lost it - now hopefully I wont lose it again).

Hear a lot of talk about Apps. So I tried to download Kindle.....apparently AT&T doesnt support the Kindle - crap. So I was looking at other free apps - and I jsut cannot figure out how to do it. Gotta get someone savvy to show me how....

Went to see Super 8 today. Now we already went to the gym this AM but I got my workout watching tis movie - I jumped so many times I think hubby was hysterical!! But it was very good - very suspenseful.

Quick Trip to Nevada

2011-06-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

Sat AM - very early - we drove to Nevada for Grandson #2 6th birthday party. Pouring rain all the way to....the Nevada border! But very very little traffic so we made it in great time!

Here is the cake my daughter and her SO made - it was a "Zombie" party and they handmade the decorations on the cake!

And they - I think he - made the brain pinata. The one thing I forgot to get a photo of was the zombie decorated bathroom!

They planted seeds - all of which had some type of connection to the theme but I am not really up on that. Also Pin the Brain On The Zombie....and of course, cracking open the pinata which was almost too well made!

More of the decorations my daughter and her SO made.....the papier mache ones and the live ones! LOL

It was fun- nice to see the kids. I know the parents were very exhausted after the party - but it was well worth it - Grandson kept saying how much fun he had at the party!!

The drive home took a little longer - but the weather was better. One part near the Nevada/CA border with bad rain - the rest of the time was maily overcast.

But I know all 3 of us - hubby, me, and Dog! - were tired afterwards and I was very thankful I did not have to work today!!!

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T16:42:00.001-07:00

Lots of photos coming form this w/e - you can see a bunch of them on my facebook.

But for now -

Thnak you to all who have served - and who are serving - this country of ours. Thank you for the safety you have provided my family - and the sacrifices you (and your family) have made!

I am sad....

2011-05-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Grandson #2 'graduates' from kindergarten! Unbelievable!

They live in Nevada so we do not get to see them as much as the grandkids who live 40 minutes away.

I am working tonight so cannot be there. Hubby has already left - he will drive up today and come home tomorrow....I am sad because I cannot be there either (but I am one call-in-sick away from being on contract....isnt that silly....because of my job, I should never work sick....and we earn sick days....but if you use them, you can get into trouble....)

Congratulations Owen - and, as Kaia says "I miss you"!!!

Can I Scream Now?????

2011-05-21T20:13:00.001-07:00

First let me say - the world apparently has not changed no matter how that minister interpreted his Bible. Now the Bible I know says that no man, not even angels, will know when the end of time comes - only God himself will.

I am glad there was nothign devastating today....but I am very tired of this weather. Cold one day, lovely the next, except for this dratted wind that is klling my allergies!

Had another brief visit from our Nevada grandkids which was wonderful. Took them to see the new Pirates movie and they were as well behaved as could be expected at their age.

Then today had to help daughter when, once again, the boys each had a ball game on different fields at the same time. It was Jack's last game - and only because they were making up a rained out game.

So, as is typical in society these days, each player recieved a "trophy" - just for showing up I guess.

And oldest - Connor - lost his two front teeth today! I dont remember them falling out at the same time! Very funny to hear him say the word "this" without those teeth!!

Okay, everyone say "ahhhhhhhh" cause Kaia loves her PaPa.....everytime we talk to her or see her - her first words always are "I miss you"!!!

But why could I scream??? I was so pleased with myself just a little while ago. Have 3 projects entered for the County Fair. One is done except for the buttons....the vest, well the back is done and I am about 1/4 of the way up the front....and I was so excited when I finished one of the pair of socks today. So excited - cause the other one is more than 1/2 way done so that means I am really on track. So then I pulled out the second one to work on and discovered....

Sob....this is so hard to say.....I KNIT THEM ON DIFFERENT SIZED NEEDLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I need to finish this one sock and then totally re-knit the other one!!!

I might have only 2 projects in the Fair this year...

What a weekend!

2011-05-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

My odlest grandson has been playing some chess at his after school program and he really has a pretty good concept. Altho not good enough to teach his brother's yet!

One of many people who turned out to support our walk on Saturday night - note the bra on the dog! She told us her sister had died from breast cancer

My oldest daughter and her friend/co worker who is a 7 year? survivor....Unbelievable energy n the walk! Glad they tried to tone it down so I could keep up with them!

Our team - Maddy's Girls - in our full glory! Lots of people taking our photos - lotsof compliments - but alas we did not win for best bras. The ones wo won (and did not get a photo of them) deserved it!

The start was a bit late, and as usual we were in the back of the pack. Not a good place to be but no one ever listens to me! The first part of the walk is thru downtown and is very slow because of the narrow sidewalks and all the crossings we have to do. But we also get a huge showing of support as we walk along there!

It was a cold and windy night which might have been helpful cause it made us walk faster! But the bathroom break we all had to do (probably cause it was cold) slowed us down because the city did not accomodate us with open bathrooms!!!

I was so proud of myself. I really did not think I would finish it this year because of the way my knee has been feeling. And there was one uphill section that really made me feel pessimistic but actually my knee feels better when it is moving, and not still. So I made it without a problem - and without a fall!!!! (Taking the tylenol before and after the walk may have helped too!!)

Now Sunday was another story.....late night....waking up often cause of the knee...and then an early morning to get to my daughter's house for brunch - which was lovely as usual! There were times yesterday that I literally did not think I was going to be able to move my knee. And now today - it feels better than it has in a long while! Go figure!

We went to one estate sale on Saturday - after being at odest grandson's baseball which ended after 5 innings cause 1/2 the kids on both teams had their first communion that day! We scored pretty good - got a huge wicker chest, a vintage firebox (that will turn into a planter), a couple of Barbie things I wont talk about here, hubby got a very interesting vintage travel game, oh yes, and a huge Baggalini bag - the most expensive thing was the game - I know there was something else but I cant think what - and we spent $30 for everything! They did have 2 other items I wanted but not for the price - a vintage wrought iron plant stand and a decorated brass covered wooden firebox...

Thanks to my lovely daughters - my Nevada daughter and grands sent me a lovely tea basket - my CA daughter and grands gave me some lovely presents and the brunch - her sweet MIL gave me a lovely Willow Tree statue - her SIL gave me a lovely orchid - son gave me a beautiful mini rose plant - and the love of my lofe (at least most of the time!) gave me a lovely, one of a kind, necklace.

Inspiration? Or delusion?

2011-05-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

I read a lot of blogs. And my favorite ones are knitting ones, and nurse ones. A lot of the blogs I read are by very talented knitters - many of them designers. Very inspiring - at least the make me wishful!

So I have been making these socks for myself. And I am so loving the pattern (no matter that I have had to rip out & start over on each leg a minimum of a dozen times - I let myself get distracted!).

I had recently seen the most lovely sweater on this site: www.needled.wordpress.com (an awesome site about the stroke recovery of a very young woman!) and am eagerly awaiting the pattern to be written....

And then I started thinking - the tidal waves pattern would make a lovely pocket - and I was turning the sock this way & that to look at it - and then decided - wait!!!! Wouldnt this make an awesome sleeve in a very light and drapey yarn???? Hmmm.....could be one of those loose cardigans that hav no buttons on the front....wonder if I have any yarn for this....

What???? I am thinking about trying to design/adapt something???!!! Rather than jsut following a pattern??? am I growing up?????

The Old Men In My Life

2011-04-25T16:25:00.000-07:00

Last week the above old man and I went to Sutter Creek CA for a shot, but nice, vacation. That is a photo of him being patient with me while I poke around some store...

The evening after we got home we discovered something wrong with the other old man in my life.

Jack is a rescue dog. The local rescue group literally grabbed him off "the" table before he was euthanized. He was adopted out to a family with a farm after which it was discovered he was not the best dog for a farm.....he loved to chase cows!

So back to the rescue group he went. And then hubby picked him out. We took him home and discovered he probably has ADHD!! But we love him anyway and he has been in our family for oh, maybe 10 -12 years. Not sure how old he is. He was an adult when we got him. And he was with us thru several passings of his older predecessors.

Dont you love how he is comfy on his bed by his head is on the cool hearth??? LOL

So, long story short, he has anal gland cancer. A very quickly growing cancer. He could have surgery - maybe......after determining whether or not it has metastasized. And after surgery, he would probably have to have chemo and radiation.

Several sites I read said that this could prolong his life.....from a couple of weeks to maybe 3 years. And more often than not, the cancer comes back (and yes - to the supercilious vet I cannot stand - I was looking only on veterinary sites).

He is an old guy. He has had a lovely life (and he knows it since he has never once tried to run away!!!!!!). And I just cannot see putting him thru the stress and pain of surgery and recovery that will not lengthen his life considerably.

For now he is otherwise healthy - still eating well and still going to the bathroom without difficulty - he had a great time with the grandkids yesterday chasing balls they thru for him. We do need to watch for increasing tiredness - not sure how we will discern that since both my old men are very good at taking random naps!

When the time comes we will treat him with the love and dignity he deserves, and not allow him to suffer needlessly 0 unlike what we as humans do for our human families....

Lovely mini vacation!

2011-04-21T18:56:00.001-07:00

This was at the house across from the B&B we stayed at.....I so wanted to see this lit up but it never was - darn it!

Volcano CA has some of the biggest meanest looking bees I have ever seen!!!!

This is the room we stayed in at the Hanford House Inn (www.hanfordhouse.com) in Sutter Creek. Awesome place! Quiet! At one end of the main street so everything is withing walking distance - almost next door to the Sutter Creek Wine Tasting which is a great place - and at the end of the street from an awesome cheese store!

My one and only complaint about this B&B is - the bed is too high!

Your da here starts off with homemade scones in a basket outside your door at about 0730....coffee/tea/water available all day long....and then an awesome breakfast (the chef is Cordon Bleu trained) starts with home made granola, and then cut up fruit and this great chicken-mozzerella sausage. The first morning was light, thin, blueberry-banana pancakes; the 2d was an egg bendict that was to die for - I usually dont eat those cause I dont like the sauce - these did not have the sauce - and oh yes, the eggs are from the chickens right there.

Turns out the owner graduated from the same law school as our SIL - and we are still trying to remember what year our SIL graduated - we think they were about a year apart.

Wine and cheese in the afternoon - and some really good lemony chocolate chip cookies!

We are trying to figure when we are going back!

The second night we ate the the local steakhouse (about a block & 1/2 away) called J and D's Steakhouse (www.janddsteakhouse.com) - we dont usually go to steakhouses on vacation.....am SO GLAD we went there! The staff was so friendly - the hostess was upset when we told her we did not have reservations cause we were going to have to wait 10 minutes!!!! The staff was as friendly to us - tourists - as they were to the locals! And the food was to die for! The trivia game was so much fun - and the bill was not nearly as high as you would think!

Pretty huh? This is the yard at a place called the Antique Garden or Antique Gardener. All the shops in the town are nice - as are the shopkeepers. We went to Jackson and walked around - got to enjoy the The Geezer's Jazz Band who give free concerts every other week....I think the youngest member was in his late 50's....they were so good!

Hubby was good and patient....he enjoyed the antique stores as much as I did but sometimes he had to take a little break...

Isnt this pretty? It is a house for rent right next to 2 very pretty B&Bs on the main street.

Garage Saling

2011-04-16T17:57:00.001-07:00

Forgot to talk about our recent (last week few week) garage saling!

a 3 piece metal screen like thing with grapes and leaves on it - for the garden - but I am thinking it might make a nice head board.....hmmm.....

a vintage covered square cake carrier - now I have a round one and a square one

a beautiful geranium in a nice pot and a rusty old waterering can that I have planted a succulent in

books! books! books!

2 tupperware pieces - both, for instance, to hold veggies with the dip thing in the middle - one smaller and the other large. Both in excellant condition

a tin towel rack originally priced at $12.99 from Ross - I think I will put it in the middle bedroom and hand some quilts (folded up) over it

Have seen areas of town that we havent see before. Also have seen crazy prices - come on - you are NOT going to get what you paid for the item at a garage sale - which is why you see people leaving your garage sale empty handed!

Am off next Sat - wonder if there will be a lot or not? It is is the Sat before Easter.... This having to work every other Sat really cuts into my garage saling!! LOL

And things that go bump in the night.

2011-04-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

I need to stop watching programs like this. Hubby thinks I am silly and is making fun of me. Do I believe in ghosts? No/yes Yes/no. I dont disbelieve. Have I had experiences? Possibly. I will not touch a Ouija Board after a very scary experience as a tween. Was it real?I dont know - but it scared me. Used to have lights go on and off in the house upstairs. Stopped after kids moved out. Poltergeist? Who knows. The other day I was in the upstairs hall when out of the corner of my eye something very large and black skimmed past the window. Wasnt bird shaped - I looked out and there was nothing on the roof of the garage. Not sure what it was.... Then yesterday morning I was getting ready for work. Walked out of the bathroom and I heard footsteps coming down the hall towards me. Figured it was hubby going into the bathroom so I didnt even turn around and look. Immediately turned the corner and walked into the kitchen - looked thru the door into the living room and hubby was sitting asleep in his chair - and the dog asleep on his bed. WHAT???????????????????????????????????????? What did I hear? Who knows.....

Blather

2011-04-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

It has gone from being very nice out.....in the mid 60's the last few days...to being very cold out in just the last few hours! Brrrr! And just a little while ago it was sunny out, now we are surrounded by black clouds. Guess it has been hailing in the north bay. Looked outside, and one of our neighborhood doves (I call them "my doves") was on our fence. I think he was the watch bird. Came back in the room and thought - huh - I dont remember him having such yellow feet....wait a minute! That is not a dove! It was a nice mid size hawk! Of course, by the time I got the camera, he was gone. Love watching the birds eating at the bird feeder. Went to check out another little park I had never known about. Took the long way to get there. Small parking place with 1 empty car in it, and 1 car with a couple of guys in it. Would like to go back there and take a walk with my camera - hope we can go back there and not see any sketchy characters sitting there. Getting cleaned up for a visit from my Nevada grand kids next weekend! They will only be here 2 nights but luckily I am off those days! Have to work the day they leave... Then that next week we are staying in Sutter Creek for 2 nights. We are not staying at either B&B we saw there but rather an Inn....the rooms look lovely - with fireplace!!! And TV for hubby (I am fine with my Kindle & my knitting!). Hopefully lots of fun things to photograph up there! May is a busy month. My awards luncheon. Pinning ceremony for the newest nursing grads - sure wish they would be able to find jobs! And then a weekend at the Narrow Gauge Inn....hopefully without any tpe of drama this year....if there is then we know that it is the place that is the jinx! Besides going to the Peddler's Market at Coarsegold and maybe hopefully some garage sales, not sure what we will do. Maybe try for a visit to Yosemite again....if it is open! And that is my soap box. Our politicians need to stop their pissing contests and thin about what their constituents want and need. Time to hit them where it hurts - in THEIR pocket books. Stop their pay and perks and see how quickly they settle the budget. I am beginning to agree with other people - time to have a 3rd party system and not jsut 2 - with a 3d party it would be much more difficult to stonewall things like this...

Crazy Weather

2011-03-25T19:50:00.001-07:00

Wow - the weather has been crazy lately hasnt it?! Mother Nature is truly expressing her opinions of what humankind is doing to her planet.

The tsunami had very little effect on our areas of CA (not so in Crescent City) except for the Santa Cruz Harbor. AMAZING to watch what the power of the ocean can do.....the size of the waves wasnt what mattered....it was the strength and speed of that amazing wave action! According to the news, we have had rain 16 days this month....that is a lot of water. They
are having to let water out of reservoirs and all because their is not enough storage. So lets see....last year we were almost in a complete drought....this year we have too much water and the snow packs (which are apparently very deep and wet this year) havent even started to melt!

On the few days - or partial days - we cant even go to our favorite park for a walk cause it is closed because of the run offs.

My daughter posted this photo of her patrol car in Berkeley the day they had the 3" of hail!!

Tomorrow afternoon we are going to a wedding. For the sake of the wedding party, I hope the rain takes a break in the afternoon!!!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2011-03-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

Now if only I had found this recipe earlier, I would be having these for dessert tonight:
http://nookandpantry.blogspot.com/2009/02/guiness-chocolate-cupcakes-with-baileys.html

Dont they look yummy!!!!

I may not like baseball, but I love t-ball!

2011-03-12T19:35:00.001-08:00

This was the 2d game of t-ball season for my 5 year old grandson - the first game I have gotten to go to.

Besides sitting in the dirt and goofing off with friends, the best part of t-ball is the snacks at the end of the game!

Apparently this is how he percieves the pitcher stance to be...

Hey Aunt Titi - I'm a little tree hugger!

Hey Batter Batter!

Hmmm, maybe I can figure out all the mysteries of baseball if I crouch down here and stare at the dirt long enough....

If I make a ferocious face, maybe I can scare the batter from the other team.

" No, I dont want to play baseball...I'm an airplane!"

"But Luke, when you are older, do you want to play baseball?"
"Oh, okay.....fine"

I'll just practice my winning dance ....

The peanut gallery.....hey, where's the peanuts?????

Nice day today - everyone had fun.....the other best thing about t-ball? The games are really short!!!!!

2 recent finished projects

2011-03-03T16:20:00.000-08:00

This is a UFO from who knows how many years past. It is one of the ones that when I started knitting it again - I realized why it was a UFO. Very easy knit. Beautiful thick/thin yarn with a sparkle. And yep, the dye rubbed off onto my hands. So I washed it and tried to block this very very long shawl - nothing big enough to block it on. I am hoping that the one wash was enough to 'set' the dye.

This is how I ended up blocking it - which means it wasnt blocked very well. But that is ok....for now. Am hoping that an email I sent to hubby will result in a birthday present that would make life easier when it comes to blocking knit items!

Oh, where is the 2d item?
Well, it is a present that will be mailed out in a week or two. After that time I will post the photo - dont want the recipient sneaking over here to sneak a peek!

Have You Noticed

2011-02-21T17:28:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am on my soap box again.
Started Friday - reinforced today.
And this is mainly a women bashing rant.

Apparently a very old game is back. Does anyone remember how to play Statues*?
Well, apparently many people do.
Women.
Mostly women.

Take the yarn market I went to Friday. Very crowded. Very busy. And yet at almost every 4 way intersection of aisles there were clumps of women playing Statue right in the middle. Just standing there, talking, and totally blocking the aisles so that no matter what direction you were walking you could not get around them.

Or the ones who were in the booths and just standing there - blocking it so that people could not look at the vendor's supplies - yet not buying.

Hubby told me that day at thegrocery store it was the same - women stopped to talk, totally blocking the aisle and being very snippy if people tried to get by.

Today we went to Whole Foods. Walked thru the door, into the produce, and there was the very first person playing Statue. (Also very odd, almost every person who walked by our shopping cart would slow down to look into it - noticed that the shoppers at this place were thoroughly checking out other poeple's shopping choices - very odd).

What is up with this?????

* This site has the most thorough explanation of this child hood game that I have ever seen or ever heard before: www.grandparents.com

I am old

2011-02-20T06:18:00.001-08:00

Gosh I feel old....and grumpy. But I realize I am very old fashioned and getting more so all the time.

A person I know is having her 3d baby. The same sex as the first. And the other on is only about 3 years old or so. And she is having a baby shower. I am old fashioned - why does she need another baby shower? It has not been a decade since the other baby - there has not been a huge life style change - it is not a different sex.....Yes, I know any baby should be a reason to celebrate - but.......an 8 page registry at Babies R Us????? As well as several pages at Target???? And no, it is not all diapers that she registered for.....
Another little yuppy who feels entitled to things is having a jewelry party. You know, come and spend lots of money on things you really dont need so I can get something free. She cant have one for her friends because all their husbands are out of work and most have had towalk away from their houses (but that is okay cause they didnt like living where those houses are anyway) so she is having one for her work friends - because of course they can afford to spend money on the crap.

Can you guess I will not be going to either one? Actually, I still have my house, but I cant afford and should not spend money on that crap either - and more importantly, I do not need it. Remember, I am trying to get RID of stuff (just went thru one of my jewelry boxes and set aside a bunch of earrings and things for my granddaughter!! Dont need to fill up those spaces!).

Another friend has announced she is getting a divorce after 20 years. Says she has come to the realization that her marriage is not worth it - it is based on convenience and not love. She affirms that her husband is a great guy and she does, and will always, care for him but she is not in love with him. Said she has come to the realization that she no longer knows who she is or want she wants. Of course my hubby says there has to be more involved. I say - hey - why waste his time and her time in a marriage if it is only based on convenience.

Unlike another friend who puts up with a verbally & emotionall abusive husband who destroys her sentimental family items when he is ticked at her - because she does not want to lose money on the house that is no longer worth what it was - and does not want to hand over 1/2 her retirement when she is almost near retirement age. I say - yeah, stay with him, and when that anger overflows into actually abusing the grandbaby that lives with him - saving that house and retirement will be well worth it.

And the other one who is keeping her marriage going because she does not want her step son to go back to the mother or have her children raised without a father because she will not be able to support them while she pays him alimony....yeah, these are all great reasons to keep marriages together.

But then again, I am only hearing one side of these stories - and I have always maintained there are 3 sides to these - hers, his, and theirs.

Ok, done ranting for now, off my soap box. Now kids, turn that damn music down!!!! I am old and grumpy!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

Art work by grandsons!

It's That Time Again!

2011-02-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

My 3d year of walking - the 6th year for this walk.

May 7 - 10K walk - wearing my bra on the outside - and proud of it!

Every year I have a good mammogram reading, makes me all the more hyped to do this!

My fundraising page can be accessed thru www.trivalleysocks.org

If you cant donate - maybe you can walk - at the very least - remember to get your mammogram and remind all those you love that they need to get theirs too!!! (and dont forget that breast cancer is NOT gender specific - males can get breast cancer too).

UFO continued

2011-02-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

So as I slowly continue to dig out "my" room.....it was further along before Christmas than it is now!....I find these UFO's that really excite me!

The denim colored vest - one side almost done....
Theblack tick/thin yarn with sparklies....

And one by one I bring them down to work on....

As I worked on the denim vest I realized that the dye was coming off on my hands. Very much so. Ok, so get thru it, finish it, and you can rinse the dye out of the finished project and set the color. But then I discover, if I dont stop periodically to wash the dye off my hands, it becomes more difficult to wash off....

So I dont want to knit when I have to go to work later that day...or the next day...or when I am going to be touching something that I dont want to get denim colored dye on....see where I am going? I have the 2d front almost done but am dreading the back. It will be more yarn which will be more blue hands and more frequent stopping.....sigh...

The black project is either a wide scarf or thin rectangular shawl. Not sure which. Think I bought it eons ago at Stitches West...it is easy - garter stitch on size 15 needles. Much easier once I switched to pointy needles (it is a lace weight with slubs of thick sparkly yarn after all). It calls for 2 skeins, which I have, but I cannot imagine how huge that will be! Have aout 12" done so far and realized that no, I hadnt bumped into anything or touched anything....yup, the black dye comes off on my hands....

Sigh. I think I will make some more bunny egg covers instead!

Tales of UFOs

2011-01-12T13:34:00.000-08:00

Now "UFO" means an entirely different thing to my husband than it does to me. To me it is a frustrating word because it stands for Un Finished Objects. Of which I have way too many. Probably because I am like a dog and a ball, or a squirrel, and am easily diverted from projects that take too much time to finish, no matter how much I want the finished object!

See that sweater? Several years ago I fell in love with it and with a certain Homespun yarn. I dont mind knitting with Homespun yarn, and I like the feel of it. I think it is great in afghans. Anyway, got the yarn and started knitting. Several years ago. Stopped knitting, and after some tme I found it again and thought, sigh, I should sit down and finish this. Much to my suprise, all I had to do was put it together!

And I did. And then I found that this is a very bulky, very warm jacket. And I set it aside.

Then we had our door issues, and getting sick and all, I found it was wonderful for wearing in the house to keep warm.

And then I discovered the other downside to this yarn.....it stretches....it really realy stretches....I think the arms are now long enough for my husband.....and I cannot even use the pockets because they are so far below my arm length to be useless.....this started out well above my knees.....now it is at my knees and creeping longer....soon it will truly be the bathrobe it has been turning into!

Am going to try washing/drying it to see what happens.....

End of 2010 and Beginning of 2011 Mish Mash

2011-01-06T14:18:00.001-08:00

Arent they cute!!!!! You can barely see her "Ruby Slippers"....and that is a vest I knit for her. She is a typical 3 year old....when she is good, se is very very good......and he is a very very smart 5 year old!

Cheese! This little 2 year ol has the BEST belly laugh you have ever heard! And he loves to give hugs - when he wants to that is. His biggest loves are trains and trucks - he HAD to ride the train at the Oakland Zoo - didnt care about anything he saw while riding it, he was just thrilled to be riding it - and his favorite part of PaPa's Village is the train of course!

Didnt realize that we spent all that money on the built ins just to provide a foot stool while he was playing his games!

Lots of beautiful things to see at the Oakland Museum (the most fun was the 1960's!!) but I totally fell in love with this painting by Julian Rix. Good thing it is way too big for our house....LOL!

He loved riding the cheetah....and by the way, yes, MeMaw made that sweater for him...

Katie took Owen, Kaia, and Connor on the roller coaster while Jack was riding the airplane and Luke the Cheetah. They were all riding at the same time so luckily the area is small cause I had to hustle between them to get photos!

Christmas Day dinner ... the little guy on the left LOVES crab....he ate lots of it the night before with PaPa and then lots of cioppino this day too!!!

Look - it snowed in CA! Not only that - but INSIDE the house!!!!! Hubby came up with the idea of wrapping a football for son in a huge box filled with shredded paper....so of course, that meant a "snow" fight ensued! We are STILL cleaning up.....I dont think the dog really enjoyed this!!!

Happy and Saf Holidays to All!!!!

2010-12-23T08:18:00.001-08:00

What a downer

2010-12-19T16:20:00.001-08:00

Got a phone call from my aunt today. That is never good.

She called to tell me my cousin has passed away this weekend.

My older cousin. He grew up in Texas and I grew up in Illinois and California.

But we were there at least every other year.

And I know I drove him nuts following him around.

And he devilled me.

Of course he did. He was older. I was the youngest cousin (at that time). And the only girl (at that time).

So sad.

That side of the family is getting smaller and smaller. His mom and dad are both gone, as is his step mom.

This is my mom's side of the family and I only have one uncle left. At one time there were two girls and two boys (of the surviving children). Now there is only my Uncle Bill, his wife Aunt Sybil, their daughter (the youngest of the the cousins) and my cousin Bob.

Bob's parents are gone, as are mine.

Sad, and hard, when your own generation is slowly becoming the elders. (On my dad's side of the family there are only two sisters left).

But he has quite the family waiting for him.....and family here missing and mourning him.

Rest In Peace Ken. Your life was not an easy one, hope you had lots of happiness to balance it out.

Rockettes

2010-12-18T19:21:00.001-08:00

NYC at Christmas time is on my "Bucket List".

Would love to see the Thanksgiving Parade.....the tree at Rockerfeller Center.....lot of things but especially the Rockette's Christmas Show.

Guess what? They were touring the west coast this year - mentioned it to hubby but he didnt sound very excited plus we had already bought tickets to see Shrek: The Musical.

But he knew I wanted to see them....so we went. And I really didnt have any idea what to expect. The show was fun. Would I see it again? Definitely in NYC! If they tour here next year? Probably not.

What amazed me were the people who came in late and were so rude about it....the woman sitting next to me (and by woman, I am saying she was in her 40's probably) who was texting the entire time - never once looked up at the show - and only put here phone away when the show was over and it was time to leave. Why bother to even attend???

So mcuh fun to see all the little grls dressed up in their Christmas dresses - coats - gloves, etc. So cute!

Birthday Month...AKA December!

2010-12-14T16:09:00.000-08:00

Happy happy birthday to son in law.....daughter.....and hubby!

LOVE you all!

Left my heart.....

2010-12-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

Not as cold as usual, but still had to stop here so Tom could have his Irish coffee! Justifies the cable car ride which we both love!

Gotta get our calamari.....

when we visit here.....also a stop at Boudins for some Christmas cookies and my Panetonne (have been enjoying it toasted for breakfast the last two days...YUM!)

We often do something random. One year we did the whole tourist thing and did a bus tour of SF. Saw areas that we hadnt seen in....well, decades. And learned new stuff. This time we read about the Holiday Light Tour and how the wheeled (but authentic) cable car takes you around to see the decorations.....not quite what we expected.....but you know what, we still learned some things about SF we hadnt known.....so it was okay. Recovered from the noisy little yuppie/preppies in the car with a drink at the Starlight Room after. And wanted to tell this middle aged couple - enough with the PDA! - I personally think it was an affair.....

Hubby wanted to see this. So we went. And it was enjoyable and funny......the one phrase we both have taken away from it (because we both think it describes ourself) is "crackpot magnet"!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some photos from our annual December trip to SF! More to come. Had fun - got lots of shopping done - some prety good food too!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T19:53:00.001-08:00

I am freezing tonight! Maybe cause I am tired (worked a double yesterday and picked up an extra 8 hours tomorrow since we are not having our Thanksgiving dinner until Sunday) and because I just ran outside to cover up some of the plants cause it is supposed to get down into the 20's tonight. Of course, it was all put into perspective when I talked to my daughter in NV and she said when she got home this AM from work it was 8 degrees outside!

And before I forget it - HAPPY THANKSGIVING! And I wont even subject you to my tirade on how retailers have corrupted Thanksgiving and consumers have (literally and figuratively) bought into it.

If you are part of the crazy hoard that participates in Black Friday....well, just know that tirade explains why I typically work on Black Friday...

So apparently said daughter in Nevada had a run in with a deer on the way home. Smashed up her car, but did not total it - and she is unhurt. That makes me very thankful TODAY!

Luckily they have very good insurance. But what has her the most upset is that today she is going for her interview for a position she wants very very badly - and not only is she afraid the accident was an omen - it shook her up - and she didnt get any sleep today. And her SO missed out on extra pay, OT etc because she needed him home. So, as you read this - please say a prayer for them!

Looks like my short - but well enjoyed - career as a Clinical Instuctor is over. We have come to a parting of the ways because at this point in my life and career I am just not interested in orienting to another hospital in order to spend 6 - 12 hours/week doing things their way while we are still going thru so many changes where I work (they are trying to find a new clinical site because of our small patient census - yet they are negotiating with an institution that had jsut as small a census last year as we did!).

Plus, the cut in pay just makes it not worthwhile, yada yada yada. I hope they find someone to take my place - I told them a month ago that I probably would not be doing it and they just got around to meeting with me today. And the rotation starts at the end of January. (What is more sad, is they need to find a new Director for the program and they will be offering approx $30,000/year less than any other school around - they want to pay $70,000/year for a very stressful and more than full time job - when you can do bedside nursing 3 shifts/week and make more than a $100,000! Good luck with that!)

Anyway, what has me upset is that apparently they had some complaints from me from staff members. Yeah, the people I work with year round. They complained that I wasnt at bedside with the students 100% of the time. Really? 10 students spread between Pediatrics, Nursery, and Post Partum? And I wasnt with the students 100% of the time? Amazing how they could be in one area making that comment without knowing what I was doing in the other areas. And espcially considering that 1/2 the semester I had a student that I had to spend almost 1:1 time with every time she was on the unit.

But has me upset with this - is they couldnt say anything to me about it at the time. My co workers I mean. They didnt say it to me, but they commented on it to the school.....and then the school waits how many months to bring it up to me? Oh well, I will "Let It Go" because altho I enjoyed the student interaction it was very stressful to me and not financially worthwhile and it will be nice to have my life back next January - May for the first time in 3? 4? years.

So I leave you again with a Happy Thanksgiving and yet another request - as you come across people and situations that add to your thankfulness through out the year - please let them know about it. It will make their day, and yours!

Changes

2010-10-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

Finally - after approx 20 years in this house and hating the palm trees all that time - we are finally getting rid of them. We started off with 5 - 3 in the front and 2 in the back. Not sure why ANYONE would plant that many on this small of a lot.

Got rid of one in the back many many years ago and it really traumatized the guy - cause it was so full of animals and birds and nests and baby birds.....Never could really find any one else to take down the rest that we could afford.

The most difficult one is left to come down. And that is cause it is growing up between a bunch of wires.

Our new front door is in. Will be delivered Tuesday.

Guess we have to find the hardware for it. And also order an address plaque for the house since we will not longer be able to use "the house with the 3 palms in the front yard"!!!

Damn

2010-10-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

new driveway poured - check

new weatherstripping for door....ummm, I mean, new front door ordered - check

lots of pellets in the garage for winter - check

guy giving us the estimate to cutdown all those godforsaken palm trees in the front yard - what do you mean you cant do it now? Your cousin promised us......you came over and assured us you could do it, you just needed to price it out....

damn

Sunday

2010-10-19T21:24:00.001-07:00

Isn't this pretty? This is in front of the house along Carmel Beach - I was parked in front of it for lunch.

Ok - I cannot believe how crazy these kids are! Swimming in the cold Pacific Ocean in October!!!!!

Up not quite so early Sunday - no free breakfast for us - HAD to go to our favorite donut shop to p/u donuts to 'pay' our son for dog sitting - so might as well eat there!

Then dropped off some 'maters at a friends house and sat an caught up with him and his son for awhile. Decided to head out for the BBQ - walked outside and it was pouring down raining!!!

Went to the BBQ anyway - there was some covered areas there. It was pretty miserable to start - cold and wet and all. But the rain eventually stopped and it got better. The food was pretty good too!

Headed home late afternoon - vegged out at home - and slept in the next day. Too much partying for this old gal.....and when I thought back over it - the entire weekend - I had a total of 4 glasses of wine! WOOHOO! Party animal!!! LOL

(BTW, I finished that scarf - which I started Sat - Monday night - and meanwhile ordered 3 more skeins of the yarn to make 3 more Christmas presents!)

Saturday

2010-10-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

So up bright and early Sat AM. Breakfast at the complimentary breakfast in the lobby - not too bad. And headed down to Carmel Valley to drop hubby off at Rancho Canada for gold with class mates.

I went to a garage sale in Carmel. Nothing great. And drove around the beach a bit. Then into Pebble Beach for a garage sale - another great buy on a Longaberger basket - $1!!!!

Wanted a rusted out old lantern - thought it would look cool with a potted plant just sitting in it. But they wanted $5 for this hunkajunk.

So walked away from that and drove around 17 Mile Drive taking photos and enjoying the view.

Did end up at the yarn shop - Monarch Knitting and Quilts in Pacific Grove - GREAT shop!!!! And a couple of thrift shops. Then decided to get a sandwich from Troia's and took it back to Carmel - sat at the beach, ate, and started knitting a new scarf.

Then picked up hubby - back to hotel - shower time while hubby took a nap. Then to the reunion. Was able to wear heels only because I wore boots which covered up my elastic ankle support!
The food was pretty darn good for hotel type food! Actually had a pretty good time but stayed up way too late for this old lady!

Reunion Weekend - Friday

2010-10-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

Coast photos 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach - yes it was an overcast day.

One of my interesting signs....turn left to go into Rancho Canada Golf Course....right to go to Church....if the end were really near, I know I would choose to go right!

I love fog. Talking to people at the reunion who now live in hot areas, their one concern about moving back to the area is the weather....fog and overcast....all the lovliness of living by the coast. I would hate to give up the fall and spring weather when it is warm during the day but cool at night. But I definitely would take the fog over hear any day!

So - it was hubby's high school reunion this past weekend. His 40th. Yeah, I made fun of him until I realized that next year will be MY 40th reunion! OUCH!

So we went down Friday. Had several errands to run including getting the new lease signed by the tenants. Checked into the hotel (same hotel as the reunion was at). To find it over run by women dressed in red. A convention of Republican women - OMG!!!!!! Even hubby walked around muttering about wishing he could find a Jerry button! And I was wishing I had some blue clothes with me!

And speaking about clothes....I am unpacking my stuff while hubby is chilling on the couch watching something on TV....when I realize I do not see the clothes he was going to wear the next night! The clothes he HUNG BACK IN HIS CLOSET cause he didnt want to wrinkle them before he hung them up in the car!!!!!!! Yep, they were still hanging in the closet - AT HOME!

So made a trip to Del Monte Center and Macy's. Found him some nice pants and 2 different shirts. I really really REALLY tried my darnedest not to laugh too loudly about all this....

Enjoyed dinner at Ablonetti's (as usual) and then back to the room to watch some b'ball. Went to the bar to watch the end of it and nighty night for an early morning the next day!

Winter preparation

2010-10-10T18:19:00.001-07:00

Well, we took a break from winterizing the house - maybe cause it is summer again? Yep, temps in the high 80 - low 90 this week. Went with daughter and her 3 sons to the corn maze. (www.gmfarms.com) again. Look what someone had the time and inclination to do - braid some of the corn hair!!! It was fun, but a bit hot out there in the midst of the maze.

One of the issues is the weatherstripping at the bottom of the front door is worn out. An easy repair, right?????? HA!!! 3 trips back and forth to Home Depot......finally got a bottom thing on, but with the rubber stripping inside, the door wont close! So we now have a nice gap at the bottom. So hubby's wish is coming true...we are shopping for a new door. And he is insisting on a new sidelight too. The only reason I am giving in is the framing ( or jamb or whatever) around the sidelight and all looks awful. But it is killing me how much it is costing....

The other thing is our patio cover. Anyone know of any contests to win a re-do of the backyard??? We have the ugliest backyard ever. Have hated it since we moved in and not only have not had the money - but just cant come up with ideas of what to do + the time and energy to do it.

So we have this long patio. Which could be nice except for this rather low tin roofed cover. And last winter we ended up having to put the outdoor chairs on top of the tin to keep it all from blowing off. So this week we took care of it - mostly hubby but he did get me up on (shudder) a ladder to help out. He nailed down the worst spots and replaced some rotted roof.

We are looking into getting the palm trees chopped down finally. Have someone who may be reasonable - but the problem is our new waste management is outrageously expensive - which we knew was going to happen when they came in with hybrid vehicles etc. And these palms are very tall (never did figure out how to kill them off when they were shorter) so they will result in a lot of waste. They are lovely homes for birds, rats, and squirrels so we will hopefully be turning into bad landlords and evicting them all without notice!

Next weekend is hubby's 40th (yep, that is FORTIETH) high school class reunion. I was picking on him and making fun of him until I realized that means mine is next year - OUCH! So next weekend we will be down in Monterey ( a rough life, but someone has to do it) - golf for hubby on Saturday morning - the reunion that evening - and then a BBQ on Sunday.

Oops

2010-10-03T06:23:00.001-07:00

What happened to the comments under my last 2 photos in the last post??
Guess i have to try again.

The shawl is the GORGEOUS one Mona made and sent to me. The colors are way off in the photo - the purples are much darker - if I was picking out yarn - I would have gone straight for it. It is perfect. www.abstractfiber.com

The other photos are what else she sent. Some chocolate I still havent eaten. Had to pop it into the refrig when it came - duringthe hottest week all year!

The other are some awesome stitch markers. Recycled aluminum! So they are nice and light! And an ingenous design - they are reversible so they can be used on all sizes of needles!

Thank you Mona!

2010-09-30T17:58:00.001-07:00

Ok, this doesnt have anything to do with the subject line, but I just love this photo. This was taken at Luke's 2d birthday party!

This is the first Multnomah Shawl. Made it for myself out of some awesome yarn. I loved the pattern so much that I signed up for a swap on Ravelry, where someone made one for you and you made one for them.

So I made this one for Mona up in Oregon. The yarn was some yarn I bought in Oakhurst - a hand dyed alpaca from North Forks. I loved how it turned out. Loved it much more that the one I made for myself...

I dont get it

2010-09-29T17:26:00.001-07:00

I really dont.
I am not being judgemental - I just dont understand.

You have a baby who is born prematurily. And is in the hospital for about 2 months so far...

And yet the parents do not come everyday.
So ok, dad is back to work.
And maybe they only have one car.
And they have a 2 year old at home.
I understand that all that can make things complex.

But when the baby was born, there were *&%^LOADS of family visiting.
Most of whom live somewhere in the area.

And the other thing I really really dont get?
We gave you the direct phone number.
And it is not long distance - or in another country - and you rarely if ever call.

I cannot think of anything that explain that one. Cause we know you have a working phone. We have had to use it a few times.

I cannot imagine anything except illness that would keep me away from my baby. I would be there daily - somehow. Whether I had to ride a bus - or beg people to drive me. I would be there.

And when I could not be there?
I would be on the phone - daily - maybe twice daily.

I just dont understand...

Labor Day Weekend Part 1

2010-09-04T19:48:00.001-07:00

These are not in the right order because I got distracted by a piece of pie and ice cream.....but bear with me and I will try to tell the story...

Friday we planned to go to Sacramento to the Goldrush Days celebration. Never been - but it sounded fun. It was going to be hot at home - so might as well be hot there - right? Well, on the way there I got the feeling that hubby was not as interested in it as I was so I told him - if you are not that interested, want to go to the foothills? And we went east.....above is some of the scenary you see in the valley and foothills in the midst of heat....golden hills of CA.

Back when we first moved back to CA we went camping in the Sonora/Columbia area. And we discovered this place that sold "mile high apple pies". It was a working orchard with a sales area - a little steam train - barnyard animals and all, called Csonka's. Many many years went by and hubby and I were staying in the area and went looking for Csonka's only to find it had closed. Well Friday we stopped by one of those Tourist Information buildings to ask a question, and found out that the original family had bought back the land and re-opened the bakery. So of course we had to go. They only had frozen pies, so we bought one to take home...

CA bear. The symbol of the State. Seen on a building in Sonora.

The yarn store in Sonora. Did not stop this time. Have been there and it is really nice. And the people are friendly.

I enjoy visiting old cemetaries. Hubby does not. So I snuck off into the Jamestown cemetary. Look at the carving at the top - isnt it beautiful??????? This place was soooooo unbelievably quiet and peaceful. Very nice.

Columbia State Park. Old buildings, being used these days - hotel - places to eat - stores. Very quiet when it is not summer. So there were no takers for the stagecoach.

Love this church in Sonora. The street/highway makes you feel as though you are going to run right into it.

Arent they pretty? And isnt it sad that they are waiting to be auctioned off for slaughter. Once I found out that in 4H you raise the animals to auction off and slaughter, I knew I never could could do that......I know it is different if that is how you are raised.....reading the article about 2 angora goats and how the one was bottle raised from 2 weeks of age and follows her person around like a dog....oh, I hope they arent being auctioned for slaughter!

They are from the Monterey County Fair. Drove down there today. It is nothing like it use to be - but they do have 'grandma cakes' which makes my hubby happy. So small - but the best thing is they do sell some veggies for very very cheap - we bought a bagful for $2!!!!

While down there went to my favorite yarn shop - Monarch Knitting and Quilting in PG. Joan has such a wonderful selection - she is so nice - and love her animals!

I made 2 of these shawls.....this one is mine. I made the other one for a swap. I wont post that photo yet because I havent sent it off. And I LOVED making this one - the feel of the yarn - and the color - but I really like the other one better! LOL

Tomorrow and Monday is the Livermore Harvest Wine Festival. Hopefully it is not too hot or it will be miserable...

Happy 37 Years Together With My BFF!!!!

2010-09-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Weekend Report

2010-08-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Busy weekend. Saturday was our one and only garage sale day. We were worried that the weather would be too hot - after all it had been 105 degrees just a few days before!

Instead, a nor'easter blew thru - wild winds - cold weather - and as soon as we finished setting up at o'darkthirty, IT RAINED! For a few minutes - much more than a drizzle but less than a deluge - would you believe it! Spent a lot of the day exercising by chasing after things being blown away. The sun did come out about 2 hours before we closed up shop...

We sold a bit. Not as much as we would like - but we have a charitable organization coming by Tuesday to cart away the leftovers. A few things we sold - I missed as soon as they were gone! But what were we going to do? Keep them boxed up forever?

And of course, today was bright - blue - sunny - warm but not hot. Took a nice walk in Sycamore grove and then we went on the Wine Tasting Special Train at Niles Canyon Railway.

We first went on this in 2008 and really enjoyed it. Didnt make it last year due to my friends the crutches. Remembered it this year in time to make the last Sunday it was scheduled for.

Get to try local wines - some of which we would never try otherwise. Really enjoyed the Semillion from Cuda Ridge - but I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed the Port from Cedar Mountain. I would normally not even try a port, but I am glad I did - I just added it to my Christmas Wish List!

These ruins are off of Highway 84....would love to know the story behind them...

This week

2010-08-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

LOOK! Our first edible corn! We tried a few weeks ago - according to all the advice we could find on the internet - but it wasnt ripe yet. And look at the beautiful cucumbers - we have been getting lots of beautiful cukes - and they are so bitter and nasty that they are inedible.

HOT! today and tomorrow and wednesday - maybe some of our tomatoes will ripen? Saw this chicken yard on our walk in WC the other day. This has gotten to be the popular thing this year. Wonder how many people eventually are able to eat their chickens? I bet not many. I am sure most people only have them for the eggs - and with this egg issue in the midwest I am sur emore people will do it. If we had a larger yard - and they werent stinky and noisy, I would like to do this also...

Isnt this beautiful? Both the boys - but also the scenary!

Sold one of the items on Ebay....9 items up - and only 1 sold so far. Am going to repost a couple at slightly reduced prices.

More pricing of stuff for the garage sale. But too hot to go thru too much more in the garage and upstairs. Luckily (so far) it is not supposed to be that hot this Saturday....well, whatever we find after this will go into the next sale...

The Many Faces of Jack

2010-08-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

He had fun making the faces....and I had fun taking the photos! Wearing Luke's hat and being an "old man"

Another "old man"

Being a monkey

Ahhh....he cant eat his cupcake yet....

Happy 5th Birthday Jack!

2010-08-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

Altho this is Luke, and not Jack, can you guess the theme for Jack's 5th birthday party?

Here is another clue!

The best clue of all!

Jack being tickled by his Uncle John

Until he was helped to go down the big slide, this was Luke's favorite part of the water slides...

Connor having fun

One of the few photos of Jack alone on the slide. Have lots of great shots of kids having fun - but I won't post photos of other people/kids without permission. And Jack usually went down the slide with his buddy!

My daughter goes all out - see the decos?

Unfortunately, once the boys arrived and found the Star Wars and Nerf guns....all the UP games went out the window....

She made Scout type sashes for everyone with their names on them...
And here is the little guy who wants to play with the big guys but sometimes gets left behind!

Garage Sale-ing

2010-08-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

I love it! Even got my hubby hooked.
But I do not like getting ready for the one we will be having in 2 weeks!

Last week was great - we got some garden tools for DD and SIL at a great price - got to see a lovely home - and hear some local history.

This week - I got a platter for my dinner set - some books I have been wanting - some gifties for friends and grand daughter - books for grand sons.....some great garden pots - and hubby scored a Mickey Mouse golfer watch (dont know why - he doesnt wear watches!).

But you know what is the best thing about garage sale-ing? Seeing parts of the town/area that you have never been in before. Learning some local history. Meeting some interesting (and yes, some strange) people.

Getting ready to take dog for bath and shots (oh yeah, hubby scored a huge bag of balls for him). Tomorrow is Grandson #3 - 5th Birthday party. So two days off from going thru and pricing junk! YAY! Cause I work the next 2 days. Of course, that means I then have 3 days off in a row which will be spent in de-junking....

Wow - or should I say whew?

2010-08-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

Its been a long time coming, but we are finally going thru JUNK.

My junk...his junk...my parent's junk...his parent's junk....leftover kids junk. And trying to deal with it all.

Toss it? Keep it? Give it to the kids? Sell it? Where and how?

You see a lot of the stuff in antique and collectibles shops...but does any of it sell?

He sold the first item on Craigs List....my two listings on Ebay did not sell. Do I try again with a lower price? Or wait awhile to see if the market picks up? Should I agree to sell overseas even tho they each weight ALOT???

Too too too many decisions.

And it is physically and emotionally exhausting.

And then there is the totebox full of old financial records that was leftover from my dad. I am starting to believe that we should have just paid a shredder company to handle it. We have a huge tote full of shredded paper and I do not think I am even 1/2 done. Anyone shipping anything soon? Got lots of shredded packing paper available!!!

The fun part of today was garage sales.....Spend $17.75 and got some garden tools, a kids game, and 2 little gifts for friends, oh, and the wooden file cabinet I have been wanting (the two beat up metal ones can go into the garage sale!!!). Then to the library for some research. Home to more shredding....Made a peach/nectarine/blueberry cobbler and hubby is making (yum!!) eggplant parmigian!!!!

Comment Moderation

2010-08-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry everyone - I am going to start moderating comments. I have been getting only unintelligble - to me - postings that all appear to be written in some Asian language. On investigation, Blogger says this is a type of spamming. So I initiated comment moderation along with word verification. Sorry for the inconvenience...

"Vacation" Day #4

2010-07-18T08:19:00.000-07:00

Red's Donuts....they have aplace in Monterey (shown) and in Seaside. I grew up on these donuts. And they made me a donut snob. These are the gold...no, the platinum standard for donuts...

Been awhile since I have seen the number of sea lions in the wharf area as we saw today. Wonder if it is mating season? But I have to tell you, after our late lunch, I was envious of these guys cause that is all I wanted to do...

If you love squid - now known exclusively as calamari - like we do, this is where you go. They also have excellant sand dabs! My hubby's favorite dish has been taken off themenu - why???? - but they will still make it if you request it.

The Feast of Lanterns in PG (Pacific Grove). This has been a festival forever - I think someone said 115 years? Was always a really big thing - and very fun. Parade....all the stores decorated with the lanterns....fireworks. This year at the last minute they 'realized' they had run out of money too late to do anything about it. No parade. No fireworks. A little ceremony in the park. So sad.

And on our way home....don't you jsut love the colors?

So we checked out the house - made sure the dryer had arrived okay - looked at the patio roof repair the tenant had done - the yard and all. Then we hit some garage sales. Very disappointing - the lack of them - and the lack of anything good. I think we spent less than $10. Got another large pyrex mixing bowl to replace the one I had that broke many years ago - a large peach colored metal tray with roses, so pretty - a pair of dinosaur earrings for me to wear when I see the grandson who adores dinosaurs - and some marbles for one of them. That was it. Very disappointing that there were no garage sales in Pebble Beach.

Dropped off knitted squares at the yarn store where we learned about the very disappointing fate of the Feast of Lanterns. We had lunch on the wharf - all the parking lots were full but we found a street parking place. Walked thru the little arts and crafts fair.

Afterwards we went and visited friends - it was good to see how well our friend Marilyn looked. And then home....home for hubby to sit in his chair and me not be able to sit in my chair :-(

"Vacation" Day #3

2010-07-17T21:30:00.001-07:00

At 9 PM we finally recieved our delivery from Ashley Home Store in Fremont CA - that we placed on June 4 of this year.

Here is my chair.

Here is hubby enjoying his chair.

Yup - they did it to us again. They delivered ONE of the TWO chairs we ordered and paid for. And late enough at night that there is nothing we can do about it.....emailed the BBB about the 'resolution' of this....Monday hubby will call KPIX back.....

"Vacation" Day #2

2010-07-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

This is where we went today. Hubby went with daughter and her family a week ago and knew I would love it (I had to work that day). So we went and I loved it!!! 170+ photos worth!

Haven't seen nasturtiums in a long long time!

Another photo for Katie -

I know there is no way to prove it was the same one - but it just seemed like this same grey Harbor Seal kept watching me watch him!

Didnt plan for two postings, but blogspot froze up on me and wouldnt let me post any more photos.

We had lunch at a cute little coffee shop that hubby has told me about for years. It was empty - but apparently it is SRO for breakfast. Very very very good clam chowder. If you are ever in Pacifica - eat at Kerri's Coffee Shop in the mall that has Hallmark and RadioShack.

"Vacation" Day #2

2010-07-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

Isn't he cute - him watching me watch him?

Almost a sunflower for Katie...

Have no idea what it is - starting to fossilize?

Day One of Summer "Vacation"

2010-07-15T15:41:00.001-07:00

Because I was out so long last year, I didnt get my vacation requests turned in in a timely manner. Therefore I ended up being totally unable to get any summer vacation this year - EXCEPT - I did take my birthday weekend off...

I just came off a 4 days stretch - mostly good except for one especially grueling day - something I usually never do - but it enabled me to have a 6 day stretch off. And that has enabled me to have a 'vacation', or, as they are calling them these days, a 'staycation'.

So yesterday started out with going back and picking out another frame for my new glasses - since the original pair had been discontinued - the color I chose - even tho they kept it on their website.

Then we stopped by and picked up my 3 fair entries - 1 an honorable mention and 1 a second place - and a check! Made back my entry fee + some which along with my free ticket makes it all worthwhile!

Then we climbed aboard BART and headed for the city. Did very little shopping and had a slice of pizz at Blondies - love their pizza AND the place always reminds me of when my son first became aware of homosexuals!!! The look on his 10 year old face was priceless (maybe he was 11).

Then to the theater to see Young Frankenstein. It was as silly as the movie - and the 2 main actresses had the prettiest voices ever! Some really great special effects - and we enjoyed it very much.

Then hop on the bus and over to North Beach Restuarant. Now - we started going to this place years and years ago. They are way over priced and their attitude sucks.....I mean, c'mon, charging for REFILLS of ice tea???? But they have one dish that we really enjoy and have been trying to copy. So we went back to try again....

We were both hungry so we ate what we were served - but it wasnt what we ordered. And when we asked the waiter when and why they changed the recipe - I must admit - he was very quick with his comeback.

You see, we always order SPAGHETTINI (which, according to Wikipedia and other dictionaries, is very thin spaghetti which can be called angel hair in English) LORENZO - a simple dish - garlic, oil, tomatoes, and basil.

Well this time it came in a very small serving ... it is usually a large serving which I always say I can't finish but I always manage to finish ... with oil, very little garlic, one basil leaf, and a strange, almost marinara sauce. Not bad - but not good.

Anyway, the waiter told us it always comes SPAGHETTI but you can order it with any type of pasta. And we disaggreed with him - but he told us the other waiters must just order it differently. HA! (You can read my review on www.yelp.com and I am going to be complaining to the restuarant).

None of the usual waiters, bartender (this woman poured a very light handed glass of wine - which is already over priced - you can almost buy a bottle of wine for what they charger per glass) so I am wondering if they are new owners?

The service was worse than usual ... hubby was almost done with his (again very over priced) salad (truth in advertising - mixed greens and that is all it is - nothing else added) .... and they didnt bother to clean the table between courses either.

Wonder if the waiter realized why he got a poor-ish tip?

Even the cannoli across the street wasnt as good as usual!

Oh well, the day in SF was beautiful and the play was fun!

FRUSTRATION

2010-07-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

On June 5 we ordered 2 chairs. Then 1.5 weeks later, we ordered a couch (same company, different store).

The chairs were due 6/24. The couch was due 6/30.

We got rid of our broken chair. Took our couch to our daughter on 6/18.

We got our couch the week after Father's Day.

We were told our chairs would arrive 6/30.

Then we were told July.

Then we tried calling the store manager - who was on vacation. So we emailed the company and got back a blah blah blah email.

Finally spoke with the store manager who said she would look into it and get back to us.

Still have never heard from her.

Then we were told they would be here 7/9.

So on Wednesday we called to check - and were told that delivery was still expected 7/9.

So with this Mehserle Verdict coming in - and the need for our babysitting services - I cancelled my MD appt for 7/9 and we called to see if we could find out if it would be AM or PM.

They couldnt find our order.

When they did - they told us they had no idea when the chairs were expected in. But they would look into it and call us back by 5 PM.

Yep, you got it. NO phone call.

So - emails to: cbs5.com Consumer Advice; the company; Better Business Bureau; posting on Facebook and Yelp.com. And this.

My advice: DONT BUY FROM ASHLEY FURNITURE!!!

AND NEVER EVER NEVER PAY CASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hubby is convinced it is because they realized they sold them to us too cheaply and then threw in free delivery.....

Slacking Off

2010-06-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

I have been slacking - or ignoring this blog. But it has been a busy month!

Spent Father's Day weekend in Nevada with DD #2 - DD#1 and her family came up too!

Friday we celebrated Grandson #2's birthday a week late. They played - we went out to dinner - then back to the house for cake and a pinata. And then the 2 older boys from the CA family had a sleepover with the Nevada grands.

On Saturday we rode the steam train from Carson City to Virginia City - and back again. Most of us had fun!

No, I did not leave my bra - none of us did - mid day, no drinking, no wish to go braless on the rest of a hot day!

Yard deco....not sure about the Acme Bomb Co - did it make this deco? Or are they wishing it would blow up and take it all away?

How would you like to climb all those stairs just to bring the groceries in?

Photo op in the middle of the train ride....

June 19, 2010.....and yes, that is snow on them thar hills....

4 of the cousins....funny how they divided themselves for this photo...not sure how happy Jack is in his choice! This was just before the train ride. Since the two CA boys stayed over night with the Nevada grands, we drove them in our car to Carson Ciry cause we stayed in Fallon while DD#1 and family stayed in Fernley.

Guess they are not train lovers? Or maybe they are picture shy? But they sure were beautiful!

Lesson #1, how to embarrass your kids....go shopping at Walmart and buy matching shirts to wear...too bad it back fired and none of them were embarrassed! And too bad we didnt know that the next day was Hippy Days in Virginia City or we would have saved them to wear then!

I know I am prejudiced - but arent they beautiful!!!!!!!!

Sunday we went to a Wildlife Preserve outside of Reno called Animal Ark which was a lot of fun. Then we drove home from there since I had to work the next evening. We had a lot of fun - and it was so wonderful to have all of them together!

But the best news is....we then cancelled our plans to go to Jamestown the next weekend because we had a chance to babysit the Nevada grands! More photos to follow....

Who to be furious with? The company or the government?

2010-06-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

A rant against the horror of the oil 'accident' in the Gulf of Mexico.....bits and pieces gathered from the Internet:

Mother Jones named BP as one of the 10 worst companies in both 2001 and 2005 based on environmental and human rights records. In 1991 it was cited as the most polluting company in the USA.

It is the hundredth largest political contributor in the US having contributed more than $5 million to both Republicans and Democrats since 1991and the company has lobbied to be exempt from US corporate law reforms.

Historical issues associated with BP include, but are not limited to:

1993 - 1995 Hazardous Substance Dumping
2005 Texas City Refinery Explosion
2006 - 2007 Prudhoe Bay
2006 - 2008 Texas City refinary fatalities
2007 Propane Gas price manipulations
2008 Oil price manipulations
2009 North Sea helicopter accident
2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan pipeline
Columbian pipeline
Mist Mountain project
Canadian oil sands
Refinery safety violations

Some of the names of the companies that BP owns and runs in the US:

BP
Castrol
Arco
AMPM

Memorial Day weekend Finds

2010-06-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

It was not a great weekend for finds. Even Coarsegold Peddler's Fair was smaller than usual...
But we did find a few things.

Found the Mickey for grandkids. Not a good shot of the find I got - not sure what it is. A dough bowl on a stand....maybe a yarn bowl??? Very 50's.

Longaberger pottery for $1!!!

This was supposed to be a 2 pc set but could not find the 2d piece. It is pretty - those are black grapes and all on the little glass. This, and the mug, were from a Rummage Sale. Also got a daughter a wonderful French bread knife for 50 cents!!!

Great colander! And the bowl - I love this Fire King color. And most of the bowls I saw were $8 - $12 - smaller - and in worse shape. I got this one for $4!!!!

Homemade jams that are delicious. And I love this combo cake/pie carrier!

I also got a great vintage Cherry Ames book!!!

But none of the tools hubby was looking for.

OWWW!

2010-05-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

You come up with these ideas to keep a retired person busy, and somehow you get roped into the work too. Oh: How a $1000 garden will result in hopefully, at least, $100 worth of vegetables!
Our supervisor worked very hard today.....this was him when we called it quits....

Look! One bed is done and ready to plant!!!

The bed to the right is the one we had last year, jsut repositioned. The one to the left is the new one hubby built this year. You would swear he was from Texas....just 'another' bed turned into a humongous bed. One that we still have to dig out. But after about 4 hours of work today we are achey. And now hubby volunteered us to babysit tomorrow.....this garden is so behind schedule becuase of all the rain we have been having!

This was the original pile of topsoil. We used about 1/3 of it for the smaller bed so should have enough for the 2d one......

And our shelving is done!!! Now the work of deciding how to fill it up......

Fun May Things

2010-05-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

A year or so ago - this little guy was very shy! You woldnt have believed it last night when he was front row center - singing up a storm! (The little guy in the grey striped sweater)

Yes - he is wearing a sweater. It was nice and warm yesterday morning - I was wearing sandals and a short sleeve top when I went to the nursing school to do evals. Came out and it was cold and windy and off/on raining!

My first group of students gave me these as a thank you gift. Hubby wants to know if they think I am a wino or what. I just think that they thought they drove me to drink....

My second group gave me this awesome orchid. I just hope I can keep it alive! And there it is on the plant stand my daughter handed down to me! LOL!

Tonight is the Work Bonding experience at Campo di Bocce. I didnt get to go last year because I was new to my crutches....I just wish it was going to be warmer this year! But it should be fun - even tho I dont have any idea how to play!

And next week is the Pinning Ceremony for my students from last year. Alas, two of them will have to wait till next year ;-(

Now to get ready to go buy the dirt so we can hopefully get some things planted - before it freezes again!!!!

Bras For The Cause Walk 2010

2010-05-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

Busy Busy Weekend. And I am dragging today - which is better than what I was doing yesterday! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend also. The walk was Sat evening. And guess what - I DID NOT trip!!!!!! YAY!
Walked with my son (the shy one!), my daughter, and a friend I made when her son stayed in the NICU with us a little over 2 years ago. It was an awesome night. But boy was I sore the next day - probably because I did not get much time to train due to all the rain.

Pleasanton is filled with these very realistic statues - and I think my son stopped at every one of them. Most of the pictures are on his camera tho.

This was the cutest couple! Sorry I didnt get both of them - but was trying to take photos quickly so that I could watch where I was walking!

The bra we walked under to start the walk! Glad it wasnt my bra....

It was so big I guess I wanted you to see it twice....

My shy son.....everyone loved him....he was the hit of the walk....with everyone! One family was sitting outside as we walked by and the matriarch (!!!) yelled to him "walk like you own it honey!!!!"

He discovered that the bra makes a great storage area!!!!

At the gathering after the walk, they talked about a person who had recently died from breast cancer and had been involved with the walk since its inception. And how she was an angel watching over us and cheering us on while we walked. Well, Sunday I found out a former co-worker who had fought a long and courageous battle with breast cancer died Saturday evening. I would like to think she was cheering us one too. God bless Chris....

Sunday was a lovely day - a brunch at my one daughter's house with her hubby, and their 3 sons, and her MIL and FIL. Then a quick trip to Costco. Home to veg on the couch - and feel how achy my thighs and lower back were. My ankle did great and even my feet didnt hurt past that night!

We went out for pizza and home in time to watch Tom Selleck on TV!!! This morning, well, I dont know how long the alarm was going off before I realized it was meant for me!! LOL. So I am tired, but no longer stiff and hurting!

Spring Has Sprung

2010-05-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

So, this project for the fireplace and the shelves....will it ever be done? So the idea is to hang the TV over the fireplace. And I am getting a brand new mantel where I could actually sit things on my mantel.....but it is looking like, with the size of the TV and all, I will have this nice new wider, more useful mantel - but wont be able to put anything on it because the TV will be so low!

On my way home today - hey honey, I will be home earlier than I thought because I do not have to go back for the staff meeting....I get this ambiguous "oh ok, dont worry, everything is taken care of now and fixed".

Hubby cut the hole in the wall (which I am not happy with at all) to put the wood in to hold the mount that will hold the TV....and seems he cut thru some electrical wires that he did not know where there!

No electricution....no fire....but more money paid out to the awesome handyman who did such a great job on the tile - and whom hubby called to save his butt. Wonder if I will ever get to post completed photos of this project?

My bra for the walk. Boy, even without it being on, looks like saggy boobs! Knit the bra and it just didnt fit right. So sewed it onto the pink bra. So now it is supposed to be covered with pink ribbon charm except for the fact that I CAN'T FIND ANY!!!!!

Left it too late to order them becuase I thought there would be no problem finding them....Bought pink ribbon today to make pink ribbons to put on it....

This bell pepper is looking healthier. See the frame for the old garden there> Took it out to rototill and will put it back together along with another one!

Apparently our hot weather hasnt been consistent enough for the tomato plant to grow yet...

But we have a strawberry! I am sure not for long unless hubby listens to me and gets some type of netting over it to keep the squirrel from enjoying it!

One of my County Fair entries. A little girlie capelet - yes, it will be for Kaia after the Fair is over!

And here is my shawl. The variegated yarn does not show up well in the photo. Finally found 3 buttons for it - could find 1 or maybe 2 that I liked - finally found 3 by going to two different Joanne's Fabrics. I am not as happy with this as I thought I would be.

Now I am working on a vest for for Kaia - when she is a bit bigger. Not as happy with that as I thought I would be too....

And - the nose is fine - but my eyes are itching like crazy!!!!!!!

WOW!

2010-04-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

Tom and I would never have thought of piecing the tile together this way - and I LOVE IT! I love the Art Deco/Frank Lloyd Wright look to it!

The colors didnt come out well in this photo tho....

PS

2010-04-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

Since it is supposed to rain again this week, someone (dang, and who could that someone be??) decided we should start prepping for a garden. So we took all of these....

From here. This will become a second veggie bed.

Why didnt we do this when the kids were younger and still at home - while we still have 'free' labor? Instead of waiting until we were old?

This was about 1.5 hours of work - 3 breaks worth......and there is still so much brick left in this ugly yard....

Weekend and blather

2010-04-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

What is it and left knees in this family? My daughter just called and apparently she 'did a mom' last night and fell chasing a suspect - when she didnt see the low chain link fence! Makes me think of a story she once laughed at - when my cousin was a cop and he didnt see the chain across the driveway.....anyway I guess her wrist is pretty sore and her knee is banged up....

This was something I have never seen before. This was at the Joe DiMaggio (or as my hubby calls him - 'cugino') Playground in SF North Beach. And they are playing soccer on inline skates!

My favorite church in SF on Washington Square. I think it is so beautiful - yet I dont think I have ever been in it before. And arent these hollyhocks gorgeous? You dont see them much anymore.

My SIL's grandfather was one of the owners of this restuarant in SF. Decided to take some photos for my grandsons.

The topsy-turvey cherry tomatoe plant is doing well. The bell pepper not so well. But I heard that farmers int he area are complaining that so much rain is preventing them from planting their bell peppers so I think all the rain has caused our to rot. Saw some heirloom tomatoes today that I am dying to get and plant!

New basil plant. Had some spaghetti and fresh tomato dish last night that was so like the one we make but they use fresh basil in it and I think that is what made the difference. So we will try it that way this year!

Replacment parsley - curly and flat.

A columbine plant - such a pretty plant. Dont recall ever seeing them for sale before - must not ever have noticed.

Well, hubby was going to get a compost bin for Fathers Day - was going to have to order one cause we couldnt find one to buy like he wanted. Today we found it ($50 less than the one I was going to order!!!).

One of the two planters our front that I pplanted with pansies. I love pansies. They are such a happy plant.

Got the stove pulled out, and the bricks cleaned off. Son's friend comes tomorrow to re-tile. We are still waiting on the wall mount that we ordered. And I think our shelves and mantel are pretty close to done - the neighbor was going to finish sanding them yesterday and take them to be sprayed. I think he is perplexed that we dont want them stained. But the LR/DR/kitchen are on the dark side of the house so I prefer light wood for those rooms. My very favorite wood is cherry - but even the light cherry might have been too dark (and besides, way too expensive). I cant wait for all that to be done.

Then we work on new LR furniture. I wanted a small couch and 2 recliner chairs - now hubby is talking about another recliner couch! Geez. After that we will think about some window treatments.

I scheduled myself on a summer schedule (I think it is July) to do a dreaded 4 day in a row. Yikes. But it will give me mucho days off to hopefully paint the bedroom. And then we can decide on wood (wide ones) blinds or wood shutters. And then maybe finally get the upstairs 'office' done.

Wonder how much of this we will finally finish???

And if it ever stops raining (they are calling for more rain this week) we can get to work on the garden. And some time or other work on the back yard in general.

New Find

2010-04-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

On my ME Day I only had time to go to one of my favorite thrift shops. I found this pitcher - have never seen anything like it before. No markings on it. Didnt really plan on spending that much money - but I had to have it because it was so different!

Chatter

2010-04-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I have surpassed my minimum goal for my walk - thanks to a co-worker who apologized for her 'small' donation! Made me laugh when I saw it - I thought it was very substantial!
Still trying to raise money for a very awesome day.

My junkmail account has been compromised. So I am trying to get rid of it by changing things to another email address. Some are important enough to go to my personal email - but I want another junk mail acct and I jsut cannot think of a name for it - any suggestions?

The rian has stopped I believe - hubby it at jury duty - I have a day off - and it is all MINE now! whoooeee! First time in months! And of course before he goes he tells me that so-and-so will be dropping something off for him - and someone is coming by to look at a job to make a bid and I need to be home for that.....grrr......so I will be leaving momentarily to do some ME errands!

Have my bra almost done - well, knit except for the straps. So now I want to find some breast cancer charms to decorate it - and I cannot find any! Typical. Am going to try another store in a few moments and see if they have any. Then I have a few more stores to try....

It is so fun to see our new bookshelves and mantel coming along in the driveway next door. Our neighbor is a carpenter - who actually started out as a cabinet maker - and he is a true artist.
I cant wait till they are in place. But before that the fireplace needs to be tiled and my hubby doesnt think he can do it now with his knee problem (which is much better after the cortisone shot). So that is who is coming over this afternoon to look at the job - a friend of son's.....

And then, if it stops raining long enough, maybe we can get started on our garden. Hubby planted 2 topsy turvey's this week - a cherry tomato and a bell pepper. But the pepper plant doesnt look healthy at all......He also planted 6 strawberry plants - which, considering where he planted them, I think will turn into a buffet for the squirrels. Oh, and after years of wanting a watermelon - and hubby saying "no, there isnt enough room" - guess what he bought and planted? Yep, a watermelon....

Talk about feeling All American. I saw in the paper today that the 191st Army Band will be doing a concert here on July 3d. Thought about talking it over with hubby - but when I went to the site and saw that the tickets are FREE - I just went ahead and got them! That should really put us into a 4th of July mood! Hmmm, now I just hope I am off that weekend....

Harry Connick Jr is going to be here in September for the Wente concert series. Wouldnt mind going to hear him. But I think we are on vacation then - and I am sure he will sell out quickly.

Bras For The Cause Walk

2010-04-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

Wow - look at my counter! Less than 4 weeks until the walk. And not much more training done thanks to the weather! Oh well...
Took another fall - this time was chasing my grandson as he ran from his baseball field to the one his brother was playing at. Didnt notice the uneven pavement - and I have been really really good at looking at the ground since last May! - only scrapes and bruises - just on my LEFT knee

(why is it always my left??) and my hands. Altho the knee hurt pretty badly off and on yesterday it is fine today - it is my right hand that hurts the most. And boy, did it knock the breath out of me! Still hoping for more donations. No one else has signed up for the team this year, which is disappointing cause I wanted our team to do even better than last year. Oh well, I will still have fun out there - and I plan on not damaging myself!

Time to get going on my bra decorations. Still have not had any inspirations. Any suggestions???

Disneyland oops and new things

2010-04-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

Ok Disney - you use to be the Gold Standard. Cant you at least clean the algae out of your fountains in front of your very very expensive Grand Californian Hotel???

The Rivers of the World, or whatever it is called, was closed down, as was Tom Sawyer Island and the ships. And of course no Fantasmic. Interesting to see a drained river! One gentleman next to us on the train was talking about how worried he was about all the ducks that called this home since it was egg laying time...

Mulholland ummm....whatever....not sure how many times this broke down. Not as much as another ride outside our window. I think these smaller rides just got plain tired! The only 'big' ride that we saw break down was Pirates one time....

New stuff in California Adventure. The best part - Cars Land - of course is going to take the longest to be done!

Even Disneyland resorts to duct tape....at lease they try to color coordinate it!

Got to watch them working on the new World of Color (or whatever it is called) in the early mornings....they did practice runs too which hubby had fun watching...

I wanna go back!

2010-04-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

I am soooooo cold! I cant believe that jsut 2 days ago I was sitting by a pool and sweating to death! And I think that is why I am so cold - such a change in weather.

Oh, I wish we had gone to Hawaii! But we went to Disneyland in the 5th week of their Spring Break busy-ness. But it was the only chance to use up some DVC points before they expired and it was nice. We got on every ride we wanted - some more than once. Ate some favulous food....the filet mignon at Blue Bayou was soooooooooooo tender you could have cut it with your fork! And It literally melted in your mouth! And rested at pool side soaking up sun.....Sigh, it was nice.

Look at what is coming to California Adventure! No, not old guys.....the Red lIne trolley cars are coming....eventually.

Must be spring time cause there were baby ducks in the Castle ponds!

I knew I could get him to wear his Geezer slippers eventually....

See? It was sunny and hot! And all the umbrellas were already taken. This was the 2d day we were at the pool. The first day we suffered in the sun because they wouldnt raise the umbrella's because there was a "high wind advisory"....even tho it was for the night before and that AM...and there was not even the smallest breath of a breeeze....by the time they went around raising the umbrellas our section was already in the shade and we didnt need them any more!

Interesting to sit around the pool and watch the attitudes of so many parents. Clearly posted were the "No Lifeguards on Duty Signs" as well as the signs that the spa was not to be used by children withou supervision. And yet here were little kids, many of them who should have been the life vests and werent, and many who were in - who appeared to think the spa was jsut another pool for jumping in and diving in, and swimming under water. And no parents in sight....

Oh well, will have some more photos up soon. Just wanted to whine about the wind and the cold after 4 days in the sun & fun!

Does this remind you of anyone? Ya THINK?

2010-04-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

Borrowed from www.drgrumpyinthehouse.blogspot.com. (Click to make larger).

Easter 2010

2010-04-05T10:58:00.001-07:00

For some reason, Blogger or the Internet is not letting me post all the Easter photos I wanted. So here are some of them.

The little-est guy - after eating - with pierogies and all wiped thru his hair. But I dont see chocolate on him so this must be before dessert. He was tired but still a happy guy.

The oldest, fanning, well, the oldest. After he was done cooking all the pierogies and we were waiting for the asparagus to steam and the sausage to cook.

Another shot of the little guy.

The middle child - middle children are very special people. He was hiding from me so I wouldnt take his photo - ha ha ha!

I cant believe how big he has gotten. 7 years old and look at him stretched out here. Seems like jsut a week or two ago he was the little elf baby.

The photos I cant upload are from the indoor egg hunt. It was very cold and windy yesterday - and pouring down rain. All the boys went to see the new Dragon movie, while mommy, and the baby and I went looking at bikes.

It is pouring again today. Hopefully it will be nice in Southern Ca since we are going to visit Mickey tomorrow and come back Friday. Dont really care how busy it is - we are using up points before we lose them, and since we were there twice last year, not really necessary to hit all the rides - jsut take it easy and be lazy! Hot tub time I hope! And hopefully we dont feel any aftershocks after yesterday's earthquake!

Missed our other grandkids but saw photos of them and it looks like they had fun which is good!

Photos

2010-03-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

I am really not a baseball fan - it is way too slow and boring.......but I LOVE t-ball!!!

This is his version of sliding into home plate - running up to just before the plate and sitting himself down!

I asked him what he was doing out there - exercising? He said "I dunno"

He doesnt like the chin strap so he keeps it over his mouth ... or his nose....once even his eyes!

This is the cute little guy on Saturday....Sunday night he was in ER getting his head stiched - 3 stitches after he ran into the corner of the kitchen counter. Must be something with 4 year old boys - his 4 year old cousin had a head owie glued earlier this month...

Considering we dont know how to grow these - and the weather got hot in between the cold - look at the itsy bitty brussel sprouts we have!

I was pleased that my lilac bloomed again this spring considering it bloomed in December!

Our artichoke plant is still alive!!! YAY!!! And our peppermint survived the freezes and is going crazy. Anyone want some?

Our naked fireplace. Still looking at tiles but think we are very very close. Our neighbor brought the side pieces of the new mantel to check them - they look so good even without the mantel! Dont want to take the stove out yet as it is supposed to be cold and rainy this week.

Can anyone guess what is under that blanket???????

Fence...and Blathering....

2010-03-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

Look what hubby did this weekend! He, and the neighbor, fixed our fence....
....which looked like this after the storms we had in February.

Fixing the fence meant that the fence was completely down this week while he tried to repair sections (we had to totally replace one of them). That meant the dog could not stay outside by himself - which was ok with him - but a pain since we had to stand at the door to watch while he went outside to do his doggy business.

Why? Cause basically dogs are nosy and they like to wander and investigate things.....like our Jack did the night hubby apparently forgot about the fence being down (the fence that he took down himself).

As he wandered around the hosue getting ready for bed - I finally asked him if he brought the dog in...which he hadnt. And why not? Well, because Jack decided to wander over in the dark and investigate the neighbors yard.

See that pool in the neighbors yard?Well, guesss Jack forgot about it and didnt see it in the dark. Cause after yelling for him a bit, hubby found him in the pool hanging on to the edge by his nails. Yes, this dog can swim. Yes, this dog swims in our pool. But apparently he had no idea where or how to get out of this pool cause hubby had to drag him out.

And then dry him off. Only he was mad at the dog - and yelling at him - so he barely dried him off. Now, hmmm.....the dog did what a dog does, and he gets yelled at?????

The way I see it is the man, who forgot to watch him is at fault.....but hey, all is well that ends well - the fence is fixed and now we can start (dont you love all these "we's"!!!) on making another bed for more veggies!

On another note - wanna hear something that makes me feel really really REALLY old??????
Hubby got an invite to his 40th (FORTIETH) HS class reunion! Yes, he is older than me, but he only graduated a year ahead of me so that means mine is next year....oh, I think I am having chect pains! LOL

Anyone seen any cute tie dye bras and leggings? I think I am going to do a tie dye theme for my Bras For The Cause Walk and put peace signs on it....maybe find some glow in the dark paint and paint some peace signs on the bra too.....also got some glow bracelets and necklaces to wear too.....should I get some daisies for my hair??????