I'm Ready for Spring!

Well, here we are. Those of you who know me personally know that by December 26th, I am officially READY FOR SPRING. I love Christmas! I love the decorations, the music, the family and friends gatherings, the cards, the food, the fun and the love. But honestly, by the 26th I. am. done. We have a family joke where everyone bets when I'm taking the tree down. I did well this year. Today is the 28th and I just finished un-decorating it. When Golfer gets home from the golf course, he will take it apart, box it up and get it into the closet. All the other decorations are packed up and ready to go in after the tree.

We had a wonderful time with Bikini and her family here. Boxer and Bloomer were very good and very cute. Boxer reminded us a few times that he is "almost five!" He has changed a lot since we last saw him. He's starting to read, and he's a willing helper if asked to do something. Bloomer is a little curly-headed blond bundle of activity. We would call to her in another room when we could hear her doing something and she'd call back "I can't hear what you talking!". They all had to go back home yesterday, and they made the trip safely and all were glad to be back home. They still had another family Christmas gathering in Georgia to attend last evening.

Nurse J ended up working quite a bit, but we did get to spend time with her. She had Christmas day off and they all came here. She had us all over to her house for lunch on the 26th. Cable Guy was off all week and BeyB has no school for two weeks so they have been spending time together. When we were there for lunch, we got to see some of the projects Nurse J and Cable Guy have been working on - new lights, new mantle, fixing up their house.

It's in the 70's here, warm and balmy for the end of December. I couldn't resist - I took a break from the laundry, cleaning and un-decorating and put the top down on Duke (the Mustang) and went for a short drive.

More later..... Stay safe!

Thanks, Bikini!

Thank you, Bikini, for the new background on my blog!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hello! and Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you've all had a wonderful day!

Our day has been chock full and very busy and right now everyone is winding down. It's nice to have everyone together. The kids all got along great and shared new toys and have been very, very good. Lots of presents, lots of food, lots and lots of love. It's been a good day.

The following is something I wrote for our church newsletter. It tells of other happy memories and I thought I'd share. Have a wonderful evening!

Childhood Christmas Memories from Ohio

I grew up in the small rural town of Navarre, Ohio. The type of town where children could walk from one end of town to the other and not be afraid. Someone would watch out for us.

In my memory, we always had snow for Christmas. Actually, in my memory, we always had snow from Thanksgiving until Valentine’s Day, but that is another story! The Kiwanis Club always sold Christmas trees at the closed-for-the-Winter ice cream stand. Mom and I did not have a car until I was old enough to take driverrs' training in school, so we would pull my sled up the hill, buy our tree and tie it on and slide it back down the hill. Mom always picked out a tree with little pine cones on it. When we got it inside, the pine cones would pop and crackle as they opened up. That entertained Louie, our orange tabby cat.

On the Sunday before Christmas, Mom and I, and my sister and her family, would all go to Grandma’s for “Sunday Christmas”. My nieces and I were always excited at the prospect of having two Christmases. Mom has always said it’s nice to spread out the good times.

In school we always had a Nativity pageant and heard the wondrous story of baby Jesus coming. We did not worry about being politically correct or religiously biased. We all celebrated together. In Church, we always ended our Christmas service with Santa coming to hand out candy or fruit. He would tell us about Baby Jesus, too. I think it is sad that today’s children can not have this joy of the blending of Christmas. For us it all fit together very well. It was “right”. It was “joy”.

Good Tidings!

Well, it was in the 70's again today in Virginia. The good news on that is that it provided an opportunity to get Duke (the Mustang) washed and cleaned up. Supposed to be quite a bit cooler tomorrow and maybe rain.



The decorating is done, the cards are mailed, the presents are bought and wrapped, and the freezer has several boxes of cookies all ready to enjoy. There will be a little more grocery shopping to do this weekend. We're looking forward to having a full house for Christmas with Bikini's and Nurse J's families with us.

I always get a bit sentimental and occasionally emotional this time of year. (Yes, Bikini and Nurse J - haha, big surprise) But for a smile, here is a Christmas card from around 1953 (I'm estimating). This is me and Scooter.


Enjoy the Season and stay safe!

Nothing Earth-Shattering; Just "Hi!"

It's been a busy week here. And our weather was odd. We had several days in the 60's and 70's and on Thursday we had about four inches of rain and windy conditions. Did not feel very Christmasy at all! But now it's cool again and the sun is out and things are drying.

Nurse J went on a work retreat with fellow employees to Mountain Lake Resort. That is where the movie "Dirty Dancing" was filmed. Haven't gotten any details yet, but she said it was fine.

I've been working on Christmas preparations, grocery shopping, cookie baking and other odds and ends. There's always something that needs doing.

The furry kids are still rearranging the wooden mousies on the Christmas tree. I pulled two out from under the stove yesterday!

Well, like I said, nothing newsy here, just wanted to say hi! Stay safe!

MORE DECORATIONS!

I thought there might be too many pictures in the last post, so I divided them up!

This is "Fat Santa". He was made by Golfer's Dad. Santa is wooden and hand painted.

Another antique glass ornament.

The Singing Snowmen! Followed by Hermione and the Singing Snowmen! That's her "make them stop" look. The Christmas tree with the snowmen is a crocheted one made by my sister.

Have a great week!

'TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY!

Hey, All! I hope you're having a great holiday season so far!

It's been a busy week here. We started out the week with a couple practices for the Christmas pageant at church. BeyB and I both had parts in it. (mine was a small part) BeyB was the toy who sprang out of a wrapped package and explained Christmas to the other toys! The pageant was on Wednesday evening and went very well.

Thursday evening Golfer and I went to a concert given by the Air Force Heritage of America Band. It was excellent! The USAF band presents three holiday concerts as a gift to the community - you just have to mail in a request for tickets and they are mailed to you. Great music!

Friday evening was Golfer's office Christmas party. Large group, nice party, great food!

The rest of the week was spent doing the usual stuff like going to work, taking care of the house and kitties, doing errands, and holiday preparations.

I had mentioned in an earlier post showing some of the favorite older ornaments and decorations we have. So here are just a couple.

antique glass striped ornament

Santa from Nuremburg Krist Kindl Markt from when we lived in Germany

Original Coca-Cola ad Santa from my Mom. She cut around his fingers and would slide a favorite card in his hand every year. I just let him hold the Coke!

Stay safe and have fun!

BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY! CRISIS RESOLVED!

Hooray! For several years now I have been having an on-going battle with our special Star Trek Hallmark ornaments. They are not "new". New strings of lights do not accomodate their plugs. It all came to a head in the last thirty-six hours, requiring an early morning trip to Wally World to look for new lights to try. Found some lights that lit, but not after trying to put the ornaments into them. HARUMPH!

So I sent out an S.O.S. to our daughters and any Geek Squad and Nerd Herd friends for help. Shortly, and almost simultaneously, I received a phone call from Nurse J and an email from Bikini, both saying they had found adapters online. I checked it out. Just what I had been asking for! My spirits lifted! They were Hallmark brand! I was impatient! To heck with waiting for ordering and shipping! I started calling all the stores in our area. Evidently I am not the only person on earth with this problem. The responses were "I'm sorry, we're sold out." I found one store that had eleven. I said I'd take them all and be there shortly. However, this store is far enough away that it would be necessary to go by way of the interstate. On a Saturday. With heavy shopping traffic. Those of you who know me, know this is not optimum. (for those of you who don't know me, I was in a bad accident a little over nine years ago and don't care for driving on the interstate or around large trucks) Fortunately, Nurse J lives close, was on call today, and has two cells phones for her work to reach her and she offered to drive me.

So, in a matter of minutes, we were off. Got the adapters. Even bought Christmas cards since they were on sale already! Who knew! Then, as soon as I got home, I took a deep breath and thought good thoughts and started installing adapters. And the stars above were happy and all the ornaments lit, blinked, spoke and wished us a "Merry Christmas!" Even the Borg cube hanging next to the Vermont Moose family!

So all is well! Crisis is resolved. I have less stress. And we have another new ornament on the tree, too. I just couldn't resist buying Captain Kirk's communicator for Golfer!

As Bikini has so eloquently put it, she comes by her geekery honestly in light of my Star Trek crisis. There's something to be said for heredity.

More later.... Stay safe and "make it so!"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving, whether you are feasting today or later in the weekend!

I set my alarm for 6:00 a.m. this morning to get up, do my exercises and then start preparing the turkey. Even though the turkey had been moved to the refrigerator Sunday evening, it still had to float in cold water for about an hour so I could get the giblet bag removed. The morning was spent watching the Macy's parade and cooking. Nurse J, Cable Guy, and BeyB came over and we all ate about 12:30.

Everything is all cleaned up now, dishes are washed, and I have been moving boxes of Christmas decorations out of the closet in the back room. Golfer is setting up the tree soon so I can start decorating tomorrow. The furry kids are quite excited by the boxes. (new things to get into!)

Bikini called this afternoon. They are all fine. They were on the way to the large family dinner at her in-laws' home. Brief has a large family and it's an annual gathering. They will be coming here to spend Christmas with us this year.

I have frequently thought about posting a message since the last one, but just didn't get to it. We are fine. I had an appointment with my orthopedic doctor. After looking at new x-rays, he thinks my foot is starting to heal okay and the bone is now growing around the screw. I go back in two months.

It's been cold here. There have been a few little flurries of snow, but not enough to stick. We spent last weekend raking leaves and cleaning up the yard. Golfer had to mow the grass again.

Other than that, I've just been busy with the usual stuff that needs doing at this time of the year.

If any of you are going shopping tomorrow, be careful! I will be staying at home enjoying the Christmas decorations. There are many happy memories in those boxes - antique ornaments, things from other countries and other places where we have lived, things that family members have made for us. I will post some pictures after I'm done and things are cleaned up.

Onward!

Finally! Sunshine Today!

Hooray! After a couple days of unhappy weather - to include lots of rain, wind, thunder, tornado watches, warm temperatures and such - today it's Fall again. The sun has been out, it's twenty-five degrees cooler than yesterday, and moods are better! At least mine is!

This was the weekend for the Military Invitational golf tournament at Golden Horseshoe in Willliamsburg. Golfer and a friend were all ready. Friday's practice round was soggy and miserable. Saturday was completely rained out. So they had a one day tournament today, and were given a voucher to play another round when they choose. They are not home yet. I hope it was a good day.

Since golf was rained out and Golfer came home early yesterday, he said he'd work on the bedroom painting that I started last weekend. So we got all the stuff gathered up and went to work. It's all done! We both like it and are satisfied. Here's a picture of Golfer while we were waiting for the paint to dry so the bed and headboard could be moved back into place. Those of you who have been in our house know that the furniture is large and heavy and not easy to move, so we didn't want to do it more than once.

(Please disregard the camera date. The rechargeable batteries completely died. The new ones don't work, I have switched to lithium ones, and the date stays messed up)

UPDATE! Golfer called and said play was long. Had a good time. They came in third in their flight. Yea!

I have spent most of the day working on the new drapes and curtains. I had some issues picking them out when I bought them. The fabric I liked that was the right color didn't come in drapes with the right dimensions. So I ordered extra long panels and went to work. The panels had to be shortened and altered to use drapery hooks and the valances needed to have the rod pockets enlarged. Everything needed to be pressed. But they're done, I like them. I still want to make two small pillow covers. And I have some material for Bikini, who offered to make us a coordinating quilt.

In other news, I took all three furry kids to the doctor for their yearly check-ups and shots. All are okay and all are speaking to me again. :)

Golfer and I had our flu shots this past week, so we're all set.

That's about it for now. Take care and stay safe. Onward!

WOO-HOO! I CAN STILL PAINT!

Hey, all!

I can still do some painting. It's been a long time since I tackled something like painting a room. Strength, stamina and joint issues have kept me from trying. But those of you who know me personally ought to know that if I want to do something, I'll figure out a way to try. This is a personal family trait that my niece and I recently discussed. It's in our genes. My 99-year-old mother has it. My 79-year-old sister has it. And I'm pretty sure Nurse J and Bikini have inherited some of it! Some people over the years have called it extreme stubbornness. But hey! It's who we are!

Golfer and I discussed the project and decided I would do what I could and he would do the rest and we would get it done. I really like painting. There's something about a nice fresh clean wall. It's peaceful.

So this morning before he left for a round of golf on his day off Golfer moved some of the furniture for me. I've been taking my time and been very careful, working at my own pace. I had bought the highest quality Sherwin Williams latex paint - appropriately called "Retiring Blue" (very pale blue). It's the environmentally safe kind (so they say) and there is very little odor. And I am happy to say I have just cleaned up for the day and we now have about 1 1/3 walls drying, except for a strip about a foot wide all around the top of the wall. I did everything I could reach without using a ladder. I think it will be very pretty when it's done. And then I can work on getting the new drapes and bedding in place.

There was hard frost in some areas of Virginia last night. I didn't see any in our yard. The sun has been out and it warmed up enough that it's pretty nice out, although cool.

Please keep some good thoughts and prayers, if you are a believer, for several of our family members. It seems like health issues abound right now.

Stay safe and onward we go!

Just "HI!"

Today started out a lovely sunny Fall day. Golfer left to meet his golf buddies for a round. I left to go do a few errands. I am pacing myself when out shopping because of my healing foot, so I had set the limit at three or four stops. I was on the way home when the sky opened up and the rain fell. Golfer soon returned home from the golf course soaked. More laundry followed. The last of it is in the dryer as I type. And the sun is out again now.

Cinder has spent many hours recently watching out the back window. I think she's fascinated by the lovely gold and yellow leaves floating around outside.

While I was downloading Cinder's pictures, I came across this one of Hermione and Cecil. I call it "Togetherness". They both like to have the warm seat when we get up from the desk chairs.

I hope you're all having a good weekend! Stay safe!

Hey! Things Are Looking Up!

The blizzard is still blowing out West. The hurricane is still blowing around to the South. But here the sun is out, things are drying out, and it's about 72 degrees. I just came in from sitting on the deck with a good book. Thought I'd better check our email. And what do you know, we had a message from one of the local radio stations - they have started their non-stop Christmas music - all day, every day! I have it playing now, because I just had to check it out.

And speaking of Christmas music - does anyone else remember "Willie Claus, Little Son of Santa Claus"? You'd think with all the music the stations play every year I'd hear it sooner or later. But no, not once, ever.

Now playing - "Rudy, the Red Nosed Reindeer" by Dean Martin! I always liked him. Wish he was still around. And Perry Como always had a good Christmas special every year when I was a kid, too.

Anyone else remember Mr. Jing-a Ling on TV? He was always on Captain Penny's afternoon show every Christmas. (Cleveland, Ohio area)

Ah, well, enough nostalgia for now. Stay safe and have a great weekend!

Ummmmmmmmm. . . . . . . . .

It is the 6th of November. It's been dark, cloudy, rainy, and windy here in Virginia for a few days. There is a major blizzard out West. To the South there is a hurricane brewing. What message should we be getting??? If I hear about hell freezing over I'm going to stock up on supplies in a hurry!

Take care!

The Vote Is Cast

It could have been worse. I was in line a little after 6:00 a.m. - after hunting a parking space for at least ten minutes! The well monitored and well directed line was a serpentine type so as many people as possible were under cover and not getting soaked from the predicted all-day rain. Total voting time was about an hour and forty-five minutes. Then it was off to Starbucks for my free cup of coffee and then home to put my foot up for a while before going to work.

Traffic in our area is heavy, especially so around polling places.

Nurse J called to check on me and said it took her less than an hour to vote. She goes to a different location.

Golfer voted early/absentee since he's on a TDY trip. In Virginia, we don't have "early" voting but just absentee. Bikini says she and Brief voted early in Georgia. Our relatives in Ohio can also vote early if they choose.

Don't let this discourage anyone from heading to the polling places. Go vote! (unless you're for the other candidates!) :) Like they say - if you don't vote, you shouldn't complain! Onward!

Some Miscellaneous Stuff and Ramblings

It's a dark, damp day here in Virginia today. After going to work and then going to the "Y", I have been catching up on some odds and ends.




This is BeyB on Halloween ready to go ring doorbells!



And here is the elusive, timid Cecil. (it's like trying to take a picture of a little unco-operative kid! Notice the squinty eyes!)


















Some wonderings:



Don't they teach the meaning of the yield sign anymore in drivers' training class?




Why are some grown women always surprised and complaining that the floor is wet in the shower and pool area at the "Y"?





Why can't manufacturers package electronic products in something that won't rip your skin apart when you try to open them?

If fruit has to be individually labeled, couldn't they use something that doesn't take the peel off when you remove the label?


This is the Thanksgiving decoration that Bikini gave us. I think he's cute!

And this is the front of the house after cleaning the plants up a little yesterday.

And..... WOO-HOO! I filled up Duke's (the Mustang) (yes, I like to name our cars) gas tank this morning on the way to work for $1.95/gal.!! Thanks Nurse J for the "heads up" on that!

Stay safe! Onward we all go! AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

One Holiday Done, More to Come!

I hope everyone had a nice Halloween and didn't overdose on left-over candy! We didn't seem to have as many trick-or-treaters here this year; but we had a decent bunch. No one was too rowdy. Of course, the home owners' association called in extra security for the evening, and publicized it, so maybe the rabble rousers went elsewhere.

You can check out adorable pictures of Boxer and Bloomer on Bikini's blog. BeyB dressed up as an ice cream cone and was cute, too. If I can, I will post a picture of her soon. Of course, I think all of them are great!

The Halloween decorations have been put away and a few Thanksgiving ones put out. I am in the midst of Christmas preparations. I do not currently have the strength or stamina to do heavy duty shopping due to my foot, so I have been shopping in short bursts. You know, like where I can park by the door closest to where I want to go in a store and just do the one store that day. Several gifts need to be shipped and I like to get those ready early. Right now I am at the point of having a large pile of things still in bags that need to be sorted and wrapped.

My foot is progressing. I wear the special boot fewer hours each day and am getting along okay. It's nice to be able to get back in the pool at the "Y". I missed that. Hopefully the screw will hold the bones together and all will mend just fine. I am being careful.

So Fall is in full swing, the leaves are starting to change color here, time has changed and it's dark early. The squirrels and birds ate all my decorative corn outside, and Cinder managed to knock over two vases of flowers that were on the fireplace mantle. Cecil did his part by grabbing a flower and dragging it away. Hermione had enough sense to get out of the way. In the grand scheme of things - all is normal and all is well.

I would like to say a big thank you to God now for watching over me. Nine years ago - November 2, 1999, at about this time of the evening, I was unconcious in a crushed car out on I-64. Eighteen-wheelers not paying attention can do that to a person. So on a happy note - Yea, God! Thanks!

I will sign off now and try to keep the annual heebie jeebies in check. No driving for me this evening. Stay safe!

Hey! It's the Day After Surgery!

Hey, all!

The surgery on my foot went well. Golfer and I were at the hospital before 6:45 a.m. yesterday. There was the usual paperwork, then I was taken back for more questions and discussions with the doctors. And of course the changing into the lovely hospital gown and cap. My doctor came in and drew on my foot. An IV was started. Golfer and Nurse J were called back to sit with me along with our pastor, Rev. C. He said a prayer and then left. Soon after that, the nurse told Golfer and Nurse J to give me a hug and leave and I was rolled away to the surgery suite.

I remember someone saying I needed to breathe the oxygen coming out of the mask and next thing I knew I was back in recovery with a nurse asking me more questions. And then when she determined I was really awake and still knew when my birthday was she rolled me into the recovery room. Golfer and Nurse J were brought in. They got to watch me try to eat some not-so-great crackers. Have you ever tried to eat a cracker when your mouth literally has no spit??? Not fun. Then I was given two pain pills to take. We went home shortly after that.

The rest of the day is a blur of nausea and light-headedness. I don't know if it was the after effects of the anesthesia or the pain pills or both, but it was nasty. I decided not to take more of the pain pills and am relying on the usual DayPro that I take for the RA and also taking some Tylenol. I am hoping that will keep things tolerable. I figure after the level of pain I've had to several months, I think I can handle it. When I woke up this morning the nausea and light-headedness was much better, so we'll see how the day goes.

My foot is fairly heavily bandaged and wrapped. I wear the "boot" when I'm up. I used the walker yesterday but have switched to my quad cane today. I'm not supposed to unwrap my foot, remove the bandage, or get it wet until Saturday.

Thanks for the prayers, calls, and good thoughts. Onward we go!

Fall in Virginia

Hey, again!

I'm still doing odds and ends and was printing a couple pictures for Mom. Since I had mentioned the flowers on a much earlier post, I thought I'd post them now.

The first photo is the last of this year's zinnias. Sigh. My Grama always grew zinnias, but I remember hers being a lot larger. Mine were very pretty, but maybe I bought dwarf ones!

The second one is October in Virginia. You will see the fern - that used to be a spindly thing in a hanging pot - is thriving in the ground. The chrysanthemums are starting to bloom. You can just see some rose colored Encore azaleas blooming on the left. The newly seeded lawn is sprouting.

Take care and stay safe. I'll let you know how I'm doing after the surgery.

Harrumph!

Hey, all!

Things have been busy around here. I went for a progress check-up for the fracture in my foot. The doctor looked at the x-rays and said it wasn't healing and we should go ahead and do the surgery on it rather than waiting for the six months he originally mentioned. I'm scheduled for early Wednesday morning. I am hoping this will get it mended and I can get back to a more normal routine in the near future. As it is, and has been for what seems like months and months, I can only be up on my foot for a short time before it gets too painful and then have to sit down and prop it up to rest.

Over the past few days, I have gradually been taking care of odds and ends and getting things all caught up around the house. Golfer will be taking family medical leave and will be home with me following the surgery.

Things are well with Nurse J and her family. She likes her new job. Cable Guy will be having some additional training for his work. BeyB is doing well with school. They adopted a new kitten - Bartowski - to keep Sid and Grayson company. It's lively around their house!

Bikini had a scare this morning when Bloomer and Boxer both fell down the basement stairs. Nothing broken, but lots of bumps and bruises. Scary for all of them.

I had a little clean-up job to do on the porch. I had finally managed to get a couple pumpkins and had a nice Fall arrangement of those, some gourds and some corn. Saturday morning I looked out and all the corn had been dragged almost off the porch and some taken off the cob. Evidently the little squirrel and the tiny bird that I saw taking off were hungry! So the corn got swept up and put out by our bird feeder and I rearranged all the rest of it. Still looks nice and all the corn out back has disappeared!

That's it from here. Please keep a good thought for me on Wednesday. I'm anxious to get this over with!

Just an Update

Hey, everyone!

I know I don't have many readers, but I hope you are all well and happy!

Things are getting better around here. As soon as I was no longer contagious, I went back to work. It's amazing how productive a person can be when a sign is posted on the door saying, "Cooties! Stay out!" (that's not really what I said on my sign, but you get the idea) :)

My foot is progressing slowly. The more I am up and moving around on it, the more it hurts, so I have to pace myself a bit more than usual. I'm up to #13 in the Janet Evanovich books! As far as the shingles, there is only occasional very mild itchiness. The spots are all healing now.

I ventured out on Saturday and tried to do a few errands and catch up on some things. Did stuff around the house yesterday. The zinnias out in our back yard were more dead than alive and I got them pulled up and then sat on the patio and cut off the pretty blooms and brought them in. Made a nice Fall arrangement.

Golfer was a little under the weather last week, but after a visit to the doctor and pharmacist, he's doing better now, too.

The furry kids are happy and are all sitting in open windows. It's a nice day here in Virginia today.

Take care of yourselves!

GEE WIZ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! @ * % ^ * # !

Hey, all! I'm still here, but it's been a rough couple weeks. I've had a few doctor visits and several new medications, and I think things are finally starting to look better. I'm going to do a little public education here now.

If you have ever had chicken pox, you are at risk for later in life developing shingles. The virus stays in your body and hides in your nervous system. Then, at a really opportune time, like when you are stressed from dealing with extreme pain in your foot from a stress fracture, this virus will activate itself. It can take on many forms. In my case it was a funny tingly feeling on my head and face to start out. That worked into tingly with pain. By the time I was actually diagnosed, it was like lots of little spiders wearing spikes running around on my face and head and stabbing me often with little spears. And, oh, yes, let's not forget the swollen left eye and then blisters that follow the nerve route on my face and head. Fun times! So, I've had two kinds of antibiotics, an anti-viral medication, and steroids. But as I said, things are looking up now.

Unfortunately, someone who has shingles is contagious to people who have never had chicken pox, or who have immune deficiencies. Fortunately, Golfer had chicken pox as a child. So while we are both creeped out by this, all is well for now.

There's a hint of Fall in the air here in Virginia. No leaf color changes yet. I haven't been able to go out and get any pumpkins, but Golfer did plant some pretty chrysanthemums out front.

Take care of yourselves out there! More later.

The Sun is Out!

It's a lovely day here today. The sun is out, the birds and squirrels are romping in the back yard. And the little praying mantis that was clinging to the window screen to keep from being blown away has moved on.

I am somewhat hampered in my activities due to the special boot on my right foot to help heal a stress fracture. After several visits with the doctor, that was finally diagnosed this past week. For you Trekkers out there, think on the lines of a Borg foot! But I am coping; it's just one more thing to deal with.

I got the little garden flag returned to its holder and the potted plants back in place. Used the light-weight blower and cleaned off the porch and patio. Golfer will tackle the other stuff in the yard.

My next project for the day is to get Cecil's nails trimmed and get him brushed. Hermione and Cinder were very cooperative yesterday, but Cecil is a little guy (and sort of a wuss) (but we love him anyway!). Sooner or later he will forget that I have all the equipment waiting in the back room!

Onward we go!

Storm's Over!

The rain has stopped, the wind has died down to a slight breeze, and the sun is trying to come out. All is well here. A little yard clean-up will need to be done, but nothing major.

Take care and stay safe. The storm has moved away from us, but it's still moving on.

Long Time, No Hear From!

Hey, all! We're still here! Golfer and I just returned from vacation last weekend. We spent a week in Myrtle Beach with some friends and about 3,500 other golf tournament participants. Golfer and his friends were playing the PGA World Amateur Championship. Nice time and a chance for them to play on some new courses. Food, drinks, and entertainment each evening at the Convention Center. If you play golf you should check it out.

Anyway, we're home and sort of caught up. Latest development is that after three doctor visits, a whole course of medication, a steroid shot, ice packs, and two sets of x-rays, I have finally been diagnosed with a stress fracture in my right foot. I've been hobbling around for at least two months on it. I am now wearing a special boot and with it on, the severe pain has let up some. So I have hope. But it is slowing me down!

BeyB has returned from spending the Summer with her other grandparents. School has started and everyone is getting back into routine. Nurse J has started her new job and is busy with that.

Bikini reports things are going okay in Georgia. Boxer is settling down and adjusting to Pre-K. Bloomer has also moved up to a new class at DayCare and is adjusting.

I just wanted to let you all know we're still here and are okay. Waiting on the approaching storms for our area. Too soon yet to tell where they will actually hit. For now, I think we're just getting wind and rain this weekend.

And, oh, the new bathroom is great!

Onward!

Hey, all!

We've been busy getting used to our new bathroom. Rearranging things in drawers and seeing "what's comfortable where". We love it!


We've also been going to the orthopedic doctors. Golfer for his hand/wrist and me for my right foot. We both ended up getting steroid shots and told to ice the areas. So evenings have been spent watching TV with ice packs. We're doing a bit better.


I have been slowly tackling some major cleaning. although the guys from ABL were very careful, it was just like Mike said when he told us: "there's going to be some dust". And let me say here, it's not run of the mill, ordinary, fluffy dust. It's permeating clingy drywall, plaster, mortar dust. And somehow it gets everywhere, even behind closed doors. The new bathroom makes the dust just merely an annoyance though. But it still needs to be cleaned up. So I've been tackling one room at a time. I am having some satisfaction in the fact that my "Fall cleaning" is almost done! I've been told most people don't do Fall and Spring cleaning. But I was raised by a Mom and Grandma who, regular like clockwork, every Spring and Fall tore things apart and CLEANED.


My ninety-nine year old mom still scoots her furniture around and cleans her apartment! We've told her we could help or get someone in to do it. She says they wouldn't do it to suit her. I'm pretty much the same way. Although I will admit I enlisted Nurse J's help in climbing up and taking down my bird collection. Turned out there was also quite a dust crop up there too. (I'll keep better track of that in the future.) So I've been wiping down walls, washing curtains and windows, vacuuming all the nooks and crannies,scrubbing things and making it sparkle around here.


Onward to the next task!

Hey!

Things have been busy around here. I've been doing some major cleaning - one room at a time. Golfer and I have both been catching up on "to-do" lists.

Kirk came yesterday and put a sealer on the tile and grout. Scott came today to fix a tiny problem with the shower head pipe. Just a loose trim ring; it's all fastened down now. While he was here he offered to install the additional towel bar we bought. We decided we needed it after we had used the new bathroom a few times. Mike came and took a bunch of pictures for the contest. I hope his entry wins! Won't know until October, I think.

Over the weekend, one of my projects had been to look for pictures of the "old" bathroom for Mike. A word to the wise here - if you're going to do a project like this and document it with pictures along the way, TAKE PICTURES OF THE OLD ROOM FIRST! These are a couple of the ones I found. The first one has Allie posing on the divider. Allie passed away at the age of 17 a few years ago.

The second one has Cecil lounging in the cool sink. Usually he's not that relaxed!

The last one is actually a reflection in the large mirror, so the actual image would be reversed, but you can sort of get the idea.

I had a couple others - photos of the tropical fish on the old wall, BeyB in the tub, shells on the wall shelf - not really what Mike was looking for! the last one here he said he could use.

A couple of you have asked about before pictures, so here you are! We love the new bathroom! More later!

Some bathroom decor

Just sharing some pictures. The cat picture is one we've had for quite a while. It's a favorite of mine. I hung it on the wall over the toilet. I was very willing to compromise and not hang up my brightly colored tropical fish, but I had to have the cat picture. (certain people may be getting fish and/or birds in their Christmas packages!)

The other two are on the wall you face as you come in the door to the bathroom. One says "Refresh" and the other says "Renew". We like them.

Bikini and Nurse J are on the lookout for another type of bath mat or rug. Both have found something so far and sent us links. I will have to see them "in person" before I can decide though.

Onward!

Happy Birthday, Golfer!

Love you!, Gee

Bathroom art!

I told you I would be back!

Does anyone else think it's extremely odd that most available bathroom artwork is actually pictures of bathrooms????? Golfer and I went shopping for some. I mean, really, if I was going to hang a 2' x 2' picture of a faucet handle on my new wall, I would take a picture of my own new faucets! Geez!

Nurse J and Cable Guy came over to look last evening. They like it. Except for my choice of bath rugs and towel color. They think that should be brown or dark tan. Golfer says "no brown". Hence the "Sea Mist" I picked for a small accent color. Which also coordinates well with the future new colors of the bedroom which needs to be painted and redecorated. I have already purchased the window treatments and new bedding for that project. You will be getting updates on that in a few weeks. We're taking a break!

Have a good weekend!

Day Thirty-Eight: The End

Day thirty-eight! We're done! Kirk came and touched up the grout. He will return on Monday afternoon to put a sealer on the tile. That's an extra thing we have chosen to do. Seemed like a good idea when Kirk told us about it.

The mirror guys showed up and were very careful about the installation and getting them where we wanted them. You will notice the mirror reflection in some of the photos. They are nice and shiny!

Scott came by to check on things.

Golfer arrived home about 10:00 for a meeting with Mike. We're happy, we're satisfied, and the bathroom is beautiful!

When everyone had cleared out of here, I started puttering around in there. Moving things in, moving them around, seeing what fit where. Golfer gets to move his personal items when he gets home, and I have told him nothing is permanent that I moved in. If it doesn't work for him we'll find a compromise.

The furry kids are delighted that they were released from confinement early. And they've been in there rolling all over the new rugs.

We have decided that our old bathroom decorations and wall things aren't going back in. So we need to find something else we like to decorate.

The work was finished this morning. The porta-potty was gone by 2:00.

Thank you to ABL and to their people who did a great job!

Although this blog started as a way to document the bathroom renovation, I think I will continue posting now and then. There are days when I just feel like I have something to say! (whether anyone wants to hear it or not!) :)

So, onward we go!

Day Thirty-Seven

I ran out of time and energy on day thirty-seven. After making sure I got pool time in and got to the office after work here was done, I just didn't get to posting on the blog. But it was a good day!

Kevin arrived early and got right to work on installing towel bars, grab bars and other assorted hardware. Then there was some patching and painting (little dings from other installations). The mirror people called to say someone was out for the day and they would not be coming. Disappointing. She promised early installation for Thursday though.

The plumbers came and installed the new toilet. Looks good. The flush handle even matches the faucets!

Scott and Mike both came by to check on things.

Kevin spent time cleaning things up and getting everything neat. He marked places where Kirk will touch-up the grout. That's the little blue pieces of tape you see in the pictures.

So we're nearing completion. I see the light! Onward we go!

p.s.

I would also like to say Happy Birthday to Brief!

Day Thirty-Six

Well. Remember how everyone was saying how smoothly the project had gone and wasn't it great? We should have not said those things.

Today started with Kevin coming to get things set up for the plumbers and do some touch-up paint and finish work. The plumbers arrived right after Kevin. Immediately, we had some "issues". There was talk about pipes, flanges, connections...... when the new floor surface was put in and tiled, an extension should have been done on the toilet piping. Then they turned to the shower. Where they had planned to put the vertical holding bar for the hand-held piece overlapped with where the corner shelves had been put. So we had a lot of discussion on remedies for that issue.

Scott was called in. Another plumber (owner of the plumbing company) was called in for his opinion. I stayed out of the way. The final decision was that Kevin would take a special tool and dig up the concrete around the toilet connection so it could be cut off and an extension put in. Hooray, for Kevin! He did that without having to take up any of the new floor tile. Then the extension work was done and mortar mixed and put in place around it. As I type, it is drying. While Kevin was digging, the plumbers were installing faucets, and handles and such. The sinks both work. There is ample water pressure in the shower. Actually, the body sprays can shoot water clear down onto the end wall! This is all good news, because there had been early discussion on whether we would have enough pressure to even do this.

When the plumbers were done and gone, Kevin went back to work with the touch-ups and marking out the placement for installing grab bars and towel bars. In the process of drilling the holes for this, all his batteries went dead. And he had several. So since it was almost 4:00 he called it a day and cleaned up a bit.

I did not take pictures today. Since Kevin will return early in the morning, he just put all his tools in the bathroom. The assorted bars and hardware are spread out in there, mortar is drying, and quite frankly, it's not too neat looking at the moment. All in all, it was a very busy day, but not a lot of visible progress. But it will get better, so onward we go.

Happy 99th Birthday, Mom!

Day Thirty-Five

Day thirty-five has been a busy one! Chris and Kevin got here early and started painting some more. Chris continued the painting and Kevin worked on cutting and installing trim work – baseboard, under the divider top molding, etc. Scott came to check on things.

Foy, the electrician and his helper came and worked on the lights. That seemed to be going pretty well. But then I heard some muttering and “That’s not supposed to happen!” The shower lights had gone off and stayed off all on their own. That required a trip up to the attic and much going in and out to make sure everything was okay. After they were working again and everything calm, I asked about it. Seems the shower lights have a safety feature that shuts them off if they have been on a long time and are getting warm. Good to know! When Foy had gotten here, they had put the proper bulbs in and installed the covers. There was finally enough light in the bathroom to see to paint without the portable lights they brought in, so they had been left on. So now the lights and fan are all working and are lovely!

Chris hung the wall unit. Then he and Kevin did a little more detail work. They said they will be back after the plumber finishes to clean things up, put handles on doors and drawers, and touch-up the paint. It’s looking good! These pictures are just a couple views of the wall unit and the shower lights.

Onward we go!

Day Thirty-Two

Day thirty-two had much work going on! Chris and Kevin arrived early and continued the painting. It's looking better all the time! The wall color is called "modest white" and it's just barely a little beige shade of white. It's hard to tell in the pictures. It goes well with the tile.

The new counter-top arrived and was installed. Some cutting and adjusting had to be done, but it looks great, too!

The electrical work was pushed until Monday. So I guess Monday and Tuesday are going to be pretty busy. Chris and Kevin will be here finishing the painting and other details. The electrician is supposed to come and finish the lighting installation. The plumber is scheduled to come and install the faucets and connect the sinks and toilet. The cabinet man is supposed to come and finish that installation too. I haven't heard the exact schedule yet, so we'll just have to see. The mirrors are scheduled for hanging on Wednesday.

In other news, you can see I didn't post this until Saturday afternoon. I was busy at work and doing other stuff around the house and errands. Also got some pool time in. When I got home from the pool I had boxes ! on the porch. My Penney's order had arrived with the new rugs and towels and bedding. Looks lovely to me. I'll see what Golfer thinks when he gets home.

Onward we go!

Day Thirty-One

Things are progressing! Day thirty-one started out with Kirk coming to put the second coat of protective sealer on the accent strip. it really brings out the color! Then Chris and Kevin came and started installing the door and framing and started getting the primer on. One coat of paint is on the ceiling so far. Scott was here checking on things.

Friday will be a busy one with Chris and Kevin continuing the painting. The counter-top is scheduled for delivery and installation and the electrician is lined up to come finish the electrical work. Onward we go!

Day Thirty

Not a whole lot to talk about today, except the lovely tile in the bathroom. Kirk worked on the grouting and other finishing work. He said he will still need to come back and put one more coat of sealer on the accent strip. But he cleaned things up and carried all his tools and equipment out to his truck.

Scott came to check on things. He says Chris and Kevin (from ABL) will be here tomorrow morning to start painting. Also, maybe, the electricians, the cabinet people, and at some point soon the plumbers. The counter top is still scheduled for installation on Friday. It's going to be busy around here!

In other news, Nurse J stopped by and helped me take all the birds and decorations down from the top of the entertainment center in the living room. They needed a good cleaning and sorting. That job took up a big chunk of the day. I also spent time "shopping" in the Penney's catalog for new stuff for the bathroom and for the bedroom that will be painted soon. I got online and read reviews and other information, you know - being a well informed shopper. :)

Steve's man came and finished the exterior painting. Then Steve and his assistant came and inspected things. All in all, it was a productive day. Onward we go!

Happy Birthday BeyB!

Day Twenty-Nine

I didn't get a new post done last evening because we decided to go to a movie. We saw "The Dark Knight" and thought it was very good. Enjoyed it; also enjoyed the free popcorn and free soda we got with our Regal points!

So, Day Twenty-Nine was a good one. Kirk got the glass bricks all grouted. And got all the tiny stickers off them. You would think the manufacturer could come up with something better for marking them. Each brick had a sticker on it, pretty much right in the middle of the sides. After Kirk finished that grouting, he finished installing the wall tiles. It looks very nice. We love it!

Next up is the grouting of the walls, post,and "curb". I expect to hear from Scott or Mike about further scheduling, but they had thought their guys would probably start painting as soon as Kirk was done.

So, for now, onward!

Day Twenty-Eight

Today has been a flurry of activity around here. I left for the office right after Golfer left for work. I worked a couple hours and got things in order. While I was there, our friend, Steve, called and said he was going to have his painters here today to start on the exterior trim on the house. I said fine, I'd be home by 9:00. I left the office and did a couple errands on the way home and stopped at Starbucks. My "plan" was to come home, have breakfast, secure the kitties and be all ready before anyone got here. Ha-ha. As I was turning the corner, I saw Scott driving away from our house. He had not gotten the word that Kirk would be here a little later than usual due to picking up the glass bricks. So he made a U-turn and followed me in.

Since he had been gone the end of last week, he needed to catch up on everything and see what had been done. Right after that, as I was moving our cars out of the way for the painters, they arrived and got started. Then Kirk arrived and started unloading. In the midst of this I tried to eat my breakfast between phone calls and the doorbell.

The exterior work hit a snag when the man asked me what color I had wanted. I confirmed the same as it is now, no change. Then he opened the gallon can and showed me what the paint dealer had mixed for him - it was baby blue, not Veranda Gray! So he made a couple phone calls and then took some leftover paint we had in the garage with him to match color and went to get the right stuff. So on the outside, things have been getting checked, caulked, inspected, and painted. So far, so good on that.

The first picture is taken from the doorway, looking in.

Inside, Kirk was busy building our glass wall. I love it! It looks even better than I have been imagining it in my head! He had to order some more of the large wall tiles and they are in, so he will complete the walls in the shower tomorrow and maybe grout the glass bricks. Then the next day, he'll grout the shower walls. And then Scott said maybe the painting would start. BTW, Scott was here a couple times today checking on things and relaying information.

The second picture is taken from the open end of the shower facing the fixture wall.

I confirmed paint color. I gave them our selection for the cabinet hardware.

Onward we go! I think I see a light at the end!

Day Twenty-Five

It's busy already! More tile work going on today. Mike stopped by to check on us and bring the handle and cabinet pulls sample board and a catalog. This will be a short entry to post the promised pictures of the new wall tile and accents.

Another row of the large tile goes over the accent strip and then a row of a more narrow "bull' nose" on top of that. You can almost see the small corner shelves behind the date stamp!

The lighting in there will be better once we have the fixtures finished and the correct bulbs installed. Sorry about the color quality. It really is beautiful.

More later! Onward!

Day Twenty-Four

Whooo! Seemed like lots of things happening today. Kirk came early this morning and unloaded a truck full of stuff and got started on the wall tile. I love it! The accent strips and bull-nose toppers arrived. We discussed the position of the accents and the position of the quarter-round shelves that go in the corner of the shower. Kirk worked all day until about 4:30. Tomorrow he will finish with the top row of tiles. Had to wait on doing that for the accent pieces to "set" and dry. Then I believe the next step is to tile the "curb" and the post. Next week it will be grout, then the glass block wall, then more grout...........

Mike came by to check on things and he said he was very happy with the progress. Our job has been one of his smoothest! So far, so good! He confirmed the counter-top installation for next Friday. Then he said the next week will be painting and doing the "trim out". That obviously includes plumbing and electrical installations.

I ordered the mirrors.

Nurse J is coming by this evening to help us by giving a third opinion on color choice for the walls.

In the midst of all this, our friend, Steve, who has a Handyman service, sent one of his guys over to power wash the house in preparation of painting the trim. That was quite noisy and I am surprised the cats are speaking to me after that. The girls were pretty frantic and I didn't see Cecil all day! But the outside of the house is very clean!

I plan to take pictures while we are in the bathroom discussing colors later this evening. I will post them in the morning. Onward!

Day Twenty-Three

Making progress! Kirk was here this morning and did the grout on the whole floor. He will start on the tile installation on the shower walls tomorrow. (I'll take pictures after that) He said he was going to spend the afternoon picking up the wall tiles and then checking on the glass block for the dividing wall.

The man from the counter-top company came this afternoon to measure and take pictures and pick up one of the new sinks. Much discussion and many questions with him. When I asked how long it usually took to get the counter tops, he checked his clipboard and told me we are scheduled for installation on August 1st! Hadn't heard that before.

When he was done, I did some clean-up and got ready for a quick exercise session and swim. Quick is the key word there. I was in the water about 15-20 minutes before there was some thunder and the pool closed. So I came home and showered and went to work. It's been raining off and on ever since .

Golfer and I just finished some measuring and marking on the bare wall to figure out what size mirrors to order. The company had told me it usually only takes about four days to get the mirrors. When Scott was here this morning he said don't believe that, it usually takes longer. So when I get a chance to get out, I will go order two oval beveled edge mirrors.

That's all for now. Onward we go!

Day Twenty-Two

Today started out as usual. Morning stuff, rounding up kitties, etc. Scott came by to see how things looked after yesterday. He had not seen the cabinet before the men installed it. He approved.

Then Kirk came at 9:00 and did some prep work and carried a lot of stuff in the house, and set up a wet-saw in the front yard. And.......... we have tile on the floor! I like it! Tomorrow he will come and do the grout. Thursday he will start on the shower walls with a different tile. He says we're still waiting for the arrival of the accent tile for the shower walls, but expects it to arrive in time. (so it doesn't hold up any other work in there)

So. Here's a discovery I have made. Tearing out walls and ceilings and tearing up floors makes dust. Installing drywall makes dust. Mixing cement for a new floor makes a lot of dust. Mixing mortar to lay tile makes dust. And I truly expect that mixing grout will make dust. Mike did not lie when he told us there was going to be some dust. And some of you know exactly how I feel about dusting and where it stands in order of preference on my "to-do" lists! In spite of what Bikini says about me liking to clean and have a neat house, I'm not fond of dusting! If I could figure out how to fasten dust cloths onto the cats and get them to go where I wanted them to, I'd try that!

So, for now, onward!

Day Twenty-One

This was a long one. Kirk, the tile man, came early in the morning. Unloaded his truck and then left to go get more materials. He installed the durock (sp?), the special wall board that goes in the shower area. Then he started on the floor. The bathroom now has a total new cement floor. I have to say, the whole process of putting down the new floor was extremely dusty and messy. There is a film of dust everywhere. In the midst of this, Kirk took a break while the cabinet guys brought in the new cabinets. They are beautiful! We're told that now that they are in, someone will come soon to make the template for the counter-top. After the cabinet guys were done, Kirk got back to work and stayed until around 5:00 p.m. He will be back Tuesday morning to do more. Scott also came during the day to check on things.

The picture of the cabinets does not do them justice. At the moment they are coated in dust. There is also a matching small cabinet that will hang on the wall between the mirrors over the sinks. It won't go up until painting is finished though.

Golfer took the day off to catch up on his "to-do" list. After he finished the yard work, he tackled the new shed doors he has been working on. I think they turned out great! They will be coated with a wood protectant and after that sets in they'll be painted.

I spent the day doing odds and ends around the house. I cleaned out some files and drawers in our office and shredded a couple bags of papers.

We had a small, annoying, irritating glitch over the weekend. We received two letters from the ARB (architectural review board) of our community saying the porta-potty had to be moved. I had gone to their office in May and made sure everything was in order, looked up regulations, etc. So I knew we were okay with it; but still - two letters in one day! Needless to say, I was ticked off! I promptly composed a two page letter that I took to their office and dropped into their mail slot on Sunday. I also talked with our neighborhood board chairman and enlisted his help. I made sure to quote the regulation page number, item and section designation in my response, and indicated that we had followed the instructions. We have already received a response from them saying "okay, it's all right!" Most of the time, having an ARB is just fine, we have no problems with the regulations. But every once in a while, there's a gung-ho inspector who likes to "throw their weight around" and they get down-right picky about some things and ignore others!

After some heavy-duty clean-up, it was time to order pizza! And after that I went to the office and checked on things. I brought a couple projects home to work on here.

FedEx brought this for golfer! A new club cover!

Onward we go! More later.