Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is calm and happy and ready for tomorrow!  It is officially now Christmas Eve and I wanted to send along our good wishes.  It will be a fairly quiet Christmas for Golfer and me.  Nurse J is working this weekend and we are "having Christmas" with her, CableGuy and BeyB on Monday the 26th.  I am planning on watching a couple movies tomorrow since I know for sure that some of our presents to each other are DVDs!

I spent a chunk of time today trying a new pie recipe.  Golfer found it while surfing the web a while back and thought it sounded good.  Chocolate peanut butter banana pie does sound good but the recipe is rather time consuming.  It's chilling in the fridge as I type this.

Golfer and I have a tradition of going out for a sandwich on Christmas Eve and then looking at light displays.  We've hit a slight bump in those plans this year.  Most of the places we'd like to eat are closing really early or are not open at all.  so I'm going to sign off now and go make burritos - the start of a new tradition!

Take care and stay safe and have a wonderful Christmas!

Welcoming a New "Family Member"!

Hey, all!

This is a picture of what Golfer and I did yesterday!   We traded in VJ, our LHS, and got this 2008 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner.  Golfer had been having some serious nostalgia for his past trucks and VJ had served us well.  It seemed like the time was right.

In other news, it's almost Christmas.  We're about as ready as we're going to get here.  It was really cold for a couple days and now today it is a bit warmer.  Supposed to be 70 again tomorrow and possible heavy thunderstorms.  Geez.

So, all is calm now and all is well.  Stay safe!

Additional Decorations!

Had to make one more post today!  Bikini made us an appliqued piece that fits perfectly with our Nativity set that I posted earlier.  Thanks!

And in the mail today we received the most lovely kitty ornament from a dear friend.  It is all the more special because, by her own admission, she isn't really what we would call a "cat person".  Thanks, E.!

Stay safe, everyone!

You Are Wondering .... Why the Multiple Posts?

I have been having issues posting lately,.  Many thoughts are bumping around in my head and I have tried to write and just could not get them to load.  I couldn't get pictures to download.  Posts would disappear.  It was extremely annoying.  I've switched back and forth between FireFox and Explorer as suggested by the help site.  I've tried other methods for the pictures.  Finally I ran across an upgrade and figured it was worth a shot.  And this morning I am learning their new methods!

Things have been busy.  Holiday preparations are pretty much done.  We've hosted a gathering and been to another one.  Daily routines continue.  Golfer is out on the course when the weather cooperates.  We even had shorts weather last week for a couple days!

Work has been busy in my office, but fortunately most days I have the space to myself and can accomplish a lot.  We've been getting back into our "Y" routines.  I've had a few blah days recently, but am feeling better.  It was a year ago that Mom died.  I know she always enjoyed the Christmas decorations and shows on TV.  I hope she has some good ones this year.

Hermione injured herself somehow this week and I had to take her to the doctor.  Nothing broken or torn, but she had some inflammation in her hip and knee and could hardly move.  And from the moment I got her back home, Cinder turned into a little tyrant bully.  After a discussion with Dr. W. we decided to supplement Hermione's steroid injection with some pills and also to give Cinder something to calm her down.  Poor Cecil was just distraught and wanted all the fussing to stop!  But things are improving now.  Hermione is moving much better.  Cinder is getting back to her sweet self and devoting more time to Christmas tree skirt rearranging.

Life is good.

Some family members tease us and say Cecil doesn't exist because they never get to see him.  He almost always runs and hides when anyone else comes into the house.  But this is him enjoying the tree skirt.  He loves the trees and will sit under them and peek at us. He wore himself out this evening!

Stay safe!  More later!

Nativity

I have not displayed this Nativity set for a few years because it is rather large and takes up a lot of room.  This year I decided to try this.

Some New Ornaments on Our Original Tree

These are just some pictures of a few new ornaments on our tree for this year.  Golfer's brother and his wife gave us a set of Cleveland Browns ornaments (this is just one of them).  They also gave us the large blue ornament with the lovely trees on it.  In that picture you can also see the new Romulan Bird of Prey.  Golfer and I have collected Hallmark Star Trek ornaments over the years.  This year we have a couple that have just simply given up working.  They all either light up or have recorded messages.  The Bird of Prey was a new one this year.  For the record, we also have a Millennium Falcon on the tree!

Golfer gave me an early gift of a set of Harry Potter ornaments.  There is one for each "House" and one for Hogwarts!

Have a great weekend!

WTH, Post Office?!?!?!?!

Hey, all!

We've all been hearing about the woes of the Post Office.  And sure, I agree it would be nice it they were more profitable.  But, come on!  It's hard to muster up sympathy for them when I find things like this when I open our mailbox.

Those two strips are from an envelope and a card that I had mailed.  They arrived back in our box in the special envelope that says "we care".  If they cared so much they wouldn't mangle my mail!

Stay safe!

Just Saying "Hi!"

I hope everyone's Christmas and other holiday preparations are going well! Things are under control at our house. I was out doing errands with the top down on Duke yesterday with the Christmas music playing on the radio. Felt real festive!

I have a new daily routine of putting the tree skirts back under the trees. The furry kids are really enjoying them.

Golfer is out playing golf today. It's in the 70's and nice. Supposed to get colder later today and rain.

Things are busy at Bikini's. Brief is still working on the outside decorations. He's having a problem with Santa's runway lights, I think.

BeyB and Nurse J have been sick. BeyB is better and went back to school today. Nurse J now has what she had and is trying to get better.

So all is all, things are calm and quiet. The decorations are up, the shopping is about done, the cards are sent, and the baking has started. Have a wonderful Christmas and stay safe! More later...

Original Tree!

New Tree!

Whew!

It's been a busy time for us! This was our year to go to Bikini's for Thanksgiving, so Golfer and I were away for a few days. We had a nice trip and a wonderful visit. Bikini did a great job preparing dinner. Boxer and Bloomer are growing up sooo fast! The weather wasn't too bad but the traffic was a bit worse than usual. We are safely home now and getting back into a daily routine.

There was some catching up to do with unpacking, and putting away of "stuff" and doing a mountain of laundry. The yard needed leaf clean-up again; I think we might be nearing the end of that yearly job. At least we hope so! And then there was the decorating to tackle. Golfer and I decided it would be nice to have a tree at the front of the house that would be visible from the front windows. Our usual tree is a bit too big for that, so we bought a tall, slim one for the dining room. Our original tree is in the living room in its usual spot (after shifting the new furniture around a bit) I really like them both! The furry kids are wearing themselves out running from one tree to the other. (they don't know which tree skirt to rearrange first!)

It was at this point that I wanted to insert pictures of both trees. For some reason, that function is not working with blogger right now, but I discovered I could post the pictures separately by using another route. So please see the two following posts. Thanks Bikini for your help!

I'm in the process of finishing the Christmas cards and hope to have them in the mail soon. Haven't even thought about baking anything yet. Most of the shopping is done. So we are well on our way into the Merry Christmas season.

While we were at Bikini's, NurseJ and CableGuy surprised BeyB with a trip to Disney World! They had a great time and came back exhausted.

I have to get back to work on all this desk stuff so take care and stay safe!

Well. That's That For Another Year!

I. am. exhausted. And it did not help that I woke up with a headache this morning.

Here is how the afternoon went today. I got home from work and Golfer and I had lunch. Then it was time to wrestle the furry kids into the carriers for their annual visit to the doctor. While I was circling the dining room table after Cinder a few times, Golfer was upstairs trying to coax Cecil out from under the bed. I grabbed Cinder. No luck for Golfer with Cecil. So that's one cat in the carrier and sitting by the door.

While Golfer was upstairs, Hermione got wind of what was going on and she dove under our bed. We called, coaxed, and offered bribes. No luck. I got the long handled fuzzy duster and tried to push her out. No luck. Then a brainstorm! I got the stick vacuum, shut the bedroom door and went to the far side of the bed and started vacuuming under the bed. It wasn't long before Hermione ran out and saw Golfer and jumped to my side and I got her. That's two kitties in carriers in the hall by the door.

Time was running out. We put the girls in the car. Golfer had gone out first and when he closed the door to the garage, Cecil heard it and ran downstairs and under our bed. Ah ha! I got Golfer back in and we closed the bedroom door, opened the closet door and turned on the vacuum. Golfer got him cornered when Cecil ran into the closet. Of course in the process of getting him into the carrier, I got peed on, but at that point, who cared!

So they had their check-ups and all were very good. Had one mishap when Cinder was being feisty and unbalanced her carrier and it fell off a chair. Dr. W. gave her a second going over and checked her out. She wasn't hurt and she remained fairly quiet for the rest of the outing. Hermione had to have some blood work done. Overall, they are in good shape though and are now thoroughly ticked off about the event.

I have had a shower, took some Tylenol and am drinking a Coke. It's a pizza night here for supper.

Stay safe!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It's been a busy day here! Since Golfer and I are going to dinner with friends tomorrow evening, we decided to cancel our plans for a movie and dinner out today. First off, there's not really a movie playing that I really want to see. And secondly, we're going to dinner tomorrow night. So on the way to work this morning, I stopped at Wal-Mart and bought candy! We're all set now. Let the Trick-or-Treating begin!

BeyB is now over the age limit for the festivities, but she's coming over to help hand out the candy. And since Nurse J finally has a couple days off, all three of them are coming over for burritos for supper.

Of course, Boxer and Bloomer are Trick-or-Treating in Georgia. Can't wait to see pictures of them in their costumes!

I want to get back into some semblance of my "old routine", so Golfer and I went to the "Y" after lunch. Felt good to be back in the pool. But for some strange reason it seemed to make my foot hurt. That is very unusual, because normally being in the water makes everything hurt less. This will be discussed at my physical therapy appointment on Wednesday. I figure I'll have PT one day a week and get to the "Y" and do my own stuff twice a week for a while and see how it goes.

Now we're home, the laundry is running, and all is well. It's getting dark and cloudy and is supposed to rain. And it doesn't look like it's going to hold off to do that until after the Halloween fun. Raincoats over costumes reminds me of when we lived in Colorado and NurseJ's and Bikini's costumes had to fit over heavy coats! Seemed like there was frequently snow for Halloween.

I'd better go get started on dinner prep, so have a great evening and stay safe!

Happy Day-Before-Halloween!

I honestly do not know where the time goes! Here it is almost the end of October, and I feel like I've been in a Trekkie time warp.

I am doing well. Some days are easier than others as far as ignoring the pain and sensitivity in my right foot, but life is good.

It is cold here in Virginia today. Yesterday it rained pretty much all day and there was no golf for Golfer. He opted to go do the grocery shopping with me in the morning. The rest of the day was spent doing things around the house. Today is sunny and the golf is "on".

Earlier in the week we did some yard work and Golfer washed and waxed Hiro, the Acura.

We made a trip last weekend to Ohio to visit family. We had a really nice trip and went up and around D.C. and took the Pennsylvania turnpike. The Fall colors in the trees were lovely! Ohio was cold, but we had prepared by packing warm clothes. Golfer went to the Browns' football game with his brother and they had a good time. We stayed in a very interesting Bed and Breakfast called "The Bonny Peacock". Here's a picture of our bedroom. The owners were nice, the space for us was great. The house was filled with antiques and things they had collected over the years. We had our own private entrance to our area. It was quiet and peaceful. And Hiro provided a warm spot for their cats to nap!

All in all, things are just rolling along around here. As I said, life is good. Stay safe!

It's Feeling Like Fall!

Hey, all!

Things are humming along here. I'm still going to physical therapy twice a week. Also, still having issues with my lower right leg and foot. I had a doctor's appointment and he says it could take at least two years to get back to "normal". That was discouraging. Since nothing I do seems to make it better, I've decided to just try to ignore it. That works better some days than others. But, hey, we all know I have a stubborn streak that rears its head sometimes! I am not giving in to this. So, anyway, life goes on. I'm going back to work tomorrow. I actually spent a couple hours at the office on Saturday cleaning out some piles and sorting through things so all would be ready. I appreciate the volunteers that covered things there while I've been out, but there were some things they couldn't handle.

It has cooled off here and has been in the 60's during the daytime and in the 40's at night. Thanks to our new increased attic insulation, I think, we have not turned the heat on yet. But the system is getting the annual check-up this week so we will be ready. We're still getting rain. Golfer is going to have to rent a baler if he can't mow the grass soon! Due to the large amount of rain lately, there has been a population explosion of mushrooms, toadstools, and other fungi around here. And while some of our neighbors have fairy rings in their yards or small Smurf villages, this is what we got! Quite impressive! It was prying the bark off the tree, so I went out with gloves and tools and removed it. It must have weighed about ten pounds.

I have slowly tackled some traditional "Fall cleaning". You know, window washing, extra mopping, stuff like that. I have started the Christmas shopping and will soon start on the annual letter. This year's ought to be a doozy after the Summer we had!

Golfer is in the process of having some major dental work done but is still playing golf as much as possible. Some rounds have been rather muddy lately.

So, all in all, life is good and on it goes. Stay safe! More later.

It Was a Magical Week!

Hey, all!

Golfer and I just returned from a week's vacation with Bikini, Brief, Boxer, and Bloomer in Orlando, Florida! There had been lots of advance planning for this trip. Bikini found a house we could rent for the week that gave us lots of room and a pool! I had to get permission from from my doctor and physical therapist to travel. Basically, I can try to do anything I feel like, but was told several times to NOT ride anything that was bumpy, jerky, twisty, etc. Well, that ruled most things out, but Golfer rented me an electric scooter each day so I could keep up and have a place to sit while I "people-watched" while everyone else was riding things.

In case you're wondering, it was school break week for the kids. Their school starts August 1st in Georgia. And I think they saw different friends almost every day!

We had park hopper tickets for four days at Disney parks and tickets for one day at Universal. There is way more to do there than a person can do. I especially recommend Epcot. The Planet Earth ride was great!

Golfer and I took one day and went to Kennedy Space Center. Great place! We took a bus tour around the site. Golfer rode the launch simulator. We saw the Star Trek exhibit, too! One of the bus drivers told us that it was a "high activity" time for the wildlife. The Space Center is a wildlife preserve. Said we should watch out for gators - did not see any! We did see a huge eagles' nest. They estimated the nest was about 800 pounds up in a tall tree! The driver said the pair of eagles had been back to the same nest for about ten years.

The main event at Universal was going to Harry Potter World! The Butter Beer was delicious! Golfer and I had lunch at "The Three Broomsticks". I did not get to ride anything there in Hogsmeade, but it was lovely. I did do a little shopping at the Owl Post. We saw a dance performance by the Beau Batons' ladies and the Durmstrang guys. Very good! Bikini caught the performance of the singing frogs and said it was good, also.

The weather was HOT and HUMID the whole time. And I mean take-a-step-outside-the-door-and-be-drippy-wet hot and humid. There were thunderstorms several times, but they really only caused us a problem on the first day. And we got absolutely soaked then! Had to go back to the house and dump the water out of our shoes!

And one other interesting note - it was love bug season there in Florida. Love bugs are long, little black bugs that "hook up" and then fly around together. They land on and in everything - you, your car, your food.... ick.

So now we're home and getting caught up and back to normal, if there really is any such state. The groceries are bought, the laundry is done, the mail has been read, and the house is cleaned. It was a magical time. And let me add that some days when you hear someone say to you "have a magical day" just one more time, you want to scream! That's the standard greeting at Disney.

Stay safe!

Still Plugging Away

Hey, all! I hope all is well with everyone. Golfer and I are doing okay. I'm still going to physical therapy three times a week. Some days are better than others. I see my doctor the last week of this month.

It's sunny and bright here right now, but the TV weatherman says a front is coming with wind gusts up to 35 -40 mph and thunderstorms later today. Then tomorrow it will be only in the 60's, a sign that Fall is coming. Although here in Virginia we often go straight from using the A/C to using the heat and vice versa. Golfer is out mowing the grass right now and cleaning up the yard before it gets wet.

I've started our Christmas shopping! Because of the issues I am having with my right lower leg and foot, any shopping trips are fairly short and so far are confined to places where I can go and park right in front of the store. But so far, so good!

Golfer and I saw "Contagion" this week. Very good movie, but sort of creepy. Just wanted to get home and take a shower after! But it does an excellent job of explaining how an epidemic gets started and spreads.

Nothing else going on right now. Stay safe!

Happy Friday!

There really isn't too much new going on here, but I want to get back into the habit of posting more than once every couple months! So --- HI!

I had physical therapy yesterday and had some increased pain last evening and during the night. I cannot shake the fear I have of the extreme pain coming back. Every time there's a new twinge and pain, I worry. This was not the first time it's happened after a PT session though, so I know there's a connection. The therapist is very good and very patient. Everyone there keeps reminding me that I'm a special case since I had two major things going on within a very short time and the therapy for each thing works against the other. So I have to be careful about what I'm doing. Things are better this morning though.

The golf course is open again after the hurricane, so Golfer is getting to play this morning. I'm happy about that.

I have some laundry running and got the bed changed. We did some cleaning yesterday so things are pretty well under control.

I actually just got home from my first solo shopping trip. I took a walk through Wal-Mart! I only go there early in the mornings when I do go because I don't like crowded places. It went well. I had a couple things to look for. When I replaced our dishes last year, I picked the simple, classic white Correlle line. Wal-Mart sells the major pieces individually. Good thing, too! They do not bounce when dropped on our tile floor! It was time to restock a few pieces. On the way home from there I went by the ATM and the mail drop box. So for me lately, I've had a busy morning.

Golfer did the yard work yesterday. Things are looking pretty good, but it's been a hard Summer for the grass. Too hot and either too little rain or too much. But it's green and neat and the new landscaping that happened around the time of my surgeries looks nice. McDonald Garden Center did a good job. Golfer has kept the geraniums out front watered and they look good. Usually they are still blooming past Thanksgiving around here.

It's getting cloudy and a little dark. I think it's supposed to rain later. I hope everyone has a nice long weekend! Stay safe!

Working My Way Back

Well. Hello. Yes, I am still here and still living, although it's been questionable at times these last many weeks.

In my last post I wrote that I was home and recuperating from my knee surgery. Things pretty much went down the dumper from there. The knee rehab was going well, but I developed the absolute worst pain I have ever had in my right leg from my hip down to my toes.

After several doctor visits, an ER trip, x-rays, MRI and such, I was admitted to the hospital for pain management until my doctor could do the surgery I needed to remove bone spurs in a couple vertebrae. The nasty spurs were severely compressing the sciatic nerve and causing the extreme pain. Surgery was delayed due to the blood thinners I was on following the knee surgery, but eventually happened.

Right now, my incisions have healed in both places, but I do not recommend that one has two major surgeries within three weeks if they can avoid it. It is not pleasant. I have been released by home health care and have started outpatient physical therapy. Recovery is slow going. I am a little better each day, but still have pain and numbness in my lower right leg and foot. We are told that it will take a while for full recovery because the nerve compression was so severe and there is still swelling and inflammation in there. But I am plugging away at things and do my exercises every day and try to obey all the rules. They say my left knee is doing very well.

During all of this Golfer has been absolutely wonderful. There was a span of time when it was all I could do to get myself to the bathroom and back to bed. He took over everything and did a wonderful job! Thanks, and I love you, Golfer!

Bikini came for a week to help us and Nurse J is always just a phone call away. So we had them for back-up!

I am going to name this period of time "Our Summer of Discomfort". Besides the personal pain I've been in, we've had some interesting things going on around here. The Dismal Swamp is burning and there have been many days when the wind was a certain way that our air quality was awful and stunk.

Then we had an earthquake. Over the years, Golfer and I have experienced tornadoes, some flooding, blizzards, and hurricanes but this was the first earthquake for us. We did not care for it!

The latest thing was Hurricane Irene. We made all the preparations and did all the things we should. ( I should clarify that and say that Golfer did all those things) We lucked out here and did not have any major problems. Others in the area were not so lucky and are still without power. Ours just flickered a few times. The back yard was a mess with some downed small branches and many twigs and leaves, but no major damage to our house. We did cancel a planned trip to Myrtle Beach though. And I cannot believe that the swamp fire is still burning after all of Irene's rainfall!!

So, life goes on. The list of things that I would like to be able to do grows longer every day. But I know that I must pace myself and not overdo. I do not want to ever do anything that will bring back that pain.

I hope everyone is well and happy. Stay safe!

A Day Late, But Happy Birthday, Bikini!

We'll just say the lateness is due to some slight drug haze. :)

I am home and doing okay. The physical therapist has already said I can go without the leg brace, but I am still using the walker. I'll be happy when he says I can move on to my quad cane. It's difficult sometimes to maneuver around the new furniture and freshly painted woodwork and not ding any of it. But I know from experience, it is all fixable if I do. So on we go. Golfer is doing a great job of taking care of me.

I have to be on the motion machine several times a day to equal four to six hours. The pain meds make me sleepy and tired, so I often nap while I'm on the machine. I have exercises to do every day, too. My incision seems to be healing okay. I wasn't really expecting it to be so big this time, but I think it's even a little longer than the first one.

At the moment I'm doing some desk stuff and catching up on emails.

We're just plugging along here. Nothing exciting happening at the moment, unless you count the service calls for the sprinkler system and the dish washer. And now that the leak has been fixed in the dishwasher, the laminate flooring can be repaired where it got wet and warped. Geez. Fortunately, it's not a very large area and we had kept the extra boards from the installation.

That's all from me right now. It's been hot and muggy here in Virginia. But it's Summer, so can't complain.

Stay safe!

Hey, All

Hope all is well with all of you.

I'm just sort of hanging out around the house today doing odds and ends. You know, a little laundry, a little cleaning, packing my bag for the hospital, etc.

Our area seems to be stuck in a time of "scattered" storms. There was a big one the evening of the 4th and it cancelled a lot of fireworks scheduled for the area. A small storm came through the area this morning and cut short the round of golf that Golfer was trying to get in. I felt bad about that since he's going to miss a few rounds while he's taking care of me after the surgery.

He got a picture taken with his camera of the crown molding.

And here's a picture of our new lamp. (see the last item on my last blog post) This replaces the tall lamp that looked like a man's necktie. At least that's what it looked like to me. I had really liked it. This new one coordinates well with some of the artwork and the colors in the room. And hopefully it will be up to the task of coexisting with healthy, active cats! The previous one was not up to the challenge! And let me just say that Hermione is being watched like a hawk! She has to re-earn my trust!

So that's how it is here. Not a lot of news, just wanted to say "hey" since it will be a few days before I'm back on the computer.

Stay safe!

Things I Have Learned from Working with a Decorator

1. All my life I have hung curtains that were too short.

2. They're not called curtains, they're called "window treatments".

3. Everything does not have to "match". They should "coordinate".

4. A good decorator - which we have had - will work with you and consider your likes and dislikes and keep your favorite things. Thank you, Lynn!

5. Golfer and I have not always made good color choices.

6. And last on the list: if you love cats, and have healthy, active ones, you shouldn't get too attached to your brand new, lovely, ceramic lamp!

Happy 4th!

Time has been flying by (as usual) and it's been a while since I've written. Many postings have rattled through my head but haven't made it to the screen!

It's hot and muggy here in Virginia. This morning we had some smoke and smell from the North Carolina fires again. I wish they would get enough rain to help the fire fighters get those fires put out.

Since my last post, Golfer and I had the crown molding put in the office and bedroom. Then we had Jeff, the excellent painter we hired before, come and paint the molding as well as the rest of the trim work in the office and the dining room. It looks great and I was hoping to post a picture of the crown molding, but am having issues with my Kodak program at this time. Perhaps in the near future.

I've been sort of busy this past week getting ready for surgery again. I went to see my ortho doc about some leg pain last week, thinking I had just overdone things working in the yard and doing housework. I thought he'd tell me I needed to rest and take a Motrin or something. But, no. After the usual x-rays, he told me I needed surgery to re-do my new knee. The replacement part that sits on top of the tibia is not adhering to the bone. So here we go again. I was not a happy camper and was in "why me" mode for about twenty-four hours. Then I moved on and am now just annoyed and anxious to get it done. He says this is not the result of anything I have done, it just happens sometimes. Surgery is next week. The rehab will be the same as the first time. Wish us all luck, please.

Stay safe!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

I love you Golfer! XOXOXO

Lamps, Artwork, and Pretty Stuff!

Hey, again!

This is the quilt Bikini made using the patches from my Mom's jacket. When Mom would come to visit us different places we lived, she'd get a patch for her jacket. If we took an interesting vacation, we'd get her a patch there, too. We have this in our bedroom.

Here are a couple views of some of the new artwork and the lamps. Disregard the date on some of the pictures, I was having camera "issues"!
















I think Golfer's lamp looks like a tie!





Other things have been moved around in the house and "tweaked" and we're comfortable with it all. And as of this moment, the yard work is all done, too. So, AHHHHH!

Stay safe! More later.

New Furniture!

Golfer and I are getting used to the new things and we both like everything very much. Lynn did a great job and was very patient. . . . .even when she had furry kids helping her! Here's a sample of what is here now.

This is usually referred to as the "guest chair". It's pretty comfortable. The light is nice in the evenings when we're watching TV. Don't know where we'll move it when we put a Christmas tree up!


The next picture shows the rug, ottoman and the loveseat. The furry kids love hiding under the ottoman.

Next is a view of the recliners. You can sort of see the new side tables. This was taken before the new lamps arrived. I'll share some views of some of the artwork and lamps in another post. Stay safe!

Back from Vacation (a week ago!)

Hey, all!

Sorry it's been a while. Golfer and I were on vacation in Myrtle Beach. He was playing in a golf tournament for Military Retirees. Several friends go on this trip also, as well as Bikini and her family. She started taking her vacation at this time a few years ago and we get a week with her, Brief, Boxer and Bloomer. Great to see them! The kids love the pools and the water park. Nurse J, Cable Guy, and BeyB couldn't go this year because of work and school commitments and we missed them.

Anyway, we're home now and the past week has been a flurry of activity around here. First there was the catching up around the house and the errands. I had to go back to work. Then there were deliveries! Lynn, our decorator, brought new rugs, an ottoman, art work, and an accent chair. The next day Lazy Boy delivered the things we ordered from them. Then we had to have someone pick up the old furniture and get it out of the garage. Today Lynn returned with lamps for us to look at and she wanted to tweak a few things. All in all things are looking lovely and much improved. I only cried once today and that was Hermione's fault.

Lynn set up each of the lamps she brought to see which we liked and where. So we decided and then moved on to the bedroom to check on something. We were standing there talking when we heard the crash. Let the beatings begin!! Hermione had knocked one of the new lamps onto the floor. Fortunately, the only breakage on it was the finial and the bulb. Lynn will get a new finial and we had another bulb. Hermione knew I was really upset and moved herself under our bed for a while. We know she did not do it on purpose, but geez!

In between all of this, I've been doing my own tweaking of things and rearranged some pictures and framed things. That, of course, involved doing some spackling and touch up painting. We just finished moving the cuckoo clock. The paint is drying now!

We'll be taking some more pictures soon and I'll try to get them posted here. I just wanted you to know we did not fall on the edge of the earth. Just been busy. Hopefully I'll post pictures soon.

Take care and stay safe!

Happy 40th, Nurse J!

Love you!

Are You Still Here??

Well, Golfer and I are still here and we haven't received any of those "I've been Raptured" emails from any of you, so we can assume the preacher didn't know what he was talking about! And, oh so conveniently, the paper says no one knows where he is this morning. His radio station is playing "recorded church music".

Don't get me wrong, I believe anyone should be allowed to believe whatever they want as long as it doesn't endanger others. Live and let live, I say. But, come on! Some of these people just have to make you chuckle and wonder. I don't hide the fact that I believe in God. I have personal experience with his saving powers. I talk to Him every day. I don't believe in a vengeful God though. I believe he's a loving God.

I do, however, believe there is a special hellish place for truly evil people. You know, like some of those that have been in the news lately.

Having said that, let's consider the new businesses that started up recently while expecting the end of the world. I mentioned the emails. A company would take your email and send it to all of your family and friends who were still here after you were "taken". You could write something like, "I've gone. You haven't! Ha ha!" or "Hey, don't forget to water the plants, and the mortgage is due on Monday." What would you really want to write in a case like that? I bet there were some interesting messages. And then there is the company that would take your money and guarantee to take care of your pets after you were gone. I am curious about their business prospects this morning. I personally believe that our pets will be there, wherever, when we do leave earth.

So anyway, life goes on. Work is progressing on the houses in our neighborhood that were damaged in the fire this past week. There's a lot of blue tarp on those three houses. The home owners association is collecting donations for the family whose house was struck by the lightning. We dropped off a gift card yesterday.

The weather is warming up here and will be HOT for a few days, if not for the whole Summer! I have to go out and yank a few more weeds later this morning. Also have to clean the mailbox again. It's a favorite sitting spot for the birds.

Boxer had his last football game for this year and is signed up for tackle football for the next time! Bloomer had a very successful dance recital and we're told she did the highest leap of any of the dancers! BeyB has made the honors program at her school and will be in advanced classes starting in 8th grade. We are proud of all of them and love them much!

Well, since life is still here as we know it, I have things to do and must go. Stay safe!

Nature's Fury

About twenty-four hours ago we were having one of those "scattered" thunderstorms that are so common in our area this time of year. Lots of thunder, lightning, and rain. Nurse J called us to see if we were okay because she was on her way home and saw smoke and firetrucks coming this way. Then we heard sirens. Down around the corner from us, a neighbor's house was hit by lightning. In a very short time the house was destroyed, in spite of the many firetrucks that came to help. The houses on either side of the struck house were damaged also. One has been condemned, but they say might be salvageable. There have been work crews on all three properties all day. I've seen them as I've gone to and from work and errands. The good news is that everyone had good insurance and no one was hurt. In fact, no one was home when the lightning hit. A retired fireman who lives next door broke in and rescued the family dog before the firetrucks got there.

Golfer took this picture only about half an hour after the lightning strike and you can see the roof is gone. There were still flames shooting up.

Golfer and I are fine. There was smoke, of course, and some ash on the car, but that's nothing. As I type this, it is getting cloudy and windy again and may rain some more.

Stay safe out there!

Fine Tuning

Hey, all!

I hope all is well with all of you! We've been keeping busy here. Finishing up some household projects and upkeep, and I have finally !! gotten all the piles moved out of the library and put away! I've hung a couple things in the bedroom, so I took a couple more pictures in there. We really like the new furniture.

The first picture is my dresser. To the left of the closet is the small cabinet that was Mom's. It has little keepsakes and things on the shelves. You can also see the new clothes hamper in the corner.

Then I took one of Golfer's dresser and you can see his autographed picture of Erin Gray!

It's been warming up again here and has gotten muggy. The A/C is back on. There was some rain last evening and is supposed to be more today, but so far just off and on cloudy. I worked in the yard for a while and tidied things up. Seems like there are always weeds to pull up!

I finally finished the new shelf liner project in the kitchen, so that's all done. Hooray!

So all is calm here right now. Take care and stay safe!

HOORAY!!!!!

We have bedroom furniture! Golfer and I have spent the last couple hours going through the bags, boxes and baskets that our clothes have been in for several weeks. And then deciding on placement in our new dressers. Everything is now put away, the bed is made and the vacuum has been run. Ahhhh!

Stay safe! I've got to order pizza now!

Darn Time Has Been Flying Again!

Hey, all!

It's a lovely sunny day here in Virginia. I might get to turn the heat off again! It got so cool a few days ago that it had to be turned on again. We had a few thunderstorms lately, but nothing major in our immediate area. The yard is green and things are growing.

We have a delivery date for next Tuesday for our new bedroom furniture! As soon as it gets in place Golfer and I will be busy putting things away and sorting through clothes. The other new furniture probably won't be delivered until the first part of June.

My work has continued to be busy. Quite frankly, some days at the church it's a mess. The church is in a major period of transition and change. I'm hanging in there for now.

Golfer had the opportunity to go on a golf trip with some friends and he had a great time. I'm glad he got to go. While he was away, I did some things around here like relining the kitchen cabinet shelves and did some extra cleaning. I also read a couple good books. I did practically no cooking - just did a pot roast with lots of veggies the first day he was gone and that was dinner for several evenings.

I wish a happy Mothers' Day to everyone! You either are a mother or you have a mother, so have a good day. I've been coping with some emotions since this is the first year without my Mom. I found this picture while going through some of her things recently.

We miss you Mom.

Stay safe everyone.

High Class Living!

Hey, all!

Things are still busy and most days it feels like just one thing after another. But we are slowly progressing.

Since the last post - sorry it's been a while - we had to have the sprinkler system worked on. That was one of those "one thing leads to another" situations. Walt, the Spring Green guy wanted to come aerate and wanted Golfer to mark the sprinkler heads. So Golfer goes out to do that and the system needs repair. We wait a few days and the sprinkler man comes and installs a new part and then discovers a new leak elsewhere. So we wait another few days and finally yesterday he came with some special equipment and fixed that problem. Today after he mowed the grass, Golfer turned it on to mark the heads and discovered another leaking sprinkler head. So we made another call. Sigh.

Walt is coming to do his work tomorrow or the next day. He actually stopped by today to check on how things were going!

We also had Steve power wash our house, and the patio, porch, driveway, etc. Looks nice. We also hired two of his men to move our old bedroom furniture out to our garage. We were trying to sell it, but that didn't work out and we decided to donate it. Most places won't come into your home to pick things up. So for a couple days Duke, the Mustang, has sat outside and the garage has been full of furniture. Today someone from Refugee Services came and picked up the furniture. They were glad to have it and we'll claim it as a tax deduction.

Lynn, the decorator we've been working with, came one afternoon and helped us hang some of our things. And we looked through catalogs and picked out some new artwork to hang. It was amazing to watch her hang things. She didn't mark or measure, just "eyeballed" it and everything is hung perfectly!
It's hard to get a good photo angle but maybe you can tell how they are hung.










I've come to realize that all my life I've been hanging pictures too high!

So our old furniture is now on its way to new homes and we're waiting to hear on our new bedroom furniture. We expected it to be delivered around now. The living room furniture probably won't be here until June. and that brings us to a scene reminiscent of when Golfer and I were first married. Our furniture consisted of a bed and some lawn furniture! Here's our bedroom now; please note the stylish arrangement of Rubbermaid storage containers being used as night stands! Golfer thought of that! Those are our new lamps though! The box springs and mattress are sitting directly on the floor. That has caused much concern for the furry kids. No place to hide and nowhere to stash toys! Golfer and I were actually able to catch Cecil this afternoon and I clipped his nails and combed him. Of course, we did go around the bed a few times before we got him!

So that's how things are here. Stay safe!

Covered Windows!

Hey, all!

Been busy around here. We finally got some window treatments! (I am trying to train myself to not say "curtains") There were a few glitches in the process, but we really like what we have so far. Turned out that the finials for four of the rods were on back order and Lynn did not realize that until they started the installation, so some of the rods just have bare ends for now. And the rods for the sheer panels in the bedroom didn't show up at all. But we have come to understand and realize that this whole decorating project does not work in real life like it does on HGTV where at the beginning of the half hour show they show a mess and in thirty minutes they go "TA-DA!" and things are perfect.

Anyway, here are a few pictures. First is the bedroom. There will eventually be some sheer panels under these and finials on the ends of the rods.

These are the living room. (with finials!)

These are the office. They needed to be light blockers because in the afternoon the sun comes in and hits us right in the eyes when we sit at the computer. And we can't move the computer without a lot of re-wiring.

The last picture is of the library. These drapes proved difficult. The color and texture are perfect for the room. But the first set of panels we had were poorly made and did not hang well. Lynn and I discussed possible solutions and I decided I wasn't going to put that much work into them. We we took them down, took them back and got the last two panels available in the area and tried again. They are better. But I did take Lynn's suggestion and put little sinker weights in the hem corners and now they hang even straighter!

BTW - our furry kids are never happy having strange people in our house doing things and making noise, but they do seem happy now that they have discovered they can hide behind the longer length window treatments!

Stay safe!

ME, AGAIN!

Hey!

I just had to take a couple pictures to share. It is so lovely outside, even if there is a cool breeze.

The housework and odd jobs are done for today. After the mulch guys left, I went out to do a couple errands. Just had to go down Canon Boulevard to see the cherry trees in blossom again, so I took a picture. It's hard to find a place to stop to use the camera, but I got a good one!

And of course, I had to show the new garden flag, mulch and pansies!

Stay safe!

SPRING CLEANING

Hey, all!

I hope you're all well and happy! It's a gorgeous day here, although it's cool compared to yesterday's 80 degrees. But today is pretty, sunny, and pleasant.

Cinder is sitting carefully on one of the new windowsills. She's watching the two guys out in our yard moving mulch around and making it look prettier.

Golfer and his buddy, L, are playing in a golf tournament this weekend in Williamsburg.

I had an epiphany this morning about Spring cleaning. What with all the work, moving of things, and clean-up following the work here in our house lately, the Spring cleaning is pretty much done! So, hurray! Not that there isn't always something that needs to be done, but all the big stuff is finished.

We have a date of March 29th for the window treatment rod installer to come. And Lynn will come and help hang the new window treatments. (wasn't it easier when we called them curtains??) so my task before then is to press them all and have them ready!

Duke has a new radio and I can have tunes now and actually adjust the volume! This is important when driving a convertible, but really, I often just turn the radio off when driving with the top down and wind in my hair. Can't hear the music anyway!

Bikini tweeted about discovering some major gray hairs in a Morticia style on her head. I hope she's not stressed by that. I had gray hair starting early and since they were just a few, and the style at the time was highlighting, I went that route. Until that unfortunate treatment while we lived in Germany. The water did not mix well with the highlighting (which had been a little heavy in that instance) and I ended up with a green tone. And when Golfer went to Saudi Arabia for a year I really went gray and started dying it. Eventually I just grew it out and let it do its own thing. Nurse J went gray early also, but she makes no secret of it. We're all pretty much "what you see is what you get".

I'm not sure how I got on that story, but hey, that's the way it is. Golfer had his annual physical this week. All is well. He started working on painting the trim and doors. Jeff, who was here painting the living room, kitchen and hallway, painted all the trim in those areas. We are switching to a "white" white for woodwork and doors and the rest of the rooms need to be done. Golfer started in the library. Looks good, even if he did have a rough start when the caulk gun broke and gobbed caulk where it didn't belong.

Since I have needed to be here at home today, I've been doing laundry and other stuff around here. Maybe there will be errand running when the guys are done working in the yard. That's about it from here. Stay safe!

The Clean Smell of New Paint!

Hey, everyone!

I hope you're doing well and are having nice weather! It's in the mid-60's here and sunny today. The Bradford pear trees and pink bud trees are starting to bloom. There are pansies, crocus, daffodils and hyacinths coming up in flower beds. (we just have pansies here) One of these years I AM going to plants bulbs in the Fall.

Jeff finished up the painting in the kitchen, living room, hallway and all the trim work. It's lovely. Lynn, the decorator, came and made suggestions and I met with her Saturday morning to do some "shopping" to pick window treatments. Also picked out a new love seat and some side tables. She's going to be calling us in a day or two with information on the curtain rods and some other things. And probably next week the new window treatments will be hung. Golfer and I took down the last two old rods last evening and I just finished spackling the holes and doing touch-up painting. So all in all, things are moving right along.

I've been busy at work. This week is Rev. C's last week at the church. He's been on vacation for two weeks and I've been busier than usual in my office. Things are "in transition" at the church.

I also had my annual physical and mammogram. Had to have a couple extra blood tests and an ultrasound of my liver, but all is okay. My liver and kidney levels are monitored and checked a couple times a year because of the RA and medications. It was a stressful couple of days, but all is well.

We hired Critter Control to tackle the problem of moles tearing up the yard. Two were caught. Golfer was instructed how to use the traps he bought and so far, so good. We're on our own with that now.

Duke, the Mustang, will be going in for some work; hopefully this week. The radio needs to be replaced. And you can't do that just anywhere. Ford only uses their systems and you can't repair or replace with anything but the same things.

I didn't realize it had been two weeks since I last posted a message. As I've said - time flies! We've just been busy!

Stay safe!

Happy Birthday, Boxer!

We hope you have a great day! We love you!

Grama & Granpa xoxo

Crazy Weather!

Hey, all!

Dressing appropriately and making plans more than twenty-four hours ahead is challenging this time of year in Virginia. And the severe changes wreak havoc with headaches on some of us. Yesterday it warmed up but was extremely windy. Today is sunny, but only in the 40's although the wind has gone. And that's how it goes back and forth from day to day.

Jeff is here painting again today and things are progressing nicely. Golfer put the switch plate and outlet covers back on the walls in the hallway and living room last evening. Jeff started on the kitchen today. There was a lot of cutting in to do around all the new lights! He is currently working on the trim work in the living room. He thinks he will finish up on Monday. (not working tomorrow)

I spent a chunk of time upstairs today cleaning and putting things back together. I washed the new double windows up there inside and out. I love the new windows! Cleaning them was so much easier! I had had the drapes cleaned and I re-hung those and vacuumed and dusted real well. Later I tackled the office and cleaned the window and gave everything a good cleaning in here.

Golfer played golf today and is doing some errands right now. That's about it for plans for the day. I hope everyone is well and having a good weekend! Stay safe!

Here are pictures of our new front doors! I took two views trying to get the etching on the storm door to show up, but it's not real clear. You can get the idea though.

UPDATE

Hey, All!

Work progresses! The new windows are all in and are lovely. At some point in the near future, they will get washed and new window treatments will be hung. I've already determined that the new windows block out drafts and sound much better than the old ones. The only unfortunate detail is that these new windows are thicker, and the windowsills are now more narrow. And the furry kids' hineys are not more narrow and when they jump up to look out, they have trouble sitting! We've decided they will have to deal with it. (poor babies)

Jeff, the painter, showed up early this morning and got right to work. We're trying to stay out of the way. I wish my hand was as steady when I paint as his is! The primer is on and covering up the red walls in the living room. What a difference! This is going to be a multiple-day job, but it's going well so far.

The electricians have been here already today and we now have a wonderful new cable and electrical outlet up on the wall in the bedroom so we can hang the TV. I was expecting two separate "outlets" but it's just one with both connections in it. Very neat! I'll let you know how it goes when we mount the TV up there!

Golfer has run to the end of his attempts to get rid of the pesky moles wreaking havoc in our yard and the "molenator" will be here on Monday. Actually the company name is "Critter Control", but we've been calling them "molenator". I'll let you know how that goes. It's to the point where it's hazardous to walk in some areas with the ground so uneven and tunneled.

We got a call from the furniture store; our mattress/box springs and the new lamps will be delivered next Tuesday.

I shifted my work time today to stay here at the house while golfer had a doctor's appointment. Gotta' love flex time!

That's about it from here. Stay safe!

Busy, Busy Week!

Hi, all!

I hope you're all doing well. It's been a busy week here. Work on installing our new front door and storm door started on Monday. It went well, but isn't a quick job.

On Tuesday, Golfer and I went and ordered new bedroom furniture, lamps, mattress and box springs. The mattress and box springs will be ready in a week or so. The lamps will be in in a couple weeks and the furniture in six to eight weeks. Anyone know someone in the market for buying some good sturdy used furniture?

Then on Wednesday the guys returned to finish up the doors. They do look lovely!

Thursday we met with a decorator for a consultation. We've been trying to pick out a paint color for the kitchen and we've been getting nowhere with that decision, so that was one of the first things discussed. Golfer and I have come to realize that we have not always made great choices when decorating or getting things for the house. We figured it wouldn't hurt to ask for advice. Lynn was very nice and I was quite comfortable with her. I knew from the start if someone came in and told us all of our stuff was awful and to get rid of it we were going to have "issues", but Lynn was great. She works with what clients already have and what they like and goes from there. She helped us pick the kitchen color and then the living room color. And then we decided that if we were having a painter come in and do all that, he might as well do the hallways and get that over with. We've thought several times about painting the hallways in the last few years but never got to it. So the work progresses. We'll be meeting with her again in a week or so. And then we discuss window treatments and furniture!

Along with all this, I have made it to work every day, and we've gone to the "Y' multiple times and Golfer has played golf!

And now this weekend I have spent a lot of time taking down curtains and drapes. The installation of the new windows starts tomorrow. So the household has been a bit disrupted and the furry kids are confused. They don't know what to make of the uncovered windows!

We did have a couple really warm days - in the high 70's and low 80's. That was wonderful! but it is now cold again and not getting out of the 40's today. But at least the sun is shining brightly!

That is all the news from here. Take care and stay safe!

Hey, Again!

I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

I am tired, but feeling satisfied at the moment - I finally got to go out and work in the yard! It didn't get quite as warm as the predictions, but was very do-able with wearing a jacket and hat. I cleaned up all the mulched areas and pruned some dead parts off shrubs and bushes. Ended up with four large bags of "stuff" that I hauled out to the curb for pick up tomorrow morning. Also did things like fill the bird feeder and clean off the porch and patio. I gave an oil treatment to the old chair on the front porch that is used as a plant stand. So yea! I feel like I accomplished something!

Golfer and I went to the Home and Garden show yesterday afternoon as planned. It was nice, but a lot like us going to a craft fair. When we go to a craft fair and look at all the offerings, we usually end up saying "if we want one of those we can get Bikini to make one!" Yesterday as we walked the aisles, we said things like "already got new roof", "already got new floors", "already ordered new windows". But it was fun to see what's out there. And there was free stuff! Got a nice pen, a new pencil, a mini-tool kit for Golfer, a tote bag, some rubber balls for the grandchildren, and I got a Cox Communications DigiGuy! He's sitting here on the computer desk keeping me company!

Dinner is in the oven and now it's time for a shower. Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow and stay safe!

Whoooosh!

That would be the sound of time flying by! So, hi again; sorry it's been a while!

I looked at my last post and have to say that the final attempt at fixing the bathroom paint issue was a success! Looks like new again!

And on that paint topic --- Golfer and I are in the process of picking out a paint color for the kitchen. I painted a patch of the third sample today and I think it might be a winner. We'll see what Golfer says when he returns from playing golf.

And yes, it is warm enough here for playing golf! It is supposed to be even warmer (60) tomorrow and I plan to do some work in the yard! I devoted today to getting groceries and doing errands and doing some inside chores. When Golfer gets home we are going to the Hampton Convention Center and see the Home and Garden show. I'm hoping for "free stuff"! Who can't use another pen or pencil or more note paper???

Our window and door replacement project hit a snag when the windows weren't ordered properly. But Steve had some words with them and the windows are supposed to be ready the end of next week. The new door is sitting in our garage and will probably be installed on Monday.

My work is busy; I'm in the process of reviewing all the brochures and other paperwork that will need to be edited and changed when the pastor leaves in a couple weeks. A lot of things are just sort of on hold for now. There seems to be a bit of a lack of organization amongst the leaders of the congregation. I just go in to my office, shut the door and do my work and then come home.

Nurse J has been battling a bad, lengthy headache and BeyB has had the respiratory type flu. They are on the mend now.

Bikini has had her hands full with work and the kids, but they are all doing okay right now.

Golfer and I have been shopping for some new bedroom furniture. I think we've found what we want and will order it soon, probably this coming week.

So that's the update from us. I hope all is well with all of you. Stay safe!

Hey, All!

Virginia has been @#%*!! COLD! It was in the teens yesterday and today. The sun is out now and the forecast is to maybe get above freezing this afternoon. No golf this weekend!

I was released from Physical Therapy on Wednesday and can now get back to my own routine. So far, so good. My doctor doesn't want to see me again until July unless I have a problem.

Golfer and I have caught up on some odds and ends around the house this week. I've worked mornings. It's been too cold to go work outside in the yard. I just made a third attempt at touching up the bathroom ceiling. Can't tell how right or wrong the paint is until it dries. You wouldn't think it would be so hard, but evidently cans were mislabeled.

Haven't had any news from Nurse J or Bikini so we have to assume they are all okay and busy.

So all in all, there's not much news. Just wanted to say "hi"! Stay safe!

Happy Anniversary, Bikini and Brief!

Have a wonderful day!

Love,

Mom and Dad xoxo

Happy Birthday, Bloomer!

Have a great day!

Love you! xoxo

Grama and Grandpa

Catching Up

Hey, All!

Seems like this past week flew by. It's been cold here, but no snow. Bikini and her family have been snowed in down in Georgia. It snowed and stayed cold so it didn't melt. Boxer and Bloomer had five straight snow days! Oh, my!

Nurse J and BeyB both had doctor appointments. Nurse J is supposed to be wearing a boot on her foot to help repair a torn tendon. BeyB was being rechecked after the bad UTI she had at Christmas. It's all cleared up.

Golfer got a shingles shot. That's been on his mind ever since I had a bad case of shingles a couple years ago. He couldn't get the immunization before now because of medication he had been on. The doctor had him stop it, so Golfer had an opportunity.

I'm still coughing and blowing my nose. I am seriously considering calling our doctor on Monday and seeing what he suggests next. I am tired of this. I had PT three times this week, too.

I slept a little later than usual this morning and then took my time doing some things around here and doing some errands. Nothing real major or too time consuming, just stuff that had been pushed aside and/or put off due to all the other things going on.

We also had new insulation installed in our attic. We are in the process of picking out a new front door and then ordering new windows. I couldn't stand the dirt on a couple of the windows and just had to wash them in spite of the cold weather. In the process, one of them went all wonky and didn't want to close. Golfer helped me and we decided I won't mess with it again! This was the fourth one to develop problems.

I finally got Cecil all combed and his nails trimmed. He's very good about it once I get him and get started, but geez! what a job to get him! But he's a sweet little furry boy.

That's about it from here. Stay safe!

Getting Back to Normal - and Is There Any Such Thing??

Hey, all!

I hope you are all doing well. It's been a busy week here. I've been battling a bad sinus infection and have really felt crappy most of the week. I've been to the doctor and got some antibiotics and decongestants, and was told the usual "drink lots of fluids and rest". I've been trying.

It's still cold here. Today is sunny. Yesterday there was a freak little snow squall accompanied by thunder and then the sun came out while it was still snowing. Pretty, but odd. The snow didn't last long. We may get snow again tomorrow night. And again, as I have said repeatedly, I am ready for Summer!

I've been working my way through a pile of backed up desk stuff and papers. And I went through a stack of Mom's papers and pictures. I don't really know what to do with them, just know I need to keep them. I don't know why, just that I need to. There were ration stamps and official documents, notes written by people who were important to Mom, several of her report cards from school, and some other things. For now I just packed it all away upstairs where I keep things like that.

Golfer and I had some new lighting installed in the kitchen, dining room and foyer this past week. We really like it!















One of my projects for today was to trim the furry kids' nails and brush them all. I got the girls done, but still have to talk Cecil into cooperating! I'll need to sneak up on him!

Take care and stay safe!

Some more thoughts. . . . . . .

It my last posting, I neglected to mention another recent stressful event. While we were all hurrying around getting ready to pack to leave for Ohio for Mom's funeral, we threw some laundry in the washer and dryer. That sounds easy and simple, right? The dryer started making a huge noise and then smoke started coming out and the smoke alarm went off. So no more dryer. Then in an obvious show of empathetic support, the washer decided to act wonky, too. So when Golfer and I were able to get out and about after all the snow and ice, we had to go buy a new washer and dryer. The old ones had been of an age where it was time. We can highly recommend Shawel's if you are in the Tidewater area of Virginia. We went in one morning and by that afternoon they were both delivered, set-up, and in use! And while I'm making recommendations, we got Maytag Bravos series machines and I love them! I was suspicious of a washer with no agitator, but it works wonderfully well.

I also neglected to mention in that last post that Brief and the kids made it back to Georgia okay while Bikini was with us in Ohio. And she caught a flight out Christmas Eve afternoon and made it home in time to hang stockings with Bloomer and Boxer. And Nurse J, Cable Guy and BeyB made it to Illinois okay. However, BeyB got sick and had to go to the ER, but she recovered quickly and is feeling better. They are back home now.

Our house is all un-decorated and things are put away. I am, quite honestly, ready for a new year with maybe not quite so many changes going on.

I've been to the Commissary this morning for a few things. It is now pouring down rain and is dark and gloomy out. The snow is gone. And as I have said before, I am ready for Summer.

I have a pile of papers waiting for me to put through the shredder. The files have been cleaned out. I guess I'll get to work on that. Stay safe and have a good day.

My Apologies for the Lack of Posts

There has been much happening and going on with us.

As you know, my recovery from knee replacement surgery had been progressing very well. And then we hit a "snag". My physical therapy got a bit too intense and I developed some severe pain and swelling in my knee and leg. This developed while Golfer and I were on a trip to Lancaster, PA for a short vacation. More on that later. I got in to see my doctor as soon as we returned home. After several x-rays and looking and poking at my leg, Dr. A. said during the PT some scar tissue had torn and bled into my knee causing the inflammation and problems. So I've had to use the cane again, and have been taking some medicine and had a break from the PT. I also have a knee brace to wear if I'm going to be up on my feet and walking around a lot. It is getting better and I just have to be patient.

The Lancaster trip was lovely, even with my leg problems. We saw some great Christmas shows and did some sight-seeing. It was cold and windy most of the time. The area is famous for it's Amish life and farms and history. Golfer and I grew up seeing Amish buggies on the road in Ohio, so that wasn't a big attraction for us. But we did enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.

When we returned from our trip it was time to get ready for Bikini's family to come to visit for an early Christmas. My preparations were hampered a bit by my knee, but things got done and Golfer was wonderful with his help. We had an early Christmas because Nurse J's family was going to Illinois to spend the holiday with CableGuy's parents. It was great having everyone together and the kids were so cute playing with their new toys.

Then, sadly, on the evening of the 20th, we got a call from my sister and niece saying Mom had passed away. She was a good lady, 101, and died the way she had always said she wanted to go - in her own apartment. We hurried and got ourselves packed and ready and took off for Ohio the next day. Her funeral was on a cold, windy day with snow on the ground. Golfer "officiated" at Mom's request. She had said she didn't want a stranger talking about her.

We did what we could to help go through her belongings and pack things up. The weather forecast was not good. Golfer was keeping a close watch on it. After an early Christmas Day dinner with Golfer's brother and family, we got on the road and headed for home. It was a long day, and a trying time to be driving in the dark and snow and ice. But we made it home a little before midnight.

This is what we saw the next morning. There is still some snow on the ground here in the shady spots of the yard. Things were shut down and everyone was snowbound for a couple days.

So, I really have been thinking about writing here, but just haven't gotten to it.

For now, I'll just say Happy New Year, stay safe!

And we miss you Mom.