Happy New Year!

We wish you all a very Happy New Year!  May 2019 be peaceful and safe!

God Bless America!  Life is great!

Hey!

Just checking in.  I've been busy doing odds and ends here.  I did get the un-decorating done and we got everything packed up and put away.  And the subsequent cleaning was done.  To be perfectly honest, I over-did it a bit and pushed myself to get it finished and had a couple of achier days where I slowed down just a little.  And achiness is not helped by our up and down temperatures.  We've had 70 again and then 40 and back and forth.  Today is 40's and I've been cold all day.

Another project that I've finished was cleaning out our file cabinet.  After sorting through paperwork I started shredding.  I have a huge bag of "bits" to put out for garbage pick-up.  And that is another job done!  The end of the year reports we need for a couple things for taxes have been done, too.  I'm glad to have those finished!

Yesterday morning we went to breakfast and then Les went to do errands and the Commissary with me.  He had decided to not play golf because of the additional rain and mud around here.  Not raining today but we do have the puddles and mud.

I forgot to post this picture of the Junior's, (NYC) cheesecake that Les ordered for us to have with Christmas dinner.  It tasted as great as it looked!  We discovered Junior's when we had our NYC Amtrak trip a few years ago.

And here is a picture of Angus and Finnigan with their Christmas toys.  😊  I tried to get all three of the furry boys but Cecil was playing elsewhere.  The picture looks  like they are just lying there being lazy, but this is actually mid-roll. 

So, life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Rest Time

I think I am done for the day and it is going to be a pizza night.  I've been un-decorating, carefully wrapping and packing up ornaments and decorations and cleaning. I am tired.  I started this yesterday morning; finished today.  I especially wanted to get the outside things put away before the rain starts again.  There are still a few small cleaning chores to be done but those will wait until tomorrow.

Les played in a charity golf tournament yesterday.  Today he had the last PT session and he has exercises to do at home for his shoulder.  He has helped with some of the un-decorating and I get the impression he is glad we are finished.  😊

It was cold again today and started out sunny; getting pretty cloudy right now.

One of these days when the weather is just right, we will go outside and set up a target to practice with for one of my Christmas presents.....

The instructions say "treat like a real gun" and "practice until you are sure you will hit what you are aiming at"  It promises to not splatter the bug, but there might be residual salt.  I think outside use, but may try it in the garage for the slugs that have been showing up out there.  It's really creepy to open the door to go out into the garage and see a slug hanging there on the door frame.  Ick.

I browsed through the clipart to find one that showed resting.  This popped up on the first page.  It seemed appropriate.  (and obviously someone out there can read my mind!)

Stay safe and God Bless America!  Life is great!

Merry Christmas!

(picture is from a few years ago)

Les and I wish you all a very Merry and Peaceful Christmas!

Stay safe and God Bless America!  Life is great!

The Things We Put Up With Because We Love Our Children

We were "Elfed" this morning!  Actually, I probably should say Les was "Elfed".  There is a long, on-going "thing" between Les and Jacquie about Will Ferrell.  There is much teasing and laughing.  I think she buys him every DVD he makes and Les does not watch them. So now we have this on our porch.

She says that Will is lighted and we will find out tonight when we turn on the lights and he inflates.  I can hardly wait.

In other news.... it's sunny and 50's today.  Still have mud in the yard though.

Tomorrow I will be doing some food prep for Christmas dinner.  Les found a delicious sounding recipe for twice baked potato casserole.  If you need me, I'll be frying and crumbling a pound or so of bacon.  🎅  And then scrubbing the kitchen.

I hope everyone is well and happy.  Stay safe and God Bless America!  Life is great! (even with a big ol' elf on your porch!)

Happy First Day of Winter!

It sure doesn't feel like the first day of Winter here though.  It has been almost 70 degrees today.  The good news is that the rain stopped and the sun came out for a while.  And while I was out doing errands I think I saw someone's daffodils' leaves poking up out of the ground!  Our back and forth weather can be very confusing to plant life.

So, anyway, First Day of Winter....and it should hurry up and get here if it is coming.  Most of you know that on December 26th I am ready for Spring, sunshine, and warm weather!

I totally know that won't happen, but I can dream.

Stay safe and God Bless America!  Life is Great!

The Countdown Is On!

Christmas is a week away.  Most of the preparations around here are done.  I need to make one more trip to the commissary for a few things and hope to do that Thursday morning.  I say "hope" because we expect another "rain event" as one forecaster calls it and I hate grocery shopping in the rain.  Right now they say it will be starting mid day on Thursday.  We'll see.

We've been enjoying the cards that have come in.  Always good to hear from friends and family.  There used to be some Christmas letters, but since most of us use Facebook, the letters have stopped.  (ours included)  (been a few years since we've written one)

Les and I have been watching Christmas movies.  We had watched "Christmas Chronicles" when it first came on Netflix.  And we've watched the two "Die Hard" Christmas movies.  We just finished the "Santa Clause" trilogy.  Not sure what's up for tonight, we have a stack to watch yet.  🎅

A couple posts ago, I included a picture of  Cutie Girl with Santa.  Just to show that she and Little Miss E are not alone in her opinion of visiting Santa, here are a couple more pictures.  I know Jacquie and Pam will be thrilled.  Love you, girls!

note the expressions

really, really not happy

When I was a little girl, I got to visit Santa at Mom's work party.  Nickles Bakery always had a large Christmas party in the school gymnasium for employees and their families.  Lots of dressed up people, music, food, and fun.  As each child visited Santa they were given a wrapped gift.  And not just a coloring book or candy cane, but a toy, game, or doll or something.  Good memories. I'm sure they don't do that now, times change.

So, as always, life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

P.S.

The wrapping is done!  The desk "stuff" is done!  And Angus' and Finnigan's nails have been cut!  It's a productive day.

Still Not Done

In my last post I said Les had gone out to clean up leaves and do yard work.  He needed my help for a bit and since I was out there and already getting "schmutz" on me I just did a few other things outside.  It was another case of "one thing leads to another".  But we got things cleaned up and have at least twenty big bags of leaves for Les to get out to the curb.  While he was mowing and doing things I was cleaning up the mulched areas, filling the bird feeder, and other assorted chores.  Les also got the outside water lines turned off and drained and the hoses put away.

One day was filled up with grocery shopping, errands and a trip to the "Y".  And yesterday we gave the bathrooms a good scrub.  Les got the shower head off and I soaked and cleaned it and he got it back up.  While I was cleaning the bathrooms, he was tightening door handles.  And then I was on to other cleaning and even straightened up the garage shelves a little bit.  You know, just usual home maintenance stuff.

So, some of those things I wanted to finish did not get done.  But I am hopeful!

It has been raining again for the last couple days.  Sometimes just a drizzle, other times raining harder.  Our quantity of mud has increased.  Our neighbor had some work done in her yard that we are all hoping will help with the drainage issues on her side.  Work on the other side is scheduled for next Spring for us.

I was browsing through my clipart again; just sharing a cute one.  It's the reason for the season.

Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Just Some Thoughts

So, I have been doing some errands this week.  Had to go to Lowe's for a large jug of commercial grade Windex.  I use Windex for a lot things and have found this version is the best.  I figured while I was there in the store I'd walk through the Christmas area.  They were just about cleaned out and everything was marked down for clearance already.  It was two weeks until Christmas at that time.

Then yesterday morning I got an email and ad from A.C. Moore saying they were having their Christmas clearance sale and everything was discounted up to 70% off.  I had a hair appointment yesterday morning so I went by A.C. Moore when I was done with that.  Lots of empty shelves and everything marked down.  I have been planning to do some shopping after Christmas this year because we needed new garland for the porch for next year.  They didn't have much but I found some I like so that is taken care of. 

Which brings me to this - - - - - aren't things really being rushed a lot this year??  I feel sorry for the folks who do their decorating and shopping in mid-December.

Another thought to ponder..... why is under the Christmas tree on the tree skirt the best place to hack up a hairball???? Both tree skirts are in the wash this morning.  The boys are fine.  😊

Les is outside cleaning up leaves.  There are still soft spots and mud in our yard but it is supposed to rain again starting late tomorrow.  I just saw a report that said our area is about 20" over the normal for yearly rain amounts and it isn't the end of the year yet.

I have plans to finish wrapping a couple things, and finish the laundry, and finish some desk "stuff"....

Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Another Sunny Day Here!

It's nice and bright today; the temperature is in the mid-40's as I am writing.  Les layered up and went to play golf. 

I've been busy around here with the usual "stuff".  It was one of our Starbucks' mornings so I enjoyed my Christmas blend coffee.  Just returned from getting my hair trimmed.  And I will be heading to the "Y" after I get some lunch.

I did a little bit of clean-up work in the yard yesterday.  I hadn't really planned to, but when I went out to fill the bird feeder there were just so many leaves on and around the deck and patio I  had to do something.  Ended up with three large bags full of leaves that I cleaned up.  Looks better.  When the yard firms up a bit more, maybe we can get the rest of the leaves bagged up.  Some areas of the yard are still very muddy and soft.

We are having dinner tonight with two of our friends at Salsa's and we're looking forward to that.  And we'll get to see the decorations in City Center.

I've been trying to catch a picture of Finnigan under the tree but he seems to sit on the back side of the tree when he sits under it!  So here's a picture of him relaxing in Les' chair.  🎅

 Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

The Sun Is Shining!

It is still cold here, but it is much brighter today.  And while we did not get the direct hit of the storm, just up the road in Williamsburg they are covered in snow and ice.  And there has been some damage from the wind in areas, too.

I've been keeping up with things around here.  We've been getting to the "Y".  Not getting much done in the yard because of the cold and mud, but I'm keeping things done out front for "curb appeal".  This last storm brought down a LOT of leaves and when we can we'll need to get those cleaned up.

The last of the gifts that I had ordered have been delivered and I need to get those wrapped.  The freezer is stocked up with cookies.  Les has ordered our traditional cheesecake from Junior's in NYC.  I've already bought a Sugardale ham roast for Christmas dinner.

The girls say their families are well and they are all keeping busy.

As I have said many times, life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

And here is another kitty picture 🎅

Cecil

Most of you know that our Cecil is rather reclusive.  He has always been this way ever since we adopted him when he was around six weeks old.  Poor little boy seems afraid of just about everything.  But he does love Christmas and especially our trees.  💕

Still Cold, But No Snow Here

Yesterday we had alternating snow and rain.  Nothing stuck here, but it's been cold and windy.  And now it is more muddy.  Today the sky is gray.  Areas not too far from us did have some accumulation of snow though, and there are closings and delays around.  Cutie Girl's school is one that was closed for the day.

Les and I have been doing some odds and ends around here and we went to the "Y" after lunch.  Now the laundry is going and dinner is in the oven.  I just caught up on email and it will soon be time to watch an episode of "Deep Space 9". 

I wanted to share this picture of Cutie Girl.  Santa was a great one!  Wish I knew what they talked about.  😊

Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Santa

It is a dark and nasty weather day here.  Cold, raining, and right now we are on the line between rain and snow so it is a mix.  The forecast is saying that we will not have any snow accumulation, but it sure is messy out there.  And yes, I know it could be worse.  Good luck to those in the path of the big snowfall.

The Autism Society deserves a big thank you for having a session with Sensitive Santa.  Visits were by appointment and well planned and organized.  He was a wonderful Santa and deserves a medal!  Jacquie had gotten an appointment for Cutie Girl this morning.  She held up well.  Little Miss E was to "visit" too, but she was way less thrilled and would have nothing to do with him.  I said maybe next year.  But it was good to get to be there.

In other news, Les saw his orthopedic doctor for his shoulder and had a cortisone injection and has started PT.  Seems to be doing okay.  The weather has not been great for playing golf, but he did get out yesterday and play. 

We've been keeping up with things around here.  I'm still working on baking cookies.  This is another thing that I used to do all of in one day ......not now.  I spread it out and take my time.  Going to bake a batch after lunch today. 

We've started watching our Christmas movies and this morning we enjoyed "Die Hard" while we had breakfast.

Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Another vintage card 🎅

Just Some Thoughts and Pictures

Just wanted to share some pictures of things that make me smile and always bring good memories.

We've had this Hummel Nativity since we lived in Germany.  Mom bought it for us.

And the "antique" Coca-Cola Santa is also from Mom.  She had cut around his fingers holding the bottle and used to stick a Christmas card in his hand.

Les' Dad made Santa and Mrs. Claus.  The wooden tree was a gift from Pat.  The antique side-by-side was handed down to us by Les' Mom.

Fat Santa was also made by Dad and is a family favorite!

Another antique :)  This card has a picture of me with Scooter Kitty.

It's so nice to hear from friends and family.  

Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

There Be Snow!!!

It didn't stick but sure was pretty for a while! 

Life is great!  God Bless America!

Made Me Smile!

A friend shared this on Facebook.  Too good to not share!

It's cold and gray here today.  The weatherman on Channel 10 said there were flurries this morning but I did not see them.

Stay safe and God Bless America!  Life is great!

Not Holiday Related, But Funny!

It's another dark and raining day here.  Although it looks like it's more of constant mist really.  Either way, it's wet and making more mud in the yard.

We're having a quiet day, doing some computer and desk stuff, the usual morning stuff, watched a movie, did a load of laundry, etc.  Then I straightened up the pantry and made a couple batches of cookies that are now packed and in the freezer.  I decided to run the self-clean program on the oven and the dishwasher is also running now.

Les is watching football.  I'm going to go read.

Stay safe and God Bless America!  Life is great!

Another Vintage Card

Recently at Kroger I walked through the live trees they are selling.  They had small ones in holders.  They were very pretty, fresh, and only about three feet tall.  I've never seen small ones for sale before.  Nice!  A lot of people want a tree but don't have room for a large one.

It's a gray, cloudy day here, temp was 47 last I checked.  Les layered up and went to play golf.  It is supposed to rain later today.

I've been doing the usual morning stuff and some odds and ends and desk chores.  May make some cookies later and get them in the freezer.  We'll see. 😊

Stay safe and God Bless America!  Life is Great!

Just Some Updates

Hey, all!  It's the last day of November!  Our weather has been really cold and windy for a few days and today is 50 and  lightly raining.  Les got out to play golf with the guys today and they got a little wet.  But he said it was "okay".

I did go see Dr. Putland Wednesday morning.  He checked me over and said "hmmm" a few times and then said I needed antibiotics.  So I ended up with a bag of things from the drugstore with the prescription for the antibiotics, cough syrup, the Mucinex he ordered and some Advil for acute bronchitis and sinus infection.  I started taking the pills right away and am starting to feel better.  Sort of worn out, but better.

There has been another round of germs at Jacquie's home.  Started with Cutie Girl, then Little Miss E, then Jordan and Chris.  Jacquie has been busy spraying Lysol.  And the puppy, Nikola,  had surgery this week (neutered).  Hopefully the girls' stuffed animals will be safe now.  :)

And things have been extra busy for Pam.  First off, she says they are all okay.  But it's been a case of "one thing after another" down there.  They got a new dishwasher before Thanksgiving.  This was planned.  Then the clothes washer died and had to be replaced.  This was followed by their DVD player quitting and getting replaced.  And on Wednesday a plane coming in for a landing at the airport where Garrett has his hangar lost control and crashed.  Garrett saw it coming and got out of the way, but the crash did some minor damage to the hangar and totaled Garrett's car.  Thankfully, there were no injuries to the guys on the ground and working in the hangar.  The pilot and passenger were injured but are going to be okay.  Geez!

My medicines have my coughing under control pretty well, so we went to see "Crimes of Grindelwald"  Very good!  And only about half a dozen other people in the theater.

One of the cold evenings, as we watched TV, Angus helped keep me warm.

I have to tell you he prefers one of the quilts Pam has made.  But he "made do" with the fuzzy Christmas blanket I was using.  You can see we were watching "Rudolph".

I have always enjoyed the "Rudolph" story.  But have come to realize that there are a lot of bullies and mean creatures in it!

Stay safe and God Bless America!  Life is great!

No Particular Reason

I just liked this picture of a vintage card!

And speaking of cards ----- how do you display yours?  I remember when I was little, Grama used to tack up a string across the wall in her living room.  Then she'd make little V-shaped cuts on the back of the cards and hang them on the string.  I am not sure that was good for her wallpaper now that I think about it.  But, that was what she liked.  Usually this was all hung above her sofa.  I tape Christmas colored ribbons to the top of a couple doors and let them come about 2/3 of the way down the doors.  Tape doesn't show and doesn't hurt anything.  Then I tape our cards to the ribbons.  Makes pretty decorations, too.  And gives the furry boys something else to play with when they are in the mood.  😊  BTW, we got our first card yesterday and I put up the ribbons.  Thanks, L & V!

But in other "news".  It has gotten cold again here and it's been windy; in 20's last night and only 32 this morning.  About a week and a half to two weeks ago, the trees in our area that still had leaves just burst into color.  So pretty with shades of bright reds, yellows, and oranges.  And now those leaves are just flying off the trees.

I've been taking a couple "slow" days.  I've been tired and achy from over-doing things and the weather changing back and forth.  Then I started with a scratchy throat and runny nose.  It's not getting any better and I am going to see Dr. P. this morning.

But, as always, life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Christmas Kitty

I have mentioned how our furry boys love having the Christmas trees up.  They all seem to love sleeping under the tree and on the quilted tree skirts.  The evening after I finished decorating, Cecil was checking out the living room tree.  He's often skittish and will run if we look at him too long, but he stayed in this spot for a while.

Life is wonderful!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Our Trees

I hope everyone is doing well today.  Anyone shopping?  The only Black Friday shopping I did was to go to Wild Birds and buy a bag of seed; they had a good one-day deal.  I do think that Cyber Monday might be having some issues!  I tried to order something for Les and at checkout the amount ordered was stuck on 219 and the price was over $6,000!  I quickly deleted everything and left the site.  Might try again later.  😊

As I said in my last post, the decorating is done, things packed up and put away.  Some cleaning done.  I have no big plans for today;  we will probably go to the "Y" this afternoon.  I intend to have a quiet day.

It is in mid-50's, dark, and raining again here.  The mud continues.

But on a happy note, here are pictures of our trees!

This is our living room tree.  If you look closely on the mantle you can see "Fat Santa" that Les' Dad made for us years ago.  He is a family favorite.

And here is our dining room tree.  It makes the room a little "tight", but it is so pretty from outside.

As always, life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

I Think I Am Done

What better way to take a break from working and chores than sitting down in front of the computer! 

As you know, I've been decorating the last few days and cleaning as I go.  The decorating is declared finished.  Things are put away and cleaning has been done.  The last load of laundry is running now.  And it is going to be a "Five Guys" night for supper!

Pictures of the trees, etc. will be coming soon.

There was a sad few moments during the tree decorating.  We have collected our Star Trek ornaments for years, ever since Hallmark started selling them.  Originally the plan was to take a bulb out of your string of lights and plug in the ornament to make it work.  Over the years, light strings evolved and LED came into use, and the ornaments would not plug in.  We bought the adapters that were created.  Those worked for quite a few years, but the light strings continued to change.  And honestly, because of age, some of the ornaments just did not work any longer.  But we still love them and want them on the tree.  So first thing today I got the light string out and tested each ornament.  I confirmed they did not work.  And then after discussion, I just cut the wires off and hung all the spacecraft on the tree.  They still look good, they just don't light up or say anything.  The newer ones have batteries and they are okay.

We were pretty well caught up on our recorded TV shows last evening so we watched "Christmas Chronicles" on NetFlix.  It was  a very good movie and Kurt Russell is an excellent Santa!  If you can, watch it.  Hopefully someday it will be out on DVD.

Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Mr. Gnome's Getting Ready

As I have been working on the dining room tree, Mr. Gnome has been busy, too!  He required some assistance, but all is well.  😊

As for me, the dining room tree is done!  I've been cleaning as I go along and putting things away as I finish some things.  Tomorrow I will get the living room tree finished.  Pictures to come later.

I had a Santa collage that I made years ago that was getting raggedy. It is all pictures of Santa from old Christmas cards.  I really like it and I re-worked it.  It is now in a poster frame.  It's hanging in the hallway and there is a little glare from the lights.  When we have a sunny day, I might try another picture.  Today is dark and raining.

Stay safe and God Bless America!  Life is Great!

Brrrrr!

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!  It was a good day here.

We've had some cold weather for a few days.  Takes a while to get used to daytime temps of 30's! Makes me hurt all over.  Even the furry boys who do not go outside notice the change.

I took this picture before bedtime.  That's Finnigan snuggled up next to Angus, who is the lump under the quilt.  Cecil was upstairs under the covers in "his" room.

Yesterday we started decorating.  First the Thanksgiving and Fall things were packed away.  Then containers, boxes and other things brought out of the closet and attic.  Here's an "observation" for you...... I used to be able to do all this in one day. There is not a chance that will happen again.  Wisdom comes with age, I guess.

Anyway, we got the outside decorations done and they look nice.  And we got the trees set up, but not decorated yet.  I spent my time yesterday sorting and setting out the decorations in each room and getting things organized.  I will be decorating the dining room tree today for sure; and might start on the new one in the living room.  It is bigger than the old one and Les will help with some of it.

It's supposed to be raining again here soon, so no golf today either even though it has warmed up to 50.  We went out for breakfast.  I am going to go do a couple errands and then will get to work on the tree.

Even though the trees are not decorated, the boys could not wait!  Angus had to reserve his spot!  I will take a better picture when the tree is all "fluffed" and done. 

Life is great!  Enjoy the Christmas Season!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderful, peaceful day!  Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Happy Day Before Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone is safe and well.  If you are traveling, be careful and have patience.

It is a bright, sunny day here with a current temperature of 50.  Tomorrow the high is supposed to be in mid-30's, 20's at night.  Brrr!

I've been doing the usual morning stuff here and also some food prep for tomorrow.  I just took the sweet potatoes out of the oven and will finish fixing those after they cool a little.  Also cut up fruit, and prepared a couple other things.  The turkey has been in the fridge since Monday and it is still pretty solid so I may be floating it in some cold water to help the thawing process.

Les did some yard work yesterday.  He had to be pretty careful out front due to the softness of the ground, but he got it done and it looks a lot better.  The back was easier and he could use the riding mower out there.  Very little got done on the side mud pits.  But he did get a chance to talk to our neighbor and she is going to work on some things and hopefully we can get the drainage issues improved.

As always, life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

A Quiet Day

We were both up early this morning.  I did the usual "morning stuff" and several other odds and ends that needed doing.  It was omelette day so I cooked breakfast and we had our coffee and read the paper.  I just finished making some chicken salad for supper and cleaning up the kitchen.

Since the last post, we had to have Geek Squad here to work on our TV system.  I am hoping to get a customer survey.  I have a few things I'd like to say.  😊  When we bought our new TV we signed up for the Geek Squad Tech Support.  Seemed worth it to have the "ease of scheduling" (ha!!) and the reduced prices for service.  So when the sound started going out, I called.  The first call I got an automated message saying simply that there was no one to answer the phones and call back.  Huh.  Not good for tech support there.  The second call got me to an actual human and I explained the problem.  I was then transferred to someone else and I explained again.  He transferred me to someone else where I explained yet again and finally got an appointment.  I requested the two techs who have been here several times doing work for us and a morning appointment, first call if possible.  The call was set up for that.

So Saturday morning two guys I've never seen before show up.  Did not have a clue about what they were supposed to be doing for us based on what the scheduler had told them. And it wasn't because I had not explained the problem over and over!  We had suspected it was the receiver going bad and had bought one to have ready in case that was it;  it was.  And one of the guys got to work.  The other was the "Gofer" I guess. 

Now let me say here that they were both polite and friendly.  But about the time he had things all apart and disconnected, he says to me "I don't have time to do this work, is it okay to reschedule and come back later, maybe in the evening?"  Uh, NO!  It is not okay, I would like the work completed.  So then there was a sigh and he said he guessed he'd have to call his other appointments and tell them he would be late.  And I thought to myself with a smile on my face, I guess you will.  About then Les got back home and I filled him in.  The work was finished, tested, and it seemed okay.............until we tried to watch a movie last night and could not get to VUDU.  When Les clicked on movies, it turned the TV off!!  WTH!!!  I was ready to call someone right then, but Les said he would today.  But then this morning he researched online and figured out how to fix the problem himself and now it is good.  But.... like I said, I am waiting on that survey.  And I still don't know why we did not get the two techs who have worked on the system before.

So all that was a big aggravation added on top of how we feel about our yard right now.  The current status is front and side yards are still wet, muddy, squishy, and have bare spots where the grass is gone.  The backyard is not as wet but does have some soft areas.  We are being careful.

For a further aggravation, this morning I did a load of laundry and there was a shredded tissue in the load and I had to clean that up. Oh, and also, one of our furry boys threw up on the Christmas quilt I put on the bed a week ago.

But.... Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

P.S. A couple neighbors have already put up their outside decorations.  I hope they don't get letters from the OA.  It is too early.  But in support, here is a cute picture from a group of Vintage Christmas Cards I found online.

Prime Sun Spot!

We had some cold temperatures this past weekend.  Was in the 30's at night, even in 20's in some areas.  Sunday afternoon the sun was shining brightly and this was the prime spot for the furry boys.  As you can see, they were taking turns keeping an eye on the blowing leaves.  Actually, this was right after Les had been outside bagging leaves and had cleaned the things off.  They are coming down fast!  Finnigan was on lookout duty when I took this.  That's Cecil in the middle and Angus waiting for his turn at the window.

I am enjoying looking at this picture. There is definitely no sun today.  Today the forecast is so gloomy the weather man just put a big black rain cloud on the day.  It is raining all day, in the 40's, with gusty wind.  Nasty.

Les has gone to his dental appointment and is back home.  The final crown work is done.  He's done all the research on the dental plans and we made a decision and got signed up for new dental insurance.  The current plan is being discontinued.  So we are all set and covered.

I finished a really good book - Nora Roberts'  Year One.  Cataclysmic events in the world and lots of Magick and good witches, and terrible supernatural beings combined with encouraging story of the survivors working together to survive.  Due to a slight technical issue, I know that I am receiving the second in the series for Christmas.  So, an early big thank you to Les!  Can't wait!

Life remains great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Hey! From the "Swamp"

I have mentioned more than once how wet and muddy parts of our yard are.  We've had a lot of rain recently.  The yard was wet when the neighbors had a new roof going on.  That did  not help conditions.  Then we had to have our roof cleaned and the house power washed and the gates/fence scrubbed.  This only added to the worsening conditions.  And the drainage problems go back to the contractors grading of our property when we built the house.  It's always been a problem on both sides.

The front yard is much worse than the backyard.  Although the back does have the mole tunnels we are trying to get rid of.  It's just one thing added to another.  Our yard has gone from one of the best in the neighborhood to one of the "not good".  Les said he may not get to mow or do anything to the front until next Spring.

I've been handling the mulched areas and got out yesterday for a couple hours.  What needed to be done in the front I could do mostly by standing in the mulch.  When I had to move back and forth on the grass areas I tried to not step in the same spot more than once. I got the liriope and the daylilies cut back for the Winter and yanked up a few weeds, raked up a bunch of leaves.  Les has been working on the leaves a couple times and we are getting quite a pile of bags for the next bulk pick-up.

And today it is raining again!  Rained so hard last night pelting against the windows that it woke us up.  Sigh.

I have also mentioned that we have been waiting for a new tree.  The tree guy is running way behind his schedule due to storms, repairs, too much rain, etc.  Les and I decided this morning that we are postponing the new tree until next year.  I called and talked to Joel and explained, and he said he understood.  We are hoping that by the time it can be done he might be able to find our first choice of tree. We will talk about that when the time comes.  BTW, we have had so much rain that it has already washed away the paint lines from "Miss Utility" that were put down a couple weeks ago!  So, again, sigh.  Disappointing, but digging out the tree and grinding the stump and planting a new tree would only make matters much worse in the front yard.

In other news, Kirk went for routine service this morning, we went to breakfast, and then a bit later went and picked Kirk up.  Les has had his second shingles vaccine and gone to the chiropractor.  I've done the usual stuff here and groomed two of our three furry boys.  (nail clipping and brushing)  Will get Cecil soon.

A couple favorite TV shows are back for new seasons - "Mars" and "Star Talk".  They are on the DVR list!

So in spite of small annoyances, life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Remembering Veterans' Day

Thank you to all the Veterans of our great country.  We truly appreciate your service.

Stay safe and God Bless America!

Friday Again!

It's been a fairly busy week here and has gone way too fast! 

The weather has been up and down, back and forth. My joints do not care for that.  After mid-80's a couple days ago today is in 50's, dark and damp.  It rained earlier.  And for the weekend we might get frost or a freeze overnight.  If we do, then I'll plan on getting out to do some more yard work when there is a dry day and I can cut back the liriope and daylilies.

Yesterday Les was going to mow, but the ground is too wet and soft in some areas.  So instead he did a couple other outside chores and cleaned up leaves.  I helped a little and then we cleaned up and went to Pierce's for barbecue sandwiches.  YUM!  Drove back along the Colonial Parkway.  We used to enjoy taking a Fall drive in the convertible on a sunny Fall day and looking at leaves.  But this was nice, too.  There was a little color but just as many trees were bare already, and a few we could see that had been downed in the storms. Like I have said, it's been a hard weather year for things. The final stop on the way home was the Amish furniture store to look at desks.  Beautiful ones!  We got info and will think and measure.  😊  No hurry!

So today, in spite of the gloom and dampness, we have men working on cleaning the roof and siding.  We had gotten a letter from the Owner's Association saying our roof was dirty.  We didn't really think so, but if we looked hard and long enough could see a few places.  So we called Steve, our handyman guy, and got the name and number of the man up there working now.  Turns out several neighbors had also gotten letters, too.

I've been keeping up with the usual stuff.  Stripped the bed this morning and have laundry going.  I switched out the quilts and put the holiday one on the bed.  Will take our Anniversary quilt to the laundromat next week sometime and wash it.  It's too big for our washer and dryer.  I did get the mattress pad done here though.

Also been working on Christmas prep and inventory, etc.  Thanksgiving prep is good and only a couple things to get yet.

So all in all, life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Here is Finnigan being the first to lounge on the "new" quilt.  They love it when I switch them around!

A Surprise In the Mail !

In yesterday's mail there was a very small box for me.  I wasn't expecting anything so I opened it right away.  It was a thank you gift from Vera Bradley!  Some of you know how much I enjoy my Vera purses.  😊

It was a little coin "backpack"!  How cute!  Thank you, Vera! (or whoever came up with this cute advertising idea)

In other news, it rained during the night and this morning and now the sun is out, it's heading to 80 and I am hoping I don't have to turn the A/C back on!

Les had his dental appointment and it went okay.  We've both been to vote and I have done some errands.

Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Just Checking In

I hope everyone is well and that you all remembered to change all your clocks!  We are adjusting to the time change here, but the furry boys obviously stay on "their" time!   They followed me around yesterday with big eyes and asked for their supper about 3:30!

It is raining again today.  Temperatures are in the mid 60's, but it is gray and blah.  We had a couple days last week that we had to have the A/C back on.  Then it cooled down again and the heat is back on now.  It is that time of year.  The leaves are starting to fall down faster now.  Still not much color, just turning brown and falling.

The last we heard, things were going well at the Quilt Market in Houston.  Pam and Lynn are making lots of contacts and promoting "The Stitch TV Show".

Things are improving at Jacquie's house and the last of the plague is almost gone.

I've been busy keeping up with things around here, doing some extra Fall cleaning, taking inventory of the Christmas shopping and getting things in order.  I found a good sized turkey at Kroger and just need to get the potatoes and sweet potatoes yet for Thanksgiving.  At some point I am going to have to go shopping and find some new garland for the new Christmas tree.  There won't be enough of the old garland.

The yard work is pretty much under control.  After I made a phone call to the manager to "discuss", he sent the yard guys back to do some more work.  Our dying tree in the front yard is being taken out this week and a new one planted.  I have the mulched areas under control and pretty soon it will be time to cut back the day lilies and liriope.

We are both sick and tired of the nasty political ads and the many, many phone calls we do not answer.  Those come even though we do use the "no call" option.  We all need to have hope for some peace and calm in our country, but I am not sure that is what we will be getting.

But.....Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless Our America!

Remember, there are other worlds in which to sing.

Remember to "Fall Back"

Take it easy and adjust to the time change.

Life is great!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

A Mash of Holidays

Halloween is over.  Les and I did not go to Jacquie's to see the girls and they did not get to go Trick-or-Treating.  The plague has hit over there with congestion, coughing,  and vomiting.  I told Jacquie to call if they need anything at all and I will deliver to their front door.  She is holding up so far, but says she may have to just burn down the house to be done with the germs.  😊  Hope the plague will pass quickly and they will all be better soon.

Les and I stopped handing out candy a couple years ago.  It just got out of hand around here when the newspaper published the list of the best neighborhoods to go for the best candy.  Ours was at the top of the list and people come from all over and swarm the neighborhoods.  The last two years I handed out candy there was a lack of manners, not many saying "thank you", and large people not in costume wanting candy.  Plus some walking through the yard and mulched areas.  I said enough is enough.  So, we do something for our kids, turn out the lights and go out to dinner. 

I don't want to spoil anyone's Halloween fun, but come on!  There is no need to go into a neighborhood and just drop off vans full of kids.  Visit your neighbors and go where you know people. It's safer and better for everyone. We could hardly get down our street last night when we came home.  There were cars and large vans parked bumper to bumper along every curb and some blocking intersections.  And most of the people we saw obviously had no safety concerns.  They were in dark clothes, letting their kids run through yards, no flashlights, etc.  I hope no one was hurt.

By my observation, we are not the only residents who feel this way, I saw many dark homes.  And now that I have vented all this, here are some other thoughts.

After a very nice dinner at BJ's Brewhouse we went to the Mall.  We NEVER go to the mall in the evenings.  And I am pretty sure Les wasn't expecting to see all the costumed kids there Trick-or-Treating at the stores.  When I saw some in the parking lot I thought that was what was going on, but we went in and window-shopped and walked around.  I bought two things I had on my mental list to go look for sometime.  Had just been putting it off because it involved going to the Mall.  But we were there, so that's done.

There is nothing like going to the Mall on Halloween night, being surrounded by crowds of people,  little costumed kids, and shopping in the midst of Christmas decorations and music! 

Our weather is up and down.  It's supposed to make it to 80 today and tomorrow.  I plan to get out and do a little yard clean-up today.  But right now I am going to go swap out the Halloween decorations and set out our Thanksgiving ones!

Stay safe and God Bless America!  Life is great!