Happy New Year!

I hope everyone is doing okay and staying safe. Les and I will be right here this evening, having some of our favorite snacks and watching a movie.

I have all the undecorating done.  Things have been sorted, carefully packed up, and put away.  I still have a couple items to get to the attic, but for now they are in the garage.  The outside things had to dry out since we had some rain.  Some cleaning has been done and the laundry caught up.  Although I do have to go to the laundromat to wash the king size Christmas quilt.  Fortunately, they have huge washers.  It will fit in our dryer, so I'll bring it home to dry.  That's on the list for sometime this week.

I have also finished up the year-end spreadsheets for our taxes for donations and medical expenses.  And caught up on a bunch of desk work and filing that sort of just piled up in the drawer while I was doing other more important things.

Les says he is "alright" whenever anyone asks.  He lost of lot of strength and energy and is taking care of himself.  Follow-up appointments are this week.

It's sunny, windy, and cold here.  That's pretty much the forecast for the week.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  God Bless America!

Happy New Year!

Well, It's Been a While

I have had quite a few days this past month that I have not had a lot of time on the computer.  Some of those days were good and enjoyable, others were not so much.  

Christmas time is always busy with extra things to do like decorating, shopping, cooking, baking, sending cards.  And in our area there was still yard work and cleaning up leaves.

Pam, Z, and B came to visit for a couple days and that was a good time.  It was great to have them here.  They helped with a few of the chores, too. 

I have been trying to keep up with things. But there is always something to add to the "to-do" list.

And now for the not so enjoyable time.  Les was in the hospital again for a few days after another 911 call and trip in the ambulance to the ER.  We got him back home last Saturday and he is slowly regaining some strength.  There are recheck appointments scheduled with our GP doc and with Urology.  The hospital was full, and short staffed.  I spent the days there to help and be with Les.  I would have done that even the hospital wasn't full and short staffed.

Jordan entered one of her designs in a contest by the ODU Alumni Association.  Her design won!  And it was brought to life by another Alum and now one of the beautiful ornaments is hanging on our tree!

Also in the picture is Jordan's "Baby's First Christmas" ornament.  💕

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good, even when things aren't.  And God Bless America!

A Good Winter Evening

We're watching a great Christmas show, I'm under my quilt, we're surrounded by lovely decorations, Finnigan is under the tree, and Angus is on my lap.  Hope your holiday evenings are as good!  Stay safe.

Our Santas

Les' Dad made this Santa for us years ago, and he also made the "Fat Santa".  They are both given places of honor.  Christmas decorations have lots and lots of good memories.

And I have to include our Coca-Cola Santa that my Mom rescued from the village grocery store so many years ago.  He has a place of honor, too.

I hope you are all having a safe and peaceful holiday season.  Stay safe.

Our Elves!

 

I like to post a picture of our elves every year just to say they are still with us.  My Mom bought them for Jacquie and Pam when the girls were very young.  When I'm decorating, I always give them a place of honor, and put them together.  I like to think that my Mom likes this.

Take care of yourselves.  Stay safe.  God Bless America!

Done!

Hey, all, I hope everyone is doing well.  Les and I are alright, nothing new happening.  It's been cold here for a couple nights.  The freezing temperatures have finished off our blooming Azaleas.  But the red Geraniums on the porch are still blooming and look nice with the Christmas decorations.  There are still leaves on the trees, many on the ground to clean up, and yard work that could be done. But it will need to be just a little warmer before I go out to work on that. 

It took me three days to get the decorating done and I am happy to say it's done and looks good.  Les helped where he could.  We enjoy our trees and other decorations.  I have been working on some extra cleaning and that is coming along.  In the evenings we've been watching our Christmas movies.

Here are some pictures.

Stay safe and take care of yourselves.  Life is good.  And God Bless America!

Well, It's Been a While

Right after I made my last post a couple weeks ago, things started happening.  I hope everyone is doing okay and had a nice Thanksgiving.

Les spent a few days in the hospital but is home now and doing okay.  Scary times, but the hospital and staff were taking good care of him.  And while he was there, other family members also needed some medical attention.  They are also on the mend.  I did my best to keep up with things and take care of car issues and other things that came up.  

And to top things off, our computer died.  We had been having issues with it for a while and I guess it just finally gave up.  But Les ordered what we wanted/needed online at Best Buy.  It was delivered here to the house.  Then a Geek Squad tech came and set it up and got things straightened out.  We had what seemed like days and days with no computer.  So we've been catching up on things.

We are up and functioning now.  Jacquie and Jordan came and had Thanksgiving dinner with us.  Chris and the little girls were either sniffly, coughing, or stuffy.  We sent food to them when Jacquie and Jordan went home.  

I started Christmas decorating on Friday.  I have had to accept the fact that I can no longer do ALL the decorating in one day like I used to.  But today was Day 3, and everything is done now.  There is still some cleaning to do, but that is for another day.

Our weather is cold, windy, and raining today.  Many leaves are still falling.  But we still have Geraniums and Azaleas blooming!

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  There are lots of germs and viruses going around everywhere.  Life is good, even when it isn't great.  Consider the alternative.  God Bless America!

This is the new dining room tree.

Les' Childhood Home

 

While we were visiting our family in Ohio, we did our usual drive around to look at places we remember and see how things have changed.  Of course, this farm is always at the top of the list.  This is where Les grew up.  You can't see the house from Rt. 93 now, but the view still holds memories. 

Les remembers how he and his brother would help Dad mow all that yard.  There was sledding in the winter on that hill.  The garden was behind the house and garage.  There was a barn, too.

When our girls were young and we were visiting, Les and his Dad had gone somewhere.  The girls and I were there with his Mom.  A cow got loose!  She called for me to get the girls and go help her round it up and back where it was supposed to be.  I will say right here that I had absolutely no experience in rounding up a cow and getting it to move, but we tried.  It did eventually get back into its space.  As a side note, my only real experience with livestock was going along with Les, Dad, and Les' brother and sister to the livestock auction.  I remember Dad telling me to get up on the fence!  I was just following along and looking at the animals, and a bunch of them were being moved down the row very fast.  I got on the fence.

Years ago you could see the house better from the road.  The trees have grown a lot.  We think maybe they should have been kept trimmed a bit.

Good memories.  Take care of yourselves.  Stay safe.  And God Bless America!

Thank You to All Who Have Served

 

Thank you Wild Birds for the lovely photo

 

I know that today is not Veterans Day, but everyone should be thanking those who serve and have served every day.  And while you are at it, remember to thank their families, too.

Take care of yourselves and God Bless America!

Yes, Coffee!

 

And........ when I am having my coffee, I want to just sit and enjoy it!

I hope everyone is doing well.  Les and I are "okayish".  (Jacquie came up with that term for us)

We did some more yard work.  Les rode the mower around the back yard with the baggers on the mower and he cleaned up a bunch of leaves beside cutting the grass.  This week, over two days, the whole yard will be done again if the weather cooperates.  Right now it is mid-60's and sunny.  While he was mowing, I worked on the mulched areas, and helped him bag the leaves and grass and do cleanup.

There is still some cleanup work to be done in our mulched areas.  I hope to get to that sometime this week.

I just finished washing windows.  A couple were bothering me and I figured I should just do them all and get them done.  They need to be done before Thanksgiving anyway.  You know, because the Christmas decorating might start Thanksgiving evening depending on my energy level. 😊 🎄  Once the trees are up, it's hard to get to the windows to clean them.

I am doing pretty well with my hearing aids.  It is a process, but going well.  I go next week for an adjustment with the doctor.  She said we will fine tune levels and sounds.

I still have some Christmas shopping to do, but most of it is done.  And some has been wrapped, delivered, or packed and sent.  And since we lost some of our Microsoft things on the computer after they did an update or something, and we totally lost my address database, I have started on the cards.  I really, really miss that database.  Some of our saved addresses have been lost forever.  Ones that we use the most I do have a paper copy of, so I can handwrite addresses.  But I really miss being able to print the labels for cards.  I just write some until my hands hurt, and then stop.  Life goes on.  Overall, this is a small issue to have.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  God Bless America!

This Is True

 

Stay safe and take care of yourselves.  God Bless America!

A Good One!

 

Thank you I Can Haz Cheeseburger!   

I hope everyone is doing well.  Les and I are okayish.  

It was 36 when we got up this morning and there was some frost on the roof.  Today it is windy and sunny and we have a freeze warning for tonight.  

I have gotten my hearing aids and am in a period of adjustment. I had no idea how many things I was not hearing!  Little things like the little beep when the dishwasher is turned on, and the clicking of the turn signal in the car.  My voice sounds too loud in my head and my doctor says that is normal and I will adjust.  I overcompensated and Les told me I wasn't loud enough. 😊 So I'm working on that.  And best of all, besides hearing things, is I am not hearing the tinnitus I've had for many years.  It's nice the buzzing sound is gone!

Our MDX was in for service for a couple days.  He's back home now.  

We had our quarterly pest control.  Glad to have that done, I had seen a couple spiders inside and I have a bad reaction to spider bites.  Fortunately, the ones I saw were moving slow enough for me to get them. 😊

I've been busy keeping up with things and working on the Christmas shopping.  And it was time to put away the Halloween decorations and put out our Thanksgiving ones. 

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  God Bless America!

Accept and Adjust

I hope all is well with you all.  Please stay safe and take care of yourselves. 

Les and I decided to go to Ohio to visit family for a couple days.  It was great to see them and look at places we remembered.  But the trip was a little stressful and we have accepted that we probably won't be taking any more long road trips.

We are safely home now.  We've been catching up on things, going to appointments, and just generally taking care of things.  

We got the yard work done a few days ago.  It's the time of year when the mower has to have the bagger to pick up the leaves.  Those are coming down fast!  I still have some work to do in our mulched areas.  There are a few weeds to pull and leaves to get out of there, too. 

It's been very warm and humid and the A/C was turned back on.  That actually happened the day we had the HVAC Winter checkup!  But all is good with the system and by Tuesday, if the weather people are correct, we'll have the heat back on.  Halloween is supposed to be cold and raining. 

On our drive to Ohio we got to see many lovely trees, so I will share some pictures.

Take care of yourselves, life is good, and God Bless America!

It's Time to Post This Again

 

I have always liked this picture since a friend posted it a few years ago.  So I have to share it again.

It's been a busy week, here.  I had my annual eye appointment, Les had a doctor appointment, I had a hair appointment, and I had an appointment with the Audiologist to get fitted for hearing aids.  On that topic--- she was very nice and explained everything in detail, gave me pros and cons of the different types available.  I didn't care much for the gooey rubbery stuff that went in my ears to make the molds, but it was okay and didn't take long for it to set up.  The hearing aids will be made and sent back to Dr. Bowman.  I should get them next month.

Our weather has been cool and was rainy for a couple days.  Today is sunny, cool, and windy. Leaves are falling fast!

I hope all is well with you all.  Take care of yourselves.  Remember to get your vaccinations and stay safe.

Life is good.  And God Bless America!

Hey!

I hope all is well with everyone.  Les and I are okayish.  Seems like it's been a busy week here.

We started out the week with dentist appointment for us both.  Unfortunately, we both have to return for some work later this month.  It's issues with old fillings and not-young-teeth.  😀

On Tuesday Les had some lab work done.  We're still waiting to hear from the new doctor.

On Thursday we went and got the new Covid vaccine at CVS.  Our doctor's office is still  not giving vaccines yet.  We were in the pharmacy maybe fifteen minutes and then home.  Neither of us had any major reactions.

We also did some yard work.  It was the first time for the grass to be mowed since the yard guys did the aeration and seeding.  We were supposed to water it every day for two weeks before mowing to give the new grass a chance.  We had some frequent rain so the grass really grew.  But Les got it mowed and I did cleanup and weed pulling.

Today it's in the mid-60's and gray.  It's rained a little but I don't think it is done. ☔

I've been keeping up with all the usual daily things around the house and done a few extra things, too.  There is always something that needs to be done.

This coming week I have my annual eye appointment, a hair appointment, and an appointment with the Audiologist.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  God Bless America!

Hey

We lucked out with Ophelia here.  The storm was worse to the West of us and to the South of us.  Closer to the water there was a lot of flooding.  We got a lot of rain, 3 1/2", and a lot of wind, but not the worst part of the storm.  Today is in the upper 60's, 80% humidity, and cloudy.

The yard is too wet and soft right now to do storm cleanup.  LOTS of branches and bits are down.  I did go out this morning and clean up the porch, walk, and driveway out front.  And I cleaned up the piles of stuff against the curb that were blocking water flowing to the storm drain. I used the blower on the patio and set the chairs and tables back up, and wiped them off.  That is all the cleanup that can be done right now.

We got our senior flu vaccines on Friday and neither of us had any reactions.  As soon as I can find availability, I'll schedule our new Covid vaccines.  Seems like it's not being given many places yet and in short supply so far.

I didn't want to walk on the yard and get wet and muddy so I took a picture of the rain gauge from the patio and enlarged the focus. 😊

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  And God Bless America!

From a Friend's Recent Post

I remember this show!  

Take care of yourselves.  And God Bless America!

Just a Funny!

 Have a good day and take care of yourselves!

Morning Sky

 

I hope you are all doing well!

I took this picture a couple mornings ago.  I thought it was worth sharing.  Our weather has cooled off a bit and we got the yard work done over the last two days.  

I have declared Fall Cleaning "done", and am now just keeping up with all the usual things and chores.

The yard guys should be here this week to aerate and seed the yard.  I have my annual mammogram tomorrow.  Thursday we go to get Les a new USAF ID card.  And Friday we both get our Senior Flu shots.  Some time during the week I need to go to the Commissary and I'd like to take the TLX to the car wash and then do some detailing.  But we'll see about all that. 😀

Life is good.  Take care and stay safe.  And God Bless America!

Another Look

We have a break in the heat here and our temps are in the upper 70's today with a breeze.  There might be some rain on Sunday, but tomorrow is supposed to be nice.  And that is good since we plan to get the yard work done before the aeration next week.

Today has just been doing usual stuff around the house and getting some errands done.  The last of the laundry is in the dryer right now.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  And God Bless America!

Ah, The Fresh Smells!

I have spent the last week or so working on Fall cleaning.  You know, deeper cleaning like our mothers and grandmothers used to do Spring and Fall.  But this past Spring I sort of "blew off" Spring cleaning due to other things happening that we were dealing with.  So I really wanted to work on Fall cleaning now.  I've been busy and tired, and am very glad that I have gotten these things done.

There is just nothing like the fresh clean smells of Windex, Scrubbing Bubbles, Tile-X, Pinesol, Hoover carpet cleaning solution, and Pledge!  

We have a break in the very hot and humid temperatures that we've been having and today is in the mid-80's and very breezy.  It's still humid, so it's not time to open windows. 

And since the cleaning products and equipment are put away for  now, it was time to get out the Fall decorations.  I got us a new Fall wreath for the front door.  I think it looks nice.  Our ceramic pumpkins are setting around in various places.  I'll get out the things that are Halloween related around the first of October.

We'll be doing some yard work this weekend.  The yard guys will be coming next week to do the Fall aeration and seeding so we have to get things ready out there.

I hope you're all doing well and staying safe.  We have appointments for our Senior Flu vaccines in a couple weeks.  And we'll be getting the new Covid vaccine as soon as it is available.

Life is good.  God Bless America!

Hey!

It's been a busy couple of days here.  We had some remnants of Idalia and got some rain and wind, as well as heat and humidity.  And then once things were drying out from the wind after the rain stopped, we had temperatures in the 70's with the continuing breezes.  So cleanup could be done!

We had one pretty big branch come down in the yard.  I cut off as much as I could and we bagged that up.  Then I went around with my grabber and large bag and we picked up all the other smaller branches and bits.  I also pulled up weeds and made sure the mulched areas were cleaned up.

Then the second day I finally got out to work on the back corner of the yard.  Those shrubs really needed trimming, as well as a bit trimmed on the Hydrangeas.  That required some major clean up.  I am happy with the new trimmer that I bought.  It worked great and is light enough that it was easy for me to use.  And again, some weeds were pulled up while I was there.  Never-ending job!

I took breaks and enjoyed sitting on the patio, and even ate my lunch out there.  About the time I was finishing up, Les came out to mow the grass and now the yard is looking pretty good.

Otherwise, I've been trying to keep up with things.  I usually do some deeper cleaning in the Spring and Fall.  This past Spring I gave up on that due to other things we were dealing with.  But now that the yard is in good shape, I am ready for some Fall cleaning!  🍂🍂

My appointment with our new doctor went very well.  I went with an open mind and decided if I didn't liked her, I could find another doctor.  But she was very nice and spent time talking with me and discussing things.  She set up a couple lab appointments and also an appointment for me in February.  Les will meet her in December.

Life is good.  Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  God Bless America!

I took this while sitting on the patio yesterday.  Eventually there will be a pumpkin beside the owl and cat.  And yes, I know it's early for Halloween decorations.  But the cat makes me happy.  And I am taking happy whenever and wherever I find it.  

Just a Pretty Sky Picture

 

I took this picture the other day.  Our weather here is hot and humid.  We may get more rain later today.  My thoughts are with our friends in the path of Idalia.  Hopefully, the storm misses them.  

I heard one of the emergency officials speaking on the news this morning.  His words were to "stay calm, but run from the water, and hide from the wind".  Good advice.  If you are in a flood zone, move away until the storm passes.  Otherwise, hunker down, and take care of yourselves.

This afternoon I am going to what I am calling a "meet and greet" with the new doctor we have been transferred to.  I have my list of questions all ready.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  And God Bless America!

Smile!

I hope everyone is doing well.  It's a busy time all over for a lot of you.  School starting, adjustments to routines being made, weather events to prepare for and clean up after.  Take care of yourselves and stay safe.

Larry and Violet came to visit us for a couple days.  It was great to have them here!  Thanks! 

Les and I are doing "okayish".  Trying to take care of ourselves and  keep up with things.

I have an appointment this week to meet the new doctor we have been "assigned" to.  Dr. Putland retired, and it is hard to adjust.  He was our doctor since the very early 1990's.  I will let you know how it goes with the new doctor. 

I just realized I never mentioned the MRI again.  It went well.  The good news is that they did not find any lesions, growths, or issues that were causing the hearing loss in my left ear.  I see the Audiologist again in October - first available appointment - to discuss what is next.  

It's hot and humid here.  As always, there is yard work I would like to get done.  But it is all going to wait until a nice cooler day when I feel like doing it. 😀

Life is good.  God Bless America!  And remember to smile!

Funny from I Can Haz Cheeseburger site.

Ready for Fall!

 

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.  I don't know about all of you, but I am ready for some cooler and calmer weather.  I have always loved Fall, the lovely colors, and the fresh cooler air.

C and E were here the other day and they helped Mr. Gnome fix up his garden for Fall.  It might seem early to some of you.  But keep in mind since I like Fall so much, I will be getting out my ceramic pumpkins (not the Halloween ones!) and a few other Fall things that we have.  The girls did a great job with the small garden!  Thank you, girls!

Stay safe, people.  Life is good.  And God Bless America!

Winter Forecasting

Below are the 20 signs in nature to be wary of ahead of the upcoming winter season later this year:

1. Thicker-than-normal onions or corn husks
2. Woodpeckers sharing a tree
3. The early arrival of the snowy owl
4. The early departure of geese and ducks
5. The early migration of the Monarch butterfly
6. Thick hair on the nape of a cow’s neck
7. Heavy and numerous fogs during August
8. Raccoons with thick tails and bright bands
9. Mice chewing furiously to get into your home
10. The early arrival of crickets on the hearth
11. Spiders spinning larger-than-usual webs and entering the house in great numbers
12. Pigs gathering sticks
13. Ants marching in a line rather than meandering
14. Early seclusion of bees within the hive
15. Unusual abundance of acorns
16. Muskrats burrowing holes high on the river bank
17. “See how high the hornet’s nest, ‘twill tell how high the snow will rest.”
18. The size of the orange band on the Woolly Bear (or Woolly Worm) caterpillar
19. Squirrels gathering nuts early to fortify against a hard winter
20. Frequent halos or rings around the sun or moon forecasts numerous snowfalls

The above list is from "News Break" that we get from Ohio.  I thought I'd share so you could all think about Winter while most of the country is still having high heat indexes, high humidity, storms, floods, and other nasty weather.  Take care of yourselves!  I have seen some of these listed things over the years.  But I think number twelve is the most interesting.  I have never, ever, seen a pig carrying a stick.  😀

God Bless America!  Life is good.

Thank You, Larry!

 

This is my memory brick.  Les' brother, Larry, got it for me and mailed it to me.  And here is the story.

I was in the high school class of 1967.  We were seniors when Fairless, the new high school, opened and we were the first class to graduate out of the new school.

This was a big event at the time.  Les and I are from a rural area of Ohio.  Each town had their own school.  And those schools were getting crowded.  The plan was for consolidation of the all the towns schools into one school district.  That took a few years.  First the idea had to be voted on and passed.  And it would require a small increase in taxes, which evidently a lot of voters did not want.

I remember in grade school, before elections, our teachers would have us make posters for the school levy and instead of recess, we'd walk around town with the posters.  Eventually the levy passed, but it took a few years.

Each town kept their own grade school, grades one through six.  All of the districts' seventh graders were bussed out to one really small town, Justus, for that school.  All of the districts' eighth and ninth graders were bussed to Brewster.  And grades ten through twelve were bussed to Navarre.  Of course, if you lived close to whatever school your grade was assigned to, you just walked there.

When the new high school was built out in a great open area sort of between the towns, it was quite an occasion.  All of the high school students were bussed.  A few had the privilege of driving, but I don't remember many.

The principal of the high school was Mr. Cain.  Every morning, rain or shine, he was out in front of the school checking to  make sure no one wore any cleats on their shoes that would damage the floors.  He also checked to make sure the girls' skirts were not too short and the guys didn't have cigarettes rolled in their shirt sleeves.

Time passes, things change.  Fairless High school that I knew is no more.  It was just torn down and a new school built close-by.  A lot of things from the school that were not being moved, were sold or auctioned.  And a notice went out that unbroken bricks from the old school could be picked up for anyone who wanted a "memento".  I had mentioned that I wouldn't mind having one and Larry had a chance to get one for me.  So thanks again, Larry!

I have not decided where exactly the brick will stay but for now it has a "place of honor" in our living room.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  And God Bless America!

Ongoing Project

 

When we had a break in the extremely hot weather one day last week, I went out early in the morning and did some work on this back corner of our yard.  I got a lot done, but there is still some work to do.  You can't really see in this picture, but in the middle of the shrubs and bushes, are three shrubs that need to be trimmed.  Our old hedge trimmer is corded and we don't have enough extension cords to reach back there, even if I wanted to take a chance on doing that.  So I ordered a new Black and Decker rechargeable battery powered one.  I have it put together and charged and am ready for the next break in weather and next surge of energy.  😊  You know how it is, we have to prioritize.

The heat and humidity are back up and we are supposed to have some storms later today.  I have my limits for working in the yard when it comes to the heat.  I'll keep you posted.

In other news, we've been having ongoing issues with our TV and Internet.  We have an appointment next week for a Verizon service tech to come and set up the new router and an extender.  We are expecting the Geek Squad people this afternoon to deliver our new TV and set all that up.  Wish us luck.  

Yesterday was Les' birthday.  We went out for lunch and in the evening, Jacquie, Chris, and the girls came over to visit and have cake.  

We are also expecting the generator service tech this morning for the annual generator check-up.  I hope he gets here before the rain starts.

I had my annual ENT and hearing appointment on Monday.  I have had a "significant" loss in my left ear in what is considered a short time according to the Audiologist.  So the NP ordered an MRI to  determine if there was something in my brain causing issues with nerves that control hearing.  Huh. That is scheduled for next Friday.  Then I guess we'll decide what is next.

Our girls are busy, Jordan's job is going well, and the rest of the grandchildren are getting ready to go back to school and classes.  Time flies!

I am doing my best to keep up with things.  Life is good.  Stay safe and take care of yourselves.  God Bless America!

Happy Birthday, Les!

Love you now and forever!

Picture from Myrtle Beach in 2010
Still a favorite picture!

Take Your Smiles Where You Find Them!

The other morning on my way to get our Starbucks coffees, and while I was sitting at a red light, I saw this cloud.  It was so lovely I had to take a picture.  The longer I sat in traffic at the red light, the more it looked like this.

Smile as often as  you can and take care of yourselves.  Life is good.  God Bless America!

Whew!

We've had a break in the weather here.  It's still hot and humid, but at least the heat index is not over 100!  

We are doing alright.  I'm still trying to keep up with things.  I hope to get out some time and do some more work in the yard this week.  Those weeds just do not stop growing!  The heat has been a bit tough on some plants; so far nothing has completely died.  But those pesky weeds seem to thrive!

Not really a lot to write about, but I wanted to just say hi.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  God Bless America!

P.S. This made me laugh!

Hey!

I hope everyone is doing well and staying cool.  Good luck with that!

We had a slight break in the temperature here a few days ago.  It was a brief break, but it was enough for me to go out really early and get the front shrubs trimmed and the area cleaned up.  Looks a lot better!  And Les got the mowing done.  I'm so glad we bought the riding mower a few years ago.

I have had several interactions with AI chats or whatever you want to call them.  I would like to say they are not helpful.  After multiple attempts to get help, I finally got a live person.  Unfortunately, she was evidently in another country.  I had no idea what she was saying with such a strong accent.  I asked for her to transfer me to someone else and she said she couldn't.  She just talked slower and louder.  That did not help much.  So, here is a word of customer service advice to all companies:  Please make sure your employees can speak clearly and be understood before you put them on the phone!  I have no idea if she has taken care of the problem or not.  BTW, this was with Amazon.  And if I could get another live person, I would tell them this myself. 😊

I don't know if Finnigan thinks it's cooler under the ottoman, but he has started resting there.  Sometimes he has toys under there, too.

Angus has been more of a lap-sitter lately.  Here's a close-up from the other evening.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe. Life is good.  And God Bless America!

High Aspirations

 

This poor holly bush has had a couple rough years.  For a quite a while it was shaded by the neighbor's  very large, very old pine tree.  She had it removed for safety reasons and everything in this corner of our yard is now growing better than ever.  Then the bush had a complete dead limb happen and I had to prune it out.  That made it pretty lop-sided.  That has filled in pretty well now.  And this sweet bush now has a growing, long stem? branch? growing right up the middle.  When I first noticed it, I thought maybe I should prune it.  Then I decided to let it go and let it grow.  It is really making an effort.  There is another holly bush in this area, it might just be showing off. 😊

Les and I are doing alright.  I've completed several larger cleaning and housekeeping projects since my last newsy post.  There is yard work waiting to be done.  But honestly, with heat index temperatures at 100 or higher, those chores are waiting.  (I am not stupid) 😀

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.  Take care of yourselves.  Life is good.  God Bless America!

This Made Me Laugh!

This is from today's newspaper, "Pickles" funny.

Stay safe and take care of yourselves.  Remember to laugh!  Life is good and God Bless America!

A Thought

While reading the "AARP Bulletin", I saw this quote from Michael J. Fox

"Optimism is sustainable.  If you can find something to be grateful for, then you can find something to look forward to."

Sounds like a good idea.  Every day is a gift, be grateful.

Stay safe people.  God Bless America!

I'm ending this post with a picture from one of our favorite restaurants in South Carolina, Bimini's.  Life is good, no matter what.  

BTW, that is a Grouper basket.  I love it!  And I don't usually eat seafood.

I Wonder What I Was Looking At??

Pat was recently going through some "old" pictures and sent me a couple.  Sadly, I do not remember where this was or what I was seeing out that window.  😌

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  And God Bless America!

I'm Just Saying....

Doesn't everyone have a day like that every once in a while??  😊

 Have a good day and take care of yourselves. 😊   

Updates

I hope you are all having a safe, peaceful, and happy Independence Day!  

We are having a quiet day here.  It's hot and humid and the heat index is moving to over 100 degrees.

The patio work is done.  Since I last posted about it, I have been out to scrub the siding and our chairs.  I bought three small gray side tables that go well with the chairs.  We plan to get a large umbrella and possibly another chair.  It would be nice to have something like a lounge chair, but unfortunately, those are all made too low.  We need something higher so we could actually get out of it! 😊

Then on another day, I went out and took care of the Hydrangeas.  They have been beautiful this year.  They needed to be dead-headed and cleaned up.  All the stone dust and then moisture was not good for them.  But they are still blooming and lovely.  I tidied up the mulch and moved a bit of the extra to another area where it was needed.  And then pulled weeds and tidied up in another area.  There is still yard work waiting to be done, but that is for another day.  When it is this hot, I do not do yard work unless it's early in the day.

And then another day, I cleaned all the windows.  The ones on the side of the house and across the back were especially nasty with stone dust that had turned to a clay-like substance with moisture. And there was some flung about mud, too.  But that is all cleaned up now.

Our girls and families are doing well.  Everyone is busy.  Jordan's job is going very well!

Here are pictures I took this morning of the patio so far. This is still a work in progress.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  And God Bless America!

Just Some Good Advice!

Tried a New Restaurant!

 

I had seen some good comments about 134 Grille online and recently we thought we'd try it for breakfast.  It is a small place that is owned by a retired couple who used to run the local Harley dealership that was owned by their family.  Les and I got there about twenty minutes after their listed opening time.  The man immediately apologized for running a little late. But he told us to sit wherever we wanted and gave us menus.  Told us his wife would be in later, she was with their grandkids.  And he had sent his  mother-in-law to the grocery.  The mother-in-law was soon back, and the man was busy cooking our orders. The wife soon arrived, too.  The place was clean, neat, quiet, the people friendly, and the food was good.  When our meals were brought out, the man immediately told Les he was not happy with the over-easy eggs and was cooking new ones.  They had split when flipped, I think.  And those second eggs came right out.  Les said after we left he wouldn't have sent the first ones back but he wasn't given a chance to say anything. 😊 So this was a good experience, and we'll go back.  

This sign was on the wall.  Over the years when I've been to craft fairs and sales, I have frequently thought "that's nice, but Pam could make that, or Jacquie could make that, and for sure Dad could have made it".  Now I can think "oh, Jordan could make that!".

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good.  And God Bless America!

An Update

We had a BIG storm during the night.  It woke me up around 2:00 a.m.  Actually it was the very bright  lightening with no sound that was flashing that woke me up.  It rained really hard, and was very windy.  Eventually the storm got itself all together and the lightening connected to the thunder as it got closer.  Today it is hot and sunny, with more potential storms in the forecast. 

Yesterday was a lot of work on the patio.  Big trucks delivering things, many guys working.  They were here before 8:00 a.m. and didn't leave until around 4:00 p.m.  The stone work and the secure border was all done.  I had some discussions about various things with the supervisor and then discussed with Les.  We had been asked if we wanted to have them remove the existing small patio and replace it with the same stone as the new.  My first response was to ask for the estimate on that.  Turns out that was the same price as the work on removing the deck and installing the new patio, so we said no, just work the stones together.  I think it looks good and I know over time the color and stones will change a little.  

Today there are two workers who have been here for hours.  Their job was to pick up any debris and trash, put down some topsoil where it was needed around the patio, and then put down a little mulch where needed.  All the previous men who were here working were friendly, polite, and knew what they were doing.  The two men today are okay, but don't seem very motivated or energetic. Most of the time when I've looked out they've been on their phones.  They've been here almost  five hours and are not done.  And I've had to talk to them about covering up the clearly flagged sprinkler heads with damp dirt and then standing on them.  I had to explain that when they did that it packed mud down into the sprinkler head and it would not work.  Sigh.  Perhaps a little more training needed with these two.  But overall, the project has been okay.  We will be happy with the new patio and final pictures will be coming soon.  This was taken late yesterday afternoon.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  God Bless America!