Greetings from the Beach!

Golfer and I arrived safely in Myrtle Beach yesterday afternoon. We ended up in a different building than we normally stay in but it's fine and it's closer to the ocean! We're on the eighth floor and can see the water from the balcony.

Golfer and his friends played golf this morning and I had some beach time and a swim in the pool. Don't know our dinner plans yet for this evening. The tournament start tomorrow. The guys have already checked in and gotten their goodie bags - tournament shirt and hat, golf balls, bag tag, sunscreen, a shoe bag, coupons, etc. Starting tomorrow evening there will be food and entertainment at the convention center.

That's all from here. Stay safe!

HELLO!

Things are humming right along here. You wouldn’t think late August would be so busy, but it is!

We’re going to have a fence installed in our back yard. That involved paperwork, applications and meetings with the fence company. Our plan was approved by the ARB and the deposit has been paid to the builders, so now it’s just a matter of a couple weeks before we come up on their schedule.

Albert, the cabinet maker, says our cabinets/shelves are built and he came by with stain samples for us to look over. So that project is at the stage where we just wait until Albert is all done and ready to come install those.

Golfer and I have been investigating and talking with our professional help and discussing retirement. Golfer is ready, things are looking pretty good. Watch for an announcement on that soon.

Golfer and I are getting ready for vacation. He will be playing in the large amateur championship in Myrtle Beach next week. After we return he will be off work a couple weeks to recuperate from some surgery on his hand that is scheduled a few days after our return.

Since he will be basically “one-handed” for a couple months, we’ve been busy getting some odds and ends done around the house and in the yard.

It’s been HOT here in Virginia and there have been frequent storms. We have been lucky and have not been in the areas hit with the flooding.

Nurse J and CableGuy have been busy doing some work on their house. The front is looking nice. We haven’t seen the inside work yet; it’s still in progress. They found someone to work on their backyard and there is a mountain (!) of bagged debris waiting for pick up! BeyB starts Middle School the day after Labor Day.

Bikini says things are going well with them. Everyone is busy and the kids have adjusted well to the new school year and daycare year.

So that’s about it from here. Life goes on, time flies, and all that sort of thing! Stay safe! I’ll think of you all while I’m sitting on the beach looking at the waves!

Hello!

Several times recently I have thought about posting on the blog. And obviously, I never got around to it!

All is well here. Things have been busy. Golfer and I had a trip to Ohio for Mom's 100th birthday. She's still enjoying all the cards,candy, and flowers she received as well as the goody bags full of canned goods some friends gave her. It was a nice party. Many thanks to my sister and my niece for doing almost all the work! Also to Tim, a friend who looks after the building where Mom lives. You can check out Bikini's blog and see the pictures she posted, too.

Golfer and I have been busy around our home. We want to get a privacy fence built in our back yard. Where we live has a home owners association and that means paperwork. We've done our part. The board meets on Thursday and I was told we might know by the weekend if everything was approved. Then it will be good-by to the neighbor's dog poo and hello to a better view on the other side!

We're also moving forward with the plans for our spare room. We're going to have a wall of floor-to-ceiling shelves and lower cabinets built. The same man who built the new cabinets for the master bath is doing it. Can't wait for that to be done! The wood has been ordered and he said he'd be bringing some stain samples by this week.

Golfer and some of his friends will be playing in the PGA Tour World Amateur Handicap Classic golf tournament in Myrtle Beach at the end of the month. This is always a fun time. There are usually over 4,000 players and they play at courses all over the area. Every evening at the Convention Center there are food and entertainment. Plus we get to see friends that we don't get to see all the time. AND... I get some more beach and pool time!

It's been very hot in Virginia - the dreaded triple H's - hot, humid and hazy. Last week we had a LOT of rain and there was flooding in some areas. None close to us. The yard is green. The geraniums are blooming. Some of the Encore azaleas are starting to bloom again now. And yet, they are putting Christmas things out in the stores. Don't get me started!

Boxer started kindergarten on August 3rd and he is doing well and having fun. Bloomer moved up a class at Daycare and she is doing well, also. BeyBe starts sixth grade the day after Labor Day.

So there you are! Life moves on. Stay safe!

A DAY LATE

Although I wished Golfer a "Happy Birthday" first thing yesterday morning, I never got around to posting a greeting. Sorry about that. But a delicious cake did get baked!

I love you and hope you had a good birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!

HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY, MOM! We love you!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRIEF! Love you, too!

JEEPERS! AND MANY APOLOGIES!

Time has been flying by and I did not realize it had been so long since a post.

First, Bikini celebrated a birthday on the 13th.... so a very belated "Happy" to her on this blog!

Seems like there just isn't enough time or energy some days. The yard work is on-going. I have been busy keeping the weeds under control and keeping the potted flowers healthy. And you know, if the weather is right, I have to have some pool time!

Been preparing at long distance for Mom's 100th Birthday celebration on August 1st. Her birthday is actually the 5th, but the 1st is when we can get everyone together and she said that was fine. My sister and niece have been doing almost all the work there in Ohio, so many, many thanks to them!

We've been getting estimates on having a fence put in in the back yard and estimates on a wall of shelves in the back room. I think we have made a decision, but have not done anything definite about it yet. Also doing a lot of thinking and studying on possible retirement for Golfer at the end of the year. So we have been busy.

And speaking of Golfer.... in the process of moving back into the office that he had just moved out of recently, he managed to fall and get bumped and bruised and break a rib. That required an ER visit and a week off work and on medication. He's feeling better, is being careful and is back to work this week. And he's anxious to be back out on the golf course!

My work has been busy; Rev. C. is on Sabbatical so all the phone calls, emails, and messages are coming to be. Most I can handle and others I pass on to other folks. Still time consuming. And right around now is when things start gearing up for all the things that start in the Fall.

Golfer and I saw "Half Blood Prince". It was a very good movie, but a lot of things from the book were left out or changed. But still, I want the DVD!

That's about it from here. We are still here and are doing okay. Life goes on.

Stay safe!

SOME THOUGHTS

As we approach Independence Day let us all take a moment to be thankful for what we have. And even though times may be tougher right now, we are better off than a lot of the world. So slow down, appreciate your loved ones around you, and be grateful for your freedoms.

And having said that, on to other things. I need to vent a little.

What’s up with a doctor’s staff focusing on the least of your symptoms when a message is left describing all of the said symptoms? And then acting like you are “not right” for declining the advice to take Tagamet and Maalox when they would have absolutely no affect on the worst of the symptoms? BTW, our regular doctor will be back from his well deserved vacation next week! Yea! Also, I am feeling better after stopping the offending medicine that started the symptoms in the first place! Not completely better yet, but better!

And please! What’s up with movie critics??? Golfer and I went to see the new “Transformers” movie this week. The critics hadn’t had anything good to say about it. Let’s be realistic here, “Transformers” is not meant to be a grand literary production with deep meaning. However, we loved it! It was great! I wish I had my own Bumblebee! Lots and lots of action, some really funny dialog, and an opening for another movie! Go see it! And Yea! for Regal Cinemas and their $1 popcorn nights on Tuesdays!

Some words I don’t like hearing: “the westbound tube of the bridge tunnel is closed due to pump failure”. A storm came through our area last night. Golfer and I are fine; we just got rain and some thunder and lightning. But last night the James River Bridge was closed because of power failure when lines were knocked out. This morning the bridge tunnel has a closed tube because of power problems from the storm damaging a pump. When we first moved here, every time Golfer drove us through the tunnel I would hold my breath. I eventually got to where I relaxed some and would breath. But really now, when you’re in a big tube under water with bumper-to-bumper traffic, you do not want to hear about pump failure. Fortunately, we don’t have to use the bridge tunnel all that often. But Geez! I always think of that part of The Stand where mankind is being wiped out and the survivors are trying to get somewhere and have to go through a dark tunnel full of wrecked cars full of people. Not for the claustrophobic!

That’s about all my venting now. Thanks for “listening”.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th! Stay safe. Be careful. If you need to find us, Golfer will be playing golf and I will be at the pool!