LIFE CHANGES

Life changes (n.)

Life changes (v.)

Doesn't matter which it is - noun or verb - they are changes. Things are different from what they used to be. Some are better. Some not so much.

One day you wake up and wonder where the time has gone. Seems like it was just yesterday your children were tiny. All of a sudden you realize they're all grown up and have turned into very wonderful responsible adults with children of their own.

Time has flown. Life has moved on. Some things you used to be able to do aren't so easy any more. You can still do them, you just have to plan it out and be careful. You pace yourself.

People you have known and loved are not around any more. You miss them. You meet new people. They don't take the places of the others, they make their own spaces.

Places you have lived, and places you have traveled to change. You go back to visit and they're either all built up and you don't recognize anything or they've been ignored and aren't in such great shape.

So. Life changes. We grow up. We have families. We get older. If we are fortunate and very lucky (I am) , we have a soul mate to go through life with. (I do) I love you Golfer!

You look for the positive. Remain optimistic! Yes your children are all grown. But hey! you can now delegate and let them take over worrying about details! (I recently did just that!)

Enjoy the small things.

Eat some ice cream if you want it. Or chocolate! Sometimes someone will say my almost 101-year-old mother shouldn't be eating a certain thing. I figure why the hell not? She's almost 101!

So. Here we are a few months into Golfer's retirement. Are things different? A little. We've adapted. I love him and love having him around more. Does he miss work? I don't think he misses the job; it had been getting kind of stressful. I think he probably misses some of the people.

So we're living our lives. It isn't always flashy and exciting, but it's loving and comfortable.

Stay safe out there!

BUSY WEEK!

Hey, all!

I haven't written much lately. But the few of you who read this blog already know that! I swear whatever goes on in Bikini's head is contagious. We tease her about writing her emails in her head and not sending them. I've been thinking of lots of things I want to write about, but just haven't done it.

This past week was pretty busy -- work for me, all the regular/normal stuff to do around the house, trips to the "Y", some physical therapy for Golfer, and some golf for him. Then on Thursday the work started on replacing our heating and A/C system. It was close to ninety humid degrees that day. Our heating equipment is in the attic. We had been told it would be a two day job, but the man in charge told us at the end of the day, after they finished, that since it was so hot they wanted to get it done for us. It works fine! On Friday they came with the new water heater and got that job done. Golfer is now working on paperwork for the incentives, rebates and refunds.

Our furry kids have been busy with guard duty. They post themselves at the windows and keep watch. We have a little tiny baby bunny living under our deck. He is sooooo cute! I have to think he has a family somewhere and didn't just end up here in our yard by himself. He looks healthy and is helping to keep the grass trimmed. For some reason our furry kids feel threatened by him and get all excited when he makes an appearance.

Mom doesn't have a computer, but I want to wish her a very Happy Mother's Day anyway. I wish we lived closer; but I'll call her tomorrow.

And speaking of mothers... I'd also like to take the opportunity to tell Bikini and Nurse J how proud I am of them and that I think they are both great mothers to our grandchildren! Love you both!

Take care and stay safe!

NO EXCUSES, JUST BEEN BUSY

Well, evidently it's just one more thing that is hereditary, either up line or down line! Taking after Bikini, it's been a while since I've written anything!

The weather here has been good and when Golfer and I had the energy and enthusiasm, we've been getting some things done around the house. He's started putting the wood sealer/protectant on the new wood fence. He's also been keeping up with the mowing and trimming and other yard work. It hasn't been all that long ago that we had to acquire some help in that area and I'm so glad Golfer is feeling up to tackling these jobs again. He's also getting a little more time on the golf course!

I decided that the pollen was letting up some and I hauled out all my scrubbing equipment and tackled the porch and front of the house. The siding and windows look much better. (no thanks to the bird who pooed above the garage door the next day!) On the next bout of energy I will tackle some more windows.

We also decided to take advantage of the rebates and incentives being offered now and replace our heating/AC system and get a new water heater. The old ones have been working okay but we know their time is limited. So the work on that starts next week. Supposed to only be a two day job.

I hope you all are well and happy! Stay safe! I'll write again soon.

SPRINGTIME IN VIRGINIA - HACK, COUGH, WHEEZE!

Hey, All!

I hope you are all well and happy!

Things are "busting out all over" in our area. And along with that comes the major pollen issues of the season. We had several days that were near 90, so the A/C had to be turned on. For cooling as much as for keeping the pollen outside! Then we had a nice rain and wind one night and that sort of cleaned the air for a while and cooled things off. today is sunny and in the low 60's. And, the pollen is building back up.

Golfer and I had a busy week, but the yard looks great! Our friend, C, who does landscaping, came and spread out a truck-load of new mulch for us and did some edging. We had some areas enlarged because grass was not growing and we added some stepping stones and planted a couple new azaleas. Deck furniture has been cleaned and grass mowed and things are looking good out there.

We also planted a tiny Rose of Sharon bush. Our sister-in-law, V, started it for us from a cutting from one she has kept going. They are descendants of one that Golfer's Mom and Dad had years ago. Ours is tiny, but appears healthy.

I have been pondering what to put on the deck table this year. You might remember that last year I had bought the cute coffee cup pots and had them filled with lovely growing things. The pots did not survive the weather when it started to get colder here and they are now gone, after their glazing cracked and the pottery broke. I thought I wanted something I didn't have to be sure to water every couple days, and I found just the thing! I had been looking for a frog or turtle to use as a centerpiece, but all the ones I saw were sort of goofy looking. Then I found this guy on a clearance aisle! I love him!

That's about all from here. Stay safe!

Happy Easter!

Hey, All!

I hope all is well with everyone. It's been another busy week here.

The weather is lovely - warm and sunny today. The pollen count creeps higher every day, but the trees are pretty and more things are starting to bloom. Our azaleas are getting buds. The pansies I planted recently are doing well out front and I just planted some bright red geraniums in the porch pot this afternoon.

Golfer mowed the grass and did some other yard work this week.

We had a couple appointments and other things to take care of. I took a couple days off work for a prep day and to go to the hospital to have a colonoscopy. Wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected. So be brave, folks, get yourself checked. Peace of mind is a wonderful thing.

I've started talking to the orthopedic staff and gathering information on knee replacements. I'll probably have my left one done in the Fall. No matter what I've been telling myself for a couple years about coping, it isn't going to get any better, so it's time to get it done. You know, it's that old "reality sets in and you have to acknowledge it" thing. And I thank Golfer for his patience and care in all of this.

Nurse J is okay, but CableGuy has a bad case of bronchitis. BeyB is on Spring break this next week.

Bikini says they are all good in Georgia and all are busy. School break there, too, I think. Boxer and Bloomer are enjoying nice weather and getting to play outside.

So, as you can see, not a lot exciting going on, but we are keeping busy! Take care and have a nice Easter weekend!

Stay safe!

VIVA LAS VEGAS, BABY!!

Hey, all!

I hope you're all well and happy! It's been a while since I posted anything, but we've been busy. All the regular stuff going on, work, doctors appointments, and vacation! Golfer and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Las Vegas. He had been there years ago on a TDY trip, and we sort of passed by when we were taking Nurse J and Bikini to Disneyland when they were little. So essentially, this was our first visit. It was big, bright, noisy, crowded, expensive and lots of fun! We stayed at the Bellagio, which is practically a small city in itself. This first picture is of the water show in the Bellagio fountains.

We're not big gamblers, but we did play some slot machines a little. We saw a great show at the MGM Grand - Lily Tomlin. She's as funny as ever. We saw The Blue Man Group at the Venetian. I wasn't sure what to expect on that one, but it was wonderful.

We went to the Liberace Museum - very flashy!

We went to the Hoover Dam. Very impressive! BTW, we looked, but couldn't find any traces of Optimus Prime or Megatron. :)

We had a pleasant drive through the Red Rock Canyon/Mojave desert area. That was beautiful. We were a little disappointed that we did not get to see the burros or ponies, but the scenery was lovely.

AND..... We renewed our wedding vows at the Elvis Chapel O'Love! Actually, the correct name is the Graceland Wedding Chapel. "Elvis" conducted the ceremony and sang to us. He was actually an excellent Elvis and we had a wonderful time. A huge white limo picked us up at the hotel. We got flowers before the ceremony. It was a nice way to top off our trip.

So, now we're home. I'm back to work. We're catching up on things. The weather here has been warm enough that the cherry blossoms along Canon Boulevard are starting to bloom. The Bradford pear trees are all white, and the pink bud trees are blooming. Pollen season has started! Golfer is keeping busy. And yard work is on the "to-do" list.

Stay safe!

JEEPERS! ANOTHER SNOW DAY!

Hey, all!

Who can understand Virginia weather????? Anyone??

They've been predicting a chance of snow for a couple days. Yesterday afternoon it started to rain a little, then more, and then evidently while we were watching TV and not looking out a window, it started to snow. On the 11:00 p.m. news they announced that for most of the area the snow was over and we'd just have rain. We looked out the window and had a little snow sitting on top of the grill cover. We woke up this morning to more light than usual (regular daylight reflected off all the snow that fell during the night!) We turned the TV on and there were the closings announcements scrolling across the screen. The poor kids in this area will be going to school until July if this keeps up!

Being rather sure of myself and knowing that there was a ton of stuff to be finished in the office, I dressed appropriately and headed to work. The main streets were wet and there was slush at the curbs. The side streets pretty well covered with snow and slush. It has rained a little and some of the snow is gone now. I'm hoping it doesn't get too cold and freeze it all.

Now for some other random thoughts. I like watching the Winter Olympics. There's pretty scenery, flashy costumes on the skaters, daring crashes by the ski jumpers. Many things to comment about. I don't know if it was an NBC decision or an Olympic committee decision, but did anyone else notice that the pictures they put on the screen as they announced participants looked like mug shots?? Some of the athletes are pretty good looking, but you couldn't tell it by those photos!

I'd like to send out a huge *!#**&^%#!!! to the idiot driver who was behind my car last evening. I was sitting still at the end of a line of traffic when this guy came barreling down the road. I saw him in the mirror and thought for sure he was going to hit me. At the last minute he veered off onto the sidewalk and drove the rest of the length of the street on the grass, then turned into a shopping center.

Congratulations to Boxer who is mastering bicycle riding! And at a much younger age than his mother or aunt. (love ya, girls!)

Golfer and I finally caught up on some of our TV viewing. We got a little behind what with watching the Olympics.

That's about it from here. I hope you are all well and content. Stay safe!