Maddie is Two

Nine days till Christmas

Well I best post or be chastized for being a bah-humbug blogger! And I wouldn't want that. So, I'll give a try to come up with something new to talk about, since I have emailed or talked on the phone to all the people that count and they know all my news!


This morning was Zack's Christmas Party at preschool. Becky was in charge of the party, and she had a clever craft for the kids, they made raindeer food. Recipe for Raindeer food. My favorite part was the poem that goes with each jar of food.


Sprinkle on the lawn at night
The moon will make it sparkle bright
As Santa's reindeer fly and roam
This will guide them to your home.

Maddie came to stay with Eric and I during the party - we played play dough and Santa and train. She would drive the train around the table, stop at Santa's house and pick up food and gifts. Each time he loaded her train she would say, "Thank you"! We had a good time.

This afternoon after her nap I went over to their house and we all drove to the park. It was the first day in a week that the weather was warm enough to be ourside, so we took advantage of the nice afternoon to give them some fresh air. We went to the park/farm that is about 2 miles from here and visited the animals: cats, turkeys, chickens, pigs and cows. Sorry to say, the horses were not out, Maddie was disappointed. By 4 pm it was getting cooler, so we all headed back home. End of afternoon. Soon I may have pictures from this high adventure, but not sure what has turned out yet.

Eric and I will go back to Baltimore tomorrow to finish up clearing the apartment of the things we are taking. The other will finish at their own speed but we want to get done and get back home.

Day after snow

Eric spent the better half of the morning being a good neighbor. After clearing our driveway and walk, he and another neighbor went across the street and cleared the drive for a third neighbor Paul, as he has had heart trouble and can't shovel. Paul had tried to get his car out (he managed that) and the car couldn't get traction to get back up on their steep drive, so they helped him with getting everything clear so he could pull back into his drive. Then Eric moved up the street to another neighbor on the same side of the street as Paul. We found another good reason for a lot on the south side of the street, aside from being level, we also get morning sun. Our drive was dry and clear before the sun even hit across the street. Although the snow was pretty, almost eveyone wanted the snow out of their drive. It wasn't considered deep enough for the community snow removal guys, though they did do the streets with a sweeper. Eric did get to test drive a variety of shovels, so when we go buy one tomorrow, assuming we can find one, he has a pretty good idea of what to get. Of course, if Mike wants to mail us one - I'm sure he isn't using his! We are due snow again later this week!

I started the day in the sewing room, determined to unpack books and get things arranged. Around 11 my old AF neighbor from Panama, Pam called and said she would be through on her way back to DC. She came to lunch, and we had a great visit. She also got to see Becky and her two little ones, which was Deja Vu for Pam, as she remembers Becky as a baby. Pam thinks Maddie and Becky strongly favor each other. It was good to see Pam again, it's been a few months, so we had a great time visiting and making plans for another shopping adventure.

Guess what happened today!

Snow started falling mid-morning, big wet soggy flakes. By noon it was really coming down hard, and it lasted until nearly 5 tonight. Hopefully we won't get too much more tonight, but it sure is nice to look at! We went out early this morning to Wal-mart, and for groceries at a few other places, so we are all set. We made chili this afternoon for tomorrow night. Becky reported Z and M went out for awhile, but were "over it" pretty soon. Nothing like getting wet and soaked to make you want to come inside and be warm. Silly is sleeping it off under a heat vent. Cool - very cool!

White tailed visitors

Guess who we saw in the back area behind our house! Yes, two white tailed deer were hot footing it East right down the middle of the enviromental area behind our house. We were not sure who they were trying to get away from, but their pace was brisk. Eric was sitting in the Florida room, (in one of the new chairs) when he glanced out the window and saw them and hollered for me to come look. I said, you're kidding me right? But no, there they were and sure enough, their little white tails were clearly waving! How exciting to think we might see big wildlife from time to time - that is as long as they don't start eating the shurbs!

Company

We had company over the holidays and it was a treat to have a house full of family and friends at different times. Jennifer came from D.C. and spent three days with us and visiting with Rebecca. Jen was babysitter to Rebecca when she was a baby! It was fun to see Jen with Becky's two kidos. Unfortunately, Maddie was under the weather almost the entire holiday time, as she came down with an ear infection and had a pretty miserable and uncomfortable time. The two little one's did enjoy having another person to talk to and play with though and Jen was happy to oblige.

We didn't do the mad Friday shopping thing as reported on TV and in the paper, opting instead to spend the time here at home, or as in Jen's case, exercising. Tom took Jen to the gym twice, and I took care of Maddie one morning while Becky had to work. In all it was a low key time, with plenty of eating, talking and just being together.

Jen and I had a great time looking at recipe's and talking about the people we remember from Panama. She has a better recollection, though I have to remember that it was her part of her childhood, (where memories are made), and I was in the throes of raising two little kids. Not exactully the same thing! Anyhow, we swapped memories and recipes and Jen even cooked up an Italian dish for one dinner after we had demolished all the turkey.

I was able to gift Jen with her Christmas Stocking, and she said, "it's about time I finally got one!" Anyhow, she is happy with the stocking, no matter how long it took her to get one. It is always fun to knit something for someone who appreciates it.

Today we are relaxing, as we will have more company tomorrow when Mary and Beth come for a few days.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

I hope each of you is mindful of the many blessings we have received. I love each of you so very much and am thankful for all the moments we have shared, as family and friends. Please know I will think of each of you tomorrow, and pray for God's blessings for each of you. Though your place at my table may not be filled, your presence will still be felt in my heart. God Bless each of you.

Happy Thanksgiving

Can you smell the love? I don't think anything says Thanksgiving to me more than pumpkin pie. I can hardly wait until tomorrow to have my first piece! The one in front is a mincemeat, which as a child I never liked. Funny how your taste changes as you get older. I love mincemeat now too! Add to this trio a chocolate pie that the neighbors brought over (the ones who were locked out on Saturday) and we have desert covered for tomorrow! We have ice cream and real whipped cream too!

I hope all my family in Texas has a wonderful day tomorrow. I wish we could all be together here in Virginia. I love you all and miss you so much! Hopefully we will be making that trip to Texas soon.

Sunday Morning

Things are pretty exciting here at home central. Last night Becky and the kiddo's came while Tom was at hockey. She, Zack and I cut out pumpkins for her Sunday morning CCD lesson - I think they still call it CCD. Anyhow, she also brought over the rug for my sewing room. (It was delivered to her house just in case we were out of town - Wishful thinking). Anyhow, the kids took baths and changed into their P.J.'s for the trip home and left about 8. While Eric was seeing them out, the neighbors next door came home and discovered they were locked out. So, we invited them over, goggled up a Locksmith on the computer (Who needs a phone book nowadays!) and sat and talked until he arrived!

This morning we will be on the coupon clipping routine, and also trying to figure out how many are coming for Thanksgiving Dinner. We know for sure the Edicolas are coming, and maybe Jennifer and perhaps Mary and Beth, with another possible friend of Toms. Since we have 8 chairs, and 6 plates it should be interesting! More news about that as it develops.

Notice in the sidebar two new links! One is to Quilts and Blankeys Sally's new crafting blog, and the second is Michelle's Web Cam! So far, lots of sleeping going on at the webcam! I'll try to make a cute button for their blogs, but it will have to be later.

Moving Ashore - At Last A Home On Land!

Moving Ashore - At Last A Home On Land! Today we have a new look!

90% off - You have to love it!

The doctor said I could have some "UP' time, so yesterday DH and I went out on errands. I sat in the car until we got to Michaels. You see, we had been there over the weekend briefly, and I saw Fall decorations I wanted, but my foot wasn't in the mood to shop. They were 75% off that day. So yesterday, after the appliance store and library we decided to stop by again since I felt better and my foot was happy.

Imagine my glee when I saw the signs now read - Fall decorations now 90% off! Well, then I really felt happy - I filled up a shopping cart and spent less than $10.00. I wanted something for the server in the Dining room, and also for another location. So here's the haul! Granted, I never passed flower decorating 101, but I think they turned out fine! And the price sure beat the ready made centerpieces the store had on sale.


and

and

I figure you can never have too may decorations, especially when none were more than 49 cents!

Déjà Vu

Well, you all remember this famous picture? A lot of cliches come to my mind like - "Been there - Done that"! Then there are songs like, "Play it again, Sam"! What ever phrase you choose, it's still the same song, just the second verse. 11 more days of enforced rest! Yikes! Though I have been given permission to cook dinner and to do light housekeeping, but no power shopping trips. Eric will at least finally get a break! The doctor got a good chuckle when I told him my husband had asked how much I had paid him (the doctor) to wrap up my foot the first time. There is some improvement, and the doc seems to think this extended rest will do the trick. I asked what happened next if it is not better next time and he said we'd have to see, maybe an MRI. I think he feels like it just needs a wee bit more time. Better safe than sorry, oops, sorry - another cliche!

Well, this is a surprise!

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 9/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

Confused - but in good company

We continue to have pretty, sunny and nice weather, and it seems that since we are above normal (on the average 4 of the last six weeks) the ground is not as cold as it should be to make bulbs think it has been winter. As you can see, someone, and a lot of it's bulby friends, has decided to make an early appearance for spring. At this rate, when spring finally comes (after winter finally comes of course) the bulbs will have long since disappeared. Not the picture of garden color I anticipated!

On the home front, Z and M came yesterday for the afternoon while Becky stayed home to pack for their trip to Florida. They left for a week this morning at 5:30 a.m. - yep, kind of early, especially for Becky and Tom! The kids and I cooked banana bread from scratch. Z was in charge of squishing bananas and mixing. Maddie helped butter the loaf pan. She loves to eat butter, I wonder where she got that from? (I remember eating butter!) Anyhow, the mixmaster was fascinating to Zack and the finished result was eaten and enjoyed by all - except DH of course, who doesn't eat bananas or nuts! I sent a large slice home with Tom for a late night or early morning snack and I enjoyed a nice piece with my morning coffee.

Come on over, there is plenty for company!

The Un-Wall Unit

Don't you feel a bit sorry for us?

Furniture Snafu

We waited most of the day yesterday, until nearly 3 pm in fact, for the furniture truck to arrive. We were excited, as we were expecting the 5 piece unit that will span the living room wall and hold all the boxes and gizmos associated with TV. Not to mention of course, the TV itself. I have really looked forward to getting the television up off the floor. We unplugged about 100 cables and wires and labeled them (well more like 30) and moved all the boxes out of the way. We measured and placed tape on the carpet so the delivery men would know where to begin the first piece. We were ready! Well prepared as good scouts.

First in the house were the two chairs for the dining room that didn't pass muster the first delivery. Next came the leather ottoman and then leather chair. Lovely! Finally they brought in the first of the 5 pieces, an end cabinet and right away I saw a split in the top of the side trim. Eric agreed it was not acceptable and went out to the truck to tell the guys, and by then they had unwrapped the center unit. Unfortunately it had a huge gash along the back of one side. Looked like a strap from a dolly had crunched it. It never even got unloaded off the truck. They looked at two of the other pieces, and found damage to them also, and so it all went back. Boo Hoo.

In the big scheme of things, it's not awful, but it sure is annoying. The chair by the way is as comfortable as we remembered and looks feels (and smells) wonderful. Silly has already decided she likes it, as she can lay on me while I stretch out my legs. We spent the evening admiring the blank wall and commenting on how well the new wall unit blended into the room. Looks like it almost isn't even there!

View from the window

View
Originally uploaded by Joanna Root.

Here the view out the sewing room window where I am spending my time knitting, reading, watching TV, cat petting, etc .... you have the idea! At least the weather is wonderful and the trees are beautiful. Seems everyday the color is getting more intense. The weather people say the color will be at it's peak here in a couple weeks. SInce we are having indian summer here, it's quite nice outside. I wish I could be out there digging in the dirt. That's all I have to say today, so don't click to read more!

I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this!

I met the podiatrist this morning. He was very congenial, a bit older than I, very distinguished looking with a full head of white hair and a white beard. Funny, my podiatrist in Lufkin had a beard too. Don't think it is a requirement, do you? I liked him a lot and he seemed very competent. The office was fairly busy, but he took plenty of time with me, almost an hour. I had x-rays made and of course his exam. He diagnosed heel spurs on both feet, with the left being the worse. He prescribed a NSAID, Lodine for me to take daily. I was glad to get a new prescription, because the one's I have been taking for the last month are more than expired. Anyhow, he seemed to think the NSAID would help, but this would help even more.

To say this was a surprise was an understatement. He put on something called an Unna Boot, which from what I gathered reading more about it on the Internet is not the shoe thing but the compression bandages underneath. The real kicker is that I have to wear this thing for 12 days and stay off my feet. Showers in a plastic bag! Oh boy!

Baking Halloween Treats

The grandchildren came to bake cookie for Halloween. I decided to do this the easy way and used pre-cut shaped sugar cookies. It turned out to be a good decision, as there were just enough cookies and the project was finished in under an hour. Of course I have pictures of the bake-off ....

Zack studies the challenge at hand - he decided I should separate the cookie from the paper, and he would place them on the cookie tray.

The next challenge was waiting for them to come out of the oven ....

Waiting around - or waiting on the floor while waving our foot around!

Next came decorating. Maddie has phone in hand in case we need to call for help! This was before she put on her apron and decided to lend a hand.

In the end she became the precision sprinkler. Zack did frosting, Maddie did sprinkles. And were they good?

This was his third cookie, so I guess they passed the taste test.

What are these people waiting for?

It's a Parade!

Thank you!

Today was the Halloween Parade at Crossridge! The kids had a great time, and made quite a haul! Don't click on read more - cause it would be a trick! There isn't any more!

Like I have nothing better to do today

I spent the morning looking up tree leaves and I finally narrowed the 2 maples in the back yard down to this - Acer Rubrum, shown in the picture above. My leaves look like the top two small leaves. According to the references I found (from Oregon State no less) my tree could also be some variation of this species. Apparantly there is a maple that is often a cross between the red maple and the silver maple (which I originally thought my trees were) which is called a Freeman maple. There are three kinds of Freeman Maples and my leaves also look like one of those: the Armstrong Maple, shown below.

The issue I have with my tenative identification is that my leaf is not as flat at the base where the stem attaches to the leaf as the first picture, and is very serrated on the edges.But hey, my leaves are turning red!!! So I am close.

Oops !

I managed (my fault entirely) to mess up my email program this morning and I have lost every email address, every phone number, every street address and yes every birthday for everyone I know ..... you got the drill. I am so upset with myself (not to mention how upset Eric is). So, anyone who stumbles upon this entry who is someone I contact, and has family or friends, children, or whom ever that I write too, please send me an email to rootjoanna@comcast.net. Please send any important information, like birthdays and anniversaries, work and cell numbers, etc!

Cat keeps eye on construction crews!

Cat Perch
Originally uploaded by Joanna Root.

We are having a neighborhood uproar about the construction trucks that are using our street to access the new homes being built in our area. To make a long story short, it won't change, and other than attempting to make them obey speed laws, there isn't much that is going to be different.

We personally, haven't found the noise or traffic to be annoying. Some people say their houses shake - maybe that might come about later, but I don't think so. Luckily we already have a buffer on both sides and all the houses on the other side of the street are mostly finished. Mostly we will just have to put up with the parade.

However, the constant stream of traffic does give Silly something to watch. She has no complaints.

Re-connected with the WWW

Today was a big day, the newspaper finally arrived and we were able to get connected to the internet again. I know this doesn't seem like a major thing, but it certainly turned out to be a trial by fire. Our first hurdle was the USPS. For over two weeks they did not have us in their national database. Now, this only seems strange because we were getting mail from them. Go figure ... they don't use their own database maybe? Because they didn't undate their database, Getconnected.com which is an internet company that is used to see what internet service is available was unable to validate that we were actually there. Once we finally showed up in the USPS, then we found out that not only Getconnected still didn't have us, but neither did Comcast. Go figure that one, since we already have cable TV from Comcast. Anyhow, someone higher up at Circuit City was finally able to get around all this .... and we are connected. And it is way cool to be connected at this speed! It's like driving a race car after being in a child's pedal car.

Lufkin News Pictures

I found this link this morning from the Lufkin Daily News and though I would share it with everyone. Pay special attention to the second picture! A Lufkin landmark has fallen! I do hope they put the bull back up, he's been up there as long as I remember, since 1966 for sure! Also the last picture, number 9, of the tree on a house speaks mightily of what many in Mom and Dad's neighborhood are facing. Their old mature trees just couldn't take the high wind. It seems to me that most of these pictures were from the wext side of town. I expect they will have more on their web site later today.

Rita Rita on Her Way

Be sure and check this link, especially is you have a good Internet speed connection. If you click on the little boxes at the top you can see the counties, and pick out Angeline county. (It is the county that has 5 counties on it's borders- left of Lake). Tropical Forecast Path is the last box to the right. Play with clicking on and off the boxes, you can see the Radar sweep, winds, etc. Be sure and refresh (down below) to keep it at real time. Lufkin should get a huge amount of rain soon and I see on the KTRE blog Angelina County is under flood alert.

Lufkin KTRE Blog

Here's one of the most up to date sites I have found for Lufkin news. I see on the morning reports they are getting gusts to 40 MPH now. For your information, Lufkin is 31.34N and 94.73 W.

Rita Rita Go Away

Click on the link above (Rita Rita Go Away) and you will see amazing loop photo of hurricane Rita. As far as I know this is real time and should continue to be accurate on through the day today. I pray everyone is safe and sound as this passes over.

Friday - After the Walk-through

We met the Eagle walk through person at 2 and finished up at 4:45. I think it took longer than she thought it would, but we were pretty ruthless with pointing out places that needed touching up.If you could see inside there are about 150 pieces of blue tape pointing out dings, and paint boo boo's. Nothing major at all. The most serious was a spot of stain (varnish) on the carpet right where you walk into the room. Not sure what they will do about it.

The supervisor came by ( the one Eric had so much trouble with) - and made nice-nice with us. He will meet with us for a final punch check list on the day before closing. He said we would have grass by then. We could see that they had tested the sprinklers and the flower bed in front looked pretty nice. If these plants die they will be replaced. Right now we are getting a light rain, so that can only do good.

Look At Me!! I'm a Lamb!!!

You Are A: Lamb!

Peaceful and gentle, lambs have been used in religious imagery for millennia. Lambs are baby sheep, an animal tended by shephards since the dawn of history. As a lamb, you tend to stay together in a flock and graze on grassy land. Lambs don't mind being led and tend not to go off on their own.

You were almost a: Bunny or a Duckling
You are least like a: Squirrel or a ParakeetWhat Cute Animal Are You?

Sally had this cute quiz on her blog tonight, and I couldn't resist seeing what I most resemble! I'm sure it was the ears that did it for me ... what do you think Daddy?

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

Tonight Eric called me outside the motel where we are staying to see somthing neat! I have to say, this is the first time I have ever seen a moth that was so beautiful. We watched it drink nectar from the flowers, and it was amazing. It looks so much like a hummingbird it is easy to think that's what it really is. I immediately came inside and googled moth that looks like a hummingbird, and there it was! Exciting to see something new!

Stuck in Houston

Well, Russell and Amy finally turned back after 12 hours of driving crawling in traffic on their way to Lufkin. In 12 hours they made 40 miles. Ridiculous! They are exhausted and have returned to Amy's parents brick home.

It's pretty obvious that Houston took some cues from what happened in Louisiana, unfortunately, too many people on the road, and the road were still only open in one direction until late afternoon. Russell told us they would try again if and only if the time frame for the drive to Lufkin changed. The highway (I45) to Dallas is a 100 mile backup and they were predicting the drive to take 23 hours.

Running Away From Rita

Russell, Amy and Skyler have left their home in Houston some time last night (in the middle of the night) and are headed for Lufkin.

I talked to Mom and Dad in Lufkin this morning and Russell and Skyler in his Honda, and Amy in her Jeep are on the road. They had been traveling over 4 hours (as of nine this morning) already, and just made it to Porter, which as many of you know, is not very far north of the Airport, no more than 20 miles. So their progress is really slow. I am hoping that their pace will pick up once they get a bit further north, as there will be fewer side roads feeding on to 59.

So, once again family members are in the headlights of a hurricane. Mike, Sally and Anne dodged at least three last year, Eric and I got one direct hit two years ago, family in Louisiana just three weeks ago and now this in Houston. Anybody up for moving to a mountain top in Colorado? We could have a commune!

Saturday excitement

It's two weeks to house closing, and it seems like the time will never get here. Meanwhile, I have had some fun moments here while staying with Rebecca and the kids. The biggest event for me (quite a new experience) happened last Saturday morning.

Tom, and now Becky, are long time fans of Bruce Springsteen, they love his concerts. Bruce announced a concert here in Richmond a few weeks ago, and of course the two of them were hot for tickets.

It seems tickets are a tricky proposition, requiring finesse and mind blowing strategies (To Becky and I). Well Tom, being up to the task, and Becky and I being game for anything, were up and on the road Saturday morning, with kids in tow, to be at the Coliseum in downtown to get tickets. But not tickets for the show, tickets to get in line for a lottery to try to get tickets for the show! We were each given a number at 8 sharp, 05, 06 and 07. You see, they do the line-up to buy a ticket by lottery, whoever's ticket is drawn is number 1 in line, and then the rest of the people line up in ticket order.This prevents scalpers from buying big lots of tickets. Online tickets are almost impossible without a high speed connection.

So, once we had our 3 tickets, we broke for breakfast, because the drawing for the lottery wasn't until 9:30. Tom went on to a ball tournament with Zack and left Becky and I (and Maddie) to take our chances, but not before briefing us to find someone to trade with for our number 06. The thought and logic being that if we had a group of numbers spaced out, we would have a better chance. If they drew 08 we would have been last in line. So, Becky went off to trade the 06, and I, looking older and innocent was offered another ticket by the man handing out tickets. He told me it was 55. I didn't even look at it, I just took it and smiled. We now had 4 tickets!!! becky traded for a 20, and my 55 was really a 14. We thought we were in good shape.

Well, the number was drawn, and it was 05. I thought Becky would stroke out, as it was her ticket. I ended up 3rd in line, and the man she traded with for the 20 slot was 3rd. He was almost as excited as she was. Turns out we then had to decide if we wanted floor seats (she and Tom did) or other regular seats. Tom had committed to buying 4 of the regular seats, so I was in charge of those four. The ticket gurus split the line to those wanting floor seats, and those wanting others, so I was first in the other line, Becky first in Floor. Then they announced the “others” would be given a 4 minute jump on Ticketmaster. Seems most tickets for his concerts are sold in about 10-15 minutes. Floor people got a 2 minute jump.

To cut to the chase, I got the first 4 tickets, very good seats, for Tom's friends. Then Becky got her two, and the number 06 man got two, and then, the floor was entirely sold out. Less than 3 minutes. She was so excited, as this will be the closest they have even been.

First Day of School -

We'll it's been busy and hectic the last few days. We ended up having to purchase a new set of tires for the truck. Not in our budget plans actually, but obviously needed. We did notice a vast improvement in the ride of the truck with these new wheels, lots quieter. Silly did not wail as we drove over the bumpy stretches of pavement around Williamsburg so if they make her happy that's all that matters. We picked up our TV's from Sears and managed to get them tucked safely into Becky's garage. I was a bit worried about unloading them, but Eric managed nicely and we had Tom's hand truck which made it much easier.

Eric has gone on to Baltimore and I have been busy being Nana. Zack went to meet his preschool teacher today, and a picture of his first day of school follows.

Sunday after Katrina

As you can see I have added a link to the Red Cross in my sidebar. I'd like to encourage everyone who might read this blog or come across it to help the victims of Katrina in some way. If not money, prayers. There are several knitting bloggers Wendy and Margene and Susan who have set up sites and made arrangements for auctions and prizes as incentive to donate to a good cause. Be sure and check their blogs out if you have not seen them already. Give a Little has more information. Every Little Bit Helps!

Not much has happened here on the boat this weekend. We are having beautiful cool weather. A nice breeze. However most of the boaters who when out on their boats have returned because it is a bit too breezy. Those that had three day plans came back yesterday because tomorrow is supposed to be so iffy. I guess with the cost of fuel and gasoline it might be better. I actually wonder why the president didn't ask everyone to stay home this weekend in order to conserve fuel. Of course the businessmen in this country would not have liked that.

Where will it end?

I don't think any of us have even an inkling of all the consequences of Hurricane Katrina. Today I heard two very different examples.The UPS man came into the office while I was working to deliver a package. I asked him how he was, etc and what was new. He said all the local UPS trucks are no longer using the fuel that is in the tanks at the UPS local hub, instead they are going to be buying their gas locally. They hope they won't run out, but just in casegas gets scarce, they will still have their reserves to fuel from.

A man from the local plumbing company came in and said they have been notified by their distributor that there will be no more shipments of PVC anywhere on the East Coast. Seems all the PVC pipe for the East Coast comes from one plant that supplies all this area, and it is in New Orleans. Can you imagine what this is going to do to plumbers? Oh how about building? We speculate that getting anything related to building homes is going to be scarce and costly.

Spammed

Last night when I went to get email I had received a half dozen emails telling me of comments on this blog. When I read them they were all junk, advertizing other web sites. So, in order to remedy this, I have changed the way you are able to comment. If you make a comment, you will be asked to verify text before blogger accepts and posts the comments. It seems the spam that is generated by auto spammers can't pass this test. We'll see if it works or not.

New pictures posted

There are new photos at Flickr
See Family here.
See Househere.
Hope you enjoy the new pictures of the grandkids, Skyler, Maddie and Zack!

Look Out Below

Coming out of the yard towards the water.

In Position to begin lowering.

In the water.


This was the scene Tuesday as we put Auana Ke Kai back in the water.
The first picture might be a bit confusing, the red truck is not pulling the lift. The lift actually has a driver and it's own motor.

Inspector

Inspector
Originally uploaded by Joanna Root.

We took a new inspector to the job site today and after checking her notes she gave us an A-OK rating.

Back in Richmond

Just a short note tonight to let family know we are back in Richmond, after wrapping up all the paperwork for the furniture.We finally signed the paperwork for our furniture on Friday afternoon and headed back to the hotel. On a closer check of the contract we found that the computer had somehow reverted back to the original full price for shipping (we had been given a 25% discount) .... so a quick call confirmed it was in fact wrong and we would have to have the contract reprinted and signed again. So this morning we went back, met the salesperson who worked with us and got it all straightened out. She said the company has been tweaking the contract computer program and this was a glich that no one could figure out. It printed one number on one page, a different on a second for the same value. To make a boring story short, we did get the discount and we are done!

What about this color?

DH-studies
Originally uploaded by Joanna Root.

This was taken last week, when we were trying to pick colors for the second sofa that was just right - but also turned out not to be a finalist because it did not come as a loveseat. Since then, Eric has visited each piece of furniture we purchased and sat in it at least two times a day. We are amazed that some people actually buy sofas and chairs just by how they look, never sitting in them at all. Apparantly it is not at all uncommon.

Scene of Design

Our table in the design center at Furniturelandsouth. There is a design center in each of the two main buildings. Each is set up with tables for the customers to work. You are free to leave things on the table and a reserved sign assures you that everything will be there when you get back. A very nice serivce, they even supply paper, pencils, tape, graph paper and have copy machines and scanners you can use for a small cost. The unique thing about this place is the size of the area. There are at least 50 tables in the design rooms, and one entire wall is natural light. The fabrics are hung by manufacturer, and in the center bookcases are all the catalogs for each. It is always full of people hunched over floor plans. Some are customers and some are professional interior designers who come to pick out items for an entire home. Our designer said some of the homes she has seen are pretty amazing, especially homes in the Middle East where women have separate quarters for living and sleeping than the men.

Today we finished up all our selections and tomorrow morning we will sign over the $$$$'s and then go visit the bargain store. That's if we have any money left!

Yes, we are still here

More of the Furniturelandsouth Highboy
Originally uploaded by Joanna Root.

It's been quite a bit of time since I last blogged, so I thought it best to let everyone know we are still kicking here in High Point. Today we finished day 5 of the great furniture hunt. This place is so huge, it's hard to believe that there are still things we have not seen and that we still hope to visit! We feel like the prices are very good, and the selection is more than anyone could imagine.

The first two days of hunting were similar to the story of the Three Bears. I think we looked at every entertainment wall unit Furniturelandsouth had in stock. Finally, we found one like we wanted but then found it might not fit. We picked a second one to be safe and proceeded to sofas.

We sat on so many sofas, some were too soft, some were too big, ugly or hard, and very few were just right. We picked one, then decided overnight it might not be right .... so after a few more questions and thoughts we changed to a second. It fit right, the color was right. The price was right. But, you guessed it, no loveseat available and we wanted both a sofa and a loveseat. So we picked another. The third fit right, but the color had us stymied for many days. We kept wanting it to be like the first and second one, but no luck. We finally compromised on a color.

After each selection we would check our choice by moveing little scale pieces around, and often one change would lead to another question. We ultimately went back to the first wall unit. So now we are in the process of fitting in end tables and night stands. We had to call Rebecca to go measure the bedroom wall, since we didn't trust our plans. Turns out we had more room than we thought so that was nice.

So, we are playing musical chairs, musical nightstands, musical end tables .... you name it and we have tried it here or there! So far sin spite of the fact neither Eric nor I have ever done this before we are having a great time . . . Even if the days are 8-10 hours long. Our designer has been wonderful, patient, and has given us good suggestions. She certainly knows the merchandise, which is remarkable considering the size of this place.

The boat is finished, but the boatyard is closed until Monday, so we won't be back in Hampton until then. We also have to time the "splash" with high tide so we can get home.

So more adventures in furnitureland soon.

Furnitureland South

Click on the link above and see a better picture and some history of the world's largest highboy. It is 85 feet tall, and really pretty neat. Do you know how much difference less than 1 inch can make? We found out today as we began our search for the entertainment center for the new house. Of course, everything hinged on the size of the TV we planned to buy. Obviously that makes sense. However, the manufacturers of the type of unit we wanted seemed to think our intended TV was about 1 inch too big. The day turned out to be one of compromises. In short, we think we are going to go down to a 30 inch TV from the 34 inch we originally planned to buy. The only way we can get an entertainment unit with the diagonal ends is with the center being the smaller size. We wanted doors that close over the TV too. So, we think we are a step closer.

By the way, the designer who is working with us is very knowledgeable and worked right with of all day. Tomorrow we hope to finalize the unit, and then we will move on to couches. Ha, that should be easy. I'm sure it isn't and won't be! One nice think about this company is that they will work through everything you want, do the design layout of the rooms to scale, and then keep all on file until you are ready to purchase the individual pieces.

Getting ready to HAUL

Today was busy for us. We are one day before boat haul out, and had lots of details to take care of that really needed to wait until today. Besides packing clothes, and another batch of things to leave in storage, we also had to defrost the freezer and empty the refrigerator into our igloo chest. This is the chest we found on the dock that someone threw away. We sent it to Igloo and had the motor repaired and it works like a charm now. So it’s humming away. We took off the extra hurricane lines, so they are stowed away. Snacks are packed, and we’re both roaming around trying to think of what we might have forgotten. You’d think we were going to be away for a month.

While Eric was out moving things from the boat to the cart to take to the truck the boat next to us had a power malfunction and their power cord went up in smoke where it plugs into the pedestal on the main dock. Luckily he was there when it happened. So, during the packing we also had no AC for awhile as Jerry and Eric made repairs. Thank goodness today was overcast and we didn’t really get hot. Of course it rained, so now the awnings are wet. Not good.

Silly knows something is up, and she isn’t excited about what she thinks is going to happen. Now whenever she sees a box in our hands she goes and hides. Smart Kitty! She’ll not like it in the morning when we crank up the boat engine. They she’ll be in her crate, and then in the car, and then back with the monsters grandkids and dogs. Oh what fun for her. Little does she know she’ll be back in the truck the next day for the trip to NC.

So, tomorrow is an adventure. We haven’t had the boat out in the bay since the summer after Zack was born. Hopefully it will be a smooth trip. It is supposed to be cooler, in the 80’s, so at least that will make standing around in the boat yard a bit better. They always tend to be hot places, obviously no trees for shade. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Like how hot is it?

. . . I'd like to turn the calendar back about 8 months - yes, I'd trade this August heat for snow any day! (Don't let DH know I said that though).

Not much going on because it is just too hot to do anything. We went to the grocery yesterday and have laid in enough supplies to last until we haul the boat on Tuesday morning. Then we will be homeless for awhile as the boat bottom people will be busy redoing the bottom. I am not looking forward to seeing how bad it looks when they haul it out, but I guess I'd really feel bad if I was the one doing the work in this heat! Anyhow, we are down to 1 package of meat in the freezer and a half gallon of ice cream! Good planning I think! We'll have to toss or ice down the refrigerator supplies, as they won't keep unless we have somewhere to put them, and since it might be a much a two weeks, it would be kind of pricy to be buying ice everyday. I guess it all depends on where we end up freeloading staying while the boat is out!

We plan to spend Tuesday night with Tom and Becky, and from then on, everything is up for grabs. We hope to go to Furnitureland South. This is in High Point North Carolina. it would be better if we had carpet and floor samples, but since we don't we plan to focus on looking for an entertainment center like the ones here.

Well the office is closing, so I'll head back to the boat, as Jerry says, "It's too hot for anyone to even walk up the pier to buy a bag of ice, so I'm going home."

Good Intentions

I out smarted myself this morning. I packed up all the laundry, library books, and computer and went up to the office and worked on the blogs. After finishing with the computer I went to the library and on to the grocery store to get a small salad for lunch to eat as the clothes washed. Drove all the way to the place and realized (at least before I parked and unloaded clothes) that I had forgotten my quarters. In my consolidation efforts for the morning I had only taken my car key and credit cards, so I wouldn't have to carry so many bags - thus no real money.

Guess what I'll do tomorrow?

Unless we head back to the house - so we can check those lists!


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