Can you guess what this is?

Lets give you the rest of the story first.

One week ago, Monday May 15, 2006 - 08:41:02 am - In the back yard I present a man from Dominion Power working on the big green board. This man and the man in the picture below showed up to pull the cables between the box and the board. Supposedly for street lights and sprinklers! Yea. Progress!

In the front yard, the man working behind the big green box with the other end of the cable, yes he is there somewhere.



See here he is putting dirt back inside the holes. Great idea don't you think? They worked fast and were done within an hour.

Thursday, May 18, after lunch.

This really nice man showed up to actually connect the wiring. Eric fhad inally stopped someone from the construction company on Tuesday or Wednesday and said, you know the cable for this board is in. The nice place man said, sorry, no one told me the wire was here.

On Friday, May 20th I came home and the land crew, Horizon men, were preparing the area for sod. These are the same guys who were hauling wood in other pictures I took. Little guys with big toys, shovels and nice red shirts.

See what a nice job they did? The dirt is fairly smooth, all ready for sod.

And oh yes, the board is working and we now have street lights on both sides of the street near our house. But, contrary to what we were told, this board has nothing to do with sprinklers. Of course, even if it did, our's wouldn't be working right - yep, that first picture isn't wiring, it's one of our sprinker heads - beheaded, thanks to the little guys in red.

This week our major objective is OPERATIONAL SPRINKLERS!

My Amazing Mom

Happy Mother's Day Mom! Thanks for all you have done for me throughout the years! If I could be with you we would go out for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I hope you have a great day!

Still dry as a bone ....

The yards here in the 4100 Block of Coles Point in Chez Crossridge are still dry. The day Mike and Sally came, (10 days ago now) the sprinkler company showed up and ran the sprinklers manually. They apologized for the fact that EAGLE had broken their system and we had no water. They assured us we would have our system running that day, automatically. Eric politely pointed out to them that we still didn't have ELECTRICITY to the board to run the system. Oh? Gee! I see ... yes. Well ... then, "here is how you turn it on manually". Eric got a lesson. Of course, the man said, you are not supposed allowed to run the system, and if you do and break it ---- OH OH. You will flood out the whole area as there is no shut-off. So, the yards got watered, and they promised to be back in 2 days to do it again. That would have been last Monday. No show, no rain. Dry grass.
Finally this happened yesterday. Of course as you will read it could be awhile before it all works as advertized.

Meanwhile, Eric went out and ran the sprinklers 2 days ago. The neighbors all said they never saw it happen, it must have been the tooth fairy. At least we might keep the grass alive until "they" get everything up and going.

Views of Williamsburg

As you may not know, it rained while Mayellen and I toured Williamsburg on Sunday. This is pretty much what it looked like when we stepped off the bus at the gate to the Gouvenor's Palace. Rain, lots of it. We were dressed like the Bobsey twins, in matching yellow slickers. What we were most amused at were the people you said, "you came prepared". These were the one's wearing seatshirts, or trash bags. Like they were surprised it rained .... I won't say more.
After a tour of the palace, we walked down the Palace green, just us and wet trees. Not uncomfortable, just wet. We went into some of the open shops, looked at pottery, feathers, hats, soap and yarn. More about yarn in the other blog!
Neither of us saw anything we thought we could not live without.


After shopping we stopped at Bruton Parish Church which was built in 1863. More history if you click on the link. There were two very nice parishioners who were at the church giving tours. We visited with them and then went after some lunch. No, this is not my picture, it was still raining when we left the church! We missed hearing the church bell ring, as it rings 15 minutes before noon, and we were inside. I remarked that I thought it would ring at noon. I was told, no, it rang early to let you know it was time to come. If it rang at noon, it was too late to come. You couldn't hear it inside, because there was no need. If you were inside, you knew it was time. Love colonial logic!
Lunch was at Chowning's Tavern. To quote a blurb, "The "publick" that Chowning hoped to attract to his tavern was made up mostly of local residents, artisans, shoppers, farmers, idle bystanders and an occasional traveler. " I guess we fell under occasional traveler. We Had a great warm you up lunch, delicious Corn Chowder, Cornbread, and Pudding for dessert.
At this point, we headed back home to rest and dry out! Our evening adventures tomorrow.

Friends and Family

The last week has been filled with family and friends, and it has been wonderful. I am already a bit sad that the house is so quiet after so much talk and comotion. I certainly hope everyone had as great a time as they reported, and of course, I want everyone to know they are welcome to come back soon!

To the uninitiated, the top picture (left to right back) is my brother Mike and his wife Sally, myself and Eric, and niece Anne with Silly kitten, (obviously not a direct relation to us!)

The bottom picture is Mayellen, a long time friend from Lufkin. She goes back very far in my life and we enjoy talking about books, gardens and life. It was nice to have her visit for an extended period of time, as we usually only have a few hours once a year!

Click the pictures for a bigger view. Credit to Mike for the great family picture, and Becky for the other one!

The British are coming, the British are coming ....

.... No, I mean the Texans are coming, the Floridians are coming! Three by land, and one by air ..... drink more coffee Jo, don't be stupid!

Mike (Hurrah), Sally (Hurrah) and Anne (Hip Hurrah) will be here tomorrow, and Mayellen flies in on Friday evening. That will be the most company from foreign shores this old house has ever seen! It may be a logistical challenge, but I think we are all up for it. I can hardly wait!

And here is your laugh for the day. Becky brought me a disc with Sheep to Shawl pictures yesterday. I put it in the computer to check to see if everything was OK, and brought up one of the pictures of me. I asked Zack, who is that? (Remember, he wasn't there) He said, "Who, You mean that old women?" Jeeezsh!

The upcoming week

At times it seems nothing is going on, but the coming week promises to be exciting, or at least full of activities.

The most exciting event will be Mayellen's arrival on Friday night from Texas. I pray our weather here in Virginia has warmed up by then. It seems we are under an unseasonable cool down weather event. Mayellen and I are planning visits to Williamsburg and the beach (Hampton), as well as a trip to see the Ginter Botanical Gardens here in Richmond.

Thursday morning at 9:30 am Zack will "graduate" from his 3 yr old preschool program. So, Nana will be there with camera, and hopefully he and all his class will perform well! It should be fun to see them. It's just hard to believe that a school year has ended.

I also have two appointments for PT for my feet. Remarkably, it seems that the exercises and the new shoes are already helping. I have a new series of exercises, some different, and some done differently. The man who fitted my shoes took a great deal of time, nearly an hour. In the end I have the orthotic insets I originally got 6 months ago, trimmed and altered differently for each foot, and also a heel cup in only my right shoe. I seems the right foot was over arching, trying to be "longer". The shoes are New Balance by the way, very comfortable.

Well, enough news for now. Hopefully between getting ready for company, having two swim classes and two Pt sessions and more than likely a grocery trip, etc etc I'll still have some time to update the blog!

Happy Birthday Eric

A great time was had by all! We made cupcakes, decorated the house and made presents for the birthday party, that Zack insisted we have, since it was a birthday. We had to hunt to find the Happy Birthday banner, it's the same one I have been using for at least 20 years! Still looks good! The kids had a great time decorating the cupcakes .... and tried them immediately to see if they were good. What do you think? Did they enjoy them and have a good time?

Footies

I went to the Podiatrist on Monday. The appointment was for casting for orthotics. Somehow, in my mind, orthotics should be a last resort, only one step up from surgery. Not to mention that Tricare won't pay for them. Anyhow, I told him I didn't think I was ready to have them made and after little hesitation, he said, "Would you like to try PT?" Now that was something SIL Sally and I have thought should have been part of the game plan all along. So, tomorrow, at 2:30 pm, I go for a evaluation for treatment. The podiatrist, for the first time, and I discussed shoes and he also gave me the name of a man who will fit me when I am ready to get new walking shoes. I spoke to the PT people, and they advised waiting on the shoes, until after evaluation and PT. That seemed to make sense to me, as how can the shoe guy fit you for a shoe and make gait or pronation changes if your foot might strengthen and or change as a result of PT?

So, maybe we are on the path to better feeties. We'll see.

Rex Begonia "Escargot"

Rex Escargo Begoina
Originally uploaded by Joanna Root.

My SIL Beth and I went to the Louis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond today, and spotted this wonderful Begoinia in the Conservatory. Isn't this a great spiral leaf?

What is this picture about?

Can you see what is going on in this picture? When I looked out the window and saw this action I really could not believe what I was seeing. I even wondered aloud, "Am I still in America?" "Would (could) an American do this?" I bet you will never guess! Give up? Yes, No? Well, if you can't guess then I'll give you a hint. Click on the picture .... I think you will be surprised, and like me, feel sorry. Yes, he is carrying these logs with a strap tied around his head. Ouch.

This is our lawn crew, hauling wood out of the woods behind our house. What I couldn't get a picture of was them climbing the incline to get these logs to the lot above them. Not an easy job. It made me kind of sad to see them working like this, because I do think there could have been a way for them to have an easier time of it. Enviromental area or not, surely they shouldn't have had to carry these so far. I don't think you would see an American working this hard, and sure not for as little as I suspect these men make an hour.

Happy Easter to Everyone!

Here are shots of the Easter activities, the first is after the egg hunt. The kids are busy examining their goodies. The second shot was taken after dinner when we all adjourned to the patio to rest after dessert. The kids got chalk from the bunny so they went outside to try it out on the concrete. Eric was tracing their hands and feet here.

Hope everyone had an enjoyable day. We had a nice ham dinner, and carrot cake and coffee after. Everyone was well satisfied. Becky brought fruit salad and deviled eggs, and we all had plenty to eat! Zack declared the mashed potatoes a hit, even had seconds!

Saturday excitement

After reading about the exciting trip to the Zoo on Sally's blog and seeing Mike's great photo I decided I really did need to blog a bit, even if it won't be nearly as exciting. In fact. It will be down right boring. You have been warned.

My sewing room looks like a bomb went off in it. Eric said I was trying to stuff 10 pounds in a 5 pound sack. I found that a bit offensive and not totally accurate, but I know what he means. I am getting pretty cold hearted about what I am keeping but it's funny when you see something and wonder where it even came from. Other things are full of memories, like my Tiny Tears doll. Yes, I still have her and my Toni doll, and oh yes, Raggedy Anne is there too. All too precious to give up. I thought I had found every photo and negative from at least 30 years, and then I found another whole box. I am going to be going through pictures for years.

Surprisingly, I have more gardening books than knitting or quilting, that surprised me. I started a box for the library and added quite a few cookbooks. I kept all my Chinese cookbooks and filled one short bookshelf in the kitchen. If it didn't fit, it went to the library.

So, though the box pile is getting smaller, and I don't think there are too many more real sewing things to go in to the Sewing Room, there's plenty of personal stuff to sort, things from Brazil, smocking things to be itemized to try to sell, and the list goes on.

Retrospective pictures

Here's two pictures from the trip ...... That U-Haul was never out of my site!

April Showers - still waiting

Eric and I are eager for some rain. Trees are greening up and there are an abundance of cherry trees and redbuds in bloom. I even see signs of leaves on the dogwoods. Of course we say redbuds and wysteria in bloom in Texas, and here they are just beginning to show color. It has been interesting to see Spring in it's different stages as we worked our way west, and then back east. Today we drove about 100 miles north, and it was noticeable how much greener it is here in Glen Allen.

We continue working in the garage to clear out boxes and get things sorted again. I know I have to take a hard look at most of this stuff, but it is so difficult to part with things. I know, I know, I won't live long enough to sew and or knit up everything I have or would like to work on. But, I can hope.

We went to IKEA this morning, always an interesting store to shop in. We picked out two other units for the sewing room that I had looked at on the previous trip in December. Today we got a smaller bookcase and a corner unit. Once home, we spent about 3 hours getting everything together. I am always amazed how easily their furniture goes together. My only real problem with their things is how heavy the boxes are to handle. Eric did a great job getting it all in place, so tomorrow I will put in shelves and can open boxes of books and keep on working away.

We also made a quick trip into Lowes for some more plants. I should be able to get pictures of iris this week, as they will be the last to bloom in the front beds. We have had a nice show of color for the last 6 weeks at least. I'll recount our plant purchases later.

A Quick Hello

We arrived home about 3:30PM on Thursday without too much excitement. An 18 wheeler lost a tire right in front of Eric, he drove over it and then I hit it, but no damage done to either of our vehicles. He lead our convoy most of the way from Texas so I didn't have to worry about someone cutting in front of me, though he said a French Canadian car almost clipped him in downtown Richmond.


Silly tried to pay us back for her extended road trip. Last night when she went outside on her leash to managed to pull hard enough to have it untie, and she disappeared for about an hour. Finally someone in the neighborhood between us and Hungry Spring Road called and their dog had tried to make friends with her. Their house is about 1/4 mile from us, but much longer by road, as she cut cross-country through sub divisions. She was headed south - maybe back to Texas? Crazy cat.


We had a very nice visit in Texas and one of the highlights was a visit from Skyler. She was such a doll. This is just one of many pictures. I'll get them posted to Flickr today as soon as possible.

Spring Flowers

Our last few days have been very warm, and all the flowers are blooming, except the daffodils of course, which we think will come in full bloom after we leave for Texas. I feel certain they will not be happy little flowers though when we get a freeze a few nights from now. Since we'll miss their peak bloom time we will have to look forward to next year, by then we should even have more! At least we can hope! We planted day lilies, a forsythia, a few hosta and other lilies that all came from Rebecca's yard. Most are plants that will take care of themselves, and hopefully live through the summer. If we don't get the forecasted rain tonight I may have to go borrow a hose from a neighbor as things are pretty dry out back.

The next post should be from Texas! Since we won't have an internet connection (except Dad's) we probably won't we doing any photos, so enjoy these!

Spring is Coming

I don't have much news to report, except to say that overnight it seems the trees are budding. The woods behind us no longer has that bare look of winter. Things are not turning green yet, but with such a showing already it can't be too far away.

We have heating and ac men coming on Thursday to begin trading the units we have for new units which we will need for the enclosed space upstairs. To make a long story short, we will have a true dual zone system, and in the long run it will be better than anything Eagle would have done, if they had been willing. SInce they were not willing to upgrade the heat/ac for us to accomodate the space we knew we would eventually enclose, this is the option we have taken. The heating guys say it will be a one or two day job, so we should be done with them by Monday.

Our plan is to leave for Lufkin on Wednesday! It will be a busy trip with clearing out the store room and sorting and repacking the things that will finally make their way to Glen Allen. We will also be able to have a garage sale while we are home with the Englewood neighborhood, so that will be convenient.

Can't wait to see Skyler, Russell and Amy, who will come up for a visit durning the time we are there, and of course Mom and Dad!

Mulch Maniacs

It started early, a rumble in the distance. A quick glance out the window confirmed "they" were on the way down the street. The Mulch Maniacs. The landscape guys were coming with monster edgers. The machines they used to edge were almost bigger than they were. I promise, this is true! Like most of the contract labor working for landscape companies here in Richmond, these men are mostly from South America, and they are small. They don't speak much English and they work at breakneck speed. One wielded a shovel, another ran the huge machine, and in no time flat, (less than 10 minutes)they were gone, on to the next house.

In their wake, we lost our Cable, hence our TV, our Internet, and our Phone becasue of course, we have Voice Over Internet. Eric drove to the main office to report the break to the powers that be and to also call the Cable Company. Comcast said they would be there the next day (today).

This morning, we were bombarded with the bags of mulch. They delivered it in ATV's with trailers. Again, working at top speed they dropped off between 15 to 20 Fifty pound bags of pine bark. Crews drove and dropped, other broke the bags out and spread it around, then the blower guys cleaned up. It was almost like a military assault!

When the service man from Comcast arrived he told Eric that between 50 and 60 others in the neighborhood had their lines cut the day before too. Now in defense of the Mulch guys, the only reason they cut the lines was because the Cable company didn't bury the lines deep enough. What a waste of time for everyone, and money. Just do your job right the first time, I say!

So, Comcast reconnected us, new cables strung across the lawn, and they will be back to bury it later. During the hour I was at the pool the mulch was all spread out and all that was left was for me to dig out the pansies and bulbs they buried. No fear, the weather was beautiful and it didn't take long.

Middle of the Week

Wednesday and the day has gone by quickly, with not much to show for it. We have had a damp, drizzly day, no sun, just gray clouds. Tomorrow we are due the sun again, and even though we have had lots of sun lately, it will be good to see it again. I am going to go to the Hospital tomorrow to get my blood work done, as it just didn't seem like the kind of day to be out. I spent the day reading, working on blogs and just puttering around. Eric set up his trains in the dining room and has run them this afternoon to get them warmed up again. He still has some engines that have never run, so he'll be working with them for the next few days.

Yesterday we were able to con some of the sod installers into giving us 3 rolls of sod to fill in some of the cracks in the yard. We really need a load of topsoil to spread, but that won't happen. We were happy to get the sod. A few weeks ago someone came and did spread some soil and seed, but I think the turf will address the issue better. Once the yard has mowers and people walking on it more I am sure it will even out more. In the meantime, we have done what we could. I also found out that the shrubs at the back of the lot are wax myrtles, no blooms, no edible berries (birdwise) and seemingly good only to hold soil and make a hedge. I told Eric I think we need to move what they put in further back in the bed, closer to the back of the lot, so we can plant things we might like in front of the wax myrtles, as the further back in the bed they will be, the less their height will block our view. We'll see if we can do in (there are 8 of them) without drawing a crowd.

The furniture is coming on Friday, which will be welcome. That will complete the order and we'll be able to clear the calendar for them. It has seemed long and drawn out, but the last piece seemed to be giving them fits, and they finally reordered it, rather than have the damage repaired (broken glass). So, we'll see what shape it is in when it gets here.

I too finished my Olympic Knitting yesterday, and today I have just spent time putting things back in order and trying to see what patterns I have on hand that might work with what yarn I have. It seems there is always something new someone online is making that catches my eye, and then my brain has a hard time remembering where I saw such and such.

Tom is coming home from work early tonight, so we will not have the kids. Seems strange to not be planning for them. Eric is working on a meatloaf, so it will be a surprise. He adds things I never think of, so it will be nice to have something different for a change. I may try some oven fries or something else that can cook at the same time as long as we will have the oven up and running.

I added a button over in the sidebar for Brian and Christine and Michelles new blog that will focus on their move to Texas. I also added it in Mom and Dads sidebar, so they have a direct link. Time for them ( and Mike - hint hint ) to post again, don't you all think so?

Freezing again this morning!

Seems the cats in Newspaper Comicland were the source for ideas today; this morning's comics were full of cats in action .... Some resemble our pointy ear friend and house companion, Silly. Now that she has her perch at every window with a view this could be her.

We have a dusting of snow this monring.

Anything Goes Month

That would be February. The last few days our daytime highs have approached 70 degrees, with night time lows in the 50's. Today it is snowing .... 39 degrees at the moment, so no doubt we will really just see rain. We are in a tug-of-war, winter and spring pulling harder and harder against each other. Looks like winter will be winning for the next few days. Snow is supposed to make another appearance on Monday.

Outside, the pansies are blooming and my bulbs are sprouting green things, but the only sign of a flower is on a hyiacynth, which if I remember correctly was not an "early bloomer." There is no sign of the blooms that are supposed to be "early" so who knows. Maybe winter is still going to be around for awhile. We are supposed to be 19 degrees tonight, so I guess it is best they are all still snug in the ground.

The cat is enjoying her perches at the windows, and would probably even like a few more in other locations if we were prone to admit she is queen and rules the house. However, at the moment, three seem sufficient.

Nothing exciting on the agenda, monday I will go give blood to have the tyroid levels checked to see if the meds are working. These past few days I have felt tired again, so I am almost hoping that the results will be that I need to up the dosage. I am still cold alot, so it would seem that my furnace is still not properly tuned.

Eric plans to work on a cat scratch post today, and then once he is finished move the truck off the driveway into the garage just in case it really does snow and keep at it. We have enough food laid by to survive about six weeks, just in case you know that "be prepared" attitude!

Old News

We didn't have to dig out from our latest snow fall like the folks north of us. We also didn't endure any power outages - I guess this just wasn't our time. All the old timer Richmond folks (that includes most of my new neighbors) say this is the mildest winter they remember in ages. We are not complaining, it's nice to not be snowed in.

So, what are we up to? We've had our 90 day inspection and gotten all those small repairs either finished or scheduled. The last pieces of furniture we have coming are due to be delivered in the next week. The garage is now organized, and ready for the boxes that will come back from Texas. We have gotten estimates for the changes needed for the heat/AC upstairs which will allow us to finish the room DH will use for his trains/office/escape. And, we received the final part for a boat repair that needs doing. So, (knock on wood) it looks like we will be able to plan our visit to Texas sometime in March without a hitch. Yes, Mom and Dad, we really are coming.

One morning last week I was reading the classified ads; the Richmond Times-Dispatch has a section entitled "Cool Cheap Stuff", and I found a table saw. Now, DH, has been looking at new saws since we moved in. That ad eventually led us to a man who does nothing but buy, refurbish and resell power tools as a hobby. He's well up there in age, and has a garage full of toys for big boys. We spent two mornings there, and as a result, now have a tablesaw, planer, and a joiner. DH is very happy, and got to cut his first boards today. He made window ledge perches for Silly. She isn't too impressed, but hasn't shunned them, so I think that after her initial "I could care less about what you humans do for me" attitude wears off they will be a hit. Of course this means I'll now have nose prints to clean off of three windows instead of just one. She does enjoy a good view!

A sign of spring?

Today is the last day of January, and I see I have not blogged for the family this week. This last week of the month was fairly uneventful here in Virginia. The weather has been mild, and though we had a few nights with temperatures that were approaching freezing, we have enjoyed being able to go outside with only a light jacket. Some of the bulbs we planted are in bloom and the pansies are really putting out blosoms.

Friday I went swimming with the grandkids and Rebecca. I took them to "Nana's pool" (the clubhouse) and they really seemed to enjoy the water. I think that this will be something they will like doing. They do have swimming at the club where their family belongs, but I don't think they swim often this time of the year. The nice thing about the pool here is that we were there with only two other people, so the water was pretty calm and the kids had plenty of freedom to move about without worrying about being splashed by someone else.

Meadow Farm which is part of the Henrico County Public Park system had a meeting and orientation for new volunteers on Saturday. I had been thinking that I would like to do some volunteer work there as they have a variety of activities that they offer to the community. SInce it is the closest neighborhood part and one we visit often I thought it would be interesting. Their Sewing Guild meets once a month at the museum and they work on clothing for the costumes the farm provides for the volunteers who "interpret" the farm activities for the public. At the moment there are no activities on schedule that the guild itself participates in, but in the fall one of the weekends is centered on quilting. Coming up in April is the "Sheep to Shawl" weekend and they will be shearing sheep all the Saturdays in April. A group of spinners from another guild will come for the "Sheep to Shawl" Sunday to demonstrate spinning and other activities involved in getting the fiber into a finished article. Sounds interesting to me! Oh yes, there are new baby lambs at Meadow Farm now, is spring coming?

This morning we had additional insulation blown into the attic. We decided the added layer would help with the heating costs, and the payback period was short. Hopefully this next week when the temperatures go down we will see a small difference.

Finally, today marks four months in our home. From now on, I will only post in the house blog occasionally, and will provide a link from here so you will know something new has been added.

Blog update

If you notice in the family section of the sidebar, there is a new button for Anne's Blog. No longer is the blog named the Daily Drudge, it now has a new more apropo title .... One Day At A Time. So, if you didn't notice, now you know .....
Also, I am very remiss in wishing my # One son, Russell, a Happy 30th Birthday on the blog. I am sure he would know a way to have the blog sing Happy Birthday, but I will have to settle with this

He, Amy and friends went out for Sushi, his favorite! I hope they had a wonderful time. It's hard for me to believe he is 30 already, as Sally said, there must be a time warp, because I don't feel that old! Seems like only yesterday he was born. Happy Birthday again!!

Someone is Spying on us!

Trips upstairs, back and forth

Christmas is almost officially over at our house. The tree is down and so are all the houses, much to Z & M's dismay. The houses were a big hit, and I know they will look forward to seeing them next year. The only remnants of the holiday are the garland and lights over the kitchen cabinets, and we kind of like that look, so they may stay for awhile. Everything looks so roomy without the space taken up clutter made by the tree.

I've lost count of the number of trips we have made up stairs, but I know it's been many. Silly is always up for a mad dash, and l am always the rotten egg, as she always beats me up to the top! It's lucky we have so much room up there, as so far, without a master plan, everything is just kind of in a "designated area". As long as things don't move on their own we are in good shape.

We made the electric and gasoline companies happy this week, we bought 4 lamps. That only involved 3 trips to Lowes. The first trip we bought two lamps, one floor and one table. We decided we didn't like the floor lamp in the intended spot, but it looked much better somewhere else, and actually needed a buddy for another chair. So we decided to get two more like the first two. Brought them home and opened up and found one dented. So, back again to replace it. It's great not having to use the ceiling lights exclusively now and since we bought some of the new fluorescent bulbs for the table lamps we are happy to turn everything up!

While at Lowes the second time, we had extra keys cut. Yes, you guessed it. They didn't work, so I had to take them back today (4th trip in 3 days) and as they finally allowed after another try, they just didn't have the right blanks and sent me on to a private locksmith/security company. I at least got to combine that trip with returning the ladder to Becky and dropping by the doctors to pick up samples and a prescription for the BP meds she forgot to give me a week ago.

So, back and forth, up and down, we've been busy. Nothing exciting, but busy.

Yes, I am still here!

I can't begin to imagine where the time went this past week. We were very busy, or at least by our standards.

Tuesday I started what is called "Fit and Flex". This is a water exercise class, I wouldn't call it aerobics, because we don't have music and there is another class called Water Aerobics. So, obviously they must be different! CR (Crossridge) Homeowners have a very nice pavilion, (picture on the left), and indoor pool. The swim class is for an hour, and we meet twice a week. It's been strange, as I have had to set an alarm since the class starts at 9, and I like to have time for something to eat. Seems like when you don't need an alarm you are always awake early, but when you need to be up, you sleep on and on. Better safe than sorry. The class is taught by a retired PE teacher, and she has been teaching this kind of class for 35 years. I think she is quite good, and we have all kinds of flotation "gadgets" to amuse and force us to work harder. So far, it is very enjoyable.

On Wednesday we kept the kids for a couple hours during the day while Rebecca went out to lunch with a friend who is about to have her baby. Lynn was in nursing school with Becky and they have always stayed in touch. After the kids left Eric got the TV and everything moved again because the furniture people were bringing the entertainment unit. They arrived after dark, 6:15 pm. They were nice enough to pick up the TV and put it into the unit for us. The rest of the cable connecting took the better part of Thursday and some of Friday. Oh yes, this time the unit was in perfect condition.

Thursday I went swimming again and came home about 10:15. I went straight to my computer to check on the delivery of the storage/drawers for my sewing room which I though were overdue. Well, the website said they had been delivered and left at the front door. Looked outside, and sure enough there they were! Isn't the internet neat! Talk about delivery confirmation.

Friday morning, had to set the alarm again, because Becky and Maddie and I went shopping at Kohl's. This is a really nice department store in the old tradition. New to me, and very well stocked and neat. They were continuing their after Christmas sale, and it was a good one. When we got home, Zack who we picked up at preschool, and Maddie helped Eric put the hinges and doors on the unit I had ordered. He really, REALLY did didn't need their help.

Yesterday we tried to learn how to use the new HP printer we got after Christmas. It was kind of our Christmas to each other. It prints, scans pictures, slides and negatives. The learning curve for it and the software will be a bit steep, but I'm sure practice will make perfect.

Well, that's all for tonight.

Happy New Year to All

For the first time in years I didn't see in the New Year. Eric and I were up until 11:28pm, and then I just couldn't keep my eyes open any more. I was pretty certain there would be fireworks or something to alert me, but either there were none, or I slept through them.

I didn't sleep through the 10PM display in my backyard though. Yes, right in the back yard. The neighbor's directly behind us put on an excellent display of sparklers, rockets and real fireworks early in the evening. Their kids were out enjoying the spirit of the night and the colors and sounds were excellent, close and loud! The back windows of the Florida room were a perfect place to watch it from. I was thankful it had rained sometime in the last few days and all the woods were wet, of course that comes from years of Smokey the Bear campaigns.

Speaking of wild animals, Silly the normally fearless cat gave the entire display a -10. She hates fireworks, and her eyes were still big as saucers as she peered out from under her fort at 11:30pm. She kept scanning the ceiling like Chicken Little, sure the sky was falling.

This was the closest display she or any of us have ever witnessed. I wonder if the neighbors do the same display for the 4th of July?

Merry Christmas and Peace on Earth

Christmas Eve

Greeting to all family and friends who happen by today. I hope everyone is settled in for a nice Christmas Eve in front of their cozy fireplace, or in their favorite chair having a spot of tea and some Christmas cookies! My blogging lately has been minimal non-existent and I apologize!

The last few days we have made Christmas cookies, cleaned the house from top to bottom and done the usual last minute shopping. Eric and I put a moratorium on buying Christmas "stuff" several weeks ago. Ho Ho Ho! We added a wreath for the front door the weekend his mom was here, and this past week, window swags on the three front dining room windows. My first attempt there was a bit anemic, so I even went out and got more to add to it. Sigh. Well, the prices were too good to be true and it seems the stores here are determined to have Christmas well sold out by this time of the year. After Christmas sales will be dregs only. So, we added greenery here and there, and a few more figurines to our houses.

The kids have really enjoyed the Christmas houses. We have them set up in three main locations. The buffet in the dining room, on the mantle, and a seaside village on the bar between the kitchen and dining room. The seaport has been the most visited and admired. Seems Zack thinks the boats need to sail around some each time he visits. Silly also sits in the lagoon, how she manages to not knock over boats is a mystery. Maddie prefers the "baby" in the baby carriage and likes to move things around. They both come in the door wanting to turn on the lights, day or night, the lights must go on. Eric did a wonderful job wiring up all the bits and linking them together, so this year some locations only have one switch! How nice.

We made three kinds of cookies, Chocolate Chips, Pecan Sandies, and Candy Canes. All are yummy, and way more cookies than we need. I made two batches of trash, and Becky took some of that home.