Thursday night

DonnaH~~Congratulations on 48 years together! It's something to be proud of these days!

Sandi~~So glad you got to meet Robin Carr!  Meeting favorite authors is fantastic, isn't it?

Amanda~~great pic of your daughter!  I love those kinds of concerts and they do benefit the kids later on even if they don't pursue music.

The trip was fantastic!  The weather was perfect!  The ocean was warm!  I did ALL the driving; I haven't driven that much in 10 years!

Of course, you have to pay for having a great trip and I have.  The week I came home, my urologist said that he wanted to blast my kidney stone.  All was OK until I called my neurologist and found out that my VNS had to be turned off first.  The urologist only operates on Friday at one hospital and the neurologist is the only one who can turn my VNS off and on and is at another hospital and doesn't work on Fridays!  I emailed my cousin in Reading PA who's an urologist and asked him if there was any other choice and he said that there wasn't.  So I've had to change doctors and now I have an appt with the new doctor.  The original date was tomorrow but not now.  And to make matters worse, I need to have this done while my friend is here to drive me around!

While all this was going on, my sons who are both in their 40's pulled a stunt to make you want to pull your hair out.  And my sisters know about the surgery and haven't even inquired.  I drastically altered my will this week. I am done!

On the brighter side, tomorrow, I am picking up my neighbor's cousins who are coming in from Ireland for two weeks.  My neighbor has a home there and is there for the summer so they are staying in his condo.  I've taken them around before and am really looking forward to seeing them again.  I will be wearing my Celtic Thunder tee shirt naturally!  LOL!  CT is not well-known in Ireland which is a real shame.

I've been posting the books I've read on Goodreads and I've been consistently behind according to them!  Geesh, everybody's got to tell me how I'm not measuring up!

I missed the Richard Petty Experience by one day and couldn't ride in a race car at a couple hundred miles per hour, darn!

Have a great weekend!

Thurs, May 30/13

Wow, thank you all for the anniversary congrats. {:-)  Somehow it doesn't seem like a long time, yet we've been together 3 times longer than not.  I was 19 when we were married, 20 when our first son was born, and 21 when our first daughter was born. . . 

I took notes when I was here the other night, but didn't post as I was just too tired.  So if anything sounds weird, please disregard it. . . {:-)

My stupid computer is scanning again.  It does that every time I want to type, so most of the time I'm typing in the "dark", and have to go back and correct my mistakes after it's done scanning.  {:-( 

Mary, my allergies don't seem too bad this spring, but the arthritis in my hands -- especially my left hand -- is really acting up.  I've got some cream that I got from a friend who sells Arbonne, and it helps quite a bit, but it's very expensive -- $60 for a small jar. 

We drove home from Edmonton last Tues, got home around 6:40 p.m. carried our stuff into the house, set it down and turned around and got right back into the car.  Got to our granddaughter's piano recital at 6:55 p.m.  This is her first recital, and she played a duet with her teacher.  It was actually very good.  This teacher interspersed the new kids between kids that can play good already, and it really made the recital bearable. 

Sandi, you got to meet Robyn Carr?????  Oh, you lucky duck!!!!!

This house we live in is about as far from my dream house as you could get and still live in a house, but when we moved in to it, I swore I would never move again.  12 yrs later and I still say the same thing!

I've got 3 "chip clips" and about 2 doz. other clips.  I use them for everything -- if it's in my house, it's got a clip on.

I wrote down "Had to laugh_ _ _" which was supposed to remind me of something you said.  But that was a couple of days ago, and I can't remember what it was supposed to be.  I'll have to go back and re-read the messages later, and then post another message.

Trudy, Daytona -- isn't that where car races happen?  Is the beach close to there"  Ugg on holding things in your lap while you travel.  I'd have chosen a different vehicle, too.  We just got home from visiting my folks in Edmonton -- 16 hour round trip in a 21 yr old car.  They don't make 'em like that any more. 

Donna M, yes!  I believe spring is here to stay!!!  At least it's stayed so far.  We had a very nice rain yesterday.  Got 1".  We really needed it, our ground is parched. 

You got a laptop?  Cool!  Hardy says when we get a laptop he'll learn to use it.  I won't be holding my breath waiting. . .  I use laptops for powerpoint at our church.  I like them. 

Cool picture of the flag!  {:-)

I read 5 books while we were gone, and several more since we've been back.  I have 82 titles on my list so far this year.  I've been reading a series by Karen MacInerney, A Gray Whale Inn Mystery.  She's also the author of a series called Tales of an Urban Werewolf.  I haven't read any of them yet, but I'm enjoying the Gray Whale Inn Mysteries.  There are some really good recipies at the end of each book.  I also read a book called Beads of Doubt which was written by Barbara Burnett Smith, and finished by Karen MacInerney when BBS was killed in a car accident.  There's also a book #1 about beads, which also is a mystery book.  I'll have to try and find it because I did enjoy the one I read. 

We visited my sister at their campsite while we were in Edmonton.  There's a total fire ban over most of Alberta at this time.  Bummer!  It's no fun camping if you can't have a campfire.  We got quite a shock while there -- we were sitting around under the trailer's awning, chatting, minding our own business (their campsite is just across the road from the boat-launch) when up out of the water walks this young fellow (between the ages of 17 - 22, I'd say).  Anyhow, he's stark naked!  Walking around like he was in his own back yard!  He bent down and rinsed something he had in his hands, stood up to wring it out.  He did this several times.  While he's doing this my sister got her camera and took a picture of him.  Finally he put on what turned out to be his shorts that he was rinsing out and calmly walked away.  I couldn't believe my eyes!  Unfortunately the picture wasn't clear enough to identify him so they couldn't take it to the police & have him charged.  Luckily we were all adults, but there were campers all around that had children in them.  Can't you just imagine what some of those kids were asking their parents??? 

Amanda, ring dance?  Would that be like school rings or something?  I didn't think Aurora was old enough for any other kind of ring just yet.  At any rate, I really like her dress!

Of course the 5 1/2 years counts -- you were together, weren't you?  {:-)  I had only known Hardy a few months before we were engaged, and a few months more before we were married.

Oh. My. Gosh!  Robbery, kidnapping, and then all the stuff on the news!  It's hardly safe to set foot outside anymore, and sometimes not even that. . . 

Margie, you were brave to go through caves!  I have very poor night vision, plus I don't do good in small enclosed spaces with no windows,

I finally finished reading the books in my eReader.  I have a Sony, and am having a terrible time with it.  I can't transfer the books in my computer to my reader.  I did it once, but can't remember how I did it.  Guess I'll just have to sit at my computer to read these books.  {:-( 

Congratulate your parents on 50 years from me.  {:-)  Somehow 47 still seems so far from 50. 

Well I hope all this stuff made sense.  Now I need to go out and start pulling our pond apart.  We're re-doing the waterfall this year, it's just not the way we wanted it.  Hardy went into town to cut grass for his brother and I told him I'd start on it while he was gone.  He'll be home soon, so I'd better at least be out there when he gets home. . . 

Friday, 5/24/2013...

  Hi Everyone,

Just a quick drop in to say have a great Memorial Day Weekend.  I'll try to get back over the weekend to catch up.

Enjoy the weekend.  Happy reading,
Donna M

Hi ladies

I stopped in to post the other day and got pulled away from the computer.  I hope you all had a Happy Mothers Day. 

Mary,  Belated Happy Birthday to Jake.  I'm glad your bridge is working out.  My poor mom had dentures and she is just not happy with them.  She'd rather be without.  Thank you for your prayers for G. 

DonnaH, Congratulations on 47 years!  My parents will have 50 years in October.  I'm glad that they are offering the classes.  There will be another session in the fall too.  We've learned a lot about behavior and being advocates etc.  Meeting other families is helpful too because there is a lot of sharing so you learn a lot. One family has three children with autism and I'm amazed at how they cope.  Your ddil's surgery sounds so complicated.  I pray she continues to heal completely.

Sandi,  Funny that you mention setting the bar high.  That was mentioned in the meeting last night.  Set it high but with reasonable goals. Sounds like you had a really good time at RWA.  How cool that you got to meet Julie Garwood.  I miss her Historical books so much.  Also really nice of E.L. James to introduce herself to you.  I wondered what the initials were for so thanks.  I have to say again how much I really enjoyed her Fifty Shades books.

Trudy,  It's been a long time but  my family went to St. Augustine for the day when we went to our Disney World trip.  We really enjoyed our trip there.  I remember stopping at Daytona Beach too. 

DonnaM, Congratulations on the new laptop.  I remember when I got mine and was able to move it around so easily and not be stuck at my bedroom desk. I love the laptop and now I love my Kindle too.  My sister was very sad and I think we all were.  But inside we knew it was more than just being delayed.  But he is really smart even if he is not super vocal.  He says more and more all the time and I really do believe he is very intelligent.  Getting all the info at the classes has been a blessing.  I have been to the Pinnacles.  But that was years and years ago.  I was a kid.  Crazy that it is right there and we have not been back.  I remember going through the caves and it was so dark I was scared but I loved the steps and once we got to the top it was cool.  I agree it is too hot to do this time of year and not as pretty because it will be dry soon.  There is a lot of political drama with the different counties that the Pinnacles is in all wanting rights to the entrance of the park.  Our city is trying to get Highway 25 renamed (can't remember what) to mention being the gateway to the Pinnacles.  Hwy 25 goes right through town. 

Amanda, What a sweet picture.  I've never heard of a ring dance but it sounds really cute.  I hope she had a good time.  There is so much to learn about Autism and it is a bit overwhelming but I'm thankful for the resources they are giving us.   How cute all the kids look with the instruments.  Enjoy your day at the races. 

I finished Whiskey Beach by NR which I enjoyed.  I also read the new Amanda Quick and I really liked that one too.  Other then those books, I haven't read anything new.  I've been re-reading and skimming books to do a quick read.  I need to check out the free Kindle books again and see if there are any good ones. 

I hope you all enjoy the Memorial Day weekend!
Margie :)

Hi Ladies!

This picture is of Aurora, and her date Steven, for the Sophomore ring dance (5/10).  There was a ceremony to hand out the rings followed by a dance.  She had a great time.  All I can say is she had better for the price of that ring - lol!  Aurora had to share her b'day with me this year, as it fell on Mother's Day.  She wasn't nearly as happy about that.  We did go to the zoo though, which is what she wanted to do.  Had a nice day for it too, which was a definite plus.  Hope everyone else had a happy Mom day.

DonnaH  --  Congrats on 47 years!  I can only hope to make it that long.  Does the 5 1/2 years we were together before marriage count?  I never thought of packing a suitcase in case of a fire.  Might have to think about that.  I do have a fireproof safe for all my important papers.  Its under the bed, and easy to grab.

DonnaM  --  Love your pics, as always.  I only just downloaded most of mine last weekend before posting them on FB.  Had people that wanted to see a picture of Aurora all dressed up.  My mom doesn't know I posted that and since she's not on fb, I won't tell her - lol.  In our book club, everyone contributes a few book ideas and we pick one out of a hat.  We do a majority rules on book types so we aren't reading a topic everyone dislikes.  One of the reasons we are all in our club is to read out of our comfort zone.  Horror is a topic I will pass up 99.9% of the time (with a few Stephen King exceptions that I really enjoyed). 

Sandi  --  Sounds like you had a great time at RT.  I would love to do a road trip.  One of these days, when I win that lottery - that I sadly did not win yesterday:(   Also glad to hear your job is going good.  Sorry Brian got robbed - that totally sucks.  You are right that he is lucky all he lost was a pizza and his phone.  Could have been worse.  My mom was kidnapped at knifepoint once, so I am always conscientious of my surroundings, even though I wasn't with her (I was 9 and in school).  She got away unharmed, but it could have turned out very differently.

Trudy --  How is the weather at Daytona Beach?  When my dad lived in FL, he lived in Flagler Beach, which was only like 20 min from Daytona.  Glad you survived the drive - lol.  I sure wouldn't have wanted to take that drive with luggage on me and under me.  No fun at all.

Margie --  How is the autism class going?  Has it been helpful?  Always good to have an understanding of it as it can only help you in the long run.

Mary  --  Wish I could say I've read as much as you, but alas, that is not the case.  Did you see the Phillies today?  Great comeback in the 9th.  Definitely better than the two games before it.  Is the weather going to be rainy for you this week?  Suppose to be rain/clouds all week here, but I'm hoping it will be nice next weekend.  It seems Memorial weekend is usually rain and cold.  Will be happy to see that warmer weather:)

So, not much reading for me.  Never did finish my last book club book (but will eventually).  I am really enjoying it, its just so long and I am not a quick reader.  I've also been really busy.  Seems there is something going on most nights.  This week won't be too bad - I have the eye dr tomorrow afternoon, the chiropractor Tues night, Zumba on Wed and that's it.  A light week.  Next week I have to leave work early both Thur and Friday because Amelia has her dance recitals.  And David and I got free tix to go the race in Dover on June 2, so it will be a busy week.  Thinking of taking that Monday off from work since we won't get back until late that night.

One more picture.  Amelia on the french horn during the Spring concert.  Happy to be able to zoom in like this on the new camera, as I was standing against the back wall of the cafetorium.  Going to bed now, as I just realized its midnight.  Why does it have to be Monday already?

Hope everyone has a good week!

Amanda  

Saturday, 5/18/2013...

Hi Everyone,
Remember me?  The very absent for a long time Donna M!!!   :-)

This not very good picture is showing a bend or curve in the road on the way to Salt Point over on the coast.  I don't drive this road often as it takes an hour or more to drive 49 miles!  I'm always so happy when I get to Hwy. 1 & the Stewarts Point store.  Thankfully they have a bathroom for customers & a great deli!  The place has been in the family for several generations.  I think I have a picture of the outside to post later when I say goodbye.

Oh my!  I cannot believe that it has taken me so long to get back here.  It was in April almost a whole month ago.  Needless to say I read a lot of posts catching up but that doesn't mean I will remember everything!!

DonnaH, Belated Happy Anniversary & Congratulations on 47 years of marriage.  Fantastic!  I'm very glad to hear that your ankle has gone back to normal, no more pain or swelling.  Has spring stayed in your corner of the world?  I know some areas here in the states have had very late snowfalls & other crazy weather.  Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts is new this year.  I will get it when it comes out in paperback.  I really don't like reading hardcover but I do sometimes as that is all I could get from the library in a specific book.  In fact today, I just picked up Debbie Macomber's book Starting Now which is only out in hardcover.  I didn't think I cared if I had this as a keeper when it gets issued in paperback.  It is a Blossom Street book.

Mary, glad to hear that everything is progressing with all your dental work.  You will just feel great when it is all done.  How fun that you got your grandson Legos.  All three of my grand kids loved them & I use to have  a lot of fun building things with them when they were little.  As you know they are all way beyond Legos now!

Amanda, I have been enjoying your pictures on Facebook.  You should post some here!  It is really easy despite the fact that Google+ just made some big changes in their format.  I was on the computer one morning, spent a little time on Google+ then was busy a good portion of the day.  When I went back that same day, but much later, it had completely changed!!  It was kind of a shock that I wasn't wild about at first but I have learned to change some of the settings so now I am fine with it.  Still learning some things though.  Your book club does sound like it keeps things interesting.  However, I never have done well with being told exactly what to read, like we were in school.  There was always a list we had to pick from.  Usually there was nothing on it that suited my tastes or I had read it!  Luckily I had teachers along the way that let me choose books for them to approve.  Due to that there are some of the classics I have never read.  But that is okay because they are just not my cup of tea!!

Trudy,  I am so sorry to hear about your cancer scare.  Keep us posted on the rest of your tests & results.  I'm glad you & your friend got to take a trip.  Driving can be very tiring when you are not use to it.  Since I do a lot of driving I'm still okay with it...at least so far!  I can't imagine taking a long drive with no space for the luggage.  When I was newly married my husband had an MGB, which is very small but it had a trunk & a bit of a backseat.  We eventually got rid of it for a more family oriented car but it was a lot of fun to drive.

Margie,  so sorry to hear that Gavin has been diagnosed with autisim but there is lots of help for those that have it.  I think you are very smart to be taking that class.  How is your sister doing with that news?  You live in an area that has a lot of nature & places to visit.  Have you ever been to the Pinnacles?  It is probably to hot to go now but it is extremely interesting.  I would love to go back sometime but only in the spring when it is all green.  I've been there a couple of times but a very long time ago.

Sandi, what an experience for Brian to go through.  I don't blame him for quitting.  Not a fun thing.  I'm sure he wasn't earning a lot of money in that type of job.  Tips might have made up for it though.  I can relate to Mike not liking to move.  It is, after all, a 4 letter word!!!  The only good thing about a move is that it really does make you weed out the unncessary that many of us tend to accumulate.

I can't remember if I have mentioned it before but I've been on the hunt for a new computer.  My computer tech friend, Andre, recommended getting a refurbished one & talked me into a laptop.  He actually ended up finding a good deal for me.  The computer went to him, with my permission, so he could get it set up for me. I was suppose to have it at the beginning of this week but his wife was diagnosed with pneumonia on Monday so that never happened.  He called me this morning to talk about me getting the computer!  Hopefully we will work something out for this coming week.  I'll keep you posted.  This will be my first laptop!  We will see how that goes.  The newer technology will be great once I adjust to it.

When I went back to read all the post I forgot to see what books I posted reading before.  Recently I have read Shiloh Walker's, Ash Trilogy, If You Hear Her, If You See Her & If You Know Her.  Great romantic suspense but a long language, the stories though were worth reading.  She keep me guessing "wodunit"  until Book #3!  I had suspected that person early on but there were also others it could have been.  Prior to that I read Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks, Don't Look Away by Leslie A. Smith, aka: Leslie Kelly.  This one was an edgy, thriller not really any romance but darn good story & writing.  That should keep me up to date on what I have read.

My eyeballs are about to fall out of my head from being on the computer!  Even if I am not completely caught up I'm going to sign off.  I have dishes waiting for me also!!  Ick!!  Here is another picture.  I guess I don't have the picture of the Stewarts Point store here on Google+.  Maybe I can post it another time.  This one is from one of my walks at Healdsburg Ridge.  This is a manzanita tree/bush that I just liked the shape of.  As you can see it was a few weeks ago when everything was still green.  That lush lovely green is gone.  It looks like summer!  That is actually pretty normal for here.  We had a dry winter so it didn't take long for our earlier heat to really dry everything up.  We are in for a long fire season.  There have already been some small fires in the area but fortunately they got to them quickly & got them out before the burned up a lot of acreage.  Southern California hasn't been so lucky.

Bye for now.  I'm not going back over this to proof it.  If there are mistakes I'm sorry.
Donna M

Monday night

I am writing from the beach at Daytona Beach!  I drove here from Oldsmar today with the friend who took me to Pompano Beach last year.  We were originally going to take her two-seater, hard-top Saturn convertible.  When she told me that we couldn't take suitcases due to lack of trunk space, that was OK but, then she said that I'd have to ride 3 1/2 hours with stuff on my lap and under my legs too and I thought, "I don't think so!"  So I drove the whole way in my 13 yr old Subaru; I haven't driven that far in 10 years!  I'm beat now.  We're going to go to St. Augustine on Wed.  before leaving on Thurs.

Glad you enjoyed the pic!  I didn't get into the video though; kind of bummed about it too.

I read all the posts but, I'm sorry, I'm just too tired tonight.

Trudy

Monday

Hi!

I finally remembered that it's been way too long since I checked in here!  I really didn't think that my sales call was going to end up going well at all, but it turns out that they signed the contract!  Today I went by one of their sites, and man was it nice!  There was a somewhat newish looking housing development across from it, and all the houses looked to me to have been inspired by homes from the Victorian Era.  They were so cool, and I had serious house lust!  A couple were for sale, and while the area would be great for Richard and I it wouldn't work well for Mike and Brian.  Then there's also the issue of getting Mike convinced that we should sell our house and move.   He's not a huge fan of moving so I don't think that's ever going to happen!

Today I also made a great contact with one of the Texas Workforce Commission offices.  I'm going back there Wednesday to their job fair.  I also have a tentative appointment tomorrow with an applicant from there, so it's potentially paying off already!

Had a great time at RT!  What an experience.  My friend Pat has an online bookstore, so we got to register as booksellers, and they did somethings just for booksellers, and that was fun!  Got to spend some one on 5 time with Robyn Carr.  Met Jude Deveraux, and Julie Garwood.  There was a surprise guest in E.L. James, and I had the opportunity to have a picture taken with her.  It was very nice because I was at a party, and standing in a corner, and I saw her walk in.  I knew who she was by this time, and I stayed in my corner, she came up to me and said hello I'm Erica and it's a pleasure to meet you.  We shook hands and I said my name is Sandi and it's a pleasure to meet you too.

I can't tell you how great it was to be away.  We drove to RT and the drive was really nice.  We had cheetos and the chip clip was missing, so we googled how to fold a snack bag without needing a chip clip.  It was an interesting experience for sure!  I never did figure it out, but my friend Gwen did.  However, at RT there was a basket of chip clips that were a give away, and every time my friend Pat and I walked by we would each grab one.  I have no idea how many total we came home with, but I still haven't managed to unpack everything out of my suitcase or my travel bag and therefore I'm still finding chip clips!  I should be good for a bit I would think.

There were 5 of us that drove, Sara, Gwen, Pat, Janene and myself.  It was Janene's first time to road trip with us, and she's claiming that she's flying when we go to RWA.  As for me I'm driving with Pat to RWA but will drive back with Sara and Gwen.   Pat is taking her own car because she's going to go on to Florida to see family.  We're going to leave a few days early and take our time to get there.  I have a feeling it will either really cement the friendship between Pat and I are kill it for sure!  LOL!!  Watch this space to see what happens comes July.

The bowling season is almost over, and with that it means we're on the downside of youth bowling for sure!  I talked to our assistant youth director today, and asked her to let me know what sort of gift she thought our youth director might like.  We've spent the majority of the last 15 year's worth of Saturdays with her, and I think that deserves a special treat.  When I called today they both said how Brian has matured this year which makes me feel so good!

Hope that everyone had a great mother's day!  Richard and I had a bet, and he paid off for Mother's Day.  He gave me an IPad Mini.  Brian not to be outdone gave me a nice speaker system for my IPod.  Oooh...speaking of Brian I don't think I  mentioned that he quit his job.  He got robbed while making a delivery, and decided that once was enough!   Fortunately they only got his pizza and phone.  That could have turned out so much worse!

I hope that Gavin is getting the services he needs, and I'm confident that taking a class is a great decision.  The important thing to remember is not to set too many limits, because children will only achieve what you think they can achieve.  So set the bar high, and if he doesn't make it that's ok...reward what he can.  I have set the bar high for both boys, and Richard never could get there, but Brian doesn't even have to work at getting there.  I often wonder how they could be such opposites, but they are!

Donna congrats on 47 years!  I can't believe Jake is 4 seems like he was just born!

I really need to check my laundry, because I want to go to bed soon, and I know it needs to be folded, so that the stuff in the washer can go in the dryer.  I'm not worried about that load getting folded as it's just towels!

Anyone watching Dancing with the Stars?  I've missed a bunch, but tonight has been fun.

Take care!

Sandi

Thursday evening

Hi everyone!

Donna H--happy belated anniversary! It sounds like you are having a good week celebrating. Enjoy! Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts is very good. It is her stand alone book for this year and is long. The book is large and heavy. I don't mind the length but the book does tend to be hard to hold at times. It sounds like your ddil's surgery was a success but she does have a long recovery. Hope she continues to improve.

We are doing ok here at our house except for the allergies which are bad this year. The weather has been pretty nice but still is cold at night. My dental work continues. I had the bridge checked yesterday. He did some work on my bite and now it feels better and more natural. In two weeks he will do the work on the bottom teeth--two need crowns and one just a filling. Hopefully that will all got well and I will be finished for a while. Looking forward to that day!

I read Murder on Gramercy Park by Victoria Thompson, one of her Gaslight Mysteries. It was good. The mystery was a little lame but the relationship between her two main characters continues to develop. I am now reading an older one of Karen Rose's books--Have You Seen Her? It is very good so far. I really enjoy her books but had not read one for a while. I am trying to not order any books from the library and just work on tbr books. I read a bunch from the lib. recently and they were good but kept me from the tbr.

We have Lauren's dance recital this weekend and that should be fun. That is Sat. and we will also celebrate Mother's day with a bbq that day. I baked two kinds of cookies today to take.

I hope everyone is well and will hopefully stop in here to say hello. In case I don't get back before Mother's day have a good one.

Mary

May 7 -- 47 years!

Wow, in another hour Hardy and I will have been married for 47 years!  It surely doesn't seem that long, but on the other hand, I can barely remember a time when we weren't married. . .

We went to a concert last night, featuring the Tenore (pronounced Te-nor'-ay).  Were they ever good!!!  They will be in Yorkton at the end of the month, and we already have advance tickets -- picked them up last night.  If you hear them advertised anywhere, it would be well worth your while to go and hear them!!! 

Today is a quiet day, and we don't have anything specific planned, but tomorrow evening we are going to Regina for the evening, supper and another concert -- this one featuring the Booth Brothers.  So that's our anniversary week. . . 

I have 2 choices:  1.  I can go fold laundry, and 2.  I can go sit on the couch and read or crochet.  Guess which one I'm going to pick. . . 

Hope everyone is having a good week!  We finally got some spring weather -- actually, it's more like summer, it's +25 outside with a nice breeze.  At last!!!

More later. . .  {:-)

TGIF!!!

Oh my goodness, I didn't realize how long it's been since I was here.  I took notes, but if they sound a little strange, please forgive, as I may not be able to read my own writing. 

Trudy, what a beautiful picture!  I hope you won the contest!! 

I wasn't meaning to say I thought the Boston Bombers were Muslim.  My apologies for making it sound that way.  Though they could be.  They could also be any other religion or race on this earth.  I do know there are 2 races of people who both seem to be called Muslim, one race is very peaceful, while the other is very violent.  I will never understand it. 

Talking about crazy weather -- we had a blizzard on Mon. & Tues. of this week!  April 29 & 30!  Dumped 10 inches of snow on us!  Thankfully, the temp was up to +17 yesterday, and today is very windy, so almost all that snow is gone.  Imagine, May 3rd and we've still got drifts of snow in our driveway that are more than 2 feet high!

Also talking -- about strange insurance policies -- I got a letter from my bank yesterday that said the policy they had been paying for me has expired, so they're not paying it any more.  HUH???  The only policy I've got with them is one I've been paying every month for years -- very small, just enough to pay my funeral costs when the time comes.  Very strange!  I'm going to have to call them about it.

I hope you're feeling better!  Have you got the test results back yet?  Will pray for your good health!

Amanda, my sister has a suitcase sitting right beside her front door, with a big sign on it:  "IN CASE OF FIRE TAKE THIS FIRST!"  It has all their family pictures in it, plus insurance papers, etc.  Every few months, she goes through it and updates it, and then puts it right back. 

Leaves?  Do trees get leaves???  That's about how long our winter's been.  We've had snow since the beginning of October of last year, and this is already May! 

Horror books?  I just finished Eyes of Night by Beth Amos.  I quite enjoyed it, and I'm not big on blood and gore.  I don't particularly care for Steven King, either.  Picked up a couple of his books a while back, just to leaf through them.  Put them back very quickly. 

I'm glad your cold is better. 

Donna M, LOVE that picture of the path!  I could walk down that path for hours. . .  Also love the flowers!  I do so hope we soon get some -- flowers, that is.  {:-) 

Our basement is finally dry!  But no watersoftener!  Dbil had to totally disconnect it and carry it away.  And a new one will cost more than $1.000. 

My ankle is fine.  It finally quit swelling and is back to normal already.  I'm sure it was just a mild sprain. 

We quilt the old-fashioned way -- many materials from dresses, etc that moms & grandmas have worn, on a frame, and stitched by hand.  Though we do use the machine for sewing the shapes together. 

Sandi, oh my gosh!  You'd need an inner goddess to accomplish all that in one day!  I'm afraid when it comes to housekeeping at my house, if it can't be done in an hour/day, it doesn't get done.

Many good thoughts and prayers going up for Brian. 

Seems like lots of you are reading Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts.  Is it any good?  Is it a new one? 

Did you have good luck on your first sales call?  I hope you make a good sales person if this is now part of your job.  {:-)  Let us know how it goes.

Mary, good luck on your ongoing dental saga!  Keep us posted, we can at least commiserate with you as it goes along.  I'm glad the bridge fits good. 

I enjoyed the Night Tales series, I've actually got it on my keeper shelf. 


Our son and ddil are back home after her surgery.  Everything seems to have gone fine, and as the surgery incisions heal, she is feeling less pain, but it will take one - two years before they will really know how well this operation worked.  It will take her that long to get off the morphine meds in her pump.  The dr. said he's positive she will lose at least 85% of the pain she had before.  He found 2 nerves that were twisted together, and two more that were really close to each other.  He repaired them all by attaching them each to their own muscle.  He said he was very deep, about 4" and had to make 3 incisions, so that's going to take a long time to heal as well.  There is a possibility of one more surgery in about 2 years, but that will only be decided after they know how much of her pain is gone. 

Margie, so glad they're finding out early about your nephew's problems.  One of my nieces has a son who is severely autistic, and another who has down's syndrome.  Her dad, my husband's brother, tells us how she is managing.  I couldn't do it.  I know I couldn't.  Good for you on taking that course!  My motto is the more you know about something, the better equipped you are to handle it. 

You're lucky you've got spring!  We've still got snowbanks everywhere!  Looks rather funny, actually, with lawn showing here and there, and then a huge snowbank, then more lawn, and then another snowbank. . .

Well, I think that catches me up.  I've been sitting here all afternoon, and it's already time to start supper.  See you all later. . .  {:-)

Thursday evening

Hi everyone!
Good to see some of you checking in.

Trudy--it sounds like you are getting some answers finally to your medical concerns. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Sandi--hope you have fun at RT. That is exciting that you get to go!

Amanda--well the weather is nice again. Hopefully it will last for a while. The Phils are really hard to figure out right now. They are so inconsistent. Karen's fil says it is because of poor management. He does not like Charlie. Your book club book sounds interesting.

Margie--good to see you checked in. It sounds like Gavin is getting the help he needs and that is good. I hope the autism class is helpful for you. I will keep you and your family in my prayers. I am almost finished with Whiskey Beach and enjoying it.

We celebrated Jake's 4th birthday on Sunday with a party at Karen's. He got lots of great gifts. We bought him a large basic Lego set. He also got some other Lego stuff. Everyone had a good time.

My dental bridge is in and it feels good. I have to get it checked next week. Then we move on to the bottom teeth. I have been on a Nora reading marathon. I read the next two Night Tales books--Nigthshade and Night Smoke and really liked them. Now I am almost done with Whiskey Beach and it has been good.

I hope you are having nice weather. Ours has been nice for a few days now but it has been so changeable. Have a good weekend.

Mary

Hi Ladies

I've been reading posts and trying to catch up on all that has been going on.

Trudy, I'm sorry to hear about the cancer scare.  It is good you are looking into it with all the family history.  You remind me that I really need to see my urologist too.  I'm suppose to go every year but I didn't do it this last year. 

Cady, Super belated happy birthday to you.  I hope all is well with your family.

Sandy, Good thoughts are going out to Brian.  I am also ready Whiskey Beach.  Just started it so I really have no opinion yet.  Have fun at RT. 

Mary,  I wanted to see Zero Dark Thirty but missed it at the theater so have to get it on dvd.  I haven't been to the movies a much as I used to but I did go see the Oz movie.  I really liked it.  I also really enjoyed Argo. 

DonnaM.  I love the pic of the trail.  It is so pretty. You are very lucky to have so much nature around you to enjoy. 

Amanda, I can relate to the busy week.  I wish I could get some overtime but no luck there. I hope you are over your cold.  They can be miserable.

We have been busy with the yard.  I found a great nursery about 5 miles away.  IT is a wholesale nursery in the middle of an apricot orchard.  We say the sign while driving the back roads and decided to check it out.  They have us such great deals and mature plants.  We stared buying several plants to finally fill in the front rock area.  It looked like bachelors lived here.  Now it looks like a family lives here.  Our neighbors are probably glad we finally did something.  Now the grass needs work.  It is so sparse and has crabgrass.   I had my front grass looked at by a local sod company to find out what kind it was.  They sell seeds so I got a bag.   I don't have money to pay someone to do it so I've been online checking out how to seed the lawn.  I hope it takes! 

I've read a few books but not much.  I read a Super Harlequin free from Amazon.  It was by Sherry Mayberry.  I've read her before and like her books.  This one was very sweet and I enjoyed it.  I also read Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost.  It is a paranormal.  Yesterday, I finished Crystal Cove by Lisa Kleypas.  It was good.  I didn't realize it would be so paranormal but I enjoyed it.  I've just started Whiskey Beach by Nora but I'm only on chapter two. 

Tomorrow I am going to go start a class about autism.  It is every Wednesday for six weeks.   I hadn't said anything...maybe in a bit of denial...but my nephew was "unofficially" diagnosed with autism.  The neurologist (sp?) said it is mild from what he was observing but he'd need to do all the testing to be accurate on where G is on the spectrum.  He gave a letter to my sister that helped get him services.  At least G is in Special Ed and getting help with speech and other delays involved with this. I'm glad they are having this course.

Well it is very late so good night.
Margie :)