What I've Been Doing Recently

I have been very busy lately trying to get many things done before the NC peeps come for a visit this weekend.

This is my favorite chair ever. Alice hates that I have held onto it for almost 24 years now. And Barb will tell you I am an Indian giver. When I brought it to WA from NC it was recently stained and looked very nice. (Thanks Barb!) But the WA rain really did a number on it and by the time I got it here it was cracked in several places and very rickety. So I filled the cracks with wood filler and built a new seat section that took away the ricketyness. And I gave it a couple coats of paint. Good as new. I will put the cushions back on it tomorrow when I am sure the paint is dry enough.


*Update - Here is the pic with the cushions.


This isn't actually anything I have done, but we got a patio set and I haven't posted a pic of it yet. Momma got to see it in person, but we didn't have it yet last time David was here.



I built a mist system for the back patio. It was very windy here, so this doesn't look as impressive as it actually is. A mist system will reduce the temperature in the area up to 20 degrees, making outdoor entertaining more bearable.



These are the shelves I installed in the closet of the fitness room, where Alice keeps many of her diet and nutrition books, and the like. Obviously the new shelves are the ones that aren't white.



And these are the shelves I installed in the closet of the computer room, where I keep my books, magazines and game stuff.



Here is the computer room with a nice orange paint scheme. Alice actually did the painting. I chose the colors; two shades of orange.



And there is currently a single bed set up in the computer room for one of the NC peeps to sleep on while they are here. I didn't take a picture of it but there is also a single bed in the fitness room for the same purpose. Plus the two other guest beds we have and everyone will get a bed.



And here is a compost bin I built for Alie. The front slats are removable so turning the piles with a pitchfork is easier.



*Update - Here are pics of the upstairs guest room that Alie painted. The picture on the wall was painted by momma for me a fews years back as a Christmas present. And of course I love the Love Quilt she made for us too.




Still have much more to do so I need to go now — Bye!

*Update - Today I installed three window shade screens to windows on the front of the house, for the computer room and guest room. Will post a pic of those later.

Scorpion!

I found our first scorpion since moving to AZ today. We have been having problems with our sprinklers so I opened up the valve box in the ground in the back yard. I saw a little critter scurry under the valve, but I wasn't immediately sure what I had seen. My first thought was it was a little lizard. Well, I like to play with little lizards, so I almost stuck my hand down there to try to pick it up. But then my eyes finally communicated to my brain what they had actually seen, so I didn't stick my hand down there. Instead I called our local scorpion and tarantula expert, Carla, to come remove it. She collects them, and said this guy has four other cage mates waiting at home to play with. Its left pincer is missing. We aren't sure if it already was or if that happened while trying to catch it, which consisted of a lot of using a pencil to try to get it out from under the valves.

Amy

I want to let everyone know that Amy is scheduled for surgery Friday July 2 at 06:30. The Doctor is removing a lump from her breast. They don't know yet if it is cancerous, just that it needs to be removed. What they discover upon removing it will determine further treatment.

Catching Up on Events

Seems a lot has been happening lately, sometimes planned, sometimes unexpected, so I thought I'd try to bring everybody up to date.

Below is a scrap quilt top I made last month which is now in the hoop and being quilted. I've been working on these nine patches (by hand) every Wednesday at my little "Mad Hatters" quilt group for probably a couple of years now. I believe I have made a couple of smaller quilts already from nine patches and this quilt uses up most of the rest of them.



Then, Peggy and I had been trying to get the dogs together for a couple of months to go to the dog park and something always seemed to prevent it until a week or so ago when we finally went. It was debatable whether we should have done it that day as it turned out to be scorching hot, but, you know me... We went. We should have stayed home. I think we only stayed about 15 minutes. It wasn't long whatever it was. Poor Cody was SO hot that when we got to the car to come home I thought he was going to have a stroke before we got there. As soon as we got home I took him out and hosed him down. Judy ran right to the pool and got her belly wet. Apollo wasn't interested in any water of any kind. So, no more dog parks on hot days. Guess they'll all just have to wait until fall for another doggie day out.






On another note, when I was in Arizona in May, Fred had mentioned (when he heard that Merle was thinking of trading cars again) that he might be interested in buying my 2006 Honda as he needed a better gas mileage vehicle to drive to work (it's a long way from home). He was thinking that he could pick it up at Christmas when they come down here and drive it home then.

I was thinking that we could buy a new car in Nov. or early Dec. and maybe get a good deal on a leftover 2010. Merle, on the other hand, has started planning our trip to VA (July 9 - 16) and got new car fever yesterday. He wanted a new vehicle for the trip. We now own the 2010 Honda Civic shown below. (I was tired of the silver/grey/gold of our last three vehicles and was ready for something more colorful. This dark blue one was my choice. Of course you only have to drive it down our dirt road one time to have it looking filthy! Now I remember why I liked the lighter colored vehicles - They hide the dirt better!!

Fred and I have been discussing price and loan terms the last couple of days and now that an agreement has been reached, he's anxious to get his new car. So, he called tonight and said they are making plans to fly down Labor Day weekend - arrive in Gainesville at 10 on Saturday pick up the car and leave for home around 2 pm the same day. They could stay an extra day but would have to take time off from work to do that. They haven't decided yet if they want to do that.

So, Peggy, would you and Eric like to meet us at the Gainesville airport at 10 am the Saturday before Labor Day and we can all go eat lunch together before heading home to give them the car and let them get started back home? Fred, what do you think of that plan?



And that, ladies and gentlemen, about sums up the most recent happenings in our lives.

Finger Pictures

I smashed my finger Monday last week. My nail got real black. Today I removed the nail. Would anybody be interested in pictures? They are very cool! But very gross also. If it helps, there was no pain (almost) removing the nail and no pain with it gone. But it is gross.

Ocala Harmony

Just thought I'd share with ya'll something I've started doing. I found a ladies barbershop chorus on craigslist and decided to give them a try. When I was in WA I had tried singing with Sweet Adelines, but there really isn't a Sweet Adelines group too close to home here, and it can be a very expensive thing with them since they are a international competition based organization. Ocala Harmony is just a group of ladies who like to sing and apparently have only been together for less than a year. They are hoping to get good enough to go out and do some community shows like at nursing homes and such. I've only been singing with them for three weeks, and it's been a fun thing to do and gets me out of the house for a few hours each week. Anyway, this past week a local paper, the Star Banner, came to our rehearsal. They put a small video of our group on their website so I thought I'd share it with you. You can see it here http://www.ocala.com/article/20100609/VIDEO/6092000#.

Burgled

Just to keep the family in the loop David and I were burglarized yesterday morning. The cats were the only ones at home. The burglar (hereinafter known as he but we don't know the sex of said burglar) made off with a half filled large jar of coins, our digital camera, and several pieces of my jewelry.

He kicked in the back door and shattered just over 3 feet of the door frame where the knob and deadbolt belonged. See pictures below.

Just at the left corner of the trash can is the deadbolt plate from the door frame. Yep He kicked it right on out! Made a small mess on the floor from my pen needles but at least he did not make off with the few syringes I have in the house - I would have felt really bad about that. Now we play the waiting game with the police, the officer that took the report came back last night to take pictures and told us that there are a total of 5 victims in the neighborhood, two of which are next door neighbors, and everyone was burglarized between 7:45 am and 11 am.

And now the hard part - waiting........

After the Rain

Now available from Create Space- After the Rain my sixth book of poetry.



Contained within the pages of After the Rain you will find poems of faith and inspiration, poems based on self-analysis, family, love, and humorous verses included to lighten your spirits. A little something for everyone. You may be moved or amused, but certainly entertained with my sixth book of poetry.

Our New Windows

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