Don't forget...

Spring Forward!

When your change your clocks...

change your batteries!

Nothing shaking...

My poor little blog has suffered so far this year. Sorry 'bout that. I just haven't had anything going on earth-shattering enough to put fingers to keys and type out.

Two of the kids ... Beth from Arizona and David (with granddaughter, Jennifer) from Colorado ... were here (separately) for a few days each after visiting with their mom and ill stepdad in West Va. It was so good to see them, just wish we'd had more time.

Beth and Lew

David, Lew and Jennifer

Great-grandson Bryson is growing so, so fast! The child has four teeth, is crawling and is pulling himself up to standing. There's no doubt in my mind he'll be walking by the time he's nine months old!! He's really developing fast.

A toofy little grin
(Candy, the dog, getting into the act!)

Trying to get Uncle Chris to play!

Our purging hasn't gotten as far along as I'd like, but we shall prevail!! My desk is next... I'd really like to be able to enjoy the whole top without having to shuffle aside a bunch of papers. I'm thinking I might just join the 21st century and start scanning stuff for digital record-keeping instead of saving all that damn paper! It really does get out of control sometimes.

Like the rest of the country, we've had our share of winter cold, snow, and ice. The field behind us is still white but we can see most of our yard again. The ailing dogwood had a few dead branches break off under the ice, as well as the oak and maple in the front yard, but for the most part, we've had little winter damage.

So, other than that, and a little of this and that here and there, that's what I've been up to. You know... boring stuff. ;)

I'm impressed...

Well, now I am but at 8-ish or so this AM, I wasn't too damned amused.

My neighbor diagonally across the street is apparently in dire need of a new roof because at the above-mentioned ungodly hour this morning, I was rudely jarred out of my peaceful slumber by the continuous, obnoxious tap-tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-wham racket that inevitably goes along with replacing a roof.

Hello? It's 20 freezin' degrees out there!! Who in their right mind decides to climb up on top of a house to work in sub-freezing weather?? Who does that? Obviously, the people working on my neighbors roof.

Now, THAT'S commitment to the job! I'm impressed...

Did you remember??

Time to set those clocks back... don't forget the battery in your smoke detectors too!

This, that, and the other

It being apple season and all, we've been peeling, coring, and slicing a bunch. We're eating and drinking (got some fresh pressed cider too) more than an apple a day and so far, have four bags of sliced apples and six pints of applesauce in the freezer. Since we have an abundance (like the song goes -- a bushel and a peck!) this weekend will find us fixing more of the same, along with several loaves of another favorite, pumpkin-apple bread.

Dogwood Update:

Our ailing tree has received its three treatments but being that it's losing leaves naturally because of the season, it not obvious to me that there's been any improvement. The tree doc seems to think it will recover, but it's pretty much a wait-and-see thing until it starts budding and leafing in the spring. That's also when the dead wood (hopefully not the whole tree!) will be removed. *sigh*

Baby B is 4 months old already! How can that be? I hate that I'm in MD and he's in SC and I'm missing soooo much of his growing. He's in good hands though - his SC grandparents dote on and spoil him rotten -- just as it should be! ;-)

sweet, sweet baby boy!

Got my mammogram done (it was normal,) had our six month check-ups, and got stuck for our flu shots. I have one more doctor's appointment next month and then we're good to go for another six months. Yay! Well, not counting one unpleasant appointment we haven't made yet... we're both due for colonoscopies this year. Ughh!!

Okay, I lied. I just remembered... I also have to make an appointment to get my eyes checked. I'm a bit overdue and my glasses are starting to deteriorate. ♫A chipped lens here, a scratched lens there, here a lens, there a lens, everywhere a lens, lens!♫ lol Anyway, that's another one I'm not looking forward too -- I hate picking out new frames.

Oh yum! Lew came home with a half dozen beets this afternoon, so I'll be roasting and freezing them this weekend too. Loooove roasted beets! We have a devil of a time finding them with any regularity at the grocer's around here, though and the orchards we frequent carry mostly fruits, not veggies. Definitely have to find a better source cuz I know we can't be the only beet-lovers in the area! We may just have to start growing our own (wink, wink, Claudia!)

So, that's what I've been up to. If I don't answer the phone, come looking for me under the apple/beet peels!

Think Pink...

Guess what I did today?? Have you? If you haven't, please do soon!

Yet more doings....

Along with all the family fun this summer, we still had other pressing needs to attend to.

First, was my prized (to me, anyway) pink dogwood, which was definitely in dire straits. Initially we thought the dead branches we were seeing this past spring were due to the extreme winter we had. On the advice of our tree trimmer, we tried a few things but nothing seemed to help. Finally, we called on the services of a regular tree doctor type, and turns out my poor tree is pretty ill. Seems it's suffering from root rot, probably caused by too much water from our sprinkler system. That accounts for the dead and dying branches. It's also under attack from borers, which can happen when a tree is stressed, and it also has a case of powdery mildew, caused by weather conditions. My tree is a mess!

So, presently it's on a three month treatment plan for all of the above. While the tree doc gave a somewhat positive prognosis, I'm not too convinced as I continue to see more branches dying back. I'm thinking it's probably pretty iffy... but, we shall see. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

dead branches don't belong on an otherwise blooming tree

borers are munching on my poor little tree

Then, there was the driveway. Over the years, it was becoming harder and harder to maintain, in spite of regular and periodic applications of sealants, etc. I guess thirty-some years is a pretty good lifetime for a driveway. There were no major breaks, but the cracks were becoming a concern, so it it was time.

The contractor determined that the base foundation was good, so we only had to have it resurfaced.

the equipment arrives

lots of workers getting 'er done!

nice job!!

I think I'm all caught up now on my away time happenings... back to my regular mundane babbling!

I'm baaaaaack...

Well, it's been an active summer since my last real post and we've been busy little bees here in our quiet corner of Maryland.

We've traveled up and down the road several times for:

• a baby shower in SC,
• a 1st birthday celebration for our NJ grandson,
  
• the arrival of a brand-spanking new great-grandbaby in SC,
  
• picking up the SC grandsons at our half-way spot in VA,
  
• then returning them and enjoying a delightful weekend visit at my brother's home in NC.

Susan, Lawrence and the boys were here for the 4th, we've redecorated the main bathroom, had the driveway resurfaced, acquired the services of a tree doctor to try and save our dogwood, and spent many hours picnicking and swimming at nearby Greenbrier Lake while the SC grandsons were here.

Now, since it's that time of year, we've also frozen about a peck of peaches (after baking a scrumptious peach cobbler to make sure they were okay to eat) ;) and three dozen ears of sweet summer corn in the past week or so. We'll have some yummy eating come cold weather time, but I'm not wanting to peel another peach or dekernel (I know, I know - that's not a word!) another ear anytime soon!!

So, whatch'all been up to? (I'll get some pictures of our doings posted this weekend.)

Taking a little break for the summer...

Okay, okay, I know I've already been on a break, but hey, it's been busy around here! ;-) There may be an occasional post, but for the most part, I'll be on a short sabbatical.

Have a wonderful summer with family and friends - see you sometime next month.

The ugly revisited...

*sigh* Well, two weeks later the refrigerator issue has reared its ugly little head once more. Last night it started blowing warm air again so that's it - we're just not gonna keep fooling with it.

Unfortunately, we can't get a new refrigerator delivered until May 25 (!!) which means the next three weeks or so will be a real pita going up and down the stairs every time we need something cold. Aargh!!

I keep telling myself to look at the bright side, at least I have another fridge... but I'm still NOT amused!

Sometimes...

... the stars just line up right.

Back in December I was doing a little after-Christmas shopping on Amazon and came across a really pretty 5-pc nativity set I liked, so I ordered it. I also ordered an additional 2 pieces to complete the set - an arch and a shepherd.

The next day I wanted to show my friend what it looked like so I pulled up my open order, clicked on the photo of the set and got the following message:

Looking for something? We're sorry. The Web address you entered is not a functioning page on our site Go to Amazon.com's Home Page

Hmmm, thought I, that's strange. Maybe I got the last one? (not likely, but I was reaching!) So now I'm feeling a skosh uneasy, but figured I'll just wait and see how things go.

Well, to make a long story short, I spent several weeks waiting for and then returning the partial order they sent. After much back and forth dialog with the Amazon supplier (Christmascentral.com) I ended up with no nativity set, the news that the 5-pc set is out of stock and no longer being manufactured, an apology, and a credit to my credit card. Well, poop!!

Since I already have a child's nativity, I wasn't really devastated but I was disappointed because this one was really cool - contemporary and unique. Oh well.

So, fast forward to this month. I'm putzing around on Amazon and decided to look at nativity sets again. Hello!! Staring back at me in the very first position of indoor nativities is the very same set I wanted in December!! The one that was out of stock and no longer being manufactured! Hmmmm, curiouser and curiouser, thought I. Sooooo...

Oh no, you din't!! Oh yes, I did!! I ordered it again. And don't you know that when I tried to look at the picture on my order the next day I got the same message as above? That was on April 24-25.

All righty then - this is getting old and I'm really not expecting to get this thing, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?? And I was having a slow week anyway. Well, lo and behold, on April 27 I get an email that my 5-pc nativity has shipped! Get outta here! Now I'm wondering what they're sending me cuz I'm just not believing that I'm really going to get THE set.

So now, I'm tracking the package on FedEx... it's in Buffalo, NY on the 27th; then it's in Syracuse, NY; then it's in Hagerstown, MD on the 28th... with delivery estimated on the 29!! I'm still leery, wondering what will arrive...

Ta Da!! Looky what I got today!!

Oh me of little faith!! Isn't it purty??
(and I don't care about extra pieces!)

Amazon.com

... the place continues to impress me to pieces.

I had told #1 granddaughter that we'd get the crib for her new lil bits. The one she wanted came on sale and I was all set to go ahead and get it when I discovered that whoa, wait a minute... they (Target) wanted $100+ just to ship it!!! So, sez me to meself, "oh no, no, no... let me check out Amazon and see if they carry it there." Ta da!! They did!

Soooo, after a bit of research with Consumer Reports and other sources (I'm so out of touch with these things!!) I went ahead and ordered it, along with a well-ranked crib mattress. This was on Wednesday afternoon, the 17th.

On Thursday, the 18th, I was notified the mattress had shipped, and yesterday, the 20th, said mattress was in my granddaughter's possession in South Carolina!! The crib is scheduled to ship tomorrow, the 22nd, so she'll have that sometime within the week too.

I paid the normal price, but it was all FREE shipping!! And, even if I had had to pay shipping, it would have only been $59 and change for both pieces. Can you stand it? I love that place!!

I'm keeping him...

So, that shingle Lew found in the street after Monday morning's o'dark thirty storm did come from our roof. I'm surprised (but thankful) that it was only one. Luckily, we have extra shingles in the shed (that didn't blow away) from when we replaced the roof several years ago, so it was a relatively quick repair job.

Howsomever, the man is pushing 70, and I'm not too crazy about him climbing up and about on the roof! Must be something in his genes though; his dad was still climbing up on his roof, cleaning out gutters, when he was 75! *sigh*

At any rate, I so appreciate his expertise and handiness at times like this. He take such good care of our home... and me. :)

Another year, another test...

Phew, glad that's over! Had to go for a routine breathing test yesterday and had not been looking forward to it at all.

I so dislike this thing! Not that it hurts or anything, it's just majorly uncomfortable. All that huffing and puffing and blowing out air makes me feel like I'm going to pass out, not a good feeling in itself. Not to mention that pinching contraption on my nose. Just unpleasant.

Anyway, it's done til the next time, I'm still breathing, and none the worse for wear except for a slight headache after the fact (which I remedied with a sugary cinnamon crueller when I got home!)

Ah, the perils of shopping at a different grocery store! ;)

Slowly, but surely...

... the Christmas decorations are coming down and making their way back into their respective storage boxes for another year.

In spite of the lists Lew made last year that itemize what each box held, the living room and downstairs are still an array of filled and partially-filled containers, along with numerous "where the hell does this go?" items. The lists have definitely made it easier, but still, 'tis a mess.

Back in the day, when all I could afford was an additional ornament for the tree each year, it was all a lot more mangageable. In succeeding years, however, I became one of those kind who had to add to our Christmas collection of decorations each year. (I'm especially fond of on-line after holiday sales.) This meant more containers to hold stuff in, which meant finding more room in the back basement to store said containers and... well, you get the idea. Things were getting out of hand... and, we were running out of room!

So, while we were at it this year, we decided we really needed to purge some of this stuff; outdated, unused or unusable, "where did this come from?" stuff. So far, we've managed to empty one whole container to donate, dispose of, or recycle. Things are getting rearranged as we go, which will, or course, necessitate new lists. It's a slow process, but we're getting there.

On the plus side, I've only added one after-Christmas sale item this year!

Now to find a place to tuck it away.

A penny saved...

... turns into dollars! Yeah buddy, I am loving saving me some money!

So, I've been doing a bit of holiday gift shopping online and have scored me some great deals with searching, sales, and promotion codes. Can't say what the items are... the internet has eyes, ya know? ... but I got a $75 item for $61 and change at Amazon, plus free shipping.

At another place (which must remain unnamed) I got a $175(!) item for $67 and change (good thing too, else it would have stayed in the store!) plus free shipping!!

At a well-known ladies shop, I got $30 knocked off my total, plus free shipping - got to stack two promo codes! Can you stand it?!

Shoof, not only am I having fun, but I'm about half-way done! Wheee! :D

It's that time again...

Flu shot season is here and we got ours last week.

Most people winterize their cars and homes; we winterize our lungs! heh, heh. Our doctor is pretty adamant about us getting added protection every year, so flu shots are just another one of those annual things we do.

We had to go twice since they ran out of doses on our regular visit, but we finally got stuck the next day. Now I guess we just wait and see what happens with the availability of swine flu shots in MD or if we even need them.

If you're a believer, did y'all get yours?

How annoying...

I got a call from my credit card company last evening, notifying me that my card had been flagged as possibly compromised and they would be canceling that number immediately. Erggg!

It's the only card I use online so at least I don't have to worry about other cards, and it's nice to know they're on their toes monitoring card activity to catch potential misuse, but jeez, what a bother! You know how long it took me to memorize that damn number and how many places I have to notify??

So now I have to wait 3-5 days to get the new one, but in the meantime, before I even had a chance to notify them, I've already recieved an email from Blockbuster requesting a payment information update!! And so it begins. *sigh*

In the dark...

So, I'm minding my own business, putzing on the computer last night, and zap! there goes the electricity. Erg! I hate when that happens! It always scares the snot out of me cuz I think the computer died or is getting ready to explode or something. Very unnerving.

As it happens, Lew was already upstairs, saving me the trouble of beating feet up to silence the alarm on my now-powerless oxygen concentrator and switching myself over to the emergency O2 tank. 'Course I made my way up pretty soon anyway -- it's just no fun sitting in the dark by myself in front of a dead computer and TV.

After first making sure it wasn't our circuit breakers and then calling the power company (our landline phone has its own power source) to report the outage, we pulled out candles, matches, a small oil lamp, and flashlights and prepared to settle in for a bit.

Lew had noticed the power crew working down the street earlier in the day so he moseyed on out to see if they were still there. Nope, they were gone, but I'm convinced that whatever work they had done earlier created or contributed to the problem we had later. It's just too coincidental.

In the past two/three years, it's happened a lot more often than it should... a couple, three times a year... and the power people always claim the wiring is just getting old, blah, blah, blah. Well, like the underground wiring, these power outages in our section of the development are getting reeeal old too, and I am so NOT amused! There's nothing more frustrating than to be staring out the window in one's own eerily quiet and dark house and seeing the lights in the houses directly across the stinking street merrily twinkling away!! Clearly, there's an unresolved issue under there somewhere while I'm sitting around worrying whether my freezer full of food will survive the latest outage!

So anyway, we decided to play Uno. Not the best choice. Ever try to distinguish the blue cards from the green cards by candlelight? Not easy. Had to keep turning the flashlight on and off. We watched a power truck go by about an hour after we called. We played word games. The kind we play in the car on long trips. Lew walked down the street a couple of times to check out what was happening... there were now about 4 trucks and a back hoe on the scene. Chatted a bit with our next door neighbor, who wasn't thrilled with no heat. Nothing, but nothing works in an all-electric home. No stove to heat up my cold coffee and no heat to warm up my chilly bod as the temps dipped down into the 30s. So, I wrapped a throw around myself. I read a little, but Abe Lincoln I'm not so the reading by candlelight bit grew wearisome and Lew dropped his pen when he dozed off over his crossword puzzle. Darkness affects him that way... he thinks it's time to sleep. ;)

Finally, after almost 5 hours of candlelight adventure (and I use the term very loosely,) we decided the hell with it and went to bed a little after midnight, knowing that when (or if) the power came back on, the TV, computers, heat and a few other odds and ends would still be on... you can't even turn some things off without power!

Somewhere around 2 am, the sights and sounds of electrical civilization returned and Lew went around the house turning things off and crawled back in bed. At 7-ish am (on a Saturday!!) we got a recorded courtesy call from the power company telling us to press 1 if yes, 2 if no, to see if we had power. Wait, you mean YOU don't know if you gave us power or not??

All in all, it was not a good night. I need a nap.

PSA - Well, didya...??

Didya set those clocks ahead? Didya change the batteries in your smoke alarms?

Alrighty then -- you're good 'til fall... carry on! ;)