Wow - another week over! Time goes so fast sometimes I can barely catch my breath! My boss has been in Europe on vacation since June 6th, and will be back next week, and it just doesn't seem like he has been gone almost a month! He and his wife got tickets for a World Cup game, and were hoping to get to see a couple more if they could get tickets. USA lost, well, they tied 1 game, but just getting to be there for those games would be really exciting!
Momma dove is back on her beam sitting on a pretty much non-existent nest! She had some nesting material up there with her, but the wind sort of swirled around strangely one night last week and swept most of it away. I'm not home much - but I never see her leave, nor have I seen a poppa dove bringing her any food! I'm not sure how doves handle all of this - but she seems very content to sit on her beam. Our comings and goings don't seem to faze her. I found the binoculars last week, so I'm going to look at her closely this afternoon.
Dad is doing fairly well, he spent last friday night in the hospital because he just couldn't breathe, but came home on Saturday. Their family Dr - Dr M. is wonderful! In SoCal Doctors DO NOT make house calls. But Dr M was there that Friday to give him a shot of steroids, and has been by 2 more times this week! The steroids have really helped his breathing, so Dr M is going to wean him down and hopefully they will have done the trick. Dad is also taking The Pill - and has had no bad side effects. We are still praying that it will do its job and strangle whatever it is that is in his lung! They should be able to see a difference within another 3 weeks.
Mom always has an Independence Day party on the Sunday before the 4th, so she is going ahead with the plans. She asked me if I thought that was a bad idea - NO!! It is a great idea! It is giving them something to look forward to - something NORMAL to look forward to!! She loves entertaining, and their house and patio is perfect for big groups. Her work is not too bad - she just cleans up and sets out chairs. She provides cakes for dessert, coffee and lemonaide. The guests all bring munchies and their beverage of choice. My mom is a "person collector", so the guests are all ages and interests and the combination of people is always fun and interesting! Her neighbor Mike, always comes - he is a motivational speaker, and Irish. He recites Irish poet's works and is mesmerizing!! Hubby always sings, and this year our friends are going with us and since we all sing in a group together and cover all 4 parts, we will sing a song too! Several others will recite or tell stories - all clean and always entertaining!
Monday morning we are driving down to Coronado Island in San Diego. Computer Guy and his family, and his wife's family always spend a few days there around the 4th. Coronado is a wonderful place, and the 4th brings a parade, picnics in all the parks and in the evening everyone gathers on the golf course for BBQs and fireworks over the bay. Since we no longer have a big house with a big yard and big pool to have our big parties around, we can go wherever we want for the holiday!! We are taking our bikes and will enjoy the island on monday, stay overnight in San Diego, then back on the island for the festivities of the day with the kids and the co-inlaws! Her family is wonderful and we always enjoy being with them! AND, as an added bonus, we will get to OD for 2 whole days on that darling granddaughter!!
We had a serindipity last weekend because of Dad's illness - The VP (youngest son) flew out from Columbus, OH to see Grandpa and Nana!! We haven't seen him since last September, so the visit was wonderful! He wanted to spend time with my dad and mom, and he stayed at our house, so we really had a good visit. He arrived Saturday morning and we spent time with mom and dad on Saturday and then again on Sunday afternoon, then he flew home early Monday morning. He got to see a couple of cousins on Saturday night and enjoyed seeing some old friends at church on Sunday morning. His job is pretty demanding, so if he didn't come that weekend it wouldn't have been til at least August or September - and based on Dad's breathing last Friday, we weren't sure we'd have him that long! He was definitely better this week though. We didn't say it out loud, but since he doesn't get out here often, he might have been saying good bye to Dad. That thought ran through my mind - but I just let it keep running.
Tomorrow, being Saturday, is a sleep-in day - Wahoo!! We have a notary coming at 10 to sign papers on a home equity line for our NRS house. So I don't have to get myself together til at least 9:30!! Now, while we still have jobs, is the time to get that loan lined up! We have to pay a very small annual fee if we don't use it, but it doesn't expire, so it will be available to us when we retire and move! We are contemplating a little remodeling when we move into "The House", and the purchase of a new vehicle for me, so that available money will come in handy!
Goodness, the day before a holiday weekend is soooo quiet!! It's noon and my email and phone has been quiet for over an hour. Our other large offices are 2 & 3 hours ahead of us - and I'm thinking they have probably split! It seems like a perfect time to do the same thing!! Maybe Cold Stone and spending a little time with my book by the pool would be a good use of my time today!! Happy 4th of July friends!!
Friday, June 30, 2006
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
A Interesting Encounter
I just had something very interesting occur! Our receptionist called me down to say that Marcelle was here to see me. Sounds normal, except I don't know anyone named Marcelle, nor was I expecting any visitors today. I went down to the lobby and met an attractive woman about my age dressed in jeans and a tank top. She introduced herself and said that I didn't know her, then she asked if I had ordered something from a Medi-something diet place recently. I cautiously said yes, fully expecting her to try to sell me something. Well, it turns out that my order from Medifast had been mis-routed to her house and she had it in her car! She brought it to me - what a sweet thing to do!!
Now the story gets more interesting! She said it was delivered to her house on Hadley . . I lived on Hadley from 1970 - 1976! I told her that I used to live across from the High School Baseball field, and it was a little green house now. That's the house she lives in!!! How weird is that??!! The main lable on the box had my office address - where it should have been delivered, but there was a sticker on the side of the box with her(my old) address on it! (I am clueless about that!!)
We stood out by her car and talked about the house - the renovations and changes we had made in it and the changes she had made. When we lived there it had 3 tiny rooms in the kitchen area. The house was built in 1902, and there was no room for a frig in the kitchen - it had to go in a tiny breakfast room. There was also a space for a wringer washer (which I had) and the tub next to it in a small service porch. We gutted those 3 rooms and made a larger kitchen with room for the fridge and a laundry room that was big enough for a modern washer and dryer. They had always wondered why the kitchen was designed the way it was, and when they put a new floor in several years ago, they could see where the old walls had been!
It was a wonderful old house with a built-in buffet in the dining room, an arched doorway between the living and dining room and a beautiful glass paned door with large glass sidelights in the side of the dining room that opened out to a porch and down to the driveway. It didn't have any heat for the first year we lived there. All it had when we bought it were open front ceramic gas heaters in each room, and the gas company would not turn on the gas til they were gone. We used the fireplace and an electric blanket - and bundled up everywhere in between! We put a forced air heater in a closet and we had heat for the first time on Christmas Eve that year! It was heaven not to have to wear long underwear and sweaters in the house!!
It was so fun to talk to her! I drive by that house almost every day on my way home and I have always wondered about it. Its it just a rental? Who lives there? We bought it after we had been married for 2 years, had our first baby (computer guy) there and just loved our first little home! Now I know who lives in it and that it just isn't a rental but a home to 2 ladies who love it like we did!
Now the story gets more interesting! She said it was delivered to her house on Hadley . . I lived on Hadley from 1970 - 1976! I told her that I used to live across from the High School Baseball field, and it was a little green house now. That's the house she lives in!!! How weird is that??!! The main lable on the box had my office address - where it should have been delivered, but there was a sticker on the side of the box with her(my old) address on it! (I am clueless about that!!)
We stood out by her car and talked about the house - the renovations and changes we had made in it and the changes she had made. When we lived there it had 3 tiny rooms in the kitchen area. The house was built in 1902, and there was no room for a frig in the kitchen - it had to go in a tiny breakfast room. There was also a space for a wringer washer (which I had) and the tub next to it in a small service porch. We gutted those 3 rooms and made a larger kitchen with room for the fridge and a laundry room that was big enough for a modern washer and dryer. They had always wondered why the kitchen was designed the way it was, and when they put a new floor in several years ago, they could see where the old walls had been!
It was a wonderful old house with a built-in buffet in the dining room, an arched doorway between the living and dining room and a beautiful glass paned door with large glass sidelights in the side of the dining room that opened out to a porch and down to the driveway. It didn't have any heat for the first year we lived there. All it had when we bought it were open front ceramic gas heaters in each room, and the gas company would not turn on the gas til they were gone. We used the fireplace and an electric blanket - and bundled up everywhere in between! We put a forced air heater in a closet and we had heat for the first time on Christmas Eve that year! It was heaven not to have to wear long underwear and sweaters in the house!!
It was so fun to talk to her! I drive by that house almost every day on my way home and I have always wondered about it. Its it just a rental? Who lives there? We bought it after we had been married for 2 years, had our first baby (computer guy) there and just loved our first little home! Now I know who lives in it and that it just isn't a rental but a home to 2 ladies who love it like we did!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
I Have A House
I have a house, and I don't have a house! This is the house that closed escrow on June 14th (my birthday!) and became ours. Last Friday night our realtor/property manager (PM) signed a 1-year lease with a lady and her 3 children - so starting July 8, it is not mine for a whole year! Our PM assures me she has a good job, making plenty enough to pay the rent and utilities every month. She understands it will be our retirement home and she has assured him that she will take good care of it for us. But I sure wish I could have stayed in it for just a little while before she does!
See that window above the garage doors? That is the bonus room - it will be my sewing room! It has a little half bath, and will accomodate all the projects I can dream up! See that little porch rail by the front door? It gards a porch just big enough for a couple of rockers - perfect for morning coffee or "happy hour"! See that single garage door? Behind that will be my pottery wheel, and electric klin and a nice workbench! I can hardly wait!!! This is the first house we have owned with an attached garage, so we will park our cars inside - I will be able to get the groceries into the house without getting rained on!! I can hardly wait!!
We just made reservations to fly up again in August to stay with Morning Glory for a long weekend. We have to arrange for fencing for the yard. We have done a little research and it turns out that champagne tastes surface again! The fencing style we like the best is also the most expensive!! We may have to alter that a bit - we are going to try to get the 2 neighbors to share the cost for the part that will benefit them - I hope that is not met with resistance!! Our yard backs up to what will be a park, so as wonderful as all that open area will be - there needs to be some sort of barrier between our yard and a public park! We will enjoy not having houses behind us - and the view of the mountains in the distance was a HUGE selling point for me! Have I mentioned that I can hardly wait?!!
They do something in NRS that is very different for this SoCal kid - they have irrigation districts. You pay a fixed annual fee based on the size of your property, for your yard water! This is non-potable water that you use for watering your yard or washing the car only! It was paid through the end of the year for us through the escrow! It is very inexpensive in comparison to having to pay full price for every drop we use in SoCal!! It is also nice to know that our renter won't have to choose between watering the lawn and buying groceries! The sprinklers will always keep the yard nice and green, and she won't have to worry about that!
For now, we have to stay here and work and continue to add to our retirement account - just a little while longer before we make the big move! We will really miss our friends and family here, but we plan to fly down and visit often! I will also be excited to have them visit us! We will sit on the patio and see the mountains and watch the beautiful sunsets, and they will - hopefully - understand.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Friday Babblings 2
Momma dove is back - well, maybe it is one of the babies - but someone is back on the 4" beam outside my kitchen window! No nest - just sitting on that beam. Do doves have more than 1 set of babies in a spring? Could she be nesting again? I'll just have to watch and see!
I love our apartment! I love the spacious bedroom and the little deck. We've never lived in an apartment; not even as newlyweds - so this is a new experience! Yeah - we hear some of the neighbor's comings and goings, but we are only aware of them, not annoyed. I am still working with the bedroom window shades - I'm a really an "open window" person. I love to be able to see out, and have the windows open to the night air. We have those vertical blinds that you can adjust one way or the other to block the line of sight. Since I am a tad claustrophobic and do like to see out, I bought a tension rod and sort of semi-sheer panels to put up in the bedroom window behind the blinds. I still have to cut them off so they don't puddle on the floor, but they are up. I put them in about half way up, so I can still see out over them, but they camouflage the lower half. I was feeling pretty confident in my little curtains, until the other night when I was standing at my vanity brushing my teeth before bed, and I noticed that I could look in my mirror and see the lighted kitchen window of an apt in the next building over through my little curtain. Now, if I can see that window, then they could see me if they were standing at the sink!! Whoops! I went over and adjusted the verticals, but unless I really shut them all the way, I can still see into their kitchen! Lordy - who knows what they have seen with their kitchen light off!! HA!! Anyway - I am going to see if doubling or even tripling (the curtains are long enough) the fabric will do it or if I have to go get real fabric and make new curtains!
Some good friends left yesterday morning for a cruise/land trip in the Mediterranean and eastern Europe area. They will be gone 17 days! Their itinerary was wonderful! It is all with a tour group, and that works really well for them. They are both retired teachers and the tour guy taught with them and retired to put tours together. They are going with a group of about 10 couples - several repeats, like them, so it's a group that's not too big to move around with, and they know several of the couples. Ah - retirement!! I'm looking forward to the freedom of it!! As "still working" folk we can only take the time we have accrued - and it never accrues fast enough!! HA!!
I think we have our house in NRS rented. It will be to a professional lady and her 3 children - no pets, no smoking. We don't have a fence up yet, and that is the only drawback - but we told our property manager that if she would sign a year lease, we would have a fence up within 30 days. Now, we just have to get back up there and choose a fence! The good thing about having 1/3 acre is that you are not right on top of the neighbors - the bad thing is when you have to fence it, it is huge!! Our manager is going to get us the names and numbers of the 2 neighbors - we are going to contact them and hopefully they will share the cost on those sides! We have to put up white vinyl, which we like. Of course the one we like best - the kind with the lattice panel on top is the very most expensive!! Ah - champagne tastes!! I think we will go up again in August so we can choose in person. The vinyl lasts forever, so we want to make sure we make the right choice the first time!
Well, the day has begun - my floor here at work has come alive and I must come to work too! Happy weekend folks! God Bless!
I love our apartment! I love the spacious bedroom and the little deck. We've never lived in an apartment; not even as newlyweds - so this is a new experience! Yeah - we hear some of the neighbor's comings and goings, but we are only aware of them, not annoyed. I am still working with the bedroom window shades - I'm a really an "open window" person. I love to be able to see out, and have the windows open to the night air. We have those vertical blinds that you can adjust one way or the other to block the line of sight. Since I am a tad claustrophobic and do like to see out, I bought a tension rod and sort of semi-sheer panels to put up in the bedroom window behind the blinds. I still have to cut them off so they don't puddle on the floor, but they are up. I put them in about half way up, so I can still see out over them, but they camouflage the lower half. I was feeling pretty confident in my little curtains, until the other night when I was standing at my vanity brushing my teeth before bed, and I noticed that I could look in my mirror and see the lighted kitchen window of an apt in the next building over through my little curtain. Now, if I can see that window, then they could see me if they were standing at the sink!! Whoops! I went over and adjusted the verticals, but unless I really shut them all the way, I can still see into their kitchen! Lordy - who knows what they have seen with their kitchen light off!! HA!! Anyway - I am going to see if doubling or even tripling (the curtains are long enough) the fabric will do it or if I have to go get real fabric and make new curtains!
Some good friends left yesterday morning for a cruise/land trip in the Mediterranean and eastern Europe area. They will be gone 17 days! Their itinerary was wonderful! It is all with a tour group, and that works really well for them. They are both retired teachers and the tour guy taught with them and retired to put tours together. They are going with a group of about 10 couples - several repeats, like them, so it's a group that's not too big to move around with, and they know several of the couples. Ah - retirement!! I'm looking forward to the freedom of it!! As "still working" folk we can only take the time we have accrued - and it never accrues fast enough!! HA!!
I think we have our house in NRS rented. It will be to a professional lady and her 3 children - no pets, no smoking. We don't have a fence up yet, and that is the only drawback - but we told our property manager that if she would sign a year lease, we would have a fence up within 30 days. Now, we just have to get back up there and choose a fence! The good thing about having 1/3 acre is that you are not right on top of the neighbors - the bad thing is when you have to fence it, it is huge!! Our manager is going to get us the names and numbers of the 2 neighbors - we are going to contact them and hopefully they will share the cost on those sides! We have to put up white vinyl, which we like. Of course the one we like best - the kind with the lattice panel on top is the very most expensive!! Ah - champagne tastes!! I think we will go up again in August so we can choose in person. The vinyl lasts forever, so we want to make sure we make the right choice the first time!
Well, the day has begun - my floor here at work has come alive and I must come to work too! Happy weekend folks! God Bless!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
The Pill
Well - thank you for your prayers! Since Daddy is not a candidate for surgery or chemo, the Dr gave him a prescription for a pill that, if it works for him, is supposed to strangle the blood supply to the carcinoma. If that works, the cells will die off because they are not being nourished. They cost $3600 for 30 pills!!! Their insurance will pay half, and they decided to try it for at least a month to see if it would work. There is about a 25% chance it will. That was hope enough, so they ordered the pills. THEN - Their regular Doctor called mom in yesterday and told her he had called the Oncologist to sort of plead their case and mom doesn't know why or how, but they got the drug company to provide the pills for FREE for as long as he needs them!!! Wow!! Even when you don't know exactly how to pray, God knows exactly how to answer!!
So now, we pray that the pills work! If they do, they will start to see a difference within 30 days. Their Dr says that since Dad is really healthy in most respects he has a good chance! He is on dialysis because a high-blood pressure medicine he used to take damaged his kidneys, but in every other way his heart and general health is great! (There was a class-action suit several years ago over this blood pressure drug, but dad opted not to join it. It seemed more like a racket, and the drug had already been pulled from the market. He decided that the suit would not restore the kidney function, so why make lawyers richer!)
So, there is hope - and they will hang on to that!! Thank you all for your continued encouragement! Blessings!
So now, we pray that the pills work! If they do, they will start to see a difference within 30 days. Their Dr says that since Dad is really healthy in most respects he has a good chance! He is on dialysis because a high-blood pressure medicine he used to take damaged his kidneys, but in every other way his heart and general health is great! (There was a class-action suit several years ago over this blood pressure drug, but dad opted not to join it. It seemed more like a racket, and the drug had already been pulled from the market. He decided that the suit would not restore the kidney function, so why make lawyers richer!)
So, there is hope - and they will hang on to that!! Thank you all for your continued encouragement! Blessings!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Dad's Cancer
Well, I just talked to my mom - it is a carcinoma, she wrote the type down - but it wasn't handy. It is a large mass in his right lung. He is not a candidate for surgery or for chemo because of his dialysis. They are going to try him on a pill that is $120.00 per day - $3600 per month. Their insurance will only cover half of it, so they are going to get 1 month's worth - $1800 - to see if it makes a difference. This pill won't cure him or get rid of the cancer, but there is a chance it would help him be able to breathe better. Basically, it is just a waiting game.
So!! Crappy news!! I know God can work some awesome miracles, but I also know that sometimes he doesn't so I can't hang everything on that. You know, we all "know" that we and our loved ones are going to die - - eventually. It just hits you different when the "know" becomes know, and the eventually becomes soon. I guess that what I would ask of you, my praying friends, that you pray for peace for them (oh yeah - me too!). He doesn't seem to be in pain, so I would pray that God would continue to spare him that if at all possible. I certainly don't want to lose him, but watching my father-in-law waste away over three years was horrible. I think dad is more afraid of that then the dying itself.
Today he actually felt a little ok - so they are going to a picnic at the park tonight with friends. I'm glad, that will lift them and they will need all the lifting that is available in the weeks or months to come.
Oh yea! I finally got a picture to load! This is Mom and dad and me in January down in Mexico - we took them on a 3-day cruise. Hubby was taking the picture. Now you have a face to pray for!
So!! Crappy news!! I know God can work some awesome miracles, but I also know that sometimes he doesn't so I can't hang everything on that. You know, we all "know" that we and our loved ones are going to die - - eventually. It just hits you different when the "know" becomes know, and the eventually becomes soon. I guess that what I would ask of you, my praying friends, that you pray for peace for them (oh yeah - me too!). He doesn't seem to be in pain, so I would pray that God would continue to spare him that if at all possible. I certainly don't want to lose him, but watching my father-in-law waste away over three years was horrible. I think dad is more afraid of that then the dying itself.
Today he actually felt a little ok - so they are going to a picnic at the park tonight with friends. I'm glad, that will lift them and they will need all the lifting that is available in the weeks or months to come.
Oh yea! I finally got a picture to load! This is Mom and dad and me in January down in Mexico - we took them on a 3-day cruise. Hubby was taking the picture. Now you have a face to pray for!
Blessings!
Monday, June 19, 2006
Father's Day
We spent the day with my folks yesterday - I have to admit I was nervous to see my dad, knowing that he is now on oxygen to help him breathe. Silly, really, but I couldn't get that feeling out of the pit of my stomach! Hubby understood - he has lost both of his parents to cancer in the last few years.
We got there in time for hubby to watch the end of the golf tournement with dad. I can't really explain why I was so nervous - but that vanished as soon as I saw him. He is a bit "puny", and had the oxygen thing in his nose, but since he has a moustache and beard you really don't even see it. When he lays down it is harder for him to breathe, so he is not sleeping well - I'm sure that has a lot to do with the puniness. However, "dad" is still there! Still more interested in what is going on around him than what he is experiencing and still able to give a good "dad hug"!
We had a nice time visiting and catching up on not only his progress, but the grandkids, my mom's painting projects (she is an artist!), our new house, apartment and anything else that popped up! They have a wonderful neighbor - Mike - who is about our age, a widower, and a motivational speaker. He is quite a neat guy and has sort of adopted my folks, and they - him. He called, and was on his way back from his mom's house in New Mexico (drove it in one day!!) to see if it was time for a glass of wine! He came straight to their house to see my folks, and share the pictures of his latest handiwork at his mom's house. It was fun to have him and another good diversion for dad, and hubby and I got to know him better! We had taken enough filet mignon (yummmm!) to share so he stayed for dinner too!
Mike drove home (about 50 yds!) after dinner and we stayed a little longer. We could tell dad was tiring so we headed home after pie. They see the oncologist on Tuesday about noon and will have a better idea on treatment and prognosis. He has dialysis today, so they were going to have to figure out how to work the portable oxygen thing. Once he gets that going he won't have to be so house bound. They are both outdoors people and usually very active. So if he can get out a little it will surely lift his spirits.
Thank you for your continued prayers for them!
We got there in time for hubby to watch the end of the golf tournement with dad. I can't really explain why I was so nervous - but that vanished as soon as I saw him. He is a bit "puny", and had the oxygen thing in his nose, but since he has a moustache and beard you really don't even see it. When he lays down it is harder for him to breathe, so he is not sleeping well - I'm sure that has a lot to do with the puniness. However, "dad" is still there! Still more interested in what is going on around him than what he is experiencing and still able to give a good "dad hug"!
We had a nice time visiting and catching up on not only his progress, but the grandkids, my mom's painting projects (she is an artist!), our new house, apartment and anything else that popped up! They have a wonderful neighbor - Mike - who is about our age, a widower, and a motivational speaker. He is quite a neat guy and has sort of adopted my folks, and they - him. He called, and was on his way back from his mom's house in New Mexico (drove it in one day!!) to see if it was time for a glass of wine! He came straight to their house to see my folks, and share the pictures of his latest handiwork at his mom's house. It was fun to have him and another good diversion for dad, and hubby and I got to know him better! We had taken enough filet mignon (yummmm!) to share so he stayed for dinner too!
Mike drove home (about 50 yds!) after dinner and we stayed a little longer. We could tell dad was tiring so we headed home after pie. They see the oncologist on Tuesday about noon and will have a better idea on treatment and prognosis. He has dialysis today, so they were going to have to figure out how to work the portable oxygen thing. Once he gets that going he won't have to be so house bound. They are both outdoors people and usually very active. So if he can get out a little it will surely lift his spirits.
Thank you for your continued prayers for them!
Friday, June 16, 2006
Friday Babblings
Its Friday - Wahoo!! This has been quite a week! I found out my dad has cancer, had a birthday, and had escrow close on a house I can't move into for maybe as long as a couple of years! Fun things and not fun things!
I just talked to mom, and they don't see the oncologist til next Tuesday - a whole week after the "news". They have heard very good things about this Dr., he has a great reputation in their area and did tell them on the phone that there are treatments and medicines that are having good results. I pray my dad is one of the folks that they will work well for!
My friend Morning Glory went to my new house in my stead this morning to receive a nice new stainless side-by-sice refrigerator from the Lowe's delivery guys. Our renters will get to use it for the first time! I am vicariously living in our "Northern Retirement State" (NRS) through MG and her husband! The weather there comes up on my yahoo home page every morning, and I read the blogs of the folks who live there and pretend I'm there too! I even find myself standing at my apartment kitchen sink and pretending that the garages I am looking are really my pretty back yard and my view of the mountains!
Speaking of my kitchen sink - living in an apartment is proving interesting! This morning the kitchen sink was full of water that was just standing there! I zapped the disposal switch, everything went down and came right back up again!! Yike! Stopped up sink, and I am having dinner for 13 tomorrow night! I called the manager to report the problem and she assured me that Dave (co-manager) would take care of it today - and by the way, what did I put down the disposal? Well, last night we had about 1/2 cup of pasta noodles left over (not a big glob, just a few curly ones), so hubby washed them down and turned on the disposal (marvelous man does the dishes on the weeknights that I cook!). Everything seemed fine last night - however I now know that the disposal does not accept anything larger than will fit down the little holes in the little plastic thing that was in the drain when we moved in! Those holes, by the way,are smaller than the drain holes on the side of the sink where there is no disposal!!! Ok - now the "mrs fix-it" in me wants to trot right down and buy a new one and install it to replace the nasty smelly ineffective antique that is there now! BUT - it is not my property - I am a renter and at the mercy of Dave, and for now, I will put ALL the food garbage in my trash can!! I know - millions of women (and men) do not have disposals and do this all the time - but there is one in my sink!! Thank goodness the dishwasher appears to work!! Oh - I can hardly wait to move into my pretty NRS house!!!
Momma dove and her 2 babies moved out this week. For several days they hung around hopping on the ground and making frantic flights to the apartment stairs. They were so cute - but we had to make sure where they were when we started up the stairs. We scared one baby practically to death when we started up the stairs and it felt trapped! We could walk within just a few feet of them and they were ok with that when they were down on the ground however, so we did get a good look and felt like we were making friends! I miss seeing them out my kitchen window!
Bye for the weekend! Have a good one!
I just talked to mom, and they don't see the oncologist til next Tuesday - a whole week after the "news". They have heard very good things about this Dr., he has a great reputation in their area and did tell them on the phone that there are treatments and medicines that are having good results. I pray my dad is one of the folks that they will work well for!
My friend Morning Glory went to my new house in my stead this morning to receive a nice new stainless side-by-sice refrigerator from the Lowe's delivery guys. Our renters will get to use it for the first time! I am vicariously living in our "Northern Retirement State" (NRS) through MG and her husband! The weather there comes up on my yahoo home page every morning, and I read the blogs of the folks who live there and pretend I'm there too! I even find myself standing at my apartment kitchen sink and pretending that the garages I am looking are really my pretty back yard and my view of the mountains!
Speaking of my kitchen sink - living in an apartment is proving interesting! This morning the kitchen sink was full of water that was just standing there! I zapped the disposal switch, everything went down and came right back up again!! Yike! Stopped up sink, and I am having dinner for 13 tomorrow night! I called the manager to report the problem and she assured me that Dave (co-manager) would take care of it today - and by the way, what did I put down the disposal? Well, last night we had about 1/2 cup of pasta noodles left over (not a big glob, just a few curly ones), so hubby washed them down and turned on the disposal (marvelous man does the dishes on the weeknights that I cook!). Everything seemed fine last night - however I now know that the disposal does not accept anything larger than will fit down the little holes in the little plastic thing that was in the drain when we moved in! Those holes, by the way,are smaller than the drain holes on the side of the sink where there is no disposal!!! Ok - now the "mrs fix-it" in me wants to trot right down and buy a new one and install it to replace the nasty smelly ineffective antique that is there now! BUT - it is not my property - I am a renter and at the mercy of Dave, and for now, I will put ALL the food garbage in my trash can!! I know - millions of women (and men) do not have disposals and do this all the time - but there is one in my sink!! Thank goodness the dishwasher appears to work!! Oh - I can hardly wait to move into my pretty NRS house!!!
Momma dove and her 2 babies moved out this week. For several days they hung around hopping on the ground and making frantic flights to the apartment stairs. They were so cute - but we had to make sure where they were when we started up the stairs. We scared one baby practically to death when we started up the stairs and it felt trapped! We could walk within just a few feet of them and they were ok with that when they were down on the ground however, so we did get a good look and felt like we were making friends! I miss seeing them out my kitchen window!
Bye for the weekend! Have a good one!
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Today
Today is my birthday! It is Flag day and my day! When I was little I totally believed dad when he told me the flags were out for me and even now - I do love flags!!
It is 2:30 here in SoCal, and I am at work. My boss is in Germany trying to cheer the flagging US Soccer team on, his adm assistant is out sick and the weather outside is beautiful. I believe I will leave this establishment and celebrate my birthday by going to Cold Stone, picking up a white chocolate with raspberries and chocolate chips and eating it out by the pool at my apt! (If you don't know what Cold Stone is - it is a wonderful place where they take one of their many flavors of home-made style ice cream and mix it with whatever you would like to have in it!! WONDERFUL!!)
So, the stuff on my desk will just have to wait - because I am celebrating life today!!
It is 2:30 here in SoCal, and I am at work. My boss is in Germany trying to cheer the flagging US Soccer team on, his adm assistant is out sick and the weather outside is beautiful. I believe I will leave this establishment and celebrate my birthday by going to Cold Stone, picking up a white chocolate with raspberries and chocolate chips and eating it out by the pool at my apt! (If you don't know what Cold Stone is - it is a wonderful place where they take one of their many flavors of home-made style ice cream and mix it with whatever you would like to have in it!! WONDERFUL!!)
So, the stuff on my desk will just have to wait - because I am celebrating life today!!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
"C"
Cancer - boy, does that word turn things upside down! My mom and dad got that word injected into their vocabularly yesterday morning. No one in my family has ever had it, and you sort of feel that is a little extra buffer against it! Obviously, that assumption is not to be trusted!
It's interesting, some folks I have known immediately blame God, as if He is sitting up there looking for someone to zap. My first thought was that I am so glad I have a God who cares enough to hold my hand through whatever comes. That is incredibly comforting.
They don't know much yet - not how bad, if its treatable and if so, how. That is all stuff we will find out in the next few days I imagine.
Several of you put dear messages of hope and encouragement on my page - thank you, thank you! Morning Glory and husband called us last night to make sure it was ok to ask for your prayers. My goodness YES!! Nobody ever had too many prayers said for them!! We will take all we can get!!
Just so you have a picture of him - his name is Don Smith - one of the most loving men I know (and that is not just because he's my dad!). He goes out every week after the trash truck comes and takes all the trash cans in for all the folks on their street - he says they all go to work every day, and that is something he can do for them to lighten their load! He is 82 and was on the first salvage ship to sail into Pearl Harbor. He was raised on his dad's tug boat on the Southern California coast, was a contractor and also worked for several of the big home building outfits in the southland. He and mom have traveled in every state in this beautiful country - mostly by truck and trailer - and usually by the scenic route instead of the highway! He and mom celebrated their 60th aniversary in January. They are still lovebirds! He has had a very interesting life. It was hampered in the last few years by having to go on kidney dialysis, but only hampered - they have been very active and just make arrangements for dialysis out of town when they travel! The last couple of months we knew something was slowing him down - he has been having trouble breathing - hence the tests. I tried to post a picture of him, but the site is not cooperating today - oh well.
Thank you for continuing to remember him in prayer - I don't know if God will heal him or just help us through, but I know He is always right here with peace and wisdom available for the asking.
Blessings, Grandi
It's interesting, some folks I have known immediately blame God, as if He is sitting up there looking for someone to zap. My first thought was that I am so glad I have a God who cares enough to hold my hand through whatever comes. That is incredibly comforting.
They don't know much yet - not how bad, if its treatable and if so, how. That is all stuff we will find out in the next few days I imagine.
Several of you put dear messages of hope and encouragement on my page - thank you, thank you! Morning Glory and husband called us last night to make sure it was ok to ask for your prayers. My goodness YES!! Nobody ever had too many prayers said for them!! We will take all we can get!!
Just so you have a picture of him - his name is Don Smith - one of the most loving men I know (and that is not just because he's my dad!). He goes out every week after the trash truck comes and takes all the trash cans in for all the folks on their street - he says they all go to work every day, and that is something he can do for them to lighten their load! He is 82 and was on the first salvage ship to sail into Pearl Harbor. He was raised on his dad's tug boat on the Southern California coast, was a contractor and also worked for several of the big home building outfits in the southland. He and mom have traveled in every state in this beautiful country - mostly by truck and trailer - and usually by the scenic route instead of the highway! He and mom celebrated their 60th aniversary in January. They are still lovebirds! He has had a very interesting life. It was hampered in the last few years by having to go on kidney dialysis, but only hampered - they have been very active and just make arrangements for dialysis out of town when they travel! The last couple of months we knew something was slowing him down - he has been having trouble breathing - hence the tests. I tried to post a picture of him, but the site is not cooperating today - oh well.
Thank you for continuing to remember him in prayer - I don't know if God will heal him or just help us through, but I know He is always right here with peace and wisdom available for the asking.
Blessings, Grandi
Friday, June 09, 2006
Momma Dove
I was watching momma dove last night while I was fixing dinner. She moved over and there was 1 baby! Now remember, they are sitting on a 4" beam more than 2 stories up in the air!! Baby is about 1/2 her size and adorable! Momma flew off for some "take-out" and baby just dutifully sat on the beam til she returned with dinner. I don't know how close baby is to flying, but once the committment is made, there will be no turning back.
I cannot see a visible nest, so momma and baby are just sitting on that beam. Momma keeps baby nice and warm - they were all snuggled up this morning when I checked on them from my kitchen window.
It struck me again - God cares for this little momma and her baby high up in the air on a 4" beam, and He cares for me.
I cannot see a visible nest, so momma and baby are just sitting on that beam. Momma keeps baby nice and warm - they were all snuggled up this morning when I checked on them from my kitchen window.
It struck me again - God cares for this little momma and her baby high up in the air on a 4" beam, and He cares for me.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
A Few More Apt Pics
Here are some more move pictures - I couldn't get them to load yesterday! I said I loved my bedroom - it is much larger than the one we had in our house! I can actually walk to the door and see my pretty quilt! And for the first time in 30 years the mirror fits over the dresser!! The bedrooms were really tiny in our house and there was always a window in the way!
Our little deck is the perfect place for breakfast coffee or "happy hour" after work!
This is (HA! WILL be) the guest/sewing room - you can see I still have just a couple of things to do in there!! However - this is all that is left of the "100 boxes"!!
I left this last picture large to show the little lady sitting on a nest up on that beam. It is only about 4" wide and I can see the babies snuggling under her from my kitchen window! When I find my binoculars I'll see if I can count the babies! She is a dove, and seemingly undaunted by our comings and goings! I sure hope those babies stay on the beam till they can fly - it is a looong way down!!
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Moving Day
Well, this is what it looked like the night before we moved in, nice little deck, (cute husband!), spacious livingroom, dining and kitchen, 2 bedrooms and 2 baths.
Then Chris started in the kitchen lining the shelves.
And Taryn and Jeanne (in cap - beat cancer - waiting on hair!) tackled the linen closet and bath cabinets
The next morning after 4 hours, a big truck, good friends and 15 stairs MANY times - the spacious living room looked like this. This is only a portion of the "100 boxes" - the rest are in the bedrooms and behind the camera in the dining room! Oh my, what if we couldn't fit it all in?
A few short hours later we have a real living room, dining room a large & pretty master bedroom and a guest room that still needs work! It's not huge, but it feels friendly and will be very much home for the two of us for a couple of years!
Husband was wonderful that day - he was in charge of all the moving, then he took charge of making the living room liveable! There may have been an ulterior motive - See that blue pillow on the couch? At the end of the day - about 5 minutes before I took the picture, he was fast asleep on it! HA!!
After spending 6 weeks with friends while we were between houses, it almost feels funny to be just the 2 of us again! We had a great time with the friends, and their hospitality was generous and totally enjoyable!! But we are are enjoying getting everything in order and back to the routines we enjoy!
Thursday, June 01, 2006
100 Boxes Revisited
We went this morning and did all the signing for our apartment! Since we will be staying in SoCal for a couple more years before we can move into The Retirement House, we decided to rent a nice apartment in a gated community here in town. We have had a great time staying with friends over this last 6 or so weeks (Really!! - We have had fun!!), But we are looking forward to living with our own "stuff" again!
While we were there this morning we walked through the unit. Our manager is really working to have us move in on Saturday, so the carpets were cleaned last night, the painters were there today, the cleaning service will be there Friday morning and we can get in on Friday night and start the shelf paper!! They are doing the whole turn around in 3 days!! The last renters didn't get all their stuff out til Tuesday!! (Now, I ask you - who on earth moves in the middle of the week instead of on the weekend???) Anyway, the complex has a big potluck party the next Saturday, and she wanted to make sure we were in and settled before the party, so they are really going the 2nd mile!!
Back to the 100 boxes - - after looking at the apartment this morning I am having a panic attack about all those boxes and their contents!! It is a larg-ish unit - 2 bedrooms, 2 bath - 1150 sq ft - but I HAVE 100 BOXES of stuff plus the furniture!!! (Unfortunately that also means 100+ trips up the stairs to the 2nd floor! My dear husband has hired a couple of teens from church to help with the heavy stuff - Bless him!!) I surely hope I can find homes for everything in those boxes! (Did I mention we have 100 BOXES?!!!)
Oh, it will be good to sleep in my own bed again - amid the contents of 100 boxes!!
While we were there this morning we walked through the unit. Our manager is really working to have us move in on Saturday, so the carpets were cleaned last night, the painters were there today, the cleaning service will be there Friday morning and we can get in on Friday night and start the shelf paper!! They are doing the whole turn around in 3 days!! The last renters didn't get all their stuff out til Tuesday!! (Now, I ask you - who on earth moves in the middle of the week instead of on the weekend???) Anyway, the complex has a big potluck party the next Saturday, and she wanted to make sure we were in and settled before the party, so they are really going the 2nd mile!!
Back to the 100 boxes - - after looking at the apartment this morning I am having a panic attack about all those boxes and their contents!! It is a larg-ish unit - 2 bedrooms, 2 bath - 1150 sq ft - but I HAVE 100 BOXES of stuff plus the furniture!!! (Unfortunately that also means 100+ trips up the stairs to the 2nd floor! My dear husband has hired a couple of teens from church to help with the heavy stuff - Bless him!!) I surely hope I can find homes for everything in those boxes! (Did I mention we have 100 BOXES?!!!)
Oh, it will be good to sleep in my own bed again - amid the contents of 100 boxes!!
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