Ladeda

Special in my own way

2012-01-28T22:45:00.000-05:00

Time for my every-once-in-a-while blog post. Why now? No clue.

I went to BAM after work today. Books-A-Million. They took over my Borders, and I'd been there once or twice before the holidays. I was happy to see that it was pretty busy inside. I got my favorite latte and sat down with a iPhone magazine, just like in the old days. Me, who thought I knew my iPhone pretty much inside and out, learned about 15 new things from the magazine. I'm so happy. I've missed out on a lot of knowledge since Borders closed!! I plan on making BAM my new after work hang-out on Saturdays. I'm excited. Those who know me know how much I loved Borders and now I have a good replacement.

My sister Ilene from GA is in town to spend a lot of time with my parents, and she's staying with me. It's been so nice to have a house guest! We met my brother and sister Lisa for dinner tonight at a huge Chinese buffet, Teppanyaki Supreme Buffet. It was a gluttonous place! I can usually do some damage at buffets, but I haven't had much of tolerance for food since I had the stomach bug earlier this week.

Speaking of that...yuck. I've never had the stomach bug, and thought I was kind of special because of that feat. Serves me right. I really thought I had an immunity. Many, many people at my parents assisted living have had it. There's a warning sign when you enter the building, but I wasn't worried. I spent two days in a row visiting and got it right after that. Now I'm part of the club, woohoo. I hope to be able to say, "I've only ever had the stomach bug once in my life." Would that still make me special?

Time flies

2012-01-19T11:19:00.000-05:00

I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go. Sorta. My plan for the day after spending an hour working on my basement cleanup (baby steps) was to spend the afternoon with my mother. I finally reached Mom on the phone to find out that she, along with many other residents and staff, has the stomach bug. She has a sick caregiver, but one that gets to stay with her and give her all the care she needs. Needless to say, I'm staying away.

My mother suffered a small stroke earlier this month. It's been over 11 years since the massive stroke that changed her life, and the lives of her family. I really thought after all this time that it would never happen again. This one was a quiet one, in many ways. We noticed that all of a sudden my mother became very quiet. Long story short, the hospital where she stayed for 3 nights diagnosed it as a stroke. Fortunately there were no physical changes, and my mom is acting much more like herself. She is pretty depressed, though, and it has a lot to do with winter. She's stuck indoors and is feeling isolated. I know I'd feel the same. My plan was to show her a good time today. Raincheck!

Life is quiet around here. My daughter has a new man in her life and between that and our jobs, and her school, I don't see much of her. When I do, it's great. She's growing up and becoming a woman. I look at her face, and it's new to me. I miss her!

So, I live in my big (for one person) house mostly alone. I'm not bored, and I'm not lonely. I used to spend so much time on the computer, but I really don't any more. I check for e-mail; I rarely get personal e-mails. It probably has something to do with the fact I hardly send them, and because I don't blog, I don't get comments mailed to me. Thank goodness for Groupon, bradsdeals, LivingSocial, etc. It's the only mail I get (haha). I check in with Facebook on my iPhone at least a few times a day. I like seeing status updates and making some of my own, but other than that, it's not important to me. I've been terrible about reading blogs or writing them. Instead of being on the computer I've been watching shows that I've DVR'd. TV is very entertaining! That said, I can't wait to be entertained by the things you can do in warm weather. I miss being outside. I can't wait till the days are longer and the outdoors is where I spend my time. Time flies, which can be good and bad. Before I know it, I'll be sitting on my porch watching for my hummingbirds. I really can't wait.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T20:00:00.000-05:00

Visiting my mother and writing a new blog post were the only must-do things on my list today. It's almost 7 PM and I'm just now getting to #2.

The holiday 'season' passed by in a blur, as usual. I guess the season is all about the lead-up to the day. Once Christmas Day is over, it's all over. My sister Lisa and I went to The Annapolitan on Christmas Eve Day for their Holiday Dinner. There were over 200 people there (I think there's around 90 residents). It was so nice! I've said it so many times but I'll say it again. We're SO glad my parents are living there.

My daughter worked Christmas Eve but we spent some time together when she came home, then a few hours in the morning before she headed to her dad's. I spent a really nice day with my neighbor Kelly and her guests.

Are we hams or what?

I was ready to head back to work on Monday. I'm finding I don't do well with too much free time. It was a quiet week at work, and will probably be a slow month. Hopefully not too slow, since I work on commission. Rob was able to visit mid-week and we had our Christmas then. I think his favorite gift was the Dr. Martens shoes I got him. Mine was the Apple gift card to use towards the iPad3 I'll get as soon as it comes out. I.can't.wait!

I chose to be proactive and make New Year's Eve plans instead of staying home alone (Rob works every weekend). I'm so glad I did. My friend Kit and I drove to Manassas, VA, about an hour away. We checked into a hotel, and our high school friend Lisa met us there. We went to Kit's sister's bar/restaurant. It was SO out of my 'norm'. I felt like I was sightseeing! So many people smoking and drinking. Such loud head-banger music. It was fun until the smoke finally got to me. We headed back to the hotel and hung out by the fireplace for a while. It was so great to be together. There's nothing like old friends!

I spent a few hours with my mom today. She hasn't seemed like herself since this past Saturday, and I made an appointment for her to see her doctor tomorrow. She's just too quiet. I hope she's OK! I finally cut her hair. She was quite the wild-looking woman.

The top two pictures are, of course, the 'before' pictures. Doesn't my mom look great in her new glasses?

I'm ready to get cozy with my book, the biography of Steve Jobs. I hope it gets me so relaxed that my new evil friend insomnia stays away tonight.

Happy 2012 my friends. I wish you health, and happiness. Wealth would be great too, but I know that health is the most important thing.

Ho Ho Hello

2011-12-19T10:57:00.000-05:00

It just seems like I dropped off the face of the earth. I'm still here. I'm just in that category of 'occasional' bloggers, now.

My holiday party was a little over a week ago, and as usual, it was a lot of fun. Emily and Rob were huge helps to me in the set up, and Rob, especially, as a host. The house is just now (with a little help from the occupants) reverting back to some clutter. The newspapers and TV guides can only stay in the laundry room so long! Still, it's pretty neat in here, and I do love seeing the house all dressed up for the holidays.

My shopping was finished up last week, so there's really no stress left. Actually, the shopping was fun. I'll be having Christmas Eve dinner with my parents and sister at The Annapolitan. Emily and I normally spend Christmas morning together, but I'm not sure what will be happening this year. I'm going to my neighbors for Christmas dinner. Kelly has always extended an invitation when I didn't have any other plans. Rob works every weekend, so he won't be around for Christmas or New Year's. It will all be low-key for me.

I had to bring my car into the shop today because of a very bad oil leak. It was streaming. I also had to rent a car, something I've never had to do before. I've always had my parents car as a loaner. Paying for this car repair, whatever it might be, in addition to the rental comes at a bad time of year, especially following paying for half of Emily's new rebuilt transmission. I reminded myself again that it's a car problem and not a car accident. You have to look at the sunny side.

I'm on a quest to scan old family photos. I can't wait to find more.

Ho Ho Ho!

It's a party time of year

2011-12-05T21:10:00.000-05:00

There's nothing like a party to clean up a house. At least that's always been the case with me. I'm down on the floor wiping around the edges when I notice the grate on the bottom of the refrigerator. So dirty! I take it off to wash when I notice the coils have 1/4" of dust on them. I probably haven't cleaned them since getting ready for last year's Christmas party. I go to put the grate back on when I notice the baseboards. And that all the doors need to wiped around the knobs. And the slats in the intake grills need to be dusted. And there's dust on the edges of the ceiling fans. And on and on and on. The house is now pretty clean. That's a good feeling. I grew up in a spotless home. I live in a neat one, but not necessarily an always clean one.

My salon party was on Saturday night at Pam and Mason's, my wonderful bosses. Great food, music and dancing with all my Mason and Friends co-workers. I'm still hoarse from trying to talk about the roar of the crowd. A great time was had by all.

Yesterday I hosted my book club for our annual holiday gathering. I count myself as being so fortunate to be part of such a wonderful group of friends. We typically spend about 4 hours talking, eating, drinking, socializing and oh, talking a little about the book (usually 20-30 minutes). We've considered putting together a cookbook, because our food is really so awesome. This was our repertoire yesterday:
sambossas (an Ethiopian appetizer) with a wonderful sauce, vegetable curry with Nam, vegetarian egg rolls in rice paper with peanut sauce, chicken salad on rolls, chicken chili, veggies and dip, steamed shrimp, and chipped beef dip. For dessert we had pumpkin cheesecake and carrot cake bites.

I got a call mid-party that my mom had fallen and although she said she was fine, the ambulance was on the way to get her. I was so upset when I saw my mom 6 days prior because she was walking unassisted and she's such a fall risk. She should never ever walk alone, yet there she was. Another fall waiting to happen. Last night I knew she would be OK, and if not, then I'd go to the hospital. As soon as the party was over I called the ER and spoke to my mom's nurse who said she was off getting X-rays. She also said they had been watching America's Funniest Home Videos before she was taken and my mom had her in stitches. The X-rays showed Mom has a fracture to her collarbone, which is something that will heal on it's own. She went home by private ambulance. I visited her this morning, and fortunately, she's not in any pain. At least not yet. And so it goes, until the next fall, because my mom will only ask for help with her walking for a little while. She was lucky this time. She's not always so lucky.

I had a successful Christmas shopping day today. Yay! I'm excited to be giving gifts that I think people will love. I'm excited that I've somehow come up with good ideas. I also think I'm getting in the mood for Christmas. Thank goodness.

I'm gearing up for my annual holiday party at my house next Saturday night. I love entertaining. It's going to be a busy week!

Full, but quiet

2011-11-27T20:12:00.000-05:00

I've been off of work for 4 days, and believe it or not, I'm ready to go back. I've kept busy, but I've been mostly alone. It's a little too quiet already! I've filled up all the time, though, with good stuff. We've had fabulous weather, which has been a gift. I've gone walking each day; something I haven't done for a while. It's felt so good to just move. Today I cleared a large swath in my basement. It's such a mess, but better than it was. I swept the cleared area. I filled an outdoor trash bag with Beanie Babies to donate. Yeah, I was one of those dumb collectors back when. I emptied out my outdoor clay pots and put them away. I planted 60 red tulip bulbs (I can't wait to see them in the spring!). I sat on my deck in shorts and read my book. I went to Sam's Club and a few other stores. It was so hard not to buy myself an impulse gift! I resisted the urge to get a pizza and came home and made a healthy meal.

My house is mostly decorated for the holidays, inside and out. I've done a little shopping. I'm still not feeling the holiday spirit,though. Rob will be here this week and he'll help me decorate the tree. I don't want to sound bah humbug, but the tree is my least favorite thing to do. It'll look great when it's done and hopefully get me closer to feeling festive. I'm hosting my book club holiday party next Sunday, and my big holiday party the following Saturday. I have to be ready. Ho ho ho.

Time to get back to the book I'm reading, Cutting For Stone, by Abraham Verghese. Has anyone read it? It's a very long book...667 pages. I feel like I'm living the story. I'll be sad when it ends.

Happy (Black) Friday

2011-11-25T21:02:00.000-05:00

I have so many random thoughts jumping around...

My mom's caregiver, Pat, just called to tell me my mom is showered and has her favorite body lotion on, and she's very happy and ready for bed. I am SO thankful that my parents are where they are and SO well-taken care of. I picked my parents up yesterday to bring them to my relatives for Thanksgiving. What a trip! It's 22 miles from my house to my parents, and 52 miles from their place to my Aunt and Uncle's. We met my daughter at a parking lot mid-way, and she followed us in her car. About 5 miles from our destination her car broke down. Long story short, we had the car pushed out of the road and onto the grassy median, then went to the house. Many phone calls later we found a tow truck willing to work on a holiday, and met the truck and dropped the car at a service station my cousin uses. Whew. Stress. I thought to myself, I'm thankful that it's a car problem and not an accident or the hospital. Back at the house, my mom was having such a hard time. Her walking days are almost over. She needed so much help while we were there and I was the only one to do it. I had to remind myself that I'm so thankful my mom is still alive and that I can be of help to her. We finally left for the long drive home that included a stop at my house so my daughter could gather some of her things to bring to her friend's, where she was spending the night. I dropped her off there, then proceeded to my parent's place. Pat, Mom's favorite caregiver (who I had called to give our ETA) was watching for my car from the entry. She came out and got Mom out of the car and into her scooter. I gave her a big hug and thank-you, then drove away, knowing that my parents would be taken care of. I was almost slap-happy with weariness when I got to my house. It was an almost 200-mile day! I think it's a last for my parents going to my Aunt and Uncle's for Thanksgiving. It's just too hard.

The news on my daughter's car is that it's the transmission. The shop ordered a rebuilt transmission and it will be ready in a few days. Then we'll need to make the long trip to get it. Ho ho ho.

I wonder if retailers will reconsider their Black Friday strategies after the fiascoes that occurred today. Shame on people for their behavior. I was looking at my previous post about the excitement I felt the year I got my mixer. I had forgotten about the fear I felt when a bunch of women behind me rushed the doors and plowed through the crowd to get to what they wanted. Black Friday is designed to create a lust for almost unattainable merchandise.

Tomorrow marks the last day of 12 days on Methylprednisolone for my pinched nerve. It's not all better, unfortunately. I really hated taking that medicine...I think it affected my mood, my sleep, etc. I just cancelled my doctor's appointment scheduled for Monday because I'm afraid to get a Cortisone injection because of the pain. Hope along with me that the pinched nerve will get better with time, OK?

And that's the end of my rambling for now. I'm so glad I found my muse, for a change.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T07:34:00.000-05:00

If you're going to Thanksgiving dinner as a guest, it's such a different experience than if you're hosting. I'm so glad I didn't have to travel out-of-state, or clean my house for company. The cooking part I wouldn't have minded. I'll be traveling to my relatives in Gaithersburg with Emily and my parents. For the very first time, my brother and his family and my sister Lisa and her kids won't be there. Emily will be lonely without her favorite cousins. I'll be driving to my parents and doing my mom's hair and make-up and getting her dressed, then driving the long drive to the relatives. It's going to take some time for the whole process, but that's OK; it's what families do.

It's been a crazy-busy three days of work for me. I'm usually always busy, but everyone being busy at the same time really changes things up. The salon was a-buzz with activity and anticipation of the holiday. We worked so hard, but now we're off till Tuesday. We'll return to a salon filled with beautiful poinsettias, marking the beginning of the Christmas season.

Anyone doing any Black Friday shopping? I did it once, years ago, to buy my Kitchenaid mixer, and it was really pretty exciting. I contemplated going to Sam's Club in the morning to buy a Dyson vacuum cleaner, till I saw it was a close-out model. It's probably fine, but I decided to skip it. There's nothing I need or want, so I'll be staying in.

And talking of need or want, I've realized I'm a hard person to buy for because there's nothing that I need or want. Actually, I'd like a coupon for 'services'. For instance, caulking my shower, fixing the shelves in my closet, organizing my basement with me, etc. Just some help. I'd like an immersion blender, and I've asked Emily for that. Maybe I'll ask her for a coupon too.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Amongst other things, I'm very thankful that I know you.

A one day weekend

2011-11-20T21:20:00.000-05:00

I've thought it was Monday all day long. I wondered where the lunch crowd was when I was at Fuddruckers with my mom. Wondered why I had no mail. Thought my neighbor must have the day off to be out raking in the afternoon. I also had the time wrong by an hour because I still haven't changed the clock in my car. I'm guessing I've had the day wrong because I knew I was working tomorrow, and the day after my weekend is always Tuesday, not Monday. So, kind of a strange day. I spent part of it with my mom, and the rest doing stuff around the house. Doesn't my mom look very modern in her new glasses?

The woman in the picture is one of my mother's very, very awesome caregivers, Pat. She loves my mom and takes such good care of her. My mother is spoiled rotten, and she deserves to be.

In other news, Rob did so much for me around the house while he was here this week. I'm not used to having help. He moved furniture and washed glasses and trimmed all my shrubs, and raked my whole front yard. I'm so thankful. Emily got out there and helped with the yard work too! Yesterday she got the Christmas spirit, and with her dad's help, put up lots of Christmas lights. Wow! We're the first ones around to have Christmas lights up. A bit early for me, but that's just fine. I'm just so happy that she did it.

Speaking of Christmas, I'm hoping to get in the mood soon. My first party is December 4th.

Time to read. And remember I have to work tomorrow.

Nerves

2011-11-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

I had so much to say, and pictures to post, but I'm too tired now. If only I had started this hours ago.

I saw the doctor this morning, and the diagnosis is a pinched nerve. "Neuritis of the right radial nerve." He thinks I must have banged or bumped my wrist at some point. It could have been, but it must have been inconsequential at the time because I don't remember having the pain until the one time I extended my wrist 'just so'. Tomorrow I'll start on a 2-week course of steroids. He's hopeful that the drugs will do the trick. Me too. I'm SO glad that's what the problem is and that he didn't mention surgery. He did mention a shot if the steroids don't work. I'll go back to see the doctor in two weeks, unless I'm healed in which case he told me to cancel. Here's hoping for healing!

R's and other stuff

2011-11-13T19:10:00.000-05:00

I think the secret to blogging on a regular basis is to blog on a regular basis. The longer I go without writing, the harder it is to do it. The more it gets out of my routine, the harder it is to make it routine. I don't want to give it up. I just need to try harder. I started blogging for me. From time-to-time I go back and read past posts, and I'm really glad I have this diary of my life. At least the part I make public. Really, most of my life is public. The only thing I don't write about is the strife between my daughter and me. It's funny...she scans my blog from time to time, only looking for her name. I try not to write it!

I spent a good part of September and October worrying about pretty constant abdominal discomfort. I had a couple of CT scans and a colonoscopy. I saw a gastroenterologist. The end result was that an over-the-counter solution has made me all better. Wish I had seen that doctor first. I have an appointment with a orthopedist tomorrow morning. Two weeks ago I reached for something with my right hand and something went very wrong in my wrist. I've had a couple of episodes of the worst pain I've experienced in my entire life since then, the most awful being when I reached for my purse on the passenger seat. Strange, huh? I've babied my wrist since then. Hopefully it just needs rest. My job depends on my hands.

Work has been good, and it's been busy. Yea! I need busy. I'm so glad I'm a high-energy person. Bring it on!

Did I ever mention that I really dislike my laptop that I bought in July? Shame on me for not returning it when I could. I finally got a wireless mouse, just so I can type without my cursor jumping all over the place. Apparently the mouse is so sensitive with so many applications built in, that it's hard not to touch it and initiate a command. I have no choice but to deal with it. Oh, and the 'R' on my keyboard doesn't work correctly. I went to Staples the other day (where I bought it) and they said they could order a replacement keyboard. Great. Then they told me it would be $54. Umm...I don't think I should have to pay for it. Maybe tomorrow I'll call Toshiba. I really want my R back. Hees what eally happens witing words with r's in them before I edit. Bumme.

And that's all she wote (wrote). I'll be back to report on my doctor appointment. Maybe that's the key to blogging. Writing about stuff to be continued...

It's the absent blogger

2011-10-31T21:12:00.000-04:00

Hi. I'm still here! Bad blogger.

I just turned off my porch lights, signaling, "don't come to my house, trick-or-treating is over." I love to see the kids in their costumes, but his year the majority of the trick-or-treater's were in street clothes with either backpacks or pillowcases to hold their loot. I made them say, 'trick-or-treat' and if they didn't say 'thank-you, I said, 'what do you say?' I couldn't help myself. I also told the many who had an extra bag for their 'absent' brother, sister, baby, etc. that I was only giving to people that were actually there. To one teen, who came alone with no costume, I said, Really?? She looked embarrassed. Lots of the kids that come to my neighborhood live in a nearby low-income housing area, and are dropped off at a street corner, then picked up and driven to the next. It used to bother me till I realized that Halloween is for kids, and all kids are deserving of going out for treats. I used to love taking Emily out. She always peeked into people's houses and found something/anything to comment on, to start a conversation. Talk about precocious. She dressed up as Dorothy for many years.

I've had the show "The Sing-Off" on in the background while I've been writing. I've never seen it before, and the talent is amazing! Did I mention I've been a little addicted to television since I inherited my parent's awesome very large TV? Watching hi-def on a 52" TV is a whole different experience for me. I really haven't been on my computer much. I'm sure that will change. Nothing stays the same, you know?

I had lunch with Karen, alias Happyone, today. It was great seeing her and catching up. It's been at least a year since I've had fish tacos at Ram's Head Tavern, and they were as great as ever. Yum! I came home and mowed the leaves and then cleaned up a lot of my garden. It felt so good to be outside; I'm really going to miss that soon. Oh, if only winter could last weeks instead of months.

Till the next time....be well, be happy.

Home from Vacay

2011-10-20T19:11:00.000-04:00

Today was spent settling back home after a week of vacation. I've visited my friend Bernie in Cape Cod the past two summers but mixed it up this year with a Fall excursion. I also flew instead of driving and that was so much better except I didn't get to visit my Aunt Carolee in RI. Bernie and I vacation very well together! The Cape weather was mostly rainy, but not horribly so. I walked to the beach my first day there through 'pea soup.' I think that means extremely misty. It was still wonderful.

Bernie and I drove to Jackson, NH on Saturday to take in the beauty of the Fall Foliage. We had wonderful weather while there. Each vista was more beautiful than the next, and we saw three rainbows on our first day. We stayed at nice resort for two nights.

On Golden Pond

Minutes later, with a rainbow!

Back to the Cape for one day of beautiful weather before the drenching rain.

Bernie and I were supposed to spend my last day in Boston, but the weather was just horrible. We hung out at Barnes and Noble and went out to lunch instead. I took the 2-hour shuttle back to the airport, then had a much-delayed but pleasant flight home. Rob was there to gather me up and bring me home.

Tomorrow it's back to work. I'm in town for the long haul, and that's just fine, for now. Summer and vacation time will be here before we know it. After Christmas, that is.

Ladeda

2011-10-09T19:15:00.000-04:00

I wonder what I had to talk about in the early years of blogging that I don't have now? My life isn't that less interesting.

Let's see... Things are good with Rob and me, though we don't get to see each other often. He works Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10:30PM to 8:30AM. That's some schedule, huh? We usually see each other Wednesday night to Friday morning, but lately I've been working Thursdays or he's had plans for Thursdays. Despite our schedules, we're still going strong. Rob's been on a diet the last 7 weeks and lost 26 pounds. That's taken amazing willpower! He has 7 pounds to go to reach his goal, and he looks great.

Emily is busy with school and with her job as a hostess at a really nice restaurant. It's quite a change around here, getting used to her living at home, yet being an adult, of sorts. I can ask how school's going, but not if she has homework, tests, etc. Many is the time, in the beginning, that she reminded me that if she was living in a dorm I'd have no idea. It's hard for me to let go, and not worry about schoolwork, working too many hours, staying up too late, etc., but I'm trying. She's mentioned possibly wanting to transfer next year, and although I'll miss her terribly, I think living in a dorm is such a valuable experience, and one I want for her.

We've had awesome Indian Summer weather here in MD. I spent the day in Annapolis, though getting there was horrible because of traffic. A 20 minute drive turned into a 90 minute drive and I wasn't feeling very patient. A patio lunch at The Cheesecake Factory followed by a few hours outside with my friend Kit made it all better. I slathered myself with OFF! when I got home, mowed the lawn, and here I am in my favorite spot, the porch. Time for dinner, then a night of DVR'd shows. I'm so glad I still have a day of 'weekend' to go.

No rain today

2011-09-30T09:55:00.000-04:00

What a difference a little sunshine makes. I was so surprised to notice the sun. I went outside with the trash and gasped. Really. I looked up and saw the most beautiful sky. I've spent as much time outside as possible this morning. I'm on my deck now, with the sound of birdsong and and the tree-filtered sun warming my face. I'm going to remember this.

An unfolding day

2011-09-26T10:48:00.000-04:00

I'm posting from Panera's, just like in the old days. I forgot how much I like hanging out here. Today is kind of wide open for me, and I thought I'd get a coffee and blog after getting my mammogram. So glad that's over, although it really wasn't bad. I'll breathe a sigh of relief when I get the letter saying all is well, see you in a year. All women fear breast cancer. Next week I have my yearly GYN appointment, and that should end of a month of medical appointments.

Last week was really slow for me at work. That never happens. Hopefully it's just a blip, and maybe it's just the time of year. This week's schedule is back to normal. The good part about last week was that I got to spend more time with my visiting sister Ilene. After doing her hair at the salon on Friday we spent the day at Columbia Mall, which included finding a dress for her to wear to a wedding, and getting make-overs at Estee Lauder. She's back home now, but will be back in about 8 weeks for another visit.

I got a hot stone pedicure yesterday morning that I purchased with a Groupon. It was heavenly and I'm so glad I bought 2 Groupons, so I have one more to look forward to. I visited my parents afterward. I say parents, but I really mean my mom. My dad is quiet and self-sufficient. My mom is suffering a lot of pain from her latest fall a week ago. She badly hurt her knee, but didn't break anything. She's still in a lot of pain from the compression fracture she suffered in the fall before that. Poor Mom. Plus, she finally got the "Jazzy" power wheelchair (that I've been trying to get approved since the beginning of the year) on Wednesday and she hates it. It has a super-sensitive joystick and she can hardly steer it. I worked with her in the parking lot and she made some progress, but it's really hard.

What to do today? I might go to the movies. I might work on my bedroom closet and clean house. I'll just have to see what unfolds. Happy Monday!

Update

2011-09-20T20:42:00.000-04:00

I'm so glad that my colonoscopy is "behind" me! I got the all-clear and I don't have to have another one for 7-10 years. I wish it were 20. I was hungry all day yesterday, the prep solution was so hard to drink, and I didn't get any sleep at all last night. It was all worth it though, for the peace of mind that all is well.

I'm heading upstairs for an early night. Can't wait for a normal day tomorrow. My potty-talking days are over!

Can't wait to eat

2011-09-19T23:14:00.000-04:00

Today has been my fasting and liquid diet day before tomorrow's procedure and I've been hungry since I woke up this morning. It was do-able. I spent the day at Annapolis Towne Center with my sister from GA. We got mini-facials at Origins and bought some skincare products. We ooh'd and aah'd at Restoration Hardware. What a store! Everything was over-sized and unique and amazing. We spent about an hour in Table le sur, which is a paradise of a kitchen store. And another hour in Whole Foods where I was especially hungry. I hung out near one of the prepared foods bars just inhaling the wonderful aromas. I tried to look nonchalant. Starting at 8 PM tonight, I had an hour to drink my quart of Movi-Prep. That was disgusting! I have to wake up at 4 AM and drink another quart. Wah. Ilene and I will leave here at 7:30 AM. Yea. Can't wait till it's over. I had my first colonoscopy 6 years ago. Like everyone says, it's not the procedure that's bad, it's the prep. Burp.

I've had fresh flowers from my garden on my table at home, and on my station at work for at least the last month. I really enjoy seeing what's in bloom and what I can add to my vases. I always have rosemary and basil, which smell so good when touched, along with philodendron. I have a large patch of tall zinnias that I started from seed that have produced an abundant supply of flowers. Here's a picture of what's on the table now: the greens plus lantana, zinnias, and a Stella d'oro lily.

I'm ready for a few hours sleep. Can't wait till I write saying all went well!

A little more than a peek

2011-09-15T20:35:00.000-04:00

Let's see...where was I? I got the results back from the CT scan and was relieved to find out the pain I've been having is my old friend the fibroid. I can certainly live with the discomfort; I just needed to know what it was. Today I found out that a 40-something year-old client of mine has cancer in her liver that they think originated in her pancreas. I'm in shock about it. I'm not surprised that I jump to the conclusion that something must be very wrong with me when I have unexplained pain that lingers. So many people do get cancer. That is real. I know you can't live your life in fear, and I don't. Only when I'm in pain. That said, I'll breath a sigh of relief when the colonoscopy is over (Tuesday) and my yearly mammogram results (I need to make an appointment) come back clear.

I have a cold. Isn't this a strange time of year for that?

I drove over to IKEA today to look at their TV cabinets and found one I like. I'm not sure why I didn't buy it, but I'm pretty sure it's the one. I'm surprised there isn't more of a selection of cabinets in stores. I've seen a lot online, but I need to see furniture in person. I'm really enjoying watching TV on the big screen. It's very entertaining, and I've had a lot of time on my hands. Could I become a couch potato? Hmmm, probably not.

I just finished some Starbucks Caramel Macchiato ice cream that was SO good. I bought 2 pint containers of it and put a "C" on mine and an "E" on Emily's. I had just a tiny bowl of it and my plan is to make it last a long time. I think I can be successful at it. You know ice cream is my weakness.

I purchased my tickets for my upcoming trip to Cape Cod. Yes, I'm going on vacation again, this time in October. I'll be meeting my friend Bernie who lives in Hyannis and we'll be traveling to New Hampshire to take in the Fall foliage. I'm very excited except for the flying part of it, but glad to not be driving. I don't mind driving south, but I've driven to Cape Cod the last two years and don't enjoy that at all.

I was talking to Rob tonight and he was seeing an amazing sky and rainbow. Though we were about 3 hours apart in distance, the sky I saw was equally awesome.

And that's a peek into my mundane life on this Thursday. I hope your day has been good to you.

The Incidental Blogger

2011-09-12T21:25:00.000-04:00

I feel like I should call myself the incidental blogger. I'm not sure what it means, but I like the sound of it.

I'm sitting here with a belly that looks like it's pregnant. No chance of that! I had a CT scan of my abdomen today and had to drink two bottles of barium topped off with another cup of that lovely thick white stuff right before the scan. My body is trying to process it. Thus, the belly. I'm pretty sure what's going on are problems related to fibroids that have troubled me in the past. I have to get cleared for the colonoscopy scheduled for next Tuesday, and the scan was part of that process. Lovely stuff. TMI?

With the help of some neighbors yesterday, I got my armoire moved out of the family room and my parent's 52" TV moved in. It's a very large TV! Until I find a media cabinet that I like the TV will have to be on the coffee table. Not the best look, and I really need my coffee table back. I've shopped everywhere and the closest I've come to finding the right thing is at Pier 1. Close but not perfect. My bedroom TV came down to the empty armoire in the living room and the family room TV went up. All this for someone who hardly watches TV. That could change.

I've helped my sister Lisa these last few days as she's tried to settle into my parent's house. I mean, her new house. Saying that is going to take some getting used to. We still have to clear out a lot of my parent's stuff--everything from tools to kitchen containers. The porch is filled with stuff to be picked up for donation. I feel good knowing someone else will benefit from this bounty.

My Emily is now balancing a job with going to school. She's a hostess at a really nice restaurant in Annapolis. She can't believe how much her feet hurt. It can be hard standing up for a job when you're not used to it.

I had a fun time this past Saturday night getting together with about 50 people I graduated high school with. We're lucky to have a class that really likes to spend time together, and people willing to organize events. It was a feel-good night. I was surprised by the complimentary things people had to say to me. I was really touched. I'll have to get together with these people more often!

Hope all is well in your part of the world! I'll try not to let so much time go by before my next post

.

Weekend update

2011-09-05T19:15:00.000-04:00

I talked to a friend I hadn't talked to in a while. When she asked how I was I said fine. Work is fine. Home is fine. Life has been mundane, which is fine. Nothing wrong with that.

I've had a quiet weekend. I watched more TV than I can remember and caught up on all my DVR'd programs. It was a 'long weekend' for some, but a normal one for me since I'm always off on Monday. My outing yesterday was to visit my mom. Today I met my friend Kit for some shopping and lunch. I'm sitting in front of the TV now listening to the pouring rain...I'm glad I didn't have any outdoor plans. Texas needs the rain so bad; the South and Eastern Seaboard need it to stop.

Rob and I went to the Inner Harbor on Thursday, not realizing it was the day before the big Grand Prix weekend. Downtown Baltimore was a ghost town. We still had a great time.

I'm already SO tired of the presidential campaign. I think I need to stick to DVR'd shows and turn off the news.

A sunny day in the life of me

2011-08-29T21:17:00.000-04:00

As is typical of aftermaths of hurricanes, the weather today was just delightful! I opened my windows to let the fresh air in. I was talking on my phone and walking in my front yard when I noticed a very fluffed-out little hummingbird on my feeder. I wondered why it was hanging out on the perch and not eating. I got off the phone and wandered closer and the bird didn't fly away. It looked like a juvenile--maybe it was afraid to fly? I wanted to see if I could get even closer. Long story short, my bird didn't move! I cupped my hand under him/her and took this picture. I'll remember this forever (I hope)!

I spent the day with my parents at The Annapolitan. They've been without power since around dinner time on Saturday, and relegated to the third floor. No fun! We hung out in the sitting area at the end of their wing, an area with casement windows on three sides. All the windows were open and the breeze was blowing and it was sunny. It was really nice there. I brought my laptop and entertained my mom with lots of pictures. My dad read a magazine. The caregivers served lunch to the residents in their rooms or wherever they were. The staff made the best of a gas-powered kitchen and lots of generators. Later in the afternoon I found out that the elevator was working, but they wanted to limit it's use. I got permission to take my mom downstairs and outside. It was her first time out in days. We sat on the glider with our books and enjoyed the outdoors. It was a wonderful 7 hours together. Much longer than I usually have patience for. I think I made up for the screaming I did yesterday. Yes, me. I was SO mad at my mom when I found out she had walked to the bathroom by herself the day before. Yes, screaming mad. She shouldn't be walking by herself and had promised me she wouldn't. I was relaxing, thinking she wouldn't fall anymore because she was always getting help. I spent last Thursday (with Rob) taking my mom to the doctor's and for X-rays for her terrible pain. It turns out she has 1 or 2 compression fractures from her fall 3 weeks ago. She was right; there was something very wrong and there was a reason she was in so much pain. To find out she was walking into the bathroom with no help? Not acceptable. Bad me...every time she moaned in pain today getting up or down, I reminded her to remember the pain whenever she thought of walking by herself. Every time. I hope I drove the point home. The thought of her falling now is too painful for me to think of. I think she gets it. Maybe. She told me I'm going to heaven.

Hurricane Irene!

2011-08-28T11:16:00.000-04:00

Live and late-breaking news of the storm from Odenton, MD

I thought we were going outside so I could video Emily being blown around. Her performance was spontaneous. And priceless. That's my girl!

Earthquakes, hurricanes and ???

2011-08-26T21:29:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting in my lounge chair watching 'complete coverage of Hurricane Irene' on the weather channel. I can't believe the NYC transit system is being shut down! So many cities are being evacuated. I'm glad to see that decisions are being made on the side of caution. I'm on hyper-alert just listening to the warnings, though part of me thinks it's just going to be a lot of rain with some wind. I think I'm as ready as ever for the worst. I've taken in all the deck and porch furniture, outdoor plants, chimes, etc. The only thing still out is my grill and I'll wheel that into the house tomorrow. My gas tank is full and so are my gas cans. I have batteries and water. I've scraped some dirt away from the house by my basement door so the water can drain away (some came in during Isabella). I sure do hope we don't lose power. And I hope no trees fall on my house.

I was in the back room at the salon on the phone with Rob when the earthquake struck. For some reason, I wasn't paying attention to what was going on. I was distracted by the phone. The salon has a flat metal roof covered with gravel and whenever workers are up there, their walking is really loud. I thought something was going on with the roof. It sounded like a truck. Then like an army of trucks. Then I realized the ground was moving. If I had been looking, I'm sure I would have seen everything moving. I wasn't paying attention. It felt surreal. I hung up with Rob and walked outside. Other people were coming outside saying it was felt in other states. Someone asked if it was an earthquake. That thought hadn't crossed my mind--that's how outside of normal reality it was. It's been 10 days since the earthquake, and 'where were you when it happened?' is still part of the conversation every day. If I could, I'd have a do-over. I'd like to experience it more 'in the moment.'

Tomorrow will be a regular Saturday workday for me. I'll still have time to go to Starbucks afterward. Then it's hunkering in time. Hope everyone has a safe weekend.

too Tired for Titles

2011-08-21T10:34:00.000-04:00

I'm having such a hard time with organizing and finding pictures on my computer! I really wanted to post pictures, but they're in Windows Live Photo Gallery and My Pictures, and not all of them are in both. I've spent too much time on it this morning, so I'm just going to post a few pictures and leave it alone.

My mom fell about 2 weeks ago and went to the ER. She had a CT scan plus X-rays of her hip, thigh, and ribs and they all came out negative. She's been in pretty extreme pain whenever she sits up or down or gets up out of bed, but her doctor said bruised ribs are very painful and take a long time to heal. Mom has insisted that something was 'just not right', and she called for an ambulance at 12:30 AM this morning! My sister called to tell me. The first thing I said was, 'Tell me she didn't fall???' Thank goodness she didn't. We both tried to dissuade her from going to the hospital, but it was too late when I called; she was on the stretcher. Long story short: 1. I knew she would be well taken care of at the hospital and I didn't want to go there and be up all night. 2. I slept for maybe 20 minutes twice during the night because I was worried and I wasn't there. I called the hospital at 5:15 to find out she'd been discharged. I called The Annapolitan to find out she'd been transported and was asleep. I finally gave up trying to sleep at 5:30. Mom's discharge papers simply say to keep taking meds for pain.

In other news, my vacations are over for now, and it's back to reality. I had a very, very busy week at work, and I love to be busy. I did Kathy's hair (Kathy's Peace). She's recovering from her big surgery. She had a setback that sent her to the hospital for almost a week, but she's on the mend, and her visit to me was her first outing other than to doctors. I thought I'd distract her from her medical issues by giving her a band of brown hair all along her hairline to contrast with the golden blonde of the rest. OK...not on purpose. I honestly don't know how it happened! I use a different formula around the hairline because of it's 'lack of pigment' but that color always blends seamlessly with the rest. Not this time. An inch of brown from ear to ear. Funny Kathy tried to assure me that it was fine, just fine. It would fade, she said. No worries. I tried to dissuade her, especially since she mostly wears her hair pulled back, but to no avail. She called yesterday morning to see if I could fix it. Duh. It's very hard to fix a 1" band of color right on the hairline. Well, it's 75% fixed. That was the best I could do, at least for now. She insists it's fine, just fine. My co-workers assure me it's fine too. I'd be fine if it was 100% fixed. It will fade.

Here's a few pics from Stone Harbor

Big sky storm clouds

Amazing!

My cousin's rental house. Nice!

Time to get moving on this day. I'm so tired and out-of-whack with my lack of sleep!
A jump in the pool might be just what the doctor ordered.

A mini...

2011-08-18T21:31:00.000-04:00

I wanted to write a nice post tonight, but the words just wouldn't flow, so I deleted what I wrote. Plus, I want to post pictures from my trip, but I'm having a hard time figuring out the picture folders on Vista. So... I'll just have to write about it another time. I had a wonderful mini-vacation this week. Two nights and three days were perfect. Wouldn't it be great to do that every week? In my dreams I could do it. I have a whole new appreciation for the Jersey Shore. Well, at least the Stone Harbor part of it. It was really heavenly.

I'll be back soon!

Life's a Beach

2011-08-11T08:29:00.000-04:00

It's a little cool outside this morning and I'm sitting on the porch in my nightgown. A breeze is blowing and it feels so good! The hummingbirds are really active; it's a great sight to look up and see.

Rob and I had a great time on our beach vacation. It was an easy 2.5 hour drive to get there, with about half of it through farmland. We went right to one of the Delaware Seashore State Park locations in Rehoboth. We stayed on the beach till about 6:00. I'm so glad Rob likes the beach as much as me. As usual, the later in the day it got, the less we wanted to leave. We finally checked into our hotel, then spent the night doing the typical boardwalk thing, ending with soft-serve ice cream. Yum! On Monday we went to Bethany Beach, where I vacationed for many years. Here's a picture of the house we rented for about 8 years. It used to be red.

Here's one that we rented for about 3 years. It's a duplex and we rented the downstairs. It was our little yellow house then.

I loved being back in Bethany; I have so many memories. I started vacationing there when Emily was one. My mom always vacationed with us, and of course that was years before she had the stroke. I vacationed with Tony when I was married, and then my neighbor and her daughter when I was divorced. It was a great place to vacation. Myrtle Beach is my favorite vacation spot now, but I'll definitely be back to Bethany again. It's so close! They've built dunes and planted lots of sea grasses since I was last at the DE beaches. It looks so much more natural now.

We packed up on Tuesday morning and headed to Cape Henlopen, where we spent part of the day at another of the Delaware State Parks. I've never done the beach parks before, but it's easy parking, and they have bathhouses. It really worked out great. We found a nice spot to set up our chairs and umbrellas right next to a very large Amish family. The young men in the water on their boogie boards were only distinguished by their bowl haircuts and beards. The women, on the other hand, wore very simple black or blue dresses, which they wore into the water. It was so interesting to watch them. I tried to be discreet.

We ended our vacation by dropping our things off at the house and heading to my pool. The water there was delightful! I'm so spoiled by Myrtle Beach and the calm, 80+ degree ocean. The waves in DE were enormous, fueled by tropical storm Emily. Rob loved it, but I was scared, and took a bad tumble the first day that really hurt my ankles. The water was freezing, to me. I tried to think of it as invigorating and luckily it was hot enough that you just got in. No one seemed to mind the temperature.

I'm home again till next Monday, when I'll join my cousins for a few days of their vacation in Stone Harbor, NJ. I can't wait!

This and That

2011-08-07T00:01:00.000-04:00

This and That
I'm so excited to be going to the beach with Rob. We'll leave in the morning as soon as he gets here. They're calling for thunderstorms and very hot weather. We'll have fun no matter what.

I can't believe I'm sitting here eating potato chips.

I visited my parents after work and stayed till my mom was in bed. I'm amazed at the level of care and love that my mother receives. She, in turn, really cares about the people who work in her 'home'. She knows everyone's name and treats the staff and especially the caregivers like they're her real friends. They are her friends. She's genuinely interested in knowing about their lives. We spent a lot of time tonight with Jackie, one of the med-techs. She's from Kenya and has lived in the states for a year. She works 3 jobs and is paying for her brother and sister to attend university in Kenya. As she was leaving my mother's room, my mother said, 'you forgot something'. Jackie asked what it was, and my mother replied, 'my kiss'. Jackie reminded her she always comes back before she gets off work to kiss her. How sweet is that? Jackie was in the hall when I was leaving. I thanked her for caring so much for my mother. I asked her if I could give her a hug. I hugged her and gave her a kiss.

Sometimes I do silly things like this when I have a client who has a lot of hair taken off:

One of my favorite clients, Ruth McHenry, died this week just a few months after being diagnosed with lung cancer. She was 83. I had been doing Ruth's hair for over 20 years, and for the last few years she came in every Friday to have it styled. It was always so inspiring to me to see an older person who was so 'with it' both physically and mentally. She regularly drove to Atlantic City. She went to the diner almost every day for breakfast or lunch. She lived alone and took care of her house. She drove everywhere she needed to go. In my salon she greeted so many of my co-workers by name. In turn, everyone knew she was Miss McHenry. She never let me give her a discount! She reminded me of things I forgot. She picked up our conversations where we left off from Friday to Friday, not forgetting a single detail. I shared freely with her about everything. Although she was my father's age, she was like a grandmother to me. Ruth was from Germany, and once told me she thought of me as the daughter she never had. She said, 'I always wanted a Heidi'. We were very close. Ruth's husband died about 6 years ago after a very lengthy illness, and I think I helped her through that time. In the end, she had two nephews (her husband's), and a niece in Germany. She had an old neighbor who helped her out with doctor's appointments after her diagnosis, and who visited her every day (and kept me from seeing her in the end). There were only about 8 of us at her funeral, and I was the only one who spoke. She made a difference in my life, and I won't forget her. I wanted to write about my relationship with Ruth, because she was important to me.

How's that for some This and That?

2011-08-05T21:44:00.000-04:00

I love ice cream but eating it causes me to gain weight more than any other food I eat. I bought a flavor last night that I don't love just so I wouldn't be tempted to eat too much. Turns out I love it. I also try to fool myself into thinking I'm taking a smaller portion by packing a lot into a little bowl. It works, sometimes.

I have some fun stuff coming up. Rob and I are going to Rehobeth Beach, DE Sunday through Tuesday. This will be only the second time we've gone away together. I can't wait! The following week I'm going to Stone Harbor, NJ for two nights to visit my cousins on their vacation. In the meantime, Emily was invited to be a guest, along with another friend, to vacation at Deep Creek Lake, MD for a week. I saw pictures of the rental house. It's humongous and right on the water and they have a boat. She's leaving tomorrow, and I'm so happy for her. When she gets back she'll spend a week with her dad at the beach. It will be quieter than usual around here for the next few weeks.

I just deleted a bunch of stuff I wrote, and I'm too tired to recreate it. This will have to be a 2-paragraph post, with a few extra lines.

Later!

A good start to the day

2011-08-02T08:16:00.000-04:00

I've been outside for about an hour and need another, but alas, work calls. Still, I'll fit in a few words and enjoy this breezy morning a little longer.

I've spoken to Kathyand she's doing really well after her successful surgery. She's walking as much as she can, and keeping the wonderful hospital staff laughing. It's not hard for her to find humor in most any situation.

I spent so many hours cleaning my house yesterday. There's nothing like looking at the results of your hard work; it's so satisfying. However, I disliked almost every minute of the job. Oh well, I keep a very neat house and I do the cleaning when I have to. There's just so many other things I want to do with my time. My salvation after cleaning was to go to the pool for an hour. The water was delightful, the sky blue with fluffy white clouds, and the surrounding trees vibrant green. I think I swam my laps with a smile on my face. It was so hot that I had my book on the edge of the pool and when I wasn't swimming, I was reading while in the water. How wonderful is that? And how wonderful to come home to a very clean house.

My siblings and I had had such a good experience at my parent's house last night. I was worried about some issues that I knew would come up and some possessions that I knew would be in contention. It went wonderfully. At one point I said, I feel so warm and fuzzy. Silly me. We had a great Chinese dinner delivered, and sat around the table eating, catching up on our families. Ah... And I did get the TV and the whole Bose surround system. And lots of things with sentimental meaning. More stuff for my very crowded basement. Oh well.

And that's that, for now. The 'party is over' (my time on my porch) and it's time to get ready for work.

Happy Tuesday!

Sitting on my porch feels like vacation

2011-08-01T07:39:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting outside on my porch. I'm really thankful to have this little covered porch. I spent hours and hours with my friend Patty on her large covered porch last night and it was amazing. The house I've stayed at on Edisto Island had many porches overlooking the Edisto Creek and that was an image I'll never forget. We never sat on the porch at the house I grew up in. I'll have to do that one day. My porch has a view of my garden, which I love, and of three homes on my cul-de-sac. It's a fine view. I wish I could sit out here every morning with regular coffee. I'm thankful I can sit out here at all (glass half-full).

A little catch up...My parents are doing well at The Annapolitan, their home of 3 months. My father has settled into his routine of spending most hours of the day downstairs in the 'library' reading or watching TV. He goes upstairs only for naps or to go to bed at night. He seems very content. My mother loves, loves, loves the caregivers and considers them her friends. Her favorite things to do are to sit outside on the glider and feed/watch the birds, and to sit in her bright comfortable room and listen to her favorite music on the TV. Oh, and they both love to eat and love the food there. Having my parents move into their new home has been the best decision ever. My mom has still had some falls, but only been bruised, thank goodness, and only one trip to the ER. They still don't get along, but that's nothing new. My siblings and I are in the process of clearing out their house. It's been slow, because no one wants to take the time to do it. My sister Ilene from GA is here this week, and she's gotten a lot of things done, as have Lisa and I. Tonight the four of us siblings will get together to decide who wants what. I'm nervous about that, but will hope for the best outcome. There's not much I want, and nothing is a deal-breaker for me. I just want peace. And the TV, if it works out that way.

Ilene and I made this Tomato and Corn Pie for dinner on Saturday night after Summer raved about it. This is the picture from the website, but ours looked exactly like it!

It was very labor-intensive to make, and thank goodness there was two of us working together. We also made the quinoa salad I love and eat every week. My sister Lisa was a big help with making that. Corn on the cob rounded out our meal, and the three of us sisters had a great night together.

There's a delightful breeze blowing, as I sit here. The hummingbirds are really active this morning. The only thing looming for me is housework, but I can put that off for as long as I want. My neat house is deceiving! I think I'm going to savor this time on my porch. It's a wonderful refuge.

Like a Virgin

2011-07-28T19:34:00.000-04:00

A virgin blogger, that is. It's been forever since I've written a real post. Everything is well here. Emily, Rob, my parents, my family, my job, my house, my garden, etc. I'm so thankful I can say that.

Today has been so long! You know me...fitting a million things into one day. I watered my garden this morning. I've been doing that almost every day lately, though usually at night. It takes at least 30 minutes, of time that I enjoy. I planted more zinnias and basil before heading in to get ready for my day off. I met my GA sister (who flew in yesterday) after breakfast and headed over to visit my parents for a few hours. Afterward, she and I went to Middleton Tavern in Historic Annapolis for lunch. I started out with broiled rockfish (Maryland's state fish!) topped with lump crabmeat and mushrooms. I was disappointed from the first bite. It had an off-taste and so many bones. I wasn't going to complain but my server asked how my lunch was, and I was honest. My new selection, Filet Mignon medallions with asparagus, lump crab and Bearnaise sauce, was outstanding. We used an Entertainment Book coupon for one free entree, which made an expensive restaurant affordable. Ilene and I spent the rest of the day at the mall, ending at Trader Joe's. My purchase of the day, besides lunch, was jelly beans. I just love them. I finally made it home at 6 PM. I'm so tired!

One of the reasons I hadn't been blogging was because of my crummy 7-year old laptop. It took forever to boot up. The power connecter had to be jiggled just right not be on battery power, and my old battery only held 50 minutes. I saved everything onto my external hard drive in anticipation of it 'running out of juice'. I drove myself crazy trying to decide what to do for computing. I've wanted a iPad for so long, but have never been able to justify buying one, especially since I own a iPhone. I finally made a decision, and without a lot of research but with enough knowledge of what specifications I needed, I bought a new laptop yesterday. I'm so excited. It's modern! It's light and thin and it's so fast. There's a lot I have to get used to, but I will. I still want a iPad, but I'll save that for some other time in the future.

I don't want to make this too long, but I do have more to say. I guess that means I'll have to post again soon. Hold me to that, OK?

I'm still here!

2011-07-15T08:02:00.000-04:00

I'm still here! Working, reading, visiting my parents, going to the pool, being a mom, girlfriend, etc. Spending every minute that I can outdoors. Enjoying the summer! For some reason, I haven't felt like writing. I'll be back, though. I have blogging in my blood.

Myrtle Beach 2011

2011-07-04T08:11:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to get used to being back home after vacation. Emily and Phil are away, and the house is very quiet. It's the 4th of July and I don't have any plans other than visiting my parents. Today is day one of no caffeine and I'm already feeling sluggish. I love vacation because I can drink coffee every day. No caffeine today is getting ready for the effects of no caffeine tomorrow. Today is also day two of diet/eating only healthy. I'm probably 7 lbs overweight but it feels like 100. It's time to feel better about that. I'm also ready for the busy-ness of work tomorrow. I love vacation but I also love my job. I miss it!

Here's a peek at my vacation. Click on the image, then view it as a slideshow for the best pictures. I sure wish I was sitting in one of those chairs right now! The good news is that I have lots of great memories.

Happy July 4th!!!

The best day yet!

2011-06-30T23:17:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting on the balcony, looking out over the ocean. The sun is shining bright at 7 AM; it's sure to be another hot day. We've had all hot days with breezy to windy winds. Our good umbrella has been an issue every day. I'm convinced that you either need a shade tent, which I don't want, or a wooden-pole umbrella like the ones you rent. They stand straight and don't hardly shiver under the strongest gusts. Twice I've asked the rental guy to use his hole-digging tool for us. Yesterday I borrowed someone's shovel to dig a deep hole for our umbrella pole. Even with that, we've had to prop our chair against the pole or hold on. It's been windy!

It's night now. It was the best day yet! Oh wait, I think I've thought that every day.

Here's my usual day:

Wake at 6:30. I can't help it. Sit out on the balcony in my pj's.
Put the chairs and umbrella on the beach at 8:00 and sit out for a while.
Come back to the condo and have breakfast and prep food for dinner or lunch, have breakfast, etc.
Go out to the beach at 10:30. Read. Listen to music. Go into the water. Watch people. Go up for a quick lunch then come back down. Stay till at least 6:00. Wonder how the day passed so quickly.
Come in and wait to shower. I'm always last.
Eat dinner and clean up.
Sit on the balcony.
Change back into pj's.
Read in bed.
Repeat.

The kids have gone somewhere most nights. We ate out twice. Went shopping once (I sat on a bench, actually). I don't like to shop but I do like to people-watch. I've been happy to hang out at the condo. I've gotten into bed early most nights with a book. For a person who rarely relaxes, I've done a pretty good job.

This little palm is just outside our condo. I was surprised how well the picture came out. I took it with my iPhone.

Tomorrow is our last full day. Darn.

Life's a beach

2011-06-26T10:23:00.000-04:00

I'm having a lazy morning here at the beach. I put my chairs out a few hours ago, but for now I'm just sitting on a rocker inside the condo looking out at the beach and ocean. It's a great view!

We had an uneventful drive to our overnight destination of Smithfield, NC. Here's me, in the driver's seat. Notice the bag of jellybeans by my side?

Emily was a perfect front-seat passenger, and it was an easy 6-hour drive. We shopped at Dewaynes, then went to our nice, clean, inexpensive motel. We had dinner at Cracker Barrel, then went to a few stores at the outlets. My goal was to find new madras shorts at the GAP outlet, like I did last year. Success! Their men's shorts fit me really well. The best part of the night was the sky! Too bad it was setting over a huge outlet center instead of mountains or a meadow, but it was still amazing. I've never seen blue streaks radiating up! This photo is unedited.

We got to the beach about 2:00 yesterday afternoon. It's so nice to be back.

Time to enjoy my day. Hope you enjoy your's too.

I was SO happy that the inexpensive motel I picked from Priceline was so clean.

I'll take coffee in that half-full glass

2011-06-23T07:50:00.006-04:00

I should be busy doing something, but I don't have to. That's the good thing about waking up at the crack of dawn. The extra time you have is yours. It's a bonus.

I saw on the news, starting in November 2012, all cigarette manufacturers will be required to cover 50% of the front and back of every pack of cigarettes with one of 9 graphic pictures. Here's an example of three of them:

I think it's a great idea, and yes, I'm a former smoker. I've said it before: quitting smoking is one of the things I'm most proud of doing because it was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

In other big news, I am now the very happy owner of a weave-it afghan, made by my friend Happyone (Karen). Follow the link to see pictures! Karen wrote that she was making the afghan as a surprise for a friend. I really hoped that friend would be me. She came to the salon yesterday to have her hair done. With her, she had the afghan and a bag of home-made chocolate chip cookies for me and my co-workers. I'll treasure my afghan always. Thank you Karen!

I'm so disgusted with the ants in my house! I've put the liquid Terro on squares of shiny cardboard all over the house. The ants have swarmed in the foyer by my garage entrance, by the front door, and on my kitchen counter. The foyer was the worst, but now most of the ants have disappeared. The front door area is better. The kitchen counter ants have just arrived. It's so hard not to use Raid spray or crush the ants. Yuck.

Summer left a comment the other day about my trip and the 'familiar' things. Yes, Cafe Risque is one of them. You drive for miles and miles along I-95 seeing signs for it. When it finally comes into sight, it's little more than a building that looks like a nondescript house. There's the Shetland Pony ranch, Kings Dominion, the model Log Cabin Homes, the upside-down truck, the clock tower in Richmond, South of the Border, etc. I have my 20-oz bag of generic Jelly Belly jellybeans ready to go. I never go on a road trip without them. And my denim Big Dog dress? It's still officially retired. I do wear it around the house sometimes but I only wear it out for watering my garden. It really shouldn't be seen in public. I'll still be wearing a traveling dress. It makes those stops so much easier.

Time to get ready for my last day of work. I have two clients who want to change their haircolor, so it won't be an easy day, but it will be a short day and one that ends with vacation. And coffee! I'm a glass half-full person, if nothing else.

Good blogger

2011-06-20T20:53:00.000-04:00

I seem to be on a blogging roll. It may be that I have more time. Rob's been busy with his family, and Emily and Phil are busy being high school graduates. I spent most of today doing things around the house, preparing for my upcoming vacation. I'm a short-timer! We're leaving Friday morning, headed south. We'll spend the night at our usual stopping ground of Smithfield, NC. I love that place because it's only 5 hours from home, has a Prime Outlets Center, Cracker Barrel, and Dewayne's. There's no sense in stopping for the night if there's nothing to do. I love to eat at Cracker Barrel, but not while I'm driving because it takes so long. We're staying in a cheap motel ($44!) that I got through Priceline. I hope it's OK.

You might know I'm comforted by things that are familiar. I love recognizing sights along the road. I can even tell you where my favorite tree is in the middle of nowhere. I'm not crazy about I-95, but I like the things about it that are familiar.

This will be my familiar view on Saturday

We're staying in the same condo in N. Myrtle Beach, SC as last year, with the same group: my sister from GA, Ilene, and my nephew and his friend, and me and my two. I can't wait.

In other news, I have ants. The little ones. I don't have many in one place; I have one or two in many random places. I just sprayed the perimeter of my house with Cutter Bug Control. I bought Terro Liquid Ant Bait, and I'll put that around the interior of the house right before we leave for vacation. The war is on. Why, then, you might ask, do I have these decorative ants on my sidewalk? I don't know.

this that and Father's Day

2011-06-19T23:11:00.000-04:00

My laptop is almost 6 years old. Isn't that amazing? I have no clue what I'll replace it with when it finally kicks the bucket. It's so old that the letters have worn off 10 of the alphabet keys. I have such a hard time making electronic decisions. I annoy myself because I research everything to death. I'd like someone else to do the research and just tell me what to buy.

I still want a iPad. I knew I didn't want the first one. I was sure I'd get the second one. Now I'll wait till the third, or the fourth, or the fifth. I hate how fast technology changes and how disposable everything is. The newest is never new for long.

Happy Father's Day, dear old dad

My sister and I joined my parent's for a luncheon celebrating fathers at The Annapolitan. They served a choice of crabcakes or prime rib, salad, baked potato, and greenbeans. Dessert was a nice sheetcake. Here we are...

It's always interesting to observe visitors with their family. Some never have visitors. Others, like my parents, have them frequently. One resident, Fran, who I met when my parents moved in, is very intelligent and talkative. Her daughter came for the Mother's Day luncheon and they sat like stones, not saying a word to each other. The same thing happened today and I'm guessing they don't like each other much. I think a lot of the residents are happy to be where they are without being watched over and told what to do by their children. I think a lot of the children are glad to have someone else watching over their parents. I'm glad in so many ways that my parents are where they are and that I can be a visitor. Of course, I really wish they could be healthy and self-sufficient at home. And of course, I do so much more than just visit.

I'll end with a funny thing. Here's a screenshot of a text between Emily and me:

I called her as soon as I got it saying, "You're in Philadelphia??" She had no clue what I was talking about. I told her she texted it to me. Turns out her iPhone auto-corrected "Phils dad" to "Philadelphia". Cute

No man-cave for me

2011-06-17T20:42:00.000-04:00

I was sitting outside this morning, really enjoying being outside. Listening to the birds. Surrounded by nature. I was thinking how much being outside means to me. Then I thought of all the people that stay inside all the time, and prefer it. They don't feel like they're missing out on something when they're inside, like I do. Then I thought of how bright my house is. I have 24 windows plus two skylights plus a french door. Lots of light. I don't understand how people like dark houses, but I know that many do. I think maybe I'm not into cozy. If I were a man, I wouldn't have a man-cave.

In other news, I'm beat from working two 11-7 days in a row. It's hard being on your feet and busy for that many hours in a row. One more day to go, then I get to do my Saturday thing :)

I'll be spending Sunday with my parents; they're having a Father's Day luncheon at The Annapolitan. My sister Lisa will be there too. I can't believe how well the transition has been to their new abode. Still no regrets, only praise.

And that's a slice. Over and out for tired me.

Bad Blogger

2011-06-16T20:46:00.000-04:00

My name is Cheryl and I'm a bad blogger.
I think the problem is two-fold. First, if I don't write regularly, I get out of the habit. And if I don't write, I forget the things I've done that are blog-worthy. Second, I don't think I've had anything interesting to say. Work is good, as usual. Busy. It's quiet in the house. The kids have been away the last few days, and Rob didn't come down this week. I don't mind being alone (though I miss them), so it's been OK. This sounds depressing, but I'm not depressed. I'm sitting on my porch right now eating potato chips, of all things. Now, that is depressing.

Consider this to be a filler post. I'll be back another day when I've had some caffeine.

Oh what a day!

2011-06-09T21:53:00.000-04:00

I was reading over the last post. I was so happy on that day! I've had some stress thrown in...mainly the stress of my daughter being away at the beach. Grrr. Life can't always be a bowl of cherries, right?

Today's plan was to take my father for lab work and then in to see his doctor. I suspected he had a UTI. My plan was to be back home after that and await Rob's arrival at 2. On Tuesday, my mother said she hit her wrist in a doorway while traveling on her new scooter. She thought she needed X-rays. The nurse at The Annapolitan tried to get Kaiser authorization to have a portable X-ray done there. I tried too but it didn't happen. Today was the first day I could take care of it, unfortunately. I felt bad about that; bad that she had to wait that long. I won't go into all the details, but I had to balance my mom in a wheelchair and my father, and the lab, pharmacy, X-ray, and each being seen by the doctor. Then back to The Annapolitan to wait for an appointment for my mom with an orthopedic doctor in another facility. I got lost. She needed more X-rays. Long story short, her wrist isn't broken, but badly bruised and swollen. It looks broken. I picked them up at 8:30 this morning, and settled my mom back in at 4:30. I had to cancel my plans with Rob. Once I got over myself and realized I was doing the right and necessary thing, I was fine with it. My parents needed me, and I was glad to be there for them. I was 80% patient. I only hope that one day I'll be lucky enough to have someone there for me if I need them.

It was over 100 degrees today. Fortunately I wasn't out much until I got home. I got my bathing suit on and hit the pool at 5:30. I swam 10 laps! I read my magazine. I chilled, and the previous part of the day became a distant memory. I came home and watered the garden while listening to one of my favorite albums, Reasons Why by Nickel Creek. I was out till almost dark.

I'll end with the last of the albums, the graduation party from Sunday. It was so much fun. I think all my hard work paid off (if I must say so myself).

Insouciant me

2011-06-06T21:11:00.000-04:00

I had to look insouciant up in the dictionary. I've never used it before, but it characterized me, today...'having or showing freedom from worries or trouble.' I just wish this day had about 36 more hours, it's been so good.

My life has revolved around getting ready for the events of the past four days for at least the past month. I never once said, 'I can't wait till it's over.' When that thought crossed my mind, and it did, I made myself think, 'I can't wait till it's here.' I knew the days would come, and that I would be ready.

I think the best part about prom, graduation, and the graduation party itself was Emily's happiness. She glowed. She basked in the attention. She knew she was well-loved. It was all about her. I was so happy to do it all to make it wonderful for her.

The Infamous Graduation Album. Not really infamous.

I curled Emily's hair for graduation. It really looked fabulous. It was SO much work that it would have to be a very special occasion for me to do it again. My thumbs still feel burned! Because there were only 47 Seniors in Emily's graduating class, each family got 8 tickets. Phil had 9 family members; I was really happy they all were there. Rob and my sister Lisa came with me, and Emily's dad and step-mom were there. It was a happy day.

I'll post party pics in my next post.

Emily and Phil left for Ocean City, MD after the party. It's a rite of passage here in Maryland. Senior Week at the beach. Go figure...we hold our kids close all these years, then let them go unsupervised to the beach for a week. I spoke to the kids so many times about safety, responsibility, dangers, etc. I had to let them go. I hugged Emily tight and yes, the thought crossed my mind that I might never hold her again. I can't wait till this week is over and she's home again.

I woke up this morning and sat on my porch, listening to the rioting birds and taking in the beauty of nature. I drank my coffee that I love so much. I watered my gardens, something that gives me much pleasure. I took care of a whole lot of paperwork and phone calls for my parents. Then I went to my pool! It was a lovely day. I stayed for almost 4 hours, swimming and reading my book. Heavenly. I think I had a smile on my face the whole time. I ended my day by sitting on the porch again, writing most of this post. It's been such a good day. It would be selfish of me to wish for more.

In the middle of busy

2011-06-03T23:15:00.000-04:00

I'm in the middle of busy! The awards ceremony yesterday was sweet. It was also Prom Day, and it was wonderful. Today was sous chef day, if that's the right word. I chopped and assembled for hours and hours. My refrigerator is filled with labeled gallon storage bags. Almost everything is ready to go for Sunday's party. Tonight was the Senior Family Picnic. It was catered with ribs, bar-b-q chicken, potato salad, beans, etc. I ate like I'd never get to taste a rib again. SO full! Tomorrow is more cooking and cleaning and getting ready for the party on Sunday. It's also Graduation!!!

Here's a link to Emily's prom pictures. I think the pictures are larger when viewed as a slideshow. Enjoy! Personally, I think Emily looks stunning. I'm prejudiced, of course.

A quick post

2011-06-02T06:13:00.000-04:00

It's bright and early. Too early. I've been waking up before 5AM most mornings and I've never been one to fall back asleep. Darn. Luckily, I'm a morning person. I'm doing wash and figuring out what to do next. I think I'll clean my bedroom.

Today is Emily's prom. I may be more excited than she is. We'll be going to the awards ceremony at her school from 10:00-12:00. From there we'll head to my salon to have Emily's hair done. Make-up after, then home. Then getting ready, pictures, etc. The kids are going to the prom in a party limo. I think it holds 30 or 40 people. The prom is on a ship sailing out of Annapolis. How fun! There's a full sit-down dinner on board. I'll be driving to the dock to take pictures.

I better get running or my time won't be used wisely. Right now there's so much to do!

BTW, a few people have told me they can't post comments. Boo. I've checked my settings and don't know why. E-mail if you'd like till I get this figured out. I miss comments.

Happy Thursday. I hope it's a good one for you too, Jamie.

Did I mention it's hot?

2011-05-30T21:43:00.000-04:00

Today was HOT, HOT, HOT, but I'm not complaining because I can get away from the heat. I've got AC, and I can go to the pool. But it sure was hot.

I sanded my windowsills on Thursday, washed them on Friday and painted them on Sunday. They're so white! I've gone outside a few times just to look at them. Again...it's the little things. I washed all my outside windows today with Windex Outdoor. It really works! I think that's the end of the cleaning for me. I'll just dust and vacuum and do the bathrooms and floors before the party. That's all.

I went to the pool for the first time on Saturday afternoon and it was wonderful. I swam 2 laps. It hurt. I went again on Sunday afternoon, and it was wonderful. I swam two whole laps again. I went this afternoon, and it was SO HOT. I wanted to get some sun, but I suffered through it. I swam 4 laps. The pool was packed! I left early.

I left my purse in the cart at Kohl's today. I realized it was missing when I was almost home. Frantically I called the store, and, it was there. Not a thing was missing from it. Thank goodness for honest people...I was so happy.

Is this post boring? I should have started it this morning when I was drinking coffee.

Till the next time!

Happy about Thursday

2011-05-26T08:03:00.000-04:00

The birds are so loud in the morning. I love the sound. I sleep with a very loud fan all year round, so I don't actually hear them when I get up. I'd love to have my windows open in good weather, but I have a hard enough time sleeping as it is so birdsong wouldn't do. Outside on my little porch is good enough for me.

So, it's Thursday. One of my favorite days. I'm off and I'm drinking. Coffee. I'm up early, sitting outside. I've got a load of wash going. It's hot and humid and I wish the pool was open today. Rob will be over at lunchtime and we get to spend time together. We haven't had the opportunity to do much of that lately. So, yea! for Thursday.

One week from today the flurry of activity for Emily and Phil begins. Award ceremony and prom, family picnic, graduation and reception, and finally, the party at my house. I'm going to work on the menu today. I'll feel a lot better when I have that worked out, although I have a good idea of what I'm serving. The house, the other big stresser, is almost done. Depending on the weather forecast, I'll paint the window sills and be done. I'm only working two days next week. Happy about that!

My friend Kit had a birthday luncheon for our friend Lisa on Sunday. The three of us have been friends since at least junior high. Kit gave us both gift bags with some of her favorite things. The bags were almost the best part! Attached to one side was a picture of the three of us from way back when. Look at my hair!

This picture was from last year's birthday luncheon. We all look so much better despite the years.

I think you know I grew up hating my curly hair. I started setting it at a very early age to get rid of the curls. Oh the years I spent sleeping on curlers! When I was in high school, I started letting it dry curly, but it wasn't a pretty sight. I had big unmanageable hair with no style. Look at that picture! Tight against my head then 'bozo-ed' out like a clown. A lot of the time I wore a bandana to keep it away from my face. It went well with the overalls and construction boots. I didn't give up the curlers completely until the fateful day my friend Lisa convinced me to go to her hairdresser. See her short and stylish hair in the first picture? We were out drinking one day, in the afternoon (I did that?), and she persuaded me to go to her salon. She told my mother when we got home, and my mom told her to call the salon right there and then before I changed my mind. I got an appointment that day, and the rest is history. Now I'm the one cutting cutting curly hair.

Well, it's time to get a move-on. Happy Thursday! Yeah, that goes for you too Jamie.

I won't miss you, Monday

2011-05-23T20:48:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting on my porch, as usual when the weather is obliging at night. Happy me. It's been the best part of my day, today. This one has been frustrating, and only because things didn't go as planned. I drove to The Annapolitan to take my mom out. The plan was for me to go clothes shopping and for us to go to lunch. A short visit. I got Mom onto her scooter outside Marshall's, and right away the scooter started acting up. It moved at a snail's pace, erratically, till it finally just stopped moving. I had to push it into the store. Mom was stuck with an unmoving scooter and no place else to sit down, while I tried to shop. It was frustrating and unproductive. I was hungry too. I get in a bad mood when I'm hungry. I pushed the scooter out to my car, which is hard to do. It doesn't glide. We went to Famous Dave's for lunch. While there, I realized someone had to get my mom's wheelchair from their old house and bring it to their new place. And it was not going to be me. It took a while for me to accept the fact that it had to be me. I felt better after accepting it. In the big picture, it's such a small thing. This was the first time back to the house for my mom since moving 4 weeks ago. She was glad to have her bathroom! She sat outside for a while. I gathered up some stuff, then we were off. I wheeled her to her room in the wheelchair. Wheelchairs are not good. She'll be dependent on someone to push her now, till she gets a new electric wheelchair or this one decides to work again. I pushed her scooter up to the hallway outside her room. I stayed for a while more, then went home. I left my house at 8 this morning and didn't get home till 4:30. Boo.

Dad in his favorite place

Mom in her favorite place, the glider. They had a Hawaiian Luau on Saturday. And an open bar!

I had my deck power washed on Thursday. It took over 8 hours to transform it from blackish to back-to-new looking. Except for all the splinters. It will have to be sanded and sealed, but it looks just great.

At the same time I had the underside of my deck inclosed in lattice.

I also had my kitchen faucet installed. What an improvement to the whole look of my kitchen!

All the paid work is done in my house. Yesterday the third ceiling fan was installed, along with an attic fan, a light fixture on the deck, and a timer for the porch and garage lights. Whew!

Emily's 'computer room' will feel much better with this fan.

The roofer told me my roof was just fine, btw. So glad to hear I don't need to replace it now.

Well, I'm ready to put this super-long day to rest. I'm looking forward to a day of work tomorrow. Work days are never frustrating, except for the lack of coffee.

Drew's, I love you

2011-05-19T16:08:00.000-04:00

I'm such a creature of habit. That's different than being set in my ways. I'm that too. Many people would attest to this characteristic, which might not be a good thing, so don't ask them, OK? I tend to eat the same foods every day. I have cereal and a banana every single morning for breakfast. That replaced the oatmeal I ate without waver. I have salad every day for lunch, and sometimes for dinner too. Here's what I put in my salads, everyday:

bagged greens
tomatoes
red pepper
feta cheese
Craisens
Trader Joe's Corn and Chile salsa
chicken

My newest favorite salad dressings are Drew's, and I buy them at MOM's (My Organic Market). I've had the Greek Olive, Shiitake Mushroom, Thai Sesame Lime, and Buttermilk Ranch. If you can find this brand in your area, I'd highly recommend it. Anyway, that's my salad and I won't get tired of it for a long time.

And that's that. Random information about what I like.

Days off are really work days

2011-05-18T08:39:00.001-04:00

I wrote this post on Monday eve, on the porch.

I started my day there and I'm ending it in the same place. My favorite place. The in-between portion of the day was no fun! Days off are really work days. The more I do to get ready for this party, the more I see that needs to be done. That should have been done already. Why have I not painted the doors in my house? As in ever. The windowsills need painting...the outside sills are almost down to wood. How did that happen? The column on my porch needs painting and the ceiling is full of dead bugs and webs and dirt. My sidewalk needs to be power-washed but to do it will blast the mulch. The front of my house got egged a long time ago and the soffit is blackish in spots. I haven't looked up in a while and forgot what it looked like. Did I say I'm feeling overwhelmed? It would be so nice to have help! Those of you who have spouses that share in the load are fortunate. I spent hours today cleaning my kitchen. I used Soft Scrub to clean the outside of every cabinet and drawer and all the counters and the refrigerator. It was no fun. I took apart the vent/fan thingie over the stove (for the first time) and had to use Goo-Gone to get through the grease. Yuck. Goo-Gone, by the way is great on a lot of stuff. Like stainless steel. I used it on my toaster oven. And the front of my microwave. I cleaned a bunch of windows (not with Goo-gone) but have many more to go. I put a lot of stuff away. It doesn't look like I did anything. The good news is that I know it will all come together and what needs to get done will get done. My nice neighbor installed the outside lights for me this afternoon and they look 100% better than the old ones. I was his helper. I'm going to install a new deck light now that I know how to do it. I put on a new toilet seat today. That was easy. On Thursday I'm having a new kitchen faucet installed and I'm excited about that. My frugalness in other parts of my life has paid off and allows me to spend the money I need to on my house. Did I mention I need a new roof? No fun. I think it's the last expensive thing I need to do for a while. I hope. Except for a new bathroom floor.

Garden pics

2011-05-16T09:45:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd do a mostly picture post. It's garden time, and I've been working hard. I have a few areas to fill in, but it's mostly done. Here's a view of the front of my house. I took out all my grass when I started my garden 17 years ago. You can't see the hidden treasures within from this angle. Sitting here on my porch, I have a completely different view.

This first picture shows my new hummingbird feeder. So far, no takers. The rest of the pictures show most of my garden creatures.

I'm hoping that a frog/toad discovers this rock cave. So far the only critters to use it are the birds who think it's a toilet seat.

The colored globes in my garden are solar-powered lights that change colors in the night. Emily gave them to me for Mother's Day.

Here's a view of the other side of my house. The plants closest to the siding still have another foot or two to grow. All the plants here bloom with yellow flowers.

Here's a hanging basket I bought yesterday. Emily called from the road pleading for me to buy a flower basket that she saw and loved. Little did I know it was 3 feet wide! It's beautiful and I hope I can keep it looking this good throughout the season.

I've been sitting out on my porch for the past 3 hours. It's been wonderful! Unfortunately I have to go in and do some deep cleaning. Sound like fun? Not. Lots to do before Emily's graduation party in 2 weeks. I've got the energy, so here I go.

Yesterday's news

2011-05-13T21:18:00.000-04:00

I finally got around to writing yesterday, and Blogger was down. What's that saying, a day late...?

I've been mainly busy with things other than taking the time for blogging. That's my excuse. I've been preoccupied with all that has to be done for Emily's graduation party. My garden is mostly ready. That's taken a lot of time and money. Time and money well spent. It's lush. I spent a few hours at a garden center today, and I'll put the new plants in the ground once the sun's a little less intense. I'm SO happy that it's spring. We've had over a week of nice days in the 70's. That's so unusual for Maryland. We gallop into summer. Emily has really gotten into the outdoors this year. It makes me proud. She cleaned out the wooded area in our backyard. Raked the 'forest floor' clean. Trimmed trees. Mowed. Put out all my garden statuary. Mulched. I'm so used to doing everything myself...this is a nice change that I hope lasts.

I left early this morning to visit my parents. They're doing SO well . And the staff...every time I visit someone tells me how much they enjoy my parents.The place seemed to be too good to be true. It is that good. My mom and I sat on a glider in the courtyard today, in the shade of a large tree. My father sat in a nearby chair. It was heavenly.

I'm deep into my book club book, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, by Helen Simonson. It's a great book! I have the last book of The Hunger Games series waiting for me. I can't wait to read that. As I told Rob, the good thing about reading is it keeps me off the Internet. The bad thing about reading is it keeps me off the Internet.

I'm having work done around the house on Sunday. I'll have a final ceiling fan installed. And an attic fan. My upstairs is so hot in the summer; I hope this helps. I'm having new porch and garage lights (sconces?) installed, along with floodlights in the backyard. I'm having a porch light timer installed. Whew. Then next week I'm having my deck and porch power-washed, trim painted and lattice put under my two-story deck. Ah the joys of home-ownership. There's nothing like a party to get things that need to get done, done.

It's such a gorgeous day! Breezy with no humidity. The garden is calling; lots of plants waiting to go in the ground.
Till the next time....

Here's a little 'next time.'

It was a cold and damp day today. SO different than yesterday. It was a good day to be working. I finished my book and enjoyed it to the end. I'm tired from work and ready to say goodnight to Friday. Can't wait till tomorrow afternoon and my latte at Borders. Sometimes its the simple things in life that give the most pleasure.

This and that

2011-05-05T20:20:00.000-04:00

I spent the first few hours of my morning reading, all the while lamenting the time I was 'wasting.' I get that from my mom...always feeling like I need to be busy. I broke away from the book when I was down to the last 20 pages. I'm reading The Hunger Games, and this was the second book in the series. A friend in my book club read it and loved it. I listened to the first book, which was a great way to experience it. I read the second book in less than 2 days. I just saw that it's being made into a movie. When I Googled the book, I was surprised to see all the accolades. I can't wait to read the third and last book.

I called a different Sam's Club than I usually go to to see if their photo department made poster-size prints, and was told yes. I drove there and found a note pasted on the machine saying posters weren't available till next week. Grrrr. The good news was that the Lowe's in the shopping center had the nicest garden center I've seen. I spent a few hours there and came home and spent many hours planting. Yea! I still have more to purchase, but everything I bought is in the ground.

I grilled some burgers for dinner. Too greasy! I'll buy leaner meat the next time. I grilled summer squash and that was great. I'm sitting on my porch, surrounded by the lusciousness of my spring garden. It's the time of night that the hummingbirds are active. For the first time, the birds are flying into the tree that one of my feeders hangs from instead of flying to the side of my house and out of sight. I hope that means there's a nest there.

I'm SO thankful that it's spring.

It turns out I didn't waste time by reading. There was plenty of time for everything. Except cleaning house. Somehow that always gets pushed to the side. I wonder why?

Here today...

2011-05-03T07:26:00.000-04:00

Maybe I should rename my blog Every Once In A While. That's about how often I'm here. On the one hand, my life isn't very exciting. On the other, it never was.

My life has revolved around my parents for so long that I don't remember what it was like before. I have to find a new normal. In the meantime, I've been to their new home a lot. Just for visits. And for meals. The food is good!

Emily's about to graduate, and there's a flurry of activity at the end of the month, ending with a big party at my house. We finally bought a prom dress yesterday, which was a big relief. Emily's been looking, but didn't want me to go with her. She wanted my opinion only after she had narrowed her choices. I woke up stressed about it yesterday, because prom is just around the corner. When I asked if we could go shopping after school, she said yes. We went to Annapolis, to the boutique she bought last year's dress at. The shop sells only gowns. Emily looked while I waited. You're allowed to try on 5 dresses, and it has to be on one day only. The owner explained that the dresses are so delicate that each time they're touched and tried on, it's wear and tear on the dresses. Wow. One of her 5 choices was absolutely perfect! I can't wait to show you a picture. From there we all went to visit my parents. I convinced Emily and Phil that we could have a free meal! My parents were so happy to have us, and we had a lot of laughs. We left from the dining room and headed to the community college that the kids will be attending in the fall. It was only a 4 mile drive. Again, I was glad to be a part of the process. So, it was a good afternoon and evening.

I'm in the process of deciding on a company to go with to have the boards and railings of my deck replaced. This is in anticipation of the party on June 5. I also have to get busy with planting my garden. I've got to get organized so I don't get stressed.

It's time for work. I'm glad I took a little time for this. My lack of writing was stressing me too.

Happy Tuesday!

2011-04-28T08:47:00.000-04:00

I've been sitting on my porch in my pj's for the past hour, drinking coffee with my laptop on my lap. The weather is wonderful. Very breezy because of the storm. The light seems to illuminate the green of the trees and grass and makes the colors of the flowers pop. My hummingbirds have been visiting. I mentioned the coffee. It makes me very happy!

All is well with my parents. My father joined the 'Brown Derby Society'-- the counterpoint to the Red Hat Society. How funny! They both made bagel birdfeeders. My mother opted to have breakfast brought to her the first morning because she didn't want to be up and dressed by 8. She regretted it because the whole morning slipped away. She's been to breakfast the last two mornings. I'd love to be a fly on the wall there. I'll be visiting this afternoon. My SIL Cindy stopped by for lunch yesterday. My sister stopped by in the afternoon. I'm amazed that my mother hasn't been asking when we're coming to visit, but so happy about that.

I've been making the doctor's rounds...dermatologist for a routine check, gynecologist for same, and a colonoscopy consult. I'll see my primary for a physical before the dreaded colonoscopy in June. I think that covers everyone.

I'm not exactly sure of what's on my agenda today. I have lots of returns in my car that I'd like to get rid of. I want to visit my parents. I want to start buying plants for my garden. Rob is here and he has some stuff he wants to do. He's sleeping because his body clock is set to his night-time job. I'm up and at-em early. And wired because of the coffee. It's a day that will unfold.

Hope all is well with you. Have a great Thursday.

Moving day and all is well

2011-04-25T21:38:00.000-04:00

What a day! It went smooth as could be, much to our relief! My brother (with the help of my nephew Ryan) loaded up his truck with my father's bed, kitchen table (his 'office'), and other big items that were going to The Annapolitan. I followed shortly after with a loaded-up car. In the meantime, my sister drove to the doctor's to get forms my parent's needed, and then to the bank to sign more forms. My brother and I set up my father's room, and got everything in their suite perfect. My sister, Amanda, and my parents arrived, but we made them wait downstairs till we were ready for the 'reveal'. It was perfect!

Here's a link to pictures from the day. Click on 'slideshow' to get the best view.

We really love this place. The staff is unbelievable. Everyone is SO nice. Here's an example... The toilet in their bathroom is really low. We brought a raised seat that fits over the rim to bring it up about 6", but we realized that wasn't going to work for a man. If you know what I mean. My brother spoke to Donald, the amazing handyman, and said we would be happy to buy a new toilet if they could install it. Donald talked to the director, and the next thing we knew, Donald was off to buy it. By evening, it was installed at no cost to us. I'll be sending a thank-you card in the morning. Here's another...at lunch my mother told the chef that she likes hazelnut creamer in her coffee. He went to the store and bought one creamer for her suite and another for the dining room. It seems too good to be true. What convinces me is that every resident we've met says they love it there.

My mother was laying down when I left. My father was watching TV. I got partway to the elevator, then went back. I told my father he should come downstairs, that he didn't need to stay in his room. He wandered around the library for a while, picking out books, then walked outside. He was sitting on the porch chatting with some other residents as I drove away.

So far, so good. Happy sigh.

Homesick before I'm gone

2011-04-24T22:03:00.000-04:00

I wish I could write every day. Well, of course, I could. I just don't take the time, and when I'm ready, all my creative juices are gone.

It's the night before my parents move. I realize, tonight, that I've only been thinking about them and what this move will mean for them. I didn't realize the loss I would feel. The fear. My parents are leaving the house they've been in for 49 years. My house. I wonder how that will affect me? I spent last night there. My last night. Tomorrow I imagine I'll be the one to drive them to their new home. My brother and sister took off of work, so we'll all be together. I'm thinking it might be good for us to say good-bye when my parents are busy. I wonder if they'll cry? I'm so glad we all live close by (except one). We'll still be together, just at another place.

Time to lighten up!!! I had two ceiling fans installed today. I had three rooms wired for cable. I had a light switch fixed. I got up on an extension ladder and scooped out flower petals and debris that were clogging up a gutter. It was gross! What I scooped out smelled like elephant. Phew. I did a little gardening: weeded out pear tree seedlings and pulled out spent tulips. We had a crazy thunderstorm that we watched from inside the garage. I had a sloppy cheesesteak for the second night in a row. Am I trying to gain weight? The people I work with would be shocked. Really. They only see me eat salad. I watched TV (The Office) with Emily and Phil, then a few episodes of TV off the DVR. And that's my day. I'm tired, which is a great thing. I feel like it's the night before camp...nervous and excited and homesick already.

Picture Perfect

2011-04-20T21:05:00.000-04:00

I finally have a minute to catch my breath and I'm sitting on my porch after dinner. Later I'll regret the things I didn't get to, but for now I'm enjoying being outside. I'm hoping a hummingbird decides to come by. I'm ready for the first sighting of the season.

Work has been a little slow and I've enjoyed some down time. That doesn't happen often, which is a good thing since I work on commission. I've been on a spending spree. I bought a new TV for upstairs. I bought 2 ceiling fans. I'm having estimates done on my deck. I haven't even started buying mulch or outdoor plants. I'm going to have the hall bathroom tiled. All things that need to be done.

I went to the grocery store after work last night and was amazed to see a rather large girl in the next aisle with shorts that exposed half of her bottom. Literally. Both cheeks were totally exposed. I looked the way of another customer who looked right at me, just shaking her head. Every single person in every aisle was staring at Miss Hot Pants, who was oblivious to the commotion she was causing. I've truly never seen such a sight. Everyone left with smile on their face and a connection to all the other shoppers who shared the same crazy sight.

My entire local family plus my GA sister met at my parent's house on Sunday for a faux-Passover dinner. There were fifteen of us! I say 'faux' because there was no Seder, just the right food. It was wonderful to be together, under the family roof. Probably for the last time.

The family, minus my dad.

Emily and her grandpa.

My brother and his family.

My sister Lisa's boys.

Curly-headed sisters.

A blast from the past, circa the 70's. Oh, those were the days!

I'm back inside the house now. Much to my delight...the hummingbird came to my feeders, repeatedly. I'm so excited! My happy time of the year has begun.

Over and out for now!

Life is Good on Sunday

2011-04-17T11:23:00.000-04:00

A week has flown by and I've been busy as usual. I spent most of my 'free' time this past week listening to an audiobook. It was a short loan from the library, and I needed every spare moment to listen to it. I've spent a bunch of time doing things to get my parent's suite ready in the assisted living home they'll be moving to on May 25. I'll catch up and fill in all the details when I can. My sister from GA is here, and all four of us siblings have been working hard. We're having a big dinner at my parent's house tonight with all the local family. One last time. We'll be taking lots of pictures.

Hope to be back here soon!

Life is Good on Monday

2011-04-11T20:07:00.000-04:00

I am so thankful for this day. I had no plans, and you know my inclination is to always stay busy. The weather promised to be perfect: mid-80's and breezy with low humidity. My mind wondered...go to Marshall's for Spring clothes? Go somewhere near the water? Stay home? Stay home won! I set up my beach chair on the deck with my iHome iPhone dock and a glass of tea. I started out in capris, then changed to shorts, then to my bathing suit. I put sunscreen on and spent hours listening to my downloaded audiobook with the sound of my windchimes and the chirping of birds in the background.

After awhile I switched things up and laid on my hammock listening to my book with my earbuds in. Still in my bathing suit and cover-up. It was heavenly.

In-between I made lunch salads for today, tomorrow and Wednesday.

I started my outdoor day at 11. I finally came inside to start dinner at 6. What a day! Dinner is done and I'm on my porch in my bathing suit and cover-up at 8:00. I've watched a beautiful sunset while sitting out here.

I'll leave you with a picture of what I think will be the first tulip in my garden to open. I forgot to plant my bulbs until I saw the bag in late February. Out of 60 bulbs, 48 have flowers. I can't wait to see them in bloom!

Reasons to be happy, today

2011-04-07T07:36:00.000-04:00

I last wrote on Monday, and that day turned out fabulous. Really. My brother and I visited an assisted living home that we thought would be perfect for my parents. We met with a financial adviser who gave us encouraging news. I got back to my own house in the afternoon and strung my hammock in it's spot among the trees and hung out on an 80 degree day with my eyes closed and great music from Pandora radio. It was heavenly. That day was a gift after all the bad ones.

My brother took my parents to the 'home' on Tuesday. My mother loved it! She wants to know when she can move in. My father liked it a lot, but he's not quite on board yet. He will be, and I'm sure he'll be very happy once he's settled in. I've seen him in hospitals and long stays in rehab centers. He's always settled in.

Rob came over last night and we went to Pei Wei, our favorite restaurant, then to Dairy Queen for Blizzards, then watched American Idol. This morning we'll be going in separate directions, but we'll meet up later. Hopefully on the hammock. Today is supposed to be another nice day. Spring weather really makes me happy. Coffee on my day off makes me really happy too.

Happy Thursday!

Darn those squirrels

2011-04-04T08:46:00.000-04:00

Finally, we're going to have a real spring day. I'll be out and about, and I'll get to see it and feel it. Those of you who live in my general area know what kind of weather we've been having. We need warm. And sunshine.

It's been a typical weekend for me. You know what those are like. It's been good, though. I've spent good time with my parents. I relaxed. I got a lot done. No complaints.

A few days ago I noticed fallen flower buds from the large pear tree in front of my house scattered around the ground. I'm used to seeing a zillion little stems on the ground after the tree blooms and the petals fall, but not unopened buds. I was looking at the tree from my bathroom window this morning when I noticed a squirrel eating clusters of flower buds. Within minutes, he (I think of all squirrels as male) had stripped an entire branch. I studied the tree. At this point, I'd estimate about 1/5 of the flower buds are gone. That means no leaves will grow from those stems. Who ever heard of a squirrel denuding a tree? Maybe it's the natural order of things? Maybe that tree needed thinning out? We'll see.

I'm off and running. Happy Tuesday!

The middle of the road

2011-03-31T20:04:00.000-04:00

Time for a post that's not so depressing. I shouldn't write when I'm feeling bad, though I tried really hard to make it a little happy. I shouldn't write the day after, either, which was the case with my last post. I got a call very early Monday morning from the paramedics. My mom had fallen and they wanted to take her to the hospital. It was her 3rd fall in 6 days. Poor banged-up and battered Mom. She was sitting on the edge of her bed trying to lean over and pick up a roll of toilet paper that fell off the brass free-standing toilet paper holder beside the portable commode beside her bed. She slipped off the bed and fell face-first into the tipped-over brass stand. The life-alert necklace she wears alerted help, and they came right away. For the third time that week. This time she decided to go to the hospital, and I met her there. Her injuries are superficial, but she looks awful. She's on Plavix, which makes any bruises that much worse. Between the three falls, she has bruises everywhere. When we got home from the hospital I found evidence of a medical problem with my dad, all around his toilet. I know...too much info. That meant a trip to the doctor's office where he was diagnosed with a UTI. I'm glad I was there to take him. It was a sad day. I went to Panera's for coffee and home to make lunch in-between the ER and the doctors. Then I had to cancel my day of work on Tuesday to be with my parents because Amanda couldn't be there. And I had to stay late. That's why my Tuesday post was so depressing.

It dawned on me Monday (what took so long?) that my parents aren't living independently; they're already in assisted living. They're only able to be in their own home because of Amanda and me and my siblings and keeping them there is taking it's toll on all of us. They had gotten used to having people around them when they were in the rehab center, and they miss that. Since they've been home I've watched my mom become sadder and sadder. We kids made the plans for them to stay at home, but now their home is no longer the home they were used to. Yes they have new floors, but all the things that made their home their home are packed up or in the garage. There's no clutter, no things. And the changes? They're no safer in their home now than they were before.

It's time for a change, and now we start the quest to find an assisted living facility for them. My mom says she's more than ready. My dad either says yes, he understands my mom needs it, or says, we'll see. He's been adamant his whole life that 'they're going to have to carry me out of here'. I've seen him in hospitals and rehab centers, and he's been very content in them. I think he'll be content wherever he goes. I think it will be harder for my mother. I'm mourning the loss of the house already. We all grew up there. It's been the family home for 49 years. I'm really not ready to see it go.

So now we deal with the maze of facilities, finances, and legalities. Then the contents of closing up a home. Much work is ahead, and many changes. It's time, and it will be oh, so nice to just be able to visit.

I had a short day at work today. I visited two assisted living homes. Then I came home to my own house, in the daylight! It's been a while since that happened. I made dinner for the family for the first time in ages. I'm writing a real blog post, and sitting on the couch, and soon I'm going to watch TV. It's been a good day. I'm hoping not to get any bad phone calls.

Thanks for standing by me. This is the middle of the road. It's going to be a journey.

Less stress and happiness

2011-03-29T21:59:00.000-04:00

I can't wait for my summer vacation. Well, first I want spring. And lots of warm weather. And vacation. I want to swim in my pool. I want flowers in my garden. I want less stress. And for everyone to be happy.

I've been under a lot of stress. And sadness. I actually feel wounded. I want less-stress. I want everyone to have less-stress. And more happiness.

I've had my coffee...time to get the day on

2011-03-27T09:12:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a little time out at Caribou Coffee before heading to the folks. My sister is coming over and we're going to try to get a lot done. There's still a lot of heavy lifting that we can't do that will have to wait. Lisa suggested we go to Lemongrass for lunch. I said I'd love that, but we should bring Mom and take her to Haverty's afterward for some furniture shopping. Mom seemed to like that idea. Later I said to my mom, you'd probably prefer us to stay in the house and work, than to go out and have fun. She said yes, just as I knew she would. Well, we're going out anyway. Here's a story I'll always remember. My Cousin Myra and my mom were (and are) friends and way back when, they both had 3 or 4 little kids. They would take turns watching each others kids to give the other an afternoon off. Cousin Myra would go out to lunch and a movie with her friends. My mom would stay home and scrub the house. Years later I asked my mother if she had any regrets about how she spent her time. She had none whatsoever. She was doing what made her happy. That's a big part of her unhappiness now: she sees a million things around the house she wants done, and she can't do any of it. She would rather us work at her house than do anything else. The house will be put back together soon and all the work will be done. Then my mom and I can go to Old Country Buffet and hang with the Seniors. Much more fun, right?

Floors torn out

New floors in

The house is so cleaned out of 'stuff' that all you see is wide expanses of floor. It echos. It's beautiful. It needs more 'stuff' in it! It needs some carpet, but no carpet is one of the main reasons for the new floors.

Speaking of floors, I found some pieces of the lime green shag carpet I had in my bedroom in the 70's. I loved that carpet!

It's cold but the sun is shining and I've had a caramel latte. I'm ready to take on the day!

Sometimes sad can't be avoided

2011-03-24T20:54:00.000-04:00

It's Thursday night and it feels like I'm at the end of a long weekend. I'm not...I worked yesterday. Maybe it's because Rob's been around. He's on Spring Break and came down on Tuesday night and left this morning, Thursday. We haven't had this much time together in ages. I really miss our weekends together.

I spent the day...are you ready? At my parents!! At my second home. I thought it was going to be an easy day there since all the flooring was installed Tuesday and Wednesday. I thought I'd just be putting things away. Wrong. Dust covers every surface and I should have anticipated that. At first I was so frustrated and depressed about it. My sister Lisa texted that she'd be at the house Friday night and Saturday and she'd be working on it too. My brother said it took more than a day to take everything out of the house and it would take more than one to put it back in. I wound up staying 7 hours and got a whole lot done. The floors look fabulous. My mother's very depressed. I spoke to her on the phone this morning. She complained that she was cold and that the carpet had probably kept the house warm. I said it was also a fall hazard. She told me she didn't call for a speech, just to tell me what to get from the grocery store. That shut me up. My mom fell yesterday and got a lecture from everyone. She was speeched-out. Yes, another fall, but she's OK. My brother stopped by today while I was there and he and my mom were in the garage for a while. When they walked into the house my brother said, Mom says she's depressed. He said, Mom, you have nothing to be depressed about. I said, to her ear, I'd be depressed if I were you and it's OK, and I hugged her. She cried. It's all very sad. As she went to bed I hugged her and told her I'd never leave her. And I mean it. The stroke really stole my mother's life, and every year since then has been downhill. I wouldn't want to live her life. That's why I want to help so much...because I love her and her life is so hard. And so sad. I'm hoping she'll feel better as her house gets put back together. Life has been hard on all of us since my parent's last hospitalization and inpatient rehab. It's been especially hard on my mother since she's been home (my dad seems fine). I'm hoping tomorrow is a better day for her. She has Amanda overnight and all day tomorrow. My nephew and his friend are stopping by to hook up the big TV and sound system, so there will be people and activity in the house. My sister will spend the night. Maybe the sun will shine.

Working, together

2011-03-21T21:27:00.000-04:00

Another very long 'weekend' at my parent's house. We've moved all the furniture, emptied the floor of every closet in the house. Filled the garage with every bit of furniture that could be moved. Left yet another mountain of trash at the curb.

My nephews tore out all the carpet and laminate flooring yesterday while my brother, sister and I moved furniture, cleaned out closets, and threw stuff away. I'm so glad we're working together. The old asbestos flooring is exposed, which is scary, but I don't think anything can happen in two days of exposure. Tomorrow it gets covered up with brand new flooring throughout. Then the furniture goes back. A lot more work, but that part will be so much better than what we've been doing. We've done major work. Work that we won't have to do later. If this experience hasn't convinced me to clean out my stuff now, shame on me.

So glad I was able to spend a few hours outside tonight. It was wonderful and I feel renewed. Thank you, Spring.

Spring is in the air

2011-03-18T09:20:00.001-04:00

Who doesn't love spring? It's going to be warm today...I wish I could be outside enjoying it, but I'll be in, working. That's OK...there's lots more warm weather to come. Just seeing spring around me makes me happy.

I cooked corned beef and cabbage for the first time yesterday. It's what my mom requested. She wanted me to have dinner with them but I said I'd be long-gone by then. Not. I was there late. It really was a great day. As you know, I'm a 'person of action'. I got so much done at their house! I threw away a lot of stuff. Cleaned out shelves and surfaces that hadn't been looked at in years. It was fun, and there's nothing better than being able to see results. I'm really so glad I can help my parents, plus, I didn't have anything else to do. It was good for me to be busy.

I have a full day of work ahead. Another good thing. I'm going to sit outside now and enjoy the sun and the sound of the birds. I'm SO glad winter's over!

Coffee is my drug

2011-03-17T07:55:00.000-04:00

I really don't understand how people drink coffee everyday, with little effect. Really. I'm drinking a cup of strong Colombian coffee right now and I feel like I'm on drugs. There's no way I could work feeling like I do. Way too speedy! I love the feeling...on my days off.

I've been home alone since Monday with Em and her BF gone. It's been quiet and I miss them. It turns out I'm glad Emily will be living at home instead of going away to college. I'm not ready for her to be gone. How do parents of 'onlys' do it? I was the second one in my family to leave the nest. I actually left as soon as I graduated from high school, at 17. I went on a cross-country trip with 3 other friends. In a Pinto! We camped the whole time, were gone for 2 months, and went to 32 states plus Mexico and Canada. I left for college two days after I got back. How in the world did my parents let me do it? Thank goodness my parents let me do it.

I'm going to get busy now. Don't want to let this energy go to waste.

Goodnight moon

2011-03-14T20:03:00.000-04:00

I'm tempted to get into bed right now, at 7:30, because this day has been long enough.

Emily and Phil left at 4:40 this morning to fly to San Luis Obisto, CA. I set my alarm for 4:05 to make sure she was awake and ready when her father got here. Unfortunately, the phone rang at 3:44 AM. That's never a good thing. It was a wrong number and because of it I didn't need my alarm anymore. I'm so excited for Emily and her BF. They're visiting his uncle for their spring break.

I've spent most of my weekend with my parents. I was there till 9:30 on Saturday night. I was back from 7 AM to 5:30 PM on Sunday. I was there today from 8 AM to 2:30 PM. Whew. My mom could really use one of us there 24/7. It's so hard to see how hard her life is. How hard it is for her to walk. There's really not much quality there. I took her to her psychiatrist this morning and her Prozac was increased. There's not enough Prozac in the world to give her the happiness that her stroke took away. And my dad... he's something else. A little dementia. Selective hearing. Noncompliance with healthy eating to keep his diabetes in check. But enough of that. My parents are so happy to have us kids around. My sister and brother have done so much heavy work at the house. Emily and Phil have worked really hard there. The cleaning out and renovation continues.

Mom and I had breakfast at Paneras today. That made her really happy. My nephew Ryan was there and we got to eat together. And...drink coffee!!

I returned my rental car today. I loved that car...a Pontiac Vibe. I like it better than my own, much to my surprise. Emily's car is fixed and we're back to two silver Honda's in the garage.

I planted many pansies in my garden when I got home. I can't wait till all the spring plants come to life. I love a spring garden. I'll post pictures soon, I hope.

I have a double batch of Cauliflower Curry Bean soup ready to be pureed. I wish I was already done. My bed is calling.

Tiny Wings Time

2011-03-11T20:17:00.000-05:00

I'm home from what seemed like a real quick day at work. It was a good day! I did two new clients. The first had straight, short, silver hair. She'd been with the same hairdresser for 25 years till he moved away. She's tried a few stylists in search of a good haircut without any luck. It was easy to get it right. There's really no excuse for letting someone leave with a bad haircut. She loved her hair. My second new client had long curly hair. She was recommended to another stylist by her friend but chose me when she saw my picture and read my bio on our web page. She loved her hair. Yea! Two new really nice new clients. New clients are a necessity.

I finished the last of the Cauliflower Curry and Bean Soup I made a few days ago. The recipe is from Wegman's, and it's simple and delicious. (I changed it just a bit...used a head of cauliflower, didn't use name brand ingredients, didn't top it with onions, and used a blender). Since the soup is pureed, you'd never know what was in it. Try it if you love curry. I had it with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro. I wish I had much more.

We made our Myrtle Beach reservations for our summer vacation. I'm so excited. I love going back to the same place year after year. I love driving the same roads and reliving the same memories. I love being away for my birthday.

Tomorrow's jam-packed with clients. I'm heading up to bed early with my new game addiction...Tiny Wings. It's better than a book, though not intellectually.

Energized Me

2011-03-10T09:18:00.000-05:00

If you know me, you know that Thursday is automatically a happy day 'cause I get to drink COFFEE! I have many different Starbucks mugs, all in this favorite shape.

I can't wait to wake up on a day off that's warm and sunny. Today is rainy, rainy, rainy. I had plans to do one thing, but the rain's changed that. My only plan for the day is to clean my floors. That won't take too long. I have a few DVR'd shows to watch. I have a bunch of DVD's I could watch, but I don't have much patience for movies, unfortunately. Maybe I'll take a stab at cleaning out my close. It's a mess. I could set a timer and work there for an hour. Or 15 minutes. I could do any number of things. I wonder what this day will hold? Time will tell. What ever I do will be fueled by caffeine.

Pretty good times

2011-03-07T21:31:00.000-05:00

It feels like 20 weeks since I've updated this blog. Or read your blogs. Life gets in the way. I've been busy.

Emily was hit by a hit and run driver on Friday. She and Phil weren't hurt, but she was very shaken up. A Mazda pick-up that was on the shoulder drove into the passenger side of her car, sideswiped it, made a u-turn in front of her, then sped away. No cars that witnessed it stopped. Thank goodness it wasn't worse. We brought the car to the auto body shop today, and I'm driving the rental, a spiffy white Pontiac Vibe. I like my car better.

Em's poor car

I spent Saturday night at my parent's house. That's my night. I stayed up late after they went to bed. I finished reading my book club book on my laptop. In all, I read it in hardback, on my iPhone, and then on my computer. I'm not sure which way was best. I spent the rest of the night, till the wee hours of the morning, looking at eBay auctions for some of the stuff my father has. Very interesting. Do you think I have time to be an eBay seller?

I spent all day Sunday with my parents. I didn't get out of my pj's till 4:00 when I got dressed for book club. I worked all day...not lounged. Our book was The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. It was great to be with my friends.

Have I mentioned the plan for my parent's house? All new floors. The carpet is a fall hazard for my mom, and the laminate they have is old. So, everything needs to come up off the floors. All the DVD's have been put in storage containers. Many of the closets have been cleaned out. The attic has been emptied. Ditto with the shed and many closets. Ceiling fans have been installed. Collections have been put in storage. Furniture has been trashed. The bathroom openings are being widened for bigger doors. The tub will come out of the main bathroom to be replaced with an accessible shower. Handrails will be installed throughout the house, etc... And hopefully my parents will be able to stay in their home for a while. My siblings and I are working well together. My parents are in a daze with all the activity and changes. My mother keeps saying, 'this isn't my house anymore'. We tell them they're going to love it when it's done. My father looks in the garage a lot.

There's been a few trash days like this.

My brother and his daughter Hannah, in the shed. The cases behind my brother are filled with collectible beer cans. Wah.

Emily and Phil, the hired help.

My parent's house is a rancher, and it has a walk-in closet near the front door. We moved in when I was 6. We recorded our height on the wall every year. We recorded the niece's and nephew's heights too. It's a wall of memories.

I spent today today with...my parents! I grocery shopped for them before I got there. I took my father to two banks. I went out to lunch with my mother and took her shoe shopping. It was a good day.

I've been busy, but it hasn't been stressful. Don't ask me why. I'm fine except for when I sleep. I'm working on that.

Just a note

2011-03-04T09:47:00.000-05:00

It's Friday morning but it feels like Tuesday. Hard to believe I was only off for one day. I packed a lot in. Rob came down on Wednesday night. We ate dinner here, instead of out. We're both trying to lose some weight and had wonderful and healthy salads. Instead of wonderful Chinese food. We watched a lot of TV. He's come to like all the shows that I DVR. We're also reading together...me my book club book and him his psychology. I downloaded my book to my iPhone from the library. It's a "novel" way to read! Yesterday was spent with...guess...my parents. Their helper had car problems so I took them to their 3 doctor's appointments. Luckily they were all in the same building. I'm glad I was there to talk to their primary care doctor. It's easy for us for Amanda, their aide, to take them, but really better for a family member to be there. At least to the important appointments. They're both doing fine and that should be it for the doctors for a while. Till the next crisis. I was home in the late afternoon and Rob and I went to the main branch of my bank so he could use their coin machine to cash the coins from his piggy bank. It's an old and stately bank and the people there were very nice. I noticed a vault door to the side and asked if they ever gave tours. The manager was very nice and gave me a tour! I asked if I could take pictures. I was fascinated by the complexity of the gears and mechanisms of the inside of the door. I asked if I could take pictures.

I loved the 'gate' too. I reached up to feel if the points were sharp. I scraped my finger.

They had this old vault on display; it was one of the originals, on wheels.

I have a little time before work to read my book, so, that's what's next on my agenda. Then it's off to a full day of making people beautiful!

I'll get dressed tomorrow

2011-02-28T19:10:00.000-05:00

I never push the 'next blog' button while reading blogs. Do you? I was bored on Saturday night and did some exploring. I was pretty amazed with my findings. Most every blog was a 'mommy blog'. You know, come read about the life and times of the _____ family. Check out the pictures of Avery eating organic peas, Augyst playing dress-up and Alayna building towers with her wooden blocks. Most of the bloggers are really good photographers too. I wonder how that happens? It didn't matter whose blog I 'launched' from, they were all so similar. I've found the majority of blogs I follow through comments left on friends' blogs, or on my own. I've found lasting friends through my friend Andrew.

I spent all day yesterday at my parent's. Ten hours! My mom loved my being there. I was the mother hen, and I waited on her. And my dad. I took one break to pick up Mom's favorite body lotion, and a latte from Barnes and Noble for me. It was not as good as Borders. I took this photo and gave it a soft focus using my Photoshop Express app.

Talking about apps (something I like to do), I added PBS to my iPhone on Saturday. I watched two episodes of Frontline. The bonus is that it's all free.

Today's been a day of paper. I'm going through years of paper. Why do I have utility bills from 2006? Why don't I have a system for organizing paperwork? My dining room table is covered with current stuff so I can get my taxes done. My bed is covered with old stuff. I hope to be done with it soon. Not finished, but what I've started finished so the surfaces are clean. The table I can live with, the bed, not.

I had hopes of taking a walk today and reading on the hammock. It was supposed to be nice till about 3:00. Boo hoo...it's raining. That's uninspiring to me. Actually, I'm going to get off the computer and clean up that paper.
________________________________________________________________________

It turned out to be a day of constant rain. The kind of day you wish you didn't have to work so you could stay in pajamas and read a book. I never got out of my pj's. I sat on my porch with a fleece and a throw and read my book, for a while. The only thing that would have made it better was to actually like the book. It's for book club. It's not my kind of book.

The dining room table is cleared of papers. So is my bed. Mission accomplished!! I'm going over to my neighbor's to do my taxes in a little while. I never do my taxes this early, and I'm really proud that I'm ready. Emily needs to fill out the FAFSA paperwork for financial aid, and she can't do it without my taxes done. I'm wearing my pajamas to my neighbor's house. Why get dressed when it's almost time for bed?

_________________________________________________________________________________

Talking to myself

2011-02-27T09:09:00.000-05:00

Thoughts on a Sunday morning...
I spend my work days talking. Literally. I talk all day long to people that I know. I could never work in a salon that had a steady stream of walk-in clients. What would I talk to them about? The weather? Their favorite shows? There's only so much you can talk to a stranger about, unless they're really chatty. I develop relationships with my clients that go beyond performing a service on their hair. I know about their lives, and they share in mine. We have a history. I've worked in the same salon for almost 24 years. I've worked in the same city for almost 28. I'm growing "older" with a lot of my clients, and we're kind of like family, without any of the drama. I do a lot of new clients, and have new relationships with them. My clients are really important to my life. They make it bigger. I have an easy rapport with most of them. I think they look forward to 1. Getting their hair done so they look better and feel better. 2. Spending time with me! I'm not being egotistical, I'm just saying being in my chair is a reprieve from the stress of their multi-tasking lives and a time when all of my attention is spent on them. Plus I'm always nice (insert smiley face).

Which brings me to my second subject. When I'm not at work, I hardly talk. (Unless it's to myself!) I'm alone a lot. I like the quiet, and it's probably because I talk so much at work. I don't like to talk on the phone, which is hard because I have to do it. And I'm never lonely. Maybe because I spend my working hours surrounded by people? Whatever the reason, I sure am glad and I know I'm lucky.

I have to finish this up and go to my parent's. A major clean-out is going on there. Emily and Phil were 'hired' to do the manual labor. They worked Friday night and all day yesterday. I was so glad to hear how hard they've been working. I was also glad to hear how much everyone likes Phil. I haven't mentioned this, but he's living at my house. Surprise! Not living with Emily...he has his own room. I'm now the parents of two kids, but that's another story. They have another full day of work again today and I'll be there with them.

Well, it's time for me to go over and do my part. It's going to be a talking day.

Little adieu about not much

2011-02-25T20:33:00.000-05:00

...Time flies and all that. It really does. And wherever you go, there you are. I like that saying.

Things here are better. My parents are home and so far so good. Emily and her boyfriend are at their house now, boxing up stuff in anticipation of the new flooring that's going in. Emily just sent this picture of old cases of Coke that they took out of the laundry room. They commemorate different sports teams. I've probably mentioned that my father is a compulsive collector. He has collections of Ski Country decanters, Beanie Babies, P. Buckley Moss prints and Case knives. Big, big collections. Won't we have fun getting rid of them? I'm being sarcastic, of course.

I noticed a huge pile of hair by one of the trashcans at work. Although I'm not good about sweeping, I am good about putting the hair into the trashcan. There was so much hair that I played around with it and formed it into a square. Then I took this picture. When I look at the picture, I see a terrier's face. Do you? Someone came up to me and asked if I just took a picture of hair. Why yes, I did.

Rob was down for visit and it was great seeing him. Our time together has been sparse. We ate out, watched a lot of TV, and hung at Borders. It was a great reprieve from the 'family' stuff.

And that's my little post about not a lot. Hopefully I'll be infused with something much more entertaining next time you hear from me. Till then...

A good day, again

2011-02-21T20:46:00.000-05:00

Guess who slept for almost 10 hours last night? Yea ME! I woke up a few times and went right back to sleep. It took me almost an hour to get out of bed once I woke up. It was luxurious! I was on my second cup of coffee when I realized I'd made decaf instead of regular. The placebo effect was working because I wouldn't have known had I not seen the wrong container on the counter. Last day of real coffee till Thursday.

I grocery shopped for my parents, then sprung my mom from the rehab center. So many staff came up and told her how much they enjoyed having her there. It was sweet to see. She got a lot of hugs! We went by Checkers for lunch. It was my second day in a row of eating there. When I'm bad, I'm bad. We both had double fish fillet sandwiches and fries. Delicious! My mom was so glad to be home. Amanda and my dad were there. My brother, SIL and niece came over. It was nice. Let's pray for no more falls, OK?

They're calling for 4"-8" of snow tonight. I'm done with snow. I'm surprised by the forecast. Yes, I know it's February. I know that 70 degree weather was a fluke and a tease. I know that wearing sandals in winter is not normal. But snow? On a positive note, snow is beautiful. It's going to be a beautiful day. There. I've changed my attitude.

I'm ready to spend the rest of the night reading in bed. Sounds like a great ending to a full day.

La de da (for lack of a better title)

2011-02-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

I finally got my laptop back today. Surprisingly, I didn't miss it much. There was a time I would've made the hour round-trip to retrieve it. My laptop is like an old friend---it will be 6 years old this summer; ancient in computer years. I have no idea what I'll get when this one goes. Any suggestions?

You know I'm an app collector. My newest one is FiOS Remote. It does everything my real remote does. Do I need it? No, but I like it. Another one of those "little things in life."

I've been having the worst time sleeping lately. This morning I woke up at 4:47 AM. The day before it was 3:37 AM. The day before, 4:03 AM. At least this morning I didn't wake up worrying. I have to break this cycle. I wake up and my first thought is that I won't be able to go back to sleep. Then it happens. I don't fall back to sleep. I'm so tired right now but 8:00 is way too early to go to bed. It would for sure be another night of seeing a 3 or 4 on my clock.

My life has been consumed by parent stuff. (I just found myself shaking my head after re-reading that sentence.) It's consuming for me and my siblings, but that's the way it is right now. I can't wait for the day I say my parents are doing well at home with live-in help, including Amanda. I feel confident that it will happen. I'd feel better if it was ready to happen right now. My mom comes home tomorrow. My dad is doing well except for when he can get away with being bad. I fixed a healthy dinner for tonight's meal and left it in the refrigerator: grilled chicken strips, kasha, and mixed vegetables. My mom called me a while ago and told me he had pizza. I'd rather have pizza. I'd rather not prick my finger and take my blood sugar. It's understandable, but so frustrating. If he doesn't comply and do what needs to be done to manage his diabetes, he's going to find himself back where he was before. And so will we.

On a brighter note, I found a new-in-box bedside commode for my mother at Goodwill for only $40! I was so excited about my find. See what I'm reduced to these days?

It's 9:00 now and I'm headed to bed. Wish me luck?

Spring is in the air!

2011-02-17T20:05:00.000-05:00

I left my laptop at my parent's house. I feel lost without it but I'm mostly glad it wasn't lost. I searched high and low and then I called my dad. He said, yeah, it's here. I'll do without until the weekend. I can do that. I'm using Emily's laptop now.

I was off today so you know how busy I was. I had a free breakfast at Chick fil a on my way to see my dad. Free on Thursdays thru February! I actually had a great day with my dad. My mom is the one who gets all the attention. Not my dad. He really enjoyed having me there. We talked about all the things we (siblings) want to clean out and get rid of. He's very agreeable with me. I only had about 5 minutes with my mom at the rehab center. It was pretty funny. I had to park in a doctor's spot because that was all I could find. My mom was lying in bed in the dark. I said, it's too nice to be inside. I got her in her wheelchair and wheeled her outside to the courtyard. I said, I have to run... Emily has a doctor's appointment. I told the nurses where she was, then I was out the door. She called about an hour later to say she had to use the bathroom. I had to call the nurses station to go and get her. She loved her hour outside.

I was SO happy to get a pedicure today with my favorite nail tech. Me time! I'm wearing sandals tomorrow 'cause it feels like spring. My feet want out!

La de da!

I think you're sweet (Happy V-D!)

2011-02-14T21:20:00.000-05:00

It seems like it's been a week since my last post, not just yesterday. I never did sit around and watch TV or have a leisurely morning. Like I really thought I would? I made my way to my parent's house. I cut my sister's hair. We visited my mom. We had another family meeting with the four of us siblings and my SIL. We really are lucky to be together. We talked a lot and made a lot of plans.

I stayed up late watching the Grammys. I just love that show. I watched it again tonight with Emily and her boyfriend Phil.

Up and out at the crack of dawn today. I did my grocery shopping on my way to my parent's (my new home-away-from-home). My sister and I signed my mom out of the rehab center and took her to lunch. She said, I hope it's Chinese. I said, yup. It was a good outing. I spent the rest of the day at my parent's house. Here's a picture of me and my sisters. None of us are looking our best, though we tried :)

Notice the matching clothes. This is the second time this week that Ilene and I have worn almost the exact thing. Great minds think alike? I love the next picture of Ilene and Lisa.

Here's one of our sweet Amanda. She's so important to us!

I came home to a great surprise Valentine's card from Emily and Phil. They both wrote notes, thanking me for all that I do. That was the best gift! I know they appreciate me, but it sure is nice to hear the words. They gave me a sunshiny yellow mini rose plant too. Rob and I spent the day apart, because of distance and work. I've never been big on celebrating this holiday, so it was OK. He's my Valentine from afar. I sure did see a lot of men leaving grocery stores today carrying out flowers! I don't mind not getting them. I always have fresh flowers on my station that I buy for myself, and that suits me just fine.

I'm ready to say good-night to Monday. I need a vacation from my weekend "off".

Hello Sunday

2011-02-13T08:02:00.000-05:00

Not sure what I'm going to write about, but it's been a while, except for my very short post the other day, since I've really written anything of note. Here goes...

I finished up a busy Saturday at the salon and headed to "my" Borders. What will I do if/when Borders closes? I can only hope they don't close all their stores because I need my Borders. I met my sister Ilene at my favorite Saturday restaurant, Jalepenos. We split 4 tapas and each one was delicious. There are many, many more tapas left to try before I work my way through the menu. We sat at the same cozy corner table Kit and I sat at the first time I was there. I think it's the best seat in the bar area. It was nice to have some one-on-one time with Ilene.

This past Thursday, my siblings, along with my SIL, sat down to dinner at my brother's house to talk about our parents. I was pretty nervous about how that would unfold, as I knew there would be controversy. We need to figure out what to do about my parent's care. My mother is such a fall risk. She needs help; more help than she has with her wonderful aide/companion Amanda. My father needs some help. Assisted living? Live-in help (including Amanda) to age in place? What can they afford? What happens when the money runs out? These are some of the questions. My older sister started the conversation. She had spent a lot of time thinking and planning what she wanted to say. She didn't have all the answers, but had well-thought out ideas. Next was my turn. I really didn't want to say much. I wanted to mostly listen and go along with whatever the majority opinion was. I wanted to say 'ditto to what Ilene said.' I feel like I've done so much and have placed such a heavy burden on myself, yet have gotten no closer to a solution. Just when I was getting started, the financial adviser that Lisa and I use showed up to talk to us about our parent's finances and give advice. We planned on his being there, but much earlier. By the time he was finished, we were feeling much better about a possible course of action, but were tired and ready to go home. We're meeting later today to continue the conversation. I'm so thankful that my siblings and I are working together on this. I know how lucky we are. I'm so glad I have long-term care insurance. I hope I never have to use it.

I'm going to look for a Crock-Pot recipe, then watch something recorded on my DVR. I don't have to be in a rush to be up and out, right? Right.

Happy Sunday!

Howdy!

2011-02-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

HI!
Long time! I've been busy these last few days. It feels odd not to have a daily post. I'll be back with more to say soon. In the meantime, here's a picture of my mom and my sister visiting from GA. We spent yesterday with my mom at her doctor's appointments. She was transported to the offices and then brought back to the center. We took my father home in the afternoon. Home after all this time. Fingers crossed, you know?

Happy Friday!

On the last day of my weekend

2011-02-07T16:28:00.000-05:00

I started off the day by putting together Hearty Split Pea soup in my Crock-pot. I cooked it for 8 hours and it turned out fantastic! The recipe is a keeper.

I spent the better part of 4 hours gathering information in the quest for the next step for my parents. I didn't get far. It was mostly frustrating. I learned a lot. I left lots of messages. I'm really, really disliking this whole thing and wish I could wish it away.

I was about to take a shower around 1pm when I noticed two neighbors washing their cars. It inspired me to do the same. Then I swept out the garage. Then I noticed the bag of tulips I never planted and got them in the ground. Maybe they'll bloom, maybe not. It felt good to be outside doing something physical and getting fresh air.

Guess what I'm going to do next? I'm going to sit on the couch and start a book. That's the plan. There just might be enough hours in this day.

Long post; lots of coffee

2011-02-06T21:21:00.000-05:00

It's been another full day. I guess they all are. I think I'd be depressed if they weren't. As much as I say I'd like down time, I'm better busy. If I could ever 'get into' one of the many books I have waiting for me, I'd want that quiet time.

I was up and running this morning. I made a terayaki marinade and put it and a skirt steak in a Ziplock bag to, well, marinate. I met my friend Kit at Caribou Coffee at 8:30. After a few hours together I left and drove the short distance to the rehab center to visit my parents. My mom's hair was so overgrown and I'd told her I wouldn't visit without my scissors. I spread a sheet on the floor and transformed her to the mom I know. Well, the mom with the big bruise. She looked so much better afterward.

Here's the before...wild woman!

Looking much better after her haircut!

This wasn't the first time I've done my mom's hair in a rehab center. I cut and colored her hair after her stroke 10 1/2 years ago. She was probably the only patient to have her color done in the bathroom, and showered off in a wheelchair. She was in bad shape, but still cared about her looks.

I left both parents hanging out in the 'bird' room. There were so many people crowded in the room, all in wheelchairs, that I had to wait for someone to leave to fit my mom in. I took these pictures a few days ago. There's at least 20 finches in the cage, including babies that were born two weeks ago. Everyone loves this room.

I went grocery shopping next. Mistake on Super Bowl Sunday! It was crazy busy with the check-out lines snaking down the aisles. I had my list on my phone. I had my coupons loaded on my phone too! I found most of what was on my list and got lucky in finding a short line.

I came home to a nice surprise...Emily had stripped my bed and washed my sheets. This was a first and I was SO pleased. I started my own long-overdue laundry and did some chores around the house. I put a batch of brownies in the oven. Emily called me outside to see a flock of seagulls devouring some stale popcorn I'd spilled out on the curb. Seagulls in suburbia! Next time I'll remember to hold my phone horizontally when taking a video.

I know this is long. Sometimes I have a lot to write about. I made a great dinner. I grilled the skirt steak and used the meat to make awesome quesadillas (if I must say so myself).

I've been watching the Super Bowl commercials. And the halftime show with the Black Eyed Peas was about the best I've ever seen.

Enough? I'd say so!

An unexpected post

2011-02-05T07:35:00.000-05:00

Unexpected because I have the time to write it.

I finally decided that my quest to write every day wasn't necessarily a good one. I was writing simply for the sake of writing, not for the content. I won't be reduced to writing 'filler' posts. At least that's what I'm saying today. I'm still going to write regularly, and it will probably be pretty mundane, but that's fine. It's me. A little of this and a little of that.

It's Saturday morning before work. It's the only day of the week I set an alarm for, and it's usually set for 5:45, giving me plenty of time to leave the house by 7:30. I like having a lot of time in the morning. I never sit around, but I never have to rush. I sometimes have a little computer time before I leave. This morning I checked my mail and my first client e-mailed that she couldn't make her 8:00 appointment. So here I am with leisure time! I'm so glad I read my mail.

Yesterday there was a huge (I guess they're all huge) turkey vulture drinking from the bird bath on my deck. Fascinating because of the size and unnaturalness of it. I was telling my neighbor the story while doing her hair and she told me three of them were on a neighbor's roof earlier this week. Not good. I've heard of flocks of them taking up residence in an area and causing a big, bad problem because of their big bad poop. Go away big bad birds! In other exciting animal news, I watched a pair of squirrels climb down the corner of my house and try to jump onto a window ledge. Over and over. Who needs TV? All I need is to sit at my kitchen table.

Hope it's a great Saturday in your world. I'm off to beautify my clients!

Slow down!

2011-02-03T21:06:00.000-05:00

Hello from the backside of a busy day off. Lots of running around. Lots of stuff crossed off my list. Lunch out and a movie too! And tomorrow's Friday. Boy does time fly! As always, I'd be happier if it would slow down. Well, I like work to fly by. It's the rest of the time I'm talking about. I've been meaning to read a book for ages, but somehow my time gets taken up by everything but that. Maybe tomorrow?

I wish all days were like today

2011-02-02T23:34:00.000-05:00

I really should start my blogging earlier in the day or the night. I had a bunch to say, but now I'm too tired. It was a very full day. I prepared the ingredients for Emily to make quesadillas for dinner before I went to work, and fit in a trip to Walmart too. It was a great day at the salon. I had two new clients and both walked out looking SO much better than when they came in. They were so happy and I was so happy. I'd love to have two new clients just like them every day! I went to Starbucks after work while waiting for Rob. I had a regular coffee...something I'd gotten out of the habit of drinking, going for the lattes instead. I really enjoyed the cuppa and it's sure a lot less expensive. I'm going to try to save my lattes for my special Saturdays at Borders. I met Rob at, where else, Pei Wei. We both had the new Korean BBQ. It was the first dish I didn't love. Rob had the same thing and loved it. We came home and watched 'our show', Human Target. Then, The Good Wife. And here I am, getting in a little blogging before bed. I love staying up late when I'm off the next day. I just wish that meant I could sleep in. My body isn't into that. Nor is my mind. That said, it's turning-in time.

2011-02-01T22:06:00.000-05:00

Not much to say on this first day of February, but I don't want to break my blogging streak. I might though. Warning. Boring post ahead. If I remember correctly, February isn't one of my favorite months. It's just kind of blah. The holidays are over. The weather is dreary and gray. The fact that time flies is good because before we know it, Glorious Spring will be here. There's a lot to like about that season. Winter? Not so much.

I sure hope I come up with something better to say tomorrow. Don't you?

Goodbye January. I'm ready for the next J month

2011-01-31T20:22:00.000-05:00

I broke out my crock pot again and made chicken chili. It turned out good. I had it for dinner and portioned the rest into two lunches and two frozen dinners for two. I have beef stew and turkey soup in the freezer. I feel so domestic! I'll finish up what's frozen before I make anything else.

I went to the rehab center in the morning for the family meeting. We conferenced-in my siblings. So we have a little time to figure out what to do. We don't know how much, but whatever it is it won't be enough. This is not the fun part! I brought my parents' laundry to their house and got that done while going through their bills and records, etc. I looked through lots of history...birth records, my dad's army stuff, etc. It was interesting. I went back to the rehab center with the clean clothes. I watched my mom do occupational therapy. I helped wheel both parents to the dining room. It really is a nice place and my parents are being treated well.

I'll be bringing my scissors next time I visit.

It's amazing how much my mother's face has healed. I'll never post the pictures from the hospital. I almost wish I didn't have them, but can't bring myself to delete them either.

It's time for a blankie, or a heater. I could complain about the cold, but I'm thankful I have those options. Ever the optimist...that's me.

I'm a Blogger in a Coffee Shop

2011-01-30T16:28:00.000-05:00

I don't remember the last time I blogged from a coffee shop. Do you remember when I blogged from Panera's all the time? I wonder what happened to change that? Life and circumstances I guess. Life has a way of changing everything up.

My sister suggested we meet at the rehab center to go over my parents' finances. Between cutting Emily's hair, getting ready, making shopping lists, etc., I ran way behind. When I called Lisa, she was SO over her visit there. I suggested we meet at Caribou Coffee instead. My mom was looking forward to seeing me, but she'll have to wait till tomorrow. I have a meeting at the center at 9am and I'll find out when my parents are being discharged. It will be too early, whenever it is. I say that because we all feel strongly that my mother should never walk without assistance, and we don't have that in place yet.

Rob and I have a dinner date tonight. We're meeting part way. His working every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10pm to 8:30am means no weekends together. Our plan to see each other on Thursdays is a work in progress. He doesn't have a sleep schedule and he's tired on his days off. We both have plans the next two Thursdays. So, we're going to find creative ways to see each other. The fact that he lives an hour away is one more impediment. If there's a will there's a way, though.

And that's as long as this is going to be for now. Except, does anyone remember the song by Maria Muldaur, I'm a Waitress in a Donut Shop? I was a huge fan of her's in the 70's. I have memories of singing her songs in the shower in my college dorm. I knew all her songs by heart. Why do I bring this up? I'm a blogger in a coffee shop. I could write a song.

Simple pleasures

2011-01-29T23:15:00.000-05:00

Today was easy. And pleasant. Work started a half hour later for me today. 8:30. I marked my book so I had breaks while my friend Bernie's hair was processing. I got to drink a cup of real coffee while working. Cheap thrills! I went to Borders and scored a table as soon as I walked in. A table with only one chair and no one asking to sit with me. The barista remembered my drink. I read Inc. and People magazine. It was rewarding. It's the simple things I enjoy the best. I met my sister at Jalapenos, the restaurant in Annapolis that I love, the one with $5 tapas/appetizers during the Mon.-Saturday happy hour. Tonight we had Guacamole "Oaxaca" and Chorizo Cantimpalo. Both were fantastic. I'm working my way through the menu. I've had 11 tapas in 4 visits. I plan to make my way though the entire happy hour menu. Check out their menu and let me know if you'd care to join me. I'm up for next Saturday. That is, if you're in the neighborhood.

I've been watching some DVR'd shows, sitting on the couch with my blankie. Might sound boring to you, but I'm pretty happy. And that's my Saturday. I don't know what tomorrow will hold, or the next day. Which day the other shoe will drop. Which day will hold another crisis with my parents. So, days like these with simple pleasures? I'm so thankful for them.

A quiet ending

2011-01-28T21:17:00.000-05:00

I've been sitting in my so quiet house since I got home from work, the only sound that of my space heater. I like the quiet. Maybe it's because I spend my days talking in a place that's loud with music and blow dryers and other talkers. It's probably the reason I never turn on the TV unless I'm watching something. I don't like noise for the sake of noise. So, nice and quiet here. The heat has made me sleepy though. I've almost finished catching up on blogs, but I won't get mine written if I don't stop. It was a nice busy day at work, after a stressful morning at home. My parents might be coming home much sooner than anticipated, and we're not ready. Arrangements haven't been made. When I heard the news I felt like I had a 600 pound boulder on my back. I put it in a compartment, though, and there it will stay for a while. I wound up cooking my pot roast longer last night while we got pizza and watched TV. That's because I forgot about it. I'm happy to report that when I tasted it this morning, it was tender and tasty. Not as good as my favorite pot roast by The Pioneer Woman, but still good. I was so hungry that I called and asked Emily to heat some up for me so it would be ready when I got home. The extra cooking made all the difference! Lesson learned. Also, some folks told me to always choose the long cooking cycle on low over the quick one on high. Now I just need some good recipes. I had some ice cream for dessert. Like Happyone! But mine was Turkey Hill Ginger Snap. Simply delicious.

And that's all she said, folks. I'm getting into bed with my magazine. Goodnight Friday. You started off rough but ended well. It's the well that I'm thankful for.

The beginning set the tone

2011-01-27T21:23:00.000-05:00

A tiny little post today. Or at least, a quick one. We lost power for about 3 hours this morning, and it threw off the day for me. I made some horrible coffee by pouring boiling water (gas range and a match) over a paper cone filled with grounds. Sludge. I shoveled. I didn't read, which is what I thought I'd do. I didn't miss the Internet.

I visited my parents and had a meeting at the center with a manager from a private home care agency. I was very, very impressed. It's a start to what comes next.

I used my crock pot for the first time today. I got it as a gift in 2009. I bought a packet of slow cooker pot roast seasoning and followed the directions. It wasn't done after the proscribed time. The meat was tough and the vegetables hard and I was disappointed. Next time I'll find a recipe instead of using a mix. I did get a cookbook along with the slow cooker. We had pizza for dinner instead. Maybe the pot roast will be magically better tomorrow. I cooked it for an extra hour and didn't taste it. And I didn't add cinnamon.

A mundane day. I hope tomorrow is super busy. That's the kind of day I need.

A weathery day and night

2011-01-26T21:08:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting in my very comfortable recliner after a great dinner. It's so nice to relax! Rob was supposed to come over tonight, but the weather is bad. It started this morning with snow, then sleet, then snow, then lots of rain. It started snowing again around 4:00 and should continue for a while. It's already been 5 hours. It's a heavy, wet snow. It's windy and I've heard some snow thunder. Is that the word? No school tomorrow, and fortunately, it's my day off. I've seen on FB that some friends have lost electricity. I'm sorry for them (really) but hope, hope, hope it doesn't happen here (I'm pretending the lights didn't just flicker).

We had Cordelico Sirloin steak for dinner. The meat industry is fashioning new and trademarked names for old cuts of meat. Flat Iron steak is in that category. This cut was formally called 'flap meat.' Sounds pretty unappetizing. The steak was delicious with an intense meaty flavor. I pan fried it, sliced it against the grain, and drizzled it with teriyaki sauce. We had it with steamed broccoli and baked potatoes. A simple meal. I'll have some simple ice cream for dessert.

It was a short day at work because of the weather. I started at my usual time, but I worked alone for the first hour. I ended my day early, at 2:30. I stopped by Borders for a latte to go, then Office Depot for printer ink, then the grocery store. It was crowded, and the check-out line was long, but I had a lot of patience for some reason. I bought ingredients to make a pot roast in the slow cooker I got as a gift in 2009. It's still in the box. I bought ingredients to make split pea soup. I didn't need any 'whites.' I did need 2 cartons of ice cream. I told Emily as we put away the food that the ginger snap ice cream is for me only. And I mean that.

I visited my parents before work yesterday. Mom is looking much better. Her black-and-blue face is getting yellower, and the bruise is moving further down her face and into her neck. She's a sport for letting me take pictures every time I see her.

We're watching American Idol. I'm pretending the lights haven't flickered a bunch of times. I need my power!

Cinnamon Shrimp

2011-01-25T21:07:00.000-05:00

I wrote about my love of shrimp and how I make it in this post. My sister suggested I try it with Old Bay instead of garlic powder. I don't know why that idea never occurred to me before. A few nights ago, I swizzled some olive oil over my shrimp, then added the garlic powder. Then I remembered the Old Bay. I decided to add it on top of the garlic. I had some Old Bay in a little baggie that I'd gotten from my neighbor. I smelled the bag, then sprinkled some on. Then some more. Then a little more. I didn't want it too spicy for the kids, but I loved the color. It wasn't till it was sizzling in the pan that I caught a whiff of cinnamon. It was cinnamon on the shrimp, not Old Bay. Darn. Did I ruin the shrimp?

Emily was the first to plate up her dinner. She popped a shrimp in her mouth and said it tasted 'different.' I didn't reply, and she took her food upstairs to continue studying. The shrimp was actually good. Crispy and flavorful. I don't think I'll ever do that combo again, but I would if I didn't have any other spice. Later that night I told Emily what I did. She thought it was pretty funny.

I got off a little early tonight and picked up my favorite dinner from Chipotle. I had ice cream for dessert. It's all gone now and I'm not adding ice cream to my list anytime soon. It just goes too quickly in this house.

Well, I'm off to take a bath, of all things. Calgon, take me away. Who remembers that one?

Cinnamon Shrimp, but not tonight (dear)

2011-01-24T20:14:00.000-05:00

Earlier today...
It's almost 2 PM and I'm still in pajamas. It's amazing the way a day can fly. I've gone through the bills and written checks, filed papers, cut our coupons, made lists, etc. I've written out cards to be mailed. I finally entered all the birthdays in my 2011 wall calendar and into my phone calendar. I set up online billing for my mortgage. Cleared off the dining room table and the top of the microwave. Things pile up there. I still have the big counter to clear. I've done laundry. I've made numerous phone calls looking for possible live-in care for my parents. I'm trying to learn about medicare. I found one place that I'm really excited about, and the person I spoke to is meeting me at the rehab center on Thursday. I've got a notebook started and I'm waiting for a lot of call-backs. All this stuff takes time! How do people do it when they don't have a day off during the week?

My plan was to finally shower and visit my parents. Then I talked to my brother, who's been with them for a while, and he said to stay home. They're comfortable. Their helper Amanda is coming. My sister may be visiting after work. I might just turn on the TV. Really?

Later on...
I decided to go grocery shopping instead of sitting on the couch. Perfect segway to my next subject! I went shopping looking like I just rolled out of bed. Thankfully the grocery store I frequent is in my neighborhood and it's a rare day that I run into anyone I know. And a rare day I'm without make-up or that I have untamed hair. I didn't care. I ran into my neighbor, which was unusual, but fine. And another at the mailbox. Didn't matter.

The segway subject. Lately, my reading at Borders has been iPhone app magazines. I'm very intellectual, you know. I'm glad I get to read without buying. I check out the highest rated apps, and if I'm interested, I download them. Then I usually forget them. The fun is in the 'getting.' ShopShop is one of my new apps. It's for...shopping lists. You can have multiple lists. When you're shopping and you put items in your cart, you touch the screen and the item is crossed off the list. Here's my screen:

Here's a practice list. The real one had the store name and the real food.

I used the app while shopping. Paper would have been easier, but this was more fun.

Atomic Web, next to ShopShop, is supposed to be better than Safari. YellowPages is good. HeyTell is a push-to-talk app. Sometimes when I need to kill time, I check out my apps to see what they do. I have 5 screens of apps. I use a few. I'm mad at Angry Birds...I used to play that one a lot. I'm stuck.

I came home and watched 4 recorded shows. I cooked dinner. Frozen meatballs, a medley of pasta (a good way to use up boxes with very little pasta in them), and jarred sauce. It was delicious! Almost anything is delicious when you're hungry. Even cinnamon shrimp. I was going to write about that, but I'll save it for tomorrow. For now, I'm heading into bed with my new Wired magazine.

What a day! A nice no-drama day. As much as I love my days off, I like the schedule and routine of my work days. Often work is calmer than home. If only I could have coffee.

A face only a mother's child could love

2011-01-23T20:34:00.000-05:00

If your face looked like this, would you be worrying about your hair?

That's some bruise running down the side of Mom's face, huh? And that's four days after her fall. She's on Plavix, which is part of the reason the hematoma that's covering the right side of her face looks so bad. She called me tonight saying, "I have a lot of nerve." I said, what do you mean? She asked if I could bring my scissors to the rehab center tomorrow because her hair looks so bad. I'm a patient person, but it only goes so far. I said her hair is the least of her worries and that no, I'm not bringing my scissors. At least not tomorrow.

When making the case for my parents to go to this particular rehab, we had NO idea they would put them in the same room. They told me they had 2 male beds available when I first inquired. Yesterday my siblings told me there was a sign outside my father's door saying, welcome Laura. What??? My parents have separate rooms at home. I can't imagine this working, because at home they have lots of space, but I hope it does. It's a three-bed room, with the middle bed gone. Large. My father's hearing isn't too good and my mother talks softly these days. She'll say something like, what are you reading? He'll answer with something like, you want your shoes? It's not that he thinks she says that, he just pulls something out of the air to answer back. And annoy her. It's a comedy of sorts, and I think he does it on purpose. It frustrates the heck out of my mom. Like I said, I hope it works. My mom was finally ready for me to pick her up from the hospital at 2:30 today, and we went right to the rehab center. And here, for your viewing pleasure is a video!

I'm sitting by my heater eating a bowl of Mint Moose Tracks ice cream. Much better than last night's bitter chocolate. The only good thing about the chocolate is that I don't like it.

Saturday has a second

2011-01-22T23:02:00.000-05:00

I was able to keep my own little table at Borders. The one next to me opened up, with only one chair, and I asked the woman if I could put my other chair there. She said yes, looking a little puzzled. Her husband showed up so they both had chairs, and no one else asked to sit with me. All in all, it wasn't the best Border's day. I know it's a bookstore with a cafe. I wish it had a much bigger cafe. I read iPhone app magazines, as usual. I bought a few of the best rated apps. Do I use them all? Hardly. But I have the best! I'm remembering how many years it took me to make the decision to buy my phone. This is my second one, and the best 'toy' I've ever had. It's my computer, e-reader, social-media portal, game player, phone, camera, message-er, etc. I'm so thankful that Apple replaced my cracked phone last week so it's shiny and perfect.

My father is settling into the rehab/convalescent center. My sister and brother visited today and said the room is very large and nice. Much to our surprise, there's a welcome sign outside the door for my mother. We had no idea they'd be rooming together. They better not fight! My mom started complaining of a lot of pain in her left hand yesterday, I think. She had an x-ray today and I found out tonight when I visited that her wrist is broken/fractured. I guess the good news is that it's the hand she can't use due to her stroke. A doctor will see her tomorrow and decide what to do. I don't know if it will change her discharge, which is scheduled for tomorrow.

Work was great today. I stayed on schedule plus finished on time for a change. I really do have the best job! I have clients whose company I truly enjoy, and I know I make them happy. It's a very gratifying occupation, and I consider myself very fortunate. I received two belated Christmas gifts today. A check and a Borders gift card from one client and a big bag of Starbucks coffee beans from another. My clients know me well. I am pretty chatty at work. They both apologized for being late. I love late gifts! I have very generous clients and I get so many gifts before Christmas.

I'm sitting here eating a bit of Lindt 85% extra dark Cocoa . This stuff is heavy-duty. Like drinking the darkest, strongest coffee you could imagine. I'm not loving it. I was looking for something sweet and there's nothing remotely sweet about this.

It's 10 degrees in my world. I know it's a lot worse elsewhere, and I'm glad I'm not there. I want my summer. My pool. The beach. My hummingbirds. Why do we need winter?

Please take a seat

2011-01-22T16:23:00.002-05:00

I'll give mobile blogging a shot. It took forever to find a seat at Borders. I had to share a table with chatty teens. They were very friendly but too loud. I went as far as to ask a couple using two tables if they needed both. They said they did. That was awkward. Emily would have died of embarrassment had she been with me. I put on earbuds and music to block the girls' chatter. Finally a table opened up and I went for it. In just a minute a girl asked if she could share my table. Was it wrong to tell her I had waited a long time for a table of my own? I pointed to the table I came from and told her the girls there were very nice. They were. She's sitting with them. Then a man came to my table and pointed to the empty chair. I think he's asking if I need it. I shake my head no. He goes away. I realize he was asking to sit there. Doesn't everyone realize I need my Borders time my way? Can someone take the empty chair away before someone sits in it? Please?