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June 29 MuralsIf you have looked at my photo album of our trip to Ireland, you will see murals depicting "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. I can't tell you how impressive these were. For one thing, they are painted on the sides of buildings several stories tall. That is not very evident. And, of course,the murals are in the Catholic area of Londonderry and tell their side of the story.
One mural that particularly impressed me was the one of the prisoners wearing blankets. They refused to wear prison uniforms because they considered themselves political prisoners, not common law breakers. Instead they wrapped themselves in blankets.
We asked the attendant at one museum whether things had changed. He said, "Oh, yes. We don't have armed helicopters overhead at all times and we don't have soldiers on the streets carrying automatic weapons." That was true, but the area looked very poor and depressed to us. Certainly, it was nothing like Dublin (the Tiger of the E.U.) nor like Belfast that has money from the U.K. June 24 Sleeping...It appears that I may have found the culprit in my inability to get to sleep at night. It should have been obvious--caffeine!
I do love my afternoon cup of coffee and thought it wouldn't keep me awake because I use about 1/3 de-caffeinated in the mix.
For the last three nights, I have not had coffee at all. Today I used 2/3 de-caf. We shall see what happens tonight.
Pleasant dreams to you all! June 21 "Ah,...sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care." A quotation that often comes to my mind. Ol' Macbeth had lots of concerns to keep him awake, like murdering the king! As for me, I long for sleep--especially at 1 o'clock in the morning. For the second night in a row, I have had a terrible time getting to sleep. The first night, I just lay there and kept trying to fall asleep. Last night I did some stretches before getting into bed. At midnight I left Husband in our bed and went into my escape room, the sewing room, where I go to escape his snoring on occasion . I turned on the light and read for 20 minutes or so. I thought I was sleepy, but it still took another hour before I was asleep. Any suggestions? (Of course, Husband falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. Drat.) August 25 Tagged, eh?So.... I've been tagged.
By Richard. Thanks a lot.
Here are 8 things about me:
1. I attended University of Texas, but graduated from Baylor in 19??.
2. I always said that I wanted to go to graduate school someplace where it snows. (I did. Strangely enough, Nashville, TN)
3. I have been married to the same wonderful man for 40 years.
4. I have thought I was overweight since I was 12 years old. Actually, I wish I weighed the same that I did in college. It is all relative. I wasn't fat then at all!
5. I have always had the wanderlust. It amazes me that I have lived in the same house for 25 years.
6. I have always been proud of my Texas background and often refer to it. (Such as..."It has been so hot in Kentucky that I sometimes think I have died and gone back to Texas."
7. My high school best friend have been close friends for 50 years!
8. I plan to live to at least 100. (My grandmother made it to 99 and 8 months.)
I'll have to figure out whom to tag at a later time. August 20 BeckhamDavid Beckham. Have any of you been watching this phenomenon?
Husband and I have been interested in soccer since our son was in kindergarten. Most little ones can run and kick, so that is where he started. We continued to be his fans throughout high school. It was great fun--at indoor facilities in the winter and outdoors in the spring and fall.
Now comes David Beckham. And he may just change the way Americans think about soccer. With his close cropped hair, he looks like the all-American guy. With his celebrity wife, he is living the all-American guy dream. When he is interviewed, he is humble and seems quite genuine. (He doesn't speak with the upper class accent a la Prince Charles. Instead he has the working class accent of the Gekko in the insurance ads.) In short, he is quite charming.
And he CAN play soccer! He hasn't scored yet, but he passes and makes a lot of difference on the field.
I'm glad I'll be able to watch a lot of his games on TV (the telly).
PS He plays the same position that our son always played--midfield.
July 30 New BlogGee, guys. Do I want a new blog? I have created one on Blogspot but don't know whether to continue. It is hard enough to post to this one. July 26 Back from AtlantaHusband and I had a nice visit to Atlanta to see our son and his family--especially our granddaughter Ashley. She is such a doll. At 2 years 8 months she is talking and chattering away! I might add that she is doing her best to control her parents--and sometimes succeeding!
While there Husband and I marked our 40th wedding anniversary. The years certainly have flown by! To celebrate we went to an upscale restaurant "Nava." No babysitter meant that Ashley went with us. She had on a lovely dress and behaved beautifully. (She didn't like any of the food except the bread and milk, but who is surprised? Certainly not we who raised her father.)
She got up to do some coloring with her crayons and paper. Later she walked around outside with her father while we waited for the bill. Quite good for one so young. (We left the waiter a sample of her art work with the tip.) July 18 Surprise in Paris!I am finally back in the Blogosphere. It feels good, though I doubt that I will post as much as I did when I first acquired this space. From reading blogs of old friends, I would say that is often the case.
We had a wonderful trip to France in May. The picture album is rotating at the side. This was a DSG (Dear Supper Group) trip, although only six of the ten could go. Husband and I find that we really enjoy traveling with friends, and these were particularly agreeable.
Last year someone started saying, "Let's go to France for Maxine's 80th birthday!" So we did.
That Maxine is quite a trooper and did very well in spite of having knee replacement in January. She only had to use a taxi a couple of times in Paris and sat out one prehistoric cave and one chateau.
But the surprise--Maxine's daughter and son-in-law came over to France for the occasion. Max was in the dark, but the rest of us knew. The plan was for Patty and Jay just to appear in the restaurant. The waiters all were informed and joined in the fun.
Was that a birthday she won't forget? March 21 Rescue Horses Monday night our friend Jack called to say that he would not be at our class that evening. He was picking up his new horse and needed to get him settled. I sympathised and understood how a new animal needs to become accustomed to its new home. (His horse is a rescue who had originally been sold for $150,000. Jack pronounced him to be fine and with many good years left.)
Then I remebered a story from the local newspaper several days ago that attracted my attention and especially my heart. There are many, many horses that are unwanted and in need of homes, in fact about 90,000 horses in our area, according to the article. It was noted that in almost all states it is not illegal to shoot one's own horse--but most owners don't have the stomach for it. (I should hope so!)
Here is the link to the story:
I would very much like to adopt one of these horses--or several. But what would I do with a horse?? I live in a subdivision.
My only recourse is to continue to send money to the Humane Society. I don't know what else to do. March 18 Wonderful Wynton!Wynton Marsalis, that is. Tonight the Jazz from Lincoln Center ensemble led by the inestimable Wynton performed at the Kentucky Center. It was fabulous! I couldn't believe how good it was. Most concerts keep my attention only part of the time--but not this one. I was in the "groove" the whole time. Before the concert, we had a group over for a light supper. Then all ten of us went to the concert. Good friends, good food, and excellent music! Now--where can I find some CD's of Jazz at Lincoln Center? Guess I'll start with Amazon.com.
March 17 Going to France, Going to France!Retirement has been quite grand for us so far. I recently said to Husband, "We are having the time of our lives! We are able to do so many things that work and raising a child made impossible." It is so true. We go to plays and concerts. We go to lectures. We have friends over and go to friends' houses for good times. We go out to restaurants frequently--usually with friends.
And finally we are going for a trip outside the country--a long trip, longer than the few day trip to Montreal last year. We are going to France. Our group will be six friends from the DSG--Dear Supper Group. (We are sorry not to have the entire group of ten, but away we go.)
Briefly, in May we fly to Paris, where we will spend four days. Then we take the TGV to Angouleme to pick up rental cars. We will spend six days in the Dordogne in a house we are renting. Then we drive to Tours, where we will stay for three nights. Finally, we take the TVG to Charles DeGaule airport for a final night before flying back home.
We have all our air, hotel, train, and car reservations made. Now the difficult part will be planning what to take. The fun part will be planning what to see and do and where to eat! March 04 Atlanta in SeptemberThanks for all the nice comments about my return!
I want to comment on the pictures that are rotating on the right hand of my blog.
Husband and I went down to Atlanta after the remodel was (somewhat) finished. We stayed two weeks--and it wasn't even a real trip. (Ain't retirement grand?!) The purpose of the trip was to stay with granddaughter Ashley while her parents went on a trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
Needless to say, I went down there with a lot of trepidation. What if we weren't up to the task? (Son John very thoughtfully arranged for day care to remain in force. His words, "Mom, you will need it." And he was right. it was perfect. We took Ashley in to day care late and picked her up early. She was always very glad to see us and would drop whatever she was doing to run to us. It was very endearing.)
The final word: "I am in love again!!" I find that I feel the same for her that I felt for her father when he was little. What a wonder. March 03 What can I say??I really thought I would give up on this blog, but after reading some of my visitors' comments, I don't know whether I can quit! It is addictive.
Our remodel is finished--mostly. Who could believe that we would still be making corrections and changing things to get them just right? Yesterday the cabinet designer came with two additional drawers to go in our cabinets. Also, the Home Systems technician came to make some changes on the fire detection and to run a cable wire to the tv in the basement. The trim carpenter still has to come back to finish up some things. (Mike is a bit disorganized but does very nice work. One just has to wait for him to get to you!)
If this yearning for the Blogosphere continues, I'll be back tomorrow.
August 22 It is finished--mostlyWe are back to a more relaxed home. No workmen have been here for two whole days!
The Tour of Remodeled Homes (like Home-a-rama) was a huge success. The first day for Saturday, Aug. 19, there were about 250 people who came through our house. Lots of very complimentary comments. The second day, Sunday, Aug. 20, was even more lively. There were 300-400 people who came through. I was amazed. This year there were 14 homes on the tour. Last year there were seven to ten. The local Fox News TV even came to film. Our house was on the 10 O'clock News!
Some photos at the right. Now it is on with our lives!
August 13 One more week!Only one more week and the basic remodeling will be over!! Boy! Are we glad!
At this point the major things have been done. Tomorrow we continue with the finishing touches and corrections. The patio fellas are coming. The painters are coming. The closet installer is coming. The paper hanger is coming. I had hoped to make it to Milestone to walk with friend Julie in the morning, but there is just too much going on to leave Husband alone. Of course, the contractor will set things up, but our input is always needed.
Plus, I have a Punch List. This was a term I had never heard until our son in Atlanta was in charge of finishing a project for his company. I have a spiral notebook full of lists for all the subcontractors and check them off as they are done--or"punch" them, as the term implies.
I must post an entry (later) about all the people who have worked here these past months. Most of them became our friends and we were sad to see them move on to other jobs. As I believe, "everyone has a story." Almost all are interesting. Husband says our experience has been like A Year in Provence except it didn't take a year and we weren't in France!
August 05 Which would you choose?!Just to let you know what I have been going through since the beginning of April---
A couple stood at the Gates of Hell. In the background we see St. Peter, who has rejected the pair.
The devil looks at the man and his wife and points to two doors behind him. He says, "Well, it looks like you will be spending eternity with me. BUT you do have two choices. The first door says, 'Burn in Hell Forever.' The second door says, 'Live in Your House while It is Being Remodeled.'"
Hope to catch up with everyone soon! June 11 Checking inDear Friends,
I have thought of you often while I have been away. This remodeling is extremely time consuming! It seems there are several sets of workmen here almost every day.
At this point, we are halfway through the drywalling. (New word?) The tile is selected. The cabinets are due to ship on June 26. We are about to finalize cabinet and vanity tops after getting three quotes.
And occasionally, we have another life. Last night we went to the Bats baseball game, a local, monor league team. It was fun with lots of time to talk. (You know how baseball is.) And the weather was superb. This morning to church and the to brunch/lunch with two other couples.
Oh, yes. My computer crashed! I am trying to grieve quietly since I lost a lot of data. I am recovering some but not all.
Hope your summer is going well. May 17 Other mattersI guess there is more to life than living in the middle of construction. (I told a friend last night that our remodel is like building a house and living in it at the same time.)
I called my son last night to thank him and his wife for the Mother's Day gift that had just arrived. After a bit of conversation, I said, "You sound like you are really wound tight." He then told me that he had left work early to pick up Ashley at day care and that his wife had promised to come home in time for him to get some work done for meetings today. It was after 8pm and she still wasn't home. He was upset and anxious that he would have to stay up all night getting his work done. With Ashley running around and clamoring for attention, he said that it is virtually impossible to get any work done.
Sigh! It isn't easy to be a couple with such heavy work demands. There are some who have a nanny so these conflicts don't happen, but he and his wife don't have the finances for that. All I can do is sympathize. May 15 Glad to be back!!Lots of things to catch up on! We have been deep, deep into our remodel and addition. Sorry to be out of touch with my friends.
We are now totally without a kitchen. Last week the demolition people came to tear everything out--cabinets and everything! It was sort of sad.
Now Husband and I are trying to use the diningroom for a kitchen. We have in place: a microwave, a toaster oven, a coffee maker, an electric skillet, a crockpot. The only one we haven't used yet is the crockpot. Last night I browned ground round, onions, and garlic before adding a sliced potato. After the potato was done, I added some low fat sour cream. Dinner was completed with some English peas.
The new heat pump is now installed for the second floor. The electricians have been very busy. Rob, our remodeler, says we will be ready for drywall next week. The lighting consultant is coming in the morning. Our cabinets have been ordered for almost 2 weeks.
Gotta go for now. I am going to try to catch up on reading some friends' blogs before bedtime. Here are a couple of pictures. The first is the demolished kitchen with only the dishwasher left standing. (I gave it to a friend, so now it is gone, too.) The second picture is looking out the windows of the new sunroom.
It's good to be back in the Blogosphere! April 27 Movin' along...Our remodeling is moving along--AND taking lots and lots of time. (I should be doing "house" stuff right now instead of sneaking to the Blogosphere.)
The windows to the new sunroom came today. Most are installed. That will be finished tomorrow.
Tuesday we spent several hours choosing cabinets for the kitchen. Wednesday we spent a couple of hours looking at tile. I was mesmerized by all the choices. Today we spent two hours selecting lighting--this one a breeze.
(For Cheryl, the new sunroom space is 16'2" by 27'8". It forms an "L" with the kitchen space. Together they are all ONE space.)
Tomorrow--the DSG (Dear Supper Group) is going to Cincinnati for a couple of nights. We will eat at a couple of restaurants with good reputations--Pigall's and the Orchid Room in the Netherland Hotel--this one noted for its art deco architecture.
Will I get everything done in time to leave about 4pm tomorrow? We shall see. Now I must run---clothes to get ready and supper to prepare while Husband mows the grass.
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