Another Sunday...

I'm so sad the weekend is almost over. I don't feel like working any more. Not at all. Sigh.

It was a good weekend. Started painting the ceiling in my computer room. This will take a few more days. Ceilings are hard and my body is old. I was sooooo sore this morning.

My mommy cleaned my front windows - they are beautifully clean! I took the curtains down - it was making it too dark in here. Too bad I didn't think about that earlier this summer. But for now - LIGHT!

Went to a card party at Mom's today. It was a fun arts and crafts afternoon.

It was so hot this weekend too. No time for swimming though.

And that is all.

Absolutely unbelievable

This article almost brought me to tears. It's a travesty that people in this country live like this. This man is a Vietnam vet. What the hell?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/13/king.sotu.economy/index.html

Fun afternoon

Julie and Julia was a great movie. Meryl Streep was fantastic as Julia Child. I loved it.

We then went to dinner and I had mozzarella and tomato, crab cake and salmon. Deeeelish. I so love salmon.

HURRAY!

We finally had a beautiful rain this morning complete with thunder. We needed it so badly. Everyone's grass was brown. It feels so clean and refreshing. :)))

Today, off to see "Julie and Julia" with Mom and Lola. I've been waiting for this movie to get here. I hope it is as good as I think it will be.

For now, cleaning up a bit and getting dressed.

That is all.

Friday! YAY!

So glad it's the weekend.

Lunch at Amy's with Karen and Kristin which was fun. Dinner at home - salmon and lettuce - the last from my garden. I never got more planted but I'm going to put some spinach in and see how that goes. Should get some mid September or maybe earlier.

I picked my first ripe tomato today! I know, I'm a nerd but that's exciting to me. There are tons of maters out there waiting to get ripe.

Tomorrow Farmer's Market and Habitat Re-store with Mom, then home to paint chairs.

Sunday - Rhiannon and Joey in the afternoon so Carmen and Regina can go shopping.

Almost time for bed. zzzzzzzz

Hmmmmm

Below you will see a pic of my nephew David and his wife Cassandra. I have no idea how I got it posted. I was trying to change some things on this blog, including posting this pic and thought none of it worked. Every once in a while mistakes turn out good. hee hee

so much, so little time

I mowed the back yard, finished sanding a chair except for the spot where I put some wood putty to dry today. This chair is not as sturdy as I thought so it may have to be a decoration - I'll paint it funky colors. I have 3 more chairs to sand and paint to use in the dining room. They will be painted black and all need new seat coverings. If I could just do one a night, I'd be done in no time. That will be my goal. Perhaps I can avoid being fatigued for a while. That would be nice.

I have shelves to hang, pictures to frame and hang and a kabillion other things. ARGGGGGGG

That is all.

Wow

I have been negligent in my blogging duties. Tisk tisk

Today I am cleaning and trying to be organized about it. Usually I start in one room, put something in another and start cleaning there and never get anything finished. It's amazing, but I really have to work hard at not doing that. Next, the dining room.
Everything I look at needs to be cleaned. Oh for a cleaning person!

My little garden is doing so well. All the plants look healthy and happy. Soon there will be tomatoes and lots of them! YAY. I've picked one lovely little cucumber which was yummy and a bunch of herbs. It's just so much fun. I should get out and weed later. Yes, after I finish inside.

An old friend, who I haven't seen in a while, died this week. He was only 57. I'm sad. May you rest in peace my friend.

I am so addicted to Farm Town on Facebook, it's ridiculous. Great fun though. :)

That is all for now.

hmmm....

I am up at 4:30 in the morning. Actually I was up at 3:45 a.m. Why? Dunno. Maybe I can snooze from 5 to 7 or so.

Yard work done yesterday: Moved some monkey grass and this other pretty ground cover I have, planted radishes. More stuff to move, but an hour of that and I'm tired.

Bridal shower at noon. I think we're going to have a beautiful, sunny day. YAY!

That's it.

Wow

I've been reading about the man who killed a guard at the Holocaust museum. He blows the theory that one mellows with age. I sure wouldn't want to be 88 years old and filled with such hate. I can't imagine living with it that long either. Hate destroys a person. How do people get like that? I don't know.

This guy was also a Holocaust denier. Good grief. How in the world anyone can believe that it didn't happen? That just boggles my mind. It's not like there isn't film footage, photographs and volumes and volumes of meticulous records kept by the Nazis - not to mention the survivors and liberators who have spoken out. What is wrong with these people? A bunch of whack jobs is all I can say.

I worked at a Zionist camp one summer and met a concentration camp survivor and saw the number tatooed on her arm. That was something to remember. I had so much fun at that camp and learned so much. I still remember the songs in Hebrew. What a beautiful language. Too bad I lost contact with the people I met there. It would be interesting to see them again.

That is all.

Garden, etc.

I FINALLY got all my veggie plants planted yesterday. Thanks to Amy for the use of her little rototiller - it was a lifesaver. And it's so cute. :) There are a lot of tomato plants. What was I thinking? Hopefully it will be a bountiful harvest so I can share and even can some. I have: red and yellow peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, leaf lettuce, basil, oregano,tarragon, mystery herb,and this really cool sugar plant. My neighbor gave me the sugar plant and the leaves can be used to sweeten coffee, etc. How cool.

Of course, there is still cleaning up to do in the yard and the lawn needs mowing again. What I don't understand is why yard waste can't go in the Herbie. It's natural, degradable stuff. I have no place to put it and they charge a lot for a yard waste container and you have to take it for the season, not just one or two months. How rude.

I am totally addicted to the FarmTown on Facebook. Plus I found a new game called Zilch which is a dice game and is sooo fun too. That's what I need - another game to be addicted to. :)

No breaking news to discuss because I didn't want to think about it. The Red Wings won though :). I watched a little of the game. I like hockey.

I need new Eli video because I've watched "Music Time" 900 times. It's so much fun to see him and hear him talk. I just don't know how he can be 2 already. Sigh.

And that is all.

A long short week

I don't know why it is, but when there are long weekends, the short work week seems to drag. But it's Friday. YAY

Today I went with a friend to see the Georgia O'Keefe exhibit at the Kalamazoo Insitute of Arts. It was a very good exhibit. There weren't a lot of her more famous paintings, but there were a lot of photographs of her which were great to see. She was quite an artist.

Tomorrow I hope to finally get my vegetables and herbs all planted. It may rain, but it's supposed to be nice Sunday so I have 2 chances. Can't wait. My little patch of leaf lettuce is growing very well and I harvested some oregano yesterday.

A friend at work is going to give me some free wood so next year I can have two raised beds. That is so exciting. Of course I have to nail them together. We'll see how that goes. :)

That is all.

The end of a very fine weekend

What a great weekend this was. Four whole days away from work. I must say I totally forgot about the office until a couple of hours ago.

Friday was garage sale day.

Saturday was yard work day. My mom and I worked very hard and I sprained my back a bit. Just enough to make it hard to walk around for very long.

Sunday was Carmen and kids/WalMart day. When I got home from WM I had a surprise waiting for me - Regina! We talked and rested and watched TV and then went to Carmen's for a cookout. Everything was absolutely delicious and we had fun. We cut some limbs off trees around Carmen's house and watched the guinea pigs eat grass. :) Rhiannon and Joey came home with me for the night. We played Sorry! and watched tv.

Today I went with Mom and Lola to check out the barn where the wedding reception for David and Cassandra will be. It is a very very cool place - out in the country so the scenery is beautiful and the barn itself is so nice. There's room for dancing, buffet tables, guest tables, a separate bar area and a loft. The owners have strung lights all over and they look just beautiful when all lit up. It's rustic yet sophisticated. I love it.

Dinner at Lola's was delicious. Then home to mow the lawn and do some weed whacking. My back was complaining but I got 'er done. I am so proud of meself. :)) Now I am going to do nothing but rest and see if there's anything good on the tube. Oh and eat some Bear Claws ice cream. Yummmm.

And that is all.

Friday

Garage sale-ing was fun. We went to one house where they had so much stuff it was mind boggling. It was more like a flea market than a garage sale. I bought some books, some CDs, a little pot (for 25 cents, can't beat that), 2 puzzles to do with grandchildren and two litte pics made in Italy. I was actually looking for dining room chairs and saw none. :(

The kids' programs were so cute. I giggled a lot. The music teacher did such a fantastic job. It was quite an elaborate show with lots of songs and hand movements and the all of the kids were great.

Today is yard day. It may rain so yard day may spill over to tomorrow too. There's enough to do for 2 days - even more. Never ending. But I love how beautiful everything looks when it's all cleaned up and blooming.

In preparation for yard day, for which my mommy is coming, I have to clean the downstairs so she won't be appalled when she gets here. As you can see, I'm procrastinating. So I better get started. Really, I need a cleaning person but that's not in the budget - not that I really have a budget, but it's a saying ya know. :)

And that is all.

Wondering

Why I listen to and read the news. My God, it's depressing. I read something the other day that was so graphic and so disgusting, for lack of a more powerful word, that I was nauseated all day. I don't know about you, but I don't need to know every single gory detail. It's hard to be informed and unaffected by all the cruelty and misery in this world.

On a happier note, I have today off and am soooo glad to be home this morning and that I'm able to see both Joey Joe's and Rhiannon's programs today. And maybe I'll find some chairs for the dining room. That would be fun. :)

That is all.

New pic

Just changed Eli's pic where you can see him in his baby mohawk. I did talk to him, sort of, on the phone the other night. He yelled "Hi Grandma Ava" and some other stuff which I had to have interpreted. The kid is adorable. :)

Well

It's been a while since I've written anything. I will do better since it is good to write.

Tonight I had planned to plant a flat of flowers at the very least as part of my do-one-thing-outside every night. BUT, I just ran out of energy after dinner. In my defense I had to cook it - chicken asparagus stir fry. It was yummy.

I'm listening/watching the American Idol finale. I have to keep getting up and looking. Keith Urban and Kris Allen. How cool is that? I wonder who Adam will sing with. Before that the adorable David Cook.

So back to the outside of things. Really, I have tons to do. Plant annuals in the front two gardens, clean 3 flower areas out back and rototill so I can use some of that space for veggies. I have leaf lettuce growing and plan to plant spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and maybe some yellow squash. Maybe some peppers too. Who knows what I might do? I have oregano and another herb coming up that I planted last year. I don't know what it is for sure. The little tag disappeared. I'll figure it out soon. :) I'm going to dry herbs in the oven - whatever I don't use fresh that is.

I wish I had some chocolate. lol

I am reading Up Island by Anne Rivers Siddons. I don't know if it's good or not since I just barely started.

Oh, they brought that stupid bikini girl back. arggg

Carmen and I are going garage sale shopping on Friday. I need dining room chairs. I'm going to paint them black - Carmen's idea which appeals to me. Which reminds me, I need to refinish the table. OMG So many projects. Need to do some painting too. I'm just exhausted. :)

Both Joey and Rhiannon have programs Friday so we'll go to those too. Busy day.

Saturday will be yard day without fail. Can she do it? We'll find out. :)

And that is all.

A new pic

I posted the most recent Eli picture. He's such a boy now. He says his name is "Big Boy". Too cute.

TA-DA

Computer update - anti-virus installed. I think finally everything is working as it should.

Ain't life grand?

oh boy

Well, I finally got my computer fixed. The only thing left to do is get my anti-virus software back on. This has been a real challenge and a big ole pain in the arse. First of all, I had to have experts come out and get a bunch of bad stuff and, I think, two Trojan viruses destroyed. Jeesh. It wasn't cheap either. Then about a week after that, Explorer would come up and immediately close. Did you know you could Google "Explorer starts and immediately closes" and get some answers? That cracked me up because I expected nothing from that search. Anyhoo, the solutions given didn't work. I did happen upon this program called "REGCURE" which is supposed to be a miracle cure for what ails a computer so I ordered it, installed it and ran it. IE still didn't work. ARG I then downloaded IE8 at work onto cd and installed it last night and wonder of wonders it worked! REGCURE did clean up a bunch of other crap though, so it was worth the money.

I would be 100% happy except for this little glitch: AT&T, my internet provider, changed anti-virus from Norton to McAfee. Prior to the above problems, I downloaded it and thought all was fine. Now I can't find the damn program so last night I decided to download again. Easy, one would think, no? Ummm no. For some reason, Carmen is listed as the primary account, which I already knew and used her email and password to download Mc the first time. This time, thanks to AT&T, her account was deleted. So now I have to call them and see what I can do about it. I just couldn't do it last night. The pressure was too much! lol I will do it tonight though because we all know what can happen without anti-V software.

I have been watching my brother David's dog since last Wednesday night. Her name is Maggie Mae and she is still cute even though she's 12 years old. She is a lot like my dog, Chica, was. In fact, I had a hard time not calling her Chica the first couple of days. Just to record for posterity, let me talk about the Maggie Experience.

The first night she went to the bathroom in the basement. Not an auspicious start. I would have been really mad, but she was upset and a little confused. I hadn't seen her in a while so she wasn't used to me. Then I let her out later and kept calling her to come in and she wouldn't. It was really dark and she is black, so I couldn't see her. I admit, I freaked out. Then I remembered about this modern invention called the flashlight. :) Got that, went out, but didn't need it because by this time she was laying in front of the garage. I had to drag her in by the collar. Sigh.

The next day after work, I hear banging on the front door. I look out and my neighbor is following Maggie down the street. How in the hell did she get out of a closed gate fastened with a bungee cord? She pushed and shoved and squeezed her chubby self through, that's how. Out I go in my bare feet to drag Ms. Maggie back in the yard. Animal patrol was there. I don't know how long she'd been out and if someone called AP or if she was just around. So Kevin put a big cement block in front of the gate so she can't push it open. I've heard her out there banging on the gate. Little stinker.

So, things are better now with only 2 days to go. She likes me much better now - as well she should. I have fixed her steak, pork chops and chicken. She turns her dainty little nose up at dog food. Dave told me to treat her to double cheeseburgers but I got her bones instead which she has loved also. She did eat dog food last night out of sheer necessity because I wasn't fixing any meat.

So now the only problem is keeping Maggie off the couch where she goes whenever she thinks I won't notice. I told her this morning that she was not a person, but I don't think she believed me.

Also, starting last Saturday, I am watching my friend Amy's cat, Thelma Lou. I go to Amy's house for this. Thelma is very lonely without her mommy, but she is doing ok. I talk to her and pet her. Yesterday I brushed her and played bat the brush.

And that has been my life the past 2 weeks or so.

I may be crazy

I swear I saw an article this morning saying that several people from AIG returned their bonuses in full. Now I can't find it anywhere. I'm sure it wasn't just wishful thinking. Anyhoo, I think that's a great thing. Like I say, they weren't worth it and obviously didn't earn it. wooohoo

Also in the news, they have found $75 million of Madoff's money in Gibralter. Cagey old bastard. Of course, that's a wee dent in the supposed $65 billion he lost for people. Just unbelievable. If there wasn't proof, one would think somebody made this scenario up. Truth is, indeed, stranger than fiction.

I think I had something else to say, but it's gone. I'm a nut. :)

Wednesday is a good day

I've had some serious blues lately so today I am writing about the good things to counteract it. It's like reverse psychology on myself. :)

I am happy about and grateful for:

1. My children and grandchildren, sister, Mom and brothers and other assorted relatives
2. I have a job (can't resist the disclaimer - I'm not crazy about it)
3. I have a home that I really love
4. I have some fantastic friends
5. I have cable TV and can watch NCIS (LOL)
6. My Scrabble game is damn good
7. Eric, Tracy and Eli are coming to visit in June!
8. I am in touch with some old, precious friends.
9. It's almost summer

I'm sure there are more, but they'll have to be listed later.

Last night I was channel surfing and stopped upon the comedian Lewis Black. My God, he is hysterically funny. It was an older show and he was bashing GWBush so of course that delighted me. He segued into a bit about the Old and New Testaments which had me really laughing. You should check him out. Warning: he drops the F Bomb a lot (further endearing himself to me).

I also am delighted with the backlash against AIG. I did see the CEO or some high muckety muck of AIG said the bonuses were distasteful but necessary but I didn't read the article 'cause I don't feel like getting mad right now. Besides that, I won't believe a word of it when I do read it. I have long been railing against exhorbitant salaries. Who in the world is worth millions of dollars a year? No one, in my opinion. Not CEOs, CFOS, sports player or actors. It's ludicrous. The greed of people is unbelievable.

Watching my favorite NCIS last night made me forget about American Idol which, while I don't die if I miss it, I do like to watch it especially since Matt G. from Kalamazoo is doing so well. The reason I'm mad I missed it last night is because Randy Travis was the mentor and I love Randy Travis. I think he is one of the coolest guys ever. Sings good too.

And that is all for now.

I couldn't resist

posting this photo. Isn't it hilarious? I'm giggling like an idiot.

Edit since the pic and text don't match up any more: I'm talking about the pig.

Sunday, March 15

How the hell did it get to be mid March already? Whoa. One day closer to summer.

The day was absolutely beyooootiful. I took my mommy shopping which involved plenty of driving in the lovely day. I bought really interesting things: a new mop (Carmen, please note lol), a mesh thingy for the bathtub drain, some screwdriver bits. Now I can screw all I want - with my power screwdriver - get your mind out of the gutter people. :) Oh and some sandpaper.

Don't I live the divine life?

I just remember what my late friend Judy used to say - every day I wake up on this side of the dirt is a good day. She was a great lady.

At this moment, I am supposed to be sorting through paper and filing. So off I go.

Please note the pics of my children - you get extra with Eric and Tracy since Eli is always in their pics. :)

Carry on.

Another Saturday

I don't know how Saturdays can go by so fast. It was a beautiful day here in the Zoo, but I didn't go out - was in cleaning and doing laundry all day.

Word games are the bane of my existence :). Every break I took was for Scrabble or Word Challenge or Word Twist. I can't help myself. I'm addicted! HELP. :))

So now I'm tired, but don't want to go to bed - just like a kid.

Have NOT watched the news today because I can't stand it sometimes. Therefore, there is no commentary on the state of the world. Did I hear some sighs of relief? For shame!

A productive day, but not too exciting.

Saturday to and from Detroit

Amy, Karen and I went to see the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the Detroit Art Institute. Rockwell painted for the Saturday Evening Post from 1916 to 1950! We saw original canvases and many reproductions. I was thinking before we went that I wasn't too much of a Rockwell fan but the man was absolutely brilliant. Just goes to show you can't know an artist for his magazine covers. :) The canvases are, of course, much better than the reproductions. He was gifted indeed.

It was a rainy, rainy, dreary day and Detroit is sadly falling apart. It's sad to see.

I'm glad I wasn't driving in the alternating drizzle and pouring rain and I think Karen only almost got us killed once. Not bad for a day's work. lol

We did go to Mexican Town and had a fabulous lunch and to the Mexican bakery where they sell tamales too. We bought tamales and no sweets. Mmm mmm.

And, finally, if ever you're in a car with Amy and she says turn left - BEWARE!

Beautiful children

Ha! I figured out how to add pics. On the right are my lovely grandchildren from oldest to youngest. Grandparenthood is the absolute best!

Names and what the hell

Sofa Tucker LOL

Cigarettes are going up about $1 on Monday. I say again - what the hell? Can nothing else be taxed? I KNOW I could quit smoking, but that's not the point. Smokers are being denied the right to express themselves and the pursuit of nicotine. Really I am so sick of this moral legislation.

So there.

Random stuff

Today was a glorious day in Michigan - over 50 and sunny. There are still little piles of snow everywhere but who cares?

I have to thank my daughter, Carmen, for putting the background on this blog. I seriously don't know how to do anything. Someday I'll learn to post pics, etc.

I think Rush Limbaugh is an unadulterated ass.

I'm so glad we don't hear anything about George W. Bush anymore.

So looking forward to spring - want to see green and flowers. Of course you know what that means. Yard work. And lots of it.

I was listening to Bob & Tom the other day and they were talking about naming furniture which was so hilarious that I had to name some too. Amy (of the famous Amy Experience)and her sister Luci contributed as well.

From Bob & Tom: Fred Achair, Clark Table, I am I bed

From me and Amy and Luci: Fran Dresser, Mirror Sorvino, Gerard Deskardeau,
Sebastian Cabinet, Armoire Assante, Floorence Henderson

Too much fun.

Saturday - off to the Detroit Institute of Art to see a Norman Rockwell exhibit with Amy and Karen. I love the DIA especially the fabulous Diego Rivera mural. It's awesome and a tribute to the auto industry. Detroit has some wonderful things including Mexican town where one can eat yummy stuff. It also has a HUGE outdoor/indoor market which is divine in the spring and summer. I forget what it's called.

And that is all for today.

Cheese and whine

I truly don't want this blog to be all complaints so I'll strive for a balance.

Today I'll just say that all my 4 grandchildren are so cool. Smart and adorable each and every one and it makes me so happy to be their grandma.

My first entry

I just felt like expressing my opinions so I started this blog. Some people get big bucks to say what they think - most of them cloak it as journalism. That's a problem - other people believe they know what they are talking about when it's just their opinions. arg That makes me nuts.

What the hell is up with everyone wanting reduced taxes? I just don't get it. I think we get a lot of services for the small amount of tax we pay. I figure I pay less than a nickel for each service the government provides. And, no, that is not a mathematical fact. I don't do those. It's a guess. I thought that taxes were our contribution as citizens to keep the country running. Quit pissin' and moanin' y'all.

I had dinner with my friend Amy tonight and we talked about how angry everyone in this country is. It shows. People write just VILE things about other people - under the cloak of anonimity of course. I particularly hate all the vitriol directed at our new President. Give him a chance. He started working before he was even getting paid for it. He can be villified if and when he can't effect some change. But jeez people, give him a break. Amy reminded me that I was not too nice about GW Bush. Right, and with good reason. I had 8 years to learn to despise him. I think he almost ruined our country with his damn wars and spending us into the abyss we are in now.

I have plenty more to say. Stay tuned.