Incredible weather, so why am I on the computer?

I spent the last two and a half hours clipping the horse. She looks like the little neighbor whose brother locked them both in the bathroom and took the clippers to her. (True story.) Here's the deal. It was a long cold winter. She had a long thick coat. That thick coat is shedding out, so she rubs on the fences. I am supposed to bathe her before clipping. Nice idea, but if I bathe her, there is no way to get all the way down to the skin, and she would need to remain contained until dry or she would immediately go out and roll, thereby defeating the bath. Some the first couple of passes don't look too bad. It is all down hill from there. By the end of this session I am forcing the clippers thru the hair an inch at a time. I have changed blades five times, and clippers twice. Her legs are untouched. Clipper tracks form a little map for a toddler to run his matchbox cars upon. The horse is feeling pretty good and no longer wants to stand still. She wants to run around, which she does as soon as I put her away. Her beautiful red color is a mousy brown. Next up? A bath and fresh blade to finish the job. This little horse has the cutest head. Every year it is like opening a very special present when I clip her head. I know why my sister fell in love with her.

I came in to take a shower and start laundry. You see I am allergic to animals. Animal allergies tend to be skin/hair based. I have two corgwyn of hair that I raked up. Much is still on my body and even though I doubled my allergy meds my arms are beginning to welt and my sinuses can only "squeak" when I try to breath thru my nose.

After the shower it is email time. My younger brother, who is developmentally delayed, had skin cancer surgery the first week of the month that involved grafting. We have all tried for years to get him to wear sunscreen and he refuses. While he is DD, he is living on his own, drives and holds a job. His DD shows with odd little quirks that make me completely insane. He is able to take me back to age ten faster than any person I have ever met. And it isn't the nice kid at age 10. Anyway, it seems that he won't go out of his apartment because he doesn't want anyone seeing his bandage. He thinks they will stare or ask him what happened. I made the mistake of trying to explain how that shouldn't bug him, or that he could use any comments that occur as a way to educate them about the need for sunscreen. Not happening. I suggested a hat; that way he is covering the owie and shading his face from more sun rays. Nope. At this point I have to say that my older brother and his wife are due for sainthood. They oversee everything. They caught the lesion and took him in. They take care of his bills. They deal with his weird idiosyncrasies. I am in awe. I am good for a couple of hours, but that is it. So, I am going over on Thursday. I am taking him out in public. I will wear shorts so that he can see that it is no big deal when folks look, and so that it takes the attention away from him. This new prosthesis is about as bold and dramatic looking as they come. I will take him to the grocery store. He didn't tell my brother that he wasn't going out. He told me. We have learned to forward all communication to the big brother, so that he gets ALL the picture. So this is where I say "Please God, grant me patience."

Also on the computer is a note from a friend who just moved to Missouri. I am sad and will miss her. It was nice to know she made it safely and is ready to embark on her new life. I mentioned that I needed a treadmill as my walking was just not happening as I had hoped, and she has been a big supporter of me doing the 3 Day. It seems that her nice (fold up) treadmill didn't fit in the moving truck and I should call her friends and get it out of their shed. It has all the bells and whistles and I am excited. I can get a few miles in as my wake up at 5:30am. Perhaps I can get the dogs on it at some point as well; that could be fun! So, I have the bike in here on the trainer still and now will also have the treadmill. Time to unload some more stuff so that there is room. I am really, really loving downsizing the clutter. It is so freeing. It also helps paying for the bike trainer and dog show entry fees.

Then I find I also have proofs to go through from a photo shoot last weekend. They are really good. I have to pick fifteen for a calendar. I have three pages of proofs to go through. Daughter dearest suggests printing them out so that I can compare. Great idea! I click "print" and out comes a page with little blank boxes all over it. Of course I cannot copy the pictures. The photographer is a professional and she doesn't want anyone just printing out their proofs and not paying. Duh!! So I have a piece of paper with numbers all over it and check marks and notations by those numbers. I send the link to a few friends and family to help with the decision process. As their suggestions come in I tally them up. The fifteen with the highest votes become the calendar. I will get a disk with all the proofs and can then make my copies from it. She wants to do a bit of photo shop work first.

See what happens when I neglect my technology? It suddenly piles up and my one hour quickly becomes three. Oh well. In those three hours my sinuses have begun to clear a tiny bit and the shower and antihistamines have taken care of the hives. However, I have received ten emails in the last thirty minutes, and it is hard to leave them for later.

But I must walk away from all this. If I don't I will likely still be here at 6pm. I really need to water my bales of straw. It is never ending no matter which part of my world I choose to deal with. I become a lot like Kate: "Which ball should I choose?"

G2

Tulip Time in Mt. Vernon, WA (hope you really like daffodils)

Saturday, my friend and I headed to Mt. Vernon, WA, in order to photograph the stunning fields of tulips. I've done this before, but it's been eight years, and well before I had this camera. And Karen hadn't had a cool camera the last time she did the same. Right now, it's the usually the heart of the Tulip Festival...but we hadn't really factored in the fact that we've had an unusually cool and stormy spring.
The real beauty of this is that we are usually so fixated on the colorful tulips that we miss the daffodil season. Not this year!
These white beauties are called "Ice Follies". I love tulips and used to have several varieties in my garden. Now however, I live in an apartment, and have to enjoy other people's daffodils. When I was photographing this field, I had a couple of tourists (from Asia, not Europe, else they would have known) approach me and ask me somewhat confusedly if these were the tulips. I had to give them the bad news that the tulips wouldn't be on show for another week or two at least, but at least I knew what kind of daffies these were, right?
There were no signs telling us, but I'm thinking these are King Alfred daffodils.
I'm so happy I got to see the fields of daffodils, I love them! Really raises the spirits!



Guess what grew in these fields previously? These were our only tulip photos...

Our plan was also to lunch on the salmon feed put on by the Kiwanis club. However, while at the Dakota Art store (Karen is a pastel artist), we made new friends that needed a ride to a local Mexican restaurant (can't remember the name, which is a shame because the food was a pleasure). We ended up receiving an invitation to stay and eat lunch with them. It was a pleasure to get to know these artists better, we felt so lucky!

I'll post more tomorrow...we spent the balance of the day at the beach :) Enjoy, Grandma! I know you love daffodils, so I posted lots of photos :)
S2

(((((((S2))))))) Thanks. Wonderful pictures. I have lived in the area my entire life and have never been to the "daffodil fields."
G2

Sunset at Richmond Beach Saltwater Park

I had a calm Sunday, punctuated with fits of activity during which I got as much done as possible. The new freezer wants to be in an extremely clean kitchen. I've been in a 'take a toothbrush to the small crevices' sort of mood. However, there are hitches. I took down some pictures that have been up quite a while; now I need to wash the walls. Next, I'll be wanting to paint the walls, mark my words.

I had a fantastic Saturday, my friend Karen and I headed north to see the tulip fields in Mt. Vernon. All I have to say at the moment, is that the daffodils were stunning! Photos of them will come later.

So this evening, Karen and I convened to compare our respective caches of photos, when we suddenly realized it was sunset time! Really, we were late setting out, but we made it out to Richmond Beach Saltwater Park before the colors were finished. Sometimes I think that the darkening of the sunset is the very best part. I know we both took some wonderful shots...enjoy:

We're so lucky to have a park like this so near. It's 'owned' by the City of Shoreline now, and clearly the city has money. The improvements are great but they do look as though they are expensive. I probably wouldn't make that observation if the economy were better. This is a wonderful park and I've loved it for many years.

We took Karen's dog, Charlie, with us to the park. It was her third trip to the park today, apparently! As we took the elevator upstairs on our way back home, I think you can read her mind: Open, open, open...
S2

One of those days

the kind that wears a person out before they even get up!

Yep. That was my Sunday. No day of rest here, beginning at somewhere after 5:30am. I got up at the usual crack-o-dawn with the corgwyn. However, this morning it was all I could do to even sit up. I am stiff from the riding yesterday, and the tinnitus was extra loud last night, also due to the riding, and lack of earplugs, and wind buffeting my head around, etc. etc. So, the loud squeal kept me from falling asleep until after midnight. So, I let the dogs out and after we come back in I went back to bed. I fell sound asleep so never heard the commotion in the front room. I neglected to crate the Kate dog, and she had a heyday in the living room. I want everyone reading this to take a look around the room you are sitting in. I cannot be so abnormal that I am the only one who stacks things in corners and under the computer desk. There is a shelf under there that nicely hold various boxes of computer programs. When I finally crawled out of bed for allergy meds I came into the front room and saw the war zone. Computer programs that no longer had boxes. A wireless router that I was going to return, which is also now without any box or packing. A used laser cartridge that had been boxed up for recycle. Now cannot be recycled as it is chewed in various places. Then, of course, a couple of books. AND some things off the table. I have laid the chairs down as I thought she was getting stuff by jumping on the chairs. Now I haven't a clue. She will be crated should I ever feel the need to go back to bed. It was crazy enough that I had to put myself in time out so I wouldn't strike her. The worst was that she was following me around as I picked up the bits and pieces. She hasn't a clue. I know it wasn't Henry as he slept beside me, and he would definitely be as far away as possible had he been involved.

Anyway, we went outside to blow off some steam. Today we were meeting the photographer in the off leash park and I thought I would throw in the basketball and a tennis ball should Kate need incentive. We had a blast and the photographer adored Henry and his whole charming self. I will get the pictures sometime in the next couple of week and I can hardly wait. She will be using a lot on her website, so that will be fun as well. After a couple of hours of wandering around I was pretty wiped out and the dogs tired, and wet. Oh, I guess I haven't mentioned that Miss Kate likes to swim. She found a series of ditches that were full of water and took a few refreshing dips. Henry, on the other hand, just waded up to his elbows in mud. I think I will need to be sure that the pool doors are locked up this summer. So, I threw the bags of poo in the back of the truck, and the wet dogs in the front and we headed to S'dale for the Spring Fling. When we got there it was all dear Henry could do to contain himself when he heard the trainer's voice. He hasn't been to class since November and he adores both the trainer and her husband, and there they were in the same room. All manners were out the door and the next thing I knew Noel was on the floor rolling around with Henry as he was trying to give her a thorough bath. He would then run full speed across the room to nudge at Mike and then back again. It was pretty darn cute. She worked on Kate a bit and we talked about things I can do to strengthen her back. Then we talked about the lack of training we are doing for the 3 day. She is a breast cancer survivor and is doing the walk this year. Yes indeedy, me thinks we will be sharing the short bus back to camp with her. We left Noel to continue on with her CGC (canine good citizenship) testing, which we are far from qualifying for, and I loaded up the fur kids and headed for home. They slept all the way and were raring to go about the time I turned up the driveway. The truck was full of dog hair, so I opted to vacuum immediately. When I walked around the truck...

the tailgate was down. Yep. When I put those baggies in at the park I didn't get it closed completely. There, nicely balanced on the edge, were those two baggies. Sadly, there is a basketball bouncing down a highway somewhere between here and there. Can you imagine driving along and having a basketball bounce past? I suspect it came out long before we hit the highway, at least I hope that is the case. I guess I will anxiously wait out the next couple of days and see if the county cops contact me. Hmmm, which would be worse, a bag of doggy poo or a ball? I know the ball could cause some damage, but, ewwwww.

Bedtime draws near, and I need to go fall in. My stiff, sore body needs some rest. Nighty night, y'all.

G2

Oh my, what a day. Certain aspects do have me laughing, but oh my. I sure hope you feel better tomorrow (((hug)))
S2

A very fine Saturday, thank you very much!

Indeed. Spring weather. Sunny and chilly. I dressed in several layers, with the top being leather. Do you get where I am going with this? It was one of those thirty minute miles. It's funny how much longer it takes to get somewhere on the motorcycle. It's not like I am dawdling. In fact I have to really watch the right wrist as it tends to flex a bit too much, and I don't want to soil my perfect driving record with a speeding ticket. As I was cruising prior to getting on the ferry, I realized that my cheap Walmart watch was frozen at 11:30. I think it was a victim of the cruel winter. I guess I should figure on spending the $5 each year, eh? Since I had a date with two of the grandkids I figured I had better make my way to the ferry dock. As happens more often than not, I arrived and paid for my tickets with just five minutes to spare before loading. I love riding the bike on the ferry as there is no waiting in line. First on, first off. I drive a bit more tense on the first few trips out. I need to knock the cobwebs from my riding body. Once the wind hits me that feeling of excitement and content come out as well. I feel free.

I got to my son's and was greeted by the two girls, squealing in excitement. Their Mommy went off on her way, and we sat and read six books that they had just checked out at the library. We then popped some popcorn and settled to watch "Toy Story." After about 10 minutes they wanted to play outside. As we were getting shoes on the older child changed her mind, as she was afraid the alarm was set and she didn't want it to go off. I told her it was probably fine, but she quickly told me she would rather just stay in the house and read some more. Hmmmm. Mom got home and I was telling her about the alarm story and she began to chuckle. It seems that the alarm system can be set up to "kid proof" the house. Generally if the system is on, the door can be opened and it will beep and you have a certain amount of time to disarm it. If it is set to "kid-proof" and they open the door if goes off in a VERY loud and very long squeal. One of the girls decided to sneak outside one day when Mom thought she was napping. BUSTED!! Maybe I DO like technology a little. I would have loved to see that. Mom said that both girls completely freaked out and started crying. A perfect instance of Mommy having eyes everywhere.

I got back on the bike and headed for the ferry. I hate leaving Kate crated, but I hate even more having to deal with the destruction. I need to remember that she was a crate raised dog. All the things that Henry outgrew long ago are showing in Kate now. However, the most interesting thing is that her love of books has changed. She now only eats the ones that are not mine. sigh. At any rate, I had bought my home-bound ride when I left at noon, so was able to go straight to the dock and have it scanned. Again, no lines. As I turned to go down to the dock the oncoming bikes were unloading. Perfect! The ride home was great. Seagulls following along. A few waves from the big freighters...I find myself saying a little prayer that they will reach their destinations safely now. I stayed on the car deck with my bike. A great front row seat; why go anywhere else? As I spotted the dock I got that feeling in my stomach. That rush of excitement. As a kid we called them "tummy tickles." It is like my whole body is so excited at where I live and how it is all working out. I couldn't ask for anything better.

Once home I rushed in and got the doggies and headed to the pasture. The horse softly called...not to me, to the dogs! I threw the ball enough times that Henry was refusing to bring it back and Kate's dirty tongue was hanging to the ground.

Tomorrow is a doggie day. A friend who is a massage therapist and trainer is doing the "Spring Fair" at a wonderful shop in S'dale. After a stopover to let Henry climb all over her (roll eyes) we head to the dog park where a professional horse photographer wants to try her hand at dogs. Sadly, both dogs are blowing their coats right now (as is the horse, but she will be shaved down in the next few days. It would be a sad and sorry looking corgi if they got clippered). I will get the furminator out and work them both over tonight and again in the morning. More so that I am not eating dog hair for the next several trips in the truck!

The song of the day is homage to a couple of friends, one metal and rubber, the other, hmmm, partially metal, now that I think about it.

It was late last night, the other day
I thought I'd go up and see Ray
So I went up and I saw Ray
There was only one thing Ray could say, was

I, I don't want a pickle
I just want to ride on my motorcycle.
And I don't want a tickle
I'd rather ride on my motorcycle
And I don't want to die
Just want to ride on my motorcycle...

Thanks, Arlo!!

G2

Big, Black and Cold (No, it's not Superfly)

It's my new freezer! It's not the smallest size, it's about double that square box type, has 8 cubic feet of storage space. How long have I talked about getting one of these? It's been years and years, nonspecific numbers of years. Well, Sears was able to get me while I was weak and ask if I would apply for a credit card. This is something I had no intention of owning. However, I was waiting for repairs to be done on my car at the nearby shop, and then I thought, maybe the checker gets brownie points if I go along....and I had good reason to expect they wouldn't approve me anyway, so I said why not. Wouldn't cha know. Now I have a sears card.

Which at first I planned to not use. But then I got to thinking. It is a fact that I have dug myself out of all debt, and made sure that my debtors wrote letters to that effect to Equifax, Experian and Transunion, all. I've been rewarded with a credit card from my bank which I use instead of debit cards, the better to earn points that turn into airline ticket vouchers. I pay it off every month, keeping honest I am.

In spite of the foregoing, it still was a shock when Sears approved a card, I still cannot understand it. In due time, I decided to buy the wee chest freezer that I wanted for lo these many years. I really didn't want to have to go through another summer full of freshly picked strawberries, blueberries, raspberries crying out to be harvested, frozen on cookie sheets, then bagged and laid away in the freezer to await the depth of winter. It costs $31 a year in electricity. The freezer was on sale and cost $250. Add $29 for them to deliver it and wrassle it to the third floor and into my apartment. It's an investment which won't realize its cost this year for sure, but maybe I'll break out the math skills and see if I can figure out when I'll break even. Meanwhile I'll have that secure feeling that having plenty of food set by gives me.

Then yesterday, I had to take my laptop back to Frye's for repair, the 'noise' came back with a vengeance. It has been diagnosed with a bad fan bearing, and I now have another loaner. One thing you must do when you have a loaner is go through the checkout line, just as though it were a purchase. They want you to sign on the dotted line and they want an imprint of my credit card to have on hand in case I make a run for it.

Then it happened...wouldn't I like to apply for a charge card? The young lady looked pleadingly into my eyes. I didn't fall for it this time, the last time, they actually gave me a card! No! It's Fry's, I really like to spend money at Fry's, I'm a computer geek. Even though I still don't believe they would give me one, the plain fact is I thought that and Sears did.

The retailers give off an air of desperation. They really do.

S2

Song of the day

"If I had a hammer" sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary. It is stuck in my head for whatever the reason, and I decided I would hand it off to you! You can hear it, can't you? No amount of "People's Court" or Wii will give respite from this song. So, go on your way; it will be lurking in the nooks and crannies of your mind for at least the rest of the day. Sorry, I am hoping sharing will let me escape. I have even tried humming similar songs, sung by similar sounding people, and I still can't escape.

With that said, I sit here; the smell of cakes baking fills the house. It has been years since I baked a "real" cake. I have baked a few Angel Food cakes, but this is an honest to goodness cake which I will even frost...and take to a wedding reception tomorrow. I have grown accustomed to the lack of sugar around the house. The smell right now is wonderful, but I doubt I could actually eat more than a bite or two. It's like the switch to Diet Coke. I once took a swallow of full octane Coke to take some meds, and I thought I was drinking syrup. It was all I could do to gag it down. I am quite happy this way, although at times it would be nice to be able to escape with a carton of Ben and Jerry's like in the old days.

I have decided that I enjoy time away from electronics. I've gotten my computer time down to a couple of hours a day, tops. When I go outside I leave the cell phone, unless I am on a project that requires me to to something that would get me "in trouble" like cleaning gutters or building something from a ladder. I promised my daughter I would have the cell phone with me for that kind of thing. I suppose it would make more sense to keep it off or muted, and I will consider that possibility. I also turned off the answering machine and the TV is on only after evening chores are done. It is incredibly freeing. It is like I am giving myself undivided attention. Instead of just "hanging out" I am outside more; rain or shine. I am getting things done. I have so much more energy (even with these darn allergies); I think Stephen King could write a novel in which the electronics in our lives are slowly draining us of our life forces. I have the DVR, don't get me wrong. It is my "bestest friend." It is used as if I were renting DVDs of favorite shows. A lot of my favorites are piling up and I will have to go through it one of these days and delete a bunch. I haven't had the local ABC channel since before Christmas. I will possibly rent "Lost" as I hear it is good this season. Other than that I can't say that I miss it much. I now can understand how my son was able to discontinue cable/satellite and not miss it. He didn't want his kids to be able to access it, and I think he also realized that it was easy to be drawn in, and family time would soon suffer. Check out a 3 to 5 year old sometime when they are in front of the TV. They turn to little zombies. Weird and scary.

So, with that said I am out to water my bales of straw. Valley Nursery has lettuce plants on sale and I need to get some planted. I am also out to get some pictures of spring. It really does seem to have come, finally.

Remember: "If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning; I'd hammer in the evening, all over this land".......

G2

Lawnmower therapy

It is not as good as Motorcycle Therapy, but will do in a pinch.

The day began much as yesterday was; dreary, wet, and a bit breezy. By 5pm the sun was out and it was quite nice. After three trips out to the pasture with the Corgwyn, each one with a few less layers on my body, I decided it was time to crank up the lawnmower for the first mow of the season. I live next to people with the nicest lawn in the area. It is tended and fed and weeded year round, and my neighbor is out there mowing almost all year. My "lawn" on the other hand, is mostly moss with a few dandelions interspersed. There are a few blades of grass that stand up here and there as well. When those lovely dandelions begin to bloom I feel really bad for the neighbors. I half expect to wake up some morning and see little baggies tied on every yellow "head" so as to catch the seed and keep it off their lawn. So, when I looked out this evening after a trip to the post office I decided it was time to mow down a few dandelions. The air was crisp and the mower started right up. The sun began to shine through the woods as dusk approached. It only took a short time, but I felt as if spring was really going to come to Washington state. How do I know this you may ask? The dreaded nettles are sprouting everywhere as are the thimble berries and blackberries. The Japanese cherry is just ready to pop into bloom, and the Asian pear is covered with buds. Then, of course, add the really rotten allergies and that pretty much is a guarantee that the pollen is flying.

In two weeks the Hood Canal Bridge shuts down for six weeks as they put some new pieces in place. That pretty much takes care of riding out on the peninsula for those six weeks. I have little desire to ride down through Bremerton and up through Belfair, Hoodsport, and several other tiny towns to get out to Sequim. Riding the Canal is quite pleasant, but the ride thru Bremerton and Gorst is not. So I will bide my time on the pedal variety of bike until mid June. I am not sure if there will be a toll put on the bridge when done or not. I remember as a kid going camping out on the Olympic Peninsula quite often and paying the toll back then. As bad as our dear Governor has messed up the budget (yeah, like there really even WAS one!) it would not surprise me to see toll booths suddenly appear. FYI, the ferry system in Washington State is actually considered part of the state Highway system. The "toll" on THAT highway system has gone up substantially since I moved here. I believe it has pretty close to doubled in the seven years I have been here. All of the boats are sorely in need of replacement, but it isn't going to happen any time soon...except perhaps on a small island near here that is the play ground for the rich and famous. While they are in our county, they have an area code that is the same as the big city across the sound. What they want, they generally get. Another island north of here has been without a car ferry on and off since before Christmas. While they have a good size Naval Base, it is accessible from the main land, so I don't think the politicians lose sleep over it; the business people, on the other hand, have really suffered. When they can make it to another summer there is a collective sigh of relief as the ferry system gets a lot of tourists, who in turn like to wander through the small shops and studios. The wonderful "Highway System" also throws in a peak season surcharge during the summer months. I remember the first year I was here the fares actually went down when the peak season was over. Now they use it as a way to raise the fares. prices go up, but the never come down. Then the ferry system runs more in the red, as the locals use the system less, because the cost is so high, and on it goes. So, I wish to call "baloney" on the whole "ferry is part of the highway system" thing. I doubt that the city folk would put up with toll roads; especially if every eight months the toll goes up and never comes back down. Can you imagine how they would feel if they were charged $11 each way to drive five miles? (That is how far it is from my closest ferry to the dock on the other side of the Sound.) Try it, Mayor Nichols, I dare you!! And you thought charging for plastic garbage bags made the folk red in the face...

So, as the sun sets on the Olympic mountains, I sit and again appreciate all that I have. Sure, I whine, I complain, I can even get down right nasty. But when all is said and done, I love it here and would not trade my place for the finest house on that nearby island. I may have a few dandelions, and a lot of nettles, but it is my place of peace. The eagles and osprey are nesting. The heron must be as well as they have become quite vocal as of late. It is a heck of a lot of work to keep up and i wouldn't have it any other way. I feel alive when I am finishing a chore or project. I answer only to myself (don't let on to the dogs, please), and I also spend a fair amount of time talking to myself. In the end, all is good.

Song of the day?
"Take me out to the Ball game"
Welcome home, kid.

G2

Moving quite slow

All of the activity last week has finally caught up. Or perhaps it is all the pollen that is circulating in this very strange spring season. Whatever it is, I just know that I feel like it is molasses circulating in my veins, and oatmeal fills my head.

The good news is that I got a lot done. I even got the lawn tractor tuned up and regular season maintenance done. At the beginning of last season I was mowing out beyond the pasture and a stick wedged in the blade and it died. It sat back there for a month or so and I finally pushed it to the carport where it sat until last weekend. Now it needs a bath and I will be happy. I don't use it much anymore as I like the exercise that the walk behind mower gives me. The bed is also "done." OK, not completely; you know that measure twice, cut once thing? I need to do the reverse. I measured and cut, but ended up with the "deck" being too big. I was so careful to put little "L" shaped metal pieces on it so that the bed won't slide and just wasn't thinking about the fact that the deck needed to be a bit smaller. At least it is too big, and not too small! Next time I change the linens I will bring in the skill saw and trim it back. No big deal, but I was just done with the whole project. It required way too many brain cells, and I am glad that the misfire was in erring on the fixable side. Another nice thing is that the grass seed is already sprouting. I was thinking that the seed had somehow disappeared (perhaps down Windy's throat) but saw that it was still there, but half green. It feels really cold outside, but I think part of that is due to me being so tired. The dogs are still demanding run time out there, so I have been layering on the clothes and going out for 45 minutes at a time.

Easter is tough for me, but I need to thank my North Carolina friend once again for the bunny she sent a few years back. Just when I was getting a little low, I looked up and saw the bunny, who sits here by the computer, and he made me smile. A little touch of Sunshine was just what I needed.

This week I plan on taking things a bit slower. I will still try to get the mileage in on the prosthesis, but am not going to push as hard as I did last week. I am going to get the grass mowed, but that's only an hour project. If the weather cooperates I will also go kill some nettles. (shhhh, don't tell anyone that I want to use toxic chemicals!!) Other than that it will just be maintenance. No big projects. I had planned to start pressure washing the pool deck, but it is going to wait another week. This body needs rest.

Here is my picture for today:

When my daughter did the walk last year her daughter made a sign to cheer on her Mommy. I asked what she wanted to say and printed it out for her and she colored it and added pictures. Her Mommy took the picture and just sent it to me.

"Go Mommy Go"

G2

Friday

It appears to be my day of "rest." The nice sunshine has become the typical liquid variety, so I have allowed myself to retreat to inside work. It was sorely needed as I have been outside during daylight hours. Now I sit in my half clean house and give myself an hour of computer time. Then I will be off to finish cleaning and get the carpet in my room cleaned. I always enjoy sitting and looking at the house when it is clean. I haven't a clue why I don't just keep it this way. For the most part it is the dusting and vacuuming that are a constant need. With two dogs, and me, in and out all day I guess a lot of dirt follows us in. Each week I strive to set aside one day a week to just do the dusting and vacuuming. Now that I am posting it, perhaps it will become a reality.

I sat last night and designed a bed frame for the spare room. I have been watching for one for a couple of weeks, but nothing has materialized and I really want to get that room done. I was making a material list and suddenly realized that I had the perfect wood out in the carport. I was given some material for shelving. It is 1x10 and really nice wood. I think it is actually the "caps" for indoor wood stairs. It is exactly what I need. I will build a pedestal for the bed. It will be a box that will be topped with plywood that is a bit larger than the frame, and some nice trim. I don't have the expertise to do drawers, but think I will put some of the boxes from the closet in it before I put the top on. Stuff that I don't need to access very often, but won't part with, such as family pictures, Dad's slides, and all. Today I will finish the frame, but will have to wait until the middle of next week (pay day) to finish it up. At some point I will design and build a headboard to go with it. It is fun to use Dad's tools for some of these projects. I feel like he is working alongside me.

Yesterday I got the pasture seeded. I had to get my rock piles and boulders moved and biggest craters filled in prior to the seeding. I made the foolish choice of saving money by getting one of those hand crank seeders. There I am, like a pied piper, walking back and forth across the pasture, turning a little crank that broadcasts the seed all around. However, in my case I had two dogs and a horse walking in front. The neighbors must have gotten sick of hearing "MOVE!" and "GET AWAY" as I walked, back and forth. It will be interesting to see how much grass Windy sprouts as the days go on. They all three were probably just trying to figure out what the heck I was doing. I was frustrated because after each pass I had to brush seed off the animals. Hopefully a good amount will actually grow in the ground. The last boulder that I dug up was unmovable. I really don't know how I got it out of the ground. I was just going to roll it over next to the fence, but couldn't budge it. Creative leverage got it out, but I can't for the life of me remember what I did. I guess it was meant to be where it is. Maybe I will have the grandkids paint it this summer.

I like rainy Fridays. Why? Simple, actually. If it is good weather on a Friday the traffic through town is ugly. On Sundays the ferry line can be five miles long, and the out of towners are grumpy. It seems a waste of a weekend to sit in ferry lines on the east side, grumpy from a week of work, and get to the west side and have 36 hours of "break" then get grumpy knowing that there will be a line of this side. One of the things I fondly remember when I was looking at this house was that I heard no car horns blaring. Most of us "locals" tend to let other drivers merge into traffic. On Fridays and on Sundays I need to remember not to do that. There is a certain hand gesture that goes along with the blaring horn should I make the mistake of stopping and using MY hand gesture to invite someone from the shopping center lot to go ahead of me on the main road. I generally give those nice city folks with the misshapen hands a nice smile and wave. If I could I would happily give them a nice southern "Y'all have a nice day, y'hear?" Sadly, no matter how sickeningly sweet, I doubt it does much to make their time over here any better. 'Tis a shame.

With that, I will go back to gluing and nailing (I am actually using screws, but saying that, and working on a bed, might just give the wrong impression of my project.) I need to get the fire stoked up so that the glue will dry a bit faster.

Y'all have a nice weekend, y'hear?

G2

Go head, all together now: AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

It appears some parasitic mass has invaded my daughter and has declared its cuteness to the rest of the family. It does appear to have a brain, so who knows what it can achieve upon its declaration of independence.

(For that matter is there ever a time of real independence? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm)