Musings.............

***The title for this post is not the word I wanted to use....but I can't think of the word I wanted.  This has been happening a lot.  I lose my words.....the simplest ones....names, thoughts, expressions.  It's getting scarry.

***I have a few oddball things to do around the house.  When the weather is warm and sunny, my energy is peaked.  When it's rainy, damp and muggy......I sink like a wet dish rag.  Can't function.

***We've been having a lot of stormy days lately.  Told BH to save some of the wood for an......ark.

***My beautiful day lilies are tall and green.  The leaves are also torn apart horribly from the storms, high winds and hail.  As are the begonias in my deck planters.  Don't see any buds on the lilies; afraid they may not bloom this year.

***The "Little Kim" lilac bush sent to me a couple years ago by son in NY for Mother's Day, looked like it had died over the winter.  No new shoots, no sprouting of leaves.  Until the other day.  There is one teensy, tiny cluster of green coming up from the ground.  I'm thinking of removing the bush and planting it in a deck pot.

***The almost death of the lilac bush just about broke my heart, as son from NY also sent me a mini rose bush (pink flowers) about 5 years ago.  I planted it outside that Spring.......it died after the first winter.  Makes me so sad.

***Brother from WA. called yesterday.  He and wife are planning a trip here week before Labor Day.  Wants to come and visit for a couple of days before heading to the Cities to spend time with his twin.   I really don't care to have any family visit.  Still hurting from the trouble at my niece's wedding last summer.  I try to put it aside, but you can "forgive but not forget".  And being that no family member ever realized or made mention of an apology for the hurt and pain they caused makes it all the more unforgetable. 

***Because I'm always the one who's feelings don't matter as far as any of my siblings are concerned.  Turn the other cheek?? Again?? Ehhh.....no.  I don't think so.

***There is a very weird smell in the house.  Don't know where it's coming from.  It's a sour, damp smell.  Happens when it's raining and humid....and the house is shut up.  I may have to shampoo the carpets.  Everything else has been thoroughly cleaned.   Crap.  I was not planning on shampooing the carpets this season.  There's only BH and myself here 98% of the time.  It must be him! 

***BH sold his boat last week.  Yay!!!  With the extra money, we're paying off a couple of bills and setting the rest aside.

***I've been knitting the same sock for.....2 months??  Seems like it.  Just started the toe decrease yesterday.  Then on the the mate.  Why is it taking soooo long?   Still haven't put the zipper in the finished sweater.

***Haven't started cleaning out the old farm house yet, either.  But I'm getting closer!  As soon as the little odds and ends are done.  And we have a forecast of at least a week with no rain!

***Finally got the inside frame of the window in the utility room painted.  Yeah.  That was on the list for 2 years.

***Just got all the paperwork filled out for our Equity renewal; dropped it off at the bank.  Later realized that I forgot a couple of small monthly accounts payable.  Yeah........

***That same day, got a call from daughter.  She received re-qualifying paperwork from Social Security.  She sent it off to me to be filled out.  Crap.

***I want to paint the family room soooo bad.  Yeah, that's been on the list for a couple of years also.  But now, I get the shakes everytime I think about when it's going to get done.  This Fall, hopefully.

***And I'm still anticipating the Big Yard Sale  before the season is over!!!  But, of course, that proceeds cleaning out the old house.  Can't wait to get rid of all the crap....one way or another.

***Last Sunday, June 10, was the second anniversary of my dad passing away.  Very sad for me.  Miss him very much.  Memories flood my mind all the time.

Well, the sun is supposed to be out today, warm and muggy.  I better grab the list and get my arse in gear.  Rain tomorrow.  And Monday through next weekend........you guessed it!!  Rain!!!........

                          "We're gonna need a bigger boat!"

This, That and the Other Thing........

Well, what a few weeks this has been!  We've been through torrential rains and flood watches that seemed to never end.  Memorial Day weekend was a total washout!!  Yep. No barbequeing, no outdoor activities.

 3 days now of 90 degree temps and high humidity.  BH and I just returned Thursday from a trip to a State park where we camped for 3 days.  Had a good, somewhat  relaxing time....except for:

Tent catepillars.  Do they exist anywhere else besides Minnesota?  I never heard of them when we lived in New York.  But they've been a menace here for about 5 years.  Horrible little things.  We've never had our house covered with them as some people have.  Actually only saw a few around here over the years.  Ahhh, but then we went to the state park.

Oh yeah.  They were dropping like rain.  Everywhere.  You had to look before you sat down in the camp chair; check the coffee pot before pouring a cup; flick them off the cooler before opening it; flick them off your legs, arms, chest, back, shoulders.  You get the picture.  And all sizes....from 1" to 3".  Disgusting!  I never ate meals so fast in my life!!

The second day there, we were bombarded with flying ants.  Huge, black ones with large wings.  Everywhere.  Then there was the occasional bee and wasp.  And it was hot! Not conducive to hiking, or sightseeing.  Thank goodness it cooled down at night so we could sleep comfortably.

Relaxing???  Nope.  Check, please!  We're outta here!  Ahhh, home sweet home!

The daily rains finally abated last week.  Wow....the rivers and lakes are very high!  More rain to come this evening into tomorrow, I hear.  And, of course, the heat has settled in.  Friday we spent hours hooking up the A/Cs.

But the rain, humidity and heat has been a bonus to all the seeds planted in the planters.  They are thriving beautifully and should be budding any day now.

There's housework to be done, grass to cut, weedwhacking, set up the pool and a few other assorted jobs around here.

Got a call from our 21 yr old granddaughter last weekend.  She and the boyfriend are planning a visit here at the end of June.  Wow!  Haven't seen her in 16 years; haven't talked to her in over 2 years.  Long story....not worth getting into.  But she sounded great and excited about coming to see us.  We are equally excited to have her visit.

Other than that, not much else going on.  BH and I did agree no more camping trips in the summer.....we're going to hold off until September.  We love the Fall.  So we'll just take day trips for the next 2 months.  Afterall, that's why we moved to the country....we are "camping" every day.....in the privacy of our own home!!

I Surprise Myself!

So after the wool festival at Lake Elmo, it's time to get back to work.  Last Wednesday, the weedwhacking got done;  Monday, the flower planters got....planted, the lawn ornaments put out, the solar lights set up.  In between, the house got a good cleaning, took daughter to the doctor one day and went back to put in her A/C Saturday.  Sunday, got the winter clothes packed away and brought out the summer ones.

Yesterday it was cleaning and setting up the camper.  Kids are coming for the holiday weekend, need the extra sleeping space.   Called the plumber yesterday to install the new kitchen faucet.  BH had attempted to replace it himself, but  the plumbing is old and it's been quite a long time since a faucet was replaced.  He said everything started turning while trying to loosen the water supply connection.  Stop.  Do not attempt.  Put down the wrench.  Call for service.

So last evening, at supper time, came the plumber.  The son of our regular guy.  First time we met him.  What a great guy!  Very polite and thorough!  He even did a few extra things under the sink to update the plumbing.  We were so thankful to him.  Great job!!

Today is grocery shopping for said weekend.  We already had one son bail.  I hope this doesn't turn into a month of leftovers for a few days' meals!   And according to the weather report........rain, rain and more rain is in the forecast.  Doesn't that just bite?!  Of course!  Why not!!

But I digress.   So....between tomorrow and Friday, a little straightening up, maybe a load of laundry, some cooking and baking.  Gotta put some new seal around the vent in the bathroom and plant flowers in the 2 deck railing planters.  BH has to cut the grass.....again.  3rd time in 6 weeks.  I hope this isn't a repeat of last summer.  I think we didn't do any traveling because the gas that would've gone into the van......went into the lawn mower.

And speaking of traveling.......a week after Memorial Day, we're going camping again!  WooHoo!!  4 days at Lake Itasca.  Monday thru Friday.  (If you're retired, a senior citizen, you've raised and released a passel of kids, you've been on trips with very young grandchildren and you've emerged with a modicum of sanity.......then you know why you don't want to be in a campground on a weekend!!  Been there; done that.

On the fiber front, I finished knitting the denim blue sweater.  Bought the twill tape and zipper last week - now I just have to put it in.  Working on a pair of socks ----- that are taking f-o-r-e-v-e-r to finish the first one.  Don't know what's up with that.   And spinning the rest of a BFL batt.  I gotta get some pictures up here.

So, things are moving right along at an even pace.  Lots to do yet, but we're getting there.  Still debating about the pool.  Not sure if we want to go through the hassle.  Especially since we're planning on doing a lot of camping this summer.  So much, we want to be sick of it.  We'll see.  But as my reasoning to BH ---- "one day of 96 degrees, at home, and the pool is well worth the trouble!!"

I'm already planning out things to get done this Fall.  See --- that's my problem.  When I'm on a roll, I start thinking way ahead of myself.   Then I collapse.   From mental exhaustion.  And the list gets extended-----to next year.

Onward and upward!!

Oh Boy! What a Great Time!..........

So.....we made it to the campground last Wednesday.  Had great weather; the campground had a very nice Host couple.  We had a great time.  So good to get away from home and relax.  No TV.  No radio.  No newspaper. No phone.  No computer.  Peace and quiet.......priceless!

And Saturday....the Lake Elmo Fiber Festival!!  We got there just before 9:00am.  BH wanted to leave the State Park at 7:00am!!!!  I told him the festival doesn't open til 9...what are we going to do for 1 1/2 hours???   Anywho........

Lots of vendors this year and lots of fiber variety.  Much different from last year, it seemed to me.  This was really, really enjoyable.  I didn't take any pictures......too excited, I guess.   Like a kid in a candy shop!  You know the feeling!

This year I've been trying to diminish my stash.  Made a pledge to myself "no more fiber till I've spun up almost all of what I have."  I don't need any more fiber; I really don't want any more fiber.  Well, that all went out the window.  Of course when you have someone by your side, whispering in your ear "buy that; buy that; buy that", it's not hard to lose your determination!  BH is a sweetheart that way.

So.... we came home with:  4 oz. of greyish Icelandic roving;  8 oz. of white Columbia roving; 8 oz. of a faux cashmere in beautiful painted colors of turquoise, blue, brown.  It has a name I can't think of but I'll dig out all my treasures and post pictures soon.  Also picked up 12 oz. of a space-dyed generic roving in shades of pink, from almost red to light pink.  And 2 oz. of white silk roving.  Yep.  I'm gonna try spinning silk.  We talked to the gal for a long time.  She explained the whole process of obtaining silk (she has her own worm farm) all the way through how to spin it.

Quite a haul, wouldn't you say?  I'm sure I'm forgetting something else.  Anyway, so I better get all the household/outside chores done quickly.  I've got to start reducing my stash!

Fiber Festival!!!........

Leaving in about 2 hours.  Camping for 3 days ending with going to the Lake Elmo Fiber Festival on Saturday!!  WooHoo!!  Can't wait.  BH tells me to make sure I hang on to him at all times ---- due to the nasty fall I took last year as we were leaving the festival.

Got my tote bag, got the brochure, got some money.  I am definitely ready!!  Besides.... our first camping trip in 2 years!!!  Geezzz.........I hope I'm not forgetting anything!

Happy Birthday, Pop........

Today is my dad's birthday.  He would be 85.  It'll be 2 years this June that he passed away.  I miss him every day.

I miss his goofy jokes....."hold on, your father wants to talk to you" my mother would say at the end of our lengthy phone conversation.  He would get on the phone and say "geezz, I thought she'd never stop talking!"  and then he would proceed to tell me a few jokes.  Mostly ones he just read in the monthly Reader's Digest.  And I would laugh my arse off!!!   My father had a way of telling a joke ---- he's Irish, ya know.

Sometimes he would tell me of wood working plans he was thinking of.  He loved wood working.  One year his band saw burned out.  All of us kids (7 of us) got together and bought him a new one for Christmas.  Being that most of us live out-of-state, we left it to my sister and brother to pick it out.  My son went and got it from the store with his pickup truck and got it down to the basement without Pop seeing it.

On Christmas, we had our usual conference call so we could all be on the phone to tell him "Merry Christmas, Pop!"   He was soooo excited and thankful, you could almost "hear" the tears in his eyes.

I've been the recipient of many of those wood working plans.  I have a full size Colonial cradle (mom made dolls and stuffed animals, a mattress pad, pillow and comforter for the inside);   a corner hutch with glass doors and lighted shelves;  a scalloped china plate shelf with 2 drawers;  a 6-ft. long trestle Harvest table with 2 benches;  a couple of picnic tables, one with attached benches, the other with separated ones;  2 Adirondack chairs  and a blanket chest.

He and mom would bring them out to us when they visited in the Spring.  All pieces were unfinished ("I just build them, you finish 'em", he would tell me), but he would bring all the hardware I needed.  Once he brought me a can of stain/varnish he discovered that he thought worked "the nuts!"  Of course --- he always finished the pieces he made for Ma.  Oh ---- and it did work "the nuts!"

Pop, I miss you like crazy to this day.  And I suppose I will til the day I die.  I can't believe you're gone --- that you've been gone this long.  Everyday brings a memory from the past.   Love you!

Pop - 2 yrs. old   1929

19 yrs. old

50th Wedding Anniversary    1998

In Minnesota - 2005

Aaarrgggghhhhh!!........

After much wrangling, searching and......yes.......swearing a blue streak.......I found a way to get back to the old blogger form.  So everyone listed on the side bar that I read were back in place.  Ok. I'm happy now.

Don't know how I wound up on Google sites with YouTube predominant.  When I had to sign in, there were 3 different Google options - none said "return to blogger" and it didn't direct me there automatically when I signed in.

Well, I must've hit the wrong one because there I was.......in GoggleLand.  With no seeable way out.  Then I came upon"return to old blogger style".  Clicked it.  And here I am.

However, this morning, I clicked "new post" and it brought me to the funky new set up again!    Had to search around until the option of "return to old blogger style" was found.

This makes me very angry.  I do not like complications.  I do not like the powers that be changing up the way things have been done.  And I most certainly do not like  getting an eerie feeling that the computer has been hacked and I'm in a duplicate but fake site.

That's all I know.  Thank you, Rani, for your input and help.

Anywho........yesterday was a gorgeous day! Little on the cool side, but sunshine all day.  We went to an auction.  BH saw that there was a boat with all the trimmings, similar to his, and wanted to see how much it went for.  As we are selling his this year.  And in the meantime, I found a couple of things to bid on.  Of course.

The thing about auctions is it's a whole day!  You're there from early morning til sometimes supper time.  And there's no guarantee that the item you waited all day for is going home with you.  There's always someone with more money.  Always.  Personally, I'd rather go to a yard sale.  It's there.  You want it.  You buy it.  You take it home.  It's yours.  End of story.  But I digress......

So there's a dorm room style fridge with a brushed aluminum door.  Perfect for son's "Man Cave" in his new home.  Then we spot a portable floor air conditioner!  And it's a Haier!  For those who may remember last summer's fiasco with the new A/C we bought (off-brand), this was a dream come true!  I can now dump that stupid one from last year.  We do have another Haier that we've had for 5 years now.  Love it!!  Never given us a days trouble. So...this one is on the list.

Then at the end of the aisle, I spot it.  OMG!!  Just what I've been looking for......an adjustable dressmaker's mannequin.  OMG!!!  My toes are tingling!  (Actually, it didn't have to be adjustable; any mannequin would do.  This was "Bonus!")  Now I"m all antsy, jittery...."come on, come on, hurry up;  get down here....."

Well, we lost the dorm fridge.  Bid went up to $80.  Hell, you can buy them new for $100.  My limit was $50, but was hoping for $20 or $30.  But we did win the A/C!!   A $400 unit for.......drum roll, please.......$55.00!   Yep.  We are prouder than peacocks!!  There was just 1 other bidder who quit.

Not so lucky on the mannequin.  Me and 1 other bidder.  I went to $75.00.  He......yes......he  went to $80.  He was standing behind me. I didn't see who my competition was til the winning bid.  I turned around and here's this guy....6'4", 220#, burly, about 36 years old....and he non-chalantly takes the mannequin from the auctioneer.....right in front of me!!   I was crushed.  This is the second time a man has won a "woman" item at an auction.

BH says "maybe he bought it for his wife; it's a birthday gift".  (He's sooooo naive!)  "NO", says I.  "He's going to use it for target practice in the backyard!  A***hole!!".    Yeah.  I don't take losing very well.

Well, anyway, we did ok.  BH won a circular saw for $2.50.  So he was very happy.  Oh.  And the boat/trailer/motor went for $1700.00.   So at least he has a good idea what to ask for his outfit.

Today is rain off and on all day.  Good day for spinning and knitting.  And anticipating the summer.  When we can set up our almost-new Haier A/C!!!!  Along with it's mate.  Life doesn't get any better.

Have a great weekend, all!