Cleaning the Garage

I love cleaning both the garage and the basement. In my first marriage my husband was very content to let me go at it. I would open a beer and have a ball. Now I drink diet coke, not because I don't drink alcohol but because I don't drink much beer anymore. There is nothing as satisfying as starting with total chaos and ending up with bags of trash and things looking really neat. Hubby, however does not like it when I clean the garage or basement. He says I throw his things out or put them where he can't find them. So all I have to do is say, "I am going to clean the garage." and he is right there beside me. Fortunately the Lions are having a garage sale next month so it gives us a place to part with things just too good to throw out.

The Weather Channel

We have cable service with lots of the special channels but the one cable station we listen to alot is the weather channel. Now when I say alot I mean it is on all the time. Some family members have even accused Hubby of watching weather channel reruns. He even has an internet favorite site on the computer where he checks the weather not only of our city and each of the cities where the children live, but also New Mexico's weather. New Mexico is Hubby's dream state where nothing bad happens and the sky is blue and the humidity is low all the time. When Hubby was a teen he thought about joining the Air Force because he loved to fly and some recruiter told him his glasses wouldn't matter. When he went to sign up, they took one look at his thick glasses and said they would assign him to the weather department. He said "No thanks." I think he still regrets that decision.

Knitting

Well I finished the sweater I knitted for Keegan. The first one I made was even too small for his little sister. I redid the neck on that one and hopefully his little sister can now wear it. I made another sweater with a size larger pattern and a size larger needles. I have knitted sweaters and dresses for Kameren and they fit but I sure am having trouble with this. Back after I finished college (the first time) I took a charm class and a knitting class in the adult education department of the local high school. I can't remember much from the knitting class and even less from the charm class. I noticed JoAnne's has a knitting class, maybe I should start over.

Frost

On Memorial Day here in Michigan the temperature reached 89 degrees. We went out to the nursery and I bought a flat of impatiens for my flower box and we also bought two bushes to plant along the back fence. This morning when we awoke the temperature was more than 40 degrees lower and there are frost warnings for tonight. Fortunately I didn't plant the impatiens yet but I had already taken many of my houseplants outside so I will need to bring them back in. I had planned on buying a Fuscia but I didn't see one I wanted.

The Worm Turns

Last night we played Phase 10 with Austin and his dad. There is a saying that came up when we played with my mother. She said "the worm is going to turn. " It had been a family joke about what exactly that means. We assume it means your luck can change. Austin was having a lot of trouble with getting some unlucky hands. He was reminded, his worm could turn. He said his worm was on the sidewalk and all dried out.

A visit to Grandma's House

My Grandson, Austin, came to visit with his Dad today. He is 10 years old and just a delightful boy. We ate cheeseburgers in the backyard. Papa took him to the park where they fired some Estes rockets. I showed him how to use a whoosh and Papa let him play with the flight simulator. He had a good time playing with Arnold and Cleo. He has a cat of his own so he knows how to handle them. Grandchildren are lots of fun.

Official Master Gardeners

Last night we went to the annual master gardener banquet where Hubby and I were awarded our certificates of completion of the master gardener course and 40 hours of volunteer work. Now to keep it active we have to complete 15 hours of volunteer work this year and 5 hours of education. Our landscape design class was 12 hours so the education part is done. The banquet was very nice. It was held at the Oakland County, White Lake facility which is really a beautiful place ( if you have a wedding coming up you might consider it). They had about 5 less doorprizes than attendees. I won a flat of petunias and Hubby was one of the five.

Book Club

Today my ladies book club met. We had just finished Gardens of Water by Alan Drew which was a wonderful book. A real window to why the Kurds in Turkey hate Americans. It was also a window to the diversity within our book club. Of course I am the "Flaming Liberal" of the group, one member is what I would call the "Rigid Conservative" of the group. It reminds me of a conversation with my Mother-in Law where she laughingly referred to the "young radicals" who called her the "old fogies." It is amazing both sides can feel so absolutely certain that there is no other way to view things. Even the very arguments seem to one side ludicrous and yet make sense to the other. I guess that is what makes the world turn.

On the Phone with my Grandson

Today my grandson called to thank me for his quilt. He says he really liked it. He told me about the card he sent to his Great grandma which said he was busy driving his parents crazy. He wrote on it "I really am!" He is 6 years old and also told me. "My Mommy says I am going to give her an anuerism." He said He loves reading and reads 12 books a week. They were on their way to the library when he called. He is such a delightful little boy. He used to look just like his father did when he was little but now he is beginning to look more like his mother. My Grandson has a nut and peanut allergy so my daughter-in-law feels that it is better to home school him until he is a little older and better able to protect himself. It sounds like she is doing a good job.

Savannah

I guess this is an obituary for Savannah. She contracted another urinary tract infection and along with her other problems we decided to put her down. She was eight years old but she seamed older. She was always a very big cat. She also had a decided preference for women and particularly me ( after Martha). When Martha got her, she said Savannah picked her out and as a kitten came to her. When Savannah was a kitten she had an irritating habit of curling up in bed with me and licking my lips or ears. I would wrap myself in the sheets as if I was wearing a burka. She has always been feisty. One time when Martha took her to the vet he complained that she was vicious and wouldn't examine her unless she was sedated. When Amy came to visit with her labrador, Nina, Savannah cornered the dog in a bedroom and wouldn't let her out. Even after she had only three working legs, she still totally intimidated Nina. We will miss her. She had beautiful coloring and a purr (as well as a growl) that could be heard from a great distance.

Hubby Trims a Tree

Our neighbor next door has a big old poplar tree in his backyard. Neither of us like it but the city will not let you chop down big trees, even poplars, without a good reason. Now in my opinion, the fact that it is a poplar is a good enough reason to chop it down. The branches hang over our backyard and drop twigs all year and we really would like some sun. Hubby bought this chain saw, not the motorized kind, but a chain with saw teeth on it. The chain is attached to rope on either end. Hubby used a sling shot to shoot a rope up over the tree branch. This rope was attached to the chain saw rope. He shot another rope over the branch farther out toward the end. His theory was that as he cut I would keep the end rope tight and he could therefore control where the branch fell. Fortunately the neighbor came over to help him and betweeen the two they trimmed off two big branches on the tree. Neither of them were injured in the process. The deck was missed by falling logs however the fence was not. Now Hubby needs to do a little repair on that.

Another Class

Well, my employer asked me if I would like to take a class on the latest emulation software. I said, "Sure." It means the possibility of working once in a while. The software isn't hard but it requires practice and dexterity, both of which I am a little short of. I was in class today from 9 to 5:30 and tomorrow I have to be there at 8 AM. I wonder if I will ever run out of things that interest me. I hope not!

Is it is the Genes?

Most of you have seen the picture on Mary's blog of her terrible basement stairs. Well sure enough, last night Mary fell again on the basement stairs. Her ankle and wrist are sprained. Her bottom and arms are bruised but her knee appears to be unhurt. Today while I visited my Mom, we discussed Mary's propensity for injuring herself. My mother's mother fell a lot, my Mom and I have fallen several times but not a lot. We also discussed that none of us are good dancers and both my Mom and I had trouble riding a bicycle. I am sure my grandmother never tried as she had broken her leg in the third grade when she was hit by a horseless carriage. ( Mary has no trouble riding the bicycle unless trees jump out in front of her.) My Mom sent one of my Dad's canes home for Mary. Mom said if she doesn't need it now she might the next time. She also said that in her will she was leaving Mary all her elastic bandages.

Dandelions

I have a single minded mission to eradicate dandelions from our yard. I take my forked weeding tool and everyday circle the lawn and gardens looking for dandelions. I must have learned this from my mother. I remember when we were kids she used to pay us 1 cent for every hundred dandelion flowers we picked. I learned that these plants are perenials. I also learned that they can regrow from the taproot so it is possible that I am not eradicating them. I do know that I can't see any dandelions in my lawn and garden. I even pull them from the adjacent areas of the neighbors lawn. Do you think this is a fetish?

El Frio Día

Hoy es un frio día. Lunes tardes nosotros tenemos la clase de español. Nosotros estudiamos todo día. Es muy difícil. La maestra es muy simpático. Hay nueve estudiantes en la clase, dos hombres y siete mujeres. Hubby habla español buen pero yo hablo no buen. El libro de español es muy bueno con muchas palabras aprender. Hoy nosotros preguntamos de otro estudiantes en español and ellos deben contestan las preguntas.
If any of you speak Spanish this should give you a good laugh.

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. Hubby and I picked up my Mom and met my brotherand his wife with her Mom and Dad, for dinner. We went to Papa Vino's. We all enjoy the food there. My brother is a really good guy, We became closer when we both worked together for GM. I was there to start up an assembly line and he was a member of the skilled trades. He is about 22 months younger than me but he looks a lot older.

Lots of Rocks

Hubby really worked hard today. Last night the stone yard delivered 3 yards of stone pebbles onto our driveway. Hubby moved them all to our backyard where we are putting in a container garden. That is where we will put all our plants from inside the house and others in containers. It is near the birdbath and all the birdfeeders. While Hubby was working today he saw a hummingbird. After he got the container garden done he planted 4 more roses in our rose garden. He is doing a wonderful job and the backyard is beautiful.

Quilts for the Grandchildren

Well I finished my Grandson's quilt. I hope he likes it. I made the pattern out of a six pointed star. The back side is a novelty print of space shuttles, astronauts, and satellites. His is for a double bed. I have made quilts for two other grandsons and I still have a granddaughter and one more grandson to make quilts for. The one with airplanes is called "Lucky Lindy" the other is a traditional pattern which I did in jungle patterns to match his bedroom.

Migrant Workers

Yesterday we drove to Ohio to help Mary plant her garden. Mary is just a little obcessive compulsive. She had every thing all lined up, all the plants, seeds and the Brain stopped by on his lunch hour to make sure we had all the right tools. Mary had an exact diagram of where she wanted everything planted. Hubby took care of the vegetable garden and I took care of the herb garden. Hubby insisted Mary sit on a lawn chair with her leg up on a little lawn table, but she never sits still long. It is no wonder that her leg is still swelling so badly. Mary made dinner and that girl sure can cook. She didn't learn it from her mother.

The German Restaurant

Yesterday afternoon we took Mom to a German restaurant. Really Mom and I had gone there several times before for lunch. Mom likes it alot. This time, however, Hubby went along. I thought the food was delicious. Mom, Martha and I had red cabbage cooked in vinegar, it was wonderful. Hubby had green beans. Mom had German potato salad and Martha and I had Potato dumplings. Hubby had American Fries. Mom had knockwurst, Martha had sauerbraten, I had black forest chicken and Hubby had smoked pork chops. Hubby didn't think the restaurant was anything special. The place is 54 years old and our waitress had worked there from its opening. No kidding.

A Control Freak

I have in a previous blog talked about Hubby's rain garden. He decided to buy some cattail plants because the garden was so wet. Of course the garden dried up then and he dug a little ditch around the cattails and filled it with water. Then it rained and he had lots of water, even ducks in with the cattails. He decided that was too wet so he vacuumed the rain garden dry. Now here is a man that won't even trust nature to do the right thing. The turtle is not real and the sticks are to keep the neighbor's lawn service out of the garden.

Today he is trying to trim off some high branches from the neighbor's poplar tree. A poplar is a giant messy weed and the branches hang perilously close to our house. Hubby bought a saw which is a chain that you throw over the branch and pull on either side to cut the branch off. The tricky part is getting the saw over the branch. He invested in a sling shot with a weight attached to a rope which he then attached to the cables on the saw. He has cut off one large branch already and is trying for the second. I expect to hear glass shattering any minute.

Tornado Sirens

At one o'clock today, the first Saturday of the month, the tornado sirens sounded. I imagine that especially in the south this week it was a dreaded sound, but one that saved a considerable number of lives. I remember as a kid when they were called air-raid sirens. I remember being in downtown Detroit ( when it was inhabited) and the sirens went off. The noise would echo around the buildings and was truly deafening. When we were in Maryland we took the grandchildren to the Spy Museum. They had a whole display on the cold war with an example of a bomb shelter and a picture of children in school learning to duck and cover. It was difficult to explain to the grandchildren exactly what they were doing. I am not sure my children understand. We used to practice in school and in the evening when we played outdoors but because it was late had to stay close to home, we used to play "Flash"on the lawn. One kid would yell "flash" and we would all duck and cover.

Hubby's Birthday

Today is Hubby's birthday. He is 9 months older than me and I play that up big. I actually baked a cake this morning but we will go out to dinner. His favorite place is Peabody's in Birmingham. We are both kind of taking it easy today. He took Cleo to the vet's. She has an ear infection. Arnold had mites so today we put drops in his ears. Both of our eyeglasses were spattered because the first thing he did after we put the drops in, is shake his head. Now we are under a severe thunderstorm watch so as soon as I finish this I will turn off the computer.

So Eager for Spring

Yesterday morning Hubby put the plants back outside after our two days of freeze warning. We had gone to a Coleus class on Tuesday. They offered us ten plants at a 20% discount but told us we had to keep them inside until Memorial Day. I decided to wait to buy them and pay full price. I did decide to deal with my African Violets. My African Violets are many years old and do very well but for the last two years they have bugs on them. It doesn't seem to bother the plants but the dead white corpses litter the leaves and flowers. I have tried systemic insecticides, I have washed all the plants with insecticidal soap ( even though they tell you violets don't like wet leaves) so today I took them all outside and sprayed them with an insecticide and washed the stones the pots sit on and baked them in the oven for a half hour. The stones not the plants. It must tell you something about my Master Gardener status that I can't grow disease free African Violets