Getting Ready for Christmas

It's that busy time of the year. All seven children are coming home for the holidays. Because they live all over the country this is a rare occurance. Already there are piles of presents under the tree and Hubby has been running to the store to make sure he has all the ingredients for a fabulous feast. Arnold our cat is getting excited about the process as well and has taken to tearing open the presents, licking the crocheted snowflakes on the tree and batting the ornaments off the bottom branches. He is not a kitten, perhaps it is his second childhood. On Christmas Day we will go to my Mom's for brunch. She is pretty well back to normal with no need for the health care workers, which she resented no end. Santa is in his airplane on the front lawn again and all is well.

Nothing is Simple

We have a home care person coming to see Mom in the morning to give her pills and be there when she takes her shower. Since the minimum time for the aid is one hour she also fixes Mom's breakfast, washes the dishes and makes her bed and does whatever else would be helpful during that hour. On Thanksgiving day Mom had a new girl. She told Mom it was her first day and she didn't know what to do. Mom said she could make her breakfast. Mom said she would like some yogurt. The girl asked how to make that. Mom told her to put it in a dish. Mom also said she would like some coffee, instant, but the girl didn't know how to make that. Mom said that she should give Mom her pills. Mom had to explain where they were. Shortly after the girl left the supervisor came and asked Mom how she did. Mom said "Oh, fine." Mom said she was so young and newly engaged and she felt sorry for her.

A Threatening E-Mail

I like to borrow books from the Southfield Library. The latest one I borrowed was Betrayed by Tannenbaum. It really was a good book. Unfortunately since I took it out my Mom had her heart attack and surgery and I have been doing an awful lot of running. When I get home I usually have a glass (or two) of wine and go to bed. The book became overdue but I didn't want to return it because it was good and I wanted to finish it. I tried to renew it but by then the fine was too large ($4). This is the note I received from the library when the book was 20 days over due.

These items must be returned in good condition to avoid a
bill for replacement. Accounts with fines or fees may be
sent to a Collection Agency. Call 248-796-4200 with
questions. THANK YOU

Do you really think they would send a $4 fee to a collection agency?

Back in the Hospital

Mom is back in the hospital. Apparently she has fluid in her pleural cavity. It is a complication of the surgery but treatable. She is in really good spirits and telling us stories about when she was in the Knights of St John drill team and about going to Acapulco's with Dad. She said they had Margaritas and they were so good she sent Dad to get her another and while he was gone the cliff divers jumped and he missed it. He wasn't very happy about that.

Water Aerobics

Now that Mom is recovering so well I have gone back to my water aerobics class. I am actually beginning to like the water. Today Shelly, the lifeguard, was our instructor. She really gives a good workout. One of the things we had to do was stand on our noodle. (I don't mean our head, that might have been easier) I tried to get on the noodle during all the exercises of that group.(quite unsuccessfully) I am even getting used to smelling of chlorine.

I'm Tired

Today Mom was supposed to be discharged. 45 minutes before the ambulance arrived to take her back to Henry Ford Village her heart rate jumped to 130. She was dozing in her chair and I was watching the monitor wondering if I should say something to the nurses. But the nurses were watching it too and called the doctor. It was very discouraging for Mom as the ambulance people stood there waiting for the doctor to call back and when he did he said she couldn't be discharged and maybe tomorrow. She has been in good spirits but tonight she wrapped herself in the prayer shawl the the janitor at Mary's school had sent her and said she was going to sit there and feel sorry for herself.

Halloween

Halloween is filled with traditions and funny stories and just plain fun. One of our traditions is, every Halloween we have tuna noodle caserole for dinner. That started as an easy meal when you had 6 kids to get into costume. Hubby tells me about a Halloween when the neighborhood kids TP'd his tree. He was so proud that his daughter, Amy, was so popular to get that kind of attention. His neighbor watched him try to get the paper out of the tree and kept saying "God damn kids." Costumes have always been fun. When my Down Syndrome brother came down with leukemia he wanted a Halloween party and so we obliged. That first year he went as Ruth Bussey from laugh in and kept hitting everyone with his purse. One year my 6 ft 2 in brother came as a pink elephant. This year we just got the picture of my son-in-law and there is no trouble telling who he is supposed to be.

One Strong Lady

Mom came through the surgery with flying colors. Last night I saw her right after surgery and she was still sleeping with tubes all over the place. This morning I went to see her and the breathing tubes were removed, she was sitting in a chair but very tired and we stayed a very short time. About 5 PM I called the nurse to see how she was and the nurse said she was doing fine did I want to talk to her. I was surprised and said was she able to do that? The nurse put her on the phone and she talked for about 15 minutes wondering who had called and about other things. I was almost giddy with relief.

Mom

Last Wednesday Mom had a heart attack. It was probably her second one. The first one, a week ago, she took an aspirin and laid down until it went away. The second one was much worse and she pulled the cord in her apartment for help. At the hospital they did a heart catheterization and found a 100% blockage at one artery and 2 others were 90% blocked. The cardiologist recommended triple bypass and the surgeon has agreed that it is a viable option. She is 92 years old and the risk is very high. Mom is a very spunky, alert woman, very capable of knowing what she wants in life. She said, " I am not afraid of dying, but I want to live." The doctor said that if we treated her with medicine and no surgery she would be having repeated attacks and episodes that would have her in an out of the hospital and she could no longer live independently. She said that is not the way she wants to live. I guess, what I want, is to keep her as long as possible but not in pain.
When my Dad died, it was hard. I loved him a lot but he had lost much of his mental abilities and was so miserable because he was incontinent and confused, that it was easier to accept losing him. At one of the later visits to him in the nursing home, he was sitting on the edge of the bed in a diaper and not understanding what was happening to his body and his life and all I could do was sit beside him and hug him. He said to me, "Peggy, you will never know how much you mean to me." It was the greatest gift he could ever give to me.
But Mom is alive. While we sat and visited with her yesterday she was sharp and funny. Mary and Martha were there with me. Mary was working on a crossword puzzle(she said it was a committee project) and Mom was startling us with the words she knew(like sheep were ovine and I forget what an eagle nest was but Mom knew. Martha had her computer and was going over her ancestry program. Mom was telling us stories about great aunts and uncles we had never met. Then I sent the girls away to get me a diet Coke so Mom and I could be alone and talk. I love her so much.
I hope you don't mind but I had to write some of this down.

A Trip to Ohio

Over the weekend Hubby and I went to the Bob Evan's Farm Festival in southeast Ohio. It was great. Admission was dirt cheap and they had free pony rides, hay rides and contests for kids. They had equine drill teams, tractor square dancing, cloggers and log rolling. They had at least a hundred little booths selling country wares, blue grass bands and a quilt show. After that we went to Wright Patterson Air Force base to their museum. They had an exhibit of the "Air Force One" planes. The Planes for Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower and even the one which took Kennedy to Dallas and brought his body back. It was a fun weekend and the weather was perfect. I got a little bit of a sunburn in October!

A Really Busy Day

I started the day with my water aerobics class. While I was at class the landscaper came and talked to Hubby about the final plans for the back yard. Then my three great niece and nephews came for us to babysit. They are unbelievably cute. The oldest is three and the baby, 9 months old, crawls and is trying very hard to stand and walk. Then I had to do the calendar for the Master gardener website and move the plants that will be impacted by the landscaper. We had Spanish class tonight and had to pack for our trip tomorrow. Oh! and I decided to rip out the two rows I have done on Martha's quilt. I bought a low loft batting and I don't like it. I decided it was better to rip out the two rows I have done rather than continue with 13 more rows.

Another Quilt on the Frame

I have Martha's quilt on the frame. It is a flannel Twin sized quilt. Flannel is new to me so far its is very soft to work on. I really wonder how it will wear. Anybody have a flannel quilt? I have the frame in front of the TV set. I wish I could put it in front of Hubby's computer. Maybe then I would get some of that painting done.

The Big Apple Supreme

Today after church, Hubby and I went to the International House of Pancakes for breakfast. We both ordered the big apple supreme which is baked in the oven with apples and sugar on top and has a scoop of cinnamon ice cream on it. It was wonderful, probably wasted a whole week of water aerobics. The restaurant is always packed with a long line that curls around itself like a cinnamon bun. Everyone knows the line is always like that and is very good natured about it. We haven't been there in at least 10 years. The food is great and it is an experience.

Cleaning up "The Blogs I like"

I have too many blogs that I refer to that aren not active any more. Zeek and I (my steo daughter)hasn't been updated in over a year. It is because she has discovered facebook. Shazam in the Kitchen hasn't been updated since February. She (my daughter)has started her first year teaching and has also discovered Facebook. Hubby's It's my Story and I'm stuck with it should be given a little more time along with his Frenetic Felines. Super G's Potpouri has just started to show sign's of life

The Last Rose of Summer

Today was a perfect day. Mom and I went out to lunch and did a little shopping. I was going to help her clean her cupboards but we decided to save that for a colder, not so nice, day. We still have lots of tomatoes coming, green peppers too, and lots of eggplants. The roses are still budding but I need to cut down the black eyed susans and maybe the beebalm too. I know the cold weather and the first frost are not far away.

Deep Water Aerobics

I survived!It was difficult. I mean it was difficult to keep my stomach and my butt tucked in so that I stayed upright while I did the exercises.(I wore this belt that helped keep me afloat) So many of the exercises taxed my mental abilities to keep arms and legs going in the correct direction. On the jumping Jacks, you went underwater if you got it mixed up. The teacher was so slender but very encouraging and helpful. Tomorrow I have shallow water aerobics.

50TH High School Reunion

Today I went to my 50th high school class reunion. I graduated from Our Lady of Mercy High School in Detroit in 1960. Out of the class of 192, 96 showed up for the reunion. It was fun to see everyone. Some people you could recognize when they walked in the door. Others were a surprise when you saw their name tag. And still others, when you saw their name tag, you didn't even remember that they were in your class. For some people, high school was a pinnacle for them. It was the best time of their lives. That wasn't really the case for me. High school was fun, certainly more fun than grade school. (We didn't have middle school or junior high back then.) But for me college was more fun and even more fun was raising a family. Then after I went back to school and became an engineer, working was the best. Now that I am retired and I am active in the Lion's Club, Master Gardener Society, and the Quilt guild, life couldn't get much better.

I Signed Up at the YMCA

Well, I signed up at the YMCA for water aerobics, shallow end twice a week and deep in once a week. I also signed up for "Silver Sneakers" which is an exercise class. Now if I can just do push aways from the dining room table I should be in great shape.

Lunch with Dotja

I had lunch on Monday with a friend I have known since 8th grade.(which is well over 50 years ago) She lives outside of Philadelphia and now, that her mother has died, doesn't get back to Michigan nearly as often as before. Still it is amazing that we can sit and talk for hours about nothing. We aren't old enough to sit and reminisce but I am sure that will happen some day. For now, we are both very busy and active retirees, still enjoying the present.

Tolgate Family Fair

Saturday, Hubby and I worked at the Tolgate Family Fair. This is a free event for families. The kids make bird feeders (that was where I worked), hats, cotton ball sheep, pumpkin painting, face painting and others stuff. They had a butterfly lady there along with a bug man who had a large tarantula and a scorpion. They had lizards too. There was a band, free popcorn, hot dogs and cookies. There was honey made on site and a cider press demonstrating how to make cider. There were still more activities. A really fun day, a perfect place to take grandchildren.

Clase de Espanol

Well, Spanish classes stared up again last night. The whole month of August I studied Spanish diligently so that I wouldn't feel like the class dummy. It was to no avail. The teacher started right in on the different tenses. I thought I knew them but not the Conditional and the present perfect. In fact I don't know all these tenses in English. Anyway, I am going to have to find time to do a lot of studying. (I wonder what tense "I am going to have to study" is.)

Just Plain Grandma Peggy

I have been surprised by how many of my friends and acquaintances prefer to be called an unusual name by their grandchildren. I have heard of "Oma", "G-ma" and "Moma". These are different from ethnic names like "Bubbie" or the Japanese word that my grandchild, Russell uses for his maternal grandmother. When I was small I called my grandmother Grandma F--- or Grandma H---. Now I understand that because of divorce and remarriage that won't work all of the time because their are two Grandma W---'s. So I have become Grandma Peggy, which is fine with me. When I worked at a day care center teaching piano the kids called me Miss Peggy which more often than not came out as Miss Piggy.

The Master Gardener Society Calendar

Well, today I learned how to maintain the MGSOC calendar. This is my debut into working with HTML. To see my calender go to http://www.mgsoc,org/. I keep telling myself I am not too old to learn new tricks.(note that if you curser over the MGSOC it will tell you what the letters mean. Tricky eh?)

A Schedule

I made up a schedule for myself and I did it all on Excel.(My cousin,Marianne, would be proud of me because I even used colors)I got up an hour later than I was supposed to but still got everything done. I walked a mile and a half, planted pansies and tulip bulbs,changed my sheets, studied Spanish and HTML and even played the piano for a half hour. I read my book and quilted on my wall hanging. I am really tired.

So Much to Tell About

One of the problems with a busy life is there is no time to write it all down. A week ago today, Hubby and I drove up to Mackinaw City to walk across the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day. Sunday was beautiful, We walked around the city and toured the old ice-breaker Mackinac. That was surprisingly interesting. It has since been retired as it took 75 men to operate. The new ship is smaller, more powerful and requires a much smaller crew. It is also named the Mackinac.

On Monday when we got up at 5:30 AM it was raining. We had a light breakfast, no coffee, (there are no Porta Potties on the bridge) and walked the half mile to the municipal dock where over a hundred school buses waited to transfer people across the bridge. The bridge is a little over 5 miles long. The city was very organized. The bus trip cost $5. They filled 10 buses at a time, they all pulled out together and 10 more buses pulled in for loading. By thee time we crossed the bridge to St. Ignace the rain had stopped. They said 45,000 people walked the bridge that day. There was an old couple who shuffled the entire 5 miles across the bridge. There were people of all ages, some pushed wheel chairs with handicapped people in them and there were a lot of kids some in strollers. The National Guard lined the sides of the bridge and numerous police and coast guard patrolled underneath. By the time we had walked the bridge and back to the hotel we had covered 7 miles.

Tuesday we drove back home. There was no rain but a lot of wind. Hubby had to really hold on to the steering wheel and there were several trucks pulling campers who were having troubles. If this wind had occurred on Monday they would have had to cancel the walk. We got home with just enough time to take a nap before our Master Gardeners meeting which was held at Telly's nursery. It was all about fall blooming plants and not one to miss.

Wednesday was the first Lion's Club meeting of the year and my debut as Tail Twister. We had lost our chef and his kitchen in the city hall so we tried a new caterer, Salvatore Scallopini, and dinner was wonderful.

Thursday my Friend, Carole, and I left for Madison Wisconsin for a Quilt Expo. Carole and I have gone on trips together many times in the past and travel very well together. The quilters' convention was wonderful. This was so much better than the Chicago convention. This one had so many bed quilts as opposed to art quilts, many were hand quilted. We also took classes which were only $10 each and extremely practical and well done. Both, Carole and I, love Italian and Mexican food and even though at the end of the day we were exhausted we did manage to swim in the pool and, of course, talked non stop. The Quilt Expo ran from Thursday through Saturday. We got home before midnight on Saturday.

Sunday, my daughter-in-law and her mother and her son, Sammy were in town but leaving by 1 PM so we met them for breakfast and a trip to a lovely park in Taylor where Sammy could run and see the ducks. When I got home, Hubby and I took a nap. Poor Carole was driving to Minneapolis today. Don't ask me how she does it.

Finishing Those Projects

Last February I mentioned that I had to get my list of "to do" projects "done". Well today I finished two of them. The Kitty Pillow I cross stitched but the butterfly pillow is needlepoint done by my Mom. Now I am ready to start some quilting.

HTML

Hubby is trying to teach me about the HTML language. I am curious too. Maybe I will start by creating a family website. I will be the calendar editor for the Master Gardener Website. I go for my final instructions next Tuesday.

Walking

Hubby and I are training for a half marathon walk race. We have a 12 week training program. Yesterday we walked four miles. We did it early in the morning because it has been hot around here. The whole day we were pretty beat. We probably won't do the race because even though I am sure we can get up to 13 miles, the problem is that we have to do 15 minute miles. I don't think we can maintain that pace. The race walk is November 2nd. We will have to see how we are doing by then.

Hubby's Class Reunion

Last night we went to Hubby's class reunion. We had a great time. This is the third time I have gone to one of these reunions so I know many of the people too. One of his classmates who now lives in Iowa came. We have visited them in their home and they have been to ours. It is always fun at these occasions to hear what others are doing with their lives and hear all the old stories. As one member of the class said, "If they had done some of these things today (mainly explosives), they would have ended up in prison."

It's Just a Little Paint

The other night I was helping a fellow Lion fill goody bags for the Golf outing. As we filled the bags with golf balls, tees, pretzels, candy and granola bars etc., we were sipping some white wine. It is a good thing I only live a short distance away. When I drove into the garage I hit the side of my mirror on the side of the garage, then being rattled I didn't stop quite at the "tennis ball marker" in the garage and sort of ran into the recycling bin kept in front of the car. Now the truth is I have hit the side view mirror on the side of the garage without having anything to drink.

At the outing I talked to a few people about this misadventure and heard several other stories. One fellow pulled too far into the garage and hit the wall but didn't do any damage, until, he backed out and forgot he had opened the car door to check for damage. Another fellow said that when he was going to clean the garage, he backed one car out onto the street, and then backed the other car out and forgot he had parked the other one out on the street. That's a rough insurance claim when one of your cars plows into another of your cars.

So I figure it was just a little paint.

Lions Club Golf Outing

Sunday was our Lion's Club gold outing. We do it to benefit Bear Lake camp for visually impaired children. We had 63 golfers and another 13 who came to dinner but didn't golf. The weather was cool and no rain. I managed the Marshmallow Drive. For $5 you could buy 2 marshmallows and the person who drove it the farthest won $50.

Getting ready for Spanish Class

In September Hubby and I go back to Spanish classes. Since the first of August I have been studying Spanish every day. There is so much to remember. I would live to take a winter vacation in Mexico, long enough to try and speak the language.

Planning For a Quilt Expo

I met my friend, Carole, today for lunch. We are planning a trip to Madison, Wisconsin to a quilt Expo. We really have a good time on these trips. I think we talk non-stop all the way there and back (we drive-or really we take my car and she drives.) We will take different classes but will browse the booths together and find a good spot for dinner. (We both like Italian or Mexican)And we always get a bottle of wine for our hotel room.

The Carpet is Off of the Stairs

Over 25 years ago, my first husband and I painted the living room pink and I picked out, what I thought, was a burgundy carpet. It turned out to be orange against the pink. I even argued with the installer that it was the wrong color except I still had the sample and that was the color I had chosen. I have hated that carpet ever since. It is dark enough to show every thread or piece of dust. About four years ago we took out the carpeting in the living room but kept that on the stairs until we knew what to do with the stairs. Yesterday Hubby ripped out the carpeting on the stairs. There is still some in the upstairs hall. We still are not sure what to do with the stairs but we think we will leave them as hardwood showing.

Back to Normal

Gretel and "Extra Medium Dude" were here for a week and we had a busy wonderful time. We went back to the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum, spent a day at the Henry Ford Museum, went swimming at Grandma's place, and then hit the Maker's Faire at the Henry Ford. They left Sunday and so now I have been catching up on my housecleaning and laundry. Today we get our hair cut and somehow, in spite of this heat, Hubby has to mow the lawn.

R.K. Leaves Tomorrow

This has been a busy week with R.K. Tuesday he put together a snap together Harley Motorcycle. Wednesday he went swimming in the pool at Great Grandma's place and then out to lunch with her.

Thursday he helped me babysit.

Today we went to the Blue Water Festival and start of the Port Huron to Mackinaw race.

The Ann Arbor Hands On Museum

Today we took R.K. to the Hands On Museum in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was a wonderful museum with all kinds of demonstrations from the bubble demos to demonstrations on how toilets and sink traps work. They had lots of electrical and magnetic demos and fantastic light demos including the green screen. They had a laser harp which R.K. posed at with his "angel

face". The other photo was taken at the whisper chamber with Grandpa taking the picture through the hole in the device.

Afterwards we went to Zingerman's Deli and had huge wonderful sandwiches.

R.K. Learns to Sew

We went to Maryland this week and picked up my grandson, R.K. , to spend the week. He is ten years old. He was so good in the car for the long trip even though he didn't have anything along to do. Today, after church and breakfast, (He was good in church too) we made a sweatsuit for Kameren's doll. He was very able with the sewing machine and here is our finished project. Grandpa is also making a blog lately called Its My Story and I'm Stuck With it. We don't agree on the spelling of "it's".

A Computer Kind of Guy

Tonight Martha came home from school and said, " It's raining hard and there is a rainbow." Hubby said, "It 's not supposed to rain I had better look at the computer." Then he noticed a pop-up shower on the radar. I questioned whether, if there hadn't been a pop-up shower on the computer screen , would he not believe his eyes that it was raining? When I asked him that he said, "Well, I'm a computer kind of guy."

Kameren Came to Visit

Hubby's daughter and her two children have come to spend a few days with us. I love having a granddaughter to sew for. I made her several outfits for both her and her doll. Hubby loves explaining science to Keegan. Yesterday he had to run out to the market to buy lemons so they could make batteries.

Baseball

My Mom is an avid baseball fan. She seldom misses a Tiger game. I made her a counted cross stitch "Baseball Nostalgia" picture and gave it to her Sunday. Then we took her to an historic baseball game at Greenfield Village. I gave her the rules ahead of time and she studied them carefully. She was most impressed that the outfielders didn't wear gloves. At that time period, some players wore fingerless leather gloves but it wasn't really considered manly to wear them. Greenfield Village has two teams staffed by 46 volunteers. Their name is the "La-di-dahs". Yesterday they played a team from Wyandotte. Their uniforms said "Y & ." The temperature was 94 degrees so we were armed with many bottles of water and big hats. We used a wheelchair for Mom because the grove is quite a distance from the museum entrance. A good time was had by all.

Busy July

The first of July we babysat for my great niece and 2 great nephews. They were 3,2, and 5 months. We set the day aside to just play with them and we had so much fun. Arnold, our cat, responded to "Kitty Cat" and let them pet him as much as they wanted. He even let them walk with him on the leash. For being such a high maintenance cat he sure comes through when he is needed. At nap time I held each, one at a time until they fell asleep.(not long) Then Hubby and I sat in the recliners in the same room and napped too. Even Arnold crawled up in his perch and napped as well.

Back to Business

Well, now that I can talk as good as new and eat whatever I want, it is back to business. Hubby's vacation is over, now I can nag again up to full force. The weather here has been very warm. We have lots of green tomatoes and later in the week I can do some weeding again. Weeds seem to like hot weather.

Oral Surgery

Today I had to go to see the oral surgeon to have a lump removed from my tongue. It isn't expected to be serious because I knew I had bitten it. It is quite an interesting procedure, if you call it interesting to have an assistant pulling on your tongue while the doctor works. The worst part so far has been numbing the tongue. Now I have to keep a gauze pressed on my tongue, the problem is I need a bib because I am drooling so. I can't talk yet because I have a gauze on my tongue but there shouldn't be a problem.

An Earthquake Felt in Detroit!

I was at my Mom's today and we were watching a TV program when I felt the chair I was sitting in sway a little. At first I thought it was just me or maybe the building always swayed on the 3 rd flour. I even adjusted my position to see if it would stop. Later they announced that there had been a 5.5 earthquake 38 miles north of Ottawa felt in Detroit. Mom says "I felt it." But she thought it was just her and didn't want to say anything about it for fear I would think she was ill. When I got home I told Hubby. He said he had been lying down (checking his eyelids for cracks) when he thought the cat had jumped up on the bed but it hadn't. He didn't know there had been a quake. That was the first one for either of us.

Arnold and the Chipmunks

Everyday Hubby takes Arnold, our cat, out for a walk on his leash. He is getting very well trained. Many times we let him loose in the yard, while we are there, still on his leash but the leash dragging behind him. He has been very good about staying within the confines of the yard. He diligently watches for chipmunks. The other day he caught one. He bit it a little too hard (for a cat) and instantly killed it. This was a great disappointment to Arnold who kept dropping it and poking it, hoping it would do something. Today Arnold became quite confused when there was a chipmunk in front of him and another ran behind him over his leash, He didn't know what to do.

40th Wedding Anniversary

Yesterday we took my best friend Margie and her husband out to dinner at the River Crab in St Clair. We were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. I also gave Margie the quilt I made for her. She was really surprised and she seemed quite pleased.

Lions Garage Sale

Yesterday, Hubby and I worked the Lions Club Garage sale. It was very warm and by the end of the day we were beat. I kept calling out, "Make an offer! We are not proud! No reasonable offer refused, even unreasonable offers. " The worst part was dragging home the stuff that didn't sell. Fortunately it wasn't too much and then there was the stuff I bought.

Another Busy Week

Last Sunday we went to the Penrickton School for the Blind. They had a fund raiser where






Harley Motorcyclists paid $20 each to ride a route past the school. They had 1100 motorcyclist in spite of the fact that their point of departure, Cabela's in Taylor was hit by a tornado the night before.

Thursday we had our first day at Greenfield Village as docents. It went very well with Hubby at the Edison Illuminating Plant and me at the Martha Mary Chapel. We were pretty tired when we got home. It has been a long time since we worked 8 hours on our feet.

Tomorrow is the Lions garage sale.

A Really Busy Week

It has been an exceptionally busy week. It started on Tuesday when we went to the Farmer's Market to get squash plants and plants for my little wheelbarrow, and got our hair done and went to Costco and Spanish class. Wednesday I drove my Mom to small town Ohio to have lunch with Mary and see her new house. We drove through the worst rain storm ever. Then I had a Lion's board meeting. Thursday we went to our orientation session for Greenfield Village and the Ford Museum. We were there from 8:30 until 5:00 and it was very good but a very full day. Friday I had a cutting session for the Charity committee for the quilt club. We cut out pieces for kits that members of the guild can put together for charity. I learned a lot about cutting, pressing, and straightening fabrics. It was only four hours but it was very intense. Saturday we went to a leadership training seminar for the Lions Club as Hubby will be secretary next year and I will be Tail Twister. Today we are going to Penrickton School for the Blind. They have a fund raiser where they have hundreds of motorcyclist parade by and we want to watch. I enjoyed all the activities immensely but I hope next week is not quite so busy.

Murphy's Law

Today, Mom and I are going down to Ohio to see Mary. Mom has wanted to see Mary's new house and today is Mary's day off, so we are going. Of course the weather report today is awesome. Thunderstorms all the was from here to small town Ohio with a possibility of tornadoes. We will just take our time.

Thunderstorms

Memorial Day and thunder storms. Holidays are times for relaxing but when you are retired you relax all the time. Today I cut out a new dress pattern but I wasn't ambitious enough to start sewing. Then I traced the pattern for the quilt hanging over my bed but not ambitious enough to start sewing it. I then worked on my brother's quilt. It isn't due until 2013 but I have a lot to organize. I decided to have another glass of wine and relax some more.

I Love Summer

Yesterday, I sat out on he patio until almost dark doing my counted cross stitch and drinking a glass of white wine. The weather was perfect. I also watched the birds on the feeders. While I was out there we saw the hummingbirds, cardinals, goldfinches, blue jays, titmouse, oriole, mourning doves, house finch, lots of sparrows, grackles and starlings. Hubby finished planting some tomatoes and peppers. Then he sprayed rabbit repellent. The lady who lives behind us ran out to see what he sprayed. She did that the other day when he put fertilizer on the flowers. Every time something in her garden doesn't flourish she insists someone is coming into her backyard and stealing her plants. I think she thinks it's me.

The Annual Master Gardeners Dinner

Last night we went to the Oakland County Master Gardener Award dinner. It is at a lovely hall owned by the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Department. The Hall is lovely, the meal is great, the servers all wear black with white aprons and they all wear white gloves. All during the time before dinner they have a pianist playing for us. The people who attend tend not to dress up but they do wear clean jeans. They also have door prizes, about 5 less than the number of people attending which is well over 200 people. I won a huge hanging basket and Hubby won a bag of worm casings. We both got our "Advanced Master Gardener" certificates.

Manicures

I love a manicure, pedicures are nice too. But when you have a manicure your hands feel so special and you can see them whatever you do. Two weeks ago the Lions Club hosted a Michigan Wine Tasting. I had the job of pouring for one of the wineries. (According to the state license the wineries can't pour.) It was lots of fun and a huge success. Anyway I had my nails done for that. However I had bruised the nail on my pinkie and so it was dark purple. I chose a very dark nail polish to cover it up. Of course two weeks later it was starting to chip and the nail polish removers you buy in the store do not work well. So I decided to get another manicure in a lighter color. I wonder what excuse I can use the next time.

Lunch with Mom

Today Mom and I went out to lunch as we usually do on Wednesdays. I was telling her about a quiz Hubby found on Facebook. It was all about Detroit. I was asking Mom some of the questions because I knew she would know about these things. When I mentioned Bob-lo Island, she said to me, "Did I ever tell you about the time I missed the last boat off the island?" Bob-lo is an island in the Detroit River which had at one time amusement park rides, picnic grounds and a huge dance pavilion. The island belonged to Canada. The only way to reach the island was by a large excursion boat. The ride took about 45 minutes and there was a band, dancing and refreshments on the boat. My own memories of Bob-lo was going on the 10AM boat with my mom, Aunt, Grandma and cousins. We would picnic and play all day and our Dad's would come on the 6PM boat for supper and we would all leave on the last boat at 10PM. By the time I was a kid the pavilion was not used for dances anymore but kids used to roller skate on the wooden dance floor. By the time my kids were old enough to go to Bob-lo the pavilion was used to store equipment. Bob-lo now has condominiums on it and the boat is in dry dock.
Anyway, Mom had gone with her sister and her boyfriend. It was a warm summer night. Mom said she was dancing and having a wonderful time when she heard the low boat whistle and realized the 10PM boat was leaving. Apparently the island was so crowded with people staying late that they had to send another boat to get everybody off. My Aunt and Uncle were on that 10PM boat and were as angry as hornets that little sister had missed the boat. Mom said after she realized she had missed the boat she didn't have as much fun because she knew she was in big trouble.

Flowers

This year our flowers are spectacular. The Climatis by the garage door are breath taking. My Irises are pretty too. This morning we went to the Oakland County Farmer's Market. It was really crowded. We bought tomato, pepper, cucumber and eggplant plants. We also bought some Salvia for the front garden and a Fuscia for the Hummingbirds. I really splurged and bought Gerber Daisies for the raised bed beside the patio. I even bought some Baby Breath and Petunias to put in pots for my container garden. It is 87 degrees today so we won't plant until after Spanish Class tonight.

Lions Silent Children's Dinner

Last Wednesday, Hubby and I went to a benefit dinner for the Beaumont Silent Children Program. The program does speech therapy for children with speaking problems, a lot of children with autism and others. Not only was the dinner great but it was fun to be part of the support team for this good work. We won a door prize of a Dirt Devil small vacuum. We have one already so I will probably donate it to the Lion's garage sale next month.
I have made a resolution to get back to blogging. Sometimes it seems like what I do is not that earthshaking to merit writing about.

Getting Ready for a Road Trip

Next weekend we are taking a short road trip to Maryland. Three of our grandchildren live there (of course we are anxious to see their parents as well). Hubby is getting ready for the car ride. He does all the driving. Well occasionally he gets sleepy and asks me to drive, but all I have to do is start the car and he is wide awake. In order to prepare for the trip Hubby copies "podcasts" to a CD. He is an NPR junkie. Often going across Ohio and Pennsylvania we cannot get Diane Rehms. This is a disaster for Hubby, personally I am often relieved. So he copies many podcasts from NPR to listen to on the drive. He wonders why I bring my cross stitch or fall asleep.

Spring

This is really a very warm spring for Michigan. One has to keep telling oneself "It is too early to think of gardening. I did buy a hanging basket to attract the hummingbirds but I have had to bring it in at night. Yes we have the hummingbird and oriole feeders out but haven't seen any of them yet. The goldfinches are already bright yellow and we have a red winged black bird family hanging around the feeder. Arnold loves going out on a leash. He does fairly well for a cat but I wouldn't try walking him around the block.

Margie's Quilt

Last Thursday night I went to my Cameo Quilt Guild meeting. At the end of the meeting they have "Show and Tell." I felt very brave as I lined up with the others and showed the 60 people there Margie's quilt. I mentioned that most of the points matched and the border came out even. I said there were some lumps in the border where the seams overlapped. One woman said she didn't put seams in her borders. Another said she would be happy to have lumps in her border. Everyone raved about how beautiful the quilt was. They were surprised that it was hand quilted and said even that was beautiful. They want me to show it in the guild quilt show next year. My head is two sizes too big.

Save Those Little Plant Labels

Thank goodness Hubby is obsessive about saving plant labels. The plant I couldn't identify was Beebalm. I remember when we bought it , I noticed it was in the mint family, but forgot. My mind is like a sieve.

Be sure to look at http://freneticfelines.blogspot.com/ to see Arnold making friends with a Golden Retriever

No Hopping Down the Bunny Trail

From our breakfast nook window every evening we watch this big bunny scoot under the fence to come into our yard. So yesterday Hubby and I went out looking at the garden and could actually see a trail that the bunnies made coming under the fence. So Hubby put a cement barrier there.

Arnold wants to go out side and sneaks out at every opportunity. We have started taking him out on a leash in hopes that he gets the idea that in order to go out he needs the leash. He walks around the yard on his leash and does a nice job of it. He even follows us if we click our tongue for him to come along.

Spring is Here

Today I went outside and took along my Garden Journal that my daughter-in-law gave me for Christmas and the camera. I listed all the plants that were coming up and all the bushes that had buds. It was very gratifying. Some of them I could recognize, one I couldn't. I can't even remember what I planted in this location. Does this look familiar to anyone?

Keeping Hubby Healthy

I tell Hubby he has to be active in order to stay healthy. That is why I decided I wanted the downstairs painted and the basement stairs redone, and the roses trimmed. I did suggest that he didn't have to make anything fancy for dinner tonight.

A Terrific Quilt Show

This week, Mom, Martha, my friend, Carole, and I went to a small quilt show at the Ford Estate in Grosse Point. There were only two exhibitors. One woman worked with colored paper pieces(very small). The other was Suzanne Marshall. She displayed several quilts, all with magnificent applique. Everything was hand quilted with unbelievably small stitches. Her applique was perfect. She did one quilt that was all bugs. She embroidered the legs on and often embroidered the edges of her applique. I came home ready to start a new project after I read her books.

A New Approach

I have been trying for a long time to lose weight, rather unsuccessfully, so I have a new idea. Since John is selling Avon (and he gives 20% of what we buy to the Lathrup Village Lions) I have been buying these fantastic products which make my skin very soft and nice. I even have been wearing make-up! So I am a little chubby at least I am beautiful.

Warmer Weather

It is so nice to have days warm enough to enjoy. Hubby and I have been walking outside every day. Of course it is supposed to rain now for the next week but it was wonderful while it lasted.
Arnold even went out on the leash. He loves it and is getting pretty good at walking with us. The only problem was when he saw a bug. Arnold is terribly afraid of bugs. We wonder if maybe at some time he was bitten by a bee.

Cable Problems

We have been having problems with our cable television. It mostly affects the Weather Channel, which is what we watch the most around here. Hubby has been accused of watching reruns on the weather channel. It sometimes affects another channel but never all of them. Every time we call the cable man it clears up and Hubby cancels the call. Yesterday and today it was really bad and being Heather Tesch's birthday and all, we couldn't watch the weather channel at all. The service man came out and found the problem. Hungry Squirrels!! It apparently affects certain frequencies more than others which is why it didn't affect all channels.

It's Maple Syrup Time Again

Hubby and I went out to Tollgate Farm today to tap trees for maple syrup. The sap in the maple trees flows when the temperature is in the high 30's in the daytime and below freezing at night. So we wanted to have the tubes hooked up and ready. The trees are connected by tubes to large holding tanks which are then emptied into the evaporator. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. Every year new holes have to be drilled and then connected to the tubing. The snow was quite deep and when I stepped into snow that went above my boot and hit my bare leg I let out a little bit of a whoop. We drill with an electric drill and then we pound in a plastic style which is attached to the tubing.

Finishing projects

I have made it a point to finish projects from my to do list. Once I start them I will complete them but I have an enormous number of projects that are not even started but I hope to complete. Since the first of the year I embroidered a tablecloth, made a quilt for charity, and sewed the patches on the Lions Club banner. It's a start.

A Cold Night for Arnold

We have three cats at our house. Fervor, the youngest, is terrified of going outside. Cleo has only gone outside when a chipmunk ran across the porch as we were going out. Arnold tries to get outside whenever he can. We started taking him outside on the leash in the attempt to get him to think that this was the way to get out. He loves it. Well, last night, I put the recycling from dinner into the garage and Arnold must have slipped out without me seeing him. This morning when I opened the door to the garage, there was a very cold Arnold. He was very anxious to get inside.

Snowblower

We didn't get anywhere near as much snow as the East Coast but it was plenty as far as I am concerned. We got about 8 inches. Hubby has used his snowblower about four times already this year. He even does the sidewalks for the houses next to ours. Several, unfortunately,are empty. He really loves his"Big red machine."

I Like Being Retired!!

I really like being retired! Aside from the fact that in this economy it is nice not to be looking for a job or worrying about keeping one, it is fun being free. Well, free is a relative term. Hubby and I are members of the Lion's Club, which means we go to meetings twice a month, plus I have a board meeting every two months. Tonight we will be cutting fruit for the pancake breakfast tomorrow, which we will also work at.
Hubby and I also take Spanish lessons every Wednesday night and have been for the last 2 years. We spend a lot of time studying Spanish as well. I belong to a quilt club which has a meeting once a month and also requires some charity work. I belong to a small book club that meets once a month.
Hubby and I are Master Gardeners. Hubby is on their board and compiles their newsletter. We are required to do 15 hours of volunteer work for them and take 5 hours of education classes in gardening.
I like being free to go to lunch once a week with my Mom who is 92 years old as well as being able to help her or anyone else who needs me on the spur of the moment.
Hubby and I like to travel and do things together. He says he misses me when I am not around.
Isn't retirement great! We are busy. They are fun things to do. We are needed and appreciated. What more could you want?

Arnold is Feeling better

Last Thursday Arnold went to the vets for his rabies shot and a teeth cleaning. In the process he needed one of his teeth pulled as it had a large cavity. We have to give Arnold an antibiotic which he does not enjoy. However we have noticed he doesn't walk around the house howling as much as he used to. I wonder if he wasn't just being a chatty cat maybe he had a legitimate complaint. At any rate he is back into mischief as usual.

Quilts

I finished the quilt top for Margie's quilt.(Note how nicely the border met at the corners.) I think I will start quilting it the first of March. It is a big queen size so I have to put the frame in the family room. It cuts our television watching in half.(We can only see the top half of the screen.) I bought a "walking foot" so that I can quilt my "charity " quilt on machine. (The Cameo quilt club to which I belong requires a charity donation once a year). I like the hand quilting for my own quilts.

New Motivation

I made a new dress for myself. It is a long dress made of very soft corduroy. I wanted it for lounging. It turned out so pretty and would look pretty on me if I lost, maybe 10 pounds. I did lose 10 pounds last fall but put it back on during the cruise and Christmas. I am going to have to get serious. I hung the dress on my dress form so that I am reminded to "stick to it."

Studying Spanish

Hubby and I are taking a Spanish course through Community Education. This is the fifth class we have taken besides buying the Rosetta software. We are learning but very slowly. We spend about 20 hours a week studying Spanish! I am waiting for "the light to go on" so that I make some real progress. Mom signed up for a memory class. Maybe that would help.

Team Trivia

Hubby and I have always loved team trivia and have played it on our cruises. Last night we went to a team trivia tournament to benefit Penrickton school for the blind. We had a ball. For $20 we got supper (tacos, nachos and stuff, pop and snacks) and played team trivia. Such fun! We went with four other Lions and can hardly wait to do it again.

Video Cam

This weekend Hubby worked on my computer to get the video cam working. It was kind of fun to talk to Amy and see the kitten, Zeke and Blueberry. The picture is a little fuzzy but not bad. Because it is digital if you move fast everything blurs. I am not sure yet how the calling works or how to know if someone is calling you.

Learning to Run

My daughter, Mary, would like me to run with her on the first of May in a 5K run close to home here. I have done the 5K run-walks but never a run. I walk a mile on the treadmill. So I decided to up my speed. I walk at 3.5 for half a lap, run at 5.0 for a quarter lap, drop to 3.0 for a quarter lap to catch my breath, and then repeat. Hubby say "you only run for a quarter lap!" I am an old lady who has never run before! Today I got a leg cramp and walked the last lap and am limping a little because it still hurts.

Cameo Quilt Club

I went to my quilt club tonight. The speaker was Gwen Marston who spoke on art quilts made with solid colors. She was spectacular, very funny too. I know just what kind of quilt to make for Amy.
I haven't been blogging because Hubby was having trouble getting my computer to talk to the Internet since he changed to Windows 7. But now I am all set up. It really works very well and I like it much better than Vista.
I have been busy working on my sampler quilt. I only have one more block to do and then I have to assemble and make the border. At the quilt meeting tonight people were talking about their UFOs (Unfinished projects). Some people have as many as 30 unfinished projects. I must be weird. I am working on this quilt since the beginning of January. I have Martha's quilt which I have about 75% of the blocks done, but it's a queen size and she doesn't have a queen size bed so there is no hurry. I also have a Jacob's Ladder quilt, my only true UFO. I started it for Jim when he was going to college and he didn't like it. So it is not finished but every once in a while I do work on it. The quilt club is a non-profit group and is required to give quilts to charity. Someday I will finish it and maybe give it away.

Snowed In

Yesterday we had quite a snow storm and, wouldn't you know it, I got a phone call that a dear friend's mother had died and the funeral service was last night. We drove up to New Baltimore and it took us 2 hours to get there. I am glad we went though. The woman was only 65 years old. Boy, that is young to die!
Today I am still trying to clean my house after Christmas, mopping floors and finding Christmas chocolate wrappers under the furniture. Someone gave Kameren some candy that was like little beads and I am finding them everywhere and they are too heavy for the vacuum cleaner to pick up.
Hubby is installing Windows 7 on my computer and now my computer cannot find the modem so I have to use his to get on the Internet. Nothing is simple.

The Christmas Tree is Down

I took down the Christmas tree today. My tree is an artificial one that I bought 20 years ago when I first got my divorce. I paid $99 for it. A lot of people think it is real because it kind of looks scraggly like a real tree can. I guess an artificial tree is really the green thing to do as for 20 years I haven't cut down a real tree. It probably isn't 20 years because it probably took a little while for the tree farms to realize I wasn't going to buy a tree. Really the first year I had an artificial tree I bought a real one for the family room, but that year a home in Warren burnt down from the Christmas tree and so we were afraid to light it. I worked with a girl who had an artificial tree that she decorated and then at the end of the season moved the whole tree to a closet. It made it a lot easier to put up and take down the tree. The hardest part for me this year was going into the attic to get the boxes for the tree and ornaments. It was awfully cold in the attic.

New Year, New Projects

With the new year, I started a quilt for my best friend's 40th wedding anniversary. (She doesn't read my blog so there is no danger in ruining the surprise.) The quilt is a sampler quilt. I have always wanted to make one and I know she will appreciate the effort. It is surprising how difficult some squares can be to assemble. I also started embroidering a tablecloth. I will have to speed it up a little because over the holidays I spilled a glass of red wine on my lace tablecloth and the just threw it in the washing machine. It is stained. I will try bleaching it but I am not hopeful and after Hubby's seasickness on the last cruise, I don't think I can talk him into a cruise to the Virgin Islands to buy another.

Happy New Year

Gretel left this morning so we are back to normal. I think Arnold was relieved when he saw all the suitcases that we were not leaving. I usually take the tree down on New Years Day but today I worked a little on a new quilt, played the piano and opened up the Rosetta Stone software. I will probably go to bed early. I did make a new spreadsheet for my New Year resolutions. They are pretty much the same, lose weight, read more, exercise more and I added study Spanish regularly.