When I Last Left You

When I last left you, we were getting ready to leave for our European Adventure.

Our friend -Joe drove us to the Amtrak station in Spoky-Jo at midnight. It started snowing. A blizzard with about 4 inches coming down already.

Bye Bye US

We are waiting for our car to take us to the aeroport! 12 hours from now, we should be in the UK.

Hope everything goes accordingly well.

...And Off We Go!

Packing, closing up the home, dropping off the dog.

To pass the time, we are watching miscellaneous shows on tv - Heart is singing Barracuda on the Fuse channel -WHAT is the name of the other Wilson sister? With the computer already being shut down, we are unable to access Wikipedia to obtain an answer. Woe betide us as our memories are failing.

Then Joe arrives to pick us up at midnight. The weather takes a turn for the worst. Flying through a winter blizzard at 55 mph, we travel the 40 miles to the Amtrak station in Spoky-Jo. I am white-knuckle holding onto the door handle while griting my teeth as we speed through the dead of night. Only thanking the heavens above that there are not very many other vehicles on the road during this snow storm. It drops about 4 inches in the hour it takes to get to the airport, in addition to the 3 inches that we already received before we left.

Joe drops us off and hugs us; farewells are said. We wheel our luggage and bags into the depot-waiting patiently for the train to arrive. Encountering a man dressed badly as a woman (complete with enormous poky breasts that seem to jiggle, fake red wig, and a full beard stubble). This is the beginning of our great adventure.

A panic ensues as hubby starts asking about tickets. Tickets for Eura-Rail! Why would he ask that question now? As I leaf through my file folder of paperwork, passports, and reservaations, a breathless fear eats into my heart. Did I really leave them at home?

We board the #730 Coach, find Room #5 and settle into our warm little alcove wherein the bed is already turned down and treats are ready for us on the pillows. Watching out the window as the lights of the city speed past, we settle back and cuddle each other as sleepy slumber overcomes us.

Early morning hits us as the conductor indicates a call that breakfast will be short today because the dinning car will be closing at 0700. We spent the meal speaking with the nicest couple from Libby, Montana who were to spend a week in Ocean Springs. We explained about our vacation and they were able to give us some helpful hints. Greg broke his fast with the Bob Evan's special - pancakes with a scrambled egg entree. I enjoyed the Railroad French Toast. Lots of hot coffee as we only had 4 hours of sleep.

Watching the beautiful scenery across the state of Washington, the train arrives in Seattle at 10:15. Contacting the shuttle service at Comfort Suites prior to pulling into the station, we disembark to find our driver already waiting. A quick ride to the hotel and we are checked in early. WTG! While unpacking, Greg realizes that he left his coat & cell phone on the train. Oh NO! Contact with Sig at Amtrak Baggage nets us a quick retrieval of his coat and now we return to the station with Dave the driver, to pick up the coat.

Dave leaves us at Amtrak Station, we hoof it downtown to a wonderful BBQ restaurant-McCoy's Firehouse Bar & Grille. Yum. Beef brisket with onions. The place was definitely hoppingly full by noon!

We visit the Kilt shop http://www.utilikilts.com/ along 1st Avenue and Greg definitely had that glint in his eye! If the price had not been so outrageously expensive for a bit of skirt, I'm sure he would have been more than eager to purchase one...or two.

We passed the Underground Tour building that Kelsey will remember from when we brought her to Seattle. That tour was very great with informative hosts, and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting.

From there we walked to Pioneer Square and picked up mini donuts (Greg twisted my arm!) Greg was wearing something special so we were 'teased' by most everyone we saw. This is a surprise to K&M, so I will reveal it at a later date. Needless to say, we stood out from the crowd.

At Pike Place Market we watched the fishmongers toss their fish into the air and give quite a show. Walking through that marketplace is quite an adventure. So many creative artists. (Greg notes-we got accosted by the 'hippie' who was selling natural beeswax candles that he & his wife had been making for the last 20 years-while he had a very beautiful collection, we were unable to purchase one.) I loved the variety of food within such a small venue-If I lived within the metro area, I would surely be down there at least once a week to pick up fish or fresh fruit.

Sitting down on a park bench at the Olympic Sculpture Park, we watched the homeless wandering around in the sun, children frolicking on the grass, pigeons & seagulls divebombing for scraps of food, tugs & ferries crossing Puget sound, and a police horse with the requisite officer upon his back.

We tramped back to our hotel and after a short nap, we luxuriated under a wonderfully warm shower, confirmed our boarding ticket with the help of a delightful french girl via the Air France customer service; and then Greg ordered a pineapple & canadian bacon pizza from Pagliacci. More deliciousness.

A phone call to Chachi to ascertain that Isabelle talked to him after he got home from work...then she watched out the front window upon the dog couch. So all is well there. No worries.

Off to bed with our bad selves so that we can be ready in the lobby at 11:30 for the car service to drop us at the airport tomorrow. Our flight leaves at 2:00 PM.

The Calm B4 The Storm

Numbness surrounds me. I feel a calmness that I have only felt once before in my life-the time before I got married. Suppose the storm of emotion will hit soon.

Friday was spent cleaning up, packing, last minute confirmations. Hubby came home late after work and we went to get our nails done; they had to dig the dirt out underneath his nails! So he is pretty, and my nails look good.

We met our friend Chachi at his home to pick him up, then drove into CDA to have dinner at Red Lobster - his wife had already arrived and secured a table for us! Thereby avoiding a 35-45 minute wait! Yippee. I overate. Burp. Hubby & I both had the ultimate feast. Lobster, Crab, Shrimp - garlic bread, salad. Then we all shared a chocolate cake & ice cream dessert. Chachi had Salmon and Joanie had the Catch of the Day.

Joanie showed us her new silver Rav4 that she had purchased this past week. Wow. Pretty nice. Then we drove home sans dog - which was very depressing. Usually the dog accompanies us everywhere. She was so overtly excited to see us when we got home, had her "weird ears" wiggling and her tail wagging. I'm gonna miss that little pup a lot while we are gone.

Saturday, Greg worked in the shop while I cleaned the house for the final time. Then the fireplace bombed. We think it might be a thermocoupler, but with no stores open on the weekend, we will have to drain the pipes in the house while we are gone - and repair the fireplace when we return. What unfortunate luck.

Today, we do a little last minute shopping, packing, and then our friend Joe will be here at midnight to take us to Amtrak.

Three Two One

3.2.1. Only three days left. We leave on Sunday night - actually Monday morning at 2am - to catch the Amtrak train to Seattle.

I'm glad we are leaving now because the weather forecast is for cold, cold temps & snow. We both feel AWFUL about leaving poor little Isabelle alone. But we will console ourselves that she is with our best friends, that they have dogs she will be able to play with, and that this is a much better solution than a kennel. Izzy is such a sensitive dog that she would be devastated to be left anywhere else.

On Wednesday, I got stuff organized into different piles of what to pack into each suitcase. Toiletry items, clothing, shoes, gifts & misc.

Hubby-bubby came home after work and we had to make a run into town so that he could pick up parts. We observed many beautiful, lighted homes and Izzy just loved it. A radio station here has already started playing Christmas music (thanks 98.1 Lite-Rock KISS) so that we could truly enjoy the holiday spirit. The dog sticks her head out of the appropriate window and just stares at the twinkling lights as we slowly drive by each home. She even turns her head as we pass just to keep on looking at them. Who said that dogs are color-blind?

Thursday morning found me at the hair stylist's - Quincy did my hair in a smooth, swinging, curly style. It is great. But it will mean a lot of curling while we are gone. I have to find a really good curling iron to use. Ionic/Ceramic irons seem to be the best.Oh! Christmas With the Rat Pack is now in stores. Must Get! There's just something about Dean Martin that gets to me everytime! s.h.i.v.e.r.s.

Greg gave the dog a bath while I was getting my hair done. He also picked up a tarp to wrap around the cat box to keep her?/him? warm & dry.

After getting my hair done, we stopped at the mall- Hollisters - to pick up a pair of jeans for me; and Victoria's Secret to get my perfume. Mall Shopping. Check. Done.

While we were leaving VS, I noticed some woman had left her purse on the floor directly in the entrance to the store by a display. So, after asking a couple women that were in the vicinity, I picked up the bag and took it to the cashier at the store. Hopefully, it will get back to its owner. That was my good deed for the day. But afterwards, I began to think that it might have contained a bomb; what if one had been planted and when I picked it, I had inadvertently set it off? Hmmm. I guess that my concern outweighed my sense of self-protection?

On the way home, we stopped at Schuck's for more car parts, Wendy's for cheeseburgers for the puppy. Looked at more lights. What a wonderful night.

Greg worked in the shop trying to get last minute stuff done - guys are dense. After he has told people for weeks that he won't be around, they suddenly decide at the last minute that THEY have to have their stuff worked on RIGHT NOW. Well, at least he won't have to worry about it for the next 4 weeks.

1.2.3.4.5 DAYS!

The countdown is FIVE. Five days until we leave on vacation.


I am in such a state of tranquility at the present that I fear that it will be a frentic time at the very last minute.

Am trying to make lists so that I don't forget anything. But I always console myself with the thought that I can purchase what I would need over there. I'm sure they have stores across the pond, too.

It snowed heavily, then it began to rain. And rain. And rain. We have had non-stop rain for the last several days. The temperatures were in the high 40s today. This weird weather is unbelievable for the winter.

While Greg went into work a little while today; he also spent some time in the shop - then he took me into town to look for some new jeans. The selection was as distressingly slight as the choice of coats. No wonder the populace in this area dress as tho they live in the backwoods; it is probably because of the limited range of styles stocked by local retailers.

After jean shopping, we went to my doctor appt. Then stopped to confirm my hair appt with Quincy. She changed the time from Saturday to Thursday at 10AM instead. I need to get my nails done before we leave, so after my hair appt would be a good time. We finally visited Greg's favorite store - Harbor Freight. Got him some cutting wheels. Whoopie.

We are going to go out with Joanie & Chachi on Friday night.

I'm so tired right now, I can barely keep my eyes open.

NINE

NINE days to go. Just nine. I can't believe it when I type that number.

We have so much to do this weekend. Greg has to wrap up things he has in the shop; the building will have to wait until we return to put the finishing touches on it.

Tomorrow, we will go to quite a few stores to get little odds & ends. A coat for me? I am still debating on whether or not to take my enormous, warm, faux fur coat. Besides the fact that I look gigi-fabulous in it; it might be too warm with the temperatures in the Farenheit 40s in the UK, 50s in France and 60s in Greece...even the 10 day outlook for Garmisch, Germany is in the high 30s & 40s.

While we are at the mall getting our piercings done, I also have to hit Victoria's Secret for some perfume; Merle Norman for makeup; & Costco for a couple Christmas presents.

This week has been busy with arranging things, cleaning house, exercising, and setting things out so we know what we are taking.

Only NINE days.

Phone Pig and Other Oddities of Nature

Lately, my daughter dominates control of the phone when I call her. So I have not been able to talk to my son-in-law much. While our conversation was going the other day, I told her that she "hogged" the phone and started oinking at her. She is now my little PHONE PIG. And I mean this in the most affectionate way possible.

Throughout her life, her father and I have called her many meaningless, affectionate names. Beaker...as when she was a baby, she would make tiny 'hep-hep' noises and it sounded like the Beaker character on The Muppets; Inyago Montoya...from the movie The Princess Bride; and other various variations - Beaker Baby, Beaks, Rat, Googs, Punkin. At one point she even detested her own name and insisted everybody call her Kat.


Greg accidentally lost his cell phone on Saturday or Sunday. After tearing the house apart and all the cars, and even trying to locate it with a metal detector we borrowed from a friend...he finally found it this morning out in the new storage building. It had come unsnapped from his belt. We despaired of finding it as the snow covered all the ground and it would have been missing until Spring Thaw...Thank GOODNESS he found it as it has every phone number he ever needed in it and there would have been NO WAY on earth that he could have reproduced them. *Tonight, I will download them into this computer to preserve my sense of well-being in the future*

Last night we turned off the TV so that we could run to the store quickly for a few necessities. While we were gone, the TV blew up and the screen was totally green when we turned it on again. Thinking that it was the fault of the television, we brought down the new one from our bedroom and hooked it up; our stomachs were plummeting as we anticipated having an unexpected expenditure for a new television-the one we presently have is 10 years old; a projection 60 inch; undoubtedly it would be expensive to repair...

(Kelsey & Greg bought the surround sound/tv when they went to order appliances all those years ago - I was horrendously ill in bed with bronchitis - they called to ask me permission to get the TV as it was on sale & the salesman was giving them a smokin' hot deal with the appliance package - I didn't really care what they did as long as I got some rest ; and they proudly brought home the best TV & surround system ever. I am still pretty proud of them for it!)

But when we got the new one hooked up, it was the exact same thing. So we called the satellite cable company and they advised to re-set it and all would be well. Except that the remote failed to work - - which was probably the thing that had set this whole problem in process. Hubby had an extensive phone conversation with a gracious rep! He guided my husband as I worked the controls. Then I had to re-wire everything for sound. What A Night!

In re: Europe Trip - I have scheduled all our related appointments for the upcoming week. Piercings (getting my navel & greg's ear re-pierced), doctor, chiropractor, hairdresser, vaccinations.

Just waiting on a few last minute things to be mailed that I had ordered (please, oh please Dooney & Bourke-send me my new purse b4 I leave!) As I was SO irritated that they released their Christmas/Winter catalog and adding their new style of CROSSWORD without having ANYTHING in stock. I really wanted to order the Medium Sac to go along with the Letter Carrier purse. But nothing is available until about 1 week prior to Christmas. What sort of merchandising is this? Don't they WANT any sales?

The postal service has also been notified to hold our mail until we return. A few last minute instructions on our home to the friends that will be watching it, and we will pretty much be ready to go.

As long as my husband doesn't lose anything else...

Early Morning Gets the Worm

Hubby got a call out early this morning at 4Am. He was out of the house by 5. We had a huge storm front move into the area last night. Six inches so far 1.2.3.4.5.6! and it's not done snowing yet!

As I had nothing better to do and was unable to get back to sleep, I climbed upon the elliptical and proceeded to sweat for one hour. With the cold & inclement weather there will no more brisk walking around the neighborhood for me...

*Note to self - Don't try to exercise on the elliptical while watching CMT - Country Music Television videos. They are just too darn heart-breaking. I start to cry and almost fall off the machine.

days left til we are out of here! On Sunday, we went over to the new Cabelas- which is a giant sporting goods store. I would rather see the displayed, stuffed, dead animals in the wild while they are living; but it was quite an adventure walking around the enormous tribute to consumerism. They even have a restaurant within the store which was emitting discreet but delectable aromas from inside.

Obtaining a wonderful elegant winter jacket for hubby to wear on the trip at only $29 USD; we also picked him up a beautiful pair of black leather gloves, and some walkie-talkies so that we can have fun communicating in Europe.(don't tell the kids-it's a surprise)

We also managed to see a movie "The Mist" which was every bit as scary as the book; but I have to learn not to read the books before I go to see the movie. A comparison, be it negative or positive, is always unavoidable.

Pack, lists, locks, luggage, clothes, shoes, hairbrush, toothbrush, dog, house, cat, fish, tickets, passports, trains, planes, automobiles -- I'm getting pretty nervous. So much to do, so little time left.

Countdown - 18

18 days to go!

We spent a quiet day on Thanksgiving. Besides having an awful cough from this stupid, malingering cold...I just wanted to spend a day with the hubby.

So we got a few things from the grocery store that we had forgotten (stuffing/milk/buns) and went home to make T-Day dinner. Also picked up warm lattes from a place in town.

Stopped at our friends, Joanie & Chachi to see how their building was coming. Greg had to return to take a couple things to them, while I worked out on the elliptical. When he got home, we settled into our dinner and watched the Parades that we had recorded for our viewing convenience.

Greg called his dad later Thanksgiving night. All was well with Marv. He had served some friends at the local church by carving up 18 turkeys.

The kids sent us a cute e-card of a hand drawn turkey. It made us smile.

Yep. We Got It!

Snow.

Not a lot.

Just a dusting.

But it's here.

More of the Same

More rain. Dark. Depressing. Gloomy. Miserable. Dismal.

I went to get my nails done Friday morning. Which was a relaxing, enjoyable time. Except that the nail tech pinched my toes just a little bit too much on my left foot and I lost all feeling in that side of my body!

Afterwards, I went to pick up a prescription. The supreme hassle of getting this simple thing frustrated me so much when the Pharmacy failed to fill it or contact me with their inability to fulfill it. Using the flimsy excuse that they didn't have a current phone number for me & didn't know who the doctor was...these incompetents failed in their jobs. The people there are now rude, discourteous, and intolerable.

When we first started using this "hometown" pharmacy, there were extremely helpful, polite, and service oriented. With the surge in the population, they have added more employees which seems to have brought the quality of service to a new low. They have always had our telephone number; if they don't-the telephone book lists our phone number. Look it up! In addition to this, they have filled the last 3 prescriptions for the past 3 months with the SAME exact doctor. Yet they looked at me like they had no clue.

I had also called in on Tuesday to confirm that they transfer the prescription from their sister pharmacy as I wanted to use the one that was most convenient in locale. I gave all the pertient information again at that time.

When arriving home, I contacted my physician's office to get the prescription filled at a different pharmacy only to learn that the doctor's office was "extremely busy on a Friday" - duh. When is a doctor's office NOT busy? More excuses. More incompetence.

Resolving to get a written paper prescription the next time I had an appointment with this physician, I gritted my teeth and urged the receptionist to get a note to the doctor's nurse so that my prescription could be filled & I could get it picked up. Remember. This is a prescription that was to have been filled on MONDAY.

After 3 hours and 2 more phone calls, the doctor's nurse FINALLY called to advise she had called the drug prescription into the local Walgreens. However, when I got off the phone with her and called the local Walgreens, they had not even heard of me. Never got a prescription from the doctor, either.

So, here it is. Saturday. I am out of my pills. I'll probably fall over dead without them. And two pharmacys and one doctor's office failed in their jobs. If you don't WANT to be in your job and you DON'T like it and you fail the customer, GET OUT OF IT. You are only making it worse for others.

I am thrillingly looking forward to Monday (insert heavy accent of sarcasm here-) when I get to call the doctor's office once again to urge them to actually get my prescription to me via a piece of paper instead of the useless computerized system they are attempting to use.

I will rest in the knowledge that even tho I am dead from my lack of medication, my fingernails & toenails look Marvelous!

Tentative Itinerary

1/Amtrak train to Seattle

2/Fly non-stop Seattle, UStates to London, UK

3/2-3 days in UK with kids

4/Fly London to Resort in Germany

5/Stay for week at Resort

6/Train from Germany to Rome, Italy

7/Train from Rome to Bari

8/Ferry from Bari to Patras, Greece

9/Train from Patras to Athens

10/Fly from Athens to Rome

11/Train from Rome to Paris, France

12/New Year's Eve in Paris!

13/Fly from Paris to London, UK

I purchased Frommer's guides to all the major countries that we will be touring; Kelsey has a guide of Europe by Train.

While I walk 4-6 miles every day...I do not listen to music; instead - I have this chant I do in my head. Sometimes I even say it out loud. "England, France, Germany, Italy, Greece."

Walk A Mile In My Shoes

After fixing lunch for the hubby and waving him off to work, the dog & I walked.

While she peters out after 1 mile, I continue on for another 5 miles while Isabelle rests in the truck.

The hubby got off work early so that he could pay his speeding ticket that came in the mail that he totally forgot to tell me about...he received it back on October 31.

After that incident was finished, we had a small dinner of turkey sandwiches. I immediately konked out on the recliner. I dragged myself upstairs, not understanding why I was so exhausted. Thinking that my cold had returned, I slept for about 2 hours. Waking up felt like walking through sludge- I figured that the Tryptophan in the turkey must have lulled me into the Zzzzzzs.

We finished the night out by watching CSI, Criminal Minds, and the late news which predicted SNOW. Doing a quick walk around the deck amidst the falling precipitation, we kissed in the first flakes of the season. Cold tonight.

Tomorrow, I will need to order some final things for the trip; some neat & cute boots, jeans, & a sweater I found in a mail-order catalog; plus a new Dooney & Bourke purse. There are so many things to get ready for the trip.

I miss my mom.

Nite Nite.

Let Me Hear You Say It Now!

After walking 4 miles, I came home and cleaned house on Saturday. Greg worked on the building for a while until it rained.

Chachi had an argument with Joanie, and he thought she ran away to Montana. However, she was just out shopping the whole day. They are now arguing and neither will talk to the other. Joanie says that eventually they will start talking again. Chachi needs to spend more time with her, instead of doing "guy" things all the time. To resolve this, Greg is going to urge Chachi to not come over as much.

Sunday we got lattes, ran into town so that Greg could get more insulation for the building (the guys cut it incorrectly and wasted a major portion) then when we returned home we went for a walk with the dog. Isabelle & hubby ducked out after 1 mile while I continued on for another 4 miles. When I returned home we both picked up garbage around the worksite.

Monday dawned with dark, cloudy, and forbidding skies. The wind blew & the rain fell in torrents. Veteran's Day was dull & depressing. I ran over to Joanie's & we made bracelets.

4:00 found us in Spoky-Jo at my doctor's office. I have lost 16 pounds. But I think I have lost more in inches. Anyway, everything checked out OK.

We got a "Frommer's Paris 2008" travel guide. I will be ordering more like this over the internet for our trip. It is a very informative book, giving architectural details, travel resources, top attractions & restaurants, museums & highlights plus detailed strolling notations. It will be exciting to have the guide when we visit the different attractions to give us the background info!

How Many Days?

The countdown begins!

Here Kitty, Kitty!

When I went out to feed the fish this morning, I heard a plaintive miaowing coming from the direction of Greg's truck. So, I wandered out and found that there was a cute little kitty stuck under the hood. I called Greg (as I feared that there was going to be blood & guts involved...) and fortunately, he was close enough that he could drop in quickly.

The poor little thing was sitting on the truck battery in a vain attempt to attain warmth. It was shivering and shaking. After a thorough inspection, whereupon we learned it was relatively clean and free of fleas; we took it inside to give it a warm box along with a hearty helping of tuna.

Dubbing the little thing, Augustus 2 - it looks very similar to a cat we used to own, many years ago. After dinner tonight, Gus settled down on Greg's legs & took a long nap. Isabelle kept schnozing the little kitten while it slept, sniffling to inspect this intruder into her home!

It might have caught a ride home on Greg's truck when he stopped at the salvage yard, and hubby will call the guys tomorrow to find out if they are missing a kitten. It might also be an abandoned cat as we live quite close to the highway, where people will dump their animals. In the meantime, I will phone the Vet to get him to look over Gus.

6 Miles A Day

Here is the weather forecast for the next 5 days. We are obviously into the monsoon season. It's going to be quite a challenge to walk 3-6 miles a day in the mud & muck with the rain coming down, but I will do my best.

Since I have started saving the Victoria's Secret catalog front pages on http://www.flickr.com/ since July 4, 2007- I have received over 50 advertising catalogs. Isn't that a bit excessive? Sometimes, I receive two or three catalogs in the mail in one week! Victoria's Secret advertising budget costs must be exorbitant!

I haven't blogged in over 6 days because I have been recovering from the flu/cold. The symptoms branched out and it came right back again. I believe that hubby and I were just exchanging the same cold, over & over again.

We did manage to go to Wally-Mart on Tuesday night. It was quite an accomplishment dragging myself around the store. Getting a cold can deplete your energy.

I did manage to make another bracelet. Also made one for the baby. She will get it when we see them on the EV! (European Vacation)

Only 32 DAYS! I will seriously countdown from now on!

We leave December 10 on the Amtrak train to take us to Seattle in order to board our plane. We reserved a sleeper car so that we board at 2:15AM, we will be able to sleep on the way. Get up and have a leisurely breakfast in the morning of December 10th, then depart the train at 10:20am...taxi to the hotel to stay overnight, then have ample time to get to the airport on December 11 by 1PM for our flight out at 2PM.

The only sad thing in our whole holiday will be that Isabelle has to stay with our friends, Joanie & Chachi. She will have the Greyhounds & Shorty to play with, but she is really a solitary dog. Hope she does well with them for that period of time.

We still have not received any steel or insulation from the Steel Yard yet. In the meantime, Greg had the guys install his wood stove pipe through the roof in order to heat his shop. I urged him to find other sources of heat, but he decided that since we have an excess of wood & it is a warmer heat than others that he would like this best. He still has propane as a back-up.

Sandpaper & Acid

Yep. That's what my sore throat feels like. Just exactly as if two pieces of sandpaper were rubbing back & forth. Then, maybe somebody accidentally poured a bottle of acid down my throat. Without vaporizing the sandpaper. Because the sandpaper is too tough to be melted by just acid~


The cold lingers. I growl sexily when I have a sore throat. And am so weak that I can't even climb the stairs without being out of breath.


My head is under so much pressure, I believe it will burst and green snot will fly out to coat the walls.


Nobody around to make chicken noodle soup with dumplings for me or cover me up with a blanket.


I hate colds.
Made some new domino necklaces the other day for Christmas.

One snowman with a cute little dangly snowman bead at the bottom.

The other is a pic of a vintage Santa.

Building pic. All the girts are up and ready for metal. It was just too late when they finished to take pictures. I dragged myself down there to take these, and was panting like a freight train by the time I got back to the house. The metal won't be delivered until Tues/Wed/Thurs.

All Saint's Eve

Brrrr. It's cold out there. Hope the little spooks & goblins are all bundled up.

Happy All Saint's Eve to you.

Only 8 trusses to go. The builders will probably be done tomorrow. Steel should be delivered by Tuesday. Yippee.

Want That - - -

yes.
yes.
YES.
I just SO want to be reminded of the days when I served in the CIA.
So this coat would be perfect.

Nobody will recognize me in Europe from the days when I was a spy/agent.

This would be awesome for the EV!

More work on the building. Only a few more days for trusses, then up goes the metal.

Greg already bought man-doors. But I think he forgot the hardware for the door knobs & deadbolts.

I bought this nifty-neat-keen & cool video monitoring system. When the building is finished we will install it. Then we can pull the monitoring up on an on-line website to see what it is filming. So fun.

My cold continues to bog me down. I was unable to walk today and even going up and down the stairs winded me!

I have been throwing our filing into the file cabinet drawer. It has gotten out of hand. This is not like me as I usually like to file stuff as soon as we get something. Bills, receipts, etc. It is mind boggling how much accumulates in 2 weeks.
Lots of paperwork to file from building receipts. Ugh. I do not look forward to this.

Since the weather temperature has been dropping lately, we have been using the fireplace more often. Isabelle now comes down and spends most of the night in front of the fire, warming her big belly. She brought her squeaky bunny down with her tonight. What a smart dog.

No, Not the ChaCha Again!

After watching Blades of Glory Sunday night, we both fell into bed exhausted and looking forward to a good night's sleep. However, that was not to be the case. Greg had gifted me with that horror or horrors...'the fall cold'!

Thanks honey, just keep giving those gifts that keep giving!

Snot running, head draining, coughing, sneezing, body aches and pains. I sound like a walking advertisement for a cold medicine.

So Monday morning dawned earlier than usual as neither of us were able to sleep well. And after preparing Greg his lunch in my fog induced cold delirium, I was confronted by an email from the newspaper wherein I inserted my mother's obit. Turns out that my father had driven all the way down to their offices and "threatened to sue" the newspaper for illegally printing his wife's obit. Obviously, this demented, psychologically unbalanced man is ready for the looney-bin. Hmmm. Maybe that's an idea. Maybe I should have him committed.

While accusing the newspaper of "sensationalizing" his wife's death, he also told them that they had no "permission" to print an obit. The poor girl replied that his daughter had PAID for the obit to be published and that the newspaper, in point of fact, does not go out looking to find out who had died. While she was on the phone with me, she repeatedly pointed out that it was a "lovely obit" and that I had obviously honored my mother by publishing it. Duh.

The poor news room peon had been panicked enough to contact me as she was unaware of circumstances. She asked me what I wanted to do. I replied..."What do you USUALLY do in these cases?" to which she indicated there they DO have an attorney on staff. Good. Use him. Duh again. Refer old, insane, stupid men to their legal representative instead of calling me!

People ask me WHY my father acts the way he does or says odd things. I don't know. I really don't. I had to live with him for 18 years while he mentally & psychologically abused me. And this example is just a tip of the iceberg for some of the things he did & said.

Anyway, I decided to ignore it and get on with my day. But the asinine behavior of his kept popping into my head all day. I went on my 6 mile walk and when I was about 1/2 mile from home spied 2 people who were in their early 20's attempting to break into a home. I called the police and answered all the dispatch questions to the best of my ability while panting and sweating. These young people are ALWAYS walking in this area...and in the past, I had wanted to stop and give them a ride. But maybe they are just scoping out homes to steal from.

In my conversation with the dispatcher, she wanted to know what they looked like; what they were wearing; how old they were; what they were doing. Gee. I'm totally surprised she didn't want their names, too!

Isn't just calling in and giving an address and telling the police that they were behaving suspiciously, that nobody was at home at the place where they were, that they were on foot - walking down a highway...enough information for the police to respond?

Considering that the average response time for the police officers around here is 20-30 minutes, I rarely call unless it's a real emergency.

When we moved here 10 years ago, nobody walked around here. It was the last frontier. We never had to lock our doors or be alert to things like this. We never had idiotic people pulling into our driveway and making a u-turn in our hard to change a flat tire on their RV trailer even after we have posts on our entrance gates - DO NOT ENTER - NO TRESPASSING - TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT. Obviously people can't read basic language.

The weather has been good here lately. Just a little cold, but sunny almost every day. Great walking weather. Cool enough not to sweat too much, but warm enough with the sun on the face.

Progress is slowed down a little on the building as Greg has returned to work and isn't around to supervise. The guys are still putting up the trusses. We had hoped to have them all up in 1-2 days...but it looks like it might take all week. The steel will be coming next week and it should be a pretty quick job to finish it all up.

Our friend Bruce has gotten all the steel & insulation on his roof, but has yet to start on the sides. I don't know if he wants Greg to help him finish it all; he doesn't seem to want to hire anybody to do it as was his original intention. Greg has so many OTHER things to do...but he feels like he should be helping his friend out. I told him he has already helped him out so much, and he just has to quit feeling guilty.

I persuaded (forcibly talked) Joanie into selling our creations on Etsy. Here is our shop on Etsy. 2 Cubbies Jewelry & Wearable Art I am still uploading our jewelry.

Lots of Work, Little to Show

Sometimes it seems that you work so hard and so much, but have very little to show for all your effort. That is what it was like today.

The guys had to manufacture a special steel piece to use in order to lift the trusses with an off-road forklift. Then all the joist hangers had to be attached to each truss before they lifted them up.

So they only got 2 trusses raised even though they had anticipated having them all up by this time.

Here's the date I etched in the concrete before it hardened. Always good to put the date on something so it when it is dug up in 20,000 years from now, they won't know what the frick it means!

I babied Greg last night by making him my special Chicken Noodle Soup with Dumplings. This is guaranteed to cure a cold...(not really). But it makes my family feel loved and pampered when I make them this. I had to make sure that I emailed my daughter to tell her that I was taking care of her father by preparing this special concoction. So she probably feels justifiably jealous. Poor kid. I will have to make it for her when we visit in 45 days from now!

After getting my hair done in Spoky-Jo this afternoon, I came home and walked 3 miles. With a 5 pound weight in each hand and 3 pound weights on each ankle. So good so far.

Here's a pic of the hair. She highlighted it; layered it, and curled it. I just adore the curls she puts into it.

And if anybody wants to know...that is 577a Red Sensation Wet 'n Wild Megaslicks on my lips. Love that color.

Bye Bye Fall

It froze out last night. Our little fishies had a thin layer of ice over their water at the top of the barrel. So we turned on the warmer and I poured warm water into the barrel for them.

Greg caught a cold from our friend Joanie. He is going to come home tonight to bed rest asap. But we will see...What he says and what he actually does are two different things!

Yesterday, I vacuumed and cleaned the floor. The carpet cleaner should be here next week to do the loft.

Our countdown is at 46 DAYS! Only 46 days to our EV! Yippee.

I can hardly wait.

No Promises...but I will be working on converting my Freebies soon. So continue to watch. Now that I have DSL, it should be easier to upload to the site.

Pics of the building thus far. All poles are straight & true, the trusses came this morning and concrete will be poured into the holes this afternoon. Tomorrow, the trusses will be raised up onto the poles. Then joist hangers will be nailed up (lots of those...)

Who Needs Enemies When You Have Family?

Greg took bereavement leave due to my mother's death. So he is able to comfort me and also proceed with the building. We are going to have a plaque placed on the building..."The Geraldine Memorial Building".

I am also contacting the State Highway Department in order to "adopt" a stretch of highway in front of our home to memoralize her. Greg suggested that since I clean up the highway most of the time, I should get credit for it! LOL!

Through a phone call to my brother...I ascertained that my father had neither had a funeral for my mother or placed an obit in the paper for her. So I am contacting their local paper to advertise a memorial honoring her life. My father had stated that neither one of them had wanted the "expense" of a funeral, but my mother NEVER made that statement. It was all the thoughts of an overbearing man, forcing HIS opinions upon her.

Thank goodness I am finished with him. Once and forever.

My family's actions at this distressful time have only worsened a highly emotional situation.

And I will quite whining about this because MY family consists of my wonderful, loving Husband - Greg...my lovely daughter Kelsey, and my son-Matt, her husband. I am so very blessed to have these people in my life.

So you can't pick your relatives, but you CAN pick your nose.

-

There Are No Words

My father called this morning at an ungoldly hour; as Greg was still half asleep, he picked up the phone and talked to him. I have not spoken to my father in several years and still refuse to converse with him.

He called to let us know that my mother died on October 3.

She was 87 years old. She passed away from heart failure.

There are no words in me. I am bereft.

As I was growing up, my mother was my best friend.

When I met Greg, he came to love her even more than his own mother. He loved to tease her about little things and she loved the attention.

Even tho we had not spoken in a long time, I loved my mother dearly and I know that she loved me.

This beautiful woman had given birth to 5 children; 3 girls & 2 boys-I was the last; born when she was 40 years old. I cannot imagine the inner strength she had in order to proceed with a pregnancy at that age when it was not popular.

I have been reviewing my past files and looking through the meager pile of pictures of my mother that I have saved on my computer. Even though it is making me miserably depressed, it brings her memory closer to me.

Thank god that she was able to live to see my daughter fully grown. Kelsey was such a joy to her grandmother when she was little. They had many wonderful times together.

My mother suffered through the loss of her first child right after birth; enduring the antics of the anti-christ (as I call my oldest sister); my siblings run-ins with the law; an overbearing, difficult husband; cancer of the thyroid; cobalt treatment for uterine cancer; quadruple heart by-pass surgery; and a horrific car accident (thanks to my stupid father's asinine driving). This woman was blessed with a long and challenging life.

I love you, Mom and always will.

Geraldine Ann Burns
1920-2007

Since You Been Gone-

Joanie had the day off on Monday, October 8 for Columbus Day. So we got together and beaded. I walked down to her house with the dog. After we were done, I walked back. It is 2 1/2 miles to their home one-way. I need to get into shape for our European Vacation. Hereinafter which will be referred to as EV.

So I am now walking 3-6 miles per day. Mostly 6 miles. I walk 3 miles in the morning and 3 miles at night.

Our DSL was officially installed as of October 13; but it was up and running by October 15 as promised. Yippee. I have Internet at speeds of the interstate and not the back road with the horse & buggy as Ernie quoted over at NDISB. Hopefully, this situation will continue as stated and I will have no further problems with my Internet Service Provider. But life is never as one anticipates and nothing is perfect forever.

Busily putting together more Domino Necklaces, I finally finished and was ready to take them to my hairdressers on Sunday night, October 14. Joanie also contributed several necklaces & earring sets. If they don't sell, we will probably put them on ETSY.COM. I will keep you updated.

So I had my doctor's appt in Spoky-Jo at 3PM on Monday, then went to the Glamour Photo Party at the hairdressers. It was fun. My pics didn't all come out fabulous, but I was satisifed for now. I would like to go back and do it again as I would be more relaxed next time.

Our weather in the area looks like this.

The site pad is still not finished as our dirt work contractor will only work on it on the weekend. Reminder to self...do not ever have friends do work as trades. Greg will not be able to finish the building by himself and will now be forced to hire a contractor to get it completed before winter & snow sets in too deeply. We only have 55 days before our EV.

Tucson Trip Part 2

This can't really be called a holiday or a vacation. It was more of just a quick trip.

Friday, October 5 we drive all day through California. An odd occurrence strikes us as northern Californians drive on the far left side and using the right lane as a "passing lane". We see lots of fruit & vegetable trucks as we travel Interstate 5. We stayed the night in the Motel 6 at Redding California. (which reminds me - I need to file a complaint) When we return from walking the dog, we find a young couple with a small child of about 3 sitting on the stair steps just outside our room. They are smoking cigarettes. The young woman is obviously 8 months pregnant. They barely move as we come up the stairs. Finally, my husband asks them to MOVE out of the way as the dog will try to eat their kid if they don't. (Isabelle has always disliked young children-don't ask me why. She has never encountered nor had a bad experience with one. She just growls & barks at them) I immediately go into our room to call the front desk and the manager comes out to ask them to move. We rented a non-smoking room. HOW can people be so rude as to smoke just outside the rooms. Obviously a vast lack of brain cells have been killed by their smoking. Or maybe they were just born stupid. We were rudely awoken at 2AM, when a bunch of oriental guys bang violently for 5 minutes on one of the doors next to us. We should have left at that time, but we were too tired. A drug deal going down? A prostitution ring? I dunno. It was a horrible night.

Saturday
We left the hotel at 5am and purchased the crappiest lattes in the world in Redding, California. I have never tasted coffee that was burnt so badly. We continue on our drive through northern California in the dark. The sunrise was beautiful and we saw lots of deer as we ascended into the mountains. We depart Interstate 5 and veer off to the west on Hwy 97. Oregon is beautiful country, but boring. Long periods of time between towns on this highway. We stop in a small town in northern Oregon that has the best museum that I have ever visited. Most of the items are brand new, still unused. Ration stamps from World War 1 & 2 unused in the book. Like uniforms from soldiers that have very little wear. Purple hearts & Gold Stars from soldiers that never returned from wars. Even two original oxen harness pulls from the original settlers to this area. Still with the oxen hair sticking out of them! All in this small little town. Even though we are pressed for time, we have to spend an hour here. I talked with the 2 women that were at the greeter's desk. They have lived here their whole lives and are able to give us an insight into some of the exhibits. I really enjoyed conversing with them and hated to leave.

We continued our drive past the mighty Columbia River and into Spoky-Jo late Saturday night. The puppy perked up as we drove in...she was totally familiar with that smell. We kept telling her we were almost home. She never laid back down once until we drove into the drive, whereupon she bounded out of the truck. Eager to be the first one into the house, she forced me to open the sliding glass door out onto the deck. Isabelle then retrieved a bone and brought it into the house, happily chomping on something she had hidden there before the trip!

It's great to be back. But the amount of cleaning, laundry & general things that had to be done was enormous. I spent the next week from the 7th through the 13 just working my butt off! Had we ever really left or was it all just an illusion of my mind?

We Have DSL

Cause to celebrate. We have achieved connection to DSL!

Trip to Tucson

We leave Friday, September 28, 2007 after Greg got home from work and we had packed. So it was a late start. We arrive in Missoula, Montana at about 1:00am, tired & cranky. A room was rented at $110 which was a big rip-off. We share the only bed in the room with the dog. Thank goodness - as it is cold & snowy outside. What a great start to our vacation-NOT. In the morning, we partake of coffee (me), waffles & orange juice (Greg). An elderly man makes conversation with us and indicates that at 6AM he has whiskey in his truck if we want to join him. Ugh.

Saturday - Driving through snow, rain, and hail...we trek through Salt Lake - which has got to be the most gosh awful place to live or drive. It takes us 3 hours to crawl through this town and experience the worst traffic jam just because of accident gawkers! However, we arrive in Mesquite, Nevada to rest in the best room of the whole trip. A gambling resort area that has sprung up just outside of Las Vegas. Wonderful warm temperatures. We walk the dog around the area which is just across from a spectacular golf course.

Sunday morning dawns bright & early. We talk to a delightful couple at the biggest continental breakfast/brunch that I have ever seen. All included in the price of the hotel room. The elderly couple explain that they are looking to purchase property in this wonderful little town. After bidding them goodbye, we pack up and head out on the interstate. Passing Las Vegas & Hoover Dam..we are detained briefly at the dam for a spot-check on vehicles. We make good time to Phoenix & bypass the traffic to arrive in Tucson at night. We miss our exit to Green Valley and almost end up in New Mexico before we discover our error. Turning around in the middle of the interstate (whoops-a big No.No.) we make our way on the backroads to GV. While stopping to fill at the local fuel station, I asked for directions from a very nice young man who also gets his map out to show me the way. An elderly gentleman that resides in GV also explains directions. However, when we get to Marv's subdivision, we discover that it is darker than Hades. While Greg was whining about how much useless stuff I pack, I popped in the super intense spot light. And it definitely comes in handy. We use the spot light to view the roadsigns & house numbers. We are forced to call Marv on the cell to find out where he exactly lives. We make a few wrong turns before we pull into his driveway. He is totally surprised.

We unpacked and sleep in Marv's master bedroom as he has taken to sleeping in the guest room.

Monday morning dawns early and Marv wakes us with quiet beautiful music on the stereo. However the sun is missing from the sky and dark clouds threaten overhead. The first of the deluge begins as we drive to the Cowboy Palace for the weekly CarNuts breakfast meeting that Marv & Bert (Marv's girlfriend) attend. We are introduced briefly to the gathering and I graciously allow Greg to sit by his dad, with Bert on the side of him. I am relegated to the other side of Bert who cannot hear me out of her left ear. I have nobody sitting on the other side of me, so spend a very quiet breakfast with about 50 people in the room talking to each other. How a restaurant that has been in business for so many years can still BURN a pancake stays open still amazes me. On our last visit to GV 23 years ago, Greg's parents took us to the same restaurant. The food was bad then, too.

We returned to Marv's home and it continued to rain, was humid and horrible. Greg & his dad talked most of the day. I was in vast amounts of pain as my back & ribs decided to start hurting. It might have been the 3 day car ride with little stops; or the rock hard bed that I had to endure at night. So I dosed myself with loads of painkillers. In addition to this, my menstrual cycle decides to begin! Whoopie. Lucky me.

Tuesday, Marv declines to go with us to visit the Desert Museum & Mervyn's store in Tucson with Bert as he has gangrene in his foot from his diabetic problems. The toe is black, but he refuses to go to the doctor - he has an appointment on Friday and will wait til then!

Lots of fun & interesting things at the Museum. Bert is a delightful joy to be around. That night we dine on Sloppy Joe's (yummy) at Bert's home which is well lived in unlike Marv's home which looks like it belongs in one of the upscale Home Magazines. I am afraid to breathe in Marv's place because I might dirty his white carpet. Which might be another cause of my back hurting as I am so stressed out. Greg & I are both shocked that he allows Isabelle to be inside the house. We had warned her on the way down that she might have to sleep outside or in the truck. Isabelle potties very nicely in the landscaped back yard where there is an absence of cactus.

Wednesday, Marv stays home again as Bert takes us to Kohl's & has us eat at a favorite dive of hers - The Hungry Fox. Isabelle dances away from Greg as he takes her out to the truck parked in the "visitor parking" area. She accidentally steps on a snowball cactus with her right paw. Without yelping or crying, but giving an odd look to Greg, they make their way inside the house where we have to use a pliers to pull out the spines. Poor baby. She spends the day ensconced on Grandpa's bed. We dine at a Tubac Restaurant that night on Ribs & Coconut Shrimp. Greg & I are not used to the rich food, eating out all the time, or drinking as much as we have done thus far. So when we return to Marv's home that night, I have a bad case of diarhhea while Greg is sick. I fall asleep on the hard as rock nails bed while Greg again talks to his father.

Thursday, we go to one of the little fuel stations to obtain coffee as there are no coffee stands around town. I need something better than instant coffee to wake up to, but it offends Marv that we won't drink what he has in his cupboards. Greg tells me it is time to leave as we have to avoid hitting an elderly driver who thinks they have the right of way on the wrong side of the road! We leave at noon after getting flowers for Bert & a cute little pumpkin for Marv. (he hates decorations of any kind - so this will be ironically delightful for us to think about him having to have this in his home!) We are so evil.

Staying at Needles in a Motel 6 that was quiet & wonderful, Isabelle curls up on the bed. We take a brief night time walk around town. Then Greg wants to eat Italian for dinner. We find a nice low-key restaurant and he gets his pasta for the night.

TO BE CONTINUED

We're Back!

A quick trip last week to visit the father-in-law. After 3 days there, my husband was ready to leave.

Clean Truck

We are taking a short trip to Arizona to surprise Greg's dad. So we had the truck detailed before we leave. After leaving it at the detailer's on Saturday, he called to tell us to pick it up on Sunday. When we went over and saw it, we were in shock - the truck looked brand new again - and it even had that brand new car smell!

The 15 year old kid that detailed it is a neighbor of ours. Brad is making money so that he can customize the 1970 Chevy that his dad bought him. Never before has a vehicle that we owned been so clean - even after taking it to experienced, professional dealers! This kid sure has a great career ahead of him. Wonderful talent. And he really just loves to clean.

Saturday dawned cold and dreary. It was raining. I really don't like fall when it gets this cold this quickly. Sunday was partly cloudy, but it started raining in the afternoon. I cleaned house (this seems to be the only thing that I do lately). Then made some more necklaces.

I have an appt to get my hair done on Wednesday, and I need to see the manicurist to get my nails done before we leave.

Hopefully, if all goes well - we will be stopping to visit a friend in San Diego. I only hope that she doesn't read this and it will be a surprise to her. I have a special present that I want to give her. Maybe we can go to the San Diego Zoo, too. On the way, I want to stop at Bead stores. Cubbie Two has already requested that I pick up some beads for her. Tomorrow she will go over the website and pick out the beads she wants me to pick up for her.

Cubbies are our slang words for friends. I am Cubbie 1, Joanie is Cubbie 2, Greg is Cubbie 3, Bruce is Cubbie 4. Joanie never heard of this and laughed up a riot. We have since been using this as a matter of referring to each other.

Like my hubby always says..."Cubbies are Cubbies...but Buddies sleep together."

I guess Greg is my buddy.

The Oracle

My husband, THE ORACLE OF WISDOM has been speaking to me in Magic 8-Ball language lately.

Me-"Would you like orange juice or milk with your breakfast?"

Him-"Reply Hazy, Ask Again."

Me-"Shall we watch the Cash Cab that I recorded earlier?"

Him-"Signs Point to Yes."

Me-"Are you coming to bed soon?"

Him-"Outlook Good!"

Urgh.

Watching Cash Cab is our latest passion when we aren't falling down tired. The show originates from New York; the driver-Ben Bailey will pick up people in the cab and quiz them on general trivia questions to win money on the way to their destinations. The hubby wants to drag me to New York just so he can get on the Cash Cab.

Hubby has been working on the pad site for the new building. Organizing his current shop takes up so much time. We also had to replace the glass in our fireplace last night as it had lots of cracks in it after 8 years; and he graciously fixed my stationary exercise bike. I am busily making more jewelry, cleaning house, and finishing the yard clean up outside.

Even when trying to rest on Sunday, some rude people pulled all the way into our driveway with their travel trailer, made a big U-turn, then proceeded to change their trailer tire. The driveway alarm was ringing, and hubby went down to investigate. He yelled at them to get off the property (this was even after the man said that he "saw" the signs-No Trespassing/Trespassers will be SHOT!). Some people can be so rude and insensitive. WHY our driveway? Didn't they have the sense to take it down to the gas station, or why not pull off the highway-onto a public road, or just pull off to the shoulder of the road? What's Next? A gate, driveway alarms & signs aren't enough...maybe an electrified cattle grid?

It rained the other night- Isabelle came to our bed, curled up next to me, and went back to sleep. My big scary looking dog is afraid of rainstorms, water, and gunshots.

Better Late than Never?

Well, I am constantly reminding my offspring to blog. But then I let all this time past and leave my own blog hanging in the wind.

We have been very busy helping our friends to erect their pole building; I have been cleaning up our basement and fall-cleaning the house. My puppy has been sick with a bladder infection. And my friend and I are making jewelry like mad so that we can go to one of the Christmas Craft Sales and sell our wares!

On Tuesday, Sept 11, we attended the Spoky-Jo Fair. It was an awesome time. After a full day of beading, we picked up our respective husbands and then drove over. After a quick snack, we toured the fairgrounds visiting the animal barns, the outside displays and the inside commercial buildings. Grabbing mini-donuts was a treat for our friends as they had never tasted these tiny concocotions of sugar & cinnamon! Strolling through the amusement rides we decided on a leisurely Ferris Wheel ride, and afterwards a stunning display of rivalry and hilarity on the Bumper Cars!

Another reason for not blogging is not having the capability of internet. My internet service is now slower than dial-up. VZ is due to begin accepting sign-ups for DSL on Sept 21. But there is no telling how long it will be after that when a service rep can install it to our home. I'm hoping I can pick my own rep to do that service call for me as I do not want Lecherous Larry anywhere near me. Ugh. This is an individual that should have been fired from this company long ago for sexual harassment to customers & fellow employees.

My baby is diligently sorting through all the travel arrangements and it sounds like an exciting time. I'm positive that she should be working as a travel agent~ Here is a sample of our tentative itinerary...

Dec 14 - Arrive UK
Dec 16 - Fly London - Munich (1h 50min)
Train to Garmisch (1h)
Dec 16-21 - Edelweiss Resort
Dec 21 - Train from Garmisch to Rome (7h 55min),
possible side trip to Pisa (+2 hours)
Dec 21-24 - Stay in Rome
Dec 24 - Train to Bari (4h 35min),
possible side trip to Naples (+2 hours)
Ferry to Patras, Greece (15h 30min)
Dec 25 - Train to Athens (3h 15min)
Dec 25-28 - Stay in Athens
Dec 28 - Fly to Paris (3h 30min)
Dec 28-Jan 1 - Stay in Paris
Jan 1 - Fly to London (1h 30min)
Jan 1-3 - Visit friends in UK
Jan 4- Return to US

As you can see, on my birthday-Dec 31, we will be in Paris! How romantic. We are planning on watching the fireworks from the Eiffel Tower. My list of places to visit is even longer than this itinerary!

In addition to my regular busy life, my VISA card info was stolen off the Internet and used fraudently. I had to contact the bank, the police, and the credit bureaus to alert them to this incident. Fortunately, they only got $800 out of our account before it became evident to me that this was not our charges; and the bank will reverse the charges and credit it to us as soon as the paperwork is returned to them. What a major hassle.

Happy Anniversary, Baby!

Yesterday was our anniversary. We have been married for 26 years! Wow. I could never imagine when we first walked down that aisle, that this time would come. It was some nefarious date in the future that we always thought about..."I will grow old and enjoy many years with this person, we will grow together, we will be together forever, I will be with this person in 30 years."

We have seen our share of good times and bad. We have grown up together, and we have learned together. We have also done things separately. We have matured.

Spending the day together, goofing off, going for a lovely long walk in the park, it was a calm day. Nothing outrageous. Just being with each other. Holding hands, kissing. It was great.

I still love him. He still loves me.

I See London, I See France

I see someone's underpants!

Thursday & Friday were boring days. Get up, fix the hubby breakfast & lunch; re-schedule a dental appt on Friday as I ran into a huge accident that blocked a major highway. I was on the detour for 25 minutes so missed my appt-

I cleaned the house those days and when I had time, I worked on some necklaces.

But on Saturday, after Greg, the dog & I ran to get lattes, we stopped at the cubbie's house. Joanie wanted me to come over to spend the day, so after coming home briefly...Greg had to meet Joe here to get the sewer riser loaded, I went back to her home.

We worked on learning new techniques of jewelry and she showed me what she had done painting her house. Lovely reds & creams & browns. Very dramatic. Bruce left after working on his car to go up to the shop to help Greg clean it.

The guys were hungry down at the shop so we got sandwiches at KKJ's and ice & chips at the Cenex; we returned with more lattes to keep them company. After talking with Debbie at the latte stand, she indicated there was a Bluez Festival at Spirit Lake. So Joanie & I decided to talk the guys into going.

After consuming their lunches, we all retired to our respective homes to take showers. Then Joanie & Bruce came to pick us up. The music was loud & bluesy when we got there. We walked through down-town as they had roped it off. We were about to find comfortable spots to sit in the park, however, the guys decided to eat at the Mexican Restaurant as they were still hungry. We settled ourselves into a table that overlooked the band & the dancing in the street. Quite a few of the dancers had quite a little bit too much to drink thus far, and many were swaying like trees in the wind. One couple were gyrating together very close. In fact - the guy was litterally holding the girl up. This girl had attracted our attention as she had a nightgown-like top on that covered her nipples, but was sheer everywhere else. At the end of the song, the guy had twirled her so that her back was to the restaurant, and then he picked her up! Which caused her short, short jean skirt to elevate up over her ass.

Thus- revealing a very naked crotch! Another table next to ours had been watching and saw the same thing. A slight scream went up at that exact time from both tables. The men were just as shocked as the women. G-ross. Not something you want to see directly before eating!

Look! Look! See What I Got!

This came in the mail today! I was so excited to get it.
Now the trip seems so much more real.
And they came a month early! Woot!
Somehow, I feel like I am now a genuine United States citizen.
Even tho I already was...this makes it official!
Looking forward to filling all 28 pages with Visa stamps.
Gee. I wonder what people do when they run out of pages...get another passport?

My Puppy

My puppy is sick. She had a slight accident at our friends' house the other day. She has been generally sad...moping around and not her usual self. The hubby and I discussed it last night; the same symptoms as before-we suspected that she had another bladder infection.

I contacted our Veterinarian early this morning and rushed her into an 8:45AM appointment-along with the urine specimen in a Ziploc box that I had collected last night & stored in the refrigerator.

Sure enough, after checking her vitals & examining the sample, the doggie doc diagnosed another infection. We now have 3 weeks worth of pills that we are to dispense to her 3 times per day. Yep. That is 63 pills that I have to cram down her throat. Ucky-poo. NOT my favorite thing. She spits them up everytime. It is quite a fight between the two of us. She is determined not to take them. I am even more determined that she will swallow them.

Now, this is a dog that has toxic slobber. Her spit is more slippery than the Valdez Oil Spill; Grown men have slipped and fallen on her slobber in the middle of the Gobi Desert! And I have to open her mouth and stuff my whole hand down her throat! Even then, she usually manages to regurgitate the pill and we start all over again. The pill is hidden within a piece of cheese. Usually, I manage to close her mouth, and rub her softly along the throat while explaining quietly that these pills will make her feel better. But at the end of it all, I am left with a slimey, disgusting, smelly hand.

Oh, the joys of dog parenthood!

Good Vs. Gross

Gross Things That Happened This Week

1. A garter snake slithered past my hand when I was outside watering plants.
   
2. I found out I gained 12 pounds in the last month-via stepping onto the doctor’s scale (they always make you weigh more!)


3. Cleaning up spilt mayonnaise. Ugh. (don’t ask!)
   

Good Things That Happened This Week

1. Found a wonderful general MD this week. Even though he is over in Spoky-Jo, it was worth the 1 ½ hour drive!


2. Got some great diet pills from above doctor. Without insults, without snide remarks, altogether-a very compassionate doctor!


3. Found a great deal on an Igloo cooler at the Flea Market! Only $2 for a cooler that normally sells for $25. After a thorough cleaning with Soft Scrub Bleach, it is better than new looking!


4. Learned that my son had been promoted to Staff Sergeant! Yippee! We are so very proud of him. Next promotion… Brigadier General!


5. Lost 7 pounds after starting my diet program.


6. Finished a necklace for my father-in-law’s girlfriend-Bert!


7. Made a new necklace that came out fabulous.


8. Got a new TV from our friends (we had donated our old swamp cooler to them while it was intolerably hot this summer-they were so tickled to get it that they bought us the new TV we were going to get! plus we let them have about 20 truck loads of fill dirt from our property to made a pad-site for their new building)


9. Went shopping with my cubby-Joanie to the flea market.
10. It RAINED! As I am typing this right now, it is raining. Praise! We so desperately needed the rain.
    

Trapped!

The sub-contractors dug across our driveway today, so there was no way that Isabelle and I could go to the park to walk; They have dirt piled up everywhere. I just suppose we will have to walk twice as far tomorrow!

Matt came in for lunch today as he was working right out front, driving the water truck! We had forgotten to pick up lunch meat, so I gave him a peanut butter sandwich & strawberry jam with potato chips. The kid is so sensitive to foods and doesn't enjoy pickles with his sandwich. I was going to make GORP-Good Old Raisins & Peanuts (otherwise known as trailmix) but he doesn't like raisins! So I just threw some peanuts & chocolate candies into a bag for him and sent him off with a big bottle of water. He's like a puppy. Feed him and he keeps coming around.

Today I go back to the dentist at 3PM; hopefully I can convince him to pull the rest of my teeth and just give me dentures. I am so fed up with the pain that my teeth give me. Hubby is coming to get me as we are still unable to get out of the drive. Hopefully, they will have it cleaned up by the time we get back from running a few errands. Hubby has to get some "tools" at Harbor Freight~

Greg called said he had a flat tire on his work truck so he has to wait for the tire service to come to him-sounded like he is in the middle of nowhere so it will take a while to get to him.

Olga called me on my accents for the Spanish words that I used the other day. I was probably just rushing my blog entry and forgot to use them. So I fixed it. Thanks, Olga. Yes. We use that phrase here in the US; I believe everybody across the world is more alike that we know. I am a Caucasian American; However, I have English, Irish, Swedish, German & French ancestors. That I KNOW of...there's probably more stuck in there than that! So I am a mutt; a Heinz 57. But I feel like I have connections, relatives, everywhere. It will be so exciting to visit our daughter & son when we go in December as I will get to actually see some of the places where my distant relatives have been. Not that we are going directly to the towns they used to live within; but I will be able to see some of Germany, where I know for sure that my great-great-great-great Grandfather is from. It will be adventurous just being in the same country where he once lived.

After painting my toes, cleaning the floor, doing dishes & laundry...I will try to find some time to make more jewelry. Am also working on some miniature crazy quilt items.