I grew up with the Sears Catalog. The girdle section fascinated me as did the huge sized bras. There were ringer washing machines too. Later they came up with the Speigels Catalog, and that somehow wasn't as thrilling. Nina Ballerina doll came from Sears. She is now in pieces and a bit moldy in a back cupboard. I can't quite dispose of her.

We have a lumpy ceiling I'd love to eliminate! It just won't happen though. I think I've almost lost interest in home improvements. It always seems to be a roof or furnace or something dumb and never something beautiful.

So this from Sarah:(yesterday)
Well, this morning after running around and getting DSS ready for school, finally getting everyone and the dog ready, DH and I switched vehicles so that I had the van and he had the car (the car seats for the LOs are in the van currently). Then I got completely rear-ended to the point of probably totaling our van on the way to DSS's school. Oy!

I should get some photos but it wouldn't do it justice because we've had so much snow... Anyway, it was a grand caravan, but the back left got completely punched in, the back window vanished, the side panel is scrunched almost up to the rear wheel, and the rear side window isn't attached any more... DSS (11yo) was in the front passenger seat and was fine but a little scared. Indy dog seems to be just fine. Everyone has now been to the doctor's office and checked out OK, though we are keeping an eye on everyone. I'm a little sore in the neck and back and head, but I don't think it's anything too bad. Hey, insurance covers 21 chiropractic appointments after a car accident! That should help!

The worrisome things:
1) The driver's seat did a really weird thing and went back and elevated so I could hardly reach the gas and brake pedals. Ivy (20mo) was in her forward facing car seat behind the driver's seat and started screaming. I realized later that her feet were jammed because the driver's seat went back so far, and she couldn't move them (and she was scared from the impact of course). She calmed down once I moved the seat forward again, and her feet are fine. If she'd been in a rear facing seat she would have been completely compressed against the seat. This just seems wrong...

Halfway to the police station (since the vehicles were drivable we were to drive to the police station and fill out forms there), Ivy started throwing up all over the place, poor girl...

2) Leo (4mo) was in a car seat that attaches to a base in the seat behind the front passenger (we have captain's seating in the van - I think the car seat is a Safety 1st model). After the impact, his car seat was upside-down just behind and between the driver's and passenger seat. I have no idea how this happened because I always try to rattle his car seat when I attach it to make sure it is firmly attached. It's become habit. I remember doing it this morning. The car seat shouldn't release - that shouldn't happen. Although Leo was screaming, once I righted his car seat he quieted down and seems to be just fine. He's such a calm and relaxed little guy! WHY DID IT RELEASE? It makes me wonder about the safety of these car seats with the separate bases.

DH was checking out the van when he got home and noticed that the roof crumpled a little bit too.

The good things were that the guy who hit us was a really nice guy who was actually very helpful. He apologized, was totally calm, was making sure that everyone was OK (I couldn't get to Leo right away), and even stopped and gave me a bunch of paper towels when Ivy threw up and I had to stop on the way to the police station.

Also, Ivy's day home provider (Ivy goes Tues-Thurs so wasn't going to go today) came and picked her up while we were at the police station and took her to the day home and gave her a bath and some clean clothes. I was so glad since Ivy was able to get some attention from someone she knows while I couldn't pay attention to her. DH picked her up about an hour later, but it was so much help knowing that Ivy was being taken good care of.

Also, DH didn't have anything hugely important so he came and helped deal with stuff at the police station, at the doctor's office, and then we went out and ate lunch and DH dropped us off at home.

I should get a photo of the van for posterity...
So, that was this morning...

THEN -

Tonight the furnace stopped working! We had to pay $200 to have a guy come out and fix a wire that disconnected! Why? Because the shop that sold us our furnace 1.5 years ago went out of business! OY! Why do furnaces only stop working outside of business hours?

...............

So Nana is recovering, although today I have still been jittery. Fearing for Ivy all day long yesterday was the pits.
The best news is that Sarah, Ivy and Leo will spend a week here in February at the time of DH's 70th birthday. It's a surprise.

Hugs Nana !

And Michelle remindede me, Yeona--butterflies like umbel flowers , or flowers with flat tops like Yarrows, Monarda,etc. And Buddlia !

I got kicked out of bed at 6:30 by Kenzie. I just couldn't get back to sleep trying to share a pillow with her. She's so wiggly and her hair seem to tickle my face with every move.

Kathy, I have had buddlia but usually loose them after a few years as they seem marginally hardy here.

Eden, I'll have to check the pictures I took. My camera takes good pictures outdoors but indoors never seem to turn out all that great. As for kid pictures, I love to see them. I don't mind having them here but I'm flexible. Kenzie had purple toes and fingers when she came. She had been to a birthday party where they went to the cosmatology school. They had their hair, nails and makeup done.

I really need to have some of those "slow" days. After 3 weekends of overnight guests, cooking, entertaining and all the cleanup I'm ready for some down time.I think that with a big family that it is probably harder to have "slow" days. There just seems to always be something going on with someone.

Last year my motto was "simplify" as someone had given me some metal letters that spelled it. I think I need to find them and place them front and center.

'bug, the accident details really emphasize how scary it was for all involved - Nana too.

Tuesday my dad is having his knee replaced. I will be at the hospital that morning for my first colonoscopy. Sounds like a fun day for all. Although, I wouldn't trade places with him. We didn't even plan it that way.

I'd best get going. Today won't be a "slow" day. We have church, teach Sunday school, then we will take Kenzie home and drive 3 hours to see the new baby. Rick's DD will go with us. I will need to have all Kenzie's things packed and also extra clothes to change into since we are leaving right from church.

Have a "slow" day if you can.

Michelle

Ms Chelone has surfaced! The dreadful ads are a large portion of why she has been absent. She wishes she could see Norma's pond pictures and other photos as well - why even a few of the kiddos too.

Work on the salon continues and her planning is paying off. She'll get there - I just hope I see the dream come true!

Health care coverage has become a serious concern for her as it has for others in the US. It is a terrible thing that someone who has been diligent in every way should be fearful at this stage!

The sun is shining here and I am on my way to help DH recover from a particularly ugly morning meeting.

'bug

Oy! My head hurts...! I've just been working on the first practice exercise for my CAD course! It's not as easy as one might expect. Things don't work as intiuitively as I hoped - i.e. while it a Windows sort of program, the tools don't quite work the way I expect them to. I'm not sure how much easier it would be if I could hear the training videos instead of just watching them.

Here is a link that might be useful: CAD software

Yahoo everyone!!

A very happy new year to you all.

Our holiday vistors only left this afternoon (Mum, sister Ruth and Ivan and Iris. Although we were all back at school last week our evenings were full of family activities and we are all missing everyone already. Tons to do as usual to get back into our routines but I wanted to pop in and say Hi. It's wonderful to see the Idyll grandkids growing up and everyone's plans for the upcomign year.

Another year of the Zinnia sounds great to me and I've already chosen a couple of new ones for this summer.

Mary

OY Woody! I would expect to be incomprehensible....at least for me. Nothing computer related is intuitive for me. Making the Haiti blog was incredibly tough for me and maintaining it...very very difficult. DH is sick of my requests for help. (He doesn't always know the answers either.)

Sun today ! More roses were pruned and general clean-up started. I confess that 'fall' clean-up has pretty much gone by the wayside here-other than pulling up frozen slimy blobs of basil, zinnias and cutting down the Dahlias. I enjoy seeing the rest of the stuff for winter interest. At this point though it looks way less interesting than it did in November. I have a lengthy shovel-prune list too, but the continued rains and saturation of the soil/mud means I will just have to be patient , and wait for several days in a row with no rain.

I definitely need another 'Year of the Zinnia' Mary, 2010 was just abysmal for them here-never had them look so crummy ! We had late rains in spring and frost too, and a cool summer. I planted Benarys Giants , and giant they were not. I'm considering a big , loud Dahlia display in last years Zinnia spot.

'bug thanks for rattling the bushes at the compound and reporting back-hopefully Chelone can negotiate the mysteries of ad-blocking soon. It sure is nice not to have those da*n expanding and contracting banners on the top of GW anymore.

Michelle, Buddleias get huge here, so I've not had any for awhile. I love 'Dark Knight' and wish I had the space for it. Great cut flowers too. I am keeping my eye out for a dwarf cultivar that is really dwarf..

Time for a glass of wine, and at 5:30 I call the county to see if I have to report for jury duty tomorrow. Last time I was summoned I went and hung out in the jury room for a couple hours and was finally excused.

Pleasant dreams of spring to all !

Kathy in Napa

Marie, It was the same heart doctor that did the "rotor rooter" procedures on Nolon in 97. I had great confidence in him, and even more so now. Nolon had been suffering angina attacks for awhile and his primary doctor set up the appointment for us with the doctor of our choice. He was taking nitro pills most every morning. He hasn't needed them since the stints were put in.
Kathy, I finally found the link where I was to send in my e-mail address, than I got the link for sending a new password. It wasn't long that I was back on.
Eden, we are really enjoying the propane wall heaters. I still use the wood stove daily, but no longer have to get up in the night to stoke it.
The predicted winter weater is getting here, there is a very light snow falling, and the deck is turning white. I have a pretty good supply of firewood toted into the utilityroom, and behind the stove. The forecast is for it to get down to 0 by Thurs. morning.
Good to see all the old familiar names here, but there are some absent ones. Has all the baby pics scared Chelone off? LOL
I sure wish more of you were on Facebook. I like being able to comment on each post as it comes on, instead of having to scroll down to the bottom.
I cannot get my sister Evelyn to even get a computer, let alone get on Facebook ! But I have made contact with a lot of relatives that I would not have even 'met' if it wasn't for Facebook.
I will try to get back a little more 'in the grove' here. I am so out of touch with so many of you. Of course, my gardening is not all that much anymore. And diminishes more each year. I do have the utilityroom full of wintering over plants, and lots around the house. Most of them may survive until spring, dispite my neglect. :-(

Marian

Good Monday evening,

How nice to see a check in from Mary. Sounds like you had a nice family holiday. I'm trying to figure out how old Ivan and Iris must be now. I remember him as a toddler and her as a little baby. Maybe 4 and 6 or so now?

Marie, Sarah's recap on the accident sounds pretty scary. I'm so glad no one was hurt and am hoping that you've recovered by now too.

Has anyone tried the Zahara series of zinnias. I hear they're supposed to much more disease resistant. I think I've grown just about every zinnia but not these. The Benary's Giants really get too big for my garden. Kathy, I wish I had better success with dahlias. They just don't perform well in my garden. I'm thinking not enough sun. There's a man not far from here that grows fields of them and shows them. I went with some friends to see them last fall and they were beautiful.

I spent a couple of hours today on my basement plants. Things are doing pretty well this year. I had a small aphid outbreak right before Christmas but they singled out a variegated brug and my oleander, two bug magnents. I defoliated those two plants and gave them a good bath and that seems to have taken care of them. How are everyone elses indoor plants doing? I did bring up a few things from the basement to enjoy now that it's the dead of winter.

Michelle, I've never been able to sleep with any of the kids. They move around too much, just like you said. I finally gave up my office/computer room all together. That's where Bella sleeps or I put up the pack n play for the babies. All the toys that will fit are in there too. There is some overflow on that front though. Bella calls it her room, which I suppose it is.

I bet that was pretty neat looking through the old catalog. I saved the Toys R Us catalog from this year that Bella spent quite a bit of time going through. She circled everything she liked and then went back and wrote "really" by the things she really wanted, lol.

Marian, that's great that the heaters are helping you out. Hope you and Nolon are continuing to rest and are both feeling stronger. I know you have many interesting plants that you're overwintering. I think you do pretty good on the gardening front. I hope I can do as well at your age.

I get lots of butterflies in my garden. I do grow lots of the plants that they like. Buddleia is one that doesn't usually overwinter well here though. Like Michelle, they might make it through a winter or two but mine never get really large. I love them and wish they would!

I think Chelone needs to get her bil, (isn't he her computer guy?) to set her up with a good popup blocker so she can get back here. As for healthcare, that's the reason Jenni works part time, just enough hours to keep hers since Randy has his own business. It would be expensive otherwise. Megan does pay for hers and David's still covered under ours. We've always been lucky. Auto worker insurance is good.

Woody, I can imagine that your course will be a little intense. Bet you do great getting through it though and that you learn alot.

Jen came over for the afternoon with Kate and Wally . They brought lunch and we ate that together and then played for awhile. We had a really good time.

Michelle, thinking good thoughts for you and your dad tomorrow. My dinner smells like it's done (frozen lasagna) so I'm outa here for now.

Eden

Oy! It seems to be the "interjection of the Idyll." I'm behind in reading again! So I've done some skimming and have some scattered comments. I haven't read everything so please don't feel bad if I skip something important.

Most of all, I'm glad that Sarah and family are okay after their accident. How frightening that had to be for Sarah. 'bug, I share her concern about those seats. It seems like plenty of good, attentive parents have issues with those seats. I wonder if there is a design flaw, or if there is a part that they cheapened in the manufacturing process, much like the drop-side cribs? (If you haven't followed the story, drop-side cribs started out just fine, but over the years the locking mechanism for the drop-side was cheapened to either a plastic part or a thinner metal part, and now those mechanisms are failing. The US recently recalled most of those cribs.)

Anyhow, just an awful fright for her but at least all is well.

And if I've skimmed correctly, it sounds like Nolon is doing better. Also glad to hear that!
Oy! It's 8:00 pm and I still have several things to cross off the list. Later,

V.

Quick drive by-I have another day of reprieve from jury duty, have to call in again Tues pm , but it means I won't miss an important meeting at the awfice tomorrow.

Eden , most of the plants I brought in are succulents that are frost tender- I found one that had ants in the soil yesterday so I put it out on the patio and drenched it and then forgot to bring it in . We had temps in the high 20's last night and it looks pretty sad. It�s a Kalanchoe bracteata , one of my faves. I think it will be ok if I cut it back and make sure it isn�t exposed to anymore frost.

Gotta go !

Waves..

Kathy in Napa

Hello from white, white Iowa.

I rescheduled my proceedure for later this week as it snowed all day today. The snow is very light and fluffy. The wind is supposed to pick up tonight. I didn't really want to do the prep tonight and then not get to the hospital. My dad's may get postponed depending if the Dr. can get there as he comes from a bigger hospital 50 miles away and if my parents can make it. This weather is getting annoying. We drove up to the cities to meet little Charlie. It wasn't snowing there but we ran into it on the way home. This morning I was nearly involved in an accident on the way to work. There was a car coming very fast down the on ramp. The van ahead of me wasn't moving over for him because the passing lane had very deep snow as the plow hadn't done that lane. I guess the merging guy was assuming that the van automatically had to move over. I knew that something was going to happen. I backed off as much as I could without slamming on the brakes and I wasn't following that close. The merging guy lost control and everything got white. I got past and saw that he had ended up in the ditch. I always fear that someone who's not driving for the conditions will take me out.

I love zinnias but haven't grown the Zahara series. Zinnias do well in my sunny gardens. The seed catalogs have been rolling in but I've not really had time to look them over.

Kathy, its just so hard to believe with our piles of snow that you are pruning roses. I do believe my "gardeners" are pruning mine right now too. (rabbits) Oh, they fertilize them at the same time.

Eden, my indoor plants never look good, but there is comfort in the fact that most of them usually hang in there and really take off once they go outside in the spring. Some do much better than others.

Zinnias from last summer.

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Wonderful color Michelle! Your near accident sounds all too familiar. UGH! When we were on our way to the Edmonton airport to return home, there were 13 vehicles in the ditches. You might think they would know how to drive safely for the conditions out there, but Sarah tells me it is always the same.

Today may be Debbie Day. Even if she is too nervous about the conditions for getting here, I will be forced to do cleanup...WHICH IS A GOOD THING.

Lots going on here so I haven't looked at any flower/seed catalogs yet. I may try to hold back and join V in the zero purchase program...(ZPP?)

Enjoy your day!
'bug

Remembering last June...
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May I ask that you take an anniversary look at Haiti today? There are fascinating geo views, an amazing story of hope, tonight's 9PM TV program and more.

Here is a link that might be useful: Buildingaschool and more....

Would someone (I think it was V.) post another link to the Ad block thing-y, PLEASE? I can't seem to get rid of them and it's driving me nuts.

Also, would someone please link to a filter that will deal with all the damn baby pictures?

Cyn., the worst evacuatory disaster I've been dealt was when Sally consumed the better part of 3lbs. of blood meal left unattended by the helpmeet. I returned home, opened the door, and nearly fell over from the smell. Sally nearly knocked me over in her attempt to get outdoors in time. Poor girl managed to leave most of it in the bathroom (no kidding). I used a squeegee to clean it up. My sympathies!

Best to all, esp. Marian who I've heard has had rather rough go of it with Nolon. I'm sorry to hear that but am glad to learn that it's OK now. How're you liking the gas heat, girlfriend?

Well Michelle, at least the right guy ended up in the ditch. Glad it wasn't you. I can never figure out why people want to drive so fast when the roads are slippery. I'm not one to hurry when driving ever. Brad says I drive too slow. He has this thing about keeping up with the other traffic, which I don't do if they're going too fast. I stay in the slow lane though so they can pass me if they want. I guess I drive like an old lady, lol. I've gotten so I really don't like driving at night anymore either. I have a hard time seeing, especially on roads I'm not familiar with.

Oh and Michelle, what a great picture! Love those zinnias and that sedum!

Marie, another beautiful garden photo! It's always hard to remember in January how pretty the gardens were in June. Is the chartreuse plant a Japanese Maple? ZPP sounds really good to me right now but I'm sure that will change once I get into a nursery this spring. I'm seriously rethinking starting any seeds. Since I'm hoping to have more time for intensive gardening than I have in years, I'd like to do quite a bit of redesigning and plant shuffling. Don't need seedlings in that case. The only problem is Bella loves helping with the seeds. Maybe just a few for her.

We've gotten a couple of inches of snow this afternoon. I think we're supposed to end up with around 4" by midnight. This morning was grocery shopping and a trip to the pet store for cat food and bird seed. I'm glad to be home with no reason to go out for the next couple of days.

Hi Chelone! Good to hear from you!

And just to show you I can take photos of subjects other than children...

Houseplants . That's Bella's garden loom you see through the window.

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Begonias (That's Art Hodes in the middle, Drema)

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And just because I was snapping pictures, a photo of the wreath I made from old sheet music. It was decorated for Christmas but I changed it out to the little ice skate for a January theme.

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Have a great evening and stay warm and safe!

Eden

Eden, I love your recycled sheet music!
Indoor plants: I could never photograph mine. They are so near death's door all winter! Too much or too little water or fertilizer I suppose.

Well Debbie Day DID take place and things look much better, in places. Boosts my spirits. In only 2 hours she cleaned up the kitchen, the fireplace room, the guest room and dining room. We shared some Nana talk, driving talk and so on as well. She really should up her prices and I told her so! Gave her the Ravelry web site. Such a wonderful site!

Off to sit by the fire.
'bug

Here is a link that might be useful: Ravelry

I heard a cry for helping coming from the coast of Maine!

Here you go, Chelone. Sorry, but I don't know nuthin' 'bout blockin' babies...

Gone With the V.

Here is a link that might be useful: Adblock Plus

Hi Chelone. I tried answering your guestion last night, but lost the post, and wasn't 'up to' trying it again.
We are really enjoying the propane wall panels. Although it has got down in the lower single digits our house has stayed warmer that any other cold winter. I am still rather leary of them, but am hoping to get more comfortable with them. Naturally I am still doing the wood stove. But usually do not add any wood to it during the night.
Nolon is lots better, but still needs another stint. I have recovered from the weird spell that I had. In researching what is commonly called "a nervous breakdown", I think that was what my problem was. One of the causes is stress following a traumatic situation. And I certainly had a traumatic situation!
Hopfully this winter weather will have let up before we have to return to the Heart Doctor.
Marian

We had snow overnight - the most we've had so far this winter - only 4-5" though, so not a big deal.

Marian - I forgot to say... It's good to hear that Nolon's procedure went well (it must have been a bit worrisome though!) and that you two are enjoying the heating system.

Eden - the music wreath is interesting - are there instructions for making it somewhere?

I dumped the draft of the maintenance manual I've been working on for the garden into a blog site last week. It needs editing and I'll need to add some more to it later but I won't be able to work on it again until after the course finishes. If you want to take a look at it, check the link below. To read it in the order it is meant to be read, you have to start from the bottom of the list and read up.

Time to work on the next course exercise....

Here is a link that might be useful: Maintenance Manual

AARRGGHHHH!!!! I am annoyed. Rant follows.

We have this storage room in the basement that is full of junk. I mean junk. No one here will part with anything. I go down there about once every two or three months and tidy it up as best I can. It stays that way for a coujple of weeks and then people need stuf and pull it all apart.

Now I live in a house full of makles (do you see where this is going?). They are all golf nuts and are going stir crazy in the house this winter. They have decided that they need a golf practice room, with a simulator etc. The only available space is guess where. So they have decided to clean it out. But here's the kicker: they can't part with anything so they rented a storage unit and are schlepping all this C**P over there so they can golf in the storage room. Are they nuts? Am I the only one so blessed????

Have I mentionned how much I hate golf????

Julie: Far better to go to an indoor practice range me thinks! Pay the bucks. NOT IN THE HOUSE! On the way to the place, drop of the C**P at the recycle centre. Pick up flowers for Julie on the way home.(What are makels? blush)

I am impressed by Woody's Maintenance manual. I could never produce this for my place because there are too many areas and not enough time. But I can see where if we ever sell this place, the next folks could study such a site and learn what they need to know. You see Idylls? Woody just "dumped" her efforts on a blog site. HER WORD! It took me ages to make sense of the very same blog site and what it could do and how to go about it. I still don't know much about what it is capable of.

I've started a sweater today for Leo the chunk.:)

DH is off speaking to the town planner about gravel business. Oh joy.... In the meantime, one of our 2 bridges has reopened but the other is still closed, making the trip to town a bit more difficult.

I even miss these on a day like today!
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Still not experiencing much success with ad blocker but will fiddle with the filters and see what happens.

Lots of snow today. I was out with Rex at 5AM and there was barely an inch but it was very windy and quite cold. The helpmeet headed out for a couple of important errands about 7:30 and we were up to about 5-6" and lots of blowing. Seems to have pretty much ceased right now but the wind is still strong. I'd say 12+".

I spent a lovely day in the Salon. The stove kept me cozy and I finished up a drapery panel, finished the pickling on the rings that will hang it, and moved on to a slipcover. I cut the deck and back cushions out, made the welting, and adjusted the machine for the fabric I'm using. It was very peaceful watching the snow swirl around the building listening to the classical music program on our local NPR affiliate.

The only thing I don't like about snowy/stormy days in the Salon is that none of the cats come out. I think I may put one of them in the veterinary suitcase and carry them out. They really like hanging out there with me so I figure being put into a suitcase and carried out would be forgiven pretty quickly. (note to self: add a litter box to the lower portion of the bahn and keep some cat chow out there).

Love the music wreath and am glad that Maid Marian is enjoying a less stressful cold snap thanks to propane. That's super! I think of you every time I fill the woodbox or load the stove, you know. Yesterday afternoon I filled the big wheelbarrow with firewood and rolled it into the bahn, knowing that schlepping firewood wouldn't be a much fun in a snowstorm.

Look at the pretty colors on that dandy-lion! And green grass too! We got about 4 inches of snow when all was said and done. Not too bad considering some of the Northeast Idyllers are reporting 2 ft. of it over on FB. I'm happy just to be able to stay in. I'm really noticing results from my organizing efforts of the last couple weeks. Still plenty to do but things are starting to come together and I'm feeling good about what I've accomplished so far.

Julie, I'd be glad just to have the junk out of the house and my sight and off to storage. Setting up the golf simulator sounds like something Brad and David would think up. My guys switch over from golf to racquetball for the winter.

Woody, I really enjoyed reading your blog. A wealth of information there. I'm going to go back and read more later. So interesting! Thanks for sharing it!

I'm linking a tutorial for the wreath. I didn't use the foam base they show for mine. Just a ring of sturdy cardboard that I cut from a shipping box I found in the basement. It was a zero money craft. I had fun making quite a few different Christmas decorations from things I already had around the house this year.

Bella and Julia will be here Friday evening and Bella will come back Saturday after attending a birthday party and spend the rest of the weekend My organizing has me behind on the every day chores around here that I need to get done before then. Laundry and vacuuming are scheduled for this evening and tomorrow. What fun!

Eden

Here is a link that might be useful: Sheet Music Wreath

Eden - thanks for the link to the wreath instructions. I've save that link - the wreath would be a neat thing to do with some of Randy's old music.

GB - Remember when GW changed things a few years ago and we scattered to various other sites? The one I went to gave everybody a Wordpress account to try out. I played around with it then and realized I didn't have a blog personality, so dropped it. When I was thinking of putting the manual on a blog, I went back to Wordpress on the assumption that it would be easier because I had some familiarity with it. I remember it as easier than it was when I tried to put in the manual...! I never figured out how to do some basic things and just gave up because the finer details of formatting really didn't concern me. I do wonder if the Microsoft/Windows blog might be easier because presumably it might accept material from Word without as many issues. I should have tried that, but I went with what I had at least played with before. I probably wouldn't have been able to help you much - the blind leading the blind...!

Well, the rest of the world seems to love Wordpress, so I figured there's be plenty of people to help me out, Woody.

Dinner is done. Good pork chops and a Moroccan rice with spinach salad. We've had so much chicken lately I can't look at it for a while. No meat at all would be fine with me!

Ad blocker was a not doing much for me at first, but now it seems better. But I didn't have the same issues you seem to have had Chelone.

Today we had the snow plow visit. The snow wasn't very deep, but it is good to have the lane way cleared. Phoebe just loves to romp in the white stuff. She rolls in it too.

DD & DSIL may be buying a new (used) car this evening. They called for a carry over loan in case they snap it up before the insurance money comes through on the former vehicle. The one they located sounds too good to be true. We'll see what they discover when they see it. Next week is Skyler's week with them, so a second vehicle will be needed.

Off to knit.
'bug

I'm overwhelmed today.
There's just too much on my mind: Brisbaine flooding, alcohol addiction of a friend, local politics, a friend's job insecurities, my children and their difficulties and much more.

There is always hope though I guess. One story from Haiti helps me and that is of the Marche en Fer. You see, this story brings together several things for me.
First my Mom who passed away in 2005. She taught art history at the University of Buffalo. She loved art through the ages and architecture of churches and other structures inspired her. So to see the rebuilding of Europe with her after the War was exciting. She loved seeing cranes at work everywhere, buildings being sandblasted, rebuilt or begun from scratch. And so this amazing structure being restored to standards even better than before would delight her.

OK, if that doesn't bring tears to my eyes, then there's the Nigeria connection. I lived near Umuahia before the Biafran War. Now people world wide often ask the meaning of town names. (Like Buffalo New York. Is it French? Is it Native American?) Well Umuahia means "It's the market" in the Igbo language. Imagine some colonialist asking the name of the town with hand gestures and getting "Umuahia" as the reply. Makes me smile. And also worldwide, the answer is repeated, because communities are so frequently established around the marketplace.

And so some peace settles on me in reading about the Marche en Fer, connecting Mom and my 1960s experiences...and hope. Yet, my Nigerian friend still has nightmares, my son tries to overcome pettiness in working for his Haitian School, my neighbors continue to deal with politicians who disregard their health and homes, my family marches on trying to find happiness in the face of things. And that is life.

My father's last words to me were a translation from a beautiful dark poem, Ballad of an outer life, which is much like today's pensive mood.
http://bookcents.blogspot.com/search/label/Hugo%20von%20Hofmannsthal

'bug

Here is a link that might be useful: Marche en Fer

Good evening my friends.. almost Friday ! It has rained off and on all day today, but it�s not a very cold storm so at least it feels warm in the house. I've spent the last couple of days at the garden center (the awfice garden center ) working on setting up some of our spring buys. We now have a really nice seed starting section (we carry Renee's, Seeds of Change , and another whose name escapes me at the moment. ) and I'm really pleased with the product selection and how the merchandising turned out. I'm pooped though !

�bug, I live in a flood prone area (you can't get a mortgage here without food insurance) but the Brisbane floods are just way beyond what we experience here. I feel so badly for those folks. I have also been listening to NPR�s radio reports from Haiti , and am disturbed by the pending deportation issue here in the US.

Chelone, you will prevail over the ad-blocker.

Ok, I have to eat some dinner and then put my feet up for awhile. Waves !

Hi all. In typical Vancouver in winter fashion it snowed here yesterday, and was -3 celsius. Then rained it all away last night, and was +5 today. Leah liked the snow day lots. We walk-slid all over the place. At least I did. It pays to have 4 legs in snow.

I'm over the half way mark on my book. I wish it only took me 4 months to write one, like it does other writers. Oh well, at least I've been writing every day.

Julie I've never made risotto. I read that you can make a quick one that works well, with a pressure cooker. I use my pressure cooker for all sorts of things, so I think I'll try that first.

I hope the lumber doesn't live in your livingroom for long. My DH's projects sometimes takes years longer than anticipated.

Marian I'm glad you didn't have a TIA. My 2nd youngest sister had a TIA and that scared the heck out of us. If it were a nervous breakdown, I'm not at all surprised. You had quite a shock and no real warning that it would be this bad, for Nolon. I'm glad you had your SIL there with you.

Most of my family knows how to use the Facebook, except me. They have more friends they talk to. I think it's for family and friends, where as the GW format is more for strangers with a common interest who become friends. Is that a fair description? A lot of the younger set instant message or live chat in a large group. I wonder if that would work for a group like ours. But then what about pictures? I enjoy seeing all the kids' pics and reading back a few days, etc. I really don't know enough about this stuff, though I'm willing to learn.

So far this format works well for me, as I open the GW page, and then open a second GW page, or a word or excel page, side by side and compose my response right beside the person I'm responding to. That means I can do it and don't have to rely on memory. Plus I don't have to scroll down to the bottom until I've finished talking to everyone. I save that post to either word or excel if it's late, which it often is, so I can finish writing the next day. Plus I don't lose posts that way. I hate losing posts!

Norma, I too remember Wyatt when he was tot. The years just move so quickly. I recommend writing down about good moments, and lots of pictures, and lots of home movies. Capture those memories any way you can. A belated Happy Birthday to him.

Kathy, have you ever sold anything on craigslist? Maybe you could sell your dining set that way. We got a lot of response for some furniture pieces we sold.

We all need down time. Sometimes it's evening before I get to my list. I guess I just need to ruminate sometimes. Or read...

I get the runny nose when it gets cold out, but I live with it, as I need to walk Leah lots. I need to keep up the walking so when I walk a bunch of dogs I can go for a long time.

Sometimes when I grumble about my family and realize I still think about my stuff, I feel like a whiny wimp. I know that other people live in the moment and find life fulfilling enough so they have left the past back there, but I get caught up in bad feelings that started back then. I think it will take my whole life to not feel badly about things, as often. Or to learn to live with what I am as a result of my past. I go for weeks without feeling down about my life, then something reminds me of my difficulties and I'm right back in it again. If I could feel that I'm making progress in at least moving forward in some of my goals, then maybe I'd feel okay for longer. I am trying with my exercise, and writing and beading regimen.

I am trying to add business and money goals too, as a lot of the reason I feel trapped is that our finances are so on the whim of the economy. I want to build businesses that overlap so that they are less prone to being shut down by a capricious nature of the economy. I figure having several small grass roots businesses coupled with our ongoing construction business, will see us through tough times.

With that in mind, today my business goal is to put up posters for my pet services business. I hope to sell necklaces too and still am keeping in mind the suggestions from here. I am determined to get our finances on a more even keel, no matter what!

Eden I though Kate looked so cute with her painted nails. Of course you know what's going to happen, don't you. Now she'll want to get a manicure and pedicure for every special occasion. ;) I'm sort of kidding. My DD loves to get the hair and nails treatment when she can. I don't do stuff like that, so I don't know where she got it from, but she always looks very nice, and I do love the french manicure that she favours.

I once called the head of horticulture here in Vancouver BC, about buddleia, and was told it is a 'medium' invasive. Even though he said if I contained it that would help with the spreading, I decided at that time not to grow them. They are everywhere here, now so I'm back to wanting one for its good flowering and attracting of butterflies.

I hope your reno is going well. I wish I could do the kitchen. We are still waiting to put a new counter on. We have a temporary counter top for now. Our countertop tiles were completely broken. It was a retro style, well really it was so old it was new again, in yellow and black tiles.

Mmmm pecan waffles. I don't have pecans, but I do have walnuts and real maple syrup. Now I have a craving. We can't afford to go out, but my DH is a great breakfast chef.

Pretty indoor plant setup there. Not many plants indoors here at all. I've even been neglecting my lucky bamboo, which I've had for 10 years. I guess I'd better water everything. I do need to winter sow, as I know it will save money, but this year there's no money for extras, like seeds.

Love the music wreath. It's cool that it can change with the seasons. I looked up how to make a wreath of old christmas cards and found a few ideas that I liked. One was where the card fronts were cut up to look like holly leaves. I thought that one was cool.

Michelle I've got most of the plants on your list, except zinnias. After seeing the pics here, and on the net, I'm definitely going to take a look at those. Oh and fennel. I love fennel, and I'll definitely try to grow that!

Thanks for the recipe. I found sugar free pretzels so I'll give it a try.

Our kids hardly ever slept in our bed. I don't know why. It was not a strict rule. I think it's mostly because they slept so well at night. That's not the case now. Everyone in the family has trouble sleeping except DH.

No popcorn ceilings here. All the ceilings on the main floor are plaster and lathe, another retro item. This house is old and needs a new coat of everything including new insulation and stucco. Except the roof. A new roof was put on 2 years ago.

GB the 70th birthday surprise sounds great. I really enjoyed seeing last June. My garden doesn't ever look that nice. I seem to lose too many plants due to stingy watering, and unexpected cold and snow. I keep trying to have a layered effect, but my layers never come to fruition. Not that I don't keep trying. I love gardening too much to give up, even if it's difficult.

I try to remain positive about the never dying Dandy Lion. I remind myself that it is a good salad vegetable and a good tea. In other words I can kill the thing by eating and drinking it.

I'm sorry you see too much trouble right now. It is so difficult, especially when it comes at you from all sides. I'm glad you have a way to take the pressure off.

Different things work for different people, I guess. I try to count the good things when that happens. I don't know why some of us take it all upon ourselves to worry and others seem to slough it off so easily. I really have to work at it to feel happy, as I can't change everything, much as I'd like to. I like to say, in my head to myself, so the men in the white coats don't come;) that I forgive myself for not being able to help so and so, but I'm sending them love if I can't just hug them and say I love them at the time. Happy Debbie Day btw.

Woody congrats on learning about CAD. I haven't tested myself lately on learning new stuff, but if I did, I think I'd learn accounting. I'd love to master numbers and make them my friends.

DH who uses CAD for computer programming for his software design and for architectural, for the construction co, says that there is a learning curve, but there are also lots of add ons for any kind of software so you can do what you want. He says that there are limits to what it does, but that it is still very useful and then he has to fill in parts by hand.

Not a blogger here either, though I do wonder if I should be blogging about beading. Maybe I shoud check into it.

Mary glad to see you had a nice time even on school nights with the family.

What zinnias are you trying? I have to get ideas for what to buy. I want lots of colour in my garden this year, as last year a bunch of stuff didn't give a good show.

Julie rant away. I hope you rant at them too. And refuse to help them in their madness. My DH, Richea, likes to ride motorcycles. I hate motorcycles. Oh I know they're supposed to be fun, but I know too many people who ended up close to being a skid mark. That kind of fun is not fun to me. I support him in his love of dirt biking, which is what he does on his motorcycle, but I refuse to scrape him off the trail or road, and take him to the hospital, and he knows it! He'll just have to hitch hike. I'll go home and have a nice cupa. Do I sound like I hate dirt biking. Nah, not at all. ;)

I hope the lumber doesn't live in your livingroom for long. My DH is Mister Procrastimannnn, even though he's also a master carpenter ;). He's very good in all forms of carpentry. Of course we're the carpenter's family, with no repairs done, just like the cobbler's family with no shoes.

Chelone sorry about your blowy snow day, but I'll share some of your fire. That's what I miss about the childhood home, the fire on cold winter days. Maybe you could build a covered greenhouse walk way for the cats. That's one of my garden fantasies. Every time I'd go out to the car, I have to walk through the greenhouse all winter. I'd have to go toward the car an hour early, so I'd get where ever I'm going on time. How far is the Salon from the main house on the compound?

Do we use the 'D'(og) word for Rex, or is he a "Human Being" as the Cheyenne or Tse-tsehese-staestse call themselves. I just wondered as you hate dogs. ;) (P.S. just kidding around.)

The sedum wreath was supposed to be for GB's gift ideas. I meant to say that I like the idea of home made or home grown gifts. I love giving stuff that I've made and I love the idea of sedum wreath. I wish I could figure out a way to make it easier for those who forget to water, though. Maybe gift a spray bottle or my time once a week to water the thing during the season.

I also love making and gifting away my necklaces. I'm working on belt buckles for men, too so I have something for the men. Most won't wear a man's style necklace even. For kids I'll write them a story and give them a kid friendly necklace or beaded slippers or something like that. I'd better get going on that for next xmas. I was tempted to try my hand at knitting, and mixing in my beads, but I'd have to relearn how to knit again.

Yeona

Here is a link that might be useful: Holiday Card Wreath

Yeona, I post a lot more pictures on Facebook than I ever posted on here, and it it so much easier. All I have to do is click on "Photo" , and it takes me to a link that opens my documents. I can pick anything I want to from there, and it is free ! As for who all I have on there as 'friends', I do have a lot of my relatives, and people that I already knew, but I have lots more that I met only on Facebook. I have become very close to a lot of them. Most of them are members of the same faith as I am.

Marian

Ah...a three day weekend. Lovely.

Have enjoyed all the posts. Glad everyone is okay, 'bug. Very scary accident and especially the seat and carseat issues. Wow.

Chelone, too funny that poor Sally managed to make clean-up easy for you. I will discuss that with Clouseau and let him know that expect him to follow suit should he experience another episode like the last.

Eden, I love that wreath. Very cool-our neighbor is a professor of Music at Georgetown. Maybe I will try one as a gift for him next year.

So nice to see pictures of flowers-gives one hope. At this point, since we have been skipped over by the snow gods, I am ready for Spring to arrive. Can't see any point in all this cold weather if we don't have snow!

Love the story of Kenzie sharing the pillow. So sweet.

I did read all the posts. Feeling a tad jealous of Kathy. :)

We had a fun surprise between Christmas and New Year's. My son's half sister found him and emailed. I haven't seen her since she was about nine years old. First husband had her when he was 16 and I wanted her to live with us when we were married. Long story, but his family completely rejected her. Pretty much the same happened to John when we divorced. She is now 42 and she and John are emailing and talking on the phone. She is coming to visit near the end of February. I can't wait. I'm a little nervous because I think she has been looking all her life for acceptance and a place to fit in. Her grandparents raised her, so she grew up knowing neither parent really cared about her as a parent should. I'm afraid she has built me up a little too much-she remembers that I "was so kind" to her when she was little. Really hoping I don't disappoint her! Also, I hope she and John can both fill those little holes now, but not feel pressured or overwhelmed by it all. What a gift for all of us. Despite the nerves, I'm feeling so happy to have her back in our lives (actually, she and John never met-he's 11 years younger and we left when he was only one).

Waving to all my friends. I'll be back later in the weekend. Looking forward to football playoffs and chili with some school work and cleaning/organizing thrown in here and there (yes, I KNOW I should be done with the organizing by now-oh well). Virtual hugs...

Sun again to day, and a mild weekend on the agenda. Fingers crossed that more rose pruning will be accomplished. We have entered into the fog season, with overnight dense fog and hazy days with temps in 40's as lows and the 60's as highs. 60's sounds pretty good, but I know if they materialize it will be for maybe 2 hours tops in the late afternoon. Not bad though, I will look forward to even an hour outside in the 60's.

I'm posting a link for Yeona too look at; it's French and loads really slow for me , but the jewelry ! I don't wear jewelry anymore , but I thought this stuff was so unique and beautiful. Yeona, Marian's right, it's easy to post photos on FB. I have very stringent privacy settings there, but I really enjoy being able to interact with Idylls that don't post much here anymore, and yet are on FB daily. I still love this format though, more in-depth.

All for tonight !

Kathy in Napa

Here is a link that might be useful: Jewelry

I love jewelry and wish I had more creativity to make it. I've dabbled a little bit but I'm not original. Kathy's link is beautiful jewelry for gardeners.

Yeona, Fine Gardening's latest issue shows succelent topiarys in a cone shape that look really cool too.

Woody, your maintenance manual is quite the undertaking and very interesting.

Eden, very neat wreath and wow your indoor plants are looking good.

'bug, great spring picture. I've never had luck with primulas but they do make a nice spring display.

I'm really liking my new laptop, especially the slot to insert the memory card from my camera. No more searching for the camera cord. I haven't figured out yet how it just upload only new pictures. I have been uploading my pictures to Facebook and then linking them over here. Enabling me to share at both sites.

I'm really struggling with rabbit damage this year. So I went out with some Liquid Fence the other day to see if that will help. I have way too many shrubs to begin caging.

Since it was Rick's birthday yesterday, his family will be coming over tomorrow for a get together. I guess I need to get this place cleaned up and some food made. One of the things I'm making made me think of Kathy. Its Napa Valley Chicken Salad. It has grapes in it along with walnuts or pecans. I'm sure the kids won't go for it, but i will have ham sandwiches as well.

Have a great Saturday - I love Saturdays!

Michelle

Big curry dinner on the agenda here tonight. Blues' 'parents' are coming. (Blue will be here again for all of February and the first week of March... He's sort of the second dog in our family :-))

Yesterday Barb and Naznin were here. We made two curries, partly to add to our supply for dinner tonight and partly so Naznin could take some to her mother. Her mother is in a LTC (long term care) home in Mississauga and misses home-cooked curry. I was a bit nervous cooking for her because Naznin says she was a very good cook. Naznin e-mailed last night to say her mother liked the curries, and 'was surprised how well she (me) cooks Indian food'! I think that's a complement....:-)

Dinner menu for tonight includes popadums, samosas and onion bahjis to start, 4 curries (two chicken ones, a beef one and a mushroom one), Basmati rice, unleavened naan (quick and easy to make so can be timed to be hot out of the oven just before serving) and lemon pudding cake for dessert. The biggest failing of Indian cuisine in my books is that I have yet to find an Indian dessert that I like...!

Still no luck with the filters and I'm discouraged but in the big picture... pretty small potatoes!

I want to be at Woody's for dinner tonight. :) Sounds fabulous.

Crystal clear and cold here. But it's supposed to cloud up later today and remain cold for the next few days. We ended up with 16+" of snow from the last storm and that's really put the kibosh on pre-sunrise Compound Cruises with that fool dog. I trudge the predetermined circuit graciously provided by the helpmeet and the snowblower and Rex either stays on track or forges boldly ahead blazing his own trail through the snow. The cats are justifiably cautious outdoors but Daddy has cleared the way to their elevated walkways so they are not completely devoid of escape routes. They spend a lot of time on the deck, broadside to the sun, fully "puffed" and perfectly content to "be out".

Cat box activity remains high. I'm on the thrice daily scoop routine and have been for some weeks now. ;)

I've addressed the immediate need for privacy in the Salon. Finally! I have completed a two panel treatment for the triple mullion that faces due south ("full screen" for anyone driving north on our road) and a single panel treatment for the westerly oriented window that is visible from the inside the house. I decided to use what I had "on hand" to accomplish the feat, turning a "raw canvas" sow's ear into something that isn't too homely with the addition of appliqued tourquoise accent banding on both vertical edges and the lower horizontal edge, and appliqued accents below the ringed heading. I used rings I already had on hand (and yes, I pickled them to match the woodwork!) and while it's not my "vision", it's gets the job done and I no longer feel as though I'm in an aquarium when the sun sets.

Presently, I'm working on slipcovers. I'm focused on getting the 3 mismatched chairs that presently surround the Salon's stove slipcovered to bring a sense of unity and cohesiveness to the seating area. Again, I'm determined to use fabric "on hand" as much as possible. I have always liked the fabric I'm presently using (been toting it around for nigh on 30 yrs. now!!) and am determined to work within its palette for the remaining two chairs, which shouldn't be too hard. If nothing, I'm "good with color" and much of my "stash" is classic in palette or neutral enough to provide gracious segues to other avenues.

I have so many pictures in my camera I cringe at attempting to get them organized, but at least I have them, right?

Yeona, I have to go out and shovel what remains of the oldest stack of firewood. I don't "feel like it" but it won't be that bad and the fool dog will have a good time outdoors while I toil away. I hate dogs... they have all the fun and we do all the work. ... better kick him at least once to vent my frustration, right?

Chelone - you need to get some salon pictures out of the camera and up on this thread!

I agree with Woody, Chelone! Would love to see pictures. I am terribly envious of your talents. I might (not really) be able to sew curtain panels, but they would be panels of plain material with a hem and a pocket at the top and the seams would no doubt be crooked. Can't imagine the skill needed for slipcovers.

Kathy, that jewelry link has some cool pieces-more like sculpture than jewelry! Still envying your mild weather!

Michelle, I'll be interested to hear how the Liquid Fence works. I have read good things on GW about that and I have a bad feeling about the deer and my gardens out front this spring.

Wishing I had been at Woody's for her curry dinner last night and at Michelle's for chicken salad today-yum!

SO happy that the Packers won last night.

SO happy that the Bears won today. And they will put the Packers in their place next weekend. Okay, 'nuff talking smack.

I loved that in the French blog, she describes herself as "passionated by all gardens". I like the word passionated and want to make it a real word.

Not a whole lot new here in this part of the world. We've been measuring our snow here in fractions of inches, not feet, and that's just fine with me. But we are as lacking in sunshine as we are in snow, and I sure wish that would change.

Work has been very lackluster. We're really down to a skeleton staff. And the general morale is pretty lacking. There's a couple of really key actions that need to be completed by others that keep being delayed. Yes, I'm trying to be a bit oblique here. But I'm starting to wonder if they will happen. No warm, fuzzy feelings on the work front right now.

I'll admit also that I don't like to keep harping on this, but it's also a big part of life right now. So I've been somewhat slow to post.

What I have been enjoying is my chickens and my photo project. I'm trying to do a photo a day for the year. I started late on the 5th of the month, but so far am keeping up and enjoying it. It's forcing me to work on my skills in that area. And the chickens are doing just fine with the cold weather. Egg production has continued strong, and the eggs all but sell themselves. At the moment, my eggs through Tuesday or Wednesday are committed. Hmm, wonder how many dozen I have to sell to replace my salary? OK, the fast answer is about 24 times what I'm selling now. Not enough chickens...

Time to scrounge up a light dinner. We had lunch out as we watched the Bears game, so we don't need a big dinner. I will promise a brighter post next time!

V.

I retired to the boudoir very early last night, unable to face the prospect of yet more football. I loathe the game, it's tediously slow and the the deaf ol' helpmeet always has the volume too high. I don't give a -hit who wins any of the games and I wish the damn Superbowl was last night. :)

My slipcover is coming along nicely. If I didn't have to tear myself away and go to Dirtyland I could finish it this morning. I've encountered a few technical glitches here and there with my new machine... mostly adjustments to things like the feed mechanism when moving from one set of feet to another, but have managed to address them with a minimum of head scratching and a few favorite swears.

Very cold this morning when the huge one and I were outside this morning and it's supposed to be that way for the rest of the day. Dirtyland will also be very cold. I hear you on how depressing work can be, V.. T minus 7 hrs. and counting and it will all be over for another 24 hrs.!

Minus 7.6F here Chelone, but sun. Supposed to have freezing rain tomorrow....

Today? Finish my knitting, then Book Club this evening, I suppose interspersed with housework.

Some June color:
{{gwi:147456}}

Perhaps you would enjoy some photos (13) and an article from today's news about my neighbors.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Mennonite way

V, sorry about your work situation. I say, give those hens a pep talk! I suspect you are right about the Bears next week. That is okay by me. I would be happy to see them go to the Superbowl! I will, however, be wearing my Cheesehead hat (old original) during at least part of the playoff game. :)

Nice article 'bug. Also meant to tell you that in the last picture of Ivy in the snow series witth dad, she looks like a big girl, not the wee babe she is! I love that picture. Thanks also for the lilies-we all need that about now, don't we?

Chelone, your DH is welcome to travel down here for the Super Bowl. I am slightly more rabid than my DH (he prefers college games), but he would fit right in, I suspect and you could have some peace and quiet~;)

All that organizing I planned? Haven't done it, so today is my last chance to salvage my honor. Later all.

Today was a warm one in the midst of several very cold ones. Of course the form of precip today was freezing rain. Fortunately we didn't get much and the roads remained decent. The sun failed to make an appearance. We have had a decent amount of sun lately and my amaryllis took it all in and started blooming today. I picked it up on clearance shortly before Christmas.

I enjoyed the b&w pictures of the boys 'bug. Thanks for the lovely lilies.

I'm not a football fan either, actually not much in the sports world interests me. I stay semi-knowlegable because of those around me. My daughter was a huge Packers fan when she was younger. She loves sports. My son on the other hand is just like me.

Sorry work is so crappy for you gals lately. I really enjoy my job, get adequate appreciation and have great surroundings. I guess its about as good as work can get. I'm not sure I'd go as far as saying I love it, but I get satisfaction out of the fact that I'm good at it. It's a rapidly changing industry and my company is quite progressive so there's always something new happening.

Well almost 9:00 which is my time to go on the treadmill and watch PBS which shows some kind of gardening show each night at 9. Not that I haven't seen them all but it's still nice to see the color.

Michelle

For Wrecks: see below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Eat your heart out Rex

Evenin Idylls�

We had a beautiful weekend and I got several more of the roses pruned. If next weekend is dry I may be able to start on the climbers which always takes forever. I SP�d 2 declining roses and have plans for the demise of 3 more. I have another I want to move, but it�s a big one so it remains to be seen if it survives . I�ve always had pretty good luck moving roses around. I also placed my Swan Island Dahlia order � I won�t be able to do my concrete removal project til fall (budget :-) so I decided to plant an extremely garish front yard Dahlia display in last years pathetic Zinnia area. I ordered every color of the rainbow.

Lol Chelone, I don�t think I�ve watched a single football game in five years , but I religiously place a bet (a modest 25 $ ) on the SuperBowl. I turn the game on with no volume while I pursue other activities, and keep track of my gambling progress (or lack thereof) in the pool. So is one of your slip covered chairs that fabulous number you had by your computer desk in the house ? What a great chair. Wish I�d had the presence of mind to take a pic of it .

Cyn, don�t feel bad about your organizational failure..if you saw my garage !!! I have given myself a drop-dead date of May 1st to have it purged. However I �m not sure what punishment I�m going to inflict upon myself if it isn�t done. I think self flagellation is out of vogue.

How about some pics from IU 6 ?

Idylls in Maine {{gwi:147457}}From Idyllunion 6 July 2009
{{gwi:147458}}From Idyllunion 6 July 2009

The majestic Rex {{gwi:147459}}From Idyllunion 6 July 2009

White Flower Farm {{gwi:147459}}From Idyllunion 6 July 2009
{{gwi:147461}}From Idyllunion 6 July 2009

Dreams of summer !

Kathy in Napa

Today was a warm one in the midst of several very cold ones. Of course the form of precip today was freezing rain. Fortunately we didn't get much and the roads remained decent. The sun failed to make an appearance. We have had a decent amount of sun lately and my amaryllis took it all in and started blooming today. I picked it up on clearance shortly before Christmas.

I enjoyed the b&w pictures of the boys 'bug. Thanks for the lovely lilies.

I'm not a football fan either, actually not much in the sports world interests me. I stay semi-knowlegable because of those around me. My daughter was a huge Packers fan when she was younger. She loves sports. My son on the other hand is just like me.

Sorry work is so crappy for you gals lately. I really enjoy my job, get adequate appreciation and have great surroundings. I guess its about as good as work can get. I'm not sure I'd go as far as saying I love it, but I get satisfaction out of the fact that I'm good at it. It's a rapidly changing industry and my company is quite progressive so there's always something new happening.

Well almost 9:00 which is my time to go on the treadmill and watch PBS which shows some kind of gardening show each night at 9. Not that I haven't seen them all but it's still nice to see the color.

Michelle

Dreams of summer - indeed! Lovely!

Thanks for the link to France. Beautiful. If a flower can't bloom and grow on a stem, let it bloom and grow on a necklace. Hi to everyone. I'm enjoying the pics and drooling over Dreams of summer. Thanks again.

It's the witching hour here, and I must try to sleep. Yesterday it was 3:30 a.m. before I drifted off, and 8:30 a.m. when I awoke. I hope to have great success falling asleep quickly and staying asleep for 7 to 8 hours.

Thinking of everyone,
Gooooodnight Idylls

Yeona

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Whole-New-Wardrobe-by-Recycling-Your-Clothes

March 15, 2010

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You see? Not too far off!