Tuesday - Home Alone

Pictures - looking for poison ivy. We found it and cordoned off the area with orange tape. After seeing gross pictures on the internet of poison ivy rashes, the girls haven't been in the woods.

Playing volleyball in the driveway.

Eating lunch at the counter.

Alaina's graduation pictures.

There has been a delay in writing my blog for a very good, pleasant reason. We have company sleeping on the futon in our computer room and it's been difficult to get in here to write and also put up pictures. I could write because Paul has a laptop in our bedroom, but I'm not sure how to pull up pictures from the camera and post them from there. I am reminded of Cousin Alice who has the same problem of writing e-mails when visitors come.

Our guest room is full, and the upstairs "kids' camp" is also full. Neat. We love having everyone. The reason for us being alone? All the boys are camping - Randy made plans for them all to camp at a campground two nights, in Pennsylvania, not too far away. Paul intends to visit "for the day. I like my bed too much." The boys look forward to this, as all gentle manners are left home and they can proceed with much laughter and gaity as the name of this group is POWERFART. Which stands for Paul Orland Wayland Extended Relatives Expedition for Farting. Tenting, fishing, and other outdoor manly activities lead the way.

The gals, not to be overlooked, have planned a girls luncheon and shopping trip at the Outlet Mall in Geneva. Everyone met here this morning and left about the same time. Thus the alone part.

Paul and I had a lovely 2nd anniversary yesterday. We went to a (kind of) new restaurant in Corning that we'd heard good reports about. Tony R's Steak House. It lived up to all the hype. Our steak was delicious. When we got home, the grandchildren, with help from Uncle Greg and Uncle Eric, had handmade us a huge card, which we will keep forever. Then we all watched the dvd "Valkyrie," the assasination plot to kill Adolf Hitler, and had ice cream and brownies. Nee nee and Emma also cleaned the whole kitchen for me. (Did I tell you I love this family?)Friday Alaina graduated as salutatorian of her class in the Canandaigua amphitheatre, so her proud family attended. We took up two rows of seats. She gave a good speech. Not too long, and not too short. I'm sure everyone was proud her poise and ability to get up before so many people. An aside: Of all the people that attended, I sat next to the great aunt and uncle of the valedictorian and they were from Elmira, a neighboring town from us! We kept praising each other's on-stage relative, but down deep I really knew that Alaina was the better one...and she was one of ours!

Saturday Paul and I made another trip to the Rochester area because we were invited to Alison Zeccola's graduation party. Alison is my former husband's grand niece. And she is a beautiful young woman. Paul had never met them, of course, and bless his heart, agreed to go to this party. It did my heart good to see everyone and they welcomed us both with such open arms. It's been a couple (?) of years since I'd seen the Spencer families. For example, two children, ages 6 and 8, from the Boston area, I'd never met. To reconnect with all the Spencers, left me with such a good feeling. Nancy, Vincent and Dan, my son-in-law, were there with Nancy's dad and step mom.

Alison's party was outside in the back, and they set up a frisbie game called Kan-jam. We were so impressed by it that on our way home from our anniversary dinner, we got one for our family to use on the blacktop. (Our delicate little grass coming up is not able to withstand much playing. Next year will be different

That's all for now.

Friday - a dreary but eventful day

We have the Greg Waylands with us since Wednesday evening. They made their usual great driving time from Florida - leaving Tuesday around noon, staying over one night and arriving here just after suppertime. That's a lot of traveling in a short amount of time.

It was cloudy this morning, and rainy at lunchtime. Now it's just gloomy. The Sidle kids are here while their mom, Sharon, works today. It gives the kids a chance to re-connect. The California cousin, Emma, and her folks arrived in Rochester last night and stayed overnight with Jeff's family. His daughter, Paul's granddaughter, is graduating tonight as her high school's salutatorian. We have a bouquet of flowers for her that we'll take up with us tonight. I do hope the weather improves, as it will be at the Canandaigua Performing Arts Pavilion - all under a roof, but the walk to and from could be "disastrous." Luckily, they have a bus from the parking area that will take us to the pavilion. I wouldn't be able to go, if they didn't. Or it would have been a chore. We'll be taking Emma, Brenda and Eric back with us tonight.
That's all folks!

Wednesday, June 24th

Mulch into cart.

Toasting marshmallows and having a juice popcycle
Love this picture of Nancy, Vincent and Grandpa Paul. Nothing like a side-ways picture. Oops.

Hi there - been a while since I've written. The past couple of days we've had a busy little person here for a visit with his mom. Consequently we also were busy! No time to write.

Yes. Nancy and Vincent were picked up in Bath at Grandpa Neal and Grandma Judy's house on Saturday. Grandpa Neal very kindly drove all the way to Chicago, got them and drove back to this area, coming in on Friday.

V and Nancy were here till yesterday when I drove them back to Bath to spend time with the Bath Grandparents. Dan is driving in Friday from Chicago to Bath. Neal's grandniece, Alison, is graduating from a Rochester area high school Saturday. We're all going to the party on Saturday. Then Nancy and Dan will be renting a cottage on Keuka Lake with two other couples for a week. Let's pray for good weather!

Well, the one thing that a three year old boy is drawn to get into... is dirt. We have a lot of that. Plus mounds and mounds of mulch that are getting spread around. Using Grandpa Paul's spade and his own digger, filling the cart with mulch and riding on the tractor, made Vincent's day. Then there are bales of hay that needed to be spread around on some seeded ground. Vincent helped (?) by taking the hay from the seeded ground and making his own little hill/house.

Nancy very wisely brought boots for V. Saturday, it poured. Sunday was cloudy, misty, and muddy. We let V go outside and play in the mulch. Poor Nancy was feeling poorly and spent a good part of Sunday, Father's Day, resting. Her plans had to be changed because she originally wanted to go to church with her dad for Father's Day. When she put Vincent to bed for his nap, she took my car and went to dad and Judy's and watched them eat lunch.

By the afternoon, Nancy was feeling better and we all went to Aunt Sharon and Uncle Dave's house for a barbque with the family. Aunt Lue even came! V. had such a good time with his new cousins and a great big pile of dirt. There were 13 of us, 16+ hamburgers. Vincent was very unhappy (and very dirty) to leave. Even though he had been quiet in his room for over an hour, he hadn't napped for grandma Jeanne. Said he'd "save it for later". That was his problem.

I am very impressed by the Molden family. Dan was talking with his folks 11 PM Sunday. (This is not unusual. The Molden schedule usually runs late. ) Plus it was 10PM their time. While talking to Dan they had a 3-way phone call. Scott Molden is an MD and prescribed prilosec for Nancy. So - Monday morning we went to Target, (Nancy, Vincent and I), and got the medication for her. It was a beautiful beautiful day. From there we found a wonderful children's park at Watkins Glen State Park and V had fun just runnin around and going from one thing to another. Such fun. After that...lunch time. nap time. The usual.

Yesterday I took them back to Bath, sat a minute with everyone, said good-by, and spent a quiet time with a cup of coffee at the new library and a book. Then it was on to my scheduled appointment at the hairdresser's. Home to Bath.

I am limping very badly. My left leg is quite weak. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday morning. I think it started with all the walking we did on our Cruise in April. I am thinking great thoughts about Monday. It will be the beginning of a new me. Perhaps physical therapy, X-rays, blood tests. I need to get to the bottom of this.

Friday afternoon

The sun is finally shining through the trees. We've had a cloudy, misty, cool day so far, so any sunlight is welcomed. Oops. It's gone.

The building inspector came this morning for the final inspection of our house. We are so glad that that is done! It's been hanging over Paul's head since he got the temporary inspection signed in November and knew that this one would get him (the building inspector) out of his hair if everything went as it was supposed to. And it did. Phew. We were concerned about the upstairs "bedroom area." And were hoping he'd not ask to go upstairs. But he did. And he saw all the work Paul had done. Heart in throat. His only comment was, If you intend to do any more, Mr. Wayland, you'll need a building permit. Thus sayeth the Building Inspector. This building inspector doesn't have many people that think a lot of him. He intimidates and says falsehoods about construction information.

Right now, the heating company is in the cellar attaching our air-conditioning unit to the duct work. This is our very very last contractor! Our house has been surprisingly cool. I imagine that's because the upstairs is so HOT and protects us down here. You realize...That's my uneducated guess. We do have window units for the upstairs and will be able to put them in for the grandkids when they come. If needed.

We had company today. Paul's sisters, Bonnie Stahlman and Edna (and Mike) Michaels came from Pennsylvania to see our new house and have lunch. I made tuna burgers - cooked in the oven, bean salad and Paul cut up some fruit. I made a Key Lime Pie for dessert. It was not a real key lime pie, but a weight-watcher substitute and diabetic friendly, which goes over very well.

After we ate, we cleared the table and played cards, Hearts, for a couple of hours. Lots of fun was had by all, even if I wasn't a good hostess: I won with the lowest score. Edna and Mike live about 2 1/2 hours away. Last night Bonnie came to their house from western Pennsylvania and the three of them drove here together. They'll be home before suppertime and dark since they left around 3:00.

We're awaiting a phone call from Nancy when she gets into or close to Bath. Can't wait to see my little grandson, Vincent. Her dad very kindly drove to Chicago and is bringing them back. That's a long trip and my hat's off to him. It's nice that they can have some father/daughter/grandson time. I think they stayed in a motel last night. I wonder how V did and how he is doing. As I said, it's a long trip - 10-12 hours. I have a playdate planned for Vincent with the little guy, Seth, across the street who is also three and has a birthday in April.

Wednesday noon - a complication

Paul just left to return what I thought was paver sand that I got for him at the Bargain Bin which is a smaller Lowe's-type store in the same complex as Curves. (The reason for my getting it rather than he) It ended up being something else and costing more. What a guy - he didn't even complain. Except for the fact it costed $12 a bag, compared with $3 a bag he paid at Lowe's. It was on my credit card, so he has that with him. Consequently, our lunch is delayed. No biggy. The two bags weighed 50 pounds and the sales lady lifted them into the Spectra trunk like they were bags full of feathers. Oh, to be young and strong. Or to be young. Or to be strong. Ah - but one good thing came of this venture...I found a small table that can go between the rockers I purchased the other day.



I only went one and a half times around the circuit at Curves today because my heel was beginning to hurt (and I was excited to get home to show Paul the new table. This was the real reason.)


How is Ella doing?
Ella is doing well. Her problem is her weight. She's always been a finicky eater, but now it's really worse. Paul and I have a system worked out. I buy any and all kinds of canned food for her. If she likes it, we write it down on the refrigerator pad, and where it came from. If she doesn't like it, we first try other maneuvers: microwave it 5-10 seconds, add a little water. If that doesn't work out, we throw it out, which causes another problem...smelly garbage. We don't have a garbage disposal because we have well -water. We have to empty it often. But I digress... So far, we found she loves the most expensive food - Newman's Own cat food - a little can costs $1.07 at Walmart's. When I got it home for the first time, she inhaled it. Of course, it's all natural, chicken that is only farm-fed. Only the best for our beloved cat. So, when we go to Walmart's, I get some for her.



I didn't explain about her Monday's blood/urine tests. The vet didn't find anything wrong with her, but he thought she should have the same liver tests done again that she had in Florida, just to compare the results. He called yesterday, but no one was home. He's calling again this afternoon. Or I'll call him.

I have a complaint about the Horsehead's Walmart pet food department. It's located on the opposite side of the store from the food section, right next to the pharmacy department. I usually remember her food as I'm getting groceries. That means I hobble over there with my cart if I want to get it.

Why I wasn't home yesterday: I went to Bath to have lunch with my Curves friends. This is a group of gals that I used to exercise with every morning and then we'd have coffee at Tops Friendly Market. What a nice group of ladies. They all had hugs for me. We met at the "new" Mexican restaurant. It actually has a new cook/management. The name has been changed from Cielito Lindo to San Carlos. I don't particularly care for Mexican food. This was outstanding, and low-caloried also. A chicken salad - warm, with cooked onions and mushrooms on a bed of lettuce. Topped with a dollop of sour cream (okay, that wasn't lo-cal) We made plans for them to come to our neck of the woods for lunch in a nice restaurant and dessert at our house. That way they can see it.

To make a long story longer, Paul has returned from the store. He got the correct paver sand. It cost $2.75. ea. The returned items were eliminated from my credit card. All is well.

Monday

Not sure how to delete, so there's two pics of the ceramic cat I got on a whim for our deck. It looks down on the patio where the fire pit is. Yes, as you can see, we can have a nice fire in it.

I CAN write up here - still not sure how this keyboarding works for the blog. Erma Bombeck said "The grass is always greener over the septic tank" The picture to the left attests to that.

I can't be sure where the next typing will be - but anyway - the two rocking chairs were a bargain. They were originally $60 a piece and were selling for $35. I had seen them and liked them so we bought them. Very sensible. They're very comfy.

We had a fire in the firepit Friday night. I took Paul's picture and he took mine. Loved it. Marshmallows - here we come! We also got some bushes at Lowe's. Good price also.

"On the road again..." I almost made that the title of my blog today, because I used my poor car a lot this morning. Ella, my 17 year old cat, went to the vets in Watkins Glen Friday for a check-up. (a 10 mile trip) They asked me to bring her in this morning for a blood test and urine sample (not sure how this is done and don't want to know). They said to leave her and come back in a couple of hours or later this afternoon. They'd call when the tests were completed. Okay. Next door is a P & C Grocery store. Stopped there. Then decided I needed gas. Too
expensive in Watkins, so drove to Horseheads - back on the road, going the 10 miles plus another 7, (how stupid could I get?) to the gas station that was known to have the cheapest gas. Also - I'm getting lazy... they pump it for you!

I get there and the young guy says "What do you want, Hon?" Uh Oh. He's in trouble. When he's done, He says "Have a nice day, Hon. Simmering, I say... "and you too, Dear." To which he responds smiling - "How nice for you to answer me. Most people just drive off. " What can I say, smiling, I feel like slinking down in the seat - I'm just a nice gal. But perhaps not.

Anyway - I've gotten off the topic. I drove home - got in the door, and the phone rang. Ella was ready to come home. I hadn't had breakfast yet. So I quickly ate, got in the car, and returned to Watkins and picked her up and returned home. I traveled about 30 miles. BUT I saved 24cents or more on gas at the least expensive service station. What a gal. I'm ready for a nap.

Sunday

I love Sunday mornings in June. The sun is out, the shadows are perfect, the birds are chirping, the sky is blue. Doesn't it sound like I'm going to burst into song? Well, no.
We went to the Methodist Church in Horseheads today and thought their church services were combining for summer hours - 9:30. BUT - we were mistaken. NEXT Sunday they start summer hours. We were there too early. The Sunday School kids were being dropped off and the parking lot was pretty much empty. Knowing what the problem was, we left and had breakfast out at a little restaurant nearby. It is a combination: ice cream parlor, dinette, and drug store. Paul and I've had lunch and breakfast there several times and we're always happy about the price: $3.39 for two eggs, toast and coffee. You can't beat that.
Church started at 10:30 and it was Children's Sunday. Unfortunately, that's not one of my favorite Sundays in church, and in Bath, since the choir didn't sing, I'd often not go. For one thing, the Presbyterian church Youth Sunday service was a combined service at 10:00 and it invariably lasted till after 12. Plus I wasn't involved with the youth. So you can see why I was prepared for a long seige. However, I was pleasantly surprised! The service was done around 11:45, the children had short parts, and the musical talent was superb. They had a teen flautist (sp?) that did a great job, a solo violinist, a brother/sister violin, viola duet.
I had decided to do a piano solo during one of the church services this summer, so after the service, I talked with the organist, who is also the head of the music department, and got a date lined up - August 9th. I have so many beautiful piano arrangements of hymns that I like to share them.
Got a nice note from Cousin Carol. I appreciated it. I don't know who's reading this from my list of people, other than my kids, so it's nice to know someone likes it and gives me incentive to continue on. Let me know if you read this, okay?
Paul's started flowers and shrubs. Very minimal this year. I think we've really been cost-conscious tho Paul might think not. I've come to realize that we balance each other out. At least I think so. We've got some pretty flowers being planted and bushes too. He's so knowledgeable about these things - I have decided that he knows best. Will get some pics up soon.

Friday

The people across the street were having their driveway paved. Paul went over, asked, and the price was right so we had them do ours. Wow. They finished theirs in the morning, and came right here and did ours in the afternoon! Boy - That was really spur-of -the-moment, but we're so glad we got it done!

As usual, the pictures aren't in order. The before one is at the bottom. the finished product in the middle, and the middle one is at the beginning!


We even had a good rain shower in the late afternoon after they'd finished. That helped the cooling process of the blacktop considerably. A lot of steam came off it. We cannot drive on it until Sunday, so our cars are on the road till then.

Paul put his Father's Day gift from me, a ping-pong table, together in the cellar today. It folds up and doesn't take up that much room when folded. But that doesn't really matter as our cellar is quite large. It'll be fun for the grandkids and our kids to use. (and us) Can't wait to hear those ping-pong balls "pinging".

There are lots of boxes still downstairs that I need to unpack or stack. I did go through one. The 1994 newspapers that items were wrapped in told how long ago I'd packed it. Such fun - I found artificial fruit that my mother had given me eons ago. I washed them and put them in a bowl. The grapes were rather worn, as my son when he was a toddler, even though I'd scold him, used to "pick" them and put them in his mouth. Its a wonder he survived. The grapes look rather seedy, but from a distance they're okay. I'm wondering how many grandchildren will want to eat the apples, peaches and pears. Luckily they're older than he was - except for Vincent. But he has a very observant mom.

This is our Holding Garden of plants Paul took from the Montour House. We're both so glad that he did. There are several there. ... Hostas, lilies, irises, others. The picture below: Looks like some indians were here. This hut plus another are left from Christmas vacation when the grandkids were playing in the snow. A while back they called to ask if they still were there - Yes kids - here's the proof. Pictures don't lie.

As usual, my pictures are in the reverse of the planned order...trying to get them organized will be a study in perfection for me. Oh, well. This top one is obviously from our woods behind the house. It is a cloudy day today so I hurried outside to get these pictures before it rains. These pictures are pretty much self-explanetory.

Below, shows Paul with our "vegetable garden," our one tomato plant in a pot. 'Thank you, Lue!"

You can see it better - above.

The picture above is of the lamppost that Paul made. He had the wiring dug when they put the lawn in last week.

Wednesday afternoon

We've had warm, humid weather here in upstate NY. Paul completed our deck in stages today, doing most of the work this morning when it was cooler. We don't have air-conditioning yet, but the company who put our heat in is scheduled to come this week and add the a/c. The pad is all set outside. Having a second floor living space seems to make the first floor cool though. At least that's my thoughts on the matter. Lucky us.

Our three grandchildren left yesterday evening after they and their parents had a spaghetti dinner with us. The convention they went to was in Atlantic City, a 5-6 hour drive from here, so they were glad to sit down and relax over dinner before going on home. It seemed very quiet around here last night. I wonder why.

Welcome to Cousin Carol who has joined as a guest! I am so pleased, Carol. As I said in an e-mail, it does my heart good!

Thursday

Yes! We looked outside and low and behold - there is a green color to the straw...looking closely, we could see little grass shoots starting to come up. Saw it first over the septic tank. :0)

oops - for those of whom I'm not your mother...

I decided to tell you - oops. I forgot to change my name Mom to Jeanne. Now, I don't know if I change my name from Mom to Jeanne, will you not be able to view it? To make a long story short...I started a blog to let my children know what's happening in my life. Then I began to think...perhaps others might like to know what's happening also. So, I devised an e-mail address list for my fondest and most cherished people. You are among the lucky few. There will be pictures for you to see - as I proudly have learned how to add them. (Am I proud!) All these things are a struggle (sigh) as I become more proficient. It is fun. Really. I wanted it to be safe though. Only you precious few can view it. Comments are welcomed. Be kind.

Yesterday they completed our lawn by blasting straw all over the seed with the machine shown below. It was amazing. In a half hour they had it all covered. Then last night we had a very gentle rain. What luck! Let's hope that it all continues as well as this has begun. I wonder how long it takes for lawn to grow. Will it be by the time Vincent gets here? Or the other grandkids? (from California and Florida)

Which reminds me, we're having guests this weekend. Lee, Charlie and Ida will be staying with us tonight through Tuesday, while their folks, Sharon and Dave Sidle, go to a conference in Atlantic City. We made up the beds upstairs in the grandkids room. And we also have room in the guest room for Ida if she'd rather be downstairs with us. Ages: Ida - 6, Charlie 11, Lee 14. Lee is at a campout at Boy Scout Camp Gorton on Waneta Lake tonight, so Paul will pick him up tomorrow morning at 10 AM.

The picture at right is topsoil that was put around near our house.

My heel is bothering me today. I went food shopping at Tops over by the mall this morning. I guess I was on my feet too long. I'll rest it this afternoon. Good deal tho: Barnes and Nobles is right across the street from Tops! I'm reading the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson - and I had just finished one paperback last night, and was able to get the other right away this morning! Sometimes life is just too good.

What more joy can there be?

Did I mention that I bought Paul a pingpong table for Fathers' Day? We went to Dick's sporting good store up by the Mall and got one yesterday. It's quite heavy. The workmen were here so they helped put it in the cellar. Now he needs someone to help him lift it so he can complete putting it together. He also bought himself a fire-pit (they call it an outdoor fireplace) which he is putting together. That will go on the patio for now. Eventually it'll be in the woods.

Creative noisy movement

Paul is working on the last side of our deck. To the left of the post are the stairs.

The area being smoothed on the picture below is for motorhome campers. We will have such a beautiful spot for Uncle Bob, the Jeff Waylands, and anyone who wish to camp-out.

Nice smooth soil which will soon have grass seed. Rain anyone?

This is the beloved rockhounder below...doing it's job.

From what I understand, I created TWO blogs by mistake. I think I've deleted the older one, but kept the one where I learned how to add pictures. Let's hope so. I was a bit perturbed that no one was as excited as I that pictures were on my blog. At least I didn't think I'd gotten responses. When I spoke with Nancy last night, she told me the problem. Now let's hope I can read what people say.

We're having a lot of movement here at Woods Edge. Thanks to the rock hound, we have much less rocks - it's nice to see nice smooth soil which will soon be covered with grass seed and straw. I understand that a machine "blows" the seed and straw. Interesting. They say it takes about 30 minutes for an acre of land. The rest of the 2 1/2 acres will stay forest.

My plantar fasciitis is feeling better now - thanks to the heel cushion and exercises I have been doing. It's not 100%, but I certainly can feel a difference. It's awful to hobble around and not be able to go places and do what I want to do. I went upstairs and made up the beds for the kids.

Tues. night:
The celebration of one section of the deck finished! It was a beautiful night for a glass of wine and popcorn. We moved the table from the front porch to our back deck.

I am finding that sometimes the pics are darker than the light really shows. As you can see we have sun glasses on.

Today (Wed.) it is cloudy and cool. The landscaper delivered two loads of fill so far. He didn't stay, but I think he's trying to let us know we haven't been forgotten. We have two metal dinosaurs in the front yard waiting to move earth. We assume when he finishes the job he's working on now, his crew will be here. Paul is putting in the stairs on the deck and soon the gas grill will go on the patio. Right now it's being moved from the garage to the driveway and back again. Not the ideal situation. We wave to all the neighbors that go by.

Pictures, anyone? well, no one's perfect.

Dark picture of Marcia and Ella on the living room couch.

Top pictures are duplicates of the deck.

This looks a little better.

This is our back yard. It is beautiful with the sun shining through the trees. Perhaps I should have made this bigger. As I said before, I'm still learning by trial and error. Our backyard faces South, so it's always sunny. The front of our house is usually in the shade since it faces North.

Another smaller view of our deck. Railings are to be added. Paul's working on it, and helped me with the photos.