Just Mostly Pictures...

The last picture is using a flash. It looked washed out, so I took the rest without one. The color of the walls are the same as our kitchen - so it's a color in between flash and non-flash. We're both so pleased with how it turned out. We love the floor especially.

I wanted to show you these pictures that I took this afternoon about an hour ago - to show you how the upstairs new room looks. Paul has done such a wonderful job and it's almost finished!

Thus the pictures.

Somehow...not much news...but leads me to random thoughts...

So - where is November going? We've had a good week of weather, and now it's getting to look cloudy and dark. I'll be glad when Dec. 21st arrives and the days will begin to stay lighter longer. And we can look forward to going to Fla. where sunset is later than here - by quite a bit. I look forward to cocktails on the lanaii and seeing the sun go down behind the palm trees.



I'm always glad to see that someone reads my blog and comments on its contents so that I don't feel like I'm talking to the wall. (Seriously... only kidding.) Jil wrote in his blog about reading my blog and commented on how I wrote about the brightness of the stars here, when we're in our hottub, evenings. He wanted me to know he'd read it, and wanted his followers to know about the Mindanao night sky, plus respond to my blog. Normally he would post a comment at the end of the post. He was comparing the stars in Mindanao, how beautiful they are - sparkly and bright - but he didn't think they were as bright as seen here near his hometown. I think, but am not scientifically positive, that it's because our air is clearer and colder. Or perhaps memory fools us.



Back to an aside from the above paragraph: Comments. I welcome them and have received several interesting of fun e-mails to that effect. If they're e-mails, I can't share them with you. BUT If you read my blog thru the blog site: The steps in the way my blog comments can be or not be viewed are as follows:
1. Someone writes a comment. It is posted as an e-mail. 2. I open the e-mail. Read it. Decide if I should post it, or not. 3. I click either publish or do not publish.
It is so comforting to hear from Jil, Epril, Nancy and respond to their response! And everyone can read the comments I've received so far about my posts. A lot of people responded to the one on cursive writing. Several people wrote. they were fun for me to read. But many only responded through e-mails. No good. Couldn't share them with you all. That - plus folding fitted sheets! That was another "popular" subject area. Good heavens I must lead a dull life. Not really.



If you would like to respond on my blog in the comment section or even just to check on what comments have been written: Here's what you have to do.
You have to get on the net.
On the address line you write: http://www.thewoodsedgecrew.blogspot.com/;
When you get in, read the posting, at the end there will be the comment section.
Follow the easy directions.
You can use the anonymous setting if you'd like. I've done that and put just my first name at the end of the comments or just left it blank.



That's enough for now. How're things goin' in your neck of the woods?

My father would have been 102 today. I guess the chances of him being alive, if he were alive, are pretty slim, wouldn't you say?

Life has been busy with normal life here at the Woodsedge. Paul continues to work on the room upstairs. He's busy "mudding." and comes down with very very dusty hands. It's not his favorite thing to do, he says. But...The room looks marvelous. Size: 14.5 X 15.

Last night, my friend Ruth called and invited me to come for breakfast this morning at our favorite spot. The weather has been sunny and unseasonably warm, so the trip was pretty. Ruth says Buffalo usually has had 11 inches of snow by now, and all they've had is a dusting. Wish we'd had this nice weather in the summer or early fall. It's almost like Mother Nature is saying she's sorry that she caused such unpleasant weather early on and is trying to make up for it...even if there's not much time before the snow usually comes. (That was pretty bad. Well. I tried.)

We've been going in the hottub after the dinner dishes are done. The night before last, the stars were so bright, it was like a fairyland. Of course, all the lights need to be off to see it all. Its surprising how much you can see. However, I've got to be more careful because I've stumbled over the stairs twice before my eyes adapted. (But I guess I should be looking down and not up...) Incidentally- the air temperature was 30. And it (the hottub) was a very comfortable 102. There's only a 5 second period of time where you might feel cold..., when the bathrobe and crocs comes off, and before you sink into the water. When you get out, there isn't any 5 second "uncomfortableness." You're still warm from the water, your robe and crocs are leisurely put on, then you're in the house. Voila.

So... as you can see... not much happenin' in our neck of the woods. What about yours?

This top picture is the item I mention in a paragraph below - as usual, I've been writing before taking pictures and so - my pictures don't exactly match the area which they're supposed to be. Does that make sense? It does to me. Anyway - the picture just below is the sheetrock jack that Paul got through the mail. Do please notice the tv - it's usually set to a football game, so it's not all work and no play...

The next picture is of course the ceiling that he's been able to sheetrock because of the jack.

The last picture is of the walk-in closet that still needs to be sheetrocked.

Okay - now we're where I began my post today...so let's begin!

Paul and I have been discussing where to put a Christmas tree this year. The space we had reserved for it, has been taken by one of my birthday gifts last Spring - a beautiful glass-doored bookcase (which I love). So - that space is taken. Looking at all the other spots where it could be placed, it seems rather an impossibility.

So...we've decided that this is the time to shop for a smaller artificial tree. Looking at the calendar, its certainly not too early to window-shop for one. We were thinking of putting it on one of our dining room side tables. It's possible to put a 5' one on the one in front of the window, or a 4' one on the one in the corner. My plan is to visit as many stores as possible and get a feeling for what's out there. As I said to Paul, I really want a spectacular tree...even if its small. As an aside: We have a small artificial tree that has ornamental-pictures of the grandchildren that we certainly can find a spot for. Perhaps on top of the bookcase, or on the half-wall near our front door. After all, some Christmas traditions will not be dropped!

Of course, another problem arises. Ornaments. Not as much room for them. Which ones do we put up, which ones don't we. Do we get new smaller ones. Do we begin thinking about which ornaments do we give away, and thinking along the lines...who would want them.

I went out this afternoon and window-shopped Walmart, Target, Hobby Lobby, Sam's Club and Lowe's. (How about that for walking! ) The trees I looked at weren't all that great. Except one at Lowe's...which had the largest selection. Perhaps I'm just early and the stores didn't have their full selection out yet. I will try on-line also. I'm looking for a potted artificial tree...
Instead of spectacular, I may have to settle for magnificent. :o)

My dear one has been so busy upstairs, UPS delivered a jack that holds a sheetrock in place, so only one person is needed to apply them to the ceiling. It eliminates having another person to hold them up there. I bet this means a lot less sore backs, shoulders. Also -hetoldme that he's taking it easy, stopping when he gets tired, spreading out the work load. Good. What a difference from last year when we had the Christmas season as a deadline to get the Kids Camp done...

That's all for now. How're things in your neck of the woods?

New Random Thoughts

Cousin Carol sent me an e-mail the other day about random thoughts in our lives. I thank her because it gave me food for writing and I'd like to share some of these personalized thoughts with you. There were many thoughts, but these three stood out to me personally. I am going to apologize FIRST... because these are certainly not HUGE problems to anyone. But as I said, they made me think. And I could relate. BUT... if the shoe fits...wear it.

The first was:

Bad decisions make Good Stories.

Okay. The other day I received an e-mail from a Card Club friend, Dayle, inviting all the women to come for lunch on Tuesday at the local restaurant in town. She and her husband were leaving this coming weekend to spend the winter in the southlands near their children and grandchildren. Knowing this would be the last time to see her before she left, it was fun to say yes and have a last visit with her. The other ladies are always good company so a good hour or so was planned for the visit. Five of us ended up going.
When I left in the morning, I decided to wear my good brown "company" sneakers. They're really very nice looking and comfortable. I even wear them to church. Years ago I bought my first pair. I liked them so much I bought them again when the first pair wore out. I drove to the restaurant and as I got out of the car, I noticed I had a brown shoe and a white shoe. Apparently half way through the process of putting on my shoes, my mind neglected to remember I'd changed my usual white for brown. But - my wonderful mind remembered that the white sneakers I had for my Curves exercise are kept in my car. No problem. I just put them on. The ladies had a good laugh with me.
Ruth said - you could have kept them on - your feet would just be under the table. True. But she wasn't the one wearing a white shoe and a brown shoe. That shoe's on a different foot. Or if the shoe fits wear it. And...It's slightly different from a navy sock and a black sock.

The second random thought was:
How the Hell Are You Supposed To Fold a Fitted Sheet?
It's not a major problem of course. I thought about rarely, but was always alone when I put the wash away. So frustratingly, it came to mind then. Once, however, the first time I moved in Bath after my divorce, a friend and I were putting sheets away in my linen closet. They always seemed to bunch up and not fold neatly so that the linen closet looked good. She showed me a way to do it, but I still wasn't satisfied. It still didn't look as good as I'd like. A couple of years later, in Florida I asked my cleaning lady, Debby, the same thing. She put the fitted sheet inside the folded top sheet, along with the pillow cases. Good thoughts. Looked good. Everything was together. Now, just a couple of weeks ago, I had an aha moment in regard to it all. On my guest bed: After I washed the sheets, I just added the fitted sheet onto the bed, underneath the spread! I was so proud of myself. The rest of the set - top sheet and pillow cases are neatly folded in the linen closet. Now - that works for guest room fitted sheets. Not for our bed, of course. So - I'm still wrestling with the way to fold a fitted sheet. Meanwhile I let my present cleaning lady do it. I'll have to ask her how she makes the linen closet look so neat. I really appreciate it.

The third random thought was:
Was Learning Cursive Really Necessary?
Okay. I know...This is not top priority for most people's thinking. BUT - Let's not forget... I was a reading/writing teacher in my former life. I knew this cursive writing was something the kids looked forward to immensely, because it meant they were growing up. Only babies printed. The second half of second grade, first half of third were the times picked for this occasion. But somewhere along the line, cursive fell away and the kids began printing again - seventh, eighth grades? Teachers would demand that they do their papers again in cursive. The reason for cursive? Well...Teachers said that you can write quicker joining the letters together. So - It made sense to do it that way. Now, of course, so much is written on the computer - one can kind of justify not learning to write cursive. The keyboard is certainly quicker. Once you learn it. Most fingers fly over keyboards as kids text messages back and forth. But that's another posting another time. I can foresee a problem of future generations not being able to read cursive. What will happen to all the writings done by our forefathers? Old correspondence? Journals? Will they be able to read them?

All done. How're things goin in your neck of the woods?

I had a list of things to accomplish this morning...and got most of them done. Got home later than usual - which meant a late lunch!

We've been getting a lot of mail from Princess Cruise line. They all look good. Especially the 107 day World Cruise. Yeah, right. Can anyone lend us each $37,850? Of course that would be for a mini suite. But we couldn't manage going on a 107 day cruise and not have a little more elbow room.
Well, we appreciate the thought. Thanks anyway.

We definitely have a November sky out there this afternoon. The sun can be seen behind the clouds as bright spot beyond our bare trees. I tried to take a picture of it, but it didn't turn out. The sun doesn't show up. Paul is upstairs gathering more sheetrock that he got this morning from Lowe's. I can hear his movements.

We had company for dinner yesterday - Lue, plus someone most of you know, whose 50th birthday is today! I'm thinking that getting the numeral-candles for 50 and 75 is certainly a lot easier than the single ones for the "blow-er" or is it "blow-ee?" Perhaps birthday person is a more fitting title.

Later on Sunday night, we soaked in our hottub. It was one of those spectacular nights with millions of stars in the sky. There wasn't any moon, so all you could see were the stars. Friday night, we bought navy "croc' rubber shoes" to use to go from the house, across the deck, down the stairs. Lots of people wear them all the time, and love them. They. are. so. ugly... but they're also so comfortable and easy to slip into. I love mine!

A new restaurant opened up near the mall, called Texas Roadhouse. I didn't remember, but I'd been to one before because when I talked to Nancy Sunday night, she reminded me we went to one a couple of years ago, when I'd visited her. So...I stopped by our new one (opened Monday the 2nd.) Friday at lunchtime, to see what hours they had, and if you could call ahead. They weren't open for lunch, but a cute young employee was outside giving out free bags of peanuts and a copy of their menu, with the call-ahead number.
Paul and I wanted to go Friday night, but there was absolutely no parking left, and people were outside waiting to get in. He said it reminded him of Florida, and I said - Nope. At least in Florida you can "call ahead". When I tried calling ahead at T.R., (from 4:00-5:00) there was no way to get through. They'd literally taken the phone off the hook...really. We ended up going to TGI Fridays and had a glass of wine and an excellent dinner. We weren't disappointed at all. Guess we'll wait a while to go to Texas Roadhouse. And I'm sure we'll enjoy it then.

That's all for now, folks. How're things goin in your neck of the woods?

Monday. I got up late this morning (8:30) and of course it seems like my day is just starting at a much later time than usual. Because it is. I should be headed for Curves, but instead - here I am, drawn to writing.

Everyone knows my love of animals. Paul had been talking with Brenda just before bedtime last night. Brenda, Emma and Eric have buried their beloved little Papillion, Sammy. Eric was riding his bike with Daisy (their other dog) running at his side. Sammy joined them and somehow got entangled in the bike spokes. Brenda said he didn't have a heartbeat as they raced him to the vets. She was inconsolable. I didn't sleep well. My heart goes out to her and her family. Sammy was three.

Time Warner...and back again. (Time and Again)

Pictures of the upstairs guest room.

Paul said today that it's beginning to look like a room people might want to stay in. The first picture is of the entrance to the room from the game/media middle room.

He invented a gadget that helped him move the sheetrock upstairs without extra help... The second picture is of this. I asked him what he calls it - and he smiled, thought for a moment and said - my helper. What a guy. Now he can load up a sheet of sheetrock downstairs in the garage, and with pulleys and cables, hoist it up, roll it across the attic floor, and get it situated in the new room so that he can continue working without any outside help. Neat.
The third pic is of one of the two windows that has been finished (note the heating duct underneath - it works! ) The window is ready for blinds. He'd done the work on the perimeter of the window this morning. The fourth picture is of the door to the walk-in closet. To get your bearings: The window in the third picture is to the left of this fourth picture. The door to the right is the door into the guest room.

This morning was busy. I had intended to write in my blog, but things took longer than I thought they would. Those things happen, as you know. Time and again.

Paul and I set off early to go to Time Warner and pick up a HD DVR (Digital Video Recorder). We had seen the value of them when we visited Nancy, Dan and Vincent. Paul had to stop viewing a Penn State football game because we were going somewhere. We recorded the "live" game from where he stopped watching , and when we came back, he could begin looking at it from where he'd left off.

We got a special offer from Time Warner recently. For $5 a month for a year, we could rent a HD DVR. From the offer, it looked like they would have to come and set the box up. So, off we went, to begin the process. When we got to T.W. they said we needed to trade in the old box for a new one. Home we went. Paul unhooked the cable box and I took it back to exchange it... leaving him to his upstairs fun and games. The man at T.W. wanted to know if I knew what colored plugs we'd used. Yeah. Right. Anyway - got the new box. And Paul's set it up. Paul's recording The Bees' Story an animated movie. We'll watch it tonight.

So - from Time Warner, I went to Curves. And then on to Walmart to pick up some prescriptions I'd had called in yesterday. They were ready - and it cost me nothing! My yearly alloted payments had been completed. I love the end of the year. Of course, when January comes around, I have to pay full price for a month and then it starts going down again. I have a great health plan, thanks to my school district.

That's all for now. How're things in your neck of the woods?

Not much going on...but you'll be the first to know...

It was supposed to get cloudy this afternoon, but for now at 9:30, the sun is out periodically and then hidden by clouds. I guess they'll get more numerous around lunchtime.

Now that November is about, our calendar is filled up with doctors' appointments...AGAIN. We've got too many of them. A lot of these end up being mostly follow-ups for doctors whose consultation could have been done over the phone. If we were feeling poorly, then it would seem right to go. But...They'll say - "lookin' good. See you in (three, four, six) months." One thing I must add: I don't count Paul's prostate cancer follow-ups. We would go every day, if need be, for that. Anyway - Last month was so pleasant...it's nice to look at a whole calendar page with mostly just fun items added. Plus of course Paul's secret birthday celebration which added a lot in spirit. And that was fun!

Yesterday was my five-week treat to myself of going to Bath to see my hair dresser- remember the saying - only her hairdresser knows...and visit with some old friends for lunch. Shirley, my hairdresser, keeps me "up" on a lot of the news of my old home town. I try to make my appointment for mid-morning and then get done by noon. This time Ruth's mother, Emily (age 93) was with us. If you remember from my posting a while back, she joined us for lunch then. She's quite remarkable for her age. There's even a picture. Spry, and certainly sharp as a tack. She's shorter than I am, so that is reaallly short. Also thin....no...no...no. I don't mean like me. She said when she was young she always walked wherever she needed to go. I guess that's true of someone who lives in a city, (near Buffalo) everything is nearby and it's easy to just get up and walk to wherever you need to go. I know that's true of Nancy, Dan, Ivan and Vincent. And to think of it...Jil, Epril and Tyson.
Yes. I am walking a bit now - trying to add to my short walk every time. Today I'm due to go to Curves also.

We voted yesterday for the first time here in our new hometown. We're lucky that we can just get in our car, and coast down the hill - the voting booths are within a quarter mile of our house. Now - as Paul said, we could have probably walked. Well, yes. But getting back up would have been tricky. It's quite a steep hill. Anyway - they didn't have the new voting machines working, so we used the lever kinds like before. Not much to vote on - just some statewide propositions. Everyone was running unopposed in our county. We wanted to say, by voting - "We're here...look for us again next election day."

My friend, Carol, told us, at lunch, that she is so excited about coming to Fla. this February and March. She's been wanting this and wanting this for so long. I'm really happy for her. She'll be taking the auto-train down and back which is very exciting in itself. Her sister is coming down with her and will be staying a couple of days to help her get settled in to her rented house. We'll of course be happy to see them both down there for dinner or whatever, and help out whatever way we can. And to see her on a regular basis. Plus...To make it extra nice for all concerned, the house she's renting is from the grandmother of the lady who cleans for Paul and me. I've know her - the cleaning lady - (Debby) for almost 30 years so she's like family and we feel Carol will be in such good hands. Carol has talked on the phone several times to Debby's mom who is handling her mom's (Debby's grandmother) house rental, and feels a bond with her. Neat.

Okay. That's all folks. What's happenin' in your neck of the woods?

Don't know why I couldn't get these pictures up last time...but here's Ida minus her big big red clown shoes that Sharon stuffs with newspaper. Sharon said she was surprised that she wore them all through her trick or treating in her home town. She'd had enough of walking in them. It was too hard to do. Also - she said the wig was getting itchy. Sorry it's sideways - it's because of my photographic amateur status.

Charles' birthday was finally celebrated last night. Charles' real birthday is the day before Halloween. Note the pie rather than cake. He loves pie - thus the 6 + 6 on it...due to the lack of a 1 + 2. Which reminds me - got my grandson Vincent a counting book with sliding puppies on it - 5 on top, and 5 underneath. The book tells the child to move the puppies - like an abacus, and they learn adding. Guess V. just loves that book and has grasped the idea of adding and wants to have it read again and again. I hope Santa Claus can find some other books like that at Sam's Club or elsewhere. We'll have to see.

Charles' family party had his cousins from Odessa to help celebrate. Their mom, his Aunt, however, stayed home with the H1N1 virus. She didn't want to infect anyone.

We have two windows in the computer/guest room...one overlooks the backyard and the trees, and the other - the end circle. I just saw two of our neighbors walking and reminded myself that I am going to walk a little further each day - to increase my stamina. I tend to NOT write these things down so I don't have any truth in advertising...can't think of the word, but I think I've gotten my meaning across. It's like Weight Watchers. If people know you're going, then it's harder to cheat. Paul did hide the candy that was left from Halloween...bless him. However, he says that there's only one piece left. He's so truthful and honest. Where has all the candy gone??? He says his belly is getting big because of all the candy he ate. I don't think so - he looks pretty good to me. We're now back in control of our eating habits. Good for us!

Okay, animal lovers... A tale of stress. Lue's 11 year old Bernase Mountain Dog, Maggie, was hit by a car yesterday afternoon. She injured a leg, and was traumatized so much, they couldn't begin to examine her completely. It could have been a lot worse, but she's spent last night at a veterinary hospital in Ithaca. They got her heart beat to slow down (I guess it was really racing) and she stopped trembling. She's in ICU where there's a person who stays with her all night. She ran across the street, and realized she'd done something she shouldn't have when Lue called to her. She turned around to come back, and that was when she was hit. We stopped by Lue's on the way back from Charles' birthday party to see Lue. Our pets are a member of our families...need I say more?

I have done my chores this morning, and now I am due to go to Curves, and the supermarket to get some more healthful foods in the house. Hope you all are still well, as we are. The Chicago relatives have been vaccinated with the H1N1 vaccine, but it's hard to find it around here. Nancy said V. has to have a booster shot yet. Her blog shows Vincent having a wonderful time going trick or treating and playing in the leaves. If anyone would like her blog address or Jil's, just let me know and I'll send it to you. I'm sure they'd love for you to see them and hear what they're doing.

So - that's all folks. What's happening in your neck of the woods?