Some pictures - bathtubs to perennials

My son, Jil, has done such a beautiful job with pictures of Epril and his Filipino hometown, Jasaan. He sometimes walks and takes pictures while he's out. Or videos. Well, I didn't walk too far, but thought the pictures taken show some things that are around us. The picture of the hibiscus doesn't show it off as well as I'd wanted, the lilies are pretty much at their peak or over their peak.

Two pictures of Gracie - one in Paul's lap in the kitchen. . .you can see the deck outside. The other picture looks like Gracie is laughing, but she's panting. Kinda hot. The distant deck picture shows the umbrella in its "sleep mode." Also the hummingbird feeder.

The shot of "the dogs' circle" has been a main subject in our lives, if you get the idea. Or the scoop on it. Yuck. You can also see the circle in the back of the picture of the lilies. It's quite close to our house.

Finally - the bathtub is in! And you can run water in it, and down to the cellar to a pail. (So it's hooked up, but it isn't. Pretty soon, Paul will not let me use the water. Good thing I did a wash already. And it's time to put it in the dryer, so I'm all set!

I went to Curves again today. It's not a bad trip - hardly any lights, and smooth sailing - between 40mph and 60mph. 10 miles almost exactly.

We also had lunch at our usual Thursday lunch spot. Lue was there, but Greta was in the vets getting the operation done that Gracie had done. She'll be coming home at 5, when Lue gets off work. Greta has started her obedience classes at Petsmart. She's had at least three of them.

Gracie will not be in Greta's class because she'll be in a beginners' class rather than a puppy class since she's over six months old. We had a large table for lunch because we had a surprise visit from Barb, Ryan, Megan and their cousin, Ashley. They came up last night - a six hour trip - to see Barb's dad. He's going back to Florida soon. Ruth was at lunch with us also also. We hadn't seen her in a long time. We've been busy on Thursdays lately. It was good to see her and Sharon, Lue's sister also. So there were eight of us.

Doesn't it look like Gracie's laughing?

Somehow I try to make paragraphs so it's easier to read all this, but they seem to just disappear into one long one. Sorry about that. When I'm typing this, this is at the end. Hope it appears that way in the posting. We'll see. Nope. Not in the Preview! Darn. . . Son of a gun - it worked after it was published. Now why would they have a preview that wasn't a preview??? If you get my meaning. . .

Guess that's all for now. How're things goin' in your neck o' the woods?

Sometimes. . .not very smart. . . thank goodness

It's a good thing that Gracie's brain is not fully evolved. I'm assuming that's the case. From the pictures, you can see that Paul and I went to Petsmart Sunday and got a gate. She can't climb over it due to its design.

However, if she was aware of, and wanted to, she could squeeze between the posts or under them. We'll see how long this lasts. I'm hoping forever. Paul put her on a leash when he mowed the lawn last night and said she did fine.

We also signed up for Obedience Training. I know she gets away with a lot of stuff because of her size and we think she's cute. We need the obedience training. I read a book when I was a 9. "Training you to Train your Dog". We got a little puppy, Bonnie. That about sizes up the situation now. . .

Had to change the time (6:00 - to 7:00 - just not convenient for 8 weeks.) which meant also the day, which was fine. Tuesdays at 7 PM. Rather than Thursdays at 6.

Got the results back from my needle biopsy on my thyroid, and as we expected, it's fine. No problem. Still going through with the operation, however. My thyroid has grown and is causing unpleasant but liveable symptoms. BUT . . .More than two years is long enough to have them. I see the surgeon this Monday coming up, at Strong Hospital, Rochester, to set it all up.

A wise decision: I decided that 10 miles is not too far to go to exercise. My reasoning: I used to commute 25 miles each way to work. Every day. Using that frame of mind, yesterday I joined the nearest Curves. After going through only three machines and recovery stations, I felt lots better. I've been a Curves member since 2002 and never missed going three times a week, if I could help it, until the Curves franchises started closing around me. (Florida, up here. . .twice). I was going to join a regular gym, but the idea of a women-only place still appeals to me. A lot of faces are familiar too.

Paul is off for his "first" trip of the day to Lowe's. It's true that he seems to spend a lot of time there. Sometimes Gracie goes with him. Sometimes the three of us go. He's back - so I'm inserting this: He got, tube light, fan and light for venting, the roof fan, the rest of the pipe, plumbers putty, some crimp sleeves. He says he needs to go back for the toilet and the floor and some kind of a wall heater "you have to have heat in there somehow". As I said before. . .perhaps this is his first trip of the day.

When he goes upstairs to work, he prefers Gracie to stay down here because she gets into trouble when she puts insulation in her mouth. Can't blame him there. She's been pretty good, other than that.

Last night I went to Bible Study at church. We've been meeting every other week - alternating Mondays and Tuesdays. It's a small group, but I'm getting to know them, and vice versa. The summer schedule with our house guests and other happenings, have made me miss the last two times. There's one more session for this book we're studying, which'll be next Tuesday. Not sure if I'll continue, during this summer, due to lots of conflicts in this coming month, but I have enjoyed meeting these people, which was the reason I joined. Maybe I'll continue. It's a small group of couples, and singles. Very informal. My age.

At the beginning of the summer, or around that time, I joined Facebook. I've not regretted it. For instance - Nancy belongs - and yesterday just posted many many pics of their vacation to Crystal Lake, upper Michigan with Dan's extended family. It was so good to see what a great time they had, and how her pregnancy has made her "bloom" and I mean only in a good sense. Vincent is growing up. They make such a beautiful family. And the new little girl to join them will only make it stronger.

A couple of weeks ago, as I seem to remember writing about, I signed up to play in church this Sunday. I also got an e-mail from my old choir director, Peg, to play in my old church also. I miss my old church family. (But we're getting acclimated to this new church.) I just sent her an e-mail saying I'd be happy to. August has so much in limbo. Let's hope it all falls into place. It usually does. This is definitely a case to go with the flow. I'm practicing two

songs. They'll go well at both churches.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. How's it goin' in your neck o' the woods?

Dr. Pepper? Vaseline?

When you have a small family as I do, and we share the same thoughts, and are blessed to be living near each other, at least part of the year, sometimes it's fun to run memories by them. . .which I did during my last post. We've had e-mails running back and forth. It's fun to reminisce. And, I enjoy hearing Paul's kids tell about their memories, and laugh with them about them.

That car trip to Arizona by my parents and grandparents reminds me of the telephone game - where you start with one idea and end up miles (in your mind) from where you started. It's such fun. I love when that happens. Brother Bob is at an RV convention with his good friend, Marian, out in the Louisville, KY, but found time to put thoughts in an e-mail. Cousins Alice and Carol also responded.

Carol wrote first, so here's what she said. "I heard that Grandpa and Grandma went to Texas (or was that a different trip). Come to think of it, the trip had to do with Vaseline (?) and Grandpa didn't want to invest in it. ?? I know that they came back with cowgirl outfits for Alice and me."

Okay. That sounded interesting. I also got a cowgirl outfit. They were red with white fringe. Now here's what Alice. . . (our baby in the family - I think she was 3 or 4). . .wrote. . .

"No - either I was too YOUNG to remember then, or I am now too OLD to remember now...I do remember the cowgirl outfits, but I think it is because of the photos. Had no recollection of AZ as a possible venue for Witte Beverage Co. Hmmm. . .AZ or TX---what different roads our lives would have taken."

Yes. Of course, Alice was too young, but she still has a recollection of the outfits. I'm sure I have the red and white vest downstairs in a hope chest.

Now comes Bob, the oldest of us all - and a different slant on things.

"Trip to "Arizona" was to see if Witte's Beverages could get a franchise for Dr. Pepper. My recollection was that it was in Dallas Texas. Needless to say, they didn't get this franchise of a "new and upcoming drink" at that time."

BTW - Bob got a cowboy hat, holster and toy gun. There're pictures of him wearing them, with us in our outfits. I remember!

So. . .what interesting memories we remember, and how - yes - how different our lives would have been being brought up there rather than NYS. One thing - I might have had my horse.
Do I care? Nope. Am I happy where I am? You betcha.

So - forgive me for walking down memory lane. . .sometimes we old people need to.

Pictures: Blessings of the Animals, Work Upstairs...

A duplicate, right off the bat. . .darn. Oh, well. Between Paul and the tub is the vanity area. The next two is the living room area used as a work area.

The next is the bathroom door area which is really close to the guest room. A real plus for those staying up there. . .as now it's a looonnng way to the guest bathroom downstairs.

As usual, my words don't exactly match the pictures, but I'm sure you can get a rough idea of which matches which!

First picture of outdoor pavillion is of Pam giving the "talk" to all of us.

Next one is little girl petting Gracie.

The last is some of the "congregants."

On Wednesday evening, we had Blessings of the Animals done outside at the pavilion at our church. My friend, Pam, who is one of the Treble Makers, noted in a previous posting, was in charge. Lots of dogs there. If there were a prize for the smallest, Gracie would have won. No prizes, however. Just blessings. We even had a hedgehog. Plus lots of pictures of animals who couldn't be there. It had just stopped raining, pouring, and the sun was out.

Gracie, Arizona, and Ponderings. . .

Weather report today: Rain, cloudy, more rain. Yesterday was beautiful - low 80's, low humidity. So. . . if you like rain, gray skies, today is the day for you.



Paul and I had drinks on the deck last night with Gracie joining us (for conversation and entertainment.) We've been kinda lenient with her as far as leashes go, but we're going to have to confine her now more often, because she was off the deck like a flash when she heard people out front talking. Paul raced after her - yelling "treat!" "treat!" "treat!"



She looked back and weighed having a treat. . . to seeing who was there to play with her. She even did her "sit. Stay." routine. . .for a second. But then she was off. Several minutes went by, but Paul didn't return, so I went inside, got Gracie's leash, and started for the front.



I found two sets of neighbors conversing with Paul. Gracie was wriggling in his arms. Little Chloey, the part beagle/jack russel terrier, was there and Gracie wanted to get to her in the worst way. With her leash finally on, I took over and let her get closer to Chloey. She licked Chloey's muzzle, and Chloey loved it. Now you have to realize. . . everyone's afraid their dog will hurt Gracie because of her size, accidentally, of course, and they steer clear of her when she's out front. Because we're with Gracie all the time, she seems normal size, but then when she's near other dogs - well, we come back to reality.



Until a better solution comes along, Gracie will have to be on a leash. (except for zoomies, on our property, when no one is around. )



I can hear Paul hand-sawing in the room above my head. We picked out all the items needed for the bathroom, the other night, at Lowe's. He picked up the tub and Surround sections the other day and brought them home in our SUV. There were problems with the size of the Surround. It was two inches too high, so it didn't quite fit, but he thought about it, and he can fix it.



Did I ever tell you that, when I was a child, we almost moved to Arizona?

I think I was 5 at the time. I was all excited about getting a horse, which was promised to me if we moved. I knew I would be the envy of all my friends. My grandparents on my father's side, owned a soda factory in Brooklyn that they wanted to expand to Tuscon.



Why, Arizona? I don't know. It was a grown-up decision that they didn't deem necessary to share. The four of them set out to drive the distance the summer I was 6 and my brother 8, and check out the area. My mother's mother who lived with us, along with her two sisters, my aunts, who lived next door, planned to take care of my brother Bob and me. I imagine they were to be gone over a week. However, my grandmother took sick, and they had to come home in a hurry, so that was the end of their plans to move to Arizona.

Remember. Cause and Effect. I was only 5-6 at the time, so my memory of all this is colored with my young age.

There probably were other reasons too, besides my grandmother getting sick.



Which comes to the reason I mentioned all that in the above paragraph. I feel like Arizona could have become my destiny. How different life would have been. Not better, of course. Just different.



And when I read about Arizona, now a days, I'm thankful we didn't. I wouldn't want to be involved in all the rigamarole about illegal immigrants and the new law that is being tested. I feel sorry for these people - on both sides. They have an awful problem with drugs, and crime, and they feel an obvious need to contain all this to preserve the decent life decent people should have.



The other day I was reading the editorial page of the paper about this and how they can "blithely legitimitize telling people (that a tribe) is destiny. . .that you and I are each individually answerable for the crimes of those who merely look like, talk like or pray like us. . .a nation can blandly condem someone, not for his own crimes, but for the crimes of some of his tribesmen." It'll be interesting to see what comes about for all this.



Getting up late has its disadvantages. It's now almost lunchtime.



So - what's happenin' in your neck o' the woods?

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

When looking over my posts, I find that this particular design layout needs a title. Thus. . .I'm going to try to think of one each time. By the way - I have changed the design again. . .but didn't think to tell all you e-mailers what you're missing. Check it out!
http://www.thewoodsedgecrew.blogspot.com
Yes. I really think it's quite pretty.

Yes. It is a beautiful day here. I just came back from getting an item for the hottub that Paul needed, and the ride to the Pool Store was just so pretty. We do have beautiful summers up here. The nights are usually cool, but the days can be warm and sunny. At least that's the case so far. I keep thinking that the summer is almost over with. . . perhaps because we left Florida in warm, sunny weather and now we have it again. Paul thinks anything in the 80's is HOT.
Last night I convinced him that we should open up our sun umbrella, and have drinks on the deck. He agreed that it was lovely.

Gracie enjoyed it also. We've been giving her a little more leeway as far as being in the backyard without a leash. She usually meanders down the stairs, and sniffs around in the grass near us. Never venturing too far. If she leaves us, she's just going to say hello to someone nearby. . .which we don't particularly care for. For example, last night, Chloey, the little part beagle next door, was outside in the side yard with her owners' grandchildren. Gracie took off like a shot, and Paul had a difficult time trying to get her. I guess we need to sign up for those puppy obedience classes. We've been meaning to, but the nights they've had them, we've been busy with other matters or had company.

I had my thyroid needle biopsy yesterday afternoon. It was more intense (if that's the correct wording) than my 2008 one. This time they biopsied both sides, and each one needed to be repeated because she didn't get enough cells. It didn't hurt, but I didn't like the idea of not being able to swallow. As far as time, it didn't take long at all. Perhaps a half minute each time. We'll get the results of this at the end of this week or the beginning of next. I have an appointment with my surgeon up in Rochester on August 2nd. at 2:15. I'll be bringing with me, a CD of my radioactive scan for him to check out, and the results of the biopsy will be sent to him too.

So, we'll have to plan August around my surgery, which shouldn't be too much of a deal-breaker of any plans we tentatively have made, since there's very little recuperation time. A day or two. Usually. So we're in limbo, and it'd just be nice to know when this will all occur. I guess I'll just have to be patient not impatient to know when I'll be a patient! Ha. I kept thinking how can I use the word patient with the two meanings. I feel very clever. I will go with the flow.

So - what's happenin' in your neck o' the woods?

It's a cloudy Monday. Supposed to be rainy. The perfect Monday to do all the wash that has piled up. I'm on my third batch right now. The last one. The first one has been dried, hung up on hangers, second is in the dryer. Third is in the washing machine.

Gracie is learning to sit. stay. come. In that order. Some times. She's okay if you don't turn your back to her. Some times. She was in the living room , lying on the very top back of Paul's recliner with her tail hanging down, watching me in the kitchen. I tried to get to my camera in the computer room without her moving, but it didn't work. After a few seconds, she was off and following me. I think I turned my back to her. Guess that's a no no.

We had a nice Sunday. Went to church and heard Carol H's quartet, Treble Makers, do two songs. . . very well. I've accompanied that group when their usual accompanist wasn't available, so I know them well. Nice ladies. I'm going to play the piano on August 1st. I've been practicing a couple of songs, and decided on one. Paul's suggestion to pencil in dates I've played these songs, as I have several I've done already. And I might forget which ones. My Dear One has good ideas! But we all know that. . .

I have a bone to pick. (No, Gracie, it's not for you!. . . get it? bone?)

I've been getting some people who send just symbols messages as comments instead of words. The following is a message just for you.

"This is to the few select number of people who send comments that are just symbols and I have no way of knowing who you are, or what you're saying.
"That's just silly.
If you want me to publish your comments, I must have your names, and comments shown. Otherwise, I'll continue to just delete them. And, of course, since I don't know what you say, I don't know if they're offensive or not. BUT if I find what you write offensive, they'll not get in my blog either. " Get it? Got it? Good.
This matter is closed.

Ah - would you believe the sun is coming out??? Great! Perhaps I will go in the hottub and get some sun this afternoon. It's time for lunch. I have balogny, peanut butter, jelly. All good stuff. Which reminds me. . .I found out something new about my Dear One last night, when we had hot dogs for supper. We have them, perhaps once every nine months to a year because they're so healthy. Not. He didn't try this the last time we had them. I'm sure of it, or I would have remembered. As he says, I shouldn't knock it if I haven't tried it. Truer words were never spoken. But any way, now I'll tell his "secret". He puts peanut butter on his hot dog with mustard, relish and ketchup. Not exactly my cup of tea. . . but to be fair. . .perhaps I should try it next time.

So - that's all the news from the Woods Edge. What's happenin' in your neck o' the woods?

Cuteness Abounds

Gracie is officially 6 months old on July 15th. (yesterday) The first picture shows how long her legs are getting - and still thin! The second is just a cute picture. Her puppy fur is pretty much all gone and she's getting her adult "hair." which should fluff her up a bit more.

Paul's happy.

He's in the midst of a gigantic project upstairs. . .putting in the bathroom. He's been making many many trips to Lowes, Home Depot, and other such stores in the area. And he has been taking Gracie on some of these excursions - she's a great hit, he says.

He managed to call my cell phone when I was on my way home from the mall yesterday afternoon. However, somehow we could not "connect". It rang and rang and rang, so I left a voicemail for him. It especially worried me when I got home and saw his car in the driveway! Why didn't he use the home phone? Because he was in the basement working and had his cell phone on him. My mind was playing tricks on me. It didn't help the situation that our cell phones were acting up. He just wanted me to pick something up at the store.

Nancy called last night. Her in-laws, Scott and Jane were there putting Vincent to bed. This morning they all leave for Michigan for a week at the cottage (large old house) on the lake that Scott's family has been renting for years and years. If I heard correctly from her. . .even before Scott was born! Many members of the family will be there. Nancy will have a week to put her feet up and be pampered by her loving in laws. That pleases me so much. She needs that time to sit back and relax. Hope she's brought a good book or two with her!

Speaking of books: Not too long ago when we talked on the phone, Nancy recommended the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." What a great book. It's been on the bestseller list for a long, long time, as has the other books in the series. Can you imagine. . .Three books on the bestseller list for over a year! Over 51 million copies sold world-wide. So I read it. Couldn't put it down. (The kindle sample showed it to be very slow in the beginning, and I couldn't see the reason for its success. . . so I didn't buy it on kindle.)

So - I did get the much cheaper paperback at Sam's Club, $4.97 - plus the second -" The Girl Who Plays with Fire". Then I did get the $9.99 kindle version for the last book. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest". because it had just come out and was only published in expensive hard copy. It was a luxury after the paperbacks. . . but it was much less expensive than the hard copy, and still was within my own rules to not purchase any books on Kindle over $9.99. It's gratifying to say that there are a whole group of us on Kindle who are of the same mindset. . . Do not purchase a Kindle book over $9.99, the original top price for bestsellers.

But the next step is to purchase the book in paperback when it comes out, so that my "set" will be complete in my library. I know I should have waited and shouldn't have gotten the Kindle edition, but I just couldn't wait to read it! There's nothing better than having a good book to read.

A question for you . Not to be really answered. Just pondered.

Have you ever heard of someone who went windowshopping at the mall, tried on a pair of shoes from the rack, and managed to bring them home, unpaid, with some other paid goods, and then traipse back to the mall that evening and sneak into the shoe department to put them back? That's right. I haven't either. Good thing. That'd be an awful thing to do. . . Anyone who did that would be a rat fink. Or something equally bad.

Guess that's all the news from this end of the woods. How're things goin' in your neck o' the woods?

Yes. We're home alone. Nee Nee and Brenan left yesterday on an 8:00 flight to Gainesville from Elmira.
There weren't any glitches to their boarding the plane - just a minor problem with their computer (or the operator) when we got clearance to go to the gate with them. Her supervisor came and fixed it so we could get a clearance pass. They're so careful with who ( or is it whom) goes through security. We sat with them until they got on the plane, and when we left- going past security - they wanted our names so they knew we had "left the area." We sat in the restaurant area with a cup of coffee and watched the plane take off. As we were walking out to the car, Greg called. Those kids should feel very much loved. . . as so many people were watching their progress and looking out for them through the day.
The only thing I felt badly about was I didn't think to give them sandwiches to take on the flight. I guess they were very hungry - the first stop when they got off the plane, was McDonalds!

From there, I had a doctor's appointment.
I haven't mentioned this on my blog. For a couple of years, I have had trouble with my thyroid gland. Hyperthyroidism.
I've routinely gone every six months to have it checked out with a nuclear scan (swallow a small pill with a tracer dose of radioactive iodine) and have blood tests. The scan is similar to an X-ray or CT scanning machine. After I was diagnosed, I tried the medications first off, but I developed hives to both of them. That was a fun experience. Not. It took several months for the hives to disappear. Then we went to watchful waiting.
My endocrinologist has finally recommended that it be operated on. The nuclear test again showed that it hadn't changed sufficiently to warrant the radioactive iodine therapy (swallow a much larger doss of radioactive iodine) but I have developed several more nodules. The doctor believes these are benign, as they had been in the past. But to be on the safe side, I'm having a needle biopsy again done by her next week. Then the surgery will be performed by a surgeon, up at Strong Hospital in Rochester. Date not set yet. It's a one-day overnight stay. Back to normal the next day. Resume all activies except for heavy lifting or exercise.

One of the ironies of all this is that one of the symptoms is weight loss. Wouldn't you think I could have developed that one??? But. No such luck.

Sharon, Charles and Ida just stopped by to use our facilities. They're bike-riding on the Catharine Trail. Our house was pretty close, so they stopped. Gracie turned herself inside out with tail-wagging. Trying to get her to stop barking so loudly. She has a soft bark that she can use after people come inside. We don't want to stop her barking altogether since that's one of the advantages of having a dog! But little dogs have a high pitched bark that can grate on the ears. She's pretty quiet for a small dog though. Paul is out shopping, so he didn't see our visitors.

An Oops Picture. . .

I wouldn't have posted this photo, except I mentioned it in the previous blog! Don't know what I do, but some times my fingers do the walking and they don't do what they're supposed to do.

I said they could make silly faces on one photo, if I could get a good pic of them all, besides. It worked. They others are self-explanetory. The Fourth of July picture of Paul, Gracie, Brenda and Bode were taken before the rains came. Obviously.

Got some comments from some of Paul's siblings - and in laws - about my blog. Thanks for writing! I appreciate hearing from people, as I know who my regular readers are, but it's fun to note when others are reading it too! I feel like I'm doing something special for everyone who is not near us.

When I'm with people now, I note that they know a lot about our family (due to this blog). . .what we've been doing, what we're up to. . . For ex. I will begin relaying stories, and see knowing nods of heads, and then I realize I've been repeating myself on what I've written. Kinda neat.

Lots of kids playing cards in the dining room right now. They're quite patient with Ida. Sharon's three are here. She had to work and then she and Dave are going to "play" with other insurance agents - on a boat cruise on Keuka Lake. So we will have them til dinner time, or after. Because. . . perhaps we'll have hotdogs for supper. NeeNee and Brenan leave early tomorrow morning at 8:00 for home, and then it'll be just us two here. The quiet will be deafening. I don't know if we'll be able to stand it!

We have completely run out of bread, which we'll have to replenish this morning, or there won't be any sandwiches for lunches today.

Gracie is doing well with all the company. I think, after two weeks, she's gotten quite used to having all these people around. She still likes to lick toes. (yuck) She's in seventh heaven with sandle weather. The kids are all used to it. We're trying to break her of the habit though.

I do think she misses Bode. Paul said she was quiet this morning. She'll be okay, though. We exchanged the little marble top table in the foyer for one of the big wicker storage baskets - it's about 3 feet high with a wicker top. We left her in the house yesterday to just go out and survey our new driveway (see yesterday) . . .and looked back to see her little face peering out from the side window where the basket is located. She'd jumped up on the basket, and was looking out to see where we'd gone. So. . .She still has separation anxiety. Hope she gets over that soon.

Paul decided our collection of teapots on top of the kitchen shelves had been up there long enough. He replaced them with wood carvings and woven baskets from Donna and his trip to Africa when Brenda was in the Peace Corp. Looks nice. The teapots are in the dishwasher becoming clean so that they can be repacked away til next time.

Okay. That's all the news from the Woods Edge. How're things goin' in your neck o' the woods?

Gradually. . .people are leaving. . .

It seems like ages since I've had time to write. Lue says we're lucky to have people leave "by degrees" so that the house doesn't echo with silence! Our house has happily been inundated with family and pets, but gradually vacations have ended, and they've been leaving for elsewhere. Brenda, Emma and Bode left for California via Elmira airport Saturday afternoon, leaving us with Nee Nee and Brenan.

We moved Nee Nee downstairs to the futon here in the computer room, and Brenan in the guest room. We didn't like the idea of them being upstairs in the Kids Kamp by themselves, and I don't think they wanted to either. Paul has moved his computer into our bedroom so he is able to get on it as often as he likes. I don't mind sharing the computer room with Nee Nee for a couple of days. That's the disadvantage of not having a laptop.

Charles, Lee and Ida arrived to spent the day with Nee Nee and Brenan while their mother works at the insurance agency.

While I've been walking Gracie, I've become friends with Kathy, down the street, who loves to walk. She has a newer-than-us-family who moved in last winter. Low and behold, she and her husband, Drew, have a 13 year old girl named Madison or Maddie for short. (It's a small world). Since Nee Nee (age 13) is the lone girl here, besides Ida, age 7, we made introductions just a couple of minutes ago, and Maddie is over here at the dining room table playing cards with the boys and Ida and Nee Nee. Maddie just went to volleyball camp, and Nee Nee is going when she gets back to Florida. I say, the Good Lord provides. Wow. Could it get any better???

We had a perfectly gorgeous day yesterday - low heat, low humidity, temps in the 70's. Today it's starting to get more humid and warmer. It's been a very different kind of July here. Hope August doesn't just turn cold, as it has in some past Augusts. Nee Nee and Brenan went to a matinee movie, Despicable Me, with Sharon and her family so we recorded The World Cup for them and we watched it when they got home. Unfortunately, the three and one-half hour recording ended just after the Spain team scored a point, and two minutes were remaining for the game! We checked with the news, and noted that no other points were made. So fortunately, I guess, we didn't miss some important action. You'd think 3 1/2 hours would be enuf time!

The house two houses down on our side is having a new driveway put in by a paving company. I actually used the same company when I lived in Bath. So Paul hired them to seal our blacktop! It's such a messy hot proposition. I know he wasn't looking forward to doing it. It's well-worth the money. I guess they're getting a lot of business here at the Woods Edge. The people next to us are having it done also. I bet that happens whenever they're on a job. I wouldn't say it was word of mouth. . . it was more word of sight!

Sharon and Dave had their annual out-door Fourth of July party on Friday night, July 9th. Even Jeff arrived on his motorcycle. (He had a friend in racing events at Watkins Glen this weekend, so he stayed with us Friday and Saturday nights.) Everyone brought a dish to pass, they supplied hamburgers and hotdogs. . .and it poured! About an hour after we got there, the rain came down in buckets. And it didn't stop! Luckily, they had plenty of room under cover on the back deck and inside. It worked out well. The kids stayed outside and played volleyball in the rain, tag, and other games. They were soaked, (really soaked) but it was certainly warm enough that they didn't get cold. The rain did bring in a "cold front" however that cooled the temps down into the eighties!

The next night we were all invited back to see fireworks. Which were fantastic! We didn't take Gracie with us because a couple of weeks ago she was so frightened by the drummers in the parade that Sharon took her to, we thought she'd be terrified of the sounds. Lue brought Greta and sat by the car with Greta in her cage. She now weighs 41 pounds and is 4 months old. We took our folding chairs and went and sat with Lue to keep Greta and her company. We could see the fireworks fine. Greta was nervous at first, but she adapted very well. Lue, being there, was the key.

An interesting aside: Gracie was with us Friday night, and we decided to drive home the back way over Middle Road. It was still raining. Half way there, we had to turn back because a tree had fallen over the road and blocked it completely. So we went another road, and all of a sudden there was a deer in front of us. We were in my Spectra, Paul screeched on the brakes, which fortunately did their thing and worked very well, I yelled because I didn't know what else to do. Gracie was on my lap and started shaking like a leaf. I had to cuddle her and hold her close. She knew that things weren't as they should be. All was okay. After a while.

After the rain, the grass is all lush again. It had started to look really brown from all the heat and dry weather.

Okay. That's the news from this end of the Woods Edge. What's happenin' in your neck o' the woods?

Busy Morning

Sharon's kids arrived around 10:30 this morning. She's headed for work at the insurance agency, after doing a whole days' worth of chores and work around the house. (Picking vegetables, feeding the chickens, watering the flowers, etc.) They naturally want to spend time with their cousins. Ida immediately went for the printer paper and began to draw and color pictures for each of her cousins. We have 7 kids here. Just went in to check - they're all up. Some are watching TV, some having "breakfast", some using their laptops. Ida's drawing. Amazing how they can all keep interested in so many things. The washing machine is going. Someone is in the shower. Someone wants to take a shower. I think hot water could be at a premium.

Brenda took the four staying with us to the mall last night after dinner. Being teenagers, they immediately wanted to "take off" in different directions. . . until she stopped them and made some "house" rules. They had a good time going to all the Name Brand Stores and trying on all kinds of clothing. They found a lot of bargains and came back home happy with some good deals.
The puppies keep stealing chew sticks from each other but don't hold grudges.

How're things goin' in your neck o' the woods? Keepin' cool? I understand we're much hotter than Florida.

Hottest of All. . .

I read in the newspaper today that this heat spell is the hottest we've had since 2001. I can believe it. Even taking the dog for a walk is a monumental task. She still bounces as she walks, but her tongue is hanging out, and you just know she can't wait to go back inside and is no more happy being out there than we are. There'll be no zoomies today. And that's the truth.

Having Brenda's dog, Bode, here has been a real treat for Gracie. They've been wrestling, tumbling, growling (in fun, mostly), running around, playing tug of war with toys, and generally having a good time. They're both relatively the same size, so it's tic for tac as to who will get the better of the other. Gracie's legs are longer, so zooming is her expertise and she can leave him in the dust. BUT his coat is prettier. Paul says it's because he's two weeks older. Brenda says it's the special Kibble she gets from Petsmart.

I tell you this: Air-conditioning is wonderful! I don't know how we lived before it. Those in Florida, of course, say . . . duh.

Eric leaves today for Rochester at 11 AM for a 3 PM flight back to California. An Eric Story: He loves to ride bikes so while he was here, he borrowed Sharon's bike to ride because Paul left his in Florida, which was fine, since I planned on getting him another one for Father's Day. But I ended up getting him the blu-ray player instead. But I digress: This morning Eric decided to return the bike to Sharon's and ride it back the 12 miles. Brenda would pick him up there and bring him back here. Sharon lives about 12 miles away.

I'm in awe of bike-ride distances. . . Eric think nothing of riding (ex. 12 miles). He not only rides bikes, he's a phenomenal bird-watcher, and when Brenda called his cell phone, (thank goodness for cell phones!) - he said he was just having too much fun and hadn't been watching the time. He hadn't gotten as far as he was supposed to, since he'd stopped several times to bird-watch. Since he was close to Lue's house, she had him drop the bike off at Lue's - about 3 miles from Sharon's, and she came and picked him up there.

Brenda and he are now on their way up to Rochester. They left at the planned time of 11 AM.
Maybe a couple of minutes late.

For the next couple of nights, Brenan has been relegated to the downstairs guest room because we have a visitor for a few nights from Corning, and she took over his bed in the Kids Kamp. She very kindly brought the blue-ray movie "Sherlock Holmes" to share with us, so we watched it last night. That was a treat.

These kids enjoy each other so much. They're either playing board games, ping-pong, or being outside doing hide n go seek or some other variation of it. Stuck in the Mud, Apologize to the Court, and some others. Not sure what's what, but they run around in the woods out back. Somehow the fear of poison ivy that was around last year, has disappeared. Inside a game they like is, Truth or Dare that they played yesterday. It is a computer game, Brenda says, which is a lot tamer than it would be if they were left to their own devices. For ex. Emma had to have someone (me) sign my signature on a piece of paper. Little Ida played also, and they even modified it more for her.

Nancy is in her third tri-mester now. The uncomfortable part comes now. Of the heat: She writes of standing in in cold water (lake Michigan) and drinking hot coffee. Her year's job has ended as of June 30th and she's not working 9-5 any more. I'm so glad that she can rest for the time being, if you can call it resting. Mothers of young children don't rest, they adapt. I talked with her last night and they are planning to have two estimates done on having their bathroom remodeled.
Their condo/apartment was built in the 1930's, a fact I haven't checked, so I'll say, around the 1930's. Which gives them beautiful big rooms. High ceilings, big windows. But also they inherited the wear and tear of an old building. Since Nancy will be home for a while, she can be there for the renovation.
Nancy has a good friend, Liz, who has two young boys near Vincent's age. For the Fourth, they went to a cook-out at liz and her husband's house.
They're putting Vincent in a private school this coming year. It's very close to Northwestern University and is affiliated with it. It goes from pre-K up to Grade 12. Would you believe Nancy had to write an entrance-essay?

Jil and his wife Epril are doing well in the Philippines. They also had work done on their house. New plumbing, electrical work, the usual. His days are filled with transcription work, but they have plenty of time to "play" with their ex-patriot friends. I hate that word. Ex-patriot. I don't think they dislike America. They just made their lives else-where. They celebrated the Fourth of July with a big party with their international friends. Blogs are great ways to keep in touch with family and friends.

So - that's all the news from this part of the woods' edge. What's happenin' in your neck o' the woods?

Oops. . .Here are the LOST pictures from last post

Here's Lue again. . .and all the rest of the photos I erroneously erased. Don't know how.

Fourth of July Party

Here's the pics "fresh out of my camera".
Lue is holding Bode. Paul is holding Gracie.
The rest are self-explanitory. Volleyball, Badminton. It was HOT. I think the thermometer registered 95. Paul needed a fan outside while cooking the 19 pieces of half-chickens on the grill with his Cornell recipe. We were certainly glad to have the huge umbrella over the deck. Lots of people sat in the shade under the trees where there was a cool breeze. If you were in the house for any length of time, it was a challenge to come outside. Lue came and left Greta home in the a/cing. Greta reminds me of a big stuffed animal - her baby fur is so thick - she would have been very unhappy in the heat.

Fourth of July Morning. . .a lull to do a short post

These are Nee Nee's birthday pictures. Hope you enjoy. I have to get back to work, as Brenda and Paul are busy getting ready for the company, and I've taken a few moments.
Would you believe I have a few minutes this morning to post? Wow. Well, Paul and I were up a little after 6, and he and Brenda have been out to the store already. The pups have been fed and walked. I've cleaned out the fridge to make way for food today for our Fourth of July Feast. Dishes are in the dishwasher. Paul's marinating the chicken.

Yesterday was NeeNee's birthday, and Brenda, Emma, NeeNee and I went to the movies to see the new Twilight movie "Eclipse". We all enjoyed it! And there wasn't a crowd either. It's such a popular movie.

Last night we had a cookout and Lue came for supper. She left Greta at home with the a/c. Lue had a new all-house air-conditioner put in last week and just loves it! After supper, Sharon and her family arrived for cake and ice cream. Nee Nee requested chocolate cake with chocolate icing. . .so that's what she got! If I may say so, it turned out quite nicely! Brenda did the decorating "Happy Birthday, Nee Nee." I put 13 candles on the cake - so we have another teenager in the family!

From the deck, we watched the kids played hide n seek in the woods. Emma hid behind the hottub and said it was gross. Lots of cobwebs. I bet there were. Lots. No one ever goes there.

The Sidles left before dark because Ida needed to go home. It was past her bedtime! She was to sleep in the cabin (with Charles on the top bunk.) He had to go to bed a little early because she was afraid to be out there all by herself. I don't blame her. It's quite a distance from the house. He had a flashlight with him in case she had to use the facilities. What a good brother he is.

We had a fire in the firepit, made s'mores, went in the hottub. Just exactly the way we'd want the family to enjoy being here!

Well - must go to get ready for the next group to appear at noontime. (They'll be staying over night also. ) Plus more will appear around 3, and Lue's due back at 5:00.

What's happenin' in your neck o' the woods?

Where is the time going?

Sorry - no pictures of kids yet - but will have as soon as they return from their trip.

Not the best picture of Paul, but the pups look good. Bode of course is the darker pup.

It is Thursday! I'm having trouble keeping track of the days here. That's because I'm on no particular schedule. . .and events seem to be popping up all over the place. Things that were supposed to be in the future, have arrived! NOW!

The Gang left for NYS yesterday around 3:00 in Paul's van. (5 people need stretching room, plus space for luggage.) They were to stop at Sue's and stay overnight. I believe they're all getting a 1 PM train into the city today, wandering around, (going to the Metropolitan Museum. They'll see King Tut!) And doing some sight-seeing. Then on to an 8:30 performance of Phantom of the Opera. What an experience! Then back to Sue's house to stay overnight. The weather is outstanding here. Clear, sunny and a cool breeze. No humidity. I assume it is the same, there. Or pretty much so.

Brenda called just now, and said they were set to take the 11:57 train into the city. All is going well. They plan on doing a lot of walking.

Paul is at Sharon's this morning doing a surprise project for the boys and Dave, who are camping with the boyscouts this week. They'll be home on Friday - (tomorrow, which is Dave's birthday.)

Sharon and he are building bunkbeds in their. . .not sure what to call it. . .I can't say playhouse - because they're too big for that. Maybe cabin. Dave and the boys built the cabin over the past year or so. It's been quite an undertaking. Has electricity, door, windows, floor. All wood. Glass in the windows.

I am home with the puppies. Of course - It's like having two Gracies. They're both very very active and they play rough. . . tumble, and then collapse. They've collapsed, so I brought them in the computer room with me so that I could write this post. Any sort of noise sets them off, tho. Especially Gracie. She's been set off, like an alarm - from a sleeping position, by the smallest tap of my foot. And when Brenda called and the phone rang. That was a real interruption.

An aside: Paul clued me in. Sue doesn't go by the name Susie. Oops. Suz, is okay. Sue also. I'm sure life will go on. Anyway, Sorry Sue.