Weather

We had a horrendous storm last night - We were in a direct line for lots of wind and rain and the possibility of hail and tornadoes. Even Sharon called us to see if we were okay and that we knew about all this. The weather-band had been on the tv and we'd been aware, and sure enough, for about three minutes, we had wind, rain. No problem. Except for the power which we had expected to go out, and did.

Paul used a flashlight to take Gracie for a walk, and it took him a while to get home. This worried me because it was so dark - BUT- a huge tree fell onto a neighbor's garage, leaving a big hole. The owner used the lights from his truck to help him see what damage had been done and what he could do. And today we found a lot of trees down on the route to Montour. Near us. We were very lucky.

We didn't have power from 8:30 PM til after 2 AM. So we used one of Paul's oil lamps, flashlights and candles. It wasn't so bad, except I couldn't use my CPAP machine, and my snoring disturbs anyone's sleep except mine (of course that's not true, but I am unaware), so I took a flashlight, my kindle, and slept on the computer room comfortable futon/couch til the lights went on at 2 AM. Went to bed, but the power went out again a couple of hours later. Then it was Paul's turn on the couch. We were tired this morning.

But - today turned out to be a beautiful day - as you can see from the pics below. The forsythia is in full bloom. I was glad I had my camera in my pocketbook. We went for lunch in Montour Falls with Lue, her sister Sharon, and Lue's friend, Ruth. The waterfall was breathtakingly beautiful. I'd never seen it so full. Paul said it can be more full - it can get closer to the edges.
The first picture is from the main street. The rest is by the park near the falls.

Pictures for Spring

We took some time to drive a couple of hours on the Blue Ridge Parkway on our way home. This route was very pretty. As usual, I took a thousand (a slight exaggeration) pictures, and came up with the ones below. The millions (no exaggeration here)of rhododendrons along the route must be truly beautiful when they are in bloom. We were lucky to have the Parkway to ourselves, but sorry to miss the flowers. Looking on the bright side, the traffic must be really bad when they're out.
If any of you have seen the late 1930's movie "It Happened One Night" with Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable, I think some of the outdoor scenes were from here. The Parkway was built in 1936.

The headless mannequin at Greg and Noi's house was truly unique. Gracie was a little unnerved by it at first, but seemed to adjust. Funny, I thought dogs noticed things mostly by the sense of smell. Smelt fine to me.

The computer set-up picture is of Jil's workspace. He'd just completed (?) it when we left for home.

Easter Tidings and such. . .

Well, Easter has come and gone. Now perhaps we'll have good weather? Am I sarcastic? Yessirree, I am. Haven't had a bit of sun since we got home last Wednesday. Still looking forward to Spring-like weather. The newspaper today mentioned that the farmers are really getting "in a pickle" waiting for dry enough ground to plant seed, and that the time-line for this is getting close. Such is Spring in western NYS. My thoughts: We must have good weather to look forward to. (I'll let you know when it occurs.)

In spite of drizzly weather, we did have a lovely Easter celebration. We went to church in the late morning at the Methodist Church nearby, and then went to Sharon's house for a 1:00 dinner. We had Sharon e-mail her menu to Lue and us so we could help her out. We picked and chose. Dave's mom and dad couldn't come because Sandy was not feeling well; Dave brought food to them. Dave's grandma was with us though.

There was quite a spread! Ham with raisin sauce, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, pickle and relish trays, olives, home-made rolls, fruit salad, wine. For dessert: three kinds of pie. Coffee and tea. Glad we could make a dent! But there was plenty left for two always hungry teen-aged boys. Sharon said that her full fridge would soon be fairly sparse.

Gracie came with us to Sharon's. She's still leary of Flea, Sharon's big loveable boxer puppy that wants to leap and play. They kept Flea either in his cage, or outside. They're all so good about having Gracie come, and we know that Flea and she will eventually become friends, as Gracie and Gunnar, their older dog have become. Gracie and Gunnar even lied down under the dining room table during dinner.

English: Some words are misused so often that the errors start to seem right. Lie/Lay are some. To lie is to recline. To lay is to place. I do want to use lay. It sounds right. Oh, well. Thank you, my book "Words Fail Me" for correcting me. I do like that book! I usually get correctly there/their/they're and then/than. It's nice to have a security word blanket.

Speaking of books: Sharon wasn't with me for my birthday, so she saved my present and card for me. She gave me the book, "God is for Real," the best-selling novel about a four-year old boy's tale who goes to Heaven after/during an operation - and (obviously) comes back to tell about his experience. I look forward to reading it.

We were home - mid/late afternoon. No supper planned or eaten.

My former husband and wife, Neal and Judy, spent Easter weekend with Nancy and her family. Neal got some beautiful pictures of seven-month old Evie which he e-mailed. I forwarded them via my e-mail list. Wish I knew how to publish them to this blog so you could all see her in her beautiful yellow bow and yellow Easter outfit. Next weekend I'm flying to Chicago to be with Vincent for his 5th birthday. Time is a-going too fast! BUT - I'm sure I'll have pictures to publish.

Change of subject: We never liked our bathroom mirror set-up, or shower curtain here, so it became a project for us to think about in Florida and take care of when we got back. We presently have a medium/small oval one over my vanity with two medium/large ones, on either side, over our sinks This morning, my Dear One called the town "mirror guy" to come, measure and see about putting in a solid wall mirror. We're also going to look for a shower door to replace the shower-curtain. It'll all be so spiffy!

I don't know where the time goes when I write, but I had planned to go to Curves this morning and now it's too late. After 11. Have to think about lunch. We'll see about that this afternoon. The Curves, here, is open a lot more hours than in the Florida one, so perhaps I can. I'll check the schedule which is on the fridge, or was. We cleaned off the fridge. It was becoming too cluttered. The fridge door looks so nice. Now I hope I can find the Curves card.

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

We're back. . .

at the Woods Edge. Spring is kinda here. It's cloudy, around 45 degrees. Daffidodils are peeking up from the ground. There are a few (very few) leaves on the trees and bushes. Grass looks green. Doesn't need to be cut yet. Thank goodness. Last year the neighbors wondered if they should cut it. That's the difference between last year's Spring and this year's. It's late in coming.

I had thought with Easter being so late, we'd have a lovely, warm, sunny Easter Sunday. It doesn't appear that we will. The weather channel has forecast rain, clouds, for the northeast. Oh, well. We'll have sun in our hearts! We're going to Sharon's for dinner. She sent an e-mail menu out for everyone to pick something relevant to bring.

Gracie is in seventh Heaven. She forgot to bring her Flat Rat toy with her from Circle Woods.
Jil sent it out and when we picked up the mail, there it was - waiting for her. She was really really happy. She thanks you, Uncle Jil, from the bottom of her heart! She's been carrying it around and exuberantly shaking it. And you were right. The postage cost more than the toy.

It was nice to stop at Greg and Noi's on the way up; we hadn't seen them at all during this whole season in Florida. Getting together just didn't pan out. They won't be up North this summer either: They're going to Thailand, Noi is presenting a paper in Hong Kong, and the kids signed up for summer camp beforehand. So they'll have a busy summer. We'll miss them, but it's nice to have this machine to keep in touch!

Our two hotels were at the opposite ends of the spectrum. We stayed in the Lake Norman area near Charlotte, NC, the first night. Old Days Inn. Bad experience. Will NEVER stay there again. Outside entry, Tried to find the ice machine - down this dark, dismal outside area, and perhaps a snack machine. A worker came by and said they'd taken the snack machine out, put it upstairs, because people were breaking into it. (Didn't go there. Either physically or mentally.)We were tired and just didn't feel like going any further. The next night: We liked the next hotel very much. Chambersburg, PA, Country Inn and Suites. Just opened up. Clean, spacious, room, halls. Inside corrider. Room near outside door - so it was easy to walk Gracie. Fantastic buffet breakfast. We felt like we'd gone to Heaven.

We stopped at Edna and Mike's for lunch yesterday. It's always good to see them and get caught up on family news. Edna always makes such wonderful lunches, too. They're just two hours from our home, so we got into our area early, stopped at the foodstore to get essentials. And were home around 4:00.

We're unpacking, doing wash. Paul set up my computer here for me. (I appreciate him so much. I even have my paragraphs back!) I need to get back to my work, so I'll close. That's all the news from the Woods Edge. What's happenin' in your neck o' the woods???

Today is the day. . .

We are getting ready to leave tomorrow for Western NY. I've made my list, added to it, washed all our clothes . . . opened my suitcase. One of Paul's suitcases is filled because his idea of getting ready begins a couple of days before mine. Yesterday, at the pool, the talk was of the same topic. Someone said, and I agreed, that a couple of weeks ago when the idea of leaving first occured, most said an emphatic "no!" "Not yet!" "It can't be time already!" But as the time approaches, and closets, drawers get emptied, food gets eaten, friends and neighbors leave, it seems more realistic. We've both made some new friends down here and look forward to seeing them again next time. One kinda does wonder and like to imagine how it would be not to leave - to join the year-round crew here. BUT how could we do that? We'd miss our children and grandchildren! And friends and relatives up there! We're packing up this computer because it's almost brand new - and the one I've been using at the Woods Edge is pretty old. Paul said we should take this one up and switch. (not sure if that one up there is okay for down here, but we'll see. And think about it some more.) Paul is going to Walmart to get some bubblewrap for the monitor. So, anyway - I guess this will probably be my last posting til I have this up and running again at the Woods Edge. How're things goin in your neck o' the woods?

Gardenias

Paul nurtured my gardenia plant this year with a lot of TLC. It hadn't bloomed in more than 15 years. Look at it now! As you walk by it, it has the most wonderful scent! My mother and father would be proud. It sure brings back memories of past Easter/Spring vacations .

A Summer-like Spring day.

Florida is experiencing an early summer. It will be hot and humid later on. I don't envy the guy who is de-nuding our grapefruit tree right now. BUT - He's doing it at the right time of the day - morning. (He does this every year for us.) I suppose it's strange for us to have a grapefruit tree since our medications don't allow us to eat grapefruit. But, the tree was planted, by my father, circa 1982 before they knew about such things. Or I wasn't taking the medication yet. Speaking of fruit trees, our neighbor has an orange tree planted between our homes, right outside our bedroom window. (Next year I'll take pictures of the tree with oranges on it.) When they're there - which is most of the year - the sun shines on them most brightly . . . almost all day long. It was planted just in the right spot. Other than having difficulty with the heat Sunday, our trip to Tampa to see the Filipino Festival was really nice. I give credit to Jil for the pictures. I give myself credit for a duplicate photo at the beginning.

Jacaranda Tree

This is so beautiful. Thought you'd all like to see more of it! I wish we could take it with us up North. BUT we have some beautiful flowering trees coming soon up North. Cherry, Bradford Pear, others! We'll be home in time to see them.

New Patio with Furniture

Here's our new patio with furniture. Hope you enjoy looking at it. It makes a lot of difference on the lanai - looking out. We're really happy to have it all done. The last is of the Jacaranda tree in full bloom. It's really pretty - It has lavender/blue flowers. Going to Open Houses at the newer developments, have made us realize that we're really lucky to have the common ground areas. The newer condos are close together, and don't have them. I prefer the way ours are. BUT - What we should've had was an underground sprinkler system. We have to depend on nature's bounty.

I was checking out numbers on my blog and I was surprised that I'm getting close to 300 posts. That's a lot of writing. It's nothing compared with Jil's postings. Jil's blog has eons. He's been at it for years and years. Good for him. Good for me. I spent the morning, after breakfast, after wash, after reading the paper- cleaning up the kitchen. It's gotten to a point that there's just too much stuff on the counters. I threw away a whole bunch, re-shuffled and stored lots . We have three coffee pots for three people. Now, why is that? Paul likes decaff. I like half-caff. Jil likes full-caff. And Jil likes to put sweet and low in with the coffee grounds. Good thing we all have our own coffe pots. It looks silly, but there's good reason to have it. At 5:00 yesterday, I looked outside and Bob, was out there under the open umbrella, waiting for us - sitting at our patio table,with a drink. Little Martini was there too, waiting for Gracie. So - that's where we sat. It was a beautiful night, BUT too warm. We ended up inside on the lanaii. Much more comfortable. We found - a plus: The umbrella shades the lanaii. Mid-January, Feb. I'd like to see what it's like outside. We have something to look forward to. So - what's happenin' in your neck o' the woods?

potpourri

My camera is fixed! Actually it's been fixed for a while, but I just didn't remember how to get the pictures up and running on my blog. Jil helped me - and so I just randomly picked pictures to publish. Hope you enjoy them! I'm a very slow learner and the retention rate is also low. Age-related? I didn't caption them, but some are self-explanatory. Others: Changed the living room around before we left. (I had actually forgotten we did that) We stopped at Edna and Mike's for lunch on the way down - and I promised them I'd put their picture in - turned out pretty well. The flower picture are the flowers Nancy and her family sent me for my birthday. Evie was four months old in these pictures taken in January. That's Spiderman on the piano bench. .

Our Outlet Mall Trip exceeds expectations . . .

It is amazing how fast the mornings fly by when you sit down to have coffee with husband and brother Bob. He arrived back from a five-day trip to visit with his daughter, Christine, and her family in Melbourne. Christine's two children, Tommy and Susan, were on vacation last week. Poor Christine recently injured her leg in a bike accident. Her leg was in a cast, and she needed crutches or a wheelchair to get around. She was off from work - she's a pediatrician. Christine and family have a yearly pass to Disney World, which is about an hour and a half from where they live. The kids were offered the chance to go, and they said nope. They were tired of it. As Bob said - do they know how many kids would leap at the chance? I say this only to state that kids (being kids) never know how lucky they are. Not as a reflection on them personally. They went to a zoo instead. We took Jil to the Corning Outlet Store at the outlet mall in Ellenton to have him pick out some dishes. While there, a guy came up to him and asked him if he wrote a blog about the Philippines? He recognized Jil and me from pictures. This man had lived in the same province as Jil, (Cagayan de Oro, Jasaan). He'd begun reading Jil's blog since Jil and Epril had gotten married. (2008) This man, Albert, like Jil, also married a Filipino woman, and they decided to live in the States. Unfortunately, they weren't from the immediate area. He did construction jobs, traveling here and there living in a motor home. They'd worked here for a couple of months. She seemed like a nice lady for Epril to meet. She told me they even both spoke the same dialect. What a shame they won't meet. One good thing was - Jil and Albert exchanged e-mail addresses, and phone numbers. Albert talked about, and sent Jil information about an annual Filipino get-together just north of Tampa! This is actually, next weekend ! Now, isn't that just great news? He'll go. He should be able to make many contacts for Epril and him. I must say . . . what are the chances of meeting a stranger, at a mall, who reads your blog and lives half-way, like you, half-way around the world? What are the chances? That could be fate, or to look at it a different way - The Lord works in mysterious ways. I prefer that one. So - what's happenin' in your neck o' the woods?