The Magical Blue Lights

My Mom had a way of making Christmas magical.  It wasn't about the gifts, it was about the bonding and memories formed.  I loved hearing her talk about Christmas oranges and hitching up the buggy to go into town to visit family and friends.  I loved watching her smile as she filled the nut bowl. 

When she was young they heated with coal.  Her job was to stoke the fire every morning.  One day she cut her thumb on the cast iron stove and it got badly infected resulting in an abscess.  To save her life, the doctor removed part of her first metacarpal and drained the abscess.  She was a very, very sick gal for quite some time resulting in her missing a year of school.  When she went back to school they put her back with what she called the baby class so she quit.  My Mom never did get more than a third grade education but honestly she was one of the smartest women I have ever known.  She instilled the value of an education and always striving to succeed. 

My Mom insisted on blue Christmas lights.  I think it was in memory of her husband, somewhat playing tribute to I'll Have a Blue Christmas Without You.  I'm not sure and even at a young age despite the wonderful stories she shared, there was something about the blue lights she would not share.  A neighbour came over every year to string the blue lights around the outside of the house, all the way around.  These were the old fashioned paint bulbs that had to be eons old, left from the last time her husband hung the bulbs.  The wires were old, cloth covered and fraying in spots yet she still insisted on using them.  There's no doubt they were a fire hazard but she still hung them every year until I married and she moved into an apartment building.  She kept those strings of blue lights though as we found out after she passed on. 

I fell asleep every Christmas Eve seeing the glow of those blue bulbs.  We lived on the water when I was growing up.  The basement had a dirt floor and that's where my Mom kept root vegetables, apples and home canned foods.  My job was to bring any need food from the basement to the kitchen and oh how I hated that job.  I can't tell you how many times mice ran over my hands and feet!  One day I turned on the basement light and it was one of my Mom's blue bulbs that came on.  Nothing had been said it just appeared.  A few days later a night light with a blue bulb appeared in my bedroom.  I had been laying awake all night listening to mice in the attic beside my bedroom.  Again nothing was said but the magic of those two precious blue bulb sure helped though the rest of the year I got to see the house lit up in the magical blue lights of Christmas. 

To this day, I have a couple of blue night lights in our home.  They are energy efficient LED night lights but they still remind me of the love of a mother and the magical blue lights.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Christmas Nuts

My Mom was 59 years old when I came to live in her home.  She had weathered two world wars and the Great Depression.  Her parents were farmers who immigrated from England for a better life and she was actually born on the ship between England and Canada.  My Mom told the most amazing stories!  I would sit spell-bound listening to her great adventures.

It was always tradition in our home to have bowls of oranges and nuts in the shell at Christmas time.  I told the story of why the Christmas orange was so important to my Mom last year.  You see she grew up without a lot of the commercialism that surrounds Christmas.  Oranges were extremely expensive so for a poor farming family with many mouths to feed, an orange in the Christmas stocking was a sacrifice her parents made to give their kids a special treat at Christmas.  It would be the only orange they would enjoy all year so just imagine how treasured that treat was! 

Somewhere along the line my Mom added Christmas nuts to our traditions.  It was the year after her husband died but I would have been too small to remember.  We had a fancy nut bowl.  The nut cracker and two pics stood in special holes in the centre then the nuts over flowed around them.  The bowl was very much treasured, a gift from her Mom shortly before she passed on.  Oh how I wish I had that nut bowl now or even just a picture of it.  My Mom was so very proud of it!  Her face would light up as she filled the bowl with nuts.  I never did figure out how she could hum a tune while grinning ear to ear walking the nut bowl from the kitchen into it's place of honour in the livingroom.

Off to buy Christmas nuts... 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Typical November Day

It's a typical cold, dreary, dull and grey November day here in beautiful Ontario, Canada.  This is the type of day I don't like because of it's effect on my mood.  The problem with November is there are more of these types of days than there are sunny ones.  Our last house enhanced the effect of the grey days because it was a dark house with very little natural light, small windows and the main living area mostly below grade.  In many ways, despite being a gorgeous house on beautiful waterfront property, it was very much like a dungeon. 

Our new house is also a bi-level but it differs from our old house in that there is an abundance of natural light reducing the need for artificial lighting during the day, most days.  The only rooms without natural lighting are both bathrooms and the utility room.  We are installing a solar tube in the upper bathroom to bring in natural lighting but the other two rooms don't get enough use to worry about finding a solution for natural lighting. 

While the constant greyness of November slowly drags by, I'm in countdown mode for our winter vacation in the sunny south.  In the meantime, I'm busying myself with anything I can to keep my mind off the grey.  There's still a lot of household organizing to do, paint colours to pick out and painting to do so that should keep me rather busy enough to not notice the grey so much.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Allergic Reaction Troubleshooting

We had a very busy weekend filled with a bit of shopping, bake and craft sale, entertaining for a large group which translates into me doing a lot of extra cooking and basically just enjoying the weekend.  I woke up with that feels-like-a-cold is coming on ick feeling.  My throat was scratchy, I was feverish and my ears itched horribly all day Saturday.  I didn't feel much better on Sunday, just considerably more tired from the night before.  Mid-afternoon I had a lovely asthma flare-up, the first one in a few years.  I forgot how much fun those can be <sarcasm>.  Today has just been a blah, asthma threatening, ears itching, scratchy throat, one eye constantly leaking, itching/burning mucosal membrans, feeling to cruddy to swear, deer in the headlight perma look - in short a horrid mess of a day.  However, this is not a cold.  It is an allergic reaction and like all allergic reactions with each exposure they get worse to the point of becoming life-threatening.  The problem with any allergic reaction is troubleshooting for the cause.  The huge problem we are up against is we bought a home with all hard flooring meaning allergens have no place to hide and be slowly released.  Instead they immediately become airborn causing faster, stronger and more severe allergic reactions.

Thursday night I ran a load of laundry using the new Era HE laundry detergent my husband bought because they were out of All Free and Clear and I used what I thought was Fleecy fabric softener as the store was out of Purex.  You know I should know better!  Laundry detergent and fabric softener are two things we seldom experiment with because sure shooting one or the other will trigger an allergic reaction or asthma flare-up.  In fact, according to my allergist the worst triggers is the Tide/Downey combination and he said if you can still smell the product on your clothes, not to use it.  Today I started reacting rather strongly in the laundry room and realized the fabric softener wasn't Fleecy, it was Snuggle!  The only thing I can think happened is in our haste to get the shopping out of the way we accidently grabbed Snuggle.  I've always reacted horribly to Snuggle including an itchy rash and asthma.  One of our kids breaks out in a very nasty rash using Snuggle so we are usually very careful but I could have sworn I grabbed Fleecy.  Now I have to go back and rewash everything that I washed using Snuggle or anything that has the smell of Snuggle on it so now I have extra laundry to do :(

Compounding the problem is I know I'm reacting to the remaining pet dander in the house.  We are lucky that there is no carpeting and we have been rather ruthless at vacuuming to get as much of the pet dander as we can.  I'm vacuuming daily not only the floors but anywhere that pet dander can hide.  We don't have pets and won't have them in our home still it will take a good six months to rid our home of pet dander from the previous owners.  We have arranged to get our HVAC ductwork cleaned after our winter vacation and we have special filters on the furnace and vents that should help filter out the dander until the ductwork is cleaned.  Good gosh, can you tell I'm having a lot of fun with this one?

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - An Incredible Journey

We were teenagers when we became newlyweds with the odds stacked against us but we had faith that with enough love everything would fall into place.  Our love for each other has never waivered, growing stronger every day.  We've been blessed with amazing children who have gone onto higher education and then start their own families, blessing us with the most adorable grandchildren you have ever seen.  We have been blessed in establishing a business that supports our lifestyle nicely while affording the opportunity for us to enjoy the freedom from working for others creating the flexibility we want to be able to take the time off to enjoy our family and friends as we see fit.  I have been particularly blessed to have enjoyed the opportunity for higher education, having earned three pot-graduate degrees and one diploma in honours standing while having the extreme priveledge of meeting some of the world's top notch scientists.  We have absolutely wonderful family and friends that never let us down, always there through the good and bad times, never waivering in their support.  We have never gone hungry, always had a roof over our heads as well as the skills and knowledge to provide for ourselves. 


Yes, life has dealt us some rather nasty blows, likely more than many will ever have to deal with but at the same time not as bad as some have to deal with either.  Though it all we have the blessing of each other, knowing we can depend on each other and we have the blessing of our family and friends.  That makes us the richest people on earth!


Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Liquids Create A Comedy of Errors

We have had a bit of a comedy of errors resulting from spills and Mother Nature over the past couple of days.  My husband arrived home from hunt camp on Saturday after a week away.  The weather had been cooler and a bit damper there than at home so a hot bath with epsom salts was in order to sooth his aching body. I was happily chatting away with him when I realized my feet were wet.  I was standing in a puddle of water that had escaped the bathtub!  I peeled off my socks, cleaned up the mess while reminding myself how much I had missed him being gone.  The next day, I was at the computer doing a bit of blogging when my drink was accidently tipped over my keyboard and desk.  As luck would have it the desk was of course piled high so the mess was a bit more than it should have been.  I cleaned that mess up but apparently my keyboard did not appreciate it's bath.  Last night I briefly looked for the wireless keyboard but gave up telling myself the wired keyboard would be just fine once it dried out.  In the middle of the night, I reached for my water bottle.  It fell over, knocking the cap just enough to send water over the bedroom floor.  I cleaned that mess up and crawled back into bed after refilling my water bottle. 

This morning the keyboard made a feeble attempt to do something but managed to only put out stings of 888888.  I unplugged it then tinkered online using mouse only so essential didn't accomplish much.  A couple of hours later I tried the keyboard again.  A few more keys worked but nowhere enough to do any blogging so I finally found my wireless keyboard but could not find one single charged AA battery!  I found four dead rechargeble batteries and put them in the charger hoping they would hold a charge but they are getting old.  So I decided to walk to the hardware store for batteries.  The sky looked a bit threatening so I took the small folding umbrella.  In hindsight I should have driven.  It started spitting a little after the first block into my walk but by the time I reached the hardware store it was up to a nice rain escalating to a hard down pour on my way home.  I was soaked through!  The good news is aside of getting a bit of exercise along with a free show and more laundry to do, the wireless keyboard is working.  The other keyboard is still in pieces waiting to fully dry out.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Hubby is on the Home Side

My husband has been away for a week at hunt camp meaning I had a whole week to myself in our new home.  We hadn't had a lot of time together in our new home before he left so there was a bit of apprehension but the week went well on both ends.  I was so very happy to see him yesterday and him to see me!  I made a special meal then after a hot bath for his aching muscles, we went to bed at 8:30 PM.  He was totally exhausted!  I let him sleep this morning and in total he slept a little over 15 hours.  It was a quiet day spent bonding, sipping coffee and spending time with a good friend.  I am so very happy to have him safe and sound on the home side!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

And A Soldier Cries, Oh Canada...

[Note: This is a repost from my personal blog, My Journey. It was originally posted on November 11, 2008.  I modify the note each year but have kept the original video intact.  This will be the forth year that I've used this wonderful video tribute to the fine men and women that serve our country.  Not only do they keep us safe they act as amazing Canadian ambassadors helping to maintain peace home and abroad as well as serving in a humanitarian capacity.  Please take a moment to watch the video and ponder the price so many have paid and continue to pay to make Canada the great nation that it is.]

Today I will attend the Remembrance Day ceremony in my hometown.  Yes I have to drive there and it will more than likely be unpleasant weather but I will be there!  I may even stop by the Legion afterwards to share a drink with a couple of family members who served.  I'll  gaze (actually photograph) some of the portraits of those who served in the Legion and Ladies Auxilary, my Mom and uncles for certain.  It doesn't matter how yukky the weather is, I will sit by the river and ponder those who paid the price then wander over to the cemetery to pay my respects.  Every single freedom that I enjoy as a Canadian is a result of the ultimate price paid by those who have served and continue to serve our country.  Let us never forget that!

On the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11th month we honour our fallen with 2 minutes silence from shore to shore of our great nation, Canada. Please join our nation in showing our respect and how thankful we are for enjoying the freedom they fought so hard for.

Remembrance Day Tribute

courtesy of
Global TV Edmonton

Garden Gnome
©2008-2010

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Aggressively Dealing with a Skuzzball Telemarketer

The phone rang today with an important call from 1-403-255-8807 telling me they could lower my credit card interest.  Now first off, this is a huge scam so I'm writing this post as a warning to others.  Do not give them any information!  Report them to the CRTC and to Phonebusters.  What they do is charge your credit card a substantial fee then phone (although there have been reports of this being false) your credit card company requesting a lower interest rate.  When the credit card company says no, they report back to you after enough time has lapsed so as to not be able to reverse the charge on your credit card that they cannot get your rate lowered.  They have your money and you have just been scammed big time to the tune if reports are correct of $600 to $800! 


Here's how the conversation went:

representative: We have great news!  We can lower your current credit card interest rate to 6%
me:  How did you get this phone number? (It's a new phone number as we just moved.)

representative: My supervisor gave it to me.
me: Well your supervisor should not have given you our phone number.  Please remove it.

representative: No, no, no!
me: By law under the CRTC you are required to remove our phone number from your call list.

representative: No, no, no!  We are giving you a great deal like a sale.  (By now I am rolling my eyes!)
me: I don't need a deal.

representative: Yes you do because our records show you have a good credit history and pay your bills on time.
me: How did you get my credit history?  I did not give authorization for you to get any credit history!

representative: My supervisor gave it to me.
me:  Well your supervisor does not have the authorization to get my credit history.

representative:  Yes, yes, yes.  Credit history is public for anyone to get. (Bullsh*t!)
me: What is my name? (like I expected him to come back with one)

representative: Umm... (I cut him off.)
me: Here's a clue.  F-off and don't call here again! (I'm sure they will try calling again)

I seldom curse but this guy ticked me off and the knowledge that they will lure someone into their trap today made me madder!  I reported them to the CRTC and the appropriate fraud investigation units.  If they ever call this house again I will report them again but since I now have them on call block, I doubt they will get through without changing where they are calling from.  There is a good possibility of that because fraudulent scumbags do that just so they can rip others off there hard earned dollars.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Wordless Wednesday - It's All in the Detail

It's All in the Detail

August 29, 2011

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Settling In

We started moving into our new home on September 1 with the official closing date of September 15 but left on September 19 to stay at our vacation home for two weeks.  Prior to the closing date we were living between two houses so essentially the settling in period for our new house has been since returning from our fall vaction until now.  The house has come along nicely.  There has been  a bit of work but nothing we didn't expect.  Aside of one room, all of the other rooms and it is a rather large house (5 bedroom) are organized so there's really little hint of us just moving in.  We had the house power washed yesterday and I did my first canning session (mandarin oranges, pineapple, hot pepper slices) today. 

We have a bit of a routine going with getting up at 8 AM (I'm usually up earlier.), making coffee and my husband's lunch, and having breakfast.  He heads to the office.  I putter in the morning cleaning, tidying, organizing and doing online tasks.  If the weather is nice I walk to the grocery store if I need anything but that really is just an excuse to go for a walk.  We eat dinner around 6 PM at which time I have been powering down the computer as part of the bonding more with my husband and spending less time in front of the computer.  We eat out twice a week on specific days but not always.  I'm back to doing a load of laundry sometimes two on Saturdays.  It really didn't take long to establish a rountine here.  All in all we are settling into our new home just fine!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Dr. Conrad Murray Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter in the Michael Jackson Murder Trial

My apologies for the late posting but I have been following the final outcome of the Dr. Conrad Murray trial who has just been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson.  Oh my gosh has the sh*t ever hit the proverbial fan!  I'm not a huge Michael Jackson fan but I have watched him since he was a member of the Jackson Family and there are some of his songs I absolutely love.  Make no never mind, Michael Jackson was a very, very talented entertainer but he was a man of many demons.  He was extremely eccentric to the point of creating a make-believe world and collect exotic animals.  No one would normally choose to use anesthesia even if they have a sleeping disorder and there are several accounts of Michael Jackson using this method on a fairly regular basis.  He even had a special sleep champer designed to be put to sleep then awakened.  That is just not normal!  He was doing this well before Dr. Murray came on the scene.  The bottom line is Dr. Conrad Murray is guilty of giving Michael Jackson propofol but my gut feeling is he was coherced by the money and glitter of Michael Jackson.  Something tells me that Michael Jackson was not a person used to hearing the word no.  If he had, perhaps he would still be alive today.  At any rate when all the wash is done, I thing Dr. Conrad Murray will be seen to be very much a victim of circumstances.  Oh and there are already rumours circulating that a thrid party was involved.  Hopefully, law enforcement will follow up on that aspect as well.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - An Abundance of Food

The newest issue of What's Cooking arrived a couple of days ago so I wanted to test a few of the recipes.  The problem is we live in a small urban community with three grocery stores ranging from the basics to a limited selection of gourmet foods.  We also have two specialty food stores and a butcher shop so for the most part I have a decent selection of ingredients.  We are about 40 minutes to two cities, close to fisheries/orchards/farm stands/mushroom farms/wineries and to the USA.  The mail service is good as is delivery services so can order online with perishables delivered next day service.   I have absolutely no reason to complain about the selection of food or ingredients available to me.   Yet there are times I get frustrated a the lack of an ingredient in town.  For example it is hit or miss whether any of the grocery stores have ground chicken, ground turkey or ground pork but I simply grind my own so it isn't a problem for me but it is a problem for those who don't grind their own.  Yesterday I wanted Sriracha sauce and Kraft Extra Virgin Olive OilTuscan Italian Dressing.  I finally found the Sriracha sauce but no luck on the Tuscan dressing. 

In all honesty though we are very blessed to live in a region of Canada where there is an abundant food supply year round.  The selection and quality of locally grown foods is quite amazing!  The conditions are ideal for growing your own as well.  Yet in this midst of this food cornucopia there are many who go hungry.  There is no doubt the cost of food is rising meaning many can no longer afford even the basics.  We are very, very blessed to be able to afford what food we want so we make it a point to support the local food banks and food drives.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Daylight Savings Time Ends (2011)

It's that time of year again.  Daylight Savings Time ends early tomorrow morning so don't forget to change your clocks and check the batteries in your smoke detectors before going to bed tonight.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

'Tis Turning Chilly

Last week we woke to frost three mornings but at least is was nice enough for the kids to enjoy trick-or-treating.  It's been getting progressively cooler here so we have had the furnace on but the sun has been warming the house nice during the day when it's out.  My husband replaced the cover on the pool and the farmer harvested the field behind us.  So far so good as there are no signs of rodents.  They like coming in when the fields are harvested.  I brought in all the geraniums and the hibiscus.  Both seem to like their sunny locations indoors, rewarding me with a lot of blooms.  And all is well in our new home...

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Why Do People Have to be so Mean?

We had to have a bit of work hired out for our new house because it was just beyond our abilities.  Imagine an eleven year old house with no plumbing access for both tub/shower units.  The young chap came in and somewhere in the process got a phone call from his wife.  Oh my gosh, if she actually heard the way he talked, she would be fuming if not worse.  It was down right nasty involving name calling and other put downs.  I was utterly flabbergasted!  If he can say such nasty things behind her back to someone he barely knows, what does he say to her behind closed doors?

My husband and I will be celebrating 35 years of marital bliss.  There is absolutely nothing I would say about him to anyone else that I would not say to his face and I know he is the same way.  Oh sure, we get ticked off at each other but the bottom line is we have respect for each other.  I'm not sure if that is the secret to a long journey together but respect goes a long, long way.  We are not perfect, we have our differences but we are happily married and intend to remain that way until death do us part.  Bad mouthing each other has no place in our relationship!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Wordless Wednesday - Red Doors

Red Doors

September 27. 2011

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Well It Could Have Been Worse

We have had a rather peaceful yet productive week.  We took one day off to renew our Nexus and passports that aside from a bit of rain went well.  Saturday we did a bit of electrical work, well actually a fair amount then Sunday while I was working in the kitchen my husband put the new pool winter cover on.  I'm getting things ready for my husband's upcoming hunt trip so decided to make the sauce for lasagna and moose meat chili.  Both freeze nicely and making them ahead of time means no rushing closer to his trip.  I use mainly fresh cooked or home canned foods but because of the move and fall vacation I missed the busiest of the tomato season meaning I am getting low on a few home canned tomato products.  I bought a few cans of tomatoes.  As I was opening one of the cans, the can slipped a little causing the lid to slam up into my thumb.  The resulting cut spans the width of my thumb less than a quarter of an inch below the nail on the underside.  It likely needs stitches but the reality is that close to the nail they won't stitch unless absolutely necessary.  I cleaned the cut, applied pressure to stop the bleeding then tightly bandaged.  Doning on a pair of latex gloves, I continued working. 

After both sauces were finished and into the cooling stage, I sat down to do a bit of blogging.  Dang my thumb hurt for typing and it was throbbing but it reminded me of how lucky I was.  The cut could easily have taken off the top of my thumb!  In that case the treatment would be pretty much the same as what I already started for the cut.  So for the next few days I will keep it tightly bandaged, clean and dry while watching for any signs of infection.  In the meantime, I'm thanking my blessings!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Bonding Time With Hubby and Bell

My husband and I spent most of today bonding aka replacing electrical switches and outlets on the main level.  As DIYers we tend to work reasonably well together and I do know when to not say anything sometimes unless offering a suggestion when my husband gets frustrated if some repair is not going the way it should.  The power was off on most of the main level meaning no sneaking in computer time without firing up the laptop so I took charge of the prep (eg. opening those stupid over packaged cover plates), organizing the necessary pieces needed in front of each outlet and doing the clean-up.  This was a rather smooth, only run to the hardware store twice, tongue twisting once DIY repair until trying to turn on the PVR because the power had been out.  After several attempts with the PVR giving an error code that the PVR had to be 40ºF to work, my husband finally called Emily, the lovely Bell assistant.

Emily was a real doll, finally directed him to a real humanoid.  Humanoid told my husband to reset the PVR because apparently trying a good twenty times wasn't enough.  When that didn't work, humanoid said to turn off the PVR, wait 15 minutes then try again and if that didn't work wait for an hour and if that didn't work to call back.  My husband called back to get humanoid II who had him go through all the reset stuff then proceeded to tell him that we must have a faulty PVR.  At that point my temper clicked in so I got on one of the other handsets.  You see, I have dealt with Bell ad nauseum over the issue of our PVR.  We 'bought' our PVR from Bell who decided to install a refurbished rental even though we paid for a new one.  When that PVR started acting up, I called Bell who gave us a $10 monthly discount for the inconvenience.  When that PVR continued to act up they sent us out a $500 replacement PVR of which we had to pay for.  So here we are fourteen months later and that PVR is acting up and we haven't even run out of the monthly discount yet!  Yet according to humanoid II, it is a computerized piece of electronics that can fail at any time.  Her attitude bit the big one and I'm not kidding so I demanded to speak to a supervisor.  After a good 10 minutes waiting for the supervisor to come on the line I hung up.  Bell should be downright ashamed of themselves for selling used equipment as new as well as forcing users into high priced JUNK that fails prematurely!  I will definitely be filing a complaint with the CRTC.  We are looking into changing our internet, phone service and television service to cable.  If Bell wants to be this shoddy it is time for us to say adios!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Good Gosh, Let's All Burn the Bra!

Ok, this might fall under the category of too much information but it certainly would not hurt my feelings if bras were banned, burned or even made illegal.  I'm not kidding and guaranteed many women feel exactly the way I do.  For men who may not understand the bra issue, try walking around in a sports cup for twelve or more hours in a day, every day of the year.  At the end of the day there is:  chafing, burning itching, and in warm weather a pool of sweat made worse by the wicking action of the bra causing a lovely heat rash.  Bras have enough metal in them to poke holes in a waterbed and set off security alarms but the good news is they can be used as short range missiles should the need arise.  I'm just saying...

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Sunset at Our New House

Sunset at Our New House

October 16, 2011

I'm a skywatcher, always have been.  Over the past decade we have enjoyed some of the most beautiful sunsets while boating and living on the water.  While we can still enjoy the gorgeous sunsets on the water while boating, we are no longer living on the water so I was concerned that we would be missing out on sunsets.  Pictured is the sunset I took a picture of through our bedroom window.  It was quite pretty.  I will have to get used to the fact that the windows have screens on both the outside that gives a grid when I have become used to taking pictures through a clear pane of glass.  Surprisingly my digital camera does that quite nicely.

We have a fair amount of open space around our new home giving a minimal of obstructions for skywatching.  I was surprised to be able to get a nice shot of that sunset.  I will be able to get even better pictures from the pool deck and not bad pictures from the main deck.  What is really nice is even though we have a glow from our new urban setting I can still use the telescope for a bit of star gazing!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Wordless Wednesday - The Promise

The Promise

September 29, 2011

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

The Number Three

The number three has a lot importance, coming up over and over again in conversation, superstition and simple daily life.  One belief is bad things always happen in threes and quite often that is the case.  In decorating, the three rule is used for displays usually organized as a short piece, a medium piece and a tall piece.  Photos on display look better grouped as three as do candles or any other like grouping.  On the ominous note, the sign of the devil is 666 a multiple of three containing three numerals.  The number three appears in nursery rhymes (eg. three little pigs, three billy goats gruff) and children's stories (eg. The Three Musketeers).  Then there are three strikes you're out in baseball, chances to stay in someone's good graces or stay out of legal hot water in the judicial system.  Even certain gambling is based on threes!  Older slot machines were based on three, using three coins and three wheels.  There are six sides on a die (a multiple of three) and the highest score you can get on a pair of dice is twelve, another multip of three.  Some genetic disorders are caused by an extra chromosome.  These are the trisomies (eg. Trisomy 21 aka Down's Syndrome).  Have you ever noticed plant leaves ordered in threes?  That can be a good thing or a bad thing.  Clover, a benign and beneficial plant for bees has three leaves yet the saying is leaves three leave them be when refering to poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac. 

The number three has a bit of a personal meaning to me.  Unless I am exhausted, I wake at three each morning just like clockwork and my normal sleep pattern is a three hour stretch on any given night.  There is a physiological reason for this.  During the body's normal circadium rhythm, the corticosteriod level is lowest between 3 - 4 AM which is why those using corticosteriods for asthma control are told to take their corticosteriod inhaler/tubohaler around 4 PM.  An asthma flare-up is more likely when corticosteriod levels are lowest and for most asthmatics it is when the are more apt to be exposed to dust mites that can trigger an asthma flare-up.  I haven't used my turbohaler in almost four years which is a good thing but it does mean I never sleep through the night.  At some point I may have to go back to using corticorsteriods but for the meantime my body is enjoying the rest from the side effects.  I'm sure my bones will thank me at some point!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - DIY Skills

My husband and I have been very fortunate to learn a lot of DIY skills over our journey together.   Our new house doesn't need a lot of work, mainly a bit of updating and decorating.  The updating consists of replacing electrical switches and outlets as well as ceiling and outdoor light fixtures.  Even though we like the colour tones of the rooms, each room does need to be freshened up with a new coat of paint.  We will be able to do the majority of this work ourselves.  We are also very blessed to have family and friends who are qualified to help us with some tasks (eg. hooking up natural gas appliances) that we are not qualified to do.  They are always willing to lend a helping hand.  We learn from them and in return we share out knowledge of how to do tasks that we know how to do.  As a result, we are able to save a considerable amount of money on needed improvements and decorating that would otherwise be spent on labour.  This has allowed us to build equity in our homes much more rapidly than possible if having to hire out all home repairs and maintenance.  

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Wordless Wednesday - The Magic of Micky

The Magic of Micky

September 19, 2011 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Fairwell Xplornet

When we moved into our last house we had the choice between dial-up or satellite internet.  After a long and arduous relationship with Xplornet, our [sic] beloved satellite internet provider I was in seventh heaven giving them their final marching orders.  Xplornet has piss poor customer service and the internet connection is beyond piss poor.  If a mosquito flies through that beam the signal is lost.  You would think paying almost $70 per month would get you ... oh I don't know ... customer service with a smile or good gosh even working internet.  Nope it doesn't.  Toodles Xplornet, I would not wish you on my worst enemy!  Good riddence to very bad rubbish ... I'm just saying and I do believe in calling a spade a spade. 

Oh and Xpornet, I would like the refund you owe me like yesterday or I might just have to give you back of your pissy service.  Cheers!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Moonscape

Moonscape

October 9. 2011

My gosh it was a beyond busy September and start to October what with moving and going on our fall vacation to our vacation home.  We have been home only a week and a half of which we entertained twenty-five for Thanksgiving in our new home then entertained another twenty on Saturday (October 15). 

Our new home is looking good!  I have washed and shined more floors than I ever thought I could in a one week period.  The marble floor in our kitchen has been restored and does it ever look absolutely gorgeous!  All in all unless you peek into two rooms or the garage you would think we have been living here for ever.  The garage is less than a day away of getting our one car in and given it is a one and a half (what's with that?) garage that shows you how much work we have been doing.  My pantry would be completely organized had the movers not dismantled my industrial shelving resulting in the clips going missing but as soon as we find them that room will take less than a day to organize.  My husband bought two new televisions for his games room and wall mounted them yesterday just in time for the guys last night.  My husband and I are beyond exhausted!

So we declared yesterday a SOMA day.  It was wonderful!  I put a roast in the oven for dinner then he watched football while I blogged.  After dinner we caught up on The Mentalist.  You just have to love PVR, don't you?  It was not as early of a night as it should have been but the day was just lovely.  We need a few more SOMA days!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Getting Into a Routine

Moving is always disruptive but in our case even more so because we went on our fall vacation just days after the move.  That meant we knew we were coming home to having to get the house settled.  It was nice going to our vacation home because we basically have a routine.  The first couple of days are spent doing the necessities but we have a fairly well established laid back routine we follow.  

Last week was our first full week in our new home without having to go between two house.  We quickly formed a routine to help us organize our new home.  Eliminating my husband's daily drive gives us a lot more time together which is really nice.  We have always sat down as a family for dinner ever since we were newlyweds but now we are enjoying more meals together.  One of the biggest changes I made was where the computer is.  In our last three homes, the computer was located in the family room.  Quite often one of us would be on the computer while the other was watching television.  The computer is located in a bedroom turned office in our new home.  We now have a routine of eating dinner together then spending time together which is really nice.  Another thing we changed was to remove the television from our bedroom.  It wasn't meant to be that way it just happened.  We don't have a television in our bedroom at our vacation home and here we didn't get it connected up but then we aren't missing it either.  We've decided to forego the television in our bedroom for awhile.

Within a week we have established a nice, rather laid back routine.  Routines are a good thing.  They help keep daily life manageable and that's a blessing!


Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Oh Good Flipping Gosh!

I have always marched to my own drummer.  So we are down at our vacation home and your's truly won $50 in a hoola hoop contest.  My husband has the $50 and my arm is bruised to the point I'm getting it checked tomorrow.  Anyway, years ago when I was a somewhat wee little one we had clackers that where basically two large, hard balls on attached strings that you had to get going then keep the momentum somewhat like hoola hoops.  Then there was that ankle thing that swung a huge ball for the other foot to jump over.  In hind sight the clackers and ankle thingie weren't available so this old lady did the hoola hoop.  And I did do it nicely if I don't say so myself.  I'm actually kind of proud because I've never been much of a physical person to the point of ever winning anything but I could always out perform in terms of academia.  This was just a hoot!  I had a lot of fun too.  It was definitely our of character, surprising our guest but I had a good time.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

I'm Not Ignoring You, I'm Just Not Into Small Talk

I am by nature quite a shy person.  I talk if I have something to say but it takes me a considerable time to warm up to people enough to talk to them.  Academia taught me how to perform nicely in front of large groups of people but other than that, I tend to listen.  Academia also taught me I have a voice.  Most of my voice these days comes through my writing although a few debates gets going amongst family and friends.  I really don't like small talk, period and never have.  I don't even do much in the way of small talk with my husband.  My husband and I have been married long enough we know what the other is thinking without wasting time on small talk.  Rather we enjoy each other's presence without the small talk.  So I'm not ignoring you I just don't do small talk...

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Wordless Wednesday - Threatening Weather

Threatening Weather

September 22, 2011

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

A Bit of Telemarketer Fun

We spent a bit of time at our vacation home from September 19 to October 6.  Considering we spent the first two weeks of September moving into our new home I was beyond exhausted so believe me was in no mood to deal with telemarketers, let alone American telemarketers who are considerably more forceful, abrasive and down right rude in comparison to Canadian telemarketers.  Anyway, a roofing telemarketer called and unfortunately I answered.  This person insisted the roof inspection was a mandatory one so I went back and forth a couple of times but was just too tired.  They insisted we be at our home on at 4 PM a week ago Monday.  Hey, no problem because we come all the way from Canada to get a sales pitch.  They told me to be sure I called the guard house to let them in.  That gave me a brilliant idea.  Since they didn't want to take no for an answer I called the guard house and told them what happened.  G who is a real sweetheart said don't worry, if you don't want them in, they aren't getting in.  He also told me this particular company was well known in our resort for the heavy handed sales tactics and shoddy workmanship.  So, they didn't get in which is one nice feature of a gated community.  Hopefully now they comprehend the meaning of the word no!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

I Fixed His Golf Cart

It turned rather cold while we were at our vacation home.  Now, I tend to be rather observant so our neighbours put the covers down on their golf carts.  I hauled out our golf cart, unzipped all the covers, snapped them into place then pleased with my work waited for my husband to call for a ride.  He was down playing cards with his entourage.  When he called I tossed a couple of jackets in the golf cart, zipped it up then headed out to pick him up.  I don't walk anywhere here after dark as there are gators and reports of a cougar.  Being small, old and not prone to running without them there adult diapers means I like using the golf cart!  Anyway, you should have heard my husband when he saw the buttoned down golf cart.  He was in serious fits of laughter before I even got the cart stopped then was doing that laughing through his teeth thing that only he can do while tears streamed down his face.  He wasn't buying the fact the neighbours did that to their golf cart so I did it to ours.  Oh no, he just laughed harder. I tried to redeem myself by pointing out that unrolling the covering and using it occasionally would prevent molding issues.  Ok, at that point he seriously lost it!  He could not stop laughing!  Hmm, and I was only being helpful...so I thought!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Discovering Home

We spent our last night at our old house on August 31^st then spent September 1^st and 14^th living between two houses.  Our new house was officially in our name on the 15^th and we flew out to our vacation home on the 19^th  where we stayed until October 6^th.  We are both exhausted even though the fall vacation was quite pleasant.  We had gorgeous sunshine and heat mixed with good company and a lot of fun.  As we packed on the Wednesday before flying out to 'home' I couldn't help but think we really weren't going home.  It's still a house not a home to us because we haven't been turned it into our home yet.  Yet in many ways it is going home.  It's where our friends and loved ones are so it is home.  We feel comfortable there.  It's our community, where we belong.  It is our home in the big picture now we are discovering our new house that will become our new home :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

A Very Busy Early Fall

Oh my gosh!  September was a very eventful month for us.  We started moving into our new home on September 1 but it was officially ours September 15.  Now my husband and I are getting on the downside of the hill so to speak so a two week moving period was very much appreciated.  We never spent another night in our old house after August 31 but essentially we were living between two houses.  The main services were on at both houses.  The internet and tv went on at the new house on the sixth, the same day the movers brought out the main part of our possessions.  My new gas stove and dryer weren't connected until the fourteenth.  We did the final clearout of the old house on the fourteenth as well and quite frankly while it was a gorgeous home in a wonderful location neither of us are going to miss it.  Our lawyer was quite good so with no indication of any problems we were able to sign the final papers on the thirteenth then pick up the cheque on the fifthteenth.  Our old house was officially sold and we were the proud new owners of a very nice [if I don't say so myself] five bedroom home with two decks and a pool.  We held our first large scale entertaining on the seventeenth then flew out to our vacation home on the nineteenth.

I would love to say the vacation home was nice and relaxing but eighteen months of trying to sell a house, moving and sheer disruption caught up with me.  I was a bear, not able to relax or sleep, couldn't eat and just downright miserable.  There was a lot to do at the vacation home [most of it hired out] - powerwash the siding, pest control, and landscaping.  We had a great time with house guests for a week in the middle of our stay then headed home on October 6.  We are hosting Thanksgiving for 30 at our new home on October 10th so there won't be a lot of relaxing until that bit of entertaining is out of the way.   I am beyond exhausted!

Our next visit to our vacation home will be considerably more pleasant as by then we will have adjusted to the move for the most part and be back into a bit of a routine without a lot to do at our vacation home.  We are already planning our next trip to our vacation home but this time I am insisting on being home between Christmas and New Year.  Then I plan on doing some serious hibernation for the winter getting close and personal with paint chips!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

The Creek

September 19, 2011

Our vacation home is located in a beautiful resort with many, many gorgeous bodies of water.  This small creek is a short walk from our house so I visit quite often during my walks.  I love how the sky and trees are mirrored in the still waters.  The water is quite clear revealing fish lazily swimming by.  I haven't seen any gators at the creek but the nearby larger pond is known as a popular gator breeding area.  Part of the pond is shown at the top of the picture but it expands quite some distance to the right (not shown).  It's quite common to see gators sunning themselves along the shore of the pond.  There is also an abundance of waterfowl at the pond.  I always take my camera with me when going for a walk as there is just so many wonderful photo opportunities.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Steven Jobs

I am a die hard Mac fan so it is with great sadness to hear of the news of the passing of Steven Jobs (co-founder of Apple Inc.) on October 5, 2005.  RIP Steven and thanks for all you have given us.  You will be sorely missed!  God speed....

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Wordless Wednesday - Sneaking a Kiss

Sneaking a Kiss

October 3, 2011

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Out With the Old, In With the New

Without going into a long a drawn out explanation my husband usually carries the purse. The purse really is a community purse that I seldom carry but it does hold a lot of both of our critical 'stuff'. The purse has held all important documents, make-up, scoffed menus, cell phones, Pictured on the left.  Now, my husband is a large man and large men carrying purses is not the norm but it is even more abnormal when a large man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and checked shorts sporting a straw hat carries a flowered purse.  You cannot believe the number of comments he gets and oh good gosh one of the funniest moments was him carrying the purse with casino security running after him!  Now that was priceless!  Anyway we bought a new purse (pictured on right).  It is not flowered but it is so us!  The new purse will  go nicely with his Redwing attire as well as his Jimmy Buffet wear.  Surprisingly the new purse holds more than the old purse.  Time will tell how others adjust to to the new purse.  I will let you know...


Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

New Clothes

I am not a shopper by any stretch of the imagination.  Unless it is a farm stand, orchard, antique shop or food related I have no interest in shopping unless I have to.  Despite being a foodie, I shop very little in traditional grocery stores.  So we decided to stock our vacation home with clothes so we don't have to bring clothes back and forth.  I saves money by not having to have a checked bag when flying and no suitcase when driving.

My favourite colours for clothing much to my husband's dismay is black, grey and white.  This colour combination doesn't work well for Florida but I managed to find the cutest two piece swim suit  with black skirted bottoms and a black polk-a-dot top.  It is trés chic and I am so tempted to bring it home for lounging around our new pool.  I bought a really nice cowl necked grey knitted dress that will work nicely at home.  It is really cute!  I'm also supporting clothes with part of the price going towards breast cancer.  I like pink and we have had relatives strickened with breast cancer that did not make it.  We have one battling breast cancer right now and another battling cancer so any support is better than no support.  At any rate I actually shopped for clothes.  Will wonders ever cease?

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Wireless Connedtion

We first went wireless at our previous house.  It was such a delight to take our laptop out onto the dock, sit by the water and still be able to go online.  We now have wireless at our vacation home and our new home.  The kids can connect when they are home and I can use the laptop at home anywhere in the house.  Oh I should mention that my husband bought a new laptop with the old one to be left at the vacation home.  Now I wanted to bring my old iMac down to leave at the vacation home but he really needed a new laptop.  Anyway, we have an iPhone, iPod, iPod touch, laptops and iMac all on wireless and oh my gosh what a delight it is.  Basically wireless takes your office to you wherever you are.  I've blogged from air ports, restaurants, marinas and wireless home connections.  The neat thing is when traveling through heavily populated areas like Chicago we can pick up wireless connections along the way.  My doctor's office even provides free Wi-Fi, something much appreciated as I while away the mandatory one hour wait time.  You would think with all this technology they could get the scheduling a bit tighter but I seriously love my doctor so don't mind the wait especially with free Wi-Fi.  Being able to connect using wireless is such a blessing!  We can stay in touch with our family and friends while traveling.  Oh and the neatest thing about wireless is we can now do video conferencing so get to see out kids and grandkids on a very regular basis.  This is way beyond cute!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Winding Down From the Move

We are gradually winding down from the move.  I'm still rather high strung and getting my bearings but we have the house pretty much livable.  I'm taking advantage of the upheaval to do a bit of decluttering even though we did a lot of decluttering preparing for the move.  The reality is what works at one house doesn't always work at the next house so there's no point hanging onto these items.  I started experimenting in cooking with natural gas but found my childhood and camping days are somewhat like riding a bicycle so using natural gas for cooking has not been much of an adjustment.  Surprisingly, this house is quite a bit quieter than our old house so I'm sleeping better as well as getting up earlier in the day.  The house is lighter and brighter so it's really helping me with SAD.  I think this winter will be a lot nicer in terms of mood with all the beautiful sunlight in our new home as well as the few weeks we get away to our vacation home.  I've changed all the email and addresses over.  I kept our old email account until the end of the month just to catch those who haven'tor need to be updated with out new contact information.  All in all, things are winding down with the move.  Now off to ceramics to create a couple of new gnomes :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Wordless Wednesday - Creative Lego Construction

Creative Lego Construction

September 17, 2011

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - A Bittersweet Week

My husband and I have had an absolutely amazing week, tiring but amazing.  There are so many good things happening in our lives right now that I can't help but be on cloud nine.  Early this week a couple of my online friends, Ben and Turnip, who established CMF Ads about three years ago announced they are closing their blog advertising network effective October 30.  I am very saddened by this announcement.  Good gosh, it is not as if Ben and Turnip haven't worked hard to make a go of it and they are such nice people that I really hate to see them hurt like this.  The blessing this week has been appreciating what Ben and Turnip have done for the blogging community.  They are top notch, stellar folk that I as well as many will miss as influential folk in the blogosphere.  They have brought class and integrity to the blogosphere.  So with sadness I lift a final toast to them, warm in the memories the left us and cherishing the blessings they gave us.  Farewell, old friends and until we meet again...

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

I Went for a Walk...

Since moving my goal has been to go for a daily walk.   I don't care how long as long as I walk.  We've been walking daily since our move and I must say that the results are showing.  I am seriously liking what I'm seeing in the mirror.  I was antsy today so decided to go for a walk.  It was threatening rain but then I thought well what the heck, the worst that is going to happen is I get wet.  So I headed out.  It was beautiful but threatening rain that hit about a quarter the way into my walk.  By the time I got home I was soaked but you know what it felt good.  I stood in the warm shower thinking oh good gosh life is good.  And it is :)


Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

My Husband and I are Nice People

Not only are we nice people our motto is always to treat folk with respect and take the high road.  That's just the way we are.  Today it was so difficult though.  So my husband's aging laptop is giving it up so we went shopping for a new one with a game plan in mind.  The new one goes home, the old one stays here and if the old one finally goes I get a new Mac with the old Mac coming here.  Hey, I thought it was a perfect plan.  First my husband is driving along and for no reason was flipped the bird.  Apparently he was number one in their book.  Then this little car and I do mean little figured they could squeeze between us and the car in front of us.  This is precisely why a bit of alcohol for the passengers should be allowed when driving!

We continued on to our next stop where either I am invisible or simply not tall enough to signal the shopper behind me not to run me over.  Thanks so much shopper as now I have a few fresh bruises to take over the fading bruises from move. I'd hate to see myself walk around without at least one bruise! <sarcasm>  Perhaps I should get my husband to put me in the kiddie part of the cart just to keep me safe from other shoppers <major sarcasm>.  Then we picked out our purchase (laptop, computer equipment and misc.) some of which had to be unlocked then taken immediately to the till where the guy told the gal we were next inline BUT apparently Miss Holier Than Thou I'm in a Hurry felt it quite appropriate to cut in line then proceeded to waste a good 20 minutes trying to pay.  By then I was ready to lose it, gave the check-out girl a glaring look while making a comment to the effect we were there first to which I got a glaring look from my husband so shut up silently thinking I should wander off to their pharmacy section to get any possible sedative available.  We finally got checked out then put our lovely purchases in the car and headed home upon which I declared it an excellent time to go to the club house for dinner.  I'm sorry but I'm tired, miserable, and have more aches and pains from moving than anyone needs.

So we get to the club house and ordered a Greek salad and large pizza.  We clearly told George what we wanted on the pizza which of course came with none of the toppings we ordered.  I told George that isn't what we ordered while my husband quietly started scrapping off the toppings to eat what was left.  I was just too tired to say much more and besides there are in our long married life together only a couple of times we have ever sent a meal back which is saying a lot considering we both are major foodies.  We left three-quarters of the pizza untouched, paid our tab with me vowing to my husband I would never eat there again on the way to the car with him saying 'you know what mistakes happen' so we will try it again.

My husband wandered off to play poker with his entourage while I had a steaming hot bath.  In the big picture a lot of things that happened today could have caused a blow-out.  My husband and I are nice people so blow-outs are just not our style.  We believe in Karma and pay-it-forwards.  Today was a bad day but tomorrow will be a better one and you really can't ask for more than that.

Oh and I have to tell you about a wonderful person coming out of a store we were going into.  His arm was in a cast and he was using a crutch.  Like a true gentleman he held the door open for me.  I smiled and said I should be the one holding the door for him.  He smiled back and said 'pass it on'.  Even a bad day holds priceless gems :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Wordless Wednesday - Pink Flowers

Pink Flowers

May 11, 2011 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Getting Back to Rising Early

Our last night spent in our old house was August 31.  My husband flatly refused to stay another night there so we started our adventure of living basically between two houses until the closing date.  I had been sleeping rather late into the morning at the old house.   There were some days I slept until close to noon and this went on much of the summer.  Now in fairness I was quite sick complicated by a rather serious drug reaction which obviously took it's toll but still sleeping past 8 AM is a rarity for me.  The first day in our new home I was wide awake ready to greet the day at 7:30 AM, still late from my normal 5 AM but considerably better than sleeping until noon.  Since then I've been waking fairly consistently at 7:30 AM.  I know my body is still healing and I'm tired from the move but I'm getting back to rising early which of course means going to bed a bit earlier.   Early to bed, early to rise make a man healthy, wealthy and wise - so the saying goes.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - The Blessings of a New Home

Quite frankly our last house despite owning it and a beautiful location never became our home.  I don't know why but the feeling was mutual.  Our new house in the matter of seventeen days has become a home!  Original paintings have been hung.  I know where I'm hanging family pictures, my needlework pieces and those lovely documents that prove I'm not stupid.  My pre-depression and Depression era glassware is on proud display in a beautiful china cabinet with bowed glass that hasn't been a focal point in our house/home in over ten years.  Another glass cabinet that was pushed to the side joins the china cabinet to display antique canning jars, milk bottles and Fiestaware.  Sitting atop that cabinet is the very last gift my Mom ever gave me before she died - a gorgeous painted vase.  The handmade pieces of ceramics my husband and I made back in the 80's have come out of their hiding spots.  My stunning and I do mean stunning pieces of cut lead glass grace one of our dining areas.  My books are still being unpacked but one bookcase is already filled.  My books bring me great pleasure, filling me with peace.  Surprisingly most of them are scientific, not novels or fiction but in many ways they define me as a person.  They say the best way to know someone is to view their bookshelf and my gosh that is so true with me!  That reminds me, I need to check for the scheduling of this year's symposiums and drop in for a chat with a couple of my former professors.  My husband's grandfather's beautiful oak desk complete with my husband's aunt's signature in one drawer is now in the computer room, a piece of pride and many, many memories.  As I've unpacked, rediscovering items that have been in storage too long it hit home that the vast majority of our possessions are not about the actual item but rather the memory associated with that item.  I have seriously broke out in fits of laughter at finding a long stored item while breaking out in tears at finding another as the memories come flooding back.

I had my first bath in our new home.  As I stood before the mirror, tired and pretty much exhausted, looking at my reflection complete with blackened eye (yes I really did walk into a wall because I failed to use a modern invention called lighting) and greying hair, I could not help but ponder how good our lives are!  This move was a good one for us, something we should have done long ago.  We are walking more, reconnecting with old friends and seeing more of our family.  That is never a bad thind :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Redneck Wine Glass

Redneck Wine Glass

August 28, 2011

We spotted a redneck wine glass in the country store in Lexington, Michigan during our recent visit.  My husband wanted to buy it but I said no at $14.99.  It is cute but easily made from a mason jar and glass candlestick holder from the dollar store.  In told, it would cost about $1.50 to make and I do have an abundant supply of mason jars.  I might make a few for gift giving :) 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Like a Kid in the Candy Store

I am a book fanatic!  As a result I have a rather extensive library collection that much to the dismay of my husband and anyone else helping us move.  In addition to my library collection I have binders and binders of carefully written notes for every course ever taken during my academic career spanning 4 degrees over a ten year period.  Our last house was rather odd to say the least and I just don't know why.  Our family photos, original artwork and the vast majority of my books were never unpacked.  We simply never bonded with the house despite the beautiful location.  It was our house, not our home ... something that is difficult to explain.

This new house has immediately become our home.  Three of our original pieces of artwork have found their perfect spot.  My gorgeous and I do me gorgeous buffet with curved glass door is now gracing our main dining area with all of my Depression and Pre-depression glass sparkling on the shelves.  It's a real beauty that hasn't had a true display location for almost ten years.  Another display cabinet in the main dining area is loaded with my antique canning jar, milk bottles and similar items all sparkling on their glass shelves.  Then there's the books ... I'm like a kid in the candy store.  All my precious books are coming out of their boxes.  It's like I reacquainting with old long lost friends!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Frustration

Moving can be frustrating to say the least.  It is all those little things that you take for granted that suddenly aren't there.  Today is day 12 without my dryer or cook stove.  I dropped a box of glassware today only to realize it was a box with cut glass and a couple of pieces of antique glass.  I stubbed my toes countless times, ran into boxes, have more aches and pains than I care to think about as well as racking up the bruises.   I am seriously about ready to curl up in a corner and cry!  My mantra is "this too shall pass" but right now it hard to keep that in mind.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - An Amazing Week of Change

We started moving into our new house on the first but the movers didn't bring out our furniture, washer, dryer and fridge (games room) until the sixth.  Bell connected the satellite tv and DSL the same day.  At that point our new house was on it's way to becoming a home.  I hung a couple of pieces of our original paintings we collect from a wonderful local artist.  His landscapes are extremely realistic and the neat thing is each painting comes with the story of how it came to be.  These paintings take on a life of their own with the looks changing depending on the light.  It is easy to lose yourself in them as they mystically draw you into the landscape!  I chose new knobs for the kitchen cabinets to personalize the kitchen.  My husband installed the new dishwasher this morning and oh my gosh that was a chore but now it's in, it will be like childbirth with the pain quickly forgotten.

Our kids and friends have been a central component this past week helping us get moved and settled into our new home.  What a true blessing to have the help of family and friends when needed the most!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Adjusting Sort-of

My gosh it has been a long, long week!  We are adjusting to our new home but still going back and forth to the old house.  I'm sick so it really is taking longer to do a lot of things and there are a few things that need to be done before the house is fully functional (eg. fixing toilets, fixing a shower, installing dishwasher, installing dryer, installing kitchen stove).  So my husband fixed one of the toilets this morning.  The good news is it is no longer just running.  The bad new is now it is flushing itself ever 30 seconds.  The outdoor grill is up an operational so we had a lovely porkchop dinner with friends over while battling mosquitoes and bees but the good thing is I ate almost my entire meal something I haven't been able to do in almost three weeks.  I have reverted to falling asleep early then getting up early as opposed to falling asleep early then sleeping into late morning so I think that is a good sign as well.  My husband is sleeping better as well.  I don't think we realized how much the external noise disrupted our sleep.  That has been one of the biggest changes in that we are getting a better quality of sleep so we are awaking considerably more refreshed and alert in the mornings.  We are both having problems adjusting to the hard flooring with me being worse as far as aching but in fairness we have had a week of rain so my joints would be aching anyway.  So  we are adjusting but only sort-of at the moment.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Wordless Wednesday - Pretty in Pink!

Pretty in Pink

August 27, 2011

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

The Numbers Game

The problem with moving is the numbers game.  Now my husband is really good at numbers and so he should be given he's a numbers man.  I'm not a numbers person.  As with many scientists, I am a lazy mathematician.  I do the math necessary for my discipline and then just enough to keep my brain active.  Other than that forget it!  Moving brings a new 911 address into the picture, new postal code and new phone number.  Then it adds in new access codes for tv and and in my case a new cell phone number.  I'm telling you it's just a numbers game!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Blog Your Blessings Sunday - Help From Family and Friends

My husband and I were full of anticipation waiting for the keys to our new house on September 1.  Now legally the house is not in our name until September 15 but we took an early possession because at this point everything is merely a formality now.  We put the word out that we were starting the move on the first and taking up to the fifteenth to finish.  In reality we will be fully moved by the sixth with nothing more to do at the old house other than do any necessary cleaning.  Friends and family were right there ready to help!  We are so very, very blessed to have such a strong support system in our family and friends.  They are absolutely amazing!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Living Between Two Houses

We are in the midst of moving.  Now technically we have fifteen days to do the actual move which is nice because I detest these move in one day moves.  We are essentially living between two houses at the moment.  We have no phone service at our old house but have a new phone number at the new house.  That didn't really matter much as we were considering going to cell phone only.  We don't have tv or internet at the new house until Tuesday so to blog and do my Adgitize I have to go to the old house.  My new gas range, dishwasher and pub style table arrived this morning.  Once the moving is done for the day my husband will connect up the stove and dishwasher.  It will be a laid back evening of relaxing.  I've been unpacking a putting things away as they come in so on the new house end things aren't too bad.  Other than that we are plugging along, happy with our new house and can't wait until the work is done!  Oh an one of our grandbabies is coming to stay overnight.  We are babysitting while the parents go to a wedding tomorrow.  It's too bad the pool isn't open but peaches are ripe for the picking!  I'm sure grandbaby will love the new guest bedroom we've set up.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Lexington Harbor

Lexington Harbor

August 27, 2011

Lexington Harbor lies at the bottom of a rather steep hill.  The only way to get to the restaurants or shops is to climb that hill.  On average we climb the hill three times a day and I do have to say that it is most annoying to get back to the harbor only to realize you forgot to buy a needed item so back up the hill you go.  It makes for a wonderful mini-vacation filled with a fair amount of exercise.  Pictured is Lexington Harbor flags on the harbor.  The stone wall separates the harbor from Lake Huron.  There is a paved walking path along the top of the stone wall to walk from the harbor to the lighthouse at the mouth of the harbor (southern end of harbor).  It is a rather popular walk to watch the sunrise over Lake Huron.  There is a public beach on Lake Huron on the north side of the harbour that is quite popular. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Along for the Ride

Hubby's Parrots

August 26, 2011

There was a contest for the best decorated boat during Margarittafest (Lexington, Michigan) which translated into hubby's parrots coming along for the ride.  Jimmy Buffet fans are called Parrotheads, and believe me my husband is a Parrothead!  It was hilarious watching him decorate the boat.  There were six strands of party lights, two strands of rope lighting and the parrots.  That wasn't enough according to Mr. Parrothead so we headed up the hill to see what else we could find...
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011