Trying to Stay Busy

Today’s episode of “My Life…in a Nutshell” is being brought to you via a remote feed, rather than live. In other words, I’m writing this in Microsoft Word instead of online.  Last weekend my modem/router decided to quit while I was in the middle of taking a survey. I’ve only had it since May! After talking to AT&T about it, they are sending me a new modem, but it won’t get here until Friday afternoon. Yes, I’ve been going through internet withdrawal. I’m trying to occupy myself with other activities.

Tuesday: I went to the doctor about the tendonitis in my thumb, for which he gave me a painful cortisone shot. I stopped at the library to check my email. (Didn’t think I could last all week, did you?)  Then I spent nearly $100 at the grocery and don’t even know what I bought!

Wednesday: I spent the afternoon coring and peeling and slicing apples to make apple butter. After supper I listened to the Indians game on the radio. The Tribe was in the play-offs for the first time in six years. Wild card spot – loser goes home. Guess who lost. Maybe the Browns will win Thursday night.

Thursday: So today I’m slow-cooking the apples. Mmmm, the house smells so good! Six pounds of apples really cooked down. I hope to have enough to can a few jars. Also today, I’ve been looking at my vote early by mail ballot. The library wants money – yes. The parks and the zoo want money – yes. The convenience store down the street wants to sell more liquor and on Sundays – not sure.

My past blog post reads like I was trying to stay busy then too. Happy fall.

Rainy Saturday 3/13/10

After several warm(er) sunny days, we woke up this morning to a chilly rain. The temperature is hovering in the upper 30′s; isn’t it amazing how quickly we can get used to the 50′s and 60′s? We had the kitchen window open last night, and Ken said something about the sounds of summer, as we listened to the shrieks of laughter coming from the neighborhood kids playing outside. And I finally saw that first robin!

Today’s a good day to stay inside with a good book or a sewing project. Isn’t it lucky that I’m currently mid-way through both of those? I’m halfway through John Irving’s Last Night in Twisted River. I like Irving’s books, and this one is a good one. His character development is excellent; you can truly see the characters in your mind.

I’m also about halfway done with a panel I’m sewing for the Parkinson’s Quilt Project. Each participant is making a 2 foot x 2 foot panel. All the panels will be sewn together to make a HUGE quilt which will be displayed at the World Parkinson’s Congress in Glasgow, Scotland in Sept. As of now, they are just short of having enough panels to fill a MLB ball diamond! That is one big quilt! I’m glad to be a part of such a global project.

Maybe I’ll dream about a garden today instead. Till next time …

Already, I'm falling behind

Well it is officially autumn now. Time to dig out the sweaters, the rakes, the Halloween decorations. A friend of a friend on Facebook insists it isn't really fall until it's cold enough for her to wear socks. I'm still walking around in flip-flops myself.

With fall comes Election Day. Being an odd year, there probably aren't any national issues to decide. Ohio isn't voting for governor, but Cleveland is voting for mayor. Also on the ballot is the Metroparks levy, Issue 80. Ken and I sat at the Metroparks table last Sat at the Ingenuity Fest, encouraging voters to pass the levy. (And, yes, I wore socks! It was cold!)

Looking back on my original blog, it seems like I was falling behind then too. But the seasons were nicely reversed. Thinking about spring then...

Spring is Coming! 3/9/10

After what, for some, has been a brutal winter, it looks like spring is trying to get here. Yay! Here in Cleveland, we’re on a roll with the sunshine – six days in a row! Though I haven’t seen a robin yet (where are they? I always see one before the end of Feb.), the flowers are bravely sending up shoots out of the snow. And Daylight Savings Time starts on Sunday, another herald of nicer weather.

One of my Facebook friends is excited about the pending arrival of spring – the local ice cream shop opened for business. Of course, this is the same friend who dreamed last night that we were hit with one last snow storm; this one dumped six feet (that’s 72 inches!) of snow on us poor unsuspecting souls! He said he’s glad that not all dreams come true. Amen!
My thermometer sits in the sun at this time of day. Too bad; otherwise I could convince myself that it’s 60 degrees outside, instead of the actual 46. I’ll take 46 though; it means the snow is melting. Maybe the drifts will be gone before July after all!
Happy end-of-winter!

Missing Out or Cashing In

Ooooh, I had such plans for today. Ken and I were going to Akron to attend the PD Boot Camp which is an all-day session involving research, dance, exercise, yoga, social services, and speech pathology. I went to bed at a decent hour, but Ken's snoring kept me awake most of the night. I wasn't prepared to drive to Akron at 8 AM on only 3 hours of sleep. So I missed out on the chance to get together with other Parkies.

Last weekend was a good one! We went to Columbus on Friday so I could talk to the folks at Green Lawn Cemetery about buying a lot. Then on Saturday we went to Grandpa Ken's granddaughter Brielle's first birthday party. Sunday, we went to church at Hilliard UMC to listen to an old friend preach, then to Westerville to my brother's for a cookout. Good weekend all the way around.

My 3-year-old blog post for today relates the ultimate in cashing in - the purchase of the house.

Can You Say “Phew?!”, 2/25/10

First came the great news: the attorneys for Fannie Mae dismissed the eviction case! Then came more good news: we placed an offer on the house and it was accepted! All the purchase papers have been signed, and now I start the financial process. Phew!

A Great Bargain?

Somewhere in this tribute to myself, aka blog, I'm sure I mentioned the purchase of a "new" used car, a Honda CR-V, and what a great deal I got. I probably didn't mention that I was reluctant to purchase the first vehicle I looked at. And now I know why. In the first month of ownership, I have had the car into the shop to get the compressor replaced and the AC charged, got a second key programmed, got the remote programmed, the headlights rewired, had the airbags checked, had to get a jump start, had the battery's wires tweaked, and the leak in the fuel line repaired. Some bargain.

Court Again, 2/9/10

For those who have been following my little (??) drama, Ken and I went to court yesterday. Ours was the first case on the docket; a good thing – we didn’t have to sit and stew any longer than needed. The attorney for Fannie Mae was missing a document, so the magistrate gave us a 2-week continuance. That gives us 2 weeks more to try to get the house bought. Keep those fingers crossed! Till next time…

And So it Starts

Starts: 1. a battle with my Honda service center over my door locks, pretty much resolved
          2. a battle with Ken to get the grass cut, even bought a new mower, pretty much resolved
          3. back to school for most districts, including Kristen's, haven't talked to her yet to hear how it went
          4. dragging my heels about writing another blog post, wondering if anyone reads this
          5. packing for a long weekend visiting family, packing sucks, but the visit will be nice
          6. my body having dyskinesia, the uncontrolled movement of a muscle group, sucks and is not resolved

As you will read, two of Ken's brothers had major starts of their own in Jan 2010. Puts my list to shame.

Court and Cancer, 2/6/10

We’re less than 48 hours now till our day in court. I’m trying to stay positive. Appraisers have been here, attorneys called, but it’s still in the magistrate’s hands.
Then to add to the stress, we’ve found out in the past couple of weeks that two of Ken’s brothers have cancer. Cy had to have a kidney removed, and George has cancer in his lymph nodes, maybe under his tongue. I’d ask you to please keep them and their families in your prayers. And so it goes… Till next time…