Procrastination Post

I am home today with a cold and am supposed to be doing my income taxes.  I think I have all the information that I need, although inevitably there will be at least one missing piece.  The paperwork is sitting on the table, nothing filled out so far, although I did do some calculations the other day, adding up things that are additions or will be subtractions.  That's really the hard part.  Today all I need to do is put the info into the right place on the forms.

Meanwhile, I am sitting here at the computer rather that getting to work on the taxes.  Yesterday I had no internet connection and no phone service, as they are all on my wireless connection.  That went kaput, so I was stuck.  Comcast did send a tech out, after several conversations convinced them that the problem could not be solved over the phone.  The tech fixed the system temporarily, but said that when the weather warms up, they will have to come out and put in a new cable.  Evidently they can do this whether I am home or not. I just hope that the temporary cable lasts until they can come out to put in the new one.  It could be a month or more, considering the weather we've been having this winter.

Today the sun is shining and melting the ice on my car's windshield.  Always nice to have Mother Nature working in my favor for a change.  The dusting of snow we got last night just covered up the ice.  And out front, the ice seems to have melted.  I just hope it doesn't rain today and freeze up tonight.  Don't think rain is predicted, so perhpas we will be ok for a while.  I've really had all the winter I want this year.

My deck, in back of the house, doesn't get any sun in the winter, so it is still snow-covered. I've been throwing seed for the birds out onto a semi-cleared path from my doorway.  The birds must be really hungry becasuse they have been coming right up to the door to get the seeds I spilled on the door mat.  I should get my boots on and go out and fill the feeders.  Maybe I"ll do that later.  This morning I'm being lazy.

In the living room, I have an amarilys (how is that work spelled?) starting to bloom.  This plant was given to me a number of years ago and it faithfully blooms every winter.  I put it outside for the summer, bring it inside in the fall, leave it alone for several months and then start watering it again.  Voila!  It blooms!  In full bloom, it will have 4 blooms coming from the single stalk.  Very impressive.

SNOW!

Since I am snowbound today, it seems like a good time to put up another post on my blog.  We got about a foot of snow last night and a bit more this morning, but nothing coming down just now.  What I worry about is freezing rain, which is still a possibiity today and tonight.  That is what brings down tree limbs and power lines.  As long as I have electricity, I am fine, but if the power goes off it will be darn cold in my house!

At this moment, I am watching birds and a squirrel argue over the bird seed that I have thrown on my deck.  There are cardinals,bluejays, juncos, starlings and sparrows out there just now.  I also have the occassional titmouse and chickadee.  Haven't seen the woodpecker today, but I put a suet cake out yesterday, so perhaps he (she?) will arrive later.  Birds are very entertaining, but it's not cheap entertainment.  I spend a fair amount on seed for the birds, especially in the winter.  There is a sale at the bird store on Saturday, so I hope to stock up then.  That's assuming I won't be still snowed in, of course.

I just looked out front and two of my neighbors' teenagers are shoveling my sidewalk.  I had planned to shovel later, so now I feel guilty that I didn't get out there sooner.  I actually enjoy shoveling snow - at least in small doses.   I told the boys that they could stop and I would do the rest, but they seem to be persistent.  I don't know these neighbors very well.  They are renters who moved less than a year ago and I seldom see them.  I think they are from Africa or the West Indies because their English has a definite accent.  I have a little trouble understanding them.  I'll have to bake something and take it over to them - brownies maybe.

My computer is giving me problems.  Recently, I actually took it to Best Buys where a Geek Squad member tested it and found nothing wrong.  He said the trouble is with Comcast and perhaps I need a new router.  He suggested that if I wanted a really good router, I could buy one at Best Buys, but he wasn't pushy about it.  I will call Comcast soon - after the snow goes away.  The only current probem is that loading anything is slow and I can't watch youtube or suchlike because they load up very slowly.  It's like the way my computer worked before I got wifi.  I think we don't realize how dependent we are on our computers until they aren't working properly.  Of course today, with no newspaper, I am especially dependent upon the computer for my news.

I am planning several trips this spring - to Florida in March and Arizona in April.  I spent hours on the computer recently trying to find a 'cheap' fare to Florida and coordinate that with a shuttle bus service that runs from Orlando to several cities on the East Coast (including Vero Beach, where I want to go).  I finally did get it all worked out and all will be well as long as we don't get another snow storm on the day I'll be leaving.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed - or at least I would be, but I can't type that way!!

This past weekend, my former husband, Andy, was a guest at my house.  His brother has cancer, so Andy and Robert (Andy's son) drove up from Hampton, VA to see him.  Andy and I are still friends, so it wasn't a problem having him stay here.  He took me out to dinner at a local steak house on Saturday night.  We are both showing our age - neither of us could finish our dinners.  And, by 10 PM, we were each ready for bed. The only problem for me with having company is that I get very tired of talking.  I'm not used to having someone around for a day and a half.  My house is quiet most of the time and it's really odd for me to be sitting there making conversation.

Monday night, I went to a book club meeting.  I have just joined this club and only know two of the members.  They are all women about my age and very friendly.  The book we discussed was TransAtlantic by Colum McCollough (I can't spell his name).  It was a very interesting book and we all liked it.  This book club will be good for me, as it will force me to do some semi-serious reading instead of the mysteries and romances I read all the time.  I'm having trouble getting a copy of the next book.  It's "Boys in a Boat"  and is connected to past Olympics.  Perhaps that is why all the copies are reserved.  I'm 17th on the list at the Howard County Libraries and 3rd in the Laurel Library (PG County).  Hopefully, I'll get a copy from one of these lists before March 10, which is the next meeting.

What I did over the Holidays

I haven't been doing much Blogging lately, but I will try to do it more frequently.  Today I'll write about my 3 weeks in England and post a few photos.  (There are some on Facebook already.) Eventually I will have all my photos on Flickr, but they aren't up there yet.  There are far too many to try to put them all on this blog.

Christmas this year was at Kate's in England.  My grandchildren are growing up so fast!  Both Sarah and Olivia are taller than I now.  I can still look down on Alex, but then he is only 11 (almost).  I'm sure his day to be taller than Grandma will come soon.  The girls are very much teenagers, but still very sweet.  There are few issues between the girls or between Alex and Olivia these days.  This makes for a more peaceful household than it was sometimes in the past.

I arrived before Christmas, although not early enough to help decorate the tree.  I did get to attend a holiday 'concert' at the secondary school.  This was remarkable in that kids as young as 12 acted or sang solos or played instruments.  Some of them were very good and all did very well without any symptoms of stage fright.  Sarah did not participate, but Olivia played flute in the 'band' which accompanied some of the acts.

Christmas Eve we attended the traditional neighborhood party with Lana and her family.  Lana is Kate's close friend who lives two doors away.  Her son's birthday is December 24, and every year they have a birthday party for him, inviting the neighbors as well as his friends.  I know most of the people, as I have been there many times, so it's a party I really enjoy. Oh yes, I almost forgot that before Christmas we went into London to look at the displays in the store windows.  More photos from that trip have been posted on Facebook, but here is one.  

 Christmas morning was less hectic than it was a few years ago.  Still we all had fun unwrapping gifts, some of which were surprises.  As usual, I gave the kids cash and/or took them shopping.  Even though they knew what they were getting, they insisted that I wrap the gifts and put them under the tree, so that they would have things to unwrap.  I received a few gifts, including a school photo of Alex and a pair or earrings (from Olivia) in my favorite color (turquoise).

The weather during my visit was rather typical for England - chilly and drippy.  No downpours, but enough drizzle to make outdoor activities somewhat iffy.  We did go to an historic house (one we had been to before), but just wandered around the grounds, rather than paying extra to tour the house.  We were supposed to go to another garden (Wistley) but got rained out on that one. Here are Olivia, Alex and Sarah on an outdoor stage.

Still there was plenty to do.  Kate and the kids and I went to the Warner Brothers' 'exhibit' where they have many of the items used in making the Harry Potter movies.  This was an amazing place with all sorts of props - large and small.  We all had a great time. This is just one of the many amazing displays.

Kate and the kids and I also went to a Panto (pantomime) one evening.  I'd never been to one and it was quite an experience.  It was a bit like a musical, with singers and dancers, but the difference is that the actors and the audience talk to each other.  The villain was greeted with boos and hisses from the audience.  Often a character would say "I'm going to do something" and the audience would shout
"Oh, no you're not!"  It was great fun and the dancers were very good.  There was a team of about 8 Black guys who did the most astonishing athletic dancing I've ever seen!

I think I've covered the highlights of my visit.  As usual it was wonderful seeing Kate and her family, even though the kids talk so fast that I often can't figure out what they are saying.  Even with my hearing aids, I have trouble hearing Kate, who is rather soft-spoken.  My son-in-law, bless him, has a loud voice, so I can always hear what he is saying.  The same is true of Alex.  So, even though I miss some conversations and often don't hear clearly what is being said, I love being with them.  Kate says that my responses to comments are often not germane, but they do provide unexpected humor! 

Fall is here - brrrr

We had such a warm fall until recently, that a couple of frosty nights have been quite a shock.  I think last night was another chilly one.  Yep, I see the car windshield is covered with frost.  I'm glad I brought the last of the iris inside to finish blooming in a vase.  (If you read my Facebook posts you know that I have a re-blooming iris which waits until November to produce the second round of blooms - stupid plant!)   Anyway, I am enjoying the blooms in my kitchen now.  I'm sure the remainder outside are frozen.

This has been the most beautiful fall I've seen here in Maryland.  Our native trees mostly turn gold, rather than red, so some years the color show is rather bland.  Not this year!  We've been treated to several weeks of wonderful reds, golds and browns in a brilliant contrast to the evergreens.  Everywhere I look, the colors are a vivid treat!  I've tried to take some photos, but one really needs a video to show the contrasting colors that can be seen walking or driving along the roads.

Fall is moving right along now.  Just a few weeks until Thanksgiving.  Where does the time go?  This year I am eating Thanksgiving dinner with a friend from pottery class and her family.  She invited me to join them after I mentioned that I would be alone this year.  I don't know this person very well, although I enjoy chatting with her in class.  It will be interesting and perhaps a little awkward to be with someone else's family, but certainly better than being alone.  I had been hoping for an invitation from my brother who lives within driving distance of me, but hadn't heard a thing from him, so when my friend invited me, I accepted happily.  Yesterday, I called my brother to see if there was a weekend when I could drive over to see him and my sister-in-law.  And he said (I"m sure you guessed this), that he had just written a letter to me, inviting me to come for Thanksgiving!!  What's that old saying - it never rains, but it pours?  Anyway, I told him I already had plans for Thanksgiving, but would come to see them another weekend. 

I really love fall, although I'm not that keen on cleaning up the dead plants and putting away the summer outside decorations.  I have a lot of outdoor decorative stuff (ceramic animals that I have made; mini garden tools and watering cans that hang on the trellises; balls and insects (and one flamingo) that sit on poles and wave in the wind, and many wooden birdhouses) all of which must be cleaned off and stored away inside for the winter.  I brought most of the stuff in this week, although the flamingo is still out there, as are some of the birdhouses, but I'll get to them soon.  Unfortunately, I have run out of boxes in which to store these objects, as well as run out of space in the basement storage room for the boxes.  I don't think I am actually one of those 'hoarders' who never throw anything away and have stacks of stuff everywhere in their house.  However, I do seem to acquire more decorative items than I get rid of.  I'm trying to get control of this, but I just love going to yard sales or bazaars and picking up cute little things.  In fact, this weekend and next there are several such sales that I may be visiting.  Perhaps there is no hope for me and someday I will be found buried under piles and piles of stuff in the basement!!! 

A Comeback, maybe

I've not blogged for quite a while.  I think it's because I've been using Facebook a great deal and so much of the information/chatting that I used to blog is now on Facebook.  However, there is a lot more space available for writing on a blog, so I"m going to see if I can get into that again.

The most exciting thing that has occurred in my life since I last blogged is a birth of a new granddaughter.  After many years of waiting and trying, my son and daughter-in-law have a baby girl - born in late July, 2013.  My daughter, other grandchildren, and son-in-law came from England to visit me this summer and we all flew out to Arizona to see little Elise.  She was only a couple of weeks old when we saw her and I think we all fell in love with her.  The few days we were in AZ were busy ones, especially as we all (including Elise) drove up the the Grand Canyon one day.  Some of us had seen it before, but it's still an amazing sight.  We didn't get many good photos because it was drizzling rain all day, but it was worth the trip.

I can't seem to find the few photos I took of the Grand Canyon trip, but I did find these of my grandchildren holding their new cousin.

 Sarah (brown hair), Alex, and Olivia (blond) cuddling the baby.  They all wanted to hold her and there was some arguing about whose turn it was.  Aunt Kate and Grandma Kathy also did some cuddling.  I had forgotten how small new babies.

Of course, by this time I have a whole bunch of photos of Elise.  Steve and Christine are very good about posting many photos on Facebook, so I get to see the baby as she grows.  She is about 3 months old now - much more of a person - as you can see in the last photo.  I can't seem to get this text where I want it, or actually it's that I can get the photos where I want them.  I was able to do this before Blogger changed things.  Changes are not always improvements.   I'm going to stop now, but I will try to get back into blogging - maybe once a week?
 

 

Florida trip

I think spring is finally here, although snow is predicted for tonight and tomorrow, so maybe it's still winter, despite what the groundhog didn't see.  I have a front flower bed bursting with mini daffodils.  They look so spring-like.  Also a bush (tree?) by my front door is blooming.  It's a mahonia, commonly known as grape holly.  (computer doesn't know how to spell the name and neither do I!)  The yellow blossoms have a very sweet odor that attracts bees and flies when the weather is warm enough for those insects.  I love walking out the front door and sniffing that lovely odor.  After the blooming, the bush produces little purple berries that look a bit like grapes - thus the common name.  The catbird and the robins will fight over those berries!  Also, the leaves have points on the ends (like holly).  The thing was just a small plant when I bought it, maybe 8 years ago.  It is now about 5 feet tall and about 4 feet wide.  I keep cutting it back every year.  ( I think it can grow to 20 feet, which will not be acceptable in its current location.  Thus the trimming.) 

Recently I spent a week in Florida visiting my brother Tom and sister-in-law Peggy.  I enjoyed the visit, despite the cold weather.  The day I got home, it was warmer here in Maryland than it had been when I left Florida.  I did go over to the beach one day.  I walked along the water line for about 20 minutes and then spent several hours checking out all the very expensive stores along the ocean drive.  I didn't buy anything, but it's interesting to see what the rich folks spend money on. 

Luckily, I don't go down there for the weather, but to see family.  They are in their mid-eighties and doing pretty well for that age.  Both are deaf.  Peggy has hearing aids, which she will wear, but says they don't help much.  Tom denies that he has a problem, because we are shouting at him, so he can hear us.  He keeps putting off getting tested - probably because he knows he will need hearing aids. 

The flight from Baltimore to Orlando was interesting.  I arrived in Baltimore and went directly to security because I didn't have any luggage to be checked.  (I'm too cheap to pay $25 each way just so I can take a few more items with me.)  After I passed security I began to look for area C, which was where my gate would be.  I finally found a sign and followed it, only to discover that at the end of a corridor the sign said, "Leaving secured area".   The signs for C were pointing out, so I followed them and finally found another security checkpoint, just for C people.  I was cleared again.  Boarding the flight was the usual confusion, but I found my seat and stowed my carry-on.  Then we sat and sat.  After about 35 minutes, they announced that the plane had a problem that couldn't be fixed, so we were told to get off with our carry-on luggage.  We left the plane, walked down a corridor and - surprise! - had to go through security again!  The rest of the flight was uneventful and we arrived only about one and a half hours late.

 Of course Tom and Peggy had been in the terminal at Orlando for hours, as they had arrived early.  Luckily they had eaten lunch, so I just grabbed a sandwich and we headed up to the parking garage.  Tom didn't remember the aisle number, but said that the car was on the top level over near the edge.  It wasn't there.  Tom and I walked up and down all the rows of cars on that level and some on the next level down, looking for the car.  All I knew about it was that it was a  white Toyota with a black stripe and a license plate that had a Z in it.  I did find a car that met those criteria, but it had an ashtray full of cigarette butts, so I knew it wasn't theirs.  Finally I found a person who was one of the parking lot personnel.  She called someone in a truck and he took Tom to go look for the car.  Peggy and I waited.  Luckily it was warm and sunny.  Now, you have to understand that the parking garage is enormous and there are actually two of them - A and B.  The truck driver asked Tom where his car was parked and Tom replied' B'.  The driver then said, 'But this is A.'  They found the car right where Tom thought it was, but in the other parking building! 

The rest of my visit was very uneventful.  It was sunny every day, but so windy that it felt cold.  We didn't do any outdoor things, like going bird watching.  Peggy and I went to a couple of thrift shops - I bought a pair of trousers for $2 - a real steal!  I need them because I had brought only warm weather clothes with me.  We ate dinner out twice, which I always enjoy.  We did visit a couple of nurseries because Tom and Peggy are giving up on annual plants and are going to fill the garden room flower beds with perennials.  Tom and I selected some shade plants - ferns and suchlike.  They will go back and get plants for the sunny bed.   The day before I left, I took their car and drove around Vero, searching for thrift stores and antique dealers.  Didn't buy much, but enjoyed looking.


It was a good trip, but I'm really glad to be home.

More online problems

I'm still having to put in my entire 'key' in order to get my online connection.  The computer keeps latching onto an unprotected connection, which is evidently somewhere in my neighborhood.  It is much weaker (fewer bars) than the connection I am supposed to have.  I will call Comcast again today and see what they can do about this issue.  I REALLY do not want to have to type in 16 digits every time I want to go online!!

I'm also having a problem with my phone, but this I can't blame on Comcast, as it has been going on for quite while now.  When I talk to Kate (in England) she hears lots of noise on the line, although I do not hear any.  Sometimes the situation is reversed and I hear noise and she doesn't.  I don't know if it's my phone, hers, or something in the connection.  I seldom use my phone otherwise, so don't know if it's a common occurrence or just when I call England.  Next time I call her I will use the only phone in the house that is not cordless and see if the noise still persists.  If that phone is clear, then I think my cordless phones are going bad or need new batteries or ???   It's lovely having all these gadgets that make my life easier, until something goes wrong with them. 

Another annoying thing here in the house is a really bad odor that I sometimes smell in the basement.  I think it's a dead mouse, but have not seen any other evidence of mice.  The odor was strong last week, then seemed to vanish, but it was back yesterday.  More than one dead mouse?  Dead mice usually only smell bad for a couple of days.  (Voice of experience)  Maybe I have a whole nest  of mice?  I sure hope not.  No food available for them in the basement, unless they like cardboard (lots of boxes down there).  And, no water source that I know of.  I really don't want to start searching for dead critters, so am hoping the smell will go away on its own.

This is such a negative blog, sorry about that.  Actually my life is going along pretty well.  I'm busy and, as is often the case, my activities are conflicting with each other.  On Saturday I need to be at two places at once.  The compromise is that I'll leave one early and arrive at the other late.  I hope that works out ok.   I will go to the church leadership retreat in the AM and do whatever they want me for (a committee report).  I will then leave and go to the Raku firing here in Laurel.  I only have a few pieces to be fired, and we usually don't get started until noon, so hopefully I will still have time to get my stuff fired.  Raku is slow because there is only one small kiln.  I don't know how many people will be firing stuff.  There is only one Raku class, but people in other classes may bring their pieces for firing.

I'll post a photo of my work sometime after Saturday.  Stay tuned.