Apropos of Nothing v. 2

Aw. Thanks, Summer. I consider myself noggin-kissed.

I'll be fine. Just don't be surprised if I'm moody for the next coupla weeks.

My oil of choice for high heat is grapeseed oil. Great.

Pony it is appropriate to be a bit moody for awhile after losing a loved one. Allow yourself that time. Hugs.

Looks like the annoying mystery tree is bitter cherry. Thanks, ladies! :)

Yeah!

Pony, My heart cries for you in dealing with Ivy's belongings..I don't think that there is much harder in life to deal with. Stay strong, and be sure to at least take something small that will bring your time together back to you when the pain dulls a bit.

I was going to try to catch up on line last night as the last couple of days have been a zoo at work, but it just wasn't to be. I was exhausted when I got home, and all I wanted to do was put my feet up with a glass of wine and rest a bit before fixing dinner. It wasn't going to be though...... Thanks to DH, I had four more hours of work ahead of me. I love him for it though. To set up for you, Thursday night, he told me that he needed me to get him out of bed the same time I got up on Friday morning. FYI, he only sees the 5:00 hour in the morning if he hasn't gone to bed the night before. So I woke him up, and he was actually showered and dressed by the time I left for work. We usually talk a few times during the day, but I had an extended meeting and then was playing catchup, so I didn't call him and thought nothing of the fact that he didn't call me. When I got home, I found the front door locked. What? I was doing the potty dance (fair traffic means my drive home is a little over an hour), so ran around to the back door and came rushing in the house....to stop dead in my tracks! My ugly cheap mobile home white linolium that made up the majority of my living area in my little tube had turned into this....

I swear, I married the most wonderful man ever. We both have birthdays coming up next week, but money has been tight and we had decided that there would no presents at all this year. He had been spending the last two weeks working on a quad for a friend of his, and told me that he wasn't getting paid, but was doing it for some trade work down the road....come to find out, he was trading hours of his labor for a beautiful laminate floor for me for my birthday. He and his friend, along with one of his friend's installers (he does flooring for a living) had in one day installed laminate in half of my house...about 350 square feet. This installation involved moving the oven, dishwasher, fridge, toilet, and the two cupboards in my hallway which make up my pantry and linnen closet. He had wanted to have it done by the time I got home, but wasn't able to finish re-loading the pantry and linnen closet...thus my add'l work when I got home. I was so excited about how wonderful it looked that I had to get rid of the rest of the chaos! I so love my sweetie!

Beautiful floor!! What a sweet guy.

Beautiful floor!!! Your hubby is such a sweetheart, a real keeper.

Looks super! So your guy.

Wow. Not only does it look awesome, but it's such a sweet gesture from your husband. I'll bet he's feeling prett good, too, to know that he gave you something that pleases you so much. Nice job, Mr.!!

Wow - nice floor! And nice catch, Julie. What a wonderful guy, and even though I have not met you, I think you are probably just as wonderful so the two of you deserve each other. What a nice birthday story. :)))

Wonderful Husband you have there Julie! He's a keeper! Does he have any single brothers...50ish??LOL!

Aw, Nicely done, Don! That's a pretty wonderful surprise. :)

I just got home from Seattle, and I'm completely drained. I spent 4 hours sorting through huge piles of clothing and shoes etc. and boxing them up. It was a hard day, but I made it. I go back up next Sunday for more of the same.

I brought home more stuff than I had planned on, mostly clothing and shoes. I also took most of her essential and perfume oils, because that was a passion she and I shared. But as her other friend who was there working on stuff said, it's better to have things go to the people she loved than Goodwill or the garbage. *sigh* It just felt weird taking her things. Really weird.

I'll bet it was weird. I remember when my nieces were going through my Mom's linens when she and dad were moving into assisted living. After awhile I couldn't stand it; I had to just go somewhere else.

You're doing a wonderful favor for Ivy - she wouldn't want anyone else going through her stuff, I'm sure.

Oh yeah- Ivy had multiple packets of Lobelia 'Trailing Sapphire' seed- I'm keeping one packet, and have three I'd like to give to my friends here. Who would like some?

AWESOME floor and guy. Woohoo!!!!!

Hugs, pony, as you sort and reminisce (sp)?

My twins are 31 today. WHEW! So thankful for their love and commitment to their families. They really turned out well.

Have 2 granddaughters here overnight 2 and 4. a very good day, in spite of 'yellow puppy' not being here. She went right to sleep w/o it. Wait until her parents hear about it. :)

Thanks all for the nice words about my DH. He really is something special, and I thank my lucky stars every day for giving me my "bad boy" with a heart the size of Texas!

Jan, it sounds like you had a full day! Happy B-day to your girls, and congrats on surviving the "yellow puppy" dilema with your granddaughter! No kids myself, but remember the trauma of having my niece in a room without her "binky". You would have though the world was going to end!

Pony, I though of you today and my heart was with you in having to deal with Ivy's things. Her other friend was right though...better the things go to those who will remember Ivy with love every time they see them than to a stranger who they will mean nothing to.

When Dad left us, Mom asked me if there was anything of his that I wanted. My instant reaction was that I only wanted one thing..... I wanted his fleece lined denim shirt that he always wore when he was walking through the yard with us. It may sound silly, but I don't know how many hours I spent hugging myself in that shirt...it kept him close to me. I still wear it as a jacket all the time, and think of him every time, but now it is with more fondness and less despair. It will be like that for you with Ivy's things..

BIG HUGS!

Yep- I took lots of sweatshirts and yoga pants. All comfy things that I can snuggle into and remember her... I left most of the dressy stuff for her younger friends. Any clothing not taken by friends is going to be donated to a youth group that will give them to teens who don't have much to call their own. I'm sure the "goth" style stuff will go over very well with them. ;)

Still two packets of Lobelia seeds available... http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/52929/

Rarejem, that does not sound silly at all. I totally understand. I too have some clothing from my dad, and wearing one of his flannel shirts brings me comfort. Most of them were so threadbare in the cuffs and elbows that it was not practical to wear them, so this Summer I cut the usable parts of the cloth into squares and a friend of mine helped me start a lap quilt for my mom. I still have a lot of work to do on it, but too busy right now to make much more headway.

Now this probably will sound silly, but my dad was a master of re-use, re-cycle ( a pioneer of this concept 40 plus years ago) and one of the things he did was cut cereal boxes into index card size for use in his business. There was an abundance of them, and more than most things in the house, they retained the aroma of sandalwood from his handcraft store. He always smelled like that too. When I went to visit my mom for a year after he died, I would open the drawer where she had all these cards and breathe in for a little while, just thinking of him.

Maury, I've made many a memorial quilt for people out of a loved one's clothing, so if you are really bogged down, I can help.

Pony, please tell me I got something right & the tree was a Prunus blah-blah! Unless bitter cherry is something else altogether. May I have some lobelia seeds for my efforts, please?

I just got back from Portland, where I spent a couple of nights with my friend Lisa & her family. (We went to the Quilt Expo, where Lisa had two of her quilts showing.) I love them all so much. She is keeping Osita while I'm gone -- their little dog Bobo is so smitten with Osita that they feel like it will benefit him to have her around while they're gone during the day. And she insisted that I drive back tonight so they can get me to the airport in the morning rather than me trying to figure it all out by myself this first time. Is there any replacement for a friend of 30 years? Plus, she & Larry were college sweethears, so we all went to school together & it's nice to be close to someone's husband as well, rather than just tolerating him.

So I will be in touch with you all once I get back from Chicago -- take care, everybody!

Summer, yes! You were right. Bitter cherry is a Prunus blah-blah. :) I will happily send you some Lobelia seeds. I need to send your freakish yellow snapdragon seeds too. Still haven't made the windchimes. I'm lazy.

Have a good trip, we'll see ya when you get home. :)

When my dad died the only thing of his I wanted was his anvil. Of course, what would a girl ever do with an anvil, so I didn't get it.

Geez, Willow... that sucks. :(

You are right and so did all my half-brothers.^_^

Pony sorry about Ivy but I bet she is happy you are taking care of business for her as hard as that is.
RJ nice floor! Don done good!!

Thanks, Julie. We did have a good time.

Oh, I also wear some of my dad's shirts and jackets. My favorite piece is(are) his bib overalls. They are great for gardening.
I never know which verb to use with overalls. :) It just feels weird to use - is.

pony, sorry haven't read through the whole thread - but I was wondering if your MIL tree is a stewartia pseudocmelia - bark looks possible, so the leaves colour in the autumn?
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/plantaholic186_1200855946_771.jpg&imgrefurl=http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/179621/&usg=__IhtFo6yoEVJ9hti40ybnPhIDdiw=&h=1067&w=800&sz=721&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=XcM5ScCHD3mqdM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=112&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dstewartia%2Bpseudocmelia%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG If it is, I have to say I am green with envy - would love to have one.

Laurie, it turned out to be Bitter Cherry. MIL is quite happy about that, and is planting it in her yard.

That Stewartia is very pretty...

Whoof I'm tired. Just went out to Milton and picked up yet another load of rocks. The guy helped me load, but as usual I had to unload by myself. I think I'm gonna go back for another load in the next couple of days, he had a lot left.

Boy, Stevie is workin' hard... this load was so heavy I could really feel her goin' "Oooof!" on the freeway.

Need more cardboard.

I can has naptime now?

*THUD*

I have spent the last three days with my Niece and her husband redoing the trim & gutters of the house and front door as the builder of this house did a s%&^ty job and all the caulking was rotting and the paint peeling .(house only 3 years old) . Love my new "chianti" red front door. (4 coats of paints...my job!)
Feisty is looking out the window and very happy to be out of lock down as the front door had to be open for painting and she was locked in a bedroom for two days. She is very happy to be free!
Very tired and heading for shower! Had two cocktails when when finished. yeah!

Nice job, Bea! I love the color of that door, and your house and yard are gorgeous. :)

Wow. What a great job. What color was the door before?

Thanks Pony & Kathy. The door was the house color and the trim a very light sage color that faded to a chaulk ugly color. These idiots that built my house did not prime the wood,used the the wrong caulking for wood and used the cheapest paint they could find. I have been fighting them for over two years for them to make it right and gave up as I did not want any wood rot down the road. My neice and her husband(Newly weds) just moved to Gresham from CA and need work until they find something permanant..so he is in construction/she in Interior design..so I hired them. It did save me some money and we did a great job I think. David (my nieces husband) is very meticulus and made sure the "girls"did things right!! He scared me today as he was on the roof, cleaning out the gutters when his blood sugar dropped (he is diabetic). His wife got some juice for him right away, but he would not sit down. He passes out if it gets bad. I was so afraid that he would fall off the roof. Thank goodness all worked out, but sure was scary for me.

Edited for typos..don't have a few cocktails and then type!

This message was edited Sep 28, 2009 8:36 PM

Beahive, I love your door and yard!!!

Wow, Bea. The door is wonderful and looks like it picks up some of the colors of your plantings around it. I'm sure your imagination is running wild about what the gardens there will look like next year.

Pony, Lots of rocks means a tired back and a lot more garden space! Can't wait to see what you do with them! FYI, I have all the cardboard you (or Stevie) can haul at work...all cut into manageable size chunks. We get so many boxes with large car parts in them, and we have a mondo van that we collect the cardboard in until it is full so we can recycle it (can't even imagine putting the tons that this business generates into a landfill!). If you are interested, when you are on your way back to Milton for rocks, stop here first and line the bottom of the truck bed with as much as you want. I will be here Tue and Wed, then taking a long birthday weekend.

Bea, Your door looks awesome! Doesn't poor workmanship from people who are supposed to know better tick you off? Sounds like you worked hard, but pulled it off and will be much happier with it. Congrats!

I think you guys did a great job. And it's so nice that you could get your stuff done AND provide them with some income. Everybody wins.

Eek! Bea, I'm sure glad to hear he didn't fall. That is scary.

Julie, Thanks! I am thinking Wednesday for going back to Milton, and I'd love to have some of your cardboard! Wednesday is the only day (as of now) with no rain in the forecast. Can you D-mail me your work address, please? :)