Best/Worse &What did I learnt today/Chat with Friends #40

Thought I'd move us over on this glorious sunny day! Although it's not 70 the shine is going to shine..just watched at 5:30 a wonderful show on 'our attitude' and then it must be a new show 'Letters to God' questions and answers provided by children..so interesting and so very funny, some of the answers just break you up..

I called Lydia last night to thank her for the medicine..in talking I mentioned my DS who has problems with her breathing and coughing all the time, to the point that we talk on msn so she doesn't have to speak , well Lydia thinks she might know of something to help..anything is worth a try...so I'll take this Swedish Bitter Herbs which is fermented in either rye or vodka for 30 days in the sun and let's hope no one thnks I'm sipping a few in a hidden corner..lol...

So dear friends...I'm hoping you'll drop by later today to tell me about your weather and your plans for the day..

Shar, looking forward to another article..this Lydia reminds me of what I vision your Aunt Bett as being.......she's lovely!

Morning it was a traveling day yesterday! We left home at 9 and went to look at outdoor wood stoves. Of course they are not all in one place. So we went north we went west and we went south. Then back north to home. Gone around 9 hours. Of course the one he found is the most expensive. There is one more he wants to check into this weekend at his nephews. Did get a bit of fun shopping in. No special deals but fun to look.

Have house to clean and bills to pay but can stop in later. Loved the effen! sssshhhhhhh!

Liz and the raccoon. You should be writing stories and earning some money!

morning all,

laura, glad your getting better nights sleep, drought oh you poor thing we had that once it was just awful! plants looked bad, but we did get two 55 gallon plastic drums just in case we had a good rain to stock pile water but never got to that so there they sit at another corner LOL.

dawn, ok ok gopher lol, i hope the rose does better :(

shar, glad your back on line how is the garden comming along?
did i hear story???? oh boy!!:)
jeannine lol that was good!!

betty, i got the yarn for the deal each skein runs 2.99 and up depending where you go buy so i just stock piled a little, showed my boss, she ran down there then i was in the dog house the rest of the day she spent 42.00 lol so i was happy to spend her money.....
oh lets see the main clay pots are painted, and the trim, dh has to drill a hole in the glass peice and i have to paint port holes still and assemble.
fil well... love him dearly but now that he dosnt do anything all week has taken over projects, so im really not learning he is doing all the work but is explaing each step,i cant bring myself to tell him i need hands on to really get it...
so i will take what he has told me and start to do things here, i see the joy in his face every week when he ask's what project are we working on? so im going to keep the little projects for dh and i and bring the large peice to fil next week it will be a rose in a single vase.
dh had to fix a few things i guess fil used the same spoon for measurements lol so dh is having to doctor things up so here is what we came up with... will get to the larger one tonight or tomorrow, wow the medicine sounds great!! have fun at class.

vicki, lol dont know if i could sit long enough to write and not think of all the bizillion things i should be doing.

ruby, im telling you dont know what comes over me everytime i see one, its just awful!!
and to think if i pushed the wrong one what could happen! my co worker just looked at me and said you with feeding the neighborhood and all the critters you have had... she cant believe i did that lol guess its like the guy in caddy shack trying to rid the place of gophers lol

So pretty Liz!

thanks but dh had to ad to, this morning lol

It did dress it up a bit!

Liz, you sure are getting creative..it's beautiful..might try a few of your designs..thanks .. bet everyone on your 'friend/family' list is getting them right? lol.. I'm anxious to see your planter lighthouse..not this weekend because I have plans but one weekend I'll try my luck with my paint sprayer and compresser and give a few good coats of paint to them and a sealer and see what I can come up with..

Vicki, isn't it wonderful to go for a day trip in the spring? Gives one a sense of renewal somehow..doesn't hurt when you find a few 'treasures' along the way...what purpose will your outdoor stove be, will it be like a patio warmer or will it be used as a fireplace..DS built one in his backyard and they spend many hours in the evening enjoying the fire..I believe they can even cook on the top..his FIL is in the business..sure wouldn't mind one in my yard...lol..maybe I'll do some whinning for one, does that work with kids?

Laura, so glad you are sleeping better, know from the past year that when you don't post alot you are feeling down, so here we are to lift up your spirits, come on and play, know we love you and are here for you each and every day..looking forward to your teddy photo's..now where's your camera dear girl...I often think as I start my day that my dear Laura is sleeping with the angels....

This morning while watching 'Letters to God' the children were asked where angels lived, and all said we each are given an angel to look after us when we are sad, that angels are always around us to help us out and make us smile, that angels don't want us to be sad....I'm in agreement, we're all each others 'earthly angel' protecting, making one smile, wiping the tears when one is sad...so make sure you've your angels wings on today and if you are in need of comforting, just look around for YOUR angel..he/she is there...

Liz, I like the eyes on the wire versus on the body...hadn't thought of that..gee whiz, now along with the bee's I've got to make more dragonflies...payback right?

lol yep yep got the bug now!!!

Liz..that is lovely..Loved the story of FIL eyes lighting up when you bring another project. So sweet.

Vicki..ohhh an outdoor stove..sounds like fun.

I have just ordered 10 yds of triple mix soil. My neighbour and I are going to split it.
I have to build up the beds around the hosue and hope that I I have a good slope the water willd rain will drian away from the hosue better.

Catch you all later.

Betty the stove will heat the house and his garage. No more smoke or chimney worries.

I'm so bored...have something for you...

Can you guess what this is????

Greetings All - Well, I am on number three load of clothes washing. There is one more to do too, but I may save it for tomorrow. After the laundry is done and after I make a toss salad for later, I will be going outside to spread mulch in my front flower beds. John got a pick up truck load yesterday and he is just putting it in the beds but wants me to spread it out.

It is a bit nippy, so I am waiting a bit to see if it warms up some more. The cleaning lady is here and Tucker just came in from outside. The saga of "Life with Tucker" is on going. Today was to have been his deadline for moving out. He did not attempt in the past month or so to even look for a job. He has a two week vacation planned the last week of May and the first week of June. I asked if he was thinking of getting a job after that is over. He "says" yes, but we will see. Actions speak louder than words, so he might have every intention of getting a job then, but when the time comes, we will see.

I made a deal with him last week. In order for him to continue to stay here, he has to begin getting up in the mornings and using a machete to cut briars and other brush that has taken over about an acre of property in front of our house. Today is his first day. He just came inside to use the bathroom and to get some water to drink. I asked him how it is going and he said very unhappily that it sucks. Oh well, I didn't tell him that it would be pleasant. If it were pleasant work, I would have done it myself. So, we will see after today if he sticks with it. If he doesn't stick with it, out he goes as soon as we can find a place for him. I refuse to sit and watch him sleep the day away and then be out to all hours of the night.

We met with a Financial Advisor yesterday who gave Tucker a lot to think about. He suggested some things for him to try that will be good skills to have. He told him to sign up for a financial class that the local community college offers. He also suggested that Tucker see about getting some carpentry training, so that he can at least repair things around his home eventually. He also suggested that Tucker might want to check in to going in to the Peace Corps. or Americorps which is very similar to Peace Corps. but is within the USA. John mentioned this morning that maybe Tucker should volunteer some time to Habitat for Humanity. He said that he would meet people who have jobs to offer, plus he would be exposed to carpentry and other trades.

Anyway, I need to get up and start slicing veggies for the salad. Oh yeah Betty and anyone else who would like to try the type of jello salad that I have been making - here is Recipe

Tropical Fruit Jello

Either two large or four small boxes of Tropical Fusion Jello, or your own favorite fruit flavor. Prepare according to package directions. I use the quick set way with ice cubes. If you use the longer cooling one, add other ingredients later after jello has thickened a bit.

As the jello begins to thicken I add:
one sixteen ounce can of crushed pinapple
one twenty nine ounce can of tropical fruit
one small can of mandarin oranges
about one half cup of shredded coconut
about one half cup of chopped walnuts

Mix together and let set until firm.

I don't usually have whipped cream on hand, but happened to have some this week and it is extra special with a big old dollop of that on the salad. Yum, yum. Pretty tasty if I must say so myself.

To everyone who asked me for seeds, they went in the mail yesterday. I was surprised that Betty's cost the least to send. I asked the clerk if I could send flower seed to Canada and he said he didn't see why not. The Postmaster was standing right there and didn't say anything, so it must be legal to do so. Of course I didn't mention that these beans were poisonous. Everyone please be careful with them.

Well, I am up and ready to fix salad. You folks all have a good day.

Ruby

Ruby, thank you/thank you...and you didn't even have to smuggle them into the country...I'm so excited..I'll get to start them indoors for a few weeks right? I've a couple of perfect spots for them..have to go research if they enjoy sun or shade or can tolerate both..

Just printed off the Jello recipe and will make it on the weekend..am sure it tastes delicious! Mouth watering..lol

Lordy you've almost a full day in and it's only 11 am..you've accomplished much..

Financial Advisor had a lot of suggestions, do hope one of them appealed to DS...let's hope he continues his daily chores for you..that will be a help in it's own..think he is realizing that you finally mean business..let's hope..

Vicki, that's a different type of stove, pretty major purchase isn't it..one would have to be sure it's the most cost effective way to heat..in question here is should we have gas/ natural gas/ oil or hydro..they fluctuate in price from month to month so am sure when the day is over it equals out..

Ruby if you have free cell to cell , we can still talk despite your son. I have sucky service in a lot of areas in my house though.

Love that Liz.

We need to get a pellet stove or wood stove hooked up before next winter and Greg promised to get one. Propane is out of this world unaffordable.

Check on the heating and stoves or whatever thread it is, they are helpful.

It is cold again.

Hey my husband bought a welder finally and will show me how to use it, so I can make some garden art too, I want to make a rebar Arbor and paint it. Yes.

Dawn I did that this morning and found the site helpful. There's a lot of different stoves out there and what it comes down to is personal choice in the long run. But some you can tell are not as good. One place we stopped at had a bunch of used ones mixed in with the new. Not good advertising if you ask me.

Keep us posted on the trellis!

Hello,

Thank you for congrats on our anniversary. Also coments on my squirel pictures. That little guy is fun to watch. Vicky, I think I will add to bottom of the pole a ground feeder for the other little critters that come to visit and chow. Oh and I like the idea of the bread and apples, We do sometimes have the leftovers will be nice treat.
So cool, you got an out door Stove! Isn't it nice to take a drive every now and again. I am looking forward to doing that at end of the month. I love hearing how well your Greenhouse plants are coming along.

Carol, So nice you are out and about in the gardens. It is so special to share the expense of Soil with your neighbors. Now, hmmm how can you get him to move your portion to it's new location??

Betty, Wow you certainly got alot of clean up done. Nothing like a nice weather to get in the spirit of Gardening and winter clean up. Do enjoy seeing all that you have done. So glad a couple of your fish survived the freeze!

Shar, glad you got your computer fixed...Great that your back at gallery. Oh yay another story! I will be lloking forward to reading it.

Ruby, looking forward to getting a Cator Beans, Thank you for the warning on them being poisonous. Fortunately i have no small children or animals that might be interested in eating them. I am glad to hear you pup didn't get horribly sick.

Dawn, thakns for letting us know about the Big blue letters warning. Yow, one must be careful on how words are read. Sorry that happened to you. So have you been working out in the yard?

Amy, that was a pretty funny Company name, enjoyed reading the Banter on it here.

Gita, Brought a smile to hear you were able to give a lesson to the lady in the garden center. I love to share a little knowledge to those just starting out, just makes a day a little brighter. Pretty soon the weather will be a lot nie and more enjoyable outside.

Liz, I love your Butterfly, LOL and DH addition! Wow, you are going like gangbusters on yard art! Can't wait to see your lighthouse.
...Now, because i love ya silly, I got to say this...What the H*** is the matter with you girl? Your raccoon story was histerical...until he bared his teeth at you! OMG, the thought of the thing coming after you is driving me bonkers. Umm...Please refrain your curiosity from a Very far away distance. Ok done yelling at you...Now heres a big hug and softer tone...you be careful with that Wild animal.

...Just to let you know, I have just been in a state of quiet reflection. My days have been long and bittersweet. But I am doing ok. Trying to keep busy so that does help. Just finished my stitching so another project has been completed. I am on roll so just plugging away at my projects started and never completed. Guess the freshness of Spring has jump started me. Not to mention a little coaxing from all of your creativity. LOL, guess you can say I am trying to Catch up to all you Jonses. LOL.
Afterwork I am going to get out in the yard and try and finish another small section of cleanup. By weekend I would love to get to the front. We'll see about that.

Anyhow, I hope you all have a splendid day! Ours is to be in the upper 50's. and it is a Suneshiney day.

See you I a bit.

Boy am I a good tired. Physical work feels refreshing for someone who just walks around the house all day or is stiing either at computer desk or in front of TV. I hope that I don't ache too badly tomorrow. But.....if I do, I will be having a massage, so I can get him to work the kinks out.

John and I mulched my largest front bed and oldest front bed. There is one more pretty good size bed to be done. Tomorrow we both have things going on, so it will be Thursday or Friday before we work on it. He brought the mulch in a wheelbarrel and threw in amid all of the plants and I used my gloved hands to spread it out evenly. It sure does help the looks of things.

So, I am a good tired, the yarden is coming along and my house is clean. Can't ask for more than that.

Judy, you didn't say that you were depressed, just said that you were reflecting on things. I could read that as either good or bad, but you don't seem to be leaning towards either of those, so I guess that I would say that you are feeling kind of ho-hum. Know what I mean? Same old, same old. You do know of course that there would be people here who wanted to comfort you if you were feeling particularly badly. Just remember that.

Betty, I hope that you enjoy the jello salad. This will make pretty much, so be sure to use a largish bowl to prepare it. Let us know how it turns out.

Hello to Dawn and Vicky. Hello to everyone else.

Ruby

Did something happen to Betty? There's a prayer on the prayer forum for her?

She mentioned on another thread that her belly had swollen up again today. Someone started the new thread to get prayer for that. She said she gained about ten inches in just a very little while and that just ain't right. The prayer is for finding out what is wrong and then finding a treatment for it.

Ruby

Thanks for the info Ruby. Next time I will wait a bit to see if anything else is said. I was off for a bit and didn't know if something had happened. It sounded so urgent. Glad to hear everything is normal or as normal as possible. Back to my laundry!

morning all

started a patchwork bag last night..... goodness its a challenge...

im doing ok betty. still have my days but they are not as often which is good. work has settled dramatically and the boss has changed her attitude towards me completely!! total turn around! go figure.
so wish i lived near u....

the days are getting cold.... freezing in fact and wouldnt you know it, the heating is not working and cant afford to get replaced!! gunna be a cold winter for sure! lol oh well, will have to try and make some rugs or something.. lol

still digging around for that camera darn it! im so proud of my teddies i want u to see!

well off i go to work, at least its warm!!

xx

Laura, don't know why I never think Australia as having a 'winter'..how cold would your temps be..so glad that your boss has finally come to her senses..let's hope it continues...will keep praying that there will be more good days than bad days...can't wait to see those teddies..will try to get the kits off to you this weekend...I did tell you the post office agent said she should have some info on my last package didn't I..hate to send anything until they figure that out...

Well, I just got home, let the animals out, wouldn't you know Missy headed right to the flower bed I had raked to do her constitution...

I'm totally amazed, there has to be about 20 kids or so, mostly early teen boys 14/15 etc. playing across the street with the children who live there..asked if any were interested in earning some $$$ as I had some raking to do..not one reply..goes to show us just how much we spoil the kids..they get everything they need without having to work for it..I'd be better off knocking on the doors of some of my neighbors seeing they are older and retired, one of them would probably do it..lol..you can tell we get older when we start complaining about the youth of today..lol..

Came home with Paul tonight and we made a side trip to see the Innisfil property and he was showing me things that he'd like to see done before we move..told him I didn't care if I had to sit answering the telephones in a small box as long as it could be in Innisfil (at least as long as it take for the renovations)..he just laughed...we were gabbing about Roger and he said how he wished he would have lived..he adored his older brother and says many a time he'd like to talk things over with him...funny, my son Jeff call Paul anytime he needs guidance or lonesome for his dad..says he's his 2nd dad..even young men never get over loosing 'dad'..

Not sure how I got onto that subject but better set it aside for now...

I'll get myself organized and perhaps will get to drop in for another post before I call it a day..it's JAMMIE time..

evening all,

just a quick note off to bed

betty, hope your tummy is settled down
ruby you were very busy

ok judy, now best surprise our duck came back today he is just a beauty, this is the tame one who will eat from my hand,
he came stuffed himself, and rested and flew off so i guess we will now be feeding the ducks lol

nite all

Wow, everyone seems to be up to exciting stuff. Gita, I love the thought of you giving presentations at work. You are so knowledgeable. I know that I would certainly appreciate it.

It's so cool to hear about all the secret pal gifts. Judy, I love Mackintosh toffee. I usually freeze it so it goes brittle then I drop it on the floor a few times so it breaks into pieces. My aunt who lives in California stocks up on Mackintosh toffee every time she comes to Canada. I always think it's weird how some things just aren't available across the border. I also remember some of my cousins being amazed at all the different flavours of potato chips we have. My mom sent them about 10 bags of chips for Christmas that year, all of different flavours.

Ves, a couple of years ago my brother bought my parents' house. One of the first things he did was put in an outdoor wood-burning stove. He saved so much on oil, it was definitely a good investment for him. It's also really nice that he doesn't need to cut wood small enough to fit in the inside wood stove.

GG, I hope your bed comes quickly. Liz, I love the mental image of you and the raccoon. I hope you showed him/her who's boss.

We're in the middle of another break here. Every April we get a hunting break for the traditional goose hunt. On Monday we went over to an island next to ours for a fire. I think it's probably the last time we'll be going over the winter this year. It was the perfect day. It was a few degrees above freezing - warm enough that Sonora and Keith stripped down to their short-sleeves. Keith and Sonora went out by themselves on Saturday, which was really nice, especially for her.

Well, we had a nasty surprise a few days ago. A month or two ago we started noticing some ants in our house. We thought it was weird since it was still winter but didn't think it was a huge deal. Then last week I started noticing some big ants with wings on the basement floor. Through some internet searching I came to the conclusion that we most likely had a carpenter ant nest in our house. Of course, the one store that carries ant erradication stuff, doesn't have any at this time of year (who has ants in the winter) so I made a homemade bait using borax and syrup. I had also been trying to keep my eyes open for the nest, thinking that I probably wouldn't be able to find it because it was probably behind a wall. Well two nights ago I found it. Our basement has been drywalled but there's no ceiling - you can see the rafters for the main floor. The drywall stops at the bottom of the rafters so there's about an 8 inch space between the top of the drywall and the floorboards. So as I was tidying up the craft area in the basement I looked up at a section of wall and noticed that there were dark splotches. So I go upstairs and get my flashlight and binoculars - because there's no way I'm getting closer than I have to. So, I found the ant nest. I have to say that I have NEVER been so grossed out in my life - and I've seen some gross things. So I go get DH to let him know, of course DD thinks it's so cool and wants to take pictures. I am so thankful that we just happened to have some Konk bug killer on hand. I let DH have the honours. I got the satisfaction of sweeping up the next day after airing out the basement while we went on our little picnic. We're still getting some dead ants there. I think they're the foragers who are trying to go back to the nest but meet the pesticide on the way. I have to say, I'm usually one who likes to avoid pesticides and I also like to leave insects alone to do their thing - I figure that we all have a place in the ecosystem. But when I saw all those ants there I was very happy to get out the 'big guns'. I still get the heebie jeebies just thinking about it. Needless to say I will be being extra diligent in the future.

Well, I need to get to sleep. Talk later.

Gilli, you have me interested now in knowing some of the flavors of potato chips that you all have. Do tell, do tell.

Are you sure that you are dealing with carpenter ants and not termites? If in fact they are termites, they can destroy a house in a hurry and will probably need professional care in getting rid of them. I hope that you are correct though and that the poison you put on them will help get rid of them.

Laura, wonderful news of how the boss has changed towards you. It must have been really difficult working under bad conditions.

Hello to all others. Have a good day.

morning all,

gilli, ewwww!! just hate the ants they are a pain, glad you got rid of them.
enjoy your break, how long will you have a week? has the snow melted yet?

carol, ya he is a jewel, he is so funny since i lost almost 9 lbs he was so determined to join weight watchers.
last night he had dh on line with his credit card, signing himself up on line.
it was the funniest thing to hear, fil is impatient so he makes dh do things so when he cant figure out things.
dh points the right way to him, fil gets so flustered he calls dh a square head in a heavy itallian accent then tells him he's just like his mother!
it is always entertaining to hear those two at it every weekend!

ruby, your jello salad sounds wonderful going to write down that recipe, thoughts are with you, know that must be weighing you down with tucker,time will tell if he comes through, thats good he is doing things for you, keep him busy.

laura,wow what a change for her wonder what made her turn around? bully sort of people are just pittiful to me! there so mean! makes you wonder just what could of happened to them early on in life? but im glad she is treating you better.. you take care, now go find that camera lol.
vicki, good luck on your search for stoves hope you get one
how is the last load gosh we have almost all of it done geez finally on track!
funny story the store where my manager got her cash ripped off, the manager put in his two week notice and now there doing a inventory in a couple weeks there hmmm wonder what else is missing in store stock??

shar, what are you up to? writing another story yet? just loved the last one
how is the garden comming along, still have warm weather?

howabout you jeannine still raining or did it finally pass?
hi gita, how are things with you?

betty, havent heard from you this morning hope your feeling ok? ok i give up what is that your holding?sounds like you had a nice chat with paul.
is there a date yet on the move? i was so mad at myself brought the big butterfly to work to foil.. and guess what i left at home the" foil" could just kick myself! now i guess it will be todays project lol.

judy, i wonder if that crazy duck went and told the whole flock or if he is going to keep it to himself? lol

everyone have a wonderful day

Liz just watch out for duck poo! I won't be unloading truck today either. Might be stocking shelves and running the til. Won't know until I get there today.

The stove man came out last night. Did some refiguring. Can go with a smaller stove and a couple of other things. Brought the price down alot. The man is very knowledgeable and certified. So DH decided to go with him. Also found out our neighbor got his from him. There is a local tavern looking at his. So he does a lot of business up here also.

Gilli thanks for the comment. We are hoping to save some also. It will probably be peace of mind but that is okay. Our fuel bills weren't high as we already burned wood and cut our own. But we should save on the electric. UGH on the ants! We have had a few. Must have come in on the wood. DH trys to be careful but a few manage to get in.

Ruby hope Tucker is doing good. Better line up extra jobs in case he gets that one done.

I have to go and get some breakfast. Hope to be back.

Shar I just read your story. I loved it. I have tons of comfrey plants here. They have the toughest roots. It is hard to dig them out. I know because I moved mine. The hummingbirds love them. I have never done anything with them but read somewhere they can keep out gophers. Have no idea if that is true. They are suppose to be good in compost as a green also. Did know not to injest them. Did know a bit about the healing. They are just kind of fascinating. Again a wonderful story. Hope you do remember more. I have never made a salve but might have to try this one.

Shar,

It is a joy to read your Aunt Bett stories! You write so well. I can tell, because it keeps my attention until the end--and I am NOT a reader in a big way. Short attention span.....

I have to go back and read your first two stories--if for no other reason--than to find out what is inside that Aspeditty (?) bag!

I hope you save all these stories in a book for Ethan. What a treasure that will be.

Thank you, Gita

Ruby, yes, they're ants. Thanks for checking. I covered one of the winged ones with clear packing tape when I first saw them on the floor so I could show the kids. I don't think that we don't have termites in our area either. As for our potato chip flavours, the basic ones are regular, ketchup, dill pickle, salt and vinegar, barbeque and sour cream and onion. We also have sour cream and bacon, smoky barbeque and all dressed (all the flavourings mixed together). That's all I can think of right now. I know that there's one with black pepper. I rarely buy potato chips anymore.

Liz, we have the rest of this week off then it will be back to school Monday. We still have lots of snow but it's melting fairly quickly with our warm weather. The roads have been reduced to a bunch of mud puddles and potholes. I brought out the rubber boots yesterday - always a momentous occasion.

Well, off to get some housework done.

Hiya all. I didn't get a chance to get on yeaterday. Was VERY busy at work with one fire drill after the other and I had a heck of a sinus headache to boot! I finally left at 3:30. Of course, no reast for thw weary at home! DD wanted to bake cupcakes with a friend. Murphy decided to eat about 8 of them that DD left on the counter (will these kids EVER learn????) I told her not to get mad at him. He saw food and he went for it. If I had caught him in the act, we could have done something, but too late now. Called for a freeze last night - hopefully our last! I put burlap on some of my Hostas and Murphy decided to remove that so not sure if they survived the night.

Have a very busy day again today. Work, kid's dentist appt in afternoon followed by vet appt for Murphy for possible ear infection then head right over to DS's baseball game. WHEW! Somewhere in there, I need to get my back tire fixed because I ran over a nail and it is slowly leaking. Hopfully, we can plug it but if not, we need 4 new tires by June anyway. Already warned DH of the $$$!

I ordered 2 sets of Levolor blinds afrom Lowes on Sat - the pleated kind that open from the top and bottom. I'm going to put them in our bedroom behind our bed (if and whenever we get it). This way, I can open the window at the top and pull the blind down and get air without having all the neighbors see our heads sticking out the window! They should arrive in a few days.

Well, I'll try to check back later!

J

Lovely day outside...just think of how much work I could accomplish if I were home today..it's painting night tonight as well so no rest for the wicked..shucks..4 of the girls want to do floormats so it will be more prep work and designing the project than painting so hopefully they'll be gone by 9:30

Suzanne called me at 5:45 and said she wanted to leave at 6:30 and could I pick her up..talk about fast moving..I had been watching Joyce Meyers laying comfy in my bed..still needed to do my hair, feed the animals and drive to her house..I was on a mission..so when we got here at 7:50 I decided that the Walmart Super Store being only 10 minutes away that I'd go shopping for an hour...

Spent my time walking in the greenhouse area, looking at garden art..need a garden art piece for a swap..then off to the magazine rack..looked at all the books, lots to choose form but I've hundred at home that I could read up on so ended up with 108 ideas for creating your outdoor paradise by Best Backyard Projects...so I'll be busy today reading and who knows out of 108 projects there is bound to be one or 2 that I HAVE TO HAVE!

Feeling the same today, so I'll just enjoy my day sitting, reading and maybe I'll get to work 10 minutes or so...funny we're moving in a total different direction, starting to do more mortgages for individuals having difficulties and doing proposals outside the Bankuptcy Act so, more and more my nieces are taking over files, Wayne (new employee) handling some of what I use to do, Suzanne busy/busy and me I'm just sitting looking pretty..he says my talents are better spent spending time with clients, making them feel comfortable with their decision..so I'll keep sitting planning my garden..lol

Jeannine, Suzanne just told me Priscilla Presley was the dancer that got pushed off last night..I went to bed early last night and didn't get to watch it..I would have thought she'd make another week or so...she did well though...

Liz, look at your ducky, last year you had 2 did you not and one went missing? Could this be the missing duck? Don't you just hate it when you bring something to work to entertain yourself on breaks/lunch/idle time and forget the main component..yuk..

I have wood made to do one more birdhouse..I should show you but better not..you still have the lighthouse..talking of lighthouses..mine will be put out this weekend..dropped into Bernie's last night and he made a beautiful base - about 12" high-hexagon to sit it on..might give him a call to make me one...might as well finish the project with a bang..it is so nice in the evening and early morning when I'm outside to hear the sounds of the pond spray..keep looking for floating fish, haven't found any so guess they survived their ordeal..

Gilly, ants..it is a bit early for them, especially that far north..perhaps Ruby is right, could be termites..could you get Keith to find a few and maybe go on the internet and pull up photo of 'ants' and of 'termintes' and see which they resemble..because it wouldn't take much if they are termites that they eat you out of house and home..

Shar..I so enjoyed Aunt Bett column again today...feel as though I knew her myself..what a great relationship you had with her..something to be treasured and look, all these years later the memory is so poignant that you can share it with all of us...hope you get to work in your garden today..let us know how the 'black' garden is coming along..

Vicki looks as though you'll be organized for heat come fall..just think of the gardening art and plants/shrubs you'll be able to purchase with your savings...

Well, I'm off to look and at "weekend outdoor projects" but will be checking in from time to time...

So do love visiting with you each and every day..you are special people...

I AM SO using bad words...get myself comfy, pillow at my back as support in this 'almost' lazy boy chair (yes I'm at work) get the book out and realize when I see the 'waterfountain' done with plates that this is the same book I bought weeks ago and took photo's of to send to Dawn re her garden work she's doing..Yuk/Yuk/Yuk...$12.99 canadian..it's not the money it's just that it screwed me up for my morning reading and weekend planning...can you believe it..

Gilli and betty,

The difference between ants and termites is very obvious.

Ants have a pinched thorax--read that as a waist
Termites do not. Their bodies look like a grain of rice--no waist.

Another difference--other than during the swarming--termites cannot and do not exist anywhere in daylight. To get into the house, they build their mud tunnels and cruise through them. Look near the foundation--even dig down a few inches to see if there are any mud tunnels.

Both swarm in the spring. The young ones swarming are the winged ones.

This is just very general information. I am sure there is much information out there....

Gita

Gita, how in the world do you know so much..you say you don't read a lot, but you must do..now that's something I did learn today..hmmm...interesting to say the least..will go back and re-read so at some point in time I can share my knowledge...

Went to bed Gita as soon as I got in last night so no photo, and , tonight I have painting class but will try and sneak a photo for you..might even try to plant them into other containers on the weekend...

Working extra hours this week Gita...already made several visits to HD to view the plants...getting the bug..

Betty, I watched Mondays DWTS but not last night's elimination. I heard Pricilla was booted too and I think that was right one. Hopefully, next (IMO) will be Marissa. I won't miss Pricilla's stone face.

Funny...I thought it would be Marissa or the deaf actress (forget her name) .. isn't as thrilling this session or is it me...the skater of course has the best moves and agility because of her experience in skating so not a true contest do you think....finally found a box Jeannine for 'kitty' painting..I'm off on Friday so will ship it out on fast delivery...hope that's ok..

Absolutely Betty! Did you get your check yet? Thanks!!!

No, but haven't been to the Post Office since Friday..with the hours I keep it means I can only drop in Friday aft. so found a box and some bubble paper and it's ready to go..