It All Started With.....

…..pulling weeds.  I have started cutting grass.  Just the middle circle where the bird feeder, Bradford pear trees and Jim’s tree are located.  After I finished cutting the grass Kevin put my new birdbath between the bird feeder and one Bradford pear tree.  This year I bought a concrete birdbath rather than a fancy one.  Hopefully, this one will last longer.  Of course, all of that took place over a week ago and the grass needs cutting again.  I had pulled all the weeds, but there are a few cropping up again.  So it seems that chore needs to be done again.

 

I had told you earlier that Kevin and Gio had to cut down one of the pecan trees because it was sick and full of bugs.  That was only the first step.  Next I hired a man to grind the stump, which he did.  Now I have a big hole where the stump was located.  Kevin and Gio both took a lot of the wood for their campfires, but that still left a lot of branches.  Saturday a week ago Kevin decided to start burning the branches in the stump hole.  It was determined that it would probably take all summer to get the job finished.  So we decided to buy a wood chipper.  That is working really well.  He is down to one really large stack of branches and several small ones.  Renea and I have been picking up the smaller ones and stacking them.  The yard is looking much better, but I still cannot cut the grass in that area yet, and there is still a large hole where the tree stump was.  The most important thing is, we are making progress.

 

Monday Renea and I did some shopping.  I bought a couple of plants; four red geraniums, two yellow dahlias and two pink dahlias.  I have transplanted them into large pots (two plants to a pot).  I put one each of the pots of geraniums on either side of the entrance ramp to my deck.  The pots with the dahlias are on tables on my deck.  Tonight I am going to bring them all inside because we have a freeze warning.  I knew this could happen, but that’s okay.  I will adjust.

 

Yesterday I also fed my azaleas, hydrangeas, hibiscus, and rhododendrons.  All the plants look good.  They appear to have made it through the winter.  The four lantana bushes are just twigs.  Not sure when they will show signs of life.  If they didn’t survive I will get some new ones because I really liked them; especially watching all the butterflies visit the flowers. 

 

A couple of items I have planned for the near future is putting bricks around the birdbath and then filling the area with the white rocks like I have in front of my house.  I also plan to put my St. Francis of Assisi stature out by the birdbath.  I also have a cat in a resting position with a bird on his head that I plan to put outside somewhere.  Just not sure where at this point.

 

I also plan to mark off an area with bricks on the south side of the mobile home and fill it in with those white rocks.  I would like to plant a snowball bush in that area next to the end of the deck. 

 

I am also hoping to plant two tulip poplar trees in the front on the north side of the driveway. 

 

Kevin had transplanted two crepe myrtle trees from his yard to my yard.  They are in the front along the road.  If the two crepe myrtle trees I have in pots made it through the winter I plan to plant them out there also. 

 

If the two redbud trees made it through the winter I will plant one in my yard and Renea wants one for her yard. 

 

Not sure what I am going to do with the rest of the trees that are in the pots.

 

A quick note about Jim’s tree since I have had several inquiries.  It looks to be doing fine.  It will be a while before it comes into full bloom (I guess that’s what you call it regarding trees.  I was going to say leafage, but I’m not sure that is a word.)  It looks healthy and has a lot of buds.

 

I can see the purple martin house from my window when I am working on my computer.  I have a lot of bluebirds nesting there.  That’s okay.  At least birds are using it. 

 

Not that I have worn myself out thinking and writing about all I have to do I better take a break J

No Rest

The tree is down.  Kevin and Gio worked on it for two days.  They were able to use some of the tree for firewood.  Kevin took some for his fire pit and Gio took some for his fireplace.  The rest will be burned to kill the termites.  I also had a guy come out this week and grind the stump.  Now I have a big hole in my front yard.  It will probably take most of the summer to get my yard back in shape.

 

This is the pecan tree that was taken down.

 

 

After the tree removal.

 

So sad.  It was a big and beautiful tree.

 

I have finished weeding my front “rock” gardens.  I have done my taxes.  Now I am working on the business taxes. 

 

I finally finished taking down my Christmas decorations and packed them away.  They are stored in Kevin’s attic.

 

Saturday Renea, Stephanie and I went shopping.  We went to the Benning Bazaar on Fort Benning.  It was a lot of fun.  We plan on getting a booth there next year since they do this every March.  The money they make renting the booths goes toward scholarships.  They also ask for a donation to enter and they sell raffle tickets.  The one thing we noticed was most of the booths were jewelry.  From there we had lunch and then went to WalMart.  What can I say – always need to stop at WalMart. 

 

 I don’t think I mentioned that Kevin and Family and Brian and Family gave me an iPod for Christmas.  I have been putting music on it and it works great.  I’m really enjoying it.

 

I think the birds are glad I am back.  They sure are eating a lot of birdseed.  Since we didn’t sell the ones I made I bought them and have been setting them out.  The birds are enjoying them also.  I have some birds nesting in the purple martin house, but I think it is bluebirds and not purple martins.  Not sure what to do about that.  I hate to just toss out the bluebirds. 

 

Today is going to be another busy day, so I guess I better get started.  Later, y’all!

I'm Back!

Yes, I am back home in Alabama.  I came home last week.  Drove down on Monday and Tuesday between the snow and rain.  I missed the snow that has been pounding the Midwest.  As for the rain, I didn’t have any driving home.  However, we have had 5 inches of rain since I got home.

I want to apologize to all of you who I did not get to visit.  It was a little hectic.  I only got to see Brian and his family twice; and Rita and Bob once. Only was able to visit with mom about a half dozen times. Did talk to her on the phone every evening though. I did have lunch with Gail, did a little necessary shopping and banking.  Other than that I was busy.  Jana was not allowed to drive until three weeks ago.  Therefore, I was taking her to physical therapy, the doctor’s visits, etc.  She also needed someone with her 24/7 to help her, and that was me.  I plan to be back in July since our family reunion is in Cincinnati this year, and I hope to see all of you then.

Now it’s back to business here at home.  Yesterday and today has been sunny so I have been pulling weeds in my rock gardens.  I have finished one and plan to start the next one.  The trees are starting to bud.  It looks like the trees and bushes made it through the winter.  The grass needs cutting, but it’s too wet for that yet.  The mower would probably sink.  Also found out that one of my pecan trees has termites and needs to be taken down.  Kevin and Gio plan on doing that on Saturday. 

Last night we went to Lowe’s.  Jana and David gave me a gift certificate for helping them so I just had to spend it.  Of course, I spent more than the gift certificate.  I bought a bird bath for my front yard and a pantry for the kitchen.  Renea is going to help me stain it this weekend since I’ve never done anything like that.  It’s time I learned. 

My break is over and it’s time to get back to work. 

I'm Still Here

Good Morning.  Yes, I am still in Ohio.  And, yes, I know it's been over a month since I have updated my blog.  So, here goes.

Jana had her surgery and she is doing great.  I will probably be here until mid February.  She is now walking with a cane only.  She goes to therapy twice a week.  She cannot drive yet, so that is my job.  However, she is now doing most everything on her own.  Other than driving, the only thing she cannot do is bend.  Jana goes to the doctor on Friday and,  hopefully, he will give her the go ahead to do more.

I will probably not be visiting while I am in Cincinnati.  I am just running out of time.  However, I will be back this summer and plan on visiting everyone then. 

We haven't been doing any visiting nor having any company because of the flu going around.  We have not even been over to visit Mom except for a few times.  Mom is doing fine, but the flu was going thru the nursing home along with a lot of coughing, sneezing, etc.  We decided to avoid all that.

After reading this you know why I haven't updated my blog.  Now it's time to get ready to head for therapy.  So that's it for now.
 

NORTH??? IN THE WINTER????

Yep, that’s me.  North in the winter. 

I arrived last week on Thursday, and will be staying for about 6 weeks.  Had a nice trip up here.  I am staying with Jana and David.

Last Saturday we went to Mike and Penny’s house.  Mike is David’s son and Penny is Mike’s wife.  We had a really nice time celebrating Christmas with their family along with Vickie (David’s daughter), her husband and their family.  Deborah also joined us.  The food was awesome.  Penny is a great cook.

Kevin came up on Sunday and spent five days working on Jana and David’s bathroom.  He got a lot done.  The bathroom is really looking good.  He left the following Sunday so he could be home for Christmas.

Jana, David and I visited mom a couple of times.  Kevin joined us for one visit, and then he and Brian stopped to visit her later in the week. 

Thursday Jana had her hip replacement surgery.  She is doing just fine.  She came home yesterday (Sunday).  I went to WalMart and had her prescriptions filled.  She slept in her recliner last night and I slept on the couch so she would not have to go up or down the steps.  Tonight we are going to go upstairs to the bedrooms.  The physical therapist was here this morning and had her walk the steps both up and down.  It gave her a little more confidence. 

I also spent a couple of hours today cleaning the bathroom.  We all plan to take showers tonight.  Today was the first chance I had to get it done. 

Tomorrow I will be picking up mom and bringing her to the house for Christmas.  She will be spending the day with us. 

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas.

Continuing On.....

Since my last posting I had a doctor appointment.  Went to see my GYN for my three month checkup.  Right now, no news is good news.

Last weekend Kevin, Renea and Stephanie went to Cincinnati.  Kevin stayed with Brian; Renea and Stephanie spent Friday night with Renea’s parents.  Then Saturday night Stephanie stayed with Samantha.  However, on Saturday afternoon Renea and Stephanie visited Granny.  It was a surprise and Granny was really surprised.  She was so glad to see them.  They took her flowers and candy and Granny gave them a tour of the nursing home.

 

I had mentioned in a previous blog that Kevin, Renea and I rented a booth at the Lee County Flea Market.  We did not do well.  We did not have the right kind of items to sell.  The reason Kevin went to Ohio was so he and Brian could rent a booth at Traders World.  They set up on Saturday and did pretty good.  We are learning a lot from these sales.  We don’t expect to get rich.  We just plan on having a good time.

 

While they were gone, I dog sat.  I had a good time with Roscoe and Lola.  On Friday I went over at suppertime (they had spent the day outside).  I fed them their supper and gave them a treat.  They both wanted to go back outside for a short time.  After “doing their business” I brought them back in and the cuddle on the couch with me while I watched some television.  Roscoe kept trying to push Lola away from me so I sat between them.  When we went to bed they both slept with me.  This was an experience.  Lola slept at the bottom of the bed by me feet.  I don’t think she moved all night.  Roscoe was a different story.  He needed help to get up on the bed.  It was easier to help him than listen to him cry.  He would get in bed, turn circles, settle down, then snore.  After a while he would repeat this process.  And, of course, he had to go out during the night and the routine would start all over.  Saturday morning I fed them, put them outside and then took a nap since I didn’t get much sleep Friday night.  Saturday was better.  Lola slept at the bottom of the bed again, but Roscoe slept on the couch.  I think he was tired also.  Sunday morning I fed them and then went to church.  After I got home I put them outside.  Kevin and family were home by suppertime.

 

The rest of the week was just doing normal things. I did get my Christmas cards signed and addressed.  It sure was weird signing just my name.  I even put up my Christmas tree and a few decorations even though I won’t be here for Christmas.

 

On Friday night I went to the Prime Timers Christmas Party at church.  We had a great time.  Plenty of good food, played a couple of games and lots of laughter.

 

Saturday I didn’t do much.  Sunday I went to church and then started getting ready to head for Ohio.  I will be staying with Jana and David for a while.  She is having hip replacement surgery and I will be her caregiver.  I will also be taking care of David and Smoky.  In between I will visit with family and friends.

Prime Timers Weekend

We had a great time!  FYI – the Prime Timers is the senior group at the church I attend.  We all met at the church early because we were leaving at 9:00 a.m.  The church has a bus and we all rode the bus which was driven by Scott.  Scott and Linda are the directors/organizers of the Prime Timers.  There were fifteen of us.  Kevin drove me to church so I would not have to leave my car parked there for three days. He also planned on changing the oil in my car. We headed out at exactly 9:00 a.m.  The first thing they did when we got on the road was put a cassette (yes, I said cassette) in the cassette player and we all sang ON THE ROAD AGAIN.  They consider this their theme song. 
 

Next came food.  I could not believe the amount of snacks we had to eat while travelling.  Linda even made up goodie bags for each of us.  We had donuts, cookies, candy, etc., etc., etc. 

 

Scott is real good about stopping every 45 minutes or so.  Everyone gets off the bus for a short walk and a potty stop.  The first stop we made was at a gas station.  It was one they had stopped at before, so they knew where it was.  We all got off the bus and headed inside for the potty.  And guess what – the ladies restroom was out of order!  So, we all used the men’s room.  It was stinky, but we survived.  They guys thought it was funny and they actually stood guard outside.

 

Then, it was back on the bus for more snacks and drinks.  We also played a few games.  Bingo was one of them, and I actually one!  I never win at games.  After going thru Atlanta it was time for another potty stop.  So, we stopped at another gas station.  This time the restroom was outside and we needed it a key.  By the way, it was unisex J  Again, there was a long line.  This time it was not as stinky.

 

Next on the agenda was lunch.  We were going to stop at Wendy’s, but it wasn’t where it was supposed to be (according to Google).  We ended up eating at Burger King.  Which was fine.  Okay, lunch is over so it’s back on the bus.

 

According to the plan, our next stop was supposed to be the grocery store in Blue Ridge.  However, we started having technical difficulties with the bus.  It kept bogging down.  A couple of people on the bus had phones with internet so they all started looking for a Ford dealer.  One was found and we stopped.  Luckily someone was there to help us.  After much looking under the hood, etc. it was decided that it could be major or minor.  Scott thought it was water in the gas tank.  After spending about an hour there it was decided we would continue on.  Out next stop was the grocery store.  By this time our four hour trip had taken seven hours (kinda sounds like Gilligan’s Island right?). 

 

We were divided into four groups (this had been done before the trip) with a group leader.  Each group was responsible for one meal.  Each group was given $70 to buy their groceries.  We then headed into the store for our supplies.  The group I was with had breakfast on Sunday morning.  (I forgot to mention we left on Saturday morning and planned to return on Monday.)  We made a breakfast casserole and muffins.  Three of the four groups stayed under budget.  One went over.  The three groups that stayed under  gave them some of their money.  It was only $5. 

 

Next stop was the cabin.  We all stayed in the one cabin.  It was beautiful.  It was in the mountains, and we were surrounded by farmland and woods.  There were cows, horses, sheep and goats.  Beautiful trees.  The weather was great.  Had a fireplace and a deck.  By this time it was getting late and the Saturday supper team fixed supper.  They fixed spaghetti and meatballs, salad, garlic bread, sweet tea, and we had plenty of dessert.  Didn’t stay up very late.  We were all tired.  There were four married couples and they got the separate bedrooms.  Three sisters shared the bunk beds (it was a double on the bottom), one lady took the futon, another took the couch upstairs and Janet and I shared the bedroom downstairs that had two double beds.  It worked out just great.  Three of the bedrooms and two bathrooms were on the main level, the rest was on the lower level.  There was also a pool table in the rec room downstairs.

 

Sunday morning we had Sunday School after breakfast, had a great lunch and supper.  We also watched the Georgia football game Sunday afternoon.  In between we played a variety of games.  To keep the teams even, I was the scorekeeper/judge.  Grandma (Evelyn who everyone calls Grandma) kept trying to get me to cheat because the team she was on was losing.  Anyway, we laughed a lot and really had a good time. 

 

After breakfast Monday morning it was time to head out.  The Monday morning breakfast team fixed biscuits and gravy, eggs, and grits.  I think that was the best biscuits and gravy I have ever eaten.  Then it was time to load up the bus and head back to Phenix City.  We didn’t eat as much going back, and a lot of us took naps.  Sunday night we had grilled chicken so Linda used the leftover biscuits and chicken to make sandwiches for us on the bus.  They tasted really good.

 

The trip back was uneventful.  No out of order restrooms.  And, since it was raining we ate our lunch on the bus in a WalMart parking lot.  We took a scenic route back so it took a little longer than four hours, but it was much prettier. 

 

Kevin and Renea picked me up and we headed home.  I had a great time!