My Twit

as opposed to my tweet ;-)

"just visiting my anthropologie wish list and drooling. Darn those summer taxes!!!"

made it home safely yesterday

Reason I mention:

I was traveling at a clip on 94 and could see a very fast moving pick up truck in my rear view mirror. He was going about 85 maybe faster. The reason I noticed him was the trash that was spewing out of his very full truck. Papers, cardboard the size of large appliance boxes, strips of packing tape ripping off of the cardboard he had over stuffed in his bed. I was trying to think--is it better to be ahead of him? in the lane behind him? next to him? It was piled as high as anyone could imagine--and then he flew past me just before 275--when BOUNCE--something bounced up and out of the bed--seconds to think, maneuver--was it cardboard? was it...???--I swerved into the left lane--and ran over the corner of a wooden drawer--He had lost a complete chest of drawers. !!! The people behind me slammed on brakes and skidded and.......the truck driver slammed on his brakes and pulled over to the left median a bit down the road. I didn't wait to see who bumped into whom at 70 + miles an hour. It was a wonder I didn't make the choice to go "over" what I thought was a big cardboard box laying in the road. The drawer crunch was bad enough. I'll keep a watch on that front tire.

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I was just lucky!!!

Still here and kicking.

ps Jean--hope you weren't involved in that small plane landing on the highway outside Santa Barbara yesterday morning.

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itchy itchy

I finished my taxes! Yeah! 10 hours of tedious checking bank ledgers, credit card billings, adding misc deductions. The CD stuff took a junk of that time. I checked all the digital distributions, had to hand count streaming vs download (I pay royalties on downloads not streaming) tally, write checks etc. Well, at least it is done until December when I finish the chore.

Picked gobs of tomatoes and beans in the garden. Got a beautiful purple pepper yesterday. Came in with more mosquito bites but eh! Some of the cherry tomatoes were so ripe that when I went to pick them they jumped off the vine and did a hairy kari dive down to the ground below. I said goodbye to each one ;-)

Stayed up late watching for A Emily and her sign at the baseball game in Oakland. No luck. Hope Gpa had a better time of it--especially since the Tigers lost in the 9th inning. ugh

Headed in to see Gpa.

Later gators

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The realtor

came today. I like her. She seems honest and straightforward. She said it would be best if I replaced the flooring in your old bedrooms (though the other realtor had said it wouldn't be worth it). This one said it was the first thing she noticed when she walked in the rooms. ah

Also, there are some "stains" on the ceiling in the bedrooms--I thought they had been treated SINCE the new roof and painting--but there they were. I'll have to price it out.

Unless some really GREAT new place comes on the market--I won't push this to happen until Spring now.

Spending a lot of online anthropologie dreaming. Nice clothes!

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It's a jungle out there!

A tomato jungle. I picked 34 cherry tomatoes yesterday and 4 big tomatoes. The deck is full of flowers, fruit and greenery.

Today the realtor comes over to check out the house. I could be rushing around picking things up but then--eh, it looks "good" enough. I will take out the trash though.

Muffin has decided to soil the carpeting of late. I'd like to bean her! I have been very attentive to her clean litter box but she has found a corner she prefers. I read online that if you have "other" cats or neighbor cats and are showing them attention sometimes cats will do this. ??? Well, Jan and Marshall's cats have been stopping in for breakfast all summer. Perhaps I"ll have to ignore them but really now............

Had a great time at the dentist yesterday (thanks, Jean-Pierre) I like my dentist and his staff. We played with our iPhones for a long time. I had convinced the dentist he MUST have an iPhone, he got one (loves it) then his staff started branching out and getting them. I spent doing an iPhone tutorial in the lobby for the staff. ;-) Unfortunately they did find dire work to be done on a tooth--so those 4 crowns I was putting off for a rainy day--just moved to 5 with the 5th a must do. Will revisit the dentist tomorrow. hmm.....about saving for those summer taxes due in September.

I read online that A2 teachers have a tentative contract and will meet on Monday to hear the terms. Well.....I never received the emails the article referred to--so I called the union and they are on "summer break". I emailed a few friends and they were as clueless as me. Gosh--where did all those union dues money go?

While online I also looked around the anthropolgie site. I like that shop!!!

Screech owl was zippin' around the woods last night. They are the ones who sound like a lady screaming/sighing--descending from so to do. Pretty cool. Such a distinct sound you can hear them fly throughout the woods.

Well off to play

Enjoy your day

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Beautiful Saturday

Early morning trip to the Farmer's Market. Still no peaches there :-( I guess I'll need to branch out and go to the A2 Farmer's Market. Have been trying to do the local shopping thing. Did head to the "New Chelsea Market" for challah and a few items for my Interlochen bus trip tomorrow. I have to be at the bus by 7:30am and won't return until after 11pm. That's a long bus day ;-)

The New Chelsea Market is moving from its corner (I love it on that corner!) to the Old Post Office, which is moving later this month to Old Polly's building. Fun, huh! The Market said the building is up for sale so they decided to move. I think there is more to the story because they were a tad ouchy with their story and they JUST knocked out the next door wall and expanded their wine department that way. hmm? It will be strange not having the meat market back in the corner like it has been for all these katrillion years living in Chelsea.

The realtor, Pam Sjo is coming to see my house next Thursday morning. I'm not planning any big hoopla or cleanup. It looks pretty nice the way it is. Okay, maybe I"ll change Muffin's litter.

Angela (My cousin, David's youngest daughter--the pharmacist and her friends stopped in on Thursday on their way to TC. It was fun to have young lady energy in the house again. They are storing a car in my garage. I bought them Zingerman's brownies and water for their trip.

My garden is full and abundant. What a joy--it's like having a 2nd backyard on the deck!

Off for a walk before it hits 90 :-)

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Whoops left out some info

Uncle Lino's town of Fruitport took the brunt of the storm last night--lots of trees down/loss power/ etc. He hasn't answered the phone all day--Carl (his son living down the road) also is not answering. Jeff (son in Gaylord) switched his cell phone so I don't have that number. Holiday Inn is full with people without power SOOOOOOO unless we connect with Uncle Lino tonight--Dad and I are postponing our trip.

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Thought it might

be a nice idea to pick up the Family Room for when my Dad comes over tomorrow. (That is, if he comes over--right now we are still unable to reach Uncle Lino.) I started in washing the blocks I bought for Hunter. I was surprised to find out they are not Duplos but something called Megablocks. They are fashioned for 1+ year olds so Hunter should be able to handle them pretty well. I'll have them operational when he comes to visit later in the month.

Blessing ceremony went okay. Dr. Lu had a singing bowl--I forgot about singing bowls. My sis Emily has a great singing bowl. Great for meditations.

Marshall is out cutting the grass. They leave for CO on Wednesday.

Looks like the tomatoes will need a good drink in the morning. I'll also hop over to clean out the car. Dad likes a clean car. All that rain knocked the blooms off my petunias. When I am loaded with bug spray, I'll go up and stand out and plucked the dead blooms. Yesterday

it was full, today, not so much.

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Nice chat

with JP. He reminded me that this blog, any blog can be viewed from afar by people I never intended to see-------so I've gone back and edited and will try and be more aware in my postings. Thanks son for the reminder.

Tired--my cough is better, no I'm not dying and I'm going to go read my Goodwin book. Tomatoes ripened while I was at Dad's (amazing!!!) and now I hear thunder rumbling. Summer nights are great!

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Sunday and hot!

Boy "they" say the heat index is 100--I believe them! I just drove home from Dad's and it was sticky hot even with the a/c on. The road was hazy due to the heat. People were driving unusually crazy--I think they wanted to get to their destination quickly and cool off. I know once home I was out of my clothes in 10 seconds time! (A quick change artist)

My Dad talked a lot about helping Veronica with her tuition and book needs. He heard her hours at work have been dramatically cut back due to the down turn in business. He wants to keep her encouraged in attending school.

So glad the harp is downstairs. Even with the a/c at 74 it isn't comfortable upstairs. Muffin is shedding like crazy (good plan) so I'll have to grab the vacuum. She hates that!

I hope it isn't 100 heat index next week when we are at Interlochen. No a/c there! Perhaps we will luck out and get a cool breeze off the lake. It will be nice to be among friends.

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Rainy Saturday

Well some day stories will be told how Gma stood in line in pouring rain waiting for the library to open to the book sale. I had my #8 queue pass (you have to get there and get a number) and waited and waited from 9:23 onward. I had already dripped through the Farmer's Market (nobody had jalapenos???), walked to Chelsea Market (Zingerman's bread and a Vernors) then the Post Office. A nice family came in behind me--library book sale virgins. One Gma was visiting from Australia --we had a very nice chat. She told me about the 4 year drought in Melbourne and how "scary" it was to have the weather shifting southward (more monsoons in the "wrong" places). I discovered we were after the same books (oh horrors!) so I tried to be polite but she did get to books I wanted--boo! I did okay though (see pic) These will be nice on Gma's shelf for Hunter and/or future Gchildren visits.

Now home it is storming. I"m going to take advantage of the day to read and read and read. My Lincoln book is due this week with two days devoted to taking Dad north. I can't renew because it is on a waiting list for many. The Lincoln Highway DVD was excellent (thank you A2 Public Library!) and now I will dream of scooting along there and seeing ALL of the sites. This is right up my alley. Maybe someday I'll have a partner and we'll get a trailer and just moosey along and enjoy people. Maybe someday I won't have a partner and I"ll get a trailer and just moosey along and enjoy people. ;-)

It has been an interesting summer. Several of the men whom I have known well or dated in the last 6 years have had disturbing, life interrupting, devastating health news, 2 have lost their jobs, 1 is taking an early retirement with lots of trepidation. It is almost as if I've reached a "certain" age and these are the things now popping up in my life view. I think I'll make hay while the sun shines.

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It's Friday it must be Garage Sale Day

yep, this is the new Hunter haul. I will keep in my Gma toy box unless....blah and blah.

What's here you ask? a "GIANT" fire truck puzzle (4'), plastic mattel dump trunk and bull dozer, gallons of duplos, a train set (minus wheels on the box car :-( and track, playdoh cut out thingees, Legos (for a future day), and in the back--an individual child's tent for indoor play. What a haul! All for under $10!

Okay, I have a doctor's appointment so I'm in for the day--but thought you'd like to see.

It's fun to be me ;-)

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Full Day/Good Day

Had a good meeting with my Financial advisor. Still on track to have some money when I retire. Not interested in being a burden or not being able to do the fun things I like to do.

Was at Meijer when all their computers (cash registers) went out. They could only accept cash at 98% of the registers. I dashed to the deli counter where they could still take checks. (weird) I was in line for a couple of days but I made new friends. ;-) I even whipped out my iPhone and played bubblewrap (my vice) while waiting.

What a beautiful day. Good to be enjoying it!

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Breakfast Company

I was cooking bacon. I bought bacon to have some great BLT's with my garden veggies. I cooked a "bit" for breakfast and pronto--Jan and Marshall's cats showed up. They are sweet cats--GREAT MOUSERS!!! (also squirrelers, skunkers, gophers, woodchuckers, snakers--very versatile). I drizzled some bacon drippings over "their" food and they left as satisfied customers.

The Excel class yesterday was good. I hope to put some of the teachings to direct work--otherwise I'll forget! My cold has kicked in so it was hard not to want to nap that late in the afternoon but alas--I made it through.

Came back to my good book (also NCIS marathon) and watering. I have already picked out 3 places that some of that handblown garden art glass could go. ;-)

Meeting with my financial not advisor but beneficiary. She is the one who benefits from my having pay deducted to invest. Though I have lost tons (like everyone else) she continues to drawn her pay from my investments. I'll listen intently shift as needed.

Pam Sjo (realtor on vacation) 's computer sends me email of houses in A2 for sale. I have "seen" about 100 now, and really NONE have interested me like the house on Spring St. Oh well.

Perhaps with some garden art I'd fall in love out here again ;-)

Tomorrow is the official Garage Sale day.

Saturday is the monthly book sale at the library. I will go look with a discerning eye. (It is where I found Hunter's "Things that Go" big book, the Happy Baby "Things that Go" board book, and the Ultimate Lego book for JP) I've decided to make a small toy box here at the house for Hunter and any future Gchildren. When Hunter is here later in the month--if he plays with something he likes, he can just take it with him (with his Mom and Dad's permission that is)...otherwise toys can just stay here for when he likes to visit. I can supplement as I choose and it won't crowd their living space.

Speaking of space: I do think I am going to dig into the cold storage area. That means--I have to be brave. Probably will wear my snow boots in case any mice run over my feet (argh)!!! I hope to get rid of many of my things--old clothes, bedding, Christmas decorations, etc. I will get rid as in recycle.

In this state, we can't seem to get rid of our houses, and the value has sunk so low so quickly that it is hard to comprehend. (I miss my Mom here because she would be able to analyze it and direct me, anyone as what to do, when to do it, where to invest, when to fold, when to just jump in, sell and buy something else. She was very smart that way--though she did hold on to her Ford stock ?) Personally, I would be willing to take a loss in value here to get into the house I want in A2. (selling low/buying low) It has to be the right house though. in the meantime, I'll dream about that garden art ;-)

Will think about it later for now--

Off to play

Have a great day

:-)

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the swans

now the DNR think the birds were hit by a car.

I dunno.

It would be easier on my mind thinking a car hit them by mistake rather than someone purposely killed them.

All sad none the less

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NCIS Marathon= it must be Wednesday

Up early for an appointment... All those appointments teachers put off until summer is here. Back home to do some chores, nurse this cold. Took a little nap, but have a computer class back at the Pittsfield Twp Library later this afternoon. Attended a class yesterday at Mallet Creek Library. Actually these classes are kinda fun ;-)

I stopped at a store on the way home--the Wackenhut Gift Shop. (though its inventory rotates. I bought hanging planters there earlier in the summer, now they are selling produce (got a squash to add to my stir fry) and they also are carrying garden glass. I am particularly interested in this artistic blown glass. The artist assured me it would make it through the winter. ? It is quite expensive ($100 a piece) so I'll think for quite a while. Nice to dream none the less.

There was some loud explosion in the neighborhood last night. There was a boom and then the house shook. Jan called and asked if I felt that "yep!" Then Mike got in the act. We all smelled a burning electric smell.....but didn't see anything on fire. Marshall got in his car and drove all around looking but found nothing. I called Alice and asked if the police scanner picked up anything--nothing. Just a mystery at this point. Glad we all felt it and it wasn't just something I did ;-)

My Dad wants to go to see Uncle Lino so I'll try and figure that out. Denise appears to be trying to skip out on the trip. She has several jaunts lined up this month--Wisconsin, Chicago, Ottawa so I can imagine she might not one more thing to do. Dad wants to go on a Tuesday and come back on a Wednesday (Farmer's market day up there--they have a GREAT market) Uncle Lino comes down about every 6 weeks for an appointment at U of M. He stays at my cousins in Detroit. It would be nice for HIM to visit Dad, but that just hasn't happened so.......I'll be the runner. Uncle Lino is in Spring Lake Mi.

Have some new library reading, so in the cool of the afternoon--I'm off to read.

Hope everyone is having as delightful a weather day as I am.

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Broken Hearted

http://www.annarbor.com/news/lodi-township-residents-mourn-deaths-of-trumpeter-swans-authorities-investigate/#comments

I've watched these swans for years. It was one of the joys of traveling Scio Church to school. I'd watch for their return every spring, watch them build their nest, watch the nest get disguised as the weeds grew in the pond, watch the Mom and Dad take turns sitting on the nest--even in pouring rain, watch when the cygnets arrived--watch the Mom and Dad play with the babies--and last Thursday again watched as the Mom and Dad flanked the babies along Scio Church shoulder while the babies napped. I loved watching these birds. They were graceful, loving (they mate for life) and so kind with their young. Who could be so cruel? This person needs to be caught and punished. So sad :-(