Baggy Butt

I have baggy butt syndrome.  Isn't that wonderful. 

Here's the sitch:  I have lost 48 pounds and not all my clothes have caught up to my new size.  So my weight watcher leader told me I have baggy butt syndrome.  Hooray.  Thank you Paula!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my Lincoln:

I simply cannot believe you are one already.  Have a great day and eat lots of cake.

The great garbage can caper - update

I called the city and an hour later I have a new garbage can.  The lady on the phone thought the story about the police officer was hysterical.

Thank you kind neighbors and the city of Avondale.

The Great Garbage Can Caper

In my neighborhood our garbage is picked up weekly by the city.  The city nicely supplies a ginormous garbage can and a big truck comes by weekly and scoops it up and empties it into a garbage truck.  (My grandsons would love it.)  The HOA frowns on it if you don't bring your can back to the house and store it out of sight by 24 hours after pick up.

All this is well and good but after 10 years the lid on the garbage can has taken a beating.  In other words, th lid is hanging onto the can by a thread of plastic.  So about a week ago, I called the city to get a new one.  No problem says they.  Simply leave it out after the pickup and the next day someone will come by and pick it up and leave a new one.  That's terrific says I, how much do I owe.  Nothing they say.  It is part of the service.  Terrific!

Well, now starts the rest of the story.

Tuesday - no on comes by.

Wednesday - late afternoon.  Someone brings my can up to my garage.  What nice neighbors - wonder who did that.  I should thank them.  So I put a big sign on the lid - for pickup by the city - and haul it back to the curb. No one comes by.

Thursday afternoon dinner time - the doorbell rings and someone starts pounding on the door.  Maybe it is the HOA?!  But no, it is a policeman - cute at that, checking on me.  One of my nice neighbors had called because they knew I lived alone and they were concerned about me.  Egads, a welfare check.  How many times have I done that in my career.  Didn't I prevent an apartment building from getting blown up doing that?  And didn't I almost do that to my dad when he didn't answer his phone - land or cell - for several days.  But me - I am well and hearty.  Well, almost anyway.  The police office and I had a good laugh over that.  Still no one comes but.

Friday - no one comes by.

Saturday - late afternoon.  The garbage can is back by the garage.  Those nice neighbors again.  And yes, the sign is still on the can.  Still no one comes by.

I am anxiously awaiting Monday and this coming week to see what happens.

Wanna bet I will get a letter from the HOA.  Probably Tuesday I think.  I'll keep you posted.

Friday Moment

Happy Birthday

Unbelievable Rob.  You are 42 today. 

 Happy, happy birthday.


(well I have some great pictures to add but the blog won't let me so have a great day anyway.)

Friday Moment

Lucky

Thanks for the memories

Yesterday, I had to put Lucky to sleep.  He became ill very suddenly and I took him to the emergency animal clinic and the prognosis was very grave.  He had apparently thrown a blood clot and had no pulses in his hind legs.  It was so sudden, I still can't believe it.  Just the day before yesterday I had been telling him that he needed his nails cut and now he is gone.

He was such a sweet cat.  I found him under the Mexican bird of paradise bushes about 5 years ago.  We gradually became friends and then he became my cat.  I had just lost my cat, Chelsea, and he filled a big hole.  He would have affection attacks and would wake me up in the middle of the night giving me kisses.  When he was bored, he would bang the cabinet doors.  He loved to turn the water bowl upside down in the bathroom, especially in the middle of the night.

One of my favorite memories was during Life Group several years ago.  He was very shy, but would eventually come out and say hi.  This particular night, we were praying and he jumped up on the couch and walked across our laps with his tail held high (it was very fluffy and he was very proud of it) and then laid down on my friend's open Bible.  It was a funny moment, even if we were being serious.

A sweet moment yesterday, when Lucky started crying, Carlie came running, went up to him and licked his face.  Now normally, they didn't interact like that.  Usually just chases through the house.

Goodbye Lucky.  I will see you on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.

This Moment

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to the most awesome DIL ever.  Have a wonderful day.  I love you.  See you soon.

Trees revisited or Monsoon 2010

In preparation for the monsoons, I called Tree Pros again.  Well, I am a month late, but better late than never.  While there have been some storms in the valley, Avondale has been spared so far.  Actually, we had a few sprinkles this morning, but I don't think that counts.

Before and after pictures:

                                                                                       

Can't get that to line up but you get the idea.  Am going to throw in a picture of Mr. Quail who came by to supervise.

The sad news is that my wonderful gardener, Octavio has decided to quit.  Oh how I will miss him.  He took such wonderful care of my yard.

Take care of yourself Octavio.  I (and my yard) will miss you.

Who is the boss anyhow

Guess these pictures proves who is the boss in this household.  And to think I have provided them with all kinds of cat beddings and special places to sleep.  Well obviously, that is not where they wanted to sleep this morning.

Friday Moment - a day late

A moment from Friday.

This Moment - 4 years ago

Friday Moment - a day late

Snorkeling in the Caribbean

Now these are SUNFLOWERS

Several months ago I (well, actually Octavio)  planted sunflower seeds.. I, and the cats, enjoyed the sunflowers so much last year that I decided to try again.  The cats had a great time watching the birds eating the seeds - they were right outside the kitchen window.

2009

Little did I know that I had bought giant seeds - just see what I got.  Well, the birds will like them, since they are so tall that the cats can't see them.

But they are beautiful!

Friday Moment

The project leaving Portland

A card from Lily

Friday

My daughter in law has started a new tradition that I am going to try to follow.  A moment this week, just a picture.  however, like my daughter I may have to say a few words.  Of course, they are posting pictures of their kids, but mine will mostly be my cats or house.

Now, this is a serious sized sunflower.  Can't wait until it blooms!

Garage Sale Find

I have long been wanting a chair or bench for my front porch.  However, I have not wanted to put out a lot of money for one of those cute benches.  Enter my friend Louise who loves to garage sale and goes out early every Saturday morning.  Several months ago, I put her on the hunt for a bench.

And voila!  Look what she came up with for $3.

A little paint:

The finished project:

Looks great doesn't it!

Getting away

I just got back from a women's retreat sponsored by our church.  It was up at Prescott Pines.  What a beautiful place.  Very peaceful, no TV's, cell phones going off etc.  It was interesting to share a bathroom with 4 other women.  One must remember to unlock the door.  Very important in keeping the peace.  I had forgotten how much fun a campfire with smores can be.

Gardens in the desert

Yesterday, we went on the Master Gardeners tour.  You spend a day visiting about 6 0r 7 seven gardens in the Phoenix area.  While the tour last year was more spectacular as far as flowers were concerned, this year's was full of ideas on how to conserve water and grow vegetables.  Very interesting.  However I wonder how effective the rain collecting devices are over the course of a year.  While this year has been wetter than most, this is the desert.
But, I think I am going to plant an artichoke plant.  I wonder if my grandmother ever planted an artichoke plant.  All I really remember from her garden were the beautiful hydrangea plants.

This is a Flowbie moment

Speaking of Flowbie moments:  this is one.

My granddaughter, Isabella, had an altercation 

mishap with her sister's leg and got a fat lip.  So I, being the absolutely wonderful grandmother that I am, decided to send her a get well post card to make her feel better.

Well, duh, it helps to put a stamp on it!
Remembered that I forgot the stamp as I pulled away from the mailbox. Wonder which dead letter file it will end up in?

Anyway, feel better Isabella.  Can't wait to see you next week.

No flowbie this time

Flowbie is an expression in my family that means you have done something crazy or silly or stupid, as in: locking oneself out of the house. It started somehow when the children were little. 
Here is a link to my wonderful DIL's take on it.  Read it - she is a much better writer than I am.
Flowbie origins

Well, after years of many flowbie moments, I finally had a NON Flowbie moment.

Yesterday, a friend called. She had somehow lost all the pictures on her camera when transferring them to her computer.

Somehow, the computer didn't save them and she was distraught.

Well, her daughter via phone and daughter-in-law were unable to find them anywhere on the hard drive. Nor was I, even using my son's favorite: restore to previous time.

AND then I had a positively brilliant idea!

Lets see if we can recover them from the memory card on the camera. After finding a program on the Internet that recovers lost files, we downloaded a trial version. AND Voila, we found the pictures. So my friend has her pictures. Now I am hoping that the trial version doesn't have a built in "blow up your computer if you don't buy this program file". 

Now that would be a F L O W B I E moment.

Who moved my cheese?

About a month ago, our pastor and the church leaders added a third service to Sunday morning. In the course of this, they re-arranged the chairs in the auditorium. What a toss-up. Suddenly, no one knew where to sit.
No one could find their friends.
I never realized how comfortable you get sitting in the same area every week. I recognized the people around me, talked to them and was aware when they were absent.
I still haven't found a place to sit.

Emmalena's big day

Happy Birthday Emmalena.

I can't believe you are eleven today. Double hockey sticks. Wow. I hope your party was a blast.

You are a very special person and I love you.

I will see you in a few weeks.