Month: May 2013

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Months are flying by

It seems like it was December just yesterday and I was shopping for Christmas gifts. Now we are about to welcome in June and my goodness the months seem to be flying by. My youngest daughter will be coming home for her birthday on the 26th and will stay for a month before she has to leave and go back to Florida and work. I’m glad she was able to take the time off and it will be so great seeing her and hugging her, hanging out and just having her around again.

As I welcome in June, I’ve noticed that all the flower seeds and other plants I put in the ground after Mother’s Day are coming up nicely and the annuals I have are in full bloom! Yes, its starting to look like a garden again!

I have a lot of home improvement projects going on also. From flag stone for the patio, to new flooring in the living room and bathroom. Also the job of finishing the living room paint job and buying new curtains and adding some decor that matches the whole thing. It’s been a busy few months but worth it!

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Ripped pool liner

While getting ready to open the pool, everything was nearly done but once it started filling with water I realized that the liner had a tear in it and I was loosing water faster than I could ever have imagined once the water got nearly three feet deep. I had once heck of a time draining the  pool and trying to find the leak. And standing in ice cold water up to my knees as it drained made my legs numb.

I was about ready to hang up this project and save it for another day, when my daughter called. She was using a service to open her pool, and since her husband is friends with the guy doing it, she said she was sending a pro to me!

The liner wasn’t as bad as I thought and the guy who came out, had some super good stuff to patch it up. He said it would last though the summer and even gave a guarantee, which surprised me. Now I hope that the ground will absorb all the water that leaked out, and it’s not so marshy out in the back yard. Still…I’m so happy I have a thoughtful daughter who’s husband knows people!

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Planet Lady is Conscious

Thanks to Roman May

I’ve become really conscious of my impact on the environment since I watched a couple of documentaries on the impact of people on the planet. I really worry about the state that we’re going to leave this place for our kids and also how quickly the planet’s resources have been degraded just in the last century or so. I know it’s all part of modernization but I worry about whether or not we’re being really short-sighted when it comes to our energy and our carbon footprints. I went online the other day and looked into http://www.electriccompaniestexas.net to find out who in my area had the best record of giving back to planet-related causes and I think I’m going to make a switch. I’ve been making small but meaningful changes in my life to try and reduce my carbon footprint, personally, like switching to organic produce and turning off the heat when I’m able to burn a wood fire in my fireplace. I try to take it back to the 19th century, that’s what I say, because they knew what they were doing when it came to not hurting the planet for their own good. I don’t want to become a crazy hippie about it all, you know, with dreads and chaining myself to trees and whatnot, but I need to make sure I’m doing my part where I can and not just expecting other people to pick up my slack. It’s important to me to be a good citizen of the earth and I’m trying to make small changes in my every day life to do just that without totally changing the way I live. I like to think some of my efforts will have an impact on my friends and coworkers but who knows. Sometimes you just have to do what you know is right and hope other people follow suit. There’s nothing you can do to make others better people and that’s something you have to accept early on or you’ll drive yourself crazy!

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Seeds and Sunburns

After spending yesterday getting my garden soil ready for planting and then this morning planting seeds, moving various plants to another section of the garden, and also removing weeds, I am quite sunburned and the day isn’t over yet. Then of course tomorrow it’s supposed to be another beautiful day, so I’ll be out doing more digging, weeding and planting. It’s always hard telling what the weather is going to do, so I want to get as much of the gardens here finished. I have a long way to go.

Since I spend time with my mom who is getting older and not as spry as she used to be, I help her around the house and take care of the heavy work in the yards. There is a corner of the back yard that I’m turning into a place she can sit in the shade and also be surrounded by plants and flowers. I’ll post photos of before and after when I’m finished.

So far I have planted cherry tomatoes, scarlet runner beans, zinnias, hyacinth beans, and various herbs in the front yard. The back yard, which is bricked except the corner where there is a small patch of grass and along the privacy fence which I dug up to use for herbs and flowers is started but I have a long way to go yet. Her gardens here are my creation and also my show piece, I’m conceited enough to say! 😉  Since I have gardens at my home up north I’ve also been revamping them and changing the look of them just by rearranging the flowering herbs I grow and also adding more varieties. I’ll no doubt be working on this all summer, which is fine by me since gardening is the love of my life! I just have to remember to use a lot more sunscreen!

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Gifts and Calls for Mother’s Day

So far this morning, I have gotten at least ten phone calls from “kids” and family wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day. Even some young people who have grown up with my kids, have called! It’s awesome that they would still after all these years, consider me a sort of “extra” mom.

My sons bought me a beautiful rose bush that I fully intend on babying, since in the past, I’ve not had much luck with rose bushes. My youngest daughter called and sang me a song over the telephone that she had written just for me and this day! My oldest daughter is taking me out to lunch this coming week, and then we’re going shopping also!

I’m staying at my moms house, so the kids all are also wishing her mother’s day wishes also. This afternoon I plan on taking her shopping for some summer outfits and then we’re going out to lunch before my brother and sisters arrive at her house with gifts for her. I’m looking forward to spending time with the family and also.

To all my readers who are Mom’s, I wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day! Pamper yourself or let others pamper you. Ya’ll deserve it!

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Nephew needed a Drunk Driving Attorney in Pittsburgh PA

I do NOT condone drinking and driving in any way, but my nephew Scott went to a wedding in PA and from the pictures and description of the reception, a lot of wine, champagne and beer was flowing. Normally if my nephew drinks he makes sure he has a designated driver. He now is in need of a Drunk Driving Attorney in Pittsburgh PA. From the report and he only blew only one point over the legal limit after having two drinks…which had to be really loaded up drinks and now he would like to get a lawyer who specializes in drunk driving. He passed the sobriety test but not the breathalyzer.

Scott did admit to being at the wedding and also having two drinks and thinks that the breathalyzer test was inaccurate, hence getting a good attorney. The catering company bartender will even testify on his behalf, but Scott didn’t want to get a public defender since he is not from PA.

I suggested that he go online and read the Attorney’s Profile and also look into the firm. I think he can find just what he is looking for, if he does this. His work depends on him driving and this could really hurt him financially. He would rather have one of the best in the field than someone who could care less about the outcome.

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Porch needs a new roof

Once I got the nerve up to climb a ladder, since I am not afraid of heights but do have the terrible fear of falling if that makes sense, I was in total disbelief how the porch roof looked. I cleaned the gutters and eaves troughs, but there were shingles that had blown off during the winter and I do need to get a roofer out here to fix it.

I have a dear friend I’ve known since my early teens who is a roofer and he really knows his stuff. My husband who passed away at a young age was a roofer and siding contractor. He taught my a lot, but this job I can’t do myself because of the falling fear factor.

I’m sure my friend will give me a good deal, as he is actually considered family and comes to all our family get together’s. I’ll barter with him and cook for him, since he is a bachelor! He loves my cooking, so it’s a win win situation as long as I buy the materials!

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May Day Celebrations

Remembering the wonderful May Day celebrations we had when I was really young made me actually feel like making a May pole and dancing around it. Alas…no one wanted to dance around a pole with me in our May’s finest clothes.

When my sisters and I were young, we went to celebrations for the beginning of May and they were really very festive and large events! There were cakes and goodies to eat and games to play, the May pole dance was a big deal also. Lots of music and of course the older folks did plenty of eating and drinking. Even school was closed for the day back then. I’ve got some really awesome memories from the past. Maybe next year I’ll just host a party and see what kind of merriment we can have.

To all my friends, I wish them a Happy May Day and Blessed Beltane!