Life – Page 9 – Connie Smithison

June 25, 2013

Daughter returns tomorrow

My youngest daughter is flying in from Florida tomorrow and I’m so excited I can’t stand it. I haven’t seen her since Christmas and tomorrow not only is she coming home to stay for nearly a month, it is also her 20th birthday.

I am picking her up at the airport tomorrow morning and at first I had no idea she would be coming home. I thought she would wait until Christmas. Her dad and her brothers kept it a secret from me for over a month, since she asked them to. I’d start getting crybaby about missing her and they would not say a word. BUT my daughter we call Vine, can not keep a secret. I was sobby about it one day a few weeks ago and she told me I’d see her on her birthday!

My grand daughter is the only person Vine really wanted us not to tell, since they are really close, and my grand daughter misses her aunt and is going to be so happy to see her. It will be a happy day!

June 24, 2013

And summer begins

Summer has officially begun and I want to take a minute to wish everyone a Happy Solstice and a safe, fun filled summer. This summer seems to be coming in with a whole lot of heat and humidity. It’s to be in the 90’s for most of the weekend, with only a little rain but next week we are to get storms and rain. Actually, it’s hard to predict our weather here anymore, or the weather anywhere for that matter. With all the tornadoes the US has been getting I feel for the ones affected by this weather, and find myself saying a lot of prayers that we won’t have any come through here.

To all my friends and family though, have a very safe happy summer!

June 15, 2013

Visiting vs Using

One of my Rants or Raves…

There is a new neighbor down the street. She is close to my oldest daughter’s age…35 or so. At first visits from her were short and I could tell she just wanted to get out of the house. But now, after only about one month of these frequent visits, when she comes over, it’s usually to borrow something. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind sharing if I have it. But now I’m realizing that she has items of mine that she hasn’t brought back. I don’t like this.

Yes, I am rather forgetful at times. That is just me. Age contributes a bit to it also, I suppose. But this young woman should remember that I did tell her, “When you are done, I need it back”.

When she visits chats away, but I work from home and it’s hard to concentrate if I’m in the middle of work with the chatter. She obviously sees that I’m working. I’ve even bluntly took her that I’m working and have a deadline. SO, it looks like I’m going to have to be a bit more hard core about this. My friend Lindsay is going through the same thing with a neighbor who lives on her road. I can at least have someone to commiserate with. SMH!

June 9, 2013

More changes and improvement

Being somewhat satisfied that the inside improvements are coming along on the house until fall, I’ve moved onto my projects for the outside. I have lots of ideas, but don’t want something that can’t be finished in a short amount of time. I’ve considered a walk way in the back yard to the pool instead of walking through the yard. It’s a pain in the you know when the grass has just been cut and even though it’s raked we still get bits of grass in the pool. Yes, despite of a foot bath bucket to dip feet in before going into the pool. (This still isn’t the best way to go).

I saw a really awesome walkway while browsing the inter net yesterday. It was on a timeline, and I thought it was really beautiful. A lot of planning and work, but still unique and a work of art in it’s self. I also collect rocks and stones. I have even when I was young. This project I would have had to start as soon as it got warm enough outside though. And since I just found this photo, I may have to wait for this one. But I do want a walk way so perhaps after we get a plain one down, I’ll at least have a base of sorts.

May 29, 2013

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!

May 28, 2013

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!

May 18, 2013

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!

April 23, 2013

Dream Living and Golf at Verno Beach

I spent some time with my favorite aunt last weekend and we were talking about her retiring and finding a nice home or villa in Florida. She is an avid golfer and mentioned Golf Verno Beach and that she would love to check out the clubs, the community and also the perks one would have living there. She is all about quiet class and after looking at the site she showed me, I do believe it would be perfect for her and her needs. There are times that I stay with her and help with her various needs and I’m a beach person, so this also would be a choice location to fulfill my needs also.

There are all kinds of various things to make one perfectly content living there and also being a member of a gated community it would mean safety for the most part and a good place for my aunt to live. She is up there in age, but spry from all the activities she does and she doesn’t show or act her real age. She also enjoys the fine things and service she is accustom to, as she worked hard to get to the point where she doesn’t really have to worry about funds for such a great place. We will be going to look at various Real Estate properties there.

My aunt is planning on going down to Florida and do some shopping around for a home or at least a winter place she can live in, since the cold weather where she lives ruins her playing golf when she gets that urge!