{neighborhood}

You can't pick your neighbors, but you can pick your friends - and I have gained some delightful ones in my new neighbors! In showing some of them my home last weekend now I have settled in a bit it was noticed there were some things I could use help with, and over a few drinks a plan was developed and was put it into action the last few days - wow! I had a room painted and bookshelves assembled over the weekend and tomorrow will have shower doors installed in a bathroom which have been sitting in my garage since I arrived here. I believe a barbecue is in order soon!

jinxed?!!

My air conditioner was not working. New house, not unexpected, at least not for me as I believe I may just be jinxed as far as these contraptions go. Last year, the only two days it hit 100 degrees in Charlotte - yep, it went out. When we first moved to Ohio, I thought I might have been coming down with the flu, until I realized it was putting out heat instead of cool air that day. Both of these were brand new units as is this one. Friday we'd gone to the cemetery and cleaned things up a bit, took inventory of what we thought we'd need. Yesterday then Cathy and I went to a garden center, bought lily of the valley and day lilies (perennials, girls) then went back out and planted. Whew, it was 91 degrees (now, holiday weekend, us in the middle of nowhere at a little country cemetery sitting in the dirt and sweating - what happened to the days we were at the beach at Lake Michigan for the duration of any summer holiday?!! Two divorced women - who got laughing hysterically at how pathetic our lives have become. Sure mom and Karen were laughing along with us!). Looked forward to getting home to my nice cool house. What the - despite the fact I'd closed everything up and turned on the air, it was 80 degrees in here. And it a holiday. Oh ye (me) of little faith! Repairman just here and fixed the misfiring wire - I should be cool as that proverbial cucumber in a couple hours '~)

let's hear it for the girls!

Last night I went to an all-female party, so fun to spend an evening with these smart, funny women! Although coming home at 2:30am most certainly made me feel my age this morning. Today I'm getting ready to go spend with my sisters, we are taking Peggy, our mother-of-the-groom, to get a pedicure then will spend the evening eating pizza, chocolates, having a splash or two of wine and laughing the night away. Great weekend so far!

another day

I battle depression, have alot of anxiety. I am "lucky" in that it is mild, yet there are a great many peaks and valleys. I do agree with the well-meaning, I have alot to be thankful for; yet to hear this time and again creates much more anxiety in that I feel I should be able to keep myself more upbeat, work with what I've got to create an even better life for myself. And I try... and I try and I try. I find that after the highs, there comes lows - as naturally as the full moon appears each month. Bear with me, I just need the space and time to get back on track.

road trip

I left for Columbus early tuesday morning where I was to meet Luke to celebrate his birthday, it's about a five hour drive for me and something like an hour and a half from where he lives in Athens (and the poor kid had a tire blow out on the way). We met at Easton Place and had a great lunch at the CheeseCake Factory - although neither of us able to fit the cheesecake in!! It was a sunny and warm afternoon, we strolled around and did a bit of shopping afterward. We seem to have a tradition of buying music if we can find it and we did - bought vintage for us both, Grateful Dead for him, Neil Young for myself. Also made sure he was equipped for the upcoming wedding next month, haven't been shopping for "dress up" clothes with him since high school, and he is coming up on his five year reunion this summer!

Given I have this cold (I keep thinking it has peaked but it's still hanging on and I daresay it stays with me much longer I am going to have to seek out a doctor) I opted to stay the night then headed home late morning yesterday after a very restless night. There is a HUGE antique mall about a third of the way home where I stopped and spent nearly four hours, and still didn't see everything - a great diversion and rest stop! Brought home some buttons (of course), old lace and fabrics, printers type - and I don't remember what all, they come by periodically and clean out your basket and put it in a bin up front and as all my stuff was "for keeps", it was packaged and ready to go (in quite a large box - yikes) when I checked out of there - dangerous business, but will be fun to unpack later today!!!

Traffic was bad coming home, and the rains started when I got to Toledo, it is predicted to keep up for the next week. Good sleeping weather I guess, hope I can get feeling better!! Unfortunately I forgot the camera, it was waiting for me on the kitchen counter, sitting in the charger where I put it so to have it ready - darn it.

nothing so fine as the days of spring

I've spent the last few days so sick and feverish, have been alternating between slugging nyquil and sleeping and interviewing and gathering quotes for the next round of things to be done to the house.

But these days have been marvelous, 70 degrees and sunny, something the weather forecasters are reminding me do not happen often in succession in the month of May here in Michigan. Since the things that are needing attention at this point are those which will be done outside - some painting, gutter installation, underground sprinkling, putting in a lawn, landscaping - I have had no choice but to be outside and inadvertently was able to enjoy a bit of it despite this miserable cold. Thus as the landscaper and I walked my little piece of property on saturday we found black morel mushrooms growing in abundance in a couple of the woody areas! Since I can barely breathe let alone taste, they have gone into the freezer in anticipation of a time in the not too distant future when I can make a meal with these delicacies, possibly accompanied by a nice grilled steak and some baby lettuces to be eaten out on the deck. SPRING, gotta LOVE it!!

oh my aching head, stuffed up....

I thought it to be allergies, but NO, I seem to have a full-blown cold. Don't know the last time I even had one, or how I caught this although airports and airplanes are not the most sanitary places on earth, are they?! I'm hearing, "it's going around". Blech.

happy birthday luke!

Where does the time go? This picture was taken when Luke was just over a year old and we were at Glen Lake, just the other side of the dunes to Lake Michigan - it's one of my favorites which I keep in a small frame in the family room. Next week we will get together to celebrate his 23rd birthday which is today. I remember the drive to the hospital as if it were yesterday, the sun just coming up and all the flowers and trees blooming the city over, truly a time of beginnings and new life. My firstborn.

{paradise}

sanibel island, florida