A Busy Week Off

Last week I had a week off from work....well, I should say a week away from the office because I actually got a lot of work done while I was off. :-) A long-neglected walk-in closet got a quick reorganization, and I got some shredding done. (How does all that junk mail pile up so quickly?)

With Daddy still dealing with his back issues (he has a procedure scheduled for next Monday; keep your fingers crossed!) and unable to drive, I spent some time running errands with Mom. Mom actually has a valid driver's license but hasn't actually driven to speak of in several years.

We had a very sad occasion to attend last week. A dear friend of the family, Audrey Taylor, passed away. She'd been very ill for several years, and though we'll miss her we're glad that she's now at peace.

In the neighborhood where I grew up, Taylor's (we never called her "Mrs. Taylor"; it was "Taylor") house was the one where all the neighborhood kids congregated at one time or another. She let us all use her upright piano to practice our lessons. She organized arts and crafts for us in her living room. She made the best seafoam candy I've ever eaten. We made ice cream in her back yard in the summertime and had snowball fights in the front yard in the winter.

She was a large part of the childhood of all the kids who grew up in that neighborhood in that era. We loved her, and we'll miss her. Sleep well, Taylor, you've earned your rest.

I Should Be Ashamed

I can't believe how lax I've become about blogging.  I'm always notoriously slow about correspondence, but DANG this has gotten out of hand.

Yesterday an old friend mentioned on Facebook that she enjoyed reading my blog.  Then I thought, "Oh, wow, I wonder how long it's been since I blogged."  Too long, that's how long.

It's not difficult for me to blog.  In fact, I rather enjoy dribbling thoughts out onto the composition screen.  So why has it suddenly turned into blogging once every month or two?

1. I've been really busy.  Baloney.  I'm always really busy.  I always find time to do things I enjoy.
2. I've not been feeling well.  True enough.  But that usually doesn't stop me from blogging either.
3. There's nothing interesting in my life to write about.  Heaven knows THAT has never stopped me from blogging.

So what's the deal?  Truth is, I have no idea.  I think I've simply gotten out of the habit of blogging.  I'm writing this entry during my lunch break at work, but that isn't always possible.

I think I need to just set aside blogging time, just like I set aside time to do everything else in my life.

Here's hoping I'll be back much sooner than has been usual for me lately.  Have a great week, everyone!

The Return of the Amaryllis Project

Mom and Dad went to visit friends of ours on Sunday (I was laid low by a migraine that day...*ICK*), and when they returned Mom called to check to see if I was doing okay.  While we were talking, she told me that our friends, Jewel and R.C., had given them a Christmas gift to give to me: an amaryllis bulb!

They've given me a bulb each year for the past several years, and I always enjoy watching their progress.  In fact, I've saved the bulbs and have them stored safely in my refrigerator to be replanted.  I just keep forgetting to replant them!!

In order for them to bloom at the proper time, I believe they must be replanted sometime in October.  I'm going to do some research on it and mark my 2012 calendar with the appropriate replant date so that I can have blooms (hopefully) next Christmas!

In the meantime, I've reactivated my "Amaryllis Project" page and will keep you updated on the planting, growth, and bloom of this year's bulb.  Mom and Dad will be coming to my home on Christmas Eve, so I'll probably be receiving (and planting) the bulb then.  Stay tuned!

A Long Short Week

I took the last of my "take or lose" days on Monday and Tuesday this week.  Even though I had those two days off, it was a busy, busy time!  I sang the last three concerts of this season with the Madrigals on Saturday afternoon, Sunday afternoon, and Tuesday evening.  So much fun!  These are talented ladies, and it has truly been a joy to perform with them this season.

On Monday I went to lunch with a good friend.  We met at Fatz; it was my first visit there, and I had a delicious reuben.  Sometimes it's hard to get a good reuben, but this one was really well done. We enjoyed a good meal and a really good visit.

After lunch I had a dental appointment to have a tooth filled.  It had been a very long time since I'd had to have a tooth filled, so I'd forgotten how very numb I get when I have a filling.  My WHOLE HEAD got numb!  And I developed a lisp that rivaled Sylvester the Cat!  I commented that I was really glad I didn't have to sing that evening because "Good King Wenceslas" would have been really messy with that lisp!  *LOL*

So, after a busy few days off I returned to the office and had an unbelievably busy three days.  Tonight it's raining; I'm all cozy in my apartment, watching the lights on my Christmas tree, watching "Criminal Minds" on A&E, sipping a Diet Coke and feeling drowsy.  I'm tired, but very glad to be home and relaxing.

Not a bad start to the weekend.  I hope you all have a good weekend, too.

Heat and Humidity Make Me Tired

Two weeks since my last blog entry....where is this summer GOING??? It's hot and humid in my little corner of the world. A bit miserable, to tell the truth. I've worked in air conditioned offices for so much of my life that I've lost any ability I ever had to withstand temperatures in the 90's. With heat indexes over 100. "I'm melting, I'm melting!"

So, since the last time I checked in with you, what have I been up to? The usual workweek, of course. Frustrating, but necessary because I've become accustomed to regular meals and a roof over my head. But after work is MY time. I've been spending some of my time knitting a retirement gift for a friend (see my knitting blog for more about that...the link is on the right side of this page). My latest Netflix disk was "Black Swan", which I really liked. It was definitely different!

Last Saturday I had lunch with a friend from high school days...such fun! We'd reconnected on Facebook and hadn't seen each other since our 20th high school reunion, which was TWENTY YEARS AGO. I still can't believe it's been 40 years since I graduated from high school. We had a lovely time, catching up on what's been going on in our lives over all those years. She was a bright, vivacious girl in high school, always fun to be around. I'm happy to say that she hasn't changed at all. We promised each other that we wouldn't wait another 20 years to get together again.

After our lunch, I stopped by Hobby Lobby to check out their supply of yarn. I already have plenty of yarn, mind you, but there's no such thing as too much yarn. I was terribly disappointed to find that their yarn stock was down to about half of what it was the last time I was there. I guess not everyone is quite as obsessed as I am about sticks and string! Their depleted stock didn't keep me from spending some money, though. I managed to find some sock yarn and a bit of baby yarn I needed for a toy I wanted to knit for my great-niece, Emmie.

On the way home I stopped by the hospital to visit my 100-year-old great aunt. Happily, she'd just been notified that she was being released to go home. She'd been hospitalized for a couple of days for diverticulitis. Like most of us, she doesn't particularly enjoy hospital stays and was really looking forward to getting home! She's an amazing lady, and I'm always glad to get to spend a little time with her.

And that just about catches you up on the goings on in my little world. Have a great week, everyone!

Internet Friends

I have a friend in Pittsburgh who's been a friend for many years now. We've never met face to face, but spent a LOT of time in a long-defunct chat room back in the early days of the internet, WBS (Web Broadcasting System). For a good long while, a group of us met in a chat room on Wednesday evenings to play trivia games.

I'd wandered into the Wednesday Night Trivia room on a whim. I was brand new to WBS and still trying to find a chat room that had people my own age (adults, in other words) who talked in whole words instead of abbreviations (other than the usual "LOL" or "ROTFL") and weren't trying to find someone to talk dirty to on the internet. Okay, to be fair I'm sure a little of that probably went on in the "private chat" section, but hey.....live and let live as long as they're not talking dirty in front of everyone, right?

And so I became a Wednesday night regular. The people who frequented the chat room were witty folks who enjoyed gathering to pursue a bit of trivia and talking about what was going on in our fairly uneventful lives.

WBS eventually went into cyberspace oblivion, and we trivia-lovin' folks drifted off into other interests online. A few of us stayed in loose contact by e-mail and such, but didn't stay as close as we were when we met weekly in WBS.

Sunday I received the dreadful news that the 29-year-old son of one of my old internet friends had been accidentally shot and killed. He was by all accounts a wonderful man, a loving husband and father of a beautiful two-year-old daughter. Adding to the tragedy is the fact that his wife is expecting their second child in a few short months.

Even though my friend and I have never met face-to-face, I ache for her. Such a senseless tragedy.

Vacation - Day 5

This has been a great vacation so far...doing nothing really big, but lots of little things. My kind of "rest and recharge the batteries" vacation!

Yesterday was my busiest day of the week so far. I needed to get my car serviced, so off I went to my local Wal-Mart. While they were changing the oil and rotating my tires, I did some shopping. Nothing exciting, just lots of "must have" household items.

I was scheduled to visit a friend at 11:30 to help her set up her new wireless printer. When I finished at Wal-Mart I still had some time to kill, so I visited the Dollar Tree. It always amazes me how many things you can buy there for $1. I didn't buy much of anything,but it's a fun thing to do once in awhile.

Next stop was Office Depot to pick up a few things. I'd bought myself a beautiful Cross pen and pencil set a couple of months ago, and yesterday I found that Office Depot had sets on sale at a really good price. So, I picked up another set to take to the office. I can always find something to buy at Office Depot. :-)

By then it was time to go to my friend's house. She'd recently bought herself a terrific Dell laptop and wireless printer, and we had the printer set up and going very quickly. Gotta love Dell!

She asked if I could help set up her e-mail program, because she didn't want to use her provider's webmail system. I hadn't set up an e-mail program in a long time, and things had changed a bit! *LOL* For instance, I learned that Windows 7 does not come with an e-mail program. How weird is THAT? But, I found Windows Mail on her system, which is quite similar to the old Outlook Express. It took me several tries to get the setting right, but after a bit I did manage to get it up and running.

After I left there I stopped to pick up take-out Chinese (beef and broccoli lunch special with hot 'n sour soup....yum!) then stopped by Goodwill to drop off a couple of bags of clothing culled from my overstuffed closet.

Next stop was my apartment manager's office to visit a bit and sign next year's lease. I picked up my mail, hauled all my purchases into the apartment, and collapsed into the recliner to call Mom. Then I made a call to my great-aunt (99 years old....isn't that wonderful?) to ask if I could come visit her this afternoon. She said that would be fine, so I'll be headed to her home (very near by) a little later to sit and knit and visit awhile. Should be lots of fun....she's a really interesting lady!

Had I told you that she crochets things from recycled plastic grocery bags? She inspired me to try it, and I've made a rug for my tent and a tote bag. I have lots of bags stockpiled but have been so busy knitting that I've not crocheted in awhile now. That reminds me that I must pull out my rug to take it to show her.

Off to find my rug!