When Technology Fails

Saturday night both Dan and I were on our computers, on the internet, when WHAM, we weren't.  We are at the end of the cable line, our source for our high-speed internet (our only source due to the location of our house), so it happens occasionally.  Usually we wait a while and it comes back.  So we waited.  And finally went to bed.  We checked again in the morning before we went to church, but alas, no internet.  And none when we returned.  We were also without land-line service for our phone.  Thank goodness for our new phones!

It's amazing how often a need arises to check on something.  What is so and so up to on their blog?  What are the words to that song?  And where can I find the wooden plaque that stitcher used to frame her cross stitch (just what I was looking up when the internet went down)?

We tried rebooting our modem numerous times and after a phone call with Eric, we finally were moved to call our carrier.  I will say that Spectrum, our provider, has always been very helpful, and once again they were.  I spent considerable time with a real person who was patient as he asked us to try several different things.  Finally realizing that it was indeed the modem and that it had died, he set us up with an appointment the very next morning (Monday). Couldn't ask for better than that!

The technician arrived shortly before ten, installed the new modem, and was done before ten-thirty.  We were back in business!!  

Meanwhile, I'm deep into taking down all the remaining Christmas decorations.  Yes, I know it's January 26th.  I read a recent comment by a Norwegian lady who said her mother always kept her things up for twenty days after Christmas, and that her mother-in-law kept hers up until Candlemas (had to look that up), so I guess it's the Norwegian in me that keeps things up to long.  I've been vindicated!!

As December Ends

Well, I don't think anyone will be sorry to see this year end.  It's been a strange one for certain.  But then I have to remind myself that almost every generation has strange years.  Black plague? World wars? And on and on.  So, we count our blessings, keep moving forward and remind ourselves of what's truly important. And I'm sure it's not "stuff", but people that count.

We've been inundated with snow today.  Lots and lots of snow, and wind, so it's hard to tell just how much snow has actually fallen.  Dan plowed this early evening and now we've settled in for the night beside the fire. We are supposed to get more snow overnight so we'll see what the morning brings.  I made a big ham and split pea soup for supper in the Instant Pot, just the thing for a wintery day and there's lots left over for the next few days.  

When I was downstairs earlier I realized I didn't take any pictures of the family room to share so here's one:

That's the sewing machine I learned to sew on.  I haven't tried it since bringing it up when we cleared out Mom and Dad's house, but one of these days I will.  I probably need to take it out of the cabinet and have it gone through first, though. 

Happy New Year to one and all!! ♥

Sunday Evening

Well, I just remembered that I'd better pop on and at least say I'm here! It's been a lovely, relaxing day with snow falling throughout.  They said we'd maybe get half an inch, but at least three are down, and since it's still snowing, maybe more by morning.  Dan plowed this afternoon and I napped.  Sounds like a good balance of effort, doesn't it?  :-)

We stopped at Subway to grab a couple of subs for lunch after church. I've found a new one I really like--teriyaki sweet onion.  I get a foot-long and save the other half for lunch the next day. Rats, now that I'm thinking about it, I want to go and eat it now.  Must.Be.Strong. Must.Be.Strong.

Tomorrow I need to get serious about beginning my Christmas baking. Think I'll start with a couple of cookie recipes, one that needs refrigerating, and one I can bake right away.  Now that I've written that, I'll have to be accountable.  

Here's a closeup of the top of the china hutch featuring a little counted cross stitch scene, also designed by The Prairie Schooler. 

Stay warm out there!  Winter seems to have arrived in all its icy beauty. ♥ 

Christmas in the Kitchen

I seem to spend a lot of time in my kitchen.  Dan has never eaten cold cereal so a hot breakfast it is each day.  From the start of the day until evening, I am probably in the kitchen more than another other room in the house, unless I'm on a sewing mission.  Decorating my kitchen happens with each season, but never so much as for Christmas.  These are new photos, but may be very similar to ones I've posted in past years.

The cookbook cupboard Dan made me some years ago is my favorite spot of all.  The Jim Shore trees and Santa just make the top and were gifts from Ann at past Christmases.  

The broom is many years old, probably dated, but I still love it.  I made it probably forty years ago. The calendar is a Susan Winget one, the same artist who did the illustrations for the book in my Bear Corner pictured a few days ago.  The snowman platter was a gift from Bruder Bear and Karen, and under it, if you click on the photo to enlarge it, is a garland of little angels, a gift from Susan Boehne, a teacher friend of mine.  The wooden mitten on the door knob was made by Cyndie McCabe, another long-time friend and former neighbor.  I get the best gifts! 

These little snowmen, perched by my sink, were also a gift, made by a former assistant principal at the school where I taught.  So cute!

And on the wall in the breakfast nook is a quilt I made from a Country Threads pattern, called Uncle Santa, also many years old.  

Even my stove gets a little decorating.  I put my lovely dark green Staub dutch oven on the back burner, put an appliqued towel on the oven handle, and park an adorable snowman timer next to it.  Those red spatulas in the utensil crock fit right in, too!

And last, here is the breakfast nook table.  

You can see Uncle Santa on the wall, and on the table is a runner I made for Mom and Dad and brought home after we cleared out their house. The sleigh centerpiece was made by a friend the first year we moved back to town, so it's been on that table since Christmas of 1985.  Tradition!!  ♥

Last Day of September

How can it be the end of September already?  But as I look outside, I definitely see signs of fall--leaves turning color, that blue, blue sky of late September, early October.   Such beautiful days we've been having! Perfect, as a matter of fact.  

Now that I've finished the peaches, I've taken a few "lazy days" and relaxed with some reading and knitting. I'm still working on the brown tweed socks of last spring and discovered that somehow I made the first one too short in the foot area.  Never mind.  I'll see if I can rip back and go again.  If not, I'll just reknit the whole thing.  Mindless, relaxing work.  Sounds good.

Here's a few picture of our house ready for the season. 

I love the fall additions to the hearth.

My favorite corner.

We took a big plunge last week and met with a contractor to do some much needed work on two of our bathrooms.  The lovely (not!) green tub, the last vestige of that awful color in the downstairs bath, will be replaced with a walk-in shower and the upstairs guest bathtub will get a beautiful new surround.  I'm so excited!  He said they would get to it in six to eight weeks, so all should be done by Christmas.  

Meanwhile, we are also toying with raising the sunken living room to the level of the rest of the main floor.  Our advancing years are making us ponder work that could enable us to stay here more years and that step down was a real headache for my parents.  Mom crashed twice when she forgot to step down. 

It's pumpkin season!!  Let the leaves fall and the wind blow and candy corn rule!  ♥ 

The Times . . .

. . . they are moving along . . . slowly.   Such a strange, strange year.  The virus, staying at home, people getting all het up over politics, and now smoke.  The west seems to be on fire although thankfully most of it isn't near us. My dad spent years and years in forest fire control and in all those years, never did he have fires that grew like they seem to now.  I don't know if it was because he was good at his job (he was) or because the forests were in better shape than they are now.  At any rate, we've been smoked in for almost a week and it's definitely added to the strangeness of 2020.  Actually, it's been eerie.  But somewhere up there the sun is shining!! 

I signed back up with Ancestry.com.  I think I left about the time my parents passed, so it's been three years or so and there's so much more information available.  I've had a great time finding information about my mom's side of the family.  Because Grandpa came from Norway, those records weren't available except for a high price, but thanks to a sale, I got an international pass included at the same price as the U.S. pass usually goes for.   So much information, much of it recently added I'm sure.  I was having a ball as I clicked and saved.  Most holes in Mom's family tree have now been filled in.  Wish she was still here so I could show her.  

Now I'm rationing my time on the computer and starting to put out our fall decorations.  I started with the front porch and am now working on the living room and dining room.  You wouldn't believe the dust I'm encountering as I move things.  All the harvest dust and particles in the smoke!  I recommend buying Swiffer stock!  Ha!  At any rate, it's fun to get out things that have been put away since last November.  I love the continuity of the changing seasons and decor year after year.  

Very little is happening in my sewing room.  I'm so linear that I seem to be able to only work on one thing at a time.  I did turn the collar on a favorite workshirt of Dan's and prepare the backing for the Peace on Earth quilt this week.  One of these days the mood will strike and I'll load it on the long arm and get it quilted.  

And that's what's happening at the Resort!  ♥

Etcetera

The last two weeks have vanished in a blink.  What have I done, I ask myself.  Good question! Reading, of course.  Having that Kindle app and taking advantage of two free months of Kindle Unlimited has made me like a kid in a candy store!  One book was very different and also thought provoking given these times.  The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson is an historical novel based on real events.  

I've finally had to make a mask or two.  Most of Dan's consulting work involves workshops and field trips and most have been cancelled due to the virus, but one is taking place this week with all kinds of precautions.  He will need a mask as he teaches so I bit the bullet and made him two out of tan fabric with pine needles on it. Suitable, I thought!  

The weather has been all over the place,  Cold, wet and dreary, hot, sunny and necessitating turning on the AC, and now back to overcast and wet.  Lots of thunder and lightning, too.  As we tell each other, it's still June! Truthfully, given the current events politically and healthwise, I'm hoping for a cool summer to help keep people calm.  

The baby shower was fun and the mom-to-be loved the bibs.  I'm thinking of making some more this week before I forget how cute these turned out.  I also have a friend who became a grandma for the first time that I want to send some bibs to.  She can keep them at her house or send them on but either way, I thought she'd have fun opening the package.  

This cool weather has been wonderful for the flower pots and the garden.  Here's the view from my front entryway.

And here's a cute one of Daniel and his friend Crosby at their swimming lessons last winter.  Here's hoping they can soon hit the water once again.  

Happy summer!  ♥

Feathered Friends

Since we live on the edge of town, actually in the county rather than inside the city limits. we get our share of wildlife.  Skunks, elk, moose, and so on.  We also get a lot of birds.  The quail make me laugh as they run in groups, always with one far in the rear.  The pheasants are gorgeous.  And this year, we've spotted a new duo in our trees.  A pair of owls.  

They are huge!  (And we're ever so glad we don't have a cat anymore!)  They seem to like our poplar trees.  

Hoot, hoot!  Look at that wise old owl!!  ♥

Cleaning Up

What a weird title, huh? Well, grab your coffee, pull up a chair, and I'll tell you all about it.

Here at the Resort, we have our own well, which necessitates a room we lovingly call "The Culligan Room" due to all the big tanks it contains to make our water usable. We needed to add a new tank a week or so ago when one of the old ones began to fail.  Tuesday morning Dan appeared in the door to our bathroom as I was getting ready for the day and said, "We have a problem," and then stopped.  I waited for him to say something like, "I think we should eat out tonight and we need to decide where to go."  He does that.  But finally he said, "The basement is flooded."  

That's right, he said, "The basement is flooded."  And so it was.  The new tank had done its weekly back flush and apparently it was considerably stronger with the new tank and the drain couldn't handle the flow.  So the floor did.  Down the hall, into the family room, into Dan's office, the laundry room, and all over the Culligan Room itself.  Even into the closet of the guest room.  Oh the joy.  

So, we gathered up towels, laid them down and began. Thankfully we have a good shop vac and Dan went to work with that.  We hauled out boxes from the downstairs pantry and the guest room closet and as we mopped and vacuumed, we'd take a break and look in the boxes.  Hmmm . . . who knew we still had . . . and as the water disappeared, so did quite a few of the found items.  So, the flood did have its upside!  We had a plumber friend of ours send over one of his workers and he used some kind of pressure thingy to blow out all our drains, but we're not sure if there was a clog that might have contributed, so the Culligan guy will come tomorrow to test and re-calibrate if necessary.  

We still have more cleaning and sorting to do, and we definitely have to replace the carpet because this latest flood was just the last straw for it.  (My long-time readers may recall the floods our old washer caused a few years ago.)  

And just to change the subject and harken back to my last post, here's a picture of me with my first loaves of bread!  In the little tiny kitchen of our little tiny 8'x35' trailer, our first home sweet home.  

It was the start of my love of bread baking, and I still have those wedding present Corningware loaf pans.  ♥

Front Porch

It's a gray day here at the Resort.  It started out foggy, now it's just gray, bleak even, and rain is forecast for this afternoon.  A good day to be indoors, with something warm and comforting to drink.  In my case, pumpkin spice coffee with salted caramel creamer.  Mmmm . . .  she said with a smile.  

But back to my post title.  I've put up pictures of our front porch decorated for fall before, but this year we have something new.  Years ago I made a wreath for the front door but I have been somewhat dissatisfied with it for a while.  We have friends who have a Christmas tree farm outside a neighboring town and they also have a corresponding Christmas shop in their barn.  The past couple of years they have added a fall festival and shop. I was perusing their website and noticed some gorgeous fall wreaths.  I had to have one!  And so I bought.  

I love, love, love it.  So beautiful and welcoming.  It's the perfect addition to our little front porch which was swept clean yesterday courtesy of my sweet husband.

Yes, that poor old scarecrow is still there.  He's tradition.  ♥

A Little More Catching Up

Our house is surrounded by trees.  Lots of trees.  Box elders, maples, spruce, poplars, aspen, and a huge birch tree are just some of them.  The birch tree was a thing of beauty, towering high and weeping low.  Until the last few years.  They don't last long and then there's the birch borer.  This year our beautiful tree was a sad sight.  Over three-fourths of it was dead and Dan knew it had to come down.  

A few weeks ago he put in a call to his good buddy, Dennis, and they made plans to take it down.  A tree as large as this one takes some planning and they did that in short order.  The tree had a fork down low and so they began by attaching a cable high up on the taller southern section and running it to the back of our pickup.  This would ensure that it fell in the right place. With Dan manning the truck to keep the cable taut and Dennis on the saw, they began.  

They've worked together for so many years on various projects and hunting that they know each other well. They worked quickly and efficiently and in short order, both sections were down and by nightfall, all that was left were a few leaves and stacks of cut limbs.  Another biggie on Dan's list was scratched off!  (And two days later they rebuilt the chimney in Dennis's garage.)  ♥

Musings

The calendar says it's the middle of August, but there's a touch of fall in the air.  It seems that the few last years, fall arrives about now.  The days are warm, high 70s maybe 82, and the nights are cool.  So much for the "hot August nights" of my youth.  And believe me, I'm not complaining!  I'm loving each and every day.  

I took a little tour of my pots of flowers a bit ago and snapped a couple of pictures.  I'm so not a gardener, but I do enjoy my pots and remember to water them every day or so.  Dan puts them together every May, and I keep them going until fall when we store them in our sun room for the winter months.  

Corner of the deck

One of these on each side of the garage

Front porch

From the looks of these photos, we like red!  Whenever I drive up, I love to see the color all across the front.  

And speaking of driving, I had a fun morning at a coffee shop with three other ladies of the neighborhood celebrating the recent retirement of one of them.  Now we're all retired and think maybe we need to do this more often!  We all marveled that we'd reached this point when we think we're just a bunch of spring chickies.  No complaints, however!

A new baby quilt is in the works and I'll try to post some pictures in a day or so.  ♥

My Kitchen and Me

If you've read my blog for very long, you know I'm a kitchen person.  Notice that I did not say that I'm a wannabe chef, or even a cook.  I do cook, and I do bake, but I claim no expertise in either area.  But I do love my kitchen and all the things a kitchen holds--tools for the job so to speak.  

When we bought this house almost twenty years ago, I was thrilled that it had a pantry.  I'm not certain that it was originally meant to be a pantry, in fact, I think it was meant to be a utility closet for brooms, vacuum, etc.  There's even a light in the ceiling, or at least there was until we took the bulb out and taped cardboard over the hole.  Some other owner installed shelves and of course, that made the light useless as the only part it illuminated was the top shelf.  

Collector of kitchen tools that I am, a good portion of the pantry is dedicated to hold them.  Waffle iron, Instant Pot, toaster (not enough room on my counters to leave it out), snackster sandwich maker, and so on.  Then of course there's the actual food storage including containers of different kinds of beans and pastas. (Have I ever mentioned that I'm a total lover of different shapes of pasta??  Hopeless addiction.)  

Several weeks ago I decided it was time to clean out the pantry and once again find out just what lurked behind those closed doors.  Here I begin to take things out. 

And I began to fill up a counter with the goods.

Maybe more than one counter.  And the floor...

And here we are after careful sorting, consolidation, and judicious replacement.

I don't think I threw away anything but some empty containers after consolidation, but that just shows that I do use what I have.  Which was a relief.   

At Year's End

I totally stole that title from another blog, but I love it and the thoughts it brings.  It leads one to ponder.  

Yes, it is the end of another year.  How quickly they seem to go these days, but I guess that's the way it goes as one ages.  Or so I've heard.  And now it's almost 2019.  Impossible! Almost twenty years of this new century lived by Dan and me, who as Dan likes to say, "were born in the first half of the last century."  Yikes! And yet mostly so good, filled with beautiful days, like this one this week:

I love our backyard and the views beyond.  I'm so happy we still have snow! It lights these short days and keeps me energized.  Inside the Christmas tree lights up the evenings and makes everything so cozy.  We also have those amazing faux candles and tea lights that bring even more coziness to the darkness.

I love this little wooden "basket" that hold a tea light that actually flickers like a real candle.  And I don't have to worry about burning the house down!  

It may be the end of the year, but our Christmas decorations will continue to light our days and nights for a few more weeks.  Christmas day is not the end, but just the beginning and as we go into a new year, we'll take the gift of grace that Christmas brought so long ago and carry it with us each day. ♥

Taking a Little Pause. . .

. . . from cleaning sinks.  Such a rewarding job when done, but not so much fun when doing.  I am grateful for nice scrubby sponges and good cleaning supplies!

I didn't mean to be gone for this many days, but last week was busy, and coupled with the remains of my cold, I just didn't get back here.  This week looks to be much quieter and that's good.  Cleaning needs to continue!!

I took the Thanks banner to our pastor's wife yesterday and she loved it.  Just was so excited and actually jumped up and down clutching it and hugging me.  So glad I did it.  I also made another kitchen towel for the friends who have a Christmas tree farm using a design from Embroidery Library.  It seemed appropriate and a nice thank you for the pumpkins they gave us. These towels are kind of addictive!

Well, I think I hear the kitchen sink calling my name so I'd better get back to work! ♥

A Little This, A Little That

Our phone rang a little after noon on Friday and it was Bruder Bear saying he was in Riggins just coming off a fishing trip with some friends and wondered if he could come up for a visit for a day or so.  Yay!!  So Dan and I hopped to and got a little house work done (left undone for too long due to my cold and Dan's knee) and we were mostly ready when he arrived about three-thirty.  We ate out that night (ref. clean house instead of cook...) but I came up with some plans for Saturday night.  I'm always okay with breakfast and lunch, but dinner often stymies me when I have company, even someone as easy at Bruder Bear.  

My plan?  One Hour Swedish Limpa Bread from Foodie with Family and Chicken Wild Rice Soup from Pressure Cooking Today.  The boys kept busy with discussions of hunting and reloading and then, thanks to BB's scouting skills, left to buy some rims for winter tires for the new SUV we purchased last summer.  I have tried to do some preliminary work for my cooking these days, so I gathered ingredients and chopped away on onions, celery, and carrots (which I have learned is called mirepoix in the fancy cooking world) and chicken. Having all these things plus the other ingredients at the ready is called mise en place.  All these French terms!!  But I am becoming a true believer in mise en place, it keeps me from leaving something out and I'm much more relaxed when it comes to actually doing the cooking.

The bread recipe truly is quick although an hour and fifteen minutes is probably closer to the truth for me.  AND it makes two lovely sized loaves!  Win, win!  We decided when I first made it earlier this year that we weren't fans of the fennel seeds, but otherwise I follow the recipe exactly.  And oh! the smell of the orange peel.  Mmmm!  We had leftovers from the first loaf toasted with breakfast this morning and it was delicious with a little butter and peach jam.  Dan said it was as good as dessert. 

Our beautiful days seem to be coming to an end with light rain and clouds in the forecast for the next week or so.  Fine with me!  Makes it all the more cozy.  We've had the fireplace burning merrily many nights.

The front porch is very festive for the season.  We've gathered in a few more pumpkins this year thanks to some friends who had leftovers after a Fall Festival at their Christmas tree farm.  We usually have one, but I'm loving the look of more!

I realized as I looked at this picture I just took that I need to take down the birdhouse and put up the Indian corn!  So I'm off to do that before I forget.  ♥ 

Post 417: Wherein I Discover Dusting Can Be Fun

Yes, I realize it's been three months since I've written. And one would think that I would have something more earth-shaking to write about than dusting, but trust me when I say that this is earthshaking.

NOTE: For those of you who have already discovered this amazing item, my apologies and you have my permission to stop reading at any time.  

While at my parents' house weeks ago, I spotted a strange looking thing in the laundry room and my brother told me it was a Swiffer duster and that it was, well, I can't remember his actual words, but something to the effect that it was amazing.  Fast forward to a week or so ago when I was surveying the dusty living and dining rooms and our bedroom, mentally gearing myself up for a marathon of dusting when I remembered The Swiffer.  

A trip to the grocery store was on the agenda so I added "Swiffer duster" to the list and away we went. (I need to have a list because, well, I'm getting old-er and the memory...).  We finally found the Swiffer and threw the box into the cart, mentally noting to transfer Swiffer to the Costco list (in other words, The Swiffer is not cheap).

At home, I opened the box, pulled out the handle and noted it came in two pieces.  I managed to ram the pieces together and then pondered how to put the actual duster thing-y on.  I read the instructions and still no wiser, consulted Dan, who pointed to the picture. Ah. The picture. Worth a thousand words any day!  After realizing we'd put the dust thing-y on upside down, I was in business.  

I thought I'd give it a little spin so I tried it out on the dining room table and before I knew it, I was done with the dining room itself.  I even dusted the chair legs!! This little gizmo ↓

is truly amazing.  There must be some dust attractor on those fluffy strips because even corners and crevices become dust-free in a flash.  I attacked our bedroom and then the living room.  I was still smiling when I was done, and let me say I was done in record time.  (Please note that there is no picture of the duster thing-y when I was done because I was truly embarrassed at the amount of dirt on it.)  Who knew dusting could actually be easy and fun?  ♥

What's Going On at the Resort?

Well, actually, nothing! As is evidenced by the Christmas wallpaper still here on the blog.  However, the entire house is still decorated for Christmas and probably will be for at least another week, so the wallpaper stays.  :-)

We still have snow although none of it is new.  It makes the days brighter and we love that.  We often call January Janu-dreary so the white is much appreciated. And we wouldn't object to some more.

Don't know if I've mentioned that Dan, with son-in-law Eric's help, got the shower stall installed over Thanksgiving.  They also got the new sheetrock up around it. Over the next few weeks Dan got it taped and mudded and finally textured.  After Christmas he got it primed and painted.  Now we await our shower door which seems to be lost in limbo-land somewhere.  Hmm, I need to call about that again.  

I'm pondering my next sewing project.  I've been digging through my quilting books and have seen many things I'd like to make; deciding is the next step.  

First up, however, is the laundry.  The excitement never ends here.  ♥

This Is NOT a Mirage!

Yeah, yeah, I know I've been absent.  Sometimes the words are just not there, for whatever reason. Maybe just so I won't bore you!  :-)

And now, it's October and fall is here.  Love it!  The poplars are laying down a carpet of gold on the grass in the backyard, the box elders are turning their usual stunning red, and the days are blue and gold.  Here where I live, fall is our shining time.  Gorgeous!

I've decorated the house and added a few new pieces. I've need a centerpiece for the dining room table and back in August I took advantage of some coupons at JoAnn's and bought three large fall picks and one flower pick that had about five chrysanthemums on it in varying colors.  Two weeks ago I finally got brave (Who has to get brave to make a centerpiece??  Apparently I do.) and decided to see what I could do.  I had a lovely white casserole/soup tureen in the cupboard and I used it for the vase.  I simply bent the stems of the fall picks in a 45 degree angle and placed them in the dish.  Then I had Dan cut the flower pick apart (I tried, but my fingers didn't have enough umph...) and placed them among the leaves.  

I am inordinately pleased with the results!

I got a new catalog in the mail and found these cute little pilgrims who begged to be added to our home. They are a Williraye design.  Aren't they adorable?

A week or so ago Ann and I ran away from home to a neighboring town for a little fun.  In addition to Costco, we hit Pier One and I, sucker that I am for seasonal things, had to buy this mug to drink my fall morning coffee.  I love its pumpkin color, it's shape, and rustic glaze. It makes me smile each day.

Last week when I went to Ann's for my usual Thursday afternoon of watching the D-man, Ann had my birthday present waiting.  We both enjoy the Pioneer Woman's cooking show and her cookbooks, and were excited to learn she had a line of kitchen goods coming out.  Ann had been waiting for them to show up at our local Walmart and they finally did. 

This beautiful bowl was full of utensils including a wooden spoon, masher, and flat whisk.  What fun!!  I love kitchen things!

I've been machine embroidering again and did some lace this week including this bookmark:

Meanwhile, Dan has been working on our bathrooms as time allows.  Part of the plan is to redo the cabinet fronts and he's been experimenting with drawer fronts. I think we've got it figured out!

Normally I'd be watching Daniel this afternoon but he was up all night with the throw-ups so Ann is home with him.  She said he was finally starting to feel better about ten this morning.  So, here I am, doing a catch-up.  

Happy October!  ♥

Summertime, and the Livin' Is . . . Busy!

For a couple of hermits, the last few weeks have been busy and social for us.  We enjoyed the rehearsal dinner and wedding of our long-time friends' son on the 17th and 18th.  Both were in a nearby town, so some driving was involved and we even sneaked in a trip to Costco before the rehearsal dinner.  We had a great time at both events and the tablecloths were perfect on the tables Friday night.  

The following Monday was a big birthday for Dan, and Ann and Eric convinced me that we really must do a party.  I'm not good at parties, but they both helped and we did it.  Dan wasn't really looking forward to this birthday, but he really enjoyed his party and I'm glad we did it.  A good number of local friends came and we enjoyed a beautiful evening in a local park, eating and gabbing the evening away.

Today a friend from college days and her husband were in town and we thoroughly enjoyed a leisurely lunch with them a local restaurant.  Lois and I lived in the same dorm forty-five (!!!!) years ago and hadn't seen each other since just after Dan and I married, so that's over forty-three years.  I don't think the guys had ever met, or if they did, it was briefly, but they had a good time visiting, too.  

Meanwhile, things are stirring back to life here at the resort in the remodeling department,  Dan's busy season with his consulting work is winding down for a while, so we're working on bathrooms.  Several weeks ago Eric, Cam and Keat came over on a Saturday and along with Dan, they pulled out the old shower stall in the bath adjoining our bedroom. (Should I say, "our en suite?" a la HGTV?) We've debated possibilities for the new shower, and as much as I'd like to go all tile, I don't think it's worth the effort it would take to do it, so I think we'll just go with a new white (the old was harvest gold) stall and call it good.  Hey, it'll get me clean just fine.  :-)  Meanwhile, new light fixtures, shower rods, etc, have made their way into the main upstairs and downstairs baths.  Each new piece makes me smile!

Here's a picture of the gaping hole that's in our bath right now:

  

Having access to the plumbing for the tub in the main bathroom will enable Dan to do some upgrades there, too,  Our well water has worked a number on the pipes and fixtures.  

Meanwhile, the flower pots on our deck are in bloom and I just love the wonderfully bright flowers. We bought the plants at Costco last year and Dan was able to keep them alive over the winter in our sunroom.  (Truth:  if plants depended on me to live, they wouldn't.)

♥