I'm Back...

...and almost like new---maybe. My back is on the mend ---moving better, thanks to my trusty heating pad and some restroration of common sense---maybe.

Off to Mass this AM. (Mass being said for our family this AM--thanks Vicki). Volunteering most of day at rectory/school. Add some grocery shopping, doing some house chores and just a tad more of that heating pad---should make the day/weekend perfect.

Stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.

Love, Mom

Pay Backs

Found out the weekend adventure w/the tree roots is getting back at me. Really stoved up throughout the day yesterday----all muscular. A good night's rest plus resolve to put the roots/tools to rest (as well as my back) and I am as good as new (maybe a slight exaggeration).  Feel better the more I get around this AM. It's a new day!

Off to Mass, volunteer at rectory in AM/school in PM.

Stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.

Love, Mom

Tree Roots--No!!!!!

(Kat---if you can find this guy send him down---I have some tree work for him to do)

Dug, trenched, hacked, and poisoned tree roots (all weekend) that were entering my yard (from the neighbors's yard) thanks to a tree that had been cut down over a year ago. The trunk had been grinded out but not killed and chips were never removed----therefore it lives (or hopefully, lived). Sending off live roots as big around as my thigh. Project still in the works---you can lift up the loose Bermuda and see the net work of "rootlings" attached and coming from the chips. Just want to keep my sprinkler system and house foundation intact.

Lots of laundry done following above project---Ironic, had allergy testing done yesterday and found one of the things I am allergic to is trees----among other things. Go figure! "Boys" are safe----no allergies to dogs.

Off to Mass, volunteer at rectory/school then home to do more tree/root/destruction work.

Stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.

Love, Mom

Blog Break

(2011 Lantanas, volunteer marigolds)

Planning to catch up on outdoor stuff this weekend so Fall/Winter can settle in w/Ma quietly (rare) enjoying and not planning. We'll see. If I was a gambler---I would not make book on that one---Ma and quiet do not go together.

Mass yesterday, attended a Holy Hour for a friend, and volunteered most of afternoon at rectory. Nice.

Mass this AM, run some errands, and do the the "catch up" thing. The weather is so beautiful---difficult to stay indoors. Gee, forgot-----still have that @#&(*^&(&)*^% mole to catch.

Have a great weekend, stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.

Love, Mom

Moles and Birdbaths

Another cool temp day (61 degrees)---Nice! (The Sonny Day arbor---tying up some of the vines today, using the smooth side out technique so you can see the plaque.)

Worked on transplanting some flowers yesterday and trying to flood out that mole---who now----from the looks of the tunnel work in my flower beds is one energetic rodent. The "boys" show no interest in the mole pursuit until I uncoil the hose and grab the shovel. Why can't they just put their paws to work and dig on their own----why do they need use of my tools to catch moles??? Think it is a team effort??? We'll see.

Handyman showed up in new pair of Polo leather tennis shoes and dressed for supper. The bird bath is still where it was---leaning against the fence, (more lop-sided than ever). Must make a note to self---Will need to remind him that his retainer dinner was eaten and he still has a job to complete.

Off to Mass this AM, pick up some groceries, and hopefully, work in the yard the rest of the day.

Stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.

Love, Mom

Luving this Weather

Feel a song coming on----"Did nuttin' yesterday---just nuttin' yesterday... and am not ashamed to admit it." Have you ever had a whole day of putzing? Could not do it every day but yesterday it just seemed like the perfect thing to do. Felt real close to where's Waldo? Was here, there, and everywhere. Most exciting of all----went to an out of the way bookstore, chatted w/the owner and clerk, naturally, bought several books----have wanted to do that for ever (putz all day)---just did it. Plan to officially name 09/20/2011, as  "Ma's Nuttin Day."

Mass this AM, volunteer at the rectory, run some errands, then yard work the rest of the day. Got a mulched leave delivery yesterday afternoon (thanks Keith) and will begin spreading them in the flower beds. Perfect timing w/Fall on its way. Found the ground is really hard and cannot get anything past 6" down---wanting to move the birdbath, pulled it up and now cannot get it back into the ground---good move---Huh? My carpenter/handyman, who  is on a perpetual retainer----has an auger/like bit that fits onto a drill. He will be here this evening to secure the birdbath back into the ground/put my new pole chain saw together (for the price of supper/after dinner glass of wine.)

Got a couple of neat VA kid pics yesterday evening----cute kids!!! Thanks, Linda and Kurt for having those kids.

Stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.

Love, Mom

Took some pics

Woke up to 3 snuggling "boys" this AM--thundering and lightening outside. Cool weather w/rain showers continues...Took some pics throughout the day yesterday while the "boys" and I tried to get our last mole of the season. This mole has eluded us for almost a week---he is sooooo done. We are going to stay on his trail until the last leaf of Fall drops if necessary.

Until then will just take pics, read, and wait...(Featuring: volunteer MN Kale (thanks Kat), Karl Forrester native grass, 2 (dahlia) native grasses, blooming silver lace vine (on the Ray arbor) and autumn clematis vines on the east fence--note the large native grass to the right---surprise---it is in the path of the showering sprinkler head and has really grown this summer.  May need to move it back a bit in the Spring.

Mass this AM, run a couple of errands, possibly do some volunteering at the convent this afternoon, or attend a neighborhood stamping party.

Stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.

Love, Mom

Fall is here...

Birthday "Boy", 10 years old 09/13/2011

Luvin' the cooler weather (and bonus rain showers). Getting caught up on the outdoor stuff, gathering/freezing some herbs, plan to remove the rubber edging between the daylight windows on replace it w/some cement landscape blocks (after the next nice rain).

Busy day yesterday: Mass in AM, retinal eye check up in afternoon, dinner w/friends @ 6:00pm and home by 9:30pm to be met/greeted by 3 "where the heck is our apple source?" hopping, jumping, loving dogs. Planning on meeting once a month to try out different eating places. Looking forward to doing this.

Busy day today:  Mass this AM, went downtown to meet w/one of the volunteer persons, home at last--all windows open--54 degrees. Going to do laundry, pick up the house, sweep,  file some paperwork, grill some pork chops----going to also read/possibly even nap.

Stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.
Love, Mom

Catching Up

What a wonderful weekend! Out of town family arrived safely----great visit----so much fun catching up. A real treat to see them after all these years! Life is good!!!

Putzed most of yesterday----went to the nursery and picked up a couple of Jackmannii Clematis to place behind a half circle metal  trellis in the front of the house, centered (hopefully) by the brick, in between the windows. (Am now minus the nine bark in front and the red tip to the east---thanks to my trusty spade , lots of diggiing, dragging, pitching/tossing stumps in to the trash cart---will probably have to refer my trash collector to the back surgeon by end of stump/shrub removal season.) Note pic: This is what I am hoping the clematis will look like in a couple of years.

Off to Mass, volunteer at rectory/school this AM, then run an errand w/Allie later this afternoon...
Stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.

Love, Mom

Plants and Blah

Mass this AM and volunteering most of the day at the school.

Lots of yard work done yesterday and looking forward to getting more done on Saturday. Transplanted/moved some ajuga, pulled weeds, got all the native grasses planted. Deciding whether to  replace/not replace some shrubs. Has been such a hard summer on them. If I keep them they will all be in a rejuvenation stage (approx. 6" high). Lost (?) some of my (new) Nandina but am not removing them (yet). They seem to "pop" back from dead looking wood to sprouting new foliage in the Spring. We'll see.

Stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.

Love, Mom

Today...

Waking up to 50+ degree weather each morning and loving it. Open up the house, shut off the A/C, and spend the day out of doors in the flower beds, moving, deadheading, pruning, digging up shrubs, scooting rocks around...Thinking this is Fall and loving it. The "boys" also are loving helping--doing some canine rototilling and rolling in the grass.

Volunteered at the rectory for several hours yesterday, completed a volunteer home project, and plan to repeat another day outside----may hose off/wash down  front/back decks and throw in some reading on the back deck when it's done. 

Off to get ready for Mass---stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.

Love, Mom

More Pics and Stuff

 Found some more old pics to share. Was able to search more sites and found one of the Iola Theater (it is a stand alone pic and not connected as I remember to the Iola Hotel---I sure hope the Iola Hotel really existed and was not a figment of my imagination----for gosh sakes I lived in the place!!!.) The other pic is Jefferson grade school. I went from the 2nd to a portion of the 6th grade at Jefferson.

Always wore my hair in french tight braids w/ribbons (usually very colorful plaid ones). In fact, they were so tight when I moved out of town and started at my new school there were comments made that I may be oriental. Think the taut braids might have helped my facial skin turgor but sure played heck on the challenged hair follicles.

Can still remember all of my teachers names. Remember especially in the 2nd grade, Ms. Hess was getting us excited about a trip we would be taking on a plane. I was ready!!---I was getting so excited until we left our coats in the cloak room and paraded down the hall to the auditorium--knew something wasn't going to turn out like I planned. She told us at the entrance to the auditorium that we would be watching a film about a little girl---Susie--taking a trip around the world , then we would go back to class and talk about all of the countries Susie visited. I was having no part of Susie's trip---I balked at door of the auditorium, grabbed the door post, would not budge, had to be physically dislodged and placed in a chair facing the wall outside the auditorium throughout Susie's entire European trip.  Got the silent treatment from Ms. Hess for a couple of weeks and most likely helped her determine she would never have a desire to have her own children. From then on we maintained a you are the teacher, I'll do my school work, and we will pass you from the 2nd grade. Must have been those tight braids that she didn't like----Hmmmm.

Another cool morning--50's, house open, Mass this AM, then home to plant some perennial native grasses (plant sale at Menard's yesterday). Have all kinds of animals mulling around in the field--owls, deer, squirrels, and just caught a familiar odor of a skunk.

Stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch---fun Face Time last night w/VA family---now that's keeping in touch---loved it!!!!

Love, Mom

Cool Weather

Really a great change in the weather. So Invigorating. Worked out in the yard, garage, baked, grilled, dug up a shrub, and did it all yesterday.

Today: Still cool, wonderful, clear skies...Mass this AM, volunteered at rectory, plan to run some errands, read out on the back deck, and just plain enjoy this cool weather. 

For now: I am OTD and DTR.

Stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.

Love, Mom

Blog Break

Mass this AM, ran errands, now home to get some house things done before the heat sets in...Expecting a 106 degree day.

Have a great weekend, stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.

Love, Mom

More from Ma

Temperature is currently 106---almost immune to it. Car thermometer registers 113---must be all the heat from the concrete/asphalt surfaces. Makes coming in doors a real treat.

More to add to the previous old time story: Became a regular at the Montgomery Ward store as well as the theater and shoe shine  parlor. 

Shoe Shine  Parlor Story: This was a very small 2 chair operation squeezed between the Iola Hotel and the Iola Theater.  This was a time when polished shoes were consider very proper attire. Talked my dad into buying me a pair of cowboy boots so I could join in on the fun. Did I mention the shop was owned by one of the 3 black families in the community? It was so fun to listen to the chatter, singing, and watch the dancing antics as I sat in the chair having my boots polished. Very entertaining fun.

Montgomery Ward Story: The store had an entire area devoted to saddles. All of the saddles were placed on tall wooden braces--about horse high. Now that I had my boots (really shiny boots) felt I could strike up a deal w/the owner to do some work around the place in order to sit on the saddles and live my imaginary dream (at that time) to be a cowgirl. Ever seen a cowgirl wearing shorts chasing horse flies away from the store window? That was my new job but could not find it in my heart to kill all of the big horse flies. Came up w/the idea to bring some thread w/me, catch the horse flies, tie the thread around their necks, and walk them down the street. Walking w/them tied up, flying in all directions created a lot of comments. Looking back one might even consider it a certifiable event---proved to be nothing new w/this cowgirl.

Theater Story: Theater tickets were 12 cents/a piece, could get popcorn/drink/ticket all for 25 cents. The theater was such a wonderful place, real cold inside, ornate design and featured some of the best technicolor movies ever made.  Some of my favorite movies were Paleface, Desert Song, and The Greatest Show on Earth. (Vicki and I can actually still sing a great song, "Come to the Circus", from the last movie.) Remember when Jackie took me to see Cat People, really scary about a black panther---it was already dark when we walked home---I was really terrified by the movie---a neighbor let their barking dog out about the time we passed their house--Jackie grabbed me saying "there it is, run for your life." I screamed, took off running, every porch light in the neighborhood came on and our mom was waiting on the front porch after identifying my familiar scream. I can't remember what my mom said but know Jackie came out smelling like a rose.

Stay healthy, safe, and keep in touch.

Love, Mom