A Wonderful Evening Out

March 31, 2019

Good morning.  My goodness!  Today is the last day of this month of March.  Hopefully, all the winter storms are behind us now and we can begin to enjoy the Spring temps and blossoms.  Today's temps will be in the upper fifties with bits of rain every now and then.

Gosh, yesterday was just a lost day for me.  For some reason, I was so tired, and just could not get out of my own way.  It was really an effort just to try to get up and walk.  This lasted until around five o'clock in the afternoon.  Thank goodness I started feeling a bit better because I was going to the Paris Cabaret with Deanne.

I am so glad that I was able to go see this last performance of The King And I.  The acting and singing was just wonderful.  Our Jazzy never ceases to amaze me with her beautiful voice.  Now we are looking forward to the Spring musical performance of "70's Disco Fever."   There will also be a special Mother's Day Show in May, and Deanne says that she is taking me to to that one.

Here is a photo of Deanne and I taken at our table last night at the Cabaret.  All the walls are decorated with these wonderful murals.

I borrowed a really fun photo from the web to share with you.  Have you ever seen so many adorable little dinosaurs crossing the street? 

Oh my goodness, they are really Lemurs.  But they do look like tiny dinosaurs if you look really quick!  These next photos are a couple of the cute little squirrels at the Florida resort.  I love how they pose for you once they see you with your camera.

In a little while I want to give Pogo a bath with his new soap.  He has an appointment this afternoon with his doctor and I want her to see how the new soap is working on his skin.  I also have to tell her that I'm not doing so good giving him his medicine.  He doesn't want it, so I end up wearing most of it.

Today I had another new quick page for you, but I'm having trouble getting the link to work.  Hopefully, it will be straightened out by tomorrow.

Now I'm off to give Pogo his bath and do a bit of blog reading.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

A Fun New Progect

March 29, 2019

Good morning.  Tis gray and windy outside now, but temps are warmer.  We will be in the mid fifties today and the sun will peek in on us every now and then, or so the forecast says.  I woke up earlier this morning, checked to see that Pogo was still sleeping, then rolled over and went back to sleep. 

Today is going to be a quiet day.  Maybe I'll do a load of laundry in between sorting through a bag of junk mail.  At some point I'd like to play on my laptop for a while, and maybe make a few new quick pages. 

Yesterday's mail brought a new book that I had ordered.  It's about Aromatherapy Jewelry, and I thought that DIL Janet and I would enjoy trying this.  I'm thinking that Audrey would like this too, so maybe I'll send her a copy of the book too.

Here's a list of Essential Oils that will be good to use with the jewelry.

This is definitely going to be a fun project.  I used to work with the oils to make lotions, creams, perfumes, etc, and I really enjoyed it.  I'll be sure to take photos to share.

 It seems that there was one table not reserved yet at the Paris Cabaret for the last performance of The King And I, so Deanne and I are going to go to the Cabaret this Saturday night.  It was a great show, and I'm looking forward to seeing it again. 

Tuesday evening, Deanne, Eddie and Kevin took Ulf out to dinner before taking him to the train station.  He was headed for Boston, then back home.  Here's a photo Deanne sent to me of our guys that evening.  My goodness, such a handsome group of fellows!

My friend Beth hasn't been feeling so good these past couple of days, so I thought I'd post a photo of her taking Pogo for a walk in Florida.  I hope you're feeling much better today, Beth.

That's about it for my news today.  It's time to dig in to another bag of junk mail.  Ahhh, such fun!  So, till Sunday, Y'all have a fantabulous weekend. 

Hugs, Edna B.

Happy BIrthday To Scott And Janet (today and tomorrow)

March 28, 2019

Good morning, for about twenty nine more minutes.  Wow, did I ever sleep late this morning!  I guess now that the worst part of the taxes is done, my body is catching up on a lot of lost sleep.  The sun is shining and the temp is 44F degrees.  The forecast is for it to get up to around fifty later this afternoon.  Does this mean that Spring is really here?

Yesterday I did a lot of goodness knows what.  I kept busy all day, but I can't really think of anything I accomplished.  Don't you just love days like that?  Somehow, I have a lot of days like that.  While I was away, two full shopping bags worth of junk mail came in.  Since I've been home, I've got another two bags full of junk mail.  So guess what I'm going to be doing the next couple of days. 

Last evening, DIL Janet came by after work and we had a really nice visit.  I've missed seeing her these past weeks.  Wednesday night is our "anything goes for supper" night.  We ordered out for sub sandwiches for our supper.  Steak and cheese with a few pickles.  Yum, Yum! 

I guess Pogo decided that my sandwich looked a whole lot better than his hamburger, so I put a lot of the steak from my sandwich on his plate and that made him happy.  He ate all the steak and half of his hamburger.  If my little guy is happy, I'm happy.

This week, I have two more family birthdays.  Janet and her hubby Scott.  Their birthdays are today and tomorrow.  Janet and I decided to celebrate them next week because the things that I had ordered for them just haven't come yet.  I wish both of them many more years of happy celebrations.  I love you kids.

Today I have some photos of some of Florida's tiny wildlife.  I just love the birds and little critters.

I'm going to set aside my current crochet projects so that I can start work on a new afghan to send to Ulf and his girl friend, Anna.  Today I will see about picking out the colors I want to use.  I do have some ideas, but I need to look at the yarn.

I also have a new quick page for you today.  I used one of my old collab kits to make this one.  It's called My Fair Lady.  Enjoy.

Here is your download link:
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Now I'm going to see about some lunch for Pogo and me.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

My Cup Runneth Over

March 27, 2019

Good morning.  Tis a tad bit early.  Only 1:24 a.m.  I'm up doing a few things and I thought that if I post now, I can sleep late in the morning.  Well, that's the plan at least. 

I did not get to post on Tuesday because I only had a little while to get up, make a cup of coffee, get me and Pogo dressed (plus I fed him) and get ready to leave for my appointment with the tax accountant.  Yup, I finally made it there.  I was only missing one figure that was needed (I don't know why this figure was needed, it never was before.)  so when I got home later in the afternoon, I looked it up and will call it to the accountant later today.

After my appointment, Pogo and I went to the Post Office to mail one of my boxes, then we headed for Deanne's house for a visit with someone very special to us.  I may have mentioned before, but I'll repeat anyway.  When my kids were growing up, I just didn't have enough money to take them on vacations or send them to exciting places. 

So, I took in Foreign Exchange Students for a while.  This way my kids could at least learn from being with kids from other countries.  It really was rewarding.  One year, we got a young man from Sweden.  His name was Ulf.  For a while that year, we had a young girl from Norway until the agency could arrange a placement for her.  She was Toril, from Norway.  These placements were for a whole year.

Ulf went to Brockton High School with Audrey and graduated from there.  He also attended computer classes in Boston on Saturday mornings.  (I think these were held at Harvard University.)  From the first day he came to us, he fit right in and became a member of our family. 

When these kids went home, Audrey went with them.  She spent a month in Norway with Toril and her family, and a month in Sweden with Ulf and his family.  My son, Gary Jr got to spend a few weeks in Sweden with Ulf and his family, and later I went there for two weeks and then again for Ulf's wedding.  So you see, we had become family.

Through the years, we've kept in touch, even had a few visits.  Ulf belongs to a choir and they have been performing in several places.  This week, in Boston.  He came a few days early so that he could have a visit with us.  He stayed at Deanne and Eddie's, and today Pogo and I got to spend some time with him. 

I have a few photos to share.  Ulf posted a photo of him and Deanne on Facebook Sunday night, so I dug into my old photo albums for a few photos from back in 1974.  This first photo was Ulf the year he came to stay with us.

This next page shows Deanne and Ulf in 1974, and Ulf and Deanne in 2019 (Sunday night) forty five years later. 

This photo was taken the day Ulf graduated from Brockton High School (1974).  From left to right are:  Deanne, Cindy (a friend of Ulf's), Ulf, Audrey, Kerri and Gary Jr.  (My kids.)

When my kids were young, I taught them to crochet, and we taught Ulf to crochet too.  He spent a good part of the year here crocheting a gorgeous afghan for his Mom.  She loved it, and took very good care of it.  His mom passed on several years ago, and Ulf put the afghan away and brought it here with him and gave it to me.  Wow!  Forty five years later, it looks just like it did when he first made it.  Deanne already has dibs on it when I retire from earth.  I folded it and set it on the porch gate to take a photo to share.  Isn't this beautiful?

Am I blessed?  Or am I blessed!  I feel like my cup runneth over.  Life wasn't all that easy, but oh my, I wouldn't trade it for anything.  My family is precious, and I love all of them dearly.

Here are a couple photos from our visit yesterday.  This photo is me, Ulf and Jazzy.

And this photo is my grandson (Deanne's eldest) Bobby, his children Xander and Aurora, and Ulf.

And of course I had to take a photo of Pogo and Sassy.  He kept trying to make nice-nice with her, but she just wasn't interested.  She's just a little doggie, but Pogo looks teeny weeny next to her.

Ulf brought a thumb drive with lots of photos from way back when.  Oh my, the memories!    I'll share some of them once I have a chance to crop them.  While he's been here, Ulf has taken lots of photos and will send us all of them on a thumb drive once he gets home.  I can't wait to see them. 

I was going to post a new quick page today, but I'll post it tomorrow.  I'm going to have a snack (I think) and see about turning in for some sleep.  I might sleep better at night now that my taxes are done.  We'll see. 

So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

A Busy Day Ahead

March 25, 2019

Good morning.  Tis a quarter past eight, and it's looking a bit gloomy outside.  Today's temps will be much cooler than yesterday, but still in the forties.  Spring is really trying to get a foot hold here. 

Well, I've procrastinated as long as I can and today I really do have to go out and buy some groceries.  I did not get any air put into my tires, so I'll have to do that too while I'm out.  I just haven't felt like going out lately.  But, we're running out of lots of things so this morning when I finish this post, I'll be heading out to shop.

I also need to get a print out of all my medical expenditures from WalMart Pharmacy.  I have all my tax stuff sorted into columns and totaled except for my prescriptions.  Once I get that print out, I'll be done with my figures and ready to go to the accountant tomorrow morning.  Woo Hoo!

Today I want to get two little boxes ready to be mailed tomorrow.  One of them should have been mailed last week, but I'm slow as a snail about some things.  Old age has not exactly been generous with energy for me.  When I think back to what I used to be able to accomplish in any given day, I get exhausted just thinking.  Thank goodness I was young long enough to do all the things that I needed to do. 

Not to worry, I haven't slipped over the top edge of the hill just yet.  There are still things that I want to do.  Whether or not I can do them remains to be seen.  I do love to travel around a bit, but nowadays I prefer not to go it alone.  Days before, I thought nothing of driving to other states by myself no matter how far away they were.  At this tender elder age though, I prefer not to do it alone anymore. 

Today I have some more photos of the beautiful shrubbery at the resort in Florida.  I especially love their flowering hedges.

 

And this is a close up.......

 

of this.

My phone must have done an update because it has moved all my photo gallery around.  This is not funny.  Now I have to try to remember where I had a lot of these photos.  I wish that updates would just stick to pertinent phone business and leave my personal stuff alone. 

I finally finished paying off my phone a couple months ago.  I am three versions behind the current new phone (Samsung), and upgrading to the newer version probably won't happen anytime soon.  These phones are so expensive, I just can't understand how folks can afford to upgrade them every year.  Plus, they keep getting bigger and bigger.  Pretty soon, folks will need a carry case with a shoulder strap to carry their phones.  Can't you just picture it?

Enough of my babble.  It's time for me to get dressed and head out to the store.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Early Morning Company

March 24, 2019

Good morning.  Today is sunny and the temperature is 39F degrees.  But in a few hours, temps will climb to 53F degrees.  Now that's more like it!  I did not sleep well during the night, so I was trying very hard to sleep a bit late this morning.  However, there was company out in the yard gobble gobbling away so I had to get up. 

I can't turn down a photo op.  There were two Toms and a group of hens.  Here are a couple photos that I was able to get before one of the Toms decided that he wasn't too happy about me taking photographs. 

The first one in the yard this morning was the biggest Tom.  Once he had checked out the menu, he called the others to come join him.  These birds seem to like it here.  They've been coming by quite often lately. 

Yesterday I woke up to snow falling.  Everything was covered with the white stuff.  Sometime mid to late morning, the snow stopped and the sun came out.  What I liked best about yesterday was that just before seven o'clock last night, it was still daylight.  I love the longer days.

I have more photos to share that I took in Florida.  While Beth and I were enjoying an ice cream one afternoon, we watched a turkey vulture land on a roof peak atop a plaza of buildings.  I did try to get good photos but the bird was so far away and the sun was facing me.  However, I did manage to get a few shots, even though they were quite dark.

Today I have a a lot to do.  I did not finish everything I wanted to do yesterday.  I'd like to finish up a few things today so that I can rest easy the rest of the week.  Before I get started, I do have a new quick page for you.   I used Snow Raven's "Mardigras" kit for this one.

Here is your download link:
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Now I'm off to get started around here.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Tis Rainy Here In New England

March 22, 2019

Good morning.  It's been raining here, and I guess it will be like this all day and night.  We might even get a bit of snow mixed in with it overnight.  So much for the batch of nice days that were coming up. 

Well, yesterday Deanne came by with a delicious pizza for our lunch.  Yum, yum.  We polished off the whole pizza in no time.  My half had green peppers and sausage on it, and hers had mushrooms.  Did I mention it was delicious? 

Today I'm going to do the laundry that I did not do yesterday, and then I'm going to cook up a pot of pasta and meat sauce for me, and some hamburger and rice for Pogo.  I won't have to cook again until Sunday. 

This week I really have to get some air put into the tires on my car.  I have to do grocery shopping and I have a couple appointments next week, so I can't put it off.  I have that Dragon Air pump in my car's trunk, so maybe I'll ask Joe if he can use it to put air in my tires later today. 

This weekend, I'm hoping to get back to my crocheting.  I'd like to finish that shawl that I started in Florida.  I have some different projects that I'd like to try this year, but we shall see what will be.  I do want to look into making the dollies with photo faces.  This might be a fun project for us girls to do next year in Florida. 

Today I thought I would post some photos of the beautiful flora that grows at our resort (in Fla.).  There are so many gorgeous colorful plants throughout the resort. 

 

 

I'm really looking forward to the shrubs and plants around here to start growing and blossoming.  There's nothing like beautiful flowers to put a smile on your face.  I have some new flower seeds that I'm hoping to plant soon.  They are wildflowers to attract butterflies and bees. 

Pogo did not eat his supper last night, so I put it away and gave it to him this morning.  It was some nice chicken all cut up.  Needless to say, he would not eat it.  Ah well, he'll just have to wait now until later when I cook up more hamburg.  Some days I wish he wasn't so picky. 

That's all my news for today.  Now I want to get that laundry started.  So, till Sunday, Y'all have a fantastic weekend. 

Hugs, Edna B.

It's Starting To Look A Bit Like Spring

March 21, 2019

Good morning.  Goodness, I slept a bit later than I had planned, but I guess I needed the sleep.  My mailer box came yesterday and I got it unpacked.  Now I just have to put things away.  I'm surprised that everything in the box was okay because there was a big hole punched into the side of the box. 

Yesterday I did not accomplish everything that I had thought I might do, but that's okay.  Today is another day.  I did wash a load of Pogo's blankets yesterday, so today I will put in a load of my clothes. 

Temps are a little warmer here.  This morning is 38F degrees, and will reach close to fifty degrees this afternoon.  Several days this week will be in the fifties.  I just went outside to check for new buds on my trees, and Yup!  They are all beginning to bud.  Even my rose bush near the kitchen windows is growing new little buds on its branches. 

Pretty soon now I can have the shutters taken off my porch screens.  I can't wait till Pogo and I can sit out there and enjoy watching the little critters in our yard.  Pretty soon I can bring in the big box with all my little solar thingies to wash them.  Then I can set them all back on the porch rails. 

Deanne is coming by today with lunch.  I think she's bringing pizza.  Yum, yum!  After our visit, I will begin to work on totaling my tax columns.  There are so many things that I need or want to do, but first I need to have all my tax stuff ready to take to the accountant.  After that, I can breathe easier.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I won't have to owe a lot of tax to the government. 

While us girls were strolling around the resort last week, we noticed some new plants set on the ground in front of one of the units.  Being very curious, we took a look and some photos.  We finally decided that either the unit owner bought these plants to take home with them, or maybe the landscaper was going to plant them in front of the unit's windows.    Either way, they were really beautiful.

 

 

 



In one area, the tiny plants on the ground were covered with shiny little beads of water.  It looked like lots of tiny pearls had been scattered all through them.

There is an area of the yard here that I would love to be able to plant flowers, but for one reason or another, nothing but weeds will grow there.  Probably because of all the pine trees.  So, I'm thinking that if we dig some holes and put in large planters, we can plant the flowers in the planters.  This might work.  At least I think it's worth a try. 

The morning is quickly fading away and I'd best be getting a move on.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Woo Hoo! It's Spring!

March 20, 2019

Good morning.  Happy first day of Spring!  It's a little after five thirty a.m. and I haven't been sleeping very much, so I figured I'd post here and then maybe go back to bed to see if I can catch some more winks.

Yesterday I somehow missed the mail carrier, even though I was watching for him.  While I was waiting, I kept busy working on making some new quick pages.  I'll post one of them for you today.  Around noon time, my daughter Deanne came by for a visit.  Of course, Pogo was super delighted.  He just loves his Auntie Dee. 

I was going to put in a grocery order for pickup at WalMart, but I got a bit too busy on my laptop and ran out of time.  Later this morning, I'll make up the order.  Joe said he'll pick it up for me on his way home from work this afternoon.  This is good because the larder is looking a bit lean.

Today I thought I'd share some pretty bird photos.  One day last week, as we were entering the road into our resort, these beautiful birds were strolling along the grassy sides of the entry road.  Of course, I had to stop to get some photos.  I looked these birds up in my Bird Book, and it says that they are Cattle Egrets.  (Leona, if these are a different name, please let me know.  Thanks,)

How awesome to be able to watch these beautiful birds as they search around for their food.  This is one of the things I miss most when it is time for me to leave Florida and go home. 

Today I have a lot of laundry to do, plus I need to get all my tax stuff into columns and get them totaled.  I've already dug out my adding machine and a new roll of paper.  I am set to go!  Mr. Tax Accountant, I shall see you next week!

The Chantix commercial is on TV now, and I just love the turkey in this commercial.  She is soooo adorable!  Have you seen it yet?  I could watch a whole program starring this turkey.  (it doesn't take much to amuse me)

This morning I'm catching up on the finale of "America's Worst Cooks."  (or Worst Cooks in America)  This is such a fun program to watch from the beginning.  It's awesome how the hosts can turn these folks into fantastic cooks.  Today each final contestant (there are two of them) will prepare a three course meal for a panel of food experts.  The winner will take home $25,000.

Now for your new quick page.  I used the freebie kit that Kyra gave us this past Sunday.  It's titled "You, The World And Nothing Else." 

Here is your download link:
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It's already daylight so I think it's time to see if I can catch a few winks.  In two hours, I need to be watching for the mail carrier.  I think he's coming a lot earlier than he used to.  Pogo is already snoring away beside me.  God love him, all he needs is a blanket and he snuggles right in and drops off to dreamland.

So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

It's Good To Be Home

March 19, 2019

Good morning.  I'm a day late posting, but yesterday I was busy all day trying to finish unpacking and catching up on bills and mail.  Speaking of mail, I have two large shopping bags full of junk mail to go through.  Before recycling most of it, I need to remove my personal information from each piece.  That's job in itself. 

On Sunday morning, Beth and I got up at 2:30 a.m. so that we could have her out by the office in time to catch her ride with Mears shuttle.  They were picking her up at 3:15 to take her to the airport.  It's a good thing we were a bit early getting there because the shuttle was already there waiting for us. 

Pogo and I were ready at 7:30 a.m. to leave our condo and head for the hotel where the car rental office is located.  Our driver met us there and drove us to the airport.  I use Action Car Rental, and I can't say enough nice things about my driver there.  I get the same driver every year.  His name is Mike and he is so pleasant and nice to me and Pogo. 

Deanne and Eddie picked us at the airport in Boston when we got there.  Traffic was a bit heavy because it was St. Patrick's Day, which meant a parade and lots of people and food in Boston.  I met a nice woman on the plane who was looking forward to having some corned beef and cabbage when she got to Boston. 

I loved my time in Florida.  The weather was nice the whole time, and those warmer temps felt really good.  Pogo loved being out on the patio.  We put a towel down on the floor in a sunny spot, and Pogo would lay there and soak up the warm sunshine.  We're home now and it feels good to be home.  We'll go back to Florida next year. 

Remember the African Black Soap that I bought for Pogo?  Well, he had two baths with it last week, and so far it seems to be helping him.  His skin is looking pretty good and most of the scratching has stopped.  So I guess we'll keep using this soap. 

Today I have photos of some of the palm trees at the resort.  There are so many different kinds of palms and they are all really beautiful.  Nani, these are for you.

That's my daughter Audrey in the last photo.  She had walked over to take photos of the roses that were growing off to the side of the office.  I have more photos of the palm trees to post another day.

I have the names of the birds that I posted on Friday. The grey bird is a Mocking Bird, and the Black bird is an Anhinga.  Thank you Leona for helping me with the names.

Today I think I'll go online and put together a grocery order at WalMart,.  Joe said he will pick it up for me on his way home from work.  Last night, I ate the last frozen meal that was in my freezer.  It was a Pot Roast dinner, and I must say it was delicious.  Later in the week, I'll make a trip to the store and pick up some of the things that I don't include in my pickup order. 

Now I'm going to make a fresh cup of coffee and do a bit of catching up on my blog reading.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a fantabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B.

My Last Post Till Next Monday

March 15, 2019

Good morning.  I slept a bit later this morning, but I have time for a small post before packing my laptop away in my mailer box.  Last night, we packed our boxes, so they are both ready for any last minute stuff and then the tape and labels go on. 

This morning, we are going to stop by the postal store to send our boxes off, then we are going to look for the state park that is nearby.  Hopefully, it won't have changed too much and I'll be able to find it. 

I haven't done a lot of crocheting while I've been here, but when I do it's been to work on a shawl.  The pattern looked really easy so I thought I might give it a try.  Hmmm, I confess I've lost count of the times I've had to rip it out and start over.  I finally put it down for a few days.  Lately I've picked it up again, and it's really quite an easy pattern. 

Last night, I noticed that I have an extra row on it, but I've decided that instead of ripping it all out, I'm going to add this extra row every ten rows and it will look like it's part of the pattern.  Here's what it looks like now.  The color of the yarn is "Lilac."

The other day when we were coming out of the flea market, I noticed something flapping away in the field across the parking lot.  I went over to investigate and was able to get a few photos.  It was a bird, and it was definitely not in the mood to pose for a photo.  It was busy digging away for something it had found in the grass.  I think it's a Mocking Bird, but please correct me if I'm wrong. 

Nearby, there  was a small body of water so we went looking to see if there were any birds there.  alas, there were none.  However, something way over on the other side caught my eye so I aimed my camera at it, zoomed way in and clicked away.  Yup!  I thought so!  Another beautiful bird.  At first, I thought it was a Cormorant, but this one might be a Heron.  If you know, please let me know.

I love my little Canon camera.  It finds me the nicest surprises.  Now it's time to start taping up the mailer boxes and head out for the Postal store.  So, till next Monday, Y'all have a fantabulous weekend. 

Hugs, Edna B.