This Old House

Poodle Muffin. Poodle Muffin. Poodle Muffin. Poodle Muffin.

So apparently Spring had decieded to show it’s face this year. After the warmest March on record, April has been wishy washy. Although Easter was beautiful and in the 60’s with all the flowers and tree’s in full bloom due to the warm March it has now turned cold. I’m not complaining (much). There’s no snow. And although we’ve had a couple of light freezes at night mostly it’s been inthe 50’s in the day and really not much rain. We could actually use some more of that.

The freaking Cottonwood is also in full assult. It looked like ti was snowing the other day and it’s everywhere (along with the dandelions which I love but Lee hates). Have I mentioned I hate the midwest weather. Okay so I guess I am going to bitch about it. Really need to retire and move to Nevada!

The piano playing is coming along. Rich was a bit of a Piano Nazi over the Easter Weekend but my playing of a Sonata I’m working on is coming along. Of course we played it so much that’s it’s in our heads and we hate the song now, but it is sounding better. My teacher asked me if I wanted to do the Spring Recital and I declined. Shocker I know!!

Lee is still stranded on the East Coast. 2 more Months. He is really looking forward to the end. He is taking a month off before he starts looking for another job. I thinks he’s due.

It’s going to get very busy around here. Between 2 trips, a 1st communion, Mother’s Day weekend, Fair Didley, Den’s 40th birthday, Lee’s Mom’s 90th birthday, houseguests for the 90th birthday, Father’s day and the Fourth of July this is my only open weekend until after the 4th of July. Crazy!!! All that and obsessing over the piano should make me a little crazy. But at least I’m here and not away from home for another 2 months so I’ll keep my bitching to a minimum.

I made this yummy recipe. It was so easy and taste so good. It’s not overpowered by the coconut milk and because it’s lite coconut milk it really cuts back on the calories and fat.

Creamy goodness! I added a little brown sugar to my serving because I like my oatmeal a little sweet. Word to the wise. This is VERY filling. A little goes a long way.

Its 11:00 at night and I’m laying in bed posting this from my iPad. Need I say more.?????

We spent yesterday afternoon at Andy & Gina’s house for K’s 6th birthday celebration. Fun was had by all and yes, we did take the traditional smartphone picture taking in the bathroom. I can’t wait for all of to try and fit in Den’s downstairs powder room at Easter!

So I’ve been killing myself trying to learn this new piece of music for tomorrow’s class. I got the other pieces down pretty well but this one was simlply alluding me and I was getting very frustrated. So finally I decided I would cheat and make a copy of the music and write down the notes so I could play it easier instead of trying to sight read the notes as I played. Now is this really cheating? Since I’m doing this on my own and I’m not actually getting a grade and oh yeah, I’m paying for the lessons, NO it isn’t cheating but it’s not how I really want to do it. I know know, I’m a control freak.

Anyway, I take the books to work to make copies so I can write on them and I do this and I write down the notes. Mind you I still had to read the music to write down the notes and I even write the down which harmonic interval is which in addition to the notes (I guess I have learned quite a bit in three weeks) and then I decide to check the homework that the Tori wrote down for me in my lesson notebook. Guess what? The hard song I’ve been working on wasn’t even assigned yet. And I already knew two of the other songs because I learned them on my own last week

So I guess I stressed out for nothing. Next time perhaps I should double check what the lesson plan is first

Since Liz asked I thought I’d give a piano lesson update. It is going well. I’ve had three lessons so far. Besides actually playing the piano we are working on Music Theory and learning to read sheet music as well. Once I learned the tricks for remembering which note is which I am surprised that I can actually tell what notes are what. I’m not very fast or fluid mind you but I’m sure with practice that will get better. You’ve got to love flash cards. So after three weeks I can play a couple of simple tunes, I can somewhat read sheet music and I am starting to learn to play both hands AT THE SAME TIME which is just CRAZY!! I subject The cat to a lot of bad practicing. Lee is lucky he is traveling a lot so he doesn’t have to wear ear plugs :-)).
B

On a totally unrelated note although I love this mild winter we are having my sinuses don’t and now I have a cold which I’m sure will turn into a sinus infection because hey why should this time be any different. Almost makes me want below freezing temperatures…….almost, I’m not completely crazy!

I had my 1st piano lesson on Wednesday. I can now find middle C on the keyboard. I am practicing scales, reading music and intervals. Everytime I turn on the keyboard at home to play the cat looks at me like “Not again!”

Funny story - The girl who is teaching me is in High School. Very nice girl. Patience of a saint. She asked me why I wanted to learn piano so I told her I always wanted to play and what Pete said about making time for it and just doing it. She said ” Yeah I started late also, like 7th grade…..” It was all I could do not to laugh. I’m sure she meant nothing by it but I find it quite funny.

We are supposed to get a big snow storm today. They say it will start between 10-11 this morning with the heavy snow coming down betwen 1PM and 7PM. They are calling for about an inch an hour. JOY! The comute home should be fun. I stopped and topped off the tank this morning. And it’s BITTER cold outside. BITTER. Just like my attitude about winter.

Have I mentioned this winter how much I HATE winter. Just in case you forgot from last year….

I signed up for piano lessons today. My 1st lesson is a week from Wednesday. I can rent a keyboard from the music center to start. I’m excited! And yes, Denise, if you can play Little Drummer Boy on the piano I’ll learn it for you!

We are back! Fun was had by all. Lot’s of sun. I said it would rain every day but it never did. Just sun, sun and more sun. Here are some pics - yes - we are just back tonight and I’ve already downloaded the pics. Of course there were also pics from last Thanksgiving and Christmas on the same card but hey - better later than never right. Anyway - enjoy

Pictures from our balcony -

This is how Lee enjoyed himself:

To be fair, we spent everyday out in the sun all day and the sun makes you super tired after awhile. These pics were taken at the end of the day each day

We were there with about 40 other people for a wedding. I will post pics of that plus sunset and sunrise pics. But I leave you with this. You know how I love pottery! Pete will hate this but I love it!

Lee’s in Massachusets yet again. Let’s just say he’s glad he made the decision to stay on for no more than 3-6 months :-). He did get to have dinner with Paula and the girls yesterday while they were touring the countryside looking at colleges. That was a nice bonus! And yes, I am a little jealous

In the last couple of weeks, both of Lee’s sisters came to visit. Mike and Maryann were with us for about a week visiting friends and family and last weekend while they were still here Kathy drove down from Minnesota. It’s the first time in about 18 years that all three siblings have been together at one time. We did take some pictures of them together last Sunday when we all had dinner together (cooked beautifully by Den - she even made a home made cake at the spur of the moment and brought that also - Thank you Denny!) Everyone left early last week (including Lee) and it’s just me and Maggie for now, who right now is sitting in the window soaking up the warm weather watching the squirells. Speaking of warm weather….

Who doesn’t love Indian Summer. Fall is my favorite time of year anyway but this October has been incredible so far. September was wet and cold and now October is sunny and hot but cools down at night. It was 85 yesterday. 85!!! The tree’s are turning very fast and I’m sure colder weather is on its way but for now we will enjoy what we have. Especially since they keep saying in the news that this is going to be be a very cold and very snowy winter for us. JOY!!!! You all know how much I love that!

I know I haven’t posted in a while. Get over it. I lead a very boring life. Nothing ever happens worth mentioning. Nothing. Really. It’s so boring I have to write about a vaccum cleaner

So on the woot-off the other day they had a refurbished Dyson Vaccum cleaner. Now I’ve wanted one of these for a long time but really could not bring myself to pay the price. But an older model at 1/2 the price I could do. So I bought it. Wow. Is my house filthy! Seriously that vaccum can really suck (no pun intended). The amount of cat hair and dust it picked up off the floor was ridiculous! Eventually I will bite the bullet and buy the expensive animal one and move the older one into the basement for use down there. Eventually - not now.

Lee came home Friday after spending two weeks in the Boson Area. His sister and brother in law are coming to visit and are staying at our place this week so he won’t go back for a week and then will be gone again for almost two weeks and then we go on vacation! We are going to a wedding in Cancun and I can’t wait!

Yesterday I went to the movies with Den. Why you ask? Because she’s a sissy and is afraid of the sound of a circular saw and her neighbors where working on their roof. This is part of our conversation:

Jeannine: They are doing work next door, not at your house. The saw can’t hurt you
Denise: Well, it’s right outside my bedroom window and it could slip out of their hands and come thru the window.

She’s a freak! (I embellsihed our conversation a little -but not much)

So we went to see Contagion. Mostly because part of it was filmed at the old Sherman Hospital in Elgin but also because we had heard good things about it. Wow. What a great movie. Kind of scared the shit out of you. I wanted to go drown myself in hand sanitized when we left.

Okay - that’s all for now. Back to my boring life.

I touched a cow. We’ll post pics when I get home

We got in from Mrtlye Beach around midnight. It would have been earlier but it took 2 hours to get thru Cincinnati. If I had known 71/75 was under construction we would have went thru Louisville instead. Live and learn. We are tired but no one got burnt to a crisp or sick this year so we are calling it a sucess. I’d post pics but I only have the ones on myy phone. I’ll sync the phone tomorrow and see what I can do. I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed but not to going back to work.

Oh yeah - our passports have arrived also!!

As some of you may remember I got broncitis when we went to South Carolina last year. And a very nasty sinus infection when we went to Maine last October. And Bronctis when we went to Galvaston - you can see the trend.

Well this year I thought we’d try something different. My ear starting bothering me this weekend. Most would say what’s the big deal. Well for me that’s a precurser for things to come. And by Monday it was really hurting and by Monday afternoon I felt like I had the flu and my head was starting to fill up with snot. I didn’t sleep very well Monday night due to the flu like systems and the phlem. So instead of going to work Monday and waiting until it was full blow sinus infection I chose to stay home and start my drug reigment ahead of time. So I’m now on Allegra D (I’ve still got some of the prescription kind - I know they say the OTC stuff is the same but I think that’s bull) and Antibiotics and the Advair (which I was already taking). Let the sickness be now and not when I’m sitting at the beach watching Lee walk around with his metal detector and watching Denise bob up and down in the waves for hours on end (only stopping to come back in to relather with sunblock).

Other than that everything is fine. After seeing side by side before and after pics of Jopin, MO today, I find I have nothing to complain about.

Everyone else stay healthy!

It sure took it’s sweet time. It’s supposed to be 78 today. Even the nights are warmer now. Some of our bushes in front did not do well this winter. I don’t know what the problem is. Not sure if they just didn’t get enough water last summer. They were really pretty bushes with little violet flowers on them but half of each of the bushes is dead. We may just have to replace them. My burning bush doesn’t look so good either. Maybe I can get one of those soaking hoses that we can just lay by the bushes and then turn on. You know I’m not getting my hands dirty outside :-). I’d rather touch a cow!

Winter is coming…..

Thanks to Den the DVR recorder is opporational and I also figured out what the problem was the tuner on the computer so we are ready for recording in approx. 15 minutes. Disc’s will go out in the mail tomorrow from work.

Also, for those of you who enjoy Torchwood, Starz is doing a new mini series starting in July. Torchwood:Miracle something our other. Yeah!

Gotta go….Winter is coming!!

Jan 6th - N has her 14th Bday. As usual I’m very late getting her present out
Jan 26th - Dad has his 72nd Birthday.
Jan 31st - Den closes on her Pretty Pink House.
Feb 1st - Lee’s company announces they are closing their doors at the end of the year and moving to Massachusets. Note: We will NOT be going with.
Feb 5th - K turned 5!!!
Some other day in Feb - David Jr also had a bday
Feb 2nd - We have a blizzard that closes everything down for the day and then some. I really thought we’d have snow till May but it was all gone before the end of March!
Feb 19th - I turn 50. God I’m old.

March was kind of lame - nothing really happened other than we filed paperwork with the State to get Lee’s mom on Medicaid and did everything they asked us and they rejected it because they said we didn’t turn in all the paperwork they asked for (WHICH WE DID!) and now we have to appeal. I hate the State of Illinois Government Workers!

April 2nd - Den has a small gathering at her house to show it off. A good time was had by all that attended. I’m sure there will be more gatherings as other family members come in to town as well.

That’s it for now. Here’s a preview of 2nd quarter:

Easter will be at Den’s this year.
Paula has a birthday coming up.
J has a bday coming up
Jospeh will graduate from College!!!!
A trip to SC will be taken again
plus more to come.

Last night I dreamt that I almost touched a cow. If I had touched it would it have counted?