Foil...

You know, foil has many uses. One use is to remove rust from chrome, another is to wrap food for cooking. Matter of fact there is a plethora of uses for foil, just go to the World Wide Web and type in uses for foil.  You might even find one for mind control.

Today I had, had enough of the heat here as it topped 104 again. Later this week it's suppose to get to 109 with no rain in sight. My kitchen has a west facing wall and window, even though it has a tinted interior storm window in it, is where the heat was pouring in.  I decided that something needed to be done so I foiled the window.  I took 5 long strips and attached them to the top of the interior storm window and made sure they came below the sill. The difference in temperature was immediate.  The kitchen is staying cooler and I'm a happy camper.

Tomorrow I will do the same for the big window in the front bedroom.  I know it looks tacky, but those passing by are not paying my electric bill so I don't care how tacky it looks.

Stay cool my friends, stay cool.

Happy trails...

Moving to Ohio...

No Dave and I are not moving to Ohio but Dave is moving our youngest daughter from Marietta, GA to Cleveland, OH this weekend to start a new job.  And all is not going well.

It started out like this...

Monday we get in the SUV to take me to work and the battery is dead.  Hence a new battery.  Dave said something like "Is this an omen of things to come"?

Last weekend we took my bike, which is 39 years old, into the bike shop the get new tires and a tune-up.  Before Dave could get the bike home on Tuesday the front tire blew up due to too much air pressure and the heat.  So he had to take it back in on Wednesday morning but the bike shop did not open until 10 which put him behind in schedule by 2 hours as he wanted to be on the road by 9.  He drove to Memphis, TN the first day and I rode the bike home, UGH!

The second day (Thursday) there was stalled traffic in Birmingham, AL and the heat was so bad that cars were stalling out on the highway.  He said it was not a pretty sight. He arrived in Marietta, GA 9 hours later. Keep in mind folks it's only 6.5 hours to Marietta.   

In the meantime Christie takes her car to the Firestone Service Center just around the corner from her for an oil change and finds out that the radiator hose has melted flat, she has no coolant in the car  which means a radiator flush plus she need two new front tires and an alignment.  $600.00 out of pocket real quick.

Dave arrives and they go get a trailer from U-Haul.  After dinner they start loading the cars.  Her couch goes in the Suburban, the Papasan chair frame get strapped to the top of her car. The next morning (Friday) they start loading the trailer.  Then they have to clean the apartment.  After inspection, which is now around 4:30 they hit the road to Kennesaw St. U.  to drop off a payment to the school where she worked.  By 5:30 they are finally on the road heading toward Chattanooga, TN. 

They stoped just outside of Chattanooga to have some dinner and Christie's car quits. At 9:00 p.m. EST. Christie is calling AAA to get a tow to Cleveland, TN to the Cleveland Tire and Auto Center.  I quickly get on the horn and find them a room at the EconoLodge in Cleveland, TN.  Ben, the gentleman with the tow truck, under contract with AAA, went out of his way to make sure that hubby and daughter got to the Econo-Lodge safely by showing them the way. The gentleman at the front desk of the Econo-Lodge was very pleasant as well and made sure they had a good room at a decent price. They showered, hit the sack and was fast asleep in no time.

They were at the Cleveland Tire and Auto Center this morning (Saturday) at 7:30 a.m. when the Center opened.  The mechanic said he had two cars in front of them that he had to finish up today but he put her car in front of them and started working on it, it needed a new alternator and battery.  Dave and Christie then found a Cracker Barrel and had breakfast, went to Wal-mart to pick up more water and ice then went back to the Auto Center, where they were surprised to see her car all ready to go.  They paid the bill of $300 and some change.   Thank you Cleveland Tire and Auto Center! 

So onward they trek towards Cleveland, OH making a stop in Florence, KY to see old friends this afternoon.  I don't think they'll make Cleveland tonight, maybe tomorrow.

Happy trails...

The Day After and Beyond...

Dave surprised me with beautiful lilies and heartfelt card after work yesterday.  The lilies were so fragrant that I thought I was in a flower shop.  He took me to dinner at Chelinos Mexican Restaurant where we shared a meal. 

Off to the movies we went... but the movie we wanted to see, Captain America, was sold out...maybe Sunday will be a better day.  So we turned around and drove home...looked at our own collection of movies and decided to watch The Duchess staring Keira Knightly and Ralph Fiennes.  The costumes were outstanding and won an Academy Award.  The story  of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire is true, such a piece of history, she was the "It Girl" of her time just like Princess Diana, one of her direct descendants. Beautifully done, I don't think it will disappoint.

After The Duchess we watched The Sorcerer's Apprentice with Nicklaus Cage. It was a cute movie and after it was over we called it a night.

Skipping to today,Saturday...I took my bike into the shop to get new tires and a tune-up as it will be my only mode of transportation starting the middle of this coming week.  Dave bought me the bike the first year we were married and I have not ridden it for at least 15 years or so as it's been stored in the garage. Wish me luck as I know I will have a sore bum for awhile as I get use to riding it again, hopefully this year I will wear the helmet the correct way and not backwards.

Dave will head out to Georgia to help Christie move to Cleveland, OH where she has another internship at Cleveland State University's Athletic Department in their Compliance Office.  Sure am glad these are paid internships.  Moving from the south to the north, she is looking forward to this new experience in her life.  She's hoping to save on gas by riding on the transit system there. 

Time to run to the bank, make a deposit and find something for dinner...any suggestions?

Happy trails...

39 Years and Counting...

It was a hot July evening 39 years ago with a quick rain shower just before the wedding.  The guests gathered in the church while my dad was putting a penny in my shoe for good luck.  The wedding dress was made by me on my great-grandmothers treadle sewing machine.  The cake was made by my mother's cousin and my groom was waiting for me at the alter to say our "I do's". Everything was in it's place and the music started. 

My dad handed me off to my groom as I took his arm I was shocked to feel how much he was shaking.  I guess I was shaking too.  But we made it through the ceremony and now 39 years, two wonderful daughters and many adventures later, we are starting on our 40th year of marriage. 

We took to heart the part that said "To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness".  I don't think couples of today adhere to that anymore otherwise you would see them work though their problems instead of abandoning them. 

Dave is my life partner and I am so blessed to have him by me as we walk through life together.

I hope those who read this have many happy years with your life partner.

Happy trails....

Harry Potter or Women's World Cup Soccer...

It's Sunday afternoon and the choice is to go see Harry Potter or watch the Women's World Cup Soccer final between the USA and Japan.  Decisions...decisions! We just finished a Harry Potter marathon since Thursday evening watching all the Potter films, so we are ready to see the final chapter of the series.

We went up to the Warren theater in Moore, for the 1:30 showing today and it was sold out, so we opted for the 7:30 showing.  Therefore we got to come back home and watch the Women's World Cup Soccer final. So far the score is Nil-Nil. 

What an exciting Sunday. Two of our favorite past times...Harry Potter movies and soccer, what could be better?  Well...our grandson and children.

Want to take this time to welcome some new followers,  Al and Kelly of the Bayfield Bunch and John and Ellen of Through the Gates of Grace.

Happy trails...
P.S. Harry Potter was wonderful, a must see, but if you have not read the book you must do that first.  The US Women lost in their bid for a World Cup Championship.  It was just not meant to be.

From Wonderful Highs to....

Thursday afternoon June 30th, we left for Dallas to pick up our daughter at DFW airport. If you have never been there it's a maze of terminals, ramps, parking lots and confusing signs. Her flight from Atlanta arrived at 9:04 p.m., she made it to the car at 9:25 p.m., after we got her loaded, off to Longview, TX we headed. Her doggies were very happy to see her even if they did bark at her as she approached the car. The drive was rather uneventful and we pulled in a little after 1:00 a.m. After a brief stop out in the boonies to grab a bite to eat at a Sonic around 11:30 p.m., we piled into the house as quietly as possible with three dogs that had been pent up since 5:30 the previous day, J's sister JeriAnn was asleep in the dinning room. She was up from Austin,TX to help J's mom Irene do some painting on her house that is in the process of being remodeled and new sections being added on.


We were in Texas for our Grandson Noah's first birthday party to be held late Saturday afternoon. There was so much going on that time went by in a blur. Friday was spent shopping and getting last minute things for the party. Dave and J worked on the yard all day long as the party was to be a backyard Ducky Splish Splash Party for the little tykes to enjoy while lots of parents socialized. At noon I hopped into the car and headed over to Golden Chick to pick up a family pack of food, it was good as usual. Balloon's were bought to go on the mail box. Twigs were picked up where the pools were to be placed. We had to pace ourselves as the heat was terrible. By the time evening came we were spent with lots of things still to do. J even found fun music to be played at the party.

Christie our youngest even found time to do a Skype interview with Indiana University for an internship they had in Athletic Academic Counseling. However Cleveland State University in Ohio beat them to the punch and offered her an internship in Compliance which is an area she is highly interested in. So I guess Dave will be going over to Atlanta to move her to Cleveland, OH at the end of the month. She is excited to say the least.

Saturday morning arrived and there was still lots to do. J and Dave sat up the three pools, one for the babies, one for the toddlers, and one for the older kids. J found a great deal on a canopy at Wally World for $79.00, so that went up for the purpose of shading the food. Shara, J's sister made the birthday cake for Noah. She had to bring it in pieces to be assembled at the house, the head was Nerf ball as the rice crispy ball was too heavy and kept falling off. Noah even had a little cake of his own.


For the menu there were hot dogs for the older kids and adults, duck shaped peanut butter sandwiches, duck shaped rice crispy treats, duck shaped cheese to go with snack crackers. Irene brought her famous chicken salad sandwiches on croissants and a veggie tray. There were lots of refreshing drinks and tea to go around.


The guests started arriving around 4:00 p.m. and things got underway. Kids in pools, hot dogs being cooked, food being set out, people eating, drinks being grabbed and everyone having a grand time. It was so fun to sit back and observe the party. I think my daughter should go into party planning for a business. The splish splash party was a hit. Around 6:00 p.m. everyone gathered to sing happy birthday to the guest of honor, who was starting to nod off. Cake? What is that? You could see the expression on his face as the little eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. Everyone was going to have to shoot their pictures fast as Birthday Boy was going down for the count. We retreated to the cool of the house for present opening and the whole shabang was over at 6:30 p.m., and on time I might add. Noah got lots of fun things...trucks, musical instruments, a doctors kit, books, blocks, clothes, a plethora of balls and the big noise maker, a drum with all kinds of instruments packed inside. We were all spent and dinner was a light affair of leftover chicken.


Sunday morning we made it to Church and spent the rest of the day relaxing. Christie and I went to the mall to Bath and Body Works so I could take advantage of their Semi-Annual sale which ended Sunday. I was pleased with my purchase but my poor feet were taking a beating. I had been on some new medication for an infection and it was making my feet swell and it hurt to walk around. So I tried to stay as quiet as possible after our outing.


Monday arrived and the festivities began around town, as it was the 4th of July. We stayed home out of the heat watching movies. Later that day we headed over to Jefferson Texas , which is rich in history and haunted houses, to watch the fireworks display. On the way over we ran into a powerful rain storm. The wind was blowing so hard that the rain was moving sideways. The winds were clocked at 72 mph, tree limbs were falling onto the highway and you couldn't see two car lengths in front of you, this lasted for a good 20 minutes or more.


The fireworks in Jefferson are some of the best around and a grand time was had by everyone. There were 15 of us in our party. We all stopped at the Jefferson General Store and got ice cream which was yummy. The fireworks started off via a cannon shot with a big American flag being lit up with sparklers not to mention Noah being scared out of his mind until Heather was able to calm him down where he then slept through the rest of the show. Then the big boys were shot off, we got some great pictures of the display. The drive home was uneventful and we rolled into bed around midnight.


Tuesday was a day for running around and doing some shopping. Irene, J's mom had been informing me of the dangers of soy. She had really done her homework on Soy as something that kept making her sick. Once soy was out of her diet not only did she get well she starting dropping the pounds. To date she's lost 50lbs. If you start looking at labels you will find that soy is in almost everything we eat. There have been studies about Soy and ADHD and Autism and the problems it can cause in infants and adults. Soy also can effect the colon as well. It can also cause you to gain weight.

So guess what...I'm reading labels and taking soy and salt out of my diet. I picked up the following at the store, Coconut Oil which is a good fat for you, Kefir a drink very much like buttermilk and very yummy with lots of probiotics in it and unsweetened chocolate almond milk. Since I started looking at my diet and soy, I have not changed how I'm eating but what I'm eating and have lost 4 lbs without trying. I'm eating more avocados, olives, nuts and purchased some agave nectar as that is better for you than honey if you have a high chance of getting diabetes.

Wednesday we starting packing to go home. We had a wonderful time with the kids and wished we could stay longer. Noah is such a delight to be around and a good baby to boot.

The rock bottom low for the week came around noon. I got a phone call from the wife of my former Director at the University asking if I had heard about my former boss and friend, Joan Howeth? I told her "no" to which she said "the whole university was talking about it". Sadly and unexpectedly, I found out that my friend had drowned in a rafting accident the day before in Colorado. I was devastated to hear the news. Joan was a great person to work for and I will truly miss her. She and her husband retired early and had been on the road full-time in their motor home seeing the country. They loved the RV lifestyle.

Later that afternoon we went out to J's mom's renovated house to see all that had been done. It was coming along and I know they will love it when it is finished. Afterwards we went to the Butcher Shop for dinner, as usual it was very good. The trip home, only taking 5 1/2 hours seemed to take forever. I really don't like driving at night but Dave does.

Yesterday and today have been quiet around here. I finally have a computer again and can start getting some (a lot of) paperwork done. Tomorrow Christie and I tackle the kitchen and closets...fun! Then back to work for me on Monday. I have enjoyed my week off, just wish it was longer.

Happy trails...Pictures coming soon

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