Storage For My Storage

The office/sewing/craft/ room is still a problem. I have storage for art supplies, quilting supplies, knitting supplies, and office supplies. All I need is Storage for the Storage containers. They all take up floor space which I wish were free from the storage clutter. I'm wondering what the answer is to that problem. More shelves? I'd rather have a cabinet on the wall to hide away some of the things I don't want to have out. That's not likely to happen any time soon. I guess it's time to pitch things, give things away, or just continue to play musical spaces with the containers. Help! I'm buried in the "all purpose" room.

The Vine of Friendship

Our small quilt group, The Vine of Friendship Quilters, met here tonight. It was my turn to host the group. I made cranberry bread for dessert and had some fresh strawberries and delicious red grapes. The cranberry bread was a hit. I can take what's left to Mom's on Friday. That is one of her favorite things that I make. I usually only make it for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but this year I bought an extra bag of fresh cranberries and froze it so I could make the cake/bread in the non-holiday time of the year.
Last night's guitar class was a lot of fun. We played our first song, "She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain". I've been singing that song all day at nauseum. Couldn't get it out of my head. It's a lot of fun to play and practice with a group of people. When you're home alone practicing, it's harder.
I worked on my "white on white" quilt tonight when my friends were here. I had put it away for over a year because I was tired of doing it. I must say that I did enjoy working on it tonight. I think that that trip to Lancaster has renewed my interest in quilting. Sometimes you need something new to inspire you or to add a 'fresh" approach to an old project. There's a lot of quilting I want to get done this summer. I hope I'm successful and remain psyched about doing
it all. Piecing is a pleasure, hand quilting is forever. I'm going to try machine quilting for the next 2 quilts I make. One is for Kathy, the other is for Elaine. Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

Thunderstorms?

It's possible that the golf clinic will be rained out again this week. The weather person promised us a thunderstorm around 5:00pm. Our clinic starts at 5:30pm. That will put us behind another week since it also rained last Tuesday. As long as we get advance notice and don't end up going over there, wasting gas, to learn that class has been cancelled.
Thank goodness, our guitar class meets inside at the high school and that should take place as scheduled. I'm looking forward to it. I've practiced the 4 chords we were told to practice and am now ready to learn more. I practiced at Mom's yesterday. She and my brother liked seeing me play the guitar. They thought I looked good. That's better than looking ridiculous which is always a possibility when learning something new. I'm not sure which type of music I prefer on the guitar. I suppose that's a decision to make once you learn how to play. Music, music, music, it's all great!

Memorial Day

Today we are observing the holiday of Memorial Day. What a beautiful day it turned out to be. I returned from the shore at about 2pm this afternoon. Sandy was very happy to see me return. He hasn't sat on my lap yet today. Usually when I'm away for a few days, he takes his sweet old time about giving me the "honor" of his presence on my lap. I expect him to give in before the day is over.
I managed to do a load of towels after I got home. I folded another load of towels and my pal Sandy curled up on the clean towels and took a cat nap. Of course he had to "rearrange" them before giving in to slumber. Luckily for me, I had given him a good brushing before he decided to do this so the towels were rescued sans having cat hair on them. He's sitting on a chair next to me right now alternating between looking out the open door and then closing his eyes again and sleeping. The birds seem to have quieted down for the day. They were chirping very sweetly for most of the afternoon. I hear the hum of an air conditioner outside. I can't believe that someone found it necessary to put that on on such a beautiful spring day. There is no humidity and the temperature isn't high. I didn't even find it necessary to put the ceiling fan in the dining room on today. The air is so fresh. It's getting dark inside now. In about 2 minutes I'll be putting a light on inside. I'll leave the sliding door opened a bit for as long as I am able. Of course if the temps drop, I'll be happy to close the door on another day. Hope that all who read this also had a nice day and a pleasant weekend. May we all have many more.

Preparing For The Weekend

My guitar will come with me this weekend so that I am able to practice the chords. I'd like to be a bit faster changing from one chord to the next by the next time our class meets on Tuesday. The only way I'll accomplish that is if I practice, practice, practice. I'll also take a few magazines which I've been meaning to read, my sneakers so I can go for a walk, and a nice outfit to wear to church on Sunday. I may bring a game or a deck of cards. It would be nice to make the weekend a bit different from our ordinary weekends because it is the Memorial Day Holiday weekend. There is a movie on demand which I'd like to watch. It's called "Iron Jawed Angels" . It's the story of the women who fought to get the right to vote for all women in the U.S. It's amazing to me that my grandmothers and great grandmothers couldn't vote until 1920. My grandmothers were both born in the late 1890's. which means they were at least 25 years old before they could vote. They were married and had children. Their mothers, my great grandmothers were probably in their 40's when they finally got the right to vote. It boggles the mind to think that this all happened just one year before my father was born. We HAVE come a long way baby. We still have a long way to go, however.

Of course there will be the usual weekend sporting events on the tube. We may watch golf if it is on. One day, our menu will consist of hot dogs, potato salad, cole slaw and macaroni salad, and baked beans. It'll be kind of like a picnic for the official opening of the summer season, Memorial Day. A friend told me to have a drink to honor my father and his service to our country. It's not Veteran's Day, but I'll do it just the same to honor those brave men and women who have died for our country and have helped to maintain our freedoms.

To all who read this, have a great Memorial Day Weekend with your loved ones. God Bless America!

More Fun

Mah Jongg was fun to play using the new card. It takes awhile to learn what hands you can make. I did win one game. I always said that if I could just win one game when we play, it's been a worthwhile day. There were only 5 of us playing today. We took a break for lunch and caught up on everyone's "news" . After that short break we played a few more games and said "goodbye" for the day. We will meet again on June 2nd to play once more.

The New Card

Tomorrow is a Mah Jongg day. We'll play from 10:30am until about 2:00 or 3:00pm. I'm hoping that we'll get our new cards tomorrow. They were issued about a month ago, but the gal who ordered them for us hasn't played in that time. I got a glimpse of the card from another friend who had hers at lunch today. It takes awhile to get use to playing with a new card, but after playing with the old one for a year, you're looking forward to a change. After a hand of MJ we each discuss what hand we were making and what factors helped or hindered in our winning MJ. The game is challenging and satisfying to play. We break for lunch and enjoy the socialization and conversation that takes place. Lunch is only about a half hour because we're always anxious to play again. Our group tries to get together at least 2 times a month, sometimes we're lucky enough to fit in 3 days of playing. It all depends on the individual schedules of our 7 members. The helpful thing in that regard is that you only need 4 people to play a game. So as long as four of us can make it, the game goes on. I look forward to playing tomorrow and to seeing the friends who play this game. It's time to "catch up" on the news we've missed since the last time we were together. Thank goodness for friends. Where would we be without them?

A Door Prize

Today was the Retiree Luncheon which culminates our year of get-togethers. There weren't as many people at this luncheon as their were at last year's. The highlight for me was that I won a bottle of white wine which was one of the door prizes. It's been a very long time since I won a door prize. It felt good to win. I hope that winning the door prize will turn my luck around and that I will win more. Maybe it'd be a good time to purchase a lottery ticket. Wouldn't winning the lottery be exciting? There is something coming up which I hope that I will win. It has something to do with our golf clinic. I'll keep you posted. We should know in 2 to 3 weeks who the winner will be. I'm thinking positively.

Conquer Cancer

Some of my friends and I have a prayer list. It is a list of people we know who are sick and need prayers. Several of the people on our prayer lists have cancer. Today it was announced that Senator Ted Kennedy has brain cancer. There will be many people praying for him also. Sometimes it is disheartening to hear of a new cancer patient. I suppose the medical community is making progress in the fight against certain forms of cancer. But the question is, why can't we conquer the disease? There is a lot of money and research spent on looking for a cure. I hope that the cure comes in my lifetime for all types of cancer. Hopefully, if that day comes we'll only hear of a rare case of the disease now and then, and the patient will be cured of the disease. Until that day comes, I'll continue to pray for all cancer patients and cancer suvivors so that the battle they are fighting is won. I know that we all have to die from something, but why can't it be old age? Maybe when we're old and tired of living, God could just take us in our sleep. That's my dream.

Our Teacher

Our guitar teacher told us that he got his first guitar when he was 7 yrs. old. He slept with it that night. He loved his guitar. When he was telling us that story, I couldn't relate because I didn't love my guitar. Oh, yes, it is pretty, and was admired by the teacher and one of the guys in the class, but that's only how I viewed it. Today, something wonderful happened as I was practicing the chords. I started to make music and I understood. I now love my guitar. I sent the teacher an email message to let him know that I, too, love my guitar.

Tough Times

They stated on the news that we are in "Tough Times" today. Gas has reached $4. a gallon in Long Island. It's not far from it here in NJ. Many people are having their cars repossesed. Some people are facing foreclosure on their homes. I don't remember the economy being so bleak for so many people before. I wonder what it will take to turn things around? Maybe , as suggested by someone, we should have a day each week when no one buys any gasoline. I'm not sure just what that would accomplish. But, I guess it's something. Whatever it takes I hope that someone in the know comes up with something that works.

Back Home Again

We arrived home from the shore this afternoon. The mail's been gone through and the cat's been given mucho attention. My only plan for the rest of the day is to practice 4 chords on the guitar. My class is tomorrow. Strumming the guitar scares the cat. I guess that that's another new sound he has to get use to. We watched the CMA awards show last night. I wanted to see some guitar playing. Didn't really get a good look at anyone playing the instrument. I think that some of the singers pose with the guitar but don't really play while they're singing. At least it looked like that. I have a new appreciation for guitar players. The class is fun. I want to be able to keep up with everything tomorrow night. Soooo, off I go to practice.

Run, Run, Run Around

Today was another day of running around. It started early, at about 9:00am and finished at about 2:00pm. At least I'm free of running for tomorrow with one exception. I do need to go to the P.O. to buy stamps. Then I'm heading for the shore. Hopefully, the weekend will be more relaxing. I'll also get a good night's sleep because Sandy is staying at home.
Tonight I'll practice the chords on the guitar. That hurts more than practicing chords on the piano. They're also harder to reach with your fingers. We had a lot of fun playing 2 chords and playing the rhythm for a certain piece in class this past week. Hearing the sound of 8 guitars playing together was great. None of us played perfectly, especially me. The teacher gave us a lot to practice this week. Time is running out. I may bring the guitar with me this weekend!

Memory

My memory is not as good as it once was, and that is scary. I have to admit it's the unimportant things which I don't remember. Like what I had to eat yesterday, for instance. Still, it's annoying not to be able to remember. I remember dinner, but not lunch. I also remember breakfast. I do know what I had for breakfast today. I wonder sometimes if ones memory is not good because of some of the meds we take. I hear that that's a possibility. Whatever the reason for it, it's quite frustrating. I'm not sure I can say "This too shall pass" about this problem, but I wish it would pass.

Some Change Is Annoying

Some change is good. Some change is bad, and some change is just annoying. The change of internet provider is one that is annoying if you have to make all your friends aware that you have a new email address. They in turn are annoyed because they have to make a change in their address book. It is also necessary to learn how to move around the new site and access the properties you want to work with. As a friend used to say in college, "This too, shall pass."

Good Trip

Yesterday's trip was fun. The speaker we heard, Marianne Fons, was very inspiring. She is a professional quilter and one of the editors of a quilt magazine. We then visited 2 quilt shops in Lancaster. I only spent $7.80 buying 3 yds of fabric. One of the fabric stores was a real bargain and worth a second trip. The other wasn't any different than the quilt shops I frequent here.
It was a long trip home. I ran out of water to drink. The next time I travel I'll take water for the trip out and water for the trip home. It's a necessity.

Lancaster

Tomorrow I'm going on a bus trip to Lancaster, Pa. We are scheduled to hear a lecture given by a professional quilter and magazine writer. After the lecture we'll have lunch and then go to visit two quilt shops in the area. I'm going to use a lot of self discipline because I don't want to purchase anything. It'll just be fun to look at the different fabrics and notions which are available to buy. We're catching the bus at 6:00am and returning by 6:00pm. It'll be a long day! Despite the length of the day, I'm sure it will be totally enjoyable.

Pitching and Chipping and Strumming

During our golf class today, we were shown how to pitch and chip the golf ball. I used my pitching wedge but wasn't very successful with that club. The Pro let me try a sandwedge for pitching. I could see the difference right away and I had more success using the sandwedge. We used the #8 iron for chipping. That was easier for me and went smoother. Golf was great fun today. After the golf clinic I went to the guitar class. We played 3 chords over and over. The fingertips on my left hand are sore. It was fun. I feel exhilarated from the 2 classes. We were told to practice the guitar everyday for at least a half hour. Our fingertips will eventually stop hurting. If we don't practice everyday, they won't get tough and will always hurt.
I have to admit that it's more fun to practice during class, than to practice alone. I have to get over that feeling.

Linner

My sister stopped by for a visit today and brought supper. We ate early because we hadn't eaten lunch. I asked what a name for an early meal between lunch and dinner would be. Brunch is a meal which combines breakfast and lunch. We decided that Linner would be the appropriate name for a meal between lunch and dinner. We ate Linner at 4:00pm and had dessert at 6:00pm. After Linner we helped to solve some of the world's problems. It was a pleasant way to spend a few hours, (in the company of my mother and sister).

Good Morning!

Good Morning! I fell asleep at 8:00pm last night and awoke at 3:00am this morning. I guess you could say that I was tired. I've been up for 2 hours already. I've had my morning coffee and will soon jump into the shower. If I'm not awake now, that will surely wake me up. My mother is still sleeping and the cat is sleeping on the bed. It's very quiet at this hour of the morning. I'm hoping that I stay awake all day and don't get sleepy later this afternoon. In any case, I'm looking forward to the day.

Happy Mother's Day

To all of my friends who may read this, I'd like to wish you a Happy Mother's Day. I hope that your day is filled with family and fun. My Mother is with me today and I will host dinner for my family so that we can honor her. Before anything else transpires today, I will attend the 8:00am mass at the local church. I'll pick up my brother at 10:00am. Our menu will be wine baked chicken breasts, brown rice, and a garden salad. We will have strawberry shortcake for dessert. The weather promises to cooperate which will add to the pleasantness of the day.

Golf

Yesterday, I got another invitation for playing golf. We will go to a short 18 hole course in Hopewell. The friend who picked this course said that it's easier than the course we played on the last time. Perhaps there are not as many environmental areas to avoid while hitting the ball. I must have lost 5 balls when we played last fall. I am hitting the ball better and I may be able to hit over the environmental areas this year, but they kind of "freak" you out when you come upon them. That shakes your confidence and if you don't hit well, you've lost another ball.
In any case, it's a good experience to actually play on a golf course instead of going to Pitch and Putt. It's also so peaceful and beautiful, like taking a walk in a park. I look forward to playing and improving my game. Hope that I can keep up with the rest of the foursome.

On The Lighter Side

"Life is so sweet, on the sunnyside of the street." " The sun will come out tomorrow." Thank goodness! Tomorrow will be a busy day. I'll shop for Sunday's meal, do a few errands and pick up my brother for a visit. Hopefully, I'll get to work on some of my quilting. I'm hoping that it'll be warm enough to open the doors and let some fresh air inside. Anyway, it'll be a relief that the usual programs are not on. I won't get my "Irish" up. I'd like to wish all who read this a good weekend.

A Day Of Misogynous Views

What a day! I listen to the pundits talking politics in the morning, before I start my day, and in the evening, before I end my day. The theme from the men was the same with few exceptions. I used to think that they just hated Hillary. I used to try to figure out why. What did she do? After listening to them today I know why they hate her. They are, with few exceptions, misogynists. They hate all women. Oh, yes, they are husbands and fathers to girls. It is so ingrained in them that they aren't even aware of their hatred. What message that must send to one's daughter. "Honey, you can be anything you want to be when you grow up...except President of the United States of America." "Why?", the child asks. "Well, because you are a woman", Daddy replies. "You can be a teacher, a dancer,or a lawyer, (and some girls get the message that they can be a stripper, a call girl or a member of an escort service) but never President of the United States." Do I hate these men? No, not when they are charming and amusing and being professional. But it does anger me to see the hatred in their rhetoric. I decided today that the reason they want Hillary to "give up" is that it will make it easy for them in the final phases of the "game". If she gives up first, the decision's been made before the convention. They're off the hook. Where are the wives of these pundits? Do these men ever hear a different point of view? Where are the female pundits and reporters who support Hillary? Why are they remaining silent when the misogyny is so obvious? It's not a race question, it's a gender question!

Good Trip Despite The Rain

Our trip to the Princeton Art Museum was very pleasant. It was not crowded. We had plenty of time to roam around the upstairs gallery and decided that we'll come back on another day to see the gallery downstairs. We stopped for lunch at an Italian Trattoria which we passed on the way home. Everyone loved their pasta dinners. They asked if I had ever been to that restaurant before I made the reservation for our group. I hadn't. I told them that it was "blind luck" that we were happy with the restaurant and the dinners. It was pouring most of the day. They would like to visit the museum again when the sun shines. We can walk around the campus and down the main street of town in that case. That's an outing to look forward to in the future.

"It's Raining, It's Pouring..."

As I sit here at the computer, I can hear the rain falling through the drain pipe outside. It sounds very heavy. There was even thunder and lightning a few minutes ago. I guess that today my friends and I will have to try to walk between the raindrops. We are scheduled to visit a local museum. Unfortunately, we are unable to park near the museum and will have a fairly long walk in the rain. This sounds like the kind of rain that needs more than an umbrella to give one protection. I figure that our legs and feet will be soaken by the time we get to the museum. I hope that the trip is worth all the effort we will be expending.

"Who Wants To Buy?"

Today I visited a local jewelry store and sold them some small pieces of gold jewelry. They in turn will sell it for scrap. These are pieces I don't wear anymore or that I don't like anymore. There were two bracelets and several pairs of earrings. I did well in the cash department. When I returned home I decided to go through my jewelry box to see what else I've been ignoring and not wearing. I found a few more items and hope to visit the store again and sell these pieces. Gold has come down a bit in the past couple of weeks I was told although it is still high. Now is the best time to sell what I don't want or need. Years ago there were pawn shops to sell your "stuff" in. I don't remember those through first hand experience. It is good to find a place to sell things that you no longer want. You can't give everything to charity or the Salvation Army. I have also done my share of contributing to these charities. Now with the economy the way it is, I say, "Give me the money".

Fresh Out Of Ideas

Practiced 3 chords today on the guitar. My cat took notice. I don't think he liked the sound. My nails have been cut. I don't miss them. It'll be better for playing golf as well. I wish I had something interesting to write about. Seem to be fresh out of ideas. Maybe tomorrow will be better for ideas.

An Improvement

A friend and I went to the Driving Range today to hit a medium bucket of balls. I had more success today than I did the last time I went to the driving range. That's some comfort because I've had a private lesson and a clinic class last night. At least the lessons are doing some good. I've decided to keep the clubs in my trunk so that I'll have them on the spur of the moment if I decide to go to the driving range to practice. Also, I won't be tripping over them in my spare room. Next week I'm going to practice my putting at the golf course. We were told that because we're taking classes that we are welcome to practice on the practice putting green whenever it's not being used for another class. The spring and the fall will be when I do most of my golf course playing. The heat and humidity of the summer are a deterent to me. I'll stick to Pitch and Putt and the driving range when it's too "hot to handle".

Fun And More Fun

Went to the first golf clinic class today. We were working on the "short" game. We were taught the correct way to putt the golf ball. The exercises provided were very helpful. I need to practice, practice, practice. From there I went to an adult class for beginning guitar. That was very interesting. We learned 3 chords which we have to practice and we learned how to tune the guitar. I need to practice, practice, practice. I also need to cut the nails on my left hand in order to play the chords properly. I had already decided not to have them done anymore, so, I'm not disappointed in that. Got home at about 9:30pm from my early evening adventures. I'm wide awake and all psyched. I need to unwind before I go to bed or I won't sleep tonight. Tomorrow I'll practice hitting balls at the Driving Range. When I have a chance during the day, I'll practice my chords.

Protect My Loved One

Sometimes I think that when someone you love is going through a "hard" time or is "hurting", it is almost as hard to be a witness to the whole thing as it is to go through it yourself. So, what can you do to help? First, you try prayer, and words of encouragement. If there's nothing you can do to change the situation, you pray that God will change it for your loved one. Prayer, prayer, and more prayer. I really don't know what else to do. My loved one is far away and needs help and encouragement and prayer to get through a tough situation. Please, Dear God, and all the angels, be there for him. Give him strength and let him know and feel your love and protection.

All Set For The Evening

Today was an ordinary, uneventful day. Mom came up at noon and will stay through Mother's Day. I fed her lunch and we chatted. She took a nap. I fed her supper and we chatted. Now she's watching the pundits discuss the political scene. I picked up a New York Times and a Star Ledger for her to read. She's all set for the evening.
I've done some laundry and hope to do one more load before the day is over. Haven't decided how I'll spend the rest of the evening myself. The day flew, as it does whether you're having fun or not. Unless I fall asleep first, I'll report on my evening before I retire for the night.

Gardens For Sculpture

What a beautiful day it turned out to be this Sunday. I went to 8:00am mass at the local parish church. At 11:15am, friends picked me up and we drove to Gardens For Sculpture in Hamilton, N.J. We arrived and met 9 other friends for a tour of the gardens, after which we had Brunch at Rats. The weather forecast had predicted rain, but it turned out to be sunny and warm which made it a perfect day to walk around the grounds and look at the sculpture. Someone once said that new friends are like silver and "old" friends are like gold. The friends I met today I've known since college. They are truly "golden". I value their friendship more than gold. Thank you for your continued friendship over the years. May we all enjoy many more years and occasions for getting together.

Kentucky Derby

Watched the Kentucky Derby today. The horse that won was very impressive. What was disappointing was to hear that they had to put the horse that came in second to sleep. Apparently she broke both of her front ankles. Too bad there isn't a way to save a beautiful animal when something like that happens. How sad. Didn't tune in early enough to see all the people in their finest apparel and the ladies in their big hats. That's usually quite a lot of fun to see.

New Hairdo

Everything old is new again. Yes, hairdoes from the 60's are back again. I'm now sporting a "new" bob. In the late 1960's I also wore this hair style. The flip which we wore in the mid 60's was resurrected a few years ago. The difference for me between today's bob and "yesterday's" bob is that today's is much shorter than I use to wear it. It seemed to be a good decision to change my shorter hairdo after wearing it that way for 5 years or so. In this case, change is good. Change which is always different is not always good. I'll hear comments on my new "do", hopefully in favor of it, when I see my friends again.