My Day

Today I managed to get my hair done. That gives me more personal time for what I want to get done tomorrow. I'd like to pick up filters for the furnace, and do some grocery shopping. I'm having someone come in the morning to help me set up a new printer for my notebook computer. Later in the afternoon a good friend of mine will stop by.
Before having my hair done I stopped at the library to pick up a book and return a DVD. I've managed to do a load of laundry and hope to get one more done before the day is over. I don't think there is anything on the tube which I want to watch tonight so I'll end the day either reading and listening to music or doing some sort of sewing or quilting.

The Weekend's Ending

It was a nice weekend. We played Pinochle last night. The deck was brand new. I had trouble shuffling it. At one point while I was shuffling, the cards flew out of my hands and landed in my lap. I felt like I was all thumbs. I decided to shuffle half of the deck and then to shuffle the other half, combine the two halves and then cut the deck a few times. After that deal, J. came up with a double run and his hand was worth 155 points and he won the game. I couldn't deal a hand like that again if I tried.
Today I went to mass at 11:30am. It was still quite humid out. The church was cooler than outside, but I thought it was still warm inside. There were 2 small children sitting in front of me. It's alway distracting to have the "little ones" nearby when you're in church because they don't sit still or pay attention to the mass. I wish they had a children's mass. If they did I'd avoid it and go to a "grownup" mass.
I spent the afternoon relaxing. Tomorrow I'll go to the library to pick up a book I ordered and to return the DVD I watched yesterday. At the end of the week I'll be heading to the hills for a short vacation with 3 friends. I'll be spending time this week getting things ready for the trip. I'm looking forward to a change of scenery and fun with the girls.

Three Steps Left

The batting and the backing have been cut. The top has been ironed. What's left to do? The three layers have to be pinned together. Then the quilting starts. After the quilting is done the binding is added and the Lap Quilt is complete. I'm considering calling the shop I frequent to see if I can use their large table to stretch the backing out, and put on the batting and the top. It will be much easier to pin and then quilt if it's done without wrinkles. It's also easier to use a large table rather than to crawl around on the floor trying to pin the layers together. I'm anxious to get going.

The Joy Of Not Using The AC

In Summer's past, I would put on the AC as soon as the temperature reached the 80's. This year I've opted to use a fan and open as many windows and doors as I can. I've been pleasantly surprised by how I'm enjoying life without the AC. I can smell and hear the sounds of summer instead of hearing the AC going. Today as I sat here quietly listening to soft music with both doors opened and the kitchen and DR windows opened, a memory came to me of summers in my hometown. It was a pleasant, nostalgic memory. When we were growing up, nobody was lucky enough to have central AC. People opened windows, used fans, waded in ankle deep pools or ran under the sprinkler to cool off. When the grass was being watered, you ran through the sprinkler. When Mom watered the flowers, we put on our bathing suits and she watered us too so that we had some relief from the heat of the day. The water from the hose was very cold as I remember. It was quite refreshing on a hot summer day. In the evening after supper, we'd be outside while Mom and Dad sat on the porch. Everyone else's Mom and Dad would come outside each evening also. It was cooler outside than in the house. Neighbors would visit neighbors while the kids played or rode bikes on the street. What fun we had! I wished for a minute or two that those days were not gone. What a sweet memory of a happy childhood. I'm sure I'll be reminded of those days again as I try to live without the AC this summer. I know that the temperatures will get to me when they hit the 90's and it's very humid. I'll give in and turn on the air. I prefer welcoming the outside in in the summer, instead of shuting out the summer air. Here's to the summers of our childhood and our youth. May they continue to live in our memory and bring back the joy of those days gone by.

The Top Is Done

Tonight I finished the quilt top. I will iron the entire thing tomorrow morning. Then I have to get the quilt batting out of the closet and cut a section off so that I can put the backing, batting and top together for quilting. I will also research machine quilting. I know that I have a book or two on that topic in my library. I want to be very careful that I do it correctly since I've never machine quilted before. I don't want to ruin the whole thing. The top looks pretty. As I've said before it's very colorful and cheery looking. Ought to bring a smile to the face. It brings one to mine.

Raise Your Blood Pressure

Watching the Lou Dobbs show on CNN in the evening is sure to raise your blood pressure. He reports on things which are happening in our country which seem to be outrageous. Lou is an Independent and reports as such. I like to watch his show to get a different perspective on things. His coverage is not only about the Presidential Race and the candidates. He focuses on other news as well. He reports on news items which no one else seems to cover. Things which make you mad because they are unfair or stupid. He called our congress a "do nothing " congress. I tend to agree with that. If it were possible to be an Independent and still vote in the primary in my state, I think I'd declare myself as such. Unfortunately, that's not the case. If you want to have a say in who the candidates will be you have to be a registered Democrat or a registered Republican. Some people say we need a third party. I say, why bother if it's only going to be more of the same.

She'll Need Sunglasses!

Today went quickly. I got up early and began to sew. I put 1 of the borders on the quilt and need to cut a 6 inch border to finish the top. Hopefully, I'll get that done tomorrow. The quilt will be 52 inches square when it is done. It'll be a good lap quilt. It looks good so far. I'm anxious to get it done. Since the colors are so bright and cheerful, I thought that it would be a cute idea to give a pair of sunglasses with the package and to tell my cousin that she needs to put them on before she opens the present. Sunglasses can always come in handy anyway. I hope that I get to see her open the gift. That way I can tell if she really likes it or not. It would please me if she did, but it'll keep her warm in cool weather in any case.

Quilt In Progress

All that's left to do to finish the front of the quilt I'm making is to put the 2 borders on the front. I will do that tomorrow. I also need to iron the entire piece when I'm finished. Then I can cut the batting and the backing and put the 3 layers together and pin them. That will take another day. Marking the quilt for quilting will come next. Since I haven't machine quilted a quilt this size I have no idea how long that will actually take. If it goes well with no problems, I can work on it in an afternoon or during a morning. It will be necessary to take breaks because my neck and back will get tired of the 'sewing' posture. When the quilting is finished, the binding goes on and Voila, the quilt is done.

A Lazy Afternoon

It was a lazy afternoon. A day of rest. Nothing accomplished worth speaking of. Tomorrow I will do some grocery shopping. I plan to sew for the rest of the day. Golf will have to wait because we are being promised thunderstorms for the day. I will stop at the local library to pick up a book and a DVD I requested. Sometime tomorrow evening I'll watch the movie. I look forward to a fun filled day.

The First Day of Summer

The first day of summer is the longest day of the year. Then the days begin to get shorter again. I looked out the door at 8:45 pm yesterday and it wasn't completely dark outside. How refreshing! I love daylignt the best. The weather has been mild the past few days. I was able to open a window and 2 doors and didn't need Sandy's favorite thing - the ceiling fan. I went outside twice today. Once to put the garbage out and once to get the mail. The sewing machine is in the front window so I could watch the world go buy when I looked up from my sewing. Sandy had been taking a nap when I started to sew. He soon joined me in the sewing room when he heard the machine. He jumped up on the table and sat on my right while I sewed. He wasn't any trouble. When he was a kitten he would try to grab the needle as it went up and down. Not such a smart thing for a little kitten to do. Thankfully, he's gotten over doing that. I have a real pal in Sandy. He is interested in everything I do. Finds me quite entertaining. Actually, while I'm entertaining him, he's entertaining me. He makes me smile or chuckle several times every day. Right now he's asleep in the chair across the room from me. He has his head on the arm of the chair. I guess he uses it as a pillow. In about an hour or so he'll come over here to check up on me and maybe sit on my lap again. Then when I turn out the lights he knows to let me sleep for at least 3 or 4 hours. That's Big of him isn't it? NOT. Every now and then, like last night for instance, I manage to get a full 7 hours of sleep. I guess that Sandy wasn't as persistent in waking me up as I was in staying asleep. I hope that everyone who reads this has a good, restful, deep sleep tonight. Pleasant dreams!

Many Stitches

Tomorrow I'll go down the shore to visit Mom. I didn't go today because I wanted to sew. I'm going to return home on Sunday so that I can sew some more. I'd like to finish the quilt top by the middle of next week. I can then put the batting and backing on it, pin it in place, and start the machine quilting. I know I'll have to mark the top before I quilt it so that my lines go where I want them to end up. I was given a quilting tip from a woman I took a class with last year. She leaves her "walking foot" on the machine at all times. She pieces with it on and then quilts with it on. I've done the piecing on this quilt with the walking foot instead of the quarter inch foot. It seems to be working out well. I'll know for sure when the entire top is pieced together. By leaving the walking foot on and learning to piece with it, it saves the time it would take to change feet. I'm also getting better with the WF.
I was very relaxed today when I was sewing. I had to iron after completing each step. I ironed in the kitchen but it would be more helpful if I'd set up an ironing space in the sewing/craft room. I will be able to do that because I do have a cordless iron which I can use. That will save steps and help the quilt to "materialize" more quickly. No pun intended. Are you in stitches?

The Present

My birthday present arrived today. It is a month and a half early, but I needed it now before the summer starts to wan. It is a beautiful lime green golf cart. I have a dvd to watch later so that I can learn more easily how to open it up and fold it down. It's called an origami golf cart. I may even wear my lime green capri pants and shirt the first time I take the cart out. My sneakers are white with touches of lime green. I guess that that's my new favorite color. My golf bag is black with baby blue markings on it. It'll look swell on the new cart.
I spent today sewing on a present for my cousin, Kathy. As I mentioned once before, I'm making a quilt for her. The colors are bright. They include lime green, pink, and a floral print with a dark brown background. It's kind of "funky". I hope she likes it. I have 4 more borders to put on the 4 center blocks then I can sew all 4 blocks together and put on another border of pink all around the huge sewn together center square. The final border is a larger floral print matching the 4 squares in the center. I'd like to machine quilt the quilt and then put on the lime green border. This will be tricky because it'll be the first pieced quilt that I attempt to quilt by machine. Hand quilting would take too long. I want to give her the quilt this summer. Piecing the top is a breeze now. Machine quilting on the 3 layers will be a real challenge. I hope that everything works out well. Keep your fingers crossed.

I Need A Topic

Thinking of something to write about is not always an easy task. I've hit a dry spell lately. I haven't watched the news tonight. Sometimes I can get an idea from listening or watching. It's a bit strange when you feel like writing and you have nothing to say. I imagine that an artist feels the same way when he or she is handed a blank canvas. There must be days when the canvas remains bare. My mother, an amateur artist, always said that art is more perspiration than inspiration. Writing becomes a chore without an idea. I remember how hard it was for some of my students to get an idea for a story. I used to tell them to just write anything and an idea will come. That does work sometimes. Other times are just like I'm experiencing now. There's much said about nothing much.

A Lovely Day

What a beautiful day today! The weather is mild, in the 70's I'd say and the sun is shining. I finished the laundry and cut most of the fabric for the quilt. I just have the border fabric to cut and then I'll start sewing. In the middle of my cutting Sandy came to join me. He spread out in the middle of the table and it was a real challenge to finish cutting what needed to be cut. I'm waiting for my birthday present to be delivered. It may come any day now. My mother is sending me a golf cart to carry my clubs when I walk and play golf. I'm anxious to receive it as I have an invitation to play on Monday. I won't carry those clubs without the cart. Too Heavy! I will prepare the area I use for sewing so that if the mood strikes me later, I will start sewing. The hardest part of quilting for me is the cutting of fabric. If you don't do it correctly it's possible that you won't have enough fabric to finish the project. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all went well with the measuring and the cutting. We'll soon see.

Good Morning!

It's great to welcome another new day! Today there is nothing on my calendar which has to be done. I'm free to make my plans as the day unfolds. I'm about to do a load of laundry and I will cut some more of the fabric I need to cut for my quilt. What happens after that remains to be seen. I look forward to a good day.

Sealing The Courts

This weeks project in Condo Land is sealing the parking lots on all the courts in our community. What does that mean? It means that you have to find another parking place when your court is being sealed. It means that everyone else has to find a spot to park when their court is being sealed. It means that the "reserved" sign in your spot has been blackened over and there is someone else parking in your spot. So, how does that change your life? Well, you change your plan of going out to quilt with the quilting group because if you do, you will return at 11:00pm and find that there are not longer any spots left in which to park. Unless you like driving around all night looking for a parking space, and walking a mile in the dark, you decide to stay at home where you are safe, and comfortable, and your car has a spot in which to spend the night. This too shall pass, I know. Hopefully, by the end of the week. A bit of advice for the association, don't dilly dally with the painting of the lines and reserved signs. Bumper Cars in the parking lots would not be a pretty sight.

Timmy, We Hardly Knew You

The Memorial for Tim Russert was held today at 4:00pm. I did watch it. The people who spoke of Tim were very eloquent in their own way. It was fun to hear the stories of their friendship related by Mike Barnicle. Hearing his favorite nun speak of him as a student brought back memories of parochial school, nuns, and the dreaded diagraming of sentences in English. As tough as Catholic School was, there are fond memories that warm the heart. The nuns who taught Tim were the same order of nuns who taught us, Sisters of Mercy. We used to kid that sometimes, they had no mercy. They helped build the foundation which made us the people we are today. They certainly, along with the Jesuits and his parents made Tim who he became. I felt like he was family. He was the relative or friend you were exceptionally proud of because they led a "good" life. What an example to follow for young people who are still trying to find themselves or their "voice" in life. Every man, woman and child should be so lucky as to have a friend like him. I feel that he was the "friend" I hardly knew. I'm saddened by his passing, but inspired by his life.

Plans Have Changed

Plans have changed for tomorrow. We're not going to play MJ. I will go to our quilting session in the evening, however. I have to go out to get my car before 7:00am tomorrow. I had to park it on another street because they were sealing our court and we couldn't drive on the pavement. Mail delivery couldn't get through yesterday so I went to the PO today to mail a few things. I also managed to get a pedicure. It's the first one I've had this season. Haven't had one since last October. On Friday I'll get my hair done. That will be more expensive than going to the Polytech. The coif will turn out good however, because the gal who's doing my hair did it last month at Polytech. I was happy with the job she did so I decided that I would follow her for the summer and go back to the Polytech in Sept. Can't wait to get my hair done again.

Go Get 'Em

Go get 'em. That's a good rallying send off. It was attributed to Tim Russert today. It seems that he would say that to the reporters or friends and even his own son. I saw part of the Matt Lauer interview of Tim's son today. What a fine young man! He spoke very well and showed his sense of humor while maintaining his composure. I'm saddened by his loss. I'm saddened by our ( the viewers) loss. It's not often that I'm affected this way by the death of someone I never knew in person. Tim's gone on to a better place. May his family and his friends find solice in the memories they have of Tim. I wish I had known you personally. What a fine role model you were for many young people. You are a hero in my eyes. Watch over our country from up in heaven. If you know who will be the best person to lead the U.S.A. as our next President, put a word in for him. We need all the help we can get. You "Go get 'em" Tim.

The Cat's Back

Earlier this evening a fast wind picked up outside. I thought it would rain, but it didn't. I decided to shut off the ceiling fan because I expected it to get cooler. I went into the bedroom and picked Sandy up from my bed and brought him out to the LR. He carefully looked in the direction of the fan. Since it had stopped completely he decided to stay in the LR with me. So, he's had a reprieve, but unfortunately that won't last because when I close up the house for the evening I'll need the fan on again. He'll run as fast as his little legs will carry him to what he considers to be a safe distance from the menacing wind kicking up in the DR. I may not see him for the rest of the night.

Scaredy Cat

When I returned home yesterday I realized that the temperature had gone down a bit and it wasn't as humid as it had been. As a result, I turned off the AC and turned on the ceiling fan. I haven't seen Sandy since. He's afraid of the fan. I guess he thinks it's a big bird that will pick him up and carry him away. Maybe he'll get tired of hiding soon. Maybe not. In any case it's going to be a cat free day.

Happy Viewing

It was a busy, tiring weekend. I'm glad it's over and that I'm home again. I'm watching Mystery on PBS tonight. It's an Agatha Christie mystery. Miss Marple is the main character. I always like these movies. They are always well done. I've decided not to watch the Tony Awards program because I haven't been to a Broadway play in ages. Whatever you're watching tonight, I hope that it's entertaining. Happy viewing.

I'll Miss Him

Over the past weekend, one of my favorite news people passed away. Tim Russert was my favorite. I enjoyed his repartee with other pundits who shared his religion. He would tease them by saying things like, "Look at those two altar boys over there." Recently he told Mike Barnicle and Pat Buchanan that if a priest came out and saw that they were going to be the altar boys, he'd go back into the sacristy. He was a devote Catholic which I admire. He wasn't afraid of letting everyone know it on nation wide television either. He warmed my heart every time he kidded in this way. That gave me a connection with him. I understood the kidding because I too was educated by the nuns. I have always said that there are two things I will never give up in my life, one is my citizenship and the other is my religion. I know he felt the same way about that. I'll miss him on "Meet The Press" every Sunday. I'll miss his sense of humor, his smile and his twinkling eyes. I know he's up in heaven. I guess that God needed him now. May he rest in peace and may perpetual light shine upon him.

Friday The Thirteenth

Today is Friday the 13th. Are you superstitious? I decided long ago that the number 13 wouldn't bother me. When I got my first apartment I was asked if I was superstitious. I replied that I wasn't. "We'll give you apartment 13 then", said the man who was renting new apartments. I lived there for 16 years very happily. Sometimes an email comes through asking me to forward the message or have bad luck. I seldom forward these as I don't want to be superstitious. They'd have a better chance of me forwarding them if I wasn't threatened by bad luck. It gets my "Irish" up when I'm given an ultimatum. So, if you promise me bad luck if I don't forward an email, you can be certain that I'll delete it. No, I won't have my fingers crossed as I press the delete key.

The Weekend

My family gave me a list of items to bring to Mom's tomorrow. I need the rice cooker, my laptop computer, my guitar, the usual weekend items like toiletries and a change of clothes, my sneakers so we can go for a walk, the bottle of wine I won at the retiree's luncheon and I also need to pick up my brother. I'm hoping that the traffic is light for the trip. I get tired of sharing the highways with tractor trailer trucks. They drive so fast and follow so close behind that they make me nervous and thus cause the ride to be unpleasant. What's the hurry? Do they really get there that much sooner? Slow down, the life you save could be your own.

A Family Gathering

This Saturday night and all day Sunday, my siblings, my mother and I will have a chance to spend time together. It isn't often that we get the opportunity to all be together. Distance separates us and busy lives keep us away from each other. After all the conversation, the catching up and the humor we've shared, I'm going to see if I can twist an arm or two to play the Super Scrabble game I gave Mom for her birthday. They will be reluctant. I don't know why, two of them were English majors in college, and my mother and brother are very well read and could fill the board with words they've used and encountered in their reading. Actually, I feel that they'd all have an advantage over me. I guess the difference is that I enjoy the game and don't need to be the winner in the end. I'll have to ask them is being the winner would be their goal if playing. I think we'd have a lot of fun and more laughs if we played. I'd like to get them in the game playing mode again. We all played board games when we were kids. You can't just sit around and talk forever, after awhile you run out of things to talk about. Anyway, we'll have a good time whether we play or not. Here's to family gatherings! They are too few and far between.

A New Biography

I returned a short while ago from a book presentation by Barbara Walters. She appeared very elegant in manner, had a sense of humor, and told enough about her private life to encourage me to read her new book, "Audition". My friends and I were sitting in the back of the auditorium and it was a strain to hear all of what was said. They should have had better microphones or speakers in the High School Auditorium. She wore black slacks and a white jacket with a black flower at her neckline. We waited outside by her limo to see if we could catch a glimpse of her leaving. When she came out of the building it was possible to see that she is a shorter woman than I am. She seemed to be a quiet type of person as she shook hands with a few of the people. One got a different impression of her than you got when she was on stage. All in all it was a pleasant evening. I'm glad we went. Before the presentation my friends and I had a light supper at Chilli's restaurant. We had decided to eat before the presentation which turned out to be the correct decision, because Ms. Walters arrived late to the auditorium. The program was detained about 45 minutes while we awaited her arrival. We were given a copy of her book when we arrived so we spent the extra time perusing the book and looking at the photos which were inside the book. Barbara had signed a book plate for each of the books which we placed on the title page as soon as we sat down. We didn't want to risk losing it accidently or having it fall out of the book when we returned to the car. I'd be interested in seeing if she appears on The View tomorrow. I'd like to know if she mentions her trip to our neck of the woods. We'd like her to be as impressed by our beautiful county as we are impressed by her.

South Pacific

PBS is showing a concert with orchestra and actors. They are giving a performance of the musical South Pacific. I had seen this musical several years ago, maybe 25 or 30 to be exact, at the Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ. I love the music. It's beautiful and romantic. "Some Enchanted Evening" is being sung now. Reba McIntyre is playing Nellie. I'll sign off now so I can enjoy the show.

We're Having A Heat Wave

Welcome AC. The first heat wave of the season has made me put on the AC. Some of my friends plan to play golf tomorrow. It's suppose to hit 100 degrees. I'm very glad that I didn't decide to join them. My Mom doesn't think they'll go through with playing golf tomorrow in all the heat, but I'm betting that they do. In any case, I'll be down the shore having lunch with Mom and my sister. We'll go to an oceanside restaurant and sit in the AC while we watch the surf break on the shore from the restaurant window. Perhaps it will be a bit cooler by the ocean, but that's not always so.
I'm watching golf on the TV as I'm writing this. I'm not quite sure where they are playing. The players don't look like their sweating more than usual so I'd guess that it's not as hot where they are playing. A little suggestion I have for the TV station is that they display the course and city name in the corner of the screen so that it's apparent where the tournament is taking place. The commentators talk so much but they never mention where the play is taking place.

"Laughter In The Rain"

"Laughter In The Rain" just played on the music channel. Do you remember that song? ( I'm back to the rain theme. ) My brother and I often played in the summer rain as children. As long as there was no lightning we were allowed to put on our bathing suits and go out in the rain. It was a way to cool off in the hot summer when you didn't have a pool. It was interesting to float paper boats or popsicle sticks in the gutter and watch them sail down the street to someone elses house. We stayed on our property mostly and enjoyed being the only ones outside on our street. I guess the other kids were afraid they'd melt if they got wet. There was laughter in the rain in those days. I also remember a time in college when there was "laughter in the rain". The night my roommate and I each met our college boyfriends was a rainy Friday in September. That night brings to mind another rain song called "September In The Rain". I guess I have many happy memories of being "in the rain". I can't say that "Rainy Days and Sundays Always Get Me Down", although I always liked that song too. They say that into each life a little rain must fall. It's nice to be able to say that not all rainy days are negative. Our gardens wouldn't grow without rain either. The result is beautiful flowers, and ripe fruits and vegetables to eat. So, I welcome the rain. May it continue to bring happy moments which will turn into special memories.

What Color Would I Choose?

Making a decision to buy a new car is a big decision. For the past thirty years I've purchased a Mercury. I may not follow that path the next time I buy a car simply because I'd like a car that gets good gas mileage. I've been noticing different cars on the road. I like the Camry and the Altima. I've seen many colors of each variety and find it difficult to pick a favorite color. I've had a black, a dark blue, two red, one silver, one white, and one gray car in my life. The next car I buy will not be black, or red, or gray, or white. I like the dark blue, but only when it's clean. I like the silver, but thought it might be a nice change to have a car of a pastel color like a baby blue or a light green. Sometimes ones choice is limited by the type of car you purchase because they only make them in certain specific colors. The first decision is how much you're willing to spend on a car. The second choice is the type of car. I guess that what color I would choose is the least of the problems. I hope that when I'm ready for a new vehicle, all the conditions are a "GO", especially being able to afford to buy one.

What Do You Give Someone Who Has Everything?

Deciding what gift to give Mom for her birthday is not an easy task at this point in her life. The fact that her birthday is one month after Mother's Day does not help the situation. I gave her two summer outfits for Mother's Day. She recently asked me to pick up a new dictionary for her. She likes to do the crossword puzzles in the newspaper. She watches the pundits talk about politics and sometimes reads a book written by one or two of them. We were discussing some of the "new" vocabulary words we were introduced to recently. She had me look up the definition of them and she quizzes me on them from time to time. I told her that some of the words would be good Scrabble words. We haven't played that game in quite some time. So, that's what I decided to get her for her birthday, the Super Scrabble game. It differs from the original game because the board is bigger and there are more letters to use. We will get my brother and his wife to play with us when they come to visit. I can't wait! Hope Mom is "up" for playing. Hope she likes her unusual birthday gift. After all, what do you give someone who has everything?

Dad's Birthday

Today would have been Dad's 87th birthday. He left us 19 years ago. It's funny how you still remember birthdays and anniversaries of family members. Seems only like yesterday that he was with us. Thank goodness for our fond memories and the little things that bring a loved one to mind. My Dad loved to play golf. How nice it would have been to be able to play with him and Mom. He also didn't mind rainy days, unless he was suppose to play golf. I can picture him standing in the garage leaning against his car and watching the summer rain fall outside the opened garage door. Sometimes, he'd sit on the porch and watch the rain. I usually don't mind the summer rain myself, it brings back those memories of Dad. I remember him as a positive thinker. He usually offered a different perspective on a situation when asked for his opinion. I still miss him to this day. Continuing to write this could bring tears to my eyes just thinking about the loss in my life by not having him part of it. People say that it's harder when you lose your mother. Thankfully, I haven't had to experience that yet. Not having both parents would present a huge void in my life. I hope that day is a long way in coming. I'm lucky to still have my mother whose birthday is in four days. Yes, they were both Geminis, the Twins. My sister says that means we had 4 parents instead of 2. Not knowing much about astrology I'm not sure I understand what that means for sure. Happy Birthday Dad! I hope you're sitting on the bench outside of heavens door and looking down on all of us here. I know you'll be sitting there to greet each of us as we join you some day.

Work To Do

It looks like it will be McCain vs. Obama in the presidential race. There is much work for us to do in deciding who we will vote for. Each of the candidates has written a book which I hope to read to help me make an educated decision of who to vote for in the fall. I don't feel that I know much about Obama. I hope reading his book aids in getting to know the man. I feel that I know John McCain better because he has been around in the political arena longer than Obama. I want to know something "substantial" about each candidate so that I have something to base my vote on in November. Who the Vice Presidential candidates are will also make a difference to me. Whoever wins the election in November has to correct a lot that's gone wrong with our country. I hope that the best man wins the election.

Success With The Driver

What a busy day! It started by voting in the state primary. After that I had a doctor appointment. When I finished with that I joined my friends to play Mah Jongg until late afternoon. I had enough time to come home and have a piece of fruit then I headed out to the golf course for my golf clinic. I finally learned how to use the driver. We spent the hour hitting balls with the irons and ended up hitting balls with the driver. Next week they'll take us out on the golf course to play a few holes. I'd like to learn how to drive a golf cart. I guess it's not too hard as long as you know where the brake is located.

It's Always Nice To Come Home Again

We returned from our weekend at about noon today. The mail, both snail and email, has been checked and answered. It's probably warm enough to put on the air conditioner today, but I opted for the ceiling fan and opened 2 doors and the kitchen window. It's very pleasant inside. There is only about 3 or 3 and 1/2 hours of daylight left today. I'm going to be sad to see the sun set. The days go by too quickly. After dinner and before dark, I'll go for a short walk. It will be necessary to close up the house to do so. When I return I'll reopen the back door and hopefully, a nice breeze will come into the room. We did have a SPRING this year! I'm so thankful that we were lucky enough to have spring weather before summer comes. Please keep the humidity low this summer. I want to play more golf and to be able to walk the course when I do so.