Giving Thanks

An unusual Thanksgiving dinner at daughter Karen's house.

Unusual in that there were only 9 of us.  This made for what my sister Susan called the "perfect" Thanksgiving and daughter Pam agreed.  "It wasn't so crowded.  I could actually sit and talk to Karen,  without twenty other people wanting her attention."

Usually there is Karen and her Hubs Mark, Helene & Mike and baby, Susanna, Marcus and fiancee', Stephen and girlfriend, Maddie and boyfriend--and that is just the family--then there are Karen's in-laws, a raucous crowd of 8.

Yesterday: Karen and Mark.  Maddie and Stephen.  Susan, Chuck and her son Adam, Pammie and me.

I wasn't even tired from all the noise.  Usually I'm worn out.

They had just finished the fireplace at the "new" end of their living room.  Unlike most late 50 year old empty-nesters, who are ready to downsize, Karen and Mark are enlarging their house.  They are adding family.  A wedding last year and a new baby.  A wedding in June.  Perhaps an other wedding in 2020, which means more people added and more grand babies coming.  Considering this family is nearly ALL together each and every weekend..............they do everything together--even after their kids get married......they need a bigger living room.
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Women in the kitchen

Men watching football

Susan, her son Adam and Chuck

Stephen, Karen, Mark, Maddie

It was lovely.

Glad that's over with

Not one bag fell apart!.

Since then, I have rolled up the garden hose and put it back in the shed.
Put the rocks back in the garden edging.
Broken up the branches in 4' lengths for yard waste pick-up next Tuesday--I just gotta tie them in a bundle.


After 2:00--I Gassed up the car--Good Grief, $2.69, went to the bank and to Walmart to get some groceries.

I also finished one genealogy pedigree today and have only 1 load left to do in the laundry.



If I have to, I can do anything.  I am strong.  I am invincible.  I AM WOMAN!!!!

Ready for tomorrow

I pulled the plastic tarp off the yard waste bags of leaves this morning.
We had 48 degrees with a nice wind and sun!!
Hopefully they dry out by Tuesday morning when the yard waste pick-up guys come.

It goes on..........

My continuing dilemma with the yard waste bags-------I woke up Friday morning and checked the weather forecast.  Rain beginning at 3:00 and continuing through the night, with hard continual rain and wind gusts on Saturday.

After my Soap, I hied myself into Brighton and bought a 10 x 14' heavy plastic tarp.  I was in such an angry, frustrated state that I took that tarp and spent 20 minutes, quickly wrapping it over and around all the leaf bags.

I tucked some of it under the heavy bags, put rocks on the rest of the edges to hold them down.  Put the heavy branches and my heavy garden hose on top to help hold it down and then---parked my car close to them, to make a wind break.

When I was finished--I noticed that I had gone at this job with such resolve and determination, that although my back hurt, I was exhilarated in such a way that I said, "Don't tell me I can't still do things!!"  I felt like Rocky Balboa!!!

and rain it did and wind gusts we had, but that tarp stayed in place.  

Now, this morning we had a bit of snow, but--the rest of the day and tonight is suppose to be dry and Monday, the forecast is for 44 degrees and full sun.

I will whip that tarp off and let those bags dry out all day Monday and hopefully--early Tuesday when the yard waste guys come to pick-up...those bags will hold together, and they will be carted away and my dilemma will be over!

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Saturday, I watched college football all day long--which gave me lots of time to work on the new cross stitch.  This one is the most difficult I have ever tackled.

On the pattern, there is no picture of what the finished product will look like.  

Other patterns look like this.  The squares have the symbol of the color floss to use, but at least, the shape of what it is going to look like is very apparent.

 Not this one, just row after row of dark to light browns and tans.  I found I could only do a ten stitch across by 10 rows down, or I'd get mixed up on the colors.  In that space of 100 tiny stitches might be over 15 shades of color used.  So for the last couple of weeks, I just kept stitching along--knowing what the final product would look like--eventually--from the cover photo on the pattern package, but not knowing when it was going to take shape.

Friday night, I noticed something was changing on the far right side.

AHA!  Disciples are appearing.  It's like a miracle!!! (Kidding).

and another one.........................

Now I see why color shade placement is so critical.  None of these figures are going to be outlined to give them definition.  It is going to be through color changes alone.  

YOWZA!!

Maybe--someday--if I live along enough, the finished product will appear.

Frustrating Dilemma

I had 8 yard waste bags of leaves that I had to haul out to the street.  I did that Monday and just about killed my back and shoulder for doing anything significant on Tuesday.  Well, guess what?  The Yard Waste company did not pick up the bags yesterday.  

It was suppose to rain all today, so last night, I went out and tried to lay a sheet of plastic on top of the bags to protect them.  I had a few fallen branches from my Maple trees that I laid across the top of the plastic.

When I woke up this morning, the plastic sheet was laying on the driveway, along with a couple of the branches.  Must have been a wind that blew them off.

So, I put the plastic back on, and sort of latticed the branches on top.

I called the office to see when the Yard Waste pick-up was going to be, they replied the next two Tuesday's in a row.  The Newsletter they sent out at the beginning of the month clearly stated, "Yard Waste pick-up will be EVERY Tuesday during the month of November."  

I didn't even argue, even though I was sitting and looking at the statement in the Newsletter.  Nothing I could do about the missed Tuesday and bringing it to their attention wouldn't have solved a thing.

I had just hung up the phone when my lawn mowing guy, or at this time of year, my leaf raking guy drove up. He comes every other Monday, but today is Wednesday.   Since it takes him more time to rake up leaves than it does for him to mow, I could see why he was days behind.

He was here 4 hours.  He did Dar's and Jackie's.  Their lots back up to the woods so he just blows them off the lawn and into the woods.

Then he started on mine and my neighbor's.  I told him about my frustration and said, "Now the bags you fill today will be in the rain until next Tuesday.  I can't seem to get the plastic sheet to stay on top to protect them."

He said, "Don't worry.  I'll figure out something."

So off I went to the Food Bank.  

When I got back, I noticed he was finished up with my lawn and working on my neighbor's AND using some of my bags for the neighbor's leaves.

While I realize that it is difficult to tell whose leaves are laying on whose lawn--it still kind of irritated me.  My neighbor makes a couple hundred thousand a year.  I get about $12K.  

Oh well, a stack of yard waste bags only cost about $1.98 at Walmart, so I can be generous.

He put all the bags he collected over on the end of my driveway.  That's okay, it will be easier for the Yard Waste company to pick them all up in one spot.

I notice he had put the plastic sheet back on as best he could.  But, where it had covered 8 bags, there were now 14 bags there and it wasn't covering the tops of all the bags.

So--as I watched it rain all day and know that we have two more rain days and maybe a rain/snow mix day from now until next Tuesday--I am wondering.

The bottoms of these paper bags are going to be wet.  When the Yard Waste people go to pick them up and throw those heavy, leaf laden, wet bags into the back of the garbage truck, are all the bottoms going to break and I will have leaves scattered all over my driveway?

And, if they do---guess whose responsibility it will be to clean them up?

And I have no Yard Waste bags left to use.

Where is she?

Well Kids...what can I say?

I cannot believe the last time I posted was Wednesday, last week.  But you know how I get when a genealogy is cooking.  I get so immersed in climbing up the branches that by day's end, I have no desire to write another word.

Thursday I had a great time at the Old School Gal Pals luncheon.  It was a cold, wet, dark, dismal day outside and when I came out from lunch, I just felt like driving right home.  I had planned on visiting my Little Sis, but by the time I would have driven to The Farm, with these new "clock" hours, it would have been almost time to head home.  Since it was so dreary and dark already, I figured I had better get on the road.  Good thing I did because it was after 4:00 when I got home and already getting too dark and wet to drive comfortably.

I parked the car and didn't go back outside until this afternoon!  I had to pick-up a prescription at Walmart and the cats were all out of food and I had no milk in the house, so..........I put on my coat and went shopping.

The girls on Thursday had yelled at me, "Where's your coat?"

I don't usually wear a winter coat until it gets into the 30's.  I was comfortable with just my sweater and jeans.  But today, it seemed colder feeling, so I put a fleece jacket on.  I hate to wear a heavy winter coat!!

When I got home, not only did I have to lug in groceries, but last Tuesday--right AFTER the yard waste people made their pick-up, my lawn mowing guy came and filled 8 yard waste bags stuffed with leaves.

I had to lug them out to the street for pick-up tomorrow morning-early.  I suppose just AFTER they make their pick-up, the lawn mowing guy will come again and fill up another 8 bags...that will have to sit and wait for a week!

He had stuffed those bags tight and full.  They were heavy and I could only drag one at a time.  By the time I was done, my shoulder and back were screaming.

Then I had to fill up the squirrel feeder and the bird feeder.  I feed the squirrels so they will stay away from the bird feeders.  Now the birds have taken to eating out of the squirrel feeder.  Especially the Blue Jays.  They will fly in and out as fast as can be, to pick peanuts from the squirrel feeder.  The only time they stay away is when the squirrels are sitting in the feeder eating.

(Yep--I had cute photos, but blogger won't let me upload them).

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Have you ever vacuumed your entire living room only to discover, the suction was off?  Not one tiny piece of fuzz in the container.  I looked down and noticed on the hose, the red suction level thingie was wide open, allowing no suction to the vacuum head.  ARGGH!!!

It's a good day..........

Cool/cold, but the sun shines.

27 degrees when I woke up this morning.

Yesterday, Don the Lawn Mowing Man came by and for two hours, raked up every single leaf on me and my neighbors yards.  I have 8 yard waste bags stuffed.

This morning, when I looked out--it was raining leaves!  That freeze and a little breeze must have sent a signal to my Maple trees to shake off their leaves.  There is as much in the drive and on the lawn as there was yesterday morning when Don started.  LOL

The genealogy is coming along nicely.  I didn't get back as far as I wanted, because on the Paternal side, they are fairly recent immigrants--70 years.  The records I would have to access are from a country that is in much upheaval, so the records are inaccessible.  POOP!!  I need to learn how to hack archival records in foreign countries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe how fast time goes when I have my nose buried deep in genealogical research.  It is so interesting and I am skipping from one record to another, printing them out to scan later.  I heard the cuckoo clock tell me it was noon today and I looked up and couldn't believe it.

This afternoon, I ran up to Howell and got my yearly oil change.  Since I only drive about 2,500 miles a year, they told me once a year oil change would be enough.  The old oil wasn't even dirty!!  Got all the fluid tanks filled, the tires checked and inflated.  Got $7.00 off the price.

Then I bopped over to the next door car wash, ordered up the super-dooper, wash, under carriage and all that and got a $1.50 discount on that.

Drove on up to the bank to deposit a gift I received, and then home.  All in one hour.

I parked my car on the other side of the drive so that empty space could fill up with leaves.

Sorry--wanted to insert a photo, but blogger won't let me.

Tonight, Salmon patties for supper and then watch Survivor and cross stitch.

I got all my nylon net scrubbies and dish cloths done for my 13 people.  I could start my spaghetti sauce project now, but I think I will wait until after Thanksgiving.

Tomorrow--lunch with the Old School Gal Pals.  Forecast of snow squalls.  YIKES.