Friday, September 12, 2008

Jane, you are a hoot!

A picture is worth a thousand words. How nice a car is that!? I think that it will hug the road better than an SUV or we hope so. It must make you feel happier in your recovery to have that settled. How are you and are you going to make it to Grace's retreat?

Grace is much further north in Ontario than we are. We are still warm, tee-shirt weather, not cold at night but it's definitely heading into fall. By the end of September, it will be heavy sweater weather but still with the possibility of having lots of warm days until Thanksgiving. Hard to believe the summer has gone but then July it rained so much that we've just had about three weeks of good summer weather before September came around.

Hello, Bee, nice to see you back posting.
It's been awhile for me and I keep loosing my password I'm told, or my email address the site doesn't recognize. That's happened, now, three times. A mystery.

Rosey

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

More squash than we can use

Come on out to Fruitland, MJ. I just picked 15 zukes and yellow zukes tonight...and one lone cucumber. The Juliet tomato plant is loaded as well as the Ace plant. Juliets are riper than the big ones, but there will be plenty of time yet. I ripened about four dozen in the house last year. We only have one watermelon this year, but last year we were picking them up to the beginning of October.

I'm counting down the days until I leave for Grace's. I'll be leaving the night before I get there and taking a redeye through LA. Long way around, but the mileage plan is paying for it, so I can't really complain.

Kathi

Good Morning!

Fall is here, also. Nights are cool, woke up to 56 inside yesterday. May need to close the windows. In the high 70s or low 80s most days. Am hoping the soil stays warm enough to ripen the canteloupe and watermelon. First time to plant these. Lots of cucumbers on the vine still but the tomatoes are slowing down. Lack of bees kept my 3 squash plants and eggplants from pollinating.

I've tried to post many times and something gets lost in cyberspace. Nice to get on this time, if it works.

We like living near Boise, nearly three years now. Summer was mild which meant better air quality. Winter inversions are a problem, but we are in AZ then. This year may be different. DH's break at C2 has not healed. He is still in a full body brace. Have an appointment at the spinal clinic this week and we're hoping something else can be done. He isn't a good candidate for surgery so perhaps a less confining brace? He's not had a full night's sleep in 5 months plus many more complications that are not fun. Glad he isn't paralyzed and do know it could be worse. DD says this has been a 'life altering incident'. Certainly agree with that.

School is back in session. We're enjoying two grandkids at the local university. Sundays are spent here with any dorm mates they bring. Laundry, laughter, food and fun fill the day. Good for us! Both are education majors; one with a ministry and music minor and the other with a missions minor. We both had careers in education as do all three kids and one daughter in law. One son told his two to think of something else, both had planned to teach. They are in medical fields instead. Education has changed a great deal over the years. As has the world...

Just finished a top using the acrylic drunkard's path templates. Love cutting them with the rotary cutter. They fit together beautifully. Used both the 7" and 3 1/2" circles. Now to get it bordered and quilted. It is in many shades of teal with some tan, red and gold. The cornerstones will be dragons in those shades - an oriental fabric. This has been a full summer's project. Not much time to quilt with nursing duties.

Jane, loved seeing the car and am so glad you are healing. Dot, waiting for another post...how are you? What is happening in your area - do miss living there? Jill, thank you again and again for the other site. Able to keep up some there.

(( ))s
MaryJo

Very nice Jane !!

Yes, I like the look of your new car ! I hope you will enjoy travelling many safe miles in it.

It seemed very easy to get on to this page tonight. After clicking on the "sign on" bit, I found myself straight here. Perhaps there is a new system in place.

I spoke to my DGS last night to see how his first day at school had been. He said it had been "great" and that he had a new friend. Then he asked if I would send him a photograph. For one moment I felt quite flattered, thinking that he wanted a photo of his Nana and Poppa, fortunately I checked with him only to be told in no uncertain terms that "NO....I would like a photo of your dog " !! Such is life !

Had a call from DD#2, from the airport, where she was filling in time before boarding her flight to Thailand. She doesn't like travelling on her own and it's a long flight from here to there ! She had bought a book and she will be able to watch films but there's no way a long flight like that can be enjoyable. She'll have her DH for company on the way back.

Our day started with heavy fog today but the sun came out this afternoon, just briefly. It's still cold and frosts are a real possibility, after the fresh snow on the Alps at the w/end. Some pretty spring flowers out though. I may take photo of them and post it tomorrow.

Time for bed now.
Marion.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Brrrr we are cold

Hello

The weather man told us to cover the garden, we are in for frost tonight. That is too early. BRRRR.
He also mentioned that with all the abundance of rain we had we should be in for a very colourful display with the leaves.
That puts all the retreat people right in the right place because , the colour should be starting . Actually they already are getting colour in some places.

Jane I hope you are doing well and congrats on your new car. Looks like a nice new toy. I am still driving the old jalopy with no grill. We have looked everywhere and can not find one., but with putting in 11 new windows , we are not looking to add car payments to that yet.Need a little time. The again with snow just around the corner and who knows where I will end up this year, maybe we should just wait until spring when there are no more snow banks. LOL.
Well should go and help DH put covers over the tomatoes and peppers
Have a good evening all
there was lots more I commented on as I was reading and I hope you heard it all because it is no longer on my mind.
Hugs
Grace

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME





Tuesday..

Great to see some more "down under" girls posting !! Welcome back Bee and Fran...you have been missed !

Loved the photo of the Multnomah Falls, positively majestic . Thanks for posting it Jill, there are many of us who have no hope of ever seeing such places ourselves ! (even though Fran, from Sth Australia, managed it !)

Jane , hope the new car does all that is expected of it. Sounds as if Shadow has thoroughly checked it out. Hope the cataract removal goes well. You've had quite a year of it haven't you ?

Bee, congrats on your new grand-daughter, such a joy to have a new baby in the family.
Our youngest grandson started school today. He and his mother arrived safely in Hong Kong on Saturday. They visited the school yesterday, bought the uniform and off he went today! DD said he was full of smiles and confidence, great way to start. She's feeling a bit strange over there, having left her three eldest at Boarding School in Scotland. She is staying with friends until their belongings arrive from Scotland. She sounds tired, little wonder really.. Her husband is back in London for two weeks...Crazy way to live but they are used to it.. They last lived there in 97 so there will be a few changes since then.

DD#2 is off to Thailand for a holiday tomorrow, this is the first time away from her children for 10yrs. I do hope it all goes well for her, she is concerned about the political unrest there. Her husband has been to France on business, they plan to meet up at his brother's place in Bangkok for ten days. Her in-laws are looking after the children. (12, 11 and 9yrs) I hope they behave nicely. They run their mother a merry dance at times !

We are still coping with wet, cold days. We are SO looking forward to the sunny days of summer..

Time for bed.

Marion.

Monday, September 8, 2008

In from the cold

...in more ways than one. Have at last found my password to get into Google. Too many address books in this house and too many places to hide passwords in LOL

Jill, we have almost the exact photo up on our wall of Multinomah Falls (sp)!!! Mary from OR took us there when we visited in 04. It was quietly drizzling that day if I remember correctly but we still enjoyed the day and especially the surroundings!

Bee - you got in too! Love the baby photo thanks - will email you soon!

Marion - DD and family will certainly have something to laugh about in years to come about those 'lost' passports!! What a frantic time that would have been, poor things. Are they all settled over in HK now? LOVED your quilt!

Spring has arrived here quietly and unobtrusively. We've already had one warm, windy day, which is the best sign in this area (the wind, that is). Wattle has bloomed already and is fading. Now it's the almond blossoms' turn. You can smell it on the wind.

I am up to my eyeballs in the School magazine, as always this time of year. I worked on it until 2.30 am Sunday morning - good thing I enjoy doing it! Came home from school today and crashed on the couch after tea (DH was in bed as it's night shift). Woke up at 10.45, late for getting him out of bed!! That will teach me for going overboard LOL

I'm hoping to go 3 days p.w. at school next year, winding down into retirement.

DS#3, who spent 10 months in Canada in 06/07, is now engaged to his American sweetheart whom he met while they were both studying in Toronto! She will fly into Australia in late January, hopefully, and they are booked to get married in mid July. He's busy looking for jobs to take up once he finishes his degree in November. Also working til all hours on a final year project to do with wave power - this has been his busiest year in the whole 6 at university. We are going down in a couple of weeks to their project presentation - have to sign a piece of paper saying we won't let out any secrets, before we're allowed in LOL

Well, I need to spend an hour or so doing what I should have done this evening before I fell asleep. Glad to be back!

Hi to all!
Fran in S'Oz

Sunday, September 7, 2008

MULTNOMAH FALLS?

Jill, I visited Multnomah Falls in the spring of '91 while I was in Vancouver, WA for depositions. I took a few days vacation time and toured the Columbia River Gorge. Of course, it rained the whole time. Had what was probably the finest salmon dinner at the lodge that I've had before and since.



I'm attaching pictures of my new "green" car. There are so many displays and bleeps it will take awhile to get it sorted out. Shadow took a ride down the driveway and back and it bleeped all the way. The smallest of the icons that flash at you are hard for me to read due to the limited vision. I finally figured out that it was telling me that it didn't like the passenger hanging out the window while standing on the arm rest. Shadow didn't care. The driveway is the only place I let her do that and I've endured heat and cold to open that window for her. The passenger airbag is disabled if there is something under 60# in it that seat. That makes Shadow safe but my 5' tall DD#1 is in danger whenever she is in passenger seat of any vehicle.



Got chores to do so I bid you all fair well.



Jane in NC


Goodmorning everyone!
Jane I am soooo excited about your Prius!Send us a picture when you can. Best of luck with your eye surgery.What did people do before cataract surgery? Was it less prevalent?Bee it's so good to see you post and Dot, is that really you??? Keep posting.
I'm quite somber this morning. Yesterday I spent the day with a dear friendwho is moving away. Their house is full of boxes, all the memories wrapped in corrugated.We met over 25 yrs ago when we transported our kids to ice skating. We struck up a conversation & decided what the heck, let's learn to skate too. We have spent many years since then skating, skiing & hiking together and when we told them they must visit Palm Springs they took us too seriously and bought a winter place there & now are headed there for year round. This is a picture of the Columbia Gorge our most visited tourist destination where we spent the day. Jill