It was nice to hear the rain last night. We didn't have the storms here, just some thunder and a nice steady rain.
Yesterday the Knitwits had a birthday luncheon. Sara hosted it and it was wonderful. Women sharing food and wine, laughter and good times. A truly remarkable group, patient and willing to help one another with knitting, even those of us who have to start over making socks...what....4 times? It doesn't matter though, it is the idea of getting together and talking about everything, from religion to politics to The Good Wife. Fun times...so honored to be a part of the group.
Baseball, proms, Kennywood, field trips and graduation. It's that time of the year. Pirates struggling. I keep thinking they will pick up the pace, but Matt tells me it isn't going to be a good year. Surely wasn't for hockey!
Still trying to get the foot back to normal. Hurts, but not as much. I will not go that odd doctor again though. Very odd.
I am loving my job at Macy's. I am able to meet all kinds of interesting people, some who are shopping for a happy event and some who are shopping for a not so happy event. Here is one complaint I hear on a regular basis....why are all clothes for summer sleeveless? I do not know of any woman over 35 that will wear sleeveless. OK, Michelle Obama does and she looks wonderful. One person, that's it. Seriously, is it so women will have to buy something to wear over the sleeveless dress? Shrugs, as they are called, cost half as much as the dress. Perhaps that is the plan. At any rate, women complain, shop for an hour and complain again. I don't blame them. I only wear sleeveless when the heat index is at 95 for over a week. At that point I care not what I look like, sitting on an open field watching Matt play baseball demands comfort.
I seem to have a problem with time and work. They switch our hours daily, which is confusing to this lady (I know, it doesn't take much to confuse me). The good thing is that it only takes me ten minutes to get to work and when I think I need to be there at 8:45 instead of 9:45 I just pretend that I wanted to do a dry run as I foolishly walk into an empty store and sneak back out and go home and wait for an hour.
Speaking of which, I haven't been to his game yet. These games now don't have food, which is a big draw for me. Nachos and baseball go so well together. Throw in a hot dog and it is pure delight. I miss hearing Terri yell, but someone will take over that job...just not as well as Terri.
Today I begin at 9:45....I think. It's now 8:30 which gives me time to eat and knit. Have a good day, and stay tuned for the saga of new televisions.
Iowa
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Autumn
The lighting of the sun is so beautiful at this time of the year. Driving up the street early in the morning and watching the sun reflect through the trees and make the shadows on the street is such a lovely way to start the day.
The trees are not so pretty yet. I guess we need a frost to begin the process of turning them to their brilliant colors. One can still hear lawnmowers cutting the grass, picking up leaves that never had a chance to turn color and preparing the gardens for winter.
The Pirates are still in the playoffs and it's both exciting and nerve wracking to watch the games. Football has proven to not be very exciting for Pittsburgh this year. I am a one sport person anyway, so I am focusing on the Pirates. And Matt's hockey team also. My brother and his wife were in last weekend, so it was family day at the hockey game. I guess at this point they aren't really games, they are seeding tournaments.
My neighborhood is a great one to live in and the neighbors are truly nice people. The house next to mine is going up for sale this week. We have been pretty fortunate here to have families of all different ages move into this area. We have newlyweds, retired folks and families with children. So, it makes a nice blend of people. I have heard horror stories of what can happen when this is not the case, so I think I am very fortunate. My front door is open so the real estate lady just rang the bell and popped right in, thinking it was the one that was for sale. On this street there are three identical houses in a row. Can be confusing, I suppose. At least it was to the real estate agent! We also have a blend of other houses, and none of them are the same. The house next door is a Sears home. From 1908–1940, Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold about 70,000 - 75,000 homes through their mail-order Modern Homes program. Over that time Sears designed 447 different housing styles, from the elaborate multistory Ivanhoe, with its elegant French doors and art glass windows, to the simpler Goldenrod, which served as a quaint, three-room and no-bath cottage for summer vacationers (this according to their website).
I got a new phone. It is the iPhone 4 and the reason I got that one is because it cost $.99 with my plan. Took some time to learn how to use it, and some help from Verizon, Katie and Mike, but I think I have it down now. It is pretty neat, but there are features that I don't like and some I still have to figure out. The picture of Ava, the cat, is one that I took with the camera. Not the best picture, but one that I like nonetheless.
Time to grab the Times, the Post Gazette and my latest novel. It's a kick-back Sunday, so reading until the game comes on. Go Bucs!
The trees are not so pretty yet. I guess we need a frost to begin the process of turning them to their brilliant colors. One can still hear lawnmowers cutting the grass, picking up leaves that never had a chance to turn color and preparing the gardens for winter.
The Pirates are still in the playoffs and it's both exciting and nerve wracking to watch the games. Football has proven to not be very exciting for Pittsburgh this year. I am a one sport person anyway, so I am focusing on the Pirates. And Matt's hockey team also. My brother and his wife were in last weekend, so it was family day at the hockey game. I guess at this point they aren't really games, they are seeding tournaments.
My neighborhood is a great one to live in and the neighbors are truly nice people. The house next to mine is going up for sale this week. We have been pretty fortunate here to have families of all different ages move into this area. We have newlyweds, retired folks and families with children. So, it makes a nice blend of people. I have heard horror stories of what can happen when this is not the case, so I think I am very fortunate. My front door is open so the real estate lady just rang the bell and popped right in, thinking it was the one that was for sale. On this street there are three identical houses in a row. Can be confusing, I suppose. At least it was to the real estate agent! We also have a blend of other houses, and none of them are the same. The house next door is a Sears home. From 1908–1940, Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold about 70,000 - 75,000 homes through their mail-order Modern Homes program. Over that time Sears designed 447 different housing styles, from the elaborate multistory Ivanhoe, with its elegant French doors and art glass windows, to the simpler Goldenrod, which served as a quaint, three-room and no-bath cottage for summer vacationers (this according to their website).
I got a new phone. It is the iPhone 4 and the reason I got that one is because it cost $.99 with my plan. Took some time to learn how to use it, and some help from Verizon, Katie and Mike, but I think I have it down now. It is pretty neat, but there are features that I don't like and some I still have to figure out. The picture of Ava, the cat, is one that I took with the camera. Not the best picture, but one that I like nonetheless.
Time to grab the Times, the Post Gazette and my latest novel. It's a kick-back Sunday, so reading until the game comes on. Go Bucs!
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Sunday, September 22, 2013
Sunday Morning in the 'Burgh
It's a cool, crisp morning here in Pittsburgh...a perfect autumn day. Pirate baseball this afternoon, Steeler football tonight, Sunday dinner and the Laundromat.
Such an interesting study in human nature. It's that time of the year where I do all of the heavy bed linens. I could do them at home, but they put a burden on my washer and dryer, so with quarters in my pocket, laundry detergent and bleach in hand, I head for the local Laundromat. Don't know why spell check capitalizes that word, but it does.
It's early on Sunday when I leave home and arrive at the facility. Drag everything into the not so clean building (shouldn't a Laundromat be clean?). It appears to be empty, but there are clothes in washers and dryers already. A gentleman comes in and speaks to me. Being a friendly kind of person, I say hello to him. He looks vaguely familiar, and I am not privy to Laundromat etiquette, so I think this is the proper thing to do.
He explains that he had does his wash last night. Apparently one leaves their laundry and goes home to wait for it, then comes back later to put it in the dryer. He fell asleep, so his laundry sat in the washer all night. He had come in earlier to put it in the dryer and after testing it, decided it needed another six minutes to dry.
The Laundromat has a movie running. I'm not sure if it is the same movie or if someone switches it at will. There is a table with magazines on it talking about the 2008 election. And three broken chairs. The man remarks that a girl (he is about 50) took him to see a Steve Martin movie called The Jerk. He asked me if I though she was giving him a message. I told him I hadn't seen the movie, so didn't feel qualified to respond. He went on to tell me that Steve Martin used to be quite famous and asked me what my favorite movie was/is. That's a tough one, because after I watch a movie, I forget the title immediately. So, I told him War Horse. He nodded, said he hadn't seen it yet.
We seemed, at that point, to run out of chit chat, so I told him I had to go get more quarters. When I came back, he had made a new friend and my wash was done, so it was time for the dryer. By this time, the Laundromat was filled to capacity. People folding laundry, people chatting with one another, just a happy, happy place to be on a Sunday morning. A communal cleaning of clothes, if you will. Everyone in a good mood...in part I am sure because of the Pirates win last night. I have stopped watching the Pirates. Too anxiety producing. After the game on Friday night, for which I took much teasing about at work, I felt it was time again for a break. I wish them all the best, and I hope we do it, but I just can't watch right now.
Laundry finished, back home to enjoy the rest of the day. Clean bedspreads, clean blankets. I have to go to the library this afternoon . I read my last book in record time...3 days. One of those that I couldn't put down.
I hope your Sunday is filled with good things to get your week off to a good start. And thoughts to all of those in Colorado, including my nephew and his wife. They are not affected by the floods, but to those that are, my thoughts are with you. I cannot imagine the anguish of having your home and memories washed away.
Such an interesting study in human nature. It's that time of the year where I do all of the heavy bed linens. I could do them at home, but they put a burden on my washer and dryer, so with quarters in my pocket, laundry detergent and bleach in hand, I head for the local Laundromat. Don't know why spell check capitalizes that word, but it does.
It's early on Sunday when I leave home and arrive at the facility. Drag everything into the not so clean building (shouldn't a Laundromat be clean?). It appears to be empty, but there are clothes in washers and dryers already. A gentleman comes in and speaks to me. Being a friendly kind of person, I say hello to him. He looks vaguely familiar, and I am not privy to Laundromat etiquette, so I think this is the proper thing to do.
He explains that he had does his wash last night. Apparently one leaves their laundry and goes home to wait for it, then comes back later to put it in the dryer. He fell asleep, so his laundry sat in the washer all night. He had come in earlier to put it in the dryer and after testing it, decided it needed another six minutes to dry.
The Laundromat has a movie running. I'm not sure if it is the same movie or if someone switches it at will. There is a table with magazines on it talking about the 2008 election. And three broken chairs. The man remarks that a girl (he is about 50) took him to see a Steve Martin movie called The Jerk. He asked me if I though she was giving him a message. I told him I hadn't seen the movie, so didn't feel qualified to respond. He went on to tell me that Steve Martin used to be quite famous and asked me what my favorite movie was/is. That's a tough one, because after I watch a movie, I forget the title immediately. So, I told him War Horse. He nodded, said he hadn't seen it yet.
We seemed, at that point, to run out of chit chat, so I told him I had to go get more quarters. When I came back, he had made a new friend and my wash was done, so it was time for the dryer. By this time, the Laundromat was filled to capacity. People folding laundry, people chatting with one another, just a happy, happy place to be on a Sunday morning. A communal cleaning of clothes, if you will. Everyone in a good mood...in part I am sure because of the Pirates win last night. I have stopped watching the Pirates. Too anxiety producing. After the game on Friday night, for which I took much teasing about at work, I felt it was time again for a break. I wish them all the best, and I hope we do it, but I just can't watch right now.
Laundry finished, back home to enjoy the rest of the day. Clean bedspreads, clean blankets. I have to go to the library this afternoon . I read my last book in record time...3 days. One of those that I couldn't put down.
I hope your Sunday is filled with good things to get your week off to a good start. And thoughts to all of those in Colorado, including my nephew and his wife. They are not affected by the floods, but to those that are, my thoughts are with you. I cannot imagine the anguish of having your home and memories washed away.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Home From Arizona
It was a great trip!
Left Pittsburgh, which was somewhat crazy given that we saw a wreck that had traffic on the bridge stopped and the parkway was lined up, but we arrived and our plane took off on time. L O N G plane ride (4+ hours). It was 111degrees when we landed in Phoenix, so we went to the hotel. Interestingly enough you couldn't lower the temperature in the room to less than 76.
Headed to Flagstaff the next day and thank goodness for relatives! She took over where I was chicken, like hiking down Walnut Canyon. Although I went on a wild jeep ride through the desert, I would have settled for the mild ride. Hanging on for dear life, wondering on this first day of the trip, if I would ever survive for the rest of the trip. When our guide asked if we wanted to take the "safe" way back or the "wild" way back, I couldn't even speak...I thought this was the mild ride. Noooo, everyone cheered and wanted the wild way back. When asked about the different levels, our guide said there was a mild one, a wild one and an OMG, buckle up wild one. I swear we were on the OMG, buckle up wild one. All four tires were off the ground on at least two occasions.
The train ride to the Grand Canyon was fun....well, kind of fun. Kids said it was their least favorite part of the trip. But doesn't everyone have to see the Canyon at least once? Did I mention, heights are not my favorite thing?
The kids did an adventure course, so proud of them for even doing it. Not an easy task, for sure.
The "road trips" afford me an opportunity to experience three children for a week. Without their parents.
It's wonderful to watch Matt tap someone on the shoulder and be on their opposite side. Such a wonderful prank that seldom works.
It's wonderful to see a group hug in the middle of the parking lot at Target.
It's wonderful to stand at the top of Walnut Canyon and hear Matt let out a....what? Scream? Wild call? And then to hear a child next to me ask "us that a wild animal" and me respond, "no, that's Matt".
It's wonderful to hear Katie sing show tunes non stop, morning, noon, and night.
It's wonderful to hear Alyssa and Matt giggling non stop from 6PM until midnight, and I do mean non stop.
And you know what is really wonderful? To see three children on the bed, two on ipads and one on phone texting, doing face time, trying to help Matt set up instagram.
Oh, and did I mention making videos? Something about Pip. Dragging me to be a part of it, and if they post it....well.....I think they know better.
The pillow fight on the last night has become a tradition. I think I won.
I hope road trips never end. Although Katie begins college next fall, the kids get older, one can always hope. They did ask where we were going next year.
Left Pittsburgh, which was somewhat crazy given that we saw a wreck that had traffic on the bridge stopped and the parkway was lined up, but we arrived and our plane took off on time. L O N G plane ride (4+ hours). It was 111degrees when we landed in Phoenix, so we went to the hotel. Interestingly enough you couldn't lower the temperature in the room to less than 76.
Headed to Flagstaff the next day and thank goodness for relatives! She took over where I was chicken, like hiking down Walnut Canyon. Although I went on a wild jeep ride through the desert, I would have settled for the mild ride. Hanging on for dear life, wondering on this first day of the trip, if I would ever survive for the rest of the trip. When our guide asked if we wanted to take the "safe" way back or the "wild" way back, I couldn't even speak...I thought this was the mild ride. Noooo, everyone cheered and wanted the wild way back. When asked about the different levels, our guide said there was a mild one, a wild one and an OMG, buckle up wild one. I swear we were on the OMG, buckle up wild one. All four tires were off the ground on at least two occasions.
The train ride to the Grand Canyon was fun....well, kind of fun. Kids said it was their least favorite part of the trip. But doesn't everyone have to see the Canyon at least once? Did I mention, heights are not my favorite thing?
The kids did an adventure course, so proud of them for even doing it. Not an easy task, for sure.
The "road trips" afford me an opportunity to experience three children for a week. Without their parents.
It's wonderful to watch Matt tap someone on the shoulder and be on their opposite side. Such a wonderful prank that seldom works.
It's wonderful to see a group hug in the middle of the parking lot at Target.
It's wonderful to stand at the top of Walnut Canyon and hear Matt let out a....what? Scream? Wild call? And then to hear a child next to me ask "us that a wild animal" and me respond, "no, that's Matt".
It's wonderful to hear Katie sing show tunes non stop, morning, noon, and night.
It's wonderful to hear Alyssa and Matt giggling non stop from 6PM until midnight, and I do mean non stop.
And you know what is really wonderful? To see three children on the bed, two on ipads and one on phone texting, doing face time, trying to help Matt set up instagram.
Oh, and did I mention making videos? Something about Pip. Dragging me to be a part of it, and if they post it....well.....I think they know better.
The pillow fight on the last night has become a tradition. I think I won.
I hope road trips never end. Although Katie begins college next fall, the kids get older, one can always hope. They did ask where we were going next year.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
This is what showed up at Phipps on Wednesday. She came through the door with an attitude. She was the cutest thing ever. I asked her mom for permission to photograph her, which she gave me. Our theme for story time was Garden Fairies, so I thought perhaps she dressed for the occasion. Her mother explained that for her birthday party they had decided on the theme of "Breakfast at Tiffany's". And you know, I cold see the resemblance of Audrey Hepburn!
Here we are, a week away from the road trip 2013. It will be to Arizona. And it really isn't a road trip, we are flying. We had a pre-travel planning meeting on Thursday and we are all excited. Lots to do, lots to see, so we'll keep everyone posted.
Observation. Garbage men. The recycle truck seem to lumber down the street first, usually around 6AM. Jokes abound between the driver and the pick up person. Laughter. Fun times. So, now I am awake. About an hour later, down comes the garbage truck. Not sure if these are just generally angry men or if they enjoy seeing how far they can throw the empty garbage can. Either way, they wait until they are in front of MY house to turn on the thingy that chews up the garbage, and then the throwing of cans begin. It was suggested that the plastic liner be taken out and have that along the curb (we don't really have curbs in this neighborhood, it's just a figure of speech), but that would mean the animals would have a feast. Just an observation.
We have this plant now at Phipps. It's a corpse plant. Allegedly when it blooms it smells like dead meat. Or a rotting corpse. WHY would anyone want to see/smell this? Apparently it was a big success in DC, but you see, in DC you could see it for free. You have to pay here to see it. I'll keep you posted about that one. I won't be here for the most part, so sad......NOT.
Well, dare I say it? For the most part, the Pirates are doing very, very well. They are 26 games above 500, and up until last night they looked great. We are playing the Rockies and they beat us 10-1. That is not a typo...it is the score. Now, Tim, I know you are working hard. But that's not a good enough. I know, it's probably the thin air and the trip from Pittsburgh. Let's hope tonight is a better night for them.
The Steelers are playing tonight also. I can't cheer for two teams at once. I couldn't get excited for the Pirates when the Pens were playing, and I can't get excited about the Steelers now. My cheering energy must go for the Pirates.
Here we are, a week away from the road trip 2013. It will be to Arizona. And it really isn't a road trip, we are flying. We had a pre-travel planning meeting on Thursday and we are all excited. Lots to do, lots to see, so we'll keep everyone posted.
Observation. Garbage men. The recycle truck seem to lumber down the street first, usually around 6AM. Jokes abound between the driver and the pick up person. Laughter. Fun times. So, now I am awake. About an hour later, down comes the garbage truck. Not sure if these are just generally angry men or if they enjoy seeing how far they can throw the empty garbage can. Either way, they wait until they are in front of MY house to turn on the thingy that chews up the garbage, and then the throwing of cans begin. It was suggested that the plastic liner be taken out and have that along the curb (we don't really have curbs in this neighborhood, it's just a figure of speech), but that would mean the animals would have a feast. Just an observation.
We have this plant now at Phipps. It's a corpse plant. Allegedly when it blooms it smells like dead meat. Or a rotting corpse. WHY would anyone want to see/smell this? Apparently it was a big success in DC, but you see, in DC you could see it for free. You have to pay here to see it. I'll keep you posted about that one. I won't be here for the most part, so sad......NOT.
Well, dare I say it? For the most part, the Pirates are doing very, very well. They are 26 games above 500, and up until last night they looked great. We are playing the Rockies and they beat us 10-1. That is not a typo...it is the score. Now, Tim, I know you are working hard. But that's not a good enough. I know, it's probably the thin air and the trip from Pittsburgh. Let's hope tonight is a better night for them.
The Steelers are playing tonight also. I can't cheer for two teams at once. I couldn't get excited for the Pirates when the Pens were playing, and I can't get excited about the Steelers now. My cheering energy must go for the Pirates.
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