RIP, Maddy

Sweet Maddy girl went to doggie heaven yesterday.  She had many health problems at her age, the latest being a trip yesterday to the vet for an ear problem.  It was completely closed up due to a hematoma.   It was time to put her down, but not an easy decision to make.  The kids would think on it.

Jason and the boys were about to leave the house a bit later; Maddy was asleep by the truck and didn’t hear the engine ,or couldn’t move in time.  It was not the ending anyone wanted.

Grumps to the rescue to bury our granddoggie, while I had all the grieving kiddos here.  It was a sad day.

Barkley is lost without his sister.  Jesse kitty is too independent to notice at the moment.

I know Maddy was greeted by Parker, Pepper, Scout, Belle Belle, and many other furry family members.  All of us left behind are sad though.

RIP, Maddy.  We’ll miss you.

Rainy day in Georgia

Don't you feel sorry for my babies? Poor thangs, being stuck inside, not chasing squirrels and no catching snakes.


Today was supposed to be lake clean up day with our local lake association. MM has gone to do his duty with the doughnut supply that had been purchased. What a guy!

At least it didn't rain on our rally Thursday. We did NOT want to move all that stuff to a different location, I can tell you.

My jammie day was perfectly wonderful and lazy. I finished "Ghost of Summer," a sweet, magical book by BSP sista Sally Berneathy. I am telling myself that I can't start another book until I get a few chores done first, but with this rain, I'm wanting to just curl up and read, read, read!

Who said it was good to be an adult??? Adults have to be responsible, prioritize, pay bills, balance the checkbook, do laundry...and the list goes on. But...and here is the good part...I can do it on my own schedule. I don't punch a time clock or have certain mandatory work hours. For that I am truly grateful.

And I have two furry assistants to (get in the way) help me.

Life is good, y'all. Smile, whatever you are doing!





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Jammie Friday!

I am declaring today Jammie Day, since I am queen of the house. I was pretty much on my feet from 1p till about 9:00 last night. A lot of good people first help set up and decorate for the rally; helped greet, smile and serve hot dogs and all the trimmings; then helped tear everything down.

My "dogs" (feet) and legs are rebelling this morning, and I'm moving slow and am going to enjoy doing nothing but sitting and reading. So there.

It is difficult planning a party when you don't know how many will attend. We planned for 200 and probably had twice that! It worked out just fine with our great helpers. Thank you, everyone! Srsly. And it was still fun. Except for the aches.





I'll be in the massage chair if anyone is looking for me.

Life is good, y'all!

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Ta-done!

My blue basket; Joan's red one. Not bad for our first try.

Pillow possession

Mom left, so the pillow is ALL mine! No mere corner. The whole pillow. No sharing.



Carry on without me. Zzzzz

Love, KC

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Handy, dandy Maytag Man!

My guy is wonderful!

Shortly after putting in a load of laundry yesterday, I heard a beep, beep, beep coming from the laundry room, not a normal sound, since it wasn’t time for the wash to be finished.  I investigate and see a flashing time indicated on the panel, followed by an F…certainly not funny…more like failure!

I pulled out the instruction book (aren’t I wonderful?!  I knew where it was), and found the trouble shooting section; followed the directions for getting rid of the error code, but still had it. 

The directions said to call the service person.

MM to the rescue!  He pulled the bottom panel off the front, and tinkered with this and that, then checked the internet and discovered it was a common error code problem (a certain circuit—that would cost $140 to replace).  Rut roh…not good.  I head to Amy’s house with my basket of wet laundry and leave MM to contemplate the problem.

He’s serious when he is contemplating.

My fix-it guy didn’t give up.  He was a man determined.  The washer would not defeat him.  He wiggled this; jiggled that…and then the washer magically went through two wash cycles, much to his delight.

All is well in Mayberry again.  We have clean clothes.

The end.

Wasn’t that a touching story?  Thanks, honey!

Monday in Mayberry

Another beautiful, cool fall day.



Love it! The weather is perfect...jeans and long sleeves today. And sox. I think my toes will be concealed until we head to some place warm in November. More on that another day.

Today it is time to reclaim the dining room table and move the computer back upstairs to the office. I think the upcoming event is about as organized as it can get, plus I have my BSP meeting here tomorrow night and need to prepare (clean) for that. I have a pretty good idea about the program I will present...and the munches to serve.

A visit to the Walmart is on today's afternoon agenda. And I am putting out some fall decorations. I always do seasonal/holiday decorating...not on a grand scale by any means, but just on a feel good scale. If that makes sense...

Thankfully my two furry assistants are outside and not in the way...um, assisting.

It's the beginning of a brand spanking new week. Made it a good one and keep on smiling!




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Sunday Holy Humor

"Somebody has said there are only two kinds of people in the world. There are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it's morning."
                                                 ~~~

Which person is you?  Me…the first one, even though I woke up entirely too early this morning, thanks to my pillow buddy KC.  He wanted to hog it, rather than share it.  That boy is still in training and occasionally gets shut out on the other side of the door when he is too rambunctious and we are trying to sleep.

So, I downloaded the new operating system for the iPhone.  Yep…I had to restore that sucker, too.  Between it and the paperwork I was working on, I didn’t go outside until it was time to go to the marbles game.  Thankfully we have lots of outside views so I didn’t feel claustrophobic, but still.  It was too much sitting and my neck feels it!

News flash:  girls 3 – boys 0

That rocked!

One weather report says we will get down to 37 tonight; another says 44.  I vote for 44, thankyouverymuch.

Have yourself a ginger peachy Sept-tober day, whatever you are doing.  Life is good, y’all!

Saturday smiles!

Something to tickle your funny bone…

Joe Cool and other Friday stuff

This sweet boy has had a fever this week, thanks to a viral something or other, but now he is all better and ready to rock on.

With Will being sick, Amy asked what he wanted for dinner.  He said, "That stuff Grammie made when you took Nana to the doctor."  Greek Chicken- that boy knows good food, Amy says! 

And he knows that his Grammie loves him very much!!!

So this Friday will be consumed with using my organizational skills, helping a friend with an upcoming event (it also fills our dining room table!).  And laundry thrown in for a bit more excitement.

My iPad is now fine and dandy, although I haven’t checked out any new features yet.  I think the problem with the oops was caused by a brief internet outage, as happens often here in these mountains.  It interrupted the process and totally got it out of sync.  It MUST stay in sync.  I am syncing the iPhone now and this system had better behave!  So there.

Wishing our friend Jean(ie) a very happy Big 5-0 today!  Embrace the new decade…and eat cake!   Go leave her some bloggy love if you want to do so.

Laugh when you can,
apologize when you should,
and let go of what you can't change.
Life's too short to be anything...but happy.

iOops

I hooked up my iPad to download the latest major software update last night, knowing it was gonna take awhile for this process.  Well, there was an oops in the system somewhere and I was left with a nothing iPad late last night.  My hope was that the iPad would be magically downloaded by morning and good to go.  NOT.  Stuck.

So what do I do this morning?  A ‘cold’ shutdown, turn it back on, and yes, peaches, I had to do a complete restore of the iPad.  Plug that sucker into the computer, hit “Restore to factory settings” with trepidation, of course (with the assurance, it stated, that it would tell me when to restore my STUFF). 

Well, I did…it did…and it is now churning away, doing the restoring of my stuff…syncing apps, reloading books, files, photos and contacts.  Mama will hopefully be happy when it is iDone.

It will take awhile, but that’s OK.  I am headed to basket class in just a while.

Life is always exciting here in lil ole Mayberry, y’all.   Have yourselves a ginger peachy day, but watch out for any oops!

Wordless Wednesday, Missy wanting to play hookey!

So long, summer!

 

Summer is officially ovah and gone when MM takes the jet ski out of the water.  It is now out and put away…and the water in our cove is slowing being drawn down for the winter anyway, so boating will be a thing of the past before too long.  It happens every year with the calendar change.  Holy moley…October is staring real hard at us!

At least we got some much-needed rain last night.  It was good sleeping weather.

So today will be busy with the luncheon and the usual getting ready before hand, clean-up afterward…then see the PT guy afterward.  My hip is a bit better after being forced by the PT guy to learn how NOT to sleep on that side.  Sheesh.  It is possible to re-train yourself, with enough incentive.

That’s life in a small town.  Excitement.  We has it!  Who wants to join all the fun?

Monday in Paradise

A very overcast Monday, but at least we have color popping out. Fall has arrived!



And MM never did put the hammock in the holder. Of course we did have that pesky trip that got in the way, and it was awful hot here thus summer, but still...

So the great sista weekend is over and a busy week is beginning. Joan and I and another lady are putting on a salad luncheon for a dozen or so ladies at church tomorrow, so I need to work in my market list and get hopping.

MM is out changing tires on his truck. Can you stand all this excitement, with laundry thrown as well???

Life just keeps getting better!

What is your absolutely worst chore? Vacuuming is mine, I think mostly because it sure doesn't last very long...and it makes my back hurt.

Happy Monday, y'all. Smile while you work!

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It's a Southern Thang!

But it is now over. Goodbye, sweet sistas. It was great.

We did the trivia forum yesterday and did rather well, but no prize. Bugger.

The band last night was very talented. Nine from Mayberry were still there and closed them down at the late hour of 11p. We are senior party animals, who got a surprise visit from Elvis earlier in the evening. Do we know how to party or what?! We can still boogie, after a brief rest. And an anti-inflammatory. Yeah baby!

Next convention will be at Jekyll Island. It is on our calendar already.

We are now heading to an outlet mall, then home, sweet home. No, I am not driving.

How was your weekend? I hope yours was filled with great memories.

Live, laugh, and love. We only go around once, y'all!

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Saturday with the sistas

Gracious good morning!



We just finished our breakfast here in Augusta. The theme for the convention is "It's a Southern Thang," and we have a house of two forums to attend. Both promise to be about BSP and southern isms. I am sure either one will be a hoot. One is Jeopardy style and the other is trivia. Oh my! Decisions.

There are 14 sistas from Mayberry amongst the 178 crowd here to enjoy the weekend. Love it!

Life is good, y'all. Enjoy it!



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Basket beginnings

Reeds have to be soaked, then you determine which side is rough and which side is smooth…take the 7 reeds that will be the base and lightly mark where the middle is.

Hello, class!

We did a bit of weaving, pushing to get the reeds in place; clipping end of reeds together to make them behave and STAY.

And wound up with these in 2 hours:

I thought we should have at least left our corner reeds clipped together to keep them from splaying out, but the instructor said they were fine.  Next class we will finish them and have a napkin basket.  Maybe.

Joan and I had fun and enjoyed our fellow weavers and laughed a lot.  We always do.

More of that fun and laughing today and all weekend as a whole bunch of us gals head to our BSP state convention.  Stay tuned for details!

MM and Dan will be “batching” and bonding here in Mayberry all weekend.  If you hear any nasty rumors about their misbehavior, don’t believe them!

Have a great weekend, y’all.  Beta gals sure will!!!

Thursday class

This is for a class...actually a series of classes:



It is a clean paint bucket for soaking something. The canvas bag contains a couple of boards, screwdriver, weights, clamps, tape measure...oh yes, a pencil and old towel. And a spray bottle. Huh? What gives???

Basket weaving 101 begins today with BFF Joan at a local church that offers quite a variety of classes for adults. I know we will learn a lot...and certainly have a whole bunch of fun.

There will be photos...eventually. Wish us luck! Wish us NOT to be all thumbs!

Life is never dull, y'all!

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Berlin Wall photos

As seen and photographed through the bus window last month on a cloudy day…

Artists from all over were invited to come to Germany and “beautify” the walls.  These were in an area apart from the Checkpoint Charlie location (we visited there a few years ago), so we had never seen them before.

Something new we learned on the tour commentary is that those rounded rubber tops of the wall were put there because they were very effective in keeping folks from crossing over them.   All Germans (not just those in the former western part of the divided country) are still paying 5.5% in taxes that go to the rebuilding of the E German infrastructure (only).  None of the funds go to private individuals or companies.  A lot of progress has been made, but there is still a long way to go.

I am glad we have seen these pieces and places of history, but we don’t necessarily need to go back there and revisit.  There are still a few destinations left on our bucket list that need to be checked off.

And now back to the regularly scheduled paper shuffling for Wednesday.  Where are my assistants???

Life is not a dress rehearsal, y’all!  Get out and enjoy yourself.

Never forget.

 

This is always somewhat of a somber day for me, remembering this senseless tragedy to our country.  Too many lives lost; too many lives still affected with health issues.

Hatred is wicked business.

Share some love with your friends and family today, and be grateful for all your blessings.  I am.

May you always have Love to Share, Health to Spare, and Friends who Care.

It’s chili time!

 

This recipe Joy found on a certain message board was experimented on here last night and was rated two thumbs us times six!  Easy peasy and very filling.

Chicken Taco Chili

8 Servings, about 200 calories each

1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn kernels
1 small can diced tomatoes with green chilies
16 oz tomato sauce
28 oz diced tomatoes
packet taco seasoning
1 Tbsp chili powder
3 boneless chicken breasts

Cook 6 hours high or 10 hours low in the crock pot.

So…the recipe didn’t call for the green chilies, but I thought the color would be a nice addition (green Bell peppers could also be used, but they do not like me).  I used mild because I am a wuss when it comes to spicy hot.

Some added a small dollop of sour cream on top.  Delish.  Love my crockpot one-dish meals, but we did have something extry special to go along with this (besides brownies and ice cream):  grilled okra!  Srsly good stuff…a little olive oil, salt, garlic.  Leave’em whole…toss in a ziploc and marinate for awhile, then grill.

Try it!  Oh my goodness!!!

It was 50 chilly here in Mayberry this morning, but the sun is smiling on us, making this a great day.  I hope yours is, too!  Share a smile…

53 in Mayberry

Crickets are chirping, all kinds of birds are saying good morning to each other, 3 hummers are doing more chasing than feeding at the feeder.


That is a wee bit of fog off the distant water, it being much warmer than the outside temp. It is fun watching the fog dance above the water.

Two kitties are out and exploring. All is right in our little Mayberry world. We are blessed...and I am ignoring all dust bunnies, cobwebs and falling leaves!

Make some smiles today! I sure will. Attitude is everything, y'all!




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Saturday stuff from Mayberry

Good morning!  A cold front is on the way through the GA Alps today.  Yay…come on!!!  It is time to kick summer to the curb.  Srsly.  It is September already, with Friday night football games that require blankets to keep warm. 

To be more specific on that football game reference, we are more interested in the half-time activities, since our older granddaughter is playing in the marching band this year.  We watched last night…great job, Ansley!  March on!!!

Empress Bee and Sandee, you’ll have to share your bursitis tips with me.  Yep, that is what my hip has. I  I am trying out a medical patch for a couple of days, and will seek out a local physical therapist to help with some strengthening exercises.  Bee may have a pool partner this winter!

I don’t mind getting old, but I sure don’t like all this patching business.  Raise your hand if you agree!  At least this is fixable, and for that I am truly grateful.

The hardest years in life are those between ten and seventy.
~ Helen Hayes (at 73)

Life is still good, y’all!  Smile and carry on…

Round Two

Bee nailed yesterday's mission. A doctor visit that yielded good news. Yay for that! While we were on a roll, another appointment was set up to check out another body part. This getting old requires maintenance, we are finding out. And waiting.

Fortunately, electronics help pass that waiting time. Free wifi is good!

Hopefully a little physical therapy is all my hip needs. At least it is only one hip that occasionally hurts. It could be both, since they are the same age, so I'm grateful for whatever blessings I can get.

I hope you are as well.

Life is good, y'all, but it's patch, patch, patch!


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Major oops!

I was visiting my son and daughter-in-law last night when I asked if I could borrow a newspaper.

'This is the 21st century, he said. 'We don't waste money on newspapers. Here, you can borrow my iPad.'

I can tell you, that dang fly never knew what hit it...

 

So, the iPad and Kindle are still intact and are packed and we are off to Atlanta for the day, getting a few errands done, with plenty of reading material on hand for any waiting time.  Love it!

No parties, Missy and KC.  I hid the catnip.  We will return.

Have a great day, y’all!

Wednesday at work

Seems we are blessed with only one assistant this morning, although she quickly baled on us.  A lot of help that was!  Both kitties are taking advantage of NO rain…for now…and have scooted outside.  I don’t blame them.

The satellite TV issues are still not resolved with the multiple updates and whatevers, but MM will persevere and get it right, stubborn man that he is.

So, the desk is a little cleaner but not finished, and the bank accounts are a lot leaner, but balanced.  I will plod on…especially now that Missy has returned to offer her assistance once more.  She is an excellent paperweight.

The good times just keep rolling here at the ole fun factory.  Y’all are welcome to join us and help any time.

Hope your Wednesday is a good one.

Sometimes you will never know the true value
of a moment until it becomes a Memory.
~Anonymous

It feels like Monday…

And looks like a Monday…rainy, overcast…but that’s OK because we do need the rain.  And I am stuck at my desk doing paperwork anyway and laundry that got neglected yesterday, so the weather doesn’t matter.  Wait…is that the sun???  Yes!

Oh and marbles last night?  The score was tied, 1-1.  I feel a rematch coming on!

MM commented that he had some better photos of Boppard than the ones I posted.  Ahem.  So here are the two he sent me:

Bless his heart, he does take good photos.  And he is doing some maintenance on our satellite TV system, so I’ll keep him around.

Life may not be the party we hoped for...but while we are here, we might as well dance!!!

Happy Labor Day

 

A public holiday or day of festivities held in honor of working people, in the US and Canada on the first Monday in September.

However…in reality, it is more of an annual “goodbye summer” celebration, a time for cookouts, final boat rides and swimming at the lake, and time to put away those white summer shoes!

Unfortunately, Mr. Sun didn’t get the memo for today’s activities.  It is overcast, with rain expected.  Bugger.

But it is game on tonight…boys vs girls in marbles.  Regardless of which team wins, it will be a great evening with food, fun, and friends.  Now that is a winning combination!

Enjoy life, y’all…it is not a dress rehearsal!

Time to count your blessings!

Not such a good photo, but it was precious watching Grumps playing dominoes with Will...and occasionally losing to the wee one! That boy is sharp!

We have much to be grateful for after many years of living and working hard...and of course playing hard. We are blessed. We have a roof over our heads, and food on our table.

My heart is breaking because I just now learned that friends Serge and Julie's house burned down a few days ago. Julie is handicapped, but she got out of the house, Serge got their Moho moved away from it, but they lost everything. Absolutely everything. Of course a lot of possessions are just STUFF...but family memorabilia and photos are items that can't be replaced...and those are the precious things we want to keep.

They have family and friends nearby way up there in Canada, but MM and I are sending our love and support to them from Mayberry...and hope to still see them in FL this winter. Love you guys!

So, look around you and count your blessings and hug your loved ones. I know Serge and Julie are grateful to be alive...and will survive this.

Everything in perspective.

Life is good, y'all!


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September already?

It must be, because we have leaves already showing fall colors here in Mayberry. And fall festivals beginning! I am heading out to a local one shortly.

We had a successful day shopping yesterday. I found some Christmas gifts, 2 pairs of shoes that we shall keep quiet about, and some necessities--I needed coffee and rice--and a nice lunch at the Olive Garden. Happy shoppers, we were!




I am watching KC out on the deck railing as he is rubbing his chin along the wood, twisting and turning. If that boy doesn't fall off, it will be a miracle, but I have warned him to be careful and to at least try and fall onto the deck rather than the ground...greater distance to the ground! That boy does not listen to his mother to stay off the railing in the first place!

OK, he had enough of that and is curling in a chair. Whew. Disaster averted. Kids!

So who has Labor Day plans? We are going to a couple of cook outs, and then fall will officially be launched.

Have a great and safe holiday, y'all!

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