Old Friends.

 When I recently said my father in law was an ex-marine I was sternly told- "there is no such thing as an ex-marine, there are only marines". I stand corrected. So I guess the same is true for friends, once your friend always a friend. I met Nancy on my wedding day - my friend Richard insisted on inviting her. We had a three second argument over it since I didn't know her, but he persisted and I'm glad he did. We have been friends for 31 years, she was in high school when I met her - her senior year I believe. Through the years we've gone long periods without physically seeing each other - we haven't laid eyes on each other in fifteen years. But we have always kept in touch. Letters and calls before, now emails and Facebook. She recently moved back to the US after years of living in England - and enduring my various greetings of Cheerio and Pip Pip, not to mention I insisted on occasion her address was Hole In The Wall, Frog Bottom, Silly Wigs England. She came up to do a run through,she visited with her cousin and his partner Thursday,  we had Friday afternoon all day Saturday and this morning. she's off visiting her nearby family today and then back home to Vermont tomorrow. Friday was awful - I had gotten an early start and called all my patients the night before figuring I could bang them out and be home a little early for once. No such luck - after repeated calls from the office and so forth they added three patients to my schedule and better yet since they were add ons I had to stop and call, rearrange and then ended up driving TWICE to the same area because I could not squeeze the patient in without completely rearranging everything. Yes I am a little mad, thank you for asking. I didn't get home til 6 pm and I was exhausted, so we visited while I did paperwork - I could have left it but I wanted Saturday to at least be free for visiting. Saturday was fun though - I took Nancy on the Grand Tour On All Things Interesting. We took the back roads to the Krisha compound and  started taking pictures of her in the main hall and a crabby -no - pants came up and snippy told me No Pictures!. This is news to me since I've been there before and no one has ever said anything, plus there's no sign saying that. Whatever - I already got a couple good shots so I apologized as not to get his tunic in a twist and put the camera away. This was not good enough apparently as he gave me the Stink Eye a couple of times - I was super traumatized! Nancy said he's probably coming back as a roach and move on. After that we did the tour of the Palace - then off to prison. The group was huge - over 30 people including a softball team in town for an away game. They were very funny and well behaved, I wish we could have said the same as some of the adults. There were about 3 of them that kept trying to sneak off and go where the guide told them repeatedly not to go - there's a lot of dangerous areas - and we had to wait for him so it was annoying. But the tour itself was very fun. We had lunch at the ice cream parlor and ice cream for dessert, then across the road to the Indian Burial mound that we climbed so Nancy could see Ohio. We stopped at the book store and Cabala's on the way home. David BBQed and we set outside as best we could - it started pouring of course. But we had fun. Today we did a short run through Morgantown and then Nancy went off to see her family that she hasn't seen in close to 30 years, since her senior year in high school. Back to reality tomorrow.

The Front Porch

 I got surprise day off since I'm on call for this weekend. I had to go to the mandatory meeting this morning but after I went and picked up my new glasses so not a bad thing. I have my big eye appointment at the end of July so I need to put in for a day off for that. I stopped at the mall next, Bath and Bodyworks is having one of their semi annual 75% off sale so I stocked up for the second time. I'll usually go 3 or 4 times and that will set me until the next sale. David is off finishing a small list of To Do's on the Bruceton Mills house and then will be meeting with yet another RE to look at houses. I did a few thing around the house and then I took the dogs out to the front porch. They've gotten the idea of it so it's no longer 20 minute increments of my guarding the steps and saying NO four hundred and twenty times. I keep the front door propped open so they can wander in and out while I read and drink coffee. Our porch furniture is an old wicker set David bought on the side of the road for $50, it came with faded cushions and they even threw in a basket of fake flowers. The fake flowers have gone by the wayside, we beat and vacuumed the cushions removing pine needles, pollen and cat hair. It's a bit worn, but it really fits the house and looks like, well, it looks like every one's furniture. We'll eventually buy new cushions I suppose but will leave the faded paint - I just love the way it looks. Our new issue is a family of ground hogs that have moved in next door. One seems to be intrigued by our garage and has been sneaking around trying to get in. I thought we had one - but this afternoon the dogs were freaking out as there are actually about 6 - or more - frolicking around in the side yard. I found their den but not sure what our next action will be. On one hand their den is actually up in the woods so technically they're not hurting anything. BUT that many groundhogs are almost certain to produce legions of little groundhogs and will not do. Not at all. Hopefully they will stay on their side of the fence and that will solve that. My friend Nancy is visiting next weekend and that I'm very excited about. She's going to visit family that weirdly enough lives about 8 miles from here. Who would have guess that since she's from Hastings On The Hudson and I'm  from Hampton Bays that she would have Aunts and Uncles here on the border of West Virginia and Pennsylvania? What a happy coincidence though, isn't it? Still working on the sweater, I have about 6 inches to go then I'll start in on the front pocket. I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm already figuring out what I'll be doing next - hmm. I found the pattern that I look at sometimes and think Hmm. That Looks Like A Lot Of Work and I put it back in the bottom of the drawer. So we'll see if I actually do it or chicken out again.

Rolling Right Along

 The sweater is coming along nicely - as far as I can tell. I'll probably have to add a border to the hood as it already rolling and I haven't hit the pocket yet. It has one of those big front pockets and I've read over the directions, doesn't seem to complicated. I'm actually enjoying it as it's  complicated enough to stay interesting but not overly so. And between all the adding and casting on it's plain knitting so  I can watch TV without looking down and finding a third sleeve or something. Work has been a bit slow but that's OK gives me a chance to catch up around here and use the things I've bought. Like the outdoor set which I am still not over. We sat out there yesterday evening and BBQed with Molly and Reuben chasing each other around the yard. Adam has had a time of it the past week. He and David replaced the faulty  air sensor on his car over the weekend - you have to rent a special wrench which he did from Auto Zone. They got it in with  little problem and on Monday Adam returned the wrench to the store. He got in his car...........and nothing. Nada. The whole thing was dead. David helped him get it to Foxes Garage - just around the corner from us and Jesse said  he'd look at it as soon as he could. Poor Adam! He has finally gotten level - school, found a job, etc - it was hard not to join in the upsetness of it all. And with cars it's either a simple fix or it will need something horrifyingly expensive like an engine of something. Around here without a car you're truly sucking wind and he has such a full schedule most days.I know on the WV there's a bus but there's only a couple and it can take hours to get there, plus it can be up to a five mile hike to the bus stop.  He borrowed David's truck and David moved his stuff to the next day - thank goodness it turned out to be a faulty wire! Fifty dollars and back on the road.  David is starting to look for the next project, he moved the RE to Friday to look at potentials and has been doing some things around here that have needed doing. He's going back to NJ for a few day in the beginning of July, Ray is having the other eye done then things should be OK with him. In the past he has not wanted David to come but the last time David was there after surgery and took him to his follow up. They did the bookstore and So Forth - it will be over the holiday so I'll be home for that, Adam can be around for the rest.

So Good So Far.

 The sweater I'm making is coming out pretty good, as far as I can tell. It's plain knitting but the interesting thing is it's knit in one piece as opposed to most sweaters that are done in multiple pieces and then stitched up at the end. The hood gets one seam across the top and then the sleeves are put on stitch holders and knitted on later using the live stitches. When it gets a little further along I'll post a picture. The money spending continues - a bit. We had bought that bench last week to replace the coffee table and it's working out better. It frees up the living room and gives us a little extra seating and storage - and the cushion can be easily replaced if need be. Molly appears to like it better than Reuben but they both spend a great deal of time standing on it and spying on what they perceive as Enemies. It's level with the front window which increases Proactive Viewing for the canine members of the household. The other expense was the patio set pictured below. We have a teak wood set that was supposed to last forever, gradually fading to a silver color. It did - but the wood split a little and the glass top spontaneously shattered one day. That happened to my sister's too and I wonder if it's not a heat issue, we went out one day and it was just shattered into a million pieces like it had exploded. The cost of replacing it is more than the table is worth so we've just left it empty. SO we've been half looking for a new set and thinking maybe in August when it all goes on sale we can look. But when we were in Sam's Club in Washington yesterday I headed for the clearance section. We're in the habit of doing  that at every store because you never know what might be there. Most of the time it's things missing a crucial piece, stained or cracked or worse, just marked down a dollar or so. But as you remember we found a $700 dining room set there for $75 and we actually had gotten our cherry entertainment center for one hundred. So I took a peek and there was one of their most expensive patio sets - original price was $999 - marked down to $150! David and I looked it over and the defect was - and I kid you not - about 8 tiles that had come loose. AND the tiles that had come loose were stacked in a neat little pile. Thank goodness we had decided to take the truck! So I finished shopping while David got the tag and we loaded it up and took it home. We have the umbrella from last year so we're set - they even came with the cushions. Hopefully this will be all until the house in Bruceton sells, but it was such a good deal we couldn't pass it up. We've been spending a lot of time outside in between rainy days, the dogs are getting used to the front porch so we sit out there more. They peek between the rails and snuffle about, I read and play on my Ipad which I'm still navigating around. I've been adding and deleting apps, the free ones for now as I don't want to pay for something I can't use that I thought I would. And really, there are so many free ones I doubt I'll ever find one that I want to pay for. They even have knitting apps but some are silly. You can do virtual knitting and that was one of my first deletes - I'm going to spend hours making a pretend sweater??  I did end up getting a cover for it at Big Lots - I have no idea why but they have a weirdly large selection of Ipad and computer covers. They had a huge selection for the Ipad mini so I got an ultralight cover that folds to a stand for $10 and a more heavily padded one for travel for $5. No, I'm not kidding. I don't think I'm doing too much today, it looks like it might be a bit rainy later on. I will probably take David out to eat for Father's day and do a bit of cleaning then back to the sweater. Have a good Father's Day everyone!

Show Me The Money

 It's been a bit of an expensive week - a lot going out and not much coming in. But some weeks are like that, arent' they? As long as it doesn't become a habit not a big deal. Anyhoo - I was out of work for about a day and a half - the rest of the week I was low on visits and did not squawk or ask for more. The lesser amount I could handle, getting home a little early, taking care of the dogs and then back to bed. Today I'm feeling better and am getting my energy back but still feel drained. I have five more days to go on the antibiotic and the cough is still there, but better and I am no longer spewing moisture so that's a good thing. David spent the week at Ray's and returned home late Friday afternoon after staying for breakfast and then heading out into the rain. This morning we headed to Best Buy - I've been after a tablet and had my heart set on a Samsung. They had a big display of everything, some I hadn't heard of and some I had but after looking everything over carefully - and calling Janet - I decided to go back to Apple. I got the Ipad 4 mini. I looked at the bigger one but I really wanted something a bit more portable and it had everything I needed. Of course I needed a warranty, a screen protector, etc... kaching! Kaching! I didn't buy the cover there - I'll get one at Big Lots for $8 as opposed to $56. They have amazing covers there, I got one for my Kobo Vox that opens like a book, flips around to make a stand and fits perfectly.  After that we headed to Wal-Mart because David needed shells because even though he is NOT shooting with Rich tomorrow, well, you never know what could happen. As we walked in I saw a door that said "Optometrist, walk ins welcome". The guy that did my eye exam last year is no longer there so... I walked in. I have a vision plan now so it was only ten dollars and I deferred doing the eye drop thing as I am seeing Dr. Fenghali for the big eye test at the end of the month. The doctor did use the lamp and said "boy, you do have glaucoma in both eyes!". Sigh. So I took my prescription and off we went to Sam's club - $118 dollars later I had my new glasses ordered which is not bad, the frames are covered and part of the lenses. We finished our shopping and back home. My Ipad is upstairs getting juiced up, I've got it set up and am figuring out how to navigate around. I think I have all the electronics I can handle now - smart phone, desk computer, laptop, Ipad, big ereader and my beloved mini Kobo that is always with me. Life does not always stay good, but it's fun when it is good. And very appreciated.

It's Been A Week.

 I started off the week sick. I was not too well last week but powered through and figured on Monday I was fine. I was not. Tuesday the ship went down and I went down with it,blowing out enough fluids to qualify for  quasi watery grave. I went to my doctor's which I love - they run their own walk in clinic and the doctors rotate. You may not get your own doctor but they have all your records and insurance information. And I've never had to wait more than 20 minutes. I was diagnosed with infected sinuses and put on a ten day stretch of antibiotics and told to stay home for at least 24 hours. Molly and Reuben took the news quite joyfully - stay in bed all day? Someone to open the door four hundred times? You betcha! David was not here for the Joyful Event, he had taken off for NJ on Monday morning to Ray's - Ray was having cataract surgery so David was going to help out. Ray did well and he had the dressing removed yesterday when David took him back to the doctor's for the follow up. The rest of the time they've been going to the bookstore and watching movies. David decided to stay an extra day and come home tomorrow which was fine, I know they're having a good time  and this is a good week for him to do this. Adam was off from work during the week - he's working on the weekend and I was home sick.  Work has also been a little slow this week, nothing to worry about, if you work in home care you usually do have a slack time, summer it will slow, the holidays too. I've been getting home a little early and this week that suits me just fine. I went back to work this morning and I did OK, not great. I'm still achy and tired and a little short of breath due to the head and chest congestion. Oh well, one more day and then I have the weekend to rest up.

Watching The Paint Dry

 We have a very nice large covered front porch. Most of the homes around here have one and they're used quite frequently, when you drive down any given road you'll see everyone sitting out on them. I've done patient visits on the porch, sitting on swings and Adirondack rockers, parking my nursing bag on the redwood table. I went out last week and beat the dust out of the  cushions, swept the carpeted floor and got rid of the leaves. I put the love seat blocking the stairs so the dogs could come out too. They're learning to like it - at first they didn't quite get it, restricted to the porch but now they're getting into it. Reuben sticks his head between the rails to snuffle the bushes, Molly sits next to me and peers in great concentration at the neighbors. Wondering what they're doing, if they'll stay in the their own yard, do they want anything? I leave the front door propped open so they can go in and out, Molly sometimes gets nervous and has to go in, then reappears about 2 minutes later for another round of spying on the neighbors. I'd like to eventually get a swing for the porch, we have plenty of room out there. We heard from Jackson tonight, he and Brandi are doing quite well and they're enjoying their new digs. Adam has been busy too, he's taking summer courses and has gotten hired by the local Wal-Mart down the road. Not the job of choice but it's close and they're more than willing to work around his schedule. David leaves in the morning for NJ to see Ray for a few days so I am in charge of the zoo. Hate that! But it's just for a few days and I'll survive. Work has been going much better lately - the schedules have been tightened up and I'm able to get organized the night before which goes a long way in my world. In  knitting news I'm almost done with the hood of my hoodie. I have a guest coming at the end of the month, my friend Nancy who moves almost as much as we do and she moves further - she has been New York ,Long Island, England and now Vermont. We outdo her in moves but she has it all over us in mileage. Weirdly she has relatives near where we live so she will be popping over there while I'm at work and then on the weekend we'll be taking off - I might take her to prison, we'll see!

Around The Block.

 We took off a bit on the later side this morning, David has a house he's interested in out in Hazelton which is a bit of a drive but if we got it, would be worth it. We haven't sold the house in Bruceton Mills   yet but are hoping to have it sold before the end of summer. Knowing how long it takes to find a low priced fixer upper that is not a total disaster takes time so David has started scouting now. We took the road through Bruceton and drove. And drove. Then David decided he didn't know where we were. Arrgh. I saw a sign  for Glades Farm Road and asked to go there for more pictures. Surprise! We popped out a mile from the house, so we did get to peek at it and explore the surrounding area. I found a ceramics shop out of some one's basement and got some cute stuff. We followed a couple of For Sale signs with no  success and then headed back. As we headed down a  road there was the most hilarious little girl set up with a large cooler and a folding chair at the end of a driveway, dressed like a migraine and cheerfully waving a glitter infested sign above her head. Eggs for Sale! It reminded me of when we had Kool Aid stands when we were kids, Theresa from one side, the Palominos on the other, all of us shouting and leaping as cars drove by. We pretty much only sold Kool Aid to each other but it kept us occupied. But no one leaves children alone outside now - even on the back country roads. I made David turn around and as we pulled up I could see her father was about 20 feet away working in the garage while keeping a close eye on her. When I got out of the truck I saw him say something in the garage and a Disgruntled Older Sibling also made an appearance as the egg seller was a bit beside herself at the potential sale. I bought two dozen and as the vendor excitedly handed me my purchase while hopping around the older sister deftly took the money from her to put in an envelope, shut the cooler  and reminded her to say thank you all while keeping a cool aloof affect the entire time. It was quite the trick. Egg money is a pretty hardy business around here, there's a fair amount of children that earn extra money doing that. I wish I had gotten a picture of that little girl though - and her glittery sign. We headed back to Morgantown to do our weekly shopping - so expensive! It seems like we buy less and less and it costs more and more each week. We stopped by the bookstore and I got a huge cup of coffee, I love coffee. A Lot. And I got a new knitting book - I've cut back but will do still buy them once in awhile. David is heading off to NJ next week - he didn't end up going over Memorial Day because he was sick but this will work out a little better as Ray is having some minor eye surgery so David will be able to bring him in for it and home again. He'll stay a few days to visit and then home again.