WHERE DID I LEAVE OFF?

If you are imagining that we are settling into our new home . . . NOT! In fact, PhannyCat, Mack, and I are beginning our eighth week of dining room living.

When last I blogged we were getting ready for the house inspection which was on Nov. 8. The things we already knew about were noted, and the inspector said there had been some termite damage in the past which had been treated (termite inspector said the same and no current infestation), but the house inspector suggested we have a foundation expert check out the foundation. My realtor called the man who specializes in pier & beam, and he came that afternoon. Cutting to the result of his investigation: nine piers need to be shored up (they are okay but have some loose bricks) and six beams need to be replaced. He said some boards had been added to try to cover up the termite damage. My realtor and I both went bug-eyed when he said that the repair would cost $12,000. I told her to notify the mortgage company to hold off on the appraisal until we got this ironed out.

The seller came home just before we left, and when asked if he was aware of a problem with the the foundation he said yes and that some work had been done under there, but "they didn't do a very good job." Then when quizzed about the termite problem he said that yes they had that treated and had a termite contract. NOTE: All of this was denied on the disclosures about the property. Add that to no pets, no liens . . . . (Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that my realtor accidentally let the dog out the front door when we came back with the foundation expert, but I managed to coax him to me, picked him up, and took him back inside. Friendliest, fluffiest little dog you'd ever want to meet.)

We, of course, requested that the seller make the necessary foundation repairs. Eventually he offered $5,000 toward the repair, less than half the cost. We responded with a request for the full amount. Guess what? It had to go back to the District Attorney's office. Well, the long and short of it is that his response did not come back until last Tuesday, four days after our contract expired. Oh, and he approved the $12,000 repair at seller's expense. The seller's realtor requested that we extend the previous contract because if we wrote a new one it would have to go to the D.A. again. AAARRRGGGH! (Although I must say I'm liking this D.A. though we've never met.) I chose Dec. 9 as the closing date, and, can you believe it, the seller wanted a little more time because he hadn't found an apt. yet. We gave them one more week, Dec. 16. Will this house become ours? Will we occupy it? Who knows? One thing is for sure: we won't have cookies and milk out for Santa there.

While all this saga was unfolding we did continue to look at other properties. One not quite as large which had a pool and was in a good location was very appealing to Chillax primarily because it was all on one level and would require less work/expense to fix up; however, the list price was approx. $60,000 more than the contract house, and the possibility of getting it down to our range was highly questionable.

Jaz and I looked at another house the realtor had found which was a foreclosure, and it had probably the worst layout I have ever seen. Additionally, the area described as a breezeway was actually a dark narrow cave, and the front door barely cleared the bottom step of the stairway. And, oh yes, the former owners had done as much trashing of the place as possible including ripping out all the carpet and the wall oven.

Cathy, our realtor, also showed us one that I found. It was in the same area as the previous one and on a cul-de-sac. It had plenty of space, a decent yard, and a good layout, I think. I say, "I think" because we entered the house in the strangest way, and the whole expedition was quite an adventure. (Cathy says she's going to write a book about us.) This seller's agent called Cathy the night before we went there to warn her the man was crazy and sometimes didn't let people in to see the house. (She told us this as we were trying unsuccessfully to open the front door.)

We finally found a door into the garage which was jam-packed with junk and after cautiously stepping over and around stuff we managed to enter through the laundry area. Cathy kept calling out, "Mr. Smythe we're here to look at the house. We have an appointment." No response. I kept thinking I heard noises from upstairs as we wandered through the downstairs area. The kitchen was cluttered and dirty beyond belief, and the ceiling was missing from the dining room---can't imagine where it went. Sure enough, the Lord of the Manor came meandering down the stairs talking on his cell phone. Cathy was talking very fast to explain our presence, but he replied that we should go all over, open any doors, etc. and walked out of the house and to the street talking to his friend the whole time. It was a little daunting to say the least. In one of the bedrooms upstairs every horizontal surface was covered with stacks of camouflage clothes, bedding, whatever---all that camouflage. And on top of one stack a plate with dried food goop and crumbs. No telling how long it had been there. Very erie! We learned later that the man's wife had left with another man last Feb., later filed for divorce claiming he was crazy (and we wouldn't quibble with her there), but I don't think we care to get into another of these broken marriage situations.

So much for the house drama.

THANKSGIVING

Our female associate priest preached a really good Thanksgiving sermon which I still continue to think about and consider it one which should be repeated during Advent, i.e., looking beyond the gifts to the relationship that could evolve. That synopsis certainly doesn't nearly convey the thought of the sermon, but maybe you had to be there. Then I came home, and the whole family went over to St. James where they had a pot luck Thanksgiving dinner with the church providing the turkeys. It was really good, and we all came home completely sated. No need for me to eat anymore that day.

BEGINNER'S LUCK

Last Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, I participated in the intergenerational class to make an Advent Wreath following the main service at St. Mark's. St. Mark's does this every year, but I had never attended. As anyone in my family will tell you I am really poor at these crafty things, but I didn't let that hold me back. There were numerous heaps of greens, a florist's wreath, four candles, and a blue ribbon scattered on the tables in the parish hall. I found a spot for myself, read the directions which were furnished and began to work. A woman who was walking about with shears to snip some of the branches for the wreath makers was complimentary, but when she came back near the end of the event she remarked, "Oh, I really like yours. You know why? Because it really looks like a wreath." I wanted to say, "Wasn't that the assignment?" But I merely thanked her. I was probably smirking because I saw some of the departing "wreaths" which looked more like green salads gone awry. Here's my creation.

Don't let the shadows confuse you; there really are only four candles.

This past Wednesday morning I awoke with a sore throat and a very stuffy head, and I've had a low grade fever. Mack must really be confused as he and I have been taking long walks since we moved over here, but I've not been up to it. Today is the first day I've felt I might live after all, and I think I'm fever free. It is also raining which is truly good news, and it is supposed to continue all day and tonight. Yippee!!! So the walks may or may not resume today.

So, that's our news for now. Stay tuned for the next surprising episode.

READY FOR SOME PICTURES?

If memory serves correctly I received a contract on my house on Sept. 16. Close enough, anyway. From that time on there has been a great deal of strategic planning, packing, letting go, and a whirlwind of activity. And right now is the lull before we do it again.

The first event was the orchid plant sale. My only advertising was sending an email to members of the orchid society telling them when and where, and that the prices would be cheap---which they were; most were 2, 3, 4$. Here are some of the plants I sold along with some supplies as well.

All but ten sold in the first thirty minutes, and I netted $325. The remaining ten I wound up giving away to good homes.

Here are the ten I kept.

They are currently very happy indoors at the Interfaith Pharmacy where I volunteer because they have their own plant stands with an excellent southern exposure. In fact, four are about to bloom. Also I've had messages from two of my shoppers at the sale that they are having blooms as well (so that keeps me cool with them).

The PODS container was delivered to my house on Oct. 10, a Monday (Hint: You get a discount if it is delivered on Mon.; I didn't know that; it just worked out.)

It was to be picked up, loaded, the next Monday, but we wound up having to change that as we just couldn't get it all done. You see that white corner at the top left hand side of the steps? The man who delivered the container and "walked it up" into the yard using the Podzilla accidentally chipped off the corner of the step. He apologized and said he would take care of it. I'm not sure when he did it, during the sale, I think, but he did take care of it. That's not PODS policy, but he is a Methodist pastor of a local church. Just trying to make a living, or he really likes those big boy toys. Did you notice I've picked up part of their lingo? Podzilla, walking it up, . . . .

My job was to sort what to keep for myself, for others in the family, what to let go in the sale, and, of course, pack.

Chillax donated "legs" (sold the first day) which has been in his storeroom for years, and they brought toys and other items as well.

Chillax commanded the loading, and it was all done at night after he closed Excalibur for the day. The PODS people advise us to pack it high and use every available inch, and I think he did. We packed in not only my things but items from their house as well as we will eventually all be at the same location. I had asked for the "big one" which is 8' wide x 8' high x 16' long.

Look how close they are to the end, and we still have these items to go in:

I have no idea what that ladder looking thing is. However, they did get it all in, and the POD was picked up one day before the sale. It's now resting way out on Youree Dr. in south Shreveport just waiting for us to call to have it brought to our new address.

The sale was handled by one of the local estate sale teams. They were very nice, got it all organized, and cleaned up afterward. The only problem is that people just weren't shopping, and the really big items (those that would have really brought in some $$$) didn't sell. I wound up bringing them over to the garage at C & J's house. Maybe I'll be able to use them, or maybe they'll go into consignment at one of the antique stores here. Anybody need a small table 18" deep that expands to 7'?

So what happened to PhannyCat, Mack and me? We are residing in the dining room at Chillax and Jaz's house, and Chillax kindly brought my bed over here as well as my rocking chair. I really haven't sat in the rocking chair often over the past nine and a half years, but we are becoming reacquainted. The fact about the chair is that it wasn't a configuration that he wanted to deal with in the POD and would "waste space." But, I do love having my bed. We've been here three weeks.

NEW DIGS

I previously reported that we had made an offer on a house that all of us loved along with its yard and all the problems we unearthed. Well, four weeks to the day, yesterday, we finally received a response in writing. (The seller's agent also asked my agent to thank us for our patience.) Anyway the counter offer requested 5K more than we offered but still 5K under the original listing price which surprised me, and to make a long story short--ta-da--we have a contract on the house. The inspection will be Tues. morning, the appraisal soon after, and closing is supposed to be on/by Nov. 25. (None of the title companies will be open on the 25th, day after Thanksgiving, so I'm optimistically planning that the closing will be earlier that week.) We'll see. Oh, yes, the ex-wife, the owner of the house is now signing all the papers. In the meantime---X your fingers that we pull this off.

Best regards, Everybody, and keep warm!!!

NANCY DREW & THE REAL ESTATE ADVENTURE

Let's begin with this news. The appraisal on my house was scheduled this past Tuesday between 12 noon and 1:00 p.m. My bone density test was scheduled at 2:00 p.m., and the mammogram at 3:00 p.m. What a fun day!

A friend had given me the name of a house appraiser and said "hope you don't get him" but we have no control over who does the appraisal. Sure enough, he was the one assigned to my house. Even my realtor said she hoped for a less stringent appraiser because he was tough and didn't miss anything. So, obviously, I had to channel my southern charm but not make it too obvious. Three and a half days later I am again breathing because his report came in this afternoon. He appraised it at the listed price which is what the buyer offered. YEAAAA!

THE PLOT THICKENS:

I submitted an offer on a house Thursday that all three of us (son, daughter-in-law, and I) all really liked and felt it would meet our needs with some alterations. We were supposed to receive a response by 2:30 this afternoon. At 1:30 my realtor called to say they would need a few more hours and was that agreeable. Obviously, since this was the house we wanted I agreed to wait.

People One Should Be Honest With:

A. One's doctor

B. One's attorney

C. One's realtor

D. One's priest, rabbi, spiritual leader (relative, of course, to one's position on the guilt scale)

E. Everyone else at their own risk

Daughter-in-law and I became a little wary when we noticed on the disclosure that the seller indicated no pets had been on the premises, but Fido's food & water dishes were clearly in the house. We were not offset by that because we both have pets; it was the fact that he clearly hadn't paid attention to the questions.

One man was listed as the seller. Thankfully, my realtor started checking records. The man is divorced from his wife, and no where does his name appear on the previous purchase of the house, and no where does her name appear on the current sale of the home. Furthermore, there is no mention of the house in their divorce. He "says" he has power of attorney to sell the house, but I don't know at this point if he can prove it.

OH YEAH, there are liens against the house because he is behind on child support (we don't know if this is the most recent marriage, or a previous one) nor why liens instead of garnishment of wages. Anyway we seem to have opened a gallon sized can of worms. Well, somebody had to---right?

I think this will turn out alright if we have patience and can find out who can really sell this house and agree to the terms. But right now it's all up for grabs.

Here's the web site to see the house with which we're smitten. You'll probably have to copy and paste it into your browser as BlogSpot doesn't allow me to do links. Meantime we're packing like crazy, and the estate sale at my house is scheduled for Oct. 21-22.

http://www.coldwellbankerdowling.com/default.cfm/page/forsale/cat/display/mlsid/mls_shreveport/propertytype/residential/ml_number/N131467/referer/Similar%20Properties.htm

And a Happy Columbus Day to you too!

A VERY DIFFERENT LOOK AT ST. MARK'S

My adopted hometown paid tribute to a young man who lost his life in Afghanistan a week ago. It was doubly sad because his friend from high school, also a Navy Seal, died in the same shooting down of their helicopter. I didn't know him or the other young man or their families, but I know several people who knew one or both of them, so by extension I feel a deep sense of loss. And though I didn't attend the service, I did drive by to witness the tribute being paid. A nearby church, King's Highway Christian, offered their parking lot for the service time, and a two-block stretch for each of the four streets north of St. Mark's were blocked off for parking. Here's the newspaper's write-up.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20110814/NEWS10/108140336/Navy-SEAL-CPO-Rob-Reeves-honored?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

As I stopped at the traffic light at the main intersection next to St. Mark's I watched a young man in uniform, wearing a beret (sorry, I'm not familiar enough with Military uniforms to identify which branch) pushing a stroller with his younger child in it; following was his wife, also in the same uniform with beret holding the hand of their 3-4 yr. old daughter wearing her Sunday best on the way to pay tribute to their fallen brother. It broke my heart to think that someone else might be leading those children into a similar service for their parents sometime in the future.

I don't know what these wars are about anymore. How do we know what the objective is? How do we know when it is achieved or lost? How long do we just keep killing or being killed? What's the point?

Russia must be laughing and saying, "They learned nothing from what happened to us."

I do offer all my respect to those who offer their lives to protect and defend our country and hope those who command them hold them dear as well.

HOW'S THE HOME SELLING GOING?

In two words, NOT WELL! In nine weeks "on the market" the house has had five bookings for showings, but only four actually showed up. Two viewers felt my house needed too much "updating", one kept it in his top two and might come back, one liked it but wanted her son to take a look. Haven't had any re-showings for either of them. And I'm not sure what these individuals mean by updating. Are they talking about replacing the carpet, replacing wall paper with paint, or gutting the kitchen and bathroom? It's funny that when Jaz & I look at a house we look at it and evaluate how we would change it; we don't go in expecting everything to be the way we'd want it. Get a grip, Shoppers!

Of course, one has to factor in that we are experiencing, according to the weather guy, "excessive heat" with temps over 100 degrees for 34 days, one day behind Dallas. And then, of course, we have the Washington congressional debacle which can't make rational decisions and throws our economy as well as the rest of the world's into chaos. Everyone seems to be afraid to make a move of any sort. I am not afraid. Buy my house, and I'll go buy another.

I'm trying to keep the yard mostly green, though there are a few brown patches. So far we have not had a ban on lawn watering, but I expect that very soon. If the house were not for sale, I'd let it go now to conserve water and to keep the bill down. But, I'm a seller now, and I have to do what I can to sell the house. My realtor feels that the heat and the economy are deterrents as I do.

The realtor's company emphasizes keeping a welcoming, pretty plants entrance. Well, I did that but they've been burnt, so I planted new things last weekend.

The blue blooms are plumeria, but they seem to be burning out now. Boohoo! The white are lantana. I've cut back the begonia because they're being killed by the heat; hopefully, they'll come back.

Something that has weathered this terrible weather is a plant whose name tag has disappeared and it continues to grow and produces little red blooms though they don't show right now, but I really love it. It's such a soldier of a plant.

Mack is an added attraction. He wasn't asked to pose here. You can see he's not pleased with the weather either.

AFTER DAILY HOUSEKEEPING: How am I amusing myself once the house is showable? Well, I'm entertaining birds---numerous sparrows, a pair of blue jays, a pair of cardinals, a pair of doves, and on occasion house finches. I discovered that the finches eat seeds but also love nectar, and the hummingbird feeder that I usually have out in the summer was their greater attraction. Those little dickens could suck that pint sized feeder dry in three days. Therefore, I've left it dry for about three weeks. Unfortunately, I've seen hummingbirds on at least three occasions looking for a meal find a totally dry feeder. So sorry, hummingbirds. But it's refilled now. In fact, I have an aviary cafeteria. And those sparrows apparently know me and watch for me to refill the feeder and appear within a minute morning and evening once I fill the feeder. They also appreciate the water in the bird bath and additional pan of water I put out for them.

Occasionally there is an "Ooops" I don't really want to see. For instance, the blue jay which killed a lizard in a very brutal fashion and proceeded to eat it. At least he ate it; didn't just kill it for sport. It did spoil my lunch time appetite.

I'm reading a terrific book: THE VICAR OF CHRIST by Walter F. Murphy. This book was published in 1979, but I find it extremely contemporary because many of the problems it discusses are still with us. It also softens my take on the Catholic church because I find it is as ham-strung as our government is, just different perspectives. I highly recommend it. In fact, you do need to read it. It is a novel, and the premise that an American Korean war hero becomes Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and eventually Pope makes it clear that it is fiction, but it doesn't negate the relevance of the content.

My third diversion is needlepoint. My last needlepoint endeavor was when I lived in Terrell and had my house for sale there; when 9/11 occurred I stopped work on it as I couldn't focus anymore. Then when I moved the project was lost; to this day I can't figure out what happened to that Siamese cat I was working on. This new needlepoint project is one I bought at an estate sale for $6.00, and I think the original price was probably about $30. Anyway, it is very colorful but I really need bright light to see where the various colors go so I work on it in the living room with the shades up during the afternoon when it is very, very hot outside. I may not be doing a very good job, but it is fun. And when I move this time I'm going to make sure that needlepoint doesn't get lost. I don't really see it hanging in a prominent place in my new home; maybe in the closet. But it will still be a source of pride for "hanging in there."

FRUSTRATIONS/JOKES: I don't even know where to start on this one. Let's take this arbitrary beginning.

Who runs this country? The Congress of the U.S. or Wall Street? My reluctant answer is the latter. We didn't vote them into this capacity; however, they have taken over, they want no oversight, and they have none.

Why is Congress no longer functioning? Republicans, and/or Tea Party members of Congress, have so set their goal on defeating the President/Democrats that they are willing to sacrifice the entire country, all of us, and the global economy to win their point. What an empty victory that will be! To think one can cut spending without raising revenue is so stupid. My experience has been that I couldn't cut expenditures for food and housing for my family; I had to take a second job---and I did.

Every member of Congress who left leaving the FAA hanging with no finance should turn over his/her salary for this month of vacation to filling the national coffers, and if that causes them a shortfall then they should take a second job. Maybe they can handle the second job; they're not doing well with their elected positions.

Rick Perry is considering running for President. Dear God in heaven, he's worse than W. Surely our country has not dumbed down to a level of seriously considering him as the leader of this country. He's done sufficient damage to Texas; would anyone really want to give him the entire nation upon which to wreak havoc? I have more respect for the GOP than to think this could happen. Don't let me down, GOP.

Maybe I've covered everything, but probably not. I'll wake up about 3:00 a.m. and think, "I forgot to mention ..." But I need to bring this to a close and go to bed. I seem to wake up much earlier with this hot drought and propelled to do whatever I have to do early on then "cool it" from 11:00 a.m. on. Of course, by then it is already 100 degrees. I thought today was cooler (106 degrees)and it was; Jazz says I'm adapting. Probably right. Take care, Everybody.

A QUIET 4TH OF JULY

Very quiet, indeed. So quiet that I awoke this morning perspiring and straining for any sound at all. The power had once again gone off, and there was no A/C, no ceiling fan, no clock to let me know the time. A rather bleak start to the holiday, don't you know?

I dressed quickly and went out to mist the orchids hanging from my wonderful Japanese maple while planning a trip to Wendy's for a cup of coffee and some kind of breakfast treat. Thankfully, within an hour the power came on---SWEPCO magic--- and I didn't have to make the trip.

Did a few other chores related to trying to keep the house neat and tidy, but not as many as I should have. 100+ temps slow me down quite a bit.

This year the 4th has been quieted by a burn ban throughout the state, and a local ban on the sale or use of fireworks by private individuals. Every year since I've lived here the pets have really been miserable because fireworks were permitted one week prior and one week following a big holiday; this year they were spared.

The big public fireworks display down by the Red River was o.k.ed, so many people were planning and did attend. There are public stages down there where various bands and performers are scheduled. There are also food vendors and souvenir sales persons. Chillax, Jaz, and I went last year, and it was fun, but I didn't even consider it this year as we have had so much 100+ weather, such a drought, that I didn't want to be out there at all. The four of us did have grilled steaks at their house last night which was yummy. And am I glad it was last night.

So, here on the 4th, what happened. Thunderstorms actually moved into our area starting about 7:30 p.m. The big fireworks display should have been over by now, but I don't think it's even started. We haven't gotten much rain from this, but we have gotten a little, and we are most grateful for that. Thunder is still rumbling, and there has been plenty of lightening but not really the cloud to ground type.

I did look for my annual viewing of 1776 and called Jaz and Dagromme (sorry to have waked you) to tell them when it would be shown on TCM. Guess what? I recorded it this year; now I don't have to be beholden to the library or channels that might show it. It's mine for all the coming 4th's of July. YEA! I love that production. Of course, I'm the only person on this continent who still uses a VCR. What the heck?

To be very serious for a moment: The signing of the Declaration of Independence was a momentous event in history. Certainly I'm no authority or even a student of its gifts to us, but I intend to study it more closely and decide whether we are living up to its inspiration. Since our nation began in this way I think we should give it close scrutiny and make some choices. What do you think?

CRAZY CRAVINGS!

As you know the on-going project for a few months has been to get the house ready to sell. WELL, during the time when I was painting outside I began to have strange food cravings. I think it is related to doing repetitive tasks that are relatively mindless; therefore the mind tends to drift toward, "What's for dinner tonight?" There is no rhyme nor reason for these cravings; they just came with undeniable force.

The first one was for Stove Top dressing. Obviously, this is of no culinary significance, but that's really what I wanted, and I wanted it really, really badly. I gave in and picked up a package, and eased my pain.

The next craving that came was for vanilla ice cream (Blue Bell, of course) with cooled left-over morning coffee poured over it. Those little icy crystals are such a treat for the tongue. However, one has to really spread those portions out over a lengthy period of time, or one makes oneself sick to the tummy. I speak from experience.

The next craving that came was for cantaloupe; no doubt that was driven by May's warming weather and their appearance in the grocery stores. But I know that they appear much earlier than when they are actually in season, so I gritted my teeth and avoided them. One point for me!

Once the house was finally on the market (June 2) I was ready to celebrate. The downside is that once one gets everything "Ready", one doesn't want to mess anything up, and that includes cooking anything that might make odors in the house or mess up the range. So, what was I craving then? My fabulous sauteed liver and onions, of course! (If you haven't tried mine, don't knock it. Mine are wonderful.) Well, after a week, I said, "To heck with it." Bought the liver and cooked up this yumola treat.

Next I gave in to the lingering craving for cantaloupe. The one I bought is o.k.; the flavor is almost there, and the texture has a little farther to go as well. It was not a waste of money, but I'm glad I waited.

What is the latest craving? I gave in to it today, and for supper I had a BLT sandwich. Of course, that meant frying bacon and tonight or tomorrow morning I will have to clean the stove top because the photographer to do the virtual tour for the on-line ad for the house will be here at 10:00 a.m. Maybe I'm beginning to take this high exposure in stride. Or maybe it's dementia. Either way, I'm covered.

IT'S ALL SHOW BIZ!

It's so hard to decide on a title for this post because it will cover so much time, so many events, and a lot of work. My apologies for not keeping up with the blog; I have been critical of others for their lack of sustaining; now I'm guilty as well. So be it. MAYBE I won't cast stones in the future---but don't count on it.

First, I need to mention that our orchid society voted to host the national organization's spring show for 2011. I voted against this as did several others---we who are the worker bees. However, the vote carried by two votes. This occurred about 1 1/2 yrs. ago; the AOS (American Orchid Society whom we were hosting) recommends that a society start 3 - 4 yrs. in advance to raise the necessary money, make plans, etc. Did our society heed this advice? Of course not. Therefore, we have worked our buns off to bring all this about including monthly meetings of the "show committee" which I will testify were not all that much fun and were always at the time one would normally be eating supper. I left on several occasions because I had done my part and was too hungry to sit there any longer listening to the same thing we'd heard for four months running and the re-hashing of the same arguments over rather inconsequential "stuff."

We did bring it all together, and the show was a huge success according to all those who came from out of town. Here's a picture of our society members filling "goodie bags" for the registrants.

What was in the bags? Three strands of Mardi gras beads, decks of cards from the casinos as well as a pair of dice, little Tabasco bottles, a little vacuum bag of coffee from Community Coffee, a 2 oz. jar of Pepper Jelly made by one of our members, a little orchid plant ready for planting, and the usual note pads, pens, emery boards, etc. It was a nice collection of stuff. We did this loading about 2 1/2 weeks before the show. The bags are nice for "green shopping"; I've already used mine.

Dagromm, my Texas son, gave me two nights at the Hilton, the hotel adjacent to the Convention Center where the show was. I think being able to just go there, bathe, and fall down kept me going through the early part of the show. It was wonderful, because I really was too tired to drive the four miles home, much less get up early enough to make it back downtown for the next morning's early activities. Mack stayed with Chill and Jaz through the whole thing, and I'm grateful for that.

There was drama behind the scenes resulting in losing more members, adding to those we lost by deciding to host the show to begin with. So, was it worth it? I'm still undecided, but my inclination is to say "No." We'll see how it all plays out; however, I am not taking on any more responsibilities. Period.

On the Wednesday after the show the Interfaith Pharmacy where I volunteer moved from its tiny location to a much, much larger facility. We really needed to move, and I'm very thankful that it worked out. However, spending five hours cleaning the old place and organizing a portion of the new space put me right back to where I was at the end of the AOS show. . . needing to sleep for about two days straight.

In addition to this I decided about eight months ago that it was time to downsize and have less responsibility for home and yard. My plan was to sell the house and move to an apt. so that I wouldn't be responsible for plumbing, A/C, yard, whatever. I just can't do all of it anymore, and it is too costly. Then Chillax & Jaz suggested that I take the money from the sale of my house and use it as a down payment on something where we could all live, along with Oyster, of course. Initially, they would take up the payments on the new place, and when we balanced, I would kick in a portion. Well, that suited me just fine because as I age I'm occasionally frightened of being undiscovered in an emergency situation. My big stipulation is that we have separate living quarters and that I have my own kitchen; we have different hours, food choices, etc.

So, the big cleaning up, de-cluttering, sprucing began. Right now I have to say that my closets are the best portion of my house. Sorry, Goo, but the revered Pilgrimage shoes, went the way of the trash a couple of months ago, but I did take a memorial picture.

This was probably more traumatic for me than for you. C'est la vie.

The realtor whom I have decided to use for the sale of the house gave me pointers on getting ready to go "on the market." One of those was certain loan appraisers don't want to see any peeling paint. Well, my storage area behind the carport definitely had some peeling paint, and after power washing it (one of my orchid society buddies did that) it looked even worse.

Grim, isn't it?

So, in addition to the big show preparations, I was faced with de-cluttering and painting. Well, I have wound up painting about 85-90% of the carport and storage area as well as about half of all the window frames (outside). The deterioration is due to weather and sun. You don't really realize you're living in a dump until you want to sell it. Then the realtor gently slides the reality glasses on your nose.

Here's the storage wall now.

Jaz has been helping me take things to the storage unit I rented three months ago to hold things I'm either keeping or selling depending on where we wind up. She has also helped with grooming the yard, and I'm counting on her for the "final cleaning." That means the cleaning before the realtor comes to take pictures to go on the web. Selling a house has become very scary. It used to be that people knew how many bedrooms, bathrooms, sq. footage was available, and then they could come look and decide if this was the place for them. Now, they can look on-line and if they aren't really smitten they won't even come look. This was not the way I wanted to make my entertainment debut.

I'm doing the best I can, and I'll let you know the website if you want to see the house at its best. But you have to ask. Sorry, but I don't want you burdened with more than you want.

Take care, everyone, and understand that I have been thinking about you. I've just been swamped and still am. Keep your fingers crossed for me and the house sale.

THE KING'S SPEECH & DEJA VU

Ever since this movie was first publicized I've wanted to see it, but didn't until today, Feb. 27. Yep, the day of the Academy Awards. Remember, I saw True Grit in December during my fabulous visit with my daughter, and I loved it and predicted it would be nominated. The cast in TG was great, and the re-make terrific, and it is dear to me. However, as a retired speech pathologist The King's Speech had more than a little allure.

My trek to see Speech was definitely not in vain. It was more than rewarding; it was reliving a portion of my career. And it was not a painful experience. It was a joyful one.

Probably most viewers are drawn into the agony of the stuttering George VI, and that is understandable, and, certainly Colin Firth was outstanding in the role. How can one's heart not be wrenched by his struggle? And how can one not be moved by his perseverance despite the altering of all his perceptions of life?

However, my hero was Geoffrey Rush's character, Lionel Logue, because I had lived there. Stuttering, stammering, fluency disorder---whatever you choose to call it---is one of the most difficult problems to treat. And as I watched the movie I finally analyzed what I had done in my work. There were, of course, textbook solutions; but, take it from me, hogwash. One had to establish who controlled the therapy setting, get inside each person who stuttered (that is, find the memories, experiences-good & bad without judging anyone but seeing their effects), retain a sense of humor, and move toward one small goal at a time. One had to be the master, sometimes the enemy, then the mentor, and then the friend. And the therapist's role shifts among these venues from one encounter to another. I never knew which one was coming next. Instinct becomes the rule of the day, and it is exciting. I can't boast that every stuttering person I worked with became fluent, but I have one vivid memory of success.

As a public school speech pathologist I received a referral for a fourth grade boy who stuttered, the son of a prominent family in the neighborhood. His mom was big in the local P.T.A.; she referred him; her older daughter was also very successful in the school. Stutterers have unique patterns, and his, as I recall, was to hold the initial sound of a word for a prolonged time before completing his thought. Example: "Mmmmmmmmmmmy mother is bringing cupcakes today." And sometimes there were repititions of initial sounds: "C-c-c-c-an you come?" To summarize quickly let me say that he expressed feelings that he didn't live up to the family standard, and when I asked what he would most like to do he stated that he wanted to be on the school's annual talent show. What did he want to do I asked. Well, he was a very smart boy, but he didn't sing, dance, play a musical instrument.

In fifth grade he got his wish. His mother came to me and begged that he not be on the talent show, and I assured her he would be fine. He asked me if I would be there, and I asked him if he wanted me to be. He said he would understand if I had to be at my other school, but he would really feel better if I were there. I made sure I was there.

And what did he do on the big Talent Show? He was the Master of Ceremonies. He did a beautiful job.

OUR SNOW DAY

It's now Friday, and we haven't gone above freezing since my last post. A wintry mix onslaught was to begin during last night, but when I took Mack out a little after seven this morning the only evidence in my neighborhood was a few large sleet balls. I probably could have counted them had I been so inclined. I wasn't. When we returned inside I gave him his treat and promptly climbed back into bed for another couple of hours. Hibernation comes easily to me.

When I awoke again there was actually a shallow snow cover on the ground. Nothing was falling just then, but off and on throughout the morning we had freezing rain showers, fine sleet showers, and snow showers with varying sizes of flakes. The weather channel predicted that our high would be 34, so I kept expecting all of it to start melting. The reality was that the temp never went higher than 30, so almost all of it remains on the ground, and, of course, tonight we will be back in the mid-twenties. It's not pretty as there are still patches of green in various places in the yard; the golf course looks pretty good, but they mow regularly, and I don't in the off season.

Tomorrow's high has been reduced from 47 to 38. Doesn't sound too promising, does it? Let's hope they underestimated this time, especially since my social calendar includes a baby shower in the morning. Keep your fingers crossed! I only have to drive a couple of miles---and, of course, I have to be able to open the gate.

I was a little productive on indoor tasks, but not as much as I would like. Maybe ma~nana. We'll see. I did take this photo; hope you like it.

"HOW COLD IS IT?" YOU ASK.

Yesterday, Feb. 1, I was rudely awakened by peals of thunder, and I remembered that a severe cold front was due in preceded by storms. It was about seven a.m., and the temp. was 62. Hurriedly I collected Mack to make a quick run out to the backyard so he could have a personal moment for his bodily needs before the storm broke. A light rain was already falling and lightning and thunder were making both of us flinch, but he did what he had to do, and we came back in. Within two minutes the wind picked up considerably and the downpour began, and the light in the sky had dimmed to the point of darkness again. The storm probably lasted only about twenty minutes, but that was long enough for the side street to be almost completely covered with water, and within an hour the temp. had begun dropping.

I forgot to mention that when I got up cable had been affected by the storm so there was no internet, no phone, and no TV. Just after Mack and I came back in my public radio station had a lightning strike, and it was silenced. After a few minutes they were able to broadcast locally, but didn't get the national feed back for another half-hour or so. Talk about feeling isolated!

A saving grace was that my power did not go out as it has so many times in the past.

Later in the morning I had to take a package to FedEx which is located in one of our larger shopping malls. By that time the streets had dried due to the strong wind. That went fine, but when I moved further down the mall, in the next block, I found that all the stores were closed due to lack of power. Some of those were Petco (my next destination), Office Max, Old Navy, Barnes & Noble, etc. I have no idea when they reopened.

As evening approached, and the temp. now forty degrees lower than in the morning, I made the decision not to put the lock on my gate as I normally do, for fear that it would freeze, and I wouldn't be able to go do my volunteer stint at the Interfaith Pharmacy in the morning. Meantime, PhannyCat decided to handle matters in her own way.

Mack was somewhat wary of this maneuver, but he didn't make a fuss.

Even with the little electric heater in the greenhouse the temp. out there was 42 when I got up this morning. Not a good temperature for orchids, but they'll just have to make do. Of course, outside the greenhouse it was 15 (wind chill, 2), and that would really have sucked the life out of them.

After primping with curling iron and make-up and putting on four layers of clothing I was ready to go to the pharmacy. But no; there was an unforeseen obstacle.

You guessed it! The whole d----- gate was frozen, and I couldn't budge it.

The prediction is for snow showers two days from now, and I think my "gate indicator" shows there is a chance of some accumulation as the ground seems to be sufficiently cooled down to sustain snow.

THE NEXT DAY & THE DAY AFTER

Another relatively warm, but cloudy day, and we even had a few gentle showers. It didn't deter us from window shopping at Saks while waiting for a bus.

Goo had received a text message the day before, New Year's Day, inviting the two of us to brunch on Sunday. She then invited a couple more people, one of whom was out of town. But the plan resulted in three of her friends meeting the two of us at an Irish Pub in Bethesda for brunch. It was all low key but with lots of laughs and a good meal. It was a pleasure to sit and talk with some of her friends. They are so lively and quick.

I questioned that the light fixture in the pub was really a "touch of Ireland." They had determined on a previous visit that the fixture represented sperm. You are free to make your own decision.

Actually, it has blue shading which doesn't show up in the photo.

Here is the brunch bunch with whom I dined. You can tell by their smiles that they have already eaten.

Goo and I browsed the shopping area in the neighborhood. I loved this holiday display that had both a Christmas tree and a menorah. Oh, Goo, I should have bought the green cloche at the kiosk; I've checked prices on line, and it was a deal. Boo-hoo! Well, only one regret is a pretty good record.

But then we went home and pursued my goal which was to go swimming one more time and sit in the sauna---true luxury. We did some household chores including laundry and then went downstairs for our treat. Another night of very good sleep.

On Monday I packed everything into the new suitcase, put on make-up (because I didn't want Goo's last sight of me to be as depressing as her first view when I arrived), and off we went to Union Station. We have had practice in saying goodbye, so we're very good at looking cheery.

Glad you can't see inside!

NEW YEAR'S DAY

How incongruous is this? It was the first day of a brand new year, and I was feeling time was running out because in two more days I would be starting home from my wonderful vacation. And even though the day was rather grey it was warmer and not windy. In fact, we didn't even need our coats as we made our way to the theatre. I had a sweater and Goo a jacket over our theatre finery for the matinee we were to attend. The neighborhood shuttle wasn't running (holiday, don't you know), so we walked to the Metro station.

A couple of months before as we talked on the phone we had chosen our seats via the internet at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The center has several theaters, and what we chose to see was South Pacific in the Opera House. We chose the top tier, center section, two end seats, FRONT ROW. Thank you, Goo, for buying the tickets. They turned out to be great seats, and we both had our little opera glasses. The acoustics there are fantastic. But we will get to that.

But first: the Kennedy Center has yet another terrace for a variety of views. Here are a couple of views of the Potomac and D.C., the second has Washington National Cathedral way in the background on the right.

Right next door to the center is The Watergate---remember that?

And, of course, nature can provide a show as well.

Inside there is a stage where Goo told me there are performances everyday so that visitors who aren't able to see one of the theatre presentations are able to see a performance at the Kennedy Center, free of charge. Isn't that great? This is a long shot of a band performing as we were leaving, and they weren't bad either.

Here is a view of the hallway outside the Opera House from our lofty viewing point. It was gorgeous.

I wish we could have taken pictures inside the Opera House, but it is forbidden, and I didn't want to risk having my camera confiscated. It is beautiful. And as I said before the sound is wonderful. From the moment the overture began we were captivated as was the packed house.

Neither of us had seen this musical staged, only the movie, so it was spellbinding to see the effects for Bali Hai, the beach and ocean, combat, etc. Carmen Cusack, our Nellie Forbush, is from Texas, and Lt. Joe Cable, Anderson Davis, is from Baton Rouge. We felt very at home.

One thing we thought was a liberty the company had taken with the script was to have Emile, David Pittsinger, do a wonderful parody of Nellie's "Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair." It gave Emile a more likable persona and brought the house down. Just hilarious!

We so enjoyed the afternoon and were still talking about it the next day. Wish you could have been there to enjoy it with us.

CRUMPETS & CODDLED EGGS

Last year I gave Goo a pair of egg coddlers; she had never used them. Furthermore, after discovering crumpets in the "international aisle" of our local Kroger store I had promised to bring a package with me, and I did. We finally had our special breakfast, and it was terrific. The eggs are in the little china cups with metal lids. We repeated that breakfast on the morning I left.

By this time it was Friday, Dec. 31, New Year's Eve day, and we had had three days of serious sight seeing. We elected to have a little down time. There were a number of empty boxes, some broken down, in Goo's apt. I didn't understand their significance though until I visited Plug in Chicago a few days later. It seems that when Plug visited along with her "other daughter" in Oct. all the walls in Goo's apt. were white; there were no book cases, lots of boxes still packed from the summer move, and, generally, everything was different. What I hadn't realized was that Goo had really made a stupendous effort to have everything look great when Mom came, including painting a wall. Take a look at the result of her efforts; I think it's very impressive.

Well, we cleared out the empty boxes as well as a couple of small pieces of furniture Goo no longer felt she needed as well as my old abandoned suitcases. By the afternoon I was ready for a swim in the pool and a sauna. What a great decision that was. The pool area was beautiful, the water warm, and I had it all to myself. A couple of days later we repeated this, and Goo came in the water with me---her first time in the pool since she moved there. There is also a life guard on duty whenever the pool is open; she thinks he's Russian. He certainly wasn't speaking English to his cell phone as he entertained himself poolside. Take a look at this wonderful pool:

The last picture shows the widest part of the pool. The length is about twice the distance shown.

How do you like the suit I ordered online? It's reversible. Whoopee! A twofer!

BTW the exercise and sauna made it too simple for me to fall asleep on the couch about 9:30, and I slept right into 2011. We missed our champagne toast and black-eyed peas. Uh-oh!