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I went to exercise class this morning and then to a local restaurant called Jack and Helen's with two of the ladies. The restaurant is where many of the local people go. The mayor's wife was there sitting with the owner of the restaurant, Jack. They are open for breakfast and lunch. They serve a great breakfast of crepe pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage.
The deck is just about done. It only needs the gate to be made and installed. I will be able to put Danny out on the deck. He likes to be outside and we are not allowed to have fences here. I will still have to walk him but he'll have a little more time to be out. I can put him out at mealtime and be able to eat in peace without him begging for food.
For dinner, I had a slice of the pork roast with carrots, Brussels sprouts, green beans and stuffing. Chocolate covered crackers were my dessert.
Off I went to practice with the Choral Society. When I got home, I took Danny out the back door. He wanted to go out the front. I had to drag him across the kitchen until he got the hint of what I was doing.
I'm beat so it's early to bed.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Michigan winter barn #9 taken January 2011 in or near Lake Odessa.
It was cold today. It stayed in the 30's with a cold wind. It was bright and sunny but I got chilled standing on my deck without my coat. The carpenter wanted to show me how he was going to put the gate on. It is finished except for the gate and the closing in of the sides of the steps. The wood is pressure treated but is very light in color. I will get some redwood stain to paint it and then paint it with some sealer. I can't wait to sit out there and have my coffee or ice tea in the summer.
I stayed inside most of today. I worked on my computer and shedded old checks from our business. I still have move to do.
At 5pm, I went to my Yoga class then came home and had some dinner. My pork roast was not done when I cooked it on Sunday. I sliced some off and cooked it in the Microwave. I put it back in the oven tonight but it still is not done. I'll have to roast it some more tomorrow.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
This church building is located at Widner University in Chester, PA. The building is now being used as a conference center. The Colonial Swedes Conference was held there in October. The University has expanded and bought up the properties in the community. I don't know what demonination the church was. It is a lovely building in a nice area in the City of Chester. Chester was part of New Sweden before William Penn founded Pennsylvania as an English Colony.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
I went out yesterday afternoon to look at my crocus bloom and it was gone. Chewed or biten off. What a Bummer. I haven't seen any rabbits around here and deer are nearby but I haven't seen any in the mobile home community. Deer would have eaten the leaves, too. All the buds were bitten off. Perhaps a squirrel or bird.
I went to Zumba this morning and had a good workout. At lunchtime, I went to the Kanal Kitchen (soup kitchen) to help out. I had lunch of beef stew, green beans, baked ziti, and a brownie. After lunch, I was on the cleanup committee and went to work drying trays and plates. There was a good staff crew there so it went rather quickly.
My deck is coming along very well. The deck is done but needs the railings around and the steps put on. The lattice work will go on next and then the rest of it. I guess I will have to put the redwood stain on it. I'll wait til the weather warms up a little.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
No they are not blooming yet but I have a big yellow bud and as soon as the sun comes out, it will open. I saw the bud yesterday. It was a cloudy day and today it has been pouring rain. Danny is hiding under the bed. The sun is supposed to come out around noon; it looks like it's starting to clear up now. The photo of the crocus was taken in of 2006 in Vineland. I don't know if Ted took it or if I did. I can't wait to see the pretty yellow flower. If feels like spring but it is still only January. We have to get through February and March and the weather can change rapidly. The temp. at 9am was 62 degrees. I couldn't believe my eyes. Now that the storm has passed through, it's down to 58.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Michigan winter barn # 8. This photo was taken last year in or near Lake Odessa.
I knew I missed one day of blogging but I didn't realize I missed two. I get so tired at night, I fall asleep reading my Bible or my book.
The concrete was poured yesterday while I was at Bible study. It's a good thing I got home when I did as the walkway ran right into the side of where the deck will be. They were going to change the deck to have two sets of steps. I said it would take away deck space so they moved the concrete. It was still wet enough to work with. There were two plans for the walk. One had a diagonal to the patio portion and the other had a squared off turn to go around the deck to the patio. It made a long day for the man who is doing the job. He really looked beat. I felt sorry for him. It has been in the 50's here as far as the temp. goes. They snow melted rapidly and the ground was not frozen that hard or deep. Although it had gotten cold, it only last a day or two when it warms back up again. As long as the ground isn't frozen, the concrete can be poured. When I lived in Massachusetts, the frost line went down over six feet. It created frost heaves in the roads and some of the buildings. Instead of stepping up to enter the side door that went to the basement, the ground would be raised up and you would have to step down to go into the door. The porch pillars would be heaved up and the roof would pull away from the wall. The water lines had to go down six feet under the ground. Here, the water line is about two feet under the ground, if that. In Vineland, it was three feet.
With the deck and walkway on the other side, I will be able to go in and out the back door with Danny and not track dirt and debris across the white carpet. It is such a mess I don't think it will ever come clean. It didn't come clean when I had it professionally cleaned last June. If I had known, I would have ripped it up when I ripped up the two back bedrooms and got new carpet for it. It is Berber ivory. It was beautiful when I first got the place but what a mess it is now. Maybe I'll get a big oriental rug and put over it.
I had Choral Society practice on Tuesday night. My friend, Joan, was sick so I went with her friend, Nancy. Nancy's husband owns the Chevy dealer in Elkton. She drives a demo car which is an Impala. Her home is on the golf course in Elkton. They also have other real estate in the area. The car dealer has done well in-spite of the economic hard times. They must be doing something right.
When Nancy dropped me off at Baker's Restaurant, (that's where we meet to go to the Choral Practice), I noticed I had a head light out. I got out my Honda book looked up how to replace the headlight. Step number one was: Remove the bumper. "WHAT!" I thought. I took it to the service station that I deal with. I also needed a bulb for my clock. They were able to replace the headlight but the clock light had no part number listed anywhere so they had to order it from the Honda dealer. They'll call me when they get it in. I couldn't find the part number in either of my Honda books. One book, Ted got is 4 inches thick. The other is the owners manual. The big book tells about removing the clock but nothing about the bulb. I better get a spare bulb as it happened before. I had the Honda dealer in Vineland replace it. I should have look up my bill from them to find the part. I didn't think of it until now.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Michigan winter barn #7 taken last January in or near Lake Odessa.
I returned my DVD's to the library this morning and went to the bank. The work was started on laying out the sidewalk to the back door. The concrete will be poured on Thursday and when it hardens, the deck will be built. Tomorrow, I have to dig up some bulbs and a hosta lily to make way for the concrete and deck.
I went to the Food Lion Supermarket in Middletown, DE this afternoon to get some groceries. They had Chuck Roast on sale for $2.99/lb. I'll be making pot roast tomorrow. They also had a pork roast on sale. I'll cut that one in half and freeze it.
I had Yoga class this evening then came home and had some dinner of ham, baked beans and carrots. I had some chocolate covered crackers for dessert. The crackers were a fund raiser for the Choral Society. I watched a Perry Mason movie tonight and now it's time to hit the hay.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
The Episcopal Church in Elkton.
Yesterday, we woke up to snow on the ground. We got about 2 1/2 inches but it changed to sleet and rain so packed down and iced over. Danny had trouble walking in it as his paws would brake through the thin ice coating over the snow. He kept sniffing at it wondering why he was having such a difficult time. I led him to the side walk I had shoveled off but he returned to the yard and his problems walking on the snow. I got him some dog booties but didn't figure he'd need them to walk on the sidewalk. He didn't get any ice packed in his paws anyway.
Zumba class was canceled in the morning but we went to the Zumbathon in the afternoon. It was a two hour session as a fundraiser for the highschool. I took some photos and Erin is doing an article on it for the local newspaper. She got a volunteer job as a correspondent for Chesapeake City.
We stopped at the Library on the way home. Marianna, the Librarian, is a good source of local history and knowledgeable of the local community. Erin spoke with her while I looked for some movies to watch for last night. Saturday night seems to have nothing worthwhile on TV. I found "Nights in Rodanth", and "Northanger Abbey" for last night and two DVD's of Masterpiece Classics: " Midsummer Murders." The latter two are not due for three weeks so we can watch them later.
It turned cold so the snow is still on the trees. Maryland does a good job with their roads but our developement does not. It gets plowed with the tire tracks as the cars drive over it. I guess if it's over 3 or 4 inches it will get plowed.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
"If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" P.B. Shelley, English Poet.
One of Ted's photos taken in March of 2005.
Yesterday was a busy day. Exercise class at 9am, help prepare fellowship dinner at 3:30, Yoga class at 5pm, gobble dinner at 6:15, clean up church kitchen after dinner, Bible study at 6:30, choir at 7:30. I was so exhausted, I had to leave choir practice before it was over. I went home, took Danny out, got into my jammies and watched a DVD iof the Rockford Files in my bedroom. I needed the rest.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
I can't believe I haven't blogged since Sunday. I've had a busy few days. I went to Yoga at Town Point Monday evening and then I had a finance meeting at the church on Monday. I started helping with the church finances on Tuesday. I entered the checks and paid them. I went to exercise class in the morning and I had Choral Society Practice Tuesday night. Today, I went and helped Ursula stuff with a letter to the members of the church. I was able to relax this afternoon and evening. I was tired and needed the rest. Tomorrow will be another busy day with exercise, helping to get the fellowship dinner ready, Yoga, Bible Study, and Choir Practice. UG! I dread days like that.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
This is the church where my sister-in-law's memorial service was held last year. Ted's father is getting out of his car.
I went to Don's yesterday and helped take down his tree. We watched the San Francisco - Saints game as we were putting things away. Danny was on his worst behavior barking at the television and getting in the way of us taking down the tree. If he doesn't have my attention he makes a nuisance of himself. I finally put him out on the porch so we could have some peace. He seemed to like it out there as he didn't scratch on the door to get in. He likes to explore new places.
This morning, I went to church and Sunday School. I was going to go to the supermarket but it is bitter cold out. Danny loves the cold weather and wants to stay out but my fingers get cold. I'll have to dig out my ski mittens.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Michigan winter barn; a neighbor of Ted's mother near Lake Odessa.
I went to Zumba class this morning and will be going to Don's later today.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Ted's enhancement of the dogwoods and azaleas in our backyard in Vineland. Taken January of 2005.
Yesterday was a busy day. I went to exercise class in the morning. I helped Jeannie get the fellowship dinner ready in the afternoon. At 5pm, I went to Yoga at the Town Point Church, then it was back to the Chesapeake City Church for my dinner of chicken pot pie, cole slaw, and a brownie. I was shocked to fine no one had shown up for the dinner. The only people there were the kitchen workers, the pastor, and the youth leader. The pot pie was delicious. It is not the kind that looks like a pie, in southern NJ and here, they roll out the pie crust, cut it into pieces, and cook it in the boiling chicken broth. When it is done, the chicken is added. Jeannie went to a lot of work to prepare the meal and her granddaughter made the giant pan of brownies. The pan looked about 2ft x 3 ft in size. It was the first dinner since before Christmas. I don't know whether people were sick or if they just forgot that small groups were starting. The band for the contempary service will not be playing this Sunday so none of them showed up for dinner. There were only three of us for our Bible Study and we were the kitchen help and the pastor. We all took some of the food home with us and Jeannie put the pot pie in the freezer for next week.
After Bible study, I had choir practice. I was exhausted when I got home.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Michigan winter barn #5 taken last January.
I went to Bible Study this morning. This afternoon, I took some of the Christmas boxes out to the shed, rearranged some, and brought some more back in. I didn't do much else. I was on the computer for awhile. I got some more winter barns and a church ready to post. I'm going to have to take some more photos of churches. I keep forgetting my camera when I go out.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Yesterday was a busy day. We went to Zumba class. The instructor started the class with a few spinning around. I felt nauseous for the rest of the day. When I got back, I put the top soil in the flowerbed next to the driveway. I took Danny for his walk and then had some lunch. After lunch, I continued with some yardwork. I got out the leaf blower and cleaned up the leaves the children had missed when they raked my yard. There were piles of leaves under my steps and it seemed like millions of acorns in the back yard. The temperature was 65 degrees so it was a good day for yard work. I started putting away the Christmas things. I packed up the train and took apart the skating rink to see what was wrong with it. I saw a couple of the lights had turned black. I took all the lights out and replaced them with one of the lights I use in my Thomas Kincaid Village. It works so will be ready for next year. I was really beat when I got done.
I went to Church and Sunday School this morning. We had a guest minister as Pastor Mark went with the youth group on their retreat to Ocean City, MD. The guest pastor had been the pastor there from 1982 to 1992 so many of the people knew him.
When I got home, I took Danny out, had some lunch and went to work on taking down the blue and silver tree in the livingroom. I first had to pack up the Thomas Kincaid Village under the tree. Then the ornaments were packed up, followed by the garland and the lights. I had to put the plastic storage cartons out in the shed and bring in the one for the tree. I finished that job while Erin prepared the dinner. Afterward, I called Ted's mother then relaxed to watch Downton Abby on Masterpiece Classic.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Ted's photo of our holly in Vineland taken in January of 2006. He was lucky to get a photo of the berries as the birds usually strip all the berries off the bushes. I had two holly bushes that a friend from the Vineland Nature Club gave to me. They did real well in Vineland; they liked the sandy acid soil. I managed to bring a couple seedlings with me. I don't know if they are from the bushes John gave me or not. There were many hollies in the Vineland area and the birds could have dropped the seeds from any one of them. But they are from my yard. They are only about 6 inches high. I don't know how well they will do here. They soil is acidic but it is clay.
It looks like I missed a couple days of blogging. Wednesday, I went to Bible Study. It was a very cold day. The temp was 12 degrees and stayed in the teens. Thursday morning, it was a little warmer with a dusting of snow on the ground. I went to exercise class but no one showed up. I guess the snow kept them away. It either evaporated or melted when the sun came up. It was a dry snow and easily brushed off the car windows. I went to the Home Depot and got a couple things. I got a couple pieces of lumber to mount my living room mirror. I'm going to make a shelf to support it as I have to nail or screw it into the studs that are two feet apart. The mirror has a brass frame and is heavy. My 1/8 inch walls won't hold it. I will have to sand and stain the wood and make little cut out to fit around the things that cover the paneling or drywall or what ever they made the walls of. Erg!
I also got filters for the furnace which is another problem because they don't make a size that will fit properly. I have to get a 20 inch and squish it in. They don't have 19 inch filters. An 18 inch might fit but then the length wouldn't be right. Erg!
I got some top soil to fill in next to my new drive as it is higher than the old drive. I may have to get a truck load but then would have to pay for delivery. I'll just have to do a little at a time. Home Depot helped me load the soil into the car but now I don't know if I can get it out. The bags were frozen and heavy. I may be able to slide them out and drop them on the ground. From there, I can drag them a couple feet to where I want to spread the soil.
I had choir practice last night. The Thursday night dinners don't start back until next week. That's when everything starts. Choral Society and a new Yoga class a lady from the church will be starting. It will be three nights a week but I may only be able to attend on Monday. I have a lot of Yoga tapes but may have to get DVD's as the tapes are prone to wear out, break, or get stuck in the tape player. I noticed one of my movies on tape was flickering in a few places. I'll upgrade to DVD's and they'll come out with something new.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Here's Danny Boy on Christmas Day with his new soft mesh halter. Don's friend, Barbara is giving him some attention.
I went to exercise class today and when I came out, snowflakes were flying. It was just a flurry. I went to the library and bought some paperback mysteries from their book sale. I got five; they were a quarter each. Now to get to my reading.
News from the Vorlon Wife.
Snow Geese in a cornfield near Summit Bridge, DE on Friday, Dec. 30th.
