The fun stuff

Well< I did  it.  My bedroom is now painted a pretty pastel yellow, and ready and waiting for the new carpet which will be installed on Thursday. The other two bedrooms will get their carpet on Wednesday.  After two and a half days of preliminary work, the actual painting took less than five hours.  It's a sad truth of life. The fun stuff always goes fastest.

Wallpaper paste spiked with super glue

I like to paint, rooms that is,although I have been know to paint on canvas.  I find it very satisfying to end up with a new-looking room, fresh and clean.  What I don't enjoy is the prep work. I don't mind taping the trim but washing down the walls, moving furniture, ripping off unnecessary trim, and especially stripping wallpaper are not my idea of fun.  It's finished now on my current project, the wallpaper stripping, not the painting, but what a chore.  I'm pretty sure the wallpaper I've been working on was held on with wall[paper paste with occasional dots of super glue thrown in for good measure.  That wallpaper did not want to come off.  I'd be stripping away, getting fairly large strips off when suddenly my scraper would hit a stubborn spot - it felt like super glue to me.  But it's done, finally.  Now I can get on to the fun stuff.

Black Friday math

I watched an interesting TV report today which followed a particular Black Friday shopper through his shopping experience.  By his own account he waited in line 30 hours to get into the store of his choice bright and early this morning. The reporter watched as the buyer's purchases were rung up, clearly announcing each item and then the grand total - $1,500. The cash register receipt showed a total savings of  $750 which the reporter said meant that the happy shopper had "earned" $25.50 an hour for the time he stood in line.  Really?  I suspect a flaw in that logic. But I'm not a Black Friday shopper.  I also wonder how he feels about the fact that he now has no surprises for any one on Christmas.

Another happy thanksgiving

It's good to be part of a functional family.

Picture this...

As I was driving to work this morning I ended up following a bus into downtown Fort Wayne. As in many cites, our buses are painted over with advertising.  While waiting patiently behind the bus at a red light, I studied the ad on the back of the bus.  It was a nice looking ad for an attorney who could evidently help me get money from all sorts of dire circumstances. However, due to some unfortunate arranging of the graphics the nice looking attorney appeared to be holding the license plate, causing him to look like a criminal posing for his mug shot; not an image to encourage confidence.  If I were that lawyer I'd be suing someone.

Cat comfort

I was texting recently with a friend whose mother died last week.  Her mom was 90 and had been ill for some time so it was a blessed relief type of death, but loosing a parent, regardless of circumstances, is always a deep grief.  She sent me a text to thank me for my part in a decorative blanket/throw that a friend and I had given her in lieu of flowers.  In her text she said that she was sitting, wrapped in the throw with a cat curled up on her lap.  I know that was the best thing for her. A cat on your lap guarantees soothing comfort.
I saw a report on pets recently by an expert who assured the TV audience that cats don't feel emotions. Really? They certainly seem to know when someone needs comfort. I'm sure some would explain it away by saying that the cat is simply taking advantage of the availability of a warm lap for creature comfort.  I beg to differ.

It works!

As I struggled last week to remove the wallpaper in a bathroom I'm having remodeled I realized that there must be a better way.  The wallpaper did finally come off in little bits and pieces although I'm pretty sure it had been put on with super glue.  Today I started removing the same wallpaper in the adjoining bedroom.  Thankfully the people who owned this house before me had constrained themselves to only papering two of the walls in the bedroom.  Of course they also papered at least one wall in every room of the house - most of which is gone now.  In my time in this house I've removed metallic wallpaper, strippable wallpaper, flocked wallpaper, paisley wallpaper and more but none that was more stubborn than the bathroom just finished.

Because of the problems with the bathroom paper, I googled ideas for better ways to remove wallpaper while avoiding steam and harsh chemicals, and guess what, I found the perfect solution. Use fabric softener! I tried it today - fabric softener mixed with hot water and sprayed heavily on scored wallpaper.  It works.  That paper peeled right off.  I still have to peel it off in fairly small pieces but it's coming off easily.  Of course I think it also helps that in the bedroom the paper was put on previously painted walls while in the bath it seemed to have been put on minimally primed drywall.

I think my goal of getting the bedroom painted over Thanksgiving weekend is going to happen.

I love my car.

I really like my Rendezvous. It's easy to drive, has lots of space to haul stuff, and, even though it is getting a bit elderly, it runs like a charm.  Maybe, best of all, I can take all four grandchildren in it at the same time. Just lately though I've been thinking a little about getting something newer,  Until today that is.  I had it in for an oil change and the mechanic referred to it as a low-mileage Rendezvous.  "Low mileage?" I said, "At 128,000 miles?" "Well," he said, "It is 10 years old so that is only about 12,000 miles a year - low mileage. These cars go forever."  Excellent.

The Castle Gallery

Spent a lovely few hours this evening at the Castle Gallery in west central Fort Wayne enjoying some truly lovely paintings and sculptures, a little wine and some delicious refreshments. While I enjoyed the art, although I do admit to feeling a little overwhelmed by landscapes, I really had fun seeing how this grand old building has been brought back to its former grandeur. Beneath the lavish Christmas decorations it was possible to see lovingly restored woodwork, coffered ceilings and a grand staircase. The evening was a pleasure on so many levels (no pun intended).

How many days to go?

I was eating lunch today with several of the people I work with when one guy asked me "Well. how many days now?" It took me a minute to realize what he was talking about and another minute to realize that it is getting closer now, my retirement that is, so maybe it is close enough to start counting the days. So here's the count: after today - 98 days total, but if I only count working days (I usually work only four days a week and I do get Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years off) it's just 53 days. 53 days!! Wow, that doesn't sound too bad at all.  Of course, in those 53 days I need to create 1 48 page Annual Report, 2 16 page newsletters, 3 tri-fold brochures, 4 bulletin inserts, 5 golden rings (just threw that in to see if you're paying attention), 14 weekly bulletins, 14 weekly e-news letters, 14 lists of announcements, and an unknown number of other unexpected word related requests. I am now officially and happily counting the days 'til my really, truly final retirement.

I am woman, hear me roar!

I always feel inordinately proud of myself when I figure out how to do something that at first looks too difficult for me.  Case in point:  As I may have mentioned once (or maybe a 100 times) I am in the process of renovating my bedroom and bathroom.  As part of the process, I am getting rid of some excess furniture.  I had two heavy wooden bookcases (6 ft tall, 3 ft wide) in my bedroom that have definitely seen better days.  It was time for them to go, but how to accomplish it in time to get the bedroom painted before the carpet is installed?  I decided that if I could get them into my garage I could load them into my trusty old Rendezvous and cart them off to Good Will unless someone in the family wants them. At least they would be out of my bedroom and on their way to somewhere else.  Well I studied the problem, decided that the cat wasn't going to be any help, discovered they were too heavy for me to lift and pondered the problem (which was further complicated by strange little steps and tight corners in my house) for about two days.  I never claimed to be a quick study.  I finally realized that if I couldn't carry I could slide, so I flipped those puppies on to their long smooth sides, and pushing and pulling, with some nifty maneuvers around those tight corners, got them out of the bedroom, down the hall, through the dining room, through the kitchen and into the garage without touching any woodwork or kitchen cabinets. Yea me!

The happiest time of my life?

I heard a comment on my favorite TV health minute this morning that I found interesting but not too surprising.  People get happier, more content, as they get older. Conversely, people tend to be most discontent in their 40's.  Well, no big surprise there - if you're a parent your children are probably in or approaching their teens with all the stresses that can lead to: dating, driving, part-time jobs, finding money for college, the list goes on when you're in your 40's.  Whereas, when you are rapidly approaching 70 (as I am) your children are all grown up, probably in their 40's, and their children are their concern, while you get all the fun. Why does it take research to figure this out?

I admire people who break records.

I applaud athletes who win medals in the Olympics and I marvel at some of the records listed in the Guinness Book of Records. But there are some records I can live without.  Last night Fort Wayne received a 3.5 inch snowfall which broke a record for November 16. Goody! Tomorrow, the excited TV weather reporter is telling me we will almost certainly break another record with the lowest high for the day since 1903. In 1903 the high for the day was 24 degrees while tomorrow we may not reach 20 degrees. Really? To further drive the point home the weatherman lingers lovingly on the potential wind-chill and repeats frequently that the average high for this time of year should be about 50 degrees. Thanks so much for driving that point home.  It makes me feel so much better.

Chocolate wins!

Recently heard health report on the morning news: Cocoa can help prevent memory loss.  Well, no surprise there.  I have long believed that chocolate is one of the basic food groups.  The report went on to say that to really see the effects you would need to consume quite a large amount of hot chocolate or dark chocolate candy.  And the problem here is???

A muddle magnet

I commented in my blog last night that my closet is a muddle magnet, but after giving is more thought I realized that my entire house has been a muddle magnet for years. When we moved into this house we rejoiced in the fact that it had lots of closets - even in the garages.  Nature abhors a vacuum.  Truer words were never spoken.
Here's where I think the problem lies.  A person faced with stuff they don't really want or use any more has to decide what to do with it - throw it away? give it away? try to sell it? or just tuck it away?
Guess which is the easiest?

kind of spooky

As part of this whole bathroom/bedroom renovation thing I knew that I needed to paint my closet - this weekend's project.  The bedroom paint job will take place over Thanksgiving weekend.  The problem with painting a closet is that first you have to clear everything out.  Everything includes all those mystery things that have gotten shoved to the back of the top shelf, not to mention all the clothes, shoes, spare blankets and more. I filled two bags and a box with stuff for good will.  I found a Star Wars pop up book and a little bow with 3 rubber tipped arrows, and enough Christmas wrapping paper that I won't need to buy any this year, also two packages of plastic Easter eggs and six seasonal pillows.  I think my closet is a muddle magnet. The really spooky part is finding stuff that I don't remember ever owning.
The really good thing about my not very big walk-in closet is that the former owners never got around to wallpapering it. Just about the only space in this house that hasn't been wallpapered at one time or another.  I applaud their restraint.

The big day has finally arrived

Today is the day they started to install the new shower in my master bath.  I was a little apprehensive all day because I had to go to work before the crew arrived.  What if they tore out the wrong tub? After all the avocado number in my hall bath isn't exactly new, but at least it does have a shower and hot and cold running water.  But when I got home all was well.  My old baby blue bathtub was sitting in the driveway in pieces and I didn't even feel a twinge of regret or nostalgia. It isn't like it was a '57 Chevy.  The county inspector had just finished his job when I got home me assured me that all was well. He said "I've worked with these guys before and they do a good job." He went on to tell me that if a problem did come up and the company wouldn't resolve it I could call him. Then he left without giving me his name, although it's probably on one of the official looking noticess hanging in the bathroom. The floor of the shower is in.  Stay tuned for the exciting sequel - walls and plumbing.

They're saying the "s" word

In the weather report this evening they used the "s" word several times.  Granted they are only predicting flurries, little or no accumulation.  But I am not comforted.  It seems inevitable that where a little comes more will follow.
I really wouldn't mind snow (it can be quite beautiful on mountain tops or even covering my grass) but it needs to learn to behave itself.  I propose legislation to only allow snow to fall on natural spaces - grass, bushes, tree branches - places like that.  If it didn't clutter up roads, driveways, parking lots and cars I would find it much more appealing.  Let's start a petition to pass that legislation.  Surely a country that can control illegal immigration can control snow fall.  Oh, wait...

A Veterans Day reflection

This is a devotion that I wrote for a staff meeting today and I decided that it would be appropriate to share it on my blog.
They Didn't Always Choose to Go...
But I don't think that makes them less heroic. My family tree is full of veterans starting with Philip Von Steinmetz who fled to the new world to escape the death penalty after killing the king's deer and arrived here just in time to fight in the American Revolution. In more recent history my father-in-law fought in World War I, my father was in the Army in World War II, and my husband served in Korea, My oldest brother went to Viet Nam while my youngest brother joined the Air Force during peace time. My daughter and son-in-law are both in the Air National Guard and have been deployed to Iraq and elsewhere multiple times. My daughter is technically also a veteran, having first served in the Army.

Except for the last three, they were all drafted into the military. They didn't really want the disruption to their lives, but they answered their country's call, not having much choice in the matter.

This weekend I heard a news reporter on TV interviewing people along the route of a Veterans Day parade.  To her questions about the event one man responded "It's a lot better than the reception we got when we came home." and I knew instantly that he was a Viet Nam vet.  A classmate of mine, years after that war, told of being spit on and called "baby killer" when he got off the plane in Fort Wayne, eager to see his family and happy that he made it home alive.  He wasn't, by the way, a baby killer but he was devastated by his "welcome home".

I'm sure there were atrocities in Viet Nam, just as I am sure there have been atrocities on every side in every war ever fought, but to condemn everyone for the actions of a few seems wicked to me.  Happily, the national attitude toward veterans seems to have improved considerably over the last several years.

God, in a world where war seems to be a fact of life in every generation, help us to mourn the dead, celebrate with the survivors, and be slow to condemn, even when we think we know the facts.  Amen

Christmas Catalogs

Usually my snail mail consists of one part bills, seven parts pleas for charitable donations and an abundance of ads for things it would seem every senior citizen needs, but suddenly it has taken a turn to the interesting.  The Christmas catalogs have started to arrive - one yesterday, two today.  Who knows what tomorrow might bring.  While these are fun to page through, especially the one with the way too expensive women's coats and dresses, I must admit a nostalgic longing to have a nice fat JCPenny Christmas catalog show up in my mail box, one with pages and pages of toys and clothes and everything else you can imagine wanting for Christmas - ah, sweet memories...

They sang like angels

I had the pleasure of attending the fall concert of the Fort Wayne Children's Choir this afternoon and they were wonderful.  My granddaughter was front and center in the Treble Choir and, quite naturally, I thought she was the best of all, although I admit there were some pretty awesome soloists in the older groups. Kudos to everyone involved.

it started with a shower

Three years ago I wanted a new floor in the bathroom/ mudroom near my kitchen, but I realized that the new flooring would have to extend into the laundry room, hallway and kitchen. /Well, I couldn't just put a new floor in a 40 year old kitchen, So I ended up with a whole new kitchen, new sink and toilet in the bath room and, within a few months, a new washer and dryer.

Now it's happening again. I decided that the 40+ year old blue bathtub in my master bath had to go, so I arranged to have a wonderful new shower installed instead.  It's not in yet but it's coming this week. Well obviously that meant the old blue toilet and the blue sink and ugly vanity also had to go. They've been torn out and a new toilet and vanity (both white like the shower) are waiting in my garage until they can be installed (after the new floor goes in of course). I am painting the walls a pastel yellow, and spent way too much time scraping off the old blue flowered wall paper which seems to have been put on with super glue.  Well, it quickly became obvious to me that I also needed to de-wallpaper and paint my bedroom and then I would have to have new carpet.  It occurred to me that If I was getting new carpet for my bedroom I might as well go ahead and re-carpet the other two also, so I ordered the carpet this week.

Heaven only knows what will happen when I start on my basement family room.

The Catholics have done it again.

Everyone knows that Catholics do Bingo very well but this evening I attended a Catholic bingo party with a new twist, it was Purse Bingo.  Every prize was a designer purse.  The prizes included purses by Michael Kors, DKNY, Coach, Vera Bradley and more. This was the first year that Bishop Dwenger High School (where my daughter-in-law teaches) has hosted this event but I predict that it won't be the last.  I'm happy to say that in our group of four - my daughter-in-law, her mom, my daughter and myself - we had two winners.  My daughter won a purse and my d-i-l's mom won some Pampered Chef goodies in the raffle. Yes, of course there was also a raffle and a 50/50 drawing.  So many ways to be a  winner but, sadly, I didn't win anything. There's always next year though when I am already planning to play four cards instead of two.

but I need it

Isn't it funny how wants can change to needs?  For 30 years I had a fine old refrigerator without an ice  maker.  Ice cube trays were all I needed. But now, I need my ice maker. It's so handy to reach in the bin and scoop out some ice for my ice tea and it's really great when I have visitors. I came home from my vacation and discovered that it wasn't working. The nice repairman came today, diagnosed and ordered parts. It will be fixed next week which is a good thing because I need my ice maker, which I never even knew I wanted until I had it. I think needs and wants are easily mixed up in this world we live in.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Cecelia

Today is my granddaughter's birthday.  She is 12 years old today and becoming quite a lovely young lady but I was reminded of another birthday seven years ago.  She and her brother were living with me while their mom was in Iraq and she informed me a few days before her birthday, when we were planning a little party for her, that she wanted Chinese food for her birthday.  I was surprised.  My grandkids liked, still like do like, Chinese food but I don't cook Chinese.  We always had Chinese at a local buffet restaurant.  I decided to delve a little deeper so I asked her what kind of Chinese food she wanted precisely.  Her reply "Chocolate pudding and jello."

I'm thinking about retiring.

Actually I'm thinking a lot about retiring.  Only 17 weeks until I gleefully, eagerly retire (for the third and last time). I'm pretty sure it will stick this time and I'm looking forward to sleeping in, long leisurely mornings drinking tea and gradually getting busy doing something around the house, or nothing much, depending on how I feel at the moment. Only one little thing is bothering me.  Many of my friends who are already into this retirement thing have told me that they are busier now than when they were working.  Really?? There's something wrong with this picture.  I think I need to study up on how to manage a really relaxing retirement routine.  Perhaps I'll write a how-to book.  Oh wait, that would be another career....

home again, home again

We had perfect weather until the morning (the very early morning) that we left Venice and even that was a bit of an adventure. A boat taxi picked us up on the Grand Canal in front of our hotel and whisked us off to the airport for the beginning of the 24 hour marathon trip home. Our last view of the old part of Venice was seen through a sheen of misty rain. Even that seemed exotic.
Once at the airport we had a chance to explore the sack breakfast that the hotel had packed for each of us.  We had lots of interesting and delicious food on the trip but the sack breakfast was definitely the most entertaining.  There was a bottle of juice and one of water, a packet of crackers and a small packet of Nutella, two wrapped sweet rolls, and two candy bars and an apple. I had the distinct impression that the kitchen staff had just tossed whatever they could find in our sacks. But throughout the day those little bits and pieces were quite good. And that's the end of my travelling tale.

a nod to the Al Piave Hotel

On our first afternoon in Venice a local guide took us on a walking tour over the bridges and through twisty narrow little streets opening into sun drenched private little courtyards. As we walked, the area reminded me of the Al Piave Hotel, a little 3-story (no elevator) hotel where we stayed 5 years ago on my first trip to Venice.  I asked the guide if she knew the Al Piave, thinking the chances were slim, but she knew the place.  Turned out we were close to it at one point but we had gone too far before I mentioned it to her so I didn't get to see it.  She knew the family however and told me that the son, in college, was coming home on holidays now and was planning to take over running the hotel within a few years. She seemed quite pleased about this.  She went on to explain that mainly because of the cost of housing the population of Venice is declining as young families move to the suburbs.  She also said that the average age of people living in Venice now is 70.  I think the operative phrase there was "living in".  There were lots of younger people wherever I looked.

Venice, beautiful Venice

After 11 days of traveling around Croatia and adjoining countries I was tired;  As we went to bed in a hotel near the Marco Polo airport, I fount myself wishing that I hadn't signed up for the extra two days in Venice and could just head home the next morning.  But in the morning we eight who had opted to stay were driven to a lovely hotel, the Monaco Grand Canal, which was the nicest hotel of our entire trip (which is saying something) and, as the name implies, right on the Grand Canal.  All I needed was one sighting of the Grand Canal and I was so glad I stayed.  Venice is a magical city, timeless and beautiful.  I have been there once before but this time I did go on a gondola ride, touristy but fun.  We also took a boat ride out to Murano Island and saw a glass blowing demonstration and toured one of the beautiful showrooms of Murano glass.  I wasn't tempted to buy anything until I saw a lovely vase, very smooth sleek design like an elongated oval,about 24 inches tall, with swoops of color inside the clear glass form.  it was truly lovely and I asked the helpful young man who had led us on the tour how much it was.  His reply "You have very good taste." I knew I was in trouble.  "How much?" I said again. "Twenty-five hundred euros."  Ouch, I gracefully declined.  "Perhaps" he said "we could negotiate the price."  "Can you negotiate it down to 500 euros?"  The poor man blanched and sadly walked away.

Wine tasting in Slovenia

One of our lasts stops before we finished our tour with two days in Venice was a winery in Kopar, Slovenia.  It was a fun tour with a view of one of the world's largest wine barrels among other things.  After the tour we had a wine tasting (nice wine, especially the white, but honestly not better than what I've had here at home).  The wine tasting was greatly enhanced by one of our traveling companions from England.  He put on a very James Bond-ish posh British accent and did a hilarious imitation of a wine connoisseur. He swirled, he sniffed, he sipped, then offered outrageous suggestions about what the wine might contain, never loudly enough of course to insult our tour guide who was justifiably proud of her family's wine business.