My DH, Herm, and I tried doing something different today. My mom gave me a metal detector for Christmas a few years ago. Herm and I went out this morning to see if we could find anything. First we went to a nearby park where he used to swim when he was a kid. I figured swimming areas would be a great place to try to find at least some coins. Especially if there is sand. If people took off their outer clothes to expose their swimsuits, there was a good chance we'd find something. Well, we did find something...a big lump of lead. Not one other thing. The park has really changed since Herm had used it last, LOL! Next, we went to an area where they used to launch rental canoes. Hey, that had potential, right? Not! We found exactly three soda cans and about a dozen rusty nails. I was really starting to get frustrated. So, we checked out a couple of areas that I am going back to on Tuesday or early Wednesday morning, after all the people have gone home. There were just too many people today.
While we were out driving, we stopped a neighbor's place to see what he had left in his yard sale. I found a couple of dress up outfits for my granddaughters, woohoo! There was also a Little Tykes easel for the younger ones to write on with chalk. The most interesting thing I saw there was a wind generator. It was smaller than the ones you see on the news but it was really just the right size to service a house. Actually, we could put up three or four of them and maybe generate enough electricity for the house. Herm has been building his own solar panels to provide some extra heat for the house in winter. He never fails to impress me with his abilities.
I didn't really talk about my grandchildren before. I have four, three girls and one little boy. They range in age from 7, Micayla, to 1, Danny. In between we have Emma who is 5 and Ashley who is 2. I LOVE it when they come to Gramma and Grampa's for a visit. All four of them live in Illinois. The 2 older ones in Algonquin and the two younger ones in Chicago. They are the lights of my life. One of the reasons I retired was so I could see them more often. I need to be able to go to school programs for the two older ones. My daughter, mother to the two younger ones, and her husband just sold their small home. Would you believe that it was on the market only two weeks? They even got their asking price. My son-in-law has put an incredible amount of work into the house and the only reason they are selling is they need more room. As it stands, the two children share a room. Now they have to find a new home of their own. They are looking for a house with at least 3 bedrooms and a decent sized back yard so the children have a place to play. I have to go soon to help them pack or at least help with the kids while they pack.
Toodles for now!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Procrastination
Well, I still haven't accomplished a whole lot. I find myself avoiding certain things and I'm not sure why. I hope my motivation kicks in soon.
Yesterday I went to the restaurant where we are hosting our son's rehearsal dinner. I hadn't been there before and I was really surprised at how lovely it is. It is an Italian themed restaurant and I was pleased with the decor. We are having our dinner in an area set apart from the main dining room by a half-wall made of rocks. The set apart area is decorated like an old fashioned Italian street; complete with apartment windows above the storefronts. A clothesline is stretched across the upper part of the space reaching from one window to the other side and is hung with actual clothes. The restaurant calls it the "laundry" room. LOL! The wedding is less than a month away now and things are starting to get exciting. I am looking forward to seeing all my son's high school buddies. They hung out here at our house quite a lot in the summers, working on Mike's black van, "Stella".
I am going to try quilting for the first time since very early in my marriage. Way back then I made my parents a quilt out of fabric I had used to make clothes when I still lived at home. It wasn't very well made but they used it so much. My mother still has it and it is starting to fall apart, but we put it on our living room floor for the babies to crawl around on. I bought some diecut fabric shapes to make each grandchild a quilt and I plan to applique them. It is starting to look a bit daunting as the first quilt shape is a scottie dog and there are so many shart points. I am not sure how to do this but I am going to try to use fusible webbing and then machine applique them on. If anyone has any tips, I would really appreciate them.
Today I went to the cow chip art fair. What do I mean by cow chip? It is a dried cow patty, yes it is manure, that people throw for distance. The one who throws the furthest wins. The annual labor day weekend Cow Chip Throw is the biggest thing to happen all year in our 2 small towns. There is a parade, the art fair (great shopping), lots of food, bands, demonstrations and, of course, the cow chip throwing contest. I live near Sauk Prairie, Wisconsin. There are actually two towns that are divided by a street; Sauk City and Prairie du Sac. I used to love to watch the throwing, but it is exceptionally hot this year and there are definitely hazards to the spectators. Seating is either in the covered small bleachers on trailers or lawn chairs in the open. The throwers are not always able to keep their throw inside the boundries and they can fly off to hit spectators. A wet cow pie is soft and smooshie but a dried one is hard and lethal. You really don't want to get hit!
Well, I will close for now. Have a great holiday weekend!
Yesterday I went to the restaurant where we are hosting our son's rehearsal dinner. I hadn't been there before and I was really surprised at how lovely it is. It is an Italian themed restaurant and I was pleased with the decor. We are having our dinner in an area set apart from the main dining room by a half-wall made of rocks. The set apart area is decorated like an old fashioned Italian street; complete with apartment windows above the storefronts. A clothesline is stretched across the upper part of the space reaching from one window to the other side and is hung with actual clothes. The restaurant calls it the "laundry" room. LOL! The wedding is less than a month away now and things are starting to get exciting. I am looking forward to seeing all my son's high school buddies. They hung out here at our house quite a lot in the summers, working on Mike's black van, "Stella".
I am going to try quilting for the first time since very early in my marriage. Way back then I made my parents a quilt out of fabric I had used to make clothes when I still lived at home. It wasn't very well made but they used it so much. My mother still has it and it is starting to fall apart, but we put it on our living room floor for the babies to crawl around on. I bought some diecut fabric shapes to make each grandchild a quilt and I plan to applique them. It is starting to look a bit daunting as the first quilt shape is a scottie dog and there are so many shart points. I am not sure how to do this but I am going to try to use fusible webbing and then machine applique them on. If anyone has any tips, I would really appreciate them.
Today I went to the cow chip art fair. What do I mean by cow chip? It is a dried cow patty, yes it is manure, that people throw for distance. The one who throws the furthest wins. The annual labor day weekend Cow Chip Throw is the biggest thing to happen all year in our 2 small towns. There is a parade, the art fair (great shopping), lots of food, bands, demonstrations and, of course, the cow chip throwing contest. I live near Sauk Prairie, Wisconsin. There are actually two towns that are divided by a street; Sauk City and Prairie du Sac. I used to love to watch the throwing, but it is exceptionally hot this year and there are definitely hazards to the spectators. Seating is either in the covered small bleachers on trailers or lawn chairs in the open. The throwers are not always able to keep their throw inside the boundries and they can fly off to hit spectators. A wet cow pie is soft and smooshie but a dried one is hard and lethal. You really don't want to get hit!
Well, I will close for now. Have a great holiday weekend!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Where do I go from here?
Hi, everyone! My name is Ginny and I recently retired. I decided to establish a blog to reach out to new friends and get advice on how to spend my retirement. This first month has been spent getting ready for my youngest son's wedding on September 27th. He is the last one to get married and I think I'm really glad. When the wedding is over I have a list of things I want to accomplish. I think the first thing I will do is empty out my craft room (also known in the family as the "crap" room). There is way too much furniture and other stuff and I don't use it at all the way it is. I have spent too much time collecting supplies and not much time using them. Well, it time for all that to change. I hope you will keep me company on my journey.
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