PBS..National Parks

I was right about the library yesterday. I went to the computer to find any of the list of books I wanted to read and they were all checked out. I did get another Elizabeth Berg...if you haven't read her, I highly recommend that you do. She has written several books and should be easy to find. We've been watching the National Park Series on PBS and enjoying it a lot. Nothing much else...Richard took R. to the hospital this morning for his surgery. He should be back soon as he's not staying. Another chilly morning...I made chilli last night...soup weather is quickly approaching. We get out load of wood next week so soon will be having a fire in the evening. Later.....

Brrrr

Very chilly this morning, but I'm not complaining. I'll be heading out soon to take Wolfie for a walk and then stop at the Library for more books and finally get a car wash. This afternoon Richard and I are going to continue with what we started yesterday...yard work. Today we'll be cutting back the Rose of Sharons. Richard cleaned out all of the gutters and fixed them yesterday and I weeded and put some things away. I just finished another Elizabeth Adler book and really liked it. She writes about different locations...this one was St. Tropez. Her books are light but fun with some mystery, some romance and telling a lot about the area. I've read one about Venice and one about Oregon. I have a list of authors I hope to find at the library and some new books (probably already gone). I'm off. later.....

Bengals Won!!!

I didn't see the game because we didn't get it down here and then I couldn't get the score. Jim and Tommie were here and then we watched the National Park thing on PBS. After that I forgot to look. Anyway....I'm happy. The meat loaf in the crock pot was very good but not as firm as our usual meat loaf. It was very tasty and the stuffed zucchini was also delicious and so was the apple crisp. Jim and Tommie took all of the junk in our basement so that is taken care of. Now I have to start getting a better attitude about Thanksgiving. Apparently we are going to Joel's and the house just isn't large enough for all of us and I don't know that they are really prepared for this. Richard and I will do the turkey and stuffing and pies and they are going to have to do the rest!! We'll see. later....

Mish Mash of Photos...Go Bengals!!!

These are just some more pictures taken on PEI. I thought this was such a cute mailbox and this one of the fishing village impressed me. We ate lunch at this lighthouse and along the way we saw miles of these windmills.

Watched The Good Wife last night and may add this to my fall viewing unless it conflicts with some of my favorites. I want to check out the Kelsey Grammar and the Patricia Heaton show next week but it does conflict with the Ken Burns series on National Parks which airs tonight. Today I'm cleaning house and cooking for company tonight. I'm hoping we will get the Bengals game and I'll also be watching golf this afternoon. The Hokies won last night...they really looked good. The sun is out...yesterday was awful. Later....

The Bottle Houses and Gardens

We just happened onto these bottle houses. I had Richard take a picture from the car, but it didn't turn out very well so we pulled in and this is what we found. The pictures don't do it justice. The gardens and flowers were everywhere with cute benches, birdhouses and garden sculptures. It was so much fun!

Today...rain and more rain. We'll be watching football and golf as well and I have to clean house because I didn't do it yesterday. We're headed to the gym shortly. I'm also going to get a head start on tomorrow's dinner. I'll make the vegetable which is zucchini roasted and then stuffed with a spinach, cheese, stuffing and then rebaked tomorrow. Later....

Churches on PEI

I took tons of pictures of churches and the majority of the pictures I took were of small white churches in the country. This large brick one was in the Acadian (French) area of PEI and was called Notre Dame. There is a convent to the left and a large cemetery to the right. It was in the middle of nowhere.

It rained a lot last night and more is expected in the next two days. This whole area is under flood watch. Not much going on. Jim and Tommie are coming for dinner on Sunday and I got the appetizers made this morning. I'm going to make a meat loaf in the crock pot. I saw it on Semi-Homemade. It looked delicious and I hope it turns out that way. Later....

Off to PEI..Green Gables Country

I loved every little bit of PEI!!! It was so clean and the lovely farms were so well cared for and sloped down to the sea. On the first day there we saw Green Gables as Anne described it in her books...the barn, the gardens, the house...all magical to me and just as I imagined. These pictures are of the house and grounds and of Anne's room. Her shoes and other items in her room made me think that she was about to come up the stairs. I took lots of pictures of churches which I will show in the coming days.

I. have a mouse story....yesterday I went downstairs to the closet to get out my fall and Halloween decorations. As I was getting them out I saw movement in the box and yes, a mouse. I picked up the box and took it out to the deck and the mouse came out. However she kept coming back to the box and I couldn't dissuade her. When Richard came home from the store I had him go through the rest of the contents of the box and he discovered she had a family of little ones in one of the boxes. I wanted him to empty them up into the woods, but he said they wouldn't survive without her. He put the little box on the deck in hopes that she would come back to them. We went to the gym and when we got back she was in the box with her babies. He took box with mama and babies and put them in the woods. End of story!

More Pictures and Richard, Jr. Update

Richard saw the neurosurgeon yesterday and since the infection has spread quite a bit they are going for surgery instead of just treading it medically. He'll have the surgery next Wednesday and then the infectious disease people will come in and decided what antibiotics to treat him with. He'll likely be in the hospital for several days. Today I'm getting fall/Halloween decorations out and Richard is going grocery shopping. Here are more pictures of Bay of Fundy area.

On To New Brunswick/Bay of Fundy

Richard eating sticky buns and milk on the road to Hopewell Rocks/bay of Fundy. Other pictures are of Hopewell Rocks at low tide. At high tide the water is 40 feet higher. It's 99 steps down to the ocean floor. This was just an amazing sight!

Today we are taking Richard, Jr. to UT hospital for an appointment with a neurologist. His MRI yesterday showed that this abscess on his vertebrae is getting larger and they are concerned. He may be admitted. Other than that, we hoped to put some new shelves together to hold the Lps downstairs since the old shelves are collapsing. More pictures tomorrow. Later...

More Vacation Photos

These are still photos from Maine. Tomorrow I will go to New Brunswick...land of Bay of Fundy and land of many trees. Over 80% of N.B. is forest. The photos here are of Thunder Hole, the Maine coast and richard at Cadillac Mountain.

I'm doing the tons of laundry this morning and will soon head to the shower. This afternoon I need to get my glasses fixed. (Richard sat on them in PEI and we had to get them fixed. They did their best and I could wear them, but it was a patch-up and not very satisfactory.)I'll also go to the gym and pick up a few things for stir-fry tonight. Later....

Some Pictures from Maine

Richard on porch of our motel..me at Cadillac Mountain...doggies in their carriers at Cadillac Mountain and cruise ship in ocean below Cadillac. More tomorrow.....

I'm Back

Wee got in last night around 10 and were more exhausted than I can say. We left PEI at 7..6 EST and got up at 5. We then drove 6 hrs. to Bangor where we got out plane to Philly and then a 3 hr. wait in Philly to our plane to Knoxville. Thankfully, nothing was late. Today it's unpack and just recuperate. We had a fantastic time...Maine was as usual. We ate at Jordan's Pond and at Geddy's and went all over the island and not much had changed. We did a bit of shopping, etc. We left Mon. a.m. for Canada and stayed at St. John's. We had a really nice motel and our big thing there was seeing The Bay of Fundy. I'll be posting lots of pictures, but R. hasn't put them on yet....look later. New Brunswick is over 89% forest. It is beautiful. We hated driving in St. John's...lots of construction and road signs are few and far between. There are no arrows for left turns and several large intersections have no lights or 4-way stops. You just go when you can. It was crazy. We also went to a great nature center there which was so peaceful and beautiful. Now for PEI...I am so in love with that island. I want to buy a place there when I win the lottery. I got to see all of the Green Gable stuff and it was just like I always pictured. I have dreamed about PEI since I read the books as a young girl. The island is very rural with lots of farms and cleaner and neater than any place I have ever been. There is no poverty and nothing is run down. We drove all over the island missing just the eastern shore. We needed another day or two to see that. I only ate meat one time, the rest was fish and chips or lobster in some form. I'll be putting in excerpts from my journal from time to time and will put on lots of photos. My one regret is that I don't have a better camera. We decided that before we go anywhere else spectacular I will get a good camera. Later....

And We're Off!

Well, not yet, but we're mostly ready. Richard is showering and I'm totally ready...bag all packed, etc. I'll be back next week with (I hope) lots of nice pictures and stories. Later.....

Busy Day

I got up before 6 and after eating started my long list of chores. The laundry is done and I am mostly packed. Richard went for a haircut and a few things at the store. The house is mostly cleaned..still have to do the bedroom. I'm glad we aren't flying today. The whole northeast is a mess with flights backed up for hours because of the storms. I'm hoping things will be better tomorrow. We fly into Philly and from there to Maine. Richard has made all of the reservations for Maine, Bay of Fundy and PEI. I will probably post tomorrow but then I'll be gone for a week. I know all 3/4 of my readers will be lost without my exciting blogs.
Now for a bit of sadness.....Muir's ex-boyfriend killed himself on Monday. He was an unhappy person with many problems and now he's finally at peace. I hope his family and friends can find peace in knowing his worries are over. Later....

Bad Dog

Last night or rather early this morning Wolfie came to Richard and wanted to go out. Richard said, "No, Wolfie, it's too early". Wolf proceeded to get in bed with us and he stayed there all night until I got up at 6. I let him out and went on to get my breakfast. Richard came out shortly after that telling me Wolfie had peed in our bed...and did he ever! Everything is being washed now. I can't believe he did that. That's not the end of our morning woes. I went down to the basement to get something out of the freezer and found that Richard hadn't closed the door tightly and everything was thawing. I found the culprit...a box that was jutting out just enough to not allow the door to close. Nothing was lost...thank goodness because the freezer is very full. Today we're going to Walgreens to get our flu shot...free if on Medicare. Then we'll go to the library and try to get a Fodor book on Canada and come home and clean. Later.....

Nothing Much

I got plenty of nothing today...did my ironing and cut of veggies for a snack. I'm kind of getting things together for the trip. I changed purses from summer to fall and now I'm about to read until lunch time. I'm really liking Tail Spin. Yesterday when I went to the library they gave me a bookmark and told me to read the instructions on it. It said to soak this bookmark for 12 hrs. and then plant it for beautiful wild flowers in a few weeks. I planted it this morning and we'll see what arises from the ground...probably just more weeds. Talked to Maggie this morning and Anne yesterday afternoon. Later....

Library Day

I made quick work of the library today. I wanted to get another Elizabeth Berg book which I did, but first went to the new book section. I also wanted to get another Adler book and she had one in the new book section along with Mary Jane Clark's newest. I was in and out in 15 minutes. I also picked up 2 non-fictions for Richard. Hopefully he'll take one along with him on the trip so I won't feel guilty when I want to read. Other than that I just got gas and stopped at Kroger's to get some chicken. I'm going to make Maggie's chicken sandwiches for dinner tonight. I'm off to watch Ellen. Her new season starts in a few minutes. Then it's to the gym. Later....

Happy Labor Day

Got up shortly after 5 this morning and started the laundry. It's finished now and I'm taking a break from folding it. It's still raining and will be on and off. I think we might go back into Knoxville to the Fresh Market. Since I was too full to buy anything and Richard wants to get more olives which are expensive but he loves them we will go back. other than than nothing is going on. I started another book...Tail Spin by Catherine Coulter. Tomorrow I'm going to the library and then start to get things ready for our trip. Later....

Lazy Day

Brunch is over and we are laboring over the puzzle. It's tough this week. Yesterday's game results were good with one exception...Va. Tech lost to Alabama. Boo hoo. It's raining here today..started last night. Cheyenne was in and we were going to bathe her today, but it's too wet and chilly. The big fire works in Knoxville is tonight. I hope the rain stops by then, not that it will matter to us. We don't go to that. I made a dessert from a recipe of Giada's. It's egg whites beaten stiff, crushed pineapple folded in and whipped cream added. I used cool whip and then frozen. You put it in a loaf pan and slice when frozen and ready to serve. Have no idea what to have for dinner...probably the left over lasagna roll-ups which were good, but Richard thought I should have put meat in them. Later....

Saturday Plans

I've already eaten, got dressed, watered the flowers, combed wolfie (no fleas) and made pesto. I still have tons of basil left. We're going to the gym in a bit and this afternoon Miki (our new dog/house sitter) is coming over to meet the dogs. After that we'll be watching football. I'm not sure what games we'll get since we don't get a local paper. I'm hoping we'll see Va. Tech as they play Alabama and that should be a big game. By the way...Maggie, you're probably my best bet since you live there. I always wear football t-shirts on Saturday and I have on my Auburn today but I need an Ohio State T. I also don't have a Notre Dame which I'll get sometime in the future. I need a medium that isn't skimpy or a large that isn't a man's large. I guess we'll watch some golf in there as well. Later.... Oh, I forgot...we went to Townsend last night to hear this guitarist at the Heritage Center...it's an outdoor venue. This guy was great! Linda called me so we went out and now we want one of his cds. Richard was going to buy one last night, but neither one of us had the cash. We'll get one on line. His name is Bill Sheffield and he is pretty well know and has been around for ages. However, he is in Europe more than here, it seems.

To Knoxville

I hope this will be Richard's last appointment at the pain clinic! After that we'll go to Sam's and then lunch and finally to the Fresh Market. Isn't that exciting?! I do love the Fresh Market and we haven't been in quite a while. One thing I get there that I can't get anywhere else is tomato paste in tubes. I'll stock up. Their produce is fabulous, but since we are going away next week I can't get too much. I'll probably get one of their giant artichokes...it easily serves both of us and that will probably be dinner tonight. later....

Retirement is Great

After reading Muir's blog today I am so grateful that I'm away from all of the shit that goes with working. My day started out with eating a bagel and watching the news. Then I got the packages ready to send to Evan and Chloe. I fed my plants on the deck probably for the last time and I trimmed them as they are getting leggy and starting to look tired. I cleaned all of the many cob webs off the deck and swept and cleaned that. Now I need to clean me. Richard is going to vacuum in here. I need to look in the freezer and hope there is something in there for dinner. I think I have some lasagna roll-ups...I hope. Later....

Hump Day

Got up this morning and made 2 loaves of banana nut bread. We'll send one to Chloe and one to Evan. Wolfie had a peaceful night with no scratching. I combed him last evening to see if I could find any fleas and I did, but thankfully they were dead. I hope we have that problem licked. Richard is going to the store this morning to pick up a few things My Drs. nurse just called to say my lab work came back and all looks good. So, everyone have a good day....later....Oh, Maggie, send me the recipe for the chicken sandwich you made. I really liked it and I know Richard will....when you get time.....

Fleas and Chores

I left at 8 this morning to get my yearly lab work done. Then I got a hair cut and picked up a few things at Target and Kroger. From there to K-Mart to get another flea bomb..then to Yoga. I stopped to get an oral flea protection that the vet says is better than any of the topical applications...It is called Comfortis and is a chewable tablet flavored with beef and to be given once a month with food. It starts working in 30 minutes. The vet said she loved this stuff and it worked better than anything. It better because Wolfie is being tortured by these damn insects. This morning I combed him and got about 15 fleas off him. They are also attacking Richard but not me. I think I'm too mean for them to attack. I was going to stay home and iron this afternoon while R. went to the gym, but he convinced me to go with him and work out in the pool. We're headed there shortly. Later.....