Sue's World

What Goes Up Must Come Down, Right?

It's Fall...it's Summer...it's cool...it's hot.  I've made chili a couple of times since September.  Each time it's been on a hot day.  Then I have "one last" Summer grilling session and it's cold again.  Today I put most of my Summer clothes away and now tomorrow it's getting warm again.  The Santa Ana winds just started up this evening again.  Really?

With the Summer stuff mostly gone, my Fall/Winter clothes are really begging to be warm.  Cozy sweaters, jackets, scarves, boots.  But nooooo.  I'm still in capris, a tshirt and sandals.  It's November, for goodness's sake! 

I admit I wasn't whining when we enjoyed lovely weather at Disneyland last Friday, but today I am.  I hear there might be a chance for rain Friday.  Could it really be true? 

Ending the Suspense

As I'm sipping my morning coffee (thanks, hubby!), I thought I'd do a bit of catching up.  I was surprised to see it's been a week since I last wrote and a LOT has happened in that week.

Let's start with dad.  Last Monday morning, he was released from the hospital.  I figured I'd wait a day to visit.  I was pretty sure the activities involved with getting discharged and then settled were enough activity for a day.

On Tuesday I visited him.  Mom was napping and dad was dozing but I went upstairs and we visited for about an hour.  I sat Indian-style on the bed.  Dad looked great but I knew his body was still recovering.  Staples were out and he had strips of "tape" across the incision.  We had a nice chat.  Dad says he is content.  He was content before the surgery; he would be content no matter what the news was.  I liked that. 

I wore him out; he wasn't used to talking that much so I left him with the bag of throat lozenges and a bottle of water and headed home. 

On Wednesday evening, just as hubby and I were walking out the door, we got a call from my mom.  Biopsy results were in and the news was fantastic.  As was noticed all along, there was sign of trauma (from who knows when) and inflammation in the area, but that was it.  After hanging up the phone I burst into tears of joy.  Literally.  Hubby is a fantastic hugger and soother and we celebrated the good news.  I dried my eyes and we headed out the door (I'll get to that later).

I called my mom Thurs and Fri and didn't see them again until yesterday.  I didn't dare visit Friday with it being the start of Labor Day weekend.  I feared driving home in the Newhall Pass would take forever and then on Saturday, I worked in the yard until it was roasting hot and didn't want to leave the house after getting cleaned up.  Yesterday after church I drove down again.  Dad was on the couch and then had lunch.  He'd walked Zoe around the "big block".  He had her on the leash even!  He still has that tape which will probably come off at Wednesday's post-op visit to the doctor, but he looks great and feels good. 

I am confident that whatever the outcome might have been, God would see us through it, but I would be lying if I said that this outcome wasn't way more delightful than it could have been. 

Last week registration for Ceramics started.  For the first time in at least 10 years, I registered alone.  Dad will visit but has to take the semester off.  I need to do something different this year.  I need to focus on throwing and learn a few things.  A week from tomorrow I will have my hands full of wet clay and love every minute of it.

 

Here's the Scoop

A very quick post....orange cat is outside meowing.  He/she should be; it must smell different out there.  For the first time this year we let our kitties outside.  They were out nearly 2 hours and had a ball.  The catnip is decimated and the surrounding plants didn't fare so well. 

I did a bunch of garden cleanup after having furiously planted the weekend before.  Finally planted some seeds last week: sunflowers (dwarf, autumn mix, lemon) and other stuff.  Also planted a 24 pony packs' worth of flowers and 10 1-gallon shrubs.  So much to do this time of year!

Watched myself on Private Chefs of Beverly Hills Friday night.  A friend who didn't know I was going to be on watched it and recognized me and called to ask if it was me.  :)

Have to report for Jury Duty tomorrow, only the 2nd time in my life (and the last one was in the mid-80's).  I admit I'm kind of excited!  I am bringing some work stuff with me on my little laptop in case there's lots of waiting around.  It's amazing how the uncertainty of next week's schedule puts me into major contingency planning mode. 

Dishwasher is only being used as a drying rack.  There's a horrible noise and it hasn't been washing properly.  Note to self:  get on with it and call for appliance repair.

I think the cats got a rat in the garage last week.  The victim is certain; just don't know the details of its demise....

There; that's the update.  More at some point... I know, I still have pictures to post from a month ago!

Tak-son-uh-mee

Dictionary.com defines it as the science or technique of classification.  Yep, that's what I do.  I'm being rather vague lest people I don't know happen upon my blog.

I did this type of work for quite a bit of time at my last company and am doing it today.  And I love it!  My 20 hours a week job has turned into more of a between 20 and 30 hour a week job but that's because I can't stop it!  I will try really hard this week to make it more of a 20 hour week than letting it creep up near 30. 

Now that it's truly Spring, I need to turn my attention outdoors until everything is safely planted.  And I need to turn my attention indoors; I still have the Christmas flowers in our entry way.  Okay, so they're not poinsettias or anything, but they certainly aren't the Spring flowers that I have tucked away in the closet.

Ending the Drought

Has it really been that long since I last posted?  Uggghh!  Okay, will work on photo albums from mom's 75th birthday party and the adventure to the Theodore Payne Foundation and more.

It's Spring and that means I'm out in the garden a lot!  And I'm working....

Hell on Earth

The season's first gigantic wildfire is here, burning nearly uncontrolled since last Wednesday.  It's now burned over 100,000 acres and you can hardly miss the smoke clouds.  On Saturday, we heard the smoke was reaching an altitude of 20,000 feet, nearly 4 miles up!

I went out for a bit today.  It was 105 degrees and breezy.  I hate fire season.  Really hate it.  I hate the stories of firefighters getting hurt or killed.  I hate the people who ignore mandatory evacuations, thinking their garden hose is going to save them and their house.  I hate paying for the rescue of these scofflaws, taking precious resources away from fighting the fires. 

Why, oh why, did anyone ever think that preventing all fires was a wise policy?  It's come back to bite us hard over the years.  First we had the big fire in the mountains where the cabin was threatened.  Then two years ago we evacuated from a fast-moving blaze.  Now this and all the others in between.  Wind aside, these things spread like, well, wildfire.  Why?  They have plenty of fuel.  Now it's true that some big fires have been caused by controlled burns getting out of control, but how about not setting a controlled burn on a windy, tinder-dry day?  Let's use some common sense.

Thank God for A/C and for being able to be comfortable inside.  Personal comfort aside, I'm praying a lot for our firefighters and for the folks whose lives and homes are being threatened.  I know what it feels like to be on alert, watching and waiting and wondering when the right time to leave is and whether or not the house will be standing when you return. 

That's my rant for the day. 

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

When I contemplated leaving my job, I saw the opportunity to keep my blogs up.  That started out well but after two weeks I'm already fizzling out on that.  Hmmmm...

I'm having a bit of an awkward time getting adjusted as people warned.  I am taking things more slowly than I expected I'd do but that's probably not a bad thing.  I went to the dentist and the doctor in anticipation of my benefits ending tomorrow and seem to be running errands all over the place.  I'm not in the garden every day and I think that's a good thing.

It's a nice cool Saturday morning.  I know that because my husband is on the couch, not at work.  :)  It's overcast, the perfect weather for gardening.  The green waste bin is empty since trash day was yesterday so I'm sure I'll be outside for a while today.

Well, that's it for now.  On to other things....

A Very Cool and Cloudy Memorial Day

It's been lovely weather this weekend - maybe mid-80's and perfect for enjoying the outdoors.  It was a little too breezy last evening to eat outdoors but that was fine.  I slept well and realize it's at least partially due to the fact that it's cool.  This morning it's cool and overcast, even now.  I capitalized on this and took a nice bath while reading this month's Sunset magazine.  Jet was happy for bath time - he purrs and rubs against the tub and occasionally dips a paw in the water.  It was lovely.

Last night we BBQ'd.  Well, I made garlic spaghetti, corn and a salad.  Hubby BBQ'd fabulous Porterhouse steaks.  These things were a pound apiece and fabulous.  I would have turned them into shoe leather but hubby and his secret method and seasonings made them perfect.  We played Uno Attack, giggling like school children as the cards shot out of the launcher.  In the end, I lost by a huge margin but still enjoyed it all.

This morning we're going to a Memorial Day event at Eternal Valley in Newhall.  I don't know that I've ever been to one but this year it just seemed right.  Then I'm planning to do some crafts and later we'll BBQ hot dogs and have the strawberry shortcake we didn't have last night.  In other words, I'm really treating this as a holiday.  I thought about buying some geraniums but a holiday weekend is likely when everyone else is out there which means the stock, by now, might be picked over.  Hmmmm....we'll see.

Rethinking My Earlier Thinking

I may venture out past Albertsons today...I just had a nearly three hour session in the yard and I need my first pedicure (and maybe manicure) of the year.

I was wet half the time as I worked on sprinklers and cleaning the fountain.  There's so much more maintenance to do but it will have to wait.  The green waste bin is full, it's getting warm, and I'm pooped from wrangling.

I now have honey on my hair to condition it so that forces me to rest a bit.  I certainly won't be going outside this way for fear of attack by hummingbirds or bees. 

At least the yard is a few steps closer to being ready for summer.  I think I need to break down and make a "to do" list for the yard to ensure there's steady progress.

Hump Day

Okay...got a good night's sleep and I'm ready and raring to go.  By 7am the breakfast dishes were cleared, bed made, new towels in the washer and cat boxes cleaned.  It's a nice, cool morning and I intend to do a little puttering outside before resuming work inside.  My goal for the day is to not venture further than the grocery store (just down the hill) and to not play computer games. 

I haven't seen (or looked for) the newspaper but just saw election results online and was pleased. 

I think I might do some meal planning today.  I have a habit of making the same things over and over and it's time to try some new things.  Summer is around the corner and it's the perfect time to bring some freshness into my repertoire.