Ploughing Through Life: The Inside View

Ploughing Through Life: The Inside View

On this chilly dreary rainy morning, I sit here on my sofa, the TV on but the sound muted. It's too early for the daughter to be out of bed to go vote with  me so I wait. Waiting is my nemesis. Sitting idle is difficult for me. I feel as though I'm wasting time. Waste of anything is something I abhor.

Even with the chill in the air and the high humidity, I opened up the Antique Walnut stain and gave the quarter round wood trim a first coat. It might take all day to dry which slows down the other two coats of stain that wood requires. Best laid plans....and all that stuff.

I do believe I'm homesick. Homesick for the mountains. The link I posted is from 2010. I had been searching my blog archives for it for quite some time and today I did a search for some of the words used and it popped right up.

We spent 21 days in Farmington, New Mexico and while there we toured all the surrounding areas. This was a company paid trip so we were up and traveling every day. I'm ready to do it again.
The link on this page is blogged from a visit to a small dingy mountain hangout for the locals. Enjoy the read!

A Loosely Laid Plan or Two

Spring break. We haven't seen winter here yet but plans are being laid.

 

The daughter, her children and I are making plans to visit relatives 'back East'. A slow trip up the coast with frequent stops to check out the beaches is on our itinerary. From Lafayette, across the Gulf states and the panhandle of Florida, the first beach on the Atlantic will be in Jacksonville. With almost 9 days off, we should be able to leisurely travel up the coast and into New England where Providence will be our destination. Providence, as in the tiny state of Rhode Island.

 

We want to visit my mother's sister and all involved are excited about this trip. The daughter was three years old on our last visit there. Much has changed since that time. Most of my mother's family has passed on and what were once little children our now middle aged adults. It's time to reunite.

 

Aunt Ev I've mentioned here before. The youngest child of seven, she is my mother's sister. This evening we spent on the phone discussing food. When she tells me what was on her dinner menu, I immediately want to know the details. "Add a little baking soda to your tomato sauces" she says. "It will neutralize the acids and you won't have heart burn!" She laughs as she tells me this was learned from an Italian chef who wrote  a cookbook many years ago. "I've used the baking soda ever since." she chortles. "I'm gonna cook some wonderful foods for ya." she promises. 

 

I'm fortunate to have so many cell phone minutes rolled over. The time passes quickly when in a phone conversation with this delightful person.

 

Aunt Ev has plans.   We know we will be staying at a motel close to her house.  She will be our tour guide and direct us to her favorite places in the area. Right now plans are loosely laid but as the time approaches, reservations will be made and a more accurate itinerary will be developed. 

 

My second trip of 2013 will be a more lengthier one. My ex sister in law and her husband will be along for this one. As soon as the snow melts, we will travel to Wyoming. A small piece of property there will be the perfect place for a small one room cabin or an A-frame house with a tiny loft. We plan on building something and using it for a summer get away. The guys will use it for a hunting base camp. This is how we convinced them that this was a good idea. Hunting and no "out of state fees" caused their eyes to glisten. 
 From our base we will be close to Yellowstone Park, Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills of South Dakota to the north. To the south we can plan a weekend trip to Cheyenne and Denver. The Rocky Mountains are beautiful and tame in the summer and a bit more exciting in the winter. Both couples on this adventure have weathered winters in the Rockies so we know what to expect and how to prepare. Our first of many trips, we hope, will be this summer one to get our hideaway built. Successive trips after that will be to explore and enjoy what was once a home to three of the four people involved in this project home building.

 

A list is being drawn up as I type. A cost estimate, house plans and time schedule is being perused. With enough help and based on the size, we should be able to rough it in quickly. I'll be a gopher on this project unless someone trusts me with a power gun. We shall work quickly as camping in a tent in the back yard is not my idea of a great vacation. I don't mind it being a working vacation though.

Early fall of 2013 should find us  somewhere across the big pond. The husband and I would love to spend more time in Italy but Spain and Portugal would be acceptable. Maybe the British Isle? I'm open for just about any vacation abroad. It's time to spend some of that savings and do it while I'm still healthy and mobile.

I like to do a lot of walking on these excursions. From hiking in the Rocky's to walking cobblestone streets, one has to be fit and ready. I plan on starting a walking program now that the weather has cooled off a bit.

It's election day and I'm ready to cast my vote! Happy Election day everyone! GO VOTE!

Ready Set,

The  husband left early this morning for a 12 hr drive. As his truck pulled out of the driveway, it disappeared into the heavy fog and he was gone. I dread seeing him leave in this weather and would have liked for him to wait until the sun burned off this fog.

0700 found me at the big box store for home improvement. Chair rail and quarter round shopping and back home to stain it all. Right now it is stacked  neatly perpendicular in a corner of the patio. Tomorrow it will go to the daughter's home for installation. One goal accomplished when done with it and on to the next job.

Carrie is fresh out of her bath, back from a visit with her father this weekend. She didn't stay in the tub for her usual amount of time. The Wii beckoned and she was told she would have to have her bath before she got to play the Wii. A carrot on the end of a stick, she allowed her hair to be shampooed and brushed with nary a whimper. She is snuggled beneath a blanket though the a/c unit is still kicking on. It's a typical November day in Louisiana.

On another note, I think I have the property sold in Wyoming. I received a second phone call today from an interested party. I don't plan on ever moving back to Casper and I should have sold this property years ago. The taxes have steadily increased as improvements were made in that neighborhood.

Christmas looms again and usually "looms" is how I think about it. I've started questioning the grandchildren about what they want this year. They usually have one   specific thing they wait all year for and this year is no exception. Ted has requested an Airsoft gun. I'm still waiting on Elise's decision.

I'm off to bed as soon as Carrie's bedtime rolls around. I have much to do tomorrow!

A Day of Glamour

Today was day full of glitz and glamour. Cherries in the Snow lipstick  and  deep brown eyeliner graced my face. A girl has to be prepared. This morning was dedicated to cleaning bathrooms. I prepare by trying to look my best. I figure it helps my attitude on this chore by attempting to NOT look like the cleaning crew.

I do enjoy shiny chrome. The bathtub has it's own sheen to it and the clear shower curtain is once again really clear. Soap scum and toilet ring has been banished for another week. As I do this dreaded cleaning I think about all the motels I have been in and the housekeepers that buzzed into that room to make the bed and clean the bathroom. Not one bathroom but one in a long line of many. It's bad enough cleaning your own bathroom. The thought of cleaning a strangers' bathroom makes me want to award a medal to those housekeepers who do this back breaking job day after day. You have my respect!

Carrie is spending the night and I'm uploading a video I shot of her tonight. Have you seen the Gangnam videos? All the rage now, and breaking all records on You Tube viewing, Carrie is wild about them. She studies the moves and attempts the dance steps. Silly as the Gangnam videos are, she can sit for hours watching them. Even after she is in bed sound asleep, the sound of that video still bounces around inside my skull. Gangnam Style!! The Korean that started this craze screams from the video. The music sounds part techno and the song is not in English. I'll post the link to the You Tube video on this blog so you can get the full effect.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_H7B15z6Wk&feature=share

It's shower time in my clean shiny chrome fauceted bathroom. I'll check my video upload before I go to bed. Uploading on this laptop is ridiculously slow and I'm too sleepy to stay up much longer. Cleaning bathrooms is exhausting.