July already

Welcome to July!

 Yesterday was a quiet 4th for us. Gregg had to work until 4pm (although he said the store was dead slow) and I spent the day at home hiding inside from the heat. The last few days have been blazing hot with dangerous heat indexes, and it's just not a good time of year to be outdoors. I made chili cheese dogs for our supper (the chili was from scratch; I've grown to hate all canned hot dog chili) with potato chips on the side and ice cream for dessert. That seemed festive enough for us! The dogs looked a bit sloppy, and had to be eaten with a fork, but they were delicious if I do say so myself.

Also yesterday I finally picked the first few tomatoes from my garden along with a couple of cucumbers. We have loads of green tomatoes and I hope they'll start to ripen before the stink bugs get to them. I've been checking the plants every day and picking off the annoying little buggers. They're lucky I don't like to use pesticides because they make me furious! I picked these three tomatoes while they're still a bit green to save them. Finishing ripening on the counter won't hurt anything.

Just a little while ago it started to thunder and then to pour rain. We certainly need it! Keeping the garden alive in heat indexes of 107 degrees requires a lot of watering. Of course, nothing is setting fruit in that kind of heat, but as I said, there are lots of tomatoes (peppers, too) that only need a little more time to ripen. 

My vacation is rapidly winding down. Monday morning will be here in a flash! I'm excited, and a little nervous, too. For the first couple of weeks the office staff will be on a summer schedule, which means 9am-3pm, Monday through Thursday. That should be a gentle re-entry into work! The teachers won't return until two weeks after me, and the students, three weeks. There should be ample time to get settled in before the "real" school year starts. 

After the children return, I'll be on my regular schedule of 7am-2:30pm, Monday through Friday. I'll be waking up super early, but it's going to be nice to be off so early in the afternoon. On days when I'll have to stop by the bank on my way home with a deposit (which will be most days during the school year) I'll be allowed to leave at 2:00pm. You can't ask for any better than that! 

Yesterday I ordered some new clothes for work. Two dresses and a pair of slacks. I'm going to need some more things once the weather cools down, too. I've been on a diet (off and on) since the beginning of the year, and I've lost 25 pounds. I'm hoping to drop another 10 by the time September rolls around, and most of my pants are already loose as it is. I'll never complain about having to shop when weight loss is the cause! :) Of course, I'm losing very, very, slowly, but I'm pleased because for once in my life, I'm sticking with new habits. Slow progress is still progress, right?

It's already Sunday

 I finally gave in to my compulsion to own a food dehydrator and ordered one from the bad "A" place (sorry, Maddie) after being unable to find one to buy in person here in town. It took three days to get here and when it finally arrived and I unpacked it, the handle on the door was completely broken off. Shame on Mr. Bezos and his minions! Now I have to return the stupid thing and wait up to a week for my refund. Sigh. So disappointing! I already had a big bundle of bananas and apples I had planned to dry for healthy snacks next week. That won't be happening any time soon, now, and to be honest once I saw how much counter space a dehydrator will take up I'm not sure I want to try to reorder at this point. All the wind went out of my sails when I saw that broken handle.

One thing that did arrive safely was a little red-haired girlie that was a gift from Fresca. She and Marco were instant best friends, and she's brought a little cheer to the house this week. She  hasn't shared her name with me yet, but Marco seems to know it. For the moment, they're keeping their secret.

The girlie was watching me make an apple pie the evening after she arrived. She says that Autumn is her favorite season!

My friend Martina works for a veterinarian. She was upset on our behalf about the puppy situation last month, and yesterday she sent me this via text:

A sweet, 5 month old spaniel mix that was an owner surrender and needs a good home. Martina is having this lucky puppy thoroughly vetted and vaccinated, and she asked me if I'd be interested in setting up a meeting with George. She knows I have a soft spot for spaniels, and this one has lovely, shiny, soft black fur and a nice temperament.

Although we're (once again) sorely tempted, this puppy is a male and we think George would do better with a female. Also, late May or early June would be the absolute best time to adopt a new dog, when I'll have the long summer break at home to help everyone acclimate. I'm afraid we're going to probably pass on this cutie. Martina assures me that they can find him a great home either way, and that we can have a little time to think about it. At least there's a zero percent chance that Martina would flake out on us! She's as trustworthy as they come, especially where animals are concerned. This dog is lucky he landed with someone like her to see to his welfare.

Well, today is the last of my week off. It hasn't been all I hoped for, but the break from the office has been very welcome. The four-day Thanksgiving weekend is still over 6 weeks away, but there's book club and Halloween and Gregg's birthday between now and then to look forward to. Going back is easier with stuff to look forward to.

Enjoy your Sunday, friends.

Just what the doctor ordered!

I just finished up my short (5 day) vacation, and I feel about so much better! Apparently the stress in my life has been weighing on me more heavily than I knew. A week away from work, the job search, and social media has made an amazing difference in my mood and outlook. I can't believe how much more relaxed and happy I am!

My birthday was Sunday, so I spent my days off doing whatever I wanted. There were several meals eaten out, including lunch (and margaritas) with a friend at a new Mexican restaurant, and lunch at a new seafood restaurant with my mom and dad. The seafood place is a real find: it was initially a small market where fishermen from the coast sold fresh seafood. The market was thriving, so much so that just last month a couple of the guys opened the restaurant. It's been a smashing success, on a very modest budget, and has gotten great reviews from locals on social media. It's just down the street from my house, too. I love seafood, so I was excited to try it out. Plus, the menu includes one of my all-time favorite dishes:

Shrimp and grits. It was delicious.

 I also had lots of good food at home during my vacation. Grilled salmon and steaks, early strawberries, and an Italian Cream cake. Yes, eating was definitely one of the best parts of my time off!

Another great thing about being at home was spending a whole lot of time with Ginger and George. I bought some new dog toys Saturday afternoon, which George in particular loves. I've never seen a dog appreciate new toys as much as him. Ginger has always been somewhat indifferent to toys.

George seemed to thrive on all the extra attention he got in the last week. I spent over half my time playing with the dogs, taking them for walks, and working on simple commands with George. He's gotten somewhat calmer, more affectionate, and seems to be trying harder to learn what we want of him. He's such a handsome, lovable guy, and he's forever doing funny things.

All in all, it was a very nice break. Just what I needed!

Seven years tomorrow!

Today is the first day of my vacation, and tomorrow, June 12th, is my seventh wedding anniversary!

 I am one lucky woman. My husband is my best friend. He's really smart, kind, honest, hardworking, and loyal. And did I mention tough?! Last year he kicked stage 3 lung cancer's ass! He's almost 100% back to normal after having had a lung removed and then chemotherapy. I am in awe of his strength!

I wish I had a good picture of us together. We had a cheap camera when we got married (we eloped after 7 years of dating!) so although we have photos from then, they are all pasted in an album and are not in a format I can share. The year after that we bought a better camera, so here are a couple of photos from around our first anniversary instead.

 

 

 

 

Happy Anniversary dear husband! You're the love of my life. I'm looking forward to the next 7 years!

It figures

I had an entire week off work after my Mid Autumn Moon party, and I feel like I wasted the whole thing. The weather was grey, it rained a little bit every day, and I couldn't seem to do much at all but sleep. I slept late every day, then took naps, then sat around during the times in between. I just couldn't seem to muster up any energy, and I felt kind of down, too. I feel certain that the gloomy weather contributed to my lethargy. The sun didn't peek out even once the entire week. It was damp and too warm outside. The whole week ended up being a big letdown for me.

Tonight I go back to work, and guess what? It's gloriously sunny outside. Not a cloud in the (brilliantly blue) sky. It's cool outside again. Overall, it's a picture perfect fall day.

And I'll be spending the whole afternoon and evening at work. Inside. At my job that I hate.

And I'm completely out of paid time off until the end of January. Not that it matters really, because with the holidays coming up no one will be allowed long weekends or weeks off until late January anyway. That's just the way it is in the world of retail. I had high hopes for enjoying my last bit of time off this year, but instead I just felt sluggish, bored, depressed, and tired. If the weather had been nicer, I think it would have been a better week for me. I sure wish some of this nice weather had happened a couple of days ago!

Three words can sum up how I feel today: just my luck!!!

A (much needed) break!

Hi Everyone! Guess who's off work for an entire week?

This girl!

Today starts one full week of rest, relaxation, and fun for me. I have been hoarding vacation time at work so that I could have two full weeks off this year...this week, and the first week of October. The next 7 days are going to be filled with cooking, time outdoors, crafting and party planning with a friend on Sunday (our 2nd annual Mid Autumn Moon festival is coming up, and it's going to be a much bigger event this year), a trip to the beach one day next week with another friend, a small cookout with GB and a couple we know, birthday lunch and cake with my dad on Monday, and plenty of time in the backyard hammock with a book and cold, summery cocktails. Preferably margaritas. Which is what I'm drinking as I type this.

Let the summertime fun begin!!!

The fastest week of the year

My five days off are almost over. I wish there was some way to slow down time when you're on vacation. This week has gone by like Amtrack.

It's been a nice break, although it seems like I did a whole lot of work. I was behind on getting gifts ready for GB's birthday, so I spent the first couple of days doing that. I made him a photo collage of our pets to hang at his work. I also got him a new warm hoodie (his old one was worn out!). For his main gift I dropped off a painting for custom framing that we have been meaning to frame and hang for years. Unfortunately, I didn't realise it would take 3 weeks to get it back! So the gift I'm most excited about won't be here until the day after Thanksgiving. I was so disappointed! But my dear husband will just get a very belated birthday present--he didn't want to know what it was. He said another surprise will be welcome at the end of the month!

We went up to Raleigh, NC on Tuesday to see his mom, stepfather, sister, niece, and nephew. His sister and her kids just moved back to Raleigh from Virginia. We had not seen them in a couple of years, and I couldn't believe how much the kids have changed in that amount of time. The girl is nearly 16, and the boy will be 18 in March. All of a sudden (or so it seems to me) they went from looking like kids to looking like young adults. It made me feel odd, and I sometimes didn't know what to say to them. (I'm pretty sure they felt the same way!) It was good to see them again,though, and my dear sister in law too. It ended up feeling like a long day, with an almost 3 hour drive on each end of it, but we're glad we went.

Yesterday, for GB's birthday dinner I made something we never have--homemade fried chicken! It was so good! I also made mashed potatoes and gravy to go with it...mmm! For dessert, we had homemade pineapple upside down cake, made from a 1940s recipe I found in an old cookbook. It is a moist, yummy cake! Here is a picture:

It was/is truly yummy! I will be glad to share the recipe if anyone is interested!

Well, I'm off to heat up some leftovers for tonight's dinner. We're going to watch a movie and then it will be time to go to bed and get ready for my return to work tomorrow. Ugh! Why do vacations go by so darn fast?

Take me to the bridge.

"but soon the fore part of him slowly rose from the water; for an instant his whole marbelized body formed a high arch, like Virginia's Natural Bridge, and warningly waving his bannered flukes in the air,the grand god revealed himself, sounded, and went out of sight."
-Herman Melville,
Moby Dick



With our 5th wedding anniversary approaching, we wanted to go somewhere interesting. We decided on the Natural Bridge in VA for our vacation this year. We will be exploring paths around the bridge (with classical music and staged lighting at night, as seen above)and the deep caverns around it. There is a newly opened butterfly greenhouse that I am excited about seeing, and our hotel room will have a small private balcony facing the mountains.

They say George Washington surveyed the land and his initials are carved in the limestone of the bridge. Thomas Jefferson owned the property for awhile at one point, adding to it's historical interest. There is a "Native American Life" trail, too, but GB and I will probably skip that part. I do want to see the dinosaur park...they say there are huge models of dinasaurs romping around with statues of "settlers". That seems too corny to miss!
What really excites my deep inner book nerd is the quote from Moby Dick, though! How cool is that?

I will be posting pictures after our anniversary festivities are over. I can't wait to get away and have a little fun with my favorite guy!

The light at the end of the tunnel

I am one tired blogger today. Work has been bearing down on me. This week I will probably put in close to 70 hours, which doesn't leave much time for anything at all. I love my job. I love the people that work for me. But I need a break! Halloween will be a truly special day this year...because it is the beginning of my much needed week off!

Husband and I will probably go camping for a few days during that week. I am so looking forward to it! There is a campground beside a river that is only about 15 miles from our house. Although it is close to home and not as exciting as some camping trips we've taken further away, it will be super easy to pull off without planning overmuch. If we forget something (or need to come home and feed Mr. Marco!) we can be here in minutes. This will be Ginger's first camping trip so we actually prefer to be closer to home, in case it doesn't go well and we need to bring her back. It's a nice place, too, even if it is nearby.

The park rangers cut up fallen limbs into firewood and stack it neatly into woodpiles at each campsite. Free firewood is a good thing! It's never very crowded. There is a beautiful wooden walkway built over the river (and through the woods, haha!) that we love to explore. It will be nice to build a fire, roast weenies, and do some stargazing. It will do us both a world of good to get away for a few days. We love to camp!

We will of course put off leaving until mid week. Halloween is going to be fun in our new neighborhood, and I wouldn't miss it for anything! We will probably go mid week and stay two or three nights. Husband's birthday is the following week so it will be an early birthday celebration for him. And late October/early November is when we have our peak of fall color this far south. The nights are chilly (mid 50's) and the days are warm (low 70's)...perfect camping weather! I can't wait!