“Begonia” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Pink Rose” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Pink Oleander” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Petunias and Dahlia” – Paul Militaru Photography
Gutter Covers – The Estimate Game
Trying to get estimates for things you need done is not for sissies. I’ve never liked situations where you ‘bargain’ for things, and I’m not very good at fielding estimates, either.
We wanted gutter covers, thinking that this is a good idea as we’re too long in the tooth to be climbing up two-story ladders and trying to do anything these days. We don’t have much guttering, but I would like to take care of what we have the best way we can.
I went to HomeAdvisor.com and filled out a form about gutter cover estimates. Within a few minutes two of three people accessed had called me and arranged to come to the house to give us estimates. I now know, due to the estimates, that we have approximately 68 feet of guttering. It’s along the 2nd floor in the front, and part of the first floor in the back. We only put up the minimum, and it has worked well for us. In fact, when we doubled the size of our shop, we had them remove the guttering on the older part and have been happy with our decision.
The first estimate was $1020. Nice young guys. Good manners.
The second was $670, but no written estimate until I called him back, telling him we would do it, and it HAD to be done the next day. To be honest, I was wary about this one.
My husband and I decided that each of these would cost more than we were willing to spend for this job. I started over today with estimates for just CLEANING the existing guttering and downspouts and adding a support to the end of the run at the back of the house.
This time there were apparently two available services, one of which said, “No available bookings” (whatever that means) beside their name.
Within 5 minutes the available company called me back. He was here to give us an estimate this afternoon. He said he also installs covers, so I asked him to give us an estimate on that, as well. He lists himself as a handyman, too, so that opens up a whole host of future activity with him if we’re happy.
He gave us an estimate for cleaning, repairing the one part of the guttering end on the back, AND the covers, of $300. SOLD! He said he would call me back about whether they could do the job on Saturday or Monday. He called back in a couple of hours, and we’ve settled on Monday afternoon.
While he was here, I was griping that my husband and I are going to have to chain saw parts of two trees – an evergreen tree that the local power company savaged while they were making sure their lines were clear. They cut it off in a terrible fashion and we now have an unsightly and dangerous hunk of dead evergreen hanging from the top. A mimosa tree at the bottom of our driveway had one of its huge branches break off in the last big storm. It’s hanging at half mast, threatening to come down into the driveway, hopefully not on a vehicle under it at the time.
When the man called back about the guttering the way he promised, I asked him to give us a bid on cutting down the parts of both trees and hauling the debris away. He said he’ll put his chain saw in his truck Monday and he’ll give us an estimate then. If we like it, he’ll do it Monday while they’re here. If not, that’s fine.
I feel we’ve won the lottery on good sources and good people. I will continue to use HomeAdvisor.com for the odd jobs we need, and I will get and keep the handyman’s card in my ‘wonderful people’ file and we’ll probably give him several more jobs in the near future.
We came out pretty well for someone who doesn’t know anything about dealing with estimates…
Filed under Housekeeping - Maintenance
Heat Index Deflation
I got up this morning planning to spend much of the day outside working in the yard in short sessions, getting a bunch of good stuff done. Have I done that? NOOOOOOO!
The heat index at 8 a.m. was already 101, deflating my energy and plans like a popped balloon.
We went to town, taking Amber in the back seat of the truck. She was in Heaven – her head out the windows, going from one side of the truck to the other, her lips blowing in the wind. My husband and I got the mail and then mailed a book we sold and headed for home.
By the time we got our stuff out of the truck and had given Amber a chance to take care of business, we were sweating heavily, even in the ‘shade’ of the garage.
We’re still planning to work in the yard today, but will wait until 7:30 or 8:00 this evening. My husband will mow and I’ll weed whack. If we don’t finish before it gets too dark to see, we’ll quit and do more tomorrow.
No intelligent person (particularly geezers, such as we) are out in this heat unless they have no choice.
Filed under Mother Nature
What is a Bookshelf?
Bookstr via Cathy Ruggiero
“Dark in Death” by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) will come out in paperback in August. I’ve preordered it, standing on one foot and the other trying to be patient.
I’ve decided that, since I’ve only read the series one time, I’ll begin with the first and re-read all 45 preceding the newest one. Nora has created a world of truly interesting, admirable people that I would love to actually know, so I’m looking forward to diving into their unique world again.
I hope that you, too have at least one bookshelf that has authors who take you into another dimension, too.
Filed under Hobbies, quality of life, Reading is FUNdamental
4th of July Mailbox Decoration at the Lewises
Snoopy and Woodstock Mailbox Decoration
My husband and I enjoyed making this patriotic decoration for Independence Day for our mailbox. We hope that Snoopy and Woodstock will make people smile as they drive by or come up to see us.
Filed under holidays, Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations, metal art
Painting – Rex Preston
Rex Preston -originalpaintings.com
Filed under Creativity, Oil Paintings I Love
Orange
“Orange Rose” – Paul Militaru Photography
“One-One” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
A Delicious Celebration
We just got back from Fort Smith, where my husband took me to celebrate my 1100 blog subscribers with a lobster tail dinner.
To tell you I savored every bite just doesn’t do this meal justice. Each bite of the lobster tail was dipped in the melted butter and then accompanied by a groan of pleasure as I put it in my mouth. This is truly my favorite food.
My husband had a grilled chicken salad and a Corona.
recipelar
We both had a Red Lobster biscuit
It was a wonderful celebration lunch.
On the way home we were treated to another wonderful surprise –
pbase.com
I tried to find an image as close to what we saw as possible – an older doe, a young one without spots and a fawn. They were on the left side of the road as we turned on the curve. The oldest one went across the road first, kind of lackadaisically, as if she wasn’t worried at all. The younger doe and the fawn waited on the left. We stopped the car and watched. Finally the younger doe jumped and ran across the road, followed very closely by the fawn. Once they got on the other side, they turned to look at us.
It is truly hot outside right now – 95 degrees, 50% humidity = a heat index of 105. Add full bellies to that and a couple of people I know may take naps this afternoon –
Filed under Cause for Celebration
“A Joke is a Very Serious Thing” – Winston Churchill
ardea.comviawww.dailymail.co.uk
“A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.”
Henry Ward Beecher
“A sense of humor is a major defense against minor troubles.”
Mignon McLaughlin
blazepress.com
“A sense of humor is the ability to understand a joke – and that the joke is oneself.”
Clifton Paul Fadiman
“A sense of humor… is needed armor. Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.”
Hugh Sidey
“A taste for irony has kept more hearts from breaking than a sense of humor, for it takes irony to appreciate the joke which is on oneself.”
Jessamyn West
“A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life.”
William A. Ward
incrediblecuteness.com
“Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it. “
E. B. White
“Comedy has to be based on truth. You take the truth and you put a little curlicue at the end.”
Sid Caesar
“Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.”
Peter Ustinov
“Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.”
William James
“Humor is just another defense against the universe.”
Mel Brooks
“I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it.”
Frank Howard Clark
“One doesn’t have a sense of humor. It has you.”
Larry Gelbart
Filed under Favorite Quotes, Funny Signs - Humor
Getting the Lard Off Progress Report – 6-27-2018
cliparts.co
The BAD news is that I’m still old and still don’t look a THING like Julia Roberts.
The GOOD news is that with the help of the Nutrisystem counselor, I seem to have broken through the plateau from Hell I was on and am losing weight again!
To date, I’ve lost 16.3 inches.
Poundage off is now 14.4.
Other GOOD things –
- I’m getting used to drinking 64 oz of water daily, no longer feeling that my eyes are floating. (My husband – who is not even trying to drink any certain amount – is getting used to having to pause the movie several times, though, as the drinking catches up with me in the evenings.)
- I’m getting more confident about being able to adapt our life style to the Nutrisystem program, particularly as it relates to the flex meals and our social life. We like to bowl with friends on Monday evenings, for example. We use the trip to Braum’s afterwards as our FLEX SNACK for the week. We eat with friends every Friday for what we call “Lunch Bunch.” We were counting that as FLEX LUNCH, but are finding it easier to work it into the program by having it as our FLEX BREAKFAST for the week. I’m starting to prepare some of the “Leaf” Nutrisystem FLEX DINNER recipes, having fixed two so far. One of the recipes was an “OKAY,” but the latest one, the “1-Pan Rice, Chicken and Vegetables” was a winner. Today, since I made it to 1100 subscribers – actually 1101 now) to my blog – HOOORAAAAAAAY!” – we’re going to Red Lobster for Lobster Tail as our FLEX LUNCH for the week in celebration!
- I’m starting to look forward to some of my exercising. I’ll never become like Jillian Michaels, who seems to live for exercise, or like annoying Leslie Sansone, who keeps talking about how much FUN her walking program is and how GOOD it feels, but I AM enjoying the half hour I spend daily doing my yoga stretches and then using my cervical pillow to completely relax for several minutes. I’m trying to do my elliptical trainer for 30 minutes every other day. I’m using all the vacuuming and mopping of floors as my exercise a couple of days a week or more, since I seem to have to devote my life to it to even THINK of trying to keep up with all the dog and cat hair right now.
- I’m starting to believe that if I keep on keepin’ on, I’ll eventually lose the lard, be healthier, and feel better as there is less of me.
My next goal is to earn my 20 lb Nutrisystem bear! One day at a time….
taolife.com
Trying to Learn Patience
naturalhistory-notes.blogspot.com.br
Our son kindly arranged for a box of mangosteens to be sent to us from a company in Florida. We ate one small one the other day. My husband said, “Good, but I wouldn’t travel far for one,” with his usual exuberant attitude toward most things. I found it really interesting to peel (our son sent a video he made of peeling and eating the fruit), and was delighted to find out SWEET the sections were – kind of like eating a super-sweet orange. I wish I could describe the taste better, but it’s really nice. Our son says he “eats them like candy.”
We’ve been waiting for more to ripen. All of them were like billiard balls when they arrived. That’s good, because you don’t want all of them to ripen right away and waste much of the fruit. We’ve had some on the island in the kitchen, but they weren’t ripening. A good friend suggested that we put them in a paper bag. I did that and I’ve been checking them each morning. So far, still billiard balls.
I think this is yet another character-building exercise – waiting for the mangosteen to ripen. It’s a good thing we weren’t depending on these for sustenance….
shuttercock-theodysseyonline.com
“A Pleasant Afternoon”
“A Pleasant Afternoon” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
Memories
In 1969 two wonderful things happened: my husband and I got married and I started teaching.
(My son provided a chat program so that we can “talk” any time we would like to, even though he’s across the world from us. This morning he had left me a question about my teaching many years ago. The chat program is having a hiccup, so I’m not able to answer him yet, but the question brought a flood of wonderful memories.)
My students were all black and I fell in love with them the first day. I taught first grade and we were in a self-contained classroom. This meant that I was responsible for trying to teach them everything. I was so excited about the opportunity it didn’t dawn on me that maybe I should be scared of all the responsibility, being a brand new teacher. We all learned a lot that first year.
I learned that our daily lives were much different from each others’, but we could sure love. I was trying to teach them phonics, and it was difficult to get or keep them excited about ‘sounds’ of letters. I made up a really silly song about the sounds, brought my guitar to school and taught my kids the song. They loved it! I would play and they would dance and we would sing, absorbing the sounds the letters made, and gradually putting them together to make words. Words became phrases and phrases became sentences and reading began. I checked out books from the school library and brought some from home to read to them so that I could share my love of reading.
I was supposed to have three reading groups, but I had six. I found that my kids learned in different ways and that, in order to make things stick and come alive, I needed to use different approaches for each group. I had the fast learners work with the kids who were having trouble, and that helped, too. I encouraged my kids to do well by giving them paper certificates on Friday afternoons for good work – one child would get one for sitting still for his reading lesson. Another got one for a good score in spelling, and son on. I gave out the certificates under the one tree on the playground, weather permitting.
My kids had trouble relating to the stories in the Weekly Reader, but we were required to go through it every week. My kids’ favorite use of it came when I rolled them up, climbed up on top of the waist-high heat register beside the windows and used it to swat a wasp that was threatening us and ruining our concentration.
I loved teaching. When the light of understanding came on – I called it the ‘light bulb moment’ – my day was made. I had made something understandable to a child. Their eyes would light up, a smile lit their face, and they could then take the ball and run with it. There is absolutely nothing more thrilling in teaching than when a child gets excited about learning.
Unfortunately, the public school system and I didn’t see eye to eye. I got into trouble – getting called to the principal’s office like an unruly child – called on the carpet for
- playing the guitar (“Ms. Lewis, this is NOT a music class!”)
- having too many reading groups
- not having all the kids on the same page at the same time
- letting kids tackling the learning in their own style
- giving out certificates under a tree on the playground
- attempting to contact parents when a child was having problems
- standing up in a PTA meeting and asking for help on getting the supplies we needed (we weren’t supposed to admit we didn’t have supplies)
- and the biggie – using the Weekly Reader to swat a wasp (the superintendent happened to walk in while I was on the register. The kids all cheered when I swatted the wasp and killed it. I put the nail in my coffin when I said, “This is the best use of the Weekly Reader I’ve seen yet.”
I had a wonderful eight years in the Tulsa Public Schools. During that time I earned a Master’s Degree as a Reading Specialist. I then started and ran my own reading clinic for another three years – my partner an intern teacher who taught with me.) We changed a lot of lives. We helped people – kindergarten through adult) fill in the gaps in their learning that had kept them from making sense of the printed page. We unlocked doors, brought smiles and confidence. The only thing we didn’t do was make enough money to continue. It was with great regret that I closed the clinic and went back to the regular world to get a job that helped pay the bills.
How lucky I was to have an opportunity I’ll never forget!
Painting – Zac Retz Art
ZacRetzArt-zacretz.blogspot.com
Filed under Creativity, Oil Paintings I Love
Mixed Feelings
clipartix.com
I’m split right down the middle emotionally this morning – one half is jubilant, the other feeling very, very humble.
I officially hit 1100 subscribers to this blog the day before yesterday. Half of me is joyously dancing around the room. The other half is feeling very serious.
THANK YOU to those of you who signed up to receive the blog. People see my posts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+, but 1100 actually signed up to receive my posts every day. I gain and lose subscribers on a regular basis. That’s normal and to be expected. To have this many people actually stick with me – many for several years now – is such a beautiful compliment. My goal is to provide a place free of politics, outrage, bad news, and other gloomy, depressing things. We all get more than enough of that in our regular, every day lives. I’m trying to provide a break, focusing on beautiful things, funny stuff, posts that might bring you a smile, or that you might identify with. Above all, I hope to never bore you.
THANK YOU to those of you who take the time to hit ‘like’ or write to me. Feedback is a wonderful thing. Otherwise, I feel I’m throwing a bottle in the ocean. I appreciate feedback on what you enjoy, what made you smirk, what touched you in some way. I would love to know what you would like more of, as well as what you hope to never see again. :0)
When I told my husband that my subscriber list had reached 1100, he insisted that he take me for a meal of my favorite food in all the world – lobster tail! We’re doing that tomorrow!!!! So THANK YOU, also, for giving my husband a reason to spoil me once again. :0)
As I wrote this post, my stats told me some wonderful news: I just hit 1101!
What Color is Your Attitude?
1hotwallpapers.blogspot.com
“Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up.” – Allen Klein
_________________
My dad taught me how important seeing the world with humor can be. He lived it, giving me a beautiful example on which to base my own attitude. I can stand back and look at what’s happening as if I’m watching a movie. This allows me to see the humor in the situation and give a big, hearty laugh at myself.
My mother-in-law gave me a reminder when we were driving her to a retirement center in Tulsa. Her whole life was changing. Her husband was dead set against the move. She was giving up much of her previous life and activities. She knew no one at the center. I asked her how she felt about the move. She smiled a bright smile, her eyes twinkling, and said, “I’m going to LOVE it!” I looked at her, silently asking her to go on. She said, again, “I’m going to love it. I’m going to make friends, find fun and interesting things to do, enjoy fixing up our rooms a bit, and make this my new home.” And she did. Everyone soon knew who she was and loved her.
I’ll never forget this, and hope to embrace changes with this same enthusiasm. Attitude colors everything. We can look at things with the idea of new opportunities and wonderful surprises ahead. I want my life to keep expanding. I would like to reach out, savoring what remains of my life with gusto. The more colorful, the better.
What color is YOUR attitude?
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, Delightful Surprises, Encouragement
Going to the Dogs
Fuzzy Molly
We just recently got back from taking sweet, Fuzzy Molly to the groomer at the vet’s office to be shorn like a sheep. Molly is a cocker spaniel/schnauzer cross and is 13-1/2 years old. She is a happy doggie, making all of us smile. We’re having a bad year for ticks, so we’ve had to keep doing more and more to keep our animals as safe as possible. We use the squeeze-on-the-back-of-the-neck stuff from the vet once a month, but this year we also got flea collars for the two doggies and our two cats. (The fish in the aquarium don’t seem to be bothered by ticks. :0) )
Our vet got a new groomer who started at the first of this month. She has some 23 years off experience, so we’re lucky to get her. Today was the first opening the groomer had, so Molly has gotten really fuzzy between groomings. I’m having more and more trouble finding the pesky ticks and now she’s coming in covered with little tiny burrs. I’m glad that we could get an appointment today. We’ll pick her up at around 2:00 this afternoon.
Since we were going to the vet and Amber loves going ANYWHERE in the car, we took her, too. She now understands “CAR,” “GO,” “GET READY” and all sorts of other words shared – or not MEANT to be shared – with her, so it’s difficult, if not impossible, for us to get out the door without either a “LET’S GO” or “NO, you can’t go” discussion.
Amber is a Yellow Labrador Retriever. She is now 15-1/2 months old. In an older post I told you she weighed 95 lbs. I misspoke. She only weighs ninety-TWO pounds. My husband put the no-pull collar and leash on her before bringing her into the vet’s office. She was a perfect lady, even though it had been months since she had worn the collar (which gives her a shock if she suddenly pulls on it, letting up when she does). She hadn’t been on a leash in that amount of time, either, so she has a good memory. We weighed her quickly and then left.
The first thing Amber did when we got home was run around the side of the house and jump into her pool. With the storms we’ve had the past several days, the water was yucky. That didn’t stop her for one minute. She splashed around, drank some of the water (yuck!) and laid down, saying, “AHHHHH!” and looking very pleased with herself. She is now snoring in Molly’s small bed.
I hope that, if you aren’t lucky enough to have a doggie of your own right now, you have access to someone else’s dog so that you can smile for awhile today.
WOOF! SIT! STAY!!!! GOOD DOG!
Filed under Amazing Animals, Family
“Two on a Rocking Chair”
“Two on a Rocking Chair” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
“1-Pan Rice, Chicken and Vegetables”
“1-Pan Rice, Chicken and Vegetables” Flex Dinner
Yesterday I made this recipe. I didn’t finish it in time for lunch, as I meant to. (I’ve been on a plateau and the Nutrisystem counselor suggested that I swap dinners and lunch for one week and get back to her, among other things.)
I ate one serving of this for my lunch, along with some raw veggies and a little bit of salad dressing. I was very pleased. The dish could have cooked longer, getting the brown rice a bit more done, but I used a large skillet and had it on a large burner on the stove. Next time I’ll use a smaller skillet and put it on a smaller burner so that it doesn’t tend to cook all the liquid out before it’s done.
The taste was very pleasant. Many times recipes use more herbs and spices than we like, so I was a bit leery, but this tasted good. My husband will try it tonight – already warned that the rice was a bit ‘chewy’ and the changes I’ll make next time. He’s very forgiving, pleased with me for trying new recipes. I know – he’s definitely a keeper!
I have found when posting recipes in my blog that a lot of the people responsible for the good food would rather I post a URL to their blog and NOT post the entire recipe. With this in mind, the source for this nice recipe is
Nutrisystem, The Leaf, Flex Meals & Snacks, Lunches and Dinners
Easy Weeknight Meal: 1-Pan Rice, Chicken and Vegetables
On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 SmartCarb, 1 PowerFuel, 1 Vegetable and 2 Extras
Makes 4 servings
282 calories per serving
Shock and Awe
We have a Dyson Animal Vacuum Cleaner. Mine doesn’t have as much purple as the one in this picture, but it’s a wonderful vacuum. I’ve told you that I’m a slob – and that a sparkling clean, perfectly ordered home is not high on my list of priorities.
Lately, though, since we have two dogs and two cats, all of whom seem to be shedding hair as a main priority of their days – as well as 4 goldfish who thankfully DON’T shed, I’ve been vacuuming at least every 3 days, if not more, trying to keep up.
I started the vacuum today and my husband said, “Why are you vacuuming? You just finished.” I explained to him that it was the day before yesterday when I vacuumed the first floor. He shrugged, saying, “I don’t think it needs it.”
When I finished, having vacuumed the carpet in the office, foyer and living room, and the tile in the dining area, kitchen, pantry, utility room and two half-baths, I emptied the canister and brought the trashcan to my husband. He looked down and said, “UGH! Where did all that come from?” His face told the story. He looked a combination of shocked/disgusted/impressed, with an “euwwww!” set to his lips.
I kindly took the trash can away remarking that it was amazing how much the vacuum got up when “you didn’t think it needs it.”
I’m just really glad we have a great vacuum cleaner. I just wish that it were a bit less graphic about what was on our floors before I started….
Paintings I Love – Hubert Robert
Hubert Robert – Title: “Le Pont Sur le Torrent” – visualelsewhere.wordpress.com
Filed under Creativity, Oil Paintings I Love
Celebrating My Husband’s Health
I told you recently that my husband and I just celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary. We ‘renewed our option’ as we usually do at this time, but I told him that I wanted him to live healthy and happy so we could one day celebrate our 70th.
He has Type II Diabetes. We’ve been trying to get his blood sugar down for awhile now with varying degrees of success. He’s been doing better since we started Nutrisystem toward the end of April. We started monitoring his blood sugar twice a week after starting a new medication a couple of years ago. His blood sugar was in the 500’s when we discovered he had diabetes. When we started monitoring with the new meds, it was still at around 350+. (normal is below 100).
This morning it was 96!!!!!!!!!!!
He also complained of some dizziness about two weeks ago. We’ve been monitoring our blood pressure, so we noticed that his was low. We decided to have him stop the blood pressure medicine, taking his blood pressure daily and watching for any more dizziness. His blood pressure is now normal without medication and has been for a week or so now!!!!!!! No more dizziness, either!
I am SO happy for him. He is a HUGE sugar lover. (He even calls ME ‘Sugar.’) He was kind of in a funk having to give up so many foods and drinks he loved. We were able to find some substitutes so he has a hot drink he likes and a cold drink he likes. (He will only drink water to take pills, and occasionally when he’s been out working in the yard.) The Nutrisystem choices so far have been at least “edible” and some are ‘really good,’ he says.
He only has about 12 more pounds to lose to get to a healthy weight, but the blood pressure and blood sugar differences are life-altering-for-the-better. He used to have pain in his feet, but that is all but gone now. He still has a bit of trouble wearing certain styles of shoes. (We found good sandals for the summer and good boots for the winter. He’s still having trouble finding tennis shoes that are comfortable for his toes, but he’s functional.) He had double vision for awhile, but that’s gone, thank goodness. Restless leg is still bothersome, but not often anymore.
Food and drink changes are never easy. He knows more than anybody (he thinks) and so pooh-poohs what experts say. He is having to admit that he is much better now, feeling better, sleeping better. We are both delighted to see the blood sugar and blood pressure numbers.
I hope our new primary doc will see that we’re serious about trying to take care of ourselves when we see her the first week in August. :0)
Filed under Challenges, Changes, DIET!, Encouragement, Healthy Eating, quality of life, taking care of yourself
“Simply a Beauty”
“Simply a Beauty” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
Gutter Covers?
LeafFilter Guard
The first of two people coming to give us estimates for covering our gutters is coming today.
As I’ve told you before, we have a two-story home. The guttering, of course, is along the edges of the 2nd floor roof. (Imagine that! :0) ) We are definitely too long in the tooth to be cleaning out the guttering – balancing on the two-story ladder, cleaning out the gutter, and then climbing down, moving the ladder a couple of feet over, then climbing up again….
We’ve seen the ads for the nice gutter covers on TV. I went to their website and they said their service wasn’t available in my area yet. I was disappointed, but decided that we could just continue to ignore our gutters.
Suddenly, two people called to talk about gutter covers! I found out later than they had been referred to us by HomeAdvisor.com. I didn’t remember going there, but I must have in my quest to find someone in our area.
Our information was given to three companies, two of which called and made appointments to come out and give us an estimate. The first one is coming this morning and the second is coming tomorrow afternoon. The second one asked me for an estimate of the number of feet of guttering we had. After I finished laughing, I told him I didn’t have a clue.
I’ll make sure I have an apples-to-apples comparison of the cost of this, including cleaning out the gutters, sealing the gutters (whatever that means – but it was in the ad on TV), warranty information (the ad said, “Lifetime warranty.” OUR life? The installer’s life? The gutter covers life? What does that MEAN?), clean up of all debris, cost of the project, and when they could do it.
I’m afraid, since I would really like to do this, we can’t afford it.
As my husband says, “Soon we will know.”
Filed under Housekeeping - Maintenance
A Committee of Vultures
“A GROUP of vultures may be called a ‘cast,’ ‘committee,’ ‘meal,’ ‘vortex,’ ‘venue’ and even ‘wake.'”
My husband and I were surprised to see something we’ve never seen before on the way to shop for groceries today – SEVERAL buzzards or vultures in one area NOT because they had found something to eat on the road. There were some sitting on the ground, others sitting on a fence nearby, still others on a big boulder – all at the entrance to one home that is down the hill from the road.
They were just sitting there. They weren’t flying around, playing in the wind currents, squawking, or anything. It was really strange.
Stranger still, on the way HOME after we had finished shopping, we saw them AGAIN, still sitting there…
As the sentence at the top says, one can call a group of buzzards or vultures by several names. I like ‘committee,’ of vultures, in that I’m reminded of politics….
Filed under Amazing Animals
New Recipe (Flex Dinner)
The rain has stopped, so we’re about to go grocery shopping. I’m getting the ingredients for a new Leaf Nutrisystem Flex Meal Dinner called, “1-Pan Rice, Chicken and Vegetables.”
I’ll make this when we get home. We eat ‘lunch’ at 2:30, so I’ll have plenty of time. “Why in the world would you fix a dinner in time for lunch?” you ask, having read the title of this post.
I’m trying to break through a plateau in my Nutrisystem adventure. One of the suggestions the Nutrisystem Chat counselor made was that I should try swapping ‘dinners’ and ‘lunches’ for one week and then get back to her. I’ve been doing this, plus the other things she suggested, such as being sure my ‘Powerfuel’ and ‘Smartcarb’ snacks were 80 calories, cutting down on the salad dressing (extras), and eating everything I was supposed to eat for the day, rather than skipping anything.
The result is that it seems to be working! I’ve lost 1.4 pounds this week, so I’m encouraged.
So, I’ll prepare our ‘flex dinner’ for the week and I will eat it for lunch, while my husband will have a serving for dinner, and I’ll freeze the remaining two servings.
Wish me luck?
More of Timothy Gallihan Art – Pencilworks
Filed under Creativity, drawings
An Owl Always Makes It Better
Loralee Lewis and Covia JeffJett
I love owls. There is something about them that speaks to me. I collect them. I try to draw and paint them. I have owl earrings and a necklace. I’m drawn to them everywhere I go. I realize this might be weird, but seeing one lifts my spirits. This lovely owl created with feathers by Loralee Lewis and Covia JeffJett I think is simply stunning.
Filed under Amazing Animals, Encouragement
Purple!
“Purple Flower” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Lavender and a White Butterfly” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Exotic Purple Flower” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
creativeartworksblog 