Archive for August, 2008

Aug 28 2008

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Daily Dose 08/28/2008

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I took Tigger to Raleigh (well, really Apex) Tuesday and drove through that awful rain/tornadoes/hail/thunderstorms. I was really tired when I got home Tuesday night, but all in all it wasn’t too bad really. The little car did really well. Got fairly good mileage and wasn’ta at all intimidated by the big hulking trucks that kept cutting us off. It was nimble and sure-footed despite the water standing on the road.

Tigger showed today and got Reserve. We were hoping for better, but there are 4 more days of shows, so keep your fingers crossed for him. Saturday is a major if all the dogs show up. That’s the one we really want to get if at all possible.

Ken’s not working this weekend after all. He said they called for only re-workers to work Saturday, and no one volunteered, so he’ll have a nice long 3 day weekend as will I. We’re planning on driving up to Raleigh Sunday night so we can watch Tigger Monday morning and bring him home after the show. After all the rain, he needs to mow the grass and I have laundry out the wazoo since I didn’t get any done Tuesday. As always seems to be the case, my dust bunnies are having dust bunnies, so I have to get the vacuum going.

That’s about it for me. Ya’ll take care.

Love to all,
Margaret

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Aug 24 2008

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Daily Dose 08/24/2008

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Yesterday I went to the Hobby Lobby in Spartanburg for a painting class.

No, not to learn how to paint walls, but where you paint a picture. Yesterday’s subject was a lighthouse.

almostfinished The lady teaching the class uses the Bob Ross method. I had never heard of him before, but he used to have a t.v. show on Saturdays. Anyway, it was a fun class and my painting turned out OK – I think — at least you can tell what everything in it is even if my clouds suck.

I wish I had had a photo of a lighthouse to refer to. I just could not for the life of me remember exactly what the top should look like. This one is all wrong, but the lady teaching the class had her top more rounded, but still not what a lighthouse should look like IMO.

I also think I should have made the lighthouse sit on top of the bank instead of halfway down it — I’m pretty sure they all sit up high. Oh well, I can always do another one some day.

I may take another class from her depending on what she’s going to paint. She said she was going to do a poinsettia with a candle close to Christmas, but I wasn’t too impressed with her example. She had a beach sunset that looked pretty and a Macaw that I liked. I think the next one she’s going to do is a woods scene.

I have a full start-to-finish of the class written at the other blog.

Well, we got nothing from Fay. It did rain some Friday, but we are so dry despite what we got. I think we’re going to have an early fall as I’m already starting to see some leaves change color. Really deep reds.  It’s real overcast here now, but nothing coming out of the sky. It’ supposed to rain, but you know how the forecasters are. Wrong as often as right.

Ken and I went to Greenville this morning for breakfast at Perkins and a trip to Sam’s Club. We took garbage to the dump and I washed a load of clothes. That’s about all we’ve done today. I did cook supper — found some beef ribs marked down at the store, and I tossed on some barbecue sauce and baked them for an hour. I had originally intended to cook them in the crock pot, but it was too small. The dogs are enjoying the bones.

Well, there goes the dryer buzzer.

Love to all,

Margaret

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Aug 21 2008

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Daily Dose 08/21/2008

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Well, the weather forecast called for wind today and we sure have had it. Not terribly hard, but persistent and constant. It’s a bit gloomy outside although I don’t think it’s rained anywhere today.

I don’t know about Judy, but I’ve sure seen some odd creatures at my hummingbird feeders. Wasps, honey bees, butterflies and green anoles.  Still hummingbirds of course, but the wasps are vicious and chase them off.

No big plans for this weekend. Ken’s working Saturday (I think for sure) and taking Sunday off, so we’ll probably do something Sunday based on whether the race is an afternnoon race or a night race.

Well, y’all stay tied down if you’ve got any of this wind!

Love to all,

Margaret

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Aug 15 2008

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Daily Dose 08/15/2008

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Nothing at all to tell you about the upcoming weekend. I have zero plans – no projects, no long list of chores (just the normal ones) and Ken’s working. I have a couple of books I want to read.

This is not to say there aren’t about a dozen projects I *could* do. It’s best, however, that I don’t jinx myself by saying I’m going to do xyz — I’ll just blog about what I did or didn’t do on Monday. 😛

For example, I was reading a blog today that had outlined how to prepare your flower beds for fall planting. Since mine is a dismal failure this year, I really could (and SHOULD!) do that. It was a great article, too. It told me exactly how deep to put everything which is something none of the other articles I’ve ever read have done (that I can remember at any rate). Most just say a layer of this and a layer of that, but don’t tell you how deep those layers really need to be consequently, mine have not been nearly deep enough. I bought some lovely bulbs at the Jackson Perkins outlet store in Greenwood a few months back that do need to be planted. Hey Judy — do you need some bulbs? They had some really awesome looking ones the last time I was there for really CHEAP prices (like $1 a package).

I also really need to clean out the office. I’ve accumulated way too much club stuff that can be dumped. I was the recording secretary for GKC for 15 years, so have all those minutes that can be tossed (they’re all transcribed so it’s not like if I throw away the handwritten copies, I’ll be losing anything). I also have a bunch of old pedigrees of dogs and such that can be tossed as most of those are in a database now. Old dog vet records — dogs are dead and have been for years, so those can go. Well, I think you’re getting the picture…

There always seems to be no end of stuff that should be taken to the thrift store for recycling. Everything from books to tupperware is just junking up the closets, bookshelves and cabinets.

Gosh! Just thinking about all these need-to-dos has made me tired! I think I’ll just read this weekend…

Yeah, that’s a great plan!

I hope you have a great weekend, too!

Love to all,

Margaret

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Aug 13 2008

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Daily Dose 08/13/2008

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Woke up to rain this morning. A nice steady, soaking rain that also produced some wispy, smoke-like fog as I drove in to work. No thunder or lighting that I could tell and the roof was not leaking, so all in all, a nice morning. We do need the rain and having it come in this fashion is very beneficial to the entire region.

Ken says he’s working all weekend this weekend. I have tentative plans to update some of my websites and do some photo editing on the dozens on photos I’ve taken this week. Mostly of deer. We have a 4 point buck that’s very bold — he comes almost all the way up to the front porch to eat my canna lilies and nibble on my one remaining rosebush. He’s usually accompanied by that group in my header, but last night he was all alone. They came up later but he held sole reign over the cannas. Ken’s worried that they won’t come up next year, but unless he’s pulling up the rhizomes, they will be fine. They didn’t do a whole lot this year anyway — guess two years of dry weather has taken it’s toll even on the cannas.

It looks like my azaleas are getting ready to bloom again. I don’t remember if they bloomed last fall or not. These are those Encore Azaleas, the ones that are supposed to bloom more than once during the year. When I bought them, they were nearly dead and so I got them rather cheaply. It took them 3 years to get to the point where they would bloom at all. I think this year is only the second or third year they’ve produced any flowers at all. There should be photos from this spring on Webshots. All-in-all, there have been very few blooming plants this year. My Irises didn’t produced but 2 or 3 blooms and the day lilies were also not very prolific. I did get one gladiolia stalk of pure white — it was so very pretty. I have some bulbs to plant a little later this fall to come up next spring. Dahlias, glads and some other sun-loving flowers. I need to completely dig up and re-do my front flower bed or create an entirely new one as it’s been taken over by the bermuda grass which I just can’t keep up with.

Hope you’re having a great day today!

Love to all,

Margaret

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Aug 09 2008

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Daily Dose 08/08/2008

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I’m seeing more and more deer as the year winds down. Some look pretty skinny despite there being plenty of stuff to forage on. I wonder what the problem is.

Caught some cute pictures of a fawn in the yard this morning. Also some of young bucks with antlers covered in velvet. There’s a 4 pointer that’s been quite bold — he comes almost all the way to the front porch to browse on the canna lilies and my last remaining rose bush.

Hummingbird activity is peaking as they get ready to head to Mexico for the winter. It’s hard to believe that fall is only 40 days away. After so many days of 100° heat, it’s difficult to think of colder temperatures. They would sure be welcome about now, though — and let’s not forget rain!

I finally got the pathology back on Camilla’s toe. There was no cancer, just arthritis and something associated iwth trauma (I forget the exact word she used). She’s feeling so much better since the toe was removed, though. She’s back to my happy, cuddly girl again.

Ken’s working a short day today — he said he would be home about 3:30. He also said he would be working every Saturday through Labor Day weekend which is a bummer. He keeps teasing me with this talk of “no more Saturdays”, but it never seems to happen or not for long.

He brought home some candly last night that has me laughing. It’s just gummy bear-type candy, but they are in the shape of naked men.  They are quite anatomically correct, too. Don’t look if you’re easily offended. They are pretty tasty.

Well, I have to get started on this house. Laundry, et al won’t get done with me sitting in front of this computer.

Love to all,

Margaret

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Aug 06 2008

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Daily Dose 08/06/2008

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HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT

Too darned HOT.

We got the roof fixed, and it’s a good thing since they are calling for thunderstorms this afternoon. There’s little hope that those will cool it off any though. My light bill is going to be humongous this month – that makes me very sad 😥

Ken keeps saying our heat pump just isn’t big enough to do the job, but I think it’s just as much because this house is not energy efficient at all. It was built in 1982, so what’s to wonder about. Two more years is becoming a mantra. Two years before we can afford to replace the house with a newer, more efficient one.

Meanwhile, we’re breeding dust bunnies. Despite my sweeping and vacuuming nearly every day, the dust bunnies are going to take over the world. I think it’s due in some part because of the 3 dogs that are shedding enough hair to make a whole other 3 dogs every day. I truly do not know where all the hair is coming from, but I surely do know where it’s going to….

Nothing on tap for me this weekend. I will have to try to get the dust bunnies under control, that’s for sure, but other than that, I have no real plans. I’m so glad EJ got Mom sorted out yesterday. I owe him big time.

Ya’ll stay cool!

Love to all,

Margaret

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Aug 01 2008

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Daily Dose 08/01/2008

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It’s been pretty much the same-ol same-ol around here. A bit of rain one day, then hot as blue blazes the next. We are definitely in the dog days of summer, that’s for sure.

Did nothing special at the dog show last weekend, so now it’s just a wait until September which is the next one we’ve scheduled to go to. I won’t take Butterfly there — it’s too big of a show, but will enter Payne and Ken wants to show Tigger. It will probably be October before I show Butterfly again.

I’m going to see Ma tomorrow. I’ve gone too long without her jokes and feel like she’s missing out on too much not having interenet and email.

Ken’s working part of the day tomorrow and the roofers are supposed to come finally to fix the roof. I don’t have to be here and Ken should get home before they finish, so that will be all taken care of.

That’s all I have to say.

Love to all,

Margaret

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