Sensationally Six

Here we are again another week in the books. I'm not sure what we accomplished this week but I know we got a lot of things done! We had little girls today and yesterday and outside was the place to be. Little HAM loves outside! Big sister does, too, so we tried to enjoy it as much as we could.

We are continuing to rehome furniture that did not sell at the folks sale. Meeting people to allow pickups has been an experience in patience. We only have a few more items left though so it's all good. Now just hoping to get a buyer! 

In Northern news the Bee is back to playing ball. She was a last minute add and enjoyed her first game. Hopefully, that will continue and we will be able to make it up for a game.

 

Sensationally Six

Annnnnnd we are in another struggle with the darn birds again. Seems like the finch don't care about the bird spikes, appears they are small enough to just get inbetween the spikes and not be bothered at all. So we've added the mylar tape back in the mix. That doesn't seem to be bothering them at all either. They are also enjoying our ceiling fan base and the top of the new light fixture out on the big garage. To deter them on the ceiling fan if we see them we flip the switch to turn it on!

This is turning into an annual event...one I an NOT enjoying!

It wouldn't be so bad, I guess, but they poop EVERYWHERE. On the concrete, on the grill covers, on the patio furniture, and on and on. I am forever cleaning up bird poop! YUCK! Stay tuned for the most exciting bird deterrence program around...

Sensationally Six

Tomorrow another birthday happens...

I'm not sure how festive it will be since we are ice/snow bound but we will get a celebration in at some point! It's only a number but we are both now over half way through the 5's! Somedays he really feels every single year as he moves on past the aches and pains to make it through the day. The military certainly was a good gig until you realize you paid an awful lot with your body to do all that they expected.

He's competitive, competent, capable, opinionated, loyal, passionate and a good husband, father and LaLa. He spoils us all and we only think of him getting better, not older! Happy Birthday MiRV! Hopefully you will get some road time in this year.

The HANDFUL

The theme this week was to rest up. Hahahaha hahahaha, well, at least we tried. Lots went ahead and happened after the departure of daughter and family and so much more needs to be done. We are knee deep in summer projects and have a looooong list still on our "to-do" list. It would help if we stopped acquiring new projects. 

Had a very nice 4th of July celebrating with friends and family...

Family Celebration #1

Family Celebration #2

Annual Stonegate Parade...

Impromptu swimming party with the cousins on 4th of July!

Our new flagpole!

That's just the highlights folks...it's been a challenging week and yet a good news week. Though the challenges seem to be coming fast and furious. We've popped up some BIG bucks for new RV batteries, yes, plural as there are F.O.U.R. and those little puppies aren't cheap. Hope we get at least as long out of the new ones as we did the old ones. They were the originals and we have had ROADA an unbelievable 7 years now! It's all good in the big scheme of things and hoping to be out driving and seeing the our country soon.

The HANDFUL

This was a milestone week for us. It's been a whopping 35 years since we got married. It's a bit hard to fathom this milestone since some days I still think I am in my 40s. LOL Anyway the two kids who put college on hold to get married and start a career in the United States Air Force are still together. Both of us went on to finish college and one of us over achieved with multiple degrees including a Master's Degree in Information Technology. You would be correct if you guessed that it wasn't me! The Air Force career was a 26+ year adventure that seems like a lifetime ago when in reality it only ended in 2013. It was an adventure in which we made homes out of 17 various situations from duplexes to apartments to RVs in eight states and three countries. While in the Air Force we were apart the good majority of at least 6 years for various TDYs and other job related travel/training. That's a thing of the past as we rarely travel separately nowadays. Honestly, we rarely do anything separately, never have.

Since retirement we have been able to travel to 42 of our 50 United States of America and four of the ten Canadian Provinces in our RVs. And you know we wanna try to hit the other drivable States along with the remaing 6 Provinces and three Territories in Canada. Come on Canada open that border! However, this is not gonna be the year for Alaska just sayin'. Oh my how I've gotten off track...

Back to the two young kids who got married way back in 1986. We are still together and living the dream. Once in awhile its been a little bumpy but we continue to work on doing life together, remember to extend grace and love even when we are acting unlovable. It's a partnership and it is NOT 50/50. Marriage is 110/110 and some days you don't feel it but you do it. I love the product of our love, she is remarkable and she has given us one of the greatest gifts ever. They are a huge wonderful outcome of our union! There are so many defining moments of our years together and I cannot pinpoint just one as we have such a treasure trove of memories to pull from. I love them all for different reasons. I'm thankful for all our adventures together even the ones I'd rather forget! Like how about that little hike? Then 9 miles later... or the Tipo breakdown on the Autostrada in Italy and let's NOT forget you being away on January 16, 1991 when I needed a driver. Yep, there are some great memories!

So MiRV I say 143 to you...you make living the dream, dreamy and there is no one I would rather be doing life with! Happy Anniversary! And thank you for the carrot cake, it was totally awesome but we are gonna have an anniversary dinner out sometime soon!

The HANDFUL

Back in town and worn down...goodness three weeks of on the go have taken their toll. I'm thankful for a "down day" today. It's our first full day with nothing solid on the calendar and we are pretty darn happy about that. So this morning started with an excellent cup of coffee with my new obsession of frothed half and half (thank you daughter!). Last fall daugher introduced me to this lovely coffee that soooo reminds me of Hawaii and I have been drinking it pretty much daily since. And on days I don't drink that fabulous Hawaiin stuff I drink this. Then for Mother's Day daughter made my coffee with frothed half and half and well I have been enjoying that little frothy treat every day since. We got handy dandy little frothers in our stockings this year (from IKEA) and they are pretty sweet for frothing said half and half. Sprinkling a little cinnamon on top is yummy, too.

And speaking of Mother's Day it was a rare one that daughter and I were together....

Alrighty back to that fabulous coffee; after enjoying said coffee we went sailing. Yard sale season has been in full swing since the beginning of the month but we have been out of town and not able to go. Today that changed...enjoyed beautiful weather on our morning out and got a couple bargains in the process. Yeah us! Rain moves in tomorrow so we are trying to accomplish all tasks today so as to not have to be out in it tomorrow.

The HANDFUL

The sauna is his new Happy Place... it helps his body feel good and anything that can do that is worth it!

It has been a nice respite with the cooler weather recently. It's also motivated us to get our workout in then sit a spell in the sauna!

Not setting any records with our walking but we are at least getting some movement in. I admit I usualy jump on the treadmill and MiRV takes the bike or elliptical. It works for us. I do change it up on occasion and get on the other machines but I'm a creature of habit and gravitate to the treadmill on most days making sure to get in at least 30-45 minutes. MiRV who likes to keep limber and is more adventrous will work his body differently in an attempt to keep the pain at bay. He works very hard to keep himself moving even when the pain is great. He and I both believe a body in motion stays in motion.

It's been a lot of ups and downs in the family world and we are still tackling some major issues but things continue to roll along. We are hopeful for better days ahead.

UnFOURgettably 4 Friday!

 Rainy day...missing the girls and life is still marching on.

These two on video call this week was a highlight! They did a lot of giggling for sure! And of course before saying goodbye the Northern girl really wanted to speak with LaLa.

She needed him to see her and showed him some more roping skills!

Just wishing for life as normal I suppose. This whole pandemic thing is still lingering and quite frankly I'm tired of it. It's just putting a damper on life in general. It is not business as usual, it's not normal and it just feels all out of whack. How much longer? Is this really the new forever normal using mask and being hyper vigilant about hygiene habits along with social distancing?

One other little bright spot this week was grilled peaches...yes, grilled peaches. We hit up the local farmer's market a few weeks ago to secure some of the best local peaches. Went back again this week for more of those peaches as they were sooooo sooo good. The man said he loved peaches in all ways but really loved them grilled. Hmmmm....grilled. Well, if you haven't tried them this way it's definitely a little treat you might want to add to your to do list. We've indulged twice this week and what a treat it has been! 

Quick version is slice slightly firm peaches in half, remove pit, lightly grease with olive oil or spray with cooking spray and grill five minutes or so on each side over medium heat (350*ish). PRO TIP start with the skin side down first (I know, you don't even need to peel them!) Remove from grill, drizzle with honey and add a scoop of ice cream. I think you could also use maple syrup. And if you are into cinnamon sprinkle that on when you do the honey drizzle. YUMMY! And so easy.

Stay safe, stay well. And try yourself some grilled peaches...you will thank me next time you see me!

Wild & Three Thursday!

We are going on another ROAD TRIP...well, after we deal with a minor setback. We were getting ready to head out and the heat panel would not come on. That's NEVER good when the temps are gonna be in the low 40s. So we are in a holding pattern as we wait on a new one to ship. The temps here have been following with dreary, wet, cold rain and drizzle and even a few flakes. Good news is we are flexible so it's a minor delay. Even better news is that it looks like a DIY is possible so my very talented husband will be the installer. That's always a plus. And temperatures are supposed to go back up, so that is a bonus!

Looks complicated to me but he has assured me it will not be too difficult. I certainly hope that is the case. Though the space is extremely tight so I've been told my smaller hands may need to assist with the "little black wires in the very back".  Sure, I'm a team player I will do what I can.

Wild & Three Thursday!

This week was planned and then it didn't pan out so we found ourselves with some time. That means plan a trip. So we are gonna take off this weekend. Had planned to go tomorrow but gonna stick around for a family event on Saturday.  Then it's off to see where the road takes us.

I'll hopefully be able to check in while on the road but phone service may be scarce and internet even more hard to come by so don't count on it. I will try to do catch up post when we return if posting while gone doesn't work.

Ciao!

Wild & Three Thursday!

UGH...it's a water leak AND it's on our side. Ummm, did I mention this home ownership adventure is a thing that drains your wallet, monthly! We normally use between two and three thousand gallons of water a month. Once in a while it we are gone or in the winter we ever get it down to only one thousand gallons. This morning the yard was still extremely wet. We have had a lot of rain, a lot, and our yard doesn't drain all that well even though we have brought in two loads of dirt so it was plausible that the yard would still be spongy. But this was standing water. Yep, leak. County guy came and it appears it's on our side. Callout to the company who did the original work and within 45 minutes they were onsite. That's progress, right? Well, sort of. DigRite was called and they were here within two hours. However, the company that's gonna do the work won't be back until tomorrow...maybe. So we are without water. Oh, sure, we can turn it back on and off to use it but there it gonna be excess water flowing in the yard and an even larger increase in the bill. Fun stuff! And so far we have racked up over 10,000 gallons OVER our normal usage. YIKES!

To be continued...and I really want to do some ranting about how this is a pretty new house (two years ish old) and shouldn't be having some of the issue we have had but I'm gonna refrain. But you know I am thinkin' it!

Wild & Three Thursday!

PROGRESS...that is the word of the week! We are so excited to the see work on our back patio begin. Materials were delivered yesterday and bright and early this morning there was a crew on sight to start the job! Seriously, this is so EXCITING! 

The other progress that is such a relief is the clearing of the culvert...now to commence on the fix whatever that may be. We are exploring several different thoughts and options. But it is now clear of the crushed/mangled/broken black corrugated plastic and that is the progress we are extremely relieved to have. While not completely fixed it's a BIG relief to have this part done. Let's just say redneck ingenuity and patience played a HUGE roll. Putting that  grinder on a a pipe as I mentioned last week was the biggest help of all and we finished it off by pulling a log through with SMARTie! Of course we tried a few other methods that didn't pan out before resorting to the old log trick. 

That's daylight in that cleared culvert which is a beautiful sight!!!

Wild & Three Thursday!

Happy Birthday America!!!

 Daughter called while they were doing a few popping things! They had snakes, poppers, foutains and smoke bombs. I think she really like the poppers the best and a close second was the smoke bombs...actually she liked them all! It was quite noisy in their neighborhood hence the ear protection. Our girl does not enjoy noises. First 4th not to be with the little one...

Too soon it was bedtime and they were headed inside. Loved the blown kisses from our girl!

Wild & Three Thursday!

Wow! What a month of road trippin' north. We are beat! But we wouldn't trade it. Granddaughter had a blast playing t-ball; we enjoyed it, too! She is definitely a hitter. We will need to work a bit on her running and she holds her own on fielding (well, at least when she is NOT playing in the dirt)! LOL For three years old she did awesome.

Ready for a full week at home for sure. Then we are looking forward to a little ROADA road trip perhaps. Since we are awaiting a patio cover build we are sort of in limbo on travel plans. Whatever is decided it better be to a cooler destination because it seems hot summer weather has arrived. I'm an avid mild weather fun. Not hot but not cold. It's officially HOT.

Wild & Three Thursday!

She's a lefty and she packs a punch!

One more "game" this season to go.

Wild & Three Thursday!

This week's game was rained out and rescheduled until today.

 Getting a little warm up with mom!

Game time!

Wild & Three Thursday!

Yard work continues and so does the work on the garage. FINALLY we have the electric wiring run and have filled in the trench. WooHoo that is great progress in my book, I was tired of looking at the open trench in our yard.

Another completed project is landscaping the unsightly utilities area. Well it is actually still a work in progress but it is sooooo much better then it was. We went with a natural rock border. One reason for that is we had the rocks so why not use them for something. We had so many rocks in our dirt delivery it was unreal! I think it looks good and we will tweak it in the coming months/years. The irises where given to us by local friends.

There is definitely some sore muscles around here this week. But it is all for good, we are thrilled with the advancement in both areas! Hopefully, we will stay on it as there are still plenty of things to be done.  I did finish getting the tomatoes planted, too. We also put another rosemary bush in the utility area. I also have some broccoli and sage going and we just got two basil plants this week. Can't hardly wait for caprese salad! Still hoping my basil seeds sprout. I did a couple lilac bush starts that are looking rough but I think one at least will survive, the other two I'm thinking will not. We shall see. I am definitely trying!

Wild & Three Thursday!

We have expanded the traditional wedding shot of the current bride along with our girls this time to include the next generation...

Twotti Fruitti Tuesday 2019

Another year is here...make it a fresh start. That clean slate is just begging you do what you keep putting off and for goodness sake don't wait for someone else to make your happy. Sounds cliche but they all ring true don't they. 

Seriously, make your life be what you want it to be. It is up to you to make you happy, no one else can do that. Took me some life to realize that but when I did it was better in my world. Do more this year, push yourself and give. You will feel so much better, trust me. While it's not easy everyday you can make every day better if you have a positive outlook, contribute to those around you and foster an attitude that promotes gratitude. Try it! Really, I mean it TRY IT!

And oh by the way, Twotti Fruitti will be taking a hiatus until February when Wild & Three Thursdays will make an appearance. Until then keep on keeping on!

Twotti Fruitti Tuesday

Craziness is going on around the Meadow! The concrete job has been finished. Now we start the real work...the build. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Well we certainly have the slow part down. WIth the exception of cleaning up a little it's pretty much just like it was when they finished. Awaiting a couple loads of dirt and some lumber.

Pretty nice looking patio with garage in the background.

In other news we present the STICKLERS. They will be hanging out around the Meadow celebrating fall with us. Stay tuned for their upcoming adventures.

Bobbie, Rita and Hank Sticker