What's New?

Who's that blonde on the tracks???

Dog and his bike!

His dog covers, my cat covers!

Hi everyone!  My home improvements have come to a screeching halt; I have a new "friend" that I've been spending time with and doing fun things, his name is Carlyle, a.k.a. "Dog" (old high school nickname) and "Shrek" (not sure where that came from, but I can assure you, he's not green).   We do everything from attending church together to bicycling on the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath to golfing (he's a 6 handicap) to slugging down a couple brews together.  (Hey, just because you're a Christian doesn't mean you can't enjoy a cold one in moderation).  Anyway, for my non-Facebook friends, thought you'd enjoy some photos!

Back From Canada!

Whew!  I had a great time in Canada last week, but I'm glad to be home.  Robyn and Rene were the perfect hosts.  Delta made me stay overnight in Minneapolis due to flight delays, but I made it back to 90-degree northeast Ohio this morning, safe and sound.  The golf up there is AWESOME!!!  If any of you hackers get the chance to go up there (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan), Waskesiu, Nipawin, Elk Ridge, GO!  They are beautiful courses, a bit challenging (at least for me), and affordable.  I think Steve would totally approve of my spending the first anniversary of his being torn away from us golfing on beautiful courses with great friends.  In retrospect it was the perfect way to spend the week.  Enjoy the photos!!!

I Take Saskatchewan by Storm!

Here I am visiting Robyn and Rene Hanchar in lovely Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.  I am having a wonderful time, but I'm feeling like Tippy Hedren in "The Birds," because since I arrived on Monday, they've had two horrific wind storms, and since they never get these kind of storms, I sort of feel like it's my fault.  Did I bring them with me?  Who knows.  We spent today helping clean up their home golf club, Cooke, because it was hit so hard by the storms that play on the course is impossible.  So we thought if we can't golf, we can help clean up!  There were over 70 volunteers and, believe it or not, convicts from the local prison!  You would not believe the carnage.  Huge trees snapped in half like toothpicks, it's unbelieveable.  Check out these photos.  But Robyn and I are back to golfing tomorrow, maybe at Elk Ridge?  My playing stinks but I'm having fun anyway!!!  (By the way, if you click on a photo, it will enlarge.)

My Screened in Deck

Finally!  On Monday and Tuesday Patio Enclosures came and installed my screened enclosure on my deck.  I love it!  I can sit outside in the dewy mornings and drink my coffee, or during a thunderstorm, or at night and not get eaten alive by mosquitos!  And the kitties love it, as you can see from the photo.  I had been thinking I shouldn't be spending the money but now that it's finished, I am very happy with it, and I think Steve would approve of it.  I may have to have a "deck warming" party later this summer!

Ohio Chain Saw Massacre

Well, Ok, so it wasn't really a massacre, just removing a dead limb from my flowering plum tree.  But it was the first time I'd used my little electric chain saw, what fun!  And I didn't hack myself to bits or bleed profusely!  I even wore eye protection, but I probably should have worn long pants.  Anyway, my friend Marina came over with all her garden implements to help me weed and trim the vines and shrubs at the front of the house.  It looks just "mahvelous" now, as it was getting quite overgrown.  I'm sure Steve has been looking down and just shaking his head.... he took a lot of pride in our yard.  But, it's looking much better now!  The question is, "To Mulch or Not To Mulch?"  I'm going to try to get away with not mulching...

Trip to the Vet!

It was time for Ivy Rose, Spooky and Rascal to make their annual journey to the vet for check-ups and shots.  I normally dread it, cuz once they hear the rattle of the carriers coming into the house, they scatter and hide.  Today it was like shooting fish in a barrel, even Ivy Rose was calm while I put her in her crate and took her to the vet.  They must know I've been stressed out lately.  Rascal is much more laid back about it than the others (see photo).  After I took the pic with Dr. Bieber she said, "Wait, I should have a more intelligent look on my face!!"  My vet loves the kitties.  IR and Spooky hid in their crates until I forced them out, but all's well that ends well.  Whew!  Wont' have to do that for awhile!

Shed Doors Finally Painted!

Whew.  It's taken some time, but I finally got out there and finished painting the shed doors.  Problem was that the type of stain recommended by Sherwin Williams (Woodscapes) didn't give me the coverage I wanted, so I had to put a coat of Deckscapes on, which is a heavier stain.  Moral of the story:  Use your own judgement when you're paying $50 a gallon for stain.  But for all intents and purposes, it's done, so that's one item I can check off my endless "to-do" list.  (By the way, Lady Gaga is great "music to paint by!"  Why not make painting aerobic? )

Next project:  Mulch Madness!!!!

2007 BUICK LUCERNE CXS FOR SALE!!

I'm finally done procrastinating and realize I have to sell Steve's Buick.  I'm sure he's thinking, "It's about time, Daisy!!"  I have a full write-up available on it, and I've posted some pictures here.  If you know of anyone who may be interested in it, please direct them to my blog or give them my email address.  If someone in Florida wanted it I would be happy to drive or ship it down there.  It is fully loaded, 3 years old, and a beautiful car for about $22,000 (negotiable!).  It originally was $41,000; it has only 53,390 miles and new tires with only about 3,000 miles on them.  Very clean. 

I LOVE MY SHED!!

How boring does a person have to be to have such utter and complete FUN clearing out their garage and moving stuff to their new shed?  Maybe I'm boring but I am having a blast!  I guess just emptying my garage and creating so much more space and so much less clutter is inspiring.  I love my little shed in the woods, and I know it will inspire me to do a lot more gardening. It still needs the siding installed and the doors painted, but it's move-in ready!  I am exhausted, though, and definitely feeling my age.  I keep forgetting I'm not 30 anymore!  Time to quit and have a brewski!

In Case You're Wondering...

I realized most of you are probably wondering, "What the heck is Crackel Manor???"  Well, after Steve and I bought the house in 1984, and he being the nicknaming guru he was, he nicknamed our home "Crackel Manor," as it is located on Crackel Road and it was more house than we thought we wanted and certainly cost more than we planned to spend at the time!  As I was only 28 years old at the time, it was a lot of house for me.  But we fell in love with it, and it was Steve's pride and joy, hence the concept of "manor."  Nothing was too good for our home as far as Steve was concerned, and I plan to continue that in his memory.  Thought you'd like to know!