progress made

After a year of planning and designing, fretting, going out to bid, fretting some more, negotiating, and fretting yet again...we've finally signed a contract with a builder to do the addition to our new (old) house in St. Petersburg.  If lucky...we'll christen the house with a New Year's party...IF.  thanks go out to our architect/bulldog project manager who has really earned his wheaties these last weeks negotiating with contractors and refining the plans to get us something we like that won't break the bank.  Yeah, John!  so now on to the next step...  

9-0

Just returned from THE BEST Philadelphia Soul game.  The Soul (8-0 going into the game) beat the only other undefeated team in the league Dallas...by 29 points!!!!   And the Flyers (playing next door in Wachovia Center) beat the Canadiens 3-2 (they are somewhere in playoffs...sorry I don't follow hockey much).  So a happy night for Philly sports.

Tags: Philadelphia Soul,

2 A.M. Call

Last night at 2 AM the phone rings...crank call? someone die? someone have a baby? No, it was my best friend/sister Judy sharing with me the hard, joyful, sometime painful, liberating, and scary news that she has finally had enough and her journey to attempt reconciliation with her soon to be former husband is over...after 2 years of soul searching, hard work, quiet (and not so quiet) tears and more hard work.   Our talk was long and good.  And at the end of the day (or night) we are left with at least one thing we know for sure...we will ALWAYS be there for one another, unconditionally, through everything for the rest of our lives just like we've been for the past 48 years (I know, Judy says that can't be since she is only "37").  We realize that out of all the pain she's gone through in the past 2 years a wonderful thing has happened...our friendship and love has only strengthened and blossomed.  We  come together now not just as old childhood friends, but as women who have lived, loved, and matured.  Ours is a liberating and supportive friendship of women in the second half of their lives.  We are on the journey together.  What a gift.

Tags: best friends

Getting ready for an open house when you have 5 pets!

Having our first open house this afternoon on a cloudy gray day in a down market.  sigh.  So rushing about getting the house ready...and with 5 animals there is much to do:  check the litter boxes (3) to clean them and make sure there isn't litter all over the laundry room floor (why do they have to play soccer in the box????);  check for hairballs, hair clumps, anything to do with hair in places it shouldn't be;  check to make sure one of the dogs hasn't peed on the sunroom floor; move the dog food dishes into the laundry room; take the sheets off all the beds (the ones we put on OVER our bedspreads since both cats and dogs seem to have a rotating nap schedule on the beds); catch the cats and put them in their carriers and put them in the basement storage (oh they are going to love that!!!); take the dogs for 3 hour drive (they WILL love that).   But we love 'em anyway. 

 

 

The strange tale of the cat and the shredded wheat!

Our cat Freya loves shredded wheat.  Actually she loves anything remotely like shredded wheat:  crackers, toast, etc.  She won't eat bits of chicken, does not come running when the tuna can is open.  She just sits on the table and stares at us as we eat our morning cereal. 

One evening served cheese and crackers to evening book group.  One of my guests said "your cat is getting into the cheese". No, I said (as I swept Freya off the table)...she is after the crackers! 

the saga of the red wine stain

Getting ready for an open house on Sunday, our first since putting the house on the market.  Have spent months getting the house cleaned up and junk cleared out to make it presentable (8 years of junk I might add).  Not finished with the junk part but pretty far along.  Anyway...wouldn't you know it...I was cleaning up my office and spilled the remains of a glass of red wine on the carpet (I know, appropriate justice for not having finished the glass of red wine).   Horrors and panic.  But as I now look at the carpet at my feet, there is no stain...none.?  How?

First...I ran downstairs in frantic search of club soda...found a whole case of seltzer water which turned out to be so old there was no "seltzer" left (clearly haven't dejunked the garage yet).  finally found a small bottle of club soda....soaked the stain and got up about 80% of of it. 

Then a rush to the internet to google "red wine stains on carpets".  Chose the dishwashing soap (like Joy) and hydrogen peroxide recipe...scrubbed with a sponge....and voila...no stain...zip...zilch. 

I wonder how that recipe works on dog throwup...I suspect I will find out.

Tags: stain removal,

Getting started

A blank screen is almost as bad as blank page.  Where to start?  Let's start with cats! We have three, Captain Morgan, Freya (AKA Trouble) and Geena Davis.  All 3 are rescue cats and all three are simply the BEST. 

Freya is ALWAYS into something, or under something, or batting something around the room.  She is the most curious cat we've ever had.  She (along with Captain Morgan) have this strange afinity for fresh sheets as they are being put on the bed. Hiding under them is a favorite! 

 

Tags: Cats

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