PAINTING !

Since arriving at daughter's home six days ago, I have spend many hours each day in the "blue" room.  I have painted two coats of primer everywhere and one coat of regular paint on the walls.  I do one coat and let it dry a day, then go to it again.  In all I may paint 8 hours a day.  Today is the last coat of the color on the walls, then on to painting the trim, doors and windows.   If there is time and energy left, I will pull off wallpaper in the "pink" room while it dries. Daughter and Hubby are doing a major redo of the plumbing.  I like my job better.  We hope to have some before and after pictures soon, but I don't have time now -  have to get back to painting.  Truth be told, I am loving it!

Annual party

Well, it seems it is party season. On Saturday we had our annual dinner with friends. We go out for dinner most Monday evenings with this group.  A common denominator is that everyone has a motorcycle or had one at one time.  Twenty-three people were coming.  One did not show because he chose to watch a basketball game instead.  Then one lady became ill and had to leave with her boy friend.  That left twenty. The dinner menu was stuffed pork loin, roasted carrots, green beans in a fresh tomato sauce and home made dinner rolls.  Oh, I forgot the "Party in a bowl" salad.  That is what my daughter RM calls it.  It was two kinds of greens, colored peppers, white beans, bacon, home made croutons, and of course dressing.  Dessert was a chocolate  meringue frozen ice cream cake.

This was the set up.  We had to line tables through the dining and living rooms. Apparently we were so busy eating that no pictures were taken of the people at the tables.  The entertainment for the evening is a "White Elephant" gift exchange.  These two peole hit the jackpot with these blow up monkeys.

And then a headlight fixture for a motorcycle which seems to double for a Darth Vader helmet.

                                         

Ok, I wasn't going to tell  this but I had a bit of an issue at the beginning. I read the dials on the range wrong.  I looked at it and thought the time was 4:50 pm.  The guests were to arrive at 5:30 pm.  So it really was 5:32pm and they arrived and I was not ready. The 450 was the temperature!

Everyone jumped into to help so it turned out great.  

A walk in the woods

Last week I went on a walk sponsored by our local park district.  Even though the leaves have fallen it was beautiful.  Fall still is my favorite season. I love the crunch of the leaves under my feet and the smell in the woods.

 I would title this "Beauty of a fallen tree".

This tree is a survivor.  Some type of damage on the side, and a lot of carvings by lovers.

 But the joy became more somber as I looked across the field and saw these flags.  The were flying at half mast for the people who were killed in Paris.

The Russian Duo concert

On Saturday night there was a concert at our local school buy a group named "The Russian Duo". I decided to host a pre-concert buffet for neighbors and friends who probably would not be otherwise attending the concert.  We had 20 people for the supper, including the director of the organization sponsoring the concert and the performers themselves, Oleg Kruglyakov and Terry Boyarsky.

I recorded some of their performance on my phone, but cannot figure out how to get it here.  So if you want to hear them, just go to youtube.  Oleg plays a balalaika which is a folk instrument with only three strings.  Terry plays the piano.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ-Q_enFZE4

Personalized cards

Today I started working on a project that I have had in the back of my mind for a long time.  When I send someone a card, I want it to be personalized.  I am also thrifty (cheap?) so don't want to spend several dollars on a card. Here are a few samples of pictures I put on the front of cards.

These neighbors invited us to their annual Clam Bake/ Pot Luck.  This is the view I have of their property when it is foggy.  So I printed this scene on their thank you card.

Another was for another Clam Bake with relatively new friends.  This is a sign in their living room.

Sometimes I have go go back a year or two to find a good picture.  But it is fun. 

Part of the challenge was to find the best paper to use.  I bought some 67 # paper which seems to work well. 

Alash

Last night G and I attended a concert of Alash.  They are Tuvan Throat Singers.  I had never heard of this type of music, but G had heard them at a Cultural Fair on the Mall in DC a couple years ago.  It was amazing.  Listen here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xia8OERlNU 

We have a local nonprofit organization, ORMACO, whose mission it is to bring experiences like this to our community.  They are workshops in local schools for children and then concerts for the public.  Our good friend's son is the founder.

Cultural activities

Since Hubby is on another MC trip (which I chose not to go on) I have had a busy week.  Wednesday went to a Script Club meeting with staff from the Cleveland Playhouse.  We read the script from "The Crucible" and discussed how they will produce it.  That is a sobering play about the Salem Witch hunts and hangings in the 1690s.  Haven't decided for sure if I will go see the play.

On Friday I drive almost an hour to see a foreign film, Gloria, which was made in Brazil.  It was about a divorced women in her 50s who is trying to get her life back together.  They had a discussion afterwards but it was 9:30 pm and I was tired and had an hour's drive home.  It had great Brazilian music which made it more enjoyable.

On the topic of music, I was listing to Bossa Nova music from Brazil and came across a jazz singer, Diana Krall.  Hubby would have been tearing out his hair, as he really does not like jazz.  I love it.  So it is great that I can listen to an hour or two on You Tube when he is not here.

One more cultural activity - Went to the Playhouse Square and saw "The Secret Garden" today.  They did it as a musical.  I'd give it an eight out of ten rating.  Great actors and singers, but they had a problem with the sound.  The music was much to loud.