Princess in family

Yesterday I went to a few garage sales. Since I too am on a serious editing mode, I am careful about what I buy. I found a purple velvet "princess" dress for my granddaughter since she has outgrown the two I previously bought. Not only outgrown, but also worn out since she puts them over her clothes many times when visiting.

Later in the day I spent three hours at the wholesale produce auction which is held three times a week four miles from my house. For forty dollars I brought home eight perennials and a few parsley plants. I cannot put them where I want the perennial garden to be since I need to plant background shrubs first. So my vegetable garden has become the perennial nursery. I already have several planted there waiting for the right spot in the perennial gardens.

In case you have noticed a lack of photos recently it is because my desktop computer is dead. My computer person, (son) was able to save the contents from the hard drive but the rest is toast. We are now getting an external hard drive for the pictures and just use my laptop. I have done a good job putting all my pictures on CDs or DVDs so would have had them if they would have been toast too.

Guests head north and a dinner for me

Yesterday Andrew and his parents set off for Toronto to visit relatives. BUT not until a new rental car was delivered and the old one taken away. Seems the trip needed another event in it. Andrew noticed the tire was loosing air. Upon inspection he saw a bulge in the sidewall. They asked if he could drive it and he declined. So a tow truck was sent out. I was able to visit with them an additional three hours and they help with the left over food we had accumulated.

I spent the evening at a dinner with my AAUW friends. It really does take time to get to know people. This group is very welcoming and friendly. Part of our program was meeting the three "nontraditional" students who received scholarships from the organization. These were three women whose ages ranged from 35 to 50 and have returned to college. A couple also are single parents, work full time and still are involved in volunteering in the community. Hopefully our scholarships encourage them.

UK visitors

Yesterday, which was the last full day that Andrew and his parents were here (they came to the US for his commencement at U of MD and then drove to our house). We started out the day by taking a rather large trailer to get mulch for me. Gerry was set on going to this place about 20 miles away because he heard they gave you 1 1/2 yards for the price of one. Always looking for a bargain. They loaded it, but we had to cover it, which took 30 minutes or so. He put on several tarps and lots of tie-downs. Fortunately I can use it directly from the trailer.

We then drove an hour to visit the Escher exhibition. My favorite is The Puddle:

"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puddle_(M._C._Escher)"

There are three elements: water, sky and earth. Of interest is the moon and trees which are reflected in the water, the water and the various tracks on the mud.

In the evening we met Shawn and his family for dinner where Andrew's parents had their first Mexican food. We suggested rather mild entrées which they enjoyed. We all stayed an extra hour at the restaurant as there was a rather fierce storm (with tornado warnings) outside. But we all arrived safely home in the end.

Rain

For the last two months it has rained 8 out of every 10 days. I have managed to mow the lawn two times which is more than some people have been able to do. But it has been impossible to plant in the garden or to do any landscaping projects. I have been able to spray thistles and do some weeding and G helped me put some edging around my garden shed where I have a perennial garden. I should not complain however, since my livelihood is not being threatened as it is for all the farmers. They are weeks behind in getting crops planted.

Today I had three projects to complete. The first was tire related. Yesterday G drove over a rock/piece of concrete which cut the sidewall on his tire. Guess what? He found a tire of the same size in his stash. My job was to take it in to be mounted. They said it was 10 years old, but in good enough condition to mount and use. He left me with very little gas so I put a small gas can in the car, but made it to the gas station where I put in over 19 gallons.

Secondly I spent an hour at the County Recorder's office. The buzz around here is everyone being approached by a company to sign an oil and gas lease. The is happening in New York, PA, and Ohio. We have attended some seminars to learn about our rights. The first is to find if there is an old lease on your property. The company which is coming into our area can buy it without even telling you. So you must void it. I found one from 1980 but I think it has expired. Next we have to decide how much we want to get involved. I won't go into details but it is complicated and not a big get rich proposition. One can make some money, but your property could be messed up.

Thirdly, I mowed for the second time. It has rained for 8 out of every 10 days for about two months. So the lawn is really long and muddy. Gardening and farming is out of the question at this time But I am being optimistic and making a landscaping plan for the year.