Vorlon Whispers

Friday Flower Bloggin'

No they are not blooming yet but I have a big yellow bud and as soon as the sun comes out, it will open. I saw the bud yesterday. It was a cloudy day and today it has been pouring rain. Danny is hiding under the bed. The sun is supposed to come out around noon; it looks like it's starting to clear up now. The photo of the crocus was taken in of 2006 in Vineland. I don't know if Ted took it or if I did. I can't wait to see the pretty yellow flower. If feels like spring but it is still only January. We have to get through February and March and the weather can change rapidly. The temp. at 9am was 62 degrees. I couldn't believe my eyes. Now that the storm has passed through, it's down to 58.

News from the Vorlon Wife.

Barnstormin'

Michigan winter barn # 8. This photo was taken last year in or near Lake Odessa.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

I knew I missed one day of blogging but I didn't realize I missed two. I get so tired at night, I fall asleep reading my Bible or my book.

The concrete was poured yesterday while I was at Bible study. It's a good thing I got home when I did as the walkway ran right into the side of where the deck will be. They were going to change the deck to have two sets of steps. I said it would take away deck space so they moved the concrete. It was still wet enough to work with. There were two plans for the walk. One had a diagonal to the patio portion and the other had a squared off turn to go around the deck to the patio. It made a long day for the man who is doing the job. He really looked beat. I felt sorry for him. It has been in the 50's here as far as the temp. goes. They snow melted rapidly and the ground was not frozen that hard or deep. Although it had gotten cold, it only last a day or two when it warms back up again. As long as the ground isn't frozen, the concrete can be poured. When I lived in Massachusetts, the frost line went down over six feet. It created frost heaves in the roads and some of the buildings. Instead of stepping up to enter the side door that went to the basement, the ground would be raised up and you would have to step down to go into the door. The porch pillars would be heaved up and the roof would pull away from the wall. The water lines had to go down six feet under the ground. Here, the water line is about two feet under the ground, if that. In Vineland, it was three feet.

With the deck and walkway on the other side, I will be able to go in and out the back door with Danny and not track dirt and debris across the white carpet. It is such a mess I don't think it will ever come clean. It didn't come clean when I had it professionally cleaned last June. If I had known, I would have ripped it up when I ripped up the two back bedrooms and got new carpet for it. It is Berber ivory. It was beautiful when I first got the place but what a mess it is now. Maybe I'll get a big oriental rug and put over it.

I had Choral Society practice on Tuesday night. My friend, Joan, was sick so I went with her friend, Nancy. Nancy's husband owns the Chevy dealer in Elkton. She drives a demo car which is an Impala. Her home is on the golf course in Elkton. They also have other real estate in the area. The car dealer has done well in-spite of the economic hard times. They must be doing something right.

When Nancy dropped me off at Baker's Restaurant, (that's where we meet to go to the Choral Practice), I noticed I had a head light out. I got out my Honda book looked up how to replace the headlight. Step number one was: Remove the bumper. "WHAT!" I thought. I took it to the service station that I deal with. I also needed a bulb for my clock. They were able to replace the headlight but the clock light had no part number listed anywhere so they had to order it from the Honda dealer. They'll call me when they get it in. I couldn't find the part number in either of my Honda books. One book, Ted got is 4 inches thick. The other is the owners manual. The big book tells about removing the clock but nothing about the bulb. I better get a spare bulb as it happened before. I had the Honda dealer in Vineland replace it. I should have look up my bill from them to find the part. I didn't think of it until now.

News from the Vorlon Wife.

Michigan winter barn #7 taken last January in or near Lake Odessa.

I returned my DVD's to the library this morning and went to the bank. The work was started on laying out the sidewalk to the back door. The concrete will be poured on Thursday and when it hardens, the deck will be built. Tomorrow, I have to dig up some bulbs and a hosta lily to make way for the concrete and deck.

I went to the Food Lion Supermarket in Middletown, DE this afternoon to get some groceries. They had Chuck Roast on sale for $2.99/lb. I'll be making pot roast tomorrow. They also had a pork roast on sale. I'll cut that one in half and freeze it.

I had Yoga class this evening then came home and had some dinner of ham, baked beans and carrots. I had some chocolate covered crackers for dessert. The crackers were a fund raiser for the Choral Society. I watched a Perry Mason movie tonight and now it's time to hit the hay.

News from the Vorlon Wife.

Steeplechasin'

The Episcopal Church in Elkton.

Yesterday, we woke up to snow on the ground. We got about 2 1/2 inches but it changed to sleet and rain so packed down and iced over. Danny had trouble walking in it as his paws would brake through the thin ice coating over the snow. He kept sniffing at it wondering why he was having such a difficult time. I led him to the side walk I had shoveled off but he returned to the yard and his problems walking on the snow. I got him some dog booties but didn't figure he'd need them to walk on the sidewalk. He didn't get any ice packed in his paws anyway.

Zumba class was canceled in the morning but we went to the Zumbathon in the afternoon. It was a two hour session as a fundraiser for the highschool. I took some photos and Erin is doing an article on it for the local newspaper. She got a volunteer job as a correspondent for Chesapeake City.

We stopped at the Library on the way home. Marianna, the Librarian, is a good source of local history and knowledgeable of the local community. Erin spoke with her while I looked for some movies to watch for last night. Saturday night seems to have nothing worthwhile on TV. I found "Nights in Rodanth", and "Northanger Abbey" for last night and two DVD's of Masterpiece Classics: " Midsummer Murders." The latter two are not due for three weeks so we can watch them later.

It turned cold so the snow is still on the trees. Maryland does a good job with their roads but our developement does not. It gets plowed with the tire tracks as the cars drive over it. I guess if it's over 3 or 4 inches it will get plowed.

News from the Vorlon Wife.

Friday Flower Bloggin'

"If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" P.B. Shelley, English Poet.

One of Ted's photos taken in March of 2005.

Yesterday was a busy day. Exercise class at 9am, help prepare fellowship dinner at 3:30, Yoga class at 5pm, gobble dinner at 6:15, clean up church kitchen after dinner, Bible study at 6:30, choir at 7:30. I was so exhausted, I had to leave choir practice before it was over. I went home, took Danny out, got into my jammies and watched a DVD iof the Rockford Files in my bedroom. I needed the rest.

News from the Vorlon Wife.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

I can't believe I haven't blogged since Sunday. I've had a busy few days. I went to Yoga at Town Point Monday evening and then I had a finance meeting at the church on Monday. I started helping with the church finances on Tuesday. I entered the checks and paid them. I went to exercise class in the morning and I had Choral Society Practice Tuesday night. Today, I went and helped Ursula stuff with a letter to the members of the church. I was able to relax this afternoon and evening. I was tired and needed the rest. Tomorrow will be another busy day with exercise, helping to get the fellowship dinner ready, Yoga, Bible Study, and Choir Practice. UG! I dread days like that.

News from the Vorlon Wife.

Steeplechasin'

This is the church where my sister-in-law's memorial service was held last year. Ted's father is getting out of his car.

I went to Don's yesterday and helped take down his tree. We watched the San Francisco - Saints game as we were putting things away. Danny was on his worst behavior barking at the television and getting in the way of us taking down the tree. If he doesn't have my attention he makes a nuisance of himself. I finally put him out on the porch so we could have some peace. He seemed to like it out there as he didn't scratch on the door to get in. He likes to explore new places.

This morning, I went to church and Sunday School. I was going to go to the supermarket but it is bitter cold out. Danny loves the cold weather and wants to stay out but my fingers get cold. I'll have to dig out my ski mittens.

News from the Vorlon Wife.

Barnstormin'

Michigan winter barn; a neighbor of Ted's mother near Lake Odessa.

I went to Zumba class this morning and will be going to Don's later today.

News from the Vorlon Wife.

Friday Flower Bloggin'

Ted's enhancement of the dogwoods and azaleas in our backyard in Vineland. Taken January of 2005.

Yesterday was a busy day. I went to exercise class in the morning. I helped Jeannie get the fellowship dinner ready in the afternoon. At 5pm, I went to Yoga at the Town Point Church, then it was back to the Chesapeake City Church for my dinner of chicken pot pie, cole slaw, and a brownie. I was shocked to fine no one had shown up for the dinner. The only people there were the kitchen workers, the pastor, and the youth leader. The pot pie was delicious. It is not the kind that looks like a pie, in southern NJ and here, they roll out the pie crust, cut it into pieces, and cook it in the boiling chicken broth. When it is done, the chicken is added. Jeannie went to a lot of work to prepare the meal and her granddaughter made the giant pan of brownies. The pan looked about 2ft x 3 ft in size. It was the first dinner since before Christmas. I don't know whether people were sick or if they just forgot that small groups were starting. The band for the contempary service will not be playing this Sunday so none of them showed up for dinner. There were only three of us for our Bible Study and we were the kitchen help and the pastor. We all took some of the food home with us and Jeannie put the pot pie in the freezer for next week.

After Bible study, I had choir practice. I was exhausted when I got home.

News from the Vorlon Wife.

Barnstormin'

Michigan winter barn #5 taken last January.

I went to Bible Study this morning. This afternoon, I took some of the Christmas boxes out to the shed, rearranged some, and brought some more back in. I didn't do much else. I was on the computer for awhile. I got some more winter barns and a church ready to post. I'm going to have to take some more photos of churches. I keep forgetting my camera when I go out.

News from the Vorlon Wife.

Sunday, January 8, 2011

Yesterday was a busy day. We went to Zumba class. The instructor started the class with a few spinning around. I felt nauseous for the rest of the day. When I got back, I put the top soil in the flowerbed next to the driveway. I took Danny for his walk and then had some lunch. After lunch, I continued with some yardwork. I got out the leaf blower and cleaned up the leaves the children had missed when they raked my yard. There were piles of leaves under my steps and it seemed like millions of acorns in the back yard. The temperature was 65 degrees so it was a good day for yard work. I started putting away the Christmas things. I packed up the train and took apart the skating rink to see what was wrong with it. I saw a couple of the lights had turned black. I took all the lights out and replaced them with one of the lights I use in my Thomas Kincaid Village. It works so will be ready for next year. I was really beat when I got done.

I went to Church and Sunday School this morning. We had a guest minister as Pastor Mark went with the youth group on their retreat to Ocean City, MD. The guest pastor had been the pastor there from 1982 to 1992 so many of the people knew him.

When I got home, I took Danny out, had some lunch and went to work on taking down the blue and silver tree in the livingroom. I first had to pack up the Thomas Kincaid Village under the tree. Then the ornaments were packed up, followed by the garland and the lights. I had to put the plastic storage cartons out in the shed and bring in the one for the tree. I finished that job while Erin prepared the dinner. Afterward, I called Ted's mother then relaxed to watch Downton Abby on Masterpiece Classic.

News from the Vorlon Wife.

Friday Flower Bloggin'

Ted's photo of our holly in Vineland taken in January of 2006. He was lucky to get a photo of the berries as the birds usually strip all the berries off the bushes. I had two holly bushes that a friend from the Vineland Nature Club gave to me. They did real well in Vineland; they liked the sandy acid soil. I managed to bring a couple seedlings with me. I don't know if they are from the bushes John gave me or not. There were many hollies in the Vineland area and the birds could have dropped the seeds from any one of them. But they are from my yard. They are only about 6 inches high. I don't know how well they will do here. They soil is acidic but it is clay.

It looks like I missed a couple days of blogging. Wednesday, I went to Bible Study. It was a very cold day. The temp was 12 degrees and stayed in the teens. Thursday morning, it was a little warmer with a dusting of snow on the ground. I went to exercise class but no one showed up. I guess the snow kept them away. It either evaporated or melted when the sun came up. It was a dry snow and easily brushed off the car windows. I went to the Home Depot and got a couple things. I got a couple pieces of lumber to mount my living room mirror. I'm going to make a shelf to support it as I have to nail or screw it into the studs that are two feet apart. The mirror has a brass frame and is heavy. My 1/8 inch walls won't hold it. I will have to sand and stain the wood and make little cut out to fit around the things that cover the paneling or drywall or what ever they made the walls of. Erg!

I also got filters for the furnace which is another problem because they don't make a size that will fit properly. I have to get a 20 inch and squish it in. They don't have 19 inch filters. An 18 inch might fit but then the length wouldn't be right. Erg!

I got some top soil to fill in next to my new drive as it is higher than the old drive. I may have to get a truck load but then would have to pay for delivery. I'll just have to do a little at a time. Home Depot helped me load the soil into the car but now I don't know if I can get it out. The bags were frozen and heavy. I may be able to slide them out and drop them on the ground. From there, I can drag them a couple feet to where I want to spread the soil.

I had choir practice last night. The Thursday night dinners don't start back until next week. That's when everything starts. Choral Society and a new Yoga class a lady from the church will be starting. It will be three nights a week but I may only be able to attend on Monday. I have a lot of Yoga tapes but may have to get DVD's as the tapes are prone to wear out, break, or get stuck in the tape player. I noticed one of my movies on tape was flickering in a few places. I'll upgrade to DVD's and they'll come out with something new.

News from the Vorlon Wife.

Here's Danny Boy on Christmas Day with his new soft mesh halter. Don's friend, Barbara is giving him some attention.

I went to exercise class today and when I came out, snowflakes were flying. It was just a flurry. I went to the library and bought some paperback mysteries from their book sale. I got five; they were a quarter each. Now to get to my reading.

News from the Vorlon Wife.

Snow Geese in a cornfield near Summit Bridge, DE on Friday, Dec. 30th.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

We went to Zumba this morning and had a good workout. We came home, showered and walked Danny Boy. Then it was back to the church to help in the Kanal Kitchen. Once a month, we serve lunch to the homeless people. Erin and I were on clean-up duty. I washed, she rinsed and a couple others dried. Some people prepared and served. The young people help with preparing and serving and putting up the tables and chairs and taking them down. The high school has a program that requires students to do so many hours of volunteer work for their graduation.

The lunch was excellent. A choice of beef barley soup or chicken corn chowder, grilled cheese sandwiches, and home made bread. The desserts were provided by the ladies from the zumba class and there were lots of them. I chose the chicken corn chowder, the grilled cheese, a slice of bread, Ree's (the zumba instructor) pumpkin cake and chocolate cookies. The homeless people are all so very grateful. They looked happy and we were happy to help them.

I adjusted my timer for the Christmas lights. I have it in the shed with a long extension cord coming out and over to the east side of the house. The globe arborvitae, the Alberta Spruce, and my new little driveway tree lights are plugged into an outdoor outlet and that is plugged into the extension cord.

The other side has the driveway tree lights and the lights I wrapped around the spruce tree. They are plugged into the outdoor outlet near the front of the house.

After zumba, we went to the library and got three movies for tonight. The librarian picked up one and said, "This is blue ray." I said, "Oh no, I don't have a blue ray player. Do you have that in regular?" The other librarian looked around and pick out the new Pirates of the Caribbean. So I took that one. I tried to find movies that neither Erin or I had seen before. I was thinking about going to the movies tonight but it is too expensive. I get a senior discount but Erin doesn't.

Not long before this year is over.

Happy New Year to my blog reader buddies.

News from the Vorlon Wife

Don's new tree.

My red and green tree that I have in my bedroom.

My Blue, white, clear glass, and silver tree in the livingroom.

Friday Flower Bloggin'

This lovely flower arrangement was given to me by Don's friend, Barbara who owns a Flower Shop in Pennsylvania. She made it of red and white carnations in the shape of Danny Boy. It is surrounded by greens, pine cones, Christmas balls and ribbons.

Tree lights alond Bethel Road across from the Marina at the Chesapeake Inn. I posted more of the walking tour of lights in Chesapeake City. The first two are drive by photos on the way out of town.

Yesterday was a rainy, nasty day. I had to take Danny out wearing his rain coat and carrying an umbrella so he could do his duty. I did some laundry and moped the kitchen floor. I did some work on the computer and that was it for the day.

The Chesapeake City Town Hall window display.

Pookie Poo's is a guest room at a Bed and Breakfast on Bohemia Avenue. It is a little house next to the main house.