Last Friday was a dark and stormy day. Literally. I worked through lunch so I could leave a bit early and hit the grocery store before the storms hit. You could look at the sky and know it was coming. I was just expecting thunderstorms. I underestimated a bit. Almost right after I got the car unloaded, the sirens went off. Sirens going off are not good. So, I turned the tv to a local channel and their sole coverage was the storm system moving the area. My city wasn't the only city that hit the sirens. Many places had hail the size of golf balls. Again, I very much appreciated my garage. This morning it was confirmed... three tornadoes touched down in the metroplex area, one confirmed to be an F1. It was amazing what people did with cell phones... one guy actually videotaped the twister coming towards him with his cell phone. It's amazing to me how technology is used in times like that; I'm not sure I would've been quick enough to whip out my cell phone and take picture.
As a result of the storms, we had a very chilly (highs in the 50's) and a very windy Saturday. Seems like every time I drive to my old stomping grounds the weather is horrible - either gusting winds or pouring rains. I'm beginning to wonder if God is trying to tell me something. The trip this time though was to help friend CD paint her very first house! She closed on Thursday. It's a great house in a great neighborhood. Makes me a little nostalgic. Not as many people were on hand as had been hoped for. I stayed for about five hours, but then I had to toodle. It's a hour drive now for me and I needed to head back. The winds though, wow. In places I drive on a very flat, open road. And, believe me, I can tell it when the wind is gusting. :)
I enjoyed helping her and felt like I didn't do enough. I wish I could have done more. Many rooms were painted chocolate, including the guest bath where they even painted the ceiling chocolate. We got a good bit of the priming done. I can still feel it in my thighs though. Since I did a lot of the priming near the baseboards and in the hard places for the rollers, I wound up doing what amounts to squats for about three hours and I can tell it.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
Going strong....
This just doesn't apply to me, but I'll start with me. Four times this week to the gym! Woo hoo! I think the weather helped. It was just beautiful until today. Today, rain with possibly severe thunderstorms (meaning hail) and possible tornadoes. Dark and gloomy. Days like this one should be spent sleeping in and lounging with the cat. The four times included two classes - step on Tuesday and last night the core board class. Heavens that class! It goes fast, but it is a workout! I stuck with the 3 lb weights because of all the movement. My short legs and the fast pace also make it hard to do some of the moves because of the width of the board, which is a bit frustrating. It was good to separate the two classes to two different days. I've done them together, but the room is just a bit too hot (or I'm just not in good enough shape!).
Speaking of the kitty cat. She appears to be doing better. Fur seems to be filling in the bald spot, but I'm still occasionally using the spray just to be on the safe side. I'm planning on cutting out the wet food. I should never have gotten her in the habit. She screams for it all the time and with the recent pet food recalls (my brand wasn't affected) I'd just prefer we go back to dry food and treats. I will say with the wet food she's not as interested in treats. But, I think she's just a tad to attached to it. My nerves will be shot, because I'm pretty sure she's going to be quite vocal in her disapproval of no more wet food. So, cross your fingers and say a prayer that my nerves can handle it. Cats seem to be pretty routine oriented, so I'm hoping it will only take me a couple of days to get us back to our pre wet food routine.
Remember the gas well that is going in basically across the street from my house? Well, I would've thought they would have been done by now, based on what the city told me. 45 days to put in a gas well. Granted it was wintry when they started, but it's been way more than 45 days. Well, Thursday morning I was awoken from a sound sleep by the loudest buzzing sound... at 1:00 am. It sounded like it was either in the house or the back yard. I actually got up to make sure that my a/c unit or some other thing wasn't about to blow up. Sure enough, the gas well people. My question, what possesses someone to do this in a neighborhood at 1:00 in the morning? Surely, it could be done during the day. Fortunately, it only lasted (at least the really loud part) for about an hour. I seriously considered calling the city again, but decided I would only do that if occurred two nights in a row. It didn't. Houses are being built across the street, so my view of the gas well is being obstructed. I almost miss it... not cause it's pretty, but because I'm basically a nosy person and like to keep an eye on what they are doing. :)
And, the landscaper who said he'd draw something up and get back. Yeah... he hasn't. Why am I not surprised Guess, I'll come up with a plan B and go from there. And, maybe that's the way it should be.
Speaking of the kitty cat. She appears to be doing better. Fur seems to be filling in the bald spot, but I'm still occasionally using the spray just to be on the safe side. I'm planning on cutting out the wet food. I should never have gotten her in the habit. She screams for it all the time and with the recent pet food recalls (my brand wasn't affected) I'd just prefer we go back to dry food and treats. I will say with the wet food she's not as interested in treats. But, I think she's just a tad to attached to it. My nerves will be shot, because I'm pretty sure she's going to be quite vocal in her disapproval of no more wet food. So, cross your fingers and say a prayer that my nerves can handle it. Cats seem to be pretty routine oriented, so I'm hoping it will only take me a couple of days to get us back to our pre wet food routine.
Remember the gas well that is going in basically across the street from my house? Well, I would've thought they would have been done by now, based on what the city told me. 45 days to put in a gas well. Granted it was wintry when they started, but it's been way more than 45 days. Well, Thursday morning I was awoken from a sound sleep by the loudest buzzing sound... at 1:00 am. It sounded like it was either in the house or the back yard. I actually got up to make sure that my a/c unit or some other thing wasn't about to blow up. Sure enough, the gas well people. My question, what possesses someone to do this in a neighborhood at 1:00 in the morning? Surely, it could be done during the day. Fortunately, it only lasted (at least the really loud part) for about an hour. I seriously considered calling the city again, but decided I would only do that if occurred two nights in a row. It didn't. Houses are being built across the street, so my view of the gas well is being obstructed. I almost miss it... not cause it's pretty, but because I'm basically a nosy person and like to keep an eye on what they are doing. :)
And, the landscaper who said he'd draw something up and get back. Yeah... he hasn't. Why am I not surprised Guess, I'll come up with a plan B and go from there. And, maybe that's the way it should be.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Good things...
Well, as of last Thursday, my yard has been mowed! Woo hoo! It's so much nicer to look at now, especially the back yard. Gone are the almost knee high grassy weeds. I've also put out the weed and feed, so in about a month, the weeds should start slowing down. We had a lot of rain last week, but I realized when I was leaving for work this morning that I need to kick those sprinklers back on.
I also spoke with a landscaper, who had some good ideas for the backyard. Very quiet though. He said he'd draft something up for me, but I'm not sure he thinks I'm worth the effort, meaning I may not be spending enough money at this time to justify his effort. We'll see. I'm coming to realize that unless you can (or want) to spend thousands, you might be on your own. A small disappointment though relates to the back patio. To extend it any decent length out from the existing covered porch will require moving a sprinkler pipe. Yikes.. not something I can do. Probably means I'll definitely wind up doing the patio last. And, of course a lot of it depends on him actually getting back to me. :)
The good news though (for me anyway), is that my not dead shrub is a Dwarf Crepe Myrtle! I'm so excited. If I got to choose shrubs that would be one of my choices. They bloom all summer long and then some. I'm just so darn pleased about that. Can't wait till it blooms.
Exercise last week was a bust. I did make it to one step class and then a normal workout day. Near the end of the week though, I was just exhausted. Couldn't really think straight at the end of the day and realized a workout probably wouldn't be worth much in that state. Given my itchy, itchy eyes, I think it's allergies. I did do yoga this weekend though, so that's three days total for exercise. This week I'm hoping is better.
And, in the "cool" department. We had tiny snow flurries last Saturday. Makes sense - it was Easter. It always gets chilly on Easter. Now, Spring can come.
I also spoke with a landscaper, who had some good ideas for the backyard. Very quiet though. He said he'd draft something up for me, but I'm not sure he thinks I'm worth the effort, meaning I may not be spending enough money at this time to justify his effort. We'll see. I'm coming to realize that unless you can (or want) to spend thousands, you might be on your own. A small disappointment though relates to the back patio. To extend it any decent length out from the existing covered porch will require moving a sprinkler pipe. Yikes.. not something I can do. Probably means I'll definitely wind up doing the patio last. And, of course a lot of it depends on him actually getting back to me. :)
The good news though (for me anyway), is that my not dead shrub is a Dwarf Crepe Myrtle! I'm so excited. If I got to choose shrubs that would be one of my choices. They bloom all summer long and then some. I'm just so darn pleased about that. Can't wait till it blooms.
Exercise last week was a bust. I did make it to one step class and then a normal workout day. Near the end of the week though, I was just exhausted. Couldn't really think straight at the end of the day and realized a workout probably wouldn't be worth much in that state. Given my itchy, itchy eyes, I think it's allergies. I did do yoga this weekend though, so that's three days total for exercise. This week I'm hoping is better.
And, in the "cool" department. We had tiny snow flurries last Saturday. Makes sense - it was Easter. It always gets chilly on Easter. Now, Spring can come.
Monday, April 2, 2007
What a week...
Well, the Texas drivers license arrived on Monday, so I guess I'm officially a Texan again. And, I realized that Texas has an ugly driver's license. Arkansas has a really pretty, rather cool drivers license, but not Texas. You'd think the Loan Star State would have something less bland, but I guess they put their effort into the license plates, which are cool, rather than the drivers license. And, this puppy doesn't expire till 2013.
It was a dreary day, with a lot of rain. I don't mind the rain, but Kitty Cat has managed to get a bald spot on her tummy, which I think is basically a hot spot. But, at any rate, I needed to make sure. So, I put her in the carrier and off we headed to the vet. She wasn't happy about the trip. It was her first car ride in rain and it does make a different sound in the car. I'm sure she was wondering if I knew what I was doing. After all the hair that wound up on me, I'm surprised she had any left. The vets were okay, but the displays in the office were all about stuff you could purchase - from id tags to senior check up packages. I did get a spray and so far I think it might be working. At least the "spot" isn't getting any bigger.
Exercise wise, I did okay. I did the step class on Tuesday, but because of the heat and humidity in the room, I opted to not do the core board class and instead did free weights. I'd done yoga on Monday and that included quite a bit of abs work, so I skipped the sit-ups and stretched. Thursday was my last session with the trainer. I think it went well and was worth it. Total this week at the gym was the 3 days plus yoga.
To top it all off, we got rain. A lot of rain. Not just Monday, but several days. Friday just poured buckets on the way home, but I still ventured out for a Pampered Chef party. I tried not to spend, but I did. Hopefully, good investments. At least I didn't have to venture out of the neighborhood in the rain. I'm also really appreciating having a garage again.
The rain though has really spurred the growth of my weeds. And the grass, but what I see now is mainly weeds. I've had the dickens of a time getting landscapers and yard services to call me back. But, I got a quote today and they are willing to do bi-weekly. So, they'll hopefully get it done this week and then I can get a lawn mower for the weeks in between. They'll do the edging, etc. I'm really very terrible with that. And, they'll go ahead and do the weed and feed treatment. Hopefully, the dead spots in the backyard will go the way of the dead shrub and not be dead. I've got such visions for the yard, but right now I'll be terribly excited just to get the first mowing done.
It was a dreary day, with a lot of rain. I don't mind the rain, but Kitty Cat has managed to get a bald spot on her tummy, which I think is basically a hot spot. But, at any rate, I needed to make sure. So, I put her in the carrier and off we headed to the vet. She wasn't happy about the trip. It was her first car ride in rain and it does make a different sound in the car. I'm sure she was wondering if I knew what I was doing. After all the hair that wound up on me, I'm surprised she had any left. The vets were okay, but the displays in the office were all about stuff you could purchase - from id tags to senior check up packages. I did get a spray and so far I think it might be working. At least the "spot" isn't getting any bigger.
Exercise wise, I did okay. I did the step class on Tuesday, but because of the heat and humidity in the room, I opted to not do the core board class and instead did free weights. I'd done yoga on Monday and that included quite a bit of abs work, so I skipped the sit-ups and stretched. Thursday was my last session with the trainer. I think it went well and was worth it. Total this week at the gym was the 3 days plus yoga.
To top it all off, we got rain. A lot of rain. Not just Monday, but several days. Friday just poured buckets on the way home, but I still ventured out for a Pampered Chef party. I tried not to spend, but I did. Hopefully, good investments. At least I didn't have to venture out of the neighborhood in the rain. I'm also really appreciating having a garage again.
The rain though has really spurred the growth of my weeds. And the grass, but what I see now is mainly weeds. I've had the dickens of a time getting landscapers and yard services to call me back. But, I got a quote today and they are willing to do bi-weekly. So, they'll hopefully get it done this week and then I can get a lawn mower for the weeks in between. They'll do the edging, etc. I'm really very terrible with that. And, they'll go ahead and do the weed and feed treatment. Hopefully, the dead spots in the backyard will go the way of the dead shrub and not be dead. I've got such visions for the yard, but right now I'll be terribly excited just to get the first mowing done.
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