guamquilter

Soybean Harvest

2009-11-10T07:53:00.000-06:00

Peter helped out bringing some soybeans in for a day when one of the regular helpers was ill. He rarely gets a chance to help with the soybeans, as they are usually all harvested by the time he gets back in October. This year the harvest has been very delayed because of the wet conditions.

This is corn in the upper part of the picture and soybeans in the lower half.

It was a beautiful day,with hardly a cloud in the sky.

The combine has a head that is changed out from soybeans to corn.

The hopper on the combine gets filled and the auger is pulled over the grain cart (that is what Peter drives, it is attached to a tractor that pulls it)

Every time I see either corn or soybeans flowing into the grain cart like this, I think of it as liquid gold.

These are soybeans on the vine. The combine separates the bean from the pod.

Soybeans on the ground. You can see how full the plants are with beans.

They are harvesting corn now, which I have done a blog on a few times in years past.

2009-11-09T07:37:00.002-06:00

I have pictures to share, just haven't downloaded them from my camera. We have been busy with chores around the house, washed windows, sorted out some boxes, nothing too exciting. We have had some beautiful weather for the last couple of days. I have cut down all of the perennials and harvested the last 2 cabbages from the garden. Peter cleaned the gutters on the shop (the house has gutter guards). It feels good to get so much done.

Peter is back to the fields today. The farmer he helps has been pulling in the last of the soybeans and he doesn't need as much help with beans as corn. It has been nice having Peter around the house, but I have been working daily, so it is also hard.

One Foot in Front of the Other

2009-10-27T08:07:00.002-05:00

Sunshine, finally sunshine. The farmers will be back in the fields today, trying to catch up. It is still cold, highs only in the 40s and today we have a wind. The wind will help dry things up.

We went shopping for bar stools on Sunday. What a waste of time. We have a few things we want, upholstered seat, arms, wood stool and kind of simple styling, nothing ornate. How hard is that? There is a store up on the Cities that we did look at, but not when we were looking for stools in earnest, so we will go back there again when we get back up to the Cities. We just might have to compromise on what we want.

This is my life right now, nothing exciting. Just work and the mundane. Nothing exciting coming up, either.

No Title

2009-10-25T07:59:00.003-05:00

Work is getting more complicated, long hours during the week, with wrap up and review on the weekend. It has been months since I have had two days off over a weekend that I have not done at least a little bit for work. Part of the reason behind that is that we have not had very nice weather. It has been cold and rainy for weeks and weeks. Not whining, just stating the facts. It is easy to gravitate towards the computer and get lost in emails and reports when it is nasty outside.

We did spend a bit of time in the yard yesterday, even though it was a bit wet. I had to get the summer bulbs and tubers out that cannot overwinter. We did that, but the leaves and stems are so wet that we weren't able to get them packed away. We have everything laid out on the garage floor. We will pack them up when, or if, the leaves ever dry. As far as the rest of the garden, there was no way we were going to cut down perennials or pull vegetable plants out of the gardens, because it is so wet. Unless we get a period of time soon that is warmer and dryer, we won't get that done until spring. That is fine, it just means more work during the busy spring.

We actually did something social on Friday and went over to a friend's house for dinner with 2 other couples. It has been so long since we have done anything other than work or hanging around the house and it sure felt good. We watched concert videos, talked smart and ate and drank too much. It was fun. I realized on the way there that I didn't have pictures of the wedding, so my son emailed me a few and I shared them on my BlackBerry. The new way of sharing pictures. It worked, but it would have been nice if I had pulled together an album. Shame on me.

Sewing

2009-10-20T07:57:00.003-05:00

Someone asked me if I sew anymore and I have to admit that I have not touched a piece of fabric in 6 months or more. I have hosted a few fabric swaps on a forum I frequent, but stopped that in July. I am sad that I don't have time to sew, but accept it as something that is reality for right now. I work as a contractor and I take the work when I can get it, because some day the work might not be there. If that means I work 12-14 hour days, so be it. When I get done with my work day, I am way too tired to even think of sewing. Also, my office is in my studio and when I am done, I want to get out of there and see some new scenery. I do love being in the studio all day long, but being tied to my desk and computer is a totally different thing that being at my sewing machine.

I kind of left my studio in the still organizing phase. I still have lots of boxes lying around, lots of fabric in bunches that need sorting, lots of just stuff that needs to go somewhere. If I were sewing, that would all be done. I suppose I should spend a bit every day at it, but when I barely have time to breathe, that is the first thing that gets dropped. Once again, I am fine with that, my time will come.

So I boiled potatoes last night for dinner and sure enough, the pot boiled over. The day after I had the cooktop sparkly clean. That is why I hate cleaning it!

Monday Morning

2009-10-19T08:06:00.003-05:00

There was sunshine over the weekend, but it was still cold. I need to bring some tubers and bulbs in for the winter and clean up the gardens, but I couldn't find the motivation to do that this weekend. I actually did some work, need to finish off some trip reports. I am almost done with that and I can say good-bye to writing trip reports and expense reports for awhile.

I cleaned house a little bit also. I can honestly say that I really don't like cleaning my cook top.

I like the cooktop, but it is a pain to clean. I have to take the grills off, then use a sponge to clean it all up. It takes several times back and forth to the sink to rinse off the sponge.

It is so bad that sometimes I use the microwave to cook, rather than the cooktop. There really isn't anything else that could go into this space, though. It looks nice and when would someone say they like cleaning their cooktop?

Peter is not in the field yet, because they are bringing soybeans in and it just goes much slower than corn, so they don't need as many guys. This is the first time in all the years we have been down here that they haven't had the beans done by the time he gets back in October. He mowed the grass yesterday and got a handle on the mail.

Off to get some things done before my first teleconference of the day.

Day to Day

2009-10-16T08:16:00.002-05:00

Fog this morning, I would take pictures, but all you would see is vague shadows of trees and buildings. It is thick. We have had cold, rainy, really awful weather for a week now. The farmers are all upset, itching to get into the fields. If their land was well drained, they have only been harvesting for about 7 days, if their land is wet, even less. I talked with our friend who has soybeans sitting in the field he can't get at. The harvest will be very late this year. Peter will be back tomorrow, here for a month, to help with our neighbor's harvest. This is the first year he has been back in time to help with beans, they are usually done by the time he gets home in the fall. He will be a happy camper if this rain stops, because they will be in the fields from dawn until well past dark. I won't see him much.

I am happy every day now, not getting on an airplane. I finally feel like I am getting caught up on some of the more pressing things and perhaps by next week I will be able to get started on some things we have put on the B list to do. I had a big project this week that had a floating deadline, finally getting set yesterday at noon, but it was set it for today at 9AM and I had many hours left to work on it. Needless to say, I worked into the evening last night. The joys of working from home. I have tried to remember back to when I was an office drone, when I first got into research and traveled half my time. I can't remember late nights in the office, but I am sure I had them or else I brought work home.

I haven't done anything social for ages. I really need to fix that. We have just one thing planned when Peter is here, but with him in the fields, it is hard to plan anything. If it is raining, we have time, if not, he is gone. I also have to get back to my studio. My office is down there, so it taunts me every day I walk in. I have a big mess, too. Lots of bits and pieces scattered everywhere. I had an invasion of crickets (hate those things!), so in order to get rid of those annoying things, I pulled furniture away from the walls. Now that the crickets are gone, I need to put it all back together. It isn't a huge thing, just something I keep putting off. Sure would be nice if I could motivate myself and work as hard on stuff outside of work as I do with work.

Alright, I have to get down there. I am hoping to take an hour or two to run some errands. I haven't been out of the house for days, another joy of working from home.

More Sydney Pictures

2009-10-13T09:25:00.001-05:00

Just a few pictures I haven't posted from my Sydney trip. I had my last day in Sydney proper and really enjoyed the day, walking around by myself. I started at 9 in the morning and finally walked into my hotel at 7 in the evening.

I toured the Sydney Aquarium, even though it was very crowded. I figured I could dodge the parents and kids and I figured right. They have it set up so nicely, with lots of viewing areas. The next pictures are dugongs, a relative of a manatee. Kind of bizarre creatures.

I just had to laugh about this sign, especially when the croc posed specifically for me.

I wandered into a big shopping mall near Chinatown and there was a celebration of the full moon.

I always love the dancers. They had singers, dancers, karate demonstrations and a whole lot more.

I actually stayed for more than an hour, resting my feet and enjoying the show.

It feels like that trip was months and months ago. Time just flies by. I knew I was leaving summer and going to come back to fall, which just accentuates the passing of time. Now with less travel, I can finally do something other than work. I have not been out in the yard or gardens for ages. I need to get everything ready for winter. That is on the agenda for the weekend.

Again with the Snow?

2009-10-12T09:47:00.004-05:00

Ah, Mother Nature, you are such a tease.

Especially since I am starting my new position today (a promotion).

Is this your way of saying "I know you don't have to travel as much anymore"

"so let me dump some snow on you, so you can rejoice in not having to go out into it"

Thank you, it is nice and toasty in my house. My house that I don't have to leave for ages.

Snow

2009-10-10T10:25:00.001-05:00

Really?

On October 10th?

Catch Up

2009-10-03T10:51:00.002-05:00

I slept for almost 10 hours last night. Guess I must have needed it. I have to admit I did it with a little help from modern chemistry. I just had to get a full night's rest. Haven't had much more than 6 hours each night for almost 3 weeks now. Except now I feel like a truck ran over me, because I was probably in the same position all night long.

It is a gray drizzly day here and it sure feels like fall. The soybeans are dry, the corn has almost no green left on it and the leaves are changing. I knew I would leave summer and come back to fall, but knowing it doesn't make it any easier. It is not the fall that I mind, it is what comes after it.

I had neighbor's water my new trees while I was gone and they look pretty good. She said they came over once, but the second week had enough rain, so they didn't come over. Everything looked fine here, although we must have had a power surge or shut off, as my digital clocks were all flashing. When that happens, the pantry light stays on (it is on a motion sensor), so who knows how long that was on. Also, none of the shows I had set for DVR recorded, because we had the satellite box on a power surge protector and that shut down. So instead of having 3 weeks worth of shows to watch, I have nothing. I was disappointed last night when all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and watch mindless television. I guess there are worse things to happen.

I am back on the road next week, but finishing up the last bit of training for my assistant. She is on her own after this. It is wonderful to have her working with me.

Fall has Arrived, I Hear

2009-09-29T08:02:00.003-05:00

I am in California, about an hour north of Los Angelos for the week. I arrived early on Sunday morning, just relaxed and slept a bit for the day and was in the office all day yesterday. I actually slept most of the night both last night and Sunday night, although I am not foolish enough to think that I am changed over to mainland time. I didn't ever really switch to Australia time, so maybe this transition will be quick. I am now up at 5AM here, which is 7AM back home, a good sign that I might be switched over.

I have a big presentation to give on Wednesday. It will be a relief to get that done. I have my slides mostly done, but will tweak them until the presentation or until I have to print them for the meeting binders. It is a small group, which is almost harder to present to than a large group, but they are all my team members, so I am not too freaked out about it. I am sure I will be nervous at the time. There is also a possibility that the client will present what I have prepared and just use me as back up, which would be great. I will hope for that.

I hear the weather has changed instantly to autumn back home, with chilly days and the leaves changing overnight. I knew I would come back to fall, but that doesn't make me prepared for it. I talked with a farmer friend yesterday and he said they are in the fields harvesting soybeans. Since we moved to corn and soybean country, that is my indication that it is fall. Peter will be home the later half of October and well into November so he can help with the harvest. It is his joy to do and I am so glad it is working out for him to be able to do it every year. I am just not ready to let go of summer yet.

Back on Mainland

2009-09-27T10:35:00.002-05:00

Just now in LA from Sydney. Flight was uneventful, except we got in early. Too early, as Customs and Immigration weren't open yet, so we had to wait on the airplane for 20 minutes. I breezed through both and the Avis bus was right at the curb when I got out.

Now I have a load of laundry in the washing machine, waiting to put it in the dryer, then I will crash. I don't have to be anywhere today, so I am going to take it easy. The front desk clerk says it has been above 100 degrees here in this valley, so I really won't need to go anywhere in that heat.

I fussed about the weight of my check-in bag all night long, in fact I got up twice to reorganize and get things ready to grab out of it if I was overweight. I woke up in the morning thinking about it and almost decided at the last minute to take some things out and put in an extra hand carry, but I didn't. It was spot on 50lbs, the weight limit and the check-in agent didn't even mention anything to me. Fuss, fuss, fuss, I wish I would stop some days.

I was also wound up by the concierge at the Sydney Marriott, who told me that there was a big race in the morning and that all traffic would be stopped, making it difficult to get out of the city to the airport. She went so far as to show me where I could get on the train out there, just a 2 block walk. I was not looking forward to that and was relieved when I looked down from my 29th floor room to see nothing and again relieved when there were plenty of cabs available. I got to the airport with loads of time to spare.

Now I have a week in LA, meetings and the like. Like I said earlier, I will be happy to see my own bed on Friday.

Lovely Day in Sydney

2009-09-26T05:16:00.002-05:00

There are some great pictures of the Sydney dust storm here. There was a bit of it again this morning, but it either blew away or else it was just fog when I looked out my window at 4AM. I have never had such a bad time switching over as this trip. I have abstained from caffeine and really tried to eat well, but for some reason, I just can't sleep. Oh well, I will be in LA soon.

I fly out tomorrow, 9:30AM. I was just told by the concierge that there is a major road race here tomorrow morning, so it is best that I take the train to the airport. She has printed out where I get on and where I get off and has given me direct instructions on how to get to the train station. I have fear and dread of doing it tomorrow morning at 6:3p0AM, but she knows best. She said even if I got a taxi in the morning, it would be difficult to get out of the city. I might evaluate that when I get downstairs and see if she is right.

I had a lovely day today, walked until I nearly cried with sore feet. I saw the sights, did a bit of shopping and even took in some of the Moon Festival in Chinatown. I even went to the aquarium. I left my hotel at 9AM and didn't get back until 7PM. I am beat. The weather this whole week has been wonderful. It was even a bit chilly today, after thinking it was going to be so hot in Sydney.

I did take pictures, but no energy to post them. I will do that on the other side of my 24 hours home. Actually, it will be less this time, since I am stopping in LA for the week. Gee, think the 14.5 hour flight will feel short?

In Sydney, Proper

2009-09-25T05:09:00.003-05:00

Finally done with this long, long week. I am beat. We drove down from the suburbs where we were, dropped my collegue off at the airport and took me into the city. I am not in downtown Sydney, right at the Circular Quay. Being as tired as I am, I only managed a walk along the harbor, taking in the sights at night.

Quite a few of the buildings are bathed in this reddish light, but my camera picks it up as lavender. It is really red. It must mean something, but no one I have asked knows. Maybe it doesn't mean anything after all.

This is my view from my hotel. I opted for a city view, as the harbor view was much more money and there is nothing cheap about any of the hotels in the city center to begin with.

This is the Marriott from the harbor, looking towards the city, of course.

As I was waiting for a taxi this morning, back in the suburbs, I saw this pretty poinsettia bush. It is so bizarre to see something that we see only around Christmastime and only in small pots for your dining room table.

Still in Sydney

2009-09-24T15:18:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was a glorious day here, we could hardly stay inside. I did see evidence of the red dust everywhere, especially on cars.

We did manage to get out for lunch, driving there in a Mini-Cooper convertible. It was loads of fun riding in.

We drove through the office park to this man made lake for lunch.

It really was a nice day and we had a fabulous meal.

Unfortunately, we had to be inside, slogging through medical records and working on our computers. I found a small stuffed koala on the desk and since my Aussie partner here had promised me a koala sighting, she tried to pass it off as meeting her promise.

When I told her I had only wanted to see a koala in a tree, she promptly put it in a tree!

We had a bit of a giggle fest with that and a much needed break.

I changed my flight to get back to LA a day earlier so I can rest up a bit. I will have a short day in the client's office on Monday, followed by the rest of the week in team meetings and a flight home on Friday. I am travel weary, but satisfied. I will be toast by the time I hit my bed on Friday and will need the weekend to recharge only to start all over again the next week.

In Sydney

2009-09-23T14:40:00.003-05:00

We arrived in Sydney only a couple of hours later than scheduled. The flight was very bumpy while descending due to the winds, but otherwise uneventful (unless you count the lady across the aisle who had to use one of those air sickness bags, ewww). We got in after dark, so it was hard to see anything from the air, but once we started driving we saw nothing of the dust storm from earlier in the day. Our driver said it was very strange and his day had been very stressful with people not arriving or arriving very late. We are staying quite a ways outside of Sydney, so we won't be able to see any evidence of the dust. I do wonder if it all blew away, though.

I am contemplating coming back a day earlier than planned. I had thought a weekend in Sydney sounded fun, but now I am thinking of leaving Sunday in order to get another day to switch myself around before I have meetings starting on Tuesday. I know people might think I am nuts not taking advantage of being in a foreign country, but I have to be on my game next week. I have not been sleeping well, so the sooner I can get myself back on mainland time, the better.

I have really not been taking many photos, just don't have the time. I did take a picture of this great big tree on one of my walks. I love the thick roots.

Since it is spring here, there are a lot of things in bloom. The colors are spectacular. I particularly love these bottle brush plants. They are everywhere.

I will have to see if I can get some pictures of the hanging wisteria bushes that are also everywhere and also in full bloom, bright purples. They are lovely.

On way to Sydney, Maybe

2009-09-22T17:47:00.005-05:00

Having a leisurely morning, getting ready to fly to Sydney at 2 PM, although there is a dust storm affecting traffic in and out of the airport. Edited to add a link to these photos:

http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/environment/dust-turns-sydney-sky-red/20090923-g0tw.html

Such an odd thing to happen, but the ocean here in Adelaide is angry and the wind is up. Here is the view outside my balcony this morning.

I haven't been sleeping very well, getting about 5 straight hours of restless sleep, waking at 2 or 3 AM for the day. I catch up on emails from the mainland and even get to interact with a few folks, so it is not that bad. Nearing 4 PM daytime here is brutal though. Then it takes all my efforts to stay up until 9PM. I am sure I will get switched over right about the time I need to go back to the US.

We had nice weather over the weekend, then it turned rainy and cold on Monday and that continues. That works for me, because I am in an office all day. I guess Sydney is warm, so I will have to switch over once I get there. It has kind of been nice with cool days and fresh non-humid air. Walks along the beach are brisk.

Adelaide, Australia

2009-09-20T15:49:00.002-05:00

I am in Adelaide, Australia. Flew here on Thursday, from Minneapolis to Las Angelos then to Sydney, then Adelaide. I was beat to say the least when I finally landed. The longest flight was 14.5 hours. Now I am in a beach hotel, with nice shopping and restaurants nearby and I have actually been sleeping OK. I am here for work.

The person I am meeting with took me on a nice tour yesterday of the Adelaide hills. The weather has been wonderful, mid-70s, qwith bright sunshine and no humidity. I have been walking the beach a couple of times a day adn sleeping when I am tired. I had wanted to go to Kangaroo Island, which is south of here, but the trip was nearly 12 hours and is quite go-go-go. I had to get some relaxation in and sleep, so I can be my best on Monday morning.

I have pictures, but no time to get them loaded this morning. Now I have a week of work ahead of me, with a return to Sydney on Wednesday and back to the States next Monday. Just a whirlwind trip, for sure. I had wanted to get up to Guam, but couldn't find the time. I have a training session in LA when I get back next week, so I won't be back in my own bed for awhile.

No rest for the weary.

Who needs a title?

2009-09-15T09:05:00.003-05:00

Goodness, we have been having great weather. Too bad I can't spend much time outside. I have some plants I need to get, but just haven't been able to get out there. Yesterday I was up in St. Paul and today I am at the Mayo Clinic for work. The drive there is nice, through the country and I always like walking through the buildings.

Our fields have been cut for the second time this season. Our neighbor cuts it for their cattle, but has never given us anything in return. We have been asked by several people to cut it and I think I need to talk to the one that cuts it to see if I can work out a barter. Most everyone who wants to cut it offers us something. I don't know, maybe I just want to keep the peace and let him continue to cut it.

I have been enjoying tomatoes from the garden and green beans. Those both are getting fewer, as the days get shorter. Always a sad time when the tomatoes go away. That and corn. I haven't had enough fresh corn this year. I decided this morning that mango is my favorite fruit, but then there is watermelon, fresh from the garden. We have one that is still growing, but I don't think it will get big enough before the first frost comes. We always push the season here in Minnesota. Or is a fresh crisp apple from our trees my favorite fruit? We won't get any apples this year, but a neighbor has some, if I would ever get down there to get some. I have to get enough for pies, so I better hurry.

Off to my drive!

2009-09-12T17:30:00.000-05:00

Took these kind of cool pictures at sunrise the other day.

Needed a day in front of the television, doing nothing but catching up on shows that are mindless. I haven't had a day off in two weeks. Now I feel guilty and will work through the evening, even though I need a nap. It is a dreary day and nothing is going on.

An Update

2009-09-07T08:57:00.003-05:00

Harvest time here, not the big fields, but our little vegetable garden. We dug potatoes and onions, picked green beans, broccoli and carrots. Our potatoes didn't do as well as years past, we only have two 5 gallon buckets, we normally get 3. Onions are pitifully small and we have very few purple onions. The green beans are good and will continue for another month or so. Carrots are tiny, they were crowded with weeds. Tomatoes are very strange this year, not ripening for weeks after their usual time and they are not ripening to red, but just orange until I bring them in. They have good flavor, though. If I leave them out there longer, the bugs get at them. We had slugs on our potatoes and I am amazed at how much they eat.

I have resolved that I no longer have time for a vegetable garden, not as long as I am working, so next year we will put a cover crop in, maybe oats or barley. I will put in a few tomato plants and maybe potatoes, but nothing else. OK, maybe some lettuce in the early spring. We will have very little to winter over this year, so to not have anything next year won't be that much of a stretch. I am sure we will get back into it, after I quit work, but for now, with working more than full time, I just have to set priorities.

It is fine I am working so much now, because we are getting some bills paid, will have the wedding paid off shortly and getting the house mortgage down. I may not have work a year from now, so I have to take it when I can get it. That is the nature of being a consultant.

I wake up in the morning and head down to my studio, now office and get on the computer and stay there the whole day, if I am not traveling. If I am traveling, I try to keep up to the emails and extra work and then have to catch that all up when I am back in my office. I never seem to get ahead, there is always something. The good news is we finally found someone to help me out, she started last week. Yea!

Peter and I spent some time in the yard this past weekend and nearly everything is ready for fall. Both of us have some traveling coming up, so we felt the need to get things done. He will be in the tractor when he gets back, helping with harvest. We have been watching two pair of kestrels flying around this morning. I had heard on the news that their population have decreased, but we always seem to have some hanging around. They are fun to watch fly, but we have never seen them so close to our property before now. We have also been visited by a flock of crows. They come very morning, make so much racket, then leave for the day. I guess they are establishing their territory or maybe they are migrating through and just taking a few weeks rest. I haven't seen the groundhog (woodchuck) since that week I saw her every day. She has either moved on or became a hawk snack.

We have a bunch of elms that have died in our grove over the summer, probably of Dutch Elm Disease. We are having Lance, our landscaper, come and push them down. They are unsightly dead in the grove, although we will leave a few for the birds and animals. Our neighbors will come to get the wood for burning.

That is about it for news, seems like their should be more since I haven't blogged for awhile. I did spend a weekend with girlfriends, following a certain rock star around South Dakota and North Dakota. That was fun. I think I talked about Rob visiting for a very short weekend. No sewing going on, no house stuff, just routine yard work, with the exception of Lance coming this week, he always seems to find something to do here. Work, work, work, but that is OK.

Busy Weekend

2009-08-24T09:32:00.005-05:00

We had our son with us this weekend and Peter's brother John came for brunch with his family on Sunday. It is always nice to have Rob here, but it always feels way too short.

In between cooking for brunch, I did a bit of vegetable freezing this past weekend. First up was corn from our neighbor's garden. He puts in 12 rows of sweet corn and everyone around picks it for their use.

All shucked and ready to boil. I boil it on the cob, plunge it in ice water, then use an electric knife to take the kernels off the cob. I just put it in gallon ziplock bags and then into the freezer. I can whack off a chunk to boil for dinner easily.

I put up coleslaw from two cabbages in the garden that had split with our recent rain. They were fairly large, but chop down to almost nothing.

The carrots are from a neighbor's garden, as mine are not ready to pull yet.

The dressing is vinegar, sugar, water, celery seed and mustard seed.

The whole thing freezes well and tastes as fresh as the day you make it.

Finally, time to reveal my surprise to my husband. We saved the old grate from the gravity fed furnace in the farmhouse. He has always wanted to do something with it and I wanted a new coffee table, so I had my cabinet maker design and build a new coffee table.

We kept the grate natural, complete with some patina and scratches.

It is hard to take a picture of it, without glare, because there is a piece of glass on top. The wood is from an old barn (1871) that was taken down near us. It still had the circular saw marks on the wood.

He also made two end tables for us, from similarly aged wood. I need to find pulls for them.

Beautiful markings on the tops.

Just Because

2009-08-20T20:48:00.002-05:00

Just because my boy is here in Minnesota, for a wedding, so we won't see him until Saturday. I sure miss him.

Peter and I saw a newscaster talking about the giraffes at the Minnesota Zoo, which brought back memories of our wonderful time at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for their groom's dinner.

Love this picture of my best friend in life.

Ramblings

2009-08-20T06:28:00.003-05:00

Gray, raining day here today. Kind of muggy, chilly, just yuck. No matter, I have a ton of work to do. Our home is no where near the tornadoes yesterday, but I happened to be near by, not really close, but we had a tornado warning where I was. The skies really didn't look like tornado skies, so we were pretty nonchalant about it.

I spent an hour scrubbing my sinks, still love the granite ones in the kitchen and also the big one in the pantry. It is such a joy to clean my kitchen, just wish I had more time to keep it spotless. I made bacon and pancakes for breakfast, threw in a batch of brownies and have a pot roast in the crock pot.

Peter is back and as we were driving through town yesterday, I noticed that the shop where my surprise is was opened. I could see him working there, so on a whim, I told Peter to pull in. We saw the surprise, but I was so disappointed that it wasn't all put together. Peter couldn't see it in its glory, so I spoiled my fun. He said he would have it done today, so I will reveal my secret tomorrow.

I am not traveling for a few weeks now, start back up the first week of September. It will feel good to be home. I have to rearrange my office again, we really just threw it together a few weeks ago when I got the desktop and now I know how I want it arranged. We don't have quite the right furniture for it, but we will make do.

I think it has been ages since I have posted any pictures and I think I have some of the gardens on my camera, just haven't gone the next step to get them onto my computer. There is always something.