Experimenting

I am not sure what the design possibilities are yet for this blog, but I was getting bored with the original page.  So I will keep working on things until I find a way to really make this my own.  For now a little color seems in order.  Any one who knows me (why else would you be reading this blog--I'm not famous yet) knows that pastels are not my thing.  (What had I been thinking when I first set this up?)  I will start with something bolder and see if I can't make this site a little more attractive.  Here's hoping!

Seattle in my future

Looks like I'm flying out on Sunday afternoon to spend 3 weeks in Seattle.  I still don't know if I'm packing the right things.  The weather is not very predictable in September.  Oh well.  There is always laundry.  I finished the baby quilt-top a couple of days ago.  I will quilt and bind it when I get back.  Barb and I will be having what may be our last jewelry party in late October or early November.  Hard to believe she and Tom will be moving to Hawaii before Christmas.  Next year is going to be really different.  No more window shopping and coffee.  No more jewelry business, although she seems to think it's possible to keep it going long distance.  I'm skeptical.  But we'll talk about it when I get back.

Morgan Flies Home from Pensacola...

Morgan flew home from Pensacola.  Should have been simple.  Cheap flight: Pensacola to Atlanta to Phoenix.  Clayton and I drive up to Gilbert, bring the sofa Jack wanted in the back of the suburban and play with the grandkids until Morgan's flight comes in at 10pm.  It's late but not bad.  Then we find out Jack doesn't want the sofa anymore (new roommate has one).  Oh well, we just leave it in the car.  Then Morgan calls about 4pm to tell us he is at the airport in Pensacola but the plane he is about to take is 25 minutes late and he has only 30 minutes between that leg and the plane from Atlanta to Phoenix.  Needless to say, he called from Atlanta to say he missed the connection and would call again to tell us what the new arrangements would be.  This turned out to be overnight at a hotel in Atlanta and a 10am flight next day to Phoenix.  I had him go back and negotiate a flight into Tucson so we wouldn't have to drive back up the next day.  All good, right?  So Wednesday I have art class.  Clayton will pick Morgan up at 2:20pm.  I say, "I will take the suburban so you can have the truck."  My honey says, "I'm going to take the Malibu."  I say, concern rising in my voice, "But the Malibu has been having problems and it's not very dependable."  He says, "I fixed that.  It will be fine."  I say, "Why don't you run it in town on errands first.  I am taking the suburban.  You take the truck."  Honey doesn't reply.  I know where this is going.  You know where this is going.  45 minutes into art class, Morgan calls.  "Mom, dad is delayed.  Please come pick me up."  Mom inquires, "Where is he?"  Morgan, "About a mile from the airport."  So I quickly pack up all my pastels and head for the airport.  After I pick Morgan up, we head for the QT mart.  Clayton is smiling, happy to see us.  I am not.  Clayton has replaced something on the battery connection and jumps the Malibu.  Repeatedly.  We call Sam, in Pensacola, to get him (only one with a smart phone and a computer right now) to look up a tow service.  Turns out it's the starter, not the battery connection.  I don't know what the tow from the airport to the northwest side cost.  The important thing is, Clayton tells me, we would never have found out it was the starter if he hadn't driven the Malibu in 100+ degrees on the freeway to the airport.  Really?  Even though Sam had told over and over that the Malibu had intermittent starting problems months ago.  Can you tell I'm still a little miffed?  Oh?  The sofa?  It went to Goodwill.

Pensacola here he comes!

 Maybe he has already sent pictures, but that's Sam's new Toyota truck.

Sam and Morgan are on their way to Pensacola, via the gas station and a weigh in at Davis Monthan AFB.  I can see the living room again.  I guess that means I have to clean it.

Testing???

I don't have all my camera files on Picasa yet. Seems Google gives you a little storage space and wants to charge you for significant space.  I don't know how much it costs yet.  And I don't know how to import from my regular picture files on the computer.  But I will try to figure it all out soon!

Getting back in the Swing

I have been living life and not particularly feeling the blogging world.  However, maybe getting back to it now would be good.  Sam, my youngest, leaves for Pensacola, FL on Tuesday to begin his nursing career in a Naval Hospital.  Today the livingroom looks like a war zone.  By Tuesday morning I will be taking back the house and cleaning, organizing, purging, and eventually painting.  This is partly in response to the current clutter, and partly this should offset the quieter state of things.  I refuse to succumb to empty nest syndrome.  Life is full and I am so proud of all my kids.  I feel so happy that they are taking on the world and making it as independant adults.  The quietness is just an adjustment in the volume and a new way of hearing things.  Maybe this will be the period where I learn new skills, like ADDING PHOTOS to my blog!

Seattle Vacation

I am enjoying some time in Seattle with Elisabeth and Zach.  I am making friends with my new "grand-dog",
Chewie.  He is an Australian Shepherd-Golden Retriever Mix.  He looks like a caramel retriever with chocolate drizzled over top.  He and I spend some special times together; like when he gets restless in the morning and Z and E kick him out of their room and he comes upstairs and curls up outside my door.  Then I let him in and he lays next to my bed till I can get dressed and make coffee.  I haven't figured out how to get him on the airplane back to Tucson.  I am allowed 2 free check-ons but I don't think he would care for the accommodations or the luggage carousel.  Zach and I gave him a bath today, which he detests.  But he is soft and shiny again.  I made a pair of new covers for the Ikea barstools in their kitchen.  I have also canned pickles, dilled green beans, blueberry syrup and blueberry jam over the last couple of weeks.  Tomorrow Elisabeth is off of work again for a few days, including her birthday on Sunday.  We will probably go out for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant.  On Tuesday we go to the outlet mall and Dakota Pastel Store.  Wednesday we babysit for a friend of her's baby girl named Treska.  I have never heard of the name before.  Wikipedia says it's a river in Macedonia.

2 Weeks from today I will be flying into Phoenix and then driving home, sans dog.  Maybe we can Skype!  Woof, Woof!