The New Water Cooler
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We are in Asheville NC. What a cool place. It is surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains so is very scenic. Our rental is wonderful. Very clean, cute, comfortable and has a private hot tub on a private enclosed deck. The king bed is a sleep number and the sheets are the softest I have experienced. It was a splurge for us (paying more per night than we typically do) but worth it. We arrived yesterday afternoon. We went to the grocery to pick up snacks, cereal, milk and fruit then lounged in our rental, sat in the hot tub and enjoyed a good night's sleep. Today we went to downtown Asheville and rode the hop on hop off trolley to get to know the sites and explore. We had lunch at a cool historic tavern and then drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway to view the mountains. Tomorrow we plan to explore a nearby town and find a hike we can handle. We aren't going to the Biltmore Mansion this trip. It is expensive and we don't want to spend our time that way. Another time if we come back.
Monday we will leave for home stopping in my birth/home town as a child, Ft. Wayne, IN. We will stay in a hotel there and it will be a 6 hour drive home on Tuesday. I will show Russ my childhood neighborhood and home and we will have dinner somewhere.
Charleston SC was also a great place to visit. The historic district of homes, facts from the revolutionary war, slavery, etc. made for an interesting tour. We ate at Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ (he's on Food Network) and took some good walks on the board walk over the marsh outside our hotel. We also did a sight seeing tour in Charleston and the guide was a real trip. We learned some things we never knew about Charleston's history, Fort Sumter, etc.
Why was your week difficult? The meetings? I hope you are having a relaxing weekend.
When we get home I need to get the hummingbird feeder on its hook and go shopping for my garden's starter plants. Then I need to put new compost in the garden, plant seeds and the plants. Next weekend will be busy.0 -
Your stops home sound really fun.
How is your knee doing?0 -
My knee doesn't hurt when I walk. When I rest, the nerves rejuvenating can be an annoyance. I still have a little swelling and stiffness, especially when I
walk a lot. I plan to ride my bike if I can get on and off of it without falling by the end of this week.
We drove a different part of the Blue Ridge Pkwy this morning and got out at overlooks to see the mountains and breath taking views. Then we drove to a town that Jeff and Karah told us about. Cute but similar to the tourist area where we are from. Cute downtown with lots of cute shops and restaurants. We ate our big mid day meal at 2pm and we will just snack later this eve. We plan to walk the grounds here where we are staying later. Right now I am sleepy from the meal and I had a beer from a local brewery. We had periods of rain yesterday but nothing so far today. It is sunny and beautiful outside. This is the kind of place to come with other women if you like shopping, hiking, etc. A spouse is fine if you have the outdoors in common. My knee isn't good enough to hike steep inclines yet and Russ has his shattered ankles. We haven't hiked since the elevation makes for moderate to very advanced trails. I feel old!
You haven't mentioned the boys lately. How are they doing?0 -
Same. Zach is putting out resumes with no success. Caleb apparently got a job at an express oil change place. He didn’t tell me but I heard it from Bernie. I tried to make a plan to do something Saturday and got told by Bernie he couldn’t because he had to take something to Lincoln for Caleb. He never told me earlier in the week. So I guess they have communication going on. Neat. I’m just his reasons for quitting college. It was not the weekend I was hoping for. Was very emotional.0
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I'm sorry you are feeling so left out and responsible for C's decisions. He may not be communicating with you but you are not responsible for his choices. He is an adult and making his own choices. He will experience the good or bad consequences of his choices. Hard for you, but you raised him well and he is finding his way. Many boys are late bloomers and it can take into their 30's to figure out who they are and live life well. What does Bernie have to say about C's choices to quit school and take a break?
We left Asheville early this morning. It was a beautiful drive through the Smokey Mountains into Tennessee. We are in a hotel in Ft. Wayne, IN my city of birth and home until 9 years of age. The old neighborhood looks lovely (preserved historic homes district now). I showed Russ the old house, my two schools I attended, the park where we played and ice skated, and the family company building that is no longer the head quarters.
We have become spoiled living in a small town and in the country. This traffic and congestion in all these cities is making me feel closed in. We will be home tomorrow afternoon and we are both looking forward to being there.
88 degrees outside here in Indiana! Too early for this.
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We left Ft. Wayne at 6:30 am this morning. We stopped half way home for a mid morning breakfast and then went to the grocery in Traverse City for a few items until we do major shopping. We got home about 12:20pm. Our house looked abandoned since the grass grew so high while we were gone. The Lilacs in the back yard are blooming. Our purple Judas tree still has blooms and the front Lilac bush will bloom soon. Some of my tulips still have blooms so the Rabbit Out worked. I just made hummingbird food and will fill the feeder when it cools down. I hope they come and find us since we are so late with putting out the feeder. Perfect weather to plant pots of flowers and my garden. I will be busy this weekend!
It feels good to be home after 3 weeks in different beds, eating out at restaurants, and riding in the car.
Happy Tuesday!0 -
Russ is mowing our yard. The grass was so high! I went to the laundry mat to wash our new light weight cotton/linen comforter we bought in FL at Target. It looks nice on our bed and I hope it helps my hot flash issues at night.
I made plans with my childhood friend Mary who is at her cottage until early next week. We are going to have lunch on Saturday and go visit Sarah. The three of us have known each other most of our lives. Mary hasn't seen Sarah since her stroke. I've tried to fill her in so she won't be so shocked.
I have to check and see if it is safe from freezing at night here so I can plant my garden. Either way I just may cover it at night if temps drop.
I am doing some laundry, putting clothes away and reading today. I will be watching to see if hummingbirds find my feeder. I hope so!0 -
Welcome back! I am glad your trip went well and you made it home safely.
I love lilac too.
Good luck on the yard work. It grows so fast this time of year.
We got more storms yesterday. A lot of trees down around town. My yard is fine, but everyone in Nebraska needs a break from the weather. But I think another round is coming tomorrow.0 -
Wow! Poor Iowa! This is going to be a crazy weather season. I think FL may have more than average hurricanes/severe storms. I like where we live. We rarely have extreme weather that is damaging. Once in awhile...
I hope NE gets a break. Have you had the extreme heat?0 -
I saw on the news that NE had some tornadoes. Were they near you? Quite the weather going through the Midwest to the East. We are north of it, luckily.
Any weekend plans?
I am going to the Y today to pedal the bike and go to water yoga. Then I will begin to prepare my garden tubs for planting.0 -
I pedaled for 15 minutes and then went to the pool and did stretches and water yoga. It felt good today. I came home and napped instead of dumping dirt in the garden tubs. Tomorrow or Sunday for that.
There was a female hummingbird at my feeder today!0 -
This weather! We had 90mph winds blasting through. There was a tornado north of us and several in other parts of Nebraska. Lots of power outages and trees down. Our power went out at 3 am and the smoke alarms all started blaring. Cripes. So after disabling all of them I just laid in bed listening to the storm and just got up to go to work about 430. Our power came on but lots of trucks out. Nebraska and Iowa need a break
Good job getting back to the gym
Friyay0 -
I am glad you haven't had any damage or hits to your family. It's going to be a volatile season for your state and many others that are prone to tornadoes and high heat, unfortunately.
I'm going to lunch with my friend Mary and then we will visit Sarah at the nursing home. Mary lives in Cincinnati and is only up here for a few more days. She will be back later in June, hopefully. Her niece just died in a mountain climbing/hiking accident on Mt. Whitney. 29 years old! She had just finished her PhD in Physics at UC-Davis in CA. She was an avid climber/hiker and had been to different parts of the world. Mary didn't know if their rappelling equipment failed on the mountain or if it was a rock fall. Her and her boyfriend fell to their deaths. A third person was hiking with them and hiked down the mountain ahead of them to their campsite. They never showed up so he called Search and Rescue. Very sad. Mary's husband's brother's daughter. There are 11 kids in John's family. They lost their brother on the CO River last summer in a rafting accident. His body was never recovered. Tragic!
I hope you have a nice weekend.
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That is so sad. I’m so sorry for their loss0
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Bought a new bed (adjustable) and some new new living room furniture. Need to paint my room before it comes in. Let’s see if I stay motivated enough.0
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It is so exciting getting a new bed and new furniture! What style did you choose for your living room and bed?
I put the compost and veggie food in the tubs today. I planted sugar snap peas and carrots so far. Tomorrow Russ will make me a few trellis' to plant more peas and some cukes. Then I will go to the nursery and get my pepper and tomato starters. I will plant the lettuce under those so they get some shade. I really like companion planting for pest control, flavor enhancement and use of space since my garden is small. We have had a lot of rain so the yard and perennials are green and lush. I hope it lasts!
Last night we had a raccoon at our back yard bird feeder. He was eating the seed on the ground. When he stood on his hind legs to climb or pull down the feeder, Russ yelled at him and scared him away. He hid in the pines and came back later. Russ took his feeders in to the pole barn for the night since bears are still on the move. He put them back out this morning and the raccoon did not return. One hummingbird so far and she only feeds a couple of times per day. I wonder if she is tending a nest? If it doesn't rain tomorrow and I get the rest of the garden planted, I will ride my bike in the afternoon. Fingers crossed I can get on and off without falling down.
Any Memorial Day plans? Russ smoked a chicken today and we had chicken, fresh asparagus and his potato salad for dinner. Tomorrow I begin my detox week on GoLo to get back on track. Then the next week I will be working the balanced meal plan without avoiding dairy, red meat and high glycemic grains. This week I will be eating eggs, veggies, fruit, brown rice, beans, tuna, shrimp, turkey and chicken.
I also want to buy some annuals this week and get some flower pots set on my decks for pops of color. I put out my yard/garden chatzkis today.
Well cheers to a 3 day weekend for you!
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I got a tempurpedic hybrid that is supposed to be cooling and sort of medium firm with an adjustable base. I have been wanting to go that route for awhile. Our living room area isn’t huge and the sectional we got nearly twenty years ago is just too much for the space. So I thought going smaller scale. We got a motion love seat and two rocker recliners. Should also have room for an end table or two now.
Good job planting. I really haven’t been in the mood to plant. Just letting the perennials do the job.
I am so bloated and up in weight even though I thought I had been eating well. My body disagrees. So I will have to make some more adjustments.0 -
Feeling bloated is the worst feeling. I was so bloated on vacation but now that I'm home I'm feeling better. Gardening, weeding, etc. help so I'm not sitting so much. It is also nice to go back to the Y.
Your furniture plan sounds nice. What color did you go with for living room furniture? I'm sure you will like your adjustable bed.
Very rainy today so I am going to feed my sourdough starter and then go to the nursery to buy more seeds, tomato and pepper plants. Later this week my sister and I are going to get the hanging pots for the cemetery. I will buy my annuals at that time and plant on the weekend. Tomorrow is suppose to be a nicer day so I will finish the garden planting tomorrow. I'm keeping it simple this year. One to two cherry tomato plants, sugar snap peas, carrots, lettuce, jalapeno, serrano and poblano peppers and maybe cucumbers growing up a trellis. Russ hasn't built my herb box yet for the deck so I'm not sure if I will be planting herbs or not. He has so much on his To Do list. I doubt I will see the box/planter this year. I could do pots for now.
I'm starting my detox today so need to go make my breakfast. Three meals/day...
Enjoy your Monday off!
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Yikes. What do you do with all those hot peppers?
Got the wall in my bedroom primed and painted. The sample I wanted did not look good on the wall. So I decided to paint it the same color as the other three walls. Years ago I did three walls a medium bluish gray color and one wall a tan color. I was tired of the brown and non of the samples ended up liking. We were able to scrape off a paint chip and do a color match and just got done putting it on the wall. Looks good. Probably too dark for most people but I like it. It feels cool and cozy and makes me want to snuggle in bed. At least once it’s dry and I can get stuff put back.0 -
I love hot peppers on sandwiches, tacos, fajitas, on sandwiches, burgers, eggs, etc. I decided to grow poblanos to see if I could and stuffing with cheese would be yummy. I bought two cherry tomato plants, one is called Sunburst, and they are yellow and very sweet. The other is a red cherry tomato plant called sweet million or something like that. The tomatoes grow on a stem in a line. Should be interesting. I bought sugar snap starters since I needed more seeds but they were out. Not a lot of variety this year but veggies we will eat.
Nice that you got your bedroom done. Ours could use a soothing color paint and a little decorating. We need a new head board.
Poured rain all day here. Hopefully I can finish planting the garden tomorrow. I will go to Aquafit in the morning. Need to get my routine going again.
I fed my sourdough starter today and used the reserve to make Russ a loaf of sourdough pecan banana bread.0
