ansan

10:01 pm: Beach
Rockaway was great! As always, we managed to get good weather. It was sunny and about 70 Tuesday. We walked about three hours altogether, stopped in a few of the shops and ate ice cream and pepperoni and beef sticks and a few salt water taffys. Today it was overcast at the coast but cleared off a few miles inland. We stopped in Cannon Beach on the way home. It was a nice break from all the work we've been doing around the house.

The window guy is due to arrive in the morning to measure one of the small windows in the dining nook and the laundry window to replace them as the seals have broken and they have moisture between each of the two windows. We usually let them go for a few years until they get pretty bad before we replace them. They say the seals are good for only about ten years. Anyway, I hope he doesn't show up too early and at least one of us is already out of bed to greet him. Julie, I too wondered where that picture of saloon girls in your head came from?

The pellet stove guy is due about 2:00 P.M to do a wood stove cleaning and check-up. I guess he'll be mine cuz he likes to get down and dirty like I do. (Cleaning the pellet stove, I mean.)

10:04 pm: Monday Night News
Today we cleaned the outside windows and screens and washed all the silk plants and flowers on the deck with the hose. We moved the washer and dryer and fridge and small freezer and cleaned under and behind them. Also took out the bottom drawer of the stove/oven and cleaned under that. Washed the real indoor plants' leaves so they are dust-free and can breathe easier. When we started to shampoo carpets we found that the carpet shampooer no longer works and we were unable to figure out how to fix it, unlike last week when the pressure washer cord was accidentally pulled out and I took it completely apart to reconnect it. Anyway, as far as the shampooer, it would cost almost as much as a new one to get it fixed, so we comparison shopped and bought a new one this evening. We will start on that project either Wednesday after returning from the coast or on Thursday. Adios!

11:06 pm: We're a team
Sandrella continues to work her butt off. Debby isn't slacking off, don't get me wrong, but she keeps adding to our to-do list. Here's what we've accomplished since Thursday: I got to play at the zoo with some of my favorite people on Friday. Debby washed all the windows and mini-blinds while I was gone. I had a fun time. Thanks, everybody. I rearranged the garage and switched the workbench and cupboards to the opposite corner of the garage Friday night and now we have to park on opposite sides. I sure hope one of us doesn't come in and crash into the other's vehicle. That would be bad. It's not gonna happen, don't worry.

We both worked on oiling all the woodwork in the house: furniture, baseboards, kitchen cupboards, doors, front entryway, etc., for a couple days. Debby ironed all the curtains she washed on Friday and we rehung them. We washed nearly everything in the house and garage. We got a lot done in a the last ten days. We are heading to Rockaway just for one night from Tuesday to Wednesday this week. We are planning to wash the outside of all the windows tomorrow and go to the grocery store and also wash all the silk flowers and plants out on the deck. They are waiting now on the dinette table and floor by the back door. It looks really cool, like a jungle or a funeral. Beautiful arrangement. :) There are still other jobs on our to-do list but the main one we will do after our beach getaway will be to shampoo the carpets throughout the house. We will actually have a few days to relax and do nothing before heading back to the real jungle next week.

10:50 pm: Working vacation update
Okay, here's the scoop......

We got the deck and front porch cleaned and water sealed and the driveway and sidewalk pressure washed in the last few days. I trimmed the front hedges also. We took a broken window shade to a guy with a shop on 79th and Glisan to get it fixed before we started on our work today. I worked outside most of the day, mowing, edging and doing lots of "tidying up" work. Debby cleaned out and wiped down the insides of all the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen and downstairs bathroom and she got a few of the silk plants washed. We took a break and went to the Original Taco House for dinner tonight. We took down some of the curtains and washed them and I made banana bread too. I got some more of the woodwork oiled downstairs before calling it a night.

Good night. I'll see some of you in the morning.

09:03 pm: Work Vacation
Well, here it is, day 4, or day one, depending on how you look at it, of vacation. So far we've waxed both vehicles, scrubbed the deck and front porch and cleaned the family room from top to bottom, including oiling woodwork, washing windows and mini blinds and washing down all surfaces before rearranging the furniture. Tomorrow Debby plans to pressure wash the driveway and sidewalk and then the next day, water seal the deck and porch. By the middle of next week we are hoping to get down to the coast for two or three days. Jobs come first, tho.
Fun times over here on San Rafael!

I set up that gazebo last night. It's a lot bigger than I was expecting. Don't know about it yet. Riley and I enjoyed playing in it this afternoon, however, when she and Candice stopped by for a visit after swim lessons.

09:45 pm: Monday Monday
Time sure flies! It's been a fast week once again, as fast as all the others.

We are getting into these neighborhood estate sales. Made a killing again this weekend. We hit three in Summerplace and got many inexpensive and cool items. One thing makes me especially excited. I've always wanted a milk shake machine, you know, the kind with the metal cup like they used to have in the drugstores and small restaurants. I got one for four dollars and it was still in the box and plastic, never having been opened. OMG! I also got 3 pair of look-like-new Gloria Vanderbuilt jeans for a dollar a pair and a pair of corduroys and they all fit perfectly! Happy day! Debby got a cake plate on a pedestal, also brand new and still in the box, and a magnifying mirror with lights, and a couple more crystal bowls.
Other things were found too, but can't remember them all right now.

We stayed indoors after hitting the sales and taking our walks before 9 or 10 A.M. both days due to the heat. Saturday we watched The Bucket List. We both liked it. Thank you, Candice, for loaning it to us. Sunday evening we went to Vancouver to Debby's sister, Bonnie's house for a bbq to celebrate her niece's husband getting his master's degree. This is Greg, Susy's husband, the ones who moved here last summer from LA. Debby and Bonnie's sister Peggy is here for a week from LA to help out with the new baby. We had a good time, and I flirted outrageously with Debby's nephews as usual.

This evening we washed the vehicles after walking and we did some weeding and deadheaded the flowers.

I was pleased to talk to my Trishie tonight and see a cute photo of Napoleon sent by her. Thank you, Trish.

08:52 pm: Sunshine
Sorry I didn't update last weekend. And now that it's Thursday I'm trying hard to remember what last weekend consisted of. Let's see.... We went to Larry Behm's 70th birthday party. It was fun. He's a pretty cool guy. Thank you, Candice and Larry, for all your hard work and for making it a fun time. The only bad part was even though we both ate less food than we normally would at a gathering we still each gained a pound that day. It took a few days to lose that single pound again. Grrr! We were cursing Candice on Sunday morning when we weighed ourselves.

Debby spent much time on the computer last weekend and into this week researching condo and house rentals on Poipu Beach, Hawaii for our trip we are planning for next May. We got it narrowed down to 3 favorites with 4 alternates which would all work. We put in a call to our number one choice, they called back and left a message, and Debby left them another message last night. If we don't get ahold of them this weekend we will try our second choice. We were surprised at how many are already partially or totally booked up through next April and May.

We are still planning to skydive again this summer. Debby's niece, Brandy, is supposed to be making the arrangements. She said the other night that the date is changed from July 12th to Sunday, July 27th. Julie, please let your Dad know. He said he would go with us if he wasn't working the day we jump. That would be a blast. At least one of Brandy's friends and Debby's sister, Bonnie (Brandy's mom) are participating also. Anyone else?

Debby had a second surgery on both eyes on Monday. They call it an "enhancement". A few people's eyes change back a bit to near-sightedness, and the doctor waits about six months for the eyesight to stabilize before tweaking it a final time. She now has 20/15 sight for far away and needs to use reading glasses again for up close work. It should remain this way now without any need for further enhancements. No pain or irritation or anything has been reported after the first 24 hours and she keeps almost forgetting to put in the antibiotic eyedrops four times a day because it's like nothing even happened.

I will be seeing most of you this weekend at Synoah's party. Looking forward to that!

08:57 pm: Weekend Update - Not SNL
Yesterday we went to see that cute little baby again. This time we took some pics and they came out good. He is so strong that he was trying to pick up his head when I was holding him on my lap. Babies are sure different than they used to be, so much stronger. I took a nap while Debby dusted the house. We really didn't do a whole lot of anything.

This morning on the way to WinCo for groceries there was another C&N (?)estate sale down the street in Summerplace, so of course we had to stop. They have the lowest prices on everything and on Sundays anything under $50 is half off. Anyway, they had a really nice 6 foot Christmas tree with lights priced at 10 dollars, which means it would only have been 5, but we didn't know of anyone who might want or need it. We ended up getting a small pair of walking weights for $1.50, a plastic tupperware-type bowl with lid for free (it was priced for 50 cents), and a cut glass serving bowl for $1.50. Debby was eye-balling a set of china but didn't want to pay the marked 75 dollars for it. There were some small dessert bowls missing and a couple of the larger bowls too, but there were 8 dinner plates, 8 dessert plates, 11 cups and 11 saucers, a sugar bowl with lid and a creamer, a serving bowl and a serving platter. We've been wanting a set for a few years but it's not too important so that's why we haven't bought any yet. But since we've been to a few of these estate sales and most have china sets we have been looking for a set we both like. Anyway, when we were paying for our stuff we heard the ladies working there talking about people making bids on items and then if the items don't sell by 4:00 they call the people who bid and tell them it's theirs. I asked one of them if we could bid on the china set and not knowing how low to bid, I asked her advice. She said "It's yours right now for $40.00 if you want it." Well, YES!! Hundreds of dollars worth of pretty china for 40 bucks, are you kidding? Even with a few pieces missing we were thrilled to take that china home with us. Two of them boxed it up for us, we paid our money and headed to the grocery store. After returning home later, Debby washed the china and put it into our kitchen cupboards. She washed down all the shelves, rearranged everything and we will be using our china on a daily basis, along with anything else we'd normally use. There is room for all of it. No "special occasion" dishes in this non-fussy household.

We vacuumed and washed both vehicles this afternoon; Debby made homemade chicken vegetable soup and chopped fruits and veggies for this week's snacks; I cleaned the garage and washed the floor, mowed the lawn and we both read the Sunday paper after dinner.

OH! I DID IT! I got on the scale this morning and was down 3 pounds from last Monday! So that is my incentive to keep going. Debby is also down 3 pounds. It's so hard to eat hardly anything but if that's what it takes then that is what I will do until I get back to where I want to be, and then I'll just eat small portions to maintain that weight. I WILL persevere.

I just realized it's 9:30. Gotta go get ready for bed. See ya'll later.

06:51 pm: Graduation day
Today was graduation day. We had 29 graduates this year, which was a bigger class than normal. Only one little boy cried and didn't want to participate in the singing but I was able to talk him into at least standing with the group with my arm around him. They got their diplomas and all the parents and grandparents were so proud of them and thought they were the cutest. We had about 125 people come to it this year and most of them were crowded into our classroom for the buffet/eating part of the ceremony due to the cold weather and the threat of rain. We did have some tables out on the covered patio and some people actually chose to sit out there and eat. This is only the second or third time we had to move it indoors due to bad weather in 28 years. It worked out very well, though.

Debby wanted me to report that her niece, Susy, had a baby, Johnathan Thomas, on Wednesday morning. She went into S.W. Washington Hospital at about 6:30 A.M. and had the baby, her fourth, at about 8:00 A.M. He weighs 8 pounds and is 20 inches long. We went to see them Wednesday evening after work. He's very cute and didn't look like a newborn at all except for being so little. Silly women, tho, we forgot to take the camera! Even though Debby has 37 nieces and nephews, (at last count, and this doesn't even include their spouses) and 64 great nieces and nephews (some are step), AND 2 great-great nieces, she still gets excited when another one is born. Debby actually had more brothers and sisters than I have nieces and nephews!

I don't have a lot planned this weekend because I'm all caught up on my chores. HA! But something always comes up and I'm sure this weekend will be as busy as most when all is said and done.

I'm still working on eating less. I blew it a bit today, however, by eating some mini apple turnovers, a frosted cookie, a bite or two of cake and a handful of potato chips at school. I'm hoping I didn't fall off the wagon too far. I did work my ass off today, though, moving furniture and setting up/cleaning up tables and chairs, etc. I am waiting to get on the scale for a whole week, which will be Monday, and hope to see at least two pounds gone. If not, I think I will give it up and just enjoy eating for the rest of my life. Or maybe try a second week, one week at a time.

08:01 pm: Today's fun
It was a lazy sort of day today. I did some laundry, went with Tricia and Sherry to get shoes and ran into Judy there at the shoe store by IKEA. I got a pair of flip-flops and Judy gave me a ride home. I visited Tricia, Sherry, Dave and Rita at Dave and Rita's house a bit later and then came home and made banana bread. Not much else is happening. Gonna get to bed early tonight, I'm thinking.

09:10 pm: Errands, BBQ, Thunderstorms and Barkdust
Yesterday we were running errands, had to get some groceries, make the strawberry jello salad, pick up some sausages at Otto's and pick up some other stuff. We stopped at Mt. Scott Fuel to order barkdust, which we get for the landscaping every two years. Debby read in the paper last week that barkdust this year is costing about twice its normal price due to the slowdown in construction and wood supply, so we weren't too surprised that it jumped to $205 from $130 two years ago. That's for one unit, which is seven yards. Anyway, it's hard to schedule when to have it delivered what with our crazy weather, not ever knowing if it's going to be raining or not, so instead of telling them to bring it next Friday I asked if they could possibly bring it today? (yesterday). They checked and said yes, and when Debby and I got home two hours later there it was in the driveway! We were excited, so we got right to work. We were planning to weed the landscaping before putting new barkdust down so we had to start with that. We also edged the lawn and I mowed it. Anyway, we got about two thirds of the barkdust spread before deciding to get indoors away from the thunder and lightning that had begun. The storm was pretty awesome. When it continued after some time Debby turned the lights off and we ate sundaes and watched it in the dark from the family room. Sorry to hear Synoah is afraid of thunder. Hopefully that will change as she gets older. It's fascinating and powerful and so much fun to watch.

Today's party at Sherry's was a lot of fun and I always enjoy seeing my family. I'm really proud of all the hard work Sherry has done to make that home beautiful.

When we got home about 5:30 tonight we finished up moving and spreading the rest of the barkdust. Then I put some more ammonium sulphate on the lawn to keep it green. We're both a bit sore but it's a good feeling come from hard work. I came in, took a shower, and then Uncle Junior called. He didn't have anything new to say. It seemed he was lonely and sad because it's Memorial Day weekend, his first without Aunt Bev. He talked about going to the cemetary tomorrow and how hard that is to do.

I had a bite to eat, read the paper and now am online. I'm going to download the pictures I took today and see if my digital skills are improving.

08:51 pm: Upcoming Sunday
Well, three workdays over and two to go until that 3 day weekend. Woo-hoo! I'm looking forward to our family gathering on Sunday. Sherry, now that you remind me, you did ask Debby and me to bring the pink strawberry/cool whip dessert/salad. So that is what we'll bring.

Can you believe the difference in temperature since late last week? It's crazy how it rises about 40 degrees and then a couple days later drops back the same amount. A gradual change is more to most people's liking.

Not much happening around here this week. We got our roof pressure washed yesterday to get the moss off and for some reason their ladder is still out in the backyard. Are they not finished? Are they coming back for it? I wonder......I'll have to ask when I see the guy. He's one of the dads at work.

09:13 pm: Sunday night musings
It seems I usually update now on Sunday evenings before bed. That's because I'm giving you a recap of the weekend, which is when I usually do enough worth telling about. Anyway, here goes.

Yesterday Debby and I both were up fairly early so we decided to go on a bike ride about 9:30 before it got hot. Rode about an hour and it was a good ride. I've been wondering what the construction on the bike path along 84 was about. It seems they are laying some kind of cable or wiring in long tubes directly under the path. All the holes are covered with metal covers so we had to avoid them, maybe 15 to 20 times each direction. After returning home, by which time it was already getting hot, we had a country breakfast of bacon, hash browns and scrambled eggs with juice. Debby also had an english muffin with hers.

We had a kick-back Saturday the rest of the day, with the air conditioner on and nothing at all planned. Debby read through 4 magazines, I think, and I watched some television and took a nap.

After a light meal of soup and a grilled ham and cheese sandwich we went over to Sherry's to play games. We ended up playing several games of Scattergories. A good time was had by all.

This morning we went on another bike ride, same route as yesterday, again while it was still cool out. We stopped at an estate sale down the street yesterday as we started on our ride and again at today that we're happy with except the two pair of shorts that didn't quite fit me although they were supposedly the right size.

We opened all the windows in the house and did three loads of laundry (both of our bedding, towels, and some clothes, including the stuff we brought home today). We chopped up lots of veggies for shish kebabs we barbecued for dinner and for stir-fry in a couple days. Barbecued shrimp and beef shish kebabs with mushrooms, green peppers, carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes and zucchini. They turned out delicious! It was a first for us. Debby also bbq'd a New York steak for me, as I'd been wanting a bbq'd steak for a week or so.

Reading the paper and mowing the lawn took up the rest of the evening. Now, after a second shower of the day, I'm finishing up my weekend and gonna go to bed soon.

Looking forward to next weekend, three days off and Trishie coming to town!!

09:00 pm: Another fast, busy weekend
On Saturday we started our day with a breakfast of bacon, hash browns, scrambled eggs and juice, a meal we hadn't had in awhile. Excellent beginning; I knew it was going to be a great weekend at that point. After stopping at the garage sale for a bit and visiting with some of my favorite people we stopped at the Pearls to see the youngest generation and Burt and Sharon. Onward towards Milwaukie, where we stopped to say hey to a few of Debby's nieces and nephews before heading back home later in the afternoon. We did some minor housecleaning and laundry and then watched the movie 27 Dresses. It was pretty cute and we weren't sure which guy she was going to end up with until the end.

Sunday we went grocery shopping, as usual, then had Debby's Vancouver niece and her family over for dinner. We made salad, Tuscan soup, lasagna and garlic bread, with triple chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and ice cream for dessert.

Today I was extremely tired and came home and took a three hour nap. It won't be keeping me up late, however. I'll be heading back to bed soon. Very soon. I think that says it all for now. I might be sick with bronchitis or something. Weird cough. That might be making me feel puny and worn down too.

09:17 pm: Sunday again
Here it is, Sunday night again. We shopped for all those flowers Friday, planted them on Saturday, and I helped Sherry with her load to the dump and put her two lawn chairs together and a couple other small chores. Today we got two hanging baskets for the front porch, went to Fred Meyer for a few groceries, went for a bike ride along the airport/Marine Drive path, and stopped to see Sherry's new patio furniture out on the deck. We also stopped to see Larry's yardwork project, picked up cans and verified what a ricer was at Rita and Dave's, and came home to barbecue burgers and sausages for tonight and tomorrow night's dinners. Sharon and Burt came over a bit later with our mother's ricer to show Debby exactly what it was. Very different than the ones we just looked at online, which look like large garlic presses.

It was a fun weekend, busy as usual. I hope everyone has a good week. And I hope Sharon's first week at her new job goes well and she has easy commutes.

Enjoy the sunshine! Good night.

08:27 pm: Sunday eve
Well, the weekend at the Zittleman/Shirley household was good, as usual. Saturday was a baby shower for Susy, Debby's niece from California who now lives in Vancouver and is having baby number 4. Debby's sister, Peggy, (Susy's mom) was here for the weekend and the shower was at her son and daughter-in-law's place up by the zoo. We took a yummy fruit salad made with whipping cream. It was a fun time, casual without games, just socializing and eating. Carye, our hostess, always makes exotic foods no one has ever had before. As usual, most of them were good.

We put the top down on the Miata when we left in the afternoon and drove around for a bit through Washington Park on our way home. I washed the car and truck and vacuumed the carpets and Debby cleaned the windows and insides of the vehicles this weekend. We cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms, dusted and generally cleaned up the house.

I borrowed the movie Dan in Real Life from Candice and watched it. I enjoyed it alot.

Went to WinCo for the week's groceries this morning, as is our usual Sunday morning errand. We made pork stir-fry for dinner tonight and will have leftovers tomorrow.

Today I wanted to walk somewhere different so Sherry and Kira walked with us through their neighborhood. Candice would have probably come along but the in-laws were coming over so she declined. Happy 45th anniversary to Larry and Melva! We got to see them for a few minutes before they left for home from the Behms'. Nice to see the Behms also.

Chelsea, your bedroom looks nice. Glad you finally put that shelf to good use. Sherry, your yard will look great whatever you decide to do to it. If you need help, I'm willing.

07:55 pm: Where did the sun go? To California!
Come back home to cold weather after last weekend's 88 to 97 degree days in sunny California, how rude! The gods are against us. Why? Who did what to tick 'em off at us Oregonians?

This weekend consisted of mowing the lawn, cleaning house, putting up Chelsea's shelf in her closet and baking banana bread. Also visited Debby's relatives in Vancouver on Saturday afternoon. Debby went down to Milwaukie and Gladstone to see nieces and nephews on Sunday afternoon.

I put some new photos on my journal tonight. Figured it out. I'm quite proud of myself, actually. These were taken last weekend at the California beaches near Tricia's place. Hope you like them. Adios!

10:06 pm: Hot sunny beaches of Cali
Okay, sorry we haven't updated yet. We were trying to get caught up reading the newspapers from Sunday on and also catching up on your journaling. I had to mow the lawn, which actually needed it before we left on Thursday but it was too wet so it had to wait and just grow longer and longer. Anyway, here is the vacation news.

California had the hottest weekend while we were there since last fall. In fact, LAX broke a 61 year record with 96 degrees on Sunday! Apparently the hot desert winds usually don't raise the temperatures quite that high along the coast, which is where it's located. That is also the area we were in, within about 5 miles or less.

We arrived on Thursday afternoon in Ontario and got our rental car, a Dodge Caliber, which isn't anything special but it got us where we wanted to go. We drove about an hour to Tricia's workplace to pick up her apartment key and hung out there until she came home from work. We went down to Venice beach for a delicious dinner at an Italian place and a walk on the pier. Tricia had to work on Friday so Debby and I headed back to Venice beach, which is about 3 miles straight down Washington Blvd, the street nearest to her apartment. We walked along the boardwalk and saw the sights and looked at stuff in all the shops. I bought a pair of sunglasses and a music cd from a cool guy who calls himself Salt. You'll have to ask me about that story. It's too long to write about tonight. We headed back to her place to eat our leftover food from Thursday night for lunch. Debby had shrimp fettucini which she said was about the best she's ever tasted and I had chicken parmesan and spaghetti, which was good also but not the best ever. After lunch we headed up to the next beach over, Santa Monica. We walked the pier and hung out for awhile before meeting up with Trishie back at her place. We went to a Mexican restaurant within walking distance on Friday night. It had good food too, we all agreed.

Saturday we ate breakfast a few blocks away, again walking, at a Hawaiian cafe. It was tasty and the best thing about it was you got three choices of sizes of your meal, single, double or triple. Prices were really low too, a double bonus. Sounds so far like all we did was eat, huh? Not so. We spent the next couple hours riding bikes we rented at Venice beach. We rode on the great path they have there, all the way to Santa Monica and beyond, then back again. We all three went to Debby's sister, Peggy's, for dinner of barbecued ribs(pork and beef), potato salad, garlic spaghetti, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Debby's nephews, Bruce and his brother Brad joined us, along with Brad's wife, Wendy, and their cupie-doll daughters Emma and Brooke, and Peggy's boyfriend Norm, who we hadn't met before. The food was great and it was a good time. Tricia and I went back to her place and Debby spent the night with her sis. We turned the tv on and Trish fell asleep. In the morning we went to breakfast at the same Hawaiian place, at my request. Yummy! I told Trishie we had to do her laundry before playing, so we did. In the afternoon Debby and Peggy came over and the four of us went to Manhattan beach to walk in the ocean and on the beach. We enjoyed another fine meal at a bar and grill type of place before heading back to drop off my wonderful niece and head to Peggy's in the valley. I cried on the way over because I missed my Trishie. Peggy lives about 15 minutes from the Ontario airport. We went to bed by ten and then on Monday Peggy had to go to work early so we didn't see her. We hung out on her patio and left for lunch around noon, headed to the airport early and read newspapers and a book I took along.

Anyway, the weather was exactly what we both needed. It was between 88 and 97 the first four days, every day which we spent at the beach, and 84 on Monday when we had to come home. We got some sunburn on our first day there, on our arms during the drive from Ontario to Culver City/Venice, and somehow on our calves. Must've been the way the sun was beating on us at the beach. It was a great weekend trip! Thanks to Candice and Riley for taking us and picking up at the airport and to Tricia for putting up with us and letting us stay at her place. She's a terrific hostess, and she has great taste in food! Thanks again!

08:37 pm: Sunday night wrap-up
Not a big, exciting weekend. Yesterday I slept in, then continued my Friday project of purging my closet and dresser drawers of clothing once again. Got rid of a few other things too, and then Debby joined in my enthusiasm and cleaned out some of her stuff too. She chose to wash down her entire bedroom at the same time so every surface is shiny and sparkling clean. The whole house will be that way in the next few months; it's a spring cleaning ritual around here. I'm talking mini-blinds, curtains, hangers, EVERYTHING! Why not? It keeps us out of trouble. Usually I'm working outside while she works indoors but with this un-spring-like weather we've been having that's just not been happening. We have a page-long to-do list for around the house, all those annual chores which will get done in spring and summer.

Happy birthday to Sherry and Andrea today and tomorrow! I hope you both enjoy your special days.

After grocery shopping today we stopped at the Behms' for a bit, then read the newspaper, took a one-hour walk and I worked on a project. I've been picking up flyers at the homes for sale around the neighborhood on our walks since October '06 and have dated them and kept them in a file. Tonight I organized them. I am keeping them just for fun, to see how much home prices go up over the years. It's unbelievable how fast their value increases.

07:29 pm: Easter Sunday
As it was a rainy Easter morning the Rabbit hid my basket somewhere inside the house. Bunny left me a note to wish me a Happy Easter and "P.S. I hid your basket." Silly wabbit. I searched EVERYWHERE, or so I thought. Debby was thinking I wasn't looking hard enough. She said she saw me glance into cupboards and such but not move anything or look behind stuff. I swore I searched everywhere downstairs, but gave it a second going-over, then headed upstairs to look up there. I was getting a bit ticked off, as I usually do because, I mean, there's not a lot of hiding places in this house, I don't think. It should be easy to find a basket. Anyway, I went back downstairs to look some more and about twenty minutes after the search began I suddenly screamed. I found my Easter basket full of goodies inside the dryer! Yay! Eggs and candy for Sandra! Oh, Happy Easter!

After all that, we went to WinCo for groceries, had blt sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch, read the paper and I watched a couple movies today. Last night when we stopped briefly at Dave and Rita's Rita invited us to Sherry's for dinner today. Rita was cooking but using Sherry's home. We took her up on the invite and enjoyed a tasty dinner. Thank you both so much!