Friday, May 28, 2010

Lest We Forget

The jury is in

Okay...I like it. I mean, I really like it.
The new washing machine I mean.
I had the service/repair manexplain
everything to me....like cliff notes for
college classes.

It is quiet. Extremely quiet. It makes
not a sound except to tell you it's done
with the process and that sound is a
pleasant little ring tone like your phone.

The clothes are clean, I only use 2 tbls.
of soap, it has programming (automatically)
for all of the different fabric choices and you
hit "go" and we're off. The clothes come out
extremely "wrung out" if you know what I
mean. A lot less water in the clean product
and therefore, a lot less time spent in the
dryer.

I think my service man should go into the
showroom and sell these puppies. I'm sure
with his demo and pitch and the cautions he
gives, he could sell a lot of these front loaders.

Just a thought.

If there was going to be a photo attached
to this blog....it would be of me smiling!

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble

I got that right. Washer developed a transmission leak.
Already had it fixed 4 times for various reasons, and this
was the second transmission.
I discovered this when I found a wet utility room floor.
(no shoes).

The leak had to be repaired, then the decision to fix or replace.
Well replace won.
Shop at Home Depot. Hmmm, not sure, the one I wanted was on
sale for $499. Tim says "are you sure that's the one you want?"
"Yes" says I. "Are you sure, there are more to look at over on
this side.....and cheaper too".
"No" says I.

Back and forth between stores until I finally went to Home
Appliance in Brunswick. Did not have time to really chat with
the staff and they were busy anyway. Back to Home Depot
"I'll take one of those"! "The factory can deliver sometime after
May 31st". "No way" says I.

Back to Home Appliance, except their store in Lodi.
"Where's the scratch and dent" dept?
Found what I wanted. Priced at $449.00
Delivery an extra $59.99.
"NO thanks, my husband said he will be here tomorrow
and pick it up and install it."
Also, a new laundry sink was in the making too so a simple
task took over two full days to do.

Ah ha! First load, I read the book and started her up!
Water everywhere, and suds, suds, suds!
I had purchased the special HE detergent and following
the directions to a "T".

Service call yesterday. Too many suds, too much detergent.
Three rinse cycles later we are all ready to go.
"No more than 2 tablespoons of detergent M'am"
Sigh!
All the laundry plus 14 bath towels (which mopped up the water)
and all the underwear, jeans coloreds etc which had been systematically
piled in piles on the laundry room floor.

Oh well, it uses less water (no pun intended there) and less detergent,
and it is quieter, and more efficient and oh yes, it will have a mold problem
since the door has a seal, so the door must be propped open when not in
use.

All things a salesman should have told a consumer......had they been a woman!

And they're off!

Last night, Tim and I went to Northfield Park,to celebrate a 70th birthday of his longtime High School friend Ed. (See photo taken 9/2010 after they had not seen each other for 52 years). There were 12 of us gathered at three tables, midsection on the clubhouse track seating. Drinks and dinner and racing, Oh my!

What a fun night. Of course, where there are horses and gambling, what's not to love.

I was fortunate to pick three winners out of nine races. Small bets, but fun indeed. Ninth race winner was Alhambra Bokay.

We got a card for Ed that went something like this:

"Two guys went out at 10:00 one night.

One drank 6 beers and the other drank 3 beers and two shots of Jack.

Which one got drunk first?"

Trick question: Guys that age aren't out at 10:00 at night!

You got that right! I started yawning promptly at 9:00 and proceeded to yawn with regularity until we left after the ninth race at 10:30. Those of us over 40, 50 or 60 don't stay up late and 10:00 is late to me.

Yikes, what time do they have to start racing when I turn 70 (19 months from now)?

Hmmm, how about right after lunch!

Northfield's theme is "Every 19 minutes.....the place goes crazy!"

Wake up Von Duyke, wake up!

Today in my world, the dark clouds work for me.

That's because my eye exam at the Retina Specialist yesterday proved that there was a "horseshoe" tear in my retina! How appropriate!

Three surgical procedures later (which included a needle of novacaine shot into my eyeball)
fixed the problem I have to go back for a check up on the healing process in two weeks, but
no sun for me is a good thing.

Sorry folks, the rain is only going to last for 4 or 5 days.
Then I will put on my sun glasses and you all can go out
and play in the puddles.!

Boys to Men

This photo was taken on Sunday at Nathan and Traci's house in North Ridgeville.

I was amused by the fact that my son was doing dishes. Not amused that he was doing dishes I guess, just amused that men grow up and some are waited on hand and foot by someone and other men are not.

I don't mean to be sexest or bigoted or whatever this statement may be called. Times have certainly changed in how couples make their lives work for the better.

Nothing wrong with being waited on or being the waiter.

Traci had worked hard to produce a lovely, lovely brunch buffet and I saw my son helping out.

This just made me smile!

How's that for a great looking family?

Mother's Day 2011 has passed and it was a great

event. Traci and Nathan hosted brunch and it was delish! The menu consisted of: Belgian Waffles, fresh strawberries and blueberries, thick cut bacon, sausage links, scrambled eggs, bagels and cream cheese, cheesy potato casserole and coffee cake. Juice, wine, coffee..you name it, it was wonderful.

Lot's of floral gifts and a new pie plate, cards and kisses. What a day!

This photo was taken yesterday afternoon in Traci and Nathan's newly landscaped backyard.

Missing from the photo was Kevin, Sarah's husband and Daniel's dad. Kevin had to fly the mother of the owner of the#3 Horse in the Derby to Louisville on Saturday, so Kevin spent his day parked on the tarmack at the Louisville Airport.

Daniel lost his first tooth yesterday morning, so it was a big day for him as well.

All was well with the world yesterday.

I then invited my friend Shirley over for dinner as when I spoke with her and asked what she was doing special yesterday, her reply was "nothing".

As she left las night she said "I was hoping you would call".

Ain't it grand being alive?

We Mother's are Blessed!

Mother's Day 2011. I day that honors and remembers the journey from birth through life.

Now I am not only a Mother to two wonderful children, Nathan and Sarah. But Mother In Law to two wonderful spouses, Traci and Kevin.

Now, the best of the best, grandmother (Nana) to Daniel Winfield Vas.

Yes, indeed it is a Happy Mother's Day!

Photo of Daniel and Sarah, Akron Children's Hospital, Feb. 2005 left and Nathan and I, Mother's Day 2009, on the right.

Real Friends!

This is a photo of my friend Linda Vaughn "asleep at the switch" if you will.

Linda volunteers for the Medina County Board of Realtors Horse Show as the Show Secretary. A hard job with long hours and little reward. She said "yes" to my request 15 years ago when the Board put on their first horse show. No one knew how to do the job except my friend Linda. She has been saying "yes" to the request ever since. This year will be the fifteenth annual show, June 25 and June 26th at the Medina County Fairgrounds. She is not even a Realtor, or a Realtor Affiliate. What she is...is a real friend!

"A Good Friend will come and bail you out of jail, but a real friend will be sitting there next to you saying "Damn, that was fun"!

Why can't the people of the world get along?

The photo above left is of the fat, fat squirrel that resides in our yard.

Photo on the right below is the same fat squirrel meeting up with the wild rabbit who occasionally dines below our backyard bird feeder.

At first, they butted heads, neither giving up their ground. Differences yes....but the objective was the same....So....they just settled down to the reason they appeared in the first place.

Dining with a stranger, who happens to be different that you...or another species can be done....

in harmony!

Let's see, how does this apply to us?

The View from the sidelines

Daniel had his first Soccer Game this week. When Tim and I arrived with him to the school fields, (his parents were working) we were the only people there. We had been told to arrive at 5:30, and so we did. The coach arrived at 6:00.

Daniel had no uniform as of yet, but the uniform was to be an orange shirt, check, shorts, check, soccer socks (do they go on over or under the socks? Under!) soccer shoes and his soccer ball.

Tim took the ball out of the bag we were taking to the game unbeknownst to me, so Daniel was a little on edge at the fact that there was no ball. Slowly folks started to arrive and we found our way to the right field and waited for the coach. Five boys and one girl on the team who renamed themselves "The Star Wars" gathered round the coach. He said he would never remember their names and after a brief intro they started to practice. No game as the other team's coach communicated the fact that he can't play during the week, so no game commenced, but they did get their first practice in.

Daniel had some focusing issues and some behavior not suitable to being in company. Silly stuff and a little "class clown" stuff. He was asked not to play.

"You have to sit on the sidelines and just watch"!

Daniel cried.

I wanted to.

Here's my beef. The coach did not say "these are the rules" "This is what will happen if you break the rules" etc. These kids are six year olds. They will not behave like Beckham.

That's my beef and I had to watch a little boy with a broken heart cry.

"Please can I play, I'll learn everything about soccer and I will be the best player ever".

"No Daniel, you broke a rule."

Life's lessons are really tough sometimes.