Category Archives: brother(s)

Jun10

A little gem

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Look what I found in the kitchen garden window last night:


Brian had given me this orchid a few years ago. I think it’s bloomed at least 4 times now. It must really like the window. I don’t give it any special treatment and look at the reward I get!
This is probably the last day of the heat wave-yes! I haven’t been going out as my van needs to have the a/c recharged. Now that my brother is going to fix my mom’s car, I can ask him if he can do it soon. It must have a leak as I think this will be the third time now in less than 5 years. I need my air to function. : )
I have to keep a watch of my gum on the bottom middle as it looks inflamed. I think I hurt it with either the electric toothbrush or dental floss. I’ll have the dentist look at it if it isn’t better in a few days. I never had gingivitis and I don’t want to start getting it now. Ugh.

May9

Stinkin’ chilly

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Don’t ya hate when the temps go from 72 to 52? We ended up getting the rain and got a good dose, not as much as was forecasted. It was enough to ‘uproot’ two of my metal plants stands causing the newly planted pots to go spilling out. I didn’t do any gardening, just investigating different things. Lots of seeds are coming up-Rose Campion (yeah Zoey), lettuce, zinnias and marigolds. I did get a Canna lily for my in ground little pond. I didn’t know they could be used as such.

Sean was kind enough to drive me to a book sale in a barn (I was kind enough to make him a big spaghetti dinner) and I got a small selection of mostly cookbooks (like I need them). I have to get serious about my book collection-I got a book on decluttering too! ; )

BTW, decided to save up for an Amazon.com contraption-the Kindle! I do a little selling on eBay and have a little toward it. I like that you can take it anywhere and have something that only weighs 10 oz too!

We finished watching Juno, which was a cute movie. I can see why both Ellen Page (Juno) was nominated for an Oscar and the screenwriter Diablo Cody winning it.

Stripper turned award winning screenwriter

I have to switch my winter clothes to summer. Sean tossed a few Space Bags out of the attic. I don’t think he gave me all of them. I usually have a bag for Goodwill in the room as I need to downsize clothes too.

Bro #2 is bothering my mom again. He had calmed down, and then he started rummaging through another bedroom again and just not being nice to her. She had calmed down, now she’s upset again. The word ‘bipolar’ comes to mind.

Have a great weekend!

May5

Spending the day

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…with someone you love and someone you are weary of, sorta sums it all up for me. Brother #2 was at my mom’s when I got there today. Ended up going to see his new apartment on the second floor of a 1908 house in our hometown. The steps to the place almost go straight up and then curve-typical old house, very dangerous. The place on the outside needs fixing up. The apartment has big rooms-he fit his king size bed in there! The kitty was hiding, but I made up with the dog. That Dalmation has a white face and black ears. He looks like a mime and his name should be Marcel Marceau!


I did talk to the cat and he closed his eyes a few times, he’s really a true scaredy cat. We went out to dinner and then walked around stores! And he told me not to take mom shopping a few weeks ago! He was buying things though. I’m pretty sure he has a job about 30 minutes away. I am trying to warm up to him, but all that sadness and hurt has made me a bit numb to him. He has a photo of the two of us, in bad shape-and it’s so cute-he’s about 2 and I’m 3, hanging on the wall with other old photos.

The last place we went (I was doing all the driving) was Home Goods. He bought a big red glass jar for his dog’s cookies. Mom bought two perfume bottles. I bought a mosaic candle holder that looks like it is a beehive, plus a mini covered clear glass cake dish with hand-painted bees and flowers. Will show you soon!

Apr27

Chasing my tail!

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Yep, what to do, what to do? Do I continue outside because that’s what I really want to do or clean my house? There’s so much to do in both locations. I did sort through a huge pile of junk mail, but I should have done that Thursday as Friday is recycling day. Now it will be sitting around all week.

My gardens are getting there. We had a cooler day and a little rain last night, so I was able to get to the lilies. There are so many weeds in there, I chopped off a few lilies by mistake. I do that every year!

I got my first iris today! It’s a pretty all white one! A few dianthus are blooming too. We went to Walmart and I must say their flowers and veggies are pretty decent this year and I bought a bunch last night. I planted more dianthus (Sweet William) that are named ‘Diana’ something. The ones from last year are coming along nicely.

Heard brother #2 has been planting a bunch of things at mom’s. This is good, but I use to help her with that. He also found her a nice used bed set (with a double bed) on Craig’s List and they went and looked at it and bought it! She has been sleeping on a twin bed and couldn’t stretch out right. I hope she is sleeping now as she was exhausted getting the room tidied up for the new additions. She is suppose to have a cat scan tomorrow and wants me to go along (I went with her when she had an MRI a few years back and waiting freaked me out a bit as I knew she was in that closed machine all that time). The weather is suppose to be rainy too.

That’s about all the news. I did sit after dinner and make one ATC! I haven’t made one for weeks. Speaking of dinner, I made the Rachael Ray turkey burgers which are so good! All you do is grate a small white onion in the ground turkey and toss in some seasoning like parsley and poultry seasonings. Next you make the patties and roll them around in pecan pieces and instant potato flakes and fry them up!

I am doing a little cross stitch at night. I am trying to finish off a Christmas ornament that I started back in ’05. I have to do birds over one stitch and it’s hard! Plus the design isn’t right at the top, and I can’t figure out why. It’s pretty though.

Apr22

Hugging the earth

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Earth day just happens to coincide with the PA election and my first look at annuals for my gardens. It’s a sunny day with a little breeze stirring up the pollen (ah choo!) I have to go vote solo as Bri and I are different political parties and his candidate doesn’t have anyone running against him! I think I’ll head to Sean’s old elementary school around 3:30-3:45 when there is more parking space. I get all mushy when I go back there as I spent a lot of time volunteering there for 8 years. I was even the corresponding secretary for the Parent/Teacher Org for a year. One of the things I helped create was the butterfly garden at the school. I brought some of my own perennials to fill in empty spaces. I’d love to see how that is coming along. If I remember, I’ll go look.

As for flower shopping, I saw that my favorite garden place’s other nursery (on the way to my mom’s) has a bunch of flowers for sale. That peaked my interest, so I’ll go take a look down in Delaware at the closer (and better) nursery.

Down at mom’s, brother #2 was doing some landscaping. Some was ok, but I was having nightmares over the placement of some big rocks right next to a path he was putting in. I could see my mom losing her footing and tripping. Seems bro #3 agreed and they are moving them. #2 also replanted daffodils and hosta under one of the front windows. The hosta are too close together and I think daffodils need to rest and get replanted in the fall so their bulbs can gather energy for the next bloom. This is correct I believe. I do have to thin out some of the lilies I planted along the one side of mom’s house a few years ago. They love the location! I’m about to order a mock orange bush and will have to order mom a new butterfly bush as #2 yanked up the one that we all loved.

So, do something for the earth today. Every little thing helps!

Updated:

I did some flower shopping! What a great selection too! For some reason, the nursery switched sides and the perennials were where the annuals use to be. Of course the perennials cost more and they are the first plants people see. I saw a perennial, Barrenwort, I have had since I lived here for $10.99-ouch!

Here I am with some of my new flowers:

And the mentioned Barrenwort which is spreading nicely


You know I was going to buy coleus! I was only able to save one plant from last year by rooting it in water.

I did vote, it was a great time to go. I was voter #277 and it was 3:30 in the afternoon. Not such a great turn out, maybe it was better in the evening. We had Obama ‘call’ us a few minutes before 8 which was pretty comical. Brian didn’t vote.

Apr21

Busy Monday

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I usually keep Mondays for myself, but decided to go see what I could do for my mom. As you may have guessed, not sure if I sprang it on you, my #2 brother has moved back up from Florida. I won’t use his name here, but he’s come into my mom’s house and turned it upside down, thinking he’s ‘helping’ her. Mom has a lot of things in her house-she’s a buyer and hoarder. We all are to some degree-look at people who don’t move for many years and you know we are keeping too much. But mom has enough of everything to give everyone in our hometown a gift of something in her house. #2 is being rash, and to clean up a big house takes more than a few weeks. Mom never invited him to come into her home and start all this (brother #1 hasn’t become involved). Older folks aren’t use to a big upheaval and my mom looked so bad today, I decided to take her out to dinner, which I did. She really enjoyed it. And I wanted to run into Macy’s (next door to the restaurant in the mall) to look around as I don’t have one near me. Well, mom goes and tells brother #3 that I took her to dinner and Macy’s and almost as soon as I walked in the door tonight, #2 calls to lecture me about taking mom shopping! She happen to be with me, she didn’t act like she wanted to buy anything, so what’s the problem? What do you think? I don’t think she’ll be shopping that much anytime soon. I was with her (she usually went on her sprees solo). Most of our family is being effected. My sickly uncle, me and now Bri was yelling to get off the phone. He can’t take hearing about this everyday.

I’ve been trying to watch my eating better. I had tapalia fish on salad at the restaurant-skipped pasta! If I had been home I would have tried a new recipe-arugula, cannelini beans and pasta for dinner from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine (I’ll have it Tuesday). My goal is to try one or two new recipes a week that are lower in fat. Mom and I also ran in Trader Joe’s grocery store and I was getting some low fat snacks. I got some chocolate meringue drops-no fat, low sugar-very yummy.

Please keep my little mama in your thoughts and prayers. I hope we can all treat her with the love and respect she deserves (and live in the present, as the past is being brought up so much) to help her get her place in shape.

BTW, almost broke my left big toe last night because Cosmo the kitty had kicked up a throw rug and my toe got caught right in the big bend of the rug and got bent back. It’s a bit sore, but I really want to do some serious walking this week.

Apr16

A good report!

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Thought I’d share!
Busy day here-drove to get the mammogram about 35 minutes and in there about 1/2 hour. Since mom was with me, I took her to lunch next to the huge bookstore where Bri and I went last week. I had to get my uncle eggs, so ran those to him since he lives in the same town as the hospital. Drove my mom home down a road I hadn’t ridden on for a long time, remembering high school pals who use to live here and there. It didn’t change much! Then I helped her sort through a mountain of clothes. My brother worked in her room many hours. I think I drove 60 miles! I’m glad to be home and hope to get some yard work in tomorrow as the weather is suppose to be nice like it was today. : )

Apr5

A new obsession

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Yeah, see my blogroll and look down at #6-thanks to my childhood friend Chris, I joined Facebook last night and have been playing with it off and on from late last night until now! We didn’t have internet access until around 2-3.

I decided that the mosquitoes had all moved in and were getting cozy in my water features, the pond and waterlily garden, so I went out and hooked up the one pump for the waterlilies-nothing-no whirl, dead. Then Bri came out and took it apart and it started to work. Finally. Then it was a terrible task with the pond. We couldn’t get the pump to sit flat so Bri bailed out all the nasty water, I got it situated and it started to work. He had to disassemble that one too and now I can report, clean water and a nice splashing fountain! It wasn’t really warm, but we didn’t have jackets on. I heard my mom had her menfolk cleaning up around her yard today-gets me off the hook a bit! I like to do her lamp post garden though.

I haven’t taken vitamins for two days now and my tummy seems calmed down. I really hope the ones I get for sensitive tummies will be okay. If not, I told Bri we’ll be eating lots of salads and produce. I’m hoping the blood work will be ok, didn’t hear anything after 3 days…so far.

Back to Facebook-it’s actually a fun place! If you want to join, be sure to click my link and hook up with me there.

Mar30

Today it’s Obama

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Sean called about 11:15 this morning and said he was in a long line to see Barack Obama-said that he was about #8k! Hope he gets better photos this time around. It’s an exciting time to be a college student!

Update-Sean got there too late as it was a huge crowd of 20K or more and couldn’t seen Obama at all. I found some great shots on flickr and forwarded the link to Sean.

Not much new. Bri and I went to Value City and QVC last night. I needed to pick up a few birthday gifts for my niece’s upcoming 9th birthday. I can’t believe she is getting so big! She’s wearing glasses now. Yeah, people say she looks a bit like her auntie, especially with the specs! I don’t want to say what I bought in case a family member is reading.

Speaking of family, my second brother will be trekking his way back to PA tomorrow to live. The one I have had issues with. He’s staying at my uncle’s house until he finds a place that takes a dog and cat. I heard he had to sell a lot of his possessions to make the move.

Watch for photos of my new orchids and begonias. My mom decided not to come out today and I guess I won’t be going to Longwood Gardens again tomorrow. I’d like someone to go with me to the eye doctor on Thursday which is 16 miles one way and an office I’ve never been to before. I have to have my corneas measured. I hope they do the pressure test first. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers that the pressure has gone down.

Off to finally make our corned beef dinner! Better late than never.

Mar18

Flashback!

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My pal at tribe.net wanted to see some photos of us as teens. Ok, I can do that, but since mine are from the middle 70s, they are getting faded, so I photoshopped a bunch!

Happy July 4th, 1976

Happy July 4, 1976! Like my painter pants and the way I love the flag? I really like this photo of me as I was carefree and having fun!

Mom and Me

Summer of 1975-Now I’m taller than mom! I did grow a bit, but she shrunk a bit too!

Going to the sockhop!

Happy Days was a big show back then, and the Sock Hops were popular again. I think we’re only 14 and 15 here and my mom mom is in the background.

Before JT 1979

About July or August 1979, I was about 19. Don and I were going to see James Taylor for the first time at the Mann Music Center. That same year, I went with him to see Joni Mitchell. I had that gauzy top for the longest time afterwards.