Category Archives: Delaware

Aug26

Getting prepared

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This is a scary, bustling time here.  Definitely the calm before the storm. Today I was moving plants and stacking chairs up. I filled both watering cans, a metal bucket and the garden cart with water. When you have a well, when the power goes out, so does the ability to flush a toilet. We learned the hard way back in 1998 when we didn’t have power for 3-4 days. Brian was getting water from the stream out back to use. Not a pleasant experience. I am making ice, but bought a bag for the big cooler. I did get to the store. We have several groceries stores within a 5 mile radius, so I chose one outside of Kennett and it wasn’t bad at all. It’s funny what people buy when they think they will be stuck inside. Other than water, lots of canned nuts were gone. Not a lot of meat was purchased. Like me, they are worried about wasting money on food that may spoil. I bought tuna, soup, crackers, pudding, celery, and other things that may be easy to eat. I figure we could do soup on the grill. I’ll have to be really hungry to eat it that way though. ;  )    I cooked half a dozen hard-boiled eggs and also some bacon. I boiled up some pasta. I think we will be okay, much more prepared than all those years ago. We have lots of bottled drinking water. I’m more worried about my two large windows. I told Brian we need to make sure there isn’t any metal that will be flying around the yard. Of course another thing is 6-10 inches of expected rain that may have no where to go. We just had a lot of rain yesterday. Last year we had an issue with water pouring out of where the hole in the wall is for the well, not fun. I was thinking if we used the big funnel (we have) at the end of a hose and had the other end in the big sink in the basement, that may work or help. We have a few things to figure out, but I am worried about all the stuff in that basement. I’ve been wanting help to clean it out for years, we do a piddly clean up and stop. I do have a terrible dust allergy and I got pneumonia after putting Christmas stuff away last year. Not sure if that’s a connection, but it could be. It’s been smelling musty, so I put on the portable fan and spray Lysol aroun.  If you don’t hear from me for a while, you know we lost power. I will try to ‘tweet’ until the phone battery goes (I’d have to charge it up again in the car) which shows up in the left side bar. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as I will you who may be affected by this monster storm.

Aug22

For the horses

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Well how could I not talk more about Chincoteague Island, VA? It’s a quaint little town that I’ve (well all of us) have never seen before.
I’ve always been curious about the wild ponies and I shared one of the photos of a herd we saw on the way to the beach. But we got to get up close and personal to a group of horses near the hotel that ranged in age from foal to 30! The sign said they were for sale. The tourists could buy them treats of alfalfa pellets and corn and put it in a few feeding boxes. The horses loved that! The little ones even started to fall asleep with their heads in the boxes.
Ponies for sale
One of the old mares had lost an eye this past winter. We felt so sorry for him, but he still begged for food. I think he’s in the back.
Nice horses
Their backs are really sunk in!
We thought this group of Mallards were comical. They apparently hang out near the horses and get the tiny pieces of treats. They were laying here resting with their headed tucked under their wings-well of course I stirred them up when I came to take their photo!
Mallard Ducks resting
This seagull was hanging around the sliding doors of our room. Since he was so persistent, I tossed him out a Pepperidge Farm goldfish.
My Seagull pal waiting outside our room
When he didn’t get anymore, he walked away in defeat:
Walking away in defeat
We checked out and headed to the Museum of Chincoteague which just opened in April of this year. That was an interesting place! I would have loved to have some of the photos for collage. We participated in a scavenger hut to be entered in a drawing. This was a fabulous idea because we really looked at all the exhibits many times. We also got help from other guests.
These were probably the first taxidermy ponies I’ve seen (but have seen other animals in other museums). It was a bit weird to see Misty, the pony from the M. Henry book called ‘Misty of Chincoteague’. I didn’t know Ms. Henry bought Misty and she lived in Illinois for 10 years and went around to schools, etc. The other pony (darker) is Misty’s baby Stormy(both have been deceased for over 30-40 yrs).
Taxidermy-Misty and Stormy
A quilt with citizens names dated 1918!
Quilt of embroidered names of Chincoteague
Taxidermy duck:
Assorted taxidermy ducks
Leaving Chincoteague, you see all these huge white satellite dishes. NASA has a place there! We zoomed past the museum and turned to go back.
NASA visitor center sign
Some fun shots of Sean:
Spaceman Sean
Sean with moon exhibit
We stopped off in Ocean City for lunch and then headed to Seashell City/Shipwreck museum in Fenwick Island, DE. This is one of those beachy gift shops I would have gone ga-ga for as a 10 yr old. They have tons of everything. I’ll show you want I bought in a later post. We always go upstairs to the ‘free’ Shipwreck Museum. The displays are so nicely done and it’s amazing what the divers find. I think some must have gotten very weathy from their finds.
Little childrens' cups and saucers from shipwreck
Little childrens’ cups and saucers.
Dishes encrusted in coral
Dishes encrusted with coral.
Remember riding these outside of the supermarket. The dolphin is so cute!
A Vintage mechnical dolphin ride
We stopped several more times-the Rehoboth Beach outlets-went in The Gap store and got a few things; also walked around the Atlantic Book warehouse which is slowly shrinking in size. I only bought 3 books which are very nice. We ate a deep dish pizza at Pizzeria Uno and headed home. Whew! That was a long day on Thursday!
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Today I had to go to the eye doctor to get my eyes, mostly my right eye checked out. Both have been red, but the right one was terrible this morning. It’s inflamed and I have to use steroid drops in it for 2 weeks! I think some hair product was getting in my eye when I was asleep as I have that little bang on the right.
Sean and I will try to get down to right outside of Philadelphia to see the live taping of a local show called The 10! Show on Wednesday. You have to get there by 9:30 a.m., no small task for us. It’s about a 90 minute trip one way. Sean thought it would be a fun thing to do and a bonus for him, ace Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee is one of the guests! They are having a contest on the show’s facebook page and will pick someone tomorrow to introduce Cliff on the show. I mentioned that Sean hasn’t been able to afford to go to a game (which is true) and it would be a treat for him. Crossing fingers.

Apr18

Fly Away

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Fly Away Collage Card, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I need your vote please-do you think I am missing an element here? Perhaps a canary or another bird? It’s one of those cards I’m not quite sure looks finished.

Not much news-surveyed the yard and cringing at what hasn’t been cleaned up and usually is by now.

Update-thanks for your suggestions about a birdie on this card. I’ll have to look for one.
My Mariner is in the shop again. We dropped it off today (the 19th) and the a/c compressor needs replacing. We are thinking the people who traded it in knew this already and that’s why they came all the way from a part in PA that’s over 2 hours away. The warranty should be in affect. We have a Subaru Forester as a loaner car. Bri insisted that I drive it and it was in manual shift and I didn’t know how to get it in drive. I had to drive it 10 miles shifting it! Geez. (another update-I didn’t have it in ‘D’, but below that-couldn’t figure it out when I was actually driving it). It’s a carbon copy of the Mariner and Escape. By the time I got home I amost had a migraine. We had gone out to eat near where we bought the car and I found an antique mall loaded to the gills. I’ve got to go there again!
We went to a Pizza Hut and it wasn’t that great. Tonight we went to Applebee’s because I needed a decent meal. : )

Jul23

Photo Hunt-Hanging

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Huge shark, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I could have used a hanging basket here as I have tons of photos of them. I always look at my Flickr photostream and do a search. I came across ‘Mr. Shark’, who was seen in the Shipwreck Museum in Fenwick Island, DE. I just saw him a few weeks ago when we stopped in to see if there were any new exhibits (it’s free and you can take photos). Sure enough, he still was. I think many visitors miss him because you need to look up as he’s so close to the ceiling. And when you are done checking out the treasures, you can go downstairs and shop in Seashell City, one of the best souvenir places in the area.

Jun5

To Wilmington we go!

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Sean and I saw that Friday, the 4th was the last day for the Greek Food Festival a stone’s throw away from here in Wilmington, DE. at the Greek Orthodox Church. It’s one of those events you hear and read about that are local and you never go. We decided we were in the mood for stuffed grape leaves and spinach pie, so we went! The ‘true’ festival was probably in the evening-you know with the music and dancing. When we got there it was mainly take-out, though inside the church they had a food line and tons of tables-all filled up. The tables outside in the blazing sun were almost empty. We decided to order and take it home. We got some samplers of all the Greek food and Sean got a big salad for his dinner at work. I really love the route down there (Route 52) with the scenery and quaint little towns you whiz through. The food was really tasty and different too. I think it’s worth the trip. But alas, no Baklava!
Sampler Greek Food
Mousaka-Eggplant and potato casserole, Spanakopita-spinach pie, Dolmades-stuff grapes leaves, meatballs and Tyropita-cheese filled pie.

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Such a pretty location. I love church architecture.
Greenville, DE Post office
V.P. Joe Biden’s ‘home’ post office in Greenville, DE-taken out the car window! I love the sky in this shot. I still toss my little Canon powershot in my purse and it’s about 6-7 yrs old.

Happy 28th Anniversary to my brother Dave and his wife Mary Anne. Brian and I happen to meet at their wedding, so it’s an anniversary for us too!

Sep8

Long weekend

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Not much to post about-had Brian home for the holiday weekend. He dug up the part of the veggie patch where I want to add some salad stuff for the fall. Sean had his interview for the internship (it pays) on Friday and had to drive down to Delaware*City. He’ll hopefully get thumbs up today. He will be treating invasive species (plants) like poison ivy at the park in another area of Delaware.
I’ve been doing a little shopping here and there finding some good buys on Martha*Stewart things at Big*Lots. I actually went to two different stores as we went down to Dover, DE on Monday just to do something different. My favorite bookstore- Atlantic warehouse was having a buy 2 get 1 free-must have saved $30 or more! I bought about 3-4 things for my mom’s birthday coming up in a few weeks. We ate at Olive*Garden and I went in a few craft stores. You need a few days to go in all the stores down there. Also went into the town of Dover to find Wesley College, a small, but nice school amongst Dutch Colonels and other lovely homes. The public flowerbeds are kept so nice. There was a bed of burgundy dinner plate hibiscus-gorgeous, with red, white and purple petunias.
A few nights ago, I was doing one of those Facebook ‘5 things’ and they asked my nationalities. I put down Swedish, but my family always thought we were Danish (and may be). My cousin was going to open a furniture store (and may have already) and went over to Denmark. She looked in the phone book in Denmark and there were only a few Hasselbergs. She went to Sweden and that’s where they all were. She started a business which is still going strong and run by many of her children. I found the fan page for Dane*Decor on FB and scrolled down and found my cousin Drew there! He had contacted me about a blog entry a few years ago and so had his brother Jesse. I scrolled down to find a memorial group for Jesse. He had passed away from a heart attack last year to the day-he must have been only in his 50s. I was so upset to read this. So now Drew and I are friends on FB. Cool, huh?
Please keep my mom in your thoughts as she is getting her eyes photographed and checked to see if the injections she had over the last few months has slowed down the macular degeneration. She’s really scared. I’ll let you know.

May10

A Day in Delaware

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A Day in Delaware, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Sean and I went down to The Wilmington Flower Market/Fair-a 3 day event-the last day was Saturday. It was about 80 degrees and we were very warm as where we parked was a hike to the fair. I bought a few plants and Sean bought me a perennial, which I will show you soon. They had a ‘donor’ tent where people donated plants from there garden. I bought a red lily.
I would have bought more if the prices were more in my range.
Isn’t the stone tower
shown neat! There were people up in it, but I was not in the mood to climb the stairs (I guess) as we had climbed the side of a hill to get to the fair.
We left there and went to the Hagley Museum, but just looked around the outside and the Brandywine River. The one photo shows a bird’s nest with what looks like a piece of paper towel or plastic. A rude lady (pretty sure it was a woman) in a van for old folks started honking her horn like a crazy woman near us. Here we were on the wrong said of a metal gate that was going to close behind her-we had no idea about that or why she was honking. She could have nicely rolled down the window and told us about the gate, but she had to do the horn thing. I complained about her to the girl in the gift shop, but of course she didn’t know the woman. So if anyone reading this works at an senior citizen’s complex near Hagley Museum, you have a rude driver!

Here’s Sean the last time we were in this area:
Sean near the Brandywine River at Hagley Museum

Oct29

Phillies memories

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I’m still praying to St. Anthony that I will locate my signed Tug McGraw photo I got of him in person in 1981. I know where it use to be, and I went through the entire shelf and it’s not there. I did find this:

I think it’s one of the better portraits I drew years ago. I was only 21 when I did this of Tug. : )

And then on the shelf was the 1978 team, almost the same players from the 1980s team. I have that big box of stuff, but since this was on the shelf, here it is:

And a close up of Tug:

His famous saying was ‘You’ve gotta believe’. I’ll keep hoping!

By the way, the Tampa Bay Rays had to move out of their hotel in Philly and ended up in the swanky Hotel DuPont (look at the video tour-it’s really nice and Longwood Gardens is mentioned too)in Wilmington, a stone’s throw from here. They were really impressed by the joint-perhaps their upcoming consolation prize?

Sep1

A little daytrippin’

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I can’t believe it’s September already!

Bri and I went down to Dover, De today. It’s about 50 miles one way and takes an hour. Not much to see, just some marshy areas with egrets and I saw a whole family in one area. Every once in a while, there is a housing development. There are places I want to see and photograph like Lum’s Pond (about 20 miles away-we went there for a company picnic years ago) and Odessa (about 30, but they decorate the old homes for Christmas). I did take a photo of the St. George’s bridge:

This is over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canals (thus named) and taken at over 50 mph. The average speed limit on this stretch of road to Dover was 65 mph. That just seems to fast to us.

Hit a big sale at Atlantic Books warehouse-buy two, get one free. I shop the middle of the store where the bargain books are Bri tends to shop the perimeter where they aren’t on sale, but he was thinking the sale, though he picked out only two books that were over $20 each. Now I really have to love a book to pay that much. When we were checking out, I tossed one of my books in with his-got a $9.00 book for free. I guess we saved $25 on the total sale. I was very selective. I may sell a few of the ones I bought anyway.

We ate dinner at 3:30, having skipped lunch, at The Olive Garden-good parmesan crusted Talapia! Oh, I got a new postage scale at the Office Depot so I will know how much stuff over a pound will cost to ship. I can use click and ship now too!

It was nice to spend some time with Bri as he’s back to work tomorrow.

I’ve been going through links and adding some and taking some out. I think I have some awesome ones to share.