Category Archives: Me stuff

Aug26

Getting prepared

Posted on Friday, August 26, 2011 by Dianne

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.

Aug24

Us in the audience!

Posted on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 by Dianne

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Us in the audience!, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Sean and I did get down to see the taping of a local Philly chat show. It was lots of fun to be part of the audience. We got up at 6:30 am, left at 7:50 am and got there at 9:20 a.m.-that was close! We were some of the last people to check in, but we got to sit in the second row behind women and their kids who won a Phillies photo contest. They had added that stip on to their Facebook page and I do have some good photos of us at that smoldering game last year and Sean standing in the parking lot of the stadium. Sean tries to go to a game a year with his dad, but couldn’t afford it this year as he purchased the car. So this was a fun thing to do and he got to see the ace pitcher Cliff Lee.

I photographed these off the tv when we got home as they re-broadcast the show at 5 pm.
Who we came to see: Cliff Lee

Author and cook Cynthia Goch was on and made a few dishes-one of which was Eggplant Pizza. Here’s the recipe:

Me outside the studio with our goodies-a towel, a photo and a Chester County Women’s booklet (Sean gave his to my mom).

Aug23

Shaking, rattling and…finally rolling….

Posted on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 by Dianne

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This will mark a first in our lives. Close to 2 pm, e.s.t. a 5.9 earthquake shook a wide area on the east coast up to Maine or even Canada. It originated in Louisa, Virginia.

Sean and I were standing near the dining room table and the china closet and chandelier started to rattle. Brian was home for lunch and sitting in the lounge chair and he felt it moving! It may have lasted up to 30 seconds. I thought a tree had fallen down out back! I called the neighbor and she felt it too. All we had to do was turn on the tv and we saw how widepread it was then!
We were on our way out to West Chester U. where Sean needed to get his I.D. before his classes start next week. We sat for a while, called the college and they said things were calmed down. We did decide to ‘roll’ there and Sean got his I.D. and we walked around the campus which brought back memories for me as I went there back in 1981-1982! : ) We then went by my late Uncle Don’s house which was sold a few weeks ago. There’s a dumpster in the driveway and many bushes have been trimmed. I helped clean up his yard (with either Brian or Sean) a few times. It made us feel bad, but life does go on.
We also got a little shopping in. I saw a PT Cruiser just like mine-same gold, but very customized with lots of chrome. I did take a photo. This is only the second gold one I’ve seen since I bought mine. They are certainly loved and enjoyed.

So things are good, I thank goodness the tremor wasn’t stronger. What an experience.

Aug22

For the horses

Posted on Monday, August 22, 2011 by Dianne

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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.

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.

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!

This seagull was hanging around the sliding doors of our room. Since he was so persistent, I tossed him out a Pepperidge Farm goldfish.

When he didn’t get anymore, he walked 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).

A quilt with citizens names dated 1918!

Taxidermy duck:

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.

Some fun shots of Sean:

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.

Dishes encrusted with coral.
Remember riding these outside of the supermarket. The dolphin is so cute!

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.

Aug20

Photo Hunt-Drink

Posted on Saturday, August 20, 2011 by Dianne

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Orangey 4" x 4" Collage card, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

This is a collage card I made last year, one of the first 4″ x 4″ ones. I did a woven background and used a ‘drink’ label.
This was my birthday a few years back. It’s the middle of November and I remember it being bitterly cold, like January. We almost had the Mendenhall Inn to ourselves. This was the place my high school had it’s proms back in the day (didn’t go) and always wanted to see it.

I’m ‘almost’ a teetotaler, but like a nice Apricot Sour or Martini once in a while. Just had a strong Peach Martini down in Chincoteague on vacation-here it is!

Aug19

Whirlwind of activities-part one

Posted on Friday, August 19, 2011 by Dianne

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We take short vacations but really jam pack a lot of activities into that time! From stopping at our favorite sandwich place in Rehoboth Beach to seeing something new-we keep ourselves busy. When we got to Rehoboth, the sky looked like this:

It did start to rain, so we wondered into an arcade where the guys were attracted to the baseball games:

Brian has a good pitching arm from being on a team at one of his jobs. : )
Here is a sign to tell you about Rehoboth. Both Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb have ties (Kathie Lee’s parents parents had an inn there and Hoda’s mom recently bought a place there-they just had an episode there a few weeks ago)

Of the various beaches we visit, I love the little stores that line this area the best. Isn’t this a pretty pavillion?

We then hopped in the car (the rain was steadier then) and headed to Ocean City. It’s about 30 miles just to get to the outskirts of Ocean City, Maryland. We were staying on 13th and it starts about block 150.
Sean picked out this place and paid for one night. It was a good location, but we had a small room with double beds. I judged from the bathroom tiles it was built in the 1950s (as was the first apartment we lived in that had similar ones) and I was right-1954!

BEACH PLAZA HOTEL– Built in 1954 by Ethel Griffin Kelley and her son Harry Kelley, a former mayor of Ocean City. Richard Nixon and his family spent many vacations here. Bryce and Shirley Phillips have owned and operated the hotel since 1970.

They are renovating it and the lobby and restaurant are very lovely.

I’m not sure what the story is behind these ostriches on the front porch. There were plenty of rocking chairs to enjoy the beach scene too.

How clever was it to make the porch tables out of old Singer sewing machine tables?

We went down to check out the beach. Right before this photo was taken, a big wave came up and splashed my newly changed pants. What a shock!

That night we walked about 10 blocks! Whew! We had a pizza dinner that wasn’t too great and then Brian and I stayed in and Sean went to the young people’s night club. He rolled in about 1:30 am as he had to take a bus to the place. We finally got to enjoy some beach time on Wednesday. I’ll continue in another post.

Aug11

A fine feathered friend

Posted on Thursday, August 11, 2011 by Dianne

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Yesterday when I was lazying around I was sitting at the dining room table and saw movement in the tree through the window and it was directly in front of me! I saw it was one of the birds we have been hearing and hardly seeing across the street! I think it was a young she (from the bird guide book) and ran to get the camera and add the zoom lens. Here is one of the better captures:

At first I thought it was a Peregrine Falcon, but it is really close to the Cooper’s Hawk! We have a development 1/2 mile down the road called ‘Falcon’s Lair’. But the funny thing is on the way to shopping yesterday, we passed a Lane called ‘Cooper’s Hawk’ in Chadds Ford! Go figure. I guess she was watching the bank and stream for dinner!
It’s really a pleasant day out and I’ve been mostly inside messing with uninstalling and installing software. I finally got the EOS digital to work on my computer, but I didn’t want to load it up with a bunch of software and photos. I guess it’s good to have the camera software, which doesn’t seem to work. I had to go to the control panel and it found the camera and then imported the photos. I would like to take the 460 mbs of photo stuff off if that’s what I have to do everytime.
I have an issue that I hope goes away before our trip since I have to sit a lot. I have had this issue off and on for years. Pain in the…opps! ; )
And here it the Moonflower in bloom. It’s had a few more, but I see Mr. Catepillar nibbled some of them…

It smells nice too! Maybe I will go and take a cushion to enjoy a little of this low humidity day! : )

Aug2

Beatlemania!

Posted on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 by Dianne

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Today I bought the deal to attend this:

I found it through Living Social. They could have fun deals in your area! If I can get three other people to buy the same deal-mine will be free! Wow, that would be nice. I sold a few gold necklaces that I will never wear and have more than enough to go to this for a few days with Brian. We really need it. Carole went to the Elvis event and influenced me greatly to go to this one. I hope it will be cooler near the harbor. It’s about 2 hours from here. I just love taking photos and this will be great. We have several Beatle t-shirts. We should take the Cruiser! : )

Beatles fans the world over Come Together for this Labor Day weekend tribute festival on the banks of National Harbor—and we’ve got you covered with a two-day reserved pass for two people, including one night at the Gaylord National Resort—just minutes from DC and Old Town Alexandria.

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Zoey asked how I am liking my Kindle-I enjoy it very much! I’ve only downloaded freebies from Kindle though. I read two books on Kindle and then read two ‘hard copy’ novels as I have so many of them to read! It’s so portable and easy to charge by either plugging it in the wall or computer.

Jul22

Please send a cool breeze…

Posted on Friday, July 22, 2011 by Dianne

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White Pampas Grass, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

(The above photo is from my walk at Longwood Gardens last week)

We are in our 6th day of a heatwave-murder! I was out setting up a hose and sprinkle for the garden that Sean purchased yesterday. It’s one of those little round sprinkers and I had to move it around and get a little wet, but in 97 degree heat it was worth it.
I thought I’d share this photo of something that looks like it would blow nicely in the breeze…ornamental grass.
Not sure if consigning is right for me as out of 28 items, only 4 have sold so far. And I was peeved as some of my things are missing and the lady shrugged that off. I really like browsing around and finding some treasures, but when they aren’t watching their clientele that closely, that’s if they are stealing the Phillies t-shirt we couldn’t find along with a few books and a little shelf. I have an appointment for next week-think I’ll just wait until August now to pick up the things that didn’t sell. This time of year people are spending money on vacations, not used stuff.
I’m waiting on a few things for the car like mats and a seat cover. The driver’s seat is a bit ‘wrinkled’ (it’s leather), so I found a cover with the Chrysler logo. I’ll have to take a few photos when everything is in place. Did I tell you it’s the best car I ever drove? This surprised Brian for some reason. The van was good, but it was hard to see over the hood sometimes and Sean had problems galore parking it. I had a Crown Victoria which was nice, but that was a typical big 1980s car. ; )
Guess I’ll keep myself busy around the house.
Stay cool!

Jul19

Ina is mine!

Posted on Tuesday, July 19, 2011 by Dianne

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Yes, we did purchase ‘Ina’ and brought her home last night. It’s such a fun car and a treat for me! I decided on Ina as she is ‘Inca Gold’ and there is a chef named Ina Garten on the Food Network. I have always liked her, so Ina it is! I just hope people don’t call her the ‘mustard mobile’ or as I read in an article from 2002 (on the web), the ‘line down the road’. It’s a lovely metallic gold. I decided to order a few needed items-like floor mats (the ‘original’ ones were gone), some cleaner that will get rid of the haze on the lights (I hope) and a novelty plate that says ‘PT Cruiser’ on the front. And a little gold PT cruiser on a keychain (thanks to eBay for the last two). : )

The PT Cruiser is and was more than a car, it was a testament to the history of the automobile brought back to life with all the amenities of a modern car with the retro look and styling of a car from the 1930’s. Customizable in almost any way conceivable these cars brought people all over the world together who loved the cars in groups all over the United States….How many modern vehicles are allowed into a classic car show? Only 1 I have ever seen is the PT and people in the car shows flock to them. By Brian Connelly-Facebook group

Sean’s car was owned by a 90 yr old name from the Manhattan area. Apparently ‘Gramps’ backed into a garage and did a number on his back bumper. Sean will probably get an estimate to get it fixed or maybe even replaced. It is in great shape other than that and only 42k miles on the odometer, can’t beat that.
A freaky thing happened last night-Brian decided to look at all the fluid levels under Ina’s hood and when he took off the power steering cap it slipped out of his hand to under the engine someplace. He could not see it and of course I’m not going the duct tape route forever! I called a Chrysler dealership about 45 minutes away and ordered one that will be in tomorrow ($22!). I’m thinking Bri should get it as he’s only 15 minutes away and I hate to go all the way there in this heat. We’ll see. I haven’t seen my mom for a few weeks now and we want to show my brother Sean’s car to see what he says about the bumper. His son may be able to sand it and paint it-he’s really good at that.
That’s my life these past few days-all centered around cars. I pray both cars will be fine as you never know when you buy a used car. Bri felt bad about his car being turned in (we had just paid $400+ for inspection, a fix and a new tire). Sean said he was ready to turn his in. That’s the car that took him back and worth to Penn State and I’ll always remember how glad I was when I heard him set the alarm (it was quite loud) when he came home for a visit. I’m feeling mushy right right.
Dinner is turkey meatloaf with honey bbq sauce and bacon (my own recipe), baby zucchini (bought-mine are not quite ready) and tator tots! Love those tots. : )