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October 15, 2004

IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!

Not much happening this week in our lives.

Last weekend, we went into Portland, as Dave had to announce the races. We didn't leave until Saturday morning as it rained really hard on Friday and the auto races were cancelled. So the next morning, we gathered up our project list and headed into town. Saturday Dave did some projects around the kid's house, and that night, he announced the car races but was home early because of a rain-shortened session. I stayed at the apartment and visited with Lara and her family.

Sunday, we started with breakfast at the Reedville Cafe (our favorite hangout back in Hillsboro where we used to live) and then we had to drop the Subaru off to have the alternator fixed. Then it was off to Lowe's to look at cabinet ideas and window blinds for the new office, Max & Hildy's Nursery for a Pyracantha and some groundcover that I wanted to plant, Meier and Frank to pay on my account and then Fred Meyer for some groceries. Whew! Finally we were headed home (broke) by late afternoon.

I don't know where the rest of the week has gone. I know I painted door casings and floor molding on Monday. That took most of the day and I was tired of painting but I needed to get it done as the carpet guy was scheduled to come on Tuesday. Guess what? He actually came!! He was supposed to be here first thing in the morning but it was two o'clock in the afternoon before he arrived. I am not complaining because it got done and it looks really nice. What a difference having the carpet in. The echo we had from the old concrete floor is now nonexistent.

While we were getting the carpet on the floor, I managed to get all the plants in the ground. The Pyracantha (Firethorn) looks real nice up against one of the fences. The ground cover is small, but will grow quickly and fill in the hillside by next year. I have to buy more ground cover, but I knew I would.

Wednesday, Dave had a Blazer game to engineer. I didn't have to work that one, so I stayed home and spent most of the day next door helping my sister-in-law unpack some of the stuff she has been living around for the last few months. I figured I would volunteer to help her, because getting all that stuff in a new house can be pretty overwhelming and it is going to take a lot of time to do. We got the kitchen organized and will work on the rest of the place room-by-room.

While Dave was in town, he ordered the cabinets and the window shades for the office. Cabinets may be ready in a week and the window shades will take a month. The wallbed won't be ready until next weekend, but we weren't going to be ready to pick it up until then anyway. After Dave got all that done, he was ready to head back home yesterday, when the starter on the Suburban conked out. He had to get it towed to a repair shop while at the same time arranging to pick up the Subaru at the repair shop where he left it earlier in the week. At least he had something to drive home! But this thing about having at least one car in the shop all the time is getting a little old!

Wednesday night, I got word that my aunt died last Sunday and I debated whether to attend the funeral. She was 91 years old and she was my father's oldest sister. My father came from a large family (14 siblings) and she had out-lived most of them. I decided to go, so yesterday morning I had to run in to Hillsboro for the funeral. I visited with a lot of my cousins, but it seems that the only time we get together is for funerals. We really need to have a family reunion one of these times!

A red-shafted flicker visited my feeder the other day. They are a woodpecker and are a rather large bird with a black spotted breast, black bib and brick red coloring under the wings. I have now accumulated about six blue crested jays that show up daily. Those critters can be a nuisance as they intimidate the smaller ground feeders. I started out with two and I guess the word got out that the food is pretty good at Jan's place!

Fall is in the air and it is one of my favorite times of the year. The trees are starting to turn and the days are getting shorter. We have been having beautiful weather this week and it has been ideal to get some of the yard work done. It has also been ideal for volcano watching as Mt. St. Helens is steaming away. I don't really see what all the fuss is about. Everyone is sitting around like an expectant father, waiting for the birth of a child! Mother Nature will do what she wants, when she wants and there is nothing to do until then. Besides, I am not worried, we lived through the first eruption with a little inconvenience about 25 years ago and I will survive this time too.

I have my first broadcast Saturday night, and we have Jadyn for a couple of days while Greg and Lara celebrate her birthday (October 20). Not much else scheduled, but check back next week to see how it all went!