A Blooming

I think this is one of my favorite times of the year, when all the flowers are starting to bloom. 

It was a warm one today, but tomorrow is supposed to be even worse.  One thing that has been nice so far.  We will get a few days of warm then it will get back down to the 70's which is really nice!

Hope you have a great evening.

Gnomes and Fairies

A couple of years ago, I took one wheel barrel and had the fairies and the gnomes in it.  This year I separated them into two different barrels.  Now I have one that is gnomes and one that is fairies.  I added part of a tree to the gnome garden (one that we had to help a friend get off of her camp roof.) and the fairy garden I added rocks that were found in gem mines.

I'm BACK!

Well hello, I am finally back to blogging.  I have decided that spending my time on blogging is so much better than going to Facebook and spending all my time looking at the negativity on it! 

I have no pictures to share today, but tomorrow I hope to be back in the game and posting more often and more pictures.  I have even let my photo taking go to the way side.  Hopefully, I will get back into things and be a little more consistent in blogging! Have a great evening and hope to see you tomorrow with new content.

Gnomes

I decided to add to my patio area, a gnome garden in an old wheel barrow.  I don't remember where I saw this done.  I just loved it, so I had to try it for myself.  I think it turned out pretty well.  All my flowers are starting to bloom pretty nicely now.

I have decided to down size on the animals, I am going to give up the mule and the pony.  I will then be down to the old lady (Annie at 24 years), and then Sirocco.  I haven't been riding and doing much with the horses.  So, I think it is time to be done.  I will keep Annie until she passes and Sirocco for now.  I do hope to work with him more this summer, but I don't know if I will, I am still not riding him yet because after all these years I am still a novice rider and he needs an experienced rider.  NOT ME.  I will keep working with him from the ground.

Matt is still working and playing with the engines.  The son is right along with him, seems we do more on the weekends with engines than at home much.  Or we are running around doing errands. 

Hope you are having a great summer.

Engines

It hasn't stopped.  The hubby is still getting lots of engines to show.  This just happens to be one that he inherited from a close friend, that passed away and left all his toys to Matt, inside the building that was also included.   This is a large 10 horse engine.  One of the largest that he has, if not the largest.

We now have to buy a building to house all of his engines, plus any that he may get between now and the near future, if I know him :)

Hope you have a wonderful week.

LARGE trees!

Took a 6.5 hour drive to go see the Red Wood Trees in northern California.  I have never seen trees so large!  It was just awesome to be able to walk through them.   I had such a wonderful time going out to Washington and Oregon, along with California and spending the week with the hubby.  He missed coming home though.  He decided to stay out there and let me go see the sights.  He is only getting home every three weeks and that time it was 6 weeks before he got to come home.  Thanks to my wonderful husband, I got to see some wonderful country that I might not of been able to ever see!

Mount Saint Helens

I think the high point of my visit was Mount Saint Helens.  It was just beautiful but then you think about how ugly it was back in 1980 when it exploded.  You can still see some of the trees that were blown apart by the blast, and the desolate ground at the bottom of the gorge.  I never really thought much about the volcano until I went to see it.  I brought home this big coffee table book on the eruption and the destruction of the volcano with some awesome pictures and lots of history on the event.

Have a great day.

Cannon Beach

This is a pile of mussels, even though it looks like a lumpy and bumpy rock.

 Bird sanctuary, that is not allowed to be climbed on by us humans.  We had to stay on the sand and not walk on the rocks.  The rock is called Haystack Rock.

 This is the scenery from the side of the rock.

 This is a close up of the rock of mussels.  As you can see it had a wonderful array of sea life attached.

 Matt walking towards the rock.

This tells is just one of the signs.   It was a chilly day but I still took off my shoes and walked on the beach with crocs on.  You can't get to the rock when the tide is in.

Multnomah Falls

Before I was scheduled to go out to Washington to see Matt; I looked up things, that I would like to see.  The Multnomah Falls came up on the Internet, and I just had to go see it.  People used to be able to go on the bridge, but the fires, that they had out there made the trails impassible to get to, and unsafe.  I thought it was just beautiful!

Click on the first picture to be able to read about the falls.

More On the Dam

We saw some good size sturgeon at the habitat at the dam.  They also had some very nice rainbow trout. 

Washington (Bonneville Dam)

 The spill way for the Dam

 Bonneville Dam

 Fish ladder

The mountains in the Distance at Bonneville Dam.

As you all know, that follow me on Facebook,  I took a trip out to Washington State.  I couldn't believe how much there is to see!  I had a wonderful time.  One of the first things we visited was the Bonneville Dam.  It has a habitat for the fish that are spawning, it had fish ladders for sturgeon and trout and other fish.  It was wonderful.  I will post more pictures of the dam and the history of it tomorrow.

Back for now!

No pictures this time, but I will as soon as the son gets my computer up and running. 

Good news, I have now lost the weight, I have been wanting to lose.   I have to now maintain that weight loss.  I feel great and more energized.  I want to now concentrate on getting in better shape, physically. 

I have posted on Facebook some awesome pictures of my vacation to Washington state.  I will be posting more on my blog soon.  I had such a great time with the hubby, that I am going back out the last day of May for another week!  I love going home, but I love to see our great country, also.  I told the hubby, that next year's vacation  is going to be going to the Dakota's and maybe to Wyoming, also!  I have always wanted to visit the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, and of course a couple of wonderful friends that live out that way!

Hope you are all doing good. Talk to you tomorrow.

Hello again!

This is the third time in the last two weeks that we have been seeing accumulation of snow.  It has been snowing all day, but it hasn't really been sticking to the roads.  It will wait until it is dark and then it will start.  Supposed to snow flurry into tomorrow.  We are supposed to get anywhere from 4 to 12 inches of snow.  We had at least 3 this morning when I left for work.  Winter is not done with us yet.

Haven't really been doing a lot this winter, stay home for the most part.  Matt is working in Washington state.  He only gets home every three weeks for a long weekend.  He will be working out there until at least May if not longer.  I plan to fly out towards the end of April instead of him flying back here.  So, that way I don't have to pay for the plane ticket.  I don't fly all that well, so it will be a long trip for me.  It will be well worth it though.  I love to see other states.

The daughter and I started to do weight watchers before Christmas and I have been doing great.  I have now lost over 20 pounds, and it feels great!  I can actually fit into my favorite wrangler jeans now! 

Not doing any horse riding this winter, hopefully in the next few weeks will be starting that and working with Sirocco at the same time.

Hope you have a great night or day.

out with the old and in with the new

We used to feed the birds and the last couple of years we haven't bothered.  I used to take a lot of pictures with the Nikon and I don't do much of that either.  I used to do a lot of weaving to, and I am not doing much of that.  It is sad to see the things that I used to do go to the back burner. 

It is amazing how life's priorities can change.  Now I work a regular job, go to riding lessons, and not much of anything else.  I was thinking the other day that I really need to get back into weaving.  Now that winter is here it is hard to go out to the barn, being as I don't have heat out there to do weaving.'

The husband is gone a lot now, going to Florida, to Washington, back to Florida and if I am lucky, he might be home in the next couple of weeks.  They change the work schedule every time he turns around.  We really don't know for sure when he will get home.  I am beginning to not like that at all.  I usually don't mind a weekend not being home, but when it get to be 2 or more then I am not a happy camper!

Today is a typical Monday! 

Have a great day.

4 Wheels

This was the scene out of my jeep on the way to work this morning, THANK goodness for 4-wheel drive! It is now just 3 p.m. and it is finally starting to stop snowing!

I have to say it sure makes for a beautiful picture when the trees are all covered!

I am doing weight watchers with the daughter, we have been doing it now for 6 weeks and it is going great.  Takes some getting used to, with having to change the way we eat, but it has been worth it.  I will eventually learn how to adjust other recipes that look good so that it isn't too bad for us to eat.  I am getting the cast iron cooking magazine and I love the recipes in it, that is one of the things that I want to be able to adjust the ingredients in.

Hope you are braving the weather well.  Have a great day.

Yup, its winter.

This is what it is looking like.  We are now getting lots more snow.  Speaking of which, the husband is now in sunny Florida, while his family is stuck up in the snow belt. 

Got back from the airport trying to figure out why I couldn't tell the difference between high beams and low beams on the jeep.  I figured it out, LED.  I had frosty lenses and the fog lights had a build up of slush.  I now hate LED with a passion!

I know we all complain about the snow and the cold then complain when its hot.  I have to say that will never change.  So, on that note, I am defiantly tired of the cold and snow!  Just so you know.  I would move further south in a heart beat.  Not too far though.

It has been pretty darn cold and I think we are defiantly into the winter season.  Still not ready for Christmas, but getting darn close. 

Did get one of my storage rooms cleaned out, now all I have to do is get it repainted and load things back into the room.

Not really doing much.  My job is still going great, still love going to my job, that is as far as having to go to the job.  I guess that is why they call it work!

The daughter and I joined weight watchers a week and a half ago and going great.  She has lost 5 pounds, I lost 2.8 pounds.  It has been tough changing our eating habits.  It has been worth it so far.  I think it will get harder before it gets easier!

Hope you have a great day.

SNOW, we are finally getting our first dose of snow for the season.  Looks pretty, even though I really don't want to think of the next few winter months.

Matt had to fly to the state of Washington for a job and hopefully he is back home next week.

We are pretty much ready for the Christmas season, I took this week off to do some cleaning and going through a couple of rooms that have become our catch all rooms, junk rooms, storage rooms, which ever you want to call it.  I think it is going to take more than a week to get that accomplished.

This year has been a busy one, started to take riding lessons again, joined weight watchers with the daughter, lots of things going on.  Doing engine shows with the guys over the last summer.  Went to Tennessee for vacation, my retirement state!

Now that the hubby is libel to be gone for months, I thought I would get back to blogging for him.  he will get to come home for the holidays, then it will be back out to Washington for the next three to four months if not longer.

Hope you are doing well and until next time.  Have a good one.

Just Ducky

We are now finally getting some weather that will hopefully dry out the ground. It was weather for the ducks that is for sure!

We are even getting some warm weather that makes it feel more like spring.  It has been nice being able to wear a lighter jacket.

I got my first raise at work.  It is going so well, the longer I am there the easier it gets.  The boss goes on her first vacation since I have been working.  I am a little nervous.  I will have the run of the office until she gets back.  Sounds like I am well needed, but truth be known it is only her and I in the office.  No, one else to run things but me.  I keep telling myself it will be all ok.  We do have someone that will be able to answer the phones for me on Monday.  That is the day that is our heaviest payroll day.  I have 40+ companies that I have to do payroll for that day.  Then Tuesday is still a pretty busy day, but not as bad.  Then when Wednesday hits, the day goes much better.  Thursday and Friday, I am able to actually take a deep breath and take it a lot easier.

Hope everyone has a great Easter.

How lucky am I to have had two dads!

 This month is not an easy month for me.  I lost my step dad last year on this date.  He taught me how to drive and took me to get my drivers license.  He was a rock driller, and I remember being able to go with him on the job.  I stood under a big rock truck, while they blew up the rock face for the quarry he worked in.  He taught me how to drive a drill that was on tracks.  I even was able to help him get explosives ready for blowing up the rock.   He was the best dad a girl could have!  He was the one that drove me from Illinois to Ohio to meet Matt when we were first together.  I was on my way to live with Matt in New York.   He is deeply missed.  I loved him as if he was my biological father.

Next week is just as hard.  It will be two years since I lost my real dad.  I will save his memories for next week.