Bill and I plan to come down on Saturday. There is a basketball game Friday night.
Gee, Mother, you have definitely had to pay the price for the cold weather! I hope the homeless folks found better shelter during the cold snap.
Philly played well last weekend. The player who punched someone was one of the scariest looking guys Bill and I have ever seen! Philly fans will probably put up a statue in his honor!
The rain is coming down so I guess we are back to normal.
But, now the garbage disposal and the dishwasher do not start. Patrick is coming over again Wednesday to see what he can do. I should have checked EVRYTHING while I was at it during the breaking of the water pipes. But that seemed enough excitement at the time. Well, little by little, I will get everything to working again.
Jessica made Pecan Sandies (shortbread cookies) for a work party. She left some for Bill and I. We had eaten all of the treats Kay and Judi left for us, so we were prime targets for such tasty treats! I ate 4 and could have eaten 12. Believe it or not, I showed great restraint!
Noah came over Saturday evening and tried on his new work wardrobe. He looked very handsome! He never had a full outfit on, so I didn't get any photos. Guess I'll have to sneak to his work place and snap a few when nobody's looking.
Murray came over to our house on Saturday and fixed our computer. What an asset that young man is!
Thank goodness the weather has warmed up! I went for a walk today with my regular walking group (three of us) and the fresh air was gentle on my lungs for a change!
I spoke to Kay this morning, she is going to stop by her doctor's office to get an appointment for her racing heart. I read a little about beta blockers and it seems as if they might be just the ticket for our beloved sister.
KC, I am still working on improving my photos. I set the ISO to 1600 and it helped, but I accidently put focus on manual and that was just awful. I set it to auto and did a little better. I get a few good ones out of the couple of hundred I shoot. I need to keep figuring out what works and what doesn't. Thank goodness I don't have angry parents demanding I get action photos of their sons - I pretty much operate under the radar.
The cold weather caused part of my decking to break so I need to call the contractors out to replace with a new piece. So far my pipes are okay but the dogs are going crazy because they have been housebound for so long.
Judi, Sallyann and I had lunch yesterday at McGraths. A lot of fun.
Nathan and Crystal decided to give Crystal's car to Allen. So they made sure it was running properly and also gave him money to register the car. Christopher was also in on all this and I think gave the money for have it transferred. Steph has reason to be very proud of her kids. So now Al can retire Old Red and have a car with heat and air conditioning - none of which his truck had. He is still over whelmed. Thank goodness Ridgecrest is so small because Al has been ridding his bike to work most of the time.
Had a call from the doctor's office yesterday and the heart monitor showed that my heart is racing. The nurse said it can be controlled with beta blockers (I think) and that I need to make an appointment for a followup visit. Well I called and left a message but did not receive a call back. Of course my heart is racing that is why I went to the doctors in the first place. It feels like it is coming out of my chest. HELLO
I think we are out of the cold weather for awhile.
Red Hat plumber, PATRICK, just left. In less than an hour he fixed the leaking pipe. He cut a piece off of the existing pipe and replaced it. It is 11 a.m. I'm telling you the time because the posting time that appears in the bottom of my message is three hours ahead. It is so strange because the little clock in the corner of my screen says the correct time.
I have been really worried about our pipes, too. So far so good, but the one in our garage broke a couple of years ago, so it could happen again. I'd put a heater in there, but we have so much flammable junk in there I am afraid a heater would set it all on fire!
We have a basketball game tonight ("we" meaning Gavin's high school team) and one tomorrow. I have learned that I can take better action photos by not zooming in. I take them from a distance and then zoom in with computer software when I prepare the photos for the newsletter. (For the record, the newsletter has not published a single one of my photos!)
Bill spent time with Noah yesterday, putting the finishing touches on his work wardrobe. He will come over after work on Saturday to try stuff on that had to be altered, and then I think he will be good for a couple of work weeks anyway.
Tory is spending the weekend in Colorado. Brrrr.....
My neighbor called Judi yesterday after five p.m. and said he heard water running at my house. Judi called me, and sure enough when I walked outside I found a broken water pipe on the back porch. I couldn't turn the water off in the basement so Judi called Kay to come over. Kay couldn't turn it off either, neither at my house nor at the meter outside in the ground. Kay got the neighbor who managed to turn it off. Then Judi showed up and turned the water off in the basement. What excitement.
I am taking today off from my Gleaner duties and calling a plumber today. Love, Bopcha
Thanks to the person who set up the blog. Thanks to the persons who insisted I get a computer. Thanks to all for using it and sending such inspiring thoughts and pictures. I am indeed blessed. Love, Bopcha
Who would have ever thought that lacing up your sneakers the "right way" was so so important? Well, Bopcha apparently knew. Last week Bopcha sent us the 4-step instructions for lacing up. Of course like most people I just tie my sneaker as quickly as possible with some carelessness as I work up enough energy to do yet another workout routine.
Well Bopcha I guess you are really up on what's what with workout gear In the Runner's World magazine and Men's Health Magazine, there were short articles praising the benefits of a well- laced sneaker. It apparently enhances performance and stability and makes workouts much more efficient. Imagine that! Thanks Bopcha for being the first one to spot this important fact.
The Christmas party looked really nice. The buffet table looked gorgeous. What a fun family. It is so nice to see all of you in the festive spirit. Thanks for all the photos including the ones of Bopcha's party.
We are having a cold week but it is rather refreshing. Hope you are surviving the cold temperatures in Corvallis.
Yes, there is a CAT in the photo! That cat is Gobi, and he was very interested in the decorations (particularly the marshmellow wreaths Tory made).
Kay and Judi made it home safely, and the Mercer Island Blakneys continued in their pursuit of a work wardrobe for Noah. He starts his job December 14th, the day after his last day at Niketown. What a good boy! He will look fabulous!
Jess made the deep dish recipe from the latest Cooks magazine. It was incredible! Yum yum yum. Now I'm back on the straight and narrow and eating things with no calories.
