Furry Kid's Clothes Closet

Yes, they have their own closet.... yes, there are 2 bars, yes, they are full, yes, there is a dresser drawer full too, yes, there are those that would say I do have a problem!

(PS - Those that laugh....how come you ask to borrow our outfits for your own dogs?????)

Good Boy Marty

This post is for RPM, who always asks about Marty! It has been almost a year since I first met Marty. Even though he is 8 years old, he acts 2! He has fit right in to our crazy (female) Pug filled house. He is VERY smart. He finds a way to follow me all over the house, while the girls are still downstairs trying to figure out how he got the gate open. He loves "bye bye" in the car, barks at birds, isn't too fond of BIG dogs, yet tolerates cats. He doesn't mind that within the first week of having him, I dressed him up and made him sit for photos. He is kind of noisy, which the girls arent'. He snorts and slurps and grumbles. He has his own set of nicknames....Mr. Grumbles, Marty Farty, Good Boy Marty, and Heh Mart. He likes nothing better than to sit on my feet and rest his head and snore..... yep, we're glad we met Marty, he's one of the gang.

Hmmmmm......

You Are Changing Leaves

Pretty, but soon dead.

What Part of Fall Are You?

Sometimes a girl just has to be an only child

Zoey doesn't get much alone time. Rosie pretty much drives her crazy ALL THE TIME. Sometimes Zoey sneaks upstairs and enjoys a "moment". Tonight I caught her with one of the toys. She rested with it for a long time and then we had some play time. Yep, sometimes a girl just needs to be an only child

Yep, A tenant

Since I have been complaining and worrying too much here lately, I just wanted to let everyone know WE HAVE A TENANT. When it came down to it, we actually had 4 families wanting it, and several still trying to get in for a look! Doesn't it figure? We weighed everything out and picked what we hope will be a good fit. They actually have a summer place, so will really only be living here part of the year and off and on during the Summer. More privacy for us! Woohoo. There is a 7th grade son, who will only be there every other week. He is nice and polite (I know that can change) and he LOVES Pugs! He came over to meet the gang today and they loved him too. I told him I will be hiring him for some dog-walking and dog-playing, he is thrilled.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

To my friends..........

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..a youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to telling it in her old age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .a feeling of control over her destiny.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...how to fall in love without losing herself.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...that she can't change the length of her calves,the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...that her childhood may not have been perfect...but its over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. whom she can trust,whom she can't,and why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...where to go...be it to her best friend's kitchen table...or a charming inn in the woods...when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... what she can and can't accomplish in a day...a month...and a year...

Maya Angelou

Up then down

On Tuesday evening we happily got a tenant for our place. Emails and phone calls exchanged. Off goes the lease via email to be signed and returned. The new tenants are moving back from Florida and so most of the discussion was via long distance. The best friend comes to look, the daughter comes to look. Everyone is happy and Wednesday is spent excited about having this finally behind us.

Move forward to Wednesday evening. Voice mail is left on my home telephone from the husband...it is 8:42pm....sorry, we won't be taking the house. We don't like the terms of your lease and are offended about your application! To say I am shocked, sad, sick, etc. is an understatement. I emailed these documents Tuesday at 6pm...it took 27 hours to figure out there was a problem????? Honestly, if the husband found something better, best of luck to them, but the forms I use are New York State standard lease forms. Also, the information on the application had already been provided by the wife, I just asked them to list their vehicles. As far as verifying employment...what the freak. ANY place they go to live are going to do that....am I crazy? He also mentioned hoping I could get the other applicants to move in! What does he think people do when you tell them the house is rented???? DUH!!!!!..hello idiot....you wanted the place.

To say no one slept well at our house last night is an understatement. P just got told he has to do midnight shift for three weeks (he thinks it's more permanent), and starts this week! He is bummed about that. The boat comes out this weekend and we will close camp very soon.

Thank goodness for BLOGGY MEETUP to look forward too!

It's Time for New CELL PHONES...OMG

What cell phones does everyone out there have, love, hate??????

We are off to update the phones today. Our little clam phones from Motorola have served us well. Unfortunately with those little side buttons, P is constantly taking photos of NOTHING, and I sometimes hear a little voice say..."say a command".....

Opinions?????

Flap Burning Ceremony

"Giggs" wondered what an actual Flag Burning Ceremony was. There are actually many rules about flying an American Flag. Once a flag becomes tattered it should not be just thrown in the garbage. You can give your flag to an organization to have it disposed of properly and respectfully. I know some Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Veteren's groups conduct the ceremony. The following is a description of a ceremony. They seem to vary a little, but are always conducted in a series manner. Several of our neighbors were in the armed services of the US and many of us have family currently serving too. It's a bittersweet service, a time for reflection.

http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/more/flagburning.htm

Camp Party

After dinner we had a "flag burning ceremony".
During the ceremony we had bagpipe and trumpet solos. They ended the ceremony with the playing of "Taps" on the trumpet, which brought some tears....

and then the dancing.....

I had my camera on the dance floor. I don't think P would be too thrilled to see I posted this pic!

I have more dance photos, but why is it everyone had their mouth open? Didn't they see the flash????? I'll be nice and NOT post all those pics!

RPM - I'm not a big fan of pork, and this was not a BBQ, so no sauce to drown the pork in! I did however enjoy the applesauce, french bread, and of course the desserts.

This was the last get-together of the season. Hard to believe we've only spent one season here and feel like it has been forever. We continue to miss some of old friends, but have made many new ones.

Stay tuned tomarrow for the continuing saga of the Carriage House drama...or maybe better named...."as the carriage house rents.... a collection of bizarre but true tales....."

Wow, I think Fall is here and still having fun!

Although the trees at camp all are still very green, it got down in the 40's on Friday and Saturday night and we had to turn the heat on in the rv! Next weekend the docks come out, can summer be done?

Friday I had to show the Carriage House..yes, again! The carpet guys showed up at 3:30pm and we were out the door for camp at 5:30pm. It's been nice to leave the problems of tenants and repairs and go to camp and pretend it all doesn't exist. The prospective tenant of Friday requires his own post, which I will try to do this week. I really need to do justice to how crazy I think this world has become. I may also be writing a best seller consisting of interview of all the complete WHACKOs I have met these past few weeks. Of course, the names will be changed...you know the drill. Anyhow, it stormed like crazy Friday night at camp. Wind, rain, snow... lol no snow, but had you going didn't I? It felt like it could snow! The waves were over 6 footers. It was amazing. Saturday morning P went fishing....I know, I know, it was our anniversary, but shouldn't we be doing things we love???? He fished...I visited! Saturday was also our end of season Pork Roast at camp. It started at 1pm and went until 11pm. We got there at 2 and left at 10......we had a blast! Good food, good friends, a huge campfire, flag burning ceremoney, desserts, wine, music and dancing. It was fun to celebrate with our friends. I WILL be posting photos tomarrow. I took LOTS of photos, but I will have to be selective as some people really didn't believe I was actually taking photos and might hate me forever if I posted them here! Today we were all set to leave early for home, but it was a beautiful cool, sunny day. I sent P off fishing with a neighbor and read and visited some more. I hated to pack it all up to come home tonight. Our good friends leave next weekend and we have had a lot of fun this summer with them. They have been living the entire summer at camp. They live about 5 hours from us in downstate NY, but there are promises of a holiday visit by them to us and a Jan. visit by us to them. Good friends, good fun, good memories, yep, can't ask for better than that!

My best friend.....

September 15, 1979

Happy Anniversary to Us!

28 Years and counting!!!!

Hump Day, again

Last night I wasn't feeling well. Not sure if I've got myself good and stressed out, or if I was really sick. The doctor is pressing me to get in for a back x-ray and blood work before my physical coming up in October. UGH. I guess it's my 50,000 mile check-up and some parts need repair. I also have a referral to the hand surgeon for my carpel tunnel. What's a woman to do????? Added to that I've been working on the carriage house, meeting prospective loons...I mean tenants, and facilitating some of the repairs. The new rugs are going in on Friday. Home Depot informed me that the "tack-less" could stay down, but the 1/2 round molding along the wall had to be taken up. Okay...not for anything, but when you remove the 1/2 round, you wreck the tack-less. My husband was NOT happy, NOT happy at ALL. But, then he does his best work when he is NOT happy. He called Home Depot and informed that he was removing both and that they better bring new tack-less on their truck! So the only thing left to do is clean the bathroom OMG why me? and replace the glass in the front door, oh yeah, and get a tenant. Then again, I've been thinking.....if I don't get a tenant it would be such a cute little place to have for myself..all mine....crafts, sewing, scrapbooking and Pugs all over the place!

A day to remember....a way of life not to forget

This day is etched in all our minds. I was not going to post about it, but yet it seems the thing to do. We are so blessed in this country, yet don't think about our most important resource...freedom. Other places on this great Earth live in turmoil like that created on 9/11 on a daily basis. Maybe not the magnitude of the numbers killed or the shear size of the buildings, and the weapons of our own aircraft, but yet, daily terror. Some countries if you let your children go to school, they may not make it and if they do, the school may be bombed. In some countries you can be sipping a drink at a cafe and a car may kill you and everyone else within yards. For the most part we are all safe on a daily basis. Safe, yet selfish. I am worried about the future. Everything is so "instant". How did our mama's not worry themselves crazy about our whereabouts without a cell phone? How did we even function going home after school and not being able to "instant message" our friends, but instead, change, run outside and actually play! Don't get me wrong I love the fact that if my car breaks down I can call home and that when my kids are out they can let me know they're safe, but what price are we all paying? Slow down America...slow down and enjoy this freedom, this peace, this life.

Telling mom what she wants....

End of Summer

Although we have 90 degree weather here today, I know summer is coming to a close. Nights are cooler, mums and pumpkins are for sale at the markets. I do love the Fall, but am not really thrilled with out "endless" Winter. It is decent through Christmas, but oh January and February are soooooo long. I can't get outside and walk as much with the messy roads and getting dark so darn early. Guess I can put away my beach bag.....
and in October, this will be put away too. That's P out there, the boat on the left (with the back facing). He and our neighbor took the boats on the lake to fish. They were actually pretty far out, but I used the zoom and this was as close as I could get....

In other news:

1) The rental house is coming along. The basement and garage are all clean and nice. The bedroom painting is done and our son pulled out the old carpet and pad to get ready for the new installation next week. I still have to clean the bathroom (OMG how awful to clean after someone else) and the stove, and clean off the kitchen cabinets and touch them up with paint. A nice couple looked at it last night and really loved it. They did fill out an application and took along the lease to review. We're crossing fingers, toes, and paws at our house! Another single woman is coming over at 4pm. I keep wishing the couple would call, sign, and pay their deposit so I can be DONE for at least another year!!!

2) Blogger video worked pretty well. I did have to edit and shorten the video so it would upload without errors.

3) Pay it forward - If your one of my recipients, I will be getting those secret gifts out in the next week or so - I promise!!!!

Have a greet weekend everyone!!!!

Corn Dog

Zoey's a real "corn dog"......

Anyone else tried Blogger's new video?????

This is what happens....

when your son moves home...........

Our son moved back from Buffalo in late July. He told us he and a couple friends were getting an apartment. Hmmm, now it's September and we're still living like this. The first photos are my living room! I told him we need it back before Thanksgiving! The 100 gallon fish tank is on one of our porches. P told him it has to move by October as the nights get very cool and the porch is not heated. The dresser the tank is on is also his. There are actually more things in the guest room and garage too! Where did he have all this stuff in his apartment??????

Looooooooong Weekend

We thought the long weekend would never start at our house. Our tenant was due to be out by NOON on Friday. At 7:15pm she was in the bedroom painting the walls that she and her "boyfriend" had destroyed in their little fight. We finally ended up leaving and telling her to leave the keys and a forwarding address. Her father had lectured me in the yard about her getting "ALL" her security deposit back. I told him as long as she complied with her Security Agreement, she would. The list so far is:

Broken window blinds (these were the wooden 2" blinds)
Kitchen Floor tiles - replaced 7
Living Room Carpet - HUGE stain about 2'x5' - do you think they noticed?
Kitchen stove - totally uncleaned. Oven still had dirty pans in there from cooking.
Bedroom 1 - section of wallpaper cut out to repair drywall???? what the heck?????
Bedroom 2 - The redrywalling efforts turned out very well, although she could have put some paper down to paint. Good thing we're replacing the rugs.
Hall closet was not cleaned. Various items left behind.
Basement - Left behind sofa. We have been talking about this sofa for 5 weeks. I asked her if she wanted me to call trash and find out how much to pick-up...no, she would take care of? Okay, so now I can call trash.

Home Depot..here we come.

The weekend it self was fun. Saturday P went Salmon Fishing and C and my dad and A came up. C left around 5:30pm, but Dad and A stayed over...well, not actually over. She didn't want to impose so they got a hotel! They came back Sunday morning for the campgrounds last breakfast of the summer. Afterwards they came back for a bit and then went on their way. P went fishing....again! The neighbor and I did a shore walk. We went on the beach by our place and walked the shoreline all the way around to the point. Normally the water the beach isn't quite so wide and the water so shallow, but due to drought-like conditions it is now. I would guess the walk was about 2 miles, maybe a little less. When we got to the point where the channel is to come into our bay we saw P returning from fishing. We called him on her cell phone to see if he could pick us up, but he said we would have to walk down on the bay side, which was a little scary! We said no thanks, we'll watch for the neighbors husband. Then we saw another neighbor and his family on their party boat. We hailed them over and climbed on board. It was quite a site. We were both wet up to our butts! It saved us the walk back, which I would have actually done, but she didn't want to. After dinner P and I went out fishing until dark and then had a late dinner. Monday more of the same, fishing, walking, hanging around. Sorry no photos, but my new camera batteries finally died and I need to recharge to download the ones I got.

The leaves are actually falling from the trees up here in the north! How about everyone else?