A Garden this Year?

For the first time since all my plants got drowned out a number of years ago I decided to plant some herbs.  But instead of planting them in pots I planted them in the ground.  When I did my last batch of plants in pots I had one lone oregano plant left over.  I was on my way to drop it in the trash and then it made me feel so guilty, after all it was just a baby, so I stuck it in the dirt alongside the garage.  It thrived.  And thrived.  And thrived.  This year we thought we pulled all of it out but it has now mingled it's way in with the mint that we can't get rid of either.

Here are some shots taken in June of the plants, although the chives died instantly and just yesterday I replaced it with a strawberry plant because I couldn't find anymore chives.

 Front row:  parsely, basil, cilantro  Back row:  rosemary, chives, missing strawberry

I did plant a tomato in a pot which is doing well.  Larry took very good care of them while I was at Greta's.

Flowers already on the tomatoes

And our apple tree is loaded with apples.  Last year we had none.  I may have mentioned that before.

June 9 - just babies

June 21 - growing up

Still got it

Today I went to the main library to take a "Writing with Photographs" workshop.  This is to give me some inspiration to write that memoir I keep saying I'm going to write.  I left early so that I could try to get a parking spot in front of the library which are usually sparse.  If I couldn't get one there I would park in the Court St garage.  As I was driving I dug into my purse for something and realized I didn't have my wallet.  Now it was critical I get a spot in front since I didn't have any money or charge cards.  I did have my phone but didn't know if they took apple pay.

The Womens March was organizing as I drove past on Clinton Ave and turned onto Broad Street.  I had to do a U-turn (not sure if it's legal there) to get in front of the library where there was a possible space for me to park.  Now that I didn't have any money I had to try and fit into it.  Some of the other cars pigged up spaces but maybe that was fortunate for me because this one space may not have been available otherwise.

I did it (still got it - the parallel parking) and took this picture after the course.  Neither of the cars that I was between had left although the rest of the block was pretty empty.

BTW - the course was good but I think I'll take a walk now and put off doing that memoir some more.

One thought, since I mentioned the womens march.  Ever since Trump got the nomination I thought that he reminds me of Nicolae Carpathia in the Left Behind series.  If anyone ever reads this and has read that series, do you agree??  Emily would be the only one I know and whether she would see this buried so deep is doubtful.

OMG- I just did a google search Nicolae Carpathia and Donald Trump and I wasn't the only one.

New Year's Resolutions

I heard last week that if you make one resolution you might be able to keep it.  If you make more than one the odds of keeping any are poor.  Last week I thought of 2 things I wanted as my resolutions - bad move right off the bat.  One was to drink more water and the other was to exercise at the gym more.  And just now I am adding a third - keep this blog a lot more active than I did last year.  The only way for me to remember anything is by looking here and when there's nothing here, well . . . you get the idea.

Today is January 2nd and I went to yoga at Breathe BUT I forgot my water bottle.

USPS - Again??

I can't believe this.  I wanted to check and see if the package I sent to Greta had arrived on time, which was supposed to be Dec 19th but first I had to find the slip from the post office with the tracking number.  After checking the pockets of a jacket and coat which I could have worn that day I looked in my car and found it on the seat.

Took it and input all those numbers and expected to see the words "DELIVERED" but instead what did I see?

While I was telling a friend about this I had a deja vu moment and then found that it happened in 2013, also sending a package to Greta.  USPS - What's Up??  I hope they're going to expedite it so that it gets there in time.

Update:

12/24

After coming back to Rochester the package took off again for New Jersey and miraculously arrived at Greta's on Christmas Eve

RIP Fred

What a shock when Paul called Larry on Friday to say that Fred died overnight.  They had just spoken and were going to have lunch on Tuesday.  Instead on Tuesday we went to his wake and shared dinner with his wonderful family.

He had a military funeral honors ceremony including the folding and presenting of the flag, the playing of Taps and a 3 gun salute.

Here are some pictures we had from when Fred visited us at The Villages in 2012.

This is the official obit

Frederick J. Wagner Jr.

Hilton: July 22, 2016. Predeceased by his 1st wife, Marilyn. Survived by his wife, Susan; children, Kathy (Mark) Sydor, Doug (Mary) Wagner, Mike (Mary) Wagner, Patti (Tom) Thompson, Paul (Lisa) Wagner and step-son, Alex Hackett; grandchildren, Aaron, Stephen, Catherine, Peter, Jared, Zach, Jane, Scott, Jackie & Adam; sister, Jean (Anthony) Luciano; sisters-in-law, Linda (Richard) Vandenberg and Mary Roessel.

Friends may call Tuesday, 3-7 PM at the Funeral Home, 777 Long Pond Rd. (between English and Latta). Funeral Mass, 10:00 Wednesday at St. Pius the Tenth Church (Chili Ave.). Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Friends wishing may contribute to the Epilepsy-Pralid Foundation, Inc., 1650 South Ave., Rochester, NY 14620.

Published in Rochester Democrat And Chronicle on July 24, 2016- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/democratandchronicle/obituary.aspx?pid=180762684#sthash.jXxH1Fm0.dpuf

Losing it!

OK - I admit I am pretty forgetful lately but what gets me is how I can not only be forgetful but so dumb!!

Today I played golf and parked across the street from the clubhouse and the first tee.  In order to save time, I got all my stuff together including my credit card to pay for the round and walked over with my clubs and cart.  I paid for the round and put my credit card in my pocket.  Fast forward 6 hours.  That's a reasonable forgetfulness time isn't it?

I ordered a movie from redbox online and used the credit card that is on file with them, which is the same one I used this morning.  Larry and I went to Wegmans and did some shopping and then went to the redbox machine in the store to pick up the movie.  I pulled out my wallet to get my credit card but it wasn't there.  Oh, oh, what did I do with it?  I mentally retraced my steps of when I used it last and remembered that it was this morning and that I put it in my pocket.  I checked my pockets and it wasn't there.  If it wasn't in my pockets where would it be?  I probably put it in the little bag that hangs from my golf bag.  That's where I put my keys and cell phone and probably forgot to take it out.

After getting home and unloading the car I went to get the card out of the little bag - NOT THERE!!

I checked every single pocket in the golf bag.  I wouldn't put it in with the golf balls but I looked anyway, not there.  It wouldn't be in with the tees but I looked anyway - not there.  Not in any of the other compartments either.  I looked in my pockets again.  Both side pockets and the ones on the sides of the capris (like cargo pants pockets) - still not there.

I went back in the house and looked one more time through my purse and dumped everything out not thinking it would be there since I had left my purse in the car before going to pay for golf.

My next steps were:
1)  Call the golf course to see if anyone turned in the credit card - NO.
2)  Call the credit card company and tell them I lost my card
3)  Contact Redbox and tell them my tale of woe - they couldn't cancel the order but they did send me a credit.

We decided to bypass the movie for tonight and get it another time but how I could have lost the card still boggled my mind.  I went back out into the garage to check the car one more time.  Maybe I pulled it out with my phone and left it on the passenger seat where I knew I originally put my phone after taking it out of the cart pouch.  It was a hopeless move since Larry sat in that seat on the way to Wegmans.

My brain started working double time.  How could I have lost the card?  I remember rationalizing which pocket to put it in after I paid my fee and as I walked back into the house my hand reached behind me and as I walked into the house I announced, "I found my credit card!"

Back pockets - how could I have forgotten they existed.  Losing it!
Now I have to wait for the new card to arrive and update all my accounts that use it  :(

Tracy's Transplant Video

This is such a good story I wanted to save it here.  Tracy is Brittany and Allison's Mom and Brittany and Allison are Larry's grandddaughters.  Tracy was married to Larry's son, Michael.

Piedmont Healthcare

Last week, we posted a sneak peek of a heart-warming paired kidney exchange. Now, we’re sharing a behind-the-scenes video to tell the sweet story of two families joined together by the gift of life. http://bit.ly/1tytVBA

Sydney - Gone but Never Forgotten

After two stressful and exhausting weeks it came time for Laura to say goodbye to Sydney.

Sydney

1998 - September 26, 2014

 Sydney was so little and light in this picture from Christmas 1998 she was able to sit in the tree.

A picture of Laura and Sydney from back then and Calie (same age as Sydney) thinking what's up?

Happy New Year

Once again I am behind in keeping up this blog but the least I can do is say Happy New Year.

I am thankful that 2013 has kept my family healthy and for 2014 my goal is to stay more focused and complete some of the things I always say I want to do - write memoir, practice the piano, learn to play the guitar, learn to use photoshop, try more exercise classes, keep this blog more current AND be really nice to Larry :)

USPS - what's up??

I mailed 2 packages to Greta on Tuesday, Dec 17th.
They were mailed with the same mailing labels, at the same counter, at the same time with Priority Mail 2-Day Shipping (although not guaranteed) and scheduled delivery of Dec 20.

These are the trackings of both.
Today is Sunday, Dec 22.

The first goof happened when it went to Sodus.  Somebody must have thrown it in the wrong bin.
And now it appears to be stuck in never-never-land.

Although my other thought is that the post office has stopped tracking because I got a notice a few days ago that a package was shipped to me and it hasn't shown up yet in the tracking system.

All's well that ends well
Greta called me this afternoon to say that she got the package.  Delivered on Sunday.
Just checked to see the tracking information.  I'm glad it got there in time for Christmas.

My Personality Type

My Personality Type: The Spontaneous Idealist

I just took this quiz.  Only 4 quick parts.  What are you?
Here's my description.  Pretty accurate.

Best Friend

Saw this today, I thought it went with Laura's poem

19 Signs Your Mom Is Your Best Friend

Dec. 2, 2013
By Koty Neelis 
http://thoughtcatalog.com/koty-neelis/2013/12/19-signs-your-mom-is-your-best-friend-2/


1. You call her every day or multiple times a day just to tell her about little things going on in your life and to find out what’s going in hers. If you go a day or two without talking you feel like something is missing.

RIP Marilyn

Marilyn's husband Fred has been Larry's best friend since high school days, and that's a long time ago.  He's known Marilyn for as long since Marilyn and Fred started dating back then.  I've only known Marilyn as long as I've known Larry and when I met her she was already having many problems with her health.  She had a lot to deal with and I know it wasn't an easy time for her over the last few years.  She will be remembered by all for the good times that she shared with them over all the years.

These pictures are from Marilyn and Fred's 50th Anniversary Party.

 Below is the official obit:

Wagner, Marilyn A. (Roessel)

Greece: July 17, 2013. Survived by her husband of 55 years, Fred; children, Kathy (Mark) Sydor, Doug (Mary), Mike (Mary), Patti (Tom) Thompson, Paul (Lisa); 10 grandchildren, Aaron, Stephen, Catherine, Peter, Jared, Zach, Jane, Scott, Jackie & Adam; sister, Linda (Richard) Vandenberg; sisters-in-law, Mary Roessel, Jean (Anthony) Luciano; nieces and nephews.

Friends may call Sunday 2-5 at the funeral home, 777 Long Pond Road (between English & Latta). Funeral Mass, 10 AM Monday at St. John the Evangelist Church (Greece). Interment, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Arthritis Foundation or Epilepsy Foundation of Rochester, 1650 South Avenue, 14620.


Published in Rochester Democrat And Chronicle from July 19 to July 20, 2013

Kindle Prime Free Books

To find the free kindle prime books this is the link
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_8?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_85%3A2470955011%2Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%3A618073011&page=8&bbn=283155&sort=popularity-rank&ie=UTF8&qid=1360076820

UPS Overworked???

Just getting back to posting again so I have some catching up to do.

Do you think UPS was a little overworked this holiday.  A package I was supposed to get from Amazon in guaranteed 2 day shipping was in Buffalo but must have wound up in the wrong bin because it took a trip to Latham before returning to Buffalo and making it to our house a day late.  Fortunately we weren't leaving until the day after that.

Good to follow directions

Clear Care is my favorite contact lens cleaner.  I could do a commerical for them.  You don't have to rub the contacts with the cleaner, just put them in the container and let them sit overnight.  BUT do not put the liquid anywhere near your eye because it contains hydrogen peroxide.  There are warnings all over the bottle and I've been using this for years so

Addicted to Dexter

I heard about the Showtime show Dexter sometime in September before the start of Season 7.  I saw that Showtime on Demand had all of Season 6 available and watched them and was instantly hooked.  I started watching Season 7 weekly.   After we came back from vacation and I caught up on the episodes I missed I decided that I needed to find out the back story to all the references in the current season.
The day before Thanksgiving, I took Season 1 out of the library.  The library only allows 1 week for a DVD but since there are only 12 episodes, unlike 24 which had 24 (DUH!!) it's pretty easy to watch in two days.  I did take off Thanksgiving day and couldn't watch that much while Laura was here but after she left I finished it before my week was up.  That was about a week ago.  I'm now on the 5th and final season.  I took off yesterday and didn't even have a DVD to watch but today I actually drove 14 miles each way to the Greece library to pick up Season 5.

Memory Lapse

Yesterday I made banana bread but couldn't find my favorite pyrex loaf pan.  I looked all over and it was nowhere to be found.  I tried to think of whether I temporarily used it for something else but nothing came to mind, so I resorted to using a metal pan that is wider than my normal pan but what was I to do, I already had all my ingredients out and ready and Larry was out of an "after cereal-to go with coffee" baked good.

Today when I was taking a shower I was thinking about that pan again and realized that there was also a corning loaf pan that I was missing and then I had a vision.  The last time I used it, I decided to move some of my more frequently used pans to a drawer in the island

so I wouldn't have to climb on a stool to reach them where they were previously stored over the refrigerator.

Why is the shower such a good place to think??

This 'n That

I looked this up on the internet, but couldn't find anything about watermelons not liking zucchini, but this zucchini and watermelon were next to each other and the zucchini rotted where it was the closest to the watermelon.

On Saturday we played golf and I had a great drive on the 9th hole followed up by a 5 iron shot that was good too!!

Sunday we went to the Bristol Valley Theater in Naples and saw Pass the Popcorn.  A really cute review of movie songs.  After dinner I took a walk and saw a beautiful sunset.

Earlier in the week I spent a bunch of days cleaning my desk and it's the cleanest I've seen it since I can't remember when.  The desk surface has been MIA for months.

The apple tree that backs up to the deck is filled with large, non-buggy apples.  Last year we didn't have any apples on the tree and most years they are very buggy since no one sprays.  This year they weren't sprayed either so I don't know where the bugs went but I'm starting to think about what I should make with the apples.  I feel compelled to use them since they are so handy to just pick while standing on the deck.

 

Great Quote

At the end of Yoga this morning Lynn shared a quote with us that she particularly liked but couldn't remember the source.  I liked it too and remembered enough of it to Google it and find out all the details.

"We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. 

We are spiritual beings on a human journey."
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

The above is the paraphrased version.

The original is  

We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.

from The Phenomenon of Man (1955)

Le Phénomène Humain (1955)

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ (May 1, 1881 – April 10, 1955) was a French philosopher and Jesuit priest who trained as a paleontologist and geologist.

OK - now back to doing something other than googling around the internet.