Estate sales are awesome!

Well, Pop was sleeping when we got there with his birthday cake last weekend.  We gave it to the staff, and it was supposed to be served at dinner, with everyone being told it was Tom's birthday.

Oh well.

We won't be going to see him this weekend, as we have to prepare for a short get away for the 4th.

We went to our first estate sale yesterday.  It was just a fluke that a Facebook friend of mine posted something about it on line, and I looked at the pictures of what was being sold.

I spotted some pewter plates, and I have wanted a small set of those for DECADES for those special occasions when I do Renaissance or medieval style cooking, like for my Yuletide dinner.

There was also a vast array of other vintage dishware, glassware, and pottery.  Pottery goblets would be cool for Yule, too, I thought!

So, Dave agreed to go, and we got up yesterday and were there in line by 8:45 am.   It was hot out, but there was a nice breeze, and as the line moved, I just stayed in the shade.

Once we got inside, I went right to the pewter plates, because I recognized the lay out of the house from the pictures I had seen, and there they were! 

The price was right, so I got 4 small plates at $3 each, and 4 dinner plates at $6 each. 
They're REALLY heavy, and I have researched the makers mark and design on line, and I got them for a song.  Most of what I found on line was sets of 8 dinner plates for well over $100.

I was so excited!  Now, all I need for my Yule table is some suitably rustic flatware of some kind.  My fun "bubbles" pattern stainless doesn't really fit, HAHA!

Then, we worked our way through the house, which was STUFFED FULL of antiques to drool over.  Art deco cabinets, bar, and vanity.   SO pretty.... and I also picked up a set of 4 pottery goblets, and a couple of cordial glasses that will be perfect for limoncello.

I had a pottery plate in my hands, too, but I eventually had to put it down because I couldn't carry it and the goblets.

Dave offered to take me back today, when everything that's left will be 50% off the marked price.  I am considering it!  Just a quick breeze through to see if anything of interest is left.

He bought himself a cool straw fedora, but when he wore it yesterday, it fell apart.  Dry rot.  OH well.

After the estate sale, we finished our errands that didn't get done Friday because it was 100 degrees out, and then Dave dropped me off at home to do my chores, while he ran to his office to pick up some cardboard he had at his desk to be recycled.

Then, we went out again to check out a cool place called "Dead Peoples' Stuff" which is basically fixtures and such from old houses. 

We have an old house, and had bought a pair of craftsman style windows there a few years ago when we had the house painted.

We just browsed around, and said ooh and ahh at the cool stuff we can't afford.  It was fun, in its way.

Home again to relax for a while, tuned in to the Cubs game, and then we got the grill going. 

I cooked brats for dinner, and also grilled some chicken legs and pork chops.

It was 100 degrees again, so that was difficult work, with lots of coming inside to try to cool off. I am pleased to say that I did NOT get a "heat headache," the weird kind of migraine that I tend to get when I am over heated.

All in all, it was a great day, though the errand running in Saturday traffic kind of sucked.

The past week was good for me at work, in that it was quiet.  A couple of the most disruptive people were on vacation-- one for the whole week, one for most of it-- and the other loud person was sick most of the week!

I hate to say it, but I was in heaven!  It was delightful.

We also had a staff meeting, and found out that we are getting a 2% raise this year, same as last year.  Last year, our checks got smaller with that small of a raise, due to changing tax structures. Great!!

I am still considering getting the hell out next year.  Still waiting to see what positive changes may come about with the departure of the director who had a vendetta against me.

Next week is a short one, with a holiday on Thursday, and we both took a floating holiday on Friday to make a long weekend of it.

Today, Dave has some major chores to do around the house.  He has some pruning to do outside. 

He cleans the stove, and hands-and-knees-cleans the bathroom floor, every few months, and it's time.

I have a few meal prep projects to do, and want to finish up laundry, including the sheets that are on the futon.

It's not supposed to be as hot now for a few days, so that's a welcome respite.  The doors are open this morning, and, even though it's 94% humidity, it's only 75, and the breeze is actually pleasant.

Dave sees his new psychotherapist tomorrow for the first time.  We have been waiting for this appointment for what feels like EVER.

He really needs some talk therapy, not just drugs, to help him with his issues.

I have my monthly injection on Tuesday, and then, in a week or so, Dave has his follow up with his Ear, Nose, and Throat doc.

He's doing a LOT better on the new prescription reflux medication, and may not need that head/sinus CT scan after all.  It's strange that  his sneezing was causing nausea due to acid reflux, and not due to a cranial/sinus nerve issue, but we'll take it!!

They may still want to do a sleep study, though, to check for apnea.

His leg, that he injured a while back, still has a big bump on it, but the bruising and pain are all gone.

I've been up for hours, but Dave is still in bed. 

The neighbors around us are out working in their yards already, though, trying to beat the heat.  They're making a lot of noise, so I imagine Dave is awake, but just lounging.

I don't think we're doing yard work today, aside from Dave doing that pruning he wants to do. 

The mowing will probably happen during the evenings this week, when the sun is no longer on our yard.

I am off to the shower.  Enjoy your Sunday!

Rain rain rain....

It's a good thing we got to go to Oklahoma City Pride yesterday.  Even though it was as hot as a sauna outside, at least the event wasn't rained out like last year, when we tried to go when my sister and brother in law were here.

The parade was 2 hours long, and there were THOUSANDS of people there.  It was really fun, and so encouraging to see such a big crowd of people turn out for something like that in such a conservative, repressed, backwards part of the country!!

We met up with Rebecca and Allen, and Julie came along with us. We used Uber to get there and back, because there was no parking for miles around.

I got a shirt for my niece that says OKLA-HOMO on it, which I know she will love.

Dave got up and mowed the lawn first thing yesterday before he even had coffee.  The front was okay, so the back only needed to be done, and it was a dang good thing he did it then.

It was too hot by the time we got home around 3, and today, it's been raining since about 6 am.

The roof FINALLY got done this past week.  They showed up at 7 am on Thursday, and got most of it done by the time they left, which was after dark,  well past 9 pm.

They left their ladders, and their dumpster, and said they'd be back in the morning.

They came back at dawn, LITERALLY, at sunrise on Friday, and did their clean up, which had to amuse the neighbors no end (they work weird hours, and they are NEVER up as early as we are).

I went ahead and went to work, leaving Dave at home.

Then, Dave texted me that the roofing crew had packed up their ladders, and hitched up the dumpster....and LEFT.

Our contractor stopped by, and assured Dave that the job would be finished this weekend, probably on SUNDAY.

I was a bit taken aback, because the forecast was for rain all day Sunday, today......but what are you going to do?

I thought it was weird that he would send his crew somewhere else before the job they started was complete, but that's what happened.

Well, the good thing is, they showed up yesterday unannounced while we were having a cold beer and cooling off after getting home from Pride.

They put the vent in on one of the peaks of the roof, they finished the laundry room roof, and they did the shed.

The project is now complete, other than for a few finishing touches that the contractor wants to do himself.   They put what's called a "swale" behind the chimney, to permanently deal with that area that was causing rain to fall through our living room ceiling last year.   It's bare metal right now, and he is going to come back and paint it.  There are also a couple of things that we noticed that he needs to fix, like some trim hanging down from a spot on the back of the house that they left.

It's such a relief that this is finally DONE.  Between the roof and the wiring, this has been a BIG year for home improvements.

Thank all of the Gods that the roof was paid for by insurance.

Below is a link to my fund raiser for the dance studio.  Every year, we do a Dance A Thon, and I don't participate by dancing, so I make a donation.

Well, this year, I am doing a fund raiser on Facebook.  You do NOT have to sign up for Facebook to donate, all you have to do is click through the secure link below and make your donation on line.

Our studio is a not for profit organization that provides dance and yoga education for girls and women of all ages and sizes.  We even offer classes for men, but none have actually ever signed up.

Please consider helping us keep going! Just click on the sentence below to access the fund raiser:
My fund raiser for AALIM Dance Academy

Friday was Pop's birthday, and Dave's next eldest brother, Larry, texted the other day that he was going to order a cake. 

Dave and I will go pick it up later, and take it to the home.  Maybe having a little birthday party will get him out of his room.

We'll see!

Father's Day

It's Father's Day once again, and we are planning to go visit Pop at the home some time today.

The last two times Dave has gone, Pop has been asleep.  The time before that I went along, and he was awake, had a big bruise from a fall, and would not get out of bed. 
I looked at books with him for a while.  His half sister had sent him some coffee table books of trains, and I am from a family of train buffs, so it was fun.

I hope he's awake today.  We're going to take him a chocolate milk shake, and I hope to show him some videos of the Union Pacific's resurrected Big Boy locomotive, the 4014.

We had more storms last night.  The sweetgum tree in the front yard next door lost some branches, but our yard is unscathed for a change.

There was a LOT of lightning in the first storm last night, so the cats and I were up, but Dave slept right through it.  The second storm was not nearly as violent, just rumbly.

We got the mowing done yesterday, thank goodness.

The forecast is for rain every day this coming week.

My petunias died because of all the rain.... *sad face*

There really isn't anything profound for me to say, haha!  That's about it!  Have a good Sunday, and a good week.

Sunday, Rainy Sunday

We had a couple of dry days Friday, and Saturday. 

Dave got the front yard mowed yesterday morning, while I did laundry and my indoor chores.  My yoga class was canceled, which was disappointing, but I made use of the time working around the house. 

Then, I had my first massage in months in the afternoon (ahhh!), and I mowed the back in the evening, after the heat of the day, and while there was shade back there.

Good thing, too, because it was thick and tall, having grown a LOT since last weekend, and we were wakened by a storm at 7:30 this morning.

We were able to get in the hot tub last night, too, which is always good after a massage.

Dave's leg is healing well.  He no longer has any swelling in his foot, just in the area where the injury is, and it's gradually going away.

Saw my doc last Monday.  He's letting me go 4 months between having my labs drawn, since I am doing so well.

Still no change in frequency of injections, or in having to take the hormone blocker.  I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Even though there are unpleasant side effects, the main "side effect" is that I'm cancer free. 

I guess I can deal with the pain, now that I am starting to get used to it.

I just wish it weren't so random.  If I knew when to expect to be in pain, that might help, but there's no pattern or relativity to it.  I can be FINE when the weather is causing others to be in pain, and I can be in pain on a clear, comfortable day.

It's getting very dark right now, as a big black storm bears down on us, so I am going to turn off my computer. 

Have a good Sunday!

Herb garden

Remember that herb garden I was going to create during our staycation back in April?

We never had time to get it dug out, then it started raining all the time, then Dave fell, and nearly broke his leg, then it kept raining.....

Well, yesterday, at last, after the violent storm of early afternoon, Dave got his boots on for the first time, and it didn't hurt, so he went out and dug out the weeds, roots, and rocks, and filled the bed with the soil we bought.

My herb bed is finally ready for me to plant!

Fortunately, the multi-level planter where I started the herbs has been housing them just fine.  It wasn't like I was going to lose the plants if they didn't get into the ground, but now, they will thrive and establish themselves so they will come back every year.

The ones that survived this past winter in pots on the patio are already in the part of the bed that Dave DID get worked for me back in April, but that was only about a third of the designated space.

SO, before the storms come today, I will hopefully get out there and move my oregano, parsley, and chives into the ground.  Yay!

I also have to weed the mint patch, and clear the area around the milkweed where wandering jew is trying to choke out my butterfly attracting milkweed.

Speaking of butterflies, I have a parsley worm on my parsley!!!  That's another name for a zebra swallowtail caterpillar!  I'm growing butterflies on my herbs!

I finally got to go back to yoga class yesterday.  Two weeks ago, it was canceled for flooding in the area, then last week, the teacher, AND the substitute, were both out of town.

The regular teacher is also my dance teacher.  She's also the director of the studio.  She's young, talented, and EXTREMELY fortunate to be making a living doing what she loves.

Right now, she is spending 2 weeks in Lebanon and Egypt studying dance and seeing wonders.  

She's traveled overseas before, and, at my age, never having been able to afford to travel, it boggles my mind that she is so young and has seen so much.

But, some people are more fortunate than others when it comes to money!

Anyway, she is having the time of her life, and I am happy for her and her travel companion, who is also a member of the studio's board of directors, and who gets PAID to travel the world and write about it.

In other news, we finally have a COSTCO in our area!  We waited a couple of weeks after it opened to go get signed up.

I knew it would be a bit overwhelming for Dave, any way you put it, but the opening weekend would have been WAY too much for him.

As it was, it was still extremely busy.  Way too many people!  But we took our time, and I advised him to not get impatient or upset with people being in the way or whatever, and he did fine.

We got some of the same things I used to get there when I was single:  Big packages of paper towels, tissues, toilet paper, toothbrushes, and soap.   

I had a storage locker and a big closet with shelves in my condo back home, so it was easy for me to keep big stuff like the paper towels and tp.

We also found some of my favorite food items, but didn't buy much.  I wanted to focus on the necessaries, and get Dave out of there!

The next time we go, which will be in several months, most likely, we will try NOT to go on a Saturday.  Saturdays see people from churches lining up to get stuff for their fellowship hours, as well as your average folk, and entire families, who like to, or have to shop on Saturdays when they have time.

We didn't even see half of the stock available.  Dave was pretty amazed to see that there is clothing, and electronics, and books, and furniture... 

You have to be careful, and use your technology to make sure you're actually getting a good deal on something.

I just whipped out my phone and went to the Target website to look up their prices on these items, and used my phone's handy dandy calculator.  Smart shopping is key in a place so overwhelming.

For example, the multipack of our toothpaste was the same price per tube that we pay at Target.  BUT, the big container of dishwasher detergent worked out to being about $8 less if we were to purchase the same quantity at Target.  PLUS, now we don't have to buy dishwasher detergent again until next year.

We both refuse to support the Walton empire, so no Sam's Club for us.... 

I've been waiting for this Costco since I moved down here.  Now that it's legal for them to sell beer and wine, they have opened at last.

There had been rumors of Costco coming to OKC for almost a decade....but I think they were waiting for the Oklahoma liquor laws to come a little closer to the 20th century....maybe eventually into the 21st.

Same with Trader Joe's.

Right now, it's beautiful outside, with sunshine, and birds singing, and a soft breeze.  I'd best get my day going so that I can get my work done before the rain.

It's been a very wet spring in OKC, with more rain predicted every day of the coming week.

Happy Sunday to you!