October 7, 2007

Porch time with Mom and Dad (Mom is holding Dad's new GPS).

Steve hangin' with the Fam.

Mary stopped by with a birthday present! I'm holding a beautiful hot pad that is crocheted with a rose (which matches the wallpaper in my kitchen - loooove roses!).

October 6, 2007

The weather has been quite nice - cool in the morning and evening - and we have been spending a lot of time visiting with Mom and Dad on the back porch.

Before Mom and Dad arrived, I bought a new hummingbird feeder, as my old one was leaking nectar all over the place (the ants were getting rough!). This one has met with overwhelming approval from the local avian set.

Below, a calliope hummingbird perches for a drink.


Slurp! Ahhhh...

The calliope likes to hang out on this branch and survey the territory (and feeder!), below.

October 5, 2007

Today is my birthday: Thirty-nine (again), ha ha! My Mom and Dad arrived, today, and brought be a pot of mums and a pumpkin! I spruced up the front porch with the fall color. I love the fall!

October 3, 2007

Well, you can see that I'm not really taking my own photos, but I am still using photos to chronicle my days, more or less. Just haven't had much energy or inspiration. Been spending most of my time outside in the yard or working on some data analysis for work. I do, however, have this photo that my sister sent to me. This is Uzi with a shaved belly - which was trimmed for his ultrasound. Did you know that cats' skin is the same color as their fur? My sister thinks Uzi looks like a spotted cow! ha! Good news, though! Apparently, that weird thing he threw up WAS the culprit and he is on the mend! Amen!

October 2, 2007

It's time for School Fundraising. A friend emailed these photos to me. They are the artwork of her two children. Steve and I ordered pillow cases which will feature these pictures. Isn't that totally cool?

"Fantasy"

"Star Fighter"

October 1, 2007

It's been kind of lonely without Steve and Maybe. I still can't believe she is gone. But Steve comes home today! Yippee! I drew this picture on the shower wall for him. We have special Crayola crayons that are just for writing on the shower walls, so we leave each other little messages. Steve is the Peanut and I am the Pony.

My sister's kitty, Uzi, has been quite sick - throwing up for days - been to vet hospital, had an ultrasound, x-rays, etc. Well, today he threw up the pink thing in the picture below (the battery is for scale). We're crossing our fingers that this was the culprit.

September 28, 2007

Friday: Only two more days and a wake-up call and Steve will be back home. I really miss him. It's been a tough week.

But, on a cheerier note, our wonderful friends in Denver (Bob, Laura, and Ava), sent us these flowers. They are kitty lovers, too, and have lost two dear ones of their own. I love the colors and they make me smile whenever I look at them.

September 27, 2007

Today is our Ten Year Wedding Anniversary! It's a bittersweet day because Steve is in Silver City, I am in Phoenix, and Maybe is in Heaven with Hey Cat. But it has been a wonderful decade, nonetheless! (And, I am finally, more or less, caught up on my Photo Project Posts and my Vacation to Maine Post. It's been a rough week, losing Maybe and being here alone to deal with it, but minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day... time does heal a broken heart.)

September 26, 2007

I didn't take a picture today. My heart just wasn't in it; however, my sister sent me this funny picture of her kitty, Uzi. Good kitty!

September 25, 2007

My new "microwave" cart. I couldn't bear to look at the old "TV" cart that had held Maybe's food and water for so many years, so I put this there, instead.

September 23, 2007

We spent the day together, Maybe and I. In bed. All day. She was snuggled in my purple fuzzy bathrobe and I was cuddled in the sheets.

September 22, 2007

Today I went to see a friend's daughter play basketball. The team won their game and I found it all quite fun. Later we had dinner at iHop.

September 21, 2007

Today was "clean the silverware" day. I had brought home these aluminum pans from lunch yesterday (to recycle), and decided they would first be put to use getting the tarnish off my flatware. How it works: Place the silverware in the aluminum pan, sprinkle with baking soda, then pour in boiling water. A final wash, rinse, and dry, and voila! Shiny and tarnish free!

Tonight was also Fondue night with my grad school pals (Diane, Susan, and Heidi). I tried a new recipe from Epicurious: Irish Cheddar and Stout with Brussels sprouts, red potatoes, apple slices and cauliflower for dipping.

Diane's kitty, "Buddy." He is a RIOT! Diane had recently purchased a new couch, and Buddy is firmly convinced that it is HIS. Andy (Diane's husband), says it's the most expensive cat bed around! ha!

September 20, 2007

Today, I attended a PH Support Group meeting with a friend. It was very informative and included a presentation on Stress Management and Relaxation (and lunch from The Olive Garden). The bracelet below was handcrafted by a local artisan, and proceeds benefit the PHA

September 19, 2007

Decided to hang a bird feeder outside the front window. Big News, that, eh?

September 17, 2007

Got the mail from the Vacation Hold, today, and Cousin Loli had sent me a photo disk with pictures from the Clan Bake. Two are below.

Jerry and Steve man the barbie.

Your's Truly and Steve (Geo - we all know that now, right?)

September 15, 2007

We are ready to head home! I had to take this one last photo, though: there were Dunkin' Donuts all OVER the place in Maine! I have never seen so many donut shops in my life! You can check out the full trip report on my regular blog here.

September 14, 2007

Another sunny day!

Steve at the Portland Harbor Museum in Portland (duh), Maine.

A REAL Lobstahman!

Steve and Me at Fort Williams.

The Portland Head Lamp is in the background.

September 13, 2007

WARNING: For Mature Audiences Only

You can see the strangest things on vacation! This is a shop on the waterfront in Portland, Maine.

September 12, 2007

Another beautiful day on Mount Desert Island in Maine.

View from my hotel window.

Kebo Valley Golf Club
Steve swung some (rented) sticks while I relaxed in our room.

Me and Geo at the top of Cadillac Mountain.

September 11, 2007

Today, we hiked the "Precipice Trail," which is the most difficult trail in Acadia National Park. It is actually more a non-technical climbing route than a "walk." It was quite rigorous! All misty, with the sound of the waves crashing below. Surreal.

September 10, 2007

Today we spent the day hiking along the carriage roads in Acadia National Park. It is such a serene place. There is so much green! It was misty and spitting a bit of rain, but the temperatures were comfortable.

September 9, 2007

Celebrating our ten-year wedding anniversary in the beautiful (and I do mean beautiful!), State of Maine, which is where we spent our honeymoon.

September 25, 2007

Goodbye, My Sweet, Sweet Love. I miss you so much.

September 7, 2007

Well, I'm mostly packed and ready to go! This time tomorrow I plan to be surfeit with delicious crustaceans, washed down with local microbrews. I did get everything done and have the evening ahead to relax. I've managed to get up my photos from August 30th to now - although you might have to select "older posts" below to see them all.

Today's photo is a blast from the past! Sent to me by my father, it is a picture of Dad with Dave Packard (yup, of HP fame, the very same), and his boss, Wayne (my Dad's boss, not Dave's). Dad is on the left with the totally hip sideburns, Dave is in the middle, and Wayne (alas), has his back to us.

Dad, I love you!! You SO look like and engineer!! (That is NOT a pocket protector!?)

September 6, 2007

Aeeeiiiii! We're leaving for Maine on Saturday morning and I'm Not Ready!! Mail to sort (from the previous two weeks), bills to pay, gotta pack, clean the cat box, the toilet, do laundry, empty the dishwasher, sign my time sheet, mail my expense report, water the lawn, the houseplants, and on and on... I am looking forward to five hours on the plane where I don't have to do anything. (Then I'm going to eat lobsters until I throw up!)

September 5, 2007

Well, the pine tree isn't the only thing that is growing! This is the avocado that Michael gave me, and it is doing quite well. He says I need to prune it so that it will be bushy rather than spindly as it grows ever larger. I cringe at the thought, but I'll have to see what needs to be done.

September 3, 2007

I don't know how many years ago - less than ten but probably more than five - Steve's parents gave us their living Christmas Tree, which we planted in the front yard, eagerly anticipating that "some day" it would make shade!

It's making shade! And today while I was out working in the front yard I noticed also that it makes a lovely rustling sound when the wind blows through its high branches. Reminds me of being in a pine forest in the High Sierra. I just love that sound!

September 2, 2007

I was standing at the kitchen window and caught Steve looking at the back forty. Nothing unusual there, except that his "heart" boxers cracked me up!

August 31, 2007

Another "artsy fartsy" - only this is a shot that Allen sent to me and then I photoshopped it. He took this pic of me (those are my hands), holding a Walking Stick (Order Phasmida). I think they're awfully cute!!

August 29, 2007

Steve brought me these pretty little flowers. They are so delicate and have held up all week. I put them in a little mouthwash bottle and set them on the nightstand with a yucca pod and a few stones I'd collected. Makes the hotel room feel a tad bit more homey.