Tinkerbell 2004-2014 RIP

Maryland trip

I drove my new car up to Maryland last weekend to visit friends and family.  I met work colleagues in the new hip Hyattsville Friday night, then stopped in to see Mary Lew and Anne. I stayed with Kathy and Don in Greenbelt and saw the Gervasi's for dinner Sat night. That day I visited all my family in Howard County including the Bilek-Burt's.  Then I went up to see Uncle Jim in the afternoon in his new digs in Charlestown in Catonsville. I brought back lots of goodies including the wooden folding screens and Aunt Liddy's recipe box. Sunday I went to Saint Andrew's and saw lots of old friends and parishioners.

The solar panels are being installed this week on my roof. Yeah!

October

I went to see my doc Monday and she said my blood glucose level was up a little so she advised me to take 2 Metformin pills a night rather than one.  I'm also trying to exercise more and eat more complex grains and protein. Every morning this week I had oatmeal with a pear and nuts in it. I also went on several multimile walks with the dogs and attended breathing and Tai Chi classes.

Thursday night, Sue and I took a class at Southern Seasons but the food was not all that amazing except for the fried okra which was very different and very good.

I was also getting ready for my turn as hostess for our moring coffee and tea. About 13 women came, smaller than most I thing because of Yom Kippur. Below are some nice pics.  Thanks to Joyce ans Sim for loaning me their coffee makers for the occasion.

On Friday night Sim and I attended a book launch and singing for Wafaring Strangers a musical voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia. The book was written by Fionna Ritchie who hosts the Thistle and Shamrock show on public radio every Sunday. She plays music from the Celtic tradition and I've been listening for over 25 years.  The book was published by UNC Press. Below is a pic of us at her book signing.

And lastly I think I forgot to post a pic of the mints I made for Mindy's wedding last week. Mindy is the pastor at the church I attend. So here goes...

Below are some Arlo pics of the week.

Molly and Matt came by for a visit on October 8.  It was great seeing them.

WW II Service Medals

Below are the medals that my Dad was awarded in WW II. The Navy sent them to me when I requested replacements.  One is a WW II Victory Medal, another is the American Campaign, and the third is an Asiatic Pacific Campaign. He got a little bronze star to go on the bar of the Asiatic Pacific Campaign medal.

They also sent 2 lapel pins: discharge button and Honorable Service.  My dad was a Lt. Commander in the US Navy serving in Saipan as the supply officer where he received a wound in his leg from shrapnel.  Before going to Saipan, he was stationed at Newport News and Asbury Park.  He served in the Reserves at least through 1958. His cremains were scattered at sea in 1989 off the coast of FL.

My brother, Ned, says that my Dad was responsible for supplying the most forward naval area for the allied command. Not only did he have to supply the ships but also the Japanese prisoners of war and local population. The island had almost no agriculture or structures left when the occupation began. Most of the island population committed suicide when the Japanese gave up the island (http://jasco295.tripod.com/SAIPAN.html).  My brother, Bill, says Dad was the second in command on Saipan.

Dad brought home two souvenirs of his time in Saipan, a curved samurai sword and a ceremonial saber. I remember seeing then in our house on Quarrier Street. Ned said Dad gave them to Jim Brown to keep for him because the movers would not take the swords to NYC when we moved in 1967. I asked Jeff if he had seen them and he sent me this....

Japanese souvenirs from WWII

They are at Jeff's house now. Amazing!!

Have roof rack, will kayak

Got the roof rack and went kayaking Saturday morning.  It was a beautiful day. Mouth is feeling better but I have to irrigate those holes after every meal or snack. Below are some nice pics.

Ides of September

It's almost been a week since my wisdom teeth were extracted.  While it didn't hurt much at the time, it kinda hurts now.  I don't like how little pieces of food get caught in the huge holes left behind.  I go back tomorrow for follow up.

Ned was in and now out of the hospital after a fall.  He was a bit beat up and had low levels of vitamins and minerals.  Hopefully he will be on the mend and I wish him a speedy recovery.

I found a roof rack made by Wispbar that will support the weight of my kayaks and cradles .  Suppose to be installed on Wednesday.  I can remove them if I'm not planning to go kayaking in the near future like when winter sets in or I go on a long trip.

Went to see a Beatles tribute band and a screening of A Hard Day's Night.  I always enjoy the movie.  The band could have been better.  50 years - seems like yesterday.

ML, Robert, and Arlo are attending Genevieve's  and Tyler's wedding in MA this weekend.

Beginning of September

It's been 6 years since I retired and moved to Fearrington Village.  My life is very different now. I used to work a lot for the Federal Government and take care of my late husband; but now I fill my time with other activities like chorus, tennis, Mahjong, Chinese Brush Painting, and Mexican Train Dominoes.  I engage in more fun traveling (as oppose to work traveling).  Sounds frivolous you say: well maybe.

Fearrington Village is a most hospitable community in which to dwell.  Each of those activities in which I engage has a different set of friends.  We still have our regular neighborhood gatherings for wine and cheese multiple times a month and occasionally I will get to church.  This last Friday my friend, chorus-director Sue, came over for a cook-off.  I taught her to make ciabatta and some yummy ice cream, and she taught me to make a delicious Thai noodle salad with shrimp, angel hair pasta, sesame oil, and peanuts & fruit.

Sim and I often enjoy a dinner and/or movie/concert for entertainment.  Having Sim in my life also exposes me to his vast set of family and friends.  As you may know my favorite kind of vacation is to visit family.  So now in addition to my family, I have Sim's family.  We go to his son's in Apex twice a month for dinner and often get to see some of his grandchildren.  Last time we also got to see one of his great grandchildren.  

We are excited that his granddaughter who lives in Vermont will be moving to Concord NC. Hopefully we will get to spend more time with them.  This weekend was National Grandparents Day so it was niece to be able to see Sim's granddaughter and her little 16-month girl here to cook for and play with. At Thanksgiving we will be visiting Sim's daughter, Lee and family in Mexico for a week. We had a wonderful time last year and expect to do so again. Lee and Richard are going to buy my 1990 Lexus RX300 to use in Vermont for gathering all their supply for their restaurant.

I bought a new Lexus which is 2012 CT200h.  It's a small hybrid hatchback that has a very fancy navigational and communication system.  I have to get a roof rack installed by REI to carry my kayak cradles.

It was a difficult choice and after driving my new car home I found it has a nasty buzz and rattle in the cabin near the passenger side.  Will have it checked out Wednesday.  It is certified and good for 3 yrs or 100,000 miles.  In my case the 3 yrs as I will not get to that many miles in 3 years. It's definitely more sporty than my sport ute and I should be able to get my kayak up on the roof my myself.

Sim is doing an excellent job of taking care of my through my surgical extraction of all my Wisdom Teeth this morning. Doc says there may be more pain within the next 2 days.

I hope I feel well enough to provide the treasurer report and collect dues at our women's tennis group and then later to hand out CDs and sell tote bags at the first chorus rehearsal later tonight.  I'm just eating soft foods like meat loaf and mashed potatoes. 

I joined a Fantasy Football league and am trying to figure all that out as I only know enough football to root for the Redskins and Ravens when they try to make touch downs and field goals, etc. 

I saw a wonderful house this weekend at a post-Ireland chorus party.  I would sure like to convert my double windows in my Den to these doors that go out into my garden. See below.

This is something I'll have to study as I want to be able to open the sidelights for air so they would be screened. It would have to be approved by the Camden Park neighborhood architectural committee first.  They have yet to approve my solar panels that I requested in July but I think they are just really slow. It took them 6 months to not approve my desire for a new front door. This side door Into the garden cannot be seen by the street or even the neighbor it faces because of plantings so I hope they will approve it. The solar panels are supposed to go up at the end of October.

I have several near events that I am looking forward to including seeing Molly and Matt in a few weeks here and traveling to MD to see ML, Robert, and Arlo.  We are hoping to meet family at the Bagel Bin at 11am on Oct 11 so we can all welcome Arlo Moody into the family.  I'll be visiting my office colleagues for dinner Oct 10 and go to church Oct 12 before driving home.   I'll be staying in Greenbelt with the Perkinsons. John and Carol will be visiting me in early November which is about the same time Lee and Richard will be visiting Sim on their way to Mexico.

We are attending a Beatles Tribute Band and a showing of A Hard Day's Night this Saturday and next week to a play starring one of my theatrical friends. So it's busy already.  Well it is time to take my heavy duty ibuprofen for my mouth.

Here are a few nice pics of Arlo and family.  

Arlo started his daycare this week when ML returned to Restoration Hardware's Baby and Child store in Marin Co. Below is a pic from his new daily activity place.