I love my new windows

In our continuing effort to update our house we completed the replacement of new glass block windows in our master bath. We originally were going to replace the casement windows with casement windows but after seeing a brochure for the glass block we decided to use the blocks. And I love it! Steve will be getting the paint brush out again as we have decided to paint the woodwork not stain it.

Better time of year for new windows

Hot Peppers for Steve

I finally found what we think are TASTY HOT peppers. We have grown Habeneros peppers in the past and while they are hot they do not have much flavor. Many of the hot sauces that Steve likes contain the Scotch Bonnet peppers and I think these Carribean Reds may be similair. Stop by for salsa later this summer and let us know.

Chipmunks

"Chip and Dale" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks" all made us think of how cute chipmunks are. But the reality is that chipmunks are rodents! They reek havoc with the foundation of your home and they need to be removed from the home environment. I do have a heart cage that allows me to capture them and remove them to a more friendly environment. Here is my latest "buddy". He went to the country last night.

Friday and golf

Steve and Mike on Fathers Day

Today I played golf in Fostoria in a district tournament event with 3 of my Belmont friends. Steve and Mike are at Cedar Point taking a real vacation day. This is something Mike really wanted to do before he starts his new job. Steve hadn't been to Cedar Point in about 10 years and has a list of the new roller coasters he wants to ride. I would have joined them but Cedar Point tends to work better with even numbers. Maybe by next year AJ will be my ride companion. Can't believe we are heading into the fourth of July weekend. Belmont fireworks are Thursday night and we will be hosting the RCO party.

Beautiful Day lily

My friend Kathy has a green thumb and a knack for displaying her gardening skills. She called this week and wanted to show me a photo opportunity. This is a beautiful lily that is in her front yard. Unfortunately Kathy is in the hospital now with a serious infection so I sent her a copy of this picture to remind her of all of the beautiful things in her yard that are awaiting her return.

Some other pictures of Kathy's gardens.

Pictures are all about subject matter

AJ and I had fun yesterday.

A new start

Today I am starting my New Years Resolution over again. As many of us know the usual time is about 3 months of following the new year plan. When my camera broke it was hard to keep taking pictures. But then a new camera came into my life and still I did not resume my daily picture. Today I am taking pictures!

The month of May was a hard one for me. We were travelling and then Memorial Day was significant this year. I didn't blog about it but I should have. I know many of my readers have gained insight into the grieving process through my posts. As the one year anniversary passed things have gotten easier. The good memories come quicker than the memories of John suffering. There are still daily thoughts of John and still tears at times. But I was surprised this year on Memorial Day that I longed for a way to remember John other than in my mind. Seeing the grave sites decorated as I passed the local cemetery made me long for a place I could go and talk to John. I totally understand the desire to be cremated but having a specific place to mourn and remember has value too. We have talked about planting a tree in the yard and I will pursue this now. Next year I will have someplace to visit on memorial day and tell John how much he is missed.

I think the other point I want to make is that once again I was surprised by an out of the blue wave of grief. Last year Memorial Day came and went. I do not think I even recognized the day as anything more than a Holiday. So why this year was it so significant as a day to remember the dead? Perhaps because we are moving on with our lives.

A Melanoma Reminder

I have not mentioned melanoma much this year because I am still making an effort to move on in my life. I have however kept in touch with the melanoma web site and this weekend I was saddened as another young 23 year old melanoma warrior got his wings and left this earthly plane. I have followed his fiancees' blog since before John died. He tried many of the same treatments that John had taken. Unfortunately his fate was the same. It is hard for me to see such strong young men die from melanoma. I know the heartache this family is going through. It is just not right. I know the research is ongoing to find a cure but for now I urge everyone to use sunscreen regularly and see your dermatologist if you have any unusual moles. It is the only thing that we know has some affect for some people in reducing their chances of dieing from melanoma.

Picture from Jessica in LA

I was going to title this "Only in LA" but unfortunately I have seen too many examples similar to this to make that statement. Thanks for sharing Jessica! We all will get a good laugh on this one.

Tuesday

Great Weekend! But they sure do seem to fly by. And as we were discussing with friends how quickly the summer weekends seem to be filling up. Graduations and weddings in June, birthdays, fireworks and holidays parties in July, and then it is August and the summer starts winding down.

Annal stopped over Sunday night after a weekend in Toledo and it was so nice to visit with him and hear about his busy life. He is practicing law while studying for the MCATs, as he has decided that medical school is still calling. We talked about how it has been 10 years since he and John met at Ohio State when both were admitted to the EAP medical program. Time flies. Next weekend their group will celebrate at Put in Bay and I am sure there will be memories of John and his bachelor party.

Mike and Kristen have found a duplex in Bowling Green and will begin the process of moving out of their childhood homes. Not quite sure the exact dates as the duplex is rented until August 1st. The current residents are in the process of buying a home, which they gain occupancy of sometime in June. The landlord has agreed to release them from the lease since Mike and Kristen would like to move in before August.

Jessica is still in LA and her latest endeavor has been teaching me to text message on the telephone. It is much quicker than calling and those short bursts of information are fun to read. I suspect we will be adding unlimited texting to our phone plan now so we can quickly and unobtrusively communicate with Mike too.

Off to Kalamazoo now for my nephew's graduation party and a visit with the folks. Mike will get some turnpike driving experience while I get some additional time reading up on my camera.

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."

Golf, golf and more golf

If you have checked in this week and missed me it is because it has been a very VERY busy week. Monday Steve and I played golf in a charity outing for Camp Courageous, at Stone Oak Country Club. This was after I played tennis in the morning on my seniors USTA team. Tuesday, I spent time with Jesi and AJ as it as Jesi's birthday. Wednesday and Thursday was our 2 day Ladies major golf tournament, the Belmont Cup. My partner Sue and I finished second but it was more due to her great golf than mine. Congrats to Trina and Marnie who won the tournament with a great score of twelve under par.

Today was catch up on grocery shopping and cleaning.

But there was more going on this week too. I have not posted about it, but Mike has been in the process of interviewing for a full time job with Wood Lane Schools as a custodian. This has been in process several weeks. He had an interview on Wednesday and was offered the position. This is a civil service appointment position with state benefits, including medical and retirement. And the salary is more than $2.00 an hour more than he is currently making. He accepted the job when offered but the hard part was giving notice to his current employer. He has loved working at Bass Pro but realizes this is a great opportunity. He will start July 6th and since the job is in Bowling Green we will be looking for a new place for Mike and Kristen to share. They are both very excited about this. I am sure this move will create lots of blog reading both from the standpoint of how Mike fares and how Steve and I adjust to an empty nest. WOW! Lots of mixed emotions.

Back to a picture of the day but this one is from Tuesday and one of my favorite subjects.