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dooley
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Recent Entries to this Blog It's Fall already!
Posted: 08 Oct 2015
Moving Day is approaching!
Posted: 04 Mar 2015
2015 already!
Posted: 01 Jan 2015
It's been a great while!
Posted: 30 Dec 2014
An anniversary comes but once a year!
Posted: 27 Aug 2014

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dooley's Blog




Good Friends!

Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 11:58 pm

A good friend called on Monday evening. He wanted to know if we would be home today. He and his wife were thinking of visiting. They are from Black Canyon City where we lived before moving to Mayer (in Arizona.) They moved to Texas about 10 years ago. Sure doesn't seem like that long ago. They live in Hawkins which is about three hours north of here. We had been talking about meeting them somewhere so they wouldn't have to drive so far. But, they got up early this morning and drove down. We met them in Madisonville and had lunch and then came out to the house so they would know how to find us next time. Interestingly enough, they passed a couple miles from us on their way into Madisonville. They had to leave by 3 pm to get back home by dark. They neither one like to drive after dark and like us, neither one is too fond of freeways and interstate highways. They use the rural state highways as much as possible. We hadn't seen them in a couple of years and then it was such a flying visit. They were in Arizona over Thanksgiving but we were already headed for Texas. They were really surprised to get our Christmas card from here. We really had to talk fast and we filled every minute except when they were following us home. Marv and dr sat in the living room in the recliners. Judy and I made use of the rockers, but not on the porch. It was nice out but too breezy to sit outside. dr noted after they left that Judy and I certainly found a lot to talk about. Well, he and Marv weren't slacking off either. We will try to get up to see them, maybe next month. Like them, we will probably leave early and come home early. It's good to have friends willing to drive six hours round trip to stay only 4 or 5 hours to visit. We used to set up our flea market stand next to Marv every Saturday until he moved to Texas. We didn't know Judy as well because she worked as a cook in a local restaurant and didn't have Saturday's off. In all the time we were friends, I think we didn't visit in our homes more than a handful of times. Most of it was during the flea market days. Good friends are good to have and to keep, even from a long distance. She was saying they were thinking of moving again one of these days. Her feet like to wander and Marv goes with her where ever they wander. They moved to Texas because their youngest was in the military and their oldest lived in Texas. But she says their oldest moved on down the road and their youngest moved back to Arizona when they got out of the military. She says they have nothing to keep them in Texas now. They may move more east or maybe back to the west but not Arizona again. But for now we can go visit them and they can come visit us.
She quilts and we talked quilting. She doesn't garden much. She says she doesn't have a green thumb. I don't know how green my thumb is but I still like to garden and what ever grows is welcome. Maybe even the weeds if that's all that comes up. When we were growing up we would have been lost without a garden where ever we lived. It was useful with seven kids to have the garden available when payday was still a couple of days away.
Anyway, we had a good day visiting with old and good friends.
dooley

This blog entry has been viewed 513 times


A week for exploring things!

Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 2:03 am

We had a week of exploring things. Last Saturday we went to Jewitt. There is a flea market there the second Saturday of each month. We found it right away. It is on the main street of the town. It isn't a large town but it has a fair sized flea market and we walked all around it. The thing is, we left before breakfast and we were only going to one yard sale. We bought a couple of small things and then we decided we'd head for Jewitt and stop on the way for breakfast. We passed another sign for a yard sale and detoured but didn't find it. We headed for Jewitt again. We went through Normangee and spotted a restaurant. Did we stop for breakfast? No! We decided to go on to Jewitt and eat there. We found the flea market first. We walked all around it. We saw a lot of things. We saw chickens and ducks and other small animals. We saw a rocking chair but we left without buying anything. We looked for a place to eat and only saw a Mexican restaurant that wasn't open yet. So, we backtracked to Normangee and had lunch at the restaurant we bypassed at breakfast. We went inside and there was no one there and we sat down and ordered, wondering why no one was there. What would we get? But, we must have just arrived in a lull because when we had eaten and were leaving the place was full and busy.
We saw some places we want to go back and explore but Chance was inside and we hadn't planned on being gone for long so we headed home.
On Sunday, we only went and got the papers and back home. It wasn't a very nice day so we spent time inside with Chance.
On Monday, we decided we were going to Huntsville to explore and see if we could find any resale shops. I found some listed in the internet yellow pages. We looked around the town square and found some antique shops which had some very nice things but they were rather pricey so we didn't buy anything. We stopped at Home Depot and checked thing out but again didn't buy anything. We came home empty handed.
Tuesday, we were going to go to Bryan/College Station with Glenda but the water line was shooting a geyser into the air and by the time it was fixed we decided it was too late to go any where and get back at a reasonable time. So, we decided we would go on Wednesday.
Wednesday morning, Glenda called and said she wasn't feeling well. We decided we'd go for a ride and wouldn't you know we ended up going to Bryan and exploring on Texas Avenue. We found a grocery store and bought a few things and found our way back home. It was a long way to go for just a few groceries.
During the week, the utility company came around the area and cut trees and brush away from the right away for the electric lines. We hauled a lot of the branches into the yard to break up for kindling and mulch.
Thursday, we stayed home and worked on cutting it into sections and stripping the cedar (needles) off the branches. I decided that I would use the needles as mulch around the rose bushes. I had pulled the grass out from around and through them and put compost around them. I didn't get finished so I worked some more on that on Friday. But, about noon we decided to go back to Home Depot in Huntsville. dr wanted some 2 x 4's to do a project and some to build a small plastic greenhouse on one section of the porch. I wanted to look in the garden section. We bought the lumber he needed and a roll around toolbox (a small one) which he needed. I found a garden cart which I needed. So, for about the first time all week we came home with something.
Today, we got up and went to a yard sale. then we went to breakfast and decided we would go to Bryan/College Station and see if we could find a flea market I had seen listed on the internet. After getting in the wrong place a time or two we found it but it wasn't doing much business so we headed back to Madisonville. As we left Bryan we saw a yard sale sign and stopped. We didn't find a yard sale but we found the neatest yard I've seen in a long time. This older couple lived there. She did quilting and he made wooden yard ornaments. She had a yard full of garden junk and lots of little yards and gardens and it was so neat. I sure wish I'd had the camera but I didn't. Anyway she took us into her little house where she did quilting. She had a quilting frame hanging from the ceiling. We got to discussing quilting frames and quilting and we'd made a lot of the same ones. But she had made a lot more than I ever made. She said she'd made about a thousand in her lifetime. She sold them for the cost of making them. Needless to say we came away with a quilt. I will get a picture of it tomorrow and post it. It's a handkerchief quilt. Each block has a butterfly made from a flowered handkerchief. She does it all by hand except she sews the border with a sewing machine.
I finished the yard work when we got home. I still have some branches to cut up. I'm thinking of where I want to make some flower beds in the front yard. I think the back yard will be taken up with vegetable garden. Maybe! You never know from one day to the next what you will do or where you will go. The quilt lady told us of a couple of flea markets we should visit so maybe we will go next weekend to another flea market. We plan on going to Bryan with Glenda on Tuesday. She has a doctor's appointment and maybe she can show us some things we've missed.
We still have a few places to explore and I'm sure we'll find more places as time goes by.

dooley



This blog entry has been viewed 554 times


New Yard and Garden

Category: Choices | Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:23 am

It was a nice day today so I went outside and sat for a bit, just looking around at things. I took a couple of pictures which I will post tomorrow. I might even take a few more pictures to post for you to see what I have to work with. My son sent a lot of seeds which I posted a list in Veg. Gardening. I made a list of the vegetables I would like to plant and annual flowers that I would like to plant. I saw some Gladiola bulbs today but didn't buy them. I will one of these days. I have a small amount of money to start with but I'm not sure where I will start. Peat pots for sure to start the tomato and pepper seeds. Most melons and squash do better started right in the ground. Some are cool weather vegetables which could go in soon and some are warm weather vegetables which can wait a bit. I like annual flowers to fill in spaces while I wait for perennials. How many perennials do I want to plant? We are just renting the house, Of course, we were just renting the last one and I nearly filled up the yard with stuff. I figure that it's where I live and why should I not make it like I want it as long as I live there. Should I not have flowers just because I don't own the property. The owner said, "Do whatever you would like to do." She says she doesn't have a green thumb and knows nothing about gardening. She also had grandchildren running all over the yards. She was away so much she didn't have time to garden anyway. So, I will plant what suits me. Maybe more garden but with lots of flowers intermingled. I can fill up the yard. Maybe even this year. Well, with my knees not so good it may take more than this year to get it done but I'll get a good start. I hope we know enough people who like melon. I don't think it freezes too well. Can you make jelly or jam from them? I know you can make pickles out of watermelon but do I want to do it. Today, a little narcissus bloomed. It was already growing so I can't take credit for it. I have a good start on the roses but didn't finish them yet. It isn't supposed to freeze or frost for a few days so I have some time to work on them. I'm thinking I need to widen the bed around them and add some compost. Kevin was saying that the mushroom compost has a lot of nitrogen in it. We put sawdust on roses to add nitrogen so maybe I can put some mushroom compost on them. I'll mix it with some soil. That might work for now.
I'm just rambling here while I'm thinking about gardens. I won't have one big garden. I think some small ones to start with. I'll need to fence them because I saw a rabbit tonight and there is that armadillo and some raccoons. Yep, there is already lots of things wanting my garden, even the ants. Glenda says I have to get something to put around the plants as they come up or the ants eat them. That happened to some things in Arizona, too. I need some herbs, too. I'll try to grow another rosemary bush and some lemom verbena and some lemon balm and some monarda (bee balm) and thyme and the list grows longer. Guess I'd better go online and see what I can order. Since the post office doesn't forward catalogs I don't have any to look at here.
Guess I'd better go and sleep on it. I'm the only one still up and thinking about such things. Have a nice night.

dooley

This blog entry has been viewed 553 times


Rain and other things

Category: Daily Happenings | Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:24 am

All last year Glenda and Toni told us there was a drought in Texas and they never had enough or any rain. So, we moved to Texas and what happens! It rains! There have been more cloudy or rainy days than sunny ones. Poor Chance gets so depressed when it rains. She hates getting wet but how can she go out and check things if she doesn't get wet. Monday it was raining buckets off and on all day. During a lull in the rain dr let her outside. I walked past the door a bit later and there was Chance looking in the door. She was so wet and bedraggled. I had to get a towel and dry her off. She didn't want out anymore the rest of the day. Yesterday, we had some errands to do. It was cloudy but not raining much but we left her inside when we went to do the errands. Of course, while we were gone the rain quit and the sun came out and poor Chance could only look at it from inside. She was in such a hurry to get outside when we got home. She really enjoyed her day in the sun today. She didn't want to come in at all.
I went outside this afternoon. It was so nice I started pulling grass out of the rose bushes. I dug some around them. Tomorrow I will rake up the grass and weeds and the pieces of dead wood that I cut off of them. dr says I can compost the grassy stuff. Then, I want to get some mulch and put around them. I think it's still a bit early to leave nothing there. I might "borrow" some of the stray bits of dry hay that the horses have spread around their pasture. I can reach some without going over the fence but dr says wood chips will work better. I can borrow the hay until I get some wood chips if it turns colder again though. I cut some broken branches off of a couple bushy trees. I think they are trees but they are fairly bushy so I'm not sure. Glenda says they are Althea? There is a daffodil or narcissus getting ready to bloom so I will keep an eye on it for a picture.
I posted in the good morning thread that we were going to get our truck inspected today so we could get our Texas license plates. How can you be a resident of Texas with Arizona plates on your truck? We got our Texas insurance and that was a start and so we got up this morning and went to the dealership. We were going to have a general three thousand mile checkup and get the inspection. We had the three thousand mile checkup but not the inspection. We have to go back tomorrow for it because while the truck was sitting there waiting to get taken in for the inspection and checkup a person backed their big truck into our little truck and broke a tail light. You can't pass a safety inspection with a broken tail light. The dealership didn't have one in stock but they were going to get one today and they will install it and do the inspection tomorrow. The man who backed into us was very upset about it and he payed for replacing it. There was no other damage and accidents do happen. Then, we stopped and bought a Madisonville newspaper and discovered that they closed the place to get our driver's license changed. The computers were old and needed updated. So, now we have to go to Huntsville, Centerville or Bryan to get that done. We can't get it done anyway until we get the Texas plates on the truck. Ho Hum!
Welcome to Texas, everyone keeps telling us that. They do seem to be so friendly and helpful here. I think we will stay awhile.

dooley

This blog entry has been viewed 433 times




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