the remaking of a kitchen

i finally broke down and ordered a kitchenaid mixer. i have been thinking about it for over a year, back and forth, will i use it, will it really make a difference in how i do things like baking bread, where will i put it, can i lift it - you get the picture. last week i consulted the local bread queen and decided i would just do it. it arrived today and it is indeed a beauty. don is saying that now she will bake bread as if he doesn't believe it. well, i will.
it fits under the cabinet by the microwave with a quarter inch to spare....i measured last week to make sure. i even carried it from the island to its new resting spot....i think i won't be moving it very often, but now i know i can do it!
the third picture is an example of my new found talent. i too can take a photo of someone following me. hah

Labels: kitchenaid stand mixer

yesterday at 10 in the morning we walked outside the fence to meet with a couple of city engineers regarding some landscaping on the berm. don had gotten some donuts and we brought coffee to go along with them. we were surprised when someone from the parks and rec department joined us and again when the city forester appeared. all this for don and my concerns about part of the berm disappearing during the path construction. we continue to be amazed by the services offered in this community! we talked about their ideas, our ideas etc. it sounds like we will end up getting about three 6 to 8 foot blue spruces in the area where the berm was shortened to allow for the path from the overpass, as well as some smaller globe arborvitae to mark the curve of the path behind our gate and to encourage the use of the path instead of walking (or riding dirt bikes) in the area where it was previously. the city will water for the planting and will also place mulch around the trees and shrubs, and we will water after that time to keep them healthy going into the winter. they plan to extend the rock retaining wall around the curve and into the removed berm area.
i think we got even more than we expected and the guys were all great and encouraged us to call with any questions. hurrah! they also liked the donuts! :)

Labels: asphalt path, berm, city engineers, donuts, trees

the trip to nebraska was good. we got to see a game....it didn't turn out the way we wanted, but it was good to actually be there and see the difference in the way the game is played with the new coaches. a world of difference!
i got to see my aunt jackie several times as we were staying close to her hospice residence. i actually remembered to take some pictures with me....the house where she was born and grew up in david city and some pictures of her as a child....the best being one of her in a wicker baby buggy. very sweet. it was strange being in the same place with many of the same nurses as when i visited auntie lee. i got to spend some time visiting with my cousins bill and sher and randy. i hadn't seen bill for about 40 years, so it was great to begin to get reacquainted.
the really weird thing that happened was that we suddenly could not find our football tickets when we got to our room. don looked through everything, we went to the car, looked there etc etc. the ticket office was not open when we got there on friday and was not open until 3 on saturday. i called gary on saturday just to make sure about what we needed to do. don called the ticket office and set it up so they would do the reprint of the tix so we could get in and yes, would be charged for them again if we didn't return our original tickets within 30 days. we had decided at that point that they must be on a desk at home.
so.....we were set. just had to go to the ticket office across from the stadium and pick them up. sigh. don and i decided to go see jackie that afternoon and i noticed a couple at the desk as we walked to the door. we were just outside the motel front door when it opened and the man came out and asked if we were going to the game. a little strange.....i was wearing obama and don a classic black polo. but hey....it's nebraska.....game day etc. we said yes we were going, and he said, um did you happen to lose your tickets? we said YES....we did. so begins his strange story. he asked if we could identify them, so we gave section, row and seats and he reached into his pocket, pulled out tickets and said, do these look familiar? it was just amazing. it gets a bit more so as the story continues. he said he was standing in front of the building waiting for his wife when something blew by.....again it IS nebraska. hello wind! he chased it down and stepped on it...another trick all nebraskans know about. when he realized it was a ticket he figured someone was upset. a bit later he and his wife walked to his car to run an errand. he looked down, and saw something under his front tire.....the second ticket!! under the tire on HIS car......more weirdness. he went to the desk and told them he'd found the tickets and asked if they could contact all the rooms, say they had the tickets and the owner could pick them up if they could give the location of the seats. the desk person said they had no way to do that except by calling each room one at a time and they wouldn't do that. so, nothing happened and then when he saw us walk by the desk the next day, he decided to start asking on his own, and we were the first ones he asked. he wondered why we hadn't asked at the desk, but we just assumed we'd left them at home. a bit eerie, but we were pretty happy campers! he refused any payment but our extreme gratitude. amazing!

Labels: bill, football tickets, jackie, sher and randy

a package arrived in the mail today, and as i hoped it contained my new obama tee. it is pretty cool, and of course i am wearing it! trying to decide whether to wear to the game....those folks in red are certain to be supporting the other candidate. the other statement is indeed the flag flying from the deck. i didn't fly it last year, the whole season just seemed WRONG. even if we lose, it feels better now. i like the attitude of the coaches, and it seems the players are picking up on the positive and believing in it and themselves. whew.
we are off to nebraska in the morning to see them play virginia tech. i am thinking it will be a good game.

Labels: N flag, obama shirt

as work continues on the path....the curbs are in place and the rest of the old sidewalk behind our neighbors' house is removed, i'm thinking about other things. i was searching for cucumbers by another neighbor's fence when i took this photo. the bees are drunk on pollen from these sedum blooms. i'm pretty sure the bees are smiling, but it was hard to see their little lips. :)

Labels: bees, sedum

since it's saturday there was nothing happening outside the fence. supposedly they will be back on monday and we will see things going on then.
don and i walked the length of the new asphalt today...sort of an initiation thing i guess. it's so nice to be able to stay on the path and not have to use the street. good job city of e!!

Labels: asphalt path

after the asphalt was in place it was smoothed by two rollers.....one with 5,000# pressure and the second with 1000# pressure. pretty amazing!
we had a good conversation with jeff and he talked to his bosses and we came up with some ideas about planting some arborvitae along the path and up on the side of the area of the berm that was cut to allow for the curved path. we will talk further with them next tuesday....probably do some things ourselves and they will do some of it. cooperation rules! the plan is to fill in the area where the sidewalk was removed with topsoil and to put sod in that area and any other places were grass was disturbed. they will be putting in concrete ramps at each curb end of the path to facilitate bikes and other wheeled conveyances.
the path to benton will be phase two and in the works for next year. the city and state will work together on that.

Labels: asphalt path, landscaping

they started at the north end and worked to the south end of the frontage area behind our house. it was interesting that they completed the curved area from the overpass to the frontage road before continuing on to the south end.

Labels: asphalt path, frontage road

they really did it! jeff said the asphalt would be completed today and it really was. our section was the last one and we were able to observe all of it. do you suppose we need to get a life?? :) anyway, they appeared with a big truck full of asphalt and had two bobcats that took turn taking loads from the truck to the machine that layed the path. men then followed along smoothing the surface, using hoe like implements to smooth the edges, another man put on flat pieces of metal to smooth the path itself.
the one picture is jeff and don talking about the process. jeff was here the entire time the team was working, so we got to pick his brain a bit.

Labels: asphalt path, bobcats, jeff

i took these photos last evening showing that the path is prepared now to receive the asphalt. i talked to the engineer in charge and he assured me that the asphalt would be in place today. when i went to my scan appointment i could see that they are indeed doing just that! as i came home, the asphalt is in place at olg, and for a couple of blocks. i was told that they dug deeply to create the path and used 8 inches of fill. the next step is 3 inches of asphalt and i was told with a chuckle that this would be much more than on some of the city streets!
we are awaiting the arrival of the trucks and i will take photos of the whole thing. aren't you excited???? i am. :)

Labels: asphalt path, fill

today i drove off to northfield to meet with the bead ladies. it was a great treat for me as i hadn't beaded with anyone for more than a year. it's so nice to get feedback and an honest critique of one's work. it was just fun to be with them again and to see what they've all been working on while i've not seen them. i found some beads that will work in my current piece and that was nice.
we went to lunch at the oley store and i had a wonderful cobb salad, and we shared a sinful scrumptious dessert. afterwards, l and i went to shk's studio and worked for a while until i had to return home.
a deliciously pleasant day for me!!

Labels: bead ladies, beading, northfield

they worked all day smoothing the pathway, and adding to it. the sidewalk just behind our fence was removed and the path from the end of the overpass was extended in a curve to the path by the frontage road. it was interesting watching work and we were impressed with the way they just stayed at it all day.
will the asphalt be laid tomorrow??? we surely hope so!!!

Labels: asphalt path

we have been waiting for the diggers, graders, levelers and whatever else to get to our end of the frontage road. they arrived today and worked most of it right behind our fence preparing the site for the path. they have painted a curving line on the grass to indicate the area in which the path will extend from the end to the overpass to the street.
there is a VERY LARGE john deere machine just the other side of the existing walk, and the others are parked in various areas in our block and the one just to the north of us. we hope that the ground will be completely prepped and ready by the end of the week so the actual paving can take place. it will be great to have a sidewalk to get to the library rather than walking in the street. the amazing thing is that the city budgeted for this project so we will not be asked to pay for it. such a deal!

Labels: asphalt path, john deere

this has been an interesting 10 days. when we returned from nebraska, i was coughing, and then coughing some more. i felt pretty lousy and was able to get in to see my doctor on friday. she listened, looked, finally an x-ray and thought i had pneumonia. she loaded me up with some new meds, avalox, prednisone and a foradil inhaler. good grief! i made it to the chair meeting on saturday morning, but it was an effort as i was puffing away after any exercise, like walking. the primary was tuesday, and i was there, but don't know that i was a lot of help. well, i was i guess, but not a super day.
the radiologist who read the x-ray confirmed the pneumonia, and everyone decided i was on the right meds, so that continues. i am to see a pulmonologist monday afternoon, so i hope we can find something to get this darn asthma under control! this is the same office where i went previously, but a different physician.
thursday night i was offered an opportunity i just could not refuse.
Quarry awash in slow-motion 'Ocean' 09/13/2008
The epic work by Merce Cunningham and John Cage intrigues through abstract detachment but lacks emotion.
http://www.startribune.com/video/28244729.html?elr=KArksUUUU
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/onstage/28289969.html?elr=KArks5PhDcU9PhDcU9PhDcUU
http://www.sctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/ENT/109110064/1005
i hope these links work so others can see it. pretty amazing. startribune.com should get you there and then search for merce on the rocks or merce cunningham.
we met at the walker art museum and then got our box lunches and rode to the quarry on coach style buses. it was chilly, so i thought i was prepared with a jacket and raincoat, scarf and gloves, but was extremely grateful that someone had an extra knitted throw that she generously shared. quarries aren't so warm!! anyway, it was all quite lovely, and with the 75 min ride each way, a long evening. all so worth it!!
i am feeling so very much better than i did a week ago. i resist going on the meds as long as i can, but they make such a difference in how i feel. i just want to get back to the way things were a year or so ago.....a couple of episodes a year instead of the current experience of one a month. yuck!!

Labels: merce on the rocks, pneumonia

on sunday, john and julie drove to lincoln and we who also drove there to our next motel, met for lunch and then a tour of the new quilt museum on the east campus. we topped that off with ice cream from the dairy store. aaaaaaah. moooo.
they soon had to leave for columbus to pick up dogs and we headed back to the motel to just r-e-l-a-x! the next afternoon i spent a couple of hours with my aunt jackie who is on hospice care at home....the same group who helped auntie lee through her last days. we had a lovely visit.....always lots to discuss. we both worked in silver and really enjoyed it and occasionally ran into each other at art fairs which was pretty cool. i asked if she needed to run any errands or wanted to get a snack and happily she suggested the dairy store, so ice cream 2 days in a row! when i left she gave me a big hug and told me she loved me.....not something said often enough in the family in which i was raised. i love her too and told her. i hope to get to see her again when we drive to lincoln to a football game.
on tuesday we drove to omaha, and while don went to the old market, i had lunch with liz who was celebrating a birthday and kay lynn who's birthday i will surely miss next month. we talked and talked and had a lovely time. i realized it was also the 20th anniversary of our move to minnesota. now that is hard to believe!

Labels: aunts, good friends, lincoln

we are back, it was a busy, but fun filled week in nebraska. we had a nice drive to omaha and after a few false starts met up with angela and kishin in time to watch the obama acceptance speech while they had dinner and we had an appetizer and a beer. (we'd eaten earlier) we soon discovered we had like political leanings so all was well. it was so great to see angela again and to finally meet kishin.
on friday we drove to columbus and met john and julie for lunch and a good start to the alum proceedings. lots of laughing and giggling. the first evening's event was across the highway from our motel so we walked over and were soon greeting friends and trying to be sly in reading name tags of those we didn't recognize. there were quite a few classmates in attendance which was pretty encouraging. the discouraging part was that out of 108 of us, 32 have died. there were 5 elementary schools, and out of those 11 were from my school. scary!! a few of were obviously struggling with various physical complaints, but everyone had a good time.
after we ate we were all invited to carroll and jane's recently remodeled victorian, and it is gorgeous! we had snacks and dessert as well as beer and wine there and visited with all the people that made it to that venue. as we were leaving, i was thrilled to notice my handmade bowl that carroll bought YEARS ago at a local art fair sitting on a table. :)
on saturday about 30 of us met for lunch at duster's and had good food and a good visit too. we wandered from table to table gabbing away. when we left there i took a photo of angela standing by the front door of the apartment that belonged to her family until they moved 52 years ago! we dropped kishin and don back at the motel so angela and i could have a tour of the old stomping grounds. we drove around neighborhoods she remembered and by schools and houses of friends etc....a good trip down memory lane.
that evening brought a few new attendees and we also lost a few to football or other events. everything went well.....prenty had been asked to talk about those who had "passed on" and she did that and read a few poems and other readings. the food was good, and we all visited some more becoming reacquainted after all these years. it was a pretty special weekend for all of us!

Labels: friends, old friends, reunions