The Besttechie Cafe'

[blim]

Heyyyy, Terrorist! I've been keeping the coffeepot hot but it has been quiet here.

I've been too busy. Son's applying to the University and since he is working so many hours, I've been tying up loose ends for him (like getting the community college transcripts transferred for him, he works during office hours)

And my "nut with a walker" has been keeping me on my toes. Trying to convince her that constipation is NOT a reason to call for an ambulance, but trouble breathing IS a reason to call! Geezzzzz.....At least she is in the hospital now (breathing problems ended up being the pnew, pneniu, ah, shucks, I can't spell "pnew-monia"!) , so I've been busy trying to get her some in home help for when she comes home. I was offered a job cleaning and cooking for her from the State's Social Services Program, but turned it down, I knew she would manipulate me. Well, I'm happy I turned it down! Before she went into the hospital, she "interviewed" Nancy, her new "gal Friday" and the first thing she asked was if she could bathe her and cut her toenails. Phew! Cleaning/cooking is one thing, health care is something I just don't know how to do! Shoot, I'd end up cutting her toe, not her toenail! Fortunately Nancy knows how to do all of that personal care stuff. I'm hoping Nancy works out for my "nut" so I can get a break. I'm not related to the "nut", but for some reason she trusts me, so it's hard to turn her requests down.

Looking forward to tomorrow, it's supposed to be nice and warm. Time to rake the pine cones and de-poop the back yard! Wheeeeee, Spring is trying to spring. Snowdrops and crocuses are starting to bloom and the robins are back! Oh, how my garden is calling me out to play. Good thing there is enough poop and pinecones in the yard to keep me from digging just yet. And the plowpiles are still on the streetcorners--I look at them and say, "yep, it's still kinda winter"

Liz

[bozodog]

Snowpiles? Still? Awwww, Liz. I'm sorry to hear that. All that white stuff has been gone a while now. The daffs are about to bloom. De-pooping the yard is on my list for today too... Then I gotta start a good raking. I think the mulch over the garden can be turned under this weekend so the soil can begin warming up.

Phew! I'll have a cuppa coffee and some cookies please.

[TheTerrorist_75]

Coffee smells good right now. I have neen able to leave the dog out the last couple of days. It is pleasant not having him bugging me every second. The yard is spotted with heaps of his crap piles. For a 70 lb. mutt he craps like an elephant. It is supposed to go up to 75 tomorrow. That will be the perfect day for cleaning the yard.

[handplane]

Hey TT,

Saw the place below the other day.

Is it yours?

[TheTerrorist_75]

Hey TT,

Saw the place below the other day.

Is it yours?

I wish that I had opened a pizza joint instead of a bar. I just got done doing some major cleanup from this winter's storm damage. How can so many muscles deteriorate so fast.

[bozodog]

Fast, fast, fast my man. Jeesch, I was just thinking I haven't had full use of my right hand/wrist for over a year. Ok fine, but all the rest of me has gone to hell in a handbasket along with it! Along with 30+ pounds I had lost the year before the injury... Gonna be a tough road getting back this year.

Fresh Polish sausage with taters and kraut is the special tonite. And a huge pile of steamed sweet onion.

[thesidekickcat]

Hi everyone,

I am still around from time to time. Seems like everyone here has been on spring break or ? Maybe doing last minute taxes? or like us still fighting the crud of colds. Gee whiz it has been weeks and weeks of downs and ups with our colds. We get to feeling better and so try to play catch up with all the work we put off then we end up with relapse again and again. Our elderly neighbors have been fighting it since mid January and we started with it in early to mid Feb. I can't even remember for sure now seems even longer!!!

"Fresh Polish sausage with taters and kraut is the special tonite. And a huge pile of steamed sweet onion." That sure sounds good bozodog, but haven't gotten my taste buds back to normal (can't even taste my coffee) yet so will take a raincheck. Thanks.

Liz, I hope and pray that your elderly friend will heal up soon. Pneumonia is no easy thing to get over at any age. With her having a new helper you should have a bit more freedom, though don't get in the middle of any "disputes" between them. Ha! I made that mistake a time or two with same sort of situation, and believe me I am not a good mediator....more like make peace with each other or else!!! So they agreed with each other it was all my fault. I can't even remember what the squabbles were about, but in my own way I did get them to solve it...though neither spoke to me for ages. Hubby said the peace and quiet without phone ringing off hook all the time was nice while it lasted! Ha!!!

Warmer weather here, but still showers too. Had a gorgeous double rainbow last week. Oh how I love them against the dark stormy sky. Like a gift from Heaven.

Haven't decided on a dryer yet don't even feel like looking for one. sigh! Good thing we can use the rental house one...it's old and small but does a good job.

So we have a dryer that's kaput, and then Saturday while I was using the bathroom sink one part of the drain pipe underneath decided to break off. Luckily hubby was home when it did it, so off to Home Depot to get parts but since not feeling good, forgot to measure old pipes...so of course got wrong size! So scrounged in basement spare plumbing parts drawer which we should have looked in first, oh well. Found all we needed and then hubby found the other pipe past the ptrap was basically disintegrating, with only the rust and hair blockages holding it together. Even had that part in drawer...wow. So now if we need the other size down the road, well you guessed it...it's in the drawer now too. So then hubby says let's recaulk ( with me taking off old caulk first) the bathtub (that he did last fall that failed). He bought a new to us kind of recappable GE bath and kitchen caulking at the store while we were there for plumbing parts so of course he wanted to try it out right away!!! Yea it didn't stink at all like most caulk does and it dried/cured in 36 or 40 hours and appears to be working ok! Also got the motorhome through DEQ with no problems, she passed with flying colors!!! Yea!!! For an old carburated gal she did good!!! So other than lawn mowing, a bit more on the hedge trimming, etc that's about all that is going on I think. Oh got the taxes done on a weekend when both of us weren't feeling to bad and most importantly thinking clear enough to translate IRSspeak. So that is about it I think. Seems like we did do a lot in spite of feeling like we aren't keeping up with stuff. Surprised we (actually hubby did most of it I think) got that much done!!!

Pat

God bless everyone.

[blim]

Pat, your post made me laugh, even though I did feel sorry for the plumbing work, especially having to work with Hubby--I remember you saying you two work as well together as my Hubby and I do Anyways, glad the caulk is holding up and the leaky sink is fixed! I do caulk, but plumbing is strictly Hubby's job--he knows how to do it and doesn't mind the "gross black hairball animals".

And yee-haw about the motorhome passing inspection. I don't think we have those here in Michigan.

And you're right about butting out as far as the "nut" and Nancy goes, the "nut" is going to have a fit as it is when she gets home from the hospital--Nancy has thrown away a yard bag full of plastic grocery bags, stacks of newspapers, old outdated catalogs and went through her "stash of canned goods" (she has enough to feed a third world country, and some of those cans expired years ago!)

I'm just going to smile and keep my mouth shut (although the quiet telephone would be refreshing!)

Terrorist, I like your analogy of your dog pooping like an elephant--I'm stealing that quote! I did poop patrol today and it wasn't too bad (I tried to keep up during the winter, poop shows up good against the snow!) but Sandydog decided the strawberry patch was a fine place to use--probably because I put my Christmas greens on it. Didn't clean there during the winter. That was a mess!

Daffidols, Bozodog? Mine are only about 2 inches high. I'm happy with the crocuses and snowdrops, though----and I did find ONE blooming violet while depooping today! Can't wait for them to bloom, the whole yard smells wonderful.

Keep up the work with the wrist, I'm proud of you!

Not only is the yard "de-doggied", the pine cones are raked up and I cleaned and vacuumed out the car today! The backseat was loaded with Golden Retriever Hair

I fought the urge to play in the garden, but darn it, I've got creeping charlie growing already--maybe tackle that tomorrow if the forecasted rain stays away. Also bought spinach and carrot seeds today....and only one package of flowers (calendulas, or "pot marigolds", which didn't come up last year) Ahh, my fingernails are itching for some dirt under them!

Liz

[macmarauder]

just popping in to let people know that i'm alright. hitest was getting worried about me again.

as far as the slowness of the site, well that's partly my fault. i haven't been around to do any of what i used to set the mood in the open chat section and pretty much no ones else has either. and i think i sort of killed things when i got into that big argument over the political section and even though chappy did what he could to keep me from making an ass of myself, it wasn't enough. i've just got too much to contain like that. and it didn't help things when i got into it with that know it all jerk in the chat room and i haven't felt like going back there since. and then i let my personal life effect me and i banned myself from modding so that i wouldn't get into even more trouble. i was so upset over things in my personal life (lack of job and girlfriend, and being abandoned by apple even though i've ruined my life in the name of fighting M$ for apple, selling the bronco just to pay back bills, ect...) that i got easily sucked unto fights here. and as a mod it is just no acceptable. and that reflected very badly on this place.

so i've kinda discouraged people from coming here anymore. from what i can tell it looks like most people either stay in the support section and stick to business or have moved on to other forums as their main home.

i think part of it is that now people are worried about over modding and now stay away from subjects and have less fun. which is exactly what chappy didn't want and was trying to avoid until i screwed things up.

i am sorry for my (big) part in messing this place up.

[robroy]

I for one am waiting for you to get back here full time. You have always added so much to this forum and it is missed. the little bump in the road that you are talking about was not enough for you to keep yourself away like this. I understand and feel for you with your real world situation but stuff happens and one's life can turn around overnite. You just need to keep hope and it will happen. All things said

WE MISS YOU

so get back here on a regular basis

[Matt]

Hey mac. I really wish that you didn't feel that you "ruined" any part of the forum, because that just isn't true. I don't think anyone thinks any differently of you for anything you've done, we just all miss you being around to goof around with. All of us mods have made mistakes and hit road blocks (whether publicly or privately) over these months and thats just 'cause we're new at it. It is right that Chappy has been worried about over modding, but really I'm probably more guilty of that than you are. You needn't feel you did anything wrong to BT, and I don't believe anyone has been driven away.

I also am losing forum time lately. With me starting my first job this coming week, and school still in progress, it will be hard for me to get on here as much. Just remember, "real life" is always more important than "online life."

So mac, basically, we miss you and want you back! You shouldn't feel bad about anything, because you haven't done anything wrong. Who else is gonna prevent the forum from imploding on the flux capacitor you built in the basement??

[TheTerrorist_75]

I need a double mug of coffee and a bottle of Tylenol. I dragged most of the branches from down back out to the road for the shredder crew early this morning. All I have left is the stuff too long and the main trunk of one of the trees that fell over. Someone borrowed my chainsaw and it looks like they were cutting in the mud and rocks. The chain is bad and it doesn't want to start. I wish dear old step-dad would quit loaning out my tools.

I can't believe how bad the vines overtook the old carriage house down back. My hands are tore up from pulling them down and cutting them up. Some of them were almost as big around as my wrists. I found 2 Beech trees growing up within them. They have to go because they are too close to the building.

It's getting close to that time to get ready for my bloodwork this morning. See you all later.

[blim]

Macmarauder!!! Honey, I don't know what happened in chat (too fast paced for me to venture in there) but nothing you did here in the forums was wrong! Absolutely nothing!

I lurk in a few forums and it's slow all over--I think folks are just plain busy. Even Son's game forum is slow, he says. I haven't posted as much lately because the past couple months have been "same-o, same-o" Posting that I pushed the vacuum and did laundry every day would be mighty boring I AM thankful for being in a rut, though--no hell breaks loose in the crazyhouse when it's "routine" *knocks wood*

You've been doing an outstanding job as a mod, as all the mods here have. It's not your responsibility to set a "good mood"! We all have "punk periods" (Lord knows I have) and during those times, we need to let folks know how we feel so we can get support. That's what us Moms (authentic and honorary) are for. And it feels so good to throw a tantrum just to get stuff off you chest

Like others have said, "show your face, young man", even if it does have a frown on it! We do miss you!

Matt, a new job? Cool. Where?

Ugh, Terrorist, about the vines--been there, done that, Roundup has become my friend!

Liz

[TheTerrorist_75]

I don't like using chemicals to kill plants. Too many animals around plus I am not supposed to handle it. I used to mess with different lawn chemicals for many years when landscaping. The doctors believe that is one of the many reasons why my liver was damaged. I thought I was indestructable and wouldn't wear gloves, safety glasses or respirators. I never considered that stuff dangerous. Even spray painting vehicles and equipment with epoxies I didn't use any protection. The only time I became concerned was when I broke a gallon glass jug of Carbon Tetrachloride in a closed room and passed out from the vapors. I have worked with chlorine, ammonia and freon cooling systems and have been nailed a few times. It's lucky I have any lung fuction left.

[blim]

I usually don't use any chemicals in the yard, either, but once in a while I cave (like when I stupidly planted Euonymus! All the digging in the world wouldn't kill that obnoxious stuff off!)

Wow, Terrorist--you are lucky to have lung function!

Liz

[Matt]

Hey Liz. Cold Stone ice cream.. i have to song as I work

[rv56]

Coffee to go please....the snow is finally getting thinner in the yard and

warm weather has been here all week. Got to go and get the propane tank filled for

the gas BBQ...wahooo It's getting that time of year...lol. Saw a few geese trying to find a pond the other

day. That was kind of funny as they were circling round and round this frozen snow covered pond.

It looked like they were saying "Where is it...it was here last year"...and then flew off in another direction.

Anyway....see you people later..

Take care now...

[thesidekickcat]

I have to keep an eye on the sky to watch for afternoon thunderstorms popping back up again like yesterday's that caught me by surprise.

So where to start...Oh that's right start with Mac...just so he knows we love him I'll pick on him a bit.

Now Mac where and when did all this excitement happen on the boards here? Someone give me some links to those threads!!! Ha! Dadrat it did I miss all the excitement? Unless you are talking months and months ago about that one politcal thread...and don't you dare take any credit for that one going down the tubes....that was all due to certain person named Sidekickcat Pat blowing her top at someone....justifiably so I still think. So not your fault Mac!!! As for the chat room, I'm like Liz, I don't venture in there...! I think that's for fast talking kids and high speed connections I think. Besides I can get in enough trouble out on the main boards. Ha! Now for a tip on how to deal with some knowitalljerks, here's how I do it....I answer them, then let others take up the cause, then ignore them afterwards. Save's wear and tear that way and reduces the stress levels. Ha!

As for your personal problems Mac, only problem there that I see is you don't seem to take our 'great advice' to let go of past, move on, get involved with life again etc etc etc.....! Now remember Mac all that advice is all from our hearts of love and concern for you, and what we have learned from various life experiences.

As for overmodding??? I never see anyone overmodding or even much modding at all. So I guess that is all behind the scenes? Though I wish someone would mod that comedy club section, it gets pretty raunchy at times. Not good for a clean family board. In fact I would like to see a notify mod button on each thread/post so we could turn things in that are way out of line. I would have used it yesterday on one thread there. Or can we please have some rules to keep those threads clean? To me those raunchy jokes make the board look sleazy, and they smell like rotten garbage in a dumpster. Ok end of that soapbox for now.

I really don't think you have discouraged people from coming here Mac. It has just been a slow winter especially last couple of months. Even the internet seems slow at times, and other boards too. So not your fault Mac. So stop already with that stuff.

So now get back to doing your regular stuff of making us laugh, thereby making yourself cheer up in the process of giving us something to laugh about.

Liz, the funny part of the working with hubby thing this weekend, it went great! Maybe when we aren't feeling up to par we try harder to just get the job done without arguing? Ha! Ha! New marriage counseling idea, take two virus pills then wait until feeling just abit better but not well enough to fight before working together on any have to do right now project??? Seemed to work for us!!!

You mean you folks in Michigan don't have to DEQ station test your vehicles for smog pollutants/emissions every year or two before you can get your new license tags? Or are you just far enough away from major towns to not be affected by those laws? It's a great way for the state to irritate it's citizens and charge them big bucks to get new tags, and that doesn't even count the cars that fail the tests and have to be repaired before passing next test. We have found out which of the metro area stations are easiest to not only get in and out of with the motorhome but easier to pass. So we drive way across town, and by the time we get there the motorhome is purring even on tank of old winter stabilized gas. In fact this time the DEQ station wasn't even busy on an early Sat morning...so didn't even have to wait in line which was nice. Wasn't raining either partly cloudy but with sun warming things up a bit so nice for a drive, and traffic wasn't to bad either.

Our daffodils have been blooming off and on for weeks now, even when we had threat of snow and below freezing temps awhile back they only slowed up abit. Now later ones are blooming. I love their perkiness.

I never can keep crocus going from one year to another...to many slugs I think. My clematis made it through all the cold under my makeshift cover, and only lost a couple of sprigs of new growth. The plums are just starting to bloom, the flowering cherries in neighborhood got caught by a freeze, but real cherries blooming now, and still others to bloom later.

My elderly (sick) neighbors have a tree that started leaning over their garage the day after a windy day and night earlier in week. So I worry about them not doing anything to get it taken down before it lands on garage, other trees, or someone or some animal. She told hubby last night they will call someone...but whennnnnn??? And my not being able to talk (sore throat), I can't get on phone to nag at them to calll someone soon before it falls and causes alot of damage or hurts someone. Sigh! Not fair to have no voice to nag!!!

TT ouch for all the work you did on clearing that stuff out. Other than one hedge that seems to be sitting on it's own fertilizer factory, so outdoes itself in wanting to be tree high, we have most stuff under control. I know what you mean about loaning out tools and having them returned in poor condition. Our chainsaw needs repairs too. Which is lucky as it keeps my hubby away from taking that tree down for neighbors. It is in a way to dangerous position for an amateur to deal with... garage,house, powerlines, other trees near it etc. Plus that couple does have plenty of money to hire a professional to do it. Odd they buy tools etc he doens't need or even know how to use and is in no shape at his age and health to use, plus lots of other unneeded stuff too, but balks at hiring a pro to do anything. They do pay for some hired help, but not pros to do things right...so end up with things like remodeling basement etc loosing lots of time and money and stressing out over having to hire someone to finish what they paid first guy for etc. So just hire a licensed insured pro to do things right in first place would be cheaper, faster, easier. I guess that darn tree is really getting to me huh? Sigh! Ok...I will shut up about it...for now!!!

My gosh TT you sound like my hubby learning to do things safely after so many years of breaking the rules and endangering his health. He told the Dr that said he was slightly deaf, that he couldn't understand why other than he's getting older. Let's see...all the tools he used on jobs and at home without ear protection. The alarm tests he did on job with no ear plugs for many many years....the loud radio in small car for his daily commute etc etc. Let alone all the other stuff he has done unsafely. Used to drive me nuts to watch him on a ladder. Now he is one telling other people how to do things safely. And last review had me rolling on floor laughing that his boss commended him for safety procedures including shutting down a job when others wouldn't do things safely. I laughed so hard over that, and then asked if he brought home someone's elses report. But I guess he is finally learning safety. Amazing!!!

TT You are lucky you survived all those chemical things, especially the carbon tet, yes our bodies can only take so much stuff attacking us before something gives out. You explaining all the stuff that was part of reasons for your liver failure is like hubby and I trying to explain a lifetime of falls, injures, and car accidents etc as to why our backs and necks are in bad shape. I told one Dr that at my age it was impossible to remember all the injuries that have happened to me over the years. He just looked at me, he was a young guy and will find out soon enough that his memory of life isn't so great as the years roll on too.

Well I have gabbed long enough, time to check out a weather site to see how the thunderstorm situation is going. Had heavy ones in area yesterday, even heard of funnel clouds spotted.

Pat

God bless everyone.

[TheTerrorist_75]

A couple lines of T storms headed this way. I finished dragging and carrying most of the limbs and vines out front. I found my hatchet and whacked the limbs off the tree that fell. My arms feel like lead. With the storms coming I can take a couple of days for my muscles to quit aching. I hauled about 2 pickup loads to the street. Once I cut up the main trunk pf the tree I can rake up that mess with the real small limb pieces and haul them up front. I can't believe that my wheelbarrow got loaned out and hasn't come back and dear old step-dad left my rake and hoe up to camp.

Edited April 1, 2006 by TheTerrorist_75

[blim]

Hooray, Pat, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's declared too "untechy for chat". I went to Chat once with a problem installing Spybot. Well, I got into a discussion with Pierce about Soccer and he was "private messaging me"---I didn't know that..I thought he was just being clever changing the color of his letters. I answered him in the chat room. The other posters were saying, "huh??" because I was posting random stuff, answering Pierce's questions (which they didn't see, naturally...) In the meantime, Son was slapping his forehead, saying, "Oh GAD, MOM, you are SO making a fool of yourself!" (what's new?)

Hmmmm, going to have to remember to work with Hubby under the influence of VirusDrugs How many times did you ask, "is it level?"

I don't know if we have a DEQ in MI or if we are in just too small of a town. Bozodog?? (she lives in a big city!)

RV, you still have snow? All winter long, the Canucks were posting about their mild winter (although we still have 2 ft of snow in the UP, according to the weatherman). Sending you warm wishes! Funny story about the geese!

Oooh, Matt, an ice cream parlor? Yummmm! I'm guessing you are sticky up to your elbows, though (been there done that!) Do you get freebies? Son just started working at a Gas Station/Convience Store--free fountain drinks, free popcorn and free broken donuts and broken cookies (no discount on gas). Yes, he loves it, and yes, my grocery bill has gone down! You'll do great with the singing, you're a bandgeek afterall! (Son's a percussionist, but they are allowed to be tone deaf!)

Whoa, good for you, Terrorist for getting all that done! Yup, lousyweather is coming your way, so you can go back to Hibernation again. Started off warm but too windy to do anything in the yard, but did hang a load of laundry on the line....Oh, how I LOVE the smell of line dried laundry! Now, its rainy and cold again. Back to "normal"

You and StepDad sound like Dagwood and Herb with the tool thing! After Brother-In-Law borrowed my Dremel and ruined it, I try not to lend my tools anymore (BUT Hubby DID replace my broken Dremel with a CordlessDremel--he gets me a new tool every Christmas...gotta admit, I like the Cordless much better, BUT, no one knows I have it, so I'm not lending it out, nuh-uh!)

Liz

[bozodog]

I have this mantra, when asked to loan tools: "you break it, you bought it" You know, it has kept many folks from borrowing stuff.

Spring clean up around here is gonna be major. Sweet Brit found a source of free wood chips. YEAH! My planting beds are going to be sooo happy. But jeesch, we have so many ankle breaking holes in the yard from the dogs.. What do they find to dig for in the winter? Although I don't use chemicals either, we will be using a "weed-n-feed" type stuff on the grass this spring. The plan is to reseed all the bare spots from terraforming the mess. Oh and Round-up is used to eradicate poison ivy.

Liz, we don't have emmission inspections here either. In fact, I think they stopped them in Detroit and Grand Rapids too. Seems GR's air was being smogged up by crap coming over the lake from the big cities on the west side.

[TheTerrorist_75]

The old man loans tools out to friends and then forgets he loaned them. I need to rent or build a new shop in a different location then lock it up. The only problem is when I have to do something for dad or myself then I would have to go to the shop and get the tools. He used to be able to get out into the yard and do some of the work himself but is to crippled up now. I don't think he has been out in either garage in a couple of years. I have been hauling junk out of them and creating a pile that needs to go to the transfer station. I have a friend with a stake rack truck to haul the junk away.

The old man loves to buy junk thinking it's worthwhile and then it lays around just being useless. Every time I go into the garages I find more junk to toss. He bought a stripped down snowblower. No engine, bad tires and the transmission is froze up. It was sitting in the weeds next to the garage. His buddy needed cash for the casino. He is the type to subscribe to every worthless magazine then complains about the junk mail he gets. He even started subscribing to BMG Music Service to buy CDs and he didn't even have a CD player. Now he has a new truck with a CD player but rarely uses it.

[rv56]

RV, you still have snow? All winter long, the Canucks were posting about their mild winter (although we still have 2 ft of snow in the UP, according to the weatherman). Sending you warm wishes! Funny story about the geese!

Well Liz we were doing great up until about the end of Feb. then all heck(amuck) broke loose.

But thanks for sending the warm wishes cause it's working... It's been real nice for the

past week or so and this week is promising to be warm. It's melting pretty good now...

Oh....and the geese are really moving in now...

See you guys later...

[macmarauder]

thank you guys so much for caring. yeah it's been pretty ruff for me for a long while and i'm so sorry if you guys feel abandoned by me. i missed you guys so much. but i never forgot about you, things just kept building up and i just couldn't everything at once.

[blim]

Macmarauder, I miss you, too, soooooo.......I kicked out the alligators, turned up the heat to hottub temperature and dumped a wheelbarrow full of Calgon Bath in the pool. One more beer and I'll be going in (or falling in?, unless Robroy pushes me again )

Pool Party!! Everybody in!!

Oh, Terrorist, your Dad sounds like my Dad. He's an avid "junker" (yard saler) and does he ever have the stuff. Great for borrowing purposes, though!

Oooh, woodchips, Bozodog? Lucky you. And the freebies usually are "real" woodchips--the color is much nicer than that dyed stuff. Don't let the Brit drive you too crazy with the garden till it's warm enough for YOU to play in it. I remember you saying he's part Eskimo!

Too cold and windy to play outside today but hung laundry on the line. Snifffffff........mmmmmmm! It has to warm up soon, though, I desperately need to rake leaves at my parent's house--snow came too soon last Fall to finish up and they're bumping their arrival date from Florida up a week. Mom "wants to see the spring flowers". Leave an 85 degree climate to see posies? Sigh....dumb, dumb, dumb, there's plenty of posies in the Summertime! (yes, I offered to send photos, not good enough! )

Liz