ZINNIA WOES

(spelled correctly now! .. I can't fix the text in my pics, though...)

I tried planting a "garden" this year for the first time -- all in pots. (I'd rather not dig around in the soil for my slight fear of earth worms -- I know they are good and I like them in that regard, but I'd rather not meet any in person.) Everything I purchased supposedly likes "full sun" according to the cards (everything except my pitiful Bleeding Heart which is screaming to be relocated.) But in Frederick, it seems like we traditionally blast by everyone else's high temperature by a few extra degrees. Between that, and my brick row house, sidewalk, and street radiating even more heat, my poor plants are being cooked alive. Have a look at the picture at the top... It ain't pretty...



I spotted some WONDERFUL Zinnias at the Clark's Park Farmers Market last Saturday in Philly. I had to take a picture. Look at the difference between the fresh ones from the market and mine that were planted in May. In the next picture, you can see the end of the market and a tent where they were selling baked goods and preserves. The Amish man in the foreground comes from the Lancaster area and gets a ride from some friends. The veggies were soooooooo good!


This last picture is of Ben and his family. They are standing in front of one of the coolest houses I have been in in a long time -- right out of Harry Potter! The garden in the front was rockin' -- no crunchy plants there. In the back, they have a vegetable garden, too. Inside, the ceilings are some 15 feet tall. Getting up to the 3rd floor is a workout; You could do a couple flights a day in lieu of hitting the gym! My favorite part is the basement -- the front part of the basement is settling so the ceiling is lower and I had to watch my head. The back part allowed me to stand freely. There were lots of compartments with some vintage items down there. I was on the lookout for knob and tube wiring... Now I'm in the mood to watch This Old House! Good times.

PHIL-A-DELPHIA FREEDOM ... I LA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-OVE YOU -- YES I DO!

I've got Bakelite Cherries on my brain.

It all started this weekend when Ben and I visited some of his family who live in West Philly. His father teaches at UPenn, and his wife, Beth Anne, is a fine artist. While Ben and John were busy hitting Home Depot, Beth Ann and I hoofed, trollied, and bussed it all around some great second hand and antique shops.

Let me take you aside for a moment and let you know that I LOVE a great bargain. I can't help myself -- if it's a bargain, I have a hard time not buying it. So, when I saw a "slightly used" Kate Spade bag at the "Second Mile" for $3.91 I nearly fell over. "Excuse me", I said to the clerk, "this bag has a number on it, 391, is that an id number or something?" "It's the price", the clerk said. I couldn't believe it.

Now back to our antiquing. We took the trolley and then the bus to the South Street area and ended up at this fabulous old Synogogue that has subsequently been turned into an antiques market. It is called the "Antiquarian's Delight" and it houses a bunch of neat vendors who specialize in anything from vintage handbags to bakelite jewelry. In one of the booths sits a beautiful bakelite pin of cherries that Beth Ann pointed out to me.

Map of 615 S 6th St Philadelphia, PA 19147-2128, US

Do you know what bakelite is? It is this kind of plastic-like looking stuff. It has been turned into jewelry, hair combs, etc. It is highly collectable and was really popular back when my Grandma was growing up. I've watched enough Antiques Roadshow to know a little bit about it and it has been growing on me. I haven't bought any ... yet. The question is -- is the potential item your looking at bakelite or hard plastic, or something completely different? Bakelite has some tests you can do to see if it is indeed Phenolic (made with Formaldehyde) bakelite. The old test is simply putting it in hot water. The Formaldehyde will emit a smell that is kind of like an old bandaid. There are some other tests, newer tests, that I have read about using "Formula 409 All Purpose" Cleaner (not the blue version.) Apparently, if you dip a q-tip in the cleaner and then rub it on the bakelite, the q-tip will turn a yellowish color from the bakelite. I have never tried this. Also, Bakelite does not have any seams.

But let me get back to those cherries. There is a woman with a booth full of bakelite in the middle of the first floor towards the back. It is in her case where the fantastic Cherry Pin is. Unfortunately, she is quite the CRANK. I overheard her treating her customers rudely. Additionally, she told some jewelry vendors they could come in and show her their stuff, only to make them feel bad for wasting her time. Someone give this woman a clue, please. Needless to say, Beth Ann and I didn't feel like "bothering" the monster to inquire about her cherries pin. I checked it out on ebay instead. Those suckers can sell for as high as $500!! YIKES! Now I understand why, when Beth Anne visits the Antiquarians Delight, she refers to them as "her old friends". Between the anticipated high price, and the CRANK that guards them, I'd say Harry Pottery has an easier time getting past the dragon theat guards the Gringotts!

SONGS STUCK IN MY HEAD

I have a certain amount of pre-sets on my car radio. I will scan through all 6 of them driving to and from work. Let's face it: I sing with the radio. I have no shame. Traffic light? I keep singing. I know there is a subset of you out there whao sing, but zip it up when surrounded by other cars at a stop. Grow a backbone! It's okay to sing in the car -- be proud!

It seems like there are a certain amount of songs that I hear on a regular basis -- songs that get a lot of play around 3am. If you watch us regularly, you (unfortunately) will be treated to songs that get stuck in my head that I hear all the time. More recently "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright came uncontrolably out of my mouth last week. Did you know it was the first-ever all-synthesiser/keyboard album (this is according to Wright.) It came out in 1976. Total cheese, and there I am just singing along, trying really hard to get his "tonight" down just right, having it go up in the end.

Here's another 3am favorite: "Space Oddity" or as I call it "Ground Control to Major Tom" by David Bowie. I get so nervous listening to this song. I want to kind of get on the headset in his control room and say "Hey Major Tom, forget the protein pills -- they're not going to help you!" "Go back home to your wife -- you're going to get stuck up there looking back at us with dead circuits!" "Get off your space ship!" Poor Major Tom.


And finally, this morning, I had the pleasure of singing along to "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger. You know what? I sing along and don't pay attention to this song. I just googled it and read the over-alalyzations of the song. There is one guy who goes through the lyrics line by line with some pretty funny commentary. Long story short, it looks like Sister Christian is out looking for some love.

On the really long road trips, I plug in my ipod. But I haven't updated it in about a year and a half and am sick of my play list.

Have a great weekend!

BOODIE & BUBBLES

These are my girls. 2 Calico cats share my house. Boodie (on the left) is the older of the two. I found her down in Huntsville, AL while working my first full time job in TV. She was an abondoned kitten and had a very large belly for her small size. A producer at WAFF suggested I name her Buddha. So I did. It got modified to "Boodie" over the years. She has travelled with me from Alabama to Buffalo to Boston, then Wilkes-Barre (with a 3 year hiatus in Paramus NJ) and now DC.

She's a bit of a crank, but the lovable kind. She was used to being the only cat for most of her tenure with me, so when I got Bubbles, things didn't go so smoothly.

So, let me explain why I got Bubbles. When I moved to PA for my last job, I moved in with my sister, Jodi, in Stroudsburg PA to save for a house. She has been known to adopt any animal that needs a home. She's got a big heart and kind of sounds like Carmella Soprano (winks to Jodi who reads my blog...I've included a picture of her to your right. -- She is going to KILL me for this, but it's the only pic I could find and rather than hear about "how bad her hair looks" the cap will solve that potential problem. BTW, my nephew Zac was getting ready for a tonsil operation -- OMG it runs in the family!) Her house was already full with 2 indoor cats, several outdoor cats, and 3 dogs (not to mention my Bro-in-law, and my nephew, and soon-to-be me.) So, the Inn was kind of full. My Grandma was happy to temporarily adopt Boodie while I searched to buy my house and live with my sister and her family. When it came time to move into my house and take Boodie back, old Grams wasn't going to part with her. Neither thrilled with either prospect, I set off to the local shelter to pick out another cat -- a cat that could potentially get along with Boodie should Grandma ever give her back.

Enter Bubbles. She, too, is a Calico. Mostly white with splashes of black and gold, she has yellow eyes. Boodie is mostly grey with splashes of blonde and white and her eyes are green. Boodie has a purrrr like an engine. It is one of my favorite things. Bubbles, meanwhile, I think was a dog in one of her lives -- she literally licks people to death. She thinks everyone is a salt lick! I love that.

But I digress... It turns out Grandma is alergic to Boodie. So, I get her back. I never heard so much hissing in my life. And talk about the growling. Man! But, time worked its magic and now they tolerate each other. I dare say they love each other. Bubbles, being the younger one, will often sneak attack Boodie. Boodie will often growl and hiss so that things seem worse then they are. Too keep it balanced, whenever I see Bubbles waiting around the corner about to pounce on Boodie, I pounce on her. "How do you like that little bit?" I'd say.

Every once in a while one of them will get spooked sufficiently so that not only do they get "big poofy tail" (love!), but they might do "sideways piano dance." It's hard to explain, but it happens when one of them is so spooked that they arch their backs and spring up on their tip toes and walk sideways in the arched back position. Anyone who is a cat owner probably knows what I am talking about.

If I have a moth, or a bug in the house, all I have to do is follow their eyes. Mouse? Let's just say that the muffled meow I heard from Bubbles as she frantically paced my bedroom in the dark was all I needed to get on the phone with Ehrlich. Yuck.

I love them. I hope Drew Carey continues the "Have your pets spayed or neutered" routine. I hope more people get their pets from shelters -- there are so many wonderful and loving animals that need good homes. I am so lucky to have opened up my home to Boodie and Bubbles.

RUNNING LIKE A FOOL

So there I am, relaxing with a belly full of pork fried rice (leftovers) and orange juice. (I know I know, yuck, but I didn't have them at the same time and I was too lazy to look for real food.) I was in the middle of Harry Potter's last book and there was no moving me away from it.

Ben comes home and I knew he would be going for a run. Now, let me back up a moment. I used to be a regular runner. Running is one of those things that is a great cross-training exercise. As a rower in college, we had our share of runs. We ran stadiums, towers, "Klines" (a road that seems nearly vertical in Ithaca NY), and the Plantations (again, another Ithaca / Cornell thing). I'm not the best runner. No ectomorph genes in the good old Martucci family. But I'm long and strong and if allowed to go slowly enough, I can go forever it seems. That was a while ago, however. Between an injury and wearing heels (I'm guessing here) the running kind of got replaced. I wish I could say it was replaced with another exercise, but sadly, it was replaced with inactivity. But in my mind, having run half marathons and whatnot, a 4 mile run seemed like a piece-o-cake. Seemed.

Ben says he's ready to leave and I decide to join him. Now, I know the distance, but what I didn't know was the path. The VERY FIRST obstacle within a tenth of a mile is a LARGE HILL. Here we go. "Man this stinks" my thought bubble hangs above my head. "Don't look up" I tell myself. "It's not even 2 minutes into this stinkin' run and I feel like I am going to suffer cardiac arrest" -- all thoughts I try to contain behind my labored breathing. We make it to the top of the hill and I am PRAYING the traffic light is red so that I may catch my breath. Lucky break.

We continue on a relatively flat area and then another stinkin' hill (!) This hill wasn't so steep, but it was annoying. I'm trying to keep my cadence with Ben's long strides. Trying to sound conversational as if my breath wasn't about to stop, I banter with Ben as he talks about his Dart league. At 1.5 miles he gives me the stats -- 11 minute mile. Oh man. NOT EVEN HALF WAY YET? I keep it up for another quarter of a mile and then decide to tell him to run on ahead and I'll meet him after he turns around. Run on, beautiful man, run on. Walking never felt so good.

On his return trip, I pick up my pace again and join him on the way back. It wasn't as hard. The hills were pretty much over and the flat stretches don't bother me much. We kept a 10 minute mile for a bit and it actually felt good as I lengthened my stide. As we neared the quarter-mile-to-go mark Ben asked if I had a "sprint kick" in me. Heck no -- have at it big boy!

So, this reality check was quite the bummer. I popped some glucosamine when I got home. Runners swear by it and say it helps your body mend. As of this writing, my knee is sore. But I'll try again. Time to make a habbit out of something good.

I'll catch you later!

HELLO FROM BLACKSBURG

I thought you should meet Ben -- this picture is from the Wolf Trap Gala a few months ago (isn't he handsome? Plus I'm in heels and he's *still* taller than me!)

Anyway, Ben is a Tech grad. Sidenote: when I met him and he said he went to VT I thought he went to University of Vermont (He thought I was nuts) -- I think most northeasterners have no clue about the VT Nation! Anyway, this weekend, Ben wanted to visit his Alma Mater so off we went on our 4 hour drive that started with a nice bottleneck on I-66 where the lanes merge. It wasn't long before I was napping in the fetal position in the shotgun seat. (Ben calls me a "sleep camel" because I store up on sleep anytime and anywhere.)

It was strange driving through a campus I literally knew nothing about, unfortunately, until this past April like so much of the country. I had seen so many images from the tragic news -- the Drill Field, Norris Hall, and here we were on campus looking at it so deserted with students gone for the summer.

We checked into the hotel and Ben showed me around the old places he used to go (He even showed me the court where he used to shoot hoops with his buddies and one hoop is about 9" too tall and the other is about 6" too short -- see, I pay attention). We ate at Mike's Grill. He insisted they have the BEST burgers on the planet. Now I am a Cornell grad, and in my mind, there is no burger better than a Pines Burger (if you're familiar with the greater Ithaca area, it is a cool restaurant on the west side of Cayuga Lake.) So there I was with my cheeseburger, mayo, lettuce and tomato thinking "this is awfully plain to be good" and I was SOOOOOOOOOO wrong! It is right up there with a Pines Burger. But the Pines Burger comes with way more stuff on it, so it is kind of like comparing apples and oranges. But let's give credit where credit is due -- if you're ever in Blacksburg, Mike's Grill is where you want to jet out for some eats!

We spent the rest of the afternoon tubing on the New River through New River Junction. (If you are prone to car sickness, the road that takes you there is rather curvy...heads-up!) We got our tubes and flopped onto them and proceeded to drift lazily downstream until "OW!" Yup, there are some "ridges" of rocks in that shallow river, AND, if you let your backside droop too far below the tube (as I did), you will soon realize that your little happy float can hurt real bad real fast... Once you knew to look out for the rocks, it was a lot of fun. Ben even spotted a large catfish swimming by "minding his business" below us (my thought bubble unbeknownst to Ben was "OMG get me out of this freaking river!) We only got stuck on some rocks a few times. Good times.

Before we head back tomorrow, we plan on eating at a really yummy place called "The Homeplace". He's been talking it up the whole trip; I am really looking forward to it.

Okay, I have to go because I just bought "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS" and want to start reading it RIGHT NOW! (BTW, some lady at a the farmer's market was speaking really loudly with a customer about the book and was saying "so tell me, does Harry die?" to which Ben and I both covered our ears and shouted "STOP TALKING STOP TALKING!"

Mike Walter is Nuts

What is up with Mike Walter blogging virtually EVERY DAY??

 

He has pointed out how crazy-for-blogging Dave Statter is, but I am beginning to wonder what motivation is behind Mike’s new found love for the web log?  If you read his latest update, he makes a vague reference to a phone call that awakened him during his precious nap.  That would be me.  He knows I read his blog, so, this is a little dig at me for awakening him.  But here’s the REAL DEAL:  Mike called me, begged me actually, to call him back with some important information.  You see, he needs to get his car worked on and wanted to know the name of “my guy” because I have raved about them and how they keep my hybrid running smoothly (hats off to Drew at Alexandria Toyota.)  Mike didn’t say “Hey Kim, I’m going to be taking a nap, so don’t call me back until X.”  Nooooooooooooo… his message was all “I really need to get this done and need your help.”  How was I to know he would be napping?

 

Now before you go thinking I am picking on Mike, I am not.  We are very good friends, so when we give each other grief, trust me that it is all good natured.

 

Hmmmmmm…what else can I share this Friday morning?

 

I need to post a picture of my cats at some point.  They are like my children (yikes – I am the single woman with cats!!!)  I love them.  Anyway, they both battle it out for who gets to sleep on me vs. who gets to sleep next to me.  The one that won last night proceeded to circle around and then plop herself so that her backside was right up against my head.  What is the deal with that?  Is it a respect thing – is she DISrespecting me?  Is it an Italian “Godfather” kind of thing where she needs to always face the door while in the room?  Whatever it was, it wasn’t working for me.  I would scoot her off me, but before you know it, she would climb right back up and it would start again!  Rolling on my side seemed to end that little routine.

 

I might update my blog over the weekend (I know you’ll be on pins and needles until I do!)  See if MIKE does that….

Bumper to Bumper

So, I'm hanging out with my buddy, Chilli Amar (http://www.mix1073fm.com/showdj.asp?DJID=996) today and we got to talking about the things people will say or write to us at our respective jobs. (In case you are *completely* out of the loop, Chilli is the afternoon personality on Mix107.3 along side Carson -- she keeps everyone up to speed on the traffic hang ups for the drive home, among other things.) We were comparing notes -- I get the usual "How tall are you?" and the occasional curve ball like I did today "There is a rumor that you got married; Is it true?" (the answer is no.) But Chilli had a good one that actually had me mouthing a phrase to myself in my rear view mirror while driving around this evening. Chilli actually has a contingency of people who like how she says "bumper to bumper." They contact her and tell her so!

Fast forward to this evening, while driving over to the Double T Diner, I heard her traffic update and sure enough she uttered the fave phrase. And there I was eyeing myself in my rear view mirror, practicing how I would say it! What is WRONG with me? I'll have to admit, though, it is fun to say. Now my goal will be to see if I can slip it somehow into my weather lexicon while bantering about the forecast tomorrow morning. Should you hear me say it, you'll be on the inside track.

Goodnight!

LOVE AFFAIR

I am having a love affair with the chicken corn chowder at Proof Artisan Bakery & Barista in Frederick. But today -- TODAY I met a stranger! Today I discovered their RED VELVET cupcake. I had to have one. So, there I was, trying to drive home with two ooooh-it's-so-good treats that are about to be added to my "favorite things" list and downing the cupcake.

Dessert first. That works every time. Thought I'd share this with you if you're ever up north in Frederick... Capital YUM!

Have a great weekend.

PS -- Go read Andrea Roane's blog. We're all about shameless self promotion now...

TIDBITS

Being a meteorologist has its perks.  For example, when I was zipping out to meet my buddy, Tommy McFly http://www.mix1073fm.com/showdj.asp?DJID=34931 (of Mix 107.3 fame – go ahead, sing it!), for lunch at 2 Amys, I did a quick check of Doppler 9000 yesterday and knew that A) I wanted to drive and B) I needed to take my umbrella.  But you need not be a meteorologist to enjoy the same perks!  Nooooooooooo, you too can know where the rain is by a simple click of wusa9.com.  Doppler 9000 is right there to help you plan your way!

 

But back to Tommy (or McFly as I know him), we go back to Northeast Pennsylvania (NEPA) together.  He used to work at FROGGY radio (the number one station in the market) and I did TV at the NBC affiliate there.  Can you believe he offered me Nickelback tickets at Merriweather last night and I had to turn them down?  There was just *no way* I could go.  You see, that’s what this CRAZY morning shift does to you.  You have to plan EVERYTHING around your sleep schedule.  Immediately my sleep calculating brain went to work when the generous proposal was offered – could I squeeze in a nap up in Frederick, get Ben in Springfield, and then haul it to Columbia in time?  Nooooooooo way.  Sigh.

 

Thanks anyway, McFly.  We love you on the radio – TELL THEM TO PUT YOU ON MORE!!!  Are you listening MIX?  Oh yeah, and tell Chilli Amar that she’s really funny and just about every woman out there can relate to her guy problems.

 

What next…in the course of two days I got to interview Brian Welch, formerly of Korn, and Alena Beard of the Washington Mystics.  I love our 9am show.  The guests who parade through Broadcast House are a myriad bunch and you never know who’s going to pop their head into the station next.  Brian left the band in 1995 with a drug addiction and kicked it, according to his new book “Saving Me From Myself”, with the help of God.  Alena, on the other hand, is going to be playing in the WNBA All Star Game at the Verizon Center this Sunday.  At a chiseled 6’ tall, this basketball star went to Duke.  (If only she had gone to Cornell, I thought, we could have recruited her to row!)

 

Thank you for your comments about my tornado pendant.  I debuted pendant number one this week…I plan on showing off number 2 tomorrow or Monday.

 

Ahhhhhhh!  I almost forgot.  I was doing this back and forth email thing with a girlfriend of mine who is an anchor in a major market and she confessed to being a COUGAR!  She is dating a younger guy.  I was like “so what?”  This has especially hit a nerve with Nicole in traffic.  Why is it such a big deal when a woman dates a younger man?  Such a big deal that it gets a name???  Then I remembered an email that my sister, Jodi, sent me just the other day.  It was a list of all the reasons why it is good to be a woman.  Number 12 on the list is this:  12. If we marry someone 20 years younger,
 we are aware that we will look like an idiot.

 

Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

 

Okay, gotta run.  Thanks for reading.  Go read Mike Walter’s blog.  Cross promotion.  One Team One Dream.

 

Peace Out.

 

I was asked to keep my eyes shut last Saturday morning as my boyfriend, Ben, drove towards Arlington (although at the time I did not know this.) We were celebrating an anniversary and I was really wondering where on earth we were going. He pulled into the parking lot and when I opened my eyes I still had no idea where we were. Then I got out of the car and saw the restaurant – Marks Duck House. This is where we had Dim Sum on our first date. Awwww geee. What a sweetheart.

Once inside, there was a bouquet of flowers already on the table and a box all wrapped up. I opened the gift and there they were – three beautiful pieces of glass art pendants. They all had something in common – a tornado! His friend, Alicyn Drew, is an artist. Between Ben and Alicyn, they created this wonderful jewelry. Alicyn (cool way to spell that name, huh?) even watched a tornado documentary to get the right feel for the project. You can check out her art here: http://www.alicyndrew.com/Home.html Since Ben couldn’t make up his mind as to which one he liked best, I got all three. I love this man. As I sat there with my belly full of steamed shrimp and a gorgeous piece of natural disaster around my neck, I felt *VERY* cheesy about the tiger lily I had given him the day before. He has set the bar high (but at 6’ 5”, that’s not hard to do!)

By the way, it is day 5 of our heat wave. It looks like we will have 6 in all. A break in the steamy weather comes our way Thursday. Stay hydrated, find some AC, check on the elderly and please keep your pets in the AC with plenty of water. I’ll see you tomorrow.

There is nothing I like hearing more than “Hey Kim, come check out this bug in the studio.” That’s the magical sentence that drew my attention (and eventually my heavy wooden heels that clop clop clop all around the studio all morning) and sent me over to the traffic area, adjacent to the weather office here at Broadcast House. Nicole had never seen this particular bug before. But, I have. It is the kind of bug that will hop out of the bathroom tub faucet and freak you out. At least that is what it does to me. I wasn’t sure what it was called, so I started googling it. I entered things like “many legged bug”. Finally I came across this great website: whatsthatbug.com Once there I was able to scan the pictures people posted and there it was! Our little studio visitor is merely a “house centipede.” But in this case, it is a “Broadcast House Centipede.” That thing can HUSTLE! I put the edge of my shoe near it and off it went, zipping towards someone’s file cabinet (I find this funny, in a dark humor kind of way…)

While we are on the topic of bugs, I’d like to bring something up: LITTER BUGS! Knock it off already! You know who you are. And, if you are a smoker, do you ever use an ash tray? Is it me, or does every smoker think the great outdoors is their garbage dump? Maybe you *are* disposing of your cigarette buts appropriately. But I only seem to see smokers who do not. And it seems like people have no shame. Just the other day I was at a major shipping company who’s colors are maroon and gold and one of their drivers parked their van, got out, took the cigarette but out of their mouth and tossed it right in front of me on the ground. ???????? Earth to delivery guy – the world is not your ash tray!!!

WEATHER PROMISE

If you were watching our broadcast at 5:15 AM, not only did you get an updated forecast, but you got a meteorological promise as well.  Making promises when it comes to weather can be pretty scary.  I tend to shy away from that.  Going up against Mother Nature could leave you slightly embarrassed.  But, none the less, a promise I made and a promise I shall keep.

 

I have my “not so favorite” things list.  I haven’t spilled the beans about what’s on it yet, but the following most certainly is.  Every year meteorologists have the usual holidays for which to forecast.  It is easy to fall into the same old rut:  “It is going to be as hot as a fire cracker”, or “Mother Nature is going to put on her own fire works display.”  PUH-LEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSEEEEEEE.  I’m sooooooo over that.  Enough already!  Those phrases should be banned from the 7 days surrounding Independence Day.  We can do better.  Anyway, it goes without saying, that I will not be uttering those overused weather phrases this week.

 

I am throwing an Independence Day party.  Food for thought for you single ladies – date someone who enjoys cooking.  Ben will be saving the day for me (thank you!!)  I got the entire house cleaned.  I spent all day Saturday in my yard.  This included scooping out all the “yuck” from my small, fake pond, and filling it back up with the help of my hose (which I located on the other side of the yard in the woods (???))  I also managed to mow my front yard which is, seriously, about a 50 degree slope.  It’s a short distance, but I’m about ][ this close to falling down the hill with the mower into the hedges below.  I would rather mow my entire yard 10 times than do that little hill section.

 

I have been talking about what color I should paint the exterior of my house.  After trying out several samples, it looks like “Liberty Park” is the winner.  It is actually like a Statue of Liberty green.  This is rather appropriate for my holiday party.  Unfortunately, it is only painted in one small section.  The rest of my house is a combination of “Gripper Primer White”, school bus yellow, and peeled off clapboard.  I love my money pit.

 

Have a safe holiday!

 

--KM