Relaxing Saturday

Today was a perfect ten - warm but not hot, full sun and best of all - no humidity.

I lounged in bed reading this morning and set to work with laundry and picking up before making a nice hot brunch.

In the early afternoon, my book and I spent the rest of the afternoon on my hammock under the evergreen trees with filtered sun. There was lots of reading, a little snoozing and talking to my friend.

My day ended with grocery shopping and picking up a steamed lobster that I'd ordered for a delicious late supper.

Perfect ten IMO.

Nice time with friends

Once a month three former neighbors and I get together at Panera Bread for dinner and visiting. We all had not been together since May as one or the other of us were away or tied up. We had a nice evening and were there just shy of four hours.

We all are grandmothers with thirteen grandchildren between us. We always bring pictures of the kids or what we've been doing to show each other.

They are all retired and I'm not the one that comes from work.

Rainy day

This was written on Sunday but I was waiting until my daughter could add pictures. She was too busy packing so no pictures of Liesel getting a bath in the kitchen sink. Sorry

It's been raining all day in CT and heavily late this afternoon. Because of this, the girls can't be outside playing nor could I take them to the town pool and school playground for the afternoon. That would have given my daughter P&Q to pack.

So our day has been spent doing load and load of laundry, flipping my mattress, cleaning out her bedroom closet, blogging, making a big BAL (breakfast at lunch), made a dump run in the pouring rain, washed the dog (I was already wet so why not?), last minute shopping trips (2 so far) and PACKING. Tami and the girls let me sleep in and they went to Panera for breakfast and then shopping so they only got home around lunchtime.

She's busy packing.

The kids have been bored and we got sick of the Disney channel so hours ago said no TV. Right now they discovered the bin of wooden blocks that were buried in their closet and are building in the den.

Hope your day was more exciting than here at my house.

I colored my hair so sit here with a frothy head.

Disaster Zone

I've declared my living room a packing disaster zone. It started when the Moscovites arrived on June 25th and the overnight summer camp packing started for Kayta. Truthfully, I'd started the camp shopping a month or so earlier and had it in the living room. I picked up things I knew Katya would need to go away to camp making the shopping day after they arrived a little easier. So the camp things were gone and then....

The back to Moscow shopping began. Week by week the bags multiplied until there was just a path through the end of my living room to the front door/stairs to the second floor. Keep in mind that my daughter needs to foresee all their needs for the coming year from school clothes, work clothes, birthdays for both girls, birthday gifts for the entire class for both girls (that's how it's done at their school), hostess gifts, birthday and Xmas gifts for the nanny and friends, Xmas gifts for both girls, things for the kitchen and bathroom, OTC meds, prescription meds, toiletries, books for the girls to read, books for my daughter's teaching all year, school supplies, a Nook, shoes (everyday school shoes, 2 pairs of sneakers - indoor and outdoor for school, dress shoes, shoes for my daughter), rain gear and rain boots for both girls, heavy outdoor fleece pants for the playground for both girls, fall jackets for both girls and the list goes on. I don't know if she got winter boots, snow pants and down coats for both girls or not.

Try and think ahead of everything you would need for the year and see what a task it is. Things are just too expensive in Moscow. It's easier (and less money) to buy here and pay the extra baggage fees of the airline.

I am sure by now you are getting a vivid picture of what my living room is looking like. This year I asked my daughter to vacuum the wood floor and put down a clear drop cloth so when she moves boxes, the grit is not scratching my floor. I don't have a large living room so it is FULL. Now it has piles, bags, packing tape and packed boxes.

I really hope it finishes up early so that Tuesday night I don't have much to do by miss the 3 girls.

Busy Saturday with the Granddaughters

Yesterday started off with my making a big breakfast, laundry and up in the attic "shopping" with my daughter.

She packed up the girls' gear and off we went to the town swimming pool. Since it was overcast, there was hardly anyone at the pool which was great for the girls (and easier for me to watch them in the pool). After they had had enough and changed, we went to the middle school playground for the rest of the afternoon. No one else was there so they enjoyed having all the equipment to themselves.

We came home around 5:00 and they showered and got ready for the evening. We packed up the bag with different gear, got all the chairs into the trunk and headed to Panera Bread for supper before going to an outdoor movie. It was outside and a perfect night - not hot, not cold and not a single bug.

My girlfriend is a nanny for a mutual friend and she was sitting for them last night so they could go out to dinner for their anniversary. They have a girl 10, boy 5 1/2 and twin girls 2 1/2. The 10 year old had a friend over as her parents were going out to dinner with the anniversary parents. Diane loaded up the family's mini van and met us at the parking lot. I'd gotten there earlier so we'd saved a big spot for the 9 of us. The kids were all great, very quiet and enjoyed the movie. It was the first time the twins had been to a movie and then quietly sat in their little chairs or on my friend's lap. The last half hour she had one on each leg. The parking lot had lots of families with kids there and you didn't hear a peep during the movie.

A really fun day!

While we were busy, my daughter did last minute shopping, returns and worked more on the packing.

Noah Webster House

Yesterday I took Katya to the Noah Webster House in West Hartford. I hadn't been there since bringing my daughter when she was in middle school. We were the only visitors so had a personal tour. Having been to Old Sturbridge Village so many times and growing up in a house from the 1700's, I think I could have given the tour. I pointed out things to Katya that were the same as my house growing up (the large cooking kitchen fireplace with all the ovens).

She really likes American History so enjoys going to historical places and she's sure had a lot of them this summer starting with FDR's Hyde Park home, Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-kil home, the Vanderbilt mansion in Hyde Park, the JFK Library/Museum in Boston, Paul Revere's house in the North End of Boston and touring the Back Bay area of Boston.



We started our morning at a science museum but it wasn't thrilling as Katya was really too old for it. I'd forgotten how it was. She didn't mind and really liked the flight simulator.

Scrapping this afternoon

Katya and I went scrapbooking this afternoon and finished up the scrapbook I made her from her two weeks at sleep away camp. I'd made the scrapbook while they were visiting their other grandparents and it's a nice keepsake for her to have and to show her classmates back in Moscow. This is the same camp that I went to for many summers and worked at one summer in college. My father also went to this camp. Next year she'll be back there and hopefully so will her sister.

Then I started a soccer scrapbook from the soccer program they were in last week here in CT. This album is for both girls. Tami and I will work on the soccer scrapbook this week so it can go back with them.

While I did this, Katya had lots of fun working on a birthday collage for herself as she turns 10 in two weeks.

Soccer Dachshund - Go Germans!

The girls are taking a soccer camp this week and I went for the last hour after work and errands. I made a quick trip home to change, get drinks and Liesel.

Well, Liesel wanted to get right out on the field with the kids and chase that big ball. After the instructions/play were over, the girls had their balls and would throw them for her. She went wild chasing the balls, putting her front paws up on them and kept trying to get a good grip on the balls with her mouth to no avail. It was hysterical watching her running around.

When she got to the car, she was panting like crazy so we won't be repeating that again this week as it's too hot for that.

The girls loved their first night of soccer camp. Katya loves soccer and anything to do with it and was so excited when her mom told her about the camp. Natalia really didn't have any choice but to go to it as her mother signed her up. She discovered how much fun soccer is and really liked it. Of course, this meant a trip to the sporting goods store earlier in the afternoon for cleats, shin guards and soccer socks (pink of course).

It's great for the girls to be outside involved in physical activity.

Liesel will wait to chase a soccer ball until the weather cools down. I'm going to have to buy her her own soccer ball.

Back to work

Tami and the girls are not flying back to Moscow this Tuesday so I'm back to work tomorrow. I had planned to do something with the girls on their last full day but now plans have changed.

Because of the fires outside of Moscow, unsafe air quality and extremely high heat, they are staying here. She also wants to see another doctor after the results of her blood tests come back this week.

She's made good headway on her packing so she won't have the last minute rush.

Fun things with the girls

Carousel Museum, Rocky Neck State Beach with cousins, Rain Forest Cafe, school clothes and shoe shopping and more fun things to come in the next few days. Special Grandma and the girls time.

The girls are enroute

Liesel and I are anxiously awaiting the girls' return tonight. I'll be taking days off to do day tripping with my granddaughters.

Next week when it's back to just my 4 footed friend and me, I'll blog.

Are you sure I'm living in the CT burbs?

OK, I've had bears walk through my yard and leave me a "present". There are lots of bear sightings in my neighborhood by my friends whose property backs up to the woods.

They often hear coyotes howling/barking in the distance in the woods. Fortunately they stay in the woods.

Tonight at 8:30 it was dusky outside when I opened the front door to clip Liesel to her line for a duty call. Luckily I had a good hold on her collar as across the street leaped a big deer. It ran into the road and then I'm sure through the neighbor's yard to go into the woods. I've seen deer before in our area but never in my neighborhood. Cool!

Liesel went crazy and I'm sure they heard her a mile away. Dachshunds were originally breed to be hunters and I'm sure she would excel if given the chance to go after varmints.

Sure wish the girls had been here to see the deer.

Now I know that the woods in our area have fishers and bobcats but I hope to never see one of them. I live in the burbs and not out in the wilds.

Ready for you

Upstairs bathroom cleaned - checked off

Bed made with line dried sheets - checked off

Sleeping bag all set - checked off

Upstairs hall cleaned - checked off

Cleaned stairs - checked off

Downstairs bathroom cleaned - checked off

Kitchen floor cleaned - checked off

Vacum dining area, hall and den - checked off

Clean sheet on den couch for dog - checked off

All laundry done - (even Liesel's crate blanket)

Food for late night snack and breakfast - checked off

Hammock ready - in living room waiting to be hung outside by the perennial bed and to have you stretched out in it with a book

Remotes to den TV hidden - checked (We will do all turning on and off as TV settings are fixed by repairman.)

Looking forward to day trips with the girls

When my daughter and the girls return this week, I'm going to take some vacation days off to do things with the girls during the day. My daughter needs her turn to just stretch out on the rope hammock with her books for the afternoon with nothing to do but read and nap.

I'm looking forward to taking the girls off day tripping. I am compiling a list for us to chose from: tubing on a river, going to the beach, going to a science museum, visiting some historical places.

Some of those night, we might end up at Panera Bread so my daughter can have a whole day to herself. She deserves it.

And for selfish reasons, I'll enjoy being with my granddaughters.

Bears in the burbs

I just put my dachshund out for her last call of the night. It is a gorgeous summer night - not too hot, no humidity and just right. It would be perfect for a nice walk around the block but..... There are bears out there in the burb woods. Yup, here I am in the CT burbs and thinking of bears, coyottes and bobcats. I've seen a bear twice in my yard and my neighbors see them often as their property backs up to the woods and they leave birdfeeders out. They have heard coyottes in the woods too. The local paper has had stories about bobcats in the area.

So I had the dog out for a minute and in we came. She went back to curl up in the down throw on the den couch and I'm at my laptop in the kitchen watching a "Everybody Loves Raymond" rerun.

Well, my late night walk was a nice idea.

Swinging in the breeze

I told myself that I was not going to do housework this weekend but was going to just take it easy, relax, enjoy the perfect CT weather outside and read. After doing errands Sat. morning and having lunch, I put my rope hammock out under the hemlock trees. It is along the side of one of my perennial gardens that borders my driveway. So out I went with my book, ice tea and portable phone. Since I was in the shade and there was a tiny breeze, I needed a cover. I brought out the down throw from the den couch, snuggled up and read and napped. I was outside until 8:00 pm. What a day - perfect.

This morning I did a few things in the house and was back out on my hammock until after 6:00. Repeat of yesterday.

While I was out there today, I saw a nuthatch on the tree where the foot of my hammock was tied and watched him/her go around the tree looking for insects. Then a male yellow finch landed on pink cone flowers in the perennial bed and ate some of the seeds. So peaceful.

I could not have asked for a more relaxing weekend. I'm going to make sure to repeat it before the cold sets in.

A mouse!

I was outside this morning in the yard with the dog and went over to pull a few weeds by my walk. When I yanked a big one out, there was a dead mouse. Did you hear my screams?

At first I ran away. Then realization set in. If I don't dispose of it, the dog might get into it and it'll just stay on the walk and rot. I got my handy dandy pooper scooper and got it up and tossed it into the woods grimmacing. These are the moments that I hate.