Dot`sThoughts

Busy week. April 13 - April 19th, 2008

I have stayed busy most all week. Monday, Went to get blood work. Tues, it was off to the Wellness clinic to exercise, then stopped off at the Grocery store to find a Wedding Anniversary card for my one remaining Uncle and his lovely wife`s 67th Anniversary. Found a nice card, but also find a couple gifts I thought they would like. A Dwarf holding a pair of cutting shears in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other hand. He was wearing a green hat, pink/ purple variegated jacket, brown pants with a wide black belt and black shoes. A lot cuter than this describes. He is fat and stands about 15-16 inches tall. His large white wide beard is so big it covers the whole front of his jacket. He has fat cheeks and a huge smile. I knew my Aunt would tell me I shouldn`t have spent the money while she was telling me how much he loved the Dwarf. ( Might have been a Gnome, but I think it was a Dwarf. ) I also picked up a pinkish material solar light in a case - resembling the shape of a square porch light. The open weave around the 4 sides is butterfly cutouts. More Butterflies on the sloped solid cover. The top cover is slightly larger than the bottom section. When lit it is more like a night light.
Then I picked up 2 oranges, 2 peaches, 2 delicious apples, 2 Macintosh apples, 6 bananas plus a small round watermelon. I filled a large rattan basket with the fruit and covered it all with saran wrap.

Wednesday I picked up my brother to take him with me to visit our Aunt and Uncle. Since having his leg removed back in November, `06, he hasn`t been able to drive to visit people. So, I knew he would enjoy leaving the house and riding down with me.
My Uncle saw the huge basket I had set on their dining room table and with a big smile on his face he asked " And What`s with the basket?" When my Aunt saw the basket, she told me that I shouldn`t have spent the money, then added- they hadn`t had any fruit in a long time. My Uncle , age 91, is now on oxygen and has stopped driving and my Aunt , age 88, hasn`t felt up to driving, so they don`t get to the stores now. When I heard that I was even more certain about giving them the fruit basket.
We had a lovely visit which meant a lot to all of us. I guess they seldom get any visitors as most of their friends are gone and all of brothers and sisters are also gone. He was my Mother`s youngest brother. They have two sons- both married with a couple kids each. Most of the grandchildren live out of state, but they do hear from their sons and their wives often. Has to be very lonesome for them now as they used to play cards with their friends, plus at my mother`s home before we lost her in 1995. My Aunt told me how much they missed the fun playing cards. I am glad I took my brother with me as he also doesn`t get out to visit family . They were so happy to have some visitors that they didn`t want us to leave when their meals arrived. When I said they should eat while it was warm, my Uncle said they could warm it up later in the Microwave. So we spent a few hours with them.

Thursday, I finally got around to raking my front yard and clearing out most of the flower bed that runs between the home property and the lot I own next to me. I also carried all the brush and tree limbs from behind my compost piles and set them out nearer the road. Still lots more to carry out as soon as they become unfrozen from the ground. Have a few more weeks before the town comes by to pick it up.

Friday I had just gotten my floor mopped and waxed and dry when I got a visit from a granddaughter and her boyfriend. They were up from Virginia and left to go home this morning. They picked up ( her Daughter) a great granddaughter who came with them. It was nice seeing them. Last time they were up was when my daughter got married. After they left I got out the step ladder and removed the hanging plastic off one side of the porch so I could put up the trellis on that side of the porch.

Now here it is Saturday afternoon and I am now resting at my computer. This morning I took down another section of the plastic from the other side of the porch. I close in the porch every winter to keep the snow off and to help stop the cold wind from blowing in whenever the door is opened. I planted morning glories around the trellis and some Pansies in front of them to hide the empty places on the ground in front of the morning glories vines once they start growing.

I had planned on quitting then, but noticed a place where the dogs chain must have broken off a tiny section of my paved driveway near her coop. This area also is near my shop door and the ground was getting so much lower that I was getting a small muddy place when ever it rained as the water ran there. So, I got out the wheelbarrow and carried all the soil from the other lot where I had dumped it last fall when I emptied my garden boxes. I filled up around the side of the driveway along the back section as the dog chain had been slowly lowering the ground there. I have had an 8 foot long treated 4x4 sitting out by the back porch for years. I used this to build a curb like effect along the driveway where I had filled it it. I buried in even with the top of the driveway so the chain wouldn`t catch on it. Right now I have a piece of thin board laying over the rest of the soil fill in and my wheelbarrow sitting on it to keep the dogs chain from dragging away the loose soil before it has time to harden there. I just hope it works. I also set up the garden box standards where I will want them later. I had them piled one on top of the other for the winter.

I am writing all this down so one day when the grandchildren or others might be reading my print off pages, they will have some idea of what my weeks work might consist of at 76 1/2 years of age. It also lets them know about some things I enjoy doing. They might find it interesting, or they might just find it boring. Either way, I do love them all very much- even love those who might be born long after I am gone . Family is very important to me.