Irene - we weathered the storm!

We had heavy rains and strong winds last night! Everything is OK. We have electric and our house is in 1 piece. Guess we are lucky. There are many people with no electricity or their houses are damaged. I feel for all of you!

Sounds I love to hear…

Today I was thinking of the sounds I love to hear.

• Birds singing in the morning - seems like they are so happy to be up early
• A train approaching from the distance - the sound of the train's warning whistle getting louder as the closer it gets
• Children laughing and playing outside - just enjoyment to my ears
• Babies giggling make me giggle, too.
• The ocean at night - you can hear the power of the waves yet it calms you to sleep
• "Gentlemen, start your engines!" - get ready!
• A dog barking in the distance - protecting its family
• The rustling of leaves on a tree moving to a summer breeze
• The ice cream truck music - Ice cream! Ice cream!
• A frog's mating call on a hot summer night -
• The bark of a puppy when playing - ready for the next move
• The sound of a marching band in a parade - wave a flag
• Echo of a cannon shot in the hills - how far can it be heard?
• The splash of a child jumping into a pool - hey Grandma, look!
• The squeaking of a swing when a child swings
• The startup of a lawnmower in the Spring
• Snow landing on the bushes and the ground - you have to be real quiet to hear it
• Happy Birthday!
• Congratulations!
• My granddaughter telling me "It's a beautiful day Grandma!"
• A gentle rain
• A cat's meow
• You are now pronounced man and wife!
• Christmas bells ringing
• Church bells ringing - what time is it?
• Fireworks!
• A flag flapping in the wind
• Tap dancing shoes
• "Are you ready for some football?"
• A cow bell ringing
• The clip-clop sound of a horse
• Someone playing an accordion
• Someone playing a harp - so peaceful
• A hiccup
• Christmas Carols being sung
• A child singing
• Taps being played
• Santa saying "Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!
• The sound of a water fountain
• Your favorite song being played on the radio
• The honking of horns for a newly married couple
• A newborn baby's 1st cry - whew!
• School bell
• Goodnight John Boy
• Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!
• Touchdown!
• Home Run!
• The playing of the Star Spangled banner at the Olympics Awards Ceremony
• Thank you!
• A rooster crowing in the morning

Back to work!

It's been a busy time - physical therapy, Ocean City Streetrod show, and going back to work. I am glad that I have 3 days off this weekend! The streetrod show was great! The weather was perfect. I even ot a sunburn! We ate at Bon Fire twice. The first time there were 35 people with us. Most of them were with the car club.

My foot is getting better but just not 100%. I have been going to physical therapy twice a week. The doctor gave me a gel to put on the ankle. It is called Arnica Gel Plus. It is suppose to reduce the swelling and pain. It is a herbal method that goes back thousand of years. Hope it helps.

We have a new granddaughter. Her name is Carissa Peyton and she made her debut on 5/4/11. She is really cute! I even made her a quilt.

Went back to work on 5/23. It was nice seeing everyone again. Now I have to catch up with everything. By the end of the week I was tired!

Next weekend is the NSRA Nationals at York. Denny will be taking his '54 Chevy pickup. It is a nice event. Many of our friends go there.

Well, gotta get going to Ariana's birthday party. She is 7.

Healing...learning to walk again...

Last week the doctor told me to stop using the walker and take the boot off. That was so hard!!! My foot, ankle, and leg became swollen. I could only use a cane for support. It just hurt so much to even try to walk. I went to physical therapy on Tuesday and Brian said that my leg was used to being straight and not bendable. He said to go back to using the walker to learn to bend my leg when I walked. It is getting better. I just want to be able to walk without pain.

I have been able to get a chocheted blanket for the new baby coming. I also crocheted a blanket for Olivia. Next step is to make the baby quilt.

Foot surgery went well!

On February 24th I had foot surgery at York Hospital. Everything went well. I have cast on my right foot from below my knee to my toes. The doctor said that I cannot put weight on the foot for 5 weeks and then partial weight on it for 3 weeks. Physical therapy follows that.

I think that they should give pre-surgery instructions about how you will be getting around and that you should be building up your upper body strength. I have no upper body strength and cannot use the crutches or walker. Guess I am not a good hopper ;-).

I know this is a temporary situation and will pass. Can't wait until I can put weight on my foot and can drive!

Snow on the ground and thinking Spring - where is it?

Last week we had some warm weather and then it snowed again. So now I look out the window and see snow on the round but keep thinking of Spring. Looking forward to warm days, flowers sprouting, birds singing, people cutting their grass! I love the smell of cut grass especially in the spring.

I have started 2 projects. One is a crocheted baby afghan and the other is a baby quilt. I started the afghan using light yellow baby yarn. I plan to add pink and a light green, too. Then I will put a ruffle around it.

For the quilt, I bought some embroidered quilt blocks on EBay and will sew it together with pink fabric. The quilt blocks are white background and the embroidery is various baby girl blocks. It will look good with the pink fabric around the white blocks. Now I have to get going. The grandbaby is due in May.

Getting ready for Christmas & Thanksgiving!

I started shopping for Christmas presents. I ordered some from Amazon.com. I love that sight. It just makes it so easy to shop and they ship it right to your door. Love it!

Today I went to Kohl's and got some great deals! The store was packed but they seemed to handle it pretty well. I really didn't have to wait in line very long.

We have 9 grandchildren between the two of us. There is another grandchild on the way (next May). So there are a lot of gifts to get.

I also need to start shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. I want to get a 30 pound fresh turkey for the group we will have. I just love Thanksgiving! The family gets together and everyone sits at the table to eat. You try to catch up in what each person has been doing but sometimes you just run out of time. It is just great day!

My Ride to Work

The 3rd weekend in October we went camping.

We went camping at Spring Gulch Campground in Lancaster County, PA. It is a very nice campground! The children dressed up and competed for the best costume. They trick or treated and brought home a big bagful of candy. The weather was beautiful!It was warm during the day and cool during the evenings. It was great sitting around the fire and talking with friends. We shared food and laughs. Great time!

The 2nd weekend in October was spent in Ocean City, Maryland

Denny and I went to Ocean City, Maryland for the street rod show. We stayed at the Atlantic House Bed & Breakfast. The owners, Josephine & Brian, are so nice. They make you feel so at home and like you are visiting someone you have known for ages. The breakfasts are out of this world. And the waffles - Wow! They even let us make chocolate chip waffles in the evening. It is always a nice time when we stay there.