September?

The breezes taste
Of apple peel.
The air is full
Of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs,
Burning brush,
New books, erasers,
Chalk, and such.
The bee, his hive,
Well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts
Chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean
With suds, the days
Are polished with
A morning haze.”
-   John Updike, September
Tonight’s low will be 22 degrees celsius.  With day time highs of 32 before you factor in the humidity, it’s seems more like July then September.  This is day two of a projected 5 day heat wave, then on Saturday we can expect a hurricane by the name of Earl.  Doesn’t get much more exciting.

George Carlin’s stuff routine

After this week, I’m convinced  if we  don’t stop buying magazines, china and fabric, we just might end up on the television show Hoarders.   I was complaining to a neighbour about renting storage to keep our stuff when he reminded me of George Carlin’s stuff routine. Not for sensitive ears.

I’ll be leaving on a business trip tomorrow morning, back on Tuesday evening. Now if I could only remember where I packed my shoes.

There’s always something

The house sale did not close yesterday.  Apparently with the rush to sell their home and buy ours, the purchasers lawyer did not have time to file all the necessary paper work by yesterday afternoon.  So the closing date has been amended to on or before September 3rd.   We however are settled (if you could call it that) into the apartment.

Every home I have purchased has had it own particular little twist.    When I purchased my first home 32 years ago, it was a divorce sale.   We put in a bid, the offer was accepted and the sale date finalized.  Then the owners began to argue about the property settlement and who would get how much.    When closing date came, they were still arguing.  As we had already given our notice on our apartment, we agreed to rent the house until they made up their mind.  This took another three months, until I stated that they would either  finalize the sale of  the house or I would set on the door step telling all prospective buyers what we went through.

House number two, we had to move into the day before we purchased it.  You know the story, sell your present home to get enough money to have a down payment on your new home.  The little old lady we bought it from could not care less as she was in a nursing home, her children were up in arms until the deal closed.

House number three was a bit easier.  By that time we had enough credit, to take a short-term loan, to own the new house a week before we sold our previous house.  We decided to paint the house throughout and varnish the hardwood floors.  Guess who ended up in the hospital moving day? Paint and varnish is just too much for anyone with asthma.

House number four – another divorce sale which we purchased from a co-worker.   The ex-husband was threatening to put down the two cats that were left behind when the wife left.  THe days of the sale, he refused to take the cats, we already had two cats so we could not help.  She kept calling hysterically, not wanting the kitties to be put to sleep.  Finally her aunt agreed to take the cats, but he would not allow her in to retrieve the cats or her stuff until he  moved out.  Needless to say, we stayed in the apartment another day to allow her to move her items and the kitties.

So for a house number five to go without a hitch, did not think it would happen.  There’s always something!

Moving time and the bloggin’ ain’t easy

My posts have been sporadic the last few weeks to say the least!  As I mentioned before we have been busy, busy, busy.   This is the last weekend in our home and we have been attempting to put 11 years into boxes.  Not an easy task.   Once we decided to sell the house over a year ago, I started packing china and items that I did not need on a daily basis.  Mind you I’m wondering if I really need any of the boxes packed away.  I’ve only opened one box in a year to retrieve a recipe I could not find on the internet.

DH however has not been so fortunate.   He has been working away most of the past year, so this week was his first real chance to clean out the basement and his stuff.   We hired a young lad to come over for the day, to help dismantle DH’s workshop.   Not only did he go home with a pocketful of money for his labour, the trunk of his car was filled with what he thinks is really good stuff.   I just can’t see the appeal in nuts, bolts, hammer and saws.   If you’re not doing anything this weekend, give me a call.  I am sure we have enough junk garbage yard sale items good stuff to fill your trunk too

We also signed the lease on our new apartment.   Tomorrow we receive the keys.

My blog will be quiet for a bit this week, but I’m sure I’ll have plenty to tell  once we get settled.

Four letter words

Wooo

Hooo

Very

Very

Glad

Home

While shopping for groceries, I came across stalks of   gladioluses at the floral section for $7.00 a bunch.  As soon as I saw these long stem beauties, I could hear my grandfather’s voice, telling me all about gladioluses.

He would store the bulbs in the basement each fall, hoping that they would survive another year.

He knew how long the leaves needed to grow after the blooms faded to ensure the bulbs would have enough energy to survive its winter rest. Just after the first frost but before the ground froze, he would dig up the bulbs.  These he would place on the basement shelves by colour and favourites.   Grampy did not have the extra cash to buy new bulbs each year.  He replenished his crops by splitting the corms or trading with other gardeners.

Grampy would always remind us not to touch the bulbs, to avoid damage and germs spread by grimy little hands.

Andrea was 8 months old when my grand-father passed away.  How happy he would be knowing that she too grows glads in her  garden.

I’m on holidays until next Wednesday.  Life is becoming very busy, more about that later, when I know all the facts.   So to keep you amused (and make my blogging easier) here’s a few sarcastic retorts.  If only I could remember these words when I need them.

Some people stay longer in an hour than others can in a week.” William Dean Howells

“Sometimes I need what only you can provide: your absence.” Ashleigh Brilliant

“There’s nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won’t cure.” Jack E. Leonard

“You’re a good example of why some animals eat their young.” Jim Samuels

“I’ve just learned about his illness. Let’s hope it’s nothing trivial.” Irvin S. Cobb

“If you ever become a mother, can I have one of the puppies?” Charles Pierce

“Pushing forty? She’s hanging on for dear life.” Ivy Compton-Burnett

“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” Mark Twain

“I married your mother because I wanted children, imagine my disappointment when you came along.”
Groucho Marx

“I feel so miserable without you, it’s almost like having you here.” Stephen Bishop

“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.” Clarence Darrow

“Remember men, we’re fighting for this woman’s honor; which is probably more than she ever did.”
Groucho Marx

“He hasn’t an enemy in the world – but all his friends hate him.” Eddie Cantor

“I can’t believe that out of 100,000 sperm, you were the quickest.”Steven Pearl

“Fine words! I wonder where you stole them.” Jonathan Swift

“You have a good and kind soul. It just doesn’t match the rest of you.” Norm Papernick

“The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech.”
George Bernard Shaw

“There goes the famous good time that was had by all.” Bette Davis

Some folks are wise and some are otherwise.”"Tobias George Smolett

“Be careful when reading health books; you may die of a misprint.”Mark Twain

“Some folks seem to have descended from the chimpanzee later than others.” Kin Hubbard

“That woman speaks eight languages and can’t say “no” in any of them.” Dorothy Parker

“She’s so pure, Moses couldn’t even part her knees.” Joan Rivers

“Ordinarily he is insane. But he has lucid moments when he is only stupid.”
Heinrich Heine

Where does the time go?

Life has been very busy lately.  My DH arrived home unexpectedly which was a tremendous surprise. He is home for the weekend but has to return to the job from hell on tomorrow.  Hopefully it will wrap up next week.

I have been busy clearing out my china cabinet in hope that our home will sell soon. I`m starting to think that maybe fabric is not my only addiction.

A couple of years ago I purchased 5 meters of felt for $2.75.  Today I finally found a use for it.  It is perfect to wrap around china platters.

We plan to have a quiet weekend at home, a luxury when you have  a spouse who travels for work most of the summer.   DH will putter in the yard, mowing the lawn, trimming the hedge. I`ll spend my time doing laundry and cooking.  Life in the fast lane……..I would not  have it any other way!

Is the world passing me by

I don`t own a cell phone.  Every so often I think I should get one, especially when I am driving to Moncton or Fredericton by myself.   But then I stop and remember it would just be another way for people to annoy me.  I like the quietness of driving along the highway, lost in my own thoughts.  Mind you other drivers  aren`t too sure about that, especially when I drift over the yellow line lost in thought.

What would be so important in my life that my family needs to be able to contact me every minute of the day.  I don`t m ind them reaching out and touching me, but for God sakes, my every moment is not so exciting, I need to share it.    When DH and I are home together, we can go for hours without speaking.   Not because we are mad and WW3 is ready to break out, but both of us knew what peace there is in silence.

Texting is just beyond my comprehensive.  Every where you look, people are texting.  What would be so important at the grocery store, that you need to text your friends?   Is their life complete because  they just found out Sobeys reduced the price on bananas?

The local variety store has posted a sign for its employees, `We pay you to work, not to text your friends.  Cell phones and blackberries not allowed during working hours.` Well said.

August’s Crown

”Whilst August yet wears her golden crown, Ripening fields lush- bright with promise; Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn.” – Michelle L. Thieme,

Picture of sunflowers by my very talented grand-daughter Meaghan.