Easter Family Dinner

I survived it!  There were about 50-55 people there and counting the people was not an easy task. A niece ran around to all the areas and counted when people were sitting down eating. But there were still a few that came late. The age range was from about 1 - 81.  It is hard from me to comprehend that many people that I am related to although some are great-grandniece, etc. Sheryl (niece) and her husband Danny, host the Easter dinners and I admire them for taking it on. There were tables set up all over the house, patio and driveway. They have done it enough times so have it down pat with lots of help from everyone. Sheryl supplied the meat and a couple of side dishes and then everyone brought something which made for a mountain of food as you can see below...

The plate of food is not mine but it is a good representation of someone taking a little bit of everything. It definitely is not Weight Watchers approved.... 8-)  One person who brought deviled eggs even dyed the whites of the eggs....

 

There were 12 kids there and 318 plastic eggs filled with candy were hidden.

Some eggs were "hidden" in plain site for the smallest children and others were up higher for the older kids. After the kids were done, their baskets were counted and evened out so every kid got 25 eggs. The Easter Bunny was Toni's grandson and they are in the upper left picture above. The little guy in the lower left was the youngest. Anita, bottom right is hiding eggs and Emmy, upper right has about all she can carry.

 

Top left is my sister-in-law, top right is Julie (my hair dresser), middle row is me with 2 nieces, bottom row left is my brother and niece, Vivian and bottom right is Vivian's birthday cake.  Besides it being Easter, it was Vivian's 60th Birthday so that was also celebrated. The rice paper picture on the cake was her at about 1 year old. Yes, the picture is edible.....

 

FUN DAY!

Quiet Saturday before it get's busy...

Today is a rather quiet day before a very busy week starts tomorrow....well it's a busy week for a retired person compared to what it has been the last few weeks.... Tomorrow is the big family Easter Dinner plus my niece's 60th Birthday.  Around 60 people were at the dinner last year... Tuesday is a class I'm taking at the Midwest Genealogy Center on "Writing Your Family History". On Wednesday I am going shopping at a nursery for some patio plants with my niece. On Saturday I'll be attending the County Genealogy Group meeting and the topic is DNA & Genealogy which should be interesting since I don't know much about it but hear a lot about it.  That night I'm going to a concert at the Kauffman Center.  The concert is by the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and is the original arrangements of "The Greatest Big Band Hits of All-Time". I can't wait to attend an event at the Kauffman Center... They have 2 theaters - one is for Broadway type shows and one is for musical/instrumental concerts. So stay tuned and there may be something to write about next week on the blog.....

Morris and I are both so enjoying Spring.  For me, it's the flowering trees, blooming flowers, green grass and Robins in the yard. For Morris, it's having open windows.. Here he is sprawled out on the window sill in the office where the window is open plus there is sun. He moves to the floor or on the bed when the sun gets too hot for him.

He literally will lay there for hours watching what is going on outside. The driveway behind him goes into an office complex so there are lot's of people going into the building that he can watch.  He has to get on my desk to watch the Robins which are on another side of the house.

Below are pictures of flowering trees in the apartment complex - of which there are many.  The white tree is the another picture of a Bradford Pear and the bottom picture is of a Red Bud tree.   I don't know why it is called a "Red Bud" since the blooms are more of a pinkish purple.  It is amazing to drive down a street and see it lined with the flowering trees or drive through a neighborhood and see these plus other flowering trees and shrubs in yards. I love it!

Monday Misc....

4 Seasons: One of the things on my list when leaving the desert was to live in  a place that had 4 seasons. I knew that could be found in the Midwest.  However, I don't think I expected to have 3 of the seasons in 3 days....

Last week, when it was in the upper 70's and low 80's, I started packing up my heavy winter sweaters, putting them in the garage and getting out t-shirts, etc.  Thank goodness I kept one drawer of sweaters in the bedroom to use this week when winter returned.

Yesterday's Shootings: I heard the news yesterday and felt similar to how I felt when Gabby Giffords was shot in Tucson - embarrassed to be in a place where someone would do that to other people.  Then I hear it on the National news, Today show, etc and it seems strange to realize that what they are talking about happened just a few miles from where I live. And then to find out that the shooter is a wacko who doesn't even live in the area. It does confirm that you never know when something can happen to you just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.....

Morning walk

Here is a collage of things I saw this morning on my walk between my apt and the main trail by the golf course - maybe 1/2 mile at the most. It just amazes me at how people landscape the areas behind their houses along the trail.

The daffodils and tulips were in a back yard right next to the fence. Top right is the path that goes from the apt complex down to main Tomahawk Trail which is about 17 miles long. Big Bird is a birdhouse as is the shoe on the bottom left. I can't imagine who would ruin a good iris bed with a metal cactus! The trees in the bottom middle are Bradford Pears but they don't make fruit - only bloom and then leaf out. Right now they are just a huge bouquet of white blooms. The little wooden girl in the swing was not there last summer when there was only a little boy who is still there but now he has company.

Updates

I thought that I would do some updates today on recent posts....

GARAGE DOOR:  After 2 work orders and it still not really working properly, they ordered a new motor but in the meantime, I was without an automatic garage door for a few days. However it is a 2-car garage so I had another working door.  The only problem is that Vivian uses the 2nd spot and thus has the car opener for that door. I have no idea why one opener won't open both doors but it doesn't work that way. Fortunately the doors are easy to manually open and close them. And therein lies the issue...... A few days ago, I punched the wall control to raise the garage door and backed the car out. Instead of going back around to the front door, into the garage and closing the door with the wall switch, I stood outside and manually closed the door which would have been o.k. if I would have been careful and watched where my fingers were.  I managed to have them right between panel sections of the door so as it came down it pinched 2 of my finders right at the base of the nails. I couldn't reach the bottom of the door to move it back up to release my fingers so used my foot to raise it just enough to get them out.  The nails immediately were purple and yes it hurt like !@#$%^&*.  I just sat in the car for a few minutes  and then came inside and stuck the fingers down in a bag of ice for awhile. The nail colors now range from blue to purple...  Needless to say, I have not manually raised or lowered the garage doors since then. A new motor was installed on Tuesday so the garage door issue is hopefully fixed for awhile.

APPT WITH LIVER DOC:  I got a letter this week saying that I have a June 26th appoint with the doctor I wanted.  I know it is 2 1/2 months away but that is just not that unusual with doctors like that.  I do have the May 6th apt with a Primary Care doctor and will have him do the blood work so I know where I stand on the liver values instead of having to wait until the end of June to find out if this bronchitis has caused another flare up.

GUEST ROOM: The bed is done!!!!!! I lost track of how many places I looked for the buttercup yellow sheets I wanted to go with the comfortor.... I found them in the Martha Stewart line at Macy's for a mere $148.00 per set for a full size bed. I wasn't about to pay that much so kept looking and found the perfect ones at WalMart. It normally would not be that big a deal with a guest room but this is not the ordinary guest room - it's where Morris and I spend much of our day since it's where the computer is.

One end of the guest room has what they call a "library niche" but I use it as my office.  So every time I walk into the office I see the bed first and then go around the corner and on to the end of the room where the office is. And as you can see, this is where Morris hangs out. This is an important area for me and I wanted it to feel good, be cheerful, etc when I came into the area and it finally meets my criteria.

All Things Medical

My Bronchitis: I am feeling better but have a ways to go. I'm not coughing nearly as much but my energy level is barely on the scale. I get up in the morning and by the time I am dressed, feed Morris, fix and finished my breakfast I am ready to spend some time in the recliner resting. I sure am glad that I didn't get sick until after I got the recliner and larger TV!  The recliner is not only great to rock in when just sitting there watching the robins in the yard but makes a very comfortable place to take a nap when it is fully reclined. I don't watch TV during the day but do watch it later in the morning while resting. I really hope it doesn't take as long to get my energy back as it did last August when I had this thing... There are too many places to go and things to do this Spring.

Finding new doctors:  One of the worst things to deal with when moving to a new location is getting set up with doctors. Not many people have liver doctors so it's not like you can ask someone who they go to. I talked to my Tucson kidney doc about this the last time I saw him in Tucson.  He picked up his cell phone and called a friend here in Kansas City, Kansas who is the Medical Director of the Kidney Transplant program at KU Med Center. Dr. Whittman, my kidney doc in Tucson, explained my move and diagnosis to Dr. Kaplan, the doctor at KU and asked for names of a kidney doctor and also for a liver doctor for me. Dr. Kaplan was with UMC in Tucson until about 2 years ago when he moved here. I knew his name and met him at a support group but Larry and I were out of the transplant clinic when he came there. Anyway, just because I have names doesn't mean I just call and get an appointment - it doesn't work that way when you are dealing with doctors in teaching hospitals - especially ones that are in the transplant clinics. I don't ever expect to need a transplant but I fully respect the knowledge of the doctors who work in these clinics and you absolutely have the best technology in teaching hospitals. I will trade that knowledge for having to put up with residents, etc. So fast forward to March 27th when my calendar said "Find Dr's in KC". The KU Med Center has a great web page and a referral system for when you need a doctor.  I started there and asked for the liver doctor.  I thought I would start with him first since that is a higher priority at this point. You have to have a referral for this level of doctors, then a board of doctors review the referral and decide if they will accept you as a patient or not. I went through the same system in Tucson when getting Larry into UMC so I knew how to play the game. My insistence paid off and I was finally transferred to the 3rd person who happened to be in the Liver Clinic. In my sweetest voice I explained my situation again dropping Dr. Kaplan's name as often as I politely could and asked for an appointment with Dr. Weinman who Dr. Kaplan has recommended. I didn't know until talking to her that Dr. Weinman is the top doc in the liver clinic and only sees patients one day a week. It didn't help that St. Luke's Hospital in KC closed their liver transplant program mid-March and transferred all their patients over to the program at KU Med Center so they were swamped with new patients - many of them very ill. She told me to fax my "self referral letter" to them along with my records from my liver doc in Tucson, it would be reviewed and they would contact me. Done but no calls for a week so last Friday I called her back - again being super sweet and understanding their work load with new patients. She checked and found that out that I have been accepted as a patient of Dr. Weinman's and should hear Monday about an appointment. 8-)  Of course I will probably be at least 6 weeks before I can get an appt with him...... My experience with the clinics and programs in Tucson certainly paid off here since I knew what to do and could talk their language. In talking to her the first time, we talked about my need for a Primary Care doc and I knew that they have a big clinic there since my PCP in Tucson did his residency in Family Practice there.  However,  I wanted a place closer to where I live for routine doctor appointments. She told me about one not too far away that is part of their hospital system which is very important so all doctors are on the same computer system and don't have to transfer tests, etc back and forth. I called on Friday and have an apt for a PCP on May 6th which is the first apt for a new patient. Slowly making progress......

My Private Art Gallery

In some ways, selecting the furniture was easy compared to getting all the finishing touches done on the apartment. As we know, it's the little things that make it home..... One of the dilemmas I have been dealing with is a short hallway between the entry and the open floor plan of the living room, etc. You walk in the entry, see a wall, go a little ways, make a left turn down a hallway where you can see the living room ahead of you.  It was the "hallway" that bothered me - it needed something to flow to the living room.  I was walking through a store last week and it hit me "Make the walls a display for my photographs"! Then the search started for frames and that took a couple of days. I finally found the perfect frames and they are called "floating frames". The picture goes between 2 pieces of glass, there is a small frame and the mat is the wall behind the frame that shows through the glass. I got 4 of the 8 x 10 frames and 2 of the 11 x 14 frames.  Then was the decision on which 6 pictures of the nearly 10,000 I have on my computer to use. I decided to use the "painted pictures" which is where I take a picture, apply a software effect and the result looks like a painting. Since it is Spring, using flowers seemed logical.  What I like about these frames is that I can easily change them out and do different themes - animals, landscape and maybe even a Gallery of Morris.... Of course I didn't have a clue how to place the pictures so Sheryl came over and helped me with that plus deciding which flowers to use.  I can only print 8 x 10's on my printer so had to order the 11 x 14's.  And here is the result:

I already had the table, lamp, etc but the pictures really did what I was hoping for in the entry and hallway. There are 2 more 8 x 10's on the left side of the wall that you can't see here. The pictures are from California, Arizona, Missouri and Arkansas and all have a story behind them as to where I was, why I took the picture, how I got took the picture, etc.

This is one of the pictures where you can see the "painting" effect. The story on this one is that last Spring I got a bouquet of tulips from Trader Joe's and had them in a vase on the kitchen counter in Tucson. I was taking some pictures of them and couldn't quite get what I was looking for. I took the vase outside and sat it on the patio wall.  Then I knelt down and took it up with the golf course trees and sky in the background.  Walla! What I was wanting....

Frustrasting day

Yesterday was a very frustrating day for me.

It started when I backed out of the garage on my way to Weight Watchers, pushed the button to close the garage door and it went down 1/2 way and stopped. No amount of button pushing would make it do anything. I came back in the house and the manual control wouldn't do anything so I manually closed it and went on my way.  

My allergies have really been acting up the last few weeks with all the wind blowing.  Sunday night I started coughing and could feel that something wasn't right. Monday and Tues was downhill so I went to Urgent Care yesterday on my way home. The visit was a pleasant surprise compared to the Urgent Care clinics I have used in other places I have lived. I found one not too far away that is part of a local, large hospital. I made an on-line appoint, got there a little early and got right in. She says I have bronchitis which is a first for me. I got a breathing treatment at the clinic and came home with an inhaler to use every 4 hours. I also keep using cough syrup and stronger allergy pills that make me drowsy. Morris was thrilled to have me set all morning in the recliner and nap so he could lay on my lap.... She said it could be from the allergies or from all the dust that has been blowing around with the winds being so strong for several days in a row.  She also strongly suggested I see an allergy doctor and get tested. I NEVER had any allergy problems until I moved to the desert!  Hopefully I will get to feeling better soon.

Now, back to the garage door..... I called the maintenance dept after I got home and within an hour a maint guy came by to fix it. It turned out to be the circuit board in the opener that had gone bad.  I didn't even know garage door openers had a circuit board in them....  So he replace it and now it works.  Once again, I love just calling them to come fix something instead of having to worry about it myself. That almost made up for having to deal with it when I felt so bad.  The good thing for the day was that I had lost another pound. 8-)

Guest room

I have changed the bedding in the guest room for the 3rd time....  This is the room that my office is in so when I come into the room, the first thing I see is the bed on my way to the other end of the room where the office is. The first look was too pale - it was just blah....  The 2nd one was too bright - a lime/lemon cover that was just to bright. So back to the stores I went again. I found this one and I really like it.  It is bright, colorful and cheerful. It has received the blessings of Morris who has napped on it several times. Now I am looking for just the right color yellow sheets to go with it and a taller lamp.

Warm, Spring Sunday

KAUFFMAN MEMORIAL GARDENS: Last Sunday was the first really warm day of the year - mid 70's so I headed out to sooth my bad case of Spring Fever. Sheryl, my niece, and I went down to Kauffman Gardens and the Country Club Plaza. I didn't expect a lot of blooming flowers at the Gardens since it is still early.  However there were beautiful Spring flowers in the Conservatory.

 

 

 

And here is the Garden Cat.  Last summer she was outside but is residing in the Conservatory for the winter.  She has her own chair, food dishes, scratching post and litter box. This is one fat cat! She was laying in this chair when we got there and still there when we left.  The only difference was that her back left leg was hanging out over the side of the chair when we left. There is a sign posted above her food dish that says: Please do not feed cat!!! She is fed on a regular basis.  She is also getting lazy because of too much food! Thank you.

 

There were a few annual flowers that were coming up outside.

 

A gardener was planting more flats of little plants that I could count. They replant the garden 4 times a year.

 

COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA: I was surprised at how many people were out on the Plaza for a Sunday afternoon. But then it was a warm, sunny day so we were not the only ones with Spring Fever.  Sheryl and I had lunch at a sidewalk cafe and watched the people going by. Then it was time to see some more flowers so we found the Vera Bradley store that is on the Plaza and contributed to the city's economy.

The Plaza decorates for seasons and it is in full preparation for the Easter Parade.  These larger than life Plaza Bunnies have been on the Plaza for over 40 years. They are statues that are a solid material and the  dress, basket, etc is painted.

it was a Good Day!

Genealogy and Weather

Genealogy:  I spent all day last Friday and Saturday at the Genealogy KC 2014 Conference where I was immersed in not only finding my roots but what to do after I find them. For a genealogist, or someone who aspires to be, it was heaven. There were about 700 people there - up from 350 who attended last year.  People were there from all over Missouri and Kansas which surprised me since I thought it was a local event. They had some really good speakers on a variety of topics.  However, my favorite speaker was Kathleen Brandt who is very knowledgeable but also a very entertaining speaker.  She did research for Tim McGraw when he was on the TV show "Who Do You Think You Are?". Thee were a couple of speakers from Ancestry.com. All "classes" were 1 hours long and it was a hard choice to pick the classes since there were over 50 of them offered over the 2 days in various class rooms. Some speakers were better than others but I learned something in every one of them. In some classes it was how better use genealogy software or how to improve research at the National Archives or how to do a digital scrapbook of our family finds. Vivian went with me on Saturday and I think she was on brain overload after the first couple of speakers... 8-)

Weather: Yes, there was a tornado about an hour north of greater KC yesterday but we only got pea-sized hail for about 2 minutes. Yes, it has been bitterly cold for days in a row since I have been here.  Yes, it was 70 one day and snowed the next. But....that is just the way it is and what you put up with to get 4 Seasons back here. I knew what I was in for since I lived in Missouri for 27 years when growing up, etc until I started moving west. I have gotten good use out of my sweaters and warn scarves that I  bought before I came back here. I haven't worn a heavy coat and gloves so much since I left Utah in 2002. I really appreciated having a garage or I might be singing a different song.... 8-)  Now for the tornado season that is approaching....  As with the ice, I have a healthy respect for them.  I listen to the weather on the TV and radio, am prepared and take precautions.  I can't remember the difference in a tornado watch and a tornado warning so yesterday put it in my cell phone so when I hear it on the radio I know which it is. The weather forecasters here really do a good job informing the public on the severe weather exactly where it is and when it will hit.  I bought a twin size comforter recently to cover Morris and me with in the bathtub.  They say to pull a mattress over you but that is just not doable for me. My plan is to grab Morris and put his leash on, grab the cell phone, grab a little emergency bag, grab the comforter and crawl into the bathtub. Then I have to leave it to the man upstairs.... What will be will be....

Catching Up

You may need 2 glasses of wine or coffee to get through everything I have written today....  I promised myself that I would not get so far behind again on the blog but I have just been really busy.  I don't know how I ever had enough time to work full time....  Enjoy!

The Furniture has Arrived !!!!!!!

All my furniture was delivered last Tuesday so now I feel like I am really moved in. After sweating out the color/pattern choices and then loosing sleep wondering if I made the right choices - I LOVE IT!

 

 As I have said before, the floor plan for the kitchen, living room and dining room is open and everything is visible. The pattern chair (in the middle) is my rocker/recliner and fits my short body perfectly. The chair with the stripes is a rocker/swivel chair and Morris has claimed it.

 

You may remember that the "Bottles" picture was the inspiration for the colors in the space. The fabric on the chairs is a sandy color but has little threads running through it that are the same colors as the bottles in the picture. It all goes perfectly together.

 

 I LOVE my bedroom and it is very colorful. When I was a kid, my bed had an iron bedstead and I never expected to ever have one again.  However, my new headboard is iron and I love it.... I forgot to take a picture of the dresser in the bedroom. 8-)

 

"It's about time I got my own bed!"

St. Patrick's Day in a Small Town

Vivian lives in Belton which is a suburb south of Kansas City with a population of around 26,000 people. They are famous in the area for their St. Patrick's Day Parade so of course, I had to attend with the family. I was not only surprised by how many people turned out but I couldn't believe how many were dressed up for the occasion. People brought lawn chairs to set on and other's set on the curb.

 

 Left to right: My three nieces who also were the one's who did the kitchen - Karen, Sheryl and Vivian. In front is Sheryl's granddaughter.

 

Vivian's daughter and grandson. Angie is a lot older than she looks here. 8-) Yes, his hair is green.

 

Lucy is a granddaughter of Vivian's and is just adorable. I have never seen her smile in all the pictures I have seen of her nor have I seen a smile in person.  Her eyes say it all.

 

How is this for getting in the spirit?

 

 The Honor Guard was made up of members from the Sons of the American Revolution organization.

 

There were the usual politicians in the parade. The kids set on the curb to catch the candy that the people in the parade throw out to them as they go by.

 

This guy was good - especially when he was going in circles, figure 8's etc.

 

And a special "float" for me was this one which was by the Donate Life organization that promotes organ donation.

A new look in the kitchen

Three nieces came over a couple of Fridays ago and we/they decorated the space above my kitchen cabinets. They spread everything I had pulled together out on the floor, sorted it and started in. Most of the greenery was supplied by a niece but we had to go to the store and get a bit more. My job was to keep the glasses full of Mimosa's and say "yes" or "no" as it was going together. I LOVE how it turned out.

When I moved in, the kitchen looked like this. I have never had an island in a kitchen before and have mixed feelings about it. I like it but find myself cluttering the top up and am constantly putting away stuff that ends up there. I tend to "cook" on the counter space which is what I am used to. There are shelves on the backside and that is great for storage. The space atop the cabinets is 2 feet high and 12" wide so it is a big empty space.

This is how it looks now. The books on the island shelves are part of the cookbooks in my collection. They range from one that was printed in the 1930's to  some printed last year. Putting stuff above the counter made the whole open floor plan kitchen/dining/living room space more "cozy and warm".

We broke the space above the cabinets into three spaces/themes. I used a lot of items that I have collected over the years and only bought a few items. An example is that the large pasta bowl with the sunflower is one that Larry and I got in 2003 and used for the pasta when we had friends over and he made his "famous" spaghetti sauce.  The rooster is new.

The clay urn on the left is from Tucson and one of very few "southwest" items in the apartment. The tray was given to me by 2 very dear friends when we went to San Diego on a trip together. It is from a winery we visited.  The bottle on the right was originally a bottle of Pinot Grigio from Italy that a friend brought and we all drank it at one of the monthly HOA "Meeting after the Meeting" (snacks, drinks and friendship) that Larry and I hosted.

The sign is new and  is a good goal for life:

 To Do List:

Watch a Sunrise

Snuggle On The Couch

Read a Good Book

Take a Long Nap

Watch the Sunset

The tall bottle is new. The wine glasses and their holder that sets on a bottle of wine was given to me by a friend in 1990. The wine bottle container on the right held a bottle of wind that was brought to one of the Meeting After Meeting by one of the ladies.

 

So......the items not only add a lot of personality to the house, but brings smiles when I look at them and remember good times with friends.

Morris Update

Last summer when we were here, Morris refused to even stick his nose out the door.  I think part of it was that I tried to carry him through the outside entry ara and he thought we were going to the car. In this apt, we have a normal door which opens to our sidewalk. This week he started looking around me when I opened the door and seeing the outside.  So....on when the leash and he walked outside. Here he is starting to explore his yard which is a good sized grassy area. Loud noises bother him so when he hears something, he runs for the front door but then ventures back outside when the noise passes. Of course, now he wants to go out every time I open the door.....

I was in Michael's last week and saw this miniature hanging basket that I thought would be PERFECT for his tree house and it is.  He already had the metal hanging cat. He spends hours perched up here watching the comings and goings at the office park next door. In the afternoon, he moves down to the lower perch and takes a nap in the sun. His next favorite spot is in the dinning room where there are 2 large windows where he sits and watch's the traffic going by on the street.

We had a mini thunderstorm Tuesday night complete with thunder, lightening, rain and about 15 minutes or more of hail. It wasn't long after it started before Morris headed to the bedroom and hid under the bed until it was over. The wind was blowing so the sound of the hail hitting the windows was pretty loud.

My furniture is scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday - except for one chair that had not come in as of yesterday. They have everything except the sofa, which was due yesterday and the accent chair. I CAN"T WAIT!!!!!!

Penguins and Kangaroos

It seemed like a good day to go to the zoo yesterday since the forecast was for a high of 70+. It actually got up to 74 which was the warmest day of the year so far. It was also a Monday so I figured not many people would be there.  WRONG! It was packed with families and kids of all ages.  I didn't know until last night that it was the first day of Spring Break. I have a yearly pass so wasn't planning on staying very long - just to check out the new penguin exhibit and see the kangaroos again. I have said it again and will say it again - in my opinion, the KC Zoo is better than the San Diego Zoo.  The San Diego Zoo is not as clean, many of the exhibits are old fashioned and the admission price is over twice as high as the KC Zoo.

The new penguin exhibit is really awesome! It is large and you can see 3 sides of it.  There is only glass between you and the water so they come up close. Ledges are also right by the window so you can see them up close and personal.  In all the zoos I have seen in my life, and it is a lot, I have never seen an exhibit of penguins. They are absolutely adorable  - especially when they are waddling along with their stiff-legged walk. Reminded me of me walking sometimes after I have been setting for a long time.... 8-)

The pool in front extends up to the window. The white they are standing on is not really ice but looks like ice. There are at least 2 ice making machines in the exhibit that make ice so they can go play or just get in it. I didn't see a lot of melting so the temperature must be pretty chilly inside the room. The pool goes under the "ice" and extends to the other side. The "rocks" are artificial but look pretty real.  Then the wall is painted with the mountains, snow, sky, etc.

There are 3 different kinds of penguins in the exhibit.  These are the King penguins and the most common we see in movies, etc.

This guy was checking out those funny looking things on the other side of the glass - otherwise known as humans.

Then there are the kangaroos..... What amazes me about this exhibit is that they are loose in a large fenced in area and will come right up to you. You walk through the area on the trail and they are wandering around.  These are the Red Kangaroos and no, I don't how many different kinds there are, etc.

Fun day with lots of sunshine and exercise! 

Daylight Savings Time

One of the things I did like about Arizona was that the state did not do Daylight Savings Time. For almost 9 years I have sympathized with family/friends in other states who had to go through the Spring Ahead or Fall Back events each year for the time changes. A problem in AZ was remembering if I was 1 hour behind, 1 hour ahead or in the summer, the same as the west coast but 2 hours behind those in the Midwest.  This was especially trying when I was working since so much of my contact was with people either on the West Coast or in the Midwest. So.....now I can quit being smug about not having to set my clocks since I had to do it Saturday night.  The good thing is that so many of my clocks automatically set themselves including the new radio I recently bought at WalMart. Morris refuses to get up before the sun comes up which is now 7:37 a.m. instead of 6:37 last week. And since he won't get up, why should I? Actually I have noticed that I am sleeping later and staying in bed longer since I have been back here even though I go to bed around the same time. Some of it could be the time change but I think a lot of it is the new mattress - I can stay in bed longer without my back hurting. I'm embarrassed to say that it was 8 a.m. when we got up this morning. I don't set an alarm anymore but wake up around 7 and listen to the radio for awhile to get the weather, news, etc before crawling out of bed. To me, being the person who was up at 6:30 whether I needed to be or not, this is just totally decant!

 

Odds and Ends

Another store observation: I was in a local Michael's yesterday for the first time. In Tucson, I HATED going there because it took so long to get checked out. The store here is at least twice as big as the one I went to in Tucson.  There were very few customers in the store yesterday and when I got ready to leave, both cashiers were not busy. In contrast, the Hobby Lobby that is about 1/2 mile away is always very busy and has long waits to check out.

Weather: I heard a person on the radio comment this week that "we can have all 4 seasons in a week" which is almost true this week. We have had rain, snow, sun with a high ranging from 6 degrees to 60 degrees.  A light snow is forecast for Saturday and then 70 is forecast for Monday. Not the boring "always sunny" that there is in some places.... 8-)

A change from furnishing/decorating the apartment: My brain is on overload with fabrics/colors/styles/accessories, etc so I decided to take a break and think about something else. The choice was photography or genealogy since those are my hobbies.  I was online and discovered the Johnson County Genealogy Society (the county I live in) so decided on genealogy.  I also discovered that there is a big 2-day KC Genealogy Conference later this month which Vivian and I are attending. I'm going both days and she is going on Saturday. Anyway, I unpacked some of the boxes that have the genealogy stuff in them that I was working on in Tucson.  I have a lot of catching up to do since there is stuff I got in 2010 that has not be entered into the data bases yet let along the stuff from 2011 in Arkansas and last year here in Missouri. So a lot of catching up to do..... The Johnson County Genealogy isn't too far from me and I'm looking forward to visiting their library and checking it out.  My ancestors were from the Missouri side but Larry's paternal grandparents were from Kansas. I also want to check out their list of volunteer duties, etc as a possibility. I don't think I realized how much time I spent on the HOA stuff in Tucson until now I have all that open time that I need to do something else with. I just can't set around doing nothing.

Store Observations

I always find it interesting to go to the same store brand in different cities to see how they vary, different products/styles that they carry etc.  Today I found a couple worth mentioning....

Trader Joe's: The 1st Trader Joe's in Kansas is just a couple of miles from me and I finally made it there today for some of their spices. The store is big, well lit and has wide aisles. I kept trying to figure out what was REALLY different and then realized it was that there was no wine in the store. In Kansas, you have to go to a "liquor store" to buy wine, hard liquor, etc - they are not allowed to sell it in grocery stores. So....no 2 Buck Chuck....

Bed, Bath & Beyond: This is the other store I was at today and what a difference! The selection of "fine china" was 2-3 times larger than the selection of the one I went to in Tucson. The store also has a full drug-store in it with hair spray, pain killers, etc - like you find in a Walgreen's, etc. But I did finally find a vanity stool/bench that I have been looking for.  I never expected to have a bathroom counter with space for a vanity stool in an apartment. So, my bathroom is done!!!!!!!!!!!!

Morris Update

 

Morris is settling in and getting into his routine. It made a difference when I moved his tree house into the office/guest room.  In Tucson, he would lay on Larry's desk which was in front of the window while I worked at my desk which was to the right of Larry's.  I brought Larry's desk with me and left my desk in the house.  Now, I don't have enough room for him to sprawl out on the desk plus the view doesn't seem to interest him and it doesn't get direct sun. However, he LOVES his tree house in this window.  He gets sun in the afternoon for a nap, he looks over my shoulder plus he keeps track of the comings and goings at the office complex next door.  

 

 

When I go out to the garage to get boxes or to move them around, he is right with me.  He liked to go out into the garage in Tucson so going out in the garage here isn't new.  What is new is that this garage door has windows and he can look out the windows from on top of the car. Morris has always liked high spots and this works nicely for him.

 

I usually find him on the bed for his afternoon nap if he isn't on his tree house. Again, there are windows by the bed so he can see out. He also stays "in bed" when I get up in the morning and am taking a shower, etc.  When I head for the kitchen, then he gets up.

 

And finally, my buddy.......  Only in the last year has he started snuggling up against my face as opposed to just curling up in my lap like he did with Larry. He is usually on my lap anytime I'm in the recliner and gives me really dirty looks when I have to move him to get up. The only time he is not in the same room with me is when he is sleeping - otherwise he follows me room to room while I'm doing things like he did with Larry.

 

A Cold, Snowy Sunday

Yes, I know I am on record as having missed living where there were 4 seasons and I still prefer a climate with 4 seasons.  However, I have had enough of the winter season and like everyone else in this area am anxious for the next season - Spring. I have to admit that I was disappointed to get up this morning and not see the 4-6" of snow they were forecasting. As you can see, we might have

2" of really small beads of sleet in my front yard. It is still coming down very lightly and they are saying we might get a lot of snow this afternoon. The sleet woke me up last night when it was really coming down and hitting the bedroom window. The temperature this morning at 8:30 a.m. was 2 degrees with a high of 5 forecast which will be the coldest high for March 2nd in KC history. There is some wind blowing and I don't want to know what the wind chill is and am not sure I want to know. I am loving being able to wear heavy sweaters! Needless to say, Morris and I are staying indoors today. I have a crock pot of chili cooking and will be unpacking more boxes today. Maybe I'll do some reading while drinking hot chocolate.... 8-)

"Bottles"

A friend in Tucson is a very gifted artist and does graphite pencil drawings which are truly amazing.  He decided to branch out into using color pencils and sent me pictures of 3 samples of his work.  I fell in love with this picture and really wanted it to use in my new house. He finally ended up giving it to me which was a big thing for him since he doesn’t part with his work. I have it on my cell phone plus an 8 x 10 print that was used extensively in choosing colors, styles, accessories, etc. for the whole apartment. The picture is currently at the framers and I can’t wait to get it home and hang it in a prominent place on the dining room wall where it will be visible throughout the dining room, living room and kitchen which is all in an open floor plan. 

Colors and Fabrics Overload

By brain is on overload with colors and fabrics for furniture. I decided to work with one locally owned furniture store that has 3 stores in the KC Metro area and use the services of their decorator.  She is probably in her early 30’s so I was leery about what she would want to go with.  I give her credit for quickly realizing that I was rather conservative so then she switched to slightly stretching my comfort zone on colors and fabrics. When I left Arizona I had planned on going with brighter non-brown colors since I had lived with browns and tans all the years with Larry. Those were his colors and I gave up early on but celebrated when I finally got him to wear a red shirt… All of the furniture I ordered is custom ordered (they don’t sell the floor models)  so there were hundreds of colors and fabrics to choose from for each one. I had to choose fabric for the sofa, recliner, accent chair and dining room chairs. It took me 5 minutes to choose the style of furniture and many, many hours to choose what color/fabric to have it made in.  I was at the store 4 days straight and finally ordered the pieces on the 5^th day. I started with a burgundy color scheme and then she and another designer nicely pointed out that I will be locked into that if I get tired of it in a year or so.  Then it was back to the drawing board to start over. I ruled out dark colors because I didn’t want to see all the orange Morris hairs when he got off the fabric.  There were some bright contemporary colors/fabrics that I really liked but I just couldn’t see living with them every day. I would think I had the perfect color but it completely changed when I brought it home.  My generation did not mix stripes and print so that was a big stretch for me. I ended up with these colors. The print in the picture is the recliner, the stripe is the occasional chair, the solid is the sofa and the light color is the dining room parson’s chairs. And yes, I have had second thoughts almost daily but kept telling myself that it will work.

Settling In....

Morris and I arrived here 3 weeks ago today and are getting settled in. About 1/2 the boxes are unpacked, furniture is ordered and today I'm going to buy a snow shovel. There is a storm coming in this weekend that could leave 6" of snow in it's wake. Yes, the streets and area in front of the garages is plowed.  However, I found that they can't get right up next to the garage door so you can have a high pile of now right by the door to back out over to get to the plowed area. I hope to get more boxes unpacked this weekend when the weather is bad and can't get out much. Yesterday I was with nieces from 11 am - 8 p.m.  I went to lunch  with Sheryl and then we came back to the apartment so she could see it and wait on Vivian to get here.  Vivian arrived around 2 p.m. and after visiting awhile, Sheryl left. Vivian and I went shopping for "house accessories", had dinner out and then she went home. I know it will be hard for some to believe but I didn't even check email until around 9 p.m. and NEVER set down at my computer all day! My thoughts last night was "Oh, so this is what it is like to be retired and not have a long list of appointments, things that must be done, etc". Pretty laid back day....

Vegetable Seeds

I was in Home Depot this week and walked through the Garden area.  A huge rack right along the aisle was filled with little packages of seeds for vegetable gardens. It brought back memories of my mother spending a lot of time each winter going through the Burpee seed catalog that came in the mail deciding on what to order for the garden that year.  Mom and Dad always had a very big garden each year. She always planted her leaf lettuce on February 14^th and potatoes on St Patrick’s day…. Good Memories.

Cultural Differences

Missouri/Kansas and Arizona/California may both be states in the United States but cultures are so different in many ways.  Having lived in the west and now back in the Midwest, I am really aware of the differences.  An example was last Sunday’s dinner at Bill and Vida’s (my brother and sister-in-law). First of all, I volunteered to take a salad and dessert to go along with the spaghetti and meatballs Vida was fixing for dinner.  My dessert was a Apple Raisin pie that I made fresh that morning, pictured below,  and store bought cranberry walnut cookies.  There was 8 of us there for the 1 o’clock dinner – Bill, Vida, 3 nieces, husbands for 2 of them and myself.  Yes, Sunday meals, if after noon, are “dinner” back here even if it is 1 o’clock….   The thing that really impressed culture difference on me was what happened after we were through eating…  The guys adjourned to the sun porch and the women settled in around the kitchen table. For over an hour, we discussed everything from the fit of jeans to decorating.  As we sat there chatting, it struck me that I have never seen this happen in the west… In the west, after dinner everyone (men and women) adjourn to the same room and the topics are usually very different.  No one was in a hurry to leave to get to someplace else as is usually the case in the west – especially California. Dishes were eventually done, leftovers were divided up and we all headed home leaving Bill and Vida to rest up for next Sunday.

And the weather is....

When I lived in Oregon, you knew the chances were pretty good that you would not see the sun that day and that went on for several months of the year. In Arizona, you knew the day would probably be sunny with completely blue skies.  Here in the Midwest, it can be sun, rain, snow, clouds – sometimes all in the same day.  And this is only winter….. Yes it is cold!  However, so far, I can deal with the cold easier than I could with a week of 100+ degree weather in the desert.  

Officially a Kansan

I now have both my Kansas car license plate and my Kansas driver’s license so I’m official. I was surprised that they only required me to have a current, valid license and pass the vision test.  It’s the first time I haven’t had to take a written test when moving to a new state. My eye doctor in Tucson warned me that I might have a problem with the eye test due to my cataracts.  Sure enought, I looked into the little machine and the numbers were blurry so I closed the bad eye and passed it 100%...... I only had to read off 8 numbers on a specific row.

Life’s Next Chapter

I said I wasn’t going to do the blog when I moved to the Midwest – but guess what?  It just seems right to continue it although I DO NOT plan on writing every day.  It won’t be a travel log like I have done in the past on trips. It will be a snapshot of life with Morris and me as we start the next chapter of our life. And besides, I may need it when I write a best-selling biography of our life together…….

Three weeks ago this time we were just settling in on the I-10 freeway heading east for what was going to be a very long drive. Morris was protesting at full volume and I’m thinking “How long can I stand this?”  I don’t mind road trips by myself because it is much easier when he isn’t in the car.  By myself, I can take as many stops as I want to, go in and eat a leisurely meal, etc.  With him, it is stop as little as possible since it takes a while for him to settle back down once we get on the road again. The good thing is that he does settle in very easily once we get into a hotel room and I can leave him in the room while I go have dinner. The only bad weather we ran into was in Oklahoma City where Morris saw his first big snow.  We got up the next morning and there was about 3” inches of snow on the ground, the car was completely covered in snow, it was really cold and a strong north wind was blowing. I waited about an hour before starting out so rush hour traffic could get out of the way and the roads were not as slick.  We had no problems on the road but it was a longer than usual drive to KC due to the roads not being totally clear and dry.  They were ploughed but the lanes were not quite as wide and were wet in places so I wasn’t taking any chances with ice. It was complete, total relief when we pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex on Thursday afternoon! The blow-up mattress felt really good that night....