Almost in Cleveland

Where in the world did July go?  Or better yet....where in the world has this year gone?    I saw a post on FB the other day saying there were only 5 months until Christmas.  Oh boy.  

In just a week or so, we will be in Cleveland.  Sadly, we won't get to see Ben, Sam, Ellie and Zack.  They have so much going on with school events (band camp,  refresher classes, etc.) and sports that we will have to push our visit with them back to September or October when we are in Cleveland again. 

In other news....after a delay, our hardwood floors are being installed tomorrow.  I guess I'll believe it when I see the floor in the office instead of in boxes. It seems like you just can't rely on vendors once they have your money.  Personally, I'm so tired of the house being cluttered with the stuff we had to move out of the office.  The guest room and dining room have become our "storage" areas.  You can barely get in the guest room and the dining room is full of my desk drawers, meds, my glass figurines and my mother's dolls.  Putting the stuff back in the office is going to be a huge chore, but I welcome some order in the house again. 

Our grandbaby came through surgery with flying colors and we are all breathing a bit easier.  

I went to a Chamber of Commerce event a few days ago, representing the newspaper.  It was fun.  I met a ton of nice people, both business owners and people from the community.  We picked up a new advertiser and I met one of our writers that does poetry.  I continue to work on planning the Writer's Award Banquet in March, 2022.  I had no idea how much work it was going to be, but hopefully, it will be a success. 

Like many other places, we have had record breaking rain.  The grass looks good, but there are days when the yard is like a mud puddle.  This week the temperatures are going to be in the mid 90's.  I'm not looking forward to that.  I hope Cleveland is much cooler.  

I have been toying with the idea of getting a part time job and applied for a medical receptionist position very recently.  The paper takes up a great deal of my time, but I find myself sitting in front of the computer more and more.  It has taken it's toll on my eyesight and my weight.  Of course, eating fat food and drinking wine doesn't help.  I need to be active so I am looking for a happy medium between sitting in front of the computer all day and working 12 hour shifts like I did at the hospital.  I keep hearing that employer can't find people to work for them.  Well, here I am, hire me!!

I joined a trivia team--The Dixie Chicks!!  Named, of course, for our Dixie!  We play twice a month on Tuesdays, so that should be fun.  Tonight is our first challenge.  

So, other than all of that, not much is new!  I can't wait to see everyone in Cleveland.

Stay cool. 

Stuff Going On

 

Much has been going on since my last post in May.  Birdie's surgery is schedule for later this month and we are all hopeful that it will be quick and easy for her. 

Alex is getting bigger and bigger.  She is on a soccer team and plays very well.  In one game, she scored 3 goals--2 for her team and 1 for the other team.  She got turned around when she was running down field and kicked the ball into the other team's net. People laughed, but I thought it was very generous of her. 

Tony is a member of the Veteran's Club and took part in the Memorial Day celebration.  It was a beautiful day and a nice event.  We continue to gather with our neighbors once a month.  Another family is building in the Cottages so we will have new people to get to know in the next few months. 

It's gotten 'North Carolina Hot" since May.  Temperatures in the high '80's that feel like 100 degrees.   We're still enjoying the lanai, but we open the sliding glass door to the living room and one of the windows in the dining area and turn down the thermostat--that way it cools the lanai so we can still use it in the summer. 

We're getting ready to have the carpet taken out of the office and put hardwood floors down.  I'm really looking forward to that, but I'm not looking forward to taking all of my books out of the shelving unit and my cars and figurines out of the glass cabinet.  It will be a good excuse to purge stuff, but lots of work. 

The paper still keeps me busy.  This month I wrote about the storm in Cleveland in 1969 that killed 42 people and knocked down a bunch of trees.  The topic for August is, "The Moment It Became Crystal Clear....."  There are lots of ways I can go with that so we'll see what happens.   We are having a Writing Academy for students in the 7th grade and up  in August and so far have raised $2,400 to get it going.  The school systems in this area are graded "D" so this is really something that is needed.  

Fritz and her family are supposed to come to visit next week, but we have Hurricane Elsa also coming to visit, so we are on watch to see where it is headed and will it rain out their visit.  So far, it's going to be here on the second day they are here and who knows how long the rain will be in the area.   

We will be in Cleveland in August.  I've been planning the visit for so long and now it's right around the corner.  It will be good to catch up with everyone.  And now that there is a break in Covid stuff, I'll be able to hug the grandchildren.  OH BOY!!!

Here's a few pictures from us to you:

Soccer Champ!

Tony, unrolling the flag

A beautiful day!

The Grand Lanai