He is so handsome!

 Arizona is still in a heat advisory and the local electric company wants everyone to conserve by turning up the AC, not to use washers/dryers and things like pool filters until after 9pm. Mind you, the temps have been record setting and remain around 115 daily and 90 overnight. APS also is saying they may have to do rotating outages which will last around 1/2 hour and there will be no prior notice. I speak from experience when I say going without AC even a short time is difficult in these temps. When Dennis was in hospital and suppose to return home, that weekend the AC quit. The triple digits during the day and the temp in this house was around 97 at nighttime and stifling. Complaining finished. 

Murphy has a new groomer, Mary who did a perfect trim upon our specifications. Isn't he looking good! He is trimmed short and feels like velvet. I thought I would show you how Murphy "hides"... when he has something he should not have.

Look at that butt. He thinks we do not see him. Other hiding places are  under the ottoman, along side the chair in my room or under my bed which he does disappear. Once under the sofa, he really has to pull himself out...just fits. He is our delight. 

Baked a banana bread yesterday...almost gone. It is such a pleasure to have someone (The Brother Alan) who enjoys cakes and Pizzelles and scones etc. Lisa does also! 

I hope everyone is healthy and safe. I know many do not wear masks...we do. I know that many do not care about social distance...we do. We are doing our best to remain healthy. Glad you could stop by to visit. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship.

Pool Party!

Goodness it is hot...and summer has not officially arrived.  The temps have been in the low 100s and now they say Thursday maybe 112. Thank goodness for the AC. Moments bring back that awful weekend 3 years ago when the AC quit. Thank goodness for Don who helped get me another and was here for the installation. Murphy and I are taking our morning walk as early as he will go and then his last one at just before dark.

Lisa and I have just finished our pillowcases....for now. Another trip to the quilt shop is needed! This is mine.... the colors are much prettier in person. I may make another from these prints; the body in the Dragonfly, the cuff in the floral and the trim piece in the same stripe.

This is a Lisa pillowcase for the lanai sette.... chili peppers. She has made 2 others but as they will be gifts for someone, pictures will be posted later.

This is one that I made for her to match the horse I made for her last year...yes, he is wearing a mask. Lisa wants to make sure he is protected! We have a lot of fun around here.
There was a pool party yesterday....

Okay, not what you were expecting. Originally Lisa said lets get a pool and I can sit with Murphy to cool him off...not happening as Murphy just wants to watch. He did take a couple of drinks and sniffed. So, Bloody Mary's in hand she and Alan enjoyed cooling off for the afternoon. Me? I enjoyed my Bloody Mary inside with the AC.
Time to check the swishing and fluffing out in the laundry area. Chicken soup made and cooling, baking next as soon as the ambition arrives and plenty of iced water to keep hydrated today. Glad to chat with you today. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship.
****On a personal note: I am not against peaceful marches (I did my share in the 1960s!) but I am angry and concerned with the criminal activity that is happening. It now has nothing to do with the original purpose.  Please stay safe when out and about ****

Ahhh....it's cool again

No not outside...it is still triple numbers and muggy. I was siting quietly and stitching the burro when it felt so very hot. I had also just watched a hummer take a bath in the fountain bubbler. The air was not comfortable outside at 109 and inside it was 90! Houston S C Mechanical we have a problem. Within half an hour Brent arrived; up to the roof he climbed and when he returned a few minutes later, voilà, cold air once again filled the abode. It took a little over an hour for the temp to return to the 79 at which it is set but it was still cool air filling the abode. Memories from 2017 began to fill my head when the older AC failed completely and the temps inside were reaching that of out there in hot land.

Burro now has two legs and the third almost done...well none of them are really complete until the beads are added. His rump will also soon be finished. I will miss this project when it is finished... but then I can maybe order the next one.

This is a recent card I received from DebbieB....( missing her emails this week). We both cater to the sweet hummingbirds that visit us all the time. Of course she wrote a nice personal message to me on the inside.  I hope you can read the words okay.... a good reminder for all of us.

Okay my friends, time for me to get that glass of iced Gatorade and start my day.... a little later than normal but that is how it seems to be going today. Slow and easy. Happy to have you stop by and chat. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship. Ahh.... cool air filling the abode.....ahh.

Mud and beads

Whew...yes indeed. The temps they are rising, again. I think it will now remain in the triple digits for the rest of the monsoon season. It was 109 yesterday and today they predict 110. This past week I have noticed that the base of the fountain... in the Pond Garden has been wet. Initially I thought it was from when the Doves and Grackle take a bath and splashed out the water. But no... not that easy. Last Tuesday there were puddles. First I thought a broken irrigation line.... I placed a call to have it checked. Yesterday Robert arrived and after initial check of all of the bubbler risers, they  are working properly and no apparent leaks from the line. Over the next few days... before Tuesday when he returns, I need to remove the rocks covering the area. If not if he has to dig it up they will become buried... not wanting that to happen. We are thinking there may be a possibility for this be waiting is the only option at this time. I have already pulled the irrigation lines. The curse of the pond!

It is not easy to see, but the top edge and corner chili peppers are all beaded. The sides are almost finished and the hat is complete.

When I bought this a few yeas ago, I knew it was with beads but the included project picture does not show just how much is beaded! Lot of them are petite and they are very small. The sky and house area are next today. The horse is looking better but still needs beads. I will do close-ups when I finish.

Just call me the Fix-it Gal.....

The other night as I lay sleeping...isn't that from a song?... anyway, I felt quite warm. I was just was too lazy to get up and turn up the AC. In the morning after awake for a shot time I noticed that it was not coming on. So...…finally took a look. It was off! Now I never touch it so what happened??? The mind thought it can not be that after 2 years this new thing is broken! Obviously because I never look at it, it must have blinked a few days warning the batteries were dead. Having only changed them once, it took a few minutes to remember how to remove the battery case. I was not going to call the gal at the AC place again. As soon as they were in on it came and coolness returned. At the moment, towels are swishing in the laundry area, and I need a cup of coffee and some toast. I enjoyed having you stop by. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship.

An Eva P update: mother fell again.... fracturing her shoulder and due to age (92) surgery is not an option. She will have a brace in place for the next 4-6 weeks to allow it to heal. 

A room with a view

A lovely cool morning here in The Valley. The front door is open and the sliders too. It is actually a little cloudy out there. If you are wondering about my later post.... seems I do not get to blog early anymore. Any way, I was just lazy getting up...then I was checking this and that... one video was wrapping a cabochon bead. Then it was the call to the AC company. They are the nicest people for me to deal with. The thermostat was simple once she told me what to do..... it was not pull forward or twist to the side or lift up. No, on the right side all I needed to do was grip and tilt down. Voila! the batteries are changed and it is not blinking anymore. Another click off the learning list.

A few things….I have been asked about my new stitching area since I am not in the guest bedroom...which is now The Brother Alan's room.

this is in my room. It is the chair that I bought last year. When I am not stitching it is moved slightly back next to the curio facing inward. The table is a folding one which also can go away and the cart wheels out of sight as well. I have a much better view from this chair....

 My room has a large slider which opens to the lanai and then to the garden...as you can see I look out to lovely plants and can easily watch the hummer flit by and the lizard scamper about. I have not seen Oliver the bunny in some time. I really must get out there and sweep up the area.

I actually do not have to turn the chair but if I want to watch some movie while stitching then this is the way it is. 

The Santa is coming along. I should be able to finish him today. Then on to.....? I found another interesting star pattern. It is called Stained Glass Rainbow Diamonds.... it is so pretty. My hand is doing much better with the Gel but I need to remember to apply it more often and take a few breaks. 

Can you believe October is nearly gone? This weekend the rest of the USA changes the clocks back one hour.... we do not... so I become 2 hours earlier than the East Coast. Before we know it Christmas season will be here. This year I will decorate the tree and the house. Last year I was not in the spirit yet. By the way, thank you for the kind messages regarding my last post. I was not looking for sympathy, just venting my feelings.  Some days are going to always be difficult for me but I will not be saying it to anyone any time soon. I will smile on the outside and cry on the inside. To quote a part of something I just read:

"You are handed a new life that you never asked for and that you don't particularly want." I am thankful for the  good people in my life who when they ask how I am doing really do care. Those are my real friends... I thank them and you. Glad to chat with you today. Thank you for your kind words and your true friendship.

Something else to figure out!

Our Arizona weather has been lovely. Spoke with The Brother Alan yesterday and they are dealing with lousy winter weather in RI....felt a little guilty sitting there talking to him with the doors open and barefoot.

Enjoying the Oleander blossoms...so delicate. The bush is full and lovely to see.

 The Lantana are in full glory with bright orange glowing in the sunlight. With only a few days left for October the weather is finally getting to the perfect spot.... temps are blow 90 and above 70. Just perfect.
Not so perfect was to see a blinking light on my thermostat. The day before Dennis went into Hospice, June 5th 2017, I had to replace the air conditioner. Don and Glenda were right there to help. Don took care of the installation for me.
The company has been great whenever I have called them, I never gave it a thought that I had no booklet for the thermostat itself until now. I have no clue how to remove the cover, it does not seem to come off easily and I certainly do not want to break it. I had no idea there was a battery in it. So, Monday I will be calling them to see how to change the battery. Always something to learn around here. I am still looking onto pond companies and there are not that many and of course my pond is quite small compared to the advertised ones.... always something to deal with around here. Then there was the "friend" who I saw recently who asked how I was doing. I thought I can be honest...right? My answer was that I was having a few bad days. The reply I got? Well I am having good days, only good days. So much for telling someone how you feel and having them care. So, off I go to open the doors and relax and enjoy the flowers. Thank you for taking the time to visit and for your kind words. Thank you for your friendship.

A special end to a crazy day

Finally all was good here. Dave fixed my electric and cable problems. Poor guy had to come all the way across the courtyard! thank you Robyn for sending him and glad you are feeling better. Just about everyone is not feeling well. Glad that Glenda is feeling much better too.

The guys arrived before the scheduled time to replace a part in the A/C unit. My hand began to feel good....well, I did absolutely nothing so it would! As tired as I began to feel because of no sleep, I would not let myself take even a cat nap. It worked because around 9:30 last evening I finally did sleep and woke at 5:30 this morning. Crazy but I am still feeling tired.
The mail around 11 AM and then the tears.
I hade made a Shutterfly book with help from friend Dianna and it arrived.
Not perfect, but I love it all the same.

It is called-----My Denny and me. This is the cover with the Disney fairytale castle. Many through the years called our love and marriage a fairytale so I thought it would be perfect. One of the quotes I have loved is......."My favorite love story is ours" and it is there.

The very first page is a dedication of sorts because it is truly how our love began; with niece Tonya "Pafazzo" and is one of our favorite pictures of her. She is really the only non-denny/grace picture in the book. Most of the photos are of Denny as the book is about him.

It would not be complete if there were not special pictures of my guy and his garden and flowers. He had this love of gardening even back in Rhode Island before we retired here to Arizona where he was enjoying year round flowers.

and pictures of us through the years...that is the "me" part of the book. So many wonderful memories in my heart. He was a quiet man who loved gardening and some travel and he liked adventures like parachuting, white water rafting and some hiking here in Arizona.

It was difficult trying to choose what pictures to include as we had taken so many in our 47 years together. But after the tears these were the chosen ones. Of course the bear from his jeans had to be included. It is like holding him in my arms.

The decision was easy for the last of the 20 pages....
no words needed here.

The back cover says a lot for me.
Thank you Dianna for helping me accomplish this precious book of memories. While it is not always convenient to carry around lots of photos, this little book is right on the coffee table in the living room ready to be picked up and loved. The process of making this book was difficult at times because memories brought tears but in the end they were really worth it. Each day is still as painful for me as the first day --- May 19, 2017 and the last day of our journey on June 21, 2017. There is no rush for me to get used to the new normal around here......and some days are easier. I try very hard to keep the memory of the good days so that I can accept those last days which will never leave me.
I love books of all kinds; mysteries, travel, history and of course my crafting book but this is my most cherished and favorite.
I am not lonely for people just lonely for my Denny     💔

A Prince in my house

Crazy weather morning. The sky was very dark and clouds every which way, then the sun and now we are back to clouds. The forecast is suppose to be for rain today.....we shall wait and see.
My Shutterfly book which was suppose to arrive yesterday....well, it is finally in Arizona and took 6 days to get from NC by UPS to get to Tolleson AZ. So it is about 13 miles away form me....let's see how long this takes. Speaking of deliveries...the package to Lynda Ruth finally arrived in Canada...one month to the mail date!
Yesterday Dianna and Bobby picked me up and off we travelled to the thrift stores in the area.

This Prince followed me home. Could not beat the cost and he just looked at me and I knew he needed to come home with me. Not sure where he will spend his time but for now he is in the living room guarding the candy on  Glenda's my lavender pedestal plate. We stopped for lunch at a little place in my neighborhood that I have never been too and discovered a great menu and the food we had was quite good. You never know about these little places.
I managed to get just a little more done on my tatted motif and it will definitely get finished this morning. I am waiting for the A/C guy (Brent) to come and replace a part in the unit. This is suppose to stop the noises that we hear. I think they should just replace this "new" 7 month old unit. This is the last time and then I will insist that they replace it.
I picked 4 tomatoes yesterday and will enjoy them with cucumber slices later along with chicken tenders and rice. The yard needs a good sweeping and the pond needs to be skimmed but I would rather tat. So, that is where you will find me today. Nice to have you visit and thank you for your kind words. Thank you for your friendship....special thanks to Dianna for caring....

Mail Delivery

It is finally feeling like winter with the nighttime temps in the 40s and daytime in the mid 60s. Of course the sun remains very warm and in The Valley here we do not get any snow, but it does feel like winter. Yes, I had to wear long sleeves the other day!
Sometime today I must go to the Post Office...the dreaded place this time of year. This time to speak to someone in charge (?) if there is anyone. I received a package from sis Lynowl yesterday clearly marked fragile and it was thrown over my security gate.

The package did not contain breakables, but this was a good test after the last broken gift. These are chestnuts that sis found and thought to send to me. On Sunday...yes Sunday the bell rang but of course the mailperson did not wait. Instead the package was left outside the back gate.

 My Christmas gift from sis .... this is a book we had talked about recently and now I have it to read. I am very superstitious and not entirely sure about ghosts so this will be an interesting book for me. Also in the box was this lovely chime. I can never have too many of them. This is has ...yes, buffalo medallions at the top and on the hanger. It will hang in the kitchen because I love having chimes where I can casually ring them.
The mail also brought me yesterday

a Christmas card and a lovely stitched ornament from Vickie. A sweet friend who even when she was not feeling well always has time to visit my blog and send me encouragement. What a great finish for this ornie.
Ready for another picture....

My niece Elyssa managed to get her daughter...Natalia to posse with the ornament I made and sent but she ran off with the doll so at this point there is no picture of that.  She is adorable!

Here  is a sweet Christmas  picture of mother and child. Elyssa is a pre-school teacher. Alan is the dad/granddad of these two.
Speaking of The Brother Alan

Last Friday evening he and Lisa went to a Christmas party and sent me this picture. We may live 3,000 miles apart, but I am totally in touch with my family through pictures and now with Skype. Lisa modeled this dress for me last week on Skype! So much fun...See and Chat!
Sis  Lyn and I have been having lots of laughs with Skype too. It really has been a help this holiday season to be able to "be with them".
Well my friends, I need to get the laundry done and house in order. I have the A/ people coming to once again try to find the loud strange noises in this 6 month old Air conditioner. Of course while Brent will be here it would never make any noises! Hope you enjoyed the photos...I enjoyed having you visit. Thank you for your kind words and most of all your friendship.
PS the other day when I mentioned Debbie Burke...I forgot to add her blog link....http://lavender2debbie.blogspot.com/

Resting my feet

The weather here is still hot...and I do mean hot. At 8 PM last evening it was still 105 and the overnight was 90. Today may be around 109. Just too hot to trot my friends. But--- yesterday Glenda and I decided while having our morning coffee that we would go foot stool shopping.

 I knew that I did not want to try to find a new style and so off to antique shopping. Glenda spotted this gently used footstool and it is perfect!
Just the right height and size for my stitching chair and look.....

it opens with a storage area. It is in great condition and only needs some bees wax to clean it up and at this point I do not plan to recover the gently used padding. A good friend a good shopping time and a good find. What more can a gal ask for.
I have several Denny's Angels waiting for their halos then a starching so that is my goal this day and I really must make some Pizzelles...got to have my Pizzelles for the week. I have the air conditioning people coming at 7 AM to replace the circuit board in the unit and here it is 6 and greeting Brent in my pjs is not a pretty sight. So, as much as I would love to sit and chat I need to get dressed and ready for my visitor.  Thank you for the kind words that you send and for your wonderful friendship.
Tomorrow is September 1st...and that means only 18 more days to The Brother Alan arrival!

The almost storm

Last evening the winds began to whirl and some dust was in the mix. Later a few loud thunder sounds but no rain in my area. The temp is at 80 and it is 5:24 AM and still dark outside. May each 106 today. It is all okay because I will be indoors today in the cool of the air conditioner waiting for the company to come out and check it. It is running okay but several times it has made very strange loud sounds so I thought it best to have someone come out and look see.  The doctor visit went well. Dr. Paul is a really nice young man. Still thinking about Dennis who was his patient for 13 years. The problem with my right side seems to be a muscle issue. There is a muscle that runs from the outside of the hip down and then around to the inside of the knee area. Mine is swollen which indicates some damage. If after a week of using the gel medicine it is not better then maybe and MRI. No furniture moving...limit driving (being on the right side, driving leg) and liberally apply the med 4 times a day. Good thing I already rearranged and cleaned the lanai and washed the inside of the living room windows and changed the curtains!
I have mislaid a couple of club ID badges and while looking I found

this note dated 9-14-15 from Denny...you know that  put me in tears. I miss him so....
The laundry is about ready  for the dryer and my coffee was delicious. Next on the list is making the bed and on to tatting. Sometime today I will start the task of going through my craft patterns and books...again...I try to do this on/off and weed out what is staying and what is going. I no longer want to hang on to patterns with the thought I may actually make them. It is unrealistic for many.  Better to find them new homes. Thank you for taking the time to visit and for your kind words. Most of all thank you for your friendship.

Seven Angels

I really need a push sometimes. Yesterday I finished the seven angels.... Denny's Angels

that is  a total of 9; one for me and Dianna has one and these will finds homes and I will continue to make several more. As much work as they are, I enjoy making them and each one is a reminder that Denny suggested this project back in March. There was a sprinkle of rain early last evening but no storm. The temps are not too bad low to mid 100's but this monsoon humidity is unpleasant. Today I will be meeting Dianna for lunch or a late breakfast-- all depends on when the air conditioning guy arrives and leaves. Should be a simple fix. I was too lazy to vac the pond this morning...or was I just making excuses? Actually no, I woke at 3 am but dozed on/off and decided to get up around 6 and by the time I had coffee and toast, well I got lazy. Still hoping to relocate them to another abode.
Today the word is Thankful.

To be honest, I was miserable stitching this word. What was I to be thankful for? Here  I was stitching this at Denny's bedside while he was dying. Then I relaxed my mind to better times. I was and am thankful for all the years we spent together. Denny's favorite holiday was Thanksgiving. A gathering time without gifts. A time to enjoy being together.  He once told me that he was thankful for meeting me and that I married him. The crocheted trim with the pearl beads was a practice piece when I was learning the stitch. He said it would look good someplace on the banner. I was the thankful one for meeting him and lucky that he married me. He took such an interest in all that I did. I know he will continue to watch all that I do.
Wonderful to have time to chat with you. Thank you for the kind words and most of all for your  friendship. Let's have a good day.