leder legends

Arie had a cataract removed from one of his eyes.  Perhaps the world will be more clear or more beautiful now.  The patch came off at 3 today but he needs to sleep with it on for two nights. Drops, antibiotic and steroid drops for a few weeks should have him seeing better but still through a glass darkly.   Can't fix that...yet!

The weather certainly does in a large part determine what will get done.   It is going to rain and storm etc The hammock is drying downstairs.   After that I could not make myself venture outside. I did laundry, I vacuumed the stairs (hate that job!!), I went shopping at the newly renovated Aldi store near my house,  even stopped at a used car lot  ...crazy!

The reprieve from the rain is refreshing especially if the sun is out. It was energizing! So I did get a few things done today.  My to-do list is long at this time of the year. Cleaning out the garage is usually at the top of the list but I so dread doing it that items of lesser importance get done first.  I call it prioritizing lol! There is snow in the forecast for next week and while it will most likely not be much, it means we need space in the garage for both cars. Today, about 1/3 of the job got done.  I had to do one other thing first.   In order to have space for the garage accumulation I needed to clean up the yard shed. ( like- If you give a mouse a cookie )  I think that's why I tend to put off cleaning the garage.  Okay...the shed is nice and tidy and swept etc.with space to store stuff from the garage. Standing in the open doorway of the garage, I felt a bit overwhelmed!  It was a more than intimidating!  T...

How come we are so busy? It started early this Monday morning. Arie needed to bring in the Envoy for repairs which means that he needs a ride back..  We brought it in at 8:30. A new toilet was needed at a rental. I went to Lowes at 9:00 and bought one, brought it to the rental by 9:30, Joe arrived at 9:35. Out came the old toilet and it was old, perhaps even the original one.  Old plumbing fits differently than the new stuff so we needed to go get some parts (of course, lol).  It was installed,  a drawer was fixed and a doorknob replaced. That should be it for there for awhile but no guarantees. We used a hammer to smash the toilet into many, many pieces so it could be put in our trash. A ladies' disposable razor was found ...no wonder they were having trouble. We picked up a very heavy art deco type wrought iron bench for the yard. The cushions are covered in a bright yellow floral printed plastic!  It's cool! I had lunch with Joe.  He had plenty to...

R and I went to give blood.  This time we both had sufficient iron in our blood to give. They have some new comfortable chairs now.  I almost fell asleep. Afterwards, we decided to take a look around a master gardener's garden, which was nearby, to see what was still blooming and/or healthy. There were some nice surprises despite the cool temperatures and chilling winds.  The huechera specimens were particularly interesting because of the colors of the  leaves . This is not a picture I took there but an example of how stunning the colors were. I think I need a few more for the yard. I especially like the chartreuse ones.

Sunny skies are amazing.  I get my energy back. Yesterday I did a few projects at a rental. I removed the door from a medicine cabinet because the mirror broke..mysteriously. The same house...the front of another kitchen drawer just fell off...they think it's rotten. (yeah...right!!)  They also had a stick of some kind go through a window. I am supposed to fix that.  It turns out the panel off the window that broke is part of an entire window.  I am covering the opening with something decorative.  The mirror is old and the size is impossible to find. I found a large mirror at the Restore Store for $10.  Arie helped me cut it and put it back together.   Looks good but not perfect. I then went to another property and did major surgery on a hedge.  It's a good thing it's sunny!!

On July 28 , Ava and I set out on an adventure to Alaska. We traveled by car, plane and car to get there.  On the August 16 we we went by plane, subway, train and car to get home. Subway and train were firsts for Ava. It made for a VERY long day. In Alaska, we also had many firsts.  Glaciers, the Whittier tunnel, mountain climbing, backcountry camping, a Resurection Bay cruise where we spotting orcas, sea lions, etc,, sunny days in August in Alaska, fun with cousins,   Meeting Celia, reindeer farm, picking blueberries,  driving the Denali highway and staying in public use cabins. It was a great 3 weeks.

Brooding skies Beautiful OLD 'cottages' that all had these wonderfully big porches!! Looking for the famous Petoskey stones. Of course I didn't find any but this is what they look like. Harbor Springs

The mystery tour continued. The Wineries  We went to two wineries and learned a lot.  Up until 8 or 9 years ago there were NO wineries in this part of Michigan. It's too cold. A research program at the University of Minnesota has developed a few strains of grapes that can survive the up to -40 degree weather that they can get.  The plants they sell look like nothing more than a stick with a developed root system that is over 2 feet long. Impressive. The wine is pretty good too. We went to Crooked Vine Winery. The other Winery we stopped at was called Maple Moon Winery.  They are the first to develop wine solely from fermented MAPLE SYRUP. They tap over 3,400 trees! We weren't sold on the taste! The Tunnel of Trees This scenic route is worth the drive...at least one-way. We followed a guide and went north on an inland 'highway'. There was a 'hint' of fall colors. Trees and more trees! After Cr...