I am trying to finish the patio area so that I can enjoy it and last night decided to tackle the water cart.
First they tell you it will take 45 to 60 minutes to put together - they are lying; it is more like 3 hours and made more difficult when you are trying to do it alone. Try to screw in items when there are no holes and your strength is supposed to create the hole - oy vey! I was finally seeing the end of my efforts except when it said to install the 4 nuts and bolts - there were nuts; but, no bolts.
So, today after the Leadership program being held in Manhattan I will stop by Home Depot and buy nuts and bolts and finish the water cart and then start on the planter.
My goal is to have all of this completed tonight so that I can then place the potted plants on everything and sit outside on Sunday.
I am getting closer to the outside of my home being completed - YEAH!!!
Yesterday I picked up my papasan chair at Pier 1 and put it out on the patio with its cushion and a pillow - I am looking forward to sitting in it this coming weekend. Also, my new storage door arrived and it was installed yesterday; as well as, the new doorknobs.
Just two more things to do; put together the water shed and the plant holder - a project that I will do over the weekend and then I will fill it up with potted plants.
This year my patio will become my oasis - a place for relaxation, recharging and just focusing on enjoying the summer.
I keep forgetting that I am going to be 59 not 39 and as a result of that I have pulled a muscle on my left side and am in a little bit of pain.
As you all know I live alone - that therefore means that I need to do most everything including heavy lifting by myself. On Tuesday evening a console table arrived that I had ordered and the box stated that the item was 60 pounds. By myself, I lifted it out of the box, proceeded to move it to its permanent location. Put the legs on it and had it all set up and then hoisted it on to its legs.
I loved the look of it and it now completes everything I wanted to do in the house this year (with the exception of the attic) and I was pleased with myself. I was not so pleased when I woke up on Wednesday morning to have a pain on my left hip area. This pain got progressively worse during the day and really hit home when I had been sitting for awhile and tried to stand up.
Will this deter me in the future from doing things on my own - ABSOLUTELY NOT - especially when this afternoon I will be finishing up my patio area with the new papasan chair, plant ladder and a portable water center.
This week is unusually busy and probably is more stressful given the programs we are supporting and the meetings/appointments I have.
Yesterday I literally ran from one meeting to the other until I left the office. Today is one of our largest events in the Health System with over 1000 people attending a program that we will stream out to approximately 60 locations. Thursday I will be listening to vendor presentations and assisting in making a selection as to who will work on a major project. Lastly, Friday I need to have some further testing done as a test of mine recently came back and has caused some concern. My doctor is thinking that it is just something that is happening to me as I am getting older; but, we just want to be sure.
Oh and how could I forget that on Saturday I have to be at the Hilton in NYC for a Leadership program at the Health System. It is unusual for my week to be so crowded; but, it is this week.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time together with Callum this past weekend - he came over on Sunday and left late Monday afternoon.
He had a great time building a tower with his blocks and then of course he had 3 to 4 electronic items around him watching or doing different things. We had a great time going to the bookstore where he played with the Thomas train set that they have and eating a chocolate cupcake, he then went to Pier 1 with me where I purchased a trunk coffee table and he was on a swing set. He liked the papasan chair and I am glad as I bought one for the back patio. Then off to the grocery store we went.
We are making plans for him and I o go to Disneyworld at the end of August. I know we were just there last month; but, we have found something he likes and is comfortable with. I am aiming for the last week in August when there are less people there and we can take advantage of some of the Disney discounts. I have frequent flier miles on United so I think we will be able to fly down for free.
It will be a nice ending to the summer - just he and I having a great time on the rides that he enjoys at Disneyworld and watching the fireworks each night.
I have to say that I am quite pleased with my self - my grilled dinner last night was a major success.
With the exception of the sauteed mushrooms and onions, the salad and the desserts everything else was grilled. My nephew, Gerard was quite surprised that I had grilled not only steak; but, also lobster tails which I had sauteed with garlic butter. I had also grilled a potato and a sweet potato - for the sweet potato I then created a sauce of butter, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon - can I tell you that it tasted like a cinnamon bun.
Because Carrie does not really eat meat or fish I grilled portobello mushrooms and after grilling them I stuffed them with chopped tomatoes and goat cheese.
For dessert I made a cherry cobbler and a yellow cake with chocolate icing for Callum - Gerard had both desserts and Callum had 3 pieces of cake.
I guess I ended up outdoing myself without thinking that I had - I love it when people enjoy what I have cooked.
Gerard, Carrie and Callum will be over today to celebrate Memorial Day and I will use the grill for the first time this summer season.
Yesterday I went ahead and uncovered the patio furniture, cleaned it and put out the cushions. I also cleaned the grill and got it ready for today's bounty: steak, lobster tails, portabello mushrooms, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes will all go on the grill. I will sautee mushrooms and onions to complement the steak, make a sauce for the sweet potatoes and make a tomato, corn and avocado salad. For dessert I will make a cake for Callum and a cherry cobbler.
Yes, I know it seems as if I am going all out - I don't do this every time; but, I thought it would be a nice change.
Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.
Have you noticed that some stores are already announcing a summer sale??!!?
Are these stores not aware that summer does not officially begin until Saturday, June 21st? Unofficially it has begun this weekend and I can tell you that the weather and the temperatures lead you to wonder if it truly has begun.
All shorts, t-shirts and bathing suits are already on sale. Should you be looking for something for your vacation in late July or in August you best buy it now as you surely would not find it in the stores later.
I would really like it if we were allowed to appreciate each and every season for the length that it has - they are not that long just 90 days. Take it slow and enjoy.
Today i will get my haircut and highlighted. I realized that it is 7 weeks since I have been to the hairdresser.
My hair this spring has been like my front plants - one week they are non-existent and the next week totally overgrown. That has been my hair - for weeks my hair did not appear seem to be growing; and, then all of a sudden it was too long. Before I take the scissors to it myself and cut some of it off I thought it would be good to just get it done.
I am hoping that she remembers what she did 7 weeks ago as I was able to manage it whether I curled it or not. Well won't know until much later today.
Tomorrow kicks off the unofficial start of summer with the Memorial Day weekend. And I am contemplating what this summer will have in store for me.
I know that I will now not be traveling in August and I am happy about that. Now that my patio is done, I have purchased a papasan chair from Pier 1 and I am looking to relaxing in it and reading several books while I get a tan. I also have ordered a planter holder that I will place in my backyard and fill with many potted plants - to manage all those plants I found a unit that I can hook up to my outside hose and use to pot plants, clean things, etc.
My patio and small yard will become a haven this summer and as I know I will have Callum for a few weeks in August he will also enjoy the patio and yard.
I got home last night a little after 9PM - and it was nice to sleep in my own bed and not twist and turn as I have done for the last three nights.
Baltimore is a very diverse city - the inner harbor area and Camden Yards is absolutely beautiful and I felt safe walking in that area; however, go one block over and it is not so safe and beautiful. I have not seen many homeless people in a long time and I was surprised to see them at every corner in Baltimore - it was not what I was expecting.
I would have enjoyed watching a game at Camden Yards as it is one of the ball fields that everyone should visit in their lifetime; but, it was not meant to be.
The conference was interesting and I hope we were able to do some recruiting for the Interoperability Course being held at InfoComm in Las Vegas; and, we were also able to gather information that we could use at the Health System.
This has been a conference that has been timely and provided me with a wealth of information to respond to client requests.
Chris and I have been able to meet with some vendors and to ask some questions regarding technology and solutions we need for some of our clients. I happened to have had a call with a client who was looking for remote capabilities to have a video conference to view live sonograms in maternal fetal medicine. I have potentially not one, not two; but, maybe three solutions that they will be able to review.
On another note I might be able to present a cart that will cost less money and have more functionality; and, lastly I have made a contact for video interpretation services.
So although I am here for the Visual Communication Industry Group - I will be able to take back much information to my office and to the Health System. Mission accomplished.
As you know I am in Baltimore for the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) conference. I was excited to be in Baltimore.
Catherine and I arrived in Baltimore on Saturday evening and were in our hotel a little after 8PM - we decided we would like to get something quick to eat and asked the concierge for a place to eat. He gave us directions to his favorite restaurant and we thought we would be on our way. Needless to say Catherine and I thought we followed the directions to a "t"; but, never found the restaurant and ended up on the wrong side of town.
We could only focus on hurrying up and getting back to our hotel; but, we could not find it and finally had to ask some young men how to get back. We were told stay to the right of the road and you will run into it - under NO circumstances were we to go to the left. We finally got back to our hotel and ended up having something to eat at the bar.
Yesterday (Sunday) in the day light we were able to get our bearings a lot better and now feel confident on navigating where we need to go.
I had to shake my head a few times and make sure I was seeing things correctly - because how could it happen in just a week's time.
I cannot believe that in a matter of a week the plants in my front yard have grown - everything is lush and green. Just a week ago I could barely see anything growing and now the white, pink and purple azaleas are showing and the hosta are almost a foot tall already.
The rain we have had lately has surely been beneficial to the flowers, plants and trees. And I really appreciate it - but, now I think we all would like some steady temperatures in the 70's and sunshine.
There are times when the handwriting is on the wall and we ignore it - but, we had ignored as long as we possibly could.
On Friday at the VCI-Group Board meeting we determined that it was time to dissolve the organization, this was a tough decision for the Leadership Team to make and then present to the Board.
We have done everything we could to produce quality sessions and information for our peers in the industry; but, unfortunately people did not feel we were worth joining and/or our programs were not worth their time.
So after many years of being on an industry board and being President for the past two years this period of my life is over. This is a double edged sword, I am looking to the time I have now gained back; but, I will miss the ability to be an influence and know what is happening in the industry.
Last week I made the decision to have my back storage door fixed and to have new patio pavers put down, my hopes were that it would be completed by Memorial Day weekend.
On Monday, they came to replace my door - told me they had to get some things and I never saw them again. On Tuesday morning I received a call telling me that my door was not standard sized and the door had to be specially ordered and it would be 2 weeks before it would be delivered. I was not surprised - thought oh well that is how these things go.
When I got home on Tuesday I noticed that they had begun working on the new patio; BUT, the big surprise was when I arrived home on Wednesday to find my patio completed with all the patio furniture back on it.
I am so glad that I did this project - every time I am in the kitchen and look out the French doors I cannot believe how good the patio looks. I am looking forward to spend many summer days and nights enjoying it.
On Tuesday I had a meeting that went from 4PM to 5PM; I pulled out of the parking lot at 5:16 and got to my home at 7:15.
It generally does not take me 2 hours to drive home, it is a trip that I have done in an hour more often it is an hour and a quarter. Given the time I thought it would take me an hour and a half. I really was getting excited when it only took me 30 minutes from the parking lot to the Hutchinson River Parkway - I thought great news.
UNTIL, I was on the Sprain Parkway and we came to a dead standstill. My thoughts were I am going to take the local roads home instead of getting on the Taconic Parkway. Just as I move over into the right lane to get off on 9A I notice that the road is closed. So I continue to crawl on the Taconic and notice that the backlog is due to everyone trying to get off at the next exit.
Once we passed the exit is was smooth sailing the rest of the way home; now you know why I try never to leave the Long Island office any later than 3:30; but, there are times that it cannot be helped.
I have a bit of a busy weekend and early next week - and need to pack for a conference that begins on Sunday.
Saturday I have to be in the city overseeing a video conference from our Operating Room to the Orlando Convention Center and then I am off to Penn Station to catch a train to Baltimore where I will be with other VCI-Group members exhibiting and attending the American Telemedicine Association's (ATA) annual conference.
Since it isn't a business day I have decided to wear navy blue slacks, a yellow t-shirt and a multicolored sweater on Saturday - this will be appropriate for the hospital; but, also comfortable for traveling. On Sunday morning we will need to set up our booth so I have a pair of tailored jeans, a t-shirt and a striped seersucker 3/4 length sleeve jacket which will be fine for getting a little sweaty and dirty. For the evening when the exhibit hall opens and there is a reception I have a nice sleeveless navy and green dress with a navy shrug.
For Monday and Tuesday I have navy slacks with tops and blazers - all in the navy category enables me to not worry about accessories or too many shoes.
All those years of traveling overseas for weeks at a time in different climates has taught me how to pack and limit what I have to take with me. Invaluable training.
It has been a long time since I have felt serene and as if I have control of my life and the things around it.
Yesterday I finally felt - SERENE. I am caught up with work, my home is clean and in order, I am dealing with the Delaware house situation and most everyone I am in contact with is on "my side".
I will be away on business next week and I have all my clothes and toiletry ready to go, I cooked on Sunday for 2 days and will cook on Thursday for 2 days. All clothes are washed and/or at the cleaners. My draws and closet are all in order and I have gone through what I need in clothes and shoes for the spring/summer season.
My serenity comes from having my professional and personal life in control, everything in order and managing all items as they happen.
It is rare that I can say that I just relaxed; but, that really is what I did yesterday.
I didn't set the alarm and got up when I was no longer tired. I had my breakfast, read the newspapers and saw the morning news. I put away the items I had washed the night before and then went to the cleaners to pick up the items from last week and to deliver the items that needed to be cleaned.
I cooked food for the week and reviewed some items, then just read my book and watched some mystery shows on television.
It is not often that I can enjoy a Sunday like that; but, I was happy to have been able to do so.
Today is Mother's Day and I hope that each of you are enjoying this time with your children and/or grandchildren.
I never thought that I would know what it is like to experience "unconditional love" which is what each parent has said they experienced once they had children. But, I have experienced "unconditional love" through my great nephew Callum - a child who enjoys spending time with me and his 'sleepy overs'.
"Unconditional love" does not have to be just for your biological or adopted children, it can be something you experience with any child you have a connection with.
This weekend will be the final push of spring cleaning and I should be able to enjoy the rest of spring and summer.
I have completed cleaning out my draws and closets, including the coat closet. All denim and down coats have been washed and the others will be taken to the cleaners over the weekend, I have a large bag and a box of items that will go to Goodwill.
I will also be cleaning out the two storage closets in the patio and arranging them - throwing out all old pots, plants and anything else that shouldn't be there. I am looking forward to putting out some beautiful potted plants on the new patio next weekend; but, this weekend I will go ahead and buy the plants for my front steps.
The oven has also been cleaned and a new liner placed in it to capture any spills, the glass was cleaned with a degreaser and it looks great.
Now it is time to sit and enjoy my hard work - catch some sun on the lounge chair and look to become a better cook with the outside grill.
There are a couple of home improvements that I would like to get done this spring. They are all having to do with the outside of the house.
I want to have the doors on my two outside storage closets replaced and the closets cleaned out - I want to make sure that the shelves that are in there are really at the right height and usable.
I also want to see what it would cost to have the current pavers removed and a new paver flooring placed for the patio. The other thing that I need looked at is that two plants on the front yard died this past winter and they need to be dug up and removed.
All in all it is not a lot; but, more than I can handle doing on my own.
Another Wednesday and I was in Manhattan for project review meetings. My second meeting ended early and I did not have another one scheduled until 2PM - what to do?
I decided that I would go ahead and place some maintenance orders for equipment; well as I look at the quote I realize that it is not our equipment; but, belongs to different offices and hospitals. I sent the quote off to those organizations letting them know that I would help them.
The two quotes I can process unfortunately I need the cost center and my colleague is not getting back to me with the information. I would much rather do this type of work when I have "down" time which isn't very often.
Just watching the paint dry - very upsetting as I am not the type who can just sit around and do nothing.
I was very excited to not have hat hair this morning - it was the first time that I wore my hard hat and I had it on for one full hour.
Although I have short hair it is extremely fine and really does not hold its style if something is put on it. I have been going to the same hairdresser now for about a year and she finally has gotten the cut just right so that whether I blow dry it and style it or I just blow dry it - it is fine.
I generally only style it when I go to work - when I am home I just blow dry it and put some wax on it to put it in an acceptable style. I have never loved my hair; but, I have finally made peace with it.
After three years at the Health System I am finally going to to a construction site and for that I need safety equipment.
There was no extra safety equipment in any of our facility organizations which meant that we needed to buy our own equipment. Monday found me at my local Home Depot picking up six safety glasses, six safety vests and six hardhats. Of course now they do not have a shopping bag large enough to put all of this - so only the glasses and the vests go in the bag. The hats went in my trunk until I could get one of my recyclable bags to put them in.
We are all set and today Chris and I will inaugurate our equipment, I will give the other members of my team their equipment so that they can have it in their car for when they are on a job site. Never thought I would be dressed like this; but, I guess there is a first time for everything.
Callum spent Saturday night and I thought "great" he loves to run errands with me - so I had a full list for us to do on Sunday.
Well, can I tell you that NOTHING got done on Sunday. Not because either of us was sick, it was just that Callum decided that he didn't want to go out. I couldn't even entice him with a trip to the bookstore. I don't know why - upon getting up he immediately wanted to get dressed albeit it was just putting on regular pants, not his shirt or socks.
He spent the whole time until his father came to pick him up watching his DVDs on the personal player, making a tower with his blocks, playing on the iPad and watching Nick Jr. on my personal computer. He ate his cereal, drank his milk and was his congenial self; he just didn't want to go out.
So I now have to go to the bank, cleaners, Office Max and Home Depot. I know I will get everything done very quickly without him today; but, I would have enjoyed doing it with him.
For years now we have been celebrating Cinco de Mayo - none of us are Mexican; but we enjoy the food and a reason to get together.
I started my cooking on Friday evening as I made the beginnings of a Tres Leches cake, then yesterday early afternoon I made my cheese danish - I made two platters because the second one was going to become sopapillas. Per the Pillsbury instructions all I had to do was refrigerate the danish, cut it into squares and drizzle some honey over it.
I then prepped by cutting up my onions for the nachos and the Mexican lasagna, the tomatoes and red onion for the guacamole. The cooking begins at 4PM when I know that Gerard would be on the road.
The highlight of the evening would be that Callum would spend the night - today he and I will go to Barnes & Noble and to Home Depot to pick up hardhats, vest and safety glasses for work. It will be another experience for him.
I finally feel comfortable that since it is the first few days of May that I can start to put my winter clothes away.
I began this project on Thursday evening by moving my winter blouses, suits and dresses from my bedroom closet to the spare bedroom closet. Tonight I will go through the pants and then tackle the draws that house sweaters and long sleeve shirts.
I will also be changing out my shoes - it is time to let my "Barney Rubble" feet out in the open and enjoy the sunlight.
This has been the longest in several years that it has taken the weather to change and for us to feel comfortable putting wool away. I am afraid that we may go from 60 to 80 overnight and there is no going back.
Yesterday it was cold, bleak, raw and raining - up to 5 1/2 inches in some parts of New Jersey AND today it is sunny and warm!!
I opened my door and have the sun shining through my all glass storm door - it brightens the house and the sun is both in the front and the back of the house. It is great to not have to put the lights on in the house or have a space heater in the room where I do work.
Tomorrow and this weekend I will remove the covers from my patio furniture and set that up and then next weekend I will purchase the plants to decorate the patio with.
I felt that this day would never come and there is now such a light airiness to my house and there is a smile on my face and a spring in my step!
Just last week we were hearing that New Jersey was having drought related fires that were being spurned by the wind.
Well given the amount of rain we had yesterday I doubt that we should have any drought situations this summer. There are areas that received more than 4 inches of rain throughout the day and evening.
I was in the city and there were several times that I had to walk up a street for a half a block because I could cross the street without having a puddle up to my ankles. There was one corner that had a huge puddle and a taxi went through it at about 40mph - you should have seen how that water splattered in an arc.
Can I tell you that I was actually quite lucky in that the rain was manageable in the morning as I drove to the train station and then walked the 12 blocks to the office. I ran out at 1:45 to pick up something to eat and then when I left in the afternoon I was able to catch a cab after walking one block to the train station.
Once home it was not so bad to put everything in the back seat, grab it once I got home and to get my mail. Hopefully as they have promised it will be over today.
