Random Ramblings in Virginia

Photo from www,weightliftingacademy.com

Some of my favorite bloggers are consistent about posting the events of the week and I can never come up with anything much to write about.  Here’s another try though, since this week was fairly busy.

I hit the gym on Monday!

I know that conjures up images of treadmills and weight lifting, but can we please count “Chair Yoga?”  What is Chair Yoga?  Well, it’s yoga done mostly sitting or holding onto a chair.  I know that makes me sound on the decrepit side, but it’s a beginning for final recuperation of the BigFoot.

I have forgotten Tuesday;

except I think we had dinner at the Pink Cadillac with good friends.  The rest of the day was spent elevating the BigFoot to recuperate from the gym.

Midweek featured a monthly outing with my friend, Norma,

only this time our outing was in town (Lexington, Virginia).    We stopped at Southern Girls, a wonderful decorating and design shop that makes me want to trash everything in the house and start over.

We also stopped by The Stitchin Post to pick up some yarn!  I am a novice crochet-er even though I have been crochet-ing since early childhood.  Never really learned to read patterns, but finally found one that yields “curly scarves” that everyone seems to like.  My dental hygienist (Chancee – isn’t that a beautiful name?) said she would like to have one of those curly scarves so she will have it when I go for teeth cleaning in April.

Today I hit the gym again but skipped the barbells of course.

And that my friends, constitutes a pretty full week – at least for this old country gal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Finding a Long Lost Cousin

Bert and Friend

Good Old Days -Dor, Little Brother Steve and Cousins Charlotte and Bert

This is a Random ONE Friday since there was only one momentous event this week.

Bert and his beautiful wife, Rita, came for a visit!

Bert is my “long lost cousin.”

How did so much time go by?

I haven’t seen Bert in about 40 years.

But time stopped this week, and there they were!

And it was as if we were still children, talking, talking, laughing, laughing, and eagerly reliving visits to each others’ homes, silly summers, beaches, feeding the pigeons, and rehashing old family stories.

We didn’t forget Bill of course, but Bill is a wonderful listener.

And we didn’t forget Rita either.  Rita is a wonderful talker.

Buffalo Creek

We went on tour of our rural Virginia neighborhood with a stop to visit a lonesome horse.

And onward we meandered down a country road along the Buffalo Creek.

It was a one lane road with the creek on one side and steep cliff walls on the other.

Rita and a Lonesome Horse

And then it was off to downtown Lexington, Virginia to the old Robert E. Lee Hotel.

The old girl is now upscale and POSH (not me – the hotel).   It was a rundown place before but has recently been restored to modern day glamour.

There are New York style revolving doors at the entrance and the only thing missing is a doorman! And in the lobby are original recessed telephone booths to retain the historical flavor of the place.

Photo of Robert E. Lee Hotel by http://www.expedia.com

There is also a jewelry store in town (Hess & Co.) in a rennovated building that was once a bank.  I often take folks there to see the old thick vaults from the good old days.  Above the vaults at ceiling level, are little inside windows.  Bank guards used to sit behind those windows with rifles pointed and ready to shoot at potential robbers!

Can you see the ceiling-high windows in the back?  I love it that Hess is not only a wonderful jewelry store in the middle of Lexington, Virginia, it is also a historical fixture.

Anyway, there just wasn’t enough time to see all there is to see and do in my part of the world, but the visit was fast (maybe too fast) and so much fun.

And that’s my Random One.  And it was all about my long lost cousin!

Notes: 

The Robert E. Lee Hotel is a six-story luxury hotelbuilt in 1926 in Lexington, Va. The recently restored classic hotel has thirty-nine guest rooms,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ho Hum Random Ramblings

It was the week that was and unfortunately nothing much happened.

How do my witty blogger pals come up with magnificent summaries of fun filled fascinating days?

One sees wild horses and swans, and another treks into the unknown, and still others record family reunions, baby birds learning to fly and the drama of insects pollinating the world.

This old gal staggers out of bed each morning and things are pretty much the same as yesterday.

I HAD A RUNNY NOSE MOST OF THE WEEK.

 It was leftover from a sore throat that hit two weeks ago.  Not a pretty sight really.  Not a pretty mood either.

I WASHED MY HAIR SUNDAY NIGHT AND BY MONDAY MORNING THE FRIZZ WAS BACK.

 Seems the older I get, the more tolerance I have for frizz and things.

The trick is to think of my head as covered with a lion’s mane.  Then try to avoid mirrors.  And no matter what – walk tall with pride.

Dad always said to do that you know – walk tall with pride.

BILL SAID HE SAW SIX BUCKS!

No, not the money.  These were six male deer with antlers, except for one.  No, not the antler – the deer.

There was a spotted antlerless fawn hanging around the macho crowd!

Talk about luck.   I missed that awesome photo op too. 

But, did you know deer have bachelor parties, or that they invite youngsters to join in?

Don’t you think this raises all sorts of questions about the nurturing habits of deer?

Maybe they have the equivalent of inner city gangs teaching  newbies how to maraud and pillage.  It would explain the mass extermination of plant life in our gardens.

MY MONTHLY “OUTING” WITH FRIEND NORMA WAS A GRAND SUCCESS – EXCEPT FOR LUNCH.

We hit a new Thai restaurant in Staunton, Virginia (pronounced Staaantin by our locals) and I smugly ordered Green Chicken Curry like I knew exactly what that was.

There was an extended level of HOT shock and awe.  I was speechless, hacking, and had no control over watering eyes.   The wait staff looked on with pity and kept checking to see if “we” were all right.

Norma was doing fine with her Red Chicken Curry.

I left the restaurant hungry but on the positive side,  my sinuses were cleared.

TODAY WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE OUR BATHROOM FLOOR REPLACED.

 Talk about excitement!

I am really looking forward to that and to including the event in next Friday’s Exciting Random Rants.

 

 

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Country Storms and Personality Flaws

Random Friday Randoms

• I paid the locker fee for a whole year at the YMCA.  Now the question is, will I go?  And/or, will I go regularly?
• Also signed up for a Beginner’s Crochet class at our local Stitchery
  

  photo from http://www.jennyandteddy.com

  Actually, I know how to crochet but unable to read a pattern, join new skeins to old ones, or end a thing so it doesn’t unravel.  Some folks have received Dor’s scarves that are undoubtedly unraveled by now.  And apologies if your feet are sticking through that afghan I sent last Christmas!

  It was the same with a long ago Beginner’s Typing Class when  I was already typing fast but had no idea how to set margins.  Good thing WordPress sets the margins for us!

  Is this a personal personality flaw or what?  How about playing the flute in high school and making First Chair after memorizing Flight of the Bumble Bee while never learning to read music?

  But more randomly:

• We had dinner out with good friends (the same good friends) twice this week (or was it thrice?).  It is always amazing to find we never run out of things to talk about.
• The grounds around the house are lovely again, filled with the hope of beauteous blossoms and neatly manicured beds.  Everything is mulched, trimmed and awaiting the encroaching weeds of summer and deer denuding.  Spring never fails to elicit hope in my heart and oh, Virginia is truly gorgeous this time of year – like the fancy icing on a wedding cake.
  

  en.wikipedia.org Cardinalis cardinalis male feeding female, in a white-flowered C. canadensis

There was a storm brewing today though.  I am afraid of thunder storms so managed to beat it home in time but it didn’t thunder too much after all.  Otherwise, there is always the closet for shaking in privacy and  missing old dog, Rozie.  Rozie used to be so frightened of storms that her teeth would literally chatter.  I have never heard of a dog’s teeth chattering, have you?

 

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Remembering Friday Randoms

After I have finished reading a book, I forget it.  Well, most times.  Especially if it is fiction.  The upside of this is I can read the same book several times and always think it’s new.

After a week in my life is gone, I forget it.  Well, most times.  Especially if I am tired out and sleeping off a lot of excitement.

Today, Friday, I am staring at a blank page.  Can we call a backlit white space on a computer screen a “page”?

What did I do since last Friday that would warrant remembering?  And what could possibly interest my blogger family out there?

Lemme know if any of these “Randoms” leave you breathless o.k.?

• I made a cake for an upcoming block party but my grandgirls ate it.
• I made a second cake for the same upcoming block party.  Same cake.  Same party.  It escaped unscathed as it is hidden now in a spare bedroom.
• Our son, three granddaughters, and a possum came for a visit so I spent one whole day making beds and preparing advance meals.  No problem.  Excitement mounted.  The beds were not for the possum although one grandgirl wanted to let him in.  This was Mr. Possum’s second visit!  Can he be domesticated?
• We talked, laughed, got caught up, played scrabble, watched funny movies and made our traditional grocery store Runs for Survival.  Each college girl gets a canvas shopping bag she can fill to the brim (and over the brim) with snacks, goodies, and some real food for her dorm room.  It used to be a $5 run to the Dollar Store but times have changed haven’t they?
• Soon, well fed and stocked with provisions, our son and granddaughters left.  I spent another whole day making beds and my own Survival Run to restock pantry and refrigerator.  The possum returned once but seemed to know the food was gone, family time was over and he hasn’t come back.
• Another day was spent well, sleeping – like falling asleep between meals and before bedtime, and once standing up at the sink.  How exciting can you get?
•  I added three pages to a real book I am writing, so I am three pages past the Introduction.  This is a definite sign of recovery.  I started writing the book last spring.

Next, you will be quizzed on this report.

Can you remember anything about my Friday Randoms?

 

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Are the Holidays Really Over?

This week came and went – fast!

How can that be with nothing exciting happening?

New Year’s Eve

Bill and I were supposed to go to our friends’ home for nibbles before heading out to dinner.  Plans changed since our friends had to put down one of their favorite horses they described as  “a good girl.”  They were in no mood to host so we did the honors.

We watched a possum exploring our deck and that drew some laughter.  Dinner was fine.  And we managed to stay awake for champagne to welcome in the New Year.  It was an evening of mixed emotions; the sadness that comes with loss and the joy that comes with hope.

 

 

This Wednesday night was bitter cold.  

We lit the wood stove to give the generator a little rest and it was truly cozy inside

while we listened to the wind howl and the temps dropped to 5 degrees Farenheit.

The wild birds have finally arrived at our feeder!  I am so glad to see them.  This morning a big red headed woodpecker actually swooped in and out, along with a female cardinal, and a bunch of little finches.  It is still in the teens today.

Maybe people like to flock too.

Plans are also in the making for a Neighborhood Pot Luck Party.

Somehow my friend Phebe and I get involved in the invitations and organization, and another of our neighbors, Anne,  hosts the party.  So I have been on the telephone and emailing folks to help pull the whole thing together.

Here it is a week since New Year’s Eve and tomorrow our son is coming all the way from California with our three grandgirls.  That should be fun since nowadays it is getting harder and harder to get everyone together at the same time.

ORGANIZE!

What is it about the first week of a new year that inspires a huge urge to organize home and hearth?   I’m into that too – organizing.

Starting with one little desk file drawer, I spent this morning reducing paper.  Well, at least I concentrated on that one file,  so full I can hardly pull it up without four other files coming along with it.

Then I realized I am behind (way behind) on blog posts too.

This week went by so fast.

How can this be when nothing exciting is happening?

 

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Hurrah for Bad Weather

Random 5 Friday

I maintained my “up” attitude this week.  This may be the longest stretch of joy since nineteen hundred and fifty nine.  By this time in the holiday season I am ordinarily “snarky,” as my friend, MJ says, and it all began with a Christmas tree.

• Bill  agreed to purchase a real Christmas tree EARLY this year since our weather here is so tricky! The idea of searching  in a downpour did it.  In Bill’s family the tradition was to find and decorate a tree on Xmas Eve.  But my family liked to get it all together quickly in order to extend the suspense.  Well, the weather worked in my favor this year.   We not only found the perfect tree but brought it inside yesterday (because the forecast was for cold rain!) and last night we put on the lights and I finished adding all the memory infused ornaments.  Hurrah for bad weather!

MJ’s Mondo Cookies

• Today I made MJ’s Mondo cookies!  MJ is one of my favorite bloggers.  She calls her cookies “The Un-Christmas Cookies, but they are scrumptious and beautiful and perfect for any holiday.  You can visit her at Emjayandthem’s Blog.  Hurrah for MJ!
• This week I also found a pair of skinny jeans with sparkles on the butt!  I may be a bit ancient for a sparkly rear, but hey, why not?  I am fortunate (or perhaps unfortunate) to be blessed with skinny legs and a flat bottom. The rest is indescribable.  But these wondrous jeans fit!  Hurrah for holiday miracles!

Skinny Jeans with Rear End Sparklers

• Friend Joan and I had lunch in downtown Lexington, Virginia. Our lunches last for hours since we have so much to talk about, catch up on and share.  We dined at the newly restored Robert E. Lee Hotel in their restaurant called Rocca’s!  Downtown was buzzing too but I managed to squeeze in a haircut.
• Then Bill and I had dinner with other great friends, Pete and Phebe.  Our favorite “haunt” is Frank’s Pizza because that’s where all the action is.  At our age it doesn’t really take much action, but there is something about Franks’ or maybe something in their sauce that reduces us all to uncontrollable laughter.  Hurrah for ageless hilarity.

Well, in spite of being deeply enthralled with my latest Doomsday book, Year of Wonders, (about the Plague) I am in a holiday sort of mood.  Hurrah for jingling bells and Christmas cards in the mail, and a home that looks like a Norman Rockwell painting.  And hurrah for a great family and good friends!

And although I cannot believe it myself, I am saying, “Hurrah for bad weather!”

 

 

 

 

 

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Announcing the Art of Wasting Time

Random Five Friday

Have you ever had a week you couldn’t account for?  I mean where you felt like you were trying to accomplish something but not getting anywhere?  That was my week.

• It started out fine with Monday errands accomplished in time to go to the gym. “A great start,” I thought as I hit 6,000 steps on the pedometer that day.

That was about it for physical movement this week.

• Tuesday the car needed mechanical attention at a dealer/shop an hour from our house. Of course, everything is an hour from our house.  Due to the distance we were given an overnight loaner!  “ How kind,” I thought.  And the loaner was a brand new 2015 model with only 24 miles on it!  Talk about a great marketing approach!

• Wednesday we waited around most of the morning for a call re the car.  They finally rang at around 2:30 PM so that was a day shot.  It was an hour there and an hour back in our 2006 model that feels the same as the 2015 version really.    And I didn’t make it to the gym that day either.

• Thursday I was supposed to have lunch with friend, Joan, but it turned out she caught the cold that is going around town and it progressed to bronchitis. I went to the store instead and stocked up on hand sanatizers

• And here we are at Fun Friday! This morning I went on a search for skinny-er jeans since I think I am losing weight. Must be my imagination because the next size down is still impossible to pull up. But my new “diet” is a self invented approach – a restricted grain intake and not eating after 8 PM.   You can bet you will hear about it if it works!

I am so envious of my blogger friends who take pictures during the week and who lead such interesting lives.  With all the waiting around, I did finish a wonderful novel in preparation for book club later this month.  It’s called The Widow’s War, by Sally Gunning and is now on my favorites list.

There is definitely an art to wasting time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Time Talking, Time Flying

Autumn in the Shenandoah Valley

I have been away.  No, not really travelling but far away and seemingly for a very long time.

My friend Noche, the German Shepherd, was here for over a week and then she traded us for her own loving family.  The day after she went home, our son arrived and we spent days talking – and talking – and talking.  There was so much to catch up on that missing a minute was out of the question.

And then our oldest grandgirl arrived and guess what?  More talking!

The blog got put on a back burner.

And while we talked, the leaves flew and covered the deck.   The weather came and went and changed from very cool to  cold. And finally, surprisingly today was almost balmy.

The deer have returned now that Noche is no longer barking.

And the house is oddly quiet minus the sounds of all those human voices

talking and talking and talking.

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The Week that Was

Random Five Friday

This week we had Noche, the German Shepherd.  Bill and I have been dog sitting.

Noche loves it here because she is never on leash and has wide open spaces to run.  Nevertheless, I wanted to add some excitement to her visit.

Little herds of deer arrive every afternoon and one day I opened the deck door verrrry quietly so Noche would remain undetected.   Unaware of the big wild world of creatures, the pup’s ears suddenly went straight up on high alert and her whole body poised for action!  It only took one loud bark and six deer took off in a flurry.  I thought Noche was going to leap over the deck railing!

Do you think dogs keep their memories of vacation thrills?  Maybe she will have great running-dog dreams.

I did get to the gym one day and left feeling delightfully noble.   I like to rest there too (watching the hampster-humans pedaling nowhere).  I sit across from the exercise balls which create a celebratory mood.  They look like party balloons don’t they?  The colors are brilliant – perhaps not quite brilliant enough to encourage sit ups or other balancing acts though.

I decided some time ago to strive/stride for 10,000 steps a day – usually accomplished at the gym. This week has been slow but the pedometer keeps recording anyway and I managed to average 6,000 steps!  Accolades please!  I now call the pedometer Big Brother because it’s always watching.

Time got away mid week with two days devoted to gathering a packet of information for our community.  As Secretary, there is usually nothing much for me to do as we only meet once a year.  But sometimes issues arise that require research and attention.  Ours is a horsey community where there is a Hunt – like the old English hunts where people dress up in “pinques,” ride to the hounds, and have “dinners” that are really breakfasts.  Or are they breakfasts that are really dinners?  But  sometimes there are questions about who can ride where.

en.wikipedia.com

Then my friend, Pam, called for a shopping trip to Roanoke.  Occasional escapes from Paradise are just the ticket for raising spirits so Pam and I went to a real big-city shopping mall.  That was a 7,000-step-day!  Lunch out and “catching up” made for a perfect outing.  Even the sunshine cooperated as if to apologize for a long stretch of overcast skies, rain and drizzle.

The colors of autumn continue to dazzle.  Just look at our Pyracantha!

The berries are brighter than a pumpkin.  And have you ever heard of an annual Dahlia?  This is what Bill planted in the spring and it is still budding!

 

I am cooking today.  Our son will be coming from California for a four day visit next week.  He loves Mom’s homemade spaghetti sauce (simmering now).  I will freeze it for when he arrives and must also make Hungarian Paprikash (a favorite family dish handed down through the generations).  Ahhh, it’s so nice to be appreciated even though I truly hate to cook.

Hope your week was equally pleasant and your weekend is even more fabulous!

 

 

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