Thursday, December 30, 2010

Ups and Downs

Monday was supposed to be a day filled with presents and treats and a fun bowling outing to celebrate Jacob's birthday. Instead, Jacob rang in his 14th year by throwing up repeatedly, beginning around 8 a.m. and ending with a final upchuck at 11 p.m. The poor kid spent his entire birthday on the couch moaning and vomiting and looking downright miserable. And I spent the entire day emptying and cleaning his puke bucket, and notifying everyone of the bowling party postponement. Fortunately, the birthday boy felt much better on Tuesday morning and was finally able to open his gifts and eat again. The flu-type bug was most likely passed on to him from Norm and/or Eric who were both, unfortunately, under-the-weather on Christmas. Boo stomach viruses!

On Wednesday, I visited my dentist to have two teeth yanked out and have prep work done for a bridge. Unbelievably, both teeth came out very quickly and easily (even the dentist expressed surprise), and I have experienced almost no pain since the extractions. I wish all of my dental surgeries would go so well.

Today we were able to gather a group of 13 bowlers and 4 spectators at a local establishment for our much-anticipated, but 3-day-late birthday bowling party. Everyone had a great time, and 5-year-old Muffin seemed to have the best time of all. He was eager and animated and actually rolled a 104 on his first game - with the aid of bumpers in the gutters. I would have posted pictures, but I discovered a few minutes ago that my camera cords were outside in the car, and I was definitely too lazy to venture out to retrieve them. I will snap some more photos at tomorrow night's New Year's Eve party, then post a plethora of pictures (well, 5 or 6 anyway) in a few days.

Happy New Year!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

We had a wonderful holiday this year. We spent Christmas Eve at Irma's, then went to the late-night service at church. On Christmas Day, Jim, Adam, Jacob, and I opened presents in the morning and went to Irma's for dinner in the afternoon. There was the usual crowd of 23 or so people, and we had a rollicking good time. In a girls vs. guys game of Taboo, the girls came out victorious. In a very lengthy game of Candy Land, a few of the younger players became distracted so there was no clear winner. Later that night, some of us ventured out to see the movie, "Little Fockers."

Tomorrow, the fun continues with an afternoon bowling bash to celebrate Jacob's birthday. A group of us will gather at a local establishment to try our luck on the lanes. I hope that all of my Wii bowling practice will pay off because I have not thrown a real bowling ball in many years. I can only imagine how sore I will be on Tuesday.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Snow Day

After a pleasant, though hectic, weekend, Jim, Adam, Jacob, and I hopped into the car and headed north yesterday. On our way out of town we stopped at a local ski shop where I was insulted by a young salesman who informed me that the boots that I expressed an interest in buying were "too high performance" for me. I felt like telling him that I have been skiing for 40 years - almost twice as long as he has been alive - and I know what kind of ski boots I can handle. Whippersnapper.

We arrived at Boyne Highlands Resort last evening, in plenty of time for the boys to partake in some nighttime skiing/boarding. (I was too wimpy/lazy to don my ski wear and head out with them.) I did join everyone on the slopes today. The weather was wonderful - nice temperatures & many feet of snow - and, unlike some previous years, there were lots of trails open for us to enjoy. We will ski again tomorrow before cruising on back home at night. On Thursday, I will return to my frantic pre-Christmas chores & preparations, which include chauffeuring Irma to a doctor appointment very early that morning and completing my shopping in the afternoon. Hopefully, I will finish up with everything and be able to spend the weekend relaxing with the family. I am beginning to see the light at the end of my busy holiday tunnel, just in time to tackle Jacob's birthday (fun) and a double tooth extraction (not so fun) next week.

Adam, Jacob, and Jim posed on the slopes.

No one would stop to pose with me next to this pretty tree.

Friday, December 17, 2010

The Cavalry is Coming

Jim flew to Denver from Houston last night after work. Adam fetched him from the airport there and brought him back to his apartment. This morning they jumped into Adam's Jeep and, after 12 or so hours on the road, are currently sleeping in Moline, Illinois. Well, Jim is probably sleeping, but I'm pretty sure that Adam is still awake. Tomorrow they will be arriving at the condo and I could not be more excited because I will be able to delegate some of my chores to them. For some reason, I really overextended myself this month, and I have been so incredibly busy that I have not even had a second to spare. After spending the week hustling around, I am going to be just as swamped this weekend. Tomorrow morning, Jacob and I are once again volunteering at our local food pantry for five hours. In the afternoon, I am going to prepare for Jacob's and Richie's birthday party - from ordering the food to decorating to baking a cake, not to mention finishing up some very important shopping. On Sunday, we will be feting the December birthday boys, then I have to pack for our mini Michigan ski trip. And that will require not only finding my suitcases, but locating all of our ski equipment as well. We are due to be schussing up north Monday through Wednesday. Then, it'll be back to the hustle of the holidays at home. Never a dull moment around here, anyway!

Here is the view out the condo window on Thanksgiving. This is what it looked like around here the last time Jim and Adam were in town.

This is the current view out the condo window. Much prettier now!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Lost and Found

I love making lists. If not for my lists, I would probably forget to do half of the stuff that I am supposed to do and would only remember half of the things that I need while out shopping. Last week, I wrote a very extensive list of items that I have to purchase before Christmas. It contained many clever gift ideas that I had come up with for everyone - including some for Jacob's birthday - and numerous other things that I had to buy at the store.

I stopped at CVS on Friday night to pick up some sinus pills, and pulled out the list to see what other drugstore merchandise was on it. After checking out, I hopped into the car and drove over to Target to continue my shopping. Once inside the store, I reached into my pocket to retrieve my list. It wasn't there. I checked my purse, but couldn't find it in there, either. I began to worry, convinced that I would never, ever be able to remember everything on the list if I had to duplicate it. I recalled seeing the list in the CVS shopping cart next to my purse, and wondered if I had inadvertently left it there. Panic! I rushed out of Target, jumped into the car, and hightailed it back to CVS, praying that their employees had not been ambitious enough to clear my shopping cart out of the parking lot in the 15 minutes that had passed since I departed. I spotted a buggy near the space where I had been parked, and screeched up to it. I could see a paper being blown around in the back of the cart. You can imagine my relief when I saw that it was indeed my precious list, a little damp and crinkled, but intact enough to read. Big whew!

I started cleaning out the garage and downstairs room at the condo recently, and in the process, I located almost all of the winter coats, hats, boots, and gloves that had been misplaced in our move. I was also able to make enough room inside the garage to fit both of our vehicles, although it is a fairly tight squeeze trying to actually get into and out of the cars. I was happy that they were in the garage today, though, when I watched the neighbors scraping ice and snow off their vehicles that were parked outdoors in the blustery conditions. I am finding condo life pretty sweet right now since the roads got plowed, our driveway was cleared, and the walkway & steps were shoveled right up to our front door. It kind of takes the challenge out of winter, not having to dig out. Our official snow total at DTW for today was 6 inches and the white blanket looks beautiful out there!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Misplaced

If you have ever moved, you realize that some things will inevitably get lost in the shuffle. If you have ever moved during the spring or summer months, you just know that your winter garb will be difficult to find once the weather turns freezing in December. When we brought our stuff to Houston last March, we purposely did not take any of our cold weather clothing because, regardless of what the Texans think, it does not actually get cold down there. Not for any extended period of time anyway. If you try to convince the southerners that temperatures in the 50s are not hat & glove weather, though, they will laugh at you.

Anyhow, I vaguely remember seeing my heavy coats, gloves, and boots here in our condo as recently as October. I wish that I had put them aside somewhere obvious because, despite how much I search, I cannot locate them. I refuse to buy new gloves when I already own about fifteen pairs. And I really hope to come across my boots - yes, I have two pairs of those somewhere, too - before the snow starts to fly.

In Houston the other day, Jim was returning home from a jog when he stopped to chat with the couple next door who were outside decorating their yard with Christmas lights. Jim was wearing his running shorts & a t-shirt. He said that the neighbors were bundled up in long pants and sweaters, and the man had on a winter hat. I couldn't stop laughing as I visualized Mack sporting a ski cap in 58 degree weather. Neither Jacob nor I have even donned gloves yet here in Michigan, even though our temps have dipped into the upper teens. (Ok, maybe we would have if we knew where they were.) At any rate, I hope it stays seasonal in Texas this winter because I certainly don't want my precious tropical palms or my banana tree to suffer any damage from frost. I like it when temperatures remain near their averages. Adam - can you arrange that?

Friday, December 3, 2010

Time Flies

I can't believe that there are only three weeks until Christmas! Even though our tree is up & decorated, I am feeling quite unprepared. I spent a few hours this afternoon stringing lights in our front condo window, using about 200 strips of tape in the process to make sure that the twisty wires would stay in place. I also have our Christmas cards sitting on the kitchen table waiting to be written out and mailed so people will have our new address this year. I still have to do all of my shopping, not only for Christmas, but for Jacob's birthday as well. And I have to bake cookies. And make sure that Jacob stays on track with his schoolwork. And get some major dental work done. And finish cleaning out the condo garage so we can pull two cars into it at the same time, preferably before we have a significant snowfall. Et cetera.

Jim and Adam will be back in town on the 18th. We are having a birthday party for Jacob & Richie the next day, then we are heading up north to ski on the 20th. So, really, that leaves a mere two weeks to get everything ready for the holidays. And the birthday party. And our out-of-town trip. I suppose the smart thing to do would be to get off the computer now and write out those Christmas cards. Off I go - expect your card in a few days.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Party Time

Jacob and I have had a fun week with both Jim and Adam in town. We've been to a hockey game, played heaps of Wii, and enjoyed lots of visits with family & friends. On Thursday, twenty-seven of us gathered at Nancy's house and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Today we invited everyone over to the condo to celebrate Adam's and Nancy's birthdays, and, once again, a great time was had by all. Adam is heading back to Colorado tomorrow and Jim back to Texas on Tuesday, but both will return to Michigan in only three weeks.

The birthday boy waiting to open his presents.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Together

Jim flew to Detroit from Houston tonight. Adam flew in from Denver on Friday. Jacob and I flew to Texas last month and back to Michigan last week. Nancy and Richie both flew round trips between Detroit and Houston within the past few weeks. Luckily, none of us encountered any of those nightmarish scenarios with airport security that have been popping up regularly in the news recently. The six of us flew on three different airlines, so we went through several different TSA checkpoints. Richie and I were the only ones who got to experience the full body scan machine, and it was not a big deal at all. I don't know how I would feel about undergoing an "enhanced" pat down, though. I have received regular pat downs several times, and, again, those were not big deals. Unfortunately, I doubt that there is an easy answer to this difficult security question. On a lighter note - airline entertainment is certainly reaching new highs. With the availability of Direct TV, I was able to watch Wednesday's episode of Survivor at 39,000 feet at the same time that it was airing at home.

Since Jim arrived in Michigan tonight, it marks the first time that he, Adam, Jacob, and I have been at the condo concurrently. We have owned the place for almost six months, yet the four of us have not been here at the same time. It isn't as if we haven't been together in the past half year, because we have stayed in hotels, at Adam's apartment, and at the house in Texas simultaneously. Not surprisingly, the thrill of this lovely family togetherness didn't last long for Jim, and a few hours after getting to the condo, he went to bed.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Texas Troublemaker

Jacob and I flew back to Michigan last night. When we were still in Texas last week, we repeatedly caught a squirrel chewing on the swing cushion in our backyard. I can't be certain, but I think it was taking the stuffing out of the seat to create a winter lair. No matter how many times we chased the furry fiend away, it inevitably returned for more nest material. At first Jim thought we could just repair the cushion, but it soon became apparent that we were no match for a determined squirrel. We caught the critter in the act numerous times, but it always scampered away before I could take a picture. I was eventually able to snap a photo of the destructive thief from inside the house.

The initial damage to our swing cushion.


If you look closely, you can see the culprit on the seat having a great time.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Out and About

Before Nancy headed back to Michigan, we played tourist at some more Texas attractions. Jacob and I brought both Nancy and Jim out to Galveston one afternoon to revisit the Ocean Star offshore oil platform museum. It is such an intriguing place! Another day, we went to check out the Houston Galleria because I had heard lots of hype about it, but had no idea what was there. It turns out that the Galleria is a very huge, really upscale, and mostly unaffordable shopping mall, alongside office buildings and hotels. On Friday, we didn't venture far from the house because the weather was beautiful and we wanted to enjoy the 81 degree temperatures. We basked in the sun, ate lunch outside, and swam. By the way, the one bunch of bananas that was growing on our tree ripened last week, then quickly rotted. We peeled one and were surprised to find that it actually looked and smelled like a banana inside. I'm sorry to say that no one volunteered to be a guinea pig and taste it. Maybe next year!

Jacob and Nancy jumped into the hot tub on Friday afternoon.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Remembering

Nancy flew to Houston on Saturday, and we have been busy as bees ever since she arrived. On Sunday, we drove to San Antonio to see what the city had to offer, and, I must say, we were not disappointed! Jean and Jenna met us at the Imax Theater there and we watched a movie about the battle of the Alamo. After that we all wandered around the River Center Mall and peeked at the famous San Antonio Riverwalk. Our highlight of the day was visiting the Alamo, which was actually bigger and more impressive than I imagined. Jim, Jean, and Jenna headed back to Houston later that afternoon, and Nancy, Jacob, and I went to a hotel for the night. Before leaving San Antonio the next day, we strolled around the Riverwalk and took a ride on a tour boat. Besides being informative, the tour was also really interesting. Our guide was witty and quick, which came in handy for him when dealing with the frequent, slurred comments of a loud, but friendly, drunk guy on our boat.

Today Nancy, Jacob, and I went to the Houston Zoo and had a blast. The weather was beautiful and the animals were unusually active. I was pleasantly surprised to actually witness critters up close, personal, and moving around. We would have stayed even longer if the zoo hadn't closed at 5 o'clock.

Jim and Jacob outside of the Alamo chapel.


Jacob sitting on our river tour boat, which was coincidentally named "Ms Linda."


Handlers watered the elephants at the zoo. That cute baby was only a month old.


This spectacled bear seemed pretty comfortable.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

DTE vs. CenterPoint

Believe it or not, we had to have someone from the gas company over to both our condo in Michigan and our house in Texas recently. I don't know what it is about us and natural gas leaks, but I don't like it.

A few days before Jacob and I left for Houston last month, we noticed a faint smell of gas in the laundry room of the condo. I hesitated calling DTE Energy because the odor was not very strong. I decided to call, though, since we would be out of town for several weeks and would not be around to check it on a daily basis. The technician arrived a short time after we contacted the company and could not have been nicer. He stressed over and over that if I ever smelled gas to be sure to call DTE. No big deal. No charge. No problem. By the way, the tech guy did find a leak in one of our pipe connections and fixed it. He repeated that I should never feel bad about calling them. Ever. Always better to be safe than sorry.

Fast forward to last weekend. Jim and I had been smelling gas near the meter in the backyard of our Houston house for a couple of days. Since the odor was slight, we ignored it and hoped that it would go away. It didn't. I remembered what our friendly DTE employee had told me, so we called CenterPoint Energy to come check it out. The technician arrived and pretty much told us that our meter was fine, nothing was leaking, they often emit small amounts of gas, blah, blah. He proceeded to tell us stories about people who overreact to "normal" smells and hinted that we may just be that type. He was packing up his things when Jim opened the wooden gate to our pool equipment area and a gassy odor whooshed out towards us. We had the pool heater on at the time and the tech guy decided that, hmmm, maybe something was leaking after all. His sniffer wand did indeed detect gas coming out of the exhaust on the pool heater, so he turned off that gas line and recommended that we have a pool repair company look at it.

The pool guy came to the house on Thursday. Even though the smell of gas was definitely present, he assured me that it was "normal," and all was well. He never even opened any doors or panels on the heating unit until we switched it to the off position and a gassy stench came spewing out of the exhaust. At that point he could not deny that something was wrong, but since it was late in the day, he promised to return on Friday to service the heater. When he did come back, he found some gunk in the orifice, cleaned it, and assured me that we were good to go. The pool heater now only smells gassy when it is turned on and turned off, but not while it is running. The pool guy insists that it is perfectly "normal" and everything is fine, but I intend to keep my eye on things around here. My nose knows.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Around Town

Richie flew back to Michigan yesterday, but not before hitting a few more tourist attractions in the Lone Star State. Last week, he and Jacob spent a day at the Houston Zoo and found it to be large, impressive, fun, and entertaining. The three of us - Richie, Jacob, and I - also went to the Museum of Natural Science one day and really enjoyed that. It housed quite a variegated mix of exhibits, from dinosaurs to oil production to sea life to chemistry to early America. Jacob's very favorite display was, interestingly, the gems & minerals. We only intended to spend a couple hours at the museum, but ended up staying much longer.

On our travels around town last week, we came across some intriguing signs. The office-seekers here in Houston really went overboard with their posters, banners, and placards. I have never seen so many political ads in my life. I drove around a few different polling places just to gawk at the glut of signs. Colorful, yes, but definitely overkill.

Local groups have promised to recycle all of these election signs, which is great because recycling is not typically a big thing here in Texas.


Check out the wacky hours at my favorite doughnut shop here in Houston.


I never have figured out how much things actually cost at this store. Either way, the price isn't bad.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Dum-Dum Dismay and a Happy Halloween

I purchased some Dum-Dums yesterday to throw in with the candy bars that we were giving out to trick-or-treaters here in Houston. I decided to sort through the lollipops and keep all the cherry and strawberry ones for myself. I was shocked to discover that out of a package of 150, there were no cherry suckers and only one strawberry one. The bag consisted of numerous stupid flavors like "Cotton Candy," "Banana Split," and the ever-abundant "Mystery." Since when did cherry become obsolete? I am beyond disappointed in the Dum-Dum company.

Jean and Jenna came over this afternoon for a BBQ. The weather today was, without a doubt, the best I have ever experienced on Halloween. Jacob went trick-or-treating with only shorts and a t-shirt under his banana costume and Jenna wore a summery, sleeveless cha-cha dress with flip-flops. It was so different from our Halloweens in Michigan where the kids usually needed to wear coats over their costumes to fend off near-freezing temperatures. Candy hand-outs in our Houston neighborhood were fairly similar to those up north, with the exception of the huge individually-wrapped dill pickles that Jake and Jen came home with. I've seen some odd things given out to trick-or-treaters before, but never pickles!

Align CenterShortly after I took this picture, Richie walked through the room and
accidentally kicked the rows of suckers awry.


We carved our pumpkins poolside this year.


Jacob in his banana costume.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Sealife

We have been on the go ever since we arrived in Texas over the weekend. On Monday, Jacob, Richie, and I zipped down to Galveston for a few hours. We toured a retired offshore oil rig and then frolicked on the beach. On Tuesday afternoon, the three of us met up with Jim downtown and visited the Houston Aquarium. Despite some iffy reviews, we were pleased to find the aquarium to be fun and entertaining. Besides the marine life exhibits, they also had a talking parrot, four white tigers, and - oddly - rides. We had a great time, stayed for hours, and took advantage of everything that the aquarium had to offer.

The offshore energy center museum in Galveston was both educational and fascinating.


We dipped our toes in the Gulf of Mexico. The air temp was close to 90 and the water temp was around 80. It would have been a lovely day if the gusty winds hadn't continuously blasted us with sand.


The Carnival Ecstasy was in port on Monday.


We were able to watch the caretakers feed lots of the creatures at the aquarium.


We all touched some baby stingrays. They felt like velvet.


Jacob did his best to appear frightened.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Autumn in Texas

Jacob, Richie, and I flew to Houston from Detroit yesterday morning. None of us got more than a few hours of sleep Friday night because we had foolishly left our packing until the last minute. We arrived in Texas to find above-normal temperatures (upper 80s!), so not only were we tired and sluggish, we were hot as well. We were all much perkier today after getting a decent amount of sleep last night.

Jim, Jacob, Richie, and I drove out to Jean's place around noon today. Jacob and Richie helped her set up her new Wii game system, which has been sitting idle for almost a week. Even though Jean is an IT specialist at work, she could not quite figure out how to connect all of those troublesome wires & sync all of that pesky equipment. Later, we went to a farm in the rural western Houston suburbs to check out a corn maze and pumpkin patch. After almost collapsing from heat exhaustion while wandering through the corn field in the blazing sun (wimpy me - not the others), we rushed to buy snow cones. We also enjoyed a hayride, pig races, and a host of other fall farm activities.

There was a wacky "Goat Bridge" at the farm where the critters walked up, over, and around 20-foot-high catwalks and platforms. They were lured up the walkways with treats.


The corn maze was not the biggest we have ever seen, but not the smallest either.


Jen, Jake, and Richie ventured into the corn.


Jenna worked on her biceps.


The gang on the hay wagon.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Pinheads

Jacob has gone bowling a few times in his life, but only once without using those bumpers in the gutters. His score for his solo non-bumper-aided game was 17.

Jacob ventured over to Cloverlanes last week with some friends. Now that they are all teenagers, the group is way too cool to even consider bumper bowling. All of the kids started off with numerous gutter balls - in fact most of them were even worse at the sport than Jacob. After a few frames, some of the gang began to catch on a little bit and even knock down some pins. Jacob ended up with 54 the first game and 72 the second, and believe it or not, that was the highest total for all of the bowlers.

Despite their low scores, the teens had a fun time with lots of laughs. Bowling with an actual ball and real pins was an eye-opener compared to the virtual bowling that Jacob has done recently with our Wii. And now I know why the senior citizens at our local community center love that Wii bowling so much - picking up those heavy bowling balls at the alley is way too strenuous!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Another One Bites the Dust

Jacob and I were sitting in the condo the other day when we heard an all-too-familiar thump on our doorwall. We hurried over and noticed that a bird had flown right into the glass of our second-story sliding door. Upon examination, it appeared that this feathered friend was still alive, but either injured or in a state of shock. When I peeked onto the deck later, it was gone, and I was relieved that I woud not have to touch or dispose of any bird remains. Unless, of course, it just tumbled off the balcony onto the patio one floor below, in which case I will come across it the next time I venture out there . . .

Flying creatures used to routinely bump and bounce off the windows at our old house, and it seems as if nothing has changed since we moved. This is the second victim in four months at our condo. Plus we have found at least one dead bird outside of our house in Texas. Does this happen to other people or just to us?

I don't know what kind of bird this latest one was, but it was an attractive little thing.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Speed Racer

Jacob recently went to a local go-kart track with a group of friends. They drove some pretty nice mini-sized Formula One style cars. The track was was a twisty Grand Prix type circuit and Jacob had a blast! He drove in two separate sessions, so he completed about 30 laps. It looked like so much fun that I was tempted to hop into one of the snazzy little vehicles myself. Look out Danica Patrick!

Jacob zipped around the track over and over again.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Spring has Sprung

When we first moved into our condo, we were delighted to discover that the previous owners had left a remote control garage door opener in the unit. We changed the code and used it without incident, always intending to buy an additional one but never getting around to it. A few days ago, the remote stopped working. I purchased new batteries, and of course it did not take the regular type, but rather those pricey flat, circular ones. Even with fresh batteries, the opener still wouldn't work. I decided it was probably time to just replace it. Jacob and I spent this week manually punching in numbers on our outside garage keypad in order for the door to open and close. We joked about how spoiled we were with the remote door opener always at our fingertips in the car, and how much we didn't really appreciate it until it wasn't available for our use. We planned to shop for new ones on Saturday.

We were leaving the condo this evening and Jacob pushed the opener on the wall inside the garage to let us out. We heard the familiar humming sound, but the door stayed shut. After some brief observations and a few more tries, it appeared that the the arm-thingy (technical word) that normally pulls the door up and along the track up above us, was no longer attached to the actual door. Long story short - an obviously very important spring had broken, making the door too heavy for the opener to lift, and causing the arm-thingy (technical word) to just snap off. This had happened to us once before at our old house, so we were all too familiar with the problem. Luckily, the vehicle that I intended to drive was out in the driveway, so I abandoned the garage, walked back through the condo, and out the front door. Well, it wasn't quite that simple, as Jacob needed his bike out of the garage, too, so we first maneuvered that through the clutter in our downstairs room and wheeled it out through the rear doorwall. Then I went out the front door.

Tomorrow morning will be spent contacting garage door repair companies so hopefully we will be able to utilize the garage again soon. And, wouldn't you know it, tonight happened to be our garbage night, too, so the recycling bin and garbage bags had to be hauled through the condo and out the front door. I will never take my garage door - or remote control garage door opener - for granted again.

Friday, October 1, 2010

The Harvest

When we were in Texas last month, I picked one of the bananas off our tree to check it out. It was hard as a rock and almost impossible to peel. I had to use a knife to slice it open and once stripped down, the fruit released an odor unlike any banana I have ever smelled. Needless to say, no one wanted to taste the thing. I left it sitting on the outside patio table for a few days and even the bugs and iguanas steered clear. I ended up throwing it into the trash.

Recently I have been reading about harvesting bananas. Apparently there are over five hundred varieties of bananas and I have no clue which type is growing in my yard in Houston. I do have a better idea now of when and how to pick the fruit, so I will give it another try later this month.

I wonder if Jacob would wear one of those banana costumes on Halloween? How cute would that be? I will suggest that to him tomorrow.

Not yet ripe.

At least it looked like a banana on the inside.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Birthday Weekend

Jim and I were invited to a party at Comerica Park on Saturday to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday. We ate dinner at the Tiger Club Restaurant, then watched the Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins baseball game, which lasted four extra innings! The temperature dropped into the mid-50s before the duel was over, and my Texas-acclimated blood was secretly whining about the cool weather. The game was exciting, though, and the Tigers ended up victorious in the 13th inning.

On Sunday, Nancy hosted a BBQ for those of us with birthdays in September. A friend of mine offered to bake me a cake, and, wow, was I ever surprised when I saw the size of it! The thing was so huge and so heavy that I could barely pick it up. Jim stepped on the scale while holding the cake and it weighed 21 pounds! It had a total of eight sticks of butter in the frosting & mix, and, boy, was it ever delicious!

Saturday in the the park, bottom of the 13th and 54 degrees.

We stayed after the game to watch the fireworks.

Check out the vastness of my monstrosity next to Laura's cute cat-shaped cake and Pattye's normal-sized two-layer one.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Life is a Highway

We left our house in Texas late Tuesday afternoon and arrived back in Michigan Wednesday night. Our trip was relatively uneventful, with the exception of an 18-wheeler blowing out a tire right in front of us on I-40 in Tennessee. It made an extremely loud popping sound and sent debris swirling all over the freeway, but we managed to safely dodge the flying rubber. Other than that, the weather was good and the traffic was light along our route - until we got to Cincinnati. It seems as if there is always construction and some sort of jam between Cincinnati and Dayton. Always. The Michigan temperatures were well above normal today, but a cold-front will bring us much cooler weather this weekend. Jim and I are going to the Detroit Tiger game on Saturday night and the low is predicted to be in the mid-40s. Brrrrrr! I guess it is finally time to hang up the shorts & flip-flops and break out the blue jeans & sweatshirts!

A view of our little Texas palm tree that we planted in the spring. It has grown almost two feet. The orange lily-type things were in the yard when we bought the house.

The banana tree just keeps getting taller.

The yard from a different perspective.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Baseball

Jim, Jacob, and I met Jean and Jenna today at Minute Maid Park to watch the Houston Astros take on the Cincinnati Reds. There was a chance of rain, so the stadium's retractable roof - which is usually open - was closed. Being indoors for a baseball game seemed rather odd, but, at the same time, we were happy to leave the warm & muggy Texas weather outside.

Jim and I were torn over which team to root for this afternoon. While we would normally want our hometown Astros to win, the 27-year-old son of Jim's boss is a shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds. He did play in today's game, and we cheered him on, but in the end, Houston won.

Jacob found a big Astros boot.

Jake and I in our upper deck, front row seats, enjoying the cleanliness of the floor before the guy who showed up next to us spilled his giant-sized Coke all over our feet.

Our view, looking out towards right field. Notice the uphill slope in center field behind Jim's head. Also, there is a definite lack of seating in left field.

Jim, Jake, Jean, and I watched the game. Jenna posted important messages on Facebook.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Entomology

I have a collection of insects that I keep - outside - at our house in Houston. As soon as I capture a new specimen, I search the internet in order to determine whether or not it is dangerous. So far, I have not discovered many harmful creatures. Just very gross-looking ones. The bugs down here are enormous compared to those up north. The Banded-Winged Grasshopper in the picture below is about two-and-a-half inches long. The lovely Palmetto Bug (read: American cockroach) next to it is over two inches in length. The Cicada Killer, second from the right, curled up after it died. It has a stinger, but allegedly is not aggressive toward humans. The scorpion-looking thing is actually a gentle Southern Mole Cricket. Even though these critters appear pretty repulsive, they are fairly innocent. I must admit that I am becoming somewhat desensitized to all of the insects in Texas . . . as long as they are outdoors!

Some of the interesting bugs in my collection.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Sold

After almost nine months on the market, our house in Michigan officially has new owners tonight. The buyers made us a decent offer over a month ago, and we have been patiently waiting through counter-offers and inspections and repairs and more. The contract originally listed September 10 as the target sale date, and I must admit that I was surprised when everything actually fell into place before today's 4:00 p.m. closing time.

Back in June of 1991, Jim and I had put a down payment on an empty lot and a not-yet-built house in a new subdivision. We excitedly chose the brick and the siding and the carpet colors and the cupboards for our new digs. We watched the construction of the structure from the basement up to the roof. We eagerly moved into our new home on November 15 that year and lived there for nearly two decades.

When Jim's job was relocated to Houston last year, I was especially sad that we had to put the place up for sale. Finally, we were buoyed and delighted when - after 110 or so showings - a family came along that genuinely loved our house as much as we did. There were problems and issues and troublesome obstacles on the road to today's closing, but the buyers hung in there.

Welcome home Rebecca and Anthony! Take care of our old homestead.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Hermine is Here

On Sunday, Jean and Jenna came over to the house for a BBQ. The weather was very cooperative and we were able to go swimming and eat outside without sweltering too much. While watching tv later that evening, I was surprised to learn that a tropical depression was brewing offshore just south of Brownsville, Texas. Although the area of rain and wind was situated in the warm, hurricane-prone waters of the Gulf, it was close enough to land to assure that it did not have time to develop into anything too strong before going ashore in Mexico. The system became Tropical Storm Hermine and the outer bands of precipitation reached Houston on Monday. It rained in the morning. It rained in the afternoon. It rained at night. We didn't experience any terribly high winds, but it was blustery enough to delay Adam's flight out of IAH for about an hour. Luckily, our house is about 400 miles northeast of where Hermine's eye made landfall Monday evening, so we did not endure any real tropical storm conditions. Hopefully, this trend will continue for the rest of hurricane season.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

The Beach

Jim, Jacob, Adam, and I met Jean and Jenna at the beach in Galveston today. The weather was perfect - in the upper 80s and a bit overcast, which was good because when the sun is out full force I tend to whine about the sizzling heat. The water in the Gulf of Mexico is at the highest temperature that it typically gets to all year - 87°. It was great to be able to wade comfortably right into the ocean, and it feels so different from the shocking cold of Lake Superior's summertime 60° water temps. The wind was blasting along at around 15 mph today, and that made for some fun waves to bob around in. We all had a wonderful time, and, in my opinion, one of the biggest advantages of living in Houston is the close proximity to the Gulf. (But, don't quote me on that if a hurricane happens to head this way . . .)

Jacob, Adam, Jean, and Jenna frolicked in the swells. They are the ones on the right - I really need a better zoom lens on my camera!

Monday, August 30, 2010

Tales from Texas

The air conditioner at our Houston house stopped blasting out cold air one day last week. Fortunately, we have a one-year homeowner warranty that was included when we bought the place, so the cost to repair the unit was covered. We were only without a/c for about 22 hours, but with the temperature in the upper 90s and the high humidity, it was like living in a steam room for a day. I'd love to say that I sweated off a few pounds, but for some reason that didn't happen.

Jim, Jacob, and I drove out to visit Jean and Jenna on Saturday. It was nice to see familiar faces, and we had a great time. The kids went swimming in Jean's awesome apartment pool while we adults sat in the oppressive heat watching and perspiring. We then went to check out the Katy Mills Mall, and especially liked the huge food court & the Texas-themed store there. Adam is flying to town from Colorado for the upcoming Labor Day weekend, and we plan to get together with Jean and Jen again. It is fun to have family nearby when we are so far from "home."

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

We have Bananas

Jim, Jacob, and I departed Colorado Sunday afternoon and pulled into the driveway of our Texas house Monday evening. Upon our arrival, Jim was eager to show us the fruit that he had recently discovered growing on our banana tree. The three of us scurried to the backyard to marvel at the wonder of nature - imagine, our banana tree was actually producing bananas! Well, one clump anyway. As we stood admiring the splendor, I began to feel stings on my flip-flop-covered feet. I glanced down and noticed that ants - many, many fire ants - had crawled onto the bare skin of my feet and were having a field day biting or stinging or whatever it is they do. I hopped off of the grass swatting at the critters, and saw that Jacob was doing the exact same dance simultaneously. Jim, wearing shoes and socks, looked on amused and without sympathy. He did go out and purchase some fire ant repellent to put on the lawn. Note to self: watch where you walk and never go barefoot.

Other than dealing with creepy bugs in Texas, we are having a great time down here. Our pool temperature hovers around 90 degrees, and contrary to popular belief, that does cool you off. We have had a number of chores to take care of both inside and out, and it is especially nice to jump into the water after working in the sweltering yard. Among other things, the wooden pole holding up our mailbox rotted, broke, and tipped over the other day, so we had to go out to buy a new post last night. Until Jim finds time to install it, our mailbox is out at the curb precariously perched on two old milk crates. Yes, we are the classy neighbors.

The bananas.

We got in 18 holes of putt-putt before we left Colorado.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Go West Young Man

Ten days ago, Adam hopped into his loaded-down Jeep and headed west on I-80. He had much to do prior to the start of his grad school year in Colorado. Besides the normal college orientation & registration stuff, he also had to get a Colorado driver's license, buy Colorado insurance & plates for his vehicle, sign the lease at his apartment, switch his address at the bank, arrange for his utilities, etc. He has been busy from the minute he stepped foot in his new hometown.

Five days ago, Jim, Jacob, and I hopped into our loaded-down (mostly with Adam's stuff) CRV and traced Adam's western trek. We met up with him in Colorado and have been shopping and helping him move into his new apartment ever since. His unit is very nice, but a bit disheveled at the moment. I like the fact, though, that now it is Adam's turn to declutter and organize his belongings. I have certainly had enough moving and unpacking to last me for a while!

Adam left from the condo on the 12th.

Here is Adam sitting in his new, barren research office in Colorado.

A room with a view - this is looking west from Adam's office window. See our CRV in the parking lot!