And What Have You Been Up to My Dear?

Good southern lady that I am I haven't been whistling Dixie nor wandering around muttering Fiddle dee dee (Scarlet I'm not), but I have kept myself busy,  besides visiting my doctor.
I've managed to crochet  a couple of hot pads, and Lord knows I needed them my old ones are too raggedy to even pass on to Goodwill, sewed up a couple of springy pillows for the entryway, changed the look of the kitchen table we never eat at---the place mat are courtesy of my daughter who loved the material and made them for me for Christmas--and spent some quality time with the puzzle that's trying to send me round the bend.  It looks so easy---Ha, ha, ha.

A Good Day in Savannah

Up in the wee hours or at least that's how it seemed in order to drive to the far side of Savannah to meet with my retina specialist.  My eyes are doing well and considering the number of things wrong with them that was good to hear. We'd  also promised ourselves that each month this year that we'd do something special to celebrate our wedding anniversary ----50 years and he's promised me at least 20 more--so we went out to lunch.
We decided that when we went out that we needed to try some new places so today's lunch was at Corleone's, an Italian restaurant we've been meaning to try.
It was great, but we ordered WAY too much food.  We both had salads and we shared an antipasto plate.  Mac then had a chicken parmesan sandwich and I ordered lasagne.  We always share so we each had a bit of everything.  Even doing that though we had to bring a bunch home.
It was a  good day indeed.

Oh Mr. Rogers, It Is Indeed a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Our dock, haven't taken our boat out in forever

The sun is shining, the temperature is near 70º, who could ask for more in mid-January?  Wandered around the back yard, pulled up a couple of oak trees (with my back squealing at me), got the small rake and uncovered more bulbs coming up---more daffodils and some hyacinths--the freesias are up, but not blooming yet, Mac's Fava beans are hanging in there and there's lettuce growing in tubs, too small to eat, but nice to see anyway.  In fact it just feels great to be outside.

Fava Bean

Island in the lagoon out back

Pooh Day

Scriptor Senex at Rambles From My Chair  says that today is the birthday of A.A. Milne and in honor that January 18 is Pooh Day.
I'm a big fan of Winnie the Pooh, definitely identify with short, fat and proud of it, not to mention being stuffed with fluff and being a bear of very little brains.  So here are a few random Pooh quotes pulled from the internet.

And best of all, " How do you spell love?"  "You don't spell love, you feel it."

Painting

I'm in shock!  I sold a painting!!!  Mac sells regularly, but I've only sold one or two paintings, so when one sold yesterday I was about in shock.  Painted it a few years ago, still love the colors and frequently paint beach or boat scenes.
It left today for a new home in California.

New Computer

As predicted my new computer showed up about time for Happy Hour on Wednesday, so about all we did was bring it in the house.  Yesterday we were running all over the place: oil change, donations to Goodwill, pick-up money for a painting Mac sold, go to Kroger's.
So it was this morning before Mac set my I-Mac up.  Of course there's not a whole lot of setting up to an I-Mac, plug it in, connect to internet and off you go.  Most of my time was spent reseting my Bookmarks.  Tomorrow we hook up the new printer and the disc drive, you can no longer just stick a disc in a Mac, you have to have an external device to do that now.  We had the printer and the computer sitting next to each other for a day or so, hoping they could become friends because printers are such fussy little devils and won't just print for anyone.  My retired (with honors) computer has a 19 inch screen and the new one is 21 inches, but much thinner, which I didn't think was possible.  Any thinner and it will be invisible.
I've noticed as I typed this that it doesn't just underline a misspelling, it shows the correct spelling just below the error.  I've made a few errors intentionally just to see what it would do. Like having an English teacher hanging over your shoulder.
Out in the garden the plants are pretending it's not winter and the daffodils are in bloom, while in the laundry room the paper whites are blooming and smelling wonderful.

So flowers in the garden and a new computer inside, life is good.

I'm Waiting

My computer is due today, UPS is delivering it----some time.  I've checked their site, it went out for delivery at 7 am this morning.  But it didn't get delivered this morning.  Will probably be this afternoon, probably during Happy Hour---that's what we call our afternoon nap.
I can hear the clock ticking, I wish they'd get here.

Where Does the Time Go?

Decluttering, yes, but not all the time, what else have I been up to.  Well, I try to find time each day to play the piano, finally teaching myself to play was a major step for me and I want to keep it up.  Though my back is still not right, and probably won't be till it warms up and dries up here,  I still walk a couple of miles each day and exercise.
Then Friday, with other things sorted out, I sat down to order a new computer.  Mine has not died, but it's about 8 years old and in computer years that's about 800 years, so it was time for a new one.  I was tired of going to sites and being told my system was too old.  I couldn't even put Skype on my machine.  Anyway I went on-line, found the I-Mac I wanted, it had to be a Mac, we've always had Macs and even though they're a bit more expensive they're worth it, Macs don't die, they just get old.  Next I contacted a company we'd done business with before and called them up, ordered what I wanted,  and then it got complicated.  They no longer do their own financing and sent me to another site.  Now I could pay cash, but if a company will give me 6 months same as cash I save my money and go that way.  Several calls later, many misunderstandings and I cancelled my order, I was not happy.
I then contacted Apple directly, ordered my Mac and it will be here Tuesday or Wednesday, no problems, no hassles, just a quick sale.
Today it's raining, in fact they've forecast rain for most of the week, grumble, grumble.  Other than an umbrella I have no rain gear, no waterproof anyway.  So when we went to walk this morning, I got wet and I grumbled.  It's not that I mind getting wet, it's that I hate changing clothes!  I'd have been a terrible Edwardian (watched Downton Abbey last night), I'd have worn the same clothes all day and people would have thought there was something weird about me.
But anyway, I'm in dry clothes now, getting ready to go make some Springy pillows, work on the puzzle that's trying to drive me round the bend and work on a new painting --- I have one started and I'm going to start another. Hope you have a good week.

It's That Time of Year

You know, time to clear out all the clutter that's been collecting for months.  I started with my art area, haven't painted in months and it was very disorganized and cluttered.  It looks pretty good now and I even have a couple of ideas for paintings.
Yesterday interrupted the cleaning, how sad, instead we had a load of errands to run: to the bank to get a paper notarized, next to get the oil in my car changed and the tires rotated and while that was being done we went for a walk in the park---beautiful day, then off to post--had to mail some papers certified mail, next I needed a new military I.D. card and finally grocery shopping.  Made for a long day, but nice to have it all done.
So today it was back to cleaning and we tackled the computer room.  Mac cleaned his side and I did mine.  Feels good to have a desk I can actually see the top of again.  We sorted out stuff to be thrown out, stuff to be burned, stuff for Goodwill and stuff I need to take upstairs.
Tomorrow I have to tackle my craft room and closet upstairs.  I've warned Mac that if I don't come back down he'd better come looking for me.

I'm taking part in two reading challenges this year and the first one is from Modern Mrs. Darcy and is : 2015 Reading Challenge and includes:

•     a book you've been meaning to read

•     a book published this year

•     a book in a genre you don't typically read

•     a book from your childhood

•     a book your mom loves

•     a book that was originally written in a different language

•     a book " everyone" has read but you

•     a book you chose because of the cover

•     a book by a favorite author

•     a book recommended by someone with great taste

•     a book you should have read in high school

•     a book that's currently on the bestseller list

I've started on the first one and I'm reading The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters and so far I like it very much.  I've read one of her other books, Affinity, and I enjoyed it too, really like the way she draws you into the story, her heroines are always a bit flawed and I like that.  I've been meaning to read this one for a while and finally my library let me know that I'd reached the top of the e-book list for it.
Haven't completely decided what the other books will be, I told Mrs. Darcy that I'd have trouble with books your Mom loves because my Mother has been dead for a number of years and though she loved to read I don't remember what she liked to read.  Mrs. Darcy suggested I find another Mother, fictional or real, and pick one of their favorites and I thought that was a good suggestion.

As to my other challenge, it's Deal Me In and involves reading a short story a week.  I'm not a big short story reader so I thought this might be a good way to make myself read a few more.
My first was "The Wrong Problem" by John Dickson Carr and is from The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries.
I like mysteries, I love locked-room mysteries and I usually like John Dickson Carr who is considered the master of the locked-room mystery, but for some reason this one left me a bit flat.  Oh, well hopefully I'll like my next short better.

It's Done

Mac and his buddy Mike worked like crazy dismantling the heavy parts of the piano to turn it into a bar.  Mike was so fascinated that he's now looking for a piano to do the same thing to.
To those of you concerned about "destroying" a piano, Mike, who among a million other skills, is a piano player of long standing and he says that, lovely as the piano was---and it was--it would have taken $5,000 to $7,000 to restore it and no one was going to spend that much on a piano that was nearly 150 years old.
Anyway, they finished it, lugged it up 2 flights of stairs, by that point it didn't weigh that much and put it in Mac's pub at the end of the tv room.  I think it looks pretty spectacular.

The first pictures are the dismantling process.

Friend Mike at work

This is what it looks like now, still a few things to finish it off, but looking great!

Five on Friday

I'm joining in with Amy (and others, check the list at the bottom) at Love Made My Home for the very first Five on Friday of 2015.
We live in an area in Georgia known at Red Bird Creek, named for the beautiful red cardinals that live here year round.  Since we've moved here I acquired a few things that have these lovely birds on them and they will be my Five on Friday.

First is a pair of paintings Mac painted for me to hang in our entryway.

Next is a set of small glasses Mac gave me for Christmas one year.

This year April gave me a set of cups with my cardinals on them.

Mac and April were thinking on the same line and both gave me Cardinal dishes

this year, one to holds bits of this and that, one to hold a tealight.

And lastly this gorgeous plate

That's my five, check out the other ladies and see their five.

Amy from Love Made My Home

Wendy from September Violets

Michelle from Michelle's Make Or Bake

Jane from The Maple Syrup Mob

Leanne from Today's Stuff

Alison from Saver of Suburbia