Happy 14.000 visitors! To celebrate (well, not really, but we'll just pretend that was my motivation) I finally got a couple of things done that have been lurking over me for MONTHS!!!

First, I finally paid off the contractor that I nearly killed on my front lawn about 5 years ago.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU TORE OFF MY 125 YEAR OLD TRIM, YOU ASSHOLE??!!
I must have scared the shit out him pretty bad because I didn't hear from him for three years. He actually waited until I went to Scotland to write my husband asking for the money, that chicken shit (er, the contractor, not my husband). When I got back from Scotland I told him that he wasn't getting squat from me until we figured out what the cost to fix our trim would be.

Last year we finally worked out a deal; but I never got around to paying him. And I felt guilty.

Well, not guilty enough to pay him obviously. But that's all taken care of now. Yay! I can drive down main street without ducking as I go by his office.

The other thing I just recently got done was my taxes. No. Not estimated taxes for 2006. My 2005 taxes. Yeah. I'm a bit of a procrastinator. For some reason, ever since we got the rental properties, it takes me until August to get the damn taxes done.

This has been on my nerves since April. And it was too damned hot to do anything else today, so what the hell? We cracked open a bottle of 2005 Little Penguin White Shiraz and spent about three hours finishing up the paperwork. I'm sure it's all accurate; well, at least it all makes perfect sense right now ;)

Don't worry though, I always get a refund, so there are no penalties. Just consider it an extra-long loan to the government. Next year will be my year for reaching the deadline, though.
I CAN FEEL IT!!!

16 comments:

DrMax said...

And hey, if you do get audited, you have your Little Penguin White Shiraz excuse in the bank.

Sylvana said...

DrMax, I'm sure they'd understand.

"AG" said...

With all of your blog vistors, you should consider AdSense. = )

sands of time said...

I don't feel so bad that i was late sending in my taxes now.at least you have it all done now.

http://pinklady.typepad.com/

Sylvana said...

AG, I saw your post and the money sounds great. Hmmmm.....

PinkLady, see, now that's why I openly admit my faults (or being a bit of a tard - that one's for AG ;), to make other people feel better about themselves!

Shannon said...

I usually owe (I do private contract work and taxes aren't taken out), so I hafta do mine on time.

Too bad you can't charge the gov't interest.

Irb said...

Congrats on 14,000, baby!!! At the rate I'm going, I should hopefully be celebrating my 14,000 sometime in 2010.

I'm always late on my taxes too, although last year was my first year to file as a contractor. I hadn't been paying my quarterlies, so I had to cough up the whole chunk at once. Which is why I've decided I don't want to be a contractor anymore. I just don't have the discipline or the sense of responsibility.

Sylvana said...

Shannon, I KNOW!!! that would be sweet. Especially if I could do it Haliburton style.

Irb, it's important to know your limitations.

Heather said...

14,000!! That's awesome. Congrats! I'm sooo jealous! :-)

Shamus O'Drunkahan said...

The mental image of big tough contractor scurrying for cover as you came down on him cracked me up.

Sylvana said...

Heather, it's weird. It just doesn't feel as special as my first thousand.

Shamus, don't ever get on my bad side.

Derek Knight said...

but how many of those visitors were you?

Sylvana said...

Derek, ONLY 12,000! Geesh!

Wendy A said...

14000! How long have you been going on the blogging thing. Ya, you should have paid the poor contractor.Poor guy. You big bully!

Sylvana said...

Wendy A, I've had this counter up since Feb 2005 and have been posting to this blog since Dec 2004.
As for the contractor, "Don't rip off the trim" should be easy enough instructions for even a contractor to follow.

Elizabeth said...

I haven't finished my taxes yet. I felt so guilty and now I'm glad not to be alone. Phew!

Relief

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 | 0 Comments

I got the news today on the job at the library. It was a VERY close decision, but they chose the other woman instead.

I think the coworker/committee member wasn't quite sure how to take my apparent joy at the seemingly bad news.

I was happy that I wouldn't have to make yet ANOTHER tough decision.

I was happy that I wouldn't have to let either one of my wonderful employers down.

I was happy that it was that particular person who got the job instead of me. She has been waiting for years to get a permanent position at the library and I think she will do a fantastic job.

I was so flattered to hear that they were extremely impressed with my interview and that it was a very tough decision for them. He said that if there had been two positions open, I would have got the other.

So YAY for me! I feel so relieved.

14 comments:

evilsciencechick said...

hooray! glad you got to avoid making that decision!

but maybe keep it to yourself about the library. if the pharmacy found out they didn't have to fight to keep you, they might take back their generous offers from earlier ;)

The Doc said...

I was just about to say the same thing as ESC about the pharmacy. Even though they might not renege on their offer, you'd might as well not give them the excuse.

Hooray for great jobs!

Sylvana said...

ESC & The Doc, oh, the pharmacy didn't even know about this library job! This is actually a whole different job from the one that I just turned down. The other job offer that encouraged the pharmacy to up the ante was one at a bank. I'm Lil Miss Popular! :)

DrMax said...

Syl, this is about as happy as I've seen anyone about NOT getting a job. Congratulations and thanks for leaving a few jobs for the rest of us.

sideshow bob said...

Yay!!!

I don't think Hallmark makes a card for this occasion...

Sylvana said...

DrMax, yeah, it was weird - I both really wanted it and didn't want it all at the same time. I was really glad that someone handed me a decision I could live with in this one. And I can't remember ever being steered wrong by fate.

SSB, I keep telling you that we need to start our own card company so that all these strange and awkward occasions can be expressed in a greeting card format. I'm sure that there MUST be other people that have use for cards like "Congratulations on not getting the job!" Although we may have to work on a mostly "custom" basis.

Heather said...

Yay! I'm so glad everything worked out for you!

Flubberwinkle said...

Yay for you Sylvana!
I'm glad you're glad you didn't get the job... (talk about a phrase you don't hear often).
:-)

Sylvana said...

Heather, thanks!

Flubberwinkle, I was thinking the very same thing. SSB and I joked about how that was probably the first time that we've heard of someone being glad they didn't get the job (unless they were filing for unemployment, that is!)

sands of time said...

Must be a big relief not having to make that decision.

http://pinklady.typepad.com/

SierraBella said...

Really, Yay for you!
You sure are Ms. Popular now, aren't you?

Sylvana said...

Pink Lady, that's for sure. My mind is fried from all the heavy things that have been on it lately.

Sierrabella, I do feel so loved!

Shannon said...

Doesn't it seem like sometimes everything really does work out?

Sylvana said...

Shannon, it is hard for some people to see that, but I have always tried to put faith in that weird balancing power of the universe and life. It has not failed me so far.

But then, that may all just be a matter of perspective. ;)

We Got New Neighbors...

Sunday, July 23, 2006 | 0 Comments

too bad they are hillbillies*. They have had a couch and two refrigerators sitting out on the front lawn for a couple of weeks. They seem to have bought out a couple firework stands of every last Black Cat they had. And they use their car horn as a babysitter for their youngest.

On the upside, they have a boy that is JD's age and once you get him away from his family, he seems to be pretty decent.


* I had originally described them as "white trash" but after reading Elizabeth's comment I decided that they weren't THAT bad!

8 comments:

Elizabeth said...

I bet a lot of them, once you get them outside the white-trash culture, aren't bad. Well. I hope not.

My mom used to forbid us to use the word "white trash" because the KKK invented it. She said it was almost as bad as using the n-word because it was condoning the whole vocabulary. Now though it seems a lot of people are proud of being white trash.

Do you think your neighbours know this and are proud of it?

"AG" said...

Ugh I hate white trash neighbors. I have some, too. I'm glad the kid will have a chance to hang with JD and have that good influence.

Sylvana said...

Elizabeth, I did not know that about that term. Perhaps then "white trash" is too harsh for them, yeah, I don't think that I could ever imagne them on Jerry Springer - "hillbilly" might be more appropriate. I come from a "hillbilly" area and I think that they would fit in there. And to answer your question, I don't think so, but the guys that live behind us might.

AG, yeah, I have JD trained well. He will be very unpopular at times with his friends in his junior and senior year because he will be the voice of reason.

Shamus O'Drunkahan said...

Can you explain the car horn babysitter thing?

Is it that the kid wanders into traffic, or have they attached a horn to the kid that goes off every few minutes like a locator beacon?

Sylvana said...

Shamus, that kid has been honking the horn of their car all day every weekend while they sit on the couch in the front yard and drink beer.
I keep hoping that their battery dies.

OldRoses said...

Whoa! Your hillbillies have my neighbors beat. My neighbors use their car horn as a doorbell. Their yard is completely fenced so when they want to pull their car(s) into their driveway, they honk the horn for someone to come out of the house and open the gate. It's really annoying, especially late at night or early in the morning but not nearly as annoying as a kid honking a horn endlessly. Don't you have noise ordinances in your town? You could alert the town, they would come over and measure the level of the noise and then fine them.

sands of time said...

Okay ive watched enough Jerry Springer shows to get the picture of what they must be like.

http://pinklady.typepad.com/

Sylvana said...

OldRoses, I am waiting for them to settle in and have a chance to figure out the way we do things here first. If that doesn't work I might just have to call the police.
The house in front of us and the house behind us are both divided into apartments and both tend to fill up with these kinds of individuals. And we have had the kind that announce their arrival by honking the horn or using the horn as a door bell- even at 2am.

PinkLady, Jerry Springer certainly has on the dregs of society, doesn't he?

The offer that the pharmacy came up with was to match the offer from the job offer on health, dental, prescription, vacation and sick days PLUS they are paying me MORE than the other job would have. I'm happy.

And I am now really worried all at the same time. I went in for the library interview today. I think it went really well. What if--

AGH! I can't even think about it. Surely my head will just explode.

Truly.

But what if they offer me the job at the library? Do I take it even as the pharmacy is struggling to try to keep me? Do I turn it down even though I have been waiting for this for 5 years? Do I once again try to figure out how to make BOTH of these positions work?

BLAMMM!!!

Well, there. Now I've gone and done it. My head just exploded and I didn't even get to the part where I ask you if I should be telling the pharmacy that I am up for this job at the library.

Eh, maybe tomorrow.

10 comments:

DrMax said...

If you looking for your ear, I think it landed over here.

Douglas Cootey said...

Congrats! We all should be so misfortunate to have two excellent job offers. ;) Good luck with the decision making.

Sylvana said...

DrMax, oh, thanks! My head just wouldn't look right without it.

Douglas, HEY! Nice to see you! It has been awhile since I have been able to make the rounds in the blogosphere and I finally popped over to your place yesterday, I think, but then I was interrupted. So you were going to be my first visit today. What a coincidence!
And thanks for the luck, because when it comes to making decisions, I need all the luck I can get! :)

Douglas Cootey said...

It seems all the regular commenters on my blog have become simultaneously busy. Must be the summer. I just posted a new blog a few moments ago, btw. Thu. is my target goal these days. Summer is playing havoc with any attempts to be regular for me as well.

Good luck on picking a job! I'll keep you in my prayers.

Derek Knight said...

there's nothing more troubling than having multiple viable employment offers. I mean, if one clearly sucked, or wouldn't work, it'd be an easy choice, right? I would say that, if you've been waiting 5 years for the library job, politely tell the pharmacy that you have to take it, they should understand.

sands of time said...

Just relax and wait and see.Then just do what you feel is right.

http://pinklady.typepad.com/

Heather said...

Maybe if you end up with both you can do it for a while and see which one is the better fit. Both jobs sound great! Good luck.

Sylvana said...

Douglas, "simutaneously busy" that had me giggling for a long time. Thanks!

Derek, I know! It's just crazy. It would be a lot easier if one would just suck already!

PinkLady, that's what I usually do; but still feel that I need to go through my fretting stage or I will throw off the balance.

Heather, you are right - they are both very good jobs. And I have worked both of them, so I know that either would be a very good fit. So it is really a matter of who I would least like to disappoint.

Shannon said...

What are you really looking for in a job? What would make you the happiest? What would challenge you enough to keep you interested? What would give you enough room to learn and grow?

Sylvana said...

Shannon, I want it all. Is that too much to ask?

Out of Left Field

Monday, July 17, 2006 | 0 Comments

There have been a lot of things happening to me very unexpectedly lately. It's rather unnerving. Much like having to go in to tell my bosses the bad news today. One of the biggest problems was that they don't work at the same time until 1pm and I wasn't about to wait until then to suddenly go, "Oh, by the way..."

I was really hoping for the one in particular to be working this morning. I'll call her Blue since she has the prettiest blue eyes. She has been the easiest for me to talk to of the two, and with her having a family, I figured that she would be more understanding.

Instead, it was Elle (which is also not her real name - must protect the innocent and all that). I went right up to her as soon as I got there and told her that I needed to talk to her about something as soon as she got a chance.

She came right back to my office. I immediately gave her the chocolate and she then knew that it was very serious. I explained the circumstances of the job offer and that SSBs unemployment would be running out in a month. I said that I needed the job for the benefits, too. I explained that I intended to continue to work at the pharmacy, but that it would mean that we would have to make some decisions as to what was the most important things for me to get done - insurance calls or banking.

At that moment I saw a look of great concern and concentration on her face. I realized that I had been a bit presumptuous about my position at the pharmacy, so I added, "I mean, that is if you would like me to continue to work here."

She without hesitation said, "What do we need to do to keep you? What are they offering? We'd like to try and match."

I was taken back, but started with, "Well, the reason that I am considering this job is because I will need the extra money. They will have me full time and will pay me $10 an hr to start."

"We can do that."

I added quickly, "But mostly it is the insurance. I have a family. We have lived without insurance before and it is too worrisome."

Then she said something that I had not even thought would be possible, "That shouldn't be a problem. We will get you insurance." She said it so easily that I wasn't sure that she had understood what I was saying. But before I could reinterate, she continued, "You are a great asset to our business. You are very bright. You have picked up on things so fast. You dig and dig and find problems and solve them. I never have to worry about finding you work. I just don't have to worry about the insurance or billing at all. It is wonderful! We really don't want to lose you. We will figure out a way to get you what you need."

I was stunned. This was not how I had imagined this going at all. WOW! I can keep a job I love and get the benefits that I need? That was just too good to be true.

When Blue came in a couple of hours later, she said very seriously, "Let me save you the trouble of the awkward explanation, Elle already called me. I just want to say that you really need to think about what you need and where you would really be most happy working."

I said, "Are you kidding me? I LOVE working here!"

She smiled, looking so relieved "GOOD! I mean you don't want to assume, and you try to put your emotions aside in these situations -- I was hoping that you would feel that way! You have just done so much for us. We really don't want to lose you. We have to get together tonight to go over our offical offer to you, but I am 95% sure that we can match or at least come close to what they are offering."

I said, "Oh, I have chocolate for you."

She gets a huge smile. "OK, I'm 99% sure that we can match."

I called the HR person at the other job to explain what was going on. I asked if there was any way that they could wait until Wednesday for me to give my answer. She sounded a little defeated, but agreed easily to this request. I feel bad because they seem like such great people and a great place to work, too. But a bird in the hand and all that. If the pharmacy ends up coming through and I have to decline the other offer, I will send them a card and some chocolate to thank them for considering me and being so kind to me in this process.

12 comments:

Laurie said...

Congratulations! You must feel wonderful!

Shannon said...

I love it when things come together and work out. This just proves you're a great person who deserves such wonderful things!

("things" isn't exactly the word I wanted, by the way, but I have a headache and can't think!)

Sylvana said...

Laurie, I feel FANTABULOUS!

Shannon, I have a headache too. I think it part stress, part heat and humidity.

evilsciencechick said...

it's nice to be wanted, isn't it? maybe they'll get in a bidding war over you!

congrats, sweetie - you deserve it!

DrMax said...

WIth your luck running this well, it's time to buy a few lottery tickets.

Sylvana said...

ESC, ACK! A bidding war?! I would be mortified! I'm a modest midwest girl-
BWAHAAAHAA!!!!

DrMax, I will know when to buy a ticket. I have great instincts, sometimes so great that I think I have the ability to influence the future. There was drawing at work for a handmade quilt. I really didn't want the quilt, so I wasn't going to enter; but my friend/boss jokingly said that I should enter and give the quilt to her. So I said, "OK. I'll get you the quilt." AND I DID! She couldn't believe it, but somehow I knew that I was going to win it. Weird but true. Ask SSB how spooky I can be.

Elizabeth said...

Luck, schmuck- she obviously deserves much more! God, what great news. Congratulations.

"AG" said...

Wow! That is just so cool!

Sylvana said...

Elizabeth,aw, thanks! This whole thing has been making me feel really uneasy because I'm not used to having people realize what I actually contribute to a job. I have had a couple bosses fire me, then call me up begging me to come back saying that they didn't really fire me. But nothing like THIS!! This I know isn't just about being short staffed, this is true appreciation.

AG, it's more than I could have hoped for. But it was difficult to tell the other place that I was going to keep my job after all.

OldRoses said...

Wow, Sylvana, that's fabulous. I'm so happy for you and your family.

The Doc said...

That's awesome. I'm really happy for you. Also: giving out chocolates is excellent boss-bribing strategies that I would never have thought of on my own. Sy's blog: come for the heartwarming stories and amusing anecdotes, stay for the career advice.

Sylvana said...

OldRoses, thanks. I have had a lot of crappy jobs in my life. Why do all the good ones have to come at me at once?

The Doc, aw! You are making me blush! People like gifts. Especially thoughtful ones - and I know that my bosses like chocolate. They won't talk to the pharmacuetical reps if they don't come bearing decent chocolate.

Is There A Problem?

Friday, July 14, 2006 | 0 Comments

I went in for the interview for the job. I figured that I wasn't even sure if I wanted the job, so I would just completely be myself. Which, as you all know, is kind of weird and goofy.

Well, weird and goofy was right up their alley, because they REALLY want to hire me! In fact, the HR person said that the two people who interviewed me were REALLY EXCITED about me and were very much hoping that I would take the position. I told her that I was very interested, but needed the weekend to think it over.

WOW! What am I going to do? I have talked to a bunch of my friends and have come to the conclusion that I should take the job. I won't be making much more money, but THE BENEFITS! I mean COME ON!! I could have a massage every month and not feel guilty. And as Punky put it, "That's what you went to school for all those years- to get a good job with benefits." Another friend, Ned, said, "Everyone is replaceable, so don't feel too guilty about leaving your other job." My sister said, "What do you NEED? Answer that, and you will know what to do."

All of those things make sense. But SSB and I know that this job isn't like other jobs - I didn't so much get hired at the pharmacy as I joined a family. And I LOVED that! But I think that this new job might be sort of like that too - after all, they did appreciate my weird, goofy self.

And I think that I can come up with a win-win situation. The only part of my job at the pharmacy right now that is time sensitive is making calls to the insurance companies since they run during business hours. I get an hour for lunch which should be enough time to make 1-2 calls. Everything else I could do after I get done with my full-time job. And with SSB being in school, we kind of need the extra income anyway. He worked a full time job with overtime and then worked a part time job on top of that while I was going to school! Plus, it isn't like I hadn't worked for years at a place where I regularly worked 60 hour weeks (and that place was hot, dirty, hard work, and the coworkers S.U.C.K.E.D! - not you though, honey, of course).

Well, I will present my plan to my current bosses on Monday and see how it goes. I'm nervous. They have been at each others' throats lately over the remodeling we are doing in the store and I don't want that directed at me. If I'm missing from my blog for awhile, ask SSB where to send the flowers.

5 comments:

Elizabeth said...

CONGRATULATIONS! It must be great to feel so wanted. Plan sounds great.

Sometimes, when I can't make a decision, I flip a coin. If I'm happy with what the coin says, I know that's the right decision. If I have the urge to flip it again, I know that's not what I really want. If they force you to choose... there's always that. :-)

Laurie said...

I've left two jobs in my life where it was like leaving family and it was a better move each time than I even expected. New experiences are what makes life a great adventure. Plus, now with e-mail and blogs and such things, it's much easier to keep in touch. I have two friends that I worked with 20 years ago who I still meet for dinner once a month.

DrMax said...

It's nice to be in demand. I say ask for double the salary and a yaught...and some Hostess Twinkies. Just a starting point of course, you can always negotiate. But if they try to substitue Little Debbie Snack Cakes for the Twinkies, I'd walk.

OldRoses said...

Congrats Sylvana! It's so nice of you to offer to continue your responsibilities at your old job while working a new job. Sounds like you're going to need that massage to destress every month!

Sylvana said...

Elizabeth, it really is great to feel so wanted!
I do the coin flip too, but instead of a coin, I ask someone what they think I should do or I just make a decision. Then I determine how comfortable I am with what they are saying or the decision that I have made to figure out what it is I REALLY should do.

Laurie, "New experiences are what make life a great adventure" - I was saying almost that exact thing to the word the other day when I was working out what I would do! I really do believe that. Life is about experiences, and I'd like to have as many as possible!

DrMax, if my current employers could afford to give me full-time plus benefits, I know that they would. They do all that they can right now to make me happy, which is NICE! Think about it: your boss comes into your office with some papers, apologizing profusely that they have this work to give you and ask if you need anything to make you more comfortable and happy. It's a beautiful thing.

OldRoses, I am really looking forward to 1/2 price massages. I already go in for a massage every couple of months to loosen up my back muscles (they get so tight that I start to be in chronic pain and even get migraines). I figure once a month will be even better! Plus massages are just so enjoyable!

My Kingdom for a Segue!!

Tuesday, July 11, 2006 | 0 Comments

You know, it is really hard to find a good transition from suicide back to regular life. So I will do one of the things I do best - just switch gears and jump in head first. You all will just have to pretend that there was some semblance of a smooth transition if you are in need of such a thing for the sake of civility.

I have not just been a Moping Molly the last few weeks. I have actually been quite busy; as those of you who visit my garden blog know. Gardening is one of my favorite art forms and art makes me feel good.

AND BOY DO I FEEL GOOD!!

In the last couple of weeks I have gotten things done that I have been intending to do for years now. Two major projects that I did: finishing the other half of our patio (I put in the first half about three years ago) AND (something that I felt could never leave my wishlist) paving the garden pathways. Well, the second thing isn't done, but that's just a formality. The reason that I thought that it could never be was because the materials would be too expensive and I wouldn't be able to find something befitting my garden and taste.

Ha! Not only did I get something I absolutely love so much I should marry it, but it was FREE!! OK - moneywise it was free. I did have to tear down a chimney brick by brick to get them, but surprisingly enough, it turned out to be very therapeutic and dare I say, fun?
Wielding a sledgehammer on the side of a building has that affect when you have a lot of pent up aggression to release.

And the luck keeps flowing - I got a call out of the blue from a place that I had applied to before I took the job at the pharmacy. The answer that I had gotten on that application was that they liked my resume and enjoyed the interview, but there was a better candidate for the position. Right, I thought. That's what they all say so they don't feel mean. But they were actually telling the truth! The HR person that called me said that although they had decided to go with the other candidate last time, I was her favorite interviewee and she had kept my application in case another job became available. I have a department-specific interview on Wednesday. It would be full-time and would pay more than I make now; plus BENEFITS!! Health insurance, life insurance, dental plan, prescription plan, partially matching 401K, 10 days vacation and 10 sick days IMMEDIATELY. And they will even pay 50% of any massages that I get! Oh, they are hitting my weak spot!

It is very tempting, but I'm not sure if I will take it. I like my job now. I feel like I really make a difference and the appreciation is never-ending. Plus, I have an interview for the library position next week, and we have just become friends with my boss's son and his wife - I think it might be more than a bit awkward if I were to leave his mom high and dry. Besides, doing things like that leave me feeling so awful that I can barely live with myself. And that, children, is why ethical, caring people rarely get rich.

We have been getting more visitors in the last few weeks than we have had in the last year, it seems. And they all seem to show up around the same time. It's weird. I feel like I should be tapping a keg and handing out red cups.

MY PARENTS EVEN VISITED!! Of course it wasn't very long and my dad did tell my neighbor that she should bring her crappy fireworks back to the Indian she bought them from (luckily I already warned her about him and how he was) AND he did harass the owner of the Mexican restaurant about fried potatoes (French fries) not being Mexican AND segueing THAT into a tirade about the French and something about Caucasians - seriously I wanted to smack him and drag him out of there by his ear like the very bad little boy that he was - but it was still a pretty good visit. Did I mention that it wasn't very long?

So although I may have not been around lately, it's not because I'm not doing anything worth posting about - it is just for the lack of a segue.

Segue away, I say!

Would I be me if I were not at least a little bit awkward? So I will leave you with two words to think about:

Mocha Moolatte.

8 comments:

DrMax said...

Nice path Syl, good work. Looks like an English garden in Devon.

Now, where are those red cups again?

sideshow bob said...

Are you aware that so far this past week you've squandered our kingdom for a horse, a pair of shorts, and now a segue? You could at least bargain for some Moolattes while you're at it!

Shannon said...

THat brick pathway and the origin of the bricks is, in a word, awesome.

I'm happy you're back in the blogosphere!

Derek Knight said...

I'll bet Mexicans eat potatoes. SOME Mexicans anyway...I mean, it's not like the Anglicized taco is at all mexican...

But seriously, those fireworks WERE crappy and the Indian knew it when he sold them.

OldRoses said...

I've been hanging out at your garden blog so I didn't realize you were MIA. Welcome back! But I'm still incredibly envious of the patio and walkway.

SierraBella said...

I'm with oldroses! Been hanging around on your garden blog too.
I am soooooo envious! Nice job!!!

sands of time said...

Wow a lot has happened.It good you had your garden to take your mind off things

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