Livin' the Life.....

Found some place I can't remember - so I hope whoever took the photo doesn't care that I've borrowed it. I think I might be able to do this all day long. How about you?

Beauty and the Bad

This one is supposed to be turned to the right, but I can't get it to do that now.

It's looking better, but it's still bad! I took two frogs out of the pool this morning and the hawk was very interested! I saw him fly off the deck and the pump house into the trees twice, as I went out onto the deck. One of the frogs is still sitting there and the other is gone. Either the hawk got him or he jumped back in the pool. 

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You know the building in New York where the IMF guy is now staying?   The one at 71 Broadway?  That's where my daughter lived for 18 months. It's 2 blocks from the World Trade Center location. Although it is a very nice building, with nice apartments, it must be quite a comedown for a man who is used to $3000 per night hotel suites!  lol

Double Yuck + Butterfly Love

Double Yuck! It looks like a cesspool. It will be a while before anyone can swim in that! I love having a pool until something like this happens. There were holes/slits in the cover, so the rain water and gunk mixed with the pool water below - et voila - a complete mess. The pool guys will be back today to clean it.

My eleven year old granddaughter gave me her butterfly painting and I LOVE it!! Rainbows and butterflies - what's not to love?It kinda takes the sting out of the mess in the pool.

Looking straight down from our balcony on the 9th floor. The red umbrellas on the lower left are on an outside restaurant area.

Fancy a Dip?

If you fancy a dip in this pool, you'll need a head for heights - it's 55 stories up.

But swimming to the edge won't be quite as risky as it looks. While the water in the infinity pool seems to end in a sheer drop, it actually spills into a catchment area where it is pumped back into the main pool. At three times the length of an Olympic pool and 650ft up, it is the largest outdoor pool in the world at that height.

It features in the impressive, boat-shaped 'SkyPark' perched atop the three towers that make up the world's most expensive hotel, the £4billion Marina Bay Sands development in Singapore.

Wedding Flowers

I'm trying an experiment; posting directly from Picasa, in order to get some photos here, since I can't do it in my usual fashion.

These are all from the wedding on 7-24-10.
Top: a dahlia
Second: the bridesmaid's bouquets
Third: the groom's cake
Fourth: one of the short centerpieces.

The heat index in Raleigh today was 111*. I could have been perfectly cool indoors, but I like to be outside. Before noon, I cleaned the pool and got in, during the process. It was heavenly. I spent more than 5 hours outside today and I never got hot after I got wet in the pool. I'm so grateful for it - and grateful for the heat wave that makes it possible for me to get into the water. I can't stand it unless the water is over 83*, and today it was 87* (again). I LOVE it.

What's New?

My new ovens finally came today!! And the best thing was that the installer didn't have to do any electrical work other than hooking it up and he didn't have to cut on the cabinets, as the new set was (were?) a perfect fit!! We don't usually have that kind of good luck, so we were very happy about that!

A great way to keep cool on Father's Day; five of our nine grandchildren enjoying the pool. Our upstairs cooling system malfunctioned yesterday, so when we went to bed last night, the temperature was 81* and muggy. Needless to say, we didn't sleep well. The repairman came early this morning and now we are cool, calm and collected - finally!!

This photo was taken Friday. Storm loves to lie on the bridge from the deck to the pool. Doesn't she look right at home here?

Potpourri & Silver Linings

Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest but in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another.

John Muir, Naturalist and explorer (1838-1914)

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The souls of emperors and cobblers are cast in the same mold. The same reason that makes us wrangle with a neighbor creates a war betwixt princes.

Michel de Montaigne, essayist (1533-1592)

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While watching television, I keep the closed captions on the screen , so I won't have to blast the sound too loudly for anyone watching with me. Recently I was watching an HGTV presentation of House Hunters International. It appeared that the people who cue the captions got mixed up, because while a couple was looking for an apartment in downtown Tokyo, and the words I heard were something about the apartment paint colors, the closed captions read: "We live next door to a pig farm in Northern Ireland." I cracked up!

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The idea to open the swimming pool in mid-May this year (unlike last year, when it was done in early June) was an attempt to allow the sun to warm up the water earlier so I could have a prayer of swimming before the end of August, just as it is time to close the pool for the winter. So much for good intentions. A slow leak in a pipe caused the water level to go too low over the winter, so the pool guys removed the cover, but had to come back after we added enough water to bring it up to the proper level for the pump to be turned on. When they came back and tried to turn on the pump, it sprayed water on them - so a part had to be ordered. Four days later, they came back, and while installing the new part, they broke a PVC pipe. So, we have an open pool with debris on the bottom; which, if they don't get back here fast, is going to turn into a large frog incubator, with green and yellow algae and Lord knows what else. I took a dead mouse out of it this morning, and I see some lizards and worms on the bottom.

When I pumped gas this week, I looked at the side of my rear bumper - the one that was newly installed after the wreck we had in January - and found long scratches. Someone side-swiped my car and drove off. I am so ticked off about that.

If you read here regularly, you will remember my recent rants about how everything we own is breaking down or wearing out (including us). The current list includes: my shredder, my calculator, my hair drier, the garage door opener, the plumbing, the pool pump, the deck umbrella and the base that holds it, and now one of our hoses has so many holes in it that I got a misty shower when I cleaned some flower pots on the deck. Of course, that wasn't entirely bad, since it was 91*. There's a silver lining in that.....lol.

Edit: There's another silver lining: The pool guy came back Friday; the problem with the pool was that he had accidentally cut a hole in the filter part that holds the sand - so he replaced it for free!! The old one was at least 10-12 years old and now we have a new one for absolutely no cost! YAY!

Sunday Odds and Ends

Text for this photo is (way) below.***

On Friday, mr. kenju went out with a friend about 8:30 am. They usually go to breakfast and sit around and chew the fat for a few hours. I was busy cleaning the house, so I wasn't paying attention to the time - until I realized it was 12:30 pm and I hadn't seen or heard tell of him. I called his cell phone but (as usual) it wasn't turned on. I left a scathing message; knowing he wouldn't hear it anyway (it's a new phone, and he's clueless.)

When he got home, he said "What's the big deal? Don't be such an alarmist." And I said..."With your medical history (stroke) and Stan's recent dizzy spells, I imagined you both lying upside down in a ditch somewhere. It's a good thing your kids didn't know you were "missing" for four hours or they would have called the police."

He explained that they went to breakfast, and then Stan, who is in charge of the building for the Masonic chapter to which he belongs, had to go to there and wait for a guy to give him a quote for new gutters. Stan's wife is in Europe visiting family, so he has no leash on him for several weeks. I think I finally convinced mr. kenju that he was being very inconsiderate by not calling, since when he left here a few minutes ago (with another friend), he made a big show of turning on his phone.

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My zest for cleaning up around here hasn't abated this morning (Sat.), so in a few hours I will tackle the kitchen, including mopping the floor. I wish I had a new mop, but I keep forgetting to buy one. Do any of you use the new Sw*ffer mops? I don't want to buy one unless I know they are worth the money.

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***The ivy that grows close to the pool is running (yes, running) out over the concrete walkway, so it has to be trimmed before we close the pool for the winter. I like looking at the ivy, but I think I should have thought a bit more about maintenance when I planted it 27 years ago. It has overtaken nearly everything in its path. See the bridge and steps on the right in the photo? Until last month, the ivy had completely overgrown the two steps and up the posts on the bridge railings. Keeping it trimmed is hard on my back, but it's a little easier this time of year when the temperatures are a bit lower. Cutting it is next on my to do list, and since the temps are hovering around 70 right now, I think I should get off this infernal machine and go trim the ivy. Don't you?

Update: I trimmed it (as you can see, above.) Oh, my achin' back! There is very little room between the ivy and the edge of the pool. I trimmed eight inches off and in some areas, a little more than that. Now we'll be able to cover the pool without overlapping ivy as well. That is, assuming we close it before the ivy has a chance to cover the walkway again, which should only take 4-5 days.....LOL

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You may have read about my recent computer troubles. Among other things, I need more memory. I don't know if it is prudent to add memory to a computer that is already pushing six years old, but we may do that. One thing that has been bothering me for a week or two is that getting a comment window open is taking much longer than it ever did before. I click on 'comment' and I have to wait (in some instances) 10-15 seconds before the window opens (and that's too long for computers on cable fast access.) It doesn't sound like much time, but when you have over 150 feeds in your blog reader, it takes a long time! I prefer blogs that have comments all on one page (not opening in a separate window), but somehow y'all didn't ask me when you were deciding on your blog settings. Why not??? On the plus side, Blogger has made it possible for me to comment on blogs I could not previously comment on. Maybe my constant fussing about it led them to fix the problem. Hush! It could happen.

Scene/seen in My Yard

I just discovered I can label photos with Picasa. Who knew??

While eating breakfast this morning, I saw movement in the woods again. I took the camera out to see what it was, and there were four deer (two adults and two fawns) back there. I took 2-3 photos, but the only one in which any of the deer show up is this one. He is just under the word deer, and you can only see part of his body. They sure know how to blend in with the background!! Click to enlarge (I hope). Whether you can see the deer or not, it is such a beautiful, green, serene view that I thought you should see it.

It is a gorgeous day here today; 83*, sunny, with a light breeze and low humidity. We are blessed. Come on over and jump in!

Here I am Momma; right by your side, as usual. Can I do anything for you? Lick your feet? Nudge your legs? Wouldn't you like to brush me?

A few weeks ago, I potted some plants, and I promised to show you when they got bigger. Here is the purple verbena, which has a way to go yet, but is growing by leaps and bounds. Click the link to see when they were first planted.

Here are my zinnias, which had only 2 blooms when I bought the plant. It likes it here, too!

Where I've Been

Marriott's Grand Dunes Resort and Villas in Myrtle Beach - is where we've been for 3 days. Mr. kenju, me, our daughter and one granddaughter (all her siblings and cousins are at camp in the mountains of western Virginia for two weeks.) The weather on Sunday was perfect, but we didn't get there until about 3pm that day. Monday was overcast - as you can see - and we had spent about 20 minutes on the beach when it started to sprinkle. We stayed there for 10 more minutes, hoping it would blow over, but we had no such luck. So, up to the indoor pool and hot tub we went. It sprinkled off and on for an hour, and the sun didn't show its face again until well after we went to dinner. Can you believe that I still got a bit of sunburn?

That crane is hard at work on the third (or it maybe the fourth) building in the vacation villas section of the resort. I haven't been in the villas yet, but Mr. kenju and our daughter were there 2 months ago and they said it is perfect: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, a full kitchen and nice size living area with a full balcony fronting the ocean. The villas have their own heated pool and hot-tubs with outdoor grilling area and tables.

Here are the two outdoor pools; one is fresh water and the other is a salt-water pool. They also have an indoor pool with hot-tub, and a second hot tub outdoors, as well as a kiddie pool and a water slide, which is a very big hit with children., and some adults. Our granddaughter must have gone down that slide at least 100 times!

When we left there today around 11 a.m., the sun had come out again and it was proving to be a gorgeous day. Isn't that always the case? No one minds leaving the beach in the midst of rainy weather, but most of the time when we leave, it is so beautiful you can hardly tear ourselves away!

I didn't get much sleep last night and tomorrow morning, I have to take my daughter to the airport at 5:00 am. I hope to get to bed early tonight, so wish me luck!

Odds and Ends

(Click to enlarge) Caption: Ain't it a shame!!

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Please tell me where does one go to purchase dresses like these? I want to avoid that store at all costs! And, NO, this is not a uni-sex wedding, these girls are prom-goers. Not even in my wildest times would I have worn a dress like that. Of course, I wasn't built like they are either....LOL

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Mr. kenju just LOVES to find a mistake in one of my posts; either a spelling error/typo or a factual error or a faulty memory. This morning, just after I perched here at the computer to start my day, he came into my office with a look of glee (which always spells trouble or criticism to come).

Mr. kenju: "You had something wrong in your Father's Day post; would you like me to tell you what it was?"

Me: No.

Mr. Kenju: you said "storey" and it should have been "story."

Me: you mean where I was referring to the second storey of our house?"

Mr. kenju: "Yes."

And I (gleeful myself at that point) reached for the dictionary and showed him where he was WRONG! Is it nasty of me to feel so superior? LOL (If nasty is wrong, I don't want to be right!)

*******

We had fifteen people here on Saturday and eight of them were kids aged 9 1/2 to 15. One of my greatest joys is watching my six grandchildren interact with each other, and that day I got to see them with two new kids (the sons of Tiff Spiffy). After being introduced, they all ignored the newcomers until dinner-time (almost 3 hours later). They played in the pool in their family units, steadfastly ignoring the others, while secretively (or so they thought) stealing glances at each other. I don't blame them; my four granddaughters are all gorgeous (of course) and the two new boys are handsome specimens. I really wish I could show you photos, but I was warned not to put them on the blog (once again).

At dinner, they melded into one big group; sitting together over honey-baked ham, potato salad, baked beans, deviled eggs, sliced tomatoes, yeast rolls and later a dessert of chocolate fudge cake. After a suitable rest of about 2 minutes, they went back to the pool and played as one big group. It was heartwarming. Later, they got their phones out and exchanged numbers. I wonder if any of them will ever call the others, but it doesn't make any difference. They had fun at my house, and that's what matters to me. I can't wait until the next time they come!

Big Doins' at Casa Kenju

No new post today - except this one. We're having a pool party/birthday party/end of school/pre-Father's Day celebration here today and like Alice, I'm falling down the rabbit hole!! Hope you have a great weekend....

And Happy West Virginia Day to all who live there in fact - or in their hearts.


I'll leave you with a quote:

"The door of a bigoted mind opens outwards so that the only result of the pressure of facts upon it is to close it more snugly."

Ogden Nash, author (1902-1971)

In other words: Don't confuse me with the facts - my mind is already made up!"

More Odds and Ends

Mel Day made these bouquets today for the weddings on Sunday. Cascade bouquets have been out of favor for about six years, but they are making a comeback now. I have to make one for one of my brides later this year.

Those beautiful "cool water" roses again, with dendrobium orchids, sweet peas and hydrangeas.


This is where I would be had I opted to go to the beach this weekend. Marriott's Grand Dunes in Myrtle Beach is a glorious destination!!

Now, do yourselves a favor and watch this amazing display of young talent!

World's Largest Swimming Pool?

If you like doing laps in the swimming pool, you might want to stock up on the energy drinks before diving in to this one. It is more than 1,000 yards long, covers 20 acres, had a 115 ft deep end and holds 66 million gallons of water. The Guinness Book of Records named the vast pool beside the sea in Chile as the biggest in the world. But if you fancy splashing out on one of your own - and you have the space to accommodate it - then beware: This one took five years to build, cost nearl y ??1billion and the annual maintenance bill will be ??2million. The man-made saltwater lagoon has been attracting huge crowds to the San Alfonso del Mar resort at Algarrobo, on Chile's southern coast, since it opened last month. Its turquoise waters are so crystal clear that you can see the bottom even in the deep end. It dwarfs the world's second biggest pool, the Orthlieb - nicknamed the Big Splash - in Morocco , which is a mere 150 yards long and 100 yards wide. An Olympic size pool measures some 50 yards by 25 yards.Chile 's monster pool uses a computer- controlled suction and filtration system to keep fresh seawater in permanent circulation, drawing it in from the ocean at one end and pumping it out at the other. The sun warms the water to 26c, nine degrees warmer than the adjoining sea. Chilean biochemist Fernando Fischmann, whose Crystal Lagoons Corporation designed the pool, said advanced engineering meant his company could build "an impressive artificial paradise" even in inhospitable areas.

Thanks to some of you for asking how I'm feeling. I am better, but it seems the symptoms of this flu don't want to leave. I still have a bad headache, nasal drip and congestion, and tomorrow it has been a week since I got sick. I was supposed to take a friend out for her birthday luncheon tomorrow and I cancelled it. That's unheard of for me; you know I am really feeling poorly if I don't want to go out for lunch!

Our clothes washer is biting the dust. Saturday I put in a load of wash and then discovered a puddle of water under the machine. It is 22 years old, so there's no point in trying to fix it. We just bought a dryer last year, and I will add a new washer tomorrow. I checked the Sunday ads, and luckily, there's one on sale.

Most of Raleigh got 3 inches of rain tonight. After suffering a really bad drought for over a year, we are making up for lost time, and I am truly grateful.

The Best Laid Plans.....

We moved to this house in 1982, and the pool was here, but the lack of decking around it was pitiful. The man who last lived in this house put in the pool, the pump house and a fence during the summer that he had no job. His company was bought out by a new firm and they canned all the former employees (as so often happens), and he needed something to do. I almost wish he hadn't bothered, because he botched it up quite a bit and we had to build a new deck and retaining wall to make it acceptable. Before that, every time it rained, there was nothing but mud in the concrete area surrounding the pool.

He built a short, wooden fence that loosely followed the contours of the pool, about 18" out. Their plan was to plant flowers and ground cover, but it was always very hot near that concrete and the plants they chose couldn't stand up to the heat. They moved to California, and pretty soon it looked like a vacant lot in the slums (red clay dirt and weeds), This house was empty and on the market for almost 2 years.

I drew this plan, and except for minor changes, it is what we had built the second summer we lived here. One of the larger changes was the exclusion of a jacuzzi, much to my dismay. The reason for that is a loooooonnnng story, involving my MIL.....a tale for another day!

The red line to the rear and right of the decking was meant to be a brick retaining wall, with built-in planters. When we got the cost estimate for that, we nearly fainted. That brick wall would have cost more than the 1500 sq. feet of decking we added. We had to be content with 6x6" posts forming the retaining wall, and considering how ivy has grown all over it in the last 24 years, we were probably smart to use wood instead of brick.

As pump houses go, this one remains a sore spot with me. He built it as small as possible (so as to save money on materials, I guess), and inside the space is so tight that you can hardly wedge yourself in there if the pump needs repairs or simple maintenance. We should have concentrated our efforts on enlarging that, but foresight then was not as good as hindsight is now, and there is less motivation and/or money, to do it right. Sometimes I see small potting sheds or tool sheds in magazines, and they are so charming and creatively tricked out they make me drool. There was great potential for that in this pump house, but the vision was not there at the time.

When I found this drawing recently, it brought back all the excitement we felt back then. There is nothing like being young, buying a new home and deciding how you will make it your own. Sometimes the excitement even overshadows the frustrations....LOL!

We had to have a few boards replaced last week, and there are many more that need it. Truth be told, we need a whole new deck. And the cycle continues...

Scroll down for a hand update......

This is Rock Lake, near my hometown in WV. Click to enlarge.

In my area, we had a huge (400 by 200 feet) swimming pool complex that had been built into the side of an old rock quarry. Virtually everyone went there on weekends, as it was one of the few public pools around in those days. They had the big main pool, baby pools, a games area and a dance floor, and they always played the current popular songs for our "dancing pleasure". And dance we did; as the sun burned brightly and tanning or swimming became boring, we piled onto the dance floor like sardines in a can. It was heaven. If your current boyfriend was not in attendance that weekend, there were always scores of others waiting in the wings. And don't get me started about life guards; they of the bronzed bodies and rippling biceps. It was every 15 year old's dream, even if the guards were far too old for us.

These photos must have been taken on a weekday, or early in the morning, because on most weekend days, you could hardly move for the numbers of people there!

I lifted this from a previous post on summer memories, written back when I couldn't post pics. I thought you'd enjoy seeing my "old swimming hole". If I keep posting photos of warmer days, maybe they'll get here soon......LOL

Edit: The pool closed in the 60's, a victim of integration, according to the story I read.

And another one: Jennifer asked if I was sure it closed in the 60's. I am not; that is the info in an email I got, and it could be wrong. I left that area in 1963 and never attempted to go to Rock Lake again after that, so I don't know.

Yes, there was a charge to get in, but I don't know how much it was. Probably something like 50 cents. It was not a public pool (in the sense that it was not city-run). It was privately owned.