Thursday, November 25, 2010

THANKSGIVING

Nov 25 2010 - Drew arrived from Austin last night, late. Traffic was heavy getting out of Texas, and then there was construction on I-35 on the outskirts of OKC. It was a bad day to be traveling by any means, but he got here safely. He brought art and his cat, Petey. They are sleeping in the Oklahoma room. We visited for a while in our room, so we all got to bed very late last night but got to sleep in this morning.

The leaves outside are falling like snowflakes! Yesterday Andy and I spent time raking some leaves off the walkways and Andy cleaned out the gutters. I moved more plants into the house, as we were expecting a hard freeze last night. This morning it was around 30 degrees when we woke up, and will hopefully reach a high temperature of 50 during the day -- so not a warm day. It is supposed to freeze again tonight. I have way too many plants and need to get rid of some, but can't just throw them away -- anyone who wants to give a plant a good home is welcome to some aloe vera plant, or sansivarius (mother-in-law tongue), or that inside climbing vine (I can't think of the name of the plant at this moment)...

Andy is baking a pecan pie for tonight, and I made some pumpkin creme brulee -- a new recipe I just made up. I made a "test" batch yesterday and everyone said it was good, so I'll make some more for dessert tonight. We are having a pork loin for dinner, along with the traditional sides - garlic mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, fruit salad, and cranberry sauce. I am sitting here remembering last Thanksgiving, when Drew brought his friend Tracy for the weekend and my friend Sandi drove up for the weekend. We had a bonfire . . .

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

LOOKING FOR EMPLOYMENT

Here is a test, to see if anyone if reading this blog.

I am looking for a new job, that will allow me a little flexibility and no weekend work. I'd take fulltime or parttime during the week. When I was hired at the bank, I didn't have to work on Saturday, but management has changed. So with the B&B business picking up a little, I need to be home on Saturday mornings to prepare breakfast. Weekdays aren't a problem, as Andy is home and with advance preparation he can handle weekday guests by himself, and we rarely have weekday guests right now. If anyone knows of a secretarial or administrative position in the Blaine County or Kingfisher, Thomas, Fay, or Canton area, please let me know.

ALSO - fyi -- we have a Facebook page for Chaparral Retreat. I am not in the habit of checking it regularly yet, but hope people will check it out and that will encourage me to check it more often. I am eager to hear from everyone . . . .

TIME TO BRING PLANTS IN

We've had a few nights with temperatures under 50 degrees, and even in the high 30's the last two nights. But daytime temperatures have been in the low 70's. I think it's time to bring in the aloe vera and sansavarius plants for the winter but I need to find room for them. IF ANYONE WANTS TO GIVE A PLANT A GOOD HOME, PLEASE CALL ME - 580-623-4269! I don't have room for all of my babies in the house.

Andy saw a bobcat out front on Monday afternoon. It had something small in its mouth, like a gopher, and was walking through the redbud thicket on Coot's side of the lane. Fortunately, our kitty cat and Skeeter were in the house at the time.

We "adopted" a cat off the street in town back in August, and she is getting bigger day by day. She has caught a mouse in the garage and dug up a mole in the front yard. She gets along great with Skeeter and Blake's little dog, Itzel. Kitty and Itzel chase each other and play together and are fun to watch. Ah, between the pets and watching the wild birds play, we have all the entertainment we need!

But man does not live by bread alone . . . so we went to a Halloween costume party this past weekend and had a great time. Good food and drink, new friends and fun costumes, and a magic show to boot, in an old rock house in town that was a perfect setting. We are already looking forward to next year's party.

I miss going to Dallas, as I haven't been able to drive since my last visit there at the end of July. I've only had a couple of "small" seizures since August, but no unconsciousness, so if my condition stays the same I should be able to drive again in February. Andy plays the role of chauffeur patiently, but I do miss driving and being able to just get out and run to town by myself.