On the Road to Boston

We left Long Island at 8:30 and headed to the outlet malls in Connecticut. There were hardly any cars on the road so we got there in under 2 ½ hours. Even though the speed limit was 55, the other cars were flying past me and I felt like I was standing still. Then we found some antique stores along the way and stopped there. Don found postcards and “stuff” to buy so he was happy. We arrived at our hotel (Sheraton) around 4pm. Then we walked around the hotel trying to get our bearings. There is a walk way to shops and restaurants which is pretty cool. We finally found the food court (and Ben and Jerry’s) just as it closed. PF Changs had an hour wait so we moved on. We ended up eating at a place called Whiskey’s Steakhouse and Saloon and my food was pretty good. I had Bourbon St. Pasta which was so spicy my mouth is still burning but it was really tasty and good.

photo credit: Driving into the New Year by Ben McLeod

Long Island 03/28-28/08

We drove out to Montauk Point along Sunrise Hwy. It is amazing how different this is from the city. There were lots of wooded areas and state parks. At the end was a lighthouse but since it started to rain, we didn’t stay there long. We went back into town and had lunch. We drove back along Montauk Hwy and stopped in little towns along the way. The houses in Southhampton Beach were enormous and looked very expensive. Don said that I could get one of them only if I won the lottery (drool!) but of course I will need a live in personal assistant to help me. We also stopped in an antique store in one town and Don found lots of postcards to buy so he was happy! We got back in time for pizza and watching the NCAA tournament on TV.

On Saturday, Deanna and I brought back bagels and knishes for breakfast. We just spent the morning visiting and catching up on all the stuff that has been happening. The kids played basketball outside and didn't seem to feel as cold as I was feeling, but I guess they are used to it. After lunch (more pizza!), Mike gave us a tour of Oakdale and Sayville. Then we got back in time to eat more junk food before going out to dinner. Fourteen of us met at the Fortune Wheel for a huge Chinese dinner. Some of the dishes we had were Peking Pork Chops, lo mein, shrimp fried rice, crispy chicken, braised chicken, a Chinese vegetable that is like young broccoli, salad of seaweed and kale, and steak. No one left hungry.

Then we came back to Deanna’s house so we could pack up and get ready to leave for Boston in the morning. Everyone came back for dessert and we had a great time visiting and taking lots of pictures!

My Favorite Hobbies

I like to do many different things but the following are my favorites:

1. Traveling - I love to go to new places, try new foods, and see new things
2. My computer - I blog, twitter, do email, chat, and keep in touch with friends.
3. Reading - I read when I'm eating or just sitting. I have a hard time just sitting and doing nothing.
4. Crocheting - this relaxes me. I also can have a conversation with my hubby when he is driving while I'm doing this or I can listen to podcasts at the same time.
5. Hiking - This makes me appreciate the world around me.

The fun part is that I can do 2-5 when I am traveling so I can do more than one hobby at a time!

Brooklyn 03/27/08

Today we drove to Brooklyn to see Shea Stadium and see the new stadium being built. After that and many u-turns, going around in circles, we went to Flushing Corona Park which is home to the Unisphere. This was the huge world sculpture I remember from the 1964 World’s Fair. There was another huge rusting structure that looked like it was a viewing platform but I’m not sure. The Unisphere looked in great condition and I could imagine the park full of people, vendors, noise, and lights all around. Of course at the time I was only 5 years old so I’m not sure how much is memory and how much is fantasy.

Next, we drove to Coney Island to see Astroland. I’m told that they will take the roller coaster down and I don’t know if the whole amusement park is closing or if they are just getting rid of the roller coaster. We ate hot dogs with sauerkraut at the Original Nathan’s and then we walked along the boardwalk on the beach as it began to rain.

We came back to Long Island before rush hour started and I drove to my old elementary school (Southwest Elementary) and my old junior high school (when I was there it was West Jr. High but now it is West Middle School).

I feel like we spent the whole day eating. We started out at Panera Bread, then in Flushing we stopped at Dunkin Donuts. When we got to Coney Island we ate Nathan’s hotdogs with sauerkraut. When we got back to Long Island we ate hamburger and fries at White Castle. A little while later we ended up at Friendly’s where we ate soup and salad followed by a Jim Dandy. A Jim Dandy is like a banana split but it has 5 scoops of ice cream, lots of toppings, whipped cream and walnuts. I will be as big as a house when we return home!

Favorite Music

I have weird taste in music because I like a lot of different kinds. I like some country music and I love John Denver songs. My prom date (many many years ago) even looked like John Denver and played a guitar. I like some classical music and used to play it in my class while the students were working. Reggae is fun too and especially makes me think of the cruises I have been on. I also like Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals. In the car I listen to oldies (60s and 70s) but I like 50s music too. When I play my accordion at the nursing homes I usually play 40s and 50s music. My favorite music basically depends on what mood I'm in at the time.

photo credit: music by [phil h]

New York City 3/25-26/08

Tuesday: We got on the LIRR at 4:30am to head in the city with Deanna and Mike. When we got to Penn Station we immediately hit the Dunkin Donuts place so we could have enough energy to roam around. We got on the subway and went to Times Square to look around. It is so exciting to see the crowds of people, all the tall buildings, and lights and billboards. We also went to the World Trade Center site because we go every time we are here to see what new stuff they have done. Every time we see it, it looks different. We walked around Wall Street and that area. Then we took the subway to Canal St. and walked to Chinatown. Around 4:30pm we headed back to Long Island. It was a fun day but boy, did my feet hurt.

Wednesday: We went into the city around 8:30am. Then we went to Times Square to walk around again. We stopped for lunch at Juniors which was jam packed. I even got a chocolate egg cream and it was so good. I wonder why they call it that when there isn’t any egg in it. I don’t care though, because it was just like I remembered it. We saw Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center. At 2pm, we went to the Westside Theater (49th St. and 9th Ave.) to see an off-Broadway musical called “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!” We both enjoyed it. When we left we caught the LIRR back to Long Island around 5:30.

My Favorite Food

My favorite food is pasta. I love penne pasta best but I would eat any kind of pasta. I love pasta with red meat sauce but would eat it alfredo style if I had too. I love pasta covered in cheese too. When I go to my favorite Italian restaurant, I get baked ziti which is full of cheese and meat sauce. If I didn't exercise I would be as fat as a pig (oh wait, I am already!). I could eat pasta every day and not get tired of it!

Photo credit: Cooking Lab: Italian - Penne con salsa Bolognese by panduh

Yeungling Brewery 03/24/08

We went to Pottsville, PA to the Yeungling Brewery for a free tour. It was really interesting. We walked up and down a lot of stairs and looked into the big barrels. After we left there, we headed out to Long Island. I took the wrong turn and went downtown Newark which was an adventure. We left Newark and went through the Holland Tunnel and ended up right in the middle of New York City. After crossing the Manhattan Bridge we finally made it into Long Island around 4:30. We visited with my sister before ending up at my niece's house.

100 Things I Love

(These are not in order of importance. They were noted as I thought of them.)

My family (24 people including parents, sisters, in laws, nieces and their families, and nephew)
25. Hiking
26. Computer
27. Reading
28. Crocheting
29. Driving and exploring the US
30. Going on cruises
31. Digital Scrapbooking
32. My accordion
33. Meeting new people
34. Black licorice
35. Hershey’s kisses
36. Steak
37. Juicyfruit candy
38. Good and plenty candy
39. Retirement
40. Blogging
41. Teaching
42. Keeping in touch with former students
43. My Toyota Prius
44. Gardening
45. Backpacker magazine
46. Twitter
47. Shelfari.com to organize my books
48. Voicethreads
49. My Ipod
50. My cell phone
51. Helping others
52. Eating
53. Being able to see long distances (since my lasik surgery 8 years ago)
54. My microwave
55. Chai tea
56. Diet pepsi
57. Watching movies with happy endings
58. The Waltons on TV
59. Little House on the Prairie on TV
60. 7th Heaven on TV
61. NCIS on TV
62. CSI on TV
63. Numbers on TV
64. Criminal Minds on TV
65. My hot tub
66. My treadmill
67. My new hoodie sweatshirt that I wear all of the time
68. Blue jeans
69. Hiking boots
70. Hiking poles
71. Ramen noodles
72. My hiking club: Greenville Natural History Association
73. Council for Exceptional Children
74. Having a clean house (but I don’t like cleaning it!)
75. To laugh
76. Tours of businesses that make things
77. Utah because it is the most scenic state I’ve been to.
78. Kentucky – for its great hiking trails
79. Texas – friendliest people on the face of the earth
80. Alaska – remote and wild and exciting
81. Italy – love the food, the history, the food
82. Paris – music was everywhere, in the metro, on the streets
83. My long hair
84. My exercise watch that measures pulse and calories
85. My neighbors who are always there for us
86. The mountains
87. National parks
88. Friendly people
89. Keeping up with old college friends
90. Email
91. Ustream
92. Vitamins
93. Reading glasses – couldn’t read close up without them
94. Church
95. Pecan sandies – cookies
96. Chocolate chip cookies
97. Swiss miss hot chocolate with mini marshmallows
98. Froot Loops cereal
99. Drakes Coffee cake jrs. – mini coffee cakes
100. Watching the birds drink from my water garden

Photo credit: Love of Nature by glisglis

Trip to NY Sunday 3/23/08

We left home at 6:30am with the plan to end up in Lancaster, PA. On Monday morning we would go to some Amish stores, places and then end up at the outlet malls. When we arrived, we found out that the restaurant that we like to go to (Good and Plenty) was closed on Sundays. Then we decided that we would go to the restaurant Plain and Fancy but they wanted $20 per person for dinner and we weren't that hungry. So, we decided to look for a hotel and after stopping at a couple, we found out that much would be open in the area because it was still off-season and some places would be closed for Easter holiday. So, we decided to head toward Philadelphia. As we got closer to Philly, we thought about Monday morning traffic and the fact that we have been to Philly before and wanted to go somewhere different. Luckily my hubby remembered seeing on the internet or the travel channel that the Yeungling Brewery was somewhere in Pennsylvania. Since I now have Verizon broadband, I was able to look it up in the car and found out that it is is Pottsville, PA and gives free tours. So, we whipped the car around and headed to Pottsville. We found a cheap motel in Shartlesville which only cost $45 per night. Of course you get what you pay for. Luckily it was clean so I was happy. We decided no more motels for under $79! I had fun all day in the car on the computer because I was able to use twitter and keep in touch with my friends, keep my sister updated every time we crossed over a state line, and read blogs and emails. It was a wonderfully productive day, even if I was in the car!

Photo credit: car travel - 19 by isthatkid

My Dream House

Blog prompt: Dream House (blueprints and journaling about the house we’d love)

My house right now is pretty close to the dream house I would like with a few minor adjustments. I would have my side porch (see porch photo) screened in so we could sit in our rocking chairs and hubby wouldn't be eaten by mosquitos. Then I'd add a wrap around porch on the corner to hook it up the side porch with my back deck. I would also like rounded flower beds in my back yard (see yard photo) with garden paths that wander through the flower beds. All around would be bird houses, bird baths, and bird feeders too. I would have little cameras positioned so they focused on the bird houses, baths, and feeders so I could watch the birds on my computer and not scare them away. I would also have a huge greenhouse for my tropical plants and houseplants in the winter plus a place for me to grow seedlings. I would add a two story garage also where the upstairs would be a fully functional apartment so my hubby could play with his trains up there, and have a bathroom and kitchen if he needed it while he was there playing. When we got old, we could hire a housekeeper or college student to live there and take care of us and the house. I would have to win the lottery though if I wanted to make this dream house come true!

My Most Memorable Birthday

Blog prompt: Birthdays (shots from various birthdays and/or birthday memories)

I have to admit that I like my birthday. We don't do anything special to celebrate it because my hubby usually gets me anything I want when I want it so we don't wait for birthdays. I just like the thought that if I have a birthday, I am another year older and I'm still alive. I know that sounds crazy but I am so thankful that I am alive and here to enjoy each day. My mother and sister both died young and I've had many friends who have died so that I know how precious life is.

Now to tell you about my most memorable birthday:

We had only been married about 3 years and my birthday is in September. I was still in the romance stage where I thought my husband should remember my birthday and our anniversary (he still doesn't after 29 years!). September came and went and there was no mention of my birthday. I never mentioned it either but tucked those hurt feelings inside and nurtured them like a baby.

Then November came and we had a humbdinger of an argument. I don't know what it was about but I remember ending with something like "I know you don't love me, you don't care about it, you didn't even remember my birthday!" And then there was silence...and more silence....Then he asked, "When was your birthday?" I mentioned that it was 2 months ago and walked out of the room. Nothing else was said. I'm sure we made up but I thought that was the end of it.

I drove to school the next day in my little Triumph Spitfire convertible (I loved that little car!). I remember still feeling hurt as I taught all day and telling a friend about our argument. When I left school that afternoon and approached my car, it was filled with so many helium balloons that I couldn't even get in the car. After finally getting the balloons out, I noticed little wrapped boxes all over the seat and floor. When I opened the boxes, there were beautiful pieces of jewelry in each one. I finally found a card that said Happy Late Birthday from my hubby.

It was so sweet that I could have cried. I know that was the last and only time he has forgotten my birthday. Of course my daughter calls him every day a week before my birthday now to remind him (lol). I did better with gifts when he forgot than when he remembers!

Photo credit: Birthday cake in Hamburg by robokow

Books

Blog prompt: Books (crammed bookshelves and favorite authors)

I am trying to keep a record of what I read and what I plan to read on Shelfari. I like Shelfari because when I decide to look for a book to read at the library, I can go right to this website if I'm at the library to look up a title and author. I go through phases when I read books. I grew up on harlequin romances (my mom read them) so of course they are entertaining to me. I like Nora Roberts books and Debbie MacComber lately. Of course when I need a break I like mysteries like the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. I also like James Patterson's Alex Cross mysteries. In between all the fiction, I am in the process of reading The World is Flat by Tom Friedman which is phenomenal. This book analyzes the progress of globalization with an emphasis on the early 21st century and I didn't think I would like it (thought it would be dry) but I find it very interesting. There are so many books at there that I want to read but a lot depends on the mood I'm in.

Photo credit: Books, I have them by Saturnine

Collecting Magnets

Blog prompt: My collection

I have collected a lot of things over the years, but tend to move on to something new after awhile. I collected pigs, salt and pepper shakers, plates, tshirts, and houseplants but they tend to take up too much space. Then we started traveling and I wanted to collect something that would remind me of the places we had visited but that could get expensive. At first I bought postcards but once I put them in a box, I never saw them again. Then my hubby suggested magnets because they were easy to pack in our suitcases and we could display them where we could see them. As you can see, we have done such a good job that our refrigerator is full and we have moved on to the washing machine. I am thinking of getting a big magnetic board from ceiling to floor about 4 feet wide that will fit in our playroom and we can start adding them there.

Once Upon a Time

Blog prompt: Once Upon a Time (page about childhood toys)

I remember playing with my leggos and my Barbie dolls. During different phases of my childhood "careers" I think these 2 toys were my constants. When I watched the movie Journey to the Center of the Earth, I was going to be an explorer and leggos were turned into exploring tools and my Barbies were my fellow explorers. When I became a teacher, my leggos because classroom equipment and the Barbies were my students. When I became an inventor, the leggos became new inventions and the Barbies were my guinea pigs. When I saw the movie To Kill a Mockingbird, I became a lawyer and the leggos were my courtroom and the Barbies were the jury. Both of those toys just stand out in my memory because I think they withstood the test of time, where others were "here today and gone tomorrow."

Photo credit: Microcity by tempo

School Revisited

Blog prompt: Schools Revisited

Furman University: I loved my college life! It was my first experience with independence (800 miles away) and I made so many friends. Those were good years. I loved it so much that I got my master's degree here and I was married at the Bell Tower on campus. I even am an adjunct instructor here teaching courses to teachers who are getting their master's degree in special education.

High School - those years are fuzzy. My oldest sister died right before I entered high school so everything is blurry. I had transferred to a new school in a different district (for reasons you will see as you read on) and it was hard making new friends. I did have a best friend in high school called Bunny and she helped me survive. I was so advanced that I took all AP courses in 12th grade and had early dismissal. I was also part of the drama club which helped since my parents were extremely overprotective.

Junior High - Horrible. I hated every minute of it but the event that clinched the whole thing was a major gang fight that I was innocently involved in. An acquaintance who walked the same way I did to get home somehow was walking with me this one day. Apparently she said hello to this other girl's boyfriend (known bully who was a couple of years older than us but had been held back for a couple of times). This bully and her gang of girls confronted the acquaintance and me (since they thought I was her friend). Since I was a chicken, I remember knocking this boy off his bike and riding home. My dad put the bike in the car and drove me back up to the scene. When I gave the bike back to the boy, I tried to get the acquaintance in the car but she refused because she didn't know my dad (stupid!). We left and the next day I found out the acquaintance was in the hospital with a broken collarbone, broken arm, broken leg, internal injuries, and kicked so much between the legs that she would be unable to ever bear children. Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck the rest of the year. Of course I was also shocked when the victim came back from the hospital and became friends with the bully. I knew I wanted out of there, so we used my sister's address so I could go to a high school in a different district.

Elementary- elementary school was good for me except 4th grade. This was the year that influenced me to become a teacher. We had a teacher (I still remember her name(s)) and she was engaged, married, and divorced in the one year that we had her. She came to class with sunglasses a lot and physically abused us by slamming students in the wall or jerking them out of the chair by their hair if they gave a wrong answer. She threatened to kill us if we ever told anyone and I don't think any of us ever did. In fact, I never told anyone about this until I was married after college. I had the beginning of an ulcer that year but I was the perfect student with straight As. I swore that when I grew up that I would become a teacher and my students would never be afraid of making a mistake.

Photo credit: Furman Bell Tower from Furman Alumni Page

TV Shows

Blog Prompt: Those TV Shows

I tend to watch TV shows that are hokey, good family shows. During the day I like to watch reruns of the Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and Touched By An Angel. At night I watch Criminal Minds, CSI, Law and Order SVU, NCIS, and Grey's Anatomy. (oops! left off Numbers but just saw it on Tammy's blog so I came back here and added it.) Of course right now all the reruns are at night so I play on the computer and use the TV as background noise. I'm so sick of reruns. I can't wait to see new episodes. Of course when the new episodes come out, we will be on the road and won't have any TV while camping in a tent so I will watch everything for the first time when they are really reruns!

Photo credit: The Future of Television by Lee Bennett

Worth Remembering

Blog Prompt: Worth Remembering (things I don’t want to ever forget)

1. My husband loves me.
2. Appreciate the things I have.
3. Learning is a lifelong experience.
4. Never stop dreaming.
5. Look for the good in everything.
6. Keep a positive outlook on life.
7. Be thankful every day that I wake up.
8. Don't forget to tell people thank you for things they do.
9. Keep in touch with friends and don't let them slip away.
10. Family is family no matter how mad they can make you feel.

Note: How cool is this! I'm in the car on my laptop doing this while hubby is driving us to the trailhead for a hike with our hiking group. Verizon broadband is the bomb!

A Day In My Life

Blog Prompt: A day in my life (things about my day)

Since I have retired, my days are pretty routine unless we are traveling or going for a hike and I love it!

I get up very early in the morning and have about two hours to myself which I use by reading my bible, checking email, writing on my blogs, working on my summer course that I will be teaching, and reading messages on Twitter (if you have never used this, it is pretty cool and I'm addicted). If you want to know more, click on Twitter in Plain English.

When my hubby wakes up, we go to Panera Bread for a bagel and tea. We have been eating there every day for so long that they put the bagel in the toaster before we get out of the car. As soon as we enter, the bagels are presented on the tray ready to eat.

When we leave Paneras, will either do my grocery shopping (no crowds in the store because everyone is working or in school) or we end up home where I do some chores around the house like folding clothes, vaccuuming, washing bathrooms, etc. before I get on the computer. Once I get on the computer, all is lost and I don't emerge unless I have to. I don't think it is a serious addiction though because I have no problem leaving to go shopping or walking but I really have nothing pressing that I have to do so I can play when I want to.

If the weather is nice, we will go walking our 4 miles either before our after lunch. Since we retired, we are actually eating at home more often so we will fix a light lunch at home. Hubby usually has a sandwich and I have left overs from the night before (hubby won't eat left overs) or I have ramen noodle.

The rest of the afternoon usually involves either playing on the computer, reading a book, or crocheting. Once the weather warms up, it will involve gardening also. I have also been teaching my hubby how to blog and do things on the computer so it helps that we are sitting side by side at our respective computers while he is learning. All I have to do is lean over and fix whatever he has done. This is also the time we go shopping or the library.

Around 4pm, I start cooking dinner and we eat by 5pm. After I do dishes, we watch the news on TV and our usual TV line up. I do more crocheting, reading, or playing on the computer until bedtime. This is also the time I call my parents in FL or my sister in NY and talk about the day.

By 9pm, I'm usually in bed reading or watching TV and by 10pm, I am asleep.

As you can tell, I'm a creature of habit and I love my routine. That is what I missed most when I retired was a routine. Slowly I have established a routine that works for me and may change when I tire of it. I hope you aren't bored to tears now or sound asleep. That is my routine for the day which doesn't vary much unless we are traveling. Since we will be gone for 2 months traveling, I will have 2 months of non-routine and that should be interesting and stressful for me!

photo credit: Hospital Hallway by Headur

Snail Mail or Email?

Blog Prompt: snail mail or email?

Most definitely email. Ever since I learned to write letters, I have despised preparing envelopes. I could write letters all day long, but they would sit because I wouldn't make the envelope. I have no idea why I hate envelopes but I do. Then the other matter is the price of postage and I hear it will be increasing again soon. I do not think it is worth the money to mail a piece of paper like that. This past year I did not send any Christmas cards and it saved me abotu $50 in postage. I have told my family that they will now get birthday postcards (which I can make on my computer) instead of cards. One December, I sent my parents a Christmas card and they never got it but never said anything to me. In Februaray I got the card back saying "no such address." I called my step mom and told her that and she said that she had been living there for over 30 years and hadn't moved! I took the card to the bank and explained to them that there was a mistake and they told me that I could resend it but I would have to pay new postage! Needless to say, they got it the next time I visited them and could hand it to them in person.

I love email because I don't have to fill out an envelope, and I can write and answer when it is convenient to me. I can also use my computer which means if I make a mistake, I can always fix it easily. If it is a business email, it can save and refer to it easily. It also save room when filing and saves trees too.

Photo Credit: KidNews/WeeklyEmailNewsletterForm by Ada Community Library

Things That Make My Day

Blog Prompt: Top 10 things that make my day.

1. Seeing my hubby first thing in the morning.
2. Having the sun shine a day around 65 degrees.
3. My hubby saying that he was willing to go hiking.
4. Comments on my blogs.
5. Emails from my friends.
6. Compliments from my hubby that my meal was delicious (because I am such a horrible cook.)
7. A scrapbook page that turns out better than I expected.
8. Learning something new and exciting on my computer.
9. Finishing a crochet project
10. Having someone appreciate something I did for them.

photo credit: Happy Smiley Face Button Badge by Michaeldb

Day four into our journey of self. What are your favorite things?

1. Computer
2. Digital Camera
3. Books
4. Hiking Boots
5. Hiking Sticks
6. Backpack
7. Zip Off Pants (pants that become shorts when legs zipped off)
8. Cell phone (relatives are on Verizon so our calls are free)
9. Exercise watch (time, stopwatch, pulse, calories burned0
10. Scanner
11. Printer
12. Treadmill
13. Microwave
14. Hot Tub
15. Ipod
16. External Hard Drive
17. Refrigerator (can’t imagine living in times without one)
18. Toyota Prius (at almost 50 mpg, I can go anywhere)
19. Built In GPS in Prius (we call her Mabel, gets us wherever we need to go)
20. HDTV (hubby loves it so he can watch what he wants, like Nascar races, while I watch what I want on the other TV.

All Things to All People

Blog Prompt: All things to all people…(list of the *things* I am to others)

1. Wife
2. Best Friend
3. Lover
4. Mother
5. Friend
6. Confidante
7. Advisor
8. Educational Resource
9. Leader
10.Teacher
11.Daughter

Pieces of Me

Blog Prompt: Pictures or word that describe me

1. Wife
2. Mother
3. Teacher
4. Retired
5. Hiker
6. Books
7. Crochet
8. Camping
9. Computer
10. Digital Scrapbooking
11. Caring
12. Compassionate
13. Happy
14. Content
15. Loving
16. Fun
17. Sense of Humor
18. Short
19. Conscientious
20. Over achiever
21. Perfectionist

Favorite Colors

Blog Prompt: Your favorite color. Has it always been your favorite? If not when did it change and why? Go into detail about it. What feelings does it evoke when you see it? Is it a color you prefer to see or to wear? Etc.

I actually have 2 favorite colors. I think blue has always been my favorite and have always worn blue, even growing up. Then when I went to college at Furman University, the school colors were purple and white so my wardrobe became full of purples. Since we have season tickets to the football games and go to all of them, my mother in law made us a purple and white afghan. We even got married at the bell tower at Furman so my bridesmaids' gowns were lavender. I really like all shades of purple but sometimes it makes me stand out too much and then I wear blue. I will work on a scrapbook page of this and update this later.

Leaping into Life

Blog Prompt: Today is Leap Day. Have you ever “leaped” into something without thinking? What was it and how did it turn out?

A few years ago, we hiked 5 miles up to The Hike Inn in Georgia, which in fact, is the only way to get there. It is really neat inn with small rooms, a dining hall, bathroom and showers, and a sun room with a porch filled with rocking chairs. I love to sit out in the rocking chairs in the morning and watch the sun rise over the mountain as I drink a hot cup of tea. After dinner one night, they had a program and this one night they talked about how they compost everything. They have composting toilets and they also compost most of their food scraps. This is where I first learned about the worm composting system.

All the way back down the mountain I thought about the worms and how I wanted one. Luckily my hubby is used to me and he knew what I was thinking so he agreed to help me. The day we got home, my parents came to visit from FL and my dad is really handy with tools. So the very next day, we bought plywood and supplies and my dad built me two huge boxes (4'x2'x2') for my worms (in fact, they look like little coffins). Then we had to go find the worms which was difficult because I needed about 10,000 worms which would not cost me a fortune. I finally found someone who sold me worms wholesale, because the little bait containers would have cost me about $1000 instead of the $100 I spent. Now, keep in mind, this all took place within a week of our visit to the Hike Inn!

I'm proud to say after all this time, I still have my worms and we compost with the poop. My flowers never looked better and I feel I am helping the environment by using natural fertilizer. And it is fun!