Just because

Weekend highlights

After the previous weekend being a complete FAIL, thank goodness this past weekend was the exact opposite!

I worked on Sat. I had an appointment to show 2 homes to a couple at 11am who are planning to move here in a year or so when they retire, but may want to buy before then to have a beach house for weekends and summer vacations. Then I had an appointment to show 6 homes to a couple who are renting. They really liked the home I showed them in the neighborhood where they are currently renting and decided to write an offer! I told my buyers the house already had an offer on it but it was still going back and forth with both parties trying to agree on a final sale price. I suggested that if they really wanted the house, they should offer the full list price or something very close to it in order to get the seller to stop negotiating on the 1st offer. They heeded my advice and offered full list price and the seller accepted/ratified the offer! My 1st sale!!! I tried to contain my excitement since I didn't want my couple to know I'd only been selling real estate for about a month. Needless to say Spouse was VERY happy.

That evening we met Steven & Thad, 1 of the Bobs, and Joe P at the Pickled Pig Pub for dinner. I had a delicious pulled pork sandwich. Afterward I dropped off Spouse at home and went to the Blue Moon to watch the 1st night of Legends show. My fellow cast mates did a fantastic job! The celebrities being impersonated were Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, and Boy George. The place was absolutely packed (with a line down the block to get it), but somehow I managed to run into several friends, 1 of which was Jeff a guy from my real estate school. I also saw Greg & Gerry and Marty & John whom I know from when we lived in VA. After the Legends show I hung out for a while and talked, then headed home.

Sun I worked in the office all day, then darted home to help Spouse get ready for our Memorial Day weekend cookout. We'd cleaned and gotten organized ahead of time so it didn't take much to get everything set up. 9 friends were able to make it and we had a great time eating and visiting on the screened porch. It was warm but not hot or humid so it was comfortable being outside.

Today (Memorial Day) I was off so Spouse & I went to beach where we met Steven & Thad, 1 of the Bobs, Joe P, Robin and her friend Bill. It was really hot for Memorial Day (low 90s) but it felt great to sit on the beach for the 1st time this season and enjoy the day off. Later that evening we met up with them again for dinner at the Long Neck Diner.

It was a TERRIFIC weekend!!

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, but too small to be their own post.

I'm off today since I'm working Sat & Sun. I'm doing some laundry and practicing my songs for the "Legends" show in between my housecleaning. We're having a Memorial Day cook-out on Sun so I will also need to clean the screened porch today.

My friend Jared provided me with this interesting piece of truth.


I got a call this morning (on my cell) from a new client who wants to see some homes tomorrow, so I will need to stop in at the office at some point to print some fact sheets and make some property showing appointments. They're already renting in the neighborhood where a house is for sale in which they're interested, so I think that's a good sign.

Its Memorial Day weekend which is the official start of the summer season here at the beach. The forecast is for great beach weather so I'm expecting throngs of weekenders looking to spend the 1st weekend of the summer season here at the beach. Bring it on!!

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Just because

First rehearsal

This evening after work I went to the 1st rehearsal for the "Legends" show.

(Stock photo)

Singers had an opportunity to run through their numbers on stage with the mic and soundtrack.

The back-up dancers ran through some of their routines on the stage with the 'legends', to get a feel for how much space they had to dance in.

The costume guy was there with some of our costumes so we could try them on. One of mine needed some alterations so he pinned and marked it.

We went over the finale and worked out who's singing what and where we're supposed to be.

I'm really getting excited about it! The 1st show is this coming Sat. I'm not in the 1st 1 which is kind of nice, but I'll be in the audience watching and cheering them on.

Make love to the camera

RuPaul may be the "Supermodel of the World", but today I went for a photo shoot for the "Legends" show where I "made love to the camera"!

When I arrived at the dressing room to change into my Neil Diamond costume and wig I was reminded that I had forgotten to shave off my goatee! Fortunately a quick scramble through the drawers of the dressing room produced a razor and a small can of shaving cream, and I was off to the bathroom to quickly shave off my facial hair. It was a little bittersweet.

After returning to the dressing room freshly shaven, I put on my Neil Diamond costume and was fitted with my 70s shag wig. Before I knew it I was being wisked off to the studio.

The photographer gave me some general instructions and tried to make me comfortable. I admitted that I had never been photographed like this before. Plus, the point was not for me to be comfortable being me, it was to look as much like Neil Diamond as possible.

I did a lot of posing with slight adjustments to the tilt of my head, smiling a little, not smiling, hands in pockets, arms crossed in front of me, tugging my white satin scarf - it was crazy. I truly did think of the phrase "make love to the camera", which made me laugh. The photographer wanted to know why I was laughing all the sudden so I explained the source of laughter. By then we were both laughing!

The photos will be Photoshopped together to look as though all 6 of us were together and a single photo was taken, which will be used on the promotional posters and advertisements. How fun is that?!?!

Oh, and did I mention I'm getting PAID to be in this show?

Weekend low lights

I worked on Sat and then met up with Steven & Thad, Jack & Alisha, Robin, and Joe P for dinner.

Sun morning we drove to Cherry Hill to get BoltBus. Since we hadn't driven there in over a year we decided to use our GPS. It took us different route but I remembered seeing the new route on the map so I wasn't worried. However, a few miles from our destination the GPS suddenly went crazy! It told us to make right turns where there was no street and to make a sharp left turn when we were on a divided road. It kept "recalculating" over and over and I was getting frantic. We finally got to bus stop... 30 minutes late. Obviously we missed our bus so I called to check on when the next bus would arrive. My heart sunk when I was told that all the later buses were sold out. The reality hit me that we weren't going to NYC. We were going to miss visiting with our dear friend Lisa, the jazz concert, and seeing Tornwordo and Serge. EPIC. FAIL.

We were so angry/upset/disappointed that Spouse & I drove the entire way home without speaking. I tried to salvage the day and get him to do something else fun like go to dinner and/or a movie but wouldn't budge. So we stayed at home that night feeling sorry for ourselves.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget yet too small to be their own post.

I received these two from my friend Jared:

Spouse & I both got our hair cut yesterday. Spouse went after work, about 4:30 and I went after work at 5:30, to the same stylist! We used to get our haircut by Dallas at a local barbershop, but the shop moved to an inconvenient location and Dallas became too unreliable. Several times Dallas was not there and the shop wasn't open despite the hours posted on the door. So I found a new stylist/salon and now Spouse goes there too.

I'm really excited because we're going to NYC this weekend! I'm working on Sat, but we're leaving Sun morning and returning home Mon night. As usual, we're driving to Cherry Hill where we'll hop on the BoltBus. Our plan is to visit with our friend Lisa, go to see her friend Ruth sing at Small's jazz club, check out what's blooming in Central Park, and see the High Line. Then I found out that Tornwordo & Serge will be in NYC also, so I'm really excited to finally meet them in person too!

Legends

For a couple of weeks now I've been teasing you with brief mentions of a series shows in which I'll be performing this summer. Now I'm finally at liberty to say more.

I was approached during karaoke 1 night about being in a series of shows this summer called "Legends" where I would sing and impersonate 2 musical legends. I was told the shows would have professional costumes, choreography, wigs if needed, and be produced like a tribute show you might see at a theatre, only these would take place in the performance space within a bar. It sounded like fun, and judging from all the positive changes the owners had made to the bar since they took over a few years ago, I thought I could trust them to do a good job with this. I certainly didn't want to be a part of something that would turn out to be tacky or embarrassing.

In late April I attended a meeting where I met the other 5 "Legends" cast members and received my info packet. It contained photos, bios, and song lyrics for my celebrity impersonations, and then we discussed the flow of the shows.

The shows are to be 30 minutes long, with 3 legend impersonations each lasting 8-9 minutes, singing a medley of 4 well-known hits, followed by a group finale number. There are 6 cast members but only 3 perform in a show so we don't have to perform every week. Each performer impersonates 2 different legends, so there will be 12 different characters in total throughout the series of shows, taking place every Sat night between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend.

The bar owners thought the free shows would be entertaining, different than anything else available, and would draw even more people to the bar who will likely stay after the conclusion of the shows to dance, socialize, and drink. I think its a genius idea!

So, who will I be impersonating and what will I be singing?

Neil Diamond
Cracklin' Rosie
I am I Said
Brother Love's Travellin' Salvation Show
Sweet Caroline

Neil Sedaka
Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Calendar Girl
Laughter In The Rain

Obviously I don't look a thing like either of these guys, but the idea is to impersonate their vocal style, inflections, and movements/body language. Costumes and wigs will help too.

Impersonating Neil Sedaka will be easier of the 2 because people have told me my singing voice reminds them of Neil Sedaka, which is likely 1 of the reasons this legend was chosen. We have the same vocal range and tone. In addition to having a successful singing career in the 60s and 70s, Sedaka also wrote songs that loads of other artists recorded.

I was a bit skeptical of my ability to impersonate Neil Diamond. His range is a good bit lower than mine and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to reach the lower notes. But through the miracle of modern technology, they will be able to adjust the key of the songs so I can reach the lower notes.

This evening we had our first costume fitting and the cast in the 1st show (May 28) did a rehearsal on stage with mics. I'm really excited about performing in these shows! I enjoy singing and think its important for everyone to have an outlet for creative expression. Oh, and did I mentioned I get PAID?!?!

Maine

Today I showed property to a woman who is planning to move here from Maine.

After retiring from her job she has decided that she can bear to move away from her home and friends in order to escape the long, hard winters there.

She was very nice and very realistic about what to expect in her price range. So often we get people who hear that DE is great for retirees (which it is) and automatically expect to get an updated home with granite and stainless steel within walking distance to the beach for $100K. If that were true then DE would be full!

But alas... she must sell her home in Maine before moving here, and has not even listed it yet. This visit was to acquaint her with what she could get for her money. (Sigh) Such is the life of a realtor.

Hopefully the time and energy invested will pay off when she's sold her other home.

Wardrobe update

I'm the kind of person who hates to pay a lot for clothes because I know how quickly styles, colors, and my personal taste change. I'm not spending $50. or $75. on a shirt that's a trendy style or color when I know that in a year or two that style or color will be passe.

Let's face it: if you're still wearing teal you're out of style!One way to avoid this is to only buy classic styles and colors, but that can get a little boring. Plus, sometimes you don't want to look 'classic'. If you're going to a cocktail party or a Lady Gaga concert you don't want to be wearing a blue oxford cloth button down collar shirt; you want to look cool, hip, or funky.

So my strategy is to have a mix of classic styles and colors purchased from 'better' stores on sale or clearance, and buy my cool/hip/funky stuff at discount stores where the quality probably isn't as high, but doesn't need to be since the item will go out of fashion much sooner.

When we lived in the DC area I'd get my cool/hip/funky clothes at KG Menswear. I've lost count of how many compliments I've gotten from wearing my $20. trendy shirts purchased there. Spouse & I still duck in there to look for fun stuff from time to time when we're back in VA visiting our family and friends. I also like to check out the bargains at the Old Navy factory store and the Vanity Fair outlet store near our home for non-classics.

Just recently I got a chance to update my wardrobe with high quality clothes at a great discount! My friend Rob is the manager of the Ralph Lauren Polo factory outlet store and he gave me a 'Friends & Family Sale' coupon. It provided at 30% discount off everything in the store, regardless of whether it was regular price, on sale, or clearance. (Coupons are often only good on regular priced merchandise.)

To maximize the value of the coupon, Spouse & I started with the clearance rack and then moved to the sale items. We looked for shirts we could pair with khakis or dress pants for work as well as wear with jeans for a casual look. We wound up with 6 Ralph Lauren Polo button up shirts in classic and fun colors for $118. Many of the shirts were originally $59. each, but using the coupon on top of the sale and clearance reductions helped us save even more.

This wardrobe update was long overdue for me. Remember the last 4 years I'd been working from home, wearing t-shirts and jeans all the time. The 4 years before that I'd worked in an extremely casual office, wearing the pull-overs and jeans. I hadn't bothered to update my business-casual wardrobe because I rarely wore that type of clothes.

Now my work clothes are up-to-date and I didn't have to go broke to get there.

Weekend highlights

Sat I worked. Afterward Spouse & I went to a party held by 1 of my colleagues. He and his siblings have a big party every year and invite their friends and colleagues so Spouse & I went. We were the oldest people there, but had a nice time. After the party we walked around Rehoboth Beach, then had dinner at Betty's Pure & Simple. Spouse had salmon with asparagus and corn pudding, while I had 2 appetizers for dinner: sloppy joe sliders and buffalo bleu cheese dip with veggies and chips. We split a slice of homemade coconut custard pie for dessert. Then we watched TV until bedtime. As much as I enjoy socializing and spending time with friends, it was nice to just be together, "enjoying the homelife" as Spouse likes to say.

Sun I worked and Spouse went to the gym and then to breakfast with Steven & Thad. Afterward he called to ask me if I minded if he invited them for dinner at our house. I told him I didn't mind but reminded him that he'd have to do everything (cook, set the table, tidy up the house) since I was working. Spouse made baked stuffed chicken breasts (stuffed with fat free cream cheese and asparagus) and wild rice pilaf. The guys brought a nice tossed salad. After dinner we watched "The Fighter" starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. In my opinion this is 1 of those films where the acting was better than the story. I thought Wahlberg, Bale, Leo, and Adams all did superb jobs, but felt the story lacked depth. It reminded me of "Walk the Line" where Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon's performances eclipsed the actual story.

Although I worked both Sat & Sun I still had a nice weekend.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of items too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

Our rose bushes have got thousands of buds on them and its just a matter of days before they start blooming. We planted them 3 years ago, and then had to move them when the addition was built, so they only bloomed for a while last year. But this year I predict they are going to be terrific because they weren't moved, we've had sufficient rain, and I pruned them at the right time. Stay tuned for photos once the buds begin to burst.

Today is Friday the 13th, a date that has spawned numerous horror films and worried lots and lots of superstitious people. I had a friend when I was a teenager who was born on Friday the 13th. His aunt was SOOO superstitious that she refused to see her nephew... EVER!

Thanks to my friend Jared for more funny blog fodder:

And this one made me laugh out loud!

And this one made me say "Oh my..."

Our

DE civil unions bill signed

Markell signs Delaware civil unions bill into law

Starting Jan. 1, it will provide legal protections, benefits

by Beth Miller, News Journal

With the Rainbow Chorale of Delaware providing the grace notes and fluted glasses of champagne on hand for a long-awaited party, Gov. Jack Markell signed Delaware's civil unions bill into law before a jammed and cheering house at the Queen Theatre Wednesday evening.

"Tonight, we say to loving and committed couples across the state who want the law to endorse the promise that they made long ago in their hearts, 'Your love is equally valid and deserving, your family is now equal under the law,' " Markell told the crowd.

Effective Jan. 1, t he law will provide legal protections and benefits for same-sex couples who solemnize their relationships. With the signing, Delaware becomes the eighth state to grant comprehensive same-sex relationship rights -- either through same-sex marriage laws, civil unions or domestic partnerships. The law does not change federal law, which restricts marriage benefits to opposite-sex couples.

After decades of struggle with the gay rights debate, the civil unions bill seemed to fly through the Legislature, moving from its filing date to final passage on April 14 in less than four weeks.

Lawmakers passed t he bill in both chambers by margins of almost 2-to-1, with several expressing the difficulty with which they cast their votes for and against. Scores of people testified -- some warning of dire consequences if Delaware endorsed same-sex relationships, others urging lawmakers to respect the rights of all and recognize the relationships of the state's same-sex couples as valuable and worthy of legal protection.

Lisa Goodman, president of Equality Delaware, took pains to name the lawmakers who voted for the bill and many other supporters. She saluted primary sponsors Sen. David Sokola and Rep. Melanie George. And after Markell signed the bill, she led the champagne toast.

"We're saying thank you one more time," she said. "Because as we tell our children, you can never say it enough. We will have the same protections, obligations and benefits that all other couples in Delaware are able to enjoy. As the governor said, we believe the tide is turning in the country, and we know it has turned in Delaware."

About 600 people were expected at the event, organized by Equality Delaware, which drafted the bill, and it appeared that they all showed up.

Fay Jacobs, a columnist for the newsletter of CAMP Rehoboth, a gay and lesbi an community center in Rehoboth Beach, wished she could see one face in the crowd -- that of gay rights pioneer Barbara Gittings of Wilmington, who died in 2007.

"In 1965, she was picketing the White House for gay rights," Jacobs said. "And no matter where she went in the country -- she was from Wilmington. Just before she died, she did a Stonewall Democrats event in Rehoboth and said, 'I hope I will be here to see what happens in Delaware.'"

Others in the crowd had long perspectives on the struggle, too.

Wilmington attorney David Facciolo and Jane Monahan, an attorney now living in Geneva, Switzerland, fought against Delaware's version of the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, but that law passed and remains in effect, which was one reason Equality Delaware sought a civil unions bill for same-sex couples only.

"We felt that was the beginning of hate coming out," Facciolo said, "but it was also the beginning of opportunity to enlighten people."

"Fifteen years ago, I was thinking life is not fair," Monahan said. "Things will never change. ... I can't believe i t."

Facciolo said he worked with the civil rights attorney Louis L. Redding for the last three years of his career and thought of him Wednesday night.

"Sometimes, I feel that when something this good happens, maybe a little bit of him is with us," he said.

Facciolo said he and his partner of 20 years plan to form a civil union.

Dale Wyatt said the event was a great way to celebrate his 25th birthday. Though his history is a bit shorter, he and his partner have been together for six years.

"This is a life-changing event," Wyatt said. "And it's about time. ... We are just as stable as straight couples -- if not more so."

The Rev. Karla Fleshman, a member of the Equality Delaware board, said she has lived in Delaware for three years. The work of the past year included "creative conflict," she said.

"Because we did the work of building relationships, when the rubber hit the road, we were united," she said. "To be around veterans of justice in Delaware -- it's a humble honor."

Bob Martz, president of the Delaware Liberty Fund, said the law is the most historic Markell will sign.

"For Delaware -- it's incredible," he said.

Drewry Fennell, Goodman's partner and former executive di rector of the Delaware chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said she couldn't put her finger on any single tipping point.

"If you felt the energy in this room tonight, you felt the tipping point," she said.

Goodman called members of the Equality Delaware board of directors and foundation to the stage -- with their children -- before Markell signed the bill.

About a dozen kids sat in front of him as he took pen in hand.

"Tonight, we say to children of gay and lesbian parents in committed relationships all over our state -- and there are so many wonderful kids, including many here tonight, growing up in those families all over our state -- we say to you: It doesn't matter if your parents are gay or straight. The people you love and look up to and that are dedicating their lives and love to raising you -- those are your parents.

"You are a family. And while we've known it, and you've known it for years, tonight, that equality becomes real under law," he said.

The Rainbow Chorale sang "Make Them Hear You" from "Ragtime," and "We Are One Family."

Video messages were presented, too, from U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, U.S. Rep. John Carney and Wilmington Mayor James M. Baker.

Just because

Religious humor

Hat tip to my friend Jared for these irreverent but funny religious pieces!

Weekend highlights

Fri night's buffet for charity at Hobos was great! It was also the restaurant's 2 year anniversary. The buffet was vegetarian and delicious. Unbeknownst to me, my friends Colin & Don from DC were there when I arrived so I joined them at their table. We ate and drank and talked and laughed and had a ball! The owner and chef Gretchen asked us to move from our small table to a large 1 so she could bring some folks over to join us. Although I wasn't crazy about this at 1st (since we were already having so much fun), it turned out to be great. The folks she brought over to join us were young and fun and we continued to have a great time. We closed the place down, then walked across the street to Blue Moon to catch the end of the Divas Show. Once that ended I bid my buddies a good night and headed home. After all, it was a school night for me.

Sat I worked and Spouse went to the gym. That evening we met up with Steven & Thad, 1 of the Bobs and Joe P for dinner at Conch Island. The food was good and quite reasonably priced compared to most of the restaurants nearby. After dinner, our group walked over to Blue Moon (even Spouse!!!) and hung out for a while, listening to music and talking. I was surprised to not run into anyone I knew but it was likely because it was still rather early for a Sat night. Spouse & I headed home and watched a little TV before going to bed.

Sun morning we got up early and drove to VA for Mother's day. We visited with Spouse's mom, she opened her gift (jewelry) from us, then we made a quick visit to Macy's with my gift card left over from Christmas. I got a red and white gingham shirt. We made a reservation for a late lunch/early dinner at Taco House, and met Spouse's sister and her husband and kids there, as well as Spouse's brother and his wife. We had an excellent meal with the added bonus of getting a short visit with the owners (and our friends) Juan and Gloria. Afterward we all returned to Spouse's mom's house and visited some more before heading back to DE.

Today I am off work, since I'll be working next Sun. I started the day by pulling the weeds from the beds surrounding the house, tossed some laundry in the washer, took a shower, then met a realtor friend for lunch. After lunch I went to Blue Moon for a sound/key check for the songs I'm singing in the upcoming series of shows, then ran a few errands. Once back home I did a little housecleaning and then relaxed a bit before Spouse got home. Of course when he got home he found me watching TV and assumed I'd done nothing but loaf all day! I quickly cleared up that misconception.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

My friend and frequent humor contributor Jared is back at it. This one made me laugh out loud!

And this one: the view of Mt. Rushmore from Canada.

Tonight 'the usual suspects' will not be dining together for Friday Night Dinner as we usually do. Instead, we are all going to a buffet at Hobos to benefit the Delaware Guidance Center. Although some of us may arrive at the same time and be able to be seated together, I told the group we should arrive with the expectation of separating into groups of 4 or 6 people so we can get seated along with all the others. The buffet is free with a $10. donation to the charity. I'm really looking forward to it since I love Hobos food!

A while back I'd stated that I have been frustrated with Blogger because of spacing issues and the inability to paste text into a post. Well, I figured out the pasting problem was specific to Blogger and Internet Explorer. So now I'm using Firefox browser with Blogger so I can paste in text. Maybe the spacing issues will go away too. I'm sharing this in case anyone else is having similar issues.

A model agent

The real estate team of which I'm a member has an agreement to man the model homes/sales center at a new construction community. A 'project' agent from our team works there 5 days a week, the sales center is closed 1 day, and the remaining day is manned by another agent from the team on a rotating basis. Today was my day to be the 'model agent'.

After reacquainting myself with the models, available lots, and options price list, I sat in the near silence for a few minutes. The only sounds I heard were the occasional bangs of hammers from down the street.

I logged into the computer, caught up on my work email and personal email, and even logged into facebook for a little while as I waited for interested home buyers to come in.

Anticipating the potential for long periods of being alone, I brought with me the mp3 player I was given containing my songs for the upcoming series of shows I've been asked to perform in. So I positioned myself to have a view of the door, popped the earbuds in my ears, and began singing along with the music in full voice. I got through all 9 songs twice!

It turned out to be a boring day: I didn't have any visitors, but at least I got to practice my songs.

Mission accomplished

So Obama was able to do after just 2 years what Bush wasn't able to do in 7 years: take out Osama bin Laden. And no American troupes were killed in the process. But what I don't understand is why people would want to see photos of the deceased bin Laden. I certainly don't!

Do they think that someone's trying to fool them into thinking bin Laden is dead when he really isn't? Wouldn't that be a rather risky thing to try? I mean, what if the US claimed bin Laden was dead and then he went on TV or something?

And even if Obama did release the photos of bin Laden's corps, do they think that seeing the photos would be the proof they need, as if they could tell the real bin Laden from the stunt doubles? And how would they know the photos weren't Photoshopped or faked in some way?

I even received a conspiracy email that claimed bin Laden has been dead for years and that Obama is claiming credit now for taking him out for re-election reasons. Good grief.

Can we not just be happy that our country is (allegedly) safer now that bid Laden is gone, without making it a polarizing political debate?

On a Tues

Spring is definitely here, as is evidenced by the explosion of blooms and blossoms everywhere and the pollen coating on everything. But Spring also means mild weather and the promise that Summer is just around the corner.

After work this evening Spouse & I decided to go for a walk on the boardwalk. It was a gorgeous late afternoon/early evening so we decided to take advantage of it by getting some outdoor exercise (as opposed to indoor exercise at the gym) and talk and look at the ocean as we walked.
As it often does when we go for walks, this recurring thought came to my mind:

Some people wait the entire year to spend a week's vacation at the beach. But here we are, walking by the ocean, after work on a Tues evening.

Its good to be mindful and grateful for all we have, especially when we get to feeling we don't have all that we want.

Weekend highlights

Sat I worked until 5:00, then Spouse & I had dinner with Steven. (Thad out of town.) We went to a Chinese restaurant near Steven's house that we liked a lot. There are several Chinese places closer to our house but we don't care much for them. We had a nice time hanging out with our friend.

Sun was a very productive day! Spouse & I spent 2 hours cleaning the house (which really needed it), then I spent another hour cleaning the screened porch and its furniture. There was so much pollen everywhere that I wound up using a plastic scrub brush to brush-down the furniture before sweeping. Then I washed and dried a couple loads of laundry and ironed 2 pairs of pants and 6 shirts. After showering and having lunch, we went for a lovely convertible ride. When we returned home Spouse took a nap and I caught up on some email. That evening we met Steven & Thad, 1 of the Bobs, and Joe P for dinner. Thad brought doughnuts back for us from Maple Doughnuts in York, PA so we shared them as our dessert after dinner. They were absolutely delicious, and come in a multitude of flavors. My favorite is Boston Cream.