Sat morning we went to Milton (about 10 miles away) to a multi-family yard sale we'd heard about from our neighbors Jim & Barb. We bought a beautiful wood end table (circa early 1960s) with harp-shaped legs and leather top for only $35. It was a little dusty and had a few scratches, so later that day I dusted it off and used some Old English scratch cover (which I already had) on the scratches, then gave the entire piece a light coat of Old English, buffed it up, and it came out gorgeous. You'd NEVER believe we got it at a yard sale for $35. It is next to the sofa in the living room now.
After the Milton yard sale we drove around looking for more yard sales. We were really hoping to find 2 men's bikes since the arrival of summer has heighten mine & Spouses desire to start bike riding. We did see several more yard sales, but none with bikes, so we didn't get out of the car. We have a patented "drive-by" yard sale technique which we often implement when we're looking for something specific.
It was a little overcast when we started yard saling, but by the time we were done the sun was out and it was about 75 degrees. So we drove into Rehoboth and went for a 2-mile walk on the boardwalk. There were lots of boardwalkers and even people on the beach in their swimsuits.
Then we decided to look for a 'cheap eats' restaurant we'd heard about called Whitecaps Cafe, which literally sits on the bank of the Indian River. The drive out Rt 24 was lovely and we found the place easily. Its not fancy at all, and very out-of-the-way, so that combined with the spectacular water views makes this a place I think we will escape to when we want to eat out in the heart of the summer season and all of the Rehoboth and Lewes restaurants are packed. We had a very inexpensive and tasty lunch: Joe had the fried fish basket with french fries and I had a fried oyster sandwich, each of which was under $7. Then walked out onto the pier. Lovely!
That afternoon I decided to finally tackle a project I meant to do several times in the last 6 years: prime and paint a set of two matching 2-tiered end tables that Joe picked up at a yard sale for $10. each about 6 years ago. One of them was a little banged up, the other was a lot banged up. We used them along with our 50s furniture in the basement of our VA house for a few years until we got a fab set of vintage 'blonde' tables to replace them. At that point, we used the end tables as night stands in the guest bedroom. They looked so ratty I told myself I should prime and paint them, but I never did. Then we brought them up to the beach house and put 1 in a guest bedroom and 1 in the bedroom Spouse & I used as nightstands. Again I told myself I should prime and paint them, but I never did. Then we moved them to our current house and put them in a guest bedroom. They still looked ratty so on Sat afternoon I told myself I would procrastinate no more. After all, I already had the primer, which we had bought and used on the Victrola stand, and I found some left-over white semi-gloss paint the builder had left behind, so my only expense to transform the ratty tables into chic night stands was a paint brush, which I bought at the dollar store. So I primed the tables on Sat afternoon and let them dry/cure overnight.
Sun after breakfast we did a whole-house cleaning, which is always lots of fun. (Insert heavy sarcasm here.) But with both of us working hard, we were done in a little over 2 hours. Then we showered, had a bite to eat, and I changed the bathroom towels and the bed sheets while Joe walked Jordan. Then we switched out our wicker love seats. The one the movers put in our bedroom is part of a set. The two matching chairs were placed on the screened porch. The love seat the movers placed on the porch with the chairs is the one that should have gone up to our bedroom, so we switched them so that the 3 matching pieces were back together again.
Then we drove into Rehoboth and went for a walk on the boardwalk again. It was 82 degrees and there were TONS of people at the beach. When we came back home I painted the top coat on the 2 night stands and talked with our neighbor Barb. Spouse & I had dinner and watched TV the rest of the night.
Today I did a little touch-up on the night stands before returning them to the bedroom. They look great! I was really impressed that we got a beautiful wood end table for our living room for $35. and I transformed those 2 old yard sale end tables by painting them white for $0. Cheap and free equals fun!
Drag Queen name of the day: Vera Cruise
Monday, April 30, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Neighbors' blossoms
Since the neighborhood is bursting with beautiful spring blossoms I decided to bring the good ol' $139. digital camera with me when I walked Jordan today. The following were taken at neighbors' houses. Unfortunately none of these are in our yard.
I thought these purple tulips were gorgeous. You see lots of red, yellow and pink tulips, but you rarely see purple ones. I love tulips. My mother grew them in our front yard and the sight of tulips still congers up memories of early spring.
These lavendar-colored phlox are one of my favorites, too. We had phlox in several colors in our front yard when I was growing up. Lavendar, purple, magenta, pink, and white. Creeping phlox are great because they spread. Each spring they're larger and fuller.
This is a Bradford pear tree in full bloom. Beautiful!
These are super-sized yellow tulips. The yellow is so deep yet bright at the same time.
Drag Queen name of the day: Dinah Sore
I thought these purple tulips were gorgeous. You see lots of red, yellow and pink tulips, but you rarely see purple ones. I love tulips. My mother grew them in our front yard and the sight of tulips still congers up memories of early spring.
These lavendar-colored phlox are one of my favorites, too. We had phlox in several colors in our front yard when I was growing up. Lavendar, purple, magenta, pink, and white. Creeping phlox are great because they spread. Each spring they're larger and fuller.
This is a Bradford pear tree in full bloom. Beautiful!
These are super-sized yellow tulips. The yellow is so deep yet bright at the same time.Drag Queen name of the day: Dinah Sore
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
From functional to decorative
You likely remember all the 'drama' we had over our mailbox installation. If not, check out my blog entry on Feb 13, 2007. Last Wed our neighbor across the street Jim (whose mailbox post we attached our mailbox to) was approached by our neighbors 2 doors down, Barbara & Ann, about adding their mailbox to his post, too. Apparently they had just been picking up their mail at the post office periodically but now want to have it delivered at home. Jim loves Barbara & Ann so of course he said yes. He was going to take his mailbox off the top and ours off the side, attach a long board to the top, and mount all 3 to the long board. But then the wheels of creativity started churning.
Jim & his wife Barb are weekenders. They live in PA and come here to their Lewes home every weekend. In Feb Jim had back surgery and was given a note from his doctor to take 6 weeks off to recover. He decided to spend the 6 weeks recovering here in Lewes. Barb comes down on the weekends since she is still working. At the end of the 6 weeks the doctor gave him another 6 weeks, so Jim is still here in Lewes and has been loving all the free time to work on house projects, hence what follows.
So Jim, an engineer who always likes to have a project going on, decided to construct (not purchase) an 8-foot long section of white picket fence to which he would attach the 3 mailboxes, for a more decorative look. As he was working on the fence/mailbox holder, our next door neighbors John & LaVon who just returned from wintering in FL asked if they could add their mailbox to the fence/mailbox holder too. They had a separate post for their mailbox, but it kind of cluttered that side of the street. Since our street is a 'driving route' the mailman doesn't get out of the Jeep to delivered the mail, so all the mailboxes must be on the same side of the street.
Jim loves John & LaVon too, so he agreed to add their mailbox to the fence/mailbox holder.
I'm not sure why Jim didn't simply buy a section of fence. Maybe he thought it would be "fun" to build it himself since he's got every tool in the world in his shed. But I think the project became a bit more involved that he thought, since it took him about 5 days, working practically 8 hours a day, to finish the fence/mailbox holder.
When it came time to attach the pickets, Jim cut about 6 different tops so we could select the one we liked best. We all decided on the rounded top with the hole in it. Jim cut all the pickets to match, primed and painted them, and finally attached them on Sun. So now we have a section of white picket fence with 4 mailboxes attached. I think it looks really cute.
When I mentioned in front of Jim's wife Barb that I thought it was a funny coincidence that we all have the same metal mailbox, but in 4 different colors, she suggested that the fence/mailbox holder would probably look even better if we eventually replaced the metal mailboxes with wooden ones that look like houses. Then Jim suggested that she shop online to find 4 of the same kind so they'd all be the same size. Then I suggested that if they're all the same mailbox, maybe we should get some craft paints and paint the house-looking mailboxes the same colors as our houses. We 4 home owners could do this together and bring a dish, making it a party! They chuckled and said something about it being a great idea, but when I mentioned that last party (bring a dish, making it a party) Joe said "Leave it to the gay neighbor to turn a conversation about mailboxes into a party." I just rolled my eyes and defended my idea.
Drag Queen name of the day: June Bride
Monday, April 23, 2007
Promise kept
Mother Nature kept her promise: spring finally arrived. (These beautiful, huge tulips belong to a neighbor.)
Fri was a pretty day: sunny and temperatures in the upper 60s. Sat was a gorgeous day: sunny and temperatures in the mid-70s. Sun was another spectacular day: sunny and a high temperature of 79. Today it is sunny with a current temperature of 81. I love it!
Fri when Joe came home from work we went for a walk before dinner. We walked the 2 blocks to the 'main' street of Lewes, crossed the canal bridge, and walked the 1/2 mile to the bay. We sat on a bench and looked out at the water, gulls, and the ferry approaching the depot. Then we walked back home. It was about 1 1/2 miles round trip. After dinner we went to the grocery store and did our weekly shopping. Then Joe made banana nut muffins for our neighbors across the street, since Barb's mother was visiting and Jim had been working on a new picket fence mailbox center to include our mailbox. More about that including a photo tomorrow.
Sat morning we drove around checking out yard sales. Lord knows we don't need any more furniture or household items! We just find it fun to look. Also, since we really want to get bikes we thought we might find some at yard sales, but not that day. Then we drove into Rehoboth and walked down to the boardwalk. It was such a beautiful day there were a lot of folks on the boardwalk. As we walked the entire length of it and back we saw several people on the beach with their chairs and books and magazines. Including the walk to and from car/boardwalk, that walk about about 2 1/2 miles. On the way home we stopped at KMart to look at bikes and the dollar store to pick up a few essentials. When we returned home we ate lunch on the screened porch. Jordan and Pouncer were on the porch with us and we chuckled as we watched Pouncer's reactions to all the unusual sounds. Since his front claws were removed he never goes outdoors. Being on the screened porch is the closest thing he gets to being 'outside'. After lunch we took Jordan for a walk around the pond in the park near our house. That walk is probably 1/2 a mile. Later that afternoon we walked the 2 blocks to the 'main' street in Lewes again, where Joe got a piece of chocolate from the chocolate shop and we strolled up and down some of the streets looking at homes and yards. We had dinner on the screened porch, watched some TV, and then got ready to go out.
Our friends Doug & Jim from VA had called earlier and we'd accepted an invitation to meet them at Cloud 9 in Rehoboth at 9pm for drinks. Shortly after we arrived a group vacated a table with 4 stools so we promptly took over the table. We hadn't seen Doug & Jim in several months so it was great to see them and get caught up. We had a great time and stayed until almost 12:30.
Sun we went back to Rehoboth to walk the boardwalk again. Since it was even warmer than the day before, we saw lots of folks on the beach in the swimsuits! Nobody was in the water though, so I'm sure it was just too cold. Upon returning home we had lunch on the screened porch, then decided to clean the white wooden rockers on the front porch. Armed with paper towels and a spray bottle, we sprayed and wiped down all 4 chairs, then sat in them and rocked in the shade. A dog walker passing by looked at us and said "You look like you could be selling porches." Joe took Jordan for a walk around the pond while I picked up sticks that had fallen from the trees during last week's Nor'easter. We had dinner in front of the TV.
It was such a beautiful weekend, and I had been looking forward to spring's arrival for so long that we really tried to spend as much time outdoors as possible. In doing so we both got a little too much sun, despite having put on sunscreen. But it was worth it!
Drag Queen name of the day: Ginger Bread
Fri was a pretty day: sunny and temperatures in the upper 60s. Sat was a gorgeous day: sunny and temperatures in the mid-70s. Sun was another spectacular day: sunny and a high temperature of 79. Today it is sunny with a current temperature of 81. I love it!
Fri when Joe came home from work we went for a walk before dinner. We walked the 2 blocks to the 'main' street of Lewes, crossed the canal bridge, and walked the 1/2 mile to the bay. We sat on a bench and looked out at the water, gulls, and the ferry approaching the depot. Then we walked back home. It was about 1 1/2 miles round trip. After dinner we went to the grocery store and did our weekly shopping. Then Joe made banana nut muffins for our neighbors across the street, since Barb's mother was visiting and Jim had been working on a new picket fence mailbox center to include our mailbox. More about that including a photo tomorrow.
Sat morning we drove around checking out yard sales. Lord knows we don't need any more furniture or household items! We just find it fun to look. Also, since we really want to get bikes we thought we might find some at yard sales, but not that day. Then we drove into Rehoboth and walked down to the boardwalk. It was such a beautiful day there were a lot of folks on the boardwalk. As we walked the entire length of it and back we saw several people on the beach with their chairs and books and magazines. Including the walk to and from car/boardwalk, that walk about about 2 1/2 miles. On the way home we stopped at KMart to look at bikes and the dollar store to pick up a few essentials. When we returned home we ate lunch on the screened porch. Jordan and Pouncer were on the porch with us and we chuckled as we watched Pouncer's reactions to all the unusual sounds. Since his front claws were removed he never goes outdoors. Being on the screened porch is the closest thing he gets to being 'outside'. After lunch we took Jordan for a walk around the pond in the park near our house. That walk is probably 1/2 a mile. Later that afternoon we walked the 2 blocks to the 'main' street in Lewes again, where Joe got a piece of chocolate from the chocolate shop and we strolled up and down some of the streets looking at homes and yards. We had dinner on the screened porch, watched some TV, and then got ready to go out.
Our friends Doug & Jim from VA had called earlier and we'd accepted an invitation to meet them at Cloud 9 in Rehoboth at 9pm for drinks. Shortly after we arrived a group vacated a table with 4 stools so we promptly took over the table. We hadn't seen Doug & Jim in several months so it was great to see them and get caught up. We had a great time and stayed until almost 12:30.
Sun we went back to Rehoboth to walk the boardwalk again. Since it was even warmer than the day before, we saw lots of folks on the beach in the swimsuits! Nobody was in the water though, so I'm sure it was just too cold. Upon returning home we had lunch on the screened porch, then decided to clean the white wooden rockers on the front porch. Armed with paper towels and a spray bottle, we sprayed and wiped down all 4 chairs, then sat in them and rocked in the shade. A dog walker passing by looked at us and said "You look like you could be selling porches." Joe took Jordan for a walk around the pond while I picked up sticks that had fallen from the trees during last week's Nor'easter. We had dinner in front of the TV.
It was such a beautiful weekend, and I had been looking forward to spring's arrival for so long that we really tried to spend as much time outdoors as possible. In doing so we both got a little too much sun, despite having put on sunscreen. But it was worth it!
Drag Queen name of the day: Ginger Bread
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Promise of spring
Regardless of your location on the planet, you've probably heard me whining about the tardiness of spring. I am really, REALLY ready for spring.
Then I read Tornwordo's blog citing a recent dumping of snow, mid-April, and I tell myself I should count my blessings. At least we haven't had snow in a few weeks; just these annoying overcast skies and mid-40s temperatures that make me agitated at Mother Nature for delaying my hay day.
I love warm weather. I love taking an enjoyable after dinner walk around town, on the boardwalk overlooking the ocean, anywhere really. I'm a convertible owner, the kind that puts their top down as long as the temperature is above 55 and its not raining. I love the blasts of color from springtime trees and flowers that accompany spring's arrival. I sometimes get a little blue in the gloomy, grey doldrums of winter. I am really, REALLY ready for spring.
But today it is not spring. Its 46 degrees, cloudy, with a stray sprinkle now and then. Even the dog is 'hunkered down', asleep on her bed the way she does on the coldest of winter days.
But according to www.accuweather.com spring will arrive this weekend! On Sat it will be sunny and 64; on Sun it will be sunny and 71. Next week is looking pretty darn good, too. On Mon it will be sunny and 74; on Tues it will be sunny and 72. This is the kind of weather we should have had 2 or 3 weeks ago. But I will enjoy it when it arrives, and forgive Mother Nature for her torment.
Drag Queen name of the day: F. Ida Hammer
Then I read Tornwordo's blog citing a recent dumping of snow, mid-April, and I tell myself I should count my blessings. At least we haven't had snow in a few weeks; just these annoying overcast skies and mid-40s temperatures that make me agitated at Mother Nature for delaying my hay day.
I love warm weather. I love taking an enjoyable after dinner walk around town, on the boardwalk overlooking the ocean, anywhere really. I'm a convertible owner, the kind that puts their top down as long as the temperature is above 55 and its not raining. I love the blasts of color from springtime trees and flowers that accompany spring's arrival. I sometimes get a little blue in the gloomy, grey doldrums of winter. I am really, REALLY ready for spring.
But today it is not spring. Its 46 degrees, cloudy, with a stray sprinkle now and then. Even the dog is 'hunkered down', asleep on her bed the way she does on the coldest of winter days.
But according to www.accuweather.com spring will arrive this weekend! On Sat it will be sunny and 64; on Sun it will be sunny and 71. Next week is looking pretty darn good, too. On Mon it will be sunny and 74; on Tues it will be sunny and 72. This is the kind of weather we should have had 2 or 3 weeks ago. But I will enjoy it when it arrives, and forgive Mother Nature for her torment.
Drag Queen name of the day: F. Ida Hammer
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Newlywed's visit
I was super-excited all last week in anticipation of the Newlywed's visit!
Michael & Jamie (aka: the Newlyweds) arrived shortly after 10:00 Fri night. We showed them around the house and then sat in the living room and talked until almost 2am. They told us all about their vacation/scouting trip to Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. They really 'clicked' in Portland and feel that is where they will relocate later this year.
Sat morning after a light breakfast we went to a flea market at the Seaside Nature Center inside Cape Henlopen Park. I'd been seeing signs for it for all over town for about 2 weeks, so I thought it was going to be really good. The Newlyweds love flea markets too, but it turned out to be quite disappointing; only about 4 tables with mostly junk on them. Not that we were looking to buy anything anyway, but we were hoping for something bigger and better considering all the advertising.
Afterward we drove through the park a little, then got out and walked on the beach a little. It was bright and sunny, although chilly. Michael & Jamie had brought their kites so they quickly put them together and we tried flying their kites for a while. The wind was great, but our kite navigation abilities were limited. It was fun anyway.
Then we had lunch in Rehoboth, browsed a few of the shops, walked on the boardwalk, and returned home. We talked in the living room until almost 8, then went to the Miltonian Pizzeria & Wing House for dinner. We watched the comedy show 'Wisecrack' on the Logo channel from 10-11 and then went to bed.
Sun morning it was raining and very windy as we began feeling the effects of the Nor'easter, so it was great to have a leisurely breakfast of pancakes, bacon, juice, and coffee. We all showered and then just before noon we went to some of the outlet stores. Michael was looking for a rain jacket in anticipation of moving to Portland. All that shopping worked up our appetites so we had lunch at La Tolteca followed by ice cream from Dairy Queen, which we ate in the car looking out at the bay.
When we returned home they packed up and left shortly before 5. It was really great to visit and catch up with them. I'll really miss seeing them when they move to Portland. Joe & I will visit them, but not as often as we're used to seeing each other.
Joe talked to his mom and sister on the phone and surfed the internet while I watched TV. I watched a DVD from Netflix of a PBS show about the creation of the Tupperware company. (Joe had seen it already.) It was really interesting and had lots of vintage footage. We watched the Sopranos, Mind of Mencia, and the new episode of Reno 911, then went to bed.
As I sit here typing I can hear the wind still whipping around outside, and our dog Jordan is snoring. Don't you wish your life was hot like mine?
Drag Queen name of the day: Rhoda Letter
Michael & Jamie (aka: the Newlyweds) arrived shortly after 10:00 Fri night. We showed them around the house and then sat in the living room and talked until almost 2am. They told us all about their vacation/scouting trip to Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. They really 'clicked' in Portland and feel that is where they will relocate later this year.
Sat morning after a light breakfast we went to a flea market at the Seaside Nature Center inside Cape Henlopen Park. I'd been seeing signs for it for all over town for about 2 weeks, so I thought it was going to be really good. The Newlyweds love flea markets too, but it turned out to be quite disappointing; only about 4 tables with mostly junk on them. Not that we were looking to buy anything anyway, but we were hoping for something bigger and better considering all the advertising.
Afterward we drove through the park a little, then got out and walked on the beach a little. It was bright and sunny, although chilly. Michael & Jamie had brought their kites so they quickly put them together and we tried flying their kites for a while. The wind was great, but our kite navigation abilities were limited. It was fun anyway.
Then we had lunch in Rehoboth, browsed a few of the shops, walked on the boardwalk, and returned home. We talked in the living room until almost 8, then went to the Miltonian Pizzeria & Wing House for dinner. We watched the comedy show 'Wisecrack' on the Logo channel from 10-11 and then went to bed.
Sun morning it was raining and very windy as we began feeling the effects of the Nor'easter, so it was great to have a leisurely breakfast of pancakes, bacon, juice, and coffee. We all showered and then just before noon we went to some of the outlet stores. Michael was looking for a rain jacket in anticipation of moving to Portland. All that shopping worked up our appetites so we had lunch at La Tolteca followed by ice cream from Dairy Queen, which we ate in the car looking out at the bay.
When we returned home they packed up and left shortly before 5. It was really great to visit and catch up with them. I'll really miss seeing them when they move to Portland. Joe & I will visit them, but not as often as we're used to seeing each other.
Joe talked to his mom and sister on the phone and surfed the internet while I watched TV. I watched a DVD from Netflix of a PBS show about the creation of the Tupperware company. (Joe had seen it already.) It was really interesting and had lots of vintage footage. We watched the Sopranos, Mind of Mencia, and the new episode of Reno 911, then went to bed.
As I sit here typing I can hear the wind still whipping around outside, and our dog Jordan is snoring. Don't you wish your life was hot like mine?
Drag Queen name of the day: Rhoda Letter
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Sick weekend
Joe & I both had off work last Fri for 'Good Friday'. But rather than leave Thurs night for DC, we decided to leave Fri morning. That way he could give Jordan a bath and we could drive in the daylight. Plus, I didn't want to sit around with nothing to do all day Fri while Joe's family was in church.
So we left at 9:30 am on Fri and arrived just before noon at Joe's mom's house. We brought our things inside, got the dog settled, and had a little visit with her. Then I left Joe with his mom and I picked up my aunt Mary. We went to lunch at a new place (new for us, anyway) called Cafe Deluxe and had a delicious lunch. She had the tilapia sandwich, I had the grilled chicken with avocado sandwich, and we split the Gruyere mac 'n cheese. Mmm mmm good! But all morning I'd been having post-nasal drip and a bit of a sore throat.
We walked next door to the Crate & Barrel store. My aunt has been oogling several pieces of furniture for what seems like years now, and wanted my opinion on the pieces. (Side story: my aunt has always had very traditional furniture and now at the age of 63 she wants to trade it all in on more contemporary stuff. Lucky for me, I got her English tea cart and set of 3 nesting tables.) I liked almost all of the items she showed me, but I believe I audibly gasped at the high prices. My aunt likes the store because most of the furniture is solid wood and made in America or Europe. Apparently there is quite a premium to be paid for that. I think I'll stick to furniture that is partially made of wood-like products in China. Then we stopped at Trader Joe's (there are none in DE) and the regular grocery store before I took her home.
I met up with Joe at his mom's house to find that he had accompanied her and his sister and niece to the Catholic church for confession. Joe said he "sat in quiet, contemplative prayer" as his relatives confessed their lying, cursing, and cheating ways to the priest in exchange for a few Hail Mary's. His mother was returning to church at 7pm for another ritual so Joe & I met up with Kerry & Hugh for dinner. We had a great time chatting and catching up.
Sat morning I woke up a little more congested and snotty, so I took some over-the-counter pseudophedrine-something-or-other before Joe, Ev, and I went to breakfast at the Silver Diner. Later we went to Joe's sister Mary's house to visit. The kids wanted to dye Easter eggs and Joe and Mary wanted to make pizelles using the pizelle iron their grandmother received as a 50th wedding anniversary gift in 1955. They were delicious! Mary ordered pizzas for dinner.
At 9pm I met some friends at Freddie's in Arlington to sing karaoke. It was pretty crowded and there were a lot of singers, but I had a good time. My friend Kelly and I sang the Sonny & Cher classic 'I Got You, Babe' - only Kelly sang Sonny's part and I did an impersonation of Cher! (I know, how gay, right?) But the crowd loved it and we had fun.
Sun morning I was REALLY congested and felt a lot of pain and pressure in my sinuses. On a scale of 1-10, my energy level was about 2. I took more of the fake sinus decongestant along with some ibuprofen and muddled through the morning. After showering and dressing we sat in the living room and talked with Joe's mom who had just returned from Easter service. A few minutes later Mary, Eric, and the kids came in and they took Easter pictures. Joe left with them and went to the store with his sister Mary. I picked up my aunt Mary and brought her back to Evelyn's house. (Later I noted that it was the 2nd time that weekend that we'd separated in order to "be with our respective Marys".) At 4pm we went to Joe's brother Louis' house for Easter dinner. I really felt like crap, and took another dose of ibuprofen. The food was good and we enjoyed the time together.
We left Louis' at 7pm, dropped of my aunt Mary, went back to Evelyn's to get our bags and Jordan, and left at 8:15. We got stuck in a bad traffic jam on the Beltway between Eisenhower Ave and the Woodrow Wilson bridge. It took us 45 minutes to make that part of the journey. We got home at 11:15. Fortunately Joe drove home since I was feeling so poorly.
Mon I struggled to make it threw the day. Fortunately it was not a busy or hectic day, and since I work at home, it was nice to be able to go and lie down for a while between tasks. Although I showered, I never got dressed; I wore my flannel pajamas all day. Joe stopped at the drug store on the way home from work and got me the generic of Clariton-D, which had been recommended to me by Kerry who was also suffering with sinus trouble. I took it Mon evening and within an hour I could feel the difference. It really helped with the congestion and allowed me to be able to breathe with my mouth closed. I continued to take ibuprofen for the pain and pressure. Tues I did the same 'part-time' work from home, with rest periods. Again I stayed in my pajamas all day.
Today my energy level was much higher and I worked a full day. I showered, dressed, and even took the dog for a walk and took the recycling to the recycling center. That (generic) Clariton-D really works! Then I remembered having a similar serious sinus problem about this time last year, so I checked my blog. Sure enough, this exact week in April 2006 I missed 3 days of work due to acute sinusitis. (Check the April 2006 archive, entry dated April 17.)
Drag Queen name of the day: Callie Flower
So we left at 9:30 am on Fri and arrived just before noon at Joe's mom's house. We brought our things inside, got the dog settled, and had a little visit with her. Then I left Joe with his mom and I picked up my aunt Mary. We went to lunch at a new place (new for us, anyway) called Cafe Deluxe and had a delicious lunch. She had the tilapia sandwich, I had the grilled chicken with avocado sandwich, and we split the Gruyere mac 'n cheese. Mmm mmm good! But all morning I'd been having post-nasal drip and a bit of a sore throat.
We walked next door to the Crate & Barrel store. My aunt has been oogling several pieces of furniture for what seems like years now, and wanted my opinion on the pieces. (Side story: my aunt has always had very traditional furniture and now at the age of 63 she wants to trade it all in on more contemporary stuff. Lucky for me, I got her English tea cart and set of 3 nesting tables.) I liked almost all of the items she showed me, but I believe I audibly gasped at the high prices. My aunt likes the store because most of the furniture is solid wood and made in America or Europe. Apparently there is quite a premium to be paid for that. I think I'll stick to furniture that is partially made of wood-like products in China. Then we stopped at Trader Joe's (there are none in DE) and the regular grocery store before I took her home.
I met up with Joe at his mom's house to find that he had accompanied her and his sister and niece to the Catholic church for confession. Joe said he "sat in quiet, contemplative prayer" as his relatives confessed their lying, cursing, and cheating ways to the priest in exchange for a few Hail Mary's. His mother was returning to church at 7pm for another ritual so Joe & I met up with Kerry & Hugh for dinner. We had a great time chatting and catching up.
Sat morning I woke up a little more congested and snotty, so I took some over-the-counter pseudophedrine-something-or-other before Joe, Ev, and I went to breakfast at the Silver Diner. Later we went to Joe's sister Mary's house to visit. The kids wanted to dye Easter eggs and Joe and Mary wanted to make pizelles using the pizelle iron their grandmother received as a 50th wedding anniversary gift in 1955. They were delicious! Mary ordered pizzas for dinner.
At 9pm I met some friends at Freddie's in Arlington to sing karaoke. It was pretty crowded and there were a lot of singers, but I had a good time. My friend Kelly and I sang the Sonny & Cher classic 'I Got You, Babe' - only Kelly sang Sonny's part and I did an impersonation of Cher! (I know, how gay, right?) But the crowd loved it and we had fun.
Sun morning I was REALLY congested and felt a lot of pain and pressure in my sinuses. On a scale of 1-10, my energy level was about 2. I took more of the fake sinus decongestant along with some ibuprofen and muddled through the morning. After showering and dressing we sat in the living room and talked with Joe's mom who had just returned from Easter service. A few minutes later Mary, Eric, and the kids came in and they took Easter pictures. Joe left with them and went to the store with his sister Mary. I picked up my aunt Mary and brought her back to Evelyn's house. (Later I noted that it was the 2nd time that weekend that we'd separated in order to "be with our respective Marys".) At 4pm we went to Joe's brother Louis' house for Easter dinner. I really felt like crap, and took another dose of ibuprofen. The food was good and we enjoyed the time together.
We left Louis' at 7pm, dropped of my aunt Mary, went back to Evelyn's to get our bags and Jordan, and left at 8:15. We got stuck in a bad traffic jam on the Beltway between Eisenhower Ave and the Woodrow Wilson bridge. It took us 45 minutes to make that part of the journey. We got home at 11:15. Fortunately Joe drove home since I was feeling so poorly.
Mon I struggled to make it threw the day. Fortunately it was not a busy or hectic day, and since I work at home, it was nice to be able to go and lie down for a while between tasks. Although I showered, I never got dressed; I wore my flannel pajamas all day. Joe stopped at the drug store on the way home from work and got me the generic of Clariton-D, which had been recommended to me by Kerry who was also suffering with sinus trouble. I took it Mon evening and within an hour I could feel the difference. It really helped with the congestion and allowed me to be able to breathe with my mouth closed. I continued to take ibuprofen for the pain and pressure. Tues I did the same 'part-time' work from home, with rest periods. Again I stayed in my pajamas all day.
Today my energy level was much higher and I worked a full day. I showered, dressed, and even took the dog for a walk and took the recycling to the recycling center. That (generic) Clariton-D really works! Then I remembered having a similar serious sinus problem about this time last year, so I checked my blog. Sure enough, this exact week in April 2006 I missed 3 days of work due to acute sinusitis. (Check the April 2006 archive, entry dated April 17.)
Drag Queen name of the day: Callie Flower
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Absence
I know its been a little while since my last post. We were back in VA last Fri, Sat, and Sun to be with the family for Easter. While gone I began having sinus congestion, post-nasal drip, sore throat, sneezing, and runny nose. Yesterday and today I have really been suffering with full-on sinusitus. Fortunately Joe bought me Clariton-D 24 hour decongestant pills and they are really starting to help. Hopefully I'll feel more like writing soon.
Drag Queen name of the day: June Bug
Drag Queen name of the day: June Bug
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Crackle
Last year about this time the Newlyweds gave us a Victrola stand they'd gotten at a yard sale. They were trying to simply their furnishings and thought we might want to use it at our beach house as a bedside table. They were right. The curvy lines of the Victrola stand appealed to our 'glam' sensibilities.
One problem: it was a hideous shade of green with a dark faux wood treatment done with glaze. Green is my favorite color and there aren't many shades of it I don't like, but this was one of them. But we decided to use it in our bedroom at the beach house, which had a bright color pallet of orange, yellow, pink, green, and blue so we decided we'd paint the different sides and top of the piece with those colors, giving it a funky updated look.
We tried spray painting the top first with bright pink spray paint, but after using the entire can we just couldn't get good coverage. So the next time we were at the beach house I bought a can of primer and primed the entire piece. That should allow us to get a good, solid coat. But the spring turned into summer, the summer turned into fall, and the unfinished Victrola stand remained in the garage at the beach house until we vacated it in late Jan.
In the new house we decided not to use the bright color scheme in any of the rooms so I was a little relieved we hadn't spent much more time painting the Victrola stand all those bright colors. Instead, we decided to use the piece as a stand for Joe's briefcase, near the door. A new color scheme was chosen.
We decided to paint the Victrola stand matte black, then apply a crackle medium, then paint a metallic gold top coat. When the gold top coat crackled, it would reveal the black underneath. I was psyched! So we bought the paints and applied the black base and then the crackle medium.
The crackle medium said to allow 24 hours to dry, but after about 2 hours it was dry to the touch so we tried a little of the gold on the back as a test patch. Nothing happened so we decided it must need to dry the full 24 hours. Unfortunately we got busy and weren't able to get back to working on the piece for a few days. We figured it surely was dry now, so we tried another test patch on the back but nothing happened.
Thinking that we must have waited too long, we applied another coat of the crackle medium, let it dry for 24 hours, and tried another test patch. Still nothing. Frustrated, Joe decided to paint the entire piece in the metallic gold. It was... a bit much.
Now that the entire piece was metallic gold we needed to modify the plan. We decided to leave the metallic gold as the new base coat, apply a different kind of crackle medium, and then apply a top coat of rich barn red.
After applying the new crackle medium and allowing it to dry we tried a test patch of the barn red on the back. There was only minimal crackling, so according to the directions, to achieve more crackling we gave it a 2nd coat of crackle medium, allowed it to dry, and then gave the entire piece a coat of the barn red.
Once again, the crackling affect was minimal; only visible up close. From 5 feet away it just looked burgundy. Even more frustrated, Joe decided to use the left over metallic gold paint to 'enhance' the crackle. I warned him not to do it. I could visualize unnatural-looking streaks of gold paint along with the gold crackle, but he didn't listen.
I'm not exactly sure how he confused 'streaks' with 'blobs', but when I saw what he'd done I told him it looked as if a flock of golden geese had pooped on the Victrola stand. It looked horrible.
So after 3 coats of paint and 4 applications of crackle medium, I am now tempted to simply sand the piece down and re-apply the black matte finish paint and call it a day. I really liked the look of the piece in the black matte finish paint when I was painting the original base coat. It seemed to accent the curves but still remain understated. So that will be my last attempt to transform this free piece of furniture. Check back later for a progress update.
Drag Queen name of the day: Dinah Might
One problem: it was a hideous shade of green with a dark faux wood treatment done with glaze. Green is my favorite color and there aren't many shades of it I don't like, but this was one of them. But we decided to use it in our bedroom at the beach house, which had a bright color pallet of orange, yellow, pink, green, and blue so we decided we'd paint the different sides and top of the piece with those colors, giving it a funky updated look.
We tried spray painting the top first with bright pink spray paint, but after using the entire can we just couldn't get good coverage. So the next time we were at the beach house I bought a can of primer and primed the entire piece. That should allow us to get a good, solid coat. But the spring turned into summer, the summer turned into fall, and the unfinished Victrola stand remained in the garage at the beach house until we vacated it in late Jan.
In the new house we decided not to use the bright color scheme in any of the rooms so I was a little relieved we hadn't spent much more time painting the Victrola stand all those bright colors. Instead, we decided to use the piece as a stand for Joe's briefcase, near the door. A new color scheme was chosen.
We decided to paint the Victrola stand matte black, then apply a crackle medium, then paint a metallic gold top coat. When the gold top coat crackled, it would reveal the black underneath. I was psyched! So we bought the paints and applied the black base and then the crackle medium.
The crackle medium said to allow 24 hours to dry, but after about 2 hours it was dry to the touch so we tried a little of the gold on the back as a test patch. Nothing happened so we decided it must need to dry the full 24 hours. Unfortunately we got busy and weren't able to get back to working on the piece for a few days. We figured it surely was dry now, so we tried another test patch on the back but nothing happened.
Thinking that we must have waited too long, we applied another coat of the crackle medium, let it dry for 24 hours, and tried another test patch. Still nothing. Frustrated, Joe decided to paint the entire piece in the metallic gold. It was... a bit much.
Now that the entire piece was metallic gold we needed to modify the plan. We decided to leave the metallic gold as the new base coat, apply a different kind of crackle medium, and then apply a top coat of rich barn red.
After applying the new crackle medium and allowing it to dry we tried a test patch of the barn red on the back. There was only minimal crackling, so according to the directions, to achieve more crackling we gave it a 2nd coat of crackle medium, allowed it to dry, and then gave the entire piece a coat of the barn red.
Once again, the crackling affect was minimal; only visible up close. From 5 feet away it just looked burgundy. Even more frustrated, Joe decided to use the left over metallic gold paint to 'enhance' the crackle. I warned him not to do it. I could visualize unnatural-looking streaks of gold paint along with the gold crackle, but he didn't listen.
I'm not exactly sure how he confused 'streaks' with 'blobs', but when I saw what he'd done I told him it looked as if a flock of golden geese had pooped on the Victrola stand. It looked horrible.
So after 3 coats of paint and 4 applications of crackle medium, I am now tempted to simply sand the piece down and re-apply the black matte finish paint and call it a day. I really liked the look of the piece in the black matte finish paint when I was painting the original base coat. It seemed to accent the curves but still remain understated. So that will be my last attempt to transform this free piece of furniture. Check back later for a progress update.
Drag Queen name of the day: Dinah Might
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Dog walking
On Tues the weather was crazy-warm. It reached 83 degrees, and its still March!
I took advantage of the super weather by taking Jordan for a nice walk at lunch time. We often walk around the pond near our house, but on Tues I decided we'd walk over to Second St, the 'main street' of Lewes. I thought walking there would give me more opportunities to see/meet people. Working from home has removed much of the social element of work so I think about walking Jordan where I might encounter more people.
As we walked down Mulberry St. and rounded the corner onto Second St. Jordan decided it was as good a time as any to relieve her bowels. Unfortunately, rather than being in the grass close to the sidewalk, she was way up in the homeowners yard, near the walkway to their front door. I suppose it was my fault. If I'd kept her leash tighter she wouldn't have been able to get that far up into the home owner's yard.
Normally I am not overly concerned about where she relieves herself. Its just that Second St. is a very prestigious, desirable, and historic St. Many of the homes there are from the 1700 & 1800s, and are very expensive. Even the smallest of the few houses on Second St. will sell for over a million easily. So, although the location she chose was less than optimal, I told myself there was no need to worry about it. I always bring a plastic bag to collect her poop; we'd be gone in a few seconds. Besides, what are the chances the homeowner would even be at home, much less be outside?
Well, on that day, the chances were very high! Just as Jordan was pushing one out, the homeowner rounded the corner of the house and saw me and Jordan standing in his yard. She was pooping, and I was just standing there. I felt I should say something.
"I'm sorry. She usually goes closer to the sidewalk" I offered.
"I understand" he replied. "As long as you pick it up. You are going to pick it up?"
"Oh, of course" I responded, showing him my plastic bag covered hand. As Jordan walked away from the scene of the crime, I leaned over, picked up the poop and tied the bag closed.
"Did you get it all?" he asked suspiciously.
"Yes." I answered back. I hurried Jordan out of the man's yard as if I'd just heard that my house was on fire.
As we walked down Second St. I began wondering why the man had asked me if I'd gotten it all. Even if I'd been tempted for some reason to leave some behind, I certainly wouldn't have done that with him watching me. I just felt it was odd of him to questioned me about it, as if I were an inexperienced teenager. Then I simply chalked it up to his age. Compared to him I probably looked like a teenager.
I did learn a useful lesson from the experience: only walk Jordan down Second St. AFTER she's relieved herself in a less expensive yard.
Drag Queen name of the day: Eunice Ikle
I took advantage of the super weather by taking Jordan for a nice walk at lunch time. We often walk around the pond near our house, but on Tues I decided we'd walk over to Second St, the 'main street' of Lewes. I thought walking there would give me more opportunities to see/meet people. Working from home has removed much of the social element of work so I think about walking Jordan where I might encounter more people.
As we walked down Mulberry St. and rounded the corner onto Second St. Jordan decided it was as good a time as any to relieve her bowels. Unfortunately, rather than being in the grass close to the sidewalk, she was way up in the homeowners yard, near the walkway to their front door. I suppose it was my fault. If I'd kept her leash tighter she wouldn't have been able to get that far up into the home owner's yard.
Normally I am not overly concerned about where she relieves herself. Its just that Second St. is a very prestigious, desirable, and historic St. Many of the homes there are from the 1700 & 1800s, and are very expensive. Even the smallest of the few houses on Second St. will sell for over a million easily. So, although the location she chose was less than optimal, I told myself there was no need to worry about it. I always bring a plastic bag to collect her poop; we'd be gone in a few seconds. Besides, what are the chances the homeowner would even be at home, much less be outside?
Well, on that day, the chances were very high! Just as Jordan was pushing one out, the homeowner rounded the corner of the house and saw me and Jordan standing in his yard. She was pooping, and I was just standing there. I felt I should say something.
"I'm sorry. She usually goes closer to the sidewalk" I offered.
"I understand" he replied. "As long as you pick it up. You are going to pick it up?"
"Oh, of course" I responded, showing him my plastic bag covered hand. As Jordan walked away from the scene of the crime, I leaned over, picked up the poop and tied the bag closed.
"Did you get it all?" he asked suspiciously.
"Yes." I answered back. I hurried Jordan out of the man's yard as if I'd just heard that my house was on fire.
As we walked down Second St. I began wondering why the man had asked me if I'd gotten it all. Even if I'd been tempted for some reason to leave some behind, I certainly wouldn't have done that with him watching me. I just felt it was odd of him to questioned me about it, as if I were an inexperienced teenager. Then I simply chalked it up to his age. Compared to him I probably looked like a teenager.
I did learn a useful lesson from the experience: only walk Jordan down Second St. AFTER she's relieved herself in a less expensive yard.
Drag Queen name of the day: Eunice Ikle
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Netflix
We joined Netflix a few weeks ago. I'd been wanting to join since last year, but because I knew we'd be moving I decided to wait until we got settled at our new address.
I love the concept: select a bunch of DVDs from their vast library and add them to your queue, arrange the DVDs in the order in which you want to see them, change the order at any time, and Netflix will send you a DVD from your queue each time you send one back. They provide you with return envelopes with prepaid postage so you never have to worry about having stamps. There are no late fees; keep the DVD as long as you want. There are DVDs in every genre you can imagine and the library contains films you can't find at traditional video/DVD rental locations. And unlike Blockbuster, Netflix does not edit the content of the DVDs.
Netflix has a nifty feature that allows you to add 'friends' so you and your 'friends' can see the DVDs in each others' queues, read and post comments about DVDs you've already seen, and make recommendations to each other.
And speaking of recommendations, Netflix has a system by which you can rate films you've already seen, either in the cinema or via rental. Based on the films you rate highly Netflix will offer you recommendations of DVDs to add to your queue. "Since you said you really liked 'Now, Voyager', we recommend 'All About Eve'", since both of those films are classics and both starred Bette Davis. The recommendations will often recommend DVDs with the same actors, the same director, the same genre, and the same topic. The more films you rate, the better the recommendations can be.
Last night I watched 'The Night Listener', based on the book by the same title by my favorite writer Armistead Maupin. I really enjoyed the book; couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the movie too, but as I have found with other books made into movies, the movies just don't capture the depth and richness of the books. And sometimes they change big things for no apparent reason, like in 'The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood'. But I still enjoyed 'The Night Listener' and recommend that anyone who sees it also be sure to watch the bonus features.
Last Sat we watched 'The Sandpiper', starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. I really liked it a lot. I thought the concept of Elizabeth Taylor as a single mother who chose not to marry her baby's father to be quite controversial for 1964, the year it was made. The scenery is gorgeous too, filmed on location in Big Sur, CA. I like the fact that Netflix carries classics and older films that pre-date DVD. Most traditional video/DVD rental centers don't do that.
Drag Queen name of the day: Tara Nova
I love the concept: select a bunch of DVDs from their vast library and add them to your queue, arrange the DVDs in the order in which you want to see them, change the order at any time, and Netflix will send you a DVD from your queue each time you send one back. They provide you with return envelopes with prepaid postage so you never have to worry about having stamps. There are no late fees; keep the DVD as long as you want. There are DVDs in every genre you can imagine and the library contains films you can't find at traditional video/DVD rental locations. And unlike Blockbuster, Netflix does not edit the content of the DVDs.
Netflix has a nifty feature that allows you to add 'friends' so you and your 'friends' can see the DVDs in each others' queues, read and post comments about DVDs you've already seen, and make recommendations to each other.
And speaking of recommendations, Netflix has a system by which you can rate films you've already seen, either in the cinema or via rental. Based on the films you rate highly Netflix will offer you recommendations of DVDs to add to your queue. "Since you said you really liked 'Now, Voyager', we recommend 'All About Eve'", since both of those films are classics and both starred Bette Davis. The recommendations will often recommend DVDs with the same actors, the same director, the same genre, and the same topic. The more films you rate, the better the recommendations can be.
Last night I watched 'The Night Listener', based on the book by the same title by my favorite writer Armistead Maupin. I really enjoyed the book; couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the movie too, but as I have found with other books made into movies, the movies just don't capture the depth and richness of the books. And sometimes they change big things for no apparent reason, like in 'The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood'. But I still enjoyed 'The Night Listener' and recommend that anyone who sees it also be sure to watch the bonus features.
Last Sat we watched 'The Sandpiper', starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. I really liked it a lot. I thought the concept of Elizabeth Taylor as a single mother who chose not to marry her baby's father to be quite controversial for 1964, the year it was made. The scenery is gorgeous too, filmed on location in Big Sur, CA. I like the fact that Netflix carries classics and older films that pre-date DVD. Most traditional video/DVD rental centers don't do that.
Drag Queen name of the day: Tara Nova
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Outsiders
I’ve heard many gay people express in different ways the common theme of feeling like an outsider.
As teens their puberty often results in feelings of confusion because they are both curious and terrified about showering in the junior high locker room. They wear their towels wrapped tightly around their wastes into the shower. These teens are often disproportionately uncomfortable there when compared to their straight classmates. This leads to feeling like an outsider.
Later when in high school they witness their classmates inviting one another to dances and to the prom. Most young GLBT folks do not have the confidence or the support from their parents to invite a same-sex date to the prom. Doing so would mean outing oneself to the entire student body and most faculty, something that would equally horrify adults twice their age. They either invite a plutonic opposite sex date or, more often, forego the entire experience. Either way they know they are not like the rest, and they continue to feel like an outsider.
Then in college when their peers are dating and having sexual experiences, young gays and lesbians again feel like outsiders because they are often not participating in these activities too, at least not openly.
When the email invitation to the company holiday party arrives many gays and lesbians fantasize about attending with a same-sex date, but few wish to think about the possible career ramifications of doing so. Instead they tell their co-workers they’ve already accepted an invitation for the same date, and then the day after the party they listen over the cubicle to hear who did, said, and wore what.
Later in life when gay people finally find someone with whom they want to share their lives, hopes, and dreams they are again confronted with being different: unable to marry like their straight friends. And when they move into suburban neighborhoods populated mostly with married couples with children, again it is drilled into their heads that they outsiders; different because they don’t have children.
It seems that at almost every milestone in life gays and lesbians are reminded that they just don’t quite fit into their straight surroundings, leaving many to feel like outsiders.
Fortunately most of us learn to adjust. We stop caring so much that we don’t fit in; we embrace our diversity and claim our right to live with our same-sex partner (even if we can’t marry them) in whatever neighborhood we want or can afford. Eventually we may casually out ourselves at work and even take our partner to the company holiday party, if we’re fairly secure in our selves and our jobs. Many gays and lesbians create comfortable lives for themselves and live happily ever after. But do they ever really shake the feeling of being an outsider? I began asking myself this question due to my own recent experiences. But first, a step backward.
In 1993 I visited Rehoboth for the first time. I had just come out and had only been dating my boyfriend for 5 weeks. He and some friends were about to spend a week’s vacation in Rehoboth, and being so absolutely smitten with me, he lamented that we would be apart for an entire week. He arranged for me to catch a ride to Rehoboth with some friends on Friday after work so we could spend the weekend together. Although that weekend is now barely more than a blur in my mind, I knew then and there that Rehoboth was a special place. I knew I’d come back some day.
In 1998 I returned to Rehoboth with my partner Joe and our friends Gene and Tracy. Tracy had a few clients with homes in Rehoboth and they generously allowed him to use them off-season. The 4 of us enjoyed walking on the boardwalk, outlet shopping, and eating in many of the fine Rehoboth restaurants. We saw 2 films at the very 1st annual Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival without advance ticket purchase. (You know that doesn’t happen nowadays.) Gene and Tracy spoke of a desire to own a place here, which we completely understood. We returned to Rehoboth several times in the off-season with them.
In 2000 another friend, Susan told us she’d bought a vintage mobile home in Lewes, and invited us to stay there anytime. I knew Lewes was near Rehoboth but had never been there. We stayed in Susan’s ‘little trailer that time forgot’ and fell in love with it. Two years later when she decided to sell it, we bought the little trailer and looked forward to reading Letters from CAMP Rehoboth during our monthly visits to Lewes and Rehoboth. In 2004 we sold the trailer to another couple who equally appreciated its vintage charm, and purchased a townhouse in Lewes, continuing to spend at least one weekend every month there off season, and almost every weekend during season.
It was then that Joe & I began talking about the possibility of living here full-time. We thought of it like the realization of a dream. We love being close to the water, the slightly slower pace of life here, and the charm of Rehoboth and Lewes. But both of us had jobs that tied us to the DC area. What would we do for work here? We loved our house. Would we be able to find something we liked as much here? Could we leave behind all of our friends and family and once again become ‘outsiders’? We pondered these questions for well over a year.
In Feb of 2006 Joe decided to quit his job and try self-employment. Not long after that I learned that my company planned not to renew the lease on the office space that I shared with 2 colleagues. The company was planning to ask us to set up home offices. Suddenly both Joe and I were no longer tied to the DC area. We decided it was the right time, professionally and personally, to make our move. Rather than continue his self-employment, Joe got a good job working for the State of DE and moved into the townhouse in Lewes so he could start his new job. I stayed behind until our house got rented, and then we both moved into a new house in downtown Lewes in January.
So, now here we are: full-time residents who barely know anyone; ‘outsiders’ to the small and close-knit communities of Rehoboth Beach and Lewes. We still read Letters from CAMP Rehoboth religously and dream of the day when we’ll feel like locals who belong here. It’ll just take some time. In the meantime we’re meeting our neighbors, looking to get involved in community activities, and just being open to whatever new and unexpected opportunities we may find. We’re sure that one day we’ll outgrow that curious and frightened 12 year old in the locker room, and eventually become comfortable enough to leave our towel on the bench outside the shower. Outsiders no more.
Drag Queen name of the day: Verna Chelly
As teens their puberty often results in feelings of confusion because they are both curious and terrified about showering in the junior high locker room. They wear their towels wrapped tightly around their wastes into the shower. These teens are often disproportionately uncomfortable there when compared to their straight classmates. This leads to feeling like an outsider.
Later when in high school they witness their classmates inviting one another to dances and to the prom. Most young GLBT folks do not have the confidence or the support from their parents to invite a same-sex date to the prom. Doing so would mean outing oneself to the entire student body and most faculty, something that would equally horrify adults twice their age. They either invite a plutonic opposite sex date or, more often, forego the entire experience. Either way they know they are not like the rest, and they continue to feel like an outsider.
Then in college when their peers are dating and having sexual experiences, young gays and lesbians again feel like outsiders because they are often not participating in these activities too, at least not openly.
When the email invitation to the company holiday party arrives many gays and lesbians fantasize about attending with a same-sex date, but few wish to think about the possible career ramifications of doing so. Instead they tell their co-workers they’ve already accepted an invitation for the same date, and then the day after the party they listen over the cubicle to hear who did, said, and wore what.
Later in life when gay people finally find someone with whom they want to share their lives, hopes, and dreams they are again confronted with being different: unable to marry like their straight friends. And when they move into suburban neighborhoods populated mostly with married couples with children, again it is drilled into their heads that they outsiders; different because they don’t have children.
It seems that at almost every milestone in life gays and lesbians are reminded that they just don’t quite fit into their straight surroundings, leaving many to feel like outsiders.
Fortunately most of us learn to adjust. We stop caring so much that we don’t fit in; we embrace our diversity and claim our right to live with our same-sex partner (even if we can’t marry them) in whatever neighborhood we want or can afford. Eventually we may casually out ourselves at work and even take our partner to the company holiday party, if we’re fairly secure in our selves and our jobs. Many gays and lesbians create comfortable lives for themselves and live happily ever after. But do they ever really shake the feeling of being an outsider? I began asking myself this question due to my own recent experiences. But first, a step backward.
In 1993 I visited Rehoboth for the first time. I had just come out and had only been dating my boyfriend for 5 weeks. He and some friends were about to spend a week’s vacation in Rehoboth, and being so absolutely smitten with me, he lamented that we would be apart for an entire week. He arranged for me to catch a ride to Rehoboth with some friends on Friday after work so we could spend the weekend together. Although that weekend is now barely more than a blur in my mind, I knew then and there that Rehoboth was a special place. I knew I’d come back some day.
In 1998 I returned to Rehoboth with my partner Joe and our friends Gene and Tracy. Tracy had a few clients with homes in Rehoboth and they generously allowed him to use them off-season. The 4 of us enjoyed walking on the boardwalk, outlet shopping, and eating in many of the fine Rehoboth restaurants. We saw 2 films at the very 1st annual Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival without advance ticket purchase. (You know that doesn’t happen nowadays.) Gene and Tracy spoke of a desire to own a place here, which we completely understood. We returned to Rehoboth several times in the off-season with them.
In 2000 another friend, Susan told us she’d bought a vintage mobile home in Lewes, and invited us to stay there anytime. I knew Lewes was near Rehoboth but had never been there. We stayed in Susan’s ‘little trailer that time forgot’ and fell in love with it. Two years later when she decided to sell it, we bought the little trailer and looked forward to reading Letters from CAMP Rehoboth during our monthly visits to Lewes and Rehoboth. In 2004 we sold the trailer to another couple who equally appreciated its vintage charm, and purchased a townhouse in Lewes, continuing to spend at least one weekend every month there off season, and almost every weekend during season.
It was then that Joe & I began talking about the possibility of living here full-time. We thought of it like the realization of a dream. We love being close to the water, the slightly slower pace of life here, and the charm of Rehoboth and Lewes. But both of us had jobs that tied us to the DC area. What would we do for work here? We loved our house. Would we be able to find something we liked as much here? Could we leave behind all of our friends and family and once again become ‘outsiders’? We pondered these questions for well over a year.
In Feb of 2006 Joe decided to quit his job and try self-employment. Not long after that I learned that my company planned not to renew the lease on the office space that I shared with 2 colleagues. The company was planning to ask us to set up home offices. Suddenly both Joe and I were no longer tied to the DC area. We decided it was the right time, professionally and personally, to make our move. Rather than continue his self-employment, Joe got a good job working for the State of DE and moved into the townhouse in Lewes so he could start his new job. I stayed behind until our house got rented, and then we both moved into a new house in downtown Lewes in January.
So, now here we are: full-time residents who barely know anyone; ‘outsiders’ to the small and close-knit communities of Rehoboth Beach and Lewes. We still read Letters from CAMP Rehoboth religously and dream of the day when we’ll feel like locals who belong here. It’ll just take some time. In the meantime we’re meeting our neighbors, looking to get involved in community activities, and just being open to whatever new and unexpected opportunities we may find. We’re sure that one day we’ll outgrow that curious and frightened 12 year old in the locker room, and eventually become comfortable enough to leave our towel on the bench outside the shower. Outsiders no more.
Drag Queen name of the day: Verna Chelly
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Shower Curtain
Thought I'd post a photo of our new shower curtain. It is a fairly heavy fabric; almost upholstery weight, which is surprising since we bought this at an outlet store for $15. The background color is dark brown and the pattern has terra cotta, gold, and lime green. We already have a set of lime green towels and I'm hoping to get a set of terra cotta towels too.
Drag Queen name of the day: Joy N. Hope
Monday, March 19, 2007
Unexpected weekend
Here’s what we had planned for this past weekend:
- Fri evening drive to Springfield, drop off the dog at Joe’s mom’s, drive to Takoma Park for our friend John’s 40th birthday, drive back to Springfield
- Sat morning take Evelyn with us to Kerry & Hugh’s in Manassas for breakfast, followed by watching the St. Patrick’s Day parade, then drive back to Springfield
- Sat evening/night have dinner and visit with Joe’s family
- Sun morning meet Michael & Jamie for breakfast
- Sun afternoon meet Greg & Gerry for lunch
However, things didn’t go as planned. The weather in the DC area and here was crazy. In DC they had rain, sleet, and snow which crippled rush hour traffic. There was a dense fog warning for the Bay Bridge, and a reported 10-mile back-up on the eastbound side. Here in Lewes it had been raining all day and was extremely windy. So we decided not to put ourselves out there in all that mess. We stayed in and planned to leave Sat morning.
After showers, breakfast, etc we left bright and sunny Lewes in the Suburban. About 10 miles up the road we began noticing an unusual sound coming from the engine. About 5 miles later it seemed to be getting louder. After a short discussion we decided to return home. The noise got louder as we drove back to Lewes, so we felt justified (instead of like sissies) for returning home. We thought about switching to one of the other cars, but realized Joe’s car has an expired Jan VA state inspection sticker on it. (We’ve not yet switched our driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations over to DE.) The passenger side door of my car needs to be fixed and can not be opened at this time. So despite having 3 vehicles, none of them were in suitable condition for the trip. So we called everyone with whom we had plans and cancelled.
Determined not to waste the weekend, we decided to do a little shopping. We returned a small product at Lowes and did some price comparing. Then we bought a new shower curtain for our bathroom at Springmaid Wamsutta (I love that store), had lunch at Mr. P’s, and then went grocery shopping.
After putting away the groceries Joe watched a little TV and I started hanging pictures. I hung 3 prints in the TV room, 3 pieces of original art in one of the guest bedrooms, and 3 more in the hallway outside of our bedroom.
Then I ironed the pillow cases and the lace top of the sheet for the top floor bedroom, and Joe helped me put the new bed skirt on, and make the bed with the new, freshly washed and ironed sheets. The guest bedroom looks great!
Sun morning we decided to hang the large mirror and 4 pictures in the living room. Due to the size and weight of these, we needed to drill pilot holes, sink plastic anchors, and screw in screws in order to hand them. Of course, all of that was after lots of careful measuring to ensure the mirror and pictures on the same wall were exactly the same height and distance from each other. Next we moved another mirror onto the mantel and accessorized with candles and framed photos. Then we hung 2 small pictures in the powder room; piece of cake. Then we hung 2 pictures and a clock in the breakfast room. Then I hung a key ring holder on the wall near the front door. Then to wrap up our day of productivity, we took the ‘extra’ TV and TV stand (previously used at the beach house) up to the attic along with 2 boxes of stuff, and put away some recent paperwork, mail and CDs.
It may seem repetitious that I keep documenting all of our unpacking, organizing, and decorating, but it makes me feel good to write and review all that we are accomplishing, and lessened some of the disappointment about our foiled weekend plans. Although I love organizing and decorating, most of the time I would prefer to be with family and friends... or watch a movie or surf the internet!)
Drag Queen name of the day: Sharon Aride
Friday, March 16, 2007
Richmond
On Mon I had to go to Richmond for a sales meeting and training. Previous posts are sufficient to describe my lack of enthusiasm for these trips, but just in case you've forgotten, I really don't like them. But for some reason, this trip was different.
I arrived Mon at 6:30 and planned to spend the rest of the evening in my room. The other team members usually go out and drink in a smokey bar. But as I was about to get onto the elevator I ran into my boss who instructed me to meet everyone in the lobby at 7:30 to carpool to a restaurant for a team dinner. I did, and on the way to the restaurant one of my team members said "So, you heard the CEO got canned, right?"
"Are you kidding?" I replied in genuine shock. As it turns out, part of the reason for this sales meeting and training was to announce that the Board had relieved the CEO, and to give us a chance to meet the new acting CEO (an executive consultant). At dinner my boss told everyone about this and suggested we think about any questions we wanted to ask at the next day's meeting. But more surprises were in store.
After Tuesday's formal announcement of the sacked CEO and the introduction of the new acting CEO, we found out that the sales team structure was also changing. No one was loosing their jobs; their products and sales areas were changing. My duties, products and sales areas did not change so this part was not nearly as dramatic for me as it was for others. They were all given a choice between 2 products and sales areas, along with 24 hours to report their decision. It was also announced that additional sales positions would be filled as soon as possible.
Later that evening the team once again went out for drinks and dinner. I thought I would stay a respectable amount of time and then head back to my room but I wound up staying out with the team longer than I expected. I was actually having a good time! I'm not sure if it was because we'd all been through such a wild day, or if it was because I finally let my guard down and just went with the flow. Or maybe, it was because the former CEO wasn't there.
On Wednesday we all met one at a time with my boss and his boss to discuss our goals and comfort level with all the changes, then worked the rest of the day from that office on our 'regular' activities. I got permission to leave at 3:30 since I had a 5 hour drive to make.
Wednesday's weather was incredible. In Richmond it was 80 degrees - outrageous for March 14. I put the top down on my car and drove all the way home that way. It was glorious! I didn't run into too much bad traffic and actually made it home in less than 5 hours.
Drag Queen name of the day: Tara Wrist
I arrived Mon at 6:30 and planned to spend the rest of the evening in my room. The other team members usually go out and drink in a smokey bar. But as I was about to get onto the elevator I ran into my boss who instructed me to meet everyone in the lobby at 7:30 to carpool to a restaurant for a team dinner. I did, and on the way to the restaurant one of my team members said "So, you heard the CEO got canned, right?"
"Are you kidding?" I replied in genuine shock. As it turns out, part of the reason for this sales meeting and training was to announce that the Board had relieved the CEO, and to give us a chance to meet the new acting CEO (an executive consultant). At dinner my boss told everyone about this and suggested we think about any questions we wanted to ask at the next day's meeting. But more surprises were in store.
After Tuesday's formal announcement of the sacked CEO and the introduction of the new acting CEO, we found out that the sales team structure was also changing. No one was loosing their jobs; their products and sales areas were changing. My duties, products and sales areas did not change so this part was not nearly as dramatic for me as it was for others. They were all given a choice between 2 products and sales areas, along with 24 hours to report their decision. It was also announced that additional sales positions would be filled as soon as possible.
Later that evening the team once again went out for drinks and dinner. I thought I would stay a respectable amount of time and then head back to my room but I wound up staying out with the team longer than I expected. I was actually having a good time! I'm not sure if it was because we'd all been through such a wild day, or if it was because I finally let my guard down and just went with the flow. Or maybe, it was because the former CEO wasn't there.
On Wednesday we all met one at a time with my boss and his boss to discuss our goals and comfort level with all the changes, then worked the rest of the day from that office on our 'regular' activities. I got permission to leave at 3:30 since I had a 5 hour drive to make.
Wednesday's weather was incredible. In Richmond it was 80 degrees - outrageous for March 14. I put the top down on my car and drove all the way home that way. It was glorious! I didn't run into too much bad traffic and actually made it home in less than 5 hours.
Drag Queen name of the day: Tara Wrist
Monday, March 12, 2007
Bubble glass
Kerry & Hugh planned to visit relatives in our neck of the woods this past weekend so we made plans for them to stop in and visit us, too.
We'd seen Kerry's application of 'bubble glass' film to the bathroom window in their new addition and thought it would be the perfect solution for us, too. I asked Kerry to bring some bubble glass film with her so we could apply it during their visit.
Since we had limited time I watched, listened, and learned while Kerry did the actual application. She measured the glass to be covered, cut the bubble film slightly larger than the measurements, sprayed the window and the film with water, applied the film, smoothed out the air pockets, and then trimmed the edges to fit. She applied the bubble film to 6 of our windows and I absolutely LOVE it! The top sashes are divided into 6 panes and all of them are unchanged. The lower sashes are are not divided at all - just one large pane - and that is what got the bubble film. We did the window in our bathroom, the windows on the main floor bathrooms, and the hallway windows (which face the bedroom doors).
The bubble film looks completely authentic, like the old bubble glass from the early 1900s. Since our house is a reproduction Victorian, it is really enhanced by the bubble glass look. But what I like the most is that you still get all the natural light of the window but people can't see in. I don't want curtains and blinds on every window, but Joe insists on lots of privacy so this is the perfect compromise. And even better, you can't tell from the outside that the bubble film has been applied unless the sun is shining directly on the window. (The screens partially obscure the view.) So from the outside its difficult to see which windows have been 'bubbled' and which have not. I couldn't be happier with this!
I love it when a plan comes together.
Drag Queen name of the day: Sally Putty
We'd seen Kerry's application of 'bubble glass' film to the bathroom window in their new addition and thought it would be the perfect solution for us, too. I asked Kerry to bring some bubble glass film with her so we could apply it during their visit.
Since we had limited time I watched, listened, and learned while Kerry did the actual application. She measured the glass to be covered, cut the bubble film slightly larger than the measurements, sprayed the window and the film with water, applied the film, smoothed out the air pockets, and then trimmed the edges to fit. She applied the bubble film to 6 of our windows and I absolutely LOVE it! The top sashes are divided into 6 panes and all of them are unchanged. The lower sashes are are not divided at all - just one large pane - and that is what got the bubble film. We did the window in our bathroom, the windows on the main floor bathrooms, and the hallway windows (which face the bedroom doors).
The bubble film looks completely authentic, like the old bubble glass from the early 1900s. Since our house is a reproduction Victorian, it is really enhanced by the bubble glass look. But what I like the most is that you still get all the natural light of the window but people can't see in. I don't want curtains and blinds on every window, but Joe insists on lots of privacy so this is the perfect compromise. And even better, you can't tell from the outside that the bubble film has been applied unless the sun is shining directly on the window. (The screens partially obscure the view.) So from the outside its difficult to see which windows have been 'bubbled' and which have not. I couldn't be happier with this!
I love it when a plan comes together.
Drag Queen name of the day: Sally Putty
Friday, March 09, 2007
Frozen drips
Today the sun is out in full force, so the snow is melting from the various roof lines of our house. Since our house is a Victorian it doesn't have gutters. Since there are no gutters the melted snow drips off the porch roof into the planting beds. Apparently the air temperature is still cold enough to cause the melted snow to freeze. These bushes looked pretty cool with their frozen drips so I thought I'd post them.
Drag Queen name of the day: Lynn Gweeney
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Snow
It is snowing today. Its quite beautiful. The snow began at about 8:00 this morning. There have been times when its been light with small flakes, and other times when its been heavy with large flakes. This is our house covered in snow. They're calling for 3-5 inches.
Drag Queen name of the day: Faith N. Charity
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Back to DC
We had a great weekend back in DC.
We left Lewes at 5:00 and arrived at Joe's mom's at 7:30. We said hello, got the dog situated, and then met our friends Bugsy & Roger at the Taco House. We had a great meal (as usual) and got caught up with them. They are preparing to go on a cruise to Hawaii! I'm so jealous. I've wanted to go to Hawaii ever since I was a kid when my dad got to go for a business trip and my mom tagged along. Bugsy & Roger are coming to visit sometime after they return from their trip so we can see their photos and hear about all their adventures.
Sat morning Joe & I had coffee and visited with Joe's mom and brother Frank. Frank told us about his new job, and Evelyn told us about her plans to take a cruise to Bermuda in June. After showering we left to meet our friends Clara and Susan for lunch in Fairfax.
Susan, Clara, and I all worked for the same company years ago and although we've all moved on we still stay in touch. Wed was Clara's birthday and since she just announced she was pregnant we decided to meet for lunch. We had a great time talking, laughing, and eating. They are great friends. We were there for 3 1/2 hours!
On the way back to Springfield we stopped in Tyson's at my aunt Mary's. She gave us an English tea cart and a set of 3 nesting tables that had belonged to her and my grandmother. Mary is wanting to change her decorating style to something more contemporary so was looking to rid herself of these more traditional items. Since our living room has an eclectic design I thought they would fit in well. We had a nice little visit with Mary and then loaded the furniture into the Suburban. Mary came with us back to Evelyn's and the 4 of us went to dinner.
After dinner I dropped Joe & Evelyn off at the house, took Mary back to her place, and then headed to Freddie's to meet up with a few friends. It was karoke night so I was looking forward to singing. It was very crowded and there were lots of singers so even though I was there for 2 hours I only got to sing once. It was fun to see my friends though. While there I recognized a guy I hadn't seen in about 14 years. Oddly enough his name popped right into my head so I approached him to confirm it was him. He was surprised I remembered his name and apologized for not remembering mine. Chris and I met at the Prince William County Gay & Lesbian Association in the spring of 1993. Chris was the president/organizer of the group and I began attending some of the social events prior to 'coming out'. I gave him my email address and hope he'll stay in touch.
Sun morning Evelyn, Joe & I went to Kerry & Hugh's for breakfast and to visit. Kelly, George, and Ana and her family were there as well. We had a great time talking, laughing, and eating. (Sounds familiar...) We got back to Evelyn's around 1:00 and tried to get in touch with Joe's sister Mary. Sat night she had said she'd hook up with us after we returned from breakfast. But since her phone was busy for quite a while we decided to pack up and go home. We left at 2:00 and got home at 4:30.
After unloading the furniture from the Suburban Joe put a load of laundry in the washer and we went to the grocery store to do our weekly shopping. We had dinner at home and watched TV. We went to bed shortly after 10 but I couldn't sleep so I got up at 11:15 and watched more TV. I went back to bed at 12:30.
Drag Queen name of the day: Stella Doro
We left Lewes at 5:00 and arrived at Joe's mom's at 7:30. We said hello, got the dog situated, and then met our friends Bugsy & Roger at the Taco House. We had a great meal (as usual) and got caught up with them. They are preparing to go on a cruise to Hawaii! I'm so jealous. I've wanted to go to Hawaii ever since I was a kid when my dad got to go for a business trip and my mom tagged along. Bugsy & Roger are coming to visit sometime after they return from their trip so we can see their photos and hear about all their adventures.
Sat morning Joe & I had coffee and visited with Joe's mom and brother Frank. Frank told us about his new job, and Evelyn told us about her plans to take a cruise to Bermuda in June. After showering we left to meet our friends Clara and Susan for lunch in Fairfax.
Susan, Clara, and I all worked for the same company years ago and although we've all moved on we still stay in touch. Wed was Clara's birthday and since she just announced she was pregnant we decided to meet for lunch. We had a great time talking, laughing, and eating. They are great friends. We were there for 3 1/2 hours!
On the way back to Springfield we stopped in Tyson's at my aunt Mary's. She gave us an English tea cart and a set of 3 nesting tables that had belonged to her and my grandmother. Mary is wanting to change her decorating style to something more contemporary so was looking to rid herself of these more traditional items. Since our living room has an eclectic design I thought they would fit in well. We had a nice little visit with Mary and then loaded the furniture into the Suburban. Mary came with us back to Evelyn's and the 4 of us went to dinner.
After dinner I dropped Joe & Evelyn off at the house, took Mary back to her place, and then headed to Freddie's to meet up with a few friends. It was karoke night so I was looking forward to singing. It was very crowded and there were lots of singers so even though I was there for 2 hours I only got to sing once. It was fun to see my friends though. While there I recognized a guy I hadn't seen in about 14 years. Oddly enough his name popped right into my head so I approached him to confirm it was him. He was surprised I remembered his name and apologized for not remembering mine. Chris and I met at the Prince William County Gay & Lesbian Association in the spring of 1993. Chris was the president/organizer of the group and I began attending some of the social events prior to 'coming out'. I gave him my email address and hope he'll stay in touch.
Sun morning Evelyn, Joe & I went to Kerry & Hugh's for breakfast and to visit. Kelly, George, and Ana and her family were there as well. We had a great time talking, laughing, and eating. (Sounds familiar...) We got back to Evelyn's around 1:00 and tried to get in touch with Joe's sister Mary. Sat night she had said she'd hook up with us after we returned from breakfast. But since her phone was busy for quite a while we decided to pack up and go home. We left at 2:00 and got home at 4:30.
After unloading the furniture from the Suburban Joe put a load of laundry in the washer and we went to the grocery store to do our weekly shopping. We had dinner at home and watched TV. We went to bed shortly after 10 but I couldn't sleep so I got up at 11:15 and watched more TV. I went back to bed at 12:30.
Drag Queen name of the day: Stella Doro
Friday, March 02, 2007
Crazy weather
Last night it got very windy and rainy. I assumed it was getting colder. Yet this morning when I took the dog outside I was shocked by how warm it was. Crazy warm.
Later in the morning I looked outside and saw several birds taking a bath in a puddle of water in the street. It was so cute, I thought of taking a picture. But I wasn't sure where the camera was, and was fairly certain the birds would be finished their bath by the time I returned with the camera. But it was a cute sight to behold.
A few minutes ago I checked the weather website to find it is 60 degrees outside. March 2 and 60 degrees. But lest we get our hopes up for an early spring, the forecast for the next 5 days includes temperatures back in the normal 30s and 40s.
We're leaving in about 1/2 an hour for a weekend visit in VA.
Drag Queen name of the day: Tara Dactile
Later in the morning I looked outside and saw several birds taking a bath in a puddle of water in the street. It was so cute, I thought of taking a picture. But I wasn't sure where the camera was, and was fairly certain the birds would be finished their bath by the time I returned with the camera. But it was a cute sight to behold.
A few minutes ago I checked the weather website to find it is 60 degrees outside. March 2 and 60 degrees. But lest we get our hopes up for an early spring, the forecast for the next 5 days includes temperatures back in the normal 30s and 40s.
We're leaving in about 1/2 an hour for a weekend visit in VA.
Drag Queen name of the day: Tara Dactile
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