Moving on Up, or Out, or Down

My dear friend Barb wrote yesterday with an update on their home addition. They have the “roof off the place” to add a second floor new bathroom and enlarge existing bedrooms. She is happy they will have the new space, but stressed with construction noise.
Barb and I were roommates years ago. We shared dorm space and shared two apartments in the years following graduation. As junior students we had a rotation for three months to the Veteran’s Psych. Hospital in St. Cloud. This meant we moved every three months that year. We also had to pack up every summer and head out. Barb just kept her boxes under her bed to facilitate the moving. I don’t think the moving was that easy for Barb with this construction project.
We have a bit of a mess to anticipate at the end of the month. The carpeting will be replaced and a new wood kitchen floor installed. This means we have to move a lot of furniture somewhere. The somewhere depends on the weather that week. It would be fairly easy to put things on the deck. It would be less convenient to move everything into the garage or downstairs. Keep your fingers crossed for sunshine..
This seems like a good time to aspire to simpler living. When I eye the books, DVDs, CDs, glasswear,dishes etc on my shelves and cabinets, I wish I could put it all in one box. Some day it may be a necessity to lighten up. I should be grateful for now it is just an option.

QE 2 -Part 2

This comment is really not about the ship. I am talking about The Queen and her hat. I thought the hat in the picture in yesterday's blog looked dark pink (with a purple trim). I saw footage of her wearing it on the news again and it looks red with purple trim. My sister wrote yesterday saying she wondered if one of her "Dress for America" staff was playing a little trick on her majesty. A red hat with purple trim in America? She is a Red Hat lady!! Like a commoner. The dear queen could be their mascot. Actually, when you think about it, she is living out the ultimate red hat fantasy life. Carolyn saw a great business opportunity making knock-offs for the club ladies. Anyone?

Hats Off to the Queen

Welcome to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who is visiting America. News photos showed her touring Jamestown, Virginia on it's 400th anniversay. This is her 5th visit to our country. During her long reign she has met ten presidents and outlasted many prime ministers.

We rejected the monarchy here centuries ago, but seem to embrace this monarch. Perhaps we do the same thing with our former presidents. During their tenure all have detractors. Some are more popular than other. All seem to have increased popularity in their retirement. Most are buried as heroes. Only Mr. Nixon seemed to have a different outcome. I have to admit I never particularly liked Mr. Nixon, but am softening my response to him now to give him more credit.

Perhaps with the Queen it is the hat that helps. How could you not have mercy on a lady who must wear those ridiculous hats? I will make an exception saying I liked yesterday's hat. I would never wear it, but the color was flattering. Does she wear a hat in place of a crown? Does the hat help to identify her in a crowd? Did she make a bad decision in her youth awarding a lifetime contract to a milliner?

We discarded the hat in the Kennedy administration. Actually, men discarded the hat then. Jackie had us copying her pill box hats. I had one. People used to tell me I looked like her when I was sixteen. It was the hair. I also had size 10 shoes like her and was about the same build. I don't look like her anymore, but she doesn't either.

I digress. I think we might try bringing back the hat for our presidents. Don't you picture the beloved Abe Lincoln in a top hat? Might G.W.'s popularity increase if he wore one? I think he could pull it off. I think even Mr. Nixon might have a better legacy if we pictured him in a top hat. Let's just agree not to award a lifetime millinary contract to anyone. They might want to change their mind.

The Real Caped Crusader Ala 1964

Caped and Capped. Hard to believe this much time has gone by.

Belaton Blues Turn to Woohoos

Yesterday's email brought discouraging news from Andy. They needed to wait another two days for a part to fix the car. That would make almost six days spent in Lake Belaton, Hungary. That is not how three 21 yrs. old boys intended to spend their travel time.

I have learned at least this one thing from my pastor in the past years; you do not have to accept the bad report. My husband and I agreed in prayer that God could expedite this, and prayed it would be fixed sooner if that was His will.

I just opened an e-mail from the traveling son. It was sent around 10:00am Hungarian time. The title was "Woohoo" so I was expectant. The car was repaired and they were leaving in a whirlwind to finish the tour. They have 48 hours and still plan to go to Prague and Vienna. I am not sure they will have time to see the Lipizzaner Stallions in that time frame, but at least they were not cheated out of going to Wein (Vienna) and Prag (Prague or Praha).

Now I need to pray that they use good judgment and not drive too fast.

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/austria/01hofburg.htm

HUNGARY FOR MORE OF EUROPE

More of my vicarious travel through the youngest son. Andy wrote today that the tow truck came early and the mechanic looked at the car. (This is the fourth day they have been disabled at the camp ground.) Good news, it will only cost 80 euro to fix. Bad news; no part. They will have to wait until Friday to have it fixed. I imagine that will mean just drive back to Germany and skip Prague and Vienna which must be disappointing. The bright spot in all this is they were stranded in a scenic place. It could have been much worse. They moved into a vacation rental apartment today. Four days of camping and no shower preceded this. He will at least have an interesting story. He still sounded like he had a good attitude. No whining. This reminds me of my mom's take on bad news. She would say, "It could be worse. It could be cancer." Her mom had died at a young age of cancer years ago when there weren't good treatments to cure cancer and I think that was her ultimate bad news. My sister and I prayed she would never hear those words spoken by a Dr., and she didn't.

ps: -38 this am with a blood glucose of 80. Off for my walk around Long Lake with friend Judy.

It's Greek to Me

I loved the comedy movie "My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding."
It came out several years ago and my husband and I went to see it with daughter Mary. She had broken up for the last time with her longtime boyfriend. She was broken up too. I thought the movie was a pivotal experience. Perhaps it made her see that she had a future.
Fast forward a few months. She did not go back to the old boyfriend like she always had before. A mutual friend introduced her to a nice young man. They were married this past September. We really like him and like them as a couple.
When Mary and Mike were here recently I loaned them our copy of the movie. Mike had not seen it. Saturday they stopped over and Mary returned the movie. She also said she caught Mike cleaning his shoes with Windex. (This won't be funny if you haven't seen the movie.) I saw it as a funny connection to the movie. I have to go now. We are barbqueing a lamb in the front yard. Oopa!