Our Weekend....

I think staying in bed all day Friday helped me to feel better on Saturday!

I even made up the bed!!

But I didn't go crazy with tearing into the house cleaning or undecorating.

In the late afternoon, I did got out on a few errands.

Picked up a Rx and stopped by the $ Store for a couple of things and got two more big tubs to use when I take down all the Christmas 'debris.' That's what Louis Dean calls it, anyway.

While I was out, I decided to go for a walk.

I walked the first and second days of January.

Then I was busy the next two days and sick on the fifth day.

So on the sixth day I walked at North Lake Collage.

I couldn't resist going in to see the pool.

They have completely redone the roof and updated the shower and bathrooms.

Amber swam with The Pirouettes of Texas synchronized swimming team for 11 years....from 1992 to 2003.

Over the years I have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours at the pool and walking the trail around the lake.

I loved those years and I remain especially fond of the smell of chlorine!

It takes me right back to Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-8 pm and longer.

Some nights Amber practiced until the pool closed at 10:00.

Saturday mornings were 6-11 am and I admit I would drop her off and came back at a more reasonable hour! Amber's coach, Megan, would bring her home since I taught art class around the dining room table, but on Thursdays I would sit in the van for the 6-7 hour. I graded school work or studied for the next day. I home schooled both Amber and Benjamin until they started college. 

Always, I listened to Karl Haas's syndicated program, "Adventures in Good Music" on the classical radio station WRRR.

I looked forward to the theme song and his opening words......

The theme music for Adventures in Good Music was the second movement from Beethoven's "Pathétique" Sonata (Sonata No. 8 in C minor), performed by Haas. Haas started every show with his trademark greeting "Hello everyone", and later entitled a track of his CD with those words. For several years the program had the most listeners of any classical music radio show in the world.^[5]

From Wikipedia

I could feel myself relax listening to the program.

Often I would take a thermos of hot coffee and a snack.

Since I was driving a big Chevy Van Conversion - I could have LIVED in that van and practically did! - it was almost like I was in my sitting room.

I kept a basket of snacks and bottled water in there as well as comfy pillows and covers.

It was my home away from home!

I continued to listen to Karl Haas and his Adventures in Good Music until he died in 2005.

I may have been walking the trail at North Lake Collage but I was actually walking down Memory Lane.

When I got home, I decided to take the Christmas down in the gazebo and dress it for the winter.

I bought the plaid tablecloths on clearance after Christmas and the moose pillows came from Goodwill last week. I added green pine garland on the rail behind our chairs - which is the railing from our very first gazebo in 2006!

The colored net lights will stay for another month or so because Louis Dean loves them so much.

I'm putting all the pine cone debris I come across in the gazebo and calling it a 'Woodland' theme.

The weather has warmed up so I sat out there for an hour after I got it all done.

I suppose I love my gazebo in much the same way I loved my van.

I went to church this morning and then went out to eat with Amber, Mike and the quads.

Louis Dean stayed home because Cousin Joe (who lives across the street) was coming to repair my washing machine which went out the week before Christmas,

Turns out - there was nothing wrong with it!!

Apparently, the last load - which had a small rug in it - got off balanced and threw a sensor or something. Joe didn't even had to reset anything. He simply turned it on and then he and Louis Dean talked and watched football while the machine went through its cycle. Win! WIN!!!

When I got home the kitchen was strewn with all the 'stuff' that had been on the washer!

I had already taken Christmas down in there - except for the tiny tree which will become a wine cork tree! - so now I all I had to do was put it all back. It's like a jigsaw puzzle!

I've decided to leave the house decorated until we get back from the ranch so I vacuumed and straightened things up. We hope to leave on Wednesday.

Summer, Sabrina and Rayne flew home today!

They had the best time!!

Summer visited the 9-11 Memorial.

Sabrina and Rayne spent Friday night in the museum.

They did lots of things together and then would split up so Summer could get some rest and then all meet back up again for dinner or a play and such.

It was an incredible trip and they loved every single minute of it!

I picked them up at the airport tonight and they were still glowing about what fun they had!

However, they all agreed that it is nice to not be cold!

And they won't have to dress in so many layers that they feel claustrophobic now!!

I think I will go out to the den and watch Madame Secretary with Louis Dean before we go to bed.

It started raining around 3:00 this afternoon and has just about stopped now.

Earlier you could hear the thunder roll - not something you usually hear in January!

And just maybe I will spend a few minutes sitting out in the gazebo.

I love it out there.

Just me and my book for a little quiet time......

P.S.
Louis Dean did a video.....