Sleep - I need sleep!!!

For some reason, since we've moved both hubs and I have had terrible insomnia.  It's a little disconcerting to lay (lie?) in bed for hours with your mind racing a mile a minute. I can't tell you how many times I've been up when the neighbors are going to work.  I'll be up all night and finally get to sleep around 7:00 a.m. and then sleep until after noon.  This is not productive!  Plus if I don't get enough sleep I get headaches. Even though I can't sleep, I am still tired so getting any projects done is out of the question so all I can do is watch television.  Do you know how terrible television is in the middle of the night?  Good grief!

Our paper gets delivered between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m..  Many mornings I have it read and the puzzles done by 6:00 a.m..  I'm lucky it gets delivered right on our porch.  I had to call them a few times complaining of missing papers.  The last time I called I had to remind them that I was too old to be fishing a newspaper out from under a car in the driveway.  I was a little concerned what I would do once it started snowing.   ("Honey, that neighbor lady seems to be frozen under the car again!")  When I called, the customer service rep said, "would you like it delivered on to your porch?"  Duh!!!!!

I've tried lots of things.  No caffeine after noon.  Taking Melatonin.  Taking Tylenol P.M..  Even taking sleeping pills.  Nothing!

So, dear friends, HELP!!!!  Have you ever had this problem?  What have you done that has worked for you?  I need to get a life and I have things to do and this isn't helping matters any.

Off to a quilt show with hubs Saturday and hopefully Sunday we can go see the Incredible Molly Brown Museum, a Denver native of the Titanic "fame". *We've decided to wait until the 28th to go to the Museum.  Here in Denver they have once a month free admission to most every museum in town.   The Denver Art Museum, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, The Aquarium, The Molly Brown Museum and the Denver Botanical Garden to name a few.  How cool is that?

You all have a great weekend!

Maggie

Sorry - still can't load pictures!

I needed to take Maggie to get her hair done yesterday.  She was long overdue.  In California I took her every two weeks for a wash and comb-out.  It was her spa/play day.  Since being in Colorado, I had only taken her once and hadn't been happy with them so I've been searching.  I checked Yelp.com to get reviews but the best places are way downtown Denver and too far to go to.  One of my neighbors suggested a place near here, but the reviewers on Yelp all said, "don't take your dogs here!"

The one place that was near our home and had great reviews was, of all places, PetSmart.  Now I admit, I'm a snob when it comes to certain things.  Not all things, but a few.  When it comes to Maggie I want the very best.  But I knew she needed done so I figured once wouldn't hurt and I could tell by her demeanor how she liked it when I got there.

I was so pleasantly surprised!  One good thing was that her groomer, Jamie, had owned a Scottie so knew what she needed and the Scottie idiosyncrasies (they hate their nails to be clipped).  When I picked Maggie up, Jamie was sitting down holding her and Maggie was happy.  Maggie looked GORGEOUS and Jamie proceeded to tell me what the previous groomer had done wrong and what she will do in the future to get her into the perfect Scottie shape.  Whew!!!!  Also, I can set up the twice a week schedule like I had in California for the same price.  The "regular" grooming places here are much more expensive.

After we picked her up we went to the local shopping center with her.  Every Friday night they have a live band with music and it's great fun to walk around and people watch.  It's like one big party.  Maggie really enjoyed herself and got lots of smiles, although, I suspect some people thought she looked a little "girly" with two pink polka dot bows on her butt!  I, on the other hand, think she looks ADORABLE!  You just have to picture her running around the yard, pink bows and all, chasing rabbits!

My advise for the week is to check out Yelp.com for reviews and to realise that some places, even though you don't think they are worth going to, might just be the answer!

Have a great weekend!  We're off to the local Farmer's Market!  To my friends and family in California - Stay Cool!

New Cell Phone

I'm going to have to break down and get a new cell phone. My little old Samsun flip phone has seen it's last days I'm afraid.  I don't want to pay for an IPhone.  I'm much too cheap for that!   I would like something that is easy to use and is small enough to put in my pocket. 


Any recommendations - pro and con?


Thanks!!!

Blogger!

Ok, I'm having trouble here.  What is blogger up to now?  I cannot upload pictures.  I also cannot add any new blogs to my links over on the side bar.  Anyone out there know what's going on?

I am so not thrilled with the new "improved" format.  I know I put myself as risk for saying that.  What evil things can they do to my blog now?

HELP!

Basement Ideas

While we are staying at my son's home here in Colorado, we are going to be overseeing the finishing of the basement. So, I have a question for all of you out there that have finished basements that you use as part of your living space:

What type of floors do you recommend? Carpet, wood, laminate?

What wall paint colors are you most happy with? White, creamy beige, soft pastels such as yellow, teal or minty green?

What have you done to your ceilings, especially if they are full of duct work and putting sheet rock or ceiling tiles up would make them too low?

Any other hints? We are going to start getting estimates and when I talk to the contractors I don't want to sound like I don't know what I'm doing...which I don't but don't tell them that!

I'm on Pinterest and have been collecting basement ideas there.

Thanks!!!

New Email

One of the many things that happened to us during our move is that "that" internet/phone company locked us out of our email account. Don't ask me why because I don't even know. Free internet and they lock you out. What's up with that? Anyway, Sweetie contacted them once we got here and they finally got it fixed - sorta. They gave us a new email address ("Nope, sorry, you can't have your old one anymore.") and transferred our information over to the new address. Again, sorta. My email contacts were gone!!!!!! I'm not the type of gal that just says, "Oh, well." A friend of mine used to say, "Right's right and wrong's nowhere!" (I could get a job as a consumer advocate ala Ralph Nader! LOL!) So I got right on the phone. After what seemed like an entire afternoon, talking to people from two companies on two continents and being shuffled back in forth with a "he said, she said", I was able to talk to a very nice gentleman from Texas who knew what he was doing!! Imagine that! He said that what had probably happened was an "incomplete transfer" and he was given permission to have them do it again. I knew my contacts were sitting somewhere in the world on a server just waiting to come home to Mama. I was told to wait a day and then check them. The next day another nice gentleman called and asked me to check them and VOILA! THERE THEY WERE!!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!!

Why am I telling you this tale of whoa? Two things. First, if you ever have trouble with a computer or phone system and you need to call them do not, I repeat, do not talk to the first person who answers the phone. Insist on talking to a "level two technician". If they refuse, ask to speak to their supervisor. Remember, your call is taped and they don't want the entire chain of command hearing how they made you angry. You have the right to have someone who understands your problem and has the authority to fix it listen to you.

Second, like I said, my email has changed. If any of my blog friends need to email me and have my email in their contacts list, it will need to be changed. Just check out the new email in my profile section.

Whew! That even made me tired reading it. I think it's nap time in the Rockies!

Toodles!!

Catching Up

I still don't have my lap top hooked up so I can load pictures. So another post sans pictures.

There hasn't been much going on around here lately as far as getting the house put together. Colorado has been experiencing record heat and we have had 100+ days. Even with the air conditioner on, it's difficult to get the energy to do anything. So I just use my retirement mantra, "There is always tomorrow!" I am getting a little weary of boxes, cords and unfinished projects so I'm hoping for a cool down soon.

I'm sure you are all aware of the fires that have ravaged parts of our adopted state. It is just horrible!!! The pictures in the paper are heartbreaking. One very poignant picture in the paper today shows a woman in Colorado Springs watering the lawn in front of her beautiful home. Across the street - just across the street, mind you- her neighbor's home is nothing but ash. Our little area of Colorado seems to be the only area that has not been threatened by fire. The state is supposed to be getting thunder storms this week which means more lightening which could mean more fires. By Friday, though, we are supposed to get some heavy rain which will be a praise.

With the Fourth of July coming up the state has banned the use of fireworks. Crazy thing, though, is they haven't banned, or cannot ban, the sale of fireworks. We have a big fireworks stand near our home. There are signs on the road just as you approach the stand that the use of fireworks has been banned. We all know, however, that there are crazy people out there who will still use them. So Wednesday, I'm holding my breath that there are not more fires started.

On another note, my sister from California came out for a visit. Other than having to deal with the heat we had a great time. Janice is not one to like to visit museums or the regular tourist spots. We spent an entire week of showing her around to the great restaurants in the area. We had so much fun. I lost count of all the times she said, "OMG!" when she tried a new restaurant. We did manage to take in a couple movies. One was at the Movie Tavern where you can order off a complete menu and eat while you watch. How cool is that? We saw Men In Black III there with the hubs. We also went to see "Seeking A Friend For the End of the World." What an awesome movie and I highly recommend it. Just take kleenex! The reviews in the paper say it's the comedy hit of the summer. This tells me that the reviewer didn't see it and thought that since Steve Carell was in it it had to be a comedy. NOT!!!! It's very poignant and a movie that will stay with you for days.

Well, that's all for now. Stay cool out there and stay safe on the 4th!!!

Bunnies

I still don't have my laptop hooked up for wireless so I can't post any pictures. My brain is too frazzled from the move to even attempt to figure out how to do it on hub's Mac.

Becky left a comment about the bunny that Maggie caught and for her to be careful because of their teeth. I can't wait to show you a picture of them here. In California we have rather large field rabbits. Not too cute and they stay out in the fields.

What they have here are the cutest little, itty, bitty, cottontail bunnies. Something you would give your children at Easter if you didn't know better, but that's another story. They are all over the neighborhood and burrow around the foundation of the houses. Sometimes Maggie will sit with just her head poking out the pet door waiting - hoping. If she sees one, she's off to the races. The other day she was sitting in the entryway and looking out the storm door that is glass all the way down. She spotted a bunny on the neighbors lawn and went berserk! She actually got up on her hind legs and just stood straight up like a person. I tried to get a picture but my camera wasn't fast enough.

I remember the first time I came out here to visit our son. I was taking a walk in the neighborhood and saw a bunny in a front yard. I actually went up to the front door to ask them if they had a pet rabbit that had gotten out! I'm so glad no one was home!!!!

I think it's ironic that I have collected garden bunny statues over the years. I have them sitting in the back yard. Now they have furry friends as well.

Gotta go - things to do, things to do.....

I'm Alive!!!

Thought I better pop in to let you all know that I'm still alive and kicking. We made the move to Colorado and what an experience it has been! I remember moving when I was younger and I would have everything unpacked and put away in one day. Sadly, those days are gone. I'm older, slower and have more stuff. We've been here a month and we still have a mound of boxes to wade through. Every time I open a box it's like Christmas! There are still some things I cannot find which is driving me nuts! I have all the boxes labeled by room but so far there are a few things hiding.

One thing that has been limiting me to getting more done is the altitude here. I'd heard it takes a while to get used to it and boy, is that the case. I'm out of breath constantly. Yesterday, for example, I hung some blinds up in the extra bedroom. They weren't cooperating and by the time I got done I had to go take a nap. "Had to", mind you! LOL!

I am less than thrilled with the colors of the walls so I don't see the sense of unpacking everything and hanging pictures until I can get them painted. I have to repair the ceiling fan in the kitchen because I pulled the chain to turn on the light and it broke. I had lumber cut so I can make the shelves in the pantry deeper and I need to paint them before I install them. It's been raining, though, so I have to wait till the weather clears up. Since we are retired things can wait until tomorrow. It doesn't have to get done in one day! Yay!

Speaking of weather....WOW! I'm from the mid west originally, so I enjoy a good storm. The other evening the wind started blowing and the clouds rolled in and it got dark fast. We had hail and rain. Then I heard a siren and went to the back door. "Honey, that's not a fire truck!" Yup! It was a tornado warning siren!!!!! Some of the neighbors were out front so I went out, introduced myself, and asked what they do here when there is a tornado warning. "Come outside and watch!" Just like when I was a kid! It was very exciting (we had no problems as it turns out) and I spent the next hour gathering pillows, water, medicine, food and other incidentals and taking it down to the basement. Then later I spent another hour bringing it back up. I'm going to put together an emergency box to keep down there so I don't have to do that again.

Maggie does not like thunder and lightening so she hides or follows me everywhere. Speaking of Maggie, she has realized her full potential as a terrier. You see, this part of Colorado has the cutest little wild bunny rabbits. They are everywhere! Running up and down the street, sitting in the grass, and burrowing under the houses. Cute, yes, but to Maggie, aka Big Game Hunter, they are the enemy! Our back yard is very large and she is constantly running full speed ahead looking for them. If she sees one, she chases it all over. The other day my husband said, "What does Maggie have in her mouth?" I went running to the back yard because I had this sinking feeling. Sadly, she had caught one. It's little paws were hanging out of her mouth! She was so proud of herself. Hopefully, they will get the picture to stay out of our yard.

It took over three weeks to get our internet hooked up and we still don't have wireless. I'm using my husband's computer now but when I can use mine, I'll be able to post pictures.

Today hubs and I are taking the day off and going to have lunch at a restaurant we discovered and then to our first visit to IKEA. This should be fun!!!

Happy to be back blogging!!!!! Toodles!!

Almost there.....

We're almost ready for the big move on Monday!!! We are having "issues" with our internet provider. Issues as in no access (I'm writing this post at my Mom's house). It's a well known company who has initials for there name, if you catch my drift. I've been told that others are having the same problem as well. This is not a good time to be without email service. I have people I need to contact but don't know there phone numbers or email address. There customer service has been less than helpful and hubs is going to attempt to call them again today. Wish him luck.

In the meantime, if you need to email me go ahead and see if it will work. I'll check in on my blog periodically from the road.

Next stop - COLORADO!!!!!!