The fence - finished

The fence was stained yesterday. It looks good.

The legal battle with the fence is not over, but we decided it needed to be done before winter.

1st Day at HGS

I started at Human Genome Sciences today - its good.

The company is much bigger than I realized, almost 900 people.

It's a beautiful building of architectural art. I was given a large office space with a great view, and since the windows are tinted - the sun isn't killing me.

I'm in the very far right hand corner on the second floor.

--pointing --those windows riiggghhht ... there.

The rollercoaster commute

A couple of miles near the Potomac River is really pretty. This is the 2 peaceful minutes of my commute. I thought I would share with you the the ride, however it turned into a video that will make you think you are crazy. If you watch it till the end, you've will be wondering what you took that is messing with your mind...

Or is it just me?

Beware, and turn the sound down - the wind is loud.

Destructive Caterpillars

Do all caterpillars turn into butterfly's?

Soooo... I was outside last night, and saw all of these hanging off the trees. I thought .... wow why are there so many little dead pieces of the pine tree hanging?

I went over to take a closer look - I squeezed one and got the "willies" went it started moving!

Look at this thing - it's just laying around in its cocoon eating my tree. They ate more than 1/2 the leaves off my apple tree.

When you touch them they hide in their cocoons, and close up.

They need to go away - maybe if Ripley hadn't have killed all the new baby birds, they'd eat them. See what happens when the food chain is disrupted.

Not until you're 42...

When I was little and wanted to do something... my mother always told me "NOT UNTIL YOU ARE 42!!"

Strangely enough I finished a book today called "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". I really didn't like the book, not sure I really understood the plot - however

In the book a very special computer gives the answer to life

.... the answer it gave? 42

Very strange

Will Obama Give In, and Follow the Negative Ads?

It's probably not a secret who I will vote for, however my husband really likes "the other guy".
All that aside, Obama has always said that he will not run a negative campaign.
McCain didn't even make the effort.
Obama has stood by his commitment. His ads are about him, and what he can do for you - they didn't even mention McCain.
McCain's ads are trying to blame Obama for gas prices and comparing him to Paris Hilton.

I'm so sick of Negative ads - I hope that Obama sticks to his commitment. I'm not sure it will work for him, but I appreciate that he is trying to change the way politics are done.

Someone has to stand up and do the right thing - the right thing is to talk about yourself and what you have to offer, not talking bad about your opponent.

On Notice

I've accepted a new job.
I gave notice yesterday.
Wish me luck.

Spenser's first visit home...

Spenser arrived in Seattle last night.

It's hard to go home, sometimes it makes you sad, sometimes it makes you glad - and sometimes it only confuses you more.

"Remember where you came from, but don't forget where you are going"

I sent him with a list of things he had to eat for me, with money. It goes something like this.

1. Round Table, Super Bacon Deli --$20
2. Elliott Bay Sub -- $10
3. Thomas Kemper Root Beer --$2
4. Henry Weinhart Root Beer --$2
5. Jamba Juice --$5
6. Lady Latte --$5
7. Tully's --$5
8. Pilchuck shake --$5
9. Dicks --$5
10. Yummy Teriyaki --$10

The "Black" hat

Spenser graduated from Fire School. He has successfully completed 140 hours of class time, burns, and the state exams.

No more Red "in training" hat, he now gets to wear the "Black Hat".

He starts EMT/Paramedic training in a few weeks. It's has 3 parts divided into 6 month classes

11pm, and only the top of the 8th...

This East Coast time zone sucks for sports!

You don't leave early to race home to see the game -- you come home, eat, work a little, do some laundry, mow the lawn, knit a sweater - AND THEN THE GAME STARTS.

This bites, Not sure I've ever watch an All Star game at 11pm.

**Update** Upsidedown Tomatoes

The tomatoes are starting to get ripe!

Pretty cool - huh?

Today I got housekeepers and a "Lawn Boy"

What difference a day makes!

4 women showed up this morning, and I came home to a very clean house. They did so much more than I expected. It wasn't just a clean house - it was a piece of freedom.

I've just not had time to keep the house clean, and it was a much better evening for me not worrying about my messy house.

Okay so my "lawn boy" isn't quite what I had in mind - but he's the green way to mow the lawn.

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Now ... trying to convince Ripley he wasn't his new play toy wasn't easy. I thought for sure he was going to get kicked.

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With no house to clean or lawn to mow - I got to relax this evening.

It almost makes up for NOT BEING ABLE TO WATCH THE HOME RUN DERBY! (I don't have ESPN)

It's all catching up to me, thus I've been out of touch.

"Never put anything on the internet that you would not want to see on the front page of the paper in the morning"

This advice was given to me long ago - and it's something that my husband REALLY feels strongly about. As I stated in my very first post - this blog will be filtered.

Life right now for me isn't great - I'm having neighbor issues with both homes, renter issues, a legal issue stiring, a home I can't sell (still 3 mortgages), job stress, and Ripley has began to think that maybe he doesn't HAVE to wait for the chickens, peacocks, or guineas to come into HIS yard - to cull them.

We are all healthy and not yet to the funny farm. I'm just finding happy things to blog about challenging.

The good news is that we have booked some time away. Spenser is going home for a visit in just 11 days - and Roger and I (with Sharon and Jerry) are taking a 3 week trip in September.

Root Beer Connoisseurs

Spenser and I love Root Beer.

We had some favorites in Seattle, and while it took us a few months to find a good one here - we have. It's called Hanks.

I brought back several of the local Maine Root Beer's. My luggage was checked three times because of it!

Where the green grass grows...

Technically this isn't really grass - it's a weed. It's grown 3 feet in 3 weeks!! We have a few patches of it around, but it's ironic how it chose to try and hide the push mower?

365 days later...

We made it a year.
We didn't make it the way we expected or hoped ...
We've had our ups and downs, and I hope to share what the year has brought us.

I'm currently feeling beat up by the world - so I've been a little out of touch - I'll be back when I get this life under control.

The light at Pemaquid Point

I had never seen the actual lamp in a lighthouse.

Pemaquid Point Light house

Today I visited the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse - built in 1835http://lighthouse.cc/pemaquid/

I searched for several others, but with only GPS coordinates - I never found them.

I was able to walk up to the top of this working lighthouse, the light keeper made a good point. These really are America's history - "Their our Castles".

Portland, Maine

I arrived in Portland Maine yesterday.

I loved Maine when I was here 7 years ago. It's so much like Seattle (though I've only been here in the spring).

I am here for work, but hope to get a bit of lighthouse viewing in.

I was so happy when it was raining and 55 degrees ALL DAY. I did not see the sun - it was so Seattle-like, I loved it.

Oh this was a grand idea ... Someone didn't think this one through

So we've been planting lot's of trees...
When I decided to have a fence put in, I wanted it on the property lines - and in line with the house.
I worked diligently to have the power lines marked, the back cleared, and GPS locations of the property line - but somehow I didn't envision the trees.
UNTIL - I had to mow this week. I've just added an hour of push mowing to the areas by the fence where I can no longer get the tractor through!
Hope the gas guy can get to the propane tank....

Think I can eat these??

Anyone got a guess as to what these are? They look like little blackberry's - but they are growing on a really big tree, actually I have several big trees of them.

Fencing in "Cujo the Bird Slayer"

We've been wanting a fence from the begining, but fnally could afford it.
It will be stained in mid-July.

Ripley wasn't thrilled at first - especially since there was chicken in HIS yard, on the other side. I'm glad I spent 5K, to save a 5 dollar chicken.

10 inch grass -vs- 110 degree heat index!

OH MY GOSH....
I feel like I am living on the service of the sun! For 4 days now we've had 100 degree weather, with awful humidity. IT'S JUNE!!
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There's been a heat advisory - which means people aren't supposed to be outside! Yet my husband from the other side of the sun tells me in the new pictures of the fence he can tell the yard needs mowed!
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He tells me that if I don't get out in it, I'll never get used to the heat. Ahhhhhh - I don't want to get used to it!
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YOU MUST BE KIDDING - it's too hot to mow! After all, the authorities are telling me not to go outside ... who am I do disobey the authorities?
Tonight at 10pm I was out mowing. It will only take me all week....

Save the Cow

What are the odds that 1/2 a cow would be delivered the same day that we lose power?

In February I ordered 1/2 a cow - I knew that it was going to be delivered on Wednesday, however Wednesday morning our power went out (wind storm). It was out for 2 days while the temps were in the 90's!
With no power to keep our meat frozen I had to deal with finding ice, and cleaning up the water that was no longer ice. The thought of loosing 500 pounds of beef was quite stressful, but we did save the meat, and managed to keep it all frozen over the two days.

When you live on a well and you don't have electricity - you also don't have water!

Going home doesn't mean "to Seattle"

I was in Cleveland for the day on Tuesday.

When I got to the airport to come home, the ticket agent asked me "Where are you heading?" I said "Seattle".

She asked... "Are you sure?"

I looked at her confused and said "Oh, no DC-Dulles".

I was on auto-pilot and was only thinking "I'm going home". Only one time in my life has "going home" from an airport not meant Seattle, okay make that two now.