Apologies

to those folks on my blogroll that I used to visit frequently and haven't done so lately.

In my defense I've had things to distract me lately, which is nice.

But still, there have been things that happened that I wish I had seen.

I'll try to get better in the future.

Customer Dis-service

Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day. It is actually Teacher Appreciation Week, but according to my favorite teacher (and the National Day Calendar) today is the day for the week to exist.

In order to commemorate the day I arranged for flowers to be delivered through an on-line service. Their website offers a 4 hour same-day delivery service, so I figured they would arrive in plenty of time before school was out.

The order went in at 9:30 AM and was processed and sent to the local florist at 10:15 AM. Plus 4 hours indicates a delivery time at or before 2:15 PM, plenty of time. I took myself off to dreamland secure in the knowledge that my teacher would be appreciated on Teacher Appreciation Day.

Sadly, no.

I got the notification at 5:07 PM that the order was out for delivery. School gets out at 3:10.

If you need flowers delivered today, I would highly recommend against using Flower Delivery Express.

UPDATE: They were delivered at 2:45 yesterday, 30 hours and 15 minutes after the order went in. So much for same day/4 hour delivery. I'm glad she liked them, even though they were late.

May

April is done and May has begun, April showers will bring May flowers...and hopefully a bit more warm and a bit less rain. The forecast looks good here at the Refuge for the next week, lots of sun and temperatures in the high 70's to low 80's, at least until Saturday when the rain reappears. This assumes, of course, that the weather-guessers have guessed right this week.

And since the weather is giving promises of summer, here is the Redhead of the Month for May:

Here's hoping she is dressed appropriately for the month.

This Lack of Posting Brought To You By Real Life

You may have been wondering (or not) what I've been up to lately since I've obviously not been blogging.

This past weekend I finished cleaning up the master bedroom and got it re-arranged. Ditto with the master bedroom closet, to include the hanging of new shelves (take note, if you want them done right you don't want me to do them). The new arrangement has opened the room up and I like it a lot better than it was before. M is now making curtains for it, she's been a great help.

To facilitate cleaning the master bedroom I've started an office where I've moved the computer I am currently banging the keyboard on as well as my bookshelves and all of my books. Damn, I have a lot of books. But I digress. The office was M's suggestion as well, it was something I was considering anyway but she had a lot of good ideas about how to get it done.

I've had to become completely ruthless as I've gone about my cleaning, at first I was putting everything into boxes thinking "the girls might want this" but as I've come along I've adopted the attitude that if they wanted it they've had five years to come and claim it. I'm tossing about everything but pictures now. There certainly is a lot of it, and I'm sure the trash man will hate me.

Next on the agenda is the train room (bonus room off the master bedroom) and then on to the living room, dining room and family room. It really needs to get done, I've got dust bunnies the size of house cats, but the rest of the house shouldn't be as bad as the master suite. The dining room will be extra interesting because on the dining room table is this great honking dollhouse that I've been trying to complete for Grand-daughter.

The dollhouse was a project that Laura and I started, I did the building/assembling and she was to do the decorating. It's a huge Victorian, complete with corner turret, three stories and thirteen rooms all together. Laura decided she wanted Grand-daughter to have it when she got sick, but the decorating never got done (although the assembling is mostly done). I think I'll have Grand-daughter up for the summer to do the decorating and then maybe we can get the project completed.

Maybe she will let M help her. It's been tough on her, accepting M's presence, since she was her grandmother's heart and soul, so maybe she won't...but maybe she will. She was absolutely crushed when Laura died and she was distant when M and I were there at the beginning of the month. I hope that she will accept M's help, and in doing so perhaps be able to do some healing of her own.

At times it's been tough, but I've got proper motivation to keep me going.

All Good Things

Monday morning. Everyone back to work and school.

2000 miles, two different cars and seven states, we still like each other and no one had to thumb a ride home.

It's been a good week.

Catching Up

The Florida part of our trip went very well, the liquid sunshine took a break and the girls loved M, as I knew they would. Or more to the point, the girls loved how happy I am since M came into my life, which amounts to the same thing. We got in some beach walking and touristing as well, so all in all it was a good trip.

But wait, there's more. The later part of the week is being spent in Pennsylvania, where M is from, at her parent's house. Her mother is deeply appreciative of how I treat M so already I've made a good impression on her, and her dad isn't quite the curmudgeon that M says he is (either that or he's on his best behavior).

For the next couple of days we will be wandering to and fro about the Pennsylvania/West VA countryside as M and her mom enjoy each others company. My job is to fetch and carry and generally show her parents that I will be good to their daughter. I can handle that.

On the way up we passed by Pilot Mountain, which is near Mount Airy NC. Youngest Son saw it and immediately announced that it looks like a nipple.*

He's right, you know. It does. And now that I've seen it, I cannot un-see it.

At any rate, this brings us to the final but by no means least important item on the agenda, the Redhead of the Month:

April's ROTM is brought to you by Europe. It has to be good for something after all.

And with the necessities out of the way, I'm back on vacation. See you next week!

*I'm shrouding myself in the illusion that Youngest Son recognizes the nipple from TV or the internet, and have instructed him to leave my illusions intact.

Due To Circumstances

beyond my control this month's ROTM will regretfully be delayed.

Sorry Guffaw, I'll try to make up for it later.

Off to the Pennsylvania mountains now.

Some Beach

Somewhere...in this case Mayport, FL.

Two More Days

Workdays, that is, and after they are done I'll be on vacation for the week.

The plans are to take M to Florida to meet the girls and walk the beaches for the weekend, then back to rest up for a day and repack, then off to Pennsylvania to meet her folks.

She's been buying new togs for the trip. She hasn't had the need for a "girly" wardrobe for a while so didn't have anything to take along. She has also been complaining all the while about the coin she's putting out, but it appears as if she has everything she needs now.

Sunday morning I was folding my laundry and putting everything in the bag I'm taking on the trip and she was telling me it was too early to pack (accentuating her point by taking my socks out of my bag and throwing them - like a girl - at me). After I went to work she went back to her apartment...and packed for the trip.

All told we will travel a bit over 2000 miles, half in my car and half in hers, the two of us and Boy. I figure if I don't end the week standing on the side of the road with my thumb in the air it will be a successful trip.

One Of These Days

I'll post some content. I promise.

Not today though. Work day today.

Lies

Damn Lies, and Statistics.

You are entitled to your own opinion, but sometimes the facts can be pretty annoying.

A Few Simple Repairs

The past weather has not been kind to my poor convertible top. Yesterday when I put it back up I found this:

Yep, that's the rear glass un-bonded from the canvas outer top almost all the way around. The bottom still has a strip that is barely holding on, but the top and sides are completely unattached. The glass is still attached to the inner liner so there aren't any leaks, but it's only a matter of time before I have problems with water between the layers.

The convertible top people I've contacted seem to think that four years is a bit soon for this car to be having this problem, but for a nominal fee ($1800-$2000) they will be glad to install a lifetime warranty top that should fix it right up.

Or I could opt for the $200-300 re-glue job instead, which isn't guaranteed at all but just might buy me a couple more years.

I'm thinking I might explore that option to begin with and see how that works out for me. If I save my nickels and dimes I might have a couple of grand to put down on a new top in another year or so, but right now I'm just not seeing it.

Oh the joys of convertible ownership. You take the good with the bad I guess.

I Am Outraged

at your sense of outrage.

It's outrageous.

HT: AoSHQ Morning Thread

Darkness Falls

across the face of the Discworld.

Thank you Sir Terry Pratchett, for this and for all the other things that you wrote. Rest in peace.

The EBS Project: Revisited

Remember when I said it was done?

Well...I may have been a bit hasty...

It would require a re-barrel since I have the 8 shot magazine and the 20" barrel, but it would be totally worth it. Of course I would have more into the gun in accessories at that point than I had in the actual purchase price, but if I start adding things up I may have already passed that point anyway.

Drum magazine fed evil black shotgun? I can hear Nanny Nancy screaming from here...

Couldn't Help Myself

I just had to tell her.



The nice thing is...she said it right back.

Ain't Skeert

Ain't runnin'.



I know you've had it rough up to now, and I know that talk is cheap, so I'll just be right here wrapped around you until you can believe it on your own.

On The Mend

Weak and dizzy like I've been on a 3 day bender but it looks like I'm getting better.

Just don't ask how many attempts it took to type these two sentences.

Ugg

I've been cleaning house quite a bit lately and stirring up a lot of dust.

Wednesday when the weather was nice I changed out the central air filters, stirring up even more dust.

Wednesday night I had a sore throat. It only got worse from there.

All weekend I've been unwell, something that is not normal for me.

I don't like it a bit.

Yep

As predicted the rain and cold are back today after a very brief hiatus. It was 60 and damp when I left work this morning, 55 and misting when I got home 45 minutes later, and at 1:30PM the temperature has dropped over 20 degrees and the rain is steady.

This afternoon the rain is expected to become freezing rain just in time for rush hour and whatever is on the ground by midnight will turn to ice as the temperature plunges to 19 overnight. It will stay that way through the morning hours since the temperatures tomorrow aren't expected to climb above the mid 30's.

In other words, winter is BACK, beyotches!

It was nice while it lasted.