Just a little behind!

I've been getting chewed out for being so behind on posts, so here's what's been going on.

Let's see -

Jonah has been returned to the SPCA (which is no-kill). As wonderful as he was, our original reasons for giving him up still stood - he was far too big for the house.

Scott and I have both given up smoking cigarettes, although he's still smoking those little cigars, Black & Milds, and I seem to be unable to control myself when I'm in social settings where others are smoking, but do just fine any other time. I'll be working on that one!

Part of the reason for not posting was that the lake had receded to the point where it was a mudhole - which was very depressing! We got some really good hard rain the other day though and it brought the waterline back to the level it was before the really hot summer weather started, although we didn't see that until this morning. (This is not to be mistaken for the actual "lake level". This is only the waterline as it relates to the shoreline at our house.) Rusty's outside running around now, happy to see the beach looking like it used to :)

I'll definitely do a better job of keeping this blog up, I promise!

Certified Texan

You'll often see bumper stickers around here that say "I may not have been born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!" I need one :)

But today, I became a certified Texan, when I signed the papers on a 2007 Ford F150 pickup truck! I never thought of myself as a truck kind of gal...but the more I drive it - the more I love it!

Another season

Judging by the rain we got today, and the low (for us) temps that we're going to have over the next week, autumn is definitely upon us, and Scott is already planning his winter projects.

The pelicans are still with us and it has been so cool having them around the past few weeks. They're amazing to watch - working in complete, graceful unison. I'll be truly sad to see them move on.

I don't think the dogs will be happy about winter. Jonah was reluctant last year to go outside to do his thing - and the two times that Rusty has been subjected to rain, he couldn't wait to get back in the house. Thank God we have laminate flooring - carpeting would be trashed with those two around!

But I can't wait for the rain to start in earnest! The lake is almost 11 feet low. It's going to take a lot of steady rain to get us back to normal. We're anxious to experience actually living on the lake as it was when we put the offer in on the house over a year ago, rather than having 150 feet of beach that was nowhere to be seen last year.

Something mildly interesting happened today - Scott found a rabies tag on our beach dated 1962. Considering the lake was impounded in 1960, and this neighborhood was built in 1964, I have to wonder how it go there. Guess I'll never know, but it's a nice little collector's item. It's in beautiful condition - barely scratched. Wonder if there are rabies tag collectors on ebay ;)


______________________

High Temperature: 73°F (at 4pm)

Low Temperature: 62°F (at 8am )

Avg Temperature: 68°F

Total Precipitation: 1.08in

Too many pictures!

To post on the blog, so please visit our photo album here. If it asks for a password, use Helen.

We don't do "wait" too well around here, so we got the swing today. Scott stained it and after the welder finished the frame, they hung it. It looks great.

We also had another visit from the pelicans. They're the reason for going out to the photo album, because some of the pictures were grainy and resizing them made them worse.

Hope you enjoy!

Is Summer gone?

The past week has been gorgeous! While we haven't gotten a lot of rain, we did get some, and the temps are staying in the low 90s.

Scott has been working extremely hard to get the dock finished before the rains do come, and he's almost there. After having new poles put in, he has primered and painted every inch of them, and stained all the wood surfaces. He still wants to put up a swing on the middle dock, but that may happen next year.

A couple of months ago, we paid someone to till our beach area, and they did a great job, but things were still growing, so we needed to do it again. I have this real thing about things touching me in the water, so it was imperative that all weeds be removed from the swimming area. As you can see from the pictures below, that area has been completely cleaned...nothing should grow there now!

Last night, just after dusk, the flock of pelicans which visited us for two weeks in the spring, returned. We watched for about a half hour, while they fed on the shad in the shallow part of the water. It was absolutely incredible to see. I wish I could have gotten pictures, but there just wasn't enough light. We're hoping they stay for two weeks this time, and hopefully, I'll be able to get some pictures. The flock is easily over 200 birds!

Here are the pics :)

The cleaned beach






Newly painted poles and stained dock




New platform leading to the steps, just installed today.


A couple of flowers which just popped up this morning!



My granddaughter, Alyssa, who spent last Friday night with us :)


A couple of happy dogs!

Jonah's home!

When we rehomed Jonah back in January or February, I made it clear that if it didn't work out for any reason, they should let us know and we'd take him back. Then the girl who took him left the firm, and of course, our department changed firms, and I figured that I better call her and let her know. So, two weeks ago, I tried to call and the number was "not accepting calls at the request of the subscriber". Having no other way to contact her, I let it go and hoped all was well.

Yesterday, I was away from my desk and received a voice mail when I got back saying that these people had Jonah, the girl I gave him to had moved to Arizona and left him, and they couldn't keep him - did I want him back? I said yes and made arrangements to pick him up after work.

When I got there, Jonah was in their wading pool...lol...apparently, he still loves the water, was my first thought, while I was also looking him over to see how he had changed (not much, just larger) and how his demeanor was. He didn't seem to recognize me, and he seemed beaten down and cowered before the guy I was picking him up from. "Uh oh," I thought, "this doesn't look good". I got us both out of there as fast as I could.

All the way home, Jonah just laid in the back seat of the car. He still didn't seem to recognize me, but I'm sure he was thinking "Oh God, where are they taking me now??" Then, we pulled through the gate of the community and he perked up - sat up and was looking out the window with his nose in the air, sniffing.

As I pulled up to the house, he looked out the window on the side with the lake and he got very excited! I opened the door and he got out of the car and he just stood there, looking at the lake, with his tail wagging fast and furious. We went into the house, where Rusty was still crated, since Scott wasn't home, and I heard Rusty bark. The crate is in the bathroom, in the same place it was when we had Jonah the first time, and Jonah headed straight in there. Rusty let out a low warning growl, so I decided that I better leave him in the crate for a few minutes, which I did. When he quit growling, I let him out and then playtime began! Of course, there was the obligatory sniffing (both males) and some "who's going to be top dog" behaviors, but they've been having a blast together since.

When Scott got home, we all went down to the lake - and both dogs immediately headed for the water. After swimming for awhile and running on the beach, they just played together till they wore themselves out.

Jonah is 17 months old now, and he's much calmer than he was. His manners are better than they used to be. He seems genuinely glad to be home, and we're both delighted that he's here. We both initially had reservations and said we'd try it out for the weekend, and if it wasn't working with Rusty, then we'd go ahead and take Jonah back to the SPCA (because he still is really way too big for this house - he's over 100 lbs now, I'm sure!). But it looks like we now have 1 cat (who is not very pleased with us right now), 2 dogs, and 3 birds!

Jonah trying to contain an exhuberant Rusty


Pals :)

Welcome home big boy!

It's been awhile...

And for that, I'm sorry.

July ended up being a very busy month for us, and hasn't let up yet in August.

We had Scott's daughter from July 7th until July 31st. She's such a great kid that it was absolutely wonderful having her here, and the smoothness with which she normally fits in on the weekend, continued through the month. I think she had a great time - at least she said she did.

There were several barbeques through July which, while fun, do get a little draining, if only for the reason that we need a kitchen down on the deck. That's in our plans to do, eventually.

Since the move to the new law firm, we're busier than ever - and we were already busy before. I go home every night just totally drained, and yet I'm falling further and further behind at work. We're supposed to get a couple of more support staff, and that will ease the load a bit. I sure hope so, anyway!

August has just runaway with us. We've both been working hard and are stressed. In addition, we had to have someone come in and do some repair work on the dock, and then Scott put a lot of work into it. As of this writing, he hasn't finished yet because he got interrupted by a huge water leak this morning. He spent literally all day digging out my gardens, four feet down, and then discovered that the leak was on the back side of the house. Water was pouring out the front though, so it was a legitimate belief when he started digging from the front. Turns out we have a copper pipe that got corroded and split. He's repaired the leak to a managable level, but the pipe has to be replaced, which we can't do until Tuesday.

I've been pretty stressed all day, wondering if and when we'd have to call in a plumber - isn't it double time on Sundays? *gulp*

I know I've promised to put pictures up, and I have some, but still need to take more and then crop them all down...and I just don't have the energy.

Things will get back on track soon, and then I can start keeping this blog more current! :)

Whew!

What a week it's been after our move to the new firm!

I've spent all week trying to get my bosses organized in the new office, get training on the software the firm uses, go over HR issues, and the while trying to get out my regular amount of work - more really, because we used to use the word processing department pretty extensively and we're just learning how to use the new firm's WP department, which is in Atlanta.

I must have been doing okay on my vacation and sick leave accruals, because my check from the old firm was quite a bit more than I expected. The flex card is still the biggest wild card, but I haven't heard anything on it. The card folks may deal with me directly on that.

We got the golf cart, which my knees truly appreciate. It's been so hot that I've only been through the neighborhood a couple of times, but that's still a couple of times more than I would have been able to do without it. Scott's been teaching Shannon to drive on it....rules of the road kind of thing, and how to make turns, etc., just like if she was in a car.

We got the beach plowed this week too. It looks great and I'll have to get some pictures of it after it cools off and post them. My garden is looking really bad because it's just too freaking hot to weed, and some nights, I can't even stand the thought of going out and watering. It's been over 100 this week, and is still 98 right now, at 7:30 at night.

Anyhow...that's it for now!

A really strange day!

I got to work this morning about 8, and worked for a couple of hours when my main boss walked up to me and said "Don't freak out and you have to trust me". I said "why? what's going on?" She then said, "we're leaving". Of course, I immediately freaked out.

Turns out that the head of our department has been negotiating with a law firm in Atlanta to open a branch in Dallas...with our department being its first employees.

Before the lawyers could give us secretaries any information at all, including the offer letter they had for us, we had to turn in our notice at the existing firm. Let me tell you, that took a gigantic leap of faith for me...but I only hesitated for a split second, because I love the women I work for and I'm very happy with my job, and if I stayed at the existing firm, there wouldn't be a job for me in the long run...we've seen this happen before and the secretaries who stayed ultimately ended up jobless.

So, I turned in my notice and received my offer letter. It gives me a 3% raise on what I'm making right now...and I just got a 4% raise on July 1, so effectively, I just received a 7% raise! The insurance benefits are about the same, and so is the 401k.

The only downside to this transition is that we accrued vacation and sick leave, but they let us take it ahead of the accrual. I've always tried to make sure that I didn't get ahead of myself, but hadn't checked lately. I meant to do it before I left the office today, but a lot of people were waiting for me, so I had to walk away from my computer before I could check. If I'm ahead of the accrual, they can take that out of my last check.

Also, we have a flex medical card that so much of my check goes into each pay period - but again, you can spend ahead of the accrual, and I know I'm ahead of that....and I think they'll take that out of my last check too.

Effectively, I could not receive a paycheck on the 15th, which would hurt us a lot, but thank God, it's not the 1st of the month when the house payment is due, and Scott's vacation check comes in this week...but of course, it's already promised out (we're supposed to be buying a golf cart so I can get up and down this hill without killing my knees). If push came to shove, we could probably cancel the cart. I'm just hoping I'm not TOO far ahead of my flex accrual.

The new offices are really nice...bright, airy and roomy, which, after being in a cubicle for 2 years, are going to be very good for me.

The best part of this whole thing is that because this is a new firm in Dallas, and they're looking to expand, we're getting in on the ground floor, which means there may be some room to advance in the future. Everyone from the Atlanta office (they were there setting us up) has been with the firm for 10, 15, 18 years, and they love to promote from within.

So...a really strange day...but a great one!

BBQ/4th of July

I've finally recovered enough from the BBQ to update the blog.

We ended up having about 100 people for the BBQ. It went pretty well, with only a few minor glitches - one of which convinced us that turkey legs are forever off the BBQ menu. It's just way too much work for that many people.

We had fireworks every night from June 29th through July 4th and I played with the fireworks and video settings on my camera. You can see the results here. The password is helen, should it ask for one. I don't much care for what photobucket did for the videos though.

The party started Friday night, and in a few cases, continued through Tuesday night. By the time everyone left, we were completely and totally worn out, and spent Wednesday and Thursday nights holed up in our bedroom and sleeping by 10pm.

I've attached a few pictures of me and Kathryn (my granddaughter), and Alex (my grandson) and Morgan (Scott's granddaughter), and a picture of our "grandkid" Jasper. Jasper was an absolute hit at the BBQ - of course, several people just had to ask if he was on the menu :P

In case anyone was wondering how the puppy was doing, I've included a few of him that Scott and I took just tonight.

I decided I can't attach any of the BBQ, because every one of the pictures taken was so bad, that our family and friends would be pissed if we posted them ;)

Enjoy!

Mimi and Kathryn


Kathryn meets Katie


Two of the cutest kids on the planet - Morgan and Alex


Me and the "grandkid"


Rusty loves water!!











Isn't he a good looking boy? :)

Photo Day

My daughter, Kristi, is in town with my grandchildren Alex (4) and Kathryn (8 months). Alex adores Scott, so they spent time together as you'll see below. For some reason, there's no pictures of Kathryn - an oversight which needs to be rapidly rectified :)

Kristi and me


Me and Alex


Alex and Kristi


What would photo day be without a lake picture...


...or two?


Scott and Alex, preparing to embark on an adventure


Rusty wants to go!!


OK, I'll investigate this dead fish instead!



Alex learns to steer a trolling motor


Male bonding

The weather has been great the past few days and is supposed to be perfect for the BBQ Saturday. Ya'll better be there!!

Updating

It's been a rough couple of weeks.

My daughter Jenn has been having some major medical issues and was hospitalized for a week and one of the issues resulted in her gallbladder being removed. That caused me a lot of anxiety and stress. She's doing better though, so I'm somewhat relieved.

Then, just as her issues ended, Scott's dad had a heart attack in the early morning hours of Father's Day...fortunately, they were able to insert a stint, and now he's doing better.

I'm hoping that's the end of the medical issues for awhile!

Kristi and her family are coming down next week...it'll be great seeing my grandbabies :)

We're gearing up for our 4th of July BBQ - we're having it here at the house, instead of Lake Whitney. It'll be interesting to see how it goes. We're going to try and fashion it around what we were doing at Whitney, but I'm sure it'll be considerably different, since we don't have the camping spaces. We're splitting the whole thing with our neighbor, who is inviting his friends and family, and we're having a band, so we may end up with more people than ever!

The puppy ("Rusty") is growing fast and just a little sweety...he fits the house much better than Jonah did. We're really enjoying him :)

So, that's it for now!

How does my garden grow?

Ah...the fruits of my labor!

The hibiscus that we received as a housewarming gift


Don't know what this is called, but it's prettier in person :)


One of the oriental lilies


More oriental lilies


Same one


And yet another oriental lily - I really like this one!


And another...


And finally, my stargazer lilies opened this morning!!


And a picture of me and Scott, taking a little ride in our Jon Boat :)

Yesterday (6/10) in Quinlan

High Temperature: 98° F

Low Temperature: 72° F

Precipitation: 0.00 in

We're still praying for rain!!

No more vacation :(

I've been on vacation for the past 10 days (including weekends) and this is the end of it. Finito. *sigh*

I'm not quite ready to go back to work. As much as I love my bosses (and I do) and as much as I love my job (and I do), there are still so many hours that I need to play with the puppy, and watch waterskiers on the lake, and open my front door and see the blue water (why does it look blue from my porch, but brown when I'm on the beach?) and green trees and grasses, and stepping outside to look at my plants from morning to afternoon to evening, watching the flowers change throughout the day.
*sigh*

I'm 50...and I want to retire now. I remember when my mom said she had 15 years to retire...it seemed to fly by for me, but I'm sure it didn't for her. I hope mine goes fast. I think it will. My job is busy enough that the days fly by.

On another note, I had more comments about my Dixie Chicks post than ever before. Perhaps this blog needs to become more controversial...lol. As I mentioned in my replies to those comments, I hope nobody takes that little rant so seriously as to not return. This blog is not the place for that. This blog is meant for the joy and sweetness that is my life at Lake Tawakoni. ;)

Dixie Chicks

I received an email this morning, notifying me that the Dixie Chicks are coming to Dallas. I personally, do not plan to attend.

I still think that the comments that Natalie Maines made in England in 2003 were inappropriate. I think that the lyrics to their new songs on their recently released CD are a literal "up yours" to that portion of the population who support our President and our country's position in the Iraq.

I was a fan before that moment in 2003. Now, I'm still angry at them. I will not buy their CD. I will not buy any of their CDs. I will not attend their concert.

If you love your country, and support your President, I hope you'll do the same.

Photo update

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend! We were finally blessed with a little rain - no enough to do much, but at least it cooled things off!

I have a couple of photos that have been taken this month, and a surprise at the end :)

This is the first of my oriental lilies to raise its head


I've grown very fond of the herons that frequent the lake.


Here's another of the same one


And this is the newest member of the family. No name yet.
He's less than 2 months old, still has puppy breath, and is adorable.

Actual Nature!

Scott and I walked the beach this morning, looking for arrowheads. We found a few.

We also saw lots of snakes in the water. Little ones, about 3 feet long, but they were enough to convince me that it will take an act of extreme desparation to get me in that water!

I also saw a lot of butterflies. As soon as I can find some pictures online, I'll post them, with proper credits of course ;)

It's gotten pretty hot out there right now, so I'm thinking a nap just might be in order...Scott's already crashed out on the couch!

I know, I know...

It's been awhile and I'm getting complaints because I'm not updating often enough.

But truly, how many sunsets can I post for you all? How many perfect days can I describe to you? I'm sure you're bored with them by now.

Last weekend, we stayed in town to attend the Taste of Addison, which is an event where many upscale restaurants come and sell their food, concerts to attend, and of course, vendors. We had a blast, but it was so hot that we had to leave before the concerts started - the GoGos and the Gin Blossoms were playing. But I was starting to feel ill from the heat and we were just exhausted from being out in the sun, so we shut it down early and went back to the hotel. We slept for an hour and then went out to sing karaoke.

This weekend, Scott and our next door neighbor, Rob, and some of the other guys in the neighborhood are off to Broken Bow, OK, to ride 4-wheelers. I heard from him this afternoon and he's having a wonderful time...I suspect there's a new 4-wheeler in our near future!

While the boys were away, Rob's wife, Kristina, their daughter Bethany, and I went to see Da Vinci Code. Everything I had heard about it was true - a bit long and true to the book - but I'm glad I went. I do truly hate to see Tom Hanks aging, and this wasn't his best acting job, but I still enjoyed his performance.

My garden is getting ready to bloom all over the place. When it does, there'll be pictures.

So, that's it for now!

I just can't help it!

Here are the sunset pics I promised yesterday. They're probably out of order, but I don't care if you don't! :)

It truly was a breathtaking sunset.