The Weekend Report
We have finally gotten some rain. Not tons, but a decent shower for an hour or so each of the last two days. It is enuf to keep the grass alive. At the lagoon house, I have a well, so keeping the grass and bamboo alive during this drought doesn't cost a lot, but the Hardwood Dr. house has only city water. And, as I have found out, city water is real expensive.
I have tried to not water any more than necessary to keep the grass from dying, but still have had water bills between 200 and 100 every month. Here, we get water on a separate bill from electricity or any other utilities. The trouble with letting the centapede grass die is that bad, fast growing weeds quickly invade. I'll have to say , that even with spending as much as I have on water, the grass is about half dead. It is very spotty.
My kind neighbor on Hardwood Dr cuts my grass and even edges the place for me. He is a sweetie who lives up near B'ham and comes down about twice a month. His name is Charles, and he also fixed my pedal boat for me last week. He took the rudder assembly home with him to B'ham, brought it back fixed and re-attached it. I need to do something really nice for him.
A friend came over last Thursday afternoon after work and we took the pedal boat out for a spin. After a few ridiculous mishaps we actually had a nice little jaunt in it. (Thanks Allan for spelling correction)
I got an email from a new restaurant in Orange Beach asking what it took to get me to write about them on one of my websites. I wrote back that I'd try to come this weekend. I asked Allan Lameier if he wanted to go check it out. We went and found it to be so-so in the food dept. and over priced somewhat. They might have figured out who we were since they sent the chef out to say hi and later the restaurant owner. Our bill was over 80 bucks for a no-big-deal meal. They told me in email to tell them when I got there, but I never do. I want to see how it goes with no special treatment.
Well, that hurricane Earnesto has been on our minds here. A friend, Skip Caldwell, who keeps his sailboat in P'cola has been emailing about it and sent me some good links to watch the track.
I have tried to not water any more than necessary to keep the grass from dying, but still have had water bills between 200 and 100 every month. Here, we get water on a separate bill from electricity or any other utilities. The trouble with letting the centapede grass die is that bad, fast growing weeds quickly invade. I'll have to say , that even with spending as much as I have on water, the grass is about half dead. It is very spotty.
My kind neighbor on Hardwood Dr cuts my grass and even edges the place for me. He is a sweetie who lives up near B'ham and comes down about twice a month. His name is Charles, and he also fixed my pedal boat for me last week. He took the rudder assembly home with him to B'ham, brought it back fixed and re-attached it. I need to do something really nice for him.
A friend came over last Thursday afternoon after work and we took the pedal boat out for a spin. After a few ridiculous mishaps we actually had a nice little jaunt in it. (Thanks Allan for spelling correction)
I got an email from a new restaurant in Orange Beach asking what it took to get me to write about them on one of my websites. I wrote back that I'd try to come this weekend. I asked Allan Lameier if he wanted to go check it out. We went and found it to be so-so in the food dept. and over priced somewhat. They might have figured out who we were since they sent the chef out to say hi and later the restaurant owner. Our bill was over 80 bucks for a no-big-deal meal. They told me in email to tell them when I got there, but I never do. I want to see how it goes with no special treatment.
Well, that hurricane Earnesto has been on our minds here. A friend, Skip Caldwell, who keeps his sailboat in P'cola has been emailing about it and sent me some good links to watch the track.
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200605_model.html
Skip is coming down on Friday and is planning to take me sailing. Hope the weather cooperates.
Meanwhile, I am going to bring the nice wood panels that Harry made to protect the southern windows (since Ivan ripped off the shutters) over from the Hardwood house garage to this house. I want to have them nearby for the next month or so. Skip says that as long as the panels are over at the other house, there is a good chance the hurricane will come here, but when I get them here, it will reduce the chances !
Tomorrow, Glenn Pederson, who lives in P'cola but works in Foley and has a house there too that he is remodeling, is coming over w/ his truck to bring the panels over. I love having friends who are so helpful ! My good friend, Mark had volunteered to help me today but we'd have had to bring them over one at a time on the top of my car or piled on my little bitty fishing boat on the boat trailer. Using Glenn's pickup tomorrow will be tons easier.
Heather is out of school for this quarter (semester?) so she is helping me every afternoon M-F. She is so good and the perfect person for the web stuff I do. I have an office set up in the 3rd bedroom at the Hardwood house now. I gave up the West Beach location, too risky (hurricanes) now that I have the Hardwood house. Plus, Heather lives just off Ft. Morgan so this is closer for both of us.
I am enjoying getting Netflix movies in the mail every Fri or Sat. I had put names of movies that I read about in a file folder for years. Most were not available at the one video shop down here, but Netflix has over 60,000 titles. I just sat down and made my list on Netflix and they just go down the list sending the next one every time I return the one I have. I can keep them as long as I want, so no late fees (which I had all the time down here). Each movie comes in its own return mail postage paid envelope, so I just stick it in the mail box on my way out the driveway. This weekend, after dinner, Allan and I watched a British Netflix movie. If any readers decide to join, pls. use the link on this blog (red rectangle) and I get some kind of bonus.
I have worked on two new scrapbook sets for ScrapbookScrapbook.com this weekend and have them ready to upload. One is Italy travel and the other is Mothers Day. I bought the Mothers Day colored pencil drawings from a gal who contacted my by email. At the moment, I have another person, a professional graphics designer working on a Motorcycle Set of graphics. he contacted me by email too. I think he may live in some other country, not sure where. I looked at his way-cool website but didn't notice where he is based.
And speaking of other countries, I have gotten more phone calls from England. This woman who has stolen my Christmas graphics , put them on a CD and is selling them on a home shopping network is turning into a bigger deal. She wants to license graphics from me legally but others in the UK say she is not to be trusted entirely. Meanwhile, people are sending me a copy of the CD w/ illegal use of my graphics on it and I need to let her know what I want in damages. I want to see how many of my images she has used. She says that she hired designers, that she only does the biz end of it, and wanted me to believe that out of maybe 2000 images, only a couple were mine, but I want to see for myself before I make any deals over the phone .
Looks like I may go to Memphis at the end of Sept. My old friend, Carol Palazola's daughter, Caroline, is getting married and the party is at the University Club so I know it will be great. I will stay w/ Momma and Daddy and arrange for a rental U-Haul trailer to bring down another load of my stuff.
That's about it for my news. Pray that the hurricane has a meltdown out over the water. I don't want it here but I don't want to see it go to FL either.
Skip is coming down on Friday and is planning to take me sailing. Hope the weather cooperates.
Meanwhile, I am going to bring the nice wood panels that Harry made to protect the southern windows (since Ivan ripped off the shutters) over from the Hardwood house garage to this house. I want to have them nearby for the next month or so. Skip says that as long as the panels are over at the other house, there is a good chance the hurricane will come here, but when I get them here, it will reduce the chances !
Tomorrow, Glenn Pederson, who lives in P'cola but works in Foley and has a house there too that he is remodeling, is coming over w/ his truck to bring the panels over. I love having friends who are so helpful ! My good friend, Mark had volunteered to help me today but we'd have had to bring them over one at a time on the top of my car or piled on my little bitty fishing boat on the boat trailer. Using Glenn's pickup tomorrow will be tons easier.
Heather is out of school for this quarter (semester?) so she is helping me every afternoon M-F. She is so good and the perfect person for the web stuff I do. I have an office set up in the 3rd bedroom at the Hardwood house now. I gave up the West Beach location, too risky (hurricanes) now that I have the Hardwood house. Plus, Heather lives just off Ft. Morgan so this is closer for both of us.
I am enjoying getting Netflix movies in the mail every Fri or Sat. I had put names of movies that I read about in a file folder for years. Most were not available at the one video shop down here, but Netflix has over 60,000 titles. I just sat down and made my list on Netflix and they just go down the list sending the next one every time I return the one I have. I can keep them as long as I want, so no late fees (which I had all the time down here). Each movie comes in its own return mail postage paid envelope, so I just stick it in the mail box on my way out the driveway. This weekend, after dinner, Allan and I watched a British Netflix movie. If any readers decide to join, pls. use the link on this blog (red rectangle) and I get some kind of bonus.
I have worked on two new scrapbook sets for ScrapbookScrapbook.com this weekend and have them ready to upload. One is Italy travel and the other is Mothers Day. I bought the Mothers Day colored pencil drawings from a gal who contacted my by email. At the moment, I have another person, a professional graphics designer working on a Motorcycle Set of graphics. he contacted me by email too. I think he may live in some other country, not sure where. I looked at his way-cool website but didn't notice where he is based.
And speaking of other countries, I have gotten more phone calls from England. This woman who has stolen my Christmas graphics , put them on a CD and is selling them on a home shopping network is turning into a bigger deal. She wants to license graphics from me legally but others in the UK say she is not to be trusted entirely. Meanwhile, people are sending me a copy of the CD w/ illegal use of my graphics on it and I need to let her know what I want in damages. I want to see how many of my images she has used. She says that she hired designers, that she only does the biz end of it, and wanted me to believe that out of maybe 2000 images, only a couple were mine, but I want to see for myself before I make any deals over the phone .
Looks like I may go to Memphis at the end of Sept. My old friend, Carol Palazola's daughter, Caroline, is getting married and the party is at the University Club so I know it will be great. I will stay w/ Momma and Daddy and arrange for a rental U-Haul trailer to bring down another load of my stuff.
That's about it for my news. Pray that the hurricane has a meltdown out over the water. I don't want it here but I don't want to see it go to FL either.
Comments
I believe there is sort of a drought all over the nation this year, at least in the South East.
And, there are a whole bunch of problems we DON'T have down here in paradise !
And yes,us simple folk do continue to love it here.