Travel and things...

I hope all is going well for you.

Well, the short story is that my son, daughter, and I left for a 2 ½ week vacation in New Zealand and arrived back on Friday the 29th. The longer story is that the trip itself was done on very short notice and with minimal lead time to plan. The issue was the availability of some really great plane ticket prices that had a limited time frame and our own schedule allowances for time.

We had a great time! It was wonderful to visit my sister, brother-in-law (who we hadn’t seen in years because he’s stayed on the farm there the last couple of times the others have visited the US), and 12 year old nephew. I even got to celebrate my birthday there with a homemade cake (angel food – my favorite!) and a very nice meal out at a fancy Italian restaurant.

We fished, boated, farmed (well it was a lot of walking cattle, feeding out, etc. as the cows are now dried off for the season), did tourist things (visited museums, went to a hangi – traditional meal cooked in ground by the native Maori, went to Catholic church for mass – part was done in Samoan, went shopping, toured farms, etc.), and basically had a nice time.

I think now that I should have taken time for a vacation sooner. I think I was getting a bit burned out from work. It was hard to leave it (and I’ll admit I’m a bit concerned about getting caught up when I get back in the office). I’ve already been into the office to retrieve my e-mail and phone messages and print out procedural changes and messages. Hopefully, I’ll find time today to go over the items and prepare for tomorrow. I’m sure getting back into it will be interesting.

We were late getting to the cemeteries this year for Memorial Day. Finally made it yesterday. There were already many nice flowers on the graves which was good.

I’m still a bit jet lagged – for some reason I can be wide awake at midnight and stay awake until about 3 or so and then want to fall asleep. I expect work will force me back into my schedule.

Today I’ve already got laundry out on the clothes line outside. I’ve got some tomato plants, herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, mint, and a few others), peppers, catnip (for the cat of course!), and a few other things to plant today. I’ve got to drill larger holes in the containers this year so that the plants have better drainage and hopefully give everything a good start. That should make it feel more like we’re home. I’d like to find a few strawberry plants yet – if it’s still possible. The season here can be quite short for some things. Other than that, there’s still lots of little things that need to be caught up and given attention here.

Canoe Fest is coming up with a parade set for the second Sunday in June. Hopefully we’ll be able to see more family then.

Well, I’d better get a few more things done here.

Best wishes and take care!

Weather is cooler than normal here now. It’s been a dreary couple of days lately. I’m hoping that changes soon.

We visited Grandpa and Gloria yesterday. We had nice pizzas from Casey’s (a pineapple and ham, and a taco without onions or beans). Then we planted containers with impatiens and bridal veil plants (for the 4 hooks that are by the bedroom under the pine tree) and tomato plants (for the 4 hooks on the back porch). I worked to tie up the peony bushes and pull the weeds between the plants. It’s our Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts to them.

After that, we made a trip to Platteville to see the new Star Trek movie. That was interesting and quite well done. I hear they are already working on the sequel. We did a little shopping and then headed back home.

Work has been incredibly busy. It’s just been a really tough time.

I’ll be leaving on vacation for a while soon. I know it’s sudden but the price was right and I’ve got time off work that needs to be used. So, if I’m slow on e-mailing back please forgive me. I’ll try and check in when I can. Fortunately, I’ve got someone to stay in the house and take care of the pets (pets can get quite expensive to board) and things.

Well, I’d better go take care of more things that need to be done…

Best wishes and take care!

Hope all is going well there.

It’s been another long and hard week at work. I’ve just got lots of people who want help. It’s a lot of pressure for all of us in the office. There just isn’t enough time or energy to get things done. The net result is that we’re starting to make small mistakes that make it hard for us to keep up the pace. I’m thinking very seriously about a vacation just to get away. Things are just wearing on me a bit too much lately.

My younger sister and her daughters all came down on Saturday to visit Dad and step-mom. I was planning on going with them but I just felt so worn out. Mostly Saturday I spent resting and doing light work around the house.

Today I can’t say that I’ve accomplished much either. Mostly just things around the house. My dog has been sick (not sure if she ate something or if somehow she got some of the chemically treated grass in her system). Anyway, it’s been an interesting day.

The weather this weekend is supposed to be really nice (I’m hoping that it continues today as the forecasters predict). Last week’s rain, wind, and cool weather was kind of a pain.

My small plantings seem to be doing pretty well. I see some green! All right I’m excited about a dozen little plants that have been brave enough to start growing in a small container filled with dirt. I know – it sounds a bit crazy. I guess it’s just a sign of hope that things will grow and I’ll be able to garden a bit this year.

Best wishes and take care!