FrazzledApril's Blog

I hope you all are doing well and enjoying your summer :)

After my father in law passed, my husband and I spent about 2 weeks out in Los Angeles taking care of some things.  We were only home for about 2 weeks and we turned around and went to Florida to see my family too... now we've been home for about a week and are not planning to go anywhere else probably until the holidays.

The weather has been great here -- nice and warm in the upper 70s and lower 80s.  The yard looks great as we've been getting plenty of rain too.  Finally the veggies are starting to grow.  We have exactly ONE cayenne pepper, TWO tomatoes, and I can now see the brussels starting to grow!

Today... my father in law passed away.  At 9:35 a.m. Pacific time.  He was 83 years old... he took his last breath with my husband beside him as well as the hospice nurse and his care giver who has been with him for the last year and a half.  He was not suffering long, thankfully... and he did not seem to be in any pain, he was sleeping when he passed.

My main concern now, is for my husband.

I wish I could say that all that was on our minds -- on his mind -- was mourning the loss of a loved o ne.  Sadly, there will be much more to it than that.  My brother in law is... well, no other way to put it -- he's a complete pain in the ass.  He is 40 years old and has never moved out of the house and has been fully dependent upon his parents all of his life.  He has been harassing my husband since their mother passed 2 years ago -- about keeping the home and allowing him to live in it for the rest of his life.

For many reasons, this is not going to happen.  Although my FIL's will states tha tthe home is to be sold, we know now to expect a legal contest to the will... and everything will be going through probate with the additional burden of my BIL making it even more difficult.

It is a very long, drama ridden story that I will not bore anyone with -- suffice it to say -- the worst is still yet to come.  But for today -- I'm hoping and praying for my husband -- that he is able to take some time alone to grieve for his loss.  I wish I were there with him, but won't be able to go for a few more days.

I have parts 1&2 in my blog -- with pictures of how these all started out.   When I started -- I had 6 pounds of rocks... after the first step (coarse grinding) only about half of them were prepared for the next step -- and they had REALLY lost a lot of mass... and so I added another pound and put the new ones in with the ones that needed further grinding and they started out the first step together again.  The other half moved on to stage 2 which is fine grinding.

After that... half went into fine grinding and half went into stage 3 -- pre-polish (which is really just the final step of grinding).

At this point... I am down to about 3 pounds of rocks!  about 60% of the mass has been ground away!!

So... I took them out to clean them today and to determine how "ready" they all were for their next steps.  Here they are -- the top half finished pre-polish and the bottom half finished fine grinding:

They are not shiney yet unless they are wet -- which is ok, that's just how they're supposed to look at this point.

Here are the first half again -- some have gotten SO tiny I don't even know what I'll do with them!!

And the bottom half -- these completed the fine grinding stage today and are ready for pre-polish:

Since there are so few left -- I decided to put them all together and run them all through the pre-polish stage.  Even though the first half have already been pre-polished, it will not harm them.  At the pre-polish stage it doesn't remove any further mass -- it just smooths them... so, I think it'll be ok.

They have to run through this stage for a week and then they can all go through the final polishing stage -- and they should be nice and shiny then!!  I can't wait!

If they are not quite sparkly enough by that point, I can burnish them -- which just means a mild soap/water solution in the tumbler -- it helps to shine them up a little more.

Well -- I've been a bit distracted and have not posted a blog about my yard for awhile.   I have been doing a little work out there though :)  We've had quite a lot of rain, so I have not finished as much as I'd like to have -- but I can't really complain too much about rain, now can I?

My bigger 3 gallon pots arrived and so I transplanted the brussels... I'm thinking that 4-5 gallon pots probably would have been even better... but still, 3 gallon is larger than what they were in before and so I hope they are somewhat happier.

My ProtoGrow also came in and the first application was yesterday -- oh man it smells AWFUL -- but apparently it works miracles... so I'm keeping my fingers crossed :)

Here are a few pictures... I laid down a few more bales of pine straw but still have 5-6 more to lay.  I think it looks a lot better and will also serve to help the plants a long too.

Here is one of my rhododendrons that is finally starting to bloom -- this is the only one so far but I'm really excited:

My hosta are getting quite HUGE!

And here is a small patch that I had to enclose... those are little impatiens and I really don't care much for the fence, but my dog Avery kept tearing through them and killing them -- and I love how impatiens look once they start to fill in and bloom like crazy -- so, I hope this will help:

That's it for now -- more later :)

I think about my Dad a lot -- but Memorial Day is very meaningful to me.  I've always been extremely patriotic... and I have a great deal of respect for ALL Veterans.  My father is a vet, just as his dad was and his dad before him... 

In fact, we've got too many veterans inside of our family to count.  My Grandmother got me involved in genealogy when I was very young and I have always enjoyed it.  Much of my family (on both sides) goes back to the late 1700's in the US.  So, there were Revolutionary Soildiers, Civil War Soldiers... and on up.

Well, I finally installed iTunes back on my computer and it was shuffling through the songs and "I Loved Her First" came on.  It was the song that my dad picked out for us to dance to at my wedding.

Look at the two of you dancing that way
Lost in the moment and each others face
So much in love your alone in this place
Like there's nobody else in the world
I was enough for her not long ago
I was her number one
She told me so
And she still means the world to me
Just so you know
So be careful when you hold my girl
Time changes everything
Life must go on
And I'm not gonna stand in your way

But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But it still hard to give her away
I loved her first

How could that beautiful women with you
Be the same freckle face kid that I knew
The one that I read all those fairy tales to
And tucked into bed all those nights
And I knew the first time I saw you with her
It was only a matter of time

But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But its still hard to give her away
I loved her first

From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
Someday you might know what I'm going through
When a miracle smiles up at you
I loved her first

There is a picture of us during that dance, in my profile... if you'd like to see.

So many of my friends have lost their parents... their fathers... I'm so, so deeply blessed that that day has not come for me and I look forward to many more years with my dad.

Well -- it is a BEAUTIFUL day!!  I'm about to go "outside to play"  :)  But first, I wanted to share my weekly Notes from the Universe :)

~~~~~

10,000 "I love you's" each morning.
10,000 "I miss you's" at noon.
10,000 "You rock's" every evening. And...
10,000 "Sweet dreams, see you soon."
Just a smattering, April, of what we see hitting your "inbox" here on any given day.
Can you feel 'em?
    The Universe

~~~~~

You know that dreamy look of deep, soulful love you've sometimes seen in the eyes of another as they gazed into your own, April?
Expect a lot more of it.
Whoooooooohoooooooooooooooo!!
    The Universe

~~~~~

To clarify, April, the primary roles of LOVE are not to heal, fix, or mend. Not to soothe, cure, or ease. Not even to refresh, rejuvenate, or restore. Hardly.
The primary roles of LOVE, April, are to "Yahoo!" "Yeehaa!" and "Whoohooo!"
Get your love on,
    The Universe

~~~~~

Maybe it's just me, April, but I kind of thought that to be alive in a world where every single moment of every single day birds fly, dolphins twirl, flowers bloom, snow falls, waves wave, rainbows rise, and antelopes... do whatever antelopes do, would forever silence doubters, inspire dreamers, and fill one's soul with absolute rapture.
Or am I being "punked"?
    The Universe

~~~~~

Don't you just love, April, how rich folks usually view themselves as the cause of their financial experience?
Delightfully refreshing.
Unh-hun,
    The Universe

More "Notes From the Universe" ~ April

Just a little "FYI," "Heads Up," and "Check this out, Homey!"...
It's no one's responsibility to tell you what your "issues" are, April, and, contrary to popular thinking, most will not.
Which pretty much means there's only one person you can trust in such matters, and it ain't me.
Walk like an Egyptian,
    The Universe

There's at least one in every crowd, April...
Someone who's there, first and foremost, to love you.
Besides me,
    The Universe

Adventurers All Points Bulletin (APB)
Today is a one-time deal, April.
Cowabunga,
    The Universe

No one really cares about your "stuff," April, if you don't care about your "stuff."
They're far more interested in their own "stuff."
Tallyho,
    The Universe

Indeed, anything is possible. Anything and everything, April! Yet it takes wisdom to understand that the potential for all things happening is not equally distributed.
Life has a rhythm; there's already momentum. The world has needs and expectations as do you, creating some likelihoods that are vastly more predictable and smaller in number (though still infinite) than others. And for those who see this and work within these "likelihoods," dancing to their own beat within life's greater rhythm, heaven shall appear at their feet and abundance shall come as easily as breathing.
Alakazam,
    The Universe

So... there I was -- thinking it was another ordinary Wednesday.  My house isn't NEAR as tidy as it could be -- but we never have company and we've been so busy in the yard... so, I'm putting my compost activator into the pile and the Terminix guy shows up.

Says he has been trying to get in touch with us and that we're really HARD to get in touch with... well, truth to the matter is we pulled the plug on our home phone 6 months ago, but have yet to turn the service off.  My cell phone had apparently died also... but I didn't even notice.

Well... he starts spraying and I head inside and start doing some dishes -- dirty yard jeans, sweatshirt, ponytail, really dumpy looking... lol -- and my husband walks in, "Honey -- you have a visitor!"

I'm wondering if he doesn't know that I already saw the Terminix guy -- and so I turn around -- and in my livingroom is MY DAD!!!

He lives 11 hours away -- and it is early afternoon and with no warning -- there is my DAD!!  I had to do a double take!  He hasn't even been up here since we moved in last year -- usually we go down to Florida to see everyone.

Well... he also has apparently been trying to call for the last couple of days.  He recently transfered to a new job and has a client in Boone, NC -- of all places -- its such a small town and we're about 20 miles away.

So -- here he was!!!  I was pretty embarrassed to be caught by surprise -- with the house messy and being pretty grimey from yardwork myself -- but I suppose he didn't care.  :)

So I showed him all around the house and showed him all the work we've done and then we sat on the patio and talked for a long while and then went to dinner.  Now he's upstairs sleeping and he's got to go to Charlotte tomorrow and then back home to Orlando.  But WOW!!!  What a wonderful surprise!!!

We're going to FL in early June and I didn't think I'd see him until then -- I'm really excited about this surprise visitor -- and I guess I better start keeping my phone charged.  :)

This is me & dad -- I was 2.

Here we are at my first college graduation...

Christmas... Dad & his 3 girls

Second college graduation:

Last year -- when we went skiing...

Today was gorgeous!!  We've had some bad weather over the last few days with high winds -- and so I spent a few hours cleaning up the yard of all the leaves and twings (and branches)  that had fallen and I clipped out some of the dead branches that were still left on the pine trees.

My husband made me this wheelbarrow:

Obviously -- he still needs to put the wheel on -- but I'm really impressed because this is the firstthing he has ever, ever made.  I'm really happy with it!

I stained it blue -- but we both decided we liked it better with one coat as opposed to how it looks with 2 -- it's just TOO blue now -- but I think once we get the plants inside of it, it will be less distracting :)

My Fucshia is blooming away:

We planted this lily last week -- and it is ahead of the game -- but soon, the rest of the lilies in this bed should catch up :)

The tomatoes, hosta, and brussels are doing very well ~

Our yard is looking more and more inviting all of the time...

I didn't want to get too close -- this is a chipmunk enjoying one of my snack stations:

AND -- my garden books came in -- so, before the sun goes down, I am on my way to grab those books and a glass of wine and I'm crawling right up into the hammock :)

I hope you all had a wonderful day!!!

Well, I finished up my toadstools rock last night and I'm pretty happy -- I think it turned out really cute :)

I have one last one to paint, but today is far too nice a day to stay inside, so as soon as I'm done with my coffee I'm headed out to play in the yard!!

I've got to spray on the sealer on both of these rocks and sand down the wheelbarrow planted my husband made for me.  I also bought some pale blue wood stain/protection for it and I'm excited to get that put on too.

Here they are:

And -- our name stone for the front:

Or.... "Dude, I got a Dell"

We've had some NASTY winds up here in the mountains... it's the residual mess from the storms that have been tearing through Oklahoma, Georgia, etc... Our winds here are 35-40 MPH with 55 MPH gusts.  Pretty nasty -- and enough to keep me inside!

I have an EBay business -- so having a good computer is important -- but for me, so is getting/staying out of debt.  I was really hesitant to drop more money onto a card, but my business is doing well and this computer is pretty old and unreliable.

Sooo... I'm really excited.  It should be delivered in 7-10 day (they have to put it together first).  This new one will have much, much more memory than mine has and a far faster and superior processor.  Some nice speakers and flat panel 22" monitor... I'm sure I'm going to love it!!

What I'll do is overwrite and reinstall the OS on this one and leave it here in this house when we're renting it so that people have email and internet access still.  It's plenty good for that -- just not good for all the photo editing I do, music I listen to, etc.

Besides -- what else was I going to do?  I was trapped inside the house for 2 days :)

I have never painted anything aside from a wall -- so, let's just get that little fact out of the way up front, lol

A few weeks ago, I re-set a stone barrier we have along the driveway and I ended up with a few extra rocks.  I decided I'd try out some "rock art".  Most everyone in my neighborhood has a sign of some kind with their name, but we don't.  So, that was the first thing I decided to do... pretty basic, right?  It went well enough and I'm happy with it :)

Here are the three rocks I picked out to use.  The one I put our name on is pretty big... more than a foot across and pretty heavy!  I painted all of them a basic off-white color as a background and I'll work from there.

Here they are "before"

This is the large one to the left... almost finished.  The sparkle glue on the hearts is not dry yet, but when it is it won't be so milky/gloppy... and I've got a clear coat for it so it can be safe outside:

The large, egg-shaped one looked just right for a patch of toadstools... so, I first drew them on with a pencil and then painted a quick outline in light gray.  Once I paint it, you won't see the gray outline at all... but I couldn't see the pencil marks very well, so I needed an outline.  It's a little lighter than in the picture:

I'm undecided as to whether I'll use pastel colors or bold colors... but I have tonight to sleep on it :)

The last rock... I'm going to make a colorful, abstract (ie, tacky) background and put one simple word on it:  Patience

That's what I believe I need the most of in the garden, lol

Once they are finished I'll post the final pictures :)

CarolynCat353 noted on my last blog (about notes from the Universe) that I should post these regularly :)  And so, I am.  These were my messages for this last week.  Enjoy!!

~~~~~~~~

There are no accidents, April.
If it's appeared on your life radar, this is why: to teach you that dreams come true; to reveal that you have the power to fix what's broken and heal what hurts; to catapult you beyond seeing with just your physical senses; and to lift the veils that have kept you from seeing that you're already the person you dreamed you'd become.
And believe me, that was one heck of a dream.

Tallyho,

The Universe

~~~~~~~~

When you realize that by changing your perspective, big things can be seen as little things, April, it becomes much harder to worry about anything.

Funky cold medina,
   

The Universe

~~~~~~~~

Do you have any idea how many princesses have gone unrecognized by their prince, because of logic? Or, how many princes have gone unrecognized by their princess, because of pride?
How many dreams were dashed when the handmaiden answered the door? Or when the gatehouse was mistaken for the mansion? Or when the calm before the storm of abundance and good fortune was viewed as a sign to retreat?
Happily, April, we've got forever and ever. And fortunately, it's never too late to see what one's missed, remain focused on the dream instead of the "hows," and move with unwavering faith.

Yeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaa!!
   

The Universe

~~~~~~~~

Life's magic is a lot like a swift flowing river, April. No matter how long you've overlooked it or unwittingly swam against it, the instant you stop struggling you're back in the flow, hat down low, coolest cat on the block.
In other words, April, your so-called "baggage," ain't no thang.

Coolio-
   

The Universe

So, I was doing a bit of research and apparently, people who actually KNOW what they are doing as far as tumbling rocks, try to keep rocks of the same hardness together.  Me?  I was just tumbling what I had :)

So -- I opened my drums 12 hours early and I have cleaned them off.  They really did reduce in size!!  I've got the drums soaking and I'm going to hold back the rocks that have pits, flaws, and scratches still -- and they can go in for another cycle of the coarse grinding with the next set.  The ones I think are the most smoothed out will be put into the fine grind cycle tonight for a week.

I'm probably going to have to order some rough stones online, because I only had enough to do just this one set and I'd like to do more.

Here they are after the first cycle.  They still need to go through fine grinding, pre-polishing, and polishing:

If you can't beat 'em... distract 'em!!

Every night the squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks are feasting in my yard.  I've got a lysterine/murphy's oil soap/powdered pepper mix ready to use if this doesn't start to work.  Perhaps with the new "snack stations" I made they'll have enough to keep them happy without using the repellant -- but if not, I'll try using both.

At any rate -- I wondered what I should use and I asked my husband if he thought he could make something -- he said he could but suggested using the water/drain trays from some pots first.  I thought that was a great idea, so I picked 2 of them up today and set them just off the ground with some of the extra rocks I had.

I filled them with some sunflower seeds, corn kernals, and peanuts.  I might consider adding a few other items to the mix if they start to use their new buffets.  Here they are: