Car Show Tonight, Class on Felting Friday.

Great Grill

Was a good day today! We got up late and walked a bit then had breakfast of egg beaters! Yes, I am doing all I can to help my situation and when I weighed today, I had lost another 3.5 lbs!! Yeah!!!! Eating right does make a difference. Lynn has lost too so doing this together is a good thing. Got my extended VAP test back today and my numbers are down considerable. Still high but only been doing this 10 days when we took the other test. Down 200 points and that does make me feel a bit better. Still have a ways to go but all of this is for a best, I am sure.

I have an all day class tomorrow at the League of the Arts http://www.mlota.org/ I am going to learn how to embellish with felting. Should be fun.

The man is coming to install our new Texas Star doors on the front of the house. Having two front doors is expensive---never thought about that one. Will share a pic here when they are installed. Another man is coming to give us a bid on a single Stainless Steel sink in the kitchen. After having a single sink and going back to a double, well, it is like night and day. Hopefully it can be done and the $$ is not too bad. One never knows on custom orders.

This is what I found our about the Purple People Eater Flower I have growing. Scary!

The Purple People Eater is a variety of Datura--a poisonous plant used in Voodoo rituals--in the making of zombies! It's also called 'devil's trumpet'. It is very beautiful, but (not that you would be tempted, but..) DONT EAT IT! Well, wasn't going to but will have to watch Buddy! How can something so beautiful be so strange?

Well, off to a car show here in Mineola. Going to take my camera. Maybe a pic or two.

Buddy Is Ready for Fall!

Our Buddy Joe, Fall 07

Boy, just realized that Summer is past and Fall is almost ready to show it's colors. Fall is such a beautiful time of year---and I am looking forward to the color. We hope to travel early October to see some of the fall. We have not been anywhere in our new travel trailer but one night in Jen's driveway so it should be great fun. Will just take off for a couple of weeks and see where it leads us.


Buddy went to the groomers this morning so decided it was a good time to take a pic for fall. He is such a poser and very patient when I am taking pictures. I bought a stick tripod and I LOVE it. These little digital cameras even with stabilization and really blur---well, guess it is me, not the camera.



Here is his shot for Fall----

Buddy Joe

Come back soon and check out my Picasa Web Album!
http://picasaweb.google.com/martywoos/PurplePeopleEaterFlower

Back to the Real World!

Fall Picture I Took at a Market

I did feel pretty good to get home Friday of last week. We took our time coming down thur Arkansas and went to Dallas to pick up our Buddy Joe. We had had three weeks of running and playing with his "nephew dogs" but I think was glad to get back to Mineola and out of the Bid City! Jen and Mark are putting in a beautiful swimming pool and Buddy took great care in checking out the workmen.

We took Sat. off to relax and Sunday I went to Dallas to attend a meeting to the North Texas Clay Guild. It's been sometime since I have attended as it is about 110 miles each way and about 1 and 1 !/2-2 hours of driving. Was glad I went as got to see some good old friends that I haven't seen in awhile.

Well, didn't have such good news when we returned. Glad I didn't know while I was gone that I am a "dead woman walking"
I had a blood test the morning we left town and WOW! Guess I am not as healthy I we thought. I have lost 39.5 lbs this year and thought that was great. Lost 3 lbs. While we were on vacation!!!!

Amazing how things can turn. My Cholesterol has always been about 130 and it is now. 556 and my triglycerides are 796 Doctor sent me a note and said it was in very dangerous level and sent a prescription for me. Now I have to keep checking and watch my diet, I guess. Lynn and I have both started on a low fat and low cholesterol diet yesterday. It really isn't hard and hope we both loose more weight and get the numbers down. Will miss our prime rib and rib eye steaks but we will survive.

Lynn is mowing today and I am trying to get back to normal, what ever that might be.
This is a wonderful day! Great to be home and retired.

ALMOST HOME

Miss Pingree, Nightlight I made at Pingree Retreat

Well, we are heading back to Texas after a relaxing trip thru Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas. We will be in Texas today. Can't wait to see our Buddy Joe who has been on vacation in Dallas with Jennifer and family. I really do miss him but probably he will not even remember me---she has three dogs of her own and he love to be there with them. I am sure he will be lonesome back with the old folks in Mineola!

We enjoyed our trip across Nebraska but it ended in Council Bluffs for the night as my back was killing me. Back problems are not for the faint of heart. We did meet some folks in the hot tub from Bella Vista, Ak. We enjoy meeting folks when we travel.

On to Des Moines to visit our great friend in Ankeny. Mike and Paul Wigg. It was a full house as they had their 6 grandkids there for the weekend, too. We also went to see my sister and hubby in their new "digs" , a 7th floor huge condo with all glass outside walls. The have a wonderful view and I told them to get us one just like it for what they paid and we would be back in Des Moines! I loved it. We had a very nice lunch with they and our niece and hubby. It was so good to see them.

Then we also stopped at our good friend, Connie's daughter, Amber's new "digs" in Clive, Ia.
What a beautiful home she and her hubby and sweet little daughter have. They should enjoy it for a long time. It was sooooo good to see them and Maddie has grown so much in the last year.

Hogback Bridge

Off to see our kids, Brian, Cathie, Emily and Ethan at their lake house in Panora, Ia. We were able to spend time with them and go to dinner on the lake. It is sooooo good to be with them and we had a great time. It was so late to go into Creston so we stayed at a small hotel in Casey, Iowa. Slept in and then we decided to go the the Bridges of Madison County. We have lived within 20 miles of the bridges for all our life in Iowa and had never been. We went to two, Hogback and Roseman (the one featured in the movie) but the torneau cover with filled with grit!!! You can bet that made the boss happy. Just to think they are hand made that many years ago----really neat to see. Lynn and I were glad we made the side trip and now he says he doesn't have to do that one again.

When we got to Creston we went to see and stay with Lynn's sis, Char. She has a beautiful, huge new house that we had not seen. What a wonderful home to retire in! She has it decorated so nice and I know she will enjoy every minute she is in it. We had a new mattress she had just bought that week and my back was better----thanks, Char!

Next we visited our very close friend, Connie and stayed with her two nights(longer than expected) as we went out to a antique shop near Creston and the day got away from us.
We bought the neatest little trunk and gas can. We got to eat at our favorite places, too.

Wednesday morning we were off to Texas thru the Ozarks. We got to Buffalo, Mo. and stayed there using the wonderful hot tub for my back. Slept in and then headed for Eureka Springs, via Branson. Hope to come back there this winter to see some shows. It rained on us hard for about an hour and the clouds parted and got beautiful We love Eureka Springs and spent about two hours there eating at our favorite BBQ and checking out the town. If you ever get a chance to go there, do, it's worth the trip. Puts you back into another time!

Me on the Roseman Bridge.

Amazing construction!

We came on down the road with a stop at Sam's in Rogers, Ak. Back to my real world almost.
Drove to Ft. Smith, Ak and stay our last night in a suite at the Hamption Inn. Livingroom with huge flat screen TV. Small kitchen and bedroom with another TV. Very nice.

Last night on the trip so decided to "live it up"!

Some good old Iowa Goldenrod!