Day 117: December 22, 2009

Quote of the Day :

“The heights by great men reached and kept,

Were not attained by sudden flight,

But they, while their companions slept,

Were toiling upward in the night.”

(from the poem: The Ladder of St. Augustine, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

We got some really great news in the mail. Finally, after all these months, Damien’s case has been dismissed! So, he no longer has to worry about going to court or anything like that. Thank God! I mean, really…. They’ve only been pushing it back since MAY. Why couldn’t they have done it long ago? I just do not understand how this court system works. I really don’t. But at least he’s got a clean slate now. Right?

The weather was really cloudy this morning, and looked really dreary. A good day to stay inside and get some things done in the house. NOT that I have gone outside much since I’ve been working on all these various projects. I need to, but I haven’t yet. I have so much going on inside the house that it’s hard to think about getting outside and working out there.  So of course, I went outside and pulled out all the dead morning glory, pepper plants, and basil.  So the backyard is pretty much done. Well, except for the fact that the small vine I planted this spring has died as well.  I wasn't sure if it would or not, but I'm going to leave it there just in case it is just gone dormant.  Like the wisteria has, which I really need to go out and move but can't figure out where to move it TO.  And tomorrow morning, weather permitting, I'll go out front and do the dead plants out there.  There's not many, so it shouldn't take too long. But I definitely have to do it early, because tomorrow calls for PM thunderstorms with snow showers overnight. So.... gotta get it done while it will still be warm out.

I took the day off from working on the quilt at all, just because I was starting to feel a little bit burned out on it.  I'm not really happy with the amount of work making such a huge blanket has been, and I think next time I'll just do a smaller one.  Or at least do things a little bit differently. Not sure yet. Maybe I'll never GET the urge to make another one, after this.  We'll see, because I really do enjoy them, it's just that it's sooooo big and takes so much time.  And maybe the more I do, the better I'll get at sewing? Just a thought.  If I remember right, my curtains I sewed in Japan turned out really well.

NEWS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: the people on the corner had this in their yard yesterday, but I forgot to put it on here for ya.  This one's a new variation on the theme, isn't it?  Haven't seen the dinosaurs yet!  I love it, though.... maybe I'll do something like this for you when YOU get old!!! LOL

Tomorrow I think I'm going to try to do a little bit of driving around to try and take some pictures of some of the lights that I like.  That way, a little bit of Christmas can make it all the way halfway around the world.  I've seen a couple of people who went above and beyond this year, compared to last year.  However, I am very disappointed in our neighborhood.  A lot of people just didn't even bother putting up lights this year, and the neighborhood theme just isn't a theme this year.  Jackie and Linda next door only put up a little tiny swag over their front door this year, compared to last year's great lights. It's a shame to own a big, beautiful house in a neighborhood like this and then NOT decorate it up for Christmas.  I guess the economy around here has hit a lot more people than it would appear at first, or people are just being abnormally bah-humbug this year. One of the two.  Geez, people, I really didn't want to do it this year either, but at least I went out there and put them up!

A REALLY bad picture of me and Mocha on the 'puter with Daddy.

For some reason, she up and decided to try being inside today, but her constant whining and clawing me for attention finally got the best of me, and I put her back outside. I think she may eventually come around and LIKE being inside, but it will take a while.

And for now.... here are some more random animal pictures.  I'll try to get some of Mika, but she's been hiding from me because I keep yelling at her every time I find her laying on my quilt.



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