I spoke too soon as I did get a fever in the early evening-about 100. So far today, it’s in the normal range, but if I do too much or think about food, I get nauseated. I’m eating here and there, and laying down. This virus seems to affect what bugs you when you are feeling ok-like my back, joints and tummy haven’t felt good. One good thing-I got my Dell
* laptop today! It’s awesome! It’s fast enough for me. I just need to figure out where I go to get Windows 7 on it.

Woke up super early with wide range aches and pains, but no fever. Tylenol is taking the edge off, but I think I have some virus as I’m feeling a little nauseous, though I can eat. Go figure. I feel 90 when I’m almost 50. Brian came home from work for lunch and just felt worn out, so he stayed put. He did yard work over the weekend and I was working at mom’s and overdoing bending and lifting, etc. The tummy was off on Thursday. I took a little walk around the yard today and picked some arugula and lettuce. Shouldn’t have been leaning over. I think a nap sounds like a good idea!
We are having a contractor come and give us an estimate for a much needed basement door tonight. We have those metal doors that open outside, but this is for the door at the bottom of the steps. Since the metal doors could be replaced too, all this air is coming in during the wintertime and our master bedroom is right above that and I freeze now. Hope we can get a good price. Used an website called (but don’t quote me) Service* master. They found 3 guys in the area. One sounded familiar and we are pretty sure he messed up something in the house years ago-electrical in the family room, and had to be redone-pass on him. Wish us luck!

Remembering those who have gone before us ATC, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

‘The measure of life after all, is not it’s duration but it’s donation’-(CT Boom) was the verse I chose to grace this Art Trading Card for a swap I am in. We are not really a military family. I do know my father was on a ship during the Korean war, but my brothers were to young to go to Vietnam.
This is for the Civil War. I chose the Gettysburg Cemetery right here in Pennsylvania as I’ve been in that area a few times. I think the battlefield conjures up more images of gore rather than the peaceful cemetery. But remembering the magnitude of causalities pitting North against South is astounding-over 600k! The flower is a poppy for remembrance.

I gathered some things that I had been gifted with over the years-some necklaces, bracelets and earrings that I would never wear (not my taste)that belonged to someone else (deceased). These were ‘regifted’ to me over the different holidays, and I would just stick them in storage. I went up to the neighborhood jewelry store on Thursday to sell it. I almost got enough for the full purchase price for this:

It’s a Dell 15.6″* Inspiron* 1545!
With Windows* 7! Rolled over at Wally World to a better price! I wanted something I could take with me to bookstores, coffee shops, on trips and I needed a faster computer for games I play on Facebook. I still own jewelry that I like and I even left off two rings to be resized, one of which is my birthstone, but a blue topaz. Hey, I’m getting older and like everyone else, I need to downsize. It’s great to make a little cash in the process.
Brian doesn’t know about my purchase, but I think he’ll be ok. He was looking at a laptop on here and it was over 1k and I said no way. Can’t wait for my early birthday gift. It has a webcam and case, so if anyone has that, we could use it to chat.
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Probably going to my mom’s to help her clean in her room. My brother is moving in at the end of the month.

She just accepted me-awesome!

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Just got my letter from the hospital radiology and it said my mammogram was normal! Yeah! Most mammogram machines are digital now, so not as uncomfortable. Don’t forget to get yours! Waiting on the ultrasound and pap, but I do have a follow-up on the 12th with the gyn.

Sean said there was a lovely sunset on Monday, so I went out to capture it to share:


I wasn’t feeling 100%, so I decided to stay off my feet and scan some old photos. My brother always gives me a bunch of them and it takes a while. I just love this one of my maternal grandmom Ruth at age 2 with her sister Ethel about 3 or so. It is dated April 1, 1906! Little Ethel passed away when she was 6 from pneumonia. My grandmom was the second of 6 and she had 2 children and her younger sister Edna had only 1. She had two brother pass on in their 20s. So sad to think that we could have had a larger family if they had lived and married. By the way, my father was an only child with a few step siblings, and Brian is an only child. Our immediate family is about 13.

and after I photoshopped it a bit adding a reddish tint. The tints seem to bring out more detail in these old photos:

And here’s a cute one of Sean on his 1st birthday (1987) on a motorized car he had and loved to pieces:

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The Phillies are giving the Yankees a run for their money, but they can’t just play well every 5 games. They have to win the next two game to hold on to their championship title. They had a huge lead and the gap narrowed in the 8th inning. We were on the edge of our seats. I only see 3 Phillies really giving it their best. At least we won the National League Championship to get this far two years in a row-the Yankees can’t say that.
Hoping for a good game on Wednesday!

I don’t think these are too bad for cellphones. I did lighten or enhance the color in PSP7 just to make them more visually appealing:

Enhanced with Abode.
This is right near Longwood Gardens. I wanted to capture the burnt umber of the corn/wheat fields against the dark orange fall leaves:

And our dinner at Chili’s last week for Sean’s birthday:

Those salsa and chips are so good! And they are a bottomless bowl!

The first few were my camera. This is Sean’s camera (more $) and I had to tweak it a lot more!
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Halloween didn’t feel much like Halloween until we saw some trick or treaters in my mom’s hometown on the way home. It’s the first year I didn’t see my niece and nephew as they were with their friends.
Working at my mom’s was very draining. It was a rainy day, but in the low 70s, so humid. She says she does things, like go through slacks she stuffed in a big black bag. I had to take every pair out and hold them up and read the size and most of them she discarded! I think we loaded up three of those bags. She loves jackets and says she has about 70! She said she would pick the 20 or so she likes best. It’s so hard to do this. My brother was running across tons of old family photos and sent them home with me to scan. Brian came along and we set up our old dining room table and we all could sit together for a change and share pizza. Brian and Don need to hang a mirror in mom’s room and hang a ceiling fan in the dining room. I have to go and work in mom’s room next.
I’ll be scanning the photos over the next few weeks. Need to make some chili for dinner soon for Sean’s arrival from Penn State.

Sean as Phantom of the Opera, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

So cute!

Sean with his pumpkins, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

We had a successful pumpkin crop that year! I think Sean is about 4-so about 19 yrs ago!

The turkey was done in no time!, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I have a few photos of my cat in different bags-I figured I’d see lots of those in the hunt.
This is our 20 lb turkey from last Thanksgiving in a Reynold’s Cooking BAG. It was very tasty and I plan to use one of the bags again. It helps to keep the moisture in a meat that can get dry.