Cleaning Up

Saturday morning was cold and damp and we started it out by renting a cargo van and loading all those tree branches in it for a trip to the dump. The limbs were so wet and green that they soaked through my suede gloves and then we got to touch every branch again to wing them out of the back of the van at the dump. Nice and yucky.

When I was getting dressed to go outside, I wore my good jeans actually thinking I wasn't going to get dirty. I don't know why I don't listen to that voice - whenever it says "I won't get dirty" or "I'll remember" the exact opposite happens yet I continue to believe it. Please tell me you don't always listen to that voice either.

Then we came back to the house and loaded stuff for recycling, donating and more garbage. It really bothered me when the thrift store rejected several items including one bag that not only contained good clothes but also a terrific 1 gallon fish tank including rocks, plants, filter cover, light and extra light bulbs - all you'd need was water and fish. All the way to the dump I was wrestling with the thought of throwing it (and the other items) in the dump, but when we got there I just couldn't do it. We took it home and I'll take it to another thrift store. This, I think, is going to be a trend for the future - thrift stores are so full they can afford to be picky and it's going to get worse (but I'll stop before I go into a long speech containing my ideas of economics, sociology and other related topics).

When we got home I was grubby and filthy and my hands were as rough as a lumberjack's. The boys took off for some paint ball thing and I had a bit time to clean up because, thank goodness, I had a spa party to attend. Yup - a SPARTY! (that's my new word, I'm claiming it!) Hosted by the wonderful Cynthia, our consultant Lorna was awesome - and guess what? Those lumberjack hands were gone ! No, I don't receive any endorsement bonuses, but the product worked really well.

Just to be cheeky I asked if there was a door prize, so Lorna created one and then asked us to guess her birthday - well shucks, I don't know I just keep hearing the word "April" in my head and this time I listened - and I was right! But now I feel like a schmuck because I asked for the door prize and then I won it. I hope the rest of the group doesn't think I'm a schmuck!

And Cynthia served the cutest little party picks with a piece of meat/a piece of cheese/ and a cocktail onion - so teeny, so cute, and so perfect! (there are pictures on her blog) We had yummy cucumber sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches and the naughtiest cupcakes I've ever eaten. They put so much icing on top, they should have been called Mt. St. Helen's cupcakes! I gained two pounds. Really! I weighed myself this morning and I gained weight! Dang cupcakes.

But seriously, consider hosting a party yourself - the products are terrific. And with my hands being smooth again I can continue to cross stitch and knit without snagging the thread or yarn, which is pretty much what I have done today(knit and cross stitch that is, not snag yarn or thread). I know it's a nice sunny day, but it's a bit cold for my liking so I've been sewing most of the morning.

I did take Jazz out for a walk and I'm happy to report that she's regaining her stamina - we went for about a 45 minute walk and she had enough energy to complete the walk and wasn't even panting that much! Yay, I have my dog back! A couple of firecrackers went off while we were out and she was rather skittish after that however, being on the street when they go off can sometimes help them cope with their phobia.

Over the last couple of days the leaves on my Burning Bush (it's a shrub - really!) changed from green to bright red - it's very striking. I'll have to take a picture the next time I'm on a walk of a tree just up the street from me that is a very gorgeous yellow - one of the nicest fall trees I've seen so far this year. I know I'll have to hurry before all the leaves are gone - there's always a deadline with nature, isn't there?

....and that's all I have to say about that.