Feliz Navidad

Decided this year to decorate in silver.

Also did away with big tree that we've had for years. When we moved we left it for the people who bought our old house.

I bought a cute little winter tree, as I call it, and decorated it for Christmas.

It really is small!  But he's cute. 

Wouldn't it be nice if this little dog were real?

This is the first year we decided not to exchange gifts. Well, in theory at least. I did get these beautiful flowers.

Now that Christmas is over, the shops and roads are back to normal. It was a surprise to be out driving and not get stuck in traffic, and to be in the shops and not be banging into people. It's actually quite nice that Christmas is over. 

How You Know That You're Ready for Winter

Cold weather, long dark nights - can only mean that winter is close by.  Are you ready?
Five ways that you know you're ready for winter:

1. That old blanket you were going to give to your dog? It's already coming in handy to snuggle into when you're checking out Facebook on cold evenings.

2. You used to think that Florida was just a place for old people. Now those Florida beaches are calling your name.

3. Summer clothes are on sale!  Yay!  But you don't buy any. Instead you pay full price for a nice new warm winter coat.

4. You finally found that ugly looking scarf auntie Victoria gave you last year. Who cares if it's ugly? It's warm, and that's what counts.

5. That doggy of yours is dying to go out. Oh well, you figure, he's a big boy. He can go out all by himself in the frigid frost.

New Houses

Please note that all photos and written work are copyrighted sstaas.  All rights reserved.


They're doing a lot of construction all around us.  The reason we chose the location for our new house is that it was the last one in the group, which meant we wouldn't be disturbed by construction right next door. The other reason we chose this location is because it's the last of the beige coloured houses.

When we first had to decide on which location to build the saleslady suggested this place below.

She was referring to the first house you can see. I think its driveway is longer than ours, but not by much. And the siding will be white, which we didn't want. But, still, each time I walk by I wonder if maybe we should have chosen it after all.

Down the road, you can see all the new construction going on. I think there's a rush to get things completed before the winter sets in.

There's a constant stream of workmen and their trucks coming and going.

It will be strange when all the construction is finished. It will be so quiet!

Week-end away. Where are the signposts?

Please note that all photos and written works are copyrighted sstaas. All rights reserved.



After all the hustle and bustle of moving it was time to get out of town. With unexpected high temperatures on the horizon we took off for Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

First time ever we had been there. Nice place. Long, long boardwalk and a very pretty lake.

In order to get there we had to go over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Yikes! What a tall bridge. And narrow too.

Took a while to figure out how to get to Rehoboth Beach after we crossed the bridge. Sign posts? Even the GPS system didn't help that much. Maybe Rehoboth Beach is one of Delaware's best kept secrets?  Pass, dunno.

Five Reasons You Know You're Ready for Autumn

The swimming pools have all closed down. Nobody's wearing white trousers any more. The giant yellow school buses hold up the traffic as they weave their way along suburban streets.

Can only mean that summer is over.

Are you ready for the autumn?

   

How can you tell?

1. You've already bought Halloween candy. What's worse, you've already started eating it!!

2. Dear, dear aunt Louisa calls you to tell you she wants to see your smiling face at Thanksgiving!

3. You're contemplating starving yourself as of right now so that you can eat that turkey!

4. You imagine you saw golden leaves on your driveway. Oh, wait a minute, they were golden leaves!

5. You wish you hadn't bought that cheap looking wreath last year on sale. You just have to hang it on your door, otherwise it wasn't a bargain after all!


                                     

The Parade

We went for a run in the country to a small town north of here. They were having a big parade, and the whole town was lining the main street, awaiting this annual event.

Two policemen directed the traffic. Both imitating one another with their hand signals, and getting confused in the process!

I'm surprised the cars just didn't bang into one another. At first it looked as if the road was blocked off, based on the hand signals of the two policemen. Odd, to be blocking off the road. I think drivers thought so too, but turned left anyhow, instead of going straight.

All this entertainment came to a head when a lone bagpiper strutted down the road, his kilt swirling back and forth. What a noise was coming from the bagpipes!  He really did play quite well, if you like bagpipes, that it is.

Part of the parade was a horse drawn hearse. Guess it's historical.

There were politicians as well in the parade.

As well as a great big fire truck

and farm equipment.

We got talking to a local person who lives up in the hills. He was telling us about his two children who are learning flute and drums at school. They also are into sports. I asked him if they teach Spanish at the school, and he answered, "Well, sure. I think. I mean they teach academics too."

Great to hear that!

Where are YOU from? Where are you FROM?

I started a new blog. Garlic and Olive Oil  It deals with the eight years I lived in Spain, back in the seventies and eighties. It's only now dawning on me that I have been foreigner in two separate countries.

I never thought about it before.

Americans to this day say to me, "Where are YOU from?"  That's after they say, "You're not from around here, are you?"  Then they want to know my whole life history.

"What brought you to America?"
"Do you have any kids?"
"Do they talk like you?"
"Where did you meet your husband?"
"Why did you go to Spain?"
"You haven't lost your accent?!"

At least some things have changed over the years. It used to be that people would ask if I lived in a castle and if there was colour television in Scotland. They even asked where in England Scotland was located!

I'd give them a Geography lesson and try to explain how there are four countries which make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain. But nobody ever paid any attention. They were always just fascinated by the way I speak.

Being a foreigner in Spain was completely different. I could hide behind the Spanish language. I could detach myself from conversations very easily. Half the time I had no idea what they were saying!  Even when I learned Spanish, it didn't bother me that people would ask me where I'm from. It was understandable for I have a very pale skin that goes bright red in the sun. I stood out.

But I don't stand out in the United States where there are lots of people with really pale skins.

I just have to work more on a Yankee doodle accent!

Any time I go to the U.K. people there also ask me where I'm from! They ask me if I'm Canadian!

Maybe I should just move to Canada, and be done with it.

What Watering Can?

Everything is brand new here, including the Venetian blinds. It suddenly occurred to me one night quite late that perhaps people could see inside the windows even although the blinds are closed. Jings. Off I go, barefooted, and in night attire, to peek inside each window. 

Tip-toeing like some guilty burglar, I prowl and prance to see if I can spy anything inside the house. Just then somebody appears walking along the road. Where did he come from?! What to do? 

I pretend I'm really just out watering the geraniums and proceed to use a non-existing watering can. It is dark, after all, so nobody can really see me. Right? Wrong. The mysterious individual shines a bright flashlight on me. If that's not enough, two cars appear from nowhere, headlights fixated on me and my non-existing watering can.

Not wanting to get into any explanations I leap inside the house and lock the door.

BTW, I don't think anybody could see through the blinds, so that's good. Lol.

Short, Fat Driveway - be careful what you wish for

Our former house had a really long driveway that meandered its way down to the back of the house. What a pain to shovel the snow!   Consequently, one of my top priorities was to move to a place with a short, fat driveway.  Ha ha.  Be careful what you wish for!

The middle part of the photo is the communal driveway. Four houses share this driveway. To the left is our teeny, tiny driveway. You'd need to be on roller blades to enter the garage, that is if you don't want to bang into anything. It is a two car garage, but with such a tight turn around to get in...well you get the gist.

Time to speak up and complain BEFORE purchasing the house. What to do?  Hmm. Well, to the right they added and extra four feet. So, all added up, our teeny, tiny driveway, the communal driveway and the added bit, come to 24 feet in length. They're supposed to come back next year and put another coat of asphalt, that way everything should like nicer? 

We're the new kids on the block. We're the new kids on the block with the smallest driveway in the whole subdivision. 

Settling In - New House

How long does it take to settle into a brand new house?  Ha ha.

Midst such odd circumstances - magical outlets hidden behind drywall, a garage door that derails, loose bricks, brand new dryer that quits after two weeks, are we settling in?

Well, with a double rainbow spanning the evening sky in front of our house, maybe we are!

And that nice swimming pool and fitness centre are just beckoning us over.

Evening is also pretty here.

Yes, I think we're settling in!

We're Here!

Yes, we've moved into our brand new house. Midst the garage door breaking down, midst the mysterious two doors that lay against the wall in the garage,midst  the magically marvellous outlet hidden behind the drywall in the office, we started to settle in.

We moved in just over two weeks ago. Boxes are now unpacked and the big empty space in the living room will have to be addressed soon. Hmm. Where to purchase a nice sofa?

Packing Up, Up, and Away!

Packing boxes. Cleaning and cleaning and doing even more cleaning. Weeding and weeding, and trying to keep the big back yard in good order. Checking up on the new house. Hoping that the construction goes well.

So many things to do!

Out in the Country

We drove down to Virginia for a few days in order to give the realtors full access to our house. So glad that we did! I think there were many viewings whilst we were away.

"Last one to arrive is a silly goose!"

Very relaxing admiring the bucolic wonders of the Shenandoah Valley.

 

 

Nice wee cuddies.                          cuddy², cuddie [ˈkʌdɪ]

n pl -dies

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) dialect chiefly Scot a donkey or horse

 

 

Big Back Yard

I'll miss our big back yard. After all the work is done it really looks quite pleasing to the eye.

 

 

It's a good work-out mowing and walking up and down fertilizing the grass. Och.

 

 

New Construction

This big back yard of ours seems to get bigger and bigger each year. We finally decided in December of 2012 to move. Yes, after 29 years living in the same house we shall be packing up and heading out.

But, where to move to?!  Florida sounds appealing, as does Hilton Head Island. But do we REALLY want to move so far away? Not yet. The main reason for moving is to get away from the gigantic backyard, so, a patio or carriage home would be ideal.

Off we went to scout out the patio homes. Ha ha. Locations weren't so good as they were out in the country. Some only had a fence separating the patios. Plus they shared a wall. Guess we're just too unsociable, but we prefer our privacy!

To cut a long story short, we decided on what is called a villa. It's a single-family house, with not much at all in the way  land. We've to pay a maintenance fee which will cover grass cutting, snow removal, etc. The land is so tiny, that we wouldn't have any problem doing it ourselves! But, that's the way it goes. Now, which makes a person go completely and crazily crazy? Selling a house, or buying a new one?! Right now, both are taking up lots of time and causing lots of worry. So many odd jobs around our house to take care of, so much painting.  As for the new house- choosing flooring, kitchen cabinets, faucets, etc. is a never-ending process. You just choose something and then you begin to wonder if you chose wisely!

Stay tuned. Maybe finally we'll get our house ready to go on the market. We're to close on the new house at the end of June.

Cleaning and Beaming

Now that we have decided to sell our house I've been cleaning and cleaning, polishing and polishing, scrubbing and scrubbing until everything is sparkling. I can even see my face in the door hinges, just beaming away!

I have scraped up old paint blobs on the front porch left over from years of painting the shutters. Always meant to clean up after painting, but never seemed to get around to it. Now I'm paying the price.

Cleaning door handles and glaring at the old front windows which we should have perhaps replaced when we replaced the other windows in the house.

Been donating items to charities, selling things, muttering to myself the whole time whether something is useful or not.  I have so much space now!  Yet, I've become so organized that now I don't know where anything is!