A new start

No picture today.  We are now kind of settled in on Niles Ave in St. Paul.  We arrived last Thursday after an awful trip from South Bend to St. Paul.  Our travel from Naples to PeachTree City GA on Sunday, the 19th, was a breeze.  After two nights in GA our 700 mile journey to South Bend was uneventful.  We picked up our U Haul in South Bend the morning of 22nd and then drove to Middlebury IN to get the table and chairs.  We took in Trinity Fine Arts night on the 22nd to see Liam recite a poem and Henry sing.  Liam reminded me of my Woodlake days when we had to memorize many poems and recite them.  We headed to St Paul the morning of the 23rd.  That should have been about a 9 hour trip with an arrival time around 4:45-5:00.  We arrived at 6:30+ after traffic in Chicago and 3 road construction slowdowns/stops!  We did arrive safely so all is well that ends well.
Most things are now put away and the new dinning room table, with chairs, are in place.  I am very thankful.

The table is 2" walnut with a live edge on the top where the 1" glass rests.  We think it is a very nice piece and are so glad to have it safely in the house with no scratches.
Most things are put away now and I THINK I am ready to get started on some projects.

We did a major thing this weekend.  For the last few years I have almost pulled out my hair with our Verizon internet.  It seemed that our high speed would kid in on the 15th of the month and a few days later it would slow to a snail.  Finally, being tired of that, we got Xfinity installed and I think we will like it.  No contract and we can put it on hold when we are gone for the winter.  I think it was a great decision.

We had a PERFECT rain yesterday.  Rain started about 6:30 in the morning and ended about 3:00 in the afternoon.  The rain gauge filled to 2.1" and I am guessing ALL the water that fell on the lawn soaked in.  I will mowed today as we are supposed to get rain tomorrow again.

I am going to the Twins game tonight with a group of guys.  I hope we have good seats as the cost is $46. a ticket!  I am not complaining, just letting my blog know that today's baseball is a FAR cry from the $1 tickets one could get in the upper left field stands many years ago!  We are going to have our evening meal there too so perhaps I will throw another ten spot or more the way of the Twins.

Terry and I will have to do a bit of adjusting weather wise.  When I picked up the paper this morning off the driveway (just had to add that for 28 years we delivered the paper to everyones step) the temp was 45 and as I checked my phone it is currently 71 in Naples.  They say at game time tonight it is supposed to be WAY up to 67!  Maybe long pants are in order.

On Sunday afternoon I took my first trip to Menard, as that is my "go to place" in the summer.  I picked up six 2X8X8 treated boards as we will have another garden spot this summer.  I did drive past the compose place and they have a mountain of soil so will get some there after the plot is ready.  That may not be until the weekend as it looks like rain Wednesday and not sure about getting soil that is wet!  I am not worried as I am looking at projects what could take me into 2020 and with only a few months to work on them I am not short on things to do.  I should add that Terry left some tomato seeds for neighbor Bill last fall.  He said he would start them for her.  On Friday he came over with MANY great looking plants ready for the garden.  I am guessing, if they produce at all, we will have tomatoes to give away in the fall.  I am guessing those plants at the nursery would have cost north of $50.  I had them sitting out yesterday day and about early afternoon I realized they were in about an inch of water so took them in the garage.  They need warm soil soon!

I found out something about myself this morning.  For the past many months I had woken up with stiff muscles and soreness and of course I felt it was because I play tennis 5 or 6 times a week.  Well I have not played tennis for 10 days now and guess what?  I still wake up each morning with sore this and sore that.  I have come to the realization that it is just old age and I need to be thankful it is ONLY sore this and sore that!!!

I added another "battery" powered tool yesterday.  I ordered a blower/edger/weekwacker tool.  Now I would like my lawn mower to die so I could get a battery powered one.  Well I guess for the $350 it would cost I do not want the gas one to die!  Not sure what I would do IF I totally got rid of my gas powered things.  I am totally innocent of sniffing BUT I do like the aroma of gas powered tools.  Maybe it reminds me of the "good old days" when life was more simply and there were none of the "sore this and sore that" thing.

Our neighborhood is being transformed into something different.  A house across the street and 4 houses down was sold, gutted and remodeled and then sold for $650,000.  One street to the north and down about half a block a house is listed for $950,000.  Not sure what they did to that BUT houses around here are supposed to sell for $250,00-$400,000.  It probably means that my house is worth more than a dollar ninety-eight.  "For sure" it is not in those figures but really, what is happening?

As I sit here by the den window and look out I see kids going to school.  It reminds me that 12 years ago now I was looking at my last few days of teaching.  Oh my how times flies, how life changes and how one had better not stand still or the world will pass you by.


Enough for now.  I do not know if I will continue my "Every picture has a story" writing.  IF anybody reads my blog I may have become a champion in boring.  I did have breakfast and I finished my FP, ate my toast/bacon/egg sandwich so I should be ready to get going for the day.