So this is Retirement?

Terry retired this past week, and we attended a small party in his honor on Monday evening.  It was nice to meet his co-workers and learn how much they admired him and were really sad about his leaving.

I have made sure that he doesn't get bored.

 

Here he is after assembling a big gazebo in the yard.  We have NO shade in this yard, and have been having an unusually hot spring.  I swear it went from 47 degrees to 84 overnight.  We don't like that here in the Pacific Northwest.  Yes, we put shorts and sandles on when it reaches 60, but 75 is the best.

We also bought this firepit for having outdoor weenie and smores roasts with friends.  I was pleased that Terry, a Husky fan, allowed this WSU Cougar pit in his yard.

 

The second day of retirement, we bought this truck.  We will be shopping for a camper in the future, and maybe we will come to visit you on our cross country forays!!!!

 

 

Here's another shot of the gazebo.  Terry is reading to me from the paper, which says yesterday was 87 degrees, making it the hottest big city along with Phoenix.  Thank goodness he installed the air conditioners last night.

Here is a shot of our little house.  It needs alot of work, and as you can see, I am busy digging up gardens and tearing out shrubs.



 I got this and three other boots at the Goodwill Outlet.  Is that a scream?  An Outlet for Goodwill?  You pay by the pound.  I got 4 unmatched boots for growing sedum in.  Me and my yard art.

So, things are going well here, and I'm busy as a bee and very happy.  I'm so glad I have gardens to work in again.

Starting Over

 

For those of you who don't see me on Facebook, the news is that I am getting married.  I've known Terry for almost nearly two years.  We have been on again, off again several times during that time.  As my friend, Phoebe said "You ran away and ran away until you caught him".  Well, yes.  I had alot to get through and wasn't ready to get married right away.  He was always there for me, and understood that I had issues I had to work out.

 

 

 

Now, here we are, ready to start a new life together.  This takes alot of work, and that is why I haven't had time to post here.  We will be heading off to Las Vegas the first week of June to tie the knot.  In the meantime, we have the two households to combine.  Terry has been alone for 6 years, and let's face it girls, the house needs some TLC.  We are going to move his stuff out,  move in the essentials from my place, then start the refurbishing.  This will be fun.  He has an adorable little house that has great potential.  Painting and new flooring are first on the list.  AND, he has a nice sized yard!!!  We want to turn it into an Urban Farm.  Who needs grass when you can have tomatoes and cabbages and beans, lettuce, squash and FLOWERS.  We've ordered a greenhouse.

This is how we met.  About 8 months after my husband died, I found myself longing for some intelligent, male companionship.  You know, coffee, lunch, talk.  My brother had met his new wife online, so he showed me the ropes.  I was NOT prepared for what I got.  Dating in your 60's is SCARY.  Maybe it is at any age, but I was far removed from that stage and was pretty overcome and overwhelmed by how many real CREEPS are out there.  Then I met Terry, yes, at an online site.  He said he was first attracted to me by the picture of me kissing one of my alpacas,, then by my pulcritude!  Look that one up on Wikipedia!!  I'm just glad to be over that stage and am ready to settle in for the rest of my life.  I was fortunate to find a gentleman who is kind, generous, and funny.  And, he sings to me and we dance in the kitchen.  Need I say more?

Another Week Flies By

 

It was another successful, but tiring, day at the Market.  I am seriously considering not doing it anymore.  I will build a website and do selected shows.  The set up and tear down is an absolute killer, and I am ready to drop when I get home.  Then I have to unload everything and put it in my storage room.  I think I need to accept my age and limitations and quit torturing myself.

This was my booth.  I had it set up more neatly and attractively, but the Market Manager came by and said I should change it to get more people in to try on hats.  I've never had a problem with that, but I gave it a try.  I don't think it was as welcoming.

These were my neighbors on the right.  Organic produce and beautiful flowers.  Very nice people.

And on the left we have the Crepe man.  Oh, my, I had to smell that all day.  I finally broke down and had the Spinach and goat cheese crepe, and it was Deeeelicious.

Cadel came to see me with his Dad.  I gave him that hat.  He seemed to like it.  Soft alpaca.  Kids love it.

Now, back to the homefront, here is a pillow I have been working on for my brother's birthday.  My mother always told us this when we were complaining about having nothing to do.

Then, this morning, I found this picture of me and Mr. Goodbar.  It was taken a few years and pounds ago.  A good incentive.

 

Since I am "thinking" of not doing the Market for awhile, I am going to concentrate on sewing and exercise.  I have so many projects waiting attention, and so many walks to go on.  As soon as this sinus infection is gone.  I'm finally on antibiotics and should be feeling better soon.

Discovering Ballard and Other Tales

We have had such a mild winter, and the days have been quite pleasant, perfect for getting out and exploring my new neighborhood.  My friend who lives across the hall from me in this "adult dormitory", met me at Miro Teas on Friday, and we had a great time.

I ordered a pot of Gingerine, which is, of all things, ginger and tangerine!  It was yummy, and enough for both of us to have two cups each.  The picture below is what happened when we added a bit of soy milk.

Still delicious.

 

This is the view from the corner table we sat at.  That is Ballard Avenue out there.  On Sundays, this street is blocked off for the Farmer's Market.  I'm not there today since I woke up with a nasty cold.  I know that is redundant.  Cold says it all.  Anyhow, I love to sit and watch all the activity outside.  I don't like going to restaurants or coffee shops alone, but I think I could enjoy this place by myself.  Their tea menu is a one inch thick three ring binder.  It will take me awhile to get through that.

Coffee just isn't cutting it for me lately.  Tea seems so much more. . . .civilized.

 

 

Meanwhile, I have been working on a needle felting project, a picture for my living room wall.  I seem to have a tree theme going on, so this will fit right in.

 

 

Now, yesterday I received a phone call from a producer of a Reality show, asking me to be at my friends' alpaca farm in Snohomish for the filming of a new Pilot.  I'm not sure about the details, I just know I high tailed it out there to help her out and to enjoy the fun.  I was part of a group of people who were supposedly attending an open house.  I was asked questions and voiced my opinions on things.  OMG me on camera~!  I'll let you know when I know more.



My Hamsta Gangsta Car

 This is my friend, the Rappin' Hamster at Kia Motors in North Seattle.  I love their commercials with the dancing hamsters, and have wanted a Kia Soul for a couple of years.  The sale of the farm finally went through, and my cars odometer was about to turn over the 200,000 mile mark, so I started doing my research and shopping for a new car.

 Wouldn't you just know the Soul won out!  I went in, planning on getting a nice racy red model, but the black one looked so sharp.  I feel really good about this purchase.  It makes me feel more settled.

 Here is a picture of my deck on the third floor, taken from my parking space below.  As you can see, living in an apartment in the city is not deterring me from having a garden.

And, I finally got started on the quilt for my niece, Rachael.  It's a wedding gift for the wedding that took place last May in Hawaii.  I was counting on getting snowed in for a week this winter, in Nooksack, in order for me to get it done.  That is usually when I am the most productive.  But, it has been an unusually mild winter, especially here in Ballard.  So, I had to bite the bullet and get started.  It's been difficult, because it took me three days to recover from working at the Pike Place Market on the day before and the day of Valentine's Day.  10 hour days on my feet on the cement with no breaks.  It was sooooooooooo much fun, but exhausting.  I'm still dreaming of gathering bouquets and wrapping them.  I walked into the grocery store and saw a display of them and almost ran away!!!  Oh, dear, am I not going to like tulips anymore?  Not a chance that will happen.

Oh, my Aching feet!

 I have been working the past couple days at the Pike Place Market it downtown Seattle, selling bouquets of tulips.  I have worked two half days, and today I work a full 8 hours.  I hope I can still walk when I leave there tonight.  It's tough on the old feet, but so much fun.

 There is a constant swarm of folks buying the tulips, and on Valentines day, we will have 9 people working the stall and 5 tents full of flowers.  WOW.

The owner of this endeavor, Alm Hill Gardens, has run this stall for 40 years at the Market.  They are the same people who own Growing Washington, the organic growers who leased my land at the farm.

Ironic that I move to Seattle and go to work for friends from Nooksack!

The tulips will be sold until April, and then the produce comes on and I will work for them at various neighborhood markets.

 We've been lucky, with two days of beautiful sunshine.

 Last week, I taught my niece, Erin, how to quilt.  First, we went shopping.  That was such fun.  She had to get herself a sewing machine, too.  Then we went to lunch.

I was so proud of Erin.  She completed a nine patch made with charms, quilted it and made it into a pillow in just two hours.

 

Blogger Meets Blogger

Yesterday was a great day at the Ballard Farmer's Market. 

To my surprise, I was greeted by a friendly woman, proclaiming herself to be Jean.

Jean.

????

Oh, JEAN!!!

I've been waiting to meet her!  She's another blogger who moved here from Nashville more than a year ago.  She was introduced to me through our blogs by Pat in Delaware!!!  This bloggerland is a small world.

Jean is tee-rific.  I sense a friendship coming on.

We pose here while she picks out a scarf to buy, and models the hat she has already purchased.

 

Things are a bit out of order here, but the below picture was taken at the farm last week.  Isn't it beautiful?  The sale of the farm has still not closed and I am getting very impatient.

 

 

Here is another building in Ballard that has been painted by Henry.  I will have to get a picture of the one right below my apartment.  Henry sure knows how to perk up a drab building wall.

 

I have been knitting and spinning like crazy, and below is a hat and a skein of yarn I made recently.

 

And here are some of my other yarns.