Holly Jolly Crafty Goodness

Since our tree is in Toledo, but our ornaments are in Savannah, I've been attempting to fill a very large tree rather creatively. These are my latest crafty efforts--premade plaster ornaments from JoAnns that I painted

Adventures in Dog-Sitting

We're puppy-sitting for Rich's co worker. She's 8 months--which means she's big enough not to look like a puppy, but still young enough to act like one. I had forgotten how much work having a puppy can be. This is particularly true when you live in an appartment. The apartment was spotlessly clean prior to the puppy's arrival and currently looks like I hadn't tried to clean in weeks. This would be a considerably easier task if we had a fenced in yard.
The puppy has so much energy, she makes Roslyn look calm--which is really saying something. She's also a barker--another trait I've never really had to deal with in any of my pets. She arrived with a basket of cute toys; Roz has managed to ruin just about all of them. On the plus side--the puppy is cute with lots of personality. Also, she's all Rich's after tonight.

Where does the Time Go?

I can't believe that I haven't written in nearly 2 months. Things have just been hectic, I guess. So for those who need to know, here's a recap
In October I had an interview and got to spend a fall weekend at home. I went apple picking with the whole family, which was a blast. At the end of the month, Maudy and Grumpy came to visit. We took in many of the great Savannah sites we hadn't yet seen as well as some great dining.
November. Well, I have no good excuse about where Novemeber went, except that it too flew by. I've been volunteering with the libraries and a local elementary school. I worked on three major school projects: a quilting catalog, a reclassification for the CD collection at the Library where I work, and a capstone project that was a larger bite than I should have taken. The capstone project was interesting, since I was comparing browsing habits of library and bookstore patrons, but it was also very time consuming since I had to follow patrons around and observe those habits. If I were smarter or lazier, I would have stuck to a literature review.
In my spare time, I've been following high school football play-off as Rich's road-trip attache. I'm not the biggest football fan, but I do like taking in the various corners of the state, including a pizza parlor featuring a shrine to Robert E. Lee.

The good news is, the projects are done. My hockey quilt is done. Christmas shopping is mostly done and I'm ready to go home for the holidays and relax. Now that I'm practically graduated, I shall have to resolve to keep up with this blog a bit more frequently.

3 a.m. Wake-Up Call

Rich and I had a somewhat frightening surprise this weekend. We walked Roz shortly going to bed around 2:00 a.m. It was a cool night and we smelled smoke. We smelled a wood fire and assumed someone had built a fire in their
fireplace. We thought nothing of it. As we were dozing off we heard sirens, and I commented that they seemed close. Some time after 3:30 Rich got up for water, he discovered no water pressure in our faucets and put it all together. He woke me and we discovered the building on the corner (across the street and down two units) was ablaze. We watched as black smoke and tall flames quickly consumed the building. All roads in the complex were blocked off. Thankfully no one was hurt. It could have been so much worse and we are extremely grateful it wasn't us.


As a side story, note the kid in the picture. I call him shoeless Joe. This kid walks around the appartment complex all day and never has shirt or shoes on!

Adventures of a Busy Saturday

What do an old house, barbecue and a concert have in common? Our last Saturday of course. After a few month of struggling to find something more important than football to enjoy on a lovely fall Saturday, Rich and I found ourselves triple booked for a change.

First, it was Smithsonian museum day. The Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace was available for tour free of charge. Although I had volunteered there, I'd never had the opportunity to explore the house. It was amazing and definitely worth the cost of admission (even on days when its not free). The home is very well preserved with incredible furnishings. The home has a lot of character. Unlike some museum homes, you can visualize a family living there. The history and family stories add to the charm. Of course there were less glamorous facets just glazed over, such as servants and Juliette's divorce. I think the glazing makes me want to do my own research and discover the unofficial tour information. Overall though, it really was worth the time.
Next, we attended the flying pig barbecue festival where Rich was a "celebrity guest judge." The carnivore had three servings of meat without having to pause for fillers like side dishes. He methodically and seriously approached his task. His professionalism attempted to mask his opinions. Yet I knew his "meat" face, the moment he tasted the winner, even if he tried to keep it in check. Luckily the rain managed to hold off until after we'd left.

Finally, we got back in Doug and were on the road. The Decemberists were playing in Athens and we drove 4 hours to be there. Along the way, we stopped to do some junking (I love antique stores!). We were greeted by many unusual sites including my dad's place-- "Grumpy's Restaurant," a manatee shaped mailbox that was probably as tall as me, and billboards advertising "Free Guns." Only in Georgia...The scenery was nice as the landscapes starts to roll as you head north. I've decided, if I have to live in an old home in Georgia, I want to be in some small town or in the middle of nowhere. In Savannah, no one has much of a yard.

About an hour out of Athens, the sky opened and buckets of rain drenched the route. Driving conditions were scary. We thought of pulling over at the next gas station, but since we were in the middle of nowhere that plan failed.
Thankfully we arrived in Athens in one piece, but then had the chore of finding parking. Who's bright idea was it to schedule a concert in a hall near the stadium while UGA was home and playing a 7:00 game? Seriously, one garage was charging $40. When we stopped for dinner, it was pouring outside. Yet Georgia fans, armed with bulldog red ponchos were joyously marching onward. Who are these people?

After all our trials, the concert was definitely worth the trip. The Decemberists are amazing. Their live performance and stage presence do not disappoint. I was impressed with the crowd they drew--there were many of the expected geeky-chic college students but also an assortment of middle-aged music lovers. They played The Hazards of Love from start to finish without a single pause. That takes talent and a really well-organized road crew. They then came back for a second set which found the crowd on their feet. They closed with an unexpected cover of Crazy on You which rocked.

The four hour drive back to Savannah was definitely not the highlight of the day, but all and all, not a bad way to spend a Saturday.