Saturday, May 24, 2003

Spring Cleaning

The Bug has hit me -- hard! I have spent this past week playing catch-up; i.e., Getting My Life In Order -- and have come up with a variety of areas in which a Big-time Cleaning is required!

I began with me ol' bod. On the advice of my good friend, M. (a stitcher), I have signed up for a thrice-weekly tone and tune-up at Curves for Women, which is just around the corner from my house. On Mondays and Wednesdays I'll pop in after work; on Fridays, in the a.m. -- after a 1.5 - 2 mile walk -- before I begin my Play Day. M's report of losing 1.5" on each upper arm was too good to pass up! I figure, at 50 (I'm a few years younger than M.), I need to ward off osteoporosis, tone up the arms, abs and butt (You don't wanna know the measurements, trust me!), and increase the energy level. So...here goes! In addition to being measured yesterday (at several very sensitive points!), I was weighed -- and sad, but true, need to whittle off at least 6 lb. (10 would be better). Next weigh-&-measure is June 23. Stay tuned!

Next, I hit the Safeway for a Rug Dr. for my icky carpets, sofa bed, love seat, and chairs. Five tanks of disgusting black water later, and there has been a vast improvement!! I should do this more often. For the price, it's like watching a small miracle take place.

No don't think that in the midst of all of this roaring productivity I've forgotten my hand work. DH has built me a nice little folder of pictures of some of my quilting and knitting efforts, and they will be available for viewing soon. I also visited Freckle's yesterday afternoon, and came away with a darling baby quilt kit (friends expecting first grandbaby in October) and a bouquet of fat 1/4s in navy, "celery" and cream for a table runner for a young couple being married in August. Oh, and the July (!) issue of The Quilter magazine. It's a relatively new publication (I think) and I find it great for layout, colour inspiration, and just plain joy in the craft.

Yesterday, too, the dear lawn care guy (LCG) was by and put the first of two applications of organic fertilizer on our lawns, front and back. (Next one will be late in the summer.) That meant that I had to run 'round last evening and turn on the water so I could water both this morning. (For those of you Down South, we shut the H2O off in the fall to keep pipes from freezing.)

On a sad note, DS' former drama teacher, StoryBook Theatre director, and early mentor died last weekend. 58. Completely unexpected. Heart. Took DS to the funeral yesterday afternoon...He reported that it was a lovely service, and he and several of his friends, all former students of Mr. S., had the opportunity to get up and speak about the man they loved and admired, and sought to emulate (DS enters university to study Drama/Education in the fall). So I close with an excerpt of a reading from the service, reminding us all of what is most important:


We search for truth, we search for love.
With open arms, we search above.
The time may come, we know not when.
But we may not pass this way again.

We laugh, we cry along the way.
We live, we die, we seek, we pray.
We fall in love, oh yes, my friend.
But we may not pass this way again.


-- Author Unknown


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