BUSY TIMES!

OR WHAT DO YOU FIND TO DO NOW THAT YOU ARE RETIRED? ISN'T IT BORING?Ummm, noooooo. It has been a busy time here in My Little Corner of the World. Where do I start?

I am now the coordinator for our new Neighborhood Watch. You have seen the pictures from the formation of our Train Station Preservation group. Pat calls me the assistant station master. He, of course, is station master. Works for me! Last week I set up another blog just about the station, and Pat did a website. Check us out at http://onley-spots.blogspot.com/.

And then I have gotten involved in the local political stuff on a number of different levels. VA elects a governor this year along with the local Delegates and attorney general. So, I have been going and listening to what they all have to say. My neighbor is great about driving me to things. The best part was I got to see one of my former students, Senator Ralph Northam. He was a great kid and is a wonderful man. Ralph is also a pediatric neurologist. I just can't say enough good things about him. This is Creigh Deeds, a candidate for governor, and my neighbor's grandson.

And in the middle of it all, I had a new roof put on. That was an experience. I have had so many friends have terrible experiences using local "contractors" and I have had several bad experiences with local workers... I needed to have a contractor with a guarantee and not someone who ripped off half my roof, covered it with a tarp and disappeared for 3 weeks. So, I went thru Lowe's. A work crew showed up one day and were finished the next. Usually, there were 6 guys on the roof at one time. It was amazing how fast and well they worked.

I admit, none of them spoke more than a few words of English, but the job was done in what I consider record time, and there was never any time except for their lunch break when they were all just standing around doing nothing. Another thing impressed me - they were actually able to work without a boom box blasting away some where. Their boss was a lady from Brazil.

And it has been HOT! I have been lucky to get the grass cut before it gets too high, but the weeding... well, that is another story. With a bad back, bad knees, and Lyme's disease, weeding is more than a boring chore. It is a major job. BUT - it was 65 degrees yesterday at dawn so and I headed outside as soon as I hit 'send' on my Sunday newsletter I have been doing for over 10 years. I covered my turn around area with mostly grass and a few weeds. You can barely see the concrete under the stuff I pulled! That's 12 feet by 8 feet of grass and weeds thrown out there to dry. It's easier than shaking the dirt off... I will rake the dry stuff up in a couple of days, put it on the compost pile, sweep the dirt back up into the yard. Like the roof story, I have had a man promise me he was coming to do this for about 2 months. He speaks English.The Dusty Millers on the right had been completely buried in tall grass and weeds. But I do have one easy job... I am babysitting... my neighbors have gone to Maine (envy, envy) for a couple of weeks and so they entrusted me with their plants. Is this a magnificent fern or what? That is a 4 foot wind chime.

Tha garden is still producing beans, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes. C'mon by, I have plenty to share!