I so prefer waking under my own power

Tuesday morning I was awakened abruptly by something not explained, but I will guess the painters or other workman made a big noise that disturbed my early morning sleep. All day I was out of whack, yawning during water aerobics even though I had tried going to back to bed to try to rest my eyes before going down. Today I was awake before 7:00 a.m., under my own power and my own idea to get up. That feels much much better than waking up with a jerk............

Here is a continuation of Wednesday's pressure washing team outside my patio doors on the third floor of my building, as taken from my river room. You can see how the apparatus is right against the tree. That reminds me, Judy R., remember when that raccoon was in the tree, the night we watched the space shuttle go up, with Chrissy and the scrapbooking ladies????

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Sunday afternoon and evening was spent poolside with Miss Chardonay who very excitedly reported showing property that afternoon to a friend of mine from church. I had spoken with this lady friend before she left and had not told me she was going to see a townhouse, but she was caught up in dismay about the new liturgy (didn't like it!) and the organ being too loud (no, it wasn't!). I had said, "Oh, I think you are having a bad day", so which she agreed and then left. So when Pat told me they looked at a condo, I was so surprised. The two ladies got into a spat about which of them was my best friend, and I am happy they did not ask me to settle it!

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As Pat and I wiled away the time poolside, Ellen and her daughter, Ashley Rose, came along with the dogs and sat with us. All three pets were on leashes and are smaller dogs so it was not an egregious violation of the rules. We sat and talked for a while when Ellen reported the advice from our downstairs neighbor that perhaps to help Ellen move on, she should move...WHAT? That is out of the question! Well, what Mo meant was to another unit in the building and I said, "Okay!" Pat, as a Realtor, was able to show the available units to give an idea of the other sizes and shapes, since they are all different. What fun! I saw one upstairs that was totally gutted and rebuilt with all sort of upgrades and such, and barely used after the renovation. It was someone's second home and they seldom came to use it. It was gorgeous!!!! We saw some lovely homes, floor plans, and great ideas. Even saw my upstairs' neighbors furnished and occupied home, which is equally gorgeous. The key thing is that all those other units were empty, making them all the more appealing than one crowded full of collections and "whimsy", as Ashley Rose describes her mom's home!

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We went to Pat's and enjoyed some time on her patio, with the nice summer breeze moving through her porch. Hers goes the length of the unit which is terrific. I can look down into patio/porch from my river room. After enjoying some refreshments there, we all moved up here to my house, since Ashley Rose had never been here. Ellen wanted her to see my colored glass and my whimsy pieces, which are nothing compared to hers. Normally I do not add my room to the tour because of the condition of my desk, but made an exception for these two ladies.

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As I was showing Ellen the needlework piece Lisa made for me, Ashley Rose was sniffling.....she caught sight of the long piece above my door to the river room with Timmy's hug in it. He had laid down and the teacher traced his arms outstretched. On it the teacher wrote: "Here's a hug from me to you. Wrap it around you when you feel blue. Love, Timmy", with the 'Timmy' being in his own penmanship. She just lost it. I told her that I loved that she loved it, and she came back with "I love that you have that!". I then showed them the photocopied version of the original hug which ReddiArts did, laminated, so I can actually wear it as a wrap whenever I want. Pass the Kleenex, please.

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By the way, Ashley Rose approved of my whimsy because it was organized whimsy, so I got a pass!