Gee, thanks! and other trivia (posted by Ann)

Trying to share your problems? Thanks loads, Sis! Let's see if I can come up with 7 things that meet your same criteria . . .

1) Even though I love food and cooking, I'm really not a fan of the most high-end, avant garde restaurants. I do get taken to them from time to time, and my favorite example of why I don't like it is an appetizer I was once served that was "inspired by boullaibaisse", and when served was - well, it was fish jello. Ick.

2) Don and I are planning to "retire a little" at 55, and take two years off. We'll go back to work after that, but I want us to enjoy life for a little while. That's seven years, seven months, and eight days from today (not that I'm counting or anything).

3) The perfect job for me would be running a bed and breakfast somewhere fabulous. Lots of people, and if you don't like them they aren't staying forever!

4) I don't like to shop. I like to buy, but I'm over the shopping thing in about an hour.

5) My stash of UFO's is really, really bad. I love the handwork part, but getting it framed or making it into a pillow isn't any fun, so I just don't do it. I actually have a pillow top I embroidered in high school that is still not a pillow. 30 years was not long enough for me to finish it . . .

6) I don't like chocolate chip cookies.

7) It's Robert Redford for me.

And Lani, I have to add to your list. This one you may not even know about yourself - Steve tells me that you are a "really good" writer, and since he is one himself he should know. I guess that's maybe not a secret, since everyone who reads this can tell which of us has that gift and which doesn't.

And now on to the trivia. I bought this orchid in bloom about a year ago, and once it was done blooming put it in my bathroom and tried not to kill it. Look at the picture - it's really happy there, don't you think?

It has this on one of the bloom stalks, which I think is another little orchid. Anyone know if I could cut it off and pot it?

Don has made great progress lately on the garage/airplane hanger. It has wiring, insulation, drywall and paint, and he's working on light fixtures and fans.

It is still missing the garage door and a few other odds and ends, but it's getting close to being finished. We are planning a trip down to Sebastian, Florida this summer to look at a Velocity and do a test flight. It's getting serious now, and I think this year we'll have an airplane and a half, or however you count the kit he'll buy to build.

The lilacs and the crabapples are blooming, and the peonies are up with all their little buds.

This week, I leave Tuesday night for Copenhagen, then off to Dusseldorf after that, to Paris for the weekend and a meeting Monday, then home again next Tuesday. I hate that it covers a weekend, but that's how the schedule worked. I guess another trip to the Musee d'Orsay will be a nice diversion, and maybe I can spend a little more time in the Louvre. I am also determined to go up the Eiffel Tower, since I didn't do that last time I was there, and this time it must be done. Must. Be. Done. Regardless of the line.