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Yesterday was a zoo day with the grands and an extra friend. I figured . . . an overcast Monday would mean a light afternoon crowd. My first indication that this wasn't to be was a glimpse of the overflow parking lots filled with cars. We still ended up in the main parking lot with parking attendants pointing the way to spaces that cars had vacated.
Perhaps Monday is always a busy day, or perhaps Fiona the now-not-so-little hippo has made the zoo a bigger attraction. We did see Fiona swimming with her mom, although her viewing area was crowded. Really crowded.
The joy of having a zoo pass is being able to do popcorn visits, spending a few hours then coming back another day. The train and the sea lion are the big attractions for us, and now Fiona of course. Everything else is just extra.
I tried out the blue soft serve, interesting for once but probably not to be repeated. Nora got a soft drink, Aaron a slushie, and the friend got cotton candy. The zoo snacks aren't crazy expensive, especially with the pass discount.
We admired the new building going up by their mom's work building, near the zoo. Very impressive.
Last night was Art After Hours at the local library. It's such a nice annual event, with artists, live music, flowers, and catered food. My friend Carrye and I were happy to be included, and this was our space, in the computer area.
So many people came and many stopped to chat or ask questions. Steph and Nora came, and Nora adored the roasted red-skinned potatoes, just plain, although there was a dipping sauce available. I liked the little wraps, wonderfully colorful with a light clear dressing.
Carrye and I had met earlier in the week to plan what we'd bring, and one of the set-up people made quick work of hanging our quilts. It was such an easy set up and tear down for us.
And now I feel a little inspired, a feeling that's been missing for me. First, though, I am off to the store for shelf paper. Son-in-law Mike came yesterday and Thursday to put the kitchen back together. There is a stove and a sink and a counter top. Since the drawers and shelves are empty, I want to wash them and put back new shelf paper before I load them up. The kitchen clutter in the dining room will need to wait just a bit.
The grands and I had a lovely time at Scene 75 in Milford. So many games, so many trips back and forth between favorites. Tickets won go on the game card, so there's no dragging them around. I like that. In the end, everyone was hungry after three hours of game playing and the grands decided to leave the tickets on the card for next time and add to them. Maybe fall break.
We had lunch across the street at KFC, two drumsticks for Nora and popcorn chicken for Aaron. They know what they like.
It was a good day. Being out with the grands felt like summer.
I've heard the saying to parents of youngsters that the days are long but the years are short. I wonder if that's not true throughout life.
I went to get my hair cut today and the stylist said that I'd last been there on February 28. February 28? How can this be? No wonder my hair had no shape and the ends were no good.
Today I went to the Hallmark store for cards and saw that the Christmas ornaments are on display. Another example of the year quickly going by.
And a reminder that summer is flying by and I haven't been on adventures with the grands. We'll go to Scene 75 on Wednesday. Games and go carts and hopefully lots of tickets for prizes. Yes, we definitely will enjoy that.
And here's the Beauty from the Beauty and the Beast plumbing. A lovely new sink and the pretty tile largely intact.
The sink has a top that reminds me of a vanity top in size but a vanity to accommodate a sink that size wouldn't fit in this bathroom. The sink is from a Retrospect plumbing line and I am so happy with it. Sarah and I spent half a day visiting different stores. This was the first one we saw. We could have just stopped there.
The really expensive part of the repair is the new PVC pipe in the basement, replacing the cast iron. I won't post a picture of that because it just looks like . . . PVC pipe.
Beauty and the Beast. Tomorrow you'll see a picture of the Beauty, but today, the Beast.
This is what my kitchen looks like. Base cabinet and stove pulled out and wall cut to access the bathroom plumbing. And so it will remain until next week.
It started out as a little home repair plumbing project and quickly grew out of control. I am grateful because now most of my cast iron pipes, all yucked up on the inside, are gone and replaced with PVC pipe that will surely outlast me and the next few owners.
And who knew that there is a plumbing store that stocks lots of older plumbing repair fixtures. With the new old piece, hopefully Friday's tub repair should be an easy one.
Although very few of the repairs in my older home have been easy.
My daughter Sarah visited last week and worked hard on my front yard garden. Lots and lots of weeding, then mulch. She even added topsoil in the raised beds that aren't visible here. Things look good, and I am so relieved.
An ER visit on the 4th of July showed that I had pneumonia, and I am feeling much better as the days go by.
This coming week should mean an end to the indoor plumbing problems in my house. Older houses = cast iron pipes, plus there was just some wear and tear. I'm wishing I had had the plumbing upgraded when I moved in, like the electrical upgrades, but I didn't realize that was a thing.
One thing I love in my house is the pretty 50's tile in the bathroom. My son-in-law is coming tomorrow to hopefully move the stove and base cabinet in the kitchen to allow plumbing access from the kitchen and save that bathroom tile. Fingers crossed.
