The Jelly Belly Factory

We had a terrific day. Anita, Nick, Samantha, and Justin arrived at our house right on time at 11:00am. Nicole decided not to go - too bad - she missed a good time and we missed her. Jim decided to stay home and work on taxes, but made us promise to bring him some licorice jelly beans. We went directly to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield and first had lunch. The food in the cantina there is barely edible and pricey, but for us, it was convenient. We probably should have done better planning and eaten elsewhere but we wanted to be certain everyone had at least some food before we became involved with the quantity of sugar that was to follow. The tours run about every half hour, so we didn't have to wait long once we had gotten in line. Wednesday was a good day to go - most of the schools are still in session, so it wasn't very crowded. There were a few elementary school field trips going on, but not the long lines we experienced last summer.

In order to go on the tour, everyone is issued a handsome Jelly Belly hat (see pictures below) - no one is allowed on the tour without one! Since it was a work day, we actually saw the jelly beans getting manufactured, flavored, finished and inspected and finally packaged. In addition to some amazing equipment and robotics, there were lots of mosaics done with Jelly Bellies. Ronald Reagan was the first mosaic made, followed by lots of others - Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Johnny Carson, Martin Luther King, Pope John, and many others. Each phase of the tour offered a different set of aromas - at first it was vanilla, later a tart aroma like sour ball candy. Other candies besides jelly beans are made at this factory - candy corn, gummy bears and worms and other jellies (the rat was the most disturbing). The Harry Potter jelly beans are made by Jelly Belly and feature some interesting flavors such as vomit, earwax, and rotten egg.
The tour took about 45 minutes to complete and at the end we were given samples of jelly beans and invited to shop in the gift shop. Quality control is a big deal at the Jelly Belly factory so any jelly beans that don't meet the precise standards of Jelly Belly are marketed as Belly Flops and can be purchased at huge discounts. The flavors are good - they may just be the wrong shape or have several stuck together. We really took advantage of the bargain! We spent about an hour in the gift shop - there's so many choices to make! It was a good time and I'm glad we could have that time together.

PICTURES OF THE DAY











Nick, Justin and Samantha having lunch before the tour.

Nick's hamburger and Samantha's pizza was jelly bean shaped - Justin's french fries were actually smiley faces.









Here's Anita looking pretty in pink. She looks like she's ready for spring!







Everywhere we looked there were easter decorations and signs of spring. There were giant easter baskets filled with jelly beans and other candies made in the factory.

Jelly Belly was waiting for a photo op at the end of the tour. Doesn't everyone look wonderful in their Jelly Belly hats!

Love to all,
Corrie and Jim


MzCorrie@comcast.net
jmcrhoads@comcast.net

Post Holiday Musings

The St. Patrick's Day party at the club was different - very tame - not like some Irish celebrations I've been to. There were lots of shamrocks and lots of green (and even a little gold) - but no drinking and fighting for which the Irish are known. We met Rose and LeRoy there - actually, they got there at 5pm with the plan to secure a table for all of us. Dinner was scheduled for 5:30 (planned around the idea that old folks eat early), but wasn't actually served until nearly 7. The food was good once we got it. While we were getting pretty hungry, we had time to get to know other people at our table. We had a good time and a clear head on Sunday! I know I promised pictures, but there really weren't many that are noteworthy. Jim wore his light-up leprechaun hat that he wore at his birthday party. That drew some comment and his picture will most likely end up in the Trilogy Tribune (our monthly resident's publication).

Sunday started out restful...then I decided to start our taxes. I hate doing taxes, even using a no-think program like Turbo Tax. No matter how organized I've been during the year, the situation is always the same - I can't find the info I need. This year I really worked at getting our files set up so I could find everything easily. In the past I just stuffed everything, all year, in a cardboard box. When it was tax time I took the box to the dining room table and sorted everything. It took the better part of a day. I took what I needed for taxes from the sort, filed a few things, and threw everything else away. Worked like a charm - easy, simple. Might resort to that for next year.

Grandson Marcus went off and got married on February 9...his new bride is Amanda. This was a surprise to the whole family. Amanda is a nice gal and they've been together since high school, so she's a welcome addition to our family. There's also a great-grandchild on the horizon. Marc is still reeling at the thought of being a grandfather at 44. He's pleased, but stunned. When he gets over the fact that yes, he is old enough, he'll love the idea. Don't have many details to share yet, but will after I talk to Marcus.

Jessica tossed me a curve - changed the dates on her visit to April 12-19th. so I had to rearrange a lot of other plans. Regardless of when she arrives, we'll be happy to see her and the kids. I wish they lived closer. I can't handle cold and don't do winters like New Hampshire has, so it means I don't see my daughter and grandchildren for months at a time. Sad. But, they'll be here in less than a month and I'm excited about that . I'd like to visit them late summer/early fall before the snow begins.

This awesome weather has kept us working outside on the yard. A few more refinements and the patio and patio enclosure will be like we planned. So far the flowers we planted are doing well. That severe freeze we had earlier this year might have killed the maple tree. We thought it was sheltered enough, but so far this year, it hasn't begun budding. We're praying over it daily... I'm going to give it a little root stimulant and see if that helps. The lemon tree survived nicely, and so did the orange tree - both are flowering like crazy. The orange tree went into shock and lost a lot of leaves, but a good feeding seems to have brought it back with vigor.

We have lots of family visits scheduled which is excellent. We love doing family get togethers, but it's also nice to have some one-on-one time, which is what we'll be doing the next couple of months. It's a great time of year for it.

Wednesday will be a fun day. I'm going to the Jelly Belly Factory with Anita and Marc's 4 kids. They're out of school for spring break and this is a good, something-fun-to-do activity. (Jim's already put in his order for licorice jelly beans .)

Sorry about the pictures, folks.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Here's a picture of a cathedral in Lemroy, Ireland. Since I don't have any rowdy party pictures to share, I thought I would share this one.

European churches are amazing.

Love to all,

Corrie and Jim

MzCorrie@comcast.net

jmcrhoads@comcast.net

Oh Holy Night or Faith and Begorrah!

In the McRhoads household St. Patrick's Day is a religious holiday. Let us celebrate appropriately. Pour yourself a Guiness and enjoy a little Irish humor.

Paddy was driving down the street in a sweat because he had an important meeting and couldn't find a parking place. Looking up to heaven he said, "Lord take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I will go to Mass every Sunday for the rest of me life and give up me Irish Whiskey!"Miraculously, a parking place appeared.Paddy looked up again and said, "Never mind, I found one."

Father Murphy walks into a pub in Donegal, and says to the first man he meets, "Do you want to go to heaven?"The man said, "I do, Father."The priest said, "Then stand over there against the wall."Then the priest asked the second man, "Do you want to go to heaven?""Certainly, Father," was the man's reply."Then stand over there against the wall," said the priest.Then Father Murphy walked up to O'Toole and said, "Do you want to go to heaven?"O'Toole said, "No, I don't Father."The priest said, "I don't believe this. You mean to tell me that when you die you don't want to go to heaven?"O'Toole said, "Oh, when I die, yes. I thought you were getting a group together to go right now."


Paddy was in New York .He was patiently waiting and watching the traffic cop on a busy street crossing. The cop stopped the flow of traffic and shouted, "Okay, pedestrians." Then he'd allow the traffic to pass.He'd done this several times, and Paddy still stood on the sidewalk.After the cop had shouted, "Pedestrians!" for the tenth time, Paddy went over to him and said, "Is it not about time ye let the Catholics across?"Gallagher opened the morning newspaper and was dumbfounded to read in the obituary column that he had died. He quickly phoned his best friend, Finney. "Did you see the paper?" asked Gallagher. "They say I died!!""Yes, I saw it!" replied Finney. "Where are ye callin' from?"


An Irish priest is driving down to New York and gets stopped for speeding inConnecticut. The state trooper smells alcohol on the priest's breath and then sees an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car."He says, "Sir, have you been drinking?""Just water," says the priest.The trooper says, "Then why do I smell wine?"The priest looks at the bottle and says, "Good Lord! He's done it again!"Walking into the bar, Mike said to Charlie the bartender, "Pour me a stiff one - just had another fight with the little woman.""Oh yeah?" said Charlie, "And how did this one end?""When it was over," Mike replied, "She came to me on her hands and knees."Really," said Charles, "Now that's a switch! What did she say?"She said, "Come out from under the bed, you little chicken."

Flynn staggered home very late after another evening with his drinking buddy, Paddy. He took off his shoes to avoid waking his wife, Mary. He tiptoed as quietly as he could toward the stairs leading to their upstairs bedroom, but misjudged the bottom step. As he caught himself by grabbing the banister, his body swung around and he landed heavily on his rump. A whiskey bottle in each back pocket broke and made the landing especially painful.Managing not to yell, Flynn sprung up, pulled down his pants, and looked in the hall mirror to see that his butt cheeks were cut and bleeding. He m anaged to quietly find a full box of Band-Aids and began puttin g a Band-Aid as best he could on each place he saw blood. He then hid the now almost empty Band-Aid box and shuffled and stumbled his way to bed.In the morning, Flynn woke up with searing pain in both his head and butt and Mary staring at him from across the room.She said, "You were drunk again last night weren't you?"Flynn said, "Why you say such a mean thing?""Well," Mary said, "it could be the open front door, it could be the broken glass at the bottom of the stairs, it could be the drops of blood trailing through the house, it could be your bloodshot eyes, but mostly.....it's all those Band-Aids stuck on the hall mirror.


Tomorrow we will be attending a St. Patrick's Day party at the club. There's no guarantee that there will be a blog publication on the 18th...we could be quite ill. I do, however, promise pictures of the celebration at some point.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

A little decoration for the front door.

Here's a close up of the leprechaun sleeping in our wreath.

Everyone needs a stained glass shamrock.






Love to all,
Corrie and Jim
MzCorrie@comcast.net
jmcrhoads@comcast.net

Three Years!

Three years ago today we met and our lives changed forever. So much has happened to both of us in three years. Looking back, I can hardly believe the things we have done in that brief period.

Three years ago Jim was retired and living in Modesto with Kathy, Becky and Sean. I was living in Oakley with two cats and working full time. We had connected up on Yahoo Personals and after many emails and some telephone conversations, we decided it was time to meet face to face. Jim suggested Orchard Restaurant in Tracy since it was about half-way between Oakley and Modesto. It was Sunday morning and there was a waiting list to get into Orchard - we tried Denny's nearby - same thing, so we ended up at Arby's. Fate has a way of directing us where we need to be, and Arby's was perfect. It was nearly empty, quiet, and we had a chance to talk. It was pretty much love at first sight and we made a date for St. Patrick's Day. And so it all began.

We celebrated as we usually do - lunch at Arby's. Now we're wishing we had picked a place with better food! We pretty much decided that next year we'll go to Arby's and have a diet coke and then go somewhere else to actually eat. After lunch we did some errands in Modesto since we were already half way there. We really celebrated and got Jim's car washed.

One of our errands was to get the Kirby vacuum cleaner repaired. You'd think for a piece of equipment that is that expensive and comes with a 'lifetime' guarantee, they would just about repair it for free - NOT! $125 later, we have our vacuum cleaner back. Not only that, we got the hard sell to trade up to a newer model for a mere $900. Ouch. No Thanks!

We bought some flowers for our patio, which is starting to look very nice. I'll take some pictures soon when the plants begin to mature. After the nursery trip we went to Verizon - We received a letter that said we were due for an upgrade on our phone - for a price, of course. Again, no thanks - we're good with what we have. Before we headed home, we stopped at Starbucks for an energy boost.

It was a long, wonderful day. We didn't get home until around 6:00, which was a long day since we left home around 11 am. Jim had done all the driving so I made chicken enchiladas with verde sauce for dinner...yum....the perfect ending to a lovely day.

Life has really changed for both of us in the past three years...thank goodness we found each other! I smile every day. :>)

PICTURES OF THE DAY

Every year, when we go to Arbys, we sit at the same table (like I said before - the place is not crowded) and I take a picture. Here's Jim in his spot in front of the window. We watched a bird gathering twigs from the tree. Also, there was a lizard sunning on one of the branches.

The two years previous I just took photos of Jim, but this year we took my photo as well.

Have you ever seen two happier looking people?



Love to all,
Corrie and Jim
MzCorrie@comcast.net
jmcrhoads@comcast.net

This and That

We had a really fun weekend with Becky. We had not really had any good one-on-one visiting time in a good long time, so this weekend was special. She got here around lunchtime on Saturday and the plan was to have tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches....I had agreed to make them. Thankfully we had a lot of bread and cheese, because I didn't think the griddle was heating enough and burned the first set of sandwiches :>( - things got better from there.

After lunch Jim and Becky went to the driving range and for a quickie tour around the golf course. After they got home and Jim started dinner (hey - remember I made lunch!), Becky and I worked on her resume. She's graduating in June and needs to start seeking out opportunities. She has a lot more experience than she thinks she has, along with some very good leadership skills. I hope potential employers see that.

Dinner was delicious and nothing got burned. We made home made ice cream (yum) and watched TV.

Sunday brunch at The Nines is a must do for visitors to our house, so we did that after a quick tour of downtown Rio Vista (that takes less than an hour!). After lunch we came home and visited a little while. It's a long drive back to Santa Cruz, and Becky had papers she still needed to work on for school, so she was on her way.

It was such a nice day we decided to drive into Antioch and get some flowers for the patio. Off we went to Target. We bought a few plants and found a bench cushion that matches our patio set perfectly.

With daylight savings time in effect, we had daylight longer, so we moved the patio furniture out of the living room (it's been there since before Christmas!) and started rearranging everything in the back. It's beginning to look pretty good, but still needs a little work. After my Kare Bears meeting today I'll plant the flowers. While I'm off at the meeting, Jim said he would get the flower pots filled and do some more rearranging. It's all enjoyable work.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

This is the t-shirt Becky gave Jim last year for Father's Day. While he wears it often on the golf course, he can't wear it while he watches Fox News because it gives him a political rash. He seems to be ok wearing it when he watches Real Time with Bill Mahr... :>) Don't you just love the expression on his face - he seems to be saying "I'm wearing this for my granddaughter."

Love to all,

Corrie and Jim

MzCorrie@comcast.net

jmcrhoads@comcast.net

The Wonders of Spring!

My seeds are sprouting! We have a few nastursiums coming up, some spinach, some lettuce, and even scallions breaking through. The daffodils are a couple of inches tall...it's like life is beginning - and I guess it is for all this stuff.

We've had such beautiful weather - 68 degrees, no wind. It's invigorating just to be outside. Sunday was gorgeous in San Francisco. I went over wearing a warm sweater, wondering when I left if that would be enough - it was almost too much. Jen and I had a terrific time. We saw most of Macy's - we took our time and saw nearly every floor. Ended up only buying underwear, but hey - it was fun looking. Had a yummy lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Honestly, the restaurants serve such huge portions, that there's no way dessert was possible...and here we were at the Cheesecake Factory...ahhhhhh. After Macy's we went on to Crate and Barrel and saw everything on all 3 floors! We walked on to Westfield Center where Bloomingdales and Nordstroms are and met Jason. We sat and visited for awhile and they went on their way and I headed home. BART is the only way to do San Francisco. My only problem is the distance from the parking lot to actually boarding the train - it's gotta be a quarter mile hike! One of these times I'll take my pedometer and clock it.

We've been in our house nearly a year - actually, it will be a year come April 3, so the builder is doing all the follow up work according to the one year warranty. We've had a few minor cracks from settling and a couple of tile that aren't level, but all in all, there isn't all that much. I've lived in new homes with some interesting 'mistakes' - like hot water in the toilet tanks! The plaster person was here yesterday and today we should have the painter here. Shea builds a pretty good home - quality work and materials.

We had dental appointments yesterday - hate it. At least neither of us had any cavities and we're cleaned up for another 6 months...and we have new toothbrushes :>).

This weekend Becky and Kathy will visit. We're looking forward to having some quality time with Becky - we haven't seen her to really visit for quite some time. We have some fun things planned. Jim and I really look forward to visits from our family.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Our kitties are wonderful companions for each other - that's why we have two. Cats are really social beings (honest - they are!) and one alone gets very lonely. I love this picture. It says so much about having a buddy to snuggle with.

Love to all,

Corrie and Jim

MzCorrie@comcast.net

jmcrhoads@comcast.net

A Ray of Sunshine

It's so nice to see the sun (even if it's just for a short period of time) after several days of clouds and rain. I'm not complaining about the rain - we've had precious little this winter, but gray days are depressing.

We've made the best of it - Sunday we went to the wonderful brunch at Nines. We had not done anything with Rose and LeRoy for awhile and it was good to get together and catch up. After brunch we went to the BX at Travis. I'm always impressed by the prices. A Cuisinart soft serve ice cream maker that was on sale at Penney's for $99 was only $37 at the BX - and there's no sales tax! We'll definitely go there when I am ready to buy my next computer.

Today we're going into Fairfield for a doctor consultation for Jim. He's not ill, just getting a checkup. Our primary care physician is very thorough and anytime there's any question about anything, it's off to the specialist. Thanks goodness we have excellent medical coverage. We'll probably go to The Great Wall for a yummy Chinese lunch. We usually go there when we're in Fairfield.

Jen gave me Jason's web page info and I'm going to attempt to link it here. In the event it doesn't work, the web address is www.jasondryg.com. It's worth checking out - he has some cool art on there and links to some other cool artists pages. It's good to see his talent developing in such a mature way. Looking good, Jason!

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Here are some pictures from our wedding reception -

I can't believe everyone was sitting outside when the temperature that day was 116 degrees - no kidding, it actually was! Everyone was outside to listen to the bagpiper. We were miserable, but that poor guy was suffering.

Here's a good picture of Michael.

Here's me showing off our cake. Those roses were just about the prettiest pink I have seen.

Love to all,

Corrie and Jim

MzCorrie@comcast.net

jmcrhoads@comcast.net

Hail

We haven't had much of a winter in Rio Vista. We had about a week or two when the nightly temperatures dropped to 20 degrees, but mostly, the lows stayed in the 30s. We haven't had much rain, or even much in the way of foggy days. Yesterday, however, was the exception...we had real hail - enough to frost the sidewalk. It didn't last very long, but it scared the cats. By the time I got the camera, most of it had melted. Here's a picture of what was still there. I took this through the window screen so it looks a little strange.

Today it's mostly sunny, perfect sweater weather...one day hail, next day spring - go figure.

Today, the Bay Area had an earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter. Apparently it was centered on the Hayward fault. One of the things that appealed to us about Rio Vista is that is not near a fault line nor in a flood zone...even though we are near the river.

Jim's devised a method to hang our flower baskets, so that has become tomorrow's project, unless it rains. Even though it was a little chilly today, he managed to get to the driving range for a little while. Molly Maids are here cleaning so I think he really wanted to escape. The cleaning will be a once a month process. We manage to keep the place picked up and fairly clean, but the deep cleaning is a little tough on us old birds...hips and knees don't cooperate all that much.

PICTURES OF THE DAY

Today I went through some of our old photos from our wedding reception and from our cruise last year to Mexico. Looking back, I think it's time to plan another cruise. Every time we go we have a great time and meet some neat people. As soon as I get the pictures scanned in, I'll share. These were from the cruise - Dessert Night - and the desserts were just as awesome as they look here. Can you imagine being talented enough to create these amazing concoctions.!

The person in the tan sweater is Jim walking away with a loaded plate and the chef's expression is "are you really going to eat all that" ! and he did!

Love to all,

Corrie and Jim

MzCorrie@comcast.net

jmcrhoads@comcast.net

Karaoke

Last night we decided we would go out to an early dinner, and since we had not had Mexican food for some time, we decided that Maria's in town would be the spot...well, best laid plans, etc...Maria's was closed.



The Nines restaurant here in Trilogy serves dinner and does a terrific early bird special (excellent prices, good food and service) so we decided that would be a satisfactory substitute. As it turns out, it was an excellent choice - it was Karaoke night. We ran into some old friends there (old meaning not quite a year yet:>)) and got to hear them sing. As with any fair sized group, some singers are good, some singers should maybe see a throat doctor, but all in all, it was a very fun evening. The Nines does this once or twice a month, so we need to check the calendar for the next one. After all the singers were finished, the DJ played a few songs for those who wanted to dance.



Jim's off playing golf today even though it's getting cloudy and looks like rain. It's a little chilly outside as well. It's not a good gardening day, but it is a good day to start sorting through stuff to do taxes. As much as I hate that process, procrastination doesn't make it get easier.



We have two grandchildren birthdays to celebrate this week - Becky (25) and Marcus (22). There's nothing like having grandchildren who are drinking age to make you feel like an antique. We love them even when they make us feel old. :>)


PICTURE OF THE DAY


Although this picture has nothing to do with our family, it's one that touched me. It made me think how much gentler the world would be if every parent, everywhere, took the time to teach their children to pray. This picture says so much.


Love to all,
Corrie and Jim
MzCorrie@comcast.net
jmcrhoads@comcast.net

Delta Breeze or Rio Vista Hurricane

Gusts to 25 miles per hour. That'll mess up your hair pretty quick...even blow your hat away.


Annabelle was outside, begging to get in. Usually she can't wait for the door to open and she's out like a shot, but today she wants no part of it....too windy. We had planned to finish our hanging baskets and get them hung, but that will have to wait...too windy. We had also planned to go to the driving range this afternoon, and unless the wind dies down, we probably won't go.


It's not like there's nothing to do...we can go swimming at the indoor pool, walk the indoor track, work out on the equipment we have in our garage, go to the Trilogy library and bring home some interesting books...have lunch at the club. There's a long list of things to do if we choose. Doing nothing is a choice also, which I may choose to do today. Most days we have some kind of commitment - today, none. We have 3 Netflix movies - maybe I'll watch all three today. . . I have a painting I started weeks before Christmas... maybe I'll work on that. Maybe not. If I sit here long enough, I will have made a choice.


Picture(s) of the Day

These are pictures taken from our garden last year. We get some very interesting insects visiting our plants...this dragonfly was the most beautiful green with very lacy wings. She was on the cucumber plant that we grew on the trellis...check out the cucumber just behind her.:>)



The colors on the petunias were rich and vibrant and the plants lasted all summer, into the fall. We trimmed them back twice and they kept producing these gorgeous flowers.



We moved the rose trees from Modesto (with the help of Mike and Bev) in large pots and were concerned that they may not survivie - here's one of the beautiful blooms. During the winter the roses took something of a beating from the sub-freezing temperatures we had, but we think they've survived. We had the gardner plant them in the ground a few weeks ago and so far they look ok.


Marigolds are one of Jim's favorites. These did well last year. We've planted some seeds this year and are hoping for this much success.

Maybe tomorrow the wind will have died down and we can work outside.





Love to all,
Corrie and Jim
MzCorrie@comcast.net
jmcrhoads@comcast.net

Fosters

Not the Fosters that has hamburgers and soft serve ice cream cones, but the Fosters that has BIG horns. In Rio Vista there's a restaurant/bar called Fosters Bighorn which is a local landmark and unusual attraction. From the outside it didn't look much like a place that Jim and I would go, but we had heard about it from other folks and decided to go.

Fosters Bighorn was established in Rio Vista in 1931 by a bootlegger and great white hunter called Bill Foster (actually, he was Bill Frates who changed his name to Foster to evade the law). He was living in Alameda and Earl Warren was after him, so he came up river to Rio Vista to hide out. Bill was actually from Hayward and became interested in big game by working with Henry Snow, the first African hunter to show movies of African wildlife in the US in 1918 (in addition to his bootlegging). Bill was so fascinated by African wildlife that he decided to go on a safari, which was the first of many.

Today there are over 300 wildlife trophy heads in Fosters - one of the most amazing collections and some of the most unusual - giraffe, elephant, rhino, hippo, monkey - The elephant head is the largest mammal trophy in any collection in existence. The giraffe trophy is one of less than a dozen in the world. Supposedly, Bill shot 95% of the animals himself. He travelled with a taxidermist to make sure all the game was meticulously preserved.

The restaurant has a decent, but limited menu if you can get yourself past being watched :>). Sitting there it seems all eyes are on you - all 600 of them. Having dinner was definitely an interesting experience. Animal rights activists probably shouldn't go.

Jim and Marc are playing golf . They've been planning this for some time, and thankfully, the rain has held back. While they're gone I'll do a little house tidying and laundry. We have a cleaning service coming in on Friday. Since Jim's been ignoring his share of the chores - he'll be buying :>).

Yesterday we bought more potting soil and a trellis for some snap peas I want to plant. We grew them a couple of years ago and the pods were great in salads. We also figured out how we're going to hang the flower baskets so we'll probably get that done Monday if it doesn't rain.

Not much else is going on today - just another lazy Sunday in paradise.

PICTURE(S) OF THE DAY

Here's some pictures from Fosters. These don't come close to showing the whole collection of animal heads in the place. I was torn between being fascinated by the enormity of the collection and horrified at the number of animals who were killed to create this.

These are just a few pictures as you enter the bar. The dining room has the elephant, giraffe, rhino, hippo and so, so many others.

Love to all,

Corrie and Jim

MzCorrie@comcast.net

jmcrhoads@comcast.net

Got a lot done

Yesterday was a beautiful, warm day in Rio Vista...temperature got up to around 68. Jim played golf and I got to work in the garden to my heart's content. At the end of the day Jim and I even relaxed in our patio room for the first time. As the evening turned shadowy the tree frogs became vocal - we heard lots of "ribbets" so we probably have a pretty hearty population of the little critters. Both cats were out looking around for frogs and bugs and chewing on the shrubbery. Better the shrubbery than my houseplants! In the winter the patio room was a sheltered spot for visiting smokers, but this is the first time we actually sat out there....pretty nice!


Can't believe the lettuce seeds that I planted a few days ago have already begun to sprout. We'll be eating salads in no time. Last year we grew a cucumber plant on a trellis and had some great cucumbers, so I planted some seeds again this year. Also planted scallions, radishes, and marigolds and transplanted the sweetpea plant we bought. The hanging baskets are ready to plant. They've been soaked in fertilizer water so the soil is soft and moist. We bought purple vinca for the baskets, but haven't planted them yet. First we need to decide on how we're going to hang them. The garden should be in full production by mid-April when Jessica and kids visit.

Yesterday when I was turning over the soil in the planter boxes, I was pleased and surprised to see as many earthworms as I saw. The plants will love that.

Today we're going to see if we can figure out the best way to hang our baskets, taking into consideration the "delta breeze" that howls through here during the summer. We have a sweet little hummingbird feeder that Phyllis and Jack gave us for Christmas that we haven't hung yet because we need to put it in a protected spot, yet accessible to the hummers. The feeder is glass and will shatter if it gets blown down.

We should have the yard in pretty good shape in a couple or three more weeks if the weather holds. We need to sell one table and chairs before we can move our loveseat and chairs to the back. Right now they're in the living room, and while they look ok there, they're really patio furniture.

PICTURE(S) OF THE DAY

In keeping with sharing pictures that we have enjoyed, here are some more...These were scanned from Christmas cards we received.




Here's Jeremy (age 9), Makenzie (age 7) and Elizabeth (2-1/2) Autumn in New Hampshire is really beautiful and makes a great setting for a photo.








Mike, Mikey, and Bev. Cool uniform! I wonder how the team did.











Emily, Jim Jr., Terri, and Molly - looking very festive!





Pretty soon we'll be caught up with the holiday pictures and will move on to more seasonal stuff.

Love to all,
Corrie and Jim
MzCorrie@comcast.net
jmcrhoads@comcast.net

New plants, sprouting seeds

Spring is definitely announcing her early arrival. We have new growth everywhere...the lemon tree is blooming vigorously, the Japanese maple trees are budding, daffodils are poking their heads up and the peonies corms are nudging through the soil. Every day is an adventure of burdgeoning life.

Yesterday we drove Kathy to Stockton for a check on her new dentures and then took her on home to Modesto. The dentist adjusted the dentures so they're a little more comfortable - one of several adjustments over the next few weeks - until they fit as perfectly to her mouth as possible. It's good to see her smiling and talking a little better.

We then drove on to my favorite nursery, Hischier's, and bought a few things. We bought some vinca to begin planting our hanging baskets and a bushy sweetpea plant that is about a foot tall and should begin producing long before the seeds I planted. We also bought some seeds -cucumber, radish, marigold, scallions. If all goes well, we'll have salad makings all summer long. In Modesto our container salad garden did so well we didn't buy lettuce or spinach for several months. Last year we moved in here too late to get the garden going. By the time we had managed to get the house unpacked and ready to think about the yard, we were near the end of spring and almost into summer :>) - besides, we had a lot of exploring to do!

Jim's playing golf today with LeRoy and again on Sunday with Marc. Even though the winter has been relatively mild, it's still been a little cold and damp for golf...at least for Jim who doesn't do cold and damp.

I have a lot of pictures I would like to share, so until I run out, I'll run "Pictures of the Day."

PICTURE(S) OF THE DAY

Even though Christmas is long past, here are some pictures that are special to me...Samantha, Justin, Nicole and Nick building our Christmas tree. That was a real project - and here is a picture of the finished product. They did a terrific job - can't wait til Christmas this year! Here's also a picture of our Christmas Village - we plan to add to and expand it each year. It was fun to build.

This picture is special because it was Jim's birthday and the first time in awhile that we've had both Becky and Mandy here with us at the same time. I think it's the only photo I have of the four of us together, which in itself makes this photo special.

Love to all,

Corrie and Jim

MzCorrie@comcast.net

jmcrhoads@comcast.net

The sun is out and life is good

It's a gorgeous day outside - the kind of day that says "come on out and play," and I think I will do just that a little later when it gets just a little warmer.



We had a fun Valentines Day - Jim, Kathy, and I went to lunch at Gold Chopsticks, and then off to do a little shopping. We ended up just buying some essentials - nothing especially fun. Jim and I went to dinner at The Point with Leroy and Rose. We always enjoy them and the food at The Point is generally good. The view overlooking the Sacramento River is really pretty at night.

Today Kathy goes back to the dentist for a recheck, and if all is well, then on home to Modesto. She's doing quite well with the dentures, but they will need a little adjustment, as will she in getting accustomed to wearing them. Already she's talking a lot better and getting better control of them.

Haven't heard from Jessica and David. I hope they were able to get out of New Hampshire. What horrible timing for a snow storm to come through - can you imagine, getting snow shoes for Christmas, and having no snow, and then hours before you're about to leave town for Hawaii, a darned blizzard descends! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for them - They've had subzero weather for weeks and could use some serious thawing out.

I think I'll go with Jim and Kathy to the dentist follow-up appointment today. If we take her home to Modesto, I would like to go to my favorite nursery there - Hischier's - it's one of the best nurseries I've found and one of the things I did enjoy about Modesto. I want to get some petunias and marigolds and get them started early. They'll flower until fall if we keep trimming them back a little. I want to get our hanging baskets planted as well. Can you tell I get spring fever bad! A little ray of sun and I go nuts. I feel like I'm crawling out of winter hibernation. I know we'll have some rainey, cold days, but more and more now, we'll have sun. I can't wait to use our new patio room.

Next rainey day I have to start doing our taxes, but not today. :>)

Love to all,
Corrie and Jim
MzCorrie@comcast.net
jmcrhoads@comcast.net

Ain't Love Grand

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE

This seems an appropriate picture to wish everyone a happy valentine's day.

Go have a good snuggle with someone you love. Some roses and chocolates will make the snuggling even sweeter. (Bustopher and Annabelle prefer eating the roses).

Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and we have some snuggling of our own to do, we won't be posting.

Much love to all of you - remember it's bad karma to take pot shots at cupid :>) even if he does seem like a little freak.

Corrie and Jim
MzCorrie@comcast.net
jmcrhoads@comcast.net

Take a look at her now!

Doesn't she look wonderful! What a long haul this has been. We began the dental project in August of last year, and actually thought at that time that everything would be finished before Thanksgiving...well, best laid plans often go awry. A lot of the work was more intense and painful than expected and as such, the dentist chose to go a little slower. We had hoped to have the work completed by December so it would be done for Christmas.... again, complications. We had thought it would be finished two weeks ago, but yet another complication.

All the discomfort and delays that Kathy has experienced have been handled with maturity and grace. The reward for her commitment is a beautiful end result. I hope everyone will take a moment to share her success.

Happy Valentine's Day

It has been two months since my last post. Wow - before Christmas. It's been a busy time, especially as we got closer to Christmas and the Christmas Eve party. This was one of our better Christmas Eves. More and more as our two families get to visit at various functions, they seem to relax and enjoy each other's company. I think having the great room contributes a lot to that since there's really no place to go. :>)

We had an enjoyable New Year's Eve - Rose and LeRoy came for dinner. After dinner we watched a movie and at midnight fired off a bunch of party crackers - what a mess we had to clean up the next day.

We had to postpone the birthday party on the 21st for Jim because of his heart incident. He's taking different medication now, so hopefully we won't have any more scares like that one. The party we finally had on the 28th was a lot of fun. We missed Jen and Jason and Anita and Marc's kids, but it was good that Marc came. Jim had a great time and loved getting all the neat gifts. I video taped a lot of the party and am still putting the finishing touches on the edit.

We've been busy with so many things - every day seems to have some project going on. Kathy's dental work is about to be completed, hopefully tomorrow. This has been a long, long haul for all. Looking back, her first appointment was in August of last year. Initially we thought it would only take a couple of months. Tomorrow she should get her dentures and I promise to post a picture on the blog.

It's beginning to feel a lot like spring, so true to form, I planted some stuff... spinach, lettuce, nasturciums, zinnias, sweetpeas, morning glories. I started some tomatoes and peppers in peat pots. It's the first time I've used peat pots, so it will be interesting to see how this works. I want to plant some marigolds and petunias and some kind of pretty hanging flowers for our hanging baskets. We had the gardner transplant the rose trees into the ground, so hopefully, they will do well. They struggled last year in the pots and really need a place to let their roots wander.

We'll be having dinner at The Point with Rose and LeRoy for Valentine's Day, then home to share a bottle of champagne. Every year since Jim and I have been together he has given me roses on Valentines Day and every year Bustopher attempts to eat them. I usually end up giving him a rose of his own. This year we have Annabelle as well and she's a BIG house plant muncher - If I get roses this year I may have to lock them away from the kitties.

I've not been very good about maintaining the blog lately, and I won't make any sweeping promises for the future, but check back now and then - perhaps there will be an update.

Love to all,
Corrie and Jim

MzCorrie@comcast.net
jmcrhoads@comcast.net