Down a Size

This Weight Watchers thing must be working, because I am a size smaller than I was two months ago. Woohoo!

Katherine and I had a nice lunch at Catfish Annie's yesterday. I had a lobster roll, which was delicious. It's the first time I've had one that it was made the right way, with big chunks of lobster meat. Katherine had calamari.

We talked about general things. Things are going okay regarding the wedding but she has to coordinate with her father to put a down payment on the restaurant. Her gown is already in, a year early!

After lunch we went to Macy's, where I bought two tops and two pairs of pants for my trip. It was so nice to put on smaller things! Afterwards, we went to a chocolate shop in Huntington. Katherine got a caramel apple. I got some candy corn and a candle. Also some lemon soda body wash on clearance for a Christmas gift. Katherine told me she wants to give her guests caramel apples as wedding gifts! I think that is an awesome idea.

Mike and I leave for Ohio tomorrow. It is the first time we're going without kids!

Sleepy Guy

Here is Rocky taking one of his 20-hour naps. He doesn't look like the little Escape Artist who spent a week living under a washing machine, does he?

Compliment

It isn't very often that Mike compliments me without me fishing for it. I think it's just taken for granted that he likes certain things about me. But it's really nice to hear it. Today, without me asking, just out of the blue, he turns to me and says, "you know, I really like this haircut on you." Then he says later, "I don't know what it is. Maybe it's because you lost weight or you're in a good mood but you're looking really good these days."
Ha, ha, maybe this diet really IS working, despite the fact I've hit a plateau around the same 10 pounds. 

Rocky the Ferret is FOUND!!!

Can you believe it??? 9 days after he vanished, I found him. I was right--he was in the laundry room the whole time. But he hadn't gone behind the wall. He was hiding under the washing machine!

I was about to do a wash this morning when I heard him inside there. I guess there must be a big space between the 'box' of the machine and the barrel inside.

He came out with a very wet nose but no worse for the wear. I thought he'd be weak and skinny, but he's FAT. Mike thinks he must have been hoarding food in there for a long time.

So he is safe back inside his cage, where he is going to stay for a while. He's had enough adventures.

I would call it a bit of a miracle, wouldn't you?

Brother Michael

I forgot to post this a few days ago: September 3 marked the 40th anniversary of when we lost my brother, Michael. Hope you're rockin' with Patrick up there, Michael!

Cemetery

Mike and I took a ride out East today (Labor Day) and paid a visit to our dads' graves. It took a bit to find my father's, since the section was not clearly marked. I cleaned the weeds up a bit around it. It's a brass plate flat on the ground.
In the newer sections, there are marble headstones that stand up. This is what Mike and Marta have. Mike Sr. died in 2002 and Marta in 2005. It was a beautiful day, and we stopped at a diner for lunch afterwards.

Saturday night we went to Patty's and Marks for burgers and franks. It was an informal, pleasurable evening. I had my haircut there on Friday, with pizza after. So, between that and work, there hasn't been a lot of  'do nothing' time. I told Mike I hope there is NOTHING going on next weekend.

I also have to accept that Rocky the Ferret is gone. I haven't seen him in over a week. Did he sneak out the garage door early in the morning when Mike was doing things around the time of the hurricane? I don't know, but he's not here. I think he would have come out of the wall by now if he was there. I still think I heard him, but maybe it was something that sounded very like him.

 

Some places boarded up their windows against 100+ MPH winds.

 

Downed wires were a big problem. There was a firetruck across the street from this one, near the Northport Library. The area was cordoned off. I have a film of flames shooting out of this. A day later, when we drove by again, you could see where the ground was scorched.

Today, five days after Irene hit, many people (including my daughter!) still don't have power. There is a HUGE tree down around the block from me that took out some wires. Once again, I say I am very lucky to have gotten power after only 14 hours! 

Rocky is missing

Rocky, my ferret, sometimes sleeps in the closet downstairs.  He was in there the night before the hurricane. I have not seen him since. 

I have put out food for him because sometimes he hides in the garage if he can get in there. But he hasn't eaten any of it. I'm afraid the door was open and he got out. I've checked around the outside and under the deck.

But I'm more certain he's inside the walls somewhere. There's a hole behind an old sink in the laundry room. I swear I have heard him snoring in there. He has a very distinctive snore! But he has not yet come out. I heard him for a brief time yesterday, too. I even pulled some of the paneling away from that hole so he has a way to get out. 

Mike thinks he might be coming out at night, but I just don't know. Ferrets do sleep 20+ hours a day. But he has never gone AWOL this long! I don't even want to think he got out in the storm and a dog or  raccoon got him. Not that he wouldn't put up a fight!