Flowers Everywhere!

The flowers are really in bloom of late. That's what makes the yard work worthwhile. We really like having cut flowers around the house. This (see blog picture to the right) is our first vase of roses in some time. The wind has been taking its toll on many of our plants. If it doesn't get too hot, June should be a good month for flowers. I've still got some more planting to do, but I don't know if I can get to it before next week. Tomorrow we will be attending Kristy's high school graduation in Fairfield and on Saturday we're going to be with Paul Carter for the Daylor High School annual picnic. We are looking forward to both events.

Yard Work

Today was pretty much devoted to matters pertaining to the lawn. Reuben came by to do the weekly mowing and afterwards we went through the entire sprinkler system to check each sprinkler head to determine if any needs replacing. We are going to replace, or repair, six heads. Reuben will be coming back next Tuesday to complete the job. During the interim I plan to get some additional plants to replace the ones that didn't survive the winter months. We should have the yard looking decent by my birthday - about three weeks away.

Good Candy Treat

The grand kids discovered one of our favorite Friday Night at the Movies snacks this weekend. It's Mike and Ike's fruit candies. They're real tasty little treats that have just the right amount of sugar to provide a not too sweet taste. I'm not sure if they are available everywhere, but in Elk Grove they are available at Raley's. I find them on sale once in awhile, at a cost of a dollar a box. If you like fruit candies, that aren't real sour and not too sweet, you will most likely enjoy Mike and Ikes. And if our grand kids are any indication, they appeal to all ages. The Mike and Ike box is shown to the right of the blog.

Scan of Laguna House

I found a picture that I decided to scan, mainly because I have very few pictures of our first house in the Elk Grove/Laguna area. We bought the house when Laguna was first being developed, much to the dismay of the residents of what use to be a relatively rural city - Elk Grove. Laguna changed the landscape of Elk Grove in an irretrievable way.

We only lived in our Laguna house for about two years. There were quite a few upgrades made to the exterior of the house during that short time. That is probably why it sold quickly and also why my wife, Nancy, was hesitant to move. I kind of had to talk her into the house where we now reside. She was just getting acclimated to Laguna, from our former residence in Rancho Cordova. The picture brings back those memories and provides a kind of visual precursor to what we eventually did regarding upgrades to our current home. The requisite basketball court was at the Laguna home, as was the wood patio cover. We had a large lot - big enough to put a small shed next to the basketball court. We did likewise at our Camden Passage home. The landscaping, front and back, was completed - something that never got finished (over a nine year span) at the house in Rancho.

I liked the Laguna house, but it was a timely move eighteen years ago when we left Laguna and moved to Elk Grove. It didn't take long for Nancy to adjust to the new location. Actually, this may be the last home we ever own. I won't say that we would never move, but it's not in the cards any time soon. I'd probably be the one having a difficult time adjusting this time. I like our house and I enjoy living in the Elk Grove area. The picture of our house in Laguna is at the bottom of the blog page.

Project Day

The grand kids came over today. We got a lot done. Kenneth painted the backyard patio and Brandon cleaned the patio furniture and the tile floor in the "little house" next to our basketball court. Kristy did the gardening (weed pulling and flower planting) and also helped Brandon with painting the wrought iron benches in front of the house. The kids are all really hard workers. They stayed on task and finished pretty much everything that was on our list of things to do. Nancy took care of Baby Brandon, he was a good boy - really no trouble at all, and all this help freed me up so I could clean out the exercise room and wash Nancy's car. Nancy and her sister are going to Lincoln tomorrow - to visit their niece Lana. So... I wanted her to have a clean car to drive to Lincoln. The Buick is a jazzy looking car when it's been detailed. We both like the LaCrosse. First Buick we've ever owned. Lana is moving to Florida in the near future. Nancy and Gloria probably won't see Lana for awhile. She'll be coming back to California for visits, but not all that often.

I did manage to slip off to Aaron Brothers Art Mart while all of this activity was going on. I decided to purchase some discounted pictures to hang in the master bathroom. I found three that will work real well. I also found a frame for a Thomas Kinkade puzzle that Nancy assembled some time ago. It's been in need of a suitable frame for mounting and I found a reasonably priced one while I was at Aaron Brothers.

All and all, a very productive day. My exercising didn't set any speed records tonight, but it still got done. Glad tomorrow is Sunday. A good day to take it easy.

Microsoft Vista - Neat Add-Ons

Tom jogged my memory the other night, when we went to Fins - it was in regards to the versatility of Microsoft Media Center and Vista. I had forgotten part of the demonstration that we saw at CES in January. It was the part where Microsoft explained the revisions to the Media Center application, now an integral part of Vista. Media Center first appeared in the later versions of Microsoft XP. As you will see from the information that Tom copied - and gave to me the other night, the new Media Center is a pretty cool application. My friend Dave Beales has also looked into this program and after doing so made mention of the importance of having a top notch graphics card for your computer, if you want to take full advantage of all the new features of Vista. It will raise the cost of a new Vista machine considerably, but why would you want to go only half way? I don't want to spend a whole lot more for a new Vista computer, than what it cost to upgrade to XP, but I also don't want to miss out on the state of the art programs that are now a part of Vista. Hopefully the prices will start to drop for the high end machines, both desktops and laptops, and we'll all be happy.

The scan of the information about Media Center is at the bottom of the blog page. You will most likely need to copy it - and blow it up - to easily read the text, but it's worth the effort in order to learn more about the new Media Center - if you don't already know.

Studio Sixty - No More

Studio Sixty is not being renewed for the fall season. That's too bad. I think it is a really well written show. Many of the same people involved in the making of the West Wing are also participants in Studio Sixty. West Wing was one of my favorites. I guess the ratings are not as high as the network had hoped for. The final episodes have been eluding to the cancellation. It's actually a show within a show. Oh well, guess it will open up a slot for another hour of Law and Order - or another one of those reality TV programs. Hope not!