What I Read at The Beach...

For several days, before I left for Ocean City, MD for a week at the beach, I searched online for mysteries and romances to read while on vacation. I purchased several for the kindle and figured I would probably find one I could sit on the beach and enjoy.

So what did I end up reading...
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.

I saw on one of those entertainment tv shows that a movie is being made based on the
Dark Shadows soap opera from the late '60's.
Johnny Depp will be playing the Vampire Barnabas Collins. Also mentioned was another vampire movie based on the book, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.

OK folks...in an earlier post I told you that I love vampire movies, books and television shows, so this really shouldn't be a surprise to you. The two movies will be premiering in 2012, as well as a remake of Fright Night.

In the meantime, I'll be watching the new season of HBO's True Blood.

Back to Reality...

after a week at the beach.

There were 16 of adults and the two little boys who kept us entertained all week long.

An Ocean City Memory...

With A Great Mustache...

Many famous mustaches on many famous faces...

and would you believe that I have never seen the face below without the mustache
in 36 years of marriage?

The Country Workshop

Summer Weekend

Went to Boordy Vineyards last night with a large group of family and friends. Boordy has a summer concert series and you can bring in a picnic dinner and sit, eat, drink wine and listen to the music. The entertainment was The Mahoney Brothers who perform songs as The Beatles. The band starts out in the grey suits with short hair...then comes out in Sgt. Pepper costumes... and ends with the way the Beatles looked before they disbanded, with long hair and beards.

It was hot and humid yesterday, and scattered thunderstorms were being called for but we received an email in the afternoon saying the concert was still being held outside. This was our first time at Boordy and were amazed at all the old time concert goers who brought everything but the kitchen sink with them for the evening.

Too hot and too crowded to get close to the stage but there were lots of folks dancing. I realized that I remembered all the words to the songs. Isn't that funny...as I sometimes can't remember what I did yesterday.

Sitting on the porch this morning, writing this as I move the hose around to soak the gardens. I have some things to plant and need to pull the vacuum out for the rug here on the porch.
Tomorrow I will be back in the shop but today will be just a summer day...porch sitting and flower watering.
Hope all are having a wonderful weekend.

Pirates and Mermaids...

On Sunday afternoon, Lou and I went, along with my friend Bonnie and her husband Bob, to see the latest Disney Pirates movie Pirates of the Carribbean 4 . We liked this 4th installment, better than the last one but still think the first movie was best of the four. The story involved Pirates, Mermaids and the Fountain of Youth.

Always trying to think of new ideas for The Country Workshop, I realized Mermaids would be a great new addition to the beach and summer sections of the website. Below are several ideas I came up with.

It's so hard to share...

Well folks...I actually get to use my laptop this morning. It made it back down to the house after several days in the shop without coming home. I have my routine and it has been totally messed up. I usually check the selling venues every morning and evening, answer questions anyone may have about my products, read the blogs I follow, do my blog posts and take some time to list items on the various selling venues where I have shops set up.

In December we had to replace both our desk top computer in the shop and my very old, owes us nothing, laptop. Couldn't believe that both went to computer heaven two weeks before Christmas. Our wonderful son by marriage totally set up the desk top for us but a problem with the ports developed and we knew it had to go back but were having a problem with getting the laptop to work with the cutter machine we use to cut our stencils and vinyl. Lou ended up using an old laptop of his brother's just for the cutter and the motherboard of the desktop is on its way to be repaired or replaced.

But this is posing a problem. My laptop needs to be in the shop during the day for internet access for printing out orders and shipping labels and such. Lou has been working up in the shop in the evenings and is using the laptop then, and he never brings it home when he closes up shop for the night. He says, "Oh did you want the computer? I figured it was too late for you to do any work tonight." Welllll, yes! I guess I could run up to the shop in my jammies but I've just been dealing with the business of answering messages once I get to the shop in the morning. I like sitting on the porch, drinking my coffee and doing what I need to do on my laptop in the morning. So that's where I am right now, even though it's hot enough to melt my brain today out here and the sweat will shortly be dripping off my nose. Hope, after all these years of marriage, that we don't kill each other over who gets to use the computer.

On a positive note, Lou and I did get to share the Darlin' D boy yesterday. I drove out to Holly and Chad's yesterday for my regular grandson day and then brought both Dylan and doggie grandson Dre back to our house for the day. We planted some flowers in pots, watered the garden, read books and ate pancakes for lunch. (I ran down the list of what Dylan might like for lunch and he chose pancakes). Gramps took the D boy into the shop and Dylan may be the only almost 2 year old who knows the difference between a table saw, a router, and a drill press. And he likes to hammer on wood...no nails, but boy can he swing a hammer and bang on the wood.

Below is a photo Holly sent me of D in the pool this weekend. He's just growing so fast.

For all of you in the sweltering heat of today...Be safe and try to keep cool.
Also remember to check in with any elderly folks you may know and be sure your pets have shade and water if they are outside. This heat can be a killer.