Spring & Summer Plans

[Pumpkin_Man]

Hi Folks:

As we here in Illinois are being socked with what I hope is the very last of Winter 2014, and so many of you in other areas are likewise being socked, I thought we could turn our attention to Spring, which will begin a week from Friday, and Summer, and what plans we may have. Some of us will be going on vacations. Many of us, muself included will be having back yard barbecues, and I will be spending a lot of time on the Harley. I am hoping to make a trip some place, but I have to see how my finances are before I can make any definate plans.

The 4th of July is definately a part of my Summer line up, with plenty of fireworks, and I'll probably grill up some angus burgers for lunch. A couple of buddies of mine will be coming over so that should be fun.

The Harvest Moon Drive In theatre will be opening in April, and I am chomping at the bit to take in a flick or two there while munching on some of the fabulous food their concession stand serves.

Also, 'haunted road trips' are not just restricted to October, and when the weather is nice, my Harley is the ride of choice, and it gets almost 60 miles per gallen, making any road trip a darn sight more affordable. I may be retiring from my present job, but I am by no means retiring from Photography, and I am going to be looking for good photo ops.

So those are pretty much my Spring and Summer plans. How about you. What are your Spring and Summer fun plans.

Mike

[MauEvig]

Depends on the circumstances, but I am planning a trip to New York to visit family. Going to see how good the gas mileage is with my new car that I got in December. It's not brand new by any means, but it's new to me. It's a '97 Honda Civic. So far the gas mileage has been great though. A long road trip North will put it to the test.
We already went to one festival this year here in Virginia, and I'm hoping to go to another festival in New York. Depending on the budget we may or may not visit a theme park.
We're definitely going to be visiting the zoo next Sunday (I have to work this Sunday. Bleh. I hate working Sundays! But such is life.) and plan to visit periodically throughout the summer, depending on when I get Sundays off and such.
Also we're moving houses.
I'm not making any big plans for Fourth of July, but we'll probably still shoot off a few fireworks and cook outside.
I'm thinking if I am still at the job I am now I'll probably end up having to work Easter. I'd still like to do a little something for Easter though. My mom sent us some Easter Candy.
Going to put the Hummingbird feeder out and planning on planting some flowers.
Definitely back yard barbecues, because summertime is for cook outs. I'd like to roast some Marshmellows too. We'll probably also make a few trips to the river.
If I do end up finding another job between now and then, my plans may change because I might not get the time off. That's another factor that comes into play. Especially if I get the job at the Hotel, I might have to push my travel plans back until Fall. I definitely do not want to go to New York when the snow starts to fall again. If pushed back far enough I may have to delay until next year, and I really want to make at least one trip to New York on a yearly basis.

[Pumpkin_Man]

The new Honda Civic is supposed to ge 50 mpg. Good luck in your travels.

Yes, Summer is the best time of the year for barbecuing.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

Haven't decided yet, although I am fantasizing about a trip to Savannah, or maybe Charleston. I haven't sprung either thought on my husband yet.

Otherwise, I am very busy in my backyard already, which is a double lot. We had a tornado blow down some trees back there a few years ago, and we never cleared them out, so now the back-most part of it is a wilderness, with hedges, vines, and rotten logs/limbs. I have decided this is the season to clear that stuff out, and I have made great headway this late winter, since the shrubs and vines haven't really gotten going yet and I can see what I'm doing. Also, the trees that fell have rotted so that they are now easy for me to move (no longer heavy). My goal is to clear out this large yard and make a nice garden--herbs & veges. Also, at the very back along a fence line, I want to plant some ornamentals.

[MauEvig]

Do you mean Savannah Georgia? I suppose that's the only Savannah I can think of, unless y'all plan on visiting Africa Murf. If that's the case, see if you can spot King Simba.

Sounds like a lot of work ahead of you. I can't imagine dealing with tornados. I think I rather deal with the snow, that's bad enough. We live in the Mountains so we don't need to worry too much about things like Tornados, and I think we're far enough from the coast to have to worry too much about Hurricanes.

I'd like to do a garden eventually, but this year I'm keeping it simple with some flowers. Once we get a little more settled into our new yard then we might grow a bigger garden with vegetables...not to mention a certain vegetable associated with a certain holiday...lol

[Pumpkin_Man]

Murf, that sounds like a lot of work. If it had been me, however, I would have rented a chain saw and wood splitter and put all those limbs aside for fire wood. I'm allways looking for bargains on fire wood for my fireplace, and if I can get it for free, so much the better. The only problem is I don't have a pick up truck any more, so I have to borrow or rent one if I get the wood myself.

Savana Georga is also an interesting destination for a 'haunted road trip.' My funding, on the other hand, most likely will only be able to get me some place closer to home. The good news is that I am retiring on the 29th of May, so I'll have plenty of time and I'll be spending a lot less on gas.

My Harley and my barbecue are going to be my two closest friends this Summer.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

Sounds like you're happy about what I would call an early retirement, so congratulations!

I don't even know if we will go to Savannah (GA, of course! LOL). It's just something I'd like to do. Because of restricted money and two pets, it is hard for us to get away for more than a day or two.

If we had a fireplace, I might have used some of that backyard wood as you suggest, Mike, but we don't. While the job I have set myself is arduous, I find that I can make tremendous headway by working an hour or two each day. It is already looking so much better back there. I am starting to talk out loud now about planting a garden, which I wouldn't have dared to do at the beginning of February. It looked like an impossible task, but, as the Chinese proverb goes, A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.

[MauEvig]

Are you going to be posting before and after pictures?
Also, a suggestion, maybe you can take some of the wood and make a fancy little border for your garden? Just a thought. ^^;

OK I figured you meant Georgia. I know what you mean about pets, we'll need someone to watch the cats for us when we go to New York for a week.

[Pumpkin_Man]

I love pets, but I don't have any, because I just don't want to deal with the clean-up, vet bills and other expenses and inconvenience. I raised 2 Irish Setters when I was a kid. They where great dogs, but I no longer need to have a pet around. I am also very fond of cats. We had several while I was growing up.

Michael

[Murfreesboro]

I fear I am "techno-Amish," as someone once said on another forum. I don't even know how to post pictures! I can already see a huge difference, though. And, yes, I do intend to use some of the wood to border a garden I am planning.

Mike, my childhood dog was an Irish setter. I still dream of her sometimes. I mean, it's like she comes to me in my dreams, as if she is paying me a visit in my present life. I have those dreams so rarely that they always come as a huge surprise, and I am always thrilled to see her. One of my friends once said to me, "Perhaps when you are dreaming of her, she is dreaming of you on the other side." I thought that was a very sweet idea.

[Pumpkin_Man]

I have had dreams of both pets and people in my life who have died. I do believe that they do contact us through our dreams from time to time. I recently had a dream about my late brother and father, and about a year and a half ago I had a dream about one of the Irish Setters I raised. The male of the pair. He and I where best buddies when he was alive. Shannon was his name, or the more prim and proper pet-agree name was Lord Shannon of Brianwood. He was poisoned when we moved to New Lenox. A neighbor who didn't like the previous occupants of the house we moved into was the most likely suspect, as he had apparently thought those dogs belonged to the previous occupants. If I had positive proof of that, I would have kicked his can from one end of this Earth to the other.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

How terrible! I am grateful that I have never known a neighbor as hateful as that.

[Kolchak]

I'm not sure if its ever going to get warm here. It was down to 16 with the wind chill last night, but it was the wind that made things so bad. It would blow and no matter how many layers you had on it would get through.

Not as cold tonight, but still colder than normal. Spring turkey hunting season has opened and the weather is keeping the birds from gobbling and nobody in the middle or northern part of the state is having much luck.

Speaking of Savannah...It is and always has been one of my favorite cities. If I didn't live in Atlanta, you can bet my address would be Savannah. This month they had the annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade and Festival as always. They put green food coloring in the grits so you get the Irish/Southern influence at its best LOL!

A lot of history around Savannah too. There are several ghost tour operators in the area. I have friends down there and have gone out with them a few times. To be honest, I don't see much to believe in the ghost tales, but its still fun to go and hear them tell you the stories.

[Kolchak]

I have had dreams of both pets and people in my life who have died. I do believe that they do contact us through our dreams from time to time. I recently had a dream about my late brother and father, and about a year and a half ago I had a dream about one of the Irish Setters I raised. The male of the pair. He and I where best buddies when he was alive. Shannon was his name, or the more prim and proper pet-agree name was Lord Shannon of Brianwood. He was poisoned when we moved to New Lenox. A neighbor who didn't like the previous occupants of the house we moved into was the most likely suspect, as he had apparently thought those dogs belonged to the previous occupants. If I had positive proof of that, I would have kicked his can from one end of this Earth to the other.

Mike

Sorry to hear that Mike, I can imagine how you feel. It would be real easy to mess some jerk up who hurt my animals.

[Pumpkin_Man]

Like I said, if some one has a problem with me he should take it up with me, not go after a pet or some member of my family. My dog never did anything to that jerk.

Mike