SOFTBALL GAME!

After work today, there was a softball game! I love watching and playing the game, and I just couldn’t resist volunteering my great & amazing skills when I saw that one team was missing a player. The captain eagerly accepted my help and assigned me to right field. I raced out to my position, but I was wondering why he hadn’t assigned me to 1st base or short stop. Surely he could see my ability to catch and throw!?!

Well as luck would have it, no balls came bounding out in my direction. No chance to show my stuff!! It was now our turn at bat, and the captain said that I was the first batter up. I carefully selected a bat and then stepped up to the plate. The outfielders, not realizing the power of my swing, came in closer. The first two pitches were balls, but the third one was in the strike zone. Wham! Pow! Zing! Out into the field, the ball screamed, but the pitcher managed to snag it on the first bounce. He pivoted toward the first baseman, saw my running speed, and “fired” the ball to the first baseman. (Just between you and me, if I were the coach, I would bench that pitcher because he obviously has an injured throwing arm…..that ball barely made it!) Well, I did beat the ball to first! Not only my team, but the other team also, cheered and cheered and cheered…I might have heard some laughing also. Everybody enjoys softball!

And then a nice young man came and took my place at first and became my runner. So thoughtful of everyone to think of me.

I did take a picture today of some of the fans. They certainly know how to deal with the hot, Georgia sunshine! I love this picture…..it came out so great.

Ya’ll take care,
Suzanne

STARTING TO PAINT THE NEW ROOM

I’ve got some before and after pictures of the office I am painting. Here they are……



Paint is always interesting to me. It can certainly change the mood of a room. The original colors in this office looked good to me at first. But as I prepared the room, I began to not like them. Those colors began to look “yucky sweet,” and I was glad that I would not be staying there long. And then I opened the paint can. Wow! The paint was brown! Wonderful! The office is going to look great.

After two coats, though, I am not happy. The roller leaves lines, and I really, really, really tried hard not to. So, I got on the internet as soon as I got home to see if I was missing something. The advice given is to work about a 3-foot section at a time and start with either an “M” or a “W” and then fill in. So, I’ll try that tomorrow. Hope it works!

Before I left, I cleaned some rags in the kitchen sink. The water was slow in draining. So, I decided to get the plunger and see if I could fix it. (I really wanted to try a method that a TV show had demonstrated. Instead of putting the plunger on the drain and then pushing real hard, put the plunger on the drain, slowly push it down, and then yank it up…creating a vacuum and pulling up the clog.) Well, the drain cleared on the first yank upward!!!!! Two plastic coffee stirrer sticks came up out of that drain just as pretty as could be. And that fixed the drain!!

So long for now,
Suzanne

STAYED AT HOME TODAY

I did stay home today. Although Texas is my home, home is also here where I have parked. And on this coming Saturday, I’ll be leaving home and heading for home!

I road my bike around the campus today and took a few pictures. I am guessing that there are about 20 to 30 acres here. There are probably 20 buildings…..8 cottages, 1 admin, 1 maintenance, 1 wellness center, 1 chapel, 1 school, 1 cafeteria/training center, 1 social services, 1 development, 1 pool, and I can’t remember the rest. Here’s a picture of the sculpture in front of the cafeteria/training center……I like this kind of art.



Then, I stopped at the admin building and took a shot. This is where I was officially logged into the Children’s Home. They did a background check, and I was given an official “Volunteer” badge. And this is where I pick up mail…..pretty neat for a post office!



By the way, many homes in Macon look a lot like this. I am surprised at how many ante-bellum homes there are here. The admin is not ante-bellum, but it is probably about 70 or 80 years old.

And here’s the hill I encountered on the way back. It’s pretty steep, and that is a busy street down there. I sure hope my brakes are working good. But, I decide not to test the brakes. I walked the bike down the hill. Does this mean I’m old?



Ya’ll take care,
Suzanne

TOURIST DAY #2

I didn’t become a tourist until about 2:00 this afternoon. And that was because the morning was spent addressing the bike issue. I know, I know….you thought that I had solved the problem of where it was to travel. I thought so, too. But no, the front seat just isn’t the right place.

So, I looked into using the back of the truck. I have a sliding cover for my truck bed, and all items riding back there can be no more than 17 inches high. The bike is 22 inches high. The bike could lie down, but then it takes up too much room. I could hang the bike from my utility rack, but it’s really too heavy (about 30 pounds) to be lifting up to that height.

That only leaves one option….the trailer! So, the bike will ride in the living room in its bag. You all know by now that when something comes in the trailer, something of equal weight must come out. Twenty-six and six-tenth pounds have to come out! Oh boy. Here’s my initial solution. Take out these items…..some books (4 pounds), my primary toolkit (10 pounds), my secondary toolkit (7 pounds), a ladder (5 pounds), and some of my spare parts (2 pounds).

I was OK with these choices and then I thought about the fresh water tank. Every gallon of water that I take weighs 8.35 pounds, and I always travel with a full tank. (I like lonnnnnnng showers.) But, if I travel with just 4 gallons less, I would have plenty of weight reduction to compensate for the bike! A lot simpler solution!

My tourist events today were touring the African-American Museum of Art and Mall-Walking.

That’s it for now,
Ya’ll take care,
Suzanne

TOURIST DAY #1

I’ve just gotten back home (7PM), and I’m sitting here tired and smiling. It was such a pleasant day. It took me a while, but I finally found downtown Macon and the tourist bureau. I signed up for the Trolley Tour which would take me to four different stops and last about three hours. (It ended up being four.)

The first stop was the Hay House. In all the reading last night about Macon, I remembered the name Hay, and I also remembered that one stop on some tour would be to see a hay barn. Well, I was sure surprised to see the Hay House. Here it is…..



And it was beautiful inside. The entrance doors are 6 inches thick and swing very easily on their silver-plated hinges. The entire house is elegant and is still being restored. No picture-taking was allowed inside, but just imagine a pre-Civil War mansion with all the elegance, and that’s the Hay House.

Our next stop was the Cannonball House so named because of the hit it took during the Civil War. General George Stoneman was the commander of the Union troops whose job was to tear up the railroad and the telegraph lines coming out of Macon. (Macon was not attacked, and it was not burned.) The cannonball most likely was shot at the Hay House where Confederate soldiers were watching and reporting from the cupola atop the house. But the shell missed and hit this house, luckily not exploding.

Here’s the trolley and my new friends who I met on the tour……notice the fans my friends are holding.....the Hay House was not air-conditioned.



Then we stopped at the Sydney Lanier house who is a well-known musician and poet. A truly remarkable man. His accomplishments are many, and I would like to read some of his poetry….one day.

The last stop was Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church. Here’s a picture looking back at the entrance and the organ on the second floor. It gives you an idea of how the entire church looked. And…..the organist was practicing. What a treat to hear that beautiful instrument.



Well, that was my tour. Then, I went to Books-a-Million and had a cappuccino and a cookie. Then to Wal-Mart and now back home!

I’m starting to droop. Ya’ll take care.

Suzanne