Starting with a random photo from the "Morning Walk" folder inside the "Pictures" folder on my computer.  Taken a few months ago while walking Mickey, our beagle, this is the "railing" on a small, old railroad bridge -- the railbed has been converted to a walking path.  The perspective and overall composition of this photo seems familiar.  Hm...

 
I have a birthday breakfast date with the hubs on Friday.  I'm not sure where, but somewhere between home and the art supply shop in Green Bay where we'll pick up the frame for the photo above and choose the mat(s)!

When I walked into the downstairs bathroom for the first time last night, I immediately noticed my new mirror!  I was younger and perhaps more limber when that was last used as my main bathroom.  Having to lean over the huge pedestal sink to see myself in the mirror on the wall (I have to get close when applying makeup as I can't see more than 8" in front of me without my glasses) was killing my back!  The upstairs bath had a pedestal sink, too, but a medicine cabinet with a mirror on the door -- I could open the door and stand to the side of the sink, nice and close.  Weird things like that...

I am sleeping very well in the new room.  (Knocking on wood.)  I've also been going to bed pretty late -- dumb time change has me a little screwed up.  It's very quiet at the back of the house -- nothing but a ravine and woods back there.  We've also been closing the doors at night.  I've never been a sleeper-behind-closed-doors -- I wanted to hear if the kids had a problem at night, didn't want a door between us if they had a need in the middle of the night; there's something so very jarring (to me) when a door is suddenly and unexpectedly opened into a room.  Hm.  One of the doors doesn't even open directly into the room.  There are "buffers" between the bedroom and the rest of the house, too; my closet on one side (full of sound-absorbing clothes) and the Garden Room on the other.  I'll have to draw out a floor plan one of these days.

So, my 51st birthday is on Friday.  I took the day off and will be heading up north for another weekend with my sibs!  The weather is supposed to be great.  Annie is going to make carrot cake and we plan to make a big pot of Chili All Day -- and I'll have to do some calculatin' to see how I can work in the MUFAs and keep on track.

I finally brought the scale downstairs and put in fresh batteries!  Even with the tiny potatoes and other weekend indulgences, I'm still at my lowest -- not as low as I'd like right now, but whatever.  I feel great -- I really do -- livin' life!

When I was using the vacuum upstairs the other day and nearly lost a finger when it got caught in the broken plastic handle -- apparently, someone had a great deal of difficulty changing attachments (no one's 'fessing up) -- I decided that I want a new vacuum cleaner for my birthday.  The cover stays on only with the aid of electrical tape on both sides; I used to make a show of it and take the broken-off plastic wheel along, trying to jam it back on every now and then, but I don't even bother anymore.

My first vacuum was a Hoover, second (current) is a Eureka -- that's not too bad, really, two vacuums over nearly 25 years of life, home improvements and art projects by one husband and three daughters, not to mention a total of five cats and one dog.  I've been enamored by the Dyson brand ever since James Dyson started talking about the engineering; Miele is intriguing and German and kind of sexy.

I've got some research to do.  I'm also accepting testimonials.  ; )