Back to the daily grind

While yesterday was an extra special day for Scooter, we had to face the fact that our vacation was coming to a close. Well, if you want to call it a vacation that is. With his line of work, the hotline had to remain open, but even still, at least he didn't get called out into the field or have to go into his office. One of the phone calls he got was from a close friend that recently retired. He and his wife (she's a sweetheart!) have invited us to their home next week for dinner. I love going there as they have acreage where they keep a few llamas. And, they are such interesting people! They are both well educated and well traveled, with family living in France. In any case, Scooter is looking forward to talking with them about different retirement options available to us through the railroad, as well as some other financial investments we have made in the last four years. This is the same friend that taught and encouraged Scooter to learn about investing in stocks, money market funds, etc. As for me, I hope to learn more about the shearing of the llama, and what they do with the wool afterwards. Hmmmm...tapping my chin.....

I wanted to make sure Scooter had a nice relaxing day for Father's Day, and he tells me he thorougly enjoyed it. Whew! I didn't tell him what we were doing or where we were going, I just asked him to get in the car. I took him to a little out of the way restaurant I had found for a Mexican lunch, in a small Sierra foothills town. He loves Mexican food, and this was certainly not a disappointment! THE best watermelon margaritas!!! This little town has all kinds of little shops and galleries to walk through, so after eating, we decided to do a little walking and visited some of them. We went through one art gallery, and if I were into contemporary decor more, this would be where I would probably be investing my retirement check into! Lol Some awesome works of art, and I am still considering one painting Scooter and I both really liked.

Along the way, there were phone calls from all of his kids and grandchildren in Colorado, and later in the evening, we joined my kids and grandchildren for a barbecue. He was truly surprised there were even presents and cards, and got a real kick out of our 20 month old grandson tugging on his pant leg and saying "papa, down" (which really means up..lol) with a lot of emphasis on the w. LOL It was adorable watching him mimick Papa's every move and sound, and he loved being the life of the party. He definitely kept us all entertained for the evening! The whole day was filled with delicious food, spirits, and great company!!! It is so heartwarming to see Scooter accept and be accepted into my kids' lives as a father and grandfather, since their own biological father has chosen to walk away. I could go off on another tangent with that one, but I will stop here and leave you to draw your own conclusions on how a parent does that. :=)

I finally got the button sewn onto the little bolero cardigan I knit for my cousin's baby that is due in August. I still have to knit the matching beret, but that shouldn't take long. I am very pleased with the results, especially since I used a heavier weight yarn than called for in the pattern. It didn't take much adjusting at all, just went down two needle sizes to get gauge. If I figured it out correctly, I made a 6-12 month size so that Zoie can wear it this next winter.

I'm coming along nicely on the pair of socks I started last week, that I call my Teaberry Shuffle Socks. I have turned the heel, finished the gusset, and am now on the homestretch with the foot part. I have truly enjoyed this pattern from Charlene Schurch, and if you're on Ravelry, you can see it here. The Malabrigo sock is extremely nice to work with, and I'm considering knitting myself a cardigan out of the worsted weight.

Since I vowed to do no housework, except for minor picking up and dishes, while we have been on vacation, I have planned to go through our house from top to bottom today. I'm not sure why, since we are going to start refinishing our kitchen cabinets this week, but I at least need to get some laundry done and vacuum the floors. I also bought some new backyard decor pieces that I would like to get placed in flowerbeds, etc., as well as soak up some vitamin D. If I'm going to get anything done at all, I will need to say ciao for now....Ciao!