Exhausted from stuff done today... Took off work so I could get some work done :P Dug out 31 buckets of dirt from under the house (between 1600 and 2400 pounds of dirt to give you an idea of how much that is) and put in some more supports/jacks. Slowly making progress. Then I fixed the handle on the lawnmower and used it to mow the lawn. Also scrubbed algae off the back of the house that had been building up for some reason.

And then got a hair cut :P

But now that all that is done, I have uploaded a few more pictures from the 2012 TN Ren Faire :) Looking forward to this weekend with Tiggertailz, Sailingwest, and Studio_Kensai as well as several ALEP friends all being at the Ren Faire :)

And it was a fine day! Woke up to thunder and rain, but it cleared off early morning and hadn't soaked everything too badly and the mostly overcast skies kept things moderately cooler than it might have otherwise. It was still quite warm, but not absolutely sweltering. Here are some pics from the first day.

After Mass and picking up the CSA box and Marie, we're heading back down there for more fun and enjoyment :)

Ok... just have to keep repeating that... Especially as tired, slightly hot (though cooling down from mowing the yard), and hungry as we wait for my family to show up so we can go to dinner... some 2 1/2 hours later than planned... Let's put it this way... I had time to wash the dishes, feed the cats, brush Fionna, mow the yard, take a shower, play on the computer, check my FB, check here, post here... and we're still waiting... Though hopefully not much longer or I'm going to order a pizza...

Ok... so a month since my last post. Sorry about that all. Just been busy and there have been some changes that limit my time to access LJ. Mainly in that once I get home, doing other things and have been a slacker about posting :P

All things are well though. Trying to get things organized for DragonCon and just put up a room request on their reservation list. So... hopefully that might come through if we aren't able to find anything else. May call the hotels too to see if they have a waiting list for if rooms open up.

Fionna is doing better and is pretty much over her infection though she is currently on a third round of meds to completely clear it. Also, she's back on regular food so having to give her thyroid pills again. She still turns her nose up pretty severely at the special gooshy food, but at least she eats the dry fine. So... will have to see in a while if I can get her back on the special wet food again.

Sorry to all whom I haven't been following too closely too, though I have occasionally come and glanced over LJ to see what's been going on :)

Taking a fairly slow approach to this weekend. Only thing absolutely on the plans is doing laundry.

Aside from that, Fionna is still not doing too great. Though the vet is saying it would have taken about this long to build up the antibiotics enough in her system to actually start having an effect. She's a little more fussy and fighting me more when I feed her, but at least I am getting food and water down her. Now if she'd just eat on her own, it would save us both a lot of distress and worry. So... if she's not doing any better come Monday, I think another trip to the vet is in order.

Yes, a post...( More on recent goodness )

Had a great time this weekend as it was our 6th Anniversary and to celebrate, we decided to do a tour of local wineries. Went to three of them that are all pretty close in to Nashville: Long Hollow in Goodlettsville, Arrington in Franklin, and Belle Meade at the Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville itself. Of course, PICTURES!. In addition we also stopped at the Cocoa Tree for chocolates and hot Mayan Hot Chocolate (I think made with a dark or bittersweet chocolate with a bit of hot pepper added).

Was a bit cold on Saturday, but that was really only noticeable when we were at Arrington and had a picnic luncheon of cheese, sausage, and crackers. Sunday was somewhat warmer and we toured around Belle Meade Plantation in addition to checking out the winery there. Hadn't ever been and it was very neat. Also cool to learn about that side of Nashville's history that made it at one time THE center of the throughbred horse community. Seeing as how Bonnie Scotland is potentially the ancestor of every current Kentucky derby horse that is racing and is definitely part of Seabiscuit, Secretariat, Man-o-War, and many other famed horse's bloodlines. And for those that aren't of Bonnie Scotland's bloodline, Belle Meade also had Iroquois, noted for the first American bred horse to win one of the major English derbies. So yeah... a lot of famous or directly connected to famous horses came out of that plantation.

Anyway, of course on a winery tour, pick up a lot of wines :P At Long Hollow we picked up a bottle of Tara, Shackle Island (an actual dry wine!), and Hush. At Arrington we got a bottle of Antebellum Red and Gewurtztraminer. At Belle Meade, we finished up with a bottle of Blackberry and Racing Silk Red.

Ok... so I dont' post, nor read nearly as much as I used to. Mainly due to increased Big Brothering at work. At least according to my boss. Though I think technically it isn't actually against the online policy. But even so... in the current state of affairs, better to err on the side of caution.

But for me right now, one of the big hassles is getting the car fixed. See, just after Thanksgiving, I got rear-ended. Then after the first estimate, the insurance company declared my car a total loss. After much foolishness on their part and unable to properly enter their records, finally got things settled and they sent me a check to settle out. I might should have argued more about it all, but anyways... So the check was less than the initial estimate by a bit, but not too badly off. So, I got a second estimate at a place that I was thinking might have been less expensive... No... their estimate was $1100 MORE than the initial one... So I think I am going to go back to the first place and work out a deal. No painting, no emblems and trim, the important thing is to fix the rear area and make it safe and so the trunk doesn't leak. I can live with mismatched colors and not having Sentra on the back. That should reduce the cost down to what I was given by the insurance company.

So aside from that... all is going well :) I just seem to have less and less time to do anything on the computer at home. Hence why the distinct lack of blogginess. Sorry.

Ok, so just been busy with other stuff. And is this really the first post? No, I think I may have posted pics. Can't remember at this point and haven't looked to check :P Yes, I'm rambling, why wouldn't I?

Just checked on the items planned for last year and of the 14 items, 1 and a partial were accomplished... And one from the year before has reappeared as a desired goal... So yeah... progress is fairly nil. Oh well.

Aside from that, all is well. Just went down to the parents yesterday as it was my Dad's birthday earlier in the week. Made him a Red Velvet center Cheesecake. In that the cheesecake had chunks of red velvet cake in the center :) And it was much fun as we also watched Captain America: The First Avenger. Way cool! Definitely looking forward to The Avengers! And should also see about seeing Iron Man II, Hulk (or was it the Incredible Hulk as the second Hulk movie), and Thor so that we have seen all the lead up. Though Witchcat says Captain America was one of the best superhero movies she's seen, since she doesn't really like the superhero movies terribly much for the most part. I guess it's because of everything that Cap is and stands for that made it a much more down to earth and over all cool movie.

May all have a very Happy and Safe New Year!