Trying a Lutheran Church

Got to sleep late because of the time change. We had time to eat and shower and read e-mail, etc and still got to church on time. This time we went to a Lutheran church on the east side. It was a small church. There was no choir loft, but they quietly came up out of the congregation when it was time to sing the anthem. People noticed right off that we were new, and made a point of introducing themselves. I saw quilted banners up front and knew there must be quilters present. But I was told after the service that the lady who had made them had moved. When it was time for communion, I saw they had the round holder for tiny plastic cups of wine. I had to struggle not to laugh because it reminded me of the time when Michele and I were taking communion and her cup burst in her hand, soaking both of us. We were shaking so hard trying not to laugh that the pastor thought we were crying. Such fond memories. After the service, they were serving pizza and preparing for a congregational meeting. We went home. I sat in the sun for an hour, while Chris baked the rest of the chicken. Then we took my new car to get a fill-up. I started a new notebook for recording gas and repairs. When we got back, we ate some chicken and sprouts. I read that there is a special enzyme in immature plants (such as sprouts ) that convey anti-aging properties. It is called auxinon. I cleared some more e-mail, and then turned my attention to sewing. Sadly there wasn't as much daylight left as I was used to. Finally I had to give it up. Well, the spool is almost empty. I wrote a check for Kevin and Chris filled out the rental application. Then we retired to our respective laptops to watch episodes of our chosen series. I finished the 4 episodes on one DVD, pausing now and then for a bite to eat. Chris paused his to make cranberry sauce. Now am ready for bed, mostly 'cause Chris went to bed already.

Bought a car

We slept in a little this morning, then got up to have breakfast and read e-mail. The beautification commission was still out, finding more sheds to take away. I sat outside for an hour in the sun. First I finished my book, and then I did 45 minutes of Sudoku puzzles. After lunch we went to the used car place. We bought the Jetta wagon and it felt like the right decision. We drove back in our separate cars. Then Chris took me to Publix. He wanted to get his special coffee, but they did not have the package he wanted. But we got a small notebook for my new car and a few other things. When we got back, Chris put chicken thighs in the oven. I used the remaining daylight to sew and iron small pieces into larger ones. When supper was ready, I quit, and we ate. Then I called my Dad and talked to him for a bit. I researched nearby sources of organic beef on the internet. Chris was watching Dvd's on his computer, so I plunked in season 6 of Monk, borrowed from the library. It was funny, and I like the theme song. I did not realize how long the DVD was, and now it is midnight.

Car shopping and sewing

Today I sewed. All I have are scraps, but it is a start. From small things come larger things. I had the ironing board right up against the window to get the light, and from there I watched the 'beautification committee' come in with a large forklift and remove a corrugated metal shed. Then they broke up the slab under it, and carried the pieces away. It took a lot longer to accomplish it than to tell it. They must also have planted a tree when I wasn't looking. Just all of a sudden it was there. Kinda tall for a planting, and it must have had a small root ball judging by the circumference of the raw dirt around it. I am thinking that these buildings were only recently vacated by the military who lived here.
Chris came home for lunch and changed out of his suit. He had work to do on his computer, but expects that by Monday he will be able to use the one at work. After lunch we went to a used car lot to test drive a 1999 Saturn wagon that was advertised on line. The engine sounded terrible, and it smelled like cigarette smoke. However, in the same lot was a 2002 Jetta wagon. So we tried it. The man suggested we drive out to the freeway and down to the Bob Wallace exit. But we never found the Bob Wallace exit and got off at another one. We ended up downtown without a map or GPS. Chris was trying to direct me back onto the freeway when I decided that it was his turn to drive. We made it back to the car lot. We both liked the Jetta in spite of the pet hair, but want to check out the price before we decide to buy. The real estate agent called while we were out to tell us that the rental application was available in her office, so we stopped by to pick it up on our way home. But before we went to our little apt, we dropped by the library to see if they had BBT Dvd's. They did not, but we found other stuff to watch, and Chris got some books. It was too cold to sit out in the sun, but I sat by the window to read the book I got the other day. Then, because it is too dark at night to sew, I used the remainder of the daylight to put a few more pieces together. Chris started watching Battlestar Galactica on his computer. When I heard it, I came and sat with him. We ate supper while watching it. At 6:15 he stopped it so he could play with 'the voices'. Michele was participating from her apt in Korea. Hearing her voice choked me up so much that I could not talk to her. When the game was fully underway, I went into the bedroom to read. The lamplight was so poor, it was hard to focus, and the eye strain made me fall asleep. I don't know when I fell asleep, but I awoke in the middle of the night, and can't go back to sleep, so why not post? I can't be any more awake than I already am.
* Here is a pic from the hail and farewell yesterday. You can just barely see the speaker's head. *

Rain and more houses

Since I walked to the library yesterday, I thought I would walk to the thrift shop today. I also thought I would sit in the sun, but it never arrived. I did, however, talk to MaryAnn over Skype. I fixed breakfast, and read e-mail. Chris came home a little early for lunch, and then he dropped me off at gate 8, where I met our real estate agent and her husband. He had to go back to work, and I went to look at several more houses. The first one was ok, but the master bedroom was too small. The second one was very spacious, especially with the whole-house basement and all it's storage. But it is old, and the alliances are old, and some walls are paneled and the bathrooms are old pink tile. Nice back yard though, and flower beds, trees, grass. Then we went to see another house. Also spacious. The master bedroom could fit two or more king-size beds. It is much newer and has two floors. Very elegant. It has a fenced-in place for a garden, and a privacy fence for keeping out the road noise because it backs up to a busy road. The front is squished together with the neighbors because it is in a cul-de-sac. They were going to show me a 4th place that was only 1800 sf, but I knew it would be unacceptable after seeing 2500 sf. So we went back to gate 8 and Chris met us there. He had a little time off before the AMC Hail and Farewell, so we went back out so he could see the two biggest houses. Then we rushed over to the activities center. We just made it in time. But it turned out to be a big social. Chris introduced me to a few people, and we sat and ate popcorn while listening to the band. When the festivities started, each department head stood up and introduced the new people in their division and said goodbye to whoever was leaving. Mostly, there were new people. The room and program had a football theme. I had to ask Chris to explain some of the jokes afterwards. We had supper at home, and I called the real estate agent to say we wanted the older house. (It was $50 cheaper). She said someone had already put in an application, but that we should do one too. She is going to e-mail us the application and we have to get a credit check to go with it. Then we sat back to watch Big Bang Theory and "Top Hat", our latest Netflix submission.

'Checking out' the library

I woke up when Chris' alarm went off, but waited until more daylight came in the window to get up. I kissed him before he left for work. Then I read e-mail for awhile. One article was about the dangers of flu shots.
Here is a quote from Mike Wagnitz. He's a senior chemist at the University of Wisconsin. He's spent the last 20 years evaluating products for mercury. "A common myth is that thimerosal is added to vaccines in 'trace' amounts," he says. But he says this just isn't true. "The concentration of mercury in a flu vaccine is 50,000 parts per billion. Drinking-water can't exceed two parts per billion of mercury. Waste is considered hazardous if it has only 200 parts per billion." But flu shots are OK with 50,000 parts per billion. That means your average flu shot contains literally 250 times more mercury than hazardous waste.
Chris came home about 10:30 to work on his computer since he still can't use the one on his desk at work. He warned me about a test of the 'big voice' system at noon. Good thing too, 'cause when the sirens started up, and the voice warned us of severe weather, and to take cover, it sounded serious. After lunch he went back to work. I sat outside reading e-mail and enjoying the grass between my toes. The maid came by, and I told her we didn't need anything. Then I walked to the library. I looked over their collection and chose a book using the computerized card catalog. It was one Yongsan didn't have. I was afraid that they wouldn't let me check it out because I do not have a good address to give them. But I guess they checked my account at Yongsan and decided I was a good risk. Anyway, I walked toward home with the book. When I got to the abandoned basketball court, I walked over. It was secluded and a fallen tree was nearby. So I sat on it and started my book. I expected Chris to call when he got home. About 4:30 I shut the book and walked back to find Chris already there. He looked up the big Kroger in town and typed it into the GPS. We went there to buy groceries. They had the raw organic cheese that I was looking for. When we got home, we ate supper and I washed the dishes. I called William to see if he knew of any cars for sale. Chris set up his computer to play an episode of BBT from the CBS website. But the download speed was so bad, that we saw it in 6 second increments with long wait times in between. However, we used the time wisely;) Then he went to bed, and I have to check my e-mail one last time.

Hunting houses in Huntsville

Yesterday I looked for houses on the internet. This morning I passed those mls numbers on to the real estate agent so she could tell me the square footage (you'd think it would be in the public listing, but it wasn't). When the maid came, I told her there was nothing to do here. When the agent sent me the sq for my list, I paired it down to my favorite 5 and sent that list back to her. We arranged to meet at one of the houses at 1pm. A little after 11 I sat outside in the sun and grass reading e-mail and listening to some Beethoven. It amazes me that the weather is warm enough in the middle of the day to be barefoot in November. Chris came home from work for lunch. After lunch we punched in the address of the first house and the GPS guided us there. That house wasn't much to look at. It needed repairs, and it looked like someone was in the middle of doing them. Still, the real estate agents kept saying we would be happier elsewhere. So they took us to see another house on my list. This one was better, but still old, and the back yard was so covered in vines that you couldn't see the ground. Lots of dead wood, and branches. It had major foundation issues, which was probably why it was for rent and not for sale. The agent moved us on to the next house. It was much nicer. And the yard was neatly mown and partially fenced. Still, it was 20 years old, and had the dark wood trim in each room and the kitchen. The view of the mountain from the front of the house was a big plus. It had one tree, in the front yard. It was the nicest thing we'd seen so far and we were tempted to take it. On the other hand, we don't have any furniture yet and Chris wondered if we were looking too soon. Finally we went to a 4th house. This one really caught my eye. It was an older home on 5 acres, with a horse barn and pasture. Men were inside replacing some of the flooring. It had 2 bedrooms on the main floor and three in the finished basement. Lots of room space and storage space. It even had a small cinderblock tornado room. Did I mention the deck that runs the length of the house? But it is at the top of our price range and may not be good on utilities. Then again, it isn't ready yet, and neither are we. Our agent had to leave then, so we wandered a bit more, and then went home. Chris immediately left with the dirty laundry. He said he didn't need me, so I stayed behind to google the last house and see what the property lines were. I could not find them anywhere. Sadly, I forgot that I was supposed to meet K. T. to get a ride to the quilter's meeting. I felt really bad when I realized it. When Chris got back from doing laundry, he drove me to the meeting. I had missed most of it, but enjoyed what was left. The ladies were friendly and seemed to be interested in doing the same kinds of things that I like. Afterward, I stayed to talk to the lady who seemed to be in charge. She showed me the Ricky Timms kaleidoscope quilt that they will be working on next Saturday. It looked very interesting. When we got home, Chris and I had supper. Then we folded the laundry. He went to bed and I stayed up to post.

Looking for a car and a house

Before I went to bed, I entered one more pic in the photography contest that ends Oct. 30th. Then this morning before breakfast, I changed my info on Blogger and Facebook to reflect my new location. I was reading e-mail when the maid came in to change the sheets, etc. I asked her where was a good place to live, and she seemed surprised that we weren't staying here. I spent an hour outside in the sun, but other than that, the whole day was taken up perusing mls listings for rental houses. Chris came home at 4:30. First we checked the car lot near the commissary. They were newer cars and more than I wanted to pay. Then we drove out to several neighborhoods in an area that was recommended by Alex. But I was concerned about how close it is to the airport. One part was all new construction. No rentals there. The older neighborhood was behind a massive new elementary school. We stopped a pedestrian to ask about plane noise. He said he normally did not hear it, but did hear testing at the Arsenal. We saw lots of traffic because of the time we went out. When we got back, Chris heated up the leftover chicken soup and put a roast in the oven for tomorrow. We cuddled on the couch and watched "Top Hat" with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.