Category Archives: News and Events

New Patio Furniture With Comfort and Pretty Privacy

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June 3 2021

Just finished putting together the new patio furniture. Now to sit and enjoy the cloud show. Seems like such a great idea buying these things online. They arrive in pieces, and in heavy boxes. Got it done, though.

June 4 2021

I’m not finished with all I want to do with our tiny balcony. But, here’s the new furniture, minus the little gas fire pit.

I’ve got throw pillows coming that match the orange ottoman. That lil thing is da bomb! So comfy for feet, and for sitting.

I’ve never purchased patio furniture for myself. These are comfy, and our little space is cozy. It was great sitting outside this morning!

Still to come: Bird feeder, birdbath, a plant, or small tree, and an ivy privacy screen on the railing.

June 5 2021

It’s gorgeous up there.

June 9 2021

Got the ivy privacy screen yesterday. Happy, happy with it! May order one more for the backside. Repotted the poinsettia in a larger pot, and it has found its new home.

June 15 2021

The wind finally stopped blowing. First time we’ve had a calm night so we could use the new furniture. Cozy, cozy.

June 27 2021

The balcony with all of the ivy privacy screen installed. Next up are the bird feeders!

June 29 2021

View from the outside …

Camilla on the Bill Arnott Spotlight – Speaking Up

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June 12 2021

Many months ago I had the pleasure of being a guest of author Bill Arnott on his Spotlight feature. Join us to find out how seeing situations from different angles, ping pong, role models, loving kindness, pressing the reset button, spaghetti, and a kayak come together for this fun spotlight …

Speak Up and Speak Out – Camilla on the Bill Arnott Spotlight

The One-Sock Club with Game Night and Clean Teeth

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June 7 2021

Let’s talk about this one-sock-club. I looked outside, and there’s Thomas reading. Just kills me every time I see this!

Definitely universal! We’ve got folks from Canada, UK, US, and Spain who are members of the one-sock-club! I wonder if there’s a one-sock gene floating around in our DNA!

Yep. Clothes are pretty annoying. The only thing I like about them is that they keep me warm when it’s cold, and pockets. Pockets are pretty cool. Thomas feels that hair is an annoyance. He can’t wait to be bald! 😂🤣 I think he will have to make himself bald as that’s not something that runs in our family.

June 8 2021

It was game night for me and Thomas last night. Bocce ball, followed by foosball, with a gorgeous sunset.

June 10 2021

Thank you to Schall for referring me to a wonderful dentist. Thomas had a cleaning today to prepare for braces. The appointment was smooth and quiet, with Thomas’s questions being answered, and with everything explained to him. Finding a dentist who is a good fit is so tough.

Ninety Minutes of Pure Bliss With New Additions

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May 21 2021

Have you ever had your face, jaw, and ears massaged? I highly recommend it. Home from 90 minutes of pure bliss by way of a massage. I shall now melt into the kitchen to make dinner. I’d rather melt into a hot shower and soak, followed by melting into the couch. But that will have to wait until after dinner.

…. And scalp, and fingers, and toes, and butt …. That was such a glorious massage ….

June 3 2021

Lillian and I are just back from a walk. We found a ping pong table! I love ping pong! It’s been years since I’ve played. Bocce ball court is finished, too. And I took a photo of the chess table that Thomas and I discovered Tuesday night.

The Gondola – 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans

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May 23 2021

My best friend, Lillie Powell Salsberry, and I had season passes to the World’s Fair when it was in New Orleans in 1984 (lived in Houma, LA at the time). We went often, and rode this at least once. We had so much fun visiting all the exhibits! Wonderful memories!

From The Historic New Orleans Connection facebook page:

“This lost New Orleans landmark was around for less time than any of the others we’ve recently discussed. The system of gondolas was created for the 1984 World’s Fair.

Two 360-foot steel towers used to stand on opposite sides of the Mississippi River, one planted near Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World in Algiers and the other next to the present-day Morial Convention Center. A steel cable connected the towers, carrying small pods called gondolas that ferried people to and from the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition. Soaring over the waterway, passengers of the Mississippi Aerial River Transport (MART) system could reach the other side of the river in under five minutes.

The MART’s designers, Kern and architect August Perez III, hoped that the cable cars would become a permanent transit option for commuters from the West Bank, but the ’84 Expo was a financial failure, and ridership never provided enough funds to make the system viable. The MART outlived the fair by only a few months. The steel towers, however, remained part of the city skyline until 1994, when the US Coast Guard ordered their removal. If you’re feeling nostalgic, you can visit the one gondola that’s grounded in front of Nesbit’s Poeyfarre Street Market in the Warehouse District.

For more lost landmarks in New Orleans history, visit our recent First Draft story: …”

https://www.hnoc.org/publications/first-draft/stories-behind-16-lost-new-orleans-landmarks

Building a Computer – Assistant to Thomas Darnell

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May 18 2021

For the past 5 months I’ve been buying parts from a list that Thomas created, 2-3 every month. Finally bought the remaining components last week, with the monitor arriving yesterday.

For the past day and a half I’ve been “Assistant to Thomas Darnell” as he built it. It is all finished now! Didn’t have “helping build a computer” on my 2021 Bingo card. 🤣😂 “It’s like a LEGO set with tiny, delicate parts.” – he says as he’s putting it together …

I’m so happy for Thomas. His computer has barely been limping along for the past 6 months.

June 26 2021 Update – Everything is working perfectly. Thomas did decided to return the monitor for another brand as this one had issues trailing white light, or something like that.

Four Hour Phone Call With Patience and Persistence

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May 10 2021

Is there a section in Guiness Book of Records for length of time being on hold with the IRS? Asking for me 🤯🤯🤯 1.5 hrs so far.

This isn’t my first time trying! I started last Friday! However, if you are holding my money hostage, I will outlast your hold system dude. I’m NOT going away!

Total phone call time (mostly holding) was 4 hours!! I got assigned to a taxpayer advocate. Mission accomplished, with a completion date of June 18th. No more of this waiting 60 days, waiting 60 days again, and, oh, since we’ve been in a pandemic the wait is now 120 days. Ummmmm … no …. If I drank, I’d be having a celebratory drink right about now. I’m going to celebrate with a popsicle! Oh yes, I’m wild like that!

And ….. I did!

**June 26 2021 Update** … I received a phone call from my assigned Taxpayer Advocate just a few days after being approved to get assigned to one. There were two issues holding up the refund.

One was that I never received the second stimulus check, and I had claimed the Recovery Rebate as we were instructed to do. The other had to do with being a Shared Living Provider, the income from such, and tax credits. I pointed her to the regulations on the IRS website that I had followed. She said she had all she needed, and that I would be hearing from her again soon.

On June 3rd, the refund money was deposited into my account, with interest, as I had filed my return on February 28th. Whew! What a relief it was to have that come to a conclusion. And, what a mess!!

Throwback Post: The Amazing Romano Duo

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**THROWBACK POST**

September 7 2015:

Oceans of gratitude to and for The Amazing Romano Duo for spending 6 hours at our new place yesterday helping to rearrange, hang curtains, and install a ceiling fan … helping to create the 810 square foot Team TLC Love Shack! Only 9 days left before they set off on their own adventure.


(Photo from September 2015)