The 25th Hour ~karenjcardoza.com~

We’re in the midst of a heat wave here and it seems like summer has finally arrived full steam ahead!  Patriots training camp wrapped up today with a double and while I really didn’t have time to make to both sessions, I did.  Since school ended, I’ve been swamped with errands and lots of To Do’s.

Recent Randomness:

*Garden has been exploding with the heat wave and I’ve been harvesting green beans, cucumbers, herbs, zucchini, tomatoes and lettuce daily.

*What I couldn’t get from my garden, I picked up at the Farmer’s Market at the Visitor’s Center on 295 today. I’ll be visiting each Tuesday through October.

*Had another productive Rendezvous Prep session on Saturday and once again had an enjoyable time with our crew.

*Actually went in the pool TWO days in a row!  The girls love it when we hang out there in yard for the afternoon. And Bells really loves the pool and twirls around and yelps to come in.

*Free is a good thing:  Since I leave my Old Navy Visa for the kids to use for gas, I manage to earn $10 and $20 reward coupons to use at the store. Yesterday,  I walked out with a bag of merchandise without paying a dime. (Two pairs of flip-flops, two metal water bottles, a yoga tank top and yoga/bike tights.)

*I’ve been riding on the Blackstone River Bikeway as much as I can although this week has been too busy and too hot. I hope to get another ride in soon.

*I’ve been getting quite a bit of reading done (both audio and book) since school let out last Thursday and hope to keep it going!

I’ve got a very busy week ahead with a full calendar of appointments and things that I need to do around the house and yard before heading on vacation,  then right back to school. I’ll be busy this week but once I get to NH it’ll be nothing but relaxing for me.  At least I’ll get one week to just do nothing. Where did the summer go?

Home from the Rendezvous and once again had an excellent time!  The weather was very warm during the day but cold at night. Of course we had lots of work to do to set up but once it’s done, there’s lots of relaxing and chatting with friends. Sharing good food, drinks and lots of laughs is what it’s about. Nobody wears a watch… it’s not period correct but time doesn’t matter anyway. The cannon booms at 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM but other than that, we had no idea about time for the entire weekend. (Of course, if you plan on attending any of the events you need to know what time it is but for us, there was no need other than to attend church on Sunday morning.)

It’s great to go around and look at things for sale on Traders Row and I love to see everyone’s lodge set-ups and clothes. There are so many different looks there and each person is unique. We only go for the weekend because I of work (and kids and dogs!) but it’s not long enough for me. I would love to go for the entire time if I could. Of course, we’ve had nice weather when we’ve been there and once we left this year, we seemed to have taken the sun with us. It rained for the rest of the week once we left.

Our crew has made plans to get together monthly to do the little projects such as repairs and creating the things that we’ll need. I made a new outfit for Al this year but I plan on sewing all year so I won’t be rushing at the last minute next year. (I’ll be keeping my eye on the sales all year as well.)  I’m pretty set for clothes but definitely need more warm things. Once again, we froze the first night. (Hint for next year: put the stove together on Day 1 unless it’s super hot!)

I love the fact that I store my photos online so I can upload and share ASAP but I’ll be printing out my album for this year some time this week. There’s been so much going on since we’ve gotten back, I’ve had little time for anything.

The entire 2009 Album and Slideshow  is here!

Additional Links:

National Rendezvous and Living History Wikipedia Entry

Mountain Man Rendezvous Sites

Living History ReEnactments

National Living History Foundation

Original High Plains Primitive Rendezvous

NRLHF Eastern Primitive Rendezvous

Pacific Primitive Rendezvous

Check back here for the scoop about our Rendezvous and to see the pictures!

I love it when I have a weekend without anything in my calendar. That’s not to say that it’s a weekend with nothing to do; rather, a weekend that I can get things done.  This was one such weekend. I made my list on Friday night and started it off with exercise. It was a wise choice and the girls loved our early morning walk along the bike path (and car ride too.)  Then, I set out to work in the yard and weeded the entire thing, including flower beds and garden. I cleaned the patio, washed down the pool cover and stored it away, did all of my laundry and watched a couple of movies at night, Charlie Wilson’s War and The Departed, for the second time.

Today, was pretty much the same and I got the whole pool area cleaned up. My daughter and her friend were in it all afternoon, soaking up the sun and getting some relief from the 90+ heat. I did a few errands, worked some more in the yard then spent a nice evening with our Rendezvous friends looking at the pictures and having lots of laughs…( I’ll be uploading theirs to add to the set soon.)  As of now, I just had to cave in and I’m sitting here in bed with the AC on because it was well over 90 up here on the second floor. It’s not like me, but I must admit that it is getting quite comfortable and my freshly laundered sheets won’t end up soaked with sweat tonight.

Tomorrow, the countdown continues… and my smile gets wider by the day!

Rendezvous state of mind.

Check out the entire album here

Rendezvous prep… last minute logistics.

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted but it’s because I’ve been so busy and was sick over the weekend. I’ve been able to get lots of reading done though which makes me happy. This past weekend, we had Carissa’s First Communion, Jake’s Confirmation and Ernie was in town for his son’s graduation so he stayed at Casa de Cardoza as usual.

My garden and flowers are coming along and I’ve only got a few more annual pots to plant and some pole beans seeds to purchase and get in the ground. I’m going to try diligently to stay on top of the weeds and do a bit each day but we can’t mulch until the neighbor’s HUGE tree drops all of it’s noses because if not, I’ll be pulling little trees out of my mulch for a good long time.

I’m very glad to report that I’ve been walking to work as much as I can. It usually depends upon the weather and whatever meetings or appointments that I may happen to have before or after school. While I haven’t lost any weight per se I know that I’m firming up and gaining muscle. Besides, I’m not only doing it for weight loss reasons, it’s mostly for health reasons. I need to go for my annual bloodwork soon and I’m determined not to have to take any medication, including cholesterol meds. It was borderline the last time I went and he knows that I don’t take anything unless I absolutely have no choice.

I’ve also been busy this week getting things ready for the primitive Rendezvous which we’ll be heading to this weekend in Sanbornton, NH. I’ve been busy sewing and packing and getting the clothes ready. I’m making a few wool shawls which may be needed at night or on cold days. Everything is completely period correct so there won’t be any parkas allowed that’s for sure. We’ll be huddling around the campfire in comfort!

We went last year for the first time with friends who are veterans of the vous. They go for the whole week and bring furniture and everything! This is our second time and while we now have our own lodge and clothing, we still don’t have much else but we’ll be setting up all together anyway so we’ll want for nothing. I’ll be posting pictures but it’s a completely unplugged weekend so no technology allowed (other than a camera, discreetly hidden.) Needless to say, there will be no Tweeting from the Vous!

Here’s a link to last year’s pictures. I can’t wait for this weekend!!