And it's made by BMW!

I have good news for those of you who really want to get in shape. You DON'T have to go to the gym! Now don't you feel better?



I have been going to the gym faithfully for one week - ok, so it's not that long, but hear me out - and have felt pretty good. Yesterday Ben, Elijah and I, along with my brother, his wife, and one daughter painted the interior of my parents' house, every room except the kitchen, including ceilings and trim. This also included taping off the recently refinished hardwood floors AND the million-paned windows. The house was built in 1961 - a very good year if I do say so myself - and was last owned by a very old, blind widow. She didn't care about the one bedroom that was jail-cell gray - walls, ceiling, trim, and windows. She couldn't see it. She wasn't bothered by the other bedroom literally covered from floor to ceiling in seasick blue. And it never crossed her mind that the rest of the house (and I am not exaggerating here) was pink.



Used bubble gum pink.



Walls, ceiling, trim, even the fireplace. Yes, it was an incredible task, but today the house is looking great and my Dad is breathing a sigh of relief. Moving day is the 16th and we're just a tad behind schedule. There is backer-board on the kitchen floor while boxes of tile sit in the corner. Most kitchen cabinets are installed, but some are scattered hither and yon. The double wall-oven is on the floor in the utility room and there are no other appliances in sight. No granite countertop. No lighting. No plumbing to the kitchen. There is water, even hot, in the bathrooms, but one entire shower wall crumbled the first time my Dad got in it. That's another story. I imagine this would be a trying experience for most of us, but it's even more so for Mom and Dad because they are 72.



This whole thing has been a study in contrasts for me. My parents are pretty technologically up-to-date for their age. They have a cell phone. When Mom complained to me that Dad could never reach her because the phone never rang, I showed her how to turn it on. They have two computers - one for household stuff and a laptop for Mom to e-mail and play with. Dad won't share his. But Mom is getting a refrigerator with her first-ever ice maker. Can you imagine? 72 and she's never had an ice maker?



My Dad was telling me the other day about a car he had when he was in his early 20's. It's called an Isetta and here it is:


It has one narrow bench seat and a little shelf in the back where they put my infant brother Jim. You get in by opening the front of the car and sitting down, then pull the front closed. The gas tank holds 2 gallons and has a reserve tank. He thinks it got around 50 mpg. It cost 70 cents to fill the tank. This was their only car.

We've come a long way in 72 years!

Be thankful ~

Karen