I know my garden can only hold so much but I wish there were room for all these that I found on Pinterest.
This was my very favorite. I would love to do this next year...so unique.
Rock balancing is something I'd also like to try.
Believe it or not this is just chicken wire made into spheres and painted blue. Love it!!
This flower sculpture is really cool.
How about this for simplicity?
This is amazing. Not my style but fascinating.
This would be perfect for my garden.
Sadie is home again. She is still a little groggy from the morphine but it should wear off tonight. She has had some medicine last night and today and seemed to walk just a little better. I can't say enough about the professional care that she got at the Orchard Park Animal Hospital. I am so pleased that finally we have a diagnosis and treatment. Now I hope that we get our doggie back to normal. Sadie went through some testing today and the good news is that her internal organs are all fine. We can rule out cancer or liver disease. She had an X-ray of her joints but the doctor was unable to get enough fluid to confirm the diagnosis definitely but they are sure that it is immune poly arthritis. They kept her again tonight to begin her on steroids. She will be taking high dosage of those for a while as well as meds to keep her stomach from getting upset. Because she has had this for so long they are not sure how she will respond but we should see improvement in a few weeks. We are so relieved that we finally know what is wrong and now can get her some pain relief. Tomorrow we will go back and pick her up. We sure miss her around here. Thank you all for your concern and well wishes. I appreciate all your support.
Sadie went to the vet today and he decided to do exploratory surgery to see what was going on. Don and I talked it over and decided to take her to Buffalo to get some answers that did not involve surgery unless it was necessary. So off to the Orchard Park Animal Hospital. This large facility looked like a people hospital. After learning her history and a thorough examination the vet gave us a diagnosis. She will need more tests to confirm it but he thinks she has poly arthritis. It's an immune disease of all the joints but is curable. We left her there tonight and tomorrow she will have a joint tap to draw fluid for testing. She will also have a full ultrasound of her belly, blood work, cultures and whatever else is necessary. They called us tonight to tell us she is on morphine IV and resting comfortably. The arthritis may be caused by another underlining disease so we are holding our breath. We want our Sadie back. It is sad to see her laying full out only able to wag her tail when you speak to her. Wish us luck.
This morning I was playing around with my artistic apps to interpret the apple in many ways.
I don't often show the fron of our house but today I'll take you on a little tour. The blue front door I feel is welcoming and I love the armillary on the column...another thing I brought home from Virginia in the van.
As you know we had a harsh winter and in the spring a very hard frost. I covered this little Japanese maple with a tarp but during the night a wind blew it off and the frost killed all the leaves and stripped it bare.
I thought for sure it was dead but now I see little leaves trying to come out.
This is the view at the side of the house and this is the back.
The apple tree out front. Update on Sadie. She is now taking Amoxycillan for her infection as well as liver pills. She still is weak in her back legs and lethargic. Our next step will be an ultrasound of her liver looking for cancer. It is so sad to see her immobile. She is so young, only six.
Don saved the apple buds from the frost by spraying them with water all night. Now we have good pie apples. Some are falling off the tree before they are full grown. If anyone knows why and how to prevent it please share.
All ready to go to the Abba tribute concert at the university. I've been singing the songs all day. Loved Mama Mia!
What is your favorite Abba song?
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I just love this picture of my grandson Dan and Selma.
I borrowed this picture from his fiance's blog...Gretch Runs. It's an amazing blog and you can link to it from my side bar. Today on her blog she answered seven questions and I thought I'd do the same.
If you weren't happy with yesterday what would you change?
These summer days ar just about perfect and I'm enjoying the weather. Yesterday I sat around and read...all day! If I were to change anything I think I would like to have picked up a paint brush and finally do some art.
What is your favorite book?
That's a hard one. I always have many books laying around in piles all over the place. But I am not a book buyer...just from the library. I think Gifts from the Sea by Anne Murrow LIndberg would be one that I would say allowed me to understand women. Once in a while a really good one comes along, a page turning mystery or a great romantic book, and I live for those. Lately the Ice Twins has been my favorite of the summer.
What has been your biggest success and your greatest challenge
My biggest success I think has to be my career. I pursued my education and became an elementary teacher and have been proud of the lives that I have had a chance to influence. I am proud that I have my Bachelor's degree, Master's Degree and 42 more postgraduate credits.
My greatest challenge has to be the health issues that I have had to face. My eye problem and subsequent surgeries were a challenge when I had to keep my head down and half and hour out of every hour for three weeks. My skin cancer on my head was also challenging with its slow recovery and two surgeries. I also have licen planus which affected the inside of my mouth with soreness. Luckily all those issues are the best they can be at the moment.
What would your perfect day look like?
I would wake up in Provence, France with the morning sun streaming through the window of a chalet covered with vines. I would be served a lovely breakfast of fruit, yogurt, juice, eggs and tea along with a croissant. Afterwards my driver would pick me up and take me to my outdoor painting class. Then back to the chalet for a lovely lunch and then touring the litte villages while shopping at small markets. Loaded with my treasures I would return for a small nap while the breeze blows into the window. In the evening I would meet my husband, friends and my sisters and we would all go to a remarkable local restaurant for a delicious meal and good conversation. At night I owuld be so full of good food and good memories that I would fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
What is your favorite memory?
There are so many it is hard to choose one. It is like naming your favorite child. There are many great memories with my parents growing up, things that my husband and I have done together, vacations with the children, and traveling overseas. But if I had to choose I think these would be the top. Boating down the Seine with my sister on a perfect summer evening and watching as the boat turned around and astonished me with my first view of the Eiffel Tower. Sitting in the cafe of a Bed and Breakfast with my best friend being served a wonderful meal while looking out onto the French countryside while opera music played in the background.
What is the craziest thing you have ever done?
Ok, here it gets interesting...not really. I don't do crazy things. I never have. I've been one of those follow the rules kind of gals. Here's the only one I can think of. When I was in college I lived with a group of girls for three weeks taking a summer course at the university. The house was on a river and I was taking an oil painting class so I had no homework at all. We swam in the river every day. Far in the distance there was a train track and I pulled my top up and flashed them one day.. Wild, huh?
If your life were a movie title what would it be?
La Dolce Vita because I feel that I have led a sweet life. I have been so blessed in my life and it has been so good. I read about hardships other people have had to endure and I feel so lucky that I have been guided to live this wonderful life. OH, that could be another title...A Wonderful LIfe.
If you could do anything you wanted to right now what would it be?
I would trave again to France and take painting lessons.
I hope you enjoyed this little exercise. I would love to know your answers if you woul like to respond.
Did you know that anyone can comment...just hit the comment button and if you don't have a blog you can respond anonymously...But sign your name so I know who it is>>>LOL!
Many years ago I went to France with my sister and neice. My sister's friend worked for the government in Germany and we visited. Her friend drove us all around Germany and into northeastern France. We stayed overnight in Betschdorf, a little town in the Alsace region. We stsayed at a bed and breakfast above a pottery shop that was in the same family for seven generations. The town is famous for its'blue gray salt glazed pottery.
This little town is out of the normal loop for tourists from USA. It was a quaint town with many shops selling pottery. I bought some glasses and a sugar bowl. For lunch we went to a little local restaurant called The Potter's Table where we had the most delightful selection at a buffet. I loved the schnitzel!
We spent the day wandering around looking at the shops and enjoying the architecture. We slept in feather beds so comfortably. But the next morning was the best. We were invited into a room where the whole table was set with the blue gray pottery. And of course there was the baguettes. Even today that vision is still in my mind.
I love to travel because the memories made stick so well and broaden my mind. What fun.
I came across an article on Pop Sugar about things that you can throw away and it got me thinking about why I keep certain things. I've never been a super organized perso but I haven't been a hoarder or clutterbug either. I think I"ve been somewhere in the middle. I know where things are, have them in good places, and try not to buy too much. I think I've finally got the whole living floor of the house organized.
But there is the attic....and the basement. Somehow no matter how many times I go there to organize it never ends up the way I really want it.
Take the attic for example. We have pull down stairs and a finished floor up there so when we need to store something..up it goes. There is stuff that only gets used occasionally....Fall and Christmas and Spring decorations, extra blankets, some antiques, old pictures. And then there are things that we just don't know what to do with...old piano rolls for a player piano we no longer have, ice fishing equipment, old silver serving dishes, etc.
Every year I vow to clean it out. And I do go up there. It's hot...or it's too cold to work for a long time. And you can only stand upright in the center so your back eventually tells you to quit. I start going through things. Making a decision to pare down the plethora of Christmas decorations is easy....actually doing it ...much harder. They say if you don't use it in two years get rid of it. I"m the type that can't use it for five years but yet see it again an love it as much as I did before and pick it back up out of the attic and reuse it just as if it were new.
I do throw some things out now and then when I'm up there. But what I really need is someone with me to spur me on...and be the voice of reason. How many fake pumpkins does one really need?
And those piano rolls....why? I know an organzer would say to make a plan and just do it. Easier said than done. I am resistant. I'm not sure why. I think I get overwhelmed when I am up there. It's monumental to go through everything. A task that I can easily put off by ignoring it. Oh, I've read all the declutter books and am a big fan of Peter Walsh but somehow applying the knowledge is hard for me.
And then there is the basement. Not real big down there but still never organized to my satisfaction. Do we really need a big bin full of record albums and another full of forty fives/ And all that old paint...really?
So I'll renew my vow to throw out something. Today I think I'l throw away a magazine. Hey, it's a start.
Our REd hat group now know as Circle of Friends had an amazing road trip today. We went about two hours south to Curwinsille, PA to have lunch at the Strawberry Tree.
It is a tea and gift shop and so lovely.
the outside was darling and the gift shop full of wonderful things....country items, candles, signs, a Christmas room and a baby room, teapots and teas.
But most spectacular of all was our lunch!!! We each had a tiered tray full of the most wonderful and delicious goodies.
On the bottom tier were tiny sandwiches of cucumber spread, ham and swiss and turkey and provolone on various breads, fresh vegetale sticks with dip, cheddar and crackers, and a cheeseball. The nest tier had a delicious scone with Devonshire Cream and, cookies, a fruit cup, a mini cheesecake and a candy. With it we could have Strawberry iced tea, cappuccino, lemonade or hot teas.
What a lovely afternoon to spend with friends.
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