Sisters

Great fun with sisters.  

Rainbow

Such a beautiful rainbow last night.  Dinner with the family At cracker  barrel.  

Flowers

 Chris and michele are

Having a large grahe built for them so they re having this shedmoved. In front of the shed

Is a large flower bed. Michele is working to Saveall the flowers. There are all kinds of spring blooms 

 This wheelbarrow is full of just one bunch of irises. 

Dogwood

 The dogwood tree is blooming at Chris's house. There are so many spring flowers all around the house. 

New posting app

Sara looking at the new baby chicks that hatched at school.

 app 

hiatus

I will be taking a little blogging break for a week. I may be posting, but I may not be. Life is getting busy. I’ll be back.

Spring

 

It's coming. Finally we are seeing leaves on the small bushes. What a joy to start to see green again. Don mowed the lawn for the first time yesterday and it looks so nice to see the dandelions gone and the carpet of green.

My friend Bonnie and I went over to Staples to get her invitations done but unfortunately the way she wanted didn't work out. I tried to do them on a program on my iPad but was unsuccessful too so I needed to bring them back home and work on them in Photoshop. I hate days when things don't work out as expected.

 

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Whoa!

I just looked at my blog and realized I haven’t blogged since Monday. This has been a busy week for me. On Tuesday I went to my friend Bonnie’s house to help her with invitations for her 50th wedding anniversary party. Then yesterday I spent some time getting a new iphone and learning how to use it. The time has just gone by so fast this week so I apologize for not showing up on time. It seems things are piling up and I had too many irons in the fire. I’ll get a handle on it soon. The pictures in the last post are just some that I am going to try to use for the invitations.

Anniversary

Finally flowers

What a gorgeous day! It got up to eighty degrees. We got out the porch swing and I put the small fence around the flower beds.

 

 

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Just a quiet day

Yesterday Don was out of town all day so I had the house to myself. I spent most of the day working on making my blog into a book for the year 2014. I received my 2015 book in the mail and was so pleased using Bookemon. The book was of high quality, the pictures amazing and the text large and readable.

Sadie and I went for a short walk. She still is having problems with her back legs and her joints still swell when we try to reduce her medication. She does enjoy a walk but we can't go very far or very fast. It was so nice to be outside and enjoy the warm weather.

In the evening I went out to dinner with my friends. It was an enjoyable time and we sat and talked a long time after dinner. I came home and watched the first episode of Orphan Black.

 

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Every Town has one

Does your town have a local character? Or is it just small towns that have one personality that stands out? This is Elvis …or sometimes Batman…or sometimes just a guy in a long black coat. He stands at the corner by Pizza Hut with a guitar, a headset and a speaker and strums away and sings. His name is Charlie. As you are driving by you can see his enthusiasm but yet can’t really hear his singing. I’ve really never heard his music to know if he is good or not. He is out there entertaining the road in his costume in all seasons.
   A few years ago we lost our most famous town character. Her name was Hollywood Helen. She was over seventy but had the nicest legs and was willing to show them off with shorts or short skirts. She even had a nylon jacket with her name on the back. Hollywood would go to the local bars and dance up a storm. She stopped in every business on Main Street and said hello. She was very friendly and lived in a delusional world. She told a fictional story so well you would swear it really happened to her. She would put in the paper that she was going to Las Vegas to entertain with Englebert Humperdink. She was harmless and brought a smile to everyone’s face. At any event going on you couldn’t miss her. She would be front and center gaining all the attention with her long blonde ponytail. Our town misses her. 

DO YOU PODCAST?

Are you a fan of podcasts? I slowly discovered podcasts and signed up for a few months ago. I found this definition on the web.

A podcast is a digital media file, or a series of such files, that is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers. A podcast is a specific type of webcast which, like 'radio', can mean either the content itself or the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster. The term "podcast" is a portmanteau of the name of Apple's portable music player, the iPod, and broadcast; a "pod" refers to a container of some sort, and "cast" to the idea of broadcasting.
In other words, a podcast is a collection of files (usually audio and video) residing at a unique web feed address. People can "subscribe" to this feed by submitting the feed address to an aggregator (like iTunes - software that runs on the consumer's computer). When new "episodes" become available in the podcast they will be automatically downloaded to that user's computer. Unlike radio or streaming content on the web, podcasts are not real-time. The material is pre-recorded and users can check out the material at their leisure, offline.
Though podcasters' web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their content, a podcast is distinguished from other digital media formats by its ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically, using an aggregator or feed reader capable of reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom.
All it really means is that it is a short program that you can subscribe to free and listen to on your computer or device. I had a podcast app on my ipad and I went to their site and selected the ones I wanted to listen to.

My favorite podcast is Happier with Gretchen Rubin and her sister Elizabeth. I’ll let Gretchen tell you about it in her own words.

I’m thrilled to announce that...I have a podcast! It’s called “Happier with Gretchen Rubin.” It has been hard to keep this secret, so I’m excited to reveal it at last.

This podcast is one of many launching today on Panoply, a terrific new podcast network.  I’m so excited to be part of it — and in such good company.

One thing that makes this podcast especially fun is that I’m doing it with my sister the sage, Elizabeth Craft.

When I was asked if I wanted to do a podcast, I thought, “Yes!” but then came the question of, well, what exactly would that podcast be?

As it happens, for years my sister and I have talked about the fact that we should have a radio show or YouTube show together. “It would be so fun! We could discuss all our brilliant musings!” we’d say to each other, but it never seemed possible.

So what will you hear us discuss, when you listen to “Happier with Gretchen Rubin“? We talk about how to build happier habits into everyday life, as we draw from cutting-edge science, ancient wisdom, lessons from pop culture—and our own experiences (and mistakes).

Each week, we give  a “Try This at Home” suggestion, for some easy habit you can try, as part of your ordinary routine, to boost your happiness—something like setting an alarm to signal your bedtime, or using the one-minute rule, to help yourself stay on top of small nagging tasks.

We also suggest questions to help you “Know Yourself Better”—like “Whom do you envy?” and “Are you a Marathoner or a Sprinter in your work style?”—and explore “Happiness Stumbling Blocks,” those small, seemingly insignificant parts of daily life that drag us down—everything from the problem of the Evil Donut-Bringer to the fact that working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination.

We “Grill the Guest,” consider “Listener Questions,” and finally, we get even more personal, and each of us either gives ourselves a “Demerit” for a mistake we made that week, that affected our happiness, or awards a “Gold Star” to someone or something that deserves recognition.

 

I enjoy listening to this as I am trying to go to sleep at night. Their upbeat life lessons and sense of humor makes a delightful podcast. Maybe you would like to try it.

Using Slidely

Spring pictures 2016 | Create beautiful photo galleries - Slidely Gallery

Remember this?

If you are of a certain age this will look familiar. When I was in the eighth grade I was introduced to typing. How well I remember the teacher standing up in front of us repeating…a s d f ; l k j…to familiarize us with the keyboard. Over and over she would say these letters day after day. When I think back she must have been terribly bored. But we trained our fingers to hit the keys and to improve our speed. This will be a useful skill I was told when I went to college or entered the business world.  Little did she know.
    In college I used a manual typewriter fussing with white correction fluid or correction tape. I still remember how many time I had to type a page for a report with footnotes to get them put on the paper just right. When electric typewriters were invented I thought it the most marvelous machine ever.
    Now I look at how fast I see younger people typing and marvel at their skills.  They begin learning to type in elementary schools now. Most can type better than they can write. Now they call it keyboarding of course. One time at a yard sale Scott found an old typewriter and we bought it just so he could put it in his room. 

All finished

Yesterday morning I started making my blog into a book and by evening I was finished. One thing about me…when I have a project I work hard and fast and have to get it all done quickly. No dragging things on for me. I’m like a dog with a bone. I spent all day at the computer..uploading and downloading and copying and pasting. I’m very satisfied with the results. It’s off to be printed now.
    News flash…all the snow has melted even on the hillside. The weather looks good for the weekend…in the sixties. I just might have to find something to do on Saturday while hubby is up in Erie visiting his friend. Did someone say shopping? You must think I’m addicted to shopping. I’m not. It’s just that there are no stores (except Walmart and some dollar stores) in town so I like to get out into the real world and see pretty things. I don’t come home with much nowadays but it sure is fun.
    Today was hair appointment day and I got a perm. There are some of us who have so little hair that flops that we need some assistance. It will be nice for my trip down south next week.

  In other news Don went to the doctor yesterday. After suffering with chest congestion and after taking one round of medications he just wasn’t getting any better. Today it seems the newer, stronger meds are taking hold. He wants to be well by Saturday.
   I picked up the new Harlan Coben book yesterday so today looks like a good day to sit and read.

  

Blog to book

I first began to blog in 2006. After the first two years I decided to make my blog into a book. I used Blurb a program that allowed you to cut and paste and add pages and backgrounds and pictures. I loved the results. To see my blogging efforts actually in print was very satisfying. I hoped that my words would be cherished long after I am gone.

The years went on and I made one more shorter book and then forgot about that for a while. But recently I began to wonder what would happen if Blogger pulled the plug. All those posts would be forever lost and with it the journal of my life. I hadn't backed it up. The thought of all those thoughts and pictures going away motivated me to once more decide to put my blog into print

So I used a program called Blog2Print. It was easier because you chose what part of your blog you wanted printed and it automatically put it into book form. The downside was that I had no control over the layout of the pages and it was pricy. I only did four months.

So I looked for another program and found one that educators used called Bookemon. I am currently working on my book with that. It is a longer process because you have to download every picture into your photo gallery before you can upload it to the book site. But you have more control of what is on the page. So I will be working on that for a while.

Do you keep a journal? Is it hand written? Are you faithful about writing in it daily? Does it include pictures too?

I also completed a book called Grandmother Remembers. In it you completed sentences that told about your life. I hope someday my grandchildren will look at it and know more about me. My maternal grandmother passed away when I was a young child so I have only a few memories of her. ...her long gray hair worn in a bun...her cane. My paternal grandmother lived with us but I remember very few conversations I had with her. I want my grandchildren to know who I was.

 

 

 

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I'm back to making movies

Today I downloaded Windows Movie Maker. The program was on my old computer and I used it a lot to make movies and then upload them to YouTube. If you'd like to see some of my older movies google youtube chatham lane films. It's a lot of fun and very easy if you'd like to try it. I'll be glad to help you out.
  I used some of the daffodil pictures and some ducks and added music. I hope we will soon be seeing Blue Skies.

More and more

 

It has been snowing all morning and keeps piling up. A good day to snuggle and read..and watch reruns of Downton Abbey. The wind is blowing and shaking snow clumps off the trees. It is so pretty out.

 

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Life is unpredictable

 

Life is unpredictable,

It changes with the seasons,

Even your coldest winter,

Happens for the best of reasons.

And though it feel eternal,
Like all you’ll ever do is freeze,

I promise spring is coming

And with it, brand new leaves.

--e.h.

This little poem sure reflects my state of mind today. For those of you who already are having great weather you can stop reading now. I’m not usually a grouch so I won’t say too much.  Just….

Where the heck is Spring?


Here's a little reminder of hotter times.

children's lake 2012 from Peg Karrasch on Vimeo.

One more time

 

I am boring you with yet one more picture of Tatiana covered with snow. Yes, it is snowing. Again. And yes, I am getting tired of waiting for Spring to come. Our winter seems to be dragging on and on.

And of course I try to make the best of it. Ignore it. Try not to complain. Stay positive. But you know what? Enough is enough! I can't wait until I go down south in two weeks. I am headed for Virginia and a sister week. Every year in April a lot of towns in Virginia have garden week. W e will be going to Roanoke. It's always fun when the three of us get together and this year we have been able to be with each other quite a lot.

 

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Umbrellas

April showers bring May flowers. It’s the season for a few raindrops. This is an important question….what does your umbrella look like? Can you tell a person’s personality by their bumbershoot like you can tell them by their shoes? And are you a person who has just one umbrella and never loses it or has multiples so they are handy at all times? I always have two in my car…one with colorful stripes and another with flowers. I feel the rain usually is dull so the umbrellas should be bright.

WHAT’S IN YOUR OFFICE?

Here’s where it all takes place. This brick lined room used to be outside the house as a small porch. When we bought the house it was already enclosed and part of the house.  Just a small room we used it first to house a player piano and later we put in a hot tub there. After we put on the addition we sold the hot tub and turned it into an office. I love having everything in one place.

Here is where I keep my treasures…my photos…my quotes.

And these two little drawers house my stamps and address labels. I wish I would have had them years ago. Whoever said a place for everything and everything in its place really was smart.

I also have my photography books here.

And printer too.

Above the computer I have two botanical prints that were given to me by my friend Yrsa.

I love having this space to work in.