My apologies

This summer has gotten away with me. I am busier than usual so that means that I don’t get to my computer to blog as often as I used to. So if you are checking daily I apologize. I will try to blog as often as I can but please don’t expect every day.

This week is turning out to be extra busy for me. We got back home on Monday in the late afternoon. Tuesday I went to coffee, went to Walmart, stopped in to see about getting a new pair of glasses since when I got home from Chris’ two weeks ago my watch and glasses were no where to be found. I’m sure they will eventually turn up but I needed a new pair anyway. I found pretty frames and will have my eyes checked tomorrow. Then I called and made an appointment to go back to the gastro doctor since I got a piece of hamburger caught in my throat over the weekend. If you have been reading me a long time you will know the problem I have had with choking. so it’s time to get my throat stretched again. Then I did all the laundry to get it caught up. And in the evening we went to my in laws to play cards and didn’t get home until ten.

Today I was busy too getting things arranged back after the storm we had while I was away blew down my cushions from on top of the grill , blew the tablecloth from the table and blew some of the string of lights down. I had to put all the containers back where they belonged. I had put them all out together from under the breezeway so they would get rain when I was away and Evan could water them together if needed. Don is busy getting the pond ready.
So as you can see I don’t even have a picture for you today. Another apology. I long for a time when I can take my camera out again.

Fantastic wonderful weekend

 

We are having such a great weekend at Chris' house. Ryan surprised me by coming up on Friday with his family. And my sister Linda was here too. The weather was fantastic and we enjoyed the pool.

Linda and I made spaghetti and meatballs for everyone Friday night. The girls were tired from the yard sale that they held. And Saturday night we all went to Longhorn steak house for dinner. Then Chris set up a large screen and speakers outdoors and we had an outdoor movie.

Dan also came over from Pittsburgh. He is leaving his dog Selma here for a week while he and Gretchen vacation in Mexico.

 

 

 

Of course Sadie loved swimming in the pool and was mad when I made her get out and rest. She would sit by the side of the pool and whine.

It is so much fun when we are all together.

 

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The first day of summer

 

Here we are again. The very first day of summer. The summer solstice. The longest day of the year. The beginning of a few months of good weather, relaxing and fun. Our winters are long here and having three months of nice weather is so welcomed. I must remember to stop Pushing to get things done and take time to sit on the swing and read. And travel. Already July is filling up. We will be going to my sister's lake house for a weekend with all her and my family. Then both my sisters will be here for a week. Then my son and family will be visiting. I love to have company!

 

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Arbor

Yesterday our friend Tim came over and moved the arbor to the top of the bank and set it in place. Now I am looking for two pieces of fencing to put on each side. Pictures will follow later.

Today my coffee friends came up to play Marbles and we had a great time. It’s always fun to get together. I served crudité in a tall cup and strawberry shortcake. I had gone to the Hatch Patch about an hour away to get their strawberries. I got a whole flat. Their berries are the best, not a bad one among the bunch. A flat is 8 quarts but they pour another quart on the top. I freeze them and use them all year long.

A picture taken with my new lens

The ducks at Boiling Springs Children’s Lake.

Selma

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This is Selma. She belongs to my grandson Dan and his wife Gretchen. Gretchen is a runner and often times she and Dan would go to the local shelter and walk the dogs. Selma won their heart. Gretchen takes Selma on long runs with her. She has a special leash which attaches to her belt which leaves her hands free. Selma of course is very attached to them and wasn't happy being left inside the fence when they went somewhere without her. 

A new arbor for the garden

 

The arbor I ordered from Amazon came and Don put it together for me. It will sit at the top of the bank. I love it.

Yesterday my classmates came to play games. This group of giggle girls is so much fun. W head drinks outdoors but played inside in the air conditioning. I made strawberry yogurt pie which is an easy cool and delicious treat. Here is the recipe if you'd like something refreshing.

Mix together.....a tub of Cool Whip, two cartons of strawberry yogurt, and one cup of mashed, sweetened strawberries. Pour into a graham cracker pre made crust..I used a chocolate crust.. Freeze. Before serving pour some Hershey's syrup in a swirl on top yum!

U I set the table with paper goods from Tuesday Morning. I love that store and stock up on paper plates and napkins every time I am there.

 

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So what did you do today?

When it’s that hot out (86 degrees) not much gets done around here outside. I did finish up the 12 centerpiece pots for my 55th class reunion this summer. I bought some great shaped pots at the Dollar Tree and spray painted them black (our colors are red and black). Then I put a black and white striped ribbon around the top of the pots. I will take them to the florist and have them put in a large geranium for the Saturday night dinner. I also made mason jars with photos from our yearbook. The candle light inside will lend a nice touch. Both the pot and the jar will sit on a bright red felt square. I think this will all look very nice for our dinner.   

  I also made four posters to hang up. I have always loved to do posters and it lets me contribute in an area that I am comfortable in.

Whew! it's hot.

 

Summer has arrived and it is up to 85 degrees. That is hot enough to keep me inside and in the sunroom where we have a window air conditioner. But I did go out for a little while in order to try to set up Sadie's pool. I got her a large kiddie pool because she loves to swim and it is good exercise. And for a selfish reason it is hard to keep filling the bathtub and putting her in there. This pool is ten feet long and twenty two in Che's deep which will give her a lot of room to swim. We would like to put it up in the yard eventually but for now we want to try it out on the courtyard. We put a large tarp inside the pool to keep it from puncturing when Sadie swims. But we ran into a snag. Once it was almost full one side began to collapse and the water started to run out. It has been too hot this afternoon to fix the problem so we are inside listening to Jeff Sessions testimony. Later on this evening when it cools down we will see what we can do.

 

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What a gorgeous time of year

After a long gray winter this explosion of flower color is making me amazed.
The peonies are at their best and even the climbing hydrangea is blooming.

The foxglove is so tall and stately.

I did a little today

Don and I have been married for over 51 years so there hasn’t been many times that we have been apart. But I am alone for a little while this weekend while Don went down to Chris’ to help do some painting for him. I couldn’t go since I may have jury duty next week.

So I am alone. I’ve never really been alone since I went from my parent’s house to college with a roommate and straight to marriage. There have been times when Don has gone on fishing trips but I had the boys here with me. I’m not afraid of being alone, it’s just a funny feeling to have the house all by myself and not anyone to talk to.

So I did a little today. I went to coffee with my friends, made a stop at Walmart, planted a clematis that needed replacing, watered plants, cleaned out the lion fountain, deadheaded flowers, put Sadie in the tub for a swim, mopped the kitchen floor and even found time to read the Handmaiden’s Tale. I never lack things to do.

Three Quarters of a Century

What a fantastic weekend we had! On Saturday we went to Chris’ house in Carlise. Our first adventure was going to Foundry Days. This craft street fair only happens once a year in Boiling Springs, PA. Chris used to live in Boiling Springs right down the road from the lake and now only lives a few miles away. We drove over and parked at the high school so we could ride the shuttle over to the lake. I had gone to Foundry Days about ten years ago and my had it grown! There was one street with nothing but food tents. Then the other streets were filled with craft tents. And these were all fine arts—photography, artwork, hand thrown pottery, silver jewelry, metal work, clothing, and many others. Scott bought his grandfather a beautiful wooden pen that looked like a rifle. Leah got a handmade ring. I resisted and didn’t buy anything..not even food from the food trucks.
  Then Saturday night Chris treated us all to a meal at the Hibachi Grill.  If you have never seen this meal prepared right in front of your eyes complete with entertainment as it is cooked you have missed out. There was fire and fun and we had a great time. Dan and Gretchen came over from Pittsburgh. On Sunday we celebrated again when Chris grilled chicken kabob’s and we had cake and ice cream. Afterwards we all got on our old clothes and went out into his new garage for clean up. We were able to get one whole corner cleaned out and he moved some big cabinets into that space. They sorted things for the yard sale and threw away a lot. It was hard work followed by pizza for dinner. On Monday Don helped Chris with a plumbing problem and then we left for home. All in all it was a fantastic weekend with family.

A Little Messy

Are you a person who always has everything in its place? I'm not but I'm not a messy Marvin either. I live in a state of being surrounded with stacks of magazines and books, projects and decor that makes me happy. I love having a new magazine just waiting for me to pick it up and enjoy. I like having a stack of CDs ready to listen to great background music to suit my mood. I could never live in a modern sterile environment as I need visual stimulation and love to look at pretty things. It was fun to put my house together layer by layer and it will never stay the same. I am always adding and subtracting and as my life is constantly in flow so is my home.

 

Natural Materials Make a Home InvitingJUNE 05

Interior spaces that are too fussy make me uncomfortable. I think when you really live in a home, there needs to be a bit or disorder. A messy stack of books next to your reading chair. A cat asleep on the duvet at the bottom of your bed. A piece of furniture with a story to tell, like a chest with chipping paint or an ottoman upholstered in a worn old rug.

I love this quote from Nell Hill, a designer

 

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Playing with collages

 

 

 

The

 

 

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Playing with my camera

Yesterday was a fun day. I took my husband to Erie to celebrate his 75th birthday. He loves the Red Lobster so we went there for lunch. Then I took him to the jewelry store. A while back he outgrew his wedding ring and it got to tight so he took it off.  I thought it was time he started wearing it again. Afterwards I dropped him off at the casino so he could play while I shopped. (win-win). I didn’t buy a lot…a pool for Sadie to swim in for the summer, a hose holder, a clematis to replace the one that didn’t make it over the winter, a moist heating pad and a few small items. You know the story..a day late and a dollar short? That’s how I felt. I went into the Christmas Tree shoppe and on the way in I saw the perfect garden arch. I have been looking for just the right one for a few years now to go at the top of the path on the bank. This one was rounded at the top and had a diamond window in the lattice at the side. I loved it. I went in and asked about it and the clerk said I needed to bring in the tag as it was a display model. I figured I could shop around a bit and get it on the way back….WRONG! When I finished someone else had scooped it up. Boy was I mad! So since they only had one I went online and ordered it to be shipped to my house.


I’m out today in my yard playing around with lensbaby Velvet 56 again. I love the effects. These are all SOTC (straight out of the camera)

Are you ancient?

 

It!s a freaky thing. My body keeps changing as I age but in my mind I stay young. I can no longer do some of the things that came easy ten years ago and must rest between tasks. But my mind....I still feel thirty. Oh yes, I do have those senior moments of memory lapse but I have learned not to get upset when I forget. I don't even spend time searching my memory for that forgotten name any more. Either it will pop into my head later or not. In my mind I am that young vivacious girl who is unstoppable. I have learned a thing or two along the way and no longer get worried about things that I can't change. And I still have a passion for learning. I still love reading and art. My mind still feels young.

 

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