I wanted to get a shot of the courtyard at night and took this one with my iPad. Of course it didn't turn out so well so I got out my big girl camera but the battery needed charging. I find I hardly am using it since the iPad is so much quicker...but not as good.
Another drone shot of our town square at night.
Trying out a new app.
I was going through some old pictures to take to the reunion and came across this one of me. I don't have very many of me as a child.
I was so envious of Tammy's gif I had to try one for myself. Tammy, I think I need a tutorial...it turned out too small.
Does she look nervous? Today we took Sadie to Buffalo..about an hour and a half trip..to the Orchard Park Animal Hospital..for a recheck. The doctor was pleased with how she is doing. They were worried that since she had the disease so long she might not recover but she is doing well. He did mention that it might have been Lupus sine that test registered high also. Either way we are treating her the same. He cut her steroids in half and she no longer needs to take an antacid with it. That means only a half a pill a day. She behaves so well when we are there and I am proud of her. Now she is able to go on walks which will make her very happy since she has been bugging me about it every day. SHe doesn't relent until I get out there. It's very good to have someone hounding me to exercise.
On the way back we stopped at Tim Horton's for breakfast/brunch. I sat down with my tea and the new Oprah magazine and now I'd better get something done. Enjoy your day.
Do you like waiting? Does the thrill of anticipation make you happy when you look forward to something great happening? I am waiting for Our family reunion when I will be reunited with my southern cousins. Through Facebook we have reconnected after so many years. My mother's family are all from Georgia so we visited there every summer.
My mother came from a family of thirteen children and she knew all about family love. It was taught to us by example how important it is to have love in a family and a support system. My parents retired in Georgia and I spent many vacations down there. Both of my parents are buried there. The reunion will be held in a little church in Middleton where my mother attended and my grandfather sometimes preached. I wish that I could have know my grandfather better.
I am not a patient person but sometimes thinking about some pleasurable thing you are going to do in the future is exciting. I am really looking forward to seeing them all once more. I have been goin g through old pictures. People didn't take so many Pictures back then. There wasn't instant photography or Facebook to post them on. Now we document our life but then it was rare. I wish I would have had a picture of me at a young age riding on one of my grandfather's mules while he plowed the cotton field.
Our date nights lately are date days instead. We find we enjoy going out for lunch instead of dinner. Especially when we have to drive an hour to get there. Today we went up to Chautauqua Lake and had our lunch at the Italian Fisherman right on the lake. Sitting on the deck looking out at the water was so relaxing.
Don had the classic burger but I am a little more adventurous and had the Emma Jane Kobe sliders. There were two burgers filled with olives and blue cheese. I know it sounds weird but it was delicious. Also on the sandwich were roasted red peppers, onion straws, and a garlic lemon aioli. And the fries were out of this world. Parmeasean truffle! Yum!
Afterwards we rode around the western side of the lake and went by the place where his mother and father had their cottage. We spent a lot of time there when we were dating and then afterwards with the boys. I learned to waterski on that lake. Many summer weekends were spent there.
As we rode we started to reminisce about olden times and those who are no longer with us. It was a trip down memory lane. Now we are the old folks. So it goes.
It was a nice way to spend the afternoon. As we approached Bradford we ran onto just a quick shower. It was very hot and humid here today...86.
Sara started Kindergarten this year and Sean is in second grade. How does the time go by so quickly?
I don't know when I got the idea for this head. Maybe it was because my sister got one. Linda is eleven years younger but she is my twin...not in looks but in taste. For some reason we like almost exactly the same things. It is funny when we shop together because we are drawn to the very same items. She can hold up a pair of earrings across the store and they will be the very same ones I have in my hands. Once we bought the a same coat..and so did my other sister..without knowing it. The funny part was she and I had also bought the same leopard print gloves to go with it. Thee are so many items that are duplicated in our homes. She doesn't have a problem shopping for me because everything she picks out is perfect for me.
So when she had a head I needed one too. Then I picked out the seaweed for mine and she needed that too. She is a lot more fortunate than I am because living in Fredericksburg, Virginia she has access to a lot more stores than Bradford. So I usually save up all my shopping until I go to a bigger city.
She doesn't have a Tatiana, the statue outside the window, yet but the search is on.
When I was cleaning the basement I unearth this hidden treasure. I had found this old too box at a garage sale and fell in love with its green patina. It was rusted in just the right way and I knew it had to come home with me.
I filled it with natural materials...stones, textured balls and grass like moss as well as faux seaweed. It seemed just the right thing for the end of summer.
I sat it on a textured place mat and put my favorite William Sonoma bird placemats on the end of the table. I love the little birdcage napkin rings I found a while ago at Pottery Barn.
Recently I covered the zebra parson's chairs with a green printed chair cover from Pier One. It's a nice change for summer. (Whoops, pardon the fit..I didn't get them pulled down all the way on this one chair).
I also changed the candle-ier. those are not real candles but ones on timers. I love that I don't have to turn them on each night.
I hope you enjoyed my new tablescape. I love creating vignettes. If I had to have another job I would love to be the person who designed the tablescapes for Pottery Barn or did window displays for William Sonoma.
Beautiful view of our town taken by Nate Bottorf. Thanks, Nate for all the drone pictures which give us a unique view of out little city.
Sadie relaxing. You can see where she was shaved in order to do the ultrasound. We take her back to Buffalo on Friday for a checkup. She is back to normal. She loves taking a swim in our little pond which she thinks is her private swimming pool.
Ryan and Jenny live near Knoxville, Tennessee and Ryan works in Pigeon Forge which is the playground of the south. It is a big tourist attraction and there is a lot to do down there. They have recently opened The Island. I haven't been there yet but it looks like a lot of fun. There is a Paula Deen restaurant there too.
It looks like a lot of fun.
Sara and her girlfriends. Look at her long legs. I can't believe that she will be five at the end of this month.
Sorry, I was so busy yesterday that I forgot to blog. It happens. For the past few days I have been on a mission to get my basement cleaned out. I don't even have a full basement just under part of the house. There is a room under the stairs, very small with shelves. A larger space with the furnace and laundry. And a storage room.
It becomes a space where things are put. Things that don't have a home elsewhere go down there. Hobby thing like all my art materials that I have collected. And there they sit...unused. What a shame.
Also there are all those kitchen items that are seldom used but needed..like large rosters, specialty pans, bread maker, fryer, etc. those I put in bins.
And paint storage, games for the kids, old jars...well you get the picture. We all...well maybe not Tammy...have places like this where things live but are not used often.
So I purged. It felt good to go through things and eliminate those things I know I'll never be using again..like the fondue pot. And take things to Goodwill to beloved by someone else...like old purses. And filling garbage bags with just trash or no longer wanted items.
Then the floor was cleaned to be painted as a winter project.
The greatest satisfaction is to look at it all cleaned up and smile. I seem to be happy when things leave the house.
I love that we live practically in the woods. It is common to see wildlife (remember the bear stories?) It still thrills me when deer walk through our yard. Yesterday mama and two fauns were waltzing through. By the time I got my camera they were on their way to the neighbor’s. 
He put up a salt lick and some food and that is a great attraction for them. In our town there are a lot of people who feed the wildlife. My friend Joan starting feeding birds and ended up with deer, chipmunks, and squirrels as well as birds. 
Our winters are extremely harsh so once they start feeding they need to continue all winter long. We have many hunters in our area but we try to be as kind to the animals as we can. They know who they can trust. 
Posted with Blogsy
