I sure miss my father

It's been six months since my dad passed away. Losing him was the one of the most heartbreaking event of my lifetime. I miss his smile. It lit up the room. I miss his voice and his stories and jokes. I miss not having him to talk to. I miss the envelopes that arrived in the mail with a short letter or maybe a picture of one of his projects. I miss seeing him. It is hard. I feel the loss of a great man.

Where had the time gone?

It's the middle of August and I haven't posted on this blog since April. My last blog was rather mournful, if you ask me. Needless to say, I'm over it all. I had my eye surgery and now in september I will be having a cataract removed and then I should get my sight back. It has been a great summer.

It was a very bad year

I just need to say this. I have had a rough year and a half. Just when i think things are going to get better, they don't. I have tried all the positive self talk and the optimistic thinking I can muster, but I must admit that I have just about had it! Maybe just getting this off my chest will help. Here is the list of the awful things that have happened to me. Don's father was diagnosed with lung cancer and died last March. In April I started having trouble swallowing and choking on food. In May I had surgery on my head for basal cell carcinoma spending a bad summer healing. In August I had a blood disorder where my blood wouldn't clot and went through extensive testing for that which turned out to be the natural state for my body. In November Don's mother passed and in January my father fell and went into a coma and passed. Then I had a cyst in my eye from the stress which has led to a hole in the retina which now has to have an operation. The year hasn't been all bad. There were highlights. My son's marriage and putting on our addition were such happy times. I'm ready to let the good times roll.

The Family Room

The Family room is almost finished. It began on Memorial DAy 2006 and now there is only the threshold to the dining room that needs to be put in. Don has done all the work himself and it looks awesome.

Can Spring be on the way?

It is March and the snow still covers the ground. It seems more like January. It is this time of year when I yearn for green grass. I think it is knowing that other places are having weather that is similar to our summers (60-70 degrees) that makes me look out at the whiteness with yearning. It's wearing the leather gloves in the morning and the boots that just gets me. I try to be patient because this is not at all unusual for Bradford to have snow in March. I just need some sunshine now. I think I've got cabin fever.

new computer

Over the weekend we got a new computer with Windows Vista. It seems that lately, maybe because of my age, I'm not fond of change. I used to be so excited to learn new things and try out new adventures. But my life this year has been so full of change that I think I would like to keep the status quo. I do like this new computer, however. I'm trying it out and I want to begin to blog again. I haven't actually had time to do this for awhile.

a Wonderful Wedding

What a wonderful wedding! Ryan and Jennifer exchanged vows on October 21 in Tennessee. The day was sunny and the leaves were just beginning to turn. The Mountain Valley Chapel was the perfect setting for such an elegant wedding. I am so happy for both of them. They honeymooned in Cozamel, Mexico where they snorkled and Ryan went scuba diving.

Three Sisters

Here we are...the three of us. Everytime we are together we renew our love for each other. We can't wait for the opportunity to visit together even though it is only a few times a year. This time it was at Linda's house to help her with her garage sale. We celebrated our Septmeber birthdays. Linda made a pumpkin roll which we enjoyed eating. Dad made us the witch's shoes which say..if the shoe fits...! Of course, there was the obligatory shopping trip. I had great luck finding curtain material for my new bathroom in the addition. I found a curtain rod, a brushed nickle waste paper basket, and a nickle soap pump. I have a design in mind for the bathroom and can't wait until I can get it all together. I also visited with Chris and the boys. It was so much fun to hear Dan play in the band and see Scott with his new bird. I love going down to stay with them for a weekend.

I'll never watch another movie set in San Francisco without thinking of the great vacation I just go back from. Joan Mansour, Lisa Zurat, and Linda Rook..coffee buddies of mine...and I went for 6 days to California. Our first day was spent doing all the touristy things like riding the cable car and taking a tour of the city, going to Fisherman's Wharf and Boden's sourdough bakery. The second day we took a bus trip to Carmel and Monterrey where we were drive by Pebble Beach Golf course on the 17 mile drive. The next day Linda's son Ron came and took us to a Monet exhibit at the art museum, had a great experience eating Vietnamese food at the Slanted Door, rode the ferry to Sausalito shopped, and bought our take out dinner at the Ferry Building. The last day we took a bus to Napa Valley and rode the Gourmet train through the valley observing all the vineyards and eating a fabulous meal. We had the best time!

MOM

This is a picture of my second mom, Rose, and her daughter Charlotte. Not everyone is lucky enough to get a second family, but Don and I were embraced by the Lashers and feel like we beong to them. Don's dad Paul passed away this year but we were so fortunate to know him for 5 years. The love this family has is a bond that everyone should possess. It is a very special family and we hold them close to our hearts.

JOURNAL PROMPTS

Who do you love unconditionally? My husband, my children and grandchildren, my sisters
What does being loved unconditionally mean to you? someone knows you so well, but likes you anyway
Have you ever been loved unconditionally? By whom? My husband, my sisters
What nourishes you? husband's attention, friend's understanding, talking to my children, being with my sisters
In what way do you indulge yourself? I buy jewelry
In what way do you wish you could indulge yourself?Buying best sellers instead of getting them at the library
List three ways in which you could make that indulgence happen (even if they seem far-fetched now). Join a book club, choose to spend my money on books, go to a book store more often
Do you remember the phone number of the house you grew up in? 362-2770
Do you remember the phone number of your first boyfriend or girlfriend? no
What fragments of your past stay with you even though they seem insignificant? memories of my childhood neighborhood
Do you prefer to collect and save things or live sparsely? I'm a collector
Are you a night owl or a morning person or something in between? I am an afternoon person Do you know when this habit began in your life? I've always felt sleepy at ten o'clock.Do you think people’s sleep patterns are really a part of who they are (like hair color) or can be changed with circumstances?I think cercumstances dictate how and when you sleep.
If you could share a deep soul kiss with someone today, who would it be? Don, of course
Is your love life today what you thought it would be when you were younger? I met Don when I was 16. We have gone through many changes but it is all I thought it would be and more Is it better or worse? Why? What would you change? How could you bring about that change?It keeps getting better. THe only thing I would change is making more time to be together and enjoying each other.
Who loves more – you or your partner? (If you don’t currently have a partner, address the question to your last serious relationship.I think we love equally.
What is more important to success; intelligence or good manners? I think good manners are very important.
Who makes you laugh? RyanWhat about that person touches you and allows you to open yourself up to them in that way?Ryan has a great sense of humor and always tries to be positie.
Name three adjectives that describe your mother. sweet, caring, great cook
Name three adjectives that describe your father. steady, creative, curious
Of the above six adjectives, which, if any, do you feel apply to you. Do you think they are related to your relationship with your parents, or something you developed separately from them. creative, curious about the world, caring...my parents had a great deal to do with shaping the kind of person I have become.

CANOEING ON THE RIVER

On Wednesday we went to visit our friends, Aline and Jerry, who were vacationing at Cook Forest. What a fantastic day we had. The weather was absolutely perfect in the mid 70's. It was a super day to go canoeing on the Clarion river. We were taken upstream about four miles and canoed back down. The river is very shallow and had a slow current. There were a few rocks to steer around and a few ripples but nothing trecherous. I loved paddling the canoe and enjoying the beautiful scenery on the river. Afterwards Aline fixed us a spaghetti dinner and we made a campfire. Their log cabin was really nice. What a nice way to spend a summer day!

WE HAVE LIGHT!

It was a big day when Don flipped the switch and we had electricity to our new addition. Each little project makes the room more livable and it looks more like a room. I couldn't resist putting a piece of fabric at the window just to see what a valance would look like there. It is still so rough that it is hard to visualize how the final room will come out. I'm sure that we will spend all our time in this room when it is done.

FOUR THINGS

Things you may not have known about me.....
A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Teaching
2. College library
3. babysitting
4. bookeeper at a pharmacy

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:1. American Graffiti
2. Four seasons3. Somewhere in Time
4. The Sixth Sense

C) Four places I have lived:1. Bradford, PA2. Savannah, Georgia
3. elberton, Georgia4. DuBois, Pa

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:1. Everwood2. Oprah3. Anything on Home and Garden
4. West Wing (how I"ll miss it!)

E) Four places I have been on vacation:1. Paris
2. The south of France, Provence
3. Denmark 4. Cape Cod
F) Four places I visit on the Internet:1. Wish Jar Journal
2. lately, anything involving digital scrapbooking
3. amazon
4. decorating magazines & articles
G) Four of my favorite foods:1. lately, anything at Panera bread
2. pasta
3. chocolate
4. picnic foods

H) Four places where I would rather be right now:1. dining with friends in Provence
2. a family vacation in Florida
3. at a great Broadway play
4. Sitting around a campfire with grandkids

A DAY AT ALLEGANY STATE PARK

It has been a long time since I went over to Allegany State Park even though it's very close to our house. When I was a kid we went often at night to feed the deer and raccoons marshmallows. Now it's against the law to do that.

Chris, Dan, Scott, Don and I had a great time on Saturday climbing on Thunder Rocks, visiting the Stone Tower, and playing bocce ball and frisbee on the lawn at Redhouse.

It's wonderful to spend time with my son and grandsons!

Here's what I like to daydream about

Here's a little daydreaming activity. What would I like to do just for fun. Ideas without censorship.
Become an artist, paint, draw, use color, paint outdoors, frame my artwork.
Be a photographer. Use the digital camera and photo programs to enhance my work.
Float down a river in an inner tube.

Go to New England, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket.

Take more time to listen to music and play the piano and keyboard.
Get in the car and start driving...destination unknown. Just go for a few days without plans and stop whenever the mood hits and stay as long as I care to.
Take a fantastic vacation with my husband, just the two of us alone.
Walk on the beach in the early morning.

Visit a large library and spend all day looking at decorating books.

Do something passionately..enjoying myself totally.

SUMMER WIND CRUISE

Picture this: Cruising Lake Chautauqua on a dinner cruise boat called the Summer Wind.
Enjoying the great company of all my old, old friends from our sorority, Beta Sigma Phi.

A simple but absolutely delicious meal of roast beef, potatoes, pasta, salad, and carrot cake.

A breathtaking sunset and a full golden moon which gradually turned to silver.

Standing on the top deck with the cool wind blowing while moving gently in the water.

Dancing and singing to a Neil Diamond singer, clapping and shouting and having a ball.

Ending it all with a remarkable rendition of "coming to America" when everyone stood up for America and sang along.

This was a perfect night!

A French Country Kitchen

This is a picture of my kitchen, one of my favorite rooms in my house.

Rooster in the Kitchen

Mr. Rooster finally made it into my kitchen. When I first redecorated over five years ago I wanted a French Country theme using roosters. But I restrained myself using fruit as a theme instead. But this weekend in my travels to Boiling Springs to visit my grandchildren and son I went shopping at Michael's and couldn't help but purchase this lovely ceramic rooster and tin vase. It makes a great addition to my kitchen since my chadelier has a rooster on it too.