Ah, air

We have air!  Yesterday the guys worked to get our air conditioning up and running.  It was a hard job and the owner’s son worked all afternoon after his father left. Finally at five he got it running. They will be back on Monday to hook up the returns. It works great. But now the temperature has gone down into the seventies so we don’t need it. But there will be plenty of hot days ahead I’m sure. 

My happy space

I like a lot of people used to hate having my picture taken. What I would see never matched up with how carefully I looked in the mirror. But once I took a photography course in self portraiture. It made me more accepting of my looks and willing to put myself out into the world not in a self indulgent way but in a more self confident way. In this day of selfies I guess that’s ok. 

I took this picture when I was getting in car and heading for my watercolor class at Mayville. It really shows me in my happy space. More and more I am trying to do things that bring a smile to my face. Carpe diem has become my rally cry. Especially this summer. Our winters come fast and stay long so in the nice weather months I try to cram in as much living as I can. 

It was framed

How fast things can happen sometimes. I was planning on going to Erie on Saturday to get a frame for my picture but I got a twenty percent on the whole order coupon from Michael’s which was only good for one day. So I hopped in the car and drove to Jamestown. I found a frame for the agapanthus picture and also for my poppy watercolor. 

And of course one thing led to another. I had to find a place to display the picture and decided to put it in the sunroom for now. And it seemed the bowl of agapanthus needed to be there too. I added one more blue vase just to tie it in and I was done. I walked around the sunroom and removed some things for a while trying to simplify. I’ll never, ever be a minimalist but I’m finding I don’t need all the stuff out all the time. I do love to decorate though. 

Tomorrow the guys will come and charge the air conditioning system and we will be in business. Since we’ve had such very hot days I will be happy to enjoy the whole house being cool. I will probably sleep better too. It will be so comfortable when I host my sisters in a few weeks and then my nephew and his family. 

Yep, this is the way we spend our summer. yesterday was only seventy five and a perfect day for sitting outside on the breezeway. I’m reading The last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine. I’ll let you know how I like it. 

The flowers are finally having their rebirth and things are looking gorgeous once again. It has been a very dry summer and the lawns were beginning to brown until that nice soaking rain the other night. 

Sadie and I went for a walk on the University trail. I just had to stop and take this picture. This guy was really relaxing. 

         

This is my latest painting from class Tuesday. I want to go to Erie on Saturday and find a frame at Michael’s. I really have loved getting back into painting. I am learning to be less self critical and just enjoy the process. I have found that I like painting flowers best of all. 

Yesterday the air conditioning guys didn’t show up...and didn’t call. The same on Monday. I had heard that this is what happens with contractors but the company owner was so nice and polite that I was sure he wouldn’t be like that. All it would take is a phone call from them and we wouldn’t have to sit around for hours waiting on them. I am now very anxious to get this project finished. 

Routine

I always say that at this age it is just patch,repair and maintain. Just routine blood work this morning for a doctor’s appointment next week. I’ve been going through a good period of health lately. I’ve been through some things in the past but for now things are great. 

The Circle of Friends picnic yesterday was very nice.  I tried a new recipe.....my advice....don’t do that.  It sounded easy and low calorie. Just mix lemon pie filling with an angel food cake mix. It baked up nice and high and looked good but as it cooled it began to fall. It fell and shrunk right before my very eyes. It was too late to make something else so I iced it with lemon powdered sugar icing and let it go at that. It tasted ok but not great.  Live and learn.  Life lesson.  

Pause for this political announcement

Be afraid. Be very afraid.  

I try to keep my political views out of my blog for I respect that everyone is allowed to have their own opinions when it comes to politics. But after our president’s disaster yesterday at the Helsinki summit I must issue this warning. 

Every since Trump became a candidate I marveled that he could stand in front of people and lie and still get support. His basic character stood against all that I hold dear in someone running for office and for a man in general. Yet he gathered crowds which he whipped into a frenzy with chants of Lock her Up. The mentality of his rallies reminded me of how Hitler hoodwinked his country’s citizens. 

I first became suspicious when he praised Putin continually and was vicious to anyone who opposed him. I tried to understand his fascination and praise of dictators and his predudice views. Finally after the dossier I was convinced that he was being blackmailed by Russia. It was the only possible explanation to why he seemed to push their agenda.

But yesterday he finally shocked the nation by siding with Putin against our own CIA and justice system. He was played. Putin dominated. The America we all are so proud of is in jeopardy. Trump is tearing down our institutions and ripping up the idea of checks and balances. I am truly fearful that good men (and women) will not stand up to him while we still can. 

Vote this November. 

The sunset of our lives

This was the gorgeous sunset we saw coming home from Eldred the other night. We had been visiting family for a picnic to see some relatives from out of town. It is so nice to have family nearby because my side of the family has all moved south. How wonderful it is to visit and talk and enjoy each other’s company. 

   I try not to often to think about my age. I don’t dwell on the things I can no longer do but keep pushing to do all I can while I can. But occasionally I think about how it changes you. For instance we know that after Sadie is no longer with us that we will probably not get another dog. It wouldn’t be fair when she might outlast us. And I don’t think we could go through training a puppy again. 

Another change is that I don’t entertain and have large parties like I used to. I don’t have the energy to carry large tables up from the basement and spend hours preparing food. I don’t like it but I have to accept that things change in this sunset of my life.

Meanwhile I won’t think about it. I have excellent role models. Some of my coffee friends are in their eighties and are doing so well. They take good care of themselves and are still active. One goes to the yMCA every single morning to exercise. The other walks a half an hour every single day without fail. They put me to shame.

Each stage of life presents its own challenges but I’m happy that I have been able to reach old age. Some people don’t. I’ve lost my two best friends and many classmates. 

The sunset of our lives

The status of the plants

I am not a gardener. I love flowers and plants but I didn’t inherit the love of gardening from my father. He got such joy from growing. I remember he had a garden every summer since I was a child. He delighted in watching the garden flourish and even in our short summers in Bradford he reaped the rewards of tomatoes and peppers in late August. Since we had late frosts I remember making little paper hats to put over the tender tomato plants in the garden in late May. And in September when the frost threatened the tomatoes which were now producing like mad he gathered all the green ones and put them in the basement on newspapers to ripen. But for me that love just isn’t there. It was passed to my son Ryan who loves to plant a garden. 

   So I do the best I can with actually very little knowledge of how to do it. For me it is hit and miss. I buy annuals and a few perennials and hope for the best. 

Right now the flowers seem to be taking a blooming break. The full flowering baskets are looking rather sparse even though I fertilized them. I am hoping that they will come back strong. 

I resort to adding sculptural elements in the garden like the pineapple and mosaic piece above. 

I even cheat with a fake (excuse me, faux) hydrangea wreath. This lemon mosaic has been decorating the doorway for many years. I love my garden and the few blooms it provides but on my bucket list is a cutting garden. I would love a space to have plentiful blooms such as in an English garden that I could cut and bring in the house. I never dare cut the flowers I have since they are so sparse and few between. Maybe someday my gardening friends can help me achieve my dream. 

Happier days

I came across these few pictures of Sadie and it mad me so sad. As you know she has lupus and poly arthritis which has deformed her front legs. Now her back legs are collapsing and it is getting hard for her to stand up.  She hasn’t been walking for a long while now and I carry her everywhere. She sits most of the day in front of the window. When I am outside I take her out to sit while I work. I carry her into the kitchen for her meals. The medicine has made her gain weight and she is very heavy. Her once active life has been reduced inactivity.  She doesn’t seem to express pain but when I see her licking her hind leg I know it must be hurting her. When do you say that it is time and merciful? 

POPPIES ON THE LAKE

Another day of bliss.....watercolor day. Every time I take a class with Susan I learn some new technique. Today we painting poppies and I learned to mask off areas that I wanted to keep fresh or white. I also did a little crayon resist. 

I need to get some mats and a different frame for these to show them off better. 

This one is Cece’s. She was going to add greenery to the bottom but I made her stop painting since it was just perfect the way she had it. We both are loving class. 

More lake fun

I had forgotten how much I like the water. I should go to the YMCA and swim. It is so refreshing. 

Air

Work is progressing on the central air. Yesterday they brought all the supplies, put in the air handler up in that attic and the condenser outside. They might be finished by Saturday. I hear it is going to be another hot weekend so I am looking forward to having a cool house. 

I am still catching up on the business of the last week. I need a longer recovery period these days. But I pace myself. Instead of feeing the pressure of having to do all the laundry we created during our week away I just left it in the basket for another day. It’s not like I don’t have a ton of summer clothes to wear. It will get done..just on my schedule. Today is hair day. I always love feeling refreshed after a cut and color. This week is already going by in a flash. Am I rambling? I feel unfocused today. I need to just sit down with a book and rest. 

This is an exciting day

Today the Hvac guys come to start putting in central air and am I ever excited. Even though we have a window air conditioner in our sunroom and back bedroom our west facing kitchen heats up terribly in the hot weather. It’s too hot to cook (I wonder what excuse I’m going to use now). It was 91 yesterday when we go home. Global warming has certainly affected Bradford. 

Molly and Sara on the boat.

Tammy, you asked about Sadie. As we sat on the deck overlooking the lake and she saw that the kids were all swimming she really put up a fit whining and carrying on. She wanted to be down there. She went to my sister to beg knowing that I had said no. But the next day I took her (and her floatie) down the long steps to the dock. It should have been a comedy reel seeing me (in my life jacket) and her on the floatie trying to balance and paddle out. She wasn’t happy but consented to staying on the floatie dangling her feet into the water and paddling but when each boy jumped into the water from the dock she felt it was her duty to rescue them and made a lunge for the water. Finally I couldn’t restrain her any longer and had someone take her back up the stairs. I felt so sorry for her knowing how much she loves to be in the water. 

Today I begin my art classes again. Our instructor had taken off some time but now she is back and I am glad to get going again on my painting. On Friday once again I am planning on going back to Mayville to paint poppies. I am so happy that I am making time for this. 

More lake fun

The theme this year was Hawaiian Luau.  Diane made this flip flop wreath. 

How low can you go?

Games, of course. Marbles is a favorite. 

Lots of eating...the biggest pizza in the world.  

Dogs are part of the family too. 

Jake and Scott with balloons.  

I stopped Sara long enough for a quick selfie.  She and Molly had a blast together. It was the best weekend.  We may only see each other once a year but the bonding is priceless. 

Weekend fun

This shark was just one of the delicious foods that we had at Diane and Jeff’s annual Fourth of July party. What a great opportunity it is for all my sisters family and all of mine to get together. This morning we were off to the farmers market to get fresh peaches then back to the lake for a swim.  The kids were boating and out on the jet ski. The weather had cooled down to the seventies and the water was as warm as bath water. We grilled chicken and I made peach cobbler. Josh and Caron made their much in demand Texas Caviar and vodka chocolate cherries. 

There was salsa and chips and dips, barbecued chicken, salads and lots of other food. 

In the evening we sat by the fire and roasted marshmallows. Now we have settled in to watch Princess Bride while the teenagers are watching the horror movie IT. What a fantastic day this has been. A group of twenty five people and six dogs and all are happy. 

V

A Quiet Fourth

It was a rather quiet way to celebrate the Fourth of July. No fireworks for us. After I went to the Floats competition I came back to Chris’ and we went for a swim. I love it when the water is warm. I can’t let Sadie swim anymore because of her deformed feet. Using them like that must hurt her although she would swim forever if you’d let her. So I got her a floatie and took her in the water. I’m sure she would rather be swimming on her own but at least she could get wet and participate.  Chris grilled his special burgers with Jack Daniel’s sauce. 

In the evening we all went to see Jurassic World. It was ok for that kind of movie. It was a nice way to celebrate just being together. Today we go to my sister’s lake house for the gathering of the clan. 

I saw this great picture of my hometown on Facebook and just had to share. 

Anything that floats

I’ve talked about Children’s Lake before which is near Chris’ house. Today they had an event which drew a large crowd. The Anything That Floats Competition.  Homemade craft sailed out onto the lake to compete in different categories. 

Some were really cute like Yabba Dabba Do,

This one unfortunately capsized.  

Some smart people brought their own chairs.  

It was so much fun to watch this unique race. It was really hot.  I am not used to the hot weather and didn’t do so well in the heat. Believe it or not it was even too hot to go shopping. 

I had to include this picture showing why we need a van.