Sunday Favorites (taken with bird feeder camera 3/8/26)

The Weather Held Off

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It was overcast and a bit breezy, but that wasn't a deterrent to getting a lot of raking and leaf blowing done today. Nathan, Kathy, Joy, Isaac, and Joseph arrived first.  Then Melany, Wade, and Erin got here a few minutes after. And, then a bit later Elijah came.  And, boy did they work hard!  The Proctors brought all kinds of goodies including a birthday cake.  The goodies were a good break time for the kids.  They worked till lunch.  Then I sent Nathan for pizza.  Pizza for lunch then Melany's delicious carrot cake for dessert and to celebrate Wade's and my birthdays coming up in a few days.  We had a very nice day.  Erin wasn't feeling well…she got to feeling carsick on her way here and never felt great the whole time they were here.  But it was good to get to see her…just sorry she didn’t feel well. 

Nathan stayed a while after everyone left and worked on one of my birthday gifts…a hummingbird feeder that has a camera in it to snap hummer photos.  It is partially ready…he has to mount a small solar panel…so that will happen another day…which is fine as I don't think the hummingbirds are back in TN yet.  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

What Happened to Spring? Summer Showed Up!

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It was a very warm day today.  When I got into my car around noon, it said that it was 82°!  It was very much a March day when you figure in the wind…but probably the warmest day that we have seen so far this year.  Today was busy starting out nicely with having breakfast with Jo and Carolyn.  We always have such a good time when we get together…always fun catching up with each other.  The morning sped by all too quickly.  Since I was on the side of town where I needed to run errands, that's what I did after we parted ways.  I needed to pick up just a few things at Kroger so did that quickly and made a stop at the Credit Union.  Then it was back home and time for a rest!  I took a bit longer nap than I meant, but guess I needed it.  

If the weather cooperates tomorrow, there may be a gathering of some Dorrells and some Proctors here to do some yard work and birthday celebrating.  I guess the birthday celebrating can happen weather cooperating or not.  Birthdays seem to come rain or shine!!  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Another Pretty Spring-Like Day…Rather Breezy

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I’ve had a pretty busy day.  I managed to vacuum upstairs in the hallway and guest room…those areas upstairs had been pretty much full of boxes with no room for the vacuum to be able to do its work.  I did a little more cleaning downstairs, too.  So both the upstairs vacuum and the downstairs vacuum got a bit of a workout again today.  I am so thankful that I no longer have to lug a vacuum up and down the stairs!  

I have also done a little stitching.  I did finish the next Christmas ornament…so now I have stitched seven ornaments for gifts for the coming Christmas. I’m closing in on completing another audio book for another Cottey Bookclub selection on down the road a bit…getting ahead on my reading for that. 

It was such a pleasant day, that I actually put on a short sleeve shirt after getting rather warm with long sleeves while vacuuming.  I think we are in for another dry day tomorrow, but Saturday may turn a bit soggy.

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Midweek

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It has been another beautiful day.  I turned in tax documents to my accountant today…that was my accomplishment of the morning.  Nathan came over this afternoon and put away all my Christmas boxes. Yay!  I called Cheryl and let her know that she could now come for a visit as her bed was cleared off once again!  Now I can run the vacuum down a clear hallway.  It has been a while.  I'll see if I can accomplish that tomorrow.  I have been listening to the next Cottey Bookclub book, as it became available the other day.  I’ll read it while I have it available.  Although, remembering it in detail for two months is doubtful!  But at least I will have read it!  I went to Bible study this evening, and am now home ready to settle in for the evening.  I think that "if" my eyes stay open this evening that I will have the ornament finished tonight.  What I have left to stitch isn't much…I "should" be able to stay awake long enough to take these last few stitches.  Time will tell! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Another Tuesday

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Well, today has been a bit of a wash for me.  I didn't feel very well for a good part of the day.  I thought for a while that I might be coming down with something, but as the day wore on I felt better not worse…so think that it was just a day I didn't need to do much!  Donna and I had decided on Sunday that we would take today off from the church library…so it was a day that I could do next to nothing!  I did bake some biscuits from scratch early this morning…before I realized that I wasn't feeling great.  I had the meat thawed to make a soup/stew today, but put that off until just a little while ago.  It is now made for tomorrow…but now I have a mess to clean up…after I blog and sit and rest a few minutes.  While cooking I finished listening to a book, the next book for my Cottey Bookclub.  I did do a little stitching early this morning, but set it aside. Maybe I will do a little more when I get the kitchen cleaned up.  I am close to being finished with this Christmas ornament.  It was another beautiful spring-like day today.  I enjoyed it when I made my trek out to take the garbage can to the road and get my mail.  I did have a piece of mail that I had been looking for…my birth certificate…back after being sent to the government with my application for my passport.  The only item that hasn't gotten back to me yet is my renewed driver's license…that I renewed online.  I renewed it online the same day that I sent off my passport application, which had to go through the mail both ways.  US government seems to be on top of things more than the TN government!  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well. Be cautious! 

March Came in Like a Lamb

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Another spring-like day…though not a blue-sky day.  I was thankful that it was overcast as I had an eye appointment and that meant when coming out into the daylight that my dilated eyes wouldn't have to fight the brightness. My eye appointment went well.  I could tell that I could see better with one of my eyes than the other and asked her what the eye that wasn't as good tested…20/20…so guess I am seeing very well.  I didn't ask what the better eye tested…but I know I could read several lines more with it.  She said that my eyes were doing well and that everything tested out well and that I didn't have to come back for a year…sounds good to me.  I liked my new eye doctor very well, but it was rather sad to go into the office with all the memories of my former eye doctor and realize that he had died.  The office is still just getting used to his absence.  

The rest of my day has been rather quiet, as my eyes were dilated (and still aren't totally back to normal and I just didn't feel like doing much…couldn't stitch, couldn't read…the kitchen lights were too bright for me to do anything in there.  I did call Cheryl, my favorite and only sister, to wish her a happy birthday and we talked for a while.  After lunch, I took a nap.  Another friend called and we talked for a while.  Then it was time to head to Monday night Furnace Room Prayer Meeting.  I am now home and am going to have a late supper.  Then I hope that my eyes are able to do a little stitching, if not, then I may watch a little TV before settling in to sleep.  

We did have a good birthday celebration for Graham yesterday…a nice family time.  I’ll add in here at the end the family picture that I took before the gathering broke up.  Kathy hadn't gotten a picture of all of them on the day of Esther's and Patrick's wedding so she was determined to get a photo of all eleven of them together yesterday…so I obliged! 

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Sunday Favorite=Celebrated Graham Today!

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A Very Happy Camper!

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I guess you can say, instead of camper, a very happy cruiser because my passport arrived in the mail today.  I now have "real" ID!  I have tucked it away for safe keeping…told Melany where it is…in case I forget! I guess I am one step closer to being able to go on the cruise.  I still haven't gotten my birth certificate back from them. Wade said that usually the birth certificate gets sent back before the passport…well, not in this case!  But this is what I really need.  Sailing to Alaska, but one of our ports of call is Victoria, British Columbia, Canada so I will be in another country during the cruise.  

Today has been a stay-at-home day and I have done a little of this and a little of that around the house.  I have also stitched on the Christmas ornament  that I have been working on…getting close to a finish on this one.  I have talked on the phone with Melany.  We were making plans to celebrate Wade's and my birthday (we share the same birthday) this coming weekend.  Tomorrow afternoon we celebrate Graham's birthday. Monday is my favorite (only) sister Cheryl's birthday.  Lots of birthday celebrating going on! 

It has been a very pretty spring-like day.  Once again, nice to go out to the mailbox without having to wear a jacket. It seems like days like this are happening more often…Spring must be close!  I'm ready!

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Is It Possible? Graham is 24!

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How time does pass…all too quickly!  It doesn’t seem possible that Graham could be 24, but unbelievably that many years have passed since I heard him cry through the phone lines not long after he was born in Texas.  Woody and I drove to see him for the first time in March during my Spring Break from Montessori.  On that trip to Texas, we stopped in Missouri to see Woody's sister who was dying from colon cancer.  After our visit we continued on our way to meet Graham.  I believe that we had been at Nathan's, Kathy's and Graham's about thirty minutes before we got the news that Tammy had passed away.  We stayed in TX until the funeral and then went back to MO for the visitation and funeral and then turned back around to head back to TX.  Interesting what memories pop in to my mind at times.  I hadn't thought of this back and forth trip of both great joy and great sorrow until I started writing tonight's blog.

I have had a fairly busy day.  I did my Krogering and then put everything away.  I had my lunch and then felt the need of a nap.  I did take a nap, then talked with a friend on the phone for a while.  I did manage to do one of the things on my to-do list…the kitchen and downstairs bathroom.  I dust mopped them and then mopped them…a task that I had good intentions to do for quite a few days…glad that I finally got them mopped.  

This evening I plan to listen to a book and do some more stitching. I will end with a BIG happy birthday to Graham.  We will celebrate his birthday on Sunday,  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Last Thursday in February

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The day started out a bit rainy, but it wasn't very far into the morning before it was over and the day ended up sunny and fairly mild.  Once again, when I needed to go to the mailbox or to put something in the garbage can no jacket was needed.  Nice to be able to go out and not freeze even with a coat!  

I have enjoyed a stay-at-home day.  Part of the day I just felt lazy and didn't feel like doing anything..maybe because that was because I woke up very early once again.  I will say waking up early is one way to end up with a day seeming quite long!  I have contacted my tax preparer to make an appointment.  I think that I have received everything and/or gathered what I need to take to her. I then went through some papers that had stacked up and got rid of some and filed others.  I have made a grocery list, as I plan to make a trip to Kroger in the morning.  I have been trying to figure out what sounds good to cook.  Today I did cook a pork roast…that tasted pretty good for supper tonight.  

Once again…I am clearing off my sewing cutting table which seems to be a magnet for things that I don't have a place for…it's not too bad this time.  I do want to do some sewing so will need the surface to cut all cleared.  I will be using a new pattern that I haven't made before so I plan to make a muslin first…I had bought some muslin fabric a while back.  Today washed it so it will be a little less stiff than it came from the fabric store.  I’m sure it will come out of the dryer in a wad since it is five yards!  It is drying now.  

Tonight I'm looking forward to stitching and watching Matlock and Elsbeth…their season is starting up again tonight.  I have taken a little time today, when I didn't feel like doing anything else, to do some stitching.  I continue to work on Christmas ornaments.  This one has more stitching on it than some of the others that I have planned for this year. Some I am doing on perforated paper which is higher count and I can actually stitch on it without any magnification other than my readers.  The one I am stitching on currently is on tiny count and readers and extra magnification and extra light is very necessary.  

To be continued! Be safe! be well! be cautious!

Wednesday

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I got home a little while ago from Wednesday night Bible study.  I ate supper before I came in here to blog. While eating, I checked my email and got the best news…my passport has been approved and I will have it in hand soon…maybe even as early as next week.  That clears the last hurdle, that I know of, for Melany's, Wade's, and my Alaska cruise!  Good news!  

Today I stayed at home except for this evening for Bible study,  I mainly did little things around the house…dried a load of clothes and got them put away.  Took things out to the trash…picked up a couple of pieces of cardboard that I had put out for recycle that ended up blowing back into the yard.  Later in the day I took the garbage can back to the house…just mundane tasks, as usual!  I did set aside some time to stitch.  Last night I finished another Christmas ornament.  Today I picked up a Christmas ornament that I had started but hadn't finished yet…so back on that one.  I even got in an afternoon nap…not exactly intentionally…but closed my eyes for a short period of time. As I put away clothes today, I was thinking what items will go with me to Alaska!  I guess I am in planning mode…have more time to plan this one than I did for my first cruise back in January…that one was a spur of the moment trip planned by Nathan and family. I guess I will see if more or less time to plan is better!  Now to get passport in hand…I’ll let you know when that significant event occurs! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Little Warmer Day

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Today was an example of the promise of Spring…yesterday very cold…the temperatures today started moderating and by the time that I took the garbage to the road, I didn't wear a jacket…yesterday, there wasn't a time to even think about going outside without a jacket.  We are in the see-saw time of year…back and forth…up and down!  I keep reminding myself when it is cold, that it won't be long till I am thinking about how hot it is!  

The first picture tonight is just a scene that includes a street sign…we take the street signs so when looking back at photos we know (sort of) where we went that barn trip.  Marie and I have gone on a couple trips that after the trip we couldn't figure out how to get back to a place that we wanted to take some more photos…so we now try to include some street signs.  The second photo is also in the first photo…if you look closely you can see these donkeys on the other side of the road resting.  

Today has been a fairly busy day.  I started doing wash this morning.  And, am about to get out the last load from the dryer and get them put away after I blog.  Donna and I did work in the library this afternoon…checking books in, shelving them and doing some other maintenance jobs, like straightening shelves and reshelving books that had gotten taken from the shelves and then not put back in the right place.  The library looked all neat and straight when we left.

I called Cheryl this afternoon to thank her for a birthday present that had arrived…a t-shirt for the cruise! A little while ago, I got a text from her thanking me for her birthday present that had arrived at her house this afternoon after we talked.  Our birthdays are 8 days apart…our ages are 7 years apart!  Besides birthday gifts, we talked about possible times for her to come here for a visit. Planning, planning, planning! 

To be continuedM Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Cold February Day

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What a brrrrrrrry day. I'm not sure if it ever got out of the upper 20s today, and, if it did get into the 30s, it didn't get very far into them!  It was also breezy so that made it feel much colder than it was.  I did brave the cold, as I got a haircut today.  Then I ran a couple of errands…made a stop at the Credit Union…I needed check registers for my checkbook.  The next stop was at the public library where I needed to return a book and renew my library card.  They check to make sure that all your information is current once a year.  So I’m good to check out books for another year…both real and virtual books!  Before I took off for a haircut and to run errands this morning, I had to made a couple of appointments which I accomplished.  So I am happy to say that I marked everything off my to-do list today.  I have returned from Monday night prayer meeting and am settling in for the evening…hoping to stitch some more.  I completed another Christmas ornament yesterday and got started on another one…Hope to stitch some more on it this evening…no Olympics…so maybe I will watch a sewing or cooking show…or watch a needlework YouTube (known in the stitching world as "FlossTube").  I'll end with a photo of the promises of Spring that we see all over town and in the country side.

 

Sunday Favorite

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Fun Saturday

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So, I bit the bullet and paid for the blog app…so here I go using it for photo and the blog for the first time. I do like typing on this…the old way was iffy at best.  This is like typing with Word on my laptop or Pages on my iPad. So much easier. I'm sure it will be worth the small pittance that I had to pay.

Today was very pretty after the rain stopped and the clouds cleared out.  It is getting cooler…dropping down into the upper 20s overnight. So once again we will be shivering!  We have been spoiled by the pretty weather.  But what we have had is a promise of what is to come! We are looking forward to Spring.  My miniature jonquils and crocus are also starting to bloom giving their promises of what is to come. It's so pretty to see the yellow and purple blooms peeking up through the ground.

Melany and Wade came today and raked the large garden that parallels the driveway…clearing the way for the irises to come up.  I fixed our lunch while they worked.  We ate lunch and then planned some excursions for our cruise. I think we are pretty much set except…my passport being in my hand…a rather important detail!  The good news on that is that the government has cashed that check so I know the application has been received…learned that two days ago.  Then today I received an email from the government saying what day the application was received and that it will be in my hands from 4-6 weeks from that date.  So sounds like I will have it in hand in plenty of time.  

I have gotten the kitchen cleaned up from the mess I made making lunch so now I am ready to sit down and relax, watch the Olympics, and paint my nails!  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

New Fodder!

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We found barns!  Perfect timing as I was running out of photos from my Bahamas cruise. 😁 It was a beautiful day for a barn trip.  We wanted to go out before all the leaves come back on the trees.  We really didn't go far…it was pretty much "just down the road from my neighborhood." Found a variety of barns and quite a few animals.  I spent time this afternoon putting the photos that I took today onto my iPad…one of the reasons that I removed a lot of photos last night.  I am very pleased with the ones that I have looked at so far.  I will be sharing them with over the next weeks.  Took quite a few pictures!

Before Marie and Carolyn picked me up, I made a quick trip to Kroger…mainly to get a couple of things for the meal I have planned for Melany and Wade tomorrow.  I managed to get what I needed and got them home and put away before I headed off for a couple of hours. When I got home, I made a new recipe for something that I had never made before…chutney, mango chutney…tastes pretty good.  It was suggested that mango chutney be served on the side with the Tahine-style chicken that I'm making for our lunch.  This is a recipe that I made several weeks ago and liked it and think that Melany and Wade will too.  This is a Mediterranean recipe…something totally different than what I usually make.

I have two things that I forgot to mention yesterday.  I was pleased to see the government check clear my account…that means that my paperwork for my passport got to the right place…now to wait for the passport and my original birth certificate to get to me!  

The other exciting thing is that Joy didn't forget how to juggle due to her concussion.  She hadn't been interested in trying up until yesterday and she and Nathan passed clubs together and she even did some extra tricks.  Definitely a good sign.  I think that was something that her daddy was really pleased that she could still do!  Joy is so much better…pretty much back to doing most things she did before.  But she still isn't over it completely.  She still has headaches…but is so much better…she is enjoying life once again!  

Note I can now write the blog in paragraphs…a much easier screen to type in…but still have to post the blog and then open it in my phone and add the photo.  I have come to the reality that that is the way I will have to do it until I break down and pay to upgrade the blog app.  I will…one of these days…but until then, if you see that the blog is published and there is no photo that I just haven't gotten a photo transferred over to my phone…like tonight…I found the one I plan to use…BUT…forgot that I needed to transfer it to my phone…so it will take a little longer to get the photo added.  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

I just subscribed to the Blogger App…hopefully no more hassles!

Here's a bonus photo!

Thursday Doings

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Well, all my doings today have been at home. Doing lots of this and very little of that!  I used tonight's photo as my profile picture on Facebook.  Cheryl doesn't do Facebook so I texted the photo to her.  She said it needed to be a photo for the blog…so I am minding my sister and here it is!  I'm guessing that I was in 7th or 8th grade when this was taken.  My dad took it…maybe I was taking one of him?!? We were on vacation in the White Mountains in AZ staying with friends at their cabin in Pinetop.  I'm sitting in front of their big fireplace.  We had so much fun when we went on vacation here…good memories!  

Melany and Wade are coming on Saturday so today I got my grocery list ready to go get the few things that I need for our lunch.  I even got the ingredients out…all ready for me to put the recipe together Saturday before lunch.  I plan to get up early in the morning and head out to Kroger.  I need to do it early as I have plans with friends mid morning.

I needed to clean up the photos on my iPad…just too many on it and it was starting to be a problem when I try to download photos from my camera after taking a bunch…like on the cruise.  So I backed them up on a thumb drive and on Amazon photos and then ruthlessly deleted them from my iPad.  I did save some of my favorites.  I formatted the memory cards on my cameras…so cameras for the moment are totally empty of photos.  I think that will change tomorrow!  

After I worked with my photos, I turned back to looking at excursions for the cruise.  We plan to make choices for excursions on Saturday.  So I have been cruising in my mind for a while this afternoon.

Now I am watching Olympics and going to finish up with my cameras and then may stitch a while.  I did finish another Christmas ornament last night.  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Serendipitous Day!

​Today started out with a task that I wasn't all that thrilled about having to do.  I had to go to the Credit Union to get my card reactivated.  Last night I noticed that I had a charge that I hadn’t made on my card.  It was a very small amount, but I know that that is how people get scammed…just small amounts that aren’t noticed.  I made a call and had a stop put on my card.  So this morning I needed to go and get a new card issued.  It was a fairly quick fix…except their machine that prints the cards was broken.  I was just going to wait till it was fixed…but I had two purchases that were going to be affected by shutting down my card.  So I drove over to the Credit Union branch in Manchester.  

The first serendipity happened just before I was leaving the Credit Union.  I spotted a friend who I hadn't seen in a long time,  So we got to talk for a few minutes and catch up a bit.  Upon getting back into Tullahoma from my Manchester trip, I headed to my pharmacy to pick up a couple of prescriptions.  They have gift items at the pharmacy so before I left I decided to check out what they had that was new since the last time I was there.  I made a turn around a shelf and there standing in front of me was another longtime friend who I hadn’t seen in a long, long time.  we enjoyed catching up with each other, too.  Those unexpected visits just made my day!  It made it sort of sparkling like the water in tonight's photo! 

I’ve just gotten home from Bible study and, once again, it is time to blog and then settle in for the evening…watching Olympics and stitching. I have another ornament about half-way finished…maybe I will finish it this evening. To be continued!  Be safe!  Be well! Be cautious!

Quiet Day At Home

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Donna and I decided to declare Presidents' Day a day late and take the day off from the library.  I stayed fairly busy. I did get the Hummels and antique books back on the little bookcase in the living room.  Elijah carried the bookcase downstairs for me when they took care of getting the Christmas tree upstairs.  I just hadn't found the time and energy to get the books carried back downstairs.  That was what I tackled this morning.  Then the rest of the day I just did a little of this and a little of that.  I did finish stitching another Christmas ornament…so that is three stitched and two others underway.  I read some today, too.  And, started listening to a new book today.  I did have more energy today than yesterday…but definitely didn’t overdo today!!  I’ve done a little more planning for Alaska.  I mainly accomplished easy tasks today!  I’m going to do some more stitching this evening…might finish another ornament.  To be continued! be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Monday…Again!

This guy in the photo was shedding his skin...his tail and I think his head was still in the process...that if we had stuck around for a while, he might have been brighter all over. Today has been a catch-up day...catch up on rest. I guess last week working on getting the Christmas down, mixed in with traching Sunday School and visiting with Melany, Wade, and Erin and planning a cruise all caught up with me. And, today I just wasn't worth much...I had no energy...so I did a lot of sitting. I did do some stitching...underway with another Christmas ornament. I did some planning for the cruise. I worked on the homework that Melany and Wade gave me...try to figure out what I want to see/do when we are at Alaskan and Canadian ports. Trying to figure out things that I might need that I don't have...like a knit hat. Melany says that it can get pretty chilly when sitting on the balcony of a cabin...I'm hoping for lots of photo ops from my balcony...especially when we are in Glacier Bay. I have done a little reading. I didn't go out my door till it was time to go to prayer meeting. I am home from that and settling in to do more nothing! I hope that my energy comes back tomorrow...hopefully all the resting I have done today will help to get my energy back! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! (Lots of flu going around here!) Be cautious!

Sunday Favorites

Happy Valentine’s Day 2026

​I thought that you would enjoy this photo of Esther and Patrick on their wedding day…such a sweet couple. Ahhhhhh! Young love! This is one of their wedding photos that I got my hands on earlier this week.  Melany, Wade, and Erin graced me with their presence today.  We had a really nice visit.  It was good to see Erin feeling better and wanting to join us.  We had quite the day…planning…and, Melany, Wade, and I are booked for one and even have our airline tickets to fly to and from Seattle.  This trip will add two states (Washington and Alaska) and another country, Canada, to my list of places I've never been before.  I never dreamed that I would ever get to Alaska but it looks like it may happen…the good Lord willing!  And, of course, up to a month ago, I never dreamed that I would ever go on a cruise.  I am so glad that I went on that one with Nathan and family, as that showed me that I didn't get seasick and really enjoyed myself.  I have always loved to travel and Woody and I saw a lot of the United States and I had been wishing that I could do a little traveling…and here I am doing a some big time traveling!  This is a 10 day cruise.  I'm really looking forward to photographing our 49th state and all it grandeur!  Now to practice even more with my cameras and research how best to capture Alaska in photos. My tree brigade did show up after the ballet and made short work of getting the tree into its box in the Christmas closet.  They also took up all the ornament boxes…boxes still have to be packed into the closet…another day when Nathan has a few spare moments!  It is good to have things back to normal in the downstairs.  To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Another Good Day!

I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep so started putting the Sunday School lesson "on paper." On paper in this instance means type it up on the iPad to later put it on paper via the printer. I fell back to sleep...but woke up with the iPad one of the helps on my lap...so I just continued with the lesson and came close to having it finished before I got up for the first time. Later I went over it again and had it pretty much finalized by noon. After lunch, I went back in and added bold print and italics where I wanted and took out some unnecessary spaces. Then hit print. I will read over it tomorrow and make sure that it makes sense! I did quite a lot of cutting and pasting...so there is always a chance that I pasted something in the wrong place! After I got that done, then I started straightening up the downstairs after my undecorating...getting it back to everyday. I also waited on Nathan and a crew to come, but so far that hasn't happened. They are at a ballet tonight at a local church. I think someone will stop by after it is over. I just need them to take branches upstairs and get them in the tree box and take up the Christmas ornament boxes that are stacked in the living room, move a chair back into pre Christmas position and bring downstairs a small book shelf. The packing of the closet can happen another day...just trying to get the downstairs back to pre Christmas and able for Melany, Wade, and Erin have places to sit in the living room tomorrow. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Goals Met

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Today I closed the last box on the ornaments and took down the tree and have all the branches and boxes ready for my tree brigade.  Nathan said that he and a couple of kids will stop by and help me get the ornament boxes upstairs as well as the tree branches,  My other goal was to finish the reading for Sunday's Sunday School lesson…got that done, too.  I just need to put down some words in the outline that I made earlier in the week.  I talked with Cheryl…we talked a little about her trip here sometime in the next few months.  Then later, I called Melany and we talked plans for them to pay me a visit on Saturday plus started planning our Alaska cruise.  Trips and more trips! My head should be spinning.  But truthfully today I am just glad to have closed up the last of the Christmas boxes…even have the Christmas items packed away that were in Melany's room.  The drier did just quit and that has some Christmas towels that I will add to the Christmas things to put away. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

All in All…a Good Day

I had my Passport appointment at our Post Office this morning. And, my application and birth certificate should be winging it's way to wherever passport applications are sent. It didn't take too long...though several more questions did come up. Hopefully we addressed them all and in a month or two I will have a passport in hand. I wasn't expecting to have to send off the actual birth certificate...which meant that I wouldn't have the original to go apply for my star drivers license. But the Post Office employee who was helping me with my passport application, told me that since I would have a passport that I wouldn't have to have the star on my driver's license as the Passport would be a legal ID. So I took him at his word and came home and applied for my drivers license renewal online. So I got that taken care of before next week when it expired. Two needed accomplishments for the day, But I took it one step farther and came home and got the rest of the ornaments off the tree and all ornaments are now packed up in boxes...to rest till I decorate in November. My goal is Christmas down by, at least Valentine's Day! And that is sort of met...just don't have the tree back in its box...may wait for a tree brigade! Also need some muscle power to get some of the boxes upstairs. But I am happy to be at this point! I also did some reading for Sunday's Sunday School lesson. I went to Bible study this evening and am home and settling in for the night. Olympics and stitching are on the agenda for tonight. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

I Can Prove I Was Born

I have been successful in several things today...but my main goal was not met. I have just managed to add a photo the same way I used to...and...managed it without having to pay for the premium blog app. Yay! My birth certificate was handed to me by the UPS man...the first time a delivery person has knocked on my door since before Covid. So my certified birth certificate with my parents names on it is now in my hands. I thought it was interesting that Mother's maiden name is spelled wrong. I will NOT be pointing that out! As soon as I had my certificate in hand, I began the process of making an appointment with the Post Office. I had no problems when I made the appointment a couple of weeks ago. But today it was not as easy...took me forever...getting hung up over and over. I finally moved to my laptop...my second try I was successful and have an appointment tomorrow morning. Hoping that I can report tomorrow night that my passport application has been submitted. Next I will concentrate on my star driver's license...have to get that done before a week from Friday. One of my goals was to have all the ornaments off the tree...but...didn't meet that goal. But LOTS more are off the tree and another box is filled...so full that I don't dare lift it on my own...just put another box on top of that one and have it about filled. I brought some of the small boxes, that breakable ornaments are stored in, out to the family room to pack up the ornaments while I watch the Olympics. The tree is very much barer...but still probably more than I realize on it. There are a lot of ornaments! I finally had to stop an hour or so ago as my back was saying it was time to sit and stitch for a while. And, that is what I plan to do this evening. I got a special treat for myself...a cross stitch order. Before I got into my new things, I did some organizing of my current cross stitch projects...then added the new one to those projects...and, then started a new sampler, a Quaker Sampler...just two colors of silk. I got some pretty linen for it, too. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

I Think I Have Blog Posting Straightened Out

​ I'm not sure…but maybe I can once again write the blog and post photos from the same device!  I discovered that the blog now is an app…I had always entered through Foxfire search and opened up my blog.  Yesterday I had a thought about seeing if either Foxfire or Blogspot had an updated app.  But I am finding that I may have to pay for the blog if I want to add photos.  So today I will return to writing and posting photos from my phone…can't seem to win for losing!  We'll see if that strategy still works since I still haven't updated my phone.  It has been a delightful day…sunny and warm.  It got to 68° today…a heatwave compared with the temps that we have been having. I worked more on the tree and at this point in the day you can actually tell that ornaments are off the tree.  Still quite a few left to take off and box up, but definitely heading in the right direction.  Nathan, Isaac, and Joseph stopped by this afternoon and ridded my chimney flue of my unwanted visitor (not Santa!).  Let's just say one less squirrel left in my neighborhood.  I am going to teach Sunday School again this Sunday so got underway with studying for it yesterday and today.  My birth certificate was supposed to arrive today…but I got notified that it had been delayed and to expect it tomorrow. I’m ready to get my passport applied for so I can then renew my driver's license and get a star on it…my license has a deadline as its expiration date is fast approaching…next week.  I can't apply for a passport without permanent license…they won't accept a temporary one…so passport first and the …driver's license!  I went to prayer meeting and am now home.  I'm planning to watch the Olympics and stitch tonight.  I got sad news today.  Midmorning, I got a call from my eye doctor's office needing to reschedule my next week's appointment…and, the reason I would have never guessed!  My eye doctor died unexpectedly last night.  Living in a small town is so different than in a large city…here our physicians are often long time friends.  So news like that hits hard.  To be continued! be safe! be well! be cautious!  

Sunday Favorite

February Saturday

Today has been a stay-at-home day. I have stitched, worked on the Sunday School lesson, talked on the phone, and started taking Christmas ornaments off the tree. I didn't get finished with the lesson as soon as I had hoped...but enjoyed talking to Cheryl, Melany, and Connie. I have the lesson all printed off so that usally means that I am through with the lesson till Sunday School in the morning. So at that point, I watched a little of the Olympics until the daytime airing ended. That was a good resting time so, then, I headed to the living room to start boxing up ornaments. I started with the handstitched ornaments and have one box filled with the ones I have found so far. At least it is a start! I am through with the Christmas tree for today...more tomorrow! I am going to stitch and watch Olympics tonight. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

How Many Do You Spot?

Tonight's blog title refers to the photo that I hopefully will be able to post after I publish the blog's words. Look closely...there are several pairs of eyes looking back at you! It's been a very nice day. The morning was taken up with preparing a grocery list and then going to the grocery store and coming home to out them away. After lunch, I got back to preparing the lesson for Sunday school. I made good progress, but still have some more studying to do. When I took a break from Sunday's lesson, I was too tired to start on the tree...maybe tomorrow I will be able to divide time between lesson, Christmas tree, and other things that need to be done...maybe! The tree still looks pretty and I enjoyed looking at it with the sun shining on it this morning. I have done a little stitching. I started a project with a Valentine theme...felt like doing something that wasn't a Christmas ornament. After stitching on it for a while late this afternoon, I'm not sure that I will procede with it. At the moment I am watching the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. I look forward to watching various events over the next couple of weeks. I have always enjoyed the Olympics,,,Winter or Summer...probably because they do what there is no way Incouoe have ever done...athletic activities are so not me! But I admire those who can and who have dedicated so much of their lives to excelling at their special event. Ice skating is my favorite. To be continued! Today has been quite a pleasant day weather wise. The sun shining in the windows always makes the day pleasant! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Coming Right Along

I can say that I am pleased with where I am in the undecorating. At this moment, I can say that I have met a major goal...all decorations from downstairs, except for the Christmas tree, and ornaments are boxed and upstairs in the guest room! So "things" are progressing. I worked on the Sunday School lesson. A load of clothes even managed to get done today. All in all a pretty good day...pretty chilly, but I stayed inside. Going to stitch some more this evening. I am well under way with the next Christmas ornament. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Another Cold Day

The day started out foggy...and, it never got very warm today...or at it didn't ever seem warm to me. And, when I went out to get the mail and bring in the garbage can, I thought that I was going to freeze. It is supposed to get down into the lower 20s tonight. I made some more progress on the undecorating...mainly thanks to Nathan. He and Joseph stopped by to use my printer and I got them to take a couple of heavy boxes upstairs to join the growing number of boxes in Nathan's old room...aka the guest room. Joseph didn't know which room to take the box to, when I told Nathan his old room. I heard Nathan telling Joseph about his water bed...which Joseph also had never heard of! I also got Nathan to put away the oil lamp and a candle in a globe holder which I had gotten out when we had the threat of the ice storm. They were in cabinet over the refrigerator waaaaaaay to the back. I struggled when I got them out so took advantage of Nathan while he was here! I put a few angels back in their boxes and took them upstairs and had Nathan bring down another box that I store angels in. I got more boxes down that Christmas ornaments go in...so prepared to get more put away. I couldn't do as much today as I spent time on the Sunday School lesson for this Sunday. I went to Bible study this evening...and, yes, it was cold. I'm settling in for the night. I plan to read and stitch for most of the rest of the evening. I did finish my first ornament for 2026 and started two more! I also am close to finished with the ornament that I started on Joy's and my balcony while docked in Nassau. So Christmas stitching is well underway! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Always a Good Day!

And, the day that is always a good day is...hair cut day! I got my hair cut this morning. Had fun telling Jody about my cruise. I came home and took care of some business over the phone. By thwt time it was lunch and then time to go to church to work in the library with Donna...another reason it was a good day! We always enjoy getting together. We did maintenance and then visited and got to show her some of my photos and tell her about my cruise. I have managed to get all the angels down from "on high." They are now patiently waiting on the dining room table for me to get them boxed up. Each time I was upstairs today, I brought down some boxes that Christmas ornaments are stored in...so preparing for the next phase of undecorating. I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, but still lots to do before the Christmas closet doors get closed until this coming November I just can't keep "at it" the way I used to be able to...my back protests lots sooner than it used to! A funny thing happened just a few minutes ago...today I have been taking care of some of the charitable gifts that I am going to give this year. One was to my college, Cottey. The phone rang about the time that I was heading to get my iPad so I could blog, and the caller ID stated that it was Cottey College. They were calling to ask for a donation. I told them "done and done" as of this morning! Easy call for her! These calls from the school are always very nice, as the students are the callers and they are interested in Cottey back when! We had a nice short chat. She is a freshman from France and enjoying Cottey. So that was a fun part of the day...especially since I had already made my decision and done my donation. Another, not so nice, part of this day is that another squirrel has fallen down my chimney...that's the second one this year! (insert eye roll!) Nathan removed the last one in a body bag shortly after we returned from the cruise. I wish that squirrels would stop visiting my chimney! I'll bet they regret visiting it after they fall in and find no way to escape! I feel bad...but...I'm settling in for the night. I am planning to take the last few stitches in the Christmas ornament I'm working on...soon to be the first ornament finished for gifting in 2026! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Ground Hog Day 2026

I have no idea if the ground hog saw his shadow or not today. I do know that the extreme cold temperatures left us today and it "almost" felt warm! It actually got to 48° this afternoon and tonight is only supposed to get into the upper 20s overnight. Compared to the last couple of weeks it almost seems like a heat wave! (Not really, but...) Tonight's photo is a glimpse of the highlight for some in our family of our cruise…the spotting of a sea turtle. I did manage to get a photo of it sticking it's head out of the water. Kathy got a really good video of it with her phone. I've had a pretty good day today...stayed busy. I did manage to get all the snowmen and trees packed away in boxes. Now I have to get the angels down from "on high." "On high" meaning on top of the china cabinet. I have gotten angels and a nativity scene out of the china cabinet. These items are taking the place of the trees and snowmen on the dining room table. I hope that perhaps by tomorrow I will have all of Christmas that is downstairs, except for the big tree, all boxed up and upstairs. I took Christmas serving pieces upstairs a while back. They are on the bed in Melany's former room, and, I still have to get them into boxes. That can wait a bit. I will feel better once the downstairs is cleared of Christmas...then I can concentrate on the tree. I still haven't found all the everyday decorations…so more boxes to go through. I managed to get all trees and snowmen into three boxes…so they will be together when I decorate with them next. I'm hoping to use less boxes this year. This morning I also did some cooking. I made Sweet 'n Sour Pork and enjoyed it for a late lunch. I stayed in till this evening when I went to The Furnace Room Prayer meeting. I'm home and ready to settle in for the night. I think that I feel like doing some stitching. I'm closing in on finishing my first stitched Christmas ornament for this year. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Sunday Favorite

Bidding Farewell to January

Today the trmperatures dropped back down and it is once again extremely cold. Currently it is 18° with a windchill of 3°! Brrrrrrrrrr! I have stayed inside all day today. I have done a little cleaning...ran the vacuum and put some things away that I had brought downstairs over the last couple of days. I did manage to get more decorations into boxes to store till this coming Christmas...the Carolers are all back in storage boxes and on the guest bed. I also packed up a box of my decorative trees. There is still quite a forest on my dining room table and also quite a group of snowmen, but the table does have a few less things on it. And the table in the living room was clear for a time once the Carolers were put away. But I had to out some Hunmels on th table, as I don't have the little shelf back downstairs where they go. I will probably wait to bring that down till the big tree goes down, as the shelf will be in the way of me walking around the tree to get decorations off. I made a new soup recipe today...it was "okay," but probably not a keeper. It was vegetarian barley soup. It has chopped up kale in it and I'm not a fan of kale...probably should have substituted spinach. I decided to only make a half recipe in case I didn't care for it, and I'm glad that I only made a few bowls of it. I managed to finish another book today...so am only one behind for January after not reading much during the month...but am glad that I read some in three books which made it possible to get them finished. I plan to stitch tonight. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! And, keep warm if you are in the cold parts of our country!

A More Successful Day…I Think!

Tonight, I'm posting a photo of the back of our MSC ship, the Grandiosa. Kathy drew a red square around the balcony we believe was Joy's and my balcony. This photo also shows the Malta flag that is flown on this ship. I cropped a photo so it can be seen better. The following is an explanation of why this flag was chosen: "The MSC Grandiosa flies the Malta merchant flag primarily for financial and regulatory advantages, commonly known as a "flag of convenience". Malta offers lower taxes, reduced operating costs, and flexible regulations for international ship registration, making it an attractive, reputable, and stable choice for large cruise companies to register their vessels." We really enjoyed our room...it was fun to watch the ship be guided into the docking areas...it was "backed" in so we could watch it being tied to the dock. I have some good photos of the men working to secure us to the docks. From this balcony we had good views of where we were tied up. I really enjoyed a couple of hours taking pictures from our balcony...using different lenses and settings. Now to bring you up to date on my passport/birth certificate saga. I think that all is completed on the birth certificate form and now all I have to do is wait for it to come in the mail. I got an email telling me the next steps...which was to print a form, take it to be notorized, and then photograph it and upload it onto the site. Once I did that I got the word that all was complete. I am very thankful for my Credit Union having notary service as one of offerings at no exoense. I have loaded a couple more boxes with Christmas decorations and taken them upstairs. I have organized the dining room table with snowmen on one part, trees on another, and then a small area with misc. items. Hopefully that will help when I start putting thrm into boxes. I haven't gotten to those boxes yet. I did a little general cleaning today, too. Unfortunately there are other things to do besides just undecorating! I did finish another book last night. And, I am closing in on another...I may get this one done before the end of the day tomorrow...then I will have read three books...only one book under my book a week goal! I have been able to finish these books as I had started them sometime back and one got taken away from me before I got it finished...it became available again so it was an easy finish. The one I am reading now I checked out from the church library some time ago...so have a good start on that one, too. I got a call from the public library yesterday saying that they had a book that I had requested. It is February's book for my Cottey bookclub. It is Jimmy Carter's Palestine:Peace not Apartheid...may not be an easy read! Though, I had checked it out around Christmas and found it not as hard to read as I expected. But I just wasn't into reading a book I needed to concentrate on so much right at Christmas. So I will give it another go now and see if I can get it read in the next three weeks! My reading has taken me away from my stitching. I'm not sure if I will read or stitch tonight. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Effort Foiled!

My main goal of the day was to apply for my passport. That effort came to a screeching halt because I don¡t have the proper birth certificate...HAS to have my parents names and places of birth on it. I have a cerrified copy of my birth certificate with raised seal, date filed, etc. Bit it "only" has my name and date and place of birth on it. Thankfully that one was accepted for the cruise! I found this requirement in the fine print and made every attempt to locate mine, ut to no avail. In that fine print it also said that if you have a news article or insurance proof with parents names that could be used. I have those in a scrapbook that Mother made. But I was told at the Post Office that those would be accepted only if there was no way to get a birth certificate...and since I had the one that I did that I can order one. I will say, as an aside, I have a birth certificate with parents names and birth places for Woody, Melany, and Nathan...but not for me...and, I have no recollection of ever seeing a birth certificate for me like that. BUT in this scrapbook there is a postcard with information for the way my parents could order such a birth certificate...so I am guessing that such existed at one time, anyway. So I came home and began the process of ordering a certified birth certificate with parents names and places of birth on it. I "thought" that I had opened up the AZ government site to order such...but later realized that I was on a third party site...when I got a "possible fraud charge" from my Credit Union. I still thought that I was on the AZ site and went on and told them that the charge was okay. But as things began to slow down in the ordering process...I got to thinking. I did check and the site that I somehow managed to get on was a legit site...I checked back with the Credit Union and they gave me the ohone number to this company and I decided to call before I blocked my account. Aftrr talking to them, I did feel better...think that I will end up getting it, but at probably a higher cost than necessary! Oh, well...ive and learn! We will continue with this saga until my official document is in my hands. Waiting at thr moment for the official approval and then I will have to sign and then it should be sent. I can¡t take may days like this! I'm exhausted. I did end up making mvegetable broth...still in the process of letting it simmer. Needed some for a new soup recipe and also wouldn't mind having some in the freezer. It's about at the end of its simmering time and then let it cool some before putting it in the rerigerator for the night. I think that I moved a couple of Christmas items from one place to another, but that is about it for today. To be contiued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!