Saturday Visitors

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Melany and Wade paid me a visit today.  We got to talking about some of the things that we did while in Alaska and I mentioned how much I enjoyed this museum.  It was just filled with all kinds of things Alaska.  All of which had been collected by the gentleman the museum is named after.  This museum wqs in Sitka.  I found it quite fascinating and enjoyed looking in all the museum cases and in their drawers.  So many things!  I was intrigued with the sewing implements some of which are pictured in the middle photo above.

Wade took us out to eat at a restaurant that I didn’t even know existed here in town…a Thai restaurant.  I enjoyed my choice from the menu.  I chose not experience the heat of Thai food…I chose 0 heat…Melany went with 1 and Wade went with 2.  They both said that theirs weren't very hot.  That was a first for me trying Thai. I got Chicken Cashew and it was very tasty. I have enough for lunch tomorrow.  

I made it through the day without a nap…but sat down a little while ago and off I dozed.  Maybe that will help me keep my eyes open for a little while to stitch.  I have a new Christmas ornament underway. Or I might read…two new books came in on my Libby App that I had been waiting for so I have started both of those.  Plenty to do…if I can keep my eyes open! 

My Sunday School lesson is all printed out so I guess I am ready for tomorrow.

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

Friday

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I woke up early…did some stitching and reading.  I did finish another book for the Cottey Bookclub.  After breakfast, I got busy on the Sunday School lesson.  I got it somewhat finished and got it printed.  Now I need to read through it to see if it makes sense.  I have looked through it for any glaring errors…but still need to read through it.

I decided that I had plenty of food in the house and chose not to go to the grocery store today.  I thought through what I have on hand and made a plan for lunch if Melany joins me tomorrow.  I’m not sure if I'm going to cook tonight or get up and do it in the morning…not a major cook…just simple. I did clean the refrigerator this morning,,,one of my cleaning accomplishments for the day. I managed to fit in a nap, too and a few phone calls.  Pretty much a lazy summer day…too hot to do much. I didn’t even walk out to the mailbox today,

I did stitch on a sampler last night and did a little more on it this morning.  Then this afternoon, I began another Christmas ornament. I plan to stitch on it a little more this evening.  I mainly found ways to stay cool inside…still pretty hot out there. We did get a little rain last night…but hardly enough to count.  There is a very small amount in the rain gauge…around 2 tenths of an inch.  At least we got a little.  Rain drops have been pretty far and few between!  Seems like it is either feast or famine when it comes to rain.  

Stay-At-Home Thursday

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The Butchart Gardens, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada…beautiful snapdragons!

I have had a pretty laid-back day…not much happening…I guess I kept my house company today…or vice versa!  I did get the latest Christmas  ornament finished.  I gave myself a little break from Christmas stitching and stitched for a while on one of the samplers I have underway.  I am trying to decide what I’ll stitch on this evening.  I think it will be a "stitch and a cooking show on TV" evening.  I have spent quite a bit of time working on the Sunday School lesson today so I’m ready to sit back and relax…give my brain a rest so I will be able to finish the lesson tomorrow.

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

Wednesday Wanderings

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I don't think that I have posted the above photo before.  I took it at the Butterfly Garden in Victoria, Canada…rows of butterfly chrysalises. 

Today I didn't wander too far until it was time to go to Bible study this evening.  I’m later than usual getting back as a couple of friends and I visited while their husbands were at choir practice.

Nathan stopped by today to return the items they had borrowed from me to take on their trip.  Sounds like they had a really nice trip.  I talked to Kathy for a few minutes after Bible study tonight and sounds like she enjoyed it, too.  

My day has sort of been devoted to Bible study…this morning I studied for the Sunday School lesson for this week and then this evening had Bible study at church.  I got a pretty good start on the Sunday school lesson and then this evening enjoyed being just a student in the Bible study! 

I took time this afternoon to do some reading on my book for the Cottey Bookclub and also stitched more on a Christmas ornament,  I’m hoping to get the ornament finished this evening…then on to another!  

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

Tuesday Return

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Nathan and Kathy travelled through the night and this morning to get back on TN soil a little after noon.  I imagine it will be a bit hard for them to return to reality and imagine that they are a bit jet lagged.  Long day yesterday, two long flights and a three hour time difference, plus an active week cruising/touring around Alaska had adrenaline flowing…and I can vouch for the fact that when you get home that adrenaline stops flowing and you pretty much stop, too.

I did take Elijah to the dentist this morning.  But they only xrayed him and told him to come back tomorrow to have the work done…so not much need of having an adult with him for that appointment.  But always glad for a reason to get to visit with a grandchild!  He wqs heading back home to his school work.  He is a senior this year.  He is dual enrolled at Motlow so will be taking a college math class ad an English class.  He hopes to be able to get all his requirements to graduate done this semester.  He said that then he will be able to concentrate on baseball and his work.  Always busy!

At the Bookclub meeting this past Saturday, we added a couple of books to our books to read over the next few months.  I already had one of them checked out so I have been reading that so I will get it done before it will be taken back into library cyberspace.  I didn't think that I was going to like the book, but it it turns out that I am enjoying it.  So I have spent more time reading than stitching.  I am also teaching my Sunday School class for the next two Sundays so I have been working on that, too.  

It was slightly cooler today…the heat didn't take my breath away as much as it had over the last week. I think that maybe the humidity was a little lower today…that can make a difference.  Tonight's overnight low is supposed to be mid 60s…so that helps at least with the start of the day.  I knowthat summer has left us yet…but perhaps little hints that Fall is on its way?

I need to get back to ornament stitching.  I’m almost finished with another one.  I took a break from stitching for both reading and preparation for some upcoming ornaments.  I have pulled the floss for three more and chose fabric…that way I will be ready for some new starts once the current ornament is finished.  I also got my stitching straightened up…it was strewn all over the place.  I got the card table cleared off and now it only has a stack of finished ornaments on one corner of it.  I also put away floss from other projects that I have finished stitching and the floss that Joy brought back that she had borrowed for a cross project that she did.  Stitching happening all over the place…in one form or another! 

The kitchen got a little attention today, too. I had casserole dishes that were clean that are stored on upper shelves.  I wait until there are several to put away so I don't have to make too many trips up and down on the stool!  Safety reason over laziness…at least I tell myself that!  

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

Heat Wave Supposedly Ended 36 Minutes Ago!

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I got home from prayer meeting a little before 7pm…and the temps had started coming down…of course, they would come down at that hour anyway…so not sure yet if it is cooler or not.  But when I went to prayer meeting around 5:30pm it was still in the mid 90s.  I saw it get as high as 97° on my car thermometer when I was out getting my hair cut and then running an errand….a silly errand, I will tell you about in a moment.  When I left church, it was 90° and by the time I got home it was in the upper 80s and now it is 84°…maybe temps are coming down.  Tomorrow the high is "only" supposed to be 88°.  My Alexa upstairs isn't the new and improved so she can’t tell me heat index…so I don't know the feels-like temperature.  Anyway, we supposedly have had a "cold" front come through or one is supposed to come through.  We will see if tomorrow feels a little better outside than it did today.  It was a HOT day.  

My one errand of the day sort of had me rolling my eyes.  I decided last night to order some mouthwash that I use that sometimes Walmart has and sometimes doesn't…so decided to try Amazon…exact same price as Walmart…so why not.  It was to be delivered today before I had planned to be out and about…so that would save me a stop at Walmart.  Well, around 10am I got notified by Alexa that my package had been delivered…so I headed to the front door to go get it.  The mailman had brought it to the front porch and left it in one of the rocking chairs.  So far perfect until, I glanced a second time after I opened the door…the box was ripped open and I could see the bottle sitting inside the open box…so I thought, "at least the bottle didn't fall out!  Then I picked up the box and found that it was soaking wet…reason that it was opened the way it was.  And, the box was very light…a full bottle of mouthwash should NOT be light!  I then pulled the bottle out of the box and it was light as a feather and not a drop left in it. 

I went inside and got my iPad so I could report my delivery failure to Amazon.  I decided that I didn't want to risk the same thing happening again so decided that I would just ask for a refund.  The only way I could get a refund was to return the defective product.  So after my haircut, I went to the UPS store and returned an empty bottle.  In the past I have been told to keep products that were fine just not what I had ordered…but this time the box and empty bottle had to be returned.  I did as I was told and my refund has already been given to me…so all's well that ends well…I guess!  Just seems like an unnecessary trip! But Amazon got what they asked for! And, I had an outing that I hadn't planned on and still don't have my mouthwash as I just couldn't face Walmart at that hour of the day!

Nathan and Kathy are on the last leg of their journey…sort of…they have gotten to Anchorage…and, fly out midnight Anchorage time (3am TN time).  They are seeing a few sights in Anchorage before heading to the airport  3 hours before their flight. The Anchorage flight takes them to LasVegas.  Then a flight from Vegas will get them back to Nashville and they will hopefully show up in Tullahoma sometime after lunch tomorrow.  Makes me tired to think about all that traveling.  Their ship docked in Whittier, Alaska early this morning.  Then they had to shuttle to Anchorage about 60 miles away.  Their shuttle had to travel through a one-way tunnel that is about 2.5 miles long.  This one way tunnel is also a train tunnel…they had to wait on a train and maybe other cars before they could have their turn.  I had heard about this tunnel and know that they line you up according types of vehicles, I think and the lines take turns going through…and of course you have to wait for cars, trains, etc. coming the other direction.  It took a while before they got their turn.  But in the wait they got to see a glacier and at some point on this shuttle trip, they saw beluga whales.  So sounds like an interesting trip!

I get to be a parent substitute for Elijah tomorrow.  He has a dentist appointment and has to have an adult accompany him…guess I qualify?!?

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

Sunday Alaska Favorite Photo

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Another Hot One!

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This looked like the cool photo for today!  I felt like we needed another snowy photo to counteract the heat of today!  This was taken by either Melany or Wade with me in the shadows attempting to capture the snowy landscape from the train.  

I had my Zoom Cottey College Alum Bookclub today.  We had a pretty good group plus the author of the book and his wife.  We had a lively discussion and enjoyed spending the time together sharing and picking each other’s brains!  I always look forward to this Saturday in the month.

I haven't stitched much today…instead tried to do a little organizing of my stitching projects.  They had gotten a bit spread out here in the family room.  I still have more to do, but the chaos has been settled just a little.  

I’m not sure how much stitching I will get done this evening as I am pretty sleepy…may end up dozing with needle in hand.  While choosing tonight's photo, I kept seemingly doze and my finger would land on the photos I was choosing from and multiples would be chosen…then I would have to shut down the photos and start trying to chose…again.  That happened several times before I finally got to the one I had decided I wanted to use tonight.  Obviously I didn't take tonight’s photo since I’m in it…guess it is Melany's! I haven't heard from the Alaska travelers today.  They had a busy day planned.  They were docked at Icy Strait Point/ Hoonah.  They were planning to learn how to cook salmon this morning and then this afternoon were going whale watching. I hope the excursions were good ones for them!

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

Recognized in Skagway

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Imagine being more than 2000 miles away from home and hear your name called out from a truck that is passing by!  Nathan and Kathy were walking down the Main Street in Skagway, Alaska this morning and Nathan was recognized and someone called out, "Hey, Nathan!" I mentioned that Melany, Wade and I had tried to see one of the shipowners in Skagway…a young man from Tullahoma…someone who Melany and Nathan had both babysat for years ago.  He hadn't gotten into his shop when we were there.  But this morning, Nathan and Kathy's timing was perfect…he was driving by on his way to work.  He told them he would park around back and open the shop for them.  I’m sure they had a good visit!  Barrett is the proprietor of Bearhead Studio in Skagway.  He is a renowned nature photographer…been published in National Geographic…I believe that he has also done one of their covers.  

Here's a photo Melany took inside his studio so you can sort of see some of his wonderful photos. I would have loved to pick his brain about photo techniques!  If I were younger, I would love to go on some of his group photography trips off into the Alaskan and Canadian wild…but for that I will admit to being too old and decrepit! But I can still wish and enjoy his photos!  

Today has been another hot day here in TN.  It was 91 when I went to and from the grocery store with a heat index close to 100.  The heat zapped my energy for some time after I got home.  I’m glad that I didn’t  have to stay outside for very long and that it only took two trips to get my groceries into the house.  A good day to stay in and stitch and read.  I have done a little of both of those and a little picking up around the house and emptying the dishwasher!  I’ve done more sitting than anything else!  I did manage to fit a nap into all that sitting!  It has definitely been a lazy day of summer!

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

Heat Advisory Still in Effect

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Very important to share another Alaska photo to remind us that it can be cold.  This day when we were in Glacier Bay National Park was very cold.  The temperature dropped noticeably when we entered the icy waters.  I know that the temperatures in Alaska are high right now.  Nathan was wishing yesterday that he had taken more short sleeved shirts.  They are in Juneau, AK today.  We did not go to Juneau so I can't post one of my photos.  Nathan was looking forward to visiting the only United States capital city that you can't drive into.  You have to fly or take a boat to get to Juneau.

This hasn't been a day of being too active…even in the house.  I have stayed in rooms that have fans blowing to make it seem cooler!  I napped in my upstairs recliner with the ceiling fan going.  Right now I am in my downstairs with a little oscillating fan blowing.  

I did venture out one time today.  I headed to the church to work in the library for a little while.  I needed to pick up the book that we will be discussing on Saturday with the Cottey Bookclub.  This time it is sort of my job to lead it since I suggested the book.  But I am taking an easy out…not having to worry about what we will say as the author and his wife will be joining us so I’m giving them the lead!  We've just been sent out the link to the Zoom meeting…I have received it, as have the authors…so we should be good to go Saturday morning.  Also the Alum Association posted another "advertisement" for it that showed up in Facebook this afternoon. Now to just sit back and let Saturday Zoom time get here.

The other reason that I went to the library was to do a little maintenance.  Both Donna and I have been out of pocket the last couple of Tuesdays so there were a few books to check in and out and shelve.  So I did that while picking up the trilogy of books.  We discussed the first in the trilogy last year and this time will be discussing the 2nd…perhaps next year the concluding book?  The three books are Paperboy, Copyboy, and Manboy by Vince Vawter.  Paperboy was an honor book in the Newberry Awards some years back.  They are very good books about how stuttering affects a child, really throughout his life…but there are MANY other themes and topics addressed…it is semi biographical…growing up in Memphis, TN in the 50s and 60s. Good reads for any age.

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

Happy 26th Anniversary, Nathan and Kathy

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Several who read the blog were there for Nathan and Kathy's wedding in Statesboro, GA, 26 years ago.  Many moons and suns have risen since that momentous day!  

Here they are today:

Can you tell they are on a special trip? Can you tell where they are? Next photo is a hint…I took the next photo on June 3, when I was standing almost the same spot…at least near…the same shoreline at least.

They are off on a special trip for their anniversary…Alaska!  Today was their first port of call in Ketchikan, Alaska.  They had a great time exploring.  They even FaceTimed me when they were watching a stream with lots of salmon in it and there was a bear attempting to catch one.  Later in the day they sent me a video of a bear actually catching one.  This trip is doubly special to them, as they had an Alaska cruise planned last year for their 25th anniversary, but due to Joy getting a bad concussion they had to cancel it.  So the fact that they can go this year is doubly good since they were able to plan the trip since Joy is well enough for them to leave her in charge of kitchen duties while they are gone.  Sounds like they are having a great time…no rain today and it is quite warm…Nathan was bemoaning the fact that he didn't bring very many short sleeved t-shirts…never know in Alaska what the weather will be.  They will continue in a northerly direction…perhaps it will get cooler for them.  Another reason that Nathan was really looking forward to this trip is that it is a return trip for him to Alaska. 

His sophomore year in college he spent the summer in Alaska as a BSU (Baptist Student Union) missionary.  BSU is now known as BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministries).  He is the director of this ministry at Motlow State Community College. So it has been many years since he went and at that time he spent time more in the interior of Alaska.  So their present trip is taking them to a different area of Alaska…mainly the panhandle of Alaska.  Their trip is also different than Melany, Wade's and mine as they are what is known as a one-way (ours was a loop…started and ended in Seattle).  Nathan and Kathy started from Vancouver, Canada and will end in Whittier, Alaska. And, they will fly home from Anchorage, Alaska. They have some of the same ports of calls that we had, but also have some different ones. They are traveling on the same cruise line as we did, but a different ship.  So sort of the same as my cruise…but different!!!

My day has gone well to this point.  I mainly stitched today and ended up finishing another ornament.  So the count is rising of finished ornaments! I have been to Bible study this evening.  We are back on a schedule of things at the church since school has started back up.  

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

Whew!!

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I'm going for ice and snow in Alaska for tonight's photo to make me think cool, at least…and remember how chilly and at times cold it was back in the first week of June…in Alaska.  We are under a hear advisory until Friday evening.  I waited till this evening to go out to take my garbage can to the road…but it was still in the low 90s feeling like upper 90s.  All I can say is, "Too hot!" 

This heat makes for lazy days.  I read more in the book I am reading.  I did get the Christmas ornament finished that I made my goal to have finished by the time I blogged tonight.  I stitched for quite a while off and on today and didn’t actually put the last stitch in until around 6pm.  

I did manage to get my last load of wash done today and it is "mostly" put away.  It will take at least one more trip upstairs to get it all put away.  But at the moment my trip outside has zapped my energy from another trip upstairs for at least a little while. I did work a little on getting organized to do some sewing.  But the only sewing I did was to serge the edges of some cross stitch fabric so I can use it for an ornament. My count for ornaments is 13 finished stitching…I think that puts me over the half-way point.  One of the things that I need to do soon is make a list of people I am giving ornaments to and put next to the name which ornament…and see where that gets me.  I feel like I should have more than 13 made for all the time that I have been stitching them this year.  It just shows me how long it takes even for what I thought were more simple than I have stitched in the past. Onward and upward! 😁

I don't have any more ornaments started so that means a decision has to be made as to what to stitch next.  Maybe I will set stitching aside for a while this evening and either stitch on something else that is started or read or…

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

Monday…A Hot One!

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Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

Today has almost come and gone.  I just got home from prayer meeting a little while ago.  I have mainly worked on stitching a cross stitch ornament…I feel almost like a broken record…it seems like I say that all the time…but with the days and months flashing by in front of our eyes, I had better spend more time on them.  I have gotten quite a few stitched…but I am still a ways away from my goal of 24 or 25.  I am almost finished with the one that I have been working on today.  I am hoping to finish stitching it this evening.  BUT…I am pretty tired tonight.  I woke up too early and haven't taken a nap so my eyes may shut before I can get all the way finished with it.  I guess I will say that my goal is to have it finished before I blog tomorrow night!  

I have a serendipitous story to share!  I have had a pair of dress maker shears for some years that are helpful for old/arthritic hands.  The handle holes are attached together with a stiff vinyl band that assists my hand when cutting…I put pressure to make them close, but as soon as I let up on the pressure they open…thus my hand doesn't have to do the work of opening the scissors…and when cutting out patterns to make garments removing that one motion from the job of cutting makes a BIG difference to hurting hands.  Well, the vinyl band broke some time back and I had been using them as regular scissors since…my hand doing all the work of opening and closing the scissors while I cut out pattern pieces.  I had been trying to see if I could buy the piece that broke, but had found no where to do that.  Plus I had been told that the company had gone out of business.  So I didn't try super hard once I learned that.  Well, the other day when I was looking at something about sewing on my iPad, I got an advertisement showing several different pairs of this brand of scissors.  So I clicked and started searching through their pages of scissors.  And, I found my pair or what looked similar to my pair.  And, I decided that I would purchase them, as they weren’t very expensive and shipping was free.  Well, they came in the mail today…but much to my surprise they were not ones like my scissors or the ones that I thought I had ordered.  They are a different style…BUT…they do have the vinyl piece that attaches to the handles to make them ergonomic.  So now I have a new pair of another style scissors that open on their own when I let up on cutting pressure…AND…I can use the old scissors with the same vinyl piece…so now I have two different style scissors that will help me when I am sewing.  I did make myself a promise that if I bought those scissors that I WOULD get back to my sewing.  So more things to do to fill up my time!

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

Sunday Favorite Alaskan Photo

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A Too Busy Day?

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I think I’ve done too much today.  I did a lot of cooking and I think that today's I did too much. At the moment I’m not feeling the best.  I have about decided that today's cook may be too acid for the liking of my digestive system…this happened to me last week, too.  And, I think I may be starting to put two and two together and see that perhaps Italian made with lots of tomatoes may be something that I should avoid. I had a small amount of today's cook for a late lunch…now wishing that I hadn't put the effort into making it and wish that I had  skipped it for lunch!  Sipping ginger ale gingerly at the moment.  I wore myself out with today's cooking tasks so being extra tired doesn't help either.  I will say that I did enjoy the time I was cooking and I will be sad if I have to take Italian tomato sauces out of my cooking repertoire!  

I have done a little reading and have been trying to decide what ornament to stitch next.  Think, though, st the moment, I am going to just take it easy and sit back and feel better!  I think the ginger ale is helping.

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

Friday Doings

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Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska

You might think I did some cleaning today, when you look at tonight's photo…but my broom is hanging in my laundry room just like these are hanging on the wall! No cleaning today…no cooking…did enough the last few days!  Today was a resting day…enjoying my book and plan to stitch this evening. I did finish the Christmas ornament that I mentioned last night.  So one more joined my stack of finished ornaments for Christmas gifts. 

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

International Cuisine and Grand Central Station!

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The Butchart Gardens, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

I didn't realize how international I have been lately with my cooking.  A few days ago I made Tamale Pie (Mexican). I have plans to make Marinara sauce (Italian) for what is called Inside-Out Ravioli (Italian). Today I roasted a pork loin roast (American) and made gravy that I have frozen for in-the-future enchiladas (Mexican).  When I roast a pork roast, I often cut off about a pound of the boneless roast to cut into cubes to use for Sweet and Sour Pork (Chinese).  I decided to go on and make the Sweet and Sour Pork since I had all the ingredients.  I had that for supper and plan to freeze some of the leftovers for future meals.  I had done enough cooking for one day…reason that the marinara sauce is in the plans for another day.  I "just about" have the kitchen cleaned up.  

I got pulled away from the kitchen when Joy stopped by to have me serge the seams on a skirt that she is making.  She is trying to get the projects, that she started at the beginning of summer break, finished before her next college term begins in three weeks.  Then not long after she left I had two more visitors…two folk needing to borrow some things I had offered to loan them for an upcoming Alaskan cruise. Earlier in the day Jo stopped by with some peaches and tomatoes…yum!  She caught me in my PJs as I had been so busy in the kitchen today that I hadn't gone upstairs to change.  I did start to go up one time and decided that since I had made it so long into the day that I would just stay comfy.  I did get changed before the others came!  

For breaks from my cooking today, I did some reading and boy did I get a surprise in one turn of events in the book that I mentioned last night…and this twist in the plot really tied a couple of the characters in with one of the other groups in the book.  I also did some stitching early in the morning.  I started a new Christmas ornament last night after I blogged.  I think that I will be able to finish it this evening before I go to sleep…well, I won't promise that my eyes don't close for a bit before I actually finish it…but before I actually go to sleep for the night, I should have it finished.

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

Wednesday

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Mt. Rainer as we were leaving Seattle heading for Alaska.  One of those ideal days when it wasn’t shrouded in clouds!

Today was a planned stay-at-home day.  I needed to be here as it was my quarterly visit from the pest control company.  I didn't know when he would be here.  He did text me about a half hour before he got here.  He came around 12:30pm.  So that job done for another four months. I managed to get a few household chores done as well as some more reading done.  I finished another book and got back to another one I had started already.  Having these books already started get me underway easily…but today's I did go back and start again…I had only red one chapter and when I started reading he second chapter I couldn't get back into it.  Well, the reason was that the second chapter was dealing with a totally different group of characters.  I did remember reading the first chapter when I went back.  The first three chapters dealt with three different families…establishing the story line…which I know will all blend together by the time I get very much farther in it.  I am already starting to see the interweaving of the different sets of characters.

I think that I am read out today and will stitch this evening.  I need to get back to Christmas ornaments.  Christmas will be here before we know it!

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

Tuesday

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A Whale of a Tail and a Spout! (I think this fella was getting together with two of his friends to do some bubble-net fishing.  I have posted my photo of bubble-net fishing before but I will add it in here for those who might have missed it.  I guess the bubble-net fishing is my favorite photo from my Alaska cruise…something I really wanted to capture, but never dreamed that the whales would cooperate!

Today has been a stay-at-home day.  I have done some things around the house…cleaning the kitchen, bathrooms, a little vacuuming, a little picking up, washed, dried and put away a load of towels…things like that.  

I did finish the book that I was almost finished with last night.  But I didn’t finish it last night.  I fell asleep with it in my hand.  So I finished it this morning after I woke up rather early.  In between cleaning jobs I rested and got going on reading another book that I was already underway with.  I have made headway on it…but it is not as intriguing as the one I finished this morning.  The book I’m reading now is just one of those that I am far enough along in it, that I don't want to give up on it!  It will at least add another book to my list of books read this year.  I have not read this year like I usually do…my goal is to average a book a week, in other words, have read 52 by the end of the year.  I’m about ten behind…not sure if I can make up that much of a deficit!  And, it is fine if I don't!  There are some years that I have read more than 100 and others way less.  It just depends on where my interests are in any given year…needlework, sewing, cooking, photography, and, this year traveling, cut into my reading time.

Donna and I didn't work in the library today as Donna was out of pocket.  We said last week that we would work then and take this week off.  And, even though we didn't work in the library, I remembered it was Tuesday and took the garbage out to the road.  And, while I was out, I made a trip out to the compost pile with my compost bucket.  Mundane chores!

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

Happy Birthday, Esther!

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Yesterday Esther celebrated her 19th birthday with family, but today is her actual birthday. I don't have any photos from yesterday, as I wasn't feeling well and didn't end up going to her party.  The photo above shows her celebrating her 2nd birthday.  She developed her love of animals at an early age that has stayed with her over the years.  

Above is one Esther's photos on her wedding day this past December. The photographer went to Nathan's and Kathy's farm to take photos of Esther and Patrick there.  She had planned to ride on the horse in her wedding dress…but the long white dress rather spooked her horse! Still loves her animals!  She told me today that she is getting a new horse.  She is just finishing up her summer classes getting her closer to a Vet Tech degree…loving school like she never loved it before…that's what happens when you find something you love to study towards a career!  Happy 19th Esther! 

I just got home from prayer meeting.  Today has been a pretty normal day for a Monday.  I did a little around the house and did some cooking that I never got around to doing over the weekend. I stitched a little, but have mainly read today…nearing the end of a book that has me still guessing as to the outcome.  Back to my book!

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

Definitely a Sunday Favorite: Joseph was Baptized Today

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Good Day to Read & Stitch

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Today has been overcast and rained off and on…good day to stay in and read and stitch.  I have done a lot of reclining and taking it easy.  The one time that I ventured outside to get the mail, I was met by a steam bath…I do think that the "dog days" of summer have arrived.  My front door and porch rail painter just texted me and said that the weather isn't very promising for a dry day for a while.  So we are going on God's timing and eventually the job will get done when we have several dry days in a row predicted.  I’m fine with waiting…the door is doing its job without paint for the time being.  I have made pretty good headway in two books.  I was trying to finish one before it got swept back into cyberspace in a couple of days…so was reading away on it.  But I got the opportunity to renew it, which I did so now that book has the longest time remaining on it so I moved to another one and made good headway on it, too.  I got to a point that the reading was putting me to sleep.  So I set my books aside and picked up my stitching…after I got up and walked around the house for a bit!  I fairly quickly finished the Christmas ornament that I have been working on for a while.  Then I decided which ornament I would stitch next and pulled the colors of floss needed and got started stitching on a new ornament…onward and upward…still a lot to stitch before it is time to make them into ornaments and gift them.  I haven't actually counted the number I need this year…but I don't think I’m even half-way yet.  But I do think that the hardest ones are behind me.  Most of those still to stitch aren't too complicated…unless I change my mind!! And, would I do that?!? 

Tomorrow is a big day for our family.  Joseph is being baptized and Esther is celebrating her birthday.  We will be gathering at Nathan and Kathy's after church to celebrate as a family.

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