Pumpkin Sunrise

  Hello! How was your weekend? My weekend was wonderful! On Saturday, my sister and I went out shopping to craft stores and spent some quality time together. In the afternoon, my husband and I went out as well to do a bit of shopping for 'boring' stuff. He needed some new rain boots for when he works outside. But it was quality time together! I was woefully behind on laundry and got all caught up this weekend. That is a satisfying feeling and it's so nice to have shirts I want to wear as opposed to having to wear. It's a mindset. After months of not painting, I pulled out my supplies and dabbled a bit. I also worked on my throw that is evolving on its own. I've added more colors since the photo. Now I'm trying to use up all of my scraps if that is possible. I do like the challenge. Sunday morning we attended Mass, afterwards I rested by knitting and reading. It was a great day! What did you do this weekend?

  Around here, Autumn is showing off with beautiful oak leaves. I love them! Yesterday it rained all day and while my hair was a frizzy mess, I enjoyed the drizzle. We are in need of rain. I even took my daily walk in the drizzle, delightful! Over the long weekend we had both kids and the grandkids here, I made a fake Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. It was a lot of work and I was exhausted even with helping hands. I miss the energy and stamina of my youth. On the other hand, I was proud I was able to do what I do! Whenever we have company, my house is turned into a mess. It's a good mess, but when everyone leaves I put away the toys, the chairs, the moved around stuff that happens when we have company. I miss everyone when they leave AND I missed my tidy home that I recapture.  Our grandson and granddaughter play with a splattering of old toys and new. They keep us very busy and we have so much fun playing with them. I am grateful they all traveled here to see us. What blessings!! A

  Hello, how are you? I'm doing pretty good, trying my best to keep busy and fill my days with the last bits of warm weather activities while anticipating the cold weather activities. Although later this week the temperature will be back into the low 70s, the next few days will be chilly. I love when fall breezes in and ebbs back out. Each time we are closer and closer to colder weather. My husband and I walked the local park over the weekend, I wanted to see the trees changing before they are past peak. As you can see, we are still early for peak colors. We were lucky because they closed the road down for some tree maintenance and that eliminated car traffic (yay!). We had a beautiful walk. Holly continues to be brave and bold since Frodo left us in August. She still checks his spot on the loveseat but doesn't look terrified when she does. Her progress has been steady. I love when she drinks from his water bowl which we have kept out for her. Gah!!  Over the weekend, I was kne

  Good morning! How was your weekend? I have been drinking up this weather!! The leaves are falling and the air is cool, maybe just maybe fall is here to stay. My fingers are crossed. Mine was very boring overall. I spent most of my knitting time on the second sock and yet it still isn't completed yet. Yesterday I was on the computer for over two hours creating calendars for some family members for the holidays. I was so glad when I finished it! Miss Holly is ruling her universe as Queen Bee. She is shy and will be a shy one but I can hope she will sit by me one day. She does sit with my husband late at night and looks at him adoringly. Grr. Thanks for the kind words about Frodo, we miss him (he was the best dog ever!) but for now we will be a cat-only house just to give Holly the love and attention she was denied when Frodo was master of the universe.  I started a sweater for my grandson for Christmas but haven't worked on it for about a week. I hope to return to the project a

  Good morning! How are you? My past week was filled with classes and appointments. I am ready for a super boring weekend! In the above photo are the mums (chrysanthemums) I bought in memory of dear Frodo (who I miss so much!) and they are now blooming. So far the deer are leaving them alone. Sometimes you never know what the deer will eat up.  I love seeing my flowers and remembering our sweet boy! Holly the cat is getting ever so bold and brave now that her nemesis is gone. She still checks the loveseat where he slept which I find quite funny. She is very concerned that he might be there. She now lays in sunbeams in the kitchen and comes visit me briefly while I am knitting. Maybe one day she will snuggle. I had a cardiology appointment last week to discuss shortness of breath while exercising and he decided to discontinue one of my blood pressure meds (yay) thinking that is what was causing my symptoms. As a precaution he ordered an exercise stress test which I did yesterday. Of cou

  Good morning! How was your weekend? Another photo of Holly being a brave soul. She is a delight! My weekend was a mix of relaxing, socializing with family or visiting with family. On Saturday, I took a long walk in the neighborhood wearing a jacket and feeling cold to my bones. I loved it! Once again, the hot weather will be making a come back but hopefully the evening temperatures will be chilly and take the sting out of the warmth. My sister and brother in law came over for dinner and game board night. We always have fun together and laugh a lot. On Sunday I attended 7:30 a.m. Mass (gulp!) then my sister and I drove up to see my dad and step-mom for a visit and a lunch. We had a nice time visiting them. Once home, I rested, read my books and did some laundry.  Today my classes start. I am taking a few history classes, one on the Korean War and another about the time in between WWI and WWII. I'm also taking two religious courses, one about reflective prayer and another about the

  How are you? How has your week been?  We've had glorious weather this past week and every single day I am outside taking a walk and just drinking in the coolness and the soft signs of fall. Supposedly this weekend will be chilly, I am all in! Some of the trees are turning ever so slightly. When I walk in the morning, I am delighted to wave 'hi' to the school bus as it drives by.  My non-credit classes start next week and just like when I was a younger, I am eager for school to start. If you have a local university check out to see if they offer any classes for older adults - it is very enriching. I've made so many friends and of course I'm learning new stuff. I've realized that I like learning just about anything. I do try to choose classes where I do not have to participate much. Just dump the information into my head!  Holly continues to be a very brave cat. She will sometimes come and visit us during dinner for some pets. She loves to walk through the famil

  Before I even get into spreading joy, look at that beautiful array of Halloween stuff! The seasons are changing and I am ready for it. This past week, my husband and I have been doing after dinner walks since the weather has been so very nice. I know it's going to be hot again, but for now I can pretend Fall is around the bend. I continue to do my daily morning walks without a dog and now they can approach a cardio workout. Frodo was s l o w. My elbow is improving but it aches a lot if I do stuff. I won't even say 'over do it' it just all depends. By the end of the day I'm like 'oof'. I see the ortho doctor for a check up and I hope I either have physical therapy or clearance to do whatever I wish. Yesterday, I decided to spread joy. I went to our local farmer's market and had a fruit basket made up so I could take it over to the vet and her staff to thank them for all that they did for Frodo. They were all so happy and I found out that two other dogs

  How was your weekend? Both Saturday and Sunday were relaxing and chill. I worked on the above sock each evening while during the day I worked on my sweater. Nothing super exciting happened over the weekend. That makes it the perfect weekend for me!! The weather was so humid and warm that it was challenging for me to feel my very best. This week is going to be hot and I need to accept that summer is here to stay. That doesn't stop me from wishing for fall to arrive though.  Below is a beautiful photo of Holly looking so pretty. She is an elusive cat, but sometimes she sits and poses for a photo. Yesterday was one of those days. How was your weekend?

  Around here, I've been going to my non-credit classes and keeping up with various appointments. Yesterday, we went to the Carnegie Museum of Art and walked around the galleries. We love going there every month or so. After a lunch out, we headed home so I could take Frodo out for his daily walk. We continue to have daily sunshine and now I'm focused on the singing birds on my daily walks. Sometimes I remember to pull out my merlin app to identify the birds but frequently I'm not fast enough to catch the recording. Tonight we might have some snow, we will see about that. Around here, I'm knee deep in baby blanket knitting mode, trying to make steady progress so I can finish the project. I've been reading a graphic novel, Grass by  Keum Suk Gendry-Kim. My non-fiction read is Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson. Both are really good, I'm sure the non-fiction book will take months to read. Holly has been quite social and says 'hi'.

  Hello! How are you all doing? I'm doing pretty good. There was a peek of sunshine earlier this week and I rushed out of the house to walk. The birds are singing away and early signs of spring evident.  Mid-week, my husband and I met our daughter-in-law's parents downtown at a restaurant. We had so much fun talking about the kids and grandkids and then not talking about them and talking about everything else. After dinner we walked over to the theater to see My Fair Lady. I snapped a few photos before the photoing was banned. The production was fun and they did a few things through-out the show to modernize a dated story line, and yet stayed true to the musical. I love seeing the creativity of set designs, mannerisms and costumes. Also the way they changed the set between scenes was very clever. By the way, the photo of Miss Holly is one I took early in the morning. I never know where she will be sleeping so when she is there on the couch when I come downstairs to make the cof

  Good morning! How are all of you doing on this fine Monday morning? I'm back after having family here for nine nights (!). Our little granddaughter went back to ER this past Thursday for some oxygen monitoring and was successfully discharged the same day. She sees her doctor this afternoon in her hometown, so far she is feeling better. The miracle is that no one else came down with the virus. (maybe her dad but it was barely 48 hours of a mild cough). It's all about me and I'm glad that I didn't catch it. Our company left Friday morning. My husband and I blitzed the house like madmen. We put away all the toys, playpens, the highchair and compressed our kitchen table down from seating six to seating four people. I completed four loads of laundry that day. (let me tell you that little baby and grandson generated a load of laundry per day - and both kids generated a bag of garbage daily - I do not remember any of this when my kids were little). We strategically went thro

  Good morning! Isn't Holly funny in that photo? She snuck into the 'dog' zone while Frodo was snoring away beside me in the afternoon. I looked up and there she was, surveying the room - she is always shocked he is sleeping right there beside me. Her adventurous spirit never ceases to amaze me. We have discovered that Holly hates thunderstorms and quietly hides somewhere in the house. Frodo, bless him, is deaf and cannot hear them anymore which is wonderful since he would tremble so! We close the blinds so that he cannot see flashing light from the lightning just in case that upsets him. We had a wonderful day of rain, thunder and tiny bits of lightning yesterday. Such a refreshing change of weather after the heat and humidity.  I've been enjoying my classes so far, especially Tai Chi (which is using different muscles than my yoga!). The instructor is fun and the class members all have a willing spirit.  I've been bitten by the knitting bug, in that I want to knit

  Good morning to all of you. How are you doing? Over here we are doing just fine. My knitting has slowed a tiny bit, it seems that my arthritis is having the tiniest of flares so I'm just listening to my body. I believe I am witnessing what could be the ending of summer and the beginning of fall. I know, I know, there are many of you who love summer and I'm trying to let you all enjoy your favorite season. Sadly summer is my least favorite season and I try my best to enjoy the days. I love to sit on the back patio reading a book or knitting, wearing sandals and short sleeved tee shirts. On Monday my husband and I picked up some lunch and drove to the near by park to sit and watch the water and the ducks while we picnicked.  This was after a light rain fall so the temperature felt a little chilly sitting in the pavilion (delightful!). Leaves are starting to drop in my yard and the cicadas are super loud in the middle of the day. On my daily morning walk yesterday I spied acorns

  Good morning! How are all of you? I'm doing well and continue to play catch up after our trip last weekend to Cambridge, MA. The unpacking is the easy part, it's the internet catch up - bill paying and visiting blogs. Also buying groceries while not having a menu plan. I should just give up having a menu plan since I seem to do fairly well winging the meals.  I've been holding off saying this but I'm just about to burst because I am ready for FALL. I'm doing my best to enjoy the summer season especially since this is my husband's favorite season. As of today, we have 50 more days until the first day of Autumn.  I went out shopping with my sister yesterday morning and I bought some new charms from Joann Fabrics to add to my traveller's notebook. They are so cute. The tidy Buddha was from the beach vacation last year.  This fall, I will be taking some classes at the local university for people over 50 years old. I'm excited to go back to school but it

  This has been a good week, I've been able to walk most days and I try my best to get outside before it's too hot for both me and dear old Frodo. I'll take him for his short jaunt around the neighborhood then I go back out after taking him home for my longer walk. This walking rhythm is nice.  How are you?  Two days ago, Holly decided to be a mischievous cat and taunt her friend (nemesis). She first hid behind the drapery getting a 'look see' on sleeping Frodo. I love the concern in her eyes. Then she decided to move around behind the couch, she made sure that when he smelled her presence she was visible but out of reach. That is the game. He cannot hear but boy oh boy can he catch her scent and see pretty good. There was barking and hissing. Frodo was so happy! And you know what? Holly was happy as well. She is the one who started the game and she had opportunities to leave the family room and chose not to leave. My husband and I gave up trying to watch TV because

  How has your week been so far? I'm busy with the preparations for both a family reunion in town and a little baby shower here at my house. Each day this week I did something on my list to pace myself so that I wasn't doing everything all in one day. Sadly, those one day marathons are over. I remember cleaning my entire house in one day in my younger married years - what? Now I do bite sized pieces of cleaning so that I have time to rest. Am I ready? Yes I'm getting there. Our son and daughter in law and grandson arrive late tonight so I have most of the day to get my tasks done. I'm excited to see them, March was the last time we visited them and helped out with babysitting.  The Miss Holly photo is her sitting at the top of the stairs waiting for her nemesis (Frodo). She loves to taunt him and scamper away just as he is close to her. My husband gave our Mary statue a cosmetic redo. She had her cracks filled and sanded, then received a fresh coat of paint. She is look