Meanwhile . . .

Yes, April came and went, and so did May and now we're on the last day of June.  Boy, time sure flies when you just puttering along!

So what did I do?  Just the usual.  Cooking, cleaning, baking, you know, the usual household chores.  And reading.  Lot and lots of reading. I've always loved to read and having that Kindle Unlimited subscription just put lots of fun books at my fingertips.  So I indulged.  I'm a fan of cozy mysteries.  A few murders, but no gore, ugly violence or bad words.  Just entertainment.  And I was entertained.  

So now I'm slacking off the reading a little and working on some counted cross stitch.  A number of years ago I did three little Prairie Schooler seasonal scenes and I found the fourth one last winter. Unfortunately I had to buy a booklet that included the ones I had already made to get it. It's an autumn one so I decided to get cracking on it so I'd have it ready when fall comes.  Guess what?  It's as much fun as a cozy mystery!  

Here's a picture showing all of the four seasons:

I'm working on the one in the lower left and here's where I was earlier today:

These little designs just make me happy.  Prairie Schooler is the company that does the yearly St. Nicholas's I have been stitching out for years.  I love the colors they use and the simple yet detailed designs.  Primitive but not excessively so.  (And I love borders!)

The weather here has been hot.  HOT I say!  It was over 107° today and yesterday, and it's supposed to last through the weekend.  I'm so very thankful for air conditioning!  

And finally, what about that Christmas tree quilt I started last winter?  Well, I finally got the last of the top pieced today.  Hopefully I'll be back to share about that soon!  ♥

April Come She Will

There is the sound of lawnmowers in the land!  (I hear one as I type.) The trees are starting to turn green!  The sun has shone for the past four days! We won't go into the snow that fell last week, or the wind that blew and blew and blew.  April has finally arrived!  

Not much else is going on here at the resort.  A little of this, a little of that.  And "that's all she wrote" for now! (My dad's favorite saying for something that was done.) ♥

No News Wednesday

I'm here in body, if not in mind.  We went grocery shopping this evening to avoid the crowds and now there's not a drop of energy left in my body. Some days I truly feel my age! Anyway, I think we have everything we need for Christmas meals and that's a good feeling.

I'll just put this little picture up and wish you all happy and joyous days as we lead into Christmas Day.  

♥

Fall in a Heap Day

Apparently I used up all my energy and brilliant words over the last few days and to use one of our favorite phrases, I've fallen in a heap today. I've done nothing constructive and thought no deep thoughts.  (Do I ever think deep thoughts? I'll think deeply about that.)  (Smile)

So here are a couple of photos of past projects. The first is a stitchout from Embroidery Library which is no longer available. I suspect it's because the digitiser used the UK spelling of counsellor instead of the American counselor. I don't mind. It hangs at the top of the stairs to the basement.

And here's a closer view of the window pane quilt in the living room.  It uses Holly Taylor's fabrics in a Doug Leko of Antler Quilt Designs pattern.

And that's it for today from the Resort. I think we're going to pick up dinner curbside somewhere tonight. Heap! It's fall in a heap day! ♥  

 

Only Four Months 'til Christmas Eve!!!

Yes people, I keep track of such things as how long until Christmas.  As I get, um, more mature, yes, that's it, more mature, time passes more quickly and those four months will be gone in a flash.  I need to start contemplating, especially as shipping seems to be taking longer and longer these days.  

Case in point:  On August 7th, I placed an order with the King Arthur Baking Company (formerly the King Arthur Flour Company) for six items.  It took a day or so for the order to go "live" and I then received notice that things were beginning to be shipped out.  According to shipping notifications, four items were being shipped together and the other two were being shipped singly.  Okay.  I got free shipping, so I was prepared to wait.  The first four items arrived in about ten days, and as I checked the other two items I noticed a strange happening with one.  

Let's see if I can follow this:  It left Virginia and went to Maryland, then to West Virginia, and Ohio.  From there it made it further west to Indiana, and then what??  It went to Pennsylvania, then back to Indiana and then to New York!  What, what, what??  Then to New Jersey where it stayed for four days.  At this point I called King Arthur.  Was I ever going to see my silicone rolling mat?  

I was impressed with KA when I got a real person to talk to immediately.  He was able to pull up the tracking record and was as amazed as I was.  He pondered a bit and then said he'd get another one off to me second-day air and if the first one ever showed up I could gift it to some helpful organization.  Two thumbs up to King Arthur Baking Company!!

Anyway, this digression is to point out that it's none too soon to be planning and if necessary, ordering, Christmas gifts so we don't have to print out tracking records to show that the present is on it's way--hopefully!!

It's a Knitting Kind of Day--In August!!

Yes, people, it's barely sixty degrees and cloudy out there.  Brrr! I'm thinking of picking up my knitting needles and getting back to a pair of socks I started earlier this year.  It's just that kind of day.  

Dan and I have been saying for the past few years (maybe even ten), that fall seems to arrive in August anymore.  When we were kids the famous words were "hot August nights", but we've burrowed under the covers all month.  And daytime temperatures have been mostly in the eighties.  We're not complaining! Dan grew up in Spokane and remembers many hot, hot days and nights and the little town I grew up in was in a canyon and never cooled off at night after day temperatures in the nineties and hundreds.  I remember laying on top of the covers and having the windows and curtains wide open hoping for cooler air.  No one had air conditioning in those days.  

(And let me drift off, for a moment, and remember shopping for school clothes on 90 plus degree days in unairconditioned stores, trying on wool sweaters and skirts.  And of course, we did this in the nearest "big" town, so my mom, coming from the Seattle area, insisted we had to dress up to go to town and that included wearing nylons.  Yikes!  Of course our car had no air conditioning either, and it was a 45-minute or longer drive to get there.  There was, of course, the ol' "four-sixty air conditioner" -- sixty miles an hour with all four windows rolled down, but that created havoc with our hair. . .)*

Suffice it to say that I'm not the least bit sorry to have a cool day today.  Here's a picture of my finished quilt top on my design wall.  I think I've come up with my quilting plan so hopefully I'll get to that in a few days.

I've been in a baking mood since finishing the top and tried Joanna Gaines recipe for blueberry rolls to great success.  If you have her second cookbook, I can totally recommend her recipe.  Our zucchini have come on and I made a double batch of zucchini bread two days ago. An old standby, but still so delicious!  Just had a mid morning snack (or as the British call it, elevenses) of a piece with my coffee.  

And last, here's a picture of the butte and sky to our south taken a few evenings ago.  Love the light.

And that's the news for now!  ♥

* I realize I've used "of course" three times in a row in this paragraph, but on reflection, they needed to stay. They define the situation.  Of course! 

I'm Still Here

Goodness, this month seems to have gotten away from me!  It's been busy with the graduation, Dan's birthday this week, and just general everyday things that the older I get, the longer they seem to take.  

I am working on a new quilt that seems to have quite a few pieces of varying sizes to cut. I've been cutting away and decided yesterday to begin to put some of the pieces together before I burned out on the cutting. I'll try to post again tomorrow with some pictures of this new project.  

Meanwhile, I'm off to do a little light reading and then head for my bed.  Sure glad someone invented mattresses and pillows!  ♥ 

Etcetera

The last two weeks have vanished in a blink.  What have I done, I ask myself.  Good question! Reading, of course.  Having that Kindle app and taking advantage of two free months of Kindle Unlimited has made me like a kid in a candy store!  One book was very different and also thought provoking given these times.  The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson is an historical novel based on real events.  

I've finally had to make a mask or two.  Most of Dan's consulting work involves workshops and field trips and most have been cancelled due to the virus, but one is taking place this week with all kinds of precautions.  He will need a mask as he teaches so I bit the bullet and made him two out of tan fabric with pine needles on it. Suitable, I thought!  

The weather has been all over the place,  Cold, wet and dreary, hot, sunny and necessitating turning on the AC, and now back to overcast and wet.  Lots of thunder and lightning, too.  As we tell each other, it's still June! Truthfully, given the current events politically and healthwise, I'm hoping for a cool summer to help keep people calm.  

The baby shower was fun and the mom-to-be loved the bibs.  I'm thinking of making some more this week before I forget how cute these turned out.  I also have a friend who became a grandma for the first time that I want to send some bibs to.  She can keep them at her house or send them on but either way, I thought she'd have fun opening the package.  

This cool weather has been wonderful for the flower pots and the garden.  Here's the view from my front entryway.

And here's a cute one of Daniel and his friend Crosby at their swimming lessons last winter.  Here's hoping they can soon hit the water once again.  

Happy summer!  ♥

What Ho!

I know, what a strange title! But there's a reason behind my madness.  I've been having the most fun reading books on my iPad Kindle app and I discovered a wonderfully entertaining book series set in circa 1910 England. It's the Lady Hardcastle mystery series by T.E. Kinsey and each one kept me happily reading from start to finish.  Lady Emily Hardcastle and her diminutive Welsh maid, Florence Armstrong, have stolen my heart and now that I've read all six in the series, I'm going to have to wait until December when the next book comes out.  Drat!! Looking for a good read?  Look no further (with the added plus of all those ridiculously fun British sayings like, "What ho!"). 

Having finished with Lady H and Flo, I went to our overstocked shelves in the family room and set about to look for a familiar read.  Back in the '70s, M.M. Kaye achieved fame with her book, The Far Pavilions and while I do like that one, my favorite of her books is Shadow of the Moon.  

My copy has held up well, but it's old by paperback standards, so yesterday Dan encouraged me to look online for a hardback.  Done, and done.  Meanwhile, ol' trusty and I will once again head to the India of the 1850s.  For those of you who love stories with an historical background, this one will satisfy.   

Meanwhile, I'm excited to announce that I was able to get my haircut yesterday and feel like a new woman! It's amazing what a haircut will do, especially when it's been forced to be put off far beyond normal time.  

I also need to confess that having been confined to home for all these weeks has led me to shoe shopping on line and I've purchased not one, not two, but three new pairs of shoes in the last month.  A new high (or low??) for me!!  However, I am unrepentant and am enjoying wearing each and every pair.  

The pair above matches my new purse and I feel quite coordinated when setting out to the grocery store!!  ♥

Purses

These days, we must find our excitement where we can. I confess that I've never been much of a shopper,  at least in the sense of going to an actual store to browse and buy.  Even when I really needed something, I could usually find plenty of reasons to put off going in search of it.  When online shopping became a "thing", I loved it!  I didn't have to go anywhere.  When I was still teaching, I Christmas shopped on my lunch hour, sandwich in one hand, surfing and buying with the other, usually paying high shipping fees as I'd even put this type of shopping off until the last minute.  As I said, a shopper I am not.  

So, recently I noted that my trusty purse had a problem.  I've had the same one for I don't know how many years, six, seven?  It's black and before its most recent problem, I'd had to take a black sharpie to some worn spots on it.  Worked like a charm, until I noticed it was becoming unstitched in a crucial spot.  I am not a fan of carrying a purse in the first place, but they are a necessary evil for us ladies.  In order to make peace with the item, I have some specifications that must be met.

Here are pictures of my last two purses:

Trusty black purse

Adorable (but small) red purse

Notice that the fronts of both of them have additions. An easy-to-get-to area where I can have ready access to my driver's license, credit cards, etc.  

Alas, the black one became unstitched in the corner where I stowed my cell phone and I could see no way to fix it.  

I began to feel quite tacky, which would never do.  Since we're home all day and catalogs seem to fill our mailbox on a daily basis, I began to look for a replacement. About ten days ago, one arrived from The Vermont Country Store and as I glanced through it, a purse jumped out at me.  It had a front on it!  It came in black with dark brown accents.  I ordered!  And today it came.

It's bigger than I usually buy, but not so much so that I can't live with it.  And the front area is wonderful!

It even has an area for coins! And I discovered that the main purse will hold my iPad should I want to take it along for reading when Dan stops to look at trees (yes, he really does) when we're out.  Double win!!♥

Hmm... Hmm...

I feel like I should write a scintillating blog post, but what can you say about day after day of the same thing?  I am thankful that I'm continuing to enjoy outfoxing dinner for the 30th night in a row, so that's a good thing.  We are eating well.  

I have been doing a lot of reading on my iPad.  Ann introduced me to the Libby app and I'm happily downloading books from the library as well as getting the freebies from Amazon Prime.  I never thought I'd like reading on a mobile device, but I'm having to eat my words.  

Dan has gotten to go out in the woods several times this week, and he also taught a "class" using Zoom with the help of the U of I forestry extension department.  (He didn't enjoy it...) 

Our excitement tonight was peach shortcake featuring peaches I froze back in August of '18.  Still delicious! The cake part was a recipe I got many, many years ago and is an easy yellow cake.  According to my handwritten recipe card, I got it from the Family Weekly, which was, as I recall, the precursor to the Parade Magazine we get in the Sunday paper these days. Here's the recipe in case you've got some frozen peaches or strawberries in your freezer and don't want to head to the store for those cute little shortcakes in a package.

Shortcake (Yellow Cake)

2 cups unsifted flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350.  Grease and flour a 9 x 13" pan, or two 8 or 9" cake pans or two 8" square pans. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add butter and 2/3 cup of the milk.  Beat two minutes at low speed.  Add remaining 1/3 cup of milk, eggs and vanilla and beat two minutes longer at medium speed.  Turn into pans and bake 30-35 minutes or until done.  

I've made this dozens of times over the years and it always tastes so good.  Sturdy, sweet, and when split and topped with the juicy fruit, soaks it up beautifully and is very satisfying in an old-fashioned sense.  Didn't think to take a picture.  ♥

Provisions

Saturday we had to be out for a quick bit (another drive-by), and when we got home I told Dan to leave the car out as I wanted to find out just exactly what was lurking in our freezer.  It sits in our garage right in front of the car, and while I can get the door open and get what I need, it isn't conducive to a large inspection or rearrangement.  

Dan volunteered to bring out a folding table so I had a place to sort and that helped immensely.  So, what exactly was in there?  More than I thought!  I even unearthed a box of Skinny Cow fudgesicles! Score!! Underneath the bacon I found two vacuum sealed bags of three pork chops each.  Oh yes, I remembered them. The ones I used from the larger pack they came from were tough, and I mean tough.  No matter how I cooked them, they were awful.  Dan appeared about the time I found them and suggested that maybe they'd make pulled pork.  Hmm, didn't sound like a bad idea so I said I'd try.  

Further rummaging found an extra bin of pork roasts and lots of stew meat.  Yay! Meat for dinners that will stretch over a period of days.  We are good to go for many a day, especially with the bread flour he found last week.  

As I finished up my mind drifted back to the early days of our marriage and the first freezer we bought.  It was the summer of 1973 and the oil crisis was nearing its height.  Freezers were hard to come by as were canning supplies (this situation lasted for well over a year) but we somehow managed to score a large freezer from Sears.  (Side note:  It was a self-defrosting model which wasn't supposed to be good for the food stored, but it was absolutely the best freezer we ever had, lasted the longest, and gave us the least freezer-burned food of all the freezers we've had. And we've had to defrost all the rest of them!)

Yesterday evening I decided I'd see what was available on Costco.com as it doesn't look like it's worth making a trip out of town to our nearest one.  The lines, the time, the availability of goods, it all sounded like an exercise in futility.  So, I opened up my computer and went shopping.  Turns out Costco.com is out of many, many items, too, but I did manage to get some more almond milk (I use it in my smoothies and for our oatmeal), Ghirardelli  brownie mixes, and the all important evening TV snack, Pub Mix. I got some other things, too, of course, but these will help make the days a little more palatable.  

Oh, and the pork chops?  They did indeed make great pulled pork! We had it Saturday and Sunday nights and I froze the rest.  Another meal in the freezer for when I am not in the mood and that's a good thing for certain! ♥

Day 500 of Quarantine

Or so it seems.  Hmm, even for a homebody like me, these days are getting a little weird.  There were always things we did each week that helped us keep track of the days, but now we don't even have church on Sundays. We gathered in front of our TV last Sunday and using my computer and our Chrome-cast, watched "church" live-streamed via Facebook. Somehow, it didn't seem like Sunday. . .

One thing that has helped me pass the time besides the laundry (haha!), is Ann's reminding me that I could download the Kindle app on my iPad and get books through Amazon Prime.  I've rewarded myself with several interesting/fun reads over the last couple of weeks which has been very helpful because the library is closed.  One was recommended by Ann and I found it interesting because I could remember many of the names featured in it.  It's Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West who was Chief Usher during five presidencies, Roosevelt through Johnson.  

Of course, meals are a constant and keep me busy. There's no eating out because all the restaurants are takeout/delivery only, and somehow I can't bring myself to eat something made by someone who may have the virus and not know it yet.  While I'm trying not to dwell on the reason for this quarantine,  I don't want to be imprudent.  So, all meals by Chef Moi.  This morning I thought I would upgrade our breakfast and decided to make Ann's recipe for scones.  Oh yum!  We each had two, I froze four, and tomorrow we'll feast on another four.  

I'm thinking of other things I can make and freeze some of.  Stocking the freezer seems like a worthwhile endeavor during these must-stay-at-home days.  ♥

Crazy!

Well.  

What a day it's been.  Four snowstorms, sunshine, a virus version of a birthday party, and an earthquake.  Yes, that's right, an earthquake.  

So, to back up, we got up early this morning and my husband daringly went out in search of some items I longed for in my kitchen.  Specifically, King Arthur bread flour, and cream cheese.  There were other things, of course, but those were tops on my list.  He scored!!  As I told one of my nieces, I feel like the richest lady in town.  

And then it snowed.  Really, really snowed, and everything turned white.  And a while later, the sun came out.  Repeat three more times during the day.  

And then the birthday "party."  One of the dearest ladies I know, a friend from the first days we moved here, has a birthday today.  Her daughter came up with a genius idea for a way to celebrate Gill's (she's from England, so it's pronounced Jill) day.  She emailed a few people, asked them to email others, and so on.  We were all to drive by Gill's house at 2:30, bring a flower, and honk our horns.  They would have Gill on the front porch.  At the appointed time, I found myself in my car, down the que about five cars, and it began as more and more cars showed up.  As we got to the front of the house, Gill was on the porch and her daughter had a bucket to gather the flowers as we drove by.  I am allergic to most flowers so I took some of the quilted potholders I made before Christmas.  They did have flowers on them!  Gill was absolutely overcome as car after car drove up. What a wonderful gift for her!

And then, the earthquake.  About five, I was sitting here at my computer when all of a sudden things seemed to start moving.  Was I dizzy?  No!  The curtains were moving, Dan's empty recliner was rocking, the whole house was moving!! I realized what it was and shouted to Dan who was in the basement.  It turns out it was a rather large quake situated in the center of our state, fortunately where there's not much of anything.  

What a day.  March is definitely not going out like a lamb.  ♥

Greetings from the Last Outpost

Ha!  At least I think that's how my poor husband is feeling these days.  At least the weather is crummy, so he's not tempted to be outdoors right now.  Rain! Wind! Cold! 

As I told my longtime pal, Kathy of Homestead Happenings, this whole situation is like a challenge to me.  How long can I keep making meals with what we have? Meals that taste good! I had a win tonight.  We often have waffles and bacon for dinner on nights when a cozy meal is called for.  But we had that last week. Somehow or other, I stumbled onto a recipe for pancakes this afternoon. Normally I'm not much of a pancake fan; they've always tasted too heavy to me. This recipe had rave reviews so I printed it off and gave it a try.  YUM! Simple, simple ingredients, but awesome flavor and texture.  And Dan, who loves pancakes, gave them two thumbs up, too.  Here the link. I halved the recipe and we got ten yummy pancakes, which was perfect for us.  

To backtrack a week or so, I have a couple more things to say about our vacation house.  It was kind of a "smart house."  It had a thingy in many of the rooms that turned out to be a Google version of Alexa.  We drove that poor thing crazy with a myriad of questions such as When's low tide? When does the sun set in Rockaway Beach, Can you play some Ella Fitzgerald? and so on. The best part was when we were cooking.  "Hey Google! Set the timer for ten minutes!" and she would.  Do I want such a thing at home?  Nope, but it was fun for a while!

And here's a picture of the intrepid Keat cleaning off our windows for a better view after a naughty seagull left splatters all over them.  

And those pillars under the house?  It is supposed to be tsunami resistant.  The angle of the photo makes them look a little weird, but they were straight up and down. ♥

Coffee and Me

I didn't drink coffee until I was thirty-five years old.  I made coffee for others in the offices where I worked while I worked my way through college, and after Dan and I married, I made coffee for him every morning in the harvest gold coffee pot we got as a wedding present.  But I didn't drink any of it.  It always smelled wonderful, but taste?  Not so wonderful.  

Winter of 1985 I was hired to finish out the year for a teacher who was ill.  I had been subbing for a couple of years and had a good rapport with the principal and staff at the school, so I was thrilled.  That it was the school where Matt and Ann attended was a plus.  The class across the hall from my classroom was taught by a good friend of ours and every morning he'd come into my room and tell me coffee was ready and I would say I didn't drink it.  You guessed it, by the end of the year, I was drinking coffee.  It helped that he had an in with a salesman for a really good brand of coffee and used it in the pot in his room.  Cheap coffee it was not.

I did discover, however, that the addition of a flavored creamer really upped my love of the stuff.  The question now was, was it the coffee or the creamer?  Who knows, but I can't have one without the other unless it's a cup after a big dinner with some yummy dessert.  Then I drink it plain.  

When we moved to Moscow and I began teaching full time, I had a microwave in my classroom and would have to reheat my coffee numerous times during the day.  Since I would often leave my cup here and there in the room as I moved about with the kids, I would sometimes have to have an "alert" to find it.  Finally one of the kids would go look in the microwave and say, "It's in the microwave and it's cold again.  Would you like me to reheat it for you?"  That often happens here at home now, and then, when I finally find my cup in the microwave, I have to reheat it--again.  

My good pal Kathy had a recent blog post about finding a holiday carafe for sale on Etsy and that she had ordered it with good results as it arrived in like-new condition. The post caused me to wonder if she used it to keep her tea warm throughout the morning and then led me to ponder my usual scenario of repeated trips to the microwave as my morning progresses.  Apparently I'm consistent!  ♥

The Last Official Night of Summer

No, the calendar doesn't list this date as that, but in my mind, summer officially ends with Labor Day.  I was just down the hall, opening windows to let the cool evening air in after a warmish (over 75) day and as I did, I heard the sprinklers in the front yard making their sounds as the day grew dark.  Such a timeless sound.  And then I thought, summer's over.  School is back in session, the days are noticeably shorter.  My favorite time of the year is here.  Fall through the holidays.  Yes!!

I tried to take a picture or two, but I guess I'm finally going to have to read the instructions to our camera. For the life of me, I can't figure out how to turn the flash off! I wanted one of the dusky evening and the cursed flash kept making everything too bright.  I hate to read instructions...  So no pictures for this post.  Just thoughts.

I hear crickets chirping, and there's the sliver of the moon in the southwestern sky.  This has been the most lovely summer I can remember in a long time.  Almost perfect weather, quiet days, some good books (and a number of rereads which is always like visiting with old and dear friends), and time with family.  

Yesterday was a busy day, for a Sunday.  Our youth pastor, dearly loved by all of us, is leaving and moving with his wife and little daughter to southern California to become an associate pastor in a start-up church in the LA complex.  He is a giant of a man, a Tongan, with a giant-sized heart and he has done so much for the young people in our church.  We had a farewell potluck and send-off last night and it was hard.  But when the Lord leads, we must follow.

Cameron had no problem with jet lag (oh to be nineteen!) and started his first day of college just forty some hours after he landed.  We've gotten to see him several times and he's obligingly allowed his Grammy to hug him each time.  So good to have him back!!  

The baby quilt is loaded on my long-arm and hopefully tomorrow I'll get started on the actual quilting.  It shouldn't take too long.  

And that's it for the last official day of summer, 2019.  ♥

Musings

The calendar says it's the middle of August, but there's a touch of fall in the air.  It seems that the few last years, fall arrives about now.  The days are warm, high 70s maybe 82, and the nights are cool.  So much for the "hot August nights" of my youth.  And believe me, I'm not complaining!  I'm loving each and every day.  

I took a little tour of my pots of flowers a bit ago and snapped a couple of pictures.  I'm so not a gardener, but I do enjoy my pots and remember to water them every day or so.  Dan puts them together every May, and I keep them going until fall when we store them in our sun room for the winter months.  

Corner of the deck

One of these on each side of the garage

Front porch

From the looks of these photos, we like red!  Whenever I drive up, I love to see the color all across the front.  

And speaking of driving, I had a fun morning at a coffee shop with three other ladies of the neighborhood celebrating the recent retirement of one of them.  Now we're all retired and think maybe we need to do this more often!  We all marveled that we'd reached this point when we think we're just a bunch of spring chickies.  No complaints, however!

A new baby quilt is in the works and I'll try to post some pictures in a day or so.  ♥

Kidney Stones?!?

For those of you fortunate enough to have never experienced a kidney stone, count your blessings.  I had my first one back about 1980 and had no idea what was happening, only that I was in extreme pain.  And it didn't help a bit at the ER when the nurse said they couldn't give me anything for it because the pain was their only clue as to what was going on.  Well!!  (We don't live near that hospital anymore, thank goodness!)

My second go around was in 2005.  I woke up in the middle of the night in pain and finally woke Dan up to take me to the ER.  On the way there, I said to him that this was reminiscent of that long ago day and I thought I knew what was going on.  Bingo!!  It passed and I was thankful, but exactly four weeks later the same thing happened.  After a week of drugs and no relief, it was determined that this one was too big to pass and so surgery to retrieve it was required.  They decided the one four weeks previous was probably a piece that broke off this giant one.  

I had another a few years ago and then again yesterday.  Last night about eight I told Dan I'd had all the fun I could stand so off to the ER we went again. I'm so thankful to live in a town with a hospital with such a great staff.  Everyone there was so kind and helpful. They did a CT scan and the good news is that there don't seem to be any more biggies lurking around, and this one passed this morning.  I'm hoping for a lifetime reprieve!!!

Meanwhile, I wonder what people did in the "olden days?"  I can't even bear to think about it.  

Happy May Day!!

It's finally beginning to look like spring around here! The trees have been valiantly trying to leaf out and from a distance, we can actually see hints of green when we look at them.  This Mary Engelbreit drawing gives a glimpse of how I'm feeling about all this!!

And it's May Day.  I remember as kids we would make May baskets in school each year and then take them home to fill with flowers to leave on someone's doorknob.  I don't think anyone does it anymore, and it's kind of sad.  But then, if I even wanted to try it this year, nothing is blooming yet in our yard, and it sort of negates to whole thing if you have to buy the flowers. Just not the same as lilacs or tulips or daffodils picked at the last moment before delivery.  Ah well.  

Happy spring!  And happy May Day! ♥