Feeling Special

Tenor

And my birthday celebration continues!

Shout-outs to Sandi and Cathy for sending me actual birthday cards. I love all forms of reaching out, because people are making you feel special, but I have to say an actual card in the mail remains one of my favorites.

Another shout-out to my good friend, Marsha, who means the world to me. I received a box in the mail today containing several beautiful pairs of earrings she made. I keep changing which pair is my favorite – all different colors, stones, and styles – and can’t wait to show them off!

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.~ Sophia Loren

Imagination, Vision, and Talent

“Rabbit-ballet-requires-focus-and-willpower-because-the-tutus-are-delicious.” – chalk-art-by-David-Zinn-edited

I love the art created by David Zinn, but I’m even more delighted by his vision. When most people look at the place where the wall meets a sidewalk, they see the weed growing. The fastidious among us might bend over and pull the weed, or think that the weed should be sprayed with weed killer.

David Zinn sees a rabbit wearing a ‘delicious’ tutu, practicing a dance pose. And he stops to draw the sweet rabbit so that others can share his vision.

This is what makes me remain hopeful. I love sharing the same planet as a man who thinks like this.

Wow

123RF

Wow. My head is still spinning. When we were about half-way down our driveway this morning, a ‘parade’ of SIX deer leaped one at a time across the driveway in front of us! We have had TWO jump across the driveway as we started back up the driveway in the distant past, but we stared in amazement as one after another kept leaping. We unconsciously counted them, agreeing that we had seen SIX.

I’m not sure why they were all in the yard. I guess the sound of our truck coming down the driveway spurred the decision to cross the driveway and go somewhere else. We have so many trees we didn’t see anything until one leaped across the driveway. Then the ‘parade’ of gorgeous animals started.

Such a stunning sight!

Interesting Tuesday 8-30-2022

dogtime.com

I LOVE this! Every time I see his face I want to hug him.

Getty Images

We are just back from taking our trash for the week down to the bottom of the driveway, getting our mail, and relocating Raccoon # 8 this morning. My husband said he’s the biggest one we’ve ever caught. It was almost more than he could do to get the humane trap with the raccoon into the back of the truck. He said he thought the raccoon weighed 20 to 25 pounds. He was very quiet, almost resigned – so we don’t know if he’s one we’ve caught before, who was basically saying, “Oh, S _ _ t” rather than freaking out that he’d been caught. My husband has now sprayed off the deck and refilled bird feeders.

For Christmas my Lunch Bunch friend Linda got me some foaming hand soap. I put it in the kitchen by the sink, absolutely loving the way it feels and smells. It’s very gentle on hands that are washed much more frequently and thoroughly than ever before. My husband thought the bottle was empty and started to throw it away. I said, “Nooooo! I can still get a few more washes from it.”

When we got the mail this morning, there was a package. My husband had quietly ordered another bottle of foaming soap for me. The timing was perfect because I used the very last of the bottle Linda gave me this morning and was wondering if I would be able to find more. What a wonderful surprise! :0)

My next challenge of the morning was using my phone. I punched in my password, but the phone wouldn’t take it for some reason. I tried several times, but no go. I finally got on my computer, trying to find some help. I decided to try ONE MORE TIME before starting to fill out the forms online for help. It worked. Did I tell you I hate technology?

The day has barely started and I feel as if I’ve put in an entire day!

Good News and Good News

Zero to Three

GOOD NEWS ONE –

One of my dearest friends liked the Christmas cards I just finished painting and asked me if I would paint some for her to send to her friends this year. That is the highest compliment, and I’m walking 3 inches off the ground with happiness. I’ll get started on them soon. :0)

GOOD NEWS TWO –

My husband just went to get our mail and check about the trash. THE TRASH IS GONE!!!!!!! We had two weeks worth of trash down there, having been re-gathered by us twice, three calls to Customer Service, one forthright email, and two work orders later – it’s GONE. HOOOOOORAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!

Good Thursday 7-21-2022

Petr Vaclavek – Zazzle.com

I have a nice book. We certainly have the heat (105 F. today with a heat index of 110+). All I’m missing is the beach!

Salvasomo

I even have a photo of beautiful sandpipers!

sayingimages.com

Thankfully, we have good air conditioning and only go out if we choose to.

Yesterday was a wonderful afternoon. We ate our lunch and relaxed a bit after errands. I did an early session of yoga, since the wonderful bug spraying guy was coming at 5:30. I then went up and played in my art room, making good progress on the presents I’m making for friends. I finished up there and was coming down, meeting my husband on the stairs. He was coming up to tell me the buy spraying guy was here. He does such a good job for us, although he won’t spray for elephants…

iStock

I had a very unusual thing happen. I ordered some new tops recently. (That isn’t unusual, but the result was.) I tried one of them on this morning and they were WAAY TOOO LARGE! This IS unusual! We will take them to the UPS Store today or tomorrow so that I can obtain a refund and then I’ll reorder, ordering two sizes smaller. (I have the feeling this brand runs really large, but it feels really good to have something be too large for me to wear. :0)

I hope you have a terrific Thursday.

Virtual Trip to the Beach

This is the wonderful Sand Piper pillow cover my SIL sent me, now with a pillow in it.

Here it is with another gifted pillow cover, on our couch.

I feel really lucky to have someone who cares. This way I can take a virtual, instant trip to the beach whenever I need it. :0)

THANK YOU, ML.

And the Crowd Goes Wild!

Can you hear the cheering?

The old, unreliable dishwasher-with-attitude is GONE and the new Bosch dishwasher is HERE and installed. HOORAY!

Andrew, a really NICE man from River Valley Plumbing & Professional Drain Cleaning in Greenwood, contracted by Lowes in Ft. Smith, came at about 11:00 this morning to do our installation. The installation was technically scheduled for 10:00, but he called to tell us his time frame on packing his van and picking up our dishwasher at Lowes. He called again, telling us they had FINALLY found our dishwasher and as soon as it was loaded and he stopped for gasoline, he would be here.

We couldn’t have asked for a nicer man to do the installation. He thanked my husband for doing some of the unhooking needed, and thanked me for cleaning out the cabinet and making a nice path for him. He got things installed and ran a test. I thought it wasn’t working it was SO QUIET! He pointed to a red light that shined on the floor, showing the power was on. He made sure there weren’t any leaks and all was working well before he cleaned up and took the old one away.

We had researched dishwashers and decided to get a Bosch that scored well on the ratings chart in Consumer Reports. They didn’t have the number 1 rated, which was also a Bosch. We looked at the number 2 rated (also a Bosch – are you seeing a pattern here?), but had no interest in that one because it had a third shelf we would never use. We got the number 3 rated dishwasher in the list, a Bosch 300. It has everything we need and more. It will probably last longer than we do.

I’m reading the booklet to what I need to know. I’m dancing around the house smiling because when we run the dishwasher next time, I won’t need to keep checking to see if it has quit or not!

I have a call into the company that Andrew works for. I want to praise him to the skies. I’ll also call Lowe’s to tell them what a good job both the company and Andrew did on our installation. I love dealing with people who know what they are doing and are nice, as well.

I’m Crying

It’s sad this is so rare these days. That it was a high school boy – so very talented – and he sang proudly – received wonderfully by the crowd at the game, made the tears roll down my face. I hope this is a wonderful experience for you, too.

Ahhhhhhhh!

Cheezburger

I just got home from the EXTRA massage that my sweet cousin gave me as a “just because” present. She is – bar none – one the truly NICE people in the world.

I feel wonderful. Relaxed and limp as a noodle right now. Nothing hurts. :0)

I’ll fix us some lunch and then probably spread out and take a nap in my recliner.

This is the life of a truly spoiled lady.

Nice Lady Made My Day

123RF.com

On the way to Lunch Bunch today my husband told me that while he was repairing the mailbox front yesterday, a nice lady started to drive past and then stopped. She told him that she and her sister live on down the road from us and that they look every day to see what we have up on the mailbox! This is what we have up now –

Wonder Wart-Hog

We hear very little about our ‘artwork.’ I like to think that the school bus kids enjoy our stuff, but that may be only wishful thinking.

This kind lady told my husband that they loved what we do and that they were so pleased each time we changed the decoration. Isn’t that amazing?

My husband and I have now resolved to do a better job of changing the decorations more often, now that everyone is getting out more. What a NICE lady!

Absolutely the NICEST Thing…

buzzfeed.com

Yesterday Lynn, my wonderful massage therapist, texted me, telling me that my cousin had paid for a massage for me – specifying it was an ‘extra’ massage – the payment not to be used for one of my normal once-a-month ones.

It wasn’t my birthday, Christmas, or National Pickle Week – it was a ‘just because’ – the most wonderful type of gift there is.

When I married my husband – over 52 years ago – I gained two beautiful ‘cousins,’ too. AND she is a true friend, as well.

I texted her to thank her for thinking of me, for loving me, and for one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. We caught up a bit, though it’s never enough.

My extra massage is now scheduled for November 4th. :0)

“It’s Raining, It’s Pouring…”

inspirationalquotesshortfunnystuff.com

It has rained off and on for 3 days straight, and we’re feeling a bit water-logged. The yard between the house and our shop is standing in water, so I’ll probably have to wait until tomorrow to put the pieces of the “Dog with Bone” yard critter together and him back out in the yard.

I’ve been playing in my art room painting a mini-purse for a nice lady. She bought one from my Etsy site recently, then wrote to tell me that the snap on the purse was so tight she couldn’t use it. I didn’t know about the problem and was embarrassed. I took the two mini-purses that had snaps off my site and ordered some that had zippers. It’s beige, but I’m painting it a dark blue to resemble denim and then will paint ladybugs and leaves on both sides. I’m hoping to have the replacement in the mail to her tomorrow. I’m grateful for the chance to make it right with her.

I had a rare, fun thing happen recently. I ordered some tops from Amazon. I tried them on when they came and they were WAAAAY too big! Talk about a rare, fun thing!!!! :0) I returned them, and ordered a totally different style and a smaller size. THEY came a couple of days ago and are GREAT! They’re called “yoga tees” and come in a package of 5. They’re comfortable, stretchy, and have moisture wicking. I love them!

I’ll be painting, waiting for it to dry, then painting some more the rest of the day. I hope my customer will like the replacement. Fingers crossed.

I hope you’re having a safe, comfortable, dry day.

Some Days are Like This

jalopnik.com

We got a return code from Amazon for the printer cartridge package – which meant we had to drive to Ft. Smith to the UPS Store. My husband decided he wanted to take the Vette. We got to Greenwood and the ‘check engine’ light came on. We talked about it, and decided to go back home and regroup.

My husband thought we should just each take a vehicle and we could leave the Vette at the service place in Ft. Smith. I reminded him that we had to have an appointment the last time we needed them to look at things. We called and are now scheduled to take it in next Wednesday morning.

We got into the truck and started out again. Of course the “70% chance of rain” kicked in. We had lots of traffic, pretty heavy rain, road construction, etc., but we got to the UPS Store and left the package with no problem. My husband thinks he ordered the right printer cartridges this time, so hopefully that will soon be a PAST problem.

On the way home, we decided to try the new Waffle House that opened recently in Greenwood. We each had a “hashbrown bowl with sausage, egg and cheese.” It was good, but we decided that the next time we go, we’ll order ONE of those and two bowls. It was too much food and was pretty expensive for a breakfast or lunch for us. Dividing one order should work just fine.

It’s STILL raining two hours after we started out this morning and shows no sign of letting up.

My husband is going to use the diagnostic tool he has for automobiles and see if it will tell us why the Vette is displaying the ‘check engine’ light.

And so the day goes.

Fiber Optics are Coming!

PPC Broadband

If we live long enough, we are getting fiber optic services here! Work has been done in fits and starts over the past year. My husband and I have followed the progress with great interest because – though our service now is the best we have had – it’s pretty laughable.

A young man came a few days ago and wanted to look at what had been done lately. He looked at our telephone pole, and one down the hill from us, planning to add some hardware. Our stuff had apparently been done differently, so he was a bit worried and said he would be back with his boss at a later time.

The man came back this morning. The ‘boss’ was his dad. We all took a look together and decided there was no problem. The younger man is supposed to be back this afternoon to do the work.

These men were super nice. The boss/father was very complimentary about the view in our back yard, saying he wanted to have something similar when he retired. We laughed together when I told him we pretended we owned all of it – saying it we could SEE and ENJOY it, it was OURS…. :0)

He actually took a couple of photos of the view on his tablet.

It was a pleasure to meet such nice people. It lifted my spirits today.

Roses and Phlox

Even though things are not normal this year due to the pandemic,  I feel hopeful when I walk around the yard, seeing the things that are coming up on their own. Fuchsia Phlox here.

 

Deep Pink Phlox here

 

Red roses

 

Rio Samba roses

 

 

Earth Without Art

picturequotes.com

I am delighted to be on the same planet as the creative, talented people who make art.

It continually amazes me that several people can look at a material and react to it in different ways.

Take a ball of string –

• one person puts it in a drawer, just in case some string is needed in the future
• another person gets a crochet hook and makes a coaster out of it
• another gets a board, nails, and a hammer and uses it to create a picture to hand on the wall.
• another uses it to create an intricate braid in her hair
• another will use the string to pull paint down a canvas to create unique shapes
• another will use it to embroider a shape on a quilt –

The possibilities are endless. I love the different ways people look at things and ‘see’ the possibilities!

“Earth without art is just ‘eh.'”

Another Sign of Hope

Because of the pandemic, I didn’t plant any annual flowers. Last year I planted wave petunias in four of our planters on the deck. I love the way they spill over the side of the pots in a riot of color and bloom. I just left the empty planters this year. I didn’t even prep them for planting.

Apparently there were seeds left in the pots from the plants I pulled out last fall. Aren’t they wonderful? What a nice surprise and message of hope.

Welcoming May 2020

 

And we welcome May 2020, appreciating Hamish and Trey of one of the firefighters in Australia and a sweet dog.  I have to tell you that this donation to buy the calendar has been a source of much drooling by me each month. It’s only a detail that these gorgeous guys are probably young enough to be my son. I still have eyes and the heart of a young woman. :0)

So, HAPPY MAY to you.

Hopefully, this month will bring many improvements all over the world.

Stay safe.

Hope

When I was taking Molly out for her first morning outing this morning, this sight greeted us. If you look closely, you can see it is now growing WAY UP in the tree on the far side of the actual plant in the brick planter.

 

A little closer view now where you can see the glorious color.

 

There were big, fat bumble bees enjoying it this morning. (I don’t mind them because they need a reason to sting you, unlike the red wasps who hate everyone, but tend to dive bomb me whenever I’m not paying close enough attention.  There is a lovely fragrance, too. Not overpowering, just NICE.

This blooms every year regardless of surrounding circumstance, reliably. Sometimes it is not quite so lush and fragrant, but it reminds us that nice weather is on the way, and the hope that things will get better soon!

A Smile to Start April 2020

Aaron and Lenny help us enjoy April. No fooling.

I found the Austrailian Firefighters fundraising calendar online several months ago. I loved the idea of great looking firefighters with cute dogs to celebrate each month while bringing needed funds to the firefighters. This was before they had all the awful bush fires there.

I’m happy to share the gorgeous guys with you each month. I hope that you will consider buying a calendar each year, or maybe one for yourself and others as gifts for the new year, to aid their fundraising efforts and bring yourself a mile each month.  AustralianFireFightersCalendar.

May the end of April bring us through anxiety and into better times.

Thoughts on a Wednesday 3-11-2020

“Dandelion Wishes” -Dick van Dujin Photography via Penny Yaffe Krakow

About 20 minutes ago the sky was really dark, even though it was about 9:30 a.m.  It looked like we were in for quite a storm. Now it’s gray and sprinkling, but it looks like the ‘storm’ blew past us. Whew!

Things are pretty much back to normal again after my glorious marathon birthday celebration, although my husband surprised me after errands yesterday by taking me to The Dari to share a seafood platter for lunch! I’m am TOTALLY spoiled at this point, have a big head – since my family and friends made me feel so special – and have become insufferable. I have a bathroom to scrub upstairs today, so that should bring me down to Earth a bit. :0)

Seriously – (and I’m going to show my advanced age now) – I have felt like the winner on the old “Queen for a Day” cheesy TV program from a hundred years or so ago where some woman was showered with wonderful things from friends, family, and the show, making her, her family, and ME cry.  I just searched and found an actual show from 1963 on YouTube 

So now I’m concentrating on getting back to my normal, happy self after a tear-worthy celebration that I’m still alive, kicking, and still hard to live with.

As fears concerning the coronavirus rise, I want to share some facts from the CDC website that are helping ME keep things in perspective so far – As of today, March 11th, there are 1016 confirmed cases and 31 deaths in the United States.  The numbers will continue to rise, adding to the tension. ALSO, though, according to the CDC website, so far in 2020, there have been 34,000+ cases and 20,000+ deaths from the REGULAR STRAIN OF THE FLU. 

The cautions to prevent infections for both are the same. People 60 and over, particularly those with underlying health conditions, should avoid large crowds as much as possible. We should all wash our hands and try not to touch our faces. (Not touching my face is apparently a HUGE one for me. I never realized how MUCH I scratch my face, pull on my nose, rub my eyes, etc. I saw a picture of a man wearing one of the huge plastic collars they put on animals that keep them from licking a wound, suggesting that might be a good thing to use. :0)  I may actually have to DO that – or wear mittens.

What I’m saying doesn’t ally all the fear, but hopefully it brings some perspective. Hopefully the FDA won’t throw up all the roadblocks they normally do, causing horrible delays in getting a possible vaccine to the public. Maybe there will be a waiver one can sign in order to get the possible protection. One can hope. If you are in the risk group, as my husband and I are, pay attention and be smart.

I’ll share some pics I took of the garden with you as soon as the battery on my camera charges up again. I am on the ‘sealing stage’ on a new design of wooden earrings. I’ll share some pics of those, too, if possible, later today.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

 

Wonderful Marathon Birthday Celebration

Cartoons by Ron Leishman

When you are my age, the more celebration the better.  (I will be 73 on Monday, March 9th.)

My friends at Lunch Bunch made me feel really special yesterday and I’m still grinning.

When we walked into the Pizza Barn, this was one of the things on the table –

I put them in the center of our dining table so that my husband and I can enjoy them together. The first thing he said at breakfast this morning was, “These are lovely.”

Spring-Scented candle and holder.  I wish you could smell this!

Ceramic OWL candle or tealight holder. This has a peach and mango candle. Delicious!

Kitchen towels with attitude!

And beautiful birthday cards.

TWO pieces of chocolate sheet cake with chocolate frosting.

My lunch was free.

Conversation, laughter, and hugs from long-time friends. (we have been meeting every Friday for Lunch Bunch for almost 19 years now – a true gift.)

My husband and I indulged in hot dogs with BUNS and Fritos last night for dinner – I haven’t had those – or the cake – in over a year now.

And Monday my husband is taking me for a lobster tail lunch at Red Lobster – a celebration of another year of life, PLUS having over 1400 subscribers to my blog now.

“I’ve enjoyed every age I’ve been and each has had its own individual merit. Every laugh line, every scar, is a badge I wear to show I’ve been present, the inner rings of my personal tree trunk that I display proudly for all to see. Nowadays, I don’t want a “perfect” face and body; I want to wear the life I’ve lived.” — Pat Benatar

 

Enough for Today

Joanna Brandt

We got our Internet upgrade via CenturyLink – speed up from 6 bps to 41 – a significant difference. My husband worked with the tech to get the new double lines run outside and then the new modem installed and tested while I made sure that our dogs stayed out of the way – and away from each other. I’ll let you know what I think after I get a chance to test it some.

The other big thing for the day was scrubbing our master bathroom. This consists of a double lavatory with counter top, a whirlpool tub, a walk-in shower, toilet, floors and rugs. It took me a couple of hours, but things are significantly better in there now. My husband will see it when we go up to bed tonight…

He took Amber to Yeagers and got some weed killer for the lawn. Right now it looks like we need to mow, but all is weeds that have spurted up. We’re hoping that the weed killer he just spread will do the same good it did last year. We’ll both sleep well tonight after our various forms of exercise today.

Even though it’s too early to say this, as far as I’m concerned my work is done today.

Cindy Basnett Thurman

 

Thoughts on a Saturday 2-29-2020

alamy

Happy Leap Year – February 29th, 2020!

We have had a busy day so far.

We figured out a way to move the big rock that we dug up when the water pipe in our front yard sprung a leak.

It doesn’t look very impressive here, but the rock is about 18 inches long and HEAVY. We managed to turn it sideways, working with a shovel and moving it about an inch at a time. Then we worked together to heave it over, and over, and over until we finally got to the edge of the yard. It went down the slope into the trees. We then got a bag of potting soil to work on filling the hole. We’ll see where we are after the next rain.

I went through my jewelry today. I LOVE jewelry, particularly earrings, but followed closely by necklaces. I have WAY too much for any one woman, so I decided to get fairly ruthless, putting anything I hadn’t worn in the past year into baggies for each jewelry type to donate to the Disabled Veterans Thrift Store. I STILL have too much jewelry for any one woman, but I made significant progress. I went through my closet quickly, too, finding some purses, scarves and belts to add to the donation. I have just finished listing everything and getting the bags ready to take for donation next Tuesday.

We’re going Tuesday because on Monday (between 9 and 5) we are supposed to be getting significantly faster Internet service provided by CenturyLink. We have them now, but the service they were advertising on a flyer recently really got our attention. We live in the sticks and have to be content with the best of whatever is available. Our son – who has one of the greatest senses of humor on the planet – goes into a whole ‘schtick’ mocking our service each time he comes home. I laugh until my stomach hurts. Fingers – and all other appendages – are crossed that the new service actually IS significantly faster than what we have now.

Also on Tuesday, thanks to YOU – I am getting a lobster tail lunch at Red Lobster after we make the donation – because my subscriber list hit 1400 officially today. I’m thrilled and I thank those of you who signed up. :0)

My to-do list is long today, but I am making progress. I hope that your day is happy and productive, too.

A Beautiful Sight

http://www.hdnicewallpapers.com

On the way to Lunch Bunch this morning, we saw a group of SIX deer standing beside the road. Happily, they didn’t move as we drove past. I wish I could have gotten a pic of them, but someone was behind us on the road, so we couldn’t stop.  This picture I found on the net gives you an idea of what we were fortunate enough to see.

 

Thoughts on a Wednesday 1-29-2020

Animals Collection

Even though it’s gray, 44 degrees, raw and rainy here today in Arkansas, I’m having a nice day, and have many things for which to be thankful.

Yesterday I opened our mail to find a pair of earrings my husband had found and ordered for me!

I just love them. It doesn’t show here, but the stones are kind of sparkly!  The design of them is giving me a bit of  a problem, though. They have a curved piece on the front that goes through the hole in your ear, and then you close the back onto the end to hold it in place. I’m having trouble getting the curved part through my ear. I’m continuing to try different techniques, but so far, no luck. :0(  I’ll keep working at it because I really want to wear them!

I’m working on a new wooden plaque in my art room. I think it’s going to turn out well, and I’m having fun working on it.

Since it’s still raining, we’re having to delay our trip to Ft. Smith to take our donation to the Veterans Thrift Store. Hopefully, we can do that tomorrow. I’m already finding more things I would like to donate, but the back of our truck will be full with what we have already.

Early this morning I put ingredients for Keto Chili into the crock pot, so we’ll have a nice comfort food type dinner this evening.

Today I’ve decided that my next clean out project will be my clothes closet. I need to move warm weather stuff out and move cold weather stuff in. I want to take my time, though, and get rid of a bunch of for each ‘season.’ Happily, some of my clothes are simply too large now, thanks to my efforts on eating Keto and exercising.

So it’s back to work now, after taking a short break. I hope that YOUR Wednesday is treating you right.

 

 

 

Bowling and Bonuses

amazon.com

We went bowling last night with our good friends, the Taylors, last night.

It doesn’t matter how well (or how badly) we bowl. We do it for the fun of it, the good exercise, the chance to catch up with our good friends, AND a trip to Braum’s afterwards for a scoop of ice cream.

BONUS # 1 – Last night was especially fun. There was a good-looking young man with 4 kids of varying ages bowling next to us. The children looked to be Asian and were great-looking children. The two boys looked to be in their teens. The girls were younger. As we bowled, I couldn’t help but melt into a puddle at the youngest girl. She had a gorgeous smile that appeared often. I clapped when she got a spare and she lit up like a Christmas tree. She would smile at me when I managed to throw a good ball, too. The man had taught the kids bowling etiquette, so it was a pleasure to be next to them.

After awhile, the man came over to us and said that he wanted us to know that his kids were impressed with our bowling. This was a shock because we really weren’t doing that well, although we had gotten a few strikes, and – more notably – picked up a few difficult spares.  He said the kids were always on their phones. He had taken them to the Grand Canyon, and couldn’t get them to even look out the window at the wonderful sight because they were glued to their devices. But they were impressed with us!

We told him that his kids – two of the four – and his niece and nephew – were beautiful children and we were impressed at how well behaved they were.  They were here for Thanksgiving, and he had taken them bowling to get them out of the house.  :0)  A total pleasure to bowl next to them and talk with them.

BONUS # 2 –  After a joyful trip to Braum’s for ice cream, we took our friends back to their home. They said they had something for us. They went inside and came back out with TWO gorgeous elephant ear plants for us to take home!

Elephant Ear 1

Elephant Ear 2

Laufrain told us to put them in the garage to winter over, but we elected to try to keep them alive in our dining area and then – if successful – we’ll put them on our front porch in the spring so they’ll be protected from too much wind.

Wonderful Surprise

When I was working in the yard a couple of days ago, trying to clean out our flower planters before the coming bad weather, I found these iris! We have several deep purple ‘twice-blooming’ iris that we treasure. I don’t remember seeing any others around the yard this year, but these were blooming behind the well house. They bloom in the spring, and then again in the fall. I couldn’t bear the thought of them freezing, so I cut them and brought them in the house so we could enjoy them as long as possible.

Garage Sale Finds

 

I love garage sales. You can go to one and be back out again in two seconds if you don’t find anything interesting. You can see at a glance what the price is on any given object and make a decision.

My husband likes auctions. He is willing to travel, wait through a line to get a number, then wait around while the auctioneer does his thing, get into a bidding war with someone, and most of the time come home empty-handed. I don’t have the patience for this.

On the way home from Lunch Bunch and errands, we saw a Garage Sale sign. We had never been up this driveway, and, in fact, were only vaguely aware that someone lived back there. There was kind of a long driveway that twisted and turned, finally coming up to a lovely home and detached shop. They had four doggies, one of whom was interested in saying “hi” to us.

There was a very nice lady holding the sale. It turned out that we know her husband and her father-in-law, so it was doubly nice to meet her.

 

I’m an owl nut. I love almost anything shaped like an owl. My collection is too large, but I fell in love with this one (such a surprise!) and brought it home.

 

Since we seem to be celebrating ‘HalthanksChristmas,’ I was please to find this cutey just sitting there waiting for me to snap him up.

 

My husband got a nice package of video cables and this sweet “Little Deuce Coupe” (My favorite car at all the car shows in the area)  kit. We might just put up our card table and work on putting this together now that the time for being outside becomes shorter and shorter.

The Best Kind of Gift

I won the lottery on Sisters-in-law – sorry, I got her first!  We email every day, sharing what’s happening, what we’re hoping for, supporting each other whenever necessary, etc. She is truly a special lady, and we are FRIENDS as well as in-laws.

She let me know a package was coming for me. It arrived yesterday. It’s not my birthday. It’s not Christmas, or any other day that would even suggest a gift. It’s the most special type of gift – one chosen just because they thought of you when they saw it and thought you might enjoy it.

BOY – did she NAIL it!

 

 

 

This is called Unicorn Spit!  I had never heard of it. It’s a paint/glaze that you dilute with water and paint and layer it on glass, wood, and more to get all kinds of glorious effects with dazzling super bright colors. You can mix them, too, and spray your work while still wet to add another color and see what happens on the piece. I’ve bookmarked a YouTube demonstration (isn’t YouTube the best thing?) so I can watch people who know what they’re doing and discover many of the possibilities.

A gift given for no reason other than they hope you enjoy it. THANKS AGAIN, ML.  I can’t wait to make time to go play!!!!!!