There's Not a Lot Going On, So Why Am I So Busy?

Hi everyone, 

It dawned on me yesterday that I haven't posted in a while. Honestly, I'm in a season where it hasn't even crossed my mind. Yet when I think about everything I've been doing, it's not that much!

Looking through my phone for photos to share I realized I never showed you my classroom. We have a sensory room for kids who find our typical Sunday school classes overwhelming. The swing is the newest addition.

I snuck a picture of Beth at our coffee bar on Sunday. Every week she buys the same thing, a hot chocolate with soy milk and a fruit snack. 

I have an azalea in the backyard that has grown so much! We had a dog that used to pee on it when it was much smaller and it killed that part of the plant. I thought it was a goner. But then the dog passed away and now - it's probably been 10 years - it's gotten so big! I took this before it had bloomed completely. My watering can is there for reference.

Let's see... Diana sent this picture of Adelaide, they were going on a hike.

She's growing so tall! We get to see them again in August and I can't wait! First we have a family reunion in Iowa in... wait, next month! I was going to write 'in a few months' but no, it's next month. We're going in June.

Ummm, what else? We're having fantastic weather: blue skies and temps in the high 60's to low 70's. Speaking of which, I think I'll close this, head outside and get some Vitamin D! 

Do you have any vacations planned this year? Been on any hikes or walks? Do you have a garden?

Take care!

What Do They Eat?

 Hi everyone,

 

I'm spending 2-3 hours a day on the Israel book but I have just a couple more pages to fill and I'll be done. Then proofreading and hitting that Submit button! Of course, then comes the really hard part... waiting for it to come in the mail!

Meanwhile, we're going to work, doing laundry, grocery shopping and just living life. Beth cleans the preschool at our church but when they're out for the summer, I have to find other things for her to do. This week she disinfected the seats in the sanctuary and cleaned the sinks in some of the bathrooms. She's glad to be doing something different.

Remember the Junkos? The birds who build a nest in the wreath on our porch every year? well every December I switch it with a Christmas wreath. Hanging it back up this year I noticed there is a little hook in the back, so I've been hanging it upside down all these years. Not that you can really tell. Supposedly, this is right side up -

This spring the Junkos showed up and mom and dad were hanging around the porch but I never saw the nest. Until one day I noticed it in the back, near the top!

I guess that's where their scent was from years past (or however birds remember where their nests were) and built it as close to that as possible! I've been so afraid that it was going to fall off but it never did, thank goodness. And now those little babies have flown the coop. Next year I'm going to turn that wreath back around!

I planted all kinds of purple and white pansies this year. Five pots full in the front yard and they were really looking nice.

Then the bunnies appeared. And the pansies disappeared...

 

I think next year I'll plant Geraniums. Do rabbits eat Geraniums?

Various Updates

 I realize I haven't kept you updated on things going on around here.

First of all, Chuck's MRI came out clean. He's still cancer free!

 

Thank you for the ideas on the card game. Pokeno was the only one I recognized but after googling the games, I didn't remember the rules of any of them! The way Ally and I play it is a lot like Pokeno though. 

 

The email subscriptions: I've started adding everyone to my blog list but it might take a while to get all of you on it. Please forgive me if I haven't commented on your posts in a while.

 

I've been enjoying these quiet summer months. Work is about to get super busy so I'm taking Fridays off while I can and I'm loving having two days off in a row! It makes a huge difference!

 

Beth overslept on Monday and missed her bus to All Aboard. I think she set her alarm for PM instead of AM. She texted me at work about the time her bus was supposed to arrive. She's usually really good about being upstairs and ready so I expect the driver waited the required 5 minutes then left. That's not the first time that's ever happened to a driver! 

 

Sharaya and Ally will be moving soon. They found a place about 10-15 minutes from here, a two story, two bedroom condo. Ally was showing me some pictures and it's really cute. It has a fireplace, a small backyard, it looks perfect for them. 

 

We all went over to Diana and Peter's for lunch a couple weeks ago. They took us out to their garden. They share it with their neighbors, one side for them and the other for the neighbors. They have zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes cucumbers, pumpkins, various spices... and we've loved reaping the benefits of their hard work!

 

 

 Just some of their harvest

 

 The bunnies sure have been multiplying lately. There are so many in the backyard now, I'm wondering if we should be doing something to control them. I saw these three out last night: it's hard to see but there's a tiny one just in front of mom's nose.

 

 

Then this other little guy hopped closer to me

 

Mom was checking on the rabbit hole.

I don't know if there's more in there!

 

I know there were some living under a bush in a different part of the yard, I don't know if it's the same bunnies or a whole new family. I'm starting to get a little concerned. Do they eventually move on? Are they here for the long term? Have you encountered bunnies in your yard?
 

MRI Update, Garden Stuff, and Games

Thank you for your kind comments on my last post.

 

Chuck's oncologist had given him some Lorazepam to take about an hour before the test. He was very relaxed when I drove him down there!

 

He got into the machine and after about 4 minutes he asked to be taken back out. He took some more medicine, sat in the chair for a while then tried again. The second time he was able to last the entire time. What a relief! So now we wait for the results. We expect it will be a tele-med appointment.

 

I trimmed my hydrangea bush way back this year and only got two blooms on it. I wondered if that would happen. Just have to look forward to next year!

 

 Ally and I have been playing games lately. She's really good and usually beats me!

This is a form of Mancala. I learned it as The Shell Game when I was in grade school. Some of the rules I learned are different from Mancala but it's basically the same game.

My mom had these cards when I was growing up but I don't know if they were part of a game or not. There's probably 10 cards all together. She gave them to me many years ago and we've always just used them to play Bingo. Have you seen them before?

 

We've had temps in the 90's the last few days. The windows and blinds are closed all day and the fans are going full blast. It was 85 in here last night around 9:00! Tonight it's a few degrees cooler but we're supposed to have these temps for a few more days. We're soaking it up because we know it will be over before we know it!

 

I hope you're doing well. Have a wonderful day!

Moving Sky, Wild and Beautiful, and Should We Say We Both Won?

Ally and I played UNO the other day. We gave each other no mercy and it took us over an hour to finish the round! I won because I discarded the final card. But she says she won because the card I discarded was one that read, "Switch Hands" so she handed me her cards, but I gave them back because the game was over, but she insisted... I still say I won. 😄

 

We've had record rainfall this Spring but things are starting to shift. We've had dryer days and the weather is warming up. About a week ago I was sitting out in the backyard and the clouds took on this interesting formation. It looks like they're being blown to the left but when I looked at it, the entire formation was moving to the right. It was so nice out so I just watched it for a while.

 

These flowers have appeared in my yard. Last year I only had the pink ones and this year some white ones have popped up too. I just love them! They're in a small garden area that is becoming full of wild flowers, they've just multiplied over the years. I love it when the birds and the wind help me with the gardening. I think there's a total of 6 of these plants now. Anyone know what they're called?

Mishmosh

The week is over and things are finally calming down a little at work. Whew!

I visited a friend a few weeks ago and got to see all the models he's been making during covid. He just turned 90! He started out with the paper models and now he's doing wood. I was very impressed.

 

Beth had another dentist appointment. This time though it was just the dentist and his office is right by our house. They put on a temporary crown, we'll go back next week for the permanent one. Look at all those tools!

Ally came over the other night. I went outside to water and told her it was time to put down her phone and come outside. She brought out the sidewalk chalk and after a few minutes remembered her bike was in our garage! The house behind us is empty right now so she was able to ride all the way back to their garage.

 

Then last night Sharaya had an appointment so we took Ally with us to buy a suit for Chuck for the wedding. Only 2 months away! We  were  thankful she had her phone. It would have been awful boring if she didn't!

Chuck found a suit and some shoes. I'm so glad that's done. Then Ally and I went into Claire's and she bought some earrings and I found a full-sized Uno card game! The one we have is travel size and the cards are so small! We stopped at Starbucks then came back here to break-in the cards. 

Well, it's been unusually dry here so I should go out and water the plants. I hope you have a wonderful week!

Have you ever played Uno?

What's the weather like where you live?

Dive Bombing in the Sunshine

Whenever I get a full day at home it's a good day and I got two days at home this week! Our weather has been so nice, this kind of forecast doesn't happen very often around here!

I got home from work on Friday and actually went out to the backyard to watch a plane fly overhead. While I was searching the sky I noticed a crow dive bombing another bird. You can see the little white blob on the branch just to the left of the crow.

After a few minutes I see a large hawk fly out of the tree and into a different group of trees! It was incredible to see this amazing bird flying right above me!

Then the crows started dive bombing it again! After about 10 minutes I realized my neck was getting sore so I went in. You never know what you might see out in God's creation!

I was able to get a little yard work done this weekend. The back of my legs are SO sore from stretching while I was pulling weeds but it is looking so good. I love doing work when you can actually see the results!

And guess who's back? I started noticing twigs and grass hanging out of our wreath a few days ago. It's been three years since they built a nest on our porch and I'm excited to watch them again!

Well that's about it around here. Back to work tomorrow. I'm thankful for the weather this week! It's time to bring out the spring / summer clothes!

Do you have birds / bird feeders in your yard?

Do you create a moat around your plants to catch the water?