Fri. June 28, 2013

I had a good day. I got several household chores done. Our #3 daughter came in on her lunch break. Her dad and I sat at the table while she ate her sandwich and had a good talk. After she left, I spent the next hour practicing my lesson for the week.

Hubby then told me he was hungry for Chinese, so when the time came for us to go, it got very dark and cloudy. Then the rain came. It dumped so much rain that our back patio flooded. I told him that I would just cook. I had gotten out most of the things to prepare supper and he called me to the back door, said "look". The rain stopped and we watched the sun peak out from behind the gray storm cloud. Consequently, I put the food back in the refrigerator, got my shoes on and off we went. We hadn't been up to our favorite Chinese buffet in a long time. The food tasted so good.


A quote from Today's newspaper:  “Next week, when we celebrate Independence Day we’ll also be observing health independence. This week marks one year since the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act. It captures the spirit of our founders," she added, citing the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence.”So, we’ve had Social Security, Medicare, and now health independence, so that’s something our members will take home to celebrate over this Independence Day.”
Can you guess who said this? Nancy Pelosi, of course. I don't see any reason to celebrate that. It's one of the worst things the gov't has done to this country.

It was comfortable when I stepped outside this morning. We had a nice breeze out of the north.

Our local weatherman said today---
"A Low pressure system will keep thunderstorms in the forecast Friday & Saturday. Another Closed Low will move in Sunday and remain over the area thru Tuesday bringing continued chances for Thunderstorms.
For today 82 with evening thunderstorms."
I guess he was right.


I hope you had a good day.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

I'm sure you know the story of this great lady. Today is her birthday.

Helen Adams Keller  was born June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
She was the first deaf & blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. With the help of her teacher and governess Anne Sullivan, Helen went on to become an author, statesman, politician and an advocate for women's rights and for the deaf and blind.


Her birthday on June 27 is commemorated as Helen Keller Day in Pennsylvania and was authorized at the federal level in a presidential proclamation by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, on her 100th birthday.

She died on June 1, 1968.

Today has been a busy day. Bob ran an errand this morning, got some gas for the mower and came home to mow the grass. While he was doing that, I finished a load of laundry, (all the throw-covers we had around the house, on chairs, on my quilt rack and on the couch. Then I had to run the sweeper in the living room and bedrooms. I took time out to call the Dr's office to get an appointment for a follow-up and get prescription refills. They had an opening today, so I got around and went out.  By the time I got home, it was time to start supper. And that was my day.


From our local weather guy... "The Storm Prediction Center has placed our area in a slight Risk for Severe thunderstorms this evening (Threat would be winds, hail, heavy rain).. A low pressure system will stall out over the area at the end of the weekend and remain over us through Wednesday giving us rain chances everyday. By no means is the upcoming week going to be a washout but certainly a chance something could develop every afternoon. Friday 82 with possible afternoon T-storms."

I hope you had a good day.

Just some random thoughts today

I don't have much to post today so I'm just going along with some of the random thoughts running through my head. Maybe some of them will then leave me alone.  :)

1) Stormy weather.... we had T-storm warnings Sunday night, last night and now again today. We've gotten prepared for any power outages and made sure everything outside was secure, then we didn't get what they were predicting. That's fine. I can't get complacent, let my guard down. Must be prepared at all times.

Today's forecast:  "Hot and muggy again today. Needed rainfall is in the forecast, but so is the chance for strong thunderstorms. Main threats today will be strong winds, heavy rain and some hail. High of 90 with a SSW wind at 10-15 mph. Rain and thunder tonight, along with fog. Lows drop to 70 with a SW wind at 5-10. Rainfall totals will range from .5 - 1.00" with higher amounts possible in stronger T-storms."


2) "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling" -- Prov. 16:18
Every time I get prideful, boast about something I did, the consequence always follows.

3) My stress level has been up the last several days and I don't know why. I'm not worried about anything in particular.

4) My yucca plant.... for a friend who wanted to see the plant once all the blooms opened:  I just took this photo of what it looks like today. The blooms don't last very long. Some of them are already starting to turn brown then it'll drop the peddles.

 I need to get out there and pull out some of the ground cover because it's over-taking the yucca.

5) Lilies ..... I also took a picture of them on the west side of the house. I love these flowers. They have such a sweet smell that when the wind is right, we get the fragrance in the backyard.

6)I had a piano lesson yesterday and didn't do well at all. I was having a bad day. I plan to work on that today.

7)The Supreme Court ruled today that same-sex married couples have the same legal rights as heterosexuals, making them eligible for federal benefits. They abolished the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional. The religious community is out-raged and I agree. It is wrong. Marriage is between one man and one woman.

Hope you had a good day. ♥

Monday, June 24, 2013

I started this post yesterday, saved it, then never returned to finish. After some editing, I'll try again now.

Another hot day in Ohio. The sky is kind of a dull blue, probably because of the humid air, but the sun is shining bright. The high for today is going to be around 90° with the possibility of thunderstorms.

Did anyone see the "mega moon" last night? We went out to see what all the buzz was about and it didn't look much different than any full moon we've seen. I guess it was 14% larger than normal.

We didn't get to church yesterday morning. Bob didn't feel well, again, so we both stayed home.The enemy is sure working on him. Since we've found a new church to attend, he's been hit with the same illness that happens only on Sunday mornings.

Does anyone know what this is?
It doesn't look very pretty yet, but the blooms are just starting to open.

It's my yucca plant at the back corner of the house.
It always amazes me to watch the flower stock grow up out the center of the plant and get to a height of 6 ft. or more!!






I have just a few things planned for today. I shouldn't have any trouble getting them done.
1. Do a load of laundry......  it's in the machine now.
2. Run the sweeper in the living room.
3. Thawing out some chicken for supper. I'm going to do a stir-fry.
4. Pay some bills.
5. Practice my lesson for this week.

I've gotten hooked on this little snack. They're 'suppose to be healthy'.

Yogurt filled graham crackers... excellent source of calcium, 100% whole grain and no high fructose corn syrup. 110 calories, 4 gr of fat, 0 cholesterol and 2 gr of protein.

Did you watch the live broadcast from the Grand Canyon last night?  "Nik Wallenda, the daredevil, made a 1400 feet long and 1500 feet high walk across the Little Colorado River Gorge near the Grand Canyon." --LA Times. Have you ever heard the saying, it's like a train wreck... you don't want to watch it but you can't help yourself. Bob had it on the TV last night. I watched him for just a couple minutes. I got the heeby-jeebys and left the room, but I kept going back to see if he was still there. In the picture, look closely. He's that little figure at the top.

#3 daughter came in on her lunch break, between clients, and she just left. I fed her, of course. Mothers and grandmothers do that. It's in our job description. But we also had a good talk. She has 2 more clients coming in this afternoon then she's going to get her boys from the sitter and go home. Hopefully she'll be able to get some rest. 

Now I'm behind in the schedule for the day so I best get busy and get off the computer. 
Hope you have a great week ahead. ♥

Friday June 21, 2013

Today is the first day of summer and I have the proof right in my own backyard. It's hot out there! The high today was 87° and 71% humidity with a blue sky. We've had the windows open the last couple days, but had to turn on the a/c again today. It'll be on for the next week. The temperature is going up into the 90's this weekend.

My hubby has been busy the last couple days, working very hard here at home and even at a friend's house last evening. He crawled under Tom's car to help pull out a transmission. So I thought he deserved a good meal today. I took him up to Orchard Tree, our favorite eatery. 

Today I thought I'd get a picture of him to post on here, so you could all get a good look of the "hubby" I'm always talking about. This is him washing his hands. LOL

I think I've worked harder on piano lessons this week than I have so far. For some reason, I'm having trouble memorizing the bass clef notes. I think I have a mental block. So I'm trying something different--
one note a day. Today is brought to you by the note "E".... 

I started reading a new book this week. So far, it's a good one and the author's style makes it easy to read, but it's not the kind of book for everyone. I'm not sure I'll be able to finish it because of the subject matter. It's scary but could very well be a picture of our future.

It's called "Dominatus". It's a Latin word meaning: rule, mastery, tyranny, and it peeked my curiosity when I saw it listed as a freebie on Book Blast. I read the reviews and the synopsis, then downloaded it to my Kindle.

Author: D.W. Ulsterman  Published: March 21, 2013

"The United States is no more…and hidden away within the isolated wilderness of Alaska’s interior resides the tiny community of Dominatus. There lives a small but diverse group of people seeking out simple lives of personal liberty and freedom, but who now face termination under the oppressive and deadly regime of the New United Nations. They will fight and if need be, die for an America that once was. An America before being swallowed up by the monster of tyrannical global governance. An America before the mandates. An America before the government drone killings. An America before Obama…"

I hope you have a great weekend. ♥

Summer is here!

Summer is here and the temperature is going up. Consequently we're already hearing stories of children and pets being left in hot cars. The news people are even giving out little tips to parents on how to change their everyday activities so they won't "forget" their child is in the backseat, like putting your cell phone in the back so when you reach for it you'll see your child. I think it's horrible that this even happens but giving out advice on how to remember you have a child is so wrong. When my girls were little and riding in the back seat, they were my first concern. I would never "forget" them.


I heard on the news that jury selection has begun on the George Zimmerman trial. The news report said that 3 of the prospective jurors were eliminated yesterday for different reasons, one is an NRA member, one is a convicted felon (which is against the law for them to sit on a jury), but the 3rd is a martial arts specialist. Really? What is that all about?

Yesterday was a busy day around here, thanks to my ability to make my hubby finally fix something that I've harped about for a very long time. Of course he always has a difficult time, nothing seems to go his way and he yells for help. I have to face the fact that he is not a handyman. But he got it fixed and it looks a lot better. On the threshold of our back door, we had an aluminum strip that was bent upward, causing a dangerous situation for someone (like our grandsons) to cut their foot on the way out. Now that is taken care of, I'm thinking about the "next project" --- which I may just do it myself. :)

I hope you have a good day tomorrow. It's Friday!

I'm back...

The last few days have been full of activities around here and today will be more, consequently this post will be short. I have things to get done. Bob's out mowing the yard and he comes back in he can't find me still sitting here at the computer. :)

Saturday we had a graduation party to attend. It was for Bob's brother's wife's grand-daughter. She graduated from high school. We've known her since she was a toddler and now she's on her way to nursing school. The party was at the campground where her parents spend their summer.

Sunday, Father's Day, we went to church then out to eat. Later in the afternoon one of our daughters came in with a gift for her father.

Yesterday, we had our 2 youngest grandsons with us all day. They are ages 8 and 6. Since they're getting older it's a lot easier on me, no diapers and bottles, but they still want attention. I was constantly getting up to do something for them or answering their questions.We had a good day tho' and I always enjoy having them. Before Teresa came in from work, the youngest one, Bryan, and I got into a pillow fight. I haven't heard that little guy laugh that much in a long time.

Today's weather forecast is for a nice day. The temperature will be around 79°. We have a cloud cover right now with clearing later this afternoon. The north wind makes it very comfortable.


Last week I had written about the bad storms and tornado warnings we had on Wed. night. There was an F0 tornado (winds 80-90 mph) that touched down in the little village of Willshire, about 30 miles to our south. One house and a barn were destroyed, but no one was hurt. However, as with all tornadoes, there's always a story that comes out of it. In Saturday's paper was this article that I thought I'd share with you....(Note: the real estate agent is the one I work for!)

"WILLSHIRE, OH - The power of the storm system that moved through the area on Wednesday was again revealed on Friday when a resident of Findlay, Ohio called to report they had found a sign from Willshire, Ohio. D.D. Strickler, a local real estate agent, reported he had a for-sale sign at a home on State Route 81 just west of Willshire prior to the storm.

After Wednesday night's tornado struck the area of Willshire, this real estate sign could no longer be located. Strickler contacted Van Wert County Emergency Management Director Rick McCoy on Friday morning advising he had received a phone call from a woman in Findlay reporting she had found the realty sign stuck in the eves of her home...."
Findlay is 90 miles to OUR north! His real estate sign was carried 120 miles before it was dropped!! We're glad it didn't come down on top of someone. They aren't very light. I've tried many times to get them into the ground.

Well, gotta get busy. I hope you have a good day. ♥ 

Friday June 14, 2013

Today was a good day. The weather was perfect, a carbon-copy of yesterday. Very nice.

My day started with the usual household chores which I won't bore you with any of the details.

After lunch, which consisted of fresh muskmelon, I had to go to CVS to pick up my refills. Hubby asked if I wanted him to drive me, I told him "no, stay here and watch your show, I'll be right back". I had an ulterior motive. He's always going to the store with me and I have a hard time buying him anything when he's always with me. This Sunday is Father's Day, and I wanted to get him something.

I have trouble with him and the whole concept of Mother's day and Father's day. I get that usual answer.... you're not my mother. Grrrrrrrr! I'm the mother of his children!! But I never get anything on Mother's day. Oh, well, no big deal. However, on Father's day, I get back at him and get him a gift. It makes him stop and think, for a few minutes anyways. Next year we'll do the same all over again.

When I got home, I got something cold to drink, then sat down at my keyboard to practice the lesson my piano teacher wants me to learn. I did that for the next hour ---- and had a great time. I only got frustrated 3 times. I think I'm showing improvement. I know she's giving me more confidence in myself and that is priceless. As I've said before, I've always wanted to learn to play, but what I'm hoping to accomplish is to be able to play some Christmas carols this December. After that? We'll see.

Our daughter #1 came by after work to get our newspaper. The garage sale section was full today. There were 8 columns of listings. She's planning to head out early tomorrow morning to find some bargains. I decided not to go with her this time. I always buy something I don't need.

After supper Hubby and I went for a walk.... 

Around the corner from our house is the elementary school where I spent 7 years (K-6) of my early childhood life. I have so many memories connected to that brick building. Now it's coming down. The right half of the building is already a pile of bricks and mortar. It's sad.

A new elementary school was built on the south edge of town next to the new high school. The state government got involved by way of the grant money to build the new schools, therefore the state has the final say-so on what the city had to do with the old building. And that was --- tear it down. What a waste. There are so many things that could have been done with it.

Well, I have a date with my Kindle and a new mystery I'm reading. I hope you have a great weekend.

I'm happy to report.........

I'm still here. We had been hearing reports for days about the possibility of horrible storms coming through Wednesday night. The more I heard, the more nervous I became, which is normal for me.

So yesterday, in preparation, I checked the flashlights and candle supply, and the refrigerator. Then I picked up my purse and headed out to the store. I bought food that could be eaten raw and cold.... salads, apples, lunch meat, peanut butter, bread, cereal, etc. When I got home, I put some chicken breasts in the oven and baked brownies. With the chicken, I could count on 2 more meals.

On June 29, 2012 we had one of these storms come through our area. It was called the "storm of the decade". High winds (a derecho), hail, torrential downpours, flooding, etc. That one tore off some roof shingles, knocked down tree limbs and power lines.  "As the storm tracked eastward into Indiana, it became a derecho and wind gusts increased substantially, peaking as high as 91 mph in Fort Wayne, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane."  (Ft. Wayne is just 30 miles to our west.) We were without power for 2½ days, in the summer heat. Not much fun, but we got through it. And we did again last night. This time the worst of the storm went north of us and we have no damage.

Today is a whole new day and it's a beautiful one. We turned off the a/c and opened windows. The high today is to be around 77°. There's still a strong breeze but it feels so good.

Well, I better get off here. I have to run out to WalMart. We have a graduation to go to Saturday.
I hope you've had a great day.

Another bad storm?

Meteorologists are tracking a so-called derecho weather pattern in the Midwest that could spawn severe windstorms in several major metropolitan areas, with gusts as strong as 100 mph.
The National Weather Service says derechoes occur once or twice a year in the central U.S. with winds of at least 75 mph. The storms maintain their intensity for hours as they sweep across vast distances, and can trigger tornadoes and large hail.
Meteorologists say the windstorms could hit from South Dakota to Pennsylvania over the next two days, including the Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh metro areas.

 That is the forecast we're hearing for our area tomorrow. We had a storm like that June 2012. It was awful. The roar of the wind just about drove me crazy. We watched our trees lean, neighbors trash cans flying by and Bob having to hold onto our grandson's belt trying to get him in the back door. The boy was so scared, but now laughs about it.

He had been on his way to work when he came upon the police at one intersection, telling people to turn around and go home. Curtis's first thought was to get to our house. I'm so glad he did. I almost panicked as I watched him trying to get to our door. The wind was blowing him all around. I yelled for Bob. When Curtis got to the door, Bob grabbed onto his belt and literally pulled him into the house. Now they're saying we may have another one tomorrow.

I think I'm prepared this time. We've got full charges in both our cell phones. I'm plugging in my Kindle tonight. I have candles and flashlights and food we can eat cold. Last June it took down power lines all over town and we spent 2½ days in the dark.

I'm already thinking about what I can do to keep myself from climbing the walls if the power does go out. I can practice my lesson, but I just realized something. One more draw-back to having an electric keyboard instead of a piano.... power! But I got that covered. I have batteries. So I'm good. I think my nerves are getting frazzled already, so working on my music lesson will be good therapy. 

I called my sister-in-law Elaine this evening to see how she was doing. I talked to Jack (Bob's brother). She's still in the hospital, but she's doing better. She may get to come home tomorrow but she'll be on a walker for a few days because she still can't put much weight on that leg. Her Dr. did call it "cat scratch fever". That's what I thought from her symptoms. I've seen it before. Years ago a friend almost lost her arm from a cat bite, or worse, her life. It's dangerous.

I guess that's all to report for today. I hope you had a good day.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Our weather in one word --- Rain.
 But I don't mind. We need it. When I got up this morning, the back patio was flooded. We got quite a downpour earlier. Yesterday it got very warm and humid, so when we got home from church, we shut the house up again and turned on the a/c. Our temperature today is going to be a comfortable 77°.  And as I write this, the sun is trying to shine. Now it's getting muggy so we're leaving the a/c on.

I mentioned on here the other day that this weekend was our annual Peony Festival. There were several activities going on for 3 days. The weather was perfect and we all had a good time. I didn't get many pictures, only these few.

Friday, when our daughter got off work, we met her uptown and walked down to see the car show. They closed off 2 blocks of Main Street just for the show. We were a little disappointed with the few that showed up. It was not the usual display of old cars but I did see a few I liked. This car was unusual. The owner took miscellaneous parts from several cars and built this one. It was neat.

 

My 8 year old grandson liked this yellow one. He was taking his own pictures of several of the cars he liked. It was so cute to watch him. He walked from car to car, trying to decide if he wanted a picture of it. And where he should stand to get just the right picture. I gave him a couple pointers then stood back and watched him do what I suggested. It made my day. 

From there we walked down to Fountain Park to see what all was there. The concessions set up in the street so we walked around to see what kinds of food was available. We got sandwiches and walked through the park looking at the craft and art stands. I didn't get any pictures there because of so many people. After a few minutes, I got tired of being bumped and shoved around, so we left. I did see an old friend tho' and we exchanged phone numbers. 

  

Saturday was the parade. I was worried it would be too hot to stand up there in the sun, but when the parade started we got a cloud cover, so it wasn't too bad. 

These ladies are from the Area Cushman Club. You can see them and their husbands ride around town on the old (and some new) Cushman Scooters. They have so much fun.

In the band pavilion in the park there were several different shows going on all weekend. This is my hair-dresser's daughter with her dance troupe, the high school girls. The little girls put on their show earlier. Paige has been in dance from the time she was 6 yrs. old. She's good.... tap, modern, ballet, swing. She knows them all.

On my FB page last evening, for those of you that follow me there, I mentioned my sister-in-law Elaine was admitted to the hospital for a cat bite. I'm happy to report she's doing much better. Last week her daughter and grand-daughter came for a visit and she took them out to the garage to see the new kittens. When they approached the box, momma cat went spastic and attacked them. Elaine thought it was only a minor bite and treated it so. Then it turned red, so she went to the Dr. He told her if the antibiotics didn't work, he'd have to admit her and give her IV's. But when she couldn't stand up last night, her hubby (Bob's brother) took her to Ft. Wayne Lutheran Hospital. She's on her 3rd bottle and it's getting much better. If it continues, she may get to come home tomorrow or Wed. We're still asking for prayer for a complete healing. Thank you.

 Well, that's enough of this. Thank you for coming by. I hope you have a great week ahead.

Peony Festival Weekend

This weekend is the annual event that put our little town on the map --- the Peony Festival. There is a long history of the big event, starting back at the turn of the century.

"Van Wert is a special city with a special history. One chapter of this history is dedicated to a beautiful flower - the Peony. Soon after the turn-of-the-century in 1900 the Peony became known by gardeners in Van Wert and within a few years "Peony Sunday" became a popular event. Large crowds gathered in Van Wert to see the Peony blooms, usually near the first of June.

In 1932 the very first Peony Festival was held. This was an expansion of Peony Sunday and started the tradition of an annual Peony Parade. Van Wert became famous as "The Peony Center of the World", or shown on maps as "The Peony Capital of the World," during the 1930s thru the 1950s.

The Festivals continued until 1960 except for a break with the beginning of WWII through 1954. The Festival was started again in 1992. Van Wert has continued the celebration of the Peony every year since. 2013 will be the 38th Peony Festival."
(the pictures below were taken at the 2008 and 2010 festivals)
 

 This is the Queen's float 2012

 Van Wert High School marching band -- always a joy to hear these kids play. They are so good.

Today is the car show on Main Street. We have the 2 youngest grandsons today so when Teresa gets off work this afternoon we're taking the boys uptown to see the old cars and take in some of the activities in Fountain Park.  Tomorrow evening is the big parade. I'm not sure if I'm going up with them. That entails a lot of walking and standing on concrete, plus fighting the crowd. But we'll see how I feel. I know Bob won't want to go. He hates crowds and standing in the sun.

It looks like the weather is going to be very nice all weekend. Highs in the upper 70's with lots of sunshine.

I hope you have a great weekend. Take care.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

We have had another beautiful day. The rain clouds cleared out around noon, then blue sky and warm sun all afternoon. The high was around 76°.

I haven't done anything I had planned on doing today. I read some emails while drinking my morning coffee then wrote a couple. Our youngest daughter came in around lunch time and stayed until 3:30. I had a good time with her, catching up on everything. Since I don't get to talk with her like that very often, everything else can wait. My kids are always first on my list of important items.

I had planned on spending the afternoon studying my music theory book and getting in some practicing. I might get some done this evening. I've had a friend ask who my teacher was... yes, it is Julie Norton in MI. She's over 600 miles away and I don't commute (hahaha), so we're using "Goggle Hangout" online. This started out as an experiment, to see if it would work, and so far, it's been good. Julie is so patient with me and very encouraging.

I've always wished I could play the piano, even tried to teach myself a few times, but never got very far. My hubby bought me an electric keyboard a couple years ago but even that started to collect dust. It's just too easy to get discouraged and quit. Now that I have a teacher to report to every week, it's different. She is such a sweet lady.

Julie would love to pick up more online students, now that she knows it's possible to do. So, friends, spread the word.... "I know a piano teacher that will come right into the room with you and you don't even have to clean before she gets there!"
For those that may not know her, here is her web site:

www.etudespianostudio.weebly.com 

Hope you have a great day. 

Wed. June 5, 2013

Today is a beautiful day. Clear blue sky and the temperature will be around 74°. Perfect.

 

We have a funeral to go to this afternoon for that young man that died last Friday in the automobile accident. We didn't actually know him. The last time we saw him, he was 12 years old. But we're going to the service to be moral support for our daughter Lori and our grandson Dylan.

On a better note.... we had our 2 youngest grandsons all day Monday while Teresa was at work. Here they're looking through a couple of Grandpa's magazines on hunting. We had a good time and had no problems with the boys at all. Their mother can't understand how they're always good here then be little pains when they go home. It's called "Grandma's touch", or something like that.

Yesterday I went out to have my hearing tested. I knew he'd find some loss, but I didn't expect that much. I've lost 20% of my hearing in my right ear. But he told me I should have aids for both ears. Then he programmed 2 of them and put them in my ears. Oh my! What a difference. I felt like he and Bob were shouting. Then we discussed cost. Phew! I took them out of my ears then and thanked him for his time. We can't afford that. When I removed them, it was like everything got muffled. I had no idea how bad my hearing was. No wonder I can't understand what people say to me.

Well, I have to go get ready so I will say 'bye' for now. I hope you have a great day.

Sunday June 2, 2013

The first Sunday in June.... also the 153th day of the year. Imagine... this year is almost half over already. Oh, that was too depressing.

Our weather is kind of gloomy today. Right now it's 70°, cloudy, with 71% humidity and a chance of rain.

We had a good church service this morning. The pastor was out of town this week so we had a guest speaker, a professor of theology. He had a good message on praising God in all things.

After church we went up to Orchard Tree for lunch. Two of our daughters (the twins) with 3 of our grandsons all met us there. We talked, we laughed, we ate, we laughed some more... it was a great time. Lori and Dylan are staying in town until after Ryan's funeral which probably won't be until Wednesday.

I love this time of year. We had to go out to the store Friday to pick up some groceries and when I got to the produce section, I just stood there and took in all the great smells and colors.... the melons, the tomatoes, corn on the cob, peppers, etc.

This time of year I have no problems getting my veggies. Everything tastes so much better than the frozen and canned we eat all winter. Now I can't wait for the Farmer's market to open so I can get some locally grown. They're even better.

  Yesterday I mentioned the strawberry-banana smoothie I was having. A friend asked me what all I put into it, so here's the ingredients we like:

For each cup, I mix.....

- approx. 3/4 C. strawberry yogurt, depending on your taste
- half a banana, sliced
- I fill the rest of the cup with crushed ice
- and occasionally, a splash of orange juice

Then I pulse it on my Magic Bullet. If you use a blender, you can easily double the recipe for 2 or 3 servings.

Like I said, this is what we like. There are so many recipes and alternatives that you may find something you would like better.

As for my Magic Bullet, that's the best gift my daughters ever gave me. I use it for so many things.

Well, that's all I have for today. I hope you are having a nice, restful Sunday. 

Is it Saturday already?

It doesn't feel like Saturday. I'm not sure what day it feels like but I had to look at the calendar twice so far today to see what day it was. Have you ever done that? It's an odd feeling.... like I've lost a day somewhere.

We had quite a night last night. There were tornadoes all across the country. I watched a couple hours of Fox News while chatting on FB with a dear friend who lives in Oklahoma. We were both watching to see what direction that horrible storm front was going and wondering just when she should pack up her family and get to the shelter. Thankfully it all went south of her.

Then we got word from our local weatherman that we were under a tornado watch and severe thunderstorm warning. I didn't shut down my computer until after mid-night because I was watching the weather reports. Just as I was headed for bed, I saw a huge flash of lightning, then a big crash of thunder that shook the floor and made me jump. I hate those. But I went on to bed anyways, read my book for awhile then fell to sleep without hearing anything else. Thank God we're all safe, including my friend in OK. I do feel so bad for all those folks that got hit again. Oklahoma has had more than their share of storms, destruction and lost lives.

I'm taking it easy today, just playing on the computer, reading and enjoying a fresh made strawberry-banana smoothie.

I make these in my Bullet. I love them and they're good nutrition. It helps me get some potassium without the texture of the banana. I'm one of those people who can't stand that texture. Bob likes them too with a little splash of orange juice in it.

For supper later I'm making baked pork chops and scalloped potatoes.


 
Yesterday our daughter in Michigan called to tell me that her step-son Ryan was killed in a car/truck accident early that morning. Horrible, horrible accident. He hit the semi head-on. We were all in shock. He was 28.
Lori was taking it hard and so was my grandson. He wanted to come down to see his father, so Lori made the 3 hr. trip. They pulled into town late last night. I haven't gotten any news yet on when the funeral will be. I don't care much for my ex-son-in-law, but when it comes to something like this..... no parent should have to bury their child.

Thank you for coming by. I hope you have a great weekend.