tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276531896141551822024-03-05T02:14:36.760-05:00A Simple Lifea simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.comBlogger1036125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-19272791298112412942023-08-12T22:08:00.000-04:002023-08-12T22:08:49.236-04:00Happy Birthday, Grammy S!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUQ5IBRqjRjVwmwwI9NmBQkmJPUNZyEXUCz_PY9a6GxwtzOB3tNSic7fuJXd9cUoenGcxzINC05Svug6Fi3VrWY_zRViKu5jVMiaVaJ4d-gz2ZZvnEklXzlYw-odTMb4qFo7bedo362seP98sXUf0dR57UyXwH62sa0I8W-4xV22swD03G1KFuX_o/s700/on%20blanket.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUQ5IBRqjRjVwmwwI9NmBQkmJPUNZyEXUCz_PY9a6GxwtzOB3tNSic7fuJXd9cUoenGcxzINC05Svug6Fi3VrWY_zRViKu5jVMiaVaJ4d-gz2ZZvnEklXzlYw-odTMb4qFo7bedo362seP98sXUf0dR57UyXwH62sa0I8W-4xV22swD03G1KFuX_o/w640-h426/on%20blanket.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Just found this throwback post I never published. <p></p><div>Such a sweet little one.</div><div>__________</div><div><br /></div><div>Went to a 60th birthday party this afternoon/evening. My son-in-law's mother, aka my co-grandma. I love these kinds of celebrations in someone's life. I love events when the person is surrounded by all the people they love for a happy occasion. It didn't happen enough in life, does it?</div><div><br /></div><div>The Man and I hung out with Little Man and Little Missy most of the time. We played dinosaurs, making them eat all the grass in the yard since we only had plant eaters with us and then throwing them in the air to see who could throw them the farthest. Then we played "Try To Block Me, Deeda" which involved me running backwards trying to stop him from getting past me. Then we played cornhole with the Man and mommy. We followed that up with more dinosaur Olympic events - throwing, jumping, snacking. We took a break for dinner and cake and cookies. Then we danced and twirled and sat on the steps and talked. We finished with "Sneak Up on the Bear" which was really daddy and he would roar and growl at Little Man.</div><div><br /></div><div>What a full heart I have tonight. And boy, will I sleep good tonight.</div>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-32238292379516951212023-08-11T23:27:00.001-04:002023-08-11T23:27:03.730-04:00Summer Blessings<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguU8wKTF9QTwj3gEfh8hsL_7jdXdDnJA4eytjgWKwyDSx534Wek55X2BEHbFapXLBjRd18ABNWntA40-5ZkntMwHayhRTHevR5ELMncOGcHAKzQ0SvMXCohhXuHNnF5yfIXM6k__z_hJVhAQsrVo2Tg9JCwXkqMeYCLldDq-a52_irEpz-DQlf1F-xvdw/s4032/lmo%20learning%20to%20use%20scis.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguU8wKTF9QTwj3gEfh8hsL_7jdXdDnJA4eytjgWKwyDSx534Wek55X2BEHbFapXLBjRd18ABNWntA40-5ZkntMwHayhRTHevR5ELMncOGcHAKzQ0SvMXCohhXuHNnF5yfIXM6k__z_hJVhAQsrVo2Tg9JCwXkqMeYCLldDq-a52_irEpz-DQlf1F-xvdw/w480-h640/lmo%20learning%20to%20use%20scis.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>Little Man is working hard this summer. We're reading and learning to use scissors. Painting, splashing in rain puddles IN OUR BARE FEET, woodworking, picking blackberries and cherry tomatoes. Watching the bees and playing with the neighbor girl.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTm0zJWx9s8Vz7pLbEPwDYVlmtBHY-b6YN4CvNv-ZgDziVcDfc_di02HwZzQOY7GwMVHPe6NWASVD3XUDi2G0g7x1QqLIpic_rPhLyxz0zGv6Qm2OgMY_FrX7GqVmKm1KDwbeokGq0Ve_r4iInqX7KjDnWzHoE9uxheESUki_70y3edqcYKOMasLqa48/s4032/lmo%20and%20trex.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTm0zJWx9s8Vz7pLbEPwDYVlmtBHY-b6YN4CvNv-ZgDziVcDfc_di02HwZzQOY7GwMVHPe6NWASVD3XUDi2G0g7x1QqLIpic_rPhLyxz0zGv6Qm2OgMY_FrX7GqVmKm1KDwbeokGq0Ve_r4iInqX7KjDnWzHoE9uxheESUki_70y3edqcYKOMasLqa48/w480-h640/lmo%20and%20trex.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>We went to see DINOSAURS! Gave them the stink-eye as we walked by. That was a very fun day with the little man. He's loving dinosaurs right now. And dragons. They're still around.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPOR9aBTx9KdxhoWTFtxKOZxqYfAMTBQT5EKr1GXxuJXhlzwNvsw_xU2HVLF0fQWuMQtyr_h6CqzwREZxKoTWTGzgwe_g3H3F2HaDcLpbRVF_5zma9DXOOAeIO1I9TBMSFhcZdlpwoZTZEzA5i3vBIuFU_3mggFMyqaYPe0dlYhAqSl9pvNd9UNC-qBs/s4032/lounging%20about.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPOR9aBTx9KdxhoWTFtxKOZxqYfAMTBQT5EKr1GXxuJXhlzwNvsw_xU2HVLF0fQWuMQtyr_h6CqzwREZxKoTWTGzgwe_g3H3F2HaDcLpbRVF_5zma9DXOOAeIO1I9TBMSFhcZdlpwoZTZEzA5i3vBIuFU_3mggFMyqaYPe0dlYhAqSl9pvNd9UNC-qBs/w480-h640/lounging%20about.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>His little sister is quite the lounge about. I think I caught her mid-rollover in the pic above. That's her prime mode of movement right now - rolling, rolling, rolling. And army crawling backwards. She works her way under the sofa quite often and needs to be rescued.<p></p><p>She's such a happy baby and loads of fun. She's very observant and loves to watch her brother move around. She loves to steal his toys, to which he says, "No, thank you!" </p><p>She's full of smiles and not a speck of trouble. We love watching her a couple days a week while her momma and daddy work.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4ZSC7Uss_oxDFjVDGJtHGxHremYlLfbCjU2N6Zmj7Os10bG2vDHv91Mjg0kXEQntPfv099Ta2qmXNz0kI6VeScD-hPVrpPLCKMcbUzGf-_O5UN0tXOWvqsATBipmVDpsFI_T_AuW9oKEYa9VakH4f4XL_O6TUafyV7Dcet67YkVitiWwRcEY-afd9Hs/s640/zinnias%20in%20basket.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4ZSC7Uss_oxDFjVDGJtHGxHremYlLfbCjU2N6Zmj7Os10bG2vDHv91Mjg0kXEQntPfv099Ta2qmXNz0kI6VeScD-hPVrpPLCKMcbUzGf-_O5UN0tXOWvqsATBipmVDpsFI_T_AuW9oKEYa9VakH4f4XL_O6TUafyV7Dcet67YkVitiWwRcEY-afd9Hs/w512-h640/zinnias%20in%20basket.JPG" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The zinnias are in! We can't pick them fast enough and I'm giving them away by the bucketful. Truly they are my favorite flower and I love, love, love having giant bouquets of them around the house from now through fall.</div> <p></p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-55842084218311414232023-05-20T22:06:00.000-04:002023-05-20T22:06:34.429-04:00A Very Dragon Sleepover<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_lEqVccKU3YrBOc1sIujSoglFJwLtHHt9W1jujTvJ0kCJcqU9C6QkFTnmhzNPhB2LlxHiJcy_JcWeard0NX9LGskzDzR03sk-Sql7WPubyCNI0-wHRl4_9IF6E0aPWiwz8o-xBNoDZpyfN8ZtrIrVUAMjw1GAr6RaUk-lAwX5ZYvuTsQa1D6r4HF/s640/o%20ice%20cream%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_lEqVccKU3YrBOc1sIujSoglFJwLtHHt9W1jujTvJ0kCJcqU9C6QkFTnmhzNPhB2LlxHiJcy_JcWeard0NX9LGskzDzR03sk-Sql7WPubyCNI0-wHRl4_9IF6E0aPWiwz8o-xBNoDZpyfN8ZtrIrVUAMjw1GAr6RaUk-lAwX5ZYvuTsQa1D6r4HF/w480-h640/o%20ice%20cream%201.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>Little Man had a sleepover last night. He was so excited.<p></p><p>Because we had ice cream for dinner! And then we went to the park to play! Deeda climbed a rock wall with him, and then we went down the little slide and then the big, twisty slide. We dug in the sand pit (ew - lots of dirty dirt) and walked on the balance beam. He challenged me to race him around the bases on the baseball field. He's not exactly fair. We say "On your mark. Get set. Go!" and he takes off at "Get set." And he's fast. I have all I can do to keep up with him. Finally, we finished off with the swings and one more slide down the little slide.</p><p>A preschooler's dream sleepover, I think. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQ1DHZS-t0cItYTJzM6v-xSnhdadbDluNPXeQrwiuuAbk-deWaX9dZgBsI38dQSStEg0pXhh5GvrQ63WdUcdr5x94JBrXgbcYb4WZRkKjN-1nQC5qrx0ZGAEWgixfyD5MFkC_GtoNJ0T4bpjoqforPV55rqNV3m2v8_fwsu_oxdbVEgB1sAYScokh/s640/o%20ice%20cream%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQ1DHZS-t0cItYTJzM6v-xSnhdadbDluNPXeQrwiuuAbk-deWaX9dZgBsI38dQSStEg0pXhh5GvrQ63WdUcdr5x94JBrXgbcYb4WZRkKjN-1nQC5qrx0ZGAEWgixfyD5MFkC_GtoNJ0T4bpjoqforPV55rqNV3m2v8_fwsu_oxdbVEgB1sAYScokh/w480-h640/o%20ice%20cream%202.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I forgot how much imagination four year olds have. When we got home we watched a dragon movie, "How to Train Your Dragon", which is his current favorite. After the movie we got ready for bed and he told me all about fire dragons and ice dragons. And how there was an ice dragon OUTSIDE OUR WINDOW. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Shhh, Deeda! He can hear us," he whispered to me, with a very serious look on his face. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I can't get enough of this kid.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6-p_8RW4-En9c6LgKnnW9oDpmG78FNxMlz-5dKu97O8gaLIT8bYC2Yk2CeoYOBvxKp-wnaASIPmnpil4l4Vf_sDVMMUoaf8RmK1SZ8rP6oTnScynK758SgRKXlPuOHWOpQ-AphHXEVk4Fil0XoZ9Xlo3VuhHjQxT619BXTghsdFPs8WbeEz4LF0Y/s640/o%20ice%20cream%203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6-p_8RW4-En9c6LgKnnW9oDpmG78FNxMlz-5dKu97O8gaLIT8bYC2Yk2CeoYOBvxKp-wnaASIPmnpil4l4Vf_sDVMMUoaf8RmK1SZ8rP6oTnScynK758SgRKXlPuOHWOpQ-AphHXEVk4Fil0XoZ9Xlo3VuhHjQxT619BXTghsdFPs8WbeEz4LF0Y/w512-h640/o%20ice%20cream%203.JPG" width="512" /></a></div>Sharing my coffee milkshake. <p></p><p>He keeps telling me he doesn't like coffee ice cream ("Maybe when I'm sixteen I will like it.") But he loves coffee milkshakes. I get one every time so we can share.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVFQ1RLrOoKUGbH-GN1K5pDBSmEdotCzFqLm6h5e1wzqM8P8ZUPPIf9u7aF06WD3SRdRiPp8RUsMjzXkJzT4OJ4lfonS0_7mXO1IIGyc_65zv_VKpnkqp8rxOdUDwJ48a8-YgKwL3264aBjoHYetOIBc3lXYCw3ZFH-jsn61SvLlmLbKBEbfaudSj/s640/o%20ice%20cream%204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVFQ1RLrOoKUGbH-GN1K5pDBSmEdotCzFqLm6h5e1wzqM8P8ZUPPIf9u7aF06WD3SRdRiPp8RUsMjzXkJzT4OJ4lfonS0_7mXO1IIGyc_65zv_VKpnkqp8rxOdUDwJ48a8-YgKwL3264aBjoHYetOIBc3lXYCw3ZFH-jsn61SvLlmLbKBEbfaudSj/w480-h640/o%20ice%20cream%204.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>A few weeks ago I got home from work and found him and his little sister still at the house. Their mama hadn't picked them up yet. When I walked in, Little Man came running into the kitchen with a big smile and a "Deeda!" to greet me. I scooped him up and gave him lots of hugs and kisses.<p></p><p>After the kids got picked up, the Man and J told me that when I pulled in the driveway, they said, "Guess who's here?" He couldn't guess who, so they told him, "Deeda!"</p><p>He smiled and said, "I like Deeda."</p><p>I like you too, Little Man. </p><p>__________</p><p>I love the expression on his face. I wonder what he's thinking.</p><p> </p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-26557406575707623242023-03-14T22:25:00.003-04:002023-03-14T22:25:37.286-04:00Snow Day<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvq-fkXsRGlk3jQEEI5Azx65TZSfPRhlLYMa-D5p_X7k7vDq99rxPEkOi1s10tPqVaII13v6Wl0aKz-Qs86nVlT8O8f4Bpsypr_U1YzAvYzN0tsDTdj1BJoxXGnOUNGb9ANzY8cy5q9MDpDcbaxDbfgSSLEEa46kSNudZ67FsjY7AunKtf7b34Odv/s700/2023%20clothesline%20ice.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvq-fkXsRGlk3jQEEI5Azx65TZSfPRhlLYMa-D5p_X7k7vDq99rxPEkOi1s10tPqVaII13v6Wl0aKz-Qs86nVlT8O8f4Bpsypr_U1YzAvYzN0tsDTdj1BJoxXGnOUNGb9ANzY8cy5q9MDpDcbaxDbfgSSLEEa46kSNudZ67FsjY7AunKtf7b34Odv/w640-h426/2023%20clothesline%20ice.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>We got a little bit of snow today.<div><br /></div><div>Very little. Mostly rain. But the forecast sounded much worse so the town closed town offices and the library for the day. </div><div><br /></div><div>Snow day!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNAt7kwxiCFSfPhdK6DVLRIEvT2on6BtCi6THnXCZsIcyakQfIKOSFZSzkL81oppn27CfJxMqimmev21VWppz43VXwHMoCuZ0lMqB0bg90EgQ94yUKKjY-a3B365o7ivDvDMC23DQvT6aShOKjytKp9wab19ExJpu7isoPs1YYo-47kB3TLkCaVci/s700/2023%20icy%20arborvitae.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNAt7kwxiCFSfPhdK6DVLRIEvT2on6BtCi6THnXCZsIcyakQfIKOSFZSzkL81oppn27CfJxMqimmev21VWppz43VXwHMoCuZ0lMqB0bg90EgQ94yUKKjY-a3B365o7ivDvDMC23DQvT6aShOKjytKp9wab19ExJpu7isoPs1YYo-47kB3TLkCaVci/w640-h426/2023%20icy%20arborvitae.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The Man and I are cleaning out the basement in preparation of J and A moving in. It was good to have an extra day to work on this since the kids move in next weekend.</div><div><br /></div><div>We were brutal and merciless. I can't believe how much stuff we cleaned out. But the basement looks so clean and empty. </div><div><br /></div><div>For now. </div><div><br /></div><div>It will be filled back up this weekend, I'm sure. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"That's the only thing you can do with a mess. Start cleaning it up, a little at a time."</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">~Lisa Wingate, The Sea Glass Sisters</div><div> <p></p></div>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-86086188584341432152023-03-13T23:21:00.003-04:002023-03-13T23:21:30.288-04:00Super Party!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFgV0zWYf5WvpyJusd81fMZYqif-DYYkcRxZmwio5EOdstNhdKLSOFJoAm1NW08nW8t0aQ3nQvwlt5G3kC7p7DcPESSKRGXK-TJpxRvrKxFaNpDMrJFvWdwF2pa3YLRwRplGQI774eKxMNtykkvIJNqDGKQJ-njGqyfT3MuTA7sZkrpY0Y3fiqCMt/s640/o%20birthday%20candel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="474" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFgV0zWYf5WvpyJusd81fMZYqif-DYYkcRxZmwio5EOdstNhdKLSOFJoAm1NW08nW8t0aQ3nQvwlt5G3kC7p7DcPESSKRGXK-TJpxRvrKxFaNpDMrJFvWdwF2pa3YLRwRplGQI774eKxMNtykkvIJNqDGKQJ-njGqyfT3MuTA7sZkrpY0Y3fiqCMt/w474-h640/o%20birthday%20candel.jpg" width="474" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Little Man's birthday coincides with St. Patrick's Day so we've been combining our celebrations for - SUPER PARTY!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There was great discussion around the table about which meal was the best - Thanksgiving or corned beef and cabbage. Tough call. I love a few special dishes from Thanksgiving, like Nan's stuffing and dressed turnip. Honestly, I would be fine with just those two dishes. But I really love everything about our corned beef dinner - the meat, the potatoes and carrots. Sissy's soda bread. And the cabbage. I really love the cabbage.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After dinner, Little Man wanted me to come and play with him. Actually what he said was, "Follow me Deeda!" I followed him into the spare bedroom where all his presents (or mements, as he calls them) were waiting for the big reveal. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"What are these, Deeda?" he asked. So I asked him what he thought they were. "My mements!" and he wanted to open them right away. I convinced him to help me carry them into the living and we started gathering everyone. Which was like herding cats. And all the while, Little Man kept picking up boxes and shaking them, trying to figure out what they were. He was especially intrigued by a large gift bag. He couldn't imagine what was in it. A beanbag, That's what was in it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He got all kinds of things Paw Patrol. And some games and remote control cars. A scooter. Magna-Tiles and books. He kept saying, "That's so cool!" and wanting to open things up and play. He was an absolute delight to watch ("I'm so excited!") and he made sure to thank everyone. He was too excited to eat cake so I packed it up for him to take home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I didn't want the night to end, it was that much fun. A great night and great celebration. One for the books, that's for sure.</div> <p></p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-59654902159314019232023-03-10T23:32:00.000-05:002023-03-10T23:32:01.029-05:00Stories to Tell<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0XZwRncgNUe4zj_kDukDXAs-vfMO4-3ZYEbCdwa_aIjvlCYoMk3cCce30qPsvYY35BAh4iQOgKTfYm-IDRSMGnTD1OMt2rHVTTOBabSjfXaLer6076nNxwTALCr170WKviHAjnaZobSiPvdipeF6ZNrCFOoefqmOYF-iDfwyB82pPV3J4Of4A535/s700/c%20with%20bottle%20and%20b-pa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0XZwRncgNUe4zj_kDukDXAs-vfMO4-3ZYEbCdwa_aIjvlCYoMk3cCce30qPsvYY35BAh4iQOgKTfYm-IDRSMGnTD1OMt2rHVTTOBabSjfXaLer6076nNxwTALCr170WKviHAjnaZobSiPvdipeF6ZNrCFOoefqmOYF-iDfwyB82pPV3J4Of4A535/w640-h426/c%20with%20bottle%20and%20b-pa.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>I never get tired of spending time with these two sweet ones.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4c7YK8rqlfn1wZjP-vjSQQeC_rqJIMXH6kYr5R2j_6R0Q3Hw9z0Swqm6SCLmTgcXgakdDNWZJuP3U5rbbbIopKmdReLYfyXRv3InH2YS5nkiEgZ-UB0jGOjdawCZbn-vuJ0ASNLka3CQxxEjSB16ql16tF5uGnL7-1DxNdMpeHG3eiglhMCcuLcP/s700/on%20b-pa's%20shoulder.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4c7YK8rqlfn1wZjP-vjSQQeC_rqJIMXH6kYr5R2j_6R0Q3Hw9z0Swqm6SCLmTgcXgakdDNWZJuP3U5rbbbIopKmdReLYfyXRv3InH2YS5nkiEgZ-UB0jGOjdawCZbn-vuJ0ASNLka3CQxxEjSB16ql16tF5uGnL7-1DxNdMpeHG3eiglhMCcuLcP/w640-h426/on%20b-pa's%20shoulder.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Little miss C is getting very inquisitive - watching everything, wanting to "talk" to us (lots of cooing). She is becoming very social, like her brother. She tells a lot of stories. We always encourage her to speak, asking her "And then what happened?" or "Oh, really! She said that?" <div><br /></div><div>She coos back as if she's answering us. Too cute.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6zCNPiI-TG-_M1gvzkXnIbrgOM3Q_xG1xN8oPtP1lhhxtgvB9PRJb59sqn_uIhTZWIZ922YQaqxK8qnSz2GtOOaaDWRb7oREfk29eq3Ki3LRNboN46p6PcwTRXlKQJim_GZPQQE26l8aowREpizNEN8hRfZOX2OE2700fIzcd2VhcQM0GD99sk4b/s700/o%20on%20couch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6zCNPiI-TG-_M1gvzkXnIbrgOM3Q_xG1xN8oPtP1lhhxtgvB9PRJb59sqn_uIhTZWIZ922YQaqxK8qnSz2GtOOaaDWRb7oREfk29eq3Ki3LRNboN46p6PcwTRXlKQJim_GZPQQE26l8aowREpizNEN8hRfZOX2OE2700fIzcd2VhcQM0GD99sk4b/w640-h426/o%20on%20couch.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>This little guy melts my heart. Such fun, always making me laugh.<div><br /></div><div>He's asking so many questions about very important things, like which dinosaur would eat another dinosaur. And would they eat baby dinosaurs or leaves instead. And would a dragon eat a dinosaur. I can see his brain working as he's asking the questions and putting the story together in his mind.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fascinating to watch his thought process.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5H58eKB_nkG8RMr9BKB40tibsZutynGZKLnMaWl_x9W_FsiOP3K0PQLyv2uqQsfzA4vII30kM46rrmgqAmn0jediRVyktfaPcd8cL0n2TEPQQUvvQ-P5awwBMSd8WIbwsYn-ByAVNwSnTtc3h4Xm7pH1ldlscWhZf2zNhQZdyiGWbk9v2w-WFwLpJ/s700/c%20and%20d-da.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5H58eKB_nkG8RMr9BKB40tibsZutynGZKLnMaWl_x9W_FsiOP3K0PQLyv2uqQsfzA4vII30kM46rrmgqAmn0jediRVyktfaPcd8cL0n2TEPQQUvvQ-P5awwBMSd8WIbwsYn-ByAVNwSnTtc3h4Xm7pH1ldlscWhZf2zNhQZdyiGWbk9v2w-WFwLpJ/w640-h426/c%20and%20d-da.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>We spend a lot of time reading to these littles. Miss C lasts about as long as it takes to read a very short board book, sometimes two. </div><div><br /></div><div>Little Man will sit for book after book after book. As I'm read to him, he's repeats everything I say under his breath, whispering the words with the same intonation I use. I think he's going to be an early reader. He loves to read to me and Boppa and Camille. He can retell a book pretty well if he's heard it a time or two.</div><div><br /></div><div>But did I expect anything else with a librarian for a Deeda?<br /> <p></p></div></div>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-64730941468631078122023-02-28T23:32:00.001-05:002023-02-28T23:32:07.741-05:00Winter Sentinels<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QQ4-d8qrw5-POetIrOr46YnK7MsMOsanlt7LoWKsDyqyB4hsFY7VEeaSNH6XinhJDY2oC_7tYytOToh0C_99_R7-zBUoBAEauF1Wl4JLO803lAvKRUf44o7JLD_cM-HLGUJl0yxTIz69KDXCb98Ihn4YHDhnZnRbJWZg-ElKchKrov6HCm88yKYz/s700/2023%20snowy%20cattails.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="700" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QQ4-d8qrw5-POetIrOr46YnK7MsMOsanlt7LoWKsDyqyB4hsFY7VEeaSNH6XinhJDY2oC_7tYytOToh0C_99_R7-zBUoBAEauF1Wl4JLO803lAvKRUf44o7JLD_cM-HLGUJl0yxTIz69KDXCb98Ihn4YHDhnZnRbJWZg-ElKchKrov6HCm88yKYz/w640-h470/2023%20snowy%20cattails.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My daughter-in-love, A, got a new camera recently so we had to take it out for a test drive. We headed up to the hills and fell into a winter wonderland. The snow was gently falling, the woods were quiet, and we found winter vignettes at each stop we made.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sentinels of winter. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's what I thought of when I saw the cattails.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-IL7OubTIolBr1KObb3SVaUygPtTO9sCDUvF4FU-yQwto_i2hs7xyvqulhdGBuSn_86UWreBIn3Rnwqnxbi6CjbEHAAKecLvi9WU2Ng6yi_jOLtu6jElyRm_CZjHtZZHD1PMzAZWnEtNWwj6x3weergIVckATNE87CRlZl6akAFa_9nOgb0XuBaK/s700/2023%20wispy%20droopy%20grass.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="700" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-IL7OubTIolBr1KObb3SVaUygPtTO9sCDUvF4FU-yQwto_i2hs7xyvqulhdGBuSn_86UWreBIn3Rnwqnxbi6CjbEHAAKecLvi9WU2Ng6yi_jOLtu6jElyRm_CZjHtZZHD1PMzAZWnEtNWwj6x3weergIVckATNE87CRlZl6akAFa_9nOgb0XuBaK/w640-h404/2023%20wispy%20droopy%20grass.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">It snowed the whole time we were out. We finished shooting and made our way to an antiques consignment shop that A and J had stopped at a few months ago. They were very excited about all the good things they found and so I was eager to check it out.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-IL7OubTIolBr1KObb3SVaUygPtTO9sCDUvF4FU-yQwto_i2hs7xyvqulhdGBuSn_86UWreBIn3Rnwqnxbi6CjbEHAAKecLvi9WU2Ng6yi_jOLtu6jElyRm_CZjHtZZHD1PMzAZWnEtNWwj6x3weergIVckATNE87CRlZl6akAFa_9nOgb0XuBaK/s700/2023%20wispy%20droopy%20grass.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">We found more good things.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">There were two milk bottles from the town we all live in so I bought one for A and one for my daughter, K.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">And a giant black wrought iron star for me. It's sitting as the centerpiece of my dining room table with a wreath of pine boughs and pine cones and a candle in the middle of it. I loved it when I saw it and knew it had to come home with me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">We went to lunch at a sweet little deli shop nearby and made a final stop at a local creamery for homemade skyr and ice cream. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">A fun adventure with A.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><br /></u></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-13963288790661316262023-02-16T20:02:00.004-05:002023-02-16T20:03:51.435-05:00What a Week I've Had<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorYnaNuM58UQoeYX6rVLirlnwB_c4llCr6hcsoDi9yBVUgsQTUjoDvJLMDWX1sURLxSb8RL9ZUrHEWPjVEnBkuW72hBM5xOCEw4DRKfzvS58jPsCQKjakCcguq7nZUEeICQJ2kw1E2HtJbwUMPOpUir-hcs-aQBoJMwokMErsPoIXtJoeaMvUIuoa/s640/black%20and%20white%20tree%20brances.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorYnaNuM58UQoeYX6rVLirlnwB_c4llCr6hcsoDi9yBVUgsQTUjoDvJLMDWX1sURLxSb8RL9ZUrHEWPjVEnBkuW72hBM5xOCEw4DRKfzvS58jPsCQKjakCcguq7nZUEeICQJ2kw1E2HtJbwUMPOpUir-hcs-aQBoJMwokMErsPoIXtJoeaMvUIuoa/w480-h640/black%20and%20white%20tree%20brances.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>I have not had a good week. It culminated in my going to the doctor today to have my leg looked at. I banged into an open wooden drawer at work a week ago and hit the soft part of my lower right leg but not the shin. <p>Thank you, God. </p><p>I hit the leg so hard I probably would have broken the shin. I made it downstairs to my boss to report it and by the time I got to her office, I had a large bump. </p><p>The swelling went down quite a bit after the first day or two but a week later, I still have a good sized egg on my leg. A friend saw it yesterday and said, "You better get that looked it. You could have a blood clot." So I watched it like a hawk yesterday and don't you know, I think it started to get a little more red and swollen. Oh brother. Like I needed to scare myself even more. </p><p>So the Man brought me to the doctor this morning and they poked and prodded and pressed and finally x-rayed it. The good news is there's nothing wrong. But there is still a lot of fluid so I have to keep it elevated and with heat on it. No work for me.</p><p>Not how I thought I'd be spending the rest of this week. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCo18v5WOEBrq1S1L_UZCTRCy4IX7rA6i-mBgBL8VnMVF0g6N7D0DvYNuQTZn1LAzHF-dvGJka_ULWEwQQjlAI4LuGBUPopV9KZz3g8pgy8al8rBnZ9jkRkz10Qms15wBFh2FPqlyktg1ZPmutQh2idVCz4nukxv4dBBm77zXmg3fenAkBElAi129/s640/sweater%20sleeve.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCo18v5WOEBrq1S1L_UZCTRCy4IX7rA6i-mBgBL8VnMVF0g6N7D0DvYNuQTZn1LAzHF-dvGJka_ULWEwQQjlAI4LuGBUPopV9KZz3g8pgy8al8rBnZ9jkRkz10Qms15wBFh2FPqlyktg1ZPmutQh2idVCz4nukxv4dBBm77zXmg3fenAkBElAi129/w480-h640/sweater%20sleeve.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>The Man and I went north to meet his sister and brother-in-law last weekend. I took a few pics as we drove along. <div><br /></div><div>Winter vignettes, winter colors.<br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /> </p></div>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-43842368329346524552023-02-09T22:13:00.004-05:002023-02-09T22:19:46.344-05:00Cape Breton<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7h1ylk7ql4o8H4qYID0lsxP-nLbNhp_Y2raZbsXcHz0rHQpccf05MjJRhlbpHpWKX2a_QZT0TmocY1xE-t5d1ipPOFMDYoKllb1HI9ewtYwtZdG8ZeNgzmdwkT13eReSOET91NvcGdNd7VTDI1FGTrzhzCQbpU17ExkOpFJcmcTI2UOxEpaNlCmz/s640/mussels.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7h1ylk7ql4o8H4qYID0lsxP-nLbNhp_Y2raZbsXcHz0rHQpccf05MjJRhlbpHpWKX2a_QZT0TmocY1xE-t5d1ipPOFMDYoKllb1HI9ewtYwtZdG8ZeNgzmdwkT13eReSOET91NvcGdNd7VTDI1FGTrzhzCQbpU17ExkOpFJcmcTI2UOxEpaNlCmz/w640-h480/mussels.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Mussel shells everywhere on Prince Edward Island. <div><br /></div><div>I know. The title of this post is "Cape Breton". I just had one more photo from PEI. You know, mussels. I love, love, love mussels and could eat them every day. Especially if they're cooked in a roasted garlic cream sauce.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAOKadXmcihhN4AOWEtCAgFa246Aqyb-cdGdqhewLXl5lrXTe19a-XaXb3Q1GM1L3CndDUfuxbZDZoUolt5YzflX21FjLKB6i7arTdx1CC6F2gaIesutFuuwuGYDMPH_K6L9eeS7w6vHdH5_HuY51xNIK8rRqztW5Inh7AXutDJ5QW41NXWUpoOXh/s640/road.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAOKadXmcihhN4AOWEtCAgFa246Aqyb-cdGdqhewLXl5lrXTe19a-XaXb3Q1GM1L3CndDUfuxbZDZoUolt5YzflX21FjLKB6i7arTdx1CC6F2gaIesutFuuwuGYDMPH_K6L9eeS7w6vHdH5_HuY51xNIK8rRqztW5Inh7AXutDJ5QW41NXWUpoOXh/w512-h640/road.JPG" width="512" /></a></div>Not a car in sight while driving the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJA9M12jym287eXH1kpu3L8BgRk7YRvuH56K_CLfv8AjLWXXpa6QoToyYsUyFaAFZpuOjwBt5PS1ngK4ZG4yQapMg-arK7UmEhFUBY5FeR42ySuWbVaQhPejXYkdqXECpO3_i4Cfl5j7uIdX9Tgpl26bohD_V3iCSs6rpqlVKPmRUvHD_u7v0Ffz1D/s640/rocks.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJA9M12jym287eXH1kpu3L8BgRk7YRvuH56K_CLfv8AjLWXXpa6QoToyYsUyFaAFZpuOjwBt5PS1ngK4ZG4yQapMg-arK7UmEhFUBY5FeR42ySuWbVaQhPejXYkdqXECpO3_i4Cfl5j7uIdX9Tgpl26bohD_V3iCSs6rpqlVKPmRUvHD_u7v0Ffz1D/w512-h640/rocks.JPG" width="512" /></a></div>The North Atlantic Ocean was very dramatic - large waves, wild surf, many warnings about rip tides. The rocks on the coastline get tossed about by those wild waves. They're very smooth from all the tumbling.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbd50MRz8KtDS0hfq3yL22hGQONx1MVkspVxMzc79ugvYzB5Xg77nOjnhhJ57_gqCsS5R4cw2gkb1Fbd5a2rRaNlxxxXaEVXbcZ5ZAThUKzO2H9OQ-eEQHrZ-SZTYXSVmo6XPF-q5kq5FLuG7ccCWSEZQiKCAXm_zWpo6JBDwclAXNaX6jUBRba4FX/s640/signs%20in%20pub.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="582" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbd50MRz8KtDS0hfq3yL22hGQONx1MVkspVxMzc79ugvYzB5Xg77nOjnhhJ57_gqCsS5R4cw2gkb1Fbd5a2rRaNlxxxXaEVXbcZ5ZAThUKzO2H9OQ-eEQHrZ-SZTYXSVmo6XPF-q5kq5FLuG7ccCWSEZQiKCAXm_zWpo6JBDwclAXNaX6jUBRba4FX/w582-h640/signs%20in%20pub.JPG" width="582" /></a></div>We stayed at an inn with a pub attached. Nice place. Good food. <p></p><p>Only place open in town. Cape Breton was buttoned up tight for the winter.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMRiAPlf4oua7ka6DQl2OiR9rkvy159Hzcw93QbaBEtaXxVIRqIzs4eLg4HmWzyKVRNE9ifLYrVViCbJYsE_ck4bMC3WH8QPuXoNRoWvXQwgalOq2KHLKLl7GBpXBzuj6hCY4cqt0bZFwwunNZUPNWHmsJ3ydPHXfUAlYaUKILXhkgcOnUOsmmm2B/s1440/sunset.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMRiAPlf4oua7ka6DQl2OiR9rkvy159Hzcw93QbaBEtaXxVIRqIzs4eLg4HmWzyKVRNE9ifLYrVViCbJYsE_ck4bMC3WH8QPuXoNRoWvXQwgalOq2KHLKLl7GBpXBzuj6hCY4cqt0bZFwwunNZUPNWHmsJ3ydPHXfUAlYaUKILXhkgcOnUOsmmm2B/w640-h480/sunset.JPG" width="640" /></a></p><p>Gorgeous sunsets every night.</p><p>__________</p><p>We enjoyed our time in Cape Breton. We met several nice people. The Man talked to one young fellow who invited us to come back to Cape Breton and look him up. He knew we were from the States so I asked him if he had ever been and he said, "No, why would I leave all this beauty?"</p><p>I can't say he's wrong. </p></div>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-50487539993447280992023-02-07T23:20:00.002-05:002023-08-12T21:49:08.514-04:00Here Comes The Sun<p> Leaving work this afternoon, my coworker and I noticed it was still light out. The days are getting longer. The weather is getting warmer and we are getting happier.</p><p>__________</p><p>I had to go back out for a meeting tonight. It was snowing and hailing when I drove back home. Spoke too soon.</p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-3993480827096937582023-02-06T21:16:00.005-05:002023-02-06T21:16:59.224-05:00Prince Edward Island, part two<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFhpJXH5_WwJvZ6l88rAjGqrhYFs-NLQoGFP2RuArSXaB2i5hRTBpAMJWi6z1NNVrYiBL8EhOcwIou8k3SVGTVgZ-Do0OJEe4u5jMvfwTjMY6i9mLmW5BCvGy4B9gPPv_AcO3YCui7qvh6daMrKJKWQldAqn1ZXx0X_jYpOrgxeCw6JRw8KDFlTA8/s640/blue%20building.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFhpJXH5_WwJvZ6l88rAjGqrhYFs-NLQoGFP2RuArSXaB2i5hRTBpAMJWi6z1NNVrYiBL8EhOcwIou8k3SVGTVgZ-Do0OJEe4u5jMvfwTjMY6i9mLmW5BCvGy4B9gPPv_AcO3YCui7qvh6daMrKJKWQldAqn1ZXx0X_jYpOrgxeCw6JRw8KDFlTA8/w480-h640/blue%20building.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>We found a small fishing harbor one afternoon. There are lots of them along the coastline. These are all working fishing communities, lots of blue collar workers and small mom and pop places - restaurants, stores, businesses. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyZk2HbV3Vojq7xA4V-W5nBZ3eOecDXMMScb0ZOVlQU7esXKRswith2X2vC0p-2oU9mfyJ8JtiuPsotA8drkPKNhVz2ltmX87Wph2KrwwUNdkICw5__kpE5WzhwfOdSlMjkHQsM0l23kg2xCv9v3Nt51ZJQPkpV0NUebnVPtuLuX6xqiaCNzhK48U/s640/blue%20buoys.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyZk2HbV3Vojq7xA4V-W5nBZ3eOecDXMMScb0ZOVlQU7esXKRswith2X2vC0p-2oU9mfyJ8JtiuPsotA8drkPKNhVz2ltmX87Wph2KrwwUNdkICw5__kpE5WzhwfOdSlMjkHQsM0l23kg2xCv9v3Nt51ZJQPkpV0NUebnVPtuLuX6xqiaCNzhK48U/w480-h640/blue%20buoys.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>So much color around here. These buoys looked like giant blueberries to me.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZPa8DFl-hc-SX3qw1_MWS5-yPx5PQTWP3KxDrm2onlc2XtEUAhXY041wl4TxK0xUVuWw4vBIQuDZgkCBKHRmHYZEsPH9KYW7-x0IKJz1-lCOcysqcAHJVGGO8vmUn7xvkBMtOkm2_U5Xzy2mp2tHdOoymqIW4J51Q5ZzvQy8HSq7Gf0Lo8H7Hm3x/s640/harbor%20one.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZPa8DFl-hc-SX3qw1_MWS5-yPx5PQTWP3KxDrm2onlc2XtEUAhXY041wl4TxK0xUVuWw4vBIQuDZgkCBKHRmHYZEsPH9KYW7-x0IKJz1-lCOcysqcAHJVGGO8vmUn7xvkBMtOkm2_U5Xzy2mp2tHdOoymqIW4J51Q5ZzvQy8HSq7Gf0Lo8H7Hm3x/w480-h640/harbor%20one.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p>PEI is known for its mussels, lobsters, and potatoes and we ate our fill while we were there. </p><p>We saw so many potato farms while driving around. I think there's more farms than houses.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4V7r8MO6IahIwug3IRlBaUyCFnBPLbH7UMJcaT5Z608_HBnIGeCxWAGsAHczJSQ2op49Ieu9Et9iXcDyv74qxZAk7aZqzVT2U3c0CUi3ZfnH4O_DwumY42I8-9EZJTu8T2HS6eFF3MM0R6XqFPW3LzyxmEu5u4PUUo_0TO_bD7g_vH9ElMatl_4I/s640/harbor%20two.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4V7r8MO6IahIwug3IRlBaUyCFnBPLbH7UMJcaT5Z608_HBnIGeCxWAGsAHczJSQ2op49Ieu9Et9iXcDyv74qxZAk7aZqzVT2U3c0CUi3ZfnH4O_DwumY42I8-9EZJTu8T2HS6eFF3MM0R6XqFPW3LzyxmEu5u4PUUo_0TO_bD7g_vH9ElMatl_4I/w640-h480/harbor%20two.JPG" width="640" /></a></p><p>We got to watch the fishing boats return at the end of the day.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0-9GHewHPqfV7Kx2SvOBBy2G-mX1gnt1aUdXgq8ymONMuxhAm3AouBa4PHQpaRqqwPZ0fRQkGmgIoG-689n33Ids37MeFwz2Q4c5Pmbs4L3T3InX9BhwP9vyi_IfStsJS18tI5RZ-pWV1V3NNHqW21jsjEJ4-XdUCCVJDzewdYRj84WnLyUKy8M3/s640/lobster%20traps.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0-9GHewHPqfV7Kx2SvOBBy2G-mX1gnt1aUdXgq8ymONMuxhAm3AouBa4PHQpaRqqwPZ0fRQkGmgIoG-689n33Ids37MeFwz2Q4c5Pmbs4L3T3InX9BhwP9vyi_IfStsJS18tI5RZ-pWV1V3NNHqW21jsjEJ4-XdUCCVJDzewdYRj84WnLyUKy8M3/w480-h640/lobster%20traps.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>A quiet day, full of exploring and driving up and down empty roads.<div><br /><p></p><p><br /> </p></div>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-80029745186649470832023-02-05T22:23:00.004-05:002023-02-05T22:42:10.644-05:00A Lovely Way To Spend A Cold Day<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZULuQcj890C7UVe2O3hQuskTZF2-X0D2Vo754ntFF4I5SE81K_Yb5TVBmPg38rG58AQ6eWo__DNcVqf7_Sc-uk0Kdh2E2GbKr0jT0ngWygX8dgClG4M-gXIffnO0QT8WAAK5b6_CFc9kiWzRtJaSLDgpNY6RDOMor3jj_a4vqSfHD0ib0Z8qSZss/s640/empty%20brewery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="434" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZULuQcj890C7UVe2O3hQuskTZF2-X0D2Vo754ntFF4I5SE81K_Yb5TVBmPg38rG58AQ6eWo__DNcVqf7_Sc-uk0Kdh2E2GbKr0jT0ngWygX8dgClG4M-gXIffnO0QT8WAAK5b6_CFc9kiWzRtJaSLDgpNY6RDOMor3jj_a4vqSfHD0ib0Z8qSZss/w434-h640/empty%20brewery.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">We found a quiet brewery on the coldest day of the year. There were a few people out with us but the city streets were mostly empty. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Who wants to be outside on a cold winter day?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6D_TaTvFK6htphStTLKckarQftu4I0mY4mWYwy93lJ3DKTvwYmjkEe_HLURqgKHbWQCtO_WNDlu0xkEda-x1ZBneCLIgOGPKo69h4LPbA82Mnj_1k45P8k94OvmyGkN8s45jJpEhWdkEg9tM7D6IN9WN11uE8Bk-FyA2vmiEmJRLdc5Sr2kgK-XbS/s640/the%20man%20cold%20day%20beer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6D_TaTvFK6htphStTLKckarQftu4I0mY4mWYwy93lJ3DKTvwYmjkEe_HLURqgKHbWQCtO_WNDlu0xkEda-x1ZBneCLIgOGPKo69h4LPbA82Mnj_1k45P8k94OvmyGkN8s45jJpEhWdkEg9tM7D6IN9WN11uE8Bk-FyA2vmiEmJRLdc5Sr2kgK-XbS/w480-h640/the%20man%20cold%20day%20beer.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We chatted with the barkeep for a little while. She was super sweet and poured me several samples since I couldn't decide what I wanted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I tried a stout and a sour. I loved the stout but it was very heavy. So I settled on a sour that had pineapple in it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Something summery for a such a cold day.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOmWfSsNlczFBcG2EmkK3sjRJMYJXGeD4kt4Re4ily87U6VsmaJvad0BQb-58P2Ms67TD0WQUdmv1nSxE-t5-8Qz-_7HN4w84qfHI2IRgAmq0AeMxv6l7KBUXc5dif815xwI05vJev5DFeyGFlx2rzzUUnHSYszdnB87VoKKARgzmI1PLwPRkSB0Y/s640/beer%20on%20bar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="405" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOmWfSsNlczFBcG2EmkK3sjRJMYJXGeD4kt4Re4ily87U6VsmaJvad0BQb-58P2Ms67TD0WQUdmv1nSxE-t5-8Qz-_7HN4w84qfHI2IRgAmq0AeMxv6l7KBUXc5dif815xwI05vJev5DFeyGFlx2rzzUUnHSYszdnB87VoKKARgzmI1PLwPRkSB0Y/w406-h640/beer%20on%20bar.jpg" width="406" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We stopped at the brewery after a pretty tasty lunch at a local tavern. The tavern is known for their wings so we tried a couple kinds - buffalo and teriyaki. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Let's just say we'll be back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWnct7zx-5loOkWyssSyGW4pM1jRWze4li4322JGvX4-pLS7iX7nBA6fvcI7HPcSQH7XhSua0lYCkoRPtDv5Xhq0fsU3lNttr-_udRXvYl2laD2ah7u71lGmPeBAMXk6zwQVDsCsNEEbMKgx9sZQlsaZ8hcEyCiwwg-k8cqds3r7eQ0pUJNZCOxGJ/s640/italian%20cookies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="544" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWnct7zx-5loOkWyssSyGW4pM1jRWze4li4322JGvX4-pLS7iX7nBA6fvcI7HPcSQH7XhSua0lYCkoRPtDv5Xhq0fsU3lNttr-_udRXvYl2laD2ah7u71lGmPeBAMXk6zwQVDsCsNEEbMKgx9sZQlsaZ8hcEyCiwwg-k8cqds3r7eQ0pUJNZCOxGJ/w544-h640/italian%20cookies.JPG" width="544" /></a></div></div>Right down the street from the tavern is a most delicious Italian bakery.<div><br /></div><div>Somehow a small box of cookies, a piece of Italian fruit cake and a piece of carrot cake made it back home with us.</div><div><br /></div><div>A lovely way to spend a cold day.</div><div>__________</div><div><br /></div><div>Have I mentioned it was a cold day?</div><div> <p></p></div>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-55083599651619433922023-02-04T21:34:00.005-05:002023-02-04T21:34:43.704-05:00Blowing Bubbles<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqx2smkWgC4Ml6Z2l8g51c0UEWyi6TvpR3_bRoQYRGqnaL_z8XJafZ9bNZ4ndjF1yNbUGa84FbcscUjEyHdh7dlhJS5JX7WLag45Wu2hAuZXn0J3s-_eghFTcfQAK3kEV4Ezq4J4qWPLJONyfUD3CBEkzjQDcltZepYL-yW_UhaoiYtXxylt-jHQMq/s700/ice%20crystal%20four.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqx2smkWgC4Ml6Z2l8g51c0UEWyi6TvpR3_bRoQYRGqnaL_z8XJafZ9bNZ4ndjF1yNbUGa84FbcscUjEyHdh7dlhJS5JX7WLag45Wu2hAuZXn0J3s-_eghFTcfQAK3kEV4Ezq4J4qWPLJONyfUD3CBEkzjQDcltZepYL-yW_UhaoiYtXxylt-jHQMq/w640-h426/ice%20crystal%20four.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Minus 16 degrees this morning. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't ever remember temps like that around here. We've had cold spells before, some below zero but mostly single digit in recent years. Although I suppose it's hard to tell the difference between 5 degrees and minus 16 degrees. It's all just cold.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlNFmG-7GEYjwWgaxN7EmwCCJEsHcBq79mLA6RQkr443RoXA9mRCCWo-rvmjXaId-69kqMef5RxbY8z_ks2MCWMqXfZQatxhRWv5FPGK6BowV9S6CCrHgJVAvOrJvVJEexmRJUUCUDEWOTaYOlcn7g7qhCUgX_CnL4f5IFtowIoASIJz3d2v6zMdK/s700/ice%20crystal%20one.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlNFmG-7GEYjwWgaxN7EmwCCJEsHcBq79mLA6RQkr443RoXA9mRCCWo-rvmjXaId-69kqMef5RxbY8z_ks2MCWMqXfZQatxhRWv5FPGK6BowV9S6CCrHgJVAvOrJvVJEexmRJUUCUDEWOTaYOlcn7g7qhCUgX_CnL4f5IFtowIoASIJz3d2v6zMdK/w640-h426/ice%20crystal%20one.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got up first thing this morning to try freezing bubbles. I've been seeing them all over social media and wanted to try it myself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got Little Man's bottle of bubbles from the closet, put a sweater on, and went out to the back porch to blow bubbles. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What a disaster. It was a little windy so they took off immediately from the wand. They dropped to the porch floor and popped right away. They never got to freeze at all. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Humph. Maybe I should look into this a little more.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayZqkswZv5mGKATTFTfDHQLtObvPA6-ibO5jp0cwwpsU20KlHlAVfq_t6T7Q4UGaz-yXzD2jqkaK6TXGw9aesODWZIiPXJYKyyNFu7PECfb4tKEDXe360v-ZzSWGg2poNpnoCL5bDJeNvPJzDMYRplLaxQXeAnKR3X_fQHNKI9QKh7XB4e_hErLv7/s700/ice%20crystal%20two.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayZqkswZv5mGKATTFTfDHQLtObvPA6-ibO5jp0cwwpsU20KlHlAVfq_t6T7Q4UGaz-yXzD2jqkaK6TXGw9aesODWZIiPXJYKyyNFu7PECfb4tKEDXe360v-ZzSWGg2poNpnoCL5bDJeNvPJzDMYRplLaxQXeAnKR3X_fQHNKI9QKh7XB4e_hErLv7/w640-h426/ice%20crystal%20two.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I came in and went straight to Google. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Apparently this takes more effort than I thought. Lots of different techniques, mostly involving mixtures of things like dish soap, corn syrup, and other stuff and not simply bubble liquid from the local dollar store. There's also some snow involved. And no wind.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh brother. I've got to be more prepared for the next cold spell if I'm going to freeze bubbles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVc0RXidnQ-pKkdsF2D7fSQCu5zKjHQO3z4N7ofGZBhBvTOFNrcm_x2AlM5BVOz3nffhANln-SbZTnWPImhQ1BoPkPnpcEkUnn_yXl-Lc-W4b5Y62eT9JbxzZCdlmpWbwycbCmOvx038bh4KGu3S_LBYcah4_Bj2CQgCBEAlwlwSN1EjNdkJLnXrVa/s700/ice%20crystal%20three.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVc0RXidnQ-pKkdsF2D7fSQCu5zKjHQO3z4N7ofGZBhBvTOFNrcm_x2AlM5BVOz3nffhANln-SbZTnWPImhQ1BoPkPnpcEkUnn_yXl-Lc-W4b5Y62eT9JbxzZCdlmpWbwycbCmOvx038bh4KGu3S_LBYcah4_Bj2CQgCBEAlwlwSN1EjNdkJLnXrVa/w640-h426/ice%20crystal%20three.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">I decided to take photos of the ice crystals on the windows instead. I think the photo above looks like a volcano spewing chunks of ice. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNLQaSMk9lcrESyzTJyiTkK-sMDZtD3_qgblrt0wtmYVvvYy12RlJGOAc1v1aqlNDlANwTxFofKnHfJ5ypvJ6acDvfocckHQmZnhJjimQgiZZeu7f_wij6eMnbZ2XHuS0M0OVtFbA157HlLpUPLl0owoXSEi4TLdZ2OwE1_TSeMzAm1XJbWzl75OW/s700/blue%20heart%20ice%20crystal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="700" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNLQaSMk9lcrESyzTJyiTkK-sMDZtD3_qgblrt0wtmYVvvYy12RlJGOAc1v1aqlNDlANwTxFofKnHfJ5ypvJ6acDvfocckHQmZnhJjimQgiZZeu7f_wij6eMnbZ2XHuS0M0OVtFbA157HlLpUPLl0owoXSEi4TLdZ2OwE1_TSeMzAm1XJbWzl75OW/w640-h492/blue%20heart%20ice%20crystal.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">An icy heart.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And yes, I went out on the back porch in just a sweater. I wasn't out long and I kept running back into the house. Thank goodness the neighbors can't see me from the back porch. I probably looked a bit crazy blowing bubbles in a sweater when it's minus 16 degrees.</div><p></p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-19976634796553797202023-02-03T23:54:00.006-05:002023-02-04T21:36:55.587-05:00Warm and Cold<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbO0Y2TFjJ9BQ6cyTseyWIjl_HphPMoK25OEpFKbgew8Ms6SHgEVAeiOtAxyDc10D_Aw9mAnOaF7eRPllojy3g_MCBC9JHtG4ZD7NMuLyaI9lFPbJ9V7T2Z0xSinm1LYg6iiBPcG475FAMvLvzUixLn-JKOZqMr74PhnSJP3zeeTNxxZekj45LmhF/s640/lone%20Christmas%20tree%20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbO0Y2TFjJ9BQ6cyTseyWIjl_HphPMoK25OEpFKbgew8Ms6SHgEVAeiOtAxyDc10D_Aw9mAnOaF7eRPllojy3g_MCBC9JHtG4ZD7NMuLyaI9lFPbJ9V7T2Z0xSinm1LYg6iiBPcG475FAMvLvzUixLn-JKOZqMr74PhnSJP3zeeTNxxZekj45LmhF/w480-h640/lone%20Christmas%20tree%20.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>Driving home tonight I saw so many houses that still had holiday lights lit - on shrubs, on trees, and stand alone figures. Large and small deer, Snoopy, Woodstock - they're still out there in all their lighted glory.<p></p><p>I don't hate it. It was kind of nice seeing all the people who wanted to keep the celebration going.</p><p>We keep the star on the side of the barn lit all year long. There's something about lights that are so welcoming. And warm. And cozy.</p><p>__________</p><p><i>The night is darkening round me, the wild winds coldly blow (Emily Brontë)</i></p><p>It's minus 1 degree and falling quickly. The winds are fierce outside. When I ran into the house I could hear the branches clack, clack, clacking against each other. A hard sound. A breaking sound. </p><p>Cold and wind are not such good companions, I think.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-19167786369075091332023-02-03T00:13:00.001-05:002023-02-06T20:54:15.720-05:00Prince Edward Island<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBpkqaOsjsJL7g_X3Sw1ENbcwGE42FIDMPNE52kJYJN1d_7PiJLk-NIlpXWsBOwaNivfz4X5EB1CSMYKUsxvQ_UPE-DJb0y5MZVpO5qdwQSIsBsYHK3p8zn8w6wv5F9g7J7Bdhc6ytWUu5w42pQ-LMnzr0JqUBb31ji40NxoFSXiS8yJzUwdI7Ifr/s640/farmhouse%20in%20field%20in%20pei.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBpkqaOsjsJL7g_X3Sw1ENbcwGE42FIDMPNE52kJYJN1d_7PiJLk-NIlpXWsBOwaNivfz4X5EB1CSMYKUsxvQ_UPE-DJb0y5MZVpO5qdwQSIsBsYHK3p8zn8w6wv5F9g7J7Bdhc6ytWUu5w42pQ-LMnzr0JqUBb31ji40NxoFSXiS8yJzUwdI7Ifr/w640-h480/farmhouse%20in%20field%20in%20pei.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Prince Edward Island is simply beautiful in November.<p></p><p>Simple, quiet, peaceful.</p><p>There was no traffic. Very few people. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QOmGmMXQiXcOmK2OJNj-fz_lzR0qIC-rO7ZxR-dY_NWAeSh1hwN-CVaKL3SRL5ObwJrtgqvDvwU0fuHXIhVMaLDeJQ8WxjahkUDpqeHVOrvs4jiX1iKvg1UtCp-O-d-LrB9VHDOOGBmO-mtyqXX2MMOkd5J7v-t5CQ9hd02zzv0VSdkHuKk2wEtS/s640/man%20on%20beach.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QOmGmMXQiXcOmK2OJNj-fz_lzR0qIC-rO7ZxR-dY_NWAeSh1hwN-CVaKL3SRL5ObwJrtgqvDvwU0fuHXIhVMaLDeJQ8WxjahkUDpqeHVOrvs4jiX1iKvg1UtCp-O-d-LrB9VHDOOGBmO-mtyqXX2MMOkd5J7v-t5CQ9hd02zzv0VSdkHuKk2wEtS/w640-h480/man%20on%20beach.JPG" width="640" /></a></p><p>There wasn't much open, especially restaurants. This island is definitely run by the tourist season and when they go home, everything closes up.</p><p>We found food at the grocery store and had tapas one night. We found sandwiches for another night. We had better luck at lunch while exploring the island and found a local diner style place to eat. Another day we took a drive to the biggest city to do a little shopping and found a restaurant for lunch.</p><p>We had lobster rolls and mussels. Just what the island is known for.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhga5sDj7bstqAA8Pi6iou6IhDK7j88tCbEUCsAzEwETeA4rp9TpsDenTWAg7xLiP6hj_lIi-vvtCYk58R1KS6tcksHk9lmXcP-Sx-WCa2ry4P1_bIZ2IG4vHipAopxTfwgu3qRVjXtv9PQeHvj5DZiXRVRLu2rEVlhE4yMBkSZXk602adA0K7ZflsY/s640/rocking%20chair%20by%20window.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhga5sDj7bstqAA8Pi6iou6IhDK7j88tCbEUCsAzEwETeA4rp9TpsDenTWAg7xLiP6hj_lIi-vvtCYk58R1KS6tcksHk9lmXcP-Sx-WCa2ry4P1_bIZ2IG4vHipAopxTfwgu3qRVjXtv9PQeHvj5DZiXRVRLu2rEVlhE4yMBkSZXk602adA0K7ZflsY/w480-h640/rocking%20chair%20by%20window.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>One of the places I've always wanted to visit was the house on which Lucy Maud Montgomery based her Anne of Green Gables books. When I checked the website to see what their hours were, I discovered they closed up for the season the day before we got there.</p><p></p><p>We were going to be one day too late.</p><p>I decided to email the museum to see if there was any way we could stop by and see the grounds. And if people were going to be there, closing up and all, could we perhaps peek inside?</p><p>A fine fellow named George answered me and told me that we could probably work something out and to email him when we got closer to our visit. About three days before, I emailed George and never got a response.</p><p>Fast forward and we decide to take a drive and just show up and see what happens. We pulled into the long drive, got out and started walking toward two gentlemen digging a hole, one of them on a small piece of equipment like a backhoe/tractor. He stopped the engine when we got close and I asked if George was around.</p><p>"I'm George!" he said. And I introduced myself. He smiled and welcomed us and went to get his sister. She was going to open the museum/house so we could see it.</p><p>We visited and explored for about an hour and then chatted with the two of them for a little while before she had to leave. I thanked them profusely and off we went.</p><p>__________</p><p>Turns out George and his sister are Lucy Maud Montgomery's great-grandchildren.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofOLMq5SMNTey-LdEYEnWRVeoaS2svctdSKnC8VQ_C7i-dJpPt_FWDUHQAc7MdBiuXiDN2eFGDeFPAsmUQavM2w_upUWVmRSuGNl2mCukZ1Wo25cE1C1kLVvxPFKDqp_az1py5E5cBRqP7nA3v0sExjFJ1Lrz_tYh3S64xUJZu8uKiXqH0Vk1kyjN/s640/red%20heart%20sculpture.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofOLMq5SMNTey-LdEYEnWRVeoaS2svctdSKnC8VQ_C7i-dJpPt_FWDUHQAc7MdBiuXiDN2eFGDeFPAsmUQavM2w_upUWVmRSuGNl2mCukZ1Wo25cE1C1kLVvxPFKDqp_az1py5E5cBRqP7nA3v0sExjFJ1Lrz_tYh3S64xUJZu8uKiXqH0Vk1kyjN/w640-h480/red%20heart%20sculpture.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Awww. We love Prince Edward Island. We explored the shoreline and drove inland. We stopped at a very small library and I got to look around and chat with the librarian. The library was about as big as our Children's department. I asked her how she liked working in such a small library. <p></p><p>"This is the big library! I work at an even smaller one part time," she said. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyMqB-GwybotGQsxhQUoICnRPGlgcAqScU06QdVFORHY_aZeyjNOHwGxj72MBIxhAvSgD920VWgCCKvufKhT2nA09b6sFVvMqXWjuuriQ4YPqmf5R8S2Gc7IWc0azKjMX8VAcJmdMuFMw-4fQ4OwE0AfXilsHBA8eJictVf1-DCsqBNSdG4goLVDF/s640/church%20silhouette%20sunset%20sky.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyMqB-GwybotGQsxhQUoICnRPGlgcAqScU06QdVFORHY_aZeyjNOHwGxj72MBIxhAvSgD920VWgCCKvufKhT2nA09b6sFVvMqXWjuuriQ4YPqmf5R8S2Gc7IWc0azKjMX8VAcJmdMuFMw-4fQ4OwE0AfXilsHBA8eJictVf1-DCsqBNSdG4goLVDF/w640-h480/church%20silhouette%20sunset%20sky.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">After a full day of exploring, back at the cottage we rented, looking out the front door.</div></div><br /> <p></p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-14879130145510072402023-02-01T23:28:00.002-05:002023-02-01T23:28:09.989-05:00Northern Travels, part one<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUFum-TIqPGtpK8rI5IkTwZ-XDeLOU7KLTprmj-ZFD1hX_VWru8NecbZnP_zHYBfnADt4vL540-srbnAoExKoWa1Q3wO2uYXdCb-VR2ZXn4VaNjH9z8wtlmBw48tlLS0DXRTokIRHFaha-O2dYwFqekHtiKrZ1JlwTwuVY5KXGw8jlC7wBv4S-3YA/s640/sunset%20in%20maine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUFum-TIqPGtpK8rI5IkTwZ-XDeLOU7KLTprmj-ZFD1hX_VWru8NecbZnP_zHYBfnADt4vL540-srbnAoExKoWa1Q3wO2uYXdCb-VR2ZXn4VaNjH9z8wtlmBw48tlLS0DXRTokIRHFaha-O2dYwFqekHtiKrZ1JlwTwuVY5KXGw8jlC7wBv4S-3YA/w640-h480/sunset%20in%20maine.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Man and I went to a wedding last fall to celebrate with some very dear friends. Their son was getting married and we were ready to hit the road.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nova Scotia has long been on our list of places to visit so we decided to continue north and see a good piece of it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But first we got to go to a wedding. The sunset is the view from our hotel room in Bar Harbor.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPwgjBe6QUYbhyup4oBES59ApyzHR4nLkEkS4ts2946FY2L5CTcfXdCQyZB98DE_5w6RgDgQQaXxhWoBkG6b4n6jgDd_4X_qVhY7pI9iYYegoh2J6IWG60WyNT1Xwr-rn6tVRl8Xz2jdFW-SqDM9jP9IQ342vSJVO8EXMXqhAe-J5Ft_9qxp_aQYu/s640/foggy%20morning%20in%20maine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPwgjBe6QUYbhyup4oBES59ApyzHR4nLkEkS4ts2946FY2L5CTcfXdCQyZB98DE_5w6RgDgQQaXxhWoBkG6b4n6jgDd_4X_qVhY7pI9iYYegoh2J6IWG60WyNT1Xwr-rn6tVRl8Xz2jdFW-SqDM9jP9IQ342vSJVO8EXMXqhAe-J5Ft_9qxp_aQYu/w480-h640/foggy%20morning%20in%20maine.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>The wedding was so much fun. We danced most of the night - even the Man danced. The music was from the 70s and 80s with a few contemporary songs thrown in. The whole place was up on their feet. The disc jockey definitely knew his stuff. <p></p><p>But the most fun? The fiber optic wands they passed out. We all had a blast using them while dancing. And at the table just sitting. And walking back to our hotel rooms. What a bunch of kids we were, waving them around in the parking lots.</p><p>__________</p><p>The foggy morning pictured above was the day we left Maine for Prince Edward Island. It was thick and damp, much like the fog from the movie "The Mist". Then I remembered that Stephen King is from Maine and that explained most of that movie. I was getting a little spooked by the fog, it was so very thick. I kept looking for prehistoric sized insects to come careening out of it. I was unbelievably relieved when the fog lifted and the sun came out.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-7933246416363346222023-01-31T21:07:00.002-05:002023-01-31T21:07:47.233-05:00Stockings Full of Love<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9HiJfm1QCMc5Ujka2tg1X1dTB6Qoq-qC-N5o5k3O8V-lBy5AE0ARCd3Z0PSRzoG4DiBlSgfQYHUEDtsq2Q_lz2LzWj_rLefj3G9Ra68kC7fuEu_IKT3ytkYmwSysuBQU8_v-LAWjo1eFbD7ZQAAFvn6t_U5BYIxiW-ws533A9V8SuBgd-8-NA7to/s640/little%20miss%20stocking%20best.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="624" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9HiJfm1QCMc5Ujka2tg1X1dTB6Qoq-qC-N5o5k3O8V-lBy5AE0ARCd3Z0PSRzoG4DiBlSgfQYHUEDtsq2Q_lz2LzWj_rLefj3G9Ra68kC7fuEu_IKT3ytkYmwSysuBQU8_v-LAWjo1eFbD7ZQAAFvn6t_U5BYIxiW-ws533A9V8SuBgd-8-NA7to/w624-h640/little%20miss%20stocking%20best.JPG" width="624" /></a></div>I made my eighth Anthropologie inspired Christmas stocking this past holiday season. <p></p><p>Little Miss was the latest recipient. I let her mama pick out the colors. Reds, pinks, and a few oranges thrown in for fun. A very girly stocking and I love, love, love it. I nestled her inside so I could get a few pics like I did of her brother. He was a bit older than she is now when I took his pic so he fills his stocking out much more.</p><p>I think they're the cutest stocking gifts ever.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fActgYbiVAseIAgPQDPUWhBm3mB_Q2i_Vg05VfYwTJLiyZCKjOEWByklOP-DJiruJysDStCm-ZQHg2PrO48saQUPExb1HWBE-Fd5SrzZSAKJro-_avuNWPK3Yt76AGpbjvxH8LrOH3sw7coOW5lnJNbH48iP9ohE_ApdUcS1uPNqmk0uGgfo6N_E/s640/stocking%20babies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fActgYbiVAseIAgPQDPUWhBm3mB_Q2i_Vg05VfYwTJLiyZCKjOEWByklOP-DJiruJysDStCm-ZQHg2PrO48saQUPExb1HWBE-Fd5SrzZSAKJro-_avuNWPK3Yt76AGpbjvxH8LrOH3sw7coOW5lnJNbH48iP9ohE_ApdUcS1uPNqmk0uGgfo6N_E/w640-h640/stocking%20babies.JPG" width="640" /></a></p><p>I love making these stockings for my family, the people of my heart. As I knit along, I'm thinking about the person, praying for them, imagining them older and grown. I wonder about all the gifts that will be placed in these stockings over the coming years. I wonder how long they'll have the stocking. Will they use it when they're all grown up? And will they have it when they're old and have grandchildren of their own? Will they think about their Mom/Deeda, the mother/grandmother who made it for them?</p><p>I still have the stocking my Nan made for me when I was a young girl. I don't use it anymore because it's wearing in some places. She patched it up for me once and I used it for a little while longer but now I'm afraid to stretch the fibers any more than they already are. And I don't have Nan to fix it again. </p><p>__________</p><p>So it sits protected and safe. Someday I'll pass it down to the next generation. But for now, I simply pull it out each Christmas and remember. </p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-33768878217525046342023-01-28T22:06:00.001-05:002023-01-28T22:06:12.370-05:00Can't Stop, Won't Stop Brownies<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVaWUE29ByxYcWU1PgtpostPvZzFcgJ8_hcGOEgciHtY_TqWd5CmX7IaC7Tw1pV35_TAgDJ5_vJtrtzgIAY_vj65UnakjuOUGe_tnzju2RpKsMKueQGvgIhaksYhM0DBvO4xDXPJyu1e0LPRgKV4vrjUXITvmRaooarJeyEBVluDIhpgBt-u1GrMi/s640/healthy%20brownies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="588" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVaWUE29ByxYcWU1PgtpostPvZzFcgJ8_hcGOEgciHtY_TqWd5CmX7IaC7Tw1pV35_TAgDJ5_vJtrtzgIAY_vj65UnakjuOUGe_tnzju2RpKsMKueQGvgIhaksYhM0DBvO4xDXPJyu1e0LPRgKV4vrjUXITvmRaooarJeyEBVluDIhpgBt-u1GrMi/w588-h640/healthy%20brownies.jpg" width="588" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One day last week, a friend was telling me about some "brownies" her husband had made the night before. She said they couldn't stop eating them. In fact, they devoured the whole pan that night. I laughed because I didn't believe her. She is so super healthy, and such a healthy eater, it was not possible she helped devour a whole pan of brownies.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">No, she said. We really did eat the whole pan. And she was serious.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then she gave me the recipe.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3 ripe bananas</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 cup peanut butter</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 cup cocoa</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mash everything together. Or use your mixer. It doesn't matter. Just mix everything together until it looks like brownie batter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Spread it into a parchment lined small baking pan. Or pie plate. Whatever you have that's small to bake in. Cook at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool before cutting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made them today. They came out very fudgy. And yes, very delicious. Although I may try cooking them a few more minutes next time. Just to see what happens, you know?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By the way, the Man and I ate half the pan. </div> <p></p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-22027086345590585222023-01-27T23:16:00.006-05:002023-01-27T23:21:18.181-05:00Wintering<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeH0xhuxy5OehhdJH1785jtsxf7XJkxvZ1zFDfTaKJwMqvHA3NI8aTJe6MkG9JAk2faEbCNT1XsAuyrIZE83paesa-iZTvlH618n5Lf0yY_kZ6XseZK3nXAmRm0rF-IKwn_OPrwvkFvke59aH7jp7ObIANbXmrAYdtQNOcFWBfZGRQRqSkNPbHyTMw/s640/ice%20on%20rocks.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeH0xhuxy5OehhdJH1785jtsxf7XJkxvZ1zFDfTaKJwMqvHA3NI8aTJe6MkG9JAk2faEbCNT1XsAuyrIZE83paesa-iZTvlH618n5Lf0yY_kZ6XseZK3nXAmRm0rF-IKwn_OPrwvkFvke59aH7jp7ObIANbXmrAYdtQNOcFWBfZGRQRqSkNPbHyTMw/w640-h480/ice%20on%20rocks.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>The lobster trap tree resides in a small fishing village. We took a drive out to the point and saw lots of ice.<p></p><p>I couldn't get over how many people were parked there, watching the ocean. Water fascinates people, winter or summer. The relentless surf, the sheer volume of the ocean, the distant horizon - I think it reminds us how inconsequential and small we are in the universe.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesvA5DBaqzDpzv_DxGeeJFG6Qvm8Q4LNGCkIrXXw_40-tF-AkFV4NCEn5RxUDHkdgX_nbHt-43j58rzypw0BtNiz4BACxPlrYN62AJh_j_VP1lBincDI5DNp3PcLfo7cQ0E1CBszRi-EnFmFQRbDTGeqwjzLO9l2mYLzAP0KGQDQVK2HpPdHvAPaK/s640/red%20love%20heart%20storefront.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesvA5DBaqzDpzv_DxGeeJFG6Qvm8Q4LNGCkIrXXw_40-tF-AkFV4NCEn5RxUDHkdgX_nbHt-43j58rzypw0BtNiz4BACxPlrYN62AJh_j_VP1lBincDI5DNp3PcLfo7cQ0E1CBszRi-EnFmFQRbDTGeqwjzLO9l2mYLzAP0KGQDQVK2HpPdHvAPaK/w480-h640/red%20love%20heart%20storefront.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>We walked around the village. I took lots of photos of storefronts and doorways. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLjvszi0qXEC12rpmIxb3HjarPhyZovxDbVxll5VsM-ifSl_K6Q6KLnLaXNz0MXpk3jhELEJqGDWNJbe1rVyE9j1Y6vpGGtGTbhxOu0B8UOa-OHrAYy-1aUHGH06a5sg84iflMIJs19aL3kasc1EZfXhuewWlkmsswPi9r96X-qfEF9ie2nh9PZs_/s640/tucci%20storefront.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="550" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLjvszi0qXEC12rpmIxb3HjarPhyZovxDbVxll5VsM-ifSl_K6Q6KLnLaXNz0MXpk3jhELEJqGDWNJbe1rVyE9j1Y6vpGGtGTbhxOu0B8UOa-OHrAYy-1aUHGH06a5sg84iflMIJs19aL3kasc1EZfXhuewWlkmsswPi9r96X-qfEF9ie2nh9PZs_/w550-h640/tucci%20storefront.jpg" width="550" /></a></div>I love those white paper snowflakes. And the fresh greens around the window. <p></p><p>Simple. Lovely.</p><p>Looking forward to a quiet weekend ahead. </p><p>__________</p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>"Once we stop wishing it were summer, winter can be a glorious season in which the world takes on a sparse beauty and even the pavements sparkle. It’s a time for reflection and recuperation, for slow replenishment, for putting your house in order. Doing those deeply unfashionable things—slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting—is a radical act now, but it is essential."</i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>-Katherine May, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times</i></span></span></p><p> </p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-48451531332225556452023-01-24T23:16:00.001-05:002023-01-24T23:16:12.936-05:00Lobster Trap Christmas Tree, The Man, and Me<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUDds056AJi4rZX1w-GUn-hZeiaBIKl3OfmsIYFXvkul5jVQqL2KNU1SAwVJdMr3kkRKIZL-xqeVbT_XjkDy4J4oziHH27tZHflIA2yx1JdSsO5SQdTXcGH9nFmpyzRaAHrdDWCCc3YL4Odjnzhgp-5ldAsvJKedL9CVIeVz5h-nSR8TKt4GxiC0t/s640/lobster%20trap%20inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUDds056AJi4rZX1w-GUn-hZeiaBIKl3OfmsIYFXvkul5jVQqL2KNU1SAwVJdMr3kkRKIZL-xqeVbT_XjkDy4J4oziHH27tZHflIA2yx1JdSsO5SQdTXcGH9nFmpyzRaAHrdDWCCc3YL4Odjnzhgp-5ldAsvJKedL9CVIeVz5h-nSR8TKt4GxiC0t/w300-h400/lobster%20trap%20inside.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>The Man and I traveled to see a lobster trap Christmas tree the day after Christmas. <div><br /></div><div>Very cool.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's about forty feet tall and made from new lobster traps. There are hand painted buoys mixed among the lights all along the outside - miniature works of art. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4NZcn0pQ23ECSSFiQaipQRxfyoBYeLNeUzkjldqNwIIlxvcVJAahU9JXCU5R3wJU5wirIUqhQqPWebfkqkaDT_sLOo9QfdjZYgra_iiwe9oBuYxlXjgtJf0TfHEjUxfCRQ5B3u_Ssz5lk6hhh9_0S13D46hZP8dm9p8jw9leSoG588H6PX2AsXA_/s640/lobster%20trap%20whole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4NZcn0pQ23ECSSFiQaipQRxfyoBYeLNeUzkjldqNwIIlxvcVJAahU9JXCU5R3wJU5wirIUqhQqPWebfkqkaDT_sLOo9QfdjZYgra_iiwe9oBuYxlXjgtJf0TfHEjUxfCRQ5B3u_Ssz5lk6hhh9_0S13D46hZP8dm9p8jw9leSoG588H6PX2AsXA_/w300-h400/lobster%20trap%20whole.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>The night was so cold and we had to wait in line for about forty minutes. I was very glad for my thick winter coat and warm furry Ugg boots. We ate dinner along the waterfront. A delicious bowl of homemade clam chowder and caprese bruschetta. </div><div><br /></div><div>A wonderful way to wrap up the holiday season. </div>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-65251025878742526692023-01-20T23:06:00.002-05:002023-01-20T23:06:27.844-05:00Cold of Winter<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD07fTIjzQ8dJPnedmafRV9Dp8P3whBIlvqalCMNCld2jIJMiYAnRw5Ak9XD-pwwaP4gBYCB7pDM-SoxoqI4bE8gxdqCffxugrjICWRawuNWoR86F1pivDYeKQV9iI3UCeH2PVJ5Kkyib8y1kY5fTNj6aW-HxxkiZ5Y82ftytTbSjv67iKa0RRmnj7/s2016/baby%20pineapple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD07fTIjzQ8dJPnedmafRV9Dp8P3whBIlvqalCMNCld2jIJMiYAnRw5Ak9XD-pwwaP4gBYCB7pDM-SoxoqI4bE8gxdqCffxugrjICWRawuNWoR86F1pivDYeKQV9iI3UCeH2PVJ5Kkyib8y1kY5fTNj6aW-HxxkiZ5Y82ftytTbSjv67iKa0RRmnj7/w300-h400/baby%20pineapple.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p>Spent some time walking through the greenhouses at a nearby college this past weekend. A lovely respite from a {very} cold winter day.</p><p>The Man and I got to spend a day with our son, DIL, and her parents. The men went to some sort of woodworking event while the women took off in the complete opposite direction. We chose to have lunch at a quirky little Greek taverna, did some shopping, and got some bubble tea.</p><p>Later in the afternoon we met the men at a local brewery. We enjoyed a trio playing some alt folk music and tried some local craft beer. After that, we had dinner at the corner Italian restaurant and celebrated a dual retirement for A's parents. Bruschetta, pasta, wine - very delicious and a perfect complement for the winter's evening chill.</p><p>An absolutely lovely day.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbnzX5QQBiB3ngfHvsetje-HpPUvwgodTyNMcvw2D3mshgeyMeWTS_optuY02Xn3yhOgVvK0_gvvbKw16kThGyHXvw3RVyXkDw0vkPBCn63K38DSr2IKDJuQpGV2bEx8CsESLEStkq2xfrNZoJWVaHmOL4hW3IzNS3Zk1vkktRd8sUTX5SBH160me/s2016/greenhouse%20window.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbnzX5QQBiB3ngfHvsetje-HpPUvwgodTyNMcvw2D3mshgeyMeWTS_optuY02Xn3yhOgVvK0_gvvbKw16kThGyHXvw3RVyXkDw0vkPBCn63K38DSr2IKDJuQpGV2bEx8CsESLEStkq2xfrNZoJWVaHmOL4hW3IzNS3Zk1vkktRd8sUTX5SBH160me/w300-h400/greenhouse%20window.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness."</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">John Steinbeck</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><br /> <p></p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-40588446801498380452023-01-20T00:29:00.001-05:002023-01-20T00:29:24.647-05:00Who Needs a Plan?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUhWwOrFNIEQ5o6-SSJboGZHOL157H6URLAnjjyxGDLrNl-Ia2qW_Jrx96a1rlxOgiEo1RgohVFC2nV-PHBOyRKcZcLPp-S8cue_O5SazMiGiHZgdyJvw8IeYl5tHAY4hyOQ7Omm2MKzKrTHC1adysIfhsSyeffow-ZKlxyl-oHamYBr3hwoe81tR/s2016/man%20and%20little%20man%20sci%20museum%20blocks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUhWwOrFNIEQ5o6-SSJboGZHOL157H6URLAnjjyxGDLrNl-Ia2qW_Jrx96a1rlxOgiEo1RgohVFC2nV-PHBOyRKcZcLPp-S8cue_O5SazMiGiHZgdyJvw8IeYl5tHAY4hyOQ7Omm2MKzKrTHC1adysIfhsSyeffow-ZKlxyl-oHamYBr3hwoe81tR/w300-h400/man%20and%20little%20man%20sci%20museum%20blocks.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p>We took Little Man to the science museum last weekend. I don't know who had more fun, the Man or Little Man.</p><p>We bounced all over the place, from here to there, up to this level, down to that level. Time for lunch, check out the water section. Oh, look - a spaceship! </p><p>I felt like a pinball.</p><p>__________</p><p>When our own kids were young and we took them to museums, we were very systematic and organized about seeing EVERYTHING. Every exhibit, big and small. We read every sign on every exhibit. In a linear and logical path, we covered ground. </p><p>We did not miss a thing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVp0G3uCl0G3qfxSBcQaQqWxqv5glksQmWlGG_WctpZ-nSYCtYlaSEu4BgmmYY-I4WKJ_kCKwLpGTs51CDUh7gI_dcSbHOk9PCUoG9YwQZIxzrkVeYnwjKIfmxaFyWHqgA2RkQ-5_j2ZoXkdlIzT3QRzcb0Ae8iNExwmztp7gLGgzirVoFw4p10ZU/s2016/man%20and%20little%20man%20sci%20museum%20one.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVp0G3uCl0G3qfxSBcQaQqWxqv5glksQmWlGG_WctpZ-nSYCtYlaSEu4BgmmYY-I4WKJ_kCKwLpGTs51CDUh7gI_dcSbHOk9PCUoG9YwQZIxzrkVeYnwjKIfmxaFyWHqgA2RkQ-5_j2ZoXkdlIzT3QRzcb0Ae8iNExwmztp7gLGgzirVoFw4p10ZU/w300-h400/man%20and%20little%20man%20sci%20museum%20one.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fast forward twenty-five years and we're operating much differently with a grandchild. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Little Man set the pace and the path. Want to play with an air cannon and a beach ball for fifteen minutes? Sure. We've got nothing else to do. Feel like moving sand around in a box for twenty minutes and watch the contours change color? Absolutely. We'll just wait over here. Care to play at the farmer's market playscape even though you have almost the same thing at home? No problem. They have different fruits and vegetables to play with here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Such a different way to operate for us. No schedule, no plan. Just fun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I loved it.</div> <p></p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-2108358263844153472023-01-18T22:52:00.001-05:002023-01-18T22:52:18.789-05:00Hello Little Miss C<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXedBr1w4Wm9eA3nzohm7Rnq1DOQ_5Fv4sfDGDdGDeSPuCGRVWQljgkLXVZOThpn6ss1fxR2NG63t4vJR_KHArJjwYL-9zTTfxVqC8n_Qd-CcS3JuHkaklLf4qnfqnYAjNwdruMgGUUAfbK4sbRz0s7qiPXulbk7R8hFbFSKH5r8WcY19z6-vydBPI/s640/C%20blurry%20smile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXedBr1w4Wm9eA3nzohm7Rnq1DOQ_5Fv4sfDGDdGDeSPuCGRVWQljgkLXVZOThpn6ss1fxR2NG63t4vJR_KHArJjwYL-9zTTfxVqC8n_Qd-CcS3JuHkaklLf4qnfqnYAjNwdruMgGUUAfbK4sbRz0s7qiPXulbk7R8hFbFSKH5r8WcY19z6-vydBPI/w400-h300/C%20blurry%20smile.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>Meet sweet little miss C. Our new granddaughter.</p><p>We're in love again.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5FV1vH9hxwBrHDuarSGwL-R3jeNmeQ4nOzUDSDLg3Sd9Cnh9L30TbgiEcHwFrSaUYnq3RyX7cMnfmVC9eIhjMVTQuwNUiVT38j-2O1aSob8KaHRCFJLNB6E-dhDU-5-BDo2ouOzoh8RnkoRPfqd30n9ZeGNbXw3lSl5EKJUBwPrMActpMGqvXgRs/s640/deeda%20and%20little%20miss%20c%20hands.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="640" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5FV1vH9hxwBrHDuarSGwL-R3jeNmeQ4nOzUDSDLg3Sd9Cnh9L30TbgiEcHwFrSaUYnq3RyX7cMnfmVC9eIhjMVTQuwNUiVT38j-2O1aSob8KaHRCFJLNB6E-dhDU-5-BDo2ouOzoh8RnkoRPfqd30n9ZeGNbXw3lSl5EKJUBwPrMActpMGqvXgRs/w400-h379/deeda%20and%20little%20miss%20c%20hands.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Somewhere I have a picture of me holding my Nan's hands. <p></p><p>Time marches on.</p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-81550587359100565872022-07-24T15:51:00.001-04:002022-07-24T16:04:16.507-04:00Berry Cute<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpuWbRQ0JGK33dxs9YyPe-fpZH8YwrIgzOMVL6TXM79wSEmOwwURNJSzo18gnVVNCTRACDeMmxZKWrlTYrO9vCceOc_u5hmnqbVYmsKGPlVlYnoFeS4UjmZ2SDqVS2EUTfCZaPvjTdQxwUPHxJPp3-5vevVFdOdkAKDGnw46foMKImaQbTrsM8BOt/s640/image0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpuWbRQ0JGK33dxs9YyPe-fpZH8YwrIgzOMVL6TXM79wSEmOwwURNJSzo18gnVVNCTRACDeMmxZKWrlTYrO9vCceOc_u5hmnqbVYmsKGPlVlYnoFeS4UjmZ2SDqVS2EUTfCZaPvjTdQxwUPHxJPp3-5vevVFdOdkAKDGnw46foMKImaQbTrsM8BOt/w480-h640/image0.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>Looking at these pics you might be thinking, "They like to eat," and you would be right. Especially this Little Man.<p></p><p>"Smile at Deeda," I said, knowing there was going to be a cheesy smile. </p><p>Although it came right after he told me it was stinky in the kitchen. I had just minced fresh garlic for the grilled pizza. So maybe it's a garlic-y smile.</p><p>Ha.</p><p>__________</p><p>Our favorite grilled pizza is a very simple margherita. Truly delicious and easy to make.</p><p>But I've had burrata on my mind lately so I picked up some of that and we made one pie with burrata. </p><p>Holy guacamole. </p><p>An absolute show stopper. The creamy texture of the burrata spread easily over the hot bread and mingled with the tomatoes perfectly. It was so good we're having it again this week.</p><p>Sorry there aren't any pics. We polished it off in about three and half seconds.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2da2vDi3Mbta0gd54PZEzKhhMxqLV8U01v743K9NslsttEpeR76TqKPKSdQTX9vzZEXVqkJcq-h8UMYBIwXzWlJAtfaAK6JOl7F4crzzkDSZ5AOZBOZ8kSiDmw-M4Jg7XPwX7yb8J6VLfbRp2VouULO6H0FrqJhw-vPPGeYm7pIU9qsMKH16tYRf/s640/image1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2da2vDi3Mbta0gd54PZEzKhhMxqLV8U01v743K9NslsttEpeR76TqKPKSdQTX9vzZEXVqkJcq-h8UMYBIwXzWlJAtfaAK6JOl7F4crzzkDSZ5AOZBOZ8kSiDmw-M4Jg7XPwX7yb8J6VLfbRp2VouULO6H0FrqJhw-vPPGeYm7pIU9qsMKH16tYRf/w480-h640/image1.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After dinner, we took a drive to a local farm where they make their own ice cream. It was a lazy, hot summer night. Ice cream was just the thing. Little Man had a "blue" ice cream (really blueberry but he accepts that it's not quite blue). He loves anything blue and doesn't want to hear they may not have blue ice cream. He's learned he needs to have a very loose interpretation of the word "blue".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the rare times we find blue ice cream, we get it. He never eats it. He eats mine. Vanilla.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Go figure.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">__________</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After he finished his ice cream, he got to run around and play on the wooden tractor and go see the cows. He also declared the farm a stinky place. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Glad to know my kitchen and cooking smell like a farm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbMbgZHrSGRs0b_JMui0Kh_gZQyjLR8khRw7UlZ5BhhHAh7ClTGkLuS9V5M6Mz-301wBHQRU2JhBSu58SSQw_F7lzwyHPGp9q3nrehO2EsuxuwdYJ_GRkAn26msYibnXUgwjQB_eAUn2UEfqjqEtrrJ_lmTOM4TiVOI73rWbcjywmTYG7fIR9x_ot/s640/image6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbMbgZHrSGRs0b_JMui0Kh_gZQyjLR8khRw7UlZ5BhhHAh7ClTGkLuS9V5M6Mz-301wBHQRU2JhBSu58SSQw_F7lzwyHPGp9q3nrehO2EsuxuwdYJ_GRkAn26msYibnXUgwjQB_eAUn2UEfqjqEtrrJ_lmTOM4TiVOI73rWbcjywmTYG7fIR9x_ot/w512-h640/image6.jpeg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Picking zinnias for Deeda.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm obsessed with my flowers this summer. Fresh bouquets are everywhere. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOodSEpb26P9ODrucKBssZ6swt78w4foSDtnWTU59WL6fE-VBQMKhwHziFQ_F_GDcUJQJ2OC17v5DLb6z18BxO8JA1JU8x7quYjjN6yRaiT03t08rasvDxU9OzjwrL8GeS9FTFCv7BDgEhzzbB_TnoqrdfeI3jL0DA1g3zsLxuC3R5tgfyzf14J3C/s1800/image7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOodSEpb26P9ODrucKBssZ6swt78w4foSDtnWTU59WL6fE-VBQMKhwHziFQ_F_GDcUJQJ2OC17v5DLb6z18BxO8JA1JU8x7quYjjN6yRaiT03t08rasvDxU9OzjwrL8GeS9FTFCv7BDgEhzzbB_TnoqrdfeI3jL0DA1g3zsLxuC3R5tgfyzf14J3C/w512-h640/image7.jpeg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our harvest for the day. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He finished them rather quickly. Boppa barely got a chance to see them before they were gone. Little Man will turn into a berry soon, I think, he eats so many of them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He's berry cute, isn't he?</div><br /> <p></p>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527653189614155182.post-67613813974651178942021-11-20T22:11:00.000-05:002021-11-20T22:11:05.460-05:00Wagon Ho!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFKDnN2-t_rG-xB8_mfqJVsd3PelW47wYeN98dS6EeK9xBzvKgqZtRgUrzsi0uWySKfJcq0FVyLvbqH-Dc8nMzonrXbif7C5b5Q_dAqE4hefY62jzIEt6qohEtmBoSdZslqmDleh_00M/s2048/2021+o+pulling+grampa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFKDnN2-t_rG-xB8_mfqJVsd3PelW47wYeN98dS6EeK9xBzvKgqZtRgUrzsi0uWySKfJcq0FVyLvbqH-Dc8nMzonrXbif7C5b5Q_dAqE4hefY62jzIEt6qohEtmBoSdZslqmDleh_00M/w640-h426/2021+o+pulling+grampa.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>This little green wagon is a favorite of ours.<div><br /></div><div>The Man retired over the summer and has found lots of projects to work on - painting this wagon was one of them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Very important projects, as you can see.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7snXZ0BpNIvf0k_bmG0Gv-bImFNwr7US0tGHsAZWO8WQFtgK2FuzPThA4zGPK6Ro8qgG4Ctyxvg6ENXbqgimzX_x04B4qFRKezPKamTYgIqF7TbbVQVZXneK0mUjQmu2AENfJHQrMcA/s2048/dan+pulling+oliver+in+wagon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7snXZ0BpNIvf0k_bmG0Gv-bImFNwr7US0tGHsAZWO8WQFtgK2FuzPThA4zGPK6Ro8qgG4Ctyxvg6ENXbqgimzX_x04B4qFRKezPKamTYgIqF7TbbVQVZXneK0mUjQmu2AENfJHQrMcA/w640-h426/dan+pulling+oliver+in+wagon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>As it turns out, very important indeed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Little Man and Man have lots of fun with this green wagon. They take turns pulling each other. Little Man's turn is much shorter. And he only likes to pull going downhill.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xoqoI4m2_Czeyb40-mPrQ8g6pWNSbwfPn7bKyB8lRMpF5P_Cy-cNzHvyDEThdxT5GG3agAIaU0GbTpMsbbF0lbkAxVY5WEADOZCvGfnz-s9SEgxoburmyo5Antz9xw36_oNYleZllAI/s2048/2021+smilling+in+wagon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xoqoI4m2_Czeyb40-mPrQ8g6pWNSbwfPn7bKyB8lRMpF5P_Cy-cNzHvyDEThdxT5GG3agAIaU0GbTpMsbbF0lbkAxVY5WEADOZCvGfnz-s9SEgxoburmyo5Antz9xw36_oNYleZllAI/w640-h426/2021+smilling+in+wagon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>He loves going uphill behind the barn. It's rugged and bumpy and he has to hang on.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anything he has to hang on for is going to be great fun, in his opinion.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmw7OBBgn1XwM0R-2Q8UgOLjEm2h2JNnQPcyiGkr9l8QfQ3cJsx1prUZvMR0HlQfyhWFNz1vPXBU4jym0qFJp6aCFGeaSMFcAPUcuBABbWxctktVItMmqigr618ge_Ceen4dq0rJ4qa90/s2048/o+in+wagon+going+uphill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmw7OBBgn1XwM0R-2Q8UgOLjEm2h2JNnQPcyiGkr9l8QfQ3cJsx1prUZvMR0HlQfyhWFNz1vPXBU4jym0qFJp6aCFGeaSMFcAPUcuBABbWxctktVItMmqigr618ge_Ceen4dq0rJ4qa90/w640-h426/o+in+wagon+going+uphill.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>More hanging on.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEwjuGLtFW1S0ZS0ATd5i-CzroqoNvMqXYxkdnaRvSc0DsvBeguvjDMWvCXDJ1ZINtqyHXWNTv_dl-THflRUJ3AB5vaJwHnmpy_JkbhGG-JHJAUMX4rHpzNQkcIZeZ27makdnQ73dxvI/s2048/o+in+wagon+going+wonky.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEwjuGLtFW1S0ZS0ATd5i-CzroqoNvMqXYxkdnaRvSc0DsvBeguvjDMWvCXDJ1ZINtqyHXWNTv_dl-THflRUJ3AB5vaJwHnmpy_JkbhGG-JHJAUMX4rHpzNQkcIZeZ27makdnQ73dxvI/w640-h426/o+in+wagon+going+wonky.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>A good day spent wagoneering.<br /> <p></p></div>a simple lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10337823472457265529noreply@blogger.com0