Food, Family, Friends and Fellowship

My brother called last Thursday morning to wish me a happy Thanksgiving and inquire if I had plans. More on the plans in a few paragraphs, but we somehow got on the subject of foods eaten during our childhood. The not-good-for-us foods. My brother didn’t remember the Velveeta macaroni and cheese mom and dad made from scratch during lent and his better half bellowed a big “Ewww” when I recounted how dad made fried-in-butter bologna sandwiches on Wonder cardboard whiteRead more

#SoCS – Filling Frames

“The key to happiness is not to get more, but to enjoy what we have and to fill the empty frame of our lives instead of enlarging it.” ~Albert Szent Gyorgyi~ I like this – a reminder that I have plenty to work with inside my own frame and don’t need to turn an 8×10″ into 20×24. Friday reminded me that I have special people who make up part of my life’s photograph…spending the morning with a friend who IRead more

SoCS: All Over the Place

Ubiquitous: Everywhere. In mind and body, this summer has been packed with places to go and things to do. I feel as if I’ve been all over the place the past eight or nine weeks. In other words…everywhere. Vacation, meet-ups with friends, appointments, keeping a kitten occupied, a music festival, watering flowers, walking at night with the neighbors, and volunteering for a week-long arts camp for kids through the church I attend. In between laundry, house cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.Read more

SoCS: Bagging the Last Two Weeks

Gibbs bagged himself a spot on the couch arm recently, and hung out. He was happy his human was home from vacation, but nevertheless gave that “poor, poor me” vibe. Things would turn worse, unfortunately, when the poor soul went to the vet for dental and had two incisors pulled. They are smaller teeth between the canines on the upper and lower jaw. I had a cat once that had all of his lower incisors pulled and afterward, he hadRead more

SoCS: How Ya Doin’?

How many times have you asked that question of family and friends? A hundred? A thousand? Too many times to count? When we don’t stay in touch with our people on a regular basis, it’s a fairly common first question to ask. Right? So, how are you doing my fellow blogging peeps? I’ve been a tad busy the last couple of weeks, which means I haven’t published a post or been reading many of your posts. I apologize. I’m notRead more

#SoCS: Icing on the Cake

Mmmmm…cake. Chocolate cake, lemon cake, carrot cake, any cake. Icing is a great part of cake, but please don’t give me the sicky-sweet stuff. I prefer fluffy not-so-sweet icing that enhances the cake rather than overpowers it. But I digress. For now, I have to stay away from cake and lose the pounds that it and all of the holiday treats added to my waistline. Instead, I’ll focus on a different kind of icing…the type that makes life a littleRead more

#CBWC: Candid Shots

This week’s entry for Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge (CBWC) includes Candid Shots. Join the fun of black and white photography by clicking on the link at the beginning of the post. Details and weekly themes can be found HERE.Read more

#WATWB – Friendship is a Wonderful Thing

There are numerous positive and heart-warming stories coming from our present practice of social distancing. So many that I didn’t think I could pick just one. That is, until I came across Doreen, Carol and Dotty in the United Kingdom, who have been dubbed the real life Golden Girls. You can read about them HERE and make sure you watch both videos. These ladies are a hoot! “I don’t know what I would have done without my friends,” Carol said.Read more

Clean Laundry

“It’s the little things, sometimes.” A friend of mine spoke these words recently and I agree with the sentiment. Sometimes it doesn’t take much… A small gesture of kindness A knowing smile Chai tea latte When a new recipe is a winner Laughing with friends Game night A glass of wine or a pint of beer Shared food Never being without dark chocolate A winning raffle ticket Clean laundry Purring cats Another football win Snow that clings to the treesRead more

The Root of Excitement

  In nine days. I will not be sitting at the end of a tree limb with a bird in my hand. No. In nine days… Biking buddy and I will be traveling to southeastern Minnesota to spend a week on picturesque bike trails along a winding river and eight small villages, while visiting shops, eateries and at least two brewpubs, breathing in the start of autumn, and thanking God for vacation, relaxation and the beauty of the outdoors. I’mRead more

Another Year of Living

“God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.” ~Voltaire~ Today I am grateful to my parents and God for giving me life. It’s my birthday! Presents and niceties are not required, but deeply appreciated. I’m not celebrating too much today as I’ll be at work and have nothing planned for the evening hours. My birthday celebration occurred this past weekend.  Although Saturday was fall-ish cool, it was beautifullyRead more

One-Liner Wednesday: Beer

“I need a beer more than I need pomp and circumstance.” I’m not much of a drinker. But I like to talk a good story. Last week was crazy busy…and my boss wasn’t even around. By Friday, I felt good about what I had accomplished; however, the stress of it all had my shoulders pinned to both ears. Facebook friends noted that I required a foam roller and a beer. The foam roller and I had a date Friday evening,Read more