Chaos

 I'm not one fond of chaos.  I don't love drama in life and want smooth sailing whenever possible.  I do notice that some folks thrive on drama and chaos.  There must be some adrenalin rush for them.  Now I'm not saying I want boring...at least not every day!  However, we're doing projects around the house that have lead to some chaos in my book.  Speaking of books:

My dining room table and any other flat surface is covered in books for  now.  One of my projects is repainting the living room along with the bookshelves that surround the fireplace.

Everything has to be taken down, wiped clean, and taken apart to get ready for the paint job.  I know I'll be happy when it's done but I sure hate all the "stuff'"  laying around.  Plus I have to go through all the books that will be either donated, kept, or...gulp...tossed out.   I love books and frankly have collected way too many.  So it's a good time to downsize and have that chore out of the way.   Then there is the painting part.  The cabinets are a cream color but soon they will be white.  The walls that were supposed to be gray years ago when we painted them are going green.  The gray paint always looked blue.  

Swatches of color to see how it will look in different light.  The dark shade will be on one wall only and behind the bookshelves.  The light color will be on the other walls.  Final pics when all done and fingers crossed that I'll like it and it  will look good.  Time will tell!  Speaking of time, Jack turned the big 70 last Friday.  Now he can't say he sleeps with an older woman!  (I guess I'll always be those 6mos older though)  It was also Annabelle's birthday too!

9 years young!  We've had her. a year and a half but she feels like a member of the family that's always been here.  Love that sweet pup!  One final celebration this month is tomorrow when Jack and I celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary.  To celebrate I'll be working and so will he! Ha!  We're taking a little trip to Salem, MA, and Maine in September but Jack is doing that for me because I've talked about going there forever!  Not really in his wheelhouse but he's always up for an adventure! So good bye to August and on to my favorite months ahead.  With Fall like temps today, in the 60's it's easy to get into the Autumn mode.  But temps will rise this weekend and next week 90 will be the order of the day.  Oh well, it is still Summer!  Have a good rest of the week!

Life's A Beach

 Jack and I don't head to a beach very often.  Sand and sun are not his favorite things and even though we've traveled a fair amount in our lives we seldom spend time in the sand.  However, we went up to Lake Erie yesterday to meet with some of Jack's high school classmates at the lake house of one of his friends.  It was a picture perfect day here in Ohio.  Not humid at all, 72de, and sunny with a fantastic lake breeze to enjoy.  Jack and his classmates meet once a month for lunch and meeting for lunch at the lake was something they did last year that we weren't able to attend.  I'm glad we could this year.  Tom, who was our host, provided a boat load...literally...of fresh, fried on the spot, walleye fish and we all brought sides and desserts to share.  So much good food! Here's just a few pics of our day.

Beautiful deck across from the house gives beach access and a wonderful place to gather and eat.

Food and drink were set up on the sidewalk in front of the deck.  This just shows a little of the spread provided!

Some of the gang sitting and enjoying the relaxing sound of the waves and catching up with friends.

Catching Jack in actual sun! 

We couldn't have asked for a better day. Beautiful beach!

I took a stroll down the beach.  Can you see Cedar Point amusement park in the distance? 

No sea shells at this beach, just rocks that have been tumbled smooth. I like to find the ones that look like hearts.  I did find a few interesting ones.  It was a fun day to get a way and do something different. Jack's classmates are all really fun to hang with and I have to smile because I swear, most of the gals are named either Kathy (with a K) or Deb! That's the 50's for you!  Well, enjoy the fleeting days of August. This month has only a week and a half before it's September.  With the cool day yesterday and even cooler night I have a feeling Fall will be here before we know it.  Have a good weekend everyone!

Dog Days Of August

 This first week of August has Jack and I tripping over our guests.  We took on the request of our son to watch their dog, Kip.  He's 100lbs of Golden Doodle!  

Remember him?  This isn't our first rodeo with the Kipper.  He's a good dog and so far so good this time around.  He's just a tad bigger than Annabelle!  Plus, like people, dogs have their own routine when it comes to dinner times, pooping times, sleeping times and places.  We've learned to make sure no food is on the counter and also for Annabelle to eat her food in a guarded place or he will help himself.  Then the other day my sweet Granddaughter, Summer, asked if we could keep her dog for a few days this week.  Being the YaYa I am I couldn't say no.  So we welcomed little Happy to the group.  Happy weighs about 5lbs.

Here's Kip lounging around with Happy.

I guess you can call this a real "3 Dog Night"!  

Kip will also take a quick nap with Jack.   So I guess we can call this week the dog days of  August.  Our furry guests will leave tomorrow and Annabelle will be back to being top dog again.  Whew.  They've been good but like last time we dog sat I'll be happy to be a one dog family again.  

You might think this is the reflection of the sun behind me but I'm going to believe it's my halo for being a good Mom and YaYa to man and beast!