Plan B

 This month is almost over and I've only posted once?  It's been a busy few weeks as we are finishing up projects and getting ready for family to come in October.  I finished painting the living room and I've gotten rid of at least 100 books!  I've donated many to the library and the church books have been taken to the church for others to enjoy.  It feels good to pare down and clean out.  I'll post living room pics when I get it all finalized.   But today Jack and I are on an adventure that was suppose to take us to Salem, Mass and Maine.  We decided to put it off until next year in June.  The storms that the East Coast has been having had us going to a plan B.  It's good to have a  plan B in most things and especially when traveling.  So where are we?  In the Upper Peninsula in Michigan.  We've been to different parts of Michigan when our kids were living there and for other things but never this far up. First we made a stop for lunch at a little diner called "Tony's".  The portions are a bit large:

Jack's BLT had a full pound of bacon on it. My Rueben probably had a full pound of corned beef on it. No we didn't eat the whole thing! Ha! We barely made it through half.  But it was a fun stop!  We stopped for the night in Gaylord, Michigan and then this morning we headed off to Mackinaw City and then to St. Ignes.  It was so foggy this morning that the drive across the huge bridge was a bit scary.  You could barely see the car in front of you and you couldn't see the water below at all.  That was probably a good thing since I have a little phobia about heights! But all went well and  We secured a hotel room in  St. Ignes before catching a ferry to Mackinaw Island.

A very foggy trip across the lake to the Island.

The ferry ride was fun even though the island was hidden for a bit!

Slowly Mackinaw Island came into view.  Once on the island the sun was shining and the temps were in the 60's and then the low 70's...perfect!

There are no cars allowed on the island.  Travel is either by horse, bike, or feet!  I guess even the undertaker goes by those rules! 

/The trees are starting to turn and we saw lots of lovely color.  My real reason for wanting to go to the island was to see the Grand Hotel.  So beautiful, so much history and one of my favorite chick flicks...Somewhere In Time...was filmed here.  I'm going to end the post for now and finish after our trip is over.  I have some lovely pics of this place that might encourage you to add this trip to your bucket list.  Bye for now!

 

It lived up to it's name of  GRAND!

30 Days Hath September

 Do you remember the 30 days poem? I used to say it when little so I could remember how many days in each month.  Now the days are flying by and the 30 days hath  September reminds me that it won't be long before November's 30 days will be upon us!   I do love this month as it ushers in Fall officially.  I seem to find projects galore this time of year.  Maybe it's the cooler temps that are trying to make it to us here in Ohio.  We've been blessed not to suffer the heat like many areas.  This past week was the hottest but that's not usual for this time of year.  Next week is looking more to my likes!  As I mentioned in my previous post I decided to paint the living room.  No biggie...or so I thought.  Turns out as I've grown a bit older, the painting isn't as quick and easy as in the past.   No worries though as it's almost done and soon I can get things back in order.  We joke that it's because we decided to get a bigger TV.  The old TV cabinet was given to a friend but then we had to buy another console to hold the big TV.  Jack had to assemble that. While doing that I decided to repaint.  Doing that had me rethinking debulking the book shelves...painting those too.  Well, my advice to everyone is never buy a big TV!   In the mean time, Jack has had his own projects.

When we had the sidewalk put in the porch steps had to go.  So Jack put in the new steps and will now get the railing on.  After each finished thing I always envision a big check mark...CHECK..another one done!   The garden is doing it's own project...growing, growing, grown!  I've been canning a bit and giving lots away. Along with working this summer and keeping up with the lawn and garden I've grown a bit overwhelmed.  I was hoping that next week the hospital wouldn't need me but I stupidly agreed to work 2 days.  That doesn't sound like a lot but it does dig into my time.  Oh well, I'll stop complaining and give you a little mystery I found.   I was taking Annabelle for a walk in our favorite place to stroll..the city cemetery.   I happened to look down as see this little headstone that I never noticed before:

It's hard to see in this pic but it says "ZOE".  That's it.  No date, nothing.  Is it the resting place of a child?  I don't think they bury pets here.  It's also pretty close to this tree.  The stone doesn't look new and tree is pretty old.  Anyway, it gives one cause to pause.  Any thoughts?  So as the 30 days hath September goes on I hope to complete my projects, go on a little trip in 2 weeks to the East coast, and just take some time to enjoy my favorite time of year.  I've been buying a few little items for our Halloween party in October and I couldn't resist this charming gentleman..

I'm in love!

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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!  

July On The Fly

 I thought I'd better check in with my blog as this month has truly flown by.  This last week of the month will bring the warmer weather that many of the southern and western states have been dealing with.  We've really had a fairly nice, normal summer.  We'll get the first real hot weather starting tomorrow but I think it's suppose to slip back into regular temps after the weekend.  I have been busy doing the garden and yard work and thinking about the projects I'm supposed to be doing! We're going to be redoing the living room and painting is involved.  I'll post after pics when I actually get it all done.  I found a couple of people that will take a corner TV cupboard that we've had since we first moved here.

It's a big piece of furniture and it doesn't come apart.  Moving it will be interesting!

You can see it holds a fairly small TV compared to what most folks have these days.  Our boys have been kidding us that it's time to move up!  Since this cupboard doesn't hold anything bigger we have a new console waiting to be put together that will hold a large TV.  As for me, I was fine with this but I guess it's time to move on.  I was given some ideas as to what to do with this piece.  Like making it into storage or a coffee station.  Since we don't drink coffee and I don't have another place big enough for it I'm giving it to a friend. I told her to bring lots of strong men to help move it...and a truck!  We'll see how it goes I guess.  In other news from the Pines the garden is slowly producing.  I froze peppers and blueberries and I know more is on the way.

I like  having the peppers already sliced and ready for recipes.  Those blueberries will taste great in pancakes or perhaps a pie?  Speaking of recipes, I made homemade pop tarts:

They were fun to do and they tasted pretty good. I would modify the recipe if I do it again by adding more filling than what it called for.  Other than that it was a fun experiment!  We finally got to the farmer's market and I got a new wreath for the front door that will go on in August.

One of the nurses I used to work with makes wreaths and other things and sells them at the market. I think this will be good on the front door as we slowly slip into Autumn.  I know, I know, it's still Summer but once July is done I start thinking of  the next season.   But Summer is the time for reunions and we had a reunion over the weekend of folks that used to go to our Church over 20yrs ago and have moved away.  We had a group that came from all over to gather and reminisce.  Most live out of state and some were just kiddos when they left and are now grown up with kids and even grandkids of their own.

This is my friend Carol who was the one that suggested we do this.  At first she wanted to do it in 2024 but I said we need to do it this year.  As we age you never know what we will be dealing with in another year.  It went off great and we had a good time laughing, sharing stories, sharing photos of our kids, and just having a good time as if we hadn't been apart for all those years!

The silly selfie! Can you find YaYa?   

Jack (on the right) had a nice time with his good buddy, Tom. They used to do scouts together and I know he misses his old friend.  I'm glad he and his family came.  Even his oldest came up from Florida with his family.  So good to see them.   So this month is drifting away like the many balloons we've seen in the air lately.

These were last weeks.

This one was  up tonight, even in the murky air! Not a great shot but you can see how the air is not so good right now.   One last pic that will remind us that Autumn will be here soon:

I took this pic the other day in the cemetery. See the red leaves? Already!  Plus I found a few things to get for our Halloween party in October.

Isn't she just adorable? Ha!  Merry Christmas in July everyone!  

Good Ol' Summer Time

 The official Summer season start was in June but for some reason it really feels like the good ol' Summer time when July 4th arrives.   This past week I didn't have to work and Jack and I did some yard work here and there amongst the rain and heat and humidity that is Ohio this time of year.  Along with that comes the mosquitoes that I was so hoping would not appear.  Last year wasn't bad in the bug department but this year is a different story.  Jack bought us some outdoor wear for the mosquito invasion a couple of years ago and he's put it on a few times.  I resorted to spraying down or just staying  inside!  Taking Annabelle for walks down our country road is pretty impossible with these critters attacking us so we head to the cemetery in town for our walks.  They spray in town so we don't encounter these nasty biters!

Annabelle isn't crazy about the car ride into town but does enjoy the walk amongst the...well...the dead!

We think of them as sleeping citizens! 

You can tell we've had lots of rain by how green the grass is here. I think God was shining His light down on us this night!  Or it could look a little like mountains in the background. 

Driving home from our walk we spied this above Main Street.  See it?

I was hoping it was heading for the Pines as it seemed to be on our path toward home.  But nope, it was heading for an open field to land.

A little closer to that red chili pepper balloon!  They happened to pick a nice evening for a flight.  I thought I would close here with a few final pics of my patriotic decor before it's time to take it down.  I like to leave it up for most of the Summer but some will be put away at the end of the month.

The kitchen fireplace will be getting relined sometime this Summer when the chimney guy can do it so I think these will be gone when that happens.

The bench in the corner of the kitchen is draped with a 48 star flag I scored at a garage sale years ago. Annabelle is hanging out at one of her favorite napping spots. When the weather is nice this Dutch door can have the top open and she can rest with the bottom closed. 

The blue and white tablecloth was a gift from a friend.  She knew I collect vintage tablecloths and this one matches the navy blue in the dining room perfectly.  Goes with the patriotic theme too!  Well, I have a few more days off until I work the middle of next week. I have some  painting projects to start so maybe I'll have a few more pics to share of that work in these "Good Ol' Summer Times!"

4th Of July...BOOM!

 Hello July and Happy Independence Day to this wonderful country!  It was a quiet celebration here at the Pines.  We stayed home and just hung out.  The weather was nice and sunny but hot and humid and the mosquitoes were relentless!  They were the real reason nothing got accomplished.  Too buggy!!  But we did grill some burgers and dogs and Phil stopped over for dinner and we had a nice visit with him.  Although we didn't go to the fireworks we could hear them.  The neighbors also were blasting away.  Thankfully Annabelle didn't seem to hear them tonight.  Last night had them blasting away also and she hid under a cabinet in the dining room.  I know many dogs hate the booms and will run away.  I hope folks would keep them inside and safe but I know the shelters will be filled tomorrow!  So here's just a few pics from previous celebrations.  I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday.  Perhaps you're even off work the rest of the week...I know I am!  BOOM!!

I've shared this before but I really like this pic of me and Midge.   It's 1959.  The year Hawaii became a state.  I'm 6 and Midge is 4.  She's looking like she wants to slug someone! Makes me laugh when I see it! 

Jack looking cool in his sunglasses and patriotic shirt a couple of years ago at my sister's house.  We spent the 4th there and the neighborhood parade went by her house.  Fun time!

The year my Mom was in the parade as one of the oldest original residents of their neighborhood. Her last July 4th.  Sure miss her.

For 30 years Jack spent July 4th week at Scout camp.  This pic was taken on a scout high adventure trip.  Every July 4th I know he thinks fondly of those camp days.  This year as I said we spent it quietly and really didn't do any big parties or picnics.  But that's OK.  It was a good day.

The flowers on my kitchen table!  Happy July 4th everyone!