Sunday Afternoon

Cute book edge.

My book pile was growing.  I've managed to knock it down to only one, the 600+ page book that I've happily anticipated.  Now if only it lives up to the hype.  One of the pictures I'll post here is of the edges of a book I only partially read.  The edge printing - in full color - was the only thing of value about the book.  I couldn't even finish it.  I had taken it with me to the dermatologist's office to read in my waiting time.  The dr. came in, introduced herself and then walked over and lifted up my clothes to get to the book - she'd seen me walk in with it, I guess, and thought it was a pretty box and wanted to get a closer look.  (At that point, I was glad I'd tucked my underwear securely inside my outside clothes.)  Now that we're into the "off season" for our tv shows, I might have some extra reading time.  

If only (with that extra open time) I can find the motivation to get back to the crochet and cross stitch  - and more importantly the cleaning out.  My friend's father passed and she's been with her siblings clearing out the house to get ready to sell.  We both bemoan the fact that we each have too much stuff  -  it mostly feels overwhelming to me to get rid of all of it.  Feels like just throwing away money we could really use.

Love my charms.

I splurged.  I've been looking for some months for a small chiffon scarf to tie on the handles of my purse.  Then my friend showed up with a darling cherry charm attached to her bag.  So off I went, looking for something I could use.  She said she didn't mind me sort of "copying" her with a charm on my purse.  I have some requirements - can't be too heavy, can't be too clunky (I am the clumsy banging sort of person) and it can't be noisy.  Found these darling leather tulips.  They're cute.  At least I'm convinced they are.  When I told my friend I felt guilty and selfish for spending the money she rightly pointed out that $20 wasn't likely to break us.  Made me feel better about spending the money on me.  My purse needs to be replaced - the handle is broken but an acceptable replacement (color, size, cost) is not available right now.  Another way for me to learn a bit of patience.  The current purse is sufficient. 

Today's sacrament meeting was nice.  The young lady heading off on Tuesday for her mission did fine.  The youth speaker was amazingly cute, self-possessed and had us laughing.  The ward member finishing everything off was given the topic along the lines of repentance will always bring us forgiveness.  However his talk was mostly about joy and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I'll have to drop him a note. 

And it's lovely out today.  We had rain and more rain all night Friday night and then Saturday morning.  Our grass was so happy for the drink - as were the trees.  It's going to be 90 or a bit above this time next week. I'm grateful for cooler temps today, enjoyed our walk to and from church.

So, I'm grateful today for our air conditioning - again and always.  It will keep me sane through the summer - I wilt in the heat.  I'm grateful for a good book to read.  For a fun little something to put on my purse for no reason other than it is fun.  I'm grateful for the lunch I had with a couple of friends from the storehouse the other day.  They are so very dear to me.  And I'm grateful that the dermatologist thinks she can help me with my very small itchy skin issue.  The Husband was grateful he had a finite number of skin spots to freeze - he wouldn't have liked having more of them.  Those skin doctors really seem to enjoy using that can of freeze spray.  And I'm grateful today for repentance.  I surely need it.

No Pictures Or Maybe Only One Picture

And it makes me sad that I haven't any good enough to put here.  I keep taking them, deleting them, taking more and then thinking they're not worthy of space here on my journal. Or they're faces of loved ones that I really don't want on here. 

So, yesterday was my last day on the organ for a couple weeks.  It's a relief.  The practicing is great for most everything except my aching back.  I can only manage about fifteen minutes before I'm in so much pain that I have to quit.  I guess it's a good thing I'm no longer invited to accompany people for special musical numbers in Sacrament meeting.  The chorister yesterday was discouraged because she thought there were so few people singing.  It was actually because there were so few people in the meeting - it's that thing our area does that if there's a three day weekend, probably 85% of the ward is out of town.  Doesn't make the music less important to sing, doesn't make it less enjoyable.  Just a bit quieter.

Drove to Idaho Falls on Friday - nice drive in spite of the crash caused delays.  Spent the night in an AirBnB that our daughter rented.  Her kids and grandkids (our great grandkids) were there, also.  So fun to see them.  We hadn't previously seen the youngest and he'll be a year in a couple months.  Anyway, we were there for our granddaughter's wedding.  It was one of the loveliest wedding/sealing ceremonies I can recall.  I am very impressed with the new husband - hoping we will get to know him a little better.  The Idaho Falls temple is lovely, though I was happy there were plenty of people there to guide us,  I could easily get lost in it, it's bigger than it looks. 

We left the festivities probably earlier than maybe was optimal (I so hate to disappoint loved ones)  but as it turned out, it was for the best. I suspect our travel days are completely behind us, sad as that is to contemplate - just that overnight trip was almost too much in spite of the wonderful happy occasion.  I always feel like I really need something to look forward to but frankly, in all honesty, I'd rather be at home.  My head is a bit of a traveler but my heart is a homebody.

I've been busy today; the laundry is done, the ribs are in the crockpot, I managed to get to a sale for a replacement pair of walking shoes, I've wrapped a couple birthday items.  I forgot my FitBit this morning for our morning walk, but even without that I've gone nearly 5,000 steps just around the house doing all the stuff that needs doing. 

We've got a few things this week:  lunch with my storehouse friends, lunch with our other friends, Hale Theater, haircuts and dermatologist appointments.  I'm down to my last two library books - most of the stack went back to the library either unfinished or skim read.  Is it my age?  I'm just having a heck of a time finding something engaging, clean and worth the time.  Even some of my favorite authors have let me down.  Yes, it must be me.  😞

I'm grateful today to have a bunch of things checked off the list so I don't feel so much pressure.  Lately anything pressuring me seems to feel more overwhelming than it should.  I don't know how people manage to stay on top of all they do - the house and family keep me plenty busy.  I'm grateful to see the couple squirrels we just saw out in the yard - they are so funny.  Those tails!!  The way they were chasing each other around and up /down the trees in the backyard looked almost like a graceful dance.  I was glad though that the bird feeders are still down because of the nasty starlings.   Hopefully when the bird feeders go back up the starlings will have moved on.  The can completely eradicate all the suet and seed in just a few hours - the greedy little buggers.  I was so grateful last night to have the kitty come sit on my lap for a bit.  She wasn't really sleeping, just resting on me.  Felt comforting.

I'm grateful for hope.  I cling to that hope.  Hope for a bit of peace, for some fun, hope for some financial stability in these turbulent times, hope for the ability to manage all that's required and come out "proven" enough that we'll be welcome in heaven.  I need all those things and hope for them. 

And I found a picture.  Taken through the window of the car as we drove toward Idaho Falls.  The clouds were pretty, the day was beautiful.  I love the beauty of our world.

Stuff Going On...

...all the time.   Most of it is stuff that isn't interesting enough to want to remember.

Was treated to brunch (meant to be breakfast but that place is always so very crazy busy we had to wait for quite some time even that day before that particular Sunday) for Mother's Day (which added to the busy-ness, because lots of people want to treat Mom to a meal she doesn't have to fix for that specific day).  Yummy and I refused to feel guilty for eating some banana bread french toast.  

Our daughters both gifted thoughtful gifts.  Things I will use and enjoy.  The one son took us to brunch ( and gave me tulips!😊 ) and the other son wished me a happy day so it was all ok.  A friend of mine brought me the little bundlet cake they gave the sisters in R.S. (I skipped out on R.S. -just couldn't be there listening to women bragging about how wonderfully they're treated on that day) and she stayed and chatted for nearly an hour.  Such a kindness - to bring me a sweet and a visit when it was Mother's Day for her, also.  That sort of gesture is very rare for me to receive.  

Had a guy come to the door - soliciting.  We get so, so much of that especially this time of the year. My policy is to generally NOT do business from door-to-door solicitors - I try to not even answer the door for them.  This time we actually bought his services - some pest control.  We're required to sign a year contract which we did this time but I've already determined that I'm going to cancel once the contract is up. I dislike his sales tactics, and I'm not sure I trust everything he says.  But the wasps are a real problem this year and The Husband isn't able to remove all the nests.  (We didn't really have a winter, nothing froze so there's lots of pest activity this spring.) That's a good peace of mind.

And more peace of mind:  after the neighborhood kids caused us anxiety with their "mischievous" behavior, we had the alarm company come out.  This morning they installed a doorbell camera and a couple other cameras.  I despise having to spend that kind of money. One friend had previously asked me if we had a doorbell camera and when she heard we didn't, she said that was probably why the kids are targeting us - because they know they won't get caught.  Well, that problem is solved.  I think I'll enjoy being able to see who is at the door without leaving my family room.  Even if it did cost a ton of money that I wish we didn't have to spend that way.

And I have a new iPad.  My old one, besides being old, had memory that was too full to update a few things.  It kept freezing on me all the time.  So a new one is mine.  I bought the smallest cheapest one I could and my old one is in process for trade-in, hopefully I'll get refunded the amount they estimated I'd get. Some things are so different on the new one that it's a bit of a learning curve but I'm enjoying it so far.  I feel selfish, but so grateful.

My friend is undergoing a clinical trial for a cancer treatment. I've been taking her acai bowls from a place we love up the hill but rarely go there because they're so expensive.  They help my friend's tummy feel better.  Bought one for her the other day.  Bill was $13.26.  I gave the worker 26 cents and a twenty dollar bill.  Neither she nor her coworker could figure out my change.  One ran to fetch her phone to use a calculator to subtract 13 from 20.  😩 That's really a sad situation that basic arithmetic is beyond her ability. Especially working retail.

The peonies have been so beautiful this year.  My only problem with those flowers is how short they bloom. But so glad we get to have their beauty even for a few days. Yesterday it was hot out.  After being hot out the previous day and sweating through the night I finally bit the dust and turned on the air conditioning.  It was a super windy day yesterday so we wouldn't have been able to have the windows open anyway. 

So:  I'm again and always grateful for air conditioning to keep us comfortable (I set it as high as we can stand).  I'm grateful for the beauty of the flowers. I'm grateful for the kindness of people who didn't have to be thoughtful and kind, yet still were.  I'm grateful for the little kitty that roams our house and calls to us (when we're the only ones home) just to know where we are.  She's such a sweetheart.  I'm grateful for the public library.  I've checked out lots of books lately to have something good to read.  It's a blessing to be able to try out all kinds of books and know that I can (and I have lots of times) return them without a second thought if they turn out to contain too much offensive language or bothersome violence or graphic sex.  I won't read smut, I don't like how it makes me feel.  I'd rather be entertained and uplifted not dragged through muck. I'm grateful for something to look forward to tomorrow - even if it is only a Wildside acai bowl - been saving and planning for that luxury. I'm grateful for calm winds and moderate temperatures.  I know feeling true gratitude is good for me.

Finally, all the pictures, I hope.

Bird Bush

Close up of bird on top branch

 

Free sandwich

Beautiful sky!

Fox!

So Lovely!

Yum!!