Early May Weekending.

This weekend wasn't nearly as photogenic as the last one (or hopefully as this next one promises to be !) but it seemed a lot more typical of weekends around here.

A Friday afternoon pedicure. (which isn't all that typical - I make appointments for every five weeks in the winter and four in the summer ... but I certainly wouldn't mind if this were a regular Friday thing!)

Friday night snacks (back to the typical).

Morning walks to the lake. I took Holly with me on Saturday and went by myself on Sunday. The round trip is three miles and I have to carry Holly for at least 2/3 of that. She only weighs 8 pounds, but still, I was surprised I burned more calories on the solo Sunday walk. (maybe because I didn't pause to take any photos?!) I realized this morning that neither Marc nor I have had to resort to the treadmill in over a week. This is a new - and much-welcomed - return to typical!

Cinco de Derby. fun Mexican is a standard feature around here (that's Ina's grapefruit margarita bottom right ... highly recommended) and we are horse racing fans through the Triple Crown. I think Justified might have a chance...

and that brings me to the center photo. a new knitting project (details forthcoming) and a new book. definitely typical! but oh my goodness - I haven't been this captivated by a book in months. I am loving it!

I guess "typical" is a broad term.

What from your weekend was "typical"?

A Tuesday Haiku.

another day home

quiet, but not alone with

Holly by my side

Thank you for all your get better wishes (more than once!)  I have high hopes to leave the house tomorrow for a dinner out with Katie and Sara and I'm even hoping I can wear makeup! It doesn't hurt to dream big 😉.

Weekending.

Turns out finishing that test knit involved a little lot more time than I thought it would. But my work on it is now done ... and hopefully some concentrated fan action will yield a real FO by morning. The knitting kept me away from the computer for most of the weekend (and yikes, I feel like I've been gone for weeks, not just days - can't wait to read your blogs and find out what's been happening!) and this morning I felt like it had kept me away from more than just that ... until I looked at my photo stream. Oh yeah, there was more than just test knitting!

I don't have photo evidence for all of it, but now I remember there was clothes shopping (for me!), finishing up The Night Manager (oh my goodness, we loved it!), miles on the treadmill, a quick visit with my mom (which even involved a little bit of furniture assembly, but no power tools ;-), a nice FaceTime catchup with Diane, knitting with Deena,

#ParallelogramKAL - mine's in front and Deena's is in the back ... since this photo, she's made a lot more progress and I have not!

walks with Holly (in the rain ... happy to report the sun is shining now!), and

a leisurely birthday brunch with my favorite in-town girl.

I've started another deadline knitting project (more on that Wednesday), but I'm not thinking this one will be quite as consuming as the last one. Hopefully....

Happy Monday! did you capture something good with your camera this weekend?

Unraveled Wednesday | Snow Day.

Thank goodness I'm not starting this post with a "yep, still" ... we live in Georgia and Snow Days are just not that common (thank goodness).  In the nearly 40 years I've lived here, I remember plenty of days when I'd wake up to brown grass and dry streets although "snow" was forecasted overnight.

Today was not one of them. Marc's office was closed and the few plans I had were cancelled. Hello Snow Day!

We're still practicing what retirement might look like - as in both of us home all day. every day. Thankfully Marc has a construction project at the golf club (just a short walk away) to check up on. and I have Holly who (much to her - and my - chagrin) must be shepherded outside at least three times a day.

We spent the morning with The Weather Channel, two pots of coffee and the treadmill... and I finally found my stride with some knitting this afternoon.

Bodie - this morning

Now one pocket lining down

and one to go. After that, I have to whipstitch those pockets closed, attach them, weave in ends, soak and block. I half-jokingly told my mom we would be seeing spring temperatures soon because I was nearly finished with a winter sweater.

I hope it's true!

Joining in with Kat and friends today and sending plenty of warm Wednesday wishes to all!

Morning Run Haiku.

ruffled blue sky blooms,

birdsongs greet the day; press on,

a warm welcome home

Weekending.

...ahhh, the first full weekend of summer.  I drove with a friend to North Georgia Friday afternoon to visit with another friend who just started chemotherapy (breast cancer). It was all afternoon, but the drive was pretty and the view from my friend's back deck (top center) is stunning... and she was having a good day so the visit was perfectly timed. 

Friday evening, a neighbor hosted an informal get-together (middle left) and we enjoyed the first fire pit of the summer on their back patio.

Saturday morning, I walked with Lauren (middle right); she's finally getting back on her feet after two knee surgeries. Boy have we missed our walks!

Saturday afternoon I met up with friends to knit (no photo) and then went to the visitation for the mother-in-law of a dear friend. Of course it was nice to be there for Denise (and to see her daughter who's starting vet school in Madison this fall and - finally - meet her son and husband) ... and I didn't even mind the unusually heavy traffic getting there thanks to One Hundred Years of Solitude on audible.

We saw the last of the sunshine Saturday evening (bottom middle) and I finally remembered to take a photo of the front porch pots. All the rain has done wonders for the flowers!

We woke up to rain yesterday (and it's finally ending ... there is a little blue sky outside the window as I type this). Somehow, Marc managed 16 holes of (very wet and muddy) golf while I comforted Holly and enjoyed a two hour FaceTime with Sara.

Last night's dinner was Mexican. Marc loves to make all the things for that except the guacamole. I sort of consider that a specialty of mine ... and last night's batch (bottom left) was the second one of the weekend. I also made it for Friday's get-together. Love that it's the time of year when I have everything for guacamole - two batches even! - on hand!

Marc introduced Holly to popsicles and she's a fan. I'm not sure what she likes about them (cold, wet is not at all her favorite thing), but now when Marc opens the freezer, she gets excited! 

...and just like that - it's Monday. The week is off to a fine start - I spent over an hour on FaceTime with Kat this morning and wow! I normally spend Monday morning on house chores... what a welcome change of pace!

Hope your week is off to a great start, too!

Weekending.

I thought it was going to be a quiet weekend at home, mostly alone, because Marc was playing in the club's member-member tournament. But Friday afternoon, he shared the itinerary with me - a Kentucky Derby Party Saturday evening and "Championship Shootout with dinner" on Sunday afternoon!

I was glad we had plans to eat in Friday with margaritas and fish taco salads.

Saturday, while Marc played 27 holes of golf, I played around with my "hat collection"

and ultimately decided on this one.

It worked great with my black and white dress.

Sunday, while Marc played another 18 holes of golf, I washed my summer hand knits.

And then we met at the course to watch the shootout. Two of our friends made it to the final hole. The championship was decided by a chip out, which was really exciting; our friends came in 3rd place overall.

Dinner turned out to be pizza, my favorite, but not Marc's - so we didn't stay long. It was nice to get home early. I made popcorn and we watched Hidden Figures. Have to say, the movie is good, but the book is much, much better!

Holly is always happy to have a lap!

How was your weekend?

Weekending.

I'm amazed a few of the photos are actually in focus because it seems like the last three days were a blur! Beth, Betty and I enjoyed an early walk in the park on Friday (including that awesome bird sighting - a heron, I think) and then they left just after 9am.

I proceeded to church for our first small group discussion about Anne Lamott's latest, Hallelujah Anyway. We laughed a lot, and agreed that while Lamott might not be "suitable" for everyone (her language and her politics are most definitely "blue"), she's certainly got a wonderful way with words and her message is right on target for us.

Then errands, a bit of housekeeping and an hour on the porch to finish To the Bright Edge of the World. Wow. wonderful. and quite unlike me, I immediately went to Goodreads to make a few notes:

absolutely beautiful. Both the writing and the story blew me away. I've never been shy about reading the last few pages before I finish the book (you know, so I could be prepared for the ending), but this time I just wanted to read and experience it as it unfolded. I cried through much of the last 100 pages and I'm not going to say anything more about the book. Except that I'm traveling to Alaska with my mom and siblings this summer on a sort of spiritual journey...and I think we all need to read this book before we go. It might be my next book club pick too.

 I had planned to share the post about Summer Bingo on Saturday, but I was into books and reading - and what to read next - so I wrote that Friday evening instead. and then I went to bed!

Saturday morning I was up early ... good thing because that bingo post wasn't quite right and I was able to fix it before too many of y'all saw it. I'm delighted with the feedback so far! We're now up to over 90 categories; I'd love to have an even hundred if y'all can come up with a few more.

The highlight of Saturday was the afternoon/evening when I got to babysit (Katie & Rob attended a wedding). Having both boys through supper and bedtime is a workout (seriously, I was a little sore yesterday :-) but what fun! and what a sense of accomplishment once they're both asleep.

I spent the night and enjoyed a morning walk with Katie and the boys before I left. Her neighborhood is hilly - even more so than mine (good thing she's young and in shape - she pushed both boys in the stroller!)

Yesterday afternoon was the Spring Women's Luncheon at church. The program was about Seeing Jesus in Art. The presenter shared beautiful images, including paintings, sarcophagi, mosaics and sculptures along with wonderful information about how Jesus has been portrayed through the centuries. In closing, she said that Jesus has not been traditionally depicted as a woman. So she had no images to share, but instead, these words:

See [the face of Jesus] for what it is just possible that it will become: the face of Jesus as the face of our own secret and innermost destiny: The face of Jesus as our face." ~Frederick Buechner, The Faces of Jesus.

We loved it!

Then I finally had time to take Holly for a walk. She barely made it half a mile before she was done; I had to carry her home (thankfully she only weighs eight pounds).

We ended the day with a little knitting. and another early bedtime. It's nice to start Monday with a good night's rest ... and rain. I've got things to do inside today and the rain makes me not want to be outside. It's also nice that Marc had two dry weekend days for golf - that always makes him much happier about going to work Monday morning.

Hope your week is off to a good start, too. Happy Monday (and happy May!)

Tuesdays with Charlie | One Story.

A few of y'all might remember the "sleeping bag days" (which officially ended way back in September shortly after he turned two). He's been doing great in his big boy bed, but our furnace is on the blink (thankfully it waited until after the ice storm) and the repairman showed up just before nap. The attic door to said furnace is right outside Charlie's room... and it seemed prudent to have nap back downstairs today.

Much has changed since those summertime sleeping bag days

a pillow and a new sleeping position for starters... and of course now there's a blanket. and little Holly  in the picture. literally. they're really becoming friends. not always with me in the middle.

Two is turning out to be a very fun age!

Our Week in Florida.

riding shotgun

Holly and I spent last week in Florida visiting my mom. In case you're wondering why we'd drive to central Florida in August, here's why!

It's my mom's birthday,

a birthday toast

homemade banana-orange ice cream for dessert

and it's the Little League World Series.

knitting and baseball go very well together!

I never even knew about the LLWS, but my mom says she's been watching it for years.  This is my third time and I have to say I'm a fan. I didn't keep count of how many games we watched over the week, but I'd guess close to 20! It's baseball with heart... and now that I have little boy(s ... soon there will be two!) in my life I've added a trip to Williamsport to my bucket list.

text with Katie

Apparently Katie hasn't seen the LLWS either!

So there was plenty of good wine, food, baseball and knitting. And also a long list of to-do's with my mom (Alaska trip planning, sorting through files and more files, and a few other lingering tasks since my dad passed away).

Of course there were also daily walks with lots of blue skies (not so great, really - they need rain desperately),

from Thursday's walk

only one scary alligator sighting,

from Wednesday's walk

and Friday night happy hour with Mother's girlfriends.

such great sports to pose for a photo (I had to promise it wouldn't end up on Facebook ;-)

...all too soon it was time to head home.

late Sunday morning

I will say traveling on Sunday is about as good as it gets. I've got lots to catch up on...good thing it's only Monday!

Have a great week!

Throwback Thursday | Happy Birthday Holly!

Holly turned seven on Monday. In dog years this is the last birthday when she'll be younger than I am. Which makes me happy and sad at the same time. I've had a very fun time today thinking about this throwback post and all the wonderful memories we've shared.

2nd birthday - August 2011

The last time I threw her a birthday party was back in 2011 (when she turned two); she didn't have much fun even though she did look very cute in her hat!  So this year, instead of a party, I'm writing a blog post. She's asleep in her bed behind me and I think she's perfectly happy with the low-key celebration.

our first meeting - December 4, 2010

In case you weren't reading my blog all the way back in December 2010, you might not know that's when Holly arrived in my life. December 4 to be exact. Pretty much love at first sight - at least for me. Sara had started college, Marc was traveling a lot and I was home by myself too much. Holly was the perfect solution. She's wonderful company here at home, but also

...she's a great travel buddy - by air (we flew to LA in 2011 to visit Katie) and by car. I might've missed a few trips, but I count Hilton Head and Beaufort, SC; Rosemary Beach, Leesburg, North Palm Beach and Gainesville, Florida; and countless trips to the yarn store, the nursing home, the park and a host of other local spots.

Riding shotgun - July 2011

(Holly)wood - February 2011

Rosemary Beach - September 2011

Thanks to Sara (moving so far away she only gets to see Holly a few times a year), she even has her own Instagram tag. If you ever need a quick boost, check out #HollyaDayforSara.

see what I mean?!

119 and about to be 120 posts - as soon as I share this one.

Holly, age 7 - August 2016

This is the birthday girl today - still looking sharp and aging remarkably well!

Back Home (again).

...and glad to be here, in spite of the wonderful visit I had in Madison (which I promise I'll tell you about later this week).

my last view of Wisconsin

Weather in the Atlanta area today was not "ideal" for flying nor, apparently, for landing. We used up nearly all our fuel in a holding pattern someplace over the Carolinas and I was seriously getting prepared to spend the afternoon and maybe a good part of the evening in Charlotte.

So this was a most welcome view.

and my first one of Atlanta

But this was the best one of all.

A Little Side Trip.

One of the highlights of last week's visit was a "little side trip" to visit my aunt and cousins in south Florida. From Mother's house to Aunt Betty's is 204 miles, which Google Maps suggests is a quick drive

...that includes 180 miles on Florida's Turnpike.  My mom is an old fashioned road warrior; turnpikes and interstate highways are not her thing. Wednesday afternoon, she mapped a much different route (on a paper map). And since she wanted to drive, and we had the time, why not?!

We left her house just after eight o'clock on Thursday morning. We headed south to skirt past Orlando on the western side and then headed southeast. Driving two-lane highways (or rather riding shotgun, with a little dog and maybe some knitting in your lap)

affords a much different view of central Florida.

I kept notes of our various turns and a few town names  -
470 to 33 to 50 to 33 to 474 to 27 to 70 to 710 to 706 to 1
Mascotte, Groveland, Okeechobee, Indian Town

Mother had driven most of these roads before; she told me stories about the many trips she and Daddy had taken over the last 20 years. Despite the rain and having to slow down to 38 miles per hour for more than a few miles, we still made it to North Palm in time for lunch.

It was a treat to see my cousin Beth (it's been more than 15 years!)

and meet her two children (they're all visiting Betty for two weeks; they live in Boulder, which partly explains the 15+ years). Her son Joseph wasn't much for photos (he's 11 so no surprises there) but Rachel (she's 8) happily posed. Especially with Holly (they have a giant schnauzer at home and I wouldn't be surprised if their next dog is a mini :-)

After lunch, we played Mah Jongg (those two kids are way better than I am) and then enjoyed Betty's balcony. She lives on the 7th floor, which is the lowest floor in the building with a view of the ocean. That bit of land across the way is protected, so there won't ever be any buildings to block her view.

Friday morning we took that walk along the marina and then headed home. This time we went up US 1 to see the water (mostly the Intercoastal Canal).

my first view of the Intercoastal

We took a quick detour onto A1A just south of Vero Beach to see the ocean.

And then back over to 1 up to Mims (just north of Titusville) where we headed west on 46. I didn't take notes about turns and towns, but it was just as scenic, and a lot more traffic-y than the trip down. We made it home just after three o'clock.

I can totally see what my mom loves about these kinds of trips. And as long as she's willing and able to do the driving, I wonder where we'll go next!