Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Wrapping Up May

Just a quick one today. We had a lovely Memorial Day weekend. On Friday, it was the first eat-outside-day of the season. 

 

Rick fired up the grill with a pork tenderloin. It was perfect!

 

And of course there was a nice bottle of wine. I love the label on this one.


We also enjoyed a phone conversation with friend Jacob, who was excited to hear about our England trip. He's affiliated with St. Martin's in the Fields and was going to do a little homework on what might be going on in the classical world while we are there.


Saturday was another lovely day (after quite a rain early on in the day). I did a lot of errands and prepped for my friend Suzanne's visit while Rick had a good ride. Later we went to do flowers at the cemetery.


I couldn't help but think as I looked at the graves of my parents, my aunts and uncles and my grandparents how much I'd learned about our family during the time I worked on the book -- many things that they never knew. 

Rick was a huge help -- my back issues made some of the planting a little more challenging than usual, and I realized I'd not brought enough geraniums, which will be fine, but bothered me. Also, the water spigots at the cemetery weren't working. Fortunately, Friend Kate lived close and we were able to fill our bucket and a couple of her two liter soda bottles so all was well!


After we enjoyed a good pizza (after finding the first restaurant we tried was closed!) and headed home.

The next day my friend Suzanne came for an overnight, returning home from a film conference. My house was a little over halfway, a perfect time to break up the trip. We just had a good talk, late birthday celebration and fun. Too short a visit but better than none. Gotta love those people you've known almost forever.


I had my second cataract done Tuesday. More to come soon! 

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64 comments:

Tom said...

...cataract surgery is the greatest thing to come along. Enjoy your remaining May days.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Jeanie
May has just flown by, too quickly. The flowers are looking beautiful.
I like the quote on the wine label.
Great photos of Rick and of you and your friend Suzanne.
Take care, enjoy your day!

Pamela said...

Looks like a wonderful weekend!

Linda P said...

All the best for the cataract surgery. It was good to hear from you with all your news.

Misadventures of Widowhood said...

You had great weather for the cemetery duty. I opted to wait until this coming weekend to tend my husband's grave when the place won't be so busy, but in hindsight I shouldn't have done that. Tradition helps ground us and I really could have used a little tradition this year.

Love your smile! Not sure I've ever seen a photo of you without your iconic broad grin.

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

That's lovely to decorate the graves like that. I remember, when I was very young, there always used to be "decoration day" at cemeteries. Now people put solar lights at their loved ones graves. I'm not sure how I feel about that. You are reminding me that I must buy the flowers to go into my pots and urns. -Jenn

DUTA said...

Good grill, good wine, good piza, good friend, good eye surgery.
Glad to read about all that.

gigi-hawaii said...

Pretty geraniums! Love your family love and loyalty. You're a great role model.

Debra@CommonGround said...

sounds like a wonderful holiday weekend. I'm interested in hearing about your cataract surgery. I have that ahead of me and not looking forward to it. Love the geraniums on the grave site. so pretty

Linda Sue said...

Looks like you had a sunny day! AND a BBQ! Life is good. Planning a trip is always fun, too. Especially to our favorite city. Though, I must say, getting around London would be a challenge with a hurtful back. I do hope that you can get some relief. The busses are great, frequent and for the most part , comfortable,
the tube , not so much.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

Ironically, Memorial Day will probably be our last eat-outside day of the year. It has started to get too hot here.

R's Rue said...

So beautiful.

Steve Reed said...

It's great that you decorate your relatives' graves. Keep us posted on your England plans. I hope to see you while you're here!

gz said...

Lovely to eat outside for a change..then you can sit and appreciate the garden.

Now you have had the cataract ops, keep up the eye drops...you may be eventually able to reduce to one dose each morning and night...and appreciate the details in what you can see!!

Divers and Sundry said...

I trust the cataract surgery went well.

Your flowers look pretty and ready for summertime. I don't think you can beat Cabernet with anything any time👍

kathyinozarks said...

Lovely post! I enjoyed reading it. I don't think I am ready for june just yet I am sooo far behind on everything.
Happy mid week
Kathy

Carola Bartz said...

How lovely that you were finally able to eat outside. It's something I love and fortunately we were already able to do it several times. Having good friends visit is always a treat, even if it is only a short visit.
How did your cataract surgery go?

Valerie-Jael said...

Hope all went well with the cataract surgery.Mine were done long ago and it is a blessing how it helps. Enjoy your summer! Hugs, Valerie

My name is Erika. said...

It sounds like a super holiday weekend. I wonder what "our" parents would think of how we can research our families now online (and have so much info at our fingertips) as well as DNA testing. And I love that sweater you are wearing. I hope you have a super end of the week and month. hugs-Erika

roentare said...

Having a nice piece of tenderloin with a glass of wine is really a good life

Judy at GoldCountryCottage said...

Hi Jeanie. Sounds like you had an enjoyable and productive Memorial Day. So glad you got those pesky cataracts taken care of..Happy Sunshine..xxoJudy

Sandra Cox said...

Sounds like a lovely weekend. Hoped the cataract surgery went well. Love Suzanne's nail polish:)

Sandra Cox said...

Not sure I went through...Glad you had such a lovely weekend. Hope the surgery went well. Love Suzanne's nail polish:)

Rita said...

Eating outside and prettying up the cemetery...sounds like a good Memorial weekend. Glad you got the other eye done. Hope you notice a positive difference soon. Nice to have it behind you, eh? :)

acorn hollow said...

It is nice you got to grill outside. My bother in law did the grill for us on Sat. We did not make it to the cemetery for husband's family mine is to far away.
Glad you had such a nice visit with your friend.
Cathy

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

I love to eat outdoors but it has become to hot here in Miami with about 90 degrees everyday! Your flowers are lovely which reminds me that I am counting the days that we return to our home in Pennsylvania and I will begin to plant our summer flowers. So nice that you had a friend come to visit and sleep over.

Rita C at Panoply said...

Jeanie, I'm glad your cataract surgery is behind you. It sounds like you were very busy over the weekend with 'Life is Good' activities!

Marilyn Miller said...

Isn't it nice when you can check off one thing done. Happy healing from your cataract surgery. It sounds like you had a lovely Memorial weekend. Glad you have Rick around to help you out. It's interesting that here on the West Coast I never hear of people visiting burial sights on Memorial day any longer. I love that you plant geraniums there.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Once those lens replacement settle down you’ll be seeing the world in a whole new light - literally!

Ricki Treleaven said...

Ha! I like the wine label, too...Was it a nice Cab? I hope everything goes well with your cataract surgery next week. What is the recovery like?

Anvilcloud said...

I was going to say that we haven't had our first bbq yet, but then I remembered that I did do some chicken, but it wasn't an outdoor meal. Ours aren't usually.

Sorry about the back. I managed to have quite a spasm yesterday trying to do some garden work. I will be partly out of commission for a few days.

shoreacres said...

It's great that you have that second surgery behind you now. Clear vision's a real benefit while traveling! I enjoyed the photos from the cemetery, too. Memorial Day (Decoration Day, back in the day) was a time for us to do the same. I wish I lived close enough to tend to my parents' graves, but too many states lie between us.

I laughed at you and Suzanne in your sweaters. Like your comment about your first "eating outdoors" of the year, it was a reminder of how different our climates are!

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

We are going to be able to eat outside this week. We could have done so over the holiday weekend, but tree work and a veranda covered with pollen kept us inside. I need to do a good cleaning so we can enjoy the 70s temperatures before they are gone for summer.

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

Such a lovely post Jeanie. Grilling time is the best for summer. So glad your cataract surgery is behind you. A whole new world to see.

La Table De Nana said...

That wine label:) Glad your surgery went well!

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

I hope the 2nd cataract surgery went well! It's always good to have procedures like that behind you!

Your outdoor meal sounded wonderful! We tend to only eat outside when we have guests over. We should work on eating outside more often even if it is a bit of a hassle w/ carrying all the stuff outdoors, etc.

ashok said...

Good luck for the surgery

This N That said...

Sounds like a wonderful weekend. Pork tenderloin on the grill is the best! Nice to have a visit with an old friend.
Glad you're finished with your cataract surgery. Hope all is well.

KarenW said...

How is your vision?

Lowcarb team member said...

I do like the message on that wine bottle label.

So pleased you've had your second cataract surgery, wishing you a good recovery.

Enjoy the last day of May and have a happy month of June.

All the best Jan

The French Hutch said...

My May wrap looks a lot like yours. I'm happy it's grilling season, love anything grilled and so easy. I know you are happy to have the second surgery over. Hard to believe it's almost June! Let's enjoy, summer goes so fast.

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Jeanie,
Thanks so much for stopping by again!! I can not beleive that May is over and it is going to be June...I think I am finally caught up with everything that I normally have done by this time of the year...Now I need to start going through a lot of things in the house and weeding some out...Like tools, etc...I hope you have a great weekend!!
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog

Nancy said...

I am so glad your cataract surgery is done and over with. Praying your vision is food.
Sounds like you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. And that wine bottle label is perfect!
Time with dear friends is precious! I am glad you had time together.
Happy June tomorrow!

Mae Travels said...

What a relief that your second eye will now be more useful. The interruption of that plan sounded terribly frustrating. Have a great continuation of spring!
best,
mae

Pam Richardson said...

What happened that May passed so swiftly?! Happy for your last cataract surgery, hope you have amazing results! Wishing you a lovely weekend, Jeanie!

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

Congrats on the eye surgery - I found that cataract surgery was like getting out of jail. I had worn glasses since I was in 3rd grade and couldn't see much w/o them. Now I only wear glasses to read. Yeah! I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Jenn Jilks said...

Glad you are getting things done.
And your cataracts!
It is such a wonderful time of year when we can get outdoors. Such a relief!

Sandra Cox said...

How nice of you and Rick to plant flowers at your loved ones grave sites. I like to think it made them smile.

Iris Flavia said...

Yay to surgery done and going well and oh, such a happy post all in all - thank you for the smiles.
Not a wine drinker, but love that front!

Joanne said...

That sounds like such a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

DeniseinVA said...

Those beautiful reds and whites are a welcome introduction to your post Jeanie. They also look lovely below the headstone. Looks like you and Rick had a very nice week and how great that your friend is going to do some research for your trip to England. I am impressed you are putting a book together on your family. Such a treasure! Visits with good friends are always far too short and go far too quickly. I am happy for you that you had your second cataract surgery. Speedy healing!

Veronica Lee said...

Hi Jeanie! Your Memorial Day weekend sounds lovely—perfect weather, good food, and time with friends.
That grilled pork tenderloin must have been delicious! 😋
I'm glad you got to catch up with Suzanne.

Cheers to new adventures and clearer vision! 🥂

Breathtaking said...

Hello Jeanie :=)
I'm still on a blog break but took the opportunity to visit some blog friends whilst my Grandson Pedro went out with a friend of his. Your Memorial Day weekend was nice to see. Lovely Geraniums and a good choice as they are colourful and last a long time. The BBQ seemed like fun, with delicious grilled pork and a good bottle of wine, and I also like the label. A visit from a dear friend is always lovely, I also had one recently and we went out for lunch, it was great catching up with all the news. I am happy to know that your second eye surgery went well Jeanie and wish you a speedy recovery.
All the best
Sonjia.

anno said...

Sounds like you had a lovely Memorial Day weekend -- and a delicious barbecue! And getting to spend time with forever friends is always the best! BTW, Suzanne's manicure is fabulous! And I love the sweater you're wearing! Kaffe Fasset? You are absolutely glowing in all those amazing colors!

Here's to getting the second cataract surgery done ... clear vision ahead!

Jim and Barb's Adventures said...

Sounds like you had a great weekend! Pork and wine sounds delicious!

Red Rose Alley said...

Jeanie, it's so good of you to visit the cemetery to see loved ones. I really miss that. I used to go often to see my mom and dad and relatives and friends in my hometown. The red geraniums are so pretty. I like what the label says on the bottle of wine. And I have to tell you that I love your colorful sweater, and this is a very nice picture of you and your friend. I hope your cataract surgery went well and you heal nicely from it.

Wishing you the best June days, Jeanie. I enjoyed your delightful post today.

~Sheri

thepaintedapron.com said...

I love geraniums, so glad Rick could help you. Your cookout sounds wonderful and there is nothing better than a visit with an old friend! I'm glad your cataract surgery is behind you. Happy Summer!
Jenna

Pam said...

Looks like fun....and the year is flying by

DVArtist said...

Looks like a good weekend. Thank you for joining FFO.

Prims By The Water said...

When my paternal grandmother was alive we would visit all of the cemeteries and place flowers on the graves of our family members who passed. We no longer do that. My Bob grilled a pork tenderloin on the grill last weekend too and it was also delish. Hello June and Summer! Janice

Christine said...

Thanks for the update

Nikki - Notes of Life said...

Good luck with the cataract surgery. Take care :)

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

I hope your cataract surgery went well, and that you are healing beautifully!

PaulaShort said...

What a great May wrap up.
Visiting today from Talking About It Tuesday #49&50

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