I'm having a hard time getting my brain around the season. It's almost June and summer will be here before we know it and yet spring seems oddly erratic -- cold or rainy one day (or two or three), then a short burst of warm, and back to cold. Stormier than usual. The sun was out today and we tried to plant flowers at the cemetery but so many trees were down, we couldn't get to the grave. That's a story for another day. On a cheerier note, things have greened-up a lot! I'm sure you all delight when you have the chance after winter to see what is my favorite color combo come to life -- chartreuse against a blue sky! And now, there is more green!
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Still catching up on pre-storm activities and there were some good times. One such day was celebrating friend Kate's birthday with a road trip to IKEA and a stop at my favorite Italian grocery in Livonia/Northville for lunch.
I didn't buy any of the baked goods but their display case is profoundly tempting. Whomever does these is a wizard with cake decorating and pastry making!
The day was perfect except for the ride home, in which we were stuck in traffic twice, the first being a narrowing of lanes and the second a dead stop about 50 feet after passing an exit I had contemplated taking. ("Oh, traffic seems to be moving -- I think we'll go to the next one!") As you can see from Kate's thank you card below, not taking that exit was an error on my part!
On another lovely day, Rick and I headed back to Northville where I met blog reader Carolyn at a massive used book sale at the mall. Table after table was organized by category (that's as far as the organization went!)
They had another pop-in shop of vintage books, as well as sheet music, CD and DVDs and more.
I ended up with 11 books for about $50. I'll be busy reading this summer!
After the book sale, Rick and I went to Carson's first communion.
It was a happy occasion, followed by a family dinner and lots of posed photos. He looked so darned cute in his suit, but was ready to sit down after standing for the first few portraits. We were happy to oblige!
In Michigan they often say "don't plant anything till after May 15. A few days before that, friend Jan and I hit one of our favorite market and I loaded up on herbs, flowers for the cemetery and a few for pots. It was such a glorious burst of color, I was almost overwhelmed!
Blogger Linda had recently posted photos of a duck bathing and how much it delighted her. This one was doing the same thing and I had the exact feeling.
Pure delight!
Finally, a last look at Mother Goose who was doing a solo turn with her seven babies. At first they were by the road but as I came around the corner, she decided it best to shoo them toward the water.
It looks like all seven made it and are looking fairly good sized and healthy.
Soon they'll leave the ditch for the grassier golf course across the street, if they haven't already. I hope they made it through the storm.
Maybe they'll come back next year to nest themselves!
Finally, while Rick was up north (if you missed it, see this post for that misadventure), I had a post-Mother's Day visit from three of my favorite people! And they came bearing gifts!
The flowering trees in our neighborhood are gone, along with a whole bunch of other trees, but you have to hold onto hope and joy.
Till then....
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Beautiful photos, Jeanie. The pastries and books look great, and so lovely to see beautiful smiling faces, birds and flowers.
ReplyDeleteThe boys have sure grown up and Carson does look so cute in his suit. I can't get over how much your friend looks like Rick. I thought we're siblings. You're looking very cheerful and healthy too. I'm hoping the weather is improving for you.
ReplyDeleteYour vivid description really captures the unpredictable beauty of spring—and despite the challenges, it sounds like you’ve found plenty of bright moments to enjoy, from lush greens to fun road trips and colorful markets
ReplyDeleteFull marks, Jeanie. It is indeed a female Red-winged Blackbird. Well done!
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky to still be living in the same place where you can go visit gravesites and put flowers out. I'm originally from St. Louis but we have moved many times. Now living in SC and have never been able to visit my mom and dad's gravesites.
ReplyDeleteThat’s a good and pleasant update. Hopefully, the post-tornado times are going as well as possible.
ReplyDeleteHello Jeanie,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post, so many happy activities and events.
Love the photos of you and the little guys, they are growing fast.
The book sale looks great, I would be stuck in the Mystery section. Great captures of the female Red-winged Blackbird, Goose family and the goslings are adorable. We have an Italian deli in the nearby town, they have a nice display of treats too.
Take care, have a wonderful day and a happy week ahead.
Other than weather related issues, life looks good. That book sale sounds fantastic. It looks it too. I love a good used book sale but haven’t been to one in quite awhile. And yes Carson looks
ReplyDeleteGreat in His suit. He s getting so grown up so fast. I hope the storm clean up is coming along and you get some flowers planted. That’s my goal for this week. 👍hugs Erika
Carson looks so grown up..Lots of lovely photos here jeanie.Look at you cherished nana:) One of ours leaves for school MoSunday.WE will celebrate his eighteenth and going away:( It flies by!!
ReplyDeleteLove all the visits and celebrations... and smiles!! Lovely photos and artwork for the win too! Too bad about the weather, but surely June will be better? XO
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Carson. I remember my first communion. I love art, too, and would have enjoyed the exhibit.
ReplyDelete...enjoy your grandsons, they grow up do quickly!
ReplyDeleteI love Kate's whimsical thank-you card. "The Happy Hollisters" -- hmmmm, that's a children's book series I've never heard of! That book sale looks like a lot of fun. I'd probably have bought way too much.
ReplyDeleteDid I miss an earlier post about the storms? Must go back and look!
Congrats to Carson. He looks so handsome in his suit. Quite the haul on books to keep you busy. I prefer audio books. The grocery store looks fabulous. Always fun to see nature’s wildlife. Happy Memorial Day.🇺🇸
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing some lovely family photos. Carson’s a handsome boy. Which church did he have his first communion? The other boys are so fun. I noticed the boys particularly because my grandsons are now 6 and 4, close to their ages. :)
ReplyDeleteYou have been through a lot this spring! Good luck with getting everything back to normal both in Lansing and up north.
ReplyDeletebest… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I think we have been so used to warmer temps in Spring, we forgot Spring is usually a bit cold and rainy. Summer will be here before we know it. Happy first communion to Carson. Janice
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos, Jeanie. Time with grandsons is always fun and energetic. They are so cute. Love the little yellow goslings. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteNice pictures. The boys have grown so much! Thanks for sharing your pictures. Enjoy the day.
ReplyDeleteloved this post. what better to have to do in our lives but to be with nature, animals, friends (Kate is looking good - love her art), those pastries are to die for, and books to read, and those adorable grandsons!!! Girl, you have it all hugs from New Mexico.
ReplyDeleteThe tornado damage must have been intense. So sad for the trees!
ReplyDeleteBut lots of other happy things, Jeanie! I loved that panda face. Too sweet!
Thanks for sharing all these wonders. The pastries and flowers are yummy and lush.
ReplyDeleteI love a good book sale. Happy reading.
ReplyDeleteYour weather sounds a lot like ours; we've had so much rain and so many cold days that it hardly even feels like spring most of the time. We try not to plant anything up here until after Memorial Day... though I usually start planting a few things shortly after mother's day.
ReplyDeleteOur weather has been similarly volatile here. That seems to be the case all over the place as I know OH has been cold and it was chilly in VA last week. This weekend was gorgeous with lots of sunshine!
ReplyDeleteSome baby robins hatched in a nest on our deck. They are tough to see but are nice and protected where they are.
Those flowers at the end are especially gorgeous!!
Yes, we do need to hold on to "hope and joy". Oh, a panda too. I loved seeing your baby geese. I was at my "ditch" today and there were baby ducklings that looked a lot like the age of your geese. Oh pastried and books, how fun. I don't think I could have resisted a pastry, but like you there would have been a pile of books.
ReplyDeleteStorms can cause so much damage, I'm sorry that so many trees in your neighborhood are gone. That really hurts, doesn't it? While we don't have tornadoes here, the wildfires do so much damage, but it is also amazing to see how quickly nature comes back from all the devastation.
ReplyDeleteThat book sale looks almost overwhelming...
Very cute picture of you, Rick and Carson. First communion is a big deal in Catholic families in Germany, I wonder whether it is the same here?
Looks like Kate enjoyed her b'day gift. Those cakes were lovely. I bet they carried a lovely price, too.
ReplyDeleteKate has a great sense of humor with that thank you card. She is also a very talented artist, too.
That was a good price for all those books. I see a few mysteries, too. I look forward to your synapses.
Carson looks so grown up. First communion is a big deal, I take it.
The Canada geese never leave my city. People fed them and they decided to stay. I hope that's not the case where you live.
Nice the boys came to check on you and bring gifts, too.
Too bad about the flowering trees. Sadly, insurance doesn't cover replacement of such beauties.
Oh, I just love a good book sale! So many books! Not taking an exit and then getting stuck in traffic sucks. It's very much about 'the exit not taken' ; )
ReplyDeleteI've been learning how to use the iNaturalist SEEK app, which has the great advantage of allowing the designation of a search location. When I put in Lansing, Michigan, and asked for an ID of a bird, it offered up red-winged blackbird, although it didn't go as far as David and specify the sex. I did learn from the app that over a thousand others have seen the bird in your area!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a wonderful spring, except for the traffic problems, of course. Those are so standard around here I always allow between an hour and an hour and a half for any half-hour trip into Houston. I'm beginning to think our freeways should be added to Dante's circles of hell!
Same here with the weather, crazy! Well, not THAT stormy, though.
ReplyDeleteIKEA. Haven´t been there in ages, I could walk there in an hour! But I need nothing, Italian sounds soooo good!
Ingo needed forever to get home by car, too. I am thankful I study from home!
To books and art! Oh,I´d love to swim,too... Cute babies. And fun visit, too.
What a very special day with Carson receiving his first Holy Communion. I bet you loved that book sale at the mall, as you are a book lover. Oh my, that bakery looks delightful. I would have had to splurge and bring something home. The mother goose with her babies is so cute. Love that photo of them in the water. Such a sweet picture of you with the boys as you are opening up their gifts. That last picture of the pink flowering trees is so pretty, makes me smile.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
Beautiful post..wonderful to see all the pictures
ReplyDeleteYou were down in my sister's area - she lives in Farmington. I do love a used books' sale - fun, fun, fun. I'm glad you got a good haul. Isn't being a reader a big plus in life?
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely photos Jeanie, you've had a busy time. I enjoyed all the goings on very much. Thank you so much for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteOh my! Between the bakery treats and the used book sale my wallet would ahve lost a lot of $$$! Both photos were amazing! The only book I read from your pile was Hamnet -- a very interesting novel.
ReplyDeleteThe best part of your May days was spending time with the boys--always the best fun! Congratulations and God Bless to Carson on his Holy Communion!
Our May has been a mix of cool and rainy weather, but in arid and wildfire prone Colorado we never disparage rainfall, as long as it does not cause flooding, The eastern plains of Colorado have also had tornadoes this spring--and lots of Denver International Airport delays and cancellations becausxe of that.
Looking foreward to June!
I completely agree on Spring being erratic. It's been in the 50s here!
ReplyDeleteOh, the bakery looks tempting.
ReplyDeleteGood amount of books for the money. I really enjoyed Hamnet.
Wonderful to celebrate Carson's first communion.
Looks like good times with your grand children too, Jeanie.
Always a plus to see the birdies.
June is just around the corner. May it bring blue skies and sunshine, Jeanie.
Fantastic photos, Jeanie! Storm damage notwithstanding, it looks like you have had all kinds of wonderful spring outings. I love the goslings! And those pastries and flowers -- oh my! Congratulations to Carson his first communion!
ReplyDeleteI just love this post. Wow! The market with all of those flowers is just amazing. The bakery would be my down fall. LOL Great deal on the books too.
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for visiting my blog! We live very near to Cedar Point. When I was a high school student about a hundred years ago, I worked summers as a pioneer girl on the Frontier Trail. When we were first married and then raising a family we could never afford to go over. Now that we are retired I gave up Christmas shopping and just get all our kids and grandkids season passes when they go on sale in August. It's about a 30 minute drive if we go early before the other visitors make it down the highways and turnpike, lol.
ReplyDeleteAwwww, happy grandparents and grandson! What a lovely pic! And those cakes and baked goodies! Love it! And ofc I can't resist the little goslings. Love Canada Geese! Happy T Day!
ReplyDeleteYou packed a lot of really wonderful things in this post! Time with family and friends' gifts and communions.
ReplyDeleteI have never been to an IKEA it is a few hours from us and not that sure I want to make the trip.
Cathy
A wonderful post, Jeanie. The book sale looks like lot of fun and browsing. I enjoyed seeing all your photos and thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI know others have said it! Well, I'm going to say it too!
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful post, with a lovely variety of photographs from your events and get-togethers.
Enjoy these last days of May.
All the best Jan
oh my, Jeanie! the baked goods, the book sale, the little geese, and that handsome young man in a suit and tie. so many springtime joys and blessings!
ReplyDeleteGood deal on the book sale:)
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing flowering tree! I don't know what that is. It's fun that you were able to meet up at a book sale, too!
ReplyDeleteYour weather sounds like ours down here in Pennsylvania. Furnace is still running.
ReplyDeleteYour Carson looks so grown up. They grow so quickly!
Enjoy every minute. ❤️
Lets hope Summer’s warmth is on its way! ☀️
I LOVE Kate's card! It transforms a frustrating experience into a friendly shared memory. She must be a lovely person! And you are right, the company of beloved kids really is exactly like a ray of sunshine.
ReplyDeleteI would not have been able to resist that dessert counter display!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing with FFO and have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteLovely and fun post!
ReplyDeleteHello Jeanie,
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to believe today is the last day of May!
I enjoyed the Red-winged Blackbird images, it seems to be having fun bathing. The goose family is sweet, love the goslings. Your grandsons are growing so fast. I say yes to hope and joy! Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
you've been busy....a great display of your adventures. more babies, i have been seeing them everywhere!! i could have never resisted those deserts. a fun post, you looks good...and so happy!!
ReplyDeleteYou got a good bargain with those books Jeanie. I hope you enjoy Hamnet as much as I did. Your lovely grands are growing up quickly!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, Jeanie!! I forgot about the tornadoes up your way but at the time I know I was praying for you guys... We follow the weather news and a few people on YouTube who have weather channels. I'm so sorry about all the trees coming down. That same night, we had a confirmed tornado over by Sherman (north-east of us in Denton), Texas. When we were in SD, there was a tornado going through by my now former school in Lewisville area. Crazy weather... I hope your home and all those around you and Rick are okay. More prayers for better weather going forward! And a happy birthday to your friend!! Looks like a fun day together. <3 I am getting together with my former teacher and friend Anna for lunch next week. Sooo looking forward to catching up with her!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rest of your week and I hope the sun keeps coming out. Love all your duck and wildlife photos... <3 How big is the first bird? To me it looks like a type of sparrow with the stripes on its head, but if it's bigger... ?
Big hugs,
Barb :)
p.s. I totally forgot! The boys sure look cute and the panda selfie with you two is adorable!!
ReplyDelete