Let the sun shine! It's been a lovely week here, warmish (not hot, which is perfect) and sunny. It's awfully nice to see the rain take a little break! Rick's flowering bush is out, so I know spring is really here!
By now, the Ditch is more "filled in" but when I took these photos a few days ago, it looked just as I love it -- that symphony of chartreuse and yellow-green, hanging like a soft scrim over branches and bushes.
This beautiful state of affairs only lasts a few days and I was grateful that those days were lovely ones, good for a walk!
The periwinkle and wild violets are out in full force! I love them all!
I've had some good news I wanted to share. Some of you know I had an ultrasound that looked like I may need a couple of biopsies on my thyroid. Yesterday I saw my ENT and said that because I had one last year and because they hadn't changed all that much, those biopsies weren't needed. We'll keep watching it but right now, that's one thing I can let go!
I was able to see a number of friends over the past week or so, including both my WKAR lunch bunch and others from the station who came to a memorial for my former colleague, Beany, whose service to the station in creating our education program for young children was monumental. Many former employees who worked with Beany attended and it was wonderful to see them as we remembered our friend.
A couple of days later, my favorite laughter-sharing buddy Carol and I attended an alumni award ceremony for our friend and former boss, Susi Elkins, who is now a senior VP at PBS (for my foreign readers, Public Broadcasting Service). Susi had risen through the ranks -- I still remember her student days! And she was a wonderful boss as well. Her award was well deserved.
Speaking of Carol, she made it on the TV show "Antiques Roadshow" with her magnificent silver teapot -- Victorian and elaborate!
She was thrilled with the appraisal!
Rick and I also enjoyed a presentation about opera by Giovanna Lammers, a woman originally from Italy who studied voice with Pavarotti and who was instrumental in setting up Michigan State's opera program. I am no lover of opera (there are a few pieces I do like, to be fair), but her presentation was so lively and interesting on the history of this art that I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
We also had our final "Behind the Scenes" theatre class, this time for the production of Jane Austen's "Persuasion." Director Dan Smith, an actor, and the set/lighting director came to this one (the playwright had been at the first.) So, those will take a break till next year.
I also had a unique and sad opportunity to witness the circle of life when I looked out the kitchen window and noticed this hawk devouring a duck. (This we determined by the decapitated head it left behind but I won't post that photo, though it is profoundly, sadly fascinating.)
He was a handsome bird to be sure, but I would rather he leave the ducks (and bunnies) alone. I know. It's life. But not the part I like to think about.
Rick and his buddy Nino will be off on a bike ride for a week, beginning on Sunday. NIno's wife Marie is riding too, and another cyclist, will captain Marie's tandem. They're headed from Detroit into southern Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. If you are a friend of Rick (Oberle) on Facebook, you can follow their trip.
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| Last year's tandem ride with Nino and Rick. |
Safe travels to them. Things are looking up!
Sharing with: Saturday's Critters / Love Your Creativity
52 comments:
That's great news that you don't need biopsies. Hubby is off to have 5 weeks of radiation starting Monday. We are not looking forward to that! Love the flowers; we have had a freezing day here for ANZAC Day, and very rainy. Brrr... well about 20C is cold to us :=)
cheers
sherry
Yay to Spring and good news!!! And friends.
Whenever I witness predation I am always struck by admiration for the skill of the predator and sadness for the victim. It is strange that people express revulsion, even anger, if they witness the event, but have no problem when they eat their lamb chops.
What a great week, Jeanie! Good health news and lots of visits with friends!
...I love violets and of course the Antique Roadshow! Enjoy the sun, we are enjoying a day of rain.
We once also had a friend on the Antiques Roadshow. He had brought an antique doll. The other day I saw a red tailed hawk. They are pretty cool. Yes hard to see them eating their dinner, but it does keep the population down. Janice
Very good to hear from you on an upbeat tempo, Jeanie! I love the way you described the opening days of real spring as a "scrim" 0 so perfect a descriptor! Carol's appearance on Antiques Road Show is stellar! Wow, what a vessel! Good luck to Rick and crew riding.
looking wayyyyy up!!! Happy for you!!!
It’s so nice to see spring arriving. The greens haven’t hit the treetops yet here, but we are experiencing some nice weather.
You have far more green there here in NH. last week we had cold and some wind, but at least the grass has greened up and the daffs are blooming. But what a good week. That is great news from the doctor, and it sounds like you've been busy doing some interesting and fun things. And that is one big hawk. It would make me sad too, but catching a duck is a pretty huge meal. Perhaps there are babies back in a nest to feed. Hope things keep looking up! hugs-Erika
Wonderful, wonderful news! And with the uptick in temperatures and all the greening--lots of options to enjoy the freed-up time. SO happy for you, Jeanie!
Ah, the circle of life. I know what you mean, why can't we all be vegetarians? But of course, that's just not nature. I see things like that all the time around here as we have a great deal of coyotes, bobcats, and birds of prey.
I'm so glad you don't need a biopsy! Great news!
Great news you don’t need the biopsies. Something to cheer about. So glad spring has arrived. Things are looking up. Happy weekend.
A beauitiful flowering bush! It's not so nice to see animals and birds eating each other, but we all have to do it.
You are so fortunate to have such a busy and varied lifestyle. It's nice walking through everything you do by the photos you provide. Beautiful photos of the hawk. I witness it at times in my garden, when the Cooper Hawk catches and eat a Mourning Dove. I feel so sorry for the dove, but we all have to eat. Lovely post, and I'm very glad you are doing well.
Hello Jeanie,
I am so glad you can skip the biopsies, you deserve a break.
Love the all spring blooms, the ditch is looking good.
I am so happy to see more green around, the browns of winter are gone. The hawk is a great bird, I know they need to eat too.
Great photos of your and your friends. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
Yay for the happy medical news!
Seeing the hawk eating the duck was a bit of a downer, I'm sure, but as my mom used to say, "If all the ducks lived we'd be up to our necks in them!" (She said this about any creature we lamented being killed by a predator.)
Happy trails to Rick on his upcoming ride. And that is quite a teapot!
First, great news about one medical event you can drop! That's a relief. And I agree with you about that particular shade of spring green that lasts hardly any time, but is a lovely cloud before it morphs into more serious green.
Such wonderful news about the biopsy! Every time something gets ticked off the medical 'to do' list it's a good thing. I've thought about you the last week-ten days.While the 'whatever' that struck me down isn't covid, flu, or strep, it's been the nastiest illness I've dealt with since before my mother died. She passed away in 2011, so healthy old me probably was due for a reminder of what you've been going through! I'm some better now, but I still can't hear out of my left ear, and can't eat solid food because of my swollen throat. My doc says it's a virus. When I asked what to do about it, she said "Wait." Oh, yea! You're my inspiration for how to deal with this!
That's fabulous news about your biopsy! I hope Rick has a great cycling trip--safe travels, Rick! And I'm glad you're getting the weather you like :-) Have a great weekend!
Well you have been very busy and I'm glad to hear it Also very glad the nodules on your thyroid haven't changed. Mine as well. All of the photos are lovely even the hawk. I truly love seeing your bright, happy smile. Have a nice day today.
Glad to hear the good news about the biopsy. Love hawks, but they are devastating to small animals. That teapot is absolutely breathtaking!
I always love reading along to see what you are up to....how wonderful that you have had such a good few weeks.
I am glad you don't have to have a biopsy. That is always a relief.
I know it was great to get together with old friends and workmates.
I used to do costuming for the theater here and loved it.
Safe travels for Rick and his friends. xo Diana
Dear Jeanie, good news and your photos are absolutely gorgeous, dear friend.
Wow, Jeanie, what great health news. Given how cautions (and test-happy) docs are that must mean you have some really happy test results!
That is good news that you don't need biopsies.
Goodness! That teapot is wonderful.
I wish Rick safe travels.
Good wishes for a happy and peaceful weekend.
All the best Jan
So many glad tidings of great joy! A happier season? I hope so!
Wishing you a wonderful weekend, and to Rick, safe journeys!
xoxo
That is great news about avoiding the biopsy! You needed a small break. Safe travels to Rick and his fellow bikers! I hope they have good weather!
It has warmed up here, too, and the trees are starting to flower. It is such a lift to my spirits to see the blossoms!
I do love the first color of spring! Good news on no biopsies
So glad to hear about the biopsy! Woohoo! Looks like a lot of amazing life going on!!! I love it.
So glad you've had some nice weather. A sunshiny day makes such a difference. Great news too to hear you won't need any biopsies anytime soon, hopefully never. Alway good to see our old friends, Wow, how fun to hear about the teapot! Hope Rick has a successful ride. Enjoy the remainder of the weekend.
Good news for you. The sights and sounds of Spring also help to lift the mood. The Hawk is a great picture.
What a beautifully full week: sunshine, friendship, meaningful memories, and reassuring news all woven together.
Safe travels to Rick. Grateful for your good news.
Life is so much better when the sun shines. Great capture of the hawk and its food.
Good news about biopsy! I love PBS programming. I also love Antiques Roadhshow!
Great news on no biopsy! Send some of that rain our way, we are in a terrible drought and the amount of deadfall from Helene is making this whole area a tinderbox fire hazard.
Hello Jeanie :(
It's so good to read an upbeat post from you I am also glad you don't need to have a biopsy Jeanie. The periwinkle and violets look so lovely, as do the white blossom on your garden tree. I am pleased to read you have been busy with one thing and another,
keeping active( if you are able) is a marvelous distraction from depression, and I think the good news from your doctor has helped in this respect. What a fabulous silver teapot your frie
Hello Jeanie :(
It's so good to read an upbeat post from you I am also glad you don't need to have a biopsy Jeanie. The periwinkle and violets look so lovely, as do the white blossom on your garden tree. I am pleased to read you have been busy with one thing and another,
keeping active( if you are able) is a marvelous distraction from depression, and I think the good news from your doctor has helped in this respect. What a fabulous silver teapot your frie
Good health news! Good to see y’all are having quality time with friends. Happy Spring!
May
That is wonderful news about the biopsy! We too had a hawk/duck situation in our yard just a year or two ago and while I didn't really want to see that... it was rather fascinating. My sons are always enthralled with nature happenings like that and remind me often that nature can be cruel.
Happy that you don't need the biopsies but I am not a fan of watching things...It's the nurse in me...The Ditch is looking very spring like...I don't know if it's spring or not..One day it's 90 and the next it's below freezing..I hope you are having a good weekend..
Oh Jeanie so glad to read how busy you have been and it is exciting to have so many sweet friends to share adventures with. I love that your times with friends are so diverse...not just a lunch here and there but meetings with substance if you know what I mean. I have a pair of turtle doves preparing a nest in our courtyard...I am not too excited to have the 'mess' that comes with... but will certainly enjoy watching as the fledglings emerge the nest. Traveling mercies for Rick and friends as they bike the state. hugs and blessings always.
It is so lovely that spring has finally arrived in your corner as well - even though I am sure there still will be some setbacks with cool and/or rainy days (like we have here right now). Such good news from your doctor, that is very uplifting as well (probably more than the weather?). You did some interesting and fun things - however, I have to admit that I never watched a single Antique Roadshow and have no intention to do so. The hawk is beautiful - yes, it is sad to see another animal being killed, however, do we feel sad for the animals that have been slaughtered when we eat our chicken or steak or whatever meat we consume? I remember once when we watched some owlets growing up in a nest at the lake, that people said "how disgusting" when Mama owl fed her chicks with the raw meat of a crow she had killed. And then these people went home biting in their burgers. I wonder what was "disgusting" here... Okay, just my two cents, I didn't want to elaborate so much.
I hope the good sides of life will continue to be there for you.
You have so much going on all the time. I love reading about your friends and adventures. How interesting that you saw the hawk eating the duck. Even though I know it happens, I’ve never seen it. It’s good to read that you don’t need to endure the biopsies now. I hope you continue not to need them.
Lovely to see the sunshine returning and everything greening up so beautifully.
Saturday was gorgeous here!
Sunday? Not so much.
Socializing with friends does boost my morale, too. But, seriously, that teapot is huge! I wonder if anyone bought it and for how much.
I was here earlier, than life happened and I did not comment. So here I am today.
I am thrilled you did not have to go through your biopsy! Hallelujah!
I am also thrilled that your spirits are doing better. You have been in my prayers. Glad you got out and about with friends.
Praying for the bike riders and safe journeys for them.
Jeanie, this was a very upbeat post with good news about the no need for a biopsy, yeah! Of course, not so good news about the hawk's lunch of a duck but then as you said it is the circle of life and happens everywhere. We have often seen feathers floating past our window and know that a red-tailed hawk has had a meal. Safe travels to Rick and friends and glad you were able to spend time with your PBS friends. We will be traveling with NH PBS in mid-Sept to the Yorkshire Dales for the All Creatures Great & Small tour.
Very happy for you Jeanie. That must have been a relief. Good to get together with friends and I enjoyed seeing yours and learning a little bit about them. Friends can certainly lift our spirits. I have never seen a hawk get its meal and so glad that has never happened to me and hopefully it won’t. As you say, it is the cycle of life. Happy travels to Rick! Happy week to you :)
A busy week for you, and all good things! Well,except for the poor duck. But yes, that is the circle, isn't it? Kinda glad being eaten isn't one of the ways we are likely to go out though!
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