Starting the New Year Right!

The calendar has turned over and I'm doing my best to turn over with it!  Some recent doc appointments have brought about some medication changes and I'm feeling much improved! What a relief! And nothing like a pretty fruit arrangement to really make your day!

 

I've been spending a lot of time at the computer lately, looking at old photos. No, not for blogging. Not even to delete the bad ones (of which there are plenty.) It is to add my own photos to the Aura photo frame that Kevin and Molly gave me for Christmas which is high on my "best gift ever" list. (Left: Covid days/egg hunt; Right: Good times in England)

Smile, and Keep On Tapping

The kids have moved on to their next Christmas after a good (and exhausting!) celebration. The tree is up and will be for a bit. I need the light and to be honest, have barely had time to sit with it and fully enjoy. I've had rough holidays before. This one has been overwhelming. But, as someone once said to me when I was doing theatre and we were all tired, not always sure of the steps, "Smile, and keep on tapping!" 

Friends and Fun at Holiday Time

We're closing in on Christmas and perhaps the best part is spending time with friends and doing some fun things, a bit out of the box. As I mentioned in the last post, my friend Suzanne came for a short visit and we did some Christmas shopping. The stores are looking good!

 

One spot we like offered snacks (they sell sauces and rubs and such, so it was good marketing!). It made for a nice treat on an impossibly frigid, windy day. They also had a couple of singers with an accordion come in and sing holiday songs. They were rather off key at times (but then, who isn't?) but very holly jolly and it was a nice touch.

Postcards From the Lake: Fortune Smiles

Every day in summer is a gift -- at least, it is for me. It's my favorite season -- or rather, it is when I'm at the lake. Apart from a couple of rainy days, the weather has been lovely. Warm, but for the most part, not too hot. Sunny, but even the cloudy days are comfortable. 

 

We've had a couple of major temperature drops, which was actually refreshing. And it gave us the opportunity to have a fire in the fireplace. First of the season.

At Home: Strawberry Season

Those last days before heading north for the summer are always busy ones. This year, they were also the hottest days of the year and it sure wasn't fun doing much but reading and essentials! My life included doc appointments, lots of reading, catching up on blogs, seeing a friend's play, popping corks with Cork Poppers and time with other friends, too. In the morning I would water plants and pull some weeds, bemoaning my strawberry crop.

 

That was it. (Well, there were about four more that birds and a squirrel got to -- I saw him, sitting out there, a little red berry in his paws and munching away as happily as could be!

At Home: Books, Birds, Buddies and Grandboys!

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.

Here and There

The time leading up to our departure has been hectic. Loads of doc appointments, trips to the lake, time with family and friends. Here's a brief update.

Postcards from the Lake: Road Trip to Petoskey

Labor Day -- our last full day up north before we returned home for a bit. We started the day with a walk down to the public beach.

On the way back, Rick joined up with the fellows who own Bennethum's, the restaurant where we had enjoyed our birthday happy hour the night before. Of course, they talked wine!

Postcards From the Lake -- Summer is Ending

Summer may not officially end until mid-September but for me, Labor Day has always felt like the end of the season. Like so many, I used to judge time on when school started or classes began at the university, along with the cooler nights and shorter days. Those school days are long past -- the cooler nights and shorter days are still here (and getting cooler and shorter!) You can tell when out walking too -- the goldenrod is now out in glorious abundance!

Let the Merriment Continue!

Friends and family. Holiday treats. Red-nosed reindeer. For me, that's what Christmas is all about!

Still Crazy After All These Years

When you connect with friends you met when you were 18 and now you find yourselves as grandmothers, one never knows how it will go. How did we change? Did anyone go off the rails? Did the challenges of life change the exuberance we all knew when we were young? 

When my college roommate, LeAnne, texted the other four of us who had known each other since freshman year suggesting a meet-up, everyone was game and plans were made. A VRBO, dining at our old dorm, time to check out the campus, and a birthday celebration. Things fell together like clockwork. We'd be back at MSU together!

Most of us came from around Michigan -- Carol from the north, Barb and LeAnne from the west, and me from central Michigan. Terry came from Pensacola, Florida. It wasn't our first get together -- but it was the first when all five of us had been together for 50 years.

A Sale, A Farewell, Two Cute Boys and Some Birds!

Well, things have a way of working out, even if it sometimes takes a stupid mistake to facilitate it! Here you see my yard sale!  It was a success, or success enough for stuff that I didn't want anymore. Most of the rest has already been donated to our local community theatre's rummage sale. I was lucky -- Molly came to help and brought things, too, and Rick chipped in. A team effort.

So, what was that stupid mistake that worked out?

In-Between Week

The week between Christmas and New Year's is one of my favorites. Things calm down -- and even if they don't quite calm down, it's a gentler, more relaxed feeling. A good time for naps, tidying up, quieter gatherings with friends and looking forward to a new year. 

In our case, it involved saying goodbye to Rick's mom as we met up with Rick's brother and his wife, where she would spend the next few days, our annual Christmas song celebration, a quick hug with an old friend and lots of rest!

Postcards From the Lake: More Fun with Friends

When we last left our family and friends, Rick had set off from friends Anne and Clayton's home to attend a memorial for a cycling mentor. He would ride the fifty or so miles and after the event, return to their home for another overnight and then take off on a bike hike. I, on the other hand, would skip the memorial, enjoy time with our hosts and then head home to enjoy two days of just-me time before the next round of activity.

Oh, the things we think we are going to do.

Postcards from the Lake: Friends and Family

Summer is a time for friends and family and we've had both to enjoy this year.

Why Wait?

Every day, someone makes a difference in someone else's life. We may know a person for ages as a friend or even an acquaintance, like them, appreciate their talent, and maybe even say "Good job!" or "I liked that!" But then something happens -- to them or to us -- that changes the picture to something more revealing, more profound. Maybe we are able to tell them how they have affected our perspectives or how we value their contributions to our lives. Or, maybe we think there will be time to say so later. Sometimes there is and sometimes, regrettably, there isn't.

Catfish by Dick Hill

And that's why I need to tell you now about Dick Hill. Because I want him to know how I feel -- and I want you to know about him. You need to know about him. We all do. He may not have a lot of time left to hear these words, so it's important to do it now. And while he's here on this earth, he still has a lot to say. It's funny, witty and very wise and I need to share some of that with you..

Catching Up and Recipes for You!

I remember when I was working and how hectic spring used to be. I sometimes wonder how I managed to have much of a life while I still had a job. Oh wait, maybe I didn't manage all that well! 

It seems as though my calendar has been more or less empty for so many months, I don't know what to do when something fills it up. I took a quick glance at an upcoming week. The doc. The dentist. Going with Rick to a retirement planning seminar. A birthday gathering for a dear friend turning 70.

 It almost feels normal.

What Would Wally Do?

My friend Wally died last week. You've seen his work -- the beautiful images of Paris that hang above my mantel are by Wally. And my personal collection holds many favorites from this well-loved and respected photographer who focused on European images.

 

And, as you might expect, it takes a chunk out of a person to know there will be no more lunches, photo shoots, good talks about photography or travel with someone you just plain like and have known for a very long time. 

Joys of the Season

I have to admit, this has been an odd Christmas season for me. It seemed to creep up and then bam! It was here and I wasn't ready! Cards went out late, I couldn't get my baking mode on, I didn't feel all that satisfied with most of the presents I found (and I still haven't finished shopping for when we celebrate with the kids). It was just odd.

Postcards from the Lake: Not Quite the Last Hurrah

It's only mid-September, not quite the last hurrah at the lake. But you can feel it in the air. Days are cooler; nights are much cooler. Quite often, the mornings find the lake mirror-calm, reflecting the treeline on the other side and the quiet fishing boats, a far cry from the noisy jet skis of summer. Sometimes it is too cool or windy to paint on the porch, all the better to curl up with a book or needlefelting project, with an extra layer of fleece, hoping for an early visit from Harry North.