summer 2011

summer 2011

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012
family

Thursday, August 7, 2025

packing and other exciting things...

 

Summertime...ahhh.  The forecast is incredible.  Nice warm nights but not too hot, sunny days.


This though, ugh.  We are right in the middle of New York, up toward the lake.  It's supposed to be better today though.




This is my new grill!  Mine is from Marketplace though, and isn't quite as shiny, but it's in excellent condition.  I brought the grill and griddle in and washed them with hot soapy water.  There is actually a catch pan under those which holds water, to make clean up easier.  That pan was already really clean, so this grill was hardly used.  

Thank you for all the kind words about my migraine episode the other day.  I've read more about them, and it really sounds like what it was.  If it were a stroke, it would have been faster, these aura things move much slower.  Dr. Google is my main man.  :)

I have changed my coffee habits lately though.  I've been drinking the morning espresso black most days, then usually skipping the second cup, then having more in the afternoon.  I am wondering if the black coffee is just more potent, makes me shakier without that cream to tone it done, sounds scientific, right?  That day though, I had a second Americano, but only drank like half of it.   (For the record, the cream is better, so much tastier, but I've been able to lose about ten pounds in the last few months by skipping that morning cream!) 

I've been fasting most days for years now, but who knows?  Maybe that day my body was saying no way.

This week, I've worked hard not to be terrified that it's going to happen again at any second.  This means moving on, and keeping busy, because even if it DOES happen again, what good does it do to sit around and worry about it?  It started with a 15-20 minute vision issue, so I will have some warning.

Anyway.  I am packing to go camping!  The kitchen table is the pile, I have my clothes packed, and some snacks (Jiffy pop!, salt and vinegar almonds, stuff for s'mores, in case any grandchildren visit...), towels, plates, salt potatoes, tablecloth...Our meals are planned:  bacon and eggs one night, burgers with garden tomatoes and salad, then steak and salt potatoes. (buying steak, even for just two people, ouch.  It has gotten so expensive.  But I figure we don't go out to dinner, and this is our vacation.)

Sunny, poor Sunny, she has a new issue.  She is leaky, as in she'll just be lying there with her head on her paws, and pee will start coming out.  Thankfully there is a pill for it, Incurin.  The vet would like to see her on an every-other-day dose, but she seems to start in again when we try that.  She is already not allowed on the furniture, but if we leave our bedroom door open, she loves our bed, specifically my side of the bed.  This fine morning, with packing and all, I left the door open.  She was all comfortable, I shooed her down, and she left a small quarter sized piddle.  Dang.  I had to wash all the bedding.  The sheets are out in the sun, but the huge-0 comforter is in the dryer.  

Did you know that Miss Charlotte Claire and Miss Camille Anaya are both going to college this fall?  Yes they are.  They are hoping to do most of their pre-rec classes online.  Their goal:  nursing school.  Big surprise, right?   (We have Emily (nurse practitioner), Mariel, Aaron, Molly, and Sonja. I think they see their siblings doing well in it, a few of them are working towards master's degrees.). It will be interesting to go through this again.  When your kids are going through nursing school, you ride some waves with them.  As they wait with bated breath for a grade, you wait too.  You feel the sting when they get four of the five requirements for passing, and the joy when they learn and pass and move on.  

This fine afternoon, I'm going to Sonja's dr. appointment with her.  She's due at the end of the month!  Isn't that so exciting?!   I'll be honest though, it's hard to see the kids go through all these things, blessings for sure, but it's not easy.  As I say often though, women are amazing and God has given us a capacity to manage so much more than we think we can.  One of the things I love in life is when we women bond and support each other, lift each other up, give some encouragement.  

Some grandchildren may come over later, not sure, not sure if I'm making dinner for the four of us here, or for several-everal.   

Ah well.  I haven't been out to check the garden in my bare feet yet, I've been on the deck but that doesn't count.  It rained a bit yesterday, right after I watered that garden.  We''re getting tons of little grape tomatoes, not too many large ones yet.  The zucchini aren't plentiful, but we've kept up with the ones we have gotten, the green peppers are best ever, and the yellow squash are tender and delicious.  We haven't even picked any of the kale, the beans were meh, and the lettuce is rather bitter.

You all have a good day, as I can't think of anything else to write about, ha.  :)




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