For Today - July 6, 2010

Outside My Window. . .Very, very warm & sunny & muggy. We had rain off & all all weekend. . . . and we need it! We always need rain in the summer. We seldom have rain in the summer, so I dare not fuss about it.

It worked out very well, though. When we had outside activities or traveling to do, there was no rain. And it mostly rained when we were inside or sleeping, etc.

Sitting on the porch was a pleasure except for those darn mosquitoes that much have hatched from all the rain? I'm going to have to find a non-toxic way to get rid of them! But I think I may have some help as my oldest grand daughter was the first to discover we have bats around the house! They were flying around the mercury vapor light that's in the driveway. Without it would make it very difficult to find the house in the dark or to get from the car to the porch, so we leave it here. . . . It might be a good thing - attracting food for the bats!

I think I wrote about that big old owl w/in the last week & he was out front too. I haven't identified him, but he is big: I'm guessing 18 -24" tall! I hope he's not planning to eat the bats!? After all, they are small mammals!

I Am Hearing . . .Crickets & cicadas.

I Am Wearing . . .white capris & blue shirt.

I Am Thinking . . . I need to mop floors.

I Am Wondering . . .if I will actually get around to mopping floors. . . . it's hard to get back into the swing of things.

I Am Grateful. . . for the wonderful weekend full of family & activities

for small town parades

and firemen competitions

for the pulled pork being such a big hit

for going geocaching

for big (there were 12 of us) get together w/my mom @ assisted living facility. They put out a great spread of wonderful food!

for daughter's neighbors inviting us over for big firework show @ their house. It was the biggest private fireworks show I've ever been to!

for grandkids fishing

for Apple to Apple game

for James Bond movie

for fireworks @ home

and the poppers too

for bats in my yard

& the owl, too

for my family getting safely back home.

For my hubby. When everyone is gone & the house is empty - I'm glad he's here to listen to the quiet with me.

From The Kitchen . . . lots of grilled meat & a watermelon.

I Am Going. . . to catch up on reading blogs & tidy house; move two pieces of furniture & two rugs; & mop floors.

I Am (still) Reading . . . There's no way to change this up - - - I have much to learn & will continue reading "Essential Oils Desk Reference"

I Am Hoping. . .to make steady progress

Around The House . . . the evidence of a houseful of people having been here. And I love it!

One Of My Favorite Things . . .family get togethers.

Something You May Not Know About Me. . . I have almost always in the past used real china, glasses, silverware & cloth napkins. It's been an idiosyncrasy of mine. But not this weekend. . . . not for the big meals. Oh breakfast did get eaten from real bowls - but the other meals were from paper plates, plastic cups & forks & paper napkins! Scandalous!

Today's Photo. . . .the last of the sparklers - - - the last of the fireworks - - - the last of the holiday.

Catch Up

July 4, 2008: Shiloh made his first major trip to the Republican Club's Independence Day picnic at Love's Lookout in Jacksonville. He very nicely got into the van when told we were going bye bye. This is a major accomplishment!!!! Training is going very well, indeed!

Once there, he was charming and quite a magnet, attracting attention from people of all ages! Adults & children loved on him & he was quite content & not at all alarmed by people making a fuss over him. I have to admit, though, that he didn't always heel while among so many distractions. He still needs lots of training.

Back home for the evening, he remained calm during nearby fireworks. He is a good dog & I believe will some day be a great dog. Funny thing - my kids apparently think we're rather wonky for being so in love with him!

July 5, 2008: We left in the morning for Greenville for Murray's cousin's son's wedding. Prior to the wedding, we met w/a great number of relatives for lunch. It was good to see so many of them again. Murray's aunt & uncle are such dears, although I'm not certain his aunt remembered or recognized me. But she obviously knew that I (& all the others) love her & she did lots of smiling & talking. Uncle is positively charming & so high tech for being 80 years old!

One of Murray's cousin's looks pretty much the same as she did 20 years ago. How does she do it? One looks so much more relaxed & less stressed than 3 years ago when we last saw her. Another looked just as radiant as always. A couple of husband's siblings were there & it was good to see them again. It's been too long.

Parents of the groom were delightful, being full of grace & smiles. And the bride & groom were a joy! This wedding is my 2nd favorite, Amanda's being my all-time most favorite of all! And speaking of Amanda - how good to see her & David again! I never get enough of them!

One very big disappointment is that not very many of my photos turned out well. I HATE using the built-in flash, so I shot w/o it in very dim lighting. I guess it's time to add an external flash to my wish list.

Anyway - we got home about 1 AM and Shiloh was so very anxious to see us, having been crated for 15+ hours! And guess what! He was dry, with no messes! Super uber bladder & bowels! I think he's going to work out just great!