S1 and I stood in this parking lot

next to the ocean late one night where we could hear the waves crashing on shore. The night was dark - all the better to see the rings around Saturn through the telescope that he had borrowed, high above this mountain.

Happy 21st Birthday S2

I should have words of wisdom for this day but as your brother has told me - you have heard it all before :-).

Someone asked me if I was surprised that you are an EMT and hoping for a medical career. No. I'm not. You have a great skill for listening and for taking stock of a situation and reacting accordingly. Which is why, when I got so sick when you were in second grade and needed someone to call for an ambulance, that I was glad that you heard me banging on the upstairs bathroom floor and not your brother. Nothing against your brother but even though you are 2 years younger and you were only in second grade you were the one that I wanted to answer my knocking. I could trust you to dial 911 and give the info needed.
You have a lot of patience and an attention to detail. You have a good soul. I'm glad that you are camping this weekend. Saving time for yourself to recharge is important. Don't burn yourself out. You can't save the world. (Though I think that every caregiver seems to have to learn that on their own.)

Have I told you how much I love eating dinner with you? Our sarcasm drives your dad crazy but it's when I laugh the hardest.

The other day the barista at the coffee shop and I were talking about her wearing black along with excessive eyeliner when she was younger. It made me laugh as I remembered your dark day. "I'm wearing black because it matches my personality." You said it in all sincerity but as I looked at your face I saw that three year old who used to take off his shoes in the car and yell that you weren't going to school. And then when I got you to school you would calmly walk in the door like nothing happened. And so I may have smiled.

I am lucky and proud to have you as a son. Happy Birthday! Have a wonderful year (and life)!

I've decided to go back

to the way I bought groceries when we first moved to the Little Blue House. Prices here were so much more than in Florida that the sticker shock was huge. I did a lot of things to make ends meet - cut the boys hair (someday I will show a photo. Some of the cuts were pretty bad), got a lot of clothes and some Christmas presents (games and sleds) at garage sales, furniture at estate sales, etc. I also bought most of my groceries on sale. The grocery stores in town are relatively close to each other so it makes sense to stop in where the price is the best.

Over the years, as I became busier with work and other things I got away from that. I still used some coupons but basically went to one store to save on time. But yesterday that changed.

Half of the grocery stores put out their circulars yesterday and the one store was not only advertising their double coupons (did not realize that they did that) but was also having a buy one/get one free on products that I actually use. Like dog food, pork tenderloin and crackers (among other things). I paid $54.59 for groceries. BUT I saved $43.58 on the same order. Made my head spin.

Now the prices are a bit higher at the second store, but if I'm careful it can work out to my advantage. For example I got 2 bags of dog food. $18.99 per bag. But I got one free. So two large bags for $18.99. At the other store dog food costs me $13.43 per bag. So $26. 86 for two bags. It was cheaper to drive to the other end of the shopping center for the buy one get one free. Now, I'm looking forward to grocery shopping!

Sewing Monday

This fabric, along with a ratty piece of yellow fabric, was a pillowcase when I found it at an estate sale. I ripped out the yellow and cut two 4 inch pieces - one from the top and one from the bottom to use as straps, which I folded to make them 1 inch wide. And top stitched Then I sewed the two ends of the fabric together and the bottom closed. Made a hem at the top and attached the straps. Now I have a cute bag to carry violin music in or my current reading.

Happy Father's Day!

Yesterday, while it was raining, the

dogs and I watched Babette's Feast. I had read the story, which is part of the book Anecdotes of Destiny and Ehrengard by Isak Dinesen, Thursday night for a book club that Cornflower hosts. We will discuss the book a week from today.

Babette's Feast is about 2 sisters who live in Denmark with their father who runs a congregation in a small village. Small and desolute. As the father puts it to a gentleman caller - My daughters are my left and right hand. How can I give one of them up? (paraphrase) And so, even when the father dies, the girls stay in the village out of duty and love to their father.

Babette arrives later in the story. A refuge from France she becomes the housekeeper/cook for the sisters. On the 100th anniversary of the father's birth she gives the sisters and the few congregational members that are left a French dinner.

The story in written form is beautiful but stark. And when words are few it is easier to use ones imagination to fill in the gaps. In the movie, even though it did not deviate much from the book, it was harder to ignore the reality of the sisters and everything that love and devotion to God and father cost them.

The movie was done very well. The barren land that the tiny village sat on seemed to give little. The only giving seemed to come from the sea in the form of sea creatures to eat and of course Babette. The dinner scene was fantastic. And even that is a poor word to explain. For that you will have to watch the movie.

By the end of the feast I was in tears.

So, why the cake in the photo you may ask. My mother introduced me to the showAmerica's Test Kitchen when I was visiting them earlier this spring. The cake is their recipe, Sour Cream Coffee Cake. I wish that I had a piece during the movie as the cake is certainly worthy. Sour cream cake with a delightful cream cheese filling and an almond topping. Husband loves cream danish and I made it for Father's Day - but we had to sneak a piece today.

Debbie, the postal lady for our area, was transferred to

a new route while I was in Hawaii. She had been our postal carrier for 17 years and in that time she knew everyone on her route including their pets. Bubbly and full of personality she would always deliver packages and mail with a smile and as one man put it - If you were short on your stamps she would put a stamp on your mail knowing that you were good for it later.

We are about the same age and have other things in common as well which fostered our relationship. Her oldest is also living in Hawaii. Her daughter graduated with S1 and Debbie and I sat in court together the day that our children received their official drivers license.

According to the lady at the post office in our little town people cried on Debbie's last delivery day.

But now we have a new carrier. I met her on Monday. She is cute, bubbly, chatty and I think will be fine.

I had meant to keep up a daily journal

on my trip but as I am back you may kind of guessed that I did not. I had a great time but also was quite sick at times on this trip so . . . out went any daily posting. After we went to the Punch Bowl I ended up sleeping for 18 hours because of something that I caught on the plane and it went on and off from there.

But I am back, with pictures (not of illness :-/) but of some other great times and will post those soon. Now it is off to unpack, and do laundry etc.

Horseback riding