Let's See now...

It flies in the face of reason, but, Viewer Dear, I'm going to make yet one more attempt to show you this lovely little bee, making his (daily?) visits to some orange-colored fall flowers.
And...
Stuck!  I'm stuck!
Who's to know where the snarly problem lies, the fact is: I can't post videos!
Right now it is definitely the bee in my bonnet!!

But while I'm here...
let me just say that it appears I have no reverse gear.  I've been spinning and spinning away, attempting to back up.
No luck.
But I'm going to give it one more go!

Aunt Ann--aunt of The Yard Man--she was the dear one at the nursing home.
She was the one growing ever more weak; her attachment to this world was growing ever more tenuous.  Though Ann had remained single her entire life, and had no children, she did have family who cared for her.  She had a plethora of nieces and nephews who, when it was estimated that her days were numbered, spent many hours by her bedside.

There was the Death

And then there was the burial.

But, wait, Reader Dear, let me back up...
................................
(to be continued)

The Best Day ever!

The Little Actor and the Tiny Actor came for a (relatively lengthy) stay with The Yard Man and me.*
Today was Day One.**
Know this, Reader Dear...it was proclaimed THE BEST DAY OF THEIR (relatively brief) LIVES***!

*A stay of four-and-a-half days
**Involving a treasure hunt and a (relatively large) Lego set!
***A life of six years (thus far) and a life of three years-and-nearly-half (to this point)

........................

Okay, so then...

As a landlord,  I have a small confession to make, Dear Reader.   I am such a pushover!

 "NO!"  I say.  "No!  You may not have a dish installed!"

(You see, Viewer Dear, I walked down that route at one time, and the dishes popped up on sides of buildings like mushrooms in a moist and mildew-y environment!)

But, well....




What did I tell you?!

...........................

Steel Wheels

Two sets, Viewer Dear!

This first set of steel wheels, I spotted about a week and a half ago.  To tell the truth, Viewer Dear,  I followed them down the road much longer than necessary.
I found them worthy of a photo.

      

And, then, what ho, I was fortunate to see, with sound effects, another foursome of Steel Wheels on Sunday night. This set, I will have to say, Listener Dear, is the one that tops my charts!*

Some friends joined The Yard Man and me to hear this terrific band that hails from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia:                           Steel Wheels!

..................................
*To be fair, in the first
case I did not make any
inquiries regarding
musical renditions.

It was a Surprise

birthday party for The Yard Man's niece, this super-duper, multi-marvelous cookout that he and I attended yesterday evening.

Just listen up! Here's the menu this birthday person's dad (and a few other family members, to be sure) prepared:

*Guacamole with Chips

*Freshly-grilled Beef Kabobs
*Freshly-grilled Bacon-wrapped Chicken Kabobs
*Freshly-grilled Shrimp Kabobs
*Slow-cooked Baked Beans with Pork
*Freshly-steamed-in-the-husk
Corn-on-the-Cob
*Freshly-roasted Green Beans

*Cupcakes
*Freshly Deep-fried,
 Homemade Glazed Doughnuts
 ........

Where are all the photos, you may ask.  Alas, Viewer Dear, once the celebrated one showed up and we shouted "Surprise!"
I was far too busy eating to snap photos!

Alas, you see, I ate and ate.
I made frequent visits to the grill, to the corn-steamer, and to the table laden with dishes.
With a bit of redness to my cheeks, I'll even confess, Reader Dear, I ate more than one freshly-made doughnut.

So, here's the thing:
I ate far too much!*
*It was no surprise**.
 

**Nor was the birthday gift we carried along.  In the event you've never contemplated this, Reader Dear, I've got a Public Service Announcement: Caution! Gift-wrapping a rose bush is a prickly task. Stop before starting.

Columbian Coconut

Candy! If you are doubtful, Reader Dear, that there are downsides to offering folks a place to call "home," you can be sure there are!  (Ahem, let me remind you:
 Oh, so many times that tipped the scales downward!) 
But, there are also many positives to the experience, as well!
Reader Dear, I never know what gifts I might receive as a landlord.
My newest tenant very recently managed to bring his wife from their country of origin (Yes, Columbia), and he is ecstatic! 

Viewer Dear, I'm pretty darn happy myself.  (It stands to reason, a tenant floating around on Cloud Nine is a much better tenant than a sad one!)
He gifted me today with a coconut lollipop.  Real coconut! he told me. (It was delicioso!)

EXPLOSION!

...meaning, Reader Dear, that my long hiatus from posting just met with (what may possibly be) a vigorously-renewed supply of postings!
And, speaking of explosions...here it is:  My total viewing of pyrotechnics in celebration of Independence Day.

Only Son and The Small Actor brought a handful of bursting material to the driveway of The Yard Man and myself in order to check out the volume and length to which it would explode.

Seeing as how The Yard Man had hopped aboard his vehicle and set out for mid-western  horse events early on in the holiday weekend, I represented a full half of the adult ohh-ers and ahh-ers of these (very) local fireworks.

Once the celebratory span of time came and went, one might have thought it was safe to say these driveway fireworks were the full extent of the displays I was going to witness.  But, lo and behold (with an emphasis on the "behold"), following yesterday evening's concert at the park...

 The Yard Man and I returned home, exited the car, and happened to witness a twenty-minute light-and-noise-in-the-sky event!


Based on the length and scope of it, The Yard Man and I believe it  was a belated Independence Day show for the public.

The country will likely go on celebrating our independence, but I'm pretty sure it will be independent from me sighting further explosions in the sky. 

Periphrastically, I've been dragging

my feet.

It's been said, Reader Dear, that the journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step.  And I do agree, because, seeing as how I've been an adult for many years, it would be difficult to find someone willing to carry me in their arms to the airport. The point I am trying to make, periphrastically, is that the surprising resumption of a thousand on-going blog posts begins with just one word.

I've decided to stop dragging my feet and take the multi-mile journey.  I'm walking to the airport* on foot, under my own power.
I'm taking the first step:  
*periphrastically, of course!**



***********************
**Hoping to catch a flight!

Angling up across the country

toward home (from our short stay in Asheville, North Carolina), the Yard Man and I had an excellent view of the sky.  And, oh, thank glorious goodness for that, Dear Reader; the panorama overhead provided entertainment for us throughout our whole long day of driving!  We were treated to a fantastic performance by the clouds, with bit parts by the heavenly bodies!  Just you look, Viewer Dear.  I believe you might be giving a little gasp every now and then.  Uh, huh.

 8:45 a.m.

8:50 a.m.

10:56 a.m.

11:09 a.m.

  11:26 a.m.
 (Right here, Viewer Dear, is where the clouds were not so astounding, but the view ahead [as I roused from a tiny nap] certainly took my breath away!)


 12:24 p.m.

12:28 p.m.

12:30 p.m.

12:31p.m.

12:52 p.m.

5:29 p.m.

5:41 p.m.

 6:41 p.m.
"The moon!"
I exclaimed with glee to the Yard Man.

6:43 p.m.

6:52p.m.
And here I shrieked, "It's a rainbow!"
(Yes, yes, Viewer Dear, I know it is a sun dog.  I'm just not in the habit, you see, of shrieking, "It's a sun dog!"
  

7:25 p.m.

 

7:54p.m.

It was the grand finale.

Piggies!

Last week the Yard Man and I took a (relatively) long trip for a (relatively) short visit with our Dark-haired Daughter and David.  We drove nine hours to spend three days in Asheville, North Carolina.

While there, we did our usual strolling around, seeing the interesting sights of Asheville, meeting a few of the interesting folks and animals who populate Asheville, listening to their interesting music!

And, then.
We went to visit an interesting (okay, okay, no more use of that word; curious how few synonyms!) farmer  on his mountain farm outside of Asheville.

Reader Dear, please be a Dear Viewer.

This man and his wife have a slew of fascinating animals who call the place home.

     
There were horses and chickens, of course; but, meh, there are also horses and chickens on a farm that I know well.  It was the goats that really got me going!  They were clearly communicating with one another.




"Look at this crazy woman with the camera!" one of them yelled to the others.  "She's running around here like we're some kind of circus side-show!"

"Yeah, she acts a little gaga over
seeing us, but she clearly likes the 
piggies best," one of the other goats complained.


And, they had it right, Reader Dear. I squealed when the piggies grunted!
I grunted when they squealed! I was so tickled by their curly tails, constantly moving, and their unabashed pigging out.

Eventually, we had to say goodbye to the four-legged critters and go back to interacting with the fascinating two-legged variety.

But, for me, Reader Dear, the piggies carried the day.

There is no catching up, of course...

but I'll attempt to run along behind, dropping photos and notes in a semi-jumbled way.  And, Reader Dear, speaking of a semi...er, semis: This is Mothers Day. Every year, to celebrate the occasion, there is a parade of trucks that stream up and down a stretch of highway not far from where the Yard Man and I live.  It strikes me as an idea that was thought up by someone with a mother, but very likely not someone who is a mother.  Each year, without fail, I am taken off-guard when I first pull from the ramp onto the highway and find massive numbers of massive trucks.  "Where's the fire?!" I wonder.

And then I see the carloads of folks, the little clusters sitting on blankets and lawn chairs, these people who all have mothers, or had them in the past, celebrating on the sides of the highway.

One more little jump

and skip...to Baltimore, Maryland...to (supposedly) deliver three gallons of Oasis ice cream mix to The Charmery (an ice cream shop with creatively fantastic flavors)...but, in actuality, to celebrate a very large milestone in the life of The Yard Man and me (For forty-three years we've been hanging around together, saying "I do").

Our first stop en route to Baltimore was Wilmington, Delaware.  (Only "on our way" in the sense that The Yard Man wished to deliver some butter to this delightful cafe, where the owner shared the early-afternoon meal with the two of us, and plied us with many dishes prepared by his first-class chef!)

When we left Wilmington, we were so over-stuffed with food that I whined to the Yard Man,  "I may not be able to eat anything more today!"

"Well, we're headed toward some very delicious ice cream!" he responded.

And, sure enough, we were:

After the owner of this shop took possession of the three gallon jugs The Yard Man presented to him, he treated us to bowls of his creamy and delectable ice cream. 

"Happy Anniversary!" he said.

Leaving Out

the nittier and grittier sides of life, I seem to be hopping from one mini-vacation to the next here in this blog.  So I urge you, Reader Dear, to keep in mind that life isn't always a bed of Peruvian lilies  (yes, roses have a lovelier scent; it's true, but I much prefer Peruvian lilies*).

During the past weekend, The Yard Man and I took a flying trip (as in, The Yard Man put the pedal to the metal, and we sped down that highway) to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
We have precious friends there who treated us like royalty:

Put us up in a lovely room with a view!
Treated us to not only excellent cuisine, but exceptional entertainment, as well!




(Outstanding performance of the play,"Outside Mullingar"!)

These friends led us on a short escapade by trilling waterfalls.

And, en route up the highway toward home, they led us to rave about our twenty-four hour
(thrilling) visit!



................
*Even the names of this flower are exotic, Reader Dear.  It's also called alstroemeria, or lily of the Incas; (sigh) isn't that lovely?

Adventures in a Display Case

It all started as I strolled along the sidewalks of Chestnut Hill, PA, luxuriating in my tiny vacation.  Nestled there with the gift shops and the art shops and the little cafes was a hardware store. Now, I could see at a glance, Viewer Dear, that this was no ordinary hardware store.  If I had to make a call, I'd say it was also a "telephone shop" (though I'm clearly stretching the cord quite a bit on this one, considering there were no more than two dozen antique phones in that store window.)

Seeing as how I have at least one daughter with a fancy for old  phones, and seeing as how I had plenty of time to fill in Chestnut Hill, I walked into the store.   

...............

(Though I'm a bit red-faced now, Reader Dear,

as there's not much more to this tale.) 

The store-owner led me on an interesting tour

(but did not make a sale). 

I can only say, due to the fact that I was on display in that case, along with the (possibly hapless) owner (whom I was blocking from a speedy exit), I did give some fanciful thought as to how I could lend a bit more adventure to the adventure*. 

*Ah, Reader Dear, much as you may have enjoyed the titillating tale, the thrill of the rendition for me would certainly not be worth the extremes of that red face!**

**Only saying, Dear Reader, I'm not so willing as all that to make a fool of myself!

Here was the Question

The Yard Man asked, "Do you want a little free vacation?"
The details:  He was going to Chestnut Hill (historic suburb of Philadelphia, PA) to spend time promoting the CSA subscriptions (weekly boxes full of Community Supported Agricultural produce) of Oasis (food cooperative where he's the organically-grown-food promoter [and other jobs]).  Er...did you follow all that?  Doesn't matter.  The bottom line:
He'd be working;
I'd be playing!
(A well-appointed room at the inn would be compliments of the woman who owns and runs the farmers' market where The Yard Man would be spending his time on Friday and Saturday!)


Let me just tell you this, Reader Dear Reader, as we (ever so adeptly) leap ahead in time:

The weather was fabulous!





The room was delightful!

The street full of shops was terrific!

 

Having just  spent that vacation, I can decisively tell you this:

I'd have been a fool to say, no!