I Must Be Doing Something Right---Truly Grateful Series

My fifteen year old son had the index card pictured above pinned to the bulletin board in his bedroom. I don't know where it came from. It is not written in his hand writing. I don't know if it is something he got from school or church or youth group or from one of his friends or even something he just found somewhere. The fact that it is pinned to his bulletin board, though, means that it is something important to him.

It made me smile to see it there. His bulletin board is where he keeps little reminders to himself. Things like important dates for his music and sports events and other things he wants to remember are stuck there with little pushpins.

I've made a lot of mistakes in my lifetime, and it is guaranteed that I will make many more. I've made poor choices that I have lived to regret. I have made a mess of more things than I care to remember or count. When I see something like that little index card stuck to my son's bulletin board, though, it makes me feel like I must be doing something right, at least part of the time.


Lord, for little reminders that help point me in the right direction, please let me be truly grateful.

Feathered Hats, Cream Puffs, and Lederhosen

Because my husband won tickets to the German American Festival over the radio, we traveled to Oregon, Ohio yesterday afternoon. Parking for the festival was in a large field. We have had so much rain of late, that the field was quite muddy in places. We had to walk a short way across the field to get to the festival. This photo below was taken as we were walking through the field where the cars were parked. Ahead you can see a woman dressed in a traditional German costume.
At the entrance to the festival was a giant inflated beer bottle. It seemed like a good place for a photo, so my husband took a picture of me standing next to it. It was very windy yesterday and my hair was whipping around my face all a whirl. It was driving me crazy. Because I have naturally curly hair, it easily becomes unruly in windy weather or when humidity levels are high, both of which we had here yesterday. (When I was a little girl, my mother often told me that I have hair like the wild women of Borneo because of its unruliness.)

So please ignore my messy hair and look at the giant beer bottle instead.

Here's another shot of the giant inflatable beer bottle from a different angle.

We walked around for a while just taking in the sights and doing some people watching. There were quite a few people there dressed in costumes and traditional German/Swiss/Bavarian garb. There were lots of men wearing lederhosen and little hats with feathers on the side. Many women wore traditional dresses and aprons as well.

Quite a few people were wearing leis made from orange flowers around their necks. I'm not sure what the significance of that was, but they were pretty popular.

I liked this lady's red hat.

People were eating and drinking and strolling around. There were bands in several different areas playing music. Wooden dance floors were set up on the ground under huge tents where the bands were playing and people were doing clog and polka dances.

This man in the red shirt was eating a potato pancake with applesauce and sour cream.

This is one of the women who was working at one of the food booths.

There was a lady dressed as a clown that was walking around. She is in the middle here in the photo below past the woman in the traditional dress.

It was hard to take pictures because it was crowded there and people kept milling about. There was a man there wearing a chicken hat that made me laugh. I wanted to get his picture, but I lost him in the crowd. He literally looked like he had a white chicken sitting on his head. It looked something like this, but the chicken looked much more realistic on the hat he was wearing. I'm not sure what wearing a chicken hat has to do with celebrating the German American culture, but it made me laugh.

Here's another guy in lederhosen and a little cap with a feather on the side.

We took a break to eat and had some bratwurst and German potato salad.

Next up was a cream puff with Bavarian cream filling on the inside and whipped cream, cherries, and chocolate syrup over the top for dessert. It was YUMMY!

Beer is, of course, one of the highlights of the festival. I don't drink beer myself (or any other alcoholic beverage for that matter), but my husband had a boot of beer with his meal. I had a bottled water instead.

This tall totem pole tower was next to where the main band was playing and where there was a lot of dancing going on.

This little blond tyke made me smile. He was pulling the red wagon which is much bigger than he is as you can see. He was focusing so much on pulling the wagon that he wasn't watching where he was going. He kept running into people as he went along. I imagine the wagon was brought along for him to ride in rather than for him to pull, but oftentimes the plans that parents make are changed by the children that they have.

They had a tent where they were offering free souvenir photos to those who wanted them. They had us stand against a green wall and then a computer added the Glockenspiel background before it was printed out. I'm still rocking the "wild woman of Borneo" hair, unfortunately. (I don't have a scanner, so this is actually a picture of a picture.)

One more look back at the giant inflatable beer bottle as we left.

We bought some sugared roasted almonds on the way out of the festival. (Today it is back to grilled chicken and salads after yesterday's calorie-laden and not very healthy foods feasting!--ha!)

It was getting dark and the sky was clouding over as we drove back home last night.

I took a couple of short videos of the music and dancing we saw there. We didn't do any dancing ourselves, but it was fun to watch the others and to listen to the bands. This band was up on a platform while the dancers were on the floor below.

This band and dancing area was outside without a roof over it and was much smaller than the first one. All ages were dancing and having fun.

* * * * *

It seems fitting somehow to end with this poster as a thought for the day.

I Love You, I Love You, I Love You!

This song has so much joy in it, I can't help but smile when I hear it, and it definitely makes me want to dance.

Smilemakers

It is very nice to be appreciated.

As my regular readers know, the library where I work is struggling to continue to serve the public after receiving large budget cuts from our state funding. In November, a local funding renewal levy for the library will go on the ballot.

I was surprised to see the first letter to the editor about our situation in the newspaper this week. You can read the letter in the photo below. (Click the image to enlarge it if necessary.)


It made me smile to read this letter. It really is nice to have someone appreciate what you do. I can only hope that the rest of the community feels the same way about our library that this gentleman does.

* * * * *

My son started back to school this week. It has been a tradition for us that on the first day of school, I take a picture of my sons holding a calendar and standing in front of the door. I have one from every year starting with preschool. It is fun to watch them grow.



Aside from a schedule mix-up where he was mistakenly assigned to be in a sophomore science class instead of a freshman science class, things went well for him on the first day. The schedule was fixed, and he had a full and busy day. He seemed happy to be back in class with his friends.

* * * * *

How many afghans does one little poodle dog (and his trusty blue ball) need to paw down from the back of the couch and snort and snuffle around in until he has made himself a comfortable little nest? Well, apparently today it was three. This dog just makes me laugh.

With all these smilemakers on the home front, I certainly feel like dancing today. I'd like to join the group of crazy folks in this video. They look like they know how to have fun. I hope you have a day filled with smilemakers today too.

Beginnings and Endings

My days have been filled with beginnings and endings lately. They are running together in a dreamy watercolor painting sort of way---blending one into the next, the edges soft and muted. Sometimes it is difficult to tell where one stops and the next starts.

My younger son starts back to school today. He's a freshman in high school now. I'm not sure how that could be possible, but here we are. So this is a beginning for him. We have been busy with all the usual back to school things: buying clothes and supplies, filling out the umpteen forms that are required by the school every year, he's had his physical from the doctor so that he can play in sports, he has his class schedule set up, orientation meetings have been attended, he has toured the high school building and knows where his classrooms are, and he has met his teachers.


He has decided against playing football this year, which is an ending. This was his decision completely, but I have to admit, I am just as happy that he's not on the team. I never felt that it was a very good fit for him because he is so laid back and easy going. He is not exactly the aggressive type. He is still planning on being on the wrestling and track teams later in the year.

The main reason he has decided against football is because participation in it would conflict with his practices with the youth symphony. The youth symphony is a much higher priority for him than playing football. (Once again, this is his choice, but it is one I wholeheartedly support and am thrilled about.) His practices in Toledo will start next week which will be another first for him. He is very excited about being in this organization and is really looking forward to it.


The string quintet that he is a part of here locally in our town performed again yesterday morning. They were asked to play for the Presbyterian church, so we attended services there this week instead of our home Methodist church so that we could hear the quintet's performance. They did well and were told that they'd love to have them come back again anytime. Many of the congregation members there greeted the kids from the quintet to thank them and compliment them on a job well done after the service. Quite a few made a point to speak to us the parents of the kids, as well.



The old couple that I often see walking in the park happen to be members of that church. They both came over and introduced themselves to me and said how delighted they were to have the quintet playing for them. I have seen them so often that I almost feel like I know them. It was nice to finally meet them. So both the string quintet and the Toledo Youth Symphony are beginnings for my son.

My older son has finished with the factory job he was asked to fill in for. It was hard and exhausting work which involved him lifting and moving twenty five pound metal parts over and over all day long. He worked as long as they needed him, though, without complaining to complete the parts order that they had come in. He was glad to get the money it paid. So that has ended for him for now, and in a couple of weeks he will have another beginning as he returns to fall courses at college.

My husband, who works for the county school system as a school psychologist, also has been dealing with beginnings and endings. There have been some changes in the staff of the office where he works, and he has been assigned to work at different school districts this year than he worked at previously. They are also moving to a new office which will mean a longer commute for him and which has meant disruption and upheaval as he and his coworkers pack and move everything. He has been preoccupied and stressed in dealing with the changes, as can be expected.

I have begun the process along with my brother to make decisions regarding what to do with my mother's possessions as it is quite clear to us that she will not be able to return to her home to live. Eventually, we will need to sell her house as there doesn't seem to be much point in continuing to pay for insurance, taxes, utilities and so forth on it there when she is living at the nursing home. It has been and continues to be a slow, sad, and very difficult process for me to do this, of course, because of all the memories that live there.

There are certain things she wanted us to have and other things we will be selling. Her piano is now mine. I haven't played for about thirty years, so I will basically be starting over when I do try to play it again. I never had formal lessons. I just taught myself what little I do know. It makes me sad to think about playing it right now, though, so it will wait until a time when I am more ready.


My son's girlfriend has been playing it some though, which makes me smile big. (Have I mentioned how much I love this girl!) She has had formal lessons and plays very well. It is a digital piano and does all sorts of things which I have not yet figured out, but perhaps she can teach me a few of them. It even records songs that you play, if you push the right buttons. She recorded one song on it for me which is why she is wearing the headphones. She didn't want us to hear it until she knew she had played it and recorded it perfectly. If I could figure out how, I'd hook the piano up to the computer so you could hear it too. I'm not even sure if that can be done, but it seems like a plausible idea.

My mother continues to have both good and bad days. She has been able to talk more of late which is good. They recently ran some tests on her, though, which shows she still has quite a bit of dysphagia, which means she has difficulty swallowing. As a result, they have changed her diet to soft foods and thickened liquids which she isn't very happy about. They are continuing her therapy in hopes of improving her swallowing abilities.

The library held a potluck lunch last week as a thank you to the local Friends of the Library for all they do for us. I was to bring a salad. I ran out of time to make something the day of the dinner, so I purchased some macaroni salad at the deli counter of the grocery store. I bought too much, as I always do. You know how it is. You start out to buy a certain amount, but once you have it in your hand and you think about the number of people who are going to be at the dinner, you are quite sure that it won't be enough, so you buy more just to be sure. It is kind of an unwritten law in this town that there should always be a great bit of food leftover after a potluck is finished. This is how much salad I had left over after the dinner.


There is still some of that left hanging around in the refrigerator today. The last of the macaroni salad will be one ending that will be a welcome one for me.

My morning glories continue to bloom although we have had several very hard rains lately in which they took a beating. I did notice a new color and shape of one bloom. It was a very pale blue and the flower was square shaped--different from the more round shape of others I've had.



So here it is Monday, another beginning: a new day, a new week and more reasons to find to dance. I hope you all have a good week and whatever beginnings and endings you encounter, that there will also be reasons to dance.

Music Monday---How Sweet It Is by James Taylor

Sweet. Very sweet, indeed! Happy Monday to you.

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
sung by James Taylor
(lyrics)

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

I needed the shelter of someone's arms and there you were
I needed someone to understand my ups and downs and there you were
With sweet love and devotion
Deeply touching my emotion
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you baby

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

I close my eyes at night
Wondering where would I be without you in my life
Everything I did was just a bore
Everywhere I went it seems I'd been there before
But you brighten up for me all of my days
With a love so sweet in so many ways
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you baby

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

You were better for me than I was for myself
For me, there's you and there ain't nobody else
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you baby

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.




PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

No Spaghetti

No Spaghetti

Just two red socks remained hanging on the line.
The old farmer lady took in all the rest.
Not quite dry in the toe and the heel,
they were left behind by an overnight guest.

She found them balled up in a corner of the room.
The smell? Mercy! It was the worst she ever knew!
She threw them in with the Wednesday wash,
and hung them out against the sky so blue.

She also found, left behind by her guest,
some restaurant spaghetti and bread.
She tossed it outside for the squirrels to eat
dumping it in a heap by the flower bed.

Flying overhead a hungry blackbird
saw the pile of spaghetti and bread below.
Came swooping by for a closer look,
dipping and circling and moving slow.

A sudden gust of wind caught the bird off guard.
He was flying too close to the socks hung to dry.
The wind blew a sock loose from its pin,
whirled it into the face of the bird going by.

Down out of the air, the old blackbird tumbled.
Squawking loud raucous complaints.
He didn't like getting his feathers all jumbled.
His cries were curses, never spoken by saints.

That grouchy old bird hit his head on a rock
while a squirrel ate the spaghetti and bread.
He missed out on lunch due to a damp red sock.
All he got was a bump on his dazed feathered head.

Good for This Soul of Mine

Good for This Soul of Mine

As soon as I wash the dishes,
and mop the floor,
call the dentist,
and answer the door,

Then I will sit down
and write a rhyme.
I'll write a poem
when I have the time.

The phone keeps ringing.
The dog has muddy feet.
I'm hemming some pants
for the kid down the street.

When I get those other things done,
THEN, I'll paint with my words.
I'll write about dirty red socks,
and spaghetti and grouchy old birds.

But first I have to exercise.
It's an important way to stay healthy.
Then it's time to go to work.
Helps pay the bills---won't make me wealthy.

I'd much rather spend my time
creating a poem or two.
I want to write a limerick, a sonnet,
a song lyric, or maybe some haiku.

There are groceries to buy
and birthday cakes to bake.
Someone needs to pull some weeds
and get busy with a rake.

There's no money in writing verse.
No riches in simile and hyberbole.
Poetry editors pay for your words
with four copies of their quarterly.

Someone needs to pay the bills
and care for those who are growing old.
The tub in the bathroom is needing a scrub
and always, ALWAYS, there's laundry to fold.

But right now I'm looking for perfect words
to fill each couplet and line,
because writing poetry makes me smile,
and that's good for this soul of mine.

Music Monday---New Moon on Monday

With both the family van and my husband's car needing sudden, unexpected, and expensive repairs this past week, along with the automatic garage door going on the fritz, as well, we have been left feeling a bit overwhelmed and wondering what is going to break next that we can ill afford to have fixed. When it rains, it pours, I suppose. Life goes on.

Speaking of rain, it was pouring buckets this morning. With the other vehicles in the shop, and with my husband and older son both at work, it was up to me and the mighty Metro I drive to get young son and his upright bass to his music lesson this morning. I bet you think that an upright bass would not fit into a little Geo Metro like mine.


You are wrong.

So how did we fit both my 15 year old son and his upright bass into a Geo Metro? Well, we put both the back seat and the front passenger seat down, gently lifted and maneuvered the instrument in through the hatch door in the back (my son did that part), then my son carefully slid in on top of the folded down seat next to the bass in the back from the side door, and it ended up looking like this. The black in front of my son is the bass inside of its case.


I took this photo from the driver's seat. It was a little cramped--yes. HA HA! But we did it. Fortunately, it is only a five minute drive to the school where my son's lesson was to take place.

I took this next photo through the windshield of my car at the school while I waited to pick him up after his lesson was over.


He has an audition tomorrow with the Toledo Youth Symphony so he has been practicing a lot to try and get his solo piece as polished as he can. He has already been accepted into the symphony, but this audition will help the director determine seating for the orchestra and also decide who he wants to do solos for performances in the upcoming year.

In spite of our "list of things that need to be repaired" woes, there are still reasons to dance this morning. For one, the van will be repaired and available to us again by tomorrow when my son and his bass will need transportation for the hour long trip to Toledo. That is a good thing. A five minute trip with both my son and his bass in the back of my Metro is one thing. An hour long trip would be quite another.

The rain we are getting this morning is another good thing. It is cooling things off. Temperatures have been in the 90's here the last few days, so the rain brings some relief from the heat. My morning glories have been looking a little withered the last couple of days, so this rain will freshen them up again.

I am also thankful that my son has this opportunity to be in the youth symphony. He is really excited about it and is looking forward to working with the director and other teens in the program.

So in spite of whatever rain falls in our lives, it's good to still take time to dance.

I have no clue what this video is supposed to be about and the lyrics are a puzzle to me, as well, but the music is good to dance to. :-)

This is a dance mix of Duran Duran's "New Moon on Monday" for today's Music Monday pick.

New Moon On Monday
(lyrics)
Shake up the picture the lizard mixture with your dance on the eventide
You got me coming up with answers all of which I deny
I've said it again but could I please rephrase it
Maybe I can catch a ride I couldn't really put it much plainer but I'll wait till you decide
Send me your warning siren as if I could ever hide

Last time la luna I light my torch and wave it for the new moon on Monday
And a firedance through the night I stayed the cold day with a lonely satellite
New moon on Monday and a firedance through the night
I stayed the cold day with a lonely satellite

Breaking away with the beast of both worlds a smile that you can't disguise
But every minute I keep finding clues that you leave behind
Save me from these reminders as if I forget tonight

This time la luna I light my torch and wave it for the new moon on Monday
And a firedance through the night I stayed the cold day with a lonely satellite
New moon on Monday and a firedance through the night
I stayed the cold day with a lonely satellite

I light my torch and wave it for the new moon on Monday
And a firedance through the night
I stayed the cold day with a lonely satellite
New moon on Monday and a firedance through the night
I stayed the cold day with a lonely satellite
New moon on Monday and a firedance through the night (firedance through the night)
I stayed the cold day with (I light my torch and wave it for the) a lonely satellite
New moon on Monday and a firedance through the night (firedance through the night)
I stayed the cold day with a (I light my torch and wave it for the)
New moon on Monday and a firedance through the night (firedance through the night)
I stayed the cold day with a (I light my torch and wave it for the)lonely satellite

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.




PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

It Doesn't Take Much

My older son tried to find a job this summer with no luck. Well, he has done a small number of odd jobs here and there. Mowing grass and doing yard work for a few people and a little bit of babysitting and pet sitting have kept him busy part of the time. He also worked for a few days helping tear out commercial refrigerators with a company owned by the father of one of his friends.

Yesterday, he got a call back from the owner of a company that manufactures automobile parts locally. He worked for them last summer. Because business has been so slow, they didn't need him earlier in the summer. They got a big order in recently and needed some extra help, so they called my son. It is only a few days of work, but it made him happy to get the offer.

They called him yesterday morning, and within half an hour of the call, he was there working. He's there again today. Last night before he went to bed, he asked if I could fix him a lunch and put it in the refrigerator for him to grab on his way out the door this morning. Out the door this morning, by the way, meant he had to get himself up at 5:00 and report for work by 6:00. For a guy who, given his druthers, would rather sleep in until noon, this was quite a feat.

I fixed the lunch for him as requested, and when I got up this morning at 6:15, I found this note left for me on the kitchen table. My son is happy to be working, and this note made me happy.

My glories were smiling at me in three colors this morning, and that made me happy too.



My neighbor's Rose of Sharon bush is blooming and looking great! Seeing that made me happy too!

It doesn't take much to make me happy, but when I'm happy it makes me want to dance. I don't know who the Nerdfighters are, but they made me smile with this video full of their happy dances. I hope you find something happy to dance about today too.

When Husbands Buy Groceries

I hate to buy groceries. It just seems like such a chore to me. I would gladly pass the chore on to someone else, but that hasn't worked out very well either. My husband and sons buy way too many impulse items when they do the shopping. Their shopping trips blow the food budget right out of the water.

If I send a list with them and tell them to buy only what is on the list, they invariably either buy the wrong size of the item I want, the wrong flavor, the wrong brand, or, they are on their cell phones with me the whole time asking questions about the items on the list in their efforts to buy what I DO want. Well, if I'm going to be spending all that time on the cell phone telling them what to buy, I might as well just go and do the grocery shopping myself.

For any woman who has ever sent her husband to the grocery store, the following video is something that will make you laugh. Thank you to Reenie for sending this to me.

Vivian

When I was in college, the professor of my fiction writing class would sometimes have us try our hand at writing character sketches without actually writing a story about the characters. He just wanted us to get a feel for describing them.

The following is a sketch I wrote of Vivian. She is one of the women who is a resident at the nursing home where my mother lives. I often visit my mother during the lunch hour, so I have had many opportunities to observe Vivian.

* * * * *

Vivian

Vivian is blind or nearly so. She wears very thick glasses with big black rims, but she appears to see very little even while wearing them.

She sits in a specially designed wheel chair that reclines slightly. Her feet are elevated. One is wrapped in a soft blue boot and propped on a small pillow. She is not able to maneuver the wheelchair on her own and must be wheeled down to the dining hall of the nursing home by one of the aides.

Because of the design of her wheelchair she is unable to be pushed up to one of the dining hall tables. She is pushed to one edge of the hall, and a tray table on wheels is pushed over her lap and up in front of her.

As soon as the tray table is in front of her, Vivian reaches gingerly out and feels across the top of it.

"Coffee, I didn't get any coffee," she calls out to whomever might be listening, "Coffee, I didn't get any coffee. Coffee, I didn't get any coffee. Coffee, I didn't get any coffee."

The aides are making the rounds with the coffee pots. They have not yet arrived to her section of the dining hall. In just a few minutes, one of the aides brings her a cup of coffee.

"Be careful, Vivian. It's pretty hot, " the aide tells her.

Vivian lifts the cup to her lips and takes a sip.

"Too hot. Too hot. Too hot. Too hot, " she says and sets it back down.

She begins to count out loud, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Have to let it cool for a minute. Eight, nine, ten....."

While she is counting, she fusses with a bobby pin in her hair. She is mostly bald on the very top of her head, but she has longer hair on the sides and back and oddly enough, she has bangs in the front which are whirled around into what can best be described as a giant pin curl. This is where she is trying to reposition the bobby pin. Her hair is dark brown, which seems out of place in the dining hall sea of bobbing white and gray heads. She finally gets the pin curl secure to her satisfaction. She has a second bobby pin, a spare, fastened into one of the button holes of her blouse in case she loses the first one.

"Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six..." she continues to count out loud.

Other residents are still arriving in the dining hall. A few are able to walk in. Most are in wheelchairs though. Some can push their own wheelchairs in for meals with their feet or their hands or both. Others have to be wheeled in by the aides. There are bits and pieces of conversation that can be heard, although for a dining room with so many people in it, it is really fairly quiet. Some music from a country radio station is playing from a small player in one corner of the room. Some of the residents appear to be dozing in their wheelchairs as they wait for the food to be brought in.

"Fifty-six, fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty," Vivian finishes counting off the seconds to make a minute and takes another sip of coffee.

"That's better," she says to no one in particular.

She begins to count her sips of coffee while she drinks them and reports on her progress to everyone in the vicinity. "I've had six sips of coffee and still no food here."

"I've had twelve sips of coffee and still don't have any food."

"Twenty sips. My coffee is almost gone, and I don't have any food."

"I finished my coffee. I'm ready for some food now."

"I don't have any food. I'm ready for some food now."

One of the aides brings food to her.

"Vivian, you have mashed potatoes at twelve o'clock, green beans at three o'clock, creamed turkey at six o'clock, and peaches at nine o'clock," the aide says as she also sets down small glasses of milk and water by her plate.

Vivian uses her hands to feel for the items that they bring to her. It appears she has done this for a long time. She gingerly finds first the edge of the tray and then carefully and slowly moves her fingers along searching so as not to spill anything. She finds a cloth napkin which she tucks neatly into her blouse under her chin and then locates a fork so she can begin to eat.

Food is served to the other residents. Some are able to manage just fine on their own. Others with arthritic hands or other problems need their meat cut or cream and sugar packets torn open to put into their coffee. Some have special eating utensils, bowls, and cups adapted to their individual needs.

Vivian feeds herself. It is a slow process. She dips her fork or spoon into her plate. Sometimes she brings it back to her mouth with just a very small bit of food on the end, other times the utensil is heaped up. She can't see how much is there and doesn't know until it reaches her mouth. She is counting as she goes. Occasionally, she announces her progress.

"I've had six bites of turkey now. I've had six bites of turkey now. I've had six bites of turkey now. I've had six bites of turkey now."

A little later she reports, "I'm not eating green beans. I don't like green beans. I'm not eating green beans. I don't like green beans. I'm not eating green beans. I don't like green beans."

When she finishes, she pulls the napkin from under her chin and carefully places it on top of her plate.

"All done. All done. All done. All done, " she calls out to the room.

Music Monday--I'm In the Mood For Love

"I'm In the Mood For Love" sung by Bryan Ferry.



I'm In The Mood For Love
(lyrics)

I'm in the mood for love
Simply because you're near me
Funny, but when you're near me
I'm in the mood for love
Heaven is in your eyes
Bright as the stars we're under
Oh, is it any wonder?
I'm in the mood for love
Why stop to think of whether
This little dream might fade?
Let's put our hearts together
Now we are one, I'm not afraid
If there's a cloud above
If it should rain, we'll let it
But for tonight forget it
I'm in the mood for love
Why stop to think of whether
This little dream might fade?
Let's put our hearts together
Now we are one, I'm not afraid
If there's a cloud above
If it should rain, we'll let it
But, for tonight, forget it
I'm in the mood for love

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String Quintet Debut

You may remember that a while back my fifteen-year-old son was hoping to form a string quintet along with his girlfriend and some of their friends. That quintet has been formed, and they have been practicing the last few weeks.

This morning, they had their debut performance when they played two pieces for our church service. My son is the one standing and playing the upright bass, and his girlfriend (although not much of her is visible) is playing the viola and is sitting to the left of him.

I think they did a great job, and I am quite proud of them.

The first song they performed was "Shepherd's Dance" by Schubert.

The second song they played was "You Raise Me Up." The music for this piece was written by Rolf Lovland and the lyrics were written by Brendan Graham.

A Song For a Sunday

I really like the lyrics of this song. I hope you have a Sunday full of blessings.

Grateful
(lyrics)
sung by Art Garfunkel

I've got a roof over my head
I've got a warm place to sleep
Some nights I lie awake counting gifts
Instead of counting sheep

I've got a heart that can hold love
I've got a mind that can think
There may be times when I lose the light
And let my spirits sink
But I can't stay depressed
When I remember how I'm blessed

Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed
And duly grateful

In a city of strangers
I got a family of friends
No matter what rocks and brambles fill the way
I know that they will stay until the end

I feel a hand holding my hand
It's not a hand you can see
But on the road to the promised land
This hand will shepherd me
Through delight and despair
Holding tight and always there

Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed
And duly grateful

It's not that I don't want a lot
Or hope for more, or dream of more
But giving thanks for what I've got
Makes me happier than keeping score

In a world that can bring pain
I will still take each chance
For I believe that whatever the terrain
Our feet can learn to dance
Whatever stone life may sling
We can moan or we can sing

Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed
And duly grateful

Truly blessed
And duly grateful.

Corn, Lace, a Castle In the Country, and More

It has been a busy week. Between a trip to the vet for Max, a trip to the dentist for my son, visiting my mom, trying to adjust my schedule to accommodate my new work hours at the library, and several other interruptions of daily life (some expected and some unexpected) I have not had as much time to blog this week as I would have liked.

I had to drive out of town a little ways to drop my son off at his friend's house today, so I took the camera along just in case I saw something worth photographing.

I didn't see much. I saw a lot of corn.


And then I saw some more corn.


It is looking pretty good this year as far as I can tell. We've had alternating rain and sunshine when we needed it and haven't yet had any of the wilting, withering killing summer heat and drought that we have sometimes had in previous years.

Driving along in a few places on the country roads, it almost feels as if you are in a tunnel because of the tall green corn growing on both sides of the road. You are surrounded. If you dwell on it too much, you can start to feel as if perhaps you've gotten lost in a place far from civilization, like the corn is closing in around you and swallowing you up.

I came to a clearing and saw this farm. There was some sort of antique farm machinery on display in the front yard. I don't know what kind of equipment it is, but it was a nice break from the corn, at least. (Click on the picture if you want a better look.)

I took pictures of some Queen Anne's Lace. Yes, I know it is a weed, or is considered so by most, but that doesn't stop me from liking it. This plant is also called "Wild Carrot," and yes, you can eat the root the same as you would eat the carrots that are cultivated for that purpose. I have not personally done that, but it is nice to know that it is possible, just in case I'm ever making a pot roast and need some carrots to go with it.


I have always liked these delicate flowers with the flat heads made up of many clusters of tiny white blooms. When I was a little girl, I would frequently pick them from a field near to my house and wear them in my hair. I also often saw Monarch butterflies on the blooms when I was young, so I felt I was in good company to like them. I have good memories of Queen Anne's Lace.

As I was returning home, I realized that I was near a local landmark that I have been meaning to take a picture of for quite some time. I took a very small detour to get to it. It isn't every day you see a painting of the Neuschwanstein Castle that is located near Fuessen in Bavarian Germany on the side of a big red barn along a country road in Ohio.

If you are interested in the story behind this painting and what it is doing on the side of this barn, you can read more about it here.

* * * * *

I have just a few photos to share with you from the park last night too.

Superman had flown away, but I saw the Grinch in the sky.

Can you see him there?

Hmm...maybe not. He doesn't look quite right. Perhaps it is some sort of alien with a weird mohawk hairdo instead. HA!

Of course, I was in the park, so I had to take a few more pictures of flowers.




I saw an apple tree at the edge of the park too, but I don't think anyone had sprayed it with insecticide because most of the fruit looked as if it had been stung.

Some apples were already on the ground. Too bad the fruit from this tree won't be fit to eat and will go to waste.

The sunset looking out over one of the baseball fields was pretty. You can see the lights from the field sticking up in the middle of the photo there.

I hope you have had a productive week. I wish you a relaxing and peaceful weekend.