Good morning everyone. Oh my gosh! We are losing so much light. It is early and completely black outside. I know I have whined about my “SAD” problems. Seasonal affect Disorder is so silly and ridicules. Why should a person get these physical symptoms living on planet earth? Must make coffee and make a few plans for the weekend. Labor Day? We might spend the weekend doing just that. John is itching to wash cars and he will pointedly offer to help me carry cleaning supplies and a. vacuum to use on the inside of the car. Big hint going on as you can plainly see!

Sandy: I remember my days in grad school taking art education. One of the important premises was that creative children will show artistic interests at a very early age. Music and math go hand in hand. Sweet Max will be showing other remarkable talents very soon. Stay tuned!

Jackie: we have an interesting wildlife problem. It seems we have an unusually large family of little green garden snakes living in the rock wall of a flower bed. John yells at me when I scream and threaten them. They are John’s good friends and they are supposed to keep pest populations under control. I cannot make friends with the little green creatures, no matter how useful they are.

Lin: your garden friend is delightfully amusing. What is her name? Is that an aloe she is wearing on her head?

Anne: your grass mowing will doubtless get you a scolding from your boys! “Mom! What are you doing? Mowing in the heat! That could cause you to have a stroke. Don’t let me catch you doing that again. Seriously!” I understand that gardeners are a hardy lot. Somewhat stubborn and will not let weather keep them from working in their garden. Am I Right?

Buzz:I have heard of this movie. I can’t remember the reviews. At least you do not have a nervous dog to deal with during thunderstorms. Katie wears a thunder jacket during storms. I wonder if wearing a snug jacket or sweater could help you during storms? In Florida you would not like that!

So begins the weekend...
Patsy

Hello, sorry I didn’t check in yesterday. I zipped about from one thing to another and then I was suddenly very tired and actually fell asleep early evening. Never looked at my iPad again.

Started to write a message and then lost my Internet connection. Good grief!

I would imagine messages have been posted since I first tried to start this message.

Happy Saturday everyone.

I hope you have a pleasant day.

Hugs.

Lin

Hello my dears, John, Katie and I took sandwiches out to look at the brown pelicans at point Adams. They skim along the water in line. There were groups of 4. I think there were at least 4 groups of 4. Why always 4? Who knows but it is always a formation of 4. Katie barked, we ate, seagulls screamed as we fed them bread scraps and bird seeds. The marine birds need extra food due to reduced marine life.

It is very cold and our tourists are complaining! I didn’t once suggest they go home early. I do hope they find a way to enjoy the last weekend before school starts. But still...it will be nice to have less traffic and be able to eat lunch at our favorite restaurants. Do I sound like a cranky old local? True enough.

Still teary eyed over the McCain memorial. Obama is such a statesman and so elequent. “Come back Barack”! My new motto! John McCain was one of a kind and a real hero as well as a maverick.
Patsy

Good morning, another day of on and off rain usually with either wind or lightning or both. Off to church soon with a short stop to pick up a treat for my friend. I will be taking an umbrella.

Jackie and Patsy, may you see the end of the tourist invasion soon. I don’t really have the same situation except we have events in this area all the time that draw thousands of people to the area. Retail stores, restaurants, gas stations, and roads are filled with people. Now I avoid almost all of these special events in favor of staying at home. I guess I don’t like to share.

I am invited to a birthday open house this afternoon. So far I am unable to convince myself that it would be good for me to stop by.

I am working on a few cards that I would like to put in the mail on Tuesday. A friend just lost her husband to cancer. Another friend who is suffering terribly from the after effects of radiation for an inoperable brain tumor just lost her mother and is unable to get up to travel to a neighboring state for the funeral and finally a bit happier thing, a thank you card for someone who has been very kind. Really a card is nothing in the overall vastness of life but it is an offering. So onward.

Hugs all.

Hello Buzz, Sandy, Jeri, Jackie and Patsy. And of course Anne, who is out there but not with us right now.

Lin

Hello! Well sweet friends! It is truly fall! Sweater time and the house was so chilly we had to briefly turn on the little space heater to take the chill off. Now that’s a harbinger of autumn if I ever saw one.

Sandy: I remember the times our little babies were babtized. It is difficult to describe that feeling. I remember we went back to our house for a meal afterwards and we all sat in the living room looking at the baby in his little bassinet. There was a special family bonding and hope for this tiny little person.

Lin: your cards are more that the usual commercial greetings. I know you put friendship and care in every card. I also know people appreciate your consideration and creative effort. These are not simply cards.

Jackie: it is lovely that you treasure all living things. I am so inconsistent. I have a list of creatures that are not on my personal friend list. Wasps! There are others but as long as we keep a respectful distance, we are good to go! Wasps by the way are very active these days.

Lovely cool sunny day. Yellow leaves and orange pumpkin kind of day!
Patsy

Beautiful photos. Extremely gorgeous people in your family! The baptism gown is exquisite. An heirloom?

Rain again. Actually drizzle right now but enough to make me decide I would stay home rather than going over to the park by the Art Center. If it isn’t raining there, there is a group of folks doing Tai Chi. Pass.

Similarly, I passed on the birthday open house yesterday as well.

I was happy to just come home. My friend, bigwig organizer of events at church who sort of forced me into this situation where I am the full-time communion lady is angry with me. No surprise to me but the lady who has organized and made most of our crafts resigned last year and I said if she wasn’t going to do it any longer I was out as well. Anyway, my friend says she didn’t know that and was shocked when this other lady said I told you I cannot do it and no, I will not do it this year. So it was immediately assumed I would take over and she would draft a helper for me. A lady who needs shoulder surgery. I repeated no, I told you no and then said maybe we could organize just a bake sale instead.

By Sunday she stopped talking to me. Okay, I can wait this out. There is no wiggle room on my decision. She always wants to move heaven and earth to make things go her way and her way is that everything has to be the same as the prior year.

Now, with that off my chest, I am going to make my breakfast, make some cold brew tea and also cold brew coffee, work on cards again and make a list of things to do tomorrow. Lots of errands including picking up my new glasses.

Hugs all. I trust some of you are having good of weather. All I can say is quack, quack, quack.

Lin

Oh my, what a lovely Charlie and family, and as usual, SANDY, I think you are the loveliest grandmother imaginable! Best of luck to the littlest of yours, whatever she grabs first!
Just got off the video call with my son, and learned all about his wife's travels to just about everywhere in Europe! Her stories of meeting the Pope, being scammed by a bus driver in Sicily (he was attempting to drive slow so the passengers would miss their train to the ship they were cruising on, so his friend, a cab driver, would make money driving them to the ship!) and other fascinating stories of her travel observations. she should write a book!
Happy Labor Day...


Anyway, I must get down to our buffet, and avoid everything I like!
Buzz

Good morning, getting ready to start on my oh-so-long list of errands. I haven’t decided on my flight path yet due to differing opening times and traffic and school bus routes. Haaaa.

Jackie, you are beyond busy. I am shrieking in fear now that hornets and wasps are in the conversation. Argh. Hornets my impression is they are ill-tempered and well equipped to sting and sting and sting. Did you enjoy the show (to change the subject)? And I keep wondering how your brother is keeping his sanity with a houseguest that won’t leave? Insane. People frighten me!

Buzz, what very interesting stories you heard. Just amazing to hear even the crumbs of the conversation.

Sandy, just must say again, another perfectly lovely family event. You must feel so blessed to be surrounded by such a group!

Well must finish my cup of coffee and get going. Much rain expected later. We are living in sump pump land now. Oh my.

Hugs.

Lin

A beautiful day which started with our usual walk, this time through woods and across fields. Now I have to decide what my priorities are to get my cottage organised for the visit of my friend. Bedding has been washed and now hangs in the sunshine so will smell sweet when returned to the bed and there is certainly some hoovering to be done as well as grass cutting but I'll go at it all at my own steady pace. As for my brother, he does seem to find himself in the sort of predicament facing him now quite often. Although 18 months older than me I've always looked on him as a younger sibling because he is naive when it comes to people with their own agenda and as difficult as he's finding this situation he can't bring himself to be honest but instead struggles on. Of course I'm feeling cross about his treatment by this so-called friend and don't think what she is doing has anything to do with her bipolar, she's just taking advantage of a kind soul because she's not paying her way either!! As we know though her mood swings will be considerable so he never quite knows how she will be on a day to day basis plus he lives in a small one bedroom apartment so little room to avoid each other although she appears to spend a lot of time on the beach! He tells me her son has turned up too so goodness knows where he's sleeping!! Will he learn from this once she's gone? Probably not!!

WarHorse was beyond amazing and had the whole theatre in tears for most of the show. Patsy yes it is the same story as the movie which was taken from a childrens' book but the production is so clever with what are described as puppets but are in fact incredible creations that have you forgetting the humans that work them within minutes of the show starting. The stage set was minimal and the atmosphere created with nothing more than lighting, sound effects, smoke and a few pieces of shaped timber that seemed to immediately explain a scene. All in all a heart stopping amazing experience that left us all emotional wrecks!! This is a trailer to show more than I can describe to Patsy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdiAg2UkPf8

Did you win Sandy? Someone has to one day surely!! I'm sorry to read Babe is still dealing with his problem son but I suppose it will always be so. Your beautiful family show how it should be don't they! My paint dried just fine which did surprise me but I probably won't finish the job until after my friend's visit now.

Lin, you have as many long lists to do as me and I wonder if, like me you don't always get to the end of them? I suppose it's always good to have something needing to be done. I'd rather surround myself with animals than some people as you can tell! LOL As I get older I do at least find I don't hold back if I have something to say to any inconsiderate individuals but that's the fun of being a grumpy old lady!! Our news today, apart from naming the Russian murderers, is that we have Asian hornet arriving on our shores in larger numbers which kill honey bees so I'm thinking I may not restock in the Spring..... we'll see.

Buzz, not that we've met of course but to my mind, what you have become is a compassionate, caring overseer of all that goes on around you whether it is for others needing support or guidance or you keeping a watchful eye on the powers that be and doing your utmost to get important messages out to the uninformed. For sure you are not a lady with a blank mind but rather not always aware how important you are to everyone and I mean everyone!

I jumped on the scales this morning to find I've lost 5 ounces.... whoopee-do! At least going in the right direction to lose my recent 4 lb gain. On that note I will put some cottage cheese and pineapple slices in a bowl, settle for an early lunch then get on with my chores.

Good morning to Anne of course when I copy and paste this into an email.

Jackie

Hello sneakers! Sunny and warm today. I have a great deal on my personal agenda today. I awoke feeling a bit dissatisfied with my usual routine. I am thinking of making a stab at making some changes. At this stage in life..what have I got to lose?

The political situation here is just so bazaar I often feel like I am living in a very bad soap opera. This might be the underlying cause of my need for change.

My grooming session with Katie went into something I can only describe as a battle of wills. Not mine and Katie’s but John and mine. We all accommodate personality quirks but there are times when it is really inadvisable to jump in and insist on assisting. THIS was one of those times. I am usually the dog groomer. This time John must have been bored or something, he wanted to help. Poor Katie received the worse hair cut ever! Thank goodness nature will help resolve this in due time.

I know I sound quite grumpy today, I need to dive into my tasks and never look up until I see progress on all fronts. So I will get busy and wish everyone a wonderful Wednesday.
Patsy