A Happy Life

 

water color pumpkins - Internet art

Although this week has not had a lot of wild action like the one before, plenty of pictures have been taken to assemble a report. 

Well, wait; I take that back. MY week has gone calmly enough but Gary has seen some wild action.

My guy occupied the dentist's chair TWICE this week. The first appointment was to diagnose the issue and to schedule the date for repair, which was to be next week.

However to his delight consternation, the dentist's office called to say they could fit him in sooner.... he was not excited about that. After the fact, he described the procedure as "paying a lot of money to get water boarded."  He tells me they had to stop the drilling, yanking, and other horrors because he was gurgling with all the water hosed into his mouth. Yeah, well, so he says.

I have no photos of that since I chose to not accompany him that day. I have no desire to hear my guy screaming like a girl, so I just stayed home. 

shopping at Hobby Lobby

Moving on to more pleasant topics and returning to the highlights of MY week, I got to spend some quality time in Hobby Lobby one afternoon while Gary took the Toyota in for it's well-baby check. Oh. Gary is correcting me (he is my proof-reader); it was to get the car serviced (oil change, tire rotation, etc). 

our front porch

I've been thinking I should add some seasonal color to the front of our house but wanted to keep it simple and not too big (because storage of seasonal decor can take up a lot of closet space). I came home with a wood pumpkin that is heavy enough to not easily blow off the table if a gust of wind comes up.

my breakfast this week

Speaking of pumpkins, 'tis the season, is it not?! Cheerios are my cereal of choice. On a recent grocery trip Gary spotted this box of Pumpkin Spice Cheerios, BOGO, no less! Both boxes are now occupying space in our pantry. While I am enjoying this taste sensation, I do wonder if by the end of the second box I may be tired of it. We'll see. (BOGO = buy one, get one)

Sister's homemade pumpkin pie

My Sister absolutely loves pumpkin pie. She made this one yesterday. Gary was so impressed that when we went shopping he chose a ready-made version (no, I don't make pies much these days) and last night we called it Supper. Hey! It's got milk, eggs, squash.... major food groups were fulfilled.

our back yard

In case some of you question my nutritional choices these days (popcorn for supper, as well as ice cream, and now pie), I will explain. My two now-deceased aunts-in-law (translation: Beloved's two never-married aunts) impressed on my newlywed self to be very conscientious about how I fed my family. They were thoroughly successful in convincing me to serve a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, limit the red meat, and cook from scratch when reasonable. My grown children can tell you how I made amazing concoctions out of tofu, I juiced all manner of fresh produce, made the most awful-tasting green smoothies, and scented our home with freshly-baked bread from a machine. 

Well, those people no longer live with me and now have their own families to feed. I, in the meantime, am retired after having lived a long healthy life. I feel I can stray from the rigidity of the organic food stores now. Gary has taught me to eat a simple breakfast, a hearty lunch of good quality food, and a snack-type (or dessert) supper. My weight is where I want it to be and my clothes fit. 

Alas, I have sort of strayed here .... I posted the photo of our back yard with the intent to say that in addition to riding our bikes between 4 and 4 1/2 miles nearly every day, followed by a walk of 1.3 miles and then yard work we do ourselves, we feel the enjoyment of pumpkin pie for supper on occasion is not a bad thing.

We bought 6 new bushes this week and I supervised while Gary dug the holes to plant each one. Four of them are in the above snapshot. 

This picture, below, was taken from the lanai, through the window screen, thus it's not great photo quality. Of course, had I run outside with my camera, I could not have even got a picture this good.

a Great While Egret?

My birdie friends can comment as to what bird this is. You see my guess. They are tall, extremely skinny and very bold as they walk through our yards as if they have a right to trespass. But they do no harm that I'm aware of (and they make good blog fodder).

The last event of this past week that merits my writing is brunch today with Kathlene. She was my partner (or I was her partner?) as we served as greeters at my last mega church. She taught me how to smile, be nice, and direct people to the worship center, the rest rooms, the coffee pots, etc. Although I decided to move to a smaller congregation, our friendship continues and today we got to spend real live "face time" with each other.

Kathlene 

She introduced me to a place that has been in existence for a long time, but it's definitely new to me, BD Beans Coffee Company. Eclectic is the word to describe it with decorated mannikins throughout, hand-painted designs on the walls, innovative chandeliers, taxidermied animals, and more, much more to fascinate the eyes (some of it, admittedly, kinda racy 😆 🤭 🙄). But we are big girls and we can handle it with tactful grace.

Kathlene had the French Toast which earned her 1st place in the Clean Your Plate Club, and I was runner-up with my choice of the quiche special of the day. Neither of us left the place hungry.

one of many unique tables at BD Beans Coffee Co.

They are known for their coffee and mine was wonderful although I have to admit I forget what kind I got. Three choices were available today, a dark roast, medium roast, and a milder selection (which was mine).

one of the other diners

Interesting people frequent this place, some more intellectual. Others of us just show up for the food.

decor just above my head

Before I complete descriptions of this eatery, you need to see this guy on the wall who watched my every move. I did not let him bother me. 

Oh, speaking of guys hanging close by, I'm going to segue into something Gary said to me recently when he was kissing me good night. He is such a charmer. 

"You're too cute today.

I can't believe I took you out in public.

I took a big chance."

Yeah, he said that. I swooned while most of you may be groaning. But I like that kind of stuff. He makes me laugh every single day. This picture (below) was taken almost a year ago to the day to illustrate the joy we embrace. When you go through the hard stuff of life, laughter is truly a gift from God! When our late spouses passed, neither of us ever dreamed we would find someone new to love and put a smile on our faces.

us at Alex and Alexa's wedding

This picture was taken at the wedding of one of Gary's grandsons. I bring this post to a close with the delightful news that the newlyweds announced this week a baby is due in March. This will be Gary's third great-grandchild! And this again makes me a [step] great-grandmother! Wow.

announcement on their FB page

This is it. I've said it all for this week. I hope my readers have smiled, maybe chuckled, and agreed that we all need to find the good things in the ordinary things of our days.

Bless the Lord,

O my soul,

And all that is within me,

Bless His holy name.

Psalm 103:1

Until next time, grace and peace to you.