Renewing old friendships

Yes, it is almost time for my 40th high school reunion, but that is not what I'm talking about. 

29 years ago Ed and I moved into this house. Adirondack chairs were just coming into vogue around then. They were very expensive and had to be ordered literally from the Adirondack mountain area. My friend Vicki had a pair. Ed looked at theirs and built 2 for us. He even custom built mine to fit my short legs. They are so comfortable. Obviously they needed a new coat of paint. 

I stuck with the classic porch green. 

I'm a messy painter. 

Better? Here's to 29 more years! Sophie turns 28 today. So it seems we were producing more than houses and chairs  

There was lots going on while I was painting. Ed was cleaning up a bee hive, neighbor was cutting huge trees and Truffles was busy patrolling it all. 

You may not can see it but that is a black King snake hanging out of the fountain. I know they are good snakes but Yuck. 

Who are we?

Well...Ed and I had a fun Saturday riding the countryside looking at houses. We are still trying to figure out who we want to be. Mini farmers? Lake dwellers? B&B hosts? (Seriously, Ed said that!). Looked at a little house in Pocohontas. Can you see us here? 

Stopped for lunch at the Blue Rooster in Flora. 

Fun little burger place right by the railroad track. 

Tried to take Mom's car out the other day but it was very dead. It has done a lot of sitting since her foot problems. Her little angel ( as she called Chris), went with me to replace her battery. 

He had a little fun with the Mamaw shades. 

With high hopes, Ed opened the box on our new xfinity upgrade. 

Of course it didn't work. After a frustrating couple of hours on the phone with someone in another land, he gave up. I waited most of this morning for a technician to come out. They did and now I can even tell our remote what to watch! It must be made for us oldsters with bad memories because you can say a quote or actor and it will find the movie that has them in it. 

Spring camping

One of the best things about spring...

...is the smell of magnolias. 

I managed to cut one from my tree. 

The scent reminds me of graduations. At Boyd elementary , they used to line the edge of the stage with them at sixth grade class day. 

The bitter end. I passed these little gnomes several times in Kroger before succumbing to his cuteness. 

Sophie reports that he is hanging with the chives at her house. 

On to Mother's Day camp out. 

Since I was not feeling my best I'm using a little guest photography compliments of Paul and Sophie Wolf. Only one is in this pic but there was a herd of deer that roam the park freely. 

Our view of Enid lake at Cossar state park. 

The photographers. 

Now this is the way to cook. 

Linda made her special sautéed mushrooms. 

The finished project. 

 

Paul's masterpiece plate. 

They didn't want to pause for this one. Not sure where Parker is. He was so much fun to have along. 

Love these beat up, well loved tables at state parks. 

After dinner Mary Grace did her fire magic. 

Need I say more? Or s'more?

The weekend was nice and cool, so the big fire was great. 

Got a visit from Dupree. 

Still sitting around...

But I'm doing a little. Ed had brought home a cabbage on one of his grocery forays. 

I scrounged up a couple of ground turkey patties and some leftover mushroom rice from the freezer and I had all the ingredients for cabbage rolls. At least half a recipe. I usually end up with enough for an army. 

My appetite is still leaning towards salads thank goodness. 

Huckleberries are blooming and smell so good. 

Aunt Dee used to make pies out of the tiny berries. 

Since Mary Grace and Ryan have ordered Bark Boxes to be delivered to their dogs monthly, their old toys had to be donated to less fortunate dogs. 

Guess who. Truffles is exhausted after playing with them. 

Toby loves this ball.  This month's Bark Box was baseball themed. Oh , brother. Now for the cuteness. 

Brody discovering a family secret. 

Whether we call them boiled cookies or smokey oats, they are the best. 

Mother's Day

Well here is what the day is all about!

The sweetest mom on earth. 

And the sweetest daughters! 

Met at Jan and Tommy's for lunch. 

Many flowers and gifts. 

I was just happy to get out and see everyone. The tulips Doris gave me still looked pretty. 

Got to go to MG & Ryan's for a hug from Dupree yesterday. Did I mention that Chris is home? 

Yes and all that implies. He wanted to clean and deodorize his car. The only logical next step is to pour a 40 pond bag of baking soda in it, right?

He has been helping get the house ready to sell though. 

Sick and tired..,

Of being sick and tired. These guys are hanging with me. 

Friends and family have been so great bringing food, flowers and reading material. 

Enough about that. I'm so much better and will be out soon. In the mean time how about a couple of pics from Indiana? 

Jan says they have the best parks there. 

Isn't he a doll?