Eggplants

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This morning I walked a couple of loops around town, including both cemeteries and the ball park loop. 

It was a bit warmer this morning than it has been at 62 degrees.  There was a light on and off drizzle as I walked but not even enough to get me wet.  By the time I got back home it had stopped and the sun was out.

Not much happening around town, just a regular morning walk.  Didn't see any people or animals.

I walked 5.3 miles.
Found a penny yesterday on my walk and other one today.

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No bowling again this Monday because it was Super Senior Day and we met at Perkins for lunch.  There was a good turnout with I would say around 25 people or so.  I still don't feel like I'm old enough to be a senior. : )  It was a good time and I am so thankful for my church and our church family.

The Shop and Save is in the same shopping center as Perkins so we went there afterwards and stocked up on ice cream.  4 for $10 again so we got 8 of them to put in the freezer.

I have a new little project that I'm doing for the kids at church.  Last night at church me and a couple of other women were asked if we would like to cut out characters on felt for a flannel board for the kids.  We each got 4 large pieces of flannel with things to cut out.  Here are my four on my kitchen table.

I have already cut out one of the sheets and here they are sitting on the table.

I'm enjoying doing this and it brings back memories for me.  It reminds me of cutting out paper dolls with my gramma when I was a kid.  I also remember flannel boards  from Sunday School when I was very young and learning the Bible lessons with them.

Here are the first of the eggplants out of my garden.  I am so excited that these actually grew in my garden.  I will be making that Eggplant Parmesan this week.  Connie and Ron, friends and neighbors, have never had eggplant before so we've invited them for dinner when I make it.

Hope your day is a happy one.
happyone : )

If a small thing has the power to make you angry,

does that not indicate something about your size?

~ Sydney J Harris

The Valley

This was an insert in the bulletin at church today.

The Valley

I have been through the alley of weeping,

The valley of sorrow and pain;

But the "God of all comfort" was with me.

 At hand to uphold and sustain.

As the earth needs the clouds and the sunshine, 

Our souls need both sorrow and joy;

So He places us oft in the furnace,

The dross from the gold to destroy.

When he leads through some valley of trouble,

His powerful hand we can trace;

For the trials and sorrow he sends us

Are part of his lessons of grace.

Oft we shrink from the purging and pruning,

Forgetting the Husbandman knows

The deeper the cutting and paring,

The richer the cluster that grows.

Well he knows that affliction is needed;

He has a wise purpose in view,

And in the dark valley He whispers,

"Hereafter thou'lt know what I do."

As we travel through life's shadowed valley,

Fresh springs of His love ever rise;

And we learn that our sorrows and losses

Are blessings just sent in disguise.

So we'll follow wherever He leadeth,

Through pathways be dreary or bright;

For we've proof that our God can give comfort,

Our God can give songs in the night.

~ Author Unknown

A happy and blessed Sunday to you my friends.

happyone : )

Homemade Pizza

Marigolds around the bird bath in my front yard.

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I haven't been getting up as early lately because the sun is coming up later so I've not gotten started on my walk until 6:45 or so.

This morning I walked right through town towards HT for a bit before turning around and heading back to town.  Then walked around town, including one of the cemeteries and the loop behind the ball park.

Not much happening this morning around town, didn't see any people and the animals weren't around either.  Still it was a nice to be out walking.

Walking weather - 50 degrees with sun and clouds.
Sunrise - 6:42
Walked 5.3 miles.

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In the morning we went to an auction. Mostly tools and man stuff so I didn't see anything I wanted, but Ken got some stuff.  Things we didn't need but just couldn't pass up for a dollar or two. 

After lunch we went to a dedication of the Veteran memorial in town (across the street from our house) with all the bricks that were purchased for the veterans.  There was a good turnout and it went very well.   4 bricks from my family are in the walkway.  Ken, his dad, my dad and step-dad. 

For supper we made homemade pizza.  We usually make it once a week but it has been a while since we've done that.  We used tomatoes and basil from our garden,  mozzarella cheese and garlic too.  We sat out on the porch and ate it.  Life is Good. : )

 That's been my day.
Hope you had a good one.
happyone : )

An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward.

When life if dragging you back with difficulties,

it means it's going to launch you into something great.

So just focus, and keep aiming.

~ Unknown

Pumpkins

A wagon of pumpkins at Farmer Bill's Farm.

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Walked to the post office first to mail off a couple of Netflix then continued my walk around the Farm Loop.  Farmer Bill was out and I stopped to say Hi. 

A few times when I looked up there were geese flying over head.  They were all flying northwest.

Five deer were munching grass between the corn fields.

Once back to town I made a loop around the main part of town and then home.
Walking weather - 50 degrees with clouds and sun.
Sunrise - 6:41
Walked 5.3 miles.

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Ken wasn't home when I got back, he was out with Edd having breakfast at Denny's and then to the weekly 'sale' in WV.

I got some clothes hung out on the line and did a few other things around the house.  Took my car out for a little spin on the windy roads.  : )

I've taken pictures of the sunflowers outside in front of the dining room windows a number of times but here's one taken from inside.  The morning sun filters in through the big leaves.

Went to the bank and the library - of course I walked there. : )  I love living in a small town and here's one of the reasons why.  I walked into the library and Connie says, "Hi Karen, the last book you returned had your magnet book marker still in it."  and she handed it to me.  That just made my day. : )  I can't even imagine that happening where I used to live.

We are going to the wedding in a little while of Sarah and Joe from our church.  You may remember I went to her shower a month or so ago.  The wedding and reception are being held at our church. 

Posting a bit earlier than usual today but that's been my day so far.
Hope your day is a good one and you smile often.
happyone : )

Chains do not hold a marriage together.

It is thread, hundreds of fine threads

which sew people together through the years.

~ Simone Signoret

Bunny

A bunny at the side of the road enjoying some apples for breakfast.

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Walk around town, both cemeteries, and the ball park loop this morning.

Walking past the doctors office, which is on the road that dead ends into the cemetery, I was surprised to see about a dozen cars parked in the parking lot.  Don't usually see any cars there because it doesn't open till 8:00.  A man happened to be walking out the door and I asked what was going on.  He told me they were giving blood.  So that explained that.  By the way all the vehicles happened to be white.  You might find this amusing as I do, the doctors office is located on Cemetery Lane.

Walking weather - 50 degrees with some low hanging clouds that I got to walk through.  By the time I got home the sun was shining brightly.
I walked 5.2 miles.
Sunrise -  6:41

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Today we spent at church putting together more Roman books in French which will be sent to Haiti.
We had a lunch break and sent out for pizza. : )
Ken and I worked on the staple machines again.  I like doing that the best.  We have a lot of fun as we work.  Lots of laughter and conversation!!  Today there were 19 of us there and we put together just under 4,000 of the books.

We have had quite a few cherry tomatoes from the garden and I made a tomato salad with some of them today.

 It is like the cucumber salad I make only I put in thyme and parsley instead of the oregano.

That's been my day.
Hope you had a good one too.
happyone : )

A bend in the road is not the end of the road,

unless you fail to make the turn.

~ Unknown

Another work day

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Walked down towards Happy Trails, turned around and walked around town, including the two cemeteries.

A State Trooper was down one of the side streets catching the speeders through town.  I walked right passed him and he said, "Good Morning."  I said good morning back and said, "Catch those speeders."  He smiled and said, "I'm trying."

Didn't see any one else out walking and the cows and horses I passed were busy eating and didn't even look up at me.

I am walking up my driveway here getting back home.

Walking weather - 48 degrees and cloudy.
Sunrise - 6:40
Walked 5.3 miles.

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I made us strawberry pancakes for breakfast, did a few quick things around the house and we were up at HT getting work done on the roof at 9:30 and worked all day.

We got the next 4 Ondura  panels up today.  The picture is of the 4 panels we put up last time we worked and the first four layers for the next section we did today. Sorry about the dark picture.  Didn't get a picture of the Ondura panels we put up today because by the time I thought to take the picture we had the tarp back on. 

I must have walked up and down the ladder at least 25 times handing Ken things while he was on the roof.

Behind the cabin in one of the trees is a robin's nest with a couple pretty big babies who look like they were trying to fly today.  I zoomed in and got a picture of one of them with its head up looking at of the nest at me.  Mom was in a bit of a panic with us so near and making so much noise hammering.

We worked till 5:15, then home to clean up, eat a quick sandwich and then headed out to church.  Stayed a little after church to help set things up for Fingerprints tomorrow.  We get a day off from the cabin work tomorrow.

So home now and ready to relax after I finish this post.  No ice cream for me this evening.  I'm not sure what I'm going to eat but I'm hungry and want food, not a goodie.

Hope your day has been a happy one.
happyone : )

Attitude is a little thing that makes all the difference.

~ Winston Churchill

Comment replies:

Elaine - No, that is not a working fire hydrant.  We've had it for years and always put it somewhere on our property.  No water up at HT.

Rocks

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 The temperature was a nice 50 degrees, the air was cool with a mix of sun and clouds this morning went I left on my walk.

Walked around town, around the cemeteries and the loop by the ball park.  Went down the trail by the stream there too and saw a few deer down by the water.

The horses were down by the Drane House but they were too busy eating to even look up at me when I said Good Morning to them.

One woman who I've never seen before ran past me at a pretty fast pace.

It was a beautiful morning and so nice to be out walking in it.
I walked 5.4 miles.

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As I walked up the driveway getting back home from my walk I took a picture of my huge sunflowers.  I love these huge smiling flowers.  The one that fell over recovered nicely.

 I have 5 eggplants starting now and I enjoy going into the garden each day to see how they are growing.  Here is the biggest one so far.  I'm not sure when to pick them because they are purple right from the time they start growing.

We hung around home this morning because Ken had an appointment early afternoon and we didn't have enough time to go to HT.
But late afternoon we made it up to HT.  Not enough time to do any roof work but we put more rocks around by the fire hydrant

There are rocks all over the place but here we discovered our own little quarry.

We ate supper up at Happy Trails again.  This time we had hamburgers.

That's it for today.  Will be back tomorrow with a roof update.  We plan to spend the day working on the roof.

Hope your day was a good one and you smiled often.
happyone : )

Since I have carried a camera around with me every day

I see the world in a whole new way.
~ happyone

Starting the roof

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60 degrees this morning with some sun and clouds.  Walked first to the post office to mail a Netflix, then continued around the Farm Loop.

I met Farmer Georg's wife at her mailbox.  I stopped and introduced myself and told her I'd met her husband awhile back.  We had a nice chat. : )

Saw a deer running in one of the fields.  Too far away to tell if it was the one with the scar.  Probably wasn't because I didn't see her two little ones.

It was back to school this morning but I left early enough so it wasn't a problem walking up the school road. 

I walked 5.4 miles.

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No bowling for us today.  Nice weather and we wanted to get started on the cabin roof.
While I was walking Ken went to Lowe's and bought the Ondura roof panels and after breakfast we went up to Happy Trails and got started on the roof.   We got about a quarter of the big part of the roof finished.

There are 5 layers to put on.  First is the plywood, then the purlins (strips of wood to nail the roof panels to), tar paper, insulation panels which are cut to fit between the purlins and finally the  Ondura roof panels. Below shows the first 4 layers.

Instead of using regular plywood we are using 1/2 inch paneling and putting it on the roof upside down so the right side shows through in the inside between the roof rafters that we painted red.

I handed Ken the nails and anything else he needed while he was on the roof.  Four of the Ondura panels were put on by the end of the day. 

Then it was home for showers and we ate chili for supper sitting on the porch.  Nice to be home and relax.  : )  Looking forward to my ice cream later.  I've been having chocolate marshmallow lately.

Haven't had much time for blog reading but hope to catch up with you all in the next day or two.

Hope your day was a good one and you smiled often.
happyone : )

Change the way you look at things

and the things you look at change.

~ Wayne W Dyer

Life's Weaving

Life's Weaving

My life is but a weaving

Between my God and me.

I may not choose the colors,

He knows what they should be.

For He can view the pattern

Upon the upper side.

While I can see it only

On this, the under side.

Sometimes He weaveth sorrow,

Which seemeth strange to me;

But I will trust His judgement,

And work on faithfully;

Tis He who fills the shuttle

He knows just what is best;

So I shall weave in earnest

And leave with Him the rest.

At last when life is ended,

With Him I shall abide,

Then I may view the pattern

Upon the upper side.

Then I shall know the reason 

Why pain with joy entwined,

Was woven in the fabric 

Of life that God designed.

~Unknown

A blessed Sunday to you.

happyone : )

The red airplane

Mist over the little town pond

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 49 degrees again this morning and sunny.  Walked first to the library to drop off my book and then walked through town and down towards HT, turned around, came back to town and walked around town and the cemeteries.

Looking down here at cow #50 who lives at Farmer Marvin's Farm which starts at the edge of town.  His farm is up by the cemeteries too.

Didn't see any people out walking but saw a family setting up for a yard sale.  They sure have great weather for it.

Saw a deer and her two young ones.  I know they are the ones we see up at HT because the doe has a scar on her side.

I walked 5.3 miles.

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This morning we went to the Garrett county airport which is just three miles from our house for the annual Wings and Wheels Day.  Quite a few pretty cars to look at some older airplanes.  Some of the airplanes took off and landed and did a few maneuvers in the sky.  Nothing spectacular but nice.  Weather was beautiful and just perfect for the event.
Earlier in the morning when I was hanging out my laundry on the line, I looked up and saw a bright red airplane fly over head and I waved both arms.  I figured it was going to the show and sure enough I saw it there.

I was talking to the pilot and told him I saw him fly over me while I was hanging out the laundry.  He said, "I thought I saw you waving."  I said, "Yes, I did."  I thought that was so cool.  I often wave to airplanes and always wonder if they see me.  I see now that sometimes they do. : )

The police helicopter was there.  The state of Maryland has 10 of these in 7 different locations.  70 % of the time they are used to get people to the hospital from auto accidents.

After lunch we headed up to Happy Trails.  Ken built some scaffolding in the back of the cabin to get ready for Monday when we hope to start on the cabin roof. 
The other day we started clearing up this mess.

We used up some of the wood that was piled there and burned the rest.
We moved the deck (had an RV that was next to it) and the picnic table up by the cabin.  Ken put some rocks together and made us a little BBQ.  We made hot dog on it for supper tonight.  Brought along some more cucumber salad too. : )

A few tractor loads of dirt, some stones and our fire hydrant and our mess now looks like this.  Have lots more rocks to put there but you can get the idea.  The fire hydrant needs a coat of paint.  It will be red and silver like they used to be painted.

It's been a fun and busy day and now it's time for a little relaxation, and of course that includes some ice cream. : )

Hope your day was a good one and you smiled often.
happyone : )

Forgive as many times as you would wish 

God forgave you.

Comment Replies:
Wanda - Yes, the picture from yesterday is the main street in town at the north end.

A sunny day

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 It was 49 degrees this morning when I started walking.  No rain this time - nice and sunny with some low hanging clouds to walk through.

I walked the Farm Loop and there were LOTS of goldfinches all over the place.  They all moved so fast though so wasn't able to get any pictures that were any good.  There must of have been at least 2 dozen of them.

After getting back to town I walked around the ball park loop.  Saw a couple of people walking dogs and an older man on his bike.  Don't know his name but we often stop to talk - not today though.

I walked 5.5 miles.

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Ken was gone when I got home.  He went out to breakfast and then to the auction which they call 'The Sale' with Edd.   Edd was happy to get his cabbages. : )

I made myself strawberry pancakes for breakfast.  I usually just put the strawberries on top of the pancakes but this time I added them right to the batter.  Also added extra strawberries on top.  Added a little syrup and whipped cream.  That took care of my sweet tooth for the morning. : )

Got the sheets washed and hung out on the line.  A perfect day for that.

My office/craft room was getting a bit cluttered so cleaned that up.  Had lunch and then it was time to go outside.

No rain and the grass was dry so I finally got to mow the lawn.  I was about half way  done when Ken came home.  I finished up the lawn and Ken got started on one of the front gardens down by the road. I helped when the lawn was done. There are ornamental grasses there that have taken over so we cut them down and dug some of them up altogether and just got rid of them.  I really don't like them, and eventually we will end of digging all of them up.  Did some other weeding too.

These sunflowers are in the back yard and I never planted any there.  They are smaller ones with many flowers. 

The sun has been out all day long and the temperature in the upper 70's.  Perfect weather.  Summers here seem like one long spring to me.  : )

Almost time for supper and we are going out for a bite to eat this evening.
That's been my day so far and it's been a good one.
Hope you had a good day too and smiled often.
happyone : )

Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles,

it empties today of its strength.

~ Corrie Ten Boom

A beautiful sunny and a rainy day too

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68 degrees again this morning.  What can I say about the weather - changeable.  Started out cloudy with a few peeks of sun, then rain, just cloudy, some sun, rain, sun, and then more rain. Once again I was soaked through. I didn't mind though, I like walking in the rain.  It continued like that all day.

I stopped first at the post office to mail the letters I wrote yesterday.  Then I walked through town and up Sale Barn Rd.  Stopped to take this picture of the farm in the distance.

Walked back to town, around the cemeteries and the ball park loop and then home.  Didn't encounter anyone else walking.

I walked 5.5 miles.

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I had a hair appointment in the morning so walked down to Sherry's for that.  Not a skunk head anymore.  Kenny calls me that when my roots start showing. : )

We went up to Happy Trails when I got back and just stayed a couple of hours.  No work on the cabin because of the rain, but we did clean up a few things around the place in between showers.  I took a before picture but will show the before and after at the same time.

One of the sunflowers by the dining room window fell down.  Just got to heavy and the soil was wet from all the rain. We stood it back up and Ken put some boards by them to hold them up as you can see in the picture.

This afternoon I cleaned out the refrigerator.  Didn't just throw out old food but took everything out and cleaned all the shelves.  A bit of frustration trying to get the shelves back in but I managed.

The cabbages in my garden are doing well and we picked three of them today.  We are giving them to the man who gave us the plants.  Wanted him to have the first of them because he planted some too but they didn't do well.  

After supper we went to Walmart to pick up a few things.  We were behind a woman at the check out who spent $305 on her food shopping.  Wow, I thought that was a lot of money!!

So that's been my day.
Hope your day has been a good one and you smiled often.
happyone : )

A kind heart is a fountain of gladness,

making everything in its vicinity

freshen into smiles.

~ Washington Irving

Home again

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68 degrees and cloudy as I headed out for my walk this morning.  After about a mile it started raining and I got dripping wet and it continued for about 3 miles.  Rain stopped and I dried out a bit during the last mile.  Rain felt nice though, kept me cool.  Nice hearing the rain on the corn.

 Walked around town and the two cemeteries and the loop around the ball park.

Look what I spotted - first Autumn leaf.

 Didn't see anyone else out there walking.
Walked 5.3 miles.
Good coin day - found 2 dimes and a nickle.

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Just like yesterday Ken went up to Happy Trails alone and I stayed home and got the rest of my house cleaning done.  Feels good to have that done.  : ) 

I'm still writing the letters to the prisoners and wrote some of them today. 

It rained on and off all day so I haven't been able to mow the lawn.

Late in the afternoon I got a chance to sit and read some of my book.  My book count for this year is very low.  Just busy doing other stuff.  Maybe when winter comes I'll have more time to sit. : )

A happy day to you.
happyone : )

Be nice to everyone,

always smile and appreciate things

because it could all be gone tomorrow.

~ Ed Sheeran

Comment replies:
MaryJo - the cucumber recipe is on the post from Aug 1 - HERE.

A few of you asked about my Eggplant Parmesan recipe.  I don't really have a recipe written down, but it is easy to make.  I peel and slice the eggplant and then dip it in egg and bread crumbs and then fry it in oil.  Then I just layer it like making lasagna except with the eggplant instead of noodles. 
Start out with a  light layer of sauce so it doesn't stick, then layer
Eggplant
Sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Repeat until the baking dish is filled.
Bake it until hot.
Ken was the first to make this recipe for us - his family owed an Italian restaurant and that was where he learned how to make it.

Spider web

Took this a couple of days ago down near the Drane house.

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It had rained a couple of hours early in the morning but had stopped by the time I left on my walk.  Just cloudy and the temperature was 64 degrees.  The air felt cool though so it was pretty nice walking.

Walked down the main road and up Sale Barn a ways.  The cows were once again out in the field therr and they all looked up and started walking to the fence when I walked by.  I walked the rest of my walk around town. 

Didn't see any other people walking.  Though did wave to quite a few regulars I see in cars and trucks driving by.

I walked 5.2 miles.
Found a penny.

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Ken went up to Happy Trails after breakfast and though I wanted to go with him I really needed to stay home and get my house cleaning done.
It was a mostly cloudy day with a few showers so it was a good day for working inside.
Also baked a loaf of bread so the house smelled good too.

Today I noticed that there are two little purple eggplants starting to grow on my plants and I'm so pleased.  There are loads of blossoms so hopefully I'll get more.  I see an Eggplant Parmesan in our future.  : )

Have gotten lots of cucumbers and I'm starting to get tired of eating cucumber salad. 
Will start giving some away.

Hope your day has been a happy one.
happyone : )

The next time you see a spider web,

please, pause and look a little closer.

You'll be seeing one of the most high-performance

materials known to man.

~ Cheryl Hayashi

Bowling with friends day

Here comes the sun

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It was sunny this morning with a few clouds and they were low enough that I walked through a couple of them and it was 56 degrees.

Walked around the Farm Loop.  Saw a few deer and one of them is in the picture below in the middle of the soy bean field.  Can you spot her?

When I got back to town I walked around the ball park loop and then home.
No people around this morning.
I walked 5.5 miles.
Found a penny.

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We met some friends down at the bowling lanes in Keyser again and bowled three games.  We try to get there every Monday though we missed the last two.
There is no consistency to my bowling and I never know how my games will turn out.
Today I bowled not bad but not great.  120, 100, and 115.  The difference today is that I'm learning what I'm doing wrong and I feel more in control over the ball.  Hopefully I'll improve going every week. 

It is a lot of fun anyway and afterwards all 6 of us stopped at the Chew and Chat for something to eat.  We spent a good long time there eating and having some very good discussions.  We did just what the name said. : )

We left at 11:15 this morning and didn't get back home until 6:30.  In the morning I had hung up a load of wash so it hung outside ALL day.  It was certainly dry.  I had planned on mowing the lawn when we got home but it seemed a bit too late after getting in the clothes and folding them.  I'll take care of the lawn tomorrow.

That's been my day.  It was been a warm one with temperatures climbing into the mid 80's.  That is quite warm for here.

Hope it's been a good day for you.
happyone : )

I count myself lucky, having long ago won a lottery

paid to me in seven sunrises a week for life.

~ Robert Brault

Thanks to those who shared their life Bible verses yesterday - all great verses. : )