A Day Book . . .

 

FOR TODAY, July 9th, 2024

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ...

Its garbage day and the rooftops across the way are covered with the sheen of the fine drizzle that is falling.  The grass is covered with clover blossoms. and I think my lilies are going to be taller this year than they ever have been. It is cloudy at the moment, but we are expecting a bit of sunshine throughout the day and it will be super humid.  That's July.  Thank goodness for the cooling of my heat pump. It will help to keep things quite tolerable.

I AM THINKING ...

Today would have been mom's 92nd birthday so I am very much thinking of her and missing her.  There is not a day goes by but I don't. She is always on my mind and in my heart.  Cindy and I have plans to go this afternoon to the cemetery and leave some flowers, and pay our love and respect. Dad will go with us. (He has the car.) (Cindy will drive.) Miss you mom. Always will.

 

(source)

I AM ALSO THINKING ...

I love the sound of clucking and cooing hens. It is such a comforting sound to me.  I much prefer it over any other sound. To me, it is a very peaceful sound. If I was a much younger person and had my own place, I would have hens.

IN THE KITCHEN ...

Ina Garten's Potato Salad. The small batch.  This delicious recipe makes two generous servings of a delicious, creamy potato salad with a tangy buttermilk/herb dressing.  Flavored with two kinds of mustard and dill, and loaded with crunchy bits of celery and red onion.  This is a stand-out salad, but then, I would expect nothing less from Ina.

ON MY "TO COOK" LIST ...

Garlic Parmesan Chicken from The Happy Muncher.  This looks seriously tasty. Can't wait!

A FRESH PERSPECTIVE ...

I truly believe this.  Joy is a choice we make. It lies within us and is within our grasp and is ours to find in every situation. Every day I make the choice to find joy in the day. That doesn't mean that I don't have pockets of sadness or sorrow.  Life is not all rainbows and roses. Pain is a hard task master and can be very difficult to live with, but I do not dwell on it. Instead I choose to focus on all of the goodness in my life.  Therein I find my joy.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO CREATE ...

Striped Cat Pillows . . . so cute.

Pumpkin garlands  . . .  so sweet.

I love this sweet pillow, with its embroidery and flower buttons. So cute.

 

(source)

I love this scrappy needlebook  . . . 

I also love these Felted Apple Pins.

 

(source)

OH MY GOODNESS ...

What a beautiful world we have been gifted with.  Can you imagine this being your view every morning, day and night?

I AM READING ...

CROW LAKE, by Mary Lawson

Crow Lake is that rare find, a first novel so quietly assured, so emotionally pitch perfect, you know from the opening page that this is the real thing—a literary experience in which to lose yourself, by an author of immense talent. 

 Here is a gorgeous, slow-burning story set in the rural “badlands” of northern Ontario, where heartbreak and hardship are mirrored in the landscape. For the farming Pye family, life is a Greek tragedy where the sins of the fathers are visited on the sons, and terrible events occur–offstage. Centerstage are the Morrisons, whose tragedy looks more immediate if less brutal, but is, in reality, insidious and divisive. 

Orphaned young, Kate Morrison was her older brother Matt’s protegee, her fascination for pond life fed by his passionate interest in the natural world. Now a zoologist, she can identify organisms under a microscope but seems blind to the state of her own emotional life. And she thinks she’s outgrown her siblings–Luke, Matt, and Bo–who were once her entire world. 

 In this universal drama of family love and misunderstandings, of resentments harbored and driven underground, Lawson ratchets up the tension with heartbreaking humor and consummate control, continually overturning one’s expectations right to the very end. 

Tragic, funny, unforgettable, Crow Lake is a quiet tour de force that will catapult Mary Lawson to the forefront of fiction writers today.

I have only just started this, but so far so good.

THINGS I LOVE ...

(source of all)

 

  

Crocheted jam jar lids  . . . 

 

Pretty clay jugs  . . . 

 

A well planned living area . . .  wood floors, comfy furniture, well appointed decor  . . .  The only things I would get rid of are that ugly fur throw, those wall candle holders, and that tapestry on the wall above the sofa.

 

Love the idea of an old chair as a night table  . . .  and the bedding  . . . swoon  . . . 

Love this dining room . . . with the rustic plank floor, and walls, the window box shelf with the geraniums  . . . filled with light.

MAKES ME SMILE ...

Cinnamon has finally discovered catnip. It was not enough to merely scratch on the scratching box, she was rolling all over it and laying on it.  She is so funny.

SOMETHING TO WATCH ...

Northern Lights on BritBox.  Brilliant.

A THOUGHT TO CARRY WITH YOU ...

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.°We cannot become what we want

by remaining what we are.

~Max Depree  ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

And that's my daybook for this week!



  ⋱ ⋮ ⋰
⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small *´¯`.¸¸.☆
  ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆ 



✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.• ╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥
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Have a beautiful day!  Don't forget!  

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And I do too!