Dear Neighbor . . .

 

SEPTEMBER 11th, 2026

Estate Lane, Nova Scotia

12*C/53.6*F

Sunny day ahead

Dear Neighbor,

I was up very early this morning to wake Eileen up at 5 a.m.  She has her MRI in Halifax in about half an hour or so from now. It is a two hour drive and I can't drive into the city so one of her workers was taking her for this. They are not insured to take me too. Its just an MRI so I know she will be okay. Once this is done then things, hopefully, will move a bit quicker.

She was feeling nervous yesterday about it.  I called her up about 4 pm and said "Lets be naughty!" I know we were only out for supper on Wednesday night and then she stayed overnight, but I wanted to distract her a bit and give her something to smile about. I took her to a new little diner not too far from us and we had the two can dine special. Two classic cheeseburgers with fries and a pop for $22.99. I treated her to a sundae for dessert as well.  I have to tell you, the burgers were excellent. I managed to eat almost all of mine, and a few of the fries, and I was full.  Its a great little place. Clean, decorated just like a 1950's diner.  Old music from the era playing and the waitress was cute and really nice.  We both enjoyed the experience very much. And we built a happy memory.

Another plus, her sister messaged her in the evening. There has been no contact for quite some time, so that was good. Eileen was really pleased. Let us hope it continues. It needs to.

We both thank you all so very much for your happy thoughts and prayers. They really do mean the world to us.  We need them and we cherish them. Somehow things become easier to manage and get through when you know that someone is praying for you and cheering you on.

 

I hope you know 

you aren't broken glass

you are sea glass

shaped by the tides

softened by the waves

that once felt like they'd shatter you

what you've been through

hasn't made you less

its made you rare and luminous

even the roughest waters

can create something beautiful

and that's what you are

a reminder that survival

can turn into art.

~unknown

I can't remember where I found this, on Pinterest I think. It really resonated with me. I like the thoughts of us being a piece of broken glass discarded but shaped by the waves into something beautiful.  Something treasured from something thought to be without worth. 

I listened to a talk yesterday on YouTube by Jane Clayson Johnson. on hope.

"Hope is like a star, not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity,

 but to be discovered in the night of adversity."

This talk was given near the end of April this year at a BYU Women's conference, just 3 months after Ms. Johnson lost her only daughter tragically after a long battle with mental illness. I really hope that you will take time to listen to it at some point. I promise you that you won't be sorry. Hope is something we all need and there are times in our lives when we need it more than others. "Hope is not just wishful thinking. It is a force that lifts and heals."

Which of us does not need some hope in our lives. I cannot think of one  . . . 

 

(source)

Eileen and I are invited to my friend Jacquie's for lunch tomorrow. Eileen is excited about that. She likes Jacquie. Jacquie invited us earlier this week. Eileen has been looking forward to it all week. It is not a bad thing to have something like that to look forward to. Life needs to be full of little surprises like this.

Yesterday Glenna popped over because she needed some help bringing something up on her iPad. I was only too happy to help and we had a lovely little visit while she was here. A surprise it was.  And then she ended up coming back again to ask if I could photocopy something for her, so a double surprise that was quite unexpected and quite pleasant! And then last night my cousin Geralyn messaged me and we spoke for a while on messenger. It had been some time since we had spoken so it was nice to be able to catch up with each other.

Ironically Glenna is now dating one of Geralyn's ex-paramours . . .  yes it is a small world and no we did not speak of it. Some things are better left unsaid I think.

 

(source)

There are twelve months throughout the year,

From January to December -

And the primest month of all the twelve

Is the merry month of September!

Then apples red

Hang overhead,

And nuts ripe-brown

Come showering down

In the bountiful days of September!

There are flowers enough in the summer-time,

More flowers than I can remember -

But none with the purple, gold, and red

That dye the flowers of September!

The gorgeous flowers of September!

And the sun looks through

A clearer blue,

And the moon at night

Sheds a clearer light

On the beautiful flowers of September!

~Mary Howitt (1799-1888, from September)

I love the "ber" months as you know. Cindy and I will be taking dad later this morning with his friend Maryann to the mall for their weekly get-together. I am looking forward to the drive and seeing the changes in the leaves that I know will be there having progressed from what was seen last week.  Already there were some scarlets. I know today there will be even more to enjoy.

The guinea fowl were out wandering late in the day yesterday, after the rain we had in the morning.  They are down to two now. I had not seen them in a bit, so I was quite pleased to note that there are still at least two of them. They do wander and mishaps befall them. They are quite large and plump now.

 

(source)

I cannot express the joy I feel when I get a card or a note delivered to my mail box. A warm letter from someone I love, or even an email swoops up the scale of joy for the whole day. And one of those beginning "We regret to inform you that the merchandise you ordered," and so on, is a dampener for the spirit. There ought to be other ways than a letter to convey bad news.  Letters should be gay and conversational . . . intimate. Ideally they should be written with quill pens in 18th century rooms, done in violet and puce. The Art of Letter Writing has sadly fallen into disuse in our day, especially when email is so much quicker and easier.

Did you know that on Etsy, for a fee, you can get a handwritten letter, even a love letter. And they are not inexpensive either. They carry a hefty price-tag. Who would have thunk it?

I think the art of letter writing should be revived, for in these times most people see little of their friends at best; and often, when they do, good conversation is impossible. Reading letters of the past gives one such a full, immediate impression of personality that it brings nostalgia for what is gone.  Keats's letters for instance, are sufficient, if there were never a sonnet or ode of his left. The letters of Katherine Mansfield have all the delicate translucence, the swift bright quality of her spirit.

Most of my letters begin with an apology of sorts, I fear  . . .  "We are all busy and well."  But letter writing takes time and thought. And we all fill our days with far too many things.

I have a cardboard box filled with my mother's letters to me and I cherish them. She wrote us, each of her children religiously, for many, many years, once a week until it became too painful with her arthritic fingers and hands. I am so grateful that I kept them, although in all truth I have had a difficult time to read them because they make me sad and feel her loss even more. But I am grateful to have them.

 

(source)

It would be remiss of me to end my missive today without remembering in some way 9/11. It is hard to believe that it's been 25 years since that awful day. It is as clear in my mind as yesterday.  Something terrible happened to us on that day, not just to Americans. Many lives were lost, too many to count, but also piece of innocence was lost that can never be replaced. Today I honor and remember all that was lost.  The lives. The innocence.  May we never forget.

And now a thought to carry with you  . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

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

*Look at the stars lighting up the sky;

and not one of them stays in the same place.

~Seneca the younger

It is quite a thought to think that most of the stars we see now, are no longer in existence, having burnt out on their way to gift us with their presence, or at least that's what I have been told.

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Easy Gremolata Baked Cod. Such a simple, yet incredibly delicious dish. An old favorite.

I hope you have a beautiful Friday filled with sunshine and lots of the things and people that you love. Along the way of your day, don't forget . . . 

═══════════ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ═════════════ 

⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ════════════  

And I do too!    

   

Dear Neighbor . . .

 

SEPTEMBER 4th, 2026

Estate Lane

Nova Scotia

18*C/64.4*F

Rain coming

Dear Neighbor,

Looking at the forecast for the coming week I will say that we are in for quite a bit of rain. It says rain every day.  I don't mind overly much. One thing I learned in all the years I spent in the U.K. was that you don't melt in the rain. Rain makes things lovely and green and beautiful, whilst making your hair all frizzy at the same time. You win some and you lose some. That's life.

Its super quiet in here at the moment. The cats are off sleeping somewhere, having had their fill of breakfast and treats. They are "sleeping it off." The first of many naps they will take today. Eileen always laughs at all of the "cat napping" that goes on in this house.

Some days I wish I were more like a cat and that I could fall asleep as quickly as they seem to do.

 

(source)

It is cooling down nicely in the evenings now. It will soon be time to shake out the winter blankets and put them in place. All summer long I sleep with only a sheet over top of me and very occasionally a throw on top of that, but now the very occasionally has become the norm so I think its time to place another layer on top of the sheet. I can always push it down if we get a hot night.

I finally found a source for this blanket. It's not your usual granny square. I have printed out the free pattern, and this will be my winter project this year. I have the yarn already. I got some of the Highland Heathers yarn in ecru's an greens. That is the same yarn that I used for my blanket with the larger squares that I love so much.  At first glance the yarn looks like it is just one color but then when you look closer you can see other glints of color in it. I think it's a beautiful yarn. I quite love it.

And I love the colors in this blanket.

 

(source)

I recently ordered a "Batch" loaf of bread from a British shop that I sometimes get food items from. It is so lovely. I really miss British bread. Their bread is not so sweet as ours and there is a type of sturdiness to it. It feels like it has substance. In any case, this loaf is like a really old fashioned-loaf with a dark crust and sturdy crumb. Without sugar you can really taste the bread.  A slice of this, slathered in butter is like a little taste of heaven. I know  . . .  I should be making my own bread. I just haven't had the time. I did, however, make a batch of my granola the other night. 

I love the smell of my granola while it is baking. It is a simple recipe, olive oil, maple syrup, old fashioned oats, lots of nuts, big fat raw coconut flakes. I could eat it by the handful, but don't. I content myself to have a small bowl of plain yogurt in the mornings with some of it scattered on top. Admittedly however, sometimes when I am feeling a tiny bit peckish  . .  I will enjoy a small handful. Its better than a cookie.

And I like to think . . . healthier.

 

(source)

One thing I am looking for is a nice pattern to make a shawl. I think I would like a shawl to put over my shoulders this coming winter. Just for when I am sitting watching television or whatnot. I did make one for my mother the winter before she passed. It is white. Cindy gave it to me when I returned to Canada. It lays across the back of my easy chair. I have looked at a lot of patterns, but have yet to find one that I really like. 

One thing about shawls is that one size pretty much fits all. You can drape it over your shoulders, or even, if you are out and about, over your head to keep the chill away.  I don't think they ever really go out of style, not that I am a person who follows the latest fashion trends. I am not.  I prefer comfort over fashion and substance rather than style. If that makes sense.  I just want to be comfortable . . . and warm, and I often find sweaters too confining to wear. Maybe if I was thinner. I do like a good cardi . . . 

 

(source)

Remember what it was like when you were small, and the

leaves were bigger than your hands? When the world smelled of wood smoke

and spun slower on its axis because school started over and Christmas was years away?

Remember the crackling sound of the leaves as you tromped through the back yard, that

slight rustle . . .  or the sound they made as the wind made them dance and skitter

across the pavement? That smell as they settled down into what they would become

before Winter graced us with its presence  . . . 

Autumn . . .

I am ready for autumn now . . . I am longing for the colors and the smells and the feels that it brings. The earlier nights when I can light all my candles and sit in my chair all cozy reading a book, one cat tucked into my side and the other right behind my head on the back of the sofa. Darker mornings when I am awake to watch the sun rise behind the houses that lay to the back of my wee place, and take in the golden light and shadows that it paints on the sides of the houses to the front . . .  the way it moves across the grass and melts the frost on each blade it touches  . . . 

It will be weeks yet before we get the pleasure of seeing a frost on the ground. I love to watch it melt off the rooftops. All aglitter until it silently disappears  . . .  on some days you can almost see a whisp in the air as it evaporates beneath the heat of a sun that lays low in the sky this time of year.

I am reminded of when I was staying in that motel when I first arrived back. How broken I felt and yet invigorated by the sight and glitter of the frosty ground and the call of the blue jays echoing in the air. Two things I had really missed when living so far away.  Eileen's morning visits as she walked past my room on her way to work.  She would knock on the window and then stand back and wave. Her sweet smile  brightened my days. It still does. 

I love her so much. We have not heard anything as of yet. She was excited when I spoke to her this morning as a bunch of them are going out for lunch today to celebrate a birthday and then tomorrow I will be picking her up for a "long" weekend this week. Due to the Labor day holiday. She is excited about that as well. Admittedly so am I. Monday is my church's annual corn boil. I am hoping I can convince her to come with me. I think she would enjoy it.

 

I have started a new study in the Psalms on prayer. We have been studying the Old Testament all this year and I love the Psalms. I am not a scriptorian. I do not often understand completely what I am reading. I find myself, more often than not, turning to YouTube in my studies and listening to the thoughts of others. Unshaken is one that I enjoy, however he is a bit wordy. He does help me to understand things a lot more. I also enjoy Don't Miss This, however I did like it more when Emily Freeman was one of the hosts rather than her daughter. It feels a bit young to me now.

Anyways, I got this book on studying prayer through 31 Psalms. I have wanted to deepen my prayer life. It seems that I say the same prayers over and over again. And I do continually pray in my mind. I want them to have more meaning . . .  to be more like a song than rote  . . . to draw me into a closer relationship with my Heavenly Father. This book may help. 

I do love the scriptures and I am really looking forward to studying the New Testament in the next year, starting in January.  Books about the Savior and His teachings. I love Jesus. He is my friend.  He is real to me. He has been real to me since I was a very small child. My father taught me to pray . . . just the Now I lay me down to sleep prayer  . . .  but still. I confess, it is how I still start my prayers at night. I cannot kneel any more. Would that I could. There is something special about being able to kneel before the Lord and speak your petitions out loud. Its just magic to me.  Instead now, I sit  . . . 

He hears them regardless, even the unspoken ones. He answers them too, in His timing and sometimes in the most mysteriously magical ways.

 

(source)

I am a romantic at heart. But then  . . .  you already know that if you have been reading me for very long.  (And I have been doing this for a very long time now.) Part of "romanticizing life" means making everyday life beautiful and special in every way. This means elevating even the most mundane parts of our days. I like to think that I do that.

I’ve come to realize that we may not always have that perfect mindset that we all chase: the come what may, the see the beauty all around you, the stop and smell the roses. Those moments can be difficult to find in our fast-paced world, especially when you’re constantly driving yourself forward. 

Lately, I’ve been tricking myself into it. I call this “romanticizing my life.” I use this technique when I’m struggling to see the beauty in a situation, to add a little romance to the everyday frustrations and low moments that sometimes come up in life. It’s a perspective shift, more than anything else, paired with words that will take something that is often just a concept and turn it into something more solid. Something actionable. It’s less effective to simply say, “I need to slow down and re-frame what I’m experiencing,” than it is to force yourself to notice actual details and commit them to written words.

 Mine are usually only one or two sentences, but I have noticed that writing them down does consistently improve my mood and help me to see the beauty in what I’m experiencing, even when only a moment before I couldn’t see any there at all. I write the moments down on little scraps of paper and stick them in a pretty jar. I have Eileen doing it as well. Glimmers of ideas for stories and projects often spark and sputter in my mind. I do not have enough days left in my life to do all the things that I would like to do and that's okay. Sometimes even just thinking about them is enough. 

The idea is that I will be able to open the scraps of paper at a future date and be inspired again by the words I have written, perhaps in my low moments they will help to lift me up.

 

(source)

Believe it or not it is already gone past 9:30 and I really have to be on and about my day. I am going with Cindy later on to take Dad out with his friend Maryann. It was her birthday a week or so ago and we did not know if. I have a small gift and a card to give to her. She is so good and caring to Dad and has always been good to Cindy and myself. I think she fancies herself as being his girlfriend . . . even though he is very noncommittal about it. He has always just seen himself as a friend. Truth be told, he likes to keep his options open. Funny that.  At the age of 92 he is still keeping his options open.  In any case I hope she likes my small gift and that she feels seen and appreciated.

And with that I will end this with a thought to carry with you . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

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

*Each day comes

bearing it's own gifts.

Untie the ribbons.

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Creamy Bow Tie Pasta Salad, sized just for two. A little something for labor day perhaps?  With small bits of ham and chunks of cheese, sweet peas, sharp red onions and a creamy rich tangy/sweet dressing.

I hope your Friday is all that you want it to be. May it be a day filled with joy and peace, and hopefully a bit of sunshine, even if it has to be of your own making. Don't forget! 

═══════════ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ═════════════ 

⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ════════════  

And I do too!    

   

Dear Neighbor . . .

 

(source)

AUGUST 28th, 2026

Estate Lane

Nova Scotia

17*C/64*F

Partly Sunny

Dear Neighbor,

Hello on this warm and sunny, well partly sunny, Friday morning. The last Friday in August of 2026. I cannot believe how quickly this year seems to be flying by and I know I am not alone in thinking or saying that. 

Already though, there is a change in the air. I can see the leaves beginning to turn. The hummingbirds have started their end of season storing up. I am refilling my feeder about twice a week now. Summer appears to be on the wane and yet  . . .  I am getting the first real number of ants in the house that I have had all season. Weird that  . . . 

In the words of the Immortal bard, "Summer's lease hath all too short a date."  Summer is a fleeting romance, and though she only graces us with her presence for a few short months of the year, we tend to make the most out of her for as long as we can.

As summer slips by, and autumn slowly begins to take her place, I hang onto the joys she has left me with for as long as I can, burying them deep somewhere in my mind for when I need to be reminded, in the depths of winter that summer is still on the way.  Just like summer, life can be fleeting. The truest form of magic is being romanced by life. Holding on to the sweet memories we are given, sweet moments, moments that make us happy, the moments we are serenaded with joy. And my summer has been full of them. 

 

(source)

As we were leaving the restaurant on Wednesday evening, having built another sweet summer memory with our niece, I noticed my cousin Hal and his family sitting at a table. We had to stop and say hello.  Hal is the cousin who was so ill in hospital not that long ago. He is home now and still has a long row to hoe but it was so nice to see him there and out an about. Although, I did note that he was not eating anything and he looked very frail, thin and dare I say it, old and tired. This is my cousin who I can remember doing handsprings across the room as a young boy and teen, the glint of his blue eyes sparkling with enthusiasm and all the joys of life. He is a good man is Hal. I hope he continues to regain his health and is soon back . . . if not doing handsprings . . . to feeling much, much better than he has been in a long time.

One of my happiest memories is of going to his wedding and the reception afterwards. What a good time that was. Mom was still in her dancing years, our Aunt Freda (Hal's mother) was still alive, with the same sparkling blue eyes, my sister was there on a rare visit her to Nova Scotia. We laughed a lot that day  . . . simply one of those sweet moments captured in my mind's eye that still brings me joy when I bring it out to reflect on it. 

 

(source)

My next door neighbor Sheila is home now. She got home yesterday. I have not been over to see her yet. She had lots of people going in and out yesterday. She has been through a lot.  To be home, after what she experienced with the broken hip, arm, wrist, etc. at her age is quite an accomplishment and a great testimony to her will to keep going. 

I will try to make a moment today to go over and see her and welcome her home. I am sure she will have a ways to go yet, but she is amazing. I think.  I am sure Cindy will be bringing Bailey over to see her as well, although it will probably be quite a while before Sheila can really resume the care of him. I am sure she will enjoy visits however and so will he.

I can only imagine how sweet the reunion will be. Life is filled with little wonders and jewels.

 

(source)

Eileen has an appointment today to be fitted for her hearing aids. She is a bit excited/nervous about that. She has always had problems with her ears. From the get-go she has been plagued with ear infections, etc. One right after another. I cannot tell you the number of times she has had to have tubes in her ears. I am sure it will be a bit of a learning curve for her and a bit of a wonder once she can fully hear again. I hope she can cope.  She was feeling a bit anxious about it last night when I spoke with her.  But she also has something to look forward to today.  The whole group is going to a place called Frank and Dora's for lunch, so that will be nice for her. She really enjoys our dinners out on Wednesday nights. I will be picking her up early afternoon tomorrow for our "sleepover" weekend. She also enjoys those. And I enjoy having her. It seems pretty quiet here without her around.

I am wondering how long it will be before we get the results of her biopsy, etc. It's been two weeks on Monday since she had the procedure. The cogs of the health care system move slowly here in Nova Scotia, but at least they move.

 

(source)

I will be going with Cindy this afternoon to take Dad and his friend Maryann to the mall. They did not go last week as our brother was here. I expect Maryann will be very happy to see him, and he her as well. It is a bit of a weird one. She, I am sure, sees him as being her boyfriend.  She always looks so nice when she comes out to the car. She is in great shape for her age. I believe she is 92.  She still walks very well and except for the fact she is deaf, totally with it. She is always so excited to see him.  My dad, on the other hand, is always quick to say she is just a friend. He likes to keep his options open. That has never changed, despite his age or his inability to get around safely. He has always had an eye for the ladies.

But he does enjoy this trip out. It is getting more difficult however. His mobility is really declining. Two weeks ago when we took them I found myself wondering how much longer he would be able to manage the outing. It is quite tiring for him, as much as he does love to get out. He is really slowing down. 

When my brother was here, he and my sister went to the funeral home to arrange a few things. I hate thinking of things like that, even though I know they are inevitable. They got his obituary written and my sister in law wrote a bit of a life's history formulated by asking him questions etc. Some surprising things came out that none of us had known. I will have to remember to download it and read it again, and then upload it to the memories on my Family Search app.

 

(source)

Cindy and I always go shopping while Dad and Maryann visit together. We did go to the Superstore yesterday and I got a bit in for the weekend, so I really won't have much to get today. Mostly I need cat food and hand soap/wash. A few other little bits. Not a lot really. 

I picked up a small turkey breast portion for Sunday lunch yesterday. Cindy is only having lunch for the family every second week now with the odd weeks being golf day.  So I picked up a small turkey breast portion for Eileen and I to cook together. I will make all of the fixings to go with it. I am sure she will enjoy that. I know I will.

 

(source)

"Never go too long without celebrating this life. Never get so caught up on the day-to-day busyness, the worries and troubles, the comparisons and doubts that you forget just how wonderful it is to be here. Never get so caught up that you forget to notice all of the blessings worth celebrating right around you. Celebrate those who care about you so deeply, the ones who always lift you up and help you. Celebrate all of the little victories in your day-to-day to-do lists and the things you love to do each day. Celebrate all of the things that make the little moments of life so wonderful and vibrant, too -- your favorite shows and books, clothes and foods. Celebrate all of the growth you have done and continue to do all of the ways you are becoming and reaching and stretching; My sweet friend, this life holds so much worth celebrating." ~Nikki Warne

That is how I try to live my life, although I have many days that I manage to fall far short of my goals to do so. I try though and that is what matters. I do celebrate the ones I love and like to think that I honor them each day. I try also to get the most joy that I can out of the small and simple things which embroider my life. I guess that is all any of us can do . . .  acknowledge the things which embroider the tapestries that we are weaving with our days and find the joy in them that is only ours to find. We can do no more than that.

And with that I will leave you with a thought to carry with you . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

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

*Lead by listening -

To be a good leader you

have to be a great listener.

~Richard Branson

 

 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Three Fruit Crumble. A dessert which brings together the very best flavors of late summer and early autumn. Delicious and simple.

 I hope you have a beautiful Friday. Be blessed whatever you get up to. Don't forget!

═══════════ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ═════════════ 

⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ════════════  

And I do too!    

   

Dear Neighbor . . .

 

 

Quite the Sunset  

AUGUST 21st, 2026

Estate Lane

Nova Scotia

17*C/64*F

Mostly Sunny

Dear Neighbor,

Hello on this lovely late summer morning. It's not too hot yet, but it will get warmer as the day progresses. I have a busy day ahead of me, but that doesn't mean that I don't have time to write you a nice letter.

Today is the day that Eileen goes back to the clinic to find out what comes next. I made sure she was awake bright and early as her appointment is really early.  She said she didn't sleep well last night, which is understandable. She is a brave woman. Her worker is taking her. She will let me know later what is happening. I am hoping and praying that its all very treatable and that we can have it dealt with more sooner than later. 

 

(source)

We can and will get through this.  I am supporting her every step of the way. She has a lot of people who love and care about her and is surrounded with prayers.

Cindy is taking Dad to emergency this morning. He was not feeling very good yesterday. He has had this lump/cyst at the base of his head/neck which has become swollen and inflamed. The Doctor was wanting it to go down before it was dealt with but it is causing him a lot of discomfort and seems to be getting more swollen. So she is going to take him to emergency to see if they might be able to lance it or something. 

Not nice, I know. Hopefully they will be able to do something about it and he will start to feel better.

 

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David and Dan are going up country this morning to one of David's friends who has a small plane. They are going to take Dan up for a flight over the valley. It should be quite interesting and exciting for Dan and they certainly have a good day for it as it is going to be a fine day.

Cindy, Christine and I are supposed to have a painting morning. Or we will after Cindy and Dad get back from the hospital. Once I finish here I will go over to Cindy's and keep Christine company until Cindy gets back. 

Then I am supposed to be getting supper for everyone. It won't be anything too fancy for sure. I have reserved two large frozen chicken pot pies from the Chicken Farm. (They are as close to homemade as you can get. Made in small batches from scratch using all natural ingredients and organic chicken.) I will have those with some salad and I am going to pick up a fruit tray for dessert. I will do it all at Cindy's as it is just so difficult for dad these days, all the moving about, etc. Tomorrow night my brother is planning on taking us out to an Indian meal so if I cook it at Cindy's that means dad doesn't have to deal with going out two nights in a row, on top of being at the emergency this morning. 

Sometimes you just have to do what you just have to do.

 

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I was a little bit nervous getting up and going into the living room this morning. Yesterday morning when I went in and went to turn the lamp on, there was a huge grasshopper sitting on the pillow on the sofa right next to the table that the lamp is on. Okay, so it was only about an inch long, but it might as well have been six inches long, I was that startled and scared.  I quickly went and got my stick vacuum cleaner and attached a brush to the end and I sucked that grasshopper up before he could jump away or on me or whatever.

What make me  wonder though, is how I did not notice it being in here the night before, as it must have been in my home the night before and why the cats were not after it? It must have been keeping a very low profile.

Between one thing or another with wasps, ants and now this grasshopper (and we won't talk about fruit flies) this has certainly been a year for wildlife getting into my house in one way or another!

I noticed yesterday that my next door neighbor has a wasp deterrent hanging on their front porch. It looks a bit like an elongated hot air balloon.  I should get me one of those. Then maybe the wasps will leave the hummingbird feeder alone.

 

 

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I think David and Christine have been enjoying their visit down thus far. They have stayed very busy. Yesterday they, along with Cindy and Dan, explored a wetlands nature park that is just down the road from my place in the morning and in the afternoon David and Christine went to Port George. It was quite foggy however. But Christine did get some interesting photographs of some of the topography and sea life. There are seals there that sun themselves on small Islands, but the Islands were hard to see. I have been there before to watch them. After that they went exploring at a small nature area at the end of Cindy's street and Christine was able to take some photos of interesting looking fungi.

Christine likes to sketch and paint as well. She also teaches an art class at the home her late father was a resident of.  Just simple things but my brother attends also and helps out and the residents really enjoy this activity and the company/visits. They have always been people who give back to the community in whatever way that they can. That is something I really admire about them.  The Lord's hands in action.

 

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Face to face with the sunflower,

Cheek to cheek with the rose,

We follow a secret highway

Hardly a traveler knows.

The gold that lies in the folded bloom

Is all our wealth;

We eat of the heart of the forest

With innocent stealth.

We know the ancient roads

In the leaf of a nettle,

And bathe in the blue profound

Of a speedwell petal.

~Mary Webb (1881-1927)

Oh how I miss the days that I could traipse around the countryside. I am an armchair traveler now and must content myself with the travels and words of others. How blessed we are to have so many talented people in the world to share their travels with us. I have always loved to watch David Attenborough and Michael Palin is another favorite of mine.  Also I like to watch canal boat journeys/holidays. The late Prunella Scales and her husband Timothy West did several canal boat journey programs. He was a great actor in the theatre and she was best known for playing Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers. They were both great actors of the stage, etc. however. Their son Samuel West plays Seigfried  Farnham in All Creatures Great and Small. 

Anyways, I do so love to watch these travel and nature shows. I did take a short journey on a Canal Boat with our friends Jo and Colin in the U.K. one summer when they brought their Canal Boat up close to where we lived. We had a short jaunt down the canal and then had lunch at a pub. There will often be pubs situated close to the Canals. It was such a lovely day and journey. I quite enjoyed it. So quiet and peaceful.

 

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I spent last evening trying to wear my new eyeglasses. I have never had such a difficult time adjusting to a new pair of glasses before. I can only think that it is because I got the lens's that change to darker in the light. I did wear them for the longest time ever last evening.  For at least 3 hours.  I tried again this morning, but there seems to be a halo around everything.  It is either the glasses or my eyes are deteriorating even more, which I hope not. I have always said I would rather go deaf than blind. Not to be able to see would be so hard. That is what happened to our Aunt Thelma when she got put into the home. She had had her leg amputated and could no longer go up the stairs to her apartment as she was in a wheelchair and  then in the home she went blind from detached retinas that were not noticed.  She did not live long after that. I suppose she had lost her will to go on. It does happen.

I really must wind this down now as I need to get ready to go over to keep Christine company.  I will leave you with a thought for the day now . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

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

*The time you enjoy wasting

is not wasted time.

~anon

In The English Kitchen today  . . . Bacon, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Bake for two. This was simple and delicious. A lovely hearty breakfast, or even a simple supper. Quick and easy to make as well.

I hope that you have a lovely day.  May it be filled with love and sunshine. Don't forget!

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And I do too!