Emd of summer

We had a bit of a moon the other night so I thought I'd take a picture of it.   Our skies are usually foggy so the stars and the moon are a sight to see and I would love a period of time for them to just stay in my sight.   There is a bit of peace and serenity to this picture.  I often talk about the little budgie birds that sit on the wire over the yard and here is a good picture of it.   They line up on the line and wait patiently for me to put some bird food in the feeder but wont fly down until I disappear.  I had hopes of catching some of them sitting around waiting but so far they prove to be a lot smarter than I am.    

The other day I blogged about the yellow grass, well here it is in all its glory.   The bushes are getting a clipping soon.  Chon has not been by as his truck broke down and he knows when he gets to this yard the black bags of clippings are at the ready and he hauls them away.  The honeysuckle on the fence is beginning to look reedy and yellow so it is fading away showing signs of Fall. When we first moved into this house that bush was over the railing of the back porch and was so thick and wild it was unbelievable.  It took some doing to cut it all down and then I got the bright idea to put it over in the corner and hopefully have it grow all along the fence.   As you can see it grew but not very big and I don't think I'll be around to see it cover the fence if it grows as slow as it has been doing.  Of course if I quit clipping it might help things along.

So today, having heard from this master gardener, you know exactly what not to do.   We do have a lot of spiders and big webs this year, isn't that a sign of a hard winter?   I think so.   Well, everyone needs a friend to remind them of the upcoming weather that will keep us close to the fire place . . . wish I had one . . . so find yourself a cozy warm place today and stay there . . . or, if you are lucky and can have a day out to have some fun like I did yesterday, then go for it . . . make your seconds bounce off the life time clock like they know what they are doing.   A reasonable snicker, a guffaw, a smile all help to make your world go around. Hugs to all.

Wow!

I had an e mail this morning with pictures of storms and a story about Noah trying to build the Ark in today's world.  It was funny in that he couldn't get anything done with all of the restrictions and agencies he couldn't get passed.    It would have been funny if it wasn't so true.   But . . . the pictures, and there many more, were beautiful and I thought I'd share them with you this morning.

I am getting a late start.  I actually slept in and that in itself is nothing short of a miracle.    I can't stay long chatting with you this morning as I am going OUT. . . yes, out of the neighborhood, away to the big city of Crescent City with Marcia in her new van.    We are shopping today and of course having lunch out.   Boy, I've missed my daughter Patricia this past week and a half, but there is a light in the sky after all as she and Christine come tootling along the highway and home.   I'm not sure who is going to be the happiest . . . yes, I do . . . Emma who has been cooped up without her big yard to play in.  She is going to be one happy dog.  

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date, so I'll catch up with you tomorrow.    Make sure you have a good day today, all day, it's hump day and that should make you smile.    Enjoy the seconds, make them count, and wish me luck as there is a casino over there and it would be hard to pass by without playing at least one challenging game with Tarzan of the Apes.    I'm off . . . but you already knew that!   Hugs to all

Solitare

I play solitare frequently and have been trying for over two years to win a game.  It has been illusive and sometimes downright madening when you think you are on the right track and find that it is one more time that the machine beats you.  I should be used to that as I played poker on the casino machines for years and it was rare to win, but once in a blue moon I did, and believe it or not, I finally won a game of solitare and took a picture to prove it.  Of course that was a month or so ago and I had forgotten all about the picture until I went sleuthing for a picture for the blog this morning.  There is was and here it is....my win....haven't done it again and it may take another year or two but half of the fun is in the trying.  

On a recent ride along the highway I took this picture out of a car window and it reminded me of the grass in my back yard, although the grass in my back yard is no where as thick and dense as this hillside.   It does have the same color though and browns, tans and yellows are in season and all I can think to do with it is to tear it up and cement in the yard area . . . but then that wouldn't work as the weeds would grow between the seams of the cement and there I would be with one more thing to complain about.     It would be nice to have  a man around the place . . . yeah, I'm humming again . . . old friends, Hobie and Clarence, and Pa would be the ones to invite into my yard but they are tending the Garden Gates and didn't leave instructions behind.    How come some of us are born with purple thumbs while others have those wonderful green thumbs and can grow anything including lush green grass.    Oh well, it does have a bit of beauty all its own.

So today, it's Tuesday all day, if you are bored and have nothing to do, go out into the garage, or the shed, and find yourselves some garden tools and get busy.    Mow the grass even though it is not a luscious green.   Give it a good sprinkle and let it soak in . . . aha, that is what is missing from my garden duties, I'm trying to save on water and have found a way to colorless grass . . . didn't think I knew how, did you?   Don't forget to pull up those dandelions which are spreading as their yellow heads reach up and out to the prevailing winds.   I have some at least a foot high and multiplying.    Give it a treat or a treatment and I do know that humming helps.   Lighten the load you are carrying and chase a butterfly even if you do not have a net . . . it is good for a laugh and you know what laughter does for us.    Seconds are important, use them as if they were treasures, come to think of it they are.   Hugs to all.

Stations

The Last Supper

 Pilate washes his hands.

The Crucifixion

Compassion

Although I go over to the Star of the Sea Catholic church and light my candles for each and every one of us, I have never taken the time to go around to the Stations of the Cross.  They are beautiful and deserve a little of my time but I choose to sit in the back seat of the church and look around, not a soul in sight, not one person in the church, just silence.   I remember so many times, especially during Holy Week, attending the service and listening to the priest relate the story of the crucifixion.     There is something to be said about the silence and the feeling of peace and serenity and I find that I don't mind that not another person is there.  I look around and remember the years of going to the small chapel on the school grounds, or climbing the stairs to the big altar in the upper part of our church . . . or going into the lower area where it was dark and quiet just like this little church here, by the sea.   The e-mail that came in yesterday had many more pictures of the incredible display sculptured in metal by a man near Amarillo, Texas.  This man did all of this remarkable work out of the kindness of his heart and the land was donated by someone who appreciated his talent and gifted all of us.    It could be the very last surviving Christian symbol in the country.   Some people want God, prayer, our flag, patriotism and all we hold dear and true to be gone . . . not when we have folks like this around and we have the courage of our own convictions.   As the words were written in the article "Everybody knows His name.  He won no battles.   He conquered the world.  He committed no crimes, yet was crucified.  He was buried in a tomb, yet lives."     

So today, take a few of your seconds and stop and think about Stations of the Cross.  Maybe you might stop into a church and just walk around and say a short prayer for every one of us . . . we all need it.   It is Monday, the start of your new week . . . plot and plan what you want to accomplish this week and do it.  In the realm of living we visit the sick, bury the dead, and strive to be the best we can be . . . a little praying will not hurt one bit.    So as the saying goes . . . "Go With God" and have a miraculous day.   Hugs to all. 

Storm Clouds in Arizona

For a minute, when I looked at the pictures Bob and Andrea sent from Arizona, I thought there was a tornado on its way, but it was a real true thunder storm with all the lightening flashes that brought them out to watch the skies tell a story all its own.    Storms can be so exciting but also very fearful.  I was very happy to hear they enjoyed watching the storm but also that they were alive and well.    It only takes one bolt from the blue, so be careful out there.   Our storms seem to be getting more furious as they come by.

This one reminds me of a tornado in the making, ready to set down and do a little mischief, but it was just more of the thunder and lightening that dropped a drip or two on the desert floor.  They do have a lot of flash flooding in Arizona.    I remember driving wheel high through some of the deep water on the highway.

This picture symbolizes friendship, beauty, a peaceful moment with friends watching the sunset over the water.     Of course my sense of fun came into play as I thought of a few of us octogenarians finding our way down to the end of the pier and sitting down . . . but who would help us up?   

So today, it is Sunday all day.    The week has gone by slowly as my chauffeur was not around to drive me around.  I did fine though as my neighbor was more than willing to pitch hit and we had a couple of outings that were fun.    La Verne is a great neighbor who keeps an eye on me.   She and I have developed a good neighbor policy and we do not overstep our bounds but appreciate our friendship and enjoy the fruits of being a good neighbor.   Today she is baking a tart lemon pie and I have been promised a piece of it.  She was going to bake it three days ago but one thing or another got in the way, but today is the day, and my taste buds are at the ready.  I love tart lemon pie.   I shared some of those special pecans I received from Bob and Andrea . . . delicious!   If you have a good neighbor, or even a not so good one, take a moment out to appreciate them, share a dish or a desert and keep harmony and peace in your life.    A hug is good.   Enjoy your Sunday, all day, as it will go by faster than you can imagine and it will be a new work week starting for some and a busy week puttering for others.   Enjoy the seconds that make minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years as you will one day look back and wonder where all those seconds disappeared to . . . long gone leaving a history to be proud of.   Hugs to all.

Phonics

Good morning.   Here is a picture of a raving beauty that came in on an e-mail telling the story of pre-school teacher trying to teach the little ones all about animals.   When she asked if anyone knew what this creature was, one of the youngsters put up his hand and said "it's a frickin' elephant" and when she looked at the words under the picture it said "African Elephant",  she knew she would be 'hooked on phonics' for the rest of the school year. Sad there were not more pictures and stories as I bet the children came up with some delightful names for the animals.

My friend Angie has been having a wonderful summer finding different spots to visit.   It looks like she found a perfect spot for fishing and hiking.    It reminded me a little of the jig saw puzzle I have on my dining room table.   It is a slow progression of patience and fortitude as I am sure friend Bob has some of the pieces in his pocket.     The puzzle has more mountains in the background so my sense of the familiar is the blue of the water which is the color of the sky in the puzzle, come to think of it . . . it doesn't look like it at all, so when and if it is finished I will take a picture of it and show you how much patience I really have....or not.

So today, the beginning of your weekend off, find something to do to relax.  Grab your book and find a chair outside in your yard and read, ignore the leaves that are falling and hope the grass will turn green again.  Yellow is a nice color but it really reminds me of straw these days as the summer heat turned the little blades of grass into what looks more like a hay field.    You worked hard all week so try and ignore the chores that are begging for attention.  Make up your mind to vegitate this one weekend and catch up with yourself.   You deserve a break and all the chores will wait patiently for you to 'get off your duff' and do them....next weekend.   Your relaxation is important as it build stamina for those never ending chores that pile up in anticipation of your new spurt of energy.    Just know they are not going anywhere without you.   Have a weekend off and enjoy your seconds.   Hugs to all. 

Beauty and. . .

Good morning, Bob and Andrea were out watching the sunset and you know they never go far without a camera.  They sent us a lovely picture of the sun setting making me wish we were there to enjoy it and them.   Picture taking reminds me that yesterday La Verne and I went off to lunch and then we rode over to the Indian land where the road leads down to the ocean to a place where the sea lions love to bask on a small island off shore.   La Verne had some binoculars with her so we got to see some very strange and huge birds.   We have no idea what they are but I can tell you there were hundreds of them and they were the size of an ostrich with a wing span of at least four feet.   They were playing in the water, while so many of them just laid around with a bird with spread wings standing on either side, almost as if it were guarding the flock.     I wish I knew what they are.  I've never seen them before.  There was not one sea lion around which seemed very strange.

Well there are more than one way to 'skin a cat' as the old adage goes.   Some ingenious person needed a holder for a drink so came up with a roll of tape.   Not a bad idea.

I never thought of doing this,  I don't think our Fred Meyer's store folks would be happy if we all walked home with a wire basket.   But it does give one an idea if one should want a cook out and needs a 'cooker'.

This one is kind of down right 'stupid' . . . some one has a sense of humor.  

So today, Friday, get ready for your weekend.   Sometimes it scares me when I write a daily blog and find out I am writing about a new weekend coming up when it seems I just wrote those same words seconds ago.   Time flies so fast showing us the seasons changing and our Fall weather is coming along with the leaves falling from the trees making work for all of us as we get out the rake.
Leaves
Crunching, crispy, wind blown leaves/reds with browns and greens/huddled on the sidewalks/waiting for a breeze.
The inner eye, the child's eye/remembers days of yore/when walking off to school/we kicked them to and fro/making noises as we'd go.
Laughter filled the air/the leaves so very light/scattered with our kicks/as they took a long, long flight.
We hurried home to find the rake/and make huge piles of leaves/built so high they couldn't fly/until we jumped right in/chasing them back to their ground/only to rake again.
Crunching, crispy, wind blown leaves/revives the memory/as I walked along the street/kicking leaves aside/smiling, grinning,feeling good/as the leaves went sailing by.

Go, make a memory today and find reasons to smile.     And, on the other side of our coin, take time to say a prayer for all of the folks in our land who are in shock over the loss of everything they own either by flood or fire.   Hearts are broken, tears are shed, but we are a resilient people and as hard as it is 'things' can be replaced in time and the memories of of what used to be stay within .  Remember to be generous . . . Hugs to all.

Goodbye Irene

These pictures and more came in yesterday in an e-mail.   Hurricane Irene took her time going up the eastern coastline and made shambles out of places along the way.   Some folks thought it was not  much of a hurricane as it took its own sweet time to gather momentum and left people stranded in Hatteras Island, North Carolina.  It made a mess of Margaretville, New York and Greenwich, Connecticut.  and even stopped awhile to do some damage in Vermont.   Mother Nature can get her back up and show us who is boss.    All we can do when she rants and raves is to hunker down and then pick up the pieces.    I wonder who got all that stimulus money and what they did with it . . . we sure could use it all over America to help heal the scars and wounds from earthquakes, floods and fire.    The news and pictures of the fire in Texas have to be the worst I've ever seen.    We had many lightening strikes creating forest fires in Nevada  and also, here in Oregon, but the scarred forest comes back slowly and reseeding takes care of the rest, but these folks have lost everything.  Be as generous as you can when the helping agencies ask for donations.

So, it is Thursday all day.    I have a puzzle on the table Bob brought from Arizona and it is going to be a real 'stinker' as the pieces seem to fit and you find they really do not.   They are curvy little devils with a mind of their own.   Speaking of Bob and Andrea, I got a surprise package in the mail and it took some doing to open a small cardboard box that did not want to open.   A scissors didn't help but a trusty knife finally opened the sides so I could slide out the contents . . . wonderful luscious pecans from Green Valley. Andrea said it could be shared with my next guests . . . she must be kidding . . . they will not last long enough for the next guests to arrive....I guarantee it.   Make your seconds count today . . . finish up your projects and free yourself for some fun time over the weekend.  It has been a long hard week, so lighten up and do something YOU really want to do, like curling up with a good book and let the world go by.   Hugs to all.

P.S.  My post script for today is to tell you that I had an e-mail from Paula and she said to tell all of you who are going to try that delicious peach cobbler that you have to use self rising flour or else add baking powder and salt to regular flour.   Good luck....Hope you all make it and it turns out to be delicious.

Judy's Pictures

Here we are, Helen and me.   We don't get to see each other as often as we would like, but rest assured we make the most of the time we have when we do.   We were waiting patiently for the waitress to take our orders.   We went to Pancho's for the fish tacos I brag about and Pat and Maggie found an outside patio table for all of us.   We forgot the ladies were from Nevada where the temperatures have been running in the  high nineties all summer.  They didn't complain, just sat there and shivered.

Daughter Patricia loves to have her picture taken.Here is Emma, just standing there getting petted.   What a face! Rub my tummy!  Don't stop!

Kathy loves dogs, and at home in Nevada she has three of them and a couple of cats.    Here she is telling Emma what a good girls she is and Emma is listening to every word.

Yeah, I do pet her and we have some lovely conversations.

I did find Helen a walking stick but she wasn't up to walking the beach, just stood by and enjoyed looking at the waves come tumbling in.  I use the cane for balance and found it to be needed in the soft sand. 

The ladies were leaving so we had our farewell picture taken by Judy.   They left much too soon to suit me and I hope they have a chance to come back.   They had a long trip back to Nevada, and Judy to Colorado, where they are busy packing for another road trip, Kathy to Disney world and later to Judy's daughter's wedding.  I think Helen has made up her mind to go.  If she doesn't she will be baby sitting six dogs. 

So today, can you believe it it Wednesday already.    My newspaper lady is out having fun so I'll have to borrow my neighbors paper when she is done with it, or hike my bones up to Freddys and get it myself.   Wednesdays paper is always light but it does have a crossword puzzle and a few other mazes and such to do.   My friend Paula sent an e-mail from Arkansas yesterday and all is well.  The triple digit heat has gone and that is a blessing.  She sent a recipe for one of her favorite deserts which she had just enjoyed . . . peaches are out in the market, a bit high priced at a dollar a pound, but that is better than two dollars a pound, or buy a large can of peaches.  1 cup of flour;  1 cup of sugar; 1 cup of milk . . . Combine flour, sugar and milk . . . melt butter.    Put the melted butter in the bottom of your pan, add the peaches on top of it, pour the other combined ingredients on top and bake in a 350 degree oven for forty five to  sixty minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.   Sounds good but fattening....no wonder she likes it.  Try it on a cold stormy day.    I am off to open the other eye, get a cup of coffee and find something to go with it . . . peanut butter toast sounds good to me but I'd rather have the peach cobbler.   Go, make your day a fun one, take a friend to lunch . . . I'm available!     Hugs to all.

Home in Colorado

Good Tuesday morning.   Labor Day has come and gone, hopefully by the next one  all of our folks will  be working hard and earning a salary to live on.  

My friend Judy got back to Colorado safe and sound.    I didn't hear one complaint about her travels so I would say the plane flew out of Reno without a hitch and now we know flying out at five a.m. is the secret of success.

Judy promised to send some pictures and here are a few of her new revamped back yard.   She did a great job and had I known she had that kind of talent I would have enlisted her aid in moving a few large rocks or two around my yard.  The two seater looks good enough to sit in, lovely shaded area waiting for her to find time to grab a book and go sit for awhile.    It may not get a lot of use though as Judy is one of those high energy bunnies and never stops.  If she has a hammer close by, watch out as she knows how to use it.   She really truly can do anything.   I admire her talents.     As a 'stage' manager for her local thespian group, she uses her imagination and finds props for the plays.  She did a little 'window' shopping while here and visited a couple of our thrift stores but couldn't find a few items on her list.    I am sure she is still looking and will find them and the 'play will go on.'  

At the moment she has a wedding to plan and has a new beautiful mother-of-the bride dress hung and ready to wear.  Her daughter is getting married and they are all going off to a special resort to celebrate.   So hopefully there will be more pictures coming this way and we can all enjoy seeing a beautiful bride and a handsome groom start off a new life we hope will last their lifetime.

An e-mail from daughter Patricia tells me life in the big city isn't all bad.  She finds it crowded and expensive but the dog park proved to be very nice and Emma got out there and got lots of exercise.  She was a big hit and got a lot of attention but then she really is a beauty and just loves everyone.    She is no watch dog and will never be one as she greets everyone with lots of doggy kisses.

 There was a mall to walk around  with shops of every kind.  In one shop there was a lovely blouse with a price tag of over a hundred dollars on sale with twenty percent off . . . and I am sure it is still sitting in the window.    That reminds me I was over in Freddys looking for some new face cloths and there was not one item in the store that was not made in China or some foreign country.   We are a captive audience here and I am appalled to think we do not have the opportunity to choose anymore.  It is way past the time for all of us to  'go with the flow' and wake up and create a little change of our own.  Gee, it's only Tuesday and I am already spouting words of  . . . 'wisdom' . . . that's the word I was looking for.   

So today, when you are shopping look at the labels and find out where things are coming from.    Diane Sawyer, on her program, said we could find American made products . . . well, now is a good time to start looking.     Oh, that new food item, the little apple pie I told you about yesterday, don't bother . . . it is not even close to a home made apple pie even if Marie Calendar says so.      Two bites and it went into the disposal.    So I will stop being lazy and make my own apple pie . . . turn overs are good.     Have some fun today and find a reason to laugh out loud and it is catching, so much better than a cold. . . Hugs to all.

Home Away From Home

It is LABOR DAY . . . A day of rest for a lot of folks.   Some, like my friend Barbara are the 'camping type', bless them for camping has never been my forte . . . but if you have to camp this is the way to go.   They have a lovely trailer to enjoy and maybe if I had had such 'diggens' I would have camped more than once in the wilds.     Barbara and her husband Dick didn't go to the wilds but to Honeyman State Park near Florence, Oregon.  Barbara's e-mail was hilarious.    She said that the camp grounds was filled with every conceivable RV, Trailer and tent and vehicles in every spot.  "Kids, dogs, aunts uncles, grandparents all bunching up in one site after another"  They did take the bunny rabbit and the quail that I introduced you to in a blog last week.    Well, they are tiny and tender and need care especially when the little eggs are in the nest.  Barbara didn't expect Dick to lift the Quail cage and have the square wire on the bottom open up and the Quail got out.   Dick was quick to grab the male but the female flew up in the air and Barbara said not only was it nerve racking but it was a comedy to be on video for all to see.   They chased the hen around the camp site until Dick finally got hold of it.   I think the consensus is that the 'animals' will stay home next time they go camping and they will hire a quail sitter to watch the nest.     I am still laughing over the fact she intends to get more hens as 'Ole' was jumping on Lena every five minutes . . . all that after a merry chase.  Maybe they should have sent Ole out to help herd Leno back into the cage.    They made it home and are,as she put it, 'back to normal'.  Thanks for sharing Barbara, I am still laughing.


So today, if you are celebrating the holiday, I hope it is with friends and family and you are having the cook- out of the year.    I walked over to Freddys yesterday and they were touting already cooked ribs on a cooker outside but I never did see it.   I would have bought some ribs for today.   It is fine though as my neighbor La Verne came in last evening to check up on me and brought me some garden tomatoes and an enchilada.  So today I am going to make a big salad with all my fresh garden tomatoes and I might even fire up the oven to try that new tiny apple pie I picked up yesterday.  The pies are now coming out in single piece rounds and I am anxious to see what they taste like.  Marie Calender is branching out in single size these days.   So think about accepting an invitation out or inviting friends over and enjoy all of your seconds today in good company.    Hugs to all.

Far Away In France

One of the delightful things in life is to have a photographer in a family.   We are lucky as there are more than one in ours with a good eye, and the desire to capture the beauty that surrounds them. 

 The pictures on the blog this morning came from France and a lovely young lady named Corrine, called Coco by those who love her, went on a family vacation and has given us a view of her family enjoying a beautiful spot in France.

Pauline is so good about sharing her family with me.    Here you will see her daughter Karen, son-in-law Georges, Alex her grandson and his daughter Alice (Pauline calls Allie) enjoying time out in a lovely summer vacation area in Britney.     Coco, mother of Alice and wife of Alex,  took the pictures and spent some time looking around and has shown us the 'colors' of the area.     There were more pictures but I couldn't put them all on.   

It is fun to see how Allie is growing and changing.    Her grandmother is teaching her to swim.   I can see how brave she is as the one picture of her alone in the water seems to say...."Look at me....I can do it all by myself."    She really is "Daddy's girl".

I thought the picture of Karen with her umbrella was fun as I wondered if the winds came up and it was cold on the beach or was she avoiding getting a sunburn.  

So my thanks to all as I enjoyed the family pictures and thought the scenic ones deserved to be in a travel magazine for everyone to enjoy.    Thanks Coco for a job well done.   

So today, get out your camera.  It is Sunday, a day to go for a walk around your area and snap a few pictures for your upcoming collage or memory books.     Our two days of summer heat has turned to cool again, the salmon are coming in smaller and the crowds around town a lot bigger.    Some friends camping around here said it was very crowded and we could tell that by the traffic pattern as we tried to get around our small town.    Labor Day . . . a weekend to party . . . fish . . . eat and be merry.  I did get my donut yesterday but it turned out to be the old round raspberry sugar coated ones and not bad . . . but . . . that is what I get for passing up the donut bin with its glass doors and trays of 'forbidden' specialties.    Get up, get outside, get those garden chores started or . . . grab your camera and run.   Hugs to all

Busy

A mother Hummingbird.  I have one just like her flitting around my red bell flowers.  I haven't seen her nest but she sure is a busy lady.  I love to watch her.  She spends as much time on the lavender colored flowers and the pink petals of the Rose of Sharon.   As I watered yesterday morning before the winds came up, I noticed a huge bumble bee, a huge yellow jacket.   It stayed with me through the watering, it didn't seem to mind the spray of the hose at all.    I keep looking for the garden snake but it hasn't shown up this year.  Daughter Christine arrived last evening so maybe we will have breakfast on the porch this morning. Our summer weather finally arrived and it could not come at a worse time as this is the "Slammen Salmon Derby" week and this kind of weather makes the ocean crazy.   They only caught small salmon yesterday. 

The latest in what to wear!

Now this is the 'money' fairy, and she seems to come around often in an e mail.   I am supposed to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow but so far there has been no rainbow across my skies and there is no sign of  a pot of anything even close to it around these parts.   She is pretty though, a talented artist had a vivid imagination and good use of color.  I like her.  Now if she would find her way here with the pot of gold I'd let her in and even help her carry the pot.    I'd share as there are so many in need.

I haven't sat at a counter like this for many years.   I remember visiting Rhode Island and going into a donut shop with my brother-in-law and his grandson Colin to have a special donut and some hot coffee.   They were taking me to catch a plane home to Virginia. The years have passed by so quickly it seems like only yesterday.   I was just thinking I wouldn't mind having a donut this morning, maybe my girls will bring a buttermilk one over when they come with the Saturday newspaper.   I wonder if telepathy will work . . . my mantra for the next few hours . . . bring donuts....bring donuts......I suppose it would be easier to pick up the telephone and just tell them.  Yuck! What fun is that?....'bring donuts....bring donuts'... that has a nice sound to it.

So today, stop at a bakery and buy some donuts and knock on a friend's door and say good morning and spend a few extra minutes enjoying some wake up time.     My coffee is on, I have left over yogurt cake, and some new chocolate chip cookies, so if you can stand a 'raving' beauty in the early morning hours, the door is open and I have one eye open . . well that's all it takes to pour a cup of coffee.  I'll even get out my paper plates.    We could enjoy some of our special seconds and the conversation would kick in after the second round.     Or maybe you can find  a donut shop in your town that looks just like the one in this picture.   Let me know, as I wouldn't mind sitting on one of those stools enjoying one of those big jelly donuts or is it a creme filled one, a cruller or my favorite cinnamon bun . . . I'm humming "Dream, when your feeling blue.....dream   that's the thing t do...."   I must be hungry so off I go wishing each of you a 'good' day . . . a day of love and laughter.   Hugs to all.