Flip-flops

 I will be glad to get rid of this pink themed background!! I do love changing up my blog page often but usually do it on the first of the month. I am so over this pink!! Can't wait til August so I can change it!

          For today's Photo-a-day the theme is flip-flops. 

I've had lots of flip-flops, even have them on my feet as I speak!! But, to find a picture I'd taken of them! Liked to have never found one but here it finally is:

Our family went to the beach every year, for years til prices got just way too high!

I'm not a sand lover, nor a sun lover

so I'd sit on the balcony with my feet propped up on the railing listening to the ocean waves and the sound of my grandchildren and great-grands having the time of their lives. 

Good times! 

Lunch at Cafe Davina

Hope your morning is super. Right now it is looking fine for me, a bit cloudy with a thunderstorm this afternoon but that is what happens in the south, a thunderblunder (that's what my grandma called them) in the late afternoon. 

Shirley is going to join me for a 'session' today... heck, I don't know what to call it but we have a speaker coming to Centerbrooke from Senior Services. There are people here that don't drive, their families that are supposed to be helping out aren't always available. Even though I drive I don't get out in the heavy traffic so there are times I could use some transportation. Senior Services provides that for just a donation, plus a whole bunch of other services so this is going to be very informative. 

Did I tell you about my sweet little lunch out with my life coach/friend on Friday? I'd been hearing about this place called Cafe Davina that is in a huge old, old mansion downtown. They specialize in crepes and the places I go doesn't offer crepes. It's more like Southern cooking rather than French!! 

I ordered the crepe filled with ham, brie cheese and an apricot sauce then topped with greens. Oh man, it was soooo good. 

We ate inside 'cause I'd never been there and didn't know the options. But, we found out that there are the cutest little eating places scattered all around the beautiful yard. I didn't get a chance to photo most of them or do much exploring but I intend to next time. These following photos are from Cafe Davina's facebook page: 

There is a ginormous magnolia tree on site and I understand that there is a table underneath the branches of this tree where you can have lunch or just sip tea. Wouldn't that be fun!! I couldn't find a picture I could snitch of that scene but maybe there's where I will be seated next time. 

Now to participate in the Photo-a-day. The theme today is BLUE

This is a quilt I made back in 2001. Have no idea what happened to it. I gave most of my quilts to family. But, it was fun to do and is it BLUE!
 

Far-away Osprey

 I am just so inspired by what little knowledge I have gleaned from Chatgpt about basil. I told you about the tea I made. I had some left in the fridge so I added a bit of it to a glass of iced tea this morning. Very good. 

I also made some garlic-basil oil. And, I've been using it on a number of dishes. 

First I made bruchetta (never had before and it's so easy). Of course it was sprinkled with the oil. 

This morning I started thinking of how I could use some ingredients that I already had and came up with this. Is it my invention? Probably not. But, it was new to me. 

I made cheese toast out of a piece of sourdough bread. I made an omelet and placed it on top of the toast then topped with slices of avocado that I had poured some lemon juice on and some chiffonade basil. salted it and then drizzled it with the garlic-basil oil I had made. Oh yum. I'll make that again 

In keeping with Photo-a-day. Far-away is the theme for today. 

Do you see the osprey that is far-away, high in the sky? 

Basil in my Kitchen

 In yesterday's post I showed you my basil.  I've grown it before but didn't know what to do with it much so it just grew and then died. But, this time is different. I let chatgpt give me some suggestions and here's what I did. 

                    First I made me a cup of basil tea. 

I just steeped some basil leaves in a cup of hot water, added some honey and it was good. I'm having me another cup right now, as I type. 

Then I found a little jar to put some oil in. I didn't have one of those fancy oil dispensers to use and you just make do with what you have. Now, I have basil-garlic oil to use in various ways. I drizzled it over my bruschetta last night... oh yes, that's another thing I had never made and having all this basil inspired me to do so. 

My supper last night. 

Bruschetta

So easy and so good. 

Now for today's Photo-a-day 

The theme is Close-up

Basil's Taking Over

 My granddaughter-in-law gave me a flat of small basil plants about a month ago. I love basil. Not that I use that much in cooking but because I love the smell. I'll just break off a piece and walk around with it sniffing it. Well, it's better than sniffing pot, don't you think!! 😊

Anyway, you gotta look at these plants now. And, they are blooming and I am trying to snip them down so they'll keep growing. I must be doing something right. My little pot of mint isn't doing too badly, either. There's a lot of things I can't grow but I don't think it's basil. Right!!

As I told you yesterday I started doing the Photo-a-day thingy and today's pick is 'an ordinary moment'. 

Here's my ordinary moment

Just me taking a break with some iced tea and a bit of lunch. That's pretty ordinary!

When It Rains, It's Pours

 We residents here at Centerbrooke have been thrown a huge curve ball. Will the drama never end!!

The apartment building is owned by multiply owners from places like New York and New Jersey. Now, I'm not throwing stones at people from those areas but I often wonder if those folks have any idea what older people need and want and have to have. They took over in 2017 and turned our common room into something that was a showcase and totally unworkable for the elderly. They wouldn't provide the van that we had had, the hair salon was shut down. 

They hired a management company from Virginia to oversee the place and there have been so many changes it's hard to keep up. And, we have had constant staff turn-overs so that's unsettling. Nobody seems to want to work here.

Well, last week we were told that the owners got rid of the management company, they'd oversee the managing of this place themselves (with various contractors etc). How they gonna do that from hundreds of miles away!! 

We had a wonderful staff member. I don't think he's been here much over a year but he was one that you could tell he loved us and cared about us. And, dog gone if he isn't leaving Friday. I am just heartsick over this. 

Okay, I've ranted enough. Thanks for listening. I needed to get that off my chest. I am very curious as to how the next few months are going to play out. I'll keep you posted.

              In the meantime I'll keep dancing.....

                                                     Hey, I want to play!

I thought I'd catch up with a few blog friends this morning and visited Mary at visitswithmary@blogspot.com. Her post really spoke to me... I need a distraction big time and I loved the thought of posting a different picture each day with oneseasontothenext.blogspot.com  

                           So, may I play along? 

                          (today's photo is a tree) 

                               Here's my Tree 

                 taken on Colonial Parkway in Virginia. 

I'll Get There One Way or The Other

 

I may not have been perusing a shelf of books looking for something to read....

I may have neglected my friends, not checking their blogs.....

So I apologize...

I am so invested in this novel that I am writing that most of my energy is going into that and lordy, it's a slow go. 

But, I do worry that something will happen that I won't get it finished. WHERE IN THE WORLD DID THAT COME FROM!! but it's true. That's how committed I am to getting this thing done and published. 

At this age, I have about 6 hours a day that I have the energy to be busy then I just totally poop out.

 Yesterday I spent 5 hours working on that manuscript. I did eat... ha ha 

So, hang in there with me. I don't have but about half of it done yet... But, I will get it done. That I promise !

I Always Did Appreciate A Cow

Today was COW APPRECIATION DAY at Chic-fil-a!! 

My daughter, Shirley, loves Chic-fil-a so she made arrangements for a group of residents from here at The Commons at Centerbrooke to go for lunch. We'd get a free entree if we wore something that reminded them of a cow. So... we cut out black felt and glued big spots onto white tee shirts and today we were ready when Shirley with her friend, Pamela, drove up in a big van to get us. Away we went! 

I had to be different!! I saw an ad on facebook for a tee shirt with a big cow head on it so I ordered me one. It was a hit! 

There were 17 of us that filed into that place, laughing, cutting up, having us a grand ole time. We got our food, ate, and then here comes the COW ... of course, we all had to have our pictures made with it/him/her. 

Here we are mooing at the photographer!

Then we all went outside to get a group picture before leaving the site and stood there waving and 'mooing' at all the people going through the drive-thru. We got lots of waves and a few honks of horns.

Shirley even arranged for me to take an order from one car driver. The real worker was there tapping the order in on her IPAD while I found out what the order consisted of.

Me:  And, what will you have today.

Driver: A Chic-fil-a sandwich

Me: Your drink?

Driver: French Fries

Me. Okay, some french fries and your drink is.....?

Driver: Coke

Job done, I took off  back to have my picture made with the group. 

Everyone said we had a blast and we did. Best outing we've had in ever so long and it's all because Shirley made sure everything was arranged to a tee and lordy that girl can keep the laughter going. She's a master at that. 

So, I'd say we did Chic-fil-a proud today. No telling what a bunch of 70-90 years old will do!! 

An Author I Shall Be

                      I've been busier than a bubblebee! 

I finally decided that I would finish that sequel to my "Springtime In Magnolia" book that was published in 2014. No one can ever say I am the hare, more like the tortoise! I write when the notion strikes me and let me tell you, writing a book is not a walk in the park! 

You might think it's just writing down words, like you'd do when you write a letter to someone. Far from it. Every little detail has to be checked out, the punctuation has to be perfect, the spelling... you get the picture. Oh, and too while I am thinking about it. Facts... Everyone of them has to be authenticated. What kind of dresses did women wear then, did they have toasters in their kitchen, what kind of school, job, and the list goes on. Being an author is a tiresome job!!

But, I am very hopeful I can get this done and publish it before I get out of the mood again! 

I just read "Life is Short But Wide" by Lorrie Orr, one of our blogging buddies. It was really good, all about

their many years of living in Ecuador as missionaries.

You ought to check it out.  And check out her blog, too

at  Fabricpaperthread.blogspot.com She's a very

interesting lady. 

Well, time to get back to writing..........

Lordy, it never stops. hehe

Rockets and Robots

                            The fourth is over!

I hope you did not get caught in all the storms that hit the east coast, messing up celebrations. My dau. Susan's family got nearly blown away and totally drenched escaping from a fireworks site. 

Me, I stood on my balcony and watched what I could see of the fireworks display being shot off downtown. Trees do get in the way sometimes. 

I know it was a special day, the television kept telling me it was! Yet, for me it was just another fourth, a time to remember that we fought hard and won our freedom. I had ancestors who did the fighting. Geez, my family has been here FOREVER....

It's hotter than blazes here so I am staying in my apartment and giving up thanks on a regular basis for the man who invented air-conditioning. I am old as the hills, so I know what it feels like to not have that cooler than cool air blowing all the time. I remember summers that were scorchers but we had never been exposed to anything else so it was just normal. It's funny how we get used to something and think we can't live without it.

I was thinking the other day about the Jetsons. Remember that tv show from way back when where Rosie, the robot was the maid? 

We all were saying, 'never in a million years will there be a man-made machine that can do what humans do.'  Well, folks, a million years have passed and those robots are taking over!! I even saw where there is an entire soccer team of robots playing soccer. CRAZY!!

It might be interesting to watch a game.... one team of robots, the other team real honest to gosh humans. Wonder who would win!

It Was A Happy Birthday

 My middle daughter, Shirley, had a birthday on Sunday! What do you do for birthdays? You Celebrate, of course!! 

Her children were all there, and all the grands (but one who was in basketball training). Her brother was in attendance, all the way from Alabama and of course, me (her mother)

 

                                         She was one happy birthday girl! 

   There was balloon inflating (with a machine) and a few blown up by sheer lung force. 

There were games and lots of just visiting and fun stuff going on. Chris (her son) did the cookout with her favorite burger, d-i-l Bethany and son Ken served Brownie Sundaes (another favorite). And, her Hubby John did the dishes!! For the first time ever, she was the queer of the hour without a thing to do but enjoy.

Once the crowd left brother and sister (both too old age-wise but never too old otherwise) stomped on the balloons one at a time to pop them. Now, that was a noisy time but they had a blast doing it! Some people just never grow up. 

       It was a milestone birthday but I'm not telling how many! You think I wanna get shot!! ha ha. 

A Green Thumb? Nah....

 It's growing season. Now, I am not a gardening person and I certainly don't have the place for one here at the apartment but I manage to dabble a bit in the dirt. 

A friend gave me an antherium that has done well regardless of my lack of taking care of growing things. It just continues to bloom and bloom and bloom. Reminds me of our time in Hawaii. 

a couple years ago, when I was visiting my son, I came home with one of his plants. Why, don't even ask me but it has survived... and now it has a bloom. I didn't know the thing bloomed ever. 

Sunday when we ate lunch with my grandson and his family, his wife Bethany, gave me a tray of basil. That I can grow! 

too many plants. 

Michael planted what I need

 and now I have posted here at the apartment my willing for the remainder of the plants to find a new home. 

What are you planting at your homes? Or do you? I love plants, don't get me wrong, but just let someone else take over their care!!

Bigger Is Better? I don't think so.

 This thought just struck me as funny and ridiculous at the same time. 

People have to buy the largest television they can find (some cover half a wall). Bigger is better

 and yet..........

They will squint and struggle to see the internet off a tiny screen on their cell phone. 

If you are as old as me you remember when television first came out. It was a big cabinet with this tiny screen. You thought that was wonderful until they started making bigger and better televisions. 

Along came desktop personal computers. Screen was pretty small but at least you could read everything (even if your eyesight was bad). 

And, here comes cell phones with screens barely larger than the palm of your hand... and they added internet accessibility. So, everyone thought it was cool to carry around a computer that they could scarcely read while a larger computer screen sat on a desk back at home.

I'm sorry but it makes no sense to me. 

I seldom use my phone except for communication (phone calls or texting). When I need to hook up with the World Wide Web I want a screen big enough to see !! 

More on Grounding

 I am just blown away by the responses I got to my last post on grounding. If my willingness to share my success with grounding helps just one other person I am so happy. 

The medical/pharma folks have long kept natural and inexpensive cures from us all in the name of making money. If you google grounding/earthing today it will tell you that there have not been enough studies, no verified proof that that works. Yet, Dr. Laura Koniver who is a medical doctor has had articles published in medical journals and lists a ton of resources to back her claims. and there are many others. But, enough of that. 

I am so new to this so I hesitate to tell you anything at all about how it works (there's tons of material that can do that well) but I do want to say that the earth is an electrical field... so are our bodies. Heck, I didn't know I was a walking-around light bulb. haha. Some people may say I am short a light bulb or two. he he. But, when those two fields connect the neurons head through your body and immediately your brain goes into a restorative mode, you get more relaxed and those neurons go to work on so many parts of your body.

Not every body is alike. Isn't it wonderful that we all are so different!! So, the results for one person won't be the same as another but I made a long list of what good grounding CAN DO for your body. Here are just a few: 

1. Mood lifts

2 Circulation improves because our blood cells tend to clump together and the flow slow down. With grounding your blood cells start to break apart from the clumps, your blood flows more smoothly and can access more parts of your body in a faster and better way. However, if you are on a blood thinner... check with your doctor before grounding.

3. Our gut and our brain work hand in hand  and grounding improves the vagal nerve so that communication between the two can be faster and healthier.

4. It helps with sleep

5. It also boasts the thyroid, your metabolism improves and your cortisol goes down. 

                           Now, on to other things. 

                   My son Michael arrived last Tuesday. 

We had a couple days of just catching up and then he headed over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to the Eastern part of Virginia. 

He is meeting up with his buddy Carl and his wife to explore some Tall Ships that are in port at Cape Charles. 

My granddaughter (Shirley's daughter) lives on the Eastern Shore and she is enjoying having them around. 

He and his puppy, Sadie, come back to my apartment on Tuesday. More visiting scheduled and next weekend is Shirley's birthday so we will celebrate that and then he'll head back to Alabama. 

                                It's a busy time for us!