A new day, Love the green signs, Clear and mild

1. Woke up feeling much better with hopes that the day might actually be normal.
2. He drives, I navigate using the GPS on his Blackberry. "I don't like this thing, can't I just watch the roadside for interstate signs?" I look up and there they are! The old-fashioned way still works and I relax in my seat, feeling comforted.
3. Beautiful, bright stars in a black sky.

Wednesday

1. It's nice to have beautiful things right at the beginning of day. Coffee is always my first pleasure. Sunrise is a close second. Today's sunrise was exceptional. I knew the color would be fleeting, so I took Tess' camera, left it on automatic and clicked.
2. Changing from blue jeans and shoes to sweat pants and slippers.
3. Steve goes to the drugstore for me. He brings home medicine and a hot water bottle. But first he wants to compare the dog's pills to mine; they are identical. "Why can't you just take his pills?" he asks.

It's here!, Telling of the day, Babies

1. Dramatic clouds are my visual entertainment of the day. Deep, dark and huge, they billow over the horizon and fill the sky. The sun shines through breaks of clouds, illuminating the green earth in bright contrast.
2. I feel my cheeks turn rosy in the autumn air. A chain saw buzzes somewhere over the hill and the scent of wood smoke is in the air. Autumn is here! I am thankful for outside work today.
3. The girls take turns telling school stories, grades and assignments. There is so much to tell.
4. Claire sends me a link to a photographer they have engaged. I can't help but cry when I see these sweet pictures. Baby photography has come a long way since my girls were born.

Kind to animals, Organized, Silliness lightens it up

OK, some days are just plain hard. Like today. But if we think about it, we'll still find beauty in the midst of it all:
1. I admire the way veterinarians handle a dog. I'm the, "Ew vomit, ew slobber, ew smelly" kind of person. But the vet expertly handles a sick dog while sweet-talking to the poor thing.
2. A mom flips through her two boys' homework folders and book bags, cramming study time in during their wait. She drills the little guy on his geography and he recites the answers spit spot. I smile at him and he is very proud of himself.
3. "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein". It helps a bit.

Good earth, Nicely done, Best medicine

1. The potatoes smell like dirt while I peel them.
2. Chocolate/coffee punch with floating ice cream balls, pretty cupcakes on tiered stands, little round cucumber hors d'oeuvres, and other treats create an appealing reception table.
3. We play a charades- type game with friends which results in plenty of laughing at ourselves.

Radford Highlands Festival

We will take these pitchforks and throw a 16 lb. sack over the 22 ft.bar.

I will fling it backwards, the method that works best.

My favorite cute dog of the day.

Warpipes of Roanoke getting ready to march.

Enter the Haggis

This band is great! Love the fiddle.

My daughters stand the same way : )

A day of picture-perfect weather, men in kilts, games, cute dogs, bagpipes, And Enter the Haggis.

Colors of autumn, You've GOT to be kidding, 9:00 Bedtime

1. All sizes, shapes and colors of gourds and pumpkins are available at the garden store. Even though I love the colors of autumn, I choose all white pumpkins and gourds.
2.At the market, the bagger forgot to put my roast in the shopping cart and I didn't realize it was missing until I got home. I was in a time crunch, but I had to make the forty-two (I wish I were kidding) mile round trip to get it back. I popped "happy" music into my CD player and went for it. The kind manager at Kroger gave me my roast, the $16 cost of the roast, and a gift card for $10. That's the way to run a business and I will still drive the distance to shop there.
3. It's Friday evening, the weekend is wide open and the stress of the week begins to melt away.