With Prayers, Crossed Fingers and a Little Luck, Made a Day Ahead, A Long Drive to Greece,

1. The challenge is given: Find a dress for the homecoming dance at the last minute. I dread these shopping excursions with all my heart and soul. When we left the mall, we were able to shout, "We came, we shopped, we conquered!"... Amen.
2. This one recipe is set apart from my hundreds of others in that it's not contained in a book or a magazine or a website. I haven't even typed it into my recipe binder via Microsoft Word. It remains on an old, stained index card that I prop up on the counter every time I use it. I have it memorized, but I prop it up anyway. It's my grandmother's recipe for spaghetti sauce and meatballs. The aroma of the sauce getting started is the best in the world- onions and garlic simmering in olive oil.
3. We enjoyed a delicious home-cooked Greek meal at Steve's boss's house. They are gracious hosts  and the evening is entertaining and relaxing.

A New Pattern, Feel the Clean, Classic

1. It's hard not to notice the absence of birdsong each morning. It seems the crows and mockingbirds are the only ones filling the void and they are both extremely loud and bossy. Now and then the mockingbirds will break into beautiful song right outside the screened porch. These songs fill the kitchen with a sharp, clear melody that causes me to forgive all their wrongs.
2. Our bedroom has been cleaned from top to bottom. It doesn't appear any different on the surface, but I know it is deep down clean and this makes the room appear more attractive to me. Is that possible?
3. Tess opted for albums over CD's after dinner and I was happy to oblige. I'm glad that our girls enjoy my generation's music- pops, scratches and all. We played Steely Dan, Bob Dylan, and Derek and the Dominoes. (I instructed her that everyone should know "Layla") The very last song we played was this beautiful gem:

Mud-puddling, Moss and Lichen, Goodreads

1. Pastel yellow butterflies congregate on the mud. They dart and flutter when I pass by. An especially deep yellow one loses its way and follows me up the driveway.

2. Man's (and animal's) basic act of storing up for winter. We don't need this wood, but our instinctive nature makes us feel good that it's there, that we are somehow prepared for winter's harshest blast.
3. I finished reading Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. I loved this story. It's the very simple telling of the quiet, private life of a small town barber. Deeply soulful and poetic, the characters are rich and unforgettable.

Still Giving, Dinner from Found Ingredients, Something for Nothing

1. The garden is still offering tomatoes and basil. I happily filled the colander with this unexpected gift.

2. I saw this recipe in my Ina Garten cookbook and thought it perfect for dinner since it used what I found in #1. The weather has returned to warm and humid so this was a satisfying meal for most of us. (Steve had a leftover burger on the side.) I halved the recipe and it made enough to serve four.
3. I went to the deli to order Boar's Head chicken breast to use in lunches this week. The clerk gave me three packages of exactly what I was going to order in free samples!

Transformed, Imagining, Stop Being a Horse and Eat Your Peas

1. The house next door is a rental house, thus it has taken a beating and has been a bit neglected over the years. The newest tenants have turned it into a home, landscaping the yard and planting trees. Today they completed the foundation plantings. Where previously sat a lost and forlorn structure now sits a cozy cottage.
2. We completely empty our master bedroom and first floor spare room in preparation for the carpet cleaner. With our bedroom empty, it's easier to imagine the possibilities. I fetch the tape measure to see what we might be able to rearrange. I've decided I prefer the room empty.
3. I catch *someone* galloping around the empty room on all fours with the dog. Some things never change. : )

I Needed That, With Blue Cheese Burgers, Doc Martin

1. After staying up late dancing last night there was no little sofa nap for me today. I needed a complete, in-the-bed nap. It was perfectly luxurious.
2. The children we expected to be here are not and those we didn't expect, are. We have an intimate dinner for four with Daughter #3 and her boyfriend. I was so refreshed after my nap that I made fried onion rings, which were a big hit.
3. Season 5 of the Doc Martin series is available on Netflix instant view! I watched two episodes tonight. (It appears they've taken seasons 1-4 off, which is disappointing. I would watch them all again.)

"My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God my Savior has ransomed me. And like a flood, His mercy reigns. Amazing love, amazing grace."

Solitude, Multitude, Cleaning Up After Both

1. For three hours I was alone on the hill, talking to myself and to God. Down on my hands and knees, in the dirt, sweat pouring down my back, lost in time. A few times I stood up, as though coming up for air, and surveyed the surrounding hills. At some point, time became a reality and it bore down on all my other thoughts. The spell was broken. I stepped back and remembered how addicting pulling weeds can be.
1.a.. Shower Number One was very refreshing.
2. Country barn dance tonight! Over 160 people showed up which made this a really good time. D.'s family and friends provided the bluegrass music and Scott Sarver was again our excellent caller. (He always dresses in period attire and I loved his straw hat tonight.) Older folks and little ones, men in bib overalls and ladies fanning themselves sat and watched from their chairs while the dance floor maintained one hundred dancers whirling, clapping and laughing.
3. An old gent in bib overalls and plaid shirt waltzes with a young lady, perhaps his daughter.
2.b. Shower Number Two is even better than Shower Number One. It was really hot at the dance.