From Last Night, Cleaning Up, New Skills

1. The next day and I'm still chuckling to myself over some funny conversations with friends last night.
1.a. I forgot to write how much fun it was to visit with B. and J. on the porch last night. It was a good way to wind down from a busy weekend. After dark, we lit candles and soft lights and talked with the sound of rain in the background.
2. I sold the last item I had listed on Craigslist. It's nice to make a few bucks on unwanted things but, what makes me even happier is to have them cleared out of the basement.
3. One of my jobs has me learning Quickbooks. It's a challenge for this pen and pencil kinda gal. After a phone conference, a few emails, and technical help from my personal tech. guy (husband ). I'm now clicking away and getting those quarterly reports outta here.
* They say it's good for an older person to do puzzles and learn new skills in order to keep the brain sharp and hold dementia at bay. I'm surely doing my part : )

Now Showing, Fly Away, Coming Soon

1. Masses of orange day lilies spring from the road banks. What must have started as a few bulbs are now spread in swaths along entire stretches of road.
2. I take my coffee to the porch and watch the morning ritual of noisy crows with their young in the field. The fledglings make a raucous sound, begging for mother crow to keep feeding them. On the lawn, the mockingbirds do the same with sounds that are beginning to be just as annoying. I'm sure those mothers will be glad when these young are off on their own.
3. The congregation voted unanimously in favor of the pastoral candidate we have nominated to our church! Dozens and dozens of man-hours perusing nearly a hundred applications with thoughtful consideration and prayer have been fruitful. It has been an emotional day and I am pleased for so many reasons, but mostly that our congregation is happy with the match God has made for us.

Long Distance, Better Than Texting, Man With Flowers

1. While sitting on the porch, I keep hearing someone's muffled voice like in a bad phone connection. The pitch goes up and down and it sounds frantic at times. I walk to the screen and look this way and that because sound can travel in unusual ways in these hills and hollows and it is a breezy day. When I figure it out, I have to laugh. The bees are in the trumpet vine flowers talking to themselves and they get upset when they can't get out.
2. When I see Daughter #3 tonight, I realize that I haven't seen her in a while. She's been away, we've been away, she's at school all summer...our paths haven't crossed in more than a week. So, when I see her, she looks bright and fresh and glowing; a sight for a mother's sore eyes.
3. A man is helping me carry things to my car. He has the vase of flowers and as he walks, he sniffs the bouquet. "Mmm! What is this?" Another sniff, "It smells so good!" That would be lavender : )

A Shepherd, The Garage Revisited, Food of the Angels

1. Our little church, who has been floundering for a year without a shepherd, has found a man to come. We will present him to the congregation this weekend for their approval. Tonight, he has arrived in town with his family and as we meet again and embrace, I am overwhelmed with joy.
2. Growing up in New York, Steve and I both had uncles who turned their garages into summer rooms each year. It was so typically 1960's suburbia and we have fond memories of family picnics in those garages. Tonight we got to relive those memories when some dear, older friends opened their garage for a picnic.Yup, it feels the same- folding chairs, plastic tablecloths, oil stains on the cement floor and all!
3. The two batches of lemon bars I was baking (to send out) only needed the egg yolks, so I whipped up the whites and made an angel food cake for us to keep. It's a rare treat to bake one of these since they require an entire dozen egg whites. We enjoyed its rarity for dessert and again for breakfast : )

Getting Things Done, When We Venture Out, Melodic

1. Taking care of business, that's what this summer is partially about. It feels pretty good! Eye doctor, dentist, lady doctor, driver ed., wisdom teeth...we're getting caught up with the business of taking care of ourselves so we can focus on other stuff when schedules are demanding later on.
2. No matter how hot and humid are the days, the evenings are still pleasant to be outside. And no matter how bored just sitting around the house may be, sitting around on the porch isn't boring at all. The three of us sit together, rocking gently and saying nothing in particular.
2.a. We are entertained by the show of mockingbirds and house finches sparring over territory in the trumpet vine. 
3. Steve played Joe Sample's Invitation on the CD player we keep on the porch. Sample's version of Summertime was perfect for this particular evening. (I wish I could find a full version to share, but I can only find this 30 second review.)

Little Man, A Little of This and That, Very Quiet

1. Henri is a new man after our trip to the groomer. The poor thing had gotten so shaggy he couldn't see past his eyebrows. Now he is sleek and clean and I'm sure he's feeling much cooler.
2. It's hot outside, Steve is out for dinner, and I really don't feel like cooking. In the fridge I find hard boiled eggs, Brie, and some good olives. I also find two pretzel rolls in the pantry. Tess and I dine on this and it is good!
3. The power stayed out all evening and we had absolutely nothing to do. I lit candles on the porch, poured a glass of Eiswein and watched dusk turn to dark by firefly light. How starkly different from our weekend in DC, but just as wonderful.

A Perfect Day

1. We spent the entire day at the National Gallery of Art. Seven hours and it still wasn't enough...
Like music, art has the ability to overwhelm us with emotion, illicit goosebumps, and bring tears of joy. Tess and I each had our moments when we were rendered speechless by the absolute beauty of certain paintings.
1.a. On a lighter note, here is Domenichino's Expulsion of Adam and Eve where I imagine the dialogue to go something like this:
Adam: But seriously God. It's all her fault. You can see she made me do it.
Eve: Nuh uh! It was the snake.

Blame shifting in its earliest beginnings.

2. B. recommend we dine at Fogo De Chao and we're so glad we did! The entire experience was fun and delicious. I finished my meal with chocolate coffee- coffee with Kalhua and Godiva chocolate, topped with whipped cream and served in a pretty glass mug.
3. We took our time to walk the few blocks back to our hotel. The night life, interesting buildings, and  warm summer weather made it a pleasure to be outside.