Summer Days

 Summers used to stretch out forever when I was young and between school years.  Weeks of anticipation for all sorts of fun things to come my way.  These days I get up and realize gee - the days are flying by.  I tried to read about how we perceive time as we age but I figured I was just wasting even more time trying to figure it out and just go out and live life.

More often than not, I get lost in a news story I am reading and when I come back to reality I shake my head about the time I spent going down that rabbit hole. Today's news can be quite depressing and I find that I tell myself "You have to stop thinking about that.  Incidents like these are not new to the world. They have been going on forever and will continue to do so even long after you are gone."  

Stories about abused animals, children or just people in general are the ones that make me pause and I find my mind grasping at thoughts 'What can I do?'  Why/how are some dealt the hand they are given?

Making lists help to keep me on track.  If I get lost in a book or an Internet posting, I keep my list handy and push myself to cross something off of it.  Even simple things like "Clean the vegetable bin in the refrigerator" can help me get things done during my adjustment to retired life.  If I don't keep a list, I'll put things off for days (forgetting about them) and then when I am lying awake at night they come back to haunt me and I get upset and admonish myself for procrastinating. 

We have rain all day today, so I will focus on inside jobs.  I lifted the image above from the Internet. It is Ohio and reminds me of the images I used to take when I took the time to stop by the lake.  These days I just snap photos with my phone.  I'll add to my list to get my Canon SLR camera out and begin working with it again.

Rustic

 Here is the barn front I had the kids get me for my birthday this year.  I added potting soil and the flowers. They said "Don't you want to paint it?"  I'm like "No.  This is the rustic look!"   Sigh. Kids.  The rust colored dust around the planter is Plantskydd to keep the deer and other critters from eating the blooms.

The Deer are eating my Flowers

 Here is a picture shortly after I set this arrangement up and placed it on my front porch.  I had a little problem with deer eating my Hosta (but I'm not a big fan of Hosta, so I didn't really care).  I've not had much issue with them before.  But these flowers are a different story.  Perhaps it is because I set them on the front porch and there is less activity there?  I don't know.  I'm currently looking into flowers that deer won't eat.  Grrr!

I visited one of my favorite wineries Saturday.  I saw on Facebook that they were selling cheese boxes for $5 each.  I thought they were the size of say - a case of beer.  When they asked how many I wanted I said "Oh, how about three?"  They took me into the back garage/basement so I could pick them out. They were huge! I googled cheese crates and looked at the images. They look like flower window boxes.  That is not what this place was selling.  I'm glad I said only three.  They did fit in my car. Two in the trunk (which fortunately was empty, now that I am retired) and one in the back seat.  I'll see what I can do with them and I'll be sure to take pictures.

I also wanted to get three more bottles of wine.  I don't need anymore, I just like to buy them and have them.  Since I had a bottle at the table and ordered 3 bottles to go - the waitress said add 2 more bottles and you get a 10% discount.  Of course I did, because there were so many flavors I wanted.  Now I have way too many bottles of wine.  I don't even drink it.  I mean I did at the event Saturday but I always try to give most of it away so I don't have to cork it and take it home with me.  My wine rack holds 12 bottles and it was completely full.  Well, one bottle was empty because I want to ask my friend if she wants the empties to re-use (another winery).  

Oh, while talking to the owners and getting my cheese crates the sound of breaking glass (busting on cement) boomed through the air.  I jumped out of my skin and I looked at them like "What the hell was that?!"  They said "Sorry, that was the wine drop."  I was confused. They explained.  The staff (above us) drops the empty bottles down a chute and into a container (evidently concrete) and  they recycle it. 

I have no appointments all week.  Sweet hallelujah!  But on Saturday I have three events I am going to try to squeeze all of them in.  I have a birthday party from 2 - 4,  a retirement party from 4 - 8 and a gig (my son-in-law's band) plays from 8 - 11.  Between the birthday party and the retirement party is 15 minutes.  45 minutes between retirement party and the gig.  And all an hour or more away from home.  I don't like to drive in the dark.  Especially if it is raining. And they are calling for rain.  I may skip the gig. Especially since I have another birthday party in Columbus on Sunday (2 hour drive). Yay -  no rain predicted (so far).  

I took both dogs to the vet on Friday to get caught up on their vaccines.  With flea and tick medicine (3 month pill for both of them) it came to over $500. Medicine for Cheech (he will be 16 in July) to help him get up and move - anti inflammatory.  It was pouring the rain all day on Friday.  My car smells like wet dog.  I'll try to remember to get the windows rolled down one day this week when it is nice and sunny out and maybe add a new air freshener.  I find all air fresheners for cars way too strong.  I'll probably get a another postcard from the vet for my cat in the next month or so to get his annual boosters. He is such a bully, he beats up Cheech.  Cheech has a lot of fur but Moses goes for his face.