Roses and rain and good times

It's Tuesday again.  Good grief!  Tuesdays are generally the only day I have time to sit here at the computer without needing to work on church music prep, thus they are my blogging day.  But it seems like these Tuesdays are passing by too fast.  Hang on, June, my favorite month!  

And of course, first of all here are the pictures of my roses I took this morning. 

 

These red ones have the most incredible fragrance!!

Last Tuesday evening I took a walk around the block and stopped to chat with a woman and her young son who live on the street behind us.  I had not seen them since last fall when I took Elizer to the little playground below our house.  I always remember that her son's name is Hunter, same as our grandson.  She wondered if we had moved into our new church yet, and I told her we had moved in the beginning of April and she should come sometime.  She said she plans to.  I was about to resume walking when Hunter said, "Wait!  I have something for you!"  He ran into their house and came out with this roughly nailed and taped together cross!!  He said, "I made this for you about a year ago!"   HOW SWEET!!!  Sometimes I feel like I am the world's worst neighbor because I have so little time to chat, but that made me feel better.  

Wednesday was a cooking day.  I made chicken and broccoli stirfry and took some of it over to Anthony and Lori's, picking Hunter up from summer camp on the way over.  In the evening Dick and I worked outside.

Thursday I did our laundry as usual and a LOT of prep for choir, both here and up at the church.  We were having  a very special practice that evening.  I used to have an excellent guitar player named Ross.  He's our age and a science professor at Penn State.   In 2018 he left our church and became a member of University Mennonite Church.  He really likes it there a lot, but they don't have an organized choir or band, and he misses that.  So he has agreed to come to our church once a month.  He'll be coming to play on June 30, and Brenna will be with us that Sunday too.  She's my excellent flute player who comes once a month.  Before 2018 all four of us (Dick and I, Ross, and Brenna) played together almost every Sunday.  We are SO EXCITED to play together again on the 30th!  Here's a picture of us together in May 2018.  Yes, that is me with nice brown hair.  

So last Thursday evening he was coming to our choir practice and I decided we would go through a bunch of songs we used to do that were good with guitar - You Are Holy.  Hold Me, Lord.  Amazing Grace to the tune of House of the Rising Sun, and Try a Little Kindness.  Oh my goodness!!  It was SO FUN having his guitar again!  

Recently one of my friends was getting rid of a bunch of CD's and I saw a Josh Groban CD in the picture.  I told her I wanted it.  I have heard all the songs on the album before, but I never had the CD.  Believe it or not, my van has a CD player.  So I have been LOVING listening to Josh Groban as I drive from place to place.  There 's something about his music that makes me want to open my windows and turn the volume UP!!   Here's a bit of You Raise Me Up as I was driving to the grocery store on Friday morning. 

I made meatballs that day, enough for spaghetti and meatballs and also meatball subs.  As I was cooking I thought it seemed to be getting rather dark.  And suddenly we had RAIN!!!!  It came down in buckets!!  Some thunder and lightning too. 

Later I picked up Hunter from summer camp and took him and some of the food over to their place.  

That evening we had an amazing sunset.  I was folding laundry in the living room and looked out and saw this!!

On Saturday Dick mowed at Anthony's all day.   I got a lot of work done around here - bookwork and banking, dusting and vacuuming, and then grocery shopping for the weekend.  Destiny and Ozzy and Elizer were coming!!  Sadly, in the afternoon I found out that Elizer would not be coming with them.  Alex's mother was up from Florida, so their family wanted to have Elizer, and rightfully so.  I was really disappointed, but I totally understood.   Ozzy and Destiny were coming to help us with our mulching.  

Dick got a fire going, and we had fun making hot dogs, brats, and marshmallows when they got here. 

When it got dark we cleaned up and came inside for a few rounds of Blokus.  Oh we love that game!!  And four is the perfect number of players.  

Gotta show you this picture from Sunday morning.  Whoever controls the back light of the cross coordinated it with Pastor Jim's shirt, haha!   One Sunday they coordinated it with Brenna's lavender dress.  How fun is that? 

It was Father's Day.  It seems like it will be impossible to ever get our crew all together, so I created this picture with my new method of collaging.  Is that a word?    Dick and the three guys on the front row were together like that in December 2019 at our fondue.  Then I took individual pictures of the four in back and inserted them into the photo.    Not too bad, right?  Front row: Sam, Anthony, Dick, and Frank.  Back row: Jeremy, Lisa, Miki (with Hope) and Ray.  

I made our favorite Bradshaw burgers for lunch, then we mulched.  Thank God for young muscles to help us!!!

We were hot and tired when we finished late afternoon.  We came inside to cool off, and Destiny wanted to watch Anne of Green Gables for the 100th time!  We were explaining it briefly to Ozzy before we started.   In some ways it was nice to be able to do things like this without Elizer's antics and interruptions.  He'll be coming here for a long weekend this coming weekend.  I'm so excited to see him. 

Destiny and Ozzy left early evening and I sat here working on music choices for the next few Sundays. 

Yesterday, Monday, I made sweet and sour chicken and refried rice.  Again I picked Hunter up from summer camp and took him and some of the food to their place.  I was hoping to hear Austin play some piano, but he was busy on the computer.  

Dick mowed our lawn in the evening and then we sat on the front porch for a long time.  It seemed like we were going to be getting a storm.  But I'm not sure where it went.  Later I looked up and saw THIS!!  

That's all for this week! 

So many good times!

 

Hopefully this will be my second blog post in one day.  Then I'll be caught up.  Starting once again with some pictures of my roses that I took yesterday.

Going back now to last Tuesday.  I started the day with an early hair appointment, followed by a trip to the grocery store.  It was a beautiful day, and I was hungry by that time.  I decided to use the Panera gift card I had been carrying in my wallet for probably a year.  I got coffee and a scrumptious breakfast sandwich and sat on their patio to eat it.  I thoroughly enjoyed the relaxation and the warmth.  And the meal, of course! 

In the afternoon I went to church for a strawberry cleaning party!  We washed, topped, and sliced a LOT of freshly-picked strawberries in preparation for our upcoming annual strawberry festival.  And we had fun doing it!!

All the sliced berries were put into gallon freezer bags and will be ready to top the angel food cake and ice cream at the festival in a few weeks.  

 

On Wednesday I made air-fried pork chops and roasted veggies and took some of it to Anthony and Lori's.  This time Austin came home with me.  He wanted to play my piano.  But surprise!  Since Anthony got him an upgraded keyboard he doesn't like my piano as much as his, haha!  

Here's a video of his playing that evening, Rush E again, but getting so much better with left-hand chords.

Jeremy sent me some videos of Brennan's elementary concert.  I wish I could share the video I took this screen shot from.  But I don't have permission to put the other children's faces on social media.  The kids strummed away on their little guitars (no chords, just strumming) as they sang.  So adorable!!!  

 

On Thursday I did my usual laundry and choir prep with choir practice in the evening.  

On Friday I participated in our community yard sale by putting out a tableful of Elizer's outgrown clothes.  One woman practically wiped out the whole lot as she spoke on her phone with her son in Wisconsin about his little boy.  Later in the day I went to TJ Maxx to buy Charlie's birthday gift.  I had asked Jess which she preferred - clothes or toys.  She said clothes.  I found some really cute outfits for him. 

On Saturday morning we left around 9:30 am for Reading.  I had a very important 12:30 appointment!  Destiny was going to be giving me my very first facial!!!!  

I was completely surprised when we arrived.  I had no idea that the American Barber and Beauty Academy in Reading was so big and beautiful and professional.  

Destiny greeted me and then took me into a little consultation room.  

Next we went to the room where all the beds were surrounded by curtains.  

And then to my little room.  She gave me a snap-on wrap-around towel to change into and a cover-up for my hair.  Then I lay on the bed, my head a bit lower than the rest of my body and a triangle cushion under my knees.  I covered with a soft blanket, and she got started.  EVERYTHING was so serene and relaxing!!  The atmosphere, the low lights,  the warm steamer, the music, the fragrances, the warmth, the lotions, her gently massaging hands.  Ahhhhhh!! 

 

I would have fallen asleep except we talked a good bit. 

These are pictures I took from their website.

Dick had taken a nap in the car during my appointment, then he came inside when I was finished so he could see Destiny and the place.

From there we went to our son Frank's place (Destiny's dad).  It was his 45th birthday!  His four younger daughters were there too as well as Lisa, RaeLynn's mommy.   I didn't get a picture of her or of Jada unfortunately.

Can you believe RaeLynn's gorgeous red curls??? 

From there we drove to Lititz for Charlie's 2nd birthday party.  It was held at the amazing playground and pavilion behind Lititz Church of the Brethren.  

He is the cutest little live-wire.  It was hard to contain him for the birthday song and the opening of gifts.  He just wanted to be at the playground!

 

Baby Louie slept through most of the party!

Dick and I really enjoyed the chance to talk with his brother Fred and wife Deb.  I wish we had gotten a picture of them.  It was their home in which Bjorn stayed when he came from Sweden for his senior year of high school.  This July it will be ten years!!!  I can hardly believe it!  

Dick and I then headed for home.  We stopped for some groceries when we got to State College, because we remembered that there would be a potluck after church the next day.  I got a pork shoulder, a bottle of coke, BBQ sauce, slider rolls, and cole slaw.  When we got home I prepped the pork and put it into the slow cooker over night.  In the morning I shredded it and put it back into the slow cooker with the sauce and some of the broth, and we were good to go.  

Sunday was a very special day at church!  We had eight baptisms and also took in twenty-seven new members, including Dick and me.   We have not been a member of any church for quite a few years.  Our roots are firmly Mennonite, and our experience Charismatic, of which Greater Buffalo Run Valley UMC is neither.  But I've been pianist/choir director here for years now, Dick has been a trustee for years, we have become part of the "family" here, there is a real outreach into the community, we appreciate Pastor Jim's enthusiasm, and the church is growing.  We have decided that now is the time.  I truly desire a felt presence of the Holy Spirit in our services, and I pray for that as I choose and lead the music.  I am sensitive to the wide variety of music preferences among our people.  

After the service there was a huge potluck meal and I did not take one picture!  Nor did I take any pictures the rest of the day.  I felt exhausted when we got home, and I took a good old-fashioned Sunday afternoon nap!  Then I worked on music for next Sunday.  Dick went over to Anthony and Lori's to check his trail cams.  

Yesterday, Monday, I offered to pick up Hunter from camp on my way over to their place.  Of course, once I was there Austin had some more songs to play for me.  I just love this new connection with him!  Here's one he played, "Dry Out" from a Geometry Dash soundtrack.  I like the rhythmic part at the end.  

That's it!  I'm caught up!  Woohoo!

May turns into June; good times with the boys

It's been a while!  I'll start off with - what else???  My roses, of course.   I take pictures of them almost every day, so you know there are a whole lot more since these were taken.

Not a rose, but one of many huge hosta that I would like to transplant.  The prolific lilies, reproducing faster than we can give them away, are choking out the hosta.  

Sam and the kids gave me this one several years ago.  It's called Hot Paprika.

Now, going back to two weeks ago.

  I had Hunter here two evenings, and we played Scrabble.  We learn new, very strange words each time we play!

One evening when I was at their place Austin played several songs for me that he'd been working on.  This one is entitled "Sweden" from a Minecraft soundtrack.  He enjoyed using the sustain pedal with this one. 

Friday, May 31st I drove to meet Destiny and Ozzy to get Elizer for the weekend.  I thought she looked so cute and told her to pose with him before we went our separate ways. 

He did not fall asleep on our 1.5 hour drive home and was delightfully fun to play with when we got here.  

 

We FINALLY had a sunny Saturday when he was here.  We'd had cool, rainy weekends so often this Spring. It started out a bit cool, but soon warmed up.  He and Dick had all kinds of fun here at home. 

After lunch Dick went over to Anthony and Lori's to mow.  I took Elizer to the park at the entrance to our community and then to "airport" park.  It became VERY warm, but he never tired.  And he still loves swinging the most.  I can push him for half an hour and he's still not tired of swinging. 

Then we went over to Anthony and Lori's place to see if Dick was finished mowing.  He had just finished and was going up their driveway, and I followed him. (Top left picture in the collage below.)   By then Elizer had fallen asleep, so I left him in the car while I went into the house to listen to Austin play piano for me.  

Then we woke Elizer up because Dick wanted to try fishing in the pond.  There are some really big fish in it.  But none bit.   We were more interested in watching the frog that sat on the edge of the pond.  It felt so nice to sit on the park bench under the shade tree as I watched the "fishermen." 

Here's one of the songs Austin played that afternoon - Rush E, which is the one he first played a few weeks ago, but now with SPEED on that right hand!  I cannot play like that anymore!

When we were ready to leave their place Hunter wanted to come with us.  So we took him to our place and I fried a bunch of chicken nuggets for everyone.  Then we headed to "airport park" again, this time with both of Elizer's bikes.  The weather by that time was PERFECT!!  The boys pretty much took care of themselves while Dick and I relaxed and watched them.  

Then we took Hunter home.  On the way we got to watch this hot air balloon!

It was bath time for Elizer when we got back to our place.  He was a tired boy!

On Sunday morning at church we heard about the "One Matters" award that was given to our congregation at the annual conference on Saturday.  It is a great honor!  This is a picture I took from the conference website.  Left to right: my friends Gloria and Linda (our lay leaders), Pastor Jim, and our District Superintendent Brenda. 

The weather was pleasant when we got home from church, so we sat on the front porch for a while.  I told Elizer I wanted to take a picture of him in his "church clothes" and this is what I got.  Haha!  

The weather became cool and rainy, and we had promised Elizer a trip to Get Air.  So that was our afternoon activity.  Anthony brought Hunter. 

Later we drove to meet Destiny and Ozzy.  I took this picture when I was saying goodbye to him.  Wow, seeing all these pictures of that weekend makes me REALLY miss him.  We'll see him this weekend if all goes as planned.  

 

On Monday I picked up Hunter from school and took him to the park near their place.  He was so glad when one of the boys he had played with before showed up.  The boy is actually a fifth grader and so very polite.  He listens to Hunter talk and talk and talk, seeming genuinely interested.   Hunter told him the history of his three years at Easterly Parkway Elementary - his teachers' names, the classroom numbers, which floor the classrooms were on, and more!  Then he ran to my van to get his poster about slugs, and proceeded to read the whole poster to his new friend.   The friend said he learned new things from Hunter's poster, and that made Hunter's day!  

Then I took Hunter home, along with the Spicy Basil Chicken and Rice I had made for them.  I took this picture on my drive home.

That's long enough for one post.  I'll pick up from there next time!