Sea Air Therapy

I was so tired and feeling worn down on Monday.  I kept wishing I could leave work early to go home and take a nap.  But I just kept doing the next thing, even getting my normal Tuesday cleaning done when I got home from work.  However, as I sat next to Andy on the couch after dinner, he remarked that I felt hot.  He insisted that I take my temperature so I did, and it registered at 99.9 degrees.  Not that bad, but enough for him to say I was sick.  Boo!  So I took some advil and went to bed early.

The weather forecast had called for a warm sunny day at the shore for Tuesday and because of that, we had planned to go.  I felt good enough, and besides which, sitting on the beach in the sun sounded therapeutic for what ailed me.

 

Dawn & Kira joined us.  Kira livened up the party, making up for my lack of liveliness.  

 
There wasn't a lot of room on my chair for 2 people, but I selfishly refused to move off it, even for one of my favorite people.

 

 

The sun was warm and the breeze was cool.  I was refreshed and revitalized.  The sun was out all morning, but by noon, clouds were rolling in.  That was the signal to leave.  That quickly, it became completely overcast and we even had a few sprinkles of rain on the way home.

If I had gone to the doctor, I'm sure the shore would have been just what he would have ordered for me.  There's nothing like a little sea air to revive the soul, not to mention the body.

The beach was deserted - it was just us.  But who would have expected 74 degree weather on October 23?

I was reading in Psalm 23 this morning about how the Good Shepherd leads us by still waters and restores our soul.  Well, my soul was restored by the ceaseless motion of the ocean.

Things don't always turn out the way you think they will.  After enjoying the apple festival several weeks ago, Dawn suggested we check out the Cranberry Festival on Saturday.  That sounded like a lot of fun.  I had visions of red cranberries floating on the surface of the bogs in south Jersey.

The weather was supposed to be a beautiful fall day so off we went.

Well, our idea of a cranberry festival and what it really was were two different realities.  We got there around 10:00 am and were amazed at how many cars were already there.  As we got walking toward the festival, we had sinking feelings that this was not what we were expecting.  There were many booths and food stations set up - it was more like a giant flea market.  And the people - there were thousands of them. 

Before going to the festival on Saturday, we had seen that there would be real wolves there.  That sounded interesting.  But again, the reality was a little less than our expectations.  There was a 10' x 10' wire cage with 3 wolves in it.  For $10 you could go in the cage and get your picture taken with the wolves.  They seemed pretty tame, but we were not tempted!

Needless to say, we didn't stay long.  But since it was such a nice day, we drove home the long way, enjoying the beautiful fall colors through the Pine Barrens and blueberry fields.

Earlier in the week, I had contacted Christy and Amy and invited them to join us for a field trip to the cranberry bogs.  I had taken them there when I was home schooling them many years ago!  Amy had told me from the beginning she wouldn't be coming down and Christy decided Friday night, her Saturday was too busy to try to fit in a trip to south Jersey.  After we saw what the Festival was like, I was so glad they decided not to come down. 

Well, you win some, you lose some. 

Last night we had our singles group over again.  I made a curry dinner.  I did not take any pictures this time, but it turned out really good and everyone was very kind and complementary.  (I even got asked to share the recipe, which is a good indication of their sincerity!)  We're very happy with the way our group is developing and are enjoying their company.  They obviously love being with us, too, because we actually had to ask them to leave last night (at 9:30pm).  I am shot today...feel like I've been run over by the proverbial Mack truck!  I could use a day off - maybe tomorrow!

Recipe for Chicken Curry
4 pound stewing chicken
6 cups hot water
2 chopped onions
1 bay leaf
salt

Simmer preceding ingredients in large pan until chicken is tender, approx. 3 hours.  Save broth.

Melt together 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup flour.  Stir in chopped onion and celery.  Add 2 cups milk, 2 cups chicken broth, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 3 teaspoons powdered curry. Add chicken.

Pour over rice.  Top with hard boiled eggs, peanuts, olives, cheese, tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, coconut, chutney, raisins, pineapple - any combination of these items.

This is a good recipe to serve company because it makes a lot.  I can't say exactly how many it serves, though.  The recipe is very old and that minor detail is not included.

We had 16 for dinner last night.  I tripled the recipe and have a lot left over.

It's interesting how circumstances and events in our childhood continue to influence our thinking and behavior into adulthood.  I grew up on a farm, the buildings of which were in the middle of fields of grain, corn and alfalfa.  We couldn't see another building, house or barn from our house.  Sometimes we could see smoke from a neighbor's chimney, but we had the illusion of privacy and lots of space.  This probably explains why I have been wishing for a little more privacy as I look out my kitchen window.  I would prefer to look at trees or bushes or a more rural scenery.  Instead I see straight across the road into our neighbor's house.  I see every time they walk their dogs, every time they leave the house, every time they mow their lawn or work in their gardens.

So this morning we had 4 western red cedar trees delivered and Andy spent the morning planting them.

They will supposedly grow to 50-60 feet tall with a spread of 15-20 feet.  They aren't filling in the gaps yet but I have high hopes that in only a few short years, my view from my kitchen window will be more trees and less neighbors.
 

Today was such a beautiful fall day.  After cleaning the bathrooms, I did some more bush trimming.  This crape myrtle bush grew amazingly tall since being planted, but I had to trim it back so Andy isn't frustrated when he has to clean the gutters.  I have to keep him happy where these bushes next to the house are concerned because cleaning gutters is not a pleasant job for him and if bushes are in his way, he may hack them back mercilessly.  As painful as it is for me to prune bushes, I'm sure it hurts me more than it hurts them!

When I was trimming the trumpet vine, I discovered a little nest.  I wondered if it might be a hummingbird nest, but on studying into the matter, I think it might have been too big.  According to the all-knowing google, a hummingbird nest is only as wide as a dime.  So maybe it was a tufted titmouse nest.  I tried to get the nest out of the vine, but it was intertwined securely among the branches and it tore apart on me.  It was a good spot for a nest because it was well hidden before I started pruning and cutting branches.

Our weekend was a good mix of people and alone time.  On Saturday our friend's daughter was married and we attended the wedding.  Stacey had worked for us in the office for eight years so we knew her well.  We are very happy for her, she waited patiently for Mr. Right.

On Sunday after church we met up with some of our older single friends at The Olde World Bakery for lunch.  There were so many of us that by the time we all ordered and got our food, it was well past lunch time.  But the fellowship was sweet and the food was good.  We had planned to go on a hike at Smithville Park after lunch and we did drive over there, but Andy and I couldn't stay because he had to be back for choir practice at the church at 4:00 pm.  We did get a hike in, though, just the two of us.  After choir practice and a bite to eat, we went over to Laurel Acres Park and walked around the lake.

The cool fall days are so invigorating.  We've been walking a lot more after dinner, enjoying the great outdoors and the exercise.

The Giver & His Gifts

This year I've been reading through Sarah Young's devotional book, Jesus Calling.  Sarah takes Scripture and uses it as Jesus' words to me personally.  It's personal and intimate and so encouraging to meditate on Jesus' love for me.   Today's message was based on Psalm 62:1:  "My soul finds rest in God alone."  God has blessed me with many pleasures, but not one of them is essential.  I want to receive His blessings with open hands and enjoy them, but not to cling to them or hold on to them with clenched fists.  My attention needs to be on the Giver of all good things and I am complete in Him.  Even if every one of those blessings is taken away, I still have the most important thing:  a relationship with the God of the Universe, my Savior and my God.

Anyone who follows my blog and all my family and friends know how I value my children and grandchildren, how I enjoy the blessing of our home and gardens.  I earnestly believe that they are wonderful gifts from God who loves to give good things to His children.  However, if all those things were taken away and somehow I ended up as a homeless person living on the street, God would still be my Refuge and Strength and the most important Person in my life ~ because ultimately, this world is not my home, I'm made for eternity and a better place.

Speaking of blessings - ha, did you really think I could do a blog without any mention of grandkids!

Yesterday was Katy's 2nd birthday.  So on Tuesday, Andy and I arrived at Amy's house at 3:30.  We were able to play with the kids and visit with Amy until dinner time.

 
Isn't she adorable!  I love her little ponytails.

Then Amy made venison burgers and a salad and we ate together when Ricky got home from work.  After dinner, Katy opened her presents and her expressions were so precious.  Each gift she opened was the best.  She oohed and ahhed ~ it was quite affirming that she liked our gifts best!

After presents, we sang happy birthday and had the cake.

Katy is talking quite a bit, very fun and cute.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kira came over and stayed with us while Dawn went to the doctor.  That was also a lot of fun.  She likes to be here and hates to leave, although she's doing better with that.  She "helped" Andy change the light bulb in the ceiling.

Dawn often likes to stop by the office when we're there.  I think she wants to make sure we're really working!  Of course, when she and Kira get there, we stop our work.  Who can work with little Miss Cutie Pie around?  I keep a little container of toy dolls and cars in my desk and whenever she comes in, she knows right where to go to get them.

I also babysat Kira last night while Dawn and Tommy had a family dinner (the other family).  I was there from 5:30 - 9:30, so we played, ate dinner, had a bath, read books, played some more, then went to bed.  Unfortunately, she was still awake when Dawn and Tommy came home, a whole hour after her bed time.  I think she was just so excited that Grammy was there with her.  Of course, I was excited, too, but I was ready for bed when I got home.

We had another evening with our singles group on Sunday night.  This time I fixed a big pot of minestrone soup and pumpkin dessert.  Both were a big hit.  Someone in the group made the garlic bread - a special recipe that was out of this world delicious.

I was at Trader Joe's the other day and saw some potted mums for sale.  They were so pretty, I just had to get them for my pots at the driveway.  They weren't the usual looking mums, but had daisy like petals and there were different colors planted in the same pot.

I'm very grateful for the life God's given me.

An Autumnal Day

Yesterday was one of those days where it's easy to rejoice in the day the Lord has made.  The weather was moderately humid in the morning but as the day wore on, it got progressively cooler and more pleasant.  I put Andy to work trimming the rose of sharon bushes and burning bushes in the garden next to the swing set.  Actually, he offered to do it and I was happy to let him.  I'm more comfortable with his level eye than mine.  I saw a hedge of rose of sharon bushes in someone else's yard and liked the look of it, so am trying for the same effect in our garden.  Andy got them pretty straight except they seem to get a little higher in the center.  But I'm not complaining and I'm not even going to try to straighten it out, because I would probably make it worse.

He was brutal on the burning bushes but that's ok by me.  I had originally asked him to dig them out and move them to a different spot, but he said he couldn't do it.  The trunks of the bushes were too thick and the roots were too compacted in the soil, he couldn't get the shovel through them to dig them out.  So the next best thing was to prune them way back.  Now I have room to plant something else in there.  Hmmm...I'll have to think about that.  It will need to be something that is drought tolerant because our sprinkler system doesn't reach this garden.  Any ideas???

When we cleaned up from this project, we decided to drive over to Cinnaminson Nursery to buy some trees.  I have been wanting to plant a "hedge of protection" in the front yard to help block road noise, as well as provide some privacy from the houses across the street.  We bought 4 big western red cedar trees that are already so big that we had to schedule them to be delivered.  They were too heavy for us to take in Andy's truck.  They will be delivered in about 10 days.  While there we also bought 2 photinia bushes to plant on the border of our property and the neighbor's.

Photinia is a popular evergreen shrub with glossy green leaves, white flowers and young red shoots. The best known of the photinias is Photinia × fraseri ‘Red Robin’ which is often planted as a specimen shrub or as a fast-growing, dense, evergreen hedge and can grow to be 12 to 18 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide.

Everything in the nursery yesterday was 40% off so that was a bonus!

 I'm counting on them growing fast and filling in this space.

We were also able to mow the lawn, and I was very happy that it was cooler.  There was a nice breeze blowing and the humidity was gone.

Last week I had bought some yellow and blue/purple violas.  They look like mini pansies but are perennials.  I planted them on the back wall of Mom and Dad's apartment.

I had been procrastinating about planting anything there because the garden is a little too narrow for bushes, but I think this is the perfect idea for this spot.  They look so cheerful and pretty.

I know I've posted pictures of our beauty berries in previous falls, but they are just too beautiful to resist posting again.

As much as I love the cooler weather and all the lovely colors of fall, I have a touch of sadness because winter is coming.  I like the change of seasons and am thankful to live where we do, BUT if I have a least favorite season, it would be winter.  Browns and grays are dull and lifeless and boring to me.  But even in these days, I will be glad and rejoice in them because every day is a gift from the Creator of all things.

Last Thursday, Andy and I went over to Dawn & Tommy's for dinner.  Dawn served her own homemade spaghetti sauce that she had canned, as well as applesauce - also her own.  It was a lovely dinner, not only because of the food, but also the company!  Tommy and Andy checked out the basement to see how Andy could help with the room they want to build down there.  Kira was constant entertainment.  And of course, she has a willing and captive audience in her Grammy & Poppop.  Although I took a picture of her when she crawled inside her daddy's t-shirt (yes, while he was wearing it), but it turned out blurry and can't be used (probably because I was laughing so hard).

On Saturday I met Dawn at the Farmer's Market again, walking around together and buying some fresh produce.  I bought about 20 honeycrisp apples.  Wow!  They are super delicious.  The rest of the day was spent in puttering around the house, nothing pressing that needed to be done.

Sunday was a different story, though.  Of course, there was church all morning.  Andy and I both attended the Welcome Class to acquaint the new folks on some of the ministries we are involved with.  Then in the afternoon, I went to Stacey's bridal shower.  I am so happy for her, she met the man of her dreams!  God graciously gave her the desire of her heart.

I returned home from the shower in time to eat a little something, then go back to church for our annual meeting.  It was non-eventful and over in about 45 minutes. Now that's a good meeting!

Monday was a regular day of work, but afterwards I tried to get some of my cleaning done because we were planning to be away most of the day on Tuesday.  I got the laundry done and 2 of the bathrooms cleaned, so Tuesday morning wasn't so rushed before we left.

Yesterday we went over to C & C's so Andy could help Christian put in a new window in their attic.  The old one had been leaking and causing some water damage in the house so it was a very necessary repair.  Andy and Christian worked all day even in the rain.

 

I helped Christy with some homeschooling, doing what I do best with the grandkids:  Reading!

I also had time to play with Claire.

For supper, Christy made pizza and it was delicious.  I had made apple crisp on Monday afternoon and took that along for our dessert.

Claire was "helping" Christy on the computer!

So it was a good day:  work was accomplished, we interacted with 5 grandkids, a daughter and son-in-law and ate well.  What more is there?!