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April 29, 2012

Two Weeks

It has been two weeks since I've been here.  Yes, I read other blogs, yes, I fully intend to blog, think about it, formulate it in my head, but don't get the chance to actually do it.  Bad girl.  But it also means I'm busy with my life.  And that's the great part.  Even if it means going to the emergency room last night with M, who was doubled over with a back ache.  He got scanned for kidney stones (no), ultra-sounded for gall stones (no), and then given meds and a prescription for a severe back ache.  After all was said and done, it was midnight before we came home.
But we have absolutely no cause for complaint, bad as a backache is, being told that they may have to do an emergency gall bladder removal is a lot worse....  and yes, I know there are worse things.

A fellow blogger suddenly lost her husband DayDreamWorld has to deal with that, and she is so brave and strong, and capable to tell us about it.

My brother is doing better, he is healing much faster than the doctors expected.  Unfortunately he is facing chemotherapy, and understandably is not looking forward to it.

My youngest grandchild Katherine will be one year old next weekend, and we are going to her birthday party!

I saw the youngest grandchildren last weekend, they met at my house for a playdate.  How adorable they all are, and how much fun!


April 16, 2012

Forgot the hiking part

Well, at the very beginning of the blog I thought I'd write a lot more about crafting, sewing, grandchildren, and garage sales than what it turned out to be.  I'm using this sort of as a calendar, to see what I did, what happens in my life, and to reach out to friends or family.

Little did I know that I'd be hiking, and spending time with a wonderful man, that I'd meet a lot of great people through him, and that things would change totally.

Last weekend was just wonderful.  We met friends - as I wrote in my last post, and had dinner with the family.
Yesterday, (after watching re-runs of 'Mad Men', which we got hooked on, and love), we decided to ask friends to come along for a hike to Hawk Watch.  Yes, they did want to come, and on the smallish hike I learned that there is a rock, special to our area, called 'pudding rock'.  Doesn't that seem like a contradiction?  With pudding you imagine something soft, yet a rock called 'pudding rock'?  Weird.  Turns out, it's the purple/magenta color that is unique to this area:
 pudding rock, and below to show how big the white areas are in the rock

 On Hawk Watch Rock, the 'caretakers' or counters of the Hawks that last week they counted over 10,000 hawks one day!  And other days one or two.
 My sweetheart, who obligingly gives me the strong-man pose anytime I ask for it!
 A Rat Snake - not a rattle snake - in a tree.  The snake was at least 6 feet long! (3 m)
 I think this photo shows the observation point, or the Hawk Watch best, the valley spreads out below the rock and it is just gorgeous.
more snake...




The Bat Cave


skunk cabbage

Engagement, old friends, dinners and hiking

Friday we met old friends for dinner.  I don't think I've seen them since four years ago.  It was like old times, laughing, 'do you remembers' so much so that the waitress came over three times and asked if we knew what we wanted to have as an appetizer, and the answer always was that we hadn't even looked at the menu!  It was just so much fun, and M, who met them for the first time on Friday, was comfortable and enjoyed himself.
On Saturday we met the family at a great restaurant, and had a celebratory dinner for our engagement.  It was just lovely.  I love being in the big group, seeing all of them, talking, telling stories, seeing the kids (they were so good), and laughing at Evan, who would only accept a spoonful of ice cream from his mom.
 Us 
 My girls

 Jackson
Matthew, Jessica and Evan
What a great time, and thank you so very much, it was very special!

April 10, 2012

Photos of hike, etc.

Never any time.  Even though work is slow (at the moment, this is not a complaint!), there is no time.  I still pick up two kids at school, and they started their full activities.  We have an appointment directly after school today, and right after that is gymnastics for Jessica.  And she goes for three hours now!  Lots of time for a 7 - almost 8 year old.







But I promised pictures of the hike.  The weather was just gorgeous.  The sky so clear and blue, like it is normally in the fall.  M. looked at the photos and thought they looked washed out.  I reminded him how clear and sunny and bright the day was.
The last photo is the last one I took on the hike.  The path runs right under those fallen trees, a little to the left of the photo.  Weird, right?
Anyway, I was told that it might be a thought to hike the Appalachian Trail when we retire.  Or part of it.  Sounds great?  Well, the hiking part does.  Sleeping on the ground?  Maybe in rain?  Not so much.
But we'll see.
And yes, I read 'Into the woods' many years ago.  And wanted to start hiking right then.  (I was younger then).  But I'm not counting it out.

And we went to the movies, we saw 'The Hunger Games'.  Long movie, could have been cut a little.  The books were book-candy.  Read through in no time.  My opinion?  A good and easy read.

April 8, 2012

Easter

Was everyone's Easter a good one?  I hope so!
My little brother is operated on, and is doing fine.  I think if he reads this, he'll scoff at my writing 'fine', but he will be.  I'm sure he is in pain now, and wishing everyone would just get it.  But he is alive, and will be well, and I'm looking forward to hugging him whenever our lives get us together - hopefully sooner than later.
I am in touch with him, and so glad we have the opportunity to do that - via e-mail or chat, it doesn't matter.  He sent me a picture of himself yesterday, and he looks great.  It's totally comforting to look at him, and see him.  And, on an aside, my daughter mentioned today that we totally look alike.  Which I never, ever heard before, but that also is terrific!

We took Friday off.  And painted the living room ceiling.  Saturday we went hiking, again in Harriman State Park, and we both missed hiking there.  What a beautiful spot!  We hiked a trail I remembered hiking last year, it goes up and up, and then across rocks, and on the mountain ridge, where the wind was blowing hard.  The woods are starting to wake up, some trees bloomed, and some tender green sprouts are starting to show.
Lots of folks had the same idea, the parking area was full, we ran into a few, but were alone for most of the hike.
Then home, and cooking.  We were invited for Easter, but we wanted to bring some things home-made.  So we made and colored Easter-eggs like I saw on Posie gets cozy  and the ones M. made look like Posie's, but alas, the ones I did weren't tied tight enough, and came out kind of washed out.

We made a platter of deviled eggs, and put them on a platter around said eggs:
bit hit.  Would you believe, four-year-old Jackson went for the carrots?!  

We also made a Boston Cream Pie, which was great.  I wimped out and got a box cake, but made the filling and topping from scratch.  We went to church, had an egg hunt for the little ones, played in the sunshine, and were with family.  What could be better?!


April 4, 2012

Catch up

Catching up with all of you - I think I'm falling way behind.
Time just moves fast!  Jessica went back to gymnastics today after a few weeks off, she over-extended her elbow, in other words, she popped it out.  She is doing better, and enjoying going back.
Her mother is in Dallas, TX, on business, and there were two tornadoes today in that area.
 My son and his wife got a new dog, a puppy at three months old.
My other daughter and family might have found a house they like to move into.
My brother is getting a new bladder tomorrow, big, big operation and I'm thinking of him, and despite all assurances that everything should go fine, I worry about him.

Our time in Atlanta was very nice.  The area is gorgeous, reminded me of the places I've been living, rolling hills, greenery, yes, I could live there too.

We spent time with family, and it was lovely.  The hostess really went out of her way to make the time enjoyable, and cooked like a champ!

We were close to the beginning of the Appalachian Trail - within 8 miles of the start.  And we saw a lot of folks hiking the approach to it, one guy in a kilt!
The backpackers are on the way to the Appalachian Trail, which runs from Georgia to Maine and is over 2,000 miles long.  How long they'll hike?  I have no idea.
and here is the reason we and a lot of other people where there:

 The view from the top
 the only way to get the water fall in one photo from our steep hike to the top


 The kids exploring the brook
 so you get some idea how steep the climb was
and I know at least a few of you will want to see the plants, this is a trillium (forgot what kind)
 ... and to prove we were really there, here is M.
and this is interesting, it's the first time I've seen mistletoe in the trees in the States since I've been here.