One of my favorite places and viewing it from the ferry on the way to Kelley's Island.

Lazy Today

Today is one of those days when I'm just not very happy with myself.  I have just been lazy.  That's what happens when I go overboard the day before.  I don't know why I just can't pace myself.  Do others do that?  And to top it off, I had trouble sleeping because I was "too tired".  That just doesn't make sense!


There are so many things around here that need doing before cold weather sets in.  Hopefully that won't be for a while yet.  Some of our shrubs are taking over and need trimming.  I can't see the birdfeeders.  I like watching the birds in the winter.  I was also hoping to move some succulents and make another small rock garden.  That may have to wait until spring.  I don't think I have it in me to heft the large rocks around right now.  Anyway, it will give me more time to plan it properly instead of just putting something in the spot I have picked out.  


My granddaughter Zandalee's eighth birthday is coming up September 3.  She is going with her older sister Zoe and Zoe's friend's family to their Lake Erie cabin over the weekend.  That will be a real treat for her.  She likes to hang out with the big girls.  Zandalee is the baby of my daughter's five children and her oldest will be 20 in December.  How did that happen??!!  And when?  It seems only yesterday they were babies.  Of course, it seems only yesterday that our first child was born, too.  Now he's 47!   Our family has someone with a birthday almost every month with most of them being in January, February and March.  


Last night I finished my latest Ann Gabhart book, The Blessed.  I read them so fast and then am sorry to see the story end.  I love Ann's Shaker books and this was the fifth one.  They can all be read on their own though even though some of the characters are repeated.  I ordered some new books of series I'm reading of Amish fiction.  I can't wait for them to arrive now.  It's always a big decision which one I will read first.  One of them is by another favorite author who lives in the area, Paul Gaus.  He writes Amish mysteries that take place around Millersburg and other places in Holmes County.  I have been waiting for a long time for a new one to come out.  Finally!!  I like getting out my map of highways and byways of Amish country to find some of the locations his stories take place.  Some are just a crossroads.


Since I'm getting older I don't like reading anything too deep and thought provoking so that's why I stick to fiction.  Our Sunday school class is going to use the book Heaven Is For Real for a discussion this fall.  I haven't read it yet but have heard good things about it so I'm looking forward to that.


It's a good thing I call this blog Just Thinking because it certainly isn't about anything of any great importance!  I just enjoy putting thoughts to paper sometimes.  I especially like having a page with fish to feed!  It doesn't take a lot to please me most of the time.  If you are reading this, please feed my fish.

My goodness, it's only noon and I am already worn out.  I'm getting too old to do all this housework!  I guess I could use a housekeeper.  Of course, when you have five dogs and three cats in the house you are just going to have hair and dirt.  No way around it!  I love my tile and hardwood floors BUT running the Hoover Floormate over them still takes time and energy.  But I did get the dogs and cats on purpose so I shouldn't be complaining.  I'm glad my husband helps out some. 


I have delegated the job of cleaning the smooth top range to Russ.  You can't boil a teakettle on that thing without it making some kind of ring or something.  And the teakettle, or pots or whatever, are clean when I start out.  I knew I should have gotten a gas range!


At least it's nice and cool today.  A good day to do housework, if it has to be done.  Now that I have sat down I think I'm going to have to shut the door because there is quite a breeze coming in there.


Hopefully I can convince Russ to drive to Lake Erie sometime this week.  We haven't gotten to go to Kelley's Island or Put In Bay yet this summer and that is usually our staycation.  It's not so crowded now either.  Kelley's Island is more peaceful but there is more to do and see at Put In Bay.  I love the leisurely ferry trip to the islands too.  The Jet Express is fun but it's expensive.  I also just love the Marblehead Lighthouse.  It's one of my favorite places to go.  It's very lovely there and I love sitting on the rocks and just looking at the Lake and hearing the waves gently washing over  them.  We were there in July with our daughter and granddaughter and I  actually (finally) climbed to the top of the lighthouse.  There are 77 narrow steps in a narrow stairway but it was well worth the climb.  


A funny thing happened while we were at the Lighthouse.  Our daughter, Kristin, was wading around in the water and trying to get our granddaughter, Zandalee, to come out and wade with her.  Zandalee said no because she didn't want to get wet.  The lake was pretty choppy that day and the waves were higher than usual.  Kristin assured her she wouldn't get wet because the waves weren't that high and just then a large wave came crashing in and got Kristin soaking wet!  We had a good laugh at that.  Kristin had on a long sundress which was just dripping.  So when we got ready to leave we got a blanket out of the car and she took off her dress and wrapped in the blanket.  She was driving so we held her dress out the window to dry.  I'm sure we looked pretty funny going down the road with her dress ballooning out the window!  We were half way home when her dress was dry enough to put back on.


We're babysitting our granddog, Winston, this week.  He's an old, blind in one eye and a little senile Pekingese.  All my dogs have their noses in a snit because of it.  Winston is used to getting his own way since he's King Dog at home.  And when he gets to sleep on the bed TOO that is almost too much to ask of my group!  But Winston loves his grandma and vise versa so he gets spoiled here.  I love sending the grandkids home spoiled!


Well, back to work.  Housework never ends...........

Sunday Morning Thoughts

Last night we got together with our group of friends.  When we were younger we had a card club when we used to stay up until 2 or 3 AM playing Euchre.  We always had lots of snacks and lots of gossip and lots of laughing.  Now we're all lots older and can barely make it until 11PM!!  We still call ourselves card club but we never play cards anymore.  Maybe all of us can't remember how to play!


Anyway, we had a picnic supper last night at our neighbor's.  I have known Dean and Jan since high school and graduated with them 50 years ago.  We had a great dinner and, best of all, homemade ice cream.  Jan makes the best ice cream.  And we also had Texas sheet cake for dessert.  What a treat!   Of course, I ate too much and my jeans were getting a little snug.  I thought I'd have to loosen the button!


Speaking of loosening the button of my jeans, I'm going to have to start shutting my mouth sooner at the dinner table.  I've gained a few pounds.  I lost a lot of weight so I'm not going to go back to being really fat again.  I'm certainly not thin but lots thinner than I used to be.  Too many homemade cookies over the winter when I had a baking frenzy going on!  Cookies two or three times a week.  Can't be having that.    


If I would get around and exercise more it would help.  But the old annoying back pain and a foot injury from falling has kept me way less active than usual.  I normally spend summer out in my gardens.  I love rock gardens and had created a couple last summer.  No problem hefting the rocks around then.  I wanted to make a big succulent garden this summer but that didn't happen.  Maybe later this fall I can at least get it started.  But I'm having foot surgery September 22 and will be out of commission for a few weeks after that.  Which is just really aggravating!  


I have lots of books to read while being laid up after surgery.  Lots of Amish fiction.  I don't know why but I just am addicted to reading that.  There are so many authors now.  Some are great and some are mediocre. I visited the Christian used book store at the Hartville Flea Market last week and stocked up.  And I have some new books to get that are being released in early September that I will get from Christian Book.com.  Ok, maybe being laid up won't be so bad after all.  I can lay on the bed with my dogs snuggled around me and read to my heart's content while, hopefully, my husband will take care of the housework.


It's has started out as a pretty dreary Sunday morning but the sun is starting to peek out from under the gray clouds.  Maybe it will turn out to be a nice day after all.   I wonder if the dreariness has spread all the way over to Ohio from the hurricane along the coast.  They are really being blasted over there.  I hope everyone will be safe and not lose too much of their homes.  It looks like the beaches are being destroyed.   But, you know what, I'd love to be there and see the high waves crashing in.  I just wouldn't want to blow away!  All we can do is pray for the people to be safe.

Weeds or Native Plants?

Having just come in from pulling up lots of weeds in a very small space I'm wondering now why I just don't let the "native plants" have their way!  There's a very nice looking ground cover growing all over the place.  It is flat and covers the bare spots and even gets pretty little flowers.  Problem is it also covers everything else.  I have lots and lots of sedums growing and would like to be able to see them. So up comes the pretty native ground cover.


And then there are the grasses.  Ornamental grasses are pretty expensive for people on a tight budget and I love them.  So why don't I just let the native grasses take over?  They don't look so bad when they have gotten very large and have nice tassels on them.


Thistles!  I have spent the last few years battling the thistles around here.  They weren't so bad before I started feeding the finches thistle seed.  That was a big mistake!  I didn't realize the Niger thistle was't sterilized.  Now when you see them they look really nice when they are blooming their pretty yellow flowers. And they don't have the same kind of stems and leaves that the field thistles have.  You know, the ones with the purple flowers.  Those are pretty too.  But they all tend to run rampant and not stay anyplace that you'd want them too.  We have pulled and dug out the roots and have spent lots of money on weed killer and the thistles are still winning!


Most of those pesky little native plants come out easily when you pull on them in the right direction.  And some have roots that go to heaven knows where.  Like dandelions.  The roots are deeper than my shovel for goodness sake!


I just noticed the other day that my nice mound of dianthus was missing and my husband had been mowing it off.  He thought they were weeds.  I just can't win.

Just Thinking

As I sit here in my recliner by the bay window overlooking the back of the farm I was realizing that summer is almost over. The sun is hanging low creating beautiful patterns on the trees in the woods and on the fields.  There aren't any deer grazing in the soybean fields now but we have a doe with triplets and a doe with twins that frequently are munching away on the beans.  The scenery is lovely all times of the year.


School started yesterday so the grandkids won't be popping in during the day.  They always have to stop for snacks to keep them going on their hikes!  It's not that far from their houses to ours.  But Grandma and Grandpa always have the favorite York peppermint patties on hand or other treats.  I don't think school should start until after Labor Day.  The summer goes by too quickly for the kids as it is.


Since I love to go on drives this is the time to go.  Lake Erie and the islands are not so busy now with seasonal traffic.  Amish Country is the same way.  Except for October at the height of the fall foliage colors.  That is a time to avoid Holmes County on the weekends.  We like taking the really back roads and not having a clue as to where we are.  It's like stepping back in time.  And on some occasions we have ended up at a farm at the end of what we thought was a road!  The people are usually very gracious though and not used to having strange cars arriving at their door!


It's wonderful going to Put In Bay or Kelley's Island too.  Some people wouldn't like it much with not a lot going on.  But older people can enjoy it to their heart's content.  I just love going to the Lake.  I would love to have a home there.


I'm looking forward to having a wonderful fall.  Summer hasn't been much fun for us this year.  Spring was so wet and cool and then summer got so hot we couldn't stand going out in the heat.  And my husband and I both fell and were out of commission  for about a month.  I will look forward to my fall day trips.
Sometimes we don't go as far as we used to because of the gas prices but we still like to do something.


The sun has hidden behind a cloud for now.  My chihuahua Tico is sleeping beside me.  He's old now and blind and diabetic.  But he gets around amazingly well.  He's a rescue that knew only heartache before he was taken in by Chihuahua Rescue and Transport and then to our home.  But since then he has lived a good life and is really spoiled.  Like all the babies.   Now we are all going to go back and lay on the bed and read our newest book by Ann Gabhart, the fifth of her Shaker series.