BEST GRADUATION PARTY EVER
My nephew Lucas has the best heart. He exudes character and lives a noble life. He is worthy of an epic graduation and his mom gave him just that! Erica put on an amazing celebration and despite scores and scores of friends in attendance, Lucas managed to find time to give his full attention and love to the sprinkling of old uncles, aunts, and grandparents. I hope there is a heaven, just so he can go there.
HELL GUARD
On our chipmunk drop-off at Rienzi cemetery, we discoverd the Gate to Hell. And look at this spooky tree creature that guards it. Photographer: Keith
CHIPMUNK WARS
Winning a war is more difficult when you are committed to capturing all your foe alive. Keith has been checking his chipmunk traps throughout the day because he doesn’t want them to suffer. So far he has captured two and relocated them to a local cemetery blessed with an abundance of oak trees, therefore acorns. The game is to get them all into this new site before another crop of babies arrive. Last time he had an infestation, the end count of chipmunks moved to “Acorn Paradise” was 32 critters. If that is any indication, he has a long way to go.
STEAM PUNK GLASSES
There was a package in the mailbox which is always a good sign. Inside were these wonderful steampunk glasses - a surprise love gift from Keith. He said he’d also ordered a pair for Morgan and Ada because they had admired his. This is such a delight. He is such a delight.
STEAMPUNK GLASSES
There was a package in the mailbox which is always a good sign. Inside were these wonderful steampunk glasses - a surprise love gift from Keith. He said he’d also ordered a pair for Morgan and Ada because they had admired his. This is such a delight. He is such a delight.
LOVE POEMS FOR KEITH
I am working on putting together a collection of love poems I’ve written for Keith over the years. I am trying to get it done by Father’s Day. The list above is pre-2024 so I have about 60, I think. Lots more work to do. I’m leaving it as an e-book as I am still writing them and want to be able to keep it current. There’s really only an audience of one, I think, but I plan to post it on my poetry page on my website if you’re interested.
G-BUN’S STARTUP ACCELERATOR
I have amassed all but one Summer Shine Plan questionnaire and am starting in to creating some of the things my family hopes to manifest. The most ambitious is starting a business, so I tackled this first to get us an early start. This Start-up Accelerator will have about 10 parts. I have the first two sections created and sent off to the two people who checked the “Start a Business” box. I am going to fold it into a format that I can post online and let other people use with their family. This is fabulous fun for me! (It’s suitable for high school and older).
LOVE POEMS FOR KEITH
I am working on putting together a collection of love poems I’ve written for Keith over the years. I am trying to get it done by Father’s Day. The list above is pre-2024 so I have about 60, I think. Lots more work to do. I’m leaving it as an e-book as I am still writing them and want to be able to keep it current. There’s really only an audience of one, I think, but I plan to post it on my poetry page on my website if you’re interested.
G-BUN’S START-UP ACCELERATOR
I have amassed all but one Summer Shine Plan questionnaire and am starting in to creating some of the things my family hopes to manifest. The most ambitious is starting a business, so I tackled this first to get us an early start. This Start-up Accelerator will have about 10 parts. I have the first two sections created and sent off to the two people who checked the “Start a Business” box. I am going to fold it into a format that I can post online and let other people use with their family. This is fabulous fun for me! (It’s suitable for high school and older).
LIFE LESSONS: QUESTIONS
I finally came up with a better idea for Life Lessons. Instead of little essays on a topic, I will send what is basically a tweet. Short and sweet. Instead of daily like the quotes, daily for one week per month. 7 little notes like the red one above and the multi-colored ones below. I wrote a paragraph or two explaining and giving an example. I loved things like this at their age, but times have changed. We’ll see if this gets any traction. (Click on the photo to see “the ones below.”
LIFE LESSONS: QUESTIONS
I finally came up with a better idea for Life Lessons. Instead of little essays on a topic, I will send what is basically a tweet. Short and sweet. Instead of daily like the quotes, daily for one week per month. 7 little notes like the red one above and the multi-colored ones below. I wrote a paragraph or two explaining and giving an example. I loved things like this at their age, but times have changed. We’ll see if this gets any traction. (Click on the photo to see “the ones below.”
LOVE BY CAMERA
Wow! What an enduro. I had to change so much: the website design, copy, images, the judging master sheet, the rules, on and on. I had over 100 items on my task list and they are all checked off except six which will wait until next month’s contest. I published the newsletter which announced the winners — then flopped into bed like a drugged college girl. I was exhausted but satisfied. This morning before I wrote this, Keith welled up and told me how much he appreciated all the work I did on this. He said how important it is to shine people’s work back to them and to help them feel a part of a community. It was so out of character and unexpected, I welled up too. He knows how to make the tough things feel worthwhile!
HAPPY CHEESE DAY
We started our holy day by wishing our loved ones the best cheese in the world via this snapshot of our family’s recent cheese-tasting courtesy of Kirk (cheese judge) and Kim. I reminded them we love them even more than cheese (except provolone). You may notice in the photo, I am comforting Ada who is overwhelmed by such fabulous cheeses straight from the Inter-glactic Cheese Competition, all together on one Ping Pong table!
LOVE BY CAMERA
Wow! What an enduro. I had to change so much: the website design, copy, images, the judging master sheet, the rules, on and on. I had over 100 items on my task list and they are all checked off except six which will wait until next month’s contest. I published the newsletter which announced the winners — then flopped into bed like a drugged college girl. I was exhausted but satisfied. This morning before I wrote this, Keith welled up and told me how much he appreciated all the work I did on this. He said how important it is to shine people’s work back to them and to help them feel a part of a community. It was so out of character and unexpected, I welled up too. He knows how to make the tough things feel worthwhile!
HAPPY CHEESE DAY
We started our holy day by wishing our loved ones the best cheese in the world via this snapshot of our family’s recent cheese-tasting courtesy of Kirk (cheese judge) and Kim. I reminded them we love them even more than cheese (except provolone). You may notice in the photo, I am comforting Ada who is overwhelmed by such fabulous cheeses straight from the Inter-glactic Cheese Competition, all together on one Ping Pong table!
CHEESY LUNCH
A cherished dish from our youth was the entree for our cheese day meal: Grilled cheesse sammies and cream of tomato soup. A side of cutie bites made it cuter. A dessert of my homemade cherry cheesecake made it cherry-er, and of course, cheesier. It was a fabulous and delicious treat. The Rat moped all the next day in his drawer because we forgot to invite him.
CHEESY LUNCH
A cherished dish from our youth was the entree for our cheese day meal: Grilled cheesse sammies and cream of tomato soup. A side of cutie bites made it cuter. A dessert of my homemade cherry cheesecake made it cherry-er, and of course, cheesier. It was a fabulous and delicious treat. The Rat moped all the next day in his drawer because we forgot to invite him.
MAMA•MOLLIE•MONDAY
Mollie’s garage power-washing ran late so a change of venue was in order. I picked up a Blueberry Goat Cheese Pizza (Mol) and Veggie Quesadilla (Me) from Backyard Bar and Grill. Mollie bemoaned that she missed a dining event, but we did our best at her kitchen table. Among other things, we reminded ourselves about making a family CPR class in early fall, discussed her trip to California later this month, the new photo contest rules, and the real vs. fake dangers of caffeine. She sent me home with a trial cola made with Stevia and no phosphoric acid. Maggie and Roland joined us later and I got to read his final exam essay on Homer’s Odyssey (superb) and corralled him to fill out his Summer Shine Plan (which was conveniently waiting in my purse). It was a great lunch and visit. I love my family!
MAMA•MOLLIE•MONDAYS
Mollie’s garage power-washing ran late so a change of venue was in order. I picked up a Blueberry Goat Cheese Pizza (Mol) and Veggie Quesadilla (Me) from Backyard Bar and Grill. Mollie bemoaned that she missed a dining event, but we did our best at her kitchen table. Among other things, we reminded ourselves about making a family CPR class in early fall, discussed her trip to California later this month, the new photo contest rules, and the real vs. fake dangers of caffeine. She sent me home with a trial cola made with Stevia and no phosphoric acid. Maggie and Roland joined us later and I got to read his final exam essay on Homer’s Odyssey (superb) and corralled him to fill out his Summer Shine Plan (which was conveniently waiting in my purse). It was a great lunch and visit. I love my family!
DAILY DAISY LOVE NOTES
Although I am exceedingly grateful for Keith, I was trying to find a way to remind myself to share that appreciation more. I was inspired by a Daily Wisdom Quotes project I did last year. It will be part of my bedtime routine - making a little love note of thankfulness for something that happened during the day. Then i’ll text it to him during breakfast so I can savor the hug and kiss that comes back to me. What a great way to start the day!
