Grading On The Curve

Joining Joanne's Talking About It Tuesday today and The Quarterly Bucket List Bloggers

Summer is officially at an end (on paper anyway) and fall is upon us. I've put off revisiting my summer bucket list because it's a bit of a disappointment, but I also don't like to leave things undone so let's go ahead and discuss. 

I wanted an active summer and instead declared it the summer of the slug. While most of it was spent in a boot I still enjoyed lots of porch time, let hubs wait on me hand and (literally) foot, read books, went for boat rides wearing my 'accessory', wore a wrap to hang on a raft in the water, and spent time with family and friends which always makes for a nice summer. 

Sometimes you have to roll with what life brings, and this summer was one of those times. In case you've forgotten my overly ambitious bucket list, here's what it looked like-

I actually did quite a few things under what I consider the most important category-Family and Friend Gatherings. We had a wonderful family beach trip...

Dined al fresco with the grands here for outdoor griddle breakfasts. 

Had the most fun with college girlfriends here for a weekend. 

And we of course celebrated the mancub's birthday. 

I still haven't managed to get it together for a smashburger/corn hole party but I also haven't given up on the idea. We didn't have a low country boil either, but there's always next summer for that one. 

Under outdoor adventure we did fly kites while at the beach, but I didn't fish one time or play any mini golf. And I really dropped the ball under culinary creations. I mean we had some really good meals, just none of the dishes I thought I'd try. 

My daughter1 brought dessert on the 4th of July and it was patriotic but I didn't make it. I made peach bars instead of a cobbler and they were a big hit with everyone. We didn't attempt pizza on the green egg, but maybe this fall? 

Forget about health and fitness. I wasn't walking, wasn't allowed to swim, and standing on a paddle board didn't seem like a good idea either. We didn't visit a single Farmer's Market this summer, but since they run into October I hope to still get to that one. The lower patio is still artless, and while we had a nice dinner out to celebrate our anniversary we didn't do an overnight trip. 

A lot of things felt overwhelming to me this summer, and because walking wasn't enjoyable we mostly stuck close to home and hubs was a trooper. 

Onward to autumn..

Keeping my expectations at a manageable level this fall. If I can do a 5 K I will, but it's not going on the list-ha! I love the beauty this season brings, the way it invites coziness and contemplation and hot tea sipped in the waning afternoon sun. Fall is my favorite and I plan to savor it.  

'There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been."~Percy Bysshe Shelley  

A Week In The "Amazon"

Hello friends. TGIF. It's been a long week here for no real reason other than it's felt that way. We've had a lot of to-do's on the calendar and I feel like the Amazon delivery driver has been at my house on the daily. I took almost no pictures this week, but will share my Amazon goodies at the end because I do have snaps of those. 

Monday hubs had to take his new truck back to the dealer because when he picked it up the week before the cover for the bed hadn't arrived. Plus there was a small ding they needed to rub out, and since all of this couldn't be done on Monday he got a loaner and then had to return Wednesday for the pick up. The dealer is almost an hour away.

While he was out I dusted and cleaned bathrooms and made the fabulous peach bars I mentioned here on Tuesday. 

Friends came by later in the afternoon for a meeting about a book event we're organizing for all the book clubs around the lake. We had one event last year and it was a lot of fun. This year we're aiming for an author evening. 

Tuesday I had a hair appointment so my chauffeur (aka the hubs) dropped me off, went to his guitar lesson, then picked me up afterwards. We decided to stop for lunch at Five Guys and their burgers are always  good. I get the kid size and we get one order of fries to share because they overload the fries in a good way, but still you do not get out of there for under thirty bucks which feels like a lot for fast food. 

I came home and read and rested my foot, then played Mah Jong that evening. As we were wrapping up,  a crazy storm blew in with lightning that was absolutely nuts. Nonstop. We ended up staying in the clubhouse an extra hour because nobody wanted to risk a strike. We watched the radar and when we saw a small window there we all made a beeline for our cars. A friend had picked me up because again, not driving. When you can't drive you feel like a pest bumming rides everywhere, but it is what it is. 

Wednesday we had big plans. A trip to the DMV for our new license/real ID. We both have passports so haven't worried too much about getting the real ID, but since our licenses were expiring this month we decided to go ahead and bring all the docs for the ID. We arrived before they opened and there was already a fairly long line, but! Our little DMV is the most efficient, friendliest, DMV I've ever encountered. We've moved a lot so I've encountered many. Every single person we dealt with in this office was so pleasant and did their job well. 

A guy came outside before they opened and handed out forms to everyone so they would be ready to check in. They had many windows open and we sat less than a minute before we were called. In and out in less than an hour and not feeling irritated in the least. 

We hadn't eaten breakfast so stopped at a new Eggs Up Grill on the way home for 'brunch'.  It's a franchise, and there's another one in the next town over that we've eaten in before, but this was our first time to the one in our town. I had a Greek scrambler and it was yummy. 

Hubs dropped me at home then headed back to dealer town to get a haircut and then pick up the truck. I'd put a Mississippi roast in the crock pot that morning and made mashed potatoes, then loaded up my car to go to my daughter's house to watch the grands for the evening. She and her hubs had a work related event to attend so I brought dinner over and hubs met me there when he was through in town. We played for a bit, then had dinner and watched a movie. Everyone was tired so it was low key and nice. 

Thursday was a big day. Ortho day. I had my follow up and whoohoo!! FREEDOM!!

Well mostly freedom. He said I can come out of the boot, but not to go crazy. To wean myself out of it over the next couple of weeks and go easy on the activity but still, it's progress. And I won't be in a boot the entire beach trip which is really the main thing I was not looking forward to. 

I had a library book to return and one to pick up so hubs went with me and we got dinner at a cheesesteak place that's really good and is close to the library. He'd won a gift certificate there in a drawing so might as well use it up. 

And that was pretty much our week. I looked back at my Amazon account to see what I ordered and here's the 411-

Hubs has a new truck and you can never just buy a new truck. You need a bunch of new truck gear to go with. He got this cargo net thingamabog to keep cargo from rolling around in the truck bed. 

And of course the little brown dog needs to ride in style and since he's in the back seat now instead of the way back like he was in the Tahoe. We got a seat protector and comfy pad and something to keep him out of the front seat which I don't think he likes too much. 

He's riding around like a king, but still his favorite place to be in a car is in the front seat, which I've already called dibs on,  so the back seat it is-

Apparently we now need to buy steps too so he can more easily get in and out of the vehicle. This one has a higher entry for him than the vehicle we sold.

I bought a new coverup because I wear one every day here in the summer. It's cute and comfortable and comes in lots of colors. I got the navy. 

I take these fish oil tabs and have them on subscription through Amazon. My doc recommended them and I keep them in the freezer which helps them smell less fishy.

We have a spaniel and spaniel ears need constant attention so we got this which the vet recommends.

I bought these cute jams because I needed new jams. They're super soft and  come in many colors and several patterns too. I got the blue green and it's pretty.

A 'sock' for my ankle the ortho recommended. It's not here yet (I guess that will be today's delivery lol), but this is the one he said to get and I'll wear it when I'm back doing more walking in the form of exercise. Someday I'll stop talking about my ankle but today is not that day.

We also got this wine storage unit because we needed more storage. Plus three lego sets, three books, a streamer wand, and new pillows for one of my guest room beds. Whew. 

So what did you buy do this week? Hope your weekend is full of R&R!  

This post is linked with Erika and Andrea and their Friday Favorites hop. 

A Hodgepodge For The Ages

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge, our last one in July. If you've answered this week's questions add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for the blogger before you. Here we go...

1. On July 29th 1957 The Tonite Show premiered with Jack Parr as it's host. This marked the beginning of the modern day talk show. Do you watch any daytime or late night talk shows today? Do you have any thoughts on the hubbub surrounding the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, or are you more in the camp of 'who is Stephen Colbert? 

I don't watch any talk shows these days. Mostly because I find celebrity culture exhausting and not all that interesting. In my opinion the night time shows have become less entertainment, more political commentary and who wants that when they're trying to quiet their mind for sleeping???

Eons ago we would fall asleep to Johnny Carson or David Letterman, but this new crop is too full of their own self-importance for me to enjoy. Sure there are some funny bits now and then, but the overall content is very one-sided. Not everyone shares my opinion and that's fine, but I'm not tuning in and apparently I'm not the only one. 

I paid very little attention to the outrage over the cancellation of Colbert's show. It wasn't making the network money, and there's a merger happening, and entertainment is business so it's gone. Pretty sure it's not the end of democracy as some folks want us to believe.  

2. What's the best part of your day? 

"The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup"....raise your hand if you remember the jingle? I checked to see when that ad first ran and it was 1984. The year I got married. 

I don't drink Folgers but that first cup of coffee in the early morning hours is definitely one of the best parts of the day. Early morning in general is the best part of my day. I like the quiet, the sunrise, and easing in to the day with my coffee and what feels like endless possibilities. 

3. What's something your generation does that you actually dislike? 

I can't think of anything I truly dislike. I will say I think it's normal as we age to become more resistant to change...our routines, technology, the way the way the world works...we want those things to stay as we've always known them to be. 

We're all a product of the times in which we're raised, but...the world does change and we have to cultivate some flexibility if we're going to age gracefully. I get it. Sometimes you just don't want to learn how to do something a new way. 

Time marches on with our without us, and we can't always be looking blissfully at what was and criticizing what is. I want to keep learning and growing and that means accepting that the world in 2025 looks a lot different than it did when I was 'young' (er). Some things are better, some are worse. I'm sure my parents felt the same. 

4. When you cook do you clean as you go, or clean it all up once you're finished cooking? What's the last thing you cooked/baked in your own kitchen? 

I don't exactly clean as I go, but I don't save it all til the end either. Hubs is 100% clean as you go. He's been known to wash a pan I'm planning to use again.  If he enters the kitchen while I'm baking it can make him twitch a little. 

I would say I clean as I need to, but save most of it for the end because I like to focus more on the actual measuring-sifting-mixing. If my hubs were answering he'd say I definitely lean more towards the clean it all up at the end side of things. Hi hubs! 

The last thing I cooked in my kitchen was a pesto pasta dish I made for dinner Monday night. I answer the questions Monday or Tuesday usually.

5. Sum up your July in ten words or less. 

An ankle fracture. That's it. That's July. 

I mean there were lots of lovely bright spots too, but if I'm summing it up that's the highlight. Or lowlight depending on your point of view. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

When we added the waterfall to our backyard we asked the guys doing the work to add a few plants around it...

That's it. That was the level of instruction we gave them regarding landscaping which, if you know us, you know this is not us lol. 

Mostly we didn't get specific because we didn't realize at the time how large the finished space would be. 

But no matter because they made it so pretty. There's actually a fair amount of planting all around and we love it. These verbena have been blooming since May and show no signs of slowing down. 

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

Hello Monday, So Long July

Hello friends. August is just around the bend and here we have a full and mostly fun calendar of things coming our way. 

I know many people feel like July flew right on by, but I enjoyed the pace. Ours was not too fast, not too slow, or as Goldilocks would say 'it was just right'.  We had very few big events on the calendar, and spent a lot of time at home, enjoying the lake, grilling out, and resting my foot. 

Maybe that's the upside to a stress fracture mid-summer. It forces you to consider what you'll say yes to a little more carefully than you normally would. We had company over the 4th, but other than that the house was all ours. While we're never people with nothing to do, we had lots of down time which was nice. 

So how did you spend this last weekend in July? Here's how ours looked...

Friday I was supposed to have a mani/pedi. It was going to be a bit wonky with the boot and all, but I was okay with one foot having a full pedi and the other just a polish. Hubs was golfing and I was going to drive myself for the very first time since I started in the boot. The Dr. said I could drive if needed, and I considered this a need.  

I left the house and got about a mile down the road when I was forced to turn around due to a very serious accident ahead. Turning around meant I would have had to go around the lake in the opposite direction of my appointment so I gave up, called the salon, and went back home. I wasn't meant to drive I guess. Or get my nails done. Bother. 

Friday night hubs and I went to a nearby spot we love for a glass of wine and a charcuterie board dinner. It was nice. We got home a little before eight and my son-in-law dropped our two oldest grandsons off at our house to spend the night. Saturday was the mancub's birthday and they wanted the boys out of the house while they got things set up. 

Everyone put on pjs and piled in our bed to watch Honey I Shrunk The Kids. I hadn't seen it in many many years, and I often think I remember a movie as being fine for certain ages only to watch and discover I remembered wrong. That was not the case here and they enjoyed it. 

The boys are not normally early risers, but were up early on Saturday. I think the birthday party adrenaline was amping up and when I said the party wasn't for nine more hours they sighed a little. We had a lot of time to fill in between, so they worked on a lego creation I had here, and then hubs made blueberry pancakes on the griddle. 

We went for a lake swim, came back inside for lunch, and then my son-in-law arrived to take them home. We followed soon after to help with some of the pre-party tasks. 

Planning and hosting birthday parties for my girls was one of my favorite things to do when they were small, and my girls love it too. Daughter1 has an art background and this is a fun way to be creative. The theme was Star Wars and she made a Death Star pinata out of paper mache which was awesome. 

Also I hated pinatas as a kid. All that chaos and the anxiety of chasing down the candy. Whew. These boys were all in though and they loved it. 

Her goody bags which she made herself were also super cute. There was a ginormous inflatable water slide for entertainment and it was a good thing because it was hot with a capital H. If my foot wasn't in a boot I'd have tried it myself. 

These pictures make it look like no one was there, but kids were there lol. Parents too. We stayed until the very end so we could help with some of the clean up and when we came home we flopped on the couch and agreed birthday parties are the best kind of exhausting fun. 

I always write my grandchildren letters on their birthdays...you can read the birthday boy's new letter here (2922 Days).

Sunday we went to church. The 'kids' had a meeting after so hubs and I went to our usual breakfast spot for lunch, then came home, changed, and took the boat out to meet friends. 

Someone is always organizing impromptu float parties and they'll text a map with a pin telling us which cove they're in, and we tie the boats up together...

... and then we float. 

We got home late afternoon and I called my sister to catch up, then hubs grilled salmon for dinner. I made a spinach salad to go with and we watched a couple more episodes of The Lioness. Have you seen it?  I'm not really invested, yet it's somehow still managing to make me tense. We're about eight episodes in so I guess we'll finish the season. 

Linking today with Holly and Sarah for their Hello Monday weekend recap party. Hop over if you want to share your own or read what others have to say. Have a great week! 

Friday Fragments and Favorites

Linking today with Andrea and Erika for their Friday Favorites hop. 

I'm out of sync with my blog these days mostly because I'm not doing a whole lot besides rest my foot. Hubs says I'm not doing great with that and gave me a talkin' to yesterday about how we're going to the beach and I'll be in this boot unable to keep up. Even if I'd done a solid nothing it's likely I'd be in the boot when we go to the beach. I have not driven one time and have spent most of the month with my leg propped up so I think I've done pretty great. There's been a day or two I've overdone it, but for the most part I feel like a slug. 

I volunteer on Thursdays making lunch in a soup kitchen, but after hubs said he thought it was too much  I called in last minute yesterday to say I wouldn't be there. Then he left for the day and I planted myself on the couch. Except he was suddenly buying a car and needed me to make four, yes four!!, separate trips to the office downstairs for information. I told him I'd have done far less walking and definitely no stairs had I gone to the soup kitchen. 

Anyway, I guess we have a new car lol. And it's been purchased in my favorite way. I wasn't there. I saw it online before he went to look, and honestly this is how I feel about a pick up. It's a truck. The end. Hubs is excited and even though he babies his vehicles his current truck has over 200K miles on it so it's time. Apparently there are a lot of variations, and he does his homework. Since it will be his mode of transportation if he's happy, then I'm happy. 

This particular new vehicle ticked 'our' must have list-the color both interior and exterior (those are my must haves-ha! ), something about the running boards and the tailgate, very low mileage (we never buy new) and price. No pictures because we won't get it until next week, but yay! We have a new ride.

We've spent very little time on the boat this summer so on Monday morning we spontaneously decided to pack up breakfast and go for a ride. 

Yes in my boot. Are you tired of hearing about it because I know I am. 

I made us a scrambled egg with cheese on a bagel to go. They were so good. 

It was a picture perfect day and we had the lake pretty much to ourselves. Weekends are busy, but weekdays it's like your own little slice of paradise. 

When my sister-in-law was here over the 4th she brought us these ginormous rubber bands (linked) which I think she said are made for patio furniture, etc but they are also perfect for keeping your towel from flying up on the boat. 

I ordered the most adorable little sundresses for my granddaughters to wear at the beach, matching because I like matching-

They're from Janie and Jack, which has so many cute things. 

Monday night we had plans to get sushi with some friends we haven't caught up with in a while. My roll was so pretty and just the right amount of heat. Hubs and I each ordered a roll and split an order of their Brazilian street tacos too. 

Our tomato tree. Y'all my hubs has the green thumb here. My daughter1's in-laws gave us a teeny tiny tomato plant back in the spring and hubs has cared for that thing so well that it's now what we call our tomato tree. And it's loaded! 

The in-laws were here over the 4th and they could not believe the size of this plant. Yesterday we picked our first tomato and I will probably make us BLT's for dinner. Hubs is golfing today and I'm sitting and it's hot so a BLT will be easy and won't require the stove. 

His lemon tree is also thriving.

We watched the grands on Wednesday evening while their parents had a middle-of-the-week date night. They had fun with these water guns which are more powerful than they look lol. 

Especially at close range. Nana got it in the face more than once and I wasn't even armed. 

Hubs made smash burgers on the griddle, and the boys put together new legos I'd purchased. We had fun just hanging out. 

Thursday morning's sunrise was a beauty. As are they all, but Thursday's was really pretty. 

My limelights are making me happy too. 

I spent the day on the couch when I wasn't running up and down the stairs to get hubs the paperwork he needed to buy the car. 

Also, I wasn't running. 

My next door neighbor invited us and two other friends over to float on Thursday afternoon so we went over there around 4:30 and floated for an hour. Afterwards we went for Thai food at a place we hadn't tried before, and it was really good, just very very slow. We weren't in a hurry so no biggie. 

Today I'm back for more sitting and reading and catching up on a few things blog wise. Hubs is on the golf course so won't be calling lol. 

Enjoy your weekend everyone!