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“I”olite and other gems
Jewelry made with pretty gemstones can be a relaxing hobby. And, the stones can have a positive effect on you!
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#AtoZChallenge and #CTST: Yard sailing
#CTST: garage sale finds and also interacting with interesting people while shopping in neighborhoods! Here are a few tips I’ve picked up during my yard sale exploits. Do you care to share any of yours? 1. Choose to yard sale in an area that is more upscale that your own. However, there are exceptions. I found a Canon camera lens at a garage sale on the side of a highway. You never know. 2. Selection is better earlier in the morning. However, you may get a lower price if you go mid-day or later, as people want to get rid of items. 3. Go to multi-family garage sales first,…
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#AtoZChallenge: Owls
Owl from a bird rescue at the Scottish Festival in 2012, Columbus, Ind. Photo © Diane Weidenbenner I’m not quite sure how it happened but for some reason, I got it in my head that my friend liked owls. Collected owls. Okay, loved owls! We were at a country store and she bought a card with a picture of a barn owl. She also has a solar-powered owl on the dash of her car. Are you seeing a theme here? I was. We attended a Scottish Festival in Columbus, Ind., last year and it was wonderful. We got to see sheepdogs herd sheep with just the swell of a whistle!…
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#AtoZChallenge: Junket
Photo © Diane Weidenbenner My friend, Sandy, and I venture out of town whenever we can when the weather is nice. We’ve gone Amish Hunting, which sounds a lot more painful than it really is (at least for the Amish). We love to discover antique stores, barns, civil war graveyards and farms with lots of great animals including but not limited to sheep, cows, goats or the boutique miniatures that have become popular. We both remember when our parents and grandparents would go for “Sunday drives” and laugh at how we like to do the same. We’ve both traveled out of the U.S. so perhaps this is our way of…
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#AtoZChallenge: Gardens and good friends
Photo © Diane Weidenbenner Spring has sprung and it has me thinking about gardens. Buds have appeared on our lilacs, irises are springing up and the roses have green, velvety leaves. I can’t wait to get a whiff of the lilac-perfumed air from our bedroom window. I also begin thinking of new plants to add to the landscape. Do they require a lot of care? Since we’ve had a drought these past few summers, how much water will they require? I have a lot of enthusiasm at the beginning of the season when it’s sunny and warm (and not humid.) As the summer progresses, and it gets muggy and…
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Kindness Challenge (wk5) and CTST: Grateful for kindness
Celebrating the Small Things: For the first time in 43 years, I can see 20/20 without glasses, contacts or reading glasses. I had cataract and cornea reshaping surgery last week and it’s truly amazing what the doctors can accomplish! During this seven-week Kindness Challenge, I’ve become more aware of the large and small kindnesses in my life. Here are a few that I’m especially grateful for, and none of them require money. 1. Marriage My husband is one of the kindness people I know. He was a struggling college student when I met him, getting his master’s degree in Denver, and yet he always found ways to help people around…
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A to Z Challenge: “U”pside down, over and under
Roller coasters have been a part of my life since I was little. I am terrified of them, at least the large ones that flip you upside down with no respect for what you had for breakfast or lunch! My family went to Elitch Gardens amusement park in Denver. When I was small, I loved the boats that I could captain around the pond, the train that circled the park, the Tilt-a-Whirl, the Haunted House and many other rides. I have such fond memories of it. One of the country’s top 10 roller coasters was Mister Twister which opened at Elitch Gardens in 1964. It was a 96-foot-tall wooden coaster…
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A to Z Challenge: “S”hepherd, the Good one!
David’s Psalm 23 has always been a favorite of mine. There is something about the Lord as our Shepherd that I find comforting. It’s an image that is relatable and reminds me that God is active in my life as someone who gives guidance and refreshes my soul. My friend Sandy knew this and cross-stitched a beautiful pattern of the Good Shepherd, had it framed and gave it to me as a Christmas present. It is amazingly beautiful! It has a prominent place in our dining room, where Joe and I see it each day when we enter or leave the house through the garage. My friend’s artistic rendering reminded…
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A to Z Challenge: “H”orsing around
Horses are amazing creatures! I’ve ridden horses when I was younger in Colorado, while I was at Girl Scout camp or up in Estes Park with my aunt and cousins. I’ve mainly ridden them on trails in the mountains, which is a beautiful experience and very fulfilling, at least until the horse senses that he’s almost home and it’s feeding time. Then I usually lose all control and end up galloping to the barn, feeling lucky to stay atop said amazing creature! My fellow riding partners would be impressed with my equine prowess if it weren’t for the scared look on my face as I dismount. You may have heard…
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Blogging A to Z: “I”-n memory of … good friends!
Bestie Sandy (left) and Becky, having a toast to something wonderful, at St. Mary’s Supper Club. A good friend of mine passed away from lymphoma in April 25, 2013, and I miss her. There are those people that you meet and you feel “right at home” with. Becky was that type of person. She had a wonderful sense of humor and many times we’d laugh until we were both in tears. She loved animals and rescuing them, she liked telling people’s stories (she was a journalist) and she had a big heart. She’s a big reason that I have one of the loves of my life, my dog Hershey. And,…
