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Our annual family camping trip was in Brighton state park in Vermont...it took forever and ever and ever
to drive there and even longer to get home.
I read that Dolly Parton died on the morning we left so I listened to her music for the entire 4.5 hours it
me to drive home.
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My daughter, Hannah, chooses a site for us and this year did not disappoint.
Our camp site was right on Spectacle pond and was private so the kids could go swimming and we could
see them from our site!
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My niece gave me her old twin size air mattress. She used it when she was in college but didn't need it
anymore. It is a really nice one that she had only used a few times so I was very grateful. I brought lots of
blankets and pillows so my bed was very comfortable. My 5 year old granddaughter, Natalie, shared it
with me two of the four nights we were there which was so much fun even though she sleeps like
an octopus! The nights got down to the low 50s as we were up in the Green mountains and only about
a half hour from Canada.
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Hannah spent a lot of time in the water with the children and they had so much fun playing with her.
She has a very playful nature and is a therapist that works with children so she enjoys them as well.
The children call the American flag float, Gary. Earlier in the summer Verne was telling his sisters to
get on the ferry and he would pull them around in the pool but they thought he was saying the gerry.
Somehow that turned into Gary and that's what we called it all weekend.
Gary ended up in a lot of our pictures!
We also saw frogs, turtles, fish, and lots of loons on the pond. We heard wolves and coyotes at at night and there were so many loons. They sounded so beautiful at dusk and sunrise. We even heard them in the night. It's such a haunting and beautiful sound.
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Our last day there was Bonnie and Dan's wedding anniversary!
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Here are a few pictures of the pond which was very pretty. The clouds, mist and fog hung up on the
mountains and looked so pretty.
We did some reading, some knitting and crocheting, and Verne played his guitar for us as well.
We had a campfire every night and delicious coffee every morning.
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And then it was time to say goodbye until next year.
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t
So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it;
if one member is honored,
all the members rejoice with it.
1 Corinthians 12:26
I had my granddaughters on Friday and Saturday nights!
Saturday we walked to the little beach around the corner and went for a swim just before dinner.
The girls climbed up onto the rock wall to get warm and I caught this beautiful picture
with the Marblehead light house in the back round.
~
The next day we walked over to Crocker park, sat on the dock and stuck our feet in the water.
There was a family swimming off the dock and a little boy who was jumping in with his father.
The girls decided that next time they came they wanted to do that as well!
So. Much. Fun!
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🎚️
Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness; and the little hills rejoice on every side.
The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn;
they shout for joy; they also sing.
Psalm 65:11-13
KJV
I have always loved this verse and especially the King James Version of it.
We are meant to shout for joy and we are meant to sing, rejoicing in the bounty of the Lord.
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One day while I was in attending classes at a local community college back in 2014 they had me sign a waiver for a photo shoot they were doing and much to my surprise they used me in a huge photo on the wall just outside of the main office.
My youngest daughter is going back to school now that her children are all in school till 3:00! She will be attending the same community college that I went back to in 2014.
My oldest daughter did an internship there and walked out of the main office took a look at the wall in front of her and said, "Hey! That's my mother!" So, I also have a picture of her in front of it!
Here is a picture of me in front of it to give you an idea of how big it is!
The moral of the story is, be very careful of the waivers you sign!
I was at Saver's (a second hand store) on Tuesday evening and found this circa 1973 Woody Guthrie record!! It's in brand new condition without a single scratch!
My town has a thrift shop in the old high school (it was the high school when I attended but is now the middle school and there is a new high school) all the proceeds go into the school system. One day I found a Beatles trivia game! My husband and I are both Beatles fans so we played the other night and had so much fun! We started out listening to the Beatles while we played but it got to distracting when we were trying to remember lyrics or other information.
I work at a school and we have a beautiful campus garden. One morning before all of the children arrived I harvested a basket full of zinnias, hydrangeas, and though you can't see them, a bunch of green beans.
Saturday night I went here to celebrate the anniversary of my friend's mother and step-father. We had such a wonderful time!
And a bonus:
The same friend ,who I have known for 35 years, has a new grandson! Her daughter delivered a beautiful baby boy the other day and I'm so happy for them!
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t
This is love: that we walk according to his commands.
This is the command as you have heard it from the beginning:
That you walk in love.
2 John 6
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My brother has been heavily involved with the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival since its inception in 2007.
This year he invited me to his house to tie-dye T-shirts that will be sold on the day of the show.
We did 100 shirts of various sizes. Yes...100!!
I am very happy to be a part of this wonderful event that not only provides free music but also donates all proceeds (donations, vendors...) to local school music programs.
~
We have a small pumpkin growing in our tiny toddler house garden!!
Every day the little children come to measure its growth.
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My grandchildren rode the old fashioned firefighters hand tub in a local parade!
They did not ride the top like this while it was moving!
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Last weekend I made a delicious pecan banana cake using my grandmother's cake pan.
~
We are so blessed to live in a world where there is beauty all around us.
With beauty before me may I walk
With beauty behind me may I walk
With beauty above me may I walk
With beauty beneath my feet may I walk
With beauty all around me may I walk
-The beauty way
Navaho
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"Sweetest of the sunflowers, yeah, you're the sun to me."
-Zach Bryan
I am ever so thankful for the month of August
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What's for dinner Wednesday?
My husband requested Shepard's pie.
It's been ages and ages since I last made it. We usually leave the oven off in the summer time but the weather has been a bit cooler so after running to the market to pick up the ingredients I got busy.
My version is quite simple and plain. I add some onion to the browning meat and I sprinkle paprika over the mashed potatoes but other than that it's just meat, corn, and potatoes.
My step-daughter loved this simple version when she was growing up
and I have continued to make it that way.
I also made a banana pecan cake.
I haven't made that in over 5 years and it is just as delicious as it was back then.
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In the garden out and about
I have been wandering about in the back garden this morning with my coffee, cutting zinnias here and
there to place in a tiny old fashioned vase.
There is nothing quite so charming or welcoming than to see a simple bouquet of
flowers on the kitchen table.
Today there is a pot of beans on the back burner, a cornbread in the oven, and a fresh potato salad ready to pull out of the fridge for dinner.
I am planning to make some quick refrigerator pickles as well.
I am not a big pickle fan but my husband loves them.
t
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness,
not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
Titus 2:3
