Saturday, August 31, 2024

It's the Eve of September!

 I have spent every day this week preparing for September!
The house and gazebo are completely decorated and clean and spruced up for the first September Morn of 2024.
As I look back over the years, I have actively celebrated September First as my own personal holiday for at least 50 years! I am 75 now......and I am still as excited about this day as I have ever been!


The den is dressed up for the season!


Back in the 80's I started decorating in August and I remember mt friend, Jean Lancaster, saying that I had faith that fall was coming! It was 100 degrees and I was knee deep in fake fall garlands and plastic pumpkins!


Then there wer \e some years when I waited until September First to even get the decorations down from the attic.


Now all of my fall 'debris' is stored in a building outside and the attic of that building holds seasonal stuff while the bottom floor is where my tubs are kept. As in dozens of tubs! Plus shelves holding fall dinnerware and glasses and ceramic pumpkins and more.


As I have grown older I have started the fall process earlier.


July 6th, 2022, my sister Nita died and I was devastated.
Sometimes I still am.
To comfort myself I decorated for FALL and cried as I did it but somehow it helped.
By August first - it was all done and Jesse took me and Louis Dean to the mountain cabin in New Mexico.


That set the tradition to start earlier - right after the 4th of July.


My goal this year was to be DONE by September First - and I am.


I know I'm a little over the top but I decorate for ME!


If no one ever sees it - I would still decorate.


I hope I always will......


I love fragrance and beauty and warm and cozy are two of my favorite words!


Do you think everyone loves the season they were born in best?
I know Amber loves summer and all that goes with it - and she was born in June.
Ben may prefer summer as well since he was born in August. I need to ask him about that!


Summer and Jesse were both born in the fall - October and November.
I do believe this is their favorite season as well.


Today has been such a blessing as I tidied up the house and set out my clothes for tomorrow.


We will be doing church online in the morning and going to watch the Bell grands play hockey in the afternoon.


I made my fruitcake cookie dough and set out all the things for pumpkin muffins.


I even put parchment paper on the cookie sheets and the cupcake liners in the muffin pans.


I took a good long shower and washed my hair and painted my toes!


The only thing I did NOT do was blow out the gazebo - but it is what it is.


Louis Dean has had a nice long hot bath and is in the den watching a western movie.


I'm about to join him with a tray of meat and cheese and crackers and such for our Saturday night supper.


He's already watched two western movies so I will switch to something we both like.


The gazebo has not been used much this summer but will be more occupied once the weather is cooler.


We have four major 'sitting areas.'
The gazebo.....


and the driveway......


and the kitchen deck....


and now the patio and the deck outside our bedroom door.


This is one of my Happy Places!!

Love all of you who are reading my words and I pray for you.....
thank you for the encouraging and kind comments.
Wishing you all the Autumn Blessings for this season!


Friday, August 30, 2024

My Knight in Shining Overallls.....

 Wednesday Louis Dean and I went to Home Depot and dropped $300 on lumber and nails and such for a deck in between two garden areas in our back yard.


I am so impressed with Louis Dean's ability to DO this!
He had to plan and measure and figure the materials he needed and design this deck and make it happen! I am beyond impressed with his ability to do this!
May I never underestimate what he can do!!


There may have been an 'OOPS' moment - but he figured it out!


He prefabbed it and had a plan.....


It was dark when he stopped last night but he knew what he was doing.....

 Today he was back at it and did a great job!


My hero!


Doing projects like this is good for him!
He's doing what he loves to do and it feels good!


No matter the cost of materials - It is worth every single cent for him to complete a project!


And it's a Win! WIN!! for me!!


 He's pretty amazing!!!


I absolutely LOVE my Knight in Shining Overalls!!

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

So Many Blessings!!!

 Saturday morning found Louis Dean out on our kitchen deck singing old hymns to me.....


One of his favorites is 'I Know Who Holds Tomorrow' which is so special as that's the song he and Jutta sang on one of her visits here with us in Texas. She had some deep concerns of her heart regarding the health of her beloved son-in-law. They sang this song together all the way to the airport when she was flying back to Finland. It will always be 'their' song! And her loved one is now healthy andd strong again.


The temps have moderated somewhat and are now in the upper 90's - but it's still HOT!
I've opted for cold breakfasts and easy food choices not requiring HEAT!!


One of our daily chores is to hand water.
It is a never ending thing to do and no matter how much we water - things are turning brown right and left. We spend a lot of $$ putting in plants and they thrive and then struggle and then die in August.
I plant less and less as our finances squeeze a little tighter every year.
I try for Texas plants that survive heat and drought - but even they don't always survive.

Sunday morning Louis Dean and I went to church.


He said, "Linda, I do NOT want to get in the habit of NOT going to church!"
So we went and arrived while the music was still going on.
Next Sunday we will take two sets of ear plugs. It is so LOUD and that's fine for younger people.... and I would not change things at all.
But for us and our age and his heart situation - we need to protect ourselves from the music.


Louis Dean dearly loves Chinese Buffets.....especially this one!
So I suggested lunch out there and he was such a happy camper!
Now I seldom overeat.....I may go for another glass of wine or use three extra shakes of salt ....but I do not normally eat fried foods or too much of anything.
Until I DID!
Oh, my goodness! Everything tastsed so GOOD!
I drove home in a food coma - which I found to be a real 'thing.'
Louis Dean and I both went down for naps - he in the guest room and I in our bedroom.
The difference is HE got up and I didn't! I stayed in bed until 10:00 PM.
Moaning and groaning!
I won't be doing THAT again any time soon!

Summer drove in from Arkansas on Monday for a doctor appointment and to pick up Rayne.


We met up at Chili's for a late lunch together!


Rayne and her Mummers!!!


Rayne is stepping on her tippy toes here!
She IS taller than I am - NOT as tall as Summer!
BUSTED, Rayne!!!
I have to tell you she is such a cool kid!
Already has a life plan mapped out and I am in awe of her insights in what she wants to do in life.


She is absolutely amazing and I am so proud of her!

They headed back to the Bar-J Ranch in Eldorado, Arkansas and Louis Dean and I went to his appointment with Dr. Shashi Dharma who is his Ophtalmologyist. I OOPS in keeping up with Louis Dean's appointments as it was TWO YEARS past due! We saw her in May 2022 and was supposed to follow up in 6 months! I need to do better! And I WILL!


Turns out with some testing that day that he needs a iridotomy in both eyes as he has angled-closure glaucoma. Without this procedure he could go blind due to elevated pressure behind his eyes.

Good to know!!!
Appointment made and moving forward....
He was NOT a happy camper about this but once I read all the info - this is absolutely something he needs to do.

I praise God that Louis Dean knows I have his best interest at heart and am determined to take care of him.

So that was our weekend and Monday!

Tuesday is my my favorite day of the week and today was an absolutley GREAT one!!!

Brenda and I hit the Mothet Lode of bargain fall debris at Texas Thrift today!


My receipt was probably the longest one in my history of thrifting.....


So many treasures!!



I displayed my 'loot' all around the table.....


I had actually ran low on my decorating things and still have the gazebo to do.


No worries now!


I have lots to choose from!


It was like Christmas today!


And the day just got better and better!


Aldi was chock full of all things 'PUMPKIN!'
Be still my heart!

Topping off this perfectTuesday - it RAINED while I was writing tonight's journal entry!

It just doesn't get any better than THIS!!!

Tonight is Tuesday so just FOUR more days until  I wake up to the very first September Morn of 2024!!
I,Am.So.Excited!!!