Celebrating Summer's Golden Birthday a Little Early!

We did early voting on Wednesday!!

I help Louis Dean vote by signing an affidavit.

He told me to find the 'I don't care' button!

He really DOES care but he's always spouting off!

We dropped him off at home before Summer and I went for our 60 minute deep tissue massage.

We were in a room together and I am so happy that Summer, did indeed, received a deep tissue massage. Me? Not so much.

I've had one before and this wasn't that.

The massage was my birthday gift to her and we plan to budget one every month.

Summer's piriformis muscle has been causing her a great deal of pain and she had to walk in with a cane. Thankfully the massage helped and she could walk better afterwards.

So much so that we went to Goodwill to unload the back of my car and then went in to shop.

Louis Dean goes through coffee like I can't even believe and the same with coffee pots!

I smuggle the old ones out to the curb when he's not looking.

And daily I make a swipe of debris he's 'rescued' from the trash and hide my trash bag under the dining room table.

I bought what I thought was a coffee carafe for him to use on the kitchen deck to keep his coffee hot.

Alas, it's a kettle to boil water but that's okay because I can use it.

I really AM cutting back on Christmas decorating but I have a theme in mind and will be emphasizing the living room, foyer and front porch!

I think this cooler - which had several ice packs inside - will come in handy to take food to Bingo!

Now THIS is MY kind of salt shaker!!

It's a Gage family thing!

We continued to celebrate Summer's Golden Birthday on Friday.

She was born in 1963 and she will be 63 on Monday, October 26!

A late lunch at Chili's!

Benny was our waiter and it was FUN LIKE A PARTY!!!

Great service!

We had such a good time!

The food was every bit as good as the service!

My beautiful daughter!

We are 15 years apart in age....

the daughter of my youth.

This afternoon Summer came over to make her famous home made salsa!

She has been working in the kitchen whipping that up along with guacamole and pepper poppers!

She made enough to share so we will be taking a container with us when we go to the country tomorrow!

This is Sooooooo GOOD!!!

Same with the Guac!!

I am thrilled to see our possums are back!!

Stephanie hired professionals to trap the skunks and there were four of them so by the time we get home next Sunday - they should all be gone!

Our indoor/outdoor kitties are going to the ranch with us but we will be keeping IN while we're there!

Too many critters and too dangerous for them.

Thankfully, Louis Dean has a work room which I can put them in when we are going in and out.

I've been MISSING the COUNTRY!!!

And Dean and Sherry and Rosie!

AND the critters!

 

Calm and Quiet October Days.....

 Sweater Weather finally arrived here in North Texas and it has been wonderful!!!

Sherry is working from the Irving office again this week and we love having her with us!

I made easy meals over the weekend using 'cleaning out the fridge' menus!

I was sitting in the gazebo the other afternoon reading The Masterpiece by Francine River when I glanced over at the sewing room doors. 

I looking from the outside in and it reminded me of the times Mother would take us on drives through residential areas when we were little.

We loved to go right after the sun went down when you could see inside the windows.

Louis Dean had an appointment with Dr. Sashi Darhma...

....and he got a good report.

I stayed in the waiting room the entire time and counted that as ME time!

I have admired this painting hanging in the office there and I may try my hand at painting it next year.

I love painting birch trees!

The days are getting warmer again now but I haven't turned the AC on yet although we close our bedroom door when we go to bed and turn the window unit on.

The cats are loving their time out in the fresh air!

We played Bingo Monday night and I took pepper poppers and cream cheese corn.

Louis Dean scraped the peppers of seeds and membranes whil I stuffed and baked them.

It's been a blessing to have Monday nights to look forward to and we are getting to know the others better each week.

Instead of thrifting today, I spent the afternoon with Amber.

She brought McAlister's Deli for lunch along with slices of Carrot cake and a gallon of their good tea. As we dined out on the driveway table, we had two visitors to stop by and chat. Stephanie was one and she brought us filled pasta shells. She's such a good neighbor!

Saying goodbye is a tradition that never gets old!!!

I will close today's journal entry with this email Kailey sent to her mother.

Mondays are Amber's day to grocery shop and all the kids send her their choices for meal planning.

Kailey used AI to make her list....

she told it to write it as if sent by a carrier pigeon ....

Hope you are all having a good week!

Don't forget to vote early!

Hockey, Bingo, Meet Tucker, Tuesday Treasures....

 It's still hot in Texas - but not as hot as it was and cooler weather is coming!

As in real FALL temps!

Our cats are loving being inside AND outside kitties.

Saturday afternoon Louis Dean and I watched the Bell girls play hockey!

They keep growing on me!!

Kailey 

Logan

Trystan

Look how little they used to be!!

We don't get out every day so after hockey we drove over to the feed store for bird feed.

We  love our birds and it's Louis Dean's job to keep the feeders full.

Our bird camera feeder isn't working now. 

The mice/squirrels/rats keep biting the line to the solar panel and I've already replaced it once.

I think we are going to just use it as is for now.

Sunday morning was Harrison's hockey game.....

They won that game and the earlier one and went on to wiin the Championship game on Monday!

Harrison has a spinal stress fracture but still shows up at the practices and sits with the team at the games even though he can't skate until the fracture heals.

He's started physical therapy recently and this will keep him strong until he can play again.

Harrison is on the far left in black.

He is a great team player and encourager to his team.

Once again, we did some errands after the game - this time to Home Depot!

Louis Dean ran out of duct tape!

He really did not but he can't find the two huge rolls of black and white I just bought him two weeks ago. Same thing with his coffee! I buy six cans at a time but now I am only giving him ONE.

He drinks his coffee strong and black but good grief!

He can't possibly be using as much as he claims.

Monday night was Bingo and I made a potato salad and a cucumber salad to take.

Both were hits!

We stayed to visit with John and JoAnn - they are in charge of the Bingo.

Come to find out she is 72 and he is 75!

We thought they were older than we!

On our way home we stopped to meet Brenda's new baby.

Tucker is 10 weeks old and he's just like a baby and just as sweet as he can be.

It was dark by the time we headed home and it was the first time I've driven in the dark since my eye surgeries. I was happy that I had no problem driving at night.

Not that I plan to do a lot of that - but it does mean we can out a little later than when I couldn't see!

Look at this super cool pumpkin patch iin our neighborhood!

I stopped to take a pic!

I don't really decorate for Halloween any more but I love this yard!

Tuesday was our thrifting day with Brenda and then Summer and I shopped our local HEB.

Watermelon tea and chips and queso first!

Last week Brenda found the Chico's green top for me and this week she found the Chico's shirt to layer over it!

I found the green ball cap with three green stars on it which makes my new outfit to wear to the girls game next this weekend.

I bought several Bingo prizes!

After I took the pics I wentout to the deep freezer inour back yard to put away the bargains I found....

and that's where my good time ended.

Ever since we've been home from our beach trip I have smelled what I thought to be a dead animal in my storage building. Turns out it was all the spoiled meat in our freezer!

We lost everything!

Apparently it was the breaker but it smelled awful and as we unloaded it - the place was swarming with flies!

Summer and Sherry were both here and they helped us deal with it all.

Louis Dean emptied it all out and then cleaned the freezer and plugged it back up to a different outlet.

I soon realized all was spoiled and something green was in the freezer so it had got on everything.

Summer and Louis Dean bagged up all the nasty stuff in white trash bags and loaded it back in the freezer and we will take it out to the curb on Friday morning frozen so it won't smell and the critters won't get into it!

In the mean time, I am dealing with a mice mess in my sewing room and believe you me - it was a huge MESS. I hope to get that room put back together tomorrow!

I am excited about the cold front that is coming in soon and Friday's high is 65 and low is 40!!

That's fireplace weather if I have it my way!!!

I have tried to visit some of you but my readers list has not worked for the last week or more.

Hopefully I can figure out how to find y'all and will stop by and say HI!

A Quiet Week at Home......

 Our kitties missed us while we were at the beach and were confined inside the house!

They were so excited to get outside!

This is Tabitha...

...and Samantha!

She is more of a predator and loves to try to sneak up on geckos, bugs, birds and squirrels.

Loads of birds find shelter in the trumpet vines and I walked under the arbor so the birds would fly away and escape. She also catches mice and plays with them like they are toys!

We start every morning with coffee and devotions on the kitchen deck and we watch the birds, clouds, sky and surroundings. We love our property and have several 'sitting' places all around the front and back yard as well as the driveway.

Louis Dean was so excited when we received Return to the Shack the other day.

The Shack is and was his favorite book!

After I do my prayer time and Bible reading, my devotional books and writing in my diary - I then read a chapter out loud to Louis Dean.

Tuesdays are my favorite and I met up with Brenda at Texas Thrift after which we ate lunch at Chick Fil-A....

This trip Louis Dean ended up with more things than I did!

He loves metal cups and I love the ones with lids as it helps to curb spills of both coffee and wine.

I am upgrading his wardrobe and bought seven Western snap shirts for him.

He and I went through his closet and he is loving his new clothes.

I also bought him new socks - as a dozen or so - when we were in Galveston.

After we got home, I ordered him a dozen white V-necked t-shirts.

I told him he is getting a make-over....

Brand new fall spatulas.

Brenda got to Texas Thrift before I did and she met me at the door with things she knew I would love.

Chico's super elegant black top that is a classic!

Brand new white T - perfect for fall.

Brenda knew the Bell grandgirls hockey team colors are green and white and I will be wearing this one to one of their games soon!

I am a sucker for 'doilies' and I LOVE this one!!

I am so blessed to have Brenda as my best friend AND she's a gifted personal shopper!

Sherry normally works from home but she is here this week because they are doing some training here in the Irving office.

Last night we ate dinner together along with Ileen outside on the driveway.

Why is it that food always taste better when you dine alfresco?

This morning Louis Dean ate his huge bowl of cereal out on the kitchen deck!

There's a bit of yellow around here now. 

That's a cottonwood in the yard behind ours and what we call a yellow trumpet vine that is stretching up over the house!

Our neighbor, Stephanie, cooked last night and then they left town for the weekend and she had a lot of leftovers, which she offered to us!

Win! WIN!!!

I've been determined to maintain my relaxed and peaceful mindset.

Working with issues about taking care of myself and not overextending myself.

My primary goal is taking care of Louis Dean AND myself.

At 78, I am amazed that I'm still learning how to do Life!

Perhaps because it keeps changing just when we seem to be getting our bearings!