What's Been Happening

Our pretty redbud trees and lilacs are almost done with blooming this year.  I'm seeing some beautiful bright white and pink dogwood trees around town and I'm wishing I had a couple of those in my yard.  

It's almost time to plant something in the flower pots and I'm debating on cutting back.  It's getting to be a chore keeping them all watered.  I've been looking at Pinterest to see what would be a good flower to plant that is heat resistant, too.  My back patio gets so hot in the summer.

What is your must-have flower when planting flower pots?

I've lost about 4 of my 10 or so Knockout roses and can't quite figure out what's happening to them.  I'll replant one of them, but the others will not be replaced.  I think I'll try something else in their place.   

I have a question...do you prefer the larger photos like the blue bird photo or the smaller size as in the first photo of the lilac?  

The photos in this post are from my archives.  I just haven't taken many photos lately.  The one above should have been cropped and resized.  

I'm happy to have my laptop back from the shop and working properly again.  It was locking up and I couldn't stay online for long.

It's embarrassing to admit, but they told me the main thing wrong was that it was just a lot of cat hair inside clogging it up.  It was getting so hot and noisy, I'm surprised it worked as long as it did.  Anyway, all is well now and I feel like I have a new laptop!

I don't have a clue who that person is in the photo above.  BG and I were sitting on a bench opposite them and we were people-watching and this pose got me to giggling and I had to snap a pic.  I think it was the shorts.  :)

What I'm noticing a lot these days is that everyone seems to be wearing black socks as opposed to the white that we used to see all the time.  Is this a new trend?  Not that it really matters to me, I won't be wearing them.  I do love my new black Skechers flipflops, though!

I've been so hungry lately and want to eat everything in sight.  Do you ever have those days?  Well, it's time to stop that and start eating more salads and healthy foods. 

Almost forgot to mention Easter!  We had a nice day and drove to the halfway diner, as I call it, to meet our son for dinner.  He was home for a visit the weekend before and couldn't come in this time.  I forgot to take a photo of my plate like I usually do.  

As you have surmised by now, nothing too exciting has been going on here.  Unless you think getting a pedicure for the first time this year is exciting.  Or taking the car in for an oil change and tire rotation and waiting for 2 1/2 hours is exciting.  Or finally getting the laptop cleaned up and workable again, now that was exciting, at least to me. 

Now it's time to finish up the laundry and get the vacuum out.  Another exciting day at Pond Hollow!  :)  Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, I'll have some new photos to share next time. 

Happy Thursday to you!
xo Cheryl 

Ponderings at Pond Hollow

This a part of the view looking from my kitchen window.  I spend a little time here each day gazing out at the backyard and the Back 6.  The pond isn't as far away as it appears to be in the photo. 

I do love living here in our humble little cottage on our little acreage which we call Pond Hollow.  Living on the edge of town gives us a bit of the country which we love.  I can see all kinds of critters in the back, watch the changing seasons, and see numerous varieties of birds. 

 ~photo from 2 years ago, looking left from the kitchen window~

Sometimes those critters aren't always what you want to see.  We've had many outside kitties disappear over the years and we're afraid a predator  may have gotten our Callie.  She has been missing nearly 4 weeks now.

I ponder why there have to be such predators that will kill innocent kittens and grown kitties, too.   Then my thoughts turn to those human predators who think nothing of strapping on bombs to kill innocent people.  And chop off heads or throw people off tall buildings. 

And we are to think that if we just love these people that all will be okay?  Just let anyone and everyone come into our country and love them and all will be okay?  I can't begin to imagine how anyone really believes that. 

Often, I ponder how much influence the media has on people and how much those that distort the truth and tell outright lies will have to answer for.  I'm so weary of the non-stop Trump bashing and not only him, but his family and team and also almost everyone who voted for him.

I feel sorry for those who only read or listen to certain news outlets that are so blatantly anti-Trump.  They never hear of the many things he has accomplished in his short time in office.  They (the MSM) don't want anyone to know.  They will twist and turn the good news into bad if they possibly can or else they will ignore it altogether.  Does this mean that I think Trump is a perfect president?  No, of course not, no one has been or ever will be, to my knowledge.  But, he has certainly worked hard to fulfill the promises he made and has accomplished much so far.  I do feel that he truly loves this country as much as I do and wants to do what is best for us.

At the window, I make myself turn from those distressing thoughts to listening to the soothing voices of nature.  A faraway crow flying in search of something to feast on is singing his song.  I've always enjoyed hearing them.  A nearby tree frog, as we call them, is letting me know quite loudly that we will probably see rain soon.  He is almost always right, too. 

There will always be something to ponder or worry or be concerned about.  Meanwhile, I will continue to enjoy the beauty of nature at my kitchen window and turn my worries over to God who loves us so much that he sent his Son to the cross to die for our sins.  He rose on the third day and is now sitting by God's right hand in glory.  We will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ this coming Sunday and the wonderful promise of eternal life for all who believe in Him.  

I wish for you and yours a very happy and blessed Easter weekend!  

Love, Cheryl

Spring Brings Rain, Pretty Trees and Busy Days

Hello Blog Friends!  I'm still here.  This week has been a busy one and I've not been able to blog or visit as I'd like to.  I hope to visit soon.  BG and I are heading out to get our taxes done soon, so I thought I'd check in until time to go.

I have been enjoying seeing the beautiful flowering trees this spring when I've been out and about.  Redbud trees are my favorite, but these pretty trees in pink and white are a close second.  Not sure what they are so maybe someone can tell me.

We've had quite a bit of much needed rain this week.  Today is nice and sunny and it looks like we'll have a warm, dry weekend ahead. 

I had another shot in my eye this week.  It hurt a little more the first day than last time, but the second day was better than it was last time so that was a plus.  One more to go.  At least I hope that is all for awhile.  I do think it may be a bit better.  He said the fluid was gone.  

My daughter insisted on going with me to the eye clinic to drive me home.  I was happy to have her with me, but she wanted to go into the room and watch the procedure which might have not been a good idea because afterward she said that she was never having that done!  Well, you do what you have to do, right?  

Afterward all was done at the clinic, we treated ourselves to dinner at the Texas Roadhouse.  My meal was the Roadkill, which is chopped steak with mushrooms, onions and cheese.  Yum!  

My life is really just not all that newsworthy right now.  I'm busy with spring cleaning and the occasional road trip...to the grocery store or a doctor's office.  Such fun!  

I'm so ready for a trip to Branson.  BG and I are talking about it and after having dinner over the weekend with 3 other couples who were talking about traveling, we realized it has been about 6 months since we've been there.  That's too long!  Someone mentioned how wonderful the Moses production at the Sight and Sound Theatre in Branson was and I'm really wanting to see it.  

I'll be by to visit as soon as I can.  I know everyone is busy this time of year, too.  Take care and enjoy your weekend!

Happy Friday to you!
xo Cheryl      

We're Moving!

We found the ideal new home for us...it's in the country which we love...on 50 acres complete with a 10 acre lake.

It has a paved circular drive.  The house has 4 bedrooms, 4 baths and is over 4000 sq st.  It is beautiful!

This is the back and the windows on the northeast side look out on the beautiful lake.  

I do think it is a gorgeous property and the price has been reduced to a mere $799,000!  Why, BG and I couldn't wait to snap it up!  Don't you think we got a bargain?  

Well.....

APRIL FOOLS!!

To tell you the truth, I'm pretty content with my little rancher and our Back 6.  While the above home and grounds is gorgeous, it's too much to take care of at our age even if we had an extra million to spare.  ☺  

Frankly, I could also live in an older home (in good condition) much like Laura Ingalls Wilder's home in Mansfield, MO pictured here.  The minute I stepped inside her house when we visited there a few years ago, I immediately felt at home.  Maybe because it reminded me a bit of the farmhouse I lived in the first 9 years of my life until it burned down.  The house I live in now is very much like the house my dad had built to replace the farmhouse...a 3 bedroom ranch-style with basement.  

What style house do you prefer?  And have you April Fooled anyone today?

Happy Saturday to you!

xo Cheryl 

Marching On....

It feels like this month has been on fast-forward.  Are you like me and would occasionally like to be able to rewind?  Except for the past two days, which I'll explain in a few, I could redo this entire month.  I remember having a birthday and a few other days of note, but the entire month has just rushed by.  But then, don't they all?

My sweet little Callie hasn't returned home yet.  I'm still watching for her and praying she finds her way back.  It's been over a week now.  We do have a lot of predators in our neighborhood and raccoons that are not cat-friendly, so I'm worried I might not see her again.  I did put out her litter box and a pillow that she liked to sleep on and hoped the scent would lure her back.  The day that I opened the door and she slipped out is a day that I'd like to do over again.  

My daughter took me out to a Mexican eatery one evening recently.  We both had the El Toriado, not sure that's spelled correctly.  This is our new favorite dish.  Shrimp, beef, chicken, and bacon over a bed of rice with queso...it was oh, so good!

I longed for a meal like this or even just a plain bologna (yuck) sandwich Monday evening.  Yesterday, I was having fun at the Big Town having a colonoscopy.  Which means I was having even more fun Monday drinking a gallon of the tasty (ugh!) mixture that...well, you know what it does.  I have to say, pun intended, that I'm glad to have all that behind me!  

The doctor found 3 polyps and thinks they are okay, but I'll know for sure by the end of the week.  I had a polyp removed 10 years ago and was supposed to go back in 5 years.  I have to admit being a chicken about doing this procedure even though I wasn't aware of a thing he did.  Anyway, I won't wait that long again and encourage everyone to not be like me.  

Other than having to drink the nasty stuff and running to the bathroom all the time, the procedure itself isn't really that bad.  My favorite part of the day, other than hearing that everything looked pretty good, was going with BG to the Golden Corral where I shamelessly pigged out.  ☺

This photo is from last year.  Our skies haven't been that pretty lately.  It's been gray and rainy, but I'm not complaining.  We've needed the rain.  The redbuds have started blooming and I'm going to have to take a few day trips and admire the scenery.  Yes.  Have to.  Next to fall, spring is my favorite time of year when the redbuds are in bloom.  

And if you are thinking...ha, she'll do anything to keep from having to purge/declutter, that is true!  But isn't spring blooming all around us a good excuse to get out and about and enjoy this special time of year?  I think so.  

For my blogging friends who live where spring hasn't yet made an appearance, I will close with a favorite quote:

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn."

~Hal Borland

Happy Wednesday to you!

xo Cheryl

Show and Tell(ing)

Last Friday, I stopped in at a church rummage sale in the Big Town and right away spotted a pair of white wicker rockers.  Knowing my daughter has been wanting to find some wicker furniture for her deck, I made a beeline to the chairs and grabbed the tag before anyone else.  Then, I looked them over.

I'm learning that when you think you might want something at these type of sales, you should just pick it up or take the tag and then check it over closely before deciding.  Otherwise, you might miss out!

A lot of people were there and...let me say this nicely...they were quickly snatching things up as if it were a Black Friday sale.

I found the chairs to be in pretty good shape with a only a few little broken pieces of wicker here and there.  The cushions were like new with tags still on that said $30.  The one cushion in the photo above looks like it has a tear, but it is just a loose piece of paper.  

So, for only $25 for the pair...yes, for both...and after texting my daughter who said she loved them, I made my way to the checkout with the tag and asked them to hold the chairs until the next day so I could get BG to go with me in the truck to pick them up.

On Saturday we headed to the Big Town and stopped and ate a late breakfast and then picked up the chairs.  Then we went by Lowe's for a new tire for the riding lawnmower as it's about time to start mowing and a few pine boards for a project I have in mind to make.  Yeah, I know...I have too many projects going.  ☺  We also stopped by a new shop that looks like they'll have new and used consignment items and spotted a yellow wicker rocker that was also a bit used.  Price?  $125.  I think the white wicker was a good deal! 

One little project outside I need to do is spray paint the clothesline poles again.  Does anyone even have clotheslines outside anymore?  Well, I do have a neighbor that hangs her sheets out on the line.  I saw them just yesterday when I was outside picking up some fallen limbs.  I always loved the fresh smell of sheets just off the line, but I just don't hang them out much any longer.  Do you? 

Now, to tell on myself....

After blogging for nearly 8 years, I am still far behind everyone else when it comes to knowing the ins and outs.  Isn't it called the Dashboard where we go to click on New Post to write a new one?  Anyway, I seldom visit this page unless I'm changing my header or writing a new post.

Imagine my surprise when I scrolled down the list of my posts and see that some of my older ones of a few months ago have 700, 800, even 900 hits and one had 1200!  How does that happen?  Usually I'll get around 200 or so lurkers looks, but just a fraction leave a comment.  I can't say much because I've been guilty of doing just that myself...peeking in and leaving.  Usually because of lack of time or others have said the same thing in comments that I would say.  No excuse, that's just the way it is.  I'll try to do better, because we all love comments, don't we?  

The other thing that I never think to do is look at the Reading List.  I found several bloggers that I had lost touch with when their blogs had disappeared from my list on my sidebar last year.  I will be visiting them soon and hopefully they will still want to be friends.  :)

I don't like to leave on a sad note, but our calico kitty is missing.  Callie slipped out the door Saturday evening and we haven't been able to find her.  I am hoping and praying that she'll find her way home and doesn't get run over or hurt.

Happy Spring to you!
xo Cheryl

Another Year Older

"Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened."   ~ Jennifer Yane

 

Another year older...I really can't believe how fast the years are flying by now.

How is it that when you get older your knees hurt, your back hurts, but your head still feels like it's thirtysomething?  ☺
 
I am thankful that God has given me this many years, I am very blessed.   

Our son met us for a birthday dinner Sunday at our usual meeting place along I-70 between his home in KC and ours.  He gave me the magazines pictured above and a nice gift card.  He knows what I like!  We had a lovely meal and visit.

 

Our daughter went out with BG and I for my birthday dinner.  Then we stopped by her house for strawberry cake and DQ ice cream.  Yum, yum!  Her gift was a stack of very cleverly made cards with a gift card tucked inside one of them. 

I laughed at this card because she was the child who would hide from me in the middle of a clothes rack at the store!  lol! 

 

Thank you to my sweet family for making my birthday so special!  And thank you to my dear friend, V, who hasn't forgotten my birthday in over 50 years!  

                                    💮 💮 💮 💮 💮 💮 💮 💮 💮 💮

Remember the blue and white checked sofa that I saw in a flea market?  Well, BG and I took the truck to the shop last weekend with the intentions of buying it if it was still there.  And it was...but on closer inspection, we decided it wasn't quite sturdy or comfortable enough. 

It's back to purging, cleaning out closets, and deciding what to keep and what to get rid of.  One thing about getting older...I am finding out that I'm growing less nostalgic than I used to be and it's becoming easier to give up things that I don't especially love but have hung onto because a loved one gave it to me.  I used to feel that I was throwing a bit of that person away if I didn't keep everything they gave me.  Maybe I am getting wiser along with growing older.

Now that colder weather has returned, I've been fixing some comfort foods.  I'll share a recipe we love that only needs a side salad and some hot bread to go along with it.

Dinner in the Oven - Chicken and Stove Top Stuffing

1 pkg Stove Top Stuffing Mix, chicken flavored

1 2/3 cup hot water

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup sour cream 

1 can cream of chicken soup

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Add hot water to stuffing mix and stir.  (I add a 

teaspoon of chicken base to the hot water.)

Place chicken pieces in bottom of 9x13-inch baking

dish.  Mix soup and sour cream together and pour

over chicken pieces.  Spoon stuffing over the top.

Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until done.

Enjoy the rest of your week!
xo Cheryl

~"She says she's busy, but not too busy to pull that camera out of her pocket and point it at us!"~

Hello, blog friends!  It's a busy month so far.  My online time has been short so far this week and I've decided to just take a little blog break.  My comments are closed as I might not have time to visit in return.  I'll be back soon!  

xo Cheryl

Flea Market Fun and Other Stuff

Thank you for all the encouraging words and well wishes for my eye problem.  It really was a bit discouraging to hear that I had the beginnings of macular degeneration setting in.  I'm hopeful that the shots will take care of the annoying spot I'm seeing in the center of my vision.  The good news today is that it seems like the spot is already getting better, but maybe that is just because it's sunny and everything seems bright even in the house.  :)

Remember when country blue was all the rage?  I've always loved blue and years ago I had light country blue wallpaper in my kitchen, navy blue wallpaper in the bathroom and a dark blue sofa in the living room.  Hearts were all over the place.  I still have a pine cabinet with the heart-shaped cutouts in the doors. 

The sofa I found above at a flea market/antique shop this week caught my eye.  I would have loved it years ago, the pillows would have to go, tho.  The sofa is still in very good condition and very clean.  The asking price is $279.  There is a love seat to match, but I didn't check the price on it.  It may be an outdated fabric, but still a good buy.  I'm wondering how it would look downstairs, but it'll probably be gone by the time I go back.  Our sofa downstairs is a faux leather and has seen better days.  

 
This is one of my favorite booths at this shop.  The owner was there rearranging and adding new merchandise.  She was so excited.  She and her hubby were leaving this weekend to fly to California where her daughter is awaiting the birth of her first child.  The daughter is 42 and has been married 18 years and finally became pregnant after almost giving up on ever having a child.  Such a happy story! 

 ~another section of the booth above~

My favorite guy and I are going out to eat tonight.  We're taking our daughter along because we both want to stop in at Hobby Lobby and a few other places.  I don't think BG is too excited about that, but he'll survive.  :)

Tomorrow, we're planning to work on the part of our business building that isn't currently rented out.   It needs a little repair so we can get it ready either to rent or do something with it ourselves.  

Any ideas for a small business in a small town and one that doesn't require a lot of overhead?  Not a lot to ask, is it?  ☺  We can't sell food there as it isn't big enough for a lot of customers at once and the parking is limited.

Our children both had a good work week, better than was previously anticipated.  BG and I are happy when our children are happy.  Our daughter is going geocaching tomorrow with her friend.  She went last weekend with him and they had great fun.  Ever done this?  Our son and his girl has and also thought it was fun, too.  They will be going to watch her kids play basketball tomorrow.  It looks to be a fun, busy weekend for all of us.  Hope yours is, too!

Happy Friday to you!

xo Cheryl

Hello, March!

Time is indeed marching on.  It seems like only a few short weeks ago that I was putting away my holiday decor and taking the tree down and here it is March already. 

Before we know it, we'll be seeing the redbud trees in bloom, one of my very favorite springtime delights.  We've already had daffodils and forsythia blooming. 

February ended here with a storm blowing through complete with wind, hail and rain.  We were also under a tornado watch for a few hours.  We are very dry here and our pond is the lowest I remember ever seeing, but this rain didn't do too much to fill it.   

As has happened the past few years, all of the things that I promised myself that I would get done during the winter months...haven't.  If there were contests for procrastinating, I would surely take the top prize.

I'm happy my daughter didn't take    

after me in that department.  She has been busy fixing up her new home.  She cut strips of fabric and tied them on the rod to make a valance for her kitchen window.  It turned out to be a bit more time-consuming than she thought it would be, but once done it looked very cute.  

 ~the wall color here didn't photograph well, it almost matches the frame of the mirror~

Next, she took some old cafe doors that I bought several years ago at a flea market and never did anything with (that procrastinating problem again) and painted them with some watered-down paint left over from the guest bedroom and hung them beside her new mirror hanging in the kitchen.  I really like this.  Do you think she'd be upset if I asked for them back?  ha!

Now about my eye....

I got to sit in this chair Monday to see my ophthalmologist.  When I was taken to the exam room, I snapped a quick photo and sat down.  I then noticed the sign on the wall that said "Please don't use your cell phone in this room" and went OOPS!  

So what's wrong with my eyes?  Well, I'll try to be as brief as I can.  I had been seeing a round dime-sized (if it was held away from your eye) circle that appeared white when it was dark and a light gray in daylight.  In my left eye.  I could see everything fine with both eyes, but it seemed at times that the spot would block out the center of my vision.

  

After being examined by 2 doctors and having tests plus a retina test, they told me that I have the start of macular degeneration in that eye.  Sometimes new blood vessels form there and they will often leak fluid.  That fluid formed the spot I am seeing.  

The good news is that there was something they could do to help that, but the bad news is that it came in form of a shot in the eye.  Yikes.  He asked me if I wanted it done right then and there.  I said now?  I mean, he doesn't know what a chicken I am when it comes to these things that involve pain!  

Well, I put on my big girl pants and said yes before I lost my nerve and got up and ran out the door.  He numbed my eye with a few drops and the younger doctor held a plastic thingy on my eye to keep it open and then the needle was inserted and out before I knew it.

It was a bit uncomfortable, but not unbearable and not nearly as bad as I feared it would be.  I felt like I had some sand in my eye the rest of the night, but it went away by morning.  

If I rub my eye, it hurts slightly and you can see a red spot where the needle went in.  Other than that, it feels fine.  

I have to have this procedure done 2 more times, once a month.  I'm not sure what this will do to make the spot go away, I didn't ask enough questions apparently.  Just so it goes away!  

Have you ever had a shot in your eyes?  If not, and at some point you are told it is needed....don't fear.  It really wasn't so bad.

Happy March and Happy Wednesday to you!

xo Cheryl