Thursday, May 16, 2024 Sunny Breezy Warm Pretty 78 Degrees 2:52 p.m.

I am enjoying the sunny afternoon. The birds have been singing up a storm, making Sierra stop a nap and check what was going on outside. So nice to see the sun with no puddles around. We must enjoy it while it lasts. Rain predicted for tomorrow.

A quiet day around here. I have been working out a good spot for the Electric Elliptical Trainer. So far I haven’t found the perfect spot. I am about to decide that is will be going under the craft table in the craft room or under Tina’s desk in the living room. The cord is short so there isn’t much choice of how to place it for watching TV. My puzzle for the day.

I just saw a tiny lizard crawl by on the walk in front of the door. It sure was a tiny little thing. Sierra missed that. About a month ago I saw a larger, fat lizard. I don’t know where he came from but since I haven’t seen him again I believe he moved on down the road. I hope.

We have a lot of Rock Doves around here. there are a pair that can be found in our yard all day, just walking back and forth, looking for worms, seeds, etc. They don’t seem to bother anything, even the other birds. I haven’t seen where their nest is, but am thinking it might be up in the cedar tree, o in one of the neighbor’s bushes.

Like I said, not much going on around here today. I shall now go finish my search for a home for the Trainer, then dinner.

Quote of the day: “Giving encouragement to others is a most welcome gift, for the results of it are lifted spirits, increased self-worth, and a hopeful future.” Florence Littauer, 1928 , American Speaker, Writer.

Have a great rest of your Thursday. Make it a spectacular, interesting, adventurous, and fun day.

Blessings

Wednesday, May 15, 2024 Cloudy, Possible Rain Showers Cool 63 Degrees 11:05 a.m.

While lying in bed, reading a good Guide Post mystery book last night, the Thunder rolled! The lightening lit up the room! I quickly placed the book mark in the book, placed the book and glasses on the night stand, lowered the bed, turned off the light and snuggled down to enjoy the storm. I learned last week that when thunder roars, to lower the bed. The power went off and I was stuck in an almost sitting position, and the remote doesn’t work without power.

This morning there isn’t to much activity outside in our front yard. There are two squirrels who are playing and hunting for the bird seed the birds knock out of the bird feeders. The chipmunk is scurrying around hunting his breakfast in nearly the same area as the squirrels. He is so busy and tiny, and is as much fun to watch as the squirrels. The birds are very busy singing, chirping and getting their food for the morning..They have a lot to sing and talk about this morning. Shadow has taken his master for a walk already.

The laundry got completed yesterday so today is just the normal household duties. This evening is Crafts at church. I am prepared as I will do the same thing this evening that I did last week and the week before. WE only meet for an hour so there isn’t much time to sit anything up and work on it, before you have to pack it away again. I think we mostly visit as no one gets a great deal done on their projects. It is fun to visit and enjoy each others company for an hour. I heard that we have a new lady joining our group this evening so that will be nice. We currently have three regular and it would be nice to have a few more.

I am thinking Spanish Rice for dinner, with a veggie and salad. That sounds simple and nourishing. There will be leftovers for Tina to take to work tomorrow. Tomorrow night I may fix drumsticks in the air fryer. Friday I am thinking salmon patties. I don’t plan for the weekend as I never know what we are doing.

Quote of the day: “You find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people. Why not make an honest effort to confer that pleasure on others? Half the battle is gained if you never allow yourself to say anything gloomy.” Lydia Marie Child, 1802 -1880. American Abolitionist, writer.

Have a great Wednesday. Make it a cheerful, kind, positive and fun day.

Blessings

Tuesday, May 14, 2024 Cloudy Slight breeze Rain expected 69 Degrees 1:46 p.m.

A calm day, so far. The weather lady said that we might get rain this afternoon and we might also experience strong thunderstorms, hail, and high winds. Power outages possible. Thursday is supposed to be a pretty day, the rest of the week rain is predicted. This is spring in East Tennessee, and all over the USA.

With the thought of possible power outages I decided to do the laundry and get that all done this morning. Then, I had a case of small water bottles to take upstairs and divided between Tina’s room and mine, and put away. Now, the laundry is done and I am considering what to fix for dinner. I am considering either chicken fried rice or chicken chow mien. Trader Joe’s makes both very well.

Tina is still excited over the new car. She was looking for the button to open the glove compartment this morning. She had to find it on the monitor, then touch that button. She said it just magically opened. Yesterday, when she was coming home, it rained a little and the windshield wipers came on automatically. At the correct speed. I believe that car is going to spoil her rotten. She will come home, turn on the TV or go to the computer and look for the screen that tells her what to press for whatever she wants…. A glass of ice water, her slippers, etc.

Nothing more exciting going on in the neighborhood today. Shadow has walked his person twice, Sierra has been carefully keeping tabs on the chipmunk that finally made an appearance. It has been running between the Dogwood tree and the front door area. I am not sure where its home is, but I think under the house closer to Bill’s front door. It is sure cute. I think it comes and gets birdseed that has been dropped by the birds.

Quote of the day: “The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, The figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes. Because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.” Audrey Hepburn 1929 – 1993. Belgian Actor. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. 1Peter 3:4 The Message

Have a great rest of your Tuesday. Make it a day filled with kindness, patience, accomplishments, and fun.

Blessings

Monday, May 13, 2024 Cloudy Slight breeze Cool 56 Degrees 9:01 a.m.

A cloudy Monday morning, cool, but nice. The birds are out singing and having several conversations among themselves. So far I haven’t seen the squirrel or the chipmunk this morning. The may have been up early and collected their food for the day, or haven’t gotten around to “shopping” for the days meals as yet. They are as busy as the birds, and fun to watch.

The weekend was full and interesting, educational, busy, and fun. Tina and I tried out the “Hole In The Wall” cafe. The waitress said that it had been open for 4 weeks. Julie’s husband mentioned it to Julie as some of his coworkers said that it had pretty good food. It is nice to have another breakfast place in Oak Ridge as there aren’t many here.

From there we went to Knoxville and found a place to get our hair cut. Normally Dottie cuts our hair but she is recuperating from her broken ankle. She said that she could do it as she has the boot on that foot and can stand. We prefer that she not stand to cut our hair until her ankle heals completely. I know that life is hard when one can’t do all the things one wants to do, and is use to doing. She has her car but can’t drive because of the boot. So many things we take for granted that throw us for a loop when we can’t do them.

Next we went to the Tesla dealership as Jerry kept saying that we should make an appointment to see and test the car. So we were close to where the dealership is and thought we might as well check it out and see for ourselves what it was. Neither of us were to enthused as we have heard so many people being held up by the batteries needing charging when on a trip or just when driving around. Plus having to install a special charging station at home, etc.

WE didn’t need to make an appointment. The sales person was very pleasant, kind, informative, and helpful. We test drove one, then asked a million more questions, He showed us so many features that were on the positive side and very few on the negative side. After several more questions and instructions, Tina signed on the dotted line. WE now have a Tesla Y. Four door and comfortable. I am very pleased as the safety features are many and good. Tina can now, with the help of all the cameras, see any car approaching from either side, coming up behind, and how close she is to the car in front of her. The monitoring screen is large enough to show her everything she needs to see and know. The car has a great many features that help with being aware of what is going on around the car including cars entering from a side street or an animal approaching out of the forest (we have many here all over the place), It shows when the signal light are red, green or yellow, gently slows to a stop when approaching the lights, and has warning signals, tones, beeps, or something in between when it senses a problem ahead. She can now back up with no problem as the backup camera has lines that she is to stay in and shows her the distance between anything on the right, left or behind. And, I believe it can do that automatically and even park automatically. It is very safety oriented which makes me happy.

That car is like a SUV in that it has plenty of room for legs both in the back seat and front seat. The storage spaces in that car are awesome. The seats are adjustable, bit front and back, with heated seat ability in all as well as the steering wheel. You have air conditioning controls in the back as well as the front and each can control how they want to temperature to be. From what I can determine, they have taken ideas from all cars dating back to at least the 1950’s to the present, added new technology and made a car that is appropriate for everyone. Yes, the battery is a bit of a concern, but as it is right now, we can plug it in , in the carport at the outlet there and let it charge overnight. It will be ready to go in the morning. She won’t have to do that every night as the charge will go for about 320 miles. If traveling, we can out in our destination and the cat will tell us where every charging station is that we need to stop at to recharge. Those charging stations are fast charge places. Not bad, I don’t think.

Mother’s Day was wonderful. We enjoyed a relaxing morning with our coffee and watching the birds, playing with Sierra and chatting. Sierra gave Tina the fingertip-less copper infused gloves and a small ceramic white cat with a fake plant in ti. Tina gave me an electric Elliptical Trainer. So nice. Of course, it is for both of us to use. Then shower and dressed and off to church. Church was great, as usual, with a message about Hannah, in the book of Samuel, and her desire to have a child. So good. It is amazing that back in her day things were a lot like in our day….different but the same. The Mom’s in attendance received a prettily decorated cupcake, choice of chocolate, lemon or white. So very nice and thoughtful. And good! A way to a woman’s waistline.

After church we headed for Knoxville to pick up Dottie. I got in the back seat so she could experience riding in the front seat and see all the things on the monitor . She enjoyed it a lot, I think. Very new and different for all of us. From her place we headed for Jerry and Tammy’s. We were greeted warmly by five happy and welcoming dogs. The the two humans that share the home greeted us. We received flowers, so pretty, and a surprise. Jerry and Tammy announced that they had won the lottery! We, Dottie, Tina and I stood their with our mouths open! Jerry proceeded to tel us to open our Mother’s day cards, as they wanted to share their win with us. Every year at this time The Great Smoky Mountains holds a Firefly Viewing Lottery, with just so many winners. Jerry and Tammy entered the Lottery and won a place . We go to the Smoky Mountain Firefly Viewing on Friday, June 7th. That is so exciting as the event is said to be breathtaking. More on that after the event.

Dinner was ribs, pulled pork, rolls, a to die for broccoli salad, baked beans and for desert a lemon pie/cake that was so very good. A filling and cheerful meal with great company. One couldn’t ask for more. It was such a fun and blessed day.

Today is back to normal. Tina is at work, I am doing the daily chores and enjoying the sun that just peeked out. My Echo is saying possible rain. The plants can use the watering. God is good to keep his plants going.

Quote of the day: “In a world where there is so much to be done, I felt strongly impressed that there must be something for me to do.” Dorothea Dix, 1802-1887, American Humanitarian and reformer.

Have a great Monday. Make it a productive, Positive, Peaceful, and fun day.

Blessings