This and That This Week :^)

First there's Mattie. Now 2 years old, here at 8 weeks old from the streets of Aruba, as sweet as can be even while she holds tight her DNA warnings about jittery sounds and strangers who approach our house. The highlight of her day is the 2 pm arrival of Steve the Mail Person, who without fail brings her a cookie no bigger than the size of my smallest finger. But don't tell Mattie that: she squeals with pure joy when she senses Steve's approaching. And at 9 am every morning either JB or I takes her to the local dog park, where she growls and nudges and runs with both her friends and enemies. I am convinced the human species would be better off with tails and honest growls. We'd know what to expect from each other.

Yes this is a boring photo--a bland door. But to me it's the separation of our master bedroom and my 'office,' complete finally, with privacy for the futon that sometimes someone might be sleeping on. It's taken me a year to get this little wall built and JB isn't happy about it--she loved the expanse across the room. The compromise happens when the door stays open because we can still see the water peek of the bay a block away. 

Today two heavy boxes arrived, brought by a slight man who struggled mightily to get those boxes on our porch. I felt bad for him, "They should have sent a stronger man than me," he told me, this nice man who looked like he'd just run a marathon, lugging those boxes.   

Inside is an armoire for me, which our friend Raul will assemble on Friday. The armoire will go to the left of the door and I will be a happy lucky duck about it all.

I had to buy paper towels. I went to the grocery store and picked up a six pack, a regular, plain white, simple package of paper towels. There are chuckles in the household because somehow I brought home THESE paper towels!

And finally, last night, after several days of fun summer company, JB and I collapsed on the couch. I don't think much more needs to be said about this photo.

It's still summer and the sun's been out all week and I'm still walking better and that's that in a nutshell.  

Wishing you much love,

kj

No Tease Am I :^)

My friend 8, you've motivated me to blog today. Honest, I'll be blogging more often. I'd like to know that my photos will upload and my comments will publish but I'm taking my chances that the technology and blogger gods have decided to go easy on me.

This first photo is my newly designed side yard. It was a gift by two very talented people who know how to do "hardscape"--laying down paths and decks and installing arbors and trellises and leveling the ground including topsoil. JB and I fed these two fine people (Jeannie and her brother Craig)  for the 3 plus days it took for them to start and finish, and we are so grateful. I had an awesome time justifying spending a few hundred dollars buying shrubs and plants, and I'm shocked and sad to say, even though I consider myself a gardener, most have not been successful! The alliums are flacidly limp and the honey suckle stopped flowering. I'm bummed. But I'm also determined. Bring it on, next year!

So my back problem has limited me from just about everything. For a year JB had to drive me to the front door of a restaurant and let me lean on her so I could hobble inside. But no more! I have a way to go, but I'm on the mend. I can walk without pain, and my rehabilitative reputation in the neighborhood has included painting this wall. This photo shows about 2/3 of it. For the last week, I've been out by 7 am painting. First coat finished, second coat almost finished. This is like winning an award to me. PROGRESS! (This picture is before I started, FYI)

We expect to have a fine summer here on Cape Cod. Friends are coming and each of our grandkids is coming separately, ages 12, 10, 8, and 6. They'll each stay for 3 nights and 4 days and we'll do pretty much whatever they want! This includes dessert first. It also includes this pool. JB and I have this saline pool available to us all summer, and it's one block from our house. I gotta tell you: it's heaven. A couple of hours of cooling down and then letting the sun dry us from a lounge chair is as good as it gets. This is also great exercise for me: I still don't know if I actually can swim but I've gotten better at doing whatever it is that I do.

And finally, that little speck of a person on the top left quadrant is my Jessica, zip lining in Sundance, Utah, in the midst of a work conference. I had no idea she's be brave enough to do this (I'm not, JB is) but I'm always so darn glad when I know she's happy, and she is. Did I already post about my Mother's Day present from her? I got an email from a place called "Storyworth." It told me every Monday Jess would send me a question via email, I would answer it each week by email however I wanted--long, short, photos, no limits--and they would send my answer to Jess. For the next 52 weeks. That was cool enough. But at the end of a year, they will give Jess an bound book of all her questions and all my answers. I'm over the moon about it because it's memorializing my life for when I'm no longer here. Questions so far: what was your grandfather like?, where did your family vacation?, what's your strongest memory from childhood? etc.  

Today is July 4th and I hope it rains tonight so President Trump['s takeover of the country's celebration is minimized. I'm as ever appalled, hoping he'll be replaced in 2020, shocked that I even have to hope.

I'll back, 8. I think I'm back. xoxo

love

kj