IN Carmel

 Well, today was different once again.  A big difference has been a feeling of well being mentally and physically with surprising energy.  It's been sort of crazy feeling at least 20 years younger.  How does that work?                            Outside the kitchen window.  One little humming bird can usually be seen here. So a lot of things kept me busy.  Will tomorrow be a wash out.  I hope that's not the case.   There was knitting through out the day when it was time to take a break to do something different.  I'll finish another scarf tonight during the Fever game with Minn.  That will be a tough game.  There is one more game to play after tonight and it is once again with Minn.  How did that happen.  Minnesota is at the top of the league.  The Fever is fifth, maybe sixth.  Playoffs start Sunday.   So there was...

 Well, Monday started as it has for more years than I can number.  The though came after breakfast...what should I do next.  So I knitted for 15 minutes.  Then the sewing machine made many rounds around many markings.  I would say when I turned the machine off it had rounded 40 pieces of fabric totally 80 rounds.  Now there is a fact totally useless.  I was on a roll for sure.                                                               I think the Dahlia has reach it's zenith. I did a bit of Sunday paper reading for a while.  Watched a bit of television, fetched the paper in from the driveway holding an umbrella.  Yes...there was a lot of rain that came our way.   I watched the clock knowing I would be out and about at some point.  When th...

 Another good church day.  North always makes them good in many ways.  It felt like I was home again.   But first the morning stuff.  It was up again with what can I do talking in my head.  So I did do something.  I had one more group of burps to put together so that happened.  Four 10's are ready for sewing.  I spotted this swallowtail in the patio garden along with more cats eating away on a pot of parsley. But even before that around 6 when the peepers flew open, I started working on the last part of the soup.  I mixed everything together with the stick blender.  Then heated some adding some potato flakes for thickening pouring all together.  There are four containers full of super tomato soup some ready for the freezer and some for friends.  I must admit the smell through out the house was awesome.  Taste?  My taste buds are OFF!.  That has been for a while.  I'll take the smell over the taste ...

                                                                 The star of the garden right now. From where I sit, today was a bit different in a positive way.  And here's why.  Today I felt like I did a few months ago with a lot of get up and go energy.  Yes, I've stayed busy as you well know but this time mentally and physically I was ready to go.  And go I did.                                                          Fresh Dahlias at the kitchen sink. Just like Kathy does! This time of the year is what I call time to clean up the garden.  The Black Eyed Susan's are starting to lean over.  ...

                                                         More seed Dahlias.  Pretty in their simplicity. Yikes!  I had enough to do today.  Maybe enough for two days.  So here goes the day.  Up not so early but early enough.  Since there was some important stuff to do at I U North I could not eat breakfast after 6:30.  So happy to say there was 15 minutes to eat before breakfast needed to be over.   So it was yogurt with a little more yogurt.  And the of course knitting.  I finished another one.  One with a new kind of yarn which created a soft scarf.  Maybe one I'll keep.  Who knows until I decide.  I was off to guess where.  I U North for the six month Pet Scan and it happened.  It's a whole body scan.  Well almost to see what's ...

 The day started very early once again for no good reason.  It just did that all by itself.  I was up entertaining myself with knitting. The thought occurred to me that learning to knit during days set aside for studying before finals at college during my sophomore year is now the only skill I'm using these day.  My roommate taught me and I loved it.  So I knitted for a while stopping every now and then to do nerve stretching among other exercises.   My big important event during the morning was a stop at I U North this morning...the third visit for the week with one more to go.  It was time for my monthly two cancer shots which seem to come every 2 1/2 weeks.  It just seems that way.  I love visiting my helper friends at the hospital.  A month whizzes by faster than I can believe.   This afternoon Doug made his monthly visit for his iron shot with the same ladies at I U North.  He also has some doctor visits as ...

                                                         The best of all friends but still a funny puppy, Arnie. If anyone has a handle on when the temperature will moderate, let me know.  I don't need a guess.  I want the truth as Edith Ann would say.                                                     More Dahlias from Dahlia Hill, Midland Michigan. I had a rather acceptable sleep and was awake at 6.  That's acceptable.  So it was a slow get up with breakfast, the paper and then things did a change.   It's September and time to think about cleaning up the garden.  This morning I started.  It's Big Blue Truck day and there...

 If you read the blog before 9 o'clock last night, you might have missed some beautiful Dahlias.  Check back if that is the case.  When something needs to be done...why does it always keep me awake in the middle of the night when done is impossible to do.  I slept well in Michigan where it was really impossible to do done. I had left it in Indiana. That was wonderful. Dilemmas should be put on the shelf impossible to reach.  Anyway first thing this morning was to get the blood test that was such a hassle yesterday just impossible to do. . And that happened at 7:30 with super results of the test coming my way on the Portal by 9 am.  All is pretty good and the medicine can be started again for three weeks.  Yeah.  Today is starting well.  Now let it continue.  I made sure the new blooms of the Dahlias were clipped and arranged for the house.  I texted pictures to my sister who has broken two spots in her pelvis a few days ago....

 Back home again in Indiana.  Carmel to be more exact.  We left the kids around 9:20 and I was the driver.  A new experience for both of us.  I did about 2/3s of the drive and Doug did the rest.  It's a good thing to split this job between the two of us.  Nothing much happened on the drive except what I call one big exception.  While driving I spotted two deer by the road side.  Now the Mi. Russell's have hit more than their share of deer with more than their share of car repairs.  Jacob score is three.  He has the biggest number.   I slowed way down having seen them pretty far ahead.  Then one darted across the road waiting till I was nearer from one corn field to another.  The other one turned back but then decided to follow the first one.  I anticipated that so all the bad stuff was adverted.  It helps to think like a deer...MAYBE! So back home around 3:30 but then directly it was off to I U North fo...

  Yes...Sunday in Michigan.  It's been full and fun.  Up early as usual with a lot of visiting until it was time to leave for church in Midland.  The ministers messages have not disappointed and today once again a great message was given to those worshipping at Midland Free Methodist Church.   Then off to do the usual and that's to two pizza shops for take out pizza.  And then onward to home.  That has been a tradition for a very, very long time.   I did another walk around the gardens again taking more pictures to carry home with me.  And that happened on an upgrade in iPhones.  I now have Eli's former phone with Eli getting a hand me down from Kimmy who got a new phone.   Then we were on to Dahlia Hill to see some knock out Dahlias.  That trip is a must do trip when we visit in the fall.  The Dahlias were beginning to open but not all.  Maybe half for today.  They are beautiful and you see some p...

Saturday with the young folks is different then Saturday with the old folks. That is not exactly correct. It's a whole lot different. So with a short memory of how it happened a few years ago...Here goes what today was like.                                     Waiting for the parade to start. My pockets are full of candy sevener's. I can say as I usually do that I sleep better in Michigan then at home.  The new reason...Nothing here is waiting for me to do.  Could that be true? Not sure but that's the current theory as of today.  We at some point were all up.  Adam is such a sound sleeper that his alarm went for an hour before he woke up.  Now everyone else was sleeping as well with one exception.  When he did wake up he was soon off to work for another long day.  He works many long days. We were off to T. Hortons for doughnuts and then to th...