Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Lakeside

 You can rarely go wrong with spending time at a beach -
and, for me, it doesn't matter whether the beach is in IL or WI.
(Although truth be told, 
I prefer a beach on the Atlantic Ocean but, 
when you're stranded so far inland, 
you take what you can get.)


We celebrated my brother in law and his wifes 80th birthdays this weekend,
with family gathering both in their hometown (Evanston)
AND at their second home in WI (Algoma);
both locations on the shores of Lake Michigan.

The weather was perfect -
even a bit chilly in WI.
 
There was laughter, some tears, lots of family
and more food than any 12 people needed!!
 It's been so chilly in WI that its still basically spring -
and it was incredible to see plants in the garden flowering
so far behind our season in St Louis.

 
 
But being together was the main focus -
and sharing space for an extended period of time 
gave us lots of opportunities to enjoy catching up.



I loved everyone that joined us -
and love and missed those who couldn't be there.

THIS is what family looks like.

Meanwhile, back home, a little girl discovered her big brother - 
and it was magic.



Be still my heart!

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Time travel

Where did the month go?

There's been a:

 *graduation - from preschool - and a trip to the Magic House
*visits from family to meet the baby
*a hospitalization - for a baby, always concerning - 
but, luckily with a good outcome and no need for further visits.
*surgery - cataract removal
*a trip to Michigan
and the usual summer life of gardening, reading
and creating small pieces of 'art' which keeps me off the streets 
and out of stores.

I've completed months of physical therapy, 
with an improvement in mobility and decreased pain,
for which I'm VERY grateful.

Life might, in fact, be getting 'nearly' back to normal
after a full year of me being a professional patient!

I'm going to let pictures speak for themselves.


 

OK, so academics might not be his strong suit!
ALL graduations are tedious affairs, even baby ones.

I even found 3 Petosky stones "in the wild" - 
the state stone AND ancient fossils.
 My home away from home.
and my hosts and partners in crime.
What would a road trip be without a roadside attraction?










It's summer; it's hot;
political nonsense still roils around and sucks WAAYY too much oxygen
out of our system.

I still have decorative vestiges around from a more innocent time,
and saying "It's complicated" doesn't begin to do my feelings justice.

But that's where I'm leaving it for now.
Well, sort of.
If you need me, 
I'll be in the garden trying to keep the jungle from winning!