Teresa, Gigi, and I left Greensburg at 9am and headed to the Pittsburgh Botanical Gardens. She had been there, but I never had been. It was a sunny day but cooler temperatures and a nice breeze. I am always awed by the skyline going into the city. Gigi, however, not so much!

There were so many things to see – we did not even get to see everything. So that means another trip! Once we walked through the welcome center, we took a break to eat a few bites of apple and give Gigi a drink. We headed first up to the meadow.

Flowers in the meadow.

Next we walked down to the pond. Several ladies had easels set up and were painting with water colors. There were lots of stones, water lilies, stepping stones and a bridge. We stopped here and had lunch, and Gigi took a break.

From there we walked through a second meadow with a bookworm glen – even saw a dear run across the path.

On the way to the car we saw the little homestead cabin, and the resident chickens. There was a family with kids that were feeding the chickens.

We got home about 2:30pm and missed all the heavy Pittsburgh traffic. It was a fun day, and I’m thinking we will go back next month! Lovely day!

One last note: Safe travels to Ron who is heading to PA from Florida!

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TOMORROW August 9th is:

National VEEP Day (look it up – interesting!); National Passion Fruit Day; National Rice Pudding Day; World Calligraphy Day; International Co-Working Day; National Book Loving Day.

Well, that’s an easy one. I LOVE BOOKS! Take time to read tomorrow, all day if necessary! God bless…

I woke up to a raging micro-burst of some sort. It was blowing sideways and the rain was pounding. My lantern blew off the deck table, and the chair slid across the floor. I heard a crash and heard the neighbor’s fence go down, the other panel swinging back and forth. I KNEW I was smart not to sit there and pull weeds! She will have to get it fixed because a) the dogs might get in trouble and b) she’s putting her house on the market next week.

When I left for work, I noticed multiple trees and branches down. It took me an hour to pick up the sticks and branches in my yard. Snoopy blew down (hope he’s not dead!) so I brought him up top and attached him to the fence below the driveway. I had to pull some weeds to make room, and found a few wild strawberries. Not good enough or big enough to eat.

But as usual, when I was walking around picking up sticks I noticed that the Pinky Winkey Hydrangea was finally blooming pink at the bottom of the cone. It’s very pretty and doing well!

After lunch – which incidentally made me SICK! – I settled my stomach with some Coke and then set about washing windows. They were just so filthy. I usually do that Labor Day (it’s actually labor!) but I didn’t want to wait. So now that task is done. It looked like it was going to rain again but it did not, so the task went well and all is clean!

I will post pictures of the concert another day this week. I need to let it resonate in my brain and heart for a while, and marinate. In the meantime, I’m still bopping to my tunes!

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TOMORROW August 8th is:

National Dollar Day; National Frozen Custard Day; National Happiness Happens Day; Global Sleep Under the Stars Night; National Mochi Day; National Pickleball Day; National Whataburger Day; National CBD Day; International Cat Day (This one’s for Jen!); Sneak Some Zucchini Into Your Neighbor’s Porch Day; International Infinity Day.

I like dollars – and happiness – and stars (but not SLEEPING under them, at least outside). So have a fun day. I’m going to Pittsburgh Botanical Gardens with Teresa tomorrow. Pictures to follow! God bless…

OH! And today is Nathanael Greene’s birthday (1742). Greensburg was named after him. Happy birthday, Nathanael!

We had one student this morning, and it was his birthday. Needless to say the focus was not on the lesson! But we talked about the fruits of the spirit and Mary made a cute craft with him and it was good.

I came home to find that the three times I sprayed RAID Wasp/Hornet killer around my light did nothing. The bees are still swarming – and I’m not sure what kind they are. Not wasps, I don’t think. Tomorrow I will call Hilltop Pest Control. These bees are right outside my basement door and I’m not walking through a cloud of bees to go in and out — and would not expose my guests to that for sure!

Since today is Beach Boy Concert day I am just posting a quick few words and will recap the event tomorrow. Yea for FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!

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TOMORROW August 7th is:

Purple Heart Day; National Sea Serpent Day (Remember Beany and Cecil??); National Lighthouse Day; National Raspberries ‘n Cream Day.

Since I was doing at-home inside chores all day yesterday, today was my errand day. I stopped at Lowe’s to get air and water filters for my new fridge first, and they only had water filters — which were over $50.00! And only lasted 7 seven months! Highway robbery! But since they didn’t have both I’m going to order them on line. And this picture verifies that it was a scary experience!

Next I returned the Civil War yard sign to Hanna’s Town and dropped off the Loyalhanna Reviews. From there I went to L&L Fleatique as I haven’t been there in a long time. Didn’t see anything exciting, really, but lots of Halloween items – here are two I snapped a picture of.

I stopped at Walmart and got a few items, one being printer ink. THAT is always expensive, too – it was over $60! I came home and changed my sheets and the Crooks room sheets and did two loads of laundry. Cut the grass, but the front didn’t need done. Probably by Monday it will all need cut. For now, all is well.

I saw some very disturbing news last night on facebook. My former Doctor – James Masterson – died unexpectedly on Monday/Tuesday. There were a few write-ups about it but no date of birth, age, or cause of death were listed. The family is having a private service. He stepped away from his Family Practice YEARS ago to go into Sports Medicine and treat the local area sports teams. He was a super nice guy and I was really sad when I had to look for a new physician. I really like the one I have now (I went from Dr. Masterson to Dr. Cole), but I still really can’t believe Dr. Masterson passed away. He was ‘reportedly’ in very good health. No details were released. Very sad.

Nate and a friend has been building a deck on the back of their house. It’s super nice! They did a really good job. A roof makes all the difference!!!

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TOMORROW August 6th is:

National Fresh Breath Day; National Friendship Day; National Root Beer Float Day; American Family Day; National Wiggle Your Toes Day; National Sisters Day.

And it’s also Beach Boys Concert day! So much to be excited about. Hug your family, have a root beer float, brush your teeth, and do fun things all day. God bless…

It’s 5:41pm and it’s 83*. Every now and then I think it’s going to come up a storm, but the clouds move on and it’s sunny and bright. I just finished cleaning the house, which was in desperate need. I switched blankets around and put the colorful butterfly one on the couch. And no, I HAD these. No new blankets!!!

I had toast and tomato for breakfast, cinnamon rolls for mid-afternoon snack, and when I finish this I am going to make corn on the cob.

Today’s post is just a little different (since cleaning is sincerely boring!). Yesterday when I was coming home from work I saw a group of teens sitting on the grass under a big tree in the shade. It looked like they were on lunch break from somewhere. They plopped down on the ground comfortably and were chatting and laughing. I thought about the fact that I spent quite a lot of my time as a child and teen on the grass, playing games, picking clovers, singing songs, telling stories. Playing paper dolls.

I remember it being comfortable, and I could jump up in a heartbeat and take off across the yard. At Grama’s house we used to crawl through the tall grasses and make ‘houses’ with a dozen rooms, ‘sleeping’ on the ground and putting our dolls to bed. Or sitting in the yard for a picnic or a playdate with the neighbor girls.

It’s been a very long time since I thought sitting on the ground was fun. Getting down there is mostly a simple operation, but getting comfortable is something else entirely. What do you do with your legs? Straight out? Tucked sideways? Indian style? Or do you lean back and prop yourself with your arms? Lean against a tree or wall? Lay down on your side? Your back? Maybe your stomach and prop on your elbows?

At this point in time, I am glad for benches, lawn chairs, deck furniture, bleachers — anything that keeps me a foot or so off the grass. But those days were fun! We loved being kids, doing kid things! Even as teens we didn’t mind, as this happy picture of Mom confirms.

I’m glad – regardless of my intent to stay off the grass – that if I DID sit down on lawns or blankets I could at least get back up. So far. It might not be graceful, but I could do it. So I’ll watch the kids plop on the lawn, roll down grassy hills, and sit on blankets; sit in the lake, shade or sand. Or suitcase. And be glad that as an adult I am usually offered a chair!

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TOMORROW August 5th is:

National Summit Day; Mead Day; National Sunflower Day; National Work Like A Dog Day; National Mustard Day; Sandcastle Day; International Traffic Light Day; National Oyster Day, National Disc Golf Day; National Underwear Day (?), International Blues Music Day; National Jamaican Patty Day; National Play Outside Day.

Most people will probably do the underwear thing. Sunflowers are good, sandcastles are fun, traffic lights are important, Nate LOVES disc golf. And I LOVE to play outside. Pick something fun and do it! (Like, sitting in the grass?) God bless…

After the last 10 days or so, today’s quiet and non-noteworthy day was a welcome change. So there’s really nothing much to post about. I’ll recap my day but no pictures to speak of. But TODAY is my sister and her husband’s 50th wedding anniversary! Congrats, Kathy and Paul, to a wonderful, awesome achievement of love and faith!

I had breakfast with Kelly before I went to work – she was planning on leaving with the boys within the hour. I went to Jeannette, then to notarize something for Mike P, then to Greensburg. I had a dermatology appointment (which went well!), and then back to finish up at Greensburg. I stopped at Diane’s to pick up a few things, including an article from the Trib about the Hanna’s Town weekend. I’ll read that after supper.

After lunch and a few small in-house chores I went over to Ruth’s (LR editor) and picked up a few more copies of the Loyalhanna Review. Some I will drop off at Hanna’s Town and take some to church.

I had laundry to do and emails to answer and still have to clean the back door – lots of fingerprints! Then I think my day will be done except for my devotions and the Trib article and supper! Tomorrow I plan to give this house a thorough cleaning!

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TOMORROW August 4th is:

International Beer Day; National Water Balloon Day; International Clouded Leopard Day; National Coast Guard Day; National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day.

Water balloons are a tradition! And I have the utmost regard for the Coast Guard. And of course I love chocolate chip cookies. Right now there are about 10 dozen in my freezer. God bless…

Last night the moon was full and bright orange! My photo didn’t do it justice. When I got out of bed to try and take a few photos, I heard all this racket outside! My neighbor and her friend were carrying all this furniture and stuff outside onto her bedroom (2nd floor) deck and stacking it in piles. I did find out this morning that she was having her carpets cleaned today and wanted everything out of her bedroom! Makes sense, but it WAS 10:30 at night! 🙂

So after breakfast Kelly & I drove down to Pinnacle to handle Matt’s truck registration. The PENNDOT online system wasn’t working. I was able to handle that for her and Matt was very relieved! We came home and made mini-pepperoni rolls. That’s what we had for lunch and they were so good – and easy to make!

I was looking through the cookbook for an icing recipe and found instead a recipe for Orange Drop Cookies that my cousin Gail gave me decades ago. We decided that would be a good addition to her party menu, so after retrieving a quart of orange juice from the Dollar General store, we made what felt like 150 cookies, and then iced them. They were very good and I’m glad we did them. But there is NO MORE ROOM in my freezers!

Autmn and Noah stopped to pick up the trunk that Beth send down for them, so we had a nice visit. In between laundry and supper and cutting the grass we finished all our chores for the day. Tomorrow is back to work!

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TOMORROW August 3rd is:

National Hair Gloss Day; National Watermelon Day; National Grab Some Nuts Day; National Georgia Day.

I like walnuts and honey roasted peanuts best. And watermelon is good. You can probably eat both of those things in Georgia. God bless…

After a shower and a breakfast of scones Kelly & I jumped right into our cookie baking project. The first ones we made were chocolate fudge – made from Better Crocker Fudge cake mix and adding dark chocolate chips. The dough had to be refrigerated, so we made that first. Later in the morning we scooped them into round balls, stuck an M&M on the top for color, and baked them. They were very good! (We – of course – taste-tested them!)

Next we started on the pretzel/Hershey Kiss cookies. They had to cool before we could touch or move them, so they stretched out over the whole day. But we finished those up about 3pm.

We tackled the chocolate chip ones next, putting the red/white/blue M&M’s on them. Remember that Peyton wanted the R/W/B theme for his party. We did make a tray without the M&M’s because some people prefer them without.

The last batch was using the candy cane recipe – but we rolled the dough into balls, then in colored sugar (red and blue), and pressed them down with a fancy pattern. They have an almond flavor and everyone likes them.

By the time we got the cookies all tucked away and the kitchen scrubbed clean, Chrissy called for a ride to Autmn’s.

We came back and grated two zucchinis that someone had given Kelly, and she wanted to freeze them to make zucchini bread for Matt. Next we will try to figure out supper (cookies, maybe???) and that will be the day.

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TOMORROW August 2nd is:

National Ice Cream Sandwich Day; National Coloring Book Day.

I loved to color when I was a child! And ice cream is a good choice. God bless …

I just got a txt from Logan, and they are half way here. Kelly and I have a baking marathon planned for the next few days in preparation for Peyton’s party. So I’ll post a short Word Garden and try to be ready for them. After work this morning I stopped at Palmer’s farm and bought fresh veggies: Corn, tomatoes and beans. The funny thing was I said to the checkout lady that I wanted a bag of corn, tomatoes and green beans. She said, ‘But ma’am — these are yellow beans!’ So I had to explain that I actually did want the yellow ones – just mis-spoke!

I came home and did some weeding, cut the grass, did laundry, and then picked up Autmn and took her to her Mom’s. Noah will stop there later and bring her home.

So — short post today! I’ll try to remember to take pictures of our creative cookies tomorrow! Have a lovely evening!

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TOMORROW August 1st is:

International Mahjong Day; International Childfree Day; National Night Out Day; Respect for Parents Day; National Girlfriends Day; National Raspberry Cream Pie Day.

Tomorrow is ‘bake a bunch of cookies’ day at the Burke house! I’ll let you know how that goes. God bless…

We had our Sunday School lesson about JOY – the second fruit of the spirit. The idea was to explain the difference between happiness and joy. Mary had a few videos that did a great job! I actually think Max and Gracie got it…

I left Sunday school and went straight to Hanna’s Town for day two of the Civil War encampment and programs. The first two hours I had my book table – there was so much going on across the road with reenactments and battles (etc) that I didn’t have much traffic today. I closed up about 12:45pm, grabbed a hot dog and ate with my friend Mary Ann, then walked around and took a few pictures.

The doctor was on call this afternoon as well.

Again, I was stationed from 1:00 to 3:00 pm upstairs in the tavern. Most people are mildly interested in the history, but today I had several families that really loved getting the information. There was a mom and two young girls that asked the best questions and I was able to give them some information that generally doesn’t get discussed. I had a great afternoon. I made a young friend yesterday and was happy to spend some time again today, chatting with her. She’s nine and she LOVES reenacting!

I even stopped by McClellan’s tent and Grant’s tent afterwards!

As I pulled out of the parking lot I remembered that Autmn’s baby shower at her mom’s was today. I drove straight there and stayed long enough to play a few games and see her gifts. She got a lot of clothes for the baby, and lots of really cute baby books!

The shower was just finishing up, so Chrissy was done taking pictures. I scooped her up and took her to Park & Pool for the tail end of Jen’s Ninth Life Volunteer Thank You picnic. They were closing up as I got there, but I grabbed a Diet Coke and a free tee shirt and got to talk to the group for a bit.

I was only home about an hour when it got dark and cloudy and very windy. Now it’s pouring rain, but there is a beautiful rainbow across the sky! Two ‘showers’ in one day!

For all these events I went to today you would think that I had my fill of food! I didn’t eat anywhere except for the hot dog at 11:15am at Hanna’s Town. So I will need supper shortly.

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TOMORROW July 31st:

National Raspberry Cake Day; World Ranger Day; National Avocado Day; National Mutt Day.

Choose one and run with it! I’ll take the mutt… God bless!