Today was (you guessed it!) cleaning day. I kept at it all day, with a few extra chores thrown in, like defrosting the mini fridge’s freezer downstairs. All good now.

I finished up just in time to get Chrissy and take her to work – she got called in for an extra shift. I noticed that the front yard was FULL of those crazy little maple-tree helicopters. I just CUT the grass and it looks awful. But I think I have to cut it tomorrow again since it grew so much.

Mark (cousin) came over to cut the deck board to size and fasten the two boards in. Jerome (paint guy) is going to paint the new boards and spindles tomorrow. We did make a mess cutting the board – but I swept it up.

The little kitchen rug was a dirty mess, so I scrubbed it as best I could and hung it on the fence to dry overnight. Also painted the two stars that hang on the gate – I sprayed them purple. I still think they are not in a good place as they are barely noticeable. I’ll try to find a better spot over the weekend if it doesn’t rain.

So that was my day. I will get something to eat and be done. I forgot to write in my journal for a few days so I must catch that up.

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TOMORROW May 11th is:

National Twilight Zone Day (did you watch that as a child???); National Eat What You Want Day; National Foam Rolling Day.

Tomorrow is my nephew’s birthday. I’ll post about that tomorrow. Have a wonderful day and God bless…

Today was another school tour at Hanna’s Town. There were 108 kids signed up from Norwin 2nd grade, plus teachers and parents. This time – for tin punch – there were two of us. That made it much easier. We always have a variety of skill levels, from over-achievers to ‘why am I here again?’. I don’t think I mentioned that last week one student asked me if I lived there full time (in the 19th century house we were working in). He was amazed that I DIDN’T and wanted to know where I really lived and WHY I didn’t live there. Well….

Today we had three sessions before lunch, then a break. The kids were outside running through the yard when the mail truck came up Forbes Road and put mail in the box. I heard one little boy shout excitedly: “I KNEW we weren’t in the 1700’s! There’s the mailman!” So, I guess he thought the school bus traveled back 200 years to get to Hanna’s Town. I hope he wasn’t too disappointed!

I went to work when we finished school tours. At the Jeannette store I did a DL inquiry and put it in backwards! I realized my mistake but since when does PENNDOT EVER want first name, middle, last? It’s always last name first! I guess I just need to pay closer attention. Or maybe I just need to stay in the 21st century and pay attention.

While I was waiting for Chrissy yesterday I snapped two pictures of the view from Nate’s driveway. It’s a beautiful view.

The neighbor (the one who cuts his grass every day) bought a swing set for his 3-year-old. I know he’ll have trouble adjusting to mowing around it. I hated mowing around our swing set back in the day!

In the meantime, the neighbor across the street has his antique cars outside yesterday morning. Not every day you have a car show out your front door!

It was a comfortable, sunny day for being outside, so I spent two hours cleaning out the front flower beds. I think the only thing I have left to do is the hill (both sides) and a small section along the driveway. I also need to get some Round-up for the stones on the hill. After I finish this I will do the ironing from the weekend and make myself supper.

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TOMORROW May 10th is:

World Lupus Day; National Lipid Day; National Third Shift Workers day; National Clean Up Your Room Day; National Receptionists Day; National Shrimp Day; National School Nurse Day; National Washington Day (the state, not the General!)

Tomorrow for me is ‘stay home all day’ day – I’ll celebrate that! Have a wonderful Wednesday! (I still may celebrate George…) God bless…

Kelly and I hung out this morning, and when she left after lunch I went to work. From there I picked up Chrissy and took her to work, then came home and cut the grass. Now — I’m typing!

I’ll recap yesterday’s Free Museum Day (Ligonier). We went ‘to the top’ and started with Compass Inn. We went through the Inn and all the outbuildings, then walked across the road to a little Country Cupboard gift store – I bought 3 small sample bars of soap to try. From there we walked across to the Pie Shoppe and had a piece of pizza for lunch and some Snails! Yum! I took a lot of pictures at Compass Inn, and Kelly sent me the ones she took.

We got down to Fort Ligonier and watched the French troops drill in the side field, then walked to all the out buildings. It was just starting to rain when we finished outside so we hustled inside and went through the museum. I read lots of little bits of information about George Washington, which I enjoyed.

We decided not to go to the Railroad Museum because the parking lot was across the road and it was mostly muddy (experience from other years). We drove on to the Lincoln Highway Experience, which I particularly like, and walked through there. Often I sit through the movie about how it was made, but it was pretty crowded so we bypassed that and walked through the other room. Went we went back to the 1938 restored Diner section Kathy and Paul were there. Since they had a longer way to get there from church they were just starting. We all had pie (cherry or apple) except Kelly, and they left to go to the next museum and we headed home.

After supper we finished the binders for 4H and then watched an old CD of family movies from my childhood. We did a lot of laughing. Kelly offered to be the videographer if Kath and I wanted to recreate some of the scenes. They were copied on the CD from old projector films. So funny! The best thing was seeing Grama and Grandad Crooks on the movies!

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TOMORROW May 9th is:

National Sleepover day; National Alphabet Magnet Day; Europe Day; National Butterscotch Brownie Day; National Lost Sock Memorial Day; National Home Front Heroes Day; National Moscato Day.

Sleepovers are fun! Kelly and I just had one. And we should remember our lost socks…. There are many worthy Heroes to honor! Have a Happy Tuesday! God bless…

So this morning Kelly and I gathered up a few items for the day and set off to Sunday School. Our lesson was about being happy/joyful while we wait on God’s direction. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) We made a list of that make us happy so we can think about them when we are having trouble being joyful!

But that’s for tomorrow! I will recount the day at Hanna’s Town yesterday, as I spent the whole day with a group of lovely, talented, hard-working ladies as we put together the Spring Victorian Tea. The day started a little after 9am when we checked all the tables and made sure they were set. Becky did the decorations and she always uses fresh flowers. So delicate and appropriate.

Lillian, Roxanne, and Michael were the tea crew – they made the spiced, made-to-order hot tea. Michael is a great help, making trips back and forth to the kitchen for water and requests.

The menu is always decided ahead of time, and then volunteers step up to make or bring all the food. By about 10am we began working on making sandwiches, plating the food, and organizing the process.

The servers, Deb, Carol, Cathy, and Janice, poured the tea from delicate tea pots and made sure the plates were in the tiers on the tables. The rest of us – scullery (kitchen help) – stayed behind closed doors, plating the food in lovely arrangements and seeing that everyone got to sample all the food.

We had two seatings – one at 11:30am and one at 2pm. There can be 26 at each seatings. Everyone invests a lot of themselves to make the teas a success, and this one was! We received (as a group) so many compliments. The food is always delicious and the atmosphere is delightful. It’s a big job setting up, serving, cleaning up, and then starting again. But it’s mostly a labor of love and it’s a great feeling of accomplishment when we are done at 4:30pm. I was glad to get home and unwind.

BUT — Kelly got here around 5:15pm and we set about our first task: She needed some perennials to plant at their 4H headquarters. So we dug three boxes of plants. Glad we did that yesterday as it would have been wet to do it today!

After a supper of grilled cheese made with homemade bread and cream of potato soup we put together a pile of binders for a 4H project about threes and leaves of West Virginia. We got all but two of them done. We watched North to Home while we worked – she had never seen it. It’s actually a favorite of mine.

So that’s it for today – tonight we’ll finish the last two binders and try not to do much.

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TOMORROW May 8th is:

National Student Nurse Day; National Thalassemia Day; National Women’s Checkup Day; National Coconut Cream Pie Day; World Ovarian Cancer Day; Time of Remembrance & Reconciliation; National Have a Coke Day; World Red Cross Day.

Have a Coke! And God bless us, every one!

(TOMORROW I WILL RECAP OUR LIGONIER MUSEUM DAY!)

Today was the Victorian Tea at Hanna’s Town. It was a beautiful day and the event was a huge success! I got home close to 5pm, and my daughter came up within the hour. We have several projects to work on this evening so I will postpone sharing today’s adventures with you. It may even have to wait until Monday, as tomorrow is Ligonier’s free museum day and Kelly and I are going after church.

Have a wonderful weekend – God bless!

TOMORROW May 7th is: National Infertility Survival Day; National Tourism Day; National Leg of Lamb day; National Lemonade Day; National Paste Up Day; National Barrier Awareness Day.

Here we are, back to real life! I was mentally reliving a few Williamsburg adventures last night as I snuggled in bed – the full moon was bright shining in the window.

I was at Hanna’s Town before 9:30am this morning. The County was cutting the grass and the sidewalks were heavy with wet grass clippings. I found an outside broom – with the help of Stacy – and cleaned off all the walkways. By then Claudia, Priscilla, Lillian, Roxanne and Cathy were there and we got started setting up tables. I left there about 12:25pm.

The Whirlpool repair person came about 2pm. He took apart my freezer drawer and made some adjustments, explaining everything as he went. By the time he left everything was realigned and the drawer was closing perfectly. He even gave me a few tips on cleaning the stainless steel outside.

Today was a beautiful, sunny day – not extremely warm but very pleasant. I weed-whacked the yard and blew the walks and driveway clean. There was a very fat robin hopping around by the lilac bush – I think she is possibly with child – or with egg, or something.

Once I cleaned up from that I went to Diane’s church for their Trash to Treasure sale. It was nice that it started this evening because my tomorrow will be very busy with the Tea and Kelly’s visit. I bought a little flat, wooden house that I hung on the star hook. 50 cents. They won’t fund their next project on what I spent, for sure!

As the sun went down it looked like the hills behind the house were glowing. I paid some bills and will get a salad for supper later. I’m still half-way in Williamsburg!

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TOMORROW May 6th is:

International No Diet Day; Free Comic Book Day; National Start Seeing Monarchs Day (Butterflies); National Nurses Day; National Play Outside Day; National Crepe Suzette Day; Kentucky Derby Day; National Homebrew Day; National Beverage Day; National Bombshells’ Day; Join Hands Day; National Scrapbook Day; National Fitness Day.

Lots to choose from! I will spend the day celebrating the Victorian Tea at Historic Hanna’s Town. It’s such a lovely event! Have a wonderful day – God bless…

Reluctantly we were up early and took our time organizing and packing to leave. It was very hard for me – I was SO not ready to walk away. I really could have stayed several more days. There was still more to see and do. We would have even had options to visit Yorktown and Jamestown if we had the time and finances to do so. But THAT is why it’s a vacation!

Turned out we had parked the car in our designated area on Sunday evening and not moved it until we left Thursday morning! It was SO convenient. And fun! And exciting! And PERFECT!! But before we loaded the car, we took an early walk up and down Duke of Gloucester Street, then ended up at the Raleigh Tavern Bakeshop. I promised a friend a Ginger cake so I got that last minute with our breakfast. One last muffin and hot tea!

Photos from our early walk:

While we were loading the car, Kathy met the people staying in the Market Square Kitchen, with level entry and handicap accessible amenities. It slept multiple guests and sounds like a perfect fit for 4 or 5 travelers for a week, and it would be reasonable for Duke of Gloucester Street. Something to think about!

The car is packed; we checked out at Williamsburg INN, and we headed up to the visitor’s center. I was still hoping to find a sweatshirt. We visited the REVOLUTIONS gift shops but there was nothing different there. Kathy bought two rulers – one listing presidents and one listing first ladies. I bought a post card with coordinates for Williamsburg and a coaster (we all know my fondness for them…). I also bought a cake of ‘LET IT SNOW’ soap that smells heavenly! I’m saving that for winter!

We settled in for the long ride home, heading up Route 64 West. I just about have the route memorized even though we don’t go that often any more. We stopped early on to get gas in the car, then waited until about 1pm to get food. We were blessed to find a Chick Fil-A and fill our own tanks! We never have a lack of topics to talk about, including over-riding Cordelia’s driving directions (Cordelia is Kathy’s GPS – mine is Gwyneth). We took it straight into Breezewood and filled the car with gas for the last stretch. I was glad we did, because the centrally located plaza gas station on the mountain was closed for remodel!

I dropped Kathy off at about 6:30pm and came home to unload the car. So now the work began – putting everything away, looking for things I couldn’t find (found everything but one thing!), do laundry, tuck away suitcases, re-stock food, file maps and travel brochures. It was a somber, quiet evening, with lots of reflection and contemplation. I loved this trip more than any I’ve had in a very long time. It spoke to my soul! Maybe I’ll reflect on that tomorrow, or over the weekend. Thanks so much for reliving this journey with me!

In the meantime, I have to take Chrissy to work in 15 minutes, and tomorrow is prep day for Hanna’s Town Spring Tea – then the repairman for my new, way-too-expensive fridge! Saturday is the Tea itself and I’ll be at Hanna’s Town from 9am until 4pm, then Kelly is coming up. We are going to Ligonier’s Free Museum Day on Sunday after church. So… no time for wallowing in my nostalgia!~

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TOMORROW May 5th is:

School Lunch Hero Day; National Hoagie Day; World Portuguese Language Day; National Cartoonists Day; International Day of the Midwife; National Space Day; National Silence the Shame Day; National Totally Chipotle Day; African World Heritage Day; Cinco De Mayo; National Astronaut Day.

I’m celebrating Charles Schulz – the most brilliant cartoonist ever (in my opinion). Celebrate your favorite cartoonist, and take lime to laugh. God bless ….

We did something different for breakfast – we walked over to the Williamsburg Lodge and had their buffet breakfast. They had lots of yummy choices! By the time we got back to the historic area the building were just opening up. We stopped in the Milliner’s and talked to a very enthusiastic person who was currently working on mending many of the day-to-day outfits for employees. She told us the story of how she was making her own costumes since she was 6 or so, and was thrilled to be part of the CW family!

We stopped at the Apothecary and checked out the medicines and the office – we even learned about a few treatments. The Charlton Coffeehouse was open for tours so we went in there and learned about the couple who lived there and ran it, as well as the people who met there for casual drinks. At the end of the tour we went downstairs and had a taste of either coffee or chocolate. I had the chocolate, and it was a little on the bitter side and thicker than you would imagine.

And wouldn’t you know it, when we came out there were Martha and George conversing on the street! We stopped to ‘chat’ but didn’t want to monopolize their time – We were on our way to the stage in the back to listen to Patrick Henry.

Our program said that there were Nation Builders roaming around the Palace green, so we headed over there to see who it might be. We stopped in the street beside Chowning’s Tavern to see the Oxen, which were very gentle and quiet.

BUT – you’ll never guess who was hanging out on the Palace green. YEP! Martha and George! I know they thought we were stalking them! But we had – and listened to – several interesting conversations.

From there we walked around to the other side of the green and met Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. I’ve heard Thomas speak on YouTube videos and he’s very funny. We stood there for a while, and when we moved on we saw Patrick Henry sitting on a bench under a tree by the Wythe house. He was talking to old friends from Erie – they were local (to Erie) reenactors of Martha and George Washington. We had an 18th century and a 21st century conversation with the three of them.

We hadn’t been inside Bruton Parish Church yet, so we stopped there next.

Then we walked across the street to the garden to see what was growing – among other things, Poppies!

We walked past the Magazine (still wasn’t open – it was being renovated) on our way to our room, and a nice couple took our picture in our matching shirts. We also encountered GENERAL Washington sitting on a porch and chatted with him for a few minutes. He was NOT nearly as engaging as COLONEL Washington. We passed a few lambs on the way back to the Charlton Stage to listen to George Mason, who declared himself a grump!

Our last evening in Williamsburg had us standing in the green behind the Courthouse, listening to the Fife and Drum performance. There were several little boys with drums playing along with the corps and once the performance ended the musicians invited the kids to try their drums and get photos. My sister got a picture with a drummer for Isaac, their super-drummer grandson.

We took our time going to the Capitol where our evening program would be. The streets really clear out after 5pm. The program was TO HANG A PIRATE, and after listening to the witnesses we all had a vote in deciding his fate. THEN we found out what REALLY happened. I won’t share that in case you go! The actors were excellent.

I loved walking back to the room by the street lights and candles. It was hard to make myself go inside! Goodnight, sweet city!

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TOMORROW May 4th is:

Bird Day; National Weather Observers Day; World Password Day; National Candied Orange Peel Day; National Star Wars Day (May the Force (4th) be with you); National Orange Juice Day; National Day of Prayer; National Day of Reason; National Self Employed Day; National Renewal Day.

Here’s to my kids (Kelly, Matt, Nate, and Jen) who are all self employed). Take time to pray for our country, our communities, families.

After the capitol we walked over to the Wythe house, passing gardens and houses on the way. There was also a family group that were all dressed colonial – the mom had made all their outfits! They were drawing a lot of attention!

We were glad to get to the Wythe house, as it’s not open every day. George Wythe was a lawyer and a professor at the college of William and Mary. Also, W. A. R. Goodwin, the man responsible for the ideas of restoring the 18th century capitol (Colonial Williamsburg) lived in that house when he was the priest at Bruton Parish Church. He was also responsible for enticing John D Rockefeller Jr. to invest in the renovation.

Since we were ‘right there’, we next went to the palace for a tour. The first interesting thing we learned was that when chewing gum is smashed onto the bricks or walkways, it cannot be scraped off. The entire section or pathway had to be removed and replaced, which is very costly. So dispose of your gum respectfully! As we walked up to the entrance there was a carriage driving past. We also walked past the Theatre, and popped in for a few minutes to watch the end of an 18th century performance.

We had a few minutes until it was time to meet Mr. Washington (Colonel) at the Charlton Stage. Low and behold we met Mrs. Washington riding her horse in front of the Kings Arms Tavern! It was so lovely to see her again! As previously mentioned, both Kathy and I have a sweet fondness for the Washingtons. We stopped and chatted for a few moments before heading over to visit with her husband.

Colonel Washington was SO entertaining and informative! He engaged so well with the crowd and shared so many personal and professional conversations. Once the formal presentation was finished, he walked out to the street and stood by the sidewalk for about 40 additional minutes! He is so informed and educated and shared information (especially about slavery) that I did not know. He was – and IS – a great man of knowledge and compassion and integrity. I’m in love! Please don’t tell Martha… I know this is a photo dump but I can’t help myself. I have several more, as well!

We tore ourselves away and let the Colonel get back to his affairs (no, I wasn’t one of them!), and we walked back down the street toward the center of town. The Printer’s was open and we stopped in there just before they closed for the evening.

Our next stop was to Christiana Campbell’s Tavern (George Washington’s favorite tavern in Williamsburg), where we had reservations. It’s right across from the Blue Bell. We were seated on the second floor and we both ordered fish and seasonal veggies. Along with that came Spoon Bread and Sweet Potato Muffins. The recipe is from Thomas Jefferson’s personal cookbook according to the menu.

The meal was plentiful and we did not order dessert, but instead decided to take a walk. We took to the side streets and went in a huge circle, past the Williamsburg Inn, Bassett Hall, the windmill, and through a parking lot that bordered a field of horses and oxen.

It was falling on dusk when we got back. We sat on a bench outside of Chownings Tavern (which is closed until July) and people-watched and talked. We did take a walk in a loop around Duke of Gloucester street which was magical – street lights and candles glowing and flickering in the dusk.

We finally went inside the Market Square Tavern to our room to drop off our sweaters and purses, and I took off my shoes and put on slippers. We went down to the Common Room and played Scrabble for a while. Guess who won??? KATH! She’s the queen of playing games. We snuggled into bed and settled into a good night’s sleep. Such delightful peace and in a (again) magical place. I could live there.

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TOMORROW May 3rd is: – LOTS to choose from so choose wisely.

National SAN Architect Day; National Bike to School Day; National Paranormal Day; National Montana Day; National Garden Meditation Day; National Specially-abled Pets Day; National Lumpy Rug Day; National Textiles Day; National Skilled Trades Day; National Interpreters Appreciation Day; National Two Different Colored Shoes Day; World Press Freedom Day; National Raspberry Popover Day; National Chocolate Custard Day.

As my sister is an interpreter I will celebrate her! Who better to honor than my sister! And maybe spend some time in the garden. God bless…

Tuesday 4/25: I will split day 3 into two or three parts and they may not be in exact order. But here we go. It was another sunny, beautiful morning – and this is the view from our window. And the back courtyard — and the lock that has a sliding cover to hide the keyhole.

We walked the streets early and they were mostly empty – We were waiting for the bakery to be open so we could have breakfast! Found lots of trees with knarley roots and a fringe tree. The back road to the Publick Gaol (Jail) has a quaint little house – I have that one picked out to live in…. 🙂

There is a flock of Leicester Longwool Sheep in the pasture by the Gaol. There were a few employees brushing and trimming knotted hair from the sheep. One decided to talk to us at length. The creek was right across from the sheep pasture.

After the Gaol we walked up and toured the capitol building, learning and relearning our nation’s history from even before it was a nation! Below are photos we took inside – and I like the two taken from the windows.

I’ll try to finish day 3 tomorrow…. Maybe…

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TOMORROW, May 2nd is:

National Teacher Appreciation Day; National Life Insurance Day; National Truffle Day; National Foster Care Day; World Tuna day.

Tomorrow is my first school tour of the season — I’m working with the kids doing tin punch. Then I have to work! So it will be a busy day! God bless…