Started out this morning talking to my cousin John. He’s looking at a classic car at a dealer in Ohio, and needed some information about title and registration. We talked about half an hour – and he got the information that he needed. Then I got a message from my niece who was having problems with a license plate. So today was family day!

I had to stop at the bank and at Dollar Tree on the way home. I got home just in time to make a good salad for lunch, then spent about half an hour clearing the weeds off the risers of the back steps. Looks nice now. It’s a much cooler day today! I came inside and read about a dozen Flash Fiction stories. For some reason this last cluster of stories were much better written than the first ones I read.

So back to the Flax festival – Here is Sunday’s recap. Kelly and I went up early enough to attend the worship service. There were four worship songs, then a group reading of the 23rd Psalm, then special music by Wayne Shaffer. The pastor, Vickie Lynch, spoke on Christ, the Hope of the World. The base of the message was that God’s Word is not to chastise, but to draw us closer. And that is good news! There were two more praise songs to close out the service.

Kelly and I set up our booth again, and we were again busy all day. The weaving and the puppy kisses were very popular, and when we spoke with Merilee later in the day we assured her we would include those activities next year. I already have the dates blocked in my 2025 calendar, and we even have some ideas about how to make things just different enough that it will draw the kids back.

We packed leftover pizza for our lunch and used our food coupons for a funnel cake and Kelly’s milkshake. I didn’t even need supper as that was enough food for the whole day! We got permission to take pictures of a few of the kids with their projects.

Kelly left as soon as we got home. She had been away all weekend and if you use your imagination you can picture what she was going home to, with four guys in charge of the house! I did absolutely nothing else once I got settled inside – because once the new week starts there’s not much down time!

My blessing today was being able to help my family navigate the treacherous waters of PENNDOT!

PEANUTS Thought for the Day:

TOMORROW September 18th is:

Chiropractor Founder’s Day; Hug a Greeting Card Writer Day; National Weather Vane Day; International Equal Pay Day; Locate An Old Friend Day; National Cheeseburger Day; National First Love day; National Respect Day; National School Backpack Awareness Day; Purple Bra Day; Read An eBook Day; Rice Krispie Treat Day; U.S. Air Force Day.

Yesterday’s fake day was National Ink Day. Tomorrow – read an eBook. Don’t think I’ll do the first love thing. Nope. I never had a purple bra. It would be really cool if you could locate an old friend! God bless…

It was a beautiful day today! I even got to spend a little time outside this afternoon after I finished laundry and ironing. I was so far behind on my ironing! I got gas in the Mazda on the way home but didn’t have any other errands and I was glad about that. I pulled down the last of the Morning Glories and finished cleaning out the little section of the hill, then took a shower.

So I’ll go back and recap the weekend at the Flax Festival in Stahlstown. Wow, we were super busy! The kids absolutely loved doing the crafts, weaving, making pictures. They also loved the tic-tac-toe, especially with the adorable little orange and white pumpkins Kelly crocheted. Dozens of people stopped to ask if the pumpkins were for sale! She could have raked in the cash if she would have had a bunch to sell. But then again, we weren’t a ‘vendor’ – we were giving away fun! I had Fields of Blue and Letters to Mary there, and did have a great deal of interest, and sold three Fields of Blue books.

We also had our little ‘Puppers’ – if you stopped to pet him he would give out free (Hershey) kisses! The kids took it very seriously!

Cathi Rhodes singing Patsy Cline opened up the festival as the first performer. I love listening to her perform! I’m clad we were close and had a good view of the stage – and could listen to the music!

There was also a candy corn ring toss, a scavenger hunt just for fun, a word search, and bunches of kids books to look through.

It was fun walking around, looking at the crafts and seeing the people. There were several reenactors camped there for the weekend, and at one point the native Americans captured a Colonial and took her back to their camp.

And of course there were Flax Scutching demonstrations several times throughout the day.

‘Vendors’ always get meal tickets, so we had burgers for lunch, then split a funnel cake mid-afternoon. Everything was very good!

We had so many kids we had to stop on the way home and purchase more supplies. We were all set and had plenty for the Sunday kids to do crafts. Saturday was a fun, busy day but more successful than anyone could have guessed! The parents were making comments about how great it was for the kids to have something (free) to do!

By the time we picked up the extra supplies we were too tired to figure out supper, so we ordered a pizza and picked it up on the way home. We prepped some of the weaving plates and cut some yarn, and fell into bed happy but exhausted! I’ll recap Sunday tomorrow.

My blessing for TODAY was getting caught up on a few important tasks!

PEANUTS Thought for the Day:

TOMORROW September 17th is:

National Voter’s Registration Day; National Professional House Cleaners Day; Constitution Day; Get Ready Day; National Ink Day; International Country Music Day; International Patient Safety Day; National Apple Dumpling Day; National IT Professionals Day; National Pet Bird Day.

Friday’s fake day was National Moth Day. Tomorrow – I shall celebrate the constitution! And Country Music, of course. Logan is taking college classes to be an IT professional so let’s do that too! God bless…

This will be a really full, busy day. So if I don’t post anything this evening don’t be alarmed. I’ll try to catch up tomorrow, or at the latest on Monday, to fill you in on the Flax festival! Enjoy your weekend!!!

Happy birthday Matt! I know Matt, Logan, Chase, Ma, Kim and Greg are at the Pirate game tonight. Kelly is here. So here’s hoping the Pirates bring home a win in honor of Matt’s exciting day!

I baked the scones and had a warm one for breakfast, then went outside and started organizing for the weekend. I got the garden cart and scrubbed it – that will be perfect to haul things from the car to our table at the festival. Then I loaded everything but the cooler into the car. So we’re set for tomorrow.

I needed to get some groceries, so while I was out I stopped at Pinnacle and made copies of two of the word games for the kids’ table. Also got a mum at Aldi.

Then I stopped at McDonalds and got a chocolate milkshake because I missed the ‘National’ day yesterday. I ordered a small chocolate milkshake with no whipped cream or cherry. I got handed a shake with whipped cream… So I told her to just spoon it off and I’d drink it. I got in the car and was half-way to Walmart when I realized it was vanilla. Ugh. And they are not cheap these days!

Kelly was pulling in just as I finished getting organized. She needed something from the Dollar Tree that their store didn’t have, so we went over there. We made sliders, French fries, and Aunt Joan’s corn for supper, and now I am posting this and she is working on a project.

My friend Teresa is in London with her Women Traveling Together group – they are headed to Scotland for 10 days or so. She sent me two pictures so far.

My blessing today is having Kelly here for the whole weekend!

PEANUTS Thought for the Day:

TOMORROW September 14th is:

National Parents Day Off; Drive your Studebaker Day; Farmers’ Consumer Awareness Day; Free Dental Day; German Language Day; Gobstopper Day; National Coloring Day; National Cream Filled Donut Day; National Eat A Hoagie Day; National Sober Day; National Moth Day.

Yesterday’s fake day was National Toast Day. Tomorrow, if you’re a parent, just TRY to take the day off! We’ll have the kids coloring tomorrow to celebrate. God bless…

Yesterday when I went for my test the city was tearing down the old parking garage. It was condemned a few years ago, and they can’t move forward with any new projects until that building is gone. It was amazing to see all the equipment and huge chunks of concrete being thrown over the side. But — on to today.

Dr. Tammy had FAXed a request for me to be excused from Jury duty today, because of the disruption of the cough and everything that went with it. They don’t notify you if they accepted your requests so I had to prepare for the day and get up there and park (no easy feat sometimes!). When I checked in they sent me across the hall and pulled up my record and told me kindly (yes, really!) that I was excused. I was so relieved. I am very tired of dealing with this cough, and avoid situations (when I can) that put me in a public situation. I was very thankful.

I stopped at work and handled two titles, then came home. I just took my time doing my chores. I told Kelly I would try to make cookies (which I did, but not my best offering). I also mixed up scones to bake in the morning. Kelly loves scones and we were all out and she’ll be up all weekend.

By late afternoon it was cooler and the back yard was in the shade, so I pulled the dead morning glories off the fence. It’s a tedious job, but once they die off and turn ugly yellow and brown they need to come down. It’s not a bad job to do because I don’t have to climb around in the plants or weeds.

Tomorrow I will get ready for the weekend and Kelly’s visit. Also need to pick up some food. And do some laundry. But I have the whole day and can space things out.

My blessing today was not having to disrupt a jury trial with my coughing!

PEANUTS Thought for the Day:

TOMORROW September 13th is:

Bald is Beautiful Day (?); Defy Superstition Day; International Chocolate Day; National Blame Someone Else Day; National Doodle Day; National Hug Your Boss Day; National Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day; National Peanut Day (not the Snoopy gang Peanuts. The food!); Positive Thinking Day; Supernatural Day; Uncle Sam Day; National Toast Day.

Yesterday’s fake day was National Test Day. Tomorrow I’ll go for the Chocolate. I hate to blame anyone for anything. I’d for sure hug my bosses if I was working tomorrow. I am trying very hard to think positive about getting to the bottom of this ailment! Uncle Sam day reminds me of Dan Rice. Tomorrow is also Matt’s birthday!! Have a happy Friday. God bless…

The big question of the day would be — where were you when the planes went into the Twin Towers, and Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville? I was at work, and my friend Donna came into the office and said a plane flew into one of the towers. It wasn’t until the second one crashed that we realized something enormous was happening. After the plane crashed in Shanksville, it got eerily quiet. Route 30 was almost empty except for dozens of emergency vehicles racing toward the mountain. I walked outside to go next door and there wasn’t a plane or the sound of one in sight.

And by the way, if you have never visited the Flight 93 Memorial you really should. You walk away from there a changed person.

Kelly was working at Troutmans and she came down to be in the office with us. I think everyone I talked to had called their mom. Everyone just wondered what would be next. It was a horror to think about, and I slipped upstairs to the executive conference room to watch the TV up there whenever I could. The coverage shook everyone to the bone. How thankful I am for the relative peace and calm in which we are currently living. It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s America!

So, today I spent the morning cleaning the upstairs, then went for my pulmonary challenge test. I knew it would be stressful because I already had issues catching my breath when I coughed (which is frequent!). The first thing the tech did was do a base-line test to get my breathing numbers without medication or restriction. They were too low! The test is too risky if the numbers are below a certain level. She called the pulmonologist who confirmed that I couldn’t have the test. That just means that I probably am already experiencing what they were trying to see if I had! But now we need to decide if I should have other tests, different meds, or which way to go…

I came home and cleaned the rest of the house and did a load of towels. Nate stopped over a bit and it was good to have an unhurried visit from him. I called the Jury ‘hotline’ and there were no jurors excused – so I have to report in the morning. I can see me coughing and choking and gasping for air in the middle of a trial! Hopefully they will let me leave if I explain – I’ve heard they do that. (I do have a letter from my doctor…)

I was sitting here typing and a United Healthcare commercial came on. The background music was Wouldn’t it be Nice. A little ray of sunshine in a crazy day!

My blessing today – despite the obvious down side – was that I did NOT have to have that stressful breathing challenge test!

PEANUTS Thought for the Day:

TOMORROW September 12th is:

Are You OK Day; National Chocolate Milkshake Day; National Day of Encouragement; National Police Woman Day; National School Picture Day; National Test Day; National Video Game Day; National Hug and High 5 Day; National Just One Human Family Day.

Yesterday’s fake day was National Cricket Day. Tomorrow? I’m ALL ABOUT the Chocolate Milkshake! Encouragement is always great, and I appreciate people being so supportive with all my crazy issues this summer. Chase will (of COURSE) celebrate video games, and we should all share a hug! God bless…

I feel like my cough is dissipating a bit, but still has a ways to go. It’s not quite as threatening or as intense as it was, but a few times a day I still feel shook by it. My doctor says sometimes it can hang on for a month or two!

After I got cleared to have my medical test tomorrow, I came home and had breakfast. I made a batch of pancakes. Ate 2 and froze the rest. I thought that would be better than buying frozen ones.

Next, I went to my dentist appointment. I figured the way things had been going this summer I’d have issues but everything was perfect! Amazing! I got a cleaning and a fluoride treatment and a new tube of fluoride (sensitive) toothpaste. I didn’t have to go to work today. I did see that Joe posted on facebook that all the cars are gone now at the Greensburg location and the lot is empty. It sort of makes me a little emotional — I’ll miss going there, and miss working with Joe. He’ll be in the Jeannette store occasionally but not like it was. Good luck, Joe! I know ‘semi-retirement’ will be perfect and you’ll be supper happy!

I wanted to pull out a picture of Grama Crooks’ house – I did find one but I thought there would be more. I’ll keep looking through Mom’s old photos, too. Then I sorted out my garden flags as I told Kathy I’d share some with her.

Diane sent me a photo from her hike today – It’s Jewel Weed, and the stems help dry up poison ivy. Good to know!

It was a beautiful day outside so I took half an hour and cleaned up a small section of the hill. Still a lot to do but there’s a lot of fall left to do it in!

I took a shower (as I always do after being in the yard) and now it’s time to finish up the day. Hope to read a few more stories – I did several last night.

My blessing today was comfortable reports at my appointments.

PEANUTS Thought for the Day:

TOMORROW September 11th is:

National Hot Cross Bun Day; National Make Your Bed Day; No News is Good News Day; Patriot Day; National Cricket Day.

There was no fake day yesterday. Tomorrow – as EVERY day – I will make my bed. And I’m sure everyone will stop to remember where they were when the Twin Towers went down. As well as Shanksville. God bless us, every one…

I slept pretty well the first part of the night, but woke up coughing at 4am. Took me an hour to get back to sleep; I was wide awake. I ended up becoming addicted to those little dog videos, some of which are really funny and some are just plain stupid. I just kept scrolling through…

There were a few things to do in Jeannette this morning, but I doubt there will be much more for me in Greensburg. I think Joe has everything under control. Rege and I sat for almost an hour comparing cough symptoms. I’m not sure what this is – allergies, illness, (Not COVID, we were both tested), common cold, etc) – but we certainly have had weeks of this. I left the store and went to Walmart in Irwin just for a change of pace. Rege asked me to look for his favorite cough drops, which are hard to find. I was happy to do that and ended up getting him two packages. That should get him through a couple of days!

I came home and had my yellow squash for lunch, started a laundry load, changed clothes, and cut the grass. It was a perfect day for that – very cool and sunny. I don’t mind mowing but these days it does make me tired quickly.

Normally I’m not a big TV person – I pick a show or two to watch in the evening after all the chores are done. But being low-key this summer has had me sitting more. I have gone through every episode of My Lottery Dream Home, Houses with History, Farmhouse Fixer, Fixer to Fabulous, and Home Town several times each. I’m very selective of the Hallmark movies that I watch, and tire of them easily. I’ve read a complete book almost every two days, and that doesn’t count the time I spend going to work, running errands, doing yardwork, and occasionally having fun! I just finished the first book in the Williamsburg Novels – and am starting the second book later this evening, after I read a few of the Flash Fiction contest stories. All the while wishing I would just stop coughing!

My blessing for today was making Sir Regis happy with his cough drops!

PEANUTS Thought for the Day:

TOMORROW September 10th is:

National Ants on a Log Day; National TV Dinner Day; Swap Ideas Day; White Balloon Day.

Yesterday’s fake day was Rock Paper Scissors day. Tomorrow- I’ll eat dinner while watching TV! I guess that’s not the idea, but it’s the best I can do. God bless…

I did more today than I have in a while. I just couldn’t stay inside. But I was careful not to over do it or sit among the plants on the hill. I wasn’t out there very long but I really feel like the fresh air was good for me.

Birds planted some morning glory seeds in the bottom yard….

Before going to my own Sunday school class I popped in on Kim and Stephanie. We got the schedule ironed out. Then Izabela came in and we discussed new curriculum, which sounds like a perfect fit. Mary and I will teach in October.

Since I was still coughing some, I used the first 20 minutes of church time to put up the fall bulletin board in the 4’s and 5’s classroom. I got upstairs just in time for the sermon – perfect timing.

During the closing (church) Todd had Miss Dianne go up, and the kids from Children’s Church presented her with a thank you card and a beautiful plant. The vase has the kids’ fingerprints on it to make the design. She has been teaching the children and/or youth for longer than I have! I’m so glad they did something to honor all that she’s done. Izabela will be the Children’s Ministry Director from here on out. I’m sure Dianne will still be part of the ministry in some way. It’s in her heart to be with the little ones.

Pictures of flags and welcome mats:

My blessing for today was fresh air, blue skies, and sunshine!

PEANUTS Thought for the Day:

TOMORROW September 9th is:

Care Bears Share your Care Day; Emergency Services Day; National Rock Paper Scissors Day; International Box Wine Day; National When Pigs Fly Day; National Wiener Schnitzel Day; Teddy Bear Day; Wonderful Weirdos Day.

Yesterday’s fake day was Sweep the Floor Day. Tomorrow – I’ll warn Jen that Piggy Smalls may take to the airways. It’s always good to show you care. And everyone should have a Teddy Bear! God bless…

Yea for me – I finally got some of the Flash Fiction stories read. They are just about what I expected! Some were very clever, some ordinary, some I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t understand at ALL, which could either me be or the writer! I’m not entirely good with mythology. I still have 35 stories to read and score.

Typical Saturday morning – changed and washed bed sheets. I also put the fall flags out – I was going to wait but it was so cool today I was inspired. And since it wasn’t dark enough last night to get pictures of the deck lights, I am including them here.

I also balanced the checkbook, and low and behold it balanced the very first time to the penny! Wow. I guess my ‘new method’ worked! I went into town and got gas for the Mazda and for the mower. Also decided to make potato soup. It should be light on my stomach. I felt a slight improvement today but not enough to be happy about.

Today’s blessing was sunshine and beautiful skies!

PEANUTS Thought for the Day:

TOMORROW September 8th is:

National Actor’s Day; National Sweep the Floor Day; Grandparents Day; International Literacy Day; National Dog Walkers Appreciation Day; National Hug Your Hound Day; National Iguana Awareness Day; Star Trek Day; World Ampersand Day.

Yesterday’s fake day was National Shell Day. Tomorrow- I’ll celebrate my dear actor friend Bear! And as a grandparent, I could appreciate that! Happy Sunday – God bless…