weekend birthday

Last Saturday was my birthday. As usual, I chose to celebrate it simply, which meant a day trip to Cedarburg, Wisconsin with Brian.

Cedarburg is a small, charming town 20 minutes north of Milwaukee that's known for getaways. We've spent the night here before at two of their B&Bs, but mostly we just drive up for the day.

The main street is filled with unique shops, restaurants, museums, art galleries, and beautiful flowers.

We had lunch outside on the patio right by the creek, then walked over to the winery for a tasting. A couple of years ago, I met a friend in Cedarburg and we did three wine tastings in a row. Afterwards, we were sitting in Adirondack chairs in the sunshine, feeling relaxed and a little giggly. A woman walking by with her dog looked at us and said, "You two look so happy!" I behaved myself this time and did just the one wine tasting.

 Then off we went down the street to explore some of the cool shops. This one had just about every kind of interesting yard decor you could want. Or not want.

 How about a pig grill for $1125.00?

This is the only way I like mushrooms - faux, cute and cheery.

 Wonder if anyone buys this stuff in the winter?

Weeds is one of my favorite shops in Cedarburg. The store is filled with items that are organic, fair-trade, recycled and handmade. They have a huge assortment of loose-leaf teas and the ones I've tried are delicious. My favorite is called Secret Garden - an organic blend of chamomile, lavender, peppermint, rooibos and rose petals. I like it iced. When I run out of my favorites and I know I'm not going to be in Cedarburg anytime soon, I just order online. Their prices are fair and so is their shipping. If you're a tea lover or want to order a lovely gift for a tea lover, check out their assortment here! This is not a sponsored post ~ I'm just sharing a favorite store and their products that I truly enjoy.

Another thing I love about this store is that it's filled with plants for sale, especially succulents. They even have a garden right next to their building that customers are allowed to browse.

Check out these beautiful plants and the way they have them displayed...

 We got home that evening just in time to watch our town's fireworks display. Our little town has a weekend fest every summer and it ends with a fabulous fireworks display over the lake that attracts over 10,000 people. When a friend of mine lived in a house right on the lake, we used to go to her house for the evening and watch the fireworks from her front deck. But now that she no longer lives there, we'd have to join the 10,000 other people all over the grassy areas. Which means if we'd want a spot to sit down, we'd have to walk to the lake hours before the fireworks and stake our spots. No thanks!

I'll be honest ~ I don't like fireworks anymore. As I've gotten older, I find they're too loud for me. It also upsets me to know that the noise scares off the ducks, geese, swans and birds that reside in the bushes and aquatic plants along the lake. That's their home. I have read that sometimes birds even die from the noise and light of the sudden explosions: they take off and fly into trees and houses at top speed. Dogs and cats are terrified of fireworks, too. I can hear all the neighborhood dogs barking and howling when the fireworks go off. My cats used to cower under the bed all night, but now we put in them in the basement ahead of time with a fan set on high to try and block out some of the noise. Monkey was still so terrified the next morning that he freaked out at every little noise. Then there's the matter of the debris and chemicals from the fireworks going into the lake, therefore poisoning the fish and other aquatic creatures. And...of course, there's the veterans with PTSD.

Since I don't have any control over the fireworks display, I just watch them from the steps of the side door to my house.

I am blessed to have taken another trip around the sun. 

Every morning that we wake up is a gift. 💓

Have a beautiful week and enjoy what's left of summer.