on the day that you were born

 ~ July 21, 1988 ~

 the angels got together

and decided to create a dream come true

So, they sprinkled moondust in your hair of gold

and star-light in your eyes of blue

My firstborn son, Phil would've been 28 years old today.

 But, he is "forever 21". And forever loved and missed.

To read more about Phil, please take a look at the Dedication to Phil tab underneath my header.

celebration time

We had Tim's graduation party on Saturday ~ what a wonderful and exhausting time! We had not thrown a big party in years. You tend to forget how much prep work there is. And how trashed your house is afterwards. I definitely couldn't have done it by myself - hubby helped a lot. All worth it though to gather with family and friends to celebrate a special achievement. I didn't make any fancy displays - that's not my forte - but made one simple one on the buffet in the living room. Clementine wasn't part of the original design plan, but I think she adds just the right je ne sais quoi, non? 

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. The sun was shining and the temps were only in the 70's with low humidity. We set up a tent in the back yard with two tables and chairs under it. There was more seating on the patio, so plenty of room for people to sit outside.

Tim (the bearded one!) and some of his friends on the patio.

My sister brought over her corn hole game (others call it "bags") and we set it up on the north side of the house. My cousin's son loved running around in this area and using the slippery boards as a slide. ;-) I love the look of pure joy on his face.

One of Tim's graduation presents from my mom to Tim was his Papa's Longines Swiss watch. Tim was only seven years old when his Papa passed away and he took it very hard. After Papa's death, Tim even had an imaginary friend for awhile named Tommy. (My dad's name was Tom.)

Grandmom and grandson hugs.

So, what next? Tim moves back home at the end of the month and is still looking for a full-time job. It'll be a big adjustment for all of us, but I'm feeling positive.

hanging up my superwoman cape

I am naturally a high-energy person. A doer. I get a lot accomplished during a day. I'm not stating this to "brag" - it's simply the way I am. However, it does come with its downside. It's hard for me to relax. If I sit down, my mind constantly whirls with what I could be accomplishing. 

{source}

I haven't had bad back pain in a long time. But for whatever reason, these past couple of weeks, the back pain has reappeared. It's been especially bad the past few days, to the point where I've only accomplished half of what I usually do. 

{my climbing roses}

We are having our son's graduation party here this weekend and there is a lot to get done beforehand. But, guess what? I'm taking off that darn Superwoman cape because pain trumps all. And I've called a truce. I'm accomplishing what I really need to, and the rest can go by the wayside. I'm moving slower...but at least I'm moving.

{chamomile flowers}

I've tried all my usual tricks for back pain (I have three herniated disks, by the way) ~ lots of stretches and gentle yoga; soaking in epsom salts; taking curcumin supplements for inflammation. I don't take ibuprofen or any NSAIDs unless absolutely necessary. (Do a Google search how dangerous these are if you're not aware.)

{hummingbird hawk-moth on phlox)

The good news is that my next door neighbor is a massage therapist. He's excellent - I've had him work on my back once before when I had a pulled muscle and another time when I had a stiff neck and a headache. He told me he can fit me in later today. Relief is on its way!

{Monkey - he knows how to relax}

And more good news: both hubby and son will be home Friday, so they can help out with all the last-minute stuff. I just might stuff that Superwoman cape in the trash bin.

the little paris bookshop ~ review

Monsieur Perdu runs a bookstore on a floating barge, using his intuitive feelings to sell "just the right book" to the brokenhearted. But the only person Perdu can't mend is himself, after the love of his life left him with just a letter - which he never opened.

I had high hopes for this book ~ after all, the plot sounds promising and a little romantic. However, the story and writing ended up being so dull and overly-sweet, that I had to slog through the book to make it to the end.

If you're looking for a good story about bookstores, instead I'd recommend 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff; Parnassus on Wheels and The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley; and Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan.

I received The Little Paris Bookshop from Blogging for Books for my honest, personal opinion review.

summer, unfolding

With the cooler, less humid weather we've been having lately, a lot of our time has been spent outdoors. The patio is the perfect summer spot for morning coffee, sitting and chatting with family and friends, and dinners el fresco. Flowers are lush this time of year, with phlox, lamb's ear and hydrangea now blooming, and purple coneflower, black-eyed susan and joe pye weed all about to burst into bloom. We had a two-day visit with Tim and that was filled with local dining on the river, movies, card games and errands. Hard to believe he'll be moving back home in under four weeks!

Brian painted our front door a cheery yellow and the side panel a crisp white. I did my part by picking out the paint colors, scraping the stray paint off the glass, and doing the touch-up paint work. We're a pretty good team. It's amazing how a little paint can transform a space. The brighter colors go well with the light gray siding and brighten up the entire front of the house. The door and side panel were originally a dark stain. I remember when we first had this door installed and the contractor asked what color I had in mind. I told him I really liked painted doors instead of stained, and that front doors looked best with colors that added a punch of color. He looked at me like I was crazy and said that a dark stain would look best against the light gray siding. I thought that because he was a contractor he knew best, so I let him go ahead and stain the door and side panel. I did like it at first, but eventually I realized it was too dark and formal-looking for our house. Goes to show it's best to trust your gut. Go with what you think is best.

This weekend was also a good time for a relaxing day trip, slow-walking up and down the flower-laden streets, popping into interesting shops, and more outdoor dining. 

Not all was fun and games this weekend though ~ on Sunday, we worked for five hours straight in the basement, cleaning out a huge space and reorganizing the things we kept. We bagged up all the unneeded and unwanted stuff, packed the back seat and trunk of our car to the hilt, drove to the Goodwill donation center, and dropped it all off. Now this cleared-out space is ready for Tim to drag all his stuff home in a few weeks. 

Life is busy ~ and good.

blast from the past

  When I checked Facebook this morning, I had a message request from someone whose name rang a distant bell. I repeated the name to myself a couple of times, trying to place this person, and my mind flashed back to my teenage years. Then I read the message. He asked if I remembered him. That his best friend used to date my best friend. Then it all came back to me.

The year was 1978. I was 16 years old and living in Jamestown, Kentucky. My best friend and her boyfriend used to come to my house on the weekend and the three of us would hang out. Of course in those days, there wasn't any internet or cable TV or cell phones. We would hang out in the living room and actually talk for hours without the distraction of screens. I can remember the three of us sitting on my parent's faux leather couch (man, that thing was hot and sticky when we were wearing shorts!) and laughing hysterically because the boyfriend gave my kitten a piece of cheese and the kitten promptly got up in the boyfriend's lap and farted. 

{My best friend - who's wearing my strawberry top because she loved it - and her boyfriend}

We lived in a rural area, so there was nowhere for us to go. We didn't even have a McDonalds. About all we had was a drive-in movie theater, a roller rink, and the high school gymnasium when there were basketball games.

Being 16 and seeing my best friend with a boyfriend when I didn't have one...well, I just had to have a boyfriend, too. So my best friend's boyfriend promised me he'd fix me up with his best friend, J. J and I wrote each other little notes - yes, handwritten ones - and they were delivered via courier pigeon  Best Friend's boyfriend. Why Best Friend's boyfriend never brought J to my house when he'd come over with my best friend, I don't remember. But I do remember one night, Best Friend and her boyfriend picked me up and the three of us went to a basketball game in a town about 30 miles away where the guys lived. J was supposed to meet us at the basketball game. He never showed up. It wasn't like we could call or text him to find out where he was! Boy, the kids nowadays have it so easy, don't they? 

Eventually, my best friend and her boyfriend broke up, and I gave up my hopes of ever meeting the infamous J.

{my sister, my best friend, and our four dogs - GS (stood for German Shepherd - we were clever like that), Ringo, Puggy & Gypsy}

So now, after 38 years, the Mystery Man somehow finds me and contacts me?! I wrote back and told him that I did remember him and asked how in the world he even remembered me. I looked at his Facebook page and from the photos I see, he still lives in the same town in Kentucky, is married, and even has a few little grandchildren.

{Me and my best friend; Christmas 1978}

All I really want to know is:

Where was he that night he was supposed to meet me at the basketball game? ;-)

family weekend

 Be still, my heart! This brown-eyed beauty is my second cousin, whom I met for the first time this weekend. Most of the people in my family are fair-haired and blue-eyed, so what a wonder to behold those dark eyes. Eyes just like her daddy. 

We celebrated the baby's first birthday at my aunt's house. Baby Cousin's birthday technically isn't until July 21st (which is also my deceased son, Philip's birthday, so how special is that?) but since they live out-of-state and were in town for the weekend, we had an early celebration. My mom made a delicious carrot cake, which was totally vegan. We don't have any vegans in our family, but we have several who are lactose-intolerant, so there was no dairy in this cake. The cream cheese is made from almond milk. The cake was absolutely delicious. My normal, healthy, everyday eating doesn't include sugar, but I made an exception for this cake. 

Baby Cousin obviously loved her birthday cake, too. Her mama told me she's never had sweets or sugar before, so this was a first. 

Of course, Sunday was Father's Day. My dad passed away 17-1/2 years ago. He wasn't a hands-on dad (I know not many were "back in the day"), was very strict, and wasn't the huggy-lovey type, but I knew that he loved us in his own way. He was a very intelligent, well-read and well-spoken man, with a quick temper and a dry wit. That's me on the left and my sister on the right. Don't you love our Farrah Fawcett-type hairdos? This was around 1979.

Tim came home for Father's Day and we grilled marinated chicken breasts, ribeye burgers, and potato-onion foil packets. We also had an Israeli couscous veggie salad, fruit salad, and homemade baked beans - all leftover from my cousin's party. Tim gifted Brian with a veggie grill pan, which will really come in handy next time we barbeque.

We were teasing Tim and saying Happy Father's Day to him, as Zippo is his baby...Tim was the one who found Zippo on our property as a stray, almost 17 years ago. Yes, Zippo is 17! He was about three months old when he showed up at our house. As you can tell by the photo, Zippo is a very relaxed kitty and loves to be held like a baby. He certainly doesn't look 17, does he? He's very healthy except for a little arthritis in his back legs and one eye being dilated all the time due to some sinus pressure in his head. My cats see a holistic vet and Zippo has homeopathic drops that are custom-made for his conditions.

And today ~ the first day of summer for those of us in the Northern hemisphere. It's been very hot and humid here, but I won't complain. It certainly beats our winter weather. You don't have to shovel sunshine! :-)