Post 100

Wow! Post number 100. Not bad for only posting about once a week, on average. Sometimes twice a week, sometimes not at all.

Yesterday was a great day! Not only was it Sunday, complete with nice worship service, gorgeous weather and unusually well-behaved children, but it was also my birthday.

As a special treat, we went out to eat so I didn't have to worry about cooking or doing dishes. We don't generally eat out very often, so this was a big deal for the kids. We went to Pizza Hut, which A and K absolutely loved; it's been a while since we had a made-to-order pizza. We live too far out of town for any sort of delivery, and the frozen pizzas you get at the grocery store just can't compare to a freshly made pie.

Among the day's activities:

We returned home after lunch to discover a 2-Liter of Dr. Pepper and a birthday card by the front door. Absolutely lovely! That is my absolute favorite soft drink (and my one true vice), which some dear friends knew of course. The pop was duly shared amongst the members of the H-- family throughout the rest of the day.



Another friend dropped by with a bundle of freshly picked flowers from a farm that lies 2 miles up the road from my house. I adore flowers of nearly any type, and I don't have too many in my flowerbeds just yet, so I am really enjoying seeing these cheery blooms in their vase. Now that I know what perennials are in place in the beds, I can actually dig around in there and plant other things. Being unfamiliar with the previous tenants' gardening habits, I didn't want to uproot something I was interested in keeping. I have daffodils, hyacinths, tulips, and lily leeks, all in a straight line, so there's plenty of room for other things. I have scads of the burgundy and yellow bearded iris that someone else had ripped out of their flowerbeds and left for me by our house, so some of those are going in the front beds. Others are destined for the backyard, and a few made it up along the fence that borders the highway.



I also discovered that the brambles growing along the forest-line on the back of the property are blackberries! I took a basket out there and picked some of the ripe ones. I'll have to get back out there every day or so this week to get more as they continue to ripen. I've got about 100 feet or so of forest edge, so after the squirrels and whatever else get their fill, there's still plenty for me. : ) I'm going to freeze them on a cookie sheet, then deposit them in a freezer bag for future use. I don't know if I'll use them as-is in muffins or something, or if I'll save up enough to make some jam.



And this is my new baby.




I get to bring home sometime mid-August, when he is old enough. He is a blue and white patch purebred Maine Coon. My parents used to have one, and Xerxes was a huge 26 pounds of snugglebunny, plus long hair that made him look even larger. These cats are known for being gentle giants, and for their playful personalities. I haven't had a cat since I left home to go to college, so this is going to be great! Also, given the recent mouse discovery, I think the timing is brilliant.

A nice day, indeed.