HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - ODDS AND BODS FOR 7/5/26

Good Morning - may today greet you gently and give you plenty of 

reasons to smile.

I am sending a bit of sunshine your way, hoping it will add a smile to your day.

How are you? You matter to me.

It’s another hot day.

 It's another hot day here too, 100 degrees F. - about 38 degrees C (wrote this on Saturday the evening of the 4th). What's it like in your part of the world?  Here is our weather for today and the coming week. Looks like it's cooling down a tad.

I hope you have a nice cool drink handy. It's important to stay well-hydrated. Yes, I know, preaching to the choir here.

For those of you who were celebrating America's 4th of July Independence Day yesterday, I hope you all had a great time, everyone else also however you spent the day. We had several fireworks going off in our neighborhood the night of the 3rd. In the early evening of the 4th, our neighbor was setting off a few in their front yard. There were about 12 little kids watching him, at a safe distance and none over the age of seven (our neighborhood is cycling through a younger age - the older kids have all grown and moved on - such is the way). All the girls (more girls in the group than boys) were shouting over what he was doing wrong, giving him advice on how to do it properly, lol! You gotta smile! He was a loving patient man, and all those kids were having a great time. At first, I thought I was hearing thunder in the distance, and then realized more fireworks were being set off throughout the neighborhood. We spent our 4th quietly otherwise and thoroughly enjoyed our day. 

Here is some pretty art for you, which includes my dream cottage and pet sheep. My whimsical personality is telling me there is a dog and a cat around somewhere, a family of hedgehogs too. 

I am having a bad hair day, but that’s okay. It’s too hot to go out anyway. 

You might guess I am going through my sheep phase but…

there is always room for rabbits…

isn’t there my dear?

Wouldn’t this be a pretty gate to walk through to the vegetable patch? Rabbit is already on the other side waiting for you, nibbling on your carrots.

How about pretty photo art?

Which one is your favorite?

Another word…

Ubuntu (oo-boon-too) noun - a profound African philosophy that

Embodies the spirit of togetherness; the belief that our humanity is 

intertwined, and through compassion and community, we rise.

And another!

Whist / Verb / Meaning: (rare) to hush or silence; to still; to become silent.

And one more...

Feathe - otherkinwords@tumbler - Noun/Meaning: (in a person) the state of being calm; 

peacefulness; absence of worry, anger, fear or other strong negative emotion; (in a place or 

situation). The state of being calm; absence of noise and disturbance.

Fun with food.

How about a recipe or two? I hope by this time I have actually made them. 

Nope, not yet! 

Pork Chop Supreme - 4 boneless pork chops - 4 thinly sliced medium

Potatoes - 1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix - 1 can cream of mushroom 

Soup - 1/4 cup milk - Salt and Pepper to taste. 

Brown the pork in 1/4 cup of oil, then drain. Slice potatoes into a medium

into a medium casserole dish in even layer. Place pork chops over potatoes. 

Combine onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup and milk, pour

over top of pork chops. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. 

Cookies?

Lemon Cookies - Ingredients: 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour - 1/2 teaspoon

baking powder - 1/4 teaspoon salt - 1/2 cup butter, softened - 3/4 cup sugar

1 egg - 2 teaspoons lemon juice - 1 tablespoon lemon zest - 1/2 teaspoon 

vanilla extract - 1/4 cup powdered sugar for coating - Directions: 1. In a

large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the lemon juice, zest

and vanilla extract.  2. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until 

combined.  3. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.  4. Roll the dough into balls 

and coat in powdered sugar.  5. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12

minutes, until lightly golden.  Cool on a wire rack. 

Maybe you can get ice-cream to go with your cookies but be sure to get a cone first. Dinner is still a few hours away and it is a hot day. Me? I will take the Famous Hot Fudge Sundae…

The Scoop Ice Cream Parlor - Try our famous hot fudge Sundae - Sweet 

Summer Memories - Special - Banana Split 35 cents - Malted Milk 25 cents

Sundaes 25 cents - Cones 15 cents

…especially if it is only 25 cents! Which one would you get? Maybe other flavors not seen here?

I completed a couple of jigsaw puzzles. Two new favorites, plus info below on ladybirds/ladybugs depending on which part of the world you live in. I am sure there are some other interesting names for them.

https://www.timesonline.com/story/lifestyle/home-garden/2019/04/29/myths-legends-ladybugs/5314067007/

You killed her babies. They don’t look like her. They eat more than she does. The adult:

Red. Round. Beloved. Eats 50 aphids a day. The Larva: Black. Spiky. Alien. Eats 400

aphids before growing up. The feast: She doesn’t wear the red coat yet. She’s earning it.

The second one is very cute. I wonder what our little fox is thinking?

This was a very interesting analogy. 

The Train Station - Life Station. You are the train and your life is the 

track. Everyone you meet is getting on for one stop, for a few stations 

or will ride with you until the end. Most people don’t stay for the 

whole ride. They will hop on, teach you something, love you for a 

moment, and then get off. Some help you through the hardest parts 

of the ride before getting off at their stop. Others stay through several 

stations. Only a few become your forever passengers.

Wise words.

“Being there for someone doesn’t mean you have to fix their storm;

It just means you have to stand in the rain with them until the sun

comes out. I’ve got a big umbrella and plenty of snacks. We’re going

to be just fine.” - Aurelia Leafsong - Better days are coming.

Now for a little pep talk…

One day you’ll look back and realize that you worried too much about

things that don’t really matter - so breathe, let go and trust the journey.

Everything you need is already within you. Be kind to yourself.

Easier said than done I know, life can be complicated, but something to think about. These important words are ones to remind ourselves to “be kind to ourselves!” Let's look in the mirror and tell our reflection, “I am amazing! There is no other person like me.” Okay, you may be laughing by now, because your reflection has quite an expression but say it enough, and maybe you will eventually believe it. I have said it before but it’s worth repeating, “Know you are worthy!”

And with all that being said...

It is always a good idea to leave room in your life for a little magic, a little whimsy and the

possibility of woodland fairies and frogs in waistcoats.

Wishing you all a very happy Sunday, 

with the hope that your week ahead 

will be a great one.

With my thanks to Pinterest for today's inspiration. You can click on any picture to enlarge if necessary.

WEEKLY HAPPENINGS - SUNDAY-3/29/26 TO SATURDAY-4/4/26

Just a note to tell you that this will be my last full-time weekly happenings. I will just do small snippets of what's going on in our lives every now and again. I hope you have enjoyed them but time to put the whole week to bed for a while, at least after this one.

I am starting late on my weekly happenings. But it's still from Sunday to Saturday. This week's weather forecast from Sunday 4-5-26 to Saturday 4-11-26.

Sunday, March 29th, 2026: a quiet day Nothing of note. The usual things around the house and finished a jigsaw puzzle in the evening. This is for the cat lovers. All the colors attracted me to choosing it, and the cat with the red and white fur fit in perfectly with its surroundings. He reminded me of my own dear cat when I was a little girl.

Monday, March 30th, 2026: we went up to BWI again to pick our son up. As we were leaving we saw a beautiful big cottontail run across my neighbor's yard. It has been so long since I saw one. Seemed an appropriate sighting this Easter week. We arrived half-an-hour-early and had settled in the hourly parking lot. 

I love the fact that we are able to track flights thanks to the airline's app. Son's plane landed ten minutes early. He texted us and was making his way to where we could pick him up outside of arrivals and told us the number of the door where he would be waiting. We didn't even have to wait as there he was. Another fun trip that got us out of our routine. We asked him when his next trip was. We enjoy volunteering for these drop-offs and pick-ups. 

In this photo son is driving home, Dad in the passenger seat, me in the back with my pillows and throws. We didn't have to leave as early this morning and were out the door at 3.00 a.m., again no traffic. I fell asleep going down and coming back, for 20 minutes or so each time. On the way back I woke up sensing the car had slowed down and was turning off the freeway. I knew we were still many miles away from home. Making our way into the drive-thru at another McDonalds, again for breakfast. They were both hungry. That was about 6.00 a.m. 

These were taken out of the back window when we were nearer his place. Never in too much of a daze to take photos and these came out not so bad.

The buildings were lit up like Christmas trees, and then there were the lights on the trees outside. The traffic was a little heavier but there were no delays and we were dropping him off soon after. The rest of the day was spent quietly. 

Tueday, March 31st, 2026: running a few non-important but necessary errands this afternoon.

Gregg and I didn't want to go straight home so we had a late lunch/earlyish dinner at the Bakery and Museum Company. It was on the way home and we pass right by it normally but this time when we checked, there were several parking spaces available. We were very surprised as it was getting close to dinnertime. For a few weeks now and every time we drove by, the parking lot was full with people waiting for a spot to open up. There are other stores there and they have claim to parking spaces in the front of their shops. Obviously, I agree with that as they need their customers too. Anyhow it was lovely to get in for a change. I have a thing about light fixtures and am automatically drawn to them, especially those hung from high ceilings.

Generally we are the oldest ones in there. We do notice these things and smile.

I normally have an all-day breakfast sandwich when I go there; scrambled egg, sausage patty with fresh spinach and sliced tomatoes. Potato chips on the side which I'm not too keen on but Gregg likes and I pass my plate over. He had his usual all-day breakfast; scrambled egg and cheese and that was it for him. 

We also brought home a cake for later, which is what we usually do at this place. So, not cutting out sugar entirely. It's a slow process and doing a lot better. Not huge pieces so that's a plus, and it was nice to have them for a tea that night. I sound like I am justifying and yes of course I am, it's a long road but already doing better.

I was taking a picture of my dear other half but saw later on looking at the photo on my laptop, that I had captured the jigsaw players I noticed when we left. They have a table set up for this pastime and there was a young couple making use of it, concentrating quite intently on the task. They looked like girlfriend/boyfriend in their teens, very sweet. Gregg also noticed that not only were we part of the elderly tribe, which for some reason we see the funny side of, but there were more women in there than men, by 90 percent. Some mothers with young children, students with their laptops out, and some just getting together for a chat.

The temperature got up to 84°F today, 29°C (?) It is the first day I have worn a summer dress. Felt lovely but with not the humidity that you get in the height of summer. Windows are all open at home and there is a slight breeze blowing the curtains.

Wednesday, April 1st, 2026: Happy First Day of the Month! 

We got up very early today as last night after looking at the weather, and finding out it was going to be a warm and sunny that morning, we drove to Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah Mountains. We are thankful that we aren't that far away and it is always an easy drive. 

We were hoping to see deer and a few birds, but I think at that time they were safely tucked up in their beds. There weren't many people up there and we passed a few bicyclists getting a real work-out on those steep, winding roads. The trees all seemed to be bare of leaves, no doubt they will be catching up soon. 

When we got home, not 30 minutes later it started raining hard and it rained for the rest of the day.

I get fascinated with the pop-up pictures on my laptop, and thought this one was amazing. I know some of you have these pictures also. I tapped on the top right button, and it told me it was the Thiên Đường Cave in Vietnam. You can click on its name if you like, and it will give you more information. The last time I was in a cavern was at Luray Caverns here in Virginia, and that was when we first got married. I had never seen anything like it before. It's not that far away from where we were, about 20 miles or so.

Thursday, April 2nd, 2026: a day we didn't go out. The weather was cold compared to the start of the week. These high and low temperatures are a bit strange. We got in the kitchen and made the chickpea, feta and cucumber salad I shared yesterday. Also made roasted chicken thighs to go with it and Jasmine rice. The day went very quickly. Nothing else of note.

Friday, April 3rd, 2026: another quiet day but did have a lovely long chat on FaceTime with my brother-in-law on the other side of the pond. The three of us always finds lots to chat about.

Breakfast was a bowl of blackberries and blueberries with a spoonful of plain yogurt, and I got the idea of putting in a tablespoon of almond butter. Mixed it up and it made a delicious breakfast.

Dinner: Leftover chickpea and cucumber salad and mixed in leftover Jasmine rice and we also had one piece of chicken left. Cut that up and threw everything together. It made a very tasty meal and no fuss. 

Unless I write things down the day of, I can't remember what we ate and I'm trying to keep a record of it as hoping to cut down and surprise the doctor on my next visit. I can live in hope!

Saturday, April 4th, 2026: here we are and it is 7.00 p.m. Another day gone quickly. We drove to Green Spring Gardens in the late afternoon. But first we had another lovely long chat with my niece and her boyfriend. Lovely chatting with them both. She said it was a year ago that they were getting ready to come over here and spent Easter with us. A whole year already, where did that time go? 

After we put the phone down, off we went to the garden. It was a warm day, a little more humid, the first time I had felt it. I take along water and drank a whole flask while there. Lots of tulips and other spring flowers to take photos of. I had a great time looking at them all. I also took a photo of this cutie at the Moon Gate. Such a charmer! A bit far away but I like how he was framed. I was sitting on a bench at the time.

Quite a few people but not crowded by any means. There was a wedding photo session taking place and we joked that we didn't get an invite this time, remembering from last year the kindness of the family whose son invited us. We had been chatting at another bench not so far from this one. With all these colorful flowers, they would make a very picturesque backdrop.

Breakfast/brunch today was a ham and cheese sandwich on a multi-seed bagel, with a cup of blackberries on the side.

Dinner was a grazer as we like to say, and what we have in the fridge; three miniature stuffed grapevine leaves, the chickpea, feta, and cucumber salad, a couple of radishes and later, a banana and plain yogurt for dessert. 

It was a nice surprise when our son called up and said our dear d-in-l had been busy with extra services singing at the church this week, and leading up to Easter. He asked if we would like some company. It was really nice to have extra time with him these past few days, and he will be over again in the morning. 

Right after he left we went to bed and that's it for the latest weekly happenings.

Thank you for reading through to the end, and I wish you all a continued good week.