Thankful Sunday

 I am thankful for the kindness of strangers.

Last Tuesday, Ward and I went with friends to see a John Prine tribute concert at Wolf Trap. Wolf Trap is a National Park for the Performing Arts in Virginia. The stage is surrounded by open-air covered seating and lawn seating, and is a magical place to watch a concert (if the weather cooperates, which it did).

When we made our way back to our car, we found the battery was dead. After a bit of asking around, we found someone with jumper cables and someone else who gave our car a jump. Soon, we were finding our way home.

So, for the kindness of strangers who helped us start our car, I am thankful.

This and That

The first bloom ever on this Christmas cactus!

 Winter weather has arrived with cold rain followed by freezing temperatures and wind. I am definitely a fair-weather outdoor person, so the cold weather has kept me indoors for the most part. However, earlier in the week, we did have an outdoor outing of sorts. We stopped at the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Shine in Emmitsburg, MD, on the way back from a funeral.

Statue of Elizabeth Seton at Shrine

Among other things, Elizabeth Seton established the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph and a school for girls in the early 1800s. She was made a saint in 1975 and was the first native-born American to receive Roman Catholic sainthood. We only visited the outside grounds but found them peaceful even though I was cold. Maybe we'll visit in the spring and include the indoor parts of the shrine. I am not Catholic, but I appreciate the history of the site.

Last weekend, we had another outing to a concert in Virginia. Along with the Fairfax Band, four broadway performers sang various songs. Boy, you could tell those women were stage performers because they could really belt out a tune. While the show was enjoyable, the best part was hooking up with a childhood friend of Ward's who played in the band. By serendipity, we sat in the same row as his family and had a nice visit. 

Back at home, we were a little late, but we pulled everything left in the garden this week. I've spent the last couple of days processing the produce with most of it going into the freezer. More to go, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. Today, the four of us are going to have a Thanksgiving dinner. Theo got a turkey from work and wants to try a new way of cooking it. On Thanksgiving Day, we will go to my niece's house to spend it with Ward's family.

The first of four boxes of harvest. Three down and one more to go.

Otherwise, I've started to work on some Christmas projects and spent more time than I should with a cat on my lap. :)

Until next time...

This and That

I'm definitely not a morning person, especially if I don't get a good night's sleep, like last night. So everyone in my house has come to an understanding that I'm best left alone this morning as we go about getting ready for our day, a don't-poke-the-bear kind of self-preservation. I just need a little time. But I'm happy to use my waking up time to catch up with all of you and tell you about some of the this and that that has been filling my days.

Yesterday, we bought a new car. A new used car, that is. Ward's car is 10 years old, but has no major problems and we hadn't thought about replacing it. But a friend of Uncle Billy's was selling a newer car that had a lot more of the safety features that we were interested in, so we decided it would be a good thing. The process took all day yesterday. The workers at the DMV were doing their best to be efficient and friendly, but it just takes time to process thousands of people. We now have a shiny "new" car that will be safer for Ward to drive to work every day. I feel fortunate that we were able to do this.

The day before that was a fun day when I had a cookbook party here with friends from work. We all chose a different recipe from the same cookbook, cooked it, and brought it to the party to share. It was a great way to sample several different recipes to see what you thought about them. There was not a dud in the bunch. All delicious. But someone made a comment that I think is even more important. "How nice that you like the people you work with enough to socialize with them outside of work."  I am very fortunate.


Speaking of work, it is going well, however, I am definitely still in the adjusting and learning phase. A couple of people have told me that it will take about a year or longer until I will feel comfortable. I have a ways to go then. Among other things, I am learning about storytimes and am starting to take part in them. Learning and performing them are exhausting me at this point, but I am really enjoying interacting with the kids. Many have said that I am learning under the best children's librarian in our large library system. I am very fortunate in that way.

A couple of weeks ago, Ward and I went to Phil Wiggins concert. Who is that you may say (or not)? Phil is a renown harmonica player who helped develop the Piedmont Blues sound. I have only recently discovered him and am very happy that I did. It turns out that he is married to Jerri, someone I went to school with and recently connected with on Facebook. I was going to meet Jerri at the concert but unfortunately she got sick and couldn't come. But we were fortunate that she hadn't passed her illness to Phil and he did come and give a great concert of music and storytelling.

I am still tired, but I have to move onto other things. I think Ward and Theo have left for the day. How fortunate for them. :)

Until next time...