Laney Welcomes Us Home

We have arrived back at home safely after enjoying a week of fun in the south.  It was a great way to start the first week of fall.  After enjoying the ocean and bike riding around the island, it was sad to bid farewell and think of heading back to the north. However,  Laney was there at home to greet us as usual with her tail wagging and her roll over on the floor.  She has now claimed her spot on my lap, and my laptop computer has been pushed to the side. I think she is glad I am home.

We spent my last day of vacation in romantic Charleston SC.   I can never go south without stopping there.  I always find new things to see as many times as I have been there.  We spent the day visiting the art galleries and then off on foot to tour the old historic homes.  I love the cobblestone streets and reading about the history of the homes dating back to the 1800's.  I also love taking pictures of flower baskets adorning the historic homes.

My love of flowers comes from my grandmother and my mother.  My mother had a green thumb and our yard was always full of flowers when I was a child.  The neighbors would gather at the fence to admire my mother's flowers.  My dad still plants all the flowers with the help of my son.  My mother must water them from heaven, because the flowers are always very beautiful and healthy.

There are also an over abundance of  good restaurants to enjoy in Charleston.    They all have some  good southern food.   We try a new one each time we pass through.  I have not ate at a bad one yet.  I had the pleasure of enjoying collard greens which were almost as good mother's.  She was an excellent cook and I miss her cooking.

I am very happy to see my flowers are still flourishing at home.  The cool nights and sunny days have made them grow.  They looked huge and I hope they last a couple of more weeks.  I hope someday I can live somewhere to enjoy the flowers all year.  For now, I will enjoy my flower pictures during the winter.

It has been a very busy and fun week and now it's time to rest my tired body. 

Laney is already asleep on me and I am anticipating resting my head on my own pillow.  There's no place like home.

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth

                                           

Je Suis Tres Heureuse

It was a great day sightseeing around the island.   Of course, I was in awe of the beautiful flowers.

 These flowers were at the marina.  We took a dolphin boat cruise.  Yes, there were dolphins.  Great cruise given by Captain Mark.  I was too interested in watching the dolphins and did not try to capture a picture of them.

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth

The Sound of Waves and Love

If I could save days like the one I had today, then everyday I would be the luckiest lady.   I awoke this morning to kisses and a smile from my husband, and sunshine over the ocean.  No it was not a dream.  I smiled as I saw that the temperature in the north was 46 degrees and here I sit enjoying the warm coastal air of the southeast coast. A walk on the beach started the day, as my husband and I enjoyed the company of a sea crab as it posed for a snap shot.

We claimed a small area of the beach to relax and enjoy the serenity of the waves.  I had my MP3 playing Andrea Bocelli, as I sat and watched the waves splashing softly on the shore.  My husband was sitting right next to me.  He was listening to his favorite music and enjoying the people strolling up and down the beach.  I laughed to myself as I caught him watching the bathing beauties passing by us.  I managed to catch his attention as I pulled out a book to read and there in between the pages were love notes from him.  I had been collecting them and had forgot I had stuck them in between the pages of the Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee.

My husband started leaving the love notes after I had left some love letters to him in his lunch bag.  The first love notes came seven months ago and have continued everyday on post it notes.  Thank goodness for the inventor of post it notes.  The post it notes have helped my husband cope with his memory loss and have brought me much joy every morning as I look for my love notes.

Sitting there on the beach I was overwhelmed with joy, as I reread the love notes from my husband.  He smiled at me as I read them.  So much for reading the book, as my mind was now occupied with the thought of love and how at peace and relaxed I was.  It was one of those moments you want to save forever.  I realized how grateful I am for all the days with my husband.

Many blessings to a great doctor that I was reminded of today, as he had recommended the book which I stuffed the love notes in.  And because of the great doctor,  I have my husband here to give me many more love notes.  As I rest my head tonight, I will have sweet dreams of a great day with my husband.   The rest is left to the imagination, as the sound of the waves is music to our ears.

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth

Fall in the South

Enjoying the fall season in the south.  It is very warm and humid.   I could be quite content living in the south.   My family is from the south and I have always felt peaceful and at home here.








 Life is beautiful!!

Elizabeth

Fall is Approaching

It has been a great week for enjoying the last days of summer.  We have had lots of sunshine and cooler temperatures.  Laney has been enjoying walks with us and running around the backyard.  She has perked up a little as it seems she was a little down for awhile.  I think the cooler weather is a relief to her.

Hubby and I have been on the bike trail again and the leaves are starting to fall and cover the trail.  We won't be able to ride much longer as the weather is changing quickly.  We are still enjoying our walks together and we walked last evening in the moonlight.  The moon was full and the sky was clear.  I love the mysterious atmosphere that the moon creates.  We had our mace with us as we never know what lurks in the darkness.  Our meeting with the intruders a couple of weeks ago left us a little on guard. 

Hope our fall season is going to be mild and perhaps the snow will hold off as it did last fall.  Looking forward to enjoying as much fun outside as possible before our hibernation begins.  The flowers will soon be gone, but right now the mums are showing off their beautiful fall colors.

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth

Summer or Fall

It has finally rained some today, but not enough to ease the drought we are having.  The high temperatures in the 90's and humidity has been unusual for this time of year.  We have spent very little time outdoors this week.  We have been taking walks after dark, but it is still very warm.  It is hard to believe tomorrow will only be a high temperature of 68 degrees.  It is crazy up and down temperatures for this time of year.  We are hoping to get out and enjoy the weekend as it is suppose to be sunny and highs in the low 70's. 

We are getting excited, as the Light The Night walk for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is now just three weeks away.  Our fund raising has begun.  We always try to surpass our past year of donations.  I am hoping that everyone that has supported us in the past will continue to do so. 

Laney has been slowing down and we believe she has arthritis.  She has trouble walking around in the mornings.  I tried to train her to use steps to get up on the bed as she stands at the side now and groans.  I have to pick her up and put her on her bench at the end of our bed.  She refuses to use the steps, and of course I get to trip over them in the middle of the night.  It breaks my heart to see her get older.  She is the best spoiled dog that any family could ever have. 

Looking forward to TGIF and a fun filled weekend. Where ever you are we hope your life is filled with love and lots of sunshine. 

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth

Love Always and Forever

My husband and I have definitely stepped back into life, as we spent the whole weekend enjoying time with family and friends.  We had lots of fun and laughter.  It reminded us of our younger days when everyday was filled with dreams of the future and wondering if we would still be in love as we grew old together.  And, here we are now 37 years later still in love as we celebrated the wedding of my nephew and his beautiful bride.

Our recipe for loving each other is to remember that we each are allowed to have our own opinions, and to support each other.  We have also learned to let each other speak.  We have been tested many times over the years with a lot of heartache and stress, but we always remember why we fell in love.  No life is without struggles.  If you are strong enough to realize that sometimes you both need help to make it through the tough times, it will eventually lead you back to love.

Here is my husband's advice he gave at the wedding to someone.  Love yourself first and tell yourself you are happy.  Go after what you want in life and quit worrying about what others think.  Take care of yourself and be grateful for everyday that you live.  And, write love notes to your spouse.  Let them know how much you appreciate them everyday.  Do activities that make you happy and remember to laugh everyday.

Here is my advice about loving a husband.  Let him take credit for his advice that he learned from you. Yes, he is trainable.  LOL!   Laugh at all his jokes even if you hear them 100 times.  Wear perfume that he can't resist.  Don't let him go to bed without a kiss.  Smile at him when you wake up next to him.  Let him know when you are heartbroken.  They can only help if you let them know what is wrong.  Encourage him to do things he likes, so you can have your alone time. Let him know he is a terrific dad.   Have a spoiled dog great him at door when he comes home from work.  And the most important thing, as my husband has always said, is love yourself. 

Life is beautiful because of knowing you, my hero husband !!

Elizabeth

Flowers Are Smiles From God

               "I must have flowers always and always."-----Claude Monet

                         Flowers grow out of dark moments--Corita Kent

Flowers have spoken to me more than I can tell in written words.  They are the hieroglyphics of angels, loved by all men for the beauty of character though few can decipher even fragments of their meaning.---Lydia Marcia Child

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth


























































































      

Happy Labor Day

It has been a fun and great Labor Day weekend.  We had great weather.  The rain moved around us and missed us totally.  We are now officially having a drought.  It is suppose to cool off for the rest of the week..  It will be perfect weather for being outside as summer is coming to an end quickly.  Hope to enjoy what is left of summer before we are forced inside.

We had fun with family and celebrated my daughter and son-in-laws second wedding anniversary.  It is hard to believe that two years has flown by.  We have been home from living in Houston now two years.  Time is definitely passing by quickly.  We are so happy to be enjoying life again.

Hubby and I spent today bike riding in our favorite town of  Yellow Springs.  It was a perfect day to ride as it was not too hot.  It is so nice to be having fun and relaxing!!

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth