I KNOW IT'S BEEN AWHILE

 

Hello, friends.  Summer is finally here and the temperatures sure are showing this.  It is so hot.

I know it has been a while since I last wrote.  I just don't seem to have the time to do it.  Blogging is more of a burden than a joy these days.  I have so much to do around the house.  We are cleaning out.  We think we have a buyer.  We have not found a place where we can afford to live.  Pressure is building.  The yard is very, VERY overgrown and I can't get out there to fix it.  My heart has gone into a-fib several times.  The last attack lasted only 15 hours, though.  My blood pressure keeps dropping and I keep getting very dizzy.  Can't get ahold of any of my doctors.  Yes, life has not been treating me well.

I have a guy coming over this afternoon to help me with packing up and tossing out the items in my house.  He will actually take the trash with him so that I don't have to deal with it.  Even this is pressure on me.

But I have been reading a lot.  The other week I was thinking about how I would sit on the front porch and read my summer vacation away when I was a teenager.  I remembered some of the books I had read -- especially the Pollyanna series.  Most people do not know that Pollyanna is actually a series of books that takes her from a 10-year-old girl to a 60-year-old woman.  The first three books are my favorites and so I thought I would read them again.  I have my mom's books from WWII.  These were printed on cheap paper because it was hard to get rags and things to make good paper during the war.  Everything was going to the war effort as well it should have.  I was afraid to read them again because they fall apart in your hands as you turn the pages.  So I found the first two books for free on Kindle and the third one for $2.99.  I got them and have read the first one and am almost finished the second -- Pollyanna Grows Up.  What a great pleasure I am getting from reading them again.  And it's so interesting to read them from an adult perspective.  So many things that I didn't really understand as a child, I see now.  Can't wait to get into the third one -- Pollyanna of the Orange Blossoms -- where she gets married and moves to New York City.

I was going to bake a cake for church the other day, but it was just too hot.  So I ended up buying a bag of cookies to take over.  We do what we need to do.  When it gets cooler, I will bake my cake.

On Sunday we had a birthday party for Carolyn, my pastor's wife after church.  The food was good, the cake was beautiful, and though she knew she was having the party, she didn't know that pastor had bought her a beautiful sapphire ring.  And he proposed, because he never officially proposed to her before they married.  Carolyn started crying and it was so sweet.  (He told us at Bible Study on Tuesday that he goes around the house calling her his fiance and she reminds them that they are already married because they have two kids!)

Well, just thought I would touch base with all of you.  I have to get going and get breakfast, shower, dress, etc.  Lots to do before the cleanout guy comes over around 2:30 p.m.  Hope you all have a great day.

Kathy

DO YOU HAVE A SMOKE CLOUD AT YOUR HOUSE?

 Hello, friends!  Time is just whizzing by.  It's almost summer already and the year is almost half over.  So many things happening around here that I have a hard time catching my breath.

If you are interested, I put up my video from Memorial Day on YouTube this morning.  The link is here:

How about that smoke plume that has been blanketing the eastern U.S. for days now.  Although we haven't been too bad here, the city of Philadelphia has been horrible.  I didn't take any pictures because the little we have wouldn't even show.  You smell it, but don't see it.  But I am going to borrow one of my sister's pictures.  She lives farther north than I do and it is really bad there.  This is her back yard.

She said it's a bit better now, but still pretty bad.

So how is it by you?

I didn't get my tooth extracted.  The dentist wouldn't do it after reading the report from my cardiologist.  He said I had to go to the hospital because if something happened with my heart, I would be right there.  So life goes on.

This is a short post today.  I have so much to do.  We are cleaning out our house.  It hasn't been done in many years.  I am amazed at how much I have collected that I really don't need.  Or want.  Salvation Army is getting donations every week.

See you all later.

Kathy

MEMORIAL DAY

 

Hello, friends!  It is hard to believe that almost a week has passed since Memorial Day.  I had such a good time that day.

As usual the day began with the neighborhood parade.  When I say that, it seems like it will be a little thing.  But it is the biggest Memorial Day parade in the city.  It lasted about two hours.  I love that they have so many string bands in the parade.  And I get a front row seat!  I always enjoy the Civil War reenactors too.  Only one lady was marching this year.

I always jump when they fire the rifles in front of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Society.  Joe belongs to it and I was sitting right in front of the building.  Suddenly I saw a bunch of rifles being aimed pretty close to me.  I got up quickly and moved.  Yes, they are blanks, but I'm not taking any chances!

This is a picture of the group from the Vietnam Vets getting on a truck to be driven to the start of the parade.  They are all such great guys.

This beautiful wreath was placed on the memorial outside of the building.  It is a memorial to those who could not come home.

This is a boy scout group that was marching.

I will be putting up a video on all of this next Friday on my YouTube channel and give you a link.

One of the guys named Tom looks like Santa Claus.  No really.  He really does.  And he plays it up, too.  All the kids were coming up to him and asking him if he was really Santa.  He would say, "Yes.  And I see that you are being good."  Then he would talk to them awhile.  Some kids were frightened and ran away, but lots of others just wanted to tell him everything!  He even introduced himself to me as the real Santa Claus.  I'm a believer!

After the parade I went back home and put my feet up.  My legs were swollen and I needed to take a break.  I was getting really red sitting in the sun.  I had a hat on so at least my face wasn't too bad.  And I didn't burn, but I have a lovely tan.

A few hours later Joe walks in the door with a plate of food for me.  They were barbecuing at the Vets (they are across the street from our house).  The guys told him to give me lunch.  He brought me a hamburger, macaroni salad (the best I have ever had!), and potato chips.  Everything was so good.

I  didn't go across the street for the laying of the wreath either.  But I did stand at the door and watch it from home.  It's always a somber moment.

I laid down again and took a nap.  When I woke up Joe was handing me a hotdog and told me this was the end of the food for the day.  Again he was told to take it to his wife!  Those guys look out for me.

So that's it for today.  I will try to get something to you next week even if it is just a short little something.  Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Kathy