Bodacious Birthday

Well, I did turn 65. The very thought of it is a true conundrum. Boo-hiss, I'm 65!! Hooray, I've lived to be 65!!
Lots of people sent birthday wishes and recognitions. Just look at this bodacious bounty of thoughtfulness. And more cards arrived in the following couple of days. So wonderful to have great friends and just-too-marvy daughters and relatives.My present to myself was a day with a Handy-Guy. Kyle changed out light fixtures in my quilting area to increase the light levels, replaced an under-counter light in the kitchen that had been out for 4 yeas, hung a hook-thing in the dormitory, and cleaned my outdoor lights. He was quite wonderful, and I now have a warm & fuzzy feeling knowing that I have a Handy-Guy I can call.
To round out the day, Mom cooked dinner for me. Baked steak, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, and peach cobbler. Quite yummy.
It was such a nice birthday that I think I'll have another one next year.

Trials and Tribulations

Does it sometimes seem that there is a conspiracy afoot? Well, perhaps there are forces at work that we just can't recognize. So this morning I sat down at the computer and had no Internet connection. I rebooted and still none. I checked all 6 zillion connections and still no Internet. I called the Cox guy and he walked me through re-setting the router. Yea! An internet connection. So, I was golden and then tried to print a document. MASSIVE paper jam for no apparent reason and no apparent route for getting at it. Good thing I had an Internet connection so I could go online and get some pictures of what to do. Yea! paper jam cleared. Then on to printing some photos. Hmmm.....No color. Cartridge is new, what's the problem? More online searching. Seems that I had a defective cartridge. Fixed.
So then I needed to warm up my coffee. Egads! The microwave was dead. Some strange numbers were in the time slot and none of the controls would work. So, I unplugged it thinking that if it worked for the router, the same thing might work here. No luck. So, I got out the manual. Nothing helpful there. Then I got my calendar and the service number to call for a service appointment. But.....one more time I unplugged it and left let it rest for 10 minutes or so. Plugged it in and......it's now working. Unfortunately, I had already tossed my cold coffee.And this is on top of a visit to the dentist yesterday which confirmed root rot under not one, but TWO crowns. Both will need to be replaced. $$$!
And you know, my horoscopes for the last two days have not even hinted at this.

A Respite!!

Finally, a respite from the terrible heat. W've had a cool front and a couple of rains totalling about 2.5 inches during the last two or three days. In fact, when the first one came in, the temperature droped 33 degrees in less than 2 hours. Toby and I were on the porch, and I actually got too cool to stay out. Who would believe.?
Despite it all, the garden has mostly done well. Above is a photo of the front walk garden showing the angelonia in bloom. This is the first year that I've planted them, and they are impressive. Don't seem to mind the heat and don't need deadheading. An ideal Kansas flower.

Nurse Cheryl

I returned late yesterday afternoon from a brief stint as Nurse Cheryl. This was Barbara before....And this is Barbara after. Not nearly so chipper looking, huh?

And this is Barbara the next day at home. Still not too chipper, but dressed.Bby the time I left, she no longer had an ice pack on her head and was feeling much better.

The heat continues to be miserable. We are into out 17th day of 100 plus temperatures. It was 108 yesterday. RIDICULOUS!!! Barbara got lots of rain at her house last night, but we have none. Maybe this evening?

The Dormitory - A Progress Report

I was reviewing my little quilt photo album and realized that ithad not been updated since the last dormitory quilt was finished. So....
The 1st....
The 2nd....The 3rd....

A hint of the 'total' effect....Remember that there is a 4th one made out of the scraps that is at the quilter's, and you surely understand why I'm quite tired of red, white, and blue!

Grandma is 88 Years Old

Yesterday was Mom's birthday, which meant another birthday party. I did lunch for her and 7 of her friends. Tuna Salad on tomato and cantalope with strawberry shortcake for desert.

They all had a great time, chatting up a storm. Mom was thrilled to showcase her "wonderful" daughter, and paraded everyone around the house to look at my various quilts. I got lots of gold stars yesterday.

Oh, my dear daughters, should I live to those ripe years, you all will have a hard act to follow!