So true!

A long day filled with emotional downs and ups.

And, as an aside, you know the besties in your life who you really click with? Who really get you? Who even though you haven't seen them for five years, it's like you only saw them yesterday? When after you say good-bye your cheeks hurt from laughing? When lunch stretches to four hours because there is so much to say? When you have about a million private jokes? When you are on the same page about everything?  Well, that is these three. I love them like sisters.

We used to be one more. Our friend Janet was the same - only funnier - and today we came together to say good-bye. This morning I woke up so excited to see my girls and remembered there was one less of us and it was heartbreaking. So, there was a beautiful service in a church in Danvers, Mass, a graveside visit and then we tore ourselves away from Janet's sweet husband of 60 years, Russy, and took ourselves over to the Danversport Yacht Club.  See above  :)

Our beautiful friend, Janet. We love you and we will never forget you. 

CONGRATS SUE!!!

My beloved water aerobics instructor and friend, Sue, taught her last official water aerobics class today. She is now beginning a new chapter of her life. She has played an important role in my life, that's for sure. She makes me feel like she truly cares about me and loves me and I am simply mad about her. And she is funny as hell - important criteria for a friend.

thanks, Florence for sending me the picture!

Everybody I know in the Fabulous Florida Keys is crazy about Sue and all of us look forward to many more hours in the pool with her. Good thing we live in paradise and this can happen all year long. (including when she comes to Maine and swims in the Lake with yours truly.)

Cheers to you my friend; thank you for being the lovely person you are.  I love you to bits!  xoxoxoxo

I had my septic tank pumped last week. It is right in my little front yard and it was interesting to watch them locate it, dig a hole right over the lid and then hook the lid out. Yup, it was full. They replaced the dirt and I put down seed. Which never had a chance. Because I wasn't the only one who thought it was interesting. Every dam time I leave the house, Sophie feels she must recreate the unearthing of the tank. It gets worse and worse and this is what I came home to yesterday. I may have mentioned in the past that the dog has no moral compass. She thinks it is hilarious when I yell at her so I didn't even bother. Covered it up. Again.

Here is my sweet old girl, Lulu, sleeping on the sunny porch. Another inch and she would have been on the bed but it is new and they are both just a bit suspicious of it. . . Have I mentioned that these girls have issues?

And, I've been working my fingers to the bone the last few days, getting together an order for The Muse in Frederick, Maryland. Shout out, Whitney!

* * *

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY NEPHEW, JOSH! LOVE YOU!

Happy summer!

In the 40's again last night and I've got the heat on this morning, but surely it must be summer now because my dock is in! Yay! 

Well, this is the view from my hotel room this morning in Bangor. A beautiful day. I left work early yesterday and drove up to see Alison Krauss in concert!! Oh, and Willie Nelson. So excited!!!!

Came to Darling's Waterfront Pavillion for the first time and here is the walk in.

 Kacey Musgraves opened and she was so good!

And hey! Hold the phone! Isn't that my nephew, Nat, playing guitar?? Looks just like him!

It was a full house and I had fourth row seats, as you can see. I sat down, looked up at the stage and my jaw dropped. Fabulous seats.

the crowd

I love love love Alison Krauss, an all time favorite of mine and the main reason I drove up. She was so wonderful and the girl can play the fiddle. She did all of my favorites and I cried during Ghost in this House. My life. She was GREAT!

There were four ovations. The crowd couldn't get enough. It went from a sunny day into night while she was on the stage.

Ok, I know this is ridiculous but here is the only picture I got of Willie Nelson! This is him and his son playing a duet. Little did I know this was the last photo op I would get and then my camera's memory was full.

Anyhoo, he came out with his trademark braids and played the heck out of his old standards as clouds of pot rolled over the crowd. The duet he played with his son (Lukas) was called Just Breathe. Really beautiful. The man is 81 years old, people! It was a wonderful night and I stayed up way past my bedtime. However, no wet little noses to wake me up this morning (thank you, Wendy!) so I rolled over at 6am and got two more hours. Divine decadence.

Thunder and lightning overnight and it's a different day today. Muggy and foggy and the mosquitoes are delighted with such weather. little vampires

I'm having a lovely week so far. Monday I heard from friends and Wendy and Anne came by. Yesterday, my boss gifted me with this bling of a ring! I was speechless. Well, almost. It is a mystic topaz and the picture does not do it justice. Wow! I love it.

Then when I got home from work today, I received the new David Sedaris book from my sister and a beautiful package from my niece, Annie, containing this gorgeous scarf. I am feeling the love. 

And wait 'til you see what I'm up to tomorrow. Oh oh oh, I can hardly wait. I've been anticipating this for a month. Oh, tell you now? Well, sorry but you'll just have to wait.

And, remember the sweet little pink quilt and burp cloths for Monica's baby girl - because that's what the ultrasound said - that I showed you the other day? She had a BOY! Doh! Guess I'm going to finally have to unpack my stash and pick out some fabrics for a boy. The best laid plans . . .

* * * 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY GREAT-NIECE WILLA TODAY 

with lots of love from her Zia! 

When I wake up in the morning, I plan for a good day. My anticipation attracts positive experiences to me.

Things are looking up at my little house.

 And, I've been productive. Just finished these sweet oilcloth bags. Love.

picked up my first strawberries from Beth's farm stand

 end of day

I read these words about my life by Marsha Willett the other night and it put me in a downward spiral, culminating in this lonely depressing day.

"The empowering must always go with the one who leaves: the abandoned one, stranded flat-footed and humiliated amongst the wreck of the relationship, watches the still-beloved one starting a new exciting journey, whilst the unloved one faces each grey, featureless day and cold, endless night with all the betrayal and despair. . . death was terrible too, but at least you were allowed to cling to the love you'd shared and could relive the tenderness; you could mentally flip through your happy memories, tiny scenes of intimacy neither spoiled by bitterness nor denied by those who need to trash the past so as to justify a new shiny future with someone else."

My friend Kate says that kind of thinking gives my ex-husband the power. He always had the power anyway. It was quite easy to get right back into victim mode. But it's my birthday so I'm wallowing. Poor pitiful me.

I'll be over it by the morning.

This is the sweet little creek next to my house, turned into a roaring monster. If it doesn't stop raining, it's going to take my float dock out into the Lake! Sorry for the reflection but I took this shot from the cozy dry warmth of my living room.

And this one of a goose shepherding her babies past my window.

It's a perfect day to stay in, listen to the radio and sew baby sew!

A beautiful warm sunny day yesterday and Abe and his dad came over with their log splitter to help me with those ginormous birches that had to come down. Took 5 hours of carrying, splitting and stacking but I should be good for another season at least. Thank you guys!!

A walk on my road with the girls

First Ladyslipper

Look what my two birch trees turned into!

Got cleaned up and drove to the end of the earth, well ok just the end of the Pemaquid Penninsula, to The Sea Gull for Carole's "retirement" dinner. So nice to be with all the girls and have a yummy dinner on Lynne's tab. Woohoo!

The Sea Gull

waiting for dinner

Now THIS is a lobstah roll!

Our view from the restaurant: Pemaquid Point Light

 Gosh, Maine is so beautiful isn't it? The Way Life Should Be.

Two nights in a row without the heat on - must be summer. It was 80 degrees yesterday and other than a couple of walks with the girls, I spent it inside, sewing all the day long. Lovely. Monica is having her baby in a couple of weeks so I needed to get busy. I made up some burp cloths - love that Riley Blake flannel!

And put together this cute little cheater quilt with minke on the back. (She is having a girl, in case you couldn't tell.) I just have to trim it and put on the binding and will send it off to Key Largo. It looks a bit old fashioned, doesn't it? Very cute and I don't mind if I don't have to work with pink again for a while. Oh wait. Still have Lu's quilt with all those pink pastels. errgh

Love Bob Clark, Despise Sears!!

First of all, SHOUT OUT to Bob Clark, my hero. While it has taken Sears 5 WEEKS (and yes, I am shouting) and counting to hook up my dryer, Bob did it in 5 minutes! Please people, if you discount everything else I say, hear this: Do not ever order anything from Sears Home Delivery. They suck!  Bob, on the other hand, rocks!

Ok, had to get that out of the way. So my friend, Carol (Bob's wife) and I left early on Friday morning and drove to the Mardens in Lewiston for a meeting of the Maine Modern Quilters, of which I am a proud member, and a class on making a hexie pillow. I have not had time to unpack my fabric so grabbed this cute "Collage Cups" by Windham Fabrics that I had to hand. Really, you just need a charm pack. Putting it together was a little tricky until you figured out your triangles and half hexagons. The pattern is by Jaybird Quilts.  Here is my top.

We had three rooms packed with sewists!

Show and Tell: love her batiks

Really nice shading and quilting

Figuring out the layout for the hexie pillow

And this last picture is the view from my window at 9:30 last night. I get to look at this view before I go to sleep every night and continue to be quite amazed and humbled by such a gift.

* * * 

I love Sundays. I listen to the Paul Parent Garden (pronounced gaaah-den) Club Show. Just heard an 86 year old woman call in about the groundhogs in her gaah-den and how she'd like to "shoot the buggahs"!  I love Maine.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

The pictures on the left are what it looked ike at my house before I left for work this morning. When I got home, no more gigantic beautiful (but old and threatening) birch tree. Just a 15 foot trunk that will come down today. I cried but I think it was more about the mess than the tree. If you click on the picture, you will see what I mean.

 

 

Lucy poses in a sunbeam

And another before and after. Here is a picture of the view out my window that Gloria painted and below is what it looks like this morning. Lots more lake in view but I won't have the sun protection I did before. Middle tree was sick but I think he took more branches than was necessary on the other ones. Fingers crossed he comes to clean up my once beautiful yard today.

I'm putting a knife edge binding on the modern quilt I made this winter so I can show it on Friday at the Maine Modern Quilt Guild. It's going to frame the little picture on the back of the quilt. See? Right side is done. I'm going to try to finish up before I go to work this morning so ta ta for now.