I like Thursdays: July 10, 2025

 

How's the weather where you are? 

Seems like everyone is sweltering these days.

It's "I Like Thursdays" and time to celebrate positive things.  For more positive posts, visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color.

It's pretty hot and we get most of our work and walks done in the morning.  I had one good gardening day in the last two weeks and filled 6 garbage cans with weeds and cuttings.  But I can't work in the humidity or bright sun so the weeds will be winning the war.

I love hand sewing on these hot days.

I'm still working on my quilt as you go hexagons and making table toppers for Christmas presents and other things.

Part of my joy in this is that my my idea is actually working!  I thought if I worked on a bunch of these, I could get some of my muscle memory back as far as handsewing.  The first step of the hexies is doing an applique stitch around the center.  Then I hand quilt a little bit in the center of the hexie.  To join them together to form a table topper, I use the ladder stitch.  The stitches are getting better as I go and that makes me very happy.  It's also relaxing.

There were a lot of fireworks this past week and Lucky didn't do so well.  Thankfully, I had Benadryl to give him and it took the edge off for him.  The night before the Fourth, he was really in distress and I was glad I had the Benadryl and knew the dosage to give him.  It did help a lot.

I like this season of Granchester.  Episode 3 this season was particularly hilarious.  It's a great show.  

I did NOT get my hearing aids last week but they are ordered. The exciting part was getting a sample to try and I couldn't believe all that I could hear.  Anyway, my aids come in on July 25 and I can't wait.

Lana's prompt this week is this:

"Spending time outdoors: would you rather:  resting in a hammock or digging in a garden?"

I would rather dig in the garden but not in this heat.   I also prefer my swing to laying in a hammock.  But that's just me.

Wishing you a happy weekend!

I Like Thursdays: July 3, 2025

 

Greetings and welcome to another edition of "I like Thursdays" hosted by Leeanna at Not Afraid of Color.

Here are some happy thoughts for today:

We had a bad storm yesterday.  My neighbor Janet took this photo afterwards of a rainbow landing at our house or backyard!

Isn't this cool?

The corn on the cob is finally ready and our local farmer had some great ears.  My husband could eat corn every day in the summer so he's happy...plus he makes it himself (in the microwave) so it's a win-win for me!

Today is a big day for me.  I'm finally getting hearing aids today.  I've had problems hearing for a while (I have tinnitus) and it's really gotten worse the last five years.  Anyway, I've avoided a lot of activities because I often just can't tell what folks are saying.  Sometimes they even think I don't recognize them because I look confused as they are speaking to me.  Hopefully the hearing aids will work.  None of the doctors I spoke with could guarantee the hearing aids will work but it's worth a shot.

This week's prompt is about picnics:

"Do you like picnics? Are you a sit on a blanket on the ground person, or a table outside? Tell us about some picnic that stands out in your memory ( who was there, foods, time and place, etc)."

I'm no longer a picnic person.  I just don't like to eat outside because of bees, flies, and heat.  But as a child we had two main picnics each year.  My father's family had a reunion around July 4 (my Pop pop's birthday) and my mother's family had one in August.

Although the families had the picnics in pavilions, I don't remember much about the food at all.  The reunions were held at two magical amusement parks and as kids, we just ate so we could go the park.  

One of those parks is still open--Knoebel's Grove.  My husband had never been there but when we finally took the grandkids, he declared that it was the best park he had ever visited.

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday!

I Like Thursdays: June 26, 2025

 

Hello and welcome to another edition of "I like Thursdays" hosted by LeeAnna.  Each week we post positive things; Leeanna has a whole list of participants if you need some happiness today.

I like watermelon, especially during a heatwave.  Most foods were very unappetizing to me except watermelon and a little bowl of ice cream.  I did have lemonade which was also refreshing and a lot of water.

I like that the heatwave is supposed to be over.  I know there will be more but you have to relish in the little things.  It will be still be hot but not wretched.

I like catbirds.  We have a pair that take over the upper garden every summer.  They nest there and once their babies have been born, they are very territorial about our yard.  Of course...there is Lucky who has the personality of a devilish little brother.  He HAS to be in the upper bed just to annoy catbird.  Yesterday I was trying to get him down and the male swooped me and the female swooped at Lucky.  Lucky actually thought that was funny.  Anyway, the time of the summer they take over that bed is when I am not gardening much because of the heat.  Plus it only takes a few weeks until the babies are gone.

Lana's prompt today was:

"Do you play summer sports? Tennis, or golf, or pickleball, etc? Do you have a special outfit for them, or equipment?"

No sports for me.  I just love walking with my dog.  And speaking of walking the dog, I'm off to walk Lucky!

Have a safe and happy weekend!

I Like Thursdays: June 19, 2025

 

Happy Juneteenth!

Greetings and welcome to another edition of "I like Thursday!"  Hosted by LeeAnna, bloggers try to share positive things in their lives.

I like Summer.

Summer is about to begin and we can't wait after a very soggy spring!  I would have liked to get more gardening done but it was just too wet and muddy.  There is always early mornings to work but I sure wish I had more completed!  

I'm preparing for summer hibernation.  Lucky and I will walk at the crack of dawn, get as much done outside as we can and then hibernate during the sweltering parts of the day.  More walks at dusk and then early to bed.  It's a good time to sew and this year I think I will return to an old sewing habit:  Christmas in July.  We'll see if I accomplish anything.  At least I have a plan 😁

My husband went on a fishing vacation without me.

So I bought fabric.

Marshall's Dry Goods has Riley Blake fabric at $6.99/yard.  It's not the current line but I don't care.  I had been eyeing up some of the fabrics and went ahead and purchased.  I'll share my haul next week.

This week, Lana's prompt is:

Did you ever go to sleep away camp? Where and what was it like? Did you enjoy it or miss home too much?

My husband and I were both involved for Scouts well into our teens.   We both camped a lot as scouts.  I guess it was alright but what I can tell you is that neither hubby or I are interested in doing that anymore.  Give us a nice hotel with all the amenities.

Wishing you a safe and happy day!

I Like Thursdays: June 12, 2025

Hello and welcome to another edition of "I like Thursdays" sponsored by LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color.  You can visit her blog to find more bloggers who are sharing positive things this week!

I like walking and seeing petal strewn paths!

It's been raining a lot (still) but Lucky and I walk anyway.  He is an all-weather dog!   The only time we are deterred is if it there is lightning!

Lana's prompt this week is:

Did you learn to swim, and how old were you? Who taught you? Were you on

a swim team and what was that like? Did you go to a neighborhood pool

and what was that like?

do you still enjoy swimming?

I had swim lessons at the community pool.  My brother and I would go there often.  It was fine.  I guess I would still enjoy swimming but I don't really have the time and I haven't had a swimsuit quite a few years.  These days, I enjoy watching Lucky in his pool.  This photo is from last year because with all the rain, there hasn't been much opportunity to set up the pool.

Have a safe and happy weekend!

I Like Thursdays: June 5, 2025

 

Welcome to another "I Like Thursdays" post!  For more positive posts, you can visit our hostess, LeeAnna, for a whole list of participants.  

It's always exciting to see the first fireflies of the summer and last night we did! 

I watched the movie, "One Life" last month and really loved it.  It was a movie about the real life of Nicholas Winton.  Winton was a British man who managed to save 669 Jewish children from the Nazis during World War 2.   I had known about Winton for some time and there were many youtube videos that featured his story from a British show that honored him.  This is a wonderful movie to watch.  The cast is wonderful and I encourage you to watch it as well!

  

Lana's prompt this week is about the Monopoly game.  Unfortunately I don't remember playing this game at all when I was a child.  My brother and I tended to play chess when stuck inside but mostly we were outside playing with other kids.

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

I Like Thursdays: May 15, 2025

 

Greetings and welcome to "I like Thursdays!"  LeeAnna is our hostess with the most-ess and we celebrate all the good in our life on our blogs.  You can find more happy posts by visiting here and all the other bloggers she has shared.

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I like remembering to post on Thursday!😐

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I like the new pope, Leo  XIV.

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We have continued to with the rain this month.  I think about 8 inches fell in May so far.  Our area of the valley has gone from drought to "abnormally dry"...we'll take it!  Now I'm just hoping to get out in the garden and get some work done!

The rain meant Lucky and I were often wet and I went though shoes and socks like crazy.  Still, I worked on my sewing and that was fun.

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I am hoping you have a wonderful and happy day!

I Like Thursdays: May 8, 2025

 

It's "I like Thursday" and if you need more positive thoughts visit the other participants by going to LeeAnna's blog at Not Afraid of Color!

I like rain!  

We are experiencing drought here in Pennsylvania so it's been wonderful to have a few days in a row with some rain!  The plants in my garden have grown about a foot since it started!

 So I've been mostly sewing for the last few days and cleaning up the sewing room.  I found this quote which I love.  I have a lot of projects at any time, do you?

The older we get, the more our energy levels become important!

LeeAnna asked us to share about our experiences on bicycles.  Yes I had one as a kid and we rode it a lot.  I had baskets on my bike...not for me but for me to go grocery shopping for my mother.  I've never been on a tandem bike (2 person bike) and never was intrigued with that idea.  There were a ton of kids in our neighborhood but I don't remember us doing anything but going from here to there with our bikes.

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

I like Thursay: May 1, 2025

 

Hello and welcome to another edition of "I like Thursday" hosted by LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color!

It's May--my favorite month of the year!  Even if it is cool overnight or in the morning, I don't have to worry about snow or ice.  The flowers are beginning to slowly bloom and Lucky is happy to see all his dog friends out on walks.

After Lucky's latest haircut, he decided to donate his bee scarf for a project for Molly.  Molly lives down the street and is a beekeeper.  When he sees her or her husband, he doesn't even care about other dogs in the vicinity, he just wants their attention.  So we made this table topper for Molly for Easter with the bee fabric in the center:

I like making these quilt as you go hexies.  Okay, I may be a bit obsessed with making them.  I'm using up a lot of fabrics from my scrap drawer and I enjoy sewing them while we watch the Phillies.  This project also allows me to practice three different stitches and I'm seeing some slight improvement in my hand sewing as I finish projects.

Lana's prompt for today is SALADS!  It is salad time here!  I love any kind of chicken salad and this Asian Ramen Chicken is my favorite.  One change is that our recipe has water chestnuts and grapes.  My husband doesn't like fruit in main courses so I always hold off on the fruit.  Also, after many years of trying different types of lettuce we decided we simply like iceberg lettuce.  It may seem a bit boring but it is rarely recalled and ultimately we like the crunch it has.  Do you have a favorite lettuce?

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!