It's Almost Summer!

I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I last posted.  I guess I can actually believe it...there have been half a dozen times over the past several weeks that blogging has been on my short list of  Things To Do, but didn't get done.  Yikes.

Suffice it to say, things have been very busy in our home lately!  I have had a count down calendar running until L was finished with school because I have just been exhausted dealing with her homework and activities lately.  We just have one week to go!!

L had a short Spring Break around Easter, during which she & I and a couple of her friends went up to Pittsburgh to see the Titanic exhibit.  It was pretty interesting.

This chandelier was from the 1st Class Smoking Room

Early April, L, JP and I went to the Eden Hall Campus of Chatham - this is about 45 minutes NE of the main campus.  This is where their Sustainability School and Environmental Science Schools are located - on a big, sustainable farm.  L will likely move to this campus after her 1st year.  

This big solar array is right at the entrance to campus.

A few days later, L took an "Educational Day" and she, JP, Stella and I drove out near Akron, OH to see the eclipse in totality.  We got there a couple of hours before the big moment, so JP and I hung out in a little Public Library.  Poor L was not feeling well and slept in the truck with Stella most of the time.  

I have done a couple of events recently with a group of friends, which has really helped to improve my outlook on life.  We did a Murder Mystery Dinner at a tea house just south of here in WV that was really fun, and the same group of us went back a couple of weeks later for a Shakespeare Literary Tea.  A different group of friends are going out for Pedicures next week.

This was my "costume" for the Murder Mystery Dinner

J spent a couple of extra weeks at her apartment in Bowling Green, hanging out with friends.  She came home in early May, just in time for L's prom.  

Since then, there have been a flurry of award dinners for L, who won a couple of scholarships from local organizations.  She and I also went on a couple of Bird Walks since one of the organizations was the local Bird Club.  I'm always just as interested in the plants as the birds!

Lion's Club Student of the Month Picnic

Ralph K Bell Memorial Bird Club Scholarship

On a bird walk near Tenmile Creek

Her last official day of school was on Friday.  We realized that we never got a "First Day of School" photo this year, so we got a "Last Day of School" one instead.  Next week she has Grad practice for 2 days, one day the students walk the halls of the schools in their caps and gowns to say goodbye to the teachers, there is an awards night, and then graduation next Friday!!

JP and I also spent an hour or so last weekend taking pictures of L around the property to use for her graduation invitations.  We got some nice ones!

J has already spent most of her time with friends since she has been home.  She starts work on Tuesday in her Summer Manager job, the same as last summer.  She has also decided that she needs more money, so will also be working evenings at Dunkin.  I'm not sure when she starts there.  She did make dinner for everyone a couple of days ago, which was nice.

In all my "free time" when I'm not helping L, I have been studying for my Boards, which are scheduled for August 30th, and working in the garden.  I do finally have some seeds planted and the tomatoes in.  I have been picking strawberries for about a week, and the asparagus is actually done.  It was pretty sad this year - we only had enough for about 3 meals.

I re-made a throw pillow out of JP's t-shirt from the Philippines, since mine wore out!

I've had my green lights on the porch for Mental Health Awareness month in May,

And I've been keeping up with the Fridge Facts:

Puns Edition

Inspiration Edition

Rain Edition

Chicken Edition

Dog Edition

Bird Edition

Fake Emily Dickinson poem, "Do" Edition

Gardening Edition

I am typing through a thunderstorm, which sounds fantastic.  I might have to go out on the veranda to enjoy it.  The wild roses and honey suckle are absolutely screaming their fragrance - it's intoxicating!  Summer is almost here, folks.  I can almost taste it!

Easter Break

We finally have a bit of a breather here at the end of March - March literally marched straight through with little time to do anything but crazily try to accomplish everything possible every single day.  JP is working today, Easter Sunday, so we had our Easter dinner yesterday.  I made hot cross buns again.

Notice the blue tea?  L and I found this at a tea shop at the Mall last week, it's called "Blue Raspberry Crush."

Since Spring has now come, and the days are longer, I guess I will need to close down the puzzle station.  Here are some of the puzzles that I did this winter:

L finished her last show of HS last weekend.  The prep was frustrating because of the actions of the past director, but the new director and the kids pulled it together in a fantastic way!  It was a bittersweet time for her because she has so many great memories from the shows.  She did an amazing job as Snoopy in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."

"Curse you, Red Baron!"

"Suppertime!"

Curtain call...

It has finally hit me since the calendar turned over to 2024, that I will have an empty nest next Fall!  All these moments have been a bit bittersweet for me as well.  (Except for the 5:30 AM calls for a 2 hour delay - I won't miss those at all!)

Here are some of the senior's parents after the last show!

L won the Rachel Carson scholarship at Chatham University, so will be heading there in the Fall (Go Cougars!)  Right now she is working on other scholarship applications, since her tuition is covered, but not her room & board.

The end of the 9 week grading period was last Monday, so L is trying to get caught up and stay caught up this final grading period.  I hope and pray that she can!

J spent her Spring Break near Philadelphia with J's brother-in-law and sister.  She and her friend, P, wanted to do a wood firing for pottery, and he and a friend helped get that going.  They went back through our area on the way to Richmond, VA for a pottery convention with 3 other friends from BGSU last week.  I managed to see her for an hour on her way home, since P's Mom invited all the students for dinner and I tagged along.  She will be home for the summer at the end of April, which is not that far away!

I just realized that I will need to take my Board Exams again this year - can't believe it's been 10 years already!  My study guide arrived yesterday, and I am looking at mid-August for the test date.  Sigh.

In the meantime, I have continued my weekly Fridge Facts:

Hodge Podge Edition

Flowers Edition

Sunshine Edition

Early Spring Edition

Egg Edition (for Easter)

L and I just returned from a walk outside.  The leaves are budding all over the place and there are flowers to be found all over the place.  Enjoy the sunshine and Happy Easter!

Leap Year

Normally I dislike February with the same kind of sinking feeling that I get in my stomach when my husband offers to make me a steaming bowl of oatmeal.  I feel like there are so many other breakfast things that I do like (some of which are also made with oats) so why should I bother trying to choke down porridge just because "it's good for you?"  In the same way, I feel like there are so many other months and seasons in a year, why deal with February when it's always cold and grey and long Long LONG?  And this year, to make thing more difficult, February has to go and add an extra DAY???

This year, somehow, February has been tolerable.  I can hardly believe that it ends this week!!  Maybe it's because of the days and days of sunshine and blue skies that we've been experiencing this year in our neck of the woods.  Who knows?  I'm just grateful that I haven't sunk into the deep depression that I typically face this time of year.

There have definitely been bad days.  L had another low low day last week, but doing better now.  Stella returned to the vet a week after starting treatment for external ear infections because she was doing worse instead of better - vet noted that she now has ruptured ear drums on both sides.  (No wonder she can't hear a doggone thing!)  She is now on both oral antibiotics and new ear drops, and actually seems to be doing a bit better - I think she heard me calling her this afternoon.

We hide her pills in peanut butter...

By the way, one breakfast food utilizing oatmeal that I really enjoy is granola.  I have been making this recipe from America's Test Kitchen lately, that is a real winner with all of us:

Maple Almond Granola

1/2 C vegetable oil (I used 1/4 c coconut oil and 1/4 c avocado oil)

1/3 C Maple Syrup

1/3 C brown sugar

4 t vanilla

1/2 T salt

5 C Rolled oats

2 C raw almonds, chopped

2 C raisens (I used 1 1/2 c craisens instead)

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with vegetable oil spray.

Whisk oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla and salt together, then fold in oats and nuts.

Transfer mixture to baking sheet and spread into an even layer and press until compact.

Bake at 325* for 35-40 minutes, rotating sheet about halfway through.

Cool thoroughly and then stir in dried fruit.

I got a new cookie cutter from an Etsy store just in time to make Valentine's Day Cookies:

Fridge Facts - Valentine's Edition

A week ago, JP & I, and a friend (L was being a butt and backed out at the last minute) drove to Wheeling for dinner and a concert.  We heard Renee Elise Goldberry (Angelica Schuyler from "Hamilton") sing with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra.  It was a great concert!  JP drove us home in a blizzard that dumped about 4 inches of snow on our town.  It was gone by Saturday afternoon.

We got another 2 inches of surprise snowfall yesterday morning, which disappeared by nightfall.

This week I made 60 newspaper pots and planted 20 different varieties of seeds.  My SIL recently gifted me with this fun container of heritage seeds.  They are packaged in 5 different lots, and I have only dipped into Lot A this year, but from that have planted tomatoes, peppers, winter & summer squash, 2 types of melons, cucumbers, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Swiss chard, eggplants, okra and dill.  I also dipped into my previous stash to plant pumpkins, jalapenos, sweet basil and Thai basil.

Fridge Facts - Gardening Edition

My Lenten Roses are blooming with abandon, and Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow, so spring is on it's way... hooray!

Aqua

We finally got city water up on the Ridge last week.  It has been a LOOOOONG and expensive process.  JP has been hauling around 750 gallons of water about twice weekly for the last 3 years since our 3rd well failed.  We have amazing water pressure considering that it is coming up the hill about 250 feet in elevation!  The downside (which I hope and expect is temporary) is that it smells and tastes terrible - likely from the water coming through miles and miles of new plastic pipes.  We have installed a new filtration system under the kitchen sink for drinking water and we deal with the rest.  What a relief!!

Once spring has sprung for real, we can work on landscaping the side yard that JP has been driving through with over 6 tons of truck, trailer and water, as well as where the new water lines were buried all the way down the hill.

So, what else has been going on all winter, you may ask?  Good question!  I feel like things got so busy for a while that I didn't know which direction I was going half the time!

J came home from college for about a month.  It was wonderful having her here!  She and her roommate came home with a puppy that none of their parents were expecting!  It sounds like she has been a nice addition to their little "family" in OH.  She and I did some Christmas shopping and decorating together, including carving "Hannukah Lanterns" out of pumpkins from the garden on Christmas Eve (since we never got around to carving Jack-o-lanterns over Fall Break!)  I did a snowflake; J did Gonzo as Charles Dickens from "A Muppet Christmas Carol."

L has stayed very busy with homework - so much so that she doesn't have time to do much else.  She and I did go on some college visits before Christmas, and she has also been working on College Application Essays and some scholarship essays as well.  Right now I believe that 2 colleges not too far away from home are in her #1 and #2 spots:  Chatham in Pittsburgh and Slippery Rock.  She did have time to help decorate the Christmas tree and make Christmas cookies.

Stella was the only one that I could convince to pose in front of the Christmas tree this year.  Very suddenly over the past 2 weeks, she seems to have lost pretty much all of her hearing, so that's been interesting.  We lost all of the other fuzzy pets over the past year - both kitties, and the bunny.  So I finished making personalized grave markers for everyone out in the Pet Cemetary.

We were able to celebrate Christmas with JP's sister, BIL and niece.  We made tamales again for Christmas dinner, which were delicious!  We will be neighbors with these folks in the future in VA, and it's always fun to hang out with them.

My big Christmas present from JP this year was another Lego set - this time Diagon Alley.  I started by deconstructing the Titanic (my gift from last Christmas.)  And then spent evenings building 8 buildings in Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter movies.  I also used some Birthday money to buy another Lego kit, which was a Japanese Garden and Tea Room.

Titanic...RIP

Diagon Alley

We got several inches of snow mid-January that actually stuck around for several days.  It was enough to disrupt school a bit, but L never got time to play in it with me, and J was already back at school.  I basically just enjoyed the beauty of it, and of course, shoveling it!

We have celebrated several birthdays (Mom, J, L, and myself) and 3 holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year) since I last reported, and I already sent out care packages for Valentines Day to the college girls last week.

I have continued to do my refrigerator bulletin boards weekly:

Fridge Facts - Cold Edition

Fridge Facts - Success Edition

Fridge Facts - Darkness Edition

I also managed to finagle a food exchange between myself and a friend who is an amazing pastry chef:  I baked him a quiche, and he baked me a dozen amazing cinnamon rolls!

L is now adding musical theater rehearsal to her schedule.  She has landed the role of Snoopy in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" at school.  Their first show is late March and they still have not received scripts, so rehearsals have been a bit sketchy.

Right now, I need to go make some guacamole and jalapeno poppers for Super Bowl supping.  Hip hip hooray!