2019-Arizona/Grand Canyon · 3TT: Three Things on Thursday · A Look Back · NaBloPoMo 2019 - Solo? · Throwback Thursday

NaBloPoMo 2019.7 / 3TT

Joining Carole & friends for Three (Throwback) Things on Thursday…

Pardon me for another fly-by… re-entry is a bitch on so many levels, not the least of which is adjusting to a 60-degree temperature difference. And snow.

As you may recall, one of the things that spurred this trip was Rusty's brother's discovery of more family photos…

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1 — Dave (aka, Wavey Davey) & Rusty (aka, Big Eyes) perusing an old scrapbook and sharing stories & remembrances. That's a large acrylic painting on the wall in front of them that Rusty painted for Dave — a SoCal surfer back in the day — several years ago. When Dave wasn't able to surf anymore, he took photos, and it's one of those that inspired this painting.

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2 — "Mother – Jean – '32." That's Rusty's & Dave's grandmother, Florence, and their Aunt Jean — one of my favorites among the photo discoveries! Happy times!! Life was rocked by social scandal and things got rough a few years later, and Flo was divorced from their grandfather by 1941. She must have recovered, though, and lived until she was 101!

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3 — I don't remember ever seeing this photo before! It's summer 1988 and we're visiting our friends, TJ & January and their son Elliott, on Vashon Island, WA. This photo was taken as we were saying/singing our good-byes, captured both in photos & videos — it was the video of me walking toward the camera to turn it off that sent me signing up for WW immediately upon our return home! Heh.

 

3TT: Three Things on Thursday · Throwback Thursday · Unraveled Wednesday / Knit & Read

Three Numerous Things on Thursday

Too many to number… plus UNRAVELED! Checkother 3TT posts here, and Unraveled here.

Jün and I got up and hit the floor running yesterday morning and, other than a few minutes at lunchtime, I didn't sit down until after 8:00 last night. We had such a GREAT DAY!!

We were a little late for Tumbling because while walking to my car…

DIGGERS ON MY STREET!

After Tumbling, we went to the P.O., paid the electric bill, and took the long way to lunch (we had to kill a few minutes before they open). We've gone to the same sub shop for lunch for three weeks in a row, we order the same things, and Jün makes sure we sit at the same table. Next Wednesday is the last session of Tumbling (already)! I told Ali that I want to continue this overnight tradition, but probably not every week… I enjoy every minute but I don't get a thing done (or very little).

Anyway, by the time we got back…

DIGGERS AT MY HOUSE!

We started with a seat on the porch, but soon, it was front row all the way baby!

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The workmen were all SO nice and SO patient. We watched from start to finish, and then watched as they pulled the old fire hydrant at the end of the street… for HOURS! At least a couple.  🙂

Then he wanted to go out back and pitch some more walnuts. On Tuesday afternoon, I had watched the next door neighbor's lawn service guy rake all the walnuts from her yard over to mine (instead of into the ravine, as he might have done) (thanks buddy), so we got out the big guns: a wheelbarrow in addition to shovels for both Jün and me.

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Not the same size anymore!

By the time we'd unloaded two loads, my back was killing me so we took a break — juice & a book!

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I was excited when I had notification earlier in the week that my pre-order of My Journey To The Stars by Astronaut Scott Kelly had shipped, arriving just in time for Tuesday night bedtime reading… reprise on Wednesday! By Wednesday, Junah put his hand to my mouth at just about every turn of the page. He had QUESTIONS & REMARKS! I just love how spongy little minds work. Related: A Year In Space is available to watch on Amazon Prime, and Part 2 debuts on PBS next month. Also, Scott Kelly's Instagram photos (@stationcdrkelly) from space were INCREDIBLE.

Speaking of READING, here's what's on my list right now:

  • Still Life with Bread Crumbs - pages. (Oops – due at the library yesterday, renewed online today… love technology!)
  • Yellow Crocus – audio. This one has been on my list for a while, and I've wanted to listen to another book narrated by Bahni Turpin, too!

And in KNITTING:

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I ran out to take a photo before losing light on Tuesday, and bound off shortly thereafter. This is Woman Must Make Her Own Arrows. Weaving in ends was the perfect activity last night, and will continue tonight at Knit Night. I will block after taking care of the ends, and then determine whether to knit the i-cord border all the way around… that will depend on how much I love it. I love it now, but don't know if I love it that much!

I haven't done a #tbt Throwback in a while, but a few copies of this were on my desk today:

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That's Kate, as a flower girl, on the cover of a local magazine that I used to do typesetting for; the bride is an old friend who used to style my hair back in the day (and she probably still would, but lives too far away). I don't know what happened to them, but there were some other even cuter photos of them, if you can even believe that (Kate stole the show!).

What are you reading? What's on your needles??

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday #TBT

A friend posted a photo on Instagram last night of her 6th-grade son wearing his new Safety Patrol sash, and suddenly nostalgia! I knew right where to find the photo that came to mind.

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Not only was I in Safety Patrol in 6th grade, I was one of two from my school to join two from every other school in our district at the 27th Wisconsin Safety Patrol Congress in May, 1970! That's me in the middle of the front row. I can't even tell you which is the other student from my school, except that I'm pretty sure it was a boy. The only other person I can identify is Steve La Pierre, middle-row left; I didn't really know him at the time, but had a massive crush on him a couple of years later… slow dancing at Friday night YMCA dances in "The Den," Brut cologne, phone calls…

I barely remember a thing about that trip, except that it rained the whole weekend, but the Duck tour & scenery were pretty awesome.

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Still quite blonde! Growing out bangs! Chipmunk cheeks (highlighted by the length of aforementioned bangs)! Innocence…

#TBT

NaBloPoMo 2016 · Think-Write-Thursday · Throwback Thursday

Day 3: With the random already!

That gorgeous "nonphotogenic" tree I posted the other day? Practically bare naked today! So I am reveling in the colorful leafy goodness for as long as I'm able, to wit…

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It fairly glows.

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Prisma-tized Catalpa leaves.

I had a busy day off yesterday — good-busy — beginning with a walk to the credit union, enhanced by TWO visits from Ali & Gin, surprised by a birthday package all the way from NZ, making good progress on some work projects, also making homemade chicken soup, and ending with a World Series win for the Cubs! I was dozing off a bit during that last part…

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The rule is, a package/present that arrives in the mail can be immediately opened! There was a cute arty (in that 3rd-grade-way) card full of love from my girl Maddy, a tea towel with some great "Merino Ram" graphics, and a delicious Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramello bar — SO GOOD! I sure miss her, but it's an awful lot of fun to follow along on her adventures (a new video up yesterday!).

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Gratuitous granddaughter pics! She was 6 months old yesterday, can you believe it?? She's sitting up on her own (under watchful eye), and almost always has something in her mouth!

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No sign of teeth yet, tho.

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Here's a little #tbt prompted by Carole & Kat's Think-Write-Thursday. The topic for today:

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YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER

Well, that's just about the easiest thing ever! Hands-down, that would be Mrs. Kelly! She was my first grade teacher at Wayne Thomas School in Highland Park, IL. Having attended three different schools with three different teachers during my kindergarten year — of which I have the vaguest of memories — I think I was definitely ready for someone like her.

Mrs. Kelly was young and pretty, and so very kind. I was the youngest in my class, and maybe she was extra nice because of that. My mom had all five of us by then; she begged (successfully) to have me admitted early!

I thought of Mrs. Kelly at least daily for years (well into my 20s), whenever I'd have to figure out my left from my right — it was the chalkboard in the front of her room that I'd summon to memory (and I'd even sometimes turn to "orient" myself to the room), with the big hands tacked up on either side of the board: LEFT / RIGHT!

I absolutely lived for the big gold stars that she put on spelling papers! I've always been a darn good speller… striving to earn those gold stars certainly didn't hurt.

We only lived in Highland Park for year, but I'll never forget Mrs. Kelly. I consider her my first teacher and have always been thankful for the wonderful start she gave me.