Last Friday Fave Fives in October

Can you believe that it is almost November??  Time is flying!  This week has gone by quickly too.  I have had to stop a couple of times and catch my breath and try to recall what we have done this past week.  And now it is Friday evening and I am pausing again to reflect on the week and remember the blessings.  That's the whole point of Friday Fave Fives.  For the writer, it's to express gratitude.  For the reader, it's to encourage.  Do you want to be encouraged?  Click on that link and you will find many more people who join FFFs each week.

Here are my end of October faves:

1.  We were excited to welcome dear friends into our home as they were driving across the US.  We knew them when we all lived in Camarillo, CA and attended the same church.  Now they are missionaries who live in Tanzania.  We had a great time catching up and hearing about Omega's work as an infectuous disease doctor.  And of course, Mia our nurse girl joined us for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed talking medical stuff with them.  And their youngest girl has grown so much!

2.  The next morning, we enjoyed our breakfast at one of our favorite coffee shops.  The breakfast pies and biscuit and gravy were delicious!  And the coffee, too.  It was the best way to send them off on the next leg of their journey.

3.  And of course, the result of having overnight guests is making sure that our home is clean and neat.

4.  Our weather has been unseasonably warm this week.  Just perfect for working outside in the garden doing the fall clean up.

5.  And perfect weather for walks.  My favorite was at the Dawes Arboretum.  So much beauty!

Even the leaves enjoyed sitting on the bench...

the arch...

my favorite photo of the day

Third Friday Fave Fives of October

 Another week of busy days.  But also another week of many blessings.  Friday Fave Fives gives me an opportunity to share five events or thoughts or actions that made me grateful this week.  Use the link to join in and share yours or just read what others have written. Here are my five blessings:

1.  Do you ever wake up in the morning and just go about your day as usual?  Normally, I do too.  But this morning as I woke up, I noticed the sun beginning to shine through the windows.  It struck me that I just accept that the sun will rise every morning and move across the sky in its usual way every day.  But today I stopped to just be amazed that sun does that.  God created an amazing world for us to live in.  Let's not take our sun, moon and stars for granted.

2.  Autumn is such a fun season.  Everyone mentions pumpkins, Halloween, pumpkin spice lattes, and sweater weather.  Me?  I love the leaves on the ground.  I love to walk through them and toss them around.  And I love watching them fall from the trees as the wind blows.  On our walk today, Mia (nurse daughter) turned around and grinned at me as I happily shuffled through the leaves.

3. On that walk today with the dogs, we passed a deer.  It was calmly sitting on the other side of the creek along our path.  As we walked past with two loud crazy dogs, it just lounged in the grass under the trees and watched.  It never moved or pranced away.  Wild life animals never fail to amuse me.

4. Last night, The Professor and I spent the evening (total of five hours) volunteering at the Nightbirde Foundation Night of Hope.  Did you ever watch America's Got Talent?  Nightbirde is the name of a young woman who won a gold bell ring on AGT.  Her actual name was Jane but she went by Nightbirde.  Not long after being on the show, Jane died of recurring breast cancer.  Her brothers attend the same church as we do, and our church hosts the annual event Night of Hope in our building which helps raise funds to provide women with what they need as they go through chemo and surgery for breast cancer.

5.  Our weather has been sunny and warmish.  That means I have been outside in my garden every day.  The garden beds are starting to look a bit more organized and cleaned up.  It is so satisfying to get the fall garden chores done.  Still have lots to do, but I am making progress.

Just a picture of a tree we passed on our walk to make you smile...

Friday Fave Fives, Mid October

It's Friday and I am one day behind on Blogtober as I missed yesterday (it was a crazy busy day).  So I will be posting a second time later tonight.  But for now, I want to focus on being thankful.  Friday Fave Fives with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.  Every week.  It really helps me remain grateful in my life.

1.  I have a very quiet house this evening.  The Professor and grandson Liam are at Daniel Boone Campout Weekend with all the Trail Life guys from several states!  I am so thankful for Trail Life and how it has kept The Professor involved in his grandsons' lives through the years.  Here's hoping the weather doesn't get too cold and wet.

2.  PAL's birthday party was a blast.  She chose Rick Riordan's Camp Half Blood as the theme.  Then she asked the adults attending to dress up as Olympic gods and goddesses.  The Professor was Zeus and I was Hera.  So of course we had to find props.  No luck in thrift stores.  So we made our own.  I posted the photos HERE.  One of the photos... Hera and Zeus wearing their crowns and their Camp Half Blood shirts.

3.  I finished another baby blanket.  This one is for a little girl who is expected in the next couple of months.  Her parents are our neighbors and attend the same church as we do.  I just delivered it to them and they love it.

4.  Reading time.  I am thankful that I am able to carve out time to read from our busy schedule!  I just finished So Big and I really enjoyed it.

5.  Because I know that many areas around North America and other places are experiencing drought conditions, I have to adjust my attitude and be thankful for the rain we are getting.  More than we expected.  But I am thankful for rain.  And that I don't have to water the plants this week.

How has your week been?  Have you seen the blessings?

October Days, Friday Fave Fives

 A new Day.  A new Friday.  And a new Friday Fave Fives (follow the link).  Last night, as I pondered what to post today for my five faves, I easily chose two things for which I am thankful.  The other three...well, I couldn't think of anything 'special'.  Then I realized, Blessings are often simply basic parts of my day.  A good reminder.

1.  I am thankful for Friday Fave Fives because this weekly 'exercise' helps me stay grounded.

2.  I am thankful that I can be out in my garden doing weeding and other jobs to care for my plants.  Currently, I am doing a big job of digging out more grape hyacinths from the bed in front of the house.  Weeds and bulbs and debris.  Even if it doesn't get all done this fall, I still enjoy having my hands in the dirt.  And no photos.  You really don't want to see what it looks like...

3.  My daughter-in-law's sister and a niece are here visiting from Arizona.  The main reason is PAL'S upcoming birthday party.  While they are here, they are doing many fun things.  I joined them on Wednesday for part of a 'coffee shop crawl' that they made up themselves.  It was so fun!

4.  I am thankful for reading time.  Currently, I am reading So Big by Edna Ferber.  This is a book that my book group Well Read Mom chose.  At first, I was not excited.  But as I read more, the more I have enjoyed it.  Set in Chicago area, centered around a young woman who ends up marrying a farmer and learning to love farming, it is so much more than that.  I won't give any spoilers, just that I am enjoying this book very much.

5.  I am loving the cool mornings and mild days of autumn.  The leaves are turning beautiful colors.  My favorite season!  I scrolled through my October photos from other years and remembered how I have loved October in Ohio for the past six years.

I hope you are finding beauty, rest and blessings in this autumn season, too.

First October Faves

 Now I'm convinced that Fall is truly here.  It's October!  And it's Friday.  It has been an active week and I have hardly even been on my computer much.  Time to hit a pause button and relax a bit and think about the blessings of this week.  Friday Faves Fives is my way to do that.

1.  I am thankful for sunrises and sunsets.  In a book that my Art Girls friends and I are reading, the author reminds us to notice how God shows us every day the beauty of His creation.  We have decided to share our sunrise and sunset photos with each other.  I sent them this one which I know I have posted here before.

2.  I am also thankful for rainy days.  Like today.  The rain replenishes our ground and garden so I don't have to water it.   There is something about rainy days that makes me feel it is okay to relax a bit.  Tea and a book and my knitting.

3.  I am thankful for my Art Girls friends.  Years ago, we all five lived in the same town in California and enjoyed our times together painting, knitting, discussing books, visiting art museums.  Then three of us moved away.  But we still maintain our friendships via texts and zoom meetings

4.  Two hikes this week with Mia and the dogs.  One of the hikes was at the county park Infirmary Mound.  The area is quite hilly and much is covered with forest.  There's a lake which we walked around.  Two or three miles here is definitely a workout.  This photo doesn't show just how high the hill was where we were standing.

5.  I am thankful that my daughter-in-law Jennifer  (PAL's mom) encouraged me to join Well Read Mom book club.  I am reading books that I would never have added to my list.  This month's read is So Big by Edna Ferber.  I am enjoying it and I don't think I would have ever read this book if the book club hadn't chosen it for the October read.

I hope you have found time this week to relax and remind yourself of the beauty around you.

Falling for Fall Faves!

 It's late Friday evening.  I'm late posting Friday Fave Fives.  (follow the link to join us!)  But it's still Friday...  we had another busy week here at Willow's Cottage.  Right now as I am writing this, the sun has set and we are sitting around our firepit enjoying our first autumn bonfire.

Here are my Fave Fives for this week:

1.  It's FALL!  AUTUMN is my favorite season of the year in Ohio.  What's better than a warm cup of coffee in a cup decorated for fall?

2.  I enjoyed a morning with Mia my nurse daughter at one of our favorite coffee shops.  Coffee and knitting.  That's the best way to spend a morning.  Eleanor joined us and convinced me to purchase her a yummy coffee cake.  I told her she had to take it home and share it with The Professor, which she did.

3.  Another wonderful way to spend a morning is to get  ourwalking exercise of three miles with Mia and our grandson Liam and the grand-dogs.  Liam had Monday off from high school and Mia wasn't working a twelve hour shift at the hospital.  And the weather wasn't raining.  And another morning, The Professor and I walked with Mia and the dogs.  All in all, the walks were great exercise and a great time with our daughter.  And a bonus was spotting a deer in the woods along the path.

4.  The house trim and facia painting is finished!  I really need to get a photo of the new blue shutters and front door.  We are very happy with the color we chose.  And our friend did a beautiful job.

5.  Last Sunday The Professor and I met our friend Thuy who flew in from Oregon to do the Walk for Sarcoma with other friends who have survived this horrid cancer although they have suffered the loss of one or both of their legs.  We know some of the women in the photo because they were members of the US Amputee Women's Soccer Team.  Our connection is that Thuy, who we have known for more than twenty years because she worked at the high school where Mia was a student, was one of the coaches for the team.  These women are heroes and we were honored to walk with them to help raise money for Sarcoma cancer research.  (Do you know what sarcoma cancer is?  If not, click this LINK to learn about it)

That's it for Willow's Week.  Was your week filled with blessings, too?  

Busy Busy Fave Fives

 I can't believe how fast this week whizzed by.  We were busy.  I hardly had time to sit down at my computer and check in on all my favorite blogs.  But.  Today is the first day all week that there is nothing on my calendar.  That doesn't mean we won't be busy at home, but at least our schedule doesn't require us to be somewhere.  Finally, I am taking a deep breath, drinking my coffee slowly, relaxing while I think back on my week and remember blessings from those busy days.  Friday Fave Fives is important to me to make me mark those blessings in writing.

1.  Work is being done on the outside of our home.  The paint on the facia around the windows and at the eaves and on the columns at the front door have worn away on this twenty-six year old house (although we have owned it for only six of those years).  A friend of ours who is a retired firefighter has a painting business now.  And he has the equipment to climb up on our second story walls and work up there.  We are so thankful for finding a reliable and thorough (and careful!) painter.  An added blessing to that is his daughter helps him some days and she is the girl who is married to one of our informally 'adopted' grandsons who we have known for more than twenty years (from our days living in Los Angeles) and they are now living here in Ohio just walking distance from us!

At his wedding, waiting at the front with the minister...

2.  I finished Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte just in time for the Well Read Mom meeting at my daughter-in-law's home.  I really enjoyed reading the book.  And the discussion opened up even more about the book that I had missed.  I understand more now about why Jane Eyre is my friend Sarah's favorite book.

3.  Have any of you my readers ever heard of the Nightbirde Foundation?  It is named after Jane Marczewski whose stage name was Nightbirde.  She auditioned on America's Got Talent in 2021 and got a Golden Buzzer.  However, she withdrew from AGT and passed away a few months later from breast cancer.  Her brother Mitch who attends the same church as we do founded Nightbirde Foundation in her honor.  The foundation gives Gift of Hope boxes filled with care packages especially designed to help and encourage women undergoing cancer treatment.  One item that is in the box is a knitted hat.  Off the Hook foundation provides those hats, and I have joined the local group to make hats (we use knit loop frames).  We meet once a month to bring the hats we've made during the month and to double check that we are making them according to the guidelines.  I am enjoying making the hats and knowing they are going to bless someone who needs the encouragement.

4.  The butterflies, bees and birds are busy in my garden.  I love watching them all stock up on their pollen and sugar calories as they face winter coming soon.  The hummingbirds and butterflies will be leaving soon on their flights south.

5.  We've had some amazing sunsets this week.  Just one evening we were able to take our neighborhood walk and it was beautiful.  Yes, that's a cornfield on the right.  The huge field just north of our dead end street is owned by a non-profit that preserves land for paths and reserves and will never be developed.  I am so blessed to live in a beautiful area.

Bonus:  one morning The Professor and I visited our downtown area called Canal Market to attend Veteran Stand Down which is an event to provide veterans with all kinds of information and to find whatever help is needed.  As a Vietnam veteran, The Professor always try to attend and encourage the groups and the other veterans.  As I was standing looking north through the alley, I noticed our county courthouse and a flag.  The whole downtown area has many murals on the walls of the old buildings.  I snapped this photo because it was just perfect for the day.

That's my week.  How was yours?

A Reminder to Be Thankful

Today is a hard day for Americans.  Twenty five years ago, the US was attacked.  Many people died.  Planes crashed.  Everything changed.  Nine Eleven.  Where were you?  It was one of those moments when you will always remember where you were.  I had just returned from a trip to Rome with my older daughter Deb (Rocket Scientist Girl) and was planning to fly home to Portland, Oregon from Los Angeles.  Obviously, my flight was canceled and I had to make other arrangements.  Two days later, I boarded a bus and rode it north on a twenty-four hour trip.  Thankfully, I arrived in Portland safely.  Where were you?

1.  I began this Friday Fave Fives with remembering September Eleventh Two Thousand One-- 9/11-- because I am reminded that I am so blessed to live in a safe country protected by a strong military.

2.  Deb's birthday was in August and we were in Alaska, so we celebrated her birthday on Saturday night with dinner at Olive Garden.  Presents.  Conversations.  Even a few extra guests.  It was a great way to celebrate her.

3.  How did you spend Labor Day?  We didn't do much during the day, and then at the last minute, we decided to have a bonfire and invite the family to join us.  The weather was perfect.  And we didn't cook anything (except s'mores) as we chose BYOD (bring your own dinner).  The Professor and I ran to the pizza shop but it was closed, so our second choice was P*nda Express.  An added benefit is that we managed to eke out THREE meals for each of us over the next few days.  I love sitting on our patio in the evening and watching the embers in the firepit.

4.  Tuesday evenings are always Trail Life.  The Professor is a leader and our grandson Liam is part of our local troop (Older grandson Nathan has aged out now that he is eighteen).  The troop met at Dillon Lake State Park which is near our city to play disc golf.  I joined them, not to play with them but to walk around the campgrounds and enjoy the beauty of this lovely park.

5.  Medical appointments.  Our dentist appointments went well.  Good news!  Also, I had an appointment with my dermatologist and she is happy with the progress I've made in managing all my allergies.  I am thankful for good health and for the excellent health care we have. 

September Has Arrived!

Friday.  First week of September.  Life is beginning to be back to normal.  Every week seems to surprise us with routines changed and unexpected happenings.  That's ok.  It means we are human and alive.  What's important is that we are thankful to be alive and be blessed in so many ways.  Friday Fave Fives helps me with that.

1.  The local brewing company where we sometimes played Trivia Night with other locals sadly shut down.  The couple who we had started playing with on their team and with our older daughter Deb who is the aero-space engineer (she really is a rocket scientist!) found another local spot that plays Trivia on Thursday evenings.  So we have started joining them there.  It's fun!

2.  Weather this week has been scorching hot and humid.  Several days, we were under a severe heat advisory.  Today is slightly cooler and we have had rain (and thunder and lightning).  I am thankful for AC and for a safe place to live.  I know that it may be boring to read this fave many times during the summer months, but a cool safe place to live is truly a blessing.

3.  My veggie garden is beginning to come to its end of giving produce.  But we are still having kale and tomatoes every day.  And the sunflowers are still blooming.  I will always be thankful for my garden.

Even the bees are happy we are home.

4.  My lovely next door neighbor has been removing everything from her late parents' home and preparing to sell it.  She had some furniture that she needed to pass on.  Nearly new couch, chair and ottoman, and another chair.  The furniture is now in our house awaiting us to rearrange our living room and family room.  I am so thankful for her generosity in giving them to us.

5.  Fifty-four years ago today, at his parents' thirtieth anniversary celebration, The Professor and I announced our engagement!  I am thankful for all the years we have traveled the world together!  We don't look much like those two young ones anymore.

Home Again, Home Again!

We are home!  I have been organizing photos and trying to 'catch up' on the four hour time change difference.  But I'm here to share my Friday Fave Fives before I jump into another day of 'catching up'.  I am always thankful for how Susanne is faithful to encourage us to focus on being thankful.

1.  I am thankful and very proud of our sixteen year old grandson who drove BY HIMSELF to the airport to pick us up on Saturday night after our long flights from Juneau and Seattle.  I have called him Warrior Boy here on the blog for many years.  His real name is Liam which means strong-willed warrior or protector and that is exactly what he is especially for his family.

One of the first photos of Liam, shortly after he came to live with Nurse Girl.  Oh my, how he has grown!

2.  I am thankful that I can sleep in my own bed again.  And have my own pillow.  We love to travel, but we love to be home again.

3.  I am thankful for friends and family here in Ohio who greeted us with love and excitement to have us back from our travels.

4.  I am thankful for lovely weather.  Every day I have been outside in my gardens trying to take back control from the weeds that grew in just two and a half weeks.  Nearly every day I have been out walking my two or more miles.  Yesterday, Nurse Daughter, The Professor and I walked three miles on the path along the river with the two dogs.  (A short note here about names:  I am going to start using real names for family.  Nurse Daughter is Mia, Liam's mom.)

5.  Coffee catch-ups with our friends and family.  Just time to talk about our time in Alaska and share some of the photos.  And find out what they were doing while we were gone.  I am so thankful for those hours to reconnect.

I hope you have had a wonderful week, too.

The Very Last Day of July Faves

I'm a bit late posting my Friday Fave Fives because I've been busy celebrating my daughter's birthday (see Fave #5).  But I'm here now to share five blessings from this past week.  I've been doing this for several years and it is important to me to stop and reflect on how blessed I am.

So here are my Faves from this last week and very last day of July 2026.

1.  What's more fun than a fairy trail in the local county park?  PAL and her parents joined us for a ramble at the park and we decided to visit the fairy trail.

Which one is your favorite?

3.  Tall Boy is getting everything in order to begin his freshmen year of university.  It's the local campus of the state university, and it's walking distance from our homes.  One evening, The Professor and I walked over to the uni and strolled around the campus to get a better feel for it.  We have walked past the campus weekly for six years and haven't really wandered around it.   So we did.  One of the interesting bits about the campus is all the statues placed everywhere.

Yes, those are statues, not human fishermen.

4.  Younger Grandson passed his driver's test this week!  So proud of him and his diligence and careful driving.  He's been dreaming of this day for years!

5.  It's Nurse Daughter's birthday today!  Happy Birthday to our youngest!!  We celebrated doing what she loves best.  Walking her dogs and having coffee.  No photos from today.  But here are a couple of her as a two year old, playing outside in our remote Indonesian village.

Some things never change...

And a bonus photo.  Cuz you can't have too many barn pictures.