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

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?  

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.

Mid July Faves

Hello, friends!  How has your week been?  I've had another busy week, but overall, it has been a wonderful one.  Here are some of blessings that I have noticed from this week.  I'm sharing as my Friday Fave Fives and posting them with others who share on Susanne's blog. (follow the link)

1. Friday and Saturday we spent with our friends from California.  We took a walk along the river and they marveled at all the green foliage everywhere (not much like Southern California in the summer)

Then we visited a favorite coffee shop/cafe.  On Saturday we showed them around Columbus and visited a book shop and then watched a play in one of the city parks.  They loved it!  Even the crazy rainstorm that flooded one of the streets where we were driving.  It was hard to say goodbye-- we will miss all the conversations and all the hugs from C and A.

2.  On Sunday afternoon, I attended a workshop to learn how to make hats for women who have breast cancer and are undergoing chemo.  Nightbirde Foundation hosted it as it is local to our area.  You can find out more about the foundation by clicking the link.  I am enjoying making the hats and learning to use a knitting loom and knowing that my creations will bless someone who needs encouragement (and a warm hat).

3.  Monday was shopping day.  I have to admit that neither The Professor nor I are big shoppers.  So we plan a trip into the big city and try to do all the shopping in one day.  Trader Joe's for food.  The shopping mall for shoes and clothes.  And a lunch stop.  It took us most of the day, but we got the shopping done.

4.  Tuesday was our anniversary.  We spent the day driving up to northern Ohio to visit Big Boy Steam Engine.  BUT.  That's not how the day progressed.  The traffic was so bad as we approached within about three miles,  that it took us three hours to move less than a mile.  Then, the area was closed down, so we weren't allowed to get in to see the train.  Oh well.  Because Nurse Daughter and her son were caravanning with us, we decided to just drive to a nearby town and eat dinner.  The restaurant was lovely and the food was excellent!  And one of the onion rings we ordered was shaped like a heart!

The day didn't turn out as we expected, but it was still an interesting way to celebrate our anniversary.  As our daughter commented, we did spend part of our honeymoon driving in our car up and down the Pacific Coast Highway in California.

5.  After our coffee date with our friends, The Professor and I drove over to visit an elderly man from our church.  We spent a couple of hours with him chatting quietly.  As we drove in and out on the driveway, we passed what he calls 'the gnome house'.  Yes, he built it.  It was a privilege to just sit and talk with him.

And now it is Friday afternoon.  Our skies are clouded over with smoke from the fires to the west of us.  I hope all is well with everyone and you are all safe from the fires burning across North America.

Time for Fave Fives

We raced through this week again.  I barely had time to catch my breath because we had lots going on.  That's why I like to join Friday Fave Fives and just pause and remember to be thankful for all the blessings that happened in the midst of the chaos of life.  Thanks to Susanne for hosting Fave Fives faithfully every week.

1.  Fourth of July!  We had a quiet day and then the family all arrived at our house just before dark to hang out and around the bonfire.  That was our 'fireworks' although we did enjoy watching all the neighborhoods around us light up with explosions of color.

2.  How many times have I mentioned that I am thankful for air conditioning?  It has been another humid and hot week, so I am so grateful that we have good AC.

3. We had an extra fun morning with our Daughter-in-law and her two sisters who are visiting.  Our Nurse Daughter had the day off so she joined us.  We sat in one of our favorite coffee shops for a long time and just chatted.  I treasure these days.

4.  Tuesday afternoon we received a text saying that our coffee date couple was at the hospital as he was having some health issues.  That certainly is not one of my faves!  But the fave part of it is that he was discharged that evening and is doing well.  In fact, we had our usual weekly coffee date with them and he is OK.

5.  We have special company visiting us!  A younger family who are part of the church we attended in Southern California arrived Thursday evening and we are so happy to spend this time with them!

How was your week?  How did you celebrate July Fourth?  Did you find blessings in the daily events of your life this week?

Hello, July!

 Wow. We are halfway through this year.  That's hard to believe.  Where did January, February, March, April, May and June go?  This week flew by, too.  And now we are getting prepared to celebrate Fourth of July!

I really needed to stop for a bit this morning and post my Friday Fave Fives, the weekly list of blessings from this past week.  Thank you, Susanne, for your faithful leadership for FFF!

1.  First and foremost.  The weather here in central Ohio has been HOT! Mid to high 90sF and high humidity! I am thankful for an efficient and stable working AC.

2.  We've been having to water our gardens since there has been no rain.  I am truly thankful and appreciative that The Professor has been watering our large back garden. I'm doing the front which is much smaller.

3.  Our county has published a "passport" program do encourage our residents to travel around the county and find historical information.  This week, The Professor and I enjoyed driving many back roads and searching for the answers to the questions.  We visited two of the many covered bridges in the county as well as several old cemeteries.  I am enjoying learning so much about my new home.

4.  Last Saturday, I enjoyed breakfast and a chat with a friend.  We have so much in common, but we seldom meet up.  It was a wonderful relaxing and affirming time with her.

5.  Yesterday was my brother's birthday!  I am so blessed to have an older brother who has always been a friend and protector for me.  I know that sometimes family aren't close.  But he and I are.  Happy Birthday to my Bus Driver Big Brother!

A few years ago...

And, to all my American friends, Happy Fourth of July!

Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence!

There Goes June

 Hello, friends!  An entire week has passed and I haven't posted anything.  Truly, it has been another busy busy week.  I am thankful for Susanne's faithful hosting of Friday Fave Fives which helps pull me back in from running around and reminds me to focus on gratitude for my wonderful life.

Here are my Five Faves from this past week.

1.  One reason for the busyness is that I have spent many hours working in my garden.  My goal is to remove the grape hyacinth that has taken over the front garden.  Don't get me wrong.  I like grape hyacinths.  But there were too many of them.  I'm almost done!

Another section of the front garden includes a circle where we planted a small tree.  The wild flowers have taken over the edge of the circle.  It's beautiful.  And the bees love it.  There really is a tree sapling in the middle.

I am thankful that I have the time and energy to create a beautiful garden.

2.  Father's Day.  The Professor had a very full day.  In the morning, he preached the sermon at our church.  Then we celebrated three dads at our son's home.  The Professor.  Our son, Chaplain Dan.  Their friend David who with his family was visiting from Southern California.  Then in the evening, we gathered for our weekly Life Group where he again taught a short lesson.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate Father's Day.

3.  I continue to enjoy meeting with the college student to tutor her in writing and composition.  It is fun for me.  In addition, it is pushing me back into recalling and reminding me on how to be a better writer myself.

4.  A walk with family and dogs at the local arboretum.  We mostly walked through the woodland area and then wandered around the lake.  Then, we had to stop the rambling and head quickly back to our cars because a thunder and rainstorm came rumbling in.  Even with the rain soaking us, we had a great time.

5.  I saved the best 'til last.  Today is The Professor's birthday!!  Happy Birthday to my best friend!  He's gone  until tomorrow because our grandson's Trail Life troop is camping for two nights at a state park about an hour's drive from here.   Because he is gone on his birthday and Nurse Daughter is working all weekend at the hospital, we celebrated on Wednesday evening.  Ten of us were around our table.  He asked for cupcakes.   Then we gathered around the bonfire on our patio.  Happy Birthday!!

Bonus!  This week Eleanor decided to accompany us on our weekly coffee date with T and S.  I think it was because the coffee shop is also listed as a cocktail lounge.

And of course, The Professor had to tease her with some bunny ears!

Now I'm off to meet a friend to talk about ... writing!

Family and Friends Faves

 Happy Friday, my blog friends!  How was your week?  I hope it was full of blessings.  Mine was.  It was busy but wonderful.

Here are my Friday Fave Fives from my week.  Click on the link and join us in practicing weekly gratitude.

1.  Road Trip! We traveled to Iowa!  

The Professor's mother was born and lived in Iowa during her childhood.  Many of her family members still live there, and every June they have a family reunion.  So this year, we took Nurse Daughter and her son with us to the reunion.

2. It is always a joy to visit Sunday morning church service at the church where The Professor's mother attended growing up.  

And his mother is buried in this cemetery. 

3.  Friends.  I have a dear college friend who lives not far from where the reunion was.  So we met up and enjoyed a lunch together.  Then the next day we spent several hours hanging out during the reunion.  We even managed to take one photo!

4.  We enjoyed staying with The Professor's cousin at her farm.  What a beautiful place!  I love visiting her.  I love sitting on her back porch and just gazing out at the farmland.

evening view

morning view

5.  And she loves to cook.  This was our last breakfast.  Swedish pancakes!

We had a wonderful road trip and a wonderful family reunion.  I am thankful for the opportunity to spend the days with family and friends.

Fave Fives for Second Friday of June

A busy week often means many blessings.  That's how my week was. It may have been hot and humid, but it was still a lovely week.  I'm sharing some of the week's blessings with other Friday Fave Fivers.

1.  Several mornings I have sat quietly on my back patio and sipped my coffee in the quiet.  This quote states my attitude well:  "A beautiful day begins with a beautiful mindset.  Start by realizing it is a blessing, a gift." (anonymous)

2.  For the last several years before I retired, I taught writing and composition.  It was my favorite job.  So I enjoyed spending a couple of afternoons this week coaching a young woman who is taking a college composition and writing course and was feeling overwhelmed.  She's much more confident now, and I am pleased that I could encourage her (and she's so much fun to interact with).

3.  Wednesday was filled with friends and family and fun.  We met T and S and L (our usual coffee buddies) for coffee, pastries and conversation.  Then we picked up Tall Boy and his girlfriend and drove them to a local private lake park so they could spend the afternoon swimming and enjoying the sunny weather.  About six pm, we retrieved them and took them to our local brewery for Trivia game night with his mom and friends.

4.  Trivia Night was fun. There were five teams competing. The host often offers unusual and sometimes obscure questions.  Some of them we knew.  Some we didn't.  We ended up in second place.  We had so much fun!

5.  As I mentioned earlier, the weather was hot and humid this week.  I am thankful for air conditioning!

It was a wonderful week.  So many blessings.  So much fun!

The End of May Faves

I had big plans to post a couple of times this week.  You can see (actually, you can't see) that that didn't happen.  But I really need to pause and be thankful on Fridays even if I am busy all the rest of the week.  Friday Fave Fives does that for me.

1.  Tall Boy graduated from high school!  Because the weather was wet and rainy, the usual outdoor graduation ceremony at the football stadium was moved to the basketball court inside.  It was a bit more crowded and seating was limited.  I am thankful I could attend in person and watch him walk across the platform and accept his diploma.

Celebrating with Tall Boy and his best friend

2.  Monday was Memorial Day.  We spent the whole day at home.  In the evening, we did our first bonfire of the season.  Some of the family joined us.  Weather was perfect and it was a good evening.  Both of our fathers served in the US military during WWII.  And so did two of my uncles.  The Professor served in the US Army in Vietnam.  And our son is a US Army Reserve Chaplain.  Memorial Day is important to us.

3.  On Tuesday, we drove north about an hour to meet up with our friends who drove about an hour south from their home.  We've been friends since we all lived in Oregon and attended the same church.  They chose a very interesting place for us to have lunch.  Buckeye Express Diner.  It's a train car turned into a restaurant.  I'm sure we will visit it again.

Sign at the gas station pointing us to the street taking us to the diner.

A fun place to enjoy lunch... what!  What's that giant cook doing??

Oh, it's just a statue ...

4.  A local brewery hosts a Trivia Night every Wednesday evening.  The Professor and I joined our three adult kids who live in our town and a couple who Older Daughter knows to play as a team.  We didn't win first place, but we didn't end up in the last place, either.  It was fun.  And I am thankful that we can enjoy impromptu time with our family.

5.  A few days this week, the weather has been perfect for messing in the garden.  I am in the process of 'redoing' the front gardens.  I finished clearing one section and planted some zinnias around the edges.  I'm liking the new look.

How was your week?

Fave Fives in April

It's Friday night.  I'm late!  But I'm here to post my Fave Fives from this week.  I am glad that Susanne holds us all responsible to posting our five blessings from the past week.  It helps me focus and remember how blessed I've been this week and all the time.

1.  One reason I am so late to post is that I spent most of my day at the local hospital sitting with my friend whose momma was having a heart surgery procedure today.  Usually my friend handles everything calmly but this surgery was stressful on both of them.  I am thankful I could be with her to sip our coffee and just chat all morning to keep our minds calm.

2.  Another reason I'm late?  The Professor and I took Warrior Boy over to Chap's house and enjoyed BYOD (bring your own dinner) and a movie with them.  Even PAL enjoyed watching the Adventures of Robin Hood movie.

3.  One afternoon I drove PAL and her mom to visit a local garden nursery.  My goal was to buy some plants since I haven't started any seeds yet.  I found both kinds of tomatoes we want to grow this summer as well as kale and some herbs.

4.  After Easter church service last Sunday, we enjoyed a family dinner and Chap's house.  Dinner was delicious.  Then we spent some time hanging out and putting together a 500 piece puzzle.  Yes, we did the whole puzzle in one afternoon.

5.  When I was in Oregon last week one of my cousins mentioned that he had researched my Ohio town and discovered that a famous Civil War veteran was born here.  John Clem.  He was the youngest person to ever serve in the Union Army.  At nine years and ten months he joined the army and became the drummer in the Michigan infantry.  When we returned home, we did a bit of research and found the statue dedicated to him on one of our main streets.  How many times have we passed this corner and not noticed it??  I'm glad my cousin told me about John Clem and that we found this monument to him.

I hope you have found many blessings by looking back over your week, too.

A Week Away

 I'm back! Our trip was a quick one, just five nights away from home.  I'm sorry that I didn't have the opportunity to check on everyone's blogs.  But now, life is returning to normal (sort of).

I am posting my Friday Fave Fives to share all the wonderful things that happened on our trip. (the link takes you to Susanne's blog where you can join and post about your FFFs, too)

1.  I am thankful for safe travels.  The Professor and I were happily surprised at the short waiting lines, especially at TSA checkpoints.  Our four flights (two each direction) were smooth and on time.

2.  OK.  Where did we go?  My cousin passed away last month and I wanted to attend her memorial service.  If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you will know that I was born and raised in Oregon.  Portland, to be exact.  Almost all of my family (especially on my dad's side) live in Oregon.

3.   We spent all of Saturday (after we checked out of our hotel by the airport) visiting friends.  I have a college friend who married a guy I've known since high school.  She makes and sells soap and years ago my daughter (and I) worked with her at local county and state fairs.   (If you want to purchase some the best soap in the world, go to Laurelstone Soaps www.lssoaps.com)  We had so much fun talking that we didn't take a single photo.  Then we met another friend for dinner at a delicious Lebanese restaurant and talked until we closed it down.

4.  After visiting our former home church for their Sunday morning service, we drove to where my cousin's memorial service was being held.  The tribute to her was lovely and prompted so many memories of her and our times of playing together as children. Like the time it snowed and we were at school.  She and I decided to go outside and play in the snow at lunch recess and since we were the only ones out there, we didn't hear the bell and stayed out until the principal rushed out and pulled us in.  Yes, we did get in trouble for that one.  All my cousins and my brother were there and also some of their children and grandkids.  After the service all but the oldest cousin gathered at a coffee shop and we chatted for another two hours.  I am so blessed with all those boy cousins (and a brother).

left to right:  cousin1, cousin3's wife, cousin3, me, cousin4, cousin2, my brother.

All but cousin4 and I live in Western Oregon

5.  Monday and Tuesday were devoted to time spent with my brother and his wife.  He drove us out to the beach on Monday and then on Tuesday we did some exploring of the area where they live which is Oregon wine country.  I took so.many.photos.  Here are just a couple from those days.  Come back for LOTS more.

The beach!

Vineyards!

And then it was time for us to return home.  Even Eleanor was ready.