Author: robin

A Lovely Sky

- robin

It was a beautiful day yesterday. I stayed home and got so much done. Posting about current projects is a bore. I realize that. Some days I would love to volunteer at a hospital, hike 6 miles, work at the North Texas Food Bank or even stay in bed reading books that need to be reviewed. Sometimes, dreams help make the day go by faster.

But in reality…….

I have about ten quilt blocks finished.

Photo: Churn Dash quilt squares

I am almost finished painting 50 tiny paintings.

Photo: The tiny Eiffel’s

I am half finished The Good House.

Photo: The Good House

I am enjoying it very much. The story is based in New England. It is real and colorful.

Yesterday, Larry took me to the country for dinner.

Photo: East Texas

The East Texas restaurant was a dump. We will not be back. (I had found it on the Internet) But the wonderful part of the evening was a lovely drive together and the Texas sky. The Sky made the trip worth while.

Wherever you are today, I wish you a lovely sky.

Love you beyond the moon.

Me

Whatever You Do

- robin

Yesterday was a beautiful day. I baked blueberry muffins early, to put in the freezer. Of course I taste tested one of them and they were very bland. I asked Larry to try a taste and he said that they tasted fine. I had forgotten that I still cannot taste or smell. It is very frustrating.

Photo: The tasteless blueberry muffins

The muffins are all packaged and in the freezer. I am not very excited about them now. I cannot taste them at all.

Yesterday afternoon, we had a tiny visitor in the front entry. He let me get very close and was smiling at me. I do not touch or pick up lizards, but they are cute and are very good for the garden.

Photo: The Happy lizard

At least hthe lizard does not try to sell me insurance.

Last night after dinner we watched a show on Amazon Prime. The Unforgotten. It is very good. It is a mystery and well acted. Here is the link to information on the show. We recommend it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unforgotten

Enjoy today, whatever you do.

Love you beyond the moon.

Me

A Rainy Tuesday

- robin

I woke up exhausted yesterday morning. When that happens my entire day is usually off kilter, but It ended up being a good day!

It was raining and dark outside. I got dressed, did a few things around the house then stretched out in bed and opened my new book. I read while Larry was on countless conference calls. The house was quiet, except for the rain. It was perfection. I am reading “The Good House” By Ann Leary

At Larry’s lunch hour, we drove through the rain to the Sr center. I have to tell you about this awesome rec center we joined (later)….but yesterday it was raining and we went to the Sr Center to exercise. We joined the center a few weeks ago and go daily. I walk the treadmill for 30 min while Larry does weight training. I was still exhausted and came back home to read.

Larry suggested that we pick up pizza and salad for dinner. That is exactly what we did.

Photo: GAPCO Pizza

Our favorite pizza is GAPCO Pizza, but we call it Sammy’s Pizza. Sammy is a good friend. His wife Molly and he started GAPCO years ago and have 3 locations in the Dallas area. Sammy and Molly are wonderful people and they make the best pizza ever. (not to mention the awesome Caesar salad!)

We took our GAPCO pizza to the lake and had a picnic. The rain was stopping and the sky was beautiful.

While picnicking, we listened to Beethoven. Piano Concerto #1 in C and watched the sky change.

Rain, reading, exercise, pizza, music and a picnic! How could a rainy Tuesday ended up any better?

Love you beyond the moon.

Me

Smell The Coffee

- robin

Once a friend said to me, “I don’t trust anyone who does not drink coffee”…

It hurt my feelings until I saw that it is a famous “coffee” quote. Coffee has the most beautiful aroma. It is so beautiful that I wish I did drink it.

My awesome son-in-law roasts coffee. He is starting a business and will soon have a web site up. I will post a link to his site when it is ready.

Photo: Gunners Coffee-Your Second Best Friend

We were given a bag of the new, Gunners Coffee. The packaging is perfection. Gunner is Jamison and Jared’s dog.

Larry drinks coffee once and awhile when we are out to dinner or on holiday…but I am going to buy a French press coffee maker so I can make him coffee here at The Cottage,

This French Press maker was recommended to me. I am excited to buy it and learn to use a press. But I still will not drink it.

When I managed at a flower shop in Memphis Tennessee, the owner would stop in each morning. He always had the days news paper, a sausage-biscuit and a cup of hot coffee. Bob would have his breakfast while I told him about the day. Then he would read the paper for a few moments and leave. His sausage-biscuit and coffee smelled so wonderful that it has remained one of my “smell memories” and I always think of him when I smell coffee.

Since having covid, my smell has not returned. I hope that it will be recovered soon, so I can smell the coffee.

Are you a coffee drinker? What is your favorite part of enjoying a cup?

Love you beyond the moon.

Me

The BEST Weekend

- robin
Photo: Anniversary cake

Larry and I had the best weekend. It started on Friday night. We saw the play “Light Up The Sky” at Allen Community Theater and it was wonderful. The play is an old Moss Hart creation with charming characters and lively situations. Larry and I enjoyed it very much.

On Saturday, Larry and I picked up our anniversary cake from the bakery in Dallas. Then we went to the movies and saw the new Diane Keaton movie. The movie was silly and short. Perfect for our anniversary. We went home and I made a special dinner. You know what we had for dessert. (the cake tasted better than it looked if that is possible!)

Yesterday, Sunday, we went to afternoon tea at the Crescent Court Hotel in Dallas. It was lovely. My tea leaves said that it is going to be a wonderful year. Larry said that he sees a simile face in the tea leaves….

Photo: My tea leaves

What more could anyone ask for?

On the way home from Afternoon Tea, we stopped at Office Depot and bought a new folder. It is for the plans that we have for our 50th anniversary celebration in 2027. I have so many ideas, that I have to start planning now.

Larry made this past weekend, our 45th anniversary, special. Thank you Larry. I love you so much. It will be fun planning our 50th.

Photo: Larry behind my Champagne

I am tired today, but happy. I have been able to spend 45 years with my best friend and the love of my life. Life is pretty wonderful.

Love you beyond the moon.

Me

Lets Talk About Social Media

- robin

A few years ago, I closed up my social media. Facebook and Instagram were deleted for at least six months. I had been hacked and wanted to start with a clean slate. After so much time off from checking the accounts often during the day, I was ready to create new accounts and did just that. Asking friends to return friendship was a priority for me. But…something unexpected happened.

A few of my dearest friends ignored my request for friendship. Three friends to be exact. To this day, these dear friends are not part of my life. They are ghosting me. There are days when I miss their random texts to me with a joke or family news, meeting for dinner when in town or just a wonderful afternoon phone call. I have reached out to each of them to no avail.

The wonderful part is, I have learned to live without them. Larry in his infinite wisdom, said: you cannot make people like you, care about you OR want any contact with you. Lori, Karen and Rosemary are still in my daily prayers.

I was thinking that perhaps after breast cancer #2, I was to clingy? It was such a difficult time for me. I can WHAT IF all day but, life goes on.

Larry also said: People will treat you the way they feel about you.

I’ve been dying to post something about social media and non friends. It is out of my system. FINALLY!

Thank you for listening.

Love you beyond the moon.

Me

Hello Kaua’i

- robin

We spent 10 days on Kaua’i. Staying in Poip’u (south shore) to be exact. Before we arrived, we promised each other that we would do all of our favorite things while visiting and we started right away.

When arriving on the island, we drove straight to one of our favorite shave ice places. Jo Jo’s Shave Ice. That is the first thing that we did. Our suitcases were in the car and we were dressed for travel, not the island. The Waimea location was the first location and it has so much character and we could not wait to go, sit outside, enjoy a shave ice and say… Hello Kaua’i.

Photo: Jo Jo’s Shave Ice

Look at these three kiddos enjoying their shave ice. I think that this is one of my favorite shots from the trip. The boy in the middle has a spoon hanging out of his mouth. Classic.

I am missing the sea and the spirit of the island. I am missing being alone with Larry and knowing that we had so much time to go on adventures.

Reality is here and vacation is over. Today I must make my appointment for an October Mammogram. When you have had breast cancer a couple of times, they like you to plan your appointments a year ahead. BUT….I become terrified, so I do it on Robin Time and today is the day.

What will YOU do today? Something that you have put off? Something fun or just make your way through the day with a smile? Whatever it is, just be happy.

Love you beyond the moon.

Me

The Passing Of The Flag

- robin

Each year, when Larry and I go to Kaua’i, we celebrate what we call, The Passing Of The Flag.

Photo: 2022 flag

We hike a moderate trail in the canyon and at the top there is a lean-to where we tack a new American flag and a note. The note invites a Veteran or anyone who would like to pass the flag to a Veteran, to take the flag.

We pass this flag in honor of my beloved Uncle, Bruce who was a Marine and served in the Korean War. After The Uncle died, we started what we call, The Passing The Flag, while on Kauai.

This year while away on vacation, I fell. My left leg is a bit messed up right now and I was unable to hike while on the Island. Larry and I had to revert to plan B.

One night, we had reservations at Tidepools, a wonderful restaurant in the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Poip’u. Upon arriving we noticed a man in the lobby selling jewelry. He was around 90 years old and wore a Navy Veteran hat. At dinner, we decided that this gentleman is who we would pass the flag along to…..

Photo; Dinner at Tidepools. Grand Hyatt, Poip’u

A day later, the flag was passed to the Veteran in honor of Bruce Stevenson, my Uncle. It is always greatly sentimental for me and wonderful at the same time.

I miss my Uncle and this way, we can do something to honor him yearly.

Love you beyond the moon.

Me

A Few Good Blogs

- robin

I am SO frustrated! In the past months, I have been looking for a few good blogs to follow. You know what I am looking for, don’t you?

Here is the directory I have been sifting through. It is unreal!

https://blog.feedspot.com/blogs_directory/

I want just a sweet blog to follow. One that might inspire me, teach me and spirit me along. COVID-19 has changed all blogging.

Most blogs now, want to instruct you, preach to you and sometimes even scold you. Where have the blogs of pre-pandemic gone? Wait, I do not want to know.

In every post here, should I be teaching you something? Scolding you? Telling you about my daughters? Sharing my personal struggles or instructing you on how to be a better person? Do you read blogs like that?

I am going to be 68 years old next month. I am a working ARTist, mom, been married for 45 years and love my daughters to a fault. My blogging goal has been only to post about YESTERDAY, in a format that will live in the void after I die so my family can tap into my vision once and awhile. ( I wish that I had something like this of my mother’s to tap into and feel her spirit)

Perhaps this frustration is on me. Maybe I am slowing down and so is my blog? My days might not be as full as they once were. (they sure feel full) When we are younger, our days are vibrant but as we age, the edges become slightly blurry and not viewed at warp speed.

No, that’s not it. I refuse to give into anything other than the status quo.

Thank you for listening to my rant today. If I find any good blogs, I promise to share, if you do likewise.

Love you beyond the moon.

Me

Two Appointments

- robin

My mother always told the story about being a young girl and going to the DR or dentist. If she behaved, her mother would take her to the ice-cream parlor for a malted milkshake. I have never had a malted and had to look up exactly what it was…. It sounds good!

Popularized in the 1920s, malts or malted milkshakes are simply classic milkshakes with the addition of malted milk powder. They’re neither thicker than classic milkshakes nor healthier, but they certainly have a characteristic nutty, extra milky flavor that’s addictive.

As mother got older she liked hot fudge sundaes best. We would often join her (and Norman) for ice-cream when Lauren and Jami were little. She would most often get a hot fudge sundae. I love that we had such wonderful moments with her.

Yesterday, I had 2 appointments. Seeing Drs back to back is not my idea of a fun day. Larry said, I think that you need a hot fudge sundae. That is exactly what we did. We had ice cream for dessert. We go to a little place on the West side of Plano, Handels Ice Cream and it is wonderful. Of course Larry got his favorite black raspberry cone and I got mothers favorite. A hot fudge sundae.

This morning, I was thinking about yesterday and how thoughtful it was for Larry to take me for ice cream…and was remembering Mother. It made the day very special.

What do you do to turn a day around? You can always go out for ice cream.

Love you beyond the moon.

Me