I am an optimistic person. I do believe in signs. That said, I don't know what kind of day must be ahead that I wake up with the words to the most annoying song on the planet running through my mind, "achey breaky heart" - what the ?!!?! It doesn't bode well, I don't think.

****must have been the $439 vet bill, the rest of the day was great! Thankfully it was mostly preventive maintenance stuff I was paying for, along with the chronic floppy-ear syndrome-type ear infections he is prone to which require swabs and tests and cleaning fluids and medications to make my little guy comfy and healthy. All a day in the life.

3 things

Three things I am crazy about: stones, shells, & books. These two clever books are so adorable and artistic, with simple sweet stories. I can certainly relate to the message of infatuation, who doesn't come home from the lake or ocean (and bookstore!) with as much as you can carry - well, I do! The stones in this picture were picked up along Lake Superior this past fall, the shells, some of them from Sanibel I know, the little tan one in the forefront of the pile had a hole in it when I found it way, way back when (high school) so it seemed perfect worn on a chain, which I did sometimes in the summer. As for the books, they are written by a very talented Tracy Gallup and picked up at B&N, one a month or so ago, the other today. Simple, simple pleasures, just the best.

let's hear it for 'chick flicks'! This is a beautiful movie.

it's raining, it's pouring...

...and god knows we need it, but come on, it's saturday! And it's only 66 degrees - inside my house on a July morning, sigh.

not so good ideas
~clean the house.
~organize the art room.
~purge.

good ideas
~socks.
~coffee (lots).
~stacks of magazines (started perusing old issues of ME Home Companion at 3:30am - seemed like a good idea at the time and one to continue now it's so dark and dreary).
~a nap under the covers.

better ideas
~if Yesterdog delivered.
~if my new Netflix movies had arrived.
~someone to play with.
~that nap.

birthday party!

We (Cathy, Dad & Karen, Peggy & Kevin, and I) went to the first Grand Rapids Symphony Pops concert of the season tonight at Cannonsburg to celebrate my sister Cathy's birthday - as you can see from the first photo as we picnicked it was a gorgeous evening. That is right up until just before intermission when the sky reminded me of the one in The Wizard of Oz just before Dorothy's house was picked up and spun away (fittingly the program was Sci-Fi music, and the orchestra was playing the theme from Star Wars when this blew up)! Thus the evening ended earlier than expected as the place tried to empty out before the storm hit. However, as we were waiting in the parking lot to exit, a gorgeous rainbow appeared!! Had to snap a picture of her (and her new car she just got yesterday) as it seemed another birthday surprise just for her! This picture was shot well before the time the sun actually goes down - you can see how dark and ominous things were, luckily we didn't get but a few sprinkles of rain on us out there. Here at home it appears the heavens let loose.

they all seem to run together - ahh, summer!

it seems i am posting all out of sequence these days, but isn't that what summer is all about - a wonderful blur of fun! here's what my 07/07/07 looked like, complete with a picnic from a perfect vantage point for another perfect sunset which was to come (in mylifetime i will never get enough of them)!

Had a health scare last week, entered the hospital in an ambulance and spent the night. Upshot my potassium level was very very low, and the symptoms I suddenly started to experience mimicked what I've always associated with stroke. Thankfully they were able to put me on an IV and get it to a normal level and there are no permanent repercussions. And as you can see from the last post, I was able to go on and celebrate the holiday just wonderfully. I am very pale this summer which put a bit of a scare into my sons when they first saw me thinking it was due to being sick, however, being I've been studying and working thus little free time and no pool as we'd been accustomed to all their lives I am undergoing quite a change in lifestyle. It hopefully a very healthy and long one!

I am being gently chided to eat more bananas now from all concerned - it will take more than that but I appreciate the thoughts!

Yesterday's 4th of July celebration was a great one, spent the day in Muskegon with friends on their boat. Both the boys were here, Luke from Seattle, Joe from Ohio. We had gorgeous weather, good food, fun with friends - the ultimate summer holiday, couldn't have asked for more/better!!