Off to Wisconsin

I am writing this just before we are getting ready to leave to meet up with Baby A and the family. I can't wait! We are meeting up in Madison, Wisconsin. It's about a four-and-a-half-hour drive, a little bit more for daughter.  I am looking forward to giving Baby A a great big hug. I hope she does okay during the car drive. The other day when they had to drive somewhere for a while she did not like being in her car seat and cried all the way home until she fell asleep five minutes from home!

I'm taking my camera with me and my Kindle but not a lot else. On our down time I plan to just relax and read. I'm not sure I will check in again until Sunday as I want to spend as much time as I can with the family. I won't be seeing them again until September, which seems such a long time away in terms of a growing baby, but will be here soon enough!

I hope everyone has a great weekend. 

More puddles and rain yesterday! Hopefully, no rain in the forecast :)

Tuesday

Well, I managed to get through the day. I was certainly glad when it was over. That day in particular brings up all sorts of memories. I won't go on about them as I prefer not to try to think of them. I did remember some of the good times we had on our holidays, the places we went and the laughs we had. Those are the memories I try to think of. I had a nice walk by myself, a good think about Mum, even talked to her (though it isn't the first time). 

Today was back to my usual walk. It was quite peaceful. I saw my friend for a bit and we had a little chat. I got some housey things done. I have been up in my craft room again, but, as seems usual right now, it was a lot of moving one thing from one place to another. I'm planning on going back up there again tomorrow. Maybe soon some crafting will be done soon. 

On Thursday, we are planning to meet with daughter, son-in-law and Baby A in Madison Wisconsin. We are driving MIL and FIL and are staying in a hotel for three nights. It's easier than either of us making the full journey and MIL and FIL will get to meet Baby A. I am SO excited. Baby A is growing so much. She can sit by herself now, though daughter says she falls down once in a while when she's tired. She is also trying food! The faces she pulls are really funny. It will be nice to hug and hold her for a while. Something good to look forward to!

A few phone photos from my mindful walk on Monday

 Today marks three days since Mum passed away. I've had a few ups and downs over the last few days. I'm trying to remember the good and not think about anything else. I miss her. 

My sister went to Mum's bench today and put some flowers down from me and her. I'll go visit the bench when I go visit my sister next month. 

That Darn Squirrel

I'm being polite in the title to this post. I have a few other not-so-polite names for that little red squirrel in the garden. I've spent far too much time on it this week. There are a lot of squirrels in our garden, all varieties including other little red squirrels, but it's just this one that has a sweet tooth and really wants that grape jelly/jam and if it can't get hold of that it wants something else up the poles unavailable to critters on the ground. 

When I first put the baffle up it was confused. When it couldn't access the jelly/jam it went for something else. On another pole feeder it figured out a way to jump from just below the baffle up to the container where it could hang on and eat its contents. I then moved it up higher so it couldn't do that. Problem solved, right? Nope. It then decided the suet up the next pole would be worth going for. It went up onto the bird bath and jumped onto the suet. Sigh. I moved the bird bath. Problem solved. Nope. It then decided to go back to the jelly/jam. It decided the best course of action would be to climb up onto a planter (quite a way away) and try to jump from the planter to the jelly/jam. Darn Squirrel managed to do it too! I then tugged and pulled and managed to turn the planter a bit. Hope that's problem solved. At least it has been for today. I'm sure that darn squirrel has gone away to contemplate its next move. My imagination has this playing like a cartoon in my head, sort of like Peter Rabbit and Mr McGregor. Sigh. 

I had a pleasant walk this morning. It was a lovely day, not too cold, not too hot. My sort of Goldilocks day lol. I didn't go anywhere after my walk. I came home, did a bit of house stuff and even went into the craft room for a bit. I didn't get a lot done, more shuffling one thing from one pile to another. At least it was comfortable enough to get up there! In the afternoon I chatted with my sister. It was a nice sort of day. 

The weekend should be relaxing too. We won't be going far. Husband had to go away for work this past week. It involved a drive of over 700 miles, sleep one night, work the next day, sleep and drive back another 700 miles! Next week, on Thursday, we are going with MIL & FIL (so they can meet the baby) to meet up halfway with daughter, SIL and baby A (another 300 mile journey). A lot of driving for husband. It's also his birthday on Sunday so I'm gifting him a day off taking me anywhere lol. 

That Darn Squirrel up on top of one of the feeder poles. 

Mid-Week - On the Hamster Wheel of Life

The title says it all, sometimes I feel as though I'm on a hamster wheel and not really getting anywhere. 

I'm not really done that much about the house. Usual household stuff. I've popped a few things into the charity box, but I've not really been productive. I've been struggling with the heat and humidity. It's supposed to break tonight. Here's hoping. 

I've been battling with a little red (American) a pain in the bum  squirrel. He's been climbing up the pole and eating all the grape jelly/jam that is for the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only squirrel that does this. The rest of them leave it alone. He must have a sweet tooth. Yesterday I spent far too much time trying to keep him off it. I finally ended up putting it on another pole that had a squirrel baffle on it (not my photo picture below)

I had to take down another feeder to do that and the birds were not happy. I ended up getting another baffle and returned the Oriole Feeder to its rightful place. Me 1, Squirrel 0

I'm so easily amused lol

Lovely sunrise walk this morning. 

I was all set up to write a post yesterday and I only remembered once I was in bed! Can't believe I forgot. of course, now I can't remember what I was going to write about. Well, maybe it was just a moan about the heat and humidity and the bitey flies that are making an appearance. Sigh. I'm actually not going to do any (more) moaning about that for now. 

Yesterday, we didn't go out. I didn't go far at all. It was rather dreary first thing but as soon as the drizzle stopped, I went out for a walk at a place not too far away. It was lovely and quiet. It was a rather nice walk before it got too hot. I like walking there as, at this time of year, there are some lovely wildflowers growing. I took some pics with my camera and a few with my phone. I'd really like to label a few of them and maybe make a photo book. I have wildflower books, but to be honest, sometimes I can't tell what the flower is from their photos! 

Admittedly, my phone photos aren't the greatest, but I'm hoping the camera pics come out a bit better

The top one is Bergamot, the next two are Coneflowers and the next is Milkweed. I love Milkweed. The lifecycle of the plant is just amazing. I might have to do a post on just that!

The bottom photo is one of the ponds that I walked around. The place I walked is Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery. 

The pic below is what made me smile for the day. As you walk in they do have a notice that tells you the coyotes are just decoys. Makes me wonder whether anyone reported them thinking they were real! It made me laugh that this swan was not at all bothered by the 'predator'. 

How was your weekend? 

Weekend

It's going to be a quiet weekend here. I feel as though we need a bit of time here at home and, to be honest, I can't be bothered to go too far. We'll be off to meet up halfway with daughter and her family in a week and a half and then mid-August I'll be off to England for three weeks, so I feel a weekend at home is needed. 

I did get up and go for a walk this morning. It was lovely and quiet and pleasant until the sun came up over the horizon and everything heated up. When that happened I moved and sweat (did you really want to know that lol). The humidity is just horrible. Even now, at almost 9pm at night the humidity is 70%. Ugh. The heat I can deal with but the humidity just drains me! I came home, relaxed a bit and got some listings done. I'd made a pile of things I wanted to get listed to sell and I got them all done! Yeah! That feels quite productive for a Saturday.

Tomorrow I am turning off my alarm. Not sure I'll sleep a lot later. I keep waking up as it's just too hot and I feel all sticky. Still, I won't be jumping out of bed at the sound of an alarm or rushing anywhere tomorrow. In fact, I'm really not quite sure what I am doing tomorrow. I really feel in the mood to cross stitch, but I can't remember where I put the project I was working on! Grrr. One day I might be organised. lol. 

Photo for the day - on my walk today I came across another walker who told me about a baby skunk on the trail (in the direction I was going). I gave it plenty of room and took some photos with my big camera. I kept an eye out for Mama too! I really didn't want to get sprayed! I have heard it is not easy to get Skunk spray out lol

Isn't it adorable? From afar, at least lol

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. 

Hazy Summer Days Flying By

The days seem to be flying by. I feel as though I keep saying that, but they really are. Life is plodding along and sometimes just plodding along is good enough. I've been out for my walks, taking photos, cleaning house, doing a bit of sorting and doing some Ebay things. Most days are fairly warm and even those that aren't seem to be quite muggy. I can deal with the heat, but it's that mugginess that drives me crazy. 

We had rain most of the day yesterday, lots of rain. It seems as though it's been quite a wet year. I was trying to find averages and such but couldn't manage it. I did find something that said we got a little over 3 inches of rain yesterday! Some places here got almost six inches! I was surprised how quickly it all dried up though. When I went for my walk today, I was expecting lots of puddles, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. 

It was a foggy morning though, but once that fog burned off it was quite hot. 

Tomorrow is another walk, this time with my friend. Then I have to make a run to the post office. I have already packaged up everything I have to and purchased postage so all I have to do is drop them off. My son is still on four 10-hour days so he'll be home tomorrow, and I think husband is going to get home early so I doubt I'll get a lot done. I am going to make a list as they seem to work well with me. 

I still need to work on time management as I really struggle with it. I know that I can be more productive, but actually doing it I find a struggle. Sigh

Ta-Da - Tuesday!

I went for my usual walk this morning, well more of a photography taking session. I did see my friend for a bit and had a chat before she went her way and I went mine. I did a little wandering along. It was so peaceful and quiet. It was muggy out and had rained quite a bit overnight, so I wonder if that was what kept people away.

Once home I got quite a bit done. I did a bit of extra cleaning, something that caught my eye and led onto something else lol. Got my book read list updated and put a bunch more books in the donate pile. I forgot to count how many so will do that tomorrow and maybe take a photo too. 

I think it's supposed to rain all day tomorrow. I think it might be because of Hurricane Beryl, at least the remnants of it. I think we're on the edge of the path. I'm going to keep my early alarm on in case they are wrong about the forecast. I'll have a check of the weather when I wake up and if it is raining, I won't jump out of bed right away lol. I'm kind of hoping it will rain because then at least I'll stay home and actually get something done!

Tonight was my monthly Asylum Lake Preservation Association meeting. I still feel a bit out of place, but I do actually speak now. I think they are all fairly well off and accomplished. I feel like the poorer, more common cousin lol. Nevermind. There are some good discussions had and maybe, one day, we'll get something accomplished! 

Back tomorrow

Photo for the day - taken with my phone for my Phone Photos Things That Make Me Smile Day 191

This is a Monarch Caterpillar. Sadly, it is the only one I've seen so far this year.

It made me smile!

Monday

I always find it a bit of a struggle to get back into the normal routine when I'm coming back from a holiday, even a mini-break. I got up early, went for a walk with my friend, ran a couple of errands, came home started wash and tried to tidy up the house again. 

I've been having a lot of cramps in my legs again. I'm not sure if it's the heat or sitting for a long time in the car. I've been trying to drink lots of water, but drinking lots of water then requires lots of trips to the loo. I'm hoping the walk today helped.

Tomorrow will start with a walk, some housework and then, because I don't have to go anywhere else I want to get going on some more sorting. I was rather pleased last week when I sorted out another 16 books! There are still many, many more to go, but I do think I'm getting a handle on the book hoarding. I have even managed to curtail any book buying. I admit to buying a couple at the thrift shop, but I haven't bought any new ones for a while - even though the authors I like have come out with more. I tell myself they will still be there when I have room for them OR they are on sale for my kindle. 

I wish it was a little cooler so I could go up in the craft room. I might pop up for a little bit and do maybe thirty minutes of sorting and then move onto something else. It's not like there isn't anything else that needs sorting! I do want to go through my wardrobe again as I'm sure there are a few things I haven't worn, and I'd like to get rid. I find myself wearing the same comfortable things over and over and there are some bits I haven't worn for a while and don't see myself wearing. I'd like to get at least two boxes of donations for this month. 

Do you have decluttering goals for July? Is it an ongoing process or do you like to do a huge declutter in one go? 

Back tomorrow

Definitely Back to Normal - Back From Camping

I don't really know where time has gone! I posted last Sunday, thought I'd post the next day and by the time I know it another week has passed!

We went away Wednesday to camp over the 4th July holiday. Not sure why I planned that. We just got back from the last one. This one was quite relaxing, just husband and I, one campground and we didn't go far when we were there. I did quite a bit of reading, watched sunrises and sunsets and generally had a relaxing time. We did go to a National Wildlife Refuge that was sort of nearby, but that was the only place we went. The weather actually turned out a lot better than forecast. When I looked just before we left to go, rain was forecast for all day Friday, heavy showers and showers on Saturday. We did have a little rain on Friday, but it wasn't much and it was over by about 1.30pm and didn't even start until after 10am! There was no rain on Saturday. I had been planning on catching up on sleep Friday, but I got up for the sunrise. I'm actually quite tired now so it will be an early night. 

This was our last camping trip until the middle of October when we go up north to see Autumn colours. We are going to meet up with daughter, son-in-law and baby A at the end of the month and next month I'm off to England to visit my sister for three weeks. It's turning out to be a busy summer!

The mini-cabin we stayed in. 

And a video of a lovely sunset. This was gorgeous. It was on Friday. I sometimes think that the days where there have been clouds and a bit of rain sometimes make the best sunsets

I'm playing catch-up again! 

June Things That Make Me Smile

June's Phone Photos Things That Make Me Smile

Lots of out-in-nature things that made me smile. Baby A always makes me smile. I wish I was seeing her in person, but when we video chat or daughter/son-in-law send and share videos they are really fun to watch. He shared one today that showed her laughing so much. Son-in-law was throwing a toy to one of the dogs and dog was catching it. Baby A found it hilarious and kept laughing! Made me smile

I will see her in July so that's something to look forward to!

I'm thinking about things I want to accomplish in July. Hopefully I'll have a list to share! 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend

Bits and Pieces and Plodding Along

I'm trying to get things done around the house as well as getting out and walking and enjoying taking photos. I think I really have to work on time management. Maybe that will be a project for next year! It makes things easier when I'm walking by myself as I get out early, get done walking, doing some photography and make it back home to get quite a bit done even if I have to go out and about to shops. I enjoy walking with my friend, but she gets there quite late and by the time we're done walking it's quite late. I have been sticking to my Tuesdays and Thursdays by myself and that helps. Also, on Friday, I told her I'd walk a bit but I had to be done by x time so I left and she continued on. I'd been there a lot earlier than she had so had already spent all the time I wanted to. I think that might have to be the way things go. 

It's been too hot to work in the craft room much. I have been moving things around. If I get to the point where it's really organised and I can craft more I shall think about saving for a small window air conditioner to help in the summer. That's only if and when I can get it to a point I'll be up there more. For now, I am trying to get up there for a bit organising while I can. 

I have been doing well on my meal planning. I'm quite pleased with myself in that regard. It's nice to know that meals are planned for the week and I don't have to keep wondering what we're eating each night! I usually do planning on Sunday and shopping on Monday/pulling meat out of the freezer. 

This weekend, not up to much. I did manage a walk today despite the early rain. After that I went to a couple of garage sales and a couple of thrift stores/charity shops. I found a lovely small framed cross stitch that I only paid $2.40 for and I put it up on Ebay this afternoon and it has already sold for $19.99 plus shipping! Quite pleased with that. Tomorrow we are not going out for a Sunday Adventure. I decided it was best if we stayed home this weekend as we are off 'camping' on Wednesday for another five days over the 4th July holiday. This one is just husband and I. We won't go far off the campground, one day at a nearby Wildlife Refuge and the rest of the time just hanging out at the campground. It is time away though, so we really need a weekend home. Husband has to trim some trees tomorrow that are in desperate need of some attention. I might go out for a bit, but not long. It's going to be cooler tomorrow so I might try to go upstairs for a bit. 

I have been keeping up with my Phone Photos - Things That Make Me Smile, but as I haven't been posting regularly I haven't been posting them. I have got them sorted on my phone (finally) and after tomorrow's photo I'll post a collage of the ones I've done. 

Today I'll post a funny (I think) photo of a deer. I love this time of year as they are regrowing their antlers and they look really fuzzy. This one was pulling a funny face that I managed to get. What would you caption him? 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend! My sister, in Ipswich, says the weather has been quite warm this last week. So maybe summer is finally here!

Bits of Holiday

Thought I'd do a little post today about our time away. We stayed in Michigan but travelled for almost 600 miles, almost 10 hours away from our house. Yes, Michigan is that big! There are two parts to Michigan, the lower peninsula where we live and the Upper Peninsula where we went. The Upper Peninsula is connected to the lower by the Mackinac Bridge. 

 

The bridge was built in 1957. It is almost five miles long and is a suspension bridge. On the left hand side of the bridge is Lake Michigan and on the right-hand side Lake Huron. 

Under the bridge

This time we stayed at one campground we've been to before - Tahquamenon Rivermouth Campground and two we visited for the first time - Mclain State Park and Fort Wilkins State Park. I would definitely return to Mclain State Park. Our Tiny House (below) was situated on the edge of a cliff overlooking Lake Superior

The view was quite lovely. I really enjoyed sitting out by a fire and enjoying the sunset over the lake. 

The third park, Fort Wilkins was a bit of a hit and miss. The mini-cabin we stayed in was comfortable and clean, but there wasn't a great view and it wasn't that secluded. The park toilets and showers were not nice though I did find out they were closing the campground early and had received a grant to redo the toilets and showers. The area was really lovely. I just missed having a good view. There was another cabin in the park, a little further from the toilet block but right by the lakeside, so I think if we decided to stay there again I would rent that cabin. 

Fort Wilkins was a fun place to explore. The fort is in the state park and it is a great place to visit. The fort was an outpost in 1844 and was established as the government was worried about violence erupting as, in 1840, there was a copper rush in the area and an in flood of treasure seekers. 

The area is really quite beautiful, and it is definitely on our list of places to do an Autumn colour viewing. I absolutely loved the mountain view. 

My husband and son's favourite thing to do was driving the off-road vehicle we rented for the day. There are loads of back country trails, narrow ones with just dirt that they had a lot of fun driving. 

It was a pretty good week!

Getting Back into the Groove

I'm trying to, anyway. Not sure I am quite managing to get back into the swing of things. The days seem to be flying by and I seem to be (not) running to try to keep up. 

Today started with storms and lots and lots of rain. I thought I'd try to beat the storm and get out early to try for a little walk. I managed a small one before the all-grey sky turned into rolling clouds. 

When I saw these clouds rolling in and the black/blue to follow I knew it was time to head back to the car. Wow, that storm rolled in quickly. I hadn't walked far before the wind started picking up and the sky turned really dark it was like walking through the woods at night! I did make it back to the car before the rain started. I was back in the house before the skies open and it poured and poured and poured.

I spent the rest of morning and most of the afternoon inside. I caught up with a bit of housework, did a bit of Ebay stuff (time to get back into the groove) and wiped down a few things I've been meaning to. The rain did stop later in the day, and I sat outside for just a little while, enjoying the sunshine before it got too warm again. When I was growing up, I associated thunderstorms with a break in the temperature. When it got too hot, a storm would come through and things would cool down. That's not the way it happens here. Sometimes it just seems to get hotter and more humid. Ugh. The humidity here is sometimes stifling. When I used to go back to England and come back again I would find it so hard to breathe here when outside. 

Tomorrow, I'm going to share a little bit of our adventure away. 

Have a good night!

Back Again and Finally Feeling Better

We had a nice week away. It was filled with lots of lovely views, fun things to do and see and lots of relaxing too. I managed to get bitten (a lot of times!) by the horrible bitey flies and the bites all swelled up and scabbed over (yuck). I also managed to get three ticks on me (caught them before they bit!). All-in-all a good time away. I've got a lot of catching up to do. I spent the day today catching up on all our washing. It's all done and put away so now it's back to the normal day-to-day - at least until we go away again!

Just a couple of phone photos for now

 
It might take me a couple of days to catch up with other blogs. Hope everyone is well!

Busy Day

I'm feeling a bit stronger every day. Thank goodness. Today was quite a busy day as I was getting things ready for us to leave tomorrow for our week-long trip. Most everything is packed and in the morning, we just have to get up and load up the car and we'll be on our way. It's about a four-and-a-half-hour trip until our stop for lunch and then another hour or so until we reach our first stop. I feel as though I'm taking too much stuff. I have a lot of camera bits to take, and I never seem to know what clothes to take. The weather can be changeable and, as we'll be outside a lot, I always feel the need to take lots of layers, so I won't be cold. Husband says that, as long as we have room in the car, I'll be alright taking what I've packed. I would hate to sit and be cold. You would think I'd know what to take!

We don't really have a lot planned for the time away. I think we have decided to stop at one waterfall on our way to our second stop and we have rented an all-terrain vehicle thingy for a day to go on some of the back country trails. It's something husband and son wanted to do. 

Two of the state parks we haven't stayed at before so it's a new adventure. We are going up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. There is some beautiful countryside up there and lovely landscapes. It's what I really want to photograph. I think husband and son plan on doing a lot of relaxing. I am hoping to see some sunrises and sunsets. Fingers crossed the weather will be good. It doesn't look too bad. Thank goodness it will be cooler up there. Next week, in my part of Michigan, the temperature is supposed to reach 36C/97F. Yikes. I'm glad I won't be here for that!

Things That Make Me Smile 165/366

Some beautiful skies and feeling well enough to take a little walk. 

The Lost Week...and a bit

I am finally starting to feel a bit better. Not over it all, but over the worst. Phew, that was nasty. Thank you so much for the well wishes. 

I'm not sure what it was. I had a fever for several days and then a head/nose/throat combo and now it's settled into a sinus thingy, but a lot better than it was! I lost my taste and smell. Still can't smell a lot, but taste is getting a bit better. I did test for Covid, but it came back negative. It sure did feel like it felt when I had covid. I'm still not 100% but better than I was. I am out of breath a lot, but I know it will come back. 

So, what have I been up to? Well, in a reality, not a lot. Not a lot of housework got done, absolutely no sorting, and no grand adventures. We are off on an adventure next week though, a week away. There won't be a lot of walking. I'm planning on just relaxing, reading and a bit of photography. 

For now, I'm playing catch-up.  Hopefully, I'll be back into the normal routine. Thanks for the patience!

A couple of phone photos from my non-walk today. Well, the most I've been doing is walking down to the beaver lodge, sitting and watching them and then walking back to the car. Hopefully, I'll be back to normal walks soon!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Quick Check-In - Sick

Just checking in. I was all set to get back to normal and such and apparently have picked up an illness somewhere. I feel awful. I've had a fever on and off for a few days, achy, sore throat, headache, etc. Moan. Moan. I did test for Covid, and it was negative, but it does feel like I did when I last had Covid. If I could get the fever to stay away, I'd feel a bit better.

Anyway, moaning done. I'll be back as soon as I start feeling better. 

Back to Normal - and Yurt Weekend

Had a great weekend away. It was really nice; the weather wasn't too bad, and I took lots of photos. We stayed in a Yurt. It had electricity, but no bathroom - we had to use the one in the campground (not far away). It was a lovely place to stay in. There were doors at the front and the back, the back doors went out onto a deck and some grass that backed up onto a small lake. Our firepit and picnic table was back there. It was lovely to be able to see and look out across the water and not at the other campers lol. 

Every morning a lovely Orchard Oriole would sit up in the trees and sing, it would be there at nighttime too!

The lighthouse was only a five-minute walk down a path from our yurt

Got to experience a wonderful sunset

I didn't see a sunrise, one morning was rain and to be honest, the other two mornings I didn't get up and moving in time to see a sunrise! 

Husband and oldest son had a good weekend too. They spent most of the weekend just relaxing. I spent most of mine walking and enjoying the scenery and the birds. 

Now it's back to normal service, lol. At least for a few weeks! Our next away trip will be for a week long adventure to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.