Welcome Changes!

    When we visited the gym last Tuesday, a new sign greeted us. If fully vaccinated, no masks required. 

    On Friday, I happened to see a note about the Festival Country kickoff in Franklin. In about five minutes, we were ready and found a parking spot without too much trouble. We could see a large crowd was assembling; many had brought folding chairs to enjoy the music. We purchased food and sat down to enjoy our beer with another couple who shared the picnic table with us. To top off the evening out, we had a dish of ice cream. The weather was beautiful, maybe a bit warm, but there was hardly a mask in sight!

Delicious!!!

The concert is about to begin.

    Yesterday, we drove about 90 minutes south to Solsberry to visit the nearby Sculpture Trails Outdoor Museum. I would compare it to hiking in a state park with the addition of dozens and dozens of sculptures alongside the trails and in open-air galleries. As we were leaving, we met the owner who started the sculpture gallery about 19 years ago to store his works, and then friends and others heard about it as a home for their creations when they no longer could keep them. I have one regret about the trip. I failed to bring a spare battery for my camera and was only able to take two pictures. That's a no-no!

First sculpture we saw.

Obviously, a turtle!

    The heat is on, and so is our AC. The first two weeks of May were below average in temperature, and suddenly, we are in the mid to upper 80s. We put up the umbrella on our patio, and now we can say we're ready for summer!

Gardening and Flowers

It seems like we have had weeks of cold, windy, and wet conditions that aren't conducive to outdoor activities. I think we've finally turned the corner, and we can expect beautiful days ahead. 

Last Wednesday, Ray and I stopped at Menards, where we bought a small shovel and flowers to fill the new containers we had purchased earlier. First, I had to add dirt to the containers. I mixed some regular dirt with the flower garden soil that has fertilizer in it. Then I planted begonias, dusty miller, and ageratum to each planter with a spike in the middle. I'm concerned that if we have lots of rain, the plants could be waterlogged. I will classify this as a learning season for container planting.  

Closeup of Container Planting

Containers Lining our Driveway

We have a small trellis on the east side of our house with nothing growing on it, so I found a clematis and planted it a little over a week ago. The plant looked healthy at the store, but when I looked today, it may not survive. 

One pleasant surprise is that a bush growing at the edge of our patio is a lilac! Because we didn't see it bloom last spring, we had no idea what kind of bush it was.

Early Saturday morning, we left for Grand Rapids, MI, where our great-nephew Ethan graduates from high school this month. His grandmother, other aunts, and uncles, from both sides of the family and different areas, also came.

Ethan gets a special gift (counted cross stitch plaque)
from his grandmother, my sister Judy

Godmother Carmen offers a special toast to Ethan

After an overnight stay in a local hotel, we drove home on a sunny day which was a surprise because we had expected to have a rainy Sunday. The weather was so lovely that we were able to sit outside for the first time this spring! 

Our first time in 2021 enjoying outdoors on our patio

An Unusual Week

Last summer, before we moved, our landlord dug up and replaced most of the landscape plantings in front of our house. On the side, he planted hydrangeas which we enjoyed when they bloomed. We wondered if they would survive their first winter, but all are getting leaves and appear healthy this spring. On the other hand, I think we have a rabbit problem. I've noticed several plants peeking out of the mulch and wasn't sure what they were. On closer observation, it appears that something has been nibbling on them. It's time to get some rabbit repellent for these plants to have a chance. I think they may be daylilies.

 

Our routine is to play pickleball three mornings a week, and, often, we have a late lunch. Since Wednesday was Cinco de Mayo, we decided to stop at a local restaurant rather than having a late lunch at home. We chose Humble Taco & Margarita Bar. It's a relatively new restaurant in Greenwood. I'd read in the newspaper that many Mexican restaurants were planning for big crowds. Diners filled practically every seat at Humble Taco, and I wouldn't doubt that they were exceeding pandemic capacity limits. I enjoyed the food, but noisy restaurants aren't my favorite. Our second stop on Wednesday was to purchase rabbit repellant to save our four struggling plants. I sprayed our plants immediately when we arrived at home. Since then, we've had rain, but I think the repellant is rainproof. I am hopeful of seeing some blossoms later this summer.

Thinking about the events of Thursday, I can say it wasn't the best. The day started nicely with sunshine, and I was able to get in a four-mile run. We went directly to the Greenwood Community Center for some strength training. When we arrived back home, we didn't have lunch since we were instructed to fast for our 3:00 appointment for LifeLine Screening. While we were getting ready, Ray answered a phone inquiry about an Amazon order. Since neither of us had ordered anything, I suggested he look at our credit card statement, and after scrolling through the report, Ray noticed some unusual charges on my account. I called the card company and discovered at least ten fraudulent charges amounting to more than $900. The card was immediately closed, and I've already received a replacement one.

When I finished talking to the credit card lady, it was time to head out for our screening appointment. We arrived a few minutes early only to learn that LifeLine had canceled all screenings for the day. Of course, we were hungry since we had been fasting since breakfast. I called them on our return home and have rescheduled for late June. I believe they called us early in the day when we weren't home. Maybe our phone isn't recording messages left by callers. That's something I need to check very soon. Since we weren't far from Lowe's, we drove there, purchasing a clematis vine and planters. We still have to buy plants for the new boxes that will line the driveway, but we did get two bags of soil to fill the planters. Then we finally enjoyed a late breakfast at Bob Evans Restaurant. The events on Thursday were without a doubt frustrating, but I'm thankful for all the good things in our life.

I also learned this past week that Google is discontinuing Feedburner, the email subscription service for those who read my blog. Since I chose this to be a private blog, I don't have many readers. They don't offer any suggestions for what a blogger is to do. And I'm not sure what I'll do either. Do you have any suggestions?

What better way to end this post than with a Mother's Day selfie? Before heading to Joe & Nancy's house, we had a Zoom get-together with Bart, Persephone, and Christy. They are making tentative plans to travel to Indiana this June. We had good food, conversation, and an indoor party at the Martin's House since it was cold and damp.  

Four-Generation Selfie

We Welcomed May with a Getaway

    Yesterday we had time for a short getaway adventure. We drove south to Jasper, Indiana, about two hours away. Our destination was the Geode Grotto that came to my attention in a recent email about unique places in the state. There are hundreds or even thousands of geodes embedded in concrete, all the work of Father Phillip Ottavi, an Italian immigrant. From what I’ve read, his inspiration came from European grottoes, and he worked on the Jasper grotto for a decade (1960-1970). Geodes are readily available in the Jasper area. When you have a moment, search for “Geode Grotto” on your favorite search engine to see photos of this unique place. Of course, I took many photos. Here’s one of my favorites.

A lovely day as we wandered through this beautiful rock garden.

    

    On our way to Jasper, we passed through Loogootee (le-go-tee), a town of about 3,000. Years ago, I met someone from Loogootee, but I have never been there until yesterday. The name is unique and has always intrigued me. They are proud of their basketball teams.

                           

    Earlier in the week, we had an unusual power outage just as I was finishing lunch. It made me realize that we expect electrical power to be constant, and it usually is. But when it goes off, we can’t do some simple tasks. Only my cell phone was operational. After about an hour, the lights came back on, and I finished lunch.

    Our weather is improving! A week after the 2-inch April 20 snowstorm and a 26 degree low, we had our first 80-degree day, which is quite a contrast. 

    When the pandemic began, we weren’t able to play bridge which we did almost every Thursday afternoon. After more than a year of not playing and knowing we all had been vaccinated, I contacted two friends, and we’ve had a bridge game at Norma’s home the last two weeks. The first week, we were a bit rusty and had a laugh or two until we remembered how to play.

    I planted a few pansies several weeks ago that have survived our crazy spring weather. They are blooming profusely now, but I'm concerned about a bush in our backyard. When we moved in last summer, I had no idea what kind of plant it was. This spring, I’ve seen flowers forming, and it may be a type of lilac bush. I hope the late frost and snow haven’t ruined the blossoms.

    I didn’t have to wear a sweater or jacket when I left for church this morning. Warmer weather is appreciated, but I’m afraid we’ll have lots of rain this week. I hope your week is full of sunshine!