New Adventure | Peaches Prattlings

{April 28, 2024} A Faerie Festival, Baby Goats, and a Movie

And what did you do on Sunday?

We decided to be leisurely this morning and why not, it’s Sunday. After the Beer and Pretzel Fest yesterday, how do you top that? Well.. with a Faerie Festival of course! This was the Forged Fantasy Faerie Festival, say that five times fast! sponsored by the Drunken Smithy. The Drunken Smithy is a place that opened about a year ago at the Lebanon Valley Mall, I think I told you about it, because they offer axe throwing, which PSM and did a few months ago, we love it! We’ve done it in a few places, great fun and a great release!

The Drunken Smithy also offers forging classes, something, when we take, I will definitely share with you! Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. Sounds fierce! It is! Looking forward to making something! PSM did buy me a hammered metal flower, actually it’s a dragon disguised as a flower and I so forgot to take a pic, I’ll do that, promise!

We were actually going to the movies and stumbled about the fabulousness of the Forged Fantasy Faerie Festival! It was like the Renaissance Festival in a mall, I loved it! There were people in costume, at least, some of them were in costume, I know some people live the life and this is how they dress every day. Faerie freedom! The best is when you see someone in full faerie regalia in an unlikely place, like loading something into their car in the parking lot. That was great!

There were so many vendors, some things repeated themselves, but all of it was wonderful and so many hand crafted items! There was music, minstrels, live Dungeons-and-Dragons role playing, face painting, libations, magicians, crystals, artists, and so much more, what else could you want?

Well…baby goats, that’s what! I was talking to a vendor and PSM came over and said “I don’t mean to interrupt…but there are baby goats”! What?! I have no idea, but I la la la love baby goats! And PSM knows it, I turn into mush! So…we rushed over, well, rushed while still being safe and not running into anyone and there they were! $5 for 5 minutes. My beau got me $10 minutes in with the baby goats! Some of them were only a few weeks old!!! I got in the pen, sat down and started loving on the baby goats! I was in heaven!!! Squeeeee!

Time with the baby goats was up…again, I was denied a baby goat or two…you really have to have more than one, they are pack animals. I think it would be so much fun to have a baby goat on the bike! In a side car?! Can’t you just see it?! Goggles and all! Yes!

We walked around some more, then it was time for the movies, luckily, in the same building. We headed over to the theater, got our water and popcorn, you have to have popcorn! Funnily…at home, I might put a little salt on my popcorn, but never butter, in the movie theater, must have butter! Don’t ask me why, that’s just the way it is.

We went to see The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. It was SOOOO good! The tagline: The British military recruits a small group of highly skilled soldiers to strike against German forces behind enemy lines during World War II. It was based on Damien Lewis‘ 2014 book Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII.

And this will give you the true backstory of how this came about: Churchill’s Notorious WWII Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Finally Gets a Movie, supposedly the beginning of the modern black ops!

It was directed by Guy Ritchie, you can imagine the cinematography and style. It was very clever and funny, the dialog was brilliant, the cast…amazing! Henry Cavill, you know…Superman! as the lead, Gus March-Phillips, Alan Ritchson, Jack Reacher!! as Andres Lasson, what he could do with a knife or bow and arrow?!, Alex Pettyfer as Geoffrey Appleyard, master planner, Cary Elwes, The Princess Bride!! as Brigadier Gubbins ‘M’, the one who initiates the operation, Henry Golding, Crazy Rich Asians!!! as Freddy Alvarez, a master at explosives, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, new to me, as Henry Hayes, a great navigator, Rory Kinnear, he’s been in a lot of action movies, but I know him as a funny man, he was a fabulous Winston Churchill.

Freddy Fox played Ian Fleming, the author himself! Eliza Gonzales, as Marjorie Stewart, and Babs Olusanmokun, as Heron, both new to me, but I look forward to seeing them in future films! And lastly, Til Schweiger, I’ve seen him before, he plays a very good bad, and I mean bad guy!!!

There was action, a lot of it, adventure, great dialog, I mean funny and witty, violence, yeah, a lot of violence, it was WWII, fighting the Nazi’s, there’s going to be violence, but interestingly…not a lot of blood, in one or two scenes, there was blood, but overall… not much! Oh, and there were explosions, and fire, lots of those, and very clever tactics and ploys to do what they needed to.

Overall, I recommend this movie, I want to see it again, yeah, two thumbs up!

And on that note… Gute Nacht (gooteh nakt) [Good night in German]

{April 23, 2024} Second Seder and Homeward Bound

First night with my family was fabulous, as always. Second night is always with PSM’s family, a fun time that!

It’s Tuesday, so it’s still a work day, that means, more cooking, just to fill in some of the gaps from what we ate last night at the first seder. We made two more kugels, another matzoh brittle, more gefilte fish, and more broccoli pancakes, oh yeah, more hard boiled eggs.

In between cooking, there was work to be done, for my job that is! I actually got a lot done, had a few calls, GES and dad went to the grocery store for some supplies, I did go out and treat myself to a chai at Starbucks, ended up talking to a nice guy about bikes, he commented on my Sturgis sweatshirt, how could I not talk about how much we love to ride?!

About 5p, I started to pack up my stuff and about 530p, I hugged and kissed everyone goodbye and headed to PSM’s family’s for seder. There were a lot more people at the second night seder, GES was having about 20, we had 11 last night, sound about right!

I walked in with my goodies, the fabulous veggie matzoh ball soup for me and the peach matzoh kugel for all. Let’s just say, I know it was good, but…there was absolutely nothing left for me to take back to PA and PSM! Happily disappointed!

We sat down about 630pm, I ended up at the kids side of the table. Kids being the youngest was about 16 or 17 and the oldest in their 20s, these are bigger kids. They still do the Four Questions, well, they’re still the youngest! Of course, I was also seated across from some of the older trouble makers, myself included, not complaining, there was a lot of laughter and love!

As all families, they have their own traditions, we sing Take Me Out to the Seder, sung to…you guessed it, Take Me Out to the Ball Game! They use different Haggadah’s, as most families do, but like most families, everyone takes a turn reading, participating in the service and the telling of our story.

I stayed until the seder was over and we started clearing the table, and some folks were heading out, it was about 930p and I had a very long drive home! Not looking forward to that…I got on the road, had the top down for part of it, of course! I decided to go through Connecticut, how much traffic could there be at 12-1am?! Well…not hours of traffic, but there was traffic! Seriously? I cannot stand driving through that state! I may have already said it, I enjoy the state, just not driving through it! ugh!

After about 3 hours, I probably stopped every hour, to get gas, walk around, keep myself awake and ready to go. It was a very, very, very long drive. I find that during the day, I can drive for what seems like forever! I remember driving from St Louis to Denver, CO, it’s about a 12 hour drive, I did it in one fell swoop, isn’t that a great expression! But once the sun goes down, I’m not good for the full drive without stopping.

I made it home safely, finished a podcast, started a new one, that kept me going for hours, I wasn’t sure when it was going to end, but good for my drive! I made it home about 330am and I was done! I emailed dad and my sister to let them know I was home, went into the house and was greeted with running, snuggles, and kisses from the fur babies, someone had fallen asleep and left them out.

I proceeded to love on them, get them in the crate, and it was all I could do to walk upstairs, put on my jammies, and fall into bed, the alarm was still coming at 6a, really?

All in all, a good trip, too short, but a good one. Family, friends, food, and fun, what more could you want? Notin’ I tell ya! Nothin’! G’Night!

{April 20, 2024} A Bike and Biker Blessing

Say that 10 times fast! Today was a great experience, I told you last night I would tell you all about it today and here it is!

A biker and biker blessing is a truly moving event, we participated in our first one in Hawai’i. It was held at a church, it felt like every bike on the island was there! We met, there was a blessing, in Hawai’ian and we went on our way, knowing we were, well, blessed!

Today, we were with the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club [LVMC], there was also the biker/bike blessing with our Indian Motorcycle Riders Group [IMRG], it wasn’t an easy decision, but we went with the LVMC because we haven’t ridden with them yet and last weekend we had our first IMRG group ride of the season. I also needed to be closer to home, after the blessing and lunch, I high tailed it to Boston for a few days!

We got to the clubhouse at 1030a and there were already about 30 bikes and people there, by the time we left, I think we were somewhere between 50-60, maybe, I couldn’t tell, but there were a lot of us! It was fun meeting some new people in the group and seeing what everyone rides, that’s always the best part.

We were very organized, not us personally, the group. There were several people who would be blocking traffic, that means that they block traffic at lights and stops so we can all ride together as one big group. The idea, which I liked the analogy when we rode in Hawai’i was we should function like a tractor trailer, everyone stays together.

We left in one big group, I know someone was taking photos, I can’t wait to see them! I have to tell you, it is such a site to see all the bikes riding in one long procession, it sounds wonderful and it looks beautiful! We rode to the Lebanon VA Medical Center, what an honor! There were some residents who were outside watching, some in the lobby, and many from their rooms. We did a tour around the perimeter, came to park in front and we all got off our bikes and walked towards the chapel.

Father Paul was waiting for us, he was wearing a long white robe, full regalia, with sunglasses, a baseball cap, and sneakers! LOVE IT! We all gathered around and Father Paul read from his prayer book, a few prayers I recognized, what I loved was he added motorcycles in there! He talked about being able to ride was freedom, reminding us of what we can do, and to keep each other safe. It was a lovely ceremony.

We all received badges/pins, oh yeah, before we left the clubhouse, we all received an American Flag with the Biker Blessing on it to attach to our bikes! After we received our pins, we got back on our bikes and rode past Father Paul, who then blessed us each with holy water! SO cool!

After we were blessed, we made our way back to the clubhouse for a fine feast of picnic and comfort foods and good conversation. We met some new folks and really just enjoyed ourselves. I know we would have had fun with the IMRG folks, this was fun getting to know the LVMC folks!

After lunch we headed back home, played with the dogs a little, I loaded up my car and headed out and here I sit at my sister’s house writing to you. I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow! I need sleep! After getting up about 6am, then the biker blessing, then a 7 hour drive to Boston, I’m beat!

Vroom Vroom…God natt (goo nat) [Good night in Norwegian]!

{April 19, 2024} A new place and a meeting

Today was your average work day, it seemed to go on forever, was yours like that? I looked up, it was 12p, then I looked up and I thought it was 3p, nope, it was 1p, then 2p, what happened?! I was very busy, so that should mean the day flew by and I didn’t have enough time to get what I needed to done. Nope, it was weird. I didn’t quite make my deadline, but I got a lot done, go figure!

After work, take the pups for a walk, they got in their smells, found some potato-chippy worms to munch on, munched on some grass, I listened to a podcast, and that’s how it usually goes for us. Oh, we did meet some of the dogs in the neighborhood, we said hello to Charlie, the teeny poodle who definitely tries to defend and protect his property and his humans, Calvin, the black and white great dane, what a sweet and gentle doll baby, having a moment on the other dogs names, but they all did the doggie meet-n-greet, let’s sniff there, oh my!

Then PSM got home from work and we tried a new place on our Lebanon Valley Libations Trail, The Union Beer House. It is in a random place, nestled in between some car dealerships and other businesses, you almost drive by you. When you walk in, it’s very cool, they have beer coolers on the left, a lot of coolers, basically, a wall of coolers, these hold bottles by the six-pack for sale. Then on the right, there are shelves of wine, and a cooler with beer cans, I didn’t get over there to look if the cans were for sale in six packs as well. The last cooler had single bottles of beer, again, didn’t get over there to see if they were for sale individually.

At the counter you can order food and drink, on the left were all the taps and a proper bar. When I say proper bar, I just mean that you can sit or stand at the bar and gather, chat, congregate, which is the same as gather, right? In the middle, wide open space, they had tables and chairs for eating, they had a high top long bar along the window. Then as you wander, they have a video gambling room, that was different.

The food was ok, I’ll be honest, the only thing on the menu I could eat was veggie fried rice and an order of 5 mini spring rolls, I asked about a veggie burger, I was told they have a black bean burger, but it was spicy. Fried rice and spring rolls it is. PSM had fish and chips. The chips were good, we both liked them.

The place was crowded with friends, families, single folks, groups, couples. It had a good atmosphere of people enjoying themselves on a Friday night. Kitchen closes at 8p, brewery closes at 10p, welcome to Central PA!

We went because it’s on the Libations Trail, but it wasn’t a place I would go back to. I could see going if PSM wanted a beer or some friends wanted to go have a beer and hang out, but overall, not my first choice. I enjoyed the experience and I’m glad we tried something new, but it wasn’t for us. We really like to sit at the bar and talk to people. Oh well…

Now, the plus…we were only a 2 minute drive from the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club! Score! We got there a little before everyone was going up to the meeting, we just missed the home made carrot cake, bummer! D is a great baker! I really like everything I’ve tried!

Tonight the place was packed, not quite standing room only, but a lot of people! I think because the weather is getting nicer and rides are about to start happening, people were there to get more information. Tomorrow, I’m excited, we’re going to a bike blessing, not telling you much more because I want to tell you about it tomorrow!

I’m glad I ran into R when I was at White’s Harley Davidson and he told me about the club, and I’m glad we finally went to a meeting and joined. Everyone is very friendly and has welcomed us warmly and we’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone. And…excited to go on our first ride with them and see what everyone rides!

And on that note, I’m going to wish you a शुभ रात्रि (shub raatree) [good night in hindi].

{April 13, 2024} Gotcha Day

It’s Bee and Ruby’s Gotcha Day! For those of you who might know be in the know, because if you’ve never adopted a human or animal, why would you! So… ‘the gotcha day is the anniversary of the day on which a person or a pet joins a family by adoption.’ Isn’t that great! I gotcha in my family now!

Miss A’s gotcha day, you may remember, is February 14th, how perfect is that! And Ruby and Bee’s gotcha day is April 13th, we officially adopted them in St Louis in 2020, shortly after we moved there. As you know, Mollie didn’t leave Hawai’i with us, we knew she probably wouldn’t be when we moved there, and sadly, we were correct. After we moved to St Louis, we were walking around Creve Coeur Lake thinking, and talking about it, “wouldn’t it be nice to have dogs again, to walk around the park with us”, I told PSM when he was ready, let me know. And shortly thereafter, he said…I’m ready.

So…I went online to see if I could find another American Foxhound, that’s what Mollie was, and let me tell you…not easy to find. As I was looking at different shelters, I found Five Acres Shelter and I saw Bee, who had similar features to Mollie. I only say this because everyone always asked me if she was a Beagle when they saw her, honestly, if you didn’t know the foxhound, she looked like a beagle that had exploded, meaning, much larger!

I said…ooh! And when I clicked on her link, she came up with a friend…Ruby. The site said they were so bonded they hoped the two would be adopted together. I showed PSM the pictures and although he was only thinking about one dog, he said go for it. I filled out the application, put down his brother SM as a reference and we got a call from someone at the shelter to interview us. About 30 minutes later, we got a call from his brother “So…you’re thinking about adopting a dog, huh?” Wow, they move fast.

Even faster, a few minutes later we were setting up a meet-n-greet with the foster mom. She wasn’t available on Saturday or Sunday, did I mention this was Friday? What about Monday, sounds good. Since we were both working from home, remember, this is when everyone was at home working because the Covid stuff just started happening about this time.

Monday, we went to the shelter and met both dogs, what doll babies they were! And all of a sudden, maybe 15/20 minutes later, PSM said yes and I was signing paperwork and we were dog parents again…. Um…with no provisions at home, oops. On the way home we stopped at Petco to get dog beds, the foster mom gave us one bed, we call it the burrito, it’s actually sitting under my desk right now! It’s a brown oval bed they both love sleeping in! She also gave us one blue bear, we bought a few toys, food, a crate for both of them, treats, and a bed that fit in the crate, yup, we’re good to go.

We got home and brought them into the house, they sniffed every corner, oh yeah, we closed the master bedroom door, there was a giant oriental rug in there, the foster mom told us Bee has a tendency to sometimes go inside…and normally only on rugs/carpets, so we’d have to keep an eye on that. They settled in pretty well, found the beds to snuggle on and we laid down with them at different times, and we took them out back to their new yard, lots of room to run around.

I’d say they got used to us and their new home pretty quickly…they spent most of their time laying out in the sun out back. They also decided they needed to protect the yard, which I was finally able to cure them of that, ‘you’re ok, no one is invading your backyard! If anyone walked by…oh brother! So…I decided no barking before 8am, some people like to sleep! We would get up and take them for walks between 6-7a, then back home and they’re free to roam the house and back yard. And Ruby has finally realized the fire brigade didn’t need her help alerting the neighborhood!

We didn’t know what breed Ruby was, we just called her an attention hound because she’s so very needy and clingy, it fit perfectly! Then someone walked into the house to do some work and said “That’s a Redbone Coon Hound!” And boy howdy, is she! And they are needy, clingy dogs, that’s all there is to it! It has nothing to do with separation anxiety, that’s just the breed!

We’ve been lucky, there have only been a few instances when they tried to run away, a few in St Louis, and only once here in PA, I’d say that’s pretty good. I think the time here was because Bee was following her nose…they eat everything! Oh brother, a new smell here, no wait, a new smell there, no wait, a new smell…oh boy howdy!

Overall, we have gotten so lucky with these two, they are pretty well behaved, that’s what people keep telling us! They do great at doggie daycare once a week, they love meeting new people, they are not barkers, except occasionally, and they’re pretty good about meeting other dogs, it’s hit or miss, as with anything, and they do listen, for the most part. And…great snugglers, as you know I let them stay with me on the bed on occasion, and they love it! They get on the bed, circle a few times and then they’re out for the night, they snuggle up next to me, and into me, little hot boxes, and they keep me company all night. It’s a nice feeling.

There are so many more stories I have, but we’d never get out of here!

{April 11, 2024} A New Lebanon Valley Experience!

Lebanon Valley is back with a new opportunity to explore. You went with us on the Lebanon Valley Java Journey and now…we are starting the Lebanon Valley Libations Trail! Yup, you guessed it, we went from coffee to booze!

And you also know me…two things I love…ha ha! Yeah right! They are both things that PSM loves, but I enjoy going along for the ride and…depending on where we are the libation…the more he drinks, the more stuff I get, a win-win, wouldn’t you say?!

There are 18 bars, breweries, and distilleries on the list. Some we’ve already been to because that is one thing I explore, new places to eat and drink, but this time, we get points for participating, no passport or mug to buy. The way it works is you download the pass, but this one is virtual, you don’t have to remember to bring it with you when you go somewhere, so that’s a plus! “Did you bring the passport?” “Crud, no, we need to go back and get it!” none of that! So.. you download the pass, when you go to one of the establishment you check in and enter the code and collect your points. You can put the points towards free stuff, some of the stuff you get at the bar itself and some you get might be mailed to you. Either way, free stuff, wahoo! Some places have discounts on food and merchandise while you’re there, score!

Some of the places we’ve already been to, and several of them we like, and some of them we don’t. We’re trying to decide if we go to those early and get them over with or leave them towards the end, but I don’t want to end on a negative for us, so…decisions, decisions. There wasn’t anything drastically wrong with them, they just weren’t the places for us, but…being slightly competitive, we’re going to do them all! We met someone last year who told us about the Lebanon Valley Libations Trail just as it was ending and gave us all the codes from the bars they went to, so we were able to get some free stuff, score! This time, we’re starting at the beginning and we’re going all the way!

And, just like last time, I’m going to share our experience with you, because if I didn’t, what type of friend would I be?! A few of the places I’m really excited about because they’ve been on my list of want to try for a while, score!

Tonight, we went to the first place, not the first place on the list, just the first place. PSM called me to ask me out to dinner, it’s been a beautiful day and turning into a beautiful evening. He rode the bike to work and said let’s meet somewhere! He didn’t want to go to one of the places close to the house we go to regularly, so we decided on the Blue Bird Inn. This is a place our realtor took us when we were house hunting and it seemed so much farther away! At the time we were in a hotel about 40/45 minutes from here, so it was. Now…it’s about 15 minutes from us, score!

The Blue Bird Inn was built in 1859 and renovated in 2009. It’s a classic pub, big indoor seating area, actually there are several rooms, a very nice bar, then an outdoor seating area that is actually indoors, if that makes sense, it’s all windows, but it’s not inside the main room. Then you go outside and there is an upper level deck with a bar and a lower level, no bar. The outside decks both have tables for outdoor seating, it’s quite nice.

The atmosphere is great, the staff is great, the ambiance is great, the drinks, from what I’ve been told, are great, and yes, the food is great. I’ve enjoyed all but one trip there, they have great vegan options for me, but this one time, I’m not sure if the chef was mad at my veggie burger, but it came out hockey puck style! Yup, beyond repair, and I wasn’t the only one who thought so! But…my broccoli was great that night, saving grace!

As I mentioned, they have vegan options for me, they make cauliflower wings, tasty, but even better, cauliflower steak! If you’ve never had it, don’t knock it until you try it! A cauliflower steak is when the cut the cauliflower in a thick piece and grill it, fry it, pan sear it, whatever you do with a steak, you do with a big slab of cauliflower, except put gravy on it, that would be weird, for me anyway, but if you want to try it that way, go for it!

It was a loverly evening, we sat, talked, drank, laughed, rounded out the meal with some very good bourbon bread pudding, I recommend it highly. Yeah, we’ll go back! After we ate, and talked, and laughed, and had a great time, it had started to get a little chilly, so back on the bikes we went, stopped for gas, and then, home sweet home.

And that was our first stop on the Lebanon Valley Libations Trail, not to worry, we have until June 15th, and you know us, we’ll do it! Maybe one here and there, another day maybe two or three, or more! Who knows! But you know I’ll tell you all about each one!

And now…I say to you…Buona notte (bwona nohteh) [good night in Italian].

{April 8, 2024} Back in the USA, just in time for the eclipse!

I was so tired last night after I got back to the states, but I’m proud of myself, I stayed up until about 10pm and then it was lights out! I think 10p is pretty good for 17 hours of travel!

Crashed about 10p, up at 4a, what?! Not cool! I refused to get out of bed, so I stayed put…until about 630/7a, it was so good to snuggle deeper into the covers, and to be in my childhood bed, secure and safe in a place I knew so well. I decided it was time to get up, so I took a nice long hot shower, thanks dad!

Got dressed, went downstairs, made a cup of tea, I found a cannister of vanilla chai powder, it was quite tasty, left it at dad’s house so I can have some the next time I’m there! I made myself a breakfast sandwich and sat down to get some work done. I was chatting with some co-workers about the eclipse and then about 315p, I went outside to see if I could see anything. Well…if you don’t have the special eclipse glasses, you won’t see much.

I zoomed my camera as close as I could get it, those are the very fuzzy pics, but wow, I found them stunning! The really bright white orb is me zooming in as much as I could…it was blinding! Then I went to the back deck and met some of dad’s neighbors, J&S, their kids, and J’s parents, it was a family affair! They offered me a pair of their glasses and what a difference!

I was able to put my phone behind the glasses, those are the amber pics, but then I got it right and the almost black with a sliver of the eclipse, oh wow! I even impressed myself! I share that with J&S, it was thanks to their glasses!

I was talking to people and we all expected that it might get dark, it didn’t, but it did get quite cloudy and the temperature dropped quite a bit. Some folks even said their animals went a little loopy leading up to the eclipse.

I watched for about twenty minutes, not all at once, I looked for a minute, then I took them off and talked to the neighbors. We continued like that for a bit and then it was done. I also needed to get on the road. I thanked them very much for the use of their glasses, exchanged information and I sent them the pics.

I loaded up the car with my stuff, grabbed my bialys from the freezer, thanks dad! I only forgot two things, as I found out when dad told me after he got home! I got in the car, dropped the top and I was off!

I didn’t hit any traffic on the way, stopped once for gas and I was home by 7pm, attached by the fur babies and the hubby, very happy to be home. Missed SDL and Miss A a bunch already, hard not to when you spend a week in close quarters with someone, but very happy to be home. I will be staying up until at least 10pm, I’m a little tired from driving and I still have this cough, but I’m ready to put on fresh jammies, crawl into bed and sac out!

As a side note, I don’t know if I mentioned how much trouble I had posting while I was in London that I gave up, so you’re going to get our whole trip, it will just be spread out a little, but it’s coming! How could I not share all that we did! And we did it all!

A fine good night to you my friends, a new day is coming tomorrow and I’m going to see if I can sleep past 4am, wish me luck!

Happy to be home and talking with you again! G’night!

{March 21, 2024} There is a 17 year old in the family! What?!

When did this happen? Yup, it’s true! March 21, 2024 EJS turned 17! Wow!

I’m sitting here trying to wrap my head around that! My baby sister, yes, she’s still my baby sister, not far behind me in age, but I still think she’s 9, I know, I know, she’s not, but I once wrote a poem/story, My baby sister is getting married, but she’s 9! Well… my baby sister is the mother of a seventeen year old!

I remember when my kids turned 17, so I have an inkling of what’s happening in hear head and heart, and as for me…I remember the day she was born. I didn’t get to meet her that day, she was about 7 days old when I finally got to meet her, hold her, hug her, nuzzle nose to nose, tell her all sorts of things, what I was going to teach her, what she was going to teach me, all the fun we would have.

She smelled so good, so tiny, this little thing with a head of black hair and a scrunched yup face, pure perfection! I teased my sister when she was born, one day, when she’s 16, I’m going to get a call “I hate her come get me!” it would either be my niece or my sister, and I’m happy to report, that never happened! When I asked my sister, ooh, can I buy the Halloween costume, she said you better, if you don’t there probably won’t be one! And so began my saga of being the one to get EJS, MGS, and all my grands their Halloween costumer.

For the longest time, I would buy something just plum adorable when I found it, oh, the monkey costume! Then as she got a little older I started asking what she wanted to be, and whatever she said, she got. Sometimes it was something she didn’t even know what it was, like the year she wanted to be a Power Ranger, she never saw the show, but she saw the costume, ok, so she was a Power Ranger. Then one year, she put the costume together herself, uh, sigh…ok… but…Auntie J, you can get me this for the costume, DONE!

I used to love finding creative gifts on my travels, doing creative things for her birthdays, now, I’m happy to send whatever it is she wants, as long as she tells me what she wants! When she was little I was there for either her birthday or birthday party, a promise I made when she was born. And until Covid hit in 2020, I was there, for every single event,. When I lived it Boston, it was great, I could pick her up from school, be a ‘class auntie’, put her to bed at night, take her to the movies, and be around.

She was so much fun to travel with as a wee tot, we’d play hide-and-go-seek, which was very creative in a hotel room! We’d run on the beach, play in the pool, take walks, take naps. As she got older, different types of activities, excursions, and experiences.

Now…she’s grown up and the conversations are different, she continues to amaze, and astound me every day. Very smart, amazing futbol player, good grades, driving! omg on that one! she has a job, and now she’s looking at colleges. I know whatever she does, she’ll succeed. And will make me an even prouder auntie. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for EJS.

Happy 17th birthday EJS, can’t wait to celebrate so many more experiences and happy moments with you. I love you.

{March 19, 2024} I’ve learned something about myself. And Happy Spring!

Ok, I sort of knew this, and it’s not always applicable, but…I do better blogging sitting up at a desk or a table than in bed with my laptop propped on my knees. I’ve said it, it’s out there.

When I’m sitting in a chair, I’m more focused, when I am laying or lounging in bed, I don’t seem to focus as well and let my mind wander, which is a good thing for me, that’s where I get my inspirations sometimes, but other times, my mind is wandering when I should be talking to you! And wouldn’t you rather me talk to you than stare off into space?!

Then sometimes I stare off into space for so long, or scroll on my phone that I run out of steam and I start to doze off, great…I used to blog on my phone, I love having a phablet, tablet/phone, it’s big enough, I could use the s-pen that came with it, to feel like a pen, but I really like using a keyboard, I like hearing the tick, tack, tick, tack, typing on the keys, there is something satisfying about that!

Now… I do have a tablet and I have a keyboard for it, so I use that sometimes too, but even then, I feel like I need to be sitting up when I do it, in a chair, at a table, I know, I already said that! But I do, I feel more productive, what is wrong with me?! I love writing, I should be able to do it from wherever, whenever!

I do actually enjoy writing with a pen and paper as well, but, and do you find this…since we are in the computer age, it’s harder to write, your hand cramps and gets tired! I’ve thought about getting a reMarkable ‘paper tablet’, you write on the tablet with a special pen and it converts your written word into text. I think they might be coming down in price, not sure. But it’s a thought.

Anyway, I’m sitting here, cross-legged, writing to you, at my desk, on my laptop. Yeah, I’m happy, and I’m writing, and it’s 1132pm, I’m watching my fingers fly over the keyboard, sometimes amazed that I can type that fast without looking at what I’m typing, but I know, I just said I’m watching my fingers fly, I can see them as I’m looking at the screen. I’m not that tired, who knows what’s going to happen when I step away from the pc and the desk, I might go get in my jammies and sit in bed and… watch tv, read a book, practice my Duolingo, the possibilities are endless!

But I do know that I have to stop rambling or you might fall asleep while you’re reading that! So, to you, I will say Good Night, parting is such sweet sorrow, until we meet upon the morrow. And…

Happy Spring! [officially!]

{March 17, 2024} A walk, a ride, breakfast, a block shoot, and clean bikes

That was our Sunday, what was your Sunday like?

I decided the pups could sleep with me last night, it was great, until…Well, Ruby fell asleep next to me, Bee started in the crook of my left side, we were all good and then I woke up in the middle of the night had my beagle turned into a cat and was sleeping inbetween my legs! I felt like I was held hostage, I couldn’t move! ha ha. I moved her over to my left side, fell back asleep and woke up to her in the exact same place! No wonder I couldn’t pull the blanket over my legs, really?!

We stayed happy, cuddling, and content, until Ruby decided it was time to wake up, and by that I mean lick my face, and hand, and arm, and…until I gave up and got out of bed. I love the dogs, I do not love getting licked into oblivion! Ok, ok, I’m up! Got dressed and got them ready to go for a walk.

Came back from the walk, fed them breakfast and soon it was time for us to get some breakfast. On the bikes and off to Heisy’s Diner. We really like this place! I think I told you about it, it’s a train car that they just added and added to, it goes on forever! We sat at the counter, which we love to do, ate, drank coffee and tea, talked, laughed, planned, you know, the usual.

Back home we didn’t go into the house to get the dog’s hopes up, we just switched from bikes to truck and headed out towards Bethel, PA. In Bethel, we went to the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club‘s Bethel Grounds for a Block Shoot. It’s a cool property, they have a building big enough to hold several picnic tables with benches, riding lawnmowers and garden tools, there is a kitchen, and around back there are port-o-potties. They have a firepit and a lot of space. In the summer, if you want, you can camp for $10 per night. I’m not sure what other events they have there, but the block shoot happens twice a year.

So…if, like me, you were wondering what a block shoot is…at the core, you are shooting at a block of wood with an index card on it. Ok, more details…Everyone signs up, if you want to shoot, you can, if you don’t want to shoot, you can have sponsor someone to shoot for you, yes, you guessed it, that’s what we did. It’s $2 per shot, we each put in $10 for 5 shots each and someone was assigned to shoot for us, there’s a prize at the end!

When it’s time for the shooting to start, there is a target, it’s a wooden block with a white index card on it and you shoot from 50 feet away from the target. There is someone in the big metal box-type thing who puts the block with the index card on the pole, there is a red slider up in between each round, when the person who is setting up the blocks is ready switches the red slider to green and the person knows they can shoot. This goes back and forth until everyone who has put in money has either shot or had someone shot for them.

At the end of the round, or first shoot, they bring in all the blocks and the index cards are examined and the card, which has a number assigned to it/you, with the pellet closest to the center of the X is hit, that is declared the winner! Guess who won $25 for the first round? PSM! Go PSM! And he didn’t have to do anything for it except sponsor someone to shoot for him!

The next thing they do is called a Spinner Round. There is a giant circle with boxes in them with everyone’s number assigned and the winner of the block shoot round gets to shoot the spinner, which is spinning, as the name suggests and the number with the closest X is the winner, not us, sadly!

The clubhouse, as it were, opens at 11 for food, they had hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, drinks, cupcakes, all sorts of goodies. There was a firepit outside and everyone socializes until the block shoot starts. They continue to socialize, but it’s harder to hear if you’re in the back, but it doesn’t stop anyone.

There were other raffles, a 50/50 for our club, a gun raffle and a cash prize raffle for another club. There are all these opportunities to fundraise and help each other out, it’s nice. After the first round block shoot and the 50/50 raffle, it was time to head out and head home.

At the house, we let the dogs out, PSM pulled all the bikes out and we got to work cleaning them. They were in desperate need of baths. Please don’t tell too many people but…we hadn’t given them proper baths since we went on our 3-week trip out west over the summer. We are embarrassed! We’ve wiped them down, but not the given them the detail they really need. And the bugs on the windshield… O M G! We cannot do this to them again! Don’t they look all shiny and pretty?!

Next…into the house, sit down and breath! Oh, and practice my Duolingo, more on that another time!

Who ever heard of sitting still on a Sunday!? Dogs are in the crate, writing to you…g’night!

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