At The Cape

Well, Bud and I made it to Cape Cod but it was quite an adventure. I will try to post a few pictures when I learn how to work that part here. SO Tuesday evening about 9:30 we received a call from the airlines telling us that our 7:30 Wed. morning flight had been cancelled BUT they were offering us this great bus ride to Detroit instead of the flight. How could we resist? The bus was leaving @4:00 a.m. We went to bed and slept a few short hours, waking up at 2:30. We arrived at the airport a bit before 4 and they messed around and didn't take off until 4:30. The bus driver was at least in his late 60's or maybe older. Bud heard him say he has 10 grandchildren. Anyway, off we went. Everyone from TC wondered why he was taking this LONG route out of town instead of going straight across to I-75 and south. He stopped in Clare about 6:30 so we were kind of on track for making it to Detroit on town. However, the weather continued to deteriorate as we traveled south and we were beginning to wonder if we would make it for our 10:30 flight. We had good reason to worry because as we were getting closer to Detroit Grandpa said, "Has anyone been down to the Detroit airport lately and knows which exit to take?" Fortunately, someone on the bus guided him in. We rushed through security and found our gate only to find out that they had given away our seats. We were lucky that they still had seats left so we were able to make it on that flight. I think most of the other flights to Boston had been cancelled due to the weather. We arrived and Sara and Leo picked us up. We didn't check luggage so it was pretty easy to get out of the airport. The weather in Boston was rainy and as we came out the Cape the snow started to pick up. Leo drove us through some tough weather but we made it by a little after 4. We settled in and since Bud and I were tired from our early rising we took a nap. Dinner is in the oven and on the stove. We have the relaxing days ahead of us with good company, relaxing times and good conversation. We are here and have a story to go along with it as a bonus. I am thankful for the happy chatter around the kitchen.

another generation of Teddy Bears

Yesterday I made this Teddy Bear. It is for Garrick. Leo reminded me that I made a Panda Bear for Josh when he was born so I decided to make one just like it for Garrick. I'm not sure this one is exactly like the one for Josh but it is close enough. I don't make many bears any more but I enjoyed making this one.

Measuring up

This is an OLD folding measuring stick that I brought back from the farm. I remember this being in the tool box since 'forever'. It has started me thinking about 'measuring up'. How are each one of us measuring up to our own values? What kind of measuring tool do we use? Is it an old and tested measuring tool or a new one that works for this new world? I keep this old one on my shelf just to remind me of the way measuring was calculated on the farm. Have I changed?? I hope so but some of those old ways are still good to measure yourself by. Just a few things to think about today as you measure your life.

Long term planning

Eva came up to visit on Friday. We went out to a nice dinner Friday night. Saturday Eva and Bud spent most of the day working on long term financial planning. I was around doing little chores and listening in now and then. The conversations made me think a bit about 'long term planning' for myself. I'm not thinking about the 'financial' aspects of long term planning but instead the kind of planning I should undertake soon regarding my personal future. So far I have just been 'dabbling' in new hobbies, relaxing, reading and just enjoying the freedom of not having any plans. That state has been very nice for me. I have been surprised how easy it has been to not have any long term plans. However, I do feel a little A.D.D. about my days and weeks. Most of my activities have been quick little projects or learning experiences. I have several U.F.O. (Un Finished Objects) in my sewing room that I need to get to. I used to be more disciplined about my projects, not starting a new project before finishing an old project. I am not that way any more. Working gives me more structure to my life, and my non-working life is much more unstructured. I do have some goals and larger projects that I want to accomplish but I keep going back to the short projects that I can finish quickly. I am beginning to feel that I need to start two lists to help organize my life. I need a list of things to do in a particular day AND a list of things that I would like to accomplish 'long term'. My daily lists are easy to make and accomplish, the list of "what I want to do with my new life" is a bit more complicated. I'm glad that I don't have to come up with items on that list too soon. I am enjoying the 'moments' in my daily life but don't want to miss those 'big moments' that are memorable and define your life more. Maybe it is still too early in this retirement for me to worry about making those long term plans, I want to be open for both types of planning and hope that I can be open for all kinds of opportunities.

new hobby

Well, I needed a scarf to go along with my purple gloves and hat. I looked and looked but really couldn't find the right color. I finally decided to try my hand at knitting again. I remember learning to knit in 4-H but that was a while ago. It took a feaw tries but I finally got the hang of it and this is as far as I have gotten. It is a good thing to do while watching TV or things like that. Knitting today isn't an inexpensive hobby though. I guess I just have expensive tastes but this yarn looks good. The one nice thing is that you can do a project over if you don't like it. This is my third try at the scarf. I kept making it too wide. Of course the wider it is the more yarn it takes. Anyway, I continue to find ways to fill in my time.

Lunch in Ann Arbor

Monday we drove to Ann Arbor so that I could get my botox injections in my feet. I thought of taking pictures of the doctor injecting my feet but decided that these two look much better than my feet. We had lunch with Brittany and David Noble before going to visit the doctor. Having lunch with them is the highlight of our trip to Ann Arbor. They are both doing VERY well in school. Brittany is finishing her last year of undergrad and has been accepted to the U of M medical school for the fall. We are very proud of her. David is in his first year at Michigan and is also doing very well. He is there on a VERY prestigious scholarship. We really enjoy their company when we go down for my doctor's visits. On the way back we stopped in Clare and had dinner with Leo before heading home. Other than the injections in my feet, it was a wonderful day, visiting family.

A Sunday afternoon with a friend making jewelry

Sunday afternoon a friend and I went down to a local bead store and learned the 'basics' of how to make bead jewelry. It was a fun afternoon. This is a little sample that I made of a bracelet and ear rings. The Valentine's Day theme hit me. I am finding more and more ways to keep busy.