marigolds

reception #2

Don & I were in Iowa City over the weekend to host a reception for Austin & Yizhi with their friends there. They chose the Sutliff Cider Company in Lisbon, Iowa as the location & it was a great venue. There was inside & outside sitting. If you chose to sit outside you had a view of a corn field across the paved road. The weather was perfect & most of us enjoyed their ciders (alcoholic & nonalcoholic) more than the beer. And it was great to see the newlyweds again.







Some people enjoyed the beer more . . .

Janie

I visited my sister, Connie, this past week. Her lab, Janie, was underfoot all the time. She wasn't too thrilled with the camera at first but she got used to it. I noticed that she seems especially attached to Connie.









She sits nearby while Connie is on the phone . . .







Luke spent some time getting her to do tricks for a treat. She knows quite a few tricks too.







And when Connie naps, Janie is at her side still.



Man's, I mean, Connie's best friend.

remembering 9/11

Ninety-seven percent of people asked said they remember where they were when the towers fell. I'm no exception. I was at work in cardiac rehab at BryanLGH & caught footage on the tv in the lounge for nursing students. I just wanted to leave & get my kids out of school & be home with them. A terrifying day that we won't ever forget.

Nancy's clothespins

road trip

It was such a gorgeous day here that I suggested we take a road trip . . . on the motorcycle! And I had a place in mind. The Audubon Spring Creek Prairie just west of Denton. It is closed on holidays, but the sign said it was ok to walk around.









Don was the one who noticed the turtles sunning themselves on the finger of land reaching out into the pond.





I love "blooming" milkweed.







Then we headed to Denton & ate at the steak house. Great burgers!

Happy Birthday, Jack!

Jack turns fourteen years old today. He joined our family Thanksgiving weekend in 1997. Don & I decided to check out the puppies at the pet store at Meadowlane shopping center & there was Jack with some other Beagle puppies. We both fell in love with him right away but I was the one who said I didn't want a dog (because I knew who'd be cleaning up after him). Of course when Don continued to plead his case I caved & the next day he was ours. There were several times during that first year I wondered why I'd said yes, but Jack has since become part of the family. He is always so calm. A friend who listens to all our complaints without criticizing. Greets us at the door when we come home. But his age is catching up to him. Walks have slowed down. Waaaaay down. But we'll keep taking them as long as he's able. In fact the photo below I took just this morning. He is waiting for me at the top of the basement stairs, waiting for his walk.