Golden Report

 Mark has cleaned up all the flower beds for me and the sun is shining, promising another spring.  G is so happy that we'll be having coffee in the garden again. 

 Skye graduated from her beginning Dog Manners class.  She's going to intermediate school next month.  Maybe she'll even go to graduate school :)

Leap Day

The sign reads:  When Life Gets Too Hard to Stand, Kneel in the Garden."  

It was made for me by Amy's rehab class at the hospital. 

Since this bench is on the verge of rotting though, 

I could ask them to make another sign for a caption that reads:

 "Cause you sure as hell can't sit on this bench."

January Golden Report

It's been a up & down kind of January at Canada Garden with new puppy Skye and G Dog having surgery.  Skye is  growing every.single.day and is overall such a good puppy.  G has recovered from his surgery but continues to have a few digestive issues along the way.  It's warming up out there these last few days of January so now instead of snow, we get to deal with mud!

January

I know it's January, but I still complain about the cold!

 

 Photo from Rachel.  I didn't take one opening-gifts picture this year.  I was too busy keeping an eagle eye on Skye who went with us to visit Judson & family.  We had a really good time.  It rained and rained and rained.

And speaking of Skye:

She's making herself right at home :)

Thank You to Grandma Peggy!

Betsy shared her joke book with me, V, and Nanny Laura last night.

Merry Christmas Grandma Peggy!

 

Merry Christmas

Christmas Flowers

The pitcher is one that Mark gave me years ago.

 

 

 

And this container was grandma's. 

Front Door Christmas

December Report

We had a great visit with Isaac.  His 2016 gem-show adventures start in Arizona right after the New Year.  We'll miss him but are glad he's doing what he loves.

Francoise Weeks Workshop

I keep saying thank you to Francoise and to Susan for the class.   And thank you also  to Abby Rose Photo, Imagine Three Beauty, and to  gorgeous model Chaune’Rael-Whitsit.  Susan says we might do this again!?!  A girl can dream. . . 

Thanksgiving 2015

I love these people :)

Thanksgiving Door

November Thursday

Rachel's front door.  I had a great time making this one, although I wonder how many of those hundred-and-something ornaments have popped off.  I started out wiring every one, then towards the end the trusty glue pot came to the rescue.

It's a Thursday and I'm sitting on the couch watching Young and the Restless.  Reminds me of being in college . . . Victor has lots of wrinkles now but it's still the same story they were telling in the 70's when I was at UK.  And he's still the bad guy you love to hate.

I ran a few errands this morning and stopped in Buckley's garden center.  Such a surprise to find an iris in full bloom.  What?!?  On the sale table. What!?!    The label says "reliable rebloomer."  So I brought it home and dressed it up.   If you know me you know that I've taken  most of my iris out over the last few years.   But if this one will bloom in the fall like this, I think I can find a place for it.

November Update

And yet another arrangement inspired by Francois Weeks.  Fall seems like it's flown away and here we are getting ready for Thanksgiving. 

Isaac will be here any day.  And then in another few weeks, Skye!

 She's recuperating from pneumonia so we'll have to wait a bit for her to be well enough to leave her foster care home.  We are so excited!

Halloween Report

It was an extra fun Halloween this year with Betsy & Kyle here.  They make every day a holiday :)

Kyle took his role as power ranger very seriously.   He was kinda proud of the six pack abs!  And Betsy was the most excited angel ever :)

I loved the flags for Halloween.  They looked so cute and were super easy to put up, take down, and store away.  The ghost was most popular on facebook.  If you'd like flags for your next Halloween, I can hook you up with my friend Michelle at Petals & Co  :)

November Flowers

I have used and reused some of the long-lasting leftovers from the workshop last month.  Yes, it's been a whole month since Flower House Detroit and the Francois Weeks workshop.  I'm ready for another flower week please.

Flower Trip

Flower House Detroit, October 2015.  It. Was. Incredible.

And if you want more pictures:  #flowerhousedetroit

 Francoise Weeks floral design workshop, hosted by Susan McLeary aka Passionflower. 

My favorite picture of the whole week with my mom and my sis and  flowers :)

Betsy Stories

B: Look, our elbows are touching! It's like we're on a honeymoon.
K: What's a honeymoon?
B: Oh, you know, when two people get married and go to a resterhaunt (restaurant) and spend their life together talking about stuff...like goosebumps and stuff.
Dinner conversations with little ones.♡

This Is As Halloween As It Gets

 We had a wonderful vacation and are back home now.  Everybody keeps asking "are you having fun now that you're retired?"  And the answer is  yes & no.  Yes because we've gone to the lake for two whole weeks, because I am definitely letting go of feeling responsible for everything bad that can possibly happen in a little psychiatric hospital, and because I have a lot more time for pinterest :)

 And no, not so much.  I miss morning coffee when we're all going over what happened last night & what we have to do for the day,  salads for lunch with Nat & Fran,  mid-afternoon chocolate when everybody needs a break from the stress. I miss my team. . .  On the other hand, I have a lot more time for pinterest :)

So today, I bought a few pumpkins and pulled out the halloween stuff from the basement. And I may make a little halloween arrangement for the kitchen, but I think this is about it for now. 

Tomorrow I'll start a week of training for a new part-time job.  'Cause I'm still a social worker at heart and I'm not really ready to be completely retired just yet.  But this time,  less stress and not so much worrying.   Even this little bit of retirement has taught me that :)