Goodbye to Warm Summer Days

Well, we had the first day of fall hit on the 22nd. While I love fall, I hate that we are losing all of the dry ground. Since I fell last winter, on the slipper grassy knolls of my driveway entrance, dislocated my ankle, and fractured my lower leg in three places, I'm a bit shy about taking on a new fall and winter with mud and slippery sites involved. 

Not only do I despise the mud now, but Terry hates the rain just because it's rain. Coming from Las Vegas and then living in California for so long, he is a bit spoiled by the sun's rays. Lovely, warm sun. I can't say as I blame him either. 

The rain hit the warm ground on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. Yes, it is needed, but come on! It creates mud and slippery places to walk and of course, our beautiful sun disappears, so to speak, into the clouds for the next couple of seasons. The earth sucked up the few droplets that fell from the gray sky as quickly as it could. Mother Earth is thirsty. I get that. The lady needs a drink!

Drink up, beautiful. The grass, flowers, and plants need that H2O to survive. I have noticed plenty of trees that are dried out and have died along our roadways. We do need that water to nourish our lush, greenery back to health. Here in Roseburg, the Umpqua River has dried out again. The bare ground lies there like a dried-up old prune. There is no flow of water. Nothing. Just ground that is begging for a drop or two to quench its thirst and regain the supple river bed it once was. 

By the look of things, there is no reprieve for Mother Earth either. At least not for a few days. In fact, the temps can't make up their minds about what is going to happen. "Are we going to blast them with cooler temperatures or do we send in the raging heat from hell?" 

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Thursday, September 26, 2024

Today has been a relaxing one so far. In fact, too relaxed. I have not received one order yet but am anxiously waiting for at least one to come through to set the pace for the day. Terry has spent the morning relaxing as today is the beginning of his four-day weekend, as lovely as that is.  

There are plans to trek into Pleasant Hill (Oregon) this weekend. Northern Lights Farm is hosting a Harvest Festival on Friday and Saturday. Can't wait! One of my daughter Marina's friends is going to be selling shirts, hats, and various other items there that her roommate creates, although she also creates various crafty items as well. They are gorgeous products! Terry and I want to go just to see what all the hoopla is about. I announced it to the family and to Mallory, so we will see. 

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Last night my husband decided to take me out to eat again. Love that gesture! Not that eating out is wonderful all the time, but it sure is nice to have someone else cook. Especially on those long days of work for both of us. He asked me what I wanted to eat and of course, my go-to food is Chinese. Most followers of the blog would assume it is Thai and yes, that is one of my favorites too. Chinese or Thai either is absolutely great with me. 

Chi's Chinese food is the choice of the evening, so off we went. 

Here is the menu. The food? Well, it was devoured the moment it was brought to us, as we were both very hungry. I did not get a picture of it but believe me, it was beautiful and it was delicious!

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Yesterday was National Daughter Day. I happen to be a mom to five beautiful daughters, so here I go, bragging about them.  Hey, I am a mom. It's what we do. 

From left to right: Brandy, my youngest daughter. Shar is the oldest out of the girls and is actually a stepdaughter from a previous marriage, but who counts that? Dawn is next. It is her wedding day in this photo and I think she is shining this day. Marina is on the end and she is, as are all of them, beautiful on the inside and outside. 

My daughter Mallory was accepted into the family when I met Terry. She and I hit it off and have been close ever since. She is absolutely the best addition we could ask for. We love her and moved her into her place in the family without hesitation. She calls me mom and I do consider her to be a daughter.  

Mallory lost her mother to illness about 10 or 11 years ago. I will never take the place of her mom, but I will stand by her side to give her support through life as long as I breathe, being there for those motherly tight hugs when needed. The girls all call each other sister now and it makes Terry and I happy. Mallory brings with her a cutie pie of a son, named Hayden. He is 11 years of age and is a sweetheart. 

Mallory, captured in a family dinner. If she knew I had this photo and was showing it, she would react like my other daughters typically do and complain to me she doesn't want to be seen eating, breathing, walking, or moving in photos. Welcome to the family. 

 But, as with any mother-daughter situation, I think she's beautiful and perfect and I love to show off all of my daughters. It's a mom thing, right moms? The other girls hate when I post pics of them, but I do believe they are awesome and perfect too. It's a mother's prerogative to flash those pictures out there!

My daughter, Brandy, and her husband Dan. These two, I believe, were meant to be together. They "fit." As the saying goes, "They're a match made in heaven." 

Photo of Dawn. We were at a Thanksgiving Day gathering several years ago when this was taken. Once again, "Mom! That's a stupid picture of me! Don't post that!" I can hear it now. Believe me, they post some of me that are not really flattering either. It's the war of the photos sometimes, but I think this is a natural thing between family members. Or at least in most families. 

Brandy, Marina, some guy in a red suit we picked up along the way, and myself during a Christmas photo shoot at Wildlife Safari. 

Another photo was taken at Wildlife Safari of Marina, me, and Brandy. The elephant in the background is trained to pose during these pics. I just wish all of us had been in this picture, as well as the one above. Dawn and Mallory were missing. Dawn was busy that day and I had not met Terry yet to know Mallory. 

Shar and Marina at granddaughter Jessee's wedding. Zyrah, Jessee's daughter is in Shar's arms. One of Jessee's friends' daughter is in Marina's arms. The girls love babies!

Terry and I do intend on getting a photo of all of the girls together at some point. But we finally got a photo of the family at our goodbye party for Kylee. 

We updated the family photo, including Dawn's husband's side. I was so happy to get this one! Marina and John weren't in it due to traveling, but this is about as good as it gets in a family this large. It is difficult to get everyone together. We do try though. 

So, I boast about my five daughters proudly. Typically I don't boast much of anything, but family? Family is what I hold sacred in my life. Every member of our family is special to me, beginning with my husband, through my daughters, and including the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. All of them have a special place in my heart. My daughters have of course married and expanded the family and that brings such a massive amount of joy. Family is a beautiful thing. 

Happy Daughters Day, girls. I love you all. You make me so proud for being the beautiful, special, intelligent women you are. 

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Saturday, September 28, 2024

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Off we went to the festival in Pleasant Hill. I've never been to the Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm, but am anxious to see it. I do love farms. 

Today's festival features food trucks, live music, booth after booth of various hand-crafted products, and plenty of friendly people. We arrive to the tune of "Be My Baby" wafting through the warm air. The singer was a young man and he had a good voice. 

We paid, went through the booths, and found nothing we wished to purchase. We were finished in about 25 minutes, to be honest. Not being in the mood for shopping, the entire trip seemed to have no meaning. Not only were we not searching for something to purchase, but there was nothing else that was standing out as being of interest today. 

The festival was cute and garnered quite a turnout, so don't get us wrong when we say it wasn't our thing for the day. It was basically the mood we were in. 

Once we made a trip through all the tents and booths, we headed for our car. Fun, but not the day to go. I had not been feeling well for a couple of days before and Terry wasn't up to shopping. But, we had started our collection of new items, so off to the vintage shops of Springfield we went. 

Join us for the continuation of this post. Until next time ...

@psychicpoet0188

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