Did this week go by fast or what??
I think it's because I'm working this summer for the first time in over 20 years!
Let's pause on this sunny afternoon to find five fave blessings from this past week. I'm writing this on Thursday late afternoon and the sun just came out after a day of almost constant rain. Temps are lower but the humidity is high. Let's thank God for summer!
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| enjoying an afternoon by the lake photo courtesy of Claire |
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| Northhampton Beach at the Great Sacandaga Resevoir |
- LAKE DAY! Last Saturday morning, after errands and chores, Claire and took off for this amazing lake and this state park. We hadn't been in a couple of years and we were rather sad to see that, although there were supposed to be renovations going on all spring, there were no signs of it, and the park was in a sad state. But the lake itself is gorgeous and although the day was overcast, the time relaxing with snacks and cold drinks was awesome. My friend Cheryl from my home town showed up with a friend of hers and we all hung out together. When it started to rain, we headed into town to grab an early dinner and enjoyed some fun and good food. I'm thankful for these little excursions that only take about an hour to get to.
- BREAKFAST OUTDOORS! One thing I just love about the weekends and good weather, is having breakfast and coffee outside. Saturday and Sunday were both good days to do this. I took my early morning coffee outdoors on Sunday morning and sat in my swing and it was marvelous. NO one was up except the horses from the farm across the road and I was able to hear them whinny. Everyone in my family was still sleeping and the quiet with the early morning sun was absolutely delightful. I did my devotional and read part of my library book. I just loved it. I also ate breakfast on the deck and loved the fact that this year we have had no issues with pesky bees. I'm very thankful for summer weekend mornings to relax.
- THOROUGH VISIT: Monday I had my first cardiac appt with a wonderful doctor who was so thorough and put my mind at ease. (somewhat!) I tend to get a little anxious when meeting new doctors but as soon as he walked into the room, I felt like I knew him and I believe he is the doc who put my husband's stent in when he had the heart attack. He listened to what I have been experiencing and said it is probably NOT my heart (when I presented with sudden, different chest pain a couple weeks ago after consuming a vodka drink). He said it is better to be checked out given my mother's heart history. He asked about the recurring chest pain I get with upper back pain and agreed it is muscular but that he did want to make sure so scheduled me for a PET scan and an echo cardiogram. Of course now I am a bit nervous but he said all my other health history is good (no surgeries, just 2 kids, no high blood pressure, no diabetes or obesity, etc.). So hopefully by the end of the next couple of weeks, I will be in the clear!
- FIREFLIES: Call me nerdy but there is just something about seeing fireflies twinkling on a dark summer night that is just magical. The girls and I had noticed that they are not as prevalent this summer as in years past....but this past week, I happened to be standing at the kitchen sink, looking out into the pitch black dark of the backyard around 10:30 pm and saw them twinkling all over. How pretty they are.
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| Looking at the Hudson River from the picnic tables Peebles Island State Park 26 July |
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| The Hudson River on the east side of Peebles Island State Park |
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| i saw this yellow leaf and just loved how the shadows of the landing looked on the wooden planks. |
- AFTERNOON RESPITE: After I left work at 2:30 on Wednesday, I headed over to Starbucks to treat myself to the iced coconut milk mocha macchiato. This is a total splurge for me as I don't often buy those "full of sugar" drinks. It was so refreshing! I had a 4 pm hair appointment so instead of going home first, I just kept driving down the highway to the town where my stylist has her shop and stopped at the state park that is on the edge of the village. Entrance is free during the week and I stopped to park and walk across to the Hudson River side of the park. Usually I hike the trails along the Mohawk River side but I knew I didn't have time for that. Wednesday in eastern NYS was just perfect. Temps were in the high 70s and the sun was bright and the sky was blue! I sat with my book and coffee and enjoyed taking some photos after reading for a bit. Just being away from the classroom, outdoors, made the day so special to me.
That wraps up my FFF.
How about joining in and linking up with our host, Susanne?
Have a wonderfully relaxing weekend.
6 comments:
You've had some nice excursions this week! What a great balance to working when you usually have the summers off. I'm glad the doctor listened and is checking things out thoroughly. Your mention of fireflies caused me to realize that I haven't seen any yet this summer, but then I haven't looked much out the windows at night. Will have to do so. We usually see them more in the front yard than in the back for some reason. That picture of the yellow leaf is pretty - makes me yearn for fall!
I love reading about all your state and local parks and seeing your photos. You do live in a beautiful place.
SoCal doesn't have fireflies so when we visit our midwest/midatlantic family, we enjoy watching them.
I'm so glad you are able to have such a good and thorough doctor. That makes a big difference in your care and in follow up work that's done. Don't worry. You live a very healthy lifestyle--you'll be fine :)
Sounds like some nice times! Happy weekend!
I guess there are several of us that also belong to the nerdy club since we, too, like fireflies. I haven't seen any since I was a child visiting my dad's people in Tennessee. I remember them as magical.
Hurray for such an excellent doctor visit. Sounds like it was a good fit and what a miracle that can be. Praying for good results from your upcoming tests.
I love how spontaneous you are. Your iced drink, walk and reading time were a fun and memorable way to spend time after work.
Have another great week,
So glad your new doctor had the good news that your pain isn't your heart. That can really be a worry. I have a heart condition that sometimes can cause chest pain so I have had to have a lot of tests with a cardiologists, but the result were that my heart is fine - not withstanding the murmur that can cause chest pain. Also good news that your summer is going well even though you have to work. You asked about us not having back packs when we hiked. I usually do have a backpack, but forgot to take it with me on vacation so we just carried our water, and went on relatively short hikes. Hope you have a great weekend and continue to enjoy your time outside with the nice summer weather!
Sounds like your new doc is taking good care of you and checking everything out. Back some years I had chest pains too that were waking me up at night and scaring the living daylights out of me. And of course the mind always goes to the worst case scenarios. Turns out I had Tietz syndrome which is a painful inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the breastbone. Good dosages of heavy duty anti-inflammitories took care of it.
So nice you got some beach days in and some nice coffee and breakfasts outside. I have never in my life seen a firefly, I don't think we have them up here. And now I must head to Starbucks and get me an iced coconut mocha machiatto.
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