Here we are in mid-August! And I am loving it. August is truly one of my absolute favorite months. It's a simpler, slower time for us here at our home. A time to fully embrace summer, to just be........and although there are many events on the calendar, it's a much slower pace......
I'm sharing five of my fave blessings from the past week and linking this post up with other bloggers over at Susanne's place. Join in with us!
- FRIDAY FUN! Last Friday my sister Hope and I (she's 5 yrs younger and lives out in the central part of NY) met in the village where our family camp used to be and where our dad's family had a camp, and where our mom was born and raised. Dad sold our camp and the land in the late 1970s and yet we continued to be very connected to the village because we have relatives on both sides of the family there. Some of these relatives we have never met! We had decided to shop in our fave stores there and then we walked what's known as the Hardscrabble road to look for the foundation of our great-grandparents camp (Dad's grandparents)that they camped in during the 1930s-1940s. We think we found part of the stone fireplace foundation but we only hiked a half mile in before we realized we should turn around because we really didn't know how far up the road went. A local guy who owns land there said it's only a mile on the main "road" so we plan on going back to finish our exploring. After the walk, we went to a local diner for lunch and then we browsed the Barn (an old barn full of antiques for sale). I got an adorable wall hanging for my kitchen and Hope found a hurricane lamp she was looking for. I followed up our time with reading on the town beach for a half hour before driving south to my home where we had dinner and then a beautiful bonfire as it was a perfect summer evening. Our youngest daughter joined us. I'm so thankful for time in the village and time with our ballerina girl.
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| beginning of Hardscrabble Road Northville NY southern ADK 11 August |
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| the old stone foundation Our great-grandparents camp? |
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| there used to be a ramshackle hovel on the rise behind the bushes in the foreground.... mom was born in that hovel which was torn down sometime in the early 21st century. she was born in 1934 and was one of 9 children |
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| The Great Sacandaga Reservoir from the Town Beach in Northville |
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| Friday Nite Lites |
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| A fun wall hanging bought at The Barn Antiques in Northville NY....circa 1960s. it hangs now on the wall under the cupboards in my coffee/tea corner |
- SUMMER SUNDAY: Dave had to work Production on Sunday for both services so I went to the early service and afterwards enjoyed a wonderful talk with our pastor about something he had said in his sermon that related to someone I'm dealing with. I had such wonderful confirmation from our pastor that something I had written was the right thing. I told him that sometimes it's so hard to know if it's really the Voice of God. He reminded me that if it lines up with Scripture and brings peace, it most likely is. There were other things he told me that I won't go into here but I'm so thankful for his leadership and guidance. After church, I did some light chores around the house and then went back for our Volunteer Staff picnic where I had loads of time to talk to my dear friend Ingrid whom I hadn't seen in months. I'm so thankful for our friendship and that we can pick up where we left off! Then Claire came over and we drove up to the state park just to the north of us by about 40 minutes to spend the late afternoon swimming and reading on the beach. It was perfect. By the time we were home, it was dusk and time to enjoy an evening with my husband. I'm thankful for summer Sundays that just seem so relaxing!
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| Claire enjoying the late afternoon sun 13 August |
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| Moreau Lake State Park one of the only state parks left with lifeguards |
- FIXED! For the last 2 weeks we have had a broken dryer. It would spin just fine but there was no heat; and yes, we checked everything the manuel said to do for a gas dryer. It took a week for the service repair guy to get out here and once we did, on Monday afternoon, it was an easy fix for him...glory to God...he had the part with him (a small sensor) and about $300 later we had our dryer back. I know it's just a first world problem but when you don't have a clothesline and only a rack, you learn to say Thank You for the appliances you own. I'm so thankful it was an easy fix because last week we spent money on a plumber to fix a leak in a basement pipe that hindered me from doing laundry! Guess what I was doing all Monday evening! I'm thankful for good service guys and fixed appliances.
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| a new to me hiking area |
- MID-WEEK HIKE: On Wednesday, after a morning of chores, I decided to check out this place in the town where our youngest daughter lives. This was a new to me arboretum! It's only a 20 min drive to the other side of the capital region. I happened to see a former work colleague's post on Facebook about it and decided to use my iphone maps to get there and take a hike. There are 2 main loop trails. I did most of one....only a half mile....mainly because it was super humid...the temp was perfect but the humidity levels were rising and I just can't take hiking in that any longer. I took so many good photos but I will share just 3 of them that were along what was called The Tranquility Trail. I'm thankful for pretty places to hike and that are local to us!
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| Cattail reeds and wildflowers by the edge of Heart Pond |
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| Tranquility Trail..... I hiked half a mile of this loop trail this was the dryest section and the only section with pine needles |
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| Western Glade along the Tranquility Trail It was very wet here but I loved all the ferns |
- SIMPLE PLEASURES: Dave and I have enjoyed some wonderful croissants this week for Cobb Salad Sandwiches and for breakfast. We've also enjoyed farm fresh tomatoes, corn on the cob, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and nectarines, and zucchini. I love summer produce. I love preparing simple meals too and we had several of those this week. AND I was sitting on the deck one morning with my coffee and noticed the zinnias I planted from seeds in early July are up! I have one bloom and it looks like maybe tomorrow 3 more will open. I'm thankful for simple pleasures that shout "SUMMER"!
One Zinnia has bloomed....
it's actually more orange in person
Simple Lunch of fruit, veggies, hummus
whole grain crackers, cheese
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| Simple French breakfast: Croissant with Earth Balance butter (vegan) 2 slices of cheddar, berries, coffee...... |
That wraps up my faves for the past week.
We have a low key weekend here......hoping to get the kayaks out or get back up to one of the lakes.
Sunday will be a day to do some biking!
Whatever you have planned, I hope you spend some time out in nature.......embrace God's creation!
8 comments:
I echo your gratitude for plumbers and other tradespeople who keep our homes running well!
What a lovely mix of company and solitude for you this week. It's only when our appliance break down that I think we really appreciate them. Glad you've got yours fixed. Have a good weekend.
My mouth was watering just being about the fruits and veggies. I too, love summer produce, and zinnias!! All your outdoor pictures are beautiful!!
Hi Faith. Glad to hear that you had some nice hikes and time in nature with Family this week. It's also great that you got your dryer fixed. So glad that Pastor Rex gave you some good godly counsel about the difficult situation you are dealing with. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. So glad that your weather has been better. It has been humid and rainy here. See you again soon. :-)
Sounds like a great summer week! It's odd how the seasons differ in different parts of the country. Schools here just started this week, and almost everyone is posting back-to-school pictures on Facebook.
Glad you have some fun excursions and time with your family and friends.
We've had many fixes with our dryer, too. I've never had a gas one before moving to this house. Glad the plumbing and dryer are working! Even if we had a clothesline, the bugs and pollen prohibit hanging clothes out--unless we want to bring all that inside. I do have a drying rack for a few odd things that can't go in the dryer, but it would be hard to dry a whole load that way.
What a great list of blessings to be thankful for. Sometimes we are always looking for the big, obvious, unusual things but it really is the simple blessings that make up our everyday like those delicious summer meals you pictured and the joy of a flower unexpectedly showing up in the garden, spending time with friends and family in lovely nature that are truly God's touch in our lives.
My husband says the world may not need other jobs, but we will always need a plumber. Truth.
Repairs. Oh my. Sorry. But now you have clean clothes.
Love all your adventures! That new trail will be amazing in autumn.
Beautiful blog
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