Mid-May Faves

 

I feel like I was just typing "it's mid-April already" and here it is mid-May.  It's been a crazy, chaotic, frustrating week all revolving around our car insurance company (no, no one in the family had an accident or anything like that) so I need to be intentional about finding things that made me smile and say "Thank You, God" vs complaining about inept customer service reps who barely understand simple English nor can speak it well.  

So I'll be intentional and share FIVE things that made my week...all are blessings from God as all good things come from Him. Join in by heading over to Susanne's site.  

SoulSteps hikers:
Maggie, Maureen, me, Karen
Friday 8 May

• MID-MORNING HIKE:  A week ago today, there was a  SoulSteps hike scheduled  for mid-morning at this Environmental Center to the east of where we all live. (across the Hudson River to the east of us).  It only took us 30 min to get there.  I used to bring my special ed prek students here back in the late 1980s/1990s!  It had been years since I had been here.  We hiked the Spring Trail which was an easy -just a -little- over -a -mile loop which included a fern glen, mossy glen, a pond and then a road walk. It was the perfect Spring day!  We had to shed our outer layer about a half mile in. There were just 4 of us signed up and we all had so much fun on the trail as it was new to all of us!  It was a very easy hike. I'm thankful for the fresh air and fellowship and exploring a new trail. I'm also thankful I get to lead this group! It's fun to volunteer. 

The stepping stones were brand new moss
this part of the trail was so very pretty

Newcomb Pond along Spring trail

me, Maureen, Karen
on the side trail leading to the pond
photo compliments of Maggie

• TOTALLY RELAXING MOTHERS DAY:  I guess God was getting me prepared for a frustrating, busy week because on Sunday I had a wonderfully relaxing Mother's Day. After church, we all headed over to my fave restaurant where my youngest daughter had made a reservation.  It wasn't busy at all in there. There were maybe 3 other families and that was it! After we ate and chatted, we headed over to this little park to take photos.  Courtney's boyfriend did the honors and he also took one of me, my husband and Courtney at church where there was a special arrangements of greenery all set up for mom pics. After the girls departed ways, it was late afternoon and I sat out in the sunshine in the backyard to read and even took a little nap while Dave mowed the yards. We were so full from our big lunch that we only ate some fruit for dinner later in the evening.  I'm so thankful for my daughters and husband for giving me a special day. 

Dave, me, Courtney
Grace Fellowship Church
Mothers Day 

Courtney, me, Claire
at one of our town pocket parks
photo  compliments of Tyler

the girls bought me dinner, drinks and tulips
and they both wrote such beautiful messages to me in the cards
I am truly blessed 

• ANNUAL DONE!  My annual physical was  this past week and she went over my blood work and congratulated me on the raised HDL and the optimal glucose/triglycerides. I also dropped 7 lbs since Xmas and she told me I don't need to lose weight.  I'm supposed to start taking a Vitamin D3 supplement and that was the only thing she was worried about. She spent a half hour with me; everything checked out great, my blood pressure was super good and she is totally on board with me having mammograms every other year since I am low risk. I'm thankful for a good NP and for good health insurance. 

• SAVINGS!  This is a long story that I won't get into here but the summary is: we are in the process of switching car insurance agents as we wanted someone local.  Our current one is way out in the western part of the state (a 4 hour drive) and we found a woman who is awesome. However, our current agent has been overcharging us and she encouraged us to have our daughters switch plans.  They both need to get off our policy anyways as they have their own addresses. Our youngest found out through our soon to be new agent that she can save Claire a little over $400 a year! Our oldest daughter just started the process and expects a savings as well.  I'm so thankful we  found someone honest, local, and who is working with our needs. AND as of Thursday afternoon, I finally got a competent English speaking representative whose name "happened" to be Faith, and who had no problem sending us the 9 needed documents that 2 other reps told me couldn't happen!!  I was shouting Thank You, God over and over and told the rep that I was so thankful for her. I could tell she doesn't hear that much. She said she was just doing her job. I said well you certainly do it better than 2 of your co-workers. HA! I had tried every day this week and finally yesterday I got this competant, genuinely nice young lady.  I'm thankful for her!

Great Sacandaga Lake
town beach of Providence, NY
southern ADK
this is just 50 minutes from my home

• MOUNTAIN DAY:  I had a free day on Tuesday and it was such a glorious day that I texted my cousin Ken to see if he wanted  to meet me for breakfast at our fave diner in the southern Adirondacks near his home. He did so we both ordered pancakes and coffee. The pancakes were horrible (way too dense and kind of blah...the berries in them were good though) and the coffee was great. After breakfast, we walked up and down the road where my parents had a camp while I was growing up. The road is the one my mom was born and raised on.  Ken lives in his childhood home about a half mile up from where our camp stood. His mom was the oldest of 10 children. My mom was #7.  The only ones still alive are my Aunt Helen (who lives in VA) Aunt Ruth (she turns 90 this year and is in a nursing home in the central part of NYS) and my uncle Sam who lives in Florida.  My dad's parents had a camp off the road when my mom was a teenager  which is how they met.  All the teens hung out together at the beaches, and in the village. This is one of my absolute fave Adirondack mountain towns. We had such a nice walk on a beautiful day.  I then went into the little country store in the village to purchase a new to me book about the mountains and some hiking areas.   I'm thankful my cousin was free and that we had a gorgeous day on the lake! 

this home is kitty- corner across the road from
the spot where my family camp was in the 1960s/1970s
This house is the one (now modernized) that was built in the 1800s
and where my maternal grandmother Mae grew up with many siblings, 2 of whom I knew:  My great-uncle Perry and great uncle Elwin.  
My Grandma Mae   raised her brood
about a half mile up the road in the 1930s-1950s.
By the time me and my sisters were born, the person living here was my mother's uncle  Elwin, who had his own plane and landing field behind the old barn.  A pet crow would often be perched on his shoulder.  My mom wouldn't allow us to go up in his plane though as she was afraid of planes. The barn which was in front of the landing field is pictured below. You can read about my  great-uncle Elwin here.  The person who wrote the article is my mom's cousin's wife, Gail Cramer.  Mom's cousin Larry was great-uncle Perry's son. 
Scroll down to where on the left hand side it says "Elwin Cramer Airfield".

the old barn from my mother's  side of the family
and behind is all woods now but it's where the old 
landing field used to be 

These Mayflowers as Mom always called them
are plentiful in the month of May
in the Adirondack Mountains...they 
are wildflowers and tend to bloom in the woods
and the sides of the roads. They were all throughout our yard at camp as well. 
This is my cousin's yard. 

This is our old camp outhouse.
It blends in with the evergreens, 
(you'll have to zoom in!)
that we used when we were "up to camp"
Our family camp had no running water/plumbing
in the 1960s-1978 so we had to get spring water for our drinking
and  cooking needs. The outhouse was about a quarter of a mile down the path from the back porch
I'm so surprised it's still (somewhat) standing! 
Our camp was torn down by Ken's sister Barb and her husband Gerald
when they bought the land from my dad back in the late 1970s.  
My last year of going "up to camp" with my parents and little sisters was the year I turned 17 in 1977. 
I didn't take a pic of the log house Barb and Gerald built
because they are both in heaven now and the new owners weren't there to give permission and I didn't feel  comfortable just snapping a pic of their home. 

BONUS FAVE 

I have to mention this movie currently on Netflix and based on a book. I didn't read the book. 

I absolutely have been a fan of Sally Field and her work for years. She is just phenomenal. And boy can she still act. 

This movie was a gem. I watched it over 3 days this week while chopping veggies, folding laundry, dusting the upstairs office, etc.  

It's a tad bit cheesy but such a beautifully endearing story on loss, love, and friendship. 

HIGHLY recommend this good clean family friendly movie. 

Have a wonderful weekend!  We have "date night" tonight with several other people at a special event going on at our church titled Coffee, Curry, and Christ.  More on that in a soon to be future post. 😁 

I have a short, easy waterfalls hike to lead tomorrow in the Taconic Hills of NYS and on Sunday Dave and I have church and then need to firm up our Memorial Day weekend plans and take a Sabbath rest together. 

 it's supposed to get up into the 80s so a trip to the lake might happen as well!

Whatever you do this weekend, count it all joy and give thanks for the blessings.