Best Life

 Tis the season.  Estate sales, yard sales, barn sales, garage sales - whatever they are called, I call them fascinating.  Today Karen found us an estate sale in Portsmouth, RI.  Being next to Newport, I would have thought the items would be higher end.  (Joke on me!)                                                       Beautiful flowers located amongst the yard debris. The interior of the house was full.  Full of people pawing through every cupboard, box, bag and closet looking for their lost treasure.  The hoarding included cleaning supplies that were allowed to accumulate without fear of ever running out (or being used).  Holiday items, wrapping paper, clothes, vinyl records, magazines, stationary, linens, beauty products, a full liquor "cabinet", dishes, and so many miscellaneous items...

 After prepping dinner (chicken pot pie), going food shopping (pantry items and dry goods for our trip to Maine), a delightful lunch with Lisa and Donna (El Rodeo - one and done there), a short nap and a movie, a few minutes sitting in the sun followed by a quick dinner, we headed out to the Lake again.  While we were there yesterday we met Willow and her owner who told us the beavers were very active at dawn and dusk every day.  So with nothing better to do tonight - we checked it out.  Well worth the trip.  Four of the beavers were busy swimming in the water.   The sunset - gorgeous.  And the dozens of turtles were just as entertaining.

                                                             I was ready for a break from "chores" and do some exploring today.  With threatened rain this afternoon, we headed out to Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg in Webster, Ma mid morning.  When I saw the name on my "things to do" search - I was in! The longest place name in the US and one of the longest in the world. Originates from the Nipmuc Algonquian language.  The popular translation - "You fish on your side, I fish on my side, nobody fishes in the middle." The authentic meaning - "divided" or "neutral" fishing place used by different Indian tribes Chargoggagogg indicating English knifemen and Manchauggagogg indicating Nipmuc Indian. The rain held off while we explored the area....

  A beautiful night for Maddy's last chorus concert as a senior at Ponaganset High School.  Well done!  (And so pretty!) And it was a beautiful day for a fast morning walk on the bike path with Lisa.   And a beautiful afternoon to paint outside!

My day - blissfully ordinary.     1.     Bake a Jewish apple cake while waiting for the house to wake and a plan for the day established.       2.  Cut Megan and TJs grass while Paul worked on the front end of my car.  Using Scotts' lawn mower gave me a real good workout.  Two speeds - stop and GO!  I managed to cut  the entire yard in just over an hour (typical time in past at least 90 minutes).     3.     Empty their dishwasher and hang their laundry.     4.      Make Yard Sale signs for the coming event.     5.      Sit in the sun and read a book.     6.      Watch a movie through my eyelids.     7.     Dinner with Mom at Kay's in Woonsocket.  Great sandwiches and conversation.     8.      Time to practice painting with watercolors. Bird Day.   And 45 Day.  And t...

  Tonight's menu - fish tacos with homemade guac and Baja sauce.  I love cooking for very appreciative diners (Kevin and Isis)! A cold day today with intermittent dark clouds and the occasional spitting rain.  My original goal was to paint outside.  Nope.  So instead I framed the original blueprints for the house from the early 1950s.  Already fading and being to tear around the curled edges, the frames will protect them a bit longer.   Finding the frames at Walmart was painful - how could I have forgotten it was the first weekend of the month!   Ugh!  I have come to realize that those who cannot park a car successfully also cannot manage their carriages successfully.  There is definitely a direct correlation.  (Also the number of kids in tow also exponentially raise the likelihood of a collision.) A few other "housekeeping" items - coat hooks on the bedroom door and inside closet, paying a couple bills and hanging the bik...