Visiting Val

Val of Yarni Gras and I have been blog friends for a while and were able to meet 2 years ago when we took our oldest son to college.

This time we got to meet her new furbaby Osa, who was a little shy at first,

but after a few visits and a walk, we were the best of friends.

 Val is a fantastic cook

and all around crafter.

We met at Starbucks for a little charity crochet which resulted in several hats being donated to @hookinforacure.  Sydney is working on her Girl Scout Gold Award and would like to collect 2,000 hats by the end of the year (sizes 12 months, 18 months, toddler, child, teens).

Donations go to children with cancer in Minnesota hospitals, so if you crochet or knit and would like to donate, you can send the hats to:
Gold Award Sydney
1058 Roma Avenue
Roseville, MN 55113

Thanks Val for your friendship and hospitality.
Hugs and blessings,

First Stop

My old stomping ground of New Orleans.

Before coming to Kuwait in 1994, I worked downtown at a law firm for several years.  It's where I met Angela and we have remained steadfast friends ever since.   Although she and her family were displaced after Hurricane Katrina and moved to Ohio for awhile, she and her husband returned to their roots, unable to imagine living anywhere else.

We had a great weekend of food and merriment, walking the city and catching up.

 

And I just love her sweet little poodle, Peaches.  Her left paw has been deformed since birth but that hasn't stopped her from bouncing all over the place.  She is the teeniest, cutest little thing.

I worked in New Orleans but lived in Slidell and commuted every day to work.  Angela is actually the only person I am in touch with from that period of my life so I find it quite ironic that all these years later, I meet a blog friend on and offline who lives in Slidell.

Next we head there for a visit with Val.

Sometimes you meet a person and you just click, you're comfortable with them, and you don't have to pretend to be anyone or anything.

Happy weekend!

5 Weeks

That's how long I've been away.

July 10th, we departed Kuwait via Washington to New Orleans for the first leg of our trip.

July 13th

Spent time with blog friend, Val, in Slidell.

July 15th

Headed to Hattiesburg to spend time with my mom and brother.

July 20th

Back to New Orleans for a flight to Denver on the 21st.

Road trips to Alamosa, Colorado.

Moab, Utah.

 Salt Lake City, Utah.

Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Back to Alamosa.

And then to Denver for the return.

In between, there were many little sidetrips.

And, finally, after a 24 hour flight delay in Washington, we are now back in Kuwait.

We drove 2,257 miles and walked many, many miles during our hikes and wanderings around each new town.

It's good to be back home.  We are ready for a regular routine and to eat homemade food again.

I never take a laptop while I am away, so look forward now to catching up with everyone.

Hope you've had a great summer.

Best wishes,

Bird Break

Find some quiet, private time.  Allow yourself to slow down and relax.  Find nature, meditate, or do nothing.  Take a mental break.  You'll gain the benefits of a quiet mind.

Tom Giaquinto

Sometimes you just need to breathe and be in the moment.

Bird watching does that for me.

And it's the only time I use my Canon which has a fantastic zoom.

Unfortunately, I never remember to look at or even post all the pictures I take.  I enjoy the moment and then go about my business and the pictures are forgotten.

I haven't posted since Friday (due to the fact that I'm packing and organizing for our trip to the States), so thought this would be an excellent opportunity to take a little break and share some of those photos with you.  That way you can do a little armchair birdwatching.

 Mynas (below) are sometimes considered pests but I love listening to their amazing birdsong.  They have quite the repertoire which gives them the amazing ability to mimic language and sounds.

 This past week our temperature soared to about 125 degrees.  My poor scented geranium bit the dust some time back, but this little dove on the left didn't mind as it made the perfect perch.  Common purslane is growing freely in the same pot and makes a nice snack for the birds.

It's close to midnight here so time for me to call it a night.

Hope you find some time for you own mental break today.

Best wishes,

Five on Friday: Crochet and a Bonus Recipe

Cheers to a brand new month.  Here's hoping July is much better than June which was filled with so much heartache.

This week has been filled with lots of crochet.

Since last Friday I've made several potholders.

A couple of succulents using this pattern from Pretty Providence and some more rock covers.

More dreamcatchers.

And today I finished up 6 gift bags for kids.

Last night, I tried a new veggie burger recipe.

You can find the recipe here on One Green Planet.

I've not had a whole lot of success with veggie burgers in the past, so cut the recipe in half just in case it didn't turn out.  I did, however, leave the chickpea flour at 1/4 cup and since I didn't have jalapeno, I added fresh cilantro instead.

They turned out absolutely perfectly.  I quickly mixed up a spicy tahini sauce and served the burgers on top of tomato slices with roasted potatoes on the side.  I will definitely be making these again.

Please visit Amy at Love Made My Home for more Five on Friday participants.

Best wishes,

Release

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. 

Agatha Christie

Today the funerals for Wink at A Creative Being and my youngest son's former Middle School teacher are being held.  Wink suffered from severe depression and took her own life.  Sharon died from complications of malaria.  Both unexpected.  Both gone too soon.

Standard Mandala, pattern by A Creative Being.

Mandalas represent wholeness and are believed to be a cosmic diagram of life and our connection to the infinite.  In celestial circles they represent earth, sun and moon; and in conceptual circles they represent friends, family and community.

I crocheted the colorful mandala in memory of Wink using one of her patterns.

It will be sent to Kathryn at A Crochet Concupiscence in California who has organized a project (#mandalasformarinke) to raise awareness about depression.

My cousin's wife took her own life in the early 80's leaving behind two young boys so I am well aware of the devastating consequences of loss to depression.

Crafters in the Instagram and blogging community have joined together to support the cause.

We will see two full moons this month.  The second will be on July 31st.  Those who follow astrological themes believe that the two weeks after a full moon, during it's waning phase, is a time for release.

"Choose your thoughts carefully.  Keep what brings you peace, release what brings you suffering.  And know that happiness is just a thought away."

Nishan Panwar

Have a blessed day,