National Watercolor Month, July

On this last day of July, wondering what I would share here on the blog today, I went to one of my go to places for inspiration. I checked out NationalDayCalendar.com. While looking at things there I discovered that July is World Watercolor Month. This made me very happy because I love the look of watercolor art.

When in Hawaii we discovered the artist Sherri Reeve. She has a shop on Maui and it is always a very busy place. Besides the shop in Hawaii she has a web site you can shop, SReeve.com. We have 7 prints of her work and I love every one of them but I have a favorite. This one brightens my kitchen and makes me smile every day. It is called A Chorus Line.

So charming, right?

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

The links above are for you to find out more information and see the sites I like to check out. Those below are affiliate links.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

A Room for All of My Things

When we first moved together to this house in Arizona after Jim's retirement, Jim and I shared a room we called the office. For the most part it worked but when working in there he likes his Pandora playlists playing loud and I like to listen to podcasts and I had to use earbuds or headphones. Without complaining to each other about the invasion of space when we wanted to concentrate on things, we both knew that it would be nicer to each have our own dedicated space.

With the goal of separate offices in mind, we decided to change our guest rooms setup, we have one room with a king-sized bed in it and that room stayed the same. We had a room with 2 queen sized beds in it as well. That room is now mine. We took one of the beds out of it and moved it to Jim's office. We took my tables and all my crafting supplies and moved those things into the former 2 queen bed guest room. Some closet storage was also changed. Holiday decorations and luggage are now stored in Jim's office. My supplies are now in my office and the king guest room. Yes I need room in 2 closets, don't judge me please.

This move also gave me a chance to do some sorting and organizing. I rounded up all the yarn in various bag and boxes. They are now sorted by weight and in clear bins so I can see what I have and be reminded of what projects I have planned to do next. I have 4 goals for knitting or crocheting right now. They are to finish all planned patterns for the Shawl in a Ball yarn, finish planned patterns for the Summer Nights yarn I have, make for markets bags with the crochet thread I have on hand and to finish making the tasseled scarves collection I started with all the ladder yarn I have. I also have a quilting goal. The quilt I want to finish is a panel quilt. The hand quilting of each block is done. I need to get all the blocks joined and a binding put on. 

Of course, all this organizing feels good. I know myself enough to know that I will get an idea in my head and mess it all up looking for something, probably very soon if I stay true to form. 

I just realized on reading through this looking for silly errors (and I am sure that I still missed something because I always do) that I forgot to mention the socks I intend to make with the sock yarn I bought with my niece in Longmont. So, add that to the list of to do's and I will be one busy, never bored girl. 

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken

I finished reading The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken. The story was written about 3 women, a grandmother, mother and a daughter. 

Grandmother, who kept journals but never talked about what she lived through as a survivor of The Holodomor which happened during Stalin's reign. This was a man-made famine in the early 1930's that killed millions of people.

The mother, raised by this survivor, never knew anything about this part of her mother's life. She was raised to live in the moment and to look forward and not back.

The granddaughter in this story is a young widow with a daughter. Her grandmother gives her the task of translating the journals which she kept from Ukranian to English and in this way the story is told. Not able to do the translation herself, the love interest comes into play as a neighbor who has those skills and helps with the translation.

There is a lot of tragedy in this book but a lot of joy too. Told in two timelines, the 1930's and the early 2000's, this book kept me captivated from beginning to end.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy!

This post contains affiliate links to the book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Denise Hawkins

 On our recent road trip, we spent a couple days in Boulder and Denver Colorado. During one of the days an art festival was held on Pearl Street in Boulder. Pearl Street by the way is a wonderful pedestrian mall. One this day we didn't go into any shops there but stayed outside at the festival marveling at the variety of work by the artisans. Photography, glass, metal work, pottery, painting and more were well represented. 

I thought that whoever did the selection of artists did an amazing job. In each category of art, the style of each artist was different. Not a chance to feel like you were seeing the same thing over and over again. Every booth was worth the time to stop and look and take in the beauty of the work being presented. I was so tempted to buy a piece of glass work but limited myself to the photography I chose and still feel like I got one of the best items in the show.

One of the first booths we stopped at was that of the photographer Denise Hawkins. The image I purchased was so beautiful and I knew exactly where it would hang in my home. It is in the living room to the left of the TV so I can see it and smile every day.

I have put pictures of her business card here. The front gives her information, and, on the back, she wrote for me the location information telling where she took this photo. From the front of the card, you see that she has a website, denisehawkinsphoto.com, where this picture was taken and on the back that she has an Instagram account, @denisewyo.

The two things you don't learn from the business card are that this image won a first prize at a photography competition in Saint George, Utah and her husband is an expert framer. In his own words the frame is over engineered. Together they make a great team. I am so happy with this souvenir from my road trip.

 

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Shopping and Buying Local

While in Longmont Colorado visiting my niece's family, I got to visit a lovely yarn shop. If you are ever there take advantage of the friendly and helpful staff at the Longmont Yarn Shoppe. They were proud to show of the yarns of local dyers and they had tons, well not tons, of yarn but a lot. Both yarns I bought were dyed by local Colorado artisans.

I have a sock pattern I want to try so I was on the hunt for something to treat my feet to when the days get chilly. Believe it or not, Phoenix while setting heat records right now, can be chilly in January and February.

The light-colored yarn is from Roadtrip Sock Yarn and the colorway is Raton. This dyer has and etsy shop. Just search for the company name and you will find it. The shop is full of all kinds of yarny goodness.

The blue is the Oracle colorway from The Hummingbird Moon, and they also have an Etsy shop. When I checked it yesterday there was only one item in the shop. You can find out more about this seller by using the social links in the Etsy shop if you wish.

Take a look at the yarn I treated myself to in the picture below.

I have some other projects to finish before I start my socks, but I will certainly let you know right here on the blog when I start them and share my progress.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Home Sweet Home

15 days, 7 states driven through, 6 cities visited, more than 3000 miles driven, lots of sights, sounds, memories and now we are home.

It is wonderful to have the ability to travel and wonderful to be home. We plan to work on organizing our closets. We use them for luggage, holiday and hobby supply storage and they definitely need some attention.

Played a bit with Bing's Image Creator for today's picture. Love the porch and big tree! I could live there.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

Merry Go Round Day

 

I use NationalDayCalendar.com to let me know all the celebrated days that I like to share with readers here and those that follow me on twitter. I found out today is Merry Go Round Day. How delightful. Who doesn't love to ride or at least watch a merry go round or carousel. I think you can use the names interchangeably. 

I know that all kinds of animals can be the characters on a carousel but I love the fancifully decorated horses best. I will be looking for art or antiques or vintage horses from Amazon and eBay after writing this to share on twitter. 

My tweets willl have affiliate links in them. If someone clicks the link a cookie is placed and if they make a purchase in the next 30 days I can get a small commission for bringing the customer to the site. It doesn't cost the customer a dime and the big guys get some low cost advertising from me.

I also have some affiliate links below you can click them to shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle. 

Speaking of Zazzle, I found this doormat (affiliate). What do you think of this design?

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

Happy Merry Go Round Day!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Knitting When Tired

Oh knitting when tired or distracted! All knitters and crocheters know what can happen during a situation like that. You think you know the pattern and then discover that you missed something critical and have to undo all your progress. I missed an increase in a very long row last night. (insert my sad face here) I tinked (tink is knit backwards) it this morning and now am ready to do the row correctly.

This pile of yarn all scrunched up on its circular needle is going to be a gift for my daughter in law. Green is her favorite color. She went through a double mastectomy earlier this year. Her dreaded BRCA Gene caught up with her. I want her to have what my granddaughter called a shoulder blanket before she learned the word shawl. I hope she sees it as a hug from me whenever she wears it.

I had every intention of having it done by the time we got to their home, I didn't make it. I will finish and mail it to her from home.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Looking Out My Window

When you are looking out the gold tinted windows of Mandalay Bay Hotel this is what you can see. Our 47th wedding anniversary will be spent here. It is extremely warm in Las Vegas right now, so I won't be wandering around on the strip as we have done before. I will easily admit I fully intend to stay in the air-conditioned spaces of my own hotel and maybe, not sure yet the attached casino.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

Another Long Drive Day

We drove almost 7 hours yesterday. We left Wyoming with lots of great memories. We have turned south now to make our way back home in about 4 days. This has been a wonderful trip but in my mind a bit too long. We will be gone just over 2 weeks. After about a week I really start wanting to be back in my own spaces.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Center of the West

If you ever find yourself in Cody Wyoming, and I hope you do, make sure you don't leave town without going to The Center of the West. This place is 5 museums in one. There is a natural history museum, an art museum, a gun museum, a Native American museum and of course a museum dedicated to William "Buffalo' Bill" Cody who the town is named for. 

I'll share here just a few of the images from our morning and afternoon spent there.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

South Dakota's Monuments

For the first time in my life, and Jim's too, we saw up close and in person, Mount Rushmore and The Crazy Horse Monument. I think these should be on everyone's bucket list, especially Americans.

Mount Rushmore is very impressive when you are looking up at the mountain in real life. In the town of Keystone there is a Museum dedicated to Gutzum Borglum that gives you lots of information about the man and the mountain. At the monument itself there is a gift shop for those interested in collecting made in China trinkets to remember the day.

At Crazy Horse there is a bus ride you can take that will let you see the mountain from 3 sides. We didn't do that. What I found most impressive were the displays of Native American Art from tribes all over the country. We also heard from and watched the dancing of a mother and daughter from the Sioux tribe. They also use Dakota or Lakota or Nakota to identify themselves and forgive me but I have forgotten which people their family was.

I'll show you a few of the pieces of art we saw. You really should go to see it all yourself. I will always think of this day with fond and happy memories and I hope you would too,

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Roadside Attractions

On the road today, headed into Wyoming a pickup truck coming in the opposite direction flashed his headlights. In Wyoming that usually  means wildlife ahead and we weren't disappointed. Around a corner and close enough to the road to make me nervous for than we came upon a mama and baby moose. We were able to get safely to the shoulder of the road and watch them for awhile. Mom never did turn around so you get to see her south end.

Except for a small group of antelope this is the first wildlife we have seen so far.

More about the trip and lots more pictures coming soon.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

First Helicopter Ride Ever!

After 68 years of life, I finally rode in a helicopter. Jim and I took a 30-minute ride to see Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments. The views of those and the surrounding areas and the town of Keystone were fantastic. The pictures I took from the air didn't turn out too well. Two things were working against me, the vibration of the helicopter and the smoke from the Canadian wildfires. 

Our pilot was baby face Matt, not bearded Matt. The pilot made the trip very enjoyable and had the answers to all our questions. The company was Black Hills Helicopter Tours. I've linked the picture to their website so you can check them out yourself if you ever find yourself in this part of the country.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Keystone, South Dakota

Above you will have seen some of what I did during our first afternoon in Keystone SD. There was a love demonstration of chain saw wood carving that we stopped and watched for awhile. 

I found a bit of history about the flood marker...

Keystone once more suffered tragically on June 9, 1972 when torrential rain attacked the Black Hills causing flash flooding on many creeks through out the towns of The Black Hills. Keystone, showing its enduring spirit yet again, moved forward and rebuilt. Keystone had become incorporated as a town on June 8, 1972 the day before the flood.

To learn a bit more about Keystone you can check out this link to the town's website.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

One Month

I started doing a daily post on June 16th. That was after I got home from taking care of my Mom and then her home after she passed away. I wasn't along doing that, my sisters were there and we did all the hard things together every step of the way.

Anyway I did not want this day to get away from me before I posted. I missed writing this morning because I was getting ready to hit the road.  We are road tripping and having a great time. I'll fill you in on more of the happenings later, promise.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

An Evening at Coors Field

We went to Coors Field last night to see the Colorado Rockies play against the New York Yankees. We had seats in an upper level on the first base side.

The Rockies won 7 - 2. I think that is what the final score was. The game was fun to watch even though I am not a big baseball fan. I think there were 4 home runs, 1 for the Yankees and 3 for the Rockies.

We kept an eye on those clouds you see in the picture. We watched the game, got back to the car and were on the freeway on our way back to the hotel before the rain and the lightening show started. I brought my raincoat because the showers were predicted and didn't need it. You know how that goes though right? If I hadn't brought it along we probably would have gotten soaked at the ball park.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Pearl Street, Boulder Colorado

Yesterday was fun. It was spent with family and that was one of the best parts. My niece and her family live very near Boulder and she and her son joined us for a stroll along Pearl Street. Later we had dinner with her and her family at their home. Good food, good company and card games around the kitchen table, what more could a girl ask for?

I didn't take a lot of pictures but I have lots of lovely memories of this day.

How could I pass by without stopping to appreciate this handsome fellow? Bison are my favorite animals!

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

What the Heck?

I have no idea what is going on with my finger. The redness started yesterday. This morning it is very itchy and is more swollen. 

In other news we had a lovely drive through Colorado from Durango to Boulder. I am looking forward to spending some time with my niece and her family.

We have a suite here with a small kitchenette and it is nice. Jim is happy because the channel lineup includes Bloomberg which he has on while I am writing this.

I am ready now to finish my cup of decaf and start returning retweet favors.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could ea rn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Riding the Train

Yesterday we rode a train from Durango to Silvertion. I had lots of nice pictures but somehow my phone is messed up and not saving them and backup to Google Photos is not working and my camera battery died. So there is all that.

Would I recommend doing this trip? Yes. The ride along the Animas River is beautiful. Wish I could show it to you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

Durango Colorado

We started out yesterday on our grand loop road trip. We ended yesterday in Durango Colorado with a great dinner. If you are every in Durango and you like smoked meats check out Serious Texan Bar B-Q, seriously. Jim had one of their tacos and I have a brisket sandwich and a salad. The location was nice too. Right on the river and we ate on the patio so we could hear the water sounds. 

We did have to wait in line and I think that is probably usual. There is also a drive through option and was busy too. Be prepared for that and you will be fine.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Good Morning

Today's post is going to be short and maybe a bit sweet. We are getting ready to leave home for another July, let's celebrate our anniversary trip. I am looking forward to this trip and dreading it at the same time. I like visiting new places but travel brings me a certain level of anxiety that I need to control or I tend to get grumpy and snap at Jim. That is not fair to him.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

20 Years Ago, Canada

Twenty years ago this week we were in Canada. We drove from Salt Lake City to Calgary. We were there during the famous Calgary Stampede and were excited to go to that festivity a few days during our visit. 

On this day, however, we were at Lake Louise. It is one of the prettiest places I have ever seen. The hotel was beautiful inside and out. We went into the lobby and were soothed by the music of a harp player. Outside on the shore, the beautiful blue lake was busy with folks like us, tourists, but it somehow still managed to be a peaceful place.

It was pointed out on signs on the walkway that the glacier that feeds the lake is receding. I imagine the way things are going that in the twenty years since then it has changed even more.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Nothing to See Here

I don't want to break the habit of writing every morning even though I don't have much to share today. 

We did watch 2 movies last night on Amazon Video. We can see a lot of what Prime Video has to offer since we have a Prime membership. So what did I watch and knit through while Jim dozed but claimed he saw the movies? First was Rams, a story about 2 sheepherding brothers in Australia. I don't want to give anything away so I will leave it there. Second was Silver Linings Playbook. I had seen this one before, but Jim hadn't. He tried but fell asleep anyway. Both were good movies or at least this is one old ladies' opinion.

If you aren't a Prime member you can use this affiliate link for more information if you are curious about what Amazon provides with the membership.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

World Chocolate Day

Getting up this morning I wondered what to write about. Has anyone noticed that since the 16th of June I have managed to post every day? That is a goal I set for myself and I hope now that I have written it for all to see I won't blow it. Part of the reason for the travel computer I talked about yesterday is to keep this morning writing going no matter where I am. 

So, checking in with National Day Calendar I found out it is World Chocolate Day and it has been every July 7th since 2009. Nearly everyone likes chocolate in some form or another. I have been indulging in chocolate for a few days now. I made a Pillsbury Sugar Free Brownie mix for the 4th of July. I mixed in some walnuts and some Bake Believe No Sugar Added Dark Chocolate Chips. They are very fudgy, rich tasting and satisfy my sweet tooth.

So, will you be having any chocolate today?

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

New Laptop!

I got a new laptop yesterday. A very nice and busy Amazon driver delivered it. Since we travel a few times a year I wanted to invest in a lightweight laptop. My new one is just over 3 pounds and my old one is about 3 times that. So far so good. 

The battery life seems to be good. I used it of course once it charged for about 4 hours yesterday and not using it create this blog post and it still has about 73% charge left. 

It is smaller of course so I don't have a number pad to the right so there is that to get used to. 

The display seems nice, but I am not picky. When I first started it up the resolution was set to 1920 x 1080 at 150%. That made everything too big but at 100% everything was too small. So like Goldilocks I found a just right for me setting at 125%.

The keyboard is comfortable to use. The keys are nice and large. Not backlit but that would suck battery life, so it is okay. With the little bumps on f and j I can keep myself oriented when typing.

The trackpad seems very responsive to me. I am not a gamer or even close so this gives me all the functionality I need without having to pack a mouse.

On each end I found all the slots I needed. First of all a card reader for camera cards is a must and this computer has one. It comes with 1 new type usb and 2 of the older ones so that is good. Headphone jack for quiet movie viewing or listening to music. An HDMI slot is also part of the lineup on this computer, and I have a cable so I could connect this computer to a TV. 

The laptop came preloaded with Windows 11. It is the first time I have used this operating system but it feels comfortable. Finding where all the settings were to personalize it have been easy so far.

I paid just over $400 for this laptop and feel like I got a good deal. The pictures are affiliate links, I did buy this laptop and the opinions are my own about it. If something goes wrong or it continues to be great, I will let you know.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

New to Me Recipe

We had a quiet and lovely Fourth of July. Just the two of us. Jim dozing through the movie he picked to watch after dinner as normal. Fireworks in the neighborhood starting around 8 pm and going till around 10 pm. I think today being a work day had something to do with the early quitting time. When the Fourth is part of a weekend some folks around here will be doing fireworks till around midnight.

We grilled of course for dinner. Simple food, burgers and corn on the grill. Watermelon and a cucumber salad to go with the meal. Brownies for desert. I tried a new salad from Love and Lemons. The salad is made with cucumbers of course, red onion, a vinegar and honey dressing, and a just before serving garnish of chopped fresh dill and fresh chives. The addition of the dill was very good and the salad was a hit with both of us. I love no cook recipes this time of year so I will keep this one around to make again and again.

So how was your Fourth?

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Happy Fourth of July to all of you here in the US. I am still trying to create a new way to celebrate holidays here in Arizona. On the 4th when we lived in Jackson I would walk to Town Square in the morning to see the parade. Later we would use the grill for burgers and corn and homemade salads and watermelon. We would go outside to watch the fireworks going off at Snow King Resort. It was a lovely small town America way to spend the 4th.

Now I live in Arizona. It is too hot to be outside to watch a parade. Like 110 hot and that can be dangerous. We will still grill and have all our supplies ready. 

As for fireworks, no big shows are near us. I think there will be some that you have to pay to get close enough to see anything and again the heat here even when the sun goes down. I can count on neighbors to be setting off all kinds of fireworks legal and illegal in the streets from about 9pm to midnight whether I like them or not. It's not good or bad, I am just used to it. The worry of course is about fire. Everything here is so dry.

So to you, dear reader, I wish you a nice fun filled day. Take care of yourself. Leave a comment about your Fourth of July. Comments are treasure to a blogger. I would love to hear from you!

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you shop on Amazon, eBay or Zazzle you can use the affiliate links below if you wish. I could earn a bit from qualified purchases and that means more yarn for me and many thanks to you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Amazon) https://amzn.to/431rKIb  

(eBay) https://ebay.us/4IPcOx  

(Zazzle) https://www.zazzle.com/store?rf=238220271190296674   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy!