All Hallow's Eve

Hope everyone had a nice Halloween. Some pictures of the night. We didn't get as many trick or treaters as we used to when our boys were little, but we were busy enough.

Centerpiece

I won the above flowers at a wedding I attended over the weekend. It was on top of a very tall vase for the centerpiece at the reception. When I got it home, I thought it would look very nice on my vase that holds my favorite seashells. I am pleased with how it looks. My friend is an artist and she plans on doing an oil painting of the arrangement.

Wedding Bells

My older son announced his engagement this weekend. He has been with his girlfriend for 3 years so we all have been anxiously awaiting for this good news. They came over for Sunday dinner at my parent's house to tell the usual Sunday crowd of their plans. Everyone was overjoyed. The wedding will take place next October.

My dad hasn't been feeling well and even took another fall last weekend. He is still waiting for some test results. When my son told him about the wedding and after he congratulated him, my dad said that he didn't think he would be around next year to make the wedding. He is 89 years old and has so many health problems so he thinks about dying and will make comments to us from time to time around different situations. It was sad to hear him say that, and my son quickly reassured my dad that we planned for him to be around and witness the vows with the entire family. A year goes by so fast for most of us, but for the elders the days drag by, especially for someone like my dad who can no longer drive, has difficulty getting around due to his limited flexibility and is in chronic pain. We can only take it one day at a time.

In the meantime.... we have a wedding to plan!! I am very excited. I really admire and respect and have come to love the young woman who will be my daughter in law. I know that I am very lucky that at the start, we all have a comfortable and good relationship.

I look forward to posting all the planning and festivities for the big day. It is a wonderful thing to have something so special to look forward to ... for the whole family.

The Front Porch

One of our favorite places for breakfast or lunch when we go up to Putney, VT is The Front Porch. I love how it is decorated, the tables on the porch, and the delightful delicious food. I highly recommend the pumpkin soup!

Vermont weekend

Spent the weekend up in Vermont to visit our son. The colors were just beautiful up there, even though it was the tail end of the season.

Good visit up there and now getting ready for the work day tomorrow.

Snake or Swan?

Interesting gourd, huh? What does it look like to you?

Take a little time to enjoy your view

I am just checking in to say hello. I haven't been inspired to write much lately. My head is full of things that are going on and all I can do is blurt out, "I don't know." It is like I can't come to any clear decisions about the thoughts running through my head. Does that make sense? I am annoying myself, but I think I am on overload because of so much happening at work, in the news, and to my friends.

I also feel anxious about the election. The negative stuff will come out in full force now from both sides, and I wish they did not have to count on destroying one another to win an election.

I finished reading Barbara Walters book Audition last week. I found it a very interesting read, all 576 pages of it. She has had a very remarkable life and so connected to so many historical events. The book jogged my memory quite a bit since I lived through so many of the events she wrote about, and it was juicy to read all the background details.

She was a co host on the Today Show for 10 years, before they actually "officially" introduced her as a co-host! She paved the way for all the women journalists who followed. I enjoy watching her on The View and I am a sucker for all of her celebrity specials.

Does anyone watch The View? I started taping it everyday a couple of years ago. It is one show that catches you up on what is going on from the silly and mundane to the big stuff. It has been getting very heated lately with all the election news. The husband even watches it with me (just hot topics)... but don't tell him I told you guys!