Pickle Day...

We received thirteen pounds of pickling cucumbers plus some huge "eaters" yesterday from my friend, Dawn and her husband Pete. So today is pickling day!

My godniece and her daughter are here from Minnesota, so they're going to help...just like my niece helped my sister, Lyn do pickles when she and her sister were little.

Lyn would get the cukes, fill their bathtub with water, and her two young daughters would scrub, while Lyn cut and prepared them for the jars.

Our operation won't involve bathtubs or lots of seeds and herbs. I choose fool-proof Mrs. Wages Mix for bread and butter pickles, and they'll be perfection by this afternoon. Plus, it will be fun to teach my great niece about how her grandma used to make pickles when her mama was little.

I work at 4 pm, so I'm going to get everything set up so we can get right after it when they arrive soon. I'll share pictures tomorrow. Happy Weekend!!

July Classmate Dinner...

Front: me, Julie and Cal. Back: John, Mary, Deb B., and Lisa

I get teased by one of the ladies when I say "I'm looking forward to tonight's gathering". She likes to remind me that 3:00 pm isn't "night". Silly me.

Even so, we shared another nice meal. I had the chance to hug my friend, Mary, whose husband passed earlier this month, celebrate John's son's liver transplant, hear all about a recent gall bladder surgery, and Julie's prize winning giant tomato making it into Guinness Book of World Records. 

As usual, our meal and visit lasted about two hours, and then we were ready to part company. Handsome joined us, and then offered to take the photo before we all said goodbye...until next month.

 

I Have A List...

 

I have more than a few steps left to complete my Monarch butterfly, so I made a list. Thanks to my trusty notebook from my class with Owen, I have all his instructions from start to finish. I'm really glad, too, because there are a few steps I know I would have missed.

Once these steps are completed, my butterfly will be finished. 

I know I'll get back to my needle dancing soon, but these days I've been consumed with clearing out clutter. I've come a long way, too. I have boxes of things going away and already the spaces I've been working on feel lighter. I'm motivated to continue. 

The heat has broken (finally), so it's perfect for clearing, boxing and cleaning. I guess this is where farmers came up with "Make hay while the sun shines". (I know that's not completely appropriate, but I'm going with it, and I know you understand my usage.)

This afternoon is another classmate dinner. Another of our group has lost her husband, so I know some heavy-duty support will be in order. We'll have another group photograph taken, so I'll be sharing that tomorrow. See you then. I'm off for my morning cuppa.