What about these?

Do you remember playing with these when you were a child?

It is highly unlikely that any sets of Jacks remain intact from those childhood years.

So, I went out to buy a set.  Seems like there were twelve jacks in those long ago (for me) years.  They also seem to have a different appearance.

Well, there are no complete sets from those past years here; however, there is one to use for comparison.

Do you see the difference?  We had to be sure that all the jacks were off the floor when we were finished playing.  They didn't feel good at all on bare feet!  Ouch!

Something for thought....

Some of you may be familiar with the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.  He is best known for the "Lord of the Ring" series, though there are others to his credit.  I recently saw this quote by him, and thought it worthy of posting.

    "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold,

                          it would be a merrier world!"

                                                               - J. R. R. Tolkien

Do you remember these?

Do you remember this game?  Well, unless you are in my age range, you may have no recollection of it.:-)

This game was one that occupied our time indoors during recess in elementary school.  As I remember, we called the game "Fiddlesticks!"  The sticks were various colors, from end to end!  Here is what today's version is like -

 

Also, there are not as many of them.  Hopefully there are enough for the Munchkins to enjoy the next time they visit.:-)

An evening with friends....

We recently enjoyed an evening with friends, visiting their home for the first time!

What a beautiful welcoming! We were able to enjoy eating sitting at this table!

As you can tell, there is a lovely garden area - plus - this collection on display -

Heart-shaped rocks that have been found out and about!

It was a lovely evening!

Is it really?

I'm not sure if I have mentioned taking a table to the refinishers a couple of months ago.  I know that I was too embarrassed to take a picture showing the "before."  The finish had been worn off the entire top of the table.

Well, we picked it up last week.

I am really happy with the work that was done on it.  It is a Conant Ball table, and I have learned that the company went out of business in 1980!  A bit of time on the Internet, and I discovered it is now considered "vintage!"  My, my!  That must mean that I am vintage as well!:-) Does anyone else claim that particular designation?:-)

The celebrating continued....

Little Munchkin's birthday wasn't the only celebration of a recent week-end.  The Husband and I celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary as well!

We made a visit to Barter Theater in Abingdon, VA for a Sunday night performance of Mountain Stage with Larry Groce.  Not being regular listeners of NPR, this was a learning experience for us!  The show we saw was actually a taping that will be aired on NPR the second week-end in October.  

Guests who performed included Whiskey Gentry, Nellie McCay, Gretchen Peters, JD Souther, and Wayne Henderson.  It was quite an opportunity and a full evening!  You can see on the marquee that the show began at 7:00.  Well, it was 10:00 before it was over!  

We were given permission to take pictures - without a flash - during the performance; however, this trusty iPad just wouldn't pick up images.:-(  I will be referring to this occasion at some point in the future.  If you are in an area that is served by NPR, and if you are a fan of the type of music for which the artists I mentioned are known, this is a program you won't want to miss!

I may say that JD Souther and Nellie McCay have a new fan!  We were already acquainted with Wayne Henderson, a guitar maker of note, as we have toured his place of business a couple of years ago on a More Than A Vacation trip.  I believe a CD or two came home with us that time and became a treat under the Christmas tree.:-)  

Abingdon is a familiar place to visit as I worked and lived there for two years a number of years ago, and there are still friends in the area.  It is really a wonderful area for a trip you might want to consider.

On another note, I am optimistic that we now have a better functioning Internet connection.  We will see.:-)  

Have a good week!

On the farm....

There are some new residents on the farm.

The Country Couple have added three llamas to their menagerie!  They do have names, though they seem to escape me at the moment.:-)  Shenandoah and Tecumseh are two of the names, but I'm unable to match them with the correct picture.:-(   They were definitely very curious about what I was doing with this camera in my hand!:-)

A special guest....

There was a special guest at Munchkin's birthday party last week-end.

Isn't he cute?  He was definitely the star of the show!

These cookies have already appeared on the blog; however, I didn't mention that Munchkin had the idea of making the paw prints on top with her thumb and other fingers.  She had read about doing that, and the cookies were really cute when finished.

I think they look like a dog stepped right in the middle of each one!:-)

Letting you know....

We have been having Internet connectivity issues here for a few weeks - and the problem continues.  I'm never sure how long we will be online or if the connection is going to be lost.  I've been limited as to how long I am online, and I've fallen way behind in my blog following.  After a number of phone calls, trips to the store for replacements, and a visit from a technician, we have yet another option to try.  I'll make an effort to keep you posted! 

Celebrating....

....Munchkin's 9th birthday -

Munchkin has developed a liking of dogs.  Not just any dog, but those that are smaller and not yip, yip, yipping!:-)  Munchomom came through with bones, puppy chow, and chew sticks - the latter being the most popular among the party attendees.  

Also - cookies imprinted by that doggy paw were served.

More about the week-end celebrating later!

Has it been a year?

Yes!  It has been a year since this was posted on the blog!

Little Munchkin celebrates her 9th birthday today!  She was a very few minutes old in this picture, arriving seven weeks before she was expected!  She weighed 3 pounds, 11 ounces!  We love you!  Happy Birthday!  

New material....

There is some new reading material in the house - 

This novel is written by one of my Twitter friends, Marcia Ferguson.  Today also happens to be here birthday, so this is my wish for Marcia -

Now - all I need to do is find some time to begin reading!:-)

Something new....

Just sharing a new arrival in our house -

Not exactly the anniversary (46 years on the 16th) present we might have chosen, but a necessity when the repair bill on the other one was greater than the cost of this replacement!  Smiling while I do the laundry here today!:-)

Does this mean....

....that fall is approaching?

The Burning Bush will be a vibrant red in a couple of months!

Bright and shiny....

....and ready to work on those grapes pictured yesterday!

Our latest kitchen addition, a new food mill replacing the ancient one (45 years old) that had turned rusty!

The first!

I'm happy to share with you today the first grapes harvested from our vines!

Yes, there are some that are still green, but those ripe ones are delicious!

How far....

....do you have to travel to shop at an American Girl store?

I was recently able to have that special shopping experience with City Girl and The Husband!  Truly amazing!  

Munchkin will be surprised!

Welcoming....

....the morning sun!

The perfect spot....

for early morning solitude....

A nice place to revisit this morning, especially when the washing machine won't start, and the clothes are already loaded in it!  More Monday "merriment!"