I had a great long weekend – hope you did, too! It’s mostly well documented, as you’ll see.
On Friday we got the Mustang back from the shop and she seems to be running great. Better than she has in a long time, actually. She was pretty grubby looking, after sitting in the driveway under a maple tree for most of the spring, so Dale and I washed her up. Can you believe I’d never washed a car before? Weird, I know. It was fun to do, though, and she’s all sparkly now. I took her for a spin to Michael’s where I got a few things to spruce up our summer decor. I swapped out the curtains, lamps, and pillows in the living room and things are brighter and lighter and ready for summer.
We had our usual Friday Night Snacks and, for the first time we were able to stay on the deck all night – it was warm!
On Saturday we had the delightful and unexpected chance to hang out with Kim and Ken. They were in the area to pick up a kiln and they came for lunch. I have no photos (bad bloggers!) but we had a great time, sitting under the trees, enjoying the breeze and a delicious Greek Chicken Pasta salad. It was so nice to catch up and have that time together.
On Saturday night we had a special visitor! It was our first night time babysitting gig with Jackie and it went just fine. In fact, Jess dropped him off at 6:30 and Eryk picked him up at 9:30. I fed him dinner, played with him for a bit, and at 8:00 he conked out for the night. He’s a very easy baby to care for and such a love to have around.
On Sunday Dale worked outside on the front border and I hung around inside, cleaning up a few things, doing some reading and knitting, and a little playing around with water colors. It’s fun and there’s no pressure to do anything in particular which makes it even more fun.
This is the state of the front border now. All of the plants that were there – hostas and azaleas and iris and a hydrangea have been relocated. Giant old stumps are gone, Dale pulled then out with chains and his dad’s pick up truck, and it’s almost ready for planting!
We took a trip out to Lowe’s to buy a new gas grill and then came home for the evening. We played Mexican Train (we haven’t in ages) and enjoyed a truly relaxing evening together.
Monday was Memorial Day and I was committed to speaking at our town’s Memorial Day Exercises. I love doing things like that and the town did an exceptional job this year with the program, including a special dedication of a portrait of a young man from our town who was killed in Vietnam 50 years ago this July. As Dale said, it really drove home the meaning of Memorial Day and made it very personal.
The kids came over in the afternoon and the skies finally brightened a bit. We gathered around the fire pit and I cooked up some chicken and burgers on the new grill. It was Jack’s first fire and he seemed to really like it – so much so that he fell asleep for a good long nap!
It was a great way to end a really terrific weekend.
It all sounds perfect, Carole! A really great weekend all around. I love your watercolor — it’s charming. And – wow! What a lot of work you’ve done for your new garden! It’s going to look fabulous. (And that Jackie. So adorable.) XO
Sounds like a good balance of getting things done and relaxing. Bonus points for marking the holiday for its intended purpose, too.
As much fun as you had all weekend, I’m most envious of the yanking out shrubs! We did the same thing years ago, and now I’ve got two overgrown honeysuckles that I’m anxious to pull out with Justin’s truck someday when he’s home and it’s not so wet that I’ll dig giant ruts in the lawn. It’s almost as much fun as planting!
It was a great weekend and, perfect for the tuned-up Mustang! Great work Dale on those garden beds! I think the window boxes look wonderful!
A truly idyllic life
Wonderful weekend! And your window boxes are the best!
We were right around your place on Friday, tromping around the cemetery looking for my grandparents. I used to know exactly how to find them, but this year it took forever. I thought of you and wished we could visit, but we’re on a tight timeline, needing to get to my brother’s for dinner.
There’s something about a three day weekend that just makes it seem like a vacation. We capped ours off with a beautiful rhubarb pie — yumm!
Fantastic! Sounds like a pretty good mix of food, family, work, and play!! Progress on the front of your house is looking great.
Ah – your weekend looks and sounds great, Carole! full of all the good things, and how cool that you were able to be a part of the town’s Memorial Day remembering.
In my next life, I want to have your weekends. They always seem just a great mix of everything. I did a lot of yard work and cleaned out the garage. Nothing fun, but lots of satisfaction on getting it done. Have a nice short week!
Sounds like a wonderful weekend with a little of everything. I love the watercolor.
The front of your house is looking great and it’s going to be fun to see what you do with the new beds. I love your watercolors and the little bouquet of flowers you picked, too! Happy Summer!