Life in the Bristolwood

A couple weeks ago, Mark’s cell phone kinda bit the dust!  He had the phone replaced last year and at the time, our (old) phones were no longer being manufactured, so he received a remanufactured one.  I also had problems, so I got mine replaced as well.  Long story short,  Mark kept getting phones that were worse than the previous one.  When the phone’s screen went black, he called Sprint and they (finally) replaced his phone with a newer model.

My three-year-old HTC Mogul has some problems, but they seem minor, compared to Mark’s blatant problems, so I just lived with them. Well, when Mark got his new Touch Pro 2,  my eyes went green!  Yes, I began to covet his phone.

Mark, being a fair man, called Sprint and asked if I might get my phone replaced as well.  Well, the woman gave us a great deal, so *my* new phone arrived yesterday!

This is a grubby photo of this most awesome phone, but you can see its “face” is all screen! (The back of the phone is all speaker, so the phone can be placed face down on the console of the truck or Explorer and used hands-free.) I love it! Goodbye old phone.  Goodbye I-pod.  This phone can do so many terrific things and Mark just keeps finding more and more applications.  Something tells me that tiny Micro SD card will need an upgrade from 4 gig to 16 gig.  Or maybe even 32 gig! 

If you don’t hear from me for awhile, have no fear! I am just getting to know the new phone a bit better!!

Well, when Mark told me he saw an Amish pickup truck in the WalMart parking lot today, he really caught my attention!

As you can see from the photo, today’s weather was wet! (quite chilly as well!)

Yes, we spent the day at Darien Lake.  Since we attend Kingdom Bound every year, we save some money by buying season passes to the park.  It isn’t that far away and the kids love going, so we try to get a few visits in every summer.

The park just opened last week and it is really exciting because this year, they are expanding and opening a big waterpark.  I know the kids are going to want to spend even more time there now!  What was really amazing is the fact that there was a construction crew there working on a Sunday.  Memorial Day weekend is coming up rapidly and the waterpark is set to open that weekend.  Our kids are soo excited!

Mark and I went out and enjoyed crusing along in the park.  It was a beautiful day, not too hot and certainly not too chilly.  Since the crowd was rather sparse, I was able to get some photos that I never can take any other time without throngs of people!

The park is very family-friendly, but we also see a lot of older people there too.  Located in the country, about 20 or so miles from Buffalo, it is a great way to enjoy the out-of-doors with young people!

There are still some extra little touches that are yet to be done like putting up flowers, but we noticed the Boomerang (rollercoaster) and Ferris Wheel are sporting fresh paint.  In the first photo, one can see the fresh paint on the waterslides…..quite a contrast between the old faded colors and new ones!

just to brighten your day! And, just a few steps from my house.

I think I could sleep standing up!

Although today wasnt really a busy day, per se, it was a long one.

I got up and did some laundry, straightened the house, washed the never-ending onslaught of dishes, then decided I wanted to go to the Windmill. (A large craft and farmer’s type market)  It takes about an hour to get there and off I went on my own. 

It was wonderful not feeling hurried or rushed with the family waiting in the truck.  I got to chat with Pastor Bert and Janine’s son, Nate, for a long time.  We had a lot of catching up to do since I haven’t seen him in ages.  Nate was there selling flowers and plants for his mom and dad who own a greenhouse business. 

I walked around, admiring all sorts of beautiful items and it was just a lot of fun looking at whatsoever *I* decided to see!  I think I was there for about an hour and a half and it really made me feel better.  Sometimes it is so easy to get bogged down by the cares of home ownership.  Seems like there is an endless amount of things that need to be tended and it is easy to get swallowed up by everything!

I took only one photo at the Windmill…

I love horses and when I was a little girl, I always dreamed of one day owning one! It never happened and I think perhaps it never will.  They are such beautiful animals and every time I see them, I have to stop and look at them! The particular horse here lives next door to the Mennonite run store I often mentioned here…Oak Hill Farms. 

I did end up buying some Wildflower Honey and a huge Lobelia plant.  The plant actually has Impatiens and some Ivy planted in with it and it is hanging on the front porch.  I love the beautiful color!

I got back home at about three-thirty and we fiddled around until leaving the house at five-thirty for the kids to attend a show in Naples.  After dropping the kids off,  Mark and I went for a ride to Wayland, about 20 miles from Naples.  We went to the school there and I told Mark we ought to walk and roll there.  We did and we went almost two miles.  It sure was a lot more interesting walking the school property than the track we usually walk.  Mark checked out our distance on Google Maps and discovered we went almost two miles.  Yay!

We picked the kids up at almost ten-thirty and it was all I could do to stay awake! We have more plans for a busy day tomorrow.  Guess I had better get some sleep….soon! Oh, and as an aside, I saw the first Hummingbird at the feeder out front today.  Hurrah!!

The kids went t play raquetball at the YMCA yesterday.  Mark and I went down near the lake to just hang out while waiting for them.  It was so incredibly warm, especially shocking after all the chilly temperatures we’ve had the past several days!

I got out and wandered about a little, not traveling very far.  Boy would this old dead tree make for some fabulous pre-seasoned firewood!

I spotted a little Robin hopping about, gleefully snapping up worms from the ground.  With all the rain we’ve had recently, this must be a relatively easy task for the Robin!

Although I am quite sure the little bird was telling me to Buzz off! and leave it alone!

So I went down to the lake.  Wow, the water is soooo clear there!

If you enlarge the photo above by clicking on it,  it is really cool how the sunlight makes the most amazing starlike sparkles on the water without a special lens! Nope, I didn’t touch that photo other than to resize it so I could send it to my blog.

I like the little building where tickets are sold for a ride on the Canandaigua Lady.

It was so windy yesterday, I really had a hard time getting photos! The wind was warm, but it was so strong!

I went back to the truck and sat with Mark until…..

I had seen this goose family of nine earlier when I walked just a little over at the Lagoon behind Wegmans.  They had been grazing in the grass over by Burger King.  I took a photo of them from afar, but it wasn’t so great…the wind factor! I was so honored to see them coming down the water!

The adult geese were very gracious, allowing me to move right in with the camera to take photos.  There was a man who came by with a German Shepherd and Airdale Terrier and one of the geese began wildly honking a warning that the dogs had better move back!   I guess I was less of a threat than a big dog!

I love this last photo as if you enlarge it,  you can see the little gosling feet under the water!

Sorry for more geese photos, but these geese are so amazing.  It is fun watching them, as they care for their youngsters and fun watching the youngsters respond to the adults.  At one point,  I had seen three adult geese caring for little ones.  Not sure if there were two broods of goslings and one of the adults had gotten killed, or if a couple of adults allowed another to tag along.  It was interesting, anyway.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Yes, that last post was thrown in just because.  Guess I am in a funny mood because if I don’t laugh, I will cry! Seriously!

I will get to that in a minute, but here are some photos from today.  I took Michelle for her last classes for her first yer of college today.  I cannot believe she is done.  She took a Macro Economics exam and Statistics exam today.  She isn’t positive about the Stats exam,  but spoke with her Macro professor after class.  He looked over her exam and told her she got 100%!  Yippee!!!

Oops, got a little away from myself.  As I was driving back home from Canandaigua,  I saw several goose families resting on the grass beside a restaurant.  I had to take a photo of some gosling siblings all huddled together in a sweet little heap.

How can such adorable little bundles of fluffy fuzz grow up into loud, obnoxious geese?  I was surprised, though, that the parents allowed me to walk up so close to their offspring! 

When I got home, I was looking at my little garden and just loved the way the rain had remained on the Columbine.

I did some chores around the house, then had to go to an early afternoon dental appointment.  The dentist poked and prodded at the tooth that had the pocket.  As I nearly jumped in the air when he touched one area,  he said although the infection is reduced from the last time he saw me, there is still some sign of infection remaining.  Joy of joys.  He got a syringe and gave me another slow-release antibiotic.  I need to go back again in two weeks and hopefully, the infection will be totally eradicated!

On my way home,  I decided to take Route 21 which runs through Woodville.  As I was driving along with the window down,  I caught a whiff of something sublime!  I pulled over off the road and took a photo….

This “wall” of Wisteria is incredible!  It is growing, seemingly wild,  along the road. The flowers cascade down from about 20 feet up and the “wall” runs along the road for a good 150 feet.   It is really amazing to see…and smell!

I am planning to spend this evening just relaxing.  The stress of seeing the dentist always makes me weary!  It didn’t hurt at all when the dentist administered the antibiotic,  but now,  the tooth feels just a bit sensitive.  I think I will make a small fire in the woodstove and sit and knit on the prayer shawl for my friend!

Oh, and one more thing!  I have placed the hummingbird feeders out and have seen no sign of them yet.  I was so disappointed!  On Facebook,  I befriended a fabulous entity called Grand Alaska Photography .  The owner not only is a photographer, but also runs an inn in Ketchikan.  Well, Scott announced the other day that the hummingbirds had returned!  Where are mine?  (If you follow the hyper link above, you will see hummingbirds as I have never seen before!)

Kids: Mom, what’s for dinner tonight?

Mom: Uh, I thought I’d throw a little dove on the barbie….

and the sparrow’s watching me!

This morning we took Michelle to school.  As we passed by McDonald’s, Ben asked if he could grab a breakfast sandwich there.  As Ben ate his sandwich,  a little sparrow came and sat on the mirror of the truck.  I wasn’t fast enough to capture the little bird,  but shortly thereafter, another sparrow appeared,  this time landing on the driver side mirror.  The curious little beggar sat there for quite a long time before finally flying off….probably to beg elsewhere!

I guess it is a bit of a tradition that we get together with my family for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  Mark’s mom spent the day nursing her knee after hurting it the other day and she said we needn’t visit.  So, we made plans to go to the home of my parents for the day.  The only catch was that Michelle wanted to study for a few hours in the morning. Mark and I agreed to let her have some time,  then we left the house shortly after noon.

We arrived in my hometown shortly after 3 pm and met my parents and Randy at the Rod and Gun Club where we had dinner.  My, oh my! What a meal!  My parents, Mark, and I  all ordered a turkey dinner.  This came with turkey breast…there had to have been nearly a pound of meat mounded onto each plate.  I have never seen so much turkey served.  My mother and I chose baked potatoes, which were also huge.  The meal  included a generous amount of stuffing and a small cup of cranberry sauce, along with a big serving of peas and carrots.  The kids and Randy got chicken fingers.  I think every one of us took a box for the leftovers!  What a delicious meal this was!  And, the price of the entire meal for our family was probably about half of what it would have cost at a restaurant.

After dinner, we went to Mom and Dad’s and spent some time just enjoying the company and the day!  We left my parents’ home around 8:30 pm and got home at about 11:30. 

As usual, I do have photos, so I will explain a little….

 Our weekend began with some very strange…for this time of the year…weather.  On Saturday, we had wind like I don’t remember since moving here almost 18 years ago.  The trees were swaying like crazy and beautiful green leaves were flying all about.  The winds didn’t come in gusts, but remained sustained the entire day.  I couldn’t believe that we didn’t lose any power or cable because it was just that wild!

If we had “winds” on Saturday,  I guess one would have to say Sunday, Mother’s Day,  was “breezy”.  The severe winds had diminished a great deal,  but there was definitely wind blowing on Sunday as well.  The temperature never really climbed a great deal from the freezing point, and we received a little “surprise”…

Yes, in the form of S-N-O-W!

By the time we left for our visit, much of the snow had melted a bit.  I don’t think it was so much through warmth as sublimation!!! 

I wanted to find a nice little gift for my mother.  She loves flowers…but, outside.  As long as I can remember, Mom always told me that flowers indoors remind her of a funeral home! Argh!  I love flowers in the house, but I can understand Mom’s point of view! Since we would pass through Naples, I knew that the vegetable, fruit, and flower market there would have just the right thing!

We stopped on our way and I looked and looked through the flowers.  They had hanging pots….mostly petunias and I just wasn’t so sure about those.  I found a few hanging pots with New Guinea Impatiens,  but the bushiest, best-looking ones were pink and I know Mom loves the deep reddish-orange ones the best.  I decided maybe I could buy some flats of Pansies,  but I didn’t really want to make work for Dad. 

I’m not sure if growing up on a farm was what formed my dad into quite the horticulturist, but he certainly has a way with flowers and plants!  Mom loves to pick out flowers every year to be planted in the flower beds, along with the perennials,  but it is my father who does the planting and tending.  Since he recently had the shoulder replacement surgery,  I didn’t want to buy anything that would require work on his behalf!  My father is a non-stop worker,  but he really does need to rest and take it easy for that shoulder to heal! And, by the way, he is doing fantastic with the shoulder! The only thing that is problematic for him is the sling he must wear.

So….I did find some pretty Pansy Pots.  We bought Mark’s mom a pot of Pansies last year and they grew so beautifully. When I saw these pots, I knew they were for Mom!  I knew she would like the deep reddish-brown pansies, interespersed with the other brightly-colored ones! Best of all, these Pansies can remain in their pots and Mom can enjoy them on the back deck if she wants.

As we sat talking at the table last evening,  Cardinals came by to visit. I couldn’t help but smile as a female Cardinal landed on the feeder behind the house, accompanied by a little Wren. 

The Cardinal and Wren were seen out back for a long time together.   They even fed on the ground next to one another! Male Cardinals appeared as well, but they were so flighty….it was nearly impossible to photograph them.

I went outside this morning and took a few photos of the “wild winds” aftermath.  All along the driveway, between the gravel and grass, there is like a gutter full of leaf debris!

The Explorer was parked on the west side of the driveway and after the snow had melted off,  it looked like someone sprayed tiny pieces of leaf all over it!

The lawn is full of small branches with brightly-colored green leaves that were ripped from the trees by the brutal winds.

The deck out back certainly needs a good sweeping!

Okay, so enough with crazed weather!

I love Mother’s Day, and I am so disappointed that I don’t get to spend time with my mother like I used to.  It is hard living three hours away, as to visit for a day means we must spend six hours of drive time.  But, I am so thankful that I am able to go and visit my mother!  I know many people my age have lost their moms and I am the fortunate one who still has a mom who I can call on the phone and chat with whenever I want!  That in itself is a blessing.

But did I ever mention that my mom is so thoughtful and considerate, as well as helpful?  She is!  Yesterday, I was so amazed at one of the sweet things she did. When I was a little girl, living in an apartment on Spring Street, there was an area beside our house where what seemed like millions of Lilies of the Valley grew.  Oh, how I loved those plants when the tiny little bell-shaped flowers appeared every spring.   I remember picking them and just sitting and sniffing their wonderful aroma! When we moved, my father planted Lilies of the Valley at our “new” house.  And, now that my parents live in a newer house,  rest assured that there is a rather large bed of Lilies of the Valley.

I did confide that my mom doesn’t really care to have flowers in the house, so when I asked about the glass container filled with Lilies of the Valley,  my mom said she remembered that I love them.  She explained she picked them so I could enjoy them….

Is there anyhing so sweet as a mother’s love?