Friday Fotos 2024 #8

Friday Fotos is a post where I can dump some photos from the previous week. The goal is to make me more aware of the beauty and fun in my everyday life. 

This little Magnolia Tree was a Memorial Gift from some of my cousins. It survived the winter and now has its first bloom!

This is a sample that MS & I have been eating for lunch a few times each week. 

After living in this house for 20 years, this is the first time I remember seeing a mama robin making a nest in this spot.

Look at that sweet face! This is one of my grand-dogs; she has the most loving eyes.

Until next time...

Friday Fotos 2024 #5

Friday Fotos is a post where I can dump some photos from the previous week. The goal is to make me more aware of the beauty and fun in my everyday life.  I really am doing a horrible job at keeping up with these posts! It seems I've skipped a couple (or a few) weeks.

My back porch is finished! Now if it would just get warm (and stay warm) so I can enjoy it. On the days when it has been warm, it's been really nice to leave my sliding glass door open and hear the birds.

After Mass on Holy Thursday evening, the Eucharist is placed in the Tabernacle (which is open on the altar) and Adoration takes place until midnight. Compline (night prayer) happens then with the Eucharist removed until the Easter Vigil (Saturday night Mass which begins after the sunset).

My car on the left, its twin on the right

The traditional Easter Bunny cake was made, probably for the last time. It hasn't even been cut into at the time of this writing. 😒

Gurl Dogg (in need of a trip to the beauty parlor)

Monday morning after Daily Mass, the main church was quiet. It was beautiful with the Easter flowers and the sun hitting the crucifix.

MS, his girlfriend, and her parents took me out to dinner for a belated birthday dinner. The wine was excellent, even if it wasn't the one we ordered. We ordered the Italian Pinot Noir but we were given the California version. Lesson learned: make sure you double-check before accepting it! The GF looked at the label but didn't think to make sure it was the right one, but I didn't either. We went to an Italian restaurant in the Rival Town; I was the only one who had not been there. It was excellent food and they gifted us some Italian doughnuts for my birthday.

Until next time...

Friday Fotos 2024 #4

Friday Fotos is a post where I can dump some photos from the previous week. The goal is to make me more aware of the beauty and fun in my everyday life. 

I don't have very many photos this week. I didn't keep up with my "picture a day"!

I think this is a cherry tree just starting to flower. 

Bradford Pears get a bad rap but when they bloom they are gorgeous.

We had a get-together over the weekend since one of my sisters came in from out of state. We're missing 2 siblings in the picture.

Here's everyone (minus the one taking the picture) who came. We always have a good time when we're together.

I got some extra time with my out-of-state sister. 

YS' dog waiting for him to come home from work. She's a pretty good girl but still has quite a bit of puppy in her. I've never seen a dog with such loving eyes!

How has your week been? What kind of pictures are on your phone for the week? Until next time!

Bringing Back Friday Fotos

Photo by Designecologist: https://www.pexels.com/photo/image-of-river-on-smartphone-1398339/

I decided it's time for me to revive my "Friday Fotos". It's a way for me to find the beauty in my everyday life and share it on Fridays. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep this up, at least for a while. This post is a short one!

Gurl Dogg rarely gives me cuddles. The other day she crawled onto my lap and laid her head on my shoulder. 

I popped into the church and noticed the light produced a shadow of the cross behind the crucifix. 

During a walk, I noticed a branch fell and landed sideways with other branches holding it in place. Interesting.

If you read "An Opinionated Hodgepodge", you've already seen this picture. YS put some bird seed on the window ledge in my office so I could enjoy the birds up close & personal. This titmouse seemed interested in what I was doing before he grabbed a snack.

I took this as a sign of how safe the Small Town is. I noticed this child's bike the day before I snapped this photo. It was in the same place the next day. Gurl Dogg is checking it out.

What interesting and/or beautiful things did you see in your world this week? Notice the world around you and take a photo each day of something beautiful. 

Back in the Swing Friday Fotos

 

My last first week of school is in the books. 8 more until my last Fall Break. It's been an exhausting week and I haven't even started seeing my students yet!

I made scones from a King Arthur Mix and they were delicious!

Looks like I wasn't the only one tuckered out by the end of the week!

My stuff is back in the room but no flooring. I'm hearing over "break" but I don't think what break was specified. I'm glad they polished the floor, but the concrete dust was everywhere. 

After over 2 weeks the Mystery Machine is back! CH took her to a place for routine maintenance on the brake line but the people messed it up so he had to have it towed to another place to have it fixed. It was weird not seeing her in the driveway. I missed her!

Gurl Dogg was just too tired to chew on the chewy one morning but she kept it close so Laika wouldn't snatch it from her!

On Election Day I drove over to this restaurant in the mountain town to grab a sandwich.

It's right on the river so you can sit outside and enjoy the sound and the view. 

How cool is this? When you walk in you walk through the chapel to get to the bar area to order food.

As I said...1 week down, and 8 more to go until Fall Break. I'm really making an effort to be in the moment and not take pictures. With school back in session, there's not just a whole lot else going on!

Catching Up with Friday Fotos

 

It's been a while, eh? Here's a "catch-up" of my pictures on my phone over the past few weeks.

Proof that our strawberry plants produced fruit. We didn't get to eat them, though but I'm sure the birds enjoyed them.

CH & I took an overnight camping trip to Mile High Campground near Cherokee, NC. We stopped at Newfound Gap which straddles the TN/NC border and were treated with some spectacular views enhanced by the cloud cover.

The rhododendron were blooming. I don't recall ever seeing them quite in full bloom like they were. Just beautiful!

This is the view from our campsite. Mile High is one of our favorite places to camp and is a great place to escape the heat. We were there in early July and once the sun went down I was in leggings and a sweatshirt.

There are elk that roam the campground but our site was too far away from where they are usually seen. We saw this girl at the Okonaluftee Visitor's Center on our way out. I have to say this as a PSA: If you see these gorgeous animals, stay in your car. They are not pets and can do some damage. Some things are best admired from a distance!

I was walking Gurl Dogg one day and saw something moving in the distance. I thought it looked like a little alligator...what??? Alligators in East TN??? I was able to get fairly close to it, keeping GD behind me to get a better look. GD must have some smarts about her because she could have cared less to have seen this snapping turtle.

On another walk with GD, I saw this mushroom growing on a tree. It kind of looks like a patio umbrella for fairies, doesn't it?

On yet another walk with GD, I barely saw this rabbit. She did a good job of camouflaging herself against the pile of mulch.

We took another short camping trip as my last summer as a school employee wound down. We didn't get the elevation I would have liked, but this was a new campground for me and we wanted to try out the tent that attaches to the awning off of the van to see how I liked it. If you want to find out, watch for a comparison between that tent and the one we usually use on our Flyin' the Coop blog.

These 2-a-day walks make for one tired pooch!

That gets me caught up for now! Follow my IG account @mskicoop as well as our camping IG @flying_the_coop for more.

Planning Out the Hodgepodge

Time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge! Answer the questions, link up with Joyce, and then visit some friends to read their answers!

 1. What's something we'd find you doing most afternoons?
 Walking GurlDogg…every day. Rain, snow, or shine; in the heat or cold. You’ll find us in the park every.single.day.

2. Who do you take after? In what way(s)? 

I find that I’m taking a lot after my mom, especially the older I get. My mom started her day in prayer, which I have been doing for the past few years. I’m involved in the music ministry at church - she was the organist for 40 years. I catch myself saying things my mom did or reacting to things like she would have done. I caught a glimpse of myself on the computer one day and had to do a double-take. I think I look like a mix of both of my parents, but sometimes I really see my mom in myself.

 

3. 'After every storm comes a rainbow' or 'the calm before the storm'...which phrase do you relate to more right now? Tell us why? 

After every storm comes a rainbow. Aren’t we all living in a storm right now? But I know that there’s a rainbow to come. “Faith over fear”

 

4. What are your plans for the day after tomorrow? 

First work, then walk GD (see #1), cook supper, and then a Zoom bible study. I have met some incredible women through this study this year, and have gotten to know a few women better. It is amazing to walk through this journey with them. Even though we can’t meet in person, it’s wonderful to have that hour with them; to learn from them, and to share our faith. An hour really isn’t enough time, though. There’s so much to say and so much to hear!

5. Complete this sentence-"After all is said and done_____________________."

I have to look at what is really important in my life and do what is best for me and my family. I have to look at where I’m spending my time and if that will make a difference. Because of that, I’m pretty much off of FB now and am limiting IG time. It’s just not worth it. Comparing myself to other people and getting all stressed about what I think I should be doing (because of comparisons)…it isn’t worth it.

 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Does anyone else have a problem with parking space possession? We don't have assigned parking spaces at school, but I've been parking in the same spot for years. I park there so my door won't get banged up by other cars. Yesterday I drove in and someone was in my spot! I asked the secretary if she knew whose car it was, and the principal said she thought I got a new car...because that's my spot! I haven't figured it out yet!