~ Hospitality is thriving in Eastern Oregon. Friends have befriended us on long wedding weekends, fed us incredible crepes (or breakfast burritos, depending on the host) and let us share in their home life; here Xander is hugging on his kitty.
~ To be honest, my garden has been ugly this year. Curt tilled the ground, I planted, my son watered, and we all ignored both weeds and fruit (exceptin’ the luscious raspberries). Just. too. busy. Saturday was the first opportunity for….well, you decide: is it redemption or atonement? There were enough tomatoes for a large batch of spaghetti sauce and a large batch of fresh salsa. We’ve been eating Swiss chard. Beans and peas just didn’t grow this year. The beets and butternut squash still need to be harvested.
~ New, fun game to play. I know some girls who are devastatingly good Blokus players. It is now my goal to be able to hold my own against these masterminds. I like this game because it can be enjoyed at different levels of proficiency. My four year old grandson and I had fun just playing with the pieces.
~ Aren’t birthdays a simple pleasure? Because life is a gift. And the best response to a gift is to return thanks. The recent death of our friend Joe (21 years old) in Afghanistan, is a painful, bittersweet reminder to treasure each moment. Today is my birthday and I am thankful to God for the beautiful life He’s given me. For daily mercies. For forgiveness.
Aging has its compensations. Now that my husband is older he is more inclined to snuggle than to bounce right out of bed. There is that.
To start the celebration, I’m bringing a rhubarb-apple-pear cobbler to work.
“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width (*and depth* I would add) of it as well.” ~ Diane Ackerman
A Living Pencil 
Blessed, blessed birthday Carol! May today bring many more simple (and maybe some extraordinary) pleasures to you
Happy Birthday Carol! I hope you have a lovely day.I almost mowed the grassy weeds in my garden yesterday. They were left when I pulled out the corn stalks (we got 2-3 ears of corn total!). But the garden was too wet so I’ll have to mow it later. LOL.
I am so blessed by you, dear friend! Have a wonderful birthday. :)Carrie
And life keeps moving along – tomatoes grow, squashes grow, whether we’re paying attention or not. I’m glad you’ve been faithful, faithful to grow in whatever season you find yourself. You’ve been blessed with a rich life. Happy Birthday.
Oh. My. Goodness!!! I thought it was the 30th! So sorry I didn’t even get a card sent to you on time. Boo! Hoo! Oh, I hope it was a lovely day anyway. But you online, posting photos and a blog at 5:26 a.m.? UH-MAY-ZING!!! Love you!!!
phwew – you’re on the coast – i JUST made it. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!love love love lovestephie
Happy belated birthday. You have the gift of being able to celebrate life’s little pleasures so birthdays are just one more reason to rejoice in God’s goodness at multiple levels.
P.S. I have never heard of Blokus!!! You actually beat me at finding something new out there!!! (Congratulations )
may all blessings continue to flow! happy birthday, Carol!
HAPPY BELATED WISHES OF THE DAY! (the day that was 2 days ago….just extending the birthday joy, yunno?) And thanks for always modeling the joy of all moments, large and small. i really appreciate that about you–