Half full

I originally wanted to start by writing that the summer is half over, but instead I decided it’s still half full. Right?

I hope everyone else is enjoying their summer. So far, mine has been quite busy. I cherish all the social events, because I felt like a hermit when I lived in Florida. I haven’t been posting as much, and struggling to get to your blogs.

Let me share with you when it all started back in spring. The photo below shows what happened in our back yard, in May.

We had our rusty-nailed, worn out wooden deck knocked down and replaced with what you see below.

The builders left a little soil along the house for floral landscaping. We didn’t ask for them to do it that way, but they suggested it would look better. Yeah, right. Like I know how to do anything regarding plants. But, I thought I’d give it a try.

I was very excited about how nice it looked that first day, because I had no idea what I was doing. Since I planted it about 5 weeks ago, the daisies aren’t doing so good, but check out my rose bush below!!

The geraniums and begonias (first photo) are doing great, too!

From there, we needed patio furniture. I had a picture in my mind of what I wanted, but I couldn’t find it anywhere in any stores . . . except for Amazon. I didn’t want to order something without seeing it in person first, but a particular table I liked was nowhere else but online. So, I took a chance and ordered it.

Yep, this was how the box was delivered (above). Check out below what we found when we opened it.

Long story short, the broken tiles were in the box, so my husband grouted them back into the table and fixed it. I wrote a review about the issue on Amazon. They removed my review but gave me a discount on the table. I’m in the process of trying to get them to put my review back up.

Sorry the photos aren’t so good. I just took any I could find in my devices.

The below photo is what the patio looks like all filled up with furniture, plus an awning and umbrella to help shade us from the blinding, middle-of-the-day hot sun.

The table and two chairs (chairs bought at Menards) is what I had envisioned. Plus, the table top comes off and becomes a firepit!

After this was accomplished, we took a brief getaway, which wasn’t long enough. We haven’t been able to take a longer vacation due to busyness, and also our dog, Max. He’s aging and it’s getting more difficult for him to get around. We won’t leave him, so he goes with us.

Then, along came Independence Day. Went to see fireworks display with my bff from childhood at the high school where we graduated.

In the meantime, I’ve been cleaning and cooking fresh veggies from my husband’s garden.

And, we had a four-legged visitor while my brother and family went on vacation.

The above photo is a screen shot from a video, that’s why it’s blurred. Max (right) is eleven years old and couldn’t keep up with one-year-old Nessa. We all had a good time visiting.

We’ve also been enjoying outdoor concerts with friends for our favorite ’80’s and ’90’s music. We have another this weekend (Sister Hazel).

Cover band Hi Infidelity

Dennis DeYoung for STYX music

Did I mention that I had the pleasure of meeting a good blogger friend in person? We had a wonderful lunch getting to know each other.

Oh, and I’ve been on yet another nutritional diet. This one is supposed to bring my alkaline into better alignment. My chiropractor thinks it can help with inflammation and my chronic pain.

I wish I had time to write down the philosophical ideas I’ve had for posts, and for my writing, but the busy schedule is a welcome change. It was much lonelier in Florida when my schedule was empty.

So, what have you been up to this summer?