Memory Monday

 Planning ahead. 

This is a photo from our 40th Wedding Anniversary, taken in the backyard of our younger son's home by his next door neighbor. 

She is now our family's official photographer. She is very popular, especially with her newborn and child portraits. 

ANYWAY she occasionally does what she calls mini sessions for a reduced price and I scored one of the slots for spring photos at an arboretum.  I am planning a 50th Anniversary photo shoot.  We were married in the fall but we had fall photos last time and I can't wait for beautiful floral backgrounds to help us look better, lol.

I was scrolling and found a great sale at Macy's - tuxedos for $99.  Does my husband need a tux? Of course not.  Does he want a tux? Of course not. Does it even resemble the white tux he wore for our wedding? Nope - just a normal black tux.  

My youngest granddaughter and my wedding dress when I lent it to a display of antique wedding dresses.  I was the end of the line - 1970's.

I ordered two formal dresses for me since I would have to get to 99 pounds to wear my wedding dress.  Yes, one is white and that is probably the one I will wear because it has some stretch.  

My husband's family at our wedding.  I have also scheduled family pictures in late summer but organizing my five children, four significant others at this point, ten grandchildren, a step granddaughter with a significant other and my husband is challenging.  We ended up with a Sunday morning at sunrise and very casual clothes.  And now one might leave for basic training or college or something and others are hedging.  I have decided we are not going to photoshop and I am waiting until closer to the date and ordering those large heads on sticks for people who cannot attend.  

And this is why I would like to get one nice photo of my husband and me. 

No Kings

Since the last time I attended a protest (MLK weekend) when I ended up in the hospital, Mr Merry decided to accompany me on Saturday. 

Why does he always look handsome and I look homeless?  My head is not made for stocking caps. You would think I would learn.

We actually went down the road 12 miles to the town where my husband graduated high school. They are very red and there were lots of nasty comments on facebook leading up to Saturday. We wanted to be supportive. 

Our friends Rodney (a Viet Nam vet) and Linda. Mr Merry and Rodney both retired from the railroad. And several other railroad retirees joined the line so it was old home week for them! 

This is a great photo of Rodney's flag with our feet underneath and my speaker in the back. We stand at the end because I play 1960's protest songs and don't want to blast people. My speaker plays at the legal level for speakers.  

This is the truck that parked across the street from us and put an air horn on automatic out their window, aimed at us.  This is illegal. We had notified the police department and gotten our permit. The officer was parked around the corner covertly watching us behave. Note, always check your surroundings! 

Someone had taken a photo of us earlier in the afternoon. We had an unofficial headcount of 47 people with 3 counter protesters wearing ironic shirts that said Freedom Protector.  We had lots of support from passing motorists and passersby and the counter protestors were disappointed that they were perceived as part of our group.  Our group was the smallest turnout in all the villages in our county, but hopefully others in the community now know it is safe to join us next time. 

As a reward, we drove another 12 miles to a drive-in for a late lunch. 

And for late supper we drove the other direction for ice cream. The owner was training two new fifteen year old employees and it was interesting and cute. I will say the owner has more patience than I ever imagined.

They did a pretty good job. I am positive this is the first banana split that my employee ever made. I know my cardiologist is thrilled with my diet day.

I ordered new sunglasses for Mr Merry online.  Always chancy, these glasses are perfect with progressive lenses. 

This pair is not his prescription and are not bifocals.  I am attempting an online return. Wish me luck. 

I am having my second, right eye cataract surgery on Tuesday.  I am really looking forward to having matching vision.  My family and especially Mr Merry are not adjusting to Miss Merry without glasses.  I ordered a pair with clear lens and Mr Merry thinks those look funny, too. That is the pair in the top photo.  I have decided maybe I just look funny?

All of our school-aged grandchildren are having spring break during different weeks.  If I get a minute I will share some adventures but I am not sure that is going to happen!  Busy, busy.  I also have a church charity story I want to share.  

Memory Monday

Memory Monday

Easter 1966 with 

my brothers and mother. 

Easter 1984 with my four oldest children and a collection of 

cabbage patch dolls and care bears. 

Baby Brother was born nine months later. 

What do I do with my time?

TJ Max  I did not purchase anything

You may have noticed I keep vanishing. I thought I owed you all an explanation. Mostly I have been lunching, lol. And walking.  I had good intentions this fall and was putting together Christmas gift bags for different groups of friends that I lunch with. I was collecting items and had the bag, I was using lace doilies to line them.  Then I got sick and tired and was too tired to continue. And I just kept cancelling out on invitations and  people and not making doctor appointments. And the bags and items just sat on my dining room table.  

Dishtowels labeled "Age 3 and Up"

Now that I am drugged on cardiac medication, I have rejoined the real world.  

Can you believe I did not purchase these either?

Thursday I went to lunch with my high school friends at the same place that held my latest tea party. They were surprised we were still celebrating Christmas. 

I did not purchase this teapot. 

I should mention I traded my Thursday at Church for Wednesday so I could join them and my last client arrived one minute before we closed so I got to work an extra hour. 

I dd not purchase this coffee pot. 

Friday I was up bright and early so I could go on a Trader Joe trip with my stained glass classmates (our last class was in February of 2020).  They were also surprised to find we were celebrating Christmas. 

Trader Joe's.  I did buy tulips. 

I was home by 11 am so I could go out of town and out to lunch with my daughter. We stopped by Red Lobster. Gosh, those biscuits which are not on my low sodium diet just melt in your mouth. 

Saturday I joined my retired work friends from the library at a pizza restaurant where I ordered chicken gumbo soup.  I know that makes no sense. 

I did not purchase these dishes. 

Monday I am piling in a car with neighbor friends and we are headed to a brunch restaurant. My church board meeting is in the afternoon and my crime podcast club meets in the evening.   

I did not purchase these fabulous faux baked goods.

This is what I dreamed of when I retired. Unfortunately the highlights of the rest of the month are doctor appointments ending with my final cataract surgery on the 31st.  

I did not purchase this adorable set of plates. 

The other thing I do with my time is walk. Almost every day my prison warden track couch asks me if I want to go walk.  I say no.  We go to the indoor track anyway. I am mostly up to 2 miles but not consecutively. We do miss somedays because I am so busy lunching. We walk very very slowly and have to plan around school buses schedules and childcare. And we get tired in the evenings. But we are trying to be consistent and it does take a lot of time.  

I hope you enjoyed the results of my non-shopping trip.  I am being firm with myself about bringing more into this house, especially since Easter dinner has been moved to my youngest daughter's home and we use paper plates. Not that I have parted with my existing Easter dishware, but I am not bringing home more.