tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32711823005901818902024-03-12T19:05:43.214-04:00House at Forest ManorDenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.comBlogger722125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-21875721968299120602024-02-12T20:27:00.008-05:002024-02-15T10:56:19.195-05:00Valentine's Day With Juliet<center>This year I decided to set a Valentine's Day table with our wedding china, because even though I chose it many years ago, I still love it (just like my husband). 💘💟💕 The last two days here have been totally gloomy with very little sunshine, so the lighting isn't the best for these pictures. In spite of that, I really enjoyed putting this table together, and I hope you enjoy the pictures.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2HZsaHzwSB7DOOqCY2ic5XqyYBMYtsR9l8sZxPQVCGIHPZm-CouIG1n0PQQbfIVDKRE2foFKpyXpyjKssL2ILU8NmnCzDGTGBfZR607S-CkQAlxd7m8rHje5OaO8nX5ixRV68CHAWP8ADSOsNC7us04WDotXChkbzlKzos495dNyW3yg4ypef6Zo0n8/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(89%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2HZsaHzwSB7DOOqCY2ic5XqyYBMYtsR9l8sZxPQVCGIHPZm-CouIG1n0PQQbfIVDKRE2foFKpyXpyjKssL2ILU8NmnCzDGTGBfZR607S-CkQAlxd7m8rHje5OaO8nX5ixRV68CHAWP8ADSOsNC7us04WDotXChkbzlKzos495dNyW3yg4ypef6Zo0n8/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(89%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center> <span><a name='more'></a></span> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwty4kDKsbh0xU-jzXAYl2JMrTAx2GADGKncSw7eJg_yLIvgVcp9iL5K-O46anlz-F65VAJdDaRhk5bBPUbVSYuTIBu4_qQodecAAwK8NXlCJRZuHIftqOpwp7loY5hvzy2XKLYZD4ophOwrm-OLFWZO_xMxbsycAwEhHifPsVEchveWT9Om5uxfQaI-4/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(3%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwty4kDKsbh0xU-jzXAYl2JMrTAx2GADGKncSw7eJg_yLIvgVcp9iL5K-O46anlz-F65VAJdDaRhk5bBPUbVSYuTIBu4_qQodecAAwK8NXlCJRZuHIftqOpwp7loY5hvzy2XKLYZD4ophOwrm-OLFWZO_xMxbsycAwEhHifPsVEchveWT9Om5uxfQaI-4/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(3%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Perhaps you noticed the two wine glasses sitting at the end of the table (above) instead of at their respective place settings? Once again, I got ahead of myself and forgot to double-check the table before I started snapping pictures. Then, of course, I had to go back and re-take several photos. Sigh.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHkIVegPt52MKuvOjCAt8y1_SfR2Rr47cGVNXBqQ3YkhR3IA6dX54h-KtnuHAHpzmC9pVVPNEq9Ds_L_wSfxVYbus38OuQpXbaY_qeiULMtqF4TacghOn8LPqkXy7WP7OAzlMr8p4u2nMlJV0Wg4bMg0TOO7OblZBZjscs2H5WoEFKwU_DxP0bNOzqT0/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(25%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHkIVegPt52MKuvOjCAt8y1_SfR2Rr47cGVNXBqQ3YkhR3IA6dX54h-KtnuHAHpzmC9pVVPNEq9Ds_L_wSfxVYbus38OuQpXbaY_qeiULMtqF4TacghOn8LPqkXy7WP7OAzlMr8p4u2nMlJV0Wg4bMg0TOO7OblZBZjscs2H5WoEFKwU_DxP0bNOzqT0/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(25%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>The dishes are "Juliet" by Royal Doulton, and we received these in 1987, the year we were married. Most of you have seen these before; I'm not someone who has umpteen sets of dishes, so I tend to re-use what I have. The crystal is "French Cathedral" by Gorham, also in our wedding registry. I placed a vintage-looking Valentine card at each place setting for added color and interest. These are "Punch Studio" cards, one of my favorite card and paper companies, and I bought them at our local Barnes & Noble four years ago.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QolX_XPmHnMVh7hgrnbyHHVw4h73GLeeXVG8gQz79hagJehgW-OSAl1rgQ_WdgwFgK2JZR9L5nB0REPELUlUmnunuWaQvQPqf8LYceOCJ9CUMzakKPE2Y9YnjhofnZ7HwL2qssqgEEzSI6nbwxlxEuYga0z3jGIaOY7uouPC699ZDtH5tammq8xcbU4/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(31%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QolX_XPmHnMVh7hgrnbyHHVw4h73GLeeXVG8gQz79hagJehgW-OSAl1rgQ_WdgwFgK2JZR9L5nB0REPELUlUmnunuWaQvQPqf8LYceOCJ9CUMzakKPE2Y9YnjhofnZ7HwL2qssqgEEzSI6nbwxlxEuYga0z3jGIaOY7uouPC699ZDtH5tammq8xcbU4/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(31%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />These were a box of cards, and each card is a different design. I love that they also have some blue mixed in, since it accents the blue in my dishes.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0CfBoApViLnAhSbmJ5gpU2J9rGzEqs5Zf6df1P9MBwmJ94kbOsu4CRaDfUnoKuyEYZ1oS0F_60roXnE6qYuS_iCuo7Ru9Cr4_tsUK7HWuJZlk3Ssvmc1lifNUjJjc7tXQNnwawzfYRcXEhmS-kUka6vCO2lqldfz_RStjS4sl1cMpGvqrndDfdzsqyo/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(99%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0CfBoApViLnAhSbmJ5gpU2J9rGzEqs5Zf6df1P9MBwmJ94kbOsu4CRaDfUnoKuyEYZ1oS0F_60roXnE6qYuS_iCuo7Ru9Cr4_tsUK7HWuJZlk3Ssvmc1lifNUjJjc7tXQNnwawzfYRcXEhmS-kUka6vCO2lqldfz_RStjS4sl1cMpGvqrndDfdzsqyo/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(99%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center>I began with these vintage crocheted placemats, belonging to my mom. I like lace for Valentine's Day, so I was very excited to get these placemats for our table. Thank you, Mom! The sterling is International Silver, "Grande Regency", and was passed down to us from my mother-in-law. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKuR4Sku1vjf7SVVOSrX0mNNxXLZz3A8LQKmmes7VGePfNgyiDp09OLy3b2ZGixGQwy_ULJpfeeBadoZv8Vh0Tot8ENFsr71RxuEhEoQOts8qHcTlSjPh2QUaWgO95rkuokJrG0JoCO3KuOg6gOHDUvhPTQzQMMpM34_qrxu0IaJNSsOBTTitPq7eepA/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(176%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKuR4Sku1vjf7SVVOSrX0mNNxXLZz3A8LQKmmes7VGePfNgyiDp09OLy3b2ZGixGQwy_ULJpfeeBadoZv8Vh0Tot8ENFsr71RxuEhEoQOts8qHcTlSjPh2QUaWgO95rkuokJrG0JoCO3KuOg6gOHDUvhPTQzQMMpM34_qrxu0IaJNSsOBTTitPq7eepA/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(176%20of%20191).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /> Pink velvet ribbon was used in place of napkin rings on the napkins. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoT6Ne5XjFjhWuyV5DERKZAqH6lXaAQ1vWi600TxX5WMfH1XbHComi25tBhKvuQiQ-6cANTlgZkRT0DrWabWEE5ALed7rWQLTYCKtALcEzzVe8auFvaSXv75YeI-xv-Taqfo5eJUZiPk9rZY9KSjMt_0zg3Q86Lwwp34UC4TgUUf7756daGzzn7KiDX4/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(26%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoT6Ne5XjFjhWuyV5DERKZAqH6lXaAQ1vWi600TxX5WMfH1XbHComi25tBhKvuQiQ-6cANTlgZkRT0DrWabWEE5ALed7rWQLTYCKtALcEzzVe8auFvaSXv75YeI-xv-Taqfo5eJUZiPk9rZY9KSjMt_0zg3Q86Lwwp34UC4TgUUf7756daGzzn7KiDX4/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(26%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>I like to use roses with these dishes when I can find the right color, since roses are featured on the china pattern. These miniature roses came from Trader Joe's; I've never used mini roses on a table before, and I just love these. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESphFcCR9kJ9qLQDrDg_JPGbVIOynlfmTdCbO2res3sEnVUSaippk9dFtupBwqAH4kuyLZpJlWfCT85nzzaZavryM2OpEhhZLtYVecCyubbR8RHvycY3P8Fou_j757ZPGjjOXtLg0W1eGC2Sd8PyhdX528Y8PoipfnRqbiN6zObjmXuOIa7djfchwY5s/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(40%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESphFcCR9kJ9qLQDrDg_JPGbVIOynlfmTdCbO2res3sEnVUSaippk9dFtupBwqAH4kuyLZpJlWfCT85nzzaZavryM2OpEhhZLtYVecCyubbR8RHvycY3P8Fou_j757ZPGjjOXtLg0W1eGC2Sd8PyhdX528Y8PoipfnRqbiN6zObjmXuOIa7djfchwY5s/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(40%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPa944TZzwFzE0n3o16mvASMtG6RGd6-QuJgiTiAyb17G94lVHPhRtfA717MA4TB70jvqZxrFDqXgjs3hUJwBix3QbeAlubgyvkDJWE7dJEP65NyU_PgfTjaWS8lVLtmWkJayFXKX9GnaRFkRDwQAmIafQAObn0l7ic_JNO6VwBYDGJ34jEREzj6q6_zI/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(41%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPa944TZzwFzE0n3o16mvASMtG6RGd6-QuJgiTiAyb17G94lVHPhRtfA717MA4TB70jvqZxrFDqXgjs3hUJwBix3QbeAlubgyvkDJWE7dJEP65NyU_PgfTjaWS8lVLtmWkJayFXKX9GnaRFkRDwQAmIafQAObn0l7ic_JNO6VwBYDGJ34jEREzj6q6_zI/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(41%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJh-o5UB1A-u6REtWdxgUOJFX0lDfNQYupmoD0s8dUvQT-BaJMBIQegenCKbX6MfPhLe8dKHF9c-KuV6cFNfGf3KzibbxaDWG1xi7WrhyqOOk0xFh1r9BbZoDq9M8JR-xeoYqFHIXDhFdeuFwge-_XoqOZPMrwOFMdIuToK7H7NoLcnrgZyU5JYLzILI/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(43%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJh-o5UB1A-u6REtWdxgUOJFX0lDfNQYupmoD0s8dUvQT-BaJMBIQegenCKbX6MfPhLe8dKHF9c-KuV6cFNfGf3KzibbxaDWG1xi7WrhyqOOk0xFh1r9BbZoDq9M8JR-xeoYqFHIXDhFdeuFwge-_XoqOZPMrwOFMdIuToK7H7NoLcnrgZyU5JYLzILI/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(43%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>And the other two cards --</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCma-L_2ERcEWU5_s_DbYEoN4noKngY73ekilj4Sqz2uHfDMpkE7uRL3l-6kmq_oJ9-EPWMXRBHTPAeWCoKeSfD-HcUeH-DGpGq3dW8qeUAWARtKtLW9aslmxuxkxems3MvW2RCb4uqnohOPghfe9yhTgNs6OUXvnp7feOstSmvmYtz5OTNS6gUxGtWQ/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(50%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCma-L_2ERcEWU5_s_DbYEoN4noKngY73ekilj4Sqz2uHfDMpkE7uRL3l-6kmq_oJ9-EPWMXRBHTPAeWCoKeSfD-HcUeH-DGpGq3dW8qeUAWARtKtLW9aslmxuxkxems3MvW2RCb4uqnohOPghfe9yhTgNs6OUXvnp7feOstSmvmYtz5OTNS6gUxGtWQ/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(50%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOomOtc58xmFsv9SO_B7Tnsv4yBfgWrEyljb3wPYNySqfNRMqQJoU_1bdvVz43DjDaPw8AV9VHJHrIoFWODHC3QygTauW1vOYyAbxHiOCVti6ScWiCfaI9H2FTavu00YGdYYhpOE13M_iZCjmuhNpb1OG8WJJGn2HB8pLQnPmducU4W9gz2-dWHUYsOzc/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(64%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOomOtc58xmFsv9SO_B7Tnsv4yBfgWrEyljb3wPYNySqfNRMqQJoU_1bdvVz43DjDaPw8AV9VHJHrIoFWODHC3QygTauW1vOYyAbxHiOCVti6ScWiCfaI9H2FTavu00YGdYYhpOE13M_iZCjmuhNpb1OG8WJJGn2HB8pLQnPmducU4W9gz2-dWHUYsOzc/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(64%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />On Saturday, Hal surprised me with these handmade chocolates,</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHUBDLv4zFkr8pGOrjhhrF5V6wqvRkTuW6RDlqLccm6dkjQMHYKbnjX6VN95vcgQzonud-0H-9N37VEPBWyhGkUbjzL2bx1ZD0IO6K8GyUBLJADgKw9KOaBO6MtqMgJpDHQn2jpJhpGzJdpC-tu4ZILdkSlW1DMDLpJG8TfGaEkT1yW_a3KHRY17rkec/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(62%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHUBDLv4zFkr8pGOrjhhrF5V6wqvRkTuW6RDlqLccm6dkjQMHYKbnjX6VN95vcgQzonud-0H-9N37VEPBWyhGkUbjzL2bx1ZD0IO6K8GyUBLJADgKw9KOaBO6MtqMgJpDHQn2jpJhpGzJdpC-tu4ZILdkSlW1DMDLpJG8TfGaEkT1yW_a3KHRY17rkec/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(62%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />from L. A. Burdick. Ironically, I had just been reading about these chocolatiers on another blog last Friday but had not mentioned it to Hal. I couldn't believe it when he gave me these the next day. These are definitely for a special occasion!</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-W_XK5xU4nYeIeQmjc4qXKYPKPaPv8s6tGYBuAy5cAMt-e9W-vvJWp6DUGQJxfqmcJ42QML7KkOFUaMEabOBxnLX49_A_3DjQxUl0e3V3Pta4QFzMlkLX-Mg1wnhDdL01OgOH2xEP5f2ZvN3GQs6T1jXgrorCyTPV7YgeFjgpY4DoQnkHWAlqhcsfWs/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(69%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-W_XK5xU4nYeIeQmjc4qXKYPKPaPv8s6tGYBuAy5cAMt-e9W-vvJWp6DUGQJxfqmcJ42QML7KkOFUaMEabOBxnLX49_A_3DjQxUl0e3V3Pta4QFzMlkLX-Mg1wnhDdL01OgOH2xEP5f2ZvN3GQs6T1jXgrorCyTPV7YgeFjgpY4DoQnkHWAlqhcsfWs/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(69%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>One of their signature candies are these little chocolate mice. Is this not adorable?! There was one white chocolate mouse and two brown ones in the box, but the dark ones were harder to photograph. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JsNR_F8M2AapEkIYsnkchSxhd94C-8F_KsJb25Y3ieHxMJOZYMhklu1fw1NkcTwUucX_-4S6av6q715UWzB6Npwceraol4F6CMHGivrPhLuoe2N6tKSk5CgjM_cJXjmJbmZTK1o7dph7ljO8H-eE145XFaktSdO5etJpERlTvTssu2kn7Rqr9_RsIec/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(83%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JsNR_F8M2AapEkIYsnkchSxhd94C-8F_KsJb25Y3ieHxMJOZYMhklu1fw1NkcTwUucX_-4S6av6q715UWzB6Npwceraol4F6CMHGivrPhLuoe2N6tKSk5CgjM_cJXjmJbmZTK1o7dph7ljO8H-eE145XFaktSdO5etJpERlTvTssu2kn7Rqr9_RsIec/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(83%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Since I only had three mice, I put a heart-shaped chocolate on the fourth bread plate. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Uv52IM-uVGP8pQLJNkrAtQhBVwRGXZbhrqj4MQUNzi-JClzHPYFx3TI5fjLeDrFQ1WI3H5f380eLnLR5g4Mmkf9_U6OzOXIAQppcm4O2qXgQdaBAkztB3JcTuwzeWlUTnvQmPVE9vJpXlzZCkOIt6FNoxdbf7jfZhBWTqVfd6D2Y4DGC9enZWhOtQ7A/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(162%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Uv52IM-uVGP8pQLJNkrAtQhBVwRGXZbhrqj4MQUNzi-JClzHPYFx3TI5fjLeDrFQ1WI3H5f380eLnLR5g4Mmkf9_U6OzOXIAQppcm4O2qXgQdaBAkztB3JcTuwzeWlUTnvQmPVE9vJpXlzZCkOIt6FNoxdbf7jfZhBWTqVfd6D2Y4DGC9enZWhOtQ7A/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(162%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Yesterday evening, I took some candlelight photos while the hubs was watching the Super Bowl. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYAA6EgVu3xx-AZ4GlIzx-ksjd-ktddoMQCJ1yut9DzG6Vm1Qlf5Esjbh3p3TPSkhSmQb6_Ee_KdumpYip60tDfKUpy4yGtaKKnXn7tUQZDhrR4MogM3Fe63QO0qFiMPvaQCVokO_RzBE7MuaA-IV6IBNOEb4pfklsit9e1Q0HyBjeqnZyndy5rxUf4E/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(160%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYAA6EgVu3xx-AZ4GlIzx-ksjd-ktddoMQCJ1yut9DzG6Vm1Qlf5Esjbh3p3TPSkhSmQb6_Ee_KdumpYip60tDfKUpy4yGtaKKnXn7tUQZDhrR4MogM3Fe63QO0qFiMPvaQCVokO_RzBE7MuaA-IV6IBNOEb4pfklsit9e1Q0HyBjeqnZyndy5rxUf4E/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(160%20of%20191).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4x5ugtQpzngRcm6cO8BEckYjmWBqZwFgfAAr84G4SoAIe7ld3Fk3yLMxRZwsrHVeokbGeBPnCV0h8j71HSAxiJk5bObPO8QvRFmkT15R04PAVu4NyS4vhf3vbvool10IPM1Gh4Y09VE0JcZp-jVnfJsmgYxZppgQz38LtxXfzK7k_N2Pc7LP0aNCUUU/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(144%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4x5ugtQpzngRcm6cO8BEckYjmWBqZwFgfAAr84G4SoAIe7ld3Fk3yLMxRZwsrHVeokbGeBPnCV0h8j71HSAxiJk5bObPO8QvRFmkT15R04PAVu4NyS4vhf3vbvool10IPM1Gh4Y09VE0JcZp-jVnfJsmgYxZppgQz38LtxXfzK7k_N2Pc7LP0aNCUUU/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(144%20of%20191).jpg" width="426" /></a></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJ5urwEuowyozquxcEff5LY5PqoYa4sxov9XTUKCDyQVOQIjgx2IClrQVeexw-TLSzHX_yg2dbIpGYWfaHdjcNlFoHcDfINMGnm9aelbLzBt1IilYkysF-ErnRAqBasOIw0VPM8OXen6oDMprDeKEZ8xRVbCSaY3e3ziuDVpcg_X5Ys4pIe9bY2fubQM/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(188%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJ5urwEuowyozquxcEff5LY5PqoYa4sxov9XTUKCDyQVOQIjgx2IClrQVeexw-TLSzHX_yg2dbIpGYWfaHdjcNlFoHcDfINMGnm9aelbLzBt1IilYkysF-ErnRAqBasOIw0VPM8OXen6oDMprDeKEZ8xRVbCSaY3e3ziuDVpcg_X5Ys4pIe9bY2fubQM/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(188%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhIVwTtSABSUxe3i9onFbEAyLh38CmWFW5PeGwF1sj20m735LK1n9l3obi3Mi9ooxg9OkkdyKUm5knxYAQmf37gJBlPu_4ub2oN5DHJX9qc_WmMKIJ3g4SH53NnRc4Uprn9DeHjtD3IUCk9VvanEzomFLrtm-NwOecuttmtncY0EjlK7eKL5Rry8RvY0/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(180%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhIVwTtSABSUxe3i9onFbEAyLh38CmWFW5PeGwF1sj20m735LK1n9l3obi3Mi9ooxg9OkkdyKUm5knxYAQmf37gJBlPu_4ub2oN5DHJX9qc_WmMKIJ3g4SH53NnRc4Uprn9DeHjtD3IUCk9VvanEzomFLrtm-NwOecuttmtncY0EjlK7eKL5Rry8RvY0/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(180%20of%20191).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8M1wgSC7MGBKBh9m0mZe13qUqDKbjNtkrNsCFODsucGDB11JUS8f-14CimGH7eARrLohkSynOksRAGhQBUBPWFwjOxsvy2gvkQbEi9nBDBsWjxG5KmwJQCbWaOmkVS6WkpAp2idcxJxEo4c5lLSi7WSLrFcSGgul-Aa04H2l_EybfHF2SCvGQknjNGVs/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(184%20of%20191).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8M1wgSC7MGBKBh9m0mZe13qUqDKbjNtkrNsCFODsucGDB11JUS8f-14CimGH7eARrLohkSynOksRAGhQBUBPWFwjOxsvy2gvkQbEi9nBDBsWjxG5KmwJQCbWaOmkVS6WkpAp2idcxJxEo4c5lLSi7WSLrFcSGgul-Aa04H2l_EybfHF2SCvGQknjNGVs/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Valentine%20Tablescape%20(184%20of%20191).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Thank you so much for visiting! Do you have any plans for February 14th? Either way, I hope you enjoy your day. I'll be joining some other dish lovers at <i><a href="https://betweennapsontheporch.net/2-beautiful-valentines-day-tables-one-created-by-a-loving-hubby-one-thats-budget-friendly/">Between Naps on the Porch </a></i>for <a href="https://betweennapsontheporch.net/2-beautiful-valentines-day-tables-one-created-by-a-loving-hubby-one-thats-budget-friendly/">"Tablescape Thursday"</a>. </center><center> </center><center>Have a great week!</center><center><br /></center><center> </center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-3608535260336073842024-02-06T22:46:00.001-05:002024-02-11T10:53:14.120-05:002024 Winter Products<center>Hi folks. On occasion, I have shared some fun finds here that bring us pleasure in our home. I'm not affiliated with any of these products, nor do I receive any compensation for talking about them on my blog. These are just things I'm enjoying at the moment and thought you might be interested in them, too. </center><center> </center><center>First thing I wanted to share is this new-to-us milk we purchased this week at our local grocery store. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpYSLQo0VX7JQLk2k6U2DLJiU-WTuVQLldoa0BEhF12TBmugmKPG7QlePcNbYvixtvnKtcYqe_rBlKjKA6mxHhyK2FvMw7TYigFrRdJrrDzs_C6AccqSxWyh7BcmEEpHLPbnrs30XVRDTkYP2Eg8N0M5wuWEg53toZ_u2cLRsXy3LkRY8VqafLt_Xzj4/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(6%20of%2040).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="2000" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUpYSLQo0VX7JQLk2k6U2DLJiU-WTuVQLldoa0BEhF12TBmugmKPG7QlePcNbYvixtvnKtcYqe_rBlKjKA6mxHhyK2FvMw7TYigFrRdJrrDzs_C6AccqSxWyh7BcmEEpHLPbnrs30XVRDTkYP2Eg8N0M5wuWEg53toZ_u2cLRsXy3LkRY8VqafLt_Xzj4/w640-h378/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(6%20of%2040).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://www.homesteadcreameryinc.com/" style="text-align: left;">Homestead Creamery</a><span style="text-align: left;"> is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. We actually bought some of their eggnog during the holidays, and it was </span><i style="text-align: left;">delicious! </i><span style="text-align: left;">I kept some of the bottles (they were quart size) and gave a few to my sister and niece because they love farmhouse decor. Then I realized we had eggnog bottles from last year (I had washed them in the dishwasher and put them in a closet) so we returned the remaining bottles for a cash refund of $3.00 per bottle. I expect we would get more for this milk bottle, as it's a half-gallon size. The milk is 2% milkfat, and we normally drink 1%. We used to drink 1/2%, but they stopped making it apparently. I was a little worried this milk would taste too "creamy" to us, but it is delicious. I mostly just use it for cereal or oatmeal, so I'm not too worried about the extra milkfat. After drinking this milk, it honestly made me feel like our other milk had a synthetic taste. I feel sure this brand is more expensive than the store brand we've been drinking for years, but I'm hoping the refund from returning the bottles will mostly offset the difference in price. </span></center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_YJiGRKmOZxx017udmAXDKOAvPQfKoQci1J9QyItEDOIskOqTIr850ccSLl5KVADBsVumpBbjnJD6QDJt8hRIt3CViJL6Zu4yoBJeqF1SsWDHT1atws123XXyoRLxdGeExRFnUaMMvEhM9MV1dMgmi3G1Sf7Wg-GBg1fcD83ln2tBcznoawr3bzI3aM/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(14%20of%2040).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_YJiGRKmOZxx017udmAXDKOAvPQfKoQci1J9QyItEDOIskOqTIr850ccSLl5KVADBsVumpBbjnJD6QDJt8hRIt3CViJL6Zu4yoBJeqF1SsWDHT1atws123XXyoRLxdGeExRFnUaMMvEhM9MV1dMgmi3G1Sf7Wg-GBg1fcD83ln2tBcznoawr3bzI3aM/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(14%20of%2040).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center><span style="text-align: left;">When we traveled to England back in 1999, we stayed at a hotel in the country. We had our own suite with a kitchen on the lower floor. The day we arrived, there were bottles of milk in the refrigerator; I had not seen bottled milk since I was a child, when we got our milk from the milkman. I was so excited! 😊 I would be happy to return the glass bottles for all beverages if companies would give up plastic and go back to glass; it's so much better for the environment. Even though we are faithful about recycling, I have my doubts about how much plastic actually gets recycled. </span></center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dUemvQgZp_q63Go05WjmTHI9SaJgGVMbLcI8epqRkw318ZmfXl9e_9D-8ZbD2IaX7m_hcsZEENFveOkyFdLukYSoDDao9wPULqvHM1NVGtmxOrjxGGfhCZ_QFK4wH2H3Cf_P7bJhVI8LL90P0yW4-cQtmzrlugMl6Bv2U7bNgiQj2YAgi2FBBei221Y/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(11%20of%2040).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dUemvQgZp_q63Go05WjmTHI9SaJgGVMbLcI8epqRkw318ZmfXl9e_9D-8ZbD2IaX7m_hcsZEENFveOkyFdLukYSoDDao9wPULqvHM1NVGtmxOrjxGGfhCZ_QFK4wH2H3Cf_P7bJhVI8LL90P0yW4-cQtmzrlugMl6Bv2U7bNgiQj2YAgi2FBBei221Y/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(11%20of%2040).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> I've also been eating oatmeal for breakfast, and these <a href="https://www.bobsredmill.com/shop/oats.html">Bob's Red Mill</a> rolled oats are the best I've ever had. Hal thinks so, too. We grew up eating Quaker Oats, and these are just better. They have a creamier texture and thicker consistency, and I like them better than steel cut oats. We purchased the oats at our local grocery store, but they are available on Amazon, and probably all over the U.S. I'm not sure about the milk; it might just be available in this region. I feel sure there are lots of other small dairies out there these days, so check your local stores and farmer's market if you're interested. </center><center> </center><center>My mom wanted some wind chimes for Christmas, and after we purchased hers, I liked them so much that Hal got some for me. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9meeyhp0ysNSp_FXwy4KXOVUmgHldjz9OWuv-GzJEXMKRqCslwmmtlqeoYC9o2dFoSdmEoM-PRuxay1WixprHLUEfrNb5p6bzabdr1V457yuQyJibp9WQKnHln5qWob9IjDnFpoc9_MfGRvrcyxxvErejY-vyUrqitZn_pQySub3btv_4KH8G9z4QrKk/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(5%20of%2040).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9meeyhp0ysNSp_FXwy4KXOVUmgHldjz9OWuv-GzJEXMKRqCslwmmtlqeoYC9o2dFoSdmEoM-PRuxay1WixprHLUEfrNb5p6bzabdr1V457yuQyJibp9WQKnHln5qWob9IjDnFpoc9_MfGRvrcyxxvErejY-vyUrqitZn_pQySub3btv_4KH8G9z4QrKk/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(5%20of%2040).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />These are "Corinthian Bells" chimes, made by <a href="https://windriverchimes.com/">Wind River Chimes</a>, also in Virginia. They are made in the USA using USA-sourced materials. We are so impressed with these wind chimes; they have such a melodious sound. They're really attractive, too. I got the green color for my mom, and Hal got copper vein for me. The aluminum-alloy tubes are powder-coated, making them more resilient to weather over the years. </center><center><br /></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiRLHoXFbpVfXsWOdjCvoFX0wtxlS2bzdT7NKqkKFNddoUw26bDewNg87MFIyJtZqxonZyOQsOni9Tn2B9f5_dhQXUV5QSle03PZRlSnV7wGhwDZan19fP_7o_uV4ysbXtUgpmrsxAyeM3FxVPOE8NXYwmpiIhMKzcoqzp54Pgt1Pc9kpNgkAwajqLTk/s1162/Denise-Pictures-2026.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="1153" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiRLHoXFbpVfXsWOdjCvoFX0wtxlS2bzdT7NKqkKFNddoUw26bDewNg87MFIyJtZqxonZyOQsOni9Tn2B9f5_dhQXUV5QSle03PZRlSnV7wGhwDZan19fP_7o_uV4ysbXtUgpmrsxAyeM3FxVPOE8NXYwmpiIhMKzcoqzp54Pgt1Pc9kpNgkAwajqLTk/w636-h640/Denise-Pictures-2026.jpg" width="636" /></a></div><br /><center><span style="text-align: left;">According to the website, these are hand-tuned to the scale of "C". We got the 27-inch chimes, which are also the smallest size (as these are not inexpensive). You can order them on the company website, and they also sell them on Amazon. We ordered directly from the company and were very pleased with the quick delivery.</span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3i2Cz32WnqxZB76aHpmq2swVA0tfVczt_kaQk5mSh7GeCZTOj8KrgzobzukYMb7KCD1WkHxYYUqGX-Pw1suKVCOjid6p49wQUvBiVBizwGUI7-7gwL2tiw6Y27X68WbIUgMl6wLvur6wAiM52FOCA2cYfUJrgSLFF17Q1iZkZBNHb-CzamdyRbVK2hQ/s764/297230_35371_41.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="665" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3i2Cz32WnqxZB76aHpmq2swVA0tfVczt_kaQk5mSh7GeCZTOj8KrgzobzukYMb7KCD1WkHxYYUqGX-Pw1suKVCOjid6p49wQUvBiVBizwGUI7-7gwL2tiw6Y27X68WbIUgMl6wLvur6wAiM52FOCA2cYfUJrgSLFF17Q1iZkZBNHb-CzamdyRbVK2hQ/w558-h640/297230_35371_41.jpg" width="558" /></a></div>We had a few nights in January when the temps. dropped into the low to mid-teens. I woke up on one of those really cold nights, and Hal had all the cover on his side of the bed, not for the first time, I might add. 😠 I <i>might have </i>mentioned this the next morning (also not for the first time) and in a few days, we received <a href="https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/89234?page=wicked-cozy-blanket-twin&bc=31-131&feat=131-GN1&csp=f&attrValue_0=459&pos=25">this new blanket</a> in the mail. Problem solved, since we also got a king-size blanket for our queen-sized bed. This blanket is really warm, and it's so lightweight. I think Hal was skeptical at first that it would be warm enough since we took our other blankets off the bed, but we were not disappointed. I would highly recommend it for people living in colder climates than ours. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVTjormVv91KpuZ1mByCRNDk4WrhBhIZkzGQ3RAokHtznyERf9Z6Ae-NA5m4nwmE4jzlL8skL0q08PoeGO52N77cmgk83w4IZxJV4IATdxbqmsOmecO4SspFq3NH0ZVdGZOCxHPOD0fWbQ-cpnAyxRiB8s7iAHEa_7iSY_Lg4OXTqQe8ZUbsitXzuljM/s1724/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(24%20of%2040).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1724" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVTjormVv91KpuZ1mByCRNDk4WrhBhIZkzGQ3RAokHtznyERf9Z6Ae-NA5m4nwmE4jzlL8skL0q08PoeGO52N77cmgk83w4IZxJV4IATdxbqmsOmecO4SspFq3NH0ZVdGZOCxHPOD0fWbQ-cpnAyxRiB8s7iAHEa_7iSY_Lg4OXTqQe8ZUbsitXzuljM/w640-h494/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(24%20of%2040).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />There are two candles I'm burning this winter, and our son actually gave us both of them last Christmas (2022). This one has a Christmas picture on the tin, but I consider it an all-around winter candle. It smells wonderful!! This is the first time I've tried a soy wax candle, and I think I'll go with these from now on. I am highly sensitive to certain fragrances and chemical smells such as those found in so many household cleaners. I even have to be really particular about liquid hand soaps, lotions, etc. I've had some scented candles in the past that I just couldn't tolerate. This particular candle has a nice, mild cinnamon scent -- just perfect for me. </center><center><br /></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ebLM-Qqxfap8nGvP3NekTpKBpa_S3JlsPQw1uTzGGDUyQkL3XdHluVJ0mrNtkOEgB4x-RnrWVRH9AhFEm1q-zk_Da4iNsAxlbi-L9-C_V40LZ3bsxjutb2nlIBMLCs4smptoREeR2OMGuRxwn8cmQQSQBrcBZzKe9zWbWjTRa6eot8-K2m_3Mhi_Nk8/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(25%20of%2040).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ebLM-Qqxfap8nGvP3NekTpKBpa_S3JlsPQw1uTzGGDUyQkL3XdHluVJ0mrNtkOEgB4x-RnrWVRH9AhFEm1q-zk_Da4iNsAxlbi-L9-C_V40LZ3bsxjutb2nlIBMLCs4smptoREeR2OMGuRxwn8cmQQSQBrcBZzKe9zWbWjTRa6eot8-K2m_3Mhi_Nk8/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(25%20of%2040).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center><span style="text-align: left;">The brand is </span><a href="https://paddywax.com/" style="text-align: left;">Paddywax</a><span style="text-align: left;">, and I looked at their website a few weeks ago. They, also, are not inexpensive, but I can splurge now and then for a nice candle. I will probably try one of their floral scents for spring and summer. These are also available on Amazon, if you prefer shopping there.</span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28A6dv4R9Ij0Bb7D4qoORRrYUIaKwOW_JdS3KpZElCtY1TCiKRdzSrkAt0y_HBPxB3t5PwCrfEujOlsxsU5rVFWzL4WNr48fkX94lfCwaseMdZSCgH_LzqMXwGBuyMt2s10Hg3DEORUNR4_SqjmruSjH3ciN54o-m8GLwGFvRTEKSrqqKqM-hR2iLo80/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(30%20of%2040).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28A6dv4R9Ij0Bb7D4qoORRrYUIaKwOW_JdS3KpZElCtY1TCiKRdzSrkAt0y_HBPxB3t5PwCrfEujOlsxsU5rVFWzL4WNr48fkX94lfCwaseMdZSCgH_LzqMXwGBuyMt2s10Hg3DEORUNR4_SqjmruSjH3ciN54o-m8GLwGFvRTEKSrqqKqM-hR2iLo80/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(30%20of%2040).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">This is the candle I'm burning right now -- <a href="https://northernlightscandles.com/collections/spirits/products/spirit-jar-bourbon-spice">Northern Lights "Bourbon & Spice"</a>. This one is also a winner; it has a very pleasing scent, and it looks nice in our den. Hal appreciates the masculine look of the container. 😉 </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeyFNfCJMsmm8lf_rbC3dr_Fa4BToYKAuCicN9DTjf6iubk26SQkmanKH7sM1QbegJFmNy9wnkESgmFtYzUAzMDAwJRnl-Z5aQXyh1kH5VXxdFzZ2jXnBT4MOPNNxtxiXc2DUFRcAY-VnwzX1zDnm5I0RgthELwISSSO6NUPRXc7fC4ai5wztjfy4x4Y/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(40%20of%2040).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeyFNfCJMsmm8lf_rbC3dr_Fa4BToYKAuCicN9DTjf6iubk26SQkmanKH7sM1QbegJFmNy9wnkESgmFtYzUAzMDAwJRnl-Z5aQXyh1kH5VXxdFzZ2jXnBT4MOPNNxtxiXc2DUFRcAY-VnwzX1zDnm5I0RgthELwISSSO6NUPRXc7fC4ai5wztjfy4x4Y/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(40%20of%2040).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">For the last thing in this post, here's a book you may be interested in.</span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UszpHhO_6-Aqh02uTk-IQwfCbVbF3MnRzU1wSZDcf5zs1DExS74QC7xtcB7GkFYx0Yx51QonwkiQTGnaVuARui4iBN26n3p_X-p6SaBdiryfYHkQ_lmJK_kpedwDH8XdXTvjYg_YutXhWmg-8eBzxprYOGzJz6QOCHPJrwg0AalCH68GLC8DbpcVo4c/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(18%20of%2040).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UszpHhO_6-Aqh02uTk-IQwfCbVbF3MnRzU1wSZDcf5zs1DExS74QC7xtcB7GkFYx0Yx51QonwkiQTGnaVuARui4iBN26n3p_X-p6SaBdiryfYHkQ_lmJK_kpedwDH8XdXTvjYg_YutXhWmg-8eBzxprYOGzJz6QOCHPJrwg0AalCH68GLC8DbpcVo4c/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Winter%20Products%20(18%20of%2040).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">Janine Marsh and her husband are British ex-pats who purchased a derelict farmhouse and moved to France two decades ago. She has a blog and a free online magazine, <i><a href="https://thegoodlifefrance.com/">The Good Life France</a>, </i>where she shares her travels throughout the diverse country of France, as well as French recipes, celebrations, fashion, etc. I think her blog and magazine are <i>really good, </i>and I subscribe to her newsletter. Janine previously wrote three books about her experiences in France, which I read about a year ago. You can find those books listed on her website. I purchased the latest book, <i>How To Be French, </i>after Christmas last month. I'm enjoying it so far; it has some lovely photos of France, and my only complaint -- the print is tiny. Yikes! Even with my reading glasses, it's a bit of a challenge. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;">So that's all for this post. Are you having a good winter? I'd love to know if you've used any of these products/brands. Thanks so much for your visit and have a great week! </span></center><center> </center><center> </center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-90465391724034108922024-02-01T00:29:00.004-05:002024-02-01T13:01:11.030-05:00A Winter Tablescape<center>Hello there! Happy February to you. 😊 I set a winter tablescape this January, thinking that I would try to set more pretty tables this year. I really would have liked to get some pretty winter flowers at the grocery store for my centerpiece, but it just didn't happen. Instead, I went with my standby of a pillar candle and hurricane globe. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9-EOcyrWiYzhbLQKSNPLwjZSyzuVuBFxYY7YjAX3kC899GrlRvPYPkbakexzP4krC6wlVC27HdmaYWlDAcMTOq_0kSyl5b0alG66UX-z6BBHcB4tV_6OVOgae4cziF5lEOcS1rvDG_WdTbqUjIyUSinZY6Zq9IpXCER9ejVed6YsUTyAM7a6HFlrntQ/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(10%20of%2054).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9-EOcyrWiYzhbLQKSNPLwjZSyzuVuBFxYY7YjAX3kC899GrlRvPYPkbakexzP4krC6wlVC27HdmaYWlDAcMTOq_0kSyl5b0alG66UX-z6BBHcB4tV_6OVOgae4cziF5lEOcS1rvDG_WdTbqUjIyUSinZY6Zq9IpXCER9ejVed6YsUTyAM7a6HFlrntQ/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(10%20of%2054).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /><center>I didn't put my mercury glass trees out at Christmas, and I decided they really are perfect for the month of January.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxraH1SvEzD2ciG7-gPgHmraU8FyFKmfLQYQuOW5szsVS_rHv20rOHoI2qFEJQjsQyYJJgzICOCfuPPqQbjl5m6SqIRikBkPA9hTNp3x9XeqACyaU_ac3FH5cbSshPXpkWRsYctPkpDuqxXbp6Yzw7eaRasIik98t2OtblL9XopzhuIrLZ7ucqgSWPpa8/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(9%20of%2054).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxraH1SvEzD2ciG7-gPgHmraU8FyFKmfLQYQuOW5szsVS_rHv20rOHoI2qFEJQjsQyYJJgzICOCfuPPqQbjl5m6SqIRikBkPA9hTNp3x9XeqACyaU_ac3FH5cbSshPXpkWRsYctPkpDuqxXbp6Yzw7eaRasIik98t2OtblL9XopzhuIrLZ7ucqgSWPpa8/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(9%20of%2054).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Our poinsettia is still looking good, but I will probably take it down soon. It's a lot of trouble to water since I have to take it out of the porcelain pot and put it in the sink. It's so big it almost won't come out of the blue and white pot, and I'm sort of tired of fooling with it. We certainly enjoyed it during the holidays, though.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ylkONfl6cDNDEHFWEAVu1HVhuOqzkiWlYz6jUvQJMuEUrC4UINU_SUJuUSu34QujYizblhetm_V6bktLMec4S0pHfJ44L7GLf-4Kau121yGI1UIBp7aghh0rp-KBcOoqE_mRjBDAknIpvcl1EnV7SOnFYortZMQh1-IuXVFPkxBRVw_NeRYsardSSDc/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(16%20of%2054).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ylkONfl6cDNDEHFWEAVu1HVhuOqzkiWlYz6jUvQJMuEUrC4UINU_SUJuUSu34QujYizblhetm_V6bktLMec4S0pHfJ44L7GLf-4Kau121yGI1UIBp7aghh0rp-KBcOoqE_mRjBDAknIpvcl1EnV7SOnFYortZMQh1-IuXVFPkxBRVw_NeRYsardSSDc/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(16%20of%2054).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>The sun was in and out today, but I managed to take some decent pictures. Except for a small amount of faux winter greenery, I stuck with blue, white, and silver for my colors. I think they look very wintry. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WAdcm_55DFSVv34oOpBl6NScIQWWcNg0RZ-pG2GEn0tqrKHpIldfycIJ873E1VRX6plLcIihXDh6O_ufk3apucxiDKZN9xIPLo9AiUOcolzEb6Qbr2b6P1DzLrvgwJldFhRg4Ti0iWbeUxoGgrJsBGPii2-YSjx4wRV17GpxmhRxSgT7sSJFKVfN3Gg/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(20%20of%2054).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WAdcm_55DFSVv34oOpBl6NScIQWWcNg0RZ-pG2GEn0tqrKHpIldfycIJ873E1VRX6plLcIihXDh6O_ufk3apucxiDKZN9xIPLo9AiUOcolzEb6Qbr2b6P1DzLrvgwJldFhRg4Ti0iWbeUxoGgrJsBGPii2-YSjx4wRV17GpxmhRxSgT7sSJFKVfN3Gg/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(20%20of%2054).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div><br /><center>I like the combination of French blue with lots of crystal and white. It reminds me of snow and ice in the winter. Maybe I should say snow and ice in other parts of the world. Sigh. We haven't had one snowflake this year (or last year either), but we've had more rain than we need. Flash flooding and water in our basement in place of snow is not a good trade-off in our opinion. 😉 </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LWyMavoJbBqoe6F11A-1cWHB8fBqPBlgu2iVFf0P6cVJC5w9CoRkfBg9bMz-cIJf-DETCynvagmH_vWPk7JXCSrvQPCTY83micepKn6VBiW2j48UWstzhwGodOuJngYk3c4xOJnbA2N_UWfB2LXnzpRkOaTGHrnGWWNXSNQJYJy9XD7X1Qt9pIgRuaI/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(30%20of%2054).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LWyMavoJbBqoe6F11A-1cWHB8fBqPBlgu2iVFf0P6cVJC5w9CoRkfBg9bMz-cIJf-DETCynvagmH_vWPk7JXCSrvQPCTY83micepKn6VBiW2j48UWstzhwGodOuJngYk3c4xOJnbA2N_UWfB2LXnzpRkOaTGHrnGWWNXSNQJYJy9XD7X1Qt9pIgRuaI/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(30%20of%2054).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />This is my go-to table runner for January, but I did purchase some new placemats for the table this year. I love these with my white dishes! They were an after-Christmas find when my mom and I went to HomeGoods one day. These are actually paper instead of real crochet work, but you can't tell that until you touch them. I've never seen these before, but I like them. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnqlrnk8MbOowUuKfdLCnoALwIWasiLLJQaXQLRnnfYbw0r9mvpYTXFzjSSxtvSeC5I2hLOkov5pmJFrndTou5zI4bysrACA1KsCi2m2aipa20RPhlwEXh918KOPv2FdTOAPF2DK6HtNRNgMwJqXDuIMT6LTfgv8DoxlKokcfN68glwoLRYSsk3A1aek/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(32%20of%2054).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPnqlrnk8MbOowUuKfdLCnoALwIWasiLLJQaXQLRnnfYbw0r9mvpYTXFzjSSxtvSeC5I2hLOkov5pmJFrndTou5zI4bysrACA1KsCi2m2aipa20RPhlwEXh918KOPv2FdTOAPF2DK6HtNRNgMwJqXDuIMT6LTfgv8DoxlKokcfN68glwoLRYSsk3A1aek/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(32%20of%2054).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center>I chose some faux eucalyptus leaves, along with some "snowy" foliage and bare branches made to look like they're covered in ice crystals. A mercury glass votive is encircled by a winter candle ring that I bought many years ago when we had a Plow and Hearth store nearby. They have since closed, along with many other stores who haven't survived in this economy.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6bazGCA7LTFOEISeaR-l0bQ9Jcz2Mqj5aH0e8YYqaWmO56vs119ehe6yKSDHAhSK7qOen0DBKNp2IKJAl4eJkTkbCXGJ4hnIdLsLo_tPd6_t9N_DN9Qy0V7BcSBY5qL0notkc9mieEBZD3x-CIHJG2_HLvUiI_wn80lfY02vDfSNxS3CwqyF5Qhzl0U/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(27%20of%2054).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6bazGCA7LTFOEISeaR-l0bQ9Jcz2Mqj5aH0e8YYqaWmO56vs119ehe6yKSDHAhSK7qOen0DBKNp2IKJAl4eJkTkbCXGJ4hnIdLsLo_tPd6_t9N_DN9Qy0V7BcSBY5qL0notkc9mieEBZD3x-CIHJG2_HLvUiI_wn80lfY02vDfSNxS3CwqyF5Qhzl0U/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(27%20of%2054).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Pewter napkin rings were used to coordinate with the mercury glass trees and votive.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAc-RjyShGjBc610VzX1Gi4FNZImeFx7vqsu0s_OV4myTUxLZF7OnA4NBvHHQUeCTvYelbc8YJgaOz8NqdQ2bS1ISw36ivEm6Z6zTZnok6cn31UL5QIqarTy2O-MHvvyrBHm5tpfvnQ20t9d6tG61cmnUIVz1MRebbiDlcyhLFO340p-ZK42JdhQHrv2c/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(35%20of%2054).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAc-RjyShGjBc610VzX1Gi4FNZImeFx7vqsu0s_OV4myTUxLZF7OnA4NBvHHQUeCTvYelbc8YJgaOz8NqdQ2bS1ISw36ivEm6Z6zTZnok6cn31UL5QIqarTy2O-MHvvyrBHm5tpfvnQ20t9d6tG61cmnUIVz1MRebbiDlcyhLFO340p-ZK42JdhQHrv2c/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(35%20of%2054).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>I really love all the silver stitched snowflakes on this table runner. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XUt3h8ITIO6TujF3vpkVMWn_YF_SZXMuZ22VHakZD57vudNwj8_Gy8xApbbWZm3YvN58ct0mgMfQz7G8XpmaHSJOslWAiwSXp25EjXMGqV2dUu7QJvJe0cBGKhkgt8qmmS7ld_T-xl_3h9KtYkR6QpXLhTOtzLxgmn74v3HRR9Ghhzn59YjM1hjPRD4/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(38%20of%2054).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XUt3h8ITIO6TujF3vpkVMWn_YF_SZXMuZ22VHakZD57vudNwj8_Gy8xApbbWZm3YvN58ct0mgMfQz7G8XpmaHSJOslWAiwSXp25EjXMGqV2dUu7QJvJe0cBGKhkgt8qmmS7ld_T-xl_3h9KtYkR6QpXLhTOtzLxgmn74v3HRR9Ghhzn59YjM1hjPRD4/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(38%20of%2054).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The Royal Copenhagen bell was given to us by Hal's mom when they downsized a few years ago. She bought the bell when they traveled to Denmark in the '80's. It's really a Christmas bell, but I think the blue looks pretty with the napkins.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOVQ_SqAwPjBiLY6_KuQz1QATs4lHPmKAGF33z3GUrm9_IaghKlBwTv6FZx4_fm92shiy1c0yiwpu7MbpVt6JvnviQj5yQBteRBrlwahMjA3_VNbODWNTkzE4OyJksKD6MkM0DUqnS_B_0rTl2AS0vjM__YfztT-AI-w3dmeeGovuFEIRCm2hP9qx6u0/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(41%20of%2054).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOVQ_SqAwPjBiLY6_KuQz1QATs4lHPmKAGF33z3GUrm9_IaghKlBwTv6FZx4_fm92shiy1c0yiwpu7MbpVt6JvnviQj5yQBteRBrlwahMjA3_VNbODWNTkzE4OyJksKD6MkM0DUqnS_B_0rTl2AS0vjM__YfztT-AI-w3dmeeGovuFEIRCm2hP9qx6u0/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(41%20of%2054).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I looked up "Jule After" online, and the general consensus seems to be that it translates from Danish to "Christmas Eve" in English. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKd91HndwpQ0nW9kbstUSufdSZQB3MoCnaLqFKBAFK0nME5Xr-kp2WuTYFRQjVpP94aXbC0t7eUAPkLRwK4hKJ5ZNTJhyB07IMCMmah4UybqzRVbktnFFfVdQTlHDccCAFdPCRNs4riotH427PWBo9uDwjx64hOIbBW7kg5fk_DGndDJdDYzoNRzSBNWI/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(50%20of%2054).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKd91HndwpQ0nW9kbstUSufdSZQB3MoCnaLqFKBAFK0nME5Xr-kp2WuTYFRQjVpP94aXbC0t7eUAPkLRwK4hKJ5ZNTJhyB07IMCMmah4UybqzRVbktnFFfVdQTlHDccCAFdPCRNs4riotH427PWBo9uDwjx64hOIbBW7kg5fk_DGndDJdDYzoNRzSBNWI/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(50%20of%2054).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />I put these tree-shaped taper candles out every year after Christmas. They were a gift from my mom, and I love them in the crystal candle holders. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVn7_uhvIyjKmThRvqTkWvjh54roe-PL2MXGNPVpKeLerRsvB3GfcauoUiLiBXQRLWUKeeGwYvyGdrkQLEXQ5YHrWhyphenhyphenqeVBXm5hMGx7ymKUuorrkhTdhdjeDxrypha308M38n90noMHBrvch4_Nl32jEGi_0LMC-qEwI1P-iD7mCr5mthvklRdpZV2QVk/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(54%20of%2054).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVn7_uhvIyjKmThRvqTkWvjh54roe-PL2MXGNPVpKeLerRsvB3GfcauoUiLiBXQRLWUKeeGwYvyGdrkQLEXQ5YHrWhyphenhyphenqeVBXm5hMGx7ymKUuorrkhTdhdjeDxrypha308M38n90noMHBrvch4_Nl32jEGi_0LMC-qEwI1P-iD7mCr5mthvklRdpZV2QVk/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%20(54%20of%2054).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcpM-MdxT0dNTNgh0SQ-TUPRTpZZJOuwZQ3KjdnxZDE3LsPYQ_8oCKczHtOLoVVOON_Bp-yua11T94vHtsNsngBSUV6su9w2SklIt0VLsbirQt7R2iwGPNdfEEHRss1UND6GUTJNcDn1yh6zwtgjzsjboJuRwFhcJin08ovIyxcTkzNg0H2x0G7Sf6nQ/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%202%20(1%20of%2011).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcpM-MdxT0dNTNgh0SQ-TUPRTpZZJOuwZQ3KjdnxZDE3LsPYQ_8oCKczHtOLoVVOON_Bp-yua11T94vHtsNsngBSUV6su9w2SklIt0VLsbirQt7R2iwGPNdfEEHRss1UND6GUTJNcDn1yh6zwtgjzsjboJuRwFhcJin08ovIyxcTkzNg0H2x0G7Sf6nQ/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%202%20(1%20of%2011).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>I took a few evening shots with the candles lit.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEOmtDugNA3U0zKzV04XN_8Nb3LDqzNAauEXEJqgGPSde6kznsr84I_FBfdhHViXK20_6es1RgnLNWDa4spccsy55HDiT1PNhmA30b2GDKZKBjgdrFRxasgRXUvKbTXNp8RFtMAEBL4CdJpxZaaAqeyY4l4vgz1PnSTLLQ0jagc_4J4BjJvL9asEu0Oc/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%202%20(4%20of%2011).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEOmtDugNA3U0zKzV04XN_8Nb3LDqzNAauEXEJqgGPSde6kznsr84I_FBfdhHViXK20_6es1RgnLNWDa4spccsy55HDiT1PNhmA30b2GDKZKBjgdrFRxasgRXUvKbTXNp8RFtMAEBL4CdJpxZaaAqeyY4l4vgz1PnSTLLQ0jagc_4J4BjJvL9asEu0Oc/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%202%20(4%20of%2011).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6bPXpzLkuMqaohea1pSQjjbc1hODroOkTbAEmBLOZkb5rdQUUhmUTf_JO5dvL24B0niQh2J3W4C_f00W_gKuBgVRarAfpSWhwvQ3MjGdP_25UoThwNdlHaKKUXReo3FBH1EIFB3b8mfHF0knb-BQTNrb8z8I0SoYX-v8ZWdc5OsP8e5f0anujCze8KQ/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%202%20(10%20of%2011).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6bPXpzLkuMqaohea1pSQjjbc1hODroOkTbAEmBLOZkb5rdQUUhmUTf_JO5dvL24B0niQh2J3W4C_f00W_gKuBgVRarAfpSWhwvQ3MjGdP_25UoThwNdlHaKKUXReo3FBH1EIFB3b8mfHF0knb-BQTNrb8z8I0SoYX-v8ZWdc5OsP8e5f0anujCze8KQ/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2024%20January%20Tablescape%202%20(10%20of%2011).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGV7m9LJE7eBa0Chx4asnmgbb3GLnP6UXGHqld5M8oW_NhIGP_oUlUxgSHn3IOKogHa-XLWol9x9GiNkvus0rvtSJOGx3eyUff6gtenFSduWjp6iMoJhMmPwLmahHvTlmuQoVkfptcRpkxHGCEb1xpTIGNVMWEOGWymDiNQ4Twvy_D7eoeVx63XdWQN2U/s6000/DSC05003.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGV7m9LJE7eBa0Chx4asnmgbb3GLnP6UXGHqld5M8oW_NhIGP_oUlUxgSHn3IOKogHa-XLWol9x9GiNkvus0rvtSJOGx3eyUff6gtenFSduWjp6iMoJhMmPwLmahHvTlmuQoVkfptcRpkxHGCEb1xpTIGNVMWEOGWymDiNQ4Twvy_D7eoeVx63XdWQN2U/w640-h426/DSC05003.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Thank you so much for stopping by! I'll be joining the other ladies at <i><a href="https://betweennapsontheporch.net/shopping-the-new-dinnerware-collections-for-spring-so-much-inspiration/">Between Naps on the Porch</a> </i>for Susan's <a href="https://betweennapsontheporch.net/shopping-the-new-dinnerware-collections-for-spring-so-much-inspiration/">"Tablescape Thursday"</a>. There are some really talented bloggers who participate on Thursdays, if you're interested in seeing more tablescapes. </center><center> </center><center>I hope February will be a good month for all of us. Have a great weekend!</center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center><center> </center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-54439441326932042462024-01-23T22:07:00.003-05:002024-01-23T22:07:44.486-05:002024 So Far<center>Hello Friends, how has your week been? Mine has been quiet -- and cold. I wanted to share a few miscellaneous things with you all. </center><center><br /></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEf8xkTX7gYmbCmPSVpRn7eNgqLlX5BoRJVeHmd09h-FZOuo7LzMFqaR4I2SGM36f0q5F0V5kDtaDhIGeH_WKKxq9c9nynpO9DCyKjFxXbj2Fq-9I06t7_2HtxaFjKLOyCIebFi3AGEF7uO0xhUnvVjnXmz0kUssZvEYIOOTgTpcHP3Hr6JrQD6aSaEHc/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Summer%20Beach%20Trip-54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEf8xkTX7gYmbCmPSVpRn7eNgqLlX5BoRJVeHmd09h-FZOuo7LzMFqaR4I2SGM36f0q5F0V5kDtaDhIGeH_WKKxq9c9nynpO9DCyKjFxXbj2Fq-9I06t7_2HtxaFjKLOyCIebFi3AGEF7uO0xhUnvVjnXmz0kUssZvEYIOOTgTpcHP3Hr6JrQD6aSaEHc/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Summer%20Beach%20Trip-54.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center><span><a name='more'></a></span> </center><center>First of all, Hal's parents have sold their beach house at Oak Island, and while I'm not really surprised, I <i>am </i>sad to see the end of an era for our family. I have posted here many times about staying there over the years, but this house was a very big part of our lives for 34 years. Hal and I will celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary in May, so the beach house has been in our family for almost our whole married life. We traveled there when I was pregnant with Will, and we started taking him with us when he was a baby all the way through high school. </center><center><br /></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6be0c3SVfGq-Rp8s1mtTAjJok3jJRLJUjtzyxcnOz0JZeO7fPKK-8dj_QBWh0BEA-TZsbVdweNPdzQCZ2gfbNZz-isn0fv4X-5NMeWn7o_V21zklNTrqLzNoiwGDmnKbnv98mVR6nn5tQnXu1YraAqs6cjro0c_fDghWaUTrUUm_gOOTadCTslnqVHI/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Summer%20Beach%20Trip-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6be0c3SVfGq-Rp8s1mtTAjJok3jJRLJUjtzyxcnOz0JZeO7fPKK-8dj_QBWh0BEA-TZsbVdweNPdzQCZ2gfbNZz-isn0fv4X-5NMeWn7o_V21zklNTrqLzNoiwGDmnKbnv98mVR6nn5tQnXu1YraAqs6cjro0c_fDghWaUTrUUm_gOOTadCTslnqVHI/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Summer%20Beach%20Trip-35.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><center> </center><center>Will has been able to take his friends with him since college, but he's also continued to join us down there, as well. Such wonderful memories we have of our visits there. My parents used to have a condo at Cherry Grove in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. When they were visiting there, we would usually drive over for dinner with them one evening, followed by a trip to the family arcade afterwards. It's still hard to realize sometimes that my Dad is gone now, and we're all getting older -- too quickly, it seems.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZuEx9lOgZ-icHhinhOScCZb8-dn71GNLdG5CwEv1ALME8OXfiiUF6Tp2kLT6AD_AWdx82SSMUPedPOFXhIMCl3sU24-MkdKr2fuGSyoU1jRwuYHXIf2_mHpV2eNl0VcYchjBSBLQ75XF1mR0BpDuGy4ZxrUtb2EuRBnQdVxAdUb80tM8dJ4l0cZ_8az8/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(68%20of%2069).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZuEx9lOgZ-icHhinhOScCZb8-dn71GNLdG5CwEv1ALME8OXfiiUF6Tp2kLT6AD_AWdx82SSMUPedPOFXhIMCl3sU24-MkdKr2fuGSyoU1jRwuYHXIf2_mHpV2eNl0VcYchjBSBLQ75XF1mR0BpDuGy4ZxrUtb2EuRBnQdVxAdUb80tM8dJ4l0cZ_8az8/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(68%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center>In other news, when I was switching out our Christmas decorations for our pieces that we usually keep out the rest of the year, I dropped my Irish Belleek teacup and it shattered into many pieces. I could have cried, folks. The saucer is still fine, but Belleek china is so fragile, there was no hope of repairing the teacup. I went online and looked until I found a replacement at what I thought was a reasonable price. I purchased it from a seller on Etsy, and it arrived today. This set also included a bread plate, which I thought would come in handy. I assumed the teacup would be like the one I broke, but it's not. It's shaped differently, and the inside of the cup is different. However, everything was very carefully wrapped and packaged, and it's all in excellent condition except for a few light scratches on the bread plate. At any rate, it is very pretty, and I will be keeping it. I'll show it here in March, but I'm too lazy to bother taking a picture tonight. 😏 </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgpuifw0nKSW_lXNTPgn4PZZ5r9S5FMsgm7sWs0xtG1XMQfqiESeMVNgj1GDTLFymgvEHg0ZBh5gZuPLBriadHyBBGV54oQ9ab5e6BhLgbChbMhmI4rS_NjQTvI-0V2j1iXIH7U4kocOXsDzwhC1NMVHKJEy8JNj50MkrNBzcUYpUzx-5vc09vqvXFhc/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(28%20of%2069).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgpuifw0nKSW_lXNTPgn4PZZ5r9S5FMsgm7sWs0xtG1XMQfqiESeMVNgj1GDTLFymgvEHg0ZBh5gZuPLBriadHyBBGV54oQ9ab5e6BhLgbChbMhmI4rS_NjQTvI-0V2j1iXIH7U4kocOXsDzwhC1NMVHKJEy8JNj50MkrNBzcUYpUzx-5vc09vqvXFhc/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(28%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I really loved the teacup I had, but accidents do happen, right?</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEvsmAzsOJQ6GL14g9Ap6ChP_bqeUiPd576pfFC0MgTV27-M4jptnNuMbMvAZigQSx3WWkuK5PMM9NAL-QkziT-Nd-ZMwt3as74a0GoB0FEzGQUscswsRSVSHqR8tCE9oP4u1jmh7ebRy8VshD_C1mBykmTo6NS5J7YS6WUviG_K92LAfWUmUe2sdysg/s6000/DSC04926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEvsmAzsOJQ6GL14g9Ap6ChP_bqeUiPd576pfFC0MgTV27-M4jptnNuMbMvAZigQSx3WWkuK5PMM9NAL-QkziT-Nd-ZMwt3as74a0GoB0FEzGQUscswsRSVSHqR8tCE9oP4u1jmh7ebRy8VshD_C1mBykmTo6NS5J7YS6WUviG_K92LAfWUmUe2sdysg/w640-h426/DSC04926.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><center>I've just begun today on a book our son gave me for Christmas. <i>Wolf Hall </i>is the first book in a trilogy of the same name by Hilary Mantel, and I've just discovered that the books have been made into a TV series, airing on Masterpiece on PBS. Have any of you seen this, by any chance? Clair Foy (who was Queen Elizabeth in the early seasons of <i>"The Crown"</i>) is portraying Anne Boleyn. I believe the first book is written largely from the viewpoint of Oliver Cromwell, a historical figure I have never cared for. It will be interesting to learn more about him and the reign of Henry VIII. </center><center> </center><center> Lastly, I wanted to share this picture I snapped the day I took down our Christmas tree. I was putting the ornaments on the sofa before storing them in their boxes, and when I saw this ray of sunlight, I just had to grab my camera. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrPXFlSHBdO1ZqzMrgIZJfLLF4rzh11rzMS2qw35uGL8nfCMlNdd-hoVVlNjgziG0nin1W1Sq8u7_MNByamyDm5YZqq2nZ2e8S_b4POSwxRB6nksjPgeAQnd-XhEFmigkmhFnAUeVxrv6GNEirwzBZGhZh1_B3rhsKhyphenhyphenSIpV1FFH9aSsgGqtGnEjv3Ng/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Christmas%20Ornaments%20(4%20of%2011).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrPXFlSHBdO1ZqzMrgIZJfLLF4rzh11rzMS2qw35uGL8nfCMlNdd-hoVVlNjgziG0nin1W1Sq8u7_MNByamyDm5YZqq2nZ2e8S_b4POSwxRB6nksjPgeAQnd-XhEFmigkmhFnAUeVxrv6GNEirwzBZGhZh1_B3rhsKhyphenhyphenSIpV1FFH9aSsgGqtGnEjv3Ng/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Christmas%20Ornaments%20(4%20of%2011).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div><center>I found the sparkling colors captured in this sunbeam a very cheerful sight. Is there anything special brightening your days this month? I'd love to hear from you! </center><center> </center><center>Thank you so much for your visit, and I hope you have a lovely week!! </center><center> </center><center> <br /> </center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-47232744918685158662024-01-18T23:35:00.002-05:002024-01-19T11:36:14.826-05:00January, The Quiet Month<center>Hello Friends! My first post of 2024, and we're over halfway through the first month of the year. I mentioned at the end of last year that I want to be more active in blogging this year, and I still mean to do that. I spent some time this afternoon putting together a wintry tablescape for January, which I'll be sharing within the week. Apparently, I only did two tablescapes for the whole of 2023. </center><center> </center><center>How do you feel about the month of January? I usually enjoy it. The serenity of this time of year is welcome here after the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I really do enjoy the quiet days and getting into a fresh routine for the coming year. As much as I enjoy our Christmas decorations, it feels good to get the house back in order. It's a restful feeling to have things back in their proper place, don't you think? </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LnplB0KSVQHYzH9YizeYkpo-yox6U1RyeB-BCZWj0z6jYQluQmW_GElCd-_d99BhDCpaakZYXugO2fI8ErZTAmK19jcG4zgEnTNT1pXZUVltFYGpJ8RQLiv2MDcBihUDFcZFvRiGfcRI_Dc_P2RKy3sx0tPPcgkblsZuPBzc73X4tXd3wJcvh3Tq6d4/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2020%20Winter%20Living%20Room-9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LnplB0KSVQHYzH9YizeYkpo-yox6U1RyeB-BCZWj0z6jYQluQmW_GElCd-_d99BhDCpaakZYXugO2fI8ErZTAmK19jcG4zgEnTNT1pXZUVltFYGpJ8RQLiv2MDcBihUDFcZFvRiGfcRI_Dc_P2RKy3sx0tPPcgkblsZuPBzc73X4tXd3wJcvh3Tq6d4/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2020%20Winter%20Living%20Room-9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><span><a name='more'></a></span><center><br />I enjoy putting out my snowmen after Christmas. I may have to be satisfied with these little guys (and gals) this year, since we don't seem to be getting any of the real thing here. Just rain and lots of it. Ugh. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21nBhUP3CKKHlKC4nwgQRuaEvZPWrbpZU9LPglhx3cjZH80rS98-nfg6K8p_SB_FJWUmBi2IPEIOFzQmLtkpHdc_eZVHjvQVzjwMKSIFB0j37RXALWg6f6OxgBOds3ZHXKVU__qXX6k-mlqu2q-ttqbVpl60Cw7phF9BBECessR70t904QucN031KMtY/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20January%20Snow%20(53%20of%2061).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21nBhUP3CKKHlKC4nwgQRuaEvZPWrbpZU9LPglhx3cjZH80rS98-nfg6K8p_SB_FJWUmBi2IPEIOFzQmLtkpHdc_eZVHjvQVzjwMKSIFB0j37RXALWg6f6OxgBOds3ZHXKVU__qXX6k-mlqu2q-ttqbVpl60Cw7phF9BBECessR70t904QucN031KMtY/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20January%20Snow%20(53%20of%2061).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />We had a pretty snow in January of 2022, so we're still hoping for some of the white stuff this winter.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XheO92MDZXxbpcx3fLCxjgSUuC3VStNjQcYvPKWxVk-zCbqLVV-ZSVHBfJAYJOhZ5w7jA9IyXt9krEF4iw1qrq_gQtN-IuNKOPPqQ406pEYm8ib5czLq49suo8ZBWyPDU-tv1zVmtcUd-geXizlrKt9-jOlucPMO9h9zzX3wm4D7WpCssb2E_xzbAYw/s929/Denise-Pictures-2022%202nd%20Snow%20(11%20of%2016).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="855" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XheO92MDZXxbpcx3fLCxjgSUuC3VStNjQcYvPKWxVk-zCbqLVV-ZSVHBfJAYJOhZ5w7jA9IyXt9krEF4iw1qrq_gQtN-IuNKOPPqQ406pEYm8ib5czLq49suo8ZBWyPDU-tv1zVmtcUd-geXizlrKt9-jOlucPMO9h9zzX3wm4D7WpCssb2E_xzbAYw/w590-h640/Denise-Pictures-2022%202nd%20Snow%20(11%20of%2016).jpg" width="590" /></a></div><br />Another thing I enjoy about January is watching the birds at our bird feeders. Today I counted four cardinal couples at our feeding station -- eight cardinals on the feeder and no other birds there at all. It was a pretty sight!</center><center> </center><center>Of course, I love to prepare (and eat) comfort food in winter. I've already tried out a new soup recipe this year, and I'm planning to cook some chili in the crockpot this weekend.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1wlBbm2YttvUhFqrUC0FT8UE0pUg5PrptixTwMSVjAOvCpcFzZLT6PkQPq9XjL8QaPyQyOHAp79mnjESgANNiB0g6xkxRnniOhDdGO4T4sa-hHGiGwrSpduG3XMoXlFVyNZj_bH8OpaDLLU_2Kn3QwXxYBzgz9G2n84qnDZ-ovMcEK37pgb_VnAYCKs/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Potato%20Soup%20(57%20of%2063).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1wlBbm2YttvUhFqrUC0FT8UE0pUg5PrptixTwMSVjAOvCpcFzZLT6PkQPq9XjL8QaPyQyOHAp79mnjESgANNiB0g6xkxRnniOhDdGO4T4sa-hHGiGwrSpduG3XMoXlFVyNZj_bH8OpaDLLU_2Kn3QwXxYBzgz9G2n84qnDZ-ovMcEK37pgb_VnAYCKs/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Potato%20Soup%20(57%20of%2063).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Two of our favorite dishes are <a href="https://houseatforestmanor.blogspot.com/2022/02/creamy-potato-soup.html">creamy potato soup</a>,</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuas7MwipNB2qU_AriFwwPMlEDTdKbQpT827Lc62X4n-Q5Hh7VEQ5uNXrhi_RC4REnUJi813N67zuX9XvW6_B1UGvYMGYnO9VLUbQp8W2Z6eXNeYdE-yN3fTC-PvEiHGyYV77zg4lFKqQbtLo7xYizqpeTJapUtTKwH3KBd2ISMkbFkT1Wc3PSHx8GSE/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Homemade%20Chicken%20Pie-26.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuas7MwipNB2qU_AriFwwPMlEDTdKbQpT827Lc62X4n-Q5Hh7VEQ5uNXrhi_RC4REnUJi813N67zuX9XvW6_B1UGvYMGYnO9VLUbQp8W2Z6eXNeYdE-yN3fTC-PvEiHGyYV77zg4lFKqQbtLo7xYizqpeTJapUtTKwH3KBd2ISMkbFkT1Wc3PSHx8GSE/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Homemade%20Chicken%20Pie-26.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />and homemade <a href="https://houseatforestmanor.blogspot.com/2021/02/melt-in-your-mouth-chicken-pie.html">chicken pie</a>. </center><center> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNkwkF6Gg2jp-0Xa07ELBiT8OFikHk8AbTc3W3wX-u6o5YRxYP_YcsXL6Gk3pSnb2rMk8AjCmetF7aY9lYtVexw6QrrI55Ag8mrtwgxMTQ0yP6MaGOK-hRhH7vw84jTQ5gACWT0ekt8Xw6SYRcdvuCsNZzH4AGyOKd3sF8x6TWQgAyfnGg55W_qz6mr4/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Winter%20Dining%20Room-11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNkwkF6Gg2jp-0Xa07ELBiT8OFikHk8AbTc3W3wX-u6o5YRxYP_YcsXL6Gk3pSnb2rMk8AjCmetF7aY9lYtVexw6QrrI55Ag8mrtwgxMTQ0yP6MaGOK-hRhH7vw84jTQ5gACWT0ekt8Xw6SYRcdvuCsNZzH4AGyOKd3sF8x6TWQgAyfnGg55W_qz6mr4/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Winter%20Dining%20Room-11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center><span style="text-align: left;">Our houses don't have to be dull and dreary after the Christmas decorations are put away. I like to put a wintry centerpiece on the dining room table.</span></center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAc2eCC6krtc599B4tiemEzEuWL_wuru7c125T_PpMbGlXfjnBT7EiGp9Iru2IfBemo5wYCQCKAhFQt4O1o8OpvQyGn_q6E5UreucOAEhrGrqf8dcj3gioOEO86lU5pqG0gXY7H6iNHZZay8cF6olR4pcJS-UmklTk-hrL7PDx7TAYPBJ7Jc7yp0aJi1E/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Winter%20Dining%20Room-5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAc2eCC6krtc599B4tiemEzEuWL_wuru7c125T_PpMbGlXfjnBT7EiGp9Iru2IfBemo5wYCQCKAhFQt4O1o8OpvQyGn_q6E5UreucOAEhrGrqf8dcj3gioOEO86lU5pqG0gXY7H6iNHZZay8cF6olR4pcJS-UmklTk-hrL7PDx7TAYPBJ7Jc7yp0aJi1E/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Winter%20Dining%20Room-5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />We've had some very cold days and nights this week, and we're staying cozy in the den with the heater we bought last winter.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxH2rh3Hx12o5SXguRJtVFN1jiYlVXxme6You60cIqROdkMyjklccZebHwyD3iBgZYigB488PL7PifWB0Qmyi7N2uliva1DTSV1DXmu_lsNLIH26ZefWMZEMrPXbVW0p84B0KYgPfSz_fidlz8yReqQLzsB7Bz39Q7KyG9GKv9yPTuiZysLjw7xvbvw0/s4457/Denise-Pictures-2023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3147" data-original-width="4457" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxH2rh3Hx12o5SXguRJtVFN1jiYlVXxme6You60cIqROdkMyjklccZebHwyD3iBgZYigB488PL7PifWB0Qmyi7N2uliva1DTSV1DXmu_lsNLIH26ZefWMZEMrPXbVW0p84B0KYgPfSz_fidlz8yReqQLzsB7Bz39Q7KyG9GKv9yPTuiZysLjw7xvbvw0/w640-h452/Denise-Pictures-2023.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center>Hal bought himself a new turntable for his birthday in December, and we've been listening to our old LP's in the evenings. It's a lot of fun hearing these songs that I haven't heard in years. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RIIBAYkBDaOTLdCy-KcxvYfMjC8qE_WpGTuCseJzH3EbIBy4mi2faUd78RweCWoLKsJ4xQH8MaoQF5UOwyL-agQ1D_CeKuWi5pq-OvjCtfKLCALdFie0-bBESGCG_dcxvLGlkLZ3GMeUadAFEqCZyqZFDKkBHd5xOOTYPiG7YvGLU1znC5pVkr1zaiI/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Old%20LP's%20(4%20of%204).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1485" data-original-width="2000" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RIIBAYkBDaOTLdCy-KcxvYfMjC8qE_WpGTuCseJzH3EbIBy4mi2faUd78RweCWoLKsJ4xQH8MaoQF5UOwyL-agQ1D_CeKuWi5pq-OvjCtfKLCALdFie0-bBESGCG_dcxvLGlkLZ3GMeUadAFEqCZyqZFDKkBHd5xOOTYPiG7YvGLU1znC5pVkr1zaiI/w640-h476/Denise-Pictures-2024%20Old%20LP's%20(4%20of%204).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center><span style="text-align: left;">I hope you're having a pleasant month wherever you are. I'd love to hear what you've been doing in this quiet and serene month of January. Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a great weekend!! </span></center><center> </center><center> </center><center> </center><center> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-39027272227598090222023-12-24T00:39:00.000-05:002023-12-24T00:39:01.500-05:00"And To All a Good Night"<center><br /></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRUgZZj8f57ouWO-PDhdplL24Sm3JSwUAk6KjFnMIKj82tGF-xSLZp5opqhZYNw8kG09aTU-uLcrL7CqkYycWmVbWpz2b4PlVhDeA4waXDm7I9kMJGGDDh8ZpCTnjR4klklgLN63qNPTTyyBzVlNaZFlTyta1l23PlLTAvFsqT4wmLDofSk2NT3GvvLc/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Christmas%20Den%20(2%20of%204).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1593" data-original-width="2000" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRUgZZj8f57ouWO-PDhdplL24Sm3JSwUAk6KjFnMIKj82tGF-xSLZp5opqhZYNw8kG09aTU-uLcrL7CqkYycWmVbWpz2b4PlVhDeA4waXDm7I9kMJGGDDh8ZpCTnjR4klklgLN63qNPTTyyBzVlNaZFlTyta1l23PlLTAvFsqT4wmLDofSk2NT3GvvLc/w640-h510/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Christmas%20Den%20(2%20of%204).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><span><a name='more'></a></span><center><br /> <span style="text-align: left;">Happy Christmas Eve everyone! Are your holiday preparations complete? Mine are not. 😉 I'll be working on them today, and then tonight, we'll attend a Christmas Eve candlelight service at my sister's church. We're supposed to gather with my family on Christmas day, and then get with Hal's family Tuesday, December 26th. Our son has Covid, but he seems to be getting better. He went to an all-day</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><i style="text-align: left;">Lord of the Rings </i><span style="text-align: left;">movie marathon party last Saturday, and he and two of the other guests came home with Covid. Now, my sister's son-in-law is sick, but they're hoping it's just a 24-hour bug. Apparently, a lot of people are sick right now. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwbk4-iKOQnZJsYLV967afEylRUofO-fVHepKqikV1ZJ92WXAfJeXIVd4eZcxMUGbpQ_z2rkNRq35tey5YzgqukWB__aI9Y_FCVNieg6_r8lkiUYGcvXqY-RMQdfQsREoMYBYkL5pSe-sL_6LwvFTMNS2PyOoIgB0NA9s4N8WE2pOrRW1d0CAS2VUG_k/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Christmas%20Mantel%20(14%20of%2018).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwbk4-iKOQnZJsYLV967afEylRUofO-fVHepKqikV1ZJ92WXAfJeXIVd4eZcxMUGbpQ_z2rkNRq35tey5YzgqukWB__aI9Y_FCVNieg6_r8lkiUYGcvXqY-RMQdfQsREoMYBYkL5pSe-sL_6LwvFTMNS2PyOoIgB0NA9s4N8WE2pOrRW1d0CAS2VUG_k/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Christmas%20Mantel%20(14%20of%2018).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center>I want to wish all of you the Merriest of Christmases and many blessings in the coming year. I cannot express how much I appreciate your loyal readership; this blog has been a special endeavor for me over the last 13 years. I hope to have more of a presence here next year -- this year has been odd, with us still adjusting to Hal's retirement. I thank you sincerely for all your visits and your kind, encouraging comments in 2023. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXzf_RcQy9wLykFiqZcOslMzq3Kuyyy_WS3_I-ePAWvtp_yZ0ZXoA75TBTvmPgFZi709Ytp64Miy2OJl8UluO3hPcLHLbRiNk3QGBlJftUEeXyxS9lnxmTTW6VpJ89XGdg9wLcje2DZl_vuZoFBSwJPYpCokD_y6hYph0dizsHm_AUNPWJIdAPdR-wyA/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Ornaments%20(71%20of%20109).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXzf_RcQy9wLykFiqZcOslMzq3Kuyyy_WS3_I-ePAWvtp_yZ0ZXoA75TBTvmPgFZi709Ytp64Miy2OJl8UluO3hPcLHLbRiNk3QGBlJftUEeXyxS9lnxmTTW6VpJ89XGdg9wLcje2DZl_vuZoFBSwJPYpCokD_y6hYph0dizsHm_AUNPWJIdAPdR-wyA/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Ornaments%20(71%20of%20109).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center>"Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!"</center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-89408961801402710002023-12-10T13:01:00.004-05:002023-12-11T12:46:50.717-05:00Advent<center>'Tis the season -- Peace be with you. </center><center> </center><center> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztWEH0W3_8ajPhMwGXfcDYYE1wAuPwsEgbMoKUoHo3mPzJY48juF_nqBwSwnRWK9rNTAmSehpEEalYV9Q2GBRXgyaxvKHZIrt1zYTQvum3QsIDumseF-ppVv5IBwxEBz0HAiFaVKV_RSfmSVI_3Cjx8o4spmOgsdUZMagfckYP3s47fpOl_kwSu4mOgE/s5472/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2018%20Old%20Salem%20Christmas-19.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5472" data-original-width="3648" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztWEH0W3_8ajPhMwGXfcDYYE1wAuPwsEgbMoKUoHo3mPzJY48juF_nqBwSwnRWK9rNTAmSehpEEalYV9Q2GBRXgyaxvKHZIrt1zYTQvum3QsIDumseF-ppVv5IBwxEBz0HAiFaVKV_RSfmSVI_3Cjx8o4spmOgsdUZMagfckYP3s47fpOl_kwSu4mOgE/w426-h640/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2018%20Old%20Salem%20Christmas-19.jpg" width="426" /></a></div> </center><center><span><a name='more'></a></span> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ha5SlgLyo4o9WI6yGI5xVdSK4ebK8Yo42gOLJjq6UP_YZVrnRhaikbMdN1_-NRIOimud_0PnuGNjl-x5t6sD9FpVgJnqBMCy6sN4e1RAGdYFGmfsH_h1pfanCenlkCztp3LGiYaVmDJqsf7f_9cQ28KhL9SRWu5rrf6ijO22MtzTiAwtSgTKFDvVXro/s5267/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2018%20Old%20Salem%20Christmas-20.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5267" data-original-width="2872" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ha5SlgLyo4o9WI6yGI5xVdSK4ebK8Yo42gOLJjq6UP_YZVrnRhaikbMdN1_-NRIOimud_0PnuGNjl-x5t6sD9FpVgJnqBMCy6sN4e1RAGdYFGmfsH_h1pfanCenlkCztp3LGiYaVmDJqsf7f_9cQ28KhL9SRWu5rrf6ijO22MtzTiAwtSgTKFDvVXro/w348-h640/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2018%20Old%20Salem%20Christmas-20.jpg" width="348" /></a></div><br /><center><br /> Best Wishes,</center><center> </center><center> </center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-25911934294655679842023-11-23T17:44:00.003-05:002023-11-23T17:44:25.758-05:00Thanksgiving 2023<center>Happy Thanksgiving, Dear Ones! Wishing you a day filled with good food and loved ones! </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwesiW0z2RP3BbvBprpswLktZOIg85uYEaHbVOyrJytAPkBR3if_abJFPYm0TsQy-o3uQi1mKuofPgQ1Gf7_fmaQ_6AGBM2oQO-vQWdwYzp6CYW66uBDHxBOq2yaqllyFfqjvKud6V5GjxQPa5lXqeT_WWkeYgjnJh7W-AF7fm6GlpudZdDFWrp68cRY/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Thanksgiving%20Tablescape%20(16%20of%2051).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwesiW0z2RP3BbvBprpswLktZOIg85uYEaHbVOyrJytAPkBR3if_abJFPYm0TsQy-o3uQi1mKuofPgQ1Gf7_fmaQ_6AGBM2oQO-vQWdwYzp6CYW66uBDHxBOq2yaqllyFfqjvKud6V5GjxQPa5lXqeT_WWkeYgjnJh7W-AF7fm6GlpudZdDFWrp68cRY/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Thanksgiving%20Tablescape%20(16%20of%2051).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWTbKbNmmn7mpf-wELgtNV5W1XAU7PN1lCh2i3XJsKL1wsGEYWDkLaKkf2N0SliW6PfyHuLAqK7Q-dKf9N758bkETqLR4Yp-ke5G579U3ZdK8kut4AEcNJwwn5JOPTGm4tkmgn0GiWx0jbzLtj6UHoVp_RsWrtCqHGGZ0Y_btHSzxOvn4fppWS9Srhig/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Thanksgiving%20Tablescape%20(19%20of%2051).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWTbKbNmmn7mpf-wELgtNV5W1XAU7PN1lCh2i3XJsKL1wsGEYWDkLaKkf2N0SliW6PfyHuLAqK7Q-dKf9N758bkETqLR4Yp-ke5G579U3ZdK8kut4AEcNJwwn5JOPTGm4tkmgn0GiWx0jbzLtj6UHoVp_RsWrtCqHGGZ0Y_btHSzxOvn4fppWS9Srhig/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Thanksgiving%20Tablescape%20(19%20of%2051).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><center> </center><center>Have a lovely weekend!! </center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-24384505307630944562023-10-29T21:39:00.003-04:002023-10-29T21:39:38.101-04:00Mayberry, North Carolina<center>Were you a fan of the "Andy Griffith Show?" The "Andy Griffith Show" is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from 1960 to 1968. I guess what our family watched when I was in junior high school must have been the syndicated episodes, since I was only eight years old when the original show ended. </center><center><br /></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEj7CfjR0Ca66fezPJIyPMBiNbjAbYKZlBcb4xSej_r1oc_gvkX3erbVYKbgz0bLcLJuQ22iMFuaDSH1wWbGsdDbF9hU1Ge4CvDroUtn-LgrFaLEc82lXfkcb7e3-kTvnQLk48rUnSh3U7OYEkh2ZnfMSj1sPDIUnMnhBYcj_vdU88hQZg5OPfWZYbp-A/s563/Andy%20Griffith%20Show.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="563" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEj7CfjR0Ca66fezPJIyPMBiNbjAbYKZlBcb4xSej_r1oc_gvkX3erbVYKbgz0bLcLJuQ22iMFuaDSH1wWbGsdDbF9hU1Ge4CvDroUtn-LgrFaLEc82lXfkcb7e3-kTvnQLk48rUnSh3U7OYEkh2ZnfMSj1sPDIUnMnhBYcj_vdU88hQZg5OPfWZYbp-A/w640-h360/Andy%20Griffith%20Show.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;">My main memory of watching this show was that it was just coming on around dinner time (or supper, as we used to call it) and I remember the show's theme song playing as we were sitting down to eat. Then we watched the Carol Burnett variety show after dinner most evenings; what a classic that one was, too. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;">The actor, Andy Griffith, grew up in the small town of Mt. Airy, North Carolina, and it is strongly believed that Mt. Airy was the inspiration for the fictional town of Mayberry in the "Andy Griffith Show." Mt. Airy is about an hour away from where I live in North Carolina, and it's about 30 minutes away from where my mom currently lives. On Saturday, I visited my mom, and we went to Mt. Airy for lunch at our favorite Amish store, where they serve delicious deli sandwiches at lunch time. Saturday was forecast to be a beautiful day, so I had already planned to take my camera. I've been intending to take some photos of Mt. Airy and write a post about the town and its favorite son, Andy Griffith. Yesterday, I finally got around to taking some pictures.</span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdek9B561Ft8E0epHYJzHabfHk10H8B-Eghl6WIKR11hsOf_JF7T4wosqFMTxbxeACs6Y3oOx8Gfk1yimbrBK2QCoHlZg5XrN4HFD2MikAOQf6NIqi2-yOVa-ff1Zm7xjBkE_-eiXnmoy5Y3o716eyX66r4bC07-6okK_35YN8yn9W5ihevy9n1GhUqzc/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(43%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdek9B561Ft8E0epHYJzHabfHk10H8B-Eghl6WIKR11hsOf_JF7T4wosqFMTxbxeACs6Y3oOx8Gfk1yimbrBK2QCoHlZg5XrN4HFD2MikAOQf6NIqi2-yOVa-ff1Zm7xjBkE_-eiXnmoy5Y3o716eyX66r4bC07-6okK_35YN8yn9W5ihevy9n1GhUqzc/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(43%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />My parents liked to visit Mt. Airy when I was growing up, and many was the year that we attended Mt. Airy's "Autumn Leaves" festival in the fall. I can assure you that as an adolescent, the festival didn't interest me in the least. 😏 I just thought Mt. Airy was a dull, not-so-pretty mountain town. You see, at that time I loved the Andy Griffith show, but I didn't yet know that the show was never filmed in Mt. Airy; it was filmed in Los Angeles, CA, on a studio lot. The fictional town of Mayberry looked quite different from the real town of Mt. Airy to me. I was so disappointed when I found out that the charming house Andy lived in with Opie and Aunt Bee did not exist outside of a studio. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AAwwFjNn2eFFhyphenhyphenbdpIvj8jyDCsjl2pr7LngLWuGqaSvc8IIiBNeEqY1VakQAZM69O_6-SeB7IcFcXVbs8gs55-i4uaO4CGVBA8Y-5Cd6L_IGFPpPhcEgJMrDRa7-IOBulk_1zqyTabwVGkmjNrrMtIG1h3MwXuLLSFimu2um5Mp4sc1H0CxDqGxpQqo/s736/Andy%20Taylor%20House%20in%20Mayberry.jpg.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="736" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AAwwFjNn2eFFhyphenhyphenbdpIvj8jyDCsjl2pr7LngLWuGqaSvc8IIiBNeEqY1VakQAZM69O_6-SeB7IcFcXVbs8gs55-i4uaO4CGVBA8Y-5Cd6L_IGFPpPhcEgJMrDRa7-IOBulk_1zqyTabwVGkmjNrrMtIG1h3MwXuLLSFimu2um5Mp4sc1H0CxDqGxpQqo/w640-h480/Andy%20Taylor%20House%20in%20Mayberry.jpg.webp" width="640" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center>Now, all these years later, I can see Mt. Airy, North Carolina, in a somewhat different light. They certainly have a prettier little downtown now. In the spring and summer, they have beautiful hanging baskets of flowers on all the light posts, and yesterday, there were several fall displays all around the historic downtown area. In addition, there were lots of friendly people walking around.</span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3URgxX2yutW8L3rPIBfWcYC8Sj_gOeU19GCyVRQrEMzYgdmre8TQramZOQ58d9qv1vtdfj1obM7an-xbeaj30WBhd7oHI_loonLtY7KR8Zg3h03yHm9xR9c6JehFc9Zlezo0AGEp6I1StSDKhw-s2Fq_uhwuoW-4wQsy2QS_Eu-EYG_glzP5gOKavCYs/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(49%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3URgxX2yutW8L3rPIBfWcYC8Sj_gOeU19GCyVRQrEMzYgdmre8TQramZOQ58d9qv1vtdfj1obM7an-xbeaj30WBhd7oHI_loonLtY7KR8Zg3h03yHm9xR9c6JehFc9Zlezo0AGEp6I1StSDKhw-s2Fq_uhwuoW-4wQsy2QS_Eu-EYG_glzP5gOKavCYs/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(49%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;">My mom kindly consented to pose for me in this picture. 😊 </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuwR_wnjewJ_qsUGs9vyC1qehFaTNfUuE4rAva15NCovsjrVOsxynYvkN7QTKHm8YYmkT53rO_JAzjkjSgK98OkHtClA1rP94rTRHsPNa1qa74YAL-fe3h79Ddfz_2IQW6r-zCf-YJF1KV0hpZ3VYLM6zprVHpGFSu7X1xHp9ZkoOpsPk7Pp8h772h5E/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(11%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuwR_wnjewJ_qsUGs9vyC1qehFaTNfUuE4rAva15NCovsjrVOsxynYvkN7QTKHm8YYmkT53rO_JAzjkjSgK98OkHtClA1rP94rTRHsPNa1qa74YAL-fe3h79Ddfz_2IQW6r-zCf-YJF1KV0hpZ3VYLM6zprVHpGFSu7X1xHp9ZkoOpsPk7Pp8h772h5E/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(11%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">Even though it has been <i>many </i>years since I watched an episode of the "Andy Griffith" show, Hal and I still quote some of our favorite lines from the show. Deputy Barney Fife's "Nip it in the bud," is probably one of our very favorites. If you watched the show regularly, you'll know what I'm referring to. 😄 Favorite characters at our house were the Darlin' Family, Ernest T. Bass, Malcolm (the polite British gentleman) and of course, Barney Fife. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5f5hCdyGEYM" width="320" youtube-src-id="5f5hCdyGEYM"></iframe></div><br /><center>The character of Ernest T. Bass was probably one of my all-time favorites. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYAkN8091jvbkV5VdM8GTsx-Cl9w53z9LOFDF5ZMAvZ247zJWe352nROdmv3tJmSdYZ61GPK3CjvG-F7eI5NdVhKZhBPRPfEGe2-Dgry8ft5nHo-qN2RXNmLy3DJdzkAFagX0baKCCbcoL45NRC_0ghJPZnj2KamElDdHuqMUmO7qrGVkLkP2hYexfwA/s1633/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(14%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1155" data-original-width="1633" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYAkN8091jvbkV5VdM8GTsx-Cl9w53z9LOFDF5ZMAvZ247zJWe352nROdmv3tJmSdYZ61GPK3CjvG-F7eI5NdVhKZhBPRPfEGe2-Dgry8ft5nHo-qN2RXNmLy3DJdzkAFagX0baKCCbcoL45NRC_0ghJPZnj2KamElDdHuqMUmO7qrGVkLkP2hYexfwA/w640-h452/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(14%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Floyd, the barber.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLQWf2lC7mvnkcEAp6yQ4pFX5WyHoRnYprfSrc98cQJISDY3qVrgewh8XSN4Tuc-_XUoYT2L_e7y8Kunm2GJL9cHMaVvs7ljSqLJL_gXVkVJRAASMwLM6wbmGH40s5UcnHqsmZPh39xmH18hwhbo9jDvRFvzXHnNo8yhYIkbIOuFTQwyL84GWc3ZQbRQ/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(39%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLQWf2lC7mvnkcEAp6yQ4pFX5WyHoRnYprfSrc98cQJISDY3qVrgewh8XSN4Tuc-_XUoYT2L_e7y8Kunm2GJL9cHMaVvs7ljSqLJL_gXVkVJRAASMwLM6wbmGH40s5UcnHqsmZPh39xmH18hwhbo9jDvRFvzXHnNo8yhYIkbIOuFTQwyL84GWc3ZQbRQ/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(39%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj020_h-CBmy7R6gFDmn5SrfFcdidCqaUGtUKSbMV-rk4okK4wDjuInPK6fEhUeXzHd4Oclj6AAnHqQVUzz4_21RXAbYFCcagwwBWPv9RPKQ3pwkF9SWmdxkXJ-w1GzO309E5jfftNtPXO5aRXFuYkqNNTTCKuw8hwxbbFULTBb0rHrkyazVn-I7VacLks/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(33%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj020_h-CBmy7R6gFDmn5SrfFcdidCqaUGtUKSbMV-rk4okK4wDjuInPK6fEhUeXzHd4Oclj6AAnHqQVUzz4_21RXAbYFCcagwwBWPv9RPKQ3pwkF9SWmdxkXJ-w1GzO309E5jfftNtPXO5aRXFuYkqNNTTCKuw8hwxbbFULTBb0rHrkyazVn-I7VacLks/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(33%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLV4G24qsqIeJ9M_XytCzamc7rKMfOuHXUDvi7Buusd1qLXoodO1ZQYX1gPmuKMvwo8-BMX-AEARbXtpn9u_TjGUXE7ejINBeFXnTmu3mM0f84xoADJckgDNXGiRgs7veRKHmD35x096brBLcdWh7JT5hLeKBTWT5oZUWm71TWMqRQk1Nnhs9CpAm9E8/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(55%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLV4G24qsqIeJ9M_XytCzamc7rKMfOuHXUDvi7Buusd1qLXoodO1ZQYX1gPmuKMvwo8-BMX-AEARbXtpn9u_TjGUXE7ejINBeFXnTmu3mM0f84xoADJckgDNXGiRgs7veRKHmD35x096brBLcdWh7JT5hLeKBTWT5oZUWm71TWMqRQk1Nnhs9CpAm9E8/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(55%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You will see in most of these pictures that there were lots of people on the sidewalk. My mom said it's like that most Saturdays. It definitely wasn't like that when we were growing up. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PZC9AqE9JocVWgiYvGgFtfoIkh94YwGui30dd4ROKD4qz8eLraOwr4c4-6Y29syLaUe6YTsDbcnAu53hqyD5qErvHW8zmtFwmB5oJueaIVgfXi8VlRcj6M1G3WpY2Y70xAutdf_DtGc6pyeHgb8FDunkLiNbh8_xxILDw_vecq9jz0FJOpkm57b_yIA/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(16%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PZC9AqE9JocVWgiYvGgFtfoIkh94YwGui30dd4ROKD4qz8eLraOwr4c4-6Y29syLaUe6YTsDbcnAu53hqyD5qErvHW8zmtFwmB5oJueaIVgfXi8VlRcj6M1G3WpY2Y70xAutdf_DtGc6pyeHgb8FDunkLiNbh8_xxILDw_vecq9jz0FJOpkm57b_yIA/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(16%20of%2092).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It seems odd to see that the Taylor Swift concert movie is playing here. The world has come to Mayberry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rxDbVR9TjbN45-IcuUValj4jeDdERIr6Wc1xdZIBCrpKFi14UIwcui4QPcWrIVHgks8jeTH8hA6xfSCHEMHm944BG5DfYS0LpV9QC79lrju9t-8PFdkIRQrU2zXqxsmQzgRVpC1rIzQieYxytKr2BFuADv_I-XL_70oho6oJLAguhnCIva0lslSopYo/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(32%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rxDbVR9TjbN45-IcuUValj4jeDdERIr6Wc1xdZIBCrpKFi14UIwcui4QPcWrIVHgks8jeTH8hA6xfSCHEMHm944BG5DfYS0LpV9QC79lrju9t-8PFdkIRQrU2zXqxsmQzgRVpC1rIzQieYxytKr2BFuADv_I-XL_70oho6oJLAguhnCIva0lslSopYo/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(32%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In one episode of the show, Andy (Taylor) suggested to Barney that they go to the Snappy Lunch and get a bite to eat. Snappy Lunch opened in 1923, so it was definitely in existence in Mt. Airy when Andy Griffith was growing up there. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSbIbt6YR9qA9pNI4pE6TBm5hwtdaUtHRlfXfBrvrMDWU64GH55W2JQNwBFVppLl8l2g-tn_-lKaHh0cfGXVgBUg23Oh1rh-dt8PaG_f-og3wR-HV94kTW4-Y7NMR1kTFQ1m5xTC4hprYpY0jTbz2NoQmsmhyUCuPEkiE_dT25OYgzVUfQy4NaDM2TR8/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(45%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSbIbt6YR9qA9pNI4pE6TBm5hwtdaUtHRlfXfBrvrMDWU64GH55W2JQNwBFVppLl8l2g-tn_-lKaHh0cfGXVgBUg23Oh1rh-dt8PaG_f-og3wR-HV94kTW4-Y7NMR1kTFQ1m5xTC4hprYpY0jTbz2NoQmsmhyUCuPEkiE_dT25OYgzVUfQy4NaDM2TR8/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(45%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHrJ1Z_WEFtsgBfjoraRpauyjKcJiFwm8SfojQlQz9MwMi83BeWkH1Sv_RC9rURbvfneplxC2YyzF7RV895ejDpqsDm3JtqjGDvvSFPMiJecNN5O4IF3Yb2zY5D1f3C1rJAFgrgMY8_WuLxjlZOJQaHnZuwbq_wij4bJ8Rak_ovsdb7AbLWYL6KJctNs/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(67%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHrJ1Z_WEFtsgBfjoraRpauyjKcJiFwm8SfojQlQz9MwMi83BeWkH1Sv_RC9rURbvfneplxC2YyzF7RV895ejDpqsDm3JtqjGDvvSFPMiJecNN5O4IF3Yb2zY5D1f3C1rJAFgrgMY8_WuLxjlZOJQaHnZuwbq_wij4bJ8Rak_ovsdb7AbLWYL6KJctNs/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(67%20of%2092).jpg" width="426" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyKgr3fZsVJKLc7b_COpZE_4ZEFVnImkpRZXg_cuzrpyQ-GSUxDmQ67MKMLGzrBteBVZ2QJoihlsLDu94aVsZRX8jop-WpsFVFZ4F10EvHDL5FcfPs7Fe7aSezmiYCU56dRaOO67pA6UBc_w4tLgUecNnLXKaSTXpwylU7k7-mc55-QhRYrOyb_cbx34/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(18%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyKgr3fZsVJKLc7b_COpZE_4ZEFVnImkpRZXg_cuzrpyQ-GSUxDmQ67MKMLGzrBteBVZ2QJoihlsLDu94aVsZRX8jop-WpsFVFZ4F10EvHDL5FcfPs7Fe7aSezmiYCU56dRaOO67pA6UBc_w4tLgUecNnLXKaSTXpwylU7k7-mc55-QhRYrOyb_cbx34/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(18%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9d2R06VqKezxmwBd-241lSx255eSSImL81W60sCI4XSdBH_Qz1bUGWD99NN_bjaN59lGgZJJRmZmyTshyphenhyphenF0IsZe4U0t-k1jPvBNnr2P3X3N4D0L5HeVRLU8QydKzMoWMJTXw4BWkwogdNvG2GeIOV0qqre3XooCZl-lbN0a1BH1De2dwN3bQsk4ZSM0/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(28%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9d2R06VqKezxmwBd-241lSx255eSSImL81W60sCI4XSdBH_Qz1bUGWD99NN_bjaN59lGgZJJRmZmyTshyphenhyphenF0IsZe4U0t-k1jPvBNnr2P3X3N4D0L5HeVRLU8QydKzMoWMJTXw4BWkwogdNvG2GeIOV0qqre3XooCZl-lbN0a1BH1De2dwN3bQsk4ZSM0/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(28%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdP3iw1ip5iocdbKVcrp8Os6Yk9Yn5-cOjdejuIDaLgEJxZwYpmxcCmDq72_jySsiiSjxntoWSoHwPafehz2VJ0EjyEn52CmgAVqTMDsZ1RIhK4iKPNywByT-06TTcse9y9KOiUFBXLz15G0kRfyTNYE5Clb9SPv5nQWRXSHSTLi7_9y7_K2SLgVNAdw/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(24%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdP3iw1ip5iocdbKVcrp8Os6Yk9Yn5-cOjdejuIDaLgEJxZwYpmxcCmDq72_jySsiiSjxntoWSoHwPafehz2VJ0EjyEn52CmgAVqTMDsZ1RIhK4iKPNywByT-06TTcse9y9KOiUFBXLz15G0kRfyTNYE5Clb9SPv5nQWRXSHSTLi7_9y7_K2SLgVNAdw/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(24%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mt. Airy, North Carolina, certainly owes the majority of its tourism to Andy Griffith and his shows, "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Mayberry RFD." Now in 2023, there are some cute and eclectic gift shops to be found in Mt. Airy, as well as some of the older antique stores. In addition, there are wineries quite close by, and it's not far at all from Mt. Airy to the Blue Ridge Parkway, where you can spend a day driving and enjoying beautiful scenery. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4dWwQWUTujgl-gS5OohBz633PXaOQq5Rh_E_NG1yBHNieh_clDdbq-l4egyfTqp_m5X1D71m3pxibM2-rUqKYSCDcEDmRdaq5TXqXtvLFssoiSqMgq1nbluAo2Ju89NCJXY6Prf7dCljDwGFaLZ_g34KUzSyBNCJV4wDvV_mqEq0pwDbpDMsJAzVjZ4/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(72%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1919" data-original-width="2000" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4dWwQWUTujgl-gS5OohBz633PXaOQq5Rh_E_NG1yBHNieh_clDdbq-l4egyfTqp_m5X1D71m3pxibM2-rUqKYSCDcEDmRdaq5TXqXtvLFssoiSqMgq1nbluAo2Ju89NCJXY6Prf7dCljDwGFaLZ_g34KUzSyBNCJV4wDvV_mqEq0pwDbpDMsJAzVjZ4/w640-h614/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(72%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are also some beautiful old houses and churches to be found in Mt. Airy. I plan to go back with Hal and take some more pictures (soon, I hope). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyXMnm8FMESmlHF2B9Ip-Xxt1gZ0F-KJlBpQs_dRKcs4Yn0LIfvm2dpyf8LgstSsoI5bN1_L2VveoZghBOp5KcnZq2YueW4hZ_w4vEZyV7UDbsvz1ICGg2pkVoO8IlpXHkusbplHuyznvnn4tMMS6BfjQomblKWS-3xhA-oqs2uiSWxTQ-OuslESzb2Y/s1757/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(76%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="1757" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyXMnm8FMESmlHF2B9Ip-Xxt1gZ0F-KJlBpQs_dRKcs4Yn0LIfvm2dpyf8LgstSsoI5bN1_L2VveoZghBOp5KcnZq2YueW4hZ_w4vEZyV7UDbsvz1ICGg2pkVoO8IlpXHkusbplHuyznvnn4tMMS6BfjQomblKWS-3xhA-oqs2uiSWxTQ-OuslESzb2Y/w640-h438/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(76%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuWbbGmTwR-dwvvmtMp4BkQ70DkCpKhp_4bj0jsn1fQmb3usFKTABM3bEk3QESjN_QTui95p6wfM7s6yB1SknS1vOgWY7OP5ZsuqHB8BFlynE6q4F2yBUnuDWOFOfa7ZBVVRnG5a1-BQuUOS1ztQycfLMekTi5-CQaRE-JsMW1O1gwWB3KGswfz1lyfQ/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(79%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuWbbGmTwR-dwvvmtMp4BkQ70DkCpKhp_4bj0jsn1fQmb3usFKTABM3bEk3QESjN_QTui95p6wfM7s6yB1SknS1vOgWY7OP5ZsuqHB8BFlynE6q4F2yBUnuDWOFOfa7ZBVVRnG5a1-BQuUOS1ztQycfLMekTi5-CQaRE-JsMW1O1gwWB3KGswfz1lyfQ/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(79%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The last thing I'm sharing today is the modest little home Andy lived in when he was growing up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNt_Ue52EpPtumYej8gRgolk40MHzdLqFgJfyI0Xh2qIpFA4rNIPUTBktsIZl-nTwfrzAItzqA-7Gsm6DDWM3bkPwqlFxUz77-9EadUckSPN9GV0NNt_OVnATGkrakfhKtN2OxwUyqZkiPES78-NX1kk9gT5_mdY1i8tVL3r97xGSz4FLzJ8uWiCpGPM/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(81%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNt_Ue52EpPtumYej8gRgolk40MHzdLqFgJfyI0Xh2qIpFA4rNIPUTBktsIZl-nTwfrzAItzqA-7Gsm6DDWM3bkPwqlFxUz77-9EadUckSPN9GV0NNt_OVnATGkrakfhKtN2OxwUyqZkiPES78-NX1kk9gT5_mdY1i8tVL3r97xGSz4FLzJ8uWiCpGPM/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(81%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8eTqIUE7037L5VlRttWQ8qvfgO85PeNf9_7M1EiVYjPKyRbeD40gwca_OBW64OUiq5DHEqqWEeWxLPKDmN7R90xCmRdqC9T0DF16c6DmugkdneUaKR-05Fj5tWnXyf5Pbh1G0nq5_gnk676BqbCPR_jzCV5CeUlJN4riexr4XAV7q5yB92iglHTDxAw/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(92%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8eTqIUE7037L5VlRttWQ8qvfgO85PeNf9_7M1EiVYjPKyRbeD40gwca_OBW64OUiq5DHEqqWEeWxLPKDmN7R90xCmRdqC9T0DF16c6DmugkdneUaKR-05Fj5tWnXyf5Pbh1G0nq5_gnk676BqbCPR_jzCV5CeUlJN4riexr4XAV7q5yB92iglHTDxAw/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(92%20of%2092).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbJBEr5I6mStr5H5eH-tU38ZruPaB3DeamoZ98CWUeZSDRdVTDqrLbg5QoDX5FLSCPU0uXDhnPSKCyqYtUZGr5zb37mjalX7wwEfuXYY5o2BuCKNzrby0aJIUBHeLKk1ekhxYEAG9IYgNHYGdUB0NFw-nwdLeAN9vZUoD-0_km75cr0fsmB0fn4pP70U/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(85%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbJBEr5I6mStr5H5eH-tU38ZruPaB3DeamoZ98CWUeZSDRdVTDqrLbg5QoDX5FLSCPU0uXDhnPSKCyqYtUZGr5zb37mjalX7wwEfuXYY5o2BuCKNzrby0aJIUBHeLKk1ekhxYEAG9IYgNHYGdUB0NFw-nwdLeAN9vZUoD-0_km75cr0fsmB0fn4pP70U/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(85%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyY8UkTBPrP4paVhYgYxCtxgKGfuX3czvi6Az3kvUOGcrHsQYJdUltXweLw8rWmvGIun7CaNFULMH0YKeGG8i2h7-5s6BxUhkMhjuj73ethwDm-OwDasCjTrcj57PpLTYPdgY3nHIdNpYbOvBDNKjYsZCzAxIm5ySuMC5Z8Kbof7Psla3rND_clqn63k/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(90%20of%2092).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyY8UkTBPrP4paVhYgYxCtxgKGfuX3czvi6Az3kvUOGcrHsQYJdUltXweLw8rWmvGIun7CaNFULMH0YKeGG8i2h7-5s6BxUhkMhjuj73ethwDm-OwDasCjTrcj57PpLTYPdgY3nHIdNpYbOvBDNKjYsZCzAxIm5ySuMC5Z8Kbof7Psla3rND_clqn63k/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Mt.%20Airy%20(90%20of%2092).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Isn't it something that some people loved this show so much that they will pay to spend a night (or more) in Andy Griffith's homeplace? My family and Hal's have fond memories of "The Andy Griffith Show." My mother-in-law and I were discussing it some years ago, and we concluded that one thing, besides the humor, that really resonated with this show is that it taught us life lessons. It taught us how to treat those around us kindly; and it taught these lessons, not by being preachy and overbearing, but with gentle humor. I think, also, that the fondness for this show continues to exist because it represents a much simpler time in our history and not-so-distant past. Life has <i>never </i>been easy no matter what time period you lived in, but it seems almost ridiculously complicated these days, and a bit scary, if I may say so. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I believe that Andy Griffith was the only member of the cast who was actually from North Carolina. But after the show ended, two of the actors ended up living in North Carolina until their death. Frances Bavier, who played Aunt Bea, was originally from New York. She retired to Siler City, North Carolina, where she lived until her death at age 86. In 2006, Betty Lynn, who played Thelma Lou, Barney's girlfriend, moved to North Carolina from California. She actually lived in Mt. Airy until her death in 2021, at age 95. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There is also an Andy Griffith Museum and Andy Griffith Playhouse in Mt. Airy, which I hope to share with you before the holidays. Thanks so much for your visit!! I hope you have a lovely week! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-36688293773422826182023-10-01T12:10:00.005-04:002023-10-01T12:12:47.683-04:00An Apple Orchard and Apple Fritter Bread<center>The month of October is off to a beautiful start, wouldn't you agree? In my previous post, I wrote about our little getaway to Hendersonville, in the North Carolina mountains. On the day we headed home, we got an early start after breakfast and made our way to Grandad's Apples. This was the first time we had ever visited an apple orchard; we've always just stopped at produce stands along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall to get our fresh apples. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwV6Qiom0Re5kypmQC1_9EiymStmUZWbc43sf1DaPi4lGj5Q9FLMT908MGW0xRvwLD6fWmyXfVGCkCoTdhroB_x-mt7BGyObhFZU_xPePRjSrD_agjy-rOPx5eelkHWo5rwXOBbW7bEUH1pg1DrlAWJSv9aDQNvKmAjsUJJ84YgaFo-rKZP4K9OARvPfo/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(11%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwV6Qiom0Re5kypmQC1_9EiymStmUZWbc43sf1DaPi4lGj5Q9FLMT908MGW0xRvwLD6fWmyXfVGCkCoTdhroB_x-mt7BGyObhFZU_xPePRjSrD_agjy-rOPx5eelkHWo5rwXOBbW7bEUH1pg1DrlAWJSv9aDQNvKmAjsUJJ84YgaFo-rKZP4K9OARvPfo/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(11%20of%2070).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><center>If you have plans to visit the North Carolina mountains this fall season, I would definitely recommend Grandad's Apples. We were impressed with this pretty location; they have a little bit of everything apple-related, and some pumpkins, as well.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyga1BxdOJTZ0TA67YaduOYWIEleLrp3bc0DrSPir-vXMIa0xmXGShmxqijXaivNslD8jFRk_gNonkGZfnaTkj_M48RqHOM9rqlc8gwIxADknicuCJR6sZFqNbfxOroqn2B8jsJPyvtDYZsL6dPSObC98QY6eukcb5r-SHOcIr5D7DWAct3XmGitKc_P8/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(1%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyga1BxdOJTZ0TA67YaduOYWIEleLrp3bc0DrSPir-vXMIa0xmXGShmxqijXaivNslD8jFRk_gNonkGZfnaTkj_M48RqHOM9rqlc8gwIxADknicuCJR6sZFqNbfxOroqn2B8jsJPyvtDYZsL6dPSObC98QY6eukcb5r-SHOcIr5D7DWAct3XmGitKc_P8/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(1%20of%2070).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Aoe_NGFRM3abIyxyN8nNchoSLpTcFuvcM3tRsitJNeOwYskFV7MXNDvCV7tGptjpZc1P55Od-VSHdqQY9FMUztTw9puyYhsGsLUctj-ZinSLP-Bsq8wLKJ1RG2yqaA_OsdGDYOkWgQXxtDh1a80Be4dIp0THmVKxrDDlHIlHtiBCZkCMZSZICXTyIgE/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(55%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Aoe_NGFRM3abIyxyN8nNchoSLpTcFuvcM3tRsitJNeOwYskFV7MXNDvCV7tGptjpZc1P55Od-VSHdqQY9FMUztTw9puyYhsGsLUctj-ZinSLP-Bsq8wLKJ1RG2yqaA_OsdGDYOkWgQXxtDh1a80Be4dIp0THmVKxrDDlHIlHtiBCZkCMZSZICXTyIgE/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(55%20of%2070).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><center>I'm always interested to see the way farmers/growers make the best use of their land. These folks had a field <span style="text-align: left;">of sunflowers,</span></center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJFiU_O2DwP6tFE9B6jIKze8C4vmi69oY0IHTy01Q7Pacg37_0lWF8t41zLYZu-FFcfy-JurErqeu6UAzvywshi7GLppLPfXdnlBIfQj9FTz7tWi6Mynukd2bnGTHOCfzzfK0yaTjCSd7wo1lIFpQJBlpInkD-GK9WiLb2e5WSr6Ze80N3Y52aok_O0E/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(51%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="2000" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJFiU_O2DwP6tFE9B6jIKze8C4vmi69oY0IHTy01Q7Pacg37_0lWF8t41zLYZu-FFcfy-JurErqeu6UAzvywshi7GLppLPfXdnlBIfQj9FTz7tWi6Mynukd2bnGTHOCfzzfK0yaTjCSd7wo1lIFpQJBlpInkD-GK9WiLb2e5WSr6Ze80N3Y52aok_O0E/w640-h392/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(51%20of%2070).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTxjSbxI_98QfLgtPzfvYLIsiTfRZtpyBaDC3d4AVFBknt8-MmvrWGdZoYBzJD5in1j15E3hSnc4S_LJCvz1snj8vvBnKZczEK4L9-f_Cjv1T8r78UVmh5xFtuRzeV1P9z213S7sEvYUrFpJ8gPlRmEQvfBm4OhsWQTfC_koMFfXNi-3Bv9cs9YT4nE8/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(34%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTxjSbxI_98QfLgtPzfvYLIsiTfRZtpyBaDC3d4AVFBknt8-MmvrWGdZoYBzJD5in1j15E3hSnc4S_LJCvz1snj8vvBnKZczEK4L9-f_Cjv1T8r78UVmh5xFtuRzeV1P9z213S7sEvYUrFpJ8gPlRmEQvfBm4OhsWQTfC_koMFfXNi-3Bv9cs9YT4nE8/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(34%20of%2070).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>a corn maize (orange sign),</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWmekUFlDIexMZoLVQEpnMpfgNrsJuUzPqfGpgvxtaIyMDNaMrxFwQsM_nRsj1QgaDNN_vfOihKAPhDgm_g4D_qHqykPA2kJP2WvxuwG0UgquYJ09Wvg4oHP3HXbce8C4AST92__NLdM4Gcr2KYG1nOmFdutNFVUGk3GTOhIQsnzGC8UJyrdQMQrffKk/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(42%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWmekUFlDIexMZoLVQEpnMpfgNrsJuUzPqfGpgvxtaIyMDNaMrxFwQsM_nRsj1QgaDNN_vfOihKAPhDgm_g4D_qHqykPA2kJP2WvxuwG0UgquYJ09Wvg4oHP3HXbce8C4AST92__NLdM4Gcr2KYG1nOmFdutNFVUGk3GTOhIQsnzGC8UJyrdQMQrffKk/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(42%20of%2070).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>and a lavender patch. So pretty!</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMtmj9LF3YgXWCJNOf_rWhzxoVOtKyuliu38_6-nhfnfvK4yWsduWS-LS6Sb14MaAV6zhbhlZS-9utWwNVln1RdPdy7eO-LbFbwGfW67Ie3XaBtx_eNsBxx2XV8YQwDa3J0ZA-rBNc1T1WdOcsk7OOH_27i0UVksNOXZ-9ujIv-YpVIx8OagCAf_NUuE/s1284/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(23%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1284" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMtmj9LF3YgXWCJNOf_rWhzxoVOtKyuliu38_6-nhfnfvK4yWsduWS-LS6Sb14MaAV6zhbhlZS-9utWwNVln1RdPdy7eO-LbFbwGfW67Ie3XaBtx_eNsBxx2XV8YQwDa3J0ZA-rBNc1T1WdOcsk7OOH_27i0UVksNOXZ-9ujIv-YpVIx8OagCAf_NUuE/w640-h492/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(23%20of%2070).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>We bought a bag (1/2 peck) of golden delicious and a bag of red Rome apples. My mom bought some individual apples because she won't be able to use as many as us. I also shared some with my in-laws (we wound up with a lot of apples). 😀 </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTuxR_y5cnlvqyYTfU76bsLiLvA9MjB-6RNUWFsF1cGolQ0nF-H8lCEWWyUWjdvF7wS2INCI-OVH8Fy-84wdALseXSij9NPKD32VSNLgFPpuOxQz5SXxnI5Ip-HOQnNUQphhFD4m10-LKEFVqklIA-e1hYYfR-mbCQzvlNniDeO2K3hQxUdt0Y2Gyyg8/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(9%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTuxR_y5cnlvqyYTfU76bsLiLvA9MjB-6RNUWFsF1cGolQ0nF-H8lCEWWyUWjdvF7wS2INCI-OVH8Fy-84wdALseXSij9NPKD32VSNLgFPpuOxQz5SXxnI5Ip-HOQnNUQphhFD4m10-LKEFVqklIA-e1hYYfR-mbCQzvlNniDeO2K3hQxUdt0Y2Gyyg8/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(9%20of%2070).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />In addition to apples, there were loaves of applesauce bread, </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nnSgzfMbS-yxvhPtFKfCLWk3G_QPOdgSJzlldjengamc70VsAKC5Iv-pFHAh44CROisl1lo0pASv_SOugb1yl5WoUGt05jskV6xhTHDZNgA9OKZ7ex0IdqmWTnQeCcaYS7UQuZid-DxW4OctJnXjsE1v9fB5mkisuAM41Qohc0fuYEKH1NrFxMkwP64/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(13%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nnSgzfMbS-yxvhPtFKfCLWk3G_QPOdgSJzlldjengamc70VsAKC5Iv-pFHAh44CROisl1lo0pASv_SOugb1yl5WoUGt05jskV6xhTHDZNgA9OKZ7ex0IdqmWTnQeCcaYS7UQuZid-DxW4OctJnXjsE1v9fB5mkisuAM41Qohc0fuYEKH1NrFxMkwP64/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(13%20of%2070).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />apple cider,</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf04c0iXDjX9FFckJeMaXGP18M4O5TWc9sv40HSr-VJVcMKBv065IvEPxl7nmDq_LQKibTW_NKPXiGJAPv-_mODzQYiCsPG1NfnMifesjFxXhBRI51mrK6LXmTm6zWca6SRajdDAnca9V8GfHjvWyOhwbZow8DhpgpbuVgZnuqhA1cmDA19FqKvqX-7_o/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(19%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf04c0iXDjX9FFckJeMaXGP18M4O5TWc9sv40HSr-VJVcMKBv065IvEPxl7nmDq_LQKibTW_NKPXiGJAPv-_mODzQYiCsPG1NfnMifesjFxXhBRI51mrK6LXmTm6zWca6SRajdDAnca9V8GfHjvWyOhwbZow8DhpgpbuVgZnuqhA1cmDA19FqKvqX-7_o/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(19%20of%2070).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />baking mixes,</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCw6OYuGuvnzMEqEsIvQGK2Nq_ksn4kLV_rKJxhjUw9dMmgZw3n8xsAHHMyJI4Wzgiputt24FbLqCUzuhOHXO4-4w5lnGmKo7KdwVbjtz9zgxKEHXLiin3T88KsNDKW5IqYq-VmbgVcnNljiyHzLfmLyrvfeot9QDcI8Ehwl0YNwVFwAWa_98kUBXzha0/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(17%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCw6OYuGuvnzMEqEsIvQGK2Nq_ksn4kLV_rKJxhjUw9dMmgZw3n8xsAHHMyJI4Wzgiputt24FbLqCUzuhOHXO4-4w5lnGmKo7KdwVbjtz9zgxKEHXLiin3T88KsNDKW5IqYq-VmbgVcnNljiyHzLfmLyrvfeot9QDcI8Ehwl0YNwVFwAWa_98kUBXzha0/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(17%20of%2070).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />towels, pottery, coffee, and t-shirts. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsO49p8ocgSgAtYWO7Jae1FFk8XmU3Bdm_qSmwJRpiE8M_JR0L_fMAry4sRw6lKWipxPyhqDO3wQjMhzFzGo_zuCA2mUjm2_dfIh5nzdRlfgFX3QrwV3wDlFCBPncel9JtJBQ5igck_d-SLT1IFSyQyAZJLrnviKighfA5KLc8DBwMC0zRhSH0ZQzeXo/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(15%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsO49p8ocgSgAtYWO7Jae1FFk8XmU3Bdm_qSmwJRpiE8M_JR0L_fMAry4sRw6lKWipxPyhqDO3wQjMhzFzGo_zuCA2mUjm2_dfIh5nzdRlfgFX3QrwV3wDlFCBPncel9JtJBQ5igck_d-SLT1IFSyQyAZJLrnviKighfA5KLc8DBwMC0zRhSH0ZQzeXo/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(15%20of%2070).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>There were jams, jellies, and honey,</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmAm4_v6HLaDDnqPHD-vTRIyBUU2_4mqqettX2ther_oBqeLg04UCCzdazn0K8Zq5zopJvndoINVg30Byd7JLbkfPycR1KqaenZ316xJJhPWT7oEtBBmcdtgpJAsSzrKoHOZ-mqOAtyTsTb6CE4VroseUXjLVh6Z8OpLfikVeYRt_cGGgbYA50vCr_1Oo/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(7%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmAm4_v6HLaDDnqPHD-vTRIyBUU2_4mqqettX2ther_oBqeLg04UCCzdazn0K8Zq5zopJvndoINVg30Byd7JLbkfPycR1KqaenZ316xJJhPWT7oEtBBmcdtgpJAsSzrKoHOZ-mqOAtyTsTb6CE4VroseUXjLVh6Z8OpLfikVeYRt_cGGgbYA50vCr_1Oo/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(7%20of%2070).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>and fresh baked goods. This was a perfect way to end our trip to Hendersonville.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-aOcZWQo3zrbNZxzGTwPb3l6gz2r1v2XNY9d3owU0JBqphzJPt079zrsupYI8qAoYeTrMzAMrhuk64Cv_Er9IzujhU1TYwaV9nokUKZ9XS4puNeJqxofhibWOZMXSkwOuHht_sSzjbnsPo5hY5oJlpG5zJkYhkoa-lUxXECJP1MTX3Kt3pbNN9wJL6w/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(46%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-aOcZWQo3zrbNZxzGTwPb3l6gz2r1v2XNY9d3owU0JBqphzJPt079zrsupYI8qAoYeTrMzAMrhuk64Cv_Er9IzujhU1TYwaV9nokUKZ9XS4puNeJqxofhibWOZMXSkwOuHht_sSzjbnsPo5hY5oJlpG5zJkYhkoa-lUxXECJP1MTX3Kt3pbNN9wJL6w/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(46%20of%2070).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjB54sbck6Vqs8AZhDR7vwUi8YY5Ntz5q1TbWtvqHV2NDqMdppVCJm4BQY08vF1qtne558fLt0p1Q61WRJDQDASp9qdt_jyuGeYZwjcQ_liJgKu6TNMD1DVIku6tbqHzA_Oggq8RbGe8ovMIJKNslFNzfZPYKfR-D4zzSRqlS4TgVm9PZS4L7SEGdTz0I/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(65%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjB54sbck6Vqs8AZhDR7vwUi8YY5Ntz5q1TbWtvqHV2NDqMdppVCJm4BQY08vF1qtne558fLt0p1Q61WRJDQDASp9qdt_jyuGeYZwjcQ_liJgKu6TNMD1DVIku6tbqHzA_Oggq8RbGe8ovMIJKNslFNzfZPYKfR-D4zzSRqlS4TgVm9PZS4L7SEGdTz0I/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(65%20of%2070).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><center>I do wonder how they got the John Deere tractor up there... 😉</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6s4KFGxxqKRTDJd6oxDota37lU-2IblZ_-Frbet5cqDTiW4vo6eqFh3yoEX9xzqCKh_o9IcEBRpXa1RsY4IRNaXJHiVXCqlWQLn3J_MOnxHRNt_A7hoR4nLZL8VFMTALAu0-q5BvqDMw2FrtAirQx34QUBNTgb2SCmKGiR8NxrjcnWYeNf7Poxxpm758/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(33%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6s4KFGxxqKRTDJd6oxDota37lU-2IblZ_-Frbet5cqDTiW4vo6eqFh3yoEX9xzqCKh_o9IcEBRpXa1RsY4IRNaXJHiVXCqlWQLn3J_MOnxHRNt_A7hoR4nLZL8VFMTALAu0-q5BvqDMw2FrtAirQx34QUBNTgb2SCmKGiR8NxrjcnWYeNf7Poxxpm758/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(33%20of%2070).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nMWnuoRC5zJW-XFFpDm40IZOfld0m57Le3ig1XJMLvazo73rjFz3EqMaXQ5DgU_koeYcSpGZGCDWOFmnUkvXEupwOwvHA-T4CodUN8vt4zIKAFe46skH_5SZzQd3XDXdev2nlrkPqaODLZTyP8n3sFHRU_wCRrGOfWpvb4mZcqoTIkTbqKh7L4DZnKI/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(38%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nMWnuoRC5zJW-XFFpDm40IZOfld0m57Le3ig1XJMLvazo73rjFz3EqMaXQ5DgU_koeYcSpGZGCDWOFmnUkvXEupwOwvHA-T4CodUN8vt4zIKAFe46skH_5SZzQd3XDXdev2nlrkPqaODLZTyP8n3sFHRU_wCRrGOfWpvb4mZcqoTIkTbqKh7L4DZnKI/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(38%20of%2070).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lpDQikJPG_egkAf3bl1tjgm5vhMGPz7Gx6eIK-DpDAQ_JJf3NozdqDKoa9QmkaKwaIWZOgzx73ydkAl9eVwyC5EVh-FoQNiWUY-3MV1qAklmp-0XaoRm7jEag4cwtK9TS8akPgRqUUE0ep2M1GT8sLCovrgBJd1RnDRCAOADH2rjQ7JxWXSnDtCdyg0/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(69%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1467" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lpDQikJPG_egkAf3bl1tjgm5vhMGPz7Gx6eIK-DpDAQ_JJf3NozdqDKoa9QmkaKwaIWZOgzx73ydkAl9eVwyC5EVh-FoQNiWUY-3MV1qAklmp-0XaoRm7jEag4cwtK9TS8akPgRqUUE0ep2M1GT8sLCovrgBJd1RnDRCAOADH2rjQ7JxWXSnDtCdyg0/w470-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(69%20of%2070).jpg" width="470" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmuKRjJvzRZ9AKa8eHQKgC5h64I_v0j62sapfVwqgWrcJr_ErQth6By7rlTCvMZILwBND7C_mXG_2wl_Xh5n6ezPZiluHyAdH_tjjAEVgPnFCcwc_RCqIW5yxmWalBOa3UaqNg286SDDR26fvw-Kg2_w8sAlX6q7f8eywiUrp9p6U3mtrGlbE0HIR3xw/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Apple%20Fritter%20Bread%20(13%20of%2029).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmuKRjJvzRZ9AKa8eHQKgC5h64I_v0j62sapfVwqgWrcJr_ErQth6By7rlTCvMZILwBND7C_mXG_2wl_Xh5n6ezPZiluHyAdH_tjjAEVgPnFCcwc_RCqIW5yxmWalBOa3UaqNg286SDDR26fvw-Kg2_w8sAlX6q7f8eywiUrp9p6U3mtrGlbE0HIR3xw/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Apple%20Fritter%20Bread%20(13%20of%2029).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Last week, I made some apple fritter bread. I'll be sharing the recipe for this in my next post. There are so many scrumptious-looking recipes out there using apples -- what a versatile fruit. Since I managed to come home with a whole peck of apples, I'd better get busy. 😁 </center><center> </center><center>Thanks so much for visiting today! I hope you're having a wonderful weekend!! </center><center> </center><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-33698147624632093992023-09-19T21:25:00.012-04:002023-09-19T21:30:35.225-04:00A Fun Trip to Hendersonville<center>Hello Friends! Are you having a good week? We left last Wednesday driving to Hendersonville, North Carolina, for a two-day visit. My mom and I started this annual tradition in 2020, and this year, Hal went with us. We all had such a good time. The weather was perfect, and it was a real treat to get away for a change of scenery. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkImkB-qNOQqimpDkl5i_fOrEMGdHtPjqf5Ti3-DtKCPOtaiFyM1V4ByF6-RlCDC6HdfnxJX8nvk20nSt7ZmxDXJAhkvk3nAdnJLC2rpvSdv7fPUr-faF0LR_MVY1TQEEtYRsnSmQZcEO4_uh3LBPd8vJWDKWbQMrFwJaBiViYNr8Ckl5qdI4BT0p3Sz8/s6000/2020%20Hendersonville-120.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkImkB-qNOQqimpDkl5i_fOrEMGdHtPjqf5Ti3-DtKCPOtaiFyM1V4ByF6-RlCDC6HdfnxJX8nvk20nSt7ZmxDXJAhkvk3nAdnJLC2rpvSdv7fPUr-faF0LR_MVY1TQEEtYRsnSmQZcEO4_uh3LBPd8vJWDKWbQMrFwJaBiViYNr8Ckl5qdI4BT0p3Sz8/w640-h426/2020%20Hendersonville-120.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span><a name='more'></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblJC046K1Yg-hYspJyq4MJSlDugklwZK_2YYqJWlJ1qK_V_TDeu7zHGXagk78ARgOPmUk9Vq6_X1xZPIrPqz9gnq1I6yM45cUXNijD7nfIg-4bPY8TmnkBVjrZJWvslOCU2kCP_wlsgBj5--M35WeMFhOlR0YaWvP98Bj9x6QqJLUBb9qPq0Ajrrhzbk/s6000/2020%20Hendersonville-145.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblJC046K1Yg-hYspJyq4MJSlDugklwZK_2YYqJWlJ1qK_V_TDeu7zHGXagk78ARgOPmUk9Vq6_X1xZPIrPqz9gnq1I6yM45cUXNijD7nfIg-4bPY8TmnkBVjrZJWvslOCU2kCP_wlsgBj5--M35WeMFhOlR0YaWvP98Bj9x6QqJLUBb9qPq0Ajrrhzbk/w426-h640/2020%20Hendersonville-145.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3eOxVSVOI550zVIbHJRLujPFVFxo9L81wKjFxu3ZuYrvsyljU4TgDZ3GJ3FTC1vEsjIl_Ee_2ItxuQAutj9SLtlV9zadPQFNgnkvpBMbMB6TdabXcmXyIcQ6YB9uPReB7Vt0MsFoVMsLYWkcB09X8YbdZEUCRgDhpCtgr1tIoOLb8rZViPkQ7fxac-Y/s6000/2020%20Hendersonville-159.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3eOxVSVOI550zVIbHJRLujPFVFxo9L81wKjFxu3ZuYrvsyljU4TgDZ3GJ3FTC1vEsjIl_Ee_2ItxuQAutj9SLtlV9zadPQFNgnkvpBMbMB6TdabXcmXyIcQ6YB9uPReB7Vt0MsFoVMsLYWkcB09X8YbdZEUCRgDhpCtgr1tIoOLb8rZViPkQ7fxac-Y/w640-h426/2020%20Hendersonville-159.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><center><span style="text-align: left;">For the fourth year in a row, we stayed at the Charlston Inn, a Bed and Breakfast Inn in historic downtown Hendersonville. It's a lovely old house, and the owners really make guests feel at home there. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYyDNUvfGdzYwyUYbgvEuCgsGWVu7PLUdXX_v3YxtGmfqAGJGHoJU0qgCbpAT8wMqenfXhcm1c9DtIufc078EQrcxIDhBWoQEOXL0lOikKIvFg805S8Sg5R_87hsNvMMDLsOuOmOAj8fkx1zucPGwrOb5v77u73ovEZRMZ6gc3vX76l4W19b_GMgLhRQ/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hendersonville%20(1%20of%20505).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYyDNUvfGdzYwyUYbgvEuCgsGWVu7PLUdXX_v3YxtGmfqAGJGHoJU0qgCbpAT8wMqenfXhcm1c9DtIufc078EQrcxIDhBWoQEOXL0lOikKIvFg805S8Sg5R_87hsNvMMDLsOuOmOAj8fkx1zucPGwrOb5v77u73ovEZRMZ6gc3vX76l4W19b_GMgLhRQ/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hendersonville%20(1%20of%20505).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center>The day we arrived, we grabbed a quick lunch and then visited the Western North Carolina Air Museum. I wanted to pick something that would really interest Hal, and we all enjoyed seeing these flying machines. Above is a scale replica of the 1902 glider flown by the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. I'll write more on this museum soon.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hFgBMgIhD2JHHH48CmF_i_LrqrVK_6QGtpqcbRdCGxwmdQvE6uOIrXQvtX_OtNqqkGkB90Bhs3M1UDSbV-cNv428Rhbkl-hv4oe-29xuKB9lyiX-PSGxA2hDo6X3fb8H2xw8BP11JuChlZZKU-K059iwcJPqPepd5QOw48Ha4smLFAjUi19XyM0TlxA/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hendersonville%20(206%20of%20505).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hFgBMgIhD2JHHH48CmF_i_LrqrVK_6QGtpqcbRdCGxwmdQvE6uOIrXQvtX_OtNqqkGkB90Bhs3M1UDSbV-cNv428Rhbkl-hv4oe-29xuKB9lyiX-PSGxA2hDo6X3fb8H2xw8BP11JuChlZZKU-K059iwcJPqPepd5QOw48Ha4smLFAjUi19XyM0TlxA/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hendersonville%20(206%20of%20505).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRcjBXhMZw91y7V6TZgnsQqbf1UYJR7Tom1OuGmHKQppJNRfiH6h8rWyMy0s9QkMaDDmirwb2GAWTq0SEHkm499RJxiacJQvjMmNjgZINQFIXj5yqEz6PyoE7-sA2WIEAmUWlD6pEwuCoF4clLAVXx6HAuo3NAjcCIEGrvloS-uNXa3iYm0sd_qdR3-E/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hendersonville%20(153%20of%20505).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRcjBXhMZw91y7V6TZgnsQqbf1UYJR7Tom1OuGmHKQppJNRfiH6h8rWyMy0s9QkMaDDmirwb2GAWTq0SEHkm499RJxiacJQvjMmNjgZINQFIXj5yqEz6PyoE7-sA2WIEAmUWlD6pEwuCoF4clLAVXx6HAuo3NAjcCIEGrvloS-uNXa3iYm0sd_qdR3-E/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hendersonville%20(153%20of%20505).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /> <span style="text-align: left;">On Thursday, we had afternoon tea at our favorite tea room, "A Southern Cup." This tea room is really a girly place; Hal was a good sport about going, and he took some really great pictures for me. More on that later, too. He did enjoy the food and tea very much; Kim's afternoon tea is just delicious. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7lEgV8DrCfzjkGtsMqMKzeWa6jTG4kx5i3S_WHCwkQFzNQXs4TydZwpIBmznwiKlvWOSv6zaIZaE_XJA4EXA1UTaVY-XESecEyqzniZgj3xZ2jLGV_MJXkusFe96MusTyyQJ0jFMJ9sRPM3srJRtJ4QcTQJCYx5u89pwQBijuBF9KzW61RUCsYdSAgI/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hendersonville%20(366%20of%20505).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7lEgV8DrCfzjkGtsMqMKzeWa6jTG4kx5i3S_WHCwkQFzNQXs4TydZwpIBmznwiKlvWOSv6zaIZaE_XJA4EXA1UTaVY-XESecEyqzniZgj3xZ2jLGV_MJXkusFe96MusTyyQJ0jFMJ9sRPM3srJRtJ4QcTQJCYx5u89pwQBijuBF9KzW61RUCsYdSAgI/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hendersonville%20(366%20of%20505).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">Later that afternoon, we visited the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, which I've been wanting to see since last summer. It was very pretty and well worth a visit, but I would definitely go earlier in the summer next year. We were told that the best time to go is in June. The bridge was only about 30 minutes from our inn, so it made sense to go while we were so close by. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zrDbKuEgKhgoXDzz9zO3iu0znjRIZRUCA0xI98XpBoka86QDGICuSpDMa8g4qqDHX5QkhG8dFp1gli--M5VWzpINXtlPd5ZeyymNXUEoGq_DFcJyCxRSxT7GkhIymw6kbaVwuhh2sTNiU-iLIf5raoo1v6IUVBzDngYBzLIXN_FF7ZDOw4pY_zx2OCE/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hendersonville%20(395%20of%20505).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zrDbKuEgKhgoXDzz9zO3iu0znjRIZRUCA0xI98XpBoka86QDGICuSpDMa8g4qqDHX5QkhG8dFp1gli--M5VWzpINXtlPd5ZeyymNXUEoGq_DFcJyCxRSxT7GkhIymw6kbaVwuhh2sTNiU-iLIf5raoo1v6IUVBzDngYBzLIXN_FF7ZDOw4pY_zx2OCE/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hendersonville%20(395%20of%20505).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">Friday was our day to return home, and on the way, we stopped at an apple orchard just outside of Hendersonville. This is another thing I've been wanting to do for several years. Hendersonville is known for their apples, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this pretty orchard. We bought two bags of apples to bring home, so I'll be baking some goodies over the next several days. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBhhIlrvE4PdRWbxLW94SRYQAoUq9vFAC5tNwsPyKlf5Zt5bGgWRzDrgmJt9jGyjmJHd6AJVolEmX7nklwwGJj0xwfC2S9HLDzsMMveS__HGC_W8-JLwV9iiNPJH5bmAvydMpoBZ81ShEOeSQrqNH78oXPAnUA6y-rILNYe4L-gt15qrZ5Q0hYus5ngM/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(27%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBhhIlrvE4PdRWbxLW94SRYQAoUq9vFAC5tNwsPyKlf5Zt5bGgWRzDrgmJt9jGyjmJHd6AJVolEmX7nklwwGJj0xwfC2S9HLDzsMMveS__HGC_W8-JLwV9iiNPJH5bmAvydMpoBZ81ShEOeSQrqNH78oXPAnUA6y-rILNYe4L-gt15qrZ5Q0hYus5ngM/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(27%20of%2070).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKsB3WdmqKbeW4UfepS069C4DMm_avwdvxwnhnef3dRiycVX7UZSXHUgOy2BC7giTUsqmETHo9mQaa2r5Af-VfcJS4oqGitjIJytfT8BLg7Ywyh-dVe1XsX4_8Vshp9D6DeAN9TJhX2gx_eg9q9E7W4SjxhIE2so9zO_CxnLSeUns_i3mJr9qj7YelrM/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(15%20of%2070).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKsB3WdmqKbeW4UfepS069C4DMm_avwdvxwnhnef3dRiycVX7UZSXHUgOy2BC7giTUsqmETHo9mQaa2r5Af-VfcJS4oqGitjIJytfT8BLg7Ywyh-dVe1XsX4_8Vshp9D6DeAN9TJhX2gx_eg9q9E7W4SjxhIE2so9zO_CxnLSeUns_i3mJr9qj7YelrM/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Grandad's%20Apple%20Orchard%20(15%20of%2070).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center>It was good to get home, and now the busy fall season is upon us. We have some fall lawn work to do, and Alex, the man who helps us a few times a year, is coming tomorrow to plug and seed the yard. Now that the temperature is more bearable out, we have some weeding to do. The last thing for this post is to mention that yesterday, I celebrated my 62nd birthday. It was a really nice day, and I'm very thankful to still be having birthdays. 😊 </center><center> </center><center>I hope you all have a great week and thanks so much for stopping by here. Your visits and comments are always appreciated! </center><center> </center><center>Best wishes,</center><center> </center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-56355787086653794082023-09-07T22:28:00.003-04:002023-09-07T22:38:09.530-04:00Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream<center>Hi everyone! Are you ready for the weekend? Week before last, I made some homemade chocolate ice cream. We purchased a Cuisinart ice cream maker about six years ago, but we haven't used it a lot. We used it the first summer we had it, but after that we kind of forgot about it. We probably wouldn't have bought one at all, except that my mom got one, and she really liked it. She used it a lot before my dad passed away, but she hasn't used it much since. He really loved homemade ice cream, and he was the official ice cream churner (before the electric ones came along). However, he got too weak to use the ice cream maker before he died, so my mom got the Cuisinart. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieK6ZlaJWtyCcgsNL0bwAoYJ0FgtAaGg6uTMyqh78lTinn3Nk06Y52QHEA8ewInIO5xMIwzlvxvP39jH7Jse72rNPx2P3ee2f8zjkR2SGEKgBjPM3oLkwIA4AoJoIUI9nL3ETDYWlVdRIPxpCB-iGygYLxCWlH4EliKMYG7dO_vJAIn7e_9ZkWLcdbPQg/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(19%20of%2021).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieK6ZlaJWtyCcgsNL0bwAoYJ0FgtAaGg6uTMyqh78lTinn3Nk06Y52QHEA8ewInIO5xMIwzlvxvP39jH7Jse72rNPx2P3ee2f8zjkR2SGEKgBjPM3oLkwIA4AoJoIUI9nL3ETDYWlVdRIPxpCB-iGygYLxCWlH4EliKMYG7dO_vJAIn7e_9ZkWLcdbPQg/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(19%20of%2021).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /><center><span style="text-align: left;">This year Hal said, "Let's dig out that ice cream maker and make some ice cream." Sounds good to me. 😉 I got the Cuisinart out, dusted it off, and rounded up our recipes. We made vanilla for Will's birthday earlier in August because we were having chocolate cake. That made for a good combination, but this time, we decided to try chocolate ice cream. I hadn't made it before; it wasn't difficult to make, and we really liked it. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">We used the recipe in the instruction booklet that came with the ice cream maker. They recommend that you mix up the base and let it chill for a few hours, or overnight, in the refrigerator. We usually let ours chill overnight, and it firms up nicely in 20 minutes or less. I combined my ingredients in a mixing bowl and put it in the fridge overnight; this is what it looked like the next morning. Ooops! </span></div></span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvip2TKKXmWfwmx85Kmf_sMujhfl5IU2QnuPVIV6Rvy264czbpAnbCtNE-R6Bc1U-0EjGN6zwXQjeyKVpdP-6iMQJ8_vkaVKmwlN0kTEWnlA_dl5to2TTf2QICtlxIoh3inQVG-pFPxb6p3IKsDeHibS3G0URtMjsnNi8vmNm_zy7cK6F5FNJBtxMplc/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(1%20of%2021).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvip2TKKXmWfwmx85Kmf_sMujhfl5IU2QnuPVIV6Rvy264czbpAnbCtNE-R6Bc1U-0EjGN6zwXQjeyKVpdP-6iMQJ8_vkaVKmwlN0kTEWnlA_dl5to2TTf2QICtlxIoh3inQVG-pFPxb6p3IKsDeHibS3G0URtMjsnNi8vmNm_zy7cK6F5FNJBtxMplc/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(1%20of%2021).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center>Everything had separated during the night. When I was ready to put everything in the Cuisinart, I just re-mixed the base with a whisk, and it came together beautifully. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMG9XbWz_3ulN0hZp9RHRvjsrxufb8_ocB6hVuRSnzSXpO2X2wW81xz3CrhhvU55hObmxu5OLRH-gHeumfmUuyKo-aEu7Tk3I45kwDx9qj-Kad49wzv6ZSTxo3D9X67B5scFTNvn29l5oE7o_BmqB0ECfNFalYlRB5O_V1gEB9Y6BchWWVsalleLgKLk/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(4%20of%2021).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMG9XbWz_3ulN0hZp9RHRvjsrxufb8_ocB6hVuRSnzSXpO2X2wW81xz3CrhhvU55hObmxu5OLRH-gHeumfmUuyKo-aEu7Tk3I45kwDx9qj-Kad49wzv6ZSTxo3D9X67B5scFTNvn29l5oE7o_BmqB0ECfNFalYlRB5O_V1gEB9Y6BchWWVsalleLgKLk/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(4%20of%2021).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Here it is after re-mixing.</span></div></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7SdfY_ZBgym2A1jmMbqmoRImw310ur23z3Vbp0bmF_onjwZEUFt1Hi_7S3GTlUtFEhbOZJQL0yHpk7_fc5mvfTUgjAU--A6A5bPlJpEEc_zKwg6qSw3EQZ17uvxieaxNhmwoQ3cGgE8R3qmnws113lCPx_ZG9enBfpokCHz1_gizHh2MHDIeaqiQDcM/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(7%20of%2021).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7SdfY_ZBgym2A1jmMbqmoRImw310ur23z3Vbp0bmF_onjwZEUFt1Hi_7S3GTlUtFEhbOZJQL0yHpk7_fc5mvfTUgjAU--A6A5bPlJpEEc_zKwg6qSw3EQZ17uvxieaxNhmwoQ3cGgE8R3qmnws113lCPx_ZG9enBfpokCHz1_gizHh2MHDIeaqiQDcM/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(7%20of%2021).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">Just pour the chocolate mixture into the <i>frozen </i>freezer bowl. We keep our metal bowl (cylindrical piece on top of the base) in the freezer all the time. The Cuisinart owner's manual recommends you do this. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5bgf1cPYTspLqUQZjc2dbBBBH-OoNVgyqPS5c-FcA4t2feR1rBRAIyM-7WijalkyzSitxvlwSi3GPV_91S5t1vG1JxUxC9QOCk_GRyWtmTorzA1QmJgG-gq-nzgbAs0Dt4StKi-aot5wTv7YIHgClKR24ppNex3ouftoeSB4BqCq-8D_sbfpgm3fJU8/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(12%20of%2021).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5bgf1cPYTspLqUQZjc2dbBBBH-OoNVgyqPS5c-FcA4t2feR1rBRAIyM-7WijalkyzSitxvlwSi3GPV_91S5t1vG1JxUxC9QOCk_GRyWtmTorzA1QmJgG-gq-nzgbAs0Dt4StKi-aot5wTv7YIHgClKR24ppNex3ouftoeSB4BqCq-8D_sbfpgm3fJU8/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(12%20of%2021).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">Turn the machine on and in 20 minutes (or less) you have ice cream. This model also makes frozen yogurt, sherbet, sorbet and frozen drinks. So far, we've only made ice cream. We would like to try sorbet, though.</span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51ZO5nVs-2BHK_kyuc_74LPDujSQFpgKN9gfAFHKpbHsclUJ99ERAjvppg8lDNXM_jEoU8uGlF8sfc_poi0jLcfIHdwnOWkdqYXm2oLID0x7uuiKza2-lwKsW_f16b5abOI8pFCHbF60KFswUdgfocvD6SymHWbG3TCqhP23RutE7Ac9_rFCyAWdgc18/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(15%20of%2021).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51ZO5nVs-2BHK_kyuc_74LPDujSQFpgKN9gfAFHKpbHsclUJ99ERAjvppg8lDNXM_jEoU8uGlF8sfc_poi0jLcfIHdwnOWkdqYXm2oLID0x7uuiKza2-lwKsW_f16b5abOI8pFCHbF60KFswUdgfocvD6SymHWbG3TCqhP23RutE7Ac9_rFCyAWdgc18/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(15%20of%2021).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">We purchased <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Cream-Containers-Homemade-Quart/dp/B08TFJTMJL/ref=sr_1_23?crid=190L0Q7LVXPPW&keywords=ice+cream+containers&qid=1694132688&sprefix=ice+cream+%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-23">this container</a> from Amazon; it came in a set of two. We're not Amazon affiliates, so I'm not making any money from this recommendation, but I'm sharing in case you're interested in purchasing these. We've only used one so far, but we really like it! It came with several labels in pretty, pastel colors.</span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_WEmIyiLb4UekngBbfMUgDgS3dLPBY-lav5qmNI1_ynCDaHV21YmGVc2mS53DyjHgfKZfhSUvApt0cjDCannkMDsSB_3VfVsq-LaiA7yiXooauWpTqPhfDlzdqKxWXg3b1dyOSEzRRg1e_I3T09TA8-gkJQrrrFmG3xUNRpHO2TsfkBX0f2CQkHwg5g/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(20%20of%2021).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_WEmIyiLb4UekngBbfMUgDgS3dLPBY-lav5qmNI1_ynCDaHV21YmGVc2mS53DyjHgfKZfhSUvApt0cjDCannkMDsSB_3VfVsq-LaiA7yiXooauWpTqPhfDlzdqKxWXg3b1dyOSEzRRg1e_I3T09TA8-gkJQrrrFmG3xUNRpHO2TsfkBX0f2CQkHwg5g/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Chocolate%20Ice%20Cream%20(20%20of%2021).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">Below is the recipe, adapted from Cuisinart. If you try this, I hope you enjoy it. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center style="text-align: center;"><u>Simple Chocolate Ice Cream</u></center><center style="text-align: left;"><br /></center><center style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>3/4 c. cocoa powder, sifted (I just used a whisk)</li><li>1/2 c. granulated sugar</li><li>1/3 c. packed dark brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)</li><li>pinch of salt</li><li>1 c. half 'n half</li><li>2 c. heavy cream</li><li>1/2 T. pure vanilla extract</li></ul><div> 1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugars and salt. Add the half 'n half and, using a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk, beat to combine until the cocoa, sugars and salt are dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate one to two hours, or overnight. </div><div><br /></div><div> 2. Turn the Cuisinart ice cream maker on; pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about two hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We thought this ice cream was delicious! It had a rich, chocolate flavor and was thick and creamy. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Do you like to make ice cream? I know there are recipes out there for making ice cream without a special machine -- just mix everything together, pour it in a pan, and put it in the freezer until it freezes. I've pinned a recipe like this, which I plan on trying out next. 😊 Don't judge me folks, it's still <i>really </i>hot here. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Thank you to all who stopped by here today -- I hope you have a lovely weekend! See you soon!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-9114694182846147582023-09-04T17:16:00.011-04:002023-09-04T17:24:15.550-04:00The Transition<center>Hello September and Happy Labor Day everyone! I hope you're all doing well. I guess today is the unofficial last day of summer. </center><center><br /></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VgnY2htD2VcAf3tyY_-mw6ySKXYLGeHCAfJl6nZ8TKaTv8R1qqeRcY0TJ5WXHwXiVf-S4nB84M8eOj8Rd0A5SeddMjTAgx_Q94z_ehp_TUPvI3Bvuu-s3CBodWtLh8sLsNGF8SHvEaCJmuVc_-bzMzIFtuJAnYEotrMuA74_lMC0rH2hj1HPIBO_bKk/s6000/2020%20Summer%20Decor-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VgnY2htD2VcAf3tyY_-mw6ySKXYLGeHCAfJl6nZ8TKaTv8R1qqeRcY0TJ5WXHwXiVf-S4nB84M8eOj8Rd0A5SeddMjTAgx_Q94z_ehp_TUPvI3Bvuu-s3CBodWtLh8sLsNGF8SHvEaCJmuVc_-bzMzIFtuJAnYEotrMuA74_lMC0rH2hj1HPIBO_bKk/w640-h426/2020%20Summer%20Decor-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><center> </center><center> Time to take down the summer mantel decor. </center><center> </center><center> </center><span><a name='more'></a></span><center><span style="text-align: left;">The public pools close after today, and most of the kids have gone back to school. It certainly does feel like the end of summer proper, but I know we'll still have plenty of hot days here in North Carolina. As I get older, I can almost feel the transition that is beginning in Mother Nature. It is getting dark earlier in the evening, we're seeing a few colored leaves here and there, and the light has started to develop that lovely, golden softness of autumn. How I love this time of year! Did you happen to see the blue super moon in August? We got a glimpse of it through the trees as it was rising last Wednesday night -- it was beautiful. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpZ58XgD-T0S5Y7nByP0TwI1IOoXmK80IOC3CCSgJu37NdN0ZqnPt44lCCZALxnWA3T14WM7uTQ5QJuqLHPtNj3OmgwpVKdRyktCxDwDG3i9l5EBhQqX9VA6IgiF9IC_e4btBF7uMQJpnRDT3xZVJvVW3AXxSOgenkJ4IfgT1pejtdtLFIwrRpQyeO2M/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Dave%20and%20Lisas%20Wedding%20(56%20of%20168).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpZ58XgD-T0S5Y7nByP0TwI1IOoXmK80IOC3CCSgJu37NdN0ZqnPt44lCCZALxnWA3T14WM7uTQ5QJuqLHPtNj3OmgwpVKdRyktCxDwDG3i9l5EBhQqX9VA6IgiF9IC_e4btBF7uMQJpnRDT3xZVJvVW3AXxSOgenkJ4IfgT1pejtdtLFIwrRpQyeO2M/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Dave%20and%20Lisas%20Wedding%20(56%20of%20168).jpg" width="426" /></a></div> <br /> </span><span style="text-align: left;">August was a busy month for us. On Sunday, August 6th, after their regular church service, my sister and her fiancée were married, followed by a reception in the fellowship hall of the church. It was such a nice ceremony; Hal's parents attended, as did our son, Will. It was a second marriage for the bride and groom, and their grown children (and Dave's grandchildren) attended, too. I wish the very best for Lisa and Dave in their journey through life. We're awfully glad to have Dave in our family!</span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUSfFoWXNtrkFfNEOfkeTQ3gCsyZ5EVf8Chen7hDKNvhdU8GTOrgm4fhmTja2EhsofnPYd0uxpveeSlGFUYlCSl1HkogZab5Mp9i8pUqab2JD2VOcg7Oi6A5sBTTY8oePM-QqchGjKaoh1c_rksdhMs5JP2q-VO6_Yh2HEk-x8Evp80Nu4i-mu2BSSsc/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Dave%20and%20Lisas%20Wedding%20(85%20of%20168).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUSfFoWXNtrkFfNEOfkeTQ3gCsyZ5EVf8Chen7hDKNvhdU8GTOrgm4fhmTja2EhsofnPYd0uxpveeSlGFUYlCSl1HkogZab5Mp9i8pUqab2JD2VOcg7Oi6A5sBTTY8oePM-QqchGjKaoh1c_rksdhMs5JP2q-VO6_Yh2HEk-x8Evp80Nu4i-mu2BSSsc/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Dave%20and%20Lisas%20Wedding%20(85%20of%20168).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>I love their church! It is a small, Moravian church, built almost 100 years ago to serve as a place of worship for the factory workers in the textile mill located right across the street from the church. The textile mill no longer exists, but there is an interesting history of the factory and the church located in the church itself. We enjoyed looking at the pictures after the reception.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnOLPpGO_rELYDO0Ct1SWMySjAhSDpsN9xqolVKJMfErbMGq-y6-3fLLYhMF4FC8le8LzYktV-ROuiDcldpEdUwyoD7rAkoJoe58U3ZJ9XID34AzRnq2ofsvU0Omc5zXhOVGsYzHxcgb8qdkNxY5yiPiycvlrWuGC-y-2QhNSC2tBXR6qFopfQ83wO5E/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Dave%20and%20Lisas%20Wedding%20(136%20of%20168).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1294" data-original-width="2000" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnOLPpGO_rELYDO0Ct1SWMySjAhSDpsN9xqolVKJMfErbMGq-y6-3fLLYhMF4FC8le8LzYktV-ROuiDcldpEdUwyoD7rAkoJoe58U3ZJ9XID34AzRnq2ofsvU0Omc5zXhOVGsYzHxcgb8qdkNxY5yiPiycvlrWuGC-y-2QhNSC2tBXR6qFopfQ83wO5E/w640-h414/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Dave%20and%20Lisas%20Wedding%20(136%20of%20168).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNz14eBcGJHbQah1TFCG9G0zP-yAvFzfLiUSCGKWVV0z8vjOmohSZ6C5Pb7Q9gba-A0i2X-coz31BDHcv0yWg5jJajdntaqnpb8adHPs-rZvPqRKaE_I39EoQ4pL2yCqjBs8-_C09G2nmY7mCAsRiN5Ebe28WGGIoUtuW5ftutA4JeOdXa9FM5OoYfDPE/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Dave%20and%20Lisas%20Wedding%20(142%20of%20168).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNz14eBcGJHbQah1TFCG9G0zP-yAvFzfLiUSCGKWVV0z8vjOmohSZ6C5Pb7Q9gba-A0i2X-coz31BDHcv0yWg5jJajdntaqnpb8adHPs-rZvPqRKaE_I39EoQ4pL2yCqjBs8-_C09G2nmY7mCAsRiN5Ebe28WGGIoUtuW5ftutA4JeOdXa9FM5OoYfDPE/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Dave%20and%20Lisas%20Wedding%20(142%20of%20168).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>The mill had its own baseball team, which I think was a common thing back in the day. With my love of history, I really enjoyed seeing these archives of a portion of our local history. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlZCw9WJcNu08q3qLTglGMyXYKSA0GLLlHsyCdik8KrRAvhLcQYjtTLMuEvmV7gLyTr0_F0_BtlhZbuhVyQv-wq-Ekt80LcRg6zcvuLIh121rPVOe97nQCRQAqhViaqmW7l_dpgY1DsI5qkcIXSqt1_ndyyTyKkyvdQK2et-sk19oTIFNbjLiiXCq4vo/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Dave%20and%20Lisas%20Wedding%20(71%20of%20168).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlZCw9WJcNu08q3qLTglGMyXYKSA0GLLlHsyCdik8KrRAvhLcQYjtTLMuEvmV7gLyTr0_F0_BtlhZbuhVyQv-wq-Ekt80LcRg6zcvuLIh121rPVOe97nQCRQAqhViaqmW7l_dpgY1DsI5qkcIXSqt1_ndyyTyKkyvdQK2et-sk19oTIFNbjLiiXCq4vo/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Dave%20and%20Lisas%20Wedding%20(71%20of%20168).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>My mom and I prepared all the food for the reception, except for the cupcakes, which were purchased by my sister. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, and there wasn't much left over, so that's always a good sign. 😉 </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8rLaULI8xye_SPR8GIseW409Amt9PU8v-QQsjWmJBILapghr7euWrZGoyAEKQJHCcQO5cv59K6fMwtyqzxbjCXpjkifgNIkGbnABa-r0muSeAB-XT4uYHWX0mjYWc2kitN-oPdiZIB-qIB0XIb1ZE5MF-PoLTBuLU22kDU4vB14faSis0iv9Kf_Zr_Y/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Dave%20and%20Lisas%20Wedding%20(148%20of%20168).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1632" data-original-width="2000" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8rLaULI8xye_SPR8GIseW409Amt9PU8v-QQsjWmJBILapghr7euWrZGoyAEKQJHCcQO5cv59K6fMwtyqzxbjCXpjkifgNIkGbnABa-r0muSeAB-XT4uYHWX0mjYWc2kitN-oPdiZIB-qIB0XIb1ZE5MF-PoLTBuLU22kDU4vB14faSis0iv9Kf_Zr_Y/w640-h522/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Dave%20and%20Lisas%20Wedding%20(148%20of%20168).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center><span style="text-align: left;">My mom's dear friend and neighbor arranged all the flowers for the chapel and the reception with flowers from her own yard; she did a great job! All the pictures were taken by Hal, and we think he did a great job, too. 😊 </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;">On Sunday, August 13th, we celebrated our son's 33rd birthday; oh my goodness, where have the years gone?! We had a nice cookout here with hamburgers, hot dogs, Coca-Cola cake (made by my mother-in-law) and homemade ice cream. It was a fun day, and we are so thankful for our son. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRFZXd6rxSEj29UZbAPjm0VhLHpU43oZdASbifVQ0HIp_qfPndPBbwP3TXSHPBKlqdpZYLy8UQ-GtnHpjP_NDvYMRngsXPEXa4ZTk_yCgK9t3ic26gfqaD7utUKhc7oPWBX38uHeYU75wuqNfsKDFZ3OfZE8GBhjSblNVESxAAES2JX5aPMOf4Qfb4eA/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Will's%20Birthday%20(26%20of%2026).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRFZXd6rxSEj29UZbAPjm0VhLHpU43oZdASbifVQ0HIp_qfPndPBbwP3TXSHPBKlqdpZYLy8UQ-GtnHpjP_NDvYMRngsXPEXa4ZTk_yCgK9t3ic26gfqaD7utUKhc7oPWBX38uHeYU75wuqNfsKDFZ3OfZE8GBhjSblNVESxAAES2JX5aPMOf4Qfb4eA/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Will's%20Birthday%20(26%20of%2026).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwikGfVwwoxWgUYYz-ChWZt2W7yI527hZRo4EvIlxn4tIsCouIMmYYwu9dH0E7Rks7GjYny7MzbuwmdPQbTX2OFNg9wmoDOmyLEQlD34QTYoDix3-7w1x11vrQug8k5YZph-pdasfrPjnGvr1TvbY-v8oPj9FSM7brKT5w9ayBLfNZ8GYPYNA5P7VzSs/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Will's%20Birthday%20(18%20of%2026).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwikGfVwwoxWgUYYz-ChWZt2W7yI527hZRo4EvIlxn4tIsCouIMmYYwu9dH0E7Rks7GjYny7MzbuwmdPQbTX2OFNg9wmoDOmyLEQlD34QTYoDix3-7w1x11vrQug8k5YZph-pdasfrPjnGvr1TvbY-v8oPj9FSM7brKT5w9ayBLfNZ8GYPYNA5P7VzSs/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Will's%20Birthday%20(18%20of%2026).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">I set up a quick, ocean-themed tablescape, since we all love the ocean here. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPrX5E6pi7kZ_GsTmAuo6B4izloTLDDzfAQNJk-5WzhNgpRhE3qGx9l1B95O6hgi4AiS9VLmOkQO4JmJnKbfmQKCMn3De9bKJTpu_BrGwHzHPRscBTF3PZKiaYSil6VsDPy8abRdAxkCMGkfYhGvJzGdVAnJvZWyI8nJZFrXj_9xXrInJLV8lB04A0Qk/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Will's%20Birthday%20(24%20of%2026).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPrX5E6pi7kZ_GsTmAuo6B4izloTLDDzfAQNJk-5WzhNgpRhE3qGx9l1B95O6hgi4AiS9VLmOkQO4JmJnKbfmQKCMn3De9bKJTpu_BrGwHzHPRscBTF3PZKiaYSil6VsDPy8abRdAxkCMGkfYhGvJzGdVAnJvZWyI8nJZFrXj_9xXrInJLV8lB04A0Qk/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Will's%20Birthday%20(24%20of%2026).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">Please excuse my wrinkled tablecloth. 😁 This was a much simpler version of the <a href="https://houseatforestmanor.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-nautical-tablescape.html">nautical tablescape</a> I created in 2016. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;">Since I seem to be doing a wrap-up of our summer, I'll mention that we finally got a new refrigerator. We've been on the lookout for one since the beginning of Covid; do you know how hard it is to find a white refrigerator these days? Everything is of course, still stainless. This is not at all meant as a knock-on stainless-steel appliances, but I do love my white appliances. Our fridge was 28 years old; it was sold to us with the house and was almost new at that time. It was an Amana and had definitely been a good one, but we felt that it was living on borrowed time. </span><span style="text-align: left;">It was starting to make a shuddering noise when it cut off, and I didn't like the sound of that.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFgAvbwY_N9Yza7htgDMGLD7WT-SwRIRSZ1vsngUDm8SHU6rd91-XDm9mJibc1XlYhs6sjMXTud9CyGEHJctw71iC-KkoBbLcy6F8n6rTlhVhmQZW9HBMmqmxE2xXHuU7Vqf1wbG9YROrV-NyzfRfWNt6xaDz1aKACZRyRPmL_6J1pRGveOTgsykopuU/s6000/2020%20Spring%20Kitchen-85.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFgAvbwY_N9Yza7htgDMGLD7WT-SwRIRSZ1vsngUDm8SHU6rd91-XDm9mJibc1XlYhs6sjMXTud9CyGEHJctw71iC-KkoBbLcy6F8n6rTlhVhmQZW9HBMmqmxE2xXHuU7Vqf1wbG9YROrV-NyzfRfWNt6xaDz1aKACZRyRPmL_6J1pRGveOTgsykopuU/w426-h640/2020%20Spring%20Kitchen-85.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><center><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;">We had the two cabinets above the fridge removed two years ago when we had some other work done on our house. We anticipated that our next refrigerator would be taller, since all the appliances seem to keep getting bigger. So glad we had that done -- it saved us some hassle when the new fridge was installed. </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFenJbumh2Q0hQL5yQr29g2yR5PtcybK08fgIO8r2zenJW9yeCH9IyiDOQPWxES1hVQ61QxCVa76KQQFzBPEo_r6Qwi--00hASc7EZF8PrYk9hv8vdmIe-frQl-Jdu1hY3SoDipYXtI7EEH7sVPpPTQgoboqhmc_RGkFfpIncCzIWsVh4poyMTXfyFOA/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20New%20Fridge%20(21%20of%2023).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1309" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFenJbumh2Q0hQL5yQr29g2yR5PtcybK08fgIO8r2zenJW9yeCH9IyiDOQPWxES1hVQ61QxCVa76KQQFzBPEo_r6Qwi--00hASc7EZF8PrYk9hv8vdmIe-frQl-Jdu1hY3SoDipYXtI7EEH7sVPpPTQgoboqhmc_RGkFfpIncCzIWsVh4poyMTXfyFOA/w418-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20New%20Fridge%20(21%20of%2023).jpg" width="418" /></a></div> </center><center>The space for a refrigerator in our kitchen is somewhat small, and that was another thing that made finding a new one something of a challenge. Costco was running a Memorial Day sale on this model, and it was available in our size and in white, so we jumped at the offer. It was our anniversary gift to each other this year. This is a GE Cafe Series, and we are very happy with it. This is not a sponsored review; I'm just sharing our experience. I've read mixed reviews on this model, but so far, so good for us. We absolutely love the design of the French door refrigerators. You can basically see everything that's in here, and there's no stooping on the floor to look for something in the back of a deep refrigerator. You wouldn't believe all the stuff I threw away that was tucked in the very back of our other fridge, and I had completely forgotten it was there. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_CnSrLmruePIS1rdIRqTDBwl7KprDOvCalUMO7GeB6JhNXbjWRAkQDkUG94SPlc99LlM5szi_tyYTytCzuBVLOpn4vks72xL9wbk-ye4gSzi9aXnwsROcUaOKqvsyCmKLRmDbmQmvcmn8G4vgVGqsYMp6VfChUby8187E4zXRcVMS_dRhEEK9dou7nI/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20New%20Fridge%202%20(4%20of%2020).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_CnSrLmruePIS1rdIRqTDBwl7KprDOvCalUMO7GeB6JhNXbjWRAkQDkUG94SPlc99LlM5szi_tyYTytCzuBVLOpn4vks72xL9wbk-ye4gSzi9aXnwsROcUaOKqvsyCmKLRmDbmQmvcmn8G4vgVGqsYMp6VfChUby8187E4zXRcVMS_dRhEEK9dou7nI/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20New%20Fridge%202%20(4%20of%2020).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><center>This one is a counter-depth, but it does stick out a little beyond our stove and counter tops. That's not a problem for us.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs1mewir0fUrtntNm5VcWjPrY1S97d0MnWEC1Cs09o0nzOmcy54wkX2xJ_R1G8TUGimK30z2LxNGyjbDIva0RhV40vI2aLyZxE-Eg1vnS0yz7nEg1zPeLWzeyB873Br5W-d9QTfH8iBciYeAx95CSQJEt-ilU7qREXROPAl0nyE1zsQTLqPsRLq0Tkik/s1333/Denise-Pictures-2023%20New%20Fridge%204%20(1%20of%2011).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1262" data-original-width="1333" height="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs1mewir0fUrtntNm5VcWjPrY1S97d0MnWEC1Cs09o0nzOmcy54wkX2xJ_R1G8TUGimK30z2LxNGyjbDIva0RhV40vI2aLyZxE-Eg1vnS0yz7nEg1zPeLWzeyB873Br5W-d9QTfH8iBciYeAx95CSQJEt-ilU7qREXROPAl0nyE1zsQTLqPsRLq0Tkik/w640-h606/Denise-Pictures-2023%20New%20Fridge%204%20(1%20of%2011).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>We're still learning how best to arrange things in here, but it holds more than we thought it might. Since we're two empty nesters, we should be able to make this work fine. The only complaint I have thus far is that the produce bins are very small; our others were much bigger. Thankfully, we have a smaller refrigerator in the basement for extra storage, so we can make use of that. We love how light and bright this new fridge is with the modern LED lighting. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU45wuKqUKb6BSdF52Hd4iBWAKW_enMQ3TrFGk2XbJ9mURxswX25i0KYsmRYHKR38bnJ-M4Fxv_4ijVo8xTbiwcfCUMuoNKEUXiStLqZYMirnEFllrxoGu4S24k2p0I8u5nrzLVPA-tVOjgE44dCBcdz_9ixhCs4SJ9GVyAt1a5Sq5gxteRIvqoEj6D3c/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20New%20Fridge%204%20(10%20of%2011).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU45wuKqUKb6BSdF52Hd4iBWAKW_enMQ3TrFGk2XbJ9mURxswX25i0KYsmRYHKR38bnJ-M4Fxv_4ijVo8xTbiwcfCUMuoNKEUXiStLqZYMirnEFllrxoGu4S24k2p0I8u5nrzLVPA-tVOjgE44dCBcdz_9ixhCs4SJ9GVyAt1a5Sq5gxteRIvqoEj6D3c/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20New%20Fridge%204%20(10%20of%2011).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>It's nice to have an automatic icemaker again; the one on our other fridge had died several years ago. The shape of the freezer in this is a little hard to get used to, as well, but again, we have another in the basement. Overall, we are thrilled to have a new refrigerator, and it matches our other appliances beautifully. If you have a French door refrigerator, how do you like it? Do you find it easy to use? </center><center> </center><center>Have you had a good summer and are you looking forward to fall? Personally, I'm ready to get out the fall decs here. 😄 Thank you so much for stopping by here today, and I hope you have a wonderful week!! </center><center> </center><center>All the best, <br /></center><center> </center></span></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-46312553758264450762023-08-01T18:59:00.005-04:002023-08-02T10:41:09.374-04:00Hello August!<center>Hello Dear Friends and Happy August! Perhaps in colder climates, by the first of August, summer is starting to wane? Here in North Carolina, it is still quite hot. My mom's air conditioner has been out for over two weeks, but thankfully, she has a separate air-conditioned room where she can sit during the day and a place to sleep at night. I've heard about other folks who are not so lucky. I hope you are comfortable wherever you are during this current heat wave. </center><center><br /></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmarRU8pgzYhLraNzk_Yegk9s3bV9knAre6KY1tz9q2WaznB_H5RAsQkt-rxr0P8nHv50zKeQvYpVWwRZnxAAHyfR6Q-9iX4uSXtPW2KnkW-bLCvUTApXWH4L2t-ltTbHEPZYBPI8JRyJkEumSpyAT2iFWl-_fPd2MK-Sp06oiPwbGaO6OJRFzUfA4mVE/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20August%20Calendar%20Page%20(2%20of%203).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmarRU8pgzYhLraNzk_Yegk9s3bV9knAre6KY1tz9q2WaznB_H5RAsQkt-rxr0P8nHv50zKeQvYpVWwRZnxAAHyfR6Q-9iX4uSXtPW2KnkW-bLCvUTApXWH4L2t-ltTbHEPZYBPI8JRyJkEumSpyAT2iFWl-_fPd2MK-Sp06oiPwbGaO6OJRFzUfA4mVE/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20August%20Calendar%20Page%20(2%20of%203).jpg" width="426" /></a></div> <br /> </center><center><span><a name='more'></a></span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;">I didn't post here last month, so I thought today I would catch up on a few things. I've been reading up a storm here -- I'm deep into the Aubrey/Maturin series of seafaring novels I wrote about a few months ago. There are 21 books in this series (the 21st book was unfinished) and I'm reading Book 8 right now. I love, love these books; if you're a history buff, I highly recommend them.</span></center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6HElMrxD92BlKV0Km6sSS3FLm7_pUdK9q6QML4KbB279djCGCKSv0dER2ry-aPqO8rmkoggmyGCA207zkxuIKZW8blCpbXxJJvX4q88d8ZZsCbhS8Y3xL6y2ruuVzscXAGtP0jVK_Iin3gFftLuXq5-EQd2ZTPFJ0pjrLdx8Hs_8rXbT6lrI0w3zK-g/s400/Patrick%20OBrian%20Books%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="400" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6HElMrxD92BlKV0Km6sSS3FLm7_pUdK9q6QML4KbB279djCGCKSv0dER2ry-aPqO8rmkoggmyGCA207zkxuIKZW8blCpbXxJJvX4q88d8ZZsCbhS8Y3xL6y2ruuVzscXAGtP0jVK_Iin3gFftLuXq5-EQd2ZTPFJ0pjrLdx8Hs_8rXbT6lrI0w3zK-g/w400-h388/Patrick%20OBrian%20Books%203.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><center>After making two trips to Oak Island in May, we've spent a good bit of the summer planting flowers and trying to keep them watered. It hasn't been as bad of a job as it might have been since we bought a new soaker hose to put in the area around our maple tree, and we have had some decent rain periodically. The flowers in pots on the porch have required a lot of watering, but they've rewarded us with lot of cheerful blooms.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxJdYL8Z0MlENnyY3mZQ2GhC7hNOhRS5ur7cZ24rkknxF49j2a-5W7SUcf8AJUjD8zbXAjIM6xLRHd1GPaiVz3g6iQE8XJsHRxD_WBsmgQLbNCIVQY1lVcZi_B0veqJ5EJhvBhZvCg9DIewrFqza66TQpkJMnigZ44iqTSNcty_oja8uqPXokzG6hb2I/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(66%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxJdYL8Z0MlENnyY3mZQ2GhC7hNOhRS5ur7cZ24rkknxF49j2a-5W7SUcf8AJUjD8zbXAjIM6xLRHd1GPaiVz3g6iQE8XJsHRxD_WBsmgQLbNCIVQY1lVcZi_B0veqJ5EJhvBhZvCg9DIewrFqza66TQpkJMnigZ44iqTSNcty_oja8uqPXokzG6hb2I/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(66%20of%2083).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Speaking of flowers, our two Limelight Hydrangeas have simply outdone themselves this year. Their blooms have been a joy for me to see every day, and in the early evening/dusk, the white blossoms almost seem to glow. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qnxYvv6gT8QsewzsxXS_dvE81gV-lLqiebiWy4bBkZB0s4QELhrO8sExg8MNeGvKiyoRQ9pNj1UBL5YaO5sJAI3OFWJcU87pb1V-0w8yd2W1bxm3tZ9MU1M2GqB_JYjvzamp2IEcKEDjzXRnjE9k_tlxJy0RJABNLzQDPnVBQia8FTGuF07-7wPJSXs/s1465/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hydrangea%20Bushes%20(13%20of%2015).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1465" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qnxYvv6gT8QsewzsxXS_dvE81gV-lLqiebiWy4bBkZB0s4QELhrO8sExg8MNeGvKiyoRQ9pNj1UBL5YaO5sJAI3OFWJcU87pb1V-0w8yd2W1bxm3tZ9MU1M2GqB_JYjvzamp2IEcKEDjzXRnjE9k_tlxJy0RJABNLzQDPnVBQia8FTGuF07-7wPJSXs/w640-h582/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hydrangea%20Bushes%20(13%20of%2015).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>The smaller bush (on the left) has shot up to almost the size of the larger bush. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlbpk6QsQmLHusAES__3JlpsMv7Q8OUxBTkWX1vIXx4a1l5vvGI_U_gbn4CyMHZhg2ocBqiJ6Kxj1jdIiK8ebRAz3WqLYmWyEeG3PPYtPzyiaPm74CWeVlOuSGClhBsY_4v4dzworkYmrvXZ8OIFQ32xELAAWK7V6cIoBS4TerGNjX1iuTcHmDh3yync/s1021/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hydrangea%20Bushes%20(4%20of%2015).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1021" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBlbpk6QsQmLHusAES__3JlpsMv7Q8OUxBTkWX1vIXx4a1l5vvGI_U_gbn4CyMHZhg2ocBqiJ6Kxj1jdIiK8ebRAz3WqLYmWyEeG3PPYtPzyiaPm74CWeVlOuSGClhBsY_4v4dzworkYmrvXZ8OIFQ32xELAAWK7V6cIoBS4TerGNjX1iuTcHmDh3yync/w640-h462/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hydrangea%20Bushes%20(4%20of%2015).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Here in the lower left corner, you can see our new Butterfly Bush, which is called Gumpo Blue. The blooms are a true, blue color with little yellow centers, and the monarch butterflies are loving this bush. The Gumpo Blue is a compact variety, which I believe will only grow to about two feet tall by three feet around. Our other butterfly bush, whose blooms are a deep purple color, is at least six feet tall. To the right of this butterfly bush you may be able to see some small blooms; those are my Lollipop Verbenas. I planted two of those this summer, and they've been blooming nicely. I also planted two coral bell plants, six ferns, two creeping phlox, cottage pinks, blue salvia, speedwell, Shasta daisies, and coreopsis. Everything is blooming but the speedwell, so I'm not sure what the problem is with those. I had some in my garden in Greensboro many years ago, so I hope they will bloom for me next year. </center><center> </center><center>I plan to make a list of more perennials to plant next year. I'm <i>so happy </i>to have some flowers and blooming shrubs and trees now. For most of the time we've lived here, there were too many trees blocking out all the sun for me to grow much of anything. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvcywkp4OIKlNZSYpYc_hH8iF_59mGwVVUg7e46yhNbgEFceqF8UvUFRp-V5Xsvxco1Pk3Q4UQ3oBRM89Dd1ErYGF4tqTdb8u3q39KiryzUkm86dbBzc_PS7Oxj1dsRk-d6SYn1WCb_LxksAJ-Qt1ZCA7KTvlB8kEN5m7nQzF2dG18NmN66DA5zI_7Sk/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hydrangeas%20in%20D.R.%20(2%20of%209).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvcywkp4OIKlNZSYpYc_hH8iF_59mGwVVUg7e46yhNbgEFceqF8UvUFRp-V5Xsvxco1Pk3Q4UQ3oBRM89Dd1ErYGF4tqTdb8u3q39KiryzUkm86dbBzc_PS7Oxj1dsRk-d6SYn1WCb_LxksAJ-Qt1ZCA7KTvlB8kEN5m7nQzF2dG18NmN66DA5zI_7Sk/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hydrangeas%20in%20D.R.%20(2%20of%209).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Last week, I picked a few flowers to enjoy in the house. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7dZM6CfZ2DksQUK-Q1FmgRWbnYDaH2JOFv8J-_Md9QGbeaWl3OzUc_zxSe1GpgPtbYs7jGztMg-rEsJuSnKSfdMQHmueNUtmifIiVmrNzKCBgxwvZap1fONU8-OmTSTmXHJOVyKYjUa_aYVraY4pmMVKxF9K3_n9f9MKyD8WhtDnw5F-lvP0i9hvVAM/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hydrangeas%20in%20D.R.%20(5%20of%209).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7dZM6CfZ2DksQUK-Q1FmgRWbnYDaH2JOFv8J-_Md9QGbeaWl3OzUc_zxSe1GpgPtbYs7jGztMg-rEsJuSnKSfdMQHmueNUtmifIiVmrNzKCBgxwvZap1fONU8-OmTSTmXHJOVyKYjUa_aYVraY4pmMVKxF9K3_n9f9MKyD8WhtDnw5F-lvP0i9hvVAM/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hydrangeas%20in%20D.R.%20(5%20of%209).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>A closeup of the new Gumpo Blue blossom. The purple flower, called Black Knight, is behind it. It's from the other butterfly bush.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTguuWJP6TpjQbpZp2TEgjBZRjdyvI7ccCtkSouD2b-QPKn9hbLjSiPXmr9gdVdhn1jJdMbs-CmG1Hidge8Mdo3BwgOcu0hLMSenjRx1sy8ujM8fe0Itvqh8vwu-o_RXmo2_NPf26n0aWadaLA9iPfM_4PC5IneLnJmBTcR4tVMya2jhJDKYbg2UHyuA/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hydrangeas%20in%20D.R.%20(7%20of%209).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTguuWJP6TpjQbpZp2TEgjBZRjdyvI7ccCtkSouD2b-QPKn9hbLjSiPXmr9gdVdhn1jJdMbs-CmG1Hidge8Mdo3BwgOcu0hLMSenjRx1sy8ujM8fe0Itvqh8vwu-o_RXmo2_NPf26n0aWadaLA9iPfM_4PC5IneLnJmBTcR4tVMya2jhJDKYbg2UHyuA/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Hydrangeas%20in%20D.R.%20(7%20of%209).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center style="text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Hal and I have been watching garden videos on YouTube over the summer, and they're very inspiring. Thanks to YouTube, we've been able to "tour" some lovely British gardens as part of the Nation Garden Scheme in the U.K. You can read more about the National Garden Scheme <a href="https://ngs.org.uk/">here</a>. Another YouTube gardening show I recommend is "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfj9cg4iGdY">Garden Moxie</a>." Do you enjoy watching gardening shows or touring beautiful gardens? </span></center><center style="text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></center><center style="text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="text-align: left;">I'm sharing one more thing today. One evening near dark, I was outside checking on my flowers, and I heard a soft hooting sound. I instinctively looked around and towards the woods behind us and saw something large in the top of a dead tree. Crazy as it seems, my very first thought was, "What is a cat doing in the top of that tree?" 😁 Then I realized that was an owl -- the creature who made the hooting sound. He was <i>big. </i>I ran inside to get my husband, and he came out with his cellphone. He quickly went back inside to get his big camera. These pictures are blurry because it was almost dark, but you can get the general idea. A mockingbird (they're fearless) had been fussing at the owl, and after a few minutes he finally succeeded in chasing the owl away. In the bird kingdom, owls are the apex predator, even above the hawks. </span></center><center style="text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i> </i></span></center><center style="text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HE7YUhFHy_6i-XmR3HMlMgJq4rz8rgkBmbwC8Cu3ZF5RC9LYSnvU_5wyD4PkfjoKol2OPjRQ_EHDAbqqnw80OuVSaI0SxYpd_N5y-8yWwvztWhqi8Ul8MChUEjBvkzVEeZkBkV6m_RTNkO5Su7M-n8FKNhbjLWXT5ubMJWNS-zVXk1udF_mRjPCBpsI/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Birds%20(4%20of%206).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1914" data-original-width="2000" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HE7YUhFHy_6i-XmR3HMlMgJq4rz8rgkBmbwC8Cu3ZF5RC9LYSnvU_5wyD4PkfjoKol2OPjRQ_EHDAbqqnw80OuVSaI0SxYpd_N5y-8yWwvztWhqi8Ul8MChUEjBvkzVEeZkBkV6m_RTNkO5Su7M-n8FKNhbjLWXT5ubMJWNS-zVXk1udF_mRjPCBpsI/w640-h612/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Birds%20(4%20of%206).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4HVPNEKYOyaex3Y02w2Gal9FvJFzO-Fb398JXrE44bT270svxSLcBQFNjUDLc13VxwyBo2BYNWSsHjkTOIm_7BJOZGk7-Ndpjcd7xqHdJsJo7Q-qpxJcHtBcx7r9AQVudj7m3JNx05fjJWUUfRoEz8UhL-W2WMV1hIHM1Rjo3_vCxTqo9yurSgSUqd8/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Birds%20(2%20of%206).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4HVPNEKYOyaex3Y02w2Gal9FvJFzO-Fb398JXrE44bT270svxSLcBQFNjUDLc13VxwyBo2BYNWSsHjkTOIm_7BJOZGk7-Ndpjcd7xqHdJsJo7Q-qpxJcHtBcx7r9AQVudj7m3JNx05fjJWUUfRoEz8UhL-W2WMV1hIHM1Rjo3_vCxTqo9yurSgSUqd8/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Birds%20(2%20of%206).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </i></span></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1lcg1WV1PecdK4G79eNR_Jq87tf4WGiNSQ9oFxIlv7fJXX0mUg0cnRMoXB0rVDm0jqbsZ5Bss8jXzNK9RiADJlePhCsL8aetpVs7GQDNzfzJhYWczzCzqxgUiWJMkwuYD9Utp5MvJNIouaOFCsTC7qxpoW0h3TMSQWCNQyGHrG7M5iJBiqVBa8Vioo4/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Birds%20(6%20of%206).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1lcg1WV1PecdK4G79eNR_Jq87tf4WGiNSQ9oFxIlv7fJXX0mUg0cnRMoXB0rVDm0jqbsZ5Bss8jXzNK9RiADJlePhCsL8aetpVs7GQDNzfzJhYWczzCzqxgUiWJMkwuYD9Utp5MvJNIouaOFCsTC7qxpoW0h3TMSQWCNQyGHrG7M5iJBiqVBa8Vioo4/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Birds%20(6%20of%206).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Have you ever seen a great horned owl in the wild? He was quite something! Thank you all for stopping by today! I'd love to hear about your summer!!</div><div><br /></div><br /><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-88293207894749626442023-06-29T22:06:00.011-04:002023-07-01T12:28:17.402-04:00The Summer Porch<center>Hi everyone! It's been a minute, hasn't it? I can't believe I went almost two months without writing a post. I have truly been getting some things accomplished around here, so I finally feel like I can take a little break. In addition, we went to the beach again in the third week of May and spent some time there with our son. The weather wasn't good, but we still had fun. </center><center> </center><center>This summer, I've been planting flowers in much of my free time. I'm slowly adding perennials in our natural area, and I'm starting to see such a difference in that section of our yard. We have a mature maple tree there, and we planted two limelight hydrangeas about three years ago. They bloomed nicely last summer, and they're full of blooms starting to open this year. We also have azaleas and Lenten roses there. This year I've planted several more things, and I'll tell you all about them in another post. Right now, I'm going to share the flowers on our front porch and in front of our house. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHINq_kfXZXTPcVroGEsNSI6lffbXRf3dvTO13-7TcbVDS041wVRRxyIYrFFxG4xETflZKi6URiMg_iQ0atKXd2gfkG-KKhkkK0HqocZPh_iS4mMG4upqCjHatuh-bxtiqHXW3Z8BMlSL5IkxQAoNnVUSDZwfKG0VD53SQCQSQZbkf_A-cDFq4sVFAxU/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(66%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHINq_kfXZXTPcVroGEsNSI6lffbXRf3dvTO13-7TcbVDS041wVRRxyIYrFFxG4xETflZKi6URiMg_iQ0atKXd2gfkG-KKhkkK0HqocZPh_iS4mMG4upqCjHatuh-bxtiqHXW3Z8BMlSL5IkxQAoNnVUSDZwfKG0VD53SQCQSQZbkf_A-cDFq4sVFAxU/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(66%20of%2083).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgAfXtJCZ8cxKxtgCeRjxT5PKRGVRxzz-DPcE5wUb8_Cn9dpJIsNLgqeCzZRV4Cn0z0vBBV5SPc272uEvm1Wujpl8uqWPqjO8oxVMsd3ApZacIsdf789f_z_eEBcaSELFV1YFgBv7DG_t4f1MWapiHJzY7oqknU-mnpt6eZlnMtqppQNU_0R6igHwR7A/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(82%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgAfXtJCZ8cxKxtgCeRjxT5PKRGVRxzz-DPcE5wUb8_Cn9dpJIsNLgqeCzZRV4Cn0z0vBBV5SPc272uEvm1Wujpl8uqWPqjO8oxVMsd3ApZacIsdf789f_z_eEBcaSELFV1YFgBv7DG_t4f1MWapiHJzY7oqknU-mnpt6eZlnMtqppQNU_0R6igHwR7A/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(82%20of%2083).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div> </div><center>The area to the left of the porch is where our tulip magnolia used to stand. We had it taken down two years ago, and just now got something planted there this spring. Alex, who helps us in the yard three or four times a year, planted the shrubs for us. In the back are three Hoogendorn hollies (which the lady at the plant nursery recommended) and in the front are two azaleas. They looked so <i>small </i>when they were in the ground, but we may be able to get some more next year. It was very expensive for just those five shrubs, and I purchased several perennials this spring, too. Can you even believe the prices of everything these days!? Thankfully we were able to fill in somewhat with some pieces of garden art, and that always helps. I already had the small bird bath. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvX7Did5Nb4Jes5UPjqXrTO3-BOuxEl3LnVGiisyuIi4JocOvcS_TEC4OeGwBmmmrvFUjjs9AsCPnCvkbq10EXOBTCv-NUxNgMeKqMFIIash_4gFt5eItJ_DAIT48ntaCt-T-vyeQgo_47O4_4C8rpaPyTbVDGaKLY8hfFtbdi09_aqYdLH1Sxs8ZWpyc/s1906/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(55%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1906" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvX7Did5Nb4Jes5UPjqXrTO3-BOuxEl3LnVGiisyuIi4JocOvcS_TEC4OeGwBmmmrvFUjjs9AsCPnCvkbq10EXOBTCv-NUxNgMeKqMFIIash_4gFt5eItJ_DAIT48ntaCt-T-vyeQgo_47O4_4C8rpaPyTbVDGaKLY8hfFtbdi09_aqYdLH1Sxs8ZWpyc/w448-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(55%20of%2083).jpg" width="448" /></a></div><br /><center>Hal found the decorative copper bucket for storing our water hose at Costco this spring.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIb8YJN93JfXPPYhfFXh0VOMSY2Plp28lEVbBgfZX0sCcKzMSTzjOfXn6ZEPomWRuMnyvYsyn4qCCUf3sUiNdn7cdHOvpRuKWSb43kAOehKEaCF6My6VtCwPqw3sCyprCWJb5bjl7M1TFLXe9HUoUGfis4oEDxltCUkCQWNp4mxXRpB4UWd-c4Tk5Uz0/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(62%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIb8YJN93JfXPPYhfFXh0VOMSY2Plp28lEVbBgfZX0sCcKzMSTzjOfXn6ZEPomWRuMnyvYsyn4qCCUf3sUiNdn7cdHOvpRuKWSb43kAOehKEaCF6My6VtCwPqw3sCyprCWJb5bjl7M1TFLXe9HUoUGfis4oEDxltCUkCQWNp4mxXRpB4UWd-c4Tk5Uz0/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(62%20of%2083).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>My sweet mother-in-law offered me the St. Francis of Assisi statue and the swan, which holds water for the birds and squirrels. These two items came from their previous house, and when they downsized a few years ago, she found that she doesn't have room for them in her new yard. I was thrilled to get them. <span style="text-align: left;">The greenery in front of the porch is lilyturf (in the liriope family) and it self-seeded from the other side of the porch. </span></center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOA7UzUXflBgss5_PNFQ9jQYEyTFGE8f8cD9jSI9Xq_J3196P_e20bx2_7sBGQ_V5F4l0-rHS6qX5ar9dqkD-mipYimGxy2eYkVtBVN4ZezMDEsJjFwcqrw0cPGurb4B60IgdHFcS2ZNujAuCKql9eIOcKFYc3ZFu0sbqIr-QVmWtGvunrg-4hWSPyOI/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(59%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOA7UzUXflBgss5_PNFQ9jQYEyTFGE8f8cD9jSI9Xq_J3196P_e20bx2_7sBGQ_V5F4l0-rHS6qX5ar9dqkD-mipYimGxy2eYkVtBVN4ZezMDEsJjFwcqrw0cPGurb4B60IgdHFcS2ZNujAuCKql9eIOcKFYc3ZFu0sbqIr-QVmWtGvunrg-4hWSPyOI/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(59%20of%2083).jpg" width="426" /></a></div> <br /><center>I think every garden needs a St. Francis. 😊 </center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwLMq91qkHQMUMxg5tz3QCdaGfooZzjcOqsWuUHG8W5joQ-dwxWT9k9NWY6hekolmRXhmAzw_oF-RfMCc3nZrbsFETO4-E_O1FPGL0W11BTB8WR9VOd-zY4nQFN5iOU9OJdpGUDplF3WZXG-RnbEQ81tKiNhCna-myvkqMkFk35w0OAEgvouMS8uA93E/s6000/DSC03977.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwLMq91qkHQMUMxg5tz3QCdaGfooZzjcOqsWuUHG8W5joQ-dwxWT9k9NWY6hekolmRXhmAzw_oF-RfMCc3nZrbsFETO4-E_O1FPGL0W11BTB8WR9VOd-zY4nQFN5iOU9OJdpGUDplF3WZXG-RnbEQ81tKiNhCna-myvkqMkFk35w0OAEgvouMS8uA93E/w640-h426/DSC03977.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>I took the above picture this evening. I forgot to include the planter of petunias in the previous pictures. The planter also came from my mother-in-law; she is so generous with us. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-kJ4n50RSdOrziciAvu_JKIyNARaSJxuByD3xBayteP8etYlkSrb-xeJ3XBgblZadUJAejFT08QpNntPNnSSQnaGirY4XkUgVoIjrw4h4zFEKePFEj46s_5l1R_fe0kt7DgKVrin7Uau0uNuLSh21iJ6_6_s_kH93TEPmnglu6vY_MUJK881SEesITM/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(75%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-kJ4n50RSdOrziciAvu_JKIyNARaSJxuByD3xBayteP8etYlkSrb-xeJ3XBgblZadUJAejFT08QpNntPNnSSQnaGirY4XkUgVoIjrw4h4zFEKePFEj46s_5l1R_fe0kt7DgKVrin7Uau0uNuLSh21iJ6_6_s_kH93TEPmnglu6vY_MUJK881SEesITM/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(75%20of%2083).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /> When Alex was here in the spring, he trimmed all of our existing shrubbery and put down fresh pine needles -- basically got everything looking all ship-shape. He is a huge help to us. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviALhTESw6LOipHesZKZiI0xq0s7obop-IxdH8v5hSNvq8t7YaMxITCs-aTFcEok9gz_ScRyL4U33iyRUsJ_fJwZ65JMHxMZlNZa5f7_GTioX-uJFxXgcFBD5rBDJR-opVzXDIRp7kA6R1_MmmnETx2u4elJC5N-hN-xDjX9xqFl_-5SWddxyg722iF0/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(10%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviALhTESw6LOipHesZKZiI0xq0s7obop-IxdH8v5hSNvq8t7YaMxITCs-aTFcEok9gz_ScRyL4U33iyRUsJ_fJwZ65JMHxMZlNZa5f7_GTioX-uJFxXgcFBD5rBDJR-opVzXDIRp7kA6R1_MmmnETx2u4elJC5N-hN-xDjX9xqFl_-5SWddxyg722iF0/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(10%20of%2083).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Now for the plants on the porch. Next to the door are upright boxwoods, and in the foreground are salmon pink geraniums, which is always my color of choice for geraniums. I've had this little stone angel and most of these other things on the porch for many years now.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MkGsrH2i5u70y4_o7cEUynmo-HZAq7Q4TObuozgeA88gyiu220_C_C3BMySYjFi3Bynwt4c_WargvAL83b1DMIcxMvQElV1YA_gGaj8iqPzLBVubYmuBMZUSPim2BFIYQ8C1RTQ-7ygthWtcntDb6csYCFfwK_fnPPiGV1C7DrGT6fTrFCWus6zhwtA/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(15%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MkGsrH2i5u70y4_o7cEUynmo-HZAq7Q4TObuozgeA88gyiu220_C_C3BMySYjFi3Bynwt4c_WargvAL83b1DMIcxMvQElV1YA_gGaj8iqPzLBVubYmuBMZUSPim2BFIYQ8C1RTQ-7ygthWtcntDb6csYCFfwK_fnPPiGV1C7DrGT6fTrFCWus6zhwtA/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(15%20of%2083).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />The funny-looking thing sticking up behind the geranium is a deer repellent. My in-laws told us about them, and we decided to give them a try. The little round container is filled with stuff that is supposed to smell bad to the deer. I sure hope it works. If you'll notice the gray rocks that I have put in the pots around the plants, they are to keep the squirrels and chipmunks from digging in my plants. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPy3x1L1bJcOgu9UJSIq_J7MF16q0vtiKcluDLUb7BC4pAT8EmCM3DylMlHPHt_pw0-bksZizwNiEdv5qzbVma_ppM4M6-gEfLMHtEi04qkMqzmxpnQsIqmvqtoFS94PTemphLxxr2T7pDMen5OwwWnH052TFzSnvj8G-j-bv6mb5haFZ9ypKNmCxDigs/s5184/IMG_9159-001.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPy3x1L1bJcOgu9UJSIq_J7MF16q0vtiKcluDLUb7BC4pAT8EmCM3DylMlHPHt_pw0-bksZizwNiEdv5qzbVma_ppM4M6-gEfLMHtEi04qkMqzmxpnQsIqmvqtoFS94PTemphLxxr2T7pDMen5OwwWnH052TFzSnvj8G-j-bv6mb5haFZ9ypKNmCxDigs/w640-h426/IMG_9159-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>This was in 2016 about two days after I had planted my pots for the summer. I think that was the angriest I've ever been at God's little creatures. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTpT29cj0379lo_l6nJ6XmWUnjvs8Dd-hZ-HMdgGjiZqUezBa45TLrrBu6689w2GdSTaRVWKorlSPo3hPtlO2GxH5L6p3bx8kGpMoQBFeONBOct80VNOrsrsm34siryR0VoBA5W_Z6Tdry5aeLWXf56toUPNIe6TD9bkOJvkph13l1-Vj9AjVpyWfk9c/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(28%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTpT29cj0379lo_l6nJ6XmWUnjvs8Dd-hZ-HMdgGjiZqUezBa45TLrrBu6689w2GdSTaRVWKorlSPo3hPtlO2GxH5L6p3bx8kGpMoQBFeONBOct80VNOrsrsm34siryR0VoBA5W_Z6Tdry5aeLWXf56toUPNIe6TD9bkOJvkph13l1-Vj9AjVpyWfk9c/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(28%20of%2083).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><center>These gray stones are pretty heavy, and they seem to be doing the trick so far (fingers crossed). I planted an autumn fern in front of the window.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxbWAtYSQ8kKp7Leqadfet84v_Q6gvdupyRvPp69lOK5s-Sk-PFyChW6EMy3_VntRVedSLZt0fIus6MYR9a3jNc1qFibhKdxCxHzUHT0xko_ffaGAoqQ5Z7LWtOWq1LZbVzizNrj13F7wioS5edId9sNO54n1lgIcviqyXEojLQQJcaPMcTwSQJxrM1M/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(31%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="2000" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxbWAtYSQ8kKp7Leqadfet84v_Q6gvdupyRvPp69lOK5s-Sk-PFyChW6EMy3_VntRVedSLZt0fIus6MYR9a3jNc1qFibhKdxCxHzUHT0xko_ffaGAoqQ5Z7LWtOWq1LZbVzizNrj13F7wioS5edId9sNO54n1lgIcviqyXEojLQQJcaPMcTwSQJxrM1M/w640-h340/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(31%20of%2083).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><center> </center><center>I bought this garden plaque at a little garden shop almost 30 years ago when we still lived in Greensboro. I finally have a good place to put it now.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgitseHhw8-VEGhkVFcZbIDOCh2EqsYroIknfBDkDqkLVg_-u4uyr-0kahR9LJJeqQmKgZLwyL1HZfOZYW3S90T5OQTCV8BQhVaZQ7TeN_dWWNEq9viWPwZx2eNov8O-Sf0OExHyLzZUvOdSRyIbbL2fgeRHe-I41kUwiw3xVBnmwMIVktDCBIbEVFuQ0k/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(72%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgitseHhw8-VEGhkVFcZbIDOCh2EqsYroIknfBDkDqkLVg_-u4uyr-0kahR9LJJeqQmKgZLwyL1HZfOZYW3S90T5OQTCV8BQhVaZQ7TeN_dWWNEq9viWPwZx2eNov8O-Sf0OExHyLzZUvOdSRyIbbL2fgeRHe-I41kUwiw3xVBnmwMIVktDCBIbEVFuQ0k/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(72%20of%2083).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cE9o6IZjuCmNyKw6fmfEUZzeutRmYPuWk6QGWLAgyN6nQuNLgfw-qBJlAPgptiLEaZ7aKmQYNI-1VIpfeLyigM1MupbrqfR-xHNibrjDl1WK_bn6c0eTlazYBaIUilNQ8mdJdSQy1NVPZ3k2XWq9SWa9sjWp_sBXRxnRU-VdnUcmTE_mOli6lwnmScc/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(78%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cE9o6IZjuCmNyKw6fmfEUZzeutRmYPuWk6QGWLAgyN6nQuNLgfw-qBJlAPgptiLEaZ7aKmQYNI-1VIpfeLyigM1MupbrqfR-xHNibrjDl1WK_bn6c0eTlazYBaIUilNQ8mdJdSQy1NVPZ3k2XWq9SWa9sjWp_sBXRxnRU-VdnUcmTE_mOli6lwnmScc/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(78%20of%2083).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>My mom gave me the copper whirligig for Christmas this past year, and I just <i>love </i>it. To the left of the door is where our old house numbers were; we still need to get some new ones.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilORUGlyIQMmq7ToSAXEPZOc07beg78YwSfoDQGazwLdlPJvWJ3BaWXJsCg5WTqPd3D8h0lDSiU10nrOAGSFoBrzfgO2kFxQx71NHIbp-glh22zxIGWIMTK2RzD56a-YxG1PI7-MDJfj1ssXer0FB7eOvCX7e_Om-4p2MOd-RyUdL9el14RaabRjf8FZ0/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(80%20of%2083).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilORUGlyIQMmq7ToSAXEPZOc07beg78YwSfoDQGazwLdlPJvWJ3BaWXJsCg5WTqPd3D8h0lDSiU10nrOAGSFoBrzfgO2kFxQx71NHIbp-glh22zxIGWIMTK2RzD56a-YxG1PI7-MDJfj1ssXer0FB7eOvCX7e_Om-4p2MOd-RyUdL9el14RaabRjf8FZ0/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Summer%20Porch%20(80%20of%2083).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>This is the first time I've planted petunias in many years because they tend to get leggy and don't look so tidy. However, I love the way these look -- that deep purple color is my favorite. I'm hoping I can keep them neat and tidy. </center><center> </center><center>So this is part of why I've been away from the blog for awhile; I've been planting, watering, and weeding. I'll share the perennials I planted another day. Thank you so much for reading and continuing to visit <i>House at Forest Manor. </i>Your visits and comments truly make my day!! Do you have big plans for July 4th? So far, we do not. We will probably grill out and try to stay cool. 😉 Looking forward to visiting my fellow bloggers to see what you are doing this summer. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_wtJfEltX7gGt0KynbQSU-QjOQ8qsw9PPM2RLvYCTzh5-qXg3Enp02e6mSFdQ29pYz8sBkUHvTSI_M5DPN6-LdR-tME9vmk1plGpXvZzLldYt2pd-_isn7xzNbz1yECtq18W43DTviSYLHUtcFNFei8I4HvK7ul2eUK-yzQiR3AUi_uf7vV2EMUZKOU/s400/mushroom+red+vintage+image--graphicsfairy012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="271" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_wtJfEltX7gGt0KynbQSU-QjOQ8qsw9PPM2RLvYCTzh5-qXg3Enp02e6mSFdQ29pYz8sBkUHvTSI_M5DPN6-LdR-tME9vmk1plGpXvZzLldYt2pd-_isn7xzNbz1yECtq18W43DTviSYLHUtcFNFei8I4HvK7ul2eUK-yzQiR3AUi_uf7vV2EMUZKOU/w217-h320/mushroom+red+vintage+image--graphicsfairy012.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><br /> </center><center><span style="text-align: left;">Much love,</span></center><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-33312622465695431202023-05-03T01:33:00.008-04:002023-05-03T11:17:15.996-04:00Easter Tablescape<center>Hello all! Today I'm sharing some images of my Easter table from April. Yes, this post is a little late. 😏 I had the table set up before Easter, but since we left town the day after, I just got the pictures made this week. Last week, it was cloudy and overcast here all week, which doesn't make for good pictures. With the lighting in our dining room, I struggle to get good pictures even on sunny days.</center><center><br /></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgq1rHKyMD74nsO4aOi1aHsXM2MUFpSUWCfmD23ymrrdC-h6U2rti0jPFx9ex3l91TQk-824eKSwt9EjXI6HiLNyNqfWHDIvkleiaqvj6emtJ8tEzOlVkT2o8huhlgWEoLfAI3UzDGRcSrgdpfS-AhLUGItLEdJs7HDlhLLj6Wj4rUhouhCoUxvYWB/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(80%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgq1rHKyMD74nsO4aOi1aHsXM2MUFpSUWCfmD23ymrrdC-h6U2rti0jPFx9ex3l91TQk-824eKSwt9EjXI6HiLNyNqfWHDIvkleiaqvj6emtJ8tEzOlVkT2o8huhlgWEoLfAI3UzDGRcSrgdpfS-AhLUGItLEdJs7HDlhLLj6Wj4rUhouhCoUxvYWB/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(80%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><center>You've seen most of my Easter things before, since this is my 13th year of posting tablescapes. You've seen my white dishes and ceramic rabbits, but this year, I have a few new things. Last year, I bought the table runner and flatware holders at HomeGoods, but I didn't get around to setting an Easter table last year. This year in January, my mom and I were shopping at HomeGoods, and I found the egg cups. She had given me a gift card for HomeGoods at Christmas, so I used it to purchase these Peter Rabbit egg cups. At first, I wasn't sure about this table since I don't normally use orange and green at Easter, but I love the way it turned out. I think the green table runner looks so springy, and it's the right shade of green to match a lot of the things I already have.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFt5H5rjy08GUdXrAqsKgdhVQt-5H7-kFebR7FEFk5PBCkksq3XX0Hp45ghonZhyF9QNWWVGc6cbgcxh7UEW8EIrab4xDcdbnhMOKNbt5GJOJw_i0jjLCmzEgUNXOv4LsWNIbk4StG9VNAypmeWrejOBilp_6ulm2dZEHyeOAqOxYSgZR5XvQGlJEe/s1969/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(19%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1969" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFt5H5rjy08GUdXrAqsKgdhVQt-5H7-kFebR7FEFk5PBCkksq3XX0Hp45ghonZhyF9QNWWVGc6cbgcxh7UEW8EIrab4xDcdbnhMOKNbt5GJOJw_i0jjLCmzEgUNXOv4LsWNIbk4StG9VNAypmeWrejOBilp_6ulm2dZEHyeOAqOxYSgZR5XvQGlJEe/w640-h434/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(19%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div><br /><center>The carrot-shaped flatware holders coordinate with the table runner, and the table runner is also reversible.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ydc5xbAs9iVTWHcWNQTmZLv9Sb4bCT9KbPwJAVFPI5OwQa-g1i871myIZG-NVxb1ZP-ZvoFwGiHsq4F3ze3o1L0QmAs1CK6gHAfBRDrqEZQPX59yfqoxGWGGZmy24LVTmG4FigV6DhRUFd_KiB1EzP8f7e_D4znH4574nUCFWi8fpQIAGW9b6UcO/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(45%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ydc5xbAs9iVTWHcWNQTmZLv9Sb4bCT9KbPwJAVFPI5OwQa-g1i871myIZG-NVxb1ZP-ZvoFwGiHsq4F3ze3o1L0QmAs1CK6gHAfBRDrqEZQPX59yfqoxGWGGZmy24LVTmG4FigV6DhRUFd_KiB1EzP8f7e_D4znH4574nUCFWi8fpQIAGW9b6UcO/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(45%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Isn't this cute? :D I chose to use the green side this year because I thought the green would blend with more things (and also because I love polka dots). However, next time I will go with the carrots for something different. Either way, it makes for a very cheerful table. The little Peter Rabbit here is a sentimental favorite for me; my mother-in-law gave it to Will when he was very young. You can wind Peter up, and he hops. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqa3VbpOIjCjbtWrTjbnbPONFGZ4G6pdC9b-Y3siRlewb3zmBepVwH3c05vGNIDG0ET5jE6BmpO7k84W15DKV5eyiZNpGzWo6dCw7Rqz99q8fmL2jk498pRMqFpf4Sbn50J3OOeOrffTI2faznPQ-6PzXZ1T7Xi3n2XEPihEMjkMvTvOy1ln_llBS/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(13%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqa3VbpOIjCjbtWrTjbnbPONFGZ4G6pdC9b-Y3siRlewb3zmBepVwH3c05vGNIDG0ET5jE6BmpO7k84W15DKV5eyiZNpGzWo6dCw7Rqz99q8fmL2jk498pRMqFpf4Sbn50J3OOeOrffTI2faznPQ-6PzXZ1T7Xi3n2XEPihEMjkMvTvOy1ln_llBS/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(13%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>I adore these Peter Rabbit egg cups. They also had plates at the time I bought these, but I didn't feel like I have a lot of room to store them right now. When we were expecting our baby (almost 33 years ago) I chose to do his nursery in a Beatrix Potter theme. We didn't know the gender of the baby, because I wanted to be surprised. I knew that Peter Rabbit would work for a girl or a boy. I will forever love the charming illustrations that Beatrix Potter painted for her books.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPC1Klm2fIoV_ro4sdl2GL1PzL_uqXTjf6hjILqNRhuhiyFBslAxuU0UjiJT2AgKRlWmaQokOjbhbqDDDTLn69pkVZ3nAiBTX_dhlxf6aRak6Du-N3hF1dVfadMiubT_0LE_i9XkJ-XZsfIcca2fRzN38DktauTLO_n_VQvGJzCjZDL7T-ibWPxz5/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(16%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijPC1Klm2fIoV_ro4sdl2GL1PzL_uqXTjf6hjILqNRhuhiyFBslAxuU0UjiJT2AgKRlWmaQokOjbhbqDDDTLn69pkVZ3nAiBTX_dhlxf6aRak6Du-N3hF1dVfadMiubT_0LE_i9XkJ-XZsfIcca2fRzN38DktauTLO_n_VQvGJzCjZDL7T-ibWPxz5/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(16%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Each egg cup has a different picture.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlV9xZ9NQh6A-9O4qxn9-ARk4JYMjF9L9uXgj4hU33xuWdKICrhhuvkQt62fbi0FONo7Bh5L0qzjKHiPO0KmYB9yx9_0eiMGcljPwZPXC1xdBAL_-Dnfj5ouUG-jpsP3JpGKwh8B0aGfnlFG2ZvSLPwqdMiX1iWjWuqUXkFXZ_ubitxVtHUMdTQtmK/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(57%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlV9xZ9NQh6A-9O4qxn9-ARk4JYMjF9L9uXgj4hU33xuWdKICrhhuvkQt62fbi0FONo7Bh5L0qzjKHiPO0KmYB9yx9_0eiMGcljPwZPXC1xdBAL_-Dnfj5ouUG-jpsP3JpGKwh8B0aGfnlFG2ZvSLPwqdMiX1iWjWuqUXkFXZ_ubitxVtHUMdTQtmK/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(57%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Please excuse the quality of these two pictures; my camera did <i>not </i>want to focus, for some reason.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1sqalIF8V0UkKrSuyHUUSR9c3aUbmgF7UKALEzTao3PDchcoEcIlJqQvrjKChMO5bbcAYeuuHBnLalIjRwr0C13Ws_BYTS7cFQ6TgUh-5SAbL_SfP972IniJeLx98p4Tv5lfFvnAurT5jx-b4V4TYgCyztkWLAvAiD6FsC7uwouoW_x5LnjfhnSY/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(87%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1sqalIF8V0UkKrSuyHUUSR9c3aUbmgF7UKALEzTao3PDchcoEcIlJqQvrjKChMO5bbcAYeuuHBnLalIjRwr0C13Ws_BYTS7cFQ6TgUh-5SAbL_SfP972IniJeLx98p4Tv5lfFvnAurT5jx-b4V4TYgCyztkWLAvAiD6FsC7uwouoW_x5LnjfhnSY/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(87%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: center;">We have started buying brown eggs at our local Costco, and I really like them. They're from cage-free chickens, they have a good taste, and I think they're pretty, too. We've used Eggland's Best eggs for years, and we may end up going back to them, but for now, we're enjoying these.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBgndVIVQfBL5To3OGE2065VBoWbdyeT91vT-KpPwZ1xSZqIA8IYjKFoRmScWodgN3vZKFtcvyhK8xWfNIINw4lj9uCMKVa3Rp1NPdryK2xS79GpI6Qlj2mkAkqV8-PXcEdJcguCba1tzOfkdRykID9TlWaOr9jtz0of_0jdB_VkXTLQ_UmqduJus/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(63%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBgndVIVQfBL5To3OGE2065VBoWbdyeT91vT-KpPwZ1xSZqIA8IYjKFoRmScWodgN3vZKFtcvyhK8xWfNIINw4lj9uCMKVa3Rp1NPdryK2xS79GpI6Qlj2mkAkqV8-PXcEdJcguCba1tzOfkdRykID9TlWaOr9jtz0of_0jdB_VkXTLQ_UmqduJus/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(63%20of%2097).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><center>I chose the Peter Rabbit plush toy for the centerpiece because of the egg cups. This also belonged to our son; it was given to him by his great-grandmother. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUk4Rcm4v0E-XkFCyhwfgpx_1OnxNI_0alLkMRb7zZVmRKPwU1FBjrKPHKKPUwn72-ee6aAd7SyiMCQyNv_vzQG7RBnA-ph1hUMTc_dBBSJkdooR1EoaRpJaslAyFcb2sDbebM0mD7H8ok9slF-338myJ4VHbcd87EuHSsydNUzWrHusK_L2GlWjIs/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(34%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUk4Rcm4v0E-XkFCyhwfgpx_1OnxNI_0alLkMRb7zZVmRKPwU1FBjrKPHKKPUwn72-ee6aAd7SyiMCQyNv_vzQG7RBnA-ph1hUMTc_dBBSJkdooR1EoaRpJaslAyFcb2sDbebM0mD7H8ok9slF-338myJ4VHbcd87EuHSsydNUzWrHusK_L2GlWjIs/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(34%20of%2097).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><center>I've had the two white, ceramic rabbits for many years; one was a gift, and the other came from either HomeGoods or Michael's.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDUnMacrwWBfH6CT9iKt58QM4nb9Vi8-4vz7Vgz3XC9DYaMmiO38bE-spyIwLYs9J4fQ-og5hBTHVBLXcBvV8UDVBs8CqjvHDlf146tg4HlNLBZmJzARnJokP-54ms2hKYFid91pEC-xZ-63MJ6xh7Z3XERTQFAEmwcN8B6G0kLK9KVujRtM1M5rN/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(35%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDUnMacrwWBfH6CT9iKt58QM4nb9Vi8-4vz7Vgz3XC9DYaMmiO38bE-spyIwLYs9J4fQ-og5hBTHVBLXcBvV8UDVBs8CqjvHDlf146tg4HlNLBZmJzARnJokP-54ms2hKYFid91pEC-xZ-63MJ6xh7Z3XERTQFAEmwcN8B6G0kLK9KVujRtM1M5rN/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(35%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWub1q4GHAL7eaGYvJo2H7vrFIbeLMZoQAtSGVXGtSkVf6fg80zzsZPxn0tWaz_Z83jIwKdKeBITpRB1H98QXTrnsYgK__MYaSQD2edFdRLBidhFbaiXJrNvKKImjSoVRwvlYvKQkoqiDkrJi0vkcqJj-brE5FuvsrZ_1mdqYDgI_N1CAhtLkLyCyn/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(18%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWub1q4GHAL7eaGYvJo2H7vrFIbeLMZoQAtSGVXGtSkVf6fg80zzsZPxn0tWaz_Z83jIwKdKeBITpRB1H98QXTrnsYgK__MYaSQD2edFdRLBidhFbaiXJrNvKKImjSoVRwvlYvKQkoqiDkrJi0vkcqJj-brE5FuvsrZ_1mdqYDgI_N1CAhtLkLyCyn/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(18%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Napkins and napkin rings came from Bed, Bath & Beyond, and all plates and the cake stand came from HomeGoods. The goblets are from our wedding crystal, "French Cathedral," by Gorham. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOHxUCafcqtTt4OGRmnWPZ0CqtCCE60SaCd0jNYI3RAOYIv5IKS1OPfvUMzeANNChNXj_3dbTOLm_bPNMnSzC80TEf4o17DhQ-x3Dfp0VmzdpgSbN11KCECoFJIStHfkdxCe-GESYtWTUC9cDOZfZX6YM7GiGr-e8TswIojNf3H9YFb6uxEg22Y9g/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(69%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOHxUCafcqtTt4OGRmnWPZ0CqtCCE60SaCd0jNYI3RAOYIv5IKS1OPfvUMzeANNChNXj_3dbTOLm_bPNMnSzC80TEf4o17DhQ-x3Dfp0VmzdpgSbN11KCECoFJIStHfkdxCe-GESYtWTUC9cDOZfZX6YM7GiGr-e8TswIojNf3H9YFb6uxEg22Y9g/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(69%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEH-MgogU6HF53Spk6pgOeV2Q6MaO2lkk9nmFUlUdXMs6Gch5w50goe7Y-oOQBPET4OPIxDWdBcklgrTZW2xeqvq4aV9W2W2v32Qa8OZmGKg91FNmq9szjHxwofAIEJxo6aiXdf3XEGtvqFKnlFFCoGYVM-tOchy60gkPNFwbEGXYXOWR3oCSD1XS4/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(49%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEH-MgogU6HF53Spk6pgOeV2Q6MaO2lkk9nmFUlUdXMs6Gch5w50goe7Y-oOQBPET4OPIxDWdBcklgrTZW2xeqvq4aV9W2W2v32Qa8OZmGKg91FNmq9szjHxwofAIEJxo6aiXdf3XEGtvqFKnlFFCoGYVM-tOchy60gkPNFwbEGXYXOWR3oCSD1XS4/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(49%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSElluutFhwT5ncdpIHvHA20Lor_mWb3614SJT-jr7UaRLsCNX5CFY2mpHyWIExJDvugrzQxkVQeR6xsX_wIxAk7hiNP0d0dOe5CP53NnKUAqf75IWmkq7k1CzaZ8ISVm9Nax_s2dWqUWm2EBbuik_e164WbfKcmW_4jpy4m3i0fR5VcR2qC_Nebi/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(25%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSElluutFhwT5ncdpIHvHA20Lor_mWb3614SJT-jr7UaRLsCNX5CFY2mpHyWIExJDvugrzQxkVQeR6xsX_wIxAk7hiNP0d0dOe5CP53NnKUAqf75IWmkq7k1CzaZ8ISVm9Nax_s2dWqUWm2EBbuik_e164WbfKcmW_4jpy4m3i0fR5VcR2qC_Nebi/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(25%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center><span style="text-align: left;">This may seem like a big waste of time to some people -- setting up a table and taking all these pictures, but it gives me a chance to be creative.</span> </center><center> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjW_dckbEdANrPj7ud6yFZ9RYX5vlajG29DEuncKZ_coTWjxFLN52O8JBGJgn2O-ipEYx1mpGnftoPtM_jI2e4nXkkDLI8PVkU2Ozh_cOtDsIJf4UK5WTnAUW4M1kayr5OnHuYxgUMCq5GSWeYtAgfKZ5-uRL8OaNdgDgfuAFZ-Df2xuZEytnUkNld/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(81%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjW_dckbEdANrPj7ud6yFZ9RYX5vlajG29DEuncKZ_coTWjxFLN52O8JBGJgn2O-ipEYx1mpGnftoPtM_jI2e4nXkkDLI8PVkU2Ozh_cOtDsIJf4UK5WTnAUW4M1kayr5OnHuYxgUMCq5GSWeYtAgfKZ5-uRL8OaNdgDgfuAFZ-Df2xuZEytnUkNld/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(81%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">One of the bloggers that I like to read has a fun hobby she really enjoys. She was sharing pictures of this recently, and she wrote that in addition to enjoying her hobby, she also does it as a stress reliever.</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1MrbNZ7eUjgD1jOzPIVrTbZeUTZITQSLdRsuzScUNXt9EsB-R3JDZAw7msei1s5MSb24MDXZi8jWNjipelRzBLJ-cdWm4fhPr7d6kHimZpKqXnp0SSB0Zv0VA-Q7-2KJLAptD1BQNke6VRnzjd9PG5qS04SnXkmYStEeuRp4EIUmkGB5kj8uuur_/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(27%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1MrbNZ7eUjgD1jOzPIVrTbZeUTZITQSLdRsuzScUNXt9EsB-R3JDZAw7msei1s5MSb24MDXZi8jWNjipelRzBLJ-cdWm4fhPr7d6kHimZpKqXnp0SSB0Zv0VA-Q7-2KJLAptD1BQNke6VRnzjd9PG5qS04SnXkmYStEeuRp4EIUmkGB5kj8uuur_/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(27%20of%2097).jpg" width="426" /></a></div> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqZ4CVKtDI1wThRKszbXZjXGMxhaWkXW68cdMd9cIkFgnB_72D9LiRhxgkEmeO4JIbdFwoHZfx4hwh_ibwpXhr2chOItGxCiA16r4r8kCt9m7YdtcXSBAhyWwI-7chJ6Mt-lLvlwG51B3O-jWzI9gQW_LVnGmbQ5kiMRGQWQqkfZ8D0C7Yg0kSUVq/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(23%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqZ4CVKtDI1wThRKszbXZjXGMxhaWkXW68cdMd9cIkFgnB_72D9LiRhxgkEmeO4JIbdFwoHZfx4hwh_ibwpXhr2chOItGxCiA16r4r8kCt9m7YdtcXSBAhyWwI-7chJ6Mt-lLvlwG51B3O-jWzI9gQW_LVnGmbQ5kiMRGQWQqkfZ8D0C7Yg0kSUVq/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(23%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">She says that doing something fun and creative helps her stay positive in this crazy world we live in now. My sentiments exactly! </span></div><div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqrknIe9c0hKoKwT5PwQBiSgnbyUFTal0cPM7WaHFawDzvnfx5Up-uII0Jx7F9QJGwIfykpjP0P5M7YASgHERMg5KeMnp1iG9vcKOeZhElYwT60ZQZIAhVbZNK5Une0Vuzsr7x-XNeP_BhHsZHFtjvu8KG6QwrStbivYKbZDkYTYrap-0Lj8qi9Y6/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(72%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqrknIe9c0hKoKwT5PwQBiSgnbyUFTal0cPM7WaHFawDzvnfx5Up-uII0Jx7F9QJGwIfykpjP0P5M7YASgHERMg5KeMnp1iG9vcKOeZhElYwT60ZQZIAhVbZNK5Une0Vuzsr7x-XNeP_BhHsZHFtjvu8KG6QwrStbivYKbZDkYTYrap-0Lj8qi9Y6/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(72%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-bcJRD596hB5EMlzyHzY_WdWZtfx3eQ-OC6KsQYcL3AWUFOV8VVFYeqH1ZbDv15rz3PJBskyvs0zdr-6wrnPfrrJYRUR8BQZgFtpy5yVcY4WvQxDKmlwDfhv0lTMAwVSbm_JTiW57DwAWrjy-8RkyluV6CPicVJob3BV9-1w-gqfFvABCx9ZC0AG/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(93%20of%2097).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-bcJRD596hB5EMlzyHzY_WdWZtfx3eQ-OC6KsQYcL3AWUFOV8VVFYeqH1ZbDv15rz3PJBskyvs0zdr-6wrnPfrrJYRUR8BQZgFtpy5yVcY4WvQxDKmlwDfhv0lTMAwVSbm_JTiW57DwAWrjy-8RkyluV6CPicVJob3BV9-1w-gqfFvABCx9ZC0AG/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Easter%20Tablescape%20(93%20of%2097).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div><center>Thank you so much for your visit today! I hope you take time to do something you really enjoy -- something that helps you stay positive. Have a great week, my friends! </center><center> </center><center>Joining Susan at <i>Between Naps on the Porch </i>for "Tablescape Thursday." </center><center> </center><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-83770678566302860642023-04-24T12:58:00.000-04:002023-04-24T12:58:10.104-04:00April Days<center>Hello everyone -- I hope you had a good weekend! It's been a few weeks since I've posted because we have been <i>busy. </i>We had a nice Easter, and I hope you did, too. We enjoyed Easter lunch at my in-laws' house, and Hal's maternal uncle was there with us, too. It was so nice to see everyone. We had a Honeybaked Ham, creamed corn, green beans, a gelatin salad, rolls, and deviled eggs. I made a lemon loaf pound cake for dessert, and it seemed to be a big hit. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEIlvNeQfxoDUFRzgkc-2W_YdK7s6AIc8n-bS496vzRUHLAOZVyhjk5B6BzUatEk5JodK6BhTUERLsi3RWQEJGvnXVeAFeejCsw4ZEtPTUdY8lJ1Edy3cX4wgOJPPzpFy46jLgg_uzcZ4GZJ_w-nTh_S3UDKSY4wWqwOkqDeYIRak12k6-hd6m-_s/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(1%20of%2090).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEIlvNeQfxoDUFRzgkc-2W_YdK7s6AIc8n-bS496vzRUHLAOZVyhjk5B6BzUatEk5JodK6BhTUERLsi3RWQEJGvnXVeAFeejCsw4ZEtPTUdY8lJ1Edy3cX4wgOJPPzpFy46jLgg_uzcZ4GZJ_w-nTh_S3UDKSY4wWqwOkqDeYIRak12k6-hd6m-_s/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(1%20of%2090).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div> </div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"> As is usual with me, most of the glaze ran off the cake onto the plate. Sigh. I even let the cake cool overnight before I put the glaze on. Next time, I need to make the glaze about the thickness of icing. I made a topping of coarse-grain sugar and lemon zest to sprinkle over top of the cake. This was my first time to make this recipe, and it's definitely a keeper. I plan to share the recipe for this cake in a future post.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZ9MCwEZ81oE7FjVBlNpJQJ1mCN1gw-mjUuG9QwqDSRG0oEO0s7RxFHdOA0jeVwanfz41buzLQNGjdcpbdUifZJvFUwxid2SeeDAdHI5O4byvNpMbXPfY3npFYlB9WZMcR4jqP3wRO6izVyVmPcVSiK68WcdT_iwqAO_X4gg0xlNfwqHhS47g19jd/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(5%20of%2090).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZ9MCwEZ81oE7FjVBlNpJQJ1mCN1gw-mjUuG9QwqDSRG0oEO0s7RxFHdOA0jeVwanfz41buzLQNGjdcpbdUifZJvFUwxid2SeeDAdHI5O4byvNpMbXPfY3npFYlB9WZMcR4jqP3wRO6izVyVmPcVSiK68WcdT_iwqAO_X4gg0xlNfwqHhS47g19jd/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(5%20of%2090).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The day after Easter, we left for Oak Island to spend the week. It was so nice to get away and get a change of scenery. We totally relaxed; we ate, slept, and read for four whole days. I didn't take a single picture or look at my laptop while we were there. The weather was nice the whole time, and we sat on the screened porch and listened to the birds and read our books -- pure bliss. We saw this fellow from the porch one day; he was crossing the fairway and dodging golf balls. 😊</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50P9CDL9V6JoEgsAthWAy4bgcE9CvSUla1Qanzx-hFqKYpzqKdOOhA9QGMeSm7olpv6OV2sQgT_go-tpcoGCTMuSLMUBoWGJSPxd2qbNTUiWFwU1pRc3wnEw9wg2qmYOe_w4ObGDgT2jZrzGI3ze9LQgJ-x37xkZnTuGmNoxcvUl1DI7-xJTpsgWB/s5472/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Beach%20Trip%20Birds%20(26%20of%2048).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50P9CDL9V6JoEgsAthWAy4bgcE9CvSUla1Qanzx-hFqKYpzqKdOOhA9QGMeSm7olpv6OV2sQgT_go-tpcoGCTMuSLMUBoWGJSPxd2qbNTUiWFwU1pRc3wnEw9wg2qmYOe_w4ObGDgT2jZrzGI3ze9LQgJ-x37xkZnTuGmNoxcvUl1DI7-xJTpsgWB/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Beach%20Trip%20Birds%20(26%20of%2048).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Of course, things got busy again as soon as we got home. We've had an ongoing battle here since Thanksgiving -- about four and a half months now. We've had ants, those little, tiny ones in the kitchen and bathrooms, and folks, they've about driven us nuts!! They make me crazy, and then I fuss about them until it makes Hal crazy. We're practically on a first-name basis with every service person at our pest control company by now. We've tried everything, and this past week, they finally sent the service manager out here. He seems to have found the problem outside and where they were coming into the house, so I hope we're going to be good now. We haven't seen any more activity in the kitchen since he left on Tuesday, and I'm really hoping things will go back to normal now. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I wanted to share a few small changes I've made in the house recently. First of all, I finally got some pictures framed and hung. It's a big deal to me when we get pictures framed; we all know how expensive that is, right? Sometimes I keep pictures for years before I get around to having them framed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JgGFeg0yW2ZnJXRkRxm_1fwTwhcknD8yNuzMOuPpwB3-z7F9tt9bey1q9o0tKTa2EnwY1urJ9bXFGFcUlZOgkfwBOdGYNPCz212cKC31V_kHcTUSV4KmwOz9ARwpYjOxwDP47yk77wJHKfW3iNtgbRPCyhZpIEUnxCldPibexEjNzhu9iTSIxda4/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(9%20of%2090).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JgGFeg0yW2ZnJXRkRxm_1fwTwhcknD8yNuzMOuPpwB3-z7F9tt9bey1q9o0tKTa2EnwY1urJ9bXFGFcUlZOgkfwBOdGYNPCz212cKC31V_kHcTUSV4KmwOz9ARwpYjOxwDP47yk77wJHKfW3iNtgbRPCyhZpIEUnxCldPibexEjNzhu9iTSIxda4/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(9%20of%2090).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I finally got these botanicals framed and filled this empty space on the left side of my china cabinet. I've had these botanicals for ten years at least; I found them on e-bay not long after I started writing my blog. They were book plates cut from a book, and they were painted by Pierre-Joseph Redouté, a painter and botanist from Belgium. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSys_buUlDoDNblvbKBFmI70ug8GKSMQn0XGLB1S2qt7FLhPUZxL0T2HAHb7Q4s-wtEISxzD8B_BcY-eHSLRHVTt94kdJKIX6rf-WixQhmRP-rT6vbLAH769bjECdM-VfCwoqGH7UVNsfJUDfs8lWeDMaTfHrTy5gUuw27B7DtWCx3_YoVP0iPUQb/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(10%20of%2090).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSys_buUlDoDNblvbKBFmI70ug8GKSMQn0XGLB1S2qt7FLhPUZxL0T2HAHb7Q4s-wtEISxzD8B_BcY-eHSLRHVTt94kdJKIX6rf-WixQhmRP-rT6vbLAH769bjECdM-VfCwoqGH7UVNsfJUDfs8lWeDMaTfHrTy5gUuw27B7DtWCx3_YoVP0iPUQb/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(10%20of%2090).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I took down a big picture that hung over the small chest to the right of the window and replaced it with these two plates. The plates were a gift from my sister several years ago. Please excuse the lighting in these pictures; this room is so hard to photograph, and the walls look different colors half the time. You can see what I mean in the picture below. I can't wait to get the interior of our house painted.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoc8TyDYvZLBLLyqeoeY6A7dKus3IYPFvqH34xWebTA_nhKqKK_m86hgm7OETLZTuN8GIL8cIxl4T70QNhmBTU6PQSGQ6is8bqGFE__nnMU4f2B2-hS3iSORlbmLYcmyq-H65VXqfd1xN9279OPaOEjZ4EYg65veRHUlkuDd91cgkoxPFAx3HBe1pG/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Purple%20Tablescape%20(54%20of%2063).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoc8TyDYvZLBLLyqeoeY6A7dKus3IYPFvqH34xWebTA_nhKqKK_m86hgm7OETLZTuN8GIL8cIxl4T70QNhmBTU6PQSGQ6is8bqGFE__nnMU4f2B2-hS3iSORlbmLYcmyq-H65VXqfd1xN9279OPaOEjZ4EYg65veRHUlkuDd91cgkoxPFAx3HBe1pG/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Purple%20Tablescape%20(54%20of%2063).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is what the corner of the room looked like for the whole 26 years we've lived in this house. That blank wall next to the china cabinet has always bugged me, but I wanted to wait until I could hang what I really wanted there, so the spot stayed empty.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BicbpXrmylMZxZ8I_vN54zKxfDx3lbep_k6-oC069z7j_csZtICqyPd6lLNlHvsQOUURB6F6Gi3lezMbNybMTPJp1j9nWU1wAD7Q0WMyAgaHxjlMepUlAbDWjyfhh06rnw0gd2fnAhQfAnWuUk-i7CgHqeJF2WkX3iAr6LawCvm-wfwXx8FDwGT-/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Purple%20Tablescape%20(56%20of%2063).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BicbpXrmylMZxZ8I_vN54zKxfDx3lbep_k6-oC069z7j_csZtICqyPd6lLNlHvsQOUURB6F6Gi3lezMbNybMTPJp1j9nWU1wAD7Q0WMyAgaHxjlMepUlAbDWjyfhh06rnw0gd2fnAhQfAnWuUk-i7CgHqeJF2WkX3iAr6LawCvm-wfwXx8FDwGT-/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Purple%20Tablescape%20(56%20of%2063).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I like it so much better now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXBY2z_zq6H3RwRxhUmDkCLaSY23sIQwTVoQl6O6Dk4BYWhmCSgz2f4alir2Yu33sTE8xzeP-pU-T2-0TXSHcSV5zuNIJUNsf2oW__ais7UUM0gKU-3QMV5-VfCO7y3e_2sd5PAeGc5MWbFNY_nEpZ6LFeqfkREUvPFR6SgRjf4j-8_-bLYxUfU3a/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(15%20of%2090).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXBY2z_zq6H3RwRxhUmDkCLaSY23sIQwTVoQl6O6Dk4BYWhmCSgz2f4alir2Yu33sTE8xzeP-pU-T2-0TXSHcSV5zuNIJUNsf2oW__ais7UUM0gKU-3QMV5-VfCO7y3e_2sd5PAeGc5MWbFNY_nEpZ6LFeqfkREUvPFR6SgRjf4j-8_-bLYxUfU3a/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(15%20of%2090).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was ready for a new look. 😊</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5183rKhF_MEqSkp9oSkeEJWZr19EvgIyxO-pcLNAFbWHjoyRLc7o6CzprjhlGzUp9UWcVAU7wyG68pbsY5z-zCHJQr_Z6dvMEPZM_VFN1ZJTK_Y_6fkg0ZmGO0NdiX3CjImaTijX4kZXcBdCGfuxw7k-LOJOrbiXEvgNmyPYsJUCFe6Ak3xtECbE/s6000/2020%20Spring%20Kitchen-36.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5183rKhF_MEqSkp9oSkeEJWZr19EvgIyxO-pcLNAFbWHjoyRLc7o6CzprjhlGzUp9UWcVAU7wyG68pbsY5z-zCHJQr_Z6dvMEPZM_VFN1ZJTK_Y_6fkg0ZmGO0NdiX3CjImaTijX4kZXcBdCGfuxw7k-LOJOrbiXEvgNmyPYsJUCFe6Ak3xtECbE/w640-h426/2020%20Spring%20Kitchen-36.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are two more of the botanicals from e-Bay. I framed them myself (no matting) and hung them here after we had our kitchen remodeled. I have so enjoyed seeing them here. I knew I wanted to hang two more in the dining room, but I wanted to have them professionally matted and framed. I never thought it would take so long to get that accomplished.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8R_JLmt80qbQURzxvbKFIo7qka-2b2tGK8rDb2g55d_N8hlWC5pQQAlGhyuCNquX0tAjlCw84ozgZO7tLsRIuFYabs0QTzuSwmUryAa0N_cEUAFJug2FIdy4uL41vhD1jrJ5BlT0CVm6z1A7paER8hFP4NZzJdXhA5uiBo8wXO8m6PrGOp6_FoRHD/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(75%20of%2090).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8R_JLmt80qbQURzxvbKFIo7qka-2b2tGK8rDb2g55d_N8hlWC5pQQAlGhyuCNquX0tAjlCw84ozgZO7tLsRIuFYabs0QTzuSwmUryAa0N_cEUAFJug2FIdy4uL41vhD1jrJ5BlT0CVm6z1A7paER8hFP4NZzJdXhA5uiBo8wXO8m6PrGOp6_FoRHD/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(75%20of%2090).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We also got this lower picture framed at the same time as the two botanicals. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVDDGzicpEAMRTbJT7XPv993mPgDxOzCr3DIJjHwNjW5NY-QCMNOC9BBKeginVKTqjbLRCuY67uMo7yYo7WAyzUj7euydyEGbfSt6x4ANlLsTjKPmyiyfxr1053RvpEpn1LyvmHF2V_WxLGawT96A3XshsQtxS2q967Xo88kWvtn-4hD77Jqr_cPI/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(80%20of%2090).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVDDGzicpEAMRTbJT7XPv993mPgDxOzCr3DIJjHwNjW5NY-QCMNOC9BBKeginVKTqjbLRCuY67uMo7yYo7WAyzUj7euydyEGbfSt6x4ANlLsTjKPmyiyfxr1053RvpEpn1LyvmHF2V_WxLGawT96A3XshsQtxS2q967Xo88kWvtn-4hD77Jqr_cPI/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(80%20of%2090).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a watercolor of Biltmore House at Christmas (in the snow) that our son gave us a few years ago. I tried to get it framed during the first Covid outbreak, but Hobby Lobby did not have any wooden frames in stock at the time, and they didn't know when they would get more in. I gave up for a year, and when I tried back, they had a good selection, and we were able to find what we wanted. We're really pleased with the way this turned out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2Nj8M3X4Gmq29xKZitcB27LFglkdZxKwRcLfCrjVN520AmQ25blyqg4MTqq8KCRvwzfHV9tppBzsG_gBGt3yXw7oRCaFPIAaU4e9yS-VMOCqKWMWclwydUgZJGv3fZ-ckY7OoF6Pr7Vm-DtBLWKcH-V9UvhwPhoSfzK3F_v9LPZeWwKQE7KiYlbS/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(81%20of%2090).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2Nj8M3X4Gmq29xKZitcB27LFglkdZxKwRcLfCrjVN520AmQ25blyqg4MTqq8KCRvwzfHV9tppBzsG_gBGt3yXw7oRCaFPIAaU4e9yS-VMOCqKWMWclwydUgZJGv3fZ-ckY7OoF6Pr7Vm-DtBLWKcH-V9UvhwPhoSfzK3F_v9LPZeWwKQE7KiYlbS/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(81%20of%2090).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The painting above Biltmore is of Chateau Chambord in France. My in-laws visited the chateau many years ago, and I always admired this picture in their home. When they moved, my mother-in-law gave the picture to us. I just love it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLDsbKD-UKsdukmqbRAdpSjPtLY4N0dpAMC02-WieRrGGgwUgc_vFD6sKfRON8pgzmCZo8TirxyjcC_meeTChTFKfTp5vC1kB-HOYOMOYWbSLdkavftJwH2UfQgvX4UxMPR34dZAlKCSjj_35A9Lw3_DXSXsny2oRsCP8mRCi5EPx32P-7jLtSrv9/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(84%20of%2090).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLDsbKD-UKsdukmqbRAdpSjPtLY4N0dpAMC02-WieRrGGgwUgc_vFD6sKfRON8pgzmCZo8TirxyjcC_meeTChTFKfTp5vC1kB-HOYOMOYWbSLdkavftJwH2UfQgvX4UxMPR34dZAlKCSjj_35A9Lw3_DXSXsny2oRsCP8mRCi5EPx32P-7jLtSrv9/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(84%20of%2090).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The picture on the secretary is the Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. We toured this beautiful building in 2020, and I wrote about it <a href="https://houseatforestmanor.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-tour-of-governors-palace-in-colonial.html">here</a> and <a href="https://houseatforestmanor.blogspot.com/2020/05/part-two-of-governors-palace-in.html#">here</a>. The colonials gave it the derogatory name of "palace" because it was so ornate at a time when the British were levying heavy taxes on the colonists. This small painting is actually a greeting card -- one of five cards we received from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation after visiting there. We didn't feel inclined to send a donation since we had spent quite a bit while there on food and souvenirs. 😏 I do hope to return someday, as there are more things in Williamsburg that I'd like to see. However, I digress. I love using pretty cards as artwork; most of the time no one knows the difference unless you tell them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oJQSO2PBx22vVuhZHr1M1QmARszNyX9-_1dQaw0j6ptN3J8Sf16KTsnuHLwAVwWykN8QRWWaRN-2fS2VxfQDuLix-m3cX7eQqTkNJL6dOQfNeD3qIFEbaKtiX3DeQLysVz5VfHGvEWKu9gs7KYaEicFAtbRSu2nsDlpg59wmjNjmYzEMeSM1CN61/s6000/DSC03740.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oJQSO2PBx22vVuhZHr1M1QmARszNyX9-_1dQaw0j6ptN3J8Sf16KTsnuHLwAVwWykN8QRWWaRN-2fS2VxfQDuLix-m3cX7eQqTkNJL6dOQfNeD3qIFEbaKtiX3DeQLysVz5VfHGvEWKu9gs7KYaEicFAtbRSu2nsDlpg59wmjNjmYzEMeSM1CN61/w640-h426/DSC03740.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These are the other four cards; one is in a frame because I'm displaying it in the den. I love this artist's watercolors!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38X4JNBBFzWxDlYQ4pvLsYysiq1sw5T-GIP5OvgSLdwDPadgrc9ACEH2xqoWQliFuTmd7ttZYytPWUhYqI6Ywo2KfYmSBjDd_6mVwa0WUVqpbf8riDskml-PkouibRy7ioOK0_WQC5OhdL-tP_4RamBCyKZJkmqnzXpVzGCRCCo7eKFHo8_hMM82Z/s6000/DSC03742.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38X4JNBBFzWxDlYQ4pvLsYysiq1sw5T-GIP5OvgSLdwDPadgrc9ACEH2xqoWQliFuTmd7ttZYytPWUhYqI6Ywo2KfYmSBjDd_6mVwa0WUVqpbf8riDskml-PkouibRy7ioOK0_WQC5OhdL-tP_4RamBCyKZJkmqnzXpVzGCRCCo7eKFHo8_hMM82Z/w640-h426/DSC03742.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The last thing I'm sharing today is a chair that I found at a consignment store in Greensboro, N.C.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwHfF7_YU-mBwoAWKb7tjQ_0fYsQ0C6AzALsiBMSqg1eqJzvWi7gso9n3nvtOB7UcRSNGNM9hh1Z_i1BBqyxDSWblD0oj-oXuSeDS0GkUuyU2TM7tNHSAtNS1XDIiHXVHLcwYZnobeDy4j69ILkSjJ69h-7FEBuRYP-jNfaD-f1-DPOhcgbnxz_9i/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(61%20of%2090).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwHfF7_YU-mBwoAWKb7tjQ_0fYsQ0C6AzALsiBMSqg1eqJzvWi7gso9n3nvtOB7UcRSNGNM9hh1Z_i1BBqyxDSWblD0oj-oXuSeDS0GkUuyU2TM7tNHSAtNS1XDIiHXVHLcwYZnobeDy4j69ILkSjJ69h-7FEBuRYP-jNfaD-f1-DPOhcgbnxz_9i/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(61%20of%2090).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> We had visited our son and on the way home decided to stop in at "The Red Collection." I've found several good bargains there over the years, but I had no intention of buying anything that day. However, I spotted this chair in the window as we were walking in, and the price was so good, I made an impulse purchase. My husband calls it "retail therapy." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmeGw6XweRSur2XJZF-MOSBzlrXRwpgjXv18V4DZjMSz4VndCzNECQP8B2DqT8MaWeKDqd5TUtSAd-Dc2a6f0VZF9IPkn7lqfO4LOVdtPC1-zlMk3sgB2q0nYD7Fclsnr5PLvGNLnyKdlvjNuTmc5y7ZGL6GSMTKJhoKFZNfP-KsMSbXIN_gS0tF5/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(62%20of%2090).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmeGw6XweRSur2XJZF-MOSBzlrXRwpgjXv18V4DZjMSz4VndCzNECQP8B2DqT8MaWeKDqd5TUtSAd-Dc2a6f0VZF9IPkn7lqfO4LOVdtPC1-zlMk3sgB2q0nYD7Fclsnr5PLvGNLnyKdlvjNuTmc5y7ZGL6GSMTKJhoKFZNfP-KsMSbXIN_gS0tF5/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(62%20of%2090).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxIS7q91LYVrmKKs2fCmxHEJF0sP64ak4og_yAlk9we9jCznd8aThUnympQErxd-QksXUmkTsMP-8FpcijsndJjVtKC3FhsmfaWR-YHHble03J2tQruVQMAV-srSgM5AH-VSGZ8_SLs6oOAfMoEHoZwMpZIK8qc8iRYFtVXYYblDdE9_36g0JIOC9/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(63%20of%2090).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxIS7q91LYVrmKKs2fCmxHEJF0sP64ak4og_yAlk9we9jCznd8aThUnympQErxd-QksXUmkTsMP-8FpcijsndJjVtKC3FhsmfaWR-YHHble03J2tQruVQMAV-srSgM5AH-VSGZ8_SLs6oOAfMoEHoZwMpZIK8qc8iRYFtVXYYblDdE9_36g0JIOC9/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(63%20of%2090).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What really sealed the deal for me was this carved bee on the chair back. I've never seen anything like this on furniture before, but it doesn't look amateurish to me. What do you think? I tried to find a similar chair online just so I could learn something about it, but there was nothing. I like the chair and we like the way it looks in our living room, so that's really all that matters. It looks to have been newly re-upholstered. I wouldn't have necessarily chosen this fabric, but the green is the same shade of green in our sofa fabric and our rug, so it works. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXOAZUJaENIfVm7M5TWP8EKVl6sVK_SN8X7S6UAKk54mH5YfYp4OhvieDo3uoopiyoGSsiLYjA_aSN727ilqvkOEShKxh5f1Yduv_oPrqXEvPi0ULih9HjLHXgs3C1YcAD0x4FGJO6NL0-GG0gorohnJPHtl34E2JaaDOjtHZl4nd0W21QSmoRJv_/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(67%20of%2090).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXOAZUJaENIfVm7M5TWP8EKVl6sVK_SN8X7S6UAKk54mH5YfYp4OhvieDo3uoopiyoGSsiLYjA_aSN727ilqvkOEShKxh5f1Yduv_oPrqXEvPi0ULih9HjLHXgs3C1YcAD0x4FGJO6NL0-GG0gorohnJPHtl34E2JaaDOjtHZl4nd0W21QSmoRJv_/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Piano%20and%20Art%20(67%20of%2090).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thanks for letting me ramble on today; I will have some shorter posts coming up soon. I hope you're enjoying a beautiful spring in your part of the world. Thanks so much for visiting here today and have a great week!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm joining Susan at <i>Between Naps on the Porch </i>for <a href="https://betweennapsontheporch.net/how-the-solar-fountain-is-working-an-exciting-basement-update-coming-soon/">"Metamorphosis Monday,"</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-1527683357114857012023-04-02T22:19:00.001-04:002023-04-02T23:11:29.172-04:00What I've Been Reading<center>Hi everyone! I meant to do a book post long before now, but better late than never. These are some recent reads, as well as a few that I read last year. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmUgvERjs1gjKY0uvWWQjuaDoMEJSNkpNw4cDXyPHuI5Ffdpuhw12oe9eCL92WMPmsfgr3zzP-3cYlHuT11qfrqxE79ApUptEkPuIaG0b7C8TFVeFVmy8__Gjohs3UsitWr4J5VF88hvSuBlcpI2-gR2BVm_0JOltVSwQxV5ZbadxlGzzS0aFQdif/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(3%20of%2024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmUgvERjs1gjKY0uvWWQjuaDoMEJSNkpNw4cDXyPHuI5Ffdpuhw12oe9eCL92WMPmsfgr3zzP-3cYlHuT11qfrqxE79ApUptEkPuIaG0b7C8TFVeFVmy8__Gjohs3UsitWr4J5VF88hvSuBlcpI2-gR2BVm_0JOltVSwQxV5ZbadxlGzzS0aFQdif/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(3%20of%2024).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h2hBzUsqFIyTAF3-8-u8ZSaTwH6KGEKzprFscCv-bpM_6RiXmGiFvNTfuR5hJtfu3ps9dUxvdBsZ9gMmOu11dTokIBoBwBPDQMgr7jDMFjCNPXvj5MWpiyO0EGaCJrKl-xSoUbRS0uMIUnv2PnZZcKWFqP0N-utse4IiQzb-eUYylJDCmq439Vr1/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(4%20of%2024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h2hBzUsqFIyTAF3-8-u8ZSaTwH6KGEKzprFscCv-bpM_6RiXmGiFvNTfuR5hJtfu3ps9dUxvdBsZ9gMmOu11dTokIBoBwBPDQMgr7jDMFjCNPXvj5MWpiyO0EGaCJrKl-xSoUbRS0uMIUnv2PnZZcKWFqP0N-utse4IiQzb-eUYylJDCmq439Vr1/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(4%20of%2024).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Our son gave me this Patrick O'Brian book for Christmas; he got himself one, too, and he said we could discuss it after we both read it. 😀 He belongs to a book club, and since he and I have read a lot of the same books, he thought we might enjoy reading this at the same time. He finished his before I even started mine, but I told him I'm so glad he introduced me to a new series of books. I enjoy reading series when I find one that I like, and though this first one was a bit difficult to get into, once I did, I enjoyed it. I wasn't sure if I would read anymore of the series, but after looking at the plot for the second book and seeing terrific reviews (from women as well as men) I decided to give it a try. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I've actually just started the fourth book now. These are seafaring adventures which take place during the Napoleonic Wars. </center><center><br /></center><center>The two reviews (below) for <i>Post Captain, </i>the second book in the series, are what ultimately made me decide to read this book. The reviews were spot on, by the way. The first book did not feel like Jane Austen to me, but the second and third books did. </center><center> </center><center><span class="a-text-bold" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; text-align: start;">“If Jane Austen had written rousing sea yarns, she would have produced something very close to the prose of Patrick O'Brian.” ―</span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: start;">Time </span></center><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: start;"> </span></center><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"><b>"This is Jane Austen on a ship of war, with the humanity, joy and pathos of Shakespeare -- and brilliantly written. I have read them perhaps 20 times. I will read them many more." ~Nicola Griffith, NPR</b></span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: start;"> </span></center><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-align: start;"> </span></center><center><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; text-align: start;">In case you're interested in reading any of these, they're known as the Aubrey/Maturin series. A movie, "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," based on the series, </span><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; text-align: start;">was made in 2003. It starred Russell Crowe.</span></span></center><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"> </span></center><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dgW-7sstX3dR_7LUr9iescIxQqRs6uUFKm36nP2ImwEK5--wP41waxubtezMPRRyRQS9H3wGU3WTgOtT4f9ZGI5GUomtf5iOSNKQAwxlr3XcPSNOXK9JxQQpMRLxmnCj7aRYVMfOyz48RIM8zlg3ZuMueLgVpFYpbIr3iwO_0rNtFwG3DuSzWIJc/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(6%20of%2024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dgW-7sstX3dR_7LUr9iescIxQqRs6uUFKm36nP2ImwEK5--wP41waxubtezMPRRyRQS9H3wGU3WTgOtT4f9ZGI5GUomtf5iOSNKQAwxlr3XcPSNOXK9JxQQpMRLxmnCj7aRYVMfOyz48RIM8zlg3ZuMueLgVpFYpbIr3iwO_0rNtFwG3DuSzWIJc/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(6%20of%2024).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I read <i>The Nightingale </i>last year. It's one of the best books I've ever read, but also one of the saddest. I do not exaggerate when I say that it took me three or four tries to finish the last few chapters. Every time I tried to read them, my eyes were so full of tears, I couldn't read the print in the book. I would have to close the book and come back a day or two later and try again. This was a story that stayed with me for a while. It's about two French sisters during WWII, and what they went through under Nazi occupation. I highly recommend this book. It's the only Kristin Hannah book I've read; I'd like to read more, but I don't want to feel sad right now. The world is such a depressing place these days, I need a more cheerful escape. </span></span></center><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"> </span></center><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2B-AaTeV3JS-qD1npLNFhmmCIU6BAmzCS5KZnFEmAnNRT6WNhG92d_PJ8kpcQMuGZa3MP69YpReOnV1IpYhbrzNu324GZ0kRE6IaCTqZdXpcTPAa2sGTNKUNz6L5FyJMndDpLeCyDYv7Ej2r59OIIK4eg-eNM6c3fe7nvElkLa1nCVRUCqFJPKPPL/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(8%20of%2024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2B-AaTeV3JS-qD1npLNFhmmCIU6BAmzCS5KZnFEmAnNRT6WNhG92d_PJ8kpcQMuGZa3MP69YpReOnV1IpYhbrzNu324GZ0kRE6IaCTqZdXpcTPAa2sGTNKUNz6L5FyJMndDpLeCyDYv7Ej2r59OIIK4eg-eNM6c3fe7nvElkLa1nCVRUCqFJPKPPL/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(8%20of%2024).jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span></center><br style="color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;" /><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"><i>"A Year in Provence" </i>was a re-read for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it -- again. 😊 After reading <i>"My Good Life in France," </i>also a series, I was in the mood to read <i>"A Year in Provence" </i>again. This is truly a laugh-out-loud book, and I highly recommend it. </span></center><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"> </span></center><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhRsKI9h7d0YjokcR-hzXptjyMnvtAid7MiYIxircmuKSIz1NWrdyvLGdPxwNveaT7y-Aet1bxsYDasokSJrlz0rTaF15SvFF6ufECsAmoRpa0N3MuPfaQjx8ft2hX6kPmxZPgnFj4Gz0JB0VINpcAeejfNzHYeADjPORQTJyl6-mClgS00zV8Hgm/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(9%20of%2024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhRsKI9h7d0YjokcR-hzXptjyMnvtAid7MiYIxircmuKSIz1NWrdyvLGdPxwNveaT7y-Aet1bxsYDasokSJrlz0rTaF15SvFF6ufECsAmoRpa0N3MuPfaQjx8ft2hX6kPmxZPgnFj4Gz0JB0VINpcAeejfNzHYeADjPORQTJyl6-mClgS00zV8Hgm/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(9%20of%2024).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"Great Houses and Their Stories" </i>is more of a coffee table book, but it's also full of information about the old "mansions" in Winston-Salem and the families who lived there. </span></span></center><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUyUQEVdHFX4iDP8LNPeTjyEPtTN5y-jEkc2-1geYew9x_hJqftrVy9ppENcAmwfchC80WR1T-mfbtrHcayLWEk5tSr3eVpCuWzkACPI-vj7tSUdbbrJEqYa-WcXc-xSI1scNiNfbkc7DivGgN87IkpGaL5cGTbMwLUPzRkwVBJnirQ3OtjBBj8YCS/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(11%20of%2024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUyUQEVdHFX4iDP8LNPeTjyEPtTN5y-jEkc2-1geYew9x_hJqftrVy9ppENcAmwfchC80WR1T-mfbtrHcayLWEk5tSr3eVpCuWzkACPI-vj7tSUdbbrJEqYa-WcXc-xSI1scNiNfbkc7DivGgN87IkpGaL5cGTbMwLUPzRkwVBJnirQ3OtjBBj8YCS/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(11%20of%2024).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHOs-1zb1xuuh0tSj-lbpQjZnP7i3EoalSd1PHgyYGUo-7Stt3dZxutKNtJudlv1nM_gwnbJU-6Der_mSTBv7KoF-vnRKjc6HSzrzp3fB-md6bP_4nAsbmtgNxMY4eV87aworZhOuwFjA7j1o_QKQPU5iwOVR-2eCGp0UCQXorrHEjvvXX5WbUsrN/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(12%20of%2024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHOs-1zb1xuuh0tSj-lbpQjZnP7i3EoalSd1PHgyYGUo-7Stt3dZxutKNtJudlv1nM_gwnbJU-6Der_mSTBv7KoF-vnRKjc6HSzrzp3fB-md6bP_4nAsbmtgNxMY4eV87aworZhOuwFjA7j1o_QKQPU5iwOVR-2eCGp0UCQXorrHEjvvXX5WbUsrN/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(12%20of%2024).jpg" width="640" /></a></div></center><center><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></center><center><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; text-align: start;">This book is of particular interest to me because I've seen these houses all my life (from the outside that is). New, McMansion </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;">neighborhoods don't interest me, but these old homes certainly do. That's because they have a lot of history, and they're built in a style that is no longer being built, for the most part, because it would probably cost ten times as much to build them today. Sadly, some of these homes are being purchased for the address and the land, then the houses are being torn down for new ones to be built in their place. </span></center><center><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"> </span></center><center><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;">The book begins with the Reynolds family, the founders of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Richard Joshua and his wife, Katharine Smith Reynolds moved from their Queen Anne style home in downtown Winston-Salem to their newly built Reynolda Estate in 1917. </span></center><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVrY-EzwKnfoGqIDzOvs4NOG6ucQ4lryFBHm6KlDEXAHP7JfNmChLW7bLaHQGiB8rt5tkDN0YgMNcmClS5Py8Gx_bqrbLU2s8n57ekO0jPZEj2QsQAFIw7TC48U9oV6QZOg0QRu9MUZRGdcE4j2nTLAfjOOM8LOh0Si_0Ps68_LxnB4uD-oq9d_BN/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(13%20of%2024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghVrY-EzwKnfoGqIDzOvs4NOG6ucQ4lryFBHm6KlDEXAHP7JfNmChLW7bLaHQGiB8rt5tkDN0YgMNcmClS5Py8Gx_bqrbLU2s8n57ekO0jPZEj2QsQAFIw7TC48U9oV6QZOg0QRu9MUZRGdcE4j2nTLAfjOOM8LOh0Si_0Ps68_LxnB4uD-oq9d_BN/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(13%20of%2024).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; text-align: start;"><center style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"><br /></span></center><center style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></center></span></center><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"> The book also covers homes owned by wealthy merchants, executives, the owner of the local newspaper, etc. One thing I have learned in reading this book is that money marries money and the fabulously wealthy stick together. Surely I already knew this? I guess reading about these families just reinforces that theory. 😏 </span></center><center><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic" face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSaeEUEXn2rXQN11V47JyYv4rl7GQlSGXE2SZHcH0w1arKi0608jCcF3dc-JBRKMxvgjElG3dso14_p-MSjNGErsART6g9mwq0HmcyJTh4MkxbwxywCDDYW-foUXA1QcqCYtLx0UeDw4jfTs1-KBblBqawkr4yZNile1GsTUExVF1HTKbianoZhnH/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(15%20of%2024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSaeEUEXn2rXQN11V47JyYv4rl7GQlSGXE2SZHcH0w1arKi0608jCcF3dc-JBRKMxvgjElG3dso14_p-MSjNGErsART6g9mwq0HmcyJTh4MkxbwxywCDDYW-foUXA1QcqCYtLx0UeDw4jfTs1-KBblBqawkr4yZNile1GsTUExVF1HTKbianoZhnH/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(15%20of%2024).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center>This last book, <i>Our Hearts Are in England, </i>was given to me for Christmas by my sister. Another coffee table book, I read this one right after Christmas, and I really enjoyed it! It's by the publishers of "Victoria" magazine, and it's loaded with beautiful photographs and lots of good information about England. There's a section about the Cotswalds, the charming seaside towns of southeast England, London, and a whole chapter about Jane Austen. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbj7GAqL3ADQleJ3Y5seh1cVb3ipxottnPjGCUwkGxPwy3lCRVV78ryXvKna0xIUuV0h73LrMrzfQh-Ib0DzYYyWXsyC-LVrO3DlBcT7pRfAPHC-6fG0MvsualqOdAMPDeRsdSu4MsnoEEaN8iPQHCCbjFr8QUTwKk1IO9GJ0oD3YTxhMgWH4dR6n/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(19%20of%2024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbj7GAqL3ADQleJ3Y5seh1cVb3ipxottnPjGCUwkGxPwy3lCRVV78ryXvKna0xIUuV0h73LrMrzfQh-Ib0DzYYyWXsyC-LVrO3DlBcT7pRfAPHC-6fG0MvsualqOdAMPDeRsdSu4MsnoEEaN8iPQHCCbjFr8QUTwKk1IO9GJ0oD3YTxhMgWH4dR6n/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(19%20of%2024).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Of course, English interior style is covered in the book, </center><center> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5ypkjF4D8REaqGaGGTfzU6VvxXZvlECPCsZQICVg4eISRkP2d89me68FX5FRPTyTzL0761K_fyIfAvJxLyljcXYgI37nHNxFK3JbtYKje8ufbBQ7Un1uQDj7PrNsvYCTFlpr8BjHnUxButygmronBmF1nmINAE7OHP_bNnVGzgcKbcEvIzgMnipk/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(23%20of%2024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5ypkjF4D8REaqGaGGTfzU6VvxXZvlECPCsZQICVg4eISRkP2d89me68FX5FRPTyTzL0761K_fyIfAvJxLyljcXYgI37nHNxFK3JbtYKje8ufbBQ7Un1uQDj7PrNsvYCTFlpr8BjHnUxButygmronBmF1nmINAE7OHP_bNnVGzgcKbcEvIzgMnipk/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(23%20of%2024).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center>as well as English gardens.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqsCTCgfz_4lwl9ZSvQUDsBJpOEF1LN_4LQXcCwMsdncqiXiv8TumnxVENgi3T-eXUHnZCL_IFFmIG4-5dsUgN-FoIJePAzxx9FMofAh8ml_e-6vAfgjBu43eHQr6FDWCREnwqEsyxU1IrXS8_XpdEP-9OB5o0kMPdW9pehhBblPGK-0gNoQj5aHZ/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(21%20of%2024).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqsCTCgfz_4lwl9ZSvQUDsBJpOEF1LN_4LQXcCwMsdncqiXiv8TumnxVENgi3T-eXUHnZCL_IFFmIG4-5dsUgN-FoIJePAzxx9FMofAh8ml_e-6vAfgjBu43eHQr6FDWCREnwqEsyxU1IrXS8_XpdEP-9OB5o0kMPdW9pehhBblPGK-0gNoQj5aHZ/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Books%20Spring%20(21%20of%2024).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div><center>There's a chapter on David Austin roses, and a chapter on teatime traditions, as well. These are just a few of the things you'll find in the book; it's a book I'll enjoy looking at again and again, and I think my readers would enjoy it, too. </center><center> </center><center>If you're still here, thank you for sticking around for this long post. Books are one of my favorite things in the world, and I enjoy sharing some of my favorites here. I would love to know if any of you have read the Aubrey/Maturin series or "The Nightingale." </center><center> </center><center>I really appreciate your visit today, and I hope you have a lovely week! </center><center> </center><center>Hugs,<br /></center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-9497772261011618832023-03-30T21:07:00.010-04:002023-03-31T11:43:17.636-04:00Paul Ciener Botanical Gardens<center>Happy Friday all! What a quick week this has been. This past Sunday afternoon, we paid a visit to Paul Ciener Botanical Gardens in Kernersville, North Carolina. This small town is about a 20-minute drive from where we live, so not a lot of our outrageously expensive gas was wasted on this drive. This was our first time to visit these gardens; they're small, but very pretty. </center><center> </center><center>We passed under this arch to get to the main flower beds,</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHQqkUn1MwrrhpWrPloZtJB8Lw-in0AtI_MnpP3IRoq38boJtnmkudWaGqTjdzgxlzgrKZwhh4A-aj0XnvfTqXFgZ2lS5pIqmD23qn0hXCa9S2Zx9OHXha2hxIf54lwg8eacRKBS_cRVPhvFbZWk6bTqI63Py-ewxNAWO3zuk2mF7WP5k01OGyMwY/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(1%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHQqkUn1MwrrhpWrPloZtJB8Lw-in0AtI_MnpP3IRoq38boJtnmkudWaGqTjdzgxlzgrKZwhh4A-aj0XnvfTqXFgZ2lS5pIqmD23qn0hXCa9S2Zx9OHXha2hxIf54lwg8eacRKBS_cRVPhvFbZWk6bTqI63Py-ewxNAWO3zuk2mF7WP5k01OGyMwY/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(1%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span><a name='more'></a></span><center>The first thing I spotted was the bird's nest.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEm796_dgScXRvkwLAPKuFJStUnhDdb57OJ8ynUSoUEKzPA0U9x11un9zmNWZU6Qgg4pHy48FEnvnumJrApor4aaVJNMPXdFqsHZ_-3gZJXi4QwQoY5TFXUFLpeAr_3GXRVd9LzSKuuPB0ywXPdX91zg2uwt29z8k_p7Bdz4_w32SpyZyj_ARj4Goe/s1084/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(2%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="917" data-original-width="1084" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEm796_dgScXRvkwLAPKuFJStUnhDdb57OJ8ynUSoUEKzPA0U9x11un9zmNWZU6Qgg4pHy48FEnvnumJrApor4aaVJNMPXdFqsHZ_-3gZJXi4QwQoY5TFXUFLpeAr_3GXRVd9LzSKuuPB0ywXPdX91zg2uwt29z8k_p7Bdz4_w32SpyZyj_ARj4Goe/w640-h542/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(2%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div><div style="text-align: center;"> The reason I included this picture below is because I wanted to show you how the limbs and branches of these trees are growing horizontally. It almost looks as if they have been espaliered, except that there is no wall or trellis to support them. At any rate, it does look like the limbs have been trained to grow vertically, and so they are touching the limbs of the trees on either side. It really makes for a pretty effect.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL2QePWp0eHPKM77o90xT55fzkkuFyBL91kIabYrFhnz5oY7uhdyRagdQTuJzAwAfmXf6TZKTyXj4fTQCSHPheNqYIPfaDGJwO02zVkgJo7SowS9LlbkSRnNB6naid14HTm9XTsyzEzuaMQr4aKQ8tSDDUv3Y-vSAOEQi5Hk2P1lGJyO0fPmC1Zp64/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(8%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL2QePWp0eHPKM77o90xT55fzkkuFyBL91kIabYrFhnz5oY7uhdyRagdQTuJzAwAfmXf6TZKTyXj4fTQCSHPheNqYIPfaDGJwO02zVkgJo7SowS9LlbkSRnNB6naid14HTm9XTsyzEzuaMQr4aKQ8tSDDUv3Y-vSAOEQi5Hk2P1lGJyO0fPmC1Zp64/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(8%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>I loved these daffodil and tulip beds. The tulips are growing up between the daffodils, and they should make a pretty showing when they're all up and blooming. These gardens are located right on main street, so they have a nice brick and wrought iron fence to separate the gardens from the busy street. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDHF-2RhYMmeqLmdTyswhnWqql8XcnvGaMBKmjHcbdytI8fkYCUSjE1LIJalE7OjJczUKx2qc1xbEhyfXmeBN2PSQzk8s7RPsyMnCKI1PY81SYExYmTwGhPwlLT-z2GkP0IpNMGxUYzaiNkY6l2H5c4Q52sF__YJKdNB0LK3r13YLtmSwnfuPC3ga/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(15%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDHF-2RhYMmeqLmdTyswhnWqql8XcnvGaMBKmjHcbdytI8fkYCUSjE1LIJalE7OjJczUKx2qc1xbEhyfXmeBN2PSQzk8s7RPsyMnCKI1PY81SYExYmTwGhPwlLT-z2GkP0IpNMGxUYzaiNkY6l2H5c4Q52sF__YJKdNB0LK3r13YLtmSwnfuPC3ga/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(15%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGDv-iG1dae630BmtCE7KGqpJZgAo0ybH0kM2PIQfPuHDKYi_gfEdd6WhNWumYe5nBeNpQCsLMU04skHMPl1s8bMWSdZbPJOh2tj6dcNUmdI6AqEPjb-dBcRZ5e4otWmhDUocK3s3VPKTTgT1tXr-L-nv59hBcFw_LActaNq1vh-1R1khPid2ELgW/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(28%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGDv-iG1dae630BmtCE7KGqpJZgAo0ybH0kM2PIQfPuHDKYi_gfEdd6WhNWumYe5nBeNpQCsLMU04skHMPl1s8bMWSdZbPJOh2tj6dcNUmdI6AqEPjb-dBcRZ5e4otWmhDUocK3s3VPKTTgT1tXr-L-nv59hBcFw_LActaNq1vh-1R1khPid2ELgW/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(28%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><center>I love the boxwood borders and the shape of these beds; it gives them something of an old-world feel. Here you see the traditional daffodils, as well as a miniature variety of daffodils, some tulips, and grape hyacinths. Such a charming combination. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfxEW9_mq7WaO_swLKpzX1rE-7ea7l-0FV1sYk60ObPIFJVpIxP0Wz-fboWiZMvgP7kztZfowGySYKCLRFJEM3lBX0v1EMcQ1_ZT2_5IsFJKpaUj4Hp0kTNSMaeRm0pgKl5y38hIq7T77NnzbUQETVJBBeP7ognpDLjU5Lr8Tpt3qx8KUghx2r6-i/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(30%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfxEW9_mq7WaO_swLKpzX1rE-7ea7l-0FV1sYk60ObPIFJVpIxP0Wz-fboWiZMvgP7kztZfowGySYKCLRFJEM3lBX0v1EMcQ1_ZT2_5IsFJKpaUj4Hp0kTNSMaeRm0pgKl5y38hIq7T77NnzbUQETVJBBeP7ognpDLjU5Lr8Tpt3qx8KUghx2r6-i/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(30%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsW7nqgJycWCPdmXTMddF36o5vOp2ZARSWjhlDARfaLirL8N2gHZrctbCfJCUBtZKvujJOfkzLJEd_FGRFhVbSacszvPR-iB0hd4SYQMButrBSuY1OqbL_MtbKWlFR-0RGc8DN0kWcDhSHxv-NzzP_x7GSYJrcyQOG8CWhgo4VNlO2oW6mugi4eOV/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(35%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsW7nqgJycWCPdmXTMddF36o5vOp2ZARSWjhlDARfaLirL8N2gHZrctbCfJCUBtZKvujJOfkzLJEd_FGRFhVbSacszvPR-iB0hd4SYQMButrBSuY1OqbL_MtbKWlFR-0RGc8DN0kWcDhSHxv-NzzP_x7GSYJrcyQOG8CWhgo4VNlO2oW6mugi4eOV/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(35%20of%20182).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><center>Here you can see the full shape of the flower bed. If you notice the fence in the background, on the other side of it were big clumps of Lenten roses in bloom. I didn't notice them until we were leaving, so I wasn't able to get any pictures of them.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheABew5UwT7lOpUahN7yuJIcNY_AqEqhha_DXsKD8mOoJL36ohkQLlqYJT5oPu9wGQpcEQxG67phl0NKeHM-Fk7dCmR_IMjDIMCvOUfoptZnLI2WHfoZ4STNAMiIva-qE7J6jcqz2kPGwK-1FIS7ZXGbHfrIWUR2FpmoLXI_9Gww5grKw5D-Mpul4/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(42%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgheABew5UwT7lOpUahN7yuJIcNY_AqEqhha_DXsKD8mOoJL36ohkQLlqYJT5oPu9wGQpcEQxG67phl0NKeHM-Fk7dCmR_IMjDIMCvOUfoptZnLI2WHfoZ4STNAMiIva-qE7J6jcqz2kPGwK-1FIS7ZXGbHfrIWUR2FpmoLXI_9Gww5grKw5D-Mpul4/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(42%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><center>This bed has more tulips in bloom -- love these cheerful daffodils with the orange centers!</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1xemhC9fkoUgM1eogaDUjWjrn_29dgUUUWeW5KgeFTIwgOZfvcXssS61XFZEfZXZU9v8HowIYtgDhxFy_GUFSbIwFMcSKq_ePx9LX7oYXkG3XlL0v0a4WdlAPgF-NZS_lrFC4HW77KCUooHIVXWb9-fNXxxSgxvj9FMVWJabcqA4tTq_BLK0aP14/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(49%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1xemhC9fkoUgM1eogaDUjWjrn_29dgUUUWeW5KgeFTIwgOZfvcXssS61XFZEfZXZU9v8HowIYtgDhxFy_GUFSbIwFMcSKq_ePx9LX7oYXkG3XlL0v0a4WdlAPgF-NZS_lrFC4HW77KCUooHIVXWb9-fNXxxSgxvj9FMVWJabcqA4tTq_BLK0aP14/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(49%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm pretty sure that this is a blooming crabapple tree above. We had one in front of our house in Greensboro many years ago, and it was this same shape and shade of pink. They're lovely, old-fashioned trees, but they're so messy in the fall. I remember our sidewalk being covered with sticky crabapples in the fall and late summer. :) </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwry4ezkQLin-q5ok6pgyVf14GmmmzrKlsSFdzEfqWa-1r9KoOGOmLWEGjmauMAbucFC1m47dXBbi2kmRtSKPya6ZwEQrs0QBHUTUaeW8_X5RU5IvM3CYpjHmlmWzULZ0h2gWmHgczF6FmeuaBS4gnSWqB3fsJ5cly1yRIoHryV_f3XD39LqespLel/s1564/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(72%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1564" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwry4ezkQLin-q5ok6pgyVf14GmmmzrKlsSFdzEfqWa-1r9KoOGOmLWEGjmauMAbucFC1m47dXBbi2kmRtSKPya6ZwEQrs0QBHUTUaeW8_X5RU5IvM3CYpjHmlmWzULZ0h2gWmHgczF6FmeuaBS4gnSWqB3fsJ5cly1yRIoHryV_f3XD39LqespLel/w640-h546/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(72%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkWHFVWVhXNgmka1LHDVqoI-MnPVxo7x1CobHxlUEdYtoAoBVJnYOfATtvoVXoy1y_iMX4nHt3xBCeBQu6hK-4vaU_NW7Ka5cm1nclMo7hxa0bnpPgbRVdlRV7yFnVRv_mwIk8gysO22TuzDBnUV2dnD8Znd7ZyfmsgC4zTTtkkDS4_BQi5CZKKlU/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(75%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkWHFVWVhXNgmka1LHDVqoI-MnPVxo7x1CobHxlUEdYtoAoBVJnYOfATtvoVXoy1y_iMX4nHt3xBCeBQu6hK-4vaU_NW7Ka5cm1nclMo7hxa0bnpPgbRVdlRV7yFnVRv_mwIk8gysO22TuzDBnUV2dnD8Znd7ZyfmsgC4zTTtkkDS4_BQi5CZKKlU/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(75%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVLRhQ3Zk97OV_dBtdpDCtWATQsnfethRPJnwZgmRkFIMdj3fLJVJdPm9I_ZVnQuDKY_re1eQmanb5OBF9SWoichD1tDBUP5ZWl0uyvoogtmTLExYH4zCdgq8uBPFTYU92GSWv3BeZLCsEqI5FqDFtslCoUB_ZB6y4eZDIG-1A3rApq8ORxL1X_lv/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(58%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVLRhQ3Zk97OV_dBtdpDCtWATQsnfethRPJnwZgmRkFIMdj3fLJVJdPm9I_ZVnQuDKY_re1eQmanb5OBF9SWoichD1tDBUP5ZWl0uyvoogtmTLExYH4zCdgq8uBPFTYU92GSWv3BeZLCsEqI5FqDFtslCoUB_ZB6y4eZDIG-1A3rApq8ORxL1X_lv/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(58%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This tree had not leafed out yet, and it had several cute, quirky "owls" on the branches. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WVt7rftVodlcmzjHp9jNJnapJc5z_id9wV3qo-m5KpKnFbqFcvXdyl9Cg-aTdaF5C0-QBJ0SOrHfIT0O4Wb12jzsd7Nj2dQs291Qtf7eJRXRxIHYus68_XajizZzxRHC2xwwcignLfI9KlyQNp6dHtger8T0jaJVWXwVRBgAv0QC4xfaHHPPJxJV/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(61%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WVt7rftVodlcmzjHp9jNJnapJc5z_id9wV3qo-m5KpKnFbqFcvXdyl9Cg-aTdaF5C0-QBJ0SOrHfIT0O4Wb12jzsd7Nj2dQs291Qtf7eJRXRxIHYus68_XajizZzxRHC2xwwcignLfI9KlyQNp6dHtger8T0jaJVWXwVRBgAv0QC4xfaHHPPJxJV/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(61%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">People do come up with the most creative ideas.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEbj0wKscHI_aL6CF7cUkDixaIP_hA3YSDxBUkPbqzvQS2jEqkZtR8yvBp8EIzYEV1HnSwLpSimLp_vCb3vQ9088Z7Ors00rEeeElQaQz1Li3sOIqrZVCnnIvajrIsZ1-AB5K0Kv7lkdYXpuXGWg-4tdsQV2YVXOn-DzLJFXY6v5TDkFQSTv3bFlL/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(63%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEbj0wKscHI_aL6CF7cUkDixaIP_hA3YSDxBUkPbqzvQS2jEqkZtR8yvBp8EIzYEV1HnSwLpSimLp_vCb3vQ9088Z7Ors00rEeeElQaQz1Li3sOIqrZVCnnIvajrIsZ1-AB5K0Kv7lkdYXpuXGWg-4tdsQV2YVXOn-DzLJFXY6v5TDkFQSTv3bFlL/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(63%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxJ79betNxLPFxzyTc3ycYD8DqgmhRVpDfboMLoqycqbExw_0cyKt9H9rcr0lwZ-uLx6587HtsafA5_ESSQjyybzrrq6n50rS4GsqQLDTqBvu8rfzDxvUVxf7kCsdc4oYjSZq-8sEEEA0BNvIbgC-fjGDkQny8CGQdVL56l9ZgjubrEqtxlFlX-wz/s1495/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(65%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1495" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxJ79betNxLPFxzyTc3ycYD8DqgmhRVpDfboMLoqycqbExw_0cyKt9H9rcr0lwZ-uLx6587HtsafA5_ESSQjyybzrrq6n50rS4GsqQLDTqBvu8rfzDxvUVxf7kCsdc4oYjSZq-8sEEEA0BNvIbgC-fjGDkQny8CGQdVL56l9ZgjubrEqtxlFlX-wz/w640-h408/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(65%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZteYBdybx2gVvIMJKxVGloGBueVE7GCqz6v0DBc3D7hi4DMtbpBHwzK4tjHqErBkbh3biZlH109lhTMPx1pTFPPs5t5lbO9WFubYREsBOkNuWT-3vEO8DvaI9uavtN-dI_urErs4vSYRFs4uM0tk4xsIWXBR2143z1LbAT6HjXGVal_-WG2fgG13A/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(78%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZteYBdybx2gVvIMJKxVGloGBueVE7GCqz6v0DBc3D7hi4DMtbpBHwzK4tjHqErBkbh3biZlH109lhTMPx1pTFPPs5t5lbO9WFubYREsBOkNuWT-3vEO8DvaI9uavtN-dI_urErs4vSYRFs4uM0tk4xsIWXBR2143z1LbAT6HjXGVal_-WG2fgG13A/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(78%20of%20182).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This was a very pretty topiary, seen through the branches of the crabapple tree.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-u3w0ctgzzifneY3nXIVD267Zs__6mJR7jJCuDtNc6PkyOQBSTFxOZXw-JarMCM-z48dX_bDnGS_eJ1crkkOTfzKpI38WFiOQ03q7op4f1ulkzDOgU9iJEgzY9U5p_GMv6uSsd4gquON5PoTw0JIvgnJbr39jXdvvteu5wO5Ud3YRqfQfOdJnKne/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(89%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-u3w0ctgzzifneY3nXIVD267Zs__6mJR7jJCuDtNc6PkyOQBSTFxOZXw-JarMCM-z48dX_bDnGS_eJ1crkkOTfzKpI38WFiOQ03q7op4f1ulkzDOgU9iJEgzY9U5p_GMv6uSsd4gquON5PoTw0JIvgnJbr39jXdvvteu5wO5Ud3YRqfQfOdJnKne/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(89%20of%20182).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Here's the front of the topiary; I just love the spiral shape and the heart on top.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrDIkQRZt2yZrfG3VC43W3DxoKTvcg2RRl8U6hXsQZTwL7EWRJcmg8l_FfI2xoPm2Z5mQkoYM9Sq-fGtbaemMJje_xXp5mUixaHm85cdXPRGZG23L5CgqxGNwUe6uKNF4r3o8175q6A8b-xS7RdFeWIBFj-KjhmOkEQz1-Ybs5zFWRqGmPN9A0vIZ/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(122%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="2000" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrDIkQRZt2yZrfG3VC43W3DxoKTvcg2RRl8U6hXsQZTwL7EWRJcmg8l_FfI2xoPm2Z5mQkoYM9Sq-fGtbaemMJje_xXp5mUixaHm85cdXPRGZG23L5CgqxGNwUe6uKNF4r3o8175q6A8b-xS7RdFeWIBFj-KjhmOkEQz1-Ybs5zFWRqGmPN9A0vIZ/w640-h306/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(122%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">These very small tulips were blooming below the topiary. I've never seen any like this before. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAtP0nb54beZOZ9Mmc8KNY6Tux4KkXU7Y2r9RWs-IH1JuDx3CDI8oCqICDp3BP6DhcudZW9RvIqZz6XnwIfG_psU6xe4irqGTNGcDi2YfYVRgnTOb4E6cMZLHKqWe1aoA6DNcnJB_Aq9qiDnnjJkI31g5QKY8R9d3o-kSFMfibi_-rn2zevSDhyQ-/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(99%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAtP0nb54beZOZ9Mmc8KNY6Tux4KkXU7Y2r9RWs-IH1JuDx3CDI8oCqICDp3BP6DhcudZW9RvIqZz6XnwIfG_psU6xe4irqGTNGcDi2YfYVRgnTOb4E6cMZLHKqWe1aoA6DNcnJB_Aq9qiDnnjJkI31g5QKY8R9d3o-kSFMfibi_-rn2zevSDhyQ-/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(99%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Also in bloom in the same area was this pretty redbud tree. These are blooming in yards, gardens, and along our highways at the moment. They are a perennial favorite in our region; we recently planted one in our front yard.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9WBpSiUJxNhLPLqpEkL2sZUosQZiSN3fL3Gwqgx8RwyaUBl6Yh8kiE1OGyebBPWIEzYIuROIOncBaTb8Q9gYnwlSE9F1-wb5Ooq4lXJ8QmSaM86hkHkaRmPmbpmZk-BLLEDJeZVIKuCzgzWaU4xDDAW6BykUD2QUe3qmRk-twLW3NDZQubPPRokE/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(102%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9WBpSiUJxNhLPLqpEkL2sZUosQZiSN3fL3Gwqgx8RwyaUBl6Yh8kiE1OGyebBPWIEzYIuROIOncBaTb8Q9gYnwlSE9F1-wb5Ooq4lXJ8QmSaM86hkHkaRmPmbpmZk-BLLEDJeZVIKuCzgzWaU4xDDAW6BykUD2QUe3qmRk-twLW3NDZQubPPRokE/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(102%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMU_NgKK3Dc-pUh4mowIipahXzrwgIzwqN1S3LqZf_Iq_sEivzqKjPOAkIKDdtXL4UBhBnIJNVVhmuwVGPlCRes84IspPMS6mOqxJpCWYpaBDN0FyTDWjEq8WsUu68E-mbEKUWmTLGz52LRKbQcc8CGmiabHIlU7jPxCalk-Lfwgzt0ZSyhmWGhv9l/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(103%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMU_NgKK3Dc-pUh4mowIipahXzrwgIzwqN1S3LqZf_Iq_sEivzqKjPOAkIKDdtXL4UBhBnIJNVVhmuwVGPlCRes84IspPMS6mOqxJpCWYpaBDN0FyTDWjEq8WsUu68E-mbEKUWmTLGz52LRKbQcc8CGmiabHIlU7jPxCalk-Lfwgzt0ZSyhmWGhv9l/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(103%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CC8vTol4YRK5nJWtLvn7WFmBGb-BnGb97zeGDbCmvPYf09cywkszESaNCwROAwR_VIOIBBVdi9dpho3My7HTlEoIqbz-yiNQG54xfj05m8dvjCOPnVYwCCojOfRoXIyVlg5GnVCXSURpX6d7VVxVYbkRwl-D_KxAJIzWdV8qN-7KOqeqPZwPnlxr/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(109%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CC8vTol4YRK5nJWtLvn7WFmBGb-BnGb97zeGDbCmvPYf09cywkszESaNCwROAwR_VIOIBBVdi9dpho3My7HTlEoIqbz-yiNQG54xfj05m8dvjCOPnVYwCCojOfRoXIyVlg5GnVCXSURpX6d7VVxVYbkRwl-D_KxAJIzWdV8qN-7KOqeqPZwPnlxr/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(109%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDiz5-n5s7UCBJUD9dWdZQhULNl2hpq6m0aMHaKCyketAKu7IQuWmBRyBXuQyUIV2RilXFNT61M2osUe_HTDuhD7WElLIYbQyKN1I2E9kW1RBlI0dFb9aLW9pNOnNN_dEec4RuvhKzSRlvSzhfH64yTYAVbZikRYcA1ytMKOjeHitdkrEKpdYlCiEr/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(114%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDiz5-n5s7UCBJUD9dWdZQhULNl2hpq6m0aMHaKCyketAKu7IQuWmBRyBXuQyUIV2RilXFNT61M2osUe_HTDuhD7WElLIYbQyKN1I2E9kW1RBlI0dFb9aLW9pNOnNN_dEec4RuvhKzSRlvSzhfH64yTYAVbZikRYcA1ytMKOjeHitdkrEKpdYlCiEr/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(114%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">A beautiful mound of creeping phlox grows next to a small rock garden.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibocuIEuhsJdWlUcOjxFIJsFyUZOoifJRycD0yIWUr-2OqUt5OLeC4AZ-DiMeW7K39filJWT2iH77-dgfwNK7dgDtV8Sm8R0okgBmXAgJgWJ6-PXa96u9sociGia4s0_AZFSGxnw8tvcn-b_lfYzfUA6Lt_eqLkUYCT05w-M3EudAEKVYqzrPoxRmK/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(118%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibocuIEuhsJdWlUcOjxFIJsFyUZOoifJRycD0yIWUr-2OqUt5OLeC4AZ-DiMeW7K39filJWT2iH77-dgfwNK7dgDtV8Sm8R0okgBmXAgJgWJ6-PXa96u9sociGia4s0_AZFSGxnw8tvcn-b_lfYzfUA6Lt_eqLkUYCT05w-M3EudAEKVYqzrPoxRmK/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(118%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXSviCQbA7frM9aDauGaWnwP-m5KZuamPBBsj_KoiwtrvHPXjOsiVO2uGqYaxYrdAb8IBLeFnD66W2cVUQmd9v-YyvLGzNyf--Jbe0d2zp-APclo-xW2PI7J4yp0227Q1Ukq9nEjZ6SSmaI5CS0X-rjlmx25LOZX92px7JP-r3a9QA-WpX4H1JxrB/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(80%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXSviCQbA7frM9aDauGaWnwP-m5KZuamPBBsj_KoiwtrvHPXjOsiVO2uGqYaxYrdAb8IBLeFnD66W2cVUQmd9v-YyvLGzNyf--Jbe0d2zp-APclo-xW2PI7J4yp0227Q1Ukq9nEjZ6SSmaI5CS0X-rjlmx25LOZX92px7JP-r3a9QA-WpX4H1JxrB/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(80%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This is a pretty allée leading to the information center. The building contains a garden gift shop, a kitchen, and spacious ballroom, which serve as a venue for corporate luncheons, receptions, and wedding rehearsals. It was closed on Sunday, so we didn't go inside.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzq9KacwnpdSw0R-srRsRkVnl8QwXd_j02EAm4zaZNrDAovTHCGy296PtIL5EHIIICPDHBLFrCEprgFi69JVhzRCbW33O-fLbokOJxuVKHimPTqYJTthn-wIHzEubzOhe9bgYixEO9W7bMDQoHPSe5Vn3K_WFuIRX-LF5I7GzSzOWK0S31nycgeWht/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(83%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzq9KacwnpdSw0R-srRsRkVnl8QwXd_j02EAm4zaZNrDAovTHCGy296PtIL5EHIIICPDHBLFrCEprgFi69JVhzRCbW33O-fLbokOJxuVKHimPTqYJTthn-wIHzEubzOhe9bgYixEO9W7bMDQoHPSe5Vn3K_WFuIRX-LF5I7GzSzOWK0S31nycgeWht/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(83%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">You can see a church steeple in the background of this picture. The methodist church is right across the street, and the bells were ringing while we were walking around the gardens.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYSSXZLlNLl-l_EHke4TUCmK1LW2xhwJzMwxxChYZo3uNqx3i0z6FlKeFkYcgxEhaKh9QDGlAxjRYbnvbLuZrcp1Mi2487eVf0DEM6wbDEm-QNYJZAPAJXIkgdm-Mogg8giNmEFTQX41_OExnHhqqRKGo8NxMefw3tYDbxAiWigiXMaJZTtGZHr_S/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(124%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYSSXZLlNLl-l_EHke4TUCmK1LW2xhwJzMwxxChYZo3uNqx3i0z6FlKeFkYcgxEhaKh9QDGlAxjRYbnvbLuZrcp1Mi2487eVf0DEM6wbDEm-QNYJZAPAJXIkgdm-Mogg8giNmEFTQX41_OExnHhqqRKGo8NxMefw3tYDbxAiWigiXMaJZTtGZHr_S/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(124%20of%20182).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I don't know what kind of tree (or shrub) this is, but it was pretty.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ufnm-5WJNmmmap3IYsQxMFvxDzwsiQVUbp4KIDxaZS3g4dqvnJyfmj0FibrCugVVSOaKjOycSgbkExX7GLPTUEnUywmLFuC1QlfxPL179K4K3saX_7lS1zCyAwSMVCoCHTeuiEpqN_Flo0p0ad3eMG5e5qV2xg72fXwisOKDThGKPX7XyCnHRy2X/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(129%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ufnm-5WJNmmmap3IYsQxMFvxDzwsiQVUbp4KIDxaZS3g4dqvnJyfmj0FibrCugVVSOaKjOycSgbkExX7GLPTUEnUywmLFuC1QlfxPL179K4K3saX_7lS1zCyAwSMVCoCHTeuiEpqN_Flo0p0ad3eMG5e5qV2xg72fXwisOKDThGKPX7XyCnHRy2X/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(129%20of%20182).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I assume this is a hydrangea bush.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WNInGPnYpXL1c1coZXSv_YZnXMoU3VSPgQRzQNAI-7OG-1gAU0vAJLlDxnd5JQ22g5EYy_JrKPcy9cPFd1ZQSw_5A4mxNWchV63at_CH7Uw09jC9dk1PpxkL8m5wiw1qhDcRn738jQv7eNUktkbdnqC2B6aQh9pQoNM6sxwFRQtc-iRW10EGyyHb/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(136%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WNInGPnYpXL1c1coZXSv_YZnXMoU3VSPgQRzQNAI-7OG-1gAU0vAJLlDxnd5JQ22g5EYy_JrKPcy9cPFd1ZQSw_5A4mxNWchV63at_CH7Uw09jC9dk1PpxkL8m5wiw1qhDcRn738jQv7eNUktkbdnqC2B6aQh9pQoNM6sxwFRQtc-iRW10EGyyHb/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(136%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mRriao70YzO1kjJP0b-lL32dZkGeH5Y-EaAnMEkt5DC8uzpSKKhp_S1wBGeBE4F_JqBMu02-JseWExz51Tsmt2g7o891fv0PAwV8n0Q7GsePt8zpOTxkd1f-rEUk0VCkSFzI4xnTxnwg_oOWPttpAaxo9EOTX9LK2YvPHdG1bs3jHuPISnPzWy1j/s1490/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(155%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1490" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mRriao70YzO1kjJP0b-lL32dZkGeH5Y-EaAnMEkt5DC8uzpSKKhp_S1wBGeBE4F_JqBMu02-JseWExz51Tsmt2g7o891fv0PAwV8n0Q7GsePt8zpOTxkd1f-rEUk0VCkSFzI4xnTxnwg_oOWPttpAaxo9EOTX9LK2YvPHdG1bs3jHuPISnPzWy1j/w640-h572/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(155%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The dogwood tree was also in bloom. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM43gGbqcqWaUHpCVDueXzsy1w8O9w6kBXlcalgu06IrCpz0msQ1OIlBG7lIKuKy4vhr3zqRPl4UQfTVhiT6fGpfJq0lrAOMbJr7RGwXRVjhqQ02nqQTkkdR5RcG75yiVXhzgf8AcLc4ufT5gR1Svc6-S3tMV5oICC6CIPQWbd3MuquRPoAxoT_vKj/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(178%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM43gGbqcqWaUHpCVDueXzsy1w8O9w6kBXlcalgu06IrCpz0msQ1OIlBG7lIKuKy4vhr3zqRPl4UQfTVhiT6fGpfJq0lrAOMbJr7RGwXRVjhqQ02nqQTkkdR5RcG75yiVXhzgf8AcLc4ufT5gR1Svc6-S3tMV5oICC6CIPQWbd3MuquRPoAxoT_vKj/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(178%20of%20182).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">There were two, nice water features.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuTQOrpr1ofqpzxNj7XBx6_P4tRzs63nw0wuSTqK5dC1u5L6eeU8bp4kKchtTyJNPZ7P2W0djPZ9JpHwTCcrr4cTR7wZ9PqLKEB5Lo_gpGx1_gnnj1St4_Qo-E3DsKnES8WkMhvE67HUyBtqQjYdul4PN0qk-bNbZdocRhHl0vnhVL014szAAc_xf/s2000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(179%20of%20182).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuTQOrpr1ofqpzxNj7XBx6_P4tRzs63nw0wuSTqK5dC1u5L6eeU8bp4kKchtTyJNPZ7P2W0djPZ9JpHwTCcrr4cTR7wZ9PqLKEB5Lo_gpGx1_gnnj1St4_Qo-E3DsKnES8WkMhvE67HUyBtqQjYdul4PN0qk-bNbZdocRhHl0vnhVL014szAAc_xf/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(179%20of%20182).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">If you're in the area and you're interested in visiting the gardens, here is a link for the <a href="https://www.cienerbotanicalgarden.org/">website</a>. The gardens are open daily from dawn to dusk; admission is free, but donations are welcome. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Thanks so much for visiting today. I've decided I'd like to visit all the public gardens in North Carolina someday. So far, we've seen Biltmore Gardens, Reynolda Gardens, and Paul Ciener Botanical Gardens. I've got a way to go before I see them all. 😁 Some of the others on my list are Duke University Gardens, Flowering Bridge at Lake Lure, and the Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo at the Outer Banks. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Do you have a favorite public garden near you? I'd love to hear which ones you like to visit or hope to visit. As always, I appreciate your visit so much and hope you found something to interest you here today. Have a great weekend!! </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-65214153099818062042023-03-20T20:18:00.267-04:002023-03-21T11:47:25.022-04:00Hello Spring and a Recipe<center>Our first few days of spring have been cold ones -- 26° F yesterday morning and only in the 40's throughout the day. Brrrr! Things are looking green and flowers are blooming, but it's still cold. However, if our weather forecast is to be believed, the temps. will reach 80° on Friday. <i>Seriously?!</i> Yesterday, while talking with my mom, I reminded her it was the first day of spring, and "Friday is the first day of summer," I said. 😁 Welcome to North Carolina. </center><center><br /></center><center>Did you have a fun St. Patrick's Day? We ate at Hal's parents' house on Friday evening; we had corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots, rye bread, and an Irish apple cake I made for dessert. Have you seen this recipe? It's all over the internet, and I finally decided to try it. I'm sharing the recipe with you, and if you like apples, it would be good any time of the year, not just for St. Patrick's Day.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfO_2V2GeAFo7ZVuaCT0-nVrrjZpNAP1ixwpUt9wteiNlUEgAyDNbxqIKyXzLA-wpJHVCTC-KMlVzahZLzEoLhisTrcvfCm07YfatVtdphdYLBF3B_fQ2Rc57Ovl05E1-QxhhsTka7vztPsbfXW_cGOn3bAZiwa7vUH8IvbOpghoVR6MfA6cDvHXh/s1000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(35%20of%2069).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfO_2V2GeAFo7ZVuaCT0-nVrrjZpNAP1ixwpUt9wteiNlUEgAyDNbxqIKyXzLA-wpJHVCTC-KMlVzahZLzEoLhisTrcvfCm07YfatVtdphdYLBF3B_fQ2Rc57Ovl05E1-QxhhsTka7vztPsbfXW_cGOn3bAZiwa7vUH8IvbOpghoVR6MfA6cDvHXh/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(35%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArXVdyfuvg6nKLyrAz12-XlrWPDuzapbuEvUZOwGcHoPkKklubMxeDirC1FLrR0DNZM7dnCl4ClajHR4lJnTHATaT9hHQmhdVpv7kh5qb5WYWWGp3cTneoYoe_-x_b5ZgUeUCTfROpUzp1dFDcocgrUX7M9CeBnDN-uctsHzGyaE-BgxFOLRm2Amz/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(2%20of%2069).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArXVdyfuvg6nKLyrAz12-XlrWPDuzapbuEvUZOwGcHoPkKklubMxeDirC1FLrR0DNZM7dnCl4ClajHR4lJnTHATaT9hHQmhdVpv7kh5qb5WYWWGp3cTneoYoe_-x_b5ZgUeUCTfROpUzp1dFDcocgrUX7M9CeBnDN-uctsHzGyaE-BgxFOLRm2Amz/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(2%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span></span><div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">See this pile of apples? I thought this would be plenty, but they shrunk way down while baking, and next time, I'll add another apple. Hopefully, I can fit them in the pan. The cake batter is underneath the apples. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzj2eVSzhWLyqZc5fuaaWHuaNqCLLUfRumJnfco7kObELIUc7EJ8I5xt42nnZk0PAgcxwDJL-cNJZu7xbzhmUiN2d0RLd4EyAC2TAKO7JgpsmPSkoEncbxgUukjpGoBafFZYrZCddQA7Nedm9vsFp1EPKNgXccuUYvGqqZpfTZRwZDHct7RUjN8I18/s1000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(4%20of%2069).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzj2eVSzhWLyqZc5fuaaWHuaNqCLLUfRumJnfco7kObELIUc7EJ8I5xt42nnZk0PAgcxwDJL-cNJZu7xbzhmUiN2d0RLd4EyAC2TAKO7JgpsmPSkoEncbxgUukjpGoBafFZYrZCddQA7Nedm9vsFp1EPKNgXccuUYvGqqZpfTZRwZDHct7RUjN8I18/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(4%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here it is after I added the streusel topping,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkiXMujyWVPxye3Gg2jRl052XeZlWvYtvue2FONKiO4E5zvJiGczTz8LES3FXaG-DLTyGIKYxsr025itw7XWxBL43BsyuPesgTe1pNe30w35fzhK-CXLj8qt3pytlsA-SbzIfNXXrt3AT9fVcq6zdFUlZ2_Ip26zFG0lrWiFa1vM0TI-9nt5lUBX2/s1000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(7%20of%2069).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirkiXMujyWVPxye3Gg2jRl052XeZlWvYtvue2FONKiO4E5zvJiGczTz8LES3FXaG-DLTyGIKYxsr025itw7XWxBL43BsyuPesgTe1pNe30w35fzhK-CXLj8qt3pytlsA-SbzIfNXXrt3AT9fVcq6zdFUlZ2_Ip26zFG0lrWiFa1vM0TI-9nt5lUBX2/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(7%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and after baking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUUjnTwd_Negx1_RJPzCUSDnJM3s1PSZiwk5WrTUlDL04tOZWU5iB3oIcNP47ho_bP0g3edzPdfLgBDpn90oyhSdF8BAZDC4c7B3-KYPLt19FZQSE1xUj7ej6qnS3h6oYLt7VvoBI2Jcv3SaRMlPGzwTGCa4TtzaDV5E7j1Sfas1ywo2pvp2r0cN9i/s1000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(45%20of%2069).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="1000" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUUjnTwd_Negx1_RJPzCUSDnJM3s1PSZiwk5WrTUlDL04tOZWU5iB3oIcNP47ho_bP0g3edzPdfLgBDpn90oyhSdF8BAZDC4c7B3-KYPLt19FZQSE1xUj7ej6qnS3h6oYLt7VvoBI2Jcv3SaRMlPGzwTGCa4TtzaDV5E7j1Sfas1ywo2pvp2r0cN9i/w640-h370/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(45%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yesterday, I decided to have apple cake for afternoon tea. 😊 </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqWmD6Nt74DzswDkBko1IWYhilCC1BSlcfFF4ocB9a7MXvoPqhxJca9T98ufuypMDIu3PnOvAyK87k0dcw-FoAddrgoGrPIhVHJ3ccO7qSC17fubeN4lX90EIgYUhpb6tCt8Ssvb9cNpinkM3TCXBfVz9ghQCHbsCHNMHK5Rv1nEVUwRe_WHHc01w/s1000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(61%20of%2069).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqWmD6Nt74DzswDkBko1IWYhilCC1BSlcfFF4ocB9a7MXvoPqhxJca9T98ufuypMDIu3PnOvAyK87k0dcw-FoAddrgoGrPIhVHJ3ccO7qSC17fubeN4lX90EIgYUhpb6tCt8Ssvb9cNpinkM3TCXBfVz9ghQCHbsCHNMHK5Rv1nEVUwRe_WHHc01w/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(61%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My mom gave me this sweet teapot for Christmas 2021; she came upon it while browsing in an antique mall near her home. I thought it looked just right with the mismatched shamrock cups and saucers. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBbsowK_UQ7gJqqnJkjQvflWMVPSJ3ai6A9s1wlGvBFb-zUybayfkpqFQ5Eq7QAgqBiMRbXm9-ELRcfyU3_g1qGQ2pOvqetvgKc6YgmIVSU34gldun3d0o2knYtYewL0so_G86mSFtWVZeHc15HbnQBjnmLC9cta2mv-f6LBdqhNQe4NjT2e_80Ep/s1000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(22%20of%2069).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBbsowK_UQ7gJqqnJkjQvflWMVPSJ3ai6A9s1wlGvBFb-zUybayfkpqFQ5Eq7QAgqBiMRbXm9-ELRcfyU3_g1qGQ2pOvqetvgKc6YgmIVSU34gldun3d0o2knYtYewL0so_G86mSFtWVZeHc15HbnQBjnmLC9cta2mv-f6LBdqhNQe4NjT2e_80Ep/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(22%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZykY8joRsQ_9lDwni2KCYP7dm5_HuU7SAex07s3P7ZR4I902kAztk5W_MQC_fOgTezGNNql3K8VuROjo9OqHF8wO1ll2xBFDhBcWXsOkWGm1Jp0MOkRKOjkCuCEggQWaEYY7yNS-dUVTtScPT9jt1O-VkjXfO39giU2sUVBz1rLvMXzU2vQ-M9EvC/s1000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(17%20of%2069).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZykY8joRsQ_9lDwni2KCYP7dm5_HuU7SAex07s3P7ZR4I902kAztk5W_MQC_fOgTezGNNql3K8VuROjo9OqHF8wO1ll2xBFDhBcWXsOkWGm1Jp0MOkRKOjkCuCEggQWaEYY7yNS-dUVTtScPT9jt1O-VkjXfO39giU2sUVBz1rLvMXzU2vQ-M9EvC/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(17%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For those of you (like me) who love china, the teacups are Belleek Shamrock,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVmZwCKnSQrFOtMxORuodMJko8giBVItIEA5QMplzIapBENEG_IslEPT70_vTbCwe-dEGUx3VC4GM8z5YE-L3RNRy4Bjo43_wyZRGQj3JpQWPHSiDDhaYFN30Aw4sOhGb2qW_QuebevwOsnLeLbKMG8Y9wrbmJkXq8lyefrpw5QConWqBTHZhkjYB/s1000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(28%20of%2069).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVmZwCKnSQrFOtMxORuodMJko8giBVItIEA5QMplzIapBENEG_IslEPT70_vTbCwe-dEGUx3VC4GM8z5YE-L3RNRy4Bjo43_wyZRGQj3JpQWPHSiDDhaYFN30Aw4sOhGb2qW_QuebevwOsnLeLbKMG8Y9wrbmJkXq8lyefrpw5QConWqBTHZhkjYB/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(28%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fG7u47GWLPKZB1uwB12PUEcOCom0hdZTSOW7wgkuOoXUnKxdkZXUmR9RVVwL9arG1i7MKvDw2LTwIw0mjEFd4kUhzse71nsc6Zu3mrXgwZX9EEKsvUtnGi7lPqkeUPSGky9EdsDVUlUWk7iA7g5v1zEmN1HBZH26TG03xQJRVoiekCi64exRTu3r/s1000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(19%20of%2069).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fG7u47GWLPKZB1uwB12PUEcOCom0hdZTSOW7wgkuOoXUnKxdkZXUmR9RVVwL9arG1i7MKvDw2LTwIw0mjEFd4kUhzse71nsc6Zu3mrXgwZX9EEKsvUtnGi7lPqkeUPSGky9EdsDVUlUWk7iA7g5v1zEmN1HBZH26TG03xQJRVoiekCi64exRTu3r/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(19%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and Aynsley Shamrock.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvR0Uskb9HHBkiEYInEs8-RUTl9WkpxmJfJGGEgavMQLvG8baG6CmPAluBe8VR6rGkNBmGLeStehQqgTzZZ4Ye-nrkVgPLTN4vqTOxVeIxKE5NyB5khZ2AMabD204ysVIE9dmovrYmEyLIB-Vx9wU02S9enl8g7gElGq-PoNk-vkRcmj2K8vpplC6/s1000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(51%20of%2069).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvR0Uskb9HHBkiEYInEs8-RUTl9WkpxmJfJGGEgavMQLvG8baG6CmPAluBe8VR6rGkNBmGLeStehQqgTzZZ4Ye-nrkVgPLTN4vqTOxVeIxKE5NyB5khZ2AMabD204ysVIE9dmovrYmEyLIB-Vx9wU02S9enl8g7gElGq-PoNk-vkRcmj2K8vpplC6/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(51%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_0Hi3Pjvi4TsG-3kQzKbR0G55ao01N7PX81gAJJX70pebGaVEcIRLURwNaqJgbN9c9V-KmSYmF1b0cZoA1PiKzzmJMpP1sw1rE91trNET1rKiUHmlXGBi5rO0a7W5naDz9ybJzQFm2d3S-pWllcXreb89mhGO1BuX-7nBPr8Ovj3Q9sULRm9bY6U/s1000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(60%20of%2069).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_0Hi3Pjvi4TsG-3kQzKbR0G55ao01N7PX81gAJJX70pebGaVEcIRLURwNaqJgbN9c9V-KmSYmF1b0cZoA1PiKzzmJMpP1sw1rE91trNET1rKiUHmlXGBi5rO0a7W5naDz9ybJzQFm2d3S-pWllcXreb89mhGO1BuX-7nBPr8Ovj3Q9sULRm9bY6U/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(60%20of%2069).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I had thought to use the apple cake recipe in this Irish Pub cookbook, which I bought at Barnes & Noble several years ago. In the end, I used <a href="https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-apple-cake/?">this recipe</a> from Gemma Stafford at <i>Bigger Bolder Baking. </i>I made a few changes; I used 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon instead of a whole teaspoon. I only used two Granny Smith apples instead of three, and that was a mistake; next time I will use three apples. They shrunk a lot in the baking process, and the cake just didn't have enough apples. Also, I used KerryGold Irish butter, which we thought was quite good. We found it at our local Costco, so it's pretty easy to find in the U.S. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxsosDew1mgP3jPcfQS1tiqhElG0iJX2vDw6qRNyDdUMB98fbjkzk0IbTBw_asRmvzVIaIAQxAqKqcd5fYRDNdFMsTLP-9euflSA49FW01F7jjDT8H_MUdM6QBFiKThSf1ekNGq02_GWSlEYlqQgG09XW92NNoAuwJ4RpQHEm8_NSOvjZ-NdNOUcY/s1000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(58%20of%2069).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxsosDew1mgP3jPcfQS1tiqhElG0iJX2vDw6qRNyDdUMB98fbjkzk0IbTBw_asRmvzVIaIAQxAqKqcd5fYRDNdFMsTLP-9euflSA49FW01F7jjDT8H_MUdM6QBFiKThSf1ekNGq02_GWSlEYlqQgG09XW92NNoAuwJ4RpQHEm8_NSOvjZ-NdNOUcY/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(58%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYrA2MVajxTt6eij8X-ncSd66Dh8YRQ4awCv5iQfGmF-5y7mQcjV4ELqgvqgpDZ7ZDMKzar8fdoaUqTzHIxunXI-PmgCy2YqoA5hiyBPxNK0LMgyvKDRwysUY6vKA09uti-377Bsc132J6k3etfPMNj9AHOGEVKmJGSF26F9laEMKOED8z3wVgXJ3/s1000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(69%20of%2069).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYrA2MVajxTt6eij8X-ncSd66Dh8YRQ4awCv5iQfGmF-5y7mQcjV4ELqgvqgpDZ7ZDMKzar8fdoaUqTzHIxunXI-PmgCy2YqoA5hiyBPxNK0LMgyvKDRwysUY6vKA09uti-377Bsc132J6k3etfPMNj9AHOGEVKmJGSF26F9laEMKOED8z3wVgXJ3/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Irish%20Apple%20Cake%20(69%20of%2069).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This cook's verdict on the Irish Apple Cake is that it needed more apples, and that was my fault for not following the recipe. We thought everything else about it was quite good. It tastes the best warmed in the microwave and topped with vanilla ice cream. Yum! Most of the recipes I saw recommended serving this cake with Creme Anglaise. I love Creme Anglaise, but I've never tried to make it. Since the recipe calls for six egg yolks, and considering the price of eggs right now, I decided to use ice cream instead. 😏 Also, most of the recipes recommend using a springform pan, but I used a regular, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">nine-inch cake pan. I sprayed with cooking spray, lined with parchment paper, and the cake was a breeze to get out of the pan. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have you ever made an Irish apple cake? Let me know if you try this; I'd love to hear what you think of it. Thank you for stopping by here today. I think I've only put up a post once a month since before Christmas, yet folks are still visiting. Your interest and support mean a lot to me -- thank you<span> so very much!! Have a great day! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span>All the best,</span></div><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div></div></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-54438232686196880292023-02-14T21:38:00.000-05:002023-02-14T21:38:37.352-05:00The Shortest Month<center>Hello Friends!! Happy Valentine's Day to you all; I hope you've had a good day. I like what my friend Lorrie, at <i><a href="https://fabricpaperthread.blogspot.com/2023/02/14-lovely-and-loving-moments.html">Fabric Paper Thread,</a> </i>says in her post today -- that she is of the firm belief love should be celebrated every day. What a great sentiment.</center><center> </center><center>I try to say, "I love you" to the people I love as often as possible. Our family is pretty good about that, on the whole. I don't treat Valentine's Day as a day exclusively about romantic love, but it's still nice to celebrate romance now and then.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCtE0jG_OgfNuFNl_ZBGi8YHWR7TIU5owHyuvukIw-zd0_yDaYQ3qtYqOpagiTAf0SDnM-kOSOidkxAfs8GgWEzAkybMvgWAnWpfaIAwg3FNQfa_DfTFWJ1Jh4CmtoZqjIJ5gqgd4U3qPO7jyHbA9weg4n0vNStC14fV9ArYJsKui2MRZBBBvZl1o/s6000/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2020%20Valentine's%20Tablescape-14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCtE0jG_OgfNuFNl_ZBGi8YHWR7TIU5owHyuvukIw-zd0_yDaYQ3qtYqOpagiTAf0SDnM-kOSOidkxAfs8GgWEzAkybMvgWAnWpfaIAwg3FNQfa_DfTFWJ1Jh4CmtoZqjIJ5gqgd4U3qPO7jyHbA9weg4n0vNStC14fV9ArYJsKui2MRZBBBvZl1o/w640-h426/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2020%20Valentine's%20Tablescape-14.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><center><b><a href="https://houseatforestmanor.blogspot.com/2020/02/love-is-in-air.html">Valentine's Tablescape 2020</a></b></center><center><b> </b></center><center><b><span><a name='more'></a></span> </b></center><center>How has your month been so far? Ours has not felt much like winter, and signs of spring are popping out here and there. We had a few really cold days in January (and a whole lot of rain) but no snow. Our Christmas was <i>very </i>cold, but our cold days have been few and far between. I still put out the winter decor around the house, though -- that way I can pretend that it's really winter. 😉 I do like to have a bit of all four seasons, if possible.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1AzL7GCs_PatcfYaRMdGZ2VrLnZ8TDNZC3_WzjXSk1QSjC1ssPmDNXNcr-9iIonLh7B9Yh4rOV9oJ1Z9qtRgPHXp8OMKxguVX7hOaCY0n2ixuriwW_EPTZG46eMn42ZvJFyqZ9JsXeOJiQZDl3C2AMvZ5LjPYXiI6gECIFQB_Uko8iDa0XRVFYMM/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Den%20Bookshelves%20(8%20of%209).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1AzL7GCs_PatcfYaRMdGZ2VrLnZ8TDNZC3_WzjXSk1QSjC1ssPmDNXNcr-9iIonLh7B9Yh4rOV9oJ1Z9qtRgPHXp8OMKxguVX7hOaCY0n2ixuriwW_EPTZG46eMn42ZvJFyqZ9JsXeOJiQZDl3C2AMvZ5LjPYXiI6gECIFQB_Uko8iDa0XRVFYMM/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Den%20Bookshelves%20(8%20of%209).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRGjDBa-YPNbUYGmf-Vg7Ohvt1fv8uet7OlzQMGoLSnenOEOX-RQ6ObHBgVLLV8knWnqc4BgNoUkuilTx3sCIfFAqEvxD1oYJ8Y7tttzDQHGW90Ap4j6be0E-xQ6RED0Vu_UZwCe1kECnUF_YwwVnKJ89oFte8rT9JgJUAOHcMEdE-36uSG9dD6G_/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Den%20Bookshelves%20(2%20of%209).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRGjDBa-YPNbUYGmf-Vg7Ohvt1fv8uet7OlzQMGoLSnenOEOX-RQ6ObHBgVLLV8knWnqc4BgNoUkuilTx3sCIfFAqEvxD1oYJ8Y7tttzDQHGW90Ap4j6be0E-xQ6RED0Vu_UZwCe1kECnUF_YwwVnKJ89oFte8rT9JgJUAOHcMEdE-36uSG9dD6G_/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Den%20Bookshelves%20(2%20of%209).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>I've enjoyed having this little painting in the den since I put the Christmas things away. The house in the picture is <i>Highland,</i> the former home of President James Monroe. The house is located very near <i>Monticello,</i> and we visited both homes on our trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. We bought two small pictures of Highland -- one depicting the house in winter and the other in summer. </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SS_XULWaJjocOrPMqJB6DEVaIrPF1M2yNojDTsQmTayuCaj1HGDZaFMcEr80srLs_tgnKx5yB6VOgWge_AT6fJNihL7wTYmnrZgHp27GqRWJQ16dTQOZm0iEGhVaAF4vDVUCAbGLeYJa7hcFdkmX5PsVVs55uSc-UeH2fz1R5Rqv7N3qvmsZwIwp/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Feb.%20Reynolda%20Gardens%20(3%20of%2027).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SS_XULWaJjocOrPMqJB6DEVaIrPF1M2yNojDTsQmTayuCaj1HGDZaFMcEr80srLs_tgnKx5yB6VOgWge_AT6fJNihL7wTYmnrZgHp27GqRWJQ16dTQOZm0iEGhVaAF4vDVUCAbGLeYJa7hcFdkmX5PsVVs55uSc-UeH2fz1R5Rqv7N3qvmsZwIwp/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Feb.%20Reynolda%20Gardens%20(3%20of%2027).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>Back to the subject of spring popping up everywhere, Hal and I went to Reynolda Gardens for a short visit last Friday. These crocuses were just darling. 😊 </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSlINUnpzlVDAIXh9KYacxEzPCi6hIol9XxE8UCJnV8cNbYy-DvSAYodvhZODQI4TJsczA32XdWnDT2RCvGtOF7GtJBavfypONWQRaJM3XO_625PDsErmBc2XrygABA3T4abt11gTyUJbZVXGlj6_gZcSOfK-KTDSdfsgRwGNBPnev1we9RumvSAKt/s5847/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Feb.%20Reynolda%20Gardens%20(5%20of%2027).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="5847" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSlINUnpzlVDAIXh9KYacxEzPCi6hIol9XxE8UCJnV8cNbYy-DvSAYodvhZODQI4TJsczA32XdWnDT2RCvGtOF7GtJBavfypONWQRaJM3XO_625PDsErmBc2XrygABA3T4abt11gTyUJbZVXGlj6_gZcSOfK-KTDSdfsgRwGNBPnev1we9RumvSAKt/w640-h438/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Feb.%20Reynolda%20Gardens%20(5%20of%2027).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>We saw a few of these shrubs/trees in the gardens, and I have no idea what they are. They're really unusual looking, don't you think? <span style="text-align: left;">After a bit of walking around, I found the snowdrops, and they were such a treat to see!</span></center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLruLwmixbVplBRPgDGaIh2PLstlYorppSGykyO_cVuFDrQSYrD5mgVMc3aDzRQpG9SvY5mLDwYhrhafhsiDJcMLVEqqH_FNMRAiyTrP7rIsnmKjWg60CHeAottwLGoB5Hk4vsDpXo_lTB0of7xA7NGeMkNrxVocE7DNg324gW3ZWF01LXzwU2qxX/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Feb.%20Reynolda%20Gardens%20(19%20of%2027).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLruLwmixbVplBRPgDGaIh2PLstlYorppSGykyO_cVuFDrQSYrD5mgVMc3aDzRQpG9SvY5mLDwYhrhafhsiDJcMLVEqqH_FNMRAiyTrP7rIsnmKjWg60CHeAottwLGoB5Hk4vsDpXo_lTB0of7xA7NGeMkNrxVocE7DNg324gW3ZWF01LXzwU2qxX/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Feb.%20Reynolda%20Gardens%20(19%20of%2027).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div></div><div style="text-align: center;">These are just the sweetest little flowers. 😊</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXmQovAKXp5uGzExlF5ZV4TxRQNrPwwg7dVjzprEdw5_zacDCI15m1CMYsBDVsDh_Zbf2fqkCzDDanIA6d00OSCoO9r4u0XkqF5dOjOpw0vbtFuxTiFqNrQ1tfk-_vqG3GGp50rZ7sxUoSVj8GaeAiurZPUHm11TZZ34YZQab2lvlgVhWR_sM7BGU/s3148/Denise-Pictures-2024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2963" data-original-width="3148" height="602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXmQovAKXp5uGzExlF5ZV4TxRQNrPwwg7dVjzprEdw5_zacDCI15m1CMYsBDVsDh_Zbf2fqkCzDDanIA6d00OSCoO9r4u0XkqF5dOjOpw0vbtFuxTiFqNrQ1tfk-_vqG3GGp50rZ7sxUoSVj8GaeAiurZPUHm11TZZ34YZQab2lvlgVhWR_sM7BGU/w640-h602/Denise-Pictures-2024.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center>The next five pictures were taken by Hal; he always captures the <i>best </i>macro shots.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgr7iCe9hg8WprEaLSzBSyIWM4q8GsjYtznRT37lp4JH-vJuVt9d7S-QKknO77CVBtgCRW2HdFuJvkCuFVN7hVHcXNUq9-I8X_v1BBk3k6e-m87nmqaL56dMumHO_Wc7W4vrMwIoby8l4s7xJLTbRKex6DocJV5g6iRR4EpdPE1W2ufcG6Esrchj4/s5472/IMG_7846.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgr7iCe9hg8WprEaLSzBSyIWM4q8GsjYtznRT37lp4JH-vJuVt9d7S-QKknO77CVBtgCRW2HdFuJvkCuFVN7hVHcXNUq9-I8X_v1BBk3k6e-m87nmqaL56dMumHO_Wc7W4vrMwIoby8l4s7xJLTbRKex6DocJV5g6iRR4EpdPE1W2ufcG6Esrchj4/w640-h426/IMG_7846.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgem6cqYfpctVDk6XNiUC4j_KM5T2WbSG0N9XX5VqO-gz1sIgpxmldLA9NmYXhFUBekp0pCTrfN8oa9AioINFU1eMQ8SOB8MaccgriamulZ55cZsMDlmW4oosl-jhCVjHHdjnritjJ3BPGS4nUBXbaBaY7LFfZyZ9B0qHMYynrE0ZAlxpmtwVo9O31V/s5472/IMG_7861.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgem6cqYfpctVDk6XNiUC4j_KM5T2WbSG0N9XX5VqO-gz1sIgpxmldLA9NmYXhFUBekp0pCTrfN8oa9AioINFU1eMQ8SOB8MaccgriamulZ55cZsMDlmW4oosl-jhCVjHHdjnritjJ3BPGS4nUBXbaBaY7LFfZyZ9B0qHMYynrE0ZAlxpmtwVo9O31V/w640-h426/IMG_7861.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></center><center>The mystery tree again...</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OlVpZ8Ao4iOBzFEw1thbiJq8nQW0aX3QjKOIdDI71B6I2G7CeC69_A_E1LEKcZlOkpaEq5EooFF9HUEOZdu35zkY9oEiO0wpWejZx4Gpa8_gGuL7TwC6nnlcMbwjBHMKRpk2jVO3ueAyIF27wT0wve8Vs5idWm96iq3cKd16cmBA-RHLurKWjSyH/s5472/IMG_7875.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5472" data-original-width="3648" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5OlVpZ8Ao4iOBzFEw1thbiJq8nQW0aX3QjKOIdDI71B6I2G7CeC69_A_E1LEKcZlOkpaEq5EooFF9HUEOZdu35zkY9oEiO0wpWejZx4Gpa8_gGuL7TwC6nnlcMbwjBHMKRpk2jVO3ueAyIF27wT0wve8Vs5idWm96iq3cKd16cmBA-RHLurKWjSyH/w426-h640/IMG_7875.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMdTzf5Ii6WebGJWLek_fT9Rrif5SSBDdmUNYeaYc2Y8vCmiYAeQHkwDQEOjaev0I1BP1r0GmQT5jBBQkOgsiEMfGKvAXGSd-J30nj6FFQ9xusgv1hdhPDL96ewxGyrRxD1plAgORMeMhwCdzZ9b7e8_sN7rF5oycuhoy17k5Gm_It8ezaUNDUbjt/s5472/IMG_7887.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5472" data-original-width="3648" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMdTzf5Ii6WebGJWLek_fT9Rrif5SSBDdmUNYeaYc2Y8vCmiYAeQHkwDQEOjaev0I1BP1r0GmQT5jBBQkOgsiEMfGKvAXGSd-J30nj6FFQ9xusgv1hdhPDL96ewxGyrRxD1plAgORMeMhwCdzZ9b7e8_sN7rF5oycuhoy17k5Gm_It8ezaUNDUbjt/w426-h640/IMG_7887.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikK12W9iewF18KqROy41s71JsUR32Xb43EFAba9_Q-uO0T8Xug1oznBYJulNYA-660Ze6-mLTI5PmuywaWy4rYe6s82rWNO__E40stCaN0kTiIZfZoWrENiuy-_gA9j8OI8nWktnlgHNiHsqT0-5OYSJVCfUP4WG6_ltHzoiMEaPF3HUiCx7golQqv/s5472/IMG_7914.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikK12W9iewF18KqROy41s71JsUR32Xb43EFAba9_Q-uO0T8Xug1oznBYJulNYA-660Ze6-mLTI5PmuywaWy4rYe6s82rWNO__E40stCaN0kTiIZfZoWrENiuy-_gA9j8OI8nWktnlgHNiHsqT0-5OYSJVCfUP4WG6_ltHzoiMEaPF3HUiCx7golQqv/w640-h426/IMG_7914.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><center><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiH5Q0CBt1uEneIJ_iz0hOGzpTZzHqpIWgE6fOPej4224n-QOJfIHPUnS9jtPfdGFPnz34nIGAxiWrDzg7jlJi4r12r9sVU-p66HK56HwrkeIAUd7QAwamTopgBo7QMQ7voF1m5asRjc623PnU9LI_kxvb5IyoPG39s4XcGXvrJq9WLYqY5vwtyKQX/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Feb.%20Reynolda%20Gardens%20(21%20of%2027).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiH5Q0CBt1uEneIJ_iz0hOGzpTZzHqpIWgE6fOPej4224n-QOJfIHPUnS9jtPfdGFPnz34nIGAxiWrDzg7jlJi4r12r9sVU-p66HK56HwrkeIAUd7QAwamTopgBo7QMQ7voF1m5asRjc623PnU9LI_kxvb5IyoPG39s4XcGXvrJq9WLYqY5vwtyKQX/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Feb.%20Reynolda%20Gardens%20(21%20of%2027).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>I spied these lovely Lenten Roses blooming here, as we were on our way out.</center><center><br /></center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdNgophHvOzbEVYQ8uQ0ivSj_nqIZ0wKy1KJ139NrcvFgoxIxGyFctMOfJ2CaPxSK6j_SW3WIKrgWgWUaEhbbGGXyzel6Hkl33T_J-eHl_8FSQ9mxIJK08TTNOqGxL9Jm421XQRq4f-Q33-MNIIvQesp7vHn-sWdDtrXT4XSODYkhRSuzEbDP9Ngk/s5127/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Feb.%20Reynolda%20Gardens%20(23%20of%2027).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="5127" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdNgophHvOzbEVYQ8uQ0ivSj_nqIZ0wKy1KJ139NrcvFgoxIxGyFctMOfJ2CaPxSK6j_SW3WIKrgWgWUaEhbbGGXyzel6Hkl33T_J-eHl_8FSQ9mxIJK08TTNOqGxL9Jm421XQRq4f-Q33-MNIIvQesp7vHn-sWdDtrXT4XSODYkhRSuzEbDP9Ngk/w640-h500/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Feb.%20Reynolda%20Gardens%20(23%20of%2027).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="text-align: left;">Back at home, our Lenten Roses are blooming, too. This is their second year to flower, so I cut some today and brought them inside to enjoy.</span></div><div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivlvRpjBF9266xgDhAgtMttZbTXptnLZ28y1pKr9DHO64RJ3xnAuciY4BvosB4vn8dvYvL4t6eiWTPVnR78uUmETayYSEASLHsW0RAR8H__PCQ1nlKH_we9r_nPaAsCRPHeO3EXvywCJ-MQ4P4AiWtXmNuNd2Tl_SLU3TChLhou99jZ10qk1dVpoR/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Lenten%20Roses%20(7%20of%208).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivlvRpjBF9266xgDhAgtMttZbTXptnLZ28y1pKr9DHO64RJ3xnAuciY4BvosB4vn8dvYvL4t6eiWTPVnR78uUmETayYSEASLHsW0RAR8H__PCQ1nlKH_we9r_nPaAsCRPHeO3EXvywCJ-MQ4P4AiWtXmNuNd2Tl_SLU3TChLhou99jZ10qk1dVpoR/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Lenten%20Roses%20(7%20of%208).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSk2FDfq2U2rwGpb8f7zW-7NNMWXMjomcCACUYY8z4b7qb_5re0BaIx-c7KdW6T8haN_GOecOjqx_cKT9Alq8kACamszZ8xTAfeVhbLdBgmObj1245XMXZtMsaRgCZl9GeBAY5YZT9MIfa8RXtlM84W9QHx0BBgNeE2aKDoAU_GpLFcKz-jbQ4nuD/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Lenten%20Roses%20(5%20of%208).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSk2FDfq2U2rwGpb8f7zW-7NNMWXMjomcCACUYY8z4b7qb_5re0BaIx-c7KdW6T8haN_GOecOjqx_cKT9Alq8kACamszZ8xTAfeVhbLdBgmObj1245XMXZtMsaRgCZl9GeBAY5YZT9MIfa8RXtlM84W9QHx0BBgNeE2aKDoAU_GpLFcKz-jbQ4nuD/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2023%20Lenten%20Roses%20(5%20of%208).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As you can see, our February has been pretty low-key, which is okay with me. We did watch the Super Bowl this year, and our team won, so "Yay Chiefs!" It was a really close, exciting game. Some of the commercials were really funny, along with a few sentimental dog commercials. I skipped the half-time show --nuff said about that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We do have plans to go this Saturday to our local Little Theatre to see a play. We haven't been to see a play in years, so it should be fun. Do you have any special plans for this month? I'd love to hear about what you've been up to. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thank you so much for visiting me, and I hope you have a great week!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cheers,</div><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-59384345545795378152023-01-08T18:54:00.002-05:002023-01-08T18:54:48.451-05:00Happy 2023<center>A new year has begun -- ready or not. I remember how glad we all were to usher 2020 out the door, and then 2021 was not a whole lot better, as I recall. Turns out that 2022 was not the best of years, either. Yet, we're still here, and I'm thankful for that. </center><center> </center><center>I hope you all had a good Christmas holiday; we did here at Forest Manor. I'll share a few pictures from our Christmas decorations (for posterity). 😉 I'll try to show a few touches that were different this Christmas, since I mostly decorate the same way every year. When reviewing Christmas 2022, there were a lot of small things that made me happy, and the small things are sometimes the best.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbhwOG024JVvnM34uOXSaNGU_NZCggkB725EyY-N_yp1K7fWyeGQpm0xgKW9Du014BGiAWcTfjxA15BtseHKCheMAtAuxRbMiSWzxomxASwEERLKdPCATENVhfL0qb4suJ4XavksdZROU5DLLElRH41F1jXZ96AnomH1vyUftrupefxEtd3D9Gw3J/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%20(100%20of%20163).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbhwOG024JVvnM34uOXSaNGU_NZCggkB725EyY-N_yp1K7fWyeGQpm0xgKW9Du014BGiAWcTfjxA15BtseHKCheMAtAuxRbMiSWzxomxASwEERLKdPCATENVhfL0qb4suJ4XavksdZROU5DLLElRH41F1jXZ96AnomH1vyUftrupefxEtd3D9Gw3J/w426-h640/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%20(100%20of%20163).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><center>It made me happy that the Christmas tree was one of our prettiest ever. The previous Christmas, after bringing the tree inside and removing the baling twine, we discovered that one of the largest branches had broken at the trunk, so we had to do some tree "surgery." It made for a few stressful moments, but luckily the temporary fix held until after the holidays. This Christmas, all the branches were perfect.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKf25jn9Oypfp6sdKx8ixoJmziDWNTVpeWBbqNX3jyeSCuZ0fxYbNsy7ddFxPjCvxkOCIldUEi-RLY793VnqEF1X7JLdKafVahBpYshm4NANFvrFIiQ7h_FLqYni84tqNaPEbokbpkDNIecNWczNGbwAHjTSHzvd6v2cvn5aFHU-GfQWqhZDv8LJX/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%203%20(2%20of%2013).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKf25jn9Oypfp6sdKx8ixoJmziDWNTVpeWBbqNX3jyeSCuZ0fxYbNsy7ddFxPjCvxkOCIldUEi-RLY793VnqEF1X7JLdKafVahBpYshm4NANFvrFIiQ7h_FLqYni84tqNaPEbokbpkDNIecNWczNGbwAHjTSHzvd6v2cvn5aFHU-GfQWqhZDv8LJX/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%203%20(2%20of%2013).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div><br /><center>It made me happy that we had this new heater to help us stay warm when the really cold temperatures hit. We're not doing wood fires anymore because they were causing some breathing issues for me. Nothing warms quite as well as those wood fires did, but this new heater does a nice job, and there's no mess to clean up afterward. Speaking of cold temperatures, it did get cold here for three or four nights in a row. Even though we live in the south, it can still get mighty cold some years. It was either Christmas Eve or Christmas day that a bitter cold wind blew all day and night. Our temperatures got down to 0° with wind chill factor making it feel like 0° to minus 5° during the night. I realize that many places got much colder than that, but it was cold enough for this North Carolina crew. 😏 </center><center> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQko1XdZZaddnLehXdwCjfC0RtmqpMMKLTK_UHBx9jiS58aOi61IdePnt2GbBW_QXp0No0_IcmQfHqmD35uwnzJVXgDhctq_YNfR8hGCq66qdopIdhNPMxLADi79U0YvyqSFPHWWTdeI4HAVNBArBSoWekfkMOL8oV3CJ34UaOiqlZDlKXOciZmZY/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%203%20(7%20of%2013).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQko1XdZZaddnLehXdwCjfC0RtmqpMMKLTK_UHBx9jiS58aOi61IdePnt2GbBW_QXp0No0_IcmQfHqmD35uwnzJVXgDhctq_YNfR8hGCq66qdopIdhNPMxLADi79U0YvyqSFPHWWTdeI4HAVNBArBSoWekfkMOL8oV3CJ34UaOiqlZDlKXOciZmZY/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%203%20(7%20of%2013).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />It made me happy to see how our Christmas mantel turned out this year. I try to change it up every couple of years, so this year was something new. It ended up with a kind of Williamsburg feel to it, and I'm still enjoying looking at it. I found the swan at a favorite local gift shop the Christmas after I went to England with Hal. All the faux fruit and greenery I've bought in recent years. </center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KJckvt5fh-WkTp059sZlGouDMRjrB1S1Fog4LyQP0UlO6o87uCRWLslmBhry0zx501_TULS_o_FoSSI5jGGXqqzh-S-4YFKMdMkI_ybKCndgnRCtY1FWcq-bb4m1xbrddX38h8n5MiZkD0nxajnPljoJNRGNaK0P-D-dYKCJxvihhsxAeA7Rxx9L/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%203%20(8%20of%2013).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KJckvt5fh-WkTp059sZlGouDMRjrB1S1Fog4LyQP0UlO6o87uCRWLslmBhry0zx501_TULS_o_FoSSI5jGGXqqzh-S-4YFKMdMkI_ybKCndgnRCtY1FWcq-bb4m1xbrddX38h8n5MiZkD0nxajnPljoJNRGNaK0P-D-dYKCJxvihhsxAeA7Rxx9L/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%203%20(8%20of%2013).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNK7berW_w73JcwydXDRrMpso-jSbqPstG6qwK9yUHV0ALi99lOSf4YxpkV6OxKV_fe_FNWE9Y-lEbBLzacxGsTFAmoJXGjrqkICILrp1uRokstmQwirNR9lxYwZXoQgQObUW855xPrj5zjSd0cGPwk3KPx3nOJwJKKq9vy1TP66HIosrbXWmbrx4/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%203%20(3%20of%2013).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNK7berW_w73JcwydXDRrMpso-jSbqPstG6qwK9yUHV0ALi99lOSf4YxpkV6OxKV_fe_FNWE9Y-lEbBLzacxGsTFAmoJXGjrqkICILrp1uRokstmQwirNR9lxYwZXoQgQObUW855xPrj5zjSd0cGPwk3KPx3nOJwJKKq9vy1TP66HIosrbXWmbrx4/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%203%20(3%20of%2013).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I saw some pictures where people used velvet ribbon in their Christmas decor, and I really loved the look. I ordered some for myself from Amazon, and it was a pleasure to work with. It was soft, with a pretty drape and rich coloring. The swan on the mantel is sporting a red velvet ribbon.</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_zAOZZnwtc2RRTVHYMDiXHcd-zBF5PYracE5h3TFeDXabWWcm9uKI7SgwS6uyNqQPWAnZp7A7E9RGuR4N3_ZZvzeBGNzMvCFRqsApT8plKnx1UVDiAqeWlax1QJnY-CIZsZ1rqZ2U89HNtMDcWmwWHO2vW1neBz6fcQLs95mrFKGnNouEsDzKDgp/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%203%20(5%20of%2013).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_zAOZZnwtc2RRTVHYMDiXHcd-zBF5PYracE5h3TFeDXabWWcm9uKI7SgwS6uyNqQPWAnZp7A7E9RGuR4N3_ZZvzeBGNzMvCFRqsApT8plKnx1UVDiAqeWlax1QJnY-CIZsZ1rqZ2U89HNtMDcWmwWHO2vW1neBz6fcQLs95mrFKGnNouEsDzKDgp/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%203%20(5%20of%2013).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIG527Nwz5HRJX8aDA1A0fVjE0QKqYBuQ1abW9wZksD2HegM8rbsbx8FUY-bw6x3wJa8O-EO-V2iFeFPWv0aA1ozkTIVPHCEgJvuzmMJHxtYwWKoz1FB4gGcOY9HUzO3gu9cLe2mjU4DyiyFZq7Wo-bm7aup-uP0N3yqdjQ-b3aDL9AfuMP19c18L/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%20(42%20of%20163).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIG527Nwz5HRJX8aDA1A0fVjE0QKqYBuQ1abW9wZksD2HegM8rbsbx8FUY-bw6x3wJa8O-EO-V2iFeFPWv0aA1ozkTIVPHCEgJvuzmMJHxtYwWKoz1FB4gGcOY9HUzO3gu9cLe2mjU4DyiyFZq7Wo-bm7aup-uP0N3yqdjQ-b3aDL9AfuMP19c18L/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%20(42%20of%20163).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>I tied a green velvet ribbon on this shiny, red jingle bell.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHCeaAzbZWh4pG2tQdbdZdkpzYTU-tZSraOPyzHqBCo3yP_AQAtyBrlDWOX3o2P0NPZRk7YTy7empmgnBSUBqEQBXbXks2IpiNNJgXi17WBCrEuBbUfBocYS92oUe9fl2n_i7jICqhwmRbr7vdZpzMKTzaUKOsRKBmMJazEFNoFZ1Md2VTn6EbIJ6/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%204%20(13%20of%2023).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHCeaAzbZWh4pG2tQdbdZdkpzYTU-tZSraOPyzHqBCo3yP_AQAtyBrlDWOX3o2P0NPZRk7YTy7empmgnBSUBqEQBXbXks2IpiNNJgXi17WBCrEuBbUfBocYS92oUe9fl2n_i7jICqhwmRbr7vdZpzMKTzaUKOsRKBmMJazEFNoFZ1Md2VTn6EbIJ6/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%204%20(13%20of%2023).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> This ribbon looks black in the picture, but it's actually navy blue. The pretty blue Christmas bell came from my mother-in-law.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrFKKVofSHjPFIeGMRyvn_0fap9ucp9R3TTm4T3P3xsKIi5L2VuSUKxT4a1IiiCP170pONJzLmbLH2X5WEF7gxsAylxDlTsWz1otb5wwQkzFtJnZqXZ1eg8i45ECk3wpKzkt-RF11Z8u6O9Mq7W9P0oGgafX7CS6Ed2PoZLkyXgQG2-40XYdch378/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%204%20(5%20of%2023).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrFKKVofSHjPFIeGMRyvn_0fap9ucp9R3TTm4T3P3xsKIi5L2VuSUKxT4a1IiiCP170pONJzLmbLH2X5WEF7gxsAylxDlTsWz1otb5wwQkzFtJnZqXZ1eg8i45ECk3wpKzkt-RF11Z8u6O9Mq7W9P0oGgafX7CS6Ed2PoZLkyXgQG2-40XYdch378/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%204%20(5%20of%2023).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center>My mom gifted me with some of her vintage Shiny Brite ornaments after my dad passed away.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrblVr19W-HP56jZ4IF8woGegp6KOLGmw90s6oGl06k_f8iPPfBropv4T_BkLTRIV2157z2xeFtN-dAmYXcm0fig8Sag_bHmHXKrlcPicLNnDxS8njrYCpg8Dr4YHdcSar6t3TX5TrKK8KfmnMGd0ygZneB775T57tVRL1rVzoX1o38fQb4im2CsOb/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%204%20(16%20of%2023).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrblVr19W-HP56jZ4IF8woGegp6KOLGmw90s6oGl06k_f8iPPfBropv4T_BkLTRIV2157z2xeFtN-dAmYXcm0fig8Sag_bHmHXKrlcPicLNnDxS8njrYCpg8Dr4YHdcSar6t3TX5TrKK8KfmnMGd0ygZneB775T57tVRL1rVzoX1o38fQb4im2CsOb/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%204%20(16%20of%2023).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>This summer I replaced the (very) small candlestick lamp on this secretary desk with a new blue and white lamp. It was an impulse buy; I saw it in my favorite local lamp store and fell in love with it. I've never had a teapot lamp before, and the blue and white porcelain fits my decor perfectly. I have so enjoyed seeing its warm glow at night.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnj6JhGX-3wp-GuEXDZX-g02R9N91oPSIe_2faVVuZpwTImq2TMpoZ2fKAq1wzRcwkXCVsgmQMMGALtmk31rYRccNYR7PAyX36PQRrpw2Jec8TeVAH2_vAzfHwxc5aG1wRfCCkQaH1KCmk7NDmjsCfdYhWFnekrhd0k57T5elSazHcOGyr42GQ_tZv/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%204%20(22%20of%2023).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnj6JhGX-3wp-GuEXDZX-g02R9N91oPSIe_2faVVuZpwTImq2TMpoZ2fKAq1wzRcwkXCVsgmQMMGALtmk31rYRccNYR7PAyX36PQRrpw2Jec8TeVAH2_vAzfHwxc5aG1wRfCCkQaH1KCmk7NDmjsCfdYhWFnekrhd0k57T5elSazHcOGyr42GQ_tZv/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%204%20(22%20of%2023).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><center> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCuojkoJHDWokS4nFr5rfrGeI135vpXSjxc-mYM7bsObYrRc85QVbeC8pUrStUrUV8OriKReZvGdmibiBKwk_z8t5YuiP-iW-tlc5mtFJ8sb8Xf4mfgQg5sguV63spzHhv72h6d7bQ9zMnVwtbxtkBCq9CGSEI-VyI8YyBVonZOaZQp0pSdoLZKni/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%20(64%20of%20163).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCuojkoJHDWokS4nFr5rfrGeI135vpXSjxc-mYM7bsObYrRc85QVbeC8pUrStUrUV8OriKReZvGdmibiBKwk_z8t5YuiP-iW-tlc5mtFJ8sb8Xf4mfgQg5sguV63spzHhv72h6d7bQ9zMnVwtbxtkBCq9CGSEI-VyI8YyBVonZOaZQp0pSdoLZKni/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%20(64%20of%20163).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center> It made me happy that our son spent Christmas Eve night here. I'm always glad for him to spend a night with us, so I try to make the guest room extra comfy.</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCgYjfUk9uuJj3KmHiWl5CTklKC2cAO9ckEFEblh6dapWn_EqRGDPDxg8EisUSguuPNRtN7PKfz8tnR09YoWsmZ29V6gfTd2dLc-XG7Cr75EBkperKiKzZ2sa_zYitLrq-0XLkFErTQt-A_IDG3aC-sxKgxERNRP3puC1x5ziTHF9jMeBcdfFf5TR/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%20(47%20of%20163).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCgYjfUk9uuJj3KmHiWl5CTklKC2cAO9ckEFEblh6dapWn_EqRGDPDxg8EisUSguuPNRtN7PKfz8tnR09YoWsmZ29V6gfTd2dLc-XG7Cr75EBkperKiKzZ2sa_zYitLrq-0XLkFErTQt-A_IDG3aC-sxKgxERNRP3puC1x5ziTHF9jMeBcdfFf5TR/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%20(47%20of%20163).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><center> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQKZGH25VHXm85Uh_X6o6QY84fPtIRfE-ymR2YxCZV84Vx6z4RJ0kML3oh0ceLG4ESuw2_-y2M_ODpEuwsLqEyIB_hIdnJSCkEx-KaNOkyQDWP7dM3XzE4GL1fFNKPqyxBoiIXKHL0kpEU00UPd-xH1wvC_C74Ocb51rSaiWywBaXfb1ooHUVqe4D/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%20(49%20of%20163).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQKZGH25VHXm85Uh_X6o6QY84fPtIRfE-ymR2YxCZV84Vx6z4RJ0kML3oh0ceLG4ESuw2_-y2M_ODpEuwsLqEyIB_hIdnJSCkEx-KaNOkyQDWP7dM3XzE4GL1fFNKPqyxBoiIXKHL0kpEU00UPd-xH1wvC_C74Ocb51rSaiWywBaXfb1ooHUVqe4D/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2022%20Christmas%20Decs%20(49%20of%20163).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center>Other small but nice things this Christmas -- our young neighbor across the street put Christmas lights in her yard and on her fence for the first time. She's still fairly new to the neighborhood. Looking out the window and seeing those cheerful lights made me happy. Another sweet and long-time neighbor called to tell me she was thinking of me and to tell me that <i>our </i>lights looked pretty. That made me feel good. I actually heard the "Hallelujah Chorus" <i>twice</i> on the radio this year. I couldn't believe it. I wondered if someone snuck in off the street while the regular DJ was napping and played this beautiful piece. It was a <i>wonderful </i>change from "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and "Last Christmas" being sung by every pop artist in the developed world. 😏 </center><center> </center><center>The nicest thing to happen in our family this Christmas was that my sister got engaged to a wonderful man. He fits in so well with our family. It will be a second marriage for both of them, and they are so right for each other. There was a lot of sadness this year; I lost my only uncle (and my mom her only brother) and Hal lost an uncle and an aunt. Still, we know we are fortunate, and we try not to take any of it for granted. </center><center> </center><center>If you're still here, thank you for reading this long post. I'd love to hear about the small (or large) things that made you happy this Christmas. I'm so glad you visited today, and I wish for all of you a very happy year in 2023! </center><center><br /></center><center>All the best, </center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center><center> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-86515561221025418152022-12-25T11:55:00.003-05:002022-12-25T11:55:23.789-05:00Merry Christmas 2022<center>Merry Christmas Everyone!! </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffR7PeFF4pHd2ps5o11nPnQ3bKVVk5heO1CQrbte3nx1E7xK0LL612TQj2WhQMPIAG2ORlqsHarSdWN0MS8hsJPXSi0Zo0EkxXJr6UkyZty7sA11W_bZkMF-6ax5TTKHbfl7ika7LZSyqc_vlojABri-CBD3GsA2EGDH6WIbewF9I0Vr4oO8tOn21/s6000/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2018%20Christmas%20Porch-6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffR7PeFF4pHd2ps5o11nPnQ3bKVVk5heO1CQrbte3nx1E7xK0LL612TQj2WhQMPIAG2ORlqsHarSdWN0MS8hsJPXSi0Zo0EkxXJr6UkyZty7sA11W_bZkMF-6ax5TTKHbfl7ika7LZSyqc_vlojABri-CBD3GsA2EGDH6WIbewF9I0Vr4oO8tOn21/w426-h640/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2018%20Christmas%20Porch-6.jpg" width="426" /></a></div> <div><center>From our house to yours...</center><center> </center><center><span><a name='more'></a></span> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNvBPI3m_AMcRUVwaDlrmY10fxtRRISCWYOHT3rPThvnRkdFtNDf6puki1QtsZLWb0ykMaJMrZPXEk8nKfeAEVgxGw1q4qvs9Iut2gysNo7k-jEHmY6QxDpb0bwyaXtZkcuEUlaD0-0eXTpsGxFUHx9CWQy-mrlsLyQmC788Uh9F77ZMkSbNIVG35/s6000/DSC01446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNvBPI3m_AMcRUVwaDlrmY10fxtRRISCWYOHT3rPThvnRkdFtNDf6puki1QtsZLWb0ykMaJMrZPXEk8nKfeAEVgxGw1q4qvs9Iut2gysNo7k-jEHmY6QxDpb0bwyaXtZkcuEUlaD0-0eXTpsGxFUHx9CWQy-mrlsLyQmC788Uh9F77ZMkSbNIVG35/w426-h640/DSC01446.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><center>We wish you the happiness of gifts given and received,</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCptyk_woWJcyqE3zp2zkNqW47B8wfqK6n0NZxPoPS9SkxV7siTGqwPqLP9Wj3aX7fLdN8f7vr7PSN0AJly4YvRWSj5agSuDx3OmfWbEZmD6XFoG6P5r1ULlApOXMQTLKxi27igPmbMhzms1AKsx_Y2ye3CqO1emE00XDMwdYsmJIQ7uSqfAcZn8y/s6000/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2018%20Christmas%202-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCptyk_woWJcyqE3zp2zkNqW47B8wfqK6n0NZxPoPS9SkxV7siTGqwPqLP9Wj3aX7fLdN8f7vr7PSN0AJly4YvRWSj5agSuDx3OmfWbEZmD6XFoG6P5r1ULlApOXMQTLKxi27igPmbMhzms1AKsx_Y2ye3CqO1emE00XDMwdYsmJIQ7uSqfAcZn8y/w640-h426/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2018%20Christmas%202-7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> The joy of family and friends,</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqbAjQv-82ilROeB0ThRu1y0ZYulKPdnlMow3JeT5ocdWrYYyB2XVffms58tXXllI_EF84yC05gSRpU8fK4ApzXZMHyIymPhtXpMx6bFahqb87tDuHwsu3BCFss_3RhEkbpiFMzYZXADImstdXN7pgyJnsWOVzjaBwlTMRBM9JofYQ-5knQZVEL4f/s6000/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2018%20Christmas%202-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqbAjQv-82ilROeB0ThRu1y0ZYulKPdnlMow3JeT5ocdWrYYyB2XVffms58tXXllI_EF84yC05gSRpU8fK4ApzXZMHyIymPhtXpMx6bFahqb87tDuHwsu3BCFss_3RhEkbpiFMzYZXADImstdXN7pgyJnsWOVzjaBwlTMRBM9JofYQ-5knQZVEL4f/w640-h426/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2018%20Christmas%202-22.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center> the hope and peace the Christ child brings,</center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSy0tWBl-HF9VOxUsr_ibKJ09uq1IuCmJNWVms7NiUfPGW0l3QFnFsaZ424l3nL0a1mTGArzad5GuNatj9SkbZBw9rXCO9xsfhCmUul05weQlB6i1c5ICJG272ou0JYUbKpqDScQafNUBkVt1b9UNoXWXBUvqZdsuFsJiRHRFHp_4c1V7W24YnEj1/s6000/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2020%20Biltmore%20Christmas-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSy0tWBl-HF9VOxUsr_ibKJ09uq1IuCmJNWVms7NiUfPGW0l3QFnFsaZ424l3nL0a1mTGArzad5GuNatj9SkbZBw9rXCO9xsfhCmUul05weQlB6i1c5ICJG272ou0JYUbKpqDScQafNUBkVt1b9UNoXWXBUvqZdsuFsJiRHRFHp_4c1V7W24YnEj1/w640-h426/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2020%20Biltmore%20Christmas-35.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><center>and many blessings in the coming year.</center><center><br /></center><center><b><i>"God Bless Us Everyone!" </i></b></center><center><b><i><br /></i></b></center><center><b><i><br /></i></b></center><center>Love to you all,</center><center> </center><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-8573531280807572082022-12-20T11:05:00.001-05:002022-12-20T11:05:18.904-05:00A Blessed Advent<center>'Tis the Season, everyone! </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-LUTouIi0pJyHWnmp6dg7oTq-MICwTxzD0eJ7ygnkBctDCev3CQJshSVDLZqTfDF0-0b_niKjwX4WgmYqz_ZYsPRONtBskxQnT3BIvp5fcm4ekDnCm0OYmceOzsjLILSZdE4zxmafzSuWRLqbRT2sk5I0Zrf9HE5fPegz5p0se8MY247n03qSBqJ/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Christmas%20Decor%20(93%20of%20110).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-LUTouIi0pJyHWnmp6dg7oTq-MICwTxzD0eJ7ygnkBctDCev3CQJshSVDLZqTfDF0-0b_niKjwX4WgmYqz_ZYsPRONtBskxQnT3BIvp5fcm4ekDnCm0OYmceOzsjLILSZdE4zxmafzSuWRLqbRT2sk5I0Zrf9HE5fPegz5p0se8MY247n03qSBqJ/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Christmas%20Decor%20(93%20of%20110).jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TpAQt-_CyoVe75EG-IwVc3-mkGYYbXopgAqxeQXP5Q1TCxhiQaobQAx6gk_GkHODhfDIEpEDiG7ZA8yApN8WhR1Q_FLuMhpqol4uvyH7rJ-DIGmR3_VNHof_h9P2bz-lJrt1btO93KP0WLbRAaRk4XJq--vzn087MR0qt-hInwq74GPE9i41kkPI/s6000/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Christmas%20Decor%20(110%20of%20110).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TpAQt-_CyoVe75EG-IwVc3-mkGYYbXopgAqxeQXP5Q1TCxhiQaobQAx6gk_GkHODhfDIEpEDiG7ZA8yApN8WhR1Q_FLuMhpqol4uvyH7rJ-DIGmR3_VNHof_h9P2bz-lJrt1btO93KP0WLbRAaRk4XJq--vzn087MR0qt-hInwq74GPE9i41kkPI/w640-h426/Denise-Pictures-2021%20Christmas%20Decor%20(110%20of%20110).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTGcK5Z76RaD5KWopdq-yzGIka0Yv4szroFUa2JqBkUw7Yr__6B27EdQuwGwVY0JtRb1VIqQ--srgN2GRwsd9yy6dY6ios1SYtTB-E88JSArDlhw-fTjJFctEmmkgAwp12PaIlOrW6NmCkvwWAfnFB4gt_Co6KlT9lbh70PFfiutN4Y4MC5wvypHe/s5472/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2018%20Old%20Salem%20Christmas-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5472" data-original-width="3648" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTGcK5Z76RaD5KWopdq-yzGIka0Yv4szroFUa2JqBkUw7Yr__6B27EdQuwGwVY0JtRb1VIqQ--srgN2GRwsd9yy6dY6ios1SYtTB-E88JSArDlhw-fTjJFctEmmkgAwp12PaIlOrW6NmCkvwWAfnFB4gt_Co6KlT9lbh70PFfiutN4Y4MC5wvypHe/w426-h640/C--Users-Denise-Pictures-2018%20Old%20Salem%20Christmas-18.jpg" width="426" /></a></div> <br /><center>I will return soon with more holiday posts. Much love to you all during this Christmas season!!</center><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center></div>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271182300590181890.post-87076306005654593842022-11-24T11:38:00.002-05:002022-11-24T11:38:39.612-05:00Thanksgiving 2022<center>Happy Thanksgiving, dear American friends!! Wherever you are, I hope your day is blessed with family, friends, love, good food, and thoughts of what you're thankful for. This is one of my favorite days of the year.</center><center> </center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEYoex485BMNHg0eO-ONIldjOgEljAm3yZwawblN0_qSOSWworAL7J0ZedNke5V97TEuYyv69sN1GlMIJ7Qp-nbVyBpwYv6iZqUOa1gtTsF2GEBE_6e4Tm7hSEGyfMfBZFOGt922TDNjB5EemyPNw6DJ9Rf9GtZG_mKpw_vqoY8xr83_ReNVX1Wko/s1123/Thanksgiving-Brownscombe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1123" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEYoex485BMNHg0eO-ONIldjOgEljAm3yZwawblN0_qSOSWworAL7J0ZedNke5V97TEuYyv69sN1GlMIJ7Qp-nbVyBpwYv6iZqUOa1gtTsF2GEBE_6e4Tm7hSEGyfMfBZFOGt922TDNjB5EemyPNw6DJ9Rf9GtZG_mKpw_vqoY8xr83_ReNVX1Wko/w640-h400/Thanksgiving-Brownscombe.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <span style="text-align: left;"> </span></center><center><span style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span> </span></center><center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38W3YauaA--Ia1X7cX1NQlCw0Xp2jUVcZTBeOkolp7RtzwjlRuVnhId-UU_Qbx-CSEG6gRN3-voQbP3lss2cDjWD2JxJbYp6QyERBu8O-ljAzj2DD0pMOzT0E5rTwppB0K6tupCZRtlPvlfw8E1D-Mf1-HrgB_eSfi2XfpZDkq7NZ1KXttj5tQ1zu/s5472/C--Users-Hal-Pictures-2015%20Thanksgiving-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38W3YauaA--Ia1X7cX1NQlCw0Xp2jUVcZTBeOkolp7RtzwjlRuVnhId-UU_Qbx-CSEG6gRN3-voQbP3lss2cDjWD2JxJbYp6QyERBu8O-ljAzj2DD0pMOzT0E5rTwppB0K6tupCZRtlPvlfw8E1D-Mf1-HrgB_eSfi2XfpZDkq7NZ1KXttj5tQ1zu/w640-h426/C--Users-Hal-Pictures-2015%20Thanksgiving-26.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> </center><center> Have a good day, everyone! </center><center> </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYuTfXuzcCNUtArbJc1pEgasncqvMJMIvlbhOb-NSfsw5nag9FmuKHEmmj1G1jUjH95hhcfyO3zeZKOFOttQejL4OlNnqywC0E_ypKJtF7o7uBbp3bSyIf8lmZkT7MJ0UZYW0qHoA9OGK4JbG43PR81kZU3EdQ4wrkzu5PBCM-M4kBnncTrKTd-sco/s6000/2018%20Thanksgiving%20at%20Lisas-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYuTfXuzcCNUtArbJc1pEgasncqvMJMIvlbhOb-NSfsw5nag9FmuKHEmmj1G1jUjH95hhcfyO3zeZKOFOttQejL4OlNnqywC0E_ypKJtF7o7uBbp3bSyIf8lmZkT7MJ0UZYW0qHoA9OGK4JbG43PR81kZU3EdQ4wrkzu5PBCM-M4kBnncTrKTd-sco/w640-h426/2018%20Thanksgiving%20at%20Lisas-9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /><center> <br /> Blessings, </center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhtfIVTUuRXKUIYHnw2yeijM-ueeEhg0slcIRprzix7CbIwuwtEl-eKD_wEYX7nD3npxhPHfwmFqehKUEjHc7SbA8zHNjN94JuLZubnQ8fDwRx_KJ5mmtlX4Al4WWeCKeIhXLudFIvXulLbX1AN32w0EJ9eV3KHNXVLMQ0wQDmlCBzPzYLjfSpfHphA/s1600/new%20sig.png" /></a></center>Denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01235440820949449634noreply@blogger.com2