Last Saturday morning I had to be at the Nissan dealership to get a few things done to my car. I had to get a software update, an oil change and my tires rotated. My car is still under warranty so I make the one hour drive to the dealership when I need it done. Plus I had the software update so I had to go to the dealership. The last time I was at the dealership they told me it would take about two hours for the update and oil change. So I had to schedule accordingly.
I am probably the only person who doesn’t mind sitting in a waiting room at the car dealership waiting for my car to be serviced. I take something to read, some knitting and coffee and I am in heaven.
When I arrived on Saturday at 8:00 AM the tech told me that it would be an hour and a half, two hours max. I said ” don’t you worry about me I am good” I settled into the waiting room with my coffee and knitting and ear buds for my phone. This is one of the few places where I have uninterrupted time to knit and read or whatever. I so enjoyed it!!! It only took about an hour and a half and they were finished.
I decided to make at least one stop while I was in Knoxville so I chose Target. It has been about six or seven months since I have been to Target. It was still pretty early only about 9:30 so there were not a lot of people there. I found some really neat things:
This is one of my favorite spots at Target. There are some super cute things here and really cheap. Just some little things that you wouldn’t find in a lot of places. I found these little cloth pumpkins here and they were only $1.00. I bought seven of them although I now wish I had bought more because I needed a few more to fill my bowl and I don’t know when I will be back. I didn’t have any luck finding them online. Aren’t these adorable?I love these colors and the way everything is put together but I found most of the items a little pricey for Target. Like this large wooden tray below. I love trays and I have a lot of them. I have to bring them out a few at a time and keep the others stored or I would have them all over my house. This was was about $40.00!! Ouch!!I am sort of on the fence about these shirts with the really large puffy sleeves. I am a bit top heavy and I think these sleeves would make me look even more so. I wasn’t able to try it on because Target still has their dressing rooms closed. I will have to think about thisone. I love the look on other people but not sure for me.I absolutely loved this little purse but little was the key word. It just would not accommodate everything I carry day to day. I do love the color and design though. I did grab this little brow pencil and brush by elf. Elf has gotten a bad rap on some of their products because they have been known to scrimp on some of their sizes and content. But people come on this was $2.00. I mainly bought it for the brush but after I got it home I noticed that the pencil has quite a lot in it as well. I love it!!!And last but certainly not least I just had to stop by Starbucks and try this iced coffee I heard about. You may have tried this combination but if not you need to. This was a Venti iced white mocha with sweet cream cold foam and extra caramel drizzle. A splurge but definitely worth it.
The rest of the weekend went by pretty quick as weekends and days off normally do. I did some baking and some knitting and I made Madeleines. Have you ever made Madeleines ? I have been wanting to make some for quite a while. You have to have a special pan. I will have a full post on those in a couple of days. They dry out pretty quick so I took the entire batch to work and everyone loved them and ate them all up.
Madeleines, They are yummy!!!
Watch for the blog post about making Madelines you just have to try them.
Last week was really a full week for me. I will catch you up on it with a couple of different posts. I worked most of Labor Day weekend. That was our last big hurrah for the year as far as tourism goes but you know what? I may not be so sure about that. I feel like people, some people, are traveling and getting out there because they are sick and tired of being at home. In this respect I think we will still have some very busy weekends at work.
Since I worked last Saturday, Labor Day weekend, I took Wednesday off. It always feels a little decadent to be off during the week when most people are at work. I had a few errands to run and then I planned to have Sister Lunch with the sisters. It was fun sleeping a little later than usual and lingering over my coffee.
Molly has been having some terrible allergy problems, she does every summer. She usually winds up getting two or three shots during the course of the spring and summer. Her eye has been swollen and red and she rubs her face against the floor or the ground or whatever to scratch it. I tried a few home remedies but it didn’t improve much. When I got up on Wednesday morning, my day off, and saw how bad her eye looked I called the vet’s office as soon as they opened. They told me they could see her at 9:30 because they had had a cancellation. Mark was at work and I don’t usually take her by myself but I knew she had to be seen. She was starting to have some hair loss around her eye. I was actually expecting to have to wait a few days to get her in so I was a little surprised when they told me to bring her in.
Look at that sweet girl.
I put a couple of old blankets and some old towels down in the back seat of my mother in law’s car. I picked her car because it is very low to the ground. Mark usually takes her in a crate in the back of his truck. I knew there was no way I could get Molly in the truck or even in my SUV. She is a very old girl and can’t jump very well. She’s also a big girl and trying to lug her in or out just wouldn’t work. She climbed right into the back seat and sat back there like a little queen. She looked out the window and over my shoulder. She was the perfect little angel.
We live only about ten minutes from the vet. Once we arrived, because of the COVID regulations, they had to come out to the car and get Molly. We called to let them know that we were there. We took a little walk around the grassy areas around the clinic. She was so easy going and sweet. The vet tech came out to get her. She wasn’t in with them very long. They just loved her and told me what a sweet girl she was. The vet said she had noticed how bad Molly’s eyesight had gotten and she said the hearing loss was worse. This is just a couple of reasons we won’t leave her out at night or really even during the day. She couldn’t hear a coyote or person come up to her.
Molly got an allergy shot and some eye drops and we were back home within an hour. Do you ever take care of a problem that is bothering you and it makes you feel virtuous? I had been worried about Molly and how we were going to get her to the vet with both mine and Mark’s schedules and then just like that it was done. Our girl was taken care of. I felt like I could conquer the world. You know it doesn’t take much for me. HA HA. I did a post once about taking care of your most bothersome problem first thing in the morning it was based on a book called Eat That Frog. Check out the post here if you haven’t read it.
I later had lunch with the sisters and then dropped some things off for my mother in law at the assisted living center. I went to her back door and talked with her for a few minutes through the glass. This is a bit of a challenge because she doesn’t hear very well. But at least it gives us a little face to face time. I think it perked her up a little bit.
I came home, took a short nap with Scruffy on my lap. Molly was a little sluggish from her shot so she napped in the laundry room where it was cool. Who knows where Kitty Kitty was. She is very independent.
I don’t cook dinner when Mark works. He doesn’t get home until later and I usually just grab a snack. Before you know it the day was just about over and it was time to get ready for the rest of the week.
Thursday and Friday passed uneventfully and then the weekend was upon me again. Yay!!! Although I scheduled an oil change and a software update for my car in Knoxville on Saturday morning at 8:00 AM!!! Oh well I will get it over with. I will Eat That Frog!!!
This is a barn I pass on my way to work everyday. I have taken pictures of it during every season. I love these purple flowers.
One of my very first memories was sitting on my mama’s lap with my head against her chest. I was a very little girl. My ear was pressed against her chest and as she talked her voice sounded muffled yet soothing in a way that always put me instantly to sleep. That was one of the most comforting sounds I can ever remember.
Do you ever think about all the sounds that you hear during the course of one day. Your day? A few days ago I was sitting in the office at work and I could hear a murmur of voices coming from the break room next door. A gentle rumble of conversation. A question asked, an answer given, a comment made, a quick burst of laughter, but still a steady gentle rhythm of voices. I never realized just how much I cherish listening. I may not even know what is being said but there is such a comfort in the sound of each day. Especially when the sounds and voices are familiar.
Early morning sounds, my husband is getting up for work. It’s very early because he gets up at 3:50 AM to leave for work by 4:45AM. He tries to be quiet but I hear him going down the stairs, scooping Kitty Kitty up on the way down. Turning on lights and making breakfast. Trying to bribe Kitty Kitty to be quiet and not wake Mom and Scruffy and Molly. The garage door opening, his truck driving away. I almost always wake up but I pretend I don’t. It makes him feel bad if he thinks he wakes me up so early. Kitty meowing for her food.
Walking in the door after work and Scruffy meeting me at the door. I hear his nails tapping against the floor before I see him. I race him to the front door to give him his walk. Listening to him and Molly click click up the driveway for their walk. A hum of summer time. It’s almost like you can hear the shimmer of the heat off of the pavement.
Night time settling in. T.V. going, washing machine spinning, phone conversations, catching up on the day. Tree frogs and crickets sing their night time serenade as I take Scruffy out for one last walk before bed. We hear a screech owl and a hoot owl. Molly romping through the house like a horse before she settles down in her bed. Kitty Kitty making that last run through the house and Scruffy umphing as he jumps on the bed to settle in for the night. Sounds of breathing, the whir of the ceiling fan, the tick tock of the clock.
Close your eyes and listen to the sounds. They are priceless!!!!
Wow I am so glad to see September. I am hoping this month will bring some cooler weather although I have to say our weather hasn’t been too bad. We have had a lot of rain in East Tennessee so more humidity than heat.
I was on vacation last week. It was a staycation since we didn’t go anywhere. It was still a lot of fun though just chilling at home and doing some things locally. I know the fur babies were glad we didn’t go anywhere so they could have us all to themselves.
We went back to Nashville on Tuesday and got Mark’s repeat blood work. All was well there. On the way home we stopped at the little yarn shop that I told you about. Yarn Haven. It is in Crossville Tennessee which is directly in our path going and coming from Nashville. I bought some yummy yarn. It is not easy to find really good sock yarn, yep uh huh that’s my story. So I must take advantage when I can.
This is the yarn I want to use to make socks.
We bought a drone and have been having a lot of fun with it. We flew it over the lake on Sunday and took a ton of pictures. We have had so much rain in the last few weeks that the water in the lake is very muddy.
And just as vacations do the week passed by way too fast. I spent some time with my friend Lorie, I also did a lot of cooking and baking, which I love to do when I have time, and reading. I also played my piano a lot. I came up with a system to practice on my piano every day even if it is only ten or fifteen minutes. I took piano lessons many years ago, after I was an adult, but I haven’t played consistently in years. I always think I would like to be a better player but then I pick out really hard pieces and get frustrated because I haven’t played in so long. I am sooo out of practice. I was reading a blog post by a friend the blog is lovingyoursh-t.com and she talked about what hidden talents you might have that you are denying yourself. They often come in the form of wishes, I wish I could do….. I have always loved playing the piano and wished I could play better. So I got some of my practice music out and started going back over it and it was amazing how fast it came back to me. I just hope I can keep up the practice now that I am back to work.
We flew the drone over our house. As you can see it truly is in the middle of the woods. See how muddy the water is? I will take more pictures of the lake after the water clears up.I finally finished knitting this blue scarf shawl and I love it. It turned out really nice. It was a little curly until I washed it and blocked it into submission. Ha Ha The pattern was easy to memorize. As soon as I finished it I started another one. This can be wrapped around your shoulders or around your neck as a bulky scarf. I love this pattern and will be happy to share if you would like. I also finished the witch cross stitch and got it framed. I have a couple more I would like to finish before Halloween but I am not sure if that will happen. And I made banana bread. I love to make banana bread and cut it into slices and then put those into individual baggies in the refrigerator and when I want a slice for breakfast or a snack I just pull out one of the baggies. I think they stay much fresher this way.
As I said I was back to work on Monday and playing catch up most of the day. Thankfully my work load has slowed down somewhat. This Labor Day Weekend will be our last big weekend for the year. I have to say I am ready for slowing down and having some down time. With the COVID issues and dealing with changes daily regarding COVID and employees it has been a rough summer.
I do have a short Sister Trip planned at the end of the month. A few days to Gatlinburg to our condo that we love and maybe spend a day in Cherokee at the Casino I’m not sure what the plans will be at this time. I am not a big gambler and I usually like to shop while the sisters gamble. But we shall see when the time comes.
How is your week and new month going so far? Any fun plans coming up?
Southern Patches 