2026 June 24 ~Virginia 250 Passport Entries.

VIRGINIA 250 PASSPORT........ History Sites of Virginia.

 Every stamp in the Virginia 250 Passport booklet feels like a tiny spark of discovery. From historic landmarks tucked into quiet towns to Revolutionary War stories waiting behind museum doors, each stop becomes its own chapter in a wonderfully unfolding journey. This passport book features dozens of museums and historic sites across the Commonwealth (70 in fact!). With admission to a passport site, there is an official stamp to document the visit.

1. April 18, 2026~ VA250 Mobile Museum~ A museum on wheels. Salem, VA

2.  April 18, 2026~ Salem Museum - Home to over 300 years of history.

3.  April 29, 2026~ Historical Society of Western Virginia.  The Historical Society operates the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums and is housed in Roanoke's historic N&W passenger station, remodeled by 20th century industrial designer Raymond Loewy.

4. May 21, 2026~ Botetourt County Historical Society, Inc

5.  June 4, 2026~Frontier Culture Museum 

6. June 4, 2026, Fauquier History Museum

7. June 5, 2026, Manassas Museum 

8. June 5, 2026, Mt Vernon

9. June 18, 2026, Historic Smithfield

10. June 18, 2026, Montgomery Museum of Art and History

11. June 25, 2026, Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest

TO BE CONTINUED DURING 2026!
5 more months to add to my list! 

2026 March 5 Mohs Surgery

 

Inquiring minds want to know. So today was just a casual day of spa treatment, if your spa specializes in Mohs surgery on your shin! I told the doctor, "While you're in there, could you also fix a few wrinkles and maybe tighten a knee?"  Apparently, that's not included int he package😂and neither is the complimentary leg/foot message!  But seriously, I was in very good hands and grateful for a skilled surgeon who knew how to take care of business. He got that little booger (SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA_, and margins cleared on his first attempt! Now, to keep my leg elevated for a few days until I get to the wound center. If you see me limping around a little, just know it's my new excuse for extra sympathy, snacks, and absolutely no housework for a few days. 

 March 27th.........There is a BIG difference between "waiting" and "quietly waiting" with a peaceful heart, and let me tell you, I have not always been nailing the "peaceful" part! Being sidelined from just about everything I love doing since March 5th (Honestly, since Nov 19th with that fractured wrist.... that's 129 days, but who's counting?) has given me plenty of "practice." And by "practice," I mean opportunities to sigh dramatically and check the calendar again. 

Let's be real.  WAITING is hard. Sometimes it feels like the hardest work we do, especially when it involves sitting still with your leg propped up. This whole "cooped up and elevated" situation has my patience under construction! 

So, for today, I'm choosing to lean into the "quietly waiting" with a little more grace and maybe a little less dramatic sighing. For today, I'm finding peace right here! 

2025 Nov 19~ Breaking News-Broken Wrist

And just like that....

In the blink of a nanosecond, I broke my wrist playing pickleball.

Seriously...November 19th?! Right before Thanksgiving and Christmas? Who scheduled that?

The diagnosis:  

Soft cast: 3 weeks

Hard cast 3-4 weeks

King Ron:  Full-time chauffeur, chef, housekeeper, hair stylist, package opener, and professional "Can you help me?" responder. 

On the bright side...I always wanted a personal assistant. I just didn't realize it would take a broken wrist to get one! 

Who knew that I would need a complete change in my wardrobe..... just to get dressed! It's cold in November, and I needed warm clothes and a coat that would fit over this bulky cast! Cutting the seams in favorite sweatshirts emotionally hurt me! Let's not talk about the inability to tie my own shoes!!! Thank you, Sketchers slip-ins and knit pants...... and capes! 

Fast forward to Thanksgiving....... at least I tried to keep my sense of humor.

December 15th ..... I gained my Christmas RED CAST! Yes, a short-sleeved man's shirt for ease of getting dressed! 

December 24, 2025..... A holiday update from your favorite one-armed Christmas ornament: my fractured left arm is now sporting a bright red cast with actual glowing lights. I'm basically a festive traffic hazard at this point! Cooking? Nope. Cleaning? Not a chance. Wrapping presents? Only if you enjoy the "blindfolded toddler' aesthetic. Meanwhile, King Ron has stepped fully into his royal duties--chauffeur, chef, gift-wrapper, and official keeper of the extension cord that powers my arm. The man deserves a crown and maybe hazard pay. If you see me glowing across the room, don't worry. It's just my cast, or King Ron plugging me in again! 

2025 October 23 ~ Comet Lemmon

 Tonight's spectacular find:  COMET LEMON

I'm a little late to the Comet Lemmon sighting, and tonight's clouds rolling in didn't help. Thanks, Glen Mitchell, for helping me tract it down. 

This one was a doozie to find! 

The waxing crescent moon added a sweet touch to our Bent Mountain adventure tonight! 

#NewToMeAt77

2025 October 6, Mineral Moon

Well...............this is certainly a NEW TO ME LEARNING EXPERIENCE. I also added a little bit of knowledge to my noggin! 😉

A Mineral Moon is a highly processed image of the moon that shows its surface colors caused by different minerals. These colors come from mineral like iron, titanium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, and calcium.  

"Mineralizing the moon" in photos is a technique used by astrophotographers to reveal and enhance the subtle, natural colors on the lunar surface, which correspond to the presence of different minerals. While the moon appears mostly gray to the naked eye, its surface contains a variety of mineral that reflect sunlight in different ways." 

• Blue tones often indicate areas rich in titanium and iron. The dark, volcanic plains known as maria are often rich in titanium.
• Brown and orange tones typically point to areas with lower titanium and higher iron content, usually found in the older lunar highlands.
• Lighter, whiter, or gray areas correspond to the lighter, newer impact craters and highland areas that are more exposed to sunlight. 

 

• The October 5th breathtaking spectacle......the Harvest Supermoon:
  
  
  
  
   

2025 September 13 Roanoke Symphony Orchestra

 Music for the soul---Thank you Maestro David Stewart Wiley and the talented Roanoke Symphony Orchestra for an unforgettable right of music under the stars.

Hands down, one of my favorite concerts for the year! 

Record Crowd!