June 28, 2018 A Week With Wyatt

If I had known grandchildren were this much fun, I would have had them first!
There is nothing like a grandchild to put a smile on your face, a lump in your throat and a warm feeling in your heart.
For 10 days in June, we had the pleasure of sharing our grandson with his other set of grandparents. I'm pretty sure I know why his parents refer to him as #WYATTTHERIOT.

He's funny, smart, active, and asks "WHY'' at least 100 times a day.
And look at that sweet, innocent face.

We slept when he napped, and ate when he ate, and boy could he eat!

Grandchildren give us a second chance to do things better, because they bring out the best in us. One morning, before we left for school, Wyatt told us that school was CLOSED! hahahaha

Our "normal" world came to a halt.... not much time for coffee, internet, TV, or reading.
BUT the rewards for having Wyatt for the week were PRICELESS.

There was NEVER a dull, unaccountable moment!
Our old tree house lives on to keep more secrets!

Wyatttheriot's parents texted often, while on their trip, as this was their first time handing over their precious cargo for this amount of time.

Night time/bed time was not a piece of cake, but we tried to made it fun!

And sometimes, he made it fun for us!

Trust me, Curious George has NOTHING on WYATTTHERIOT!

The rock painting was a hit!


























And at the end of the day, the hugs, kisses, and "I LOVE YOU PAPA and KK" melted our hearts!
Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your life #WYATTTHERIOT.
You make our lives JOYOUS!
We also managed to keep their chickens and cat alive!!!!!

FACT: An hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again.
FACT: Grandchildren are the only people who can get more out of you than the IRS.
FACT: We may not be rich and famous, but our grandchildren are priceless!
FACT:  Grandparenting..... the ultimate exreme sport.

June 18, 2018 Keeping My Cool While Crossing Bridges

Yes, it is H.O.T. outside today.
And yes, I'm trying to stay cool.
Or...... perhaps I am trying to KEEP my cool😂😂😂
➼Good words cool more than cold water.
➼Keep a cool head and maintain a low profile.
➼Keep cool; Anger is not an argument.
➼It's cool to be different and just be who you are.
➼Every time you get upset, it drains your emotional energy. Losing your cool makes you tired and messes with your health.
Today Ron and I 'kept our cool' by riding our bicycles.
Temperatures ranged from 91 to 100 degrees.
The ROANOKE VALLEY GREENWAYS never disappoints.

Yes, it was hot, but the breeze from biking, hit us in the face. We stopped several times, in the shade, and carried an abundance of water.

My mind was filled with a jumbled assortment of activities and events from the past few weeks/months. Biking and walking on the Greenway are, indeed, the best and quickest way for me to clear my head, solve the world's problems, and renew my strength.
 As we crossed over and under bridges and more bridges, I was reminded of familiar quotes about bridges:
➼ You won't really know what's on the other side until you cross over.
➼ Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.
➼ Mistakes are the usual bridge between inexperience and wisdom.

➼ Sometimes the bridges that are hardest to cross lead to the most magical places.

➼ It is up to us if we are a prisoner of our past or a guardian of our future. It is our bridge to cross
Today, we kept our cool, crossed bridges, and soak up a few breath-taking streams.

May 26, 2017 URBAN GARDENING UPDATE

May 26, 2017
If today is any indication of the future success of our back/front yard gardening, I'd have to say WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP!

One of 3 fig trees!

The figs are already numerous, and soon we will need to put a netting around them to keep the deer from devouring my pick-and-eat FAVORITE fruit!

Tomato plants 

Tomato plants have been 'tied-up' once, as the stems are bigger and stronger than ever!
The rain that has fallen so far, has been good.

Front yard horseradish 

OK, so we grow food, instead of flowers..... and yes, the horseradish is grown in our front yard! Also in our front yard, we are growing onions, and green peppers!

We have a few plants/vegetables that have been planted in containers on our deck.😃

Sunflowers, and cucumbers 

Oregano, mint, sweet basil,  rosemary, sage, and cilantro are planted in beds next to the house.
Earlier in the month I posted this photo to Instagram... 👇 lettuce, kale, onions, tomatoes, beans.

Nothing beats the taste of fresh-picked fruits and vegetables. Gardening is a family activity that is a great way to teach the 'grands' that food doesn't always come from a store. It's going to be a great urban gardening season...... I KNOW 😃😃😃

April 21, 2018 Blue Ridge Marathon

What a day!
Walter conquers the full marathon.
Lauren completes her 8th 1/2 marathon.
Stephanie runs her first 1/2 marathon.
The Blue Ridge Marathon puts on another spectacular event.
Photos below are in no order.
Many photos were taken by Andrew, as well as me!

Until next year!

April 4, 2018 Hurrah for scanning technology!

"RETREAT" 1956 Potomac River

Walter J. Sharpley on "RETREAT" 1954

Ron's Grandfather, Walter J Sharpley, owned and lived on a boat named "RETREAT".
His boat was docked at Capitol Yacht Club

Ron's Mom, and Ron

Ron on "RETREAT" 

The first 2 photos shown, were scanned today.
Each took less than a second to scan!
The 2 photos are  different sizes (5x7 and 3 1/2 x5)
The second 2 photos were slides that were scanned, and saved.
In early February of this year, our process of saving photos for the next generation began. We viewed a few thousand slides, eliminating many and saving what we thought was important! Click here to view my blog that began this task → VINTAGE SLIDES
DONE
Next project:  Figure out the best possible way to preserve the closet full of photos.
WHAT A MESS!

I was successful in making the scanner work on my old HP All-in-one printer, scanner, copier. Although it was slow, it worked.
The quality was not what I wanted........ by a long shot!
The research began... from having the job shipped out, to taking FOREVER to do, to getting a scanner. I bit the bullet, sold some items, saved my pennies, and  purchased  a scanner.
The quality is excellent, the speed is FAST.
In less than a second, this was scanned and loaded to my computer files:

Mom, Me, Dad..... a very long time ago 💓

HURRAH for scanning technology!
In less than a second, this was scanned and loaded to my computer files:

Dad, Me, Mom....... a very long time ago💓

Today, I'm a happy scanner!
Let the scanning begin.
Only several thousand more photos to go!!!
😮
PS. Click here for info on the scanner that I purchased ➔ SCANNER