Sunday-1:45pm

Since the family visit a week ago yesterday I've been sick with a sore throat/sinus thing.  Might be what Leah had.  I've been meaning to post but this came with a terrible headache and a bone-tiredness for a while there.  Never felt really full-fledged sick-sick, though.  Could still putter about a bit.  The headache was the most annoying--LOL!  Anyways--hello!  And sorry I didn't get back to comments from last post, but know that I appreciate every single one of them.  :)

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I love this picture Kathy got of my mom and great grandson, Ian.

We had such a nice visit.

Left to right is Leah, Ian in his high chair, Dagan, Mom, Blaine (brother), and Kathy (SIL).

It was a cooler day in the upper 60s--quite chilly for Mom, the Floridian.

We gabbed inside, had dinner from Ole and Lena's Pizza Parlor...

...and sat outside around the fire pit after Ian went to bed.  Blaine and Kathy found a box of books of mine--most of them from grade school!!  Got stored at their place years ago (likely by accident) when I had them take boxes of family pictures I was afraid to store in the garage of someplace I lived along the way.    

I'll show you next time.  Oh, and the saw--Leah forgot on our craft night Monday.  I'll explain in a minute, but first I wanted to show you the pictures Kathy sent me of the cottonwood tree Dad and I planted 60 years ago!  We were wondering if it had survived the wind storms in Minneapolis.  They stopped in Fridley on their way home--just to look and take pictures!!

It's the huge one on the right.

Still towering over the neighborhood.  ;)

Blaine and Mom in a cottonwood gaze.

I guess a big branch did come off--hard to see.

But the little sapling against the foundation of the house really took to being planted and watered...and loved.  It still whispers and sings in the wind.  Makes me so happy just to see it is still alive and flourishing.

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Karma's world has been changing.  But she took to the new litter box set-up better than the new throw rug by the patio door--LOL!  Who can figure the Karma mind.  

Caroline told me about the Litter Genie.
Pretty awesome!
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Monday Leah brought her saw...

...and cut out the Karma entrance in a nice big new plastic tub.

I bought a step that is actually used for humans to get in and out of the bathtub.  I figured it wouldn't move around on her--and it doesn't.

With the step in place we were able to cut the hole much higher so that now she doesn't back up and pee over the entry hole--LOL!  And she has plenty of room to dig and dig!

I haven't had to change the bag yet in the Litter Genie Plus, but I really like it so far.
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Monday night Leah helped me finish off taping together some super simple cards. 

You may remember I got some 12 X 12 scrapbooking paper on sale a while back.  Well, if you have a pretty paper and just cut out a piece for the card front, you can get six cards from each sheet!  So now we are all excited to make some easy-peasy cards and as soon as I am able to go out and about we want to hit all the craft stores for paper shopping!!  :)  I am soooo looking forward to that!  Been so very long since Leah and I have been craft shopping.  Could even be going on two years?  

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Yesterday we had a very sudden, violent burst of rain and hail. 

It didn't last that long, but the grass was green and white speckled for a little while...

...and THIS cracked me up!

All that hail came down the drain pipe from off the roof!  Looks like a white ice pyramid!

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Leah sent me pictures of Ian checking out hail.

(It was luchtime.)

Cold!

Well, the headache seems to have finally taken a hike as of yesterday.  I had so much to do that once I got going I couldn't stop!  No lie!  I was up till after 5am this morning!!
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Balanced the checkbook, wrote out bills, worked on the bullet journal and set up the basics till 2017!  Went through the new cookbooks...

...to make a list of ingredients.  Been working on my grocery list for Caroline for September but not finished yet.  Plan to spend more on groceries this coming month so that I can do more experimenting with recipes.  Can I really make something sweet and satisfying without butter, eggs, oil...?  Can I actually give up my coffee...one day...in the distant future?  (That's even more doubtful, isn't it? LOL!)  Success or failure...I'll let you know.  Not jumping into a new way of eating with both feet ever again after that last horrible fiasco.  Just sticking a toe in the water.  :)  
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I figure that if I even became 50% WFPB (whole food plant based) that would be a vast improvement, right?  If I ever made it to Vegan, that would be a miracle in the first place--LOL!  And WFPB is a step beyond Vegan.  Just trying to eat healthier.  Would like to get off of my blood pressure pills and feel better.  I've seen the WFPB diet work for people I know, so that's the motivation to keep heading in that direction.   
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Okay--I do have some McFamily videos and pics from Leah, but this is enough for today.  I was going to make it really short and sweet--just to tell you I've been sick--but can I ever make a short post?  LOL!  Well, you're basically all caught up.  I'm doing laundry and diving back into the food list and recipe books.  Need to climb a stool and inventory my spices.  Busy--busy!!  Even being sick, well--I wasn't as wiped-out-sick as I used to get this past year.  Wasn't even as sick as Leah, I don't think.  (*knock on wood*)  So, that's a real plus.  I even got all caught up on letters owed this week, too.  

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Well, Karma's sleeping in the chair beside me at the kitchen table.  Morning doves are out pecking at the remnant seeds.  Back up into the 80s today, but I was able to have the place opened up for most of the week!!  Fall is definitely in the air.  My favorite time of year.  :)  No matter where you are on this big blue ball the seasons are probably beginning to change.  The world keeps on spinning...and we keep on smiling!!  Have a fabulous week!!  :) :)

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“Love is the substance of all life. Everything is connected in love, absolutely everything.” 

Julia Cameron