friday 5

Gang aft agley

1. When did you last plan a special gathering or event? my sisters and I organized an open house retirement party for my dad after 72 years of playing the church organ
2. How do you rate yourself as an organizer of activities? I rate myself highly
3. When did you plan something and then say, “Never again!” a surprise party
4. When were you especially impressed by someone else’s planning for a special event? I'm always impressed by other people's planning
5. When have you recently experienced a sudden change of plans?  just today!

three on thursday

 

1)  My Pennsylvania sister spent the day decluttering and reorganizing my living room--it's so nice!  We still have one corner to tackle and possibly do some painting, but new curtains are hung and there are significantly fewer books and CDs.

2)  Tomorrow my local sister and Pennsylvania sister and I are going to Central Maine for the day.  Should be an interesting trip.

3)  I'm quite excited for my Virginia sister, her husband, and eldest daughter and her boyfriend to arrive Saturday night.

wordless wednesday

 

ten things tuesday

 

1) My favorite fall food and drink--freshly pressed apple cider and crisp apples.  Lately, I've been enjoying Zestar and Honeycrisp apples.

2) I'm turning over my living room to my Pennsylvania sister.  She's going to redo it.  A complete declutter, rearrange, and possibly paint.  I'm having a lot of anxiety.

3) Ambivert leaning toward introvert, outwardly calm, a joiner (I love being part of a group), diplomatic, independent, nice, and smart.

4) Decluttered.

5) I found a Mary Poppins costume and think that would be jolly good fun.

6)  Fall foliage.

7)  All the rich shades of orange remind me of fall.

8)  Courtesy of BardAI:

Falling leaves dance down,

A symphony of colors, Nature's grand finale.

9) By the end of the year I want to... declutter my kitchen.

10) I love regular iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts. I love Constant Comment tea. I typically have cream and sugar in coffee but drink tea black.

finished reading

While I liked the mystery, even though there is a plot knot to untangle, I think I like the characters even more.  Siobhán O’Sullivan is such a well-developed character, I just love her quirks.  And the O'Sullivan six are a hoot.

From the publisher:

If only her mother could be here! The entire O'Sullivan brood--not to mention the regulars from Naomi's Bistro--have gathered at St. Mary's Church for the wedding of Siobhán and Macdara. It's not every day you see two garda marrying each other. Only Siobhán's brother James is missing. They can't start without him.

But when James finally comes racing in, he's covered in dirt and babbling he's found a human skeleton in the old slurry pit at the farmhouse. What farmhouse? Macdara sheepishly admits he was saving it as a wedding surprise: he purchased an abandoned dairy farm. Duty calls, so the engaged garda decide to put the wedding on hold to investigate.

James leads them to a skeleton clothed in rags that resemble a tattered tuxedo. As an elderly neighbor approaches, she cries out that these must be the remains of her one true love who never showed up on their wedding day, fifty years ago. The garda have a cold case on their hands, which heats up the following day when a fresh corpse appears on top of the bridegroom's bones. With a killer at large, they need to watch their backs--or the nearly wedded couple may be parted by death before they've even taken their vows...

currently

I am...

Reading:  Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck

Listening to:  Murder on an Irish Farm by Carleen O'Connor

Loving:  a few days of vacation to catch my breath

Thinking:  anticipating the arrival of my sisters and family members!

Feeling:  quite excited

Celebrating:  after months of planning, my sisters and I are hosting an open house for my dad's retirement from playing the church organ for 72 years.  He has played for countless masses, weddings, funerals, and other events around the County.  He has touched so many lives with his amazing gift. Sunday is the day and we're ironing out the details.

Grateful for:  spending time with my family

Enjoying:  laughter and memories

Weather:  it is 59° and cloudy

A quote I want to share: 

postsecret

 

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. I like to post one that speaks to me each week.

sunday stealing

 

Click the icon to play along

Swapbot

 1. what you did you do today?  My father retired after 72 years of playing the organ at the Catholic Church--so I went to this last mass and took pictures and sang in the choir

 2.  What are the must-sees in your area? this time of year it's definitely the foliage

 3. What is your favourite quote? "Seeking words of wisdom: let it be"

 4. What was the last thing you cooked or ate? I had an English muffin

 5. What is something you learned from your grandparents? a love of reading--my grandfather was always reading the newspaper and my grandmother was always reading Harlequin romances (she referred to them as "her stories")

 6. What makes you happy? hanging out with my family, road trips, good coffee, comfortable shoes, my friends, laughing

 7. What is your best travel memory? my first solo international trip was empowering--here I was, a young adult from a remote part of the country taking on the busy world of international travel and big city life!

 8. What’s the weather like today? it's a perfect fall day--the sun is warm but the air is crisp

 9. Share an interesting fact that you’ve learned. The London Eye has 32 capsules, but skips #13 so you can go on #33

 10. What is your favourite book, movie or band! I have different favorites in different genres for books and movies--but my favorite band is U2

 11.  Write your favorite poem or haiku? I think I did this / last week and don't want to do / and don't want to now

 12. What is a local festival or tradition from your area? recently it was the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival--and I went on a hot air balloon ride which was such a thrill!

 13. What was the best thing you learned in school? as I'm still in school, as a teacher, the best thing I've learned is to never stop learning

saturday 9

Answer The Phone

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) This song likens a relationship to a roller coaster ride. When did you most recently visit an amusement park? I was at Hershey Park in 2013--I don't recall a more recent amusement park

2) Lead singer Mark McGrath reasons that his girl should answer the phone because he knows she's home. That was decades ago, when most homes still had landlines. Where were you when you took your last call? Were you at home? I was at school and it was the middle of a class--because it was my doctor's office I took the call

3) He remembers the glow of her face when he gave her a rose. Have you recently given or received a gift of flowers or a plant? last weekend I gave my neighbor a bouquet of sunflowers

4) Sugar Ray's debut CD was called Lemonade and Brownies. Crazy Sam admits she'd prefer milk with her brownie. What about you? Does the combination of lemonade and brownies sound good to you? I would prefer iced coffee with a brownie

5) In 2005, Mark McGrath was a guest judge on American Idol. At one time, Idol was the dominant singing competition show. Today, in addition to American Idol, viewers can also watch The Voice and America's Got Talent. Are you a fan of any or all of these shows? I was a faithful fan of Idol until Simon left

6) Sugar Ray is a famous name in boxing circles. Sugar Ray Robinson and  Sugar Ray Leonard were both world championships. Are you a boxing fan? no, although I appreciate the sportsmanship

7) In 2001, when this song was popular, the Leaning Tower of Pisa reopened to the public after more than a decade of renovations. Have you ever been to Italy? If yes, where did you go? If not, is a trip to Italy on your wish list? Italy is definitely on my wish list.  My planned trip to Italy to visit my sister (her husband was stationed at Aviano Air Force Base) was foiled by pulmonary emboli

8) Also in 2001, Liverpool's Speke Airport was renamed John Lennon Airport. Liverpool's is the first airport in the United Kingdom to be named after an individual. Tell us about something in your hometown that is named after someone. My favorite place is the Turner Memorial Library!

9) Random Question: Is the screen on your cell phone cracked? no