Life is difficult

One of the blogs I read is Thrifty at Sixty. It is a well written, interesting blog.  Cindi's husband has recently been diagnosed with cardiac problems at age 59. It is doubtful that he will ever be able to work again. They are neither destitute nor enormously wealthy, but like many, somewhere in the middle. They are facing some difficult changes in life.  Cindi wrote a post about always expecting a catastrophe just around the corner.  I think she was just overwhelmed with the seriousness of her husband's condition and the unknown situation in the future.  I don't live expecting a catastrophe but I think life is difficult. Not just for me, life is difficult in general.  I think everyone has problems that must be dealt with in a reasonable manner.  It makes me treasure the good times and the good people in my life.  It makes me cautious not to take anything for granted. I think once Cindi knows the extent of her husband's cardiac damage and knows what limitations he will live with, she will make plans for handling the changes. I wouldn't want to live constantly expecting catastrophe but I think it is wise to realize that life is difficult.  

August Meditation

"Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."
- Warren Buffett

August Poetry

"Whilst August yet wears her golden crown,
    Ripening fields lush- bright with promise;
Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing
    Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn."
-  Michelle L. Thieme, August's Crown 

Goals for Week of August 28-September 3, 201)

Spiritual
     ABF/Church
     Daily Bible Reading
     Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales 

Physical
     32 oz. water daily
     Salad for lunch
     Exercise DVD 5 times

Quilting - Clean out quilting drawer

Reading
     The Beauty and the Sorrow by Peter Englund
     The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf

Cooking
     Macaroni and Cheese 
     Baked Fish, Carrots/Thyme
     Veggie Soup
     Spaghetti and Meatballs
     Peanut Butter Cookies

Home -- House Cleaners!  Yea!
             Home Depot - Faucet for kitchen sink, non-skid tape, towel rack 

Personal
     Haircut
     Mani/Pedi
     Make vet appointment for Henry
     Fasting blood work for annual physical 

Around OakMeadows

A quilt that I made several years ago. 

We have had a variety of butterflies in the garden this week.  Lovely Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Monarch, Queen, Gulf Fritillary, and an unidentified brown skipper. We've also had several big black and yellow bumblebees on the salvia; they are so heavy that the salvia sags with their weight as they hang on to feed. 

The last of the barn swallows left sometime last week.  Everyone else left two or three weeks ago.  This pair pulled off a late brood and had to wait until the babies were strong enough to make the long flight to Central America.  How I would love to know where my swallows spend the rest of the year!  Speaking of birds, the mockingbirds are feasting on the beauty berries. Thanks to all the rain, we have a bumper crop of beauty berries this year. 

I'm reading The a Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humbolt's New World by Andrea Wulf. So far it is excellent. He is really the father of environmentalism.  He saw and wrote about in the early 1800's the absolute interconnectedness of everything.  I am now reading about his journey in 1800 through what is now Venezuela. Fascinating.

It has been so hot and humid that my rosacea flared up. I had to go in to see the doctor to get a new prescription.  I really didn't want to go in because I have my annual physical appointment at the end of October.  The problem is though that it causes inflammation in my eyes and I couldn't wait 2 more months. So I jumped through the appropriate hoops and got my Rx. It usually takes about a week to start improving. Soothing eye drops in the meanwhile.  

Chewy Coconut Cookies

I had some coconut leftover from making the icing for the German Chocolate cake that I made for my BIL's birthday so I decided to make cookies.  They were delish!

Chewy Coconut Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside. 

In a medium bowl cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. 

Gradually stir in the flour mixture; then add in the coconut. 

Drop dough by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. 

Bake 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted. 

Cool on wire racks. 

Sunday Meditation

"What dreadful hot weather we have! 
It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance."
-  Jane Austen