And so, the three day weekend winds down.
Three days spend enjoying family and friends and fireworks...good food...good books...a nap or three...basking and relaxing :)
And underscoring that instead of endless wants and "got-to-haves" maybe we need to take a good look around ourselves and take a minute to appreciate all the wonderful people and things that surround us.
Lost a friend over the holiday weekend.
Tess (...of dubious crazy cat lady fame...and second home to my cheating feline, Tucker...) passed away at 56. A massive MI after making it home from surgery only days before. Enfolding Ryan now, her son...Chris' age. The two of them pulled together Bill's Musical Memorial years ago.
And so...while the rest of the world was busy enjoying their BBQ's and fireworks...Ryan was dealing with the aftermath...and shock...and "what-do-I-do-now?" of losing his Mother.
RIP, Tess.
I may take in Lovey, one of her "ferals" she fixed and worked with for years. Eventually taming to the point of it following her everywhere, devotedly. Sat outside this morning watching the sunrise with a lapful of Tucker, and saw Lovey sitting rather lost on a picnic table near Tess' silent apartment.
I will miss her. A lot.
During our 4th of July Weekend Pursuit of Happiness
I was introduced to this by Chris during a trek into Avon. Not just a "hamburger joint" but an Adventure! Featuring a burger that looks exactly like the photograph and is literally too large to get your mouth around...and a small grocery sack topped off with fresh hand cut fries...with touch-screen drinks and any flavouring you wish to add. (...I tried a Fanta Orange mixed with vanilla flavouring immediately turning it into an ice cold liquid Dreamcicle..) A bit on the pricey side as fast food goes...but worth every penny!
"Burger-gasm!"
Try it, yourself :)
Baked a huge Pineapple Upside Down Cake on Friday and quartered it to share with Rita, Tommy and Sue. Tommy bringing me over a half of an ice cold watermelon only the day before. Reminiscent of past holidays in The Rose Cottage when Sandy, Margaret and Ken and I would gather in the middle to share samples of our feast.
Saturday's morning bask, made even better by the new MJ Rose (Author of The Reincarnationist) novel:
The Collector of Dying Breaths
Continuing the saga of the E'toile fragrance family. Revisiting old characters (Malachi, Jac, Robbie and Griffen) as well as introducing interesting new ones (Serge and Melione) Since a great deal of this relies on the back-story...this book does not stand alone well. They work best when read in the order written. Discovered MJ Rose last summer. Not Tolstoy, but definitely captivating summer reading.
The Collector deals with two stories. The Present (Jac's life now) and a medieval perfumer/alchemist for the court of Queen Catherine Medici. Quickly paced. Well researched. Historical fiction. Nicely brought together at the end enmeshing the past and present lives. If you have ever considered reincarnation or already believe in past lives, this is the series for you!
Well worth the read.
A bit of rain now...cooling things off and reminding me that the weekend "carriage of excess" is slowly resuming its "pumpkin like" status. Clearing the leftovers, catching up the laundry, answering the e-mail and planning for the upcoming week. Monday may be a day of Fasting, Reflection and Silence.
Thanks guys, for a wonderful 4th!
