A Woman’s Daybook  for  July 21, 2010

Outside my window...it was cool and cloudy this morning, but it has burned off and is a nice, warm summer’s day

I am thinking...Recently, I was driving to work, and came down a hill and around the corner, and the Bay caught my eye.  It reminded me of how blessed I am to live near the water – even if it is a bay and not the ocean proper, and how the smells of the water, the views and vistas, and the fauna that comes from being so near the water are a blessing. I highly recommend a beautiful post about this topic by the lovely Meadowlark

I am thankful for...living near the water, naturally ;)

From the learning rooms...the X-man has to read a book   over the summer and is greatly dreading it. I am half tempted to sit him down and read it out loud to him chapter by chapter, except it looks cheesy and I don’t want to read it either.

From the kitchen...the X-man’s All Star team went to State this past week, and was in Spokane.  While they lost and didn’t continue in the tournament, it was a great honor and experience to be there.  I stopped at a couple of the fruit stands on my way home, but the fruit I wanted to can wasn’t ripe yet (we’ve had such a dreary and wet spring.) The blessing is that our raspberries are just perfect, so once I got back to my neck of the woods, I picked up half a flat and made a batch of raspberry jam.

I am wearing...A favorite J Jill  shirt (and sadly, I looked to see if I could pick it up in different colors, and it doesn’t appear so)  in a light blue, and a skirt of brown with flowers in shades of blue embroidered on it, and a pair of brown Clarks sandals

I am creating...I get to scrapbook with a dear friend tonight for my monthly class. 

I am going...to begin a Read-Along on August 1st of The Wind in the Willows*. Hopefully we can sweet talk the Chocolate Teapot into posting a photo of Graeme's gravestone. 

I am reading...While in Spokane, I got three books read**, and started Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead. So far, it’s very good

I am hoping...that The Oldest is doing well with family in California where he is working on a summer job.

I am hearing...I’ve never really listened to Joni Mitchell, but I’ve been lately on a kick of listening to her You Tubes.  What album would you recommend as an essential Joni? 

Around the house...When we are down to one kid, there are far fewer dishes and laundry. But, alas, I still need to fold the laundry we have accrued. 

One of my favorite things...fresh fruit.

A few plans for the rest of the week...scrapbooking, reading, Hierarchical Liturgy, hopefully canning.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...the X-man at the State Tournament.

 *Grace recommends not buying the annotated version.

**Midwife of the Blue Ridge  by Christine Blevins; 1999 by Morgan Llywelyn, and Olive Kitteridge  by Elizabeth Stout.