The Friday Five Good Things

 Five good things that happened this week

1. Friday take-out lunch is getting to be a habit

2. The new lights for the bathroom arrived.

3. So grateful someone on the town Facebook site posted the town hall would be opening this week. It was a reminder that I had forgotten to pay the real estate tax due 5/3. Also grateful can pay the bill online and avoided late fees

4. All the light fixtures are in and the electrician said he'd be able to come by this week to install the lights in the bathroom, fan light in the shower, figure out why the office light flickers, install new led lights in the basement. He arrived the following day and did all the work in one day!

5. The Eldest sent me a Mother's Day gift

How was your week?

PS for Iris. Look! Two of Henry's cousins!

Concertina Book, Card, or Album

 

The Grand-niece turned 3 years old last month, and I needed a card. I had the fixings for a concertina book from a kit I purchased from Dick Blick (I think). The concertina book is one of the simplest book structures to make and can be made into any size you want.

The kit makes tiny books. 2 1/4 in. x 1 1/2 in. The paper strip measures 2 in. x 15 in.-ish and is pre-scored to fold at 1 1/2 in. intervals. The kit came with pre-cut cardboard cover and 3 in. square origami paper to cover the cardboard.

Since I wanted the book to close, I glued ribbon under the cover pages.

There were 8 pages to fill.

A portion of a flower stencil was used on the verso page along with her age and a picture on the recto page of her at that age

made a sweet countdown to

the birthday wish.

Wordy Wednesday

 

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T Stands for Happy Mail and a Cuppa

 From Nan, a wonderfully flourished envelope and a sweet card.

The sentiment on the card: I really really wish you lived down the street with a picture of two coffee/tea mugs.

Nan, I wish we lived closer, too. Hopefully, it won't be long before we can get together in person for that cuppa.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

For The Hitchhikers

 

How Does Your Garden Grow?

 

Lily of the valley pips poking up through the violets

The male cardinal was keeping an eye on me as I walked around the yard

Hosta

Little grape hyacinths

Himself's birthday month flag

Daffodil trumpets the petals have dried up

Buds on the snowball bush

Two-toned daffodils

a sunny dandelion

The cardinal had flown high up into the tree. Watching me and singing, to it, to it, to it, purdy, purdy, purdy Perhaps a warning to his mate in the nest in the honeysuckle vine

Late afternoon and this dandelion is going to sleep

She's hard to see, but the female cardinal is sitting in the nest

The Japanese maple is leafing out

as is the swamp maple

foggy morning

The bunny enjoys the grass over the septic tank

Mr. and Mrs. Goldfinch at the feeder.

How does your garden grow?

Saturday Morning at the Library

 When I was 5 years old, I was forced to take dancing lessons while the Brother was forced to take accordion lessons. I hated dancing class. The Knights of Columbus Hall where the classes were given had no heat or it wasn't turned on. I hated wearing the pink beginner tights. I liked clacking around in the tap shoes, but Ma wouldn't let me practice inside the house on the wood floors. I spent most of my time in class being miserable and crying. Eventually, I was taken out of class.

While the Brother still had to endure accordion lessons, Dad took me to the library. He would leave me upstairs in the children's library where I could look at the books and choose to take some books home with my own library card. As I got older, I would go downstairs to the adult library and wander among the stacks enjoying the scent of the books before going to find Dad in the reference area consulting the law books and catching up on his work.

So for the next several weeks, a list of my favorite books, some I have read as a child, others as an adult and some  I have read more than once.

The Wicked Day

Mary Stewart

This is book 4 of the Arthurian Cycle. If you haven't read this book, you can find it at your local library or favorite bookstore.