Today I’m posting from Tim Horton’s in Dayton, Ohio…or at least a small suburb of that city. They all kind of run together while we are driving around and it’s hard to keep track of where you are. No, I don’t have a coffee, but after a bite of an apple fritter, one would be good. And I mean coffee…black and as strong as you can make it. My daughter purchased this cold stuff…watered down coffee with milk and ice cubes in it. It’s a real pretty color though. Maybe I will do my dining room in it. Just a thought.

So, we have been in Dayton for almost two weeks now. It has been enjoyable to see a state blushing with spring, that is a bit different from Kansas…but I do miss Kansas. I miss my roses starting to bloom as well as my poppies and lilacs. At least the roses will bloom many times over the summer, but not so with the lilacs, and I do adore lilacs!

The weather has been rather gloomy…overcast and humid, not unlike Kansas weather this time of year. So far no tornado watches or warnings that I have been aware of. Probably wouldn’t have mattered too much as we are on the top floor of an apartment, three sets of stairs up. The view from the balcony is wonderful. There is a large lake with a fountain and there are geese and ducks, and an occasional crane. The ducks and geese are caring for babies right now, so it’s been very fun to watch them growing up so quickly. But again, not a great place to be in case of a tornado!

The apartment is also near an air force base and at times there are very big planes flying overhead. One of these woke me up the other night. It was the night there had been storms. Waking suddenly to a very large plane flying very closely overhead when there has been a chance for tornadoes…well, let’s just say I took a moment to ponder the reality of quickly getting three people and a large dog down all those stairs…and I went back to sleep. Standing out in the rain in my night clothes didn’t seem very appealing at two in the morning.

So, as our time here in Ohio nears an end…I am anxious to get back home and to my routine. It’s been different to be someplace else for a while…drive in traffic again…everywhere you go, relate with people that are very different than in Kansas. It’s been wonderful to visit with our second oldest and meet a new member of the family…but home is beckoning me.

Life is all about changes, and experiences. I tend to get stuck in a rut, and I kind of get comfy there. But I jumped out of the puddle for a bit and now I’m ready to return. I’ve spent most of my life in cities, driving in traffic much of the time when I was younger. I really don’t want to go back. I relish my quite, little town and one stop light.

By the way…I really miss my washing machine! Laundromats have not become better over the years…just more expensive. Just a last thought! Enjoy your Friday! I will be…with a doughnut and a hot, black, cup of coffee.

I don’t have a cell phone, and most of the time that is perfectly acceptable to me. There is a huge part of me that loves to leave the house…and not be accessible to anyone. Of course, if my husband is with me, that is not the case. For a while I had a tracfone, which was great in case of an emergency, or to leave a simple message. Please get milk on the way home, Taco Bell for dinner sounds great, etc. If we are on a trip, I will use my husband’s phone to text, or talk to our children…until I get car sick. But generally, I’m not too attached to the cell phone idea.

But today, one would be nice. I’m in the midst of spring cleaning at our house. The first of April and the first of October our house gets a good go-through. Windows and curtains are washed, those awful mini-blinds that collect dust from nowhere are cleaned, bedding is switched from winter flannels and heavy blankets to cottons and light blankets. In the fall it is reversed. Ceiling fans are cleaned and switched to hot or cold weather settings. There is nothing worse than to turn on a ceiling fan that has not moved for several months. Those dust bunnies get the ride of their lives!

So today, I have been washing my kitchen dishes. No, not the ones in the cupboard, but the ones I use to decorate with. Our kitchen is an ivory color and I have blue and white dishes from Cracker Barrel that I have on the walls and shelves. I also have blue and white Currier and Ives dishes from my maternal grandparents. They are special to me because we had Sunday dinner on them. Now they adorn my kitchen. I love cobalt blue and I have several items to accentuate all the other items I just listed.  So, as all those dishes dry on the counter, I am posting this.

Now is when I wish I had a phone…not for the talking, texting aspect, but for the camera. Because who owns a camera anymore? And if you do, you are probably a photographer or a wannabe. Do they even develop film anymore? I would take a picture of my walls and shelves and share them with you. Because when all those dishes are just washed, sparkling, with the light shining through the cobalt…it’s really pretty!

When my husband gets home from work, I will have to borrow his phone. No, I don’t need to make a call, but next time…I will share the pictures with you! Happy Saturday everyone! Get out there and enjoy the day!

P.S. I actually have the above biscuit jar. This one is on Amazon.