Lovely Thoughtful People

When we arrive in Berlin following the plane trip from Frankfurt, we will be meeting some German people that we know only through Internet contact via email. About four years ago, My Special Man was contacted by them in regards to doing genealogy research on their surname. To our knowledge, there is very little available in any published manner. Due to life circumstances and hardships, only a very limited amount of email contact followed. But, now since My Special Man has invited me to be with him on this trip to Germany that he started planning last September before we starting seeing each other, I also will have the pleasure of being a guest of these very thoughtful people.

This trip has been planned without the aid of tour groups and we will be visiting many different places throughout Germany that are familiar to My Special Man because of his previous professional life experiences.

The following email message was received this morning from the folks in Berlin. 

Dear ---- and dear ----,

soon you will start to your Germany trip. If it is agreeable for you, we
would help you to get to know Berlin, because we assume, that you will not
travel in a tourist party. One day before you will arrive in Berlin we will

deposit Berlin information material (in English) at the reception of your

hotel. So you can choose for instance Sightseeing by bus, Boat tours under

the bridges of Berlin, a visit to Charlottenburg Palace etc.

Unfortunately we are not able to drive a car in the city. We use tram, bus,
city-train (S-Bahn) or the subway (underground). Few minutes distant of your

hotel there is the subway station "Frankfurter Tor". Is it a problem for

you?

When you will go by train to München? Do you know that journey
Berlin-München takes 6 or 7 hours?

Sincerely

Does it get any nicer than that?

I cannot tell you how grateful I feel to have met My Special Man at this time in my life, especially after being single for so many years. We are having a grand time together and taking good care of each other. What a blessing!

I hope you are having a Great Day filled with many blessings.

Victory Celebration

Yesterday, following church services we enjoyed a great brunch at a favorite restaurant on the golf course. No doubt about it, I am becoming very spoiled.  Then,  - - - - - - -

In the afternoon we attended a lovely Victory Celebration at the Regional Hospital Cancer Center.

 

My Special Man is a five-year survivor and has done exceptionally well following surgery for a self-contained tumor followed by chemotherapy. Such a blessing!

This little sachet is filled with wildflower "Seeds of Hope" that we will be planting near the dining room window with hopes that they will grow and we can enjoy them from the dining room.

I hope all of you had a nice weekend and cherished your loved ones.

May Flowers

Oh, how I love this picture. It brings back a lot of memories of when I had my red bicycle and was able to ride it!

Look at these flowers. They just keep a comin' and it is so wonderful. I love this time of year. Every day brings something new in the garden. Walking through the garden to see what new flower has started to show its spring birth is one of my favorite things that I look forward to each day. This time of year seems to always present lovely surprises!

Enjoy!

Yum-Yum

A week or so ago, we had a meal at Red Lobster. Apparently their Cheddar Biscuits are a favorite of My Special Man. So, since a couple of friends are coming over for a little soup supper tonight, I thought I would bake a little surprise. I found the "top secret recipe" on the Internet - where else would I look? : )  I think they turned out great. They are very simple to make.

CHEDDAR BISCUITS
Ingredients:

2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix

¾ cup cold whole milk

4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese

Bush on Top:

2 tablespoons butter, melted

¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes

½ teaspoon garlic powder

pinch salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.

4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.

I think they will go nicely with the Lentil Sausage Soup that I am defrosting that I prepared a couple weeks ago.

Stop by - we'll save some for you.

I Can See Clearly Now

Today I picked up my new eyeglasses. It makes me so happy to have glasses with two lenses instead of only one. See  http://everydaydelight09.blogspot.com/2010/04/where-did-it-go.html for a little history. I can see very well without eyeglasses for distance but, I have become totally annoyed with trying to see close-up. Thank goodness I no longer have to deal with all these different pairs of glasses!

My new glasses give a sharper distance vision and perfect close vision. I am so happy.

The shape is a little more rectangle instead of oval. And, the lower half is frameless. It will be a nice change.

Perhaps, after I return from my trip in June, I will order prescription sun glasses. That would be a good thing.

Hope you are seeing clearly today and it is a beautiful day.

Last Saturday Shopping

As you know, I have been working out in the garden this past week. And, I decided that I needed a new iron lattice for my Sweet Autumn Clematis to travel on.  I pruned it very severely and now it is growing "like topsy".  The plant is planted about four feet from the fence and needs some support to trail on to get to the fence. This is a photo of it vining on the fence last year. 

So off we went to an exceptionally nice nursery that has lots and lots of garden iron work, as well as, beautiful nursery stock.

We were there a few days ago and I saw what I thought would be a good piece of iron work. But, I wanted to take measurements before purchasing. It is not fancy in the least bit. It measures 6 feet by 2 feet  and I have leaned it against the fence at an angle. Basically, it is a very functional sturdy piece of iron work that will provide good support for a robust clematis that will start blooming in later summer /fall.  I anticipate that it will be totally covered with the clematis (which won't take long at the rate is has grown in the last few days) and the neighbors propane tank, etc. will be nicely camouflaged.

Also, it looks like the Simplon Oriental Lilies will be blooming as soon as the weather gets warmer. The Star Jasmine on the fence was a bit traumatized by all the snow we have had this winter/spring. But, I am hopeful that it will start sending out new growth, soon. Usually the clematis intertwines in the white jasmine flowering vine and provides a nice backdrop for all of the other white flowers in my specialty garden. We may be getting more rain today.

Wishing you warm and sunny days.  

Mother's Day On The Mountain Top

Following church services last week when we were having brunch with our friends, the men decided to prepare Mother's Day Brunch.  And, that is exactly what they did to celebrate the Mothers.We gathered at the lovely mountain top home of the daughter and son-in-law of the friends that usually host our Sunday Brunch if we don't all go to a restaurant at the golf course. This time there were many more guests including more relatives and close friends of the host.

It was a day with forecast for light rain but we were able to celebrate in the beautiful outdoor kitchen and surrounding areas. The kitchen is outstanding with all the amenities you could want.  And, the view from the mountain top was fabulous. My Special Man provided a large beef tenderloin for the host to prepare along with the chicken that was served.  All of the food including the great pies were delicious.  And, I enjoyed all of the friends so very much. Our men really treated all the Mother's in a fantastic way! ! !

My Special Man made sure that my Mother's Day was as special as it could be, especially since my adult children have not been available to me for quite some time. I am being so blessed with this beautiful new chapter in my life. It still seems like a dream at times. And, I am grateful for every minute that we share together!

Well, now let me show you a few photos - - - - and remember if you click the photo it will enlarge. 

The view from the top.

Gorgeous home.

The host, his wife and uncle in the outdoor kitchen.

Impressive large wood beam architecture.

Outstanding crafted cutting board made by the brother-in-law of the host. 

Propane Fire Pit.

Lovely swimming pool and lots of seating.

Putting green and conveniently located restroom.

Horseshoe pit just above the lawn and kitchen.

The view from the mountain top of my home.

 This little one is learning to crawl up steps and was the youngest of the group. Look at the seat of his cute little overalls with its dirty spot from scooting on the cement! Actually, he lives in this beautiful home.

The End.

I hope all Mother's had an especially Wonderful day.

Happy Mother's Day To All Mothers

I am sending Mother's Day wishes far and wide to all mothers whether or not your children are close geographically and/or emotionally. You are beautiful as a Mother! 

Do You Speak Dog

These dogs clearly have a language of their own. May I introduce you to Hanz, a Schnauzer who belongs to My Special Man. Hanz and my Lily have become very good friends. And, they can be very entertaining. After we ate dinner last night, I gave each of the dogs a chew bone to settle them down so we could sit, relax and watch a little TV. They played "yours is better than mine" for about five minutes until they actually traded bones and continued to merrily chew away until they completed eating them. Now, don't you think they have conflict resolution skills pretty well perfected?

They have been referred to as "The Lady and The Tramp" by our friends.  For the most part, Lily is quite "the lady" and when it comes to Hanz, he  is the robust "man of the universe".  However, he has a few idiosyncrasies like not going through a door unless it is open enough for his whole body to go through.  Go - figure. But, - - - - - Lily is perfect.  Now, wait a minute. What about how she runs like a dart to explore the neighborhood if she can get out of the fenced yard.

This is when they were "negotiating" the exchange!

Let's make up and kiss! OK.

Take care of your self and your dog. They bring so much joy to our lives.