Summer is here!

Here is a lovely picture of Italy? sent to me by my daughter (see Da Koch Blog). She asked me if I could water these flowers:
"Hi! I need a small favour... If it's not too much trouble.I am going away on holiday and I need someone to come over to water my plants while I am gone. In the hot weather they'll probably need water twice a day. Thanks a lot. I've attached a photo for your reference.

By the way, THE LADDER IS IN THE GARAGE"

Feeling that this is beyond my abilities at this time (mostly because I don't have a long enough hose and ...where is the water outlet anyway?!!), I have forwarded her request for help in keeping these plants from being thirsty...to many friends. Well the replies have ranged from "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" ......."You had better pray for rain!!!" ... "Unbelievable!"... to...... "Love it! Sign us up. No favour is too much to ask; no problem."

To all my dear friends and dear family, I think Laura and Ryan have given up this home and have a modest new one now with only a baby, a few plants....and a cat (that's another story).

Summer is here and holidays are approaching. Yippee! Bring it on!!!!!

Report cards are done..... hey it's sunny outside!

My report cards are done and the world looks like a better...sunnier...lighter place to be.....although there are nagging thoughts. Nope, just sent them away! Sometimes, even when they are finished, I continue to think such things as "was that mark the right mark to give that student?" Then I look back at the marks and their work and realize that the mark is right. So ...NOPE... Nagging thoughts are, in reality, slowly dissipating.

Now is the quiet moment of rest of this morning....the buzz of activities has drifted away to the backyard, to the side streets where granddaughter and T are cycling off to do errands. The dogs have finally stretched out in the livingroom having their morning siesta and quiet has descended. It also helps that I have just put down the violin I was practising on. A couple of more minutes....then...soon I'll be up and out of here like a shot, taking my dear senior aunt off on a shopping excursion, bustling through Safeway and gliding gently but purposefully through the streets from home to store to store? to home.

Ah, my lovely moments of quiet and thought are about to switch into action......

Okay, I'm off! I've got to include a picture next time. Tah tah!!

England...here we come.....

So the truth of the title is that - yes!- we (my man and I) are heading for England and Scotland in the first part of July. I am dreaming of this right now because ....I have 26 report cards to write and I'm procrastinating.

I have been doing a little research about England and I was interested in looking at the Lake District and specifically Kenton...where some of my ancestors lived a few centuries ago.

I came upon a website that united this research with my love and joy of music. I've always thought and said...."let's not try to be normal, let's be ourselves...who we really are, who we were meant to be." I think I've discovered a certain "joy of life" in the Cumbrian countryside that reminds me of .......

www.golakes.co.uk/baarmysheep/

Anyway...it's just plain fun!!!