Wordless Wednesday

Phew!

Custer State Park

South Dakota

Road Trip 2013

Unintentional Bloggy Break

Yes, I'm still here! It's been over two weeks since my last post. Yikes! This is definitely the longest bloggy break I've taken without some sort of an announcement. I hope you haven't all given up on me.

I've been busy with work (back to my regular 7-2 schedule, although next week I'll be working 7-3), gardening, entertaining, and another road trip. We were in St. Louis for several days in April and hit the road again over Memorial Day weekend, taking the motorcycle and MiniCooper out to Broken Bow (located in the Nebraska Sandhills). I've been busy with all the photos I shot on both trips, posting a daily shot on my photoblog.

But what have I been reading, you ask? Nothing!! I finished one book in May. Yep, you read that right. Just one! However, remember that long to-do list I posted earlier? Well, I've accomplished quite a bit, which of course makes me very happy.

Wash the front porch and deck (which are both covered in a lovely layer of fine, yellow pollen) Did it!

Wash the cars My sweet husband took care of this for me.

Wash the windows (I'm willing to skip the ones that nobody but us looks out) Still needs to be done.

Paint the guest room and my office (This has been on my list for a few years now and every spring I say, this is the year!) Calling about this tomorrow.

Buy annuals and replacement perennials for flower beds and pots on deck. Plant them! Almost finished!

Tackle the weeding before it gets out of hand. (Too late!) Now I just need to stay on top of them.

Get the carpets cleaned. Done!

Schedule A/C tune-up before the heat & humidity arrive. Done!

Continue sorting and posting photos recently shot on a couple of trips to Missouri. On-going processing, especially now that I've added another set of photos to the mix!

Store all the winter clothing and gear that was tossed into a big pile in the basement over a month ago. Oops. Forgot all about this.

Start brushing Annie on a regular basis. She's beginning to blow her winter coat and we're back to dealing with all that beautiful dog hair. On-going chore.

Start using the Swiss exercise ball I bought over a month ago (and have only used once!). Thank goodness I decided to get that rather than a Wii Fit. I'm only out $25 if it doesn't get used as often as it should. Hmmmm. Maybe tomorrow...

Post new recipes on my food blog. It's been neglected for far too long and I really want to try this recipe. Hmmm. Maybe today?

Read more! I'm still reading the same book I started two weeks ago. It's not long or involved. I'm just too busy (or tired) to read more than a few pages every night. I'm trying! I've got a couple of books going right now, but gave up on a couple that weren't holding my interest.

Post my monthly summary for April! We're almost halfway through May, for heaven's sakes. And now it's time for May's!

So, I'm almost ready to settle down and enjoy the summer with lots of good books. And get out on the lake in my kayak. And spend some time floating in a pool. And ride my bike. Guess I really do need more hours in my day.

Oh, and did I happen to mention a particular book signing I plan to attend next weekend? My favorite biker/car-washer/editorial dude is participating in a local author event at my Barnes & Noble from 2-4 on Saturday. Should be great fun! Stay tuned for photos of that exciting event!

Catching Up...

First off, I want to thank everyone for all the comments this past week. I have finally responded to each and every one and hope that you'll all go back to the various blog entries and see my answers. I don't know about the rest of you, but not only do I make an effort to respond to all the comments, but I usually check back on the blogs I've commented on to see if the blogger has responded with a question for me. No wonder I'm falling further and further behind!

To answer everyone's question about Item #2 on the recent meme... PK stands for "preacher's kid". Bellezza was the closest. Both my dad and his dad are/were Episcopalian priests. So there you have it!

Hmmm, what else. So far only Booklogged has inquired about the free copy of The Birth House. Unless I hear from someone else by Friday afternoon, it looks like it'll be hers.

I commented somewhere (Bookfool or Bellezza's blog) about a recent new toy and finally have some pictures to share. I can't tell you how excited I am about this. My husband has a new motorcycle...

and I have...

A kayak!! It's 9 1/2 feet long and weighs about 38 lbs.

Great upper-body workout!

My wonderful husband helped me load it on top of the XTerra, packed up his fishing gear, and off we went. I paddled around Holmes Lake for about 1 1/2 hours while he fished and read his motorcycle cruising magazine. It couldn't have been a more lovely day. The sun was shining, the fish were jumping, ducks were hanging out in the inlets, and I saw a gorgeous blue heron fly right past my bow. Definitely need to take the camera next time out!

Here's to a beautiful summer!

*Click on the pictures for full-size views.