Red gold, laughing and sofa time

- Home grown tomatoes are like gold to me and friend and coworker Bobby keeps me supplied when his come in. Here they are at home (with Duke's Mayo - important) and later at work in a sandwich for lunch. So good!

- Coming into work in the morning and the plant manager is standing with Charlone at the small press, telling her some tale that has her in stitches laughing. A lovely sound, her laugh.

- It's been a busy week for activities after work and I decide to forgo the afternoon walk in place of sofa time for Thursday evening. Funniest moment - turning on the TV in time to hear Dr. Phil tell a weeping woman, "This ain't my first time at the rodeo!"

Yay - it's the weekend! I hope yours is wonderful, my friends!

Indoor pool, Go West and 25

- I admire this dog's perseverance and it's something we can all relate to - the HEAT was getting to him. :) Make sure you watch it to the end.

- Niece's husband TS (does that make him my nephew?) is posting all across America on his cross country motorcycle trip with friends. A comment from yesterday: "Today we ride into the Black Hills. Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and winding green roads through rolling hills under blue skies. Theme song of the day is Go West (from Pet Shop Boys)." I like that theme song thing - we should all do that for our day.

- I was one of the winners of the Sunday Quiz over at Fireblossom's blog and got a poem! She asked that I send a topic, but I sent a couple of New York photos taken in May instead and look at the result. Thanks, FB! Check out "25" here.

Special gift, thoughtful and snapshot

- Walking into work after a morning that got off to a rocky start* and stopping by the operations manager's office to say good morning. She smiles and hands me a gift wrapped in tissue paper - something she saw that made her think of me. It was this mug with a verse from the Bible - Psalm 103:5. She said, "This seems so much like you, how you throw your arms up when you're excited and your happy life." A little astounded, I ask her if she knows I write a blog with "Good Things" in the title. She doesn't, which makes it even more astounding.

- A call from friend Leisa making sure I am not sick since I didn't post on Tuesday, leading to a lovely lunch meet up at Highland Bakery in Buckhead. A drippy grilled Vermont cheddar cheese sandwich on rosemary garlic bread with avocado and good catching up.

- An afternoon appointment at the Mission and two ladies chatting out front. "Did you enjoy your weekend at your daughter's?" "Yes, I did and she did all the cooking, except they did want me to make my peach cobbler. So I made a big pan of it." Yummmm. Just the thought of it...

* All is OK - I just wasn't feeling well. I have to say - for a day that didn't start out well, it sure turned out OK. :)

Cerulean blue, sitting up nap and sweet treat

- The chapel and bell tower that overlook the graves of fallen heroes in Milledgeville, Georgia. The sky was a lovely cerulean blue on Saturday.

- Waiting for a repairman to arrive at our family home (up for sale) in my home town. He is late, so I sit in the cushy chair in the living room and put my head back for a sitting-up-nap. It is perfectly quiet except for the faint sound of a lawn mower down the street.

- My sister says, "Have a blonde brownie for me!" And so I do wander into the best bakery in the world where there are blonde and chocolate brownies for sale and my favorite German Nut Bars. Yum.

I will be posting Monday, Wednesday, Friday this week. Cheers!

New shoes, more food and book group

- Being custom fitted for running shoes at this place, at which I found that feet that used to be 8.5 are now 8.5 and 9, respectively. (How did my left foot get larger? A good question, that, but explains the discomfort of my old shoes.) I like how they have water outside for passing runners / walkers and water for passing pets, too.

- A friend tells me over lunch what a huge appetite her college son has and how he is eating up her paycheck while home for the summer. While we are at lunch, he texts her to bring home more chips and salsa. Although she tells this story with an exasperated smile, it's clear that she loves having him home.

- Looking around the cool coffee house at my urban book group and its members present, a graphic artist, an oncology nurse, a furniture builder (this day), a potter, and me, printer girl, and the unique perspective each person brings to the book discussion. It is also interesting to see what each buys to eat or drink: cupcake, cupcake, nothing, hot tea, latte. I'm the latte, but wanted the cupcake. :)

It's Friiiday!!! Yay! Hope your weekend is good!

Bell tower, young chef and teenagers

- It's Random Photo Thursday. My brother-in-law's cook shed on their farm in northern Florida. The bell at the top is from his family's summer lake cabin - they took it with them when the cabin was sold. His late mother used to ring the bell for the boys to come home for dinner when they were out rambling around the lake. Twenty years later, it was located and hung here.

- A mom at last night's potluck telling how the burden of preparing food was lifted by her 15-year-old son, who made the rice and the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies - both perfectly cooked. I think how it will be so valuable for him in life that he knows how to cook.

- A friend sent this explanation for the bird festival in my feeder and planter each night: "It's time for nesting birds to send their young out into the world, some of them for the second time this season. The appearance at our feeders of juveniles of various species is at least entertaining, and certainly educational. Enjoy these "teenagers" as they begin to achieve independence and look for their own apartments!"

Black Forest Trifle, parting company and trolley

- This is one of my sister's Weight Watchers recipes*, made just now at 5:30am! I needed something to take to a potluck tonight and this seemed quick and easy when I did a quick scan of recipes yesterday. It's delicious, too - no one realized it was a diet dessert last time I took it there. It was gone in a flash.

- A woman and a little girl at the grocery store, parting company. "'Bye Mrs. Smith!" "'Bye Anna - see you tomorrow!" (Said with affection.) A teacher and her student, I think, who like each other.

- A trolley car whizzing down Northside Drive in Atlanta marked "City of Danville." I think I really did see that. :)


* Black Forest Trifle

1-(16 oz) Angel Food Cake, cubed

1-(20 oz) can No Sugar Added Cherry Pie Filling

4-(3.5 oz) cups Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding

1-(8 oz) carton frozen fat free Cool Whip, thawed

1/4 cup chocolate curls **

Place half of cake cubes in a 2 quart trifle bowl; spoon half of cherry pie filling
over cake. Spread 2 pudding cups over cherry pie filling and top with half of Cool Whip.
Repeat Layers. Top with chocolate curls. Chill. Yield: 12 one cup servings. 4 points each.

**I used mini chocolate morsels.