Taking It Easy

The surgery is over and I look like a freak! Seriously, I look like the loser in a bar-room fight. The bandage covers my whole upper lip and then some! The pain is tolerable, of course Darvocet is helping. Nicole came over last night and we played Dominoes. Today I slept in, but when I woke up to such a beautiful Minnesota day I just knew we couldn't sit inside the house recuperating. John suggested a drive to Duluth and we all thought that was great. We (John, Nicole, Ruby, and me)drove along the north shore all the way to Two Harbors, then had lunch there. After that we drove back to Duluth and walked along the board walk of Canal Park. The pier and drawbridge were beautiful against the Lake Superior backdrop. There were so many sail boats on the lake, but my camera couldn't do justice to the scene. I thought of Travis since he is my little (now big) sailor! One summer our family rented a cabin in Wisconsin. It came with a sailboat, and we hardly heard from Travis the whole week. He was in his glory out on the lake sailing! After walking the boardwalk, we drove up along the Skyline Drive and stopped at Enger Tower. They have absolutely beautiful shade perennial gardens there. We strolled through the gardens and walked up to the tower. I love to look at the water with it's many movements. The scenery of water and rocks was just what I needed. It was a wonderful day and a great diversion while I'm taking it easy!

Prepare Ye

It's the night before my little surgery and I have worked myself into a tizzy! What am I to do with myself? Even though I know it won't help one bit to worry, I'm very good at just that very thing. To relax and prepare myself for the big day, I'm currently sitting in front of the TV with a lemonade in one hand and a bag of M&M's in the other! What do you suppose I am watching?... Pride and Prejudice, of course!! I shall not be vexed any longer! Mr. Darcy is easy on the eye and Mr. Collins provides great laughter. I love the way Mrs. Collins handles her "dear" husband and she admits she is "quite content". Although I find the British of this era very annoying, it would give me "great pleasure" to visit some of the castles in England or Ireland.

Three of my dearest friends gave me a great boost last night. They made a surprise visit and came bearing very thoughtful gifts. The only problem was I had gone out for the evening and wasn't home to recieve them. They had a wonderful visit with my mother and then bid goodbye. When I arrived home, to my surprise their best wishes for a successful surgery was there. I have beverages, chocolate and hats with wide brims to see me through! True friends are such a blessing and not to be taken lightly. It is my hope to be such a friend to others.

St. Cloud Visit

I arrived home yesterday afternoon after spending 3 days in St. Cloud for a business conference. Was able to listen to some really good speakers about the energy business. We also had two motivational/humorist speakers. They were awesome and kept me awake and laughing! The final day turned political as we had a visit from senate hopeful Al Franken. He had a warm (but reserved) welcome from our group.

However, it wasn't all work! I had time to visit the Gruber's Quilt Shop... it's an awesome place with an unending supply of fabric and ideas. My favorite pasttime was spending about 1 1/2 hours walking through the Clemens and Munsinger Flower Gardens. The water fountains are very refreshing. It was a perfect time to be there because most everything was in full bloom. The gardens were beautiful and the stroll along the river made a perfect backdrop. Each time I attend, I'm impressed with the additions of more gardens. Just when I think they couldn't possibly add more, another one is planted. This is a perfect spot for a family to visit and take a picnic. If you get the time, enjoy!!