The Week That Was

 

Last week was a good one containing many pleasant moments along the way.  The community we live in now is considered an active 55+ community.  There is an emphasis on staying active and engaged as we navigate the senior years.  Just about any activity you can imagine is available.  It would be easy to find things to do all day, every day if you chose.  On the other hand, if you don't care to participate, that is fine too.

Periodically over the summer they have held outdoor concerts.  The bands are typically tribute bands playing music recognizable to our age group.  Last week it was the Liverpool Legends.  I had to chuckle at how concert going has changed since my younger days.  For this one our neighbor across the street drove us in their golf cart.  A line of fellow concert goers followed behind us as we made our way to the venue.  There was still singing along and dancing, although not quite as wild as our younger days ;).  The weather was beautiful.  The band took us from the earliest days through the highlights of their career with several outfit changes along the way.

This is my Cardinal Climber Vine (aka:  hummingbird vine).  

I planted it from seed in the early summer.  I have watched it grow and grow and grow.  When we returned from vacation it had started growing across the patio and attached itself to every nearby shrub it could find.  It seemed to be growing like Jack's beanstalk without a bloom in sight.  I had to give it a haircut and have given it weekly trims since.  It seems to grow a foot overnight :D.

Last week I finally started to see some blooms.

Just in time to help nourish those sweet little hummingbirds before they begin their migration in a month or so.

My sugar water feeder is in amongst all those vines.  I enjoy watching the birds take a few sips of the flowers before darting into the feeder for a few more sips.

Friday was an afternoon of boating.  At 90 degrees it was hot unless you were in the water or the boat was moving.  Mid-afternoon we heard a crack of thunder and the wind picked up.  It felt delightful, but it is always a concern to be on a boat with a thunderstorm threatening.  Brett put the pedal to the metal and raced us across the lake to a less threatening spot.  We watched as the skies went from blue to dark and cloudy with rays of sun peeking through here and there.  We hung out close enough to the marina to make a mad dash, if necessary.  In time, the rain threat passed and the cooler temperatures were much appreciated.

Soon boating season will be over for another year.

Last night we were invited to a neighbor's house for an end of summer/50th anniversary celebration.  We have fallen into a comfortable routine with this group of everyone bringing a dish to share.  My plan was to bring a Caprese Salad.  While it was a casual backyard gathering, I felt I should elevate my serving utensil from the everyday one I always bring to these events.  A 50 year anniversary seemed to call for something a bit nicer.  Rummaging through my kitchen drawers I came upon this very tarnished silver pie server.  Fairly obvious that it hasn't been used in ages.

Since I did have a jar of silver polish, I decided to see if it could be shined or if it was too far gone.

After several rounds with the TarnX, it was transformed.

After seeing how pretty it looks all shined up I had to wonder why I let it get to that horrible state.  Silver really is beautiful when it shines.  

I never seem to remember to take a photo until I'm rushing out the door as was the case last night.  That salad made with red, yellow and orange heirloom tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic glaze and a sprinkling of chopped basil was simple to make.  It disappeared fast too.  It seemed fitting for an end of the summer salad as before we know it the tomatoes and basil will also be done for the year.

This week there's only one thing on the calendar, which is okay with me.  My personality enjoys being busy/social, but requires time to regroup for awhile.  How about you?  Do you prefer a busy social calendar or not so much?

🌞