A Puttering Weekend

This was a weekend to recharge the batteries. We had several things we had planned on doing, but decided to dump the plans in favor on puttering. As I've mentioned, we've been going hammer & tongs for weeks, pretty much since the first part of May, so two days of nothing particular to do was in order.

Saturday, we all slept in, then sort of grazed for breakfast. I did some watering out back (since we still have had any rain)& Chris started a load of his work clothes for next week. I made a pot on tea & we read the paper- I saw that Alden Lane Nursery was having a quilt show & asked Chris if he was interested in going. He said that he had been thinking about going out for a hike in one of the regional parks nearby, & was I interested in joining him. After 3 seconds of staring at each other in silence, we both started laughing! That's one of the things I love about my marriage- we understand each other pretty well & appreciate our differences. Don't get me wrong- Chris has a great appreciation for handcrafts & I do enjoy a day out communing with nature- we like to spend our freetime together. But we've also learned that it's okay- no, imperative- for us to have time apart. So, I went off to Livermore, while Chris & Sam headed to Black Diamond Mines for the day.

The quilt show lovely; they had strung the quilts & hanging on lines between the trees throughout the nursery; there were various quilting guilds represented, each raffling off a quilt for charity; several vendors had booths around the nursery, offering jewelry, needle crafts, quilt fabric & food. The nursery itself was putting on a free workshop on spring bulbs, which I sat in on- I put together a rectangular terracotta planter, with layered bulbs (daffodils, tulips, & grape hyacinth) topped with violas, to put next to the front walk. Of course, I had to do a little shopping- I picked up a large bag of mixed tulips (which I plan to put in a large container like I saw done at Filoli Gardens) & a large multi-bloomed sunflower, white snapdragons & red pansies to put in a container for Fall. I stopped off at Cost Plus for olive oil & some wine (plus few other things) then headed home. I was able to catch up with my blog walking, meet some new friends, & clean out my e-mail inbox. I watched my favorite British comedies, then listened to "A Prairie Home Companion"  while I knitted. The boys got home after dark, having hiked, explored the mine & ghost town, & gone out for burgers, bringing home ice cream. Top it off with an early night & a good book. Ahhh.

Today was a non-event. We went to church; the ensemble performed the special, which was well received; we went home- no dinner out, no friends over. Sam went upstairs to play video games; Chris watched old westerns (& promptly fell asleep); I read for a bit, then took a nap. We read the Sunday paper while Sam washed my car; then I picked some basil & tomatoes for supper. It was a family endeavor- Sam grilled the chicken, Chris made herb biscuits, & I made pasta with fresh pesto & chopped tomatoes. I let Sam skip dance class tonight, so the evening was spent watching TV (we like "Home Makeovers) listening to some music, & reading the backlog of magazines. Now, the kitchen is clean, the cats have been brushed, & I'm ready to toddle off to bed, to reflect on how God has blessed me. Goodnight, friends.