Flowers, fireworks and 4th of July

It's that time of year when colors abound!  Brilliant flowers are popping everywhere along with the fireworks.

Here's my annual expose' on summer flowers(most of them in my own back yard)...

We love our "Life is Good" t-shirts!

For the first time in many years, Mike and I stayed in town for the 4th of July.  It was a crummy, rainy weekend, but we still had fun. We headed to  Nashville, Indiana for some shopping and lunch at a favorite pizza place.

Next we headed to the outlet mall with thousands of other like-minded people who were looking for an activity they could do in the rain.

Hey, shopping is an American tradition, isn't it!?














Normally we watch our town's fireworks from our front yard, but this year Mike wanted to go to our town park and enjoy the fireworks firsthand.  We gathered up lawn chairs and hiked to the park where we enjoyed "fair food" and a ride on the Ferris wheel.

Enjoying the Ferris wheel with Mike!

View of the midway from the Ferris wheel

As darkness settled in, we set up our lawn chairs in the park and enjoyed the show.  The fireworks were right overhead and absolutely stunning.  Ok, and a bit scary as debris rained down on my head.

Mike, Diane, Elena and Atanas

We enjoyed a lovely evening with friends Elena and Atanas at our local Irish Pub.  Nothing like sitting outside on a cool summer evening and catching up on life.

Mike, Melanie, Diane and Chuck

Last Saturday we spent the afternoon visiting with Chuck and Melanie in Broad ripple.  A couple of pitchers of margaritas was a perfect way to spend a lazy Saturday.












And of course it is an unwritten law that you must enjoy ice cream in the summer! One of our favorite places is the "Frost Bite"!  Last week Mike introduced me to the "Big Berry"in a small town near here.  Gotta love these names!

And as you might expect, we always find weird sights in everyday life...





We drove by the "Eat Mor Chicken" cow today.  One minute he was standing by the side of the road...















And then he was being led away...

Did he violate some company policy?  In trouble with the law?  Or merely couldn't see in his costume?













Like everyone, I've been very troubled by the violence and unrest this past week.  If only we could do what is inscribed over this church doorway...

Take care, and to quote Ellen: "Be kind to one another".
Diane

May in Indy

It's May in Indy!  And that means a busy month of racing!
















Last Saturday we attended our first race of the season, Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis.  We enjoyed a day at the track despite a little rain...

Refreshments anyone?

Raincoats are a must!

Hearty fans

Our drive home after the race!

And May is full of flowers!  And my phone is always ready as I walk through the neighborhood...

Snowballs?

Wish I could do "scratch and smell" with this photo

Flower petals everywhere!

Pink carpet

And here are a few other pictures from the week...

Another crazy selfie!

Feet don't touch the ground!

Blue Belle in mirror!

Have a super week and enjoy all the beauty around you!

Diane

Illinois Weekend

We spent last weekend in Illinois visiting our friend Stan.  We offered to help him with chores around the house and yard, and he had a "few" things lined up.

Stan is afraid of heights so he asked me to help clean gutters.  He raised an extension ladder, and I VERY CAREFULLY climbed to the gutters at the top of the second story of this 100-year old house.  And if that wasn't tough enough, I had to use a screw driver to remove screws from and raise the gutter guard.  VERY SCARY!



Stan and I planted herbs and did general yard work while Mike fixed stuff.  All of our friends and family know that Mike can fix stuff, and so there are usually chores lined up for him.  During our weekend visit, he worked on Stan's pickup truck and minivan and repaired a toilet.




We all made a trip to Champaign to visit with niece Meghan who is a junior at University of Illinois.  We enjoyed learning more about her student life where she majors in music and is a member of the Illini Marching Band.  She plans to spend two months in Costa Rica this summer in a Spanish immersion program and will teach music in grade school or middle school upon graduation.

Ferret shampoo. No Tears Formula.

While we were in Champaign, Stan wanted to visit a pet store he has frequented since attending vet school at University of Illinois.  While he spent time visiting the owner, I saw a few interesting products on the shelves...

Who knew there was a ferret beauty market?

Patio furniture?

And a bed?

Bird snuggle sacks?

Turtle eye drops

We had a great weekend with Stan.  We completed lots of chores, but we also had great conversation and laughs along the way.  We talked a lot about our dear friend Mary and shared memories of her throughout the weekend.   We really miss her, and it's so hard to get used to her not being here with us.

And here are a few of the many flower pictures I took last week:

I am very excited that an article I wrote was published on the Retirement and Good Living web site.  It's titled "Retiree Speak", and you can find it here:
http://retirementandgoodliving.com/retiree-speak/

And on a final note, I would never recommend following the future...

Take care and have a great week!
Diane

April in Indiana

April in Indiana is all about color.

Yellows, purples, oranges, pinks, and the greens that transport me to Ireland.

I can't really breathe well with all the trees in bloom, but it's totally worth it for the color.

Here's a few pics I've taken while walking the neighborhood this past week...

Outside the kitchen window

Winding creek

Last week we had a great day with our friends Kevin, Kathy and Stan catching up on life and enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.

Kevin, Kathy, Stan, Diane and Mike

The guys

And who doesn't love celebrating their birthday?  Yesterday was a great day of food, friends and music!  First of all is the best chocolate cake in the world.  Taylor's Bakery in Indianapolis makes a fantastic chocolate ganache cake!  Wow!  Even I can get chocolate overload from this cake.

We enjoyed lunch in Broad Ripple at one of our favorite restaurants: The Monon Food Company.  It was a great day to sit outside and enjoy people watching and of course our favorite tacos: Jerk Chicken and MoFoCo Pork!
















Our good friend Chuck joined Mike and I for a birthday dinner (thanks for cooking, Mike!), and then we made some music with Chuck and me on guitars and Mike on keyboards.

And then there were the  weird signs I see along the way...

Best stick figure decals ever!  

I had some time for a bit of craft work this week...

Another wreath

Some bead work

Another wallet

What can I say?  Potato chip with a hole in it!

And just because I celebrated a birthday, do I have to act my age?





















I hope you are enjoying a beautiful April wherever you are!

Diane