On this last day of July in the year of our Lord 2018, welcome friends! I hope all is well with you and yours. I’ve returned from a whirlwind but always-lovely weekend in the Up North area of Pure Michigan. We looked at the wonderful old houses left over from the days when wealthy folks would take a ship up from Chicago to their expansive summer homes to catch a breeze.

We toured the Benzie Area Historical Museum which was so well done and interesting – especially for a museum of its size, it’s a treasure trove of old photographs, displays, furniture, books, boats…and a tiny sawmill that actually works.

And of course there was a lot of outside time under the sunshine and big sky.

I just wanted to say hello as I segue back into the work week. Today is dusting day on my cleaning protocol but I am baking some chicken and sitting with Emmett instead. I have a full day of meetings tomorrow for a new gig at work that I’m taking on in addition to my consistent paralegal / governance tasks – I came home hoping my Goody Box from Thred Up had arrived with a couple of nice new-to-me work outfits carefully curated by a stylist at my favorite consignment website. (It’s such a cool service. Give them your Pinterest style board and sizes, they’ll select a box of goodies for you, keep what you like return what you don’t…love it.) The box was indeed full of great stuff but only 2 things really worked. Sadly, I’ve gained a few pounds in the past year and have not been entirely consistent with my Weight Watchers. I’m back on it now, and hoarding blue dots, but I have a ways to go until the clothing that I favor can look good on me.

I’ve been running more but my eating hasn’t been on track so the extra few miles aren’t doing much, although I’m really happy to say that I’m feeling healthy and strong, with no pain or injury, which is something I don’t take for granted. B and I did a neighborhood 5k last weekend when he was home and it poured down rain like nobody’s business. We ran it anyway! Our time wasn’t much to write home about but you do the best you can when you are drenched to the skin.

As I type, it’s still raining, which is good news for my yard and plantings – what is left of them, that is, after the nonstop assault by the mama deer and her two fawns that I have squatting in the hedgerow (I live in a suburb, have I mentioned?) And cozy, knowing I have nowhere to be and nothing to do except eat and watch Netflix and maybe do some reading. I hope you are equally snug and content, until next time.